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Puzanus was sent by the sultan of the Persians to Asia and, having been defeated by the sultan's brother Tutush, was killed, and after Tutush defeated Puzanus, his nephews strangled him. It is now time to relate. 6.9.2 A certain man from Armenia, Philaretus by name, distinguished for his courage and wisdom, having been raised to the rank of domesticus by the previous emperor, Romanus Diogenes, and having seen the things that happened to Diogenes and having been assured of the loss of his eyes, loving him exceedingly, could not bear it, but, having planned a rebellion, he acquired the dominion of Antioch for himself. But with the Turks plundering the surrounding regions every day, since no respite was given to him, he considered approaching the Turks and being circumcised, as is their custom. But his son strongly urged him, checking this irrational impulse, but he was not heard, though advising better things. Becoming very sorrowful, therefore, after eight days he reached Nicaea and approaching Amir Sulayman, who at that time was invested with the rank of sultan, he stirred him up to the siege of Antioch and incited him to war against his father. Sulayman was persuaded by these things, and while being about to depart for Antioch, he left Apelchasem as guardian of Nicaea, having named him leader preeminent over all the leaders; but he, having the son of Philaretus accompanying him, over twelve nights, to avoid suspicion (for he rested during the days), reached Antioch and took it by assault. 6.9.3 In these times, Charatikes also secretly plundered Sinope, having learned that a considerable amount of gold and money from the imperial treasuries was stored there. But Tutush, the brother of the great sultan, ruling over Jerusalem and all of Mesopotamia and Aleppo and as far as Baghdad itself, and laying claim to Antioch, since he saw Amir Sulayman growing insubordinate and already acquiring the rule of Antioch for himself, arrived with all his forces in the territory between Aleppo and Antioch. When Amir Sulayman met him, a great war immediately broke out, and when the battle had become close-fought, the men of Sulayman turned their backs and fled in rout. Sulayman, though greatly encouraging them, since he could not persuade them to stop their flight, seeing the danger hanging over his head, turned aside and seemed to have placed himself in safety, and having placed his shield on the ground, he sat down upon it. But he did not escape the notice of his countrymen. For some of the satraps approached him and said that his uncle Tutush was summoning him. But he refused, suspecting the danger from him. But as the satraps insisted, since, being alone, it was not in his power to resist, drawing his sword from its sheath, he thrust it into his own bowels, driving the sword straight through, and miserably he perished in a miserable way. At once, then, the survivors of Amir Sulayman's forces went over to Tutush. 6.9.4 But the great sultan, having learned these things and fearing that Tutush was already growing strong, sent Siaous to the emperor to inform him about a marriage alliance and promising, if this should happen, to withdraw the Turks from the coastal regions and hand over the fortresses to him and to help with his whole heart. The emperor, having seen him and read the sultan's letters, paid no attention to the matter of the marriage alliance, but seeing that Siaous was an intelligent man, he inquired whence he had come and who his parents were. And when he said that on his mother's side he was from the Iberians, and admitted his father was a Turk, the emperor took great pains so that he might receive holy baptism. He agreed to
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Πουζάνος παρὰ τοῦ Περσῶν σουλτὰν πρὸς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐξεπέμφθη καὶ παρὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ σουλτὰν Τουτούση ἡττηθεὶς ἀνῃρέθη καὶ τὸν Τουτούσην μετὰ τὸ τὸν Που ζάνον ἡττῆσαι οἱ ἀνεψιαδεῖς αὐτοῦ ἀπέπνιξαν, ἀρκτέον ἤδη διηγεῖσθαι. 6.9.2 Ἀνήρ τις ἐξ Ἀρμενίας ὁρμώμενος Φιλάρετος τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν, περίβλεπτος ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ φρονήσει, εἰς τὴν τοῦ δομεστικάτου ἀξίαν παρὰ τοῦ προβεβασιλευκότος Ῥωμανοῦ τοῦ ∆ιογένους ἀνενεχθεὶς καὶ τὰ συμβάντα τῷ ∆ιογένει θεασάμενος καὶ τὴν τῶν ὀμμάτων αὐτοῦ στέρησιν βεβαιωθεὶς διαφερόντως τοῦτον ποθῶν οὐκ ἔφερεν, ἀλλ' ἀποστασίαν μελετήσας τὴν τῆς Ἀντιόχου ἐξουσίαν ἑαυτῷ περιεποιήσατο. Καθ' ἑκάστην δὲ τῶν Τούρκων λῃζομένων τὰ πέριξ, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἄνεσις τούτῳ ἐδίδοτο, ἐσκέψατο προσελθεῖν τοῖς Τούρκοις καὶ περιτμηθῆναι, ὡς ἔθος αὐτοῖς. Ὁ δὲ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐνέκειτο τοῦτον σφόδρα τῆς παραλόγου ἀνακόπτων ὁρμῆς, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰσηκούσθη τὰ λῴονα συμβουλεύων. Περίλυπος τοίνυν γενόμενος δι' ἡμερῶν ὀκτὼ καταλαμβάνει τὴν Νίκαιαν καὶ προσελθὼν τῷ Ἀμὴρ Σολυμᾶ διεγείρει τοῦτον εἰς πολιορ κίαν τῆς Ἀντιοχείας τὴν τοῦ σουλτανικίου τηνικαῦτα περιβεβλημένον ἀξίαν καὶ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον τὸν κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς παροξύνει. Πείθεται τούτοις ὁ Σολυμᾶς, ἐν δὲ τῷ πρὸς τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν μέλλειν ἀπέρχεσαι τὸν μὲν Ἀπελχασὴμ κατέλιπε φύλακα τῆς Νικαίας ὑπερέχοντα πάντων τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἡγεμόνα τοῦτον κατονομάσας· ἐκεῖνος δὲ συνεφεπόμενον ἔχων καὶ τὸν τοῦ Φιλαρέτου υἱὸν διὰ δώδεκα νυκτῶν διὰ τὸ ἀνύποπτον (τὰς γὰρ ἡμέρας ἠρέμει) καταλαμβάνει τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν καὶ ἐξ ἐφόδου ταύτην κατέσχεν. 6.9.3 Ἐν τούτοις δὲ καὶ ὁ Χαρατικὴς λαθραίως συλᾷ τὴν Σινώπην χρυσίον ἱκανὸν καὶ χρήματα τῶν βασιλικῶν ταμιείων κεῖθι ἐναποκείμενα μεμαθηκώς. Ὁ δὲ Τουτούσης τοῦ μεγάλου σουλτὰν ἀδελφός, τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων καὶ τῆς Μεσοποταμίας πάσης καὶ τοῦ Χάλεπ καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ Βαγδᾶ ἐξουσιάζων καὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας ἀντιποιούμενος, ἐπεὶ τὸν Ἀμὴρ Σολυμᾶν ἀφηνιάζοντα ἔβλεπε καὶ τὴν Ἀντιοχείας ἀρχὴν ἑαυτῷ ἤδη περιποιού μενον, σὺν ὅλαις δυνάμεσιν ἐν μεταιχμίῳ τοῦ Χάλεπ καὶ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας καταλαμβάνει. Συνηντηκότος δ' αὐτῷ Ἀμὴρ Σολυμᾶ πόλεμος εὐθὺς ἀναρρήγνυται μέγας, καὶ ἀγχεμάχου τῆς μάχης γεγονυίας νῶτα οἱ τοῦ Σολυμᾶ ὑποσχόντες προτροπάδην ἔφευγον. Πολλὰ δὲ τούτους θαρσύνων ὁ Σολυμᾶς, ἐπεὶ τῆς φυγῆς ἀποσχέσθαι οὐκ ἔπειθεν, ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς τὸν κίνδυνον ἐφιστάμενον ὁρῶν παρεκκλίνας ἐν ἀκινδύνῳ τάχα ἐδόκει καθεστάναι καὶ κατὰ γῆς τὴν ἀσπίδα τεθεικὼς ἐπ' αὐτῇ προσουδίσας ἐκάθητο. Ἀλλ' οὐ διέλαθε τοὺς ὁμοφύλους. Προσελη λυθότες γὰρ αὐτῷ τινες τῶν σατραπῶν ἔλεγον τὸν θεῖον αὐτοῦ Τουτούσην μεταπέμπεσθαι αὐτόν. Ὁ δ' ἀνένευεν ὑφορώμενος τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ κίνδυνον. Ἐγκειμένων δὲ τῶν σατραπῶν, ἐπεὶ οὐ πρὸς ἰσχύος αὐτῷ ἀντικαθίστασθαι ἦν οἷα μόνῳ ὄντι, τοῦ κουλεοῦ τὸ ξίφος σπασάμενος κατὰ τῶν ἰδίων ὦσε σπλάγχνων διαμπερὲς τὸ ξίφος ἐλάσας καὶ κακὸς κακῶς ἀπώλετο. Παραχρῆμα γοῦν οἱ σωθέντες τῶν τοῦ Ἀμὴρ Σολυμᾶ δυνάμεων προσχωροῦσι τῷ Τουτούσῃ. 6.9.4 Ὁ δὲ μέγας σουλτὰν ταῦτα μεμαθηκὼς καὶ δεδιὼς τὸν Τουτούσην ἰσχυροποιούμενον ἤδη ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τὸν Σιαοὺς μηνύσας αὐτῷ περὶ κήδους καὶ ὑποσχόμενος, ἐὰν τοῦτο γένηται, ἀναστεῖλαι μὲν τοὺς Τούρκους τῶν τῆς παραλίας μερῶν καὶ παραδοῦναί οἱ τὰ κάστρα καὶ ὁλοψύχως βοηθεῖν. Τοῦτον θεασάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὰς τοῦ σουλτὰν γραφὰς ὑπαναγνοὺς περὶ μὲν τοῦ κήδους οὐδένα λόγον ἐπεποίητο, τὸν δὲ Σιαοὺς νουνεχῆ ἄνδρα θεασάμενος ἐπυνθάνετο, πόθεν τε ὥρμη ται καὶ τίνες οἱ τούτου γονεῖς. Τοῦ δὲ μητρόθεν μὲν ἐξ Ἰβήρων εἶναι λέγοντος, τὸν δὲ τούτου πατέρα Τοῦρκον ἀνομολογοῦντος, πολλὴν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ πραγματείαν ἐπε ποίητο ὥστε τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος τοῦτον τυχεῖν. Συνέθετο πρὸς