Ali II Lashkari
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| Ali II Lashkari | |
| Reign | Shaddadids:1034-1049 |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Abu-l-Fa't Musa |
| Successor | Anushirvan bin Ali II Lashkari |
Ali II Lashkari became Shaddadid emir after Musa.
[edit] Reign of Ali II Lashkari
In 1044, Constantine IX waged war against the Armenian king Gagik II. The Byzantine Emperor, sent letters to al-Lashkari's uncle, Abu'l-Aswar (the Byzantine Aplesphares,emir of Dwin), inviting him to attack the territory of Ani. Abu'l-Aswar wrote back to Nikolaos (the Emperor's chief officer) that he would cooperate as long as the Emperor guaranteed him in writing that he could keep whatever territory he won by the sword. Constantine IX accepted this condition and ordered that his pact with Abu'l-Aswar be confirmed with a chrysoboullos logos or official document sealed with a golden bull. The Kurd rose to the bait and quickly seized a section of Armenian territory with its fortresses and towns.
Right after the annexation of Ani, Constantine IX had the nerve to command Abu'l-Aswar to turn over those Armenian strongholds and towns he had captured as a Byzantine ally against Gagik. When Abu'l-Aswar reminded him of the chrysobull and refused to surrender his gains, the Emperor resorted to military coercion. He commanded that the Byzantine forces combine with the native garrisons of Ani and "Iberican" army and take the field. In the face of such overwhelming force, Abu'l-Aswar craftily withdrew his troops within the walls of Dwin, while damming up the course of the river Azat (Garni Chai) and inundating the level country all around the city, converting it into a swamp. All around the foot of the city walls were rows of vineyards; there the Kurd posted in ambush a strong corps of foot-archers. The Christian soldiers--immobilized in the quagmire and assaulted on all sides by enemies barely visible--was routed with terrible loss; among the dead was Vahram Pahlavuni and his son Gregory. Many of the Byzantine troops, along with their allies, were taken captive and sold as slaves. Iasites and Constantine the Alan escaped with difficulty and made their way back to Ani, where they announced the calamity to Nikolaos (autumn 1045).( see[1], p.6)
In early 1049, Nicephorus (the palatial rector) invaded the emirate of Abu'l-Aswar, ravaging it from end to end and forcing the emir to take refuge inside Dwin. Abu'l-Aswar, temporarily cowed, again made terms and acknowledged Byzantine suzerainty. According to Scylitzes, he had to yield as a hostage his nephew Ardashir (Artasyros in Greek), son of his brother "Phatlun, emir of Kantzakion"
By this time, Al-Lashkari, had been reduced from a border emir of some consequence to a glorified refuge, moving his headquarters from castle to castle until he died in 1049.
