John of Lusignan ( French: ''Jean de Lusignan''; 1329-1330, c. 1329 or 1329/1330 – 1375) was a

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the

Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus (; ) was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an independent Christian kingdom, it was established by the French House of Lusignan after the Third Crusade. I ...

and later Constable of Cyprus and titular

Prince of Antioch Prince of Antioch was the title given during the Middle Ages to Normans, Norman rulers of the Principality of Antioch, a region surrounding the city of Antioch, now known as Antakya in Turkey. The Princes originally came from the County of Sicil ...

in 1345. He was son of King

Hugh IV of Cyprus Hugh IV (1293/1296 – 10 October 1359) was King of Cyprus from 31 March 1324 to his abdication, on 24 November 1358 and, nominally, King of Jerusalem, as Hugh II, until his death. The son of Guy, Constable of Cyprus (son of Hugh III of Cyprus) ...

and his second wife Alice of Ibelin. He was a member of the

House of Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of France, French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Kingdom of Cyprus, Cyprus, and Kingd ...

Life

While being a Regent of Cyprus, John launched an attack on

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

ports. He attacked

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

on 5 June 1369, but after a day of skirmishes, his fleet was diverted by a storm, he later avoided fortified

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, but managed to pillage both

Botron Batroun ( ';, ancient Botrys (), is a coastal city in North Lebanon, northern Lebanon and one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the capital city of Batroun District. Th ...

and

Tartus Tartus ( / ALA-LC: ''Ṭarṭūs''; known in the County of Tripoli as Tortosa and also transliterated from French language, French Tartous) is a major port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. It is the second largest port city in Syria (af ...

, then he went further north to

Latakia Latakia (; ; Syrian Arabic, Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mar ...

Ayas Ayas may refer to: Ayas * Ayas(आयस), Sanskrit for metal, see history of metallurgy in the Indian subcontinent * Ayas, Armenian metal band * Aya, Adana, the ancient city of Aegeae and medieval Ajazzo or Laiazzo, now Yumurtalık, Adana Pro ...

and

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

, before attacking

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

on 9–10 July, where the Cypriots tried in vain to seize a large Moroccan merchantman, they later returned to Sidon on 19 July, where they managed to land and defeat the garrison, but forced to evacuate due to a storm, they eventually cast anchor at

Famagusta Famagusta, also known by several other names, is a city located on the eastern coast of Cyprus. It is located east of the capital, Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under the maritime ...

on 22 July. John was murdered in

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

by instigation of

Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Cyprus file:Barcelona Cathedral Interior - Royal tombs in the Cathedral of Barcelona - The Queens.jpg, Her tomb in Barcelona Eleanor of Aragon (1333 – 26 December 1417) was List of Cypriot consorts, Queen consort of Cyprus by marriage to Peter I of Cy ...

, and the Genoese as a result of his involvement in the murder of his elder brother, King

Peter I of Cyprus Peter I (9 October 1328 – 17 January 1369) was King of Cyprus and titular King of Jerusalem from his father's abdication on 24 November 1358 until his death in 1369. He was invested as titular Count of Tripoli in 1346. As King of Cyprus, ...

. The historian Stefano Lusignan was his descendant. This is the Prince John that the Prince John Tower of the St. Hilarion Castle was named after. Tradition says that he killed the two

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

that constituted his personal guard, by throwing them one by one from the windows of that particular tower.

Marriage and issue

Nicosia - Johannes-Kathedrale 3 Lusignan-Wappen

John married twice, firstly with dispensation on 16 April 1343 to

Constance of Sicily Constance of Sicily can refer to: *Constance I of Sicily Constance I (; 2 November 1154 – 27 November 1198) was the queen of Sicily from 1194 until her death and Holy Roman empress from 1191 to 1197 as the wife of Emperor Henry VI. As queen ...

, daughter of

Frederick III of Sicily Frederick III (also Frederick II, ', ', '); 13 December 1272 – 25 June 1337) was the regent of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1291 until 1295 and subsequently King of Sicily from 1295 until his death. He was the third son of Peter III of Ara ...

and

Eleanor of Anjou Eleanor of Anjou (August 1289 – 9 August 1341) was Queen of Sicily as the wife of King Frederick III of Sicily, Frederick III of Sicily. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou by birth. She was the third daughter of King Charles II of ...

, without issue, and secondly with dispensation on 13 April 1350 to Alice of Ibelin, daughter of

Guy of Ibelin, seneschal of Cyprus Guy of Ibelin ( French: ''Guy d'Ibelin'') (before 1306 or before 1307 – after 14 April 1350 or 1350/1360) was Seneschal of Cyprus from 1318 and a Burgher of Venice from 30 December 1334. He was the son of Philip of Ibelin (1253–1318), pr ...

, and wife Margaret of Ibelin, by whom he was the father of: * James of Lusignan (died bef. 1395 or 1395/1397), titular

Count of Tripoli The count of Tripoli was the ruler of the County of Tripoli, a crusader state from 1102 through to 1289. Of the four major crusader states in the Levant, Tripoli was created last. The history of the counts of Tripoli began with Raymond IV, Coun ...

in 1382, married c. 1385 or in 1385 to his cousin Mariette of Lusignan (c. 1360 – c. 1397) Out of wedlock he had one illegitimate son by Alice Embriaco de Giblet, who was married: * John called Janot of Lusignan (died after 1410), titular

Lord of Beirut The Lordship of Beirut was a feudal seigneury in the Kingdom of Jerusalem centered on the city of Beirut (in modern-day Lebanon). The lord of Beirut was one of the most powerful vassals of the king of Jerusalem. In the 12th century the lordship was ...

, married in 1385 to Margaret of Morpho, daughter of John of Morpho, Marshal of Cyprus and titular Count of Edessa, and wife, the parents of: ** John of Lusignan (died c. 1456), titular

References

Sources

* * L. de Mas Latrie, "Généalogie des rois de Chypre" * {{Antioch Monarchs 14th-century births 1375 deaths People from the Kingdom of Cyprus Regents of Cyprus Princes of Antioch House of Poitiers-Lusignan