Leo V of Armenia
| Levon V | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| King of Armenia | |
| Reign | 1374–1375 |
| Coronation | 14 September 1374 |
| Predecessor | Constantine IV |
| Born | c. 1342 Cyprus |
| Died | 29 November 1393 Hôtel des Tournelles, Paris |
| Burial | Saint Denis Basilica |
| Spouse | Margaret of Soissons |
| House | House of Lusignan |
| Father | John constable of Armenia |
| Mother | Soldane |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Signature |  |
Leo V or Levon V (occasionally Levon VI; Armenian: Լևոն, Levon V; 1342 – 29 November 1393), 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 "Leo V, King of Armenia" on his own personal seal ("SIGILUM LEONIS QUINTI REGIS ARMENIE"), and as "Leo of Lusignan the Fifth" in the Middle French inscription on his cenotaph: Leon de Lizingnen quint.
Leo was the son of John constable of Armenia, Constable and Regent of Armenia. According to the contemporary chronicler Jean Dardel, Leo's mother, Soldane, was the daughter of a Georgian king. Soldane is otherwise unknown from the medieval sources, and scholars such as Rüdt-Collenberg have cast doubt on the credibility of Dardel's genealogy. Surviving documentary evidence suggests that Jean de Lusignan never married Leo's mother and she was, rather, his concubine.
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.
Leo was elected to the throne on the death of his distant cousin Constantine VI of Armenia 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.
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