Leo II "the Magnificent" of Armenia (1150-2 May 1219), also known as Duke Levon II of Armenia Minor, was the King of Armenian Cilicia from 1187 to 1219, succeeding Ruben III of Armenia and preceding Isabella of Armenia.
Biography[]
Leo was born in 1150 to the Rubenids, a dynasty of Miaphysite Christian Armenians. He was the grandson of Leo I of Armenia, and he succeeded his brother Ruben III of Armenia on his death in 1187. In 1195 he merged the Holy See of Cilicia with the Catholic Church in hopes of speeding up his coronation as a king, as he was only the Lord of Cilicia. On 6 January 1198 he was coronated as the King of Armenian Cilicia, the first king of the region. He granted considerable lands to the Teutonic Order and Knights Hospitaller, becoming friends with them, but he also harbored desires of conquering the Principality of Antioch. In 1216 he conquered Antioch and made his relative Raymond-Ruben of Antioch the new prince. He also fought the Sultanate of Rum, pushing as far west as Iconium and capturing Heraclia before ransoming it back to the Turks. He died in 1219.
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