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1/2 Tahekan - Leo I
| Issuer | Cilician Armenia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1198-1219 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field features two addorsed lions passant, face to face, with a large patriarchal or Latin cross prominently positioned between them above their bodies, all enclosed within a beaded inner circle. The lions are rendered in a bold, heraldic style typical of Cilician Armenian coinage of the period. An Armenian inscription runs around the outer border within a second beaded circle, referencing the mint city of Sis. The overall composition conveys royal and religious symbolism consistent with the numismatic tradition of Leo I's reign. |
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| Mint | Sis |
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| Additional information |
Leo I was crowned King of Armenian Cilicia in January 1198 by a representative of Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, a deliberate political alignment that brought the Armenian kingdom formally into the Latin sphere at a moment when Crusader states were fracturing around it. The gold coinage issued under his reign — including this half tahekan — drew heavily on Western European coin types rather than Byzantine models, a conscious departure that signaled diplomatic orientation as much as aesthetic preference.
Bedoukian 49 is among the better-documented fractions of the series.