Jump to content

Mleh, Prince of Armenia

From Catholicism Wiki
Mleh I
Մլեհ Ա
Lord of Cilicia
Lord of Armenian Cilicia
Reign 1170–1175
Predecessor Roupen II
Successor Roupen III
Born before 1120
Died May 15, 1175
Sis
Burial Medzkar
Spouse An unnamed daughter of Vasil of Gargar
Issue Grigor (illegitimate child)
House Roupenians
Father Leo I

Mleh I[1][2] (Armenian: Մլեհ), also Meleh I,[1] (before 1120 – Sis, May 15, 1175) was the eighth lord of Armenian Cilicia[1] (1170–1175).

Soon after the death of Nur ed-Din (the emir of Aleppo),[2] Mleh was overthrown by his nephew, Ruben III.[1]

Early life

Mleh 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 might have been the daughter of Gabriel of Melitene.

All Cilicia remained under Byzantine rule for eight years.[3]

In the service of Nur ed-Din

Mleh converted to Islam from Armenian Apostolic Christianity.[1] Afterwards, he ruled Cyrrhus.[4]

Rule

On March 10, 1171, Amalric I left Acre for Constantinople where he made a treaty with the Emperor Manuel I Comnenos.[2]

During 1171, Mleh attacked Count Stephen I of Sancerre in Cilicia while he travelled from the Holy Land to Constantinople.[2]

He was buried in Medzkar.

Marriage and child

Mleh married an unnamed daughter of Vasil of Gargar (a sister of the Catholicos Gregory).

He had one illegitimate child by his unknown mistress:

  • Grigor (? – January 28, 1209/January 27, 1210 or after)

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 Back to citation occurrence 1.4 Ghazarian, Jacob G. The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia during the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins (1080–1393).
  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 Back to citation occurrence 2.3 Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187.
  3. Back to citation Vahan M. Kurkjian (April 5, 2005). "A History of Armenia". Website. Bill Thayer. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  4. Back to citation Gibb, Sir Hamilton A. R. The Career of Nūr-ad-Dīn.

Bibliography