Affiliated with the University of Nicosia |
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A TALE FROM THE PAST AND REFLECTIONS ON THE PRESENT By Emilios Solomou
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Lecturer, Department of European Studies and International Relations Fellow of the Historical Association of Great Britain Campus Director, University of Nicosia |
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In 1185 Isaac
Dumas Comnenus arrived in Cyprus with forged papers and presented
himself as governor of Cyprus by appointment of the Byzantine Emperor
Andronicus I. He soon afterwards revealed his true identity and nature;
he rebelled against imperial authority and proclaimed himself ruler of
Cyprus. The Cypriots were to suffer under his rule for the next six
years. Isaac has been described as the worst ruler the Cypriots had ever
had until then. On October 2,
1187 Jerusalem was captured by Saladin who subsequently overran almost
all the Christian-controlled territory in the area. Christendom had
suffered a severe setback and was in danger of losing its foothold in
the Middle-East. Soon Christian
Europe was to come to the rescue; Richard the Lion Heart, King of
England, and Philip Augustus King of France, with the blessing of the
Pope, embarked on the Third Crusade. They set sail for the Holy Lands
but on the way the ship carrying Richard’s sister Joanna and his fiancé
Berengaria got into a storm, was thrown off course and found itself off
the shore of Cyprus near Limasol. Isaac, who was no lover of the English
or the European crusaders in general, had already reached an
understanding of co-operation with Saladin and was not happy with the
arrival of the crusader ships. He tried to get hold of Joanna and
Berengaria most probably in order to demand ransom from Richard the Lion
Heart whose fleet arrived off Limassol on 6th May 1191. Isaac unwisely got
involved in a conflict with Richard who decided to teach him a lesson
and secure control of the island. The real motives of Richard are not so
clear but shortly the English landed without resistance and Isaac with
his forces withdrew inland having evacuated Limasol.
At a meeting held at Kolossi the two reached an agreement with
Isaac promising Richard support in the crusade. Soon afterwards Isaac
changed his mind and attacked Richard’s forces but was defeated. Richard
was joined and helped by a number of notables from Syria including Guy
de Lusignan who was later to establish the Frankish kingdom of Cyprus.
Philip, on his way to Jerusalem, was urging Richard to leave Cyprus and
join him to fight Saladin. Richard would not depart until he had secured
control of the island and its resources that would be so important to
the crusaders in their campaign in the Holy Lands. The crusaders were
losing the battle in Jerusalem and the surrounding lands but Cyprus and
the Cypriot people were to be at the mercy of foreigners who had no
other aim but to serve and promote their own ambitions, interests and
objectives. Richard left Cyprus
for Jerusalem and got involved in a dispute with Philip who wanted his
share of Cyprus under their earlier agreement to share the booty from
this Crusade. Richard would
not agree but at the same time he felt uneasy about the situation in
Cyprus where a revolt had taken place after his departure. The revolt
was crushed but Richard was worried about further trouble in the future.
It was under these circumstances that Richard decided to sell the island
to the Order of the Knights of the Temple at the price of 100,000 gold
dinars. In just less than one year the Cypriot people changed masters
three times (Isaac, Richard and the Templars). The Order sent a few
knights under Arnaut de Bouchart who, in order to raise the money to be
paid to Richard, introduced new taxes that made life for the Cypriots
unbearable. On 5 April 1192 the Cypriots revolted in Nicosia in protest
against the Templars’ tyranny and exploitation. The revolt was
ruthlessly crushed and a lot of Cypriot blood was shed. The Templars
managed to maintain control for the time being but they were worried
about their ability to maintain control of the island in the future
should another revolt occur. It was then decided to sell the island to
Guy de Lusignan who had lost his kingdom in Jerusalem. He agreed to pay
the Templars the 40,000 gold dinars they had already paid to Richard and
undertook to pay the remainder 60,000 to Richard.
Guy de Lusignan
arrived in Cyprus in May 1192 and soon made himself king of the island
and established the Frankish dynasty that was to rule Cyprus until 1489.
The Cypriot people had once more acquired new masters that would
suppress and exploit them for the next three hundred years. All the events
described above took place a long time ago between May 1191 and May
1192. Of course one may think that such things could only happen in the
Middle Ages and cannot be repeated in the 21st century where
the principles of democracy, human rights and respect for international
law prevail. After all, these principles are supported by the Charter of
the United Nations and the Acquis
Communautaire. One might ask what
is the connection between this ‘Tale of the Past’ and the current
situation. Cyprus is still suffering from similar vicissitudes as in the
Middle Ages; it has been invaded and since 1974 has had an army of
occupation that has under its control about 37% if its territory. Even
worse the occupying power Turkey, is pursuing a policy of colonization.
Currently there are about 180.000 Anatolian settlers in the
northern occupied part of Cyprus.
Cyprus continues to be treated as a pawn in the game of ‘power
politics’ because of the perceived geopolitical importance of the
Eastern Mediterranean. Within
these power arrangements Turkey does not recognize the right of the
Republic of Cyprus to exist.
It also wishes to legitimize and consolidate its strategic control of
this island state and also change its demographic character.
The people of Cyprus live in the hope and expectation that
eventually the international community will put into practice the noble
ideals which it purportedly advocates and upholds. |
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