Piratis wrote:Sure peasants, armed ones
According to this TC website: http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/people/ ... index.html the nucleus of the TC community were the Ottoman soldiers.Following the defeat of the Venetians in 1571, Lala Mustafa Pasha, the Turkish Commander of the land forces in Cyprus, chose, before departing for Istanbul, 12,000 foot soldiers to remain on the island for the formation of the defensive garrison of Famagusta, Nicosia and Kyrenia. In addition, he distributed 4,000 cavalry men among the localities of Les Salines (Larnaca), Limassol, Paphos, Kyrenia, and elsewhere. The military forces were complemented by an additional 20,000 decommissioned soldiers and 2,000 cavalry remaining as colonists. These people as a whole formed the original nucleus of the fledgling Turkish-Cypriot community whose members were of Turkish origin, and by the firman (decree) of Sultan Selim II they were given fiefs for the provision of their homes, and sustenance. Steps were also taken to assist all soldiers with dependents on the mainland to bring their wives and children to Cyprus.
Here is a reminder of what Lala Mustafa Pasha did along with the "nucleolus of the TC community":Throughout the period of Venetian rule, Ottoman Turks raided and attacked at will. In 1489, the first year of Venetian control, Turks attacked the Karpas Peninsula, pillaging and taking captives to be sold into slavery. In 1539 the Turkish fleet attacked and destroyed Limassol. Fearing the ever-expanding Ottoman Empire, the Venetians had fortified Famagusta, Nicosia, and Kyrenia, but most other cities were easy prey.
In the summer of 1570, the Turks struck again, but this time with a full-scale invasion rather than a raid. About 60,000 troops, including cavalry and artillery, under the command of Lala Mustafa Pasha landed unopposed near Limassol on July 2, 1570, and laid siege to Nicosia. In an orgy of victory on the day that the city fell--September 9, 1570--20,000 Nicosians were put to death, and every church, public building, and palace was looted.
No No No!!!! That was the Ottomans B The Ottomans A were just fighting for their independence.....The Greek "settlers" were taking over the world, what else could they do...