The castle of
Kyrenia had already fallen, and the wife, daughter, and treasures of
Isaac Comnenus fell into the hands of the victorious English, led by the
gallant Guy de Lusignan in the absence of Richard I., who was at that
time incapacitated through illness, which detained him at Lefkosia. This
fortification was probably the original defence of the town, and could
have had no relation to the present work, which is of a far later date,
and was constructed specially for an armament of heavy guns.
Captain Savile (101st Royal Irish), in his admirable compilation from
all the principal works that have been written upon Cyprus, states:--
"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 5th June, 1191, Richard
himself sailed from Cyprus, leaving the island
in charge of Richard de Canville and Robert de
Turnham, with injunctions to keep the army in Syria
well provided with provisions.
"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 decisive and
prompt action of Robert de Turnham.
"The Templars now entered into negotiations with
King Richard for the purchase of Cyprus, and they
eventually obtained it from him for the sum of 100,000
Saracenic golden besants; it was further arranged that
40,000 golden besants should be paid at once, and the
remainder as soon as it could be derived from the
revenues of the island."
According to a high authority, De Mas Latrie (see L'Histoire de l'Ile de
Chypre, vol. ii. p. 7), the above sum would now represent about 304,000
pounds sterling.
Richard had at once appreciated the importance of Cyprus as a base of
operations that would secure a supply of provisions within two days'
sail of his salient point of attack, and to which he could retreat in
the event of failure. The geographical position remains the same, but
unfortunately Cyprus is no longer capable of furnishing supplies for a
large army, and the hay necessary for the cavalry was obliged to be
imported at great cost immediately upon the British occupation in 1878.
The Templars quickly became disgusted with their bargain, and after only
ten months' rule, during which the island was in a state of chronic
revolt, they endeavoured to persuade King Richard to cancel the
agreement of purchase.
Captain Savile continues:--
"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 Guy intrusted to his Chancellor,
Pierre d'Engoulesme, Bishop of 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 1192), but it
appears, according to De Mas Latrie, that he never 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 establishment 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.
The Lusignan dynasty thus commenced in 1192, continued until 1489, and
terminated with Queen Catherine Cornaro, when Cyprus was annexed by the
Venetian Republic.
I did not ascend to the castle of Buffavento, which towered above the
monastery about two miles distant, but I observed with the telescope
that every inch of ground that could be cultivated was green with
barley, even to extreme heights which appeared inaccessible. Small
terraces had been arranged by heaping up stones among the numerous
declivities to save the soil from falling below, and to catch the wash
that might be added by some passing shower. This was the result of
enormous labour, far disproportioned to the value of the crops; yet in
the face of this perilous industry there are persons who declare that
the Cypriotes are an idle race, and that "land exists in superabundant
acreage sufficient for double the amount of population." If this theory
is correct the Cypriotes, who climb to these dizzy heights to build some
walls among the precipices that will act as an agricultural trap to
catch some few square yards of soil, must be simply madmen; but I have
not found them wanting either in brains or industry when working
independently for their own profit; where they are positively wanting,
is in ready money. All strangers who take an interest in agriculture
must be struck with the extraordinary pains taken by the natives to save
the soil from water-wash, to which I have already alluded; but this
peculiarity is the more striking when we observe the dangerous positions
to which they have been driven by a desire to increase their lands.
