Thoros I of Armenia
Encyclopedia
Toros I also Thoros I, (unknown – 1129 / February 17, 1129 – February 16, 1130) was the third lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (c. 1100 / 1102 / 1103 – 1129 / 1130).
His alliance with the leaders of the First Crusade
helped him rule his feudal holdings with commanding authority. Toros ejected the small Byzantine
garrisons from Sis
(today Kozan in Turkey
) and Anazarbus
, and he established his capital at Sis. He was plagued by the nomadic Turks
who were harassing him from the north but were driven back.
He avenged the death of King Gagik II
by killing his assassins. This act of revenge was often used by chroniclers of the 12th century as direct evidence connecting the Roupenians to the Bagratid lineage
.
During his time he bestowed favors and gave gifts and money to many monasteries for their decoration and adornment, in particular those of Drazark (Trassarg) and Mashgevar.
.
Toros succeeded his father and ruled from the fortresses of Vahka
(today Feke in Turkey) and Pardzepert
(today Andırın in Turkey). In 1107, encouraged by Tancred, Prince of Antioch
, Toros followed the course of the Pyramus River (today the river Ceyhan in Turkey), and seized the stronghold of Anazarbus (a place which had been considered impregnable). The city of Sis was the next to fall into the hands of Toros. He commemorated his victories by constructing a church in Anazarbus, which he consecrated St Zoravark, to house the ancestral treasures of King Gagik II.
In 1108, Daphar, the leader of the nomadic Turks entered the province of Hasamansur and ravaged the lands around Melitene
(today Malataya in Turkey). Here for Toros the help of his Armenian
compatriot Basilius the Crafty, who governed possessions in the vicinity of Marash (today Kahramanmaraş in Turkey) and Kesoun, became indispensable. Basilius and his allies attacked Daphar and achieved a resounding victory near the castle of Harthan. Basilius nobly shared with Toros the spoils which were taken from the Turks.
In 1111, Sultan Malik Shah of Iconium
entered Armenian territories, and Toros’s two commanders were killed in battle. However, his brother, Levon launched a savage attack against the Turks and drove them into retreat.
Toros, who had been relentlessly pursuing the murderers of King Gagik II, laid an ambush for them at their castle, Cyzistra (Kizistra) in 1112. At an opportune time, his infantry
surprised the garrison and occupied the castle, plundered it then took blood revenge by killing all its inhabitants. The three brothers (the assassins of Gagik II) were taken captive and forced to produce Gagik’s kingly sword and his royal apparel taken at the time of the murder. One of the brothers was beaten to death by Toros who justified his brutal action by exclaiming that such monsters did not deserve to perish by the quick plunge of a dagger
.
In 1114, Vasil Dgha (the heir of Basilius the Crafty) invited Il-Bursuqi (the governor of Mosul
) to deliver the Armenians from the Franks (the Crusaders). The Franks advanced to punish Vasil Dgha, but they were unable to take his fortress capital at Raban. Nevertheless, he thought it wise to seek the alliance of Toros. Toros, after inviting him to come to discuss a marriage alliance, imprisoned him and sold him to Count Baldwin II of Edessa
in 1116. Having thus annexed Raban, Baldwin II of Edessa decided to suppress the remaining Armenian principalities in the Euphrates
valley; thus Toros soon found himself the only independent Armenian potentate that remained.
In 1118, Toros sent a contingent of troops under the command of his brother Levon to help Prince Roger of Antioch
in the capture of Azaz (today A'zāz in Syria
).
Toros was buried in the monastery of Drazark.
His alliance with the leaders of the First Crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
helped him rule his feudal holdings with commanding authority. Toros ejected the small Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
garrisons from Sis
Kozan, Adana
Kozan is a city in Adana Province, Turkey, 68 km north of the city of Adana, in the northern section of the Çukurova plain. The city is the capital of Kozan district. The Kilgen Stream, a tributary of the Ceyhan River , flows through Kozan crossing the plain south into the Mediterranean Sea....
(today Kozan in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) and Anazarbus
Anazarbus
Anazarbus in Ancient Cilicia was an ancient Cilician city, situated in Anatolia in modern Turkey, in the present Çukurova about 15 km west of the main stream of the present Ceyhan River and near its tributary the Sempas Su.A lofty isolated ridge formed its acropolis...
, and he established his capital at Sis. He was plagued by the nomadic Turks
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
who were harassing him from the north but were driven back.
He avenged the death of King Gagik II
Gagik II
Gagik II of Ani was the last Bagratuni King of Ani from 1042 to 1045.-Historical background:During the reign of John Smbat III, a feudal lord, David, who owned Taik during his battles against the Muslims, gained a large area which stretched all the way to Manzikert...
by killing his assassins. This act of revenge was often used by chroniclers of the 12th century as direct evidence connecting the Roupenians to the Bagratid lineage
Bagratuni Dynasty
The Bagratuni, Bagratid or alternatively Pakradouni royal dynasty of Armenia was a royal family whose branches formerly ruled many regional polities, including the Armenian lands of Sper|presently Ispir in Tayk Province of the Armenian Kingdom, Bagrevand in Ayrarat Province of the Armenian...
.
During his time he bestowed favors and gave gifts and money to many monasteries for their decoration and adornment, in particular those of Drazark (Trassarg) and Mashgevar.
His life
Toros was the elder son of Constantine I, lord of Armenian Cilicia. It is likely that his mother was the great-granddaughter of Bardas PhokasBardas Phokas the Elder
Bardas Phokas was a notable Byzantine general in the first half of the 10th century, and father of Byzantine emperor Nikephoros II Phokas and the kouropalates Leo Phokas the Younger....
.
Toros succeeded his father and ruled from the fortresses of Vahka
Feke
Feke is a small city and a district in Adana Province of Turkey, 122 km from the city of Adana, 620m above sea-level, a small town on attractive forested mountainside...
(today Feke in Turkey) and Pardzepert
Andirin
Andırın is a town and district of Kahramanmaraş Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey.-External links:*...
(today Andırın in Turkey). In 1107, encouraged by Tancred, Prince of Antioch
Tancred, Prince of Galilee
Tancred was a Norman leader of the First Crusade who later became Prince of Galilee and regent of the Principality of Antioch...
, Toros followed the course of the Pyramus River (today the river Ceyhan in Turkey), and seized the stronghold of Anazarbus (a place which had been considered impregnable). The city of Sis was the next to fall into the hands of Toros. He commemorated his victories by constructing a church in Anazarbus, which he consecrated St Zoravark, to house the ancestral treasures of King Gagik II.
In 1108, Daphar, the leader of the nomadic Turks entered the province of Hasamansur and ravaged the lands around Melitene
Malatya
Malatya ) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province.-Overview:The city site has been occupied for thousands of years. The Assyrians called the city Meliddu. Following Roman expansion into the east, the city was renamed in Latin as Melitene...
(today Malataya in Turkey). Here for Toros the help of his Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
compatriot Basilius the Crafty, who governed possessions in the vicinity of Marash (today Kahramanmaraş in Turkey) and Kesoun, became indispensable. Basilius and his allies attacked Daphar and achieved a resounding victory near the castle of Harthan. Basilius nobly shared with Toros the spoils which were taken from the Turks.
In 1111, Sultan Malik Shah of Iconium
Melikshah
Malik Shah or Malek Shah or Melik Shah was the sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm between the years 1110 and 1116. Prior to Melikshah's accession, the throne had remained vacant for three years following the death of Kilij Arslan I in 1107. Melikshah was held prisoner in Isfahan until 1110 when...
entered Armenian territories, and Toros’s two commanders were killed in battle. However, his brother, Levon launched a savage attack against the Turks and drove them into retreat.
Toros, who had been relentlessly pursuing the murderers of King Gagik II, laid an ambush for them at their castle, Cyzistra (Kizistra) in 1112. At an opportune time, his infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
surprised the garrison and occupied the castle, plundered it then took blood revenge by killing all its inhabitants. The three brothers (the assassins of Gagik II) were taken captive and forced to produce Gagik’s kingly sword and his royal apparel taken at the time of the murder. One of the brothers was beaten to death by Toros who justified his brutal action by exclaiming that such monsters did not deserve to perish by the quick plunge of a dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
.
In 1114, Vasil Dgha (the heir of Basilius the Crafty) invited Il-Bursuqi (the governor of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
) to deliver the Armenians from the Franks (the Crusaders). The Franks advanced to punish Vasil Dgha, but they were unable to take his fortress capital at Raban. Nevertheless, he thought it wise to seek the alliance of Toros. Toros, after inviting him to come to discuss a marriage alliance, imprisoned him and sold him to Count Baldwin II of Edessa
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II of Jerusalem , formerly Baldwin II of Edessa, also called Baldwin of Bourcq, born Baldwin of Rethel was the second count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and the third king of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death.-Ancestry:Baldwin was the son of Hugh, count of Rethel, and his wife Melisende,...
in 1116. Having thus annexed Raban, Baldwin II of Edessa decided to suppress the remaining Armenian principalities in the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
valley; thus Toros soon found himself the only independent Armenian potentate that remained.
In 1118, Toros sent a contingent of troops under the command of his brother Levon to help Prince Roger of Antioch
Roger of Salerno
Roger of Salerno was regent of the Principality of Antioch from 1112 to 1119.He was the son of Richard of the Principate and the 2nd cousin of Tancred, Prince of Galilee, both participants on the First Crusade. He became regent of Antioch when Tancred died in 1112; the actual prince, Bohemund II,...
in the capture of Azaz (today A'zāz in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
).
Toros was buried in the monastery of Drazark.
Marriage and children
# The name of Toros’s wife is not known.- Constantine II of Cilicia (? – after February 17, 1129)
- (?) Oshin (? – after February 17, 1129)
External links
- Armenian History page on Cilicia
- Armenian History page on Thorus I
- 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article on Cilicia
- Armenian History page on Cilician history
- The Barony of Cilician Armenia (Kurkjian's History of Armenia, Ch. 27)
- Smbat Sparapet's Chronicle
Sources
- Ghazarian, Jacob G: The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia during the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins (1080–1093); RoutledgeCurzon (Taylor & Francis Group), 2000, Abingdon; ISBN 0-7007-1418-9
- Runciman, Steven: A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187; Cambridge University Press, 1988, Cambridge; ISBN 0-521-06162-8