In 1458 his father died, and his half-sister Charlotte became Queen of Cyprus. In 1460 James challenged her right to the throne, blockading her and her husband in the castle of Kyrenia for three years. When Charlotte fled to Rome in 1463, James was crowned King.
He was married to a Venetian, Catherine Cornaro, but died a few months after the wedding. There was some suspicion he had been poisoned by agents of Venice, possibly by Catherine's uncles. The couple's son James died as an infant, leaving Catherine as the last Queen of Cyprus.
| Preceded by: Charlotte | Kingdom of Cyprus | Followed by: James III |