Editing Hethum II (section)

==Later years==
[[File:Cilician Armenia-en.svg|thumb|220px|The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, 1199–1375]]
In 1304, the [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluks]] continued their assault on [[Cilician Armenia]], and succeeded in taking back all the lands which the Armenians had acquired during the Mongol invasion. The Mamluks wanted to punish the Armenians for allying with the Mongols.

The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia's alignment with the Mongol Empire continued, motivated as much by the need for self-protection from the [[Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm]] on their western borders as self-interest in acquiring territory to the east, albeit short-lived. Following the conversion of the Mongol Ilkhan [[Ghazan]] to Islam in 1295, his successor [[Öljaitü]] exercised less control over outlying countries under Mongol protection and reduced the military campaigns against the Mamluks in Syria. According to contemporary Arabic and Persian accounts, one of his generals, [[Bilarghu]], a devout Muslim, had indicated his intention to erect a [[mosque]] in the city of [[Sis, Armenia|Sis]], still part of the Christian Kingdom of Armenia, possibly  as part of a wider plan to place the province under his own control. Hethum conveyed his worries about these plans by letter to Öljaitü. He was subsequently summoned by Bilarghu to a meeting on 17 November 1307, in an encampment beneath the walls of the royal stronghold of [[Anazarbus]] (''Caesarea'' in the [[Roman province]] of [[Cilicia#Roman Cilicia|Cilicia]]), either to hold counsel or for a [[banquet]]. Hethum attended with about 40 noblemen and his young nephew [[Leo III of Armenia|King Leon]], for whom as ''Grand Baron'' he was acting as regent. [[Bilarghu]], however, had learnt of Hethum's letter and ordered his men to massacre the Armenian king and his guests upon their arrival. When the Armenians arrived for the [[banquet]], they were massacred while having their meals along with Hethum and his nephew [[Leo III of Armenia|King Leon]]. Following this assassination, Hethum's brother [[Oshin, King of Armenia|Oshin]], heir to the throne, occupied Sis. He sent another brother Alinakh to report on Bilarghu's treachery to [[Öljaitü]], who ordered the immediate execution of [[Bilarghu]] and his soldiers and confirmed his support of Oshin as king as [[Leo III of Armenia|Leo III]] had no heirs since he was too young to marry when he was murdered.<ref name=stewart-2005>{{harvnb|Stewart|2005}}</ref>