Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Cyprus
| Eleanor of Aragon | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Cyprus | |
| Tenure | 1358–17 January 1369 |
| Coronation | 5 April 1360 (Famagusta) as Queen of Jerusalem |
| Born | 1333 |
| Died | 26 December 1417 (aged 83-84) Barcelona, Crown of Aragon |
| Spouse | Peter I of Cyprus |
| Issue |
Peter II of Cyprus Margaret, Countess of Tripoli |
| House | House of Barcelona |
| Father | Peter of Aragon, Count of Ribagorza, Empúries and Prades |
| Mother | Joan of Foix |
Eleanor of Aragon (1333 – 26 December 1417) was Queen consort of Cyprus, wife of King Peter I of Cyprus. She was a member of the House of Barcelona as the daughter of Peter of Aragon and his wife Joan of Foix.
To enhance his kingdom's political and economic power in the Mediterranean, King Peter IV of Aragon arranged a marriage in 1353 between his cousin Eleanor and Peter I of Cyprus. By this marriage Eleanor became Queen of Cyprus and titular Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia.
The reign of Eleanor's husband was not a windfall for Cyprus. Her husband kept mistresses, which she was unable to endure. In 1366, when Peter went off on a crusade against Alexandria, he made Eleanor regent of Cyprus.
After the return of Peter I from a long trip to Europe, Eleonor was accused of having committed adultery with John of Morf, the titular of Edessa. The court convened and subsequently dismissed the charges. Then Peter tyranisierte preferred by Eleanor nobles, including his own brothers. On 17 January 1369, he was eventually murdered in the arms of a lover, perhaps on the orders of his brothers John and James.
Peter and Eleanor had the following children:
On behalf of her son, Eleanor was again regent, together with the brothers of the king, John and James. She stood first in Cyprus to prevent the throne of her son from being usurped.
In a secret message, she invited the Genoese to a de facto invasion of Cyprus, to take revenge on her brothers-in-law. With the help of the betrayal of John Morf, they were conquered by the Genoese in 1373 and captured James. Eleanor led the assassination of John in 1374.
In 1378, Peter II married Valentina Visconti, daughter of Barnabò Visconti. The first choice of his marriage would have been to a daughter of John V Palaiologos; this suggestion was rejected for political reasons, since the Latins did not encourage the marriage of Peter to a Greek princess. The justification that was given to the Palaiologos messengers was that the king was busy with the dangers that threatened Cyprus because of the Genoese invasion of the island.
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