Leo II of Armenia, (Armenian: Levon II) known as "The Magnificent" (1150 – May 5, 1219) was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1187–1219. Events Åhus, Sweden gains city privileges City of Airdrie, Scotland founded King Sverker I of Sweden is deposed and succeeded by Eric IX of Sweden. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... Events Saint Francis of Assisi introduces Catholicism into Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade Ongoing events Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Births Frederick II the Quarrelsome, last Babenberg Duke of Austria Deaths Jayavarman VII, ruler of the Khmer Empire Minamoto no Sanetomo, third shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan Monarchs/Presidents... Armenian Cilicia and Crusader States Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (sometimes referred to as Armenia Minor or Lesser Armenia) was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. ... Events May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. ...

Leo became "Lord of the Mountains" (ruler of Cilician Armenia) in 1187, his brother Ruben III of Armenia resigning the crown to him shortly before his death. He was initially the 'Regent and Tutor' for his nieces, Alice and Philippa, but later he set them aside and had himself crowned on January 6, 1199. Events May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. ... Ruben III of Armenia (died 1186) was prince of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1174 to 1186. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events John Lackland, becomes King of England Births Isobel of Huntingdon (d. ...

He married Isabelle of Austria in 1189; she bore him one daughter, Stephanie, who later married John of Brienne. With the onset of the Third Crusade, he opened negotiations with Frederick Barbarossa to receive the title of King of Armenia, but Frederick's drowning at the Saleph River in Cilicia forestalled the plan. This represented a significant shift in Armenian policy, which had traditionally looked towards the Byzantine empire for authority. Leo is also said to have attended the wedding of Richard the Lionhearted in Cyprus as a groomsman in 1191. Events January 21 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade September 3- Richard I of England is crowned as king of England. ... John of Brienne (c. ... The Third Crusade (1189 - 1192) was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin. ... Frederick in a 13th century Chronicle Friedrich I. von Hohenstaufen (1122 – June 10, 1190), also known as Friedrich Barbarossa (Frederick Redbeard) was elected king of Germany on March 4, 1152 and crowned Holy Roman Emperor on June 18, 1155. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Byzantine Empire (Native Greek names: ΡΩΜΑΝΙΑ Romania or ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑ ΡΩΜΑΙΩΝ Basileia Romaion) is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centred at its capital in Constantinople. ... Richard I (September 8, 1157 – April 6, 1199) was King of England from 1189 to 1199. ... Events May 12 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. ...

In 1194, Leo seized the castle of Bagras, on the northern border of the Principality of Antioch, which had been captured by Saladin in 1189. Bohemund III of Antioch and the Knights Templar, its original owners, demanded its return. Leo lured Bohemund to Bagras under pretense of a parley, captured him, and imprisoned him in Sis. Under duress, Bohemund was compelled to cede the Principality to Leo. Bohemund was subsequently released through the mediation of Henry II of Champagne, but was forced to abandon all claims to the suzerainity of Armenia. In addition, the two entered into a marital alliance in 1195. Bohemond's son Raymond married Alice of Armenia, the daughter of Ruben III. Events November 20 - Palermo falls to Henry VI, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire December 25 - Henry VI is crowned king of Sicily. ... The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade. ... This article is about the Muslim general, for the British armoured vehicle named after him, see Alvis Saladin. ... Events January 21 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade September 3- Richard I of England is crowned as king of England. ... Bohemund III of Antioch (1144-1201), also know as the Stammerer, was ruler of the principality of Antioch (a crusader state) from 1163 to his death. ... The Seal of the Knights — the two riders have been interpreted as a sign of poverty or the duality of monk/soldier. ... Sis (also known as Sision or Sisk?ia, later Flaviopolis or Flavias), is city of the Adana Province in Turkey. ... Henry II of Champagne (July 29, 1166–1197), was count of Champagne from 1181 to 1197, and king of Jerusalem from 1192 to 1197. ... Events Priory of St Marys, Bushmead, founded. ...

Leo continued to appeal to the new Emperor, Henry VI, and to Pope Celestine III for a royal title. These efforts were successful, and on January 6, 1199, he was crowned King of Armenia by the papal legate, Konrad I Cardinal von Wittelsbach, Archbishop of Mainz in the Church of Holy Wisdom at Tarsus. He was nominally an Imperial vassal, but soon abandoned any acknowledgement of fealty. Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (November 1165 - September 28, 1197) was king of Germany 1190-1197, and Holy Roman Emperor 1191-1197. ... Celestine III, né Giacinto Bobone Orsini ( 1106 - January 8, 1198), was Pope from 1191 to 1198. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events John Lackland, becomes King of England Births Isobel of Huntingdon (d. ... Between 780/82 AD and 1802 AD the Archbishop of Mainz, was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince of the middle ages. ... Tarsus is a city in present day Turkey, located on the mouth of the Tarsus Cay (Cydnus) which empties into the Mediterranean. ... A vassal, in European medieval feudalism terminology, is one who through a commendation ceremony (composed of homage and fealty) enters into mutual obligations with a lord, usually military conscription and mutual protection, in exchange for a fief. ...

Strife had by now broken out in Antioch; Raymond of Antioch had died in 1197, leaving a posthumous son, Raymond Rupen, heir to the Principality through primogeniture. However, Raymond's younger brother Bohemund, already Count of Tripoli, vigorously disputed the succession, and ejected his own father from the city in 1199. However, Leo intervened against him and restored Bohemund III to the Principality; but on his death in 1201, the younger Bohemund was recognized as Prince of Antioch as Bohemund IV. Leo attempted to capture Antioch in 1203 and place Raymond-Roupen on the throne, but he was defeated by the Knights Templar, who favored Bohemund. Events Amalric II succeeds Henry II of Champagne as king of Jerusalem. ... Raymond-Roupen of Antioch (d. ... Bohemund IV of Antioch (d. ... Armenian Cilicia and Crusader States The County of Tripoli was the last of the four major Crusader states in the Levant to be created. ... Events John Lackland, becomes King of England Births Isobel of Huntingdon (d. ... Events The town of Riga was chartered as a city. ... Events April 16 - Philip II of France enters Rouen, leading to the eventual unification of Normandy and France. ...

In 1206, the Catholicos John of Sis accused Queen Isabelle of adultery. Leo divorced her and imprisoned her at Vaghka, where she died in 1207. In 1210, he married Sybilla of Lusignan, daughter of King Amalric II of Jerusalem, who bore him a daughter, Isabella or Zabel. In Leo's later years he suffered from deformed hands and feet, probably a symptom of gout. Events Temujin is proclaimed Genghis Khan of the Mongol people, founding the Mongol Empire Qutb ud-Din proclaims the Mameluk dynasty in India, the first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. ... Events Stephen Langton consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury June 17 by Pope Innocent III Births September 8 - King Sancho II of Portugal October 1 - King Henry III of England (d. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan Emperor Juntoku ascends to the throne of Japan Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor excommunicated by Pope Innocent III for invading southern Italy in 1210 Gottfried von Strassburg writes his epic poem Tristan about 1210 Beginning of Delhi Sultanate Births May... Sybilla of Lusignan was the daughter of Amalric II of Jerusalem and Isabella of Jerusalem. ... Amalric II (1145–April 1, 1205), King of Jerusalem 1197–1205, was the brother of Guy of Lusignan. ... There have been several women known as Isabella (or Zabel) of Armenia. ...

Leo continued to support the claims of Raymond-Roupen, who had married Helvis, another daughter of Amalric II, in 1210, and had him crowned "King Junior" of Armenia on August 15, 1211. However, Bohemund's allies, including the Knights Templar, and the Ayyubid emir of Aleppo Az-Zahir always forestalled attempts to eject Bohemund from the citadel of Antioch, although Leo several times entered the city. In 1216, with the aid of the Knights Hospitaller, Leo was finally able to capture Antioch and install Raymond-Roupen as prince. Having established Raymond-Roupen with Antioch, Leo decided that his daughter Isabella, rather than Raymond-Roupen, should succeed him in Armenia. On his death on May 2, 1219 Isabella became queen, but Raymond-Roupen was ejected from Antioch and came to contest the crown. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... Events The oldest extant double entry bookkeeping record dates from 1211 Canons regular of the Order of the Holy Cross founded September 14 1211 Births Deaths Monarchs/Presidents France - Philippe II, Auguste King of France (reigned from 1180 to 1223) Mongol Empire - Genghis Khan, Mongol Khan (from 1206 to 1227... The Ayyubid Dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origins which ruled Egypt, Syria, and northern Iraq in the 12th and 13th centuries. ... Emir (also sometimes rendered as Amir or Ameer, Arabic commander) is a title of nobility historically used in Islamic nations of the Middle East and North Africa. ... Old Town Aleppo viewed from the Citadel Aleppo is also the name of two townships in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... Events Prince Louis of France, the future King Louis VIII, invades England in the First Barons War Henry III becomes King of England. ... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Events Saint Francis of Assisi introduces Catholicism into Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade Ongoing events Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Births Frederick II the Quarrelsome, last Babenberg Duke of Austria Deaths Jayavarman VII, ruler of the Khmer Empire Minamoto no Sanetomo, third shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan Monarchs/Presidents...

Leo was a powerful ruler, remembered by chroniclers as "Leo the Magnificent". His court at Sis was cultured and he was a supporter of calligraphy and the arts. He allied himself with the Knights Hospitaller and the Teutonic Knights, but drove the Knights Templar from his kingdom. He fostered commerce with Venice and Genoa, opening his ports at Ayas and Corycos to the world. The Assizes of Antioch were adopted as the law of the kingdom, and translated into Armenian. Sis (also known as Sision or Sisk?ia, later Flaviopolis or Flavias), is city of the Adana Province in Turkey. ... Calligraphy in a Latin Bible of AD 1407 on display in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care... Teutonic Knights, charging into battle. ... The Seal of the Knights — the two riders have been interpreted as a sign of poverty or the duality of monk/soldier. ...

Ruben III of Armenia (died 1186) was prince of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1174 to 1186. ... Armenian Cilicia and Crusader States Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (sometimes referred to as Armenia Minor or Lesser Armenia) was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. ... Queen Isabella of Armenia (died c. ...

Bibliography

• T.S.R. Boase, editor. The Cilician Kingdom of Armenia. Scottish Academic Press, 1978.
• Chahin, Mark. The Kingdom of Armenia: New Edition, 2001
• Rudt-Collenberg, W.H. The Rupenides, Hethumides and Lusignans, 1963

External links

• Armenica.org: Complete history of Armenia, covering 800 B.C. to 2004. (English, Swedish)
• Greeks, Crusaders and Moslems — Rise of Leon II (Kurkjian's History of Armenia, Chs. 28‑29)