Gastria Castle
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Gastria Castle ( ) is a ruined castle in
Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...
. It is first mentioned in 1210 as a
Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...
fortress. It was dismantled in 1279 by
Hugh III of Cyprus Hugh III (; – 24 March 1284), also called Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan and the Great, was the king of Cyprus (as Hugh III) from 1267 and king of Jerusalem (as Hugh I) from 1268. Born into the family of the princes of Antioch, he effectively rul ...
. It passed into the possession of the
Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...
in 1308, falling into obscurity afterwards.


History

The castle was situated on the northern side of Famagusta Bay, to the south-west of Gastria village. In 1191, Cyprus was taken by
Richard the Lionheart Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
during his campaign against the island's ruler
Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus Isaac Doukas Komnenos (or Ducas Comnenus, c. 1155 – 1195/1196) was a claimant to the Byzantine Empire and the ruler of Cyprus from 1185 to 1191. Contemporary sources commonly refer to him as the emperor of Cyprus. He lost the island to King R ...
. Richard subsequently sold the island to the
Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...
, whose rule abruptly ended after a major revolt in
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
. Cyprus was then resold to
Guy of Lusignan Guy of Lusignan ( 1150 – 18 July 1194) was King of Jerusalem, first as husband and co-ruler of Queen Sibylla from 1186 to 1190 then as disputed ruler from 1190 to 1192. He was also Lord of Cyprus from 1192 to 1194. A French Poitevin kni ...
of the
House of Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of France, French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Kingdom of Cyprus, Cyprus, and Kingd ...
. Gastria Castle is first mentioned in 1210, when the royal regent
Walter of Montbéliard Walter of Montbéliard (died in 1212) (''Gauthier I de Montfaucon'') was regent of the Kingdom of Cyprus from 1205 to 1210, and Constable of Jerusalem from around 1204 to his death. Early life He was the second son of Amadeus, Count of Montbé ...
sought refuge in the fortress with his allies the Templars. He had previously refused to render an account of his administration of the royal treasury to the newly crowned
Hugh I of Cyprus Hugh I (; (Oúgos); 1194/1195 – 10 January 1218) succeeded to the throne of Cyprus on 1 April 1205, underage upon the death of his father Aimery, King of Cyprus and Jerusalem. His mother was Eschiva of Ibelin, heiress of that branch of Ibe ...
, subsequently fleeing to the
Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...
. A period of peace ended with the death of Hugh in 1218. A struggle over who should act as the kingdom's regent ensued, pitting the
House of Ibelin The House of Ibelin was a noble family in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. They rose from relatively humble beginnings to become one of the most important families in the kingdom, holding various high offices and with exten ...
with the local supporters of
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI, Holy Roman ...
. Frederick's arrival in
Limassol Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the Limassol district. Limassol is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139 and a district population o ...
in 1228 escalated the conflict into an open war. In 1229,
John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut John of Ibelin (c. 1179 – 1236), called the Old Lord of Beirut, was a powerful crusader noble in the 13th century, one of the best known representatives of the influential Ibelin family. The son of Balian of Ibelin and the dowager queen M ...
returned to Cyprus through Gastria's port. In 1232, after a defeat at the
Battle of Agridi The Battle of Agridi was fought on 15 June 1232 between the forces loyal to Henry I of Cyprus (such as those of the Ibelin family) and the imperial army of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, composed mostly of men from Lombardy. It res ...
, Frederick's few remaining supporters requested permission to hide in Gastria. Having fought Frederick at
Acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
in 1229 the Templars refused and those who attempted to hide in the ditch were apprehended. Afterwards, the Lusignans continued their reign interrupted only by occasional palace coups. In 1279,
Hugh III of Cyprus Hugh III (; – 24 March 1284), also called Hugh of Antioch-Lusignan and the Great, was the king of Cyprus (as Hugh III) from 1267 and king of Jerusalem (as Hugh I) from 1268. Born into the family of the princes of Antioch, he effectively rul ...
dismantled the castle and expelled the Templars, after the latter declared their support for
Charles I of Naples Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 and ...
. In 1308, the castle was granted to the
Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...
. In 1310,
Henry II of Jerusalem Henry II (June 1270 – 31 March 1324) was the last crowned King of Jerusalem (after the fall of Acre on 28 May 1291, this title became empty) and also ruled as King of Cyprus. He was of the Lusignan dynasty. He was the second surviving so ...
passed through Gastria while en route to his exile to Armenia. It was no longer mentioned as a castle from that point on.


Architecture

Gastria was a small rectangular fort located at the end of a long narrow ridge. It was separated from the ridge by a rock-cut ditch wide and deep. The ditch was once crossed by a drawbridge or a wooden bridge. True to the characteristics of small Templar fortresses, Gastria had no towers. The center of the fort housed a circular cistern. To the east a natural vantage point in the form of a rocky outcrop overlooking both the sea and the fort bears signs that it was once occupied. The outcrop was once separated from the fort by a channel that is now filled in. To the north of the fort, the outcrop and the isthmus, is a watercourse that served as a harbor.


Footnotes


References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gastria Castle Castles in Northern Cyprus Castles and fortifications of the Knights Templar Crusader castles in Cyprus Castles and fortifications of the Knights Hospitaller