Mleh of Armenia
Encyclopedia
Mleh I also Meleh I, (before 1120 – Sis
, May 15, 1175) was the eighth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (1170–1175).
The accomplishments during the reign of his elder brother, Thoros II placed Cilicia on a firm footing. But Mleh, whom Thoros II had expelled from Cilicia for embracing the Muslim
faith, almost undid his brother’s work.
On the death of his brother, Mleh invaded Cilicia with the support of a contingent from Aleppo
, which remained in his service and assisted him to drive out the Knights Templar
and Greeks
from the fortresses and, in 1173, the cities which they held in Cilicia. Soon after the death of Nur ed-Din (the emir
of Aleppo), Mleh was overthrown by his nephew, Roupen III.
.
In the early summer of 1137, the Byzantine Emperor John II came to Cilicia with a full force on his way to take Antioch
; his army successively took Seleucia
, Korikos, Tarsus
, Mamistra, Adana
, Tel Hamdoun (now Toprakkale in Turkey) and Anazarbus. Mleh and his two brothers, Stephen
and the blind Constantine took refuge with their cousin, Count Joscelin II of Edessa. In Cilicia, the family castle of Vahka (today Feke in Turkey) held out for some weeks, but after its fall their father and two of their brothers, Roupen and Thoros, were captured. Leo I and his two sons were imprisoned in Constantinople
where Leo I died shortly afterwards and Roupen was blinded and later murdered. All Cilicia remained under Byzantine
rule for eight years.
About the year 1143, Mleh’s brother, Thoros escaped from Constantinople and recaptured the family stronghold of Vahka; Mleh and his brother, Stephen joined him. One after another, Thoros reconquered Anazarbus
, Adana, Sis (today Kozan in Turkey
) and Pardzerpert
(now Andırın in Turkey) from the Byzantines.
In 1164, Nur ed-Din struck at the Principality of Antioch
and laid siege to the key-fortress of Harenc; Prince Bohemond III of Antioch called upon Thoros II to come to his rescue, and Mleh followed his brother. At the news of the coming of the Byzantine and Armenian troops, Nur ed-Din raised the siege, but Bohemond III decided to follow in pursuit; the armies made contact on 10 August, near Artah. In the battle, Bohemond III fell into an ambush and found himself and his knights surrounded by the army of Mosul
, but Thoros II and Mleh, who had been more cautious, escaped from the battlefield.
, but after quarrelling with Thoros II and attempting to assassinate him, he fled to Nur ed-Din. Mleh converted to Islam
from Catholicism. This was to facilitate his plans with Nur ed-Din; afterwards, he held Cyrrhus
as a fief from the Emir of Aleppo.
His brother died in 1168, leaving a child, Roupen II, to succeed him, under the regency
of a Frankish lord called Thomas. But Mleh disputed the succession; early in 1170 Nur ed-Din lent him troops with which he was able not only to dethrone his nephew but also to invade the plain and take Mamistra, Adana and Tarsus from their Greek garrisons. The young Roupen III was followed by Mleh’s men and murdered.
at Lampron
(now Namrun Kalesi in Turkey), but in spite of a long siege his attempt to take this stronghold failed. Mleh then attacked the Templars at Baghras; Bohemond III of Antioch appealed to King Amalric I of Jerusalem
, who marched up into Cilicia and temporarily, its seems, restored Imperial rule. But Mleh was irrepressible; a year or so later he routed at Tarsus the assembled forces of the governor Konstantinos Kalamanos
, and sent him to Nur ed-Din, who held Konstantinos for heavy ransom.
On March 10, 1171 Amalric I left Acre
for Constantinople where he made a treaty with the Emperor Manuel I Comnenos; it seems that they decided that a common action should be taken against Mleh. An expedition organized by the king after his return from Constantinople in 1171 was interrupted by Nur ed-Din’s attack on Kerak
(today Al Karak in Jordan
).
In the summer of 1171, Mleh waylaid Count Stephen I of Sancerre
as he passed through Cilicia from the Holy Land
to Constantinople. In order to punish Mleh for his outrage against the count, Amalric I marched north into Cilicia in 1173; but the campaign achieved nothing except to check Mleh’s further expansion. Mleh finally succeeded in 1173 in securing Manuel I’s recognition of him as “Baron of Cilician Armenia” with whom now all Byzantine affairs in Cilicia were to be conducted.
On May 15, 1174, Nur ed-Din died; en event which brought an end to Mleh’s source of power. Vulnerable and without an ally, members of Mleh’s own inner circle of Armenian
nobles, tired of his cruelty towards the Armenians and of his Muslim
faith, took the initiative and murdered him in Sis in 1175.
He was buried in Medzkar.
He had one illegitimate child by his unknown mistress
:
Kozan, Adana
Kozan is a city in Adana Province, Turkey, 68 km north of the city of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of Kozan district. The Kilgen Stream, a tributary of the Ceyhan River , flows through Kozan crossing the plain south into the Mediterranean Sea....
, May 15, 1175) was the eighth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (1170–1175).
The accomplishments during the reign of his elder brother, Thoros II placed Cilicia on a firm footing. But Mleh, whom Thoros II had expelled from Cilicia for embracing the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
faith, almost undid his brother’s work.
On the death of his brother, Mleh invaded Cilicia with the support of a contingent from Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, which remained in his service and assisted him to drive out the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
and Greeks
Byzantine Greeks
Byzantine Greeks or Byzantines is a conventional term used by modern historians to refer to the medieval Greek or Hellenised citizens of the Byzantine Empire, centered mainly in Constantinople, the southern Balkans, the Greek islands, Asia Minor , Cyprus and the large urban centres of the Near East...
from the fortresses and, in 1173, the cities which they held in Cilicia. Soon after the death of Nur ed-Din (the emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
of Aleppo), Mleh was overthrown by his nephew, Roupen III.
His early life
Thoros was the fourth son of Leo I, lord of Armenian Cilicia. The name and the origin of his mother are not known with certainty. It is possible that she was a daughter of Count Hugh I of Rethel, or she may have been the daughter of Gabriel of MeliteneGabriel of Melitene
Gabriel of Melitene was the ruler of Melitene . Along with Thoros of Edessa, Gabriel was a former officer of Philaretos Brachamios. Philaretos had installed Gabriel as the ruler of Melitene. Following the death of Philaretos in 1086 Melitene became completely independent of Byzantine control with...
.
In the early summer of 1137, the Byzantine Emperor John II came to Cilicia with a full force on his way to take Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
; his army successively took Seleucia
Seleucia (Pamphylia)
Seleucia – also transliterated as Seleukeia or Seleukheia – was an ancient city on the Mediterranean coast of Pamphylia, in Anatolia, approximately 15 km northeast of Side; the site is currently about 1k north of the village of Bucakşeyhler , approximately 12 km northeast of...
, Korikos, Tarsus
Tarsus (city)
Tarsus is a historic city in south-central Turkey, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey with a population of 2.75 million...
, Mamistra, Adana
Adana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
, Tel Hamdoun (now Toprakkale in Turkey) and Anazarbus. Mleh and his two brothers, Stephen
Stephen of Armenia
Stephen of Armenia was the Marshal of Armenia, the son of Leo I, Prince of Armenia and Beatrice de Rethel.His father made him Marshal in 1138, due to the invasion of John II Comnenus, and escaped capture by sheltering in Edessa...
and the blind Constantine took refuge with their cousin, Count Joscelin II of Edessa. In Cilicia, the family castle of Vahka (today Feke in Turkey) held out for some weeks, but after its fall their father and two of their brothers, Roupen and Thoros, were captured. Leo I and his two sons were imprisoned in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
where Leo I died shortly afterwards and Roupen was blinded and later murdered. All Cilicia remained under Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
rule for eight years.
About the year 1143, Mleh’s brother, Thoros escaped from Constantinople and recaptured the family stronghold of Vahka; Mleh and his brother, Stephen joined him. One after another, Thoros reconquered Anazarbus
Anazarbus
Anazarbus in Ancient Cilicia was an ancient Cilician city, situated in Anatolia in modern Turkey, in the present Çukurova about 15 km west of the main stream of the present Ceyhan River and near its tributary the Sempas Su.A lofty isolated ridge formed its acropolis...
, Adana, Sis (today Kozan in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) and Pardzerpert
Andirin
Andırın is a town and district of Kahramanmaraş Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.-External links:*...
(now Andırın in Turkey) from the Byzantines.
In 1164, Nur ed-Din struck at the Principality of Antioch
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade.-Foundation:...
and laid siege to the key-fortress of Harenc; Prince Bohemond III of Antioch called upon Thoros II to come to his rescue, and Mleh followed his brother. At the news of the coming of the Byzantine and Armenian troops, Nur ed-Din raised the siege, but Bohemond III decided to follow in pursuit; the armies made contact on 10 August, near Artah. In the battle, Bohemond III fell into an ambush and found himself and his knights surrounded by the army of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, but Thoros II and Mleh, who had been more cautious, escaped from the battlefield.
In the service of Nur ed-Din
Although Mleh had taken vows as a TemplarKnights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
, but after quarrelling with Thoros II and attempting to assassinate him, he fled to Nur ed-Din. Mleh converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
from Catholicism. This was to facilitate his plans with Nur ed-Din; afterwards, he held Cyrrhus
Cyrrhus, Syria
Cyrrhus, or Kyrros was a city in ancient Syria founded by Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals. Other names for the city include Hagioupolis, Nebi Huri نبي حوري, Khoros . Its ruins are located in northern Syria, near the Turkish border. It lies about 70 km northwest of Aleppo...
as a fief from the Emir of Aleppo.
His brother died in 1168, leaving a child, Roupen II, to succeed him, under the regency
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of a Frankish lord called Thomas. But Mleh disputed the succession; early in 1170 Nur ed-Din lent him troops with which he was able not only to dethrone his nephew but also to invade the plain and take Mamistra, Adana and Tarsus from their Greek garrisons. The young Roupen III was followed by Mleh’s men and murdered.
His rule
With Thoros’s legitimate heir dead, Mleh embarked on a policy of conquest with cruel application of force. He beleaguered the HethumidsHethumids
The Hethumids , also known as the House of Lampron , were the rulers of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1226 to 1373...
at Lampron
Lampron
Lampron - is a castle near the town of Çamlıyayla in Mersin Province, Turkey. While part of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in the Middle Ages, the castle was known as Lampron and was the ancestral home of the Armenian Hethumid princes...
(now Namrun Kalesi in Turkey), but in spite of a long siege his attempt to take this stronghold failed. Mleh then attacked the Templars at Baghras; Bohemond III of Antioch appealed to King Amalric I of Jerusalem
Amalric I of Jerusalem
Amalric I of Jerusalem was King of Jerusalem 1163–1174, and Count of Jaffa and Ascalon before his accession. Amalric was the second son of Melisende of Jerusalem and Fulk of Jerusalem...
, who marched up into Cilicia and temporarily, its seems, restored Imperial rule. But Mleh was irrepressible; a year or so later he routed at Tarsus the assembled forces of the governor Konstantinos Kalamanos
Konstantinos Kalamanos
Constantine Kalamanos or Coloman was a Byzantine governor of Cilicia.Constantine was the elder son of Boris Kalamanos and his wife, Anna Doukaina...
, and sent him to Nur ed-Din, who held Konstantinos for heavy ransom.
On March 10, 1171 Amalric I left Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
for Constantinople where he made a treaty with the Emperor Manuel I Comnenos; it seems that they decided that a common action should be taken against Mleh. An expedition organized by the king after his return from Constantinople in 1171 was interrupted by Nur ed-Din’s attack on Kerak
Kerak
Kerak Castle is a large crusader castle located in Kerak in Jordan. It is one of the largest crusader castles in the Levant.Construction of the castle began in the 1140s, under Pagan, the butler of Fulk of Jerusalem. The Crusaders called it Crac des Moabites or "Karak in Moab", as it is frequently...
(today Al Karak in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
).
In the summer of 1171, Mleh waylaid Count Stephen I of Sancerre
Stephen I of Sancerre
Stephen I , first Count of Sancerre and third son of Count Theobald II of Champagne, inherited the county of Sancerre on his father's death, when his eldest brother Henry received Champagne and his elder brother Theobald Blois and Chartres...
as he passed through Cilicia from the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
to Constantinople. In order to punish Mleh for his outrage against the count, Amalric I marched north into Cilicia in 1173; but the campaign achieved nothing except to check Mleh’s further expansion. Mleh finally succeeded in 1173 in securing Manuel I’s recognition of him as “Baron of Cilician Armenia” with whom now all Byzantine affairs in Cilicia were to be conducted.
On May 15, 1174, Nur ed-Din died; en event which brought an end to Mleh’s source of power. Vulnerable and without an ally, members of Mleh’s own inner circle of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
nobles, tired of his cruelty towards the Armenians and of his Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
faith, took the initiative and murdered him in Sis in 1175.
He was buried in Medzkar.
Marriage and child
# An unnamed daughter of Vasil of Gargar (a sister of the Catholicos Gregory).He had one illegitimate child by his unknown mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
:
- Grigor (? – January 28, 1209/January 27, 1210 or after)
External links
- The Barony of Cilician Armenia (Kurkjian's History of Armenia, Ch. 27)
- Smbat Sparapet's Chronicle
Sources
- Ghazarian, Jacob G: The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia during the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins (1080–1393); RoutledgeCurzon (Taylor & Francis Group), 2000, Abingdon; ISBN 0-7007-1418-9
- Gibb, Sir Hamilton A. R.: The Career of Nūr-ad-Dīn (in: Setton, Kenneth M.Kenneth SettonKenneth Meyer Setton was an American historian and an expert on the history of medieval Europe.- Early life, education and awards :...
(General Editor) – Baldwin, Marshall W. (Editor): A History of the Crusades – Volume I: The First Hundred Years; The University of Wisconsin Press, 1969, Madison, Milwaukee, and London; ISBN 978-0299048341) - Runciman, StevenSteven RuncimanThe Hon. Sir James Cochran Stevenson Runciman CH — known as Steven Runciman — was a British historian known for his work on the Middle Ages...
: A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187; Cambridge University Press, 1988, Cambridge; ISBN 0-521-06162-8