Isaac Doukas Komnenos (or Ducas Comnenus, c. 1155 – 1195/1196) was a claimant to the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

and the ruler of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

from 1185 to 1191. Contemporary sources commonly refer to him as the emperor of Cyprus. He lost the island to King

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

during the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

Family

Isaac of Cyprus was a member of the royal

Komnenos The House of Komnenos ( Komnenoi; , , ), Latinized as Comnenus ( Comneni), was a Byzantine Greek noble family who ruled the Byzantine Empire in the 11th and 12th centuries. The first reigning member, Isaac I Komnenos, ruled from 1057 to 1059. ...

family. His grandfather

Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...

had been bypassed by a younger brother,

Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history o ...

, in the succession to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

throne, instead taking the auxiliary position of ''

sebastokrator ''Sebastokrator'' (, ; ; ), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence (Bulgarian Empire, Serbian Empire). The word is a compound ...

''. With his first wife Theodora Kamaterina (d. 1144) Isaac the ''sebastokrator'' had a daughter, Irene Komnene, who married one Doukas Kamateros and gave birth to Isaac of Cyprus, .

Life

Most of the following biography is derived from the works of Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates. Isaac was the son of an otherwise obscure Byzantine aristocrat, Doukas Kamateros, and Irene Komnene, daughter of ''sebastokrator'' Isaac Komnenos. He married an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

princess on Cyprus.

Governor and prison

Appointed governor of

Isauria Isauria ( or ; ), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya P ...

and the town of Tarsus by Emperor

, Isaac started a war against the

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, also known as Cilician Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia, was an Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian ...

and was captured by its soldiers. Manuel I died in 1180 and his successors did not immediately attempt to rescue Isaac, whose long imprisonment seemingly contributed to his unpleasant disposition. On account of his Armenian royal wife, he perhaps endured not too harsh terms of captivity. In 1183, the new Byzantine emperor

Andronikos I Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos (; – 12 September 1185), Latinized as Andronicus I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1183 to 1185. A nephew of John II Komnenos (1118–1143), Andronikos rose to fame in the reign of his cousin Manuel I Komne ...

(1183–1185) contributed to Isaac's ransom. Constantine Makrodoukas, a loyal supporter of the emperor and uncle of Isaac, and Andronikos Doukas, a relative and childhood friend, described as a "sodomite and debaucher", both made contributions and personally stood surety for the fealty of Isaac Komnenos to the Byzantine emperor. 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 ...

, whom Niketas Choniates labels "the Phreri," contributed as well, as part of their international banking functions.

From prison to Cyprus

In 1185, the Armenians released Isaac, clearly tired of the imperial service. He used leftover ransom money to hire a troop of mercenaries and sailed to Cyprus, where he made himself ruler with the help of falsified imperial letters ordering the local administration to obey him in everything. Because Isaac Komnenos failed to return to imperial service, Andronikos I ordered Constantine Makrodoukas and Andronikos Doukas arrested for treason. A mob stoned them to death on 30 May 1185, incited by the courtier Stephen Hagiochristophorites. A water-oracle conducted by Hagiochristophorites had given the letter I (iota) as the initial of the succeeding emperor, leading Andronikos I to fear that Isaac would usurp the throne. A subsequent oracle ruled out this possibility, placing the start of the new reign on an imminent date that would leave Isaac no time to make the crossing from Cyprus. Meanwhile, Isaac took many other Romans into his service. He created an independent patriarch of Cyprus, who crowned him as emperor in 1185. Andronikos I was killed in a popular uprising at

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

on 12 September 1185. His successor,

Isaac II Angelos Isaac II Angelos or Angelus (; September 1156 – 28 January 1204) was Byzantine Emperor from 1185 to 1195, and co-Emperor with his son Alexios IV Angelos from 1203 to 1204. In a 1185 revolt against the Emperor Andronikos Komnenos, Isaac ...

, raised a fleet of 70 ships to take back Cyprus. Its commanders were John Kontostephanos and Alexios Komnenos (died 1188), a nephew once removed of the emperor. Neither man was ideally suited for this responsibility, John being of advanced age and Alexios having been blinded by order of Andronikos I. The fleet landed in Cyprus, but after the troops had disembarked, the ships were captured by

Margaritus of Brindisi Margaritus of Brindisi (also Margarito; Italian language, Italian: ''Margaritone'', Greek language, Greek: ''Megareites'' or ''Margaritoni'' �αργαριτώνη c. 1149 – 1197), called "the new Neptune", was the last great ''ammiratus ...

, admiral of King William II of Sicily. Subsequently, Isaac or more likely Margaritus won a victory over the Byzantine troops and captured their commanders, who were carried off to Sicily. The rest of the sailors on Cyprus tried their best to survive and to fend off the enemy. "Only much later did they return home, if they had not perished altogether."

Rule of Cyprus

From the time of his coronation, Isaac quickly started to plunder Cyprus, raping women, defiling virgins, imposing overly cruel punishments for crimes, and stealing the possessions of the citizens. "Cypriots of high esteem, comparable to Job in riches now were seen begging in the streets, naked and hungry, if they were not put to the sword by this irascible tyrant." Furthermore, he despicably ordered the foot of Basil Pentakenos, his old teacher, hacked and amputated. Niketas Choniates, clearly not very partial to Isaac, describes him as an irascible and violent man, "boiling with anger like a kettle on the fire." Byzantine emperor

nevertheless bore responsibility for greater cruelties. A seeming league with William II of Sicily, a powerful thorn in the side of the Byzantine Empire, helped Isaac to hold the island for the duration of his reign, and he was also closely connected to

Saladin Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...

, sultan of Egypt and Syria.

Third Crusade

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 ...

and others embarked on the

in 1189. Early in 1191, Berengaria of Navarre, the fiancée of Richard, and Joan of England, the sister of Richard, travelled together and were shipwrecked on Cyprus; Isaac Komnenos then took them captive. In retaliation, Richard conquered the island while on his way to Tyre. Isaac is recorded shooting two arrows at Richard from horseback, which is notable because Byzantine horse archery is an obscure subject. City Flag of Portsmouth

The English took Isaac prisoner near Cape Apostolos Andreas on the Karpass Peninsula, the northernmost tip of the island. According to tradition, as Richard had promised not to put him into irons, he kept Isaac prisoner in chains of silver. The English transferred Isaac 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 ...

, who kept him imprisoned in Margat near Tripoli. This was a major turning point in the history of Cyprus, leading to the foundation of the Kingdom of Cyprus which would rule the island for several centuries. On his return to England, King Richard granted to the town of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

the coat of arms of Isaac Komnenos: "a

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

of gold on a shade of azure, with a blazing star of eight points" - in recognition of the significant involvement of soldiers, sailors, and vessels from Portsmouth in the conquest of Cyprus. This remains Portsmouth's coat of arms up to the present.

Imprisonment, ransom, and death

Returning to Europe after the Third Crusade, Richard was captured by Leopold V, Duke of Austria and Styria, and imprisoned by

Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI (German language, German: ''Heinrich VI.''; November 1165 – 28 September 1197), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was King of Germany (King of the Romans) from 1169 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 until his death. From 1194 he was ...

, accused of murdering his cousin

Conrad of Montferrat Conrad of Montferrat (Italian language, Italian: ''Corrado del Monferrato''; Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''Conrà ëd Monfrà'') (c. 1146 – 28 April 1192) was a nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the '' ...

. The subsequent ransom agreement freed Isaac and his daughter into the care of Leopold V, the son of Isaac's aunt Theodora Komnene. Isaac then traveled to the Sultanate of Rûm, where he attempted to gain support against the new Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos, crowned in 1195. However his ambitions came to nothing, as he died of poisoning in 1195 or 1196.

His daughter

Sources do not name the daughter of Isaac but usually call her the "Damsel of Cyprus". Upon the deposition of her father Isaac, she joined the court of Richard the Lionheart, and after the Third Crusade, she traveled back to England with the other ladies of his court, including Joan of England, sister of Richard, and Berengaria of Navarre, now queen consort of England. In 1194, as part of ransom agreement of King Richard, the English released the Cypriot princess into the care of Leopold of Austria, a distant relative. Later she lived in

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

, where in 1199 she again encountered Joan, now married to

Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse Raymond VI (; 27 October 1156 – 2 August 1222) was Count of Toulouse and Marquis of Provence from 1194 to 1222. He was also Count of Melgueil (as Raymond IV) from 1173 to 1190. Early life Raymond was born at Saint-Gilles, Gard, the son of ...

. After Joan's death in early September 1199, Raymond married the princess from Cyprus, but the marriage was annulled probably in late 1202. In 1203 she married Thierry of Flanders, an illegitimate son of Count Philip I of Flanders. The couple sailed from

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

in 1204 with a convoy of warriors who intended to join the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

, but on reaching Cyprus, they attempted to claim the island as inheritors of Isaac. The attempt failed, and they fled to Armenia.Boyle, p.268

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Boyle, David, ''The Troubador's Song: The Capture and Ransom of Richard I'', Walker Publishing Company, 2005 *Brudndage, J. A., ‘Richard the Lion-Heart and Byzantium’, ''Studies in Medieval Culture'' 6-7 (1970), 63-70 and reprinted in J.A. Brundage, ''The Crusades, Holy War and Canon Law'', Variorum, 1991, No. IV *Coureas, Nicolas, 'To what extent was the crusaders’ capture of Cyprus impelled by strategic considerations', ''Epetêris'' 19 (1992), 197-202 *Edbury, P. W., ''The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374'', Cambridge University Press, 1991 * Harris, Jonathan, ''Byzantium and the Crusades'', Bloomsbury, 2nd ed., 2014. *Harris, Jonathan, 'Collusion with the infidel as a pretext for military action against Byzantium', in ''Clash of Cultures: the Languages of Love and Hate'', ed. S. Lambert and H. Nicholson, Brepols, 2012, pp. 99–117 *''The

Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium The ''Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium'' (ODB) is a three-volume historical dictionary published by the English Oxford University Press. With more than 5,000 entries, it contains comprehensive information in English on topics relating to the Byzan ...

'', Oxford University Press, 1991 *Rudt de Collenberg, W. H., 'L'empereur Isaac de Chypre et sa fille (1155–1207)', ''Byzantion'' 38 (1968), 123–77 *

External links

Roman Emperors webpage
brief biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Komnenos, Isaac

Byzantine usurpers 1150s births 1190s deaths 12th-century Byzantine people Byzantine governors of Cyprus Eastern Orthodox monarchs Christians of the Third Crusade