cyprus_txt

\| close window \|	CYPRUS RICHARD THE LIONHEART an Interlude \| Sources, see: Bibliography, Cyprus \| \| Detailed map of journey to Cyprus \| \| Detailed map of campaign in Cyprus \| \| EXTRA: HAMMERED COINS \| \| EXTRA: PLANTAGENÊT COINS \|
		Richard fights Isaac...
The conquest of Cyprus by Richard I Plantagenêt (family links), the Lionheart, King of England (crowned in 1189 after the death of his father Henry II) and the deposition of the hated usurper Isaac Ducas Comnenus () was practically a byproduct of a considerably more important enterprise, namely the Third Crusade which was triggered by the conquest of Jerusalem in the year 1187 by Saladin. The King of Jerusalem,* Guy de Lusignan, who later was to found the Lusignan dynasty in Cyprus, had been captured together with his brother Amaury in the battle of Hattin in April 1188. By the end of the same year they had been released against the delivery of the harbour city of Ascalon (the Holy Land). Thus only the fortified places of Tyre, Tripoli and Antioch on the Syrian mainland remained in the hands of the Crusaders. Richard the Lionheart and Philip Augustus, King of France (left), who had taken the leadership of the Crusade were both kept in Messina by unfavorable winds in the winter of 1190. There Richard was engaged to Berengaria [ 1 ] [2 ] (picture of effigy, right) On April 10, 1191 Richard's fleet left Messina, with Berengaria and Joanna of Sicily, Richard's sister, on board one of the ships. History often knows many versions of just one event and especially one of Richard's pages in history is worth looking at with amazement. Read these versions of essentially the same event... May 1, 1191 Version one... (Peter-Jürgen Albrecht): .... Stormy weather in the bay of Adalia (Antalya) caused the ships to loose contact with eachother and three ships, which had the ladies and their escort on board found their way to Lemesos (Limassol). Two of the ships were not in seaworthy condition and the crew was thus forced to go on land to buy supplies of food and water. (... According to some accounts the English fleet assembled in the harbour of Adalia (Antalya, Turkey) for the attack on Cyprus; this however would hardly agree with the more generally accepted version of a sudden raid on the island - Hans Doeleman). Version two... (Dr. E.L. Knox): ... Richard's fleet was plagued by storms. He himself stopped first at Crete and then at Rhodes. Three ships, one of which was carrying Queen Joanna of Sicily and Berengaria, Richard's bride-to-be. Two of the ships were wrecked off Cyprus, but the ship bearing the Queen and Berengaria made it safely to Limassol. Version three... (Sir Steven Runciman): ... On his way to Jerusalem, storms blew some of the King's ships onto the island of Cyprus. The ruler of the land was Isaac Ducas Comnenus () , an independent ruler after a revolt against Byzantium. An unwise man, he arrested Richard's men and confiscated all of their goods. Runciman claims that this angered Richard, who then stormed the island and after reinforcements arrived, undertook the conquest of Cyprus which "...was an opportunity too good to be missed." (page 45). Richard of Devizes (a monk at Winchester at the time of Richard's reign) writes in his chronicle of the initial assault by Richard on Cyprus: "... He ordered the whole army to arm first to last and to leave the big ships and follow him ashore in galleys and skiffs. What he ordered was quickly done, and he came armed up to the harbour. The King, in arms, leaped from the galley first and gave the first blow in the battle, but before he could give the second he had 3,000 of his men at his side striking with him." (Appleby pp 36-37). Version four... (Cyprus under Richard I, George Jeffery): ... and on the way part of the fleet was shipwrecked on the coast of Cyprus* and treated with such barbarity by the islanders as to demand a punitive raid of the country by the Crusaders. Picture 12th century warship. Version five... (The True Crusade, A first Novel by Ray France-Coe): ... 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. Version six, seven, etc. ... Isaac, to whom the arrival of the ships off Lemesos Limassol) had been announced, positioned troops along the coast and tried to stop a landing of the crews. His attempts to attract Berengaria and Joanna with presents and the promise of food failed. Joanna informed him that she could not leave the ship without the authorization of her brother. Her request for fresh water was refused by Isaac. Instead he began to fortify the coast with all kinds of sundry materials to prevent a landing on force. He also had his own ships prepared to pluck the prize before his shores. Exactly at this point in time Richard appeared (May 8, 1191) with his ship followed by the rest of the fleet. He himself had barely escaped being shipwrecked in the storm.

(*) The island was ruled by one Isaac (or: Isac) Ducas Comnenus (read more about his life and fate) who had rebelled against Constantinople and was now independent. He hated all Franks, regardless of where they were really from, and he treated Joanna with rudeness. The Queen refused to come ashore, fearing she would be captured and held hostage, so her ship sat at anchor for a full week before Richard finally arrived on May 8.

\| close window \|	CYPRUS RICHARD THE LIONHEART an Interlude \| Sources, see: Bibliography, Cyprus \| \| Detailed map of journey to Cyprus \| \| Detailed map of campaign in Cyprus \| \| EXTRA: HAMMERED COINS \| \| EXTRA: PLANTAGENÊT COINS \|
		Richard fights Isaac...
The conquest of Cyprus by Richard I Plantagenêt (family links), the Lionheart, King of England (crowned in 1189 after the death of his father Henry II) and the deposition of the hated usurper Isaac Ducas Comnenus () was practically a byproduct of a considerably more important enterprise, namely the Third Crusade which was triggered by the conquest of Jerusalem in the year 1187 by Saladin. The King of Jerusalem,* Guy de Lusignan, who later was to found the Lusignan dynasty in Cyprus, had been captured together with his brother Amaury in the battle of Hattin in April 1188. By the end of the same year they had been released against the delivery of the harbour city of Ascalon (the Holy Land). Thus only the fortified places of Tyre, Tripoli and Antioch on the Syrian mainland remained in the hands of the Crusaders. Richard the Lionheart and Philip Augustus, King of France (left), who had taken the leadership of the Crusade were both kept in Messina by unfavorable winds in the winter of 1190. There Richard was engaged to Berengaria [ 1 ] [2 ] (picture of effigy, right) On April 10, 1191 Richard's fleet left Messina, with Berengaria and Joanna of Sicily, Richard's sister, on board one of the ships. History often knows many versions of just one event and especially one of Richard's pages in history is worth looking at with amazement. Read these versions of essentially the same event... May 1, 1191 Version one... (Peter-Jürgen Albrecht): .... Stormy weather in the bay of Adalia (Antalya) caused the ships to loose contact with eachother and three ships, which had the ladies and their escort on board found their way to Lemesos (Limassol). Two of the ships were not in seaworthy condition and the crew was thus forced to go on land to buy supplies of food and water. (... According to some accounts the English fleet assembled in the harbour of Adalia (Antalya, Turkey) for the attack on Cyprus; this however would hardly agree with the more generally accepted version of a sudden raid on the island - Hans Doeleman). Version two... (Dr. E.L. Knox): ... Richard's fleet was plagued by storms. He himself stopped first at Crete and then at Rhodes. Three ships, one of which was carrying Queen Joanna of Sicily and Berengaria, Richard's bride-to-be. Two of the ships were wrecked off Cyprus, but the ship bearing the Queen and Berengaria made it safely to Limassol. Version three... (Sir Steven Runciman): ... On his way to Jerusalem, storms blew some of the King's ships onto the island of Cyprus. The ruler of the land was Isaac Ducas Comnenus () , an independent ruler after a revolt against Byzantium. An unwise man, he arrested Richard's men and confiscated all of their goods. Runciman claims that this angered Richard, who then stormed the island and after reinforcements arrived, undertook the conquest of Cyprus which "...was an opportunity too good to be missed." (page 45). Richard of Devizes (a monk at Winchester at the time of Richard's reign) writes in his chronicle of the initial assault by Richard on Cyprus: "... He ordered the whole army to arm first to last and to leave the big ships and follow him ashore in galleys and skiffs. What he ordered was quickly done, and he came armed up to the harbour. The King, in arms, leaped from the galley first and gave the first blow in the battle, but before he could give the second he had 3,000 of his men at his side striking with him." (Appleby pp 36-37). Version four... (Cyprus under Richard I, George Jeffery): ... and on the way part of the fleet was shipwrecked on the coast of Cyprus* and treated with such barbarity by the islanders as to demand a punitive raid of the country by the Crusaders. Picture 12th century warship. Version five... (The True Crusade, A first Novel by Ray France-Coe): ... 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. Version six, seven, etc. ... Isaac, to whom the arrival of the ships off Lemesos Limassol) had been announced, positioned troops along the coast and tried to stop a landing of the crews. His attempts to attract Berengaria and Joanna with presents and the promise of food failed. Joanna informed him that she could not leave the ship without the authorization of her brother. Her request for fresh water was refused by Isaac. Instead he began to fortify the coast with all kinds of sundry materials to prevent a landing on force. He also had his own ships prepared to pluck the prize before his shores. Exactly at this point in time Richard appeared (May 8, 1191) with his ship followed by the rest of the fleet. He himself had barely escaped being shipwrecked in the storm.

(*) The island was ruled by one Isaac (or: Isac) Ducas Comnenus (read more about his life and fate) who had rebelled against Constantinople and was now independent. He hated all Franks, regardless of where they were really from, and he treated Joanna with rudeness. The Queen refused to come ashore, fearing she would be captured and held hostage, so her ship sat at anchor for a full week before Richard finally arrived on May 8.