Richard I marries Berengaria at Limassol

May 12, 1191

Storm-driven to Cyprus, Richard the Lionheart conquered the island in a fortnight, deposed its Byzantine rebel ruler, and married his Navarrese bride in a hastily decorated chapel. Cyprus would stay in Latin hands for nearly four centuries, first under the Lusignans and later Venice. The conquest gave the Crusader states a secure offshore supply base and refuge that would prove invaluable after the fall of the mainland kingdoms.