New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-03-18

the Latin Emperors of Constantinopie, had as
sumed the title of King of Jerusalem as a heri-
tage of his consort, "A princess of Navarro and a
descendant of Godfrey de BouillOn.
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 or
these four-JOhn of Brienne-has already been
mentioned the other three were Henry ii or
Navarro, FOulques, Duke of AnjOu, and Guy de
Iusignan. Each of the four transmitted the THU
lar sovereignty of Jerusalem to his descendants.
Guy de LuSignan even went further, for he ac'
tually cedcd it in due form to the English Cru
sader monarch, Richard Occur de Lion, III ll92'
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 on the throne
of Cyprus.
The Lusignan 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 14SD, when Caterina Cornaro, widow of james
ii of Cyprus, coded her kingdom to the republic
Of Venice. The remainder Of her life was spent
In retirement at Asolo, in Nenetia, and with her
death the royal line of Lusignan became extinct.
James ii of Cyprus was also Duke of Savoy,
and II is through him that the house of Savoy,
which now holds the throne Of Italy, inherited
It's claim To the title of King of Jerusalem.
The family of Lusignan has had a long and
checkered history. 1t took its name from the town
and castle of Lusignan, in The French department
Of Vienne, about a dozen miles TO the southeast
of Poitiers. Both the castle and the family were
founded. according TO tradition, by the fairy Mel
usine, of the Forest of Broceliande, 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,
Melusine married Raymond, sovereign Count of
Potion, and the children born of this union be-
came known as the Sieurs de Lusignan.
A later Sieur de Lusignan, Guy by name, mar
rIed Sybil, only daughter and heiress of Amaury,
one of the crusader Kings of Jerusalem. and on
the occasion of his wedding he was created Count
of Jafa and Of Ascalon. On the death OF his
rather-inlaw, this Guy de Lusignan was pro-
claimed and crowned King Of Jerusalem; but In
1857 he was defeated by the Sultan Saladin in the
battle of Tiberias, was taken prisoner, and was
Obliged to surrender Jerusalem TO the Saracens.
few years later, as has already been related.
he became King of Cyprus.
While his descendants ruled in Cyprus, the
Lusignans who had remained in France lost both
mower and prestige, and were deprived Of their
petty dominiens. Finally the family became ex-
tinct. at any rate. in the male line.
During the reign of Nicholas I of Russia. soma
Armenian agitators. on the lookout for a man
who could serve as a pretender. TO form the nu.
cleus of n natiopalist movement. found an adj.
yenturer named klenko. who was wont TO boost
that he had in his veins the blood of the former
Lusignan rulers of Cyprus. of Jerusalem, and OF
Armenia. They dubbed him Louis de Lusignan.
Prince of Armenia, Cyprus. and Jerusalem. They
concocted parchments endowing him with a pedi.
gree that traced his descent to Guy de Lusienan
the crusader sovereign.
fl suited Russia's policy. at the lime, TO coun-
renance his pretensions. KlenkO. alias Louis de
Lusignan, was invested by the Gar with the
rank Of colonel in the Russian army, and hailed
as Princ-not King-of Armenia, Cyprus, and
Jerusalem. But later the Gar declined to have
anything further to do with him. This Louis de