en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lusignan
4 corrections found
At the height of their power, the Lusignans ruled the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch, and the County of Tripoli
The Lusignans ruled Jerusalem and Cyprus, and later claimed Armenia, but they did not rule the Principality of Antioch or the County of Tripoli.
Full reasoning
This caption overstates Lusignan rule.
A standard reference entry on the Lusignan family says the crusading branch produced kings of Jerusalem and Cyprus, and later a branch took the throne of Lesser Armenia (Cilicia). It does not list Antioch or Tripoli among Lusignan-ruled states.
Separate reference works on the Crusader states identify Antioch as a principality established by Bohemond of Taranto and Tripoli as a county founded by Raymond of Toulouse / Raymond of St. Gilles. Another reference on the Crusader states adds that after 1187 Antioch and Jerusalem remained independent of one another, while Bohemond IV controlled Tripoli; that is not Lusignan rule.
So the Lusignans did hold the kingdom of Jerusalem at points, but saying they also ruled the Principality of Antioch and the County of Tripoli is incorrect.
3 sources
- Lusignan | Encyclopedia.com
Guy of Lusignan succeeded (1186) Baldwin V as king of Jerusalem... he received the island of Cyprus... His brother, Amalric II, succeeded him as king of Cyprus and was also king of Jerusalem... In 1342 a branch of their line ascended the throne of Lesser Armenia (Cilicia).
- Crusaders' States | Encyclopedia.com
The principality of Antioch was set up by Bohemond of Taranto... Raymond of St. Gilles... retired northwards to create the county of Tripoli... Antioch and Jerusalem remained independent of one another, although in 1187 Prince Bohemond IV took control of the county of Tripoli.
- Raymond of Toulouse | Encyclopedia.com
Raymond IV, founder of the Latin County of Tripoli in the Holy Land... he is usually regarded as the founder of the Latin County of Tripoli.
having been expelled from his realm by Richard the Lionheart
Aimery of Lusignan left Poitou after rebelling against Henry II, not because Richard the Lionheart expelled him.
Full reasoning
The chronology and the standard modern account do not support Richard as the person who drove Aimery out.
Peter W. Edbury's Cambridge history of the Lusignans states that Aimery, Geoffrey and Guy had all been involved in rebellions against Richard's father, King Henry II, with Aimery's rebellion in 1168, and that Aimery left for the East soon after his rebellion, being already a vassal of Baldwin IV by 1174. That directly contradicts the article's statement that Aimery had been expelled by Richard.
A municipal history of Lusignan gives the same local context for 1168: it says Henry II had the Lusignan castle razed in reprisal for the killing of Patrick of Salisbury. So the conflict that drove the family from favor was with Henry II's regime, not an expulsion by Richard the Lionheart.
In short: the evidence points to Aimery leaving after a rebellion against Henry II, not after being expelled by Richard.
2 sources
- The Lusignan dynasty (Chapter 3) - The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374
Aimery, Geoffrey and Guy had all been involved in rebellions against Richard's father, King Henry II: Aimery in 1168... Aimery was the first to leave for the East. He must have gone soon after his rebellion, for by 1174 he was already a vassal of the young Baldwin IV.
- Histoire - Lusignan
En 1575... [page history]. For the earlier period: au Moyen Âge... En 1168, en représailles à l’assassinat de Patrick de Salisbury, représentant d’Henri II, roi d’Angleterre et duc d’Aquitaine, ce dernier fait raser le château des Lusignan.
Louis XIV fortified it
This has the chronology backwards: the castle was dismantled long before Louis XIV's reign, not fortified by him.
Full reasoning
Local official histories contradict this claim.
The municipal history of Lusignan says the fortress was dismantled in 1575 on the orders of Henri III, and that the Tour Mélusine, preserved for a time, was destroyed in 1622 on Richelieu's orders. That places the effective destruction of the castle under Henri III / Louis XIII, before Louis XIV's reign even began.
The Tourisme Vienne page likewise describes Lusignan today as the vestiges of an imposing fortress dating from the 10th to 16th centuries. So the site surviving into the modern period as ruins fits the municipal account; it does not fit a claim that Louis XIV fortified it.
Because the castle had already been dismantled before Louis XIV ruled France, attributing fortification of the château to Louis XIV is incorrect.
2 sources
- Histoire - Lusignan
C'est en 1575 que le roi de France Henri III reprend la forteresse et décide de la démanteler... En 1622, la Tour Mélusine, jusque-là préservée, est détruite sur ordre de Richelieu.
- La Cité Historique de Lusignan | Tourisme Vienne
Les vestiges de l'imposante forteresse (X-XVI s.)... se dressent sur un promontoire rocheux dominant la vallée de la rivière la Vonne.
The principal branch retains Lusignan and the County of La Marche
By the 18th century no Lusignan 'principal branch' retained Lusignan or the County of La Marche; those lands had long since passed to the French crown.
Full reasoning
This statement conflicts with the documented end of Lusignan rule in France.
The municipal history of Lusignan states that the Lusignan dynasty died out in 1303 and that Philip IV attached its lands and possessions to the French crown in 1314. That directly contradicts the claim that a 'principal branch' still retained Lusignan and the County of La Marche centuries later.
A general reference entry on the family likewise says the Lusignans ruled the county of Marche in the 13th–14th centuries, and that the dynasty itself ultimately ended with James III in 1474. So the article's claim about an 18th-century principal branch still holding Lusignan/La Marche is not compatible with the historical succession of the family or of the territory.
In other words: Lusignan and La Marche had ceased to be held by a ruling Lusignan branch long before the 18th century.
2 sources
- Histoire - Lusignan
La dynastie des Lusignan s'éteint en 1303, avec HUGUES XIII. Philippe le Bel en profite pour rattacher les terres et les biens à la couronne de France en 1314 afin de renforcer son pouvoir dans la région.
- Lusignan | Encyclopedia.com
The family was powerful in the Middle Ages and ruled (13th-14th cent.) the county of Marche... Their son, James III, died in 1474, and with him the Lusignan dynasty ended; in 1489 Venice took complete control of Cyprus.