Lucia of Segni, also called Lucienne, was a 13th-century princess and countess and later
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
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of Edessa or the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It extende ...
and
County of Tripoli. She was regent on behalf of her minor son in 1252.
Lucia was born into the family of the
counts of Segni
The counts of Segni ( it, Conti di Segni, la, de Comitibus Signie, also known as ''Conti'' or ''De Comitibus'' for short) were an important noble family of medieval and early modern Italy originating in Segni, Lazio.
Many members of the family ac ...
. She was the grandniece of
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...
and cousin of
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...
, who arranged for her to become the second wife of
Bohemond V
Bohemond V of Antioch (1199 − January 17, 1252)Runciman, ''History of the Crusades, vol. III, p. 278 was ruler of the Principality of Antioch, a Crusader state, from 1233 to his death. He was simultaneously Count of Tripoli.
Life
Bohemond V ...
, the
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 ...
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 Toulou ...
. The marriage took place in 1238. Lucia was responsible for Bohemond's close relations with the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, but his barons resented the number of Roman relatives and friends she invited to the
Latin East. For this reason Bohemond was not popular with the Greek-dominated
Commune of Antioch The Commune of Antioch was a medieval commune in the Principality of Antioch. It was formed in 1194 in the courthouse of the Church of Saint Peter by a congregation of citizens headed by the Latin patriarch, Radulph II. The prince, Bohemond III, w ...
and resided instead in
Tripoli
Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to:
Cities and other geographic units Greece
*Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
. Princess Lucia may have influenced the appointment of the new
Greek Orthodox patriarch of Antioch, David, in 1240, and she had her brother
Paul installed as the
bishop of Tripoli
The Latin Diocese of Tripoli was established in 1104 in the aftermath of the First Crusade. It remained a residential bishopric until 1289, after which it became a titular bishopric, which it remains today in the Catholic Church.
Tripoli, Lebanon, ...
.
Lucia and Bohemond V had two children,
Plaisance and
Bohemond VI
Bohemond VI (–1275), also known as the Fair, was the prince of Antioch and count of Tripoli from 1251 until his death. He ruled while Antioch was caught between the warring Mongol Empire and Mamluk Sultanate. In 1268 Antioch was captured by t ...
. Bohemond V died in January 1252 when Bohemond VI, his successor, was aged 15 and thus still a minor. Lucia assumed
regency for her son, but was an irresponsible administrator. She stayed in Tripoli, leaving Antioch to be governed by her Roman relatives. Such was her unpopularity that the young Bohemond asked
Pope Innocent IV to be declared
of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be ...
a few months early. Innocent agreed. King
Louis IX of France
Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the ...
, who was in the
Latin East on the
Seventh Crusade and encamped in
Jaffa
Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
, mediated in the dispute between mother and son. The dowager princess, thus deprived of power, was compensated with a substantial income. She nevertheless succeeded in keeping Romans in important posts after her regency, leading to an unsuccessful baronial rebellion against her son.
References
Sources
*
*
* {{cite book , last=Kostick, first=Conor, author-link=Conor Kostick, year=2010, title=The Crusades and the Near East: Cultural Histories, publisher=Routledge, isbn=978-1136902482
13th-century women rulers
Princesses of Antioch
Countesses of Tripoli
Regents of Antioch
13th-century viceregal rulers