Hethum I, King of Armenia

Hethum I. (including Halton, Heythum or Het'um; † around 1271) was from 1226 to 1269 through marriage king of Lesser Armenia.

Hethum was the son of Constantine of Lambron. Costantino led after the death of King Leon I. from the House of Rubeniden the regency for the underage Queen Isabel. This he married in 1222, first with Philip of Antioch, but unpopular in the country, imprisoned by Constantine and the Armenian barons and was eventually poisoned 1226.

In the same year married Isabel Konstantin against their will Hethum, who thereby won the throne for his family. He founded the dynasty of the Hethumiden.

Sempad traveled 1247/51 to the court of the Mongols to Karakorum and recognized them as overlords, what his house secured the political survival. Also Hethum himself traveled 1254/55 to the court of the Mongols. With him the last heyday of the " small Armenian " culture began around the centers Sis and Hromkla, the temporary seat of the Catholicos of Cilicia.

End of 1269, he abdicated in favor of his eldest son Leon and retired as a monk in a monastery, where he died around 1271.

Progeny

With Isabel, he had eight children:

• Euphemia († 1309) ∞ Julian Garnier, Lord of Sidon and Beaufort;
• Maria ( † after 1310) ∞ Guy of Ibelin ( † after 1270), son of Baldwin of Ibelin, Seneschal of Cyprus;
• Sybilla († 1290 ) ∞ Bohemond the Fair ( † 1275 ), Prince of Antioch, Count of Tripoli;
• Rita ( † 1261/62 ) ∞ Constantine, Lord of Sarventikar ( † after 1274);
• Leon ( † 1289 ), King of Armenia;
• Vacahk († young);
• Thoros (* 1244, † 1266 );
• Isabella ( † young).