Editing Kyrenia (section)

===Middle ages===
[[File:13th Century Lusignan Flag Kyrenia Cyprus.gif|thumb|XIII century flag of the Lusignan family, Kyrenia castle]]
With the division of the Roman Empire into an [[Byzantine Empire|eastern]] and a [[Western Roman Empire|western empire]], in 395 Cyprus came under the Byzantine emperors and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox Church]]. The [[List of Byzantine Emperors|Byzantine emperors]] fortified Kyrenia's Roman castle and in the 10th century, they constructed in its vicinity a church dedicated to [[Saint George]], which the garrison used as a chapel. Then, when in 806, Lambousa was destroyed in the Arab raids, Kyrenia grew in importance because its castle and garrison offered its inhabitants protection and security. [[Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus]], the island's last Byzantine governor, sent his family and treasures to the castle for safety in 1191 when King [[Richard I of England]] went to war with him and became the island's new master.
[[File:Hazreti Omer Tomb, outside view, Kyrenia, North Cyprus.jpg|thumb|The Tomb of Hazreti Ömer, located near Çatalköy, dates back to early Islam and is an important pilgrimage site for Muslims.]]

Richard's rule was not welcomed in Cyprus so he sold the island first to the [[Knights Templar]], and then in 1192, to [[Guy of Lusignan]]. Under [[Kingdom of Cyprus|Frankish rule]], the villages of the district of Kyrenia became feudal estates and the town became once again the administrative and commercial centre for its region. The Lusignans enlarged the castle, built a wall and towers around the town, and extended the fortifications to the harbour. They also fortified the Byzantine castles of Saint Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara, which, together with Kyrenia Castle, protected the town from land and sea attacks. Kyrenia castle played a pivotal role in the island's history during the many disputes among the Frankish kings, as well as the conflicts with the [[Genoa|Genoese]]. 
[[File:Lusignan coat of arms Detail.jpg|thumb|[[House of Lusignan|Lusignan]] coat of arms detail crests above the gateway to [[Kyrenia Castle]]]]
In 1229, during the [[War of the Lombards|civil war in Cyprus]], the forces of King [[Henry I of Cyprus]] and the [[House of Ibelin|Ibelins]] took the castle of Kyrenia from the supporters of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] with the support of Genoese ships.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edbury |first1=P. W. |title=The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374 |date=1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9780511562402 |page=61}}</ref><ref name="coureas">{{cite book |last1=Coureas |first1=Nicholas |editor1-last=Nicolaou-Konnari |editor1-first=Angel |editor2-last=Schabel |editor2-first=Chris |title=Cyprus: Society and Culture 1191-1374 |date=2005 |publisher=BRILL |page=123|chapter=Economy}}</ref> Strangely Henry I's wife [[Alice of Montferrat]] was one of the victims and he had never met her.

In 1489, Cyprus came under [[Republic of Venice|Venetian rule]]. The Venetians modified [[Kyrenia Castle]] to meet the threat that the use of gunpowder and cannons posed. The castle's royal quarters and three of its four thin and elegant Frankish towers were demolished and replaced by thickset circular towers that could better withstand cannon fire.

In 1505, a plague that was thought to have originated in Anatolia killed a quarter of the town's population. Another plague that originated in the Levant and affected parts of the island struck the town in 1523.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arbel |first1=Benjamin |title=Cyprus, the Franks and Venice, 13th-16th Centuries |date=2000 |publisher=Ashgate |page=187 |chapter=Cypriot Population under Venetian Rule (1473-1571): A Demographic Study}}</ref>

The castle's towers were never put to the test. In 1571, the castle and the town surrendered to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] army.