The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees, who were fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. [1] It was initially founded by the Rubenian dynasty, an offshoot of the larger Bagratid family that at various times held the thrones of Armenia and Georgia. While the Rubenian rulers were initially regional princes, their close ties with the Western world after the First Crusade saw the principality recognised as a kingdom under Leo I by the Holy Roman Empire in 1198. [2] The Rubenid dynasty fell in 1252 after the death of the last Rubenid monarch Isabella, and her husband Hethum I became sole ruler, beginning the Hethumid dynasty. After the death of Leo IV in 1341 his cousin was elected to succeed him as Constantine II, the first king of the Lusignan dynasty. The kingdom fell at the beginning of Leo V's reign to the Mamluks, [3] and henceforth title holders were only claimants to the throne. Charlotte of Cyprus ceded the throne to the House of Savoy in 1485, [4] and the title fell out of use until after 1861.
Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ruben I | 1080 | 1095 | Rubenids | |||
Constantine I | 1095 | 1102 | Rubenids | |||
Thoros I | 1102 | 1129 | Rubenids | |||
Constantine II | 1129 | 1129 | Rubenids | |||
Leo I | 1129 | 1140 | Rubenids | |||
Thoros II | 1144 | 1169 | Rubenids | |||
Ruben II | 1169 | 1170 | Rubenids | |||
Mleh | 1170 | 1175 | Rubenids | |||
Ruben III | 1175 | 1187 | Rubenids | |||
Leo II | 1187 | 1198/1199 | Became first king as Leo I | Rubenids |
Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leo I (II) | 1198/1199 | 1219 | Rubenids | |||
Isabella | 1219 | 1252 | Queen and co-ruler with Philip and Hethum I | Rubenids | ||
Hethum I | 1226 | 1270 | Co-ruler | Hethumids | ||
Leo II (III) | 1270 | 1289 | Hethumids | |||
Hethum II | 1289 | 1293 | Abdicated in favour of Thoros III | Hethumids | ||
Thoros III | 1293 | 1298 | Recalled Hethoum II, with whom he became co-ruler | Hethumids | ||
Hethum II | 1295 | 1296 | Co-ruler with Thoros III | Hethumids | ||
Sempad | 1296 | 1298 | Usurper | Hethumids | ||
Constantine I (III) | 1298 | 1299 | Hethumids | |||
Hethum II | 1299 | 1303 | Reclaimed throne. Abdicated and became regent for Leo III | Hethumids | ||
Leo III (IV) | 1303 | 1307 | Under regency of Hethum II | Hethumids | ||
Oshin | 1307 | 1320 | Hethumids | |||
Leo IV (V) | 1320 | 1341 | Under regency of Oshin of Korikos until 1329 | Hethumids | ||
Constantine II (IV) | 1342 | 1344 | Elected by nobles | House of Lusignan | ||
Constantine III (V) | 1344 | 1362 | House of Neghir | |||
Constantine IV (VI) | 1362 | 1373 | House of Neghir | |||
Leo V (VI) | 1374 | 1375 | House of Lusignan |
Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leo V | 1375 | 1393 | Lusignan | |||
James I | 1393 | 1398 | Lusignan | |||
Janus | 1398 | 1432 | Lusignan | |||
John | 1432 | 1458 | Lusignan | |||
Charlotte | 1458 | 1467 | Lusignan |
The claim to the title passed to the House of Savoy, who were granted it by Charlotte in 1485. The Savoyard dynasts maintained their claim to the title "King of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia" as late as the 20th century. [5]
The Kingdom of Cyprus was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an independent Christian kingdom, it was established by the French House of Lusignan after the Third Crusade. It comprised not only the entire island of Cyprus, but it also had a foothold on the Anatolian mainland: Antalya between 1361 and 1373, and Corycus between 1361 and 1448.
Charlotte was the Queen of Cyprus from 1458 until 1464. She was the eldest and only surviving daughter of King John II of Cyprus and Helena Palaiologina. At the age of 14, she succeeded to the Cypriot throne upon the death of her father. Her illegitimate half-brother, James, challenged her right to the crown. With the support of the Egyptians, he forced her to flee the island in 1463, and he was later crowned king. She made a military attempt to regain her throne, but was unsuccessful, and died childless in Rome.
Constantine II, , born Guy de Lusignan, was elected the first Latin King of Armenian Cilicia of the Poitiers-Lusignan dynasty, ruling from 1342 until his death in 1344.
Constantine III was the King of Armenian Cilicia from 1344 to 1362. He was the son of Baldwin, Lord of Neghir, and second cousin of Constantine II.
Constantine IV was the King of Armenian Cilicia from 1362 until his death. He was the son of Hethum of Neghir, a nephew of Hethum I of Armenia. Constantine came to the throne on the death of his cousin Constantine III, whose widow, Maria, daughter of Oshin of Corycos, he married.
Leo V or Levon V, of the House of Lusignan, was the last Latin king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. He ruled from 1374 to 1375.
Leo II or Leon II was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1269/1270 to 1289. He was the son of King Hetoum I and Queen Isabella and was a member of the House of Lampron.
Hethum II, also known by several other romanizations, was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1289 to 1293, 1295 to 1296 and 1299 to 1303, while Armenia was a subject state of the Mongol Empire. He abdicated twice in order to take vows in the Franciscan order, while still remaining the power behind the throne as "Grand Baron of Armenia" and later as Regent for his nephew. He was the son of Leo II of Armenia and Kyranna de Lampron, and was part of the Hethumid dynasty, being the grandson of Hethum I, who had originally submitted Cilicia to the Mongols in 1247. He was assassinated with his nephew and successor Leo III by the Mongol general Bilarghu, who himself was later executed for this by the Mongol Ilkhan ruler Öljaitü.
The House of Lusignan was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries during the Middle Ages. It also had great influence in England and France.
Isabella, also Isabel or Zabel, was queen regnant of Armenian Cilicia from 1219 until her death in 1252.
The Rubenids or Roupenids were an Armenian dynasty who dominated parts of Cilicia, and who established the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The dynasty takes its name from its founder, the Armenian prince Ruben I. The Rubenids were princes, later kings, of Cilicia from around 1080 until they were surpassed by the Hethumids in the mid-thirteenth century.
Amalric, Lord of Tyre, also called Amalric of Lusignan or Amaury de Lusignan was a prince and statesman of the House of Lusignan, a younger son of King Hugh III of Cyprus and Isabella of the House of Ibelin. He was given the title of Lord of Tyre in 1291, shortly before the city of Tyre fell to the Mamluks of Egypt. He is often but incorrectly called the Prince of Tyre.
The Ramnulfids, or the House of Poitiers, were a French dynasty of Frankish origin ruling the County of Poitou and Duchy of Aquitaine in the 9th through 12th centuries. Their power base shifted from Toulouse to Poitou. In the early 10th century, they contested the dominance of northern Aquitaine and the ducal title to the whole with the House of Auvergne. In 1032, they inherited the Duchy of Gascony, thus uniting it with Aquitaine. By the end of the 11th century, they were the dominant power in the southwestern third of France. The founder of the family was Ramnulf I, who became count in 835.
Sempad the Constable was a noble Cilician Armenia. He was an older brother of King Hetoum I. He was an important figure in Cilicia, acting as a diplomat, judge, and military officer, holding the title of Constable or Sparapet, supreme commander of the Armenian armed forces. He was also a writer and translator, especially known for providing translations of various legal codes, and the creation of an important account of Cilician history, called in French the Chronique du Royaume de Petite Armenie. He fought in multiple battles, such as the Battle of Mari, and was trusted by his brother King Hetoum to be a key negotiator with the Mongol Empire.
Helena Palaiologina was a Byzantine princess of the Palaiologos family, who became Queen of Cyprus and Armenia, titular Queen consort of Jerusalem, and Princess of Antioch through her marriage to King John II of Cyprus and Armenia. She was the mother of Queen Charlotte of Cyprus.
Charles II or Charles John Amadeus, was the Duke of Savoy from 1490 to 1496 but his mother Blanche of Montferrat (1472–1519) was the actual ruler as a regent. In 1485 his father Charles I had received the hereditary rights to the Kingdoms of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia which were inherited by young Charles.
Margaret of Soissons was a Queen consort of Armenia by marriage to Leo V, King of Armenia. She was a daughter of John of Soissons and Marie de Milmars.
Mongol Armenia or Ilkhanid Armenia refers to the period in which both Armenia and the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia became tributary and vassal to the Mongol Empire in the 1230s. Armenia and Cilicia remained under Mongol influence until around 1335.