Cyprus in the Middle Ages

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The Medieval history of Cyprus starts with the division of the Roman Empire into an Eastern and Western half.

Byzantine period

After the division of the

capital of the island. It was mainly Christian
and due to this, some alterations were made during the rebuilding. The palaestra was turned into a meeting place and many architectural elements was used to erect spacious churches decorated with murals, mosaics, and coloured marble.

The main event in Cyprus in this period was the spreading of the Christian faith. At that time, its

Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch to put the Church of Cyprus under his control. They were finally successful in 488, when Archbishop Anthemius guided by a dream discovered the tomb of Barnabas with the saint's body lying in a coffin and on his chest a copy of the Gospel of Matthew in Barnabas' own writing. Having the relics with him, Anthemius dashed to Constantinople and presented them to Emperor Zeno. The latter was very much impressed and he not only confirmed the independence of the Church of Cyprus but he also gave to the Archbishop in perpetuity three privileges that are as much alive today as they were then, namely to carry a sceptre instead of a pastoral staff, to sign with red ink and to wear a purple cloak during services. By the beginning of the 7th century, the patriarch of Alexandria was John the Merciful from Amathus. Another important Cypriot of the time is the church writer Leontios of Neapolis
.

Arab conquest and Arab–Byzantine condominium

In 649 AD the

Abu'l-Awar
, the Arabs returned in 650 and installed a garrison of 12,000 on part of the island, where they remained until 680.

The middle age depiction of Cyprus island, where 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit under Mu'awiya conquered

After

Shadaad ibn Aws, Khalid bin Zayd al-Ansari, and Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, all participated in building the caliphate's first Naval armada, led by Mu'awiya.[4][5] Before he joined Mu'awiya's project to build first naval forces of the caliphate, 'Ubadah joined forces with Muslim general, Abd Allah ibn Qays. Together with Mu'awiya, they built the first caliphate armada with permission from ibn al-Affan. Abu Dharr mentioned that Miqdad ibn Amr al-Aswad participated in this project.[6] Shortly later, Mu'awiya and 'Ubadah departed from Acre and headed to Cyprus.[7] According to al-Baladhuri and Khalifa ibn Khayyat, Mu'awiya and 'Ubadah led the attack and were accompanied by their wives Katwa bint Qaraza ibn Abd Amr of the Qurayshite Banu Nawfal and Umm Haram.[8] Umm Haram died in an accident during the campaign.[3] The Muslim forces accepted Cyprus' surrender under the condition that they refrain from hostility to the Muslims, inform the caliphate of any Byzantine movements, pay 7,200 dinars annually for Jizya, and never reveal information to outsiders regarding the caliphate's military operations.[3]

Mu'awiya and 'Ubadah forces pacified almost every Byzantine garrison. This is evidenced by two Greek inscriptions in the Cypriot village of Solois that note those two offensives.[9] The entire island of Cyprus surrendered after their capital, Salamis, was surrounded and besieged.[3] At least 50 military operations occurred in Cyprus between this first campaign in 648 until the last one in 650.[3]

In 688, the emperor

nearly constant warfare between the two parties on the mainland. The collected taxes were divided among the Arabs and the emperor.[10]

Under

Basil I the Macedonian (r. 867–886) Byzantine troops recaptured Cyprus, which was established as a theme, but after seven years the island reverted to the previous status quo. Once again, in 911, the Cypriots helped a Byzantine fleet under admiral Himerios, and in retaliation the Arabs under Damian of Tarsus ravaged the island for four months and carried off many captives. The isolation of Cyprus from the rest of the Greek-speaking world assisted the formation of a separate Cypriot dialect
. This period of Arab influence lasted until the 10th century.

Byzantine reconquest

In the year 965 or slightly earlier, the Byzantines reconquered the island and installed theme. The general Niketas Chalkoutzes led the reconquest, of which no details are known, and was probably the first governor of Cyprus after that.[11]

A rebellion by governor Theophilos Erotikos in 1042, and another in 1091 by Rhapsomates, failed as they were quickly subdued by imperial forces.

In 1185, the last Byzantine governor of Cyprus,

Crusaders
.

Crusades–Lusignan period 1095–1489

Cyprus was spared the destruction of the loss of Anatolia and remained peaceful and relatively prosperous during turn of the 12th century. During the Siege of Antioch, a battle of the First Crusade, the Crusader army received supplies from Byzantine-controlled Cyprus.[12]

In the spring of 1156, the island was attacked by

Thoros II, Prince of Armenia.[12] The island was the governed by John Doukas Komnenos, who remained with part of the local garrison at Nicosia, while the general Michael Branas led a force to confront the invaders. Branas was driven back towards Nicosia, and John led a sally to rescue him. The Byzantines were again defeated, with both John and Branas taken prisoner.[13] The victorious Franks and Crusaders then conducted widespread plundering of the island, not sparing churches or convents. In the words of the historian Steven Runciman, "The crops were burnt; the herds were rounded up, together with all the population, and driven down to the coast. The women were raped; children and folk too old to move had their throats cut". The rape of the island lasted for three weeks, before Raynald and Thoros boarded their ships with their loot and prisoners, and departed.[14] The destruction was compounded by the effects of the 1157 Hama earthquake, and by a Fatimid naval raid in 1158.[14]

St. Jean d'Acre
on 5 June.

The army of Richard the Lionheart continued to occupy Cyprus and raised taxes. After local revolts he decided to sell the island to the

Guy de Lusignan
(1192–1194) who established himself in May 1192.

Guy de Lusignan

Richard saw this sale as advantageous to himself, as the island wasn't worth the trouble to him, as Guy had been captured by

feudal rights
over huge estates, using the Cypriots as serfs.

Aimery

Henry II of Champagne's widow, Isabel. Though in name only, this title was something the Lusignan kings were very proud of as it appears on the Cypriot coat of arms. After some skirmishing in Acre with the Sultan of Egypt al-Malkik al-Adil, a treaty was granted in 1204 giving him some advantages in Palestine
. It is said that his eating too much fish in one sitting was his cause of death in 1205.

Hugh I

The kingship then passed to his son,

Alisia of Jerusalem
(daughter of Henry of Champagne and queen Isabella I of Jerusalem) produced only one son, Henry I (1218–1253), but also two daughters.

Henry I

Henry I became king at the age of 8 months, when his father died. The official regency was undertaken by Henry's mother Alice, but the acting regent was Henry's uncle Philip of Ibelin, who had Henry crowned at the age of 8, to ward off advances from

John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut
, who maintained it until Henry came of age at 15.

When Henry was 12, Emperor Frederick seized the regency, taking it by force from John of Ibelin. However, when Frederick left the island of Cyprus, the popular John of Ibelin rallied forces from the Outremer, and retook the island, which began the

Stupor Mundi proved unsuccessful. King Henry ("the fat" as he was called, for his easy going manner) played no part in these struggles, but when of age he participated in the 7th crusade under Louis IX of France to destroy the power of Egypt
. His forces left behind were forced to surrender in 1250.

At about that time, a Cypriot youngster in search of a better education would travel to the empire of Nicaea and eventually become Patriarch of Constantinople as

Gregory II
. Gregory's autobiography gives valuable information on the transition from Byzantine to Lusignan rule and its impact on the local population and especially education.

Meanwhile, Henry takes as his 3rd wife Plaisance of Antioch, who finally bears him a son Hugh II (1253–1267) who came upon the throne while only a few months of age. Plaisance acted as his regent, and is described by one chronicler as "one of the most valiant women in the world". She appeared at Acre, now erupting into virtual war between the Venetians, Pisans, and Knights Templar and the Genoese, Spanish, and the Hospitallers. By backing the Venetians, she hoped to have her son recognized as the King of Jerusalem, but the title had little value.

When Plaisance died, Hugh of Antioch became regent.

Hugh III

Hugh II died childless, and Hugh of

Dante
's Paradiso, but it is not a nice reference.

Hugh IV

Rule passed on to his nephew Hugh IV (1324–1359), who found himself in a new privileged position. The fall of the last coastal strongholds of the Kingdom of Jerusalem made it unnecessary for the island to waste its money on its defense. It also made the island the center for Oriental trade, and Famagustan merchants became notoriously rich, and the island as a whole became known for its wealth. Hugh enjoyed a peaceful reign, and preferred to stay on the island.

Peter I

Mameluks. He was driven out, but had he held it would have been a very valuable outpost. He was murdered by his nobles, but left a very devoted wife Eleanor of Aragon (supposedly he took her nightgown with him on his campaigns), who with the help of the Italians
pursued the assassins.

Peter II

Upon the ascension of

St. Nicholas in Famagusta
between the Venetians and the Genoese. The dispute arose over who would lead the king's horse on the right side; traditionally it belonged to the Genoese but now the Venetians took it. Many Genoese were killed in the riot, and the Italian city responded harshly. In 1374, the island surrendered to the Genoese under terms of tribute, payment for damages, and loss of Famagusta to the Genoese, effectively ending prosperity.

James I

Peter succumbed to his lethargy, and the rule passed on to James I (1382–1398), his uncle and now prisoner in Genoa. He was released on harsh terms, including the proviso that all ships coming into Cyprus land in now Genoese Famagusta. The king also had to raise taxes in order to pay. He added the title the King of Armenia in 1393, though it was useless as well.

Janus

He was succeeded by the son of Peter the II.,

Mameluks
as a tributary state.

John II

His son

orthodox church
.

Her daughter Charlotte and her opponent's son

Charlotte
in 1458 was recognized as Queen regent, and James fled to Egypt. The two were said to have had a fairly good relationship, and it is probably very much due to the church that this political conflict arose between them. James convinced the Egyptian Sultan to aid him, promising loyalty to Egypt, and landed, armed, in 1460.

James

James won victories over the major forts, including Genoese

Catalans on the island formed a revolt supporting Ferdinand II of Aragon, that was put down by the Venetians. In 1479, the party of Queen Charlotte plotted to assassinate the queen, but it was betrayed and quashed. Due also to the looming threat of the Ottoman Turks
, Venice used the Queen's brother to convince her to abdicate the throne in 1489, ushering in the Venetian period.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cyprus - Turkey, Greece, Conflict | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  2. ^ Nadvi (2000), pg. 522
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-9953-34-717-2
    . Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. ISBN 978-602-02-3477-9
    .
  5. ISBN 978-1-4384-2039-4
    .
  6. ISBN 978-0-7914-0154-5
    .
  7. ISBN 978-967-411-446-6
    . Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  8. ^ Sahih al-Bukhari: 2788
  9. ^ Lynch 2016, p. 539.
  10. ^ Zavagno, L. (2013). "Two hegemonies, one island: Cyprus as a "Middle Ground" between the Byzantines and the Arabs (650–850 A.D.)" (PDF). Reti Medievali Rivista.
  11. ^ Savvides, Alexios G. C. (1993). Προσωπογραφικό σημείωμα για τον απελευθερωτή της Κύπρου Νικήτα Χαλκούτζη και για τη χρονολογία ανακατάληψης της μεγαλονήσου (965 μ.Χ.). Επετηρίς Κέντρου Μελετών Ιεράς Μονής Κύκκου (in Greek). 2. Nicosia: 371–378.
  12. ^ a b Runciman 1952, p. 347.
  13. ^ Runciman 1952, pp. 347–348.
  14. ^ a b Runciman 1952, p. 348.

Sources

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