Levon V Lusignan (1374-1375)

In 1374, Levon V Lusignan inherited a kingdom that was isolated around Sis, surrounded by Turkish-Seljuk and Mamluk enemies, and was in a state of decline due to wasted resources and constant attacks. Months after his coronation, recurring wars and famine that started in the city forced the inhabitants of the capital, along with the wounded King Levon, to accept the surrender of Sis in April 1375 to the Mamluk forces commanded by the Emir of Aleppo, Ashraf Khalil, under the command of Egyptian Sultan Sha'ban II. Levon V, along with his subjects, was taken captive to Egypt. In 1382, thanks to the ransom paid by the Kings of Aragon and Castile, the last king of the Armenians was released from captivity and spent the last decade of his life first in Spain, then in France, where he was received with warmth and honor.

Briefly, during his reign of seven months, Levon was able to mint silver-copper coins, which were quite similar to the late issues of his predecessor, Constantine IV. With these, the more than two-century-long tradition of minting coins in the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia ended.

As for the small silver-copper coins with the image of the king's face and copper coins with the image of a running lion, which are traditionally attributed to Levon V, they, with their style, fabrication, and metrological data, do not fit the time in question. The "numismatic history" of the Cilician minting process excludes the revival of certain distinct features from earlier times during those final months. The place of these coins must be sought in the sequence of issues of the 13th century.