In the winter of 1158 – 59, he marched to Cilicia at the head of a huge army ; the speed of his advance ( Manuel had hurried on ahead of the main army with 500 cavalry ) was such that he managed to surprise the Armenian Thoros of Cilicia, who had participated in the attack on Cyprus.

A member of the Hethumid dynasty, he was the son of Thoros III of Armenia and Margaret of Lusignan, who was the daughter of King Hugh III of Cyprus.

The throne of Armenia had changed hands multiple times during Leo's brief lifetime, being held variously by his uncle Hethum II in 1295, passed peacefully to his father Thoros III in 1296, then usurped by another uncle Sempad, who was usurped by his brother Constantine III of Armenia, who himself was deposed by his brother Hethum II in 1299.

Thoros and his brother, Mleh who had been more cautious, escaped from the battlefield.

Thoros quarreled with his brother Mleh who attempting to assassinate him fled to Nur ed-Din and became a Moslim.

Thoros, weary after nearly quarter of a century of rule and warfare, abdicated in favor of his young son Roupen, who was placed under the guardianship of Thoros ’ s father-in-law, the Regent Thomas.

In the battle, Bohemond III fell into an ambush and found himself and his knights surrounded by the army of Mosul, but Thoros II and Mleh, who had been more cautious, escaped from the battlefield.

* Thoros of Marash also known as Tatoul, an Armenian leader who dealt with the early Crusader states

* Marie de Poitiers, who may have married in 1220 Thoros of Armenia ( d. 1266 ), son of Queen Isabella of Armenia and her second husband Hethum I of Armenia, King Consort of Armenia.

Peri has, in fact, survived, presumably recovered from Kiv's transplant ( if it ever actually occurred ), and married King Yrcanos of Thoros Alpha, a warrior king who had assisted the Doctor and Peri during the Mindwarp incident.

Thoros was a Christian of Armenian origin but of Greek Orthodox religion and was largely disliked by his Armenian Orthodox subjects ; in March 1098 he was assassinated or abdicated ( here historians conflict ), although it is unknown if Baldwin had any part in whichever of the two options did happen.

In February 1130, Bohemond II, Prince of Antioch, whose ambition was to restore his principality, thought that the moment had come to recover Anazarbus ( a former Antiochene town which had fallen into the possession of Thoros I ).

Thoros revenged his death with a massacre of Greeks within his territories, which would have led to war had not Amalric I of Jerusalem intervened to bring about a peace.

Thoros ( together with his father, Leo I and his brother, Roupen ) was taken captive and imprisoned in Constantinople in 1137 after the Byzantine Emperor John II Comnenus, during his campaign against Cilicia and the Principality of Antioch, successfully had laid siege to Gaban and Vahka ( today Feke in Turkey ).

The recovery before 1150 of the Taurus fortresses by Thoros had not seriously affected Greek power, but his conquest of Mamistra in 1151 and the rest of Cilicia in 1152 had necessitated a great expedition.

Thoros was at Tarsus, suspecting nothing, when suddenly, one day in late October, a Latin pilgrim whom he had entertained came rushing back to his Court to tell him that he had seen Imperial troops only a day ’ s march away.

Eventually, King Baldwin III of Jerusalem intervened and successfully brokered a peace treaty between the Emperor and Thoros: Thoros had to walk barefoot and bareheaded to the camp of the emperor ; there he prostrated himself in the dust before the imperial platform.

But Mleh, whom Thoros II had expelled from Cilicia for embracing the Muslim faith, almost undid his brother ’ s work.

Although Mleh had taken vows as a Templar, but after quarrelling with Thoros II and attempting to assassinate him, he fled to Nur ed-Din.

In 1309, he had his wife's uncle Oshin, Marshal of Armenia, executed for the murder of his brother Thoros III.

However, Thoros II ’ s brother, Mleh disputed the succession ; Mleh had fled to Nur ed-Din ( the emir of Aleppo ) and become Moslim after quarreling with Thoros II and attempting to assassinate him.

In reality, Thoros had paid very little of the dowry, Arda had produced no children, and an Armenian wife was less useful in Jerusalem than in Edessa.

Thoros was murdered in Partzerpert in 1298 ; but Constantine turned against Sempad, usurped the throne for himself, imprisoned Sempad and freed Hethum.

The family castle of Vahka ( today Feke in Turkey ) held out for some weeks, but after its fall Leo and two of his sons, Roupen and Thoros, were captured.

But Thoros was well prepared for the unsuspecting Greeks and consequently won a decisive victory: as Andronicus Comnenus moved up to besiege Thoros at Mamistra, the Armenians made a sudden sortie and caught him unawares.

Andronicus Comnenus ’ s mission was such an opportunity but it was not an occasion for glory: many of their numbers were killed by Thoros ’ s aggressive strategy, and many more were taken into captivity.

Oshin II was eventually released for a ransom but his son was kept as hostage ; but Thoros arranged the marriage of his daughter to Hethum and returned half the ransom money to the groom ’ s father Oshin II of Lampron.

Then the emperor turned to Antioch for help ; he offered to recognize the new Prince, Raynald of Châtillon, if the Franks of Antioch would fight for him against Thoros ; he also promised a money-subsidy if the work were properly done.

In 1168, Emperor Manuel I, obsessed with his dilemma with Thoros, marched his armies into Cilicia for the third time under the command of Konstantinos Kalamanos.

In Cilicia, the family castle of Vahka ( today Feke in Turkey ) held out for some weeks, but after its fall their father and two of their brothers, Roupen and Thoros, were captured.

* Thoros the Younger, alternate term for Leo II, King of Armenia, son of Thoros III

Thoros ’ s brother, Stephen, ignoring Thoros ’ s official pledges to Manuel, with the help of a few of his supporters continued attacking Greek garrisons thus giving Andronicus Euphorbenus, the Byzantine governor stationed in Tarsus, the opportunity to sabotage the treaty.

About the year 1143, Mleh ’ s brother, Thoros escaped from Constantinople and recaptured the family stronghold of Vahka ; Mleh and his brother, Stephen joined him.

When Constantine I died, Leo ’ s brother Thoros I succeeded him ; Leo may have ruled in the eastern part of “ the Mountains ” during the lifetime of his brother ( although the basis of this proposition is not known ).

Emperor Manuel I Comnenus, unhappy with Thoros ’ s progress in the areas still claimed by the Byzantine Empire, sought peaceful means to settle his conflict with Thoros, but his attempts bore him no fruits.

Thoros ’ s accomplishments during his reign placed Armenian Cilicia on a firm footing.

Emperor Manuel I Comnenus persuaded the Seljuk Sultan of Iconium, Masud I, to attack Thoros and demand his submission to the Sultan ’ s suzerainty.

Byzantium also disclaimed all rights to direct government of Cilicia and accepted in settlement only Thoros ’ s recognition of Byzantine suzerainty.

With Thoros ’ s legitimate heir dead, Mleh embarked on a policy of conquest with cruel application of force.

Thoros II abdicated in favour of his young son Roupen in 1169, and placed Roupen under the guardianship of the Regent Thomas ( Thomas was the child ’ s maternal grandfather ).

Emperor Manuel I at once sent his cousin Andronicus Comnenus with an army to recover the territory lost to Thoros.