It is not possible to say when first inhabitants of Cyprus lived, but it is
believed possible that as long ago as 8.500 B.C. there were settlements on
Cyprus.
Cyprus has had many names, but the
name we use now is believed to have come from the word copper of which there
was, and possibly still is, an abundance of on the island. An alternative
theory is that its name comes from the word Kypros (the Greek for henna) of
which there was also abundance. No one knows for sure.
Cyprus has had a troubled history.
The abundance of copper, timber, and the strategic location between East and
West resulted in repeated invasions, changes of rulers, and strife for the
inhabitants.
Before the annexation to Rome in 58
B.C. Phoenicians, Archaeans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and Greeks
colonized Cyprus.
In 43 A.D. Christianity came to
Cyprus and in 330 A.D. Cyprus became part of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine
Empire. And so it remained until 1191 when Richard the Lionheart, on his way
to the Holy Land to fight the 3rd Crusade, conquered the island. A year
later Richard sold the island to the Knights Templar for 100,000 Byzants.
The Knights Templar, unable to exploit the island satisfactorily, then
returned the island to Richard who sold it to the French nobleman Guy de
Lusignan. The Lusignan dynasty ruled the island for the next three hundred
years - a rule that was often oppressive, effectively reducing Cypriots to
serfdom.
In 1489 the Lusignan King James died
leaving the Kingdom to his Venetian wife who abdicated giving the island to
Venice. The Venetians saw Cyprus primarily as a military base and built
fortifications all over the island. Cypriots, at that time, were seen merely
as a populous to be taxed as much as possible. In fact, it is said that
Venetian rule was so unpleasant that when the Ottomans arrived in Cyprus in
1571 the locals felt as if they had been liberated from slavery.
The Ottomans abolished serfdom and
instated the Orthodox Church as the Church, of Cyprus. They also made being
Catholic a punishable offense, so Cypriots had to choose between Orthodox
Christianity and Islam. The majority chose Christianity, but the result was
that the population began to take on the ethnic structure it still possesses
today, namely Greek and Turkish.
The Ottoman Empire entering the
First World War on the side of Germany and emerged defeated, partly occupied
by foreign powers, and with harsh restrictions imposed, Cyprus became a part
of the British colonies, following the Treaty of Lausanne in 1925
In 1960 the Treaty of Zurich was signed to give independence to Cyprus
whilst protecting the rights of the Turkish Cypriot population. The
guarantors of this treaty were Britain, Greece, and Turkey.
In 1963 relations between the two
communities separated by language, culture and religion, had deteriorated.
13 articles of the Constitution were attempted to be changed in favour of
Greek Cypriot community, also disarming Turkish Cypriot Police and
establishing the National Greek Cypriot Guards. These measures were in clear
contravention of the Treaty of Zurich. Civil war began, and the United
Nations sent in troops in an attempt to restore peace, creating the Green
Line, which effectively divided the communities.
In 1974 Greece attempted a military
coup in conjunction with the Greek National Guard in a bid to achieve ENOSIS
(Idea of union with Greece).
On the 20th July 1974, Turkey, after
consultation with Britain, intervened military, namely Peace-Keeping Action
to protect the Turkish Cypriot community. This was in exercise of the powers
of guarantee agreed in the Treaty of Zurich.
