Kirakos Gandzaketsi

Kirakos Gandzaketsi (Armenian: Կիրակոս Գանձակեցի, Kirakos Gandzaketsi) (c. 1200/1202–1271) was an Armenian historian of the 13th century and author of the History of Armenia, a summary of events from the 4th to the 12th century and a detailed description of the events of his own days. The work concentrates primarily on the history of Medieval Armenia and events occurring in the Caucasus and Near East. The work serves as a primary source for the study of the Mongol invasions and even contains the first recorded word list of the Mongolian language. The work has been translated into several languages including Latin, French and Russian.

Kirakos was born in the city of Gandzak (Ganja, presently in Azerbaijan) in or around 1200. He attended the school of New Getik in the village of Tandzut in the region of Kayen (classes were originally taught in a cave and it was only later that they later relocated to a one-room building). He was the pupil of Vanakan Vardapet, a scholar and native from his native Gandzak. In 1215, Kirakos along with his classmates and their teacher Vanakan moved to study at the monastery at Khoranashat in Tavush. With the Mongol invasion of the 1230s, Kirakos and his mentor were captured by Mongol forces in the spring of 1236. As captives, however, he and Vanakan managed to serve as secretaries for the Mongols. During this time, Kirakos learned the Mongolian language and he later compiled his knowledge of it into a list of 55 words with their corresponding Armenian meanings. A ransom was paid to free Vanakan in the summer of that year but Kirakos also managed to escape the same night and returned to the town of Getik.

Following Vanakan's death in 1251, Kirakos assumed his former teacher's duties and became the head of the school in New Getik. In 1255, he was granted an audience with the leader of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, Hetum I, in the town of Vardenis (in Aragatsotn), informing him of missionary work in the region.

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