James II of Cyprus
| James II | |
|---|---|
Poitiers-Lusignan | |
| Father | John II of Cyprus |
| Mother | Marietta de Patras (concubine) |
James II (
Archbishop of Nicosia
James was born in
King of Cyprus
In 1458, his father died and his half-sister
in 1463.With the fall of Kyrenia before the autumn of 1464, de facto Charlotte and Louis lost their throne.[6] James was crowned king in her stead. In gratitude, he made his friend and supporter Juan Tafures Master of his Household and titular Count of Tripoli.
Marriage, death and succession
In Venice, on 30 July 1468, seeking political support, he married a 14-year-old Venetian, Catherine Cornaro, by proxy.[7] She finally sailed to Cyprus in 1472 and married in person at Famagusta in October or November.[7] James died in Famagusta a few months later amidst some suspicion that he might have been poisoned by agents of Venice, possibly by Catherine's uncles. According to his will, Catherine, who was pregnant, became regent. The couple's son, James III, died under suspicious circumstances in 1474 before his first birthday, leaving Catherine as queen regnant of Cyprus.[8] During her reign, the island was controlled by Venetian merchants.[8] In 1489, Venice forced her to abdicate, and Cyprus became a colony of the Republic of Venice.[8]
Illegitimate children
Prior to his marriage, King James II had three natural children[9][10] with an unnamed mistress:
- Eugene of Lusignan (b. c. 1468 - d. Venice, 1536), married Donna Paola Mazzara of Sicily after 1509.
- Janus of Lusignan (d. after 1552), married (1) 1504 to N de Toro, married (2) 1547 to Virginia Cosanza dei Duchi di San Sava, with issue.
- Charlotte of Lusignan (b. April 1468 - d. 24 July 1480 in Castel of Padua), she was either married or engaged to the designated heir of her aunt, Alonso, batard d'Aragona (1460–1510), a son of Ferdinand I of Naples. She was imprisoned by Queen Charlotte's opponents and died in captivity shortly before her twelfth birthday.[11]
He had another mistress, by the name of Eschive de Nores (d. after 1468), who married his cousin, Philippe, Titular Prince of Galilee, a natural son of his great-uncle, Henry. However, there is no record of any children with her.
Notes
References
- ISBN 978-0-8108-6298-2.
- ISBN 978-1-108-02064-0.
- ^ Letts 2016, p. 252.
- ^ Benjamin Arbel and David Jacoby, Intercultural Contacts in the Medieval Mediterranean, p. 45, published by Frank Cass, London, Google Books, retrieved on 19 June 2009
- ^ "Women in the Middle Ages", Greenwood Press 2004 p. 221
- ^ "CARLOTTA di Lusignano, regina di Cipro". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-03-24.
- ^ a b De Girolami Cheney 2013, p. 16.
- ^ a b c De Girolami Cheney 2013, p. 17.
- ^ Sanudo, Marino; Stefani, F.; Berchet, G.; Barozzi, N.; Deputazione di storia patria per la Venezie (1882). I diarii di Marino Sanuto. Vol. 8. F. Visentini. p. 648. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
- ^ Latrie, L. M. (1873). Nouvelles preuves de l'histoire de Chypre sous le reigne des princes de la maison de Lusignan. J. Baur et Detaille. p. 44. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
- ^ Hill 1948, p. 655.
Sources
- De Girolami Cheney, Liana (2013). "Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus". In Barrett-Graves, Debra (ed.). The Emblematic Queen Extra-Literary Representations of Early Modern Queenship. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hill, George (1948). A History of Cyprus. Vol. The Frankish Period, 1432–1571. Cambridge University Press.
- Letts, Malcolm (2016). The Pilgrimage of Arnold von Harff, Knight, from Cologne, 1496-1499. Routledge.
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