THE CAMPAIGN IN CYPRUS.
1190
The expedition is at last ready to sail from Sicily.--The grand
spectacle of the embarkation at Messina.--The order of
sailing.--Trenc-le-mer.--The storm.--Navigation in the twelfth
century.--Limesol in Cyprus.--The wrecked ships.--King Richard's
seal.--The wreckers.--Isaac Comnenus.--Law and justice.--Law is
not the creator, but the protector of property.--Joanna's
inquiries for her brother.--An alarm.--A retreat.--Richard's
vessel appears.--Richard's indignation on meeting Joanna's
vessel.--Richard's contest with King Isaac Comnenus.--The history
of the law of wrecks.--Richard having landed, Isaac asks
a truce.--Negotiating.--Richard was a Norman, not an
Englishman.--Preparing for war.--King Richard's battle-axe.--The
conquest of Limesol.--Signaling for the queen's galley.--The
terms of peace which Richard offered to Isaac.--How Richard
faithlessly took King Isaac a prisoner.--King Richard subjugates
Cyprus.--The miserable death of King Isaac.--Richard's wedding at
last.--A coronation.--The king's accoutrement.--Favelle.--The
appearance of Berengaria.--
The time at length fully arrived for the departure of the English
fleet from Sicily for the purpose of continuing the voyage to the Holy
Land. Besides the delay which had been occasioned to Richard by
circumstances connected with his marriage, he had waited also a short
time for some store-ships to arrive from England with ammunition and
supplies. When the store-ships at length came, the day for the sailing
was immediately appointed, the tents were struck, the encampment
abandoned, and the troops embarked on board the ships of the fleet.
The Sicilians were all greatly excited, as the sailing of the fleet
drew nigh, with anticipations of the splendor of the spectacle. The
harbor was filled with ships of every form and size, and the movements
connected with the embarkation of the troops on board of them, the
striking of the tents, the packing up of furniture and goods, the
hurrying of men to and fro, the crowding at the landings, the rapid
transit of boats back and forth between the ships and the shore, and
all the other scenes and incidents usually attendant on the
embarkation of a great army, occupied the attention of the people of
the country, and filled them with excitement and pleasure. It is
highly probable, too, that their pleasure was increased by the
prospect that they were soon to be relieved from the presence of such
troublesome and unmanageable visitors.
Never was a finer spectacle witnessed than that which was displayed by
the sailing of the fleet, when the day for the departure of it at
length arrived. The squadron consisted of nearly two hundred vessels
in all. There were thirteen great ships, corresponding to what are
called ships of the line of modern times. Then there were over fifty
galleys. These were constructed so as to be propelled either by oars
or by sails. Of course, when the wind was favorable, the sails would
be used; but in case of calms, or of adverse winds blowing off from
the land when the vessels were entering port, or of currents drifting
them into danger, then the oars could be brought into requisition. In
addition to these ships and galleys, there were about a hundred
vessels used as transports for the conveyance of provisions, stores,
tents, and tent equipage, ammunition of all kinds, including the
frames of the military engines which Richard had caused to be
constructed in Sicily, and all the other supplies required for the use
of a great army. Besides these there were a great many other smaller
vessels, which were used as tenders, lighters, and for other such
purposes, making a total number of nearly two hundred. In the order of
sailing, the transports followed the ships and galleys, which were
more properly the ships of war, and which led the van, in order the
better to meet any danger which might appear, and the more effectually
to protect the convoy from it.
Richard sailed at the head of his fleet in a splendid galley, which
was appropriated to his special use. The name of it was the Sea
Cutter.[E] There was a huge lantern hoisted in the stern of Richard's
galley, in order that the rest of the fleet could see and follow her
in the night.
[Footnote E: _Trenc-le-mer_, literally, _Cut the sea_.]
[Illustration: MAP ILLUSTRATING THE HISTORY OF KING RICHARD'S
CRUSADE]
The day of sailing was very fine, and the spectacle, witnessed by the
Sicilians on shore, who watched the progress of it from every
projecting point and headland as it moved majestically out of the
harbor, was extremely grand. For some time the voyage went on very
prosperously, but at length the sky gradually became overcast, and the
wind began to blow, and finally a great storm came on before the ships
had time to seek any shelter. In those days there was no mariner's
compass, and of course, in a storm, when the sun and stars were
concealed, there was nothing to be done but for the ship to grope her
way through the haze and rain for any land which might be near. The
violence of the wind and the raging of the sea was in this case so
great that the fleet was soon dispersed, and the vessels were driven
northward and eastward toward certain islands which lie in that part
of the Mediterranean, off the coasts of Asia Minor. The three
principal of these islands, as you will see by the opposite map, are
Candia, Rhodes, and Cyprus, Cyprus lying farther toward the east.
The ships came very near being wrecked on the coast of Crete, but they
escaped and were driven onward over the sea, until at length a large
portion of them found refuge at Rhodes. Others were driven on toward
Cyprus. Richard's galley was among those that found refuge at Rhodes;
but, unfortunately, the one in which Berengaria and Joanna were borne
did not succeed in making a port there, but was swept onward by the
gale, and, in company with one or two others, was driven to the mouth
of the harbor of Limesol, which is the principal port of Cyprus, and
is situated on the south side of the island. The galley in which the
queen and the princess were embarked, being probably of superior
construction to the others, and better manned, succeeded in weathering
the point and getting round into the harbor, but two or three other
galleys which were with them struck and were wrecked. One of these
ships was a very important one. It contained the chancellor who bore
Richard's great seal, besides a number of other knights and crusaders
of high rank, and many valuable goods. The seal was an object of great
value. Every king had his own seal, which was used to authenticate his
public acts. The one which belonged to Richard is represented in the
following engraving.
As soon as the news of these wrecks spread into the island, the people
came down in great numbers, and took possession of every thing of
value which was cast upon the shore as property forfeited to the king
of the country. The name of this king was Isaac Comnenus.
He claimed that all wrecks cast upon his shores were his property.
That was the law of the land; it was, in fact, the law of a great many
countries in those days, especially of such as had maritime coasts
bordering on navigable waters that were specially exposed to storms.
[Illustration: KING RICHARD'S SEAL.]
Thus, in seizing the wreck of Richard's vessels, King Isaac had the
law on his side, and all those who, in their theory of government,
hold it as a principle that law is the foundation of property, and
that what the law makes right is right, must admit that he had justice
on his side too. For my part, it seems clear that the right of
property is anterior to all law, and independent of it. I think that
the province of law is not to create property, but to protect it, and
that it may, instead of protecting it, become the greatest violator of
it. This law providing for the confiscation of property cast in wrecks
upon a shore, and its forfeiture to the sovereign of the territory, is
one of the most striking instances of aggression made by law on the
natural and indefeasible rights of man.
In regard to the galley which contained the queens, that having
escaped shipwreck, and having safely anchored in the harbor, the king
had no pretext for molesting it in any way. He learned by some means
that Queen Joanna was on board the galley; so he sent two boats down
with a messenger, to inquire whether her majesty would be pleased to
land.
Stephen of Turnham, the knight who had command of the queen's galley,
thought it not safe to go on shore, for by doing so Joanna and
Berengaria would put themselves entirely in King Isaac's power; and
though it was true that Isaac and the people of Cyprus over whom he
ruled were Christians, yet they were of the Greek Church, while
Richard and the English were Roman, and these two churches were
almost as hostile to each other as the Christians and the Turks.
Stephen, however, communicated the message from Isaac to Joanna, and
asked her majesty's pleasure thereupon. She sent back word to the
messengers that she did not wish to land. She had only come into the
harbor, she said, to see if she could learn any tidings of her
brother; she had been separated from him by a great storm at sea,
which had broken up and dispersed the fleet, and she wished to know
whether any thing had been seen of him, or of any of his vessels, from
the shores of that island.
The messengers replied that they did not know any thing about it, and
so the boats returned back to the town. Soon after this the company on
board the galley saw some armed vessels coming down the harbor toward
them. They were alarmed at this sight, and immediately got every thing
ready for setting off at a moment's notice to withdraw from the
harbor. It turned out that the king himself was on board one of the
galleys that was coming down, and this vessel was allowed to come near
enough for the king to communicate with the people on board Joanna's
galley. After some ordinary questions had been asked and answered,
the king, observing that a lady of high rank was standing on the deck
with Joanna, asked who it was. They answered that it was the Princess
of Navarre, who was going to be married to Richard. In the reply which
the king made to this intelligence Stephen of Turnham thought he saw
such indications of hostility that he deemed it most prudent to
retire; so the anchor was raised, and the order was given to the
oarsmen, who had already been stationed at their oars, to "give way,"
and the oarsmen pulled vigorously at the oars. The galley was
immediately taken out into the offing. The King of Cyprus did not
pursue her; so she anchored there quietly, the storm having now nearly
subsided. Stephen resolved to wait there for a time, hoping that in
some way or other he might soon receive intelligence from Richard.
Nor was he disappointed. Richard, whose galley, together with the
principal portion of the fleet, had been driven farther to the
eastward, had found refuge at Rhodes, and he set off, as soon as the
storm abated, in pursuit of the missing vessels. He took with him a
sufficient force to render to the vessels, if he should find them,
such assistance or protection as might be necessary. At length he
reached Cyprus, and, on entering the bay, there he beheld the galley
of Joanna and Berengaria riding safely at anchor in the offing. The
sea had not yet gone down, and the vessel was rolling and tossing on
the waves in a fearful manner. Richard was greatly enraged at
beholding this spectacle, for he at once inferred, by seeing the
vessel in this uncomfortable situation outside the harbor, that some
difficulty with the authorities had occurred which prevented her
seeking refuge and protection within. Accordingly, as soon as he came
near, he leaped into a boat, although burdened as he was with heavy
armor of steel, which was a difficult and somewhat dangerous
operation, and ordered himself to be rowed immediately on board.
When he arrived, after the first greetings were over, he was informed
by Stephen that three of the vessels of his fleet had been wrecked on
the coast; that Isaac, the king, had seized them as his lawful prize;
and that, at that very time, men that he had sent for this purpose
were plundering the wrecks. Stephen also said that he had at first
gone into the harbor with his galley, but that the indications of an
unfriendly feeling on the part of the king were so decided that he
did not dare to stay, and he had been compelled to come out into the
offing.
On hearing these things Richard was greatly enraged. He sent a
messenger on shore to the king to demand peremptorily that he should
at once leave off plundering the wrecks of the English ships, and that
he should deliver up to Richard again all the goods that had already
been taken. To this demand Isaac replied that whatever goods the sea
cast upon the shores of his island were his property, according to the
law of the land, and that he should take them without asking leave of
any body.
When Richard heard this answer, he was rather pleased than displeased
with it, for it gave him, what he always wanted wherever he went, a
pretext for quarreling. He said that the goods which Isaac obtained in
that way he would find would cost him pretty dear, and he immediately
prepared for war.
In this transaction there is no question that the King of Cyprus,
though wholly wrong, and guilty of a real and inexcusable violation of
the rights of property, had yet the law on his side. It was one of
those cases, of which innumerable examples have existed in all ages of
the world, where an act which is virtually the robbing of one man by
another is authorized by law, and is protected by legal sanctions.
This rule--confiscating property wrecked--was the general law of
Europe at this time, and Richard, of all men, might have considered
himself estopped from objecting to it by the fact that it was the law
in England as well as every where else. By the ancient common law of
England, all wrecks of every kind became the property of the king. The
severity of the rule had been slightly mitigated a few reigns before
Richard's day by a statute which declared that if any living thing
escaped from the wreck, even were it so much as a dog or a cat, that
circumstance saved the property from confiscation, and preserved the
claim of the owner to it. With this modification, the law stood in
England until a very late period, that all goods thrown from wrecks
upon the shores became the property of the crown, and it was not until
comparatively quite a recent period that an English judge decided that
such a principle, being contrary to justice and common sense, was not
law; and now wrecked property is restored to whomsoever can prove
himself to be the owner, on his paying for the expense and trouble of
saving it.
On receiving the demand which Richard sent him, the King of Cyprus,
anticipating difficulty, drew up his galleys in order of battle across
the harbor, and marched troops down to commanding positions on the
shore, wherever he thought there might be any danger that Richard
would attempt to land. Richard very soon brought up his forces and
advanced to attack him. Isaac's troops retreated as Richard advanced.
Finally they were driven back without much actual contest into the
town, and Richard then brought his squadron up into harbor and landed.
Isaac, seeing how much stronger Richard was than he, did not attempt
any serious resistance, but retired to the citadel. From the citadel
he sent out a flag of truce demanding a parley.
Richard granted the request, and an interview took place, but it led
to no result. Richard found that Isaac was not yet absolutely subdued.
He still asserted his rights, and complained of the gross wrong which
Richard was perpetrating in invading his dominions, and seeking a
quarrel with him without cause; but the effect was like that of the
lamb attempting to resist or recriminate the wolf, which, far from
bringing the aggressor to reason, only awakens more strongly his
ferocity and rage. Richard turned toward his attendants, and, uttering
a profane exclamation, said that Isaac talked like a fool of a Briton.
It is mentioned as a remarkable circumstance by the historians that
Richard spoke these words in English, and it is said that this was the
only time in the course of his life that he ever used that language.
It may seem very strange to the reader that an English king should not
ordinarily use the English language. But, strictly speaking, Richard
was not an English king. He was a Norman king. The whole dynasty to
which he belonged were Norman French in all their relations. Normandy
they regarded as the chief seat of their empire. There were their
principal cities--there their most splendid palaces. There they lived
and reigned, with occasional excursions for comparatively brief
periods across the Channel. They considered England much as the
present English sovereigns do Ireland, namely, as a conquered country,
which had become a possession and a dependency upon the crown, but not
in any sense the seat of empire, and they utterly despised the native
inhabitants. In view of these facts, the wonder that Richard, the King
of England, never spoke the English tongue at once disappears.
The conference broke up, and both sides prepared for war. Isaac,
finding that he was not strong enough to resist such a horde of
invaders as Richard brought with him, withdrew from his capital and
retired to a fortress among the mountains. Richard then easily took
possession of the town. A moderate force had been left to protect it;
but Richard, promising his troops plenty of booty when they should get
into it, led the way, waving his battle-axe in the air.
This battle-axe was a very famous weapon. It was one which Richard had
caused to be made for himself before leaving England, and it was the
wonder of the army on account of its size and weight. The object of a
battle-axe was to break through the steel armor with which the knights
and warriors of those days were accustomed to cover themselves, and
which was proof against all ordinary blows. Now Richard was a man of
prodigious personal strength, and, when fitting out his expedition in
England, he caused an unusually large and heavy battle-axe to be made
for himself, by way of showing his men what he could do in swinging a
heavy weapon. The head of this axe, or hammer, as perhaps it might
more properly have been called, weighed twenty pounds, and most
marvelous stories were told of the prodigious force of the blow that
Richard could strike with it. When it came down on the head of a
steel-clad knight on his horse, it broke through every thing, they
said, and crushed man and horse both to the ground.
* * * * *
The assault on Limesol was successful. The people made but a feeble
resistance. Indeed, they had no weapons which could possibly enable
them to stand a moment against the Crusaders. They were half naked,
and their arms were little better than clubs and stones. They were, in
consequence, very easily driven off the ground, and Richard took
possession of the city.
He then immediately made a signal for Joanna's galley--which, during
all this time, had remained at the mouth of the harbor--to advance.
The galley accordingly came up, and Joanna and the princess were
received by the whole army at the landing with loud acclamations. They
were immediately conducted into the town, and there were lodged
splendidly in the best of Isaac's palaces.
But the contest was not yet ended. The place to which Isaac had
retreated was a city which he possessed in the interior of the island
called Nicosia. From this place he sent a messenger to Richard to
propose another conference, with a view of attempting once more to
agree upon some terms of peace. Richard agreed to this, and a place of
meeting was appointed on a plain near Limesol, the port. King Isaac,
accompanied by a suitable number of attendants, repaired to this
place, and the conference was opened. Richard was mounted on a
favorite Spanish charger, and was splendidly dressed in silk and gold.
He assumed a very lofty bearing and demeanor toward his humbled enemy,
and informed him in a very summary manner on what terms alone he was
willing to make peace.
"I will make peace with you," said Richard, "on condition that you
hold your kingdom henceforth subject to me. You are to deliver up all
the castles and strongholds to me, and do me homage as your
acknowledged sovereign. You are also to pay me an ample indemnity in
gold for the damage you did to my wrecked galleys. I shall expect you,
moreover, to join me in the crusade. You must accompany me to the
Holy Land with not less than five hundred foot-soldiers, four hundred
horsemen, and one hundred full-armed knights. For security that you
will faithfully fulfill these conditions, you must put the princess,
your daughter, into my hands as a hostage. Then, in case your conduct
while in my service in the Holy Land is in all respects perfectly
satisfactory, I will restore your daughter, and also your castles, to
you on my return."
Isaac's daughter was a very beautiful young princess. She was
extremely beloved by her father, and was highly honored by the people
of the land as the heir to the crown.
These conditions were certainly very hard, but the poor king was in no
condition to resist any demands that Richard might choose to make.
With much distress and anguish of mind, he pretended to agree to these
terms, though he secretly resolved that he could not and would not
submit to them. Richard suspected his sincerity, and, in utter
violation of all honorable laws and usages of war, he made him a
prisoner, and set guards over him to watch him until the stipulations
should be carried into effect. Isaac contrived to escape from his
keepers in the night, and, putting himself at the head of such troops
as he could obtain, prepared for war, with the determination to resist
to the last extremity.
Richard now resolved to proceed at once to take the necessary measures
for the complete subjugation of the island. He organized a large body
of land forces, and directed them to advance into the interior of the
country, and put down all resistance. At the same time, he placed
himself at the head of his fleet, and, sailing round the island, he
took possession of all the towns and fortresses on the shore. He also
seized every ship and every boat, large and small, that he could find,
and thus entirely cut off from King Isaac all chance of escaping by
sea. In the mean time, the unhappy monarch, with the few troops that
still adhered to him, was driven from place to place, until at last he
was completely hemmed in, and was compelled to fight or surrender.
They fought. The result was what might have been expected. Richard was
victorious. The capital, Limesol, fell into his hands, and the king
and his daughter were taken prisoners.
The princess was greatly terrified when she was brought into Richard's
presence. She fell on her knees before him, and cried,
"My lord the king, have mercy upon me!"
Richard put forth his hand to lift her up, and then sent her to
Berengaria.
"I give her to you," said he, "for an attendant and companion."
The king was almost broken-hearted at having his daughter taken away
from him. He threw himself at Richard's feet, and begged him, with the
most earnest entreaty, to restore him his child. Richard paid no heed
to this request, but ordered Isaac to be taken away. Soon after this
he sent him across the sea to Tripoli in Syria, and there shut him up
in the dungeon of a castle, a hopeless prisoner. The unhappy captive
was secured in his dungeon by chains; but, in honor of his rank, the
chains, by Richard's directions, were made of silver, overlaid with
gold. The poor king pined in this place of confinement for four years,
and then died.
As soon as Isaac had gone, and things had become somewhat settled.
Richard found himself undisputed master of Cyprus, and he resolved to
annex the island to his own dominions.
"And now," said he to himself, "it will be a good time for me to be
married."
So, after making the necessary arrangements for assembling his whole
fleet again, and repairing the damages which had been sustained by the
storm, he began to make preparations for the wedding. Berengaria made
no objection to this. Indeed, the fright which she had suffered at sea
in being separated from Richard, and the anxiety she had endured when,
after the storm, she gazed in every direction all around the horizon,
and could see no signs in any quarter of his ship, and when,
consequently, she feared that he might be lost, made her extremely
unwilling to be separated from him again.
The marriage was celebrated with great pomp and splendor, and many
feasts and entertainments, and public parades, and celebrations
followed, to commemorate the event. Among the other grand ceremonies
was a coronation--a double coronation. Richard caused himself to be
crowned King of Cyprus, and Berengaria Queen of England and of Cyprus
too.
The dress in which Richard appeared on these occasions is minutely
described. He wore a rose-colored satin tunic, which was fastened by a
jeweled belt about his waist. Over this was a mantle of striped silver
tissue, brocaded with silver half-moons. He wore an elegant and very
costly sword too. The blade was of Damascus steel, the hilt was of
gold, and the scabbard was of silver, richly engraved in scales. On
his head he wore a scarlet bonnet, brocaded in gold with figures of
animals. He bore in his hand what was called a truncheon, which was a
sort of sceptre, very splendidly covered and adorned.
He had an elegant horse--a Spanish charger--and wherever he went this
horse was led before him, with the bits, and stirrups, and all the
metallic mountings of the saddle and bridle in gold. The crupper was
adorned with two golden lions, figured with their paws raised in the
act of striking each other. Richard obtained another horse in Cyprus
among the spoils that he acquired there, and which afterward became
his favorite. His name was Favelle, though in some of the old annals
he is called Faunelle. This horse acquired great fame by the strength
and courage, and also the great sagacity, that he displayed in the
various battles that he was engaged in with his master. Indeed, at
last, he became quite a historical character.
Richard himself was a tall and well-formed man, and altogether a very
fine-looking man, and in this costume, with his yellow curls and
bright complexion, he appeared, they said, a perfect model of
military and manly grace.
There is a representation of Berengaria extant which is supposed to
show her as she appeared at this time. Her hair is parted in the
middle in front, and hangs down in long tresses behind. It is covered
with a veil, open on each side, like a Spanish mantilla. The veil is
fastened to her head by a royal diadem resplendent with gold and gems,
and is surmounted with a _fleur de lis_, with so much foliage added to
it as to give it the appearance of a double crown, in allusion to her
being the queen both of Cyprus and of England.
The whole time occupied by these transactions in Cyprus was only about
a month, and now, since every thing had been finished to his
satisfaction, Richard began to think once more of prosecuting his
voyage.