Anne of Cyprus


Anne of Cyprus was a Duchess of Savoy by marriage to Louis, Duke of Savoy. She was the daughter of King Janus of Cyprus, and Charlotte of Bourbon; and a member of the Poitiers-Lusignan crusader dynasty.
Anne was highly influential in the Duchy of Savoy and served as a political advisor and the de facto ruler at the behest of her husband.

Life

On 9 August 1431 a marriage contract was signed between 12-year-old Anne and Prince Amadeus of Piedmont, eldest surviving son and heir of Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy ; however, the prince died only twenty days later, on 29 August.
Five months later, on 1 January 1432, was signed a second marriage contract for 13-year-old Anne, this time with Louis of Savoy, Amadeus' younger brother and new heir of the Duchy of Savoy. The wedding took place two years later, on 12 February 1434. in Chambéry. A few months later, on 7 November, Duke Amadeus VIII resigned, leaving the government in the hands of his son Louis, although he officially abdicated in his favor only when he was elected as antipope, in 1440.
Anne's husband, who was more interested in poetry than his duchy, but very much in love with his wife, gradually left her to manage affairs of state. She, due to nostalgia for her own country, organized many receptions on behalf of the most powerful Cypriot lords. To impress the visitors, she decorated the castles, organized festivals, and offered gifts to the guests, the expense of which caused much protest from the peasants and nobles of the county of Vaud.
To relieve some of her debts, Anne organized a match for one of her daughters, which was an advantageous alliance for the house of Savoy. In 1451, at the age of ten years, her daughter Charlotte married the dauphin of France, the future King Louis XI. He later would claim default of the promised dowry, new strongholds, and seized several castles in Bresse and several chief towns of Vaud.
In 1452, Anne bought the Shroud of Turin from Jeanne de Charny in exchange for the castle of Varambon. Years later Pope Paul II authorised Yolande of France to deposit the relic of the Holy Shroud in the vault of the castle of Chambéry from which she raised a tower above the sacristy, as a religious symbol.

Death

Anne died on 11 November 1462 in Geneva, present-day Switzerland, at the age of 44.

Issue

Louis and Anne had the following children:
  1. Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy.
  2. Marie, died in childhood.
  3. Louis, Count of Geneva, King of Cyprus.
  4. Philip II, Duke of Savoy.
  5. Marguerite, married firstly in December 1458 Giovanni IV Paleologo, Marquis of Montferrat, and secondly Pierre II de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, Brienne, Ligny, Marle, and Soissons.
  6. Pierre, Archbishop of Tarentaise.
  7. Janus, Count of Faucigny and Geneva; married Hélène of Luxembourg, daughter of Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol and Jeanne de Bar, Countess of Marle and Soissons.
  8. Charlotte, married King Louis XI of France.
  9. Aimon, died in childhood.
  10. Jacques, died in childhood.
  11. Agnes, married François d'Orléans, Count of Dunois. Their son was Louis I d'Orléans, Duke of Longueville.
  12. Jean Louis, Bishop of Geneva.
  13. Maria, married Louis de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, Constable of France.
  14. Bonne, married Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan.
  15. Jacques , Count of Romont, Lord of Vaud.
  16. Anne, died in childhood.
  17. François, Archbishop of Auch and Bishop of Geneva.
  18. Jeanne.
  19. François, died in childhood.