
Sempad the Constable (also Smpad and Smbat; or , ; 1208–1276) was a noble from
Cilician Armenia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, also known as Cilician Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia, was an Armenians, Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages b ...
. He was an older brother of King
Hetoum I. He was an important figure in Cilicia, acting as a diplomat, judge, and military officer, holding the title of Constable or ''
Sparapet
' () was a military title and office in ancient and medieval Armenia. Under the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia, the ' was the supreme commander of the kingdom's armed forces. During the Arsacid period and for some time afterwards, the office was held ...
'', supreme commander of the Armenian armed forces. He was also a writer and translator, especially known for providing translations of various legal codes, and the creation of an important account of Cilician history, called in French the ''Chronique du Royaume de Petite Armenie'' (''Chronicle of the Kingdom of Little Armenia''). He fought in multiple battles, such as the
Battle of Mari, and was trusted by his brother King Hetoum to be a key negotiator with the
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...
.
Biography
At the time of Sempad's birth there were two key dynasties in Cilicia, the
Rubenids and the
Hetoumids, and he was related to both. Sempad was the son of
Constantine of Baberon
Constantine of Baberon (; died ) was a powerful Armenian noble of the Het‛umid family. He was the son of Vassag and the father of Hethum I, King of Armenia, King Het‛um I, who ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1226 to 1270. Constant ...
and Partzapert (third cousin of
Leo II of Armenia). Other siblings included John the Bishop of Sis, Ochine of Korykos, Stephanie (later wife of King
Henry I of Cyprus
Henry I of Cyprus, nicknamed the Fat (; 3 May 1217 – 18 January 1253 at Nicosia) was Kingdom of Cyprus, King of Cyprus from 1218 to 1253. He was the son of Hugh I of Cyprus and Alice of Champagne. When his father Hugh I died on January 10, 1218 ...
), and Hetoum, who became co-ruler in 1226. The earlier ruler had been
Queen Isabella of Armenia, who was married to Philip, son of
Bohemond IV of Antioch
Bohemond IV of Antioch, also known as Bohemond the One-Eyed (; 11751233), was Count of Tripoli from 1187 to 1233, and Prince of Antioch from 1201 to 1216 and from 1219 to 1233. He was the younger son of Bohemond III of Antioch. The dying Raymond ...
. Constantine arranged for Philip to be murdered in 1225, and forced Isabella to then marry his son Hetoum on June 4, 1226, making him the co-ruler, and then sole ruler after Isabella's death in 1252.
Historical context
Cilicia was a Christian country, that had ties to Europe and the Crusader States, and fought against the Muslims for control of the
Levant
The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...
. The Mongols were also a threat, as
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
's Empire had been steadily pushing westward in its seemingly unstoppable advance. The Mongols had a deserved reputation for ruthlessness, giving new territories one opportunity to surrender, and if there was resistance, the Mongols moved in and slaughtered the local population.
In 1243, Sempad was part of the embassy to
Caesarea, where he negotiated with the Mongol leader
Baiju. In 1246 and again in 1259, Sempad was in charge of organizing the defense of Cilicia against the invasion of the
Sultanate of Rum
The Sultanate of Rum was a culturally Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim state, established over conquered Byzantine territories and peoples (Rum) of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks following their entry into Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. ...
. In 1247, when King Hetoum I decided that his wisest course of action was to peacefully submit to the Mongols, Sempad was sent to the Mongol court in
Karakorum
Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...
. There, Sempad met
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the ...
's brother
Möngke Khan
Möngke Khan (also Möngke Khagan or Möngke; 11 January 120911 August 1259) was the fourth khagan of the Mongol Empire, ruling from 1 July 1251 to 11 August 1259. He was the first Khagan from the Toluid line, and made significant reforms to im ...
, and made an alliance between Cilicia and the Mongols, against their common enemy the Muslims. The nature of this relationship is described differently by various historians, some of whom refer to it as an alliance, while others describe it as a submission to Mongol overlordship, making Armenia a vassal state. Historian Angus Donal Stewart, in ''Logic of Conquest'', described it as, "The Armenian king saw alliance with the Mongols – or, more accurately, swift and peaceful subjection to them – as the best course of action." Armenian military leaders were required to serve in the Mongol army, and many of them perished in Mongol battles.
During his 1247-1250 visit to the Mongol court, Sempad received a relative of the Great Khan as a bride. He had a son with her, named Vasil Tatar, who would later be captured by the Mamluks at the
Battle of Mari in 1266.
Sempad returned to Cilicia in 1250, though he returned to Mongolia in 1254, accompanying King Hetoum on his own visit to the court of the Great Khan,
Möngke.
On the death of his father, Sempad became Baron of ''Papeŕōn'' (
Çandır Castle) and resided in its small, but lavish baronial palace.
Sempad died in 1276 either in the Second Battle of
Sarvandikar, fighting against the Mamluks of Egypt, or against an invasion of the
Turcomans from
Marash. The Armenians won the battle, but Sempad and several other barons were lost.
Judge
Sempad was a member of the Armenian supreme court, the ''Verin'' or ''Mec Darpas'', which examined government policies and the legal codes. He created a translation of the ''
Assizes
The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...
of Antioch'' (a legal code) from French, and also created in
Middle Armenian a ''Datastanagirk (codex), which was based on and adapted from the earlier work of
Mkhitar Gosh-
The Lawcode (Datastanagirk).
Writer
Sempad is best known for providing eyewitness written accounts of his era. He wrote the "''Chronique du Royaume de Petite Arménie''" (''History of the Kingdom of Little Armenia'') which begins around 951/952, and ends in 1274, two years before his death. He worked from older Armenian, Syriac, Christian, and possibly Byzantine sources, as well as from his own observations. Sempad's writings are considered a valuable resource by historians, although some have criticized them as unreliable, as Sempad was often writing for reasons of propaganda rather than history.
Multiple translations exist of the work, in varying levels of completeness. According to historian Angus Donal Stewart, there are both French and English translations, which cover the period up until the 1270s.
[Stewart, p. 22] In the 19th century, it was translated by Eduard Dulaurier and published in ''
Receuil des Historiens des Croisades'', ''Historiens Armeniens I'', together with some other continuation excerpts by an anonymous author which cover the period after Sempad's death, up through the 1330s. This edition also includes excerpts from the work of
Nerses Balients, who was writing in the later fourteenth century.
[
Sempad was enthusiastic about his travel to the Mongol realm, which lasted between 1247 and 1250. He sent letters to Western rulers of Cyprus and the ]Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch (; ) was one of the Crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and History of Syria#Medieval era, Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of ...
, describing a Central Asian realm of oasis with many Christians, generally of the Nestorian rite.
On February 7, 1248, Sempad sent a letter from Samarkand
Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
to his brother-in-law Henry I, king of Cyprus (who was married to Sempad's sister Stephanie
Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath, garland". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Pol ...
(''Etienette''):[Grousset, p. 529, note 272]
One of Sempad's letters was read by Louis IX of France
Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...
during his 1248 stay in Cyprus, which encouraged him to send ambassadors to the Mongols, in the person of the Dominican André de Longjumeau, who went to visit Güyük Khan
Güyük Khan or Güyüg Khagan, mononymously Güyüg ( 19 March 1206 – 20 April 1248), was the third Khagan of the Mongol Empire, the eldest son of Ögedei Khan and a grandson of Genghis Khan. He reigned from 1246 to 1248. He started his mili ...
.
Notes
References
Primary sources
*Sempad the Constable, ''Chronique du Royaume de Petite Armenie'', edition and French translation by Duraulier, in '' Recueil des Historiens des Croisades'', Historiens Armeniens I
French translation: p. 610 et seq.
Russian translation and commentary by Galstian in ''Смбат спарапет. Летопись'', Erevan 1974.
Assises d'Antioche
French translation by Leon Alishan, of Sempad's Armenian translation of the now-lost Old French original
Secondary sources
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External links
Translated by Robert Bedrosian.
- ''mirror if main site is unavailable''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sempad
1208 births
1276 deaths
Sparapets
Hethumid dynasty
Medieval Armenian generals
13th-century generals
13th-century Armenian historians