Peter II of Cyprus
Encyclopedia
Peter II of Cyprus or Pierre II le Gros de Lusignan (ca 1357 or 1354/1357 – 13 October 1382), called The Fat, was king of Cyprus from 17 January 1369 until his death.
and his second wife Eleanor of Aragon
. He ascended the throne underage, at the murder of his father. He had also been a Titular Count of Tripoli.
He married by proxy in Milan
on 2 April 1376 and in person at Santa Sophia
, Nicosia
, on July/August, 1378 Valenza or Valentina Visconti
(Milan
, ca 1360 or 1360/1362 – in Italy
, ca 1393 before September, 1393), a daughter of Bernabò Visconti
, co-lord of Milan
, and his wife Beatrice della Scala. They had one daughter de Lusignan in 1379 or 1380 who died as an infant in Nicosia
soon before 3 October 1382 and was buried in St. Dominic's, Nicosia
. She later married after 1383 Galeazzo, Conte di Virtú. Before Peter's wedding, it was suggested that he marry a daughter of Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos
. The suggestion was rejected for political reasons, since the Latins did not encourage the marriage of Peter to a Greek princess. The justification that was given to the Palaiologos messengers was that the king was busy with the dangers that threatened Cyprus because of the Genoese invasion of the island.
He was succeeded, not by his surviving sister Margaret, but by his uncle, James I of Cyprus
, since his daughter did not survive and didn't have other children.
The period of his reign featured by decline in contrast with the previous period of his father' s reign. During his reign, he lost his father's Cypriot possessions to Asia Minor
. Even more Cyprus
received disastrous invasion by Genoese
in 1373-1374 which led to the capture of Famagusta, the most important harbour which began to decline. Important damages were caused to the other major towns of Cyprus because of the war with Genoese.
Peter II was declared as King of Cyprus after his father's murder in January 1369. However, because he was not adult (15 years old), his uncle John of Lusignan, Prince of Antioch
ruled the Kingdom as regent until Peter came of age. John's appointment was seriously opposed, especially by queen Eleanor, who believed that he was involved in her husband's murder. Vowing revenge, Eleanor asked for military aid from Europe in order to punish Peter I's murderers. In her secret calls to various sides, Genoese responded positive who so the whole case as a chance of their involvement to the Kingdom of Cyprus.
In 1372, Peter II was crowned in Nicosia
at the Cathedral of St. Sophia
as king of Cyprus
on 6 January, and at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas
in Famagusta
as king of Jerusalem on 10 October and Genoese found the chance for intervention in Cyprus, after his crowning. While his crowning as King of Jerusalem on 12 October, during the ceremony of his crowning there were marked serious episodes. Protagonists of the episodes were the Venetians and Genoese of Famagusta. According to the custom, the leaders of those two colony communities of Famagusta were holding, during the ceremony, honorary two reins of royal horse. The episodes began suddenly after a conflict of who will hold the left and who the right rein and continued and became expanded during the evening of the celebration dinner and afterwise to the roads of Famagusta, where Venetians and Genoese had armed conflict with many victims and damages. For the bloody fights, Genoese tradesmen were considered responsible and they were arrested. The rest of the Genoese accused then in Genoa the arrest of their compatriot and the authority of that powerful city believed that this was their chance for intervention in Cyprus. So, they organized an expeditional force which was financed by rich Genoese. Head of the expeditional army was Peter di Campofregoso, brother of the Doge of Genoa
.
Peter and his councilors in Cyprus, believed that all available military forces should be syphoned to the island to face the Genoese threat. Therefore, Peter forfeited Antalya
(captured by his father, Peter I) to Emir Teke in a treaty. The Cypriots withdrew their forces in 1373. Peter did not lead the resistance against Genoese, but left it to his uncles, John and James I. Oppositely, the young king, who was with his mother Eleanor on Famagusta, he only managed to lose a very important city-harbour and to be arrested as captive. Famagusta which was excellently fortified, was captured by Genoese with technique. Specifically, it was allowed the entrance of Genoese in the city supposedly for negotiations and that entrance was proved fatal.
Peter was held captive by the Genoese with his mother Eleanor. The Genoese also attacked Limassol
and Paphos
, and also entered the kingdom's capital, Nicosia. His two uncles John and James resisted successfully against Genoese from the St. Hilarion Castle
and from the town of Kyrenia
. The following year (1374), he was forced to come to a humiliated agreement with Genoese which was declaring: the remaining of Famagusta under Genoese sovereignty, the payment of huge compensations to Genoese, to give Kyrenia under Genoese sovereignty and James to leave Cyprus. James obeyed and left Kyrenia but leaving for Europe he was arrested by Genoese, despite the permission that they would not disturb him. He returned when he became King of Cyprus.
The whole Genoese operation in Cyprus, brought them many benefits. However, before they left, they executed those who were involved to Peter I's murder as they promised to Eleanor, who after the end of the war against Genoese, organised and killed the Prince John, who believed he was involved in the murder of her husband.
The powerful Eleanor came in conflict with Valentine after her wedding with Peter II, and also was involved in many issues and scandals. So, Peter decided to send away his mother from Cyprus. Despite his mother's protests, Eleanor went back to Spain in September 1378.
Also Peter negotiated and succeeded a peace treaty with the Sultan of Egypt. Also he built and improved the fortifications of Nicosia. He also built a royal villa in the village of Potamia
and other tasks. Like his father, he creates his own similar currencies. He died on 13 October 1382 at the Palace of La Cava, Nicosia
, and was buried at St. Dominic's, Nicosia
.
Biography
He was the son of Peter I of CyprusPeter I of Cyprus
Peter I of Cyprus or Pierre I de Lusignan was King of Cyprus, and Titular King of Jerusalem from his father's abdication on 24 November 1358 until his own death in 1369. He was also Latin King of Armenia from either 1361 or 1368...
and his second wife Eleanor of Aragon
Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Cyprus
Eleanor of Aragon was Queen consort of Cyprus as the wife of King Peter I of Cyprus. She was a member of the House of Barcelona as the daughter of Peter of Aragon and his wife Joan of Foix.-Queen of Cyprus:...
. He ascended the throne underage, at the murder of his father. He had also been a Titular Count of Tripoli.
He married by proxy in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
on 2 April 1376 and in person 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...
, 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 July/August, 1378 Valenza or Valentina Visconti
Valentina Visconti, Queen of Cyprus
Not to be confused with Valentina Visconti, Duchess of OrléansValentina Visconti was a daughter of Bernabò Visconti and his wife Beatrice della Scala...
(Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, ca 1360 or 1360/1362 – in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, ca 1393 before September, 1393), a daughter of Bernabò Visconti
Bernabo Visconti
Bernabò Visconti was an Italian soldier and statesman, who was Lord of Milan.-Life:He was born in Milan, the son of Stefano Visconti and Valentina Doria. From 1346 to 1349 he lived in exile, until he was called back by his uncle Giovanni Visconti...
, co-lord of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, and his wife Beatrice della Scala. They had one daughter de Lusignan in 1379 or 1380 who died as an infant 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...
soon before 3 October 1382 and was buried in St. Dominic's, 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...
. She later married after 1383 Galeazzo, Conte di Virtú. Before Peter's wedding, it was suggested that he marry a daughter of Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos
John V Palaiologos was a Byzantine emperor, who succeeded his father in 1341, at age nine.-Biography:...
. The suggestion was rejected for political reasons, since the Latins did not encourage the marriage of Peter to a Greek princess. The justification that was given to the Palaiologos messengers was that the king was busy with the dangers that threatened Cyprus because of the Genoese invasion of the island.
He was succeeded, not by his surviving sister Margaret, but by his uncle, James I of Cyprus
James I of Cyprus
James I of Cyprus was Regent of Cyprus for his infant nephew Peter from 1369. When Peter died in 1382, James became King of Cyprus that year...
, since his daughter did not survive and didn't have other children.
The period of his reign featured by decline in contrast with the previous period of his father' s reign. During his reign, he lost his father's Cypriot possessions to Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. Even more 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...
received disastrous invasion by Genoese
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....
in 1373-1374 which led to the capture of Famagusta, the most important harbour which began to decline. Important damages were caused to the other major towns of Cyprus because of the war with Genoese.
Peter II was declared as King of Cyprus after his father's murder in January 1369. However, because he was not adult (15 years old), his uncle John of Lusignan, Prince of Antioch
John of Lusignan
John of Lusignan , Regent of Cyprus and Titular Prince of Antioch. He was son of King Hugh IV of Cyprus and his second wife, Alix of Ibelin.He married twice, firstly in 1343 to Constance of Sicily John of Lusignan (or Jean de Lusignan) (ca 1329 or 1329/1330–1375), Regent of Cyprus and Titular...
ruled the Kingdom as regent until Peter came of age. John's appointment was seriously opposed, especially by queen Eleanor, who believed that he was involved in her husband's murder. Vowing revenge, Eleanor asked for military aid from Europe in order to punish Peter I's murderers. In her secret calls to various sides, Genoese responded positive who so the whole case as a chance of their involvement to the Kingdom of Cyprus.
In 1372, Peter II was crowned 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...
at the Cathedral of St. 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...
as king 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:...
on 6 January, and at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas
Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque
The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque originally known as the Saint Nicolas Cathedral and later as the Ayasofya Mosque of Magusa, is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, North Cyprus. Built between 1298 and c.1400 it was consecrated as a Christian cathedral in 1328...
in Famagusta
Famagusta
Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
as king of Jerusalem on 10 October and Genoese found the chance for intervention in Cyprus, after his crowning. While his crowning as King of Jerusalem on 12 October, during the ceremony of his crowning there were marked serious episodes. Protagonists of the episodes were the Venetians and Genoese of Famagusta. According to the custom, the leaders of those two colony communities of Famagusta were holding, during the ceremony, honorary two reins of royal horse. The episodes began suddenly after a conflict of who will hold the left and who the right rein and continued and became expanded during the evening of the celebration dinner and afterwise to the roads of Famagusta, where Venetians and Genoese had armed conflict with many victims and damages. For the bloody fights, Genoese tradesmen were considered responsible and they were arrested. The rest of the Genoese accused then in Genoa the arrest of their compatriot and the authority of that powerful city believed that this was their chance for intervention in Cyprus. So, they organized an expeditional force which was financed by rich Genoese. Head of the expeditional army was Peter di Campofregoso, brother of the Doge of Genoa
Doge of Genoa
The Republic of Genoa, in what is now northern Italy, was technically a communal republic in the early Middle Ages, although it was actually an oligarchy ruled by a small group of merchant families, from whom were selected the Doges of Genoa.- History :...
.
Peter and his councilors in Cyprus, believed that all available military forces should be syphoned to the island to face the Genoese threat. Therefore, Peter forfeited Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
(captured by his father, Peter I) to Emir Teke in a treaty. The Cypriots withdrew their forces in 1373. Peter did not lead the resistance against Genoese, but left it to his uncles, John and James I. Oppositely, the young king, who was with his mother Eleanor on Famagusta, he only managed to lose a very important city-harbour and to be arrested as captive. Famagusta which was excellently fortified, was captured by Genoese with technique. Specifically, it was allowed the entrance of Genoese in the city supposedly for negotiations and that entrance was proved fatal.
Peter was held captive by the Genoese with his mother Eleanor. The Genoese also attacked Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
and Paphos
Paphos
Paphos , sometimes referred to as Pafos, is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city is New Paphos. It lies on the Mediterranean coast, about west of the...
, and also entered the kingdom's capital, Nicosia. His two uncles John and James resisted successfully against Genoese from the St. Hilarion Castle
St. Hilarion Castle
The Saint Hilarion Castle lies on the Kyrenia mountain range, in Cyprus. It was originally a monastery, named after a monk who allegedly chose the site for his hermitage. Later fortified by Byzantines, it formed the defense of the island with the castles of Buffavento and Kantara against Arab...
and from the town of Kyrenia
Kyrenia
Kyrenia is a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. Internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Cyprus, Kyrenia has been under Turkish control since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974...
. The following year (1374), he was forced to come to a humiliated agreement with Genoese which was declaring: the remaining of Famagusta under Genoese sovereignty, the payment of huge compensations to Genoese, to give Kyrenia under Genoese sovereignty and James to leave Cyprus. James obeyed and left Kyrenia but leaving for Europe he was arrested by Genoese, despite the permission that they would not disturb him. He returned when he became King of Cyprus.
The whole Genoese operation in Cyprus, brought them many benefits. However, before they left, they executed those who were involved to Peter I's murder as they promised to Eleanor, who after the end of the war against Genoese, organised and killed the Prince John, who believed he was involved in the murder of her husband.
The powerful Eleanor came in conflict with Valentine after her wedding with Peter II, and also was involved in many issues and scandals. So, Peter decided to send away his mother from Cyprus. Despite his mother's protests, Eleanor went back to Spain in September 1378.
Also Peter negotiated and succeeded a peace treaty with the Sultan of Egypt. Also he built and improved the fortifications of Nicosia. He also built a royal villa in the village of Potamia
Potamia, Cyprus
Potamia is a village in the north-east of government controlled Cyprus in the district of Nicosia, close to the Green Line separating it from the area under Turkish occupation...
and other tasks. Like his father, he creates his own similar currencies. He died on 13 October 1382 at the Palace of La Cava, 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...
, and was buried at St. Dominic's, 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...
.