The Historians' History of the World 08

1036 Mustansir Abu Temim succeeds to caliphate. Aleppo retaken and Syria conquered.

1058 Fatimite caliph publicly recognised caliph in Baghdad by Buyids. About this time occurs persecution of Christians in Alexandria.

1060 Beginning of Norman conquest in Sicily.

1061 Commencement of struggle between blacks and Turks in Egypt.

1069 Great famine in Egypt, followed by pestilence. Nasir ad-Daulah (Turk) conquers caliph, who is only nominal ruler thereafter till death of Nasir (1072).

1071 Aleppo recognises Alp Arslan. All Syria taken by Turkomans.

1072 Assassination of Nasir. Gemali, general and governor of Damascus, recalled.

1076 Egypt invaded by Turkomans, Kurds, and Arabs, under Aksis; routed in second battle by Gemali.

1086 Mahdiya captured and burned by Pisans and Genoese.

1090 Last Sicilian town surrenders to Normans.

1094 Death of Mustansir, succeeded by his son Mustali Abul-Kasim. Government in hands of Afdal, son of Gemali. In his reign occurs First Crusade.

1098 Jerusalem, taken by Afdal from Turks, a few months later yields to crusaders.

1099 Fatimite army under Afdal defeated at Askalon.

1101 Death of Mustali, succeeded by his son Emir, aged five years. Country governed by Afdal until Emir reaches majority, when he puts Afdal to death. Baldwin takes Ptolemais.

1104 Baldwin takes Tripolis.

1129 Emir put to death by partisans of Afdal, whose son Abu Ali Akhmed usurps government, making Hafidh, grandson of Mustansir, nominal caliph.

1149 Dhafir, son of Hafidh, succeeds to caliphate. After short reign, on account of his licentiousness is in

1154 assassinated by his vizir. Succeeded by Al-Faïz, only five years old. Reign filled with contentions of rival vizirs.

1160 Death of Faïz, succeeded by Adid, grandson of Hafidh, and last of Fatimite caliphs. Contentions of vizirs continue.

1162 Adil, son of Adid, dispossesses Shawir of his government in Upper Egypt. Shawir marches against Adil, kills him, and makes himself vizir in his place. Is put to flight by Al-Dirgham, and takes refuge with Nur ad-Din.

1163 Nur ad-Din sends army under Shirkuh to reinstate Shawir. Dirgham defeated, and Shawir restored. He soon throws off allegiance to Nur ad-Din, and allies himself with crusaders. Shirkuh withdraws.

1165 Nur ad-Din again sends Shirkuh to Egypt with a great army, accompanied by Saladin. Battle at Al-Babain, victory of invaders. Alexandria falls into their hands. Crusaders oppose them; Adid beseeches aid from Nur ad-Din. Shirkuh sent again. Shirkuh and Saladin enter Cairo. Shirkuh appointed vizir by Adid; on his death, succeeded

1169 by Saladin as vizir.

1171 Adid’s name suppressed in prayers, by order of Nur ad-Din. Adid dies without knowing of his degradation. THE KINGDOM OF ARMENIA (189 B.C.-1375 A.D.)

The Armenians throw off the Macedonian yoke in 317 B.C., choosing Ardvates as king. He dies about 284, and the country returns to Seleucid rule. In 189 B.C. (according to Roman historians), after the defeat of Antiochus the Great by Rome, Artaxias or Ardashes and Zadriades, the governors of Armenia Major and Armenia Minor respectively, become independent kings with the connivance of Rome. Artaxias rules at Artaxarta. Hannibal takes refuge at his court.

B.C.

166 Antiochus IV takes Artaxias prisoner, but restores him to his kingdom.

149 According to Armenian historians Mithridates I of Parthia establishes his brother Valarsaces (Waharshag) on the Armenian throne and the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia is founded. Following the Armenian king list

127 Arshag I succeeds his father.

114 Artaces succeeds his father.

94 Tigranes I (II) succeeds his father. He is the next king mentioned by Roman historians. He is put on the disputed throne by Mithridates II the Great of Parthia. Tigranes removes the capital to Tigranocerta, and conquers Lesser Armenia and many Parthian provinces. He assumes the title “King of Kings.”

83 Tigranes makes himself master of the whole of Syria, having been invited by the Syrians to put an end to the civil strife among the Seleucid princes.

76 Tigranes’ father-in-law Mithridates the Great of Pontus instigates him to invade Cappadocia.

69 Tigranes refuses to surrender Mithridates to the Romans. War with Rome results, and Lucullus defeats him at Tigranocerta.

66 Tigranes surrenders his conquests to Pompey. Armenia becomes a vassal state of Rome. The Parthian monarch recovers the title “King of Kings.”

64 Defeat of Tigranes by Phraates III of Parthia. Pompey settles their dispute.

56 Death of Tigranes. His son Artavasdes I succeeds. He is the ally of Rome in Crassus’ campaign against the Parthians.

36 Artavasdes joins the Romans in the campaign against Artavasdes of Media. He deserts Antony and the expedition fails.