Peter I of Cyprus

Peter I (* October 9, 1328; † January 16, 1369 ) was King of Cyprus from 1359 He was the son of King Hugo IV and his second wife Alice of Ibelin. .

Peter was 1347-1358 Titulargraf of Tripoli and from 1360 titular king of Jerusalem. Due to the conquest of the Cilician coastal cities he called himself king of Armenia from 1360.

Peter was the first head of state since Saint Louis, wishing to commence the Crusades. 1362, he joined together with his chancellor Philippe de Mézières and the papal legate Peter Thomas, a trip to Europe in order to promote his idea. He met with Pope Urban V, King John II of France and Emperor Charles IV and actually brought together an army on August 30, 1365 gathered at Rhodes and was the largest since the Third Crusade. Only after it was put out to sea, the goal was announced: It was Alexandria. The crusade against Alexandria led to the conquest and looting of the city ( October 10, 1365 ), accompanied by a massacre that those in the conquest of Jerusalem ( 1099 ) and Constantinople ( 1204) inferior in nothing and to prevent Peter sought in vain. The booty was taken to safety in Cyprus, after the army dispersed.

The military enterprises had the finances of the island heavily loaded, the barons were increasingly defiant, the brothers and the wife of the King, Eleanor of Aragon, were suspected of conspiracy. In January 1369 the king was surprised with his mistress Johanna l' Aleman by John of Gaurelle, Heinrich von Gibelet and Philip of Ibelin in sleep, emasculated and decapitated.

Peter was married since 1342 (before 1353 † ), the daughter of Ruben and Mary of Ibelin, his second wife since 1353 with Eleanor of Aragon ( † 26 Dezember 1416/17 in Barcelona ), daughter in his first marriage with Eschiva of Montfort of Infante Peter of Aragon and Joan of Foix and co-ruler in Cyprus 1369-1379.

From two marriages he had children, of which only about two today - there are more extensive information - from his second marriage: