Dalla guerra navale alla conquista delle grandi isole del Mediterraneo. Cipro, Rodi, Creta

From the Naval War to the Conquest of the Great Mediterranean Islands. Cyprus, Rhodes and Crete
In this essay the main stages of the Islamic conquest of Cyprus, Rhodes and Crete are analysed, highlighting how, in such circumstances, the Mus194 “Guerra santa” e conquiste islamiche nel Mediterraneo lim raids played a fundamental role as a prelude to military occupation, although many scholars often mistakenly consider them simple acts of piracy without a clear strategy. Furthermore, attention will be drawn to the first phases after the conquest and, in particular, to the treaties that sanction the so-called «condominium» in Cyprus, which was a kind of crystallisation of what was assumed to be a fairly common situation in the period of the great Arab conquests and that was essentially due to the temporary balance of power relations between Byzantium and the Muslims.