Charlotte de Bourbon | |||||
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Janus (left) and Charlotte (right)
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Queen consort of Cyprus; Titular Queen consort of Armenia and Jerusalem | |||||
Tenure | 25 August 1411 – 15 January 1422 | ||||
Born | 1388 France |
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Died | 15 January 1422 (aged 34) Nicosia, Cyprus |
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Burial | Royal Monastery of Saint Dominic's, Nicosia | ||||
Spouse | King Janus of Cyprus | ||||
Issue | Jacques de Lusignan John II of Cyprus Unnamed twins Anne, Duchess of Savoy Marie de Lusignan |
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House | House of Lusignan, by marriage | ||||
Father | John I, Count of La Marche | ||||
Mother | Catherine de Vendôme |
Full name | |
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Charlotte de Bourbon |
Charlotte de Bourbon (1388 – 15 January 1422) was the Queen consort of Cyprus and titular Queen consort of Armenia and Jerusalem through her marriage to King Janus of Cyprus. She was his second wife and the mother of his six legitimate children, which included King John II and Anne de Lusignan. It was Charlotte's influence which was instrumental in the revival of French culture at the royal court in Nicosia.
Charlotte was born in France in 1388, one of the seven children of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme. She had three brothers and three sisters. These were: James II, Count of La Marche, Louis, Count of Vendôme, Jean de Bourbon, Seigneur de Carency and de Duisant, Anne, Countess of Montpensier, Marie de Bourbon, Dame de Bréhencourt, and Isabelle de Bourbon. She also had an illegitimate half-brother by her father's relationship with a mistress.
Charlotte's paternal grandparents were James I, Count of La Marche and Jeanne de Châtillon, and her maternal grandparents were Jean VI, Count of Vendôme and Jeanne of Ponthieu.
On 25 August 1411, at Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Nicosia, Cyprus, Charlotte married as his second wife, King Janus of Cyprus and Armenia and titular King of Jerusalem. He was the son of King James I of Cyprus and Helvis of Brunswick-Grubenhagen. Janus and Charlotte had been married by proxy on 2 August 1409 in Melun, France. A document dated 10 January 1409 (Old Style) (which was actually 19 January 1410 New Style), records the arrangements for Charlotte's voyage from Venice to Cyprus. The chronicle of Amadi records the arrival in Cyprus of damisella Carlotta de Borbon, moglie de re Zegno and her marriage on 25 August 1411. Charlotte's lavish retinue which accompanied her to Cyprus included many musicians.