Henry I of Cyprus, nicknamed the Fat (french: Henri de Lusignan; 3 May 1217 – 18 January 1253 at Nicosia) was

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 ...

from 1218 to 1253. He was the son of

Hugh I of Cyprus Hugh I (french: Hugues; gr, Ούγος; 1194/1195 – 10 January 1218) succeeded to the throne of Cyprus on 1 April 1205 underage upon the death of his elderly father Aimery, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem. His mother was Eschiva of Ibelin, heir ...

and Alice of Champagne. When his father Hugh I died on January 10, 1218, the 8-month-old Henry became king. His mother was the official

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

, but handed off the actual governing to her uncle, Philip of Ibelin. When Philip died, the effective regency passed to his brother,

John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut John of Ibelin (c. 1179 – 1236), called the Old Lord of Beirut, was a powerful crusader noble in the 13th century, one of the best known representatives of the influential Ibelin family. The son of Balian of Ibelin and the dowager queen Ma ...

Biography

Henry was crowned at the age of 8 at Santa Sophia, Nicosia, in 1225.Runciman, Steven, ''A History of the Crusades, Volume Three: The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1951, pg. 180 The reason for the early coronation was as a political maneuver by his uncle Philip, who sensed that Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, was going to attempt to seize power. In 1228 this did occur, as Frederick forced John of Ibelin to hand over the regency to Amalric Barlais, and the island of Cyprus. However, when Frederick left the island in April, John counter-attacked and regained control, which began 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 ...

. Henry was able to assume control of the kingdom when he came of age at 15, in 1232, and maintained close ties with the

Ibelin family 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 holding ...

. Henry himself served as Regent of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

for

Conrad of Hohenstaufen Conrad of Hohenstaufen ( – 8 November 1195) was the first hereditary Count Palatine of the Rhine. His parents were Frederick II of Swabia (1090–1147), Duke of Swabia, and his second wife Agnes of Saarbrücken, daughter of Frederick, Cou ...

1246–1253. He was married three times; his third wife, whom he married in 1250, was

Plaisance of Antioch Plaisance of Antioch (1235/1236 or ca. 1235 – September 27/22, 1261) was Queen of Cyprus by marriage to King Henry I. She served as regent of the kingdoms of Cyprus and Jerusalem for their son, King Hugh II, in 1254–1261 and 1258–1261 r ...

, daughter of Bohemund V of Antioch. They had a son, Hugh. On his death, Henry was succeeded by his only child, his infant son Hugh II (b. 1253). If he had not had children, his heirs were his eldest sister's sons Jean de Brienne (b. 1234) and

Hugh of Brienne Hugh, Count of Brienne and Lecce ( 1240 – 9 August 1296) was the second surviving son of Count Walter IV of Brienne and Marie de Lusignan of Cyprus. Life His father, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon in Palestine, was murdered in 1244 in Cairo, a ...

(b. c. 1240), as well as his younger sister's son Hugh of Antioch, the future

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 regen ...

(b. c. 1235). He was buried at the Church of the

Templars , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, at Nicosia. Consorts: #

Alix of Montferrat 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 from 1229 until her death. Life Alice was the daughter of William VI of Montferrat and Berta of Clavesan ...

(1210/1215 –

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 ...

, December, 1232 – May, 1233, buried at Santa Sophia, Nicosia), daughter of Marquis

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 o ...

, by Bertha da Clavesana, married at

Limassol Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...

in May, 1229, without issue # Stephanie of Lampron (ca. 1220/1225 – soon after April 1, 1249, buried at Santa Sophia, Nicosia), daughter of Constantine of Lampron, Regent of

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 ' ...

, by Stephanie of Barbaron, married at Nicosia in 1237/1238, without issue #

(1235 – September 22/27, 1261), daughter of Bohemond V, Prince of Antioch and

Count of Tripoli The count of Tripoli was the ruler of the County of Tripoli, a crusader state from 1102 through 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 of Toulo ...

, by Lucienne of Segni, married at Santa Sophia, Nicosia, in 1250, and had issue, an only son:

Hugh II of Cyprus Hugh II of Cyprus (or Hugues II de Lusignan) (June–August, 1252 or 1253 – November or December 5, 1267) was king of Cyprus and, from the age of 5 years, also Regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Biography On January 18, 1253, at the age of tw ...

Coat of Arms of the House of Lusignan (Kings of Cyprus)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry 01 Of Cyprus 1217 births 1253 deaths 13th-century Cypriot people 13th-century people of the Kingdom of Jerusalem 13th-century monarchs in the Middle East 13th-century viceregal rulers Kings of Cyprus Medieval child rulers Christians of the Sixth Crusade Regents of Jerusalem