fwo_1125855 - CILICIE - ROYAUME D'ARMÉNIE - HÉTHOUM II Obole n.d. Sis

CILICIA - KINGDOM OF ARMENIA - HETHUM II

(1289-1303)

The reign of Héthoum II is marked by periods of deep political and military crises. He succeeded his father and reigned from 1289 to 1293, then from 1295 to 1296, and finally from 1299 to 1303. His reign was marked by the end of the Frankish presence in the Holy Land, which saw the increase in pressure from the Turkish army on Armenia. In 1290, he embraced the communion of the Roman Church. On January 7, 1293, Hethoum II abdicated to devote himself to his religious vocation and retired to a monastery. His brother, Thoros asks him to return to the throne in order to renew the alliance with the Mongols. He was assassinated in 1298, and Hethum II was imprisoned following the seizure of power by Smbat. He was overthrown in 1299, and Hethum II returned to the throne. In 1303, Hethum abdicated definitively in favor of his nephew Leo III, son of Thoros. They will both be assassinated in 1307.