Juan Tafures

Who is Juan Tafures?

Juan Tafures or Tafurer was a Catalan adventurer in the mid fifteenth century.

Owner of a merchant ship, Juan landed at Larnaca in Cyprus in July 1457 when James de Lusignan, bastard son of John II of Cyprus and Archbishop of Nicosia, was fleeing his father, for he had murdered the royal Chamberlain. Juan gave him ship to Rhodes. Juan then joined in with him, now deprived of the archbishopric, in his fight against Charlotte for the throne of Cyprus. They reconquered the island by September 1460.

An intimate of the new king, James became master of the royal household and captain of Famagusta. In 1469, James named him Count of Tripoli, a titular dignity, since Tripoly had long lain in Turkish hands. It was with this latter title that he appears in 1473 executing the will of the king.

Under the reign of James' successor, Catherine, Juan violently led the opposition to Venice. He managed to escape their grasp, but his family was carted off to Venice. After that date, he is unknown.