Isabella, Queen of Armenia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Isabella |
|
|---|---|
Queen Isabella with Hethum I on a coin
|
|
| Queen of Armenian Cilicia | |
| Reign | 1219–1252 |
| Coronation | 14 May 1226 |
| Predecessor | Leo I |
| Successor | Hethum I |
| Regent | Adam of Baghras Constantine of Barbaron |
| Born | 27 January 1216/ 25 January 1217 (unknown) |
| Died | 23 January 1252 Ked |
| Burial | Monastery of Trazarg |
| Spouse | |
| Issue among others... |
|
| House | Roupenians |
| Father | Leo I, King of Armenia |
| Mother | Sybilla of Cyprus |
| Religion | Armenian Orthodox |
Isabella (Armenian: Զապել, romanized: Zabel) was a queen who ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1219 until her death in 1252. She was also known as Isabel.
Isabella became queen when she was very young. At first, Adam of Baghras was chosen to rule for her as a regent. But he was killed, and Constantine of Baberon took over as her guardian. During this time, Raymond-Roupen, a relative of Isabella's father, tried to claim the throne. However, he was defeated and captured.
Constantine of Barbaron decided to make an alliance with Prince Bohemond IV of Antioch. He arranged for Isabella to marry Philip, one of Bohemond IV's sons. But Philip upset the Armenians. He even took the royal crown and sent it to Antioch. Because of this, he was put in prison in Sis, where he later died.
Isabella was then made to marry Hethum, who was Constantine of Barbaron’s son. For a long time, she refused to live with him as husband and wife. But eventually, she agreed. This marriage brought together two powerful families in Cilicia, the Roupenids and the Hethumids. This union helped to end a long rivalry and brought peace to the kingdom.
The rightful queen, Isabella, ruled the country with her husband. She lived a good and religious life. She was blessed for her good deeds and excellent life with many children, who came from a famous family.
—Vahram of Edessa: The Rhymed Chronicle of Armenia Minor
Contents
Isabella's Early Life
Isabella was the only child of King Leo I and his second wife, Sybilla of Cyprus. In 1218, she was promised in marriage to Andrew, a son of King Andrew II of Hungary. However, this engagement was later called off.
King Leo I died in May 1219. On his deathbed, he named Isabella as his heir. He also freed his barons from their promise to his great-nephew, Raymond-Roupen. But because Isabella was only five years old, Raymond-Roupen and John of Brienne both tried to claim the throne.
The Armenian nobles preferred Isabella. They declared her queen and chose Adam of Baghras to rule for her. But Adam of Baghras was killed a few months later. So, Constantine of Baberon, the head of the powerful Hethumian family, became her new regent.
John of Brienne claimed the throne because he was married to Leo I’s older daughter, Rita. Pope Honorius III supported John of Brienne’s claim. He said that John's wife or their son should be the next ruler. John of Brienne was given permission to leave the Crusade and travel to Cilician Armenia in February 1220. But his Armenian wife died before he could sail. A few weeks later, their young son also died. This meant John of Brienne no longer had a claim to the Armenian throne.
Raymond-Roupen also claimed the throne through his mother, Alice, who was King Leo I's niece. Many people had thought he would be King Leo I’s heir. In 1219, Raymond-Roupen asked the crusaders for help in claiming Cilician Armenia. He returned in 1221 with some support. Raymond-Roupen found some Armenian allies and took control of areas from Tarsus to Adana. But then he faced problems and had to retreat to Tarsus. There, Raymond-Roupen was captured and died in prison in 1222. His young daughters went with their mother to Cyprus. After this, Isabella was the only clear heir to her father’s throne.
Isabella's First Marriage
Cilician Armenia was weak from wars and needed a strong ally. A temporary solution was found by joining with the Principality of Antioch. The regent suggested that Prince Bohemond IV should send his fourth son, Philip, to marry Isabella. The only condition was that Philip had to join the Armenian Church. Philip agreed to adopt the Armenian faith and customs. He also promised to respect the rights of all people in Cilician Armenia.
Philip married Isabella in Sis in June 1222. He was accepted as king. But Isabella and Philip’s joint rule did not last long. Philip did not respect Armenian traditions, even though he had promised to. He also showed favoritism to Latin nobles, which angered the Armenian nobles. Philip spent as much time as possible in Antioch.
When it was rumored that Philip wanted to give the Armenian crown to Antioch, Constantine of Barbaron led a revolt in late 1224. Philip and Isabella were captured at Tall Hamdun while on their way to Antioch. They were taken back to Sis, where Philip was imprisoned and likely died in early 1225.
After her husband’s death, Isabella decided to become a nun. She fled to Silifke Castle and sought safety with the Hospitallers. The Hospitallers did not want to give her to Constantine of Barbaron, but they were afraid of him. So, they sold him the fortress with Isabella inside it.
Bohemond IV was very angry and wanted to go to war. But the pope had forbidden such a conflict, saying it would harm all Christendom. Bohemond IV asked the sultan at Iconium, Kai-Qobad I, for help. He attacked upper Cilicia in 1225. In response, Constantine of Barbaron arranged for the regent of Aleppo, Toghril, to attack Antioch. When Toghril attacked Baghras, Bohemond IV had to return to his own lands.
Isabella's Second Marriage
Isabella was forced to marry Constantine of Barbaron’s son, who was later crowned King Hethum I in Tarsus in June 1226. It is said that she refused to live with him as husband and wife for several years.
In the year 1226, the Armenian princes, along with the Catholicos, Lord Constantine, gathered and crowned Hethum, son of Constantine, as king of the Armenians. They also gave him Isabella, King Leo’s daughter, as his wife. After this, there was peace in the Armenian kingdom, and year by year they worked towards greater achievements.
—Smbat Sparapet: Chronicle
Constantine of Barbaron then thought it was a good idea to make peace between Armenia and the Papacy. Messengers were sent to the Pope and to Emperor Frederick II in the name of the young couple. Both Bohemond IV and his son, Bohemond V, tried to convince the Pope to arrange a divorce between Isabella and Hethum. But the Pope and King Henry I of Cyprus were specifically told not to attack the Armenians. The marriage was made legal by Rome in 1237.
There is proof that Isabella shared some royal power. We know from several records that she co-signed an official document with her husband. This document gave the strategic castle and town of Haronie to the Teutonic Order.
When the queen was near the end of her life, staying in a place called Ked, she heard a voice from heaven, calling loudly, «come my dove, come my love, your end is near.» She felt happy about this vision, told those around her, and died peacefully. Her body was brought to the grave by many priests and buried in holy ground.
—Vahram of Edessa: The Rhymed Chronicle of Armenia Minor
She was buried in the monastery of Trazarg.
Marriages and Children
Isabella had two marriages:
- 1. She married Philip of Antioch between January 1221 and January 1222. Philip died in prison in Sis in 1225 or 1226.
- 2. She married Hethum I, who became king of Cilician Armenia, on May 14, 1226. Hethum I lived from 1215 to 1270.
Isabella and Hethum I had several children:
- Euphemia (died 1309), who married Julian of Sidon.
- Sybilla (died 1290), who married Prince Bohemond VI of Antioch.
- Rita, who married Constantine of Servantikar.
- Leo II, who became king of Cilician Armenia (born 1236 or 1237, died 1289).
- Thoros (born 1244, died 1266).
- Isabella (died around 1268).
- Marie, who married Guy of Ibelin.
