Brienne claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Encyclopedia
Hugh, Count of Brienne claimed the regency of Jerusalem (and, indirectly, a place in the succession) in 1264 as senior heir of Hugh I of Cyprus
and Alice of Jerusalem, being the son of their eldest daughter, but was passed over by the Haute Cour in favor of his cousin Hugh III of Cyprus
. This claim fell to his son Walter V of Brienne
and his descendants. They are the heirs-general of Queen Isabella of Jerusalem, and thus of the line founded by King Baldwin II.
Hugh of Brienne himself is said to have tried to sell his rights to Alfonso III of Aragon
in 1289.
This claim was remembered in 1331 when Robert I of Naples conspired to seize Cyprus
, and took Brienne heirs to the pursuit, obviously to utilize their hereditary claim.
In 1406, the then Brienne heiress, Mary of Enghien
, was married to Ladislaus of Naples who thus strengthened his pretension to the Kingdom of Jerusalem
, but they did not have issue.
The succession went through generations of the La Tremoille family. They became extinct in 1930s in the male line, and the eldest sister of the last Duke of La Tremoille - married to the Prince de Ligne - succeeded. Her children began to use the additional name La Tremoille. the current claimant is Prince Charles-Antoine Lamoral of Ligne-La Trémoïlle.
Hugh I of Cyprus
Hugh I of Cyprus succeeded to the throne of Cyprus on April 1, 1205 underage upon the death of his elderly father Amalric of Lusignan, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem...
and Alice of Jerusalem, being the son of their eldest daughter, but was passed over by the Haute Cour in favor of his cousin Hugh III of Cyprus
Hugh III of Cyprus
Hugh III of Cyprus , born Hughues de Poitiers, later Hughues de Lusignan , called the Great, was the King of Cyprus from 1267 and King of Jerusalem from 1268 . He was the son of Henry of Antioch and Isabella of Cyprus, the daughter of Hugh I...
. This claim fell to his son Walter V of Brienne
Walter V of Brienne
Gautier or Walter V of Brienne was born in Brienne-le-Château, Aube, Champagne, France. He was the son of Hugh de Candie des Brienne, known as Hugh of Brienne, Count of Brienne and Lecce, and Isabella de la Roche, daughter of Guy I of la Roche, Duke of Athens...
and his descendants. They are the heirs-general of Queen Isabella of Jerusalem, and thus of the line founded by King Baldwin II.
Hugh of Brienne himself is said to have tried to sell his rights to Alfonso III of Aragon
Alfonso III of Aragon
Alfonso III , called the Liberal or the Free , was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1285...
in 1289.
This claim was remembered in 1331 when Robert I of Naples conspired to seize Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, and took Brienne heirs to the pursuit, obviously to utilize their hereditary claim.
In 1406, the then Brienne heiress, Mary of Enghien
Mary of Enghien
Mary of Enghien, also Maria d'Enghien, was Countess of Lecce from 1384 to 1446, and, by her second marriage, Queen of Naples and titular Queen of Sicily, Jerusalem, and Hungary .- Family :...
, was married to Ladislaus of Naples who thus strengthened his pretension to the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, but they did not have issue.
Line of succession
- Hugh of BrienneHugh of BrienneHugh de Candie, Count of Brienne and Lecce was the second surviving son of Count Walter IV of Brienne and Marie de Lusignan of Cyprus....
(born c. 1240, died 1296), Count of Lecce etc., was an ally of Charles I of Anjou in SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and in the pursuits of ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and the Holy Land. Apparently because of his said dependence on Charles, himself also a claimant of Jerusalem, he did not actively pursue his hereditary rights. His first wife was Isabella of La Roche, heiress of Thebes, and his second Helena Komnena Duchess of Epirus-Neopatras, heiress of Lamia and Larisa. He acted as Captain-General of Brindisi, Otranto and Apulia.
- Walter V of BrienneWalter V of BrienneGautier or Walter V of Brienne was born in Brienne-le-Château, Aube, Champagne, France. He was the son of Hugh de Candie des Brienne, known as Hugh of Brienne, Count of Brienne and Lecce, and Isabella de la Roche, daughter of Guy I of la Roche, Duke of Athens...
(killed in war near Thebes 1311), Duke of Athens, Count of Lecce etc. His life was largely spent in Greece, where he tried to win back his mother's inheritance, the Duchy of AthensDuchy of AthensThe Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century....
. His wife was Jeanne of Châtillon (died 1354), daughter of count of Porcien.
- Walter VI of BrienneWalter VI of BrienneWalter VI of Brienne was Count of Brienne, Conversano, and Lecce, and titular Duke of Athens. Walter was the son of Walter V, Duke of Athens, and Jeanne de Châtillon , the daughter of the Count of Porcien, a constable to King Philip IV of France.As grandson of Hugh of Brienne Walter VI of Brienne...
(killed in the battle of Poitiers 1356), sometime Lord of FlorenceFlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Marshal of France. Count of Lecce, Conversano etc. He was ally of Anjous of Naples, and participated their policies in Italy. He had only children who died young, both with his first wife Margert of Anjou-Taranto and the second, his distant kinswoman Joan of Brienne. His sons died young, and as he had no surviving children, it was rather evident that his sister's issue would inherit his possessions and claims.
- Isabella of BrienneIsabella of BrienneIsabella of Brienne was suo jure Countess of Lecce and Conversano, claimant to the Duchy of Athens and Kingdom of Jerusalem, etc.-Family and early years:...
, who survived her brother, died 1360. Her husband Gauthier d'Enghien had died already in 1345. For a few years, she became Countess of Lecce and Brienne etc., as well as titular Duchess of Athens and of other claimed titles. Since her eldest son Gauthier had died before the uncle, her heir was her second son Sohier of EnghienSohier of EnghienSohier of Enghien was the titular Duke of Athens, and Count of Brienne and Lord of Enghien from 1356 to 1364.The second, but eldest surviving son of Walter of Enghien and Isabella of Brienne, when his mother divided the inheritance of his uncle Walter VI of Brienne among her sons, he received the...
. She allowed her inherited lands to be divided between her numerous children already during her own lifetime.
- Sohier of EnghienSohier of EnghienSohier of Enghien was the titular Duke of Athens, and Count of Brienne and Lord of Enghien from 1356 to 1364.The second, but eldest surviving son of Walter of Enghien and Isabella of Brienne, when his mother divided the inheritance of his uncle Walter VI of Brienne among her sons, he received the...
(died 1367), Duke of Athens etc. Held the lordship of Argos and NaupliaArgos and NaupliaDuring the late Middle Ages, the two cities of Argos and Nauplia formed a separate Lordship within the Frankish Principality of Achaea in southern Greece....
in Greece for his uncle and was resident lord there from c. 1350, but apparently returned to Europe in 1360s at latest.
- Walter IV of EnghienWalter IV of EnghienWalter IV of Enghien , Hainault nobleman and soldier, was the son of Sohier of Enghien. He was Count of Brienne and Lord of Enghien 1364–1381....
(died 1381), Duke of Athens etc., he had inherited the claims of the Brienne family, but died childless, and his heir was his first cousin Peter, the only son of his grandmother's third son John of Enghien Lord of Castro who had just died 1380.
- Peter of Enghien, Count of Lecce etc. Died childless 1384, leaving his sister and her husband Raimondo del Balzo OrsiniRaimondo del Balzo OrsiniRaimondo Del Balzo Orsini , also known as Raimondello was a nobleman of the Kingdom of Naples. He was Count of Soleto , Duke of Benevento , Prince of Taranto , Count of Lecce , Duke of Bari, Grand Constable of the Kingdom of Naples, Gonfalonier of the Holy Roman Church Raimondo Del Balzo Orsini...
to succeed.
- Mary of EnghienMary of EnghienMary of Enghien, also Maria d'Enghien, was Countess of Lecce from 1384 to 1446, and, by her second marriage, Queen of Naples and titular Queen of Sicily, Jerusalem, and Hungary .- Family :...
(1367–1446), Countess of Lecce. Daughter of John of Enghien and Bianca del Balzo. Married firstly Raimondo del Balzo Orsini di Nola, who became Prince of TarantoPrincipality of TarantoThe Principality of Taranto was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy of Apulia....
(in her hereditary rights) and died 1405. Secondly, she was forced to marry King Ladislaus of Naples 1406, who had 1399 driven his rival Louis II of Anjou from Naples. He used the titles King of Naples and Jerusalem and died 1414.
- Giovanni Antonio del Balzo OrsiniGiovanni Antonio del Balzo OrsiniGiovanni Antonio Del Balzo Orsini was Prince of Taranto, Duke of Bari, Count of Lecce, Acerra, Soleto and Conversano, as well as Count of Matera and of Ugento ....
, Prince of Taranto, son of the first marriage of Queen Mary of Enghien. Died childless in 1463, when his niece Isabella brought his fiefs to her husband King Ferrante.
- Isabella of Taranto (died 1465), Princess of Taranto, she was married in 1444 to Ferdinand of AragonFerdinand I of NaplesFerdinand I , also called Don Ferrante, was the King of Naples from 1458 to 1494. He was the natural son of Alfonso V of Aragon by Giraldona Carlino.-Biography:...
, then Duke of Calabria. Her husband became, by the testament of King Alfonso, king in his conquered territories (and Isabella became queen consort) 1458, and as such used the title King of Naples and Jerusalem (Ferdinand I of NaplesFerdinand I of NaplesFerdinand I , also called Don Ferrante, was the King of Naples from 1458 to 1494. He was the natural son of Alfonso V of Aragon by Giraldona Carlino.-Biography:...
).
- Alfonso II of NaplesAlfonso II of NaplesAlfonso II of Naples , also called Alfonso II d'Aragon, was King of Naples from 25 January 1494 to 22 February 1495 with the title King of Naples and Jerusalem...
, eldest son of Isabella and Ferdinand. He used the title King of Naples and Jerusalem while he reigned. Due to the invasion of King Charles VIII of FranceCharles VIII of FranceCharles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
, he abdicated in favour of his son, Ferdinand II of NaplesFerdinand II of NaplesFerdinand II or Ferrante II of Naples , sometimes known as Ferrandino, was King of Naples from 1495 to 1496...
, in 1495.
- Ferdinand II of NaplesFerdinand II of NaplesFerdinand II or Ferrante II of Naples , sometimes known as Ferrandino, was King of Naples from 1495 to 1496...
, King of Naples, son of Alfonso II of Naples. Died childless in 1496, his successor in the Kingdom of Naples was his uncle (his grandfather's and Isabella di Chiaramonte's second son) don Federigo de Aragona who became King Frederick IV of NaplesFrederick IV of NaplesFrederick IV , sometimes known as Frederick I or Federico d'Aragona, was the last King of Naples of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501...
and was soon dethroned and imprisoned, but his heir-general was his sister Isabella, Dowager Duchess of Milan.
- Isabella of Aragon, daughter of King Alphonse II of Naples, married in 1488, Gian Galeazzo IIGian Galeazzo SforzaGian Galeazzo Sforza was the sixth Duke of Milan.Born in Abbiategrasso, he was only 7 years old when in 1476 his father, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, was assassinated and Gian Galeazzo became the Duke of Milan...
, who at the time was the Duke of Milan. Her son Francesco SforzaFrancesco Sforza (il Duchetto)Francesco Sforza, nicknamed Il Duchetto was the eldest son of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, duke of Milan, and Isabella of Naples.He was count of Pavia from 1491 to 1499...
(1491–1512) died during the lifetime of his mother, and therefore did not succeed her. When she died in 1524, only Bona, her youngest daughter, survived her of all her children.
- Bona SforzaBona SforzaBona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
In 1518 became the second wife of king Sigismund I of PolandSigismund I the OldSigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...
. Sovereign of Poland and Lithuania and all their dominions. When her mother died 1524, she, the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania, succeeded also as Duchess of Bari and Princess of Rossano. It is not altogether clear whether she used also the title Queen of Jerusalem.
- Sigismund August II of PolandSigismund II AugustusSigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...
(1520–1572), Elected Successor of Poland 1529-, Grand Prince of Lithuania 1544-, King of Poland 1548-1572. His first wife was Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, his second Princess Barbara Radziwill, and third Archduchess Catherine of Austria. However, he left no legitimate children.
- Sophia of Poland (1522–1575) was Dowager Duchess of Brunswick when her brother died. Her husband duke Henry V of Brunswick-LüneburgHenry V, Duke of Brunswick-LüneburgHenry , Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, called the Younger, was Prince of Wolfenbüttel from 1514 until his death...
, whose second wife she was, had died 1568. She was childless and succeeded by her sisters and the issue of youngest of them.
- Anna of Poland (1523–1596), was a spinster when her sister died. 1576 she married Stephen Bathory (1533–1586), then Reigning Prince of TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, who was 1576 elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. She died childless. Her successor was her youngest sister's (Catherine Jagellon of Poland, Queen of Sweden) only son, Sigismund Vasa.
- Sigismund III VasaSigismund III VasaSigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...
(1566–1632), was elected King of Poland and reigned 1587-1632. By paternal inheritance, he succeeded 1592 as King of Sweden and was regarded as having abdicated 1599 and finally deposed 1604. It is not altogether whether he, King of Poland, Lithuania and Sweden, also used the title King of Jerusalem. His first wife was Archduchess Anna of Austria and his second Archduchess Constance of Austria.
- Vladislaus IV of PolandWładysław IV VasaWładysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....
(1595–1648), Wladyslaw Zygmunt Vasza-Jagellon, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania 1632-48. His first wife was Archduchess Cecilia Renata of Austria and second Princess Mary Louise of Mantua (Maria Ludovica Gonzaga). He died without surviving children.
- John II Casimir of PolandJohn II Casimir of PolandJohn II Casimir was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania during the era of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Duke of Opole in Upper Silesia, and titular King of Sweden 1648–1660. In Poland, he is known and commonly referred as Jan Kazimierz. His parents were Sigismund III Vasa and...
(1609–1672), his only surviving brother, was a Cardinal of Roman Church when succeeded. He was elected King of Poland 1648 and abdicated 1668. As his father and brother, also he claimed the title King of Sweden, but after warring and Swedish invasion to Poland he was forced to relinquish that title in 1660. After 1668 abdication, he lived as Abbot of St.Martin in Nevers, France, where he died. He married his brother's widow Mary Louise of Mantua who died 1667 - losing her support was one of the reasons he abdicated. He did not have surviving children. All his brothers and sisters having died, without surviving issue, before him, he was the last of the legitimate line of Bona Sforza. With him, all the legitimate issue of Alfonso II of Naples died out. His heir in Ferrante I of Naples and in Brienne succession was his distant cousin, Henry 2nd Duke of La Tremoille Prince of Talmond and Taranto, the heir-general of Federigo di Aragona (second son of Ferrante I and Isabella of Taranto), who also was the heir-general of Federigo's first wife Anne of Savoy.
- Henry de La Tremoille, 2nd Duke of La Tremoille, Prince of Talmond and Tarant, the heir-general of Federigo di Aragona (second son of Ferrante I and Isabella of TarantoIsabella of TarantoIsabella of Taranto , born Isabella of Clermont, was a Princess of Taranto in her own right and first Queen consort of Ferdinand I of Naples.-Family:...
), who also was the heir-general of Federigo's first wife Anne of Savoy, the de jure heiress of the claim of the Kings Of Cyprus to the Throne of Jerusalem. At that point in 1672, the succession of Brienne and of Cyprus to the crown of Jerusalem united.
The succession went through generations of the La Tremoille family. They became extinct in 1930s in the male line, and the eldest sister of the last Duke of La Tremoille - married to the Prince de Ligne - succeeded. Her children began to use the additional name La Tremoille. the current claimant is Prince Charles-Antoine Lamoral of Ligne-La Trémoïlle.