On this day, May 17, various significant events took place in the medieval and modern history of Cyprus, the most important of which was the final victory and conquest of Cyprus by Richard the Lionheart in 1191

1191 Cyprus in the hands of Leontokardos

Isaac Comnenus suffers a crushing defeat

On May 17, 1191, the final clash between the armies of Isaac Comnenus and Richard Leoncard took place, resulting in the latter’s complete victory in Cyprus. The battle on May 17, 1191 is reported to have taken place at Tremithousa, which was either present-day Tremetousia in Mesaoria or present-day Kokkinotremithia, near Nicosia, which was then called Tremithous.

1664 Archbishop Nikiforos

Seeks assistance from Venice to free Cyprus from the Ottoman Turks

Archbishop Nikiforos sends a request to the Most Serene Republic of Venice on May 17, 1664, asking for assistance in liberating Cyprus from Ottoman Turkish rule or in its reconquest, in which Nikiforos also provides details on the political, military, and economic situation in Cyprus.

1842 Aziz Pasha

New Governor of Cyprus

Aziz Pasha assumes the office of governor on May 17, 1842, and immediately raises taxes from 3 to 4 million grosia, plus one million in rental income. A delegation of Greek notables is sent to the sultan to request a reduction in taxes and the replacement of Aziz.

He had previously served as governor of Mytilene. In Cyprus, he succeeded the (Cypriot) governor Said Mehmet at a time when the Sublime Porte had decided on a rapid rotation of governors, which hindered the implementation of improvements. Aziz had a reputation as a fair and steady man, but the orders he received were to raise taxes from two to three million grosia, in addition to the income from leased estates, which amounted to another million.

Furthermore, the salaries of civil servants with the exception of the governor’s would continue to be paid by the Cypriots, who numbered 100,000 at the time. For these reasons, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, rich and poor alike, received the new governor with coldness.

To relieve the island of these heavy burdens, two of Cyprus’s leading Greek figures rushed to Constantinople to take action with the Sultan’s central government. There was even a suspicion that the secret aim of their mission was to try to secure the reappointment of Said Mehmet for a fourth term as governor, so that they could have him as an ally in implementing the old tax system. But instead, Etchem Pasha was appointed as Aziz’s successor.

The administration of Cyprus was in the hands of the governor and his council, which consisted of the mufti, the mullah, four Turks, and two Greeks—elected by the Turkish and Greek populations, respectively—with the archbishop also serving on the council.

1941 Strike

First direct confrontation with the British colonial government

On May 17, 1941, the first direct confrontation between government employees and the colonial government took place. Four hundred construction workers at the military hospital waged a fierce struggle until May 30.

1951 KEO Beer

Launched on the Cypriot market

According to newspaper advertisements from the time, cypriot KEO beer was first launched on May 17, 1951. KEΟ beer was designed by Czech brewers based on the renowned Czech tradition of lager beers, taking Cyprus’s climatic conditions seriously into account.