Thoros and the Armenians invade the Byzantine-held island of Cyprus. Defeat the local Byzantine forts of Limassol and Nicosia before taking on the brunt of the Byzantine navy.
The tiny kingdom of Cilician Armenia lies between hostile empires, its ruling family in Byzantine captivity. When Prince Thoros escapes, he embarks on a dangerous campaign to liberate his homeland, but the vengeful Byzantines are not his only foes. The Seljuk Turks covet the region as well, and a ruthless Frankish crusader is pursuing his own schemes to the south...
Thoros II (1110/1111-1169) was the sixth Lord of Armenian Cilicia from the Rubenid dynasty from 1144/1145-1169. He was initially imprisoned by the Byzantines but in 1143 escaped to Armenian Cilicia to become its ruler in 1144 after expelling the Byzantines. In 1152, a Byzantine invasion was defeated in Mamistra by Thoros and his brothers Mleh and Stephan. He formed an alliance with the Knights Templar in 1154 to wage war against the Seljuk Turks, and joined up with his former rival Reynald de Chatillon in 1156 to plunder Cyprus. In 1164, Thoros' Crusader allies were defeated at the Battle of Harim, while his forces managed to escape. After defeating a third and final invasion of Armenia by the Byzantines in 1168, Armenia recognized Byzantine sovereignty of the Gulf of Alexandretta in exchange for autonomy, and Thoros ruled the rest of his days in peace.
31 окт 2023
