James II (french: Jacques; c. 1438/1439 or c. 1440 – 10 July 1473) was the penultimate

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 ...

(usurper), reigning from 1463 until his death.

Archbishop of Nicosia

James was born in Nicosia as the illegitimate son of

John II of Cyprus John II or III of Cyprus (16 May 1418 – 28 July 1458) was the King of Cyprus and Armenian Cilicia, Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458. He was previously a titular Prince of Antioch. History Born 16 May 1418 in Nicos ...

and

Marietta de Patras Marietta de Patras (died 12 April 1503) was the Greek mistress of King John II of Cyprus and the mother of his illegitimate son King James II of Cyprus. Shortly after King John's marriage to Helena Palaiologina, the new Queen ordered that Mariett ...

. He was a great favourite of his father, and in 1456, at the age of 16, he was appointed to the archbishopric of Nicosia. After murdering Iacopo Urri, the royal

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

, on 1 April 1457, he was deprived of the archbishopric and fled to

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

on a ship of the Catalan Juan Tafures. He was pardoned by his father, and the archbishopric was returned to him.

King of Cyprus

In 1458, his father died, and his half-sister

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

became Queen of

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 ge ...

. In 1460, with support from the Egyptian Mamluk sultan

Sayf ad-Din Inal Al-Malik al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Abu an-Nasr Inal al-'Ala'i az-Zahiri an-Nasiri al-Ajrud (better known as Sayf al-Din Inal also spelled Saif al-Din Aynal) (1381 – 26 February 1461) was the 13th Burji Mamluk sultan of Egypt, ruling between 1453– ...

, James challenged her right to the throne, blockading her and her husband, Louis of Savoy, in the castle of

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 ...

for three years. When Charlotte fled to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1463, James was crowned king. In gratitude, he made his friend and supporter Juan Tafures Master of his Household and titular

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 ...

Marriage, death and succession

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, on 30 July 1468, seeking political support, he married a 14-year-old Venetian,

Catherine Cornaro Catherine Cornaro ( el, Αικατερίνη Κορνάρο, vec, Catarina Corner) (25 November 1454 – 10 July 1510) was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus, also holding the titles of the Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia. She was queen ...

, by proxy. She finally travelled to Cyprus and married in person at Famagusta in October or November, 1472. James died a few months later in Famagusta, amidst some suspicion that he might have been poisoned by agents of

, possibly by Catherine's uncles. According to his will, Catherine, who was pregnant, became regent. The couple's son, James III, died under suspicious circumstances in 1474 before his first birthday, leaving Catherine as regent of Cyprus. During her reign, the island was controlled by Venetian merchants. In 1489, Venice forced her to abdicate, and Cyprus became a colony of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

Illegitimate children

Prior to his marriage, King James II had four natural children with an unnamed mistress: * Eugene of Lusignan (b. c. 1468 - d.

, 1536), married Donna Paola Mazzara of Sicily after 1509. *Janus of Lusignan (d. after 1552), married (1) 1504 to N de Toro, married (2) 1547 to Virginia Cosanza dei Duchi di San Sava, with issue. *Charlotte of Lusignan (b. April 1468 - d. 24 July 1480 in Castel of

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

), she was either married or engaged to the designated heir of her aunt, Alonso, batard d'Aragona (1460–1510), a son of Ferdinand I of Naples. She was imprisoned by Queen Charlottte's opponents and died in captivity shortly before her twelfth birthday. He had another mistress, by the name of Eschive de Nores (d. after 1468), who married his cousin, Philippe, Titular

Prince of Galilee The principality of Galilee was one of the four major seigneuries of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, according to 13th-century commentator John of Ibelin, grandson of Balian. The direct holdings of the principality centred around Tiberias, i ...

, a natural son of his great-uncle,

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

. However, there is no record of any children with her.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:James 02 Of Cyprus Kings of Cyprus 15th-century monarchs in Europe 15th-century births 1473 deaths 15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Cyprus Claimant Kings of Jerusalem Burials at Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Famagusta People from Nicosia Archbishops of Nicosia