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It is (not only) the will of god»: the king-doms of Cyprus and Cilician Armenia... 149

Hakalmaz Turaç

«IT IS (NOT ONLY) THE WILL OF GOD»: THE KINGDOMS
OF CYPRUS AND CILICIAN ARMENIA IN THE CRUSADER
MEDITERRANEAN*
DOI 10.19229/1828-230X/54072022

ABSTRACT: In 1196, Aimery de Lusignan, the lord of Cyprus, requested the establishment of the Latin
Church of Cyprus. A year later, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI crowned him King of Cyprus.
Likewise, Prince Leo of Cilician Armenia received his crown after negotiating with Henry VI. The pope
also agreed in 1198 that the Armenian Church should be united with the Latin Church. Although
seemingly ecclesiastical decisions, the rulers’ goals in these cases were political, with the elevation
of their respective principalities into kingdoms the reward for their spiritual efforts. In turn, they had
to keep their ecclesiastical promises to maintain their political power throughout the thirteenth cen-
tury. This paper, using papal correspondence, letters, chronicles, and relevant secondary studies,
underlines the political aspects of ecclesiastical policy in the Latin East, specifically focusing on a
comparative examination of the kingdoms of Cyprus and Cilician Armenia. Such comparison indicates
that ecclesiastical change became a political tool, effective in diplomacy and aimed at fulfilling specific
interests of the ruling elite. This paper also focuses on the relations between these two kingdoms and
exposes the importance of the papacy, which, under certain conditions, condoned unorthodox prac-
tices for the sake of the political stability of the Latin East. Thus, this study argues that ecclesiastical
and political institutions and policies were not mutually exclusive but, in fact, could be consciously
mobilised for mutual benefit. A comparative perspective enables this article to analyse more deeply
this mechanism for political change in the Crusader Mediterranean, than have other recent scholarly
works focused on single kingdoms or polities.

KEYWORDS: Kingdom of Cyprus, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia, Crusader States, Latin church,
Mediterranean politics.

«QUESTO È (NON SOLTANTO) IL VOLERE DI DIO»: IL REGNO DI CIPRO E CILICIA ARMENA
NELLA CROCIATA MEDITERRANEA

SOMMARIO: Nel 1196, Amalrico di Lusignano, signore di Cipro, richiese al Papato la fondazione
della Chiesa Latina di Cipro. L’anno successivo, l'imperatore del Sacro Romano Impero Enrico
VI lo incoronò re di Cipro. Allo stesso modo, il principe Leone della Cilicia Armena ricevette la
corona grazie alle trattative con lo stesso Enrico. Inoltre nel 1198, il Papa sancì l’unione fra la

* Abbreviations: Rrh, (R. Röhricht, [ed.], Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani, 1097-1291,
2 vols., Innsbruck, 1893-1904); Rhc, (Recueil des historiens des croisades, [ed.], Acadé-
mie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, 16 vols., Paris, 1841-1906; This collection is divi-
ded into: Rhc, Arm. (Documents arméniens, 2 vols., 1896-1906); Rhc, Lois (Lois, 2 vols.,
1841-1843); Rhc, Oc. (Historiens occidentaux, 5 vols., 1844-1895); Rhc, Or. (Historiens
orientaux, 5 vols., 1872-1906); Rhc, Grec. (Historiens grecs, 2 vols., 1875-1881); Bulla-
rium, (C. Schabel, [ed.], Bullarium Cyprium, Papal Letters Concerning Cyprus 1196-1261.
vol. 1, Imprinta Ltd., Nicosia, 2010); Cartulary (N. Coureas, C. Schabel, [eds.], the Car-
tulary of the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom of Nicosia, Cyprus Research Centre, Nicosia,
1997); Synodicum (C. Schabel [trans.], The Synodicum Nicosiense and Other Documents
of the Latin Church of Cyprus, 1196–1373, Cyprus Research Centre, Nicosia, 2001).
Acknowledgements: I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Jonathan Jarrett, Dr.
Luca Zavagno and Dr. Rebecca Darley for their support, suggestions and comments.

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XIX - Aprile 2022
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)