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Title: The Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia During the Crusades: The Integration of Cilician Armenians with the Latins, 1080-1393 by Jacob G. Ghazarian ISBN: 0-7007-1418-9 Publisher: Routledge Pub. Date: 26 October, 2000 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $114.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (3 reviews)

Rating: 3
Summary: One of the few overviews of Cilicia during the Crusades
Comment: When looking for works dealing with the Crusader period, one can find many that offer Western perspectives and even several decisive accounts from an Eastern, namely Arab perspective. Few, however, are volumes dealing specifically with the Cilician Armenian perspective on the Crusades and the role of the Cilician Kingdom in the successes of Western efforts to liberate the Holy Land. It is the lack of accessible scholarship on this particular aspect of the Crusader period that Jacob Ghazarian aims to rectify in his work.

In his introduction, Ghazarian states his intention to offer the reader a "succinct account of the political intrigues that engulfed the rulers of the Armenians in Cilicia during the Crusades with the greater emphasis placed on the first three crusades"(p. 24). At the outset of this undertaking, the author has in mind the perceptions of younger Armenians today on the history of Armenia-an understanding that hearkens back to the early years of Christian Armenia, but only a cursory awareness of medieval Armenia gained mainly through epic literature and folk tales that have their origins in this period. For this reason, Ghazarian aims "to bring into focus the all-important medieval history of the Armenians in Cilicia, and to show how their successes and failures there came to shape the future of their race and the perpetuation to this day of their conviction in the legitimacy of the uniquely Armenian non-Chalcedonian Christianity" (p. 25).

The study begins with a general survey of Armenian history from ancient times through the early medieval period, setting the scene for the focal period of Armenian Cilicia during the Crusader period. Of special interest is the attention given to the arrival of Armenians in Cilicia starting as early as the 6th Century. Ghazarian outlines the various reasons for migrations during this time, and specifically those of the Armenians. Armenians first arrived at the behest of the Byzantine government, but the arrival of the Seljuks in the 11th Century led to massive movements of Armenians to Cilicia. Armenians quickly came to dominate Byzantine commerce, and by 1080 managed to achieve political domination through the founding of the Roupenian dynasty. The first contacts with the Latins came in 1074, with Grigor II Vkayaser, the Armenian Catholicos, appealing to Pope Gregory VII for aid in fending of the Seljuk incursions. With the coming of the first crusade, contact increased greatly, and the Franks found valuable allies in the Armenian inhabitants of Cilicia. The Armenians welcomed the Crusaders as added reinforcements against Byzantine domination and the encroaching Seljuks, while the Crusaders valued the friendly oasis of Cilicia on their way to liberate the Holy Land. The invaluable role Cilician Armenia played in the liberation of the Holy Land is undeniable. But be that as it may, the united Armenian and Frankish forces could only stave off the advances of the Seljuks, the Mamlukes and the Mongols for but a few centuries.

The scarcity of works available in English devoted entirely to this period in Armenian history indicates the great value of such an undertaking, regardless of its shortcomings. At the very least, it sets a standard for future scholarship to surpass, and at the most it offers great insight in an integral aspect of the Crusader period, hitherto inaccessible to the English reader.

The author attempts what would be a vast undertaking by the most seasoned of scholars for which he must be greatly commended. That he could write so cogently on the subject is even more impressive when one notes that his field of scholarship is not history or Armenian studies, but rather biochemistry. Clearly the author is very talented and he does present a work that would be easily read by someone with no background in the subject matter. From the perspective of scholarship, however, there are problems with the work that call into question whether such an undertaking would have been better left to a historian with greater knowledge of the languages of original sources from this historical period. Nevertheless, these inaccuracies should not detract from the fact that Ghazarian provides the most complete history of this period available in English. Until more scholarly works are available on the subject, I would certainly recommend this work as background reading for this period with the caveat that it was not written by an historian.

To the author's credit, he does not claim mastery of the subject. Instead, throughout the work, he points to scholars who have written valuable works on various aspects of this period, as well as the whole of Armenian history. As valuable as a bibliography is to any scholarly work, the author's ample commentary on the various works noted found throughout the book is invaluable for anyone seeking details on this period. This far more than makes up for any shortcomings the author exhibits in his own scholarship on this period.

If one views this work as drawing together scholarship that details various aspects of the period of Armenian Cilicia, one can see its great value to anyone seeking in depth study of this historical period. Barring the aforementioned shortcomings, Jacob Ghazarian should be commended for his attempt at filling the void in the English-speaking world of a comprehensive work on the Cilician Armenian period. Until serious scholarship attempts a comparable undertaking, Ghazarian's work will stand alone for its comprehensive treatment of this important period in Armenian history and its contributions to Western successes in the Crusades.

Rating: 5
Summary: Cilicia
Comment: Very well written, fills you with important information without babbling. Gives you a short history of the condition Cilicia was in before the reign of King Ruben And most importantly, Ghazarian has interviewed Armenian priests and has earned the consent and blessings for the publishing of this book! Also displays pictures of king Leo III Toomb, Coat of Arms and the Priests themselves. Personaly, this book is intersting to read and is IMPORTANT to the history of the crusades.

Rating: 5
Summary: Cilicia
Comment: Very well written. Fills you with important information without babbling. Gives a short preview of the condition Cilicia was in before the reign of King Ruben. And most importantly Ghazarian has interviewed Armenian priests and has been granted their blessings to go forth with the publishing of this book!
Also shows important pictures of Leo III Toomb. Coat of arms and the priests themselves. Personaly, I take this book as an Intersting and IMPORTANT history lesson in Cilician Armenia.
I would recomend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about The Kingdom.