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as if they had been forced into the expulsion by them. So the city of Tzurulon was taken once again, when the Latins campaigned against them, with the Scythians as their allies. In charge of its defense was John Petraliphas, who had been honored with the title of *megas chartoularios* by Emperor John, a man valiant in hand and well-versed in matters of war since boyhood. But the superiority of the Latin force, the countless multitude of the Scythians, and the frequent and powerful use of siege engines caused him to surrender the city to the Italians. Some say that certain men secretly plotted treason, and from this the unexpectedness of the capture was startling. So the Latins subdued Tzurulon, and they led the Romans within it, along with Petraliphas, as prisoners to the city of Constantine, and sold them back to their own people. While the city of Tzurulon was being besieged by the Italians, Emperor John, having equipped a sufficient number of triremes and taken with him no small army, moved against the Italians. So, setting out from Nicomedia and passing by Charax, he sacked Lakibyza before its time and seized it, and in addition also the fortress of Niketiatou, and he made this too subject to himself. But at that time he was unfortunate with the triremes, since those fighting in them were inexperienced in war, and because of Iophre the Armenian, who held the rank of commander among them and acted rather sluggishly in battle. Previously, Manuel Kontophre had been charged with the command of the triremes, a man valiant in hand and breathing Ares both on sea and on land. But a few days before, having had a rather bold discussion with the emperor about the navy—for he had said that our triremes could not face the Italian ones, even if they were multiplied many times over against them, knowing precisely the matters concerning both—he was removed from command, and Iophre succeeded him, and he was defeated with a very terrible defeat. For, commanding thirty triremes, he was utterly vanquished by thirteen, and he lost as many as there were of the enemy; for each of these gained one as spoil, with its men and arms. And so these things happened thus. But Emperor John again had peace with King Asan, and both were bound by kinship, though Asan did not precisely keep the sworn agreements; for there were times when he broke the treaty for a small gain. For the time being, however, openly and broadly he cherished the affection and acted as friends do.

38 So John Asan, having been deprived of his wife, whom the preceding account has recorded was from Hungary, took to wife the daughter of Theodore Angelos, Irene, beautiful in form and of good stature, not even regarding the marriage tie with her father's own brother, because he was cohabiting with his daughter by a concubine. And Theodore Angelos had two male children, John and Demetrios, and two female children, Anna and the aforementioned Irene, with whom Asan fathered three children, Michael, Theodora, and Maria. On account of this, then, Theodore Angelos was released from his bonds, and with the consent of his son-in-law Asan, he wished to become master of Thessaloniki and of all the land he formerly ruled. And indeed, having received a few men from Asan, since he was not able to move openly against his brother Manuel, he secretly contrived his entry into Thessaloniki, having put on some humble rags and stealing his way into the city. And when he entered and was recognized by certain men whom he wished, whom he had loved and benefited when he was prosperous, with whom he also took courage for the action against his brother, not needing much time, he became master again of Thessaloniki and of the surrounding cities and lands. But he did not wish to be named emperor on account of the affliction of his eyes, but he named his son John emperor and with red

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δοκεῖν ὑπ' αὐτῶν βιασθέντες τὴν ἐκβολήν. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἄστυ τῆς Τζουρουλοῦ καὶ αὖθις ἑάλω, ἐκστρατευσάντων κατ' αὐτῶν τῶν Λατίνων καὶ συμ μαχούντων τούτοις καὶ τῶν Σκυθῶν. εἰς φυλακὴν δὲ ἦν τούτου ὁ Πετραλίφας Ἰωάννης, ὃς μέγας χαρτουλάριος πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάννου τετίμητο, ἀνὴρ γενναῖος τὴν χεῖρα καὶ πολεμικοῖς πράγμασι κατεξητασμένος παιδόθεν. τὸ δὲ τῆς Λατινικῆς δυνάμεως περιὸν καὶ τὸ ἀπειροπληθὲς τῶν Σκυθῶν καὶ τὸ τῶν ἑλεπόλεων συχνόν τε καὶ καρτερὸν παραδοῦναι τοῦτον τὸ ἄστυ τοῖς Ἰταλοῖς πεποιήκεσαν. φασὶ δέ τινες καὶ προδοσίαν μελετῆσαί τινας κρύφα, κἀντεῦθεν πτοηθῆναι τὸ ἀπρόοπτον τῆς ἁλώσεως. οἱ μὲν οὖν Λατῖ νοι τὴν Τζουρουλὸν ἐχειρώσαντο, καὶ τοὺς ἐν ταύτῃ Ῥω μαίους συνάμα τῷ Πετραλίφᾳ δεσμώτας ἤγαγον εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτοὺς ἀπημπόλησαν. Τοῦ δὲ ἄστεος τῆς Τζουρουλοῦ πολιορκουμένου παρὰ τῶν Ἰταλῶν, ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης τριήρεις ἱκανὰς συσκευασάμενος καὶ στράτευμα οὐκ ὀλίγον μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ προσλαβὼν κατὰ τῶν Ἰταλῶν ἐπεχείρει. ἀπὸ μὲν οὖν τῆς Νικομηδείας ἀπά ρας καὶ παραμείψας τὸν Χάρακα ἐπόρθησε τὴν Λακίβυζαν πρὸ καιροῦ καὶ κατέσχε ταύτην, προσέτι δὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ Νικητιάτου φρούριον, καὶ ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. ἐδυστύχησε δὲ τῷ τότε ἐν ταῖς τριήρεσιν, ἀπειροπολέμων ὄντων τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς μαχομένων καὶ τοῦ Ἰοφρὲ τοῦ Ἀρμενίου, εἰς τάξιν ἡγεμόνος ἐν τούτοις τυγχάνοντος καὶ ὀκνη ρότερον τελοῦντος περὶ τὰ μάχιμα. προϋπῆρχε δὲ τὴν τῶν τριήρεων στρατηγίαν ὁ Κοντοφρὲ Μανουὴλ περιεζωσμένος, ἀνὴρ γενναῖος τὴν χεῖρα καὶ Ἄρην πνέων κατά τε θάλατ ταν καὶ ξηράν. ἀλλὰ πρό τινων ἡμερῶν θρασυτέρας τὰς διαλέξεις περὶ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ποιησάμενος -εἰρήκει καὶ γὰρ ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἀντωπήσαιεν ταῖς Ἰταλικαῖς τριήρεσιν αἱ ἡμέτεραι, κἂν πολλαπλασιάζοιντο πρὸς αὐτάς, ἀκριβῶς τὰ περὶ ἀμφοῖν ἐπιστάμενος-παρεστάλη τῆς ἡγεμονίας, καὶ ὁ Ἰοφρὲ αὐτὴν διεδέξατο, καὶ ἡττήθη ἧτταν σφόδρα δεινήν. τριάκοντα γὰρ ἐξάρχων τριήρεων ὑπὸ τρισ καίδεκα ἐκνενίκηται, καὶ τοσαύτας ἀπώλεσεν ὁπόσαι ἦσαν τῶν ἐναντίων· ἑκάστη γὰρ τούτων μίαν ἐκέρδησε λάφυρον αὐτοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ ὅπλοις. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἔσχεν οὕτως. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης καὶ αὖθις μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀσὰν εἰρήνην εἶχε, καὶ τῇ συγγενείᾳ καὶ ἄμφω συνεδέδεντο, οὐκ ἀκριβῶς μὲν τοῦ Ἀσὰν τὰς ἐνόρκους συμφωνίας φυλάττον τος· ἔστι γὰρ ὅτε διὰ κέρδος μικρὸν παρεσπόνδει. τέως οὖν ἐν τῷ φανερῷ καὶ πλατυκῶς ἔστεργε τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὰ τῶν φίλων ἐποίει.

38 Ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀσὰν Ἰωάννης τῆς συζύγου στερηθείς,ἣν ἐξ Οὐγγρίας εἶναι ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἱστόρησεν, ἠγά γετο εἰς γυναῖκα τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ Ἀγγέλου Θεοδώρου τὴν Εἰρήνην, καλὴν τὸ εἶδος καὶ εὐμεγέθη, μηδὲ τὸ τοῦ αὐτα δέλφου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς κῆδος ὑπιδών, ὅτιπερ τῇ ἐκ παλ λακίδος αὐτοῦ θυγατρὶ συνηυνάζετο. ἦσαν δὲ τῷ Ἀγγέλῳ Θεοδώρῳ παῖδες ἄρρενες δύο, Ἰωάννης καὶ ∆ημήτριος, καὶ θήλειαι δύο, ἡ Ἄννα καὶ ἡ ῥηθεῖσα Εἰρήνη, μεθ' ἧς ὁ Ἀσὰν παῖδας γεγέννηκε τρεῖς, τὸν Μιχαήλ, τὴν Θεοδώραν καὶ τὴν Μαρίαν. ἀπελύθη γοῦν τῶν δεσμῶν διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἄγγελος Θεόδωρος, καὶ συναινέσει τοῦ γαμβροῦ αὐ τοῦ τοῦ Ἀσὰν ἐγκρατὴς γενέσθαι τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ πάσης ἧς πρότερον ἦρχε χώρας ἠθέλησε. καὶ δή τινας ὀλί γους παρὰ τοῦ Ἀσὰν προσλαβόμενος, ἐπεὶ φανερῶς κινῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ Μανουὴλ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἠδύνατο, κρύφα μηχανᾶται τὴν εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην εἴσοδον, εὐτελῆ τινα ἀμ φιασάμενος ῥάκια καὶ τὴν εἴσοδον ὑποκλέψας τῆς πόλεως. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰσῄει καί τισιν ἐπεγνώσθη τοῖς οἷς ἐβούλετο, οὓς ὅτε εὐτύχει ἐφίλει τε καὶ εὐηργέτει, μεθ' ὧν καὶ τεθάρρηκε τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σκῆψιν, οὐ πολλοῦ δεηθεὶς τοῦ χρόνου ἐγκρατής τε αὖθις τῆς 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