Cilician Armenian kingdom – HAYK launches project – documentary series “History of Armenia”
Friday 17 January 2020
HAYK Film Company
HAYK film company launches a project – a documentary series “History of Armenia”. It will be “multi-part” and will cover the entire period of the great history of a small but equally great country, starting from biblical times, to this day. We hope that this project will help everyone who wants to follow this millennium-long journey with us to learn more about their historical homeland and love it even more …
Cilician Armenian state (1080-1375)
One of the most interesting pages in the history of the Armenian people is certainly the Cilician Armenian kingdom. Formed outside the territory of the Armenian Highlands, the state of Armenians lasted from 1080 to 1375. Cilicia is very rich in minerals, especially gold and other metals.
In the ancient period, Cilicia was inhabited by Asia Minor tribes. Subsequently, a significant part of its population were Greeks and Syrians. The Armenians first settled in Cilicia under Tigran II (95-55 BC). In the VII-XII centuries. Arabs and Seljuks appeared here, and from the beginning of the XIII century. – Italian artisans and merchants.
The Armenian population of Cilicia is growing rapidly in the XI-XII centuries. When a significant part of Asia Minor Armenians, fleeing the Seljuks, find refuge in the mountainous regions of Cilicia. Later, as a result of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, a large flow of immigrants from central Armenia settles here.
At the beginning of the XI century. in Cilicia there were several principalities, but the largest was the principality founded (in 1080) by Prince Ruben. Expanding the domain of the principality, the Rubenids proclaimed the kingdom of Cilicia. The first king was Levon II.
Cilicia was a feudal state, where the king was the supreme overlord. Everything obeyed his will. The highest officials were: dzhantsler – state. Secretary and Minister of Foreign Affairs), Sparapet gundstable (Commander-in-Chief), Proximi – head of the financial department, etc.
The Cilician kingdom led a lively trade with neighboring and distant countries (Italian states, France, England …). However, due to the external difficulties faced by the state, Cilicia was captured by Mameluk Egypt in 1375.
ashaarmenia.info/2020/01/17/history-armania- part-6- Cilician-a
