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166 Hakalmaz Turaç

which three suffragan dioceses were placed. The archdiocese was sit-
uated in Nicosia and the suffragan bishoprics were established in Pa-
phos, Famagusta, and Lemessos .
56
Later, the emperor, Henry VI, sent his envoys, bishop Conrad of
Hildesheim, and Adolf, Count of Holstein, to Cyprus, and Aimery was
crowned king in September 1197 . Aimery’s efforts to achieve this
57
were long-term: to gain the emperor’s sympathies, he had already
given privileges to the citizens of Trani in Apulia to travel and to trade
in Cyprus in May 1196 . In the same year Aimery granted money to
58
the Teutonic Order in Palestine and again, in February 1198, granted
lands and privileges to collect alms for the Order and freed them from
taxes in Cyprus . The Teutonic Order was newly established and en-
59
joyed the favor of the emperor and the pope, so supporting the Order
was beneficial for Aimery’s cause in two ways: first, Aimery needed
support in controlling and defending his lands in Cyprus, and, sec-
ondly, he had an opportunity to gain the support of the papacy and
the emperor at the same time .
60
The Lusignans seem to have managed the process of the establish-
ment of the Church efficiently. It has been stated that the newly es-
tablished Latin Church obtained properties and privileges from the
former Orthodox institutions on the island. This is true to a degree,
but the Lusignans were aware that they had to rely on Greek loyalty
to be able to rule the island. Greeks were employed in various posi-
tions, and their church, although impoverished, survived, operating
with a sort of autonomy in daily activities . Moreover, the properties
61
taken over by the new rulers and the Latin Church were not only the
ones that had hitherto been in the control of the Orthodox bishops.
There was also a considerable amount of deserted land that had

56 Cartulary, n.1-4, 8; Synodicum, n. X.1-X.3. For the church organization, see also
C. Schabel, Religion cit., p. 171; N. Coureas, The Latin Church in Cyprus cit., 4.
57 Aimery is described as king in the letters of late 1196 and early 1197. See R.
Hiestand, Papsturkunden für Kirchen im Heiligen Lande. Vorarbeiten zum Oriens Pon-
tificius III, Abhandl., cxxxvi, Göttingen, 1985, p. 362; Rrh, n. 729; L. Mas Latrie, Histoire
vol. 2 cit., p. 30; Bullarium vol. 1, pp. 102-4, 105-108, n. a-3, a-5; P. Edbury, The King-
dom of Cyprus cit., p. 31; Idem, Franks in A. Nicolaou-Konnari, C. Schabel, (eds.), Cy-
prus Society and Culture, p. 67.
58 L. Mas Latrie, Histoire vol. 2 cit., p. 30, Rrh, n. 729.
59 E. Strehlke, Tabulae Ordinis Theutonici cit., pp. 27-28, n. 34.
60 H. Houben, The Teutonic Knights in Palestine, Armenia, and Cyprus cit., p. 151; In
1190, Guy of Lusignan promised the Teutonic Knights (not then elevated into an Order)
a hospital and fulfilled this as soon as he captured Acre, see E. Strehlke, Tabulae Ordinis
Theutonici cit., p. 22, n. 25.
61 P. Edbury, Kingdoms of the Crusaders, XX cit., p. 6; Wilbrand stated that there
were 12 Greek bishoprics and 1 archbishopric on the island, see Wilbrand of Oldenburg,
Peregrinatio, in C. D. Cobham, (ed.), Excerpta Cypria cit., p. 180.

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XIX - Aprile 2022
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