Margaret of Soissons, Queen of Armenia

Not to be confused with Margaret of Soissons.

Margaret
Queen consort of Armenia
Tenure	1373–1375
Coronation	14 September 1374
Died	before 4 July 1381 Cairo, Egypt
Burial	St Martin's, Cairo
Spouse	Leo V, King of Armenia
Issue	Marie of Lusignan
House	House of Lusignan (by marriage)
Father	John of Soissons
Mother	Marie de Milmars

Margaret of Soissons (died before 4 July 1381) was a Queen consort of Armenia by marriage to Leo V, King of Armenia. She was a daughter of John of Soissons, Bailiff of Famagusta and his wife, Marie de Milmars.

Life

Margaret's first husband was Honfroy de Scandelion, this marriage was only short and bore no children, her husband presumably died.

Margaret's second marriage was to Leo V, King of Armenia, ^[1] an illegitimate ^[a] son of Jean de Lusignan, Constable of Armenia and Soldane of Georgia. They married at Cyprus in May, 1369.

In 1374 Leo was invited to the Armenian throne. Margaret and Leo were crowned King and Queen of Armenia on September 14 at Sis.

According to the Journal on Armenian Studies, the Queen consort had as many as 6 affairs with other men and considered killing the King to take control over Armenia. Margaret also had a personal rivalry with Trebizond and wanted to invade the Empire to commit a pogrom against the people living there. ^[3]

Margaret and Leo had a daughter, Marie. Leo and his family sent into captivity in Egypt ^[4] after the Egyptian troops occupied the Armenian capital in 1375. The royal family was relatively well treated. In August 1377, Leo met with Jean Dardel, a Franciscan who was on his way for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Leo befriended him and employed him as his secretary. Dardel returned to Europe to plead the case of Leo and his family, and managed to convince King John I of Castile to pay a ransom of precious stones, silks, and birds of prey in 1382. ^[5]

However, this came too late for Margaret and Marie. Margaret was with her young daughter in Cairo when the princess died in 1381. Margaret probably died soon afterwards. Margaret and her daughter were buried together in the Church of St. Martin's, Cairo. ^[2]

Leo went to live in Spain where he was made Lord of Madrid by King John. He died in 1393.

Notes

1. Rudt de Collenberg states Leo V was Illegitimate ^[2]

References

1. Runciman 1999, Appendix III, part 4.
2. de Collenberg 1963, p. 76.
3. "JOURNAL OF ARMENIAN STUDIES: Volume VIII, Number 2: Fall 2006". NAASR. Retrieved 2025-05-03.
4. Mutafian, Leon V
5. Mutafian, Leon V

Sources

• de Collenberg, Wipertus-Hugo Rudt (1963). The Rupenides, Hethumides and Lusignans: The Structure of the Armeno-Cilician Dynasties. Librairie C. Klinkcksieck.
• Runciman, Steven (1999). A History of the Crusades. Vol. III: The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades. Cambridge University Press.