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

The country hardly had recovered from this when,
in 1394, Timur returned. Entering western Armenia from
northern Mesopotamia, he took Erzi>jan, parts of Basen
district and Awnik fortress; Kars, Surmari Kolb, Bagaran
and Ayrarat were ravaged; and the Qara Qoyunlu Turkmen
areas, centered at ArSes, north of Lake Van, were
T « «*
attacked . At this point Timur turned upon Khan Tokhtamysh
of the Golden Horde who had been raiding Shirvan. The
Timurids defeated Tokhtamysh and sacked his principal
_ 2
cities, Astrakhan and Sarai .
Timur appointed Miran, his half-mad son, as governor
of Iran, Iraq, Armenia and other parts of the Caucasus.
In 1396 Miran continued operations against Ernjak in
the south and expanded warfare against the Kurdish emir
of Bltlis . In 1397 southern Vaspurakan was ravaged and
Ani in the north fell . Strangely, all powers of resistance
had not been completely broken by the Timurids. In 1399
king Georgi VII of Georgia attacked the Timurid beseigers
of Ernjak fortress, temporarily freeing those inside
from the 13 year seige .
1 HAP IV p. 28; 14CC #756 p. 607, #762 p. 611, #765 p. 613,
#772 p. 618.
2 Spuler p. 67.
3 HAP IV p. 29.
4 14CC #778 p. 621.
5 HAP IV p. 29 n. 43; Allen p. 124; 14CC #784 p. 629.
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