Constantine II ( hy, Կոստանդին Բ), (also Constantine IV;

Western Armenian Western Armenian ( Classical spelling: , ) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Eastern Armenian. It is based mainly on the Istanbul Armenian dialect, as opposed to Eastern Armenian, which is mainly based ...

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

: ''Gosdantin'' or ''Kostantine''; died 17 April 1344), born Guy de Lusignan, was elected the first Latin

King of Armenian Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees, who were fleeing the Great Seljuq Empire, Seljuk invasion of Armenia. Poghosyan, S.; Katvalyan, M.; Grigoryan, G. et al. ''Cilician Armenia'' (Կիլիկ ...

of the

Poitiers-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 ...

dynasty, ruling from 1342 until his death in 1344.

Life

Guy de Lusignan was the son of

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

, daughter of Leo II of Armenia, and

Amalric Amalric or Amalaric (also Americ, Almerich, Emeric, Emerick and other variations) is a personal name derived from the tribal name ''Amal'' (referring to the Gothic Amali) and ''ric'' (Gothic ''reiks'') meaning "ruler, prince". Equivalents in di ...

, a son of

Hugh III of Cyprus Hugh III (french: Hugues; – 24 March 1284), also called Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan and the Great, was the king of Cyprus from 1267 and king of Jerusalem from 1268. Born into the family of the princes of Antioch, he effectively ruled as regent ...

, and was

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Serres Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...

from 1328 until 1341. When his cousin Leo IV, the last

Hethumid The Hethumids ( hy, Հեթումյաններ Hethumian) (also spelled Hetoumids or Het'umids), also known as the House of Lampron (after Lampron castle), were an Armenian dynasty and the rulers of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1226 to 134 ...

monarch of Cilicia, was murdered by the barons, the crown was offered to his younger brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, who urged Guy to accept it. Guy was reluctant — his mother and two of his brothers had been murdered by the Armenian regent

Oshin of Corycos Oshin of Korikos (or Corycos) (died 1329) served as regent of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1320 to 1329. He was the son of the historian Hayton of Korikos."Le Royaume Armenien de Cilicie", Claude Mutafian, p.80 He became regent for Leo I ...

— but he eventually accepted and took the name Constantine. Guy was killed in an uprising in

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

on April 17, 1344 and was succeeded by a distant cousin, Constantine III.

Marriages and issue

Guy married twice, firstly to a Kantakouzene (died c. 1330), without issue, and secondly in 1330–1332, Theodora Syrgiannaina (died 1347/1349), with whom he fathered: * Isabella of Lusignan (c. or after 1333 – in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

, 1382–1387), Lady of

Aradippou Aradippou ( el, Αραδίππου []) is a town and municipality in Cyprus, located on the outskirts of the city of Larnaca. It was established in 1986 following a referendum of local residents. It has a population of approximately 20,000. After ...

, married after February 26, 1349

Manuel Kantakouzenos Manuel Kantakouzenos (or Cantacuzenus) ( Greek: Μανουήλ Καντακουζηνός, ''Manouēl Kantakouzēnos''), (c. 1326 – Mistra, Peloponnese, 10 April 1380). ''Despotēs'' in the Despotate of Morea or the Peloponnese from 25 Oct ...

(c. 1326 – April 10, 1380),

Despot of Morea The Despotate of the Morea ( el, Δεσποτᾶτον τοῦ Μορέως) or Despotate of Mystras ( el, Δεσποτᾶτον τοῦ Μυστρᾶ) was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centu ...

References

Sources

* * * * *
Medieval Lands Project: Kings of Armenia (Cilician Armenia), Lusignan (1342–1375)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine Ii, King Of Armenia House of Poitiers-Lusignan Kings of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Year of birth missing 1344 deaths