Ruben I, ( hy, Ռուբեն Ա), also Roupen I
or Rupen I,
(1025
/1035
– Kormogolo,
1095
) was the first
lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains”
(1080
/1081/1082
– 1095
). He declared the independence of
Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern co ...
from the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
, thus formally founding the beginning of
Armenian rule there.
The
Roupenian dynasty ruled Cilician Armenia until 1219.
Background
The Armenian voluntary immigrations into the Byzantine Empire began as early as the 6th century; from the reign of Emperor
Maurice (582–602) onwards they were solidly incorporated into the military fabric of the
Byzantine army.
The Armenian migration to the south-west, began when the
Seldjuk invasions made life in the
Araxes
, az, Araz, fa, ارس, tr, Aras
The Aras (also known as the Araks, Arax, Araxes, or Araz) is a river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exc ...
valley and by
Lake Van
Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...
no longer secure.
By the mid 10th century, large numbers of Armenian settlements were well underway in Cilicia.
Greater Armenia
Greater Armenia ( hy, Մեծ Հայք, translit=Mets Hayk) is the name given to the Armenian state that emerged on the Armenian Highlands during the reign of King Artaxias I at the turn of the 2nd century BC. The term was used to refer prin ...
was ruled by the
Bagratids in relative peace and prosperity from the 9th century until 1045 when their capital city of
Ani fell.
In 1045, King
Gagik II
Gagik II ( hy, Գագիկ Բ; c. 1025 - May 5/November 24, 1079) was the last Armenian king of the Bagratuni dynasty. Known as Gagik II King of Ani (Ani being the capital of the kingdom at the time) he was enthroned as Gagik II and ruled for a bri ...
was invited to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
; upon arrival there, he was taken captive and under duress was forced to abdicate his throne and relinquish all his right in Armenia in exchange for lands in
Cappadocia
Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde.
According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...
.
Thus Ani was relinquished to Emperor
Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos ( grc-x-medieval, Κωνσταντῖνος Μονομάχος, translit=Kōnstantinos IX Monomachos; 1004 – 11 January 1055), reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita ...
who began the resettlement of large numbers of Armenians in Byzantine Cilicia.
Gagik was killed by Byzantine orders in 1079, after his own peculiarly atrocious murder of the Archbishop of
Caesarea
Caesarea () ( he, קֵיסָרְיָה, ), ''Keysariya'' or ''Qesarya'', often simplified to Keisarya, and Qaysaria, is an affluent town in north-central Israel, which inherits its name and much of its territory from the ancient city of Caesar ...
(today ''Kayseri'' in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
).
The Seldjuks also played a significant role in the Armenian immigration into Cilicia.
In 1071, Sultan
Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan was the second Sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty. He greatly expanded the Seljuk territory and consolidated his power, defeating rivals to the south and northwest, and his ...
put an end to Byzantine dominance in the east with his most convincing victory at
the battle on the plains of Manzikert, where Emperor
Romanos IV Diogenes
Romanos IV Diogenes ( Greek: Ρωμανός Διογένης), Latinized as Romanus IV Diogenes, was a member of the Byzantine military aristocracy who, after his marriage to the widowed empress Eudokia Makrembolitissa, was crowned Byzantine E ...
was taken captive.
His descent and early years
The consensus appears to be that the Roupenians were the descendant of the Bagratids, and Roupen was a relative of the last Bagratid king, Gagik II.
The Armenian chronicler
Kirakos Gandzaketsi speaks of the Roupenians as ‘the sons and descendants of
Gagik Artsruni’.
Another Armenian chronicler, Vahram, a personal secretary of King
Levon II refers to Roupen as ‘a famous chief of the blood royal, Rouben by name’.
History of the Rubenian Dynasty
/ref> On the other hand, the claims in these primary sources of a family relationship with the kings of the Bagratid dynasty are implausible. It is felt that, if such a connection had existed, the sources would have given specific details, given the otherwise reasonably complete genealogies which can be reconstructed from the information which they contain.
Roupen, according to the general consensus of the Armenian chroniclers, was a commander in the king’s armies. After the surrender of Ani to Constantine IX, a number of King Gagik II’s princes and loyal adherents, among them Roupen faithfully followed the king’s court into exile and resettled in the district of Caesarea in Cappadocia. However upon the murder of Gagik II, Roupen gathered his family and fled to the Taurus Mountains
The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğird ...
and took refuge in the fortress of Kopitar (Kosidar) situated north of Sis (today ''Kozan'' in Turkey). The territory of the Armenians in the Taurus was hard of access and easy to defend.
The foundation of Armenian Cilicia
Roupen declared the independence of Cilicia from the Byzantine Empire in 1080. Relying mostly upon what was left of the loyal followers of King Gagik, he developed enough strength to descend gradually towards the heartland of the Cilician plain. He began leading bold and successful military campaigns against the Byzantines, and on one occasion he culminated his venture with the capture of the fortress of Pardzerpert (today ''Andırın'' in Turkey) which became a stronghold of the Roupenian dynasty.
At that time, Roupen was outshone by the Armenian Vahram, called Philaretus by the Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, ot ...
. Philaretus’ dominion stretched from Tarsus to the lands beyond the river Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
; and Roupen became his vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
. They jointly expanded northward and eastward.
In 1086, Malik Shah I conquered much of northern Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and the Armenian Highlands where he installed new governors who levied repressive taxes on the Armenian inhabitants. Thus the sufferings endured by the Armenians at the hands of the Seljuks became the impetus for many of the Armenians to seek refuges and sanctuaries in Byzantine Anatolia and Cilicia throughout the second half of the 11th century.
By 1090, Roupen was growing old; his command seems to have then passed entirely to his son Constantine, who in the same year conquered the strategic Cilician castle of Vahka (today ''Feke'' in Turkey).
Roupen died at the age of 70 (or 60); he was buried at the monastery of Castalon.
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 Thoros of Marash, also known as Thatoul (late 11th – early 12th century) was the father of Arda of Armenia (died after 1116), the first queen consort of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Thoros' allowing Baldwin I of Jerusalem, who was then Count of Ed ...
(according to Rüdt-Collenberg, he was the brother of Constantine I; it is not known what evidence this claim is based on but it should be treated with caution)
Footnotes
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;
*
External links
The Barony of Cilician Armenia
(Kurkjian's History of Armenia, Ch. 27)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruben I, Prince Of Armenia
11th-century births
1095 deaths
11th-century Armenian people
Monarchs of the Rubenid dynasty