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

APPENDIX C
Hotea on the Relations between the Mongols and the
Armenian Church in the 13th Century
1. Philo-Christianity and Taxation of the Church
During the 13th century, the presence of numerous
Christian Mongols in the Mongol court and army had many
different ramifications. General statements to the effect
that the Mongols were philo-Christian or that the Church
and its hierarchy were not taxed during the domination
are misleadingly inaccurate. While specific Mongols were
philo-Christian, and though churches under the jurisdiction
of certain naxarar families were not always taxed, the
situation changed from ruler to ruler.
The earliest information on relations between the
Mongols and the Armenian Church is found in Kirakos
Ganjakec'i's History and relates to the first appearance
of the Mongols in the Caucasus, ca. 1220/21:
...False information came concerning them
to the effect that they were mages and/or of the
Christian faith—wonder-worders—and that they
had come to avenge the Christians from the tyranny
of the laciks. And it was said that they had with
them a portable tent-church and a miracle-working
cross and that they would bring and throw an
epah of barley before this cross and all the soldiers
would take from it, and give it to their horses
and the supply would not be exhausted...Such
false rumors filled the land. Therefore the inhabitants
of the country did not fortify themselves
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