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

Het'um I. Believed to have been born in 1208, Smbat
became commander-in-chief of the Cilician army (Constable
or sparapet) in 1226 when barely 18 years old, and he
occupied that office for some 50 years . In 1246-47
Smbat was sent to GUyllk-Khan in Qara-Qorum to negotiate
a peace agreement between Cilicia and the Mongols. This
p
journey lasted two years . Smbat died in 1275/76 at the
age of 67, several days after being thrown from his horse
in a triumphant battle against Egyptian invaders3. The
Chronicle Smbat compiled covers the period 951-1272.
Information on the 13th century derives from official
documents which the author had access to and from his
acquaintance with the principals. The Chronicle ia important
for confirming details of political and military history,
though it contains little detail on the lords of Greater Armenia .
Smbatay sparapeti taregirk' [The Chronicle of Smbat Sparapet3.
S. Agalean, ed. (Venice, 1956), Introduction p. v.
2 Smbat13 journey is recorded by numerous sources. See
A.G. Galstyan's Armenian article, "The First Armeno-Mongol
Negotiations", PBH #1 (1964) and its English translation
in the Armenian'TEe'view #29 (1976), especially pp. 33-34.
3 i£. Abelyan, Works. vol. 4 p. 248.
4 All editions of the Armenian text ("Smbat'a Chronicle"),
and all translations of it prior to the Armenian edition
of Venice, 1956 were baaed on 19th century copies of two
late manuscripts then housed at Ejmiacin [The Armenian text
of Smbat * a Chronicle was published twice: by Oekan of Erevan
(Moscow, 1856) and by Sahnazarean (Paris, 1859). A partial
French tranalation, Chroniaue de Sempad. was made by V.
Langlois (St. Petersburg, 186277 Dulaurier published much
46