James II de Lusignan, Duke of Cyprus

James II de Lusignan, Duke of Cyprus (1440-1509) was the illegitimate son of John II, Duke of Cyprus and Marietta de Patras. Upon his fathers death in 1458, he inherited his fathers title, Duke of Cyprus. Between 1463 to 1467 he fought in the Norman-Mamluk War.

Norman-Mamluk War, 1463-1467
James was one of the first Norman nobles to travel to the Holy Land, when news arrived of the Mamluk invasion of Jerusalem. He arrived in Acre with an army of around 10,000 in June 1463 and was joined two weeks later by Edmund de Montfort, Duke of Alexandria with a force of 15,000. De Lusignan marched his army north and met Qaitbay outside of Tyre on 3 July 1463. The two armies met on the battle field, but prior to the battle, the Ottoman army left the battlefield to the dismay of Qaitbay. Grand Vizier Davud Pasha had received word from Constantinople that his army was required elsewhere as the Venetian's were attacking Argos.

With his army now outnumbered, Qaitbay withdrew his army and retreated back to to Sarepta. De Lusignan was hailed a hero on his arrival in Tyre, which had been under siege for three months.

James had been joined by a Knights Hospitaller army of 5,000 and had besieged Sarepta, Sidon and Beaufort. Qaitbay had been beaten by de Lusignan at the Battle of Sidon and had fled to Beirut for reinforcements.

James suffered his first defeat on 18 January 1464 at the Battle of Kesdesh. The victory for Qaitbay, whilst costly in terms of men, was important, in that de Lusignan was unable to attack any further Mamluk cities and prevented his campaign towards Damascus.

In July 1464, James joined Arthur I, King of Normandy at the Battle of Jerusalem, in which the Normans won a great victory over the Mamluk's in what was the biggest battle of the conflict. After the victory at Jerusalem, James took his army north and besieged the Mamluk city of Beirut. During the siege he won a battle over Qaitbay, who had led an army to Beirut in an attempt to end the siege. Beirut finally surrendered to James at the end of 1466 and he was quick to then march on Damascus.

Upon arrival at the Syrian city, James' army was once again met by Qaitbay, who had received reinforcements and his army now outnumbered James' 3 to 1. The Battle of Damascus was fought with both armies suffering huge loses, causing James to call off his attempt to take Damascus.

Marriage
James' deeds during the Norman-Mamluk War had come to the attention of King Arthur and the two had grown close. The King rewarded James with lands in Brittany and Cornwall after the war, including the city of Leon. James travelled back to Normandy alongside the King and received a heroes welcome in Valenguard.

The King had grown so fond of James, that he he promoted him to join the Kings Council and in 1469 arrange the marriage of James to his eldest daughter, Princess Lucy of Normandy. James and Lucy had three children, Edward (1472), Charlotte (1475) and Louis (1478).

After the war, James remained in Normandy and had a new castle built in Leon. He left his lands in Cyprus under the control of his sister, Charlotte de Lusignan.

Ottoman-Mamluk War
In 1485, King Arthur dispatched James, once more to the Holy Land along with Albert, Prince of Brittany and Edward, Prince of Surrey, to lead the Norman army in the Ottoman-Mamluk War. The Norman-Mamluk alliance worked together to defend Cilicia from the Ottoman invasion.

The war lasted 7 years withe the Norman-Mamluk alliance successfully defending Anatolia region, which meant the Kingdom of Jerusalem was safe from any future Ottoman attack.

Upon return to Normandy, a storm destroyed the Norman fleet. Half of the fleet managed to limp into Malta, including the ship, Defiance, which James was on board. Neither Prince Albert or Prince Edward's ships survived the storm.

Later life
Upon James return to Normandy in 1493, Loui I, King of Normandy had become King after the death of his brother William III. After being back in Normandy for two years, James retired from the Kings Council and lived in Lusignan Palace in Leon.