- Leo V, King of Armenia
Infobox Monarch | name=Leo V
title= King of the Armenians
reign=September 14 ,1374 - 1375
coronation=September 14 ,1374
queen=Marguerite de Soissons
royal house= Lusignan
father= John of Lusignan
mother=Soldane of Georgia
issue= Last King of Armenia
date of birth= 1342
place of birth=Cyprus
date of death= death date|1393|11|29|mf=y
place of death=Calais
place of burial= Saint Denis BasilicaLeo V or Leon V (occasionally Leo VI; _hy. Լեիոն, "Levon V"; 1342 –
29 November 1393 ), of the House of Lusignan, was the last Latin king of theArmenian 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"), [Mutafian, p.90] and as "Leon de Lusignan the Fifth" in the
Middle French inscription on hiscenotaph : "Leon de Lizingnen quint". [Full text of the cenotaph with translation hereunder.]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 Georgia . 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 toCyprus before the murder could be carried out. He was made aKnight of the Chivalric Order of the Sword in 1360 and Titular Seneschal of Jerusalem onOctober 17 ,1372 .King of Armenia
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 leftFamagusta in spite of the ongoing conflict between Cyprus andGenoa . Landing at Korykos, he managed with difficulty to reach Sis, which was already being besieged by the Muslim emir ofAleppo . [Mutafian, p.89] Leo and his wife, whom he married atCyprus in May, 1369, Marguerite of Soissons, daughter of Jean de Soissons and wife, were crowned at Sis onJuly 26 orSeptember 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 livedDemocratic Republic of Armenia (1918-1920) and theRepublic of Armenia in 1991. [Mutafian, p.90]The Mameluks took Leo to
Cairo with his familly, where he was placed under surveillance for several years. [Mutafian, "Leon V"] In August 1377, he met withJean Dardel , a Franciscan who was on his way for a pilgrimage toJerusalem . Leon befriended him and employed him as his secretary. Dradel returned to Europe to plead the case of Leon V, and managed to convince KingJohn I of Castile to pay a ransom of precious stones, silks, and birds of prey in 1382. [Mutafian, "Leon V"] His wife had died inCairo , between 1379 andJuly 4 ,1381 .Life in Europe
Leon de Lusignan arrived ill and poor to
Medina del Campo .In 1382 or 1383, the King of Castile named Leon Lord of Madrid. ["Un Madrid insólito: Guía para dejarse sorprender", pg. 39-40. Jesús Callejo. Editorial Complutense, 2001. ISBN 84-7491-630-5. The book however talks about Leon V of Armenia since Leo I of Armenia isn't counted as a King by some authors.] . John I granted him for life the town of Madrid, Villa Real andAndújar and a yearly gift of 150,000 maravedis. Leon rebuilt the towers of the RoyalAlcázar .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 theSaint-Ouen castle and a sizable pension from KingCharles VI of France . [Mutafian, "Leon V"] . He attempted to reconcile the French and the English (as the time fighting theHundred Years' War ) in order to set up a new Crusade [Mutafian, p.90] and obtain help to recover his lands, but the meeting he organized in 1386 between Boulogne andCalais were unsuccessful. [Mutafian, "Leon V"] Leon continued diplomatic mission to England in 1389 and in 1392.Death
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 , nearPlace de la Bastille inParis , the second most important burial site for royalty after Saint-Denis. The prestigious convent was located nearby Leon's residence ofHôtel des Tournelles , itself nearHôtel Saint-Pol , the favourite residence of Charles V and Charles VI in the area ofLe 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 . [Mutafian, p.90] After the revolution, his tombstone was recovered byAlexandre Lenoir who placed it in hisMusée des monuments Français in the Saint-Denis Basilica. In 1815, during theRestoration , a newcenotaph 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. [Mutafian, "Leon V"] Leon V is depicted holding a scepter (now broken) and gloves, symbol of great princes.The tombstone bears the following inscription in French: quotation|"Here lies the right noble and excellent Prince Leon de Lusignan V, Latin king of the kingdom of Armenia, who passed away in Paris on the 29th day of November of the year of Grace 1393. Pray for him." [Translation by Pierre-Yves Le Pogam, "Tomb of Leon V de Lusignan"]
("Cy gist tres noble et excellent prince Leon de Lizingnen quintroy latin du royaume d'Armenie qui rendit l'ame a Dieu a Paris leXXIXe jour de novembre l'an de grace M.CCC.IIIIXX.XIII.Priez pour luy") Original 14th century inscription. [ [http://www.armenie-mon-amie.com/IMG/pdf/Fiches-corrections-2007-der.pdf Source] ]He had one legitimate daughter, Marie de Lusignan (ca 1370 –
Cairo , beforeJuly 4 ,1381 , who predeceased her mother and father), and two illegitimate sons, Guy de Lusignan or Guido de Armenia (died 1405), a Canon inAutun ,Bayeux ,Paris andArras andCaptain de la Tour d'Amblay, and [http://www.maltagenealogy.com/libro%20d'oro/lusignan.html Stephan or Etienne de Lusignan] , aKnight in Sis.Upon his death the title of King of Armenia was claimed by Leo's distant cousin James I.
References
*cite book|last=Boase|first=T. S. R.|title=The Cilician Kingdom of Armenia|year=1978|publisher=Scottish Academic Press|location=Edinburgh|id=ISBN 0-7073-0145-9
*cite book|last=Mutafian|first=Claude|title=Le Royaume Arménien de Cilicie|year=2001|publisher=CNRS Editions|location=Paris|id=ISBN 2271051053
*Claude Mutafian, "Leon V of Lusignan, last king of Armenia" [http://www.armenie-mon-amie.com/IMG/pdf/Fiches-corrections-2007-der.pdf]
*Pierre-Yves Le Pogram, "Tomb of Leon V de Lusignan" [http://www.armenie-mon-amie.com/IMG/pdf/Fiches-corrections-2007-der.pdf]Notes
See also
*
Armenia-France relations External links
* [http://www.armenie-mon-amie.com/Hommage-au-dernier-roi-d-Armenie.html Hommage to Leon V of Lusignan, by Claude Mutafian, Pierre Yves Le Pogram]
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