How Richard the Lionheart Conquered Cyprus in Three Weeks — 1191

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]A storm wrecked an English king's crusader fleet [music] on the coast of Cyprus.

[00:00:03]The island's ruler seized the survivors, looted the treasure ship, and refused to release the King of England's bride.

[00:00:10]Three weeks later, [music] Richard the Lionheart conquered the entire island.

[00:00:13]His fleet had sailed from Messina for the Holy Land in April 1191.

[00:00:18]The storm scattered it. The treasure ship broke up on the coast. The vessel carrying his fiance, Berengaria of Navarre, [music] and his sister Joanna sheltered offshore at Limassol. Cyprus was ruled by Isaac Comnenus, a self-styled emperor who had broken from Constantinople. He took what the storm had given him. He had made the worst mistake of his life.

[00:00:37]Richard arrived at Limassol on the 6th of May. He demanded his people back.

[00:00:41]Isaac refused. Richard landed his army and took the city.

[00:00:45]Six days later, in the chapel of St. George at Limassol, >> [music] >> Richard married Berengaria. She was crowned Queen of England in the same ceremony, the only Queen of England ever crowned outside the kingdom. In 3 weeks, >> [music] >> Richard had taken Nicosia, Kyrenia, and the mountain castles. Isaac surrendered on one condition, that he not be put in chains of iron.

[00:01:05]So, Richard had chains made of silver and led him off his own island in soft metal. Cyprus would remain a Christian kingdom for the next 400 years. The fastest conquest of Richard the Lionheart's career was the one he never planned to make.