View source for Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus

{{Infobox royalty
| type         = monarch
| name         = Isaac Komnenos
| succession   = Emperor in Cyprus
| moretext     = 
| image        = File:Tetarteron, Byzantine, Isaac Comnenus, 1185-1191.jpg
| caption      = ''[[Tetarteron]]'' coin minted in Isaac's name in Cyprus: left, bust of [[Christ Pantokrator]]; right, bust of Isaac in the regalia of a Byzantine emperor
| reign        = 1185&nbsp;– 1191
| coronation   = 
| predecessor  = [[Andronikos I Komnenos]] <small>(as [[Byzantine Emperor]])</small>
| regent       = 
| successor    = [[Guy of Lusignan]] <small>(as [[King of Cyprus]])</small>
| issue        = 
| house        = [[Komnenos]]
| spouse       = Unnamed Armenian princess
| father       = 
| mother       = Irene Komnene
| birth_date   = 1155
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = 1196 (age {{circa|41}})
| death_place  = [[Sultanate of Rum]]<br /><small>(now in [[Turkey]])</small>
| place of burial = 
| religion     = [[Roman Orthodox]]
}}
'''Isaac Doukas Komnenos''' (or '''Ducas Comnenus''',{{efn|{{langx|el|Ἰσαάκιος Δούκας Κομνηνός|Isaakios Doukas Komnēnos}}}} c. 1155 &ndash; 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 [[Richard I of England]] during the [[Third Crusade]].

==Family==

Isaac of Cyprus was a member of the royal [[Komnenos]] family. His grandfather [[Isaac Komnenos (son of John II)|Isaac]] had been bypassed by a younger brother, [[Manuel I Komnenos]], in the succession to the [[Byzantine]] throne, instead taking the auxiliary position of ''[[sebastokrator]]''. 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, {{circa|1155}}.

==Life==
[[File:Cape Apostolos Andrea (Zafer Burnu) at Cyprus.jpg|right|frame|Cape Andreas, where Isaac is said to have been taken prisoner by the Crusaders]]
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 (son of John II)|Isaac Komnenos]]. He married an [[Armenians|Armenian]] princess on Cyprus.

===Governor and prison===

Appointed governor of [[Isauria]] and the town of [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]] by Emperor [[Manuel I Komnenos]], Isaac started a war against the [[Armenian 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 emperor [[Andronikos I Komnenos]] (1183&ndash;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]], 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 [[Names of the Greeks#Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι)|Romans]] into his service. He created an independent patriarch of Cyprus,{{who?|date=April 2025}} who crowned him as emperor in 1185.

Andronikos I was killed in a popular uprising at [[Constantinople]] on 12 September 1185. His successor, [[Isaac II Angelos]], raised a fleet of 70 ships to take back Cyprus. Its commanders were [[John Kontostephanos (son of Isaac)|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]], 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 (person)|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 [[Andronikos I Komnenos]] 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]], sultan of Egypt and Syria.

===Third Crusade===
[[Richard I of England|Richard the Lionheart]] and others embarked on the [[Third Crusade]] in 1189. Early in 1191, [[Berengaria of Navarre]], the fiancée of Richard, and [[Joan of England, Queen of Sicily|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, Lebanon|Tyre.]]<ref>Wolff, Robert L. and Hazard, H. W., ''A History of the Crusades: Volume Two, The Later Crusades 1187-1311'', The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1977, pp. 599-603, 759.</ref> Isaac is recorded shooting two arrows at Richard from horseback, which is notable because Byzantine horse archery is an obscure subject.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Heath |first1=Ian |title=Byzantine Armies AD 1118–1461 |date=1995 |publisher=Bloomsbury USA |isbn=9781855323476 |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SEwhvgAACAAJ |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:City Flag of Portsmouth.svg|thumb|150px|The City Flag of [[Portsmouth]], still bearing what had been Isaac Komnenos' arms]]
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]], who kept him imprisoned in [[Margat]] near [[Tripoli, Lebanon|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]] the coat of arms of Isaac Komnenos: "a [[crescent]] 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.{{sfn|Quail|1994|pp=14–18}} 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]], accused of murdering his cousin [[Conrad of Montferrat]]. The subsequent ransom agreement freed Isaac and his daughter into the care of Leopold V,<ref>Boyle, ''The Troubador's Song'', p.182</ref> the son of Isaac's aunt [[Theodora Komnene, Duchess of Austria|Theodora Komnene]].<ref>Boyle, p.83</ref>

Isaac then traveled to the [[Sultanate of Rum|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==
{{main|Damsel of Cyprus}}
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, Queen of Sicily|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.<ref>Boyle, p.83, 182</ref>

Later she lived in [[Provence]], where in 1199 she again encountered Joan, now married to [[Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse]]. 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 (flourished 1197–1207)|Thierry of Flanders]], an illegitimate son of Count [[Philip I of Flanders]]. The couple sailed from [[Marseille]] in 1204 with a convoy of warriors who intended to join the [[Fourth Crusade]], but on reaching Cyprus, they attempted to claim the island as inheritors of Isaac. The attempt failed, and they fled to Armenia.<ref>Boyle, p.268</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==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. {{ISBN|978-1-78093-767-0}}
*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.&nbsp;99–117
*''The [[Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium]]'', Oxford University Press, 1991
*Rudt de Collenberg, W. H., 'L'empereur Isaac de Chypre et sa fille (1155–1207)', ''Byzantion'' 38 (1968), 123–77
* {{cite book |title=The Origins of Portsmouth and the First Charter |last=Quail |first=Sarah |year=1994 |publisher=City of Portsmouth |isbn=0-901559-92-X}}

==External links==
*[http://www.roman-emperors.org/isaacc.htm Roman Emperors webpage] brief biography
{{Rebellion and secession in Byzantium, 1182–1205}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komnenos, Isaac}}
[[Category:Komnenos dynasty|Isaac]]
[[Category:Byzantine usurpers]]
[[Category:1150s births]]
[[Category:1190s deaths]]
[[Category:12th-century Byzantine people]]
[[Category:Byzantine governors of Cyprus]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox monarchs]]
[[Category:Christians of the Third Crusade]]