Kingdom of Cyprus: Map & History

History

The island of Cyprus was conquered by Richard I of England in 1191 during the Third Crusade, from Isaac Komnenos, an upstart local governor, Byzantine prince, and self-proclaimed emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Richard I did not intend to conquer the island until his fleet was scattered by a storm en route to the siege of Acre (1189–1191). The three ships were wrecked and sank in sight of the port of Limassol. The shipwrecked survivors were taken prisoner by Komnenos, and when a ship bearing Richard I's sister Joan and bride Berengaria entered the port, Komnenos refused their request to disembark for fresh water. Richard I and the rest of his fleet arrived shortly afterwards.

Economy

The economy of Cyprus remained primarily agrarian during the Lusignan period. Simultaneously, though, the island grew in importance in the trade network connecting Western Europe and the Middle East, serving as an entrepôt. This led to an increase in demand on Cypriot products (largely sugar, but also wine, wheat, oil and carobs) abroad, and the agrarian economy became more export-oriented. This allowed Cyprus to become more prosperous relative to the Byzantine period, fuelling the development of the harbour of Famagusta and the capital Nicosia, enabling the construction of architectural works that survive to this day. Whilst the development of these two eclipsed other settlements, towns such as Limassol, Paphos and Kyrenia did take some part in the changing economic environment.

Society and culture

Cypriot society in the Lusignan period was multi-ethnic, with Orthodox Greek Cypriots making up the majority of the population. Greeks constituted the majority of the population in the rural areas, where they were either serfs (paroikoi) or free tenants (francomati). The population increased until the middle of the fourteenth century, but the Black Death in 1347 and 1348 resulted in the loss of one fifth to one third of the population. Repeated outbreaks prevented population recovery into the fifteenth century. In the 14th century it was common for Cypriot nobility to receive their education in Constantinople.

Cyprus during this period had a vibrant court culture, in which popular pastimes were practised in a similar fashion to other European Christian societies.