Portal:Cyprus/Selected biography

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Portrait of Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus by Gentile Bellini, at the Magyar Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest
Portrait of Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus by Gentile Bellini, at the Magyar Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest

Catherine Cornaro (Italian: Caterina) (1454 – July 10, 1510), was Queen of Cyprus from 1474 to 1489 and declared a "Daughter of the Venetian Republic" in order that Venice could claim control of Cyprus after the death of her husband, James II ("James the Bastard").

She was born in Venice in 1454 and was the daughter of a well-known and powerful family of the Republic of Venice. The Cornaro family had produced four Doges. Her family had long associations with Cyprus, especially with regards to trade and commerce. In the Episkopi area, in the Limassol District, the Cornaro family administered various sugar-mills and exported Cypriot products to Venice. Her mother's side of the family was even more grand as they were descendants of the Emperors of Trebizond. She was painted by Durer, Titian, Bellini and Giorgione