14 0 10.01.2025
Content
- Introduction
- The role of Cyprus in the XII — XVI centuries.
- The last eastern frontier
- Shelter
- Political platform
- The Holy Land
- The Trade Center
- Guy de Lusignan: founder of the Kingdom of Cyprus and a king with a difficult fate
- The loss of Jerusalem and the struggle for the throne
- New chapter: The Kingdom of Cyprus
- The Lusignan Dynasty: from Jerusalem to Cyprus
- The eastern branch of the Lusignan family
- The literary legacy of the Lusignan family
The medieval history of Cyprus is perhaps the most eventful page of the past. This is the time of the Crusades, the Lusignan dynasty, the flourishing of trade and cultural contacts. Studying these events helps to better understand not only the modern culture of Cyprus, but also the modern realities of the Middle East and the Mediterranean. This knowledge also helps to look at Cyprus from a new perspective and realize its importance in a historical context.
The role of Cyprus in the XII — XVI centuries.
The island of Cyprus was conquered in 1191 by the English King Richard I the Lionheart during the Third Crusade (1189-1192). This event became a key moment in the history of the region, marking the beginning of the creation of the Kingdom of Cyprus, which later became an important stronghold of Christianity in the East.
The last eastern frontier
Since its foundation in 1192, the Kingdom of Cyprus has become not only a strategic outpost, but also the last eastern frontier of the Christian world after the fall of Acre in 1291. In the 12th century, Cyprus became a key strategic and logistical center for the Crusaders, playing an important role in their military campaigns. Due to its geographical location in the eastern Mediterranean, the island has become an ideal base for regrouping troops, resupplying and holding the last military councils before the start of campaigns to the Holy Land.
Shelter
Cyprus also became a haven for Christians expelled from the Asian coast and the Byzantines fleeing political turmoil, especially after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. For merchants seeking the markets of the East, the island served as a natural transit point, and its well-developed trade infrastructure turned it into one of the key regions of the Levant.
Political platform
The Cypriot kings and barons, following the example of their predecessors from the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, sought to maintain peaceful relations with their Muslim neighbors. This policy made it possible to maintain stability and contributed to the economic prosperity of the island. However, despite its commitment to peace, Cyprus has consistently participated in military operations against Muslims when required by the political situation or the interests of the crusader movement. This ambivalence reflected Cyprus’ difficult role as an outpost of the Christian world in a region where the balance between war and diplomacy was the key to survival.
The Holy Land
Another function of the island at that time was to receive pilgrims and provide them with comprehensive assistance on their way to the Holy Land. Hospitals were built on the island for these purposes. The testimonies of the 13th-15th century pilgrims unanimously emphasize the cordiality and hospitality with which they were welcomed in Cyprus. Cyprus has also acquired the status of a Christian shrine. Leontius Machera, the famous Cypriot chronicler of those times, begins his history of Cyprus with a description of miraculous holy relics, icons and holy places. These aspects helped to strengthen the image of Cyprus as a Christian shrine, which must be fought for in a holy war against the infidels, making the island an important symbol of the crusading movement.
The Trade Center
The Eastern markets attracted European merchants with their wealth and variety of goods. Despite numerous difficulties, such as risky travel, papal bans on trade with the Mamluks, accusations of betrayal, and even threats to their lives, merchants invariably sought ways to eastern wealth. Neither the wars with the Muslims, nor the dangers of the East could stop their desire for profit.
The Kingdom of Cyprus, and especially its main port of Famagusta, played a key role in East-West trade. At the end of the 13th century, Famagusta became one of the most important trade centers in the region, forming a commercial triangle with Damascus and Alexandria. In the 15th century, the term “ad partes Famaguste” referred to Cyprus, Syria and Egypt. It was here that merchants from Genoa, Venice, Florence, Barcelona and other European cities aspired.
Famagusta was a place where Europeans bought oriental goods: spices, sugar, silk, velvet, brocade, carpets, cotton, alum, and more. Most of these goods came to Cyprus from Beirut, Damascus and Alexandria, which, in turn, received them from India, China and Southeast Asia. Since the beginning of the 14th century, trade routes converged in Famagusta, connecting Central Asia, the Black Sea and Constantinople with the Levant.
The Cypriot kingdom of Lusignan was not only a transit hub, but also a producer of its own goods: sugar, wine, cotton, wool, salt and the famous Cypriot woolen fabrics — camelots. These goods were in demand in both the West and the East.
Trade with the East was vital for European merchants, who often ignored religious and ideological differences when it came to benefits. However, the East has always remained dangerous. Europeans, whether individuals or rulers, were forced to remain cautious in their dealings with Muslim partners, realizing that benefit and risk go hand in hand.
Guy de Lusignan: founder of the Kingdom of Cyprus and a king with a difficult fate
Guy de Lusignan, the founder of the royal dynasty in Cyprus and king of Jerusalem, was known as the ruler whose defeat at the Battle of Hattin in 1187 by Saladin’s troops led to the loss of Jerusalem to the Latins. His arrival in Cyprus was accompanied by a reputation for failure, which for many years clouded the lives of both him and his heirs. In addition, the nobility of Guy’s background left much to be desired. His ascent began with the fact that he was chosen as a spouse by Sibylla, the eldest daughter of the king of Jerusalem. Her son, Baldwin V, nephew of King Baldwin IV, was to inherit the throne, and to ensure his rights, Sibylla was forced to marry. However, instead of marrying one of the influential barons of the kingdom, she preferred the poor but brave and irresistibly handsome Guy de Lusignan.
Guy de Lusignan
(historical reconstruction of the portrait)
In 1180, their marriage took place, after which Guy received control of the county of Jaffa and Ascalon. After some time, King Baldwin IV, suffering from a severe form of leprosy, yielding to the persuasions of his sister Sibylla and Patriarch Heraclius, agreed to transfer the throne to Guy de Lusignan as regent. This move gave Guy almost complete control over the affairs of the state and its territories, with the exception of Jerusalem itself, which generated an income of about 10,000 gold bezants annually, which Baldwin retained for himself.
In 1183, King Baldwin IV, on the verge of death, declared his six-year-old nephew Baldwin V as his heir. However, the young king’s reign was short-lived: in 1186, he died, which led to the termination of the male line of the Ardennes-Angevin dynasty, which ruled Jerusalem. Among the remaining heirs were only two of the king’s daughters, the eldest Sibylla and the youngest Isabella. As a result, the barons of the kingdom recognized Sibylla’s husband, Guy de Lusignan, as king. This happened quite according to the laws of the time, but there was one interesting nuance — Guy did not receive the title of king “by right of his wife,” but became consort and had no right to sign any document without his wife’s consent.
The loss of Jerusalem and the struggle for the throne
In 1187, Jerusalem was conquered by Saladin (as a result of the Battle of Hattin), and King Guy de Lusignan himself was captured. After his release, he became embroiled in a long struggle for the Jerusalem throne with a new pretender, Conrad of Montferrat. Meanwhile, the siege of Acre by the Crusaders of the Third Crusade began, during which Queen Sibylla died in 1190. As a result, the crown passed to Conrad of Montferrat. And Guy de Lusignan, after the death of his wife, left the besieged Acre. With the help of the English King Richard I the Lionheart, he went to Cyprus, hoping to establish a new kingdom there, although he continued to consider himself the king of Jerusalem.
Many chroniclers and modern historians tend to blame Guy de Lusignan for the misfortunes of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Guillaume of Tyre reproached him for his inability to assess his strength and responsibility, calling him a man devoid of courage and wisdom, who irritated others with audacity and complacency. They point to his inexperience, simplicity, and lack of strategic thinking. However, the blame for the defeat at the Battle of Hattin and the subsequent loss of Jerusalem was unfairly placed solely on Guy de Lusignan. The real reason lies in a complex tangle of intrigues and contradictions between the key figures of the kingdom: the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the masters of the Templar and Hospitaller orders, the Count of Tripoli and other barons. These disagreements undermined the unity of command and hindered the coherence of the crusader army. Despite his shortcomings, Guy de Lusignan showed initiative, courage and loyalty to his duty as a crusader king.
Guy de Lusignan was captured by Saladin after his defeat at the Battle of Hattin, but was released in the late summer of 1188. Having regained his freedom, he began to raise a new army and make efforts to restore the Kingdom of Jerusalem even before the arrival of the participants of the Third Crusade. With the arrival of the European crusaders, Guy joined the army of the English king Richard I the Lionheart, who became his liege lord.
However, Guy was unable to retain the crown of Jerusalem. After the death of his wife Sibylla and two daughters, the legitimate representatives of the Ardennes-Anjou dynasty, his dynastic rights to the throne became extremely questionable. Guy was the last Latin king to be crowned in Jerusalem, but he received the crown as consort, which meant he had no right to make decisions without Sibylla’s approval. After Sibylla’s death, the rights to the crown passed to Sibylla’s younger sister, Isabella, who married Conrad of Montferrat.
New chapter: The Kingdom of Cyprus
After the loss of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan acquired the island of Cyprus, which became the basis for the creation of a new kingdom. He bought the island from the Templars, to whom Richard I the Lionheart had previously given it. However, the price requested by the Templars was extremely high — 100,000 gold bezants, which was almost half a ton of gold. Guy did not have such funds, and he turned to Western European states for help. The Genoese provided him with the most notable financial and military support.
Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Cyprus
Image source: Gegart, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Guy de Lusignan and his family came to Cyprus not from Europe, but from the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, which they considered their homeland. They initially did not consider Cyprus as a colony for exploitation, but, on the contrary, sought to integrate into the local government system. The new regime did not radically change the Byzantine administrative structure on the island, preserving the existing order in rural areas and Byzantine traditions. Guy, who actually had no money to build the island, in order to strengthen his financial position, invited the knights from France, England and Catalonia to move to the island, promising them “silver, gold and inheritance for them and their descendants,” as the chronicle of Leontius Maher testifies. At the same time, Guy recognized himself as a vassal of the French king Philip II Augustus, counting on military and financial support.
Guy also showed diplomatic caution by starting negotiations with Egypt. These efforts allowed him to prevent the threat of an attack from a Muslim neighbor. Thus, he laid the foundations for a policy of coexistence with Muslims, which became an important element of the diplomacy of his successors.
Despite the creation of a new kingdom in Cyprus, Guy considered himself the king of Jerusalem until the end of his days. However, historians and chroniclers rightly call him the first king of Cyprus. His reign was short-lived: in August 1194, Guy de Lusignan died and was buried by the Templars in Nicosia. During his reign, he managed to lay the foundations of the Cypriot monarchy, which lasted for more than three centuries.
Amaury de Lusignan
(historical reconstruction of the portrait)
After the death of Guy de Lusignan, his elder brother Amaury inherited Cyprus, but as a seigneur. However, in January 1197, Amaury became the first of the Lusignan dynasty to be officially crowned King of Cyprus. This step became possible thanks to a political agreement: in 1196, Amaury recognized himself as a vassal of the German Emperor Henry VI in exchange for the title of king. Henry VI sought to include the entire Latin East in the Holy Roman Empire, and the vassalage of Cyprus could be a significant success in realizing these ambitions. However, the emperor’s plans were unsuccessful, and vassalage remained more of a formality. The situation with vassalage was finally resolved only later, when, after the death of Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Cyprus was freed from it by the Pope.
In 1196, Amaury remained a widower after the death of his first wife Eshiw Ibelin, but in 1198 he remarried. His second wife was Isabella of Jerusalem, the youngest daughter of the King of Jerusalem. Isabella was a three—time widow – her previous husbands were Honfroy of Toron, Conrad of Montferrat and Henry of Champagne. This marriage allowed Amaury to become king of Jerusalem, adding another crown to the title of King of Cyprus.
The Lusignan Dynasty: from Jerusalem to Cyprus
Lusignan Fortress
Image source: By Limbourg brothers/ Barthélemy d’Eyck — R.M.N. / R.-G. Ojéda, Public Domain, Link
The Lusignan family originates from the county of Poitou, located in western France. Their ancestral home, the fortress of Lusignan, was located about 30 kilometers from the city of Poitiers and has been known since the 9th century. This fortress served as a symbol of the family’s power and became the starting point for their political and military ascent, which led the Lusignans first to participate in the crusades, and then to establish a royal dynasty in Cyprus and Jerusalem.
In the second half of the 11th century, the Lusignans participated in the Reconquista of the Pyrenees, and then joined the First Crusade (1096-1099). One of the first representatives of the family in the East, Hugo VI, Count de Lusignan, was a confidant of Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem. His descendants continued the tradition of participating in the Crusades.:
Hugo VII of Lusignan accompanied King Louis VII during the Second Crusade (1147-1148).
Hugo VIII of Lusignan arrived in the East in 1163, but died in captivity in 1164.
Hugo X Lusignan, Comte de la Marche, died at the Battle of Damietta in 1219 during the Fifth Crusade.
Hugh XI of Lusignan, the son of Hugh X, was married to Isabella of Angouleme, the widow of King John the Landless of England, and participated in the crusade of Saint Louis (1248-1254).
The eastern branch of the Lusignan family
The ancestor of the eastern branch of the Lusignans was Amaury, the second son of Hugo VIII. Around 1170, he arrived in Palestine, where he became chamberlain and then constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. His marriage to Eshiw Ibelin, a member of a noble and influential family, strengthened his position in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Amory was joined by his younger brothers.:
Guy de Lusignan, the future king of Jerusalem and founder of the Kingdom of Cyprus, and Geoffrey de Lusignan, who traveled East after the Battle of Hattin (1187) to help his brothers.
The literary legacy of the Lusignan family
In the 16th century, Etienne de Lusignan, vicar of the Latin Bishop of Limassol, a representative of the Cypriot branch of the family, became a famous writer and historian. While living in Paris, he was engaged in research on the history of Cyprus and his family, thanks to which his contemporaries received valuable information about the Lusignans.
Coat of arms of the Lusignan family 1393-1473
(in the center of the coat of arms ensemble)