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

court in Tabriz . Smbat Orbelean visited the ?ar £ast
twice in that same decade, the first time (1252) remaining
for three years2. In 1274, Smbat died at the Il-Khanid
court in Tabriz3. For our purposes, it is irrelevant
whether the nobles were sent to the Khans as deputies or
whether they travelled voluntarily. The effect was the
same: the removal from Armenia of the most powerful (and
potentially the most dangerous) lords. In the absence
of certain grandees, other lords could and did attempt
to encroach upon their rivals' lands and rights. Though
this form of de-naxararication may have been temporary,
the centrifugal results promoted by it were not.
More costly in terms of human life was the de-naxarar-
ization resulting from the obligation of the lords to
participate with their cavalry in Mongol campaigns .
Because the Mongols considered their subject peoples
Lewon (Het'um p. 57); Het'um II (Het'um p. 221); Lewon
paron Bet'urn and other princes travelled to Bularghu
who treacherously murdered them in 1309 (14CC p. 56).
2 SO p. 155. It was probably during those three years
that Smbat learned some of his five languages (SO p.151).
Uamikonids visited the Khan in the 1260'e (VI p. 108).
SO p. 166.
KG p. 269; GA p. 297.
194