The Secret History
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Henry v. Keiper said:Speaking of Isaakios, how did he get that arrow wound? Bad luck, or did he have his servants actually carry him into battle? That would be a sight to see.
The latter.
The Reign of Alexios III Adynatos (1222-1223)
The Basileus Alexios III was by his contemporaries called Adynatos, the Weak, for reasons that I shall explain here. Eldest son of Isaakios, he spent his early life in feasts and parties. His nature was generous to the extreme, and he rarely hesitated to shower favors and monies upon his friends, spending even the Imperial treasury upon such frivolous things.
The Basileus’ wife, Empress Maria the Georgian, was his opposite in many ways. Where Alexios was a man of easygoing and frivolous character, Maria was a woman of extreme zeal and piety. She frowned upon his extremes and attempted to hold him back in many things. She considered chastity a virtue, and it was said that the Basileus and she shared a bed no more than a dozen times in their wedlock. At that time, all but two of their children had died, and only princes David and Mathias yet lived.
The Basileus’ uncle, old Manuel the former Grand Strategos, soon convinced him to undertake a campaign to liberate the rest of Cyprus from Frankish rule. The tagmata were called in Constantinople and prepared to sail to the Mediterranean in spring 1223. At that time, news from Mesopotamia came of Manuel’s death. Emboldened, Grand Strategos Alexios Kantakouzenos began to spurn the influence of the Angeli, seeking to reassert his own power at the court. With the tagmata ready to sail and seemingly loyal to the Grand Strategos, Basileus Alexios did nothing to rein him in.
In the end of March, the tagmata arrived in Cyprus, the Basileus and the Grand Strategos at their lead. They soon marched upon Limisol, meeting its feeble force. In the heat of that battle Alexios Kantakouzenos was wounded by an arrow through his shoulder – many said that the arrow came from behind him. But the Basileus took charge of the ensuing siege and in the end of May liberated Limisol from the Franks.
Desirous to further punish the Franks of Jerusalem, the Basileus ordered the tagmata to sail across the sea to Tripoli. The Frank were already marching to the city as well, and a great battle ensued under its walls. Here, the Grand Strategos was again injured, when his hand was cut off by a slash of a sword; and the Domestic Logothete David Angelos, the Basileus’ cousin, was also injured badly as he fled. But the Basileus himself was surrounded by Franks and slashed to pieces even as the tagmata disintegrated around him. Only fifty survivors returned to Constantinople bearing news of his ignoble and inglorious death. His son was hastily crowned as David I, and would continue the war against the Franks.
The Basileus Alexios III was by his contemporaries called Adynatos, the Weak, for reasons that I shall explain here. Eldest son of Isaakios, he spent his early life in feasts and parties. His nature was generous to the extreme, and he rarely hesitated to shower favors and monies upon his friends, spending even the Imperial treasury upon such frivolous things.
The Basileus’ wife, Empress Maria the Georgian, was his opposite in many ways. Where Alexios was a man of easygoing and frivolous character, Maria was a woman of extreme zeal and piety. She frowned upon his extremes and attempted to hold him back in many things. She considered chastity a virtue, and it was said that the Basileus and she shared a bed no more than a dozen times in their wedlock. At that time, all but two of their children had died, and only princes David and Mathias yet lived.
The Basileus’ uncle, old Manuel the former Grand Strategos, soon convinced him to undertake a campaign to liberate the rest of Cyprus from Frankish rule. The tagmata were called in Constantinople and prepared to sail to the Mediterranean in spring 1223. At that time, news from Mesopotamia came of Manuel’s death. Emboldened, Grand Strategos Alexios Kantakouzenos began to spurn the influence of the Angeli, seeking to reassert his own power at the court. With the tagmata ready to sail and seemingly loyal to the Grand Strategos, Basileus Alexios did nothing to rein him in.
In the end of March, the tagmata arrived in Cyprus, the Basileus and the Grand Strategos at their lead. They soon marched upon Limisol, meeting its feeble force. In the heat of that battle Alexios Kantakouzenos was wounded by an arrow through his shoulder – many said that the arrow came from behind him. But the Basileus took charge of the ensuing siege and in the end of May liberated Limisol from the Franks.
Desirous to further punish the Franks of Jerusalem, the Basileus ordered the tagmata to sail across the sea to Tripoli. The Frank were already marching to the city as well, and a great battle ensued under its walls. Here, the Grand Strategos was again injured, when his hand was cut off by a slash of a sword; and the Domestic Logothete David Angelos, the Basileus’ cousin, was also injured badly as he fled. But the Basileus himself was surrounded by Franks and slashed to pieces even as the tagmata disintegrated around him. Only fifty survivors returned to Constantinople bearing news of his ignoble and inglorious death. His son was hastily crowned as David I, and would continue the war against the Franks.
You don't need much to destroy someone's reputation, do you now?
Okay, that Alexios allowed himself to be chopped to bits by a bunch of Franks does not speak well of him, but otherwise he seems perfectly mediocre, rather than downright bad. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't expect impartiality in the 'Secret History'.
Nice short update, the Angeli sound more and more like an incompetent family of inbred degenerates. And I mean that in the best way possible!
Okay, that Alexios allowed himself to be chopped to bits by a bunch of Franks does not speak well of him, but otherwise he seems perfectly mediocre, rather than downright bad. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't expect impartiality in the 'Secret History'.
Nice short update, the Angeli sound more and more like an incompetent family of inbred degenerates. And I mean that in the best way possible!
Stuyvesant said:Nice short update, the Angeli sound more and more like an incompetent family of inbred degenerates. And I mean that in the best way possible!
Just wait till you see David I and his wife.
Incidentally, the Hohenstaufen kings of Germany reign supreme in this game, having destroyed the Pope and then recreated him as their vassal.
Nice to see Alexios the Weak die a horrible and meaningless death. Being given the title "the weak" after you aggressively fight a war and then get cut down in "glorious" battle...that's just kicking a downed man. He could have at least been called "the reckless" or "the sword magnet."
I can't wait for more Secret History!
Being given the title "the weak" after you aggressively fight a war and then get cut down in "glorious" battle...that's just kicking a downed man. He could have at least been called "the reckless" or "the sword magnet." I can't wait for more Secret History!
I see that the author of this book is very impartial.
I suppose it is justified to some extent, but the Basileus doesn't have bad stats all the way round, and he was obviously intelligent enough to surround himself with good advisors.
I suppose it is justified to some extent, but the Basileus doesn't have bad stats all the way round, and he was obviously intelligent enough to surround himself with good advisors.
The Reign of David I Kataramenos (1223-1246)
Basileus David I was called Kataramenos, the Accursed, for the terror of his twenty-year reign was remembered with revulsion for many generations later. A man of great cruelty and a most evil nature, he took great pleasure in torturing and executing all who displeased him. He ended the war with the Franks shortly after his ascension, and returned to Constantinople. Afterwards, he often traveled across Macedonia and Anatolia, where he would often seize hapless farmers and torment them personally. Not only the farmers, but the people of the cities and even the clergy who displeased the Basileus would not be safe from his terrible wrath.
David’s first wife was Alexeia Methonika, a woman whose mind was taken from her at an early age. The Basilissa, also, enjoyed cruel tortures and pleasures of great perversion and atrocity, and eagerly joined her husband in his feared journeys. It was good fortune that God punished her with illness, of which she died in the summer of 1226, having borne no children for David.
The following year, David took his second wife Theodora, a cousin of his. This Theodora was a woman of great skill and many hoped that she would pacify the evil Basileus, but it was not to be. Her first child was stillborn, and in 1229, during David’s war against Bulgaria in which he took Mesembria and sacked Tyrnovo, the Basilissa died in labor.
It seemed now to many that the Basileus was cursed for his evil nature, yet undaunted he took as his third wife Theophano, the younger sister of Theodora. The weak-willed Patriarch Philippos Angelos, a cousin of David, allowed him a third marriage despite the impiety of such a thing. Even more improperly, Theophano was made Grand Logothete of the Empire, administering its finances. At that time, David also appointed his relative Petros Angelos as Grand Domestic, after the death of Alexios Kantakouzenos.
In 1230, the first rebellions against the tyranny of David’s rule began in the Empire. The governor of Ephesos was the first to rebel, only to be crushed utterly, but during that campaign Grand Domestic Petros fell ill, from which he died a few years later.
The Basileus then appointed as Grand Domestic Alexandros Kantakouzenos, brother of the late Alexios. This Alexandros was utterly mad, and in his madness utterly uncaring of anyone but himself. He would lie, cheat, and take by force what he could, all in the effort to enrich and benefit himself. However, David tolerated his abuses, for he himself acted in similar ways. Only after three years the Basileus tired of Alexandros enough that his office was stripped from him and he was exiled to Strymon.
The Basilissa Theophano in the meantime gave birth to a girl, who was called Simonis, and later a boy Leo and several other sons. But David’s curse was now clear to all, as all his children died at a young age, with none but Simonis surviving past the first few years. So great was the Basileus’ anger that he blamed the Church, and after the death of Patriarch Philippos Angelos in 1234 he seized many of the Church’s treasures, leaving God’s houses bare and defiled. This was done with the support of the new Patriarch Michael Angelos, who was nonetheless punished for his sinful behavior with leprosy.
The rebellions against David continued to flare up here and there, though David also managed to retake Amida from the Arabs. There his right elbow was injured, and from that time he could not fight as well as he did before. At that time news also came of the illness of his wife Theophano, which drove him to further acts of cruelty and abuse. He denied any rights to his vassals, and in his reckless pride would not listen to any of their complaints, only murdering those who spoke out too loudly.
In 1238 even David’s own brother Mathias, the Doux of Cyprus, rebelled against him. But the Basileus crushed this rebellion also with his customary cruelty, and afterwards ordered the execution of Mathias’ entire family, sparing not even his young children. Brave Demetrios, a boy of eight, was torn apart by horses, and his brother, little Theodoros, was thrown to the dogs. Their sister Simonis, a girl of thirteen whose mind and body suffered from the Angeli inbreeding, was given to the palace guards and then impaled on a stake.
All this left a mark on David’s mind also, and by his fourtieth year he suffered from stress of mind and was given to outbursts of rage and megalomanic delusions. The final blow to his mental health came with the death of his last surviving son Petros in summer of 1241. His wife’s illness was getting worse and she was not expected to bear any more children. It was said that the Basileus considered executing her as well, but was stopped from doing that only by the implorations of Patriarch Michael.
In 1242, David inherited the lands of another uncle, Niketas, who had been Doux of Strymon but died childless. A year later, another uncle, Alexandros the Doux of Vidin, rebelled and was also defeated, with all his family executed. Only some of his daughters escaped with their lives because they were married to magnates elsewhere in the Empire. The following year, his only remaining uncle, Ioannes the Doux of Lykia, was also defeated after rebelling and likewise had his entire family executed. The ranks of the Angeli were thinned indeed by the mass purges enacted by the Basileus.
At this time, the final punishment of God was visited upon David the Accursed. His wife, the Basilissa Theophano, contacted leprosy and was dying. Driven mad with grief, David himself soon fell ill. With the Empire beset by rebellions and heresy, the Basileus died in February 1246, leaving no children but his young daughter Simonis. The magnates gave the throne to young Michael Methonikos, a relative of David’s first wife, and thus the Angeli dynasty was overthrown.
-- submitted for the review and approval of Basileus Michael VIII, as a demonstration of his great rule in contrast with the crimes of his predecessors
--------------------------------------
I guess I didn't need the Mongols after all, I destroyed myself all on my own.
Basileus David I was called Kataramenos, the Accursed, for the terror of his twenty-year reign was remembered with revulsion for many generations later. A man of great cruelty and a most evil nature, he took great pleasure in torturing and executing all who displeased him. He ended the war with the Franks shortly after his ascension, and returned to Constantinople. Afterwards, he often traveled across Macedonia and Anatolia, where he would often seize hapless farmers and torment them personally. Not only the farmers, but the people of the cities and even the clergy who displeased the Basileus would not be safe from his terrible wrath.
David’s first wife was Alexeia Methonika, a woman whose mind was taken from her at an early age. The Basilissa, also, enjoyed cruel tortures and pleasures of great perversion and atrocity, and eagerly joined her husband in his feared journeys. It was good fortune that God punished her with illness, of which she died in the summer of 1226, having borne no children for David.
The following year, David took his second wife Theodora, a cousin of his. This Theodora was a woman of great skill and many hoped that she would pacify the evil Basileus, but it was not to be. Her first child was stillborn, and in 1229, during David’s war against Bulgaria in which he took Mesembria and sacked Tyrnovo, the Basilissa died in labor.
It seemed now to many that the Basileus was cursed for his evil nature, yet undaunted he took as his third wife Theophano, the younger sister of Theodora. The weak-willed Patriarch Philippos Angelos, a cousin of David, allowed him a third marriage despite the impiety of such a thing. Even more improperly, Theophano was made Grand Logothete of the Empire, administering its finances. At that time, David also appointed his relative Petros Angelos as Grand Domestic, after the death of Alexios Kantakouzenos.
In 1230, the first rebellions against the tyranny of David’s rule began in the Empire. The governor of Ephesos was the first to rebel, only to be crushed utterly, but during that campaign Grand Domestic Petros fell ill, from which he died a few years later.
The Basileus then appointed as Grand Domestic Alexandros Kantakouzenos, brother of the late Alexios. This Alexandros was utterly mad, and in his madness utterly uncaring of anyone but himself. He would lie, cheat, and take by force what he could, all in the effort to enrich and benefit himself. However, David tolerated his abuses, for he himself acted in similar ways. Only after three years the Basileus tired of Alexandros enough that his office was stripped from him and he was exiled to Strymon.
The Basilissa Theophano in the meantime gave birth to a girl, who was called Simonis, and later a boy Leo and several other sons. But David’s curse was now clear to all, as all his children died at a young age, with none but Simonis surviving past the first few years. So great was the Basileus’ anger that he blamed the Church, and after the death of Patriarch Philippos Angelos in 1234 he seized many of the Church’s treasures, leaving God’s houses bare and defiled. This was done with the support of the new Patriarch Michael Angelos, who was nonetheless punished for his sinful behavior with leprosy.
The rebellions against David continued to flare up here and there, though David also managed to retake Amida from the Arabs. There his right elbow was injured, and from that time he could not fight as well as he did before. At that time news also came of the illness of his wife Theophano, which drove him to further acts of cruelty and abuse. He denied any rights to his vassals, and in his reckless pride would not listen to any of their complaints, only murdering those who spoke out too loudly.
In 1238 even David’s own brother Mathias, the Doux of Cyprus, rebelled against him. But the Basileus crushed this rebellion also with his customary cruelty, and afterwards ordered the execution of Mathias’ entire family, sparing not even his young children. Brave Demetrios, a boy of eight, was torn apart by horses, and his brother, little Theodoros, was thrown to the dogs. Their sister Simonis, a girl of thirteen whose mind and body suffered from the Angeli inbreeding, was given to the palace guards and then impaled on a stake.
All this left a mark on David’s mind also, and by his fourtieth year he suffered from stress of mind and was given to outbursts of rage and megalomanic delusions. The final blow to his mental health came with the death of his last surviving son Petros in summer of 1241. His wife’s illness was getting worse and she was not expected to bear any more children. It was said that the Basileus considered executing her as well, but was stopped from doing that only by the implorations of Patriarch Michael.
In 1242, David inherited the lands of another uncle, Niketas, who had been Doux of Strymon but died childless. A year later, another uncle, Alexandros the Doux of Vidin, rebelled and was also defeated, with all his family executed. Only some of his daughters escaped with their lives because they were married to magnates elsewhere in the Empire. The following year, his only remaining uncle, Ioannes the Doux of Lykia, was also defeated after rebelling and likewise had his entire family executed. The ranks of the Angeli were thinned indeed by the mass purges enacted by the Basileus.
At this time, the final punishment of God was visited upon David the Accursed. His wife, the Basilissa Theophano, contacted leprosy and was dying. Driven mad with grief, David himself soon fell ill. With the Empire beset by rebellions and heresy, the Basileus died in February 1246, leaving no children but his young daughter Simonis. The magnates gave the throne to young Michael Methonikos, a relative of David’s first wife, and thus the Angeli dynasty was overthrown.
-- submitted for the review and approval of Basileus Michael VIII, as a demonstration of his great rule in contrast with the crimes of his predecessors
--------------------------------------
I guess I didn't need the Mongols after all, I destroyed myself all on my own.
Haha, David sucked.
These later people didn't seem to need as much exagerration to point out their poor qualities. I suppose if God hates you, you will die and someone else will get the throne.
These later people didn't seem to need as much exagerration to point out their poor qualities. I suppose if God hates you, you will die and someone else will get the throne.
J. Passepartout said:
That post pretty much summed it up
I think this is the first AAR I've seen where the author committed suicide unintentionally. At least unintentionally, that I know of
How many updates was this? Two...three? :rofl:
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I did not think it would be possible to have an AAR set in that time frame without mentioning the Mongols, but you managed it. Even more amazingly, you managed to selfdestruct your dynasty despite having three different wives, a gaggle of children, and a pretty strong empire to keep your enemies at bay.
I'm impressed.
That last update was a great murdering/warring/scheming/rebelling/oppressing kind of roller coaster ride. Very entertaining indeed. And I especially liked the little post script. Very politically astute of our writer.
Thanks for a fun little story!
I'm impressed.
That last update was a great murdering/warring/scheming/rebelling/oppressing kind of roller coaster ride. Very entertaining indeed. And I especially liked the little post script. Very politically astute of our writer.
Thanks for a fun little story!
Wow, now thats a thing I havn't seen up until now ! Anyway, it was a good read though sadly a little short due to natural selection at work .
! Anyway, it was a good read though sadly a little short due to natural selection at work .
Henry v. Keiper said:I think this is the first AAR I've seen where the author committed suicide unintentionally. At least unintentionally, that I know of
Somewhat unintentionally. I got a bit carried away with executing rebelling family members, but I figured David would live long enough to see his only daughter married to another Angelos and producing heirs of the same dynasty. But he died too soon.
o Indeed, it really seemed like David was cursed, when every time he had a son, the kid died only a few years later.
Wow! This is the best Byzantine AAR I've seen. Too bad it ended so soon I was hoping to see something like Procopius in his full glory ("How Justinian and Theodora were actually fiends in human form") :rofl:
Too bad it ended so soon I was hoping to see something like Procopius in his full glory ("How Justinian and Theodora were actually fiends in human form") :rofl:
Sekenr said:Wow! This is the best Byzantine AAR I've seen.
Maybe Solmyr could try again