Latest / The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History / The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia: A Crusader Alliance
Transcript
- Lucas: Today, we're doing something a little different. We're zooming out from the highlands of Greater Armenia and heading southwest, to the rugged coast of the Mediterranean. This is the story of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, a Crusader-era state that became a bridge between East and West. Luna: Cilicia? I've heard the name but I always thought of it as a Byzantine province. Lucas: Right, and that's part of the story. After the Seljuk victory at Manzikert in 1071, the Byzantine hold on Anatolia unraveled. Armenian nobles and their followers, who had been resettled in the region for centuries, saw an opportunity. They began carving out principalities in the Taurus Mountains, away from both Byzantine and Seljuk control. Lucas: The key figure in these early days was a man named Ruben, a former general in the Byzantine army. Around 1080, he established a stronghold at the fortress of Bartzeberd, and his descendants — the Rubenids — gradually expanded their territory. It wasn't a kingdom yet, but it was a foothold, a place where Armenian culture could survive and even thrive. Luna: So they were like a tiny state in the mountains? How did they get to be a kingdom? Lucas: It took about a century. The Rubenids played the Byzantines and the crusaders off against each other, and sometimes against the Seljuks too. They were masters of diplomacy. By the late twelfth century, under Prince Levon, the time was right. Lucas: Levon was a shrewd ruler. He had supported the German emperor Frederick Barbarossa during the Third Crusade, and he'd built strong ties with the crusader states in the Levant. In 1198, he achieved a remarkable feat — he was crowned king twice. Once by the Byzantine emperor's envoy, and once by the German emperor's envoy. That dual coronation was a masterstroke, because it gave his kingdom legitimacy in both the Byzantine and Western Christian worlds. Luna: Wait, so he had two crowns? That's incredible. But what about the Armenian Church? Didn't that cause friction? Lucas: Ah, you've hit on a real tension, Luna. The Armenian Apostolic Church had been separate from both Rome and Constantinople for centuries. The new king, now Levon II, had to balance his Western alliances with the deep-seated loyalty of his people to their own church. He managed it, partly by getting the Armenian catholicos to relocate to the Cilician city of Sis, which became the spiritual heart of the kingdom. Lucas: For over a century, Cilician Armenia was a thriving state. It controlled key trade routes, and its main port, Ayas, became a hub for goods coming from the East. Genoese and Venetian merchants established colonies there, and the kingdom even minted its own coins that were used all over the eastern Mediterranean. Luna: So it was like a medieval Singapore? A small state that got rich on trade? Lucas: That's a fair comparison. And like Singapore, its wealth made it a target. The Mamluks of Egypt, who had already crushed the crusader states, saw Cilician Armenia as a nuisance and a threat. They launched repeated campaigns into the Taurus Mountains, and by the late fourteenth century, the kingdom was in terminal decline. The last king, Levon V, died in exile in Paris in 1393, after the Mamluks had overrun the kingdom. Luna: But the legacy, especially the artistic and literary output, continued to influence Armenian culture for centuries, right? Lucas: Absolutely. Cilician Armenia was a golden age for Armenian art and literature. The illuminated manuscripts produced in its scriptoria are considered masterpieces. And the legal code, the Datastanagirk, compiled by a jurist named Smbat the Constable in the thirteenth century, was incredibly advanced for its time. It protected the rights of women, set fair trial procedures, and even had provisions for the treatment of animals. Luna: That's remarkable. I had no idea. It really shows how a small state could punch above its weight culturally. Lucas: That's the thing about Armenian history — it's not just about survival and suffering. It's also about creativity and resilience. Cilicia wasn't just a refuge; it was a vibrant civilization in its own right. Lucas: You know, as we talk about this, it strikes me that our show is a bit like Cilician Armenia — we're a small operation, but we're committed to bringing you stories that matter. And we do it without any ads. That's a choice we've made, and it's the listener support that makes it possible. If you're enjoying these conversations, you can help keep them ad-free by supporting us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to say you value what we're doing. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. Every little bit helps keep this going, and we're grateful. Lucas: But back to the story — because there's a final twist I want you to hear. After the fall of the kingdom, many Armenians fled to Cyprus, then to Persia, and some even made it to the Indian subcontinent. The memory of Cilicia, though, never faded. It lived on in manuscripts, in folk songs, and in the dreams of a homeland that was lost but never forgotten. Luna: That's a powerful legacy. A kingdom that was a beacon of hope and a testament to the enduring spirit of the Armenian people. Lucas: Exactly. And if you're curious about that diaspora, we could do another episode on the Armenian communities in India and the first printed books. But for now, we'll leave you with this image: a small Armenian kingdom in the Taurus Mountains, standing at the crossroads of the world, and leaving a mark that still resonates today.