Alix Of Montferrat
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Alice of Montferrat (, ; died 1232) was a Lombard noblewoman who was the queen of Cyprus by marriage to King
Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...
from 1229 until her death. Alice was the daughter of
William VI of Montferrat William VI (c. 1173 – 17 September 1225) was the tenth Marquis of Montferrat from 1203 and titular King of Thessalonica from 1207. Biography Youth As Boniface I's eldest son, and his only son by his first wife, Helena del Bosco, William i ...
and Berta of Clavesana, hailing from
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
in the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
. It is not known when she was born. Her father was one of the most loyal vassals of
Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI of the Ho ...
, and the
House of Montferrat The Aleramici were a Northern Italy, Northern Italian noble and royal dynasty of Salian Franks, Frankish origin which ruled various northwestern Italian territories in Piedmont and Liguria from the 10th to the 14th century, also reigning over th ...
was closely associated with both the
Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
emperors and the
Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...
kings of Cyprus. Frederick chose Alice to be the bride of the young King Henry. Alice's royal match was a sign of the reconciliation of the emperor and her brother,
Boniface II of Montferrat Boniface II (July 1202 – 12 May 1253), called the Giant, was the eleventh Marquis of Montferrat from 1225 until his death. He became the titular King of Thessalonica in 1239. Boniface was the son of William VI and his second wife, Berta ...
. Alice and Henry were
married by proxy A proxy wedding or proxy marriage is a wedding in which one or both of the individuals being united are not physically present, usually being represented instead by other persons (proxies). If both partners are absent, this is known as a double pro ...
in 1229, and she was escorted to Cyprus by the emperor's supporters. The emperor regarded himself as the overlord 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 ...
but was opposed by the nobility headed by the
House of Ibelin The House of Ibelin was a noble family in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. They rose from relatively humble beginnings to become one of the most important families in the kingdom, holding various high offices and with exten ...
. The
War of the Lombards The War of the Lombards (1228–1243) was a civil war in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Cyprus between the "Lombards" (also called the imperialists), the representatives of the Emperor Frederick II, largely from Lombardy, and the ...
ensued. Once in Cyprus, Alice was crowned queen. Henry, then aged 12, was too young for the marriage to be
consummated The consummation of a marriage, or simply consummation, is the first officially credited act of sexual intercourse following marriage. In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the definition usually refers to penile–vaginal p ...
. Alice was in
Kyrenia Kyrenia is a city on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. It is under the '' de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. While there is evidence showing that the wider region of Kyrenia has been populated before, ...
with the Lombard faction when the Ibelins laid a 10-month-long siege, while Henry joined the besiegers. Loyal to Frederick's cause, Alice was in Kyrenia voluntarily. She became ill during the siege and died between 1231 and early 1232. Fighting was interrupted so that her corpse could be ceremoniously handed over to Henry for royal burial. She was interred in the Cathedral of Saint Sophia by the
archbishop of Nicosia The Latin Catholic archdiocese of Nicosia was created during the Crusades (1095-1487) in Cyprus; later becoming titular. According to the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' 31 Latin archbishops served beginning in 1196, shortly after the conquest of Cyprus ...
,
Eustorgius of Montaigu Eustorgius or Eustorge can refer to: *Eustorgius I, bishop of Milan from 344 to 350 * Eustorgius II, bishop of Milan from 512 to 518 *Eustorge de Scorailles, bishop of Limoges from 1106 until 1137 *Eustorgius of Nicomedia, father of Saint Pantaleon ...
. Henry had never seen her living, and the diplomatic relations between the houses of Montferrat and Lusignan lapsed.


References


Sources

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Alix of Montferrat Aleramici Queens consort of Cyprus 1233 deaths 13th century in Cyprus