TURKISH RULE

TURKISH RULE (A.D. 1571-1878) History of Cyprus

At first the new administration was welcomed by the inhabitants of Cyprus, both as a relief from Venetian harshness and because of two very popular measures. The Turks re established the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus, restored the archbishopric which had been in abeyance and accorded the people the right to worship unmolested. Such privileges did not, however, extend to the Latins, who were deprived of their property, while their churches were converted into mosques, warehouses, stables and other secular uses. The second popular measure was the removal of the feudal system and the freeing of serfs. At last the people were allowed to own their own land, although in doing so they became taxpayers. Some 30,000 Turkish settlers from Mustapha's soldiery were given land, and their numbers were augmented from time to time by immigration from Asia Minor. There was little differential treatment, but as there was no intermarriage between races and religions, the population became sharply divided into two. Taxation was severe, and began to cause exceptional hardship when dearth of seed and the closure of mines lowered earning capacity. The population declined, until after two years of famine and pestilence only 25,000 native Cypriots remained out of a number which according to the first census of the Turkish administration had been 150,000. The Sublime Porte showed awareness of the manner in which the peasant population was being bled beyond all legitimate standards by local tax collectors, and, though malpractice was not greatly curtailed, it is of great significance that in 1660 the Grand Vizier began to recognize the archbishop of Cyprus and his suffrages bishops as spokesmen for their compatriots. From that time onward the archbishop became more and more powerful as a representative of the people. He engaged as mediator with the Turks on all matters, particularly those connected with taxation, and was also successful in tempering repressive measures after several abortive revolts. The Turks by this time had come to look upon Cyprus less as a colony than as an investment. In fact, at one stage the island was presented to the Grand Vizier, who promptly farmed out its revenues in exchange for a fixed annual payment. This system made for the extortions which the bishops tried to combat. In fact, they did this so effectively that by the end of the eighteenth century they became so powerful, and so much money passed through their hands, that the resident Turks became envious and rose against the bishops. Hostilities were avoided solely by the intervention of the European consuls appointed to the island, most of whom were resident in Larnaca. Yet in the end outside forces contributed to the fall of the bishops. In 1821 the Greeks in Morea rose against Ottoman rule, and their revolt was to lead to the Greek nation's independence. Seeing an analogy in Cyprus and wishing to forestall it, the Grand Vizier summoned Archbishop Kyprianos, the bishops of Paphos, Kitium and Kyrenia, the abbot of Kykko Monastery and other leading clerics to Nicosia. Here they were hideously slaughtered. Some influential Christians were given asylum by the foreign consuls at Larnaca, but the power of the hierarchy had come to an end. When Greece gained independence many Cypriots went to Athens and acquired Greek nationality. Greece, liberated by her own efforts, more than ever became the ideal of the Orthodox Greeks of Cyprus. Conditions began to improve in the reign of Abdul Mejid I (1839-61), during which time the sultan undertook to accord equality of treatment to Ottoman subjects of all creeds. Tax farming in Cyprus was abolished, and the governorship of the island was made by appointment, rather than by auction as in the past. Local courts were set up in 1839. In spite of this the British Parliament of the day continued to show concern about the treatment of Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire, and in 1867 the British Government called for a report from Mr T. B. Sandwith, British Vice Consul in the island. The resulting report showed that Christians and Muslims alike suffered from maladministration. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 brought Cyprus still further into the British sphere of interest. Cyprus, in fact, was once again prominent on the trade route map. Following the Russo Turkish War of 1877, Britain became alarmed at Russian encroachments in Asia Minor and negotiated a defensive alliance with the Turks which included terms for the British occupation of Cyprus. The agreement contained various safeguards for the Muslim population of the island, financial adjustments between the two governments, and a clause guaranteeing that if Russia returned her recent territorial gains, then the British Government would hand back Cyprus to Turkey.

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