King of Cyprus (1253-1267).
The son of King Henry I and Plaisance of Antioch, Hugh II came to throne while still an infant. His mother ruled on his behalf in Cyprus and also in the kingdom of Jerusalem, where in 1258 Hugh was confirmed as regent for its underage king, Conradin (1254-1268), because the High Court of Jerusalem considered Hugh to be Conradin’s closest living relative in the East. Plaisance and her supporters (notably John of Arsuf and Geoffrey of Sergines, her representatives in the kingdom of Jerusalem, and her brother, Bohemund VI of Antioch-Tripoli) enjoyed considerable power in the 1250s. In 1258 their support helped the Venetians to win the War of St. Sabas, a bitter power struggle then raging in Acre (mod. ‘Akko, Israel) between Venice and Genoa.
After Plaisance died (1261), her right to rule Cyprus and to hold Conradin’s regency on Hugh II’s behalf passed to Hugh’s aunt, Isabella. Isabella appointed her own son, Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan, to govern Cyprus for her, and after she died (1264), he saw off a legal challenge by his cousin, Hugh of Brienne, to be recognized as holder of the regency in Jerusalem as well. When Hugh II died on 5 December 1267, having never come of age, it was Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan who succeeded in Cyprus (as Hugh III).
-Kristian Molin
Bibliography
Edbury, Peter, The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991).
Hill, George, A History of Cyprus, 4 vols. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1940-1952).
Mas Latrie, Louis de, Histoire de l’tle de Chypre sous le regne des princes de la maison de Lusignan, 3 vols. (Paris: Imprimerie Imperiale, 1852-1861).
World History
