Alicia of Majorca

Dona Alicia of Majorca (1341 – after 1376)^[1] was a Cypriot noblewoman, the great-granddaughter of King James II of Majorca and a maternal descendant of the Lusignan kings of Cyprus. Her husband was Philip Ibelin, seneschal of Cyprus who was sent to prison in Genoa after his murder of Alicia's uncle, King Peter I. She became the mistress of Jean de Moustry, Grand Admiral of Cyprus.

Family

She was born in Cyprus in 1341, the only child of Infante Fernando of Majorca, Viscount d'Omélas, and Eschive de Lusignan, eldest daughter of King Hugh IV of Cyprus and Alix of Ibelin. Her paternal great-grandfather was King James II of Majorca. At the time of her birth, her mother, Eschive was being held in captivity by her grandfather, King Hugh as a result of the latter's violent quarrel with Alicia's father, Fernando, who had been expelled from the kingdom. The King had accused Fernando's mother, Isabelle of Ibelin of having practised sorcery. As her father died in exile in Omélas, sometime between the time of her birth and 1347, Alicia never knew him.

Marriage

On 26 July 1355, she married, as his second wife, one of her kinsmen, Philip of Ibelin, son of Balian Ibelin. As they were related within the prohibited degrees, a Papal dispensation was required for their marriage. Her uncle, who in 1358 had succeeded Hugh IV as King Peter I of Cyprus, was much displeased with Philip's marriage to Alicia, who being his niece, was a close member of the Cypriot royal family. The King, in retaliation for Philip's temerity in marrying Alicia, banished him from the kingdom. Alicia was forcibly detained on the island, and forbidden to follow her husband in exile.^[1] It is not known whether or not she had any children by Philip.

Her mother had died in 1363 during an outbreak of plague. Four years later, in 1367, Philip returned to Cyprus, and in 1369 assumed the role as leader of a revolt against King Peter, and of the group of barons who subsequently assassinated him.^[2] After the regicide, Peter's son, Peter, who was a minor, succeeded him, with his mother Eleanor, and his uncles John and James acting as his regents. Eleanor suspected John and James of having been part of the plot to murder Peter. Philip was immediately appointed seneschal of Cyprus; however, following the Genoese invasion in 1373 (which the Queen Mother Eleanor had secretly arranged), he was first imprisoned at Famagusta, then sent to prison in Genoa, where he was beheaded in 1374/76.

Love affairs

In 1370, according to Rudt-Collenberg, Alicia became the mistress of Jean de Moustry, the Grand Admiral of Cyprus.^[2] As with her husband, it is not recorded whether any children were born to her as a result of her affair with the admiral. There were also rumours that she had an affair with Genoese Admiral Pietro di Campo Fregosa and had connived at her husband's death.^[2] It was recorded in the Chronicle of Amadi that Alicia was so in love with the Genoese admiral that she had failed to intervene on Philip's behalf in order to save him from execution.^[2]

Alicia died on an unrecorded date sometime after 1376.

References