| James II | |
| Succession: | King of Cyprus |
| Reign: | 1460[1] /1464[2] – 10 July 1473 |
| Predecessor: | Charlotte and Louis |
| Successor: | James III |
| Regent: | Charlotte and Louis (1460–1464) |
| Reg-Type: | Contenders |
| House: | Poitiers-Lusignan |
| Father: | John II of Cyprus |
| Mother: | Marietta de Patras (concubine) |
| Spouse: | Catherine Cornaro |
| Issue: | James III of Cyprus |
| Birth Date: | /1439 or c. 1440 |
| Death Date: | 10 July 1473 |
James II (French: Jacques; /1439 or c. 1440 - 10 July 1473) was the penultimate King of Cyprus (usurper), reigning from 1460/1464 until his death.
James was born in Nicosia as the illegitimate son of John II of Cyprus and Marietta de Patras. He was a great favourite of his father, and in 1456, at the age of 16, he was appointed to the archbishopric of Nicosia. After murdering Iacopo Urri, the royal chamberlain, on 1 April 1457,[3] he was deprived of the archbishopric and fled to Rhodes on a ship of the Catalan Juan Tafures. He was pardoned by his father, and the archbishopric was returned to him.
In 1458, his father died and his half-sister Charlotte became Queen of Cyprus. Then in 1460, with support from the Egyptian Mamluk sultan Sayf ad-Din Inal, James challenged her right to the throne, blockading her and her husband, Louis of Savoy,[4] in the castle of Kyrenia for three years. Charlotte fled to Rome in 1463.
With the fall of Kyrenia before the autumn of 1464, de facto Charlotte and Louis lost their throne.[5] James was crowned king in her stead. In gratitude, he made his friend and supporter Juan Tafures Master of his Household and titular Count of Tripoli.
In Venice, on 30 July 1468, seeking political support, he married a 14-year-old Venetian, Catherine Cornaro, by proxy. She finally sailed to Cyprus in 1472 and married in person at Famagusta in October or November. James died in Famagusta a few months later amidst some suspicion that he might have been poisoned by agents of Venice, possibly by Catherine's uncles. According to his will, Catherine, who was pregnant, became regent. The couple's son, James III, died under suspicious circumstances in 1474 before his first birthday, leaving Catherine as queen regnant of Cyprus. During her reign, the island was controlled by Venetian merchants. In 1489, Venice forced her to abdicate, and Cyprus became a colony of the Republic of Venice.
Prior to his marriage, King James II had three natural children[6] [7] with an unnamed mistress:
He had another mistress, by the name of Eschive de Nores (d. after 1468), who married his cousin, Philippe, Titular Prince of Galilee, a natural son of his great-uncle, Henry. However, there is no record of any children with her.