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48-715: The present castle was built in 1454 by the Hospitallers under the Commander of Kolossi, Louis de Magnac, whose coat-of-arms can be seen carved into the castle's walls. Owing to rivalry among the factions in the Crusader Kingdom of Cyprus , the castle was taken by the Knights Templar in 1306, but returned to the Hospitallers in 1313 following the abolition of the Templars. The castle today consists of

96-590: A crown and title which was approved by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor . After the death of Amalric of Lusignan, the Kingdom continually passed to a series of young boys who grew up as king. The Ibelin family , which had held much power in Jerusalem prior its downfall, acted as regents during these early years. In 1229, one of the Ibelin regents was forced out of power by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor , who brought

144-460: A single three-storey square keep , 21m high and with dimensions 17x17m. It has an attached rectangular enclosure or bailey about 30 by 40 metres (98 by 131 ft). As well as for its sugar, the area is also known for its sweet wine, Commandaria . At the wedding banquet after King Richard the Lionheart 's marriage to Berengaria of Navarre at nearby Limassol , he allegedly declared it to be

192-688: A stopover for Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. The relative prosperity encouraged migration to Cyprus from the West ( Genoa , Venice , Provence , Catalonia ) and the East . The Latin immigrants participated in the economic life as merchants, artisans, shipwrights, ship captains and tavern keepers, and as such had an outsize share in the economy. During this period, new industries also emerged in Cyprus. Cypriot pottery developed particular characteristics, and

240-707: Is marked by an ambitious foreign policy and a vigorous diplomacy. Champion of the papacy and in secret league with the Lombard cities, he was able to defy the common enemy, Frederick Barbarossa . In the Divine Comedy , Dante places William II in Paradise. He is also referred to in Boccaccio 's Decameron (tale IV.4, where he reportedly has two children, and tale V.7). William was nicknamed "the Good" only in

288-531: The Chronicle of Meaux Abbey , possibly derived from Robert of Thornham, who had a relationship with the abbey. When King Richard I of England realized that Cyprus would prove to be a difficult territory to maintain and oversee whilst launching offensives in the Holy Land, he sold it to the Knights Templar for a fee of 100,000 bezants , 40,000 of which was to be paid immediately, while the remainder

336-548: The Crusader States in the 1270s and 1280s and the final Fall of Acre in 1291 triggered an influx of Latin immigrants from the Levant, as Italian, Aragonese and Provençal trading cities relocated their merchants to Cyprus. Maronites , Armenians and Syrians were concentrated in the foothills of Pentadaktylos and coastal plains. There was a system of ethnic discrimination and social stratification in place. However, with

384-619: The Crusaders . The island of Cyprus was conquered in 1191 by King Richard I of England during the Third Crusade , from Isaac Komnenos , an upstart local governor, Byzantine Prince and self-proclaimed emperor of the Byzantine Empire . The English king 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

432-732: The Peruzzi and the Bardi family . The growth of the industry as well as the labour-intensive production of sugar and wine resulted in a demand for slaves, and slave markets existed in Nicosia and Famagusta. 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

480-736: The Republic of Genoa . Cyprus therefore sided with the Avignon Papacy in the Great Schism , in the hope that the French would be able to drive out the Genoese. The Mameluks then made the kingdom a tributary state in 1426; the remaining monarchs gradually lost almost all independence, until 1489 when the last queen, Catherine Cornaro , was forced to sell the island to Venice . The economy of Cyprus remained primarily agrarian during

528-850: The division of the Roman Empire into an eastern half and a western half , Cyprus came under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire . At that time, its bishop , while still subject to the Christian Church , was made autocephalous by the First Council of Ephesus in 431. The Arab Muslims invaded Cyprus in force in the 650s, but in 688, the Byzantine emperor Justinian II and the Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān reached an unprecedented agreement. For

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576-544: The "wine of kings and the king of wines." It has been produced in the region for millennia, and is thought to be the oldest continually-produced and named wine in the world, known for centuries as "Commandaria" after the Templars' Grand Commandery there. Kolossi Castle appears in many works of fiction, including La milicia de Dios by the Spanish writer Eduardo García-Ontiveros Cerdeño. It also appears in Snow Wasted by

624-496: 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 the other towns, towns such as Limassol , Paphos and Kyrenia did take some part in the changing economic environment. Limassol, in particular, became a port for the export of agricultural products and served as

672-524: The Cypriot author Matthew Malekos and in the novels of several British writers, including Race of Scorpions: The House of Noccolo by Dorothy Dunnett , In Search of Sixpence by Michael Paraskos and Lionheart by Stewart Binns . 34°39′55″N 32°56′02″E  /  34.665273°N 32.933957°E  / 34.665273; 32.933957 Kingdom of Cyprus The Kingdom of Cyprus ( French : Royaume de Chypre ; Latin : Regnum Cypri )

720-582: The Haute Cour. The most important vassal family was the multi-branch House of Ibelin . However, the king was often in conflict with the Italian merchants, especially because Cyprus had become the center of European trade with Africa and Asia after the fall of Acre in 1291. The kingdom eventually came to be dominated more and more in the 14th century by the Genoese merchants, under the leadership of

768-451: The Holy Land accompanied by the King of Jerusalem, Guy of Lusignan and other high ranking nobles. The English king left garrisons in the towns and castles of the island before he departed and the island itself was left in charge of Richard of Canville and Robert of Thornham. Richard confiscated the property of those Cypriots who had fought against him. He also imposed a 50% capital levy on

816-462: 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 (most importantly sugar, but also wine, wheat, oil, carobs) abroad, and the agrarian economy became more export-oriented. This allowed Cyprus to become more prosperous relative to

864-603: The Norman realm, was possibly taken that William might devote himself to foreign conquests, or aiming to prevent Tancred, Count of Lecce , an illegitimate cousin of William, to claim the throne. Unable to revive the African dominion , William directed his attack on Ayyubid Egypt , from which Saladin threatened the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem . In July 1174, 30,000 men were landed before Alexandria , but Saladin 's arrival forced

912-540: The Sicilians to re-embark in disorder. A better prospect opened in the confusion in Byzantine affairs which followed the death of Manuel Comnenus (1180), and William took up the old design and feud against the Byzantine Empire. Dyrrhachium was captured (11 June 1185). Afterwards while the army (allegedly 80,000 men including 5,000 knights) marched upon Thessalonica , the fleet (200 ships) sailed towards

960-425: The age of twelve his father died, and he was placed under the regency of his mother. In 1171 he was declared adult and until then the government was controlled first by the chancellor Stephen du Perche (1166–1168), cousin of Margaret, and then by Walter Ophamil , archbishop of Palermo , and Matthew of Ajello , the vice-chancellor. In 1168, du Perche was overthrown by a coup, while the revolts claimed that William

1008-520: The attack and limited numbers of troops, the Knights had taken refuge in their stronghold at Nicosia. A siege ensued and the Templars, realizing their dire circumstances and their besiegers' reluctance to bargain, sallied out into the streets at dawn one morning, taking the Cypriots completely by surprise. The subsequent slaughter was merciless and widespread and though Templar rule was restored following

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1056-409: The capture of King Janus and the political vacuum that ensued. William II of Sicily William II (December 1153 – 11 November 1189), called the Good , was king of Sicily from 1166 to 1189. From surviving sources William's character is indistinct. Lacking in military enterprise, secluded and pleasure-loving, he seldom emerged from his palace life at Palermo. Yet his reign

1104-575: The day were practised in a similar fashion to other European Christian societies. Music, poetry and other arts were enjoyed by both the aristocracy and middle ranks of society, as well as persuits such as hunting. The Roman Catholic Latins never exceeded a quarter of the island's population and were concentrated in the cities. Frankish knights and aristocracy mostly lived in Nicosia , whilst Italians were concentrated in Famagusta . The losses suffered by

1152-497: The death of Conrad III of Jerusalem , thus uniting the two kingdoms. The territory in Palestine was finally lost while Henry II was king in 1291, but the kings of Cyprus continued to claim the title. Like Jerusalem, Cyprus had a Haute Cour (High Court), although it was less powerful than it had been in Jerusalem. The island was richer and more feudal than Jerusalem, so the king had more personal wealth and could afford to ignore

1200-522: The decades following his death. It is due less to his character than to the cessation of the internal troubles that plagued his father's reign and the wars that erupted under his successor. Under the Staufer dynasty his reign was characterised as a golden age of peace and justice. His numeral is contemporary and he himself used it. William was born in Palermo to William I and Margaret of Navarre . At

1248-432: The event, the military order was reluctant to continue rule and allegedly begged King Richard to take Cyprus back. King Richard took them up on the offer and the Templars returned to Syria, retaining but a few holdings on the island. A small minority Roman Catholic population of the island was mainly confined to some coastal cities, such as Famagusta , as well as inland Nicosia , the traditional capital. Roman Catholics kept

1296-413: The island in return for confirming its laws and customs. He also ordered Cypriot men to shave their beards. There was a rebellion led by a relative of Isaac's, but it was crushed by Robert of Thornham, who hanged the leader. Richard rebuked Robert for this execution, since executing a man who claimed to be king was an affront to royal dignity. Some details of the brief English period on Cyprus can be found in

1344-503: The last Byzantine governor of Cyprus, Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus from a minor line of the Imperial house, rose in rebellion, and attempted to seize the throne. His attempted coup was unsuccessful, but Komnenos was able to retain control of the island. Byzantine actions against Komnenos failed because he enjoyed the support of William II of Sicily . The Byzantine emperor had an agreement with the sultan of Egypt to close Cypriot harbours to

1392-502: The majority of the population being Greeks, the Frankish nobility set up a system that would accommodate a certain degree of Greek autonomy, for instance maintaining Greek ecclesiastical courts open to the consultation of "wise and prominent men", thus practically forming secular Greek forms that exercised a form of judicial autonomy. The Greek Cypriot dialect was used as the lingua franca on the island and legal texts were translated into

1440-562: The marriage. In July 1177, William sent a delegation of Archbishop Romuald II of Salerno and Count Roger of Andria to sign the Treaty of Venice with the Emperor. In 1184, he released 30-year-old Constance from convent, engaged her to the Emperor's son, the future Emperor Henry VI to secure the peace, and married her off on January 1186, causing a general oath to be taken to her as his heir presumptive . This step, of great consequence to

1488-473: The meantime, the hereditary queen of Jerusalem, Sybilla, had died, and opposition to the rule of her husband, king consort Guy of Lusignan , greatly increased to the point that he was ousted from his claim to the crown of Jerusalem. Since Guy was a long-time vassal of King Richard, the English king looked to strike two birds with one stone; by offering Guy de Lusignan the kingdom of Cyprus, he allowed his friend

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1536-526: The middle of the fourteenth century, but the Black Death in 1347-48 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 of

1584-537: The next 300 years, Cyprus was ruled jointly by both the Arabs and the Byzantines as a condominium , despite the nearly constant warfare between the two parties on the mainland. The Byzantines recovered control over the island for short periods thereafter, but the status quo was always restored. This period lasted until the year 965, when Niketas Chalkoutzes conquered the island for a resurgent Byzantium. In 1185,

1632-401: The opportunity to save face and keep some sort of power in the East whilst simultaneously ridding himself of a troublesome fief. It is unclear whether King Richard gave him the territory or sold it and it is highly unlikely that King Richard was ever paid, even if a deal was struck. In 1194, Guy de Lusignan died without any heirs and so his older brother, Amalric, became King Amalric I of Cyprus,

1680-485: The port of Limassol . The shipwrecked survivors were taken prisoner by Komnenos and when a ship bearing King Richard's sister Joan and bride Berengaria entered the port, Komnenos refused their request to disembark for fresh water. King Richard and the rest of his fleet arrived shortly afterwards. Upon hearing of the imprisonment of his shipwrecked comrades and the insults offered to his bride and sister, King Richard met Komnenos in battle. There were rumours that Komnenos

1728-595: The reins of power and control, while the Orthodox inhabitants lived in the countryside; this was much the same as the arrangement in the Kingdom of Jerusalem . The independent Eastern Orthodox Church of Cyprus , with its own Archbishop and subject to no patriarch, was allowed to remain on the island, but the Roman Catholic Latin Church largely displaced it in stature and holding property. In

1776-408: The remainder of the army escaped to the hills during nightfall, but King Richard and his troops tracked the Cypriot ruler down and raided his camp before dawn. Komnenos escaped again with a small number of men. The next day, many Cypriot nobles came to King Richard to swear fealty. Fearing treachery at the hands of the new invaders, Komnenos fled after making this pledge to King Richard and escaped to

1824-603: The same target capturing on their way the Ionian islands of Corfu , Cephalonia , Ithaca and Zakynthos . In August 1185, Thessalonica fell to the joint attack of the Sicilian fleet and army and was subsequently sacked. The troops then marched upon the capital, but the army of the emperor Isaac Angelus , under the general Alexios Branas , defeated the invaders on the banks of the Strymon (7 November 1185). Thessalonica

1872-682: The same year the death of Henry, Prince of Capua marked a potential succession crisis: it was said that William II had Constance, the last legitimate heir to the throne, appointed heir and sworn fealty in 1174, but she remained confined in her monastery. In 1174 and 1175 William made treaties with Genoa and Venice and his marriage in February 1177 with Joan , daughter of King Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine , marks his high position in European politics. Although Joan produced no surviving heir, William showed no intention to annul

1920-552: The stronghold of Kantara. Some weeks after King Richard's marriage to his bride in Limassol on 12 May 1191, Komnenos attempted an escape by boat to the mainland but he was apprehended at Cape St. Andrea and later imprisoned in the castle of Markappos in Syria, where he died shortly afterwards, still in captivity. Meanwhile, King Richard resumed his journey to Acre and, with much needed respite, new funds and reinforcements, set sail for

1968-624: The struggle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines to the island. Frederick's supporters were defeated in this struggle by 1232 from the Cypriots Forces at Battle of Agridi , although it lasted longer in the Kingdom of Jerusalem and in the Holy Roman Empire . Frederick's Hohenstaufen descendants continued to rule as kings of Jerusalem until 1268 when Hugh III of Cyprus claimed the title and its territory of Acre for himself upon

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2016-571: The vernacular, like the Assizes of Jerusalem . This relative autonomy meant that there were no rebellions of ethnic character in the Lusignan period. Whilst Greek historiography has traditionally seen a peasant revolt in 1426-27 as a nationalistic uprising, this was an unsystematic series of riots of pillaging by segments of the Greek peasant population and Spanish mercenaries following the Mamluk invasion,

2064-581: Was a medieval kingdom of the Crusader states that existed between 1192 and 1489. Initially ruled as an independent Christian kingdom , it was established by the French House of Lusignan after the Third Crusade . It comprised not only the entire island of Cyprus , but it also had a foothold on the Anatolian mainland: Antalya between 1361 and 1373, and Corycus between 1361 and 1448. After

2112-459: Was at once abandoned and in 1189 William made peace with Isaac, abandoning all the conquests. He was now planning to induce the crusading armies of the West to pass through his territories, and seemed about to play a leading part in the Third Crusade . His admiral Margarito , a naval genius equal to George of Antioch , with 60 vessels kept the eastern Mediterranean open for the Franks , and forced

2160-546: Was exported to the Crusader States until the Fall of Acre in 1291. In the late 13th and early 14th industries, the textile industry developed, with new textile dyeing workshops being set up in Nicosia, and Cypriot samites and camlets having increasing demand in the West and the East. Famagusta became a hub for shipbuilding. These developments prompted the arrival of representatives from Florentine banking houses, such as

2208-537: Was murdered and du Perche planned to have his brother marry Constance , aunt of William who was confined to Santissimo Salvatore, Palermo as a nun from childhood due to a prediction that "her marriage would destroy Sicily", to claim the throne, despite the existence of Henry, Prince of Capua brother of William. An effort by Bertrand II , archbishop of Trani , to negotiate the hand of Byzantine Princess Maria for William yielded no fruit and led to his breaking up with Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus in 1172. In

2256-486: Was secretly in agreement with Saladin in order to protect himself from his enemies, the Angelos family, the ruling family in the Byzantine capital of Constantinople . Control of the island of Cyprus would give King Richard an extremely valuable strategic base to launch further Crusade operations. The English army engaged the Cypriots on the shores of Limassol with English archers and heavily armored knights. Komnenos and

2304-433: Was to be paid in installments. One of the greatest military orders of medieval times, the Knights Templar were renowned for their remarkable financial power and vast holdings of land and property throughout Europe and the East. Their severity of rule in Cyprus quickly incurred the hatred of the native population. On Easter Day in 1192, the Cypriots attempted a massacre of their Templar rulers; however, due to prior knowledge of

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