Kirsch27 - Gabriel is still alive, and Gabriel is still the one everyone in this new political arrangement fears. His excommunication and Nikephoros' palace coup have effectively sidelined him, but he's not dead--Nikephoros and Alexandros simply couldn't commit patricide, and as for Albrecht... well... we'll get into what's going on in Konstantinopolis shortly, where most of your other questions will be answered too!
RGB - Yes, save he didn't have a Nikolaios who thought his talents were worth saving. The Komnenid dynasty is firmly in place... no heroes are needed, at least in Romanion. Persia though...
Morrell8 - All in due time...
FrozenWall - Some major things religiously are stirring. All I'll say is you may regret your wishes...
Vesimir - That became a
serious problem later on in game. Part of the reason I engineered things near the end to blow the whole mess up. It was too... peaceful!
Leviathan07 - I hope there's time to meet Georgios II... you'll find he's an... interesting...character.
All I'll say on the guesses is...
No pirates.
No Persians (or Persoi as they'll be calling themselves in a generation or two. Any better Greek translations or ideas for "Hellenic Persians?").
Next update is about half done. In the meantime, I have YET ANOTHER interim, one that in light of what will happen in the last century of the Empire, will be sorely needed--A table showing the ranks of the aristocracy during the mid and late Komnenid Empire:
With the creation of the title
Megas Komnenos, the rise of the Komnenid dynasty is complete--their name has become synonymous with imperial power to the point the name
is an imperial title. At the same time, the dynasty's blood has literally diluted itself into every major
dynatoi house and almost every family of note in Europe.
Under this new nomenclature, the High Emperor in Konstantinopolis has numerous options to choose from when creating rewards, bribes, or new territories. Imperial titles have been reshuffled--
Autokrator now is a lesser imperial title, held by Thomas III as well as the sons of Gabriel.
Basilieus, as of 1255, is a vacant title, but it has been further demoted to lie midway between an imperial title and a mere royal title.
Rigas is only held by Georgios II in his capacity as King of Arabia, and was once held by Alexios I of Mesopotamia as well.
Exarchos still remains in use among the great lords of the West, a remnant of the days of Basil III. At present, there are five lords that use this title. Underneath the still hereditary title of
Exarchos is the non-hereditary award of
Despotes, as created by Albrecht von Franken. Fifteen lords have this title. Underneath each i[]Despotes[/i] (and usually appointed at his discretion to serve as a Regent/Second in Command) is a
Kephalos. Underneath these lie the mere nobility of the empire, the princes and the counts, the former numbering well over one hundred and the latter likely approaching the half millenium mark.
These are aristocratic and administrative titles only. As you will soon see, often one person will hold multiple offices--a lord might be
Megos Domestikos,
Despotes, as well as a prince. As a rule, being a Prince in one's own right is a gateway to the higher aristocratic titles--one must be a prince to be named a
Despotes, for example. As of 1255, other than
Exarchos, Prigkipas and
Komes all other non-imperial, non-royal titles are at the pleasure of the
Megas Komnenos, who also has by treaty sole power to create new royal and imperial titles.
Suitably Byzantine, eh?
EDIT -
Kaisar is not included, as it is an appellation given to the heir apparent. It's an appointed, aristocratic position, but it lies outside of the hierarchy.
EDIT 2 - Fixed things. Georgios II is King of Arabia, not Mesopotamia.
