Alice of Montferrat (french: Alix, it, Alasia; died 1232) was a Lombard noblewoman who was the queen of Cyprus by marriage to King

Henry I Henry I may refer to: 876–1366 * 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 I the Long, Margrave of the ...

from 1229 until her death.

Life

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 Boniface I's eldest son, and his only son by his first wife, Helena del Bosco, William stood or ...

and Berta of Clavesana, hailing from

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. It is not known when she was born. Her father was one of the most loyal vassals of

Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 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 Jerusa ...

, and the House of Montferrat 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 dynasty ...

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.

Marriage & death

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 June 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 d ...

. 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. If both partners are absent a double proxy wedding occurs. Marriage ...

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 (french: Royaume de Chypre, la, Regnum Cypri) was a state that existed between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan. It comprised not only the island of Cyprus, but it also had a foothold on the Anat ...

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 humble beginnings to become one of the most important families in the kingdom, holding various high offices and with extensive holdin ...

. 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 th ...

ensued. Once in Cyprus, Alice was crowned queen. Henry, then aged 12, was too young for the marriage to be

consummated In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage t ...

Alice was in

Kyrenia Kyrenia ( el, Κερύνεια ; tr, Girne ) 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 ...

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,

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 Pantaleo ...

. 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 Cypriot queens consort 1233 deaths 13th century in Cyprus