Leo V or Levon V (occasionally Levon VI; , ''Levon V''; 1342 – 29 November 1393), of the

House of Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of France, French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Kingdom of Cyprus, Cyprus, and Kingd ...

, was the last Latin 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 ...

. Leo was described as "Leo V, King of Armenia" on his own personal seal (),Mutafian, p.90 and as "Leo of Lusignan the Fifth" in the

Middle French Middle French () is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from the mid-14th to the early 17th centuries. It is a period of transition during which: * the French language became clearly distinguished from the other co ...

inscription on his

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

: .

Reign in Cilicia

In 1365,

Pope Urban V Pope Urban V (; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death, in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the only Avignon pope ...

selected Leo as the potential ruler of Cilician Armenia, but

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 ...

ascended the throne instead. After Constantine IV's murder, Catholicos

Constantine V Constantine V (; July 718 – 14 September 775) was Byzantine emperor from 741 to 775. His reign saw a consolidation of Byzantine security from external threats. As an able military leader, Constantine took advantage of Third Fitna, civil war ...

led the people in crowning Leo on September 14, 1374. However, his reign encountered internal opposition concerning the spiritual authority of the Pope. Leo ruled until April 13, 1375 when he was overthrown and captured following the

fall of Sis The fall of Sis or the siege of Sis was the capture of Sis and the destruction of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia by the Mamluk Sultanate. It occurred on 13 April 1375. Background After Rumkale was conquered by Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil by in ...

by an invading army from the

Mamluk Sultanate The Mamluk Sultanate (), also known as Mamluk Egypt or the Mamluk Empire, was a state that ruled Egypt, the Levant and the Hejaz from the mid-13th to early 16th centuries, with Cairo as its capital. It was ruled by a military caste of mamluks ...

in Egypt. In July 1377, he met monk Jean Dardel, who accompanied him as counselor, ambassador, and historian-biographer. Leo was held hostage in Egypt with his wife and daughter for seven years until ransomed by the King of Castile,

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

. In October 1382, he embarked from

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

to Europe.

Life in Europe

Leo arrived ill and poor to

Medina del Campo Medina del Campo is a town and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Part of the Province of Valladolid, it is the centre of a farming area. It lies on the banks of the Zapardiel river, in the centre of t ...

. King

John I of Castile John I (; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II of Castile, Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. John ascended to the throne in 137 ...

gifted Leo V the lordship of

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

together with those of Villa Real and

Andújar Andújar () is a Spanish municipality of 35,619 people (2024) in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia. The municipality is divided by the Guadalquivir River. The northern part of the municipality is where the Natural Park of the Sierra de And� ...

in 1383. The Madrilenian ''concejo'' made sure that the privilege of lordship did not become hereditary, also presumably receiving a non-sale privilege guaranteeing never again to be handed over by the Crown to a lord. He was also provided an annual gift of 150,000 maravedis. Leon rebuilt the towers of the Royal Alacázar. According to father

Juan de Mariana Juan de Mariana (2 April 1536 – 17 February 1624), was a Spanish Jesuit priest, Scholastic, historian, and member of the Monarchomachs. Life Juan de Mariana was born in Talavera, Kingdom of Toledo. He studied at the Complutense University ...

, Leo left Castile for France after the death of his protector in 1390. Federico Bravo, however, states that he left after two years of ruling, and five years later, the Madrilenians were conceded the revocation of the lordship by John. Leo V apparently went to Paris in June 1384, and received the Saint-Ouen castle and a sizable pension from King

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved () and in the 19th century, the Mad ( or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychosis, psychotic episodes t ...

.Mutafian, ''Leon V'' He attempted to reconcile the French and the English (at the time fighting the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

) in order to set up a new Crusade and obtain help to recover his lands, but the meeting he organized in 1386 between

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

and

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

were unsuccessful. Leo continued his diplomatic mission to England in 1389 and in 1392.

Death

Leo V never recovered his throne, and died in Paris on November 29, 1393. His remains were laid to rest in the Couvent des Célestins, the second most important burial site for royalty after Saint-Denis, located near what is now the Place de la Bastille in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The prestigious convent was located nearby Leo's residence of

Hôtel des Tournelles The Hôtel des Tournelles () is a now-demolished collection of buildings in Paris built from the 14th century onwards north of Place des Vosges. It was named after its many 'tournelles' or little towers. It was owned by the kings of France for ...

, itself near Hôtel Saint-Pol, the favourite residence of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

and Charles VI in the area of

Le Marais The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. It spreads across parts of the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, 3rd and 4th arrondissement of Paris, 4th Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements on the Rive Droit ...

. Leo received lavish funerals and had a lavish tomb, located in the choir of the church. However, the convent was profanated during the French Revolution. After the revolution, his tombstone was recovered by

Alexandre Lenoir Marie Alexandre Lenoir (; 27 December 1761 – 11 June 1839) was a French archaeologist. Self-taught, he devoted himself to saving France's historic monuments, sculptures and tombs from the ravages of the French Revolution, notably those of Sain ...

who placed it in his Musée des monuments Français in the

Saint-Denis Basilica The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...

. In 1815, during the Restoration, a new

was established for Leo V at the royal Saint Denis Basilica where most representatives of the French monarchy lie. The effigy on the tombstone, by an anonymous artist, is of a high realism and quality, and it is thought that it was made while Leo was still alive. Leo V is depicted holding a scepter (now broken) and gloves, symbol of great princes. The tombstone bears the following inscription in

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

:Translation by Pierre-Yves Le Pogam, ''Tomb of Leon V de Lusignan'' He had one legitimate daughter, Marie de Lusignan (ca 1370 – Cairo, before July 4, 1381, who predeceased her mother and father), and two illegitimate sons, Guy de Lusignan or Guido de Armenia (died 1405), a Canon (priest), Canon in Autun, Bayeux,

and

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

and Captain de la Tour d'Amblay, and Stephan or Etienne de Lusignan, a

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in Sis. Upon his death the title of King of Armenia was claimed by Leo's second cousin

James I of Cyprus James I (; 1334 – September 9, 1398) was the youngest son of King Hugh IV of Cyprus and by 1369 held the title "Constable of Jerusalem." When his nephew Peter II of Cyprus, Peter II died in 1382, he became King of Cyprus. James was also crowne ...

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *Claude Mutafian
''Leon V of Lusignan, last king of Armenia''
(PDF) *Pierre-Yves Le Pogam
''Tomb of Leon V de Lusignan''
(PDF) * * Garabed Basmadjian.
Levon E Lusinean. Last King of Armenia (Լեւոն Ե Լուսինեան. Վերջին թագաւոր Հայոց)
Paris: Doghramadjian Press. 190
PDFarchived PDF

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Leo V, King of Armenia House of Poitiers-Lusignan 1342 births 1393 deaths Roman Catholic monarchs Kings of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia History of Madrid 14th-century rulers of Armenian Cilicia

Reign in Cilicia

Life in Europe

Death

See also

References

External links