The Dolores star., 1921-03-18

the Latin Emperors, of Constantinopre had
sumed the title Of King Of Jerusalem heri-
tage of his consort, princess of Navarro and a
descendant of Godfrey de Boulon
No less than four other princes besides the Ger
man Emperor Frederick ii were indebted for their
title of King of Jerusalem to their marriages with
heiresses of the first Crusader sovereign. One OF
these four-John of Brienne-has already been
mentioned; the other three were Henry ii of
Navarro, Foulques, Duke of Anjou. and Guy de
iusignan. Each of the four transmitted the titu-
lar sovereignty of Jerusalem to his descendants.
Guy de Lusignan even went further. for he ac-
tually ceded 1t In due form to the English Cru
sader monarch. Richard Coeur de Lion. in 1l0a,
in exchange for the throne of the island OF Cy-
pruS. Later. with utter disregard for his plighted
word, he took advantage of richards captivity In
Austria to resume the title of King of Jerusalem.
which was used by all his successors the throne
of Cyprus
The Luslgnan princes reigned prosperously In
Cyprus for nearly three hundred years, and in the
fourteenth century their house also furnished five
kings to the throne of Armenia. Their rule ended
in 14S9, when Caterina Cornaro widow of james
ii of Cyprus, ceded her Kingdom the republic
OF Venice. The remainder of her life spent
in retirement at Asolo. in Venetia, and with her
death the royal line of Lusignan became extinct.
james ii of Cyprus also Duke of Savoy,
and it is through him that the house of Savoy,
which now holds the throne of Italy inherited
its claim the title of King of Jerusalem.
The family of Lusgnan has had Yong and
checkered history. 1t took its name from the town
and castle of Lusignan, in the French department
of Vienne. about dozen miles to the southeast
of Poitiers. Both the castle and the family
founded according to tradition, by the fairy Mel
usine, of the Forest of Brocellande, who with
the magician Merlin figures so largely in medieval
romance and in the traditions of French chivalry.
Descended from the ancient Kings of Brittany,
Melusne married Raymond, sovereign Count of
Potou, and the children born of this union be.
cana known the Seurs de Lusgnan.
A later Seur de Luslgnan Guy by name mar.
ried Sybil, only daughter and heiress of Amaury,
one of the crusader Kings of Jerusalem. and
the occasion of his wedding he was created Count
of Jafa and of Ascalon. On the death of his
father-in-law, this Guy de Lusignan pro.
claimed and crowned King of Jerusalem; but In
1887 he defeated by the Sultan Saadln in the
battle of Tiberas, was taken prisoner, and was
Obliged to surrender Jerusalem to the Saracens
4 few years later as has already been related,
he became King of Cyprus.
While his descendants ruled in Cyprus the
Luslgnans who had remained in France lost both
power and prestige, and were deprived of their
petty dominons Finally the family became ex.
tinct at any rate in the male line.
During the reign of Nicholas 1 of Russia some
Armenian agitatOrs, on the lookout for a man
who could n pretender, to form the Du.
cleus of Il nationalist movement, found an nd.
venturer named Klenko who was wont to bonst
that he had In his veins the blood of the former
Lusignan rulers of Cyprus, of Jerusalem nnd of
Armenia. They dubbed him Louis de Lusgnap
Prince Of Armenia. Cyprus and Jerusalem. They
concocted parchments endOwing him with a pedl.
gree that traced his descent to Guy de Lusgnan
the crusader sovereign.
It suited Russa's policy, at the time, to cUun.
tenance his pretensons. Klenko, alias Louis de
rank of colonel In the Russian army and hailed
as Prince-not King-of Armenia, Cyprus. and
Jerusalem. But later the Gar declined to have
anything further to do with him. This Louis de