LEVON I OF ARMENIA AE28 TANK_Crowned Lion Head_CHAMPIONED THE CRUSADES

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7F07 FRASCATIUS ANCIENTS A BEAUTIFUL BRONZE TANK OF LEVON I OF ARMENIA FROM 1198 - 1219 AD . He was a benevolent, ingenuous man without a grudge toward anyone, who took his refuge in God and guided his principality accordingly. He was a wise, brilliant man, a skilled horseman, brave-hearted in battle, with attention to human and divine charity, energetic and happy of countenance. — Smbat Sparapet: ChronicleTHE SIZE IS 28.2 MM AND 6.35 GRAMS. (NICE LARGE SIZE) OBVERSE – LEVON KING OF THE ARMENIANS Crowned Lion head facing slightly right REVERSE – Patriarchal cross; stars flanking Levon I of Armenia (1150 – 1219) was the the first king of Armenian Cilicia (sometimes as Levon I the Magnificent (1199–1219).During his reign, Levon succeeded in establishing Cilician Armenia as a powerful and a unified Christian state, and his pre-eminence in the political arena cannot be overestimated. He eagerly supplied the armies of the Third Crusade with provisions, guides, pack animals and all manner of aid, besides pledging the cooperation of his army. Under his rule, Armenian power was at its apogee: his kingdom extended from Isauria to the Amanus Mountains In 1195, when he was planning to get the title of king, he instituted a union of the Armenian church with Rome. With the signing of the Act of Union, his coronation proceeded without delay. He was consecrated as king on 1199, in the Church of Holy Wisdom at Tarsus. His ascension to the throne of Cilicia as its first Armenian monarch heralded into reality not merely an official end to Cilicia’s shadowy umbilical connection to the Byzantine Empire, but also a new era of ecclesiastical co-operation with the West. A skilled diplomat and wise politician, Levon established useful alliances with many of the contemporary rulers; he also gained the friendship and support of the Hospitallers and the Teutonic Knights by granting considerable territories to them. Commerce was greatly developed during the reign of Levon: he granted charters regarding trade and commercial privileges to Genoa, Venice and Pisa. These charters provided their holders with special tax exemptions in exchange for their merchandising trade. They encouraged the establishment of Italian merchant communities in Tarsus, Adana and Mamistra, and became a large source of revenue for the growth and development of Cilician Armenia. Levon was a valiant and learned prince; he enlarged his principality and became the master of many provinces. A few days only after his taking possession of the country, the descendants of Ismael, under the command of one Roustam, advanced and came against Cilicia. Levon was not frightened, but confiding in God, who destroyed Sanacherib, he vanquished with a few men the great army of the infidels. Roustam himself being killed by St. George, the whole Hagarenian army then fled and dispersed; the Armenians pursued them and enriched themselves by the booty. The power of Levon thus increased, and being confident in his strength, he chased the Tadjiks and pursued the Turks; he conquered Isauria and came as far as Iconium; he captured Heraclea, and again gave it up for a large ransom; he blockaded Caesarea, and had nearly taken it; he made a treaty with the Sultan of Iconium, and received a large sum of money from him; he surrounded Cilicia on every side with forts and castles; he built a new church called Agner, and was exceedingly generous to all monasteries erected by his ancestors; his bounty extended itself even to the leprous; they being shunned by everybody and expelled from every place, he assigned to them a particular house, and provided them with necessaries.— Vahram of Edessa:The Rhymed Chronicle of Armenia Minor A True Auction Environment – Auctions start at $.99 with No Minimums and No Reserves.FULL UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE OF AUTHENTICITY If the buyer feels that the coin received is not as represented - just return the coin and the buyer will be fully reimbursed for the cost of the coin; the original shipping charge; and the cost to ship t... read more

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