Silver denier of Henry I of Cyprus, 1218-1253.
, nicknamed
the Fat, aka
Henry of Lusignan or
Henri I le Gros de Lusignan (
May 3,
1217 –
January 18,
1253 at
Nicosia) was
King of Cyprus from 1218 to 1253. He was the son of
Hugh I of Cyprus and
Alice of Champagne of Jerusalem. When his father Hugh I died on January 10, 1218, the 8-month-old Henry became king. His mother was the official
Regent, but handed off the actual governing to her uncle, Philip of Ibelin. When Philip died, the effective regency passed to his brother,
John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut.
Henry was crowned at the age of 8 at
Santa Sophia,
Nicosia, in 1225. The reason for the early coronation was as a political maneuver by his uncle Philip, who sensed that
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, was going to attempt to seize power. In 1228 this did occur, as Frederick forced John of Ibelin to hand over the regency, and the island of Cyprus. However, when Frederick left the island in April, John counter-attacked and regained control, which began the
War of the Lombards. Henry was able to assume control of the kingdom when he came of age at 15, in 1232, and maintained close ties with the
Ibelin family.
Henry himself served as Regent of
Jerusalem for
Conrad of Hohenstaufen 1246-1253.
He was married three times; his third wife, whom he married in 1250, was
Plaisance of Antioch, daughter of
Bohemund V of Antioch. They had a son, Hugh.
On his death, Henry was succeeded by his only child, his infant son
Hugh II (b. 1253). If he had not had children, his heirs were his eldest sister's sons Jean de Brienne (b. 1234) and
Hugh of Brienne (b. c. 1240), as well as his younger sister's son Hugh of Antioch, the future
Hugh III of Cyprus (b. c. 1235). He was buried at the Church of the
Templars, at
Nicosia.
Wives:
- Alix of Montferrat (1210/1215 – Kerynia, December, 1232-May, 1233, buried at Santa Sophia, Nicosia), daughter of Marquis William VI of Montferrat, by Bertha da Clavesana, married at Limassol in May, 1229, without issue
- Stephanie of Lampron (ca 1220/1225 – soon after April 1, 1249, buried at Santa Sophia, Nicosia), daughter of Constantine of Lampron, Regent of Armenia, by Stephanie of Barbaron, married at Nicosia in 1237/1238, without issue
