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

leverage at home or (perhaps better) to secure the
future existence of the family holdings—under control
of the clerical rather than secular lords of the
family.
With the Islamization of the Mongols, the naxarara
were under direct pressure to convert. However, the
polygamy of the late 13th century naxarars may indicate
that some lords were easing into the Islamic practises
of their Mongol overlords even before being obliged to
apostasize. Perhaps they practised two religions.
Specific references to the conversion of lords in
contradistinction to the general conversion of the
populace, abound from sources dating to the end of our
period. Clavijo and T'ovma Mecop'ec'i both mention
the Armenian prince Taharten, governor of -2rznjan. His
son by a daughter of the emperor of Trebizond, was a
Muslim and (perhaps because of his faith), Timor's
governor of the same city . Another probable Armenian
lordly convert to Islam is the emir Ezdin of Van, whom
T'ovma Mecop'ec'i described as being "of the line of A
king Senek'erim", !...£., of some Arcrunid background .
Clav. p. 125.
P. 30.
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