Cyprus During The Frankish Lusignian Rule

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

History of Cyprus

Word length: 1,045

Name: Manana Kurtanidze

Reg. â„–: F20111657

Date: 22 April 2013

Course: HIS 126- History of Cyprus

Instructor: Dr. Andreas Karyos

The organization of the social system in Cyprus during the Frankish (Lusignian) rule.

In 1192 A.D. Cyprus was sold by Knight Templars to Guy De Lusignan, count of Joppe and Ascalon and vice-roy of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem. It was the start of the Frankish Rule over Cyprus. The rule of the Franks in Cyprus lasted till 1489 and during that period life on the island was organized on the basis of the feudal models of the West. The main characteristic of feudalism was the distinction of citizens into classes, with strictly defined terms. There existed a social discrimination with feudalism in Cyprus. There was a vast social gap between the ruling class and locals.

The French rulers were able kings and cared for the defense, the economy, the letters and the arts. All the land was owned by the King. As a reward for past services, and also for services to come, King granted some of his Land to those Nobles (Knights) who had fought for him in battle. However, this land was not simply given to these nobles; they first had to swear an Oath of Loyalty. An oath sworn on the Bible was a very important thing, and one which few men would dare to break as it would condemn them to Hell. The King had the best position in the social system but his authority was limited by the nobles, feudal lords. In reality, the country was not governed by the king, but by individual lords, or barons, who administered their own estates, dispensed their own justice, levied taxes and tolls, and demanded military service from vassals/knights. Usually the lords could field greater armies than the king. In theory the king was the chief feudal lord, but in reality the individual lords were supreme in their own territory, leaving many kings as little more than figurehead rulers.

The official religion in Cyprus, during the Frankish rule, became Catholicism. The Greek Orthodox Church was persecuted, and in its place the Catholic Church was given precedence. The Christian Catholic Church was given revenues that previously belonged to Orthodox Church. The Catholic bishops were given land and properties of the Orthodox. Even though Catholic Church had huge powers, it failed to have influence upon Cypriot people. There existed an Orthodox dogma in Cyprus- so most Cypriot people were Orthodox.

The Cypriot Middle Class or Bourgeoisie that included: merchants, doctors, teachers, secretaries, and lawyers, had a good social position and had access to all the ranks of administration.

The worst position had the poor people or serfs, who worked the land for nobles, which were divided into 5 social classes. The Social Classes (from highest to lowest) that existed in Cyprus during the Frankish Rule:

The White Venetians were the descendants of the soldiers whom Vital Michaele, the Doge of Venice, led on a crusade to the Holy Land in 1123 and who afterwards settled in Cyprus. They paid a small sum annually to the lord of the estate on whose land they had settled, and had the legal right of being tried by a Venetian nobleman who resided at Nicosia with the title of Consul.

The foreigners from other parts of the world were the descendants of the soldiers who had been brought from Albania, Armenia, Syria and etc. to Cyprus for the defense of the island. They had settled in Cyprus and intermarried with the Cypriots. Their descendants still call themselves Albanians, Armenians, Syrians, etc. drew pay, and carried arms, though in reality they had become peasants rather than soldiers. They were no longer of any military value, and were, under the Lusignans, deprived of their pay and military status.

The Lefteri/Frankomati were Paroikoi, who had been liberated either on payment or by the good will of their lord. They had to pay a proportion of their produce of their land. The children born after emancipation were free, but if they married women of the Paroikoi class, the children were classed as Paroikoi.

The Perpiriarii were few in number and were tied to the land and could not have their own property, but they had purchased the personal freedom of themselves and their children and instead of service had to make an annual payment of 15 bezants to their feudal lord.

The Paroikoi, the largest class (the majority of local people) and the lowest grade in the social scale (the worst class), were regarded almost as slaves by the owners of the estates on which they lived. They were not allowed to leave the land which they cultivated or to move from one fiefdom to another, and had to give a third of their produce to their feudal lord as well as personal service. They were liable to be sold or exchanged and could be awarded any punishment, except death, at the wish of their lord. Nobles could not kill them in order not to lose labor.

From the allocation of people to different social classes, we understand that local people were treated almost as slaves; they did not have any rights, properties, securities. The life of Cypriot people was very difficult; people even used to starve and lived under appalling conditions. During that period of time people also suffer because of natural disasters and of plague "black death". Living conditions for the poor people, in other words for the majority of the population, were particularly harsh.

During the long Lusignan period, foreign rulers unquestionably changed the Cypriot way of life, but it was the Cypriot peasant with his Greek religion and Greek culture who withstood all adversity. Throughout the period, almost three centuries, there were two distinct societies, one foreign and one native. The first society consisted primarily of Frankish nobles with their retinues and Italian merchants with their families and followers. The second society, the majority of the population, consisted of Greek Cypriot serfs and laborers. Each of these societies had its own culture, language, and religion. Although a decided effort was made to supplant native customs and beliefs, the effort failed.

In overall, The Lusignan Rule was a period of misfortune, exploitation and oppression for the indigenous Greek population, who had to wage a long, mostly silent struggle for physical, national, religious and cultural survival against the numerically insignificant but politically, socially and militarily powerful new masters.