Wrested from the rule of the Venetians, the island of Cyprus took on cultural shadings of enormous complexity as a new province of the Ottoman Empire, involving the compulsory migration of hundreds of Muslim Turks to the island from the nearby Karaman province, the conversion of large numbers of native Greek Orthodox Christians to Islam, the impact of the officers and soldiers of the army of conquest encouraged to settle there, attempts to maintain the traditional economic role of the islands as exporter of surplus wheat and wine, an abortive plan to settle Jews there, and the situation of islanders formerly held by the Venetians as serfs. Delving into contemporary Ottoman archival records of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, particularly judicial registers, Professor Jennings uncovers the island society as seen through local law courts, public works and certain charitable institutions. Particularly revealing are his findings regarding the use of the courts by the women to serve their interests as property holders, guardians and heirs.
Utilizing the accounts of contemporary travellers, and focusing on both the dramatic and the mundane as his focus on the island's life shifts from piracy to the theories and themes of Fernand Braudel. The details of this study should be of interest to all who are looking for new information on the social and economic history of the Byzantine, Ottoman, and Orthodox Christian Byzantine worlds.