Veterans of the War of Cyprus (1570-71). Captivity, Liberation and Restitution through their Recruitment into the Venetian Armed Forces. A First Approach

The War of Cyprus (1570–71) took place within the framework of the Fourth Ottoman Venetian War, which was concluded with the naval Battle of Lepanto and the peace treaty signed by the two contenders in 1573. This essay deals with the consequences of the War of Cyprus, focusing on a category of veterans that comprised native Cypriot non professional combatants and militiamen who had fought alongside the Venetian overlords, as well as subjects of the Serenissima originating from former territories (such as the Morea) in the Venetian Maritime State (stato da mar), who served as professional military personnel in the army of Cyprus (stradioti). The principal issues explored in this essay are: firstly, their captivity in the hands of the Ottomans and the procedures for their liberation; and secondly, their subsequent claims to restitution through their recruitment into the Venetian armed forces. The sources on which the study is based are the veterans’ unpublished petitions to the Venetian authorities, in combination with other types of documents (notarial documents, court cases, deliberations by various Councils and magistracies etc.) from the Archivio di Stato di Venezia.