Hugh III of Cyprus
Hugh III of Cyprus (1235 – 24 March 1284), born Hughues de Poitiers[1][2], later Hughues de Lusignan (he adopted his mother's surname de Lusignan in 1267), called the Great, was the King of Cyprus from 1267 and King of Jerusalem from 1268 (as Hugh I of Jerusalem). He was the son of Henry of Antioch and Isabella of Cyprus, the daughter of Hugh I. He was a grandson of Bohemund IV of Antioch.
From 1261 he served as Regent for Hugh II of Cyprus in Cyprus, as the Haute Cour of Cyprus considered him, as a male, a better regent than his mother Isabella. She was, however, accepted as the Regent of Jerusalem in 1263. She died in 1264, and Hugh became the acting regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well as Cyprus. The regency was contested by his first cousin, Hugh of Brienne, who was the son of Mary of Cyprus, the eldest daughter of Hugh I and hence the senior heir to Cyprus, and heir to Jerusalem after Hugh II. However, the Haute Cour of Jerusalem declared Hugh of Antioch the next regent, as successor to Isabella in proximity of blood.
Hugh II died in 1267 without heirs. As Hugh of Brienne did not advance his claim on the throne, Hugh of Antioch succeeded as uncontested King of Cyprus on December 5 and was crowned at Santa Sophia, in Nicosia, on December 24. He claimed the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well in 1267 or 1268 upon the execution of Conradin. However, the throne of Jerusalem was also claimed by Mary of Antioch by proximity of blood to Conradin. The Haute Cour of Jerusalem rejected her claim and Hugh was crowned King of Jerusalem at Tyre on September 24, 1269.
Hugh and his descendants, the Kings of Cyprus, assumed his mother's surname of Lusignan in 1267, having inherited Cyprus through that family.
Hugh disliked dealing with the various factions in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and left for Cyprus in 1276 in disgust at their defiance of his authority. The next year, his bailiff, Balian of Ibelin, Lord of Arsuf, was ejected by Roger of Sanseverino, the bailiff of Charles of Anjou, who had purchased the claim of Mary of Antioch. The kingdom remained under Angevin control for the rest of Hugh's reign.
It is supposed that Thomas Aquinas' work On Kingship was written for Hugh III.
He was buried at Santa Sophia, in Nicosia.
He was married after January 23, 1255 to Isabella of Ibelin (ca 1241 – June 2, 1324). He had eleven children:
- Jean II & I de Lusignan (died 1285) who succeeded him as King of Jerusalem and Cyprus
- Bohemond de Lusignan (ca 1268 – Tyre, November 3, 1281, buried at the Franciscan Church of Nicosia)
- Henri II de Lusignan (1271 – August 31,1324) who succeeded John as King
- Amaury II de Lusignan, Prince of Tyre (died June 5, 1310), Constable of Jerusalem, who displaced Henry and became Regent of Cyprus
- Marie de Lusignan (1273 – September, 1322 at Tortosa and buried at Barcelona) who married by proxy at Santa Sophia, Nicosia on June 15, 1315 and in person at Girona on November 27, 1315 James II of Aragon (August 10, 1267 – November 2, 1327)
- Aimery de Lusignan (1274-1280 – soon before April 9, 1316), succeeded Guy as Constable of Cyprus in 1303, briefly succeeded Amalric as Regent of Cyprus and Governor of Cyprus on June 6, 1310
- Guy de Lusignan (1275-1280 – 1303, probably buried at Nicosia), Constable of Cyprus ca 1291, married on December 7, 1291 Eschive d'Ibelin, Lady of Beirut (1253 – 1312), parents of:
- Hughues IV de Lusignan, King of Cyprus
- Isabelle de Lusignan (1296-1300 – after 1340), married on July 21, 1322 Eudes de Dampierre, Titular Constable of Jerusalem (died 1330)
- Marguerite de Lusignan (ca 1276 – in Armenia, 1296), who married January 9, 1288 Thoros III of Armenia
- Alice de Lusignan (1277-1280 – after March, 1324), married 1292-1295 or ca 1292/1294 Balian of Ibelin (died 1315/1316 in Kerynia, soon before April 19, 1316), Titular Prince of Galilee and Bethlehem
- Helvis de Lusignan (died after March, 1324), married Hethum II of Armenia
- Isabelle de Lusignan (ca 1280 – 1319), married firstly in 1285/1290 with Constantine of Neghir, Lord of Partzerpert (died 1308), and secondly ca 1310 with the King Oshin of Armenia, who divorce her before or in 1316