The Diplomatic Correspondence of the Armenian King Levon I with the Egyptian Sultan Al-Malik Al-`Adil (1208–1209)

A conflict over the inheritance of the throne of Antioch, in which a number of Eastern Mediterranean countries were involved, started in 1201 and lasted until 1216. The two main opponents were Bohemond IV, Count of Tripoli, and Levon I, King of Cilician Armenia, who was trying to place his nephew, Raymond-Ruben, on the throne of Antioch. Bohemond IV had powerful allies in this struggle: the Seljuk Sultanate of Iconium and the Ayyubid Principality of Aleppo. Meanwhile, King Levon tried to get the support of the Pope, which, however, was clearly not enough in 1208 to tackle with a hostile siege. Therefore, the Armenian king took a bold step by sending a message to al-Malik al-`Adil, the sultan of Egypt (1200–1218) and the senior member of the Ayyubid dynasty. According to the valuable information provided by two historians (Anonymous of Edessa and Kamal al-Din Ibn al-`Adim), in 605 AH (1208–1209), in response to the request of King Levon, al-Malik al-`Adil sent letters to Kay Khosrow, the Seljuk sultan of Iconium, and al-Malik al-Zahir, the Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo, persuading (or forcing) them to make peace with the Armenian side. According to the reconciliation established between parties, the Seljuks of Rum and the Ayyubids of Aleppo stopped their joint attack against Cilicia. In its turn, the Armenian side had to fulfil some of their demands. The main demand was “not to interfere in the affairs of Antioch”. Therefore, Levon made no such an attempt during the next eight years (from 1208 to 1216), and there was a relative peace around that issue. Nevertheless, his dream was accomplished in 1216. This was the last stage of the 15-year-long conflict, in which all the mentioned states took part again, and diplomatic correspondence, including messages between al-Malik al-`Adil and Levon I, this time too had a decisive role. It clearly demonstrated that the Egyptian Sultanate and Cilician Armenia relations were maintained during this period on the level of the monarchs, and that the correspondence of 1208–1209 was not something accidental or unique.