Expulsion of Mongols from Cilicia
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| Siege of Anazarba | |||||||
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| Part of Mongol invasions of the Levant | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Cilician Armenia |
 Ilkhanate | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Oshin I Alinakh |
Bilarghu  [1] | ||||||
The expulsion of Mongols from Cilicia or Siege of Anazarba was the withdrawal of Mongol forces from Cilicia in 1307-08. It marked the end of the Armeno-Mongol alliance.[2]
Background
[edit]Mongol raids in the Middle East became a problem for Armenian state. Mongols defeated Sultanate of Rum forces led by Kaykhusraw II and approached the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Armenian nobles started diplomacy with the Mongols.[3]
Hethum I arrived to Karakorum, the capital of the Mongols in 1254. In the autumn of the same year, Hethum and the Great Mangu Khan concluded the Armeno-Mongol alliance. Both sides pledged to help each other during the war.[4]
Mongols started their invasions of the Levant and armenians joined it. But allied [vague] forces defeated them at Battle of Ain Jalut.[5] Mamluks marched to Cilicia and deafeated Armenians at the Battle of Mari, inflicting heavy casualties. The sons of Hethum I, Leo was took as prisoner, and Thoros Killed in Action.
At the Council of Sis in 1307, a decision was made to join the Catholic Church, but the West [vague] was in no hurry to help Cilicia. And the movement against the decision to unite with the Catholic Church was led by Greater Armenia , the latter were called anti-Unitarians, and the supporters of unification were called Unitarians.
Siege of Anazarba
[edit]General Bilarghu, the representative of the Mongol Khan, who nursed a grudge against Hethum for having prevented the erection of Moslem mosque in Sis, took advantage of this situation. He invited King Leo and the Regent, together with forty nobles, to Anazarba, as if for discussions of pressing political matters. As soon as the guests were inside the tent of the Tartar general, he unsheathed his sword and shouted, "Allah is great!" That was the signal for his soldiers to fall upon the Armenians and kill them all, including Hetoum and Leo.
Oshin and Alinakh, uncles of the dead king, besieged Anazarba in revenge.[2]
Aftermath
[edit]Bilarghu ran away to Khan. At the request of the Armenians, he was executed by Khan.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ armprelacy (2021-07-15). "Death of Oshin I (July 20, 1320)". Armenian Prelacy. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ a b Mkrtumyan, L. A. (2016). "Հայոց Պատմություն" (PDF). ASUE. p. 165.
- ^ "ՀԱՅՈՑ ՊԱՏՄՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ 7-ՐԴ ԴԱՍԱՐԱՆ". online.fliphtml5.com. p. 123. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ "ՀԱՅՈՑ ՊԱՏՄՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ 7-ՐԴ ԴԱՍԱՐԱՆ". online.fliphtml5.com. p. 125. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ "Battle of Ain Jalut (1260) | Description & Significance | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ Recueil des Historiens des Croisades, Documents Armeniens I, p.664