c. 1150–1194 · King of Jerusalem and Cyprus
Guy de Lusignan
Guy de Lusignan (c. 1150–1194) — King of Jerusalem and Cyprus. This dossier combines the biographical record with dated events and the listed primary and secondary sources.
BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Guy came from the Lusignan family of Poitou. His marriage to Princess Sibylla placed him at the centre of the Jerusalem succession, and in 1186 he was crowned with her after the death of Baldwin V. Many native barons disputed his authority, making command of the kingdom politically fragile before Hattin.
Career during the Crusading era
During the crisis caused by Reynald's attack on a caravan, Guy led the army away from the water sources at Saffuriya toward Tiberias. Captured at Hattin on 4 July 1187, he was later released. He opened the siege of Acre, lost the claim to Jerusalem to Conrad of Montferrat and eventually purchased Cyprus from Richard.
Documented activity: a chronological record
On 3–4 July 1187, Guy de Lusignan appears in the atlas record “Battle of Hattin” at Hattin. The event is documented through İmâdüddin el-İsfahânî, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, Ernoul. On 28 August 1189 – 12 July 1191, Guy de Lusignan appears in the atlas record “Siege of Acre” at Acre. The event is documented through Itinerarium Peregrinorum, Bahâeddin İbn Şeddâd, İbnü’l-Esîr.
On 1192, Guy de Lusignan appears in the atlas record “Foundation of the Latin Kingdom of Cyprus” at Cyprus. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’.
Allies, opponents and geographical range
Guy de Lusignan appears in the same records as Saladin, Renaud de Châtillon, Richard the Lionheart, Philip Augustus. Co-occurrence does not always indicate alliance: the connection may involve command, dynastic rivalry, captivity, negotiation or direct conflict.
The principal geographical range represented in the atlas is Hattin; Acre; Cyprus. These places record not only presence but also the supply lines, diplomatic contacts and limits of authority relevant to the biography.
Results of recorded decisions
The “Battle of Hattin” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Siege of Acre” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Foundation of the Latin Kingdom of Cyprus” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
Sources and historiography
Latin chronicles and dynastic narratives make the person's role visible, while charters, treaties, letters and Arabic, Greek, Armenian or Syriac accounts provide independent controls. Later heroic portraits are evidence for memory and reception, not contemporary biography.
Names and titles vary between languages; variant spellings and titles should be searched together in catalogues and texts. Approximate dates remain marked as such, and later literary or visual fame is separated from contemporary testimony.
Biographical statements are tied to the sources listed on this page and to the connected event dossiers. Approximate or disputed dates remain marked; missing information is not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual representations are not treated as contemporary portraits.