 Supporting Comnena's assertion, Simon Bendall has identified a group of rare coins he believes were minted by Gabras and his successors.Although he was killed by the Turks in 1098, other members of his family continued his de facto independent rule into the next century.The Empire of Trebizond was formed after Georgian expedition in Chaldia, commanded by Alexios Komnenos a few weeks before the sack of Constantinople.