Constantine III (also Constantine V; ; ,

Western Armenian Western Armenian ( ) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Eastern Armenian. It is based mainly on the Istanbul Armenian dialect, as opposed to Eastern Armenian, which is mainly based on the Yerevan Arme ...

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

: ''Gosdantin'' or ''Kostantine''; 17 April 1313 – 21 December 1362) was the

King of Armenian Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees, who were fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. Poghosyan, S.; Katvalyan, M.; Grigoryan, G. et al. ''Cilician Armenia'' (Կիլիկյան Հայաստա ...

from 1344 to 1362. He was the son of Baldwin, Lord of Neghir (a nephew of

Hethum I of Armenia Hethum I (Armenian: Հեթում Ա; 1213 – 21 October 1270) ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (also known as "Little Armenia") from 1226 to 1270. He was the son of Constantine of Baberon (d. 1263) and Princess Alix Pahlavouni of Lampron (a ...

), and second cousin of Constantine II. When Constantine II was killed in an uprising in 1344, Constantine III succeeded him. He attempted to wipe out all rival claimants to the throne, giving orders to kill Constantine II's nephews, Bemon and

Leo Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually mas ...

, but before the murders could be carried out they escaped to

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. During his rule, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was reduced by

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

raids and conquests. They conquered Ajazzo in 1347 and Tarsus and

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

in 1359. Constantine was the first husband of

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

, daughter of

Oshin of Corycos Oshin of Korikos (or Corycos) (died 1329) served as regent of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1320 to 1329. He was the son of the historian Hayton of Korikos."Le Royaume Armenien de Cilicie", Claude Mutafian, p.80 He became regent for Leo IV ...

and

Joan of Taranto Joan of Taranto (died March 1323) was Queen of Armenia by marriage to Oshin, King of Armenia. As daughter of Philip I, Prince of Taranto, she was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou. Life Joan was daughter of Philip I, Prince of Taranto ...

. He was predeceased by his two sons. Upon his death from natural causes he was succeeded by his cousin

Constantine IV Constantine IV (); 650 – 10 July 685), called the Younger () and often incorrectly the Bearded () out of confusion with Constans II, his father, was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685. His reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years ...

.The Rupenides, Hethumides and Lusignans;the structure of the Armeno-Cilician dynasties [by
/nowiki> Count W.H. Rüdt-Collenberg">y">The Rupenides, Hethumides and Lusignans;the structure of the Armeno-Cilician dynasties [by
/nowiki> Count W.H. Rüdt-Collenberg/ref> Coat of arms of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

Coat of arms of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

References

Notes

* * {{Authority control 1313 births 1362 deaths Kings of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia 14th-century Armenian people Hethumid dynasty 14th-century rulers of Armenian Cilicia