Sempad, Smpad, Sambat, or Smbat ; 1277 – c. 1310) was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...

, ruling from 1296 to 1298. He was the son of Leo II of Armenia

Leo II of Armenia

Leo II , also Leon II, Levon II or Lewon II was the tenth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” , and the first king of Armenian Cilicia .During his reign, Leo succeeded in establishing Cilician Armenia as a powerful and a unified Christian...

 and Kyranna de Lampron

Queen Keran of Armenia

Keran was the wife of Leo II of Armenia. She was the daughter of Prince Hethum of Lampron. Born Anna, she was called Kir Anna beginning in 1270. This name was later shortened to Keran, or Guerane....

 and was part of the Hetoumid-family.

Sempad seized the throne with the aid of his brother Constantine

Constantine III of Armenia

Constantine I was briefly king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1298 to 1299...

 while his brothers Hethum II

Hethum II of Armenia

Hethum II was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1289 to 1293, 1295 to 1296 and 1299 to 1303, while Armenia was a subject state of the Mongol Empire...

 and Thoros

Thoros III of Armenia

Thoros III or Toros III was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1293 to 1298. He was the son of Leo II of Armenia and Kyranna de Lampron, and was part of the Hethumid dynasty. In 1293 his brother Hethum II abdicated in his favour; however, Thoros recalled Hethum to the throne in...

 were in Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

. In 1297, on a volitional journey to the Ghazan's court, Sempad managed to receive recognition of his position as king from the Mongol ruler of Persia

Ilkhanate

The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...

, which was necessary to legitimate his usurpation. He also received a bride from the Mongol khan in order to form a matrimonial alliance, perhaps a relative of the khan himself.

On Hethum's return, Sempad had Hethum blinded by cauterization

Cauterization

The medical practice or technique of cauterization is the burning of part of a body to remove or close off a part of it in a process called cautery, which destroys some tissue, in an attempt to mitigate damage, remove an undesired growth, or minimize other potential medical harmful possibilities...

 and both brothers imprisoned at Partzerpert

Andirin

Andırın is a town and district of Kahramanmaraş Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.-External links:*...

. Thoros was murdered there on Sempad's orders in 1298, but Constantine turned traitor again and helped Hethum overthrow Sempad, assuming the throne while Hethum's blindness healed. Sempad again plotted with Constantine to resume the throne soon after Hethum's restoration, and both were imprisoned for the rest of their lives.