Hethum I of Armenia
Encyclopedia
Hethum I (also transliterated Hethoum, Hetoum, Het'um, or Hayton from Armenian
: Հեթում Ա) ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
(also known as "Little Armenia") from 1226 to 1270. He was the son of Constantine, Lord of Baberon and Partzapert (a third-cousin of Leo I) and was the founder of the dynasty which bears his name: the Hetoumids. Due to diplomatic relations with the Mongol Empire
, Hethum himself traveled to the Mongol court in Karakorum
, Mongolia
, which was recorded in the famous account "The Journey of Haithon, King of Little Armenia, To Mongolia and Back" by Hetoum's companion, the Armenian historian Kirakos Gandzaketsi
.
Hethum was a major player in the political struggles and shifting alliances around the Crusader states
, as the Armenians had ties with all sides. They were primarily aligned with the Europeans, but during Hethum's reign, the rapidly expanding Mongol Empire
became a concern. As the Mongols approached the borders of Cappadocia
and Cilicia
, King Hethum made a strategic decision to submit to Mongol suzerainty
, and sent his brother Sempad
to the Mongol court in Karakorum. There, Sempad met Great khan Güyük
, and made a formal agreement in 1247 in which Cilician Armenia would be considered a vassal state of the Mongol Empire. In 1254, Hethum himself traveled through Central Asia
to Mongolia
to renew the agreement, passing through the Turkish states of eastern Asia Minor
, the Mongol camp at Kars
in Greater Armenia, the Iron Gates of Derbent at the western short of the Caspian Sea
, and from there across Asia to Karakorum
. He brought many sumptuous presents, and met with Mongke Khan
(Guyuk's cousin). The account of his travels was recorded by a member of his suite, Kirakos Gandzaketsi
as "The Journey of Haithon, King of Little Armenia, To Mongolia and Back". The Journey of Hethoum was later translated into Russian, French, English, and Chinese languages. The narrative is important for its observations of Mongol, Buddhist, and Chinese culture, geography, and wildlife.
On his way back from Karakorum, Hethum passed through Samarkand
and northern Persia, also visiting the Mongol leader Bayju, where he was present in his camp to witness Bayju's victory in Asia Minor
against the Seljuq Turks.
Hethum strongly encouraged other Frankish rulers to follow his example and submit to Mongol suzerainty, but the only one who did so was Hethum's son-in-law, Bohemond VI of Antioch, who submitted around 1259. Armenian troops were with the Mongol army that captured Baghdad
in 1258, and both Armenians and Antiochenes fought in the Mongol Army under Hulagu at the Siege of Aleppo
and Fall of Damascus
in 1260. Historical accounts, quoting from the writings of the medieval historian Templar of Tyre
, often give a dramatic account of the three Christian rulers (Hethum, Bohemond, and the Mongol general Kitbuqa
) entering the city of Damascus together in triumph, though modern historians have questioned this story as apocryphal.
Despite the Mongol's territorial gains, in September 1260, the Egyptian Mamluks rallied, defeating the Mongols at the historic battle of Ain Jalut and driving them back across the Euphrates River. The Mongols would not again capture Syria until 1299–1300, when again they would hold it only for a few months.
During the last years of Hethum's reign, largely as a result of Hethum's active support of the Mongols, the Kingdom came under increasing attack by the Mamluks, who invaded in 1266, taking 40,000 Armenians captive, (including Hethum's son, Leo
) at the Disaster of Mari
. Hethum was able to ransom his son by conceding territory to the Egyptians. In May 1268, the allied Principality of Antioch
was overrun by the Egyptians.
Hethum abdicated in 1270 in favor of his son Leo, and lived out the rest of his life in a monastery, as a Franciscan
monk.
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
: Հեթում Ա) ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
(also known as "Little Armenia") from 1226 to 1270. He was the son of Constantine, Lord of Baberon and Partzapert (a third-cousin of Leo I) and was the founder of the dynasty which bears his name: the Hetoumids. Due to diplomatic relations with the Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
, Hethum himself traveled to the Mongol court in Karakorum
Karakorum
Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, and of the Northern Yuan in the 14-15th century. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the Övörkhangai Province of Mongolia, near today's town of Kharkhorin, and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu monastery...
, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, which was recorded in the famous account "The Journey of Haithon, King of Little Armenia, To Mongolia and Back" by Hetoum's companion, the Armenian historian Kirakos Gandzaketsi
Kirakos Gandzaketsi
Kirakos of Gandzak was an Armenian historian of the 13th century and author of the History of Armenia, a summary of events from the 4th to the 12th century and a detailed description of the events of his own days. The work concentrates primarily on the history of Medieval Armenia and events...
.
Family
Hethum's father Constantine had been regent for the young Queen Zabel of Armenia. Zabel originally married Philip (1222–1225), son of Bohemond IV of Antioch. However, Constantine had Philip disposed of, and instead forced Zabel to marry his own son, Hethum, on June 14, 1226, to make Zabel and Hethum co-rulers. The couple had six children:- Leo IILeo II of ArmeniaLeo II , also Leon II, Levon II or Lewon II was the tenth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” , and the first king of Armenian Cilicia .During his reign, Leo succeeded in establishing Cilician Armenia as a powerful and a unified Christian...
(died 1289) - Thoros (died at the battle of Mari in 1266 fighting the MamlukMamlukA Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
s) - SibyllaSibylla of ArmeniaSibylla of Armenia was the daughter of Queen Isabella of Armenia and king Hethoum I of Armenia and was a member of the Hetoumid family....
(died 1290), who married Bohemund VI of AntiochBohemund VI of AntiochBohemond VI of Antioch , called the Fair , was the Prince of Antioch and Count of Tripoli from 1251 until his death. He ruled while Antioch was caught between the warring empires of the Mongols and the Egyptian Mamluks. In 1268 Antioch was captured by the Mamluks, and he was thenceforth a prince in... - Euphemie (died 1309), who married to Julian GrenierJulian GrenierJulian Grenier was the Count of Sidon from 1239 to 1260, then becoming merely titular. He was the son and successor of Balian I and Margaret of Brienne...
, Lord of Sidon - Rita of Armenia
- Maria, who married Guy d'IbelinIbelinIbelin was a castle in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century , which gave its name to an important family of nobles.-The castle:...
Armenian-Mongol relations
Hethum was a major player in the political struggles and shifting alliances around the Crusader states
Crusader states
The Crusader states were a number of mostly 12th- and 13th-century feudal states created by Western European crusaders in Asia Minor, Greece and the Holy Land , and during the Northern Crusades in the eastern Baltic area...
, as the Armenians had ties with all sides. They were primarily aligned with the Europeans, but during Hethum's reign, the rapidly expanding Mongol Empire
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
became a concern. As the Mongols approached the borders of Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
and Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, King Hethum made a strategic decision to submit to Mongol suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
, and sent his brother Sempad
Sempad the Constable
Sempad the Constable was a noble in Cilician Armenia, an older brother of King Hetoum I. He was an important figure in Cilicia, acting as a diplomat, judge, and military officer, holding the title of Constable or Sparapet, supreme commander of the Armenian armed forces...
to the Mongol court in Karakorum. There, Sempad met Great khan Güyük
Güyük Khan
Güyük was the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. As the eldest son of Ögedei Khan and a grandson of Genghis Khan, he reigned from 1246 to 1248...
, and made a formal agreement in 1247 in which Cilician Armenia would be considered a vassal state of the Mongol Empire. In 1254, Hethum himself traveled through Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to renew the agreement, passing through the Turkish states of eastern Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, the Mongol camp at Kars
Kars
Kars is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. The population of the city is 73,826 as of 2010.-Etymology:As Chorzene, the town appears in Roman historiography as part of ancient Armenia...
in Greater Armenia, the Iron Gates of Derbent at the western short of the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, and from there across Asia to Karakorum
Karakorum
Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, and of the Northern Yuan in the 14-15th century. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the Övörkhangai Province of Mongolia, near today's town of Kharkhorin, and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu monastery...
. He brought many sumptuous presents, and met with Mongke Khan
Möngke Khan
Möngke Khan , born Möngke, , was the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from July 1, 1251 – August 11, 1259. He was the first Great Khan from the Toluid line, and made significant reforms to improve the administration of the Empire during his reign...
(Guyuk's cousin). The account of his travels was recorded by a member of his suite, Kirakos Gandzaketsi
Kirakos Gandzaketsi
Kirakos of Gandzak was an Armenian historian of the 13th century and author of the History of Armenia, a summary of events from the 4th to the 12th century and a detailed description of the events of his own days. The work concentrates primarily on the history of Medieval Armenia and events...
as "The Journey of Haithon, King of Little Armenia, To Mongolia and Back". The Journey of Hethoum was later translated into Russian, French, English, and Chinese languages. The narrative is important for its observations of Mongol, Buddhist, and Chinese culture, geography, and wildlife.
On his way back from Karakorum, Hethum passed through Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
and northern Persia, also visiting the Mongol leader Bayju, where he was present in his camp to witness Bayju's victory in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
against the Seljuq Turks.
Hethum strongly encouraged other Frankish rulers to follow his example and submit to Mongol suzerainty, but the only one who did so was Hethum's son-in-law, Bohemond VI of Antioch, who submitted around 1259. Armenian troops were with the Mongol army that captured Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in 1258, and both Armenians and Antiochenes fought in the Mongol Army under Hulagu at the Siege of Aleppo
Siege of Aleppo (1260)
The Siege of Aleppo lasted from 18 January 1260 to 24 January 1260.After receiving the submission of Haran and Edessa, Hulagu Khan crossed the Euphrates, sacked Menbij and placed Aleppo under siege. For six days the city was under siege...
and Fall of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
in 1260. Historical accounts, quoting from the writings of the medieval historian Templar of Tyre
Templar of Tyre
The Templar of Tyre is the name of a medieval historian and also of the document he wrote in the 14th century, the third and largest section of the Gestes des Chiprois...
, often give a dramatic account of the three Christian rulers (Hethum, Bohemond, and the Mongol general Kitbuqa
Kitbuqa
Kitbuqa Noyan was a Nestorian Christian and a member of the Naiman Turks, a group that was subservient to the Mongol Empire. He was a lieutenant and confidant of the Mongol Ilkhan Hulagu, assisting him in his conquests in the Middle East...
) entering the city of Damascus together in triumph, though modern historians have questioned this story as apocryphal.
Despite the Mongol's territorial gains, in September 1260, the Egyptian Mamluks rallied, defeating the Mongols at the historic battle of Ain Jalut and driving them back across the Euphrates River. The Mongols would not again capture Syria until 1299–1300, when again they would hold it only for a few months.
Retirement
Leo II of Armenia
Leo II , also Leon II, Levon II or Lewon II was the tenth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” , and the first king of Armenian Cilicia .During his reign, Leo succeeded in establishing Cilician Armenia as a powerful and a unified Christian...
) at the Disaster of Mari
Battle of Mari
The Battle of Mari, also called the Disaster of Mari, was a battle between the Mamluks of Egypt and the Armenians of Cilician Armenia on August 24, 1266....
. Hethum was able to ransom his son by conceding territory to the Egyptians. In May 1268, the allied Principality of Antioch
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade.-Foundation:...
was overrun by the Egyptians.
Hethum abdicated in 1270 in favor of his son Leo, and lived out the rest of his life in a monastery, as a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monk.