# Mamluk Raids on Limassol and Larnaca (1424–1425)

URL: https://allhistories.com/cyprus/timeline/1424-mamluk-raids-on-limassol-and-larnaca
Location: Limassol and Larnaca, Cyprus
Themes: Wars & Revolts

In the early fifteenth century Cypriot and Western corsairs used the island's harbours as bases for raids on the coasts of Mamluk Syria and Egypt. King Janus also supported attacks on Muslim shipping. The Mamluk sultan Barsbay, determined to end the threat, resolved to strike at Cyprus itself. In late September 1424 a small Mamluk squadron of four or five ships landed near Limassol, defeated the garrison, sacked and burned the town and destroyed several Cypriot ships. In July 1425 a much larger armada of about forty ships arrived south of Famagusta, whose Genoese governor declared his allegiance to the sultan. The Mamluks raided the countryside, marched to Larnaca, defeated a Cypriot fleet commanded by the king's brother and sacked Limassol again before leaving in August, reportedly carrying off about 1,060 captives and enough treasure to load seventy camels. The raids revealed the weakness of the Lusignan kingdom, which had lost its main port to Genoa and could not defend its coasts. Barsbay prepared a still larger expedition for the following year, aiming not at plunder alone but at the submission of Cyprus. The result was the invasion of 1426 and the disaster of Khirokitia.

## Why it matters
The raids of 1424–25 exposed Cyprus's military weakness and prepared the way for the Mamluk invasion of 1426.

Ruler at the Time: [Janus](https://allhistories.com/cyprus/rulers/janus)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Mamluk campaigns against Cyprus (1424–1426)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk_campaigns_against_Cyprus_(1424–1426))
- [Wikipedia — Janus, King of Cyprus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus,_King_of_Cyprus)
- [Wikipedia — Crusaders And The Lusignan Kingdom (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Cyprus)