Sterling Silver Ring, Levon II, Copper Kardez Coin, 2120

Denomination: Copper Kardez Date: 1270-1289

Description: Obv: Lion walking left. Rev: cross with stars.

History: Levon II, also known as Leon II, was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1269-1289. Son to King Hetoumn I and Queen Isabella, he was a member of the Hetoumid family.
As a ruler, Levon II was pious and devoted to Christianity while upholding his duty as king by focusing on trade route renewal and expansion. When in 1271 Marco Polo visited the Kingdom of Cilicia he remarked on the country's abundance and it's clear headed ruler.
Beyond the rule of Levon II, Armenia was closely associated with the crusader states. Christianity had been the state religion since King Tiridates III was converted by Gregory the Iluminator in 301 AD. At that time Tiridates declared Christianity as the national religion, the first country in the world to do so, some 20 years before Constantine the Great did the same for the Roman Empire.
As with many Central European countries, Armenia has had a long history of devout Christian faith actually left the native area, and founded a new nation near the Mediterranean Sea, called “Lesser Armenia.” Geographic proximity brought “Lesser Armenia” into close contact and influence with the crusader and Europe. Western ideas, social structure, language, and art were adopted and flourished. This was considered the “golden age of Armenian illumination.”