Thoros I, Prince of Armenia
| Toros I | |
|---|---|
| Lord of Cilicia / “Lord of the Mountains” | |
| Lord of Armenian Cilicia | |
| Reign | c. 1100/1102/1103 – 1129/1130 |
| Predecessor | Constantine I |
| Successor | Constantine II |
| Born | (unknown) (unknown) |
| Died | 1129 / February 17, 1129 – February 16, 1130 (unknown) |
| Burial | Monastery of Drazark |
| Spouse | (unknown) |
| Issue |
Constantine II (?) Oshin |
| House | Roupenians |
| Father | Constantine I |
| Mother | An unnamed great-granddaughter of Bardas Phokas |
Toros I (Armenian: Թորոս Ա), also Thoros I, (unknown – 1129 / February 17, 1129 – February 16, 1130) was the third lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (c. 1100 / 1102 / 1103 – 1129 / 1130).
His alliance with the leaders of the First Crusade helped him rule his feudal holdings with commanding authority. Toros ejected the Byzantine garrisons from the fortifications at Anazarbus and Sis (ancient city), making the latter his capital. He was plagued by the nomadic Turks who were harassing him from the north but were driven back.
He avenged the death of King Gagik II by killing his assassins. This act of revenge was often used by chroniclers of the 12th century as direct evidence connecting the Roupenians to the Bagratid lineage.
During his time he bestowed favors and gave gifts and money to many monasteries for their decoration and adornment, in particular those of Drazark (Trassarg) and Mashgevar.
Toros was the elder son of Constantine I, lord of Armenian Cilicia. It is likely that his mother was the great-granddaughter of Bardas Phokas.
Toros succeeded his father and ruled from the fortresses of Vahka (today Feke in Turkey) and Pardzepert (today Andırın in Turkey). In 1107, encouraged by Tancred, Prince of Antioch, Toros followed the course of the Pyramus River (today the river Ceyhan in Turkey), and seized the strongholds of Anazarbus (a place which had been considered impregnable) and Sis (ancient city). Toros extensively rebuilt the fortifications at both fortresses with tall circuit walls and massive round towers. In the south bailey of the castle at Anazarbus he commemorated his victories by constructing a three-aisle, barrel-vaulted basilica, which he consecrated to St Zoravark and where he reportedly housed the ancestral treasures of King Gagik II. A beautifully executed dedicatory inscription on the church (dated ca. A.D.1111) records his triumph, and most importantly, traces his Rubenid genealogy.
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Wikipedia