The Turco-Mongol Invasions and the Lords of Armenia in the 13 ...

As will be aeen in the next chapter, in many oases the
local Armenian princes, instead of resisting surrendered
to the Mongols, were spared, reinstated in their holdings
and sometimes even promoted. However, surrender did not
always elicit Mongol sympathy. Fearing the harsh fata
suffered by Ani, Kara surrendered but was devastated
nonetheless . Surmari was attacked and ravaged. Shirvan
2
fell . Thus, during the course of 1236 the Mongols
1 HAP III p. 610; J5S2HA p. 107? CAMA p. 362; Yov.YiS.,
PP. 909-911, #416 p. 917; #422 p. 936; KG: The suEmisaion
of a few eastern Armenian princes did not bring a halt
to the Mongols' conquering activity. Chormaghun took
Awag and bis troops and marched againaT~Ani. First he
sent envoys telling the people to surrender. "Those who
were the principals of the city did not dare respond to
[Chormaghun'B] message without asking prince Sahnsah,
since the city was under his authority. How the mob in
the city with the ramiks (rabble) killed Chormaghun'a
delegation". Chormaghun battled with seige machinery and
took the city, generally killing the population "sparing
only a few women and children and some artisans whom they
led into captivity. Then they entered the city, took all
the goods and possessions, looted all the churches,
ruined and destroyed the whole city and corrupted the
glory of its comeliness"(KG p. 258;.
In ch . 28 Kirakos describes the sack of Kara. Kara
surrendered ita keys, "but because the T'at'ars were
anxious for booty and feared no one, they did there the
same as they had done in Ani.«.
"The same army also took the city of Surb Mari [Surmalu]
which several years earlier Bahnsah and Awag had taken
from the Ta5iks. And while [the inhabitants] were yet
licking their wounds, suddenly a certain one of the nobles
named iara Bahatur came upon them with many troops and
quickly took the city, ravishing all that he found in it"
(KG p. 260).
2 HAP III p. 610; SJ2SA. p. 107.
Ill