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to Didymoteichon. Meanwhile, those with the young emperor, and especially those who had previously chosen the side of Emperor Kantakouzenos, incited the young man to war, asserting that it was no difficult task to recover his paternal rule, which had been unjustly taken away by Emperor Kantakouzenos, who both held it himself and was establishing his son as successor. For what else was it to grant him irresponsible rule, than for him also to be emperor in part? And they advised not to allow the rival to grow, but to depose him right from the start. Persuaded by them, he openly declared war. For immediately, having gathered whatever army was in the cities which he ruled, he marched against the cities subject to the emperor, his father-in-law, and he won over not a few of them, as all readily came over to him and were gladly disposed towards the change. After this, having also sent for a Persian alliance—at which time they first seized a certain fort in Thrace called Tzympe—he marched against his wife's brother, who had offered no pretext for the war, and he took the small towns, of which he had formerly been ruler, as they readily came over to him, then he also came to Adrianople, with the populace gladly receiving him and opening every entrance. But Matthew, the emperor's son, with Nikephoros Kantakouzenos the sebastokrator, his uncle, and others of his best men, came and seized the acropolis, for 3.243 he had previously put in provisions and had prepared the other things as well as was possible. And he sent men to the emperor his father to report that he was being besieged by the emperor his brother-in-law. And the young emperor, since he held the city, leading the populace and the accompanying army, besieged his wife's brother in the acropolis and made very strong assaults on the walls day after day in succession. For he was eager to capture the acropolis before the emperor, his father-in-law, arrived. But they were able to accomplish nothing, as those inside defended themselves bravely and endured the siege. And the populace of the Adrianopolitans was troublesome to the emperor's son not only by assaulting the walls daily, but also by mocking him and treating him with insolence. And some of them, who were especially hostile, also railed bitterly and resorted to vulgar insults. But when the Emperor Kantakouzenos learned that his son was being besieged, being already prepared for a campaign, he marched with haste on Adrianople, leading an army of Romans, in whom he had the most confidence, and a small Persian force, which Orhan, his son-in-law, provided at his request. And in addition to these, a company of Catalans, who had been left behind in Byzantium from the triremes. But when the young emperor learned that the emperor his father-in-law was advancing against him, being otherwise no match for him, and with the acropolis moreover being held, he feared that the city might easily be captured from there, and so departing one day before, he came to Tzernomiá 3.244 nos, and seized it, as its governor surrendered it. From there he withdrew to Didymoteichon, leaving both the Persian force in Adrianople and not a few Roman soldiers to guard the city. But on the next day, the Emperor Kantakouzenos, having arrived in Adrianople, when he learned that the emperor his son-in-law had withdrawn, sent men to advise the citizens to come over to him and surrender the city. For, thinking in their irrational impulse and madness that they could hold out against the emperor by themselves, some drew up in battle array armed before the gates, having with them the Persian allies, while the light-armed troops were on the walls. And though the emperor urged them to come over, not only did they not obey, but they even began the battle, using archery. And the emperor, seeing that arms were needed against men so senseless, gave the signal for battle to his own men. And immediately the Catalans were inside the walls by way of the acropolis, and the rest of the army, having advanced, routed those drawn up outside; and the city was captured from both sides. And the Persians, their allies, seeing that they were already defeated, as many as they could of their own men

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εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ οἱ τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ συνόντες καὶ μάλιστα οἱ τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ᾑρημένοι πρότερον παρώξυνον ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον τὸν νέον, οὐδὲν ἔργον εἶναι φάσκοντες τὴν πατρῴαν ἀνασώζεσθαι ἀρχὴν, ἀδίκως ὑπὸ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀφῃρημένην, καὶ αὐτοῦ τε ἔχοντος καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἔφεδρον καθιστάντος. τὸ γὰρ ἀνυπεύθυνον αὐτῷ παρέχειν τὴν ἀρχὴν τί ἄλλο εἶναι ἢ βασιλέα καὶ αὐτὸν ἐν μέρει εἶναι; παρῄνουν τε μὴ τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν ἐᾷν αὐξάνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καθαιρεῖν εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς. οἷς πειθόμενος φανερῶς ἐξήνεγκε τὸν πόλεμον. αὐτίκα γὰρ ὅση ἦν ταῖς πόλεσιν, ὧν ἦρχε, στρατιὰν συνηθροικὼς, ἐπεστράτευσε ταῖς πόλεσι ταῖς βασιλεῖ τῷ κηδεστῇ ὑποκειμέναις καὶ ὑπεποιήσατο οὐκ ὀλίγας, πάντων προθύμως προσχωρούντων καὶ πρὸς τὴν μεταβολὴν ἡδέως διατιθεμένων. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ συμμαχίαν Περσικὴν μεταπεμψάμενος τότε πρῶτον φρούριόν τι κατὰ τὴν Θρᾴκην Τζύμπην κατασχόντων προσαγορευόμενον, τῷ γυναικὸς ἐπεστράτευσεν ἀδελφῷ, μηδεμίαν πρόφασιν παρεσχημένῳ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, καὶ τάς τε πολίχνας εἷλε, πρότερον ὧν ἦρχεν, ἑτοίμως προσχωρούσας, ἔπειτα καὶ τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ ἐλθὼν, ἡδέως τοῦ δήμου ὑποδεχομένου καὶ πᾶσαν ἀνιέντος εἴσοδον. Ματθαῖος δὲ ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς Νικηφόρον ἔχων σεβαστοκράτορα Καντακουζηνὸν τὸν θεῖον καὶ ἑτέρους τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ἀρίστους, τὴν ἄκραν ἐλθὼν κατέσχεν, ἦν γὰρ 3.243 πρότερον τά τε ἐπιτήδεια ἐνθέμενος καὶ τἄλλα ἐπεσκευασμένος καλῶς, ὡς μάλιστα ἐνῆν. ἔπεμπέ τε καὶ πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν πατέρα τοὺς ὅτι δηλώσοντας ὑπὸ βασιλέως τοῦ γαμβροῦ πολιορκοῖτο. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ νέος ἐπεὶ τὴν πόλιν εἶχεν, ἄγων τὸν δῆμον καὶ τὴν ἑπομένην στρατιὰν, τὸν γυναικὸς ἀδελφὸν ἐπολιόρκει πρὸς τὴν ἄκραν καὶ τειχομαχίας ἐποιεῖτο καθημέραν καρτερωτάτας ἐκ διαδοχῆς. ἔσπευδε γὰρ πρὶν βασιλέα ἥκειν τὸν κηδεστὴν παραστήσασθαι τὴν ἄκραν. ἀνύειν δὲ ἠδύναντο οὐδὲν, τῶν ἔνδον εὐψύχως ἀμυνομένων καὶ πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν καρτερούντων. Ἀδριανουπολιτῶν δὲ ὁ δῆμος οὐ μόνον τειχομαχῶν ὁσημέραι λυπηρὸς τῷ βασιλέως ἦν υἱῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποσκώπτων εἰς ἐκεῖνον καὶ πρὸς ὕβριν προσφερόμενος. ἔνιοι δὲ αὐτῶν, ὅσοι καὶ μάλιστα δύσνως εἶχον, καὶ πικρῶς ἐλοιδοροῦντο καὶ πρὸς ὕβρεις ἐξετρέποντο ἀνελευθέρους. Καντακουζηνὸς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπεὶ πύθοιτο πολιορκούμενον τὸν υἱὸν, καὶ πρότερον παρεσκευασμένος ὢν ἐπὶ τὴν ἔξοδον, ἐχώρει κατὰ τάχος ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ, στρατιάν τε Ῥωμαίων ἄγων, οἷς μάλιστα ἐθάῤῥει, καὶ Περσικὴν ὀλίγην, ἣν Ὀρχάνης ὁ γαμβρὸς παρέσχετο αἰτήσαντι. ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ λόχον ἐκ Κατελάνων, οἳ ὑπελείποντο ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἀπὸ τῶν τριηρέων. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ νέος ἐπεὶ πύθοιτο βασιλέα οἱ ἐπιόντα τὸν κηδεστὴν, ἄλλως τε οὐκ ἀξιόμαχος ὢν, καὶ τῆς ἄκρας μάλιστα κατεχομένης, δείσας, μὴ αὐτόθεν ῥᾳδίως ἁλίσκοιτο ἡ πόλις, πρότερον ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ καταλιπὼν, εἰς τὴν Τζερνομιά 3.244 νου ἧκε, καὶ κατέσχε, τοῦ ἄρχοντος παραδόντος. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἀπεχώρει, τό,τε Περσικὸν καταλιπὼν ἐν τῇ Ἀδριανοῦ καὶ Ῥωμαίους οὐκ ὀλίγους φρουρεῖν τὴν πόλιν στρατιώτας. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς γενόμενος ἐν Ἀδριανοῦ, ἐπεὶ πύθοιτο βασιλέα τὸν γαμβρὸν ἀνακεχωρηκότα, πέμψας παρῄνει τοὺς πολίτας προσχωρεῖν αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν πόλιν παραδιδόναι. ὑφ' ὁρμῆς γὰρ ἀλόγου καὶ παραπληξίας ἀντισχήσειν οἰηθέντες πρὸς βασιλέα κατὰ σφᾶς, οἱ μὲν πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν ὡπλισμένοι ἀντιπαρετάττοντο, ἔχοντες καὶ Πέρσας τοὺς συμμάχους, ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν δὲ τὸ γυμνικόν. καὶ βασιλέως παραινοῦντος προσχωρεῖν, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπείθοντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἦρχον μάχης χρώμενοι τοξείαις. ὁρῶν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὡς ὅπλων χρεία πρὸς οὕτως ἀναισθητοῦντας, σύνθημα ἐδίδου μάχης τοῖς σφετέροις. καὶ αὐτίκα οἵ τε Κατελάνοι διὰ τῆς ἄκρας ἦσαν ἐντὸς τειχῶν, καὶ τὸ ἄλλο στράτευμα τοὺς ἔξω παρατεταγμένους ἐτρέψατο ἐπελθόν· καὶ ἡλίσκετο ἡ πόλις ἑκατέρωθεν. Πέρσαι δὲ οἱ σύμμαχοι ἐκείνοις, συνορῶντες ἤδη ἡττημένους, ὅσους οἷοίτε ἦσαν τῶν σφίσι