while encouraging his people, when his horse slipped, he was thrown to the ground with it and, breaking his neck, was killed. And when this happened, the multitude of Persians with him went over to Tughril Beg, and Tughril Beg was immediately proclaimed king of Persia by all. And having been proclaimed, he sends out and removes the guard at the bridge of the Araxes and invites the nation of the Turks to Persia. When the way to Persia and the crossing of the Araxes was shown to be open to them, they ran together in a great multitude, except for those who were laying claim to their own fatherland out of longing for it; who, having overthrown both the Persians and the Saracens, themselves became lords of Persia, naming Tughril Beg sultan, which among them means king of kings and all-powerful ruler. Therefore, having taken away all the offices of the Persians and Saracens, he transferred them to the Turks and subjugated all of Persia to them. 1.10 But in this way the Turks became neighbors of the Romans, having seized the rule of the Persians. But perhaps it is necessary to say from what cause they were moved to begin to make war on the Romans, although they previously feared war with them and shuddered at the mere report of the heroic deeds of the three preceding emperors, I mean Nikephoros Phokas and John and the porphyrogennetos Basil; for they suspected that their virtue and power were still preserved among the Romans. When Tughril Beg, as the account has shown, had assumed the kingdom of the Persians and become master of much wealth and many armies and had humbled the Saracens, those who previously bordered the Persians and fought against Muhammad made treaties with each other and were planning a war against the Persians. But he, foreknowing this, drew himself up in battle array against Pisirius the ruler of Babylon, and having defeated him in several battles and killed him, he became lord of the dominion of the Babylonians as well. And against Karbeses the leader of the Arabs he also sends out Qutlumush, the son of his own paternal uncle, giving him a strong force; who went away and, having engaged the Arabs, was defeated and fled most disgracefully; but returning from there and about to pass through Media, he wanted to encamp very near to Vaspurakan; but fearing the Romans who then held Media, he sent an embassy to the ruler of the country—the ruler of Media at that time was the patrician Stephen, son of Constantine who was the chief minister to the emperor at that time, whom they also called Leichoudes—asking to be allowed passage and promising to keep the country untouched and unharmed. But he, meeting the ambassadors and suspecting their plea to be cowardice, gathered the local army and engaged the Turks, being inexperienced in war against those experienced in war, and having accomplished nothing worthy of mention, was defeated at the first encounter, and many of the Romans fell, and he himself was also captured. But Qutlumush sold this man off in the area of Tabriz, and he himself, having returned to the sultan, made his defense concerning the campaign, and as if in passing he also recounted the situation in Media, how it was a very fertile country, but was held by women, alluding to the soldiers who had fought against him. Encouraged by these words, the sultan sends out a force against the Romans of about twenty thousand, appointing as general over it his nephew Asan, called the Deaf, instructing him to arrive as quickly as possible and to acquire Media, if it would not submit to him. From that point the Turks, having begun the war against the Romans, have continued making war on the Romans until the present day. But let my account return to its original sequence. 1.11 Manuel, as has been said, the curopalates, having been appointed commander-in-chief of the eastern regiments by Diogenes, was spending time around Chaltike and guarding against the raids of the Turks. And when it was reported to him by the scouts that a multitude of Turks, having as general Chrysoskoulos, who was sprung from the line of sultans, but was laying claim to the dominion of the Persians for himself

παραθαρρύνων λαόν, τοῦ ἵππου αὐτῷ ὀλισθήσαντος, σὺν ἐκείνῳ κατενεχθεὶς εἰς γῆν καὶ ἐκτραχηλισθεὶς ἐτεθνήκει. Τούτου δὲ καὶ συμπεσόντος, τὸ σὺν αὐτῷ τῶν Περσῶν πλῆθος τῷ Ταγγρολίπηκι προσεχώρησε καὶ ὁ Ταγγρολίπηξ ὑπὸ πάντων εὐθὺς βασιλεὺς ἀνηγόρευτο τῆς Περσίδος. Ἀναρρηθεὶς δ' ἐκπέμπει καὶ καθαιρεῖ τὴν ἐν τῇ γεφύρᾳ τοῦ Ἀράξιδος φυλακὴν καὶ τὸ ἔθνος τῶν Τούρκων πρὸς τὴν Περσίδα καλεῖ. Ἀνέτου δὲ τῆς ἐς Περσίδα πορείας ἀποδειχθείσης αὐτοῖς καὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἀράξιδος διαβάσεως, ξυνέθεον παμπληθεί, πλὴν τῶν ὅσοι πόθῳ τῆς ἑαυτῶν πατρίδος ἀντεποιοῦντο· οἳ καὶ καθελόντες Πέρσας τε καὶ Σαρακηνοὺς αὐτοὶ κύριοι τῆς Περσίδος γεγόνασι, σουλτάνον τὸν Ταγγρολίπηκα ὀνομάσαντες, ὅπερ σημαίνει παρ' αὐτοῖς βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ παντοκράτωρ. Πάσας οὖν τὰς ἀρχὰς τῶν Περσῶν καὶ Σαρακηνῶν ἀφελόμενος εἰς Τούρκους μετήνεγκε καὶ τὴν Περσίδα πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς καθυπέταξεν. 1.10 Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν Ῥωμαίων οἱ Τοῦρκοι γεγόνασιν ὅμοροι, τὴν Περσῶν ἀρχὴν κατασχόντες. Ἀναγκαῖον δ' ἴσως εἰπεῖν κἀκ ποίας ὁρμηθέντες αἰτίας Ῥωμαίους πολεμεῖν ἤρξαντο, καίτοι δεδιότες πρότερον τὸν πρὸς αὐτοὺς πόλεμον καὶ φρίττοντες ἐκ μόνης τῆς φήμης τὰ τῶν προηγησαμένων τριῶν βασιλέων ἀνδραγαθήματα, τοῦ Φωκᾶ Νικηφόρου φημὶ καὶ Ἰωάννου καὶ τοῦ πορφυρογεννήτου Βασιλείου· ὑπώπτευον γὰρ ἔτι παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις σῴζεσθαι τὴν ἐκείνων ἀρετήν τε καὶ δύναμιν. Τοῦ Ταγγρολίπηκος, ὡς ὁ λόγος ἐδήλωσεν, τὴν Περσῶν ἀναδυσαμένου βασιλείαν καὶ πλούτου πολλοῦ καὶ στρατευμάτων ἐγκρατοῦς γενομένου καὶ τὰ Σαρακηνῶν ταπεινώσαντος, οἱ πρὶν ὁμοροῦντες Πέρσαις καὶ πολεμοῦντες πρὸς τὸν Μουχούμετ σπονδὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ποιούμενοι πόλεμον ἐμελέτων κατὰ Περσῶν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο προγνοὺς ἐκεῖνος πρὸς μὲν Πισασίριον τὸν Βαβυλῶνος ἄρχοντα αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ παρετάξατο καὶ διαφόροις μάχαις τοῦτον ἡττήσας καὶ ἀνελὼν κύριος καὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίων ἐξουσίας ἐγένετο. Πρὸς δὲ Καρβέσην τὸν τῶν Ἀράβων ἀρχηγὸν καὶ Κουτλουμοῦν ἐκπέμπει τὸν τοῦ οἰκείου πατραδέλφου υἱόν, χεῖρα βαρεῖαν αὐτῷ δούς· ὃς ἀπελθὼν καὶ τοῖς Ἄραψι συμβαλὼν ἡττήθη τε καὶ αἴσχιστα ἔφυγεν· ἐπανιὼν δ' ἐκεῖθεν καὶ μέλλων διιέναι διὰ τῆς Μήδων ἔγγιστα τοῦ Βαασπρακὰν στρατοπεδεῦσαι ἤθελε· δεδιὼς δὲ Ῥωμαίους ἐγκρατοῦντας τότε Μηδίας, πρεσβεύεται πρὸς τὸν τῆς χώρας ἄρχονταἦν δὲ τότε Μηδίας ἄρχων ὁ πατρίκιος Στέφανος ὁ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ παραδυναστεύοντος τῷ τότε βασιλεῖ, ὃν καὶ Λειχουδίαν ἐκάλουν, υἱός, ἀξιῶν συγχωρηθῆναί οἱ τὴν δίοδον καὶ ὑπισχνούμενος ἄψαυστον καὶ ἀσινῆ τὴν χώραν διατηρῆσαι. Ὁ δὲ τοῖς πρεσβεῦσιν ἐντυχὼν καὶ τὴν παράκλησιν δειλίαν εἶναι ὑποτοπάσας, τὸν ἐγχώριον ἀθροίσας στρατὸν συμβάλλει τοῖς Τούρκοις, ἀπειροπόλεμος ὢν ἐμπειροπολέμοις, καὶ μηδέν τι ἄξιον λόγου διαπραξάμενος ἡττᾶται ἅμα τῇ συμβολῇ καὶ πίπτουσι μὲν συχνοὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων, ἑάλω δὲ καὶ αὐτός. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτον μὲν ὁ Κουτλουμοῦς γενόμενος κατὰ τὸ Ταβρέζιον ἀπεμπολεῖ, αὐτὸς δὲ πρὸς τὸν σουλτάνον ἐπανελθὼν ἀπολογεῖται μὲν περὶ τῆς στρατείας, ὡς ἐν παρόδῳ δὲ ἀφηγεῖται καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς Μηδίας, ὡς εἴη μὲν χώρα πάμφορος, κατέχεται δὲ ὑπὸ γυναικῶν, τοὺς πολεμήσαντας πρὸς αὐτὸν στρατιώτας ὑπαινιττόμενος. Τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις ὁ σουλτάνος ἐπιρρωσθεὶς δύναμιν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκπέμπει ἀμφὶ τὰς εἴκοσι χιλιάδας, στρατηγὸν ἐπιστήσας αὐτῇ τὸν ἀδελφόπαιδα Ἀσὰν τὸν λεγόμενον Κωφόν, ἐπισκήψας αὐτῷ τὴν ταχίστην ἐφικέσθαι καὶ τὴν Μηδικήν, εἰ μὴ προσχωροίη αὐτῷ, προσκτήσασθαι. Ἐκεῖθεν τοῦ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πολέμου οἱ Τοῦρκοι ἀρξάμενοι διετέλεσαν μέχρι τῆς νῦν πολεμοῦντες Ῥωμαίοις. Ἀλλ' ἐπανίτω μοι ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὴν ἀρχῆθεν ἀκολουθίαν. 1.11 Μανουήλ, ὡς εἴρηται, ὁ κουροπαλάτης στρατηγὸς αὐτοκράτωρ τῶν ἑῴων ταγμάτων πρὸς τοῦ ∆ιογένους ἀποδειχθείς, περὶ τὴν Χαλτικὴν διατρίβων ἐφυλάττετο τὰς τῶν Τούρκων ἐπιδρομάς. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἀπηγγέλη αὐτῷ παρὰ τῶν σκοπῶν ὡς πλῆθος Τούρκων στρατηγὸν ἔχοντες τὸν Χρυσόσκουλον, ὃς ἐκ σουλτάνων σειρᾶς ὥρμητο, τῆς δ' ἐξουσίας ἀντεποιεῖτο Περσῶν αὐτῷ