Hugh III of Cyprus

Hugh III of Cyprus (1235 – 24 March 1284), born Hughues de Poitiers, later Hughues de Lusignan (he adopted his mother's surname de Lusignan in 1267), called the Great, was the King of Cyprus from 1267 and King of Jerusalem from 1268 (as Hugh I of Jerusalem). He was the son of Henry of Antioch and Isabella of Cyprus, the daughter of Hugh I. He was a grandson of Bohemund IV of Antioch and thus a descendant of Robert Guiscard.

From 1261 he served as Regent for Hugh II of Cyprus in Cyprus, as the Haute Cour of Cyprus considered him, as a male, a better regent than his mother Isabella. She was, however, accepted as the Regent of Jerusalem in 1263. She died in 1264, and Hugh became the acting regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well as Cyprus. The regency was contested by his first cousin, Hugh of Brienne, who was the son of Mary of Cyprus, the eldest daughter of Hugh I and hence the senior heir to Cyprus, and heir to Jerusalem after Hugh II. However, the Haute Cour of Jerusalem declared Hugh of Antioch the next regent, as successor to Isabella in proximity of blood.

Hugh II died in 1267 without heirs. As Hugh of Brienne did not advance his claim on the throne, Hugh of Antioch succeeded as uncontested King of Cyprus on 5 December and was crowned at Santa Sophia, in Nicosia, on 24 December. He claimed the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well in 1267 or 1268 upon the execution of Conradin. However, the throne of Jerusalem was also claimed by Mary of Antioch by proximity of blood to Conradin. The Haute Cour of Jerusalem rejected her claim and Hugh was crowned King of Jerusalem at Tyre on 24 September 1269.

Hugh and his descendants, the Kings of Cyprus, assumed his mother's surname of Lusignan in 1267, having inherited Cyprus through that family, thus establishing the Second House of Lusignan.

Hugh disliked dealing with the various factions in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and left for Cyprus in 1276 in disgust at their defiance of his authority. The next year, his bailiff, Balian of Ibelin, Lord of Arsuf, was ejected by Roger of Sanseverino, the bailiff of Charles of Anjou, who had purchased the claim of Mary of Antioch. The kingdom remained under Angevin control for the rest of Hugh's reign.

It is supposed that Thomas Aquinas' work On Kingship was written for Hugh III.

He was buried at Santa Sophia, in Nicosia.

He was married after 23 January 1255 to Isabella of Ibelin (ca. 1241 – 2 June 1324). He had eleven children:

• John II & I of Lusignan (died 1285) who succeeded him as King of Jerusalem and Cyprus
• Bohemond of Lusignan (ca. 1268 – Tyre, 3 November 1281, buried at the Franciscan Church of Nicosia)
• Henry of Lusignan (1271 – 31 August 1324) who succeeded John as King
• Amaury II of Lusignan, Prince of Tyre (died 5 June 1310), Constable of Jerusalem, who displaced Henry and became Regent of Cyprus
• Mary of Lusignan (1273 – September, 1322 at Tortosa and buried at Barcelona) who married by proxy at Santa Sophia, Nicosia on 15 June 1315 and in person at Girona on 27 November 1315 James II of Aragon (10 August 1267 – 2 November 1327)
• Aimery of Lusignan (1274–1280 – soon before 9 April 1316), succeeded Guy as Constable of Cyprus in 1303, briefly succeeded Amalric as Regent of Cyprus and Governor of Cyprus on June 6, 1310
• Guy of Lusignan (1275-1280–1303, probably buried at Nicosia), Constable of Cyprus ca. 1291, married on 7 December 1291 Eschiva of Ibelin, Lady of Beirut (1253–1312), parents of:
  • Hugh IV of Lusignan, King of Cyprus
  • Isabella of Lusignan (1296–1300 – after 1340), married on 21 July 1322 Eudes de Dampierre, Titular Constable of Jerusalem (died 1330)
• Margaret of Lusignan (ca. 1276 – in Armenia, 1296), who married 9 January 1288 Thoros III of Armenia
• Alice of Lusignan (1277–1280 – after March, 1324), married 1292–1295 or ca 1292/1294 Balian of Ibelin (died 1315/1316 in Kerynia, soon before 19 April 1316), Titular Prince of Galilee and Bethlehem
• Helvis of Lusignan (died after March, 1324), married Hethum II of Armenia
• Isabella of Lusignan (ca. 1280–1319), married firstly in 1285/1290 Constantine of Neghir, Lord of Partzerpert (died 1308), and secondly ca 1310 King Oshin of Armenia, who divorced her before or in 1316