The Conquest of Cyprus

To understand the events which ended the tyranny of Isaac Comnenus in Cyprus, it is first necessary to return to the history of the kingdom of Jerusalem.

The success of the First Crusade had been largely due to disunity between the Moslems of Asia and of Egypt, but in 1171 Saladin made himself the supreme ruler of Islam in the East and prepared jihad or holy war for the recovery of Jerusalem from the crusaders.

The marriage of Sybilla, heiress to the kingdom of Jerusalem, to Guy de Lusignan in 1186 caused dissension and disunity among the crusaders. The tide had turned, and in 1187 Saladin at last delivered his attack with a united force.

On the sandy plains of Hattin under a scorching July sun, the army of Guy de Lusignan was utterly defeated and, after a fortnight’s siege, Jerusalem was taken. The fall of Jerusalem sent a shock-wave throughout Christendom. The three great monarchies of Europe at that time, England, France, and Germany, sinking their political rivalries for the common aim, collected revenues and armies for a Third Crusade.

Philip, king of France, and Richard Coeur de Lion, of England, agreed to take the sea route to the Holy Land together, and in 1191 they left Sicily, where they had wintered.

While Philip sailed straight for Acre, the fleet of Richard was scattered by a storm and took refuge in Crete and Rhodes. Three of his ships were driven to the shores of Cyprus, where they were wrecked and sank in sight of the port of Amathus some 10 Kms from the modern town of Limassol, at that time a tiny village.Those of the crews who escaped the shipwrecks were taken prisoners by the order of Isaac Comnenus and their property confiscated. Another English ship reached the harbour having on board Johanna, the Dowager Queen of Sicily, sister to Richard, and his bride-to-be, Berengaria of Navarre.

Isaac, realising the ransom potential of the Royal ladies, attempted to cajole them into being his guests. This offer was politely refused whereupon threats ensued.

In effect, had Richard’s fleet not encountered storms, had not three ships been shipwrecked and had Comnenus not insulted Queen Joanna and Princess Berengaria both the progress and eventual outcome of Third Crusade and the history of Cyprus could have been totally different.

As it was,when Richard with the rest of his fleet reached Amathus, his plans immediately changed. On hearing of the outrages which had been inflicted upon his shipwrecked subjects and the insults offered to his sister and to the princess, he instantly demanded compensation. Isaac, who had assembled his forces to repel the English, answered these demands with threats.

Richard immediately called his men "To Arms." Beside the natural desire to avenge his subjects, the island of Cyprus offered a convenient base for the operations in the Holy Land and a source of men, treasure, and materials for his forthcoming campaign.