John I of Cyprus

For the bishop, see John I (archbishop of Cyprus).

John I
King of Cyprus and Jerusalem
Reign	1284–1285
Predecessor	Hugh III
Successor	Henry II
Born	c. 1268
Died	20 May 1285
House	Poitiers-Lusignan
Father	Hugh III of Cyprus
Mother	Isabella of Ibelin

John I (c. 1268 - 20 May 1285) sometimes called Jean II (in the Kingdom of Jerusalem) was King of Cyprus and, in contention with Charles I of Anjou, of Jerusalem from 1284 to 1285.

John was the eldest surviving son of Hugh III, king of Cyprus and Jerusalem, and Isabella of Ibelin. Hugh died on 3 March 1284 and John was crowned the next king of Cyprus in Nicosia on 11 May. He was then aged about 17, and was handsome and delicate. The historian Steven Runciman says that John immediately sailed to Tyre, where he was crowned king of Jerusalem. According to the historian Hans E. Mayer, there is no basis in sources that this coronation ever took place. On the mainland, John was recognized as king only in Tyre and Beirut, which were ruled by his aunt Margaret and brother Guy, respectively. Acre, political centre of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, recognized Charles of Anjou. John died on 20 May 1285, almost exactly a year after his coronation, leaving the crown to his younger brother Henry II.

References

Sources

• Edbury, Peter W. (1994). The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374. Cambridge University Press.
• Mayer, Hans Eberhard (1967). "Das Pontifikale von Tyrus und die Krönung der Lateinischen Könige von Jerusalem: Zugleich ein Beitrag zur Forschung über Herrschaftszeichen und Staatssymbolik". Dumbarton Oaks Papers (in German). 21. Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University: 141–232. ISSN 0070-7546. JSTOR 1291262. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
• Runciman, Steven (1989). A History of the Crusades, Volume III: The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-06163-6.