Nicholas Coureas
Cyprus Research Centre, Department of History, Faculty Member
- Having studied Ancient and Medieval History at the University of London, UK, and worked for over 27 years at the Cypr... moreHaving studied Ancient and Medieval History at the University of London, UK, and worked for over 27 years at the Cyprus Research Centre in Nicosia, where as from 1January 2009 I am a full-time Senior Researcher, my main fields of study are Lusignan Cyprus (1191-1473) with special emphasis on its commercial and ecclesiastical history.edit
In this paper I discuss how during the civil war on Cyprus between the years 1456-1464 James, King James II from 1466 onwards, employed mercenaries from various countries and of various faiths to defeat his half-sister Queen Charlotte,... more
In this paper I discuss how during the civil war on Cyprus between the years 1456-1464 James, King James II from 1466 onwards, employed mercenaries from various countries and of various faiths to defeat his half-sister Queen Charlotte, the legitimate ruler of Cyprus, and seize power. They included Mamluks, Greeks, Savoyards, Catalans, Neapolitans and Sicilians. Once he had won the civil war, however, the mercenaries who acquired the greatest power and influence in term sof incomes, offices and estates were Catalans as well as Sicilians and Neapolitans, given that Sicily and southern italy came under Catalan rule after the conquests of King Alfonso the Magnanimous in 1442. This was because those particular mercenaries as Roman Catholics were best placed to help James secure papal recognition and thereby legitimise his seizure of power.
Research Interests:
Cereals were a commodity that was frequently in short supply on Hospitaller Rhodes, even though wheat, barley, oats and pulses were grown on the island. Wheat and barley from nearby Kos were imported to Rhodes as well as from other Aegean... more
Cereals were a commodity that was frequently in short supply on Hospitaller Rhodes, even though wheat, barley, oats and pulses were grown on the island. Wheat and barley from nearby Kos were imported to Rhodes as well as from other Aegean and Mediterranean regions, such as Old and New Phocaea in Anatolia, Euboea, Lesbos, the Peloponnese, Southern Italy, Sicily and Cyprus, although the demand for barley was smaller. Shortages were felt during the fourteenth century. As early as 1317, less than a decade after the Hospitallers' conquest of Rhodes from Byzantium, Pope John XXII alluded to the great shortage of foodstuffs on the island, and in June 1347 there was a new shortage. This impelled the Hospitallers to secure grain from various areas. They concluded an agreement with the Genoese Ettore Vicenzi on 26 July 1347 for him to supply Rhodes with 20,000 modia of wheat and barley in Rhodian measures. Alberto Gentile of Genoa was dispatched on 3 September 1347 to the Aegean area (Romania) to buy an additional 20,000 Rhodian modia of grain and on 22 March 1348 the merchant and burgess of Rhodes Bartolomeo degli Albizzi was licensed to borrow 2,000 florins in order to buy grain in the Aegean area and the Black Sea region. The Hospitallers also imported foodstuffs from the Turkish mainland opposite Rhodes. When in 1386 Grand Master Juan Fernandez de Heredia granted the Commandery of Kos, Kalymnos and Leros to the German Hospitaller Hesso Schlegelholz, among the obligations imposed on the latter were a ban on exports of wheat to any destination besides Rhodes. Furthermore, the population of Rhodes, perhaps less than 10,000 in 1310, may have more than doubled by 1522 to over 20,000. This rise in population exacerbated the shortages of grain and other foodstuffs, increasing the need to import them 1 .
Research Interests:
In this paper, written in Modern Greek, I discuss the evolution of the economy of Cyprus under the Lusignans and the Venetians, who ruled Cyprus from 1192 to 1571. While arguigthat as previously land formed the basis of economic... more
In this paper, written in Modern Greek, I discuss the evolution of the economy of Cyprus under the Lusignans and the Venetians, who ruled Cyprus from 1192 to 1571. While arguigthat as previously land formed the basis of economic production, as wellas that of economic and even social relations, I stress how under the Lusignans and the venetian the economybecame increasingly export orientated, exporting products such as sugar, camlets, grain, oliveoiland wine throughout the Mediterranean. Cyprus was also active as a transilt point but also as a point of consumption of goods in the international carrying trade between East and West. The Cypriot economy reached its peak in the years 1291-1344 followingthe imposition of a papal embargo on direct trade between Western merchants and Mamluks lands after the fall of the Latin Syria, but began to decline in the second half of the fourteenth century,a decline aggravated by ruinous wars with Genoa (1373-1374) and with Mamluk Egypt (1424-1426). Under Venice, however, the economy recovered recovered, and Nicosia the capital became a major centre of consumption until the island fell in 1571 to the Ottoman Turks.
Research Interests:
In this paper, written in Modern Greek, I discuss the Assizes of the Court of the Burgesses in the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus within the context of the genesis and evolution of law in the Latin kingdom of jerusalem founded after the First... more
In this paper, written in Modern Greek, I discuss the Assizes of the Court of the Burgesses in the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus within the context of the genesis and evolution of law in the Latin kingdom of jerusalem founded after the First crusade and later on within the kingdom of Cyprus, created in 1192 as a result of the Third Crusade. The origins of the assizes, traceable to elements Roman law as later codified in southern France and in the Byzantine Empire are discussed,as are the scope of the laws found in the Assizes of Lusignan Cyprus, translated from the French Assises de la Cour de Bourgeois in the early fourteenth century.
Research Interests:
Book Review: <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%" class="MsoNormal"><span><font... more
Book Review: <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%" class="MsoNormal"><span><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Nikolaos G. <span style="font-variant:…
Research Interests:
This paper discusses the conditions under which Hopsitaller slaves and serfs cound obtain manumission, mindful of the differences betweenthese two groups, slaves being property and serfs individuals with limited freedom. It discusses the... more
This paper discusses the conditions under which Hopsitaller slaves and serfs cound obtain manumission, mindful of the differences betweenthese two groups, slaves being property and serfs individuals with limited freedom. It discusses the respective obligatins of both groups sand the ways in which they obtained their freedom, whci could be full or only partial, with conditions attached. Among the ways in which these grioups could obtain their freedom was through servivce to the Hospitaller order, by purchasing it or, in the case of serfs, to facilitate their marriages to other free persons, thereby increasing the free population on Rhodes.
Research Interests:
This paper examines the evidence gleaned from Venetian and Genoese notarial deeds prepared on Cyprus during the period 1362-1458 to examine and discuss the relations between domestic slaves or servants, usually but not invariably female,... more
This paper examines the evidence gleaned from Venetian and Genoese notarial deeds prepared on Cyprus during the period 1362-1458 to examine and discuss the relations between domestic slaves or servants, usually but not invariably female, and their masters, predominantly male. Some of these deeds were wills, containing bequests to servile women who had probably been in long term sexual relationships with their owners and to the illegitimate children who had been born from such relationships. Some of the apprenticeship contracts drawn up in Famagusta, the chief port of the island, also concern illegitimate children born to female slaves or maidservants, who were apprenticed at the owner's expense for a number of years to a master craftsman so as to learn a trade and make a living on their completion of the apprenticeship. Some owners
Research Interests:
This paper discusses the services, as soldiers on Lusignan Cyprus and in the Genoese enclave of Famagusta (1374-1464), of Armenians originating from Cilician Armenia, despite the fact that they had also been among the forces of the... more
This paper discusses the services, as soldiers on Lusignan Cyprus and in the Genoese enclave of Famagusta (1374-1464), of Armenians originating from Cilician Armenia, despite the fact that they had also been among the forces of the Byzantine usurper Isaac Comnenus who resisted the first Latin conquest of the island in 1191. It examines why these Armenians were recruited, and the reasons why they eventually ceased to served as soldiers when Cyprus came under the control of Venice in 1474.
Research Interests:
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Research Interests:
This paper discusses the importance of Famagusta, the premier port of the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus, in supporting the embattled kingdom of Ciliician Armenia, threatened and attacked by Mamluks, Mongols and Seljuk Turks. Grain was... more
This paper discusses the importance of Famagusta, the premier port of the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus, in supporting the embattled kingdom of Ciliician Armenia, threatened and attacked by Mamluks, Mongols and Seljuk Turks. Grain was exported there in large qunatities, armed men, ships and supplies from Famagusta were sent to the fortreses of Cilician Armenia and Famagusta received Armenian refugess during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Research Interests:
The Genoese invasion of Cyprus in 1373 and their ensuing occupation of Famagusta between the years 1373 and 1460 had an effect on the religious institutions as well as on other aspects of the city's life. Ships from other trading nations,... more
The Genoese invasion of Cyprus in 1373 and their ensuing occupation of Famagusta between the years 1373 and 1460 had an effect on the religious institutions as well as on other aspects of the city's life. Ships from other trading nations, like Venice, Barcelona and the Provençal towns, ceased to frequent the port, causing a contraction of trade, a drop in the population and an overall decrease in revenues. Genoa attempted to remedy this by transferring the governance of the city in 1447 to the Office of St George, an association of Genoese bond-holders, but Famagusta remained impoverished. 1 Nonetheless, the religious life of the city during those years does not present a picture of unrelieved and unqualified decline. A church of St Catherine is recorded as a new construction in the fifteenth-century Genoese massaria, the accounts of the treasury of Famagusta under Genoese rule. The massaria is invaluable in serving as evidence for the churches, fortifications and other monuments of the city. 2 In 1427 the incumbent bishop of Famagusta, Nicholas of Tenda, desired to import planks from Genoa to repair his episcopal palace. Furthermore, in 1450 an indulgence was promulgated for the repair of the circuit of walls of the city. 3 New constructions or repairs of existing edifices also occurred in the capital Nicosia during the fifteenth century, although both in Nicosia and Famagusta these were far fewer than in the preceding century. This paper shall focus, with the exception of burials, on the non-liturgical uses, namely uses other than the celebration of Mass, to which the churches of Famagusta were put in the third quarter of the fifteenth century. The principal sources are the notarial deeds of Antonio Folieta, a Genoese notary working there in the mid-fifteenth century. Additional sources are the judicial inquests into the
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this article the presence and activities of doctors in Cyprus throughout the Lusignan and Venetian periods and the extent to which these were influenced by Western Europe, the Latin East and the Muslim world will be assessed and... more
In this article the presence and activities of doctors in Cyprus throughout the Lusignan and Venetian periods and the extent to which these were influenced by Western Europe, the Latin East and the Muslim world will be assessed and evaluated. The records for the presence of doctors are diverse, and include papal documents, the proceedings of provincial synods of the Latin Church, Venetian and Genoese notarial deeds of the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, legal texts, chronicles, and royal fiscal records. Despite this diversity of records, the information they provide presents imbalances. Considerable information is available on the different types of doctors active on the island, including veterinary surgeons, and less on the hospitals and how they functioned, or on the practice of medicine itself, even though some valuable items of information are found concerning these last two areas. In terms of ethnic and cultural origins it is clear from the available information that, even if most of the doctors recorded are of Western origin, Jewish and Muslim doctors were held in high regard, despite the injunctions of the island's Latin Church against visiting doctors who were not of the Christian faith.
Research Interests:
The women on Hospitallers Rhodes were by no means a uniform group. They differed in terms of social class, some being slaves, others being serfs while others were free women, at times wealthy property owners. Nor did the women on Rhodes... more
The women on Hospitallers Rhodes were by no means a uniform group. They differed in terms of social class, some being slaves, others being serfs while others were free women, at times wealthy property owners. Nor did the women on Rhodes have the same ethnicity. While the majority of women were Greek, like the inhabitants of Rhodes in general, not all of them originated from Rhodes. In addition, there were also women of Syrian origin, as well as women of Latin and Jewish origin. In terms of marital status, there were unmarried women, married women and widows, and in terms of legal standing there were lay women but also women in religious orders, nuns or donors. In spatial terms some women resided in the countryside while others lived in the Town of Rhodes. Members of all the groups of women mentioned above had contacts or relations with the Hospitaller Order and its members, and women feature in the legislation of the Order.
Research Interests:
This paper describes hunting on Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus. The sources are legal texts, chronicle accounts and even glazed pottery. The information imparted concerns chiefly the Latin nobility but also other social classes and ethnic... more
This paper describes hunting on Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus. The sources are legal texts, chronicle accounts and even glazed pottery. The information imparted concerns chiefly the Latin nobility but also other social classes and ethnic groups. Hunting practices were directly influenced by countries and civilisations to the east and west of Cyprus, especially the Mamluk sultanate and the medieval west. Furthermore, in Venetian Cyprus hunting influenced international diplomacy. Falcons reared on Cyprus were granted to Christian and Muslim rulers whom Venice wished to favour.
Research Interests:
The Greek Church faced considerable problems following the Latin Conquest of Cyprus and the establishment of the Lusignan dynasty. Much of its property was impounded by the new Latin rulers, in the 1220s its bishoprics were reduced to... more
The Greek Church faced considerable problems following the Latin Conquest of Cyprus and the establishment of the Lusignan dynasty. Much of its property was impounded by the new Latin rulers, in the 1220s its bishoprics were reduced to four, with each bishop subject to a Latin diocesan. Under the provisions of the Bulla Cypria of 1260 it accepted papal primacy and ceased to have its own archbishop following the death of Germanos. Limits were placed on the numbers of monks in Greek monasteries and the refusal of Greek monks to accept the validity of Latin unleavened communion bread resulted in the martyrdom of 13 of them in 1231. Despite this, however, the Greek Church overcame these challenges and even strengthened its position in the later Lusignan and Venetian periods. Several reasons explain its ability to survive and maintain the allegiance of most of the population. The small number of Latins on Cyprus, concentrated mainly in the towns of Nicosia and Famagusta, made them fear absorption into the far more numerous Greeks and so disposed to tolerate a Greek Uniate Church that formally accepted papal primacy. The great distance separating Cyprus from Rome and Avignon together with increasing absenteeism among the Latin clergy from the later fourteenth century onwards made it impossible to enforce papal directives. The growing Ottoman threat from the late fifteenth century onwards likewise made the Venetian authorities on Cyprus reluctant to implement papal rulings that would anger the Greek majority. In addition, the Greek Church of Cyprus maintained contact with the Greek patriarchates of Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria, all outside the areas under Latin rule, and so was not isolated from the Orthodox Christians subject to the patriarch of Constantinople.
Research Interests:
In this paper the incidence of Muslims captured in wars between the Mamluk Sultanate and the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus between 1250 and 1324 is examined and discussed. The ethnic and social profile of the Muslims captured, the attempts... more
In this paper the incidence of Muslims captured in wars between the Mamluk Sultanate and the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus between 1250 and 1324 is examined and discussed. The ethnic and social profile of the Muslims captured, the attempts to liberate them and the possible integration onto Cypriot society of those who were not ransomed or failed to escape to Syria or Egypt are described and analyzed, with special reference to the conflicting accounts of Mamluk historians and to the writings of Ibn Taymiyya.
Research Interests:
In this paper I shall examine the presence and activity of Western Metalworkers on Cyprus t the close of the thirteenth century. At this time, following the loss of Latin Syria to the Mamluks in 1291, the relocation of the Roman Catholic... more
In this paper I shall examine the presence and activity of Western Metalworkers on Cyprus t the close of the thirteenth century. At this time, following the loss of Latin Syria to the Mamluks in 1291, the relocation of the Roman Catholic military orders of the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers to Cyprus and the various plans for the recovery of the Holy Land, with Cyprus as a possible springboard and supply centre, demand for weaponry was high. Whereas the export of metals from Europe to Muslim lands had been prohibited by Pope Nicholas IV in 1291 following the loss of Latin Syria, metals could be exported freely to Cyprus, a Roman Catholic kingdom under the rule of the Lusignan dynasty (1192-1474). Genoese notarila deeds drawn up in Famagusta by the Genoese notary Lamberto di Sambuceto, a resident of the city, record the presence of western metalworkers in in port. Unfortunately neither they nor any other source materials record the presence and activities of the workshops that they must have had in Famagusta.
Research Interests:
The Western merchants operating in Famagusta, Cyprus—including Genoese, Venetians, Catalans, Pisans, Provençals, other nationalities, and Cypriot merchants based in this port city—drew up wills with Genoese and Venetian notaries, a number... more
The Western merchants operating in Famagusta, Cyprus—including Genoese, Venetians, Catalans, Pisans, Provençals, other nationalities, and Cypriot merchants based in this port city—drew up wills with Genoese and Venetian notaries, a number of which are extant. These wills impart information on the bequests these merchants made to family members and friends as well as to institutions, particularly churches, monasteries, and mendicant orders. Furthermore, they record the credits and debts of these merchants to various parties, decree the manumission of slaves owned by the merchants—some of whom also received bequests—and on occasion list material objects such as clothing, silverware, or sums of currency in their possession. We can glean from these types of information that merchants had commercial and personal relations with members of nationalities or Christian denominations different to their own, had slaves of various ethnic backgrounds, and had in their possession currencies other ...
In this paper I argue that the capture of Cyprus in 1191 by King Richard I of England within the context of the Third Crusade was a premeditated act. King Richard was well aware of the strategic value of Cyprus as a nearby base from which... more
In this paper I argue that the capture of Cyprus in 1191 by King Richard I of England within the context of the Third Crusade was a premeditated act. King Richard was well aware of the strategic value of Cyprus as a nearby base from which to send supplies to the Holy Land on a regular basis and as a refuge for Christians in the Holy Land during times of crisis on account of Muslim raids or attacks. In addition, it could and did serve as a springboard for Christian attempts to recover the Holy Land, and so was a valuable asset to the Crusading movement. Following King Richard's conquest, it passed into the hands of the French Lusignans, who founded a remarkably stable royal dynasty on Cyprus, ruling the island for nearly three hundred years.
Research Interests:
Abstract: This article will outline the creation and development of the contemporary Latin community in Cyprus from the beginning of the Ottoman period until today. Given that this community includes members of the clergy as well as lay... more
Abstract: This article will outline the creation and development of the contemporary Latin community in Cyprus from the beginning of the Ottoman period until today. Given that this community includes members of the clergy as well as lay persons, a description of Latin religious institutions and activities in Cyprus will be given first, and will be followed by the history of the Latins who were, or became, permanent residents of Cyprus from the Ottoman period onwards. The article will not concern itself except fleetingly with visiting travellers, merchants, sailors and others visiting the island or staying on a temporary basis. For purposes of definition it should also be pointed out that the term ‘Latins’ in this article refers exclusively to those inhabitants of Cyprus who were Roman Catholics by confession and European by origin. It does not include Maronites, who are Roman Catholics originating from Lebanon.
Research Interests:
The editors have tried to reproduce the Cartulary as it is preserved in Venice, that is of one manuscript, a single document, without any classicising or correction as regards orthography and grammar. Since the Cartulary imparts valuable... more
The editors have tried to reproduce the Cartulary as it is preserved in Venice, that is of one manuscript, a single document, without any classicising or correction as regards orthography and grammar. Since the Cartulary imparts valuable information on the linguistic as well as the ecclesiastical history of Cyprus by "correcting" its idiosyncratic features in the fields of spelling. Therefore, corrections have been kept to an absolute minimum and in all such cases the correction is recorded in the apparatus criticus at the end of each document. The variants from all previous published editions of these charters are also given in the apparatus. A chronological table at the end of the introduction to the edition gives in columnar fashion information on authors, paces and previous editions.
Research Interests:
In this paper it is argued that the Latin Christian nobles constituting the ruling elite of the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus, a French Roman Catholic Dynasty that ruled the island for nearly 300 years (1192-1474) following the conquest of... more
In this paper it is argued that the Latin Christian nobles constituting the ruling elite of the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus, a French Roman Catholic Dynasty that ruled the island for nearly 300 years (1192-1474) following the conquest of Cyprus in 1191 by King Richard I of England, allowed only small numbers of non-Latins to enter the ruling group. The non-Latins with the greatest success were the Armenians, on account of the creation of the kingdom of Cilician Armenai in 1198 under rulers who acknowledged papal primacy. This led to intermarriage between memebrs of the Lusignan and Armenian royal houses in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, as well as to intermarriage among memebrs of the Latin Cypriot and the Armenian nobility. A limited number of Greek and Syrian families also entered the nobility from the late fourteenth century onwards, but only after crossing over from Greek-rite to Latin-rite Christianity. Therefore by the end of the Lusignan period the nobility remained overwhelmingly Latin.
Research Interests:
The Cypriot chronicle Goerge Boustronios whose chronicle is contemporary to the events he recounted recorded various elements of political, social and economic transistion, consciously or inadvertently. The passage of Cyprus from Lusignan... more
The Cypriot chronicle Goerge Boustronios whose chronicle is contemporary to the events he recounted recorded various elements of political, social and economic transistion, consciously or inadvertently. The passage of Cyprus from Lusignan to Venetian rule was a political transition, the greater role assumed by the burgesses of Cyprus at the nobility's expense constituted a social and economic transition. Other formes of transition appear from reading the chronicle rather than because the chronicler consciously recorded them; The recording of new types of ship arriving at the ports of Cyprus, especially the caravel, represents naval transition and the transition from French to Italian as the official language was a cultural transition. The unofficial but nonetheless real emancipation of the indigenous Greek Church of Cyprus from effective control by its exogenous Latin counterpart was formed a religious transition
Research Interests:
The paper explains how the conquest of Cyprus, a breakaway Byzantine province, by King Richard I of England in the course of the Third Crusade and the resultant formation of a Latin kingdom there ruled by the French Roman Catholic... more
The paper explains how the conquest of Cyprus, a breakaway Byzantine province, by King Richard I of England in the course of the Third Crusade and the resultant formation of a Latin kingdom there ruled by the French Roman Catholic Lusignan dynasty for nearly three hundred years (1192-1474) was not simply a political change. It had social ramifications, one of which was the implantation of the burgesses, a social grouping already in existence in the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. Initially composed of Latin and Syrian Christians acknowledging papal primacy, this social group, consisting of jurists, merchants, clerks and craftsmen, came over time to include Greeks, Armenians and Jews in its ranks. In this manner it came to constitute the most multi-cultural and multi-denominational group within the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus.
This paper examines the role of foreign soldiers on Cyprus under King James II de Lusignan (1464-1473). He made liberal use of foreign soldiers, overwhelmingly mercenaries, during the civil war of the years 1460-1464 between himself and... more
This paper examines the role of foreign soldiers on Cyprus under King James II de Lusignan (1464-1473). He made liberal use of foreign soldiers, overwhelmingly mercenaries, during the civil war of the years 1460-1464 between himself and his half-sister Queen Charlotte of Cyprus in order to seize the throne. The foreign soldiers formed a distinct social group, may of whom were ennobled during his reign, and the bedrock of his support and the reasons for this are discussed and explained. After his death some of these soldiers successfully made the transition from Lusignan to Venetian rule, serving the new Venetian administration on Cyprus. Others organized an unsuccessful rising against the Venetians and had to flee into exile early in 1474. The paper analyses the reasons why some of the foreign soldiers were hostile to Venice while others were ready to seek an understanding with the new rulers of Cyprus.
Research Interests:
This paper discusses the production and export of soap from Famagusta during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, referring to how these products were also produced and exported in other places both in the eastern and Western... more
This paper discusses the production and export of soap from Famagusta during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, referring to how these products were also produced and exported in other places both in the eastern and Western Mediterranean, Italy, Egypt, Anatolia and Syria being examples. The documentation on the export of soap from Cyprus, the soap being manufactures from low-quality olive oil, is mostly dated to the fourteenth century and there was a soap factory at Famagusta from at least the beginning of the fourteenth century. The production on soap on Cyprus was a royal monopoly but the operation of the Famagusta soap factory was farmed out to private individuals. The incomes were subject to tithing and during the fourteenth century a dispute arose over whether these tithes were payable to the bishop of Famagusta or the archbishop of Nicosia. Cypriot soap and olive oil were exported to Cilician Armenia. By way of comparison, one observes that soap was exported from Rhodes during the period under discussion, but far less so from Crete.
Research Interests:
This paper discusses foreign soldiers serving on Cyprus under King Peter I (1359-1369). The utility of these soldiers to the king is examined in parallel with the strong opposition they engendered among the Cypriot nobility, who regarded... more
This paper discusses foreign soldiers serving on Cyprus under King Peter I (1359-1369). The utility of these soldiers to the king is examined in parallel with the strong opposition they engendered among the Cypriot nobility, who regarded the expenses of hirring them as an onerous tax burden. They also perceived that their presence made the crown less dependent on the traditional feudal levies raised by the nobility as a group. Four Cypriot chronicles or chronicles relating to Cyprus are examined in the course of the discussion and the importance of corroborative documentary materials to balance the inconsistencies and inaccuracies found in the chronicles is stressed. In addition, the introduction includes a discussion on foreign soldiers serving on Cyprus during the civil war of 1228-1232 on the basis of the account of Philip of Novara, a contemporary but highly biased source, due to the parallels it presents with the phenomenon of foreign soldiers and noble animosity towards them manifested during the reign of King Peter I.
The presence of various non-Chalcedonian Christian denominations on Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus (1192-1571) is described and discussed in this paper. The difficulties involved are the scarcity of source materials and the hostility of the... more
The presence of various non-Chalcedonian Christian denominations on Lusignan and Venetian Cyprus (1192-1571) is described and discussed in this paper. The difficulties involved are the scarcity of source materials and the hostility of the extant souce materials, often deriving from authors or institutions likethe papacy that were avowedly Chalcedonian. The non-Chalcedonian Christians included the Monophysite Copts and Jacobites, the Nestorians and the Miaphysite Armenians, as well as those Maronites remaining Monothelite and not submitting to the jurisdiction of Rome. Although at first sight the Roman Catholic Church won a resounding victory when certain non-Chalcedonian groups on Cyprus accepted papal primacy in 1445, the acheivement was illusory, given that a considerable secvtionreneged on their earlier acceptance. In fact, non-Chalcedonian Christians on Cyprus persisted in their beliefs down to the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571.
Research Interests:
This paper discusses the institutional of of the Latin Church of Cyprus and its clergy in the production, distribution and consumption of wine and foodstuffs during the Lusignan period. Source materials include papal correspondence,... more
This paper discusses the institutional of of the Latin Church of Cyprus and its clergy in the production, distribution and consumption of wine and foodstuffs during the Lusignan period. Source materials include papal correspondence, travellers' accounts, episcopal wills, the accounts prepared by the Latin clergy assigned to collect papal taxes from Cyprus and the records of the trial of the Templars on Cyprus in the years 1310-1311. To a more limited extent the information furnished by Genoese notarial needs from Famagusta and the records of diocesan and provincial synods of the Latin Church held on Cyprus are also utilised, the latter being especially useful in showing how prohibitions on excessive drinking by members of the Latin clergy were not always observed. One subject not examined in this par is the agricultural production of the Hospitaller estates on Cyprus, a topic that has been dealt with elsewhere. Records referring to cereals, wheat, barley and julbans and other alimentary products such as beans, cheeses, wine and oil, as well as to various types of livestock, collected as rents or tithes due to the Latin Church from its estates are valuable sources, especially in showing the distribution of these foodstuffs.
Research Interests:
In this paper it is argued that Limassol played an important part in the Third Crusade, when in 1191 the forces of King Richard I of England landed there to conquer Cyprus, in the Fifth Crusade of 1218, the planned crusade of 1227 against... more
In this paper it is argued that Limassol played an important part in the Third Crusade, when in 1191 the forces of King Richard I of England landed there to conquer Cyprus, in the Fifth Crusade of 1218, the planned crusade of 1227 against the Ayyubids and the Seventh Crusade of 1248, when it served as a springboard and a supply base for the campaigns against Egypt. In addition, it was an important trading centre as the principal port of Cyprus before the rise of Famagusta at the end of the thirteenth century, being geographically accessible from Western Europe, Egypt and Syria. It was also a focus of settlement, with Pisans, Venetians, Genoese, Catalans and Provencals settling there for trading purposes.
Research Interests:
In the article "Settlement on Lusignan Cyprus after the Latin Conquest: The Accounts of Cypriot and other Chronicles and the Wider Context" the narratives of various chronicles of the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries on settlement in... more
In the article "Settlement on Lusignan Cyprus after the Latin Conquest: The Accounts of Cypriot and other Chronicles and the Wider Context" the narratives of various chronicles of the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries on settlement in Cyprus in the years following the Latin conquest, from the end of the twelfth to the early thirteenth century, will be examined and compared. The details provided by the chronicles, where the information given derived from, the biases present in the various accounts, the extent to which they are accurate, especially in cases where they are corroborated or refuted by documentary evidence, will all be discussed. The chronicles that will be referred to are the thirteenth century continuation of William of Tyre, that provides the fullest account of the settlement of Latin Christians and others on Cyprus after the Latin conquest, the fifteenth century chronicle of Leontios Makhairas, the anonymous chronicle of 'Amadi' that
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this paper the activities of Western merchants using th evarious ports of Cyprus prior to the fall of Acre in 1291 to the Mamluks is examined and discussed. The Venetians began using the ports of Paphos and Limassol in the late... more
In this paper the activities of Western merchants using th evarious ports of Cyprus prior to the fall of Acre in 1291 to the Mamluks is examined and discussed. The Venetians began using the ports of Paphos and Limassol in the late Byzantine period following the conclusion of commercial treaties with the 12th century Byznastine emperor John Komnenos, and following the conquest of Cyprus and the establishment of the Lusignan dynasty in the years 1191-1192 the Genoese,the Pisians and the Provcencals all acquired commercila interests on Cyprus, making use of the Cypriot ports. Limassol, the island's principal port in the late Byzantine period, remained so up until the second half of the thirteenth century. Necvertheless, the Genoese were the first to acquire a commercial presence in Famagusta as the result of a treaty concluded with King Henry I of Cyprus and after 1291 Famagusta displaced Limassol as the island's principal commercial port.
This paper deals with the two provincial synods of the Latin church of Cyprus that took place in 1280 and 1297. The first took place under the Latin achbishop of Nicosia named Raphael in the synodal text, although this is almost certainly... more
This paper deals with the two provincial synods of the Latin church of Cyprus that took place in 1280 and 1297. The first took place under the Latin achbishop of Nicosia named Raphael in the synodal text, although this is almost certainly a scribal error for Ranulf, while the second took place in 1298 undr Archbishop Gerard de Langres. Discussion is centred on matters of doctrinal uniformity and ecclesiastical discipline brought up during both these synods, the degree to which their rulings drew inspiration from the previous legatine decrees of Cardinal Peter of St Marcellus and Cardinal Eudes of Chateauroux, in addition to those of Archbishop Hugh of Nicosia. In addition, the letter of Pope Innocent IV to Eudes on the rites and customs of the Greek Church and the extent to which it influenced the decrees on this subject passed inthe course of both councils is likewise examined.
In this paper the relations between the Templars and other branches of the Latin Church of Cyprus, founded in 1196 under Pope Celestine III, are discussed with emphasis on the roles that the Templars fulfiiled inthe course of such... more
In this paper the relations between the Templars and other branches of the Latin Church of Cyprus, founded in 1196 under Pope Celestine III, are discussed with emphasis on the roles that the Templars fulfiiled inthe course of such relations. They acted as arbitrators in disputes between the crown and the nobles and the Latin Secular Church and had relations in other areas with both the secular and the regular Latin clergy on the island, although the extant evidence indicates closer relations with the secular clergy thantheir regular counterparts. The primary sources used are chiefly papal correspndence but also the testimony submitted by witnesses duringthe Trial of the Templars takling place on Cyprus in the yers 1310-1311, which sheds light on the relationsthe Templars had with regular and secular clergy before 1307,the year in which the Templars were arrested throughout Roman Catholic Europe.
In this article reference is made to merchants from Cyprus in Boccaccio's Decameron and the development of commercial relations between the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus (1192-1474) and Florence is then discussed. The Florentine banking... more
In this article reference is made to merchants from Cyprus in Boccaccio's Decameron and the development of commercial relations between the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus (1192-1474) and Florence is then discussed. The Florentine banking houses of Bardi, Mozzi and Peruzzi were active on Cyprus and they sent large shipments of wheat from Apulia to Cyprus in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Money lending and exchanges of currency involving the above banking houses also took place on Cyprus, while the Peruzzi chartered ships on the island. Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, an employee of the Bardi, provides valuable information on Cypriot weights and measures and on the goods imported to and exported from Cyprus in his work titled La Pratica della Mercatura. Even after the financial collapse of the Bardi and Peruzzi banking houses Florentine merchants were active in Cyprus, although following the Genoese invasion of Cyprus in 1373 and resultant impoverishment of the island Florentine merchants and bankers frequented it less, bypassing it in favour of direct commerce with Mamluk Egypt and Syria.
Research Interests:
This article charts the development of Judicial institutions in Nicosia, the capital of Lusignan Cyprus, during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. These included the High Court, that dealt with feudal law, questions of succession to... more
This article charts the development of Judicial institutions in Nicosia, the capital of Lusignan Cyprus, during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. These included the High Court, that dealt with feudal law, questions of succession to the throne and relations betweent he king and his liege-men, the Court of Burgesses, headed by a viscount and twelve jurors drawn from the burgesses, dealing with commercial, family, civil and criminal cases concerning this social group and the Court of the Rais, that is of the Syrian Melkite Christians, in Nicosia. Both the High Court and the Court of Burgesses were sovereign courts, and so there was no appeal against their decisions. The Court of the Rais in Nicosia, less well known than its counterpart in Famagusta, dealt with commercial and familial cases among the Syrian Melkites and litigants could appeal against its decisions.
Research Interests:
The acquisition of territory on Cyprus by Military Orders in the form of villages known as casalia, urban properties and fortified structures was determined to a considerable extent by their relations with the crown of Cyprus and with... more
The acquisition of territory on Cyprus by Military Orders in the form of villages known as casalia, urban properties and fortified structures was determined to a considerable extent by their relations with the crown of Cyprus and with other secular rulers. On account of this, the extent of territory they held on the island and the freedom they had in developing such territories and the incomes deriving from them fluctuated according to whether they had good relations with the kings of Cyprus and with other rulers. Sometimes, and this is especially true of the Templars and the Teutonic Knights, good relations with rulers outside Cyprus could harm relations with the kings of Cyprus. This in turn impacted on the Military Orders' ability to acquire new properties, to retain and maintain existing ones, and to utilise freely the incomes and goods acquired from their properties on Cyprus. The territoriality of the Military Orders in Cyprus was in a state of flux, hence the title of this paper. The relative paucity of documentation concerning the acquisition of Cypriot rural and urban properties by the Military Orders on Cyprus, the nature of properties acquired and how these were utilised, as well as their relations with the serfs and others on their estates or town houses impedes a discussion of these issues, but they will nonetheless be examined on the basis of the evidence available. Two important questions meriting examination are why the diocese of Limassol became the primary territorial base for all three orders, and why the Hospitallers and Teutonic Orders, while maintaining estates in Cyprus, transferred their headquarters to Rhodes and Prussia respectively, establishing ordensstaaten in these places.
Research Interests:
The Melkites of Cyprus like the Georgians identified with the Greek Church and followed their rite. They began settling on Cyprus during the later Byzantine period and were prominent on Lusignan Cyprus (1192-1474) as traders, especially... more
The Melkites of Cyprus like the Georgians identified with the Greek Church and followed their rite. They began settling on Cyprus during the later Byzantine period and were prominent on Lusignan Cyprus (1192-1474) as traders, especially in Famagusta, the chief port of the island. In Syria and Lebanon from the time of the seventh century Arab conquest onwards they had developed a distinct religious identity in opposition to both Muslims and non-Chalcedonian Christians, expressed through a tradition of composition or translation of religious works into Arabic. This tradition continued on Cyprus. Since, however, most of the Cypriot population were Chalcedonian Christians, Latin, Greek or Maronites, the Melkites on Cyprus were absorbed by degrees into the Latin ruling class and the Greek majority population. The absence of a politically and numerically dominant Muslim 'other' and of important non-Chalcedonian Christian groups facilitated this absorption.
Research Interests:
This paper discusses the import of French, Italian and Catalan textiles to Cyprus during the fourteenth century and shows that Cyprus was not simply a place of importation but also a distribution point for the re-export of textiles,... more
This paper discusses the import of French, Italian and Catalan textiles to Cyprus during the fourteenth century and shows that Cyprus was not simply a place of importation but also a distribution point for the re-export of textiles, particular to port cities of Southern Turkey and of the kingdom of Cilician Armenia, with the Genoese merchants particularly active in this field.
Research Interests:
This article discusses trading relations between the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus and the Genoese colonies of Pera opposite Constantinople and Caffa in the Crimea from the end of the thirteenth to the mid-fifteenth centuries. It shows how... more
This article discusses trading relations between the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus and the Genoese colonies of Pera opposite Constantinople and Caffa in the Crimea from the end of the thirteenth to the mid-fifteenth centuries. It shows how the prominent Genoese merchantr families of de Mari, della Volta and de Camilla were involved heavily in this trade and in other forms of commercial contact. The commercial relations included money transfers, the export of Cypriot soap, carobs, camlets, resin and buckrams to Pera and Caffa, and the dispatch of grain and slaves from Caffa and Pera to Cyprus. This trade came to an end in the later fifteenth century on account of the Ottoman advance into the Black Sea region and the loss of Genoese Famagusta in 1464 to the Cypriot crown.
Research Interests:
This article discusses the migration of Cypriots and Syrian Christians to Rhodes following the Hospitaller conquest of the island in ca. 1309, their service in the Hospitaller armed forces, including the servitudo marina that involved... more
This article discusses the migration of Cypriots and Syrian Christians to Rhodes following the Hospitaller conquest of the island in ca. 1309, their service in the Hospitaller armed forces, including the servitudo marina that involved serving as mariners on board Hospitaller war galleys, their activities as merchants and doctors and their involvement in donations of property. The one recorded instance of a Syrian serving the secular Latin Church on Rhodes is also discussed. The conclusion reached is that on Hospitaller Rhodes the Syrians in general were more numerous and socially more elevated thatn the Cypriots.
This paper examines the extent to which the estates of the Hospitaller Order of St John on Cyprus came under Venetain control from the time of Quuen Catherine Corner (1473-1489) onwards, right up to the Ottoman conquest. Venetrian control... more
This paper examines the extent to which the estates of the Hospitaller Order of St John on Cyprus came under Venetain control from the time of Quuen Catherine Corner (1473-1489) onwards, right up to the Ottoman conquest. Venetrian control was exercised in part through the appointment of Grand Commanders to the major Hospitaller Commandery of Kolossi, all originating from the Corner family throughout the Venetian period. Nevertheless, the Order resisted Venetian attempts to impose tithes on Hospitaller incomes from Cyprus and a compromise was reached in 1525, an dthe Order did continue to appoint its own commanders to the smaller Cypriot commanderies of Templos and Phoinikas. In 1547 the Hospitallers conducted a visitation of the Cypriot commanderies following complaints by Cypriot serfs who had come to Malta and continued to draw responsions fron Cyprus. Venetian control extended over Hospitaller estates in Cyprus was therefore partial, not complete.
Research Interests:
This paper examines the presence and activities of the Monophysite Egyptian Christians known as Copts who may have settled on Cyprus in the fourteenth century but were definetely there inthe fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with... more
This paper examines the presence and activities of the Monophysite Egyptian Christians known as Copts who may have settled on Cyprus in the fourteenth century but were definetely there inthe fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with churches in Nicosia, Famagusta and later with their own monastery dedicated to St Macarius in the Kyrenia mountains to the north of Nicosia. On Cyprus they were active in commerce and Coptic manuscripts originating from Cyprus, mainly of the sixteenth century, impart information on the Copts and their religious institutions. The Coptic momnastery north of Nicosia had a valuable collection of medical treatises written in Arabic, that attracted the attention of the Venetian authorities which wanted them to be translated so as to promote medical knowledge on Cyprus.
Research Interests:
This paper discusses how the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus, a Latin kingdom ruling over subjects the majority of whom were Greeks and Eastern Christians built and maintained war fleets but never developed commercial fleets like the... more
This paper discusses how the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus, a Latin kingdom ruling over subjects the majority of whom were Greeks and Eastern Christians built and maintained war fleets but never developed commercial fleets like the Venetians, Genoese, Pisans and Catalans. In this respect the kingdom resembled Byzantium and the various Muslim powers of the Mediterranean. Control of maritime commerce was left to Western merchants, something that ultimately caused the kingdom's impoverishment.
Research Interests:
This paper will discuss to what extent Canon 9 of Lateran IV, permitting the co-existence of several rites in one diocese so long as these did not conflict with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and the principle of papal primacy,... more
This paper will discuss to what extent Canon 9 of Lateran IV, permitting the co-existence of several rites in one diocese so long as these did not conflict with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and the principle of papal primacy, was applied successfully on Cyprus. Three areas will merit close examination, the title and jurisdictional powers of the Latin diocesan's vicar, the extent to which non-Latin rites were accepted and the reaction of Roman Catholic prelates when Latins crossed over to non-Latin rites, a completely unexpected contingency.
Research Interests:
This article examines the admirals of Cyprus in chronological order, beginning with the origins of the office and of the war fleet of the Lusignan kings of the island in the late thirteenth century. It discusses the social and ethnic... more
This article examines the admirals of Cyprus in chronological order, beginning with the origins of the office and of the war fleet of the Lusignan kings of the island in the late thirteenth century. It discusses the social and ethnic backgrounds of the admirals, their relations with the kings they served, their service in offices or capacities other than those of admiral of the fleet and the eventual demise of this office following the annexation of Cyprus by Venice in 1473. It endeavours to show that the ethnic background of the admirals was varied, for, besides Franks from Cyprus, Catalans and Italians also held this office. Socially their background was more uniform: all had aristocratic antecedents apart from John Monstry, whose origins from the burgess class caused resentment among the Frankish Cypriot nobility, leading to his incarceration and death. Certain admirals stand out for showing loyalty to their king in adverse conditions, sometimes to the extent of risking their lives. However, what also comes through is that from the late fourteenth century onwards the Lusignan war fleet's operational effectiveness declined, making it unable to combat piracy effectively in the course of the fifteenth century or to defeat the Mamluk fleet during the invasion of Cyprus in 1425–26. This naval weakness facilitated the Venetian annexation of Cyprus in 1473, although following the annexation the island came under the governance and protection of the powerful Venetian fleet, a development that rendered the office of admiral obsolete.
Research Interests:
This paper discusses the manumission of Hospitaller slaves on Rhodes and Cyprus in the fifteenth century according to gender, religion, ethnic origin and age. It examines the reasons for the manumissions, at whose request they were done,... more
This paper discusses the manumission of Hospitaller slaves on Rhodes and Cyprus in the fifteenth century according to gender, religion, ethnic origin and age. It examines the reasons for the manumissions, at whose request they were done, as well as the conditions, if any, attached to such manumissions. Also examined are the historical antecedents of the manumissions policy, the Hospitaller or papal rulings on this issue and where possible what became of the slaves following their manumission.
Research Interests:
There was a time seven centuries ago when Famagusta's wealth and renown could be compared to that of Venice or Constantinople. The Cathedral of St Nicholas in the main square of Famagusta, serving as the coronation place for the Crusader... more
There was a time seven centuries ago when Famagusta's wealth and renown could be compared to that of Venice or Constantinople. The Cathedral of St Nicholas in the main square of Famagusta, serving as the coronation place for the Crusader Kings of Jerusalem after the fall of Acre in 1291, symbolised both the sophistication and permanence of the French society that built it. From the port radiated impressive commercial activity with the major Mediterranean trade centres, generating legendary wealth, cosmopolitanism, and hedonism, unsurpassed in the Levant. These halcyon days were not to last, however, and a 15th century observer noted that, following the Genoese occupation of the city, 'a malignant devil has become jealous of Famagusta'. When Venice inherited the city, it reconstructed the defences and had some success in revitalising the city's economy. But the end for Venetian Famagusta came in dramatic fashion in 1571, following a year long siege by the Ottomans. Three centuries of neglect followed which, combined with earthquakes, plague and flooding, left the city in ruins.
The essays collected in this book represent a major contribution to the study of Medieval and Renaissance Famagusta and its surviving art and architecture and also propose a series of strategies for preserving the city's heritage in the future. They will be of particular interest to students and scholars of Gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance art and architecture, and to those of the Crusades and the Latin East, as well as the Military Orders. After an introductory chapter surveying the history of Famagusta and its position in the cultural mosaic that is the Eastern Mediterranean, the opening section provides a series of insights into the history and historiography of the city. There follow chapters on the churches and their decoration, as well as the military architecture, while the final section looks at the history of conservation efforts and assesses the work that now needs to be done.
The essays collected in this book represent a major contribution to the study of Medieval and Renaissance Famagusta and its surviving art and architecture and also propose a series of strategies for preserving the city's heritage in the future. They will be of particular interest to students and scholars of Gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance art and architecture, and to those of the Crusades and the Latin East, as well as the Military Orders. After an introductory chapter surveying the history of Famagusta and its position in the cultural mosaic that is the Eastern Mediterranean, the opening section provides a series of insights into the history and historiography of the city. There follow chapters on the churches and their decoration, as well as the military architecture, while the final section looks at the history of conservation efforts and assesses the work that now needs to be done.
Research Interests:
Nicholas Coureas, The Burgesses of Lusignan Cyprus 1192-1474, Texts and Studies in the History of Cyprus, LXXXIV, Nicosia: Cyprus Research Centre, 2020, Dimensions 19 x 28 cm, Pages xviii + 374, ISBN: 978-9963-0-8154-7, Price: €37.00 In... more
Nicholas Coureas, The Burgesses of Lusignan Cyprus 1192-1474, Texts and Studies in the History of Cyprus, LXXXIV, Nicosia: Cyprus Research Centre, 2020, Dimensions 19 x 28 cm, Pages xviii + 374, ISBN: 978-9963-0-8154-7, Price: €37.00
In this book the genesis and evolution of the burgesses of the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus is examined. This social group, consisting of artisans, merchants, jurists and diplomats cut across class lines and their common denominator was access to the Courts of Burgesses in Nicosia, Famagusta and the other towns of Cyprus. The courts in question tried civil and criminal cases, were sovereign courts from which no appeal was permitted and were presided over by a viscount with twelve jurors under him, chosen from among the burgesses. With the passage of time the burgesses, initially Latins by ethnicity and Roman Catholics by confession, diversified from the fourteenth century onwards to include Syrian Christians, Greeks, Armenians and Jews in their ranks. In the first two chapters the legal and institutional framework in which the burgesses evolved is explained, along with their activities as jurists, diplomats, soldiers and as a social and political entity. The next four chapters deal with the commercial activities of the burgesses within Cyprus and throughout the Mediterranean basin. Members of this group developed trading relations with Venetian, Genoese, Catalan and Provençal merchants and with Hospitaller Rhodes, although from the later fourteenth century onwards, following the loss of Famagusta in 1374 to the Genoese and the economic decline of the kingdom of Cyprus, the range of their trade was confined mainly to the eastern Mediterranean, especially Syria and Cyprus.
The seventh chapter concentrates on burgess participation in the public life of Genoese Famagusta, under their rule from 1374 until 1464, and in particular on the involvement of prominent burgesses in the inquest held into the governorship of Napoleone Lomellini, the outgoing Genoese captain of Famagusta, in 1459. Burgesses testified both for and against him when he was accused of financial and administrative abuses. In the eight and final chapter the activities in Cyprus of burgesses from outside the island, chiefly from Latin Syria, Perpignan and Hospitaller Rhodes, with burgesses on Cyprus are examined. The book includes three maps, a bibliography and an index.
In this book the genesis and evolution of the burgesses of the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus is examined. This social group, consisting of artisans, merchants, jurists and diplomats cut across class lines and their common denominator was access to the Courts of Burgesses in Nicosia, Famagusta and the other towns of Cyprus. The courts in question tried civil and criminal cases, were sovereign courts from which no appeal was permitted and were presided over by a viscount with twelve jurors under him, chosen from among the burgesses. With the passage of time the burgesses, initially Latins by ethnicity and Roman Catholics by confession, diversified from the fourteenth century onwards to include Syrian Christians, Greeks, Armenians and Jews in their ranks. In the first two chapters the legal and institutional framework in which the burgesses evolved is explained, along with their activities as jurists, diplomats, soldiers and as a social and political entity. The next four chapters deal with the commercial activities of the burgesses within Cyprus and throughout the Mediterranean basin. Members of this group developed trading relations with Venetian, Genoese, Catalan and Provençal merchants and with Hospitaller Rhodes, although from the later fourteenth century onwards, following the loss of Famagusta in 1374 to the Genoese and the economic decline of the kingdom of Cyprus, the range of their trade was confined mainly to the eastern Mediterranean, especially Syria and Cyprus.
The seventh chapter concentrates on burgess participation in the public life of Genoese Famagusta, under their rule from 1374 until 1464, and in particular on the involvement of prominent burgesses in the inquest held into the governorship of Napoleone Lomellini, the outgoing Genoese captain of Famagusta, in 1459. Burgesses testified both for and against him when he was accused of financial and administrative abuses. In the eight and final chapter the activities in Cyprus of burgesses from outside the island, chiefly from Latin Syria, Perpignan and Hospitaller Rhodes, with burgesses on Cyprus are examined. The book includes three maps, a bibliography and an index.
La territorialité au Moyen Âge est une vaste question débattue depuis plusieurs décennies par les historiens. Cette thématique n'avait cependant jamais été abordée en tant que telle pour les ordres religieux-militaires dans une étude... more
La territorialité au Moyen Âge est une vaste question débattue depuis plusieurs décennies par les historiens. Cette thématique n'avait cependant jamais été abordée en tant que telle pour les ordres religieux-militaires dans une étude d'ensemble couvrant une grande partie du monde chrétien médiéval. Cette oeuvre collective, réunissant les travaux d'historiens et d'histo-riens de l'Art spécialistes des ordres militaires en Orient et en Occident, a pour objectif d'engager une réfl exion de fond pour comprendre la relation que les quatre principaux ordres-Temple, Hôpital, Sainte-Marie des Teutoniques, Saint-Lazare-entretiennent avec les territoires qu'ils occupent ou ceux dans lesquels ils s'insèrent. Elle considère la manière dont leur présence s'inscrit dans ces lieux, les rapports qu'ils établissent avec les populations qui y vivent, les réseaux relationnels locaux et ré-gionaux qu'ils établissent, les particularités propres à leurs implantations en fonction de la période, du niveau d'échelle, de la zone géographique et des sociétés envisagées. Différentes étapes ont marqué la perception de la territorialité au Moyen Âge, avec des périodes de mutation en Occident, entre les XI e et XIII e siècles, impulsées par la réforme grégorienne, ou encore à travers les bouleversements provoqués par les croisades en Méditerranée orientale et la création d'États latins dans le Levant, États dont les besoins criants ont suscité l'apparition de ces ordres au caractère spécifique au XII e siècle. Dans ces nouveaux pays sans cesse en confl it et toujours en sursis, l'enjeu principal est la sauvegarde de terres à haute dimension symbolique.
Research Interests: Armenian Studies, Italian Studies, Cyprus Studies, Israel/Palestine, Medieval Iberian History, and 15 moreHistory of Crusades, Cyprus, Knights Templar, History of Prussia, Crusades and the Latin East, Territoriality, Teutonic Knights, The military religious orders of the Middle Ages : the Hospitallers, the Templars, the Teutonic knights, and others, Medieval Greece, Hospitaller Order of St John, Templars, Medieval Provence, CRUSADER KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM, Santiago Calatrava, and Knights Hospitaller
Research Interests:
This book contains the proceedings of a conference on the minorities of Cyprus from the Ottoman period through to the present day, focusing on the Maronite, Armenian and Latin minorities but also on smaller groups such as the Roma, as... more
This book contains the proceedings of a conference on the minorities of Cyprus from the Ottoman period through to the present day, focusing on the Maronite, Armenian and Latin minorities but also on smaller groups such as the Roma, as well as the French community in the eighteenth century.
Research Interests:
This book contains the proceedings of a conference of Famagusta during the crusading period and the subsequent Venetian era. The papers published are divided into two sections, with the first dealing with the apsects of the economic,... more
This book contains the proceedings of a conference of Famagusta during the crusading period and the subsequent Venetian era. The papers published are divided into two sections, with the first dealing with the apsects of the economic, social ecclesiastical and institutional history of the city under its Lusignan rulers, and the second with facets of material culture, including architecture, metalwork and sculpture.
Research Interests:
This book contains the proceedings of the first conference devoted to aspects of the architecture, art, conservation and history of Lusignan and Venetian Famagusta, held in Paris in 2008 under the auspices of Europa Nostra.
Research Interests:
This is the first translation into English, or into any language, of the Chronicle of 'Amadi', an anonymous early sixteenth century chronicle named after its last owner and written in Italian. It recounts the history of the Latin Kingdom... more
This is the first translation into English, or into any language, of the Chronicle of 'Amadi', an anonymous early sixteenth century chronicle named after its last owner and written in Italian. It recounts the history of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099-1187) and then of the Lusignan kindom of Cyprus from 1191 until the mid-fifteenth century. The translation includes an introduction, four annexes, a bibliography and an extensive index.
Research Interests:
This book recounts the histoy of the Latin Church in Cyprus for the first three quarters of the fourteenth century, during which the papacy was based in Avignon. It discusses its relations with the crown nobles and other groups, its role... more
This book recounts the histoy of the Latin Church in Cyprus for the first three quarters of the fourteenth century, during which the papacy was based in Avignon. It discusses its relations with the crown nobles and other groups, its role in the crusading movement, the regular church, including, monks, friars and military orders, its personnel, its finances and internal life, relations with non-Latin Christians and disciplinary issues.
Research Interests:
Table of contents for Journal of Mediterranean Studies 25.1 (2016), special issue on 'Othello and his Islands: Papers from the First Three Othello's Island Conferences'
Research Interests:
In the period following the Fourth Crusade, the monasteries of the Orthodox tradition adapted to the profoundly changed political and economic conditions, while Western Religious Orders spread in erstwhile Byzantine territories.... more
In the period following the Fourth Crusade, the monasteries of the Orthodox tradition adapted to the profoundly changed political and economic conditions, while Western Religious Orders spread in erstwhile Byzantine territories. Scholarship on Orthodox and Latin monasteries in the late medieval Eastern Mediterranean has been thriving in the last years. However, owing to the traditional division between East and West and the compartmentalisation of research, the two types of monastic establishments are usually studied in isolation from each other even though they co-existed in time and space, and scholars regularly encounter areas of contact and osmosis. The NHRF Conference seeks to move away from this trend and proposes a comprehensive and comparative examination of Eastern Mediterranean monasticism during the period all the way to the consolidation of Ottoman power in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Conference registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cULOVfYUSMSXGoXH2Ii2Fw
Organising Committee
Coordinator
Zisis Melissakis, Senior Researcher, IHR, NHRF
Christine Angelidi, Research Director Emerita, IHR, NHRF
Kriton Chrysochoides, Research Director Emeritus, IHR, NHRF
Marina Koumanoudi, Senior Researcher, IHR, NHRF
Gerasimos Merianos, Senior Researcher, IHR, NHRF
Kostis Smyrlis, Associate Researcher, IHR, NHRF
Conference registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cULOVfYUSMSXGoXH2Ii2Fw
Organising Committee
Coordinator
Zisis Melissakis, Senior Researcher, IHR, NHRF
Christine Angelidi, Research Director Emerita, IHR, NHRF
Kriton Chrysochoides, Research Director Emeritus, IHR, NHRF
Marina Koumanoudi, Senior Researcher, IHR, NHRF
Gerasimos Merianos, Senior Researcher, IHR, NHRF
Kostis Smyrlis, Associate Researcher, IHR, NHRF