Margaret of Lusignan

Margaret of Poitiers-Lusignan (1276–1296) was Queen consort of Armenia as the first wife of King Thoros III. She was Queen from 1293 until her death, three years later. She had two sons, Leo, who ruled for four years as king, and Bohemond, whose fate is unknown.

Family

Margaret was born in 1276, a daughter of King Hugh III de Poitiers, king of Cyprus and Isabelle of Ibelin. She had 10 siblings including King John I of Cyprus. She was a member of the cadet branch of the influential French Lusignan dynasty, which had ruled the Crusader states of Cyprus and Jerusalem since the late 12th century.

Queen of Armenia

On 9 January 1288, she married Thoros, a son of King Leo II of Armenia. Pope Honorius IV wrote to the Bishop of Antarados requesting that the latter grant a dispenstion for their marriage; this was done and the dispensation was dated 23 May 1286. He became Crown Prince of Armenia in 1289, and in 1293 succeeded his deposed brother, Hethum as King of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. On 8 January 1290 at the age of about 13 or 14, Margaret gave birth to a son, Leo who later ruled as king from 1303 until 7 November 1307, when he was murdered by a Mongol. She also had a second son, Bohemond, but his history is not known. Margaret was queen consort for three years until her own death in 1296 at the age of 20. Her husband subsequently married a Mongol woman whose name was not recorded.

Ancestry

Family of Margaret of Lusignan

Bohemond III de Poitiers, prince of Antioch Bohemonf IV de Poitiers, prince of Antioch Orguilleuse d'Harenc Henry de Poitiers of Antioch Ugo III Embriaco, lord de Giblet Plaisance Embriaco Hugh III de Poitiers, king of Cyprus Aimery de Lusignan, king of Cyprus Hugh I de Lusignan, king of Cyprus Eschiva of Ibelin Isabella de Lusignan of Cyprus Henry II, Count of Champagne Alice of Champagne Isabella I d'Anjou, queen of Jerusalem Mary de Poitiers of Cyprus Balian of Ibelin John I of Ibelin, lord of Beirut Maria Komnene Guy of Ibelin, constable of Cyprus Guy of Arsuf Melissende, lady of Arsuf Isabella of Ibelin Aimery Berlais Phillipa Berlais