Cyprus History

Detailed History

1100 BC
In the late Bronze Age the Mycenaean Achaeans (Greek) colonisation of Cyprus occurred, establishing the roots of Greek civilization now in Cyprus.

715 BC
Assyria ruled Cyprus, subsequently followed by Persian rule, Macedonian rule , Egyptian rule and the rule of the Roman Empire

410 BC
Cyprus gained a form of Independence from the Roman Empire

333 BC
Independence was subsequently lost to the East Roman Empire

1191
The crusaders conquered Cyprus and founded the independent feudal Kingdom of Cyprus. During that time the island was still mainly inhabited by Greeks.

1489
Cyprus was conquered by the Venetian Republic.

1571
The island was conquered by the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire. From this time Turks who were mainly Muslins emigrated to the island. During this time the Ottoman system of ruling seems to have allowed the Muslims (mostly Turks) and Greek Orthodox (mostly Greeks) to co-exist peacefully together.

1821
The rebellion on the Greek mainland and throughout the Aegean islands (but not in Cyprus) began a century of bitter struggle between Greeks and Turks for the separation of the two cultures.

1878
Turkey handed over the administration of Cyprus to Britain, while retaining sovereign rights to the island. Britain was interested in Cyprus’s strategic position as a base to control Russian encroachment into the Ottoman Empire. Although the plans were never executed by Britain, the strategic importance of Cyprus to British and American military strategy was established.

1914
During the first World War, as hostilities began between Britain and Turkey, Britain formally annexed Cyprus.

1923
Post World War 1, Turkey renounced all future claims to Cyprus at the Treaty of Lausanne 1923.

1925
Cyprus officially became a Crown Colony of Britain, named the Crown Colony of Cyprus. In the colony a growing movement began developing that favoured unification with Greece (Enosis).

1954
28 July. The Minister of State for Colonies Henry Hopkinson, during a debate on Cyprus, declared that there were certain territories in the Commonwealth ‘which…can never expect to be fully independent’.

1954
Greece attempted to bring the matter before the General Assembly of the United Nations as a case of self-determination but was frustrated by British and American influence on the United Nations.

1955
1 April. The Greek Cypriots began a guerrilla war fighting against British Rule by blowing up the transmitters of the Cyprus Broadcasting Station. The guerrilla movement EOKA (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston, - National Organisation of Cypriot Combatants) were striving for unification (enosis) with Greece. As the EOKA revolt developed, Field Marshal Harding was despatched to Cyprus as Governor. He told the Cypriots that self-determination was not possible for strategic reasons and ‘on account of the consequences on the relations between NATO powers in the Eastern Mediterranean’.

1956
The leader of the EOKA Archbishop Makarios political and spiritual leader of the Greek Cypriots was deported to the Seychelles and held in prison for a year.

1959
Archbishop Makarios becomes president.

1960
16 August. After years of violent struggle, the island became independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The governance of the island was established on the basis of a presidential-parliamentary democratic constitution that involved power sharing between the majority Greek Cypriot community and the minority Turkish Cypriot community. Britain Greece and Turkey were Guarantor powers to the agreement. Archbishop Makarios returned and became the first president. Britain retained sovereignty over two Military bases on the Island. Shortly after the founding of the republic, serious differences arose between the two communities about the implementation and interpretation of the constitution.

August. Archbishop Makarios claimed that the settlement on independence had been imposed on him by force majeure and, in consequence, he was not morally bound by it.

1963
Makarios advances a series of constitutional amendments designed to eliminate some of the special provisions for the Turkish minority. This would have reduced the Turkish Cypriot’s share of power and this prompted widespread fighting between the two communities. Consequently the Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the Power sharing agreement.

1964
UN peacekeepers were deployed to the island to quell the unrest.

1967
Following another outbreak of violence between the two communities, a provisional Turkish Cypriot administration was formed.

The United Nations sponsored talks between the two factions. The principal participants were Glafkos Cleridis, Greek Cypriot President of the House of Representatives and the Turkish Cypriot Rauf Denktas.

1974
15 July. Archbishop Makarios, the president was overthrown by a military coup led by the Cypriot National Guard and backed by the Greek government. President Makarios escaped. The new regime named Nikos Giorgiades Sampson as president and Bishop Gennadios as head of Cypriot church to replace Makarios.

20 July. Turkish troops landed in the North at Kyrenia. Greek Cypriots fled their homes. The Coup collapsed and Turkish forces occupied about a third of the island and enforced partition between the North and south. The city of Famagusta was completely evacuated in 1974 when Turkey invaded the island.

22 July. The UN Security Council arranged a cease-fire.

July. In violation of the cease-fire, the Turkish invaders moved further south. The then British Foreign Secretary, James Callaghan, summoned a conference in Geneva involving Greece, Turkey, Britain and the two Cypriot factions.

August. A second conference was convened by Britain. Again the conference was achieved nothing and it became clear that America, would not agree to sanctions against Turkey being a NATO ally. Turkey launched another assault and quickly occupied a total of 37% of the island plus the main port of Famagusta. Approximately two hundred thousand Greek Cypriots were now displaced.

The European Commission on Human Rights subsequently issued a report, which proved to be an indictment of Turkey and its military. However despite its obligations under the Treaty of Guarantee the British government took no action.

Glafkos Clerides, president of the House of Representatives, became temporary president.

7 December. Makarios returned to Cyprus to become president on Dec 7th 1974. He offered self government to the Turkish minority but rejected any solution involving transfer of populations and amounting to partition of Cyprus.

1975 The Turkish Cypriots established their own administration in the North, with Rauf Denktas as their president.

1977
President Makarios died and was succeeded by Spyros Kyprianou of the Democratic Komma (Democratic Party, DIKO).

1978
Spyros Kyprianou was elected unopposed.

1980
UN sponsored peace talks resumed.

1983
15 November. Denktas suspended talks and proclaims the founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). It is recognised by Turkey alone.

18 November. The UN Security Council in its resolution 541 declared the Turkish action illegal and called for withdrawal.

Kyprianou was re-elected as the president of the Republic of Cyprus.

1985
Talks between Denktas and Kyprianou fail to reach agreement.

1988
George Vassiliou was elected as Greek Cypriot president with the support of the communist Anorthotiko Komma Ergazemenou Laou (Progressive Party of the Working People, AKEL). Vassiliou was a conservative and critic of UN proposals to reunify Cyprus.

1989
Talks between Denktas and Vassiliou were abandoned.

1992
Talks resume and are abandoned again

1993
Glafkos Clerides of the conservative Dimokratikos Synagermos (Democratic Rally, DISY) is elected with the support of the DIKO and replaced Vassiliou as president.

1994
European Court of Justice rules that all direct trade between Northern Cyprus and the European Union is illegal.

1997
New UN peace talks between Clerides and Denktas fail.

1997 The Greek Cypriot purchase of missiles capable of reaching the Turkish coast evoked threats of retaliation from Turkey.

1998
Clerides is re-elected by a narrow margin and runs a coalition with the social democrats and liberal groups.

EU lists the island of Cyprus as a potential EU member. Greek Cypriot government threatens to install Russian made anti-aircraft missiles. Turkey threatens military action in response. Greek Cypriot government decides not to deploy missiles.

1999
August. Cyprus’s plans to deploy more missiles in August 1999 again raised Turkey’s ire.

2001
June. UN Security Council renews it’s 36 year mission in Cyprus. 2,400 peacekeepers patrol the buffer zone. Turkey retains 35,000 troops in the North.

July. Dozens of police officers injured as protesters attack the British Military base at Akrotiri over concerns about the installation of new telecommunications masts.

November. Turkey threatens to annex the north if the Republic of Cyprus joins the EU before a settlement on the North South issue.

2002
January. New UN sponsored peace talks between Clerides and Denktas focus on EU membership.

November. UN secretary Kofi Annan presents a peace plan for Cyprus, which envisages a federation with two constituent parts, presided over by a rotating president.

December. EU summit in Copenhagen invites Cyprus to join the EU in 2004 provided the two communities agree to the UN proposals. Without reunification only the Greek Cypriot part of the island would gain membership.

2003
Tassos Papadopoulos of the DIKO defeats Clerides in the Greek Cypriot presidential elections. Papadopoulos had a reputation as a hard-liner on reunification and had rejected all the previous UN attempts to reunify Cyprus.

March. UN deadline for agreement on reunification passed without the UN plan having been approved.

April. Turkish Cypriot administration eases restrictions on movement across the Green Line. Turkish and Greek Cypriots pass the Green Line for the first time in almost 30 years.

Twin referendums on whether to accept the UN reunification plan in a last minute bid by the Turkish administration to achieve EU membership. Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly reject the plan, however it is accepted by the Turkish Cypriots.

2004
1 May. The Republic of Cyprus joins the European Union as the Greek Cypriot part of the island only.

22 October. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1568 on the peace keeping operations in Cyprus (UNFICYP) endorsing the Secretary General’s recommendations for the extension of UNFICYP’s mandate for a further 6 month period to 15th June 2005.

December. Turkey agrees that it will recognise the Republic of Cyprus as an EU member before it starts it’s own accession talks in October 2005.

2005
April. Turkish Cyprus elected Mehmet Ali Talat as their president ousting long-time leader Rauf Denktash who staunchly opposed reunification.

May. Greek Cypriot and UN officials begin new diplomatic talks on a peace solution.