Indulgences were sold by the Roman Catholic Church as "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". To assist the defiance of Cyprus against a Turkish invasion, Pope Nicholas V granted all income from the sale of the Indulgences to John II, King of Cyprus. The order was issued on 12 April 1451. On 6 January 1452, John II appointed as his commissary Paulinus Zappe or Chappe, a Cypriot nobleman and the Proctor-General of the king. The indulgence was valid between 1 May 1452 and 30 April 1455.