Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
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The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia |
The
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (
Armenian: Կիլիկիոյ Հայկական Թագաւորութիւն, not to be confused with the
Armenian Kingdom of Antiquity) was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the
Seljuk invasion of
Armenia. It was located on the
Gulf of Iskenderun of the
Mediterranean Sea in what is today southern
Turkey. The country was independent from around
1078 to
1375.
The Kingdom of Cilicia was founded by the
Roupenid dynasty, an offshoot of the larger
Bagratid family that at various times held the thrones of Armenia and
Georgia. Their capital was
Sis. Cilicia was a strong ally of the European
Crusaders, and saw itself as a bastion of Christendom in the East. It also served as a focus for Armenian nationalism and culture, since Armenia was under foreign occupation at the time.
Major cities and castles of the kingdom included the port of
Korikos,
Lampron,
Partzerpert,
Vahka (modern Feke),
Hromgla,
Tarsus,
Anazarbe,
Til Hamdoun,
Mamistra (mod. Misis: the classical Mopsuestia),
Adana and the port of
Ayas (Aias).
Cilicia was conquered from the Arabs by the
Byzantine Emperor
Nicephorus II Phocas around
965. He expelled the Muslims living there, and Christians from Syria and Armenia were encouraged to settle in the region. The Armenian immigration increased with the formal annexation of Greater Armenia to the Byzantine Empire in
1045 and the following Seljuk conquest 19 years later, giving two new waves of migration. The Armenians also spread eastward from Cilicia into the mountainous areas of northern Syria and Mesopotamia.
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Armenian Cilicia and Crusader States |
The Armenians came to serve the Byzantines, as military officers and governors, and when Imperial power in the region weakened in the chaotic years after the
Battle of Manzikert, some of these seized the opportunity to set themself up as sovereign Lords, while others remained, at least in name, loyal. The most successful of these early warlords was
Philaretos Brachamios, a former Armenian general of
Romanus IV Diogenes. Between 1078 and
1085, Philaretus built a principality stretching from Cilicia to Edessa, but after his death his dominion disintegrated into local lordships again.
By the end of the 11th century, there were six important principalities in the area:
* Lampron (after Namrun, now Camliyayla) and Babaron (Candir Kale), located at the southern end of the
Cilician Gates, were controlled by the former Byzantine general
Oshin, the founder of the important
Hethumid dynasty.
* To the north east was the principality of
Constantine I of Armenia, the son of prince
Roupen I. His power was based around the fortresses of Partzapert and Vahka.
* Further to the north east, and outside of Cilicia, was the principality of Marash (modern Kahramanmaraş). It was ruled by Tatoul, a former Byzantine official.
* East of Maraş, the Armenian Kogh Vasil held the fourtresses of Raban (modern Altınaşkale) and Kesoun as a
Seljuk vassal.
* To the north of these, on the Upper Euphrates, lay the principality of
Malatya (Melitene), held by
Gabriel, one of Philaretus' former officers, under Seljuk overlordship.
* Finally, beyond Malatya, was
Edessa, controlled by
Thoros, another of Philaretus' officers, and son-in-law of Gabriel of Malatya.
With the
First Crusade, the Armenians in Cilicia gained powerful allies among the Frankish crusaders. With their help they helped securing Cilicia from the Turks both by direct military actions in Cilicia, and by establishing
Crusader states in
Antioch and
Edessa. The Armenians and crusaders were partly allied, partly rivals for two centuries to come.
Eventually, there emerged some sort of centralized government in the area with the rise of the
Roupenid princes. During the 12th century they were the closest thing to a ruling dynasty, and wrestled with the Byzantines for the power over the region. Prince
Leon I was defeated by the Emperor
John II in
1137, and was imprisoned with several other family members. He died in prison three years later. Leon's son and successor,
Thoros II, was also imprisoned, but escaped in
1141. He returned to lead the struggle with the Byzantines. Initially he was successful, but eventually, in
1158, he paid homage to the Emperor
Manuel I.
The Roupenid princes continued to rule Cilicia.
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The Kingdom of Armenia and other states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) |
In
1198 the Roupenid prince
Leon II managed to secure his crown, becoming the first King of Armenian Cilicia. The crown later passed to the rival Hethoumid dynasty through Leon's daughter
Zabel and her second marriage to prince Hethoum. Their descendants ruled Cilicia until the murder of
Leon V in
1341, when his cousin
Guy Lusignan was elected king.
In the late 14th century, Cilicia was invaded by the
Mameluks. The fall of Sis in April, 1375 put an end to the kingdom; its last King,
Leon VI, was granted safe passage and died in exile in Paris in
1393. The title was claimed by his cousin,
James I of Cyprus, uniting it with the titles of Cyprus and Jerusalem.
*
Cilicia*
Monarchs of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia*Thomas Sherrer Ross Boase,
Cilician Kingdom of Armenia, Palgrave Macmillan 1975, ISBN 0312138954
*
Barony and Kingdom of Cilicia (Kurkjian's History of Armenia, Chs. 27‑31)
