James I of Cyprus or
Jacques I de Lusignan (1334 –
September 9,
1398) was
Regent of Cyprus for his infant nephew Peter from 1369. When Peter died in 1382, James became King of Cyprus that year. James was also Titular
King of Armenia and Titular
King of Jerusalem 1382 – 1398. He was the fourth son of
Hugh IV of Cyprus, and became king upon the death of his nephew
Peter II. Before becoming a king, he had other offices and was known for his resistance against the Genoese invasion against Cyprus.
After Hugh IV's death, his first son Guy, Titular
Prince of Galilee was already dead and his second son
Peter I who reigned for 10 years was then murdered. His son, Peter II, who was not adult, reigned when he became adult. Meanwhile, Peter I's wife Eleanor of Aragon to revenge her husband's death, invited
Genoese to invade Cyprus.
Since the Genoese had commercial and financial interests in Cyprus, they invaded the island in April 1373. After achieveing the takeover of the well-fortressed city of
Famagusta, they arrested and held captive, Peter II and his mother Eleanor who had invited them. After they killed the nobles who had murdered Peter I, they wanted to take control of the island. After the end of the war, Eleanor succeeded the murder of John, which she claimed she was responsible for her husband's murder.
James married his kinswoman
Helvis or Helisia of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1353 – January 15/25, 1421) (daughter of Philip of Brunswick,
Constable of Jerusalem and Helisia of Dampierre) in 1365. Her older? brother Johann of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d.
June 11,
1414 unmarried and without issue) was an
Admiral of Cyprus and their father Philipp of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (ca 1332 –
August 4,
1369/1370) was a
Constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Their father married firstly ca 1352 Helisia de Dampierre, daughter of Eudes de Dampierre, who was their mother, and secondly in 1368 Alix d'Ibelin (living
August 6,
1386), who became their stepmother.
James was created
Constable of Cyprus, and in that office, led the war against the
Genoese in 1372.
During the invasion, the other two sons of Guy, James and John, resisted to the invasion. James fought well in
Kyrenia, resisting the Genoese attack, a resistance that was victorious at the end, under the command of James. However, his nephew Peter II, signed a Treaty with Genoese, who kept Famagusta and in the Treaty, James had to leave from Cyprus. James, stopped the war and left the island with a ship from Kyrenia in 1374 and went to
Europe. At first he went to
Rhodes, where he found no help and he was arrested by Genoese and went in
Genoa as a captive with his wife. With the capture of
Kyrenia in 1374, he was taken as a hostage to Genoa, where he consummated his marriage with Helvis, whom he had wed when she was twelve. Most or all of their children were born in Genoa. Due to his captivity, he was not crowned until 1385. In Genoa he lived with his wife under hard situation for 9 years, and he gave birth to his first son Janus in that city.
After Peter II's death in 1382, since Peter had no succession, the Parliament of Cyprus decided James to be the king, while he was captive in Genoa. Genoese, inorder to release him to go to Cyprus to become a king, they negotiated with him and received his signature for agreement on
February 2,
1383. Under that agreement, Genoese had new privileges for commercial activities. Famagusta was still under Genoese sovereignty, something that was never accepted by either James and other kings after him and during his reign he tried to regain that city.
Until he was released, the Kingdom of Cyprus was governed by 12 nobles. After he was released in 1383, he was not accepted, as it is referred by the historian Leontios Makhairas and returned to Genoa. Some nobles opposed the return of James, lead by the brothers Perotte and Vilmonde de Montolivve, who were believing that with that situation they could become kings. James' opponents could not be beaten, until 1385. In April 1385, James came back again in Cyprus and he went to Nicosia, where he was welcomed with great enthousiasm. He was crowned in May 1385 in
Saint Sophia Cathedral. After his crowning, his opponents were arrested and punished.
He was crowned
King of Jerusalem in 1389 and in 1393,
Leo VI of Armenia died, and James assumed the title of
King of Armenia, and was formally given the title in 1396. That kingdom was by now reduced to the city of
Korikos, which had been in Cypriote hands since its conquest by
Peter I of Cyprus. So when in 1382, Peter II died, James succeeded him, since Peter didn't have a son.
He died in
Nicosia.
He had twelve children:
- Philippe de Lusignan (d. ca 1430 or 1428/1432), Constable of Cyprus, unmarried, he had a natural son:
- an unknown daughter de Lusignan (d. 1374 in Rhodes), died young
- Jacqua de Lusignan (d. ca 1397 or 1396/1398), unmarried and without issue
- Eschive de Lusignan (d. after 1406), probably married to Count Sclavus von Asperg
- Marie de Lusignan (1381 in Genoa – September 4, 1404 in Naples and buried there), married Ladislas "le Magnanime", King of Naples and Jerusalem, Hungary and Dalmatia, etc (July 14, 1376/February 11, 1377 in Naples – of poisoning August 6, 1414 at Naples and buried there) on February 12, 1403 in Naples, without issue
Upon his death, his son
Janus succeeded to the throne.
Category:Roman Catholic monarchsCategory:1334 birthsCategory:1398 deathsCategory:Monarchs of ArmeniaCategory:Kings of CyprusCategory:Cypriot military personnelCategory:Claimant Kings of Jerusalemde:Jakob I. (Zypern)el:Ιάκωβος Α' της Κύπρουfr:Jacques Ier de Chyprenl:Jacobus I van Cypruspl:Jakub I Cypryjski
