Amalric, Prince of Tyre
Encyclopedia
Amalric de Lusignan or Amaury II de Lusignan, Prince of Tyre (c. 1272 – June 5, 1310, Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...

), of the Lusignan family, was a son of Hugh III of Cyprus
Hugh III of Cyprus
Hugh III of Cyprus , born Hughues de Poitiers, later Hughues de Lusignan , called the Great, was the King of Cyprus from 1267 and King of Jerusalem from 1268 . He was the son of Henry of Antioch and Isabella of Cyprus, the daughter of Hugh I...

 and Isabella of Ibelin.

Biography

Amalric was at the Fall of Tripoli in 1289, in which he led a company of knights and four galleys from Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

.
He escaped the siege of Tripoli together with Lucia of Tripoli
Lucia of Tripoli
Lucia was the last countess of Tripoli.She was the daughter of Bohemund VI, Prince of Antioch and Sibylla of Armenia. Her brother was Bohemund VII of Tripoli. When Bohemund VII died in 1287, their mother appointed as regent Bertrand of Gibelet. He proved to be very unpopular with the commune of...

, and was made Constable of Jerusalem in April 1289.

In 1290, he became Lord of Tyre. He was the officer in command of the Accursed Tower at the siege of Acre
Siege of Acre (1291)
The Siege of Acre took place in 1291 and resulted in the loss of the Crusader-controlled city of Acre to the Muslims. It is considered one of the most important battles of the time period. Although the crusading movement continued for several more centuries, the capture of the city marked the end...

 in 1291, and escaped the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....

 with his brother, King Henry
Henry II of Jerusalem
Henry II of Jerusalem and Henry II of Cyprus, born Henri de Lusignan was the last ruling and first titular King of Jerusalem and also ruled as King of Cyprus as Henry II...

, thus becoming Titular Constable of Jerusalem and Titular Lord of Tyre.

In 1300 Amalric attempted combined military operations with the Mongols
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...

 under Ghazan to retake the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...

. He and other Cypriots occupied the island of Ruad
Ruad
Ruad may refer to:* Arwad, a small waterless island off the coast of Tortosa, Syria* Fall of Ruad, battle around 1300 between the Egyptian Mamluks and the Crusaders* Áed Rúad, High King of medieval Irish legend* Ruad, Old Irish term for red, as in Red Branch...

, but the Mongols did not appear and the Westerners withdrew, eventually losing the island entirely in the Siege of Ruad.

When his brother Henry became unpopular in Cyprus, Amalric overthrew him with the aid of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...

 and some of the barons, assuming the titles of "Governor and Rector" and Regent of Cyprus and Titular Regent of Jerusalem on April 26, 1306. The overthrow was not violent; Henry had few supporters, and was simply taken away and confined at Strovolos
Strovolos
Strovolos is a municipality of Nicosia. With a population of near 70,000, it is the second biggest municipality of Cyprus, after Limassol, and the biggest municipality of Nicosia...

.

Amalric's rule was initially popular, and he repaired relations with Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...

, Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....

, and the Hospitallers.

However, when the Order of the Knights Templar was being suppressed in 1307, he was compelled to obey the Papal directive to arrest local Templars, which resulted in a small uprising in favor of Henry in January 1308. It quickly collapsed, but Amalric was forced to arrest a number of nobles, including Rupen of Montfort
Rupen of Montfort
Rupen of Montfort was a Cypriot nobleman, the second surviving son of Humphrey of Montfort and Eschive d'Ibelin.In 1299, Rupen married Marie d'Ibelin , daughter of Balian of Ibelin, Seneschal of Cyprus...

, John of Dampierre, and various members of the Ibelin
Ibelin
Ibelin was a castle in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century , which gave its name to an important family of nobles.-The castle:...

 family. In April, two of the Ibelins were exiled to Armenia, and John of Dampierre was mortally wounded by a mob after attempting to communicate with King Henry. In February 1310, Amalric sent Henry into exile in Armenia.

Amalric was murdered by Simon of Montolif at Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...

 on June 5, 1310, and buried at Santa Sophia
Selimiye Mosque (Nicosia)
Selimiye Mosque or Agia Sofia Cathedral, formerly Cathédrale Sainte Sophie, is located in the Turkish controlled northern part of the walled city of Nicosia. It is the main mosque in the city. It is housed in the largest and oldest surviving gothic church in Cyprus possibly constructed on the site...

, at Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...

. On his death, his brother Aimery was proclaimed Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 of Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...

, but was soon defeated and imprisoned, and Henry restored to his throne.

Family

In 1292/1293 Amalric married Cilician Armenian princess Isabella in the city of Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...

. They had five sons and one daughter:
  • Hugh of Lusignan (died between 1318 & April 9, 1323, Cilicia), Lord of Crusoche married to Eschiva of Ibelin (died after March 1324).
  • Henry of Lusignan (murdered before April 9, 1323, Cilicia), unmarried
  • Guy of Lusignan (d. April 17, 1344, Armenia), King of Armenia as Constantine II
  • John of Lusignan (murdered August 7, 1343, Cilicia), sometime Constable and Regent of Cilicia, married Sultana of Georgia (after 1343), daughter of Giorgi V "the Magnificent", King of Georgia
    George V of Georgia
    George V, the "Brilliant" was King of Georgia from 1299 to 1302 and again from 1314 until his death. A flexible and far-sighted politician, he recovered Georgia from a century-long Mongol domination, restoring the country’s previous strength and Christian culture.-Reign:George was born to King...

    , died 1346, children:
    • Bohemond of Lusignan (died Venice, 1364)
    • Leon V of Armenia (bastard)
  • Bohémond of Lusignan (murdered April 17, 1344, Cilicia), Count of Corcyus, Lord of Korikos (1336), married in 1340 Euphemia of Neghir (1325 – aft. 1381, Jerusalem), daughter of Baldwin of Neghir, Marshal of Armenia, and had a bastard son:
    • Barthelemy of Lusignan, Co-Regent of Armenia (died after 1373), unmarried and without issue
  • Agnes (Mary) of Lusignan (d. aft. 1309), married c. 1305 or 1305/1306 Leo III of Armenia
    Leo III of Armenia
    Leo II or Leon II was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1269/1270 to 1289. He was the son of King Hetoum I and Queen Isabella and was a member of the Hetoumid family.-Early life:Leo was born in 1236, the son of King Hetoum I and Queen Isabella...

    (1297 – murdered 1307), without children


After Amalric's death, his widow and children remained in Armenia; only his daughter would die a natural death, his widow and sons all being murdered at various times.
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