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of the causes. But fearing lest, hard upon their flight, the emperor should campaign against them, since he had an army ready and the journey was less than two or three days, they might be caught, unable to defend themselves against their attackers, they banished these thoughts from their minds, and rather resolved to go to the city of Christ in Thrace. While they were thus deliberating about their own affairs, an embassy arrived to the emperor from the ruler of the Triballians, Kral Stephen, who had married the emperor’s daughter, Simonis. The pretext for the embassy was that having taken from his army of Cumans a few short of two thousand, he had not returned the soldiers, but persuading them to stay, had detained them. Provoked by these things, the Kral sent an embassy to his 1.36 father-in-law. The ambassador was a monk, named Kallinikos, by birth a Triballian himself, but, through experience, well-versed in using opportunities and political matters. He, not being ignorant of the dissension growing between the emperors, and understanding that such discord would provide an opportunity for his own master to get satisfaction from the emperor for the wrongs he had suffered concerning the army, wished to meet secretly with the young emperor. 8. The young emperor, along with the grand domestic, considering it advantageous for themselves to send an embassy to the Kral concerning an alliance, summoned Kallinikos and, after discussing the alliance and friendship of the Kral and persuading him with the greatest of ease—because he himself also considered this embassy to be advantageous for the Kral, especially since there were already pledges of friendship between him and Syrgiannes—they sent him away. And he, having completed the journey very quickly with great haste and eagerness, and having met with the Kral, and having reported the embassy of the young emperor, found that he too considered the opportunity a godsend, and was promising to ally himself with all his might with the young emperor, in addition to being grateful, if only, having abandoned his grandfather and emperor, he would come to the regions of Macedonia. For he thought that an alliance with him would be the ruination of the affairs of his father-in-law and emperor. So Kallinikos, having received the promises, returned to Byzantium with speed and appearing joyful before the joyful emperor reported the results of the embassy, and insisted that the 1.37 alliance with the Kral was assured for him, if only he would go to the regions of Macedonia. Thus, then, the young Andronikos accomplished his purpose concerning the alliance of the Kral. However, seeing that his emperor and grandfather was not relinquishing his former enmity in his character and words, he himself also prepared for his own protection, thinking this, that if in some way the difficulties should be resolved, he would serve under his emperor and grandfather until he departed from life; but if things should proceed further and now approach a bad end, then, having departed from the queen of cities, he would save both himself and his companions. While time was being spent on such matters, Theodore Synadenos, the protostrator, also came to Byzantium from the west, having been relieved of his command; for he was governor of Prilep and the lands and towns around it, below Macedonia. This Synadenos was of noble birth and of distinguished family; for on his mother's side he traced his lineage to emperors, since his mother was born of the brother of the first of the Palaiologoi to reign, Michael. His father, on the other hand, was toparch of the so-called Polog, toward the west in Dalmatia; which toparchy, along with himself, he brought over to the first of the emperors, Michael Palaiologos, and made subject to him, and he was deemed worthy of great honors by the Romans and of a distinguished marriage alliance, being joined to the emperor's niece. This protostrator, then, having come from the west, as we said, to Byzantium, and having heard all that had been said and done by the 1.38 emperor for the downfall of his grandson and emperor, was unbearably indignant and condemned the great injustice of the matter. Wherefore, taking courage, the young emperor with the grand domestic, especially since he was also friendly toward them

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αἰτιῶν. δεδιότες δὲ μὴ καταπόδας τῆς φυγῆς ἐπιστρατεύσαντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως, ἅτε καὶ στρατιὰν ἔχοντος ἐξ ἑτοίμου, καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ δυοῖν ἢ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἔλαττον οὔσης, ἁλῶσιν, ἀμύνασθαι μὴ δυνάμενοι τοὺς ἐπιόντας, ἐξεκρούοντο τῶν λογισμῶν, συνετίθεντο δὲ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν ἐν Θρᾴκῃ Χριστοῦ πόλιν ἀπελθεῖν. οὕτω περὶ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς βουλευομένων αὐτῶν, ἀφικνεῖται παρὰ τοῦ Τριβαλῶν ἄρχοντος Κράλη Στεφάνου πρὸς βασιλέα πρεσβεία, ὃς ἦν γεγαμηκὼς τὴν βασιλέως θυγατέρα τὴν Σιμωνίδα. ἡ δὲ τῆς πρεσβείας πρόφασις ἦν, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ στρατιᾶς Κομάνων ὀλίγων δέοντας δισχιλίων λαβὼν, οὐκ ἀπέδωκε τοὺς στρατιώτας, ἀλλὰ πείσας μένειν παρακατεῖχεν. ἐφ' οἷς ὁ Κράλης παροξυνόμενος διεπρεσβεύετο πρὸς τὸν 1.36 κηδεστήν. ὁ πρεσβευτὴς δὲ μοναχὸς ἦν, Καλλίνικος κεκλημένος, τὸ γένος μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς Τριβαλὸς, εὖ δὲ εἰδὼς καιροῖς καὶ πράγμασι πολιτικοῖς χρῆσθαι δι' ἐμπειρίαν. ὃς δὴ τὴν μεταξὺ τῶν βασιλέων ἀναφυομένην στάσιν μὴ ἀγνοήσας, καὶ συνιδὼν, ὡς ἡ τοιαύτη διχοστασία καιρὸν ἂν παράσχῃ τῷ ἰδίῳ δεσπότῃ παρὰ βασιλέως ὧν ἠδίκητο περὶ τὴν στρατιὰν δίκας λαβεῖν, ἐβούλετο κρύφα τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ συντυχεῖν. ηʹ. Τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος σὺν δομεστίκῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ λυσιτελεῖν αὑτοῖς ἡγησάμενοι πρὸς τὸν Κράλην διαπρεσβεύσασθαι περὶ συμμαχίας, τὸν Καλλίνικον μετακαλεσάμενοι καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Κράλη συμμαχίας καὶ φιλίας διαλεχθέντες καὶ πείσαντες ἐκ τοῦ ῥᾴστου διὰ τὸ καὶ αὐτὸν τὴν πρεσβείαν ταύτην τῷ Κράλῃ νομίζειν λυσιτελεῖν, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι καὶ πρὸς Συργιάννην αὐτῷ φιλίας ἐνέχυρα καὶ πρότερον ἦσαν, ἐξαποστέλλουσιν. ὁ δὲ σπούδῃ καὶ προθυμίᾳ πολλῇ τὴν ὁδὸν τάχιστα διανύσας, τῷ Κράλῃ τε συγγενόμενος, καὶ τὴν τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἀπαγγείλας πρεσβείαν, εὗρε καὶ αὐτὸν ὥσπερ ἕρμαιον ἡγησάμενον τὸν καιρὸν, καὶ παντὶ σθένει συμμαχήσειν ὑπισχνούμενον τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ, πρὸς τῷ καὶ χάριν εἰδέναι, εἰ μόνον τοῦ πάππου καὶ βασιλέως ἀποστὰς, πρὸς τοῖς μέρεσι γένοιτο Μακεδονίας· ᾤετο γὰρ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν συμμαχίαν κάκωσιν εἶναι τῶν τοῦ κηδεστοῦ καὶ βασιλέως πραγμάτων. λαβὼν τοίνυν ὁ Καλλίνικος τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἐπάνεισι πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον κατὰ τάχος καὶ χαίρων ὀφθεὶς τῷ βασιλεῖ χαίροντι ἀπήγγελλέ τε τὰ τῆς πρεσβείας, καὶ τὴν συμ 1.37 μαχίαν αὐτῷ τοῦ Κράλη ἐν βεβαίῳ κεῖσθαι διϊσχυρίζετο, ἢν μόνον πρὸς τοῖς μέρεσι γένηται Μακεδονίας. οὕτω μὲν καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Κράλη συμμαχίας ὁ νέος Ἀνδρόνικος κατεπράξατο. τὸν μέντοι βασιλέα καὶ πάππον ὁρῶν τοῖς ἤθεσι καὶ τοῖς λόγοις τῆς προτέρας δυσμενείας οὐχ ὑφιέμενον, τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν φυλακὴν ἐξηρτύετο καὶ αὐτὸς, τοῦτο διανοούμενος, ὡς εἰ μὲν τρόπῳ δή τινι διαλυθείη τὰ δυσχερῆ, ὑπὸ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πάππῳ τελέσων ἄχρις ἂν ἀποστῇ τοῦ ζῇν· εἰ δ' ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω προΐοι καὶ ἤδη πρὸς τέλος ἐγγίζοι κακὸν, τότ' ἤδη τῆς βασιλίδος τῶν πόλεων ἀποστὰς, ἑαυτόν τε διασώζοι καὶ τοὺς συνόντας. ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις δὴ τριβομένου τοῦ χρόνου, καὶ ὁ Συναδηνὸς Θεόδωρος ὁ καὶ πρωτοστράτωρ ἧκεν εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐκ τῆς ἑσπέρας παραλυθεὶς τῆς ἀρχῆς· ἐπετρόπευε δὲ Πριλλάπου καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν χωρῶν τε καὶ πολιχνίων κατωτέρω Μακεδονίας. ἦν δ' ὁ Συναδηνὸς οὗτος ἐξ εὐπατριδῶν καὶ τὸ γένος περιφανής· μητρόθεν μὲν γὰρ εἰς βασιλέας ἀνῆγε τὰς τοῦ γένους σειρὰς, ἐξ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ πρώτου τῶν Παλαιολόγων βασιλεύσαντος Μιχαὴλ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτῷ γεννηθείσης· ὁ δέ γε πατὴρ τοῦ πρὸς ἑσπέραν κατὰ τὴν ∆αλματίαν λεγομένου Πολόγου τοπάρχης ἦν· ἣν δὴ τοπαρχίαν σὺν ἑαυτῷ τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν βασιλέων προσαγαγὼν Παλαιολόγῳ τῷ Μιχαὴλ καὶ ὑποχείριον ἀποδείξας αὐτῷ, τιμῶν τε ἠξιώθη μεγάλων παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ γάμου κοινωνίας ἐπιφανοῦς, τῇ βασιλέως ἀνεψιᾷ συναφθείς· οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ ἐκ τῆς ἑσπέρας, ὥσπερ ἔφημεν, εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀφικόμενος, καὶ ὅσα πρὸς βασι 1.38 λέως εἴρηταί τε καὶ πέπρακται ἐπὶ τῇ καταλύσει τοῦ ἐγγόνου καὶ βασιλέως ἀκηκοὼς, ἠγανάκτει τε οὐκ ἀνεκτῶς καὶ πολλὴν κατεγίνωσκε τοῦ πράγματος ἀγνωμοσύνην. διὸ δὴ καὶ θαῤῥήσαντες ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς σὺν δομεστίκῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ, ἄλλως θ' ὅτι καὶ φιλίως πρὸς αὐτοὺς διέκειτο