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Finished Andronikos' reign summary. I'm still not exactly sure what to do with Thomas'... any ideas? Requests? I might also postpone it a bit so I can move onto the maps for what's going on in the world in 1297 as well. Lot's of interims coming!

Andronikossummarycopy.jpg

Pros: By territory gained, wealth amassed, and court glitter, likely the greatest Komnenid Emperor. Segeo's great rebellion was defeated early in his reign (though this had more to do with the skills of Andronikos' Megas Domestikos). Azov and the rest of the Transpontic coast was regained. Romanion made territorial inroads into Hungary, as well as solidifed northern Italy and gained control of the French coast, turning the Mediterranean into truly a Roman lake. Subjugated the lords of France (albeit loosely). Destroyed the ambitions of Gabriel Komnenos, and turned Persia into a vassal (albeit a very powerful one). Created by treaty with Kublai Khan the Romano-Mongol Kingdom of Transoxania (also known as Gok Rum in Turkic). Reformed the Roman military as well as bureaucracy from top to bottom, including creating the Oikoi. Well beloved by the public and the church. Master manipulator.

Cons: Vicious and mean behind closed doors. Lackluster battlefield commander, despite skill at recognizing advantageous strategic circumstances. Never close with anyone other than his Archeoikos Ioannis Angelos and his first wife Cecilia. Often put affairs of the heart relating to Cecilia above the state. Pride often led him into situations and traps that could have otherwise been avoided, and his unwillingness to put his saintly public reputation at stake meant that many troublemakers who would've been executed under an Emperor like Manuel lived on. Never truly corralled the Roman nobility like Emperor Manuel or even Thomas II--nobility amassed huge armies and great power under his reign. Unwillingness to often take the field left army commanders with considerable power. Left a contentious succession amongst numerous sons.

Bottom line: A complicated reign, like most of the Komnenid Emperors. Andronikos undoubtedly amassed an unprecedented amount of glory (His prestige ended up at 65,000, the highest of all the Emperors), wealth and power. However, overconfidence in his own abilities, as well as a bureaucracy built to function with only someone as skilled as himself in charge, left the empire with weakened foundations. His focus on saving the treasury ironically strengthened the nobility to unprecedented levels, and many of his plots made only short term gains in return for long term trouble. His unwillingness to command in the field also led to an increase in the power of the army bureaucracy. While during his life he expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest extent and glory, his mistakes directly led to its ultimate collapse. Ironically, amongst the public his carefully cultivated image of a 'renaissance man' remains--most of the blame for future events were unfairly lumped onto his successors, when the rot became permanent under his watch.
 
How about the greatest European monarch outside Romainion?

Not much to go on...they haven't featured much...but probably Drogo Capet...acquiring England and thwarting Roman influence in trans-Alpine Gaul is fairly significant given the situation.
 
Not much to go on...they haven't featured much...but probably Drogo Capet...acquiring England and thwarting Roman influence in trans-Alpine Gaul is fairly significant given the situation.

Maybe one of the Arpads or a Sortmark uh.. King/Tsar/Knyaz/Whatever they're calling themselves could contend, but we don't really hear much about them as you said.

Andronikos seems like Justinian, only with a reversed skill-set. Justinian was a great commander, a fair administrator, and seemingly a bad financier (or so his reputation goes, I'm sure a few historians might disagree with me). Andronikos was a highly skilled administrator, and a decent financier, but his military skill was lacking despite his martial skill, simply because he was a bit too battle-shy to make a great commander. Grand strategy was his game.

They both reigned in a rather short-sighted manner, it seems.
Justinian's constant wars killed the economy in the long run, Andronikos' plots traded immediate gain for a long term nightmare of nobles and some vassals who can even challenge Imperial power alone(!) or in co-operation with only a few others.
 
Definitely do Thomas :d

Make a list of all the buildings he built and designed.
 
I hope I'm not asking too much but what about an overview of the known world (or Europe at least)?

If I remember right he's going to do a large overview of the world at 1300, which we are at now.
 
The interims have been delayed--some friends of mine came to visit through Wednesday.
 
Wow! Andronikos I only beat Thomas II be *3* years in terms of longetivity!
So if we may conclude, would the longest reigning Emperors be in this order thus far?

1) Demetrious
2) Andronikos I
3) Thomas II

I didn't put the others down due to those three having ruled the longest.
 
I reread that end of all things spolier post, and I have to say

Warning Possible Spoiling Underneath!
That emperor in the post is Andronikos II (from earlier spoiler) he is what like 8 now, and the post says the civel war ended 10 years before, and during the post he was 60! If that is true this is the Great Kommined Civil War was waged for like 50 years! Though possibly is the key word this is all just a speculation.

Don't say I didn't warn you people that now are disapointed they possibly know how the story will play out.
 
I reread that end of all things spolier post, and I have to say

Warning Possible Spoiling Underneath!
That emperor in the post is Andronikos II (from earlier spoiler) he is what like 8 now, and the post says the civel war ended 10 years before, and during the post he was 60! If that is true this is the Great Kommined Civil War was waged for like 50 years! Though possibly is the key word this is all just a speculation.

Don't say I didn't warn you people that now are disapointed they possibly know how the story will play out.

Where is that post?? I must have forgotten about it...
 
It's buried in there somewhere. Sometime last autumn.