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Venetian Cyprus
The island of Cyprus was an overseas possession of the Venetian from 1489, when the independent Kingdom of Cyprus ended, until 1571, when the island was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.
Venice had sought control of Cyprus for centuries, and Venetian merchants were active on the island beginning around 1000 AD, when Venetian commercial and military expansion in the eastern Mediterranean began.
The Venetian desire for Cyprus was inspired mainly by profit. The Venetians saw Cyprus primarily as a military base. Anticipating conflict, they undertook an ambitious plan of fortification. Famagusta and Nicosia were ringed with massive earthworks, cased with stone. An outer wall was erected around Kyrenia castle, the gap being filled with earth to form an artillery rampart. The best military architects in Europe were brought in to design and execute these projects.
In 1468, James II of Cyprus of the House of Lusignan became King of Cyprus. In 1468, he chose Catherine Cornaro (born in Venice from the noble Corner family) as his wife and Queen consort of Cyprus. This choice greatly pleased the Republic of Venice, as it could henceforth secure Venice's commercial rights and other privileges in Cyprus. They married by proxy in Venice on July 30, 1468, when she was 14 years old.
James died shortly after the wedding from a sudden illness, and, according to his will, Caterina, who was pregnant at the time, acted as regent. She became monarch upon the death of their infant son James from malaria in August 1474, before his first birthday.
The Kingdom of Cyprus had long been in decline and had been a tributary state of the Egyptian Mamluks since 1426. Under Caterina, who ruled Cyprus from 1474 to 1489, the island was controlled by Venetian merchants, and on March 14, 1489, she was forced to abdicate and cede the administration of the country to the Republic of Venice.
According to George Boustronios, "On 14 February, the Queen dressed in black and accompanied by the Barons and their ladies, set off on horseback. Six knights held her horse's reins. From the moment she left Nicosia, her eyes kept streaming with tears. Upon her departure, the whole population was bewailing." Thus, the last Crusader state became a colony of Venice. As compensation, Catherine was allowed to retain the title of Queen and was made the Sovereign Lady of Asolo, a county in the Venetian terraferma in northern Italy, in 1489.
Venetian Cyprus was composed primarily of Greek Orthodox peasants, who were oppressed by the Latin ruling class (related to the former Lusignan kings). It was estimated to include some fifty thousand serfs. Venice favored Catholicism, leading to an increase in Catholic followers, which caused some friction with the local Greek Orthodox clergy.
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Venetian Cyprus
The island of Cyprus was an overseas possession of the Venetian from 1489, when the independent Kingdom of Cyprus ended, until 1571, when the island was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.
Venice had sought control of Cyprus for centuries, and Venetian merchants were active on the island beginning around 1000 AD, when Venetian commercial and military expansion in the eastern Mediterranean began.
The Venetian desire for Cyprus was inspired mainly by profit. The Venetians saw Cyprus primarily as a military base. Anticipating conflict, they undertook an ambitious plan of fortification. Famagusta and Nicosia were ringed with massive earthworks, cased with stone. An outer wall was erected around Kyrenia castle, the gap being filled with earth to form an artillery rampart. The best military architects in Europe were brought in to design and execute these projects.
In 1468, James II of Cyprus of the House of Lusignan became King of Cyprus. In 1468, he chose Catherine Cornaro (born in Venice from the noble Corner family) as his wife and Queen consort of Cyprus. This choice greatly pleased the Republic of Venice, as it could henceforth secure Venice's commercial rights and other privileges in Cyprus. They married by proxy in Venice on July 30, 1468, when she was 14 years old.
James died shortly after the wedding from a sudden illness, and, according to his will, Caterina, who was pregnant at the time, acted as regent. She became monarch upon the death of their infant son James from malaria in August 1474, before his first birthday.
The Kingdom of Cyprus had long been in decline and had been a tributary state of the Egyptian Mamluks since 1426. Under Caterina, who ruled Cyprus from 1474 to 1489, the island was controlled by Venetian merchants, and on March 14, 1489, she was forced to abdicate and cede the administration of the country to the Republic of Venice.
According to George Boustronios, "On 14 February, the Queen dressed in black and accompanied by the Barons and their ladies, set off on horseback. Six knights held her horse's reins. From the moment she left Nicosia, her eyes kept streaming with tears. Upon her departure, the whole population was bewailing." Thus, the last Crusader state became a colony of Venice. As compensation, Catherine was allowed to retain the title of Queen and was made the Sovereign Lady of Asolo, a county in the Venetian terraferma in northern Italy, in 1489.
Venetian Cyprus was composed primarily of Greek Orthodox peasants, who were oppressed by the Latin ruling class (related to the former Lusignan kings). It was estimated to include some fifty thousand serfs. Venice favored Catholicism, leading to an increase in Catholic followers, which caused some friction with the local Greek Orthodox clergy.