When one thinks of Europe, Cyprus is probably not what’s on their mind. Located about 455 kilometres off the Turkish coast, it is not a place where you’d expect much to happen. However, in the mid-20th century, this island was the centre stage of a violent struggle between the two ethnic groups that inhabit the island, the Greeks and the Turks.
Before jumping into the topic of what exactly happened, we need to understand the history of Cyprus. For thousands of years, Cyprus was inhabited by Greeks. Cyprus’s unique location, located at the crossroads of three major continents, Asia, Europe and Africa, made it extremely attractive to the region’s powers. It was a stronghold for the Byzantine Empire until 668CE, after which successive Arab conquests forced Emperor Justinian II to enter into an agreement with Caliph Abd-al Malik, where the Arabs and the Byzantines ruled Cyprus as a condominium for the next 300 years, even though both parties were in a constant state of war with each other. The Byzantines regained complete control of the island in 965CE.
Due to its invaluable location, Cyprus became a base for the Christians during the Crusades. In 1185CE, Richard the Lion Heart of England wrested control of the island from Governor Isaac Comnenus, who had successfully rebelled against the Byzantine Empire. After local rebellions, Richard sold the island to the Knight’s Templar, who in turn sold it to Guy of Lusignan, the dispossessed king of Jerusalem. As time went by, repeated invasions and increased influence of Genoese merchants weakened and ultimately led to the fall of the Lusignan dynasty to the Republic of Venice in 1489CE.
However, even after so many empires and dynasties, the island saw no major demographic shift until 1571, when the Ottoman Empire invaded the island. A wave of Turks settled on the island, giving it a significant Turkish minority. The Greeks and Turks rarely lived in harmony, with the Greek minority often bursting into rebellion against their Ottoman overlords.
Ottoman Cyprus had peculiar administrative practices. The feudal system established under the Lusignans was abolished, giving Greek farmers rights they had not seen since Byzantine times. However, most importantly, the Orthodox Church received the authority to preside over its adherents. This solidified the role of the Orthodox Church in Greek Cypriot society.
Concept of Enosis
On the 21st of February, 1821, Alexander Ypsilantis, the leader of the Filiki Eteria, a secret society formed to remove the Ottomans from Greece, issued a proclamation calling Greeks and Christians to rise against the Ottomans. What followed this proclamation was a long and bloody war of independence. Tens of thousands of civilians were massacred during the 8-year long war. Greece finally independent became independent in 1829. The Greek Uprising also triggered an uprising against Ottoman rule in Cyprus. However, given Cyprus’ strategic location, the Ottomans swiftly crushed that uprising.
Greek independence led to the birth of an idea that would shape the next 200 years of Cypriot history, Enosis. The concept of Enosis referred to the notion that all overseas Greek communities should incorporate their regions into the Greek State. Given Cyprus’ profound Greek majority, Enosis was extremely relevant to Greek Cypriot society. Small uprisings calling for Enosis happened over the next 50 years. However, all of them were quashed by the Ottoman governors.
In 1878, Cyprus became a British protectorate. The Greeks initially accepted British rule, believing that it is one step towards Enosis. However, the British imposed heavy taxes and did not allow self-government. The British completely annexed Cyprus in 1914, when the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in World War 1.
History is important is it allows us to understand how the current situation has come to be. Thus to understand the circumstances under which Turkey invaded Cyprus, or why EOKA was formed, it is important to know the history of the island.
