Kingdom of Cyprus, from 1192
The French Poitevin knight Guy of Lusignan had been the king of the crusader state “Kingdom of Jerusalem” until 1192 when he lost the kingship. That same year he bought Cyprus from the Knights Templar to compensate for his loss. Guy ruled the Kingdom of Cyprus until his death in 1194 when he was succeeded by his brother Amalric. The Lusignan dynasty lasted until 1489 when the last monarch, Queen Catherine Cornaro, was forced to sell the island to Venice. The flag of the Lusignan kingdom is shown in the “Book of all kingdoms”, by a Spanish friar in 1350. It has red crosses on a white field (the emblem of the Kings of Jerusalem). On a blue background are five “fleur de lis”, a stylised lily, used by French royalty and throughout history to represent the Catholic saints of France.