The History of Cyprus Podcast15 Nov 2025

Primary Source XLV: The Travels of Wilbrand von Oldeburg

To begin with, I'd like to draw your attention to the music in this primary source. It is called J. II. 9 (Turin Codex) also known as the Cyprus Codex, an anonymous manuscript created at the Nicosia court in the early 15th century during the Frankish rule of Cyprus under the Lusignan Dynasty. It is the only known source of Western music from the region and one of the rare exclusively French codices from that era. In other words, you're listening to Medieval Cypriot music that has been reconstructed by Dimitris Kountouras. The full album*, "ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΑΥΛΗ ΤΩΝ ΛΟΥΖΙΝΙΑΝΩΝ: Ο ΚΩΔΙΚΑΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΠΡΟΥ" can be purchased here: https://exsilentio.org/ https://s22.gr/products/kountouras-kypros Wilbrand von Oldenburg, a nobleman from 12th-century Germany, pursued an ecclesiastical career and became a canon of Hildesheim in 1211. Connected to imperial and religious elites, he traveled to the Holy Land (1211–1213) for diplomacy and pilgrimage. His Itinerarium Terrae Sanctae is a key source on the political, military, and religious landscape of Lesser Armenia, Cyprus, and the Levant, highlighting the region’s cultural diversity. He makes several observations on the affluence of the island's nobility and their conspicuous consumption. This primary source serves as a springboard into my next episode with Dr. Maria Parani on the Material Culture of Medieval Cyprus! *Φανή Αντωνέλου φωνή / Fanie Antonelou voice Φλώρα Παπαδοπούλου γοτθική άρπα / Flora Papadopoulos gothic harp Ηλέκτρα Μηλιάδου βιέλα / Elektra Miliadou fiddle Νίκος Βαρελάς κρουστά / Nikos Varelas percussion Δημήτρης Κούντουρας φλάουτο με ράμφος & διεύθυνση/ Dimitris Kountouras recorder & direction

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