Plaisance of Antioch
Encyclopedia
Queen Plaisance of Cyprus, born Plaisance of Antioch or Plaisance de Poitiers (1235/1236 or ca 1235 – September 27/22, 1261) was a daughter of Bohemund V of Antioch
and his second wife, the Italian noblewoman Lucienne dei Conti di Segni, kinswoman of Pope Innocent III
. She became Queen consort
and Queen regent of the Kingdom of Cyprus
and acting Regent
of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
for her son Hugh II of Cyprus
until her death in 1261.
, who died in 1253. Their son, the infant Hugh II
, became King of Cyprus with Plaisance as regent. Plaisance re-married to Balian d'Ibelin, Lord of Arsuf
, the son of Jean d'Ibelin, Lord of Arsuf
, but they divorced and had the marriage annulled in 1258.
The official King of Jerusalem at the time was the absentee Conrad of Hohenstaufen
, who died in 1254, with his title passing to his son Conradin
, also still in Germany. The position of regent belonged by birthright to the underage Hugh, who was Conradin's immediate heir and hereditarily the next king if Conradin failed to have his own progeny. In 1258, Plaisance's brother Bohemund VI of Antioch
brought Hugh and Plaisance to Acre and demanded that they be recognized as King of Jerusalem and regent, respectively. John of Ibelin
(count of Jaffa), the Knights Templar
, and the Teutonic Knights
agreed with this, against the opposition of the Knights Hospitaller
and various jurists who still wished to recognize Conradin as king, even though he was not present in the kingdom.
Plaisance, supported by a majority of the nobles, was accepted as acting regent and then appointed her former father-in-law John of Ibelin (lord of Arsuf)
to rule as bailiff
in her place; he had already been bailiff before her arrival and both Bohemund and John of Jaffa had hoped the presence of Plaisance and Hugh would eliminate the need for another bailiff. The dispute, however, continued and Pope Alexander IV
sent the Genoese
to attempt to settle it; John of Jaffa convinced Bohemund and Plaisance to unite Jerusalem, Antioch
, and Tripoli
against them. In 1260 the high churchman (a future pope) Jacques Pantaleon
arrived to take up the vacant patriarchate
, hoping to solve the crisis. Around this time Plaisance apparently became John of Jaffa's mistress, against the new patriarch's wishes.
Plaisance died at Cyprus in 1261 and the regency of Hugh II passed to Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan, while the regency of Jerusalem passed to her sister-in-law Isabella of Lusignan
, who was married to Plaisance's brother and who was the sister of Plaisance's late husband. However, Hugh II died in 1267 before reaching adulthood, and was succeeded by Hugh of Antioch who reigned until 1284.
Bohemund V of Antioch
Bohemond V of Antioch was ruler of the Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, from 1233 to his death. He was simultaneously Count of Tripoli.Bohemond V was the son of Bohemund IV of Antioch and Plaisance of Gibelet...
and his second wife, the Italian noblewoman Lucienne dei Conti di Segni, kinswoman of Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
. She became 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...
and Queen regent of the Kingdom 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 acting Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
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....
for her son Hugh II of Cyprus
Hugh II of Cyprus
Hugh II of Cyprus was king of Cyprus and, from the age of 5 years, also Regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem....
until her death in 1261.
Biography
She was firstly married in 1250 to Henry I of CyprusHenry I of Cyprus
Henry I of Cyprus, nicknamed the Fat, aka Henry of Lusignan or Henri I le Gros de Lusignan was King of Cyprus from 1218 to 1253. He was the son of Hugh I of Cyprus and Alice of Champagne of Jerusalem. When his father Hugh I died on January 10, 1218, the 8-month-old Henry became king...
, who died in 1253. Their son, the infant Hugh II
Hugh II of Cyprus
Hugh II of Cyprus was king of Cyprus and, from the age of 5 years, also Regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem....
, became King of Cyprus with Plaisance as regent. Plaisance re-married to Balian d'Ibelin, Lord of Arsuf
Balian of Arsuf
Balian of Ibelin was the Lord of Arsuf from 1258 until the early 1260s , when he sold it to the Knights Hospitaller. He was the son and successor of John of Arsuf, Constable of Jerusalem...
, the son of Jean d'Ibelin, Lord of Arsuf
John of Arsuf
John of Ibelin was the Lord of Arsuf from 1236 and Constable of Jerusalem from 1251. He was a younger son of John I of Beirut. His elder brother, Balian, inherited Beirut. He served as regent of Jerusalem on two occasions: 1253-1254 for Conrad II and 1256-1258 for Conrad III...
, but they divorced and had the marriage annulled in 1258.
The official King of Jerusalem at the time was the absentee Conrad of Hohenstaufen
Conrad IV of Germany
Conrad IV was king of Jerusalem , of Germany , and of Sicily .-Biography:...
, who died in 1254, with his title passing to his son Conradin
Conradin
Conrad , called the Younger or the Boy, but usually known by the diminutive Conradin , was the Duke of Swabia , King of Jerusalem , and King of Sicily .-Early childhood:Conradin was born in Wolfstein, Bavaria, to Conrad...
, also still in Germany. The position of regent belonged by birthright to the underage Hugh, who was Conradin's immediate heir and hereditarily the next king if Conradin failed to have his own progeny. In 1258, Plaisance's brother Bohemund VI of Antioch
Bohemund VI of Antioch
Bohemond VI of Antioch , called the Fair , was the Prince of Antioch and Count of Tripoli from 1251 until his death. He ruled while Antioch was caught between the warring empires of the Mongols and the Egyptian Mamluks. In 1268 Antioch was captured by the Mamluks, and he was thenceforth a prince in...
brought Hugh and Plaisance to Acre and demanded that they be recognized as King of Jerusalem and regent, respectively. John of Ibelin
John of Ibelin (jurist)
John of Ibelin , count of Jaffa and Ascalon, was a noted jurist and the author of the longest legal treatise from the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was the son of Philip of Ibelin, bailli of the Kingdom of Cyprus, and Alice of Montbéliard, and was the nephew of John of Ibelin, the "Old Lord of Beirut"...
(count of Jaffa), 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 the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
agreed with this, against the opposition of the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
and various jurists who still wished to recognize Conradin as king, even though he was not present in the kingdom.
Plaisance, supported by a majority of the nobles, was accepted as acting regent and then appointed her former father-in-law John of Ibelin (lord of Arsuf)
John of Arsuf
John of Ibelin was the Lord of Arsuf from 1236 and Constable of Jerusalem from 1251. He was a younger son of John I of Beirut. His elder brother, Balian, inherited Beirut. He served as regent of Jerusalem on two occasions: 1253-1254 for Conrad II and 1256-1258 for Conrad III...
to rule as bailiff
Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
There were six major officers of the kingdom of Jerusalem: the constable, the marshal, the seneschal, the chamberlain , the butler and the chancellor...
in her place; he had already been bailiff before her arrival and both Bohemund and John of Jaffa had hoped the presence of Plaisance and Hugh would eliminate the need for another bailiff. The dispute, however, continued and Pope Alexander IV
Pope Alexander IV
Pope Alexander IV was Pope from 1254 until his death.Born as Rinaldo di Jenne, in Jenne , he was, on his mother's side, a member of the de' Conti di Segni family, the counts of Segni, like Pope Innocent III and Pope Gregory IX...
sent the 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....
to attempt to settle it; John of Jaffa convinced Bohemund and Plaisance to unite Jerusalem, Antioch
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the crusader states created during the First Crusade.-Foundation:...
, and Tripoli
County of Tripoli
The County of Tripoli was the last Crusader state founded in the Levant, located in what today are parts of western Syria and northern Lebanon, where exists the modern city of Tripoli. The Crusader state was captured and created by Christian forces in 1109, originally held by Bertrand of Toulouse...
against them. In 1260 the high churchman (a future pope) Jacques Pantaleon
Pope Urban IV
Pope Urban IV , born Jacques Pantaléon, was Pope, from 1261 to 1264. He was not a cardinal, and there have been several Popes since him who have not been Cardinals, including Urban V and Urban VI.-Biography:...
arrived to take up the vacant patriarchate
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is the title possessed by the Latin Rite Catholic Archbishop of Jerusalem. The Archdiocese of Jerusalem has jurisdiction for all Latin Rite Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan and Cyprus...
, hoping to solve the crisis. Around this time Plaisance apparently became John of Jaffa's mistress, against the new patriarch's wishes.
Plaisance died at Cyprus in 1261 and the regency of Hugh II passed to Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan, while the regency of Jerusalem passed to her sister-in-law Isabella of Lusignan
Isabella of Lusignan
Not to be confused with Isabella of CyprusIsabella of Lusignan was a daughter of Hugh X of Lusignan and his wife Isabella of Angoulême, Dowager Queen of England. Isabella was half-sister to Henry III of England. She was Dame de Beauvoir-sur Mer et de Mercillac...
, who was married to Plaisance's brother and who was the sister of Plaisance's late husband. However, Hugh II died in 1267 before reaching adulthood, and was succeeded by Hugh of Antioch who reigned until 1284.