Born to the Purple

[Chief Ragusa]

BORN TO THE PURPLE

1419 - Prelude

House Rules

This is the story of Konstantinos Palaeologus, called Dragases and affectionately known as drakon or the dragon.

This is a Roman Empire AAR and will continue beyond the death of the protagonist, though he may stay on as a ghostly narrator.

The version is 1.09 of EU2, MyMap 1.64 Gold 2; very hard/furious.

i) Poor House 1439 must occur
ii) no annexation of any state is permitted before that of the ottomans
iii) Athens must be diplo-annexed
iv) The supply limit of soldiers may not be exceeded, except as
a result of game events
v) For each monarch there is a size maximum: the first may have
4 provinces; the second 9 provinces; the third 30 provinces; the fourth 80 provinces; the fifth 200 provinces; the sixth and subsequent the world (thought this is not a WC attempt)
vi) Morea will be inherited in 1460
vii) Additional leaders will be allowed and some events have been changed or added through savefile amendment; some leaders have been improve
viii) No military activity or conquests allowed within borders of the Holy Roman Empire (territory acquired through diplo-annexation may be defended, but only by locally raised troops/mercenaries

I have been working on this story since the beginning of September.
Game 1 was on the standard vanilla 1.09
Game 2 on AGCEEP 1.42 and 1.43 beta 5; abandoned on failure of file to upload to 1.50
Game 3 went through 5 different reloads on MyMap 1.62 and 1.64
i) abandoned cause the Turks fell too easily
ii) abandoned because the alliance with the Turks worked far too well
iii) abandoned because the computer crashed
iv) abandoned due to wrong turning for the story
v) abandoned because the file would not upload to 1.64 Gold 2
Game 4 on WATK 3.1 abandoned because the map does not have Achaia or Thessalonika
Game 5
i) abandoned due to massive loss of stability following conversion every orthodox marriage and alliance dissolved
ii) abandoned due to gaining Italian territory inside Holy Roman Empire
iii) the current incarnation

The Byzantine/Roman Empire in 1419 has only the Bosphoros and Thessaloniki provinces. It will convert to Catholicism in 1439 and stay that in 1460. The Lutheran and Calvinist reformations will be fully embraced (not game tested beyond 1504).

Greek Fire is treated as being of similar consistency as nitro-glycerine and a hardened form for game use is treated as dynamite, which gives the Empire an advantage in siege warfare.

[stnylan]

The very long awaited AAR from Chief Ragusa is finally here? Hooray!

[Duke of Wellington]

Excellent it has arrived. You have some interesting rules CR. Good luck and I look forward to this.

[Kelvin]

Greek Fire is treated as being of similar consistency as nitro-glycerine and a hardened form for game use is treated as dynamite, which gives the Empire an advantage in siege warfare.

How will you simulate this?

[Chief Ragusa]

How will you simulate this?

Thanks for the encouragement stnylan and Duke.

4 of my generals have siege 3, 2 have 2 and 1 has 1 - in the first 100 years. I do not plan on moving to full defensive to add another to the score. Whilst the 3s do siege more quickly than the 1, I've noticed that those sieges without generals can last a long time or go as fast as the 3s. The government trusts its own generals; but not foreigners or it own nobles.

The general who should last the longest, the answer to "our prayers" - who did in test - decided to get himself killed in only his second engagement. The game has thrown me a curve that I've not seen before, namely the dauphin making concessions instead of murdering the Duke of Burgundy.

[coz1]

Wow! I've been waiting for this day. I love it when a great reader turns into a great writer. Looks like you've spent some time planning this out as well, so it should be good. Good luck!

[Personguyfellow]

This looks AWESOME!!!

[Rensslaer]

Definitely looking to see how the Rangers manage against the Turks.

Keep your hair up!

Rensslaer

[The-Great-Dane]

I'm quite certain this is going to be a good AAR with lots of support from the rest of us, as you're awlays making constructive posts in a lot of AAR's. I also like the house rules you've implented on yourself.

Good luck with taking Byzantium to the top, where it belongs.

-TGD

[Kelvin]

4 of my generals have siege 3, 2 have 2 and 1 has 1 - in the first 100 years. I do not plan on moving to full defensive to add another to the score. Whilst the 3s do siege more quickly than the 1, I've noticed that those sieges without generals can last a long time or go as fast as the 3s. The government trusts its own generals; but not foreigners or it own nobles.

The general who should last the longest, the answer to "our prayers" - who did in test - decided to get himself killed in only his second engagement. The game has thrown me a curve that I've not seen before, namely the dauphin making concessions instead of murdering the Duke of Burgundy.

So you've created some starting generals for yourself? Did you just conjure them from the thin air, or did you try a more historical approach and based them on historical people/situations?

That lack of leaders (well, of everything) in the beginning is really problematic



All said, I can't wait to see the first installment of this AAR

[Grundius]

Let's see where this goes...

[Chief Ragusa]

Konstantinos stretched himself. Looked out through window and estimated mid-morning from the position of the sun. For the ancient Babylonians today was the beginning of a new year. For Byzantines January 1 1419 marked just past half way of the 12 days official festivities. Konstantinos’ partner stirred, knocking her small fists against this chest. Everything about Maggalena Tocco heiress to the Tocco estates around Patras and principality of Achaia, was small. She said she was 15, but he doubted that she was much past 13; her hips were too small for one thing. The Tocco’s claimed to be Italian, scholars said they were minor landowners from Navarre and this branch of the family had converted to Orthodoxy. Her uncle was noted for his taste in pretty young girls and petite boyish Maggalena was very pretty.

Konstantinos began to concentrate hard, Maggalena was making that very difficult. Other Tocco branches had acquired title to Cephalonia, including Epirus and Ragusa, jewel of the Adriatic. The claims were contested by other branches of the Palaeologus family. He wished he was going to school in Montferrat with his cousinsaway from the troubled City. He wished he was not being tutored by Alexios Plithon. Georgios Plithon was on of his best friends, his sister Alyssia was the subject of Konstantinos’ unrequited love. She was older than he by over a year ,all of 16, but had a figure to die for: full-breasted, long-legged; shoulder length raven black her; eyes the colour of sparkling blue., skin the colour of ivory – and by far his preferred choice of partner. His younger brother Demetrios had introduced her to drink several nights before and neither had come out of his apartment since. Konstantinos soon found concentration impossible, not that he had anything to do before the afternoon.


Konstantinos had seen Maggalena safely back to rooms she using staying in with her Uncle. He would be taking her somewhere as a surprise and he just needed to get his coat. Demetrios sauntered into view, running coins between his fingers.

“Where’s Alyssia?”, Konstantinos enquired.

“Out.” was Demetrious’ evasive answer. Konstantinos grabbed his brother. “I left her down by the great Wharf.” Bleated Demetrios
Konstantinos counted the coins and said, “Judas only got 30 pieces of silver, and you’ve been overpaid.”

“You know how tight Jews are … she was, you know … only wanted her before you”, Demetrios panted out, exhausted by the effort to escape his brother’s grip. Konstantinos threw Demetrios against the nearest wall and gave him a look of thunder. He’d have to go look for her. She did not know the City and he had to take Maggalena for her surprise.

The coat was there, with his light mace covering his latest attempt to put greek fire into a form you could carry around. He put it into his pocket, another western innovation regarded as effete by the Byzantine aristocracy. There was an inside pocket that Konstantinos had had made so he could carry his mace with him. Where he went was dangerous at the best of times. Yes he would be guarded but the Church he was visiting was just outside Galata home the Genoese and the scene of several unpleasant standoffs between Greek and Genoese.

Kontsantinos, Maggalena and a dozen guards moved through a City packed with revellers. The empire might have collapsed around them, but the City still knew how to party. The Imperial Palaeologus had a secret. A terrible secret. One that could cause the downfall of the dynasty. They were Catholic. Konstantinos wondered how Maggalena would take the revalation. After mass, she told him. “You Catholic scum.”, was the only bit he understood. Judging from the reaction of the Catalans, including the sailors, it was just as well. She stormed off. Konstantinos sent the guards after her; she didn’t know her way back. He smiled, one wedding averted – his. Now to find Alyssia.

After an hour or so he spotted a figured hunched against a wall, just inside the spear of light cast by a flickering torch. Once, the entire city had been illuminated at night by torches such as this one. Only here, because treaty required it, was the system still maintained. Konstantinos ignored the offers of a good time or invitations to participate in orgies. Four drunken ruffians were approaching the huddled figure.

Konstantinos drew his mace. The ruffians saw him coming. Two dragged the figure to its feet. It was Alyssia. The two ruffians coming towards him had short swords and reeked of drink. Unbidden, words of wisdom from his weapons master, Roberto of Urbino, surfaced.

“The clothes tell you what a man wants you to think about him, his eyes tell you who he is.”

He only had lessons from him because his good friend and cousin, Iovanni Giustiani, had pestered his father, Lord Iovanni the man who held Lesbos and Chios for Genoa.

Konstantinos could see these men had hard dead eyes. He stepped inside the man on the left’s lunge, grabbing the gladius’s hilt in his left hand and bringing the mace down over the man’s head. He dropped to the ground. Ruffian number swung his sword, parry and counter. The man dropped his weapon and craddled a now useless hand. Two down, two to go. Number three was very good. Konstantinos had to parry rapidly and could not work an opening to attack. Then he remembered he was still holding the gladius. He used it to distract his opponent and brought his mace crashing down on his head. The fourth man had pushed Alyssia to the ground alng witrh a bow anda quiver full of arrows. He, too, stank of drink. His narrow arrows said Turk. Konstantinos got a crushing blow to the man’s head. The Turk was wearing a reinforced Mongol helmet. The mace broke in two. The Turk laughed onlty to have his sword hand cut by gladius. The Turk ran, his weapons and prize forgotten in self-preservation. Konstantinos rushed to the bow. Drew an arrow and loosed. High and wild. His second was more measured. He fired, aiming for back of the man’s knee. Success. The man collapsed in a heap. The boat was pulling away from shore. Konstantinos threw his stick of hard greek fire; he’d need a name for it. It landed in the boat. Fire fell on to it and the boat blew up.

Men were now running from Galata. Konstantinos moved to the Turk and rammed the point of the gladius through his throat. The gladius was dropped. Coins picked up, two bits of mace and a girl comforted. Konstantinos recognised Iovanni amongst the Genoese coming out of Galata and they moved to embrace each other. The Genoese were on their way to the Palace, Konstantinos learned, to offer the services of his new friend Johannes Grant and some Saxon miners who had fled the tyrant of Meissen to the Emperor. It was just as well, Konstantinos had an escort to the palace, for there were mobs of angry men running amok. Manuel II had decided to act against the hangers-on who doubled the size of the Imperial bureaucracy. The first step along the road to a centralised state had been taken. The Genoese guards were certainly not full of the Christmas spirit as more than one protester learned to his cost.

[stnylan]

Well now that is an interesting start. Very difficult to see what is happening from this starting post. I am not sure I like Konstantinos at first sight, but we will see.

[Duke of Wellington]

Good beginning. Quite an interesting family to have. And given the vices of Constantinople its sure to get more interesting. I like the modified Greek fire.

[The Real Deal]

Very difficult to see what is happening from this starting post.

Indeed. A chaotic city.

Chief, good to see you start an AAR, good luck with it.

I was abit overwhelmed with so much happening, will try to keep up

[cthulhu]

As you know, Chief Ragusa, I have enjoyed your insightful comments in Mett’s Eagles of Avalon. I have also thought that I would like to see you with all your knowledge of the era, write an AAR, and that I should encourage you to do it. I am therefore very pleased to have found this one. Nice first post and I eagerly await more.

[Chief Ragusa]

The New Year’s Day Banquet was for immediate members of the Palaeologus family, no cousins, and their invited guests. The Giustiani declined to attend. Their enclave at Galata had been invaded by the Turkish merchant Ibrahim Pasha who had taken over one of the warehouses and refused to vacate it. The Byzantines were Turkish vassals and had to allow the Turks to operate in the City as though they were Greeks and they had the right to one warehouse in Galata. Konstantinos wished he did not have to attend. He dressed in his best clothes and felt as though he were a pheasant about to be plucked.

Servants directed Konstantinos to his seat. He looked at the menu. Nine courses. They’d be talking and eating into early the next morning. He was suddenly rather pleased he’d got up mid-afternoon. Then he realised that he was not sitting between the Tocco’s Uncle and Maggalena. No, he’d been put between the Venetian and Hungarian envoys. The two countries were engaged in a particularly bitter struggle for control over Croatia and Dalmatia. No, Demetrios was sitting between the two Toccos. The Turkish Pasha was seated at Manuel’s right hand. Ioannes, Konstantinos’ oldest brother was to his left. There was a space next to the Turk. After the Toccos , the Wallachian envoy sat, eyes brooding pointedly ignoring the Turk. The Ottomans were fighting Wallachia. The Vlach had the imposing name Agen Vuren and wild boars would run away from the man, if they had any sense. Ah, Isidore and Isobel were present. That explained Helena, Konstantinos’ mother’s absence. The two were from a previous relationship, before mother and father had married. Konstantinos thought he had inherited his mother’s Serbian stubbornness. Thomas, his nine year old brother was happily chatting away to the Hungarian envoys eight year old daughter, Bela. Or was that the envoys name? The Hungarians had funny names. The Venetian envoy either did not understand Hungarian or had very firm control over his emotions or he had not reacted to the Hungarian inferring that he was the offspring of two male chickens.

Konstantinos had two other older brothers; Andronicus Emperor of Thessaloniki and Theodore, Despot of Morea (and Patras). Andronicus claimed his wife was pregnant and could not travel and Theodore had sent the Toccos.

The fowl course was brought in and Isidore said grace. Manuel II said, “How handsome you look tonight Dragases.” It had been almost 9 years to the day since his older brother, also called Konstantinos had died aged 15. Konstantinos wished both his parents would call him Konstantinos. He felt resigned to the name Dragases because that is what everyone called him. He was just about to take his first bite, when the Turk said, in Turkish, “You murdered my son!”

[Duke of Wellington]

I'm picking the Venetians do not understand Hungarian. Looks like this dinner party is about to head downhill rapidly.

[stnylan]

It's setting up for one long day of domestic disasters.

[Chief Ragusa]

I'm picking the Venetians do not understand Hungarian. Looks like this dinner party is about to head downhill rapidly.

I don't think I 'd want to play poker against the Venetains of this era. Yes, it's not the best start to a meal.

cthulu - I shall be taking fearsome liberties with history

personguyfellow - you don't expect much from me, do you?

kelvin - the byzantines start from low down; three of the generals are historical as are both the early couple of admirals.

grundius coz1 - it will probably develop a life of its own. Consider yourselves invited for the journey. I'm still trying to figure why the Swedes wanted military access through my one province state in one of my test games.

The-Great-Dane - The Byzantines always thought they were top, and in that they were deluded.

The Real Deal - the City always was chaotic, just more so with 12 days of holidays and a -1 stability hit for pruning the bureaucracy. I promise shorter updates.

Rensslaer - right now Konstantinos is more lone ranger than Aragorn. He'd pobably trade his soul, for a One Ring, to restore Byzantium.

stnylan - he's always described as a man of action.