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Thomas of Metsoph ( hy, Թովմա Մեծոփեցի, Thovma Metsopetsi) (1378–1446) was an
T'ovma Metsobets'i's History of Tamerlane and His Successors
Armenian Historical Sources of the 5-15th Centuries (Selected Works). Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
English translation of the History of Tamerlane and His Successors
{{Authority control 1378 births 1446 deaths 15th-century Armenian historians
Thomas of Metsoph ( hy, Թովմա Մեծոփեցի, Thovma Metsopetsi) (1378–1446) was an Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
n cleric and chronicler who left an account of Timur
Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kür ...
’s invasions
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
of the Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
(1386–1403). What we know of Thomas's life comes from a biography written by his student Kirakos Banaser and from a number of 15th-century colophons.
Biography
Born in Aghiovit, north ofLake Van
Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...
, Thomas received his early education at the monastery of Metsob, northwest of the city of Arjesh (Erciş in modern Turkey). He had to spend a peripatetic life fleeing the repeated attacks of the Timurid and Turkoman armies. He engaged in teaching and literary activity at several religious centers in Armenian, including Sukhara, Tatev
The Tatev Monastery ( hy, Տաթևի վանք, Tat'evi vank') is a 9th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located on a large basalt plateau near the village of Tatev in the Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refe ...
, Lim, and Metsoph (also spelled Metsob). He was also involved in the struggle against the influence of Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
within the Armenian Church
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
, and helped transfer the Armenian catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...
ate from Sis in Cilician Armenia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...
back to Echmiadzin
Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...
in Greater Armenia
Greater Armenia ( hy, Մեծ Հայք, translit=Mets Hayk) is the name given to the Armenian state that emerged on the Armenian Highlands during the reign of King Artaxias I at the turn of the 2nd century BC. The term was used to refer princi ...
(1441). His major work is ''The History of Timur and His Successors'', which is essentially an eyewitness account written for the most part from memory. Although not flawless, it is an important source for Armenia and Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The classical Armenian text was published by K. Shahnazarian in Paris in 1860, translated into French by Félix Nève in 1855, and into English by Robert Bedrosian in 1977.Robert Bedrosian (1987)T'ovma Metsobets'i's History of Tamerlane and His Successors
Armenian Historical Sources of the 5-15th Centuries (Selected Works). Retrieved on January 11, 2008.
See also
*Timur's invasions of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia, a Christianity, Christian monarchy, kingdom in the Caucasus, was subjected, between 1386 and 1403, to several disastrous invasions by the armies of Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur, whose Timurid Empire, vast empire stretched ...
*Turkoman invasions of Georgia
After the devastating invasions by Timur and subsequent enfeeblement of the Kingdom of Georgia, it soon faced a new threat. Timur's death in 1405 marked the beginning of the end of his Empire, unified only by fear and blood of the subjected peopl ...
References
External links
English translation of the History of Tamerlane and His Successors
{{Authority control 1378 births 1446 deaths 15th-century Armenian historians