Hugh II of Cyprus

Hugh II (1253-1267) was king of Cyprus and regent of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

In 1253, at the age of two months, he succeeded his father Henry I as king of Cyprus, with his mother Queen Plaisance acting as regent. Although he had no legal claim to the kingdom of Jerusalem, many felt that he was a better candidate than Conradin, the Hohenstaufen claimant who was also a child and absent in Europe. In 1258 John of Ibelin, lord of Jaffa, and Bohemund VI of Antioch brought Hugh and Plaisance to Acre, where Hugh was set up as regent for Conradin, and Plaisance was chosen to carry out Hugh’s regency while he remained underage.

In 1261 Plaisance died and the regency of Cyprus passed to Hugh of Lusignan, Hugh II's cousin. Isabella of Antioch became regent of Jerusalem in Acre. Hugh II died in November of 1267 at the age of 14 and was buried in the Dominican church in Nicosia. He had been betrothed and was possibly married to Isabella of Ibelin, but the marriage was never consummated. He was succeeded by Hugh of Lusignan as Hugh III of Cyprus.

In 1266 Thomas Aquinas dedicated his work De regimine principum ("On the Rule of Princes") to Hugh II, although both died before the work was completed.