Henry II (June 1270 – 31 March 1324)^[2] was the last crownedKing of Jerusalem (after thefall of Acre on 28 May 1291, this title became empty) and also ruled asKing of Cyprus.^[3] He was of theLusignan dynasty.^[4]

Henry II
Silver 'gros grand' coin issued in the reign of Henry II. This silver denomination replaced the 'white bezants' and are notable for the western style depiction of a king enthroned which replaced the Byzantine style.
King of Jerusalem andCyprus
Reign	1285–1324
Predecessor	John II/I
Successor	Hugh IV/II
Born	June 1270
Died	31 March 1324(1324-03-31) (aged 53) Strovolos,Kingdom of Cyprus[1]
Spouse	Constance of Sicily
House	Poitiers-Lusignan
Father	Hugh III of Cyprus
Mother	Isabella of Ibelin

He was the second surviving son ofHugh III and succeeded his brotherJohn I on 20 May 1285; there was some suspicion that Henry had been involved in poisoning John. He was crowned atSanta Sophia,Nicosia, 24 June 1285.Charles of Anjou, who contested John's claim to the throne, had died in 1285, allowing Henry to recoverAcre from theAngevins. With a fleet Henry attacked Acre, defended by Charles' lieutenantHugh Pelerin, and the city was captured on 29 July 1285. Henry had himself crowned King of Jerusalem there on 15 August 1286, but returned to Cyprus and appointed his uncle Philip of Ibelin asBailiff in his absence. By this time Acre was one of the few coastal cities remaining in the remnant of theKingdom of Jerusalem. During his reign theMameluks capturedTyre,Beirut, and the rest of the cities, and destroyed the similarly weakenedCounty of Tripoli in 1289. The finalsiege of Acre began on 5 April 1291 with Henry present in the city. He escaped to Cyprus with most of his nobles, and the city fell toKhalil on 28 May 1291.

Henry continued to rule as King of Cyprus, and continued to claim the kingdom of Jerusalem as well, often planning to recover the former territory on the mainland. He attempted a coordinated military operation in 1299/1300 withGhazan, theMongolIlkhan ofPersia, when Ghazan invaded Mameluk territory in 1299 (seeFranco-Mongol alliance); he tried to stopGenoese ships from trading with the Mameluks, hoping to weaken them economically; and he twice wrote toPope Clement V asking for a newcrusade. His reign in Cyprus was prosperous and wealthy, and he was very much involved with the justice and administration of the kingdom – he had theHaute Cour keep written records for the first time (inItalian orFrench, rather thanLatin), and extended the court's role from afeudal advisory body to a true court responsible for trying and punishing criminals. However, Cyprus was in no position to fulfill his true ambition, the recovery of the Holy Land. He suffered from epilepsy, which at times incapacitated him, and his nobles were unsatisfied with him. He had his brother Guy, theConstable of Cyprus, put to death in 1303 for conspiring against him. In 1306 his brotherAmalric, Lord of Tyre,Constable of Jerusalem, conspired with theTemplars to remove him from power. However, Amalric assumed the title of Governor and Regent of Cyprus, rather than of King. Henry was deposed on 26 April 1306 and exiled toArmenia, where KingOshin of Armenia was Amalric's brother-in-law. However, upon the murder of Amalric in 1310, Oshin released Henry, who returned to Cyprus and resumed his throne with the aid of theHospitallers on 26 August 1310, imprisoning many of Amalric's co-conspirators, including their brother Constable Aimery, brother-in-lawBalian II of Ibelin,Prince of Galilee, and other relatives of Balian. In 1313, he oversaw the dissolution of the Templars in Cyprus and the transfer of their property to the Hospitallers.

He marriedConstance of Sicily (1303/1307 – inCyprus after 19 June 1344), daughter ofFrederick III of Sicily andEleanor of Anjou, atSanta Sophia,Nicosia, on 16 October 1317 but they didn't have any children. She later marriedLeon V of Armenia andJohn of Lusignan, titularPrince of Antioch.

Henry died on 31 March 1324^[1] at his Villa inStrovolos, nearNicosia, was buried at theFranciscan Church ofNicosia and was succeeded by his nephewHugh IV.