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TheMorea.jpg

It was early January, 1071 when Queen Lavinia gave birth to her and Georgios' 3rd child, a daughter named Xanthe.
Xanthe.jpg

Everybody was so happy to see the new born. Her older brother and sister, both toddlers by this point, were also excited to see their new sister. Everything seemed to be going well.

But everything was not as well as it had at first seemed. The kingdom's treasury was still very empty, as Georgios had been funding the repair of some ancient roads. So once again, the council was called.
Everybody knew that the only way to raise money was to call the Estates General. And Steward Xene tried her best to persuade the young king to do so, "Your Majesty, I know that you dislike the idea of calling the Estates General, and I want you to know that we also dislike such an idea. However, we do find it to be necessary at this time. Your causes may be good, but they are depleting the royal coffers, and it is never good for a young kingdom to have no money in its pockets. I urge you to call the Estates General and ask them to give you money. Your people are very loyal, and I'm sure that they would not deny you this request."
Georgios was obstinate, "As I have told you before, I will not take more money from my people! We will live off of what little we have, for now. We have loyal vassals, who would surely send us troops to support us should the need arise. And we have strong allies in Apulia and Croatia. I will not call the Estates General unless it is absolutely necessary to raise funds immediately, and I see no dire need to raise funds quickly at this time. Council dismissed!"

After that meeting, the people of the Morea began to see that their king was indeed just, and they loved him for that.
GeorgiosIB.jpg


There was also the concern about expanding the borders of the kingdom. Georgios reasurred his council that for now, conquest was not necessary. His father was the Prince of Butrinto, and even thought Georgios had two half brothers, Isaakios and Alexios, he was still the eldest son of Nikephoros, and his father had not bastardized him in favor of Isaakios, so he was confident that when his father died, he would inherit the principality, thus expanding the borders.
Papa.jpg

HBIsaak.jpg

HBAlexios.jpg


In november, young Princess Theodora, who was only 1, began to show stress symtoms, presumably because she was frustrated about being slow to learn Greek. Georgios and Lavinia were worried for their daughter.

In February, 1072 the roads that Georgios had ordered to be repaired were ready, and trade and travel in the province of Achaia were increased. Although this had few short-term benefits, the long-term benefits were more than worth the investment.

In May of 1073, and emergency council was called. Neither the king, nor any of his councilors, save for Chancellor Helena, new was the meeting was about. When they had all been seated in the "Echo-less Hall" as it was called, she explained to them the nature of the meeting, "You Majesty, lords and ladies of the court, I bring grave news to our beloved kingdom this day. Only yesterday, I received word that our sister-kingdom in the Orthodox Faith, Georgia, had fallen to the heathens of the Volga River. In effect, this reduces the Orthodox kingdoms to Rome, Nubia, and ourselves."
Georgios was shocked, "You mean, there is no one else in the world that shares our faith now?"
"You Majesty has misunderstood me, I believe," Helena replied, "There are now only three Orthodox Kingdoms, but there are many Russian principalities, such as Novgorod, Kiev, and Vladmir, that follow our faith, as well as a few independent counties."
Georgios was somewhat relieved to hear of fellow Orthodox Christians still out there, but he did not like the idea of Georgia being ruled by those Volgan heathens, "Is there anything we can do for our brothers and sisters in Georgia?"
Marshal Petros answered his question, "At the moment, I am afraid not, Sire. Our army is just too small to fight the Volgans and their allies. I doubt that Emperor Konstantinos of Rome would be willing to help, he is too busy bolstering the defenses of his empire to worry about fighting outside his lands."
Georgios wasn't satisfied, "But what about our allies? Apulia and Croatia? Surely Duke Robert and King Stepjan would come to our said!"
Petros shook his head, "I am afraid not, Sire. They are Catholics, and probably do not care or even know about Georgia, and would not likely spend coin and men for her. If we were to fight, it would be alone."
The young king sighed, "Very well. But let it be known that we are going to prepare for war in the future. I want to save up money in the coffers, I want more soldiers trained, I want better armour and weapons developed. I vow upon the honour of my family's name that I will liberate Georgia from the Volgans!"
"Yes, Sire. We shall spread the word at once!"

In July, Princess Theodora was no longer showing signs of stress, and Georgios took this as a sign from God that when he attacked Georgia, it would go well for him. But he knew that it would be many years, many many years, before he would be ready...
 
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Georgio? A little way away. If, of course, the Empire does ont fall apart in the meantime and you find the heathens much closer to home!
 
Yeah, Georgia always seems to get overrun.
 
Since Georgia is named after Georgios I :) , it is only normal that he goes out and save it.
 
Interesting AAR. I like your setup. Georgia would be interesting place to expand. Although there are heathens even closer. Muslims of Sicily could be easy targets and for harder challenge there are Cumans in Romania. It would be natural for Greek lord to demand Magna Graecia (Megalê Hellas) back.

BTW: May I ask why you are still using 1.04?
 
Olaus Petrus said:
Interesting AAR. I like your setup. Georgia would be interesting place to expand. Although there are heathens even closer. Muslims of Sicily could be easy targets and for harder challenge there are Cumans in Romania. It would be natural for Greek lord to demand Magna Graecia (Megalê Hellas) back.
True, but I am RPing, and there is no logical reason to attack the Muslims in Sicily at this time.

Olaus Petrus said:
BTW: May I ask why you are still using 1.04?
Certainly. I am still usign 1.04 because I have 2 computers, the old slow one is for internet use, and the new fast one is for PC games. I don't have internet on the new one, so I can't download any patches. I'd have to download it to my internet PC, burn it to a CD, then install it on the new one. A lot of trouble, so I only get patches if I really need them, and while there are some nice things about 1.05, 1.04 still works great, so I'm not enitrely sure if its worth a whole CD...
 
crusaderknight said:
..........., and while there are some nice things about 1.05, 1.04 still works great, so I'm not enitrely sure if its worth a whole CD...

It is, it definitely is.

If there is one patch you need then it is patch 1.05
 
Veldmaarschalk said:
It is, it definitely is.

If there is one patch you need then it is patch 1.05
Okay, maybe after the AAR. :)
 
The First Orthodox Crusade

TheMorea.jpg

The time to attack came sooner than anyone expected. On new years day of 1074, Georgios declared that he would invade Georgia before the end of the year. To start things off, he put his five year old son and heir, Athansios, under the teaching of Marshal Petros. Petros had at first respectfully requested that someone else teach the lad, seing as how Petros was now 66 years old, but Georgios insisted.

AthanasiosB.jpg


In June, the council was called, in an attempt to discourage Georgios from this war.

Chancellor Helena spoke first, "Your majesty, I do not think it wise to attack Georgia at this time. Nearly all of it is under the control of Muslim emirates, including the Emirate of Al-Jazir. Though Al-Jazir may be far from us, she is still a powerful state, with powerful allies, and a war with her would not be wise."
Georgios calmly replied, "My dear chancellor, I have no intention of attacking the Muslim emirates in Georgia." The court members all sighed in relief. Georgios continued, "I intend to attack the pagans in Abkhazia."
Marshal Petros then said, "I beg your pardon sire, but Abkhazia has a powerful ally, the Pecheneg Clan. Surely, if we fight the Tribe of Abkhazia, the Pechenegs will fight us as well."
Georgios' reply was, "Fear not, Petros. My daughter was miraculously healed of her execessive stress, surely this means that God will grant us victory. This crusade will show the enemies of Orthodoxy what it means to fight Orthodox Christians."
Leonidas Megenos said, "Crusade, sire? Pray tell, what is a 'Crusade'?"
"A crusade," Georgios began, "is a holy war against the enemies of Christendom. These Abkhazians and Pechenegs are oppressing our Christian brethren, and I want it to stop."
The council tried desperately to discourage Georgios from fighting a war that clearly seemed to be foolish. But he was insistant, and on June 13th, Georgios set off for Abkhazia, with an army of 1200 Moreans, led by himself, Prince Andronikos of Krete, Count Dauid of Monemvasia, Count Adrianos of Methone, and Count Isaakios of Kaneia. Count Alexandros of Korinthos would stay behind to defend Morean territory.
Queen Lavinia insisted on going with her husband, though no one is 100% sure whether this was out of devotion, or to prevend any "mysterious" children returning home with the king.

Abkhazia.jpg

Pulad.jpg

Kabuskin.jpg


In October, Count Dauid's army landed unopposed at Abkhazia, and initiated the siege.
In November Count Adrianos landed in Abkhazia and joined Dauid.
In December, King Georigios himself landed and joined the siege.
By January, Prince Andronikos and Count Isaakios had joined the siege, and the Morean army in Abkhazia exceeded 1000 men.

King Georgios spent most of the siege in the front with his troops, but every now and then, he would return to the supply camp, to spend a few days with his queen. In March, the queen was pregnant with their fourth child.

On March 15th, 400 Pechenegs landed near Argos, just south of Korinthos, and marched for the city of Korinthos. Count Alexandros met them just outside the city with a total of 380 men. The Pechenegs fought like wild men and narrowly defeated the valiant Moreans. Then they besieged Korinthos.

On March 23rd, Abkhazia fell to King Georgios, and King Pulad of Abkhazia was deposed. Georgios and his men then immediately set sail for Belgorod, the capital of the Pecheneg Clan.

In May they landed on the coast, and within a matter of days, Belgorod was besieged by 800 Moreans. The city sent messengers to Korinthos, begging the Pecheneg army to return, which it promptly did.

In August, the Pechenegs attacked the remaining Moreans around Belgorod, and were slaughtered to the last man, bringing only ten Moreans with them.

On December 18, 1075, Queen Lavinia have birth to her and Georgios' third daughter, and they named her Sofia, which means 'Wisdom' in Greek, because Georgios' "crusade" was clearly wiser than had at first been apparent.
Sofia.jpg

Nine days later, Belgorod surrendered, and War Chief Kabuskin was deposed. The crusade was successful over, and the remaining Pecheneg Clans splintered into separate states.
Kabuskin.jpg


King Georgios was called "the Pious" by his people, and was already a succesful military general at the young age of 26.
GeorgiosIC.jpg


Upon returning to his capital, Georgios ordered a new map to be made of his kingdom.
The lands circled in yellow are Morean.
MoreaB.jpg
 
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Veldmaarschalk said:
Looks like you are planning to surround the Byzantine Empire
Actually, the Pecheneg part was never supposed to happen. I attacked Abkhazia, and the Pechenegs refused to help their allies. But my stupid vassals went off and attacked the Pechenegs, so in order to end the war, I had to take the Pecheneg demesne.
 
crusaderknight said:
Actually, the Pecheneg part was never supposed to happen. I attacked Abkhazia, and the Pechenegs refused to help their allies. But my stupid vassals went off and attacked the Pechenegs, so in order to end the war, I had to take the Pecheneg demesne.

Wars are often like that, in real life as in the game.
 
crusaderknight said:
Actually, the Pecheneg part was never supposed to happen. I attacked Abkhazia, and the Pechenegs refused to help their allies. But my stupid vassals went off and attacked the Pechenegs, so in order to end the war, I had to take the Pecheneg demesne.

But it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Conquering Wallachia and Moldavia in future might be good move. These are rather easy conquests and nearer your main territories than Georgian lands.
 
TheMorea.jpg

In January of 1076, Georgios "the Pious" summoned his council. The purpose, to determine the situation of the Kingdom of the Morea after Georgios' "Crusade".

Marshal Petros began with the military situation, "Your majesty," he said, bowing, "Your Crusade against the Abkhazians and Pechenegs has been successful, as you are well aware, having led the Crusade in person. However, the war has left our army depleted. Here in Achaia we have only 163 registered soldiers, and in the conquered lands, there are not yet enough loyal people to raise any sort of army. Your vassals would not be pleased if you called upon their armies again in the near future, so this leaves our kingdom with only 163 men ready for war. I would advise that you avoid all conflicts if possible."
Georgios replied, "Very well. We shall give the kingdom a rest." Then, turning to his chancellor, Helena, "Chancellor, what is the diplomatic situation of our kingdom now?"
Helena bowed and said, "Your majesty, this war has hurt our relations with the... pagan nations of the world tremendously, however, your Christian brethren are rather pleased at your willingness to stand up to those who have challenged the Faith. Overall, your reputation is spotless."
"This is good news," said the young king, "And what of the nations financial situation, Steward?"
Xene Eirenikos bowed, "Sire, your realm, which was poor at first, and could only barely scratch out a meagre income, is now overflowing with wealth. The lands of Abkhazia, as well as the city of Belgorod, are very wealthy, and we are now steadily filling the royal coffers."
Georgios smiled, "Excellent! Excellent!"

In May, a basic road system was built in the lands surrounding Belgorod, and the Pecheneg population began to warm up to their new king, though they had still not forgotten the fact that they had been conquered.

In June, Georgios' eldest daughter, Theodora, began an education at the local Abbey. In October, his second daughter, Xanthe, began an education with Chancellor Helena, at the court.

It was a beautiful morning in early March of 1077, and Georgios' running footsteps could be heard throughout the small castle. His first stop was Marshal Petros, his mentor and close friend, who was now 68 years old. He came into Petros' room filled with excitement. "Petros! Petros!" Petros had been reading the Iliad, for the eighth time, in the corner, and said, "I am here, Sire. What is the matter?"
"Nothing is the matter Petros, but my beloved wife, Lavinia, she is gonig to have another child!"
Petros put his book down, got up, and stretched, "That is wonderful, Sire. This is your fifth child, is it not?"
"Yes! My fifth! And perhaps another son! Or a daughter! Can you believe it!"
"This is wonderful news, Sire, wonderful."
Georgios gave his friend a hug of sheer joy, then rushed out of the room to tell the rest of the court.
A few minutes later, he heard a maid scream. The scream came from the direction of Petros' room. Georgios rushed back to his friends chambers, and found the shocked maid shaking and staring at a body on the floor. He saw that the body was Petros, and that Petros wasn't breathing, he was dead.
Georgios grabbed the maid by the arms and demanded, "What happened!?"
The maid was filled with panic, and managed to say, "I... I don't know, Sire! He asked for a glass of wine, and... when I came in... he was... he was..."
Georgios released her, and stared at his friend's body. Just ten minuites ago they had been celebrating, and now Petros was dead.

After Georgios had spent many days grieving for his friend, he summoned Dragos Kenchres, one of the members of his court, and named him as the new marshal, and directed him to continue Athanasios' military training.
Dragos was not a general, as Petros had been, nor did he have much military experience. But he was the most knowledgeable man in military affairs left in the court, as Alvanites Apolethes had only read one book which mentioned one battle, and Leonidas Megenos had not even that much military experience.
Dragos was unsure if he could teach the young prince as well as Petros had, but he swore on his life that he would try.

In June, Crown Prince Athanasios began to show an interest in religion, and Georgios encouraged it, and asked Dragos to give religious lessons to Athansios every now and then, in addition to the military training.

On December 11, 1077 Queen Lavinia gave birth to a second son, and Georgios named him Asemopoulos.
Asemopoulos.jpg


One month later, roads were built in Abkhazia.

In March, Lavinia was pregnant with her and Georgios sixth child. Thus far, all five had been healthy children, a rarity in those days.
 
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Certainly a very productive duo!

Incidentally, have you ever read thames Palaeologid AAR from some time ago? This one reminds me of it, unsurprisingly.
 
stnylan said:
Certainly a very productive duo!
Aye. There'll be no problem with securing the dynasty for at least a few generations at this rate! :cool:

stnylan said:
Incidentally, have you ever read thames Palaeologid AAR from some time ago? This one reminds me of it, unsurprisingly.
Actually, I haven't, which would make this all the more surprising IMHO, since as I have not read the AAR, the similarities are purely coincidental. :eek:
 
I would recommend it. On one it is very different of course, but I think it is the familiar names that recalls the thames' version. Anyway, if you have a moment go and take a read. Very good reading, while it lasted.
 
stnylan said:
Certainly a very productive duo!

Indeed. It's nice to occasionally read update about family matters, instead of glorious conquests. It gives nice spice to the story. ;)
 
TheMorea.jpg

It was a bright and sunny day in November. The weather was almost perfect, just a few scattered clouds in the sky, and only a slight chill when the wind blew. King Georgios was strolling through the royal garden, enjoying the peace and quiet, when a messenger came to him.
Georgios nodded at the messenger, an indication that the man could deliver his message.
The messenger began, "Sire, I bring you news of your daughter, Princess Theodora."
Georgios gestured a little impatiently for the messenger to continue.
"Well, Sire, her little highness has taken after her brother."
"Meaning...?"
"She is taking an interest in our Orthodox Faith, Your Majesty."
"Good. Good. Tell her teachers to encourage this. A pious daughter is always a good thing."
"Yes, Your Grace." The messenger bowed and left.
Georgios sighed with relief, now he could get back to his peace and quiet. But it did not last. Only a few minutes later, one of the captains of the army, Alexandros by name, ran up to the king and saluted. Georgios tried to hide his frustration at these interruptions, and motioned for Alexandros to continue. The captain bowed and said, "Your Highness, I'm sure you still recall the Crusade we endeavoured upon a few years ago..."
"Yes, Alexandros. It is still very fresh in my mind."
"Then no doubt Your Highness remembers the difficulties we encountered in taking the enemy castles. How our laddermen were vulnerable to arrow fire, and we could not scale the walls."
"Yes, I do remember that. What of it?"
"Our military engineers have developed, well, more like 're-invented' a seige weapon known as the Battering Ram. This device is shielded from normal arrow fire, and thus will allow us to break down the gates of castles. Although, against heavily fortified castles which are armed with flaming arrows, the ram will be quite useless, as it is made of wood."
Georgios smiled, "This is still a development. Good work, Captain."

Only a few weeks later, Queen Lavinia gave birth to her and Georgios' sixth child, a son. This lad looked very much like his Italian mother, and thus was given an Italian name of his mother's chosing. She named him after her great uncle, Ermenegildo.
Ermenegildo.jpg


The joy in the royal court was short lived, though. For in May of 1079, a tragedy occured. Young Prince Asemopoulos fell deeply ill. Georgios summoned the royal Apothecary, who examined the toddler. The news was not good. "I'm afraid that the young prince has a terrible fever," the Apothecary said.
Georgios did not like to hear this, "Well, is there anything you can do for him? I'll pay you anything you ask, only save my boy!"
The Apothecary bowed his head, "None of the potions I know how to make can cure this type of fever. All we can do is pray for the child, and make him comfortable."
"But... But..."
"Your Majesty, it pains me to say this, but you really should begin funeral preparations. Only a miracle can save him."
The miracle did not come, and a few days later, Prince Asemopoulos died at the age of two. Georgios, Lavinia, and Athanasios grieved immensely.

Prince Athanasios took Asemopoulos' death the hardest. He bacame increasingly tempermental and aggressive. He punched a servant in the gut once just because the servant did not bring him his water right on time. In March of 1080, 12 year old Athanasios became even worse. While taking a brief break from sword practice, he found a stray puppy. When he went over to it, it began to bark at him. At once, he raised his sword and slew the little dog. It was clear that Athanasios was becoming a very cruel child.
AthanasiosC.jpg


Things only grew worse for the kingdom. In April, an emissary from Georgios' ally, Duke Robert de Hauteville of Apulia, came to the Echo-less Hall. His message was very serious, "Great King Georgios of the Morea, the one called 'Pious' by his people, I bring terrible news to you from the court of your great and noble ally, Duke Robert of Apulia. He sends word that he is under attack by the vicious Emperor Andronikos I of the Roman Empire. Even as we speak, fleets from Constantinople are sailing towards my master's lands. He begs you to honor our alliance and aid him in this war. He sends his highest regards, and this gift of cloth, in the hopes that you will see fit to aid him."
Georgios replied, "Tell my good friend Robert that no help will come from the Morea. But tell him that it is not out of spite, or malice, or ingratitude that we refuse to help him. It is simply that the Romans are our brethren, and that we cannot fight them in favor of Norman Catholics. Tell him, that were this any other enemy, no matter how great or how little, we would have come to his aid with righteous anger. And send him our sincerest apologies for our inabiltiy to help him."
The emissary bowed, and left the castle. Georgios felt even worse now.

Things became better in October. A vetern soldier from Thessalonika came to the Echo-less Hall, and offered to teach Prince Athanasios the way of the warrior. King Georgios was skeptical of this man, though, so he set up a challenge, "If you fight in a duel with my best swordsman, and you defeat him, you may teach my son. But if my best swordsman defeats you, you must leave the Morea forever."
The man nodded and said, "I understand, Sire. Send me your champion!"
Georgios nodded to Captain Alexandros. Alexandros' squire gave him a wooden sword, and another squire gave the visitor one as well. Alexandros looked at his opponent and said, "We'll see just how good you are, Stranger."
Without warning, Alexandros lunged at the stranger, who parried with great speed. The stranger then swung about and Alexandros parried. Alexandros fought hard, and at one point, the stranger was knocked off balance. Alexandros raised his wooden sword, but the stranger swung his left leg and tripped Alexandros. The stranger then grabbed onto Alexandros and put his wooden sword at the captain's neck.
Alexandros surrendered, and Georgios stood up, amazed, "That was amazing! What is your name, stranger?"
The stranger rose to his feet, then bowed and said, "Romanus Rentakenos, Your Majesty"
"Well, Romanus, you are the new Marshal of the Morea. You have full command of our legions and of the education of my son, Athanasios. Dragos!"
Dragos Kenchres, who had been teaching the Prince since the death of Petros, came to his king, and willingly surrendered his position as marshal. He was happy to return to the position of a normal courtier.
Romanus, on the otherhand, became Athanasios' new teacher, and would teach the prince everything he needed to know.
Romanus.jpg

Dragos.jpg
 
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TheMorea.jpg

Things went downhill again, only a few months after Romanus' arrival. Princess Sofia had become as aggressive and cruel as her brother. Princess Theodora tried to calm her siblings down, and to show them the foolishness of their cruelty towards others, but they only responded to her with scorn and anger. This had a terrible effect on poor Theodora. She eventually became very stressed due to their constant bickering and their harsh tones. Georgios feared that his family might be falling apart.

In June, Queen Lavinia was again pregnant, with her and Georgios' seventh child. This happy news was soon met with news that no one could tell whether it was good or bad. The Normans had fought the Romans hard, and had only lost a portion of their northern realm, the city of Foggia. No one was sure whether to be excited or disturbed, as this was a close victory for their brethren, and a close defeat for their allies.

On Athanasios' 13th birthday, he approached his father with a request, "Father," he said, "I'm sick and tired of always being in the court. Romanus has told me much about the outside world. He has told me of the beauty of Constantinople, of the forrests in Germany, of the castles in France, of the Churches in Jerusalem. I want to see these places father! I want to get out and see the world!"
Georgios was pleased with his son's interests, but was still worried about the prince's bad temper. Who knows what might happen if this angry lad were allowed out into the world? Georgios finally made up his mind, "You may tour the whole of Achaia, but nothing more. You are not to go beyond the Ithsmus of Megara, nor are you to go anywhere by boat. And Romanus must accompany you, with ten armed guards, at all times."
Athanasios was not pleased, "But father! I've seen all that there is to see on this spit of land we call home! I want to go and see the world!"
Georgios would not tolerate his son's lack of discipline, "You will tour Achaia, or you will not tour at all! Have I made myself clear?"
Athanasios said through gritted teeth, "Yes... Sire." And then he stormed away.
Georgios bowed his head and wept, the son he had once been so excited to have, all those years ago, the son he had loved so much, was becoming worse by the day, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

In November, Georgios declared his plans to rennovate the castle. It would no longer be a small town with a wooden palisade around it. He was going to have a real stone hall, with real stone walls all around it. He was told that it would cost him 500 gold pieces, but he said that it was a price worth paying. So construction on the new castle began right away.

In March of 1082, much happiness was brought to the Kingdom of the Morea, as Princess Kale, the seventh child of King Georgios and his Queen, Lavinia, was born.
Kale.jpg


In May, Georgios recieved word that his ally, King Petar Kresimir of Croatia, had died, and that Petar's 11 year old son, Branimir, was the new king. He soon recieved a letter from Branimir, which said:
King Branimir of the Croatians, son of Petar Kresimir, to his most illistrious friend, King Georgios of the Moreans, greetings and salutations in the name of our LORD.
Most pious king, I hope that you still remember the alliance which you and my great father held to. I hope that you will recall how he came to your aid in the great Crusade you launched against the Pagan Abkhazians and Pechenegs.
It is my hope that this alliance, which held strong throughout his lifetime, can be renewed, and that you and I might share an equally strong bond of friendship, against any and all enemies which we might face.
Accept this magnificent horse as a sign of my sincere desire to continue this great alliance.

King Branimir of the Croatians
Georgios was amazed that the author of this letter was a child of only 11 years. His friendship with Petar Kresimir had been strong, and he sent word immediately to young Branimir that the alliance would indeed be renewed.
Croat.jpg


In November, Michael Choumos, Prince of Chaldea, and his brother Ioannes, Prince of Dyrrachion, seperated themselves from the Roman Empire, refusing to be ruled by an Emperor who embraced the long dead Arian beliefs. This "Heretic Emperor" as they called him, was indeed just that. But Andronikos was not a push over. He sent his legions to crush these rebellious brothers. Again, the Moreans were unsure which side to take. On the one hand, Rome was their sister state, on the other hand, the Choumos brothers had a point, should an Arian heretic be allowed to rule in Constantinople? Again, Georgios decided to remain neutral, and let history take its course. And sure enough, come January of 1083, Chaldea had fallen to the Roman legions. But Prince Ioannes' soldiers were more steadfast and seasoned troops. Their resistance remained strong, and they took many Roman cities over the next seven months.

In April, Princess Theodora's attempts to solve the problems with her brother and sister became even more futile. She finally accepted the fact that they were not going to change back into the sweet siblings she had grown to love. So, she sank into a deep depression. This only frustrated Georgios more. Now three of his children were having serious problems and one was dead. He began to hope in ernest that his younger children did not take after their older siblings.

In November the stone castle was completed, and the royal court bid a last farewell to the Echo-less Hall, before it was torn down to be used as building material for new houses and fortifications.

In December, Queen Lavinia was again pregnant, with the royal couple's eigth child. Again, coincidentally, another war in which the Morea had declared neutrality was over. Dyrrachion had finally fallen to Roman forces, and Ioannes, like his brother before him, was executed.
 
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