The Kingdom of Cilicia was an Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. It was centered in the Cilicia region norhwest of the Gulf of Alexandretta. The capital originally located at Tarsus was moved to Sis. Cilicia was a strong ally of the European Crusaders and saw itself as a bastion of Christendom in the East. As Armenia was under foreign occupation at the time it became a focus of Armenian nationalism and culture. When the First Crusade took place, an army of Western European Christians marched through Cilicia on their way to Jerusalem. The Cilicians gained powerful allies with the Frankish Crusaders in particular. With the crowning of Leo I, King of Armenia and the Rubenid dynasty, the Kingdom of Cilicia was born. Commercial and military interactions with Europeans brought Western influences to Cilician Armenian society - including chivalry, fashion in clothing, the user of French titles, names and language. The society gradually shifted from its traditional system to that of Western feudalism. The economy thrived economically the the port of Ayas serving as the center for trade. After relentless attacks by the Mamluks in Egypt in the fourteenth century, the Kingdom of Cilicia fell in 1375. Over 30,000 wealthy Armenians left and settled in Cyprus. Other merchans fled westward and founded or joined other diaspora communities in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. The humbler Armenians remained and maintained their foothold for centuries to come. The lion, the emblem of the Kingdom of Cilicia, remains a symbol of Armenian statehood today and features proudly on the Coat of arms of Armenia.

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