Maria of Antioch (d. after 10 December 1307), daughter of Prince
Bohemond IV of Antioch and his second wife
Melisende de Lusignan, was the pretender to the throne of Jerusalem from 1269 to 1277. By her mother, she was the granddaughter of Queen
Isabella I of Jerusalem, and her fourth husband, King
Amalric II of Jerusalem.
Prior to 1268, the principal Pretender to the throne of Jerusalem was
Conradin, a great-grandson of Isabella I of Jerusalem. He was executed in 1268 by
Charles of Anjou, who had by papal authority seized Conradin's rightful Kingdom of Sicily. At the time of his death, Mary was the only living grandchild of Queen Isabella; this allowed her to claim the throne of Jerusalem on the basis of
proximity in blood to the Kings of Jerusalem (in feudal successions, proximity - a form of
seniority - was a strong claim). The
Haute Cour of Jerusalem ignored her claims, however.
Maria then went to Rome and proposed the sale of her rights to Charles of Anjou; with papal blessing and confirmation, these were sold to Charles in 1277. Charles then took the title
King of Jerusalem, and conquered
Acre, holding it until 1285. Thereafter, the claim to the
Kingdom of Jerusalem frequently changed hands, being passed down by testament or conquest rather than by direct inheritance.
Maria died, childless, in Castello de Canosa, Apulia, after 10 December 1307.