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they went to Serres, where the emperor also received letters from Mouzalon, that the affairs of the Tatars were again in turmoil. Departing from there he came to Adrianople. And since nothing was left of what was held by the Bulgarians except for the very small fortresses called Ochrid and Patmos, which Alexios Philanthropenos had taken very easily, and another town, Tzepaina, the emperor was more vexed. Therefore, departing from Adrianople, he proceeded against Tzepaina. And a great winter occurred with much snow shadowing the face of the earth in the place they call Makrolivada, while the emperor was encamped. And departing from there he came to Stenimachos, and proceeded straight towards Tzepaina and around Batkounion. And he had sent men to scout the place, to see if the army might have an easier march to it. Meanwhile he arrived there, and seeing that the fortress was difficult to capture and the winter severe, he sent the army back to the plain, but he himself brought up the rear with three men.

60 And having spent two days there, and having plundered the city of Batkounion, he came to Adrianople and from there to Didymoteichon. And having crossed the Hellespont, he encamped near Lampsakos, and he made George Mouzalon protosebastos and protovestiarios and megas stratopedarches, and his brother Andronikos megas domestikos, and John Angelos protostrator, and he had made Karyanites protovestiarites. And having passed the feasts of Christ's birth and lights there, he entered Nymphaion.

61 But as spring was approaching he proceeded straight towards the west, hoping to find safe those left behind near Didymoteichon. But ill counsel caused them to fail. For since the ruler of the Bulgarians knew that the emperor was staying away for a longer time, having summoned a Scythian army as an ally for themselves, he had sent it into Macedonia; and they numbered about four thousand. Who, having passed by Adrianople, were plundering the regions around the river Rhegina and the regions around Didymoteichon. But the commanders there, having forgotten the imperial orders, rushed out against them. And they were heavily armed, but the Scythians were light infantrymen and used bows. Therefore these men shot at the Romans with arrows from a distance, and easily made the horsemen into foot soldiers, and finally put them to flight. Therefore Laskaris, having a very fast horse, went as a fugitive to Adrianople, but Margarites was captured and many others, whom they also sold to the Bulgarians. Having learned this, the emperor hastened to come quickly to the region of Bulgarophygon. But when the Bulgarians learned of the imperial attack, they fled as fast as their feet could carry them. But most of them, in the parts around Bizye, became the work of the sword. Therefore he pitched his tent by the river Rhegina.

62 The ruler of the Bulgarians, therefore, seized with terror, turned to a truce, and decided that his father-in-law, the Russian Uroš, who was the son-in-law of the king of Hungary on account of his daughter, should mediate the terms of peace. And Uroš came to the emperor and was received fittingly and made the peace, and swore that Tzepaina would be released and that both sides would be content with their former borders. And having received twenty thousand in imperial gifts, Uroš departed. But the emperor waited patiently, expecting the release of Tzepaina.

63 And Theodora, the wife of the despot Michael, also arrived with her son Nikephoros to fulfill the marriage alliance with the emperor. The emperor therefore was hastening to reach Thessalonike, and the despot's wife with her son accompanied him, and on the way they made the agreements, and she agreed, even unwillingly, to give Servia and Dyrrachion to the emperor. On these terms oaths were also put forth and were sent to Michael; and he agreed with a willing, yet unwilling, spirit. 64 And when the emperor reached Thessalonike, he celebrated the wedding,

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ἐς Σέρρας ἀπῄεσαν, οὗ καὶ γραφὰς ἐδέξατο ὁ βασι λεὺς πρὸς τοῦ Μουζάλωνος, ὡς τὰ τῶν Ταχαρίων αὖθις κυμαίνεται. ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν ἐς Ἀδριανοῦ μολεῖ. καὶ ἐπεὶ μηδὲν τῶν παρὰ Βουλγάρων κρατηθέντων ἐναπελέλειπτο πάρεξ φρουρίων σμικροτάτων Ἀχριδοῦ καὶ Πάτμου καλου μένων, ἃ καὶ εὐχερῶς πάνυ ὁ Φιλανθρωπηνὸς εἷλεν Ἀλέξιος, καὶ ἄστεος ἄλλου Τζεπαίνης, μᾶλλον ἐδυσφόρει ὁ βασιλεύς. διὸ καὶ τῆς Ἀδριανοῦ ἀπάρας κατὰ Τζεπαίνης χωρεῖ. καὶ χειμὼν μέγας γέγονε χιόνι τε πολλῇ τῆς γῆς ἐπηλυγάσας τὸ πρόσωπον κατὰ τόπον, ὃν Μακρολιβάδα φασί, σκηνοῦντι τῷ βασιλεῖ. ἐκεῖθεν δ' ἄρας ἐς Στενίμαχον ἵκετο, καὶ κατευθὺ Τζεπαίνης χωρεῖ καὶ περὶ Βατκούνιον. καὶ ἀπε στάλκει κατοπτεῦσαι τὸν τόπον, εἰ εὐχερεστέραν τὴν εἰς αὐ τὸν πορείαν σχοίη τὸ στράτευμα. τέως ἧκεν ἐκεῖσε, καὶ ἰδὼν τὸ φρούριον δυσάλωτον καὶ τὸν χειμῶνα βαρὺν τὴν μὲν στρατιὰν ἐς τὸ πεδίον ἀνῆκε, μόνος δὲ μετὰ τριῶν οὐράγει.

60 Ἐκεῖ δὲ δύο ἀνύσας ἡμέρας, καὶ λείαν τὴν πόλιν πεποιηκὼς τὸ Βατκούνιον, ἐς Ἀδριανοῦ ἧκε κἀκεῖθεν ἐς ∆ιδυμότοιχον. καὶ διαπεραιωθεὶς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον περὶ τὴν Λάμψακον σκηνοῖ, καὶ Γεώργιον τὸν Μουζάλωνα πρω τοσεβαστὸν καὶ πρωτοβεστιάριον καὶ μέγαν στρατοπεδάρχην ποιεῖ, τὸν δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὸν Ἀνδρόνικον μέγαν δομέστικον, τὸν δὲ Ἄγγελον Ἰωάννην πρωτοστράτορα, πρωτοβεστιαρίτην δὲ τὸν Καρυανίτην πεποίηκεν. αὐτοῦ δὲ τὰς ἑορτὰς τῶν Χριστοῦ γέννων καὶ φώτων διαβιβάσας εἰσῄει τὸ Νύμφαιον.

61 Ἔαρος δ' ἐπιόντος κατευθὺ τῆς δυσμῆς ἐχώρει, ἐλπί ζων τοὺς περὶ τὸ ∆ιδυμότοιχον καταλελειμμένους σώους εὑρεῖν. ἀλλὰ τούτους κακοβουλία ἔσφαλεν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ τῶν Βουλ γάρων ἄρχων μακρότερον διάγειν τὸν βασιλέα ἐγίνωσκε, Σκυθικὸν στράτευμα εἰς σφετέραν συμμαχίαν προσκαλεσάμε νος κατὰ Μακεδονίαν ἐκπέπομφεν· ἠρίθμηντο δὲ περί που τὰς τέσσαρας χιλιάδας. οἳ τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ παραμείψαντες τὰ περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν Ῥηγῖνα ἐληΐζοντο καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸ ∆ιδυμότοιχον. οἱ δ' ἐκεῖσε στρατάρχαι τῶν βασιλιῶν ἐπι λελησμένοι προστάξεων κατὰ τούτων ἐξώρμησαν. καὶ ἦσαν ὅπλοις κατάφρακτοι, οἱ δὲ Σκύθαι κοῦφοι ὁπλῖται καὶ τό ξοις χρώμενοι. μακρόθεν οὖν οὗτοι βέλεσι Ῥωμαίους ἔβαλ λον, καὶ πεζοὺς τοὺς ἱππότας ῥᾳδίως ἐποίουν, καὶ τέλος τρέπουσιν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Λάσκαρις ταχύτατον ἔχων τὸν ἵππον φυγὰς εἰς Ἀδριανοῦ ᾤχετο, ὁ δὲ Μαργαρίτης ἑάλω καὶ ἄλλοι πλεῖστοι, οὓς καὶ ἀπεμπόλησαν Βουλγάροις. ὃ μα θὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔσπευσε διὰ τάχους περὶ τὸν τοῦ Βουλγα ροφύγου χῶρον ἐλθεῖν. ὡς δ' οἱ Βούλγαροι τὴν βασιλικὴν ἔγνωσαν ἔφοδον, ἔφυγον ὡς εἶχον ποδῶν. οἱ πλείους δὲ τούτων περὶ τὰ μέρη Βιζύης ξίφους ἔργον ἐγένοντο. περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν οὖν Ῥηγίνα τὴν σκηνὴν ἔπηξεν.

62 Ὁ γοῦν τῶν Βουλγάρων ἄρχων πτοίᾳ ληφθεὶς ἐς σπονδὰς ἐτράπετο, καὶ τὸν πενθερὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ῥῶσον Οὖρον, τοῦ ῥηγὸς Οὐγγρίας ἐπὶ τῇ θυγατρὶ τελοῦντα γαμ βρόν, μεσιτεῦσαι τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην βεβούλευται. καὶ ὁ Οὖρος ἐς τὸν βασιλέα ἀφίκετο καὶ ἐδέχθη προσηκόντως καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην πεποίηκε, καὶ ὤμοσεν ἀπολυθῆναι τὴν Τζέπαιναν καὶ ἑκάτερα τὰ μέρη τοῖς παλαιτέροις ὁρίοις ἀρκεῖσθαι. καὶ ἐς εἴκοσι χιλιάδας βασιλικῶν χαρισμάτων ὁ Οὖρος τυχὼν ἐξῄει. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διεκαρτέρει τὴν τῆς Τζεπαίνης περι μένων ἀπόλυσιν.

63 Ἀφίκετο δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ δεσπότου Μιχαὴλ γυνὴ Θεο δώρα μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτῆς Νικηφόρου τὸ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα κῆδος ἀποπληρώσοντες. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἔσπευδε τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην καταλαβεῖν, συνείποντο δὲ τούτῳ καὶ ἡ τοῦ δεσπότου γυνὴ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ, καὶ καθ' ὁδὸν τὰς συμβι βάσεις ἐποίουν, καὶ συμπεφώνηκε καὶ ἄκουσα δοῦναι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὰ Σέρβια καὶ τὸ ∆υρράχιον. ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ὅρκοι προύβησαν καὶ ἀπεστάλησαν πρὸς τὸν Μιχαήλ· καὶ ὃς ἑκὼν ἀέκοντί γε θυμῷ ξυνῆλθεν. 64 Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην κατέλαβε, τοὺς γάμους πληροῖ,