Which crusader state was ruled by the House of Lusignan after 1192?

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The crusader state ruled by the House of Lusignan after 1192 was the Kingdom of Cyprus.

Richard I of England seized Cyprus during the Third Crusade in 1191, taking it from Isaac Komnenos, a Byzantine governor who had declared himself emperor of the island. Richard soon transferred the island to the Knights Templar, but their rule proved unpopular and short-lived. In 1192, Guy of Lusignan acquired Cyprus, establishing the Lusignan dynasty there.

The kingdom was not the same as the Kingdom of Jerusalem, although the Lusignans became closely connected to both. Guy had been king of Jerusalem through his marriage to Queen Sibylla, but after the political crisis following the Battle of Hattin, his claim was contested. Cyprus instead became the Lusignan family’s durable power base.

The Kingdom of Cyprus lasted until 1489, when Queen Catherine Cornaro ceded the island to Venice. Common mix-ups include confusing Cyprus with the Principality of Antioch or assuming the Lusignans ruled Cyprus continuously from Richard’s conquest in 1191; their dynastic rule began after Guy’s acquisition in 1192.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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