Online Encyclopedia

Erzerum, descends to the sea. Its safety also large. It was chiefly in the way of matrimonial alliances that it was secured by the barrier of rugged mountains (7000 to 8000 ft.) was brought into contact with other states. The imperial which separates its district from the See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest of Asia Minor. So See also:

FAMILY

family were renowned for their beauty, and the princesses of this See also:

COMPLETE

complete is the See also:

WATERSHED

watershed that no streams pass through these See also:

RACE

race were sought as brides by See also:

BYZANTINE

Byzantine emperors of the See also:

DYNASTY (Gr. &vvaareta, sovereignty, the position of a hevnori7r, lord, ruler, from SuvaaBay to be able, Suvaµas, power)

dynasty ranges, and there is hardly any communication in this direction of the Palaeologi, by Western nobles, and by See also:

MAHOMMEDAN

Mahommedan between the interior of Asia Minor and the See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast. For the same princes; and the connexions thus formed originated a variety of reason, together with its See also:

NORTHERN

northern aspect, the See also:

CLIMATE

climate is humid and temperate, unlike that of the inland regions, which are ex-posed to See also:

GREAT

great extremes of See also:

HEAT (0. E. haktu, which like " hot," Old Eng. hat, is from the Teutonic type haita, hit, to be hot; cf. Ger. hitze, heiss; Dutch, hitte, heet, &c.)

heat in summer and See also:

COLD (in O. Eng. cald and ceald, a word coming ultimately from a root cognate with the Lat. gelu, gelidus, and common in the Teutonic languages, which usually have two distinct forms for the substantive and the adjective, cf. Ger. Kolte, kalt, Dutch koude

cold in See also:

winter. The position which was occupied by the Hellenic and See also:

MEDIEVAL

medieval city is a sloping table of ground (whence the See also:

ORIGINAL

original name of the See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place, Trapezus, the " Table-land "), which falls in steep rocky precipices on the two sides, where two deep valleys, descending from the interior, run parallel at no great distance from one another down to the sea.

The whole is still enclosed by the Byzantine walls, which follow the See also:

LINE

line of the cliffs and are carried along the sea-See also:

FACE (from Lat. fades, derived either from facere, to make, or from a root fa-, meaning " appear "; cf. Gr. cbatvstv)

face; and the upper See also:

PART

part of the level, which is separated from the See also:

LOWER

lower by an inner See also:

CROSS

cross See also:

wall, forms the See also:

castle; while at the highest point, where a sort of See also:

NECK (O. Eng. hnecca; the word appears in many Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch ride, Ger. Nacken; in O. E. the common word was heals; cf. Ger. Hals)

neck is formed between the two valleys, is the keep which crowns the whole. On each See also:

side, about half-way between the keep and the sea, these ravines are crossed by massive See also:

bridges, and on the farther side of the western-most of these, away from the city, a large See also:

TOWER (Lat. turris; Fr. tour, clocker; Ital. torre; Ger. Thurm)

tower and other fortifications remain. The See also:

AREA

area of the See also:

ancient city is now called the Kaleh, and is inhabited by the See also:

TURKS

Turks; eastward of this is the extensive See also:

Christian See also:

QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter, and beyond this again a See also:

low promontory juts northward into the sea, partly covered with the houses of a well-built suburb, which is the See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal centre of commerce. The See also:

HARBOUR (from M.E. hereberge, here, an army; cf. Ger. Heer and -beorg, protection or shelter. Other early forms in English were herberwe and haiborow, as seen in various place names, such as Market Harborough.. The French auberge, an inn, derived through

harbour lies on the eastern side of this promontory, but it is an unsafe roadstead, being unprotected towards the See also:

north-See also:

east See also:

DIPLOMATIC

diplomatic relations and friendly or offensive alliances. The See also:

PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace of Trebizond was famed for its magnificence, the See also:

court for its luxury and elaborate ceremonial, while at the same time it was frequently a hotbed of intrigue and immorality. The See also:

GRAND

Grand Comneni were also patrons of See also:

art and learning, and in consequence of this Trebizond was resorted to by many eminent men, by whose agency the library of the palace was provided with valuable See also:

MANUSCRIPTS

manuscripts and the city was adorned with splendid buildings. The writers of the time speak with See also:

ENTHUSIASM

enthusiasm of its lofty towers, of the churches and monasteries in the suburbs, and especially of the gardens, orchards and See also:

OLIVE (Olea europaea)

olive groves. It excited the admiration of Gonzales See also:

CLAVIJO, RUY GONZALEZ DE (d. 1412)

Clavijo, the See also:

SPANISH

Spanish See also:

ENVOY (Fr. envoye, " sent ")

envoy, when he passed through it on his way to visit the court of Timur at See also:

SAMARKAND

Samarkand (Clavijo, Historia del gran Tamorlan, p. 8a); and See also:

CARDINAL (Lat. cardinalis)

Cardinal See also:

BESSARION, JOHANNES

Bessarion, who was a native of the place, in the latter part of his See also:

LIFE

life, when the city had passed into the hands of the Mahommedans, and he was himself a dignitary of the See also:

ROMAN

Roman See also:

Church, so little forgot the impression it had made upon him that he wrote a See also:

WORK

work entitled "The Praise of Trebizond " (' Eyxwµtov Tpa7rq.oi'alros), which exists in See also:

MANUSCRIPT

manuscript at See also:

Venice. Little was known of the history of the empire of Trebizond until the subject was taken in See also:

hand by See also:

PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

Professor See also:

FALLMERAYER, JAKOB PHILIPP (1790–1861)

Fallmerayer of See also:

MUNICH (Ger. Munchen)

Munich, who discovered the See also:

CHRONICLE (from Gr. Xpovos, time)

chronicle of See also:

Michael Panaretus among the books of Cardinal Bessarion, and from that work, and other See also:

SOURCES

sources of See also:

INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information which were chiefly unknown up to that time, compiled his Geschichte See also:

des Kaiserthums von Trapezunt (Munich, 1827). From time to time the emperors of Trebizond paid See also:

TRIBUTE (Lat. tributurn, a stated payment, contribution)

tribute to the Seljuk sultans of See also:

ICONIUM (mod. Konia)

Iconium, to the grand khans of the See also:

MONGOLS

Mongols, to Timur the Tatar, to the See also:

TURKOMAN

Turkoman chieftains, and to the Ottomans; but by means of skilful negotiations they were enabled practically to secure their independence. We find them also at See also:

war with many of these See also:

POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers, and with the Genoese, who endeavoured to monopolize the commerce of the Black Sea.

The city was several times besieged, the most formidable attack being that which occurred in the reign of Andronicus I., the second See also:

EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor, when the Seljuks, under the command of Melik, the son of the great See also:

SULTAN (an Arabic word meaning " victorious " or " a ruler," sultat, dominion)

sultan See also:

Ala-ed-din, first assaulted the northern wall in the direction of the sea, and afterwards endeavoured to See also:

storm the upper citadel by See also:

NIGHT

night. They failed, however, in both attempts; and in the latter, owing to the darkness, and to the occurrence of a violent storm which suddenly swelled the torrents in the ravines, their force was thrown into inextricable confusion, and they were compelled to abandon their See also:

CAMP (from Lat. campus, field)

camp and make the best- of their See also:

ESCAPE (in mid. Eng. eschape or escape, from the O. Fr. eschapper, modern echapper, and escaper, low Lat. escapium, from ex, out of, and cappa, cape, cloak; cf. for the sense development the Gr. iichueoOat, literally to put off one's clothes, hence to sli

escape from the See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country. So great was the strength of the fortifications that Mahommed II. might have experienced much difficulty in reducing it, had it not been for the pusillanimous conduct of See also:

David, the last emperor, who surrendered the place almost unconditionally. Ancient Memorials.—Several interesting monuments of this See also:

period remain at Trebizond in the See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form of churches in the Byzantine See also:

style of See also:

ARCHITECTURE (Lat. architectura, from the Gr. ap)(LTEKrwv, a master-builder)

architecture. One of these is within the area of the old city, viz. the church of the Panaghia Chrysokephalos, or Virgin of the See also:

GOLDEN

Golden See also:

Head, a large and massive but excessively See also:

PLAIN (O. Fr. plain, from Lat. plenum)

plain See also:

BUILDING

building, which is now the See also:

ORTA, LAKE OF

Orta-See also:

HISSAR

hissar See also:

MOSQUE (through Fr. mosquie; Span. mezquila, from Arab. masjid, sajada, to adore)

mosque. On the farther side of the eastern See also:

RAVINE

ravine stands a smaller but very well proportioned structure, the church of St See also:

EUGENIUS

Eugenius, the See also:

PATRON

patron See also:

SAINT (lat. sanctus, " holy ")

saint of Trebizond, now the Yeni Djuma djami, or New See also:

FRIDAY (A.S. frige-dreg, fr. frige, gen. of frigu, love, or the goddess of love—the Norse Frigg,—the dreg, day; cf. Icelandic frjddagr, O.H. Ger. friatag, frigatag, mod. Ger. Freitag)

Friday mosque. Still more important is the church of Haghia See also:

SOPHIA (1630-1714)

Sophia, which occupies a conspicuous position over-looking the sea, about 2 M. See also:

west of the city. The porches of this are handsomely ornamented, and about Too ft. from it rises a tall campanile, the inner walls of which have been covered in parts with frescoes of religious subjects, though these are now much defaced. But the most remarkable memorial of the See also:

MIDDLE

middle ages that exists in all this district is the monastery of Sumelas, which is situated about 25 M. from Trebizond, at the side of a rocky glen, at a height of 4000 ft. above the sea. Its position is most extraordinary, for it occupies a cavern in the middle of the face of a perpendicular cliff r000 ft. high, where the See also:

white buildings offer a marked contrast to the See also:

brown See also:

rock which forms their setting. It is approached by a zigzag path at the side of the cliff, from which a See also:

FLIGHT

flight of stonesteps and a wooden See also:

STAIRCASE

staircase give See also:

ACCESS (Lat. accessus)

access to the monastery. The valley below is filled with the richest vegetation, the under-growth being largely composed of azaleas and rhododendrons.

An antiquity of 1500 years is claimed for the foundation of the monastery, but it is certain that the first See also:

PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person who raised it to importance was the emperor Alexius See also:

COMNENUS

Comnenus III. of Trebizond; he rebuilt it in 1360, and richly endowed it. The golden See also:

bull of that emperor, which became thenceforth the See also:

CHARTER (Lat. charta, carta, from Gr. Xap-rns, originally for papyrus, material for writing, thence transferred to paper and from this material to the document, in O. Eng. boc, book)

charter of its foundation, is still preserved; it is one of the finest specimens of such documents, and contains portraits of Alexius himself and his See also:

queen. The monastery also possesses the See also:

FIRMAN (an adaptation of the Per. ferman, a mandate or patent, cognate with the Sanskrit pramdna, a measure, authority)

firman of Mahommed II. by which he accorded his See also:

PROTECTION

protection to the monks when he became See also:

MASTER (Lat. magister, related to tnagis, more, as the corresponding minister is to minus, less; the English form is due partly to the O. Eng. maegister, and partly to O. Fr. maistre, mod. maitre; cf. Du. meester, Ger. Meister, Ital. maestro)

master of the country.

End of Article: TREBIZOND (Gr. Trapezus)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.

» Add information or comments to this article.

Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.

Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
TREBINJE

[next]
TREBLE (a doublet of " triple," three-fold, from La...