The image of Cyprus in Sanudo's 'Diarii' : a study of the history of Venetian Cyprus from the entries in Marino Sanudo's 'Diarii' written between 1496 and 1533

Abstract

The present dissertation will look at the history of the island of Cyprus in the period 1496 to 1533 through the eyes of the Early Modem diarist Marino Sanudo (sometimes his name is given as Sanuto ). The diaries of Sanudo are a source of information for the history not only of Venice at the tum of the fourteenth to fifteenth centuries but also for all those places which Venice was in contract with or directly controlled. Sanudo's diaries can be the source of information for a myriad of topics, among which the war between the Mamelukes and Ottomans and the subsequent annexation of the Mameluke lands to those of the Ottoman Empire, the wars between Persia and the Ottoman Empire, and chronicles from the lands that Venice controlled. The Diaries of Saanudo have been widely used in different studies and therefore this study will not be the only study that has consulted and used Sanudo's diaries to shed light on the period in question. As regards Cyprus itself, Sanudo has also been used by historians who have attempted to write the history of Venetian Cyprus. However, while all previous studies, especially the monumental History of Cyprus written by George Hill, have used Sanudo as one of their sources and together with other sources gave a picture of the history of VeneitianCyprus, this study will work the other way round. It will base the study of Venetian Cyprus on the information which is given by Sanudo himself. Other sources will be obviously used, including Hill, because from Sanudo alone one cannot have a completely full picture of Cyprus was happening, and some aspects need to be understood fully otherwise information from Sanudo would not make sense. But these sources will act as fillers for Sanudo or act to strengthen what Sanudo writes. This study will as much as possible give a picture of Cyprus from Sanudo's Diaries. For this reason other sources used will be kept to a minimum number. The present study will attempt to: i) give a picture of the history of Venetian Cyprus between 1496 and 1533, the period covered by the diaries; ii) touch topics which either have previously been overlooked by other historians of Venetian Cyprus or dealt very little with, by using Sanudo's perspective; iii) use the topics which are already dealt with in other sources, mainly Hill and expand on them by using information from Sanudo; iv) give a complete picture of the historical background which Venetian Cyprus needs to be studied in. In an attempt to put Venetian Cyprus and understand better its subtleties a chapter positioning Cyprus within a broader Eastern Mediterranean reality and within a specific historical continuum will be attempted. Both will mainly be attempted through entries found in Sanudo's diaries. To understand better the events narrated in Sanudo it is necessary to have an idea of what was happening around Cyprus. This period saw the consolidation of the Ottoman Hegemony on the Eastern Mediterranean and whatever happened in Cyprus was also the result of the power play that occurred in this period in the Mediterranean. A brief chronicle of the history of Cyprus up to the Venetian annexation of Cyprus from Queen Caterina is also essential in this context.