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

The defeat of the Saljuqs at K3se Dagh was an event of
the greatest significance for the Armenians both locally,
and abroad in the independent state of Cilicia. like
dominoes the remaining key cities of central Asia Minor
fell: Erzinjan, Caesarea, Sebastia/Sivas, Melitene/Malatya,
and Divrigr In 1245 Baiju captured Xlat', Amida, Edessa,
pursued, killing numberless warriors and taking captives.
But Axalc'izel was killed by the sultan for revenge against
the Georgians....The Georgians and Tatars swelled up with
all sorts of extraordinary cloths and clothing, and so
many horses, asses and camels that it is impossible to
count them" (KC p. 194', Mur. p. 78).
HAP III p. 611; SEPHA B..110; PT p. 138; BH described
the taking of Sebastia/Sivas; "And they came to Sebastia,
and the people who were therein made terms with them,
and they brought out much gold and bought their own souls
from slaughter, and their sons and daughters from slavery.
And the Tatars went into the city, and sacked the royal
treasuries, and whatsoever pleased them they took, and
the weapons of war they burned, and they wrecked four
(or forty) cubits of the [top of the] wall all round the
city.
"And another chief went to Caesarea, and the Inhabitants
thereof did not wish to surrender it. Then they all
gathered together against it, and they breached its wall
with engines of war, and they went in, and sacked the
royal treasuries, and burned the wonderful houses and
buildings. And they tortured the nobles and the free men,
and they stabbed them with swords until they had stripped
them of all their money. And after that they killed
therein many tens of thousands of people, and carried off
the young men and the young women into captivity" (BH p.
407). The same author provides unique Information on the
taking of Melitene/Malatya-(BH pp. 408-409) See also
Ibn Bibi (pp. 222-57), Yov. Yis., #436 pp. 959-60; #437
p. 961} VT p. 84.
KG pp. 282-84; GA; "And then the next day [after
ChmankatukJ filled with great joy, they attacked the land
of Rum. First they took Erznka and left sahna (guards).
Then they took Caesarea and wrought much bloodshed in it
because the town did not surrender, but resisted the Tatars
in battle. ?or there was much cavalry stationed in it,
and it was filled with goods. They did not surrender
the town willingly, so the wily Tat'ar army took it by
treachery, generally killing off the grandees and, mercilessly
did they capture the lesser folk with all their goods.
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