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entry into Thessalonica, having put on some wretched rags and having stolen his way into the city. And when he entered and was recognized by some whom he wished, whom he had both loved and benefited when he was fortunate, with whom he also had the confidence for his scheme against his brother, needing not much time, he again became master of Thessalonica and of the surrounding cities and lands. But he did not wish to be named emperor because of the affliction of his eyes, but he named his son John emperor and shod his feet with red sandals, and appointed him to sign the documents, while he himself managed public affairs and conducted the business of his son. And having driven his brother Manuel from power and put him on a certain trireme, he exiled him to the vicinity of Attalus, and sent his wife to her father Asan. But Asan loved his father-in-law Theodore more than his son-in-law Manuel. Manuel, then, having landed at Attalus, unexpectedly encountered the Hagarenes, who treated him with kindness. For when he had said that his journey was to the emperor John, they granted him entry, and he arrived before the emperor. And the emperor both received him gladly and as one related by family and as one formerly named despot. And having given him money and six triremes, he sent him to Great Vlachia, having taken oaths from him. Therefore, having seized Demetrias and from there having indicated his approach to his own people by letters, and having won over others with promises, in no long time he had gathered an army around him, and he ruled Pharsala and Larissa and Platamon and the regions around them. Then, having made a truce, he came together with his two brothers, both Constantine and Theodore; for Constantine, being a despot, as we said, ** and his nephew Manuel.

40

So the emperor John, when the Bulgarian Asan was out of the way and a youth ruled the Bulgarians, seizing the opportunity, attempted to abolish the imperial title that was acclaimed for John, the son of Angelos. And first by messages he won over his father Theodore, who then came to the emperor John. And he received him gladly and honored him, both calling him uncle and seating him at his own table and sharing other courtesies with him. And when the emperor had him in his hands, it also happened that to his Roman forces was added a formidable army from the Scythians—for the emperor had made these men tame from their wilder nature with gifts and receptions and drew them away from Macedonia and transported them to the east— trusting more in these and expecting no threat from the Bulgarians, partly because of the truce that had been made, and partly because the affairs of the Bulgarians were being managed by a youth, the emperor, departing from the east and crossing the Hellespont, having with him the forces from the Roman armies and those from the Scythians, marches against John who was reigning in Thessalonica, and pitches his tent at the Garden of Probatas, about eight stadia distant from Thessalonica. It was not easy for him to set up city-takers and engines against so great a city and thereby subdue it through such a battle, but he made sorties with his armies and plundered all the surrounding areas. He also had with him triremes, which Contophre Manuel commanded. Chosen men followed the emperor: Demetrios Tornikes, who managed public affairs; Andronikos Palaiologos, being megas domestikos; Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes, epi tes trapezes; protosebastos Kontostephanos; protovestiarios Alexios Raoul; Petraliphas megas chartoularios, and others. The emperor, then, was doing all that was fitting to do against the city; nor did those inside shrink back, but coming out of the gates they made sorties. Not many passed

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Θεσσαλονίκην εἴσοδον, εὐτελῆ τινα ἀμφιασάμενος ῥάκια καὶ τὴν εἴσοδον ὑποκλέψας τῆς πόλεως. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰσῄει καί τισιν ἐπεγνώσθη τοῖς οὓς ἐβούλετο, οὓς ὅτε ηὐτύχει ἐφίλει τε καὶ εὐηργέτει, μεθ' ὧν καὶ τεθάρρηκε τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σκῆψιν, οὐ πολλοῦ δεη θεὶς τοῦ χρόνου ἐγκρατής τε αὖθις Θεσσαλονίκης ἐγένετο καὶ τῶν πέριξ πόλεων καὶ χωρῶν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὀνομάζεσθαι οὐκ ἠθέλησε διὰ τὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν πάθος, τὸν δὲ υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην βασιλέα ὠνόμασε καὶ ἐρυθροῖς πεδίλοις τοὺς πό δας ἐκείνου ὑπέδησε, καὶ τοῖς γράμμασιν ὑπογράφειν διώ ρισεν, αὐτόν τε διέπειν τὰ κοινὰ καὶ διεξάγειν τὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ. τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν Μανουὴλ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκβαλὼν καὶ ἐμβαλὼν ἔν τινι τριήρει περὶ τὴν Ἀττάλου ἐξώρισε, τὴν δὲ σύζυγον αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα Ἀσὰν ἐξέπεμψεν. ὁ δ' Ἀσὰν τὸν πενθερὸν αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον ἐφίλει Θεόδωρον ἢ τὸν γαμβρὸν αὐτοῦ Μανουήλ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Μανουὴλ τῇ Ἀττάλου προσωκείλας παρὰ προσδοκίαν τοῖς ἐξ Ἄγαρ ἐνέτυχε φιλανθρωπίᾳ πρὸς αὐ τὸν χρησαμένοις. ἐπεὶ γὰρ εἰρήκει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ἰωάννην τυγχάνειν αὐτοῦ τὴν ὁρμήν, παρεχώρησαν τούτῳ τὴν εἴσοδον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἀφίκετο. καὶ ὁ βασι λεὺς ἀσμένως τε τοῦτον ἐδέξατο καὶ ὡς προσῳκειωμένον τῷ γένει καὶ ὡς πάλαι δεσπότην ὠνομασμένον. δοὺς δὲ αὐτῷ χρῆμα καὶ τριήρεις ἓξ περὶ τὴν μεγάλην Βλαχίαν ἀφῆκεν, ὅρκους παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβών. καταλαβὼν οὖν τὴν ∆ημητριάδα κἀκεῖθεν τοῖς μὲν τῶν οἰκείων γραφαῖς τὴν αὐτοῦ παρασημάνας ἔφοδον, τοὺς δὲ ὑποθέλξας ταῖς ὑπο σχέσεσιν, οὐ διὰ πολλῶν συνηθροίκει περὶ αὐτὸν στράτευμα, ἦρξέ τε Φαρσάλων καὶ Λαρίσσης καὶ Πλαταμῶνος καὶ τῶν περὶ ταῦτα. εἶτα δὲ σπονδὰς ποιησάμενος συνῆλθε τούτου τοῖν ἀδελφοῖν, τῷ τε Κωνσταντίνῳ καὶ τῷ Θεοδώρῳ· ὁ μὲν γὰρ Κωνσταντῖνος δεσπότης, ὡς ἔφημεν, ὤν, ** καὶ ὁ ἀνεψιὸς αὐτοῦ Μανουήλ.

40 Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης, ἐπειδὴ ὁ Βούλγαρος Ἀσὰν ἐκ ποδῶν ἐγένετο καὶ μειράκιον ἦρχε τῆς τῶν Βουλ γάρων, ἀδείας δραξάμενος ἐπεχείρησε τὴν βασιλικὴν κατα λῦσαι κλῆσιν, τὴν ἐπιφημιζομένην τῷ Ἰωάννῃ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ Ἀγγέλου. καὶ πρῶτον μηνύμασιν ὑποποιεῖται τὸν αὐτοῦ πατέρα Θεόδωρον, ὁ δὲ προσέρχεται τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἰωάννῃ. καὶ ὑποδέχεται αὐτὸν οὗτος ἀσμένως καὶ τετίμηκε, θεῖόν τε τοῦτον ἀποκαλῶν καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ συγκαθίζων τραπέζῃ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν φιλοφρονημάτων μεταδιδούς. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτον ἐν χεροῖν ἔσχεν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἔτυχε δὲ καὶ ταῖς αὐτοῦ δυνά μεσι ταῖς Ῥωμαϊκαῖς στράτευμα ἀξιόμαχον προστεθὲν ἐκ Σκυθῶν-τούτους γὰρ δώροις καὶ δεξιώσεσι χειροήθεις πεποίηκεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξ ἀγριωτέρου τοῦ ἤθους καὶ τῆς Μακεδόνων ἀπέσπασε καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἕω διεπέρασε- τούτοις μᾶλλον θαρρήσας καὶ μηδέν τι δεινὸν ἐκ Βουλγάρων προσ δοκῶν, τὸ μὲν διὰ τὰς γεγενημένας σπονδάς, τὸ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ ὑπὸ μειρακίου τὰ Βουλγάρων διεξάγεσθαι, ἀπάρας τῆς ἕω ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ διαπεραιωθεὶς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον, τὰς ἐκ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατευμάτων δυνάμεις καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν Σκυθῶν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἔχων, χωρεῖ κατὰ τοῦ ἐν Θεσσα λονίκῃ βασιλεύοντος Ἰωάννου, καὶ πήγνυσι τὴν σκηνὴν κατὰ τὸν κῆπον τοῦ Προβατᾶ, ὡσεὶ σταδίους ὀκτὼ ἀπέ χοντα τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης. ἑλεπόλεις μὲν καὶ μηχανήματα οὐκ ἦν εὐχερὲς αὐτῷ κατὰ τῆς τοσαύτης πόλεως στῆσαι κἀν τεῦθεν διὰ μάχης τοιᾶσδε χειρώσασθαι, ἐκδρομὰς δὲ ἐποίει διὰ τῶν στρατευμάτων καὶ τὰ πέριξ πάντα ἐλήιζεν. εἶχε δὲ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τριήρεις, ὧν ἦρχεν ὁ Κοντοφρὲ Μα νουήλ. ἔκκριτοι δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ παρείποντο ἄνδρες ὁ Τορνίκης ∆ημήτριος, ὁ τὰ κοινὰ διέπων, ὁ Παλαιολόγος Ἀνδρόνικος, μέγας δομέστικος ὤν, ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης Νικηφόρος Ταρχανειώτης, ὁ πρωτοσεβαστὸς Κοντοστέφανος, ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος Ἀλέξιος ὁ Ῥαούλ, ὁ Πετραλίφας μέγας χαρτουλάριος καὶ ἄλλοι. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ὅσα ἦν εἰκὸς ποιεῖν ἐποίει κατὰ τῆς πόλεως· οὐδὲ οἱ ἔνδον ἀπώκνουν, ἀλλ' ἐκδρομὰς τῶν πυλῶν ἐξιόντες ἐποίουν. οὐ συχναὶ παρῆλθον