Latest / The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History / The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia: Crusader Kings and a Forgotten Crusade
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about the Armenian highlands—Urartu, the nakharar system, the battles of Avarayr and Sardarabad. But there's another Armenian kingdom that doesn't get as much attention, and it's one of the most unusual chapters in Armenian history. Luna: You mean Cilicia, right? The one on the Mediterranean? Lucas: Exactly. Cilician Armenia. A kingdom that existed from roughly the late 11th century until 1375, far from the traditional Armenian homeland around Mount Ararat. It was born out of the Seljuk invasion of Anatolia. After the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, waves of Armenian refugees fled west into the Taurus Mountains and down to the coast, where they found a rugged region that was nominally Byzantine but actually controlled by local Armenian warlords. Lucas: One of those warlords was a man named Ruben, who supposedly was a relative of the last Bagratuni king. Around 1080, he established a small principality in the mountains. That was the seed of what became the Rubenid dynasty. And over the next century, his successors expanded into the fertile plain of Cilicia, taking cities like Tarsus, Mamistra, and eventually Sis, which became the capital. Luna: So it's a classic story of refugees building a new state. Lucas: Yes, but what makes it fascinating is the context. The Crusaders had just arrived in the Levant. When the First Crusade swept through Anatolia in 1097, the Armenian princes of Cilicia saw an opportunity. They allied with the Crusaders, providing guides, supplies, and even troops. In return, the Crusaders recognized their autonomy. For a time, the two groups had a symbiotic relationship—the Armenians provided local knowledge and manpower, while the Crusaders offered military protection and legitimacy. Lucas: But it wasn't always smooth. There's a forgotten campaign called the Crusade of 1101. It was a disastrous follow-up to the First Crusade, led by Lombards, French, and Germans. They marched through Cilicia, and the local Armenian ruler, Constantine I, tried to help by selling them food. But the Crusaders accused him of overcharging and sacked the Armenian town of Marash. That soured relations for a while. Luna: Wait, the Crusaders attacked their own allies? Lucas: It happened. The Crusaders were chronically short of supplies and often brutal. But the alliance was too useful to abandon. Within a few decades, the Armenians and Crusaders were intermarrying. The Rubenid princess, Rita, married the lord of Edessa. And by the late 12th century, the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia was fully integrated into the Crusader states network. Lucas: The golden age came with King Levon I, who was crowned in 1198. He managed to get recognition from both the Byzantine emperor and the Holy Roman Emperor, as well as the pope. His coronation was a big deal—it elevated Cilicia from a principality to a kingdom, and it formalized its Latin ties. Levon adopted many Western feudal customs, including the use of Latin titles and the minting of coins with Latin inscriptions. Luna: So they really did become a hybrid kingdom—Armenian and Crusader. Lucas: Yes, and you can see it in the architecture. Cilician castles are a blend of Byzantine, Armenian, and Crusader design. Sis, the capital, had a fortress on a hilltop with concentric walls and towers, very much like Crusader castles in the Holy Land. And the Armenians produced some of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages—the Cilician school, with artists like Toros Roslin, who worked at the scriptorium in Hromkla. Lucas: The kingdom also had a strong economy. Cilicia was a major trade hub, connecting the Mediterranean to Asia. Its ports, like Ayas and Tarsus, handled goods from Persia, India, and China. The Armenians became known as skilled merchants and diplomats. They even established a relationship with the Mongols in the 13th century, hoping for an ally against the Mamluks. Luna: That's a controversial alliance, isn't it? Some saw it as betrayal of Christendom. Lucas: Absolutely. King Hetum I traveled to the Mongol court in Karakorum in 1254, a journey that took him years. He secured a pact with the Mongols, which helped Cilicia survive for a while. But when the Mongols converted to Islam, that alliance fell apart. And the Mamluks, who had been consolidating power in Egypt, turned their attention to Cilicia. Lucas: The end came in 1375. The Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Sha'ban launched a campaign that captured the capital, Sis, and the last king, Levon V, was taken to Cairo, where he died in captivity. The kingdom was annexed by the Mamluks, and many Armenians fled to Cyprus, where they continued their cultural traditions for centuries. Luna: It's a sad end, but the legacy is incredible. The Cilician kingdom preserved Armenian identity during a dangerous time. Lucas: And it left a lasting mark. The Cilician period produced some of the most important Armenian literary and artistic works. The legal code, the Datastanagirk', was compiled by Mkhitar Gosh, and it influenced later Armenian law. The kingdom also minted coins with both Armenian and Latin inscriptions, which are prized by collectors today. Lucas: You know, it's striking how much of this history is tied to survival through alliances. The Armenians of Cilicia navigated between Crusaders, Byzantines, Mongols, and Mamluks. They adapted, adopted foreign customs, and still maintained their own identity. It's a theme that runs through Armenian history. Luna: And it's a reminder that history isn't just about dates and battles. It's about people making choices under pressure. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why we keep coming back to these stories—because they're not just ancient history. They're about resilience, adaptation, and the human spirit. If you've been following along with us through these conversations about Armenia's past, you know that listener support is what keeps this show ad-free and allows us to dive deep into topics like Cilicia. If you'd like to help, you can buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every contribution makes a difference, and it's all voluntary. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep these stories alive. Lucas: Absolutely. And speaking of stories—there's one more piece of the Cilician puzzle I want to touch on. The kingdom was also home to a unique institution called the 'Holy See of Cilicia', which was a branch of the Armenian Apostolic Church. When Etchmiadzin was under foreign rule, the Catholicos sometimes resided in Cilicia, first at Hromkla and later at Sis. Luna: So the church moved with the kingdom. Lucas: Exactly. The Catholicos played a huge role in diplomacy. For example, Catholicos Constantine III negotiated with the pope for recognition of the kingdom. And the church's presence made Cilicia a center of learning and manuscript production. The Hromkla scriptorium produced some of the finest Armenian manuscripts, including the famous Zeytun Gospels. Lucas: The Cilician kingdom also had a strong military tradition. They developed a type of heavy cavalry called the 'azat', which was similar to the Byzantine kataphractoi. And they used crossbowmen, a technology they probably learned from the Crusaders. When the Mongols came, the Armenians adopted Mongol tactics and even used horse archers. Luna: It's amazing how much they absorbed from their neighbors. Lucas: That's the hallmark of a successful diaspora state. They had to be flexible. And they were. For nearly three centuries, Cilician Armenia was a beacon of Armenian culture and power. Even after its fall, the memory of the kingdom inspired later generations. In the 19th century, Armenian nationalists looked back to Cilicia as a model of a modern, Western-oriented Armenia. Luna: So it's not just a medieval curiosity—it has a direct line to modern Armenian identity. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why we tell these stories. They're part of a continuous thread that runs from the ancient kingdoms to the First Republic and beyond. I think we'll leave it there for now, but there's so much more to explore—the role of the Cilician barons, the intricate diplomacy with Crusader states, and the cultural flowering that produced masterpieces like the Toros Roslin manuscripts. Maybe that's a topic for another episode. Luna: I'd love that. There's always more to uncover.