Constantine I or Kostandin I (1035–1040 – c. 1100) was the second lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (1095 – c. 1100). He ruled the greater part of the Taurus Mountain regions, while managing the towns and lands within his domain. He provided ample provisions to the

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

rs, for example during the difficult period of the

siege of Antioch The siege of Antioch took place during the First Crusade in 1097 and 1098, on the crusaders' way to Jerusalem through Syria. Two sieges took place in succession. The first siege, by the crusaders against the city held by the Seljuk Empire, ...

in the winter of 1097. He was a passionate adherent of the separated Armenian Church.

Early years

He was the son of Roupen I; his father 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 ...

around 1080. According to the chroniclers

Matthew of Edessa Matthew of Edessa (, Matevos Uṛhayetsi; late 11th century – 1144) was an Armenian historian in the 12th century from the city of Edessa (, ''Uṛha''). Matthew was the superior abbot of Karmir Vank' (Red Convent), near the town of Kaysun ...

and Sempat Sparapet, Constantine is also identified as being either a prince of 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 ...

, or some kind of a military commander in the monarch’s clan in exile. Upon the murder of King Gagik II, Constantine’s father gathered his family and fled to the Taurus Mountains and took refuge in the fortress of Kopitar (Kosidar) situated north of Sis (today ''Kozan'' in Turkey). By 1090, Roupen was not capable of leading his troops, therefore his son Constantine inherited his command and conquered the castle of Vahka. The mastery of this mountain defile made possible the assessment of taxes on merchandise transported from the port of Ayas towards the central part of

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, a source of wealth to which the Roupenians owed their power.

His rule

After his father’s death in 1095, Constantine extended his power eastward towards the

Anti-Taurus Mountains The Anti-Taurus Mountains (from el, Αντίταυρος) are a mountain range in southern and eastern Turkey, curving northeast from the Taurus Mountains. At , Mount Erciyes ( Turkish: Erciyes Dağı) is the highest peak not just in the ra ...

. As an Armenian Christian ruler in the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

, he helped the forces of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ...

maintain the siege of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

until it fell to the crusaders. The crusaders, for their part, duly appreciated the aid of their Armenian allies: Constantin was honored with gifts, the title of "marquis", and a knighthood. The ''Chronographie'' of Samuel of Ani records that Constantine died soon after a lightning bolt struck his table in the fortress of Vahka. He was buried in Castalon.

Marriage and children

According to the Chronicle of Aleppo, his wife was descended from Bardas Phokas. * (? – before 1118), the wife of Count

Joscelin I of Edessa Joscelin of Courtenay (or Joscelin I) (died 1131), Prince of Galilee and Lord of Turbessel (1115–1131) and Count of Edessa (1119–1131), ruled over the County of Edessa during its zenith, from 1118 to 1131. Captured twice, Joscelin continu ...

* Thoros I, Lord of Armenian Cilicia (? – February 17, 1129 / February 16, 1130) * Leo I, Lord of Armenian Cilicia (? – Constantinople, February 14, 1140)

References

Sources

* * *

External links

The Barony of Cilician Armenia
(Kurkjian's History of Armenia, Ch. 27) {{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine I Of Armenia 1102 deaths 11th-century births Deaths from lightning strikes 11th-century Armenian people Monarchs of the Rubenid dynasty