The collapse of Christian rule in Syria-Palestine, humiliating as it may have been to all those for whom the crusading ideal still survived, had another side to it. At one stroke a great burden of responsibility seemed to be lifted from the shoulders of the ruler of Cyprus. The island's resources needed no longer to be wasted on futile expeditions, although it was some time before this lesson was learned. It is true that the condition of the refugees from the mainland must, for some time, have lowered the general level of prosperity; true that some of the revenues had to be diverted to the support of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, now transferred to Nicosia, although endowments from Europe were also forthcoming. The great feudataries had lost their possessions on the mainland; but the process had been gradual, and accompanied by the acquisition of estates in Cyprus. The perpetuation of the titles formerly borne by such nobles, long after the original fiefs had been lost, was not therefore always a meaningless show. Cyprus was thus, at the end of the thirteenth century, in a very strong position. Interference from would-be suzerains in the West was no longer serious. The Kings formed useful alliances with Armenia and royal houses of Europe. Immigration from Karamania was encouraged. There was still hope of joint action with the Mongols against Islam, and Islam's unfortunate recent experience in a naval expedition against Cyprus seemed to have removed the threat of danger from that quarter.