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. In the spring of 1156, the island was attacked by
Raynald of Châtillon and
Thoros II. The island was then 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. 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 plundering went on for three weeks, before Raynald and Thoros boarded their ships with their loot and prisoners, and departed. The destruction was compounded by the effects of the
1157 Hama earthquake, and by a
Fatimid naval raid in 1158.
Richard the Lionheart landed in
Limassol on 1 June 1191 in search of his sister and his bride
Berengaria, whose ship had become separated from the fleet in a storm. Upon her arrival, the ruler,
Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus requested that Berengaria deboard, which she refused, and upon her refusal was denied supplies from Komnenos. Richard took this as an insult and attacked the island which was easily subdued. Komnenos was bound to lend aid to Richard in his crusade against
Saladin, an oath which he later broke, and Richard had him bound in silver chains (as he swore not to bind Komnenos in iron) and kept prisoner until his death in 1194 or 1195. The Cypriot chronicler
Neophytus gave Richard the epithet of "the wretch". The crusader fleet continued to
Acre on 5 June. Richard's army continued to occupy Cyprus and raised taxes. After local revolts, Richard sold the island to the
Knights Templar, who were unable to hold the island because of further hostility among the local population due to tax raising. A rebellion on 6 April, 1192 made the Templars sell the island to
Guy of Lusignan (1192–1194) who established himself in May 1192.
Guy of Lusignan Guy of Lusignan bought Cyprus in 1192 after was ousted as the
King of Jerusalem. The crusaders described him as "simplex et minus astutus", though he did set the foundation of Cypriot society in the
Lusignan period. He invited Palestinian barons, disenfranchised by
Saladin, to move to the island, granting them
feudal rights over huge estates, using the Cypriots as serfs.
Aimery Aimery (1194–1205) became king as
Geoffrey of Lusignan passed up on succeeding Guy. During his reign, the Latin church took over the dioceses of the Orthodox, creating a long-standing dispute that also characterized the Lusignan period. Aimery had Cyprus recognized as "
kingdom", by the
Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI. He then officially regained the title of
King of Jerusalem by marrying
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-Adil I, a treaty was granted in 1204 giving him some advantages in
Palestine. He died om 1205, it is said from eating much fish in one sitting. He was succeeded by his son
Hugh I.
Hugh I Hugh I (1205–1218) married
Alice of Champagne in 1210 in accordance to an agreement between
Hugh VIII of Lusignan and
John Doukas Komnenos in a marriage negotiated by
Maria Komnene. The marriage produced one son and two daughters. Hugh I participated in the failed
Fifth Crusade, and died suddenly in
Tripoli in 1218. He was succeeded by his eight-month-old son
Henry I.
Henry I Henry I's official regency was undertaken by his mother Alice, but the acting regent was his uncle
Philip of Ibelin, who had Henry crowned at the age of 8, to ward off advances of
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. When Philip died, the regency passed to Philip's brother
John, 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. However, when Frederick left Cyprus, the popular John rallied forces from the
Outremer, and retook the island, which began the
War of the Lombards. In the
Battle of Agridi, the much smaller force of Ibelins won a surprising victory over the imperial forces, and the efforts of Frederick, proved unsuccessful. King
Henry played no part in these struggles, but when of age he participated in the
Seventh Crusade under
Louis IX of France to destroy the power of
Egypt. His forces left behind were forced to surrender in 1250. Around that time, a young Cypriot who would become Patriarch of Constantinople
Gregory II, traveled to the
Empire of Nicaea in search of a better education. Gregory's autobiography gives valuable information on the transition from Byzantine to Lusignan rule and its impact on the local population and especially education. Henry took
Plaisance of Antioch as his third wife in 1250, who bore him a son,
Hugh II (1253–1267), who came upon the throne while only a few months of age when his father died in 1253.
Hugh II Hugh II's mother 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 Hugh II recognized as the King of Jerusalem, but the title had little value. When Plaisance died, Hugh of Antioch became regent. When Hugh II died in 1267, Hugh of Antioch became King of Cyprus as
Hugh III (1267–1284).
Hugh III, John I and Henry II During Hugh III's reign, the Christian-friendly
Mongols were pushing from the east and offered a chance of alliance against the Egyptian Sultan, but the eternally feuding powers of Medieval
Europe threw this chance away, while Hugh tried to mediate with them in
Syria. He died in
Tyre, succeeded by his oldest son
John I (1284–1285), and then by his other son
Henry II (1285–1324). His reign and reputation suffered from his
epilepsy, and in 1286 he was crowned at Tyre as King of Jerusalem only to see it fall to Egyptian Mamluk sultan. In 1306, Henry's brother
Amaury seized power and exiled Henry in
Cilicia, but Henry was restored in 1310. He is mentioned in
Dante's
Paradiso. Henry II died in 1324 and was succeeded by his nephew
Hugh IV (1324–1358).
Hugh IV Hugh IV enjoyed a peaceful reign, and preferred to stay on the island. The fall of the last coastal strongholds of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem made it unnecessary for Cyprus to spend 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 IV abdicated in 1358 in favour of his son
Peter I (1358–1369).
Peter I Peter I is mentioned in
Geoffrey Chaucer's
The Canterbury Tales. He led an expedition to
Alexandria that upset the
Italian merchants, but proved successful (at least in gathering booty). He toured Europe to gather support for crusading, but found their promises unfulfilled. He sacked
Alexandria again regardless, and in destroying the gates found it impossible to hold against the
Mamluks and was driven out. He was murdered by his nobles in 1369. His widow,
Eleanor of Aragon, pursued his killers with the help of the
Italians. He was succeeded by his son
Peter II (1369–1382).
Peter II Upon the ascension of Peter II, a riot broke out at the coronation ceremony at the Cathedral 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 the prosperity of Cyprus. Peter II died in 1382 and was succeeded by his uncle
James I (1382–1398).
James I At the time of his ascension
James I was a prisoner in
Genoa. He was released on harsh terms, including the provision that all ships coming into Cyprus land in the now Genoese
Famagusta. He also had to raise taxes to pay for his release. He added the title King of
Armenia in 1393, though it was also titular. He died in 1398 and was succeeded by Peter II's son
Janus (1398–1432).
Janus Janus unsuccessfully tried to drive the Genoese from Famagusta. In 1426 the
Mamluks raided the island, and Janus met them at
Khirokitia. Apparently the troops had no water, so they drank wine instead and became intoxicated. When a Mamluk embassy was sent, they were killed by Janus's men. The outraged Mamluks killed Janus's inebriated soldiers. They then proceeded to expose the hoax of the levitating cross at
Stavrovouni Monastery, containing a piece deposited by
Staint Helena in the 4th century. Janus was taken to Egypt and paraded around backwards on a donkey in humiliation. At the same time according to the chronicle of
Leontios Machairas, Cypriot serfs rebelled against the Franks and established "Re Alexis" as a king in Lefkonoiko (the word Re means king in
Provençal and
Italian), and "captains" in
Morphou,
Limassol,
Lefka and
Peristerona. It took the Frankish nobility more than 6 months to defeat the rebels with Re Alexis eventually hanged. Ten months after the battle at Khirokitia, Janus was ransomed back, and Cyprus was now ruled by the Mamluks as a tributary state. Janus died in 1432 and was succeeded by his son
John II (1432–1458).
John II and James John II was described as "effeminate, but not unattractive" and was reviled by
Pope Pius II as a vile evil sloth. He was dominated by two women in his life, both
Greek;
Helena Palaiologina his wife and
Marietta de Patras, his mistress. Supposedly in a fight between the two in the King's presence, Helena off her adversary's nose. As Helenawas Greek, she was well loved by the Cypriots and the
orthodox church. Helena's daughter Charlotte and Marietta's son
James would play huge roles in the collapse of the
Lusignan dynasty. James "the bastard", as he was called, was well loved by John, who made him archbishop of the island at a very young age. Yet
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 won victories over the major forts, including Genoese
Famagusta, and was solidly placed on the throne in 1464. Charlotte had unsuccessfully tried to secure aid from outside, including from the Pope. According to legend, James fell in love with his wife
Catherine Cornaro while walking with her uncle who purposely dropped an image of her. The two were wed by proxy, and Catherine was adopted by the Venetian state, securing the passage of Cyprus to the signory. James died in 1473, and his short-lived son the next year, and the Venetians were eyed with suspicion. In 1473, the
Catalans on the island started 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 in 1489, ushering in the Venetian period. ==See also==