LEON II ROUBINYAN (Magnificent)

Leo II , also Leon II, Levon II or Lewon II (1150 May, 1219) was the tenth lord of Armenian Cilicia or Lord of the Mountains(1187 1198/1199), and the first king of Armenian Cilicia (sometimes as Levon I the Magnificent or Lewon I) (1198[1]/1199 1219). During his reign, Leo 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 (now Nur Mountains in Turkey). In 1194-1195, 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 January 6, 1198 or 1199, in the Church of Holy Wisdom at Tar