Ruben I
| Ruben I Ռուբեն Ա | |
|---|---|
| Lord of Cilicia | |
| Lord of Armenian Cilicia | |
| Reign | c. 1081 – 1095 |
| Predecessor | (none) |
| Successor | Constantine I |
| Born | 1025 Armenia |
| Died | 1095 (aged 69–70) Cilicia |
| Burial | Monastery of Castalon |
| Issue | Constantine I ? Thoros of Marash |
| House | Rubenids |
Ruben I, (Armenian: Ռուբեն Ա; 1025–1095) was the first lord of Armenian Cilicia from 1081 until his death.
Life
Ruben was a descendant of the Bagratids.[1] He went alongside the Armenian king Gagik II to Constantinople to sign an allegedly permanent peace-treaty upon the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX's request. However, Gagik was forced by the emperor to hand over his Armenian territory and live in exile.[2] Gagik was later assassinated by the Byzantine governors of Kyzistra.[3]
In 1080, soon after this assassination, Ruben organized a band of Armenian troops and revolted against the Byzantine Empire.[4] He was joined by many other Armenian lords and nobles. Thus, in 1080, the foundations of the independent Armenian princedom of Cilicia, and the future kingdom, were laid under Ruben's leadership.[5] Through continuous military campaigns against the Byzantines, he managed to expand his territory to the entire plain of Cilicia, in one of which he captured the powerful Castle of Antirim and made it a military base for his family.[6] His descendants are called Rubenids.[7]
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Rubenid territory in 1080 marked in red
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Coat of arms of the Rubenids
Death
He was 70 when he died,[8] buried at the monastery of Castalon.[9]
Marriage and children
The name of Roupen’s wife is unknown. His recorded children are:
- Constantine I of Cilicia (1035/1055 – 24 February 1102 / 23 February 1103)
- (?) Thoros of Marash (according to Rüdt-Collenberg, he was the brother of Constantine I)
Notes
References
- ^ Ghazarian 2000, p. 46.
- ^ Greenwood, Tim W. (2008), "Armenian Neighbours (600-1045)," in The Cambridge History of The Byzantine Empire c. 500-1492, ed. Jonathan Shepard. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 362-64.
- ^ Manuk-Khaloyan, Armen, "In the Cemetery of their Ancestors: The Royal Burial Tombs of the Bagratuni Kings of Greater Armenia (890-1073/79)," Revue des Études Arméniennes 35 (2013): pp. 152-53, 156.
- ^ Kurkdjian, Vahan (1958). "Chapter XXVII: The Barony of Cilician Armenia". History of Armenia. United States of America: Armenian General Benevolent Union of America. pp. 213–226.
- ^ Edwards, Robert W. (1987). The Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia, Dumbarton Oaks Studies No.23. Washington D. C.: Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University. pp. vii–xxxi, 3–288. ISBN 0884021637.
- ^ Ghazarian, Jacob G. The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia during the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins (1080–1093).
- ^ Dédéyan, Gérard (2008). "The Founding and the Coalescence of the Rubenian Principality, 1073–1129". In Hovannisian, Richard G.; Payaslian, Simon (eds.). Armenian Cilicia. UCLA Armenian History and Culture Series 8. United States: Mazda Publishers. pp. 79–83. ISBN 978-1-56859-154-4.
- ^ Ghazarian 2000, p. 47.
- ^ Kurkjian, Vahan M (1958). A History of Armenia. Armenian General Benevolent Union of America. p. 216. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
Bibliography
- Ghazarian, Jacob (2000). The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia During the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins, 1080-1393. Abingdon: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 9781136124181. OCLC 1079207547.
External links
- The Barony of Cilician Armenia (Kurkjian's History of Armenia, Ch. 27)
- The Rupenids