c. 1145–1205 · King of Cyprus and king of Jerusalem (1197–1205)
Aimery of Lusignan
First king of Cyprus from the Lusignan family; in 1197 he married Isabella, became king of Jerusalem and ruled both kingdoms together.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
From the Lusignan family of Poitou, Aimery came to the Holy Land before his brother Guy of Lusignan and became constable in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. After Guy's death in 1194 he became ruler of Cyprus, and with a crown received from Henry VI in 1197 he bore the title of king of Cyprus.
Role in the Crusades
After the death of Henry of Champagne in 1197, he married Queen Isabella and became king of Jerusalem. The same year the German crusaders took Beirut, restoring the coastal link between Acre and Tripoli. Aimery tried to preserve the kingdom's limited territory through truces with the Ayyubids.
Historical significance and source problems
Aimery laid the institutional foundations of the Kingdom of Cyprus; the island remained with the Lusignans even after the fall of the Latin East. After his death in 1205 the two crowns separated again. Information about him comes mainly from the Ernoul–Bernard the Treasurer tradition and the continuations of the Eracles.
Biographical information is linked to the sources shown on the page and to the connected event records. Disputed dates are given as approximate, gaps are not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual depictions are not treated as contemporary portraits.