Philip of Antioch ( hy, Ֆիլիպ, french: Philippe; died 1225), also called Philip of Tripoli, was a member of the

House of Poitiers The Ramnulfids, or the House of Poitiers, were a French dynasty ruling the County of Poitou and Duchy of Aquitaine in the 9th through 12th centuries. Their power base shifted from Toulouse to Poitou. In the early 10th century, they contested th ...

who ruled as

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

of the

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...

from 1222 to 1224 as the first husband of Queen Isabella.

Marriage negotiations

A member of the

, Philip was one of the younger sons of

Bohemond IV Bohemond IV of Antioch, also known as Bohemond the One-Eyed (french: Bohémond le Borgne; 1175–1233), was Count of Tripoli from 1187 to 1233, and Prince of Antioch from 1201 to 1216 and from 1219 to 1233. He was the younger son of Bohemond III ...

, a Norman who ruled the

Principality of Antioch The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It exte ...

and the

County of Tripoli The County of Tripoli (1102–1289) was the last of the Crusader states. It was founded in the Levant in the modern-day region of Tripoli, northern Lebanon and parts of western Syria which supported an indigenous population of Christians, ...

, and his first wife, Plaisance of Gibelet from the Embriaco family.

Raymond-Roupen Raymond-Roupen (also Raymond-Rupen and Ruben-Raymond; 1198 – 1219 or 1221/1222) was a member of the House of Poitiers who claimed the thrones of the Principality of Antioch and Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. His succession in Antioch was preven ...

, Philip's first cousin who had waged the

War of the Antiochene Succession The War of the Antiochene Succession, also known as the Antiochene War of Succession, comprised a series of armed conflicts in northern Syria between 1201 and 1219, connected to the disputed succession of Bohemond III of Antioch. The Principalit ...

with Philip's father for many years, also claimed the throne of Cilicia as the former heir designate of King Leo I. Upon his defeat and imprisonment by

Constantine of Baberon Constantine of Baberon (died c. 1263) was a powerful Armenian noble of the Het‛umid family. He was the son of Vassag and the father of King Het‛um I, who ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1226 to 1270. Constantine played a pivotal rol ...

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

on behalf of Leo's daughter Isabella, the Armenians wanted to renew their alliance with Antioch. They requested that Bohemond IV send a husband to their young queen, and Bohemond offered Philip. Since Philip was Bohemond's fourth son, who could not be expected to inherit Antioch, the Armenians accepted. They made the union conditional upon Philip joining the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

, to which Bohemond agreed.

Reign

Philip's marriage to Isabella was celebrated in June 1222. Before his coronation as king, Philip swore to uphold the rites of the

and Armenian customs. Philip's victory over the attacking

Seljuk Turks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...

made a good initial impression upon his subjects. Their hopes that Philip would become a good Armenian, however, were frustrated, as he had "incorrigibly Latin tastes". Philip spent as much time as he could in Antioch, showed favoritism towards his French advisors, and refused to adhere to Armenian Apostolic rites. This instigated a revolt by the Armenians. In late 1224, Philip was arrested during a night journey to Antioch. He was accused of stealing the crown jewels of Cilicia and sending them to Antioch. He spent months imprisoned in the fortress of Partzerpert near Sis, the Cilician capital, while his father appealed to Constantine. The negotiations were in vain, and Philip was

poisoned A poison can be any substance that is harmful to the body. It can be swallowed, inhaled, injected or absorbed through the skin. Poisoning is the harmful effect that occurs when too much of that substance has been taken. Poisoning is not to ...

in prison in 1225. Bohemond planned to avenge his son's death, but was prevented when his allies, the

Ayyubids The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin ...

, switched to the side of the Armenians.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Philip Of Antioch, King 1226 deaths Kings of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia House of Poitiers Year of birth unknown 13th-century murdered monarchs