[16] In the year 486 A.E. [1037] Lord Petros the patriarch, unbeknownst to anyone, arose and secretly went to the monastery of Dzor in the land of Vaspurakan and resided there, abandoning his pastoral duties and [the kat'oghikosal] throne. [This was because] the king and all the lords did not listen to him, did not heed what he said to them about the commandments of God. He stayed there for four months and there was great mourning among the Armenians. Then the king and all the lords wrote a letter of repentance to him, promising to heed whatever he commanded. However, they did this duplicitously, swearing a false oath [to Petros], and using as an intermediary the Byzantine prince who had come there as a governor. When the blessed patriarch heard their duplicitous [pledges], he believed them, and returned to his throne. However, as soon as he arrived in Ani [g31], they seized him by the king's order, and put him into prison for a year and six months. The king brought De'oskoros, abbot of [the monastery of] Sanahin, and seated him on the throne of the kat'oghikosate, without an assembly of bishops and priests. Thus no one accepted him, nor was his name mentioned in the blessed church along with the other patriarchs, since everyone considered him unworthy. [De'oskoros], growing bold from the disease of vainglory, made many unworthy [people] bishops, called to him those whom the former patriarch had rejected, and accepted them as worthy. But the bishops and vardapets of the Armenians anathematized the king and all the lords. Then the king and the princes, terrified by the anathemas, wanted to return Lord Petros to his [kat'oghikosal] throne but the latter, for many days, did not agree. With great entreaties, they begged his forgiveness, yet he did not want to sit on his throne. Forced [by these circumstances], they wrote entreaties to Lord Step'annos, [kat'oghikos] of the Aghuanians, explaining what had transpired. [Step'annos] quickly arrived there with bishops and they convened all the orders of the clergy, the princes and the knights, a great assembly of four thousand people in Ani, with the blessed elder Yuse'p' at the head. They confirmed Lord Petros on his kat'oghikosal throne with great honor. As for that impious chief-bishop De'oskoros, they removed him with great insults and caused him much sorrow [g32]. All those who had been ordained by him were removed from their stations and departed in shame, being in opposition to the kat'oghikos Lord Petros for one year. [17] This occurred in 489 A.E. [1040]. In the same year a comet appeared in the western part [of the heavens] and, traveling a in a backward direction, touched the Pleiades and the moon and then vanished. In the same year Michael entered [the lands of the] Bulghars with numerous troops. They waged a fierce battle with [the Bulghars] and conquered them. But [the Bulghars] cried out in unison to God and then turned upon the Byzantines, putting Emperor Michael to flight and destroying the Byzantine forces. Michael reached Constantinople alone, since [the Bulghars] had stripped him of his provisions and troops. Then the Bulghars reigned [in their own land], having freed themselves from service [to the Byzantines]. In the same year Ashot Bagratuni, king of the Armenians, died and was buried in the royal mausoleum at Ani. He was survived by a fifteen-year-old son. But following Ashot's death, the princes of Armenia grew soft, despising battle and [instead] enjoying drinking bouts and minstrels. And they entered Byzantine service, betraying one another to them. They dissolved the unity which had existed among them. They lamented for the country which the foreigners were putting to the sword and they grieved for each other's destruction, having lost their valor. In the same year the Persian emir Abu'l-Uswar (Apusuar) massed troops, and arrived in the land [g33] of the Aghvank' in the district [held by] David Anhoghin [the Landless, king of Lor'i, 989-1046/48], where he brought great affliction to the faithful. David was afraid to battle against him and so Abu'l-Uswar took numerous districts and fortresses. He remained there for a year, subduing a great portion of the land. David sent to King Yovhanne's in Ani, saying: "Help me to stand against Abu'l-Uswar or else I will go and submit to him, be his guide, and wreck your district of Shirak." When Yovhanne's heard this, he gave him three thousand horsemen for support. [David] similarly sent to the king of the Abkhaz [Bagrat IV, 1027-1072] who gave him five thousand horsemen, and he assembled his own troops, some twelve thousand men. [David] then summoned the kat'oghikos of the Aghuanians, Lord Yuse'p', with all the bishops and brought into the camp all the inhabitants of the land, [including] women and children. He told them that they all should take in their hands as weapons the cross of Christ and the gospels and to those who longed for martyrdom [he said] lo, the time has come for it. Thus the army was [fortified] with crosses and gospels, which caused great mirth to Abu'l-Uswar when he learned about it. David deployed his twenty thousand troops opposite them and then attacked the army of the foreigners, while the priests and the people raised their voices to God, weeping and crying: "Lord come help and save us for Your name" [g34]. At that point the army of the foreigners took to flight, pursued by the Christian forces which completely wiped them out. As for David, in three days time he had retaken all the country which had been ravished from him, gave gifts to everyone and sent them back to their homes. David pacified the land. In the same year a certain impious prince of Senek'erim went to the Byzantine emperor and accused Atom [Senek'erim's son] of planning to rebel and create disturbance. [18] The emperor believed this and sent his acolyth to Sebastia accompanied by fifteen thousand horsemen to forcibly bring them [Senek'erim's sons] so that they would not flee. Hearing this, they went to Constantinople voluntarily. As soon as they entered the city, they went in tears to the grave of Emperor Basil and, placing his written oath on top of his grave, they said: "Oh our father, you brought us to this land, now judge those who threaten us with death." When the emperor heard about this, he was astounded by their wisdom and [realized their] innocence. He ordered that their accuser be destroyed and then returned them to Sebastia with great gifts.

In the year 490 A.E. [1041] King Yovhanne's died and was buried along with his fathers. Then Michael, emperor of the Byzantines, came to Armenia with numerous troops, destroying the land with the sword and through captive-taking. For previously Yovhanne's had given a document to the Byzantines [stating that] after his [g35] death, Ani should pass to them. An impious prince named Sargis, from the line of Hayk, informed Michael that he would give him the land of the Armenians as a gift, and then he stole the treasures of the kings and holed up in a fortress. He held numerous towns and wanted to be king of the Armenians. However the Bagratid House would not accept this. Meanwhile, [David] the Landless came against the land of the Armenians and subdued many districts, since there was no leader in Armenia. [Byzantine troops] came against the royal city of Ani. Then the remainder of the Armenian troops gathered around the sparapet of the Armenians, Vahram Palhawuni, and sought war against the Byzantine troops, since they could not endure their harsh and wicked insults. So [the Armenians troops], filled with rage, attacked and forced these arrogant troops to flee, putting them to the sword. Those who had escaped [the slaughter] by a hairsbreadth were unable to flee because of the ferocious clamor of the Armenians. Finally the virtuous Vahram Palhawuni went among them and barely was able to mollify the Armenian troops into allowing a short rest to permit the survivors to depart. Out of ten thousand [Byzantine troops] only one hundred escaped. Thereafter they did not dare to trouble Ani, and thus the commotion ended. In this period a young, attractive, and wise lad appeared named Gagik, son of King Ashot Bagratuni, who was versed in Scripture. The princes of the Armenians assembled [g36] by order of the great Grigor, son of Vasak Palhawuni, and, going to the blessed patriarch Lord Petros, they anointed Gagik king over the land of the Armenians. Gagik [II, 1042-1045, d.1079] was a pious, God-loving man, who was invincible among the learned, and who established the throne of his kingdom with wisdom. His troops seized the rebel Sargis and by torture they detached from him the fortresses, the royal treasury, and the districts which he had seized. Furthermore the Byzantine troops had ceased demanding Ani, and the land of the Armenians became peaceful. Then Gagik assembled the Armenian troops and went through his patrimonial lands, subduing the disobedient and persecuting his opponents. [19] He went and encamped in the city of Vagharshapat in the district of Ayrarat, to take vengeance on the peoples of the south. Then the great Gorgios [Gregory] Pahlawuni (Palhavuni), son of Vasak, armed himself and went and struck camp near the Axuran River, close to the fortress of Bjni. The troops of the foreigners came to fight the Armenian troops, and a fierce battle ensued. The Armenian forces defeated them and then with God's aid they put the foreigners to flight, slaughtering many of them. [The Armenians] arrested their princes, while the remainder fled to Persia. In this period Michael, emperor of the Byzantines, died and his sister's son, Kesar'os [Michael V, Caliphat, 1041-1042], reigned for [only] four months due to the impudent things he did. [For example] [g37], he cut off the hair of Emperor Constantine's daughter, Zoe, as though she were a whore, and sent her into exile. He also seized the patriarch and put him in prison, since he wanted to advance his own impious and loathsome family. The patriarch cleverly freed himself from his fetters and escaped into [the church of] St. Sophia. There he held a meeting of the princes. They seized the caesar [Michael V] and his clanmates, blinded them, brought the empress and others who had been exiled back to Constantinople with great honor, and were exceedingly pleased. In the same year the lord of Her and Salmast came [with his troops] against the district of Vaspurakan. Xach'ik, the lord of Vaspurakan, was a valiant and martial man who had engaged in warfare over a long period, but [at this point] he was elderly. His sons, Hasan and Chnchghuk, were [out of the country] with Emperor Michael, while [Xach'ik's] young son, Ishxan, was still a boy. Thus, forced by circumstances, [Xach'ik] went off to fight, having few troops with him. He harassed the army of the foreigners. Meanwhile his son Ishxan, without his father's approval, entered the fray unprepared and was slain by the enemy. Seeing this, Xach'ik lost his heart for battle and was himself slain. After some days his sons, Hasan and Chnchghuk, returned from the West dressed in mourning and grieved over their father and brother. Then the eldest son, Hasan, summoned [g38] a Kurdish chief [r'ayis] who was his friend, gave him a thousand dahekans, and told him to go to Her and Salmast and to say: "The land of Vaspurakan is empty. Why are you idle when numerous flocks of sheep and servants roam about unattended?" The chief did this, and the foreigners assembled many troops and came and encamped in that place. The chief came and informed Hasan about the developments. He gathered their own forces and prepared to go against them in battle. Hasan shouted out in front of the foreign troops: "Who is the man who killed my father, Xach'ik, and my brother, Ishxan?" Then a powerful Qipchaq (xap'shik) boldly retorted: "I did. And look here, I have his horse and arms." Then the valiant Hasan fell upon him and cut him in two with his sword, and retrieved his father's horse and weapon. Similarly, Chnchghuk requested his brother's killer, and another man came forth boasting and showed himself. [Chnchghuk] hurled a spear into his heart and he fell to the ground. And he retrieved his brother's horse and weapon. Then valiantly attacking, they destroyed them, taking all their goods and returning joyfully to their homes.

[20] In the year 492 A.E. [1043] Constantine Monomachus, which translates "single combatant," ruled over the Byzantines. In the same year [g39] he was attacked by Maniaces, who previously had captured Edessa, placed a crown on his head and assembled many troops, having support from the land of the Romans. The entire West was subdued by him through fear since he was a forceful man and a valiant warrior. Monomachus went against him in battle with the entire Byzantine army. But suddenly and unexpectedly Maniaces departed this life, and the Byzantines were pacified. In this period the impious Sargis, who was in the east in Persia, contacted Monomachus and told him to summon Gagik to Constantinople with affection and not to let him leave until he had yielded up the city of Ani. This seed of wickedness took root in [Monomachus'] heart, and he wrote a letter to Gagik, the king of the Armenians, summoning him with mighty oaths of affection based on the holy Cross and the Gospel of Christ. When Gagik heard about this he did not want to go. Meanwhile the impious Sargis with his confederates went to the king and encouraged him, saying: "Oh king, why are you afraid to go? Why do you distrust such an oath? If you have doubts about us, know that we are ready to give our lives for you." They designated Lord Petros as an intermediary, served up Holy Communion and, dipping a pen into [the wine], swore [loyalty to him] with a strong oath on that day. Then Gagik, trusting them, went to Constantinople. By order of the emperor, the entire city went out before [Gagik] with great pomp, and received [g40] him with much honor. As for those deniers of Christ who had made such a terrible [false] oath, they sent forty keys of the city of Ani [to Monomachus] with a letter stating that "the entire East belongs to you." The emperor summoned Gagik, placed the keys and the letters before him, and said: "Your princes have given Ani and the entire East to me." At that point Gagik realized the treacherous deed which had been done and exclaimed: "Let God judge between me and my treacherous [lords]." Gagik said to Monomachus: "I am king of the land of the Armenians and I will not give Ani to you, since they sent me to Constantinople with a false oath." Gagik persisted in not accepting matters for thirty days, but when he could find no way out, he gave Armenia into the hands of the Byzantines. [In return], Monomachus gave to Gagik [the areas of] Kalon Peghat and Pizu. Gagik sent to the city of Ani and had all his belongings brought to Byzantium, and he became an unhappy exile among the cruel and wicked [Byzantine] nation. But wherever he went he caused trouble for the Byzantines, for the praiseworthy Gagik was like a fearsome and majestic king in their midst.

[21] The next year, which was 493 A.E. [1044], Monomacus sent to the east a eunuch called the paracoemomenus with many troops to demand the city of Ani. He came and reached the gates of the city, but the Armenian people within did not consent to hand it over. Rather, they demanded their king Gagik. They united and went in battle against the Byzantine troops, destroying them and making them flee. Then, loading up with the extensive [g41] spoil, they returned to the city. The Byzantine troops returned to their own land while the paracoemomenus wintered at Yuxtik', in the district of T'e'odupo'lis [Erzerum]. At that point, when the Armenian troops realized that Gagik would never again come to the East, they all gathered at the tombs of the Armenian kings where they wept for three days over not having a lord, and they hurled the most severe curses at those who had betrayed Gagik. Then in despair they all wrote to the paracoemomenus, summoning him and giving Ani into his hands. With this the kingdom of the Armenians was eliminated. And the lordship of the Bagratunis fell, just as [the fourth century kat'oghikos] Nerse's had [prophetically] written.

In the year 494 A.E. [1045] a severe and awful earthquake occurred, causing the color of the luminaries to turn red and darkness to fall on the face of the earth. The greatest churches and buildings collapsed from the earthquake and the city of Eznka completely collapsed. The ground split open and numerous men and women were swallowed up. Their cries could be heard for many days. In this year the troops of the Byzantines went against the city of Dwin where they battled against the foreigners. However [the Byzantines] were defeated there, and the great commander-in-chief (sparapet) of the Armenians, Vahram Pahlawuni, was slain in battle together with his son Grigor. Now in the same year three emirs came from Persia with many troops and reached the borders of Mosul. The lord of Mosul came against them with many troops, and a fierce battle [g42] ensued which ended with the Persians [i.e. the Saljuqs] being defeated and fleeing to the borders of Handzit. The fugitives headed for their own land, taking along much booty and captives and killing many Christians. They reached the Armenian city of Arche'sh and sent to the Byzantine catepan who resided there promising him many goods if he let them pass through and depart in peace. But this man did not agree. Rather, he pridefully went against them in battle and was defeated by them. [The Saljuqs] slaughtered the Byzantine troops and seized the catepan, Step'an, whom they took as a captive to the city of Her where he died after being subjected to numerous tortures. In this period Monomachus sent a eunuch named Meliarx against the city of Dwin with many troops. He came during the winter and was unable to take [the city] because of the severity of the rain, and so he returned to his own land. But during the same year, come summer, Meliarx returned to the city of Dwin and besieged it, though he was unable to capture the city. Instead he went around the district looting and then returned home. During the same period Tornices (T'or'nik), a brave and martial man from the city of Adrianopole, gathered up troops from the West and came [g43] against Monomachus in the city of Constantinople. They placed the city in great danger [through a siege] until [the inhabitants] were exhausted and blockaded the city gates with stones. Because they could not face them in battle, they deliberated and then wrote a document to Tornices with false pledges, as is their custom, [vowing] to make Tornices caesar [immediately] and, after Monomacus' death, to have him as emperor. Furthermore the patriarch and the princes went out to Tornices and confirmed this oath with pledges. Then there was great peace. They took Tornices into Constantinople where, after a few days, they put out his eyes.

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