Cyprus: Historical and DescriptiveLöher, Franz von
History
Cyprus: Historical and Descriptive
Löher, Franz von
Cyprus -- Description and travel; Cyprus -- History
The imperial fleet crossed over to Limasol, and here Frederick
celebrated the marriage of his ward, the young king, with Alice,
daughter of the Marquis of Montserrat. He then put in order the affairs
of the island, arranging that the regency should regularly transmit
to the governors of Jerusalem or Akkon money wherewith to supply the
garrisons and officials in the Holy Land.
The emperor attached great importance to the possession of the Cyprian
castles and fortresses. Already in the preceding year he had made
every preparation for their defence, by putting each of them under the
command of some distinguished officer, and had brought with him from
Akkon whatever could be spared in the way of munitions of war for their
safe keeping. As he was about to leave the island for the second time,
he stipulated that the regents should have no power over the castles
until the transmission of the money to the Holy Land had been regularly
completed.
The seaboard of Cyprus at that time had no fortresses, with the
exception of the capital city Nikosia; even on the south-western coast,
where a mountainous district occupies nearly one-half of the island,
there was no castle of importance, the hills moreover must at that time
have been covered with wild-growing forests. The life and wealth of
the island consisted in the rich maritime slopes and fertile plains,
which extended along the shore from Famagusta and Larnaka, as far as
the mountainous tract, which extends all along the northern side of the
island.
Behind the chain of mountains are narrow slips of fertile soil,
producing abundance of excellent fruit, in the midst of which is the
principal haven Keryneia. From this town deep dells and rocky gorges
run up into the mountains, leading to the fortresses St. Hilarion,
Buffavento, and Cantara. These three castles are built upon the smaller
chain of mountains, which, rugged and steep, rear themselves in
innumerable peaks and crags to a considerable altitude.
Before the time of Frederick the Second, Buffavento is scarcely
mentioned, but it then became one of the principal defences of the
island, indeed it seems to have been quite impregnable, so long as food
and water could be procured on the summit of the mountain upon which
it stood. Victuals were, however, much more easily obtainable on the
heights of St. Hilarion, a much larger place, situated a little further
westward. Even Kantara, lying to the north-east, could boast of more
than one wall.
The town of Keryneia, however, where the haven was situated, was most
strongly fortified, inasmuch as it was well adapted to the reception of
food and military stores arriving from the coasts of Syria, Asia Minor,
or even Italy, which could be immediately forwarded to the fortresses
above mentioned.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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