Mleh, Prince of Armenia

Mleh I
Մլեհ Ա
Lord of Cilicia
Lord of Armenian Cilicia
Reign1170–1175
PredecessorRoupen II
SuccessorRoupen III
Bornbefore 1120
DiedMay 15, 1175
Sis
Burial
Medzkar
SpouseAn unnamed daughter of Vasil of Gargar
IssueGrigor (illegitimate child)
HouseRoupenians
FatherLeo I

Mleh I[1][2] (Armenian: Մլեհ), also Meleh I,[1] (before 1120 – Sis, May 15, 1175)[citation needed] was the eighth lord of Armenian Cilicia[1] (1170–1175).[citation needed]

The accomplishments during the reign of his elder brother, Thoros II, placed Cilicia on a firm footing.[1] But Mleh, whom Thoros II had expelled from Cilicia for converting to Islam, almost undid his brother's work.[1]

On the death of his brother, Mleh invaded Cilicia with the support of a contingent from Aleppo, which remained in his service and assisted him to drive out the Knights Templar and Greeks from the fortresses and, in 1173, the cities which they held in Cilicia.[3] Soon after the death of Nur ed-Din (the emir of Aleppo),[2] Mleh was overthrown by his nephew, Roupen III.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ghazarian, Jacob G. The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia during the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins (1080–1393).
  2. ^ a b Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades – Volume II.: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East: 1100–1187.
  3. ^ Gibb, Sir Hamilton A. R. The Career of Nūr-ad-Dīn.