The Rubenids (Armenian: Ռուբինեաններ) or Roupenids were an Armenian dynasty who dominated parts of Cilicia, and who established the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The dynasty takes its name from its ancestor, the Armenian prince Ruben I. The Rubenids were princes, later kings, of Cilicia from around AD 1080 until they were surpassed by the Hethumids in the mid-thirteenth century.

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The new Armenian state established very close relations with European countries and played a very important role during the Crusades, providing the Christian armies a safe haven and provisions on their way towards Jerusalem. Intermarriage with European crusading families was common, and European religious, political, and cultural influence was strong.

[edit] References

• Boase, T. S. R. (1978). The Cilician Kingdom of Armenia. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press. ISBN 0-7073-0145-9.