Hugh IV of Cyprus facts for kids

Basin with an inscription about Hugh IV. It says: "Made by the order of Hugh, favoured by God, the one at the vanguard of the elite troops of the Franks, Hugh of the Lusignans". Another part in French reads: "Very high and powerful king Hugh of Jerusalem and Cyprus, may God maintain him." This basin is from the 14th century, made in Egypt or Syria. Louvre Museum

Hugh IV (born around 1295 – died 10 October 1359) was an important king. He ruled Cyprus from 1324 until 1358, when he decided to step down. He was also, in name, the King of Jerusalem until he passed away. Hugh was the son of Guy, Constable of Cyprus, who was a brother of King Henry II. His mother was Eschiva of Ibelin.

Hugh became the Constable of Cyprus in 1318. This was a high-ranking military position. Later, he became king of Cyprus when his uncle Henry II died without any children. Hugh was part of the House of Poitiers-Lusignan, a powerful royal family. During the time of Hugh IV and his son Peter I, the Kingdom of Cyprus became very strong and rich.

Early Life and Family

Hugh was the son of Guy, who was a brother of King Henry II of Cyprus. His mother, Eschiva, came from the Ibelin family. Her family had lost their land in Beirut to the Egyptian Mamluks just before she married Guy in 1291. Hugh was only three years old when his father died. He grew up in the home of his uncle, King Henry II.

In 1306, King Henry II had to give up some power to his older brother, Amalric of Tyre. Amalric was next in line for the throne. But Amalric was murdered in 1310, and Henry got his power back.

By the early 1310s, King Henry was over forty and had no children. His last living brother, Aimery, was supposed to be his heir. But Aimery was in prison for helping Amalric. He died in 1316. In 1318, King Henry made Hugh the Constable of Cyprus, just like Hugh's father had been.

King Henry's sister, Maria, was thought to be the next in line until she died in 1322. She and Henry were both married into the royal family of Aragon, but neither had children. It seems Henry wanted Hugh to be his successor, even though his other sisters, Alice and Helvis, were more closely related to him.

Becoming King of Cyprus

When King Henry II died on 31 March 1324, a group of important noblemen quickly promised to protect Hugh's right to the throne. Hugh was the only male relative of Henry left in the kingdom. This made him the clear choice for the new king.

Henry was buried on 1 April. The very next day, at a meeting of the High Court of Cyprus, Hugh officially claimed the throne. His spokesperson argued that a male should be king. The noblemen agreed and chose Hugh over his aunts, Alice and Helvis.

Hugh was crowned King of Cyprus on 15 April. The ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Nicosia. Hugh also inherited the claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This kingdom had lost its last lands to Muslim rule in 1291. Since the city of Tyre, where Jerusalem's kings were usually crowned, was also lost, Hugh was crowned King of Jerusalem in Famagusta. This became a new tradition for Cypriot kings.

One of Hugh's first actions as king was to take back the lands of noblemen who had fought against King Henry II. Henry had kept them in prison since 1318. Hugh decided to take their land but then set them free. He likely wanted to stop supporters of his uncle Amalric from causing trouble. In 1325, Hugh tried to bring his family, the Lusignans, and the Ibelins closer. He did this by arranging marriages between them.

Family Plans and Alliances

Hugh's first wife was Maria of Ibelin. They had a son named Guy. After Maria died in 1318, Hugh got special permission from the Pope to marry her distant relative, Alice of Ibelin. Hugh and Alice had at least eight children, and five of them lived to be adults. Having many children allowed Hugh to arrange marriages that connected his family to powerful rulers in Western Europe. His earlier relatives had not been very successful at this.

In 1330, Hugh arranged for his son Guy to marry Maria, the daughter of Duke Louis I of Bourbon. Louis was from a branch of the French royal family. He was very involved in plans for a crusade to take back the Holy Land. Hugh hoped this marriage would help him gain control over the Holy Land. This was especially important because another French royal family, the Angevins, also claimed the throne of Jerusalem. However, the start of France's Hundred Years' War with England in 1337 ended Louis's hopes of leading a crusade. Guy started helping with state matters in the late 1330s and became Constable of Cyprus. Sadly, he died in 1343.

Hugh also used three of his children to rebuild ties with the royal family of Aragon. This family ruled not only Aragon but also places like Sardinia, Sicily, and the Balearic Islands. They were also enemies of the Angevin kings of Naples.

In 1337, Hugh's daughter Eschiva married Ferdinand, a member of the Majorcan branch of the Aragonese family. But Hugh and Ferdinand had many disagreements, especially about Eschiva's dowry (money or property given by the bride's family). King Peter IV of Aragon and Pope Benedict XII both warned Hugh about what might happen if Ferdinand was harmed. Ferdinand claimed Hugh had insulted him, attacked his household, and even harmed Franciscan monks. After 1342, Ferdinand left his wife and daughter and returned to Europe.

Another Aragonese marriage happened in 1343. Hugh's 12-year-old son John married Constance of Sicily. She was 40 years old and had been the widow of Hugh's uncle Henry II and King Leo V of Armenia. Hugh might have hoped to improve his relationship with Aragon and save money by using Constance's income for John. Constance died a few years later.

Hugh's son Peter also had a first marriage that was likely arranged to save money. His wealthy, older wife, Eschiva of Montfort, died. By then, Peter was seen as the next in line for the throne. So, his next marriage could be used to help Hugh's foreign policy. In 1353, Peter married Eleanor, daughter of Count Peter of Ribagorza. This was the third and most important Aragonese marriage. Even with these important marriages, Hugh's children could not marry into the immediate families of the kings of France and Aragon. This showed that Hugh was not considered their equal.

Hugh's Character

We don't have many historical records about Hugh's reign, so he remains a bit of a mystery. People who visited Cyprus thought he was a good and fair ruler. However, his son-in-law described him as a harsh ruler. This idea seems to be supported by something Hugh did in 1349. His sons, Peter and John, secretly left Cyprus to visit Europe without his permission. Hugh worked hard and spent a lot of money to bring them back. When they returned, he had them imprisoned at Kyrenia Castle until the Pope stepped in.

Who Would Be King Next?

After his oldest son, Guy, died in 1343, the question of who would be the next king became important. The rules in Cyprus and Jerusalem usually favored Peter, Hugh's oldest living son. But Guy had left a son, also named Hugh, with Maria of Bourbon. Guy's son and his mother's family claimed that their marriage contract said Guy's son would inherit the throne if Guy died before King Hugh.

Pope Clement VI supported the grandson's claim, but only if that clause was truly in the contract. However, the contract text published later did not contain it. King Hugh's relationship with his daughter-in-law and grandson was not good. He refused to let them leave Cyprus until 1346, two years after the Pope asked him to settle Maria's dowry and let her go. Paying Maria's dowry remained a problem, and the king seemed to ignore the Pope's requests to provide money for her son.

To make sure his grandson would not become king, Hugh IV had Peter crowned King of Cyprus on 24 November 1358. Crowning the heir (the person next in line) before the current king died was not common in Cyprus. But it was a tradition in France and had happened in Jerusalem too. King Hugh IV died on 10 October 1359.

Hugh's Children

Hugh had children with both his wives.

With Maria of Ibelin:

• Guy (born around 1315–1316 – died 1343). He was Constable of Cyprus and Prince of Galilee. He married Marie of Bourbon. They had one son:
  • Hugh (1335–1385/1386). He became Prince of Galilee after his father.

With Alice of Ibelin:

• Eschiva (born around 1323–1324 – died 1363 from the plague). She married Ferdinand of Majorca.
• Peter I (1328–1369). He became King of Cyprus and Jerusalem after his father.
• John (born around 1329–1330 – died 1375). He was regent of Cyprus. He married twice.
• James I (1334–1398). He later became king after his nephew.

Hugh also had three other children whose mothers are not certain:

• Thomas (died 1340)
• Perrot (died 1353)
• Margaret. She married Gautier de Dampierre.

See also

In Spanish: Hugo IV de Chipre para niños