Peter II of Cyprus

Peter II
coat-of-arms of Lusignan of Cyprus and Jerusalem
King of Cyprus
Reign	17 January 1369 - 13 October 1382
Predecessor	Peter I
Successor	James I
Born	ca 1354 or 1357
Died	13 October 1382
Spouse	Valentina Visconti
House	Poitiers-Lusignan
Father	Peter I
Mother	Eleanor of Aragon

Peter II (1354 or 1357 − 13 October 1382), called the Fat (French Pierre le Gros), was the eleventh King of Cyprus of the House of Lusignan from 17 January 1369 until his death.

He was the son of Peter I of Cyprus and his second wife Eleanor of Aragon. He ascended the throne underage, at the assassination of his father. He had also been a Titular Count of Tripoli and King of Jerusalem.

He married by proxy in Milan on 2 April 1376 and in person at Santa Sophia, Nicosia, on July/August, 1378 Valenza or Valentina Visconti (Milan, 1360/1362 – in Italy, ca. 1393 before September, 1393), a daughter of Bernabò Visconti, co-lord of Milan, and his wife Beatrice della Scala. They had one daughter de Lusignan in 1379 or 1380 who died as an infant in Nicosia soon before 3 October 1382 and was buried in St. Dominic's, Nicosia. She later married after 1383 Galeazzo, Conte di Virtú. Before Peter's wedding, it was suggested that he marry a daughter of Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos. The 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.

He was succeeded, not by his surviving sister Margaret, but by his uncle, James I of Cyprus, since his daughter did not survive and didn't have other children.

The period of his reign featured by decline in contrast with the previous period of his father' s reign. During his reign, he lost his father's Cypriot possessions in Asia Minor. Even more Cyprus received disastrous invasion by Genoese in 1373–1374 which led to the capture of Famagusta, the most important harbour which began to decline. Important damages were caused to the other major towns of Cyprus because of the war with Genoese.