Episode 32: Forgotten Crusader Queens of Cyprus

The Untitled History Podcast · Sep 17, 2026 · 44m

In 1458, the Kingdom of Cyprus was the last of the Crusader States. Over the next 30 years, two remarkable women would fight to rule it as queen. Their rivalry would see each experience periods of power and exile.

Although mostly forgotten today, this political battle would draw in all of the great powers of the region, from Egypt to the papacy.

The lives of Charlotte of Lusignan and Caterina Cornaro offer an incredible window into both the opportunities for power and politicking available to women at the time, and to the limits. Both would have legacies on the Italian renaissance that would…