when there was a british empire was cyprus apart of it?

Answer 1

Yes. Cyprus was still a British colony as recently as c1961. I was stationed on the Island of Cyprus in the British Army from 1960-1962 during which time Cyprus became independent, sometime in c1961.

The island was originally owned by the English King, Richard the Lionheart. It was used as a Crusader base.

The most famous and much loved Greek Cypriot of my memory was the late Archepiskepos [Archbishop] Makarios, leader [elected] of the Greek Orthodox [Orthodoxus] church of Cyprus.

Makarios demanded liberation from British rule. The Greek word Enosis was painted up just about everywhere on the island of Cyprus. [Enosis = union with Greece].

Greek Cypriot and Greek freedom fighters, fought a long and bitter war against British rule, which culminated in the liberty and freedom of Cyprus in c1960.

The freedom fighters fought under the name of Eoka and were led by a Greek patriot called Grivas.

"Anexardidos Kypriagi Democratia" [something like] is a slogan of the time which means roughly "The Democratic Republic of Cyprus".

Answer 2

Yes, Cyprus was once a part of the British Empire, but it became so by an error.

The diplomat was supposed to be negotiating to obtain the island of Crete, but couldn't remember the name, and so the Empire got Cyprus instead.

There was a lot of squabbling in the 1960's over Cyprus as well--both Greece and Turkey were making claims to it.

Answer 3

It was leased from the Ottoman Empire in 1878, but wasn't formally annexed until 1913, just prior to WWI when the Ottomans joined the Central Powers. It gained independence in 1960.

Answer 4

Yes

Answer 5

Yes, from 1878 to 1960.

Answer 6

yes

Answer 7

Yup, sure was. With capital initials too.

(Raymond K: yay!)

Answer 8

a part is two words

Answer 9

yes!

Answer 10

Timeline
1878–1960: British occupation. The British take over the administration of the island, ceded by the Ottomans, for its strategic value, to protect their sea route to India via the Suez Canal. In exchange, Britain agrees to help Turkey against future Russian attacks.
Crown commissioners:
Sir Robert Biddulph (1880-?)
Sir Walter Sendall (1892–1898)
Sir Charles King-Harman (1904–1910)
1914: Cyprus is annexed by Britain when Turkey joins with Germany and Austro-Hungary in World War I.
1925: Cyprus becomes a British Crown Colony.
Governors:
Sir Richmond Palmer
1931: First serious riots of Cypriots demanding Enosis, the union with Greece. The government-house in Nicosia is burned down and martial law is declared afterwards and the legislative council is abolished. The display of the Greek flag and the Greek National Anthem were banned. British come up with the terms "Greek Cypriot" and "Turkish Cypriot" and use the latter against the "Greek Cypriot" so as to cease Enosis demands.
1939: Greek Cypriots fight with the British in World War II, demanding Enosis when the war is over. The Turkish Cypriots, want the British rule to continue.
1946–1949: The British Government imprisons thousands of displaced Jews in British camps on Cyprus.
1950: Archbishop Makarios III is elected as political and spiritual leader. Makarios becomes the head of the autocephalous Cypriot Orthodox Church and heads the campaign for Enosis with the support of Greece.
1955: A series of bomb attacks starts a violent campaign for Enosis by EOKA (National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) led by George Grivas, an ex-colonel in Greek army, born in Cyprus. Grivas takes name of Dighenis, and conducts guerrilla warfare from a secret hideout in the Troodos Mountains. He is estimated to have 300 men at maximum, yet successfully plagues 20,000 British troops and 4,500 police.
1956: Britain deports Makarios to the Seychelles in attempt to quell the revolt. Turkish Cypriots are used as auxiliaries of British Security Forces. Some Turkish Cypriots become informants of the British Colonists and become one of the major targets of the EOKA.
1957: Field Marshal Sir John Harding is replaced by the civilian governor Sir Hugh Foot in a conciliatory move.
1958: Turkish Cypriots are alarmed by British conciliation and begin demands for partition. There are inter-communal clashes and attacks on British.
1960: British, Greek and Turkish governments sign a Treaty of Guarantee to provide for an independent Cypriot state within the Commonwealth of Nations and allowing for the retention of two Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Under the treaty, each power has the right to take military action in the face of any threat to the constitution. Cyprus becomes independent of foreign rule. Archbishop Makarios, (Greek Cypriot) becomes the first President, Dr Kutchuk (Turkish Cypriot) Vice-President. Both have the right of veto. Turkish Cypriots, who form 18% of the population, are guaranteed vice-presidency, three out of ten ministerial posts and 30% of jobs in the public service, 40% in the army and separate municipal services in the five major towns. Overall, a very complex constitution is drafted, including a lot of decisions to be taken by majority of votes overall as well as within each community.
1963–1973: Greek Cypriots view the constitution as unworkable and propose changes abolishing all veto rights and many ethnic clauses; these proposals are rejected by Turkish Cypriots and the Turkish government. Inter-communal fighting erupts. Tylliria is bombarded with napalm bombs [2]. A UN Peace Keeping Force is sent in, but is powerless to prevent incidents. Thousands of Turkish Cypriots retreat into enclaves and are embargoed by the Greeks Cypriots. The UN attempts to supply them with food and medicine. The Turks are to remain in the enclaves for the next 11 years until the partition of the island in 1974.
1974: On 15 July the military government (junta) in Greece with the support of the CIA and American national security advisor Henry Kissinger orders a coup by the Greek National guard to overthrow Makarios who they see as being too pro-Russian. Makarios is forced to flee to the British base. A puppet regime is imposed under Nikos Sampson, a former EOKA fighter and paid CIA operative.
Five days after the coup on 20 July Turkey invades Cyprus and captures 3% of the islands territory around the town of Kyrenia, driving out the Greek Cypriot population.
Three days later the coup is put down and democracy is restored.
On 14 August after UN talks break down it lands 40,000 troops on the north coast. 200,000 Greek Cypriots Flee to the South, while Turkish Cypriots are forced to leave their homes in the South. Turkish forces are left in control of 37% of the island. Facing threats from Turkey the United Nations and the Cyprus government agree to allow the Turkish Cypriots living in the free areas to be transferred by the UN and British SBA authorities to the occupied north against their will.
1975: Turks announce a Federate State in the north, with Rauf Denktaş as leader. UN Forces stay as buffer between the two zones.
1977: Makarios dies, having been restored as President of Greek Cyprus after 1974. He is succeeded by Spyros Kyprianou.
1983: The Turkish Federated State declares itself independent as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), with Denktaş as President. The new state is not recognised by any country except Turkey and officially boycotted.
1992–1995: UN sponsored talks between the two sides run into the sand, but with a commitment to resume.
2001: The European Court of Human Rights finds Turkey guilty of continuing human rights violations against the Greek Cypriots, and the Turkish Cypriots also.
2003: Cyprus is set to join the European Union in May 2004. Renewed negotiations about the status of the island take place.
On 23 April 2003, the line which divides the two parts of Cyprus was partly opened. Thousands of Turkish and Greek Cypriots cross the buffer zone to the "other side" after 30 years.
24 April 2004 The Annan Plan is rejected by the majority of Greek Cypriots in a bipartisan referendum.
The sovereign Republic of Cyprus joins the EU on 1 May but the EU acquis is suspended in the occupied north.