RICHARD COEUR DE LION

RICHARD COEUR DE LION (A.D. 1191) History of Cyprus

The next fateful change in the history of Cyprus arose entirely by chance in 1191. Four years previously, when Guy de Lusignan was king of Jerusalem, he had been overwhelmingly defeated by the forces of Saladin, and Jerusalem was taken. Nothing of the kingdom was left except the city of Tyre and the principalities of Antioch and Tripoli. Though de Lusignan was an unpopular figure, being regarded as an adventurer who had succeeded to the throne of Jerusalem solely on account of his marriage to Sybilla, who was heiress to the kingdom, the great European powers, England, France and the Holy Roman Empire, were so shocked by losses in the Holy Land that they reconciled their rivalries and mounted the Third Crusade. Acre was to be the first objective, with the aim of forming it into a base for land operations. In 1189 it was besieged by Guy de Lusignan, who, though he had been captured by Saladin and later released on parole, had returned to the attack. The forces of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I, moved overland to his aid, while King Philip II of France and King Richard I of England approached by sea. Though the French were able to sail direct towards Acre, the English fleet was dispersed by a great storm. Most of the ships took shelter off Crete and Rhodes, but three were wrecked within sight of Limassol. The survivors were captured by Isaac Comnenus, and their salvaged property seized. Meanwhile a fourth ship had been driven by the gale towards Limassol, having on board the king of England's sister, Joanna, Queen Dowager of Sicily, and his affianced bride, Berengaria of Navarre. When, instead of befriending the illustrious ladies, Isaac the tyrant insulted them, Richard reassembled his fleet and hastened to Cyprus to demand satisfaction for both wrongs. He was received with threats and taunts, and immediately gave battle, motivated additionally by the fact that Cyprus would make an excellent base and source of supply for the impending operations in Palestine. The forces of Isaac Comnenus proved no match for English archers and armoured knights equipped for the Crusade. Richard's landing near Amathus met with immediate success, both in the initial operations and during the following day's great battle five miles from Limassol. Isaac took to the mountains, where he could not be followed without further preparation. Then, after many of his nobles had transferred their allegiance to the English king and Guy de Lusignan had arrived on the island with reinforcements, the tyrant offered terms which included the provision of gold, men at arms and his own services for the Crusade, with the surrender of his castles and his daughter's person as hostages. Yet as soon as these terms were accepted, he repudiated them and escaped by stealth from Limassol, where he had gone to vow allegiance to the English king. The repeatedly outraged Richard put Guy de Lusignan in charge of land operations, while he deployed the English fleet around the island with the purpose of taking or intimidating every castle and stronghold. But although for a short time Isaac Comnenus eluded de Lusignan, first in Famagusta and then in the almost impregnable castle of Kantara, Richard was untroubled enough to be able to celebrate his marriage with great pomp in Limassol Castle. Berengaria was crowned Queen of England. According to a chronicler, 'there was joy and love enow'. Soon afterwards Isaac was captured while attempting to take ship from the Abbey at Cape Andreas in the Karpas peninsula. As he petitioned that he should not be put in irons, he was taken in silver fetters to captivity in Syria, where he died in 1194. Resistance came to an end when Isaac's daughter surrendered the Castle of Kyrenia to Guy de Lusignan. She was dispatched with suitable honours to King Richard, who at that time was lying sick in Nicosia, and she thereafter became lady in waiting to Queen Berengaria and a popular figure at court. Garrisons were placed in Cyprus when Richard, loaded with Isaac Comnenus's fabulous treasure, resumed his interrupted voyage to Acre. But when news followed him of revolt in Cyprus he began to regard the island as a doubtful asset, and sold it to the Knights Templar for 100,000 bezants. But the Templars were harsh rulers. Within a few months information was laid that a great uprising was planned for Easter 1192. They took refuge in their castle at Nicosia, but when their offer to withdraw from the island was refused they determined to fight, despite their inferior numbers. By sallying forth from the castle at dawn they crushed the rebellion by promiscuous and savage butchery. Yet, though temporary victory was theirs, they recognized that they would be incapable of holding the island by force. Accordingly they applied to Richard for permission to withdraw from their bargain. Richard agreed to this proposition, though he did not return the Knights' first down payment of 40,000 bezants. (The remainder of the agreed purchase money was to have come from taxation.) The Knights retained certain of their possessions in Cyprus, notably at Limassol. Meanwhile Guy de Lusignan, who after the death of his wife Sybilla was deprived of the Crown of Jerusalem, was offered compensation by Richard in the form of the sovereignty of Cyprus whether as a free gift or on terms similar to the transaction with the Templars is not known, though history suggests that Guy de Lusignan was a man unlikely ever to have discharged such a debt.

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