Antiquity

After having been a long time independent and autonomous under the authority of kings placed at the head of several small States included in the island even, Cyprus becomes at sixth century BC the stake of wars between the Perses and the Greeks; it remains Persian, then passes under the sceptre of Alexandre Large the, and, after its death, under that of the Ptolémées of Egypt. The island of Cyprus becomes Roman in 59 before our era, then Byzantine.

Cyprus is the container where the artistic elements of Mésopotamie amalgamate, of Egypt, Phénicie, and finally of the Greece and Rome; its situation puts it at the confluence large currents of civilization. The excavations brought the light on this mixed culture. The period àllant of the Prehistory (- approximately 3000) to the Trojan War, reveals at the same time the Aegean influences and those of the East; the second (of the XI E with the O C testifies to the meeting of the current syro- phenician and the Hellenic current ; the third, gréco-Roman, of the total influence of Greece since the IV E.

The Middle Ages

It is, starting from 1192, the seat of a seigniory, then from a Christian kingdom, that of the Lusignan S, then passes under the direction of the Génois in 1372, of the Vénitiens in 1489 and finally of the Turks in 1571.

Byzantine period and Arab Condominium

After the Division of the Roman Empire, Cyprus fell under domination from the Byzantine Empire.

At that time its Archbishop, although depend on the holy apostolic and Roman church, was declared Autocéphale by the Concile of Éphèse.

When the Arabs invaded Cyprus in 688, the emperor Justinien II and the Caliph Abd Al-Malik signed an agreement without precedent: during the 300 following years, Cyprus was directed jointly by the Arabs and the Byzantines, in spite of the constant fights between the two parts on the continent.

This period lasted until in 965, when the Byzantine emperor Nicéphore Phocas conquered the island.

In 1185, the last Byzantine emperor of the island, Isaac Comnenos of Cyprus took the control of the island.

The Crusade S - Period Lusignan 1191-1489

At the 12th century, the island was a stake of the Croisade S. Richard Lion-hearted unloaded with Limassol on June 1st 1191. Richard took possession of the island and forced Comenos to provide him a help in his crusade against Saladin.

Richard Maria with Limassol with Berengaria on May 12th 1192. The cross fleet left Cyprus for Midsummer's Day d' Acre on June 5th, 1192.

The army of Richard continued to occupy Cyprus. After a local revolt, Richard sold the island with the Templiers.

Templiers sold the island with Guy de Lusignan which became king de Chypre. The dynasty reigned until in 1489.

Guy de Lusignan (1192-1194)

Aimery (1194-1205)

Hugues Ier (1205-1218)

Henri Ier

Hugues II (1253-1267)

Pierre II

James Ier

Janus

Jean II

James

The modern time

Passage de l' island with the Venetian hands (1464-1489)

• 1464 : Jacques II of Lusignan gets rid of Génois, mainly thanks to the money of Cornero.

• 1468 : Jacques II asks for the hand of Catherine Cornaro, the girl of Marco Cornaro.
• 1472 : the marriage is celebrated. The contract provides that the island falls to Catherine Cornero if Jacques II dies without legitimate heir.
• 1473 (July 6th): Jacques II dies at the 33 years age. The general captain of the Venetian fleet, Pietro Mocenigo, is dispatched on the spot.
• 1473 (November 14th): the king Ferdinand of Naples, being pressed on the archbishop of Nicosie, tries a takeover by force to seize the island. Mocenigo restores the order.
• 1488 : the the Council of the Ten dispatch the brother of Catherine, Giorgio Cornario, in Cyprus. It is charged to convince Catherine to abdicate in favor of the République. In spite of its reserves, it bids its farewell with its kingdom in February 1489. The Republic will continue to pay the tribute with the Sultan.

Venetian period 1489-1571

Caterine Cornaro left its kingdom to the Doge de Venise in 1489.

In 1562, the Greeks raised themselves without success.

In spite of the Battle of Lépante, the Turks took possession of the island in 1571.

The contemporary time

The island remains Turkish during three centuries, before being left in 1878 with the the United Kingdom “to be occupied and managed” by the latter. However, the Door preserves nevertheless legal sovereignty on the island, even if it is from now on under British administration.

In 1914, at the time of the entry in war of Turkey in the Great War, the United Kingdom annexes Cyprus and makes a protectorate of it, then, in 1925, in spite of the wish of the Greeks of the island, a colony.

In 1955, the Cypriot Greeks take again the weapons against the British capacity which recruited Turkish Cypriot Milices to reinforce the colonial troops. The agreements of Zurich and London of 1959 put an end to the anti-colonial fight. Cyprus becomes a independent République in 1960, like member of UNO and the the Commonwealth.

The United Kingdom, Turkey and Greece become the guaranteeing States of constitutional balance. The treaty of guarantee grants, in particular, a right of military intervention, under certain conditions, with the three powers guarantors, to restore the constitutional order if this one had suddenly been modified. The constitution guarantees to the Turkish Cypriot minority an important political weight (30% of the stations in the public office and 40% in the police force) taking into consideration its demographic weight (18% of the population) and a Right to veto on the decisions of the Parliament in a Community system that some judge similar to that of the Lebanon. It is to be announced that according to the Greek part these quotas appeared so disproportionate that during the period 1960 - 1962, the new Cypriot State had certain difficulties of filling them, for lack of Cypriot candidates Turkish.

May 24th 1961, Cyprus becomes member of the the Council of Europe. In 1963, the president Makarios proposes amendments with the Constitution of 1960. This proposal, known under the name of the “13 amendments of Makarios”, had aimed at answering the blockade situation institutional persistent for several months. Indeed, the Greek Cypriot representatives and Cypriot Turkish using alternatively, and in a systematic way, of their right to veto, on the proposals resulting from the other community, blocking was inevitable. The questions tax and of division of the administration of the cities were, in 1963, at the origin of the complete paralysis of the institutions on these subjects. Also, the proposals of Makarios had for goal to denounce the Turkish Cypriot right to veto, and more generally the excessive weighting of the institutional capacities. This takeover by force of the Cypriot President contributed to exacerbate the tensions between the two communities, leading to violent one intercommunity confrontations in December 1963. This episode strapping very discussed in its unfolding, marks certainly the end of the hopes of peaceful cohabitation between the two communities, which will not have of cease to separate, and to clash in a fratricidal fight.

Benefitting from this situation of tension, the Turkey takes again and brings up to date an old claim: the partition of the island and the Turkish community, historically very related to Ankara, implement, everywhere where it can it in the island this program of separation. At this beginning of year 1964, Cyprus is with fire and blood. Operations of ethnic purification (destruction of villages and Mosquée S, assassinations, rapes) are made by the Greek part, which causes reprisals on the Turkish side. The Cypriot Greeks benefit from the policy of the empty chair, decided in January 1964, by the Cypriot representatives Turkish, in all the representative authorities, to make pass from the laws rebalancing the capacities in accordance with the demographic proportion. Cypriot Turkish, is inserted as for them in the logic of separation, causing of this fact the conditions of their setting to the variation. The TMT, Turkish Militia Cypriot, causes in a way concerted of the incidents, which the Cypriot Greeks answer in a way increasingly more disproportionate. The Cypriot leaders Turkish continue, during all of winter 1964, this policy of worst with an aim of showing than their safety is concerned and than the partition is the only solution preserving their existence even. This policy will concretize herself, in early June, by the call of the Turkish Cypriot community with Turkey, so that it militarily intervenes in order to ensure their protection. The the United States, through the former chief of the State Department, Dean Acheson, will try a secret mediation between Greece and Turkey (in addition combined within NATO) on the Cypriot question in order to avoid a war between these two countries likely to destabilize the south-eastern side of NATO. These attempts show a failure making of Cyprus the ground of ceaseless confrontations between the militia Cypriot Greek and Turkish what will lead UNO to send an important quota of blue helmets (UNFICYP) on the island in March 1964.

In 1974, in answer to a coup d'etat fomented by Greece of the colonels and intended to attach the island to Greece (Enosis), Turkey militarily intervenes fascinating for pretext to protect the Turkish minority. This military intervention, justified by the existence of a treaty of guarantee of the Constitution of 1960, was to restore the constitutional order in the island. Instead of that, and although the Coup d'etat failed in less than ten days, the Turkish invasion was maintained dividing the island in two. The Republic of Cyprus was thus found cut down by 30% of its occupied territory militarily by the Turkish army. In 1983, the occupied part of Cyprus declared Turkish République of Northern Cyprus (RTCN), but, resulting from an obvious violation of the legal provisions international, she is not recognized by the remainder of the international community (she does not have seat to UNO), except for Turkey.

During operations, thousand six hundred Cypriot Greeks disappeared, on the fate of which Turkey always refused to give the least indication. Information provided by secret services, published by Tribune de Genève, states nevertheless that a great number were carried out quickly whereas others remained held… more than twenty years. It is on this tragedy which marks still today deeply mentalities in the Republic of Cyprus (southern) that carries the novel of Olivier Delorme, the Castle of silence.

May 1st 2004, Cyprus (left Greek) made its entry in the European Union.

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