Ottoman Cyprus
Cyprus, Muslim Turkish since 1571 C*
Before the arrival of the Ottomans, Cyprus was ruled by the Venetians (Catholic Latin’s, not Greek orthodox).
In the document Tarihi-ı Peçevi by İbrahim Peçevi (1574-1649) it mentions that the Venetians were allowing for brigands (eşkiya) to attack Ottoman ships on the way to Egypt. With this in mind along with the island of Cyprus being so close to mainland Anatolia as well as events such as the Battle of Lepento the Muslim Ottoman leader, Sultan Selim II agreed for the conquest of Cyprus for the protection of the Ottoman Caliphate. It took from Muharram 978 - Safar 979 A.H. (July 1570-August 1571 C.E.) for Cyprus to be opened to the Turks.
The ethnic Cypriot population was in fact happy at the arrival of the Ottomans since the Latin’s were severe against the Cypriots as well as suppressing the Orthodox Church. Thus some Cypriots even helped the Muslim Turkish army. Evidence of this can be found in some areas, such as Lefkara, in which there had been local up risings against the Venetians in support of the Ottoman forces. Serfdom was abolished and the peasant families were given the freehold of the land they had worked on for centuries.
After the conquest many villages that were Latin were evacuated. Thus the economy of Cyprus would have suffered. So it was advantageous to install settlers in Cyprus. The initial Turkish troops that opened Cyprus were told to call their families to settle in Cyprus. For example, Binatlı (Polemitya) near Leymosun (Limassol) is named after the thousand horsemen that opened that area.
However more settlers were needed. The Sultan’s Ferman (Decree) dated on the 21 September 1571, ordering the Governors of Western, Central, and Eastern Anatolia and Karaman to make immediate arrangements for the transport of twenty thousand Turkish families to Cyprus for settlement.
The first settlers who arrived in the island after the issue of the Ferman (Decree) numbered about 20,000, but this figure did not include the permanent garrison, whose official strength was 2,000 infantry and 2,666 cavalry, and who were already stationed in the island after the conquest.
KIBRIS'IN FETHi
Kıbrıs Venediklilerin elinde bulunmaktaydı. Mısır'ın alınmasından sonra Memluklülere vergi veren Kıbrıs, Osmanlılara vergi vermeye başlamıştı. Ekonomik, stratejik ve coğrafi yönden çok önemli olan Kıbrıs seferinin kolay olacağı düşüncesiyle Lala Mustafa Paşa Kıbrıs Seferine taraftar olurken, Sokullu Mehmed Paşa ise yeni bir Haçlı Seferine yol açacağı endişesiyle Kıbrıs'ın fethine muhalif kalmıştı.
1570 yılının Ekim ayında Kıbrıs'taki irili ufaklı tüm şehirler alınmış, Kıbrıs'ın başkenti durumundaki Lefkoşe Osmanlıların eline geçmişti. Ancak Kıbrıs'ın en önemli kentlerinden olan Magosa henüz alınamamıştı. Lala Mustafa Paşa komutasındaki Osmanlı birlikleri yardımcı birliklerin de gelmesiyle, Magosa kalesini karadan ve denizden kuşatmaya başladı. Yaklaşık bir yıl süren kuşatmadan sonra Magosa da teslim olmak zorunda kaldı (4 Ağustos 1571). Adaya Türkler yerleştirildi.
