James I of Cyprus
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robot Adding: [[nl:Jacobus I van Cyprus]]
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'''James I of Cyprus''' or '''Jacques I de Lusignan''' (1334 – [[September 9]], [[1398]]) was [[Kingdom of Cyprus|King of Cyprus]] 1369 – 1398 and Titular [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia|King of Armenia]] and Titular [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|King of Jerusalem]] 1382 – 1398. He was the fourth son of [[Hugh IV of Cyprus]], and became king upon the death of his nephew [[Peter II of Cyprus|Peter II]].
Before becoming a king, he had other offices and was known for his resistance against the Genoese invasion against Cyprus.
After Hugh IV's death, his first son Guy, Titular [[Prince of Galilee]] was already dead and his second son [[Peter I of Cyprus|Peter I]] who reigned for 10 years was then murdered. His son, Peter II, who was not adult, reigned when he became adult. Meanwhile, Peter I's wife Eleanor of Aragon to revenge her husband's death, invited [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] to invade Cyprus.
Since the Genoese had commercial and financial interests in Cyprus, they invaded the island in April 1373. After achieveing the takeover of the well-fortressed city of [[Famagusta]], they arrested and held captive, Peter II and his mother Eleanor who had invited them. After they killed the nobles who had murdered Peter I, they wanted to take control of the island. After the end of the war, Eleanor succeeded the murder of John, which she claimed she was responsible for her husband's murder.
He married his kinswoman [[Helvis of Brunswick-Grubenhagen|Helvis or Helisia of Brunswick-Grubenhagen]] (1353 – January 15/25, 1421) (daughter of Philip of Brunswick, [[Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem|Constable of Jerusalem]] and Helisia of Dampierre) in 1365. Her older? brother Johann of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d. [[June 11]], [[1414]] unmarried and without issue) was an [[Officers of the Kingdom of Cyprus#Admiral|Admiral of Cyprus]] and their father Philipp of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (ca 1332 – [[August 4]], [[1369]]/1370) was a [[Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Constable|Constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem]]. Their father married firstly ca 1352 Helisia de Dampierre, daughter of Eudes de Dampierre, who was their mother, and secondly in 1368 Alix d'Ibelin (1304/1306 – after [[August 6]], [[1386]]), who became their stepmother.
James was created [[Officers of the Kingdom of Cyprus#Constable|Constable of Cyprus]], and in that office, led the war against the [[Genoese]] in 1372.
During the invasion, the other two sons of Guy, James and John, resisted to the invasion. James fought well in [[Kyrenia]], resisting the Genoese attack, a resistance that was victorious at the end, under the command of James. However, his nephew Peter II, signed a Treaty with Genoese, who kept Famagusta and in the Treaty, James had to leave from Cyprus. James, stopped the war and left the island with a ship from Kyrenia in 1374 and went to [[Europe]]. At first he went to [[Rhodes]], where he found no help and he was arrested by Genoese and went in [[Genoa]] as a captive with his wife. With the capture of [[Kyrenia]] in 1374, he was taken as a hostage to Genoa, where he consummated his marriage with Helvis, whom he had wed when she was twelve. Most or all of their children were born in Genoa. Due to his captivity, he was not crowned until 1385. In Genoa he lived with his wife under hard situation for 9 years, and he gave birth to his first son Janus in that city.
After Peter II's death in 1382, since Peter had no succession, the Parliament of Cyprus decided James to be the king, while he was captive in Genoa. Genoese, inorder to release him to go to Cyprus to become a king, they negotiated with him and received his signature for agreement on [[February 2]], [[1383]]. Under that agreement, Genoese had new privileges for commercial activities. Famagusta was still under Genoese sovereignty, something that was never accepted by either James and other kings after him and during his reign he tried to regain that city.
Until he was released, the Kingdom of Cyprus was governed by 12 nobles. After he was released in 1383, he was not accepted, as it is referred by the historian Leontios Makhairas and returned to Genoa. Some nobles opposed the return of James, lead by the brothers Perotte and Vilmonde de Montolivve, who were believing that with that situation they could become kings. James' opponents could not be beaten, until 1385. In April 1385, James came back again in Cyprus and he went to Nicosia, where he was welcomed with great enthousiasm. He was crowned in May 1385 in [[Selimiye Mosque (Nicosia)|Saint Sophia Cathedral]]. After his crowning, his opponents were arrested and punished.
He was crowned as [[Kingdom of Jerusalem|King of Jerusalem]] in 1389 and in 1393, [[Leo VI of Armenia]] died, and James assumed the title of [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia|King of Armenia]], and was formally crowned as King in 1396. That kingdom was by now reduced to the city of [[Korikos]], which had been in Cypriote hands since its conquest by [[Peter I of Cyprus]]. So when in 1382, Peter II died, James succeeded him, since Peter didn't have a son.
He died in [[Nicosia]].
He had twelve children:
* [[Janus of Cyprus|Janus or Jean II de Lusignan]] (1375 – 1432), who succeeded him as king
* Philippe de Lusignan (d. ca 1430 or 1428/1432), [[Officers of the Kingdom of Cyprus#Constable|Constable of Cyprus]], unmarried, he had a natural son:
** Lancelot de Lusignan (d. after 1450), [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]], [[Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem]]
* [[Henry of Lusignan|Henri de Lusignan]] (d. [[July 7]], [[1427]]), Titular [[Prince of Galilee]], a military leader in [[Egypt]], killed in action at [[Battle of Khirokitia|Khirokitia or Chirokhitia]], married ca 1406 his cousin Eleonore de Lusignan (d. ca 1414), granddaughter of [[John of Lusignan|Jean de Lusignan]] and second wife Alix d'Ibelin, without issue, and had three bastard children
* Eudes de Lusignan (d. 1421 in [[Palermo]]), Titular [[Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Seneschal|Seneschal of Jerusalem]], in the service of the [[Kingdom of Aragon|King of Aragon]], (probably) married after [[March 19]], [[1406]] his cousin Loysia de Lusignan, granddaughter of [[John of Lusignan|Jean de Lusignan]] and second wife Alix d'Ibelin, without issue, without issue
* [[Hugues Lancelot de Lusignan|Hughues de Lusignan]] (d. August, 1442 in [[Geneva]]), [[King of Cyprus|Regent of Cyprus]] and [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Archbishop]] of [[Nicosia]]
* Guy de Lusignan, [[Officers of the Kingdom of Cyprus#Constable|Constable of Cyprus]], unmarried and without issue
* an unknown daughter de Lusignan (d. 1374 in [[Rhodes]]), died young
* Jacqua de Lusignan (d. ca 1397 or 1396/1398), unmarried and without issue
* Eschive de Lusignan (d. after 1406), probably married to Count Sclavus von Asperg
* [[Marie of Lusignan|Marie de Lusignan]] (1381 in [[Genoa]] – [[September 4]], [[1404]] in [[Naples]] and buried there), married [[Ladislas of Naples|Ladislas "le Magnanime", King of Naples and Jerusalem, Hungary and Dalmatia, etc]] ([[July 14]], [[1376]]/[[February 11]], [[1377]] in [[Naples]] – of [[poisoning]] [[August 6]], [[1414]] at [[Naples]] and buried there) on [[February 12]], [[1403]] in [[Naples]], without issue
* Agnes de Lusignan (ca 1382 – [[March 1]], [[1459]] in [[Venasco]]), [[Abbess]] of [[Wunstorf]]
* Isabelle de Lusignan, ca 1415 [[Cousin marriage|married her cousin]] Pierre de Lusignan, Titular [[Count of Tripoli]], [[King of Cyprus|Regent of Cyprus]] and Titular [[Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Constable|Constable]] and Titular [[Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem#Seneschal|Seneschal of Jerusalem]] (d. [[February 10]], [[1451]]), grandson of [[John of Lusignan|Jean de Lusignan]] and second wife Alix d'Ibelin, without issue
Upon his death, his son [[Janus of Cyprus|Janus]] succeeded to the throne.
{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Peter II of Cyprus|Peter II]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Kingdom of Cyprus|King of Cyprus]]|years=1382 – 1398}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Janus of Cyprus|Janus]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Leo VI of Armenia|Leo VI]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia|King of Armenia]]|years=1393 – 1398}}
{{s-pre}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Peter II of Cyprus|Peter II]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[Kings of Jerusalem|King of Jerusalem]]|years=1382 – 1398}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Janus of Cyprus|Janus]]}}
{{end}}
[[Category:1334 births]]
[[Category:1398 deaths]]
[[Category:Monarchs of Armenia]]
[[Category:Kings of Cyprus]]
[[Category:Cypriot military personnel]]
[[Category:Claimant Kings of Jerusalem]]
[[de:Jakob I. (Zypern)]]
[[el:Ιάκωβος Α' της Κύπρου]]
[[fr:Jacques Ier de Chypre]]
[[nl:Jacobus I van Cyprus]]
[[pl:Jakub I Cypryjski]]