Leo I of Armenia
| Leo I the Magnificent | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| King of Armenian Cilicia | |
| Reign | 1198/1199-1219 |
| Coronation | 6 January 1198/1199 Church of Holy Wisdom (Tarsus) |
| Predecessor | Himself as lord |
| Successor | Isabelle I |
| Lord of Cilicia / “Lord of the Mountains” | |
| Reign | 1187-1198/1199 |
| Predecessor | Roupen III |
| Born | 1150 |
| Died | 2 May 1219 |
| Burial | Sis (his body) Convent of Akner (his heart and entrails) |
| Spouse |
Isabelle Sibylle of Cyprus |
| Issue |
Stephanie of Armenia Isabelle I of Cilicia |
| House | Roupenians |
| Father | Stephen |
| Mother | Rita of Barbaron |
| Religion | Armenian Apostolic |
| Signature | .jpg){kind=small} |
Leo II (Armenian: Լեւոն Ա Մեծագործ, Levon A Metsagorts; 1150 – 2 May 1219), also Leon II,Levon II or Lewon II, was the tenth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (1187–1198/1199), and the first king of Armenian Cilicia (sometimes as Levon I the Magnificent or Lewon I) (1198/1199–1219). During his reign, Leo succeeded in establishing Cilician Armenia as a powerful and a unified Christian state with a pre-eminence in political affairs. Leo eagerly led his kingdom alongside the armies of the Third Crusade and provided the crusaders with provisions, guides, pack animals and all manner of aid. Under his rule, Armenian power in Cilicia was at its apogee: his kingdom extended from Isauria to the Amanus Mountains.
In 1194–1195, when he was planning to receive the title of king, he instituted a union of the Armenian church with Rome. With the signing of the Act of Union, his coronation proceeded without delay. He was consecrated as king on 6 January 1198 or 1199, in the Church of Holy Wisdom at Tarsus. His accession to the throne of Cilicia as its first Armenian monarch heralded into reality not merely an official end to Cilicia’s shadowy umbilical connection to the Byzantine Empire, but also a new era of ecclesiastical co-operation with the West. A skilled diplomat and wise politician, Leo established useful alliances with many of the contemporary rulers; he also gained the friendship and support of the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights by granting considerable territories to them.
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Wikipedia