This book examines the history of the Cyprus Tribute and takes a longer and broader view of
the issue than previous studies. It analyses the regional context of the decision to use
revenue surpluses for the repayment of debt within the framework of the Eastern Question and
Ottoman bankruptcy. We see that the island was always strategically and financially
overshadowed by Egypt. Scrutinising political developments in Cyprus through the prism of the
tribute issue facilitates a better understanding of its considerable effect on them. The
absence of any imperial role for Cyprus as a 'place d'armes' meant that there was no imperial
interest in funding the infrastructural development of the island. British policy was
treasury-driven. Diana Markides analyses why it failed and how its failure resulted in the
local colonial government having to impose a deeply unpopular fiscal policy for which there
was no adequate explanation. She examines the extent to which local resistance to this policy
affected not only constitutional development on the island and Anglo-Cypriot relations but the
nature of the relations between the two major communities.
