In 1344 the nobles of Armenia elected Constantine III as the new King of Armenia (1344- 1363), the eldest son of Baldwin of Neghir, who had died in 1336 in the prison-house of the Emir of Aleppo.
For the first time the kingdom of New Armenia chose a ruler outside of the baronial house of Hetum. The new monarch was, however, related to the royal dynasty by his marriage with Mary, the daughter of the Regent Ochin and Joan of Anjou.
The first act of this sovereign was infamous. In an attempted to wipe out all rival claimants to the throne, Constantine III confiscated the property of Soldane, the wife of John of Lusignan, and her children Bohemon and Leo, aged five and two years respectively, and shut up the princess and the two little boys on the island of Korikos where he attempted to kill them by sending them poisoned honey.
Failing in this, he ordered the three captives to be drowned. Soldane was warned fortunately and escaped with her two children to Cyprus, where she placed herself under the protection of Hugh IV of Lusignan.
From:
- Morgan, J. De. (1918). The Kingdom of New Armenia (1199-1375). In J. De Morgan (Ed.), The history of the Armenian people, from the remotest times to the present day (pp. 253). Boston, USA: Hairenik Press, pref. 1918.
Awesome to hear and read about Armenian history
there a few problems with these two paintings, the one that said king Hetum receiving the homage of the Mongol’s the people do not look to be Mongol’s . the other picture which says King Constantin iii receiving knights of St John the people I see look like Arab Muslims the crusader knights are behind the king