Thoros II the Great, also Thoros II (died February 6, 1169) is the sixth lord of Armenian Cilicia or “Lord of the Mountains” (1144 /1145 -1169 ) Thoros (together with his father, Leo I and his brother, Roupen) is taken captive and imprisoned in Constantinople in 1137 after the Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenus, during his campaign against Cilicia and the Principality of Antioch, had successfully laid siege to Gaban and Vahka (today Feke in Turkey).

All Cilicia remains under Byzantine rule for eight years.

Unlike his father and brother, Thoros survives his incarceration in Constantinople and is able to escape in 1143.

Whatever the conditions in which Thoros enters Cilicia, he finds it occupied by many Greek garrisons.

He rallies around him the Armenians in the eastern parts of Cilicia and after a persistent and relentless pursuit of the Greeks, he successfully ousts the Byzantine garrisons from Pardzerpert (now Andırın in Turkey), Vahka, Sis (today Kozan in Turkey), Anazarbus, Adana, Mamistra and eventually Tarsus.

His victories are aided by the lack of Muslim attacks in Cilicia and from the setbacks the Greeks and the Crusaders suffer on the heels of the loss of Edessa.

Emperor Manuel I Komnenus, unhappy with Thoros’s progress in the areas still claimed by the Byzantine Empire, seeks peaceful means to settle his conflict with Thoros, but his effirorts are fruitless.

The recovery before 1150 of the Taurus fortresses by Thoros does not seriously affect Greek power, but his conquest of Mamistra in 1151 and the rest of Cilicia in 1152 necessitate a great expedition.

[ As a result, during the course of the next 20 years there are no less than three separate military campaigns launched by the emperor against Thoros, but each campaign is only able to produce a limited success.

Thoros’ accomplishments during his reign place Armenian Cilicia on a firm footing.