King Henry II of Cyprus (1285-1324)

King Henry II’s long reign (1285-1324) was a turning point in the history of Frankish Cyprus. It witnessed the re-conquest between the years 1260-1291 of the Latin states on the coastlines of Syria and Palestine by the Mamluks, the resultant large scale influx of Latin and Eastern Christian refugees into Cyprus, the rise of Cyprus and especially of Famagusta as an international trading hub. Although these events have been much written about, there has hitherto been no study of the monarch himself and the roles he played in them. Other chapters look at the burgeoning of the burgess class in Cyprus, the internal politics that led to a coup instigated by his brother in 1306-10, relations with the Latin Church and the military orders, and finally Henry II’s foreign relations, especially those with the kingdom of Cilician Armenia and with Genoa, characterized by considerable acrimony. The book concludes with an assessment of the reign as a whole and its impact on the subsequent history of Cyprus.