| Isaac Komnenos | |
|---|---|
 Tetarteron coin minted in Isaac's name in Cyprus: left, bust ofChrist Pantokrator; right, bust of Isaac in the regalia of a Byzantine emperor | |
| Emperor in Cyprus | |
| Reign | 1185–1191 |
| Predecessor | Andronikos I Komnenos (asByzantine Emperor) |
| Successor | Guy of Lusignan (asKing of Cyprus) |
| Born | 1155 |
| Died | 1196 (agec. 41) Sultanate of Rum (now inTurkey) |
| Issue | Damsel of Cyprus |
| House | Komnenos |
| Mother | Irene Komnene |
| Religion | Roman Orthodox |
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Isaac Doukas Komnenos (orDucas Comnenus,[a]c. 1155 – 1195/1196) was a claimant to theByzantine Empire and the ruler ofCyprus from 1185 to 1191. Contemporary sources commonly refer to him as the emperor of Cyprus. He lost the island to KingRichard I of England during theThird Crusade.
Isaac of Cyprus was a member of the royalKomnenos family. His grandfatherIsaac had been bypassed by a younger brother,Manuel I Komnenos, in the succession to theByzantine throne, instead taking the auxiliary position ofsebastokrator. With his first wife Theodora Kamaterina (d. 1144) Isaac thesebastokrator had a daughter, Irene Komnene, who married one Doukas Kamateros and gave birth to Isaac of Cyprus,c. 1155.
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Isaac was the son of an otherwise obscure Byzantine aristocrat, Doukas Kamateros, and Irene Komnene, daughter ofsebastokratorIsaac Komnenos. He married anArmenian princess on Cyprus.
He was Aappointed governor ofIsauria and the town ofTarsus by EmperorManuel I Komnenos, and started a war against theArmenian Kingdom of Cilicia 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 emperorAndronikos I Komnenos (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. TheKnights Templar, whom Niketas Choniates labels "the Phreri," contributed as well, as part of their international banking functions.
In 1185, the Armenians released Isaac, 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 courtierStephen 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 otherRomans into his service. He created an independent patriarch of Cyprus,[who?] who crowned him as emperor in 1185.
Andronikos I was killed in a popular uprising inConstantinople on 12 September 1185. His successor,Isaac II Angelos, raised a fleet of 70 ships to take back Cyprus. Its commanders were John Kontostephanos and Alexios Komnenos, 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 byMargaritus of Brindisi, admiral of KingWilliam 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."
From the time of his coronation, Isaac quickly started to plunder Cyprus, raping women, imposing overly cruel punishments for crimes, and stealing the possessions of the citizens. "Cypriots of high esteem, comparable toJob 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 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 emperorAndronikos I Komnenos nevertheless bore responsibility for greater cruelties. A seeming league withWilliam II of Sicily, a powerful thorn in the side of the Byzantine Empire, helped Isaac hold the island for the duration of his reign, and he was also closely connected toSaladin.
Richard the Lionheart and others embarked on theThird Crusade in 1189. Early in 1191,Berengaria of Navarre, the fiancée of Richard, andJoan 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 toTyre.[1] Isaac is recorded shooting two arrows at Richard from horseback, which is notable because Byzantine horse archery is an obscure subject.[2]
The English took Isaac prisoner nearCape Apostolos Andreas on theKarpas 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 theKnights Hospitaller, who kept him imprisoned inMargat nearTripoli.
This was a major turning point in the history of Cyprus, leading to the foundation of theKingdom of Cyprus which would rule the island for several centuries.
On his return to England, King Richard granted the town ofPortsmouth the coat of arms of Isaac Komnenos: "acrescent 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.[3]
Returning to Europe after the Third Crusade, Richard was captured byLeopold V, Duke of Austria and Styria, and imprisoned byHenry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, accused of murdering his cousinConrad of Montferrat. The subsequent ransom agreement freed Isaac and his daughter into the care of Leopold V,[4] the son of Isaac's auntTheodora Komnene.[5]
Isaac then traveled to theSultanate of Rum, where he attempted to gain support against the new Byzantine emperorAlexios III Angelos, crowned in 1195. However his ambitions came to nothing, as he died of poisoning in 1195 or 1196.
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