John II of Cyprus

Claims

1. Supported

   John II of Cyprus (c. 1418–1458), King of Cyprus and titular King of Jerusalem and Armenia 1432–1458, was the son of Janus. His mother was Charlotte of Bourbon; his sister was Anne de Lusignan, whose 1434 marriage to Louis I of Savoy carried the titular royal styles to the House of Savoy. John II married the Byzantine princess Helena Palaiologina in 1442; their legitimate daughter Charlotte succeeded him. He also fathered an illegitimate son, James, through his mistress Marietta of Patras; James would depose Charlotte in 1464 to become James II of Cyprus.

   2 evidence references

   • Sir George Hill, A History of Cyprus, vol. III (Cambridge, 1948)

     Sir George Hill, A History of Cyprus, vol. III: The Frankish Period, 1432–1571 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1948). Foundational institutional history of the late Lusignan Cyprus period covered by this batch — the reigns of John II, Charlotte's deposition by her illegitimate half-brother James II, James II's brief reign, and Catherine Cornaro's regency for their infant son James III.

     Cambridge University Press

   • Wipertus H. Rudt de Collenberg, "Les Lusignan de Chypre" (EKEE, 1974–1980)

     Wipertus H. Rudt de Collenberg, "Les Lusignan de Chypre," published in Επετηρίς του Κέντρου Επιστημονικών Ερευνών (Nicosia, 1974–1980). Definitive prosopographical study documenting the parentage of every Lusignan king of Cyprus, including James II's illegitimate descent from John II and Marietta of Patras, and the marriage of James II to Catherine Cornaro.

     Centre for Scientific Research (Cyprus)