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found the port closed by sunken ships and other impediments, so the troops were rowed in galleys a short distance along the coast to a place where the shore was low and suitable for landing, and here he disembarked, and advanced upon Limasol. The Latin inhabitants of the town at once opened their gates to him, and informed him that Isaac, with the Greek army, had retired to the hills. Eventually a meeting took place between Richard and Isaac in the English camp, and the king expressed his surprise at the inhospitable treatment which his followers had experienced, reminded Isaac of his duty as a Christian prince, and concluded by asking him to join in the crusade, and throw open the island for the purchase of provisions. To all this, Isaac at the time agreed, but after leaving the King's presence he changed his mind, and rejoined his army at Kolossi, whence he sent a message ordering the English to leave the island at once, or to take the consequences. Indignant at this falseness and arrogance, Richard now resolved to delay his crusade for a time and punish Isaac; he therefore at once disembarked his cavalry, marched against the Greeks, vanquished them, and shortly re-entered Limasol with a large quantity of booty. Amongst other trophies gained on that day was the Imperial Standard, which was subsequently deposited in St. Edmund's Chapel, in the county of Suffolk.

The arrival in Cyprus at this juncture, of Guy de Lusignan, Guy de Luex-king of Jerusalem, accompanied by the Princes of Antioch and signan arrives. Tripoli, caused a temporary suspension of hostilities, and on the

12th May, 1191, Richard, in the presence of his distinguished Marriage of guests, celebrated his marriage with the Princess Berengaria, who King Richard. was crowned Queen of England by the Bishops of York and Evreux. Hearing shortly afterwards that Isaac had re-organized his army in the interior, Richard set off with the main body of his forces to attack him, and sent the fleet round to Larnaca to cooperate. In consequence probably of the fact that the geography of the island was at this time but imperfectly known, the subsequent operations are not very clearly related by historians; it appears, however, that. Guy de Lusignan was detached with a portion of the troops to Famagusta, which town he occupied without meeting with any resistance; Isaac having taken up his position in the Messaria Plain, near Tremithoussia, a place very suitable for cavalry movements. Richard quickly followed him Battle at to this spot and gave battle; the Anglo-Norman army attacked Tremiwith great impetuosity, and for some time victory wavered. Isaac, anxious to encourage his followers, threw himself into the thickest of the fight, and encountering the King of England, struck at him with his battle-axe, he was, however, soon surrounded, dragged from his horse, and made a prisoner. Isaac's capture completed the discomfiture of the Greeks, who dispersed

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in all directions, without a thought for the defence of Nicosia, which Surrender of town surrendered without resistance, and tendered its allegiance Nicosia.

to King Richard. If the historians of the time are to be believed,

the King, as a mark of his supremacy, then ordered the Cypriotes to cut off their beards.

The chief towns being now occupied, it only remained to reduce

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the strong castles in the north of the island, which would otherwise form places of refuge for the few Greeks who had not surrendered. Richard, being detained by illness at Nicosia, intrusted this task to the fortresses. Guy de Lusignan, who was a prominent figure in all the operations of the conquest of Cyprus. The castle of Cerinea was the first attacked, it soon capitulated, and Isaac's wife, daughter, and treasures fell into the hands of the English. Lusignan then marched against Fort St. Hilarion, which, after a brave resistance, was also forced to capitulate. Shortly afterwards the castles of Buffavento and Kantara opened their gates to Richard himself, and the subjugation of the island was then complete.

Richard was now able to turn his thoughts to his neglected crusade; he returned to Limasol and sent Isaac's daughter, with his own wife and sister, on before him to St. Jean d'Acre. On the King Richard 5th June, 1191, Richard himself sailed from Cyprus, leaving the Jcaves Cyprus. island in charge of Richard de Canville and Robert de Turnham, with injunctions to keep the army in Syria well provided with provisions.

Salo of

Cyprus to the

Templars.

Isaac was placed in silver fetters and taken with King Richard to Syria, where he was handed over to the Hospitallers, since Knights of Rhodes, for safe custody, and was by them confined in the castle of Margat near Tripoli, where he died shortly afterwards.

Several insurrections subsequently occurred in Cyprus, but were all suppressed by the decision and prompt action of Robert de Turnham.

The Templars now entered into negociations with King Richard for the purchase of Cyprus, and they eventually obtained it from him for the sum of 100,000 Saracenic golden besauts, it was further arranged that 40,000 besants should be paid at once, and the remainder as soon as it could be derived from the revenues of the island.*

The Templars ruled Cyprus for a time with a heavy hand, and their government became highly unpopular amongst the inhabitants, who continued in a perpetual state of revolt, causing so much annoyance and trouble to their masters, that in May 1192, the Templars, finding that the popular feeling was entirely beyond their control, were compelled to entreat King Richard to take back the island, and they begged that the price which they had paid for it might be returned to them. Richard expressed his willingness to take over the island, but refused to return the 40,000 besants. King Guy de Lusignan now came forward, and, having arranged with the Templars that in the event of his being made King of Cyprus, he would refund to them what they had paid, went to Richard, and asked him for the island as compensation for the loss of the crown of Jerusalem, engaging also to pay the same sum that the Templars had agreed to. This offer was accepted and chases Cyprus. Guy intrusted to his chancellor, Pierre d'Engoulesme, Bishop of

Guy de Lusignan pur

To estimate the relative value of this payment, the golden besant may be taken as equivalent to about 9 fr. 50 cont., so the sum was about 950,000 francs, which in the present day would be worth about eight times as much, so that the price may be considered to be about £304,000 sterling. See "L'Histoire de L'Ile de Chypre," by M. L. De Mas Latrie, vol. ii, page 7 (note).

Tripoli, the task of raising the money. The sum of 60,000 besants was collected by means of loans from the citizens of Tripoli, and from the Genoese, and was paid by Guy to Richard, who asked for the remaining 40,000 besants, but Guy then pleaded poverty, and it is stated that the English King did not urge this claim further.'

Guy de Lusignan at once took possession of the island (May, The Lusignan 1192) but it appears, according to De Mas Latrie, that he never dynasty. actually assumed the title of King of Cyprus. His reign was but short, lasting only one year and eleven months, but from all accounts he governed wisely and restored order and tranquillity in the island. One of his first measures was the introduction of a feudal system, and he endowed with portions of land, according to rank, about 300 knights and 200 esquires, who formed the nucleus of the nobility and privileged bodies in Cyprus.

Guy was succeeded by his son Amaury de Lusignan. The following table gives the names, titles, and the duration of the reign of the Lusignan Kings of Cyprus.

Some English historians have stated that King Richard gave Cyprus to Guy de Lusignan without payment, but De Mas Latrie considers this a mistake, and supports his account of the sale by documentary evidence. See "L'Histoire de L'Ile de Ôhypre,” vol. i, page 37 (note), vol. ii, page 21, and vol. iii, page 594.

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Guy de Lusignan only took the title of Lord of Cyprus, but having been King of Jerusalem, was called King Guy. + Amaury de Lusignan took the title of King of Jerusalem in 1197.

From 1205 to 1210, the kingdom of Jerusalem was governed by the princes of the house of Ibelin; afterwards Jean de Brienne, on his marriage with Marie de Montferrat, took the title of King of Jerusalem, and in 1226 it was assumed by the Emperor Frederic II.

§ On the death of Frederic II, the court of Rome confirmed the right of his son Conrad II. to the throne of Syria, and gave the title of Lord of the Kingdom of Jerusalem to the King of Cyprus.

In April 1268, the title of King of Jerusalem was conferred upon Hugh III. by the high court of St. Jean d'Acre.

Jacques I. assumed the title of King of Armenia as soon as the death of King Leon VI, on 29th November, 1393, became known. The title appears in acts of 1395, showing that writers who state that Janus was the first King of Cyprus and Armenia are mistaken, for Janus only came to the throne

in 1398.

** Jacques III. was born 27th August, 1473, and died at Famagusta, 26th Angust 1474, after which date his mother Catherine Cornara, widow of Jacques II., reigned alone until 1489, when Cyprus was annexed by the Venetian republic.

nans.

There is but little of historical importance to relate concerning Cyprus under the three centuries during which Cyprus was ruled by the Lusig- the Lusignan dynasty: internal tranquillity, a state of affairs which had hitherto been almost unknown in the island, prevailed throughout nearly the whole period, with the two exceptions mentioned below, and consequently the kingdom was generally in a flourishing condition; at the same time some distinction was gained against the Arabs and Turks. In 1372, an untoward incident occurred; Pierre II was then King of Cyprus, and whilst he was entertaining several Genoese and Venetian grandees on a festival day, a quarrel with regard to precedence arose, and was decided by the King against the former. It is said that the Genoese then plotted against the King's life, and that their intentions being discovered, it was ordered that all the Genoese subjects in the kingdom should be put to death. This monstrous command was only too faithfully obeyed, and the Republic of Genoa, in order to avenge the murder of her citizens, despatched at once a considerable fleet to Cyprus under the command of Admiral Pietro Fregoso, who, after several engagements, took Famagusta in 1373, and Capture of carried off Jacopo Lusignan, the King's uncle, and Lieutenant- Famagusta Governor of the island. The Genoese continued to hold and by the Genoese. garrison Famagusta, strongly fortifying the city in order to ensure their grasp on the island, and they exercised supremacy there for no less than ninety years, when King Jacques II., with the aid of the Egyptians, retook the place.

În 1425, Cyprus was invaded by an Egyptian force which first Cyprus betook Larnaca, then Limasol, and subsequently ravaged almost the comes tribuwhole island. King Janus was carried off a prisoner to the Sultan tary to Egypt. at Cairo, but after paying a ransom, and promising that Cyprus should send an annual tribute to Egypt, he was liberated, and allowed to return to his kingdom as the lieutenant of the Sultan.*

King Janus died in 1432; he was succeeded by his son Jean II., who married Helena Paleologos, niece of the Emperor of Constantinople, and their daughter, Carlotta, was now the only legitimate descendant of the Lusignans. King Jean, however, left a natural son, nained Jacques, who was Archbishop of Cyprus. Carlotta, on the death of her father in 1458, became Queen of Cyprus; she had married, first, one of the sons of the King of Portugal, and secondly, Louis de Savoie, who, with her, governed Cyprus under the titles of King and Queen of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia. Their reign Usurpation of was, however, but short, for in September 1460, Jacques, "Le Batard," the throne by who was a man of great ability, and highly popular with the Batard. Cypriotes, headed a revolt against their authority, seized Nicosia, the capital, and then with the assistance of the Sultan of Egypt, forced the King and Queen to fly from the island; he was immediately proclaimed King, with the title of Jacques II., and before dismissing the Egyptian troops, he captured Famagusta from the Genoese. This exploit greatly increased his popularity amongst

An interesting account of this Egyptian invasion is to be found in a document contained in De Mas Latrie's History of Cyprus, vol. ii, page 506–514; it was written by Khalil Bhaheri, the Sultan's vizier.

Jacques Le

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