John of Lusignan ( French: ''Jean de Lusignan''; c. 1329 or 1329/1330 – 1375) was a

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 ...

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 ...

and titular

Prince of Antioch Prince of Antioch was the title given during the Middle Ages to Normans, Norman rulers of the Principality of Antioch, a region surrounding the city of Antioch, now known as Antakya in Turkey. The Princes originally came from the County of Sicil ...

. He was son of King

Hugh IV of Cyprus Hugh IV (1293-1296 – 10 October 1359) was King of Cyprus from 31 March 1324 to his abdication, on 24 November 1358 and, nominally, King of Jerusalem, as Hugh II, until his death. The son of Guy, Constable of Cyprus (son of Hugh III of Cyprus), ...

and his second wife

Alix of Ibelin Alix of Ibelin (1304/1306 – after 6 August 1386), was Queen consort of Cyprus and nominal Queen consort of Jerusalem as the second wife of King Hugh IV of Cyprus. She was queen from 31 March 1324 until Hugh's abdication on 24 November 1358. ...

. He was a member of the

House of 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 ...

Life

While being a regent of Cyprus, he launched an attack on

Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

ports. He attacked

Sidon Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...

on 5 June 1369, but after a day of skirmishes, his fleet was diverted by a storm, he later avoided fortified

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, but managed to pillage both

Botron Batroun ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرُون '; Syriac script: ܒܬܪܘܢ ') is a coastal city in northern Lebanon and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the capital city of Batroun District. Etymology The name ''Batr ...

and

Tartus ) , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = Tartus corniche Port of Tartus • Tartus beach and boulevard Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa • Al-Assad Stadium&n ...

, then he went further north to

Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

, Ayas and

Antalya Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...

, before attacking

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

on 9–10 July, where the Cypriots tried in vain to seize a large Moroccan

merchantman A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are u ...

, they later returned to Sidon on 19 July, where they managed to land and defeat the garrison, but forced to evacuate due to a storm, they eventually cast anchor at

Famagusta Famagusta ( , ; el, Αμμόχωστος, Ammóchostos, ; tr, Gazimağusa or ) is a city on the east coast of Geography of Cyprus, Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia District, Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. Duri ...

on 22 July. He was murdered as a result of his involvement in the murder of his elder brother, King

Peter I of Cyprus Peter I (9 October 1328 – 17 January 1369) was King of Cyprus and titular King of Jerusalem from his father's abdication on 24 November 1358 until his death in 1369. He was invested as titular Count of Tripoli in 1346. As King of Cyprus ...

. The historian Stefano Lusignan was his descendant. This is the Prince John that the Prince John Tower of the St. Hilarion Castle was named after. Tradition says that he killed the two

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...

that constituted his personal guard, by throwing them one by one from the windows of that particular tower.

Marriage and issue

Nicosia - Johannes-Kathedrale 3 Lusignan-Wappen

He married twice, firstly in 1343 to Constance of Sicily (died after April 19, 1344), daughter of

Frederick III of Sicily Frederick II (or III) (13 December 1272 – 25 June 1337) was the regent of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1291 until 1295 and subsequently King of Sicily from 1295 until his death. He was the third son of Peter III of Aragon and served in th ...

and

Eleanor of Anjou Eleanor of Anjou (August 1289 – 9 August 1341) was Queen of Sicily as the wife of King Frederick II of Sicily. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou by birth. She was the third daughter of King Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hunga ...

, without issue, and secondly in 1350 to Alice of Ibelin, by whom he was the father of: * James of Lusignan (died 1395/1397), 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 ...

, married in 1385 to his cousin Mary, ditte Mariette, (wrongly called Margaret) of Lusignan (c. 1360 – c. 1397), once engaged to Carlo Visconti, daughter of his uncle Peter I of Lusignan and second wife Eleanor of Aragon, the parents of: ** John of Lusignan (died 1428/1432), Titular

, unmarried and without issue **

Peter of Lusignan Peter of Lusignan ( French: ''Pierre de Lusignan''); died 10 February 1451) was a regent of the Kingdom of Cyprus and titular Count of Tripoli. He was son of James of Lusignan (died 1395/1397), Titular Count of Tripoli, married in 1385 to his cous ...

(died February 10, 1451), Regent of Cyprus, Titular

, etc ** Eleanor of Lusignan (died c. 1414), married c. 1406 her cousin

Henry of Lusignan Henry of Lusignan or Henri de Lusignan (died 7 July 1426), Titular Prince of Galilee, a military leader in Egypt, killed in action at Battle of Khirokitia, Khirokitia or Chirokhitia. He was son of James I of Cyprus and his first wife Helvis of Brun ...

(died 1427), 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 ...

, son of James I of Lusignan, King of Cyprus, and wife Helvis or Helisia of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, without issue ** Loysia of Lusignan, (probably) married after March 19, 1406 her cousin Eudes/Odo of Lusignan (died

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

, 1421), Titular Seneschal of Jerusalem, in the service of the

King of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre ...

, son of James I of Lusignan, King of Cyprus, and wife Helvis or Helisia of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, without issue Out of wedlock he had one illegitimate son by Alice Embriaco de Giblet: * John of Lusignan (died after 1410), Titular

Lord of Beirut The Crusader state of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, created in 1099, was divided into a number of smaller seigneuries. According to the 13th-century jurist John of Ibelin, the four highest crown vassals (referred to as barons) in the kingdom prope ...

, married in 1385 to Marguerite de Morpho, the parents of: ** John of Lusignan (died c. 1456), Titular

References

Sources

* {{Antioch Monarchs 14th-century births 1375 deaths People of the Kingdom of Cyprus Regents of Cyprus Princes of Antioch House of Poitiers-Lusignan