Marie of Lusignan, Queen of Aragon
Encyclopedia
Marie of Lusignan was a daughter of Hugh III of Cyprus
and his wife Isabella of Ibelin. She was Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage and was a member of the House of Lusignan.
, Henry II of Jerusalem
and Amalric, Prince of Tyre
.
Marie's maternal grandparents were Guy of Ibelin, constable of Cyprus
and his wife Phillipa Barlais; her paternal grandparents were Henry of Antioch
and his wife Isabella of Cyprus and Antioch
.
Marie did not marry for a many years; she was recorded as having been present in her brother, Amalric's court in 1310. She was however eventually betrothed to James II of Aragon
in 1315, who had been married twice before and was father to ten legitimate children.
James understood that Marie was heiress to Cyprus
and was still unmarried. They married by proxy at Santa Sophia
, Nicosia
on 15 June 1315 and in person at Girona
on 27 November 1315. Marie was already forty-two and the marriage was purely for political reasons, so James could rule Cyprus on the death of Marie's brother Henry. They had no children.
The couple were only married for four years before Marie died in Tortosa
in April 1319. As Marie did not outlive her brother, James' plans of ruling Cyprus had failed. After Marie's death James complained that she had been too old and had not proved companionable. Marie's brother Henry died five years later and was succeeded by their nephew Hugh
. James remarried a final time to Elisenda de Montcada before his death in 1327.
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...
and his wife Isabella of Ibelin. She was Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage and was a member of the House of Lusignan.
Life
Marie was the fifth of thirteen children, her siblings included John II of JerusalemJohn II of Jerusalem
John II of Jerusalem was the eldest son of Hugh III of Cyprus and Isabella of Ibelin. He succeeded his father as King of Cyprus on March 24 and was crowned at Santa Sophia, Nicosia on May 11, 1284. His succession as King of Jerusalem was opposed by Charles of Anjou, who had also disrupted his...
, Henry II of Jerusalem
Henry II of Jerusalem
Henry II of Jerusalem and Henry II of Cyprus, born Henri de Lusignan was the last ruling and first titular King of Jerusalem and also ruled as King of Cyprus as Henry II...
and Amalric, Prince of Tyre
Amalric, Prince of Tyre
Amalric de Lusignan or Amaury II de Lusignan, Prince of Tyre , of the Lusignan family, was a son of Hugh III of Cyprus and Isabella of Ibelin.-Biography:...
.
Marie's maternal grandparents were Guy of Ibelin, constable of Cyprus
Guy of Ibelin, constable of Cyprus
Guy of Ibelin was marshal and constable of the kingdom of Cyprus. He was the fifth son of John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut, and of Melisende of Arsuf...
and his wife Phillipa Barlais; her paternal grandparents were Henry of Antioch
Henry of Antioch
Henry of Antioch , alternately known as Henri de Poitiers or Henry of Poitiers, was the son of Bohemond IV of Antioch, Prince of Antioch and his first wife Plaisance Embriaco de Giblet....
and his wife Isabella of Cyprus and Antioch
Isabella of Antioch
Isabella of Cyprus, also known as Isabelle de Lusignan , was the Princess of Antioch by her marriage. She was also Regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.-Family:...
.
Marie did not marry for a many years; she was recorded as having been present in her brother, Amalric's court in 1310. She was however eventually betrothed to James II of Aragon
James II of Aragon
James II , called the Just was the King of Sicily from 1285 to 1296 and King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. In 1297 he was granted the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica...
in 1315, who had been married twice before and was father to ten legitimate children.
James understood that Marie was heiress to 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 was still unmarried. They married by proxy at Santa Sophia
Selimiye Mosque (Nicosia)
Selimiye Mosque or Agia Sofia Cathedral, formerly Cathédrale Sainte Sophie, is located in the Turkish controlled northern part of the walled city of Nicosia. It is the main mosque in the city. It is housed in the largest and oldest surviving gothic church in Cyprus possibly constructed on the site...
, Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
on 15 June 1315 and in person at Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
on 27 November 1315. Marie was already forty-two and the marriage was purely for political reasons, so James could rule Cyprus on the death of Marie's brother Henry. They had no children.
The couple were only married for four years before Marie died in Tortosa
Tortosa
-External links:* *** * * *...
in April 1319. As Marie did not outlive her brother, James' plans of ruling Cyprus had failed. After Marie's death James complained that she had been too old and had not proved companionable. Marie's brother Henry died five years later and was succeeded by their nephew Hugh
Hugh IV of Cyprus
Hugh IV of Cyprus 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...
. James remarried a final time to Elisenda de Montcada before his death in 1327.