Worldwide Guide
to Women in Leadership
Female Heads of State of Israel/ Midinat
Yisrael/Isra’il
Also see Israel Heads and Israel Ministers
Acre (The Kingdom of Jerusalem in Acre)
1253-61 (†) Regent Dowager Queen Plaisance de Antiochia of Cyprus
1257-61 (†) Regent of Jerusalem in Acre (Israel)
After the death of her husband, Henri of Lusignan, her son Hugh II was only a
few months old ans she claimed the regency. The High Court of Cyprus confirmed
her in this position, but the Barons in the mainland, in Akkon (what remained of
the former Kingdom of Jerusalem) demanded that she showed up herself before they
would confirm her as regent. Lord Jean d'Ibelin of Arsuf was bailliff in
Jerusalem and she contemplated marrying his son. In 1258 she tried to strenghten
her pssition and arrived in Tripoli with her son. The High Court of the Kingdom
assembled, and her brother, Boemond tried to be accepted as heir to the throne
of Cyprus in the abcense of, grandson of Emperor Frederik II and Queen Maria of
Jerusalem, but this was rejected and the royal family was drawn into the civil
war between the Genoese, Venetians, Hospitallers and the Templars. A majority
was in favour of Plaisance's regency, and she returned to Cyprus after haveing
reappointed Jean d'Ilbelin as bailliff. She was daughter of Boemond V of
Antiochiaia and Lucienne de Cacammo-Segni, and lived (1236-61)
1268-77 Titular Queen Maria
II de Antiochia-Poitier, Sovereign Princess of Acre
She was the daughter-daughter of King Almearic I of Jerusalem and petender to
the throne against Hugh III de Lusignan, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem. She
ceded her claims to the king of Napoli
Adelon
1193-98 Baroness Agnes de
Giblet
Co-ruler with husband.
Asur (Arsuf)
1177-1206 Countess Messelinde
Botrum
Around 1173 Baroness Lucia
Caesarea/Caesaria
1123-? Regent Dowager Lady Emma
1187-1219
Lady Juliana
She succeded her brother
1249-64 Lady Marguriette
Daughter of Jean I (1229-41) and succeeded brother.
Galilæa
1119 Regent The Dowager Countess
1171-74 Princess Eschiva I
Daughter of Guilllaume II (1148-58) who was succeded by her husband, Gautier de
Fauqenberge (1159-71)
1240-47 Princess Eschiva II
Ruled jointly with Odo de Montbelliard. The state was conquered by the Syrians
1247.
Haifa (Cayphas/Caiffa)
1244-64 Countess Helivs
Succeded father Rhoart II (1198-1244)
Edessa
1151 Countess Beatrice
In 1151 she sold the leftowers of the county to the emperor of Byzans. The rest
was conquered by the Selsjuks.
Jaffa
Around BCE 1472 Joint Reigning Queen Jopes Cassiopeia
She ruled the state established by the hoenecians of Sidon jointly with king
Cepheus
1175-92 Coutess Sibylla d'Anjou
1185-92 Queen Regnant of Jerusalem
She succeeded her son, Baldwin V, and ruled jointly with husband prince Guy de Lusignan of Cyprus. She was crowned as Queen and then immediately crowned Guy as King.
Titular Queens of Jerusalem (See Reiging Queens)
Around 1400-42 Titular Queen Yolande de Aragón of Sicily, Napoli, Jerusalem,
and Aragón (Italy)
1417 Regent Dowager Duchess of Anjou and Province (France)
1424-27 President of the Estate Generals of Anjou and Province
Daughter of Juan I, king of Aragón, she was initially called Violenta. Her
father was succeeded by Martin as king of Aragón. Her marriage to Louis II of
Anjou in 1400, who spent much of his life fighting in Italy for his claim to the
kingdom of Napoli. She was appointed guardian of her son-in-law the Dauphin
Charles who became Charles VII in 1422, but his title was still challenged by
the English and their Burgundian allies. In this struggle, Yolande maneuvered to
have the duke of Bretagne break from an alliance with the English, and was
responsible for the Breton soldier, Arthur de Richemont, becoming the constable
of France in 1425. Yolande's early and strong support of Jeanne d'Arc, when
others had reasonable doubts, suggests the Duchess' possible larger role in the
orchestrating the Maid's appearance on the scene. Her younger daughter, Yolanda,
was married to the heir of Bretagne, her youngest son René inherited Lorraine in
1431 and after her older son's Louis III's death, and three years later he also
became duke of Anjou and heir of Sicily. She lived (1379-1442).
1414-35 Queen Regnant Giovanna II d'Anjou of Napoli (Italy) and Titular Queen of
Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia
She succeeded her brother, and two years later, her second husband, Jean de
Bourbon, was imprisoned after trying to seize power. She adopted Alfonso V of
Aragon as her heir in 1421. After he tried to take over power in 1423, she
transferred the adoption to another relative; Louis III d'Anjou, who she had
expelled in 1420 for trying to seize power. After Louis' death in 1434, his
brother, Rene was appointed heir, but Alfonso took power after her death.
1458-64 Queen Regnant Charlotte of Cyprus and Titular Queen of Jerusalem and
Armenia
As she succeeded her father, Jean II, the Grand Caraman, the Turkish ruler of
Caramania, seized the opportunity afforded by a weak government in Cypern to
capture Courico, the last Latin outpost in Armenia, which had been in the
possession of the Lusignans since the reign of Pierre I. In 1453 the Ottoman
Turks had expanded to the shores of the Bosphorus and invested Constantinople by
sea and land. While she had the support of the nobility, her half-brother
Jacques the Bastard, had the sympathy of the Cypriot population, and had been
led to believe that his father wished him to succeed to the throne. But the
barons were too strong for him, and Jacques, although archbishop, was not
allowed to take part in the coronation. In 1459 Charlotte married her cousin,
count Louis of Savoy, and Jacques broke into open rebellion and took refuge in
Cairo. Presenting himself to the sultan, who was suzerain of Cyprus, Jacques
complained that, though next male heir to the throne, he had been driven from
the island, and appealed successfully for help to recover his inheritance.
In 1460, with a fleet of eighty Egyptian galleys, Jacques landed at Larnaca. The
Cypriots, hating the Savoyards whom Charlotte's husband had brought to the
island, received him gladly, and he was soon master of the island. Charlotte and
her husband took refuge in the castle of Kyrenia, where they were blockaded for
three years. The castle, which was not actively attacked, was finally
surrendered by the treachery of its commandant. Queen Charlotte with her husband
fled to Rome, where she died in 1487 after bequeathing her sovereignty to the
house of Savoy. Her half-brother was renowned for his political amorality. She
lived (1436-87).
1473-74 Regent Dowager Queen Catherine Cornaro of Cyprus
1474-89 Queen Regnant of Cyprus and Titular Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia
1489-1510 Sovereign Countess of Alonso (Italy)
When her husband King Jacques II died, she was appointed Queen until the birth
of an heir, with a council of regency among whom were her uncles Her son King
Jacques III only lived one year. The Venetians acquired increased importance,
but their pretensions were resented by the Cypriot nobility, who designed to
place on the throne Alfonso, a natural son of Ferdinand of Napoli. The Latin
archbishop, Fabricius, who was the leader of Alfonso's party, arrived in Cyprus
with two armed galleys and a letter from the Pope denouncing the uncles of the
Queen as murderers of Jacques II. Her uncles, Andrea Cornaro and Marco Bembo
were killed. But the conspiracy was not supported by the Cypriots. On the
arrival of a Venetian fleet at Famagusta to demand satisfaction for the murder
of the uncles of the Queen, the conspirators sought safety in flight. Caterina
was allowed to remain Queen of Cyprus, but she had no real power, since all the
principal offices of the kingdom were in the hands of the Venetians. After 15
years she was persuaded ther to leave Cyprus. To compensate her she was allowed
to retain the title of Queen, with an ample allowance. In 1489 Queen Caterina
embarked for Venice, and remained in exile at Alonso for the remainder of her
life. She lived (1454-1510).
1473-83 Sovereign Duchess Yolande of Lorraine and Bar, Countess d'Alsace
(France)
1481-83 Titular Queen of Sicily, Sardegna and Jerusalem
Daughter of Jean II (1425-70), Duc de Lorraine, Titular King of Napoli and
Claimant to Aragón by his grandmother, Yolanda de Aragón, and successor of her
brother, Nicolai. Married to Frederich de Lorraine, Comte de Vaudémont, who died
in 1470 and Ferri II de Guise, who was Duke by the right of his wife, and was
succeeded by her son, René II de Vaudémont. She lived (1428-83).
1833-68 Her Catholic Majesty Isabel II, by the Grace of God, Queen of Spain and
the Indies
Her other titles were Queen of Castile, Leon, Aragon, the Two Sicilies, of
Jerusalem, Navarra, Granada, Toledo, Valencia, Galicia, Mallorca, Menorca,
Sevilla, Cardeña, Córdoba, Cócega, Murcia, Jaén, the Algarve, Algerias,
Gibraltar, the Canary Islands, the East and West Indies, , and the Oceanic
Colonies, Archduchess of Austria, Duchess of Burgundy, Brabant and Milano,
Countess of Habsburg, Flanders, Tirol and Barcelona, Lady of Vizcaya and Molina.
She was married to Don Franciso of Spain, titular king, mother of around 14
children of whom only her son, Alfonso XII, and four daughters survived. She was
deposed 1868, abdicated 1870, and lived (1830-1904).
Mares
1148-55 Dame Agnes de Courtenay
Married to Aumanery d’Anjou.
Nablus
1166-? Countess Regent Maria
Komnena
She was Dowager Queen of Jerusalem
Outre-Jourdan/Oultrejourdain
1173-87 Baroness Regnant Stephanie
The
eldest daughter of Philip of Milly, Lord of Nablus and Isabella,
daughter of Maurice, Lord of Oultre-Jourdan. Her first husband
Humphrey III of Toron held varied positions of power within the
Kingdom. After his death in 1170, she married Miles of Plancy
(d.1174). Through her marriages, Stephanie had managed to acquire two
important crusader garrisons: Kerak (not to be confused with Krak des
Chevaliers) and Montreal. When Stephanie was besieged within Kerak by
Nur ed-Din, she sent for assistance, and was rescued by her first
father-in-law Hunphrey II of Toron (d.1179). In 1174 she married
Reynald of Chatillon. When Saladin besieged and retook Jerusalem,
Stephaine's son Humphrey was amongst the ransomed captives. Stephanie
asked for the release of her son and Saladin agreed to release him
only on surrender of Kerak and Montreal - both garrisons refused.
Stephanie duly returned her son to Saladin, who released him soon
afterwards.
Pry
1184-circa 1240 Baroness Marie Sans-Avoir
Rahmala and Mirabel
Around 1120-circa 60
Hereditary Dame Helvis
Daughter of Badouin of Ramalah and first marreid to Balan de Cartres, Lord of
Ibelin (d. 1143/50). After his death she transferred her possessions to their
son, Hughes d'Ibelin, Lord of Ramalah (1132-68/71), who was succeeded by brother.
The third son inhertied Ibelin. Also mother of two daughters . Around 1150 she
married Lord
Manasses d'Hierges.
She lived (circa 1105/10-circa 60)