Leo VI of Armenia
Encyclopedia
Leo V or Levon V of the House of Lusignan, was the last Latin king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
. He ruled from 1374 to 1375.
Leo was described as "Leon V, King of Armenia" on his own personal seal ("SIGILUM LEONIS QUINTI REGIS ARMENIE"), and as "Leon de Lusignan the Fifth" in the Middle French
inscription on his cenotaph
: Leon de Lizingnen quint.
. Constantine V
, in order to wipe out all claimants to the throne, had given orders to kill Leo and his brother Bohemond, but they escaped to Cyprus
before the murder could be carried out. He was made a Knight
of the Chivalric Order of the Sword in 1360 and Titular Seneschal of Jerusalem on October 17, 1372.
in 1373. After a short regency by Mary of Korykos
, widow of Constantine, Leo left Famagusta
in spite of the ongoing conflict between Cyprus and Genoa
. Landing at Korykos
, he managed with difficulty to reach Sis
, which was already being besieged by the Muslim emir of Aleppo
. Leo and his wife, whom he married at Cyprus
in May, 1369, Marguerite of Soissons, daughter of Jean de Soissons and wife, were crowned at Sis
on July 26 or September 14, 1374, according to both the Latin and Armenia rites. His right to the throne was challenged by Ashot and Leo's short reign was marked by numerous disputes between the various factions.
After several battles against superior Mamluk
forces, he locked himself in the Kapan fortress and eventually surrendered in 1375, thus putting an end to the last Armenian state until the establishment of the short lived Democratic Republic of Armenia
(1918–1920) and the Republic of Armenia in 1991.
The Mameluks took Leo to Cairo
with his family, where he was placed under surveillance for several years. In August 1377, he met with Jean Dardel
, a Franciscan who was on his way for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Leon befriended him and employed him as his secretary. Dradel returned to Europe to plead the case of Leon V, and managed to convince King John I of Castile
to pay a ransom of precious stones, silks, and birds of prey in 1382. His wife had died in Cairo
, between 1379 and July 4, 1381.
.
In 1382 or 1383, the King of Castile named Leon Lord of Madrid
. John I granted him for life the town of Madrid, Villa Real
and Andújar
and a yearly gift of 150,000 maravedi
s. Leon rebuilt the towers of the Royal Alcázar
.
According to Father Mariana, Leon left Castile for France after the death of his protector in 1390. Federico Bravo, however states that he left after two years of ruling, and five years later, the Madrilenians were conceded the revocation of the lordship by John.
Leon V apparently went to Paris in June 1384, and received the Saint-Ouen castle and a sizable pension from King Charles VI of France
. He attempted to reconcile the French and the English (as the time fighting the Hundred Years' War
) in order to set up a new Crusade and obtain help to recover his lands, but the meeting he organized in 1386 between Boulogne
and Calais
were unsuccessful. Leon continued diplomatic mission to England in 1389 and in 1392.
Leon V never recovered his throne, and died in Paris on November 29, 1393. His remains were laid to rest in the Couvent des Célestins
, near Place de la Bastille
in Paris
, the second most important burial site for royalty after Saint-Denis. The prestigious convent was located nearby Leon's residence of Hôtel des Tournelles
, itself near Hôtel Saint-Pol
, the favourite residence of Charles V
and Charles VI
in the area of Le Marais
.
Leon received lavish funerals and had a lavish tomb, located in the choir of the church. However the convent was profanated during the French Revolution
. After the revolution, his tombstone was recovered by Alexandre Lenoir
who placed it in his Musée des monuments Français in the Saint-Denis Basilica. In 1815, during the Restoration
, a new cenotaph
was established for Leon V at the royal Saint Denis Basilica where most representatives of the French monarchy lie.
The effigy on the tomstone, by an anonymous artist, is of a high realism and quality, and it is thought that it was made while Leon was still alive. Leon V is depicted holding a scepter (now broken) and gloves, symbol of great princes.
The tombstone bears the following inscription in French:
He had one legitimate daughter, Marie de Lusignan (ca 1370 – Cairo
, before July 4, 1381, who predeceased her mother and father), and two illegitimate sons, Guy de Lusignan or Guido de Armenia (died 1405), a Canon
in Autun
, Bayeux
, Paris
and Arras
and Captain de la Tour d'Amblay, and Stephan or Etienne de Lusignan, a Knight
in Sis
.
Upon his death the title of King of Armenia was claimed by Leo's distant cousin James I
.
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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...
. He ruled from 1374 to 1375.
Leo was described as "Leon V, King of Armenia" on his own personal seal ("SIGILUM LEONIS QUINTI REGIS ARMENIE"), and as "Leon de Lusignan the Fifth" in the Middle French
Middle French
Middle French is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from 1340 to 1611. It is a period of transition during which:...
inscription on his cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
: Leon de Lizingnen quint.
Early life
Leo was the son of John of Lusignan (Constable and Regent of Armenia) and his wife (or, more probably, mistress) Soldane, daughter of George V of GeorgiaGeorge V of Georgia
George V, the "Brilliant" was King of Georgia from 1299 to 1302 and again from 1314 until his death. A flexible and far-sighted politician, he recovered Georgia from a century-long Mongol domination, restoring the country’s previous strength and Christian culture.-Reign:George was born to King...
. Constantine V
Constantine V of Armenia
Constantine III was the King of Armenian Cilicia from 1344 to 1362...
, in order to wipe out all claimants to the throne, had given orders to kill Leo and his brother Bohemond, but they escaped to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
before the murder could be carried out. He was made a Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the Chivalric Order of the Sword in 1360 and Titular Seneschal of Jerusalem on October 17, 1372.
King of Armenia
Leo was elected to the throne on the death of his distant cousin Constantine VI of ArmeniaConstantine VI of Armenia
Constantine IV was the King of Armenian Cilicia from 1362 until his death. He was the son of Hethum of Neghir, a nephew of Hethum II of Armenia. Constantine came to the throne on the death of his cousin Constantine III, whose widow, Maria, daughter of Oshin of Corycos, he married...
in 1373. After a short regency by Mary of Korykos
Marie of Armenia
Marie of Korikos was the daughter of Oshin of Corycos and his second Jeanne of Anjou. She was Queen consort of Armenia by her first two marriages. She was a member of the House of Neghir and House of Lusignan.- Family:...
, widow of Constantine, Leo left Famagusta
Famagusta
Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
in spite of the ongoing conflict between Cyprus and Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
. Landing at Korykos
Corycus
Corycus was an ancient city in Cilicia Trachaea, Anatolia, located at the mouth of the river called Şeytan deresi; the site is now occupied by the town of Kızkalesi , Mersin Province, Turkey.-The city:...
, he managed with difficulty to reach Sis
Kozan, Adana
Kozan is a city in Adana Province, Turkey, 68 km north of the city of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of Kozan district. The Kilgen Stream, a tributary of the Ceyhan River , flows through Kozan crossing the plain south into the Mediterranean Sea....
, which was already being besieged by the Muslim emir of Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
. Leo and his wife, whom he married at Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
in May, 1369, Marguerite of Soissons, daughter of Jean de Soissons and wife, were crowned at Sis
Kozan, Adana
Kozan is a city in Adana Province, Turkey, 68 km north of the city of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of Kozan district. The Kilgen Stream, a tributary of the Ceyhan River , flows through Kozan crossing the plain south into the Mediterranean Sea....
on July 26 or September 14, 1374, according to both the Latin and Armenia rites. His right to the throne was challenged by Ashot and Leo's short reign was marked by numerous disputes between the various factions.
After several battles against superior Mamluk
Mamluk
A 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...
forces, he locked himself in the Kapan fortress and eventually surrendered in 1375, thus putting an end to the last Armenian state until the establishment of the short lived Democratic Republic of Armenia
Democratic Republic of Armenia
The Democratic Republic of Armenia was the first modern establishment of an Armenian state...
(1918–1920) and the Republic of Armenia in 1991.
The Mameluks took Leo to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
with his family, where he was placed under surveillance for several years. In August 1377, he met with Jean Dardel
Jean Dardel
Jean Dardel was a Friar Minor of the French province of the Franciscan order, chronicler of Armenia in the fourteenth century, and adviser and confessor to King Leo V of Armenia...
, a Franciscan who was on his way for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Leon befriended him and employed him as his secretary. Dradel returned to Europe to plead the case of Leon V, and managed to convince King John I of Castile
John I of Castile
John I was the king of Crown of Castile, was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile, daughter of Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena, head of a younger branch of the royal house of Castile...
to pay a ransom of precious stones, silks, and birds of prey in 1382. His wife had died in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, between 1379 and July 4, 1381.
Life in Europe
Leon de Lusignan arrived ill and poor to Medina del CampoMedina del Campo
Medina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:...
.
In 1382 or 1383, the King of Castile named Leon Lord of Madrid
History of Madrid
Although the site of modern-day Madrid has been occupied since prehistoric times, and there are archeological remains of a small Visigoth village near the modern location, the first historical data from the city comes from the 9th century, when Muhammad I of Córdoba ordered the construction of a...
. John I granted him for life the town of Madrid, Villa Real
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real is a city in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, located 115 miles to the north. A high capacity...
and Andújar
Andújar
Andújar is a Spanish municipality of 38,539 people in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia. The municipality is divided by the Guadalquivir River. The northern part of the municipality is where the Natural Park of the Sierra de Andújar is situated. To the south are agricultural fields and...
and a yearly gift of 150,000 maravedi
Spanish maravedí
The maravedí was the name of various Iberian coins of gold and then silver between the 11th and 14th centuries and the name of different Iberian accounting units between the 11th and 19th centuries.-Etymology:...
s. Leon rebuilt the towers of the Royal Alcázar
Alcázar
An alcázar , alcácer or alcàsser is a type of castle in Spain and Portugal. The term derives from the Arabic word القصر meaning "fort, castle or palace"; and the Arabic word is derived from the Latin word, 'castrum', meaning an army camp or fort...
.
According to Father Mariana, Leon left Castile for France after the death of his protector in 1390. Federico Bravo, however states that he left after two years of ruling, and five years later, the Madrilenians were conceded the revocation of the lordship by John.
Leon V apparently went to Paris in June 1384, and received the Saint-Ouen castle and a sizable pension from King Charles VI of France
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
. He attempted to reconcile the French and the English (as the time fighting the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
) in order to set up a new Crusade and obtain help to recover his lands, but the meeting he organized in 1386 between Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
and Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
were unsuccessful. Leon continued diplomatic mission to England in 1389 and in 1392.
Death
Couvent des Célestins
The Couvent des Célestins , was an ancient convent located near the Place de la Bastille in Paris, France....
, near Place de la Bastille
Place de la Bastille
The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris, where the Bastille prison stood until the 'Storming of the Bastille' and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution; no vestige of it remains....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, the second most important burial site for royalty after Saint-Denis. The prestigious convent was located nearby Leon's residence of Hôtel des Tournelles
Hôtel des Tournelles
The hôtel des Tournelles was a now-demolished collection of buildings in Paris built from the 14th century onwards, to the north of the site of what is now place des Vosges. It is named after its many 'tournelles' or little towers....
, itself near Hôtel Saint-Pol
Hôtel Saint-Pol
The hôtel Saint-Pol was a royal residence begun in 1361 by Charles V of France on the ruins of a building constructed by Louis IX. It was used by Charles V and Charles VI.- Description :...
, the favourite residence of Charles V
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
and Charles VI
Charles VI of France
Charles VI , called the Beloved and the Mad , was the King of France from 1380 to 1422, as a member of the House of Valois. His bouts with madness, which seem to have begun in 1392, led to quarrels among the French royal family, which were exploited by the neighbouring powers of England and Burgundy...
in the area of Le Marais
Le Marais
Le Marais is a historic district in Paris, France. Long the aristocratic district of Paris, it hosts many outstanding buildings of historic and architectural importance...
.
Leon received lavish funerals and had a lavish tomb, located in the choir of the church. However the convent was profanated during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. After the revolution, his tombstone was recovered by Alexandre Lenoir
Alexandre Lenoir
Marie Alexandre Lenoir was a French archaeologist. Self-taught and devoted to saving France's historic monuments, sculptures and tombs from the ravages of the French Revolution, notably those of Saint-Denis and Sainte-Geneviève.- Life :The ravages of the Revolution caused the birth of the Musée...
who placed it in his Musée des monuments Français in the Saint-Denis Basilica. In 1815, during the Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, a new cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
was established for Leon V at the royal Saint Denis Basilica where most representatives of the French monarchy lie.
The effigy on the tomstone, by an anonymous artist, is of a high realism and quality, and it is thought that it was made while Leon was still alive. Leon V is depicted holding a scepter (now broken) and gloves, symbol of great princes.
The tombstone bears the following inscription in French:
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, before July 4, 1381, who predeceased her mother and father), and two illegitimate sons, Guy de Lusignan or Guido de Armenia (died 1405), a Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
in Autun
Autun
Autun is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in Burgundy in eastern France. It was founded during the early Roman Empire as Augustodunum. Autun marks the easternmost extent of the Umayyad campaign in Europe.-Early history:...
, Bayeux
Bayeux
Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy in northwestern France.Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.-Administration:Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
and Captain de la Tour d'Amblay, and Stephan or Etienne de Lusignan, a Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
in Sis
Kozan, Adana
Kozan is a city in Adana Province, Turkey, 68 km north of the city of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of Kozan district. The Kilgen Stream, a tributary of the Ceyhan River , flows through Kozan crossing the plain south into the Mediterranean Sea....
.
Upon his death the title of King of Armenia was claimed by Leo's distant cousin James I
James I of Cyprus
James I of Cyprus was Regent of Cyprus for his infant nephew Peter from 1369. When Peter died in 1382, James became King of Cyprus that year...
.
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