Outremer
War in Cyprus
On 25 February 1232, John and the young king Henry came to the mainland. Having defeated Amalric Barlais and the others, they brought them along, so they would not cause mischief back on Cyprus. But Barlais and the others escaped almost immediately upon landing. They fled along with eighty knights to Tripoli, which was loyal to the Emperor. John's forces were scattered by a storm and were depleted by other desertions. The result was that, by the time he'd fought his way into Beirut castle, John had to appeal to the barons to come rescue him.
Meanwhile, Amalric Barlais raised a small army at Tripoli and returned to Cyprus, which had been nearly stripped of troops. Two castles held, both commanded by women. Henry's two sisters fled to the castle Dieu d'Amour, while Buffavento was held by the lady Eschiva of Montbéliard (the King's cousin), having fled there disguised as a monk.
John held Beirut and Ricardo held Tyre and neither could dislodge the other. Stymied, John and Henry assembled a small army as best as could be spared, and returned to Cyprus. They had only 233 horse, while the rebels had ten times that many. In a risky operation, they landed at night on a rocky islet near Famagusta, then entered the harbor in small boats. The Lombards thought the city was under a major attack. They panicked, burned their ships to keep them from falling into the hands of the enemy, and fled the city.
They kept right on retreating, abandoning Nicosia without a fight. They knew the locals hated them and decided the only secure places were the castles they themselves held. Filangieri had come to the island and was laying siege to Dieu d'Amour. The Lombards fled to nearby Kyrenia.
As the Cypriote forces approached, a brief battle was fought at Agrida on 15 June. The Lombards lost badly. As a result, Dieu d'Amour, which had been starving and close to surrender, was relieved. The King's two sisters were rescued. Filangieri fled to Kyrenia castle, which was very strong. It held out for ten months. Ricardo himself fled before the place was completely blockaded.
When Kyrenia fell in April 1233, King Henry was again in full control of Cyprus. But the Imperial party still held Tyre. There matters remained for the next few years. Filangieri held Tyre, an Imperial governor was in Jerusalem, and John of Ibelin ruled the rest, with Bohemond ruling at Antioch. John died February 1236, but he had four sons and the family continued to dominate.