The Ottomans governed Cyprus no differently from their other conquests , and that meant they intergrated the island into the existing empire . In general , the Moslems by no means forced the Christians to convert , they 'just' had to pay a poll tax . The Orthodox Church received its old position back , the Metropolitan took up his see in Nicosia again and had a certain influence on the decisions of the new ruling powers . Serfdom was abolished , the land of the Frankish nobles was distributed among the Greeks . The Ottoman structures which were determined by Islamic law and had made the state the strongest power of that time in the European , as well as the North African and Asia Minor areas , were transferred from the mainland to the island . But when Cyprus came to the Ottoman Empire , the world power had already passed its zenith . The last victory in open battle had been won in 1541 , the great expansions of the territory of the state were a thing of the past . The empire's military organisation was based on the Janissaries in the capital and a cavalry distributed around the countryside , both of whom were rewarded with livings . If it was no longer possible to award any more new livings , the existing ones had to be divided up . But then they no longer fulfilled their function , because an increase in rural productivity was not in sight under the conditions prevailing and any increase in duties was only possible at the risk that there would no longer be any incentive for the peasants to produce . In so far , the economic strength of the Ottoman Empire was dependent on gaining land ; without any new domains , it was no longer possible to maintain the superbly trained elite troops . Therefore , the end of the expansion at the same time meant the end of economic stability . In addition , world-wide changes had had negative influences . With the discovery of America , but also on account of the constant wars in the Mediterranean , the main trade routes shifted to the Atlantic and Pacific .As well as this , there were the huge quantities of silver and other precious metals which the Spaniards in particular found in their colonies , undermining the value of the Turkish silver currency . A chain of various factors caused prices to rise about 250% within a period of 20 years ; that for its part indirectly brought about an increase in the tax burden of 600% .

The economic difficulties above all led to a decadence in the formerly so successful Ottoman system . Bribes balanced out the office holders' losses in income , but the corruption led to an extremely rapid decline in competence . A downright sale of offices , later indeed an auction of offices set in , even among the troops . It was no longer the trained , capable persons , deployed according to their performance , who were given the posts , but those who produced the most money . One example for the at times strange effects which the influence of men linked with this , who had no longer undergone the traditional training in the Janissaries or been through the Islamic centres of education , was the conquest of Cyprus . The campaign was undertaken at the advice of a Jew , Joseph Nassi , who had had to flee from pogroms in Spain and had found refuge in the Ottoman Empire . Against the doubts of the Grand Vezir who was actually responsible for the business of government , he convinced Sultan Selim II that he should pocket the last Christian bastion in the Eastern Mediterranean which had virtually become an Ottoman inland lake .

Under the rule of Selim II , corruption and the purchase of offices assumed disastrous proportions . Both methods , which were intended to cover the growing financial demand , allowed the crisis at the end of the sixteenth century to develop into a permanent problem and brought about a feudalisation of society . Whereas in Europe early-capitalist conditions were beginning to show their dynamism , the successor empire to Byzantium stagnated , and in a strangely parallel development local big landowners became ever more powerful while the central government had ever less influence . The state controls failed , the impoverishment of large sections of the population took its course . Many left their hereditary place as peasant , soldier or craftsman and joined renegade bands . Many revolts assumed such proportions that it was not possible to bring them under control even with the . greatest deployment of military force . At times , the government had to come to terms with the insurgents .

This development applied for the whole Empire . Immediately after the hostilities ceased , newly conquered Cyprus had first-hand experience of the decadent conditions . The sigh of relief was of short duration . Not only did the hoped-for regeneration fail to materialise , the privation grew worse and led to a rapid decline in population . But land without people to till the soil brings no profit . In this respect , the highest Turkish administrative authority , the Divan , solved two problems at one stroke . Peasants were brought in from Anatolia so that the land would be cultivated , but also to take the edge off the anger there which was repeatedly vented in uprisings .

With the settlement of twenty thousand persons from mainland Turkey , a problem was created from the effects of which the island suffers today . From the outset , the immigrants lived spread over the whole of Cyprus and this mixed settlement structure remained until 1974 . Hatred between the two ethnic groups only developed in the course of time . In general , national conflicts only gained in explosiveness after 1800 , whereas in the 17th. and 18th. centuries Turks and Greeks suffered too much under the same repressive measures and hardships for them to be at enmity with one another . As the Greek clergy had already allowed themselves to be roped in at a profit to themselves in 1589 to carry out Ottoman directives , which were concerned for the most part with skimming off taxes , it was more the authorities which were the object of anger . Admittedly , the fact that Christians were legally in a worse position and in practice at a considerable disadvantage , ensured resentment right from the outset . However , the religious antagonism was eased by the comparatively generous attitude of the Moslems towards Christians . Even the poll tax should not just be regarded as a means of bringing pressure to bear . Originally , it was a kind of substitute for military service which the Moslems had to perform whereas those of other faiths were not allowed to participate .