Marie of Lusignan, Queen of Aragon

Marie of Lusignan (1273 – Tortosa, April 1319) was a daughter of Hugh III of Cyprus and his wife Isabella of Ibelin. She was Queen of Aragon by her marriage and was a member of the House of Poitiers-Lusignan.[1]

Marie of Lusignan
Arms as Queen Consort
Queen consort of Aragon
Tenure	1314–1319
Born	1273 Cyprus
Died	April 1319 Tortosa
Spouse	James II of Aragon
House	Poitiers-Lusignan
Father	Hugh III of Cyprus
Mother	Isabella of Ibelin
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Life

Her grave.

Marie was the fifth of thirteen children. Her siblings included John II of Jerusalem, Henry II of Jerusalem and Amalric, Prince of Tyre.

Marie remained unmarried for many years; she was recorded as having been present in her brother Amalric's court in 1310.[2] 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.

As Marie was heiress to Cyprus, James considered a matrimonial union with her to be politically advantageous. 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 reasons of state, so James could rule Cyprus on the death of Marie's brother Henry.[3] 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.[4] 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.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Marie of Lusignan, Queen of Aragon

Bohemond III de Poitiers, prince of Antioch Bohemond 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 Melisende, lady of Arsuf Isabella of Ibelin Aimery Berlais Phillipa Berlais

References

1. Arco y Garay, Ricardo del (1945). Sepulcros de la Casa Real de Aragón. Madrid: Instituto Jerónimo Zurita. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. OCLC 11818414.
2. CYPRUS, Medieval Lands
3. Cyprus
4. Letter of King Jaime to the bishop of Tusculum written shortly after Queen Marie's death, cited in Edbury (1994), p. 138