Helena Palaiologina
Encyclopedia
Helena Palaiologina ( February 1428 – 11 April 1458) was a Byzantine
princess of the Palaiologos
family, who became the Queen consort
of Cyprus
and Armenia, titular Queen consort of Jerusalem
, and Princess of Antioch through her marriage to King John II of Cyprus
and Armenia. She was the mother of Queen Charlotte of Cyprus
.
A cruel and vindictive woman, she poisoned her son-in-law John of Portugal
, and ordered the nose of her husband's mistress to be cut off. She did, however, welcome and assist many Byzantine
refugees in Cyprus after the Fall of Constantinople
in 1453.
, Greece
on 3 February 1428, the only child of Theodore II Palaiologos and Cleofa Malatesta
. Her paternal grandparents were Manuel II Palaiologos
and Helena Dragas
, and her maternal grandparents were Malatesta I, Count of Pesaro and Isabella Gonzaga. Her many uncles included Byzantine emperors John VIII Palaiologos
and Constantine XI Palaiologos. When she was five years old, her mother died. Her father never remarried as he was occupied in the war which was fought against the Latin states in Greece for the unification of Morea.
in Nicosia
, Cassandra married King John II of Cyprus and Armenia, titular King of Jerusalem and Prince of Antioch. He was the son of King Janus of Cyprus
of the Lusignan dynasty and Charlotte de Bourbon-La Marche
. Helena was John's second wife, his first wife Amadea of Montferrat having died in September 1440. She had turned fourteen years old on the day of her wedding, and John was twenty-seven. The Chronicle of Amadi recorded the arrival in Cyprus on 2 February 1442 of Madama Helena Palaeologo de la Morea and her subsequent marriage the following day.
Shortly after their marriage, Helena ordered the nose of her husband's beautiful mistress, Marietta de Patras
, to be cut off. Marietta had borne John a son, James
several years before his marriage to Helena. Later, Helena and James would become bitter enemies, each striving to gain influence over King John. Helena resented her husband having appointed James Archbishop
of Nicosia when he was sixteen years old. When the boy murdered Iacopo Urri, the Royal Chamberlain
on 1 April 1457, he was removed from office, and he fled the island, but King John pardoned him and the archbishopric was restored to him.
Together John and Helena had two daughters:
party, thus incurring her wrath and enmity; also she wished for her daughter to marry Louis of Savoy. This second marriage Helena did arrange for her daughter, Charlotte; however, the marriage between Charlotte and Louis took place in 1459, when Helena and King John were both dead, and Charlotte by that time had succeeded her father as Queen Regnant
of Cyprus.
As Charlotte's only child died in infancy, Helena has no surviving descendants.
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
princess of the Palaiologos
Palaiologos
Palaiologos , often latinized as Palaeologus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family, which produced the last ruling dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fourth Crusade, members of the family fled to the neighboring Empire of Nicaea, where Michael VIII Palaiologos became co-emperor in 1259,...
family, who became the Queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Cyprus
Kingdom of Cyprus
The Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan.-History:...
and Armenia, titular Queen consort 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....
, and Princess of Antioch through her marriage to King John II of Cyprus
John II of Cyprus
John II or III of Cyprus was the King of Cyprus and Armenia and also titular King of Jerusalem from 1432 to 1458. He was previously a Titular Prince of Antioch...
and Armenia. She was the mother of Queen Charlotte of Cyprus
Charlotte of Cyprus
Charlotte , was Queen of Cyprus and Princess of Antioch, as well as titular Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia.She was the eldest and only surviving daughter of King John II of Cyprus and Helena Palaiologina. At the age of 14, she succeeded to the Cypriot throne upon the death of her father in 1458...
.
A cruel and vindictive woman, she poisoned her son-in-law John of Portugal
John, Prince of Antioch
Infante John of Coimbra , also known as John of Coimbra or John of Portugal, was the second son of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, and Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgell....
, and ordered the nose of her husband's mistress to be cut off. She did, however, welcome and assist many Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
refugees in Cyprus after the Fall of Constantinople
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
in 1453.
Family
Helena was born in the castle of Mistras, MoreaMorea
The Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. It also referred to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.-Origins of the name:...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
on 3 February 1428, the only child of Theodore II Palaiologos and Cleofa Malatesta
Cleofa Malatesta
Cleofa Malatesta da Pesaro was an Italian noblewoman and the wife of Theodore II Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea, brother of Constantine XI, the last Byzantine emperor. She was a daughter ofMalatesta dei Sonetti, count of Pesaro, and of Isabella Gonzaga...
. Her paternal grandparents were Manuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos
Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Byzantine Emperor from 1391 to 1425.-Life:...
and Helena Dragas
Helena Dragaš
Helena Dragaš Helena was born to Constantine Dragaš of the noble House of Dejanović. Constantine was a Serbian provincial lord, ruling one of the principalities that emerged after the breakup of the Serbian Empire, centered at Velbăžd . Her mother was Constantine's unnamed first wife...
, and her maternal grandparents were Malatesta I, Count of Pesaro and Isabella Gonzaga. Her many uncles included Byzantine emperors John VIII Palaiologos
John VIII Palaiologos
John VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus , was the penultimate reigning Byzantine Emperor, ruling from 1425 to 1448.-Life:John VIII Palaiologos was the eldest son of Manuel II Palaiologos and Helena Dragaš, the daughter of the Serbian prince Constantine Dragaš...
and Constantine XI Palaiologos. When she was five years old, her mother died. Her father never remarried as he was occupied in the war which was fought against the Latin states in Greece for the unification of Morea.
Marriage and issue
On 3 February 1442 at the Cathedral of Saint SophiaSelimiye 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...
in 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...
, Cassandra married King John II of Cyprus and Armenia, titular King of Jerusalem and Prince of Antioch. He was the son of King Janus of Cyprus
Janus of Cyprus
Janus of Cyprus was a King of Cyprus, King of Armenia and a Titular King of Jerusalem from 1398 to 1432.-Biography:He was born in Genoa where his father, King James I of Cyprus was a captive...
of the Lusignan dynasty and Charlotte de Bourbon-La Marche
Charlotte de Bourbon-La Marche
Charlotte de Bourbon was the Queen consort of Cyprus and titular Queen consort of Armenia and Jerusalem through her marriage to King Janus of Cyprus. She was his second wife and the mother of his six legitimate children, which included King John II and Anne de Lusignan...
. Helena was John's second wife, his first wife Amadea of Montferrat having died in September 1440. She had turned fourteen years old on the day of her wedding, and John was twenty-seven. The Chronicle of Amadi recorded the arrival in Cyprus on 2 February 1442 of Madama Helena Palaeologo de la Morea and her subsequent marriage the following day.
Shortly after their marriage, Helena ordered the nose of her husband's beautiful mistress, Marietta de Patras
Marietta de Patras
Marietta de Patras was the Greek mistress of King John II of Cyprus and the mother of his illegitimate son King James II of Cyprus. Shortly after King John's marriage to Helena Palaiologina, the new Queen ordered that Marietta's nose be cut off...
, to be cut off. Marietta had borne John a son, James
James II of Cyprus
James II of Cyprus or Jacques II le Bâtard de Lusignan , was the illegitimate son of John II of Cyprus and Marietta de Patras.-Archbishop of Nicosia:...
several years before his marriage to Helena. Later, Helena and James would become bitter enemies, each striving to gain influence over King John. Helena resented her husband having appointed James Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Nicosia when he was sixteen years old. When the boy murdered Iacopo Urri, the Royal Chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
on 1 April 1457, he was removed from office, and he fled the island, but King John pardoned him and the archbishopric was restored to him.
Together John and Helena had two daughters:
- Queen Charlotte of CyprusCharlotte of CyprusCharlotte , was Queen of Cyprus and Princess of Antioch, as well as titular Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia.She was the eldest and only surviving daughter of King John II of Cyprus and Helena Palaiologina. At the age of 14, she succeeded to the Cypriot throne upon the death of her father in 1458...
(28 June 1444 – 16 July 1487), married firstly in May 1456 Infante John of PortugalJohn, Prince of AntiochInfante John of Coimbra , also known as John of Coimbra or John of Portugal, was the second son of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, and Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgell....
; secondly on 4 October 1459, Louis of Savoy, Count of GenevaLouis of Savoy, Count of GenevaLouis of Savoy was King of Cyprus, reigning together with and in the right of his wife, Queen Charlotte of Cyprus. He was the second son and namesake of Louis, Duke of Savoy, and his wife Anne of Lusignan, daughter of King Janus of Cyprus...
, by whom she had an unnamed son who died within a month of his birth. Charlotte succeeded to the throne of Cyprus in 1458. - Cleopha de Lusignan (died 8 June 1448)
Queen of Cyprus
Helena was instrumental in the revival of Greek influence in Cyprus due to the numerous members of the Byzantine court who arrived in her wake and were given positions at the Lusignan court. This led to a renewal of ties with the Byzantine Empire. After the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, she welcomed and gave assistance to many Byzantine refugees who had fled to Cyprus. She was described as having been "stronger in character than her husband". She took charge of the kingdom, and her policies in favour of the Orthodox faith and Greek culture enraged the Franks who looked upon her as a dangerous enemy; however she had become far too powerful for them to attack. The Greek Cypriots, on the other hand, had always revered Helena as a great heroine due to her bold, decisive character. In 1457, she poisoned her son-in-law, Infante John of Portugal, who had given his support to the CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
party, thus incurring her wrath and enmity; also she wished for her daughter to marry Louis of Savoy. This second marriage Helena did arrange for her daughter, Charlotte; however, the marriage between Charlotte and Louis took place in 1459, when Helena and King John were both dead, and Charlotte by that time had succeeded her father as Queen Regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
of Cyprus.
Death
Helena died on 11 April 1458 in the fortress of Nicosia where she and King John had barricaded themselves during the insurrection of his illegitimate son, James. She was buried in the Royal Monastery of Saint Dominic's. John died the same year, and was succeeded by his only surviving legitimate child, Charlotte.As Charlotte's only child died in infancy, Helena has no surviving descendants.