Sultans of Roum.
"With Suliman there begins the famous line of robber chiefs who are known as Seljnkian Sultans of Konic or Roum, or as Sultans of Iconium. Suliman made himself entirely independent of the Grand Sultan, Malek Shah. Hitherto the policy of the Turks in their conquests of Asia Minor had been one of simple destruction. Finlay goes so far as to say that their object was to depopulate the country to such an extent as would admit the establishment of permanent nomad encampments in the midst of uncultivated plains far within the frontiers of the empire.[1] The history of the dealings of the Turks with Asia Minor had, at any rate, been such as would have been compatible with the existence of this intention. A long series of raids had been made, which had resulted first in the depopulation of the border states, and then in the impoverishment of the imperial provinces. "What the Turcomans and the Moslem Kurds have been doing in Armenia under the rule of the Ottoman Turks during the last fifty years, the Seljukian Turks did during the century between 1050 and 1150, but with this difference, that the latter were in greater numbers, and had an irresistible number of men behind them. The result of each raid was the weakening of the empire, which was the representative to the Turk of Christian power. The great inducement of those who took part in these raids was the large amount of plunder which could be obtained from the wealthy inhabitants while fighting the battles of Islam. Either from the spirit of wanton destruction, or to make sure of their plunder and to prepare their way for subsequent raids, they burned or otherwise destroyed the first towns and villages which they captured. As they progressed farther into the interior of Asia Minor they began to rear their tents on the lands they had devastated. The Christian inhabitants were driven into the cities, or, if they submitted, were made rayahs and treated as serfs.[2] They
- ↑ Finlay, ii. p. 33. My own impression is rather that the Turks were so entirely barbarous that their only conception of the use of land was as pasturage for cattle.
- ↑ Rayah signifies literally "cattle kept or pastured for the sultan, and upon which are his brands and marks." The word thus indicates the light in which they were regarded.
