Kogh Vasil, or Vasil the Robber (; died on 12 October 1112), was the Armenian ruler of Raban and Kaisun at the time of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

Biography

Origins

The father of Kogh Vasil was the brigand leader Łazarik (Ghazar, i.e. Lazarus), called the "red-haired dog", who was first mentioned in an epistle of

Grigor Magistros Grigor Magistros (; "Gregory the ''magistros''"; ca. 990–1058) was an Armenians, Armenian prince, Linguistics, linguist, scholar and public functionary. A layman of the princely Pahlavuni family that claimed descent from the dynasty establis ...

to the Syrian Patriarch in 1058. Bar Hebraeus and

Michael the Syrian Michael the Syrian (),(), died AD 1199, also known as Michael the Great () or Michael Syrus or Michael the Elder, to distinguish him from his nephew, was a patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1166 to 1199. He is best known today as th ...

mention that around the same time, the clan of Ghazarik had established itself in Claudia and Qubbos on the Euphrates from where they pillaged local monasteries such as the

Mor Bar Sauma Monastery The Mor Bar Sauma Monastery was a Syriac Orthodox monastery located between Gargar and Malatya in Turkey. The monastery served as the regular patriarchal residence from the eleventh century until the thirteenth century, and was eventually abandon ...

. They eventually retreated upon the Seljuq invasions in the Melitene territory into the mountains in August 1066.

Establishment of dominion

Philaretos Brachamios, the ruler of an Armenian principality centered around Antioch, Edessa and Marash, gave Kogh Vasil the fortress of Kaisun. After the death of Philaretos, he gained control over several other places such as Hromgla, Raban, Tall Bashar and Bira. In the early 12th century, Kogh Vasil was the most influential Armenian ruler who adhered to the

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

. He was a major power in the region and had vassals such as Ablgharib, lord of al-Bira. Although Kogh seems to have been from humble origins, he claimed the heritage and authority of the Armenian kingdom through his wife, who according to

Matthew of Edessa Matthew of Edessa (; late 11th century – 1144) was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa. Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank, near the town of Kaysun, east of Marash (Germanicia), the former seat of ...

was descendent from the Kamsarakan family. Finally, he also became a protector of the

Pahlavuni Pahlavuni (; classical orthography: Պահլաւունի) was an Armenian noble family, a branch of the Kamsarakan, that rose to prominence in the late 10th century during the last years of the Bagratuni monarchy. Origins The Pahlavunis (a ...

Armenian Patriarchs and Grigor II took up residence in Kaisun at some time before he died in 1106.

Contact with the Crusaders

Kogh's brother was Bagrat who influenced Baldwin of Boulogne to depart from the army of the

and venture into the Armenian controlled lands. Once Baldwin and Bagrat fell out, he was forced to submit to their rule and Baldwin's brother Godfrey seized one of his fortresses. Nevertheless, he seems to have arranged with the Franks and been instrumental in arranging the ransom for Bohemond of Taranto when he was captured by the Danishmendids, later even adopting him. He sought to maintain good relations with the Byzantines, Franks and the Turks and was able to defeated the

Shah-Armens The Shah-ArmensClifford Edmund Bosworth "The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual". Article «The Shâh-i Armanids», p. 197. (lit. 'Kings of Armenia', ), also known as Ahlatshahs (lit. 'Rulers of Ahlat', ) or Begtimurids ...

Sökmen el-Kutbî in 1109. He was succeeded by his adopted son, Vasil Dgha, under whose rule the principality of Kogh Vasil fell apart.

References

Sources

* * * * * 11th-century Armenian people Medieval Armenian generals 12th-century generals 11th-century Byzantine people 1112 deaths Armenian Apostolic Christians {{Turkey-hist-stub