Constance of Sicily, Queen of Cyprus
Encyclopedia
Constance of Sicily was the oldest daughter of Frederick III of Sicily
and his wife Eleanor of Anjou
. She was married three times. From these marriages she gained various titles such as Queen of Cyprus
, nominal Queen of Jerusalem and Queen of Armenia
.
, Peter II of Sicily
, Manfred of Athens
and William II of Athens.
Constance's maternal grandparents were Charles II of Naples
and his wife Maria of Hungary, daughter of Stephen V of Hungary
and Elizabeth the Cuman
, who was daughter of Köten
.
Her paternal grandparents were Peter III of Aragon
and another Constance of Sicily, daughter of Manfred of Sicily
, son of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
and Bianca Lancia
.
and Joan I of Navarre
. The engagement was probably broken when Robert died young in 1307.
Constance was firstly married on 16 October 1317 to Henry II of Cyprus and Jerusalem, who was son of Hugh III of Cyprus
. By this marriage Constance was Queen consort of Cyprus and Jerusalem. They were married for seven years until 31 August 1324 when Henry died. They had no children.
On 29 December 1331 Constance married her second husband Leo IV, King of Armenia. The Papal Dispensation
was issued the same day. Leo was strongly pro-Western and favoured a union of the Armenian and Roman
churches, which deeply displeased the native barons. His marriage to Constance further aroused anti-Western sentiment
. Constance was Leo's second wife, his first wife Alice of Korikos
and her father Oshin
were murdered on Leo's orders because Oshin had murdered Leo's aunt Princess Isabella to remove her from possibly inheriting Armenia
.
On 28 December 1341 Leo was murdered by his own barons. It was the day before the couple's tenth wedding anniversary. They had no children.
Constance married her third and final husband John of Lusignan
in 1343. This marriage was also childless, and Constance died sometime after 19 June 1344. John remarried to Alice of Ibelin
, by whom he had a son and heir, Jacques.
Frederick III of Sicily
Frederick II was the regent and subsequently King of Sicily from 1295 until his death. He was the third son of Peter III of Aragon and served in the War of the Sicilian Vespers on behalf of his father and brothers, Alfonso and James...
and his wife Eleanor of Anjou
Eleanor of Anjou
Eleanor of Naples was the Queen consort of Frederick III of Sicily. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou by birth.-Family:She was the third daughter of Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungary....
. She was married three times. From these marriages she gained various titles such as Queen of 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...
, nominal Queen of Jerusalem and Queen of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
Family
Constance was one of the older of the eight children born to her parents. Her siblings included: Elizabeth, Duchess of BavariaElisabeth of Sicily (1310–1349)
Elisabeth of Sicily was a daughter of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou. Her siblings included: Peter II of Sicily and Manfred of Athens. She is also known as Isabel of Aragon....
, Peter II of Sicily
Peter II of Sicily
Peter II was crowned King of Sicily in 1321 and gained full sovereignty when his father died in 1337....
, Manfred of Athens
Manfred of Athens
Manfred , infante of Sicily, was the second son of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou. His maternal grandparents were Charles II of Naples and Maria Arpad of Hungary....
and William II of Athens.
Constance's maternal grandparents were Charles II of Naples
Charles II of Naples
Charles II, known as "the Lame" was King of Naples, King of Albania, Prince of Salerno, Prince of Achaea and Count of Anjou.-Biography:...
and his wife Maria of Hungary, daughter of Stephen V of Hungary
Stephen V of Hungary
Stephen V , was King of Hungary from 1270 to 1272.-Early years:...
and Elizabeth the Cuman
Elizabeth the Cuman
-Daughter of Kuthen:She was born in about 1239/40, a daughter of Kuthen/Kotyan/Kotony , khan of the Cumans , and his wife whose identity has not been established. The Cumans were the western tribes of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. The Cumans were a confederation of Turkic speaking peoples who...
, who was daughter of Köten
Köten
Köten was a Cuman khan and member of the Terter clan. This Köten is the same Prince Kotjan Sutoevic of the Russian annals, who forged the Russian-Cuman alliance against the Tatars...
.
Her paternal grandparents were Peter III of Aragon
Peter III of Aragon
Peter the Great was the King of Aragon of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona from 1276 to his death. He conquered Sicily and became its king in 1282. He was one of the greatest of medieval Aragonese monarchs.-Youth and succession:Peter was the eldest son of James I of Aragon and his second wife...
and another Constance of Sicily, daughter of Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
, son of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
and Bianca Lancia
Bianca Lancia
Bianca Lancia d'Agliano was an Italian noblewoman, who was the mistress and later wife of emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, although the marriage, conducted while she was on her deathbed, was considered non-canonical.- Family :Born ca...
.
Life
Constance was originally betrothed to Prince Robert, youngest son of Philip IV of FrancePhilip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
and Joan I of Navarre
Joan I of Navarre
Joan I , the daughter of king Henry I of Navarre and Blanche of Artois, reigned as queen regnant of Navarre and also served as queen consort of France.-Life:...
. The engagement was probably broken when Robert died young in 1307.
Constance was firstly married on 16 October 1317 to Henry II of Cyprus and Jerusalem, who was son of Hugh III of Cyprus
Hugh III of Cyprus
Hugh III of Cyprus , born Hughues de Poitiers, later Hughues de Lusignan , called the Great, was the King of Cyprus from 1267 and King of Jerusalem from 1268 . He was the son of Henry of Antioch and Isabella of Cyprus, the daughter of Hugh I...
. By this marriage Constance was Queen consort of Cyprus and Jerusalem. They were married for seven years until 31 August 1324 when Henry died. They had no children.
On 29 December 1331 Constance married her second husband Leo IV, King of Armenia. The Papal Dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
was issued the same day. Leo was strongly pro-Western and favoured a union of the Armenian and Roman
Roman 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...
churches, which deeply displeased the native barons. His marriage to Constance further aroused anti-Western sentiment
Anti-Western sentiment
Anti-Western sentiment refers to broad opposition or hostility to the people, policies, or governments in the western world. In many cases the United States, Israël and the United Kingdom are the subject of discussion or hostility...
. Constance was Leo's second wife, his first wife Alice of Korikos
Alice of Korikos
Alice of Korikos was the only daughter of Oshin of Korikos and his first wife Margaret d'Ibelin. She was Queen consort of Armenia by her marriage....
and her father Oshin
Oshin of Korikos
Oshin of Korikos served as regent of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1320 to 1329. He was the son of the historian Hayton of Korikos. He became regent for Leo IV on the death of King Oshin in 1320, whom he was rumoured to have poisoned...
were murdered on Leo's orders because Oshin had murdered Leo's aunt Princess Isabella to remove her from possibly inheriting Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
On 28 December 1341 Leo was murdered by his own barons. It was the day before the couple's tenth wedding anniversary. They had no children.
Constance married her third and final husband John of Lusignan
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...
in 1343. This marriage was also childless, and Constance died sometime after 19 June 1344. John remarried to Alice of Ibelin
Alice of Ibelin
Alice of Ibelin or Alix d'Ibelin was the titular Princess of Antioch as the second wife of John of Lusignan.-Family:...
, by whom he had a son and heir, Jacques.