Margaret of Lusignan

Margaret of Poitiers-Lusignan (1276–1296) was Queen consort of Armenia as the first wife of King Thoros III. She was Queen from 1293 until her death, three years later. She had two sons, Leo, who ruled for four years as king, and Bohemond, whose fate is unknown.

Family

Margaret was born in 1276, a daughter of King Hugh III de Poitiers, king of Cyprus and Isabelle of Ibelin. She had 10 siblings including King John I of Cyprus. She was a member of the cadet branch of the influential French Lusignan dynasty, which had ruled the Crusader states of Cyprus and Jerusalem since the late 12th century.

Queen of Armenia

On 9 January 1288, she married Thoros, a son of King Leo II of Armenia. Pope Honorius IV wrote to the Bishop of Antarados requesting that the latter grant a dispenstion for their marriage; this was done and the dispensation was dated 23 May 1286.^[1] He became Crown Prince of Armenia in 1289, and in 1293 succeeded his deposed brother, Hethum as King of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. On 8 January 1290 at the age of about 13 or 14, Margaret gave birth to a son, Leo who later ruled as king from 1303 until 7 November 1307, when he was murdered by a Mongol. She also had a second son, Bohemond,^[2] but his history is not known. Margaret was queen consort for three years until her own death in 1296 at the age of 20. Her husband subsequently married a Mongol woman whose name was not recorded.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Margaret of Lusignan

Bohemond III de Poitiers, prince of Antioch               Bohemonf IV de Poitiers, prince of Antioch                       Orguilleuse d'Harenc               Henry de Poitiers of Antioch                             Ugo III Embriaco, lord de Giblet               Plaisance Embriaco                       Hugh III de Poitiers, king of Cyprus                                   Aimery de Lusignan, king of Cyprus               Hugh I de Lusignan, king of Cyprus                       Eschiva of Ibelin               Isabella de Lusignan of Cyprus                             Henry II, Count of Champagne               Alice of Champagne                       Isabella I d'Anjou, queen of Jerusalem               Mary de Poitiers of Cyprus                                         Balian of Ibelin               John I of Ibelin, lord of Beirut                       Maria Komnene               Guy of Ibelin, constable of Cyprus                             Guy of Arsuf               Melissende, lady of Arsuf                       Isabella of Ibelin                                   Aimery Berlais                       Phillipa Berlais

References

1. Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Armenia
2. Cawley