Coat of arms of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

Thoros III or Toros III (; c. 1271 – 23 July 1298) was king of the

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, also known as Cilician Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia, was an Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian ...

, ruling from 1293 to 1296. He was the son of Leo II of Armenia and Kyranna de Lampron, and was part of the House of Lampron. In 1293 his brother

Hethum II Hethum II, OFM (; 1266– 17 November 1307) was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1289 to 1293, 1295 to 1296 and 1299 to 1303, while Armenia was a subject state of the Mongol Empire. He abdicated twice to take vows with the Franciscan ...

abdicated in his favour; however, Thoros recalled Hethum to the throne as co-ruler in 1295. The two brought their sister Rita of Armenia to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

to marry the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

emperor

Michael IX Palaiologos Michael IX Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 17 April 1277 – 12 October 1320) was Byzantine emperor together with his father, Andronikos II Palaiologos, from 1294 until his death. Andronikos II and Michael IX ruled as equal co-rulers, both using the ...

in 1296, but were imprisoned upon their return in Bardzrberd by their brother

Sempad Smbat, Sambat, Smpad, Sumbat or Sempad is an Armenian and Georgian masculine given name. It may refer to: Bagratuni nobles * Smbat IV Bagratuni (died 616/7), Armenian noble in Byzantine and Sasanian service, marzpan of Hyrcania and Armenia * Smba ...

, who had usurped the throne in their absence. Thoros was murdered, strangled to death on 23 July 1298, in Bardzrberd by Oshin, Marshal of Armenia, on

's orders.

Family

Thoros was married twice; his first marriage, to Margaret of Lusignan (ca 1276–1296, Armenia) (the daughter of King

Hugh III of Cyprus Hugh III (; – 24 March 1284), also called Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan and the Great, was the king of Cyprus (as Hugh III) from 1267 and king of Jerusalem (as Hugh I) from 1268. Born into the family of the princes of Antioch, he effectively rul ...

), took place on 9 January 1288. His only son, by his first marriage, was

Leo III of Armenia Leo III (or Leon III; ; occasionally numbered Leo IV; 1289–1307) was a young king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1303 or 1305 to 1307, along with his uncle Hethum II. A member of the House of Lampron, he was the son of Thor ...

, who became heir to his uncle

. Leo ruled from 1303 to 1307, but was murdered along with his uncle by the Mongol general Bilarghu at a

feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

References

Sources

* * * *''Cambridge Medieval History'', Volume IV, p. 634 {{Armenian kings 13th-century births 1298 deaths 13th-century murdered monarchs Kings of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Deaths by strangulation Hethumid dynasty 13th-century rulers of Armenian Cilicia