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In foreign policy he continued the policy of his predecessor in attracting the gaze of the western world. This he achieved through marriage: first he married Isabelle de Lusignan, daughter of Hugues III, and later became engaged to Jeanne a'Angou, niece of Robert, the king of Naples, and daughter of Philip d'Angou who later became the emperor of Byzantine. Oshin also tried to realize the alliance between the Catholic and the Armenian Apostolic Churches, but with more caution and tolerance than his predecessors, avoiding an uprising in Armenia at all costs.



Nonetheless, his son and successor, Levon V (1320-1342), was left facing a revolt of the Armenians who saw these marriages to western and Catholic princesses as an indication of the Latin tendencies of the Armenian court. Levon V, who himself had married Constance d' Argon, widow to king Henry II Lusignan (the king of Cyprus), repressed the uprising. Soon after, he was forced to engage in battle with the sultan of Egypt, Naser, who was a Mameluke. Naser wished to annihilate New Armenia, the last Christian state in the Orient, thereby eradicating the last base from which the west could expand the Christian world intoMuslim territory. Naser allied himself with the Seljuk Turks and Turkmen and invaded New Armenia. Armenia, deserted by Europe, saved itself through the heroic deeds of the Armenian people. The Armenian army hid among the mountains and surprised the forces of the Mameluke sultan in the mountain passages, and annihilating them. 96 Sultan Naser was therefore compelled to accept a compromising peace-treaty, according to which he would have to, over a period of fifteen years, pay the expenses for the reconstruction of Armenian fortresses, including those of Lajazzo (Aias). In return, New Armenia would pay half the sum of its customs income to Egypt.

In 1335, Levon V was deceived by the empty promises of Philip VI, king of France, and the Vatican and persuaded to resume the war against the sultan of Egypt. The support of the west, in form of troops which he had been promised, turned into only a couple of thousands of golden Florins. 98 The Mamelukes occupied Armenia and the king was once more forced to take cover among the mountains; although it was not long before he accepted Egyptian peace terms. The sultan would allow the existence of Armenia, only if the Armenian king would swear on the Bible never to have any contacts with the western world.