While these events stated above took place, Kutalmisogullari principality that was commissioned with the charge of the conquest of Anatolia had taken the firman of Sultan Melikshah about the countries that they were to conquer. On the other hand, some beys such as Artuk, Tutak, Afsin, Dilmacoglu, etc. who were commissioned with the charge to open the same regions upon the order of the sultan were developing their activities and movements towards various directions. Nikephoris got into contact with Artuk Bey who was the commander of a crowded force in Cappadocia and he persuaded Artuk Bey in order to advance towards Urselius. The Frank commander who dreamed of the enthronement as an emperor had returned to the Sophon (Sapanca) Mountain in Bithynia in order to finish his preparations for the invasion of Istanbul and he founded his military encampment there. Artuk Bey set off towards Bithynia with a rapid movement and he raided the military encampment in Sophon all of a sudden. Urselius used all of his forces in this war. Turks retaliated against the arrow rains and they started to retreat in a manner possible for the pursuit of the enemy. Frank started to follow the forces that were retreating. In fact, the raiders were the vanguard pioneers of the main Turkish army with a little number of people. Artuk Bey placed in the passageways and in the straits most of them. The strategic points were waylaid, and a separate detachment was commissioned with the charge to block the line of retreat of Urselius. The vanguards that were retreating were able to encircle the enemy forces so that Urselius who had suffered great sacrifices in the course of the pursuit and Ioannes Dukas that was taken by him perceived that they were surrounded. They could not find any opportunity to run away and then, they were caught and their soldiers got dispersed. According to Attaleiates that was the contemporary Byzantine historian of that period, more than 100 thousands of Turks had expanded within the region between Izmit and Scutari on the occasion of this war.
The prisoners were taking to Phrykia (the region of Eskişehir). Artuk Bey set them free in return for the ransoms paid for them after a short period. Iannes Dukas whose ransom was paid by the emperor returned to Istanbul. Urselius who was saved by his wife gathered some forces in Armeniak region (the region of Amasya) and started to destroy the region of Amasya and Niksar again. He totally defeated the Byzantine army that was sent to suppress him in the commande of Nikephoros Palailogos in a crushing manner. The situation became serious again. The Byzantine armies were being defeated by either the Seljuk State or the rebellious Franks. Neither the palace nor the people had any confidence in the commanders and soldiers. Only the Emperor Mikhael had shown his sagacity through the selection of one of them and the assignation of this person as the commander of the eastern armies with the task of the defence of the eastern lands. This cunning person who was an expert in politics was Aleksios Komnenos whose name was stated above and who was then twenty years old.
Upon the assignation of Aleksios to Anatolia and the exhaustion of the income resources due to the destruction, oppressions and pressures imposed by the renegades, Urselius though that it was the right time to approach to Turks. He came to Tutak who was in the neighbouring region, in other words, within the environs of Amasya in order to collaborate with Turks with the purpose of the "establishment of dominion in all Greek lands in Asia" and to provide the help and support of Turks. It was resolved that the forces under the command of Urselius should join to the Turkish forces. Aleksios who perceived the great danger that would result from this agreement pleased Tutak with his rich presents. Then, he told to the Turkish officer sent as a representative that : "Urselius is not only the enemy of the emperor, he is also the enemy of the Sultan (Melikshah). He has caused great troubles for both parties. The reason of his approach to you results from his fear.
Through the alliance that he made with you, he wants to gain time in order to wait the best opportunity for his treachery. If your commander Tutak surrenders him to us, he will have three benefits: A money amount as much as he desires, the favour of the Byzantine emperor, and the eradication of an enemy that conscripts forces in order to destroy both countries!". Tutak found this opinion gentle and he sent Urselius who was with him as a prisoner to Amasya and to Aleksios. While Aleksios was taking him away to Istanbul, he just escaped from an ambuscade of Turks in Paphlagonia (the region of Kastamonu). Then, he had to struggle and fight with the Turkish detachments again in the region of Karadeniz Eregli. As it can be understood, the Turks invaded the region of Kastamonu towards the coastal regions.
Meanwhile, Kutalmis' son, Suleymanshah was occupied with the conquest of the regon of Cilicia (the environs of Adana). There was a dominant civil turmoil like in any other regions of the Byzantine Empire. The Armenians in the regions of Iberia and Mesopotamia pertaining to the Eastern Roman Empire had started to pass t the west of the Euphrates River and they had established colonies in this region. Within the region that ranged between Malatya and Sivas, there were Pavlikyan people whose means of subsistence was the works of herdsman on the mountains. There was a Pavlikan chief who was involved within a case of domination for a period, but the places that he had invaded were firstly captured by Senekherim, the former Vasğuragan king and then by Gagig, the former Kars king.
The Byzantine had taken the Armenians under their protection, but they had strictly supervised them in respect of religion since they were the members of the Gregorian sect. The continuous withdrawal of th Byzantine against the movement of the Seljuks enabled the transfer of the Armenian regions to Turks without any pains. Moreover, the total collapse of the Greek protection after Manzikert war led to the abandonment of the Armenians all alone that had run away to the savanna of Cilicia, Marash, Tarsus, Deluk (Ayinyab) and Urfa. As a result of the Turkish raids, this region got separated from the Byzantine. It has been observed that there were some small princedoms of Armenians grouped in a dispersed manner. Among the chiefs such as Ruben that was the founder of the Ruben dynasty; and Osin who was the ancestor of Hetum dynasty, Philaretos Brakhamios who was the most important person is of great significance for us.
Philaretos had been in the service of the Byzantine and he had commanded the Byzantine forces in Palu (Romanopolis) in the course of Manzikert war. Upon the decline of Diogenes, he did not recognise the new emperor and he attempted to establish a princedom in the region of Marash. He assembled all the untamed bandits and adventurer Armenians around him, then he commissioned nearly eight thousands of paid soldiers of Franks. Afterwards, he settled within the environs of Marash with a force of 20 thousands of people. He wanted to capture the city of Antioch whose people were mostly composed of Armenians. When Iosep, the Duke of Antioch died, Philaretos started to instigate the people through their supporters in the region in order to invade this city (1073). When the situations became serious, the Emperor Mikhael assigned Izak Komnenos as the governor of the city and sent him to the Antioch.
Through sending the patriarch Aemilianus that he was suspicious of his support in the turmoils, Izak settled down the situation partially. But, he could not eradicate the rage totally. The defenders of the city were killed by the people who rebelled again. Under these circumstances, it has been observed that Suleymanshah departed from his military encampment in Birecik and advanced towards the Antioch. In order to stop the advance of Suleymanshah, Izak set off together with his aunt's husband, Konstantinos. Konstantinos was destroyed in the battle, Izak was taken as prisoner when he was injured and he was set free in return for the ransom with the amount of twenty thousands of gold given by the people of Antioch. On this occasion, Suleymanshah had come to the more south regions, and besieged Aleppo that was under the domination of Mirdasi Nasr b. Mahmud. However, Nasr declared that they were submissive to Melikshah and he was able to get rid of the blockade (1074).
to be continued