kyrenia_castle_outside_txt

Perhaps the first reliable medieval reference to the fortress of Kyrenia occurs in the 'Travels' of Wilbrand or Willebrand de (also: von or van) Oldenburg, Bishop of Paderborn and Utrecht, (death : 27 July 1233?1234?), who visited Cyprus in 1211, during the reign of King Hugh 1. He refers to Schernœ (Kyrenia) as 'a small town well fortified, which has a castle with walls and towers, its chief boast is a good harbour'.

A less reliable reference is made to the Castle in Benedict of Peterboro's 'Gesta Ricardi I' where he states that 'the King of England hearing that the Emperor's daughter was in a very strong Castle called Cherin, went thither with his army'.

The probability is that the foundation of the Castle in its present form dates, like most of the other strongholds of Cyprus, from the first years of the Lusignan Dynasty. There are no traces about it of any previous occupation of the site, and there are no earlier historical references, although many rock-cut tombs and Byzantine sarcophagi are to be found in the vicinity of the little port and betoken a settlement of a more archaic period. One of the quaint legends of the middle ages attributed the building of the Castle to no less a person than 'the great-hearted Achilles, King of Thessaly'.

In 1229 the Castle of Cerines appears to have been of some importance and being in the hands of the partizans of the Emperor Frederic II., was besieged by the Seigneur de Beyrouth, Giovanni d'Ibelin. This siege appears to have continued for several years and to have been conducted by the celebrated military engineer of the period known under the name of Philippe de Navarre, or Philippo di Novara, an interesting personality, famous not only for military prowess but also for certain literary productions which have been preserved.

In 1232 the Castle was garrisoned with Italians under the command of Filippo Gerhardo. Fifty knights and 1,000 soldiers are mentioned as quartered within the walls, so that it would seem probable the fortifications extended over an area quite equal to that they occupy at the present day. During this siege the Queen Alix de Montferrat, wife of the young King Henry, died within the Castle, and her funeral, which took place at Nicosia with all appropriate pomp, occasioned a lull in the hostilities. The siege was continued by the Seigneur de Beyrouth with energy and the chroniclers give accounts of the manufacture of the usual trébuchet, catapults, wooden towers, etc. >>>

KYRENIA CASTLE History - part 2	Sources: see Bibliography (Cyprus). Text was also written during my own visit in March/April 2003. Supplementary text taken from G. Jeffery and William Dreghorne.
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Perhaps the first reliable medieval reference to the fortress of Kyrenia occurs in the 'Travels' of Wilbrand or Willebrand de (also: von or van) Oldenburg, Bishop of Paderborn and Utrecht, (death : 27 July 1233?1234?), who visited Cyprus in 1211, during the reign of King Hugh 1. He refers to Schernœ (Kyrenia) as 'a small town well fortified, which has a castle with walls and towers, its chief boast is a good harbour'. A less reliable reference is made to the Castle in Benedict of Peterboro's 'Gesta Ricardi I' where he states that 'the King of England hearing that the Emperor's daughter was in a very strong Castle called Cherin, went thither with his army'. The probability is that the foundation of the Castle in its present form dates, like most of the other strongholds of Cyprus, from the first years of the Lusignan Dynasty. There are no traces about it of any previous occupation of the site, and there are no earlier historical references, although many rock-cut tombs and Byzantine sarcophagi are to be found in the vicinity of the little port and betoken a settlement of a more archaic period. One of the quaint legends of the middle ages attributed the building of the Castle to no less a person than 'the great-hearted Achilles, King of Thessaly'. In 1229 the Castle of Cerines appears to have been of some importance and being in the hands of the partizans of the Emperor Frederic II., was besieged by the Seigneur de Beyrouth, Giovanni d'Ibelin. This siege appears to have continued for several years and to have been conducted by the celebrated military engineer of the period known under the name of Philippe de Navarre, or Philippo di Novara, an interesting personality, famous not only for military prowess but also for certain literary productions which have been preserved. In 1232 the Castle was garrisoned with Italians under the command of Filippo Gerhardo. Fifty knights and 1,000 soldiers are mentioned as quartered within the walls, so that it would seem probable the fortifications extended over an area quite equal to that they occupy at the present day. During this siege the Queen Alix de Montferrat, wife of the young King Henry, died within the Castle, and her funeral, which took place at Nicosia with all appropriate pomp, occasioned a lull in the hostilities. The siege was continued by the Seigneur de Beyrouth with energy and the chroniclers give accounts of the manufacture of the usual trébuchet, catapults, wooden towers, etc. >>>		1 13. Jahrhundert, Bistum Utrecht Pfennig o.J. (0,63 Gramm) Münzherr: Willebrand von Oldenburg (1227-1233) Literatur: Van der Chijs VIII-1 Links \| 1 \| 2 \| 2 Medieval silver coins, found in Holland (now: the Netherlands) Utrecht, Willebrand van Oldenburg Bishop of Paderborn and Utrecht (1227-1233) Penning