It is suspected, and I have heard it from the
Tatars, that
Timur would have been more ruthless with the empire and the
emperor of Constantinople had it not been for his fear of
Murad Baqir. He knows all too well the character of
Murad Baqir, for the moment he finds anyone more powerful than he is himself, he will know neither joy nor happiness until he has put down and subjugated him. It is for this reason that
Timur did not wish to do all that he could to
Constantinople if he so wished."
"And does
Murad Baqir keep a large force with him?"
"Yes indeed, he is never alone nor has he been without his army of one hundred thousand horse since the age of thirty. He always keeps to the fields, never lodging in a town, and he has ten thousand
Turks for his personal bodyguard. And wherever he goes, he takes his
father with him."
"How old might
Murad be?"
"He is at least sixty and his
father ninety.
Murad Baqir loves the French language dearly and those who hail from there also. He says that of all the world's rulers he would be most eager to meet the
king of France and to see his circumstances and means. It pleases him immensely when anyone speaks to him on this subject and commends that country's lords."
"Why does
Murad Baqir remain at peace with
Timur if he is such a mighty conqueror?"
"Because
Timur fears him and dare not make war on him. There are also certain towns and ports in
Tatary which pay duties to
Murad Baqir every year; they share a faith, and so he would not wish to destroy what is his own.
He often marvels at the fact that Christians make war on each other, tearing one another apart, even as they maintain that it is neither justified nor reasonable for people of the same law and faith to destroy one another. He has often had it in mind to enter Christendom with a great force and conquer all before him. And I rather think it would have been to my advantage if he had conquered me and my entire country in war, rather than
Timur of Tatary."
They asked the
king of Armenia why, and he responded as follows.
Murad Baqir is a man of noble birth and if he were thirty years younger than he is, he would be equipped to lead great conquests wherever he chose to march. When he has conquered a country, town or lordship, all he demands is hommage, leaving them to follow their own beliefs; and he has never, nor will he ever drive a man from his inheritance. All he asks is to have the supreme government, which is why I say that if he had conquered the kingdom of
Armenia as the
Tatars have done, he would have left me to my kingdom and our faith and laws in peace upon my acknowledging him as sovereign lord, as other great barons on his borders, both Greek orthodox and Christian, have acknowledged him as their sovereign lord, to remove themselves from the threat of the
sultan and of
Timur of Tatary.
"And who are these lords?", the
king of Armenia was asked.
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