John, Prince of Antioch

John of Coimbra
Prince of Antioch
Born	1431
Died	11 September 1457 Nicosia
Spouse	Charlotte of Cyprus
Full name João de Coimbra
House	House of Aviz
Father	Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra
Mother	Isabella of Urgell, Duchess of Coimbra
Religion	Roman Catholicism

John, Prince of Antioch (1431–1457), was the second son of Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra, and Isabella of Aragon, Countess of Urgell.

Life

He took part in the battle of Alfarrobeira, where his father's army was defeated by the Portuguese royal army.

He was imprisoned and was to be executed. However, due to the intervention of his aunt Isabella, he was sent into exile in Burgundy together with his brother James and sister Beatrice. His aunt Isabella reigned as Duchess of Burgundy and was able to offer protection to her nephews and niece as wife of Duke Philip the Good. In 1456, John was elected a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

In 1456, John married Charlotte of Cyprus in Nicosia and was accorded the title Prince of Antioch. He was poisoned on the orders of his mother-in-law, Helena Palaiologina.

He was buried in Nicosia in a tomb which bear his coat of arms.

Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms of Infante John of Coimbra, Prince of Antioch.

Following his marriage to Princess Charlotte, John bore a unique coat of arms, combining: (I) the Kingdom of Jerusalem, (II) his father's Portuguese-English ascentry, (III) the Kingdom of Armenia, (IV) the Kingdom of Cyprus; on top the arms of Lusignan.

Ancestry

Family of John, Prince of Antioch

16. Afonso IV of Portugal               8. Peter I of Portugal                       17. Beatrice of Castile               4. John I of Portugal                             18. Lourenço Martins               9. Teresa Lourenço                       19. Sancha Martins               2. Infante Peter, Duke of Coimbra                                   20. Edward III of England               10. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster                       21. Philippa of Hainault               5. Philippa of Lancaster                             22. Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster               11. Blanche of Lancaster                       23. Isabel de Beaumont               1. John, Prince of Antioch                                         24. James I, Count of Urgell               12. Peter II, Count of Urgell                       25. Cecile de Comminges               6. James II, Count of Urgell                             26. John II, Marquess of Montferrat               13. Margaret of Montferrat                       27. Isabella of Majorca               3. Isabella of Urgell                                   28. Alfonso IV of Aragon               14. Peter IV of Aragon                       29. Teresa d'Entença               7. Isabella of Aragon                             30. Berenguer de Fortià               15. Sibila of Fortia                       31. Francesca of Palau

Sources

• Raphael de Smedt (Ed.): Les chevaliers de l’ordre de la Toison d’or au XVe siècle. Notices bio-bibliographiques. (Kieler Werkstücke, D 3) Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt 2000, ISBN 3-631-36017-7, p. 135f.
• Genealogical information on John of Coimbra, Prince of Antioch (in Portuguese)
• Nobreza de Portugal e Brasil, Vol. I, pages 270/1. Published by Zairol Lda., Lisbon, 1989.