[55] Ubicini, “Letter on Turkey,” Vol. II, pp. 285-6.
[56] Lynch, “Armenia,” Vol. I, p. 275.
[57] Moffat, “Church History in Brief,” p. 142.
[58] Malon, “The Life and Times of St. Gregory,” p, 31. London.
[59] Lynch, “Armenia,” Vol. I, p. 314.
[60] Bryce, “Transcaucasia and Ararat,” pp. 341-2.
[61] Muradian, “The History of the Apostolic Church of Armenia,” pp. 117-121, 127-128.
VII
THE PERIOD OF SUBJECTION
The Mameluke Sultans of Egypt were the unhappy instruments of harassing and finally overthrowing the Armenian independence in Cilicia, but they did not enjoy the pleasure of ruling over Armenia, nor Cilicia and the Armenians. The course of events was taking a different shape in Western Asia.
By a succession of influxes of the Mongolian hordes into the country, during the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries, the power of the Caliphs of Bagdad was broken into pieces and a vast empire was formed by the Seljukian Turks. After the death of the third sovereign, Malek Shah, the empire was divided into various principalities. One of these became a kingdom of considerable importance, lying on the frontier of the Greek empire, having Nice, afterwards Iconium (now Koniah), its capital. The same influx of the Mongolian invaders had not yet stopped on the one hand; on the other hand the Western Crusaders did render some service in annoying this kingdom, while the Mameluke Sultans by no means were at peace with the Seljukian Turks.