Notes XXX, 69. The murder of King David of India by the Tartars XXX, 69.
David of India by the Tartars XXX, 69. - De interfectione David Indie regis a Tartaris
1 Despite the narrative here being Discussion questions
wrapped up in false, prevailing
misconceptions about the Far East
which emerged from rumors and forged
documents in the twelfth century,
relating to a distant Christian king who
would come to aid the Crusaders, the
story Simon tells here is basically true. In the year of the Lord 1202, according to some, the Tartars, after murdering their master, went Anno Domini M.CC.II, secundum quosdam, Tartari post occisionem domini sui exierunt in
The place and personal names have been forth to destroy nations. In fact, previously while still residing in their homeland, namely Tartaria populorum destructionem. Hi etenim prius adhuc in terra sua, videlicet Tartaria, que affinis est
distorted but Chinggis Khan's overthrow which borders on India, they conspired against their king, David - that is, the son of Prester John, lndie, residentes, contra regem David dominum suum, videlicet presbyteri Johannis quondam
in 1202-1203 of his former master, Ong former ruler and emperor of India - and killed him after having come up with a deceitful dominatoris et imperatoris Indie filium, conspiraverunt eumque dolose machinando
Khan of the Kereyid, to become scheme.1 interfecerunt.
unchallenged lord of the tribes of
Mongolia is documented in many
histories, including the Secret History of
the Mongols. See: Igor De Rachewiltz,
The Secret History of the Mongols
(Leiden: Brill, 2006), 89-109. Juvaini, a
Persian historian who worked for the
Mongol administration, recounts a very
similar version of events to the one
Simon tells here. See: J.A. Boyle,
Genghis Khan: The History of the World
Conqueror (Manchester 1958), 34-38.
An Armenian contemporary historian
Vardan Arewelci also reflected on
Mongols and Chinggis Khan in a rather
interesting manner. In his Colophon, Indeed, formerly, from ancient times, Tartaria was subject to the king of India and paid him a due Antea siquidem ab antiquo Tartarial Indie regi fuerat subjecta eique pacifice et quiete debita
dated to 1248, Vardan combined the tribute, peacefully and quietly, until that time. And when the aforesaid king requested from them, usque ad tempus illud exolverat tributa. Cumque predictus rex ab eis tributum solitum expeteret,
received history of Mongols with on top of the customary tribute, that they henceforth provide military and other corvee services, precipiens insuper ut in armis vel in angaria aliqua deservirent, illi super aggravacionem manus
Biblical genealogy in an attempt to they complained about the heavy hand of their lord and had many debates whether to simply domini sui conquerentes inierunt pluries consilium utrum ei simpliciter obedirent an ei prout
explain the “Mongol phenomenon.” The
obey him, or to resist him with all their power.2 possent obviarent.
Mongols had already conquered most of
Anatolia by the time of writing. See
Zara Pogossian, "An “Un-Known and
Unbridled People”: Vardan Arewelc‘i’s
Colophon on the Mongols", Journal of
the Society for Armenian Studies 23
(2014): 8. The direct quotation is the
following: “Իսկ Յեսաւայ յորդւոյն
Իսահակայ (յորդւոյն Աբրահամու)
ծնան Յեսաւացիք, որ են Սկիւթացիք
սեաւք և վայրագք և այլադեմք․․․
Ուստի և խառնեալք ի միմեանս երեք
ազգս այս Հագարու, Կենդուրայ և
Եսաւայ, և ծնաւ ի սոցանէ ծնունդ Finally, one of them named Chinggis Khan,3 who was perceived to be wiser and older than the Tandem unus eorum nomine Cingischam, qui sagatior et antiquior videbatur, dedit consilium ut
այլադեմ ազդեցութեամբ չարին և others, advised that they should defy the order of the king, unanimously rise up against him, and mandato regis contradicerent et omnes unanimiter in eum exurgerent eumque ac suos quos
անուանեցաւ Տաթար” [And from kill him along with all those they could find with him. invenire possent occiderent.
Esau, the son of Isaac, who is the son of
Abraham, were born the people of Esau,
who are the Scythians: dark skinned and
ferocious and cruel… Hence, were
mixed with each other the three races of
Hagar, Kendura and Esau, and was born
from those a cruel race with an
influence of evil and this people were
named Tatars.” – Վարդան Արևելցի,
Պատմութին Թաթարաց
(Երուսաղեմ։ Սբ Հակոբյանց վանքի
տպարան, 1870), 10-11 [Vardan
Arewelci, The History of Tatars.
Jerusalem: St Jackob monastery
publishing, 1870, 10-11].
2 The famous medieval Armenian
historian, known to French and English "For the execution," he said, "of such an act, it is necessary that all are united together and acting
"Ad execucionem autem, inquit, tanti facti oportet ut omnes in unum et unanimiter congregemur,
audiences as Hayton (Hetum, fl. 1307) in harmony. One will be chosen from every group of five and appointed to be above the other
et unus de quinque qui super alios quatuor ex omnibus quinariis eligatur qui quaternio
tells the same of Mongol poverty, four. He will be called commander of four [quaternio], and all his orders must be obeyed, and
nuncupetur ejusque precepto in omnibus obediatur ab illis et qui non obedierit occidatur.
disunity, and tributary status before whoever does not obey will be killed. Likewise, over every nine [troops] there will be a
Similiter eciam super novem sit decimus, et super .XIX. XX, et sic usque ad mille et eciam
Chinggis Khan. Robert Bedrosian commander of ten, and over every nineteen there will be a commander of twenty, and thus all the
usque ad milies milia, denique usque ad infinitum ascendendo. Tandem unus omnes
(trans.), Het'um the Historian's History way to a thousand and even up to a thousand times a thousand - ultimately, going all the way to
superexcellens tanquam dominus et cam, id est imperator vel rex, habeatur, cui omnes usque ad
of the Tartars, chapter 16. Hayton's infinity. Finally, there will be one having authority above all the others as lord and khan, that is
mortem per omnia obedire teneantur."
description of Chinggis Khan being emperor or king, whom all will be obligated to obey until death."
chosen by the common consent, making
laws, and dividing troops in a decimal
system are similar as well to what we
encounter in Simon's account. Whether
this is coincidental or reflects direct
influences is hard to determine without a
thorough study. For the text in Armenian
related to Chinggis Khan’s election: “․․․
Կանգիէ (Ճինկիզ) կամք անմահին այ
է, զի դու լիցիս իշխան վերակացու
Թաթարաց, և տէր՝ ի վերայ ազգացս
Մողոլից․․․” Accessed at:
https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP180-1-
2-71 «Հեթում պատմիչ թաթարաց»
յեղեալ ի լատին օրինակէ ի հայ
բարբառ ի ձեռն Հ․ Մկրտիչ
աթոռակալ վարդապետի Աւգերեան, Omnes autem consilium hoc concorditer approbantes ipsum in dominum sibi cum successoribus
Then all unanimously approved of his counsel and chose him, and his successors, as their ruler,
ի Վենետիկ, ի տպարանի Սրբոյն suis elegerunt, eisque predictam obedientiam in perpetuum se servaturos promiserunt et usque
and they promised to be obedient to him forever, and up to today they have remained loyal.
Ղազարու, յամին 1842 ՌՄՂԱ, գլուխ hodie servaverunt.
ԺԶ [H. Mgrdich Avkerean, Hetum–
Historian of Tatars, translated from
Latin to Armenian. Venice: St. Lazzaro
publication, 1842, chapter 16].
3 Cingischam in the text is of course
Chinggis Khan, the unifier and founder
of the Mongol Empire. The traditional
date for his being acknowledged as
supreme khan of the tribes of Mongolia
is 1206. However, the defeat and death
of Ong Khan at the hands of his former
underling, Temujin/Chinggis Khan,
occurred in 1203.
4 Chinggis Khan had a documented
Having thus been elected, the next day while they all convened, he ascended a high mountain,4
history of ascending hilltops in a sort of Hic igitur electus altera die convocatis omnibus in montem altum ascendit eosque exhortans ait:
and exhorting them, he said, "You all know that until now three sins have always been rampant
ascetic religious ritual before an "Scitis quod usque nunc tria in nobis peccata semper inundaverunt, videlicet mendacium, furtum
amongst us - namely lying, thieving, and adultery. Therefore now, lest through the vengeance of
important military undertaking and Batu et adulterium. Nunc ergo ne vindicante Deo in execucione hujus facti vel alias in posterum
God in the performance of this deed or others in the future we be hindered, we should promise
later consciously imitated this ritual impediamur decetero nos omnes a predictis abstinere ipsi promittamus ita quod si quis in aliquo
henceforth to abstain from the aforesaid sins, and thus if anyone is found to have fallen back into
before the Battle of Muhi, according to eorum prolapsus inveniatur sine ulla misericordia occidatur."
any of them, he shall be killed without any mercy."5
Juvaini. Batu was very nervous upon
receiving news from his scouting force
on the strength of the approaching
Hungarian army and sought the aid of
heaven in the impending clash (Qazvini
2009: 325). Interestingly, the Persian
term employed by Juvaini for the
geographical feature which Batu
ascended was “pushta” which is defined
in Steingass’s Comprehensive Persian-
English Dictionary as a “little hill,”
“embankment,” etc. (Steingass 1963:
252). Juvaini perhaps consciously chose
that term to the ascensions of pagan
Chinggisid rulers rather than “koh”
(mountain) so as to avoid placing the
ascension of Chinggis Khan or Batu at
the level of holy ascetics or prophetic Then when everyone had promised to obey this commandment - although iniquity already
Quod cum omnes se observaturos in perpetuum promisissent, licet jam iniquitas mentita sit sibi,
figures like Moses. Simon of Saint- showed itself in them - he ordered them all to assemble in arms and, after having divided into
precepit omnes illos in armis paratos congregari eosque in duabus aciebus divisos una die a
Quentin, on the other hand, describes two battle groups, to invade on the same day the territory of their lord David, coming from two
duabus partibus equaliter a medio terre distantibus terram domini sui David ingredi ac velociter
Chinggis Khan’s ascent of a properly sides equidistant from the center of his land, overrunning it quickly and sparing neither sex nor
eam percurrentes nulli parcere sexui vel etati.
high and sublime mountain which age.
evokes the idea of a leader with a divine
mandate in the mode of a great lawgiver.
For an analysis of the motif of Chinggis
Khan ascending mountains before
decisive moments in his path to
conquest, see: Pow and Laszlovszky
2019: 270-271.
5 It is interesting how Simon of Saint-
Quentin's story depicts Chinggis Khan
as a lawgiver almost in the model of
Moses. Many sources from the period,
emerging from both European and Asian
contexts, testify to the severity and
effectiveness of the Mongol law code -
the Yasa - which was established by Then, greatly inspired by the desire to escape their slavery and gain victory, they departed from Illi ergo causa servitutis excuciende triumphique obtinendi quamplurimum animati de terra sua
Chinggis Khan. If the sources are their land with bows and arrows, swords, cudgels, lacking better weapons. The majority were exeuntes arcubus et sagittis clavisque sive fustibus tanquam armis suis potioribus premuniti,
accurate, this law was codified early in infantry, a smaller part of them riding oxen, and a very small group riding donkeys, mares, and quorum maxima pars erant pedites, minor in bobus equitantes, minima vero in asinis et jumentis
the establishment of the Mongol foals. Simultaneously from the two separate sides they invaded the land of their lord and totally ac pullis equorum considentes domini sui terram simul a duabus partibus invaserunt eamque
Empire. For instance, Juvaini described dyed it in spilled blood. totaliter infusione sanguinis intinxerunt.
Chinggis Khan's creation of a "Great
Book of Yasas." See Boyle, History of
the World Conqueror, 23-26.
6 Chinggis Khan in fact married a niece
of the defeated Wang Khan. This was in
keeping with his practice of building
marriage ties with the royal families of
defeated nations in the immediate region
of Mongolia. See Paul Pelliot, Notes on
Marco Polo, ed. Louis Hambis (Paris
1959), 303-304.
XXX, 69. DISCUSSION QUESTION
When King David, hearing of their unexpected approach and utterly unable to offer resistance, Rex autem David adventum eorum audiens improvise nec ullatenus valens resistere, cum ab una
What does the story of Chinggis Khan’s wanted to flee from one part of the army, he was intercepted by the other and crushed. Finally, he parte exercitus effugere vellet, ab altera preventus est et oppressus, tandemque cum tota familia
rise to power reveal about Mongol was beheaded along with all of his family except a single daughter. Chinggis Khan took the sua preter unicam filiam menbratim detruncatus, quam videlicet filiam superstitem predictus
6 Cingiscam sibi uxorem accepit et de ea, ut dicitur, filios generavit.
customs and culture? How is Mongolia aforesaid surviving daughter to be his wife and, it is said, begat sons with her.
depicted before the rise of Chinggis
Khan? Is Simon of Saint-Quentin
intentionally depicting Chinggis Khan in
a sympathetic manner?
