Cypria: A Journey into the Heart of the Mediterranean

 Books on Cyprus written by Greek or Turkish Cypriots are rarely objective. I have a collection of them, often including pages of text in capitals where the author literally shouts at the reader. Frequently illustrated with pictures of atrocities - only those committed by the other side, of course. Alex Christofi, while a Greek Cypriot, has written something close to an objective history of Cyprus. While it is a personal journey of discovery, it's not just a travelogue.

He starts in modern Nicosia (Lefkosia/Lefkoşa), crossing the border at Ledra Street. There is an illustrative story of what will come when he visits the old caravanserai on the Turkish side. This is where Greek and Turkish Cypriots have met every Saturday since the crossing opened almost 20 years ago to enjoy each other’s company. When a new UN special representative was appointed in 2022, he came to the Büyük Han Coffee Club to say hi, and the group gave him a toy donkey to remind him that in Cyprus, what you need most is patience.

Most books on Cyprus's history rush quickly to the 19th century. However, Christofi lingers in the earlier periods. The island was not only strategically important even then, but it was also an innovator, the first to learn the secret of smelting iron. Alexander carried a Cypriot sword into battle. The island had Indigenous peoples, Greek, and Phonecian colonists. The Jewish Revolt against the Romans was fought in Cyprus in the Kitos War between 115 and 117 CE. Cyprus was an important centre of early Christianity and a base for Islam when the island was conquered in 649. For three centuries, they shared power with the Byzantines and divided taxes. This is all the more remarkable as they were at war for most of this period.

For those into culinary matters, I hadn't realised Cyprus's role in bringing cauliflower, sugar and halloumi (hellim) cheese to our tables. The sugar-plantation complex was first conceived in Cyprus, making it the main sugar producer for Europe for two centuries.

The strength of this book is its exploration of the pre-modern history of the island. I covered Richard the Lionheart in a recent post and the Venetian and Ottoman periods. As an example of objective history, the author dismisses Spyridakis' assertion that ‘under the Turkish domination no important cultural achievements were made’, saying 'that is not only untrue but it fails to appreciate the unique blend of cultures that I find is most special about Cyprus.' The story of the US and British robbery of historical artefacts from the island makes Lord Elgin look positively progressive! 100 museums worldwide harbour Cypriot antiquities.

Objectivity becomes more challenging in the modern period. For someone of his heritage, I think the author steers a reasonable course through this. For example, he doesn't avoid the genocidal statements made by Makarios, acted upon by Grivas and Sampson. One detail he gets wrong is that "Turkey’s military codename for the invasion, Operation Attila, makes it hard to avoid the implication of invading and sacking Greek villages." It is a common mistake, but Attila is the name the Turkish armed forces gave to the eventual demarcation line; the operation was called 'Victory' or 'The Peace Operation'.

This is an entertaining and well-researched history of the island. Illustrated by good stories from his own family and others. 

Richard the Lionheart v Isaac Komnenos. Unmistakably a game of To the Strongest!

The Empress and the English Doctor

 My library pick last month was Lucy Ward's book, The Empress and the English Doctor. While not my usual military history fare, Catherine is a key player in my current writing project.

Thomas Dimsdale was a physician from Hertfordshire, England, known for his expertise in smallpox inoculation. He had published a book, The Present Method of Inoculating for Smallpox (1767), which attracted Catherine's attention. She invited him to Russia to perform the procedure.

Dimsdale arrived in St. Petersburg in 1768 and faced significant challenges. Inoculating a monarch and the heir to the throne was a high-stakes endeavour. Failure could result in political or personal ruin or worse, and the consequences for Russia could have been incalculable. Catherine put her Royal Yacht on standby to whisk Dimsdale and his son away if it went wrong.

To ensure success, Catherine underwent a preparatory regimen to optimise her health. The inoculation was conducted in secrecy to avoid public panic or political fallout. It was successful, and Catherine recovered without complications. She even ordered her court to follow suit, popularising the practice among the Russian nobility. She went on to institute other much-needed medical reforms.

While British kings had inoculated their children, Catherine was the only reigning monarch to undergo the procedure - an act of courage that has since been all but forgotten. The methodology was not the refined modern vaccination but simply inserted a small amount of infected matter into pierced skin. This conveyed a mild case of the illness and a lifetime immunity. The idea made its way into Europe from Turkey, where elderly women delivered the jab with a blunt needle. 

This is topical, given the anti-vaxers in our own age, and was even more controversial in the 18th century. Reading this book, my admiration for Catherine went up a notch. It took some nerve to do this, given the religious and political views of the period. Even in Britain, where the beneficial results were clear, churchmen claimed it interfered with the divine plan, "God sent the disease either for the trial of our faith or for the punishment of our sins." Other objections were as remarkably ill-informed as the conspiracy theorists of the 21st century.

A fascinating story, well-researched and told.

Cartoon showing Edward Jenner, Thomas Dimsdale and George Rose seeing off opponents of vaccination.

Richard the Lionheart and Cyprus

 My current bedtime reading is Cypria, a history of Cyprus by Alex Christofi. It reminded me of a little-known excursion Richard the Lionheart made to Cyprus on his way to Acre and the Third Crusade. 

The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was launched to recapture Jerusalem, which had fallen to Saladin in 1187. Richard I and Philip II of France journeyed to the Holy Land by sea. Richard had already stopped off in Sicily and dabbled in the local politics there before sailing for Acre with a fleet of 150 ships and 53 galleys. 

In April 1191, Richard’s fleet encountered a storm near Cyprus. Several ships, including one carrying his fiancée, Berengaria of Navarre, and his sister, Joan of England, were blown off course and landed on the island. Cyprus was controlled by Isaac Komnenos, a Byzantine nobleman who had declared himself Emperor of the island. Isaac seized the opportunity to capture some shipwrecked Crusaders and their supplies. Richard unsurprisingly decided to intervene and landed at Limassol on May 6, 1191. He viewed the island as a helpful resource and a strategic base for the Crusade. The English chronicler Benedict of Peterborough says, "Then in great wrath, he sent messengers to the Emperor of Cyprus, once, twice, and yet a third time, making his request with mild entreaty, that his fellow pilgrims, whom the Emperor was keeping in durance, should be restored to him together with their belongings. To whom the Emperor made answer with proud words, refusing to surrender either the prisoners or their belongings, and saying that he had no fear of the king of England or of his threats." 

Limassol Castle today

The concept of Richard making a 'mild entreaty' is unlikely! Richard's forces quickly overwhelmed the defenders at Limassol in a contested amphibious landing. Many of the local nobility and merchants, dissatisfied with Isaac's oppressive rule, submitted to Richard, bolstering his position. Isaac initially conceded defeat and even promised to join the Crusade. However, he then retreated into the interior, hoping to rally resistance. Richard sailed around to the north of the island, leaving Guy of Lusignan in command of the army to pursue Issac. It is unclear how many actions were fought, but the evidence points to at least one significant battle, and Richard did capture the main castles. This included St Hilarion Castle, which was no mean feat. Just climbing to the top was enough for me.

 

Isaac eventually surrendered after being promised lenient treatment. Richard honoured his word but added a twist: Isaac was imprisoned in silver chains, as he had requested not to be shackled in iron. Richard sold the island to the Knights Templar later in 1191, who then resold it to Guy of Lusignan, the deposed King of Jerusalem, establishing the Kingdom of Cyprus. A vital stronghold for Christian powers in the Eastern Mediterranean for centuries.

This story formed the basis for our midweek game of To the Strongest in 15mm. The Crusader army lists work fine for Richard's forces. We used the later Byzantine Komenean list for Issac. The chroniclers mention men at arms and Turcoples, but there must have been local spearmen.

The battle initially went well for Richard, who seized the high ground in the centre and made good progress on the left wing.

However, the Byzantines rallied and, with some impressive shooting on the right, managed to win the game with one victory point left.

A good, close game and an interesting bit of history.

Happy New Year!

A Happy New Year to everyone! The weather has somewhat curtailed Hogmanay celebrations in Scotland, but a dram or two were still raised. My wife is suffering from the lurgy, and while I have largely recovered, my left ear is still blocked, making hearing challenging. Not always a bad thing 😉.

2024 was productive on the writing front. Two books were published, and two were written and are with the publisher, making six since I semi-retired. 

I have a couple of books planned for writing this year, with one just underway. This is irritating the cat, who has to manoeuvre his way past a large pile that constitutes the first research scan from my bookshelves. 

I also averaged two blog posts a week and kept the website updated. I wrote a few articles for journals and was very chuffed to receive the prize for the best overall article in Slingshot for my piece on the Young Alexander. I reviewed 60 books last year. My reading pile is relatively modest, although that is unlikely to last, with book tokens burning a hole in my wallet.

Some of my planned wargame projects, including Ruritania and the Indo-Pakistan War, never made it to the painting bench, and I still have the Starfighter kit from last Xmas to build. However, I finished the Montrose and Covenanters project in 15mm and made an excursion into Ireland. I finished more ships for the Black Seas, Falklands and WW1, and just the sails to finish some reinforcements for the Russian fleet. More Cyprus infantry and armour were completed in time for participation games at the Carronade and Targe shows. Strength and Honour bases were painted for the Young Alexander project, jet aircraft for Blood Red Skies, Border Wars, sci-fi, and some cowboys/girls. A book on the Caucasus started a project on the Persian army of the Napoleonic Wars in 15mm, which is now finished. Finally, in 28mm, I painted a Russian force for the late 18thC Russo-Ottoman Wars, although as my daughter bought me more figures for Xmas, that project has a way to run.

For the coming year, I have a pile of 6mm Ottomans for the 18thC wars, a modest force of WW2 Swiss (yes, another book impulse), and more 28mm Napoleonic Ottomans and Greeks. The Strength and Honour supplement has sparked a project on the Punic Wars, a return to my first wargame army. There are other bits and pieces to reinforce other projects, including my current Cold War dabble. I was remarkably disciplined about not being sidetracked with lots of new rules in 2024, but this is unlikely to be repeated! I have actually returned to some old favourites this year, including DBA. The Nigel Tranter re-reading project is getting perilously close to the Jacobite rebellions, but thankfully, I already have the figures.

Last year, my overseas trips took me to Vienna and Türkiye. Nothing has been finalised yet for 2025, but I haven’t been to Romania for a long time. I got to a few shows in England and many museums linked to the shows or following the mighty whites (Fulham FC), who are having a better-than-expected season. I will certainly be at the York show, conveniently after the Newcastle game; Hammerhead and Salute are pencilled in.

I hope everyone had a good holiday season, and I wish you all a happy and productive 2025.