Page:Christianity in China, Tartary, and Thibet Volume I.djvu/149

137 TARTAR INVASION OF ARMENIA. 167 massacred without distinction of age or sex, and not even the animals were to be spared. In the beginning of their career, nothing like nego- tiation with the Tartars was possible ; the only choice was to acknowledge their empire, or die, and the peril of resistance was attested by the innumerable pyramids of human bones, which they raised on the sites of ruined towns. Long afterwards, travellers contemplated them with horror in regions now become desert, but which had seen the passage of these terrific barbarians. In 1235 and 1236, the Mongols burnt and ravaged many of the towns of Albania, Georgia, and Great Armenia. Many of the Armenian princes, finding it impossible to oppose effectual resistance to these formid- able invaders, took the resolution of submitting to them, and serving in their armies. Sometimes they even undertook the journey to Kara-Koroum, in order to demand of the Kha-kan himself, reparation for injuries inflicted by his generals ; and several of them did really obtain by this means the restitution of their states, so that the imperial horde became like the Rome of former days, the supreme tribunal, where the claims of kings were adjudged.* The pride and strength of character of the Queen of Georgia did not permit her to follow the example of her vassals. Instead of submitting to the Tartars, she continued to write urgent letters to the West, to ask for help ; and one, addressed to Pope Gregory the Ninth, who then occupied the pontifical throne, has been preserved. The Queen asks for a Christian army to repulse the attacks of the Mongols ; and in order to interest the Pope more in her cause, professes entire
 * " Memoires d'Abel Remusat," p. 12.