Cyprus (theme)

Theme of Cyprus θέμα Κύπρου
Theme of the Byzantine Empire
← after 960 - 1185 →
Historical era		Middle Ages
•	Establishment as a theme	960s
•	Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus proclaims independence	1185
Today part of		Northern Cyprus  Cyprus

The Theme of Cyprus (Greek: θέμα Κύπρου, thema Kyprou) was a Byzantine military-civilian province, located in the island of Cyprus, established in the 960s after the reconquest of Cyprus by the Byzantine navy. Prior to this the island had been a Byzantine-Arab condominium for three centuries, except occasional short periods where it was occupied by either power. A rebellion by governor Theophilos Erotikos in 1042, and another in 1092 by Rhapsomates, failed as they were quickly subdued by imperial forces. At the end of the 12th century there were again separatist tendencies in Cyprus: Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus proclaimed himself as "basileus" (emperor) in 1185. Cyprus remained under his command until its conquest in 1191 during the Third Crusade by Richard I of England, who sold it to the Knights Templars.

Sources

• Gregory, Timothy E. (1991), "Cyprus", in Kazhdan, Alexander, Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, pp. 567–569, ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6