Claim: The House of Lusignan was from France.

The House of Lusignan -LRB- -LSB- ˈluːzᵻnjɒn -RSB- -RRB- was a royal house of French origin , which ruled much of Europe and the Levant , including the kingdoms of Jerusalem , Cyprus , and Armenia , from the 12th through the 15th centuries during the Middle Ages . It also had great influence in England and France .   The family originated in Poitou , near Lusignan in western France , in the early 10th century . By the end of the 11th century , the family had risen to become the most prominent petty lords in the region from their castle at Lusignan . In the late 12th century , through marriages and inheritance , a cadet branch of the family came to control the kingdoms of Jerusalem and Cyprus . In the early 13th century , the main branch succeeded in the Counties of La Marche and Angoulême .   As Crusader kings in the Latin East , they soon had connections with the Hethumid rulers of the Kingdom of Cilicia , which they inherited through marriage in the mid-14th century . The Armenian branch fled to France , and eventually Russia , after the Mamluk conquest of their kingdom .   The claim was taken by the Cypriot branch , until their line failed . This kingdom was annexed by the Republic of Venice in the late 15th century .