Post by Administrator on Dec 14, 2007 16:41:36 GMT 10
Among the more unusual foreign intrusions on Castellorizo is the occupation of the island between 1450 and (approx) 1470 by the Catalan king, Alfonso (then also the King of Naples).
With authority from Pope Nicholas V, Alfonso took the island from the Egyptian Mamelukes after a siege lasting almost two years. Alfonso's dream was to turn Castellorizo into a base for the Catalan fleet that operated in the eastern Mediterranean. Alfonso lost interest in the island soon after, and the local commander and garrison he had installed had little choice but to turn to piracy. As they did on other occasions, the Castellorizians seem not to have welcomed a Catalan 'liberation' of this nature and in November 1456 they delivered a petition to the King in which they expressed their fears regarding enslavement and abandonment.
A recent book (in Spanish) looks at this fascinating occupation in some detail based on surviving archival documents of the period held in Barcelona. For those interested in this period of the island's history who have at least a smattering of Spanish and/or Latin, the book is highly recommended.
The details are: Daniel Duran Duelt, Kastellorizo, Una isla Griega bajo dominio de Alfonso el Magnanimo (1450-1458), Barcelona 2003.
Nicholas
With authority from Pope Nicholas V, Alfonso took the island from the Egyptian Mamelukes after a siege lasting almost two years. Alfonso's dream was to turn Castellorizo into a base for the Catalan fleet that operated in the eastern Mediterranean. Alfonso lost interest in the island soon after, and the local commander and garrison he had installed had little choice but to turn to piracy. As they did on other occasions, the Castellorizians seem not to have welcomed a Catalan 'liberation' of this nature and in November 1456 they delivered a petition to the King in which they expressed their fears regarding enslavement and abandonment.
A recent book (in Spanish) looks at this fascinating occupation in some detail based on surviving archival documents of the period held in Barcelona. For those interested in this period of the island's history who have at least a smattering of Spanish and/or Latin, the book is highly recommended.
The details are: Daniel Duran Duelt, Kastellorizo, Una isla Griega bajo dominio de Alfonso el Magnanimo (1450-1458), Barcelona 2003.
Nicholas