Chronography of Cyprus
Page last modified 19 August
2023
16
March 2013,
To rescue its banks, Cyprus
announced a plan that would partially confiscate
the savings of its biggest depositors.
1 January 2008, Cyprus adopted the Euro.
2007,
Greek and Turkish Cypriots broke down the wall dividing Nicosia.
2004,
Cyprus (southern, Greek, portion) joined the EU.
2001, Turkey threatened to annex northern Cyprus.
Northern
Cyprus separated as Turkish entity 1974-83
15 November 1983, The Turkish part of Cyprus declared independence. Led by Rauf Dektash,
the �republic� was recognised only by Turkey.
3 August 1977, Archbishop Makarios, religious leader
and first President of Cyprus, died.
13 February 1975, Turkish
held northern Cyprus declared itself �The Turkish Federated State of Cyprus�.
3 January 1975. The Turkish president, Mr Bulent Ecevic, received a
hero�s welcome as he arrived in
7 December 1974, President
Makarios returned to Cyprus; however almost half of it was occupied
by Turkey.
22 July 1974. Greece and
Turkey agreed to a ceasefire in Cyprus. On 23 July 1974 Sampson
was replaced as President by Glafkos Clerides. 2,000 British and foreign
residents and tourists were evacuated by the Royal Navy.
20 July 1974. Turkey invaded northern Cyprus, after
the overthrow of Makarios.
Cyprus
independent; Greek-Turkish conflict, 1960-74
15 July 1974. In
28 January 1974, President
Grivas of Cyprus died aged 75.
8 February 1973. Makarios was re-elected President of Cyprus.
9 August 1964, The United Nations ordered a ceasefire in Cyprus.
8 August 1964. Turkish
planes attacked
4 April 1964, Archbishop
Makarios rejected the 1960 treaty; fighting broke out in Cyprus.
27 March 1964. A UN peace force took over in
9 March 1964, Fighting in Ktima, Cyprus.
11 February
1964. Fighting broke out at Limassol, Cyprus,
between Greeks and Turks.
22 December 1963, Violent
clashes between Greeks and Turks in Cyprus; UN Peace Forces intervened.
24 May 1961, Cyprus
joined the Council of Europe.
20 January 1961, Queen Elizabeth
II met Archbishop Makarios in
16 August 1960. Cyprus became independent, with Archbishop
Makarios as President.� Fazil Kuchuk, leader of the Turkish Cypriots, was Vice-President, but relations
between the two communities were strained. The island�s Greek population,
some 80% of the total, wanted union, or enosis,
with Greece. See 15 July 1974 and 3 April 1955. Britain retained military bases on the
island.
14 December 1959, Makarios III (1913-1977), Archbishop
of
1 March 1959. Archbishop Makarios returned to Cyprus, after almost three years exile.
22 February 1959, As part of
the Cyprus Agreement, Britain released all EOKA prisoners in Cyprus.
19 February 1959. Greece and
15 February 1959, Archbishop Makarios arrived in
3 October 1958, The wife
of a British soldier was shot in the back whilst shopping in Famagusta, Cyprus.
After this British soldiers rounded up 650 Greek Cypriots and beat up 250 of
them.
3 December 1957, Sir Hugh Foot became the new British
Governor of Cyprus.
4 November 1957, Sir John Harding retired as British Governor
of Cyprus.
Unrest in
Cyprus as Cypriot Greek population demanded union with Greece, but Turkey
objected on behalf of the Cypriot Turkish population
9 August 1957, The State of Emergency in Cyprus ended.
17 April 1957, Archbishop
Makarios arrived back in
28 March 1957, Britain
freed Archbishop
Makarios.
20 March 1957. Britain
favoured UN mediation over
9 March 1956. Archbishop
Makarios, implicated in
terrorism, was deported by the British from
11 January 1956, Britain
sent troops to Cyprus to restore order.
28 November 1955. A state of emergency was declared in
17 September 1955, In
Cyprus, Greek supporters of Enosis, who had been urged by Archbishop Makarios to embark on
a campaign of �passive resistance� against British troops occupying the island,
burnt down the British Institute in Nicosia. There were also attacks on British
soldiers, mostly 2-year conscripts doing National Service.
13 September 1955, The
crisis in the British colony of Cyprus worsened when EOKA called a General
Strike. Illegal marches and demonstrations by both Greeks and Turks led to
clashes.
1 April 1955, Greek EOKA terrorists led by Grivas
set off a series of bombs in Cyprus, starting a 4-year campaign against British
occupation.� Ankara sought to defend the minority Turkish population in
18
December 1954, Greeks rioted in Cyprus,
demanding union with Greece instead of British rule. Two rioters were shot
by British police as they tore down the Union Jack outside the police station
in Limassol, replacing it with the Greek flag. 42 Greek Cypriots were arrested.
Athens demanded that Cypriots be allowed to vote on the matter, knowing that
Greek Cypriots outnumbered Turks.
1
May 1925. Cyprus
became a British Crown Colony. It had been annexed by
27 January 1924. Rauf Denktash,
Turkish-Cypriot politician, was born.
12
July 1878, Turkey
ceded Cyprus to British administration.
1764, Insurrection against Tirkish rule in Cyprus
was suppressed.
7 March 1573. Venice concluded a peace with the Turks by which Venice
recognised Turkey�s sovereignty over Cyprus.
1570, The Ottomans under Selim I
took Cyprus. With an army of 60,000 men, most of the island fell quickly.
Nicosia fell after a 45 day siege, and 20,000 of its defenders were massacred
by the Turks. Fanagusta still held out, only falling in 8/1571 after nearly a
year�s siege.
14 April 1489, The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sold her
kingdom to Venice.
1376, Genoa took control of Famagusta, holding
it until 1474 when King James II reunited all of Cyprus under his
rule. James
II married Catherine Cornaro, a high-ranking Venetian
lady, to secure the support of the powerful Republic of Venice. However Catherine,
after the death of James II, felt unable to stand against the
Ottoman Turks and sold her kingdom to Venice. See 14 April 1489.
17 January 1369, Peter I of Lusignan., King of Cyprus (and,
nominally of Jerusalem� � in practice the
Muslims held Jerusalem) was murdered in his palace at Famagusta. He was
succeeded by his 14-year-old son, Peter II, Due to his youth, Peter II
was not formally crowned King of Cyprus until 1/1372 (and of �Jerusalem� in
10/1372).
1194, Amaury, brother of Guy de Lusignan,
became ruler of Cyprus. Amaury began a dynasty of feudal monarchs that
endured nearly 300 years.
1192, Guy de Lusignan became ruler of
Cyprus, until his death in 1194.
1191, Isaac Comenus, Byzantine ruler
of Cyprus, angered King Richard I of England by mistreating his Crusaders.
Richard I then seized control of Cyrus, taking Comenus captive. He then sold
Cyprus to the Knights Templars, who then resold it to Guy de Lusignan, Crusader King
of Jerusalem.
600, Cyprus was part of the Eastern Roman
Empire (Byzantium). In 644 the Muslim Arab conquests of the eastern Mediterranean
began, with control of Cyprus passing between the Arabs and Byzantium for the
next 500 years.
1500 BCE, Cyprus was under Egyptian rule.