Latest / The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History / Cilician Armenia: Crusader Kingdom of the Levant
Transcript
- Lucas: We’ve spent quite a bit of time lately looking at the highlands of the Caucasus, from the ancient nakharar families to the modern struggles for survival. But if you trace the map south, past the Taurus Mountains, there’s another layer of Armenian history that feels almost like a different world entirely. Luna: The coastal region? Lucas: Exactly. In the twelfth century, as the Seljuk Turks pushed Armenians out of their ancestral heartlands, a group fled southwest into the rugged coastline of what is now southern Turkey. They didn’t just survive; they built a kingdom that became one of the most dynamic players in the medieval Mediterranean. Lucas: It’s easy to think of the Crusades as purely a European project, but the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was right in the thick of it. They weren’t just allies; they were essential partners to the Crusader states like Antioch and Tripoli, providing troops, supplies, and a safe harbor for ships coming from Europe. Luna: That sounds like a huge strategic shift. Lucas: It was. These refugees had to reinvent themselves completely. They adopted many French feudal customs, intermarried with European nobility, and even sent their sons to be educated in Paris. It created a unique hybrid culture that was distinctly Armenian yet deeply woven into the fabric of Latin Christendom. Lucas: If you enjoy these deep dives into how history actually unfolds on the ground, I want to mention something quickly. For anyone stepping into these conversations about the Caucasus and beyond, your support is what keeps this ad-free and independent. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It makes a real difference in how much research we can do. Luna: Yeah, the detail in these episodes really shows that work. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. So, let’s talk about the rise of this kingdom. It started with the Rupenids, a local noble family that declared independence around 1080. But it wasn’t until the Hetoumides dynasty took over in the thirteenth century that Cilician Armenia truly reached its zenith. Lucas: King Hetoum I was a brilliant diplomat. He understood that his small kingdom couldn’t survive by fighting everyone. Instead, he forged alliances with the Mongols, who were then sweeping across Asia, hoping they would act as a buffer against the Muslim powers to the south and east. Luna: Alliance with the Mongols? That must have been controversial. Lucas: Extremely. Many of his own clergy and subjects saw the Mongols as barbaric invaders. But Hetoum I saw them as the only force capable of checking the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria. He even wrote a detailed account of their customs so Europeans would know who they were dealing with. Lucas: This period also saw incredible cultural production. The capital, Sis, was a bustling center of trade and learning. Monks were translating texts into Grabar, the classical Armenian language, while artisans were carving intricate khachkar stones that blended traditional motifs with Gothic influences from the West. Luna: I love the idea of those stone crosses showing that blend. Lucas: It’s beautiful. And politically, they were bold. King Leo I managed to get crowned as King of Armenia by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1251. This was a massive statement. He was asserting that his kingdom was equal to the great monarchies of Europe, not just a minor buffer state. Lucas: But this reliance on foreign powers came with risks. The alliance with the Mongols didn’t hold up forever, and the Mamluks, led by the formidable Sultan Baybars, were growing stronger every day. Baybars had already destroyed the Crusader states along the coast, and Cilicia was next on his list. Luna: Baybars was ruthless. Lucas: He was. He raided Cilicia repeatedly, burning cities and taking thousands of prisoners. The Armenians tried to fight back, but they were stretched thin. They needed help from Europe, but the Crusading movement was losing momentum. The call for a new crusade rarely resulted in actual troops arriving. Lucas: Then came the reign of King Leo II and Queen Keran. Keran is a fascinating figure. She ruled during a time of extreme instability and was known for her strong will and political savvy. She tried to maintain neutrality, playing the Mamluks against the Byzantines and the Mongols, but it was becoming impossible. Luna: She sounds like she had her hands full. Lucas: She did. In 1303, the Mongol Ilkhanate finally fell to the Mamluks. With their main protector gone, Cilician Armenia was exposed. Leo II made a desperate move: he sought marriage and political union with the Lusignan dynasty of Cyprus, which had become the last major Crusader stronghold in the region. Lucas: This brought in more Western knights, but it also changed the religious landscape. The Armenian Church, which had been Oriental Orthodox, faced pressure to unite with the Roman Catholic Church. This caused deep internal divisions, as many Armenians felt their theological identity was being compromised for political gain. Luna: That must have split the community. Lucas: It did. There were riots in Sis and widespread resentment. Meanwhile, the Mamluks continued their siege. In 1375, after a brutal campaign, the Mamluk army captured Sis. The last king, Leo V, was taken prisoner to Cairo, where he died two years later. Lucas: The kingdom itself collapsed, but the Armenian presence in the Levant didn’t disappear overnight. Many nobles fled to Cyprus or returned to the mountains. The cultural imprint, however, remained. The architecture of places like Lampron Castle still stands as a testament to that brief, brilliant flowering of power. Luna: Lampron is one of those fortresses mentioned earlier? Lucas: Yes, it was a key defensive position. Today, it’s a ruin, but when you walk through it, you can see the mix of styles—the Armenian cross-stones alongside European-style battlements. It’s a physical manifestation of that hybrid identity we talked about. Lucas: It’s worth noting that while the political entity ended, the diaspora it helped create spread Armenian culture further west. Some of those connections to Cyprus and Europe persisted for centuries, influencing everything from trade networks to religious practices in places like New Julfa later on. Luna: So it wasn’t really an end, just a transformation. Lucas: Precisely. The Kingdom of Cilicia showed that Armenians could adapt, innovate, and thrive in very different environments. They weren’t just victims of empire; they were active participants in shaping the medieval world. Their story reminds us that history isn’t just about loss, but also about resilience and creativity. Lucas: As we look back at figures like Queen Keran and King Leo I, we see leaders who tried to carve out a space for their people in a hostile world. It’s a complex legacy, filled with both triumph and tragedy. Luna: It makes you wonder what might have happened if the Mongol alliance had held. Lucas: That’s the eternal question of history. Had the balance of power shifted differently, Cilician Armenia might have survived longer, perhaps even evolving into a stable, independent state like Georgia or Cyprus. But instead, it faded into legend, leaving behind these remarkable ruins and a rich literary tradition. Lucas: Next time we might look at how those survivors rebuilt communities elsewhere, or dive deeper into the specific artistic styles that emerged from this period. It’s a thread that connects all the way to the modern Armenian experience. Luna: I’d love to hear more about the art side of that. Lucas: We will. For now, just keep that silhouette of Mount Ararat in mind, but also picture the sun setting over the Mediterranean port of Ayas. Two sides of the same story.