Bar Hebraeus'
Chronography

X

Concerning the Taking of Constantinople by the Franks from the Greeks (continued).



In the year six hundred and ten of the ARABS (A.D. 1213) died MUHADAB, a physician of BAGHDAD, who was known as BAR-HUBAL in MAWSIL. This man was the most eminent physician of his time, [427] and he was a pupil of 'ABU 'ALBARAKAT, a Jewish physician in BAGHDAD. This man departed from BAGHDAD to MAWSIL, and from there to 'ADHORBIJAN, and thence to KHALAT. And he lived in the service of SHAH 'ARMAN , and whilst attending him he acquired great wealth. And during one of the illnesses of the king, when BAR HUBAL took some of his urine to examine according to custom, one of the slaves said unto him, 'Why dost thou not taste it, O physician?' And the physician returned him no answer at the moment, but after he had gone out he called the slave and said unto him privately, 'Did some other man instruct thee to tell me that I ought to taste the urine, that is to say the king himself, or one of his household, or didst thou speak the word at thine own instigation?' And the slave replied, 'No, but I have heard people say that there was a taste in urine which gave information, just as the colour, and the smell, and the composition of the urine [supply] indications'. And the physician said, 'It is even so, but not in every sickness. Know, however, that thou hast done me harm by this speech of thine, for when the king heareth of this he will think that I am not doing in my treatment of him everything which it is right that I should do, and am bound to complete.' From that time the physician was offended in his mind, and he could rest there no longer. And he gave a large sum of silver to that slave, and begged him never again to say anything like it. Some time after this he excused himself from his service (i.e. he resigned), and he received a Pudana (i.e. Patent) [from the king] and went forth from KHALAT; and he came and dwelt in MAWSIL, and remained there until he died. In his last days he became blind, and many used to come to him and learn medicine directly (or, thoroughly). He lived ninety and five years, and he wrote a wonderful book on medicine [in] four volumes, and called it 'MUKHTAR', and behold very many read it and are instructed thereby at the present day.

And in this year, which is the year six hundred and ten of the ARABS (A.D. 1213), CHINGIZ KHAN wished to go in person to BETH PARSAYE (PERSIA). And when he arrived at the country of the Turkish 'IGHURAYE, all the Amirs who were there, and their troops, went into his service--[those] from BISH BALIGH, from the governor whose name was 'IDIKUB, and his army of peasants; and from [428] 'ALMALIGH, [from the Amir] SEKNAK (SUFTAK?) TAKIN and his horsemen; and many others. Then CHINGIZ KHAN sent TUSHI, his eldest son, with five myriads (50,000) of soldiers to the region of KHOGAND, and his two other sons, JAGHATAI and 'OKHATAI, he sent to invest the city of 'OTHRAR. He himself went against the city of BUKHARA, and he commanded those whom he had left by 'OTHRAR to fight strenuously. And though they began the war strenuously, that city continued to resist them for five months. For Sultan MUHAMAD had left therein fifty thousand horsemen, whose captain was JAIR KHAN, and ten thousand other horsemen, whose captain was KARA SHAH (KARAJA) KHAS HAJIB, were likewise there. And when KARAJA saw that they had not the strength of the TATARS, one night he took several of his partisans and went forth by the SOFI GATE to the MONGOLS. And they kept guard over him until the morning and they carried him to the two sons of the Khan. And when they had learned accurately from him every kind of information about the city and its combatants, they said unto him, 'In the same way as thou hast deceived thy lord thou shalt be deceived by us, and we have no need of thee'. And they commanded, and he and all those who were with him were killed.

And during [that] day the TATARS became masters of the city, and they expelled all the inhabitants, men, and women, and they plundered the treasures. Then JAIR KHAN together with twenty thousand of his own men, [who were] on the roofs of the high houses of the city and on the towers on the walls, rebelled. And they went out on foot, fifty after fifty, to the TATARS, and they killed and were killed, until only two persons remained with JAIR KHAN on the roof of the palace. And a great many TATARS gathered together against them, and they toiled hard until they had killed the two [men]. And JAIR KHAN remained alone. And when he had used up all his arrows, the children and the handmaidens dragged out the bricks and the blocks of stones from the walls, and he fought against the TATARS with these. And because the command of the Khan was that they were not to kill him during the fight, but to capture him alive, they took very great trouble and used much care until they took him. And [429] after CHING1Z KHAN had seen him, he commanded and they killed him in the place which is called GOG SARAI, that is to say 'The Green House'.

And in the year six hundred and eleven of the ARABS (A.D. 1214) Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN KAI KAUS reigned over SINOB (SINOPE?), which is on the coast of the SEA OF PONTUS, and he killed KIR ALIX its lord.

And in the year six hundred and twelve (A.D. 1215) he also took 'ANTALYA from the RHOMAYE (GREEKS) a second time.

And in the year six hundred and thirteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1216) died MALIK TAHIR JAZI, the son of SALAH AD-DIN YUSEF, the son of 'AYUB, the lord of ALEPPO. And he commanded that his young son MALIK 'AZIZ MAHAMAD should stand in his place; at that time he was a child aged two years and a few months. Now he had another son who was older, but because the mother of the younger son was the daughter of MALIK 'ADIL, he appointed the younger son king so that his elder [brother] might not harm him.

And TAHIR appointed SHEHAB AD-DIN TUGHREL, a just and merciful eunuch, to be administrator and 'Atabag to his young son; and under his excellent government the men of ALEPPO lived in profound happiness and prosperous peace. And all the things which TAHIR had filched away during his life he restored to their owners after his death.

And in the year fifteen hundred and twenty-eight of the GREEKS (A.D. 1217), which is the year six hundred and fourteen of the ARABS, the Pope of ROME sent to all the kings of the FRANKS and laid upon them the word by the decree of God that they should collect their troops, and sally out and free JERUSALEM, the Holy City, from the hands of the ARABS. And the multitude of the nations gathered together and went forth to 'AKKO. And when 'ADIL heard [this] he set out hurriedly from EGYPT to JERUSALEM. And the FRANKS went forth from 'AKKO, and they camped by the waters in the place which is called the 'Cave of Robbers'. For 'ADIL wished to precede them and to encamp there. And when he could not do this he encamped by BAISHAN, and the FRANKS drew near that they might engage him in battle there. He, however, seeing that he had not the strength of the FRANKS, went and encamped in the neighbourhood of DAMASCUS, until the gathering together should be complete. And the FRANKS came and carried away everything they found, from BAISHAN to BANIAS, and they killed and made prisoners, and returned to the plain of 'AKKO [430] with their hands filled with loot.

It is said that when 'ADIL was leaving BAISHAN he himself saw a man carrying a heavy load and walking slowly, and he sat down to rest for a moment. And 'ADIL by himself approached him, and said unto him, 'Why dost thou kill thyself, O aged man? Do not hurry.' And the old man replied, 'Go to the Sultiin and tell [him] that we are not to hurry. For if he himself had not hurried, I should never have hurried, and moreover, I should never have gone out from my house.' And 'ADIL was ashamed, and he left him and departed.

At this time PRAYNS BAIMOND (BOHAIMOND) died, and he left a son whose name was RUFIN, which the daughter of RUFIN, the king of the ARMENIANS, had borne to him. And although the kingdom belonged rightly to him, his uncle made bold and snatched it for himself. Then LION, the king of the ARMENIANS, the brother of RUFIN the ARMENIAN, because he, RUFIN the FRANK, was the son of his brother's daughter, was enraged and he came to ANTIOCH; and he made the people of ANTIOCH swear oaths of fealty to him. Then this stupid man seeing that he was reigning became puffed up with pride and he wished to seize LION, who had made him king, so that he might reign over CILICIA also. Then when the Brethren (Freres) knew of the plot they informed LION concerning him, and he escaped without injury.

And in the year six hundred and fifteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1218) the FRANKS embarked on the sea, and went to attack DAMYAT (DAMIETTA), and they went up (i.e. disembarked) on the dry land which is called BIZAH (GENZAH?). And the river NILE lay between the FRANKS and DAMIETTA. And the ARABS built a great tower in the middle of the NILE, so that the fighting men who were in it might prevent the FRANKS from [reaching] DAMIETTA. And when the FRANKS had waged war against the tower for about four months they took it, and they killed the men who were inside it, and they cut the chains which were on (i.e. across) the NILE. Now it was MALIK KAMIL, the son of 'ADIL, who had encamped on the other side of DAMIETTA, and when he saw that the FRANKS had cut the chains which were on (i.e. across) the NILE, he tied a great bridge [across the river] in the place of the chains. And the FRANKS cut through the bridge also. Then KAMIL drilled many holes in great boats and sank them at that spot, and larger ships were unable to sail over the boats which were sunk. Then the FRANKS dug a great deep cutting on the other side, and they made a breach in the bank of the river and they brought a flood of water from the NILE through it, [431] and they made their ships to sail over the sunken boats, and they drew near to the wall of DAMIETTA, and began to carry on the war from the river.

Then the men of DAMIETTA, because KAMIL and his troops were nigh at hand, and everything which they required entered [the city] from the land, were not asking about the FRANKS. Then God willed, and the report of the death of 'ADIL in DAMASCUS came to KAMIL his son, and that the Amir BAR MASHTUB, and the other Amirs of the HAKARAYE KURDS, wished to appoint as king of EGYPT MALIK FAIZ, the brother of KAMIL. Because of this KAMIL took his troops and marched them to EGYPT (MESRIN), and he abandoned DAMIETTA. And the FRANKS prevailed, and they sallied out on the dry land, and they carried off the remnant of the treasure which remained in the camp of the ARABS. And they encamped against DAMIETTA, and began to attack it both by sea and by land. And the men of DAMIETTA, because they were expecting that help would come to them from the ARABS, carried on the war strenuously. And the FRANKS continued to attack the city for about nine months. And when the ARABS who were inside the city were in despair, because KAMIL was unable to go forth from EGYPT, being afraid of treachery, (they gave the hand to the FRRANKS, and they surrendered the city to them peacefully. And when the FRANKS took DAMIETTA they made a proclamation, saying, 'Whosoever among the AR\BS wisheth to go out with his provisions, let him go forth, and he [who wisheth] to remain, let him remain'. And many did not go forth.

Then when KAMIL saw the courage of the FRANKS he was greatly afraid of them, and he sent and destroyed the wall of JERUSALEM so that there might not be a place in which the FRANKS could alight when they captured it. And at this time RUFIN the FRANK, the lord of ANTIOCH, being sorely afflicted by the blind PRAYNS his uncle, the lord of TRIPOLI (because LION the king had paid no heed to him by reason of the fact that he was preparing to reward him with evil instead of good), left ANTIOCH and came to HARRI JOAN (HENRY JOHN OF BRIENNE?), the king of the FRANKS at DAMIETTA, and he lived with him until LION the king died. [432]

And in this year fear fell upon the ARABS, not only through the FRANKS who were coming forth from the west, but especially through the TATARS who had burst forth from the east, and had come as far as HAMADAN, and 'ADHORBIJAN, and 'ARRAN (ARZAN?) [RB: Caucasian Aghuania], and had committed horribie atrocities in all PERSIA. And in the year, on the twenty-seventh day of the third month of the ARABS, died MALIK KAHIR 'IZZ AD-DIN MAS'UD, the son of NUR AD-DIN, the lord of MAWSIL, after he had reigned seven years and nine months. Now this man lived in a state of continual fear of death, and he was always most eager to enjoy himself, as if he was plucking the things which he enjoyed out of the hands of death. And his son NUR AD-DIN 'ARSLAN SHAH, his eldest son, reigned in his stead; he was a boy ten years old (or a youth aged twenty years), who was called by the name of his ancestor. And MALIK KAHIR, when he was dying, appointed BADR AD-DIN LULU to be the administrator (or, governor) of his son, even as he had been administrator to himself. And BADR AD-DIN himself acted nobly and sent to the Khalifah NASIR and brought the Patent of sovereignty to the young man. And in like manner he sent to the kings of the other [countries] and ensured (or, confirmed) peace. And he took the kingdom of MAWSIL without any commotion, and although those who sought after the soul of the young man, and were longing greedily to rule, [viz.] 'EMAD AD-DIN, his uncle, the lord of 'AKR, and the uncles of his father, BADR AD-DIN prevented them all [from doing so] by his management. And he multiplied kindness to the nobles and the chief men of the city and the country [about it], and they all loved him.

Now 'EMAD AD-DIN, the lord of 'AKR, the uncle of the young man, sent to MUTAFAR AD-DIN KUKBURI, the son of ZAYN AD-DIN, the lord of 'ARBIL, and said unto him, 'BADR AD-DIN wisheth to deceive our house, and to take the kingdom for himself. Then MUTAFAR AD-DIN helped the lord of 'AKR, and he went and took the fortress of 'EMADIAH. And BADR AD-DIN collected troops and went against 'EMADIAH to make war on it and to capture 'EMAD AD-DIN. And because it was the season of winter, and there was heavy snow upon those mountains, BADR AD-DIN left [the place] and went back to MAWSIL. And EMAD AD-DIN waxed strong, and he sent [messages] to the rest of the fortresses of the HAKARAYE and the ZAWZANAYE, and he ruled over them.

And in the year Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN KAI KAUS, the lord of BETH [433] RHOMAYE, eagerly desired to reign over ALEPPO, for he saw that it was lacking a lord, and that a sucking child was proclaimed in it. And his nobles advised him that this could easily take place, 'if thou wilt take with thee this MALIK 'AFDAL, the son of SALAH AD-DIN, the lord of SAMOSATA, and wilt pretend that thou art jealous on account of him who is wronged by his brothers, and wilt restore to him the kingdom of his father because he is the eldest son of SALAH AD-DIN'. And Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN sent and brought MALIK 'AFDAL from SAMOSATA, and he gave him gold, and apparel, and many horses, and armour, and he made him ready to go with him to SYRIA on the condition that ALEPPO and everything which appertained to MALIK 'AFDAL should belong to him, and that every country which they took from the dominion of MALIK 'ASHRAF in BETH NAHRIN should belong to Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN.

And they collected troops and went first of all against 'AINTAB and took it; and MALIK 'AFDAL surrendered it. And they went from there to TALL BASHIR and took it likewise, and Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN surrendered it and did not give it to MALIK 'AFDAL. And 'AFDAL was offended, and those who had surrendered also repented. And from this time 'AFDAL hid treachery In his heart, and he began to hold back 'IZZ AB-DIN from his going against ALEPPO. And he said, 'First of all let us go and take MABBUGH and other places, and then it will be possible for us to take ALEPPO, which remaineth like a dove, the wings (or, feathers) of which have been plucked'. And when they went against MABBUGH, SHAHAB AD-DIN sent a eunuch to MALIK 'ASHRAF, and entreated him to come to the help of the little boy who was his sister's son. And 'ASHRAF was roused to anger, and hecame and met in battle the soldiers of BETH RHOMAYE by MABBUGH, and the RHOMAYE (GREEKS) were broken at the beginning of the engagement. And Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN did not continue the fight, but he left and returned to his own country. And 'ASHRAF went against 'AINTAB and took it, and TALL BASHIR likewise. And he gave them again to the lord of ALEPPO. When those who had surrendered TALL BASHIR to 'ASHRAF went to their own country, Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN took them and without mercy burnt them in a house.

And in the year when the FRANKS were encamped even as we have said at DAMIETTA, MALIK 'ADIL died on the seventh day of the sixth month [434] of the year six hundred and fifteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1218), aged seventy-five years, in the place which is called 'ALKIN'. And he was carried to DAMASCUS and there buried in a tomb which he had built for for himself. He was a very astute man, and one who nursed his anger, and took vengeance [on an offender] after a long period of time. He left the following sons: MALIK KAMIL NASIR AD-DIN ABU AL-MA'ALI, the lord of EGYPT; and MALIK MU'ATAM MUTAFAR AD-DIN 'ISA, the lord of DAMASCUS and JERUSALEM; and MALIK 'ASHRAF SHARAF AD-DIN MUSA, the lord of EDESSA,and HARRAN and KHALAT; and MALIK MUTAFAR SHEHAB AD-DIN JAZI, the lord of MAIPERKAT; and MALIK HAFIT, the lord KAL'AH JA'BAR; and MALIK 'AZIZ 'OTHMAN, the lord of BANYAS; and MALIK SALIH 'ESMA'IL, the lord of BOSAR; and MALIK FAIZ YA'UB; and MALIK 'AMJAD 'ABBAS; and MALIK 'AFDAL KUTB AD-DIN; and MALIK KAHIR TAJ AD-DIN 'ESHAK (ISAAC).

And in the year when BADR AD-DIN saw that MUTAFAR AD-DIN, the lord of 'ARBIL, had covenanted with 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI, the lord of 'AKR, to lay waste the country of MAWSIL, and to become masters of the fortresses, and that any humility would not profit him with them, and that even if he would oppose them he was by himself unable to cope with them, he besought help from MALIK 'ASHRAF, the lord of BETH NAHRIN and of KHALAT, and he promised to hold himself in subjection to him like one of his own nobles. And 'ASHRAF rejoiced at this, and sent an army to NISIBIS, and they were to go to BADR AD-DIN whensoever he summoned them.

And in the year six hundred and sixteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1219) 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI went down from the fortress of 'EMADIYAH to the fortress of 'AKR, so that he might rule over the cities of the plain, for he was already master of these mountainous districts. And when BADR AD-DIN heard [this] he sent an army to protect the country. Then the nobles and the captains of the hosts took counsel together and decided to subdue 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI by the side of 'AKR without informing BADR AD-DIN. And they marched the whole night, and when the day of the Sabbath, at the end of the first month of the ARABS, dawned on them, they met in batt1e below the fortress of 'AKR. And ZANGI was broken [435] utterly, and he fled to MAWSIL to MUTAFAR AD-DIN, and the men of MAWSIL returned to their camp.

Then ambassadors came from the Khalifah NASIR, and from MALIK 'ASHRAF, and they made them to be reconciled and pacified them. And in the day wherein the peace was confirmed, the young man NUR AD-DIN, the son of MALIK TAHIR, the lord of MAWSIL, died. Now he was continually falling sick, and for ten days at a time he was not seen riding. Then BADR AD-DIN took his brother, a child three years old, whose name was NASIR AD-DIN MAHMUD, and seated him in the place of his brother. And he made the nobles to swear fealty to him. and they set him on a horse and showed him to the populace, and the hearts of the people were pleased, for they saw that they had a king of the house of 'ATABAG, and they loved that house greatly.

And NUR AD-DIN being dead, and the young child his brother standing in his place, MUTAFAR AD-DIN and ZANGI again quarrelled with the men of MAWSIL, and they began to raid the country. Then BADR AD-DIN, because he had sent most of the troops of MAWSIL to ALEPPO, to MALIK 'ASHRAF who was wishing to invade and spoil the country of the FRANKS, sent to 'AIBAG, the captain of the host of 'ASHRAF who had been sent to NISIBIS, and he brought him to him. And when BADR AD-DIN saw that those who had come with 'AIBAG, the slave of 'ASHRAF, were few in number, he was depressed and also offended (or, annoyed), because the troops whom he had sent to 'ASHRAF were far more numerous than those who had been sent to him by 'ASHRAF. But 'AIBAG began to magnify himself, and he forced BADR AD-DIN to cross the TIGRIS, and to go and loot the country of 'ARBIL. Then when MUTAFAR AD-DIN heard [this), he collected his troops and crossed the ZABHA river. And BADR AD-DIN and 'AIBAG went and pitched their camp on both sides opposite to each other. And when midnight had come 'AIBAG rose up [and wanted] to go and crush the army of 'ARBIL, but BADR AD-DIN urged him not to go, but to wait until the day broke. He would not, however, agree, but he mounted his horse and made his party to mount their horses, and BADR AD-DIN also was compelled to join him. And they went and engaged MUTAFAR AD-DIN. And 'IZZ AD-DIN 'AIBAG, the slave of 'ASHRAF, fled to the left wing of the lord of 'ARBIL, and the right wing of the lord of ARBIL broke the left wing of [436] BADR AD-DIN.

And BADR AD-DIN remained with a few men in the middle, and he was unable to resist the heart (i.e. the main body) of the army of the lord of 'ARBIL. And BADR AD-DIN fled before MUTAFAR AD-DIN, and with rapid marches he came and crossed the TIGRIS to MAWSIL. And he did not stop, but went and pitched his camp in the city of BALADH, so that he might collect troops again. And MUTAFAR AD-DIN rode after him, and he came and encamped behind the hill of the fortress of NINEVEH, and he remained there for three days. And when he heard that BADR AD-DIN was preparing to crush him in the night, he departed and went to 'ARBIL. And in his passage through NINEVEH he harmed no man except only in one case where some of the men of SHAHARZUR who were with him carried off a newly wedded bride from the village of BETH SAHRAYE (i.e. house of the beggars). And her owners were infuriated, and they rescued the maiden, and they also killed some of the KURDS.

And MUTAFAR heard [of this] and was furiously angry, because it was said to him, 'Those peasants have disgraced thee, and are crying out, "[Long] live the staff of gold, BADR AD-DIN".' And he sent a force against the village, and they also attacked those villagers who were protected in the church, and they killed about three hundred souls and departed. And when they passed through BARTELI they cut off the hand of a certain young man with the sword. And after these things ambassadors were sent from one to another, and there was peace.

And in the year those who were in the fortress of KAWASHI, on seeing that the rest of the fortresses had surrendered to 'EMAD AD-DIN ZANGI, also sent to him and surrendered KAWASHI to him; and they drove out from there those who were of the house of BADR AD-DIN. And when BADR AD-DIN saw that MUTAFAR AD-DIN did not abide by his oaths, and did not cease from inciting ZANGI to quarrel with him, he sent to MALIK 'ASHRAF and begged him to come personally to his assistance, and to make the lord of 'ARBIL cease from [harrying] him. Now 'ASHRAF AD-ADIN, because his adversaries at that time were many (for Sultan KAI KAUS of BETH RHOMAYE, and the lord of 'AMID and of the fortress of KIPA, and the lord of MARDIN, and the Amir BAR MASHTUB, and the Amir 'IZZ AD-DIN HAMIDAYA had rebelled against him), was unable to come to the assistance of BADR AD-DIN until after a time.

And in the eleventh month of the year six hundred and sixteen of the ARABS (A.D. 1219) [437], which is the year fifteen hundred and thirty-one of the GREEKS (A.D. 1220), in the month of the LATTER KANON (JANUARY), died Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN KAI KAUS, the son of KAI KESRU, the son of KELEJ 'ARSLAN, the lord of BETH RHOMAYE. For he had collected troops in order that he might go again and wage war against 'ASHRAF in BETH NAHRIN, and when he arrived in MELITENE the disease of phthisis tightened its hold upon him, and because of it he turned back from it and died. And the nobles sent and brought out 'ALA AD-DIN KAI KUBAD, who was imprisoned in the fortress of MASARA, which is in MOUNT BRIKHA, and they made him king over them. Some say that Sultan 'IZZ AD-DIN himself before he died sent and brought him out of prison and made the nobles swear fealty to him, because he had no son who was of any use to the kingdom. Now Sultan 'ALA AD-DIN KAI KUBAD, at the beginning of his kingdom saw that his enemies were many, that is to say the GREEKS and the ARMENIANS, who were round about him; and also his uncle the lord of 'ARZAN AR-RUM, made friendship with MALIK 'ASHRAF, and begged that his sister might be given him to wife. And after three years she was given to him.

And in this year, which is the year six hundred and sixty-eight of the ARMENIANS, LION the king of CILICIA died. He was a mighty warrior in battle, and a strenuous follower in the chase. He had only a daughter whose name was ZABIL (ISABEL?). And SIRA DAN PALI (SIRE DOM BAILE?), the lord of the fortresses on the sea-coast, received the allowance of the daughter of the king and of the kingdom for about two years-until the ISHMAELITES killed him.

(Continued on Next Page)

Continue


Return to Chronography's Table of Contents
Return to Historical Sources Menu
Return to History Workshop Menu