Constantine II ( hy, Կոստանդին Բ), (also Constantine IV;
Western Armenian
Western Armenian ( Classical spelling: , ) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Eastern Armenian. It is based mainly on the Istanbul Armenian dialect, as opposed to Eastern Armenian, which is mainly base ...
transliteration
Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus ''trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or L ...
: ''Gosdantin'' or ''Kostantine''; died 17 April 1344), born Guy de Lusignan, was elected the first Latin
King of Armenian Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees, who were fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. Poghosyan, S.; Katvalyan, M.; Grigoryan, G. et al. ''Cilician Armenia'' (Կիլիկյան Հայաստ ...
of the
Poitiers-Lusignan dynasty, ruling from 1342 until his death in 1344.
Life
Guy de Lusignan was the son of
Isabella, daughter of
Leo II of Armenia, and
Amalric, a son of
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 ...
, and was
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Serres
Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki.
Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...
from 1328 until 1341. When his cousin
Leo IV, the last
Hethumid monarch of Cilicia, was murdered by the barons, the crown was offered to his younger brother
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, who urged Guy to accept it. Guy was reluctant — his mother and two of his brothers had been murdered by the Armenian regent
Oshin of Corycos — but he eventually accepted and took the name Constantine.
Guy was killed in an uprising in
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 ' ...
on April 17, 1344 and was succeeded by a distant cousin,
Constantine III.
Marriages and issue
Guy married twice, firstly to a Kantakouzene (died c. 1330), without issue, and secondly in 1330–1332, Theodora Syrgiannaina (died 1347/1349), with whom he fathered:
* Isabella of Lusignan (c. or after 1333 – in
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 ...
, 1382–1387), Lady of
Aradippou, married after February 26, 1349
Manuel Kantakouzenos (c. 1326 – April 10, 1380),
Despot of Morea.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
Medieval Lands Project: Kings of Armenia (Cilician Armenia), Lusignan (1342–1375)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine Ii, King Of Armenia
House of Poitiers-Lusignan
Kings of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Year of birth missing
1344 deaths