Helvis of
Lusignan (c. 1190 – c. 1218) was the daughter of
Amalric II of Jerusalem
Aimery of Lusignan ( la, Aimericus, , ''Amorí''; before 11551 April 1205), erroneously referred to as Amalric or Amaury in earlier scholarship, was the first King of Cyprus, reigning from 1196 to his death. He also reigned as the King of Jer ...
,
King 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 ...
, and his wife,
Eschive d'Ibelin.
She was married twice.
Firstly, she was given in marriage to Eudes de Dampierre, a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
knight, in about 1205. With Eudes she had children, including eldest son
* Richard de Dampierre.
The details of her second marriage are revealed in a letter from Pope Innocent III to the archbishop of Antioch, dated September 1211. Helvis had been taken from her husband (or fled him) by the young
Raymond-Roupen of Antioch, designated heir to the
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 ...
n throne, and although ecclesiastical authorities commanded the return to her husband Eudes de Dampierre, Helvis refused. The young couple seem to have been encouraged by Helvis' brother-in-law,
Walter of Montbéliard Walter of Montbéliard (died in 1212) (''Gauthier I de Montfaucon'') was regent of the Kingdom of Cyprus from 1205 to 1210, and Constable of Jerusalem from around 1204 to his death.
Early life
He was the second son of Amadeus II of Montfaucon, A ...
, which infuriated Helvis' brother King Hugh.
[Brequigny, Lettres d'Innocent III, p.466]
She and Raymond-Roupen had issue:
*
Maria of Antioch-Armenia
Maria of Antioch-Armenia (1215–1257) was lady of Toron from 1229 to her death. She was the elder daughter of Raymond-Roupen, prince of Antioch, and of Helvis of Lusignan. She derived her title of Lady of Toron and claim to the throne of Armen ...
(1215–1257); married
Philippe de Montfort,
Lord of Castres
Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lang ...
, of
Tyre, and of
Toron (died 1270)
* Eschive d'Antioche (who seems to have died young). Critical genealogists have concluded that she did not marry Hetoum, Lord of Lampron (1220–1250), of the
House of Hetoumid, although a lot of older genealogical fantasies present that marriage.
References
Sources
* ''This page is a translation of
:fr:Helvis de Lusignan.''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helvis Of Lusignan (1190-1218)
1190 births
1218 deaths
12th-century women
13th-century women
House of Lusignan
Princesses of Antioch
Daughters of kings