Catherine Cornaro noble title King consort of Cyprus
Succession of James II
On the death of the Cypriot King John II in 1458, the succession was disputed between his daughter Charlotte and her illegitimate half-brother James, who tried to seize the island. On the strength of the marriage of Louis of Savoy to Charlotte, the duke of Savoy claimed the island and Charlotte was named Queen. In 1468 Catherine, through negotiations by her father and uncle, was offered to James as his wife. The marriage was extremely advantageous to the Republic of Venice as it could henceforth secure the commercial rights and other privileges of Venice in Cyprus. The proposal was agreed to, and the contract was signed in 1468, strengthening James's position.Queen consort
Thus in 1468, James II, otherwise known as James the Bastard, became king of Cyprus. He and Catherine married in Venice on 30 July 1468 by proxy when she was 14 years old. She finally set sail to Cyprus in November 1472 and married James in person at Famagusta.
aristocratic title rank of nobility peerage nobility rank aristocratic rank