Lusignan Family
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Who were the Lusignan family?
The Lusignan family was a noble family from Poitou, a province in western France, that produced many crusaders and kings of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Lesser Armenia. Hugh I, lord of Lusignan, was a vassal of the counts of Poitiers in the 10th century.
Two sons of Hugh VIII became kings of Jerusalem and Cyprus. Guy became king of Jerusalem in 1186 through his marriage to Sibyl, the sister of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. Guy's brother Amalric II succeeded to the crown of Cyprus and became king of Jerusalem in 1197. Amalric founded a dynasty of Cyprus sovereigns lasting until 1475, when Cyprus was ceded to Venice. Another member of the house who ruled in Cyprus was Peter I, who launched expeditions against the Muslims to try to regain the Holy Lands.
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Where did the Lusignan family come from?
The Lusignan family originated in Poitou, a province in western France. In the 10th century, Hugh I, lord of Lusignan, was a vassal of the counts of Poitiers.
Several members of the Lusignan family took part in the Crusades. Hugh VIII's sons significantly increased the family's wealth. Two of Hugh VIII's other sons became kings of Jerusalem and Cyprus.
Guy became king through marriage to Sibyl, sister of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. Later, he exchanged his empty title for Cyprus's sovereignty in 1192. Amalric II, Guy's brother, took the crown of Cyprus and became king of Jerusalem in 1197.
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What role did the Lusignan family play in French history?
The Lusignan family, from Poitou in western France, played a notable role in French history through their involvement in major political events and alliances. Hugh IX allied with Philip II Augustus against King John of England after John took his fiancée, Isabella of Angoulême, for his wife, leading to England's loss of continental possessions. Later, Hugh X and Isabella fluctuated in their loyalty to Henry III, and their revolt against Louis IX of France ended with the loss of their strongholds, though they were eventually pardoned. Hugh XIII later pledged La Marche and Angoulême to Philip IV of France.
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How did the Lusignan family become kings of places outside France?
The Lusignan family, originally from Poitou, France, rose to prominence through crusading and strategic marriages. Guy of Lusignan, through his marriage to Sibyl, became King of Jerusalem in 1186. After losing Jerusalem to Muslim forces, he exchanged his title for the sovereignty of Cyprus in 1192.
Guy's brother, Amalric II, succeeded him, obtaining the title of King of Cyprus and King of Jerusalem through marriage to Sibyl's sister, Isabella. The Lusignan dynasty in Cyprus lasted until 1475, when Cyprus was ceded to Venice. Peter I, a member of this house, attempted to regain the Holy Lands. These events facilitated the Lusignan family's ascent to royalty outside of France.
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What happened to the Lusignan family's power and lands over time?
The Lusignan family's power shifted from Poitou in France to the Crusader states, specifically Jerusalem and Cyprus. Guy of Lusignan became king of Jerusalem in 1186 through marriage but lost the city to Muslims. He then exchanged his title for Cyprus in 1192.
His brother Amalric II, who succeeded him, established a dynasty of Cyprus that lasted until 1475. They also held the title of king of Jerusalem. However, in 1426, Cyprus was raided by Egypt and paid tribute to Cairo. The last Lusignan king, James II, expelled the Genoese from Famagusta. His wife, Caterina Cornaro, ceded Cyprus to Venice. Driven from the Asian mainland in 1291, the ruling house of Lusignan retreated to the island of Cyprus, which its members ruled until the late 15th century, still claiming the title king of Jerusalem.
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Lusignan Family, noble family of Poitou (a province of western France) that provided numerous crusaders and kings of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Lesser Armenia. A branch of the family became counts of La Marche and Angoulême and played a role in precipitating the baronial revolt in England against King Henry III. The castle of Lusignan is associated with the medieval legend of Mélusine.
Hugh (Hugues) I, lord of Lusignan, was a vassal of the counts of Poitiers in the 10th century. Early members of the family participated in the Crusades, but it was Hugh VIII’s sons who established the family fortunes.
Hugh VIII’s eldest son and successor, Hugh IX the Brown (d. 1219), held the countship of La Marche. In 1200 his fiancée, Isabella of Angoulême, was taken for wife by his feudal lord, King John of England. This outrage caused Hugh to turn to the king of France, Philip II Augustus, forming an alliance that culminated in John’s loss of his continental possessions.
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John, in an attempt to pacify Hugh, gave his daughter Joan as fiancée to Hugh X (d. 1249), but the marriage never took place. Instead, after John’s death, Hugh X married his widow, Isabella, in 1220. Hugh and Isabella fluctuated in their loyalty to John’s successor (Isabella’s son), Henry III. When Louis IX of France granted Poitou as a countship to his brother Alphonse, Hugh at first supported him. Isabella’s anger caused a turnabout and, eventually, brought about a disastrous revolt supported by Henry III. In this revolt Hugh lost his principal strongholds, but Louis IX pardoned the Lusignans, and they swore loyalty again.
Nine children were born to Isabella and Hugh X, five of whom went to England at the invitation of their half brother, Henry III. There they were rewarded with lands, riches, and distinctions at the expense of the English barons, who eventually revolted against Henry and forced the exile of the Lusignan brothers from England in 1258. Hugh XIII (d. 1303) pledged La Marche and Angoulême to Philip IV the Fair of France.
Two other sons of Hugh VIII became kings of Jerusalem and Cyprus. Guy (c. 1129–94), through his marriage to Sibyl, the sister of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, got the kingdom in 1186 but lost his capital city in wars with the Muslims (1187) and finally exchanged his empty title for the sovereignty of Cyprus (1192).
Guy’s brother Amalric (Amaury) II (d. April 1, 1205) succeeded to the crown of Cyprus and became king of Jerusalem in 1197 by marrying Sibyl’s sister Isabella after the death of her two previous husbands. Amalric was the founder of a dynasty of sovereigns of Cyprus lasting until 1475, when Cyprus was ceded to Venice. His descendants after 1269 regularly enjoyed the title of king of Jerusalem. Among the most famous members of the house who ruled in Cyprus was Peter I (Pierre I; d. 1369), who set forth on various expeditions against the Muslims in a last attempt to gain the Holy Lands. He was assassinated by discontented nobles in Cyprus.
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