Hugh III of Cyprus

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Hugh III of Cyprus, Hugh I of Jerusalem, Hugh of Antioch or Hugh of Lusignan (died March 24, 1284), King of Cyprus 1267–1284 and King of Jerusalem 1268–1284, was the son of Henry of Antioch and Isabella of Cyprus, the daughter of Hugh I of Cyprus. He was the grandson of Bohemund IV of Antioch.

From 1261 he served as regent for Hugh II of Cyprus in Cyprus, as the Haute Cour of Cyprus considered him, as a male, a better regent than his mother Isabella. She was, however, accepted as the regent of Jerusalem in 1263. She died in 1264, and Hugh became the acting regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well as Cyprus. The regency was contested by his first cousin, Hugh of Brienne, who was the son of Mary of Cyprus, the eldest daughter of Hugh I and hence the senior heir to Cyprus, and heir to Jerusalem after Hugh II. However, the Haute Cour of Jerusalem declared Hugh of Antioch the next regent, as successor to Isabella in proximity of blood.

Hugh II died in 1267 without heirs. As Hugh of Brienne did not advance his claim on the throne, Hugh of Antioch succeeded as uncontested King of Cyprus. He claimed the Kingdom of Jerusalem as well in 1268 upon the execution of Conradin. However, the throne of Jerusalem was also claimed by Mary of Antioch by proximity of blood to Conradin. The Haute Cour of Jerusalem rejected her claim and Hugh was crowned King of Jerusalem.

Hugh and his descendants, the Kings of Cyprus, assumed his mother's surname of Lusignan, having inherited Cyprus through that family.

Hugh disliked dealing with the various factions in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and left for Cyprus in 1276 in disgust at their defiance of his authority. The next year, his bailiff, Balian of Ibelin, Lord of Arsuf, was ejected by Roger of Sanseverino, the bailiff of Charles of Anjou, who had purchased the claim of Mary of Antioch. The kingdom remained under Angevin control for the rest of Hugh's reign.

It is supposed that Thomas Aquinas' work On Kingship was written for Hugh III.

He was married to Isabella of Ibelin. He had eleven children:

• John (died 1285) who succeeded him as King of Jerusalem and Cyprus
• Bohemond (died November 3, 1281)
• Henry (1271–August 31, 1324) who succeeded John as King
• Amalric, Prince of Tyre (died June 5, 1310), Constable of Jerusalem, who displaced Henry and became Regent of Cyprus
• Mary (1273-September, 1322) who married James II of Aragon
• Aimery (died 1316), Constable of Cyprus, briefly succeeded Amalric as Regent of Cyprus
• Guy (died 1303), Constable of Cyprus, father of Hugh IV of Cyprus
• Margaret (died 1296), who married Thoros III of Armenia
• Alice (died after March, 1324), married Balian of Ibelin, Prince of Galilee
• Helvis (died after March, 1324), married Hethum II of Armenia
• Isabelle (died 1319), married firstly with Constantine of Neghir, Lord of Partzerpert, and secondly with the King Oshin of Armenia, who divorce her in 1316.

Preceded by Hugh II	King of Cyprus 1267–1284	Succeeded by John I/II
Preceded by Conradin	King of Jerusalem 1268–1284