To be really unique, perhaps one could conquer Thrace and Greece and turn Asia Minor, the Balkans and Greece into a Greek Muslim wonderland!
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Hi all! Sorry to have disappeared. I basically boxed myself into a quandary by thinking I would be able to tell all the updates as stories. The update that I will upload soon isn't really worth a story. I tried many ways and each attempt was just too ridiculous! So I thought, and I thought, and I thought, and then suddenly it dawned on me that I didn't have to ONLY tell stories.
So I will be using stories sometimes and sometimes what I'll call Historical Updates - just telling you what happens to the land of Aydin and her Beys between the stories that go to the heart of things.
So without further ado, here are a few responses, and then I'll post an update later tonight.
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I think it was important for the Pope to feel the weight of his failure. And to perhaps pass that extreme sense of shame on to his successors who might be foolish enough to seek revenge. We can only hope!
So I will be using stories sometimes and sometimes what I'll call Historical Updates - just telling you what happens to the land of Aydin and her Beys between the stories that go to the heart of things.
So without further ado, here are a few responses, and then I'll post an update later tonight.
*******
Hi there mayorqw! Thanks for joining. The year was 1407. I have to admit that I have my eyes on Italy, but most of the Italian states are tangled in a massive web of alliances with each other and I'm a little nervous to take on too much just yet. But we'll have to see! All those lovely universities there just waiting around....!
Thanks Abraxas! Have you started the Persia game? I'll definitely follow. And thanks for keeping your eyes out for Aydin in that particular alternate universe!I've been thinking my next game should be with Persia and I think this comment finally settles it. When I start playing, I'll make it top priority to see Aydin is not eaten by the vile House of Osman
I like Isa Bey's style, making sure the Pope feels the full burden of his defeat in the hands of a Muslim.
I think it was important for the Pope to feel the weight of his failure. And to perhaps pass that extreme sense of shame on to his successors who might be foolish enough to seek revenge. We can only hope!
Thanks! Isa Bey is a Master Diplomat, so he knows just what to say. LOLI really like Isa. He's got class.
Indeedm axzhang! The Italians are so committed to their inter-communal strife that even the arrival of Islam won't distract them. And you'll see, they actually turn out to be quite happy that Isa has arrived! (And the cash has come in handy, let me tell you!)
Yes - being able to claim the title Conqueror was important. And to beat the Pope and all that was just frosting on the cake. And the Ottomans are likely to be difficult so I need to be prepared.
Welcome Hannibal! I think you've got a good idea there. I have to see how the Beys turn out - will they be focused on the Christians? Uniting Islam? Fighting Islamic heretics? They seem pretty reasonable so far, but we'll have to see what happens! I genuinely don't know!
I like the idea of a Muslim state that incorporates the exact borders of Alexander's conquests and the Roman empire combined.
That's an interesting idea. Or, I wonder, if the Bey's attention will be pulled toward India where, just perhaps, Aydin can create a Turkic Empire & Dynasty. Hmmm....we'll have to see if any Bey's take an interest in Turkic history. But I like the way you're thinking and how it's making me think!I like the idea of a Muslim state that incorporates the exact borders of Alexander's conquests and the Roman empire combined.
Historical Update
In 1408 Isa Bey sent an Embassy to the Ottoman Turks. This improved relations between the two states considerably, and soon after the two ruling families entered a marriage alliance with the beautiful princess Aisha.
A year later, the Ulema of Aydin approached Isa Bey and offered their political and religious support for all the efforts to expand the House of Peace and overthrow the vestiges of the Christian Crusader past in the Eastern Mediterranean. Isa Bey accepted the support and rewarded the Ulema from the royal coffers
Between 1409 and 1412, Isa Bey and contracted several additional marriage alliances with Turkic and Mongol powers in Anatolia and the Asian Steppes. Karaman, Nogai and the Golden Horde all welcomed the chance to ally themselves through marriage with Isa Bey.
In 1409 the Ottomans were engaged in a wide-ranging war with the small Hellenic state of Achaea and her allies - the Duchies of Milan and Savoy, the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, the Bishopric of Aquileia, and the Maritime Republics of Genoa and Venice.
The war between the Ottomans and the Italians lasted for several years, and ended with the annexation of Achaea and Lesbos (from Genoa) into the Ottoman domain. Interestingly for Aydin and Isa Bey, however, was the fact that the Republics Genoa and Venice bore the brunt of the military engagements - Genoa because of her control over Lesbos, and Venice because of her control of Attica and Euboea. The war particularly sapped the economic and military power of the Venetian Republic - so much that it was reported that all the young men of Venice had died or fled, and the economy of the proud Republic was in tatters. What was also interesting to Isa Bey was the fact that Venice, foolishly basking in memories of past glory, her sense of power, and ability to project that power throughout the region, neglected to maintain any of her alliances as the war dragged on.
In light of these two facts, and given the fondness with which his family regarded both Turk and Greek, in 1411 Isa Bey declared war on Venice with the goal of annexing the historic city of Athens and perhaps the island of Euboea to the domain of Aydin.
The key battles were fought at sea, as most of the Venetian Hellenic army had been destroyed in battles with the Ottoman Sultan. The only Venetian fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean, a small fleet of cogs, was pursued across the Aegean and Cretan seas and destroyed. The larger Venetian fleet of Galleys failed for some time to depart from the Venetian lagoon - no doubt because the Venetians feared for the safety of their lagoon-bound city with troops from Aydin stationed in Romagna.
By 1412, Athens had fallen and the islands of Crete and Euboea were under seige. Another small naval victory was gained in the Sea of Crete against the remaining Venetian cog in the region. More importantly, at this time the impressive diplomatic skills of Isa Bey bore valuable fruit.
First, the Republic of Genoa, still smarting from the loss of its island way-station of Lesbos to the Ottomans, sent messages of support to Isa Bey in his war with Venice. The Venetians, while losing a significant number of troops in the war over Achaea, lost no territory to the Ottomans. Consequently, with control of Crete, Euboea and Athens firmly in their hands they were poised to usurp the Genoese in the important Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean trade markets. The Republic of Genoa gleefully welcomed the idea of her main commercial rival being cut down a notch or two in this important trade region in order to preserve relative balances of power.
Isa Bey was also able to gain general acquiescence to the annexation of Romagna and Trebizond. The reasons, of course, were different for each territory.
In Italy, the ability of the Pope to exert secular power over rich territories (and therefore over the rulers of other secular states with that power) was a prime concern among the various rulers of the duchies, republics and kingdoms of the peninsula. Having a distant, relatively powerless (in their eyes) Turkish Bey take control of Romagna and in the process reduce significantly the earthly power of the Pope was an outcome they were willing to accept, at least in the short-term. To insist on the return of the province to the Pope would have reestablished the power of the Pope to intrude on the political issues of Italy; leaving it in the hands of Aydin was seen as nothing more than a temporary resolution to the problem of the Pope's secular power, pending reconquest by a more powerful Italian state.
Trebizond, on the other hand, was one of the last Orthodox states below the vast Russian steppes. While the Byzantine Emperor certainly had claims on the city and province, he was powerless to effect any sort of change. The King of Georgia certainly wasn’t pleased but was at this point threatened on too many fronts to attempt any sort of rescue. Russia, the main inheritor of the Orthodox mantle sat under the control of the Golden Horde and could offer nothing but refuge to the exiled ruling family. And the other Turkic powers to the east of Anatolia welcomed any sort of buffer and alternative power against the Ottoman Sultan.
By 1413 the war with Venice ended with the capture of Euboea. Isa Bey considered his options and, realizing that Crete was a producer of sugar, a rather unique product in Europe, opted to demand Athens and its surrounding territory as well as the wealthy sugar plantations of Crete in exchange for peace. Exhausted before the start of this war, Venice was only too happy to oblige, and peace returned.
The Duke of Tuscany secretly sent his congratulations to Isa Bey on the humbling of Venice soon after the news of the peace reached Italy.
The small duchy of Naxos, situated between Athen and Aydin, sent gifts of flattery and fish in a show of peaceful coexistence. And the Duke of Savoy, no friend of Venice, also sent approval and a kind letter to the Bey.
For three years after this war, Isa Bey focused on good governance, peace, and supporting the university in Romagna. In fact, he continued to welcome students from Italy to the university. The peaceful approach adopted by Isa Bey, and the depth of feeling against Venice and her high-handed ways continued to bring benefits to Isa Bey and Aydin. The powerful Duke of Milan sent his greetings, good wishes and students to the university (although his good wishes arrived somewhat later than those of the other Italian powers). And most welcome to Isa Bey, the two most powerful Turkic states sent Offers of Alliance to Isa Bey. Almost simultaneously the heirs of Timur and the rulers of the powerful Golden Horde sent offers of military alliance to Isa bey. Although Isa Bey was happily wed to the beautiful Ottoman princess Aisha, he welcomed the protection against the powerful Sultanate and accepted both offers.
And in that year, the Queen Mother Arsinoe emerged from her chambers for the first time since her son Ali Bey died in the capture of Trebizond.
In 1408 Isa Bey sent an Embassy to the Ottoman Turks. This improved relations between the two states considerably, and soon after the two ruling families entered a marriage alliance with the beautiful princess Aisha.
A year later, the Ulema of Aydin approached Isa Bey and offered their political and religious support for all the efforts to expand the House of Peace and overthrow the vestiges of the Christian Crusader past in the Eastern Mediterranean. Isa Bey accepted the support and rewarded the Ulema from the royal coffers
Between 1409 and 1412, Isa Bey and contracted several additional marriage alliances with Turkic and Mongol powers in Anatolia and the Asian Steppes. Karaman, Nogai and the Golden Horde all welcomed the chance to ally themselves through marriage with Isa Bey.
In 1409 the Ottomans were engaged in a wide-ranging war with the small Hellenic state of Achaea and her allies - the Duchies of Milan and Savoy, the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, the Bishopric of Aquileia, and the Maritime Republics of Genoa and Venice.
The war between the Ottomans and the Italians lasted for several years, and ended with the annexation of Achaea and Lesbos (from Genoa) into the Ottoman domain. Interestingly for Aydin and Isa Bey, however, was the fact that the Republics Genoa and Venice bore the brunt of the military engagements - Genoa because of her control over Lesbos, and Venice because of her control of Attica and Euboea. The war particularly sapped the economic and military power of the Venetian Republic - so much that it was reported that all the young men of Venice had died or fled, and the economy of the proud Republic was in tatters. What was also interesting to Isa Bey was the fact that Venice, foolishly basking in memories of past glory, her sense of power, and ability to project that power throughout the region, neglected to maintain any of her alliances as the war dragged on.
In light of these two facts, and given the fondness with which his family regarded both Turk and Greek, in 1411 Isa Bey declared war on Venice with the goal of annexing the historic city of Athens and perhaps the island of Euboea to the domain of Aydin.
The key battles were fought at sea, as most of the Venetian Hellenic army had been destroyed in battles with the Ottoman Sultan. The only Venetian fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean, a small fleet of cogs, was pursued across the Aegean and Cretan seas and destroyed. The larger Venetian fleet of Galleys failed for some time to depart from the Venetian lagoon - no doubt because the Venetians feared for the safety of their lagoon-bound city with troops from Aydin stationed in Romagna.
By 1412, Athens had fallen and the islands of Crete and Euboea were under seige. Another small naval victory was gained in the Sea of Crete against the remaining Venetian cog in the region. More importantly, at this time the impressive diplomatic skills of Isa Bey bore valuable fruit.
First, the Republic of Genoa, still smarting from the loss of its island way-station of Lesbos to the Ottomans, sent messages of support to Isa Bey in his war with Venice. The Venetians, while losing a significant number of troops in the war over Achaea, lost no territory to the Ottomans. Consequently, with control of Crete, Euboea and Athens firmly in their hands they were poised to usurp the Genoese in the important Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean trade markets. The Republic of Genoa gleefully welcomed the idea of her main commercial rival being cut down a notch or two in this important trade region in order to preserve relative balances of power.
Isa Bey was also able to gain general acquiescence to the annexation of Romagna and Trebizond. The reasons, of course, were different for each territory.
In Italy, the ability of the Pope to exert secular power over rich territories (and therefore over the rulers of other secular states with that power) was a prime concern among the various rulers of the duchies, republics and kingdoms of the peninsula. Having a distant, relatively powerless (in their eyes) Turkish Bey take control of Romagna and in the process reduce significantly the earthly power of the Pope was an outcome they were willing to accept, at least in the short-term. To insist on the return of the province to the Pope would have reestablished the power of the Pope to intrude on the political issues of Italy; leaving it in the hands of Aydin was seen as nothing more than a temporary resolution to the problem of the Pope's secular power, pending reconquest by a more powerful Italian state.
Trebizond, on the other hand, was one of the last Orthodox states below the vast Russian steppes. While the Byzantine Emperor certainly had claims on the city and province, he was powerless to effect any sort of change. The King of Georgia certainly wasn’t pleased but was at this point threatened on too many fronts to attempt any sort of rescue. Russia, the main inheritor of the Orthodox mantle sat under the control of the Golden Horde and could offer nothing but refuge to the exiled ruling family. And the other Turkic powers to the east of Anatolia welcomed any sort of buffer and alternative power against the Ottoman Sultan.
By 1413 the war with Venice ended with the capture of Euboea. Isa Bey considered his options and, realizing that Crete was a producer of sugar, a rather unique product in Europe, opted to demand Athens and its surrounding territory as well as the wealthy sugar plantations of Crete in exchange for peace. Exhausted before the start of this war, Venice was only too happy to oblige, and peace returned.
The Duke of Tuscany secretly sent his congratulations to Isa Bey on the humbling of Venice soon after the news of the peace reached Italy.
The small duchy of Naxos, situated between Athen and Aydin, sent gifts of flattery and fish in a show of peaceful coexistence. And the Duke of Savoy, no friend of Venice, also sent approval and a kind letter to the Bey.
For three years after this war, Isa Bey focused on good governance, peace, and supporting the university in Romagna. In fact, he continued to welcome students from Italy to the university. The peaceful approach adopted by Isa Bey, and the depth of feeling against Venice and her high-handed ways continued to bring benefits to Isa Bey and Aydin. The powerful Duke of Milan sent his greetings, good wishes and students to the university (although his good wishes arrived somewhat later than those of the other Italian powers). And most welcome to Isa Bey, the two most powerful Turkic states sent Offers of Alliance to Isa Bey. Almost simultaneously the heirs of Timur and the rulers of the powerful Golden Horde sent offers of military alliance to Isa bey. Although Isa Bey was happily wed to the beautiful Ottoman princess Aisha, he welcomed the protection against the powerful Sultanate and accepted both offers.
And in that year, the Queen Mother Arsinoe emerged from her chambers for the first time since her son Ali Bey died in the capture of Trebizond.
Oooh, a nice little cliffhanger at the end there. Let's see what happens with Arsinoe.
What?! Not all stories?! Considered me unsubscribed! I jest of course, I think a mix of the two is a splendid idea. The rather more history book style from yourself is always excellent, and I've been very taken by the story updates thus far. Therefore things look great.
A very nice update, with some nice gains and a very pleasing ending note. Pleasing because it seems to promise some drama...
That is probably a very wise decision, not writing stories when you feel there are none to tell. I liked the latest historical update even though I must admit I'm looking forward to the next story, which I suppose will be coming up next, featuring our beloved Arsinoe.
And that was a good job, finding yet another opportunity to expand the beydom. But aren't you worried your domains will become too scattered to be defensible?
I tried a test game but Aydin was eaten by the Ottomans before I could even shake off the initial Timurid threat
The food is tasty. :rofl:You have an obsession with Italy?
And what could be better for a Ghazi of Allah than to humiliate the Bishop of Rome!?!?!
I think the first of three stories with Arsinoe. She doesn't go quietly into the night.....she's a fighter!Oooh, a nice little cliffhanger at the end there. Let's see what happens with Arsinoe.
Phew - I dodged a bullet there. Glad you didn't unsubscribe!
I'm glad, Abraxas and morningSIDEr that the combo of stories and history is going to be OK. I think the biggest challenge (for me as the writer) will be to change the nature of the stories from folk tales of the 1400's to something more modern as we enter the 1700 and 1800's. We'll see how that goes!
And that was a good job, finding yet another opportunity to expand the beydom. But aren't you worried your domains will become too scattered to be defensible?
I tried a test game but Aydin was eaten by the Ottomans before I could even shake off the initial Timurid threat
I am a little worried about the scattered nature of my holdings. I'm relying on my friendship with the Ottomans and their armies that have helpfully put down a rebellion or two. But they do have cores on several of my provinces, so I'm not sure how long that will last! The embassy and marriage were very helpful in that regard.
And thanks for trying to save Aydin in your test game. Maybe you can force the Sublime Porte to release Aydin at some point in the future.
The Bey and the Phoenix of Georgia
The Queen Mother Arsinoe was the second wife of Isa Bey I and the mother of Ali Bey. When her son Ali fell (some said to a mortal and some said to an immortal djinn) before the walls of Trebizond she had retreated to her rooms in the palace in Aydin. For over ten years she remained there, allowing no one to enter or leave her rooms except for her most loyal servants. She became a mystery to all, a name that was mentioned in connection with magic and arcane knowledge. Of course, she was simply a woman who had lost her husband and son in quick succession, and saw no particular reason to stay engaged with the world. At least not for ten years.
But one day she did emerge from her rooms. She sent a servant to the throne room to request permission from Isa to appear before him. Naturally he granted permission and even excitedly left the throne to greet Arsinoe at the door, greeting her with a kidss and escorting her to a seat next to him. She was still a beautiful woman and as she walked through the throne room on the arm of Isa she was aware that all eyes were on her.
“Dear son and most noble bey, I fall at your feet to beg your forgiveness for leaving you motherless and alone in your hours of need and triumph. Please forgive me!” Arsinoe actually began to (slowly) fall to her knees, but Isa stopped her and, kissing her on both cheeks, laughed and proclaimed to all that not only did he forgive her, he welcomed her to his side as mother and advisor. For, as he said, “My own dear mother Ayla was like your sister, your son Ali like my brother, and you, dear Arsinoe, like a second mother.”
They talked of many things - of the successes of Isa against the Bishop of Rome and the Italian states, of the expansion of the Beydom and the marriages that Isa had arranged with Beys, Sultans and Khans throughout Asia. They also talked of his successes against the Greeks or Achaea and how he worked diligently to make a united people out of the Greeks and Turks under his rule. Although her eyes seemed a little hard at the talk of his rule over the Greeks, she smiled and promised to help him. Then, as she rose to leave, she leaned close and told him, “Something dangerous is coming - beware.” She left the throne room and returned to her rooms.
A few days later a tired horseman arrived from the Khan of Nogai. This emissary delivered a note to Isa Bey.
“Dear brother. We will march against the King of Georgia at the beginning of Spring. Bring your brave warriors and let us humble the proud man who sits on his throne ruling land that should belong to us.”
Isa sent a note to Arsinoe. “Is this the danger you predicted would come?” Arsinoe only responded, “Beware the Phoenix of Georgia in the land that swallowed Ali”. While not quite sure what to make of this response, Isa called his secretary and dictated a response to the Kahn of Nogai. “When the winter snows melt from the valleys of Anatolia we will fall on the Georgians like the eagle on the sparrow.” Having beaten the powerful Bishop of Rome and the kings, dukes and doges of Italy, Isa did not fear the King of Georgia.
Isa donned his armor and led his troops out of Aydin. For months they crossed the vast interior of Anatolia, passing through lands burnt and laid waste by the ongoing war between the Ottoman Sultan and the Heirs of Timur. Finally, as the snows melted away from the valleys they arrived at the border of Georgia. Isa led his men up and down the hills as he pressed into the heart of Georgia.
He came up on the soldiers of Teimuraz in the valleys of Kartli as Teimuraz led his forces homeward after being beaten by the Khan of Nogai. Although recently beaten, the powerful cavalry of Teimuraz surged through the ranks of Isa Bey’s men, and forced Isa to retreat toward Shirvan.
In Shirvan, Isa bravely met the attacking forces of Teimuraz, and while killing almost 1,000 of the Georgian king’s men he was again forced to yield the field of battle, departing even deeper into Shirvan’s territory. Teimuraz turned and retreated to his own lands where the Khan of Nogai was slowly conquering the land.
Isa Bey led his men through many valley and over many hills as they trudged back to the land of the Ottoman Sultan. “Perhaps Temiuraz is the Phonenix of Georgia” thought Isa.
The battle raged on between Georgia and the armies of Nogai and Aydin with peace far from sight. In Candar, news reached Isa that Teimuraz had brought a mighty army and was besieging the city of Trebizond. Isa Bey moved his army from the Ottoman Sultan’s lands towards Trebizond. In front of the city conquered by his brother Ali, Isa saw the forces of Teimuraz arrayed in a vast semi-circle around the landward side of the city. Isa Bey arranged his men and charged down the hill, engaging the Georgian forces. A long and difficult battle ensued with many casualties on both sides.
In the midst of the battle a great cry of dismay rose from the ranks of the Georgians. Teimuraz, riding forward to meet the charge of Aydin’s cavalry, was cut down, leaving the Georgian hosts leaderless. Their efforts to repel Isa and his forces collapsed, and they fled the field, retreating toward Imereti.
Isa quickly drew his men together calling out that he had defeated the Phoenix of Georgia. His men roared their approval, and then marched off behind Isa Bey in pursuit of the fleeing Georgians. Isa’s haste, in fact, carried him past the defeated and leaderless Georgians (who were winding their way homeward along the hilly paths where they hoped to go undetected by Isa.) In Imereti, Isa met met the small city garrison under a new general.
Just as victory was in his grasp, the defeated forces of Georgia arrived under the leadership of an unknown young man dressed in red and golden armor. Suddenly Isa and his army were trapped between two armies. Seeing victory slip from his grasp and the two armies assaulted his position, Isa was again forced from the battle field, and retreated to Trebizond. There, he was told that the Georgians were bearing down on the city under the leadership of the young commander in red and gold. Isa, fearing that this the king of Georgia risen like a phoenix and this the true Phoenix of Georgia that Arsinoe had warned him against, led his exahusted and demoralized men out of Trebizond and into the territory of the Ottoman Sultan once again, just escaping the army of Georgia.
Isa Bey nursed his men and his anger in Candar while the Phoenix of Georgia besieged the city of Trebizond. After 6 months he led his army over the mountains and along the coast and attempted to dislodge the Georgians as he had done when they were commanded by Teimuraz. He failed, and retreated to Candar.
After 7 months, he again led his men against the Phoenix of Georgia before the walls of Trebizond. And he failed again.
After another eight months or preparation, Isa tried again. And failed again. It seemed that where his brother Ali had easily won his great victory, Isa was fated to lose again and again to the Phoenix of Georgia. In one last attempt, after nine more months, Isa led his troops back to Trebizond. And he failed again. As his troops retreated toward Imereti and the army of the Khan of Nogai, the citizens of Trebizond surrendered to the Phoenix of Georgia.
Isa Bey, remembering his first defeat to the Phoenix of Georgia, hurriedly marched his men from Imereti to Alania as Laursab moved from victory in Trebizond to attack the army of Nogai. However, Laursab was defeated in Imereti and moved toward Circassia; Isa Bey received the news and quickly moved his men toward toward Circassia in an attempt to intercept and finally defeat Laursab. Laursab arrived just days before Isa but Laursab’s men were exhausted from battles, defeat and the flight over the mountains from Imereti. This time Isa defeated Laursab. Now it was his turn to pursue the fleeing Georgians as they fled back to Alania.
Victory followed victory, and Laursab was defeated in Alania again by Isa. And again Laursab fled from Isa, this time back through the hills and valleys of Alania to Circassia. The armies of the two men, Isa the Conqueror and Laursab the Phoenix of Georgia, fought and parried each other time and again. Each time, Isa prevailed, but Laursab snatched complete victory from Isa, and turning, fled with his his dwindling band of men back into the forests with Isa on his heels in hot pursuit.
And so it went, month after month - no defeats for Isa Bey, but no complete victory either. Then in 1421, after years of battle, with defeat and victory mingling together as Isa fought across the length of breadth of Georgia, the Khan of Nogai accepted peace with Georgia in exchange for the gold mines of Alania. Isa Bey and his mean received the news as they were pursuing Laursab and the last of his men through the featureless terrain of Circassia.
And finally Isa understood the warning of Arsinoe - he had suffered numerous defeats, lost countless men, lost a city and regained it, killed a king but been the instrument of the rise of the Phoenix of Georgia to the throne of that kingdom, and pursued his enemy through the hills and valleys of Georgia for nothing. He gathered up his men and slowly began the long journey home with empty hands, many dead soldiers to mourn, and a bitter heart.
This is the story of the Bey and the Phoenix of Georgia
The Queen Mother Arsinoe was the second wife of Isa Bey I and the mother of Ali Bey. When her son Ali fell (some said to a mortal and some said to an immortal djinn) before the walls of Trebizond she had retreated to her rooms in the palace in Aydin. For over ten years she remained there, allowing no one to enter or leave her rooms except for her most loyal servants. She became a mystery to all, a name that was mentioned in connection with magic and arcane knowledge. Of course, she was simply a woman who had lost her husband and son in quick succession, and saw no particular reason to stay engaged with the world. At least not for ten years.
But one day she did emerge from her rooms. She sent a servant to the throne room to request permission from Isa to appear before him. Naturally he granted permission and even excitedly left the throne to greet Arsinoe at the door, greeting her with a kidss and escorting her to a seat next to him. She was still a beautiful woman and as she walked through the throne room on the arm of Isa she was aware that all eyes were on her.
“Dear son and most noble bey, I fall at your feet to beg your forgiveness for leaving you motherless and alone in your hours of need and triumph. Please forgive me!” Arsinoe actually began to (slowly) fall to her knees, but Isa stopped her and, kissing her on both cheeks, laughed and proclaimed to all that not only did he forgive her, he welcomed her to his side as mother and advisor. For, as he said, “My own dear mother Ayla was like your sister, your son Ali like my brother, and you, dear Arsinoe, like a second mother.”
They talked of many things - of the successes of Isa against the Bishop of Rome and the Italian states, of the expansion of the Beydom and the marriages that Isa had arranged with Beys, Sultans and Khans throughout Asia. They also talked of his successes against the Greeks or Achaea and how he worked diligently to make a united people out of the Greeks and Turks under his rule. Although her eyes seemed a little hard at the talk of his rule over the Greeks, she smiled and promised to help him. Then, as she rose to leave, she leaned close and told him, “Something dangerous is coming - beware.” She left the throne room and returned to her rooms.
A few days later a tired horseman arrived from the Khan of Nogai. This emissary delivered a note to Isa Bey.
“Dear brother. We will march against the King of Georgia at the beginning of Spring. Bring your brave warriors and let us humble the proud man who sits on his throne ruling land that should belong to us.”
Isa sent a note to Arsinoe. “Is this the danger you predicted would come?” Arsinoe only responded, “Beware the Phoenix of Georgia in the land that swallowed Ali”. While not quite sure what to make of this response, Isa called his secretary and dictated a response to the Kahn of Nogai. “When the winter snows melt from the valleys of Anatolia we will fall on the Georgians like the eagle on the sparrow.” Having beaten the powerful Bishop of Rome and the kings, dukes and doges of Italy, Isa did not fear the King of Georgia.
Isa donned his armor and led his troops out of Aydin. For months they crossed the vast interior of Anatolia, passing through lands burnt and laid waste by the ongoing war between the Ottoman Sultan and the Heirs of Timur. Finally, as the snows melted away from the valleys they arrived at the border of Georgia. Isa led his men up and down the hills as he pressed into the heart of Georgia.
He came up on the soldiers of Teimuraz in the valleys of Kartli as Teimuraz led his forces homeward after being beaten by the Khan of Nogai. Although recently beaten, the powerful cavalry of Teimuraz surged through the ranks of Isa Bey’s men, and forced Isa to retreat toward Shirvan.
In Shirvan, Isa bravely met the attacking forces of Teimuraz, and while killing almost 1,000 of the Georgian king’s men he was again forced to yield the field of battle, departing even deeper into Shirvan’s territory. Teimuraz turned and retreated to his own lands where the Khan of Nogai was slowly conquering the land.
Isa Bey led his men through many valley and over many hills as they trudged back to the land of the Ottoman Sultan. “Perhaps Temiuraz is the Phonenix of Georgia” thought Isa.
The battle raged on between Georgia and the armies of Nogai and Aydin with peace far from sight. In Candar, news reached Isa that Teimuraz had brought a mighty army and was besieging the city of Trebizond. Isa Bey moved his army from the Ottoman Sultan’s lands towards Trebizond. In front of the city conquered by his brother Ali, Isa saw the forces of Teimuraz arrayed in a vast semi-circle around the landward side of the city. Isa Bey arranged his men and charged down the hill, engaging the Georgian forces. A long and difficult battle ensued with many casualties on both sides.
In the midst of the battle a great cry of dismay rose from the ranks of the Georgians. Teimuraz, riding forward to meet the charge of Aydin’s cavalry, was cut down, leaving the Georgian hosts leaderless. Their efforts to repel Isa and his forces collapsed, and they fled the field, retreating toward Imereti.
Isa quickly drew his men together calling out that he had defeated the Phoenix of Georgia. His men roared their approval, and then marched off behind Isa Bey in pursuit of the fleeing Georgians. Isa’s haste, in fact, carried him past the defeated and leaderless Georgians (who were winding their way homeward along the hilly paths where they hoped to go undetected by Isa.) In Imereti, Isa met met the small city garrison under a new general.
Just as victory was in his grasp, the defeated forces of Georgia arrived under the leadership of an unknown young man dressed in red and golden armor. Suddenly Isa and his army were trapped between two armies. Seeing victory slip from his grasp and the two armies assaulted his position, Isa was again forced from the battle field, and retreated to Trebizond. There, he was told that the Georgians were bearing down on the city under the leadership of the young commander in red and gold. Isa, fearing that this the king of Georgia risen like a phoenix and this the true Phoenix of Georgia that Arsinoe had warned him against, led his exahusted and demoralized men out of Trebizond and into the territory of the Ottoman Sultan once again, just escaping the army of Georgia.
Isa Bey nursed his men and his anger in Candar while the Phoenix of Georgia besieged the city of Trebizond. After 6 months he led his army over the mountains and along the coast and attempted to dislodge the Georgians as he had done when they were commanded by Teimuraz. He failed, and retreated to Candar.
After 7 months, he again led his men against the Phoenix of Georgia before the walls of Trebizond. And he failed again.
After another eight months or preparation, Isa tried again. And failed again. It seemed that where his brother Ali had easily won his great victory, Isa was fated to lose again and again to the Phoenix of Georgia. In one last attempt, after nine more months, Isa led his troops back to Trebizond. And he failed again. As his troops retreated toward Imereti and the army of the Khan of Nogai, the citizens of Trebizond surrendered to the Phoenix of Georgia.
Isa Bey, remembering his first defeat to the Phoenix of Georgia, hurriedly marched his men from Imereti to Alania as Laursab moved from victory in Trebizond to attack the army of Nogai. However, Laursab was defeated in Imereti and moved toward Circassia; Isa Bey received the news and quickly moved his men toward toward Circassia in an attempt to intercept and finally defeat Laursab. Laursab arrived just days before Isa but Laursab’s men were exhausted from battles, defeat and the flight over the mountains from Imereti. This time Isa defeated Laursab. Now it was his turn to pursue the fleeing Georgians as they fled back to Alania.
Victory followed victory, and Laursab was defeated in Alania again by Isa. And again Laursab fled from Isa, this time back through the hills and valleys of Alania to Circassia. The armies of the two men, Isa the Conqueror and Laursab the Phoenix of Georgia, fought and parried each other time and again. Each time, Isa prevailed, but Laursab snatched complete victory from Isa, and turning, fled with his his dwindling band of men back into the forests with Isa on his heels in hot pursuit.
And so it went, month after month - no defeats for Isa Bey, but no complete victory either. Then in 1421, after years of battle, with defeat and victory mingling together as Isa fought across the length of breadth of Georgia, the Khan of Nogai accepted peace with Georgia in exchange for the gold mines of Alania. Isa Bey and his mean received the news as they were pursuing Laursab and the last of his men through the featureless terrain of Circassia.
And finally Isa understood the warning of Arsinoe - he had suffered numerous defeats, lost countless men, lost a city and regained it, killed a king but been the instrument of the rise of the Phoenix of Georgia to the throne of that kingdom, and pursued his enemy through the hills and valleys of Georgia for nothing. He gathered up his men and slowly began the long journey home with empty hands, many dead soldiers to mourn, and a bitter heart.
This is the story of the Bey and the Phoenix of Georgia
Ouch, it sucks when the AI turns on you like that. I've wish EU3 would deal with peace deals more realistically.
A very nice tale based upon the hugely annoying peace deals made when the AI is a coalition leader in a war. Hence why I avoid alliances whenever I can. A very enjoyable read nonetheless and I get the feeling the Phoenix of Georgia may make another appearance.
I just spent the afternoon reading through this, and I have to say superb story telling!
It's true. But I also have to admit that I was running around like an attack-happy crazy man! I mean, I could have just waited for the siege of Trebizond to be done, then come in and retake it (as I did in the end - only after losing TONS of men!) I should have besieged something or other and gotten a prize of some sort.
BUT.....Isa is a Conqueror, he didn't think he would be so easily defeated so many times in a row, and I think it fit his personality! I'm thinking that I want to stick a little closer to some sort of real personality traits than in my last AAR....we'll see if I can stick to that and make "stupid" decisions when my Beys are less than particularly clever!
Thanks for enjoying! It is true about alliances - I haven't mentioned it because it's not been part of any story, but I've made and broken alliances with the Timurids maybe 4 times - huge hit to prestige each time, but I am too worried about the Ottomans so I want a counterweight. But then the stupid Timurids keep declaring war on the Ottomans - and NO WAY! I'd be the first course!
Thanks for finding this and reading! I'm totally enjoying your Armenia one. I'm using MMP1.5 (I'm on a Mac) so I like / get jealous of the advances in MMU and HttT that I can only dream about!
The Bishop, the Basileus, and the Bey
Euthymius II had been raised to the Patriarchal throne by the Emperor of Rome many years earlier. The current Emperor, Michael IX, had grown from a small child running through the palace halls to a strong young man since those days so long ago. Euthymius looked at the Emperor now, standing at the windows of the Bucoleon Palace, as the ships with the strange red and white flags sailed northward out of sight.
When they had been first seen, the Patriarch had hoped and feared that it was a small fleet from Ragusa. Hoped because perhaps it meant that the Italians had responded to the most recent letter from the Emperor; feared for the same reason. The Italians were known for one thing and one thing only - rapacious commercial instincts that let them prosper from every disaster than befell mankind.
But his hopes and fears had been laid quickly to rest. The Emperor, a well-educated man in the arts of war, recognized the flag as that of the small Beydom of Aydin. He had said something like “Learned Father, those are ships from Aydin - the race of Turks who extinguished the Crusader state of Cyprus, punished the arrogant Venetians in Athens and Crete, and disposed of our own "dear" relatives in Trebizond. One has to wonder why and where they are sailing. Perhaps to remind the people of Trebizond who their master is.”
Euthymius looked at the young Emperor, lost in thought at the window. Was he thinking, perhaps, of the perilous situation of the Empire or weighing the potential opportunities as the Ottoman Sultans continued their long war with the Heirs of Timur far to the east in Anatolia? After all, if the small Beydom of Aydin could prosper in these difficult times, why not the Empire of Rome? Of course, one could only ask the Emperor so much, even if one was the Patriarch. Some things were too difficult to talk about.
After a while, with the young Emperor still lost in thought, Euthymius rose and left the room as the Emperor vaguely waved his permission.
Euthymius returned to his topic of thought these many weeks and months. Unless something changed, the Empire was clearly facing mortal danger. While it was impossible to imagine that God would allow this queen of cities to fall to the Muslims, how many more twists of fate would she be forced to face? Already her territory had shrunk to barely more than the city itself, trade rights had been surrendered one after the other to the hateful Italians, the Ottoman Sultan was attempting to hold the Emperor in humiliating vassalage after seizing almost all of Anatolia and Hellas, and now a Bey (what was a Bey, anyway?) had the temerity to sail by the City on the way to territory conquered from the Empire itself!
This thought kept coming back to Euthymius - Had not God commanded that man must do all that he could, and then He would make up the deficit in order to accomplish great things? Something surely must be done, and surely he, the Patriarch of Christ was a man who could do things. Thinking these thoughts, he entered the great church of Hagia Sophia to pray for illumination and inspiration in troubled times.
*****
Several days later, the Patriarch presented himself to the Emperor at the Daphne Palace. With him he brought letters that he proposed to send to the church leaders of the West, the rulers of all the Christian kingdoms, and the Greek people living in Hellas and Anatolia. While he proposed they be sent under his name and titles, it had the potential to bring the armies of the West flowing to the Empire and cause the rising up of the Greek nation and people to fight the Turk, the Arab and the Mamluk. Consequently he had to convince the Emperor to support these letters, and one more thing - to throw off the shackles that bound him in vassalage to the Ottoman Sultan.
For many days and night, the Emperor and the Patriarch debated these issues. The commanders of the army and the navy were brought before the Emperor to give their assessments, the commanders of the walls were asked about the strength of the massive fortifications that protected the city, and the city prefects brought news of water and food supplies. For perhaps the first time, Euthymius was happy that so much of the city had turned to forest and field; there would be no lack of food if the Ottoman Sultan decided to bring his hosts against the Emperor while the Empire waited for the vast armies of the West that would surely come. But of course, the Ottoman Sultan was deeply involved in yet another war with the Heirs of Timur and so (he hoped and prayed) no assault would come from that quarter.
At the end of long days and weeks, Euthymius stood in the Emperor’s presence as the he declared the end of Byzantine vassalage to the Ottoman Sultan. And shortly thereafter, monks, bishops and other messengers from the Patriarch departed Constantinople to points in all directions. Unknown to Patriarch Euthymius, one of these religious agents went toward Aydin and the rooms of the Queen Mother, Arsinoe.
*****
In Aydin, Arsinoe entered the throne room at the end of a day of appeal. Isa Bey took his responsibilities to be a father to his people with great seriousness, and for this reason (and many others) his people loved him. Arsinoe approached the throne and whispered that she had an issue of great importance and urgency to discuss, but privately with only his closest advisors. Isa Bey, who had great respect for his second mother, agreed to her request.
As the doors were closed behind the last of the petitioners, Arsinoe took a small scroll from a pouch at her waist. She told Isa Bey and those advisors in the room that she had just received this declaration by the Patriarch of Constantinople from a monk long loyal to her family. She read a few passages:
Turning to Isa Bey and his advisors, she told them that these letters went on in similar fashion. In short, the Patriarch and Emperor were attempting to bring about a great Crusade from the West to crush Turks, Arabs and Mamluks; these two men, pale reflections of a power long-gone, were attempting to bring back what was gone; and they were calling upon the people ruled over by Isa Bey and the other Beys, Khans, and Sultans to rise up and overthrow them all.
“My dear son and most powerful lord, you know the people of Aydin, Greek and Turk alike, look to you as their father and protector. Rest assured that none of your children will rise up in response to the call of the Patriarch and Emperor. But there are always malcontents in every place - men who gain from the suffering of others, much like the Italians. Perhaps the Italians have even planted men in your cities and harbors waiting for a signal to rise up and disrupt the peace of your lands. While I am only a woman, I have heard and seen the actions of three Beys and it seems to me that there is only one possible response to these letters. The Ottoman Sultan will surely not allow his vassal to break his bonds and oaths with no reprisal. But he is far from here - strike while the Ottoman cannot, and seize what might otherwise make him too powerful to be resisted. You must lead the men of Aydin yourself to the break down the walls and sieze the palaces of Constantinople”
With those words, Arsinoe handed the letters to Isa Bey, and took her leave.
Isa Bey, trusting his second mother, turned to his advisors and asked them for their advice. And shortly thereafter, Isa Bey declared war on the Patriarch and Emperor of Byzantium.
*****
Euthymius was with the Emperor when the news of war arrived at the Great Palace. He told the Emperor that while care had to be exercised, Aydin was a small beydom only, not a great sultante of horde. Its troops were weak and its navy even weaker. Venice had fallen because she had been exhausted by the Ottomans, Cyprus had fallen because she had let her army dwindle to nothing, and Trebizond had fallen because God had punished the usurpers of the Emperor’s rights there. None of these things applied to the Roman Empire. All would be well.
And Euthymius had one other thing - a letter that had been slipped under his door by an unknown monk that revealed the place the Turks of Aydin would assault the city walls.
Of course, this last thing he did not tell the Emperor yet. Euthymius wasn’t sure what to make of this letter. Was it an attempt to confuse the Emperor into leaving the true point of attack undefended? Was this monk (it had to be monk - who else could have gotten into his palace?) a disloyal monk, or perhaps even a false one? There certainly were many monks who refused to bow to the Patriarch of Constantinople - those supporting the heresies of Armenia, Syria and Egypt.
On the other hand he had called on the Greek people to rise up and seize their lands and freedom from the Turk in order to return to that God-ordained obedience to the Emperor of Rome. In many places the Turks had only ruled for a brief period of time; loyalties to Rome were still strong in these places. The Greek of Trebizond and Athens surely looked at the upstart Bey of Aydin as a passing nuisance. Perhaps this was a gift from one of those, brought by God Himself to save the Empire. If this army that was coming to besiege the city could be defeated, would not Athens, Trebizond, Cyprus and Crete be open for the retaking?
Euthymius went with the Emperor to view the landing of the Turks of Aydin outside the city walls. As they positioned themselves around the place where Eyup Sultan was said to have died in the assault on the walls by the Umayyad armies almost 800 years earlier, Euthymius decided that the information in the letter was true - this is exactly what it predicted. He told the Emperor of the letter, how it had come into his possession, and what it said. Then he handed the letter to the Emperor.
Michael IX eagerly took the letter and read it. He looked up in great excitement and declared that God had indeed delivered the Turk into his hands. Signaling his men, he marched quickly from the heights of the Blachernae Palace to the Regia Gate and issuing from that gate into the plain beyond the city walls, fell upon Isa Bey and the Turks of Aydin.
As Euthymius watched from the walls, the Emperor led his men in a furious attack on the Turkish camp. The Emperor was able to catch the Turks unaware, and inflicted death on all sides as his mean swarmed over the enemy’s camp. But the Emperor failed to wait for his cavalry before launching the attack, and the Turkish cavalry soon impeded the forward movement of the Emperor and his troops by harassing them from all sides. As the Turks under Isa Bey brought their horsemen and superior numbers to bear, the Emperor’s onslaught was brought to a halt, then repulsed, and then entrapped in a sea of Turkish men. The official count of Roman dead was almost 1 in 4 of the men who left with the Emperor but the rest of the men perished or escaped into the hills and forests surrounding the city. But far more demoralizing to the Romans and to Euthymius, Michael IX, Emperor of Rome also perished in the battle. Euthymius saw the purple robe and golden diadem fall beneath the rush of the Turkish troops, and with that, the spirit of Euthymius and his faith in God shattered into a thousand small pieces at the Battle of Regia Gate.
As Euthymius made his way back to the Great Palace, horsemen rushed past him on their way to join the Emperor. “Too late, too late” was all he could think.
The court fell into an uproar when Euthymius brought the news of the Emperor's death, but the Empress took control of the state in partnership with the commander of the navy and the blessing of Euthymius. All agreed that the time for power struggles in the typical Byzantine fashion was not now. The survival of the state was suddenly at stake. Over the next few months, small bands of Byzantine cavalry attempted to dislodge the Turks of Aydin from the gates, but each failed.
In the depths of winter Euthymius went to observe the siege. The walls of Constantinople had withstood many Bulgar, Gothic, Arab and Turkish attacks; he was confident that they would withstand this attack. More than two years had passed since the death of the Emperor and still the Turks of Aydin sat at the gates attempted to reduce the great city of the Empire of Rome. It was at this point that Euthymius and the entire city observed the event that drove hope from their hearts and all thoughts of salvation from their minds.
The walls of the city, impregnable for thousands of years, seemed to crumble in front of his eyes. But it was wasn’t the crumbling of the walls that drove hope from the city. It was the event that followed. The dust from the collapsing wall rose against all expectation, seemed to gathered itself together, and for a brief moment seemed to take the form of a huge, diabolical warrior of Aydin. It loomed over the city for just a moment, but just as the Cross had appeared to signal the Emperor Constantine that God would deliver the Empire into his hands, God seemed to signal to the Romans that their time had come to an end and that He had withdrawn his protection from the city and the Empire.
Isa Bey urged his men to the breach, and battled hand to hand with the defenders. He was repulsed, but more Turks were on their way from other parts of the walls. Euthymius had already turned and was ripping his clothes and pouring dirt on his head in deep mourning. Within days, Isa Bey again assaulted the walls, and although the Romans fought valiantly they were defeated. Isa Bey entered the city in triumph.
Isa Bey and his men met the Empress and her court at the gates of the Great Palace. He offered them exile if they left with the clothes they had on their backs; their alternative was to join their ancestors in the graves of the Emperors. They chose to leave the city with the Italian merchant ships.
With the departure of the Empress and the annexation of Constantinople into the Beydom of Aydin, the mighty Roman Empire ceased its existence after 2,171 years.
Isa Bey proceeded to the great church of Hagia Sofia. He found Patriarch Euthymius on the thone in sackcloth and ashes, with his monks surrounding him as they waited for the Conqueror. Isa Bey looked at the immense Church, so much larger and more ornate than anything existing anywhere else in the known world. He decided at that moment that the most fitting memorial to Allah for delivering this great city was to make this amazing building a place of worship for those believers in Allah. And so Hagia Sophia was renamed The Mosque of the Conqueror, and became one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, along with the Umayyad mosque in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
He then approached Euthymius.
“You are the instrument of my victory here, did you know that? Your letters to the rulers of the West, the Bishops of your Christ, and the Greeks of the eastern Mediterranean led inexorably to this moment. You claimed to be the father of your people; but I am the father of my people, Turk and Greek! Your claim could not be allowed to remain, and so with no other course open to me, I invoked the name of Allah the Merciful and brought my powerful men at arms to dispute your right to this title of Father of the People. In me are the Turks and the Greeks protected and governed. Your Emperor fought valiantly but lost because of your vainglory and trust in a God who long ago withdrew his protection of you.”
Turning his head, he signaled to a monk standing to the side.
“This is Matthew, a priest loyal to your God as a God of Peace, and a man who understands the difference between ruling the hearts of men according to the laws of God and attempting to rule the bodies of men according to the laws of the state. He tells me that there is a standard way in this city and your religion of dealing with those who fall from high places - I believe the Patriarch Anastasius suffered this fate for resisting the authority of his Emperor. It is quite barbaric - perhaps that is my your God has turned his face from you. But I leave you in his hands, and the Greek church likewise in the hands of the new Patriarch, Matthew II.”
The last thing Euthylius saw was Isa Bey walking back to the entrance of Hagia Sophia and toward the ranks of men cheering the Conqueror of Constantinople.
This is the story of the Bishop, the Basileus and the Bey
Euthymius II had been raised to the Patriarchal throne by the Emperor of Rome many years earlier. The current Emperor, Michael IX, had grown from a small child running through the palace halls to a strong young man since those days so long ago. Euthymius looked at the Emperor now, standing at the windows of the Bucoleon Palace, as the ships with the strange red and white flags sailed northward out of sight.
When they had been first seen, the Patriarch had hoped and feared that it was a small fleet from Ragusa. Hoped because perhaps it meant that the Italians had responded to the most recent letter from the Emperor; feared for the same reason. The Italians were known for one thing and one thing only - rapacious commercial instincts that let them prosper from every disaster than befell mankind.
But his hopes and fears had been laid quickly to rest. The Emperor, a well-educated man in the arts of war, recognized the flag as that of the small Beydom of Aydin. He had said something like “Learned Father, those are ships from Aydin - the race of Turks who extinguished the Crusader state of Cyprus, punished the arrogant Venetians in Athens and Crete, and disposed of our own "dear" relatives in Trebizond. One has to wonder why and where they are sailing. Perhaps to remind the people of Trebizond who their master is.”
Euthymius looked at the young Emperor, lost in thought at the window. Was he thinking, perhaps, of the perilous situation of the Empire or weighing the potential opportunities as the Ottoman Sultans continued their long war with the Heirs of Timur far to the east in Anatolia? After all, if the small Beydom of Aydin could prosper in these difficult times, why not the Empire of Rome? Of course, one could only ask the Emperor so much, even if one was the Patriarch. Some things were too difficult to talk about.
After a while, with the young Emperor still lost in thought, Euthymius rose and left the room as the Emperor vaguely waved his permission.
Euthymius returned to his topic of thought these many weeks and months. Unless something changed, the Empire was clearly facing mortal danger. While it was impossible to imagine that God would allow this queen of cities to fall to the Muslims, how many more twists of fate would she be forced to face? Already her territory had shrunk to barely more than the city itself, trade rights had been surrendered one after the other to the hateful Italians, the Ottoman Sultan was attempting to hold the Emperor in humiliating vassalage after seizing almost all of Anatolia and Hellas, and now a Bey (what was a Bey, anyway?) had the temerity to sail by the City on the way to territory conquered from the Empire itself!
This thought kept coming back to Euthymius - Had not God commanded that man must do all that he could, and then He would make up the deficit in order to accomplish great things? Something surely must be done, and surely he, the Patriarch of Christ was a man who could do things. Thinking these thoughts, he entered the great church of Hagia Sophia to pray for illumination and inspiration in troubled times.
*****
Several days later, the Patriarch presented himself to the Emperor at the Daphne Palace. With him he brought letters that he proposed to send to the church leaders of the West, the rulers of all the Christian kingdoms, and the Greek people living in Hellas and Anatolia. While he proposed they be sent under his name and titles, it had the potential to bring the armies of the West flowing to the Empire and cause the rising up of the Greek nation and people to fight the Turk, the Arab and the Mamluk. Consequently he had to convince the Emperor to support these letters, and one more thing - to throw off the shackles that bound him in vassalage to the Ottoman Sultan.
For many days and night, the Emperor and the Patriarch debated these issues. The commanders of the army and the navy were brought before the Emperor to give their assessments, the commanders of the walls were asked about the strength of the massive fortifications that protected the city, and the city prefects brought news of water and food supplies. For perhaps the first time, Euthymius was happy that so much of the city had turned to forest and field; there would be no lack of food if the Ottoman Sultan decided to bring his hosts against the Emperor while the Empire waited for the vast armies of the West that would surely come. But of course, the Ottoman Sultan was deeply involved in yet another war with the Heirs of Timur and so (he hoped and prayed) no assault would come from that quarter.
At the end of long days and weeks, Euthymius stood in the Emperor’s presence as the he declared the end of Byzantine vassalage to the Ottoman Sultan. And shortly thereafter, monks, bishops and other messengers from the Patriarch departed Constantinople to points in all directions. Unknown to Patriarch Euthymius, one of these religious agents went toward Aydin and the rooms of the Queen Mother, Arsinoe.
*****
In Aydin, Arsinoe entered the throne room at the end of a day of appeal. Isa Bey took his responsibilities to be a father to his people with great seriousness, and for this reason (and many others) his people loved him. Arsinoe approached the throne and whispered that she had an issue of great importance and urgency to discuss, but privately with only his closest advisors. Isa Bey, who had great respect for his second mother, agreed to her request.
As the doors were closed behind the last of the petitioners, Arsinoe took a small scroll from a pouch at her waist. She told Isa Bey and those advisors in the room that she had just received this declaration by the Patriarch of Constantinople from a monk long loyal to her family. She read a few passages:
“Kings and nobles of the West, your Christian Virtue and Godliness must compel you to take up arms against the Turk in all his guises, against the Arab and the Mamluk. Once before you did this, and great gains were made, even the capture of Jerusalem where our most noble Lord lived and died and lived again. Yet even as the last of the houses of these brave crusaders was put to flight from Cyprus you do nothing! Can if be that you have fallen far from the worship of Christ and all that is holy? Your inaction says this to all who take a moment to look and see. Refute this by taking up arms to defend the last Christian king in the East, the Emperor of Rome.”
“Good Bishops of the West, including our own dear brother in Rome, you have tasted some of the daily bread we are forced to eat. Your own dear and peaceful estates in Romagna have been overrun by the usurpers of Aydin - Turks by another name and related to those of Osman, Candar, Maraman, and even the great Seljuks. How can you sit idly by while the body of Christ is defiled - Bethlehem and Jerusalem are overrun, the Holy Cross is threatened by the Turk’s menacing looks at Constantinople, and your fellow Christians labor and suffer under the yoke of the unbeliever! Look to your past and see the greatness there - you led the world to repulse the Infidel. Look again and raise the standard of Christ again!”
“Christians of Anatolia and Hellas, listen to your father who loves and cares for you with all his heart. We are beset and besieged by the Turk in all his guises, and by the Arab and the Mamluk throughout all the lands that once were and will be again of Byzantium. We, your father and guide to Christ, call on you to rise up and throw off your yoke of servitude to the Turk, the Arab and the Mamluk. The Emperor himself has listened to these words and deemed them of God. He has thrown off the yoke the Ottoman Sultan had attempted to place on the anointed of Christ. See him and follow his example. Men of Athens, of Macedonia, of Alexandria and Anatolia, rise up and seize your God-given freedoms back from those that hold you in thrall.”
Turning to Isa Bey and his advisors, she told them that these letters went on in similar fashion. In short, the Patriarch and Emperor were attempting to bring about a great Crusade from the West to crush Turks, Arabs and Mamluks; these two men, pale reflections of a power long-gone, were attempting to bring back what was gone; and they were calling upon the people ruled over by Isa Bey and the other Beys, Khans, and Sultans to rise up and overthrow them all.
“My dear son and most powerful lord, you know the people of Aydin, Greek and Turk alike, look to you as their father and protector. Rest assured that none of your children will rise up in response to the call of the Patriarch and Emperor. But there are always malcontents in every place - men who gain from the suffering of others, much like the Italians. Perhaps the Italians have even planted men in your cities and harbors waiting for a signal to rise up and disrupt the peace of your lands. While I am only a woman, I have heard and seen the actions of three Beys and it seems to me that there is only one possible response to these letters. The Ottoman Sultan will surely not allow his vassal to break his bonds and oaths with no reprisal. But he is far from here - strike while the Ottoman cannot, and seize what might otherwise make him too powerful to be resisted. You must lead the men of Aydin yourself to the break down the walls and sieze the palaces of Constantinople”
With those words, Arsinoe handed the letters to Isa Bey, and took her leave.
Isa Bey, trusting his second mother, turned to his advisors and asked them for their advice. And shortly thereafter, Isa Bey declared war on the Patriarch and Emperor of Byzantium.
*****
Euthymius was with the Emperor when the news of war arrived at the Great Palace. He told the Emperor that while care had to be exercised, Aydin was a small beydom only, not a great sultante of horde. Its troops were weak and its navy even weaker. Venice had fallen because she had been exhausted by the Ottomans, Cyprus had fallen because she had let her army dwindle to nothing, and Trebizond had fallen because God had punished the usurpers of the Emperor’s rights there. None of these things applied to the Roman Empire. All would be well.
And Euthymius had one other thing - a letter that had been slipped under his door by an unknown monk that revealed the place the Turks of Aydin would assault the city walls.
Of course, this last thing he did not tell the Emperor yet. Euthymius wasn’t sure what to make of this letter. Was it an attempt to confuse the Emperor into leaving the true point of attack undefended? Was this monk (it had to be monk - who else could have gotten into his palace?) a disloyal monk, or perhaps even a false one? There certainly were many monks who refused to bow to the Patriarch of Constantinople - those supporting the heresies of Armenia, Syria and Egypt.
On the other hand he had called on the Greek people to rise up and seize their lands and freedom from the Turk in order to return to that God-ordained obedience to the Emperor of Rome. In many places the Turks had only ruled for a brief period of time; loyalties to Rome were still strong in these places. The Greek of Trebizond and Athens surely looked at the upstart Bey of Aydin as a passing nuisance. Perhaps this was a gift from one of those, brought by God Himself to save the Empire. If this army that was coming to besiege the city could be defeated, would not Athens, Trebizond, Cyprus and Crete be open for the retaking?
Euthymius went with the Emperor to view the landing of the Turks of Aydin outside the city walls. As they positioned themselves around the place where Eyup Sultan was said to have died in the assault on the walls by the Umayyad armies almost 800 years earlier, Euthymius decided that the information in the letter was true - this is exactly what it predicted. He told the Emperor of the letter, how it had come into his possession, and what it said. Then he handed the letter to the Emperor.
Michael IX eagerly took the letter and read it. He looked up in great excitement and declared that God had indeed delivered the Turk into his hands. Signaling his men, he marched quickly from the heights of the Blachernae Palace to the Regia Gate and issuing from that gate into the plain beyond the city walls, fell upon Isa Bey and the Turks of Aydin.
As Euthymius watched from the walls, the Emperor led his men in a furious attack on the Turkish camp. The Emperor was able to catch the Turks unaware, and inflicted death on all sides as his mean swarmed over the enemy’s camp. But the Emperor failed to wait for his cavalry before launching the attack, and the Turkish cavalry soon impeded the forward movement of the Emperor and his troops by harassing them from all sides. As the Turks under Isa Bey brought their horsemen and superior numbers to bear, the Emperor’s onslaught was brought to a halt, then repulsed, and then entrapped in a sea of Turkish men. The official count of Roman dead was almost 1 in 4 of the men who left with the Emperor but the rest of the men perished or escaped into the hills and forests surrounding the city. But far more demoralizing to the Romans and to Euthymius, Michael IX, Emperor of Rome also perished in the battle. Euthymius saw the purple robe and golden diadem fall beneath the rush of the Turkish troops, and with that, the spirit of Euthymius and his faith in God shattered into a thousand small pieces at the Battle of Regia Gate.
As Euthymius made his way back to the Great Palace, horsemen rushed past him on their way to join the Emperor. “Too late, too late” was all he could think.
The court fell into an uproar when Euthymius brought the news of the Emperor's death, but the Empress took control of the state in partnership with the commander of the navy and the blessing of Euthymius. All agreed that the time for power struggles in the typical Byzantine fashion was not now. The survival of the state was suddenly at stake. Over the next few months, small bands of Byzantine cavalry attempted to dislodge the Turks of Aydin from the gates, but each failed.
In the depths of winter Euthymius went to observe the siege. The walls of Constantinople had withstood many Bulgar, Gothic, Arab and Turkish attacks; he was confident that they would withstand this attack. More than two years had passed since the death of the Emperor and still the Turks of Aydin sat at the gates attempted to reduce the great city of the Empire of Rome. It was at this point that Euthymius and the entire city observed the event that drove hope from their hearts and all thoughts of salvation from their minds.
The walls of the city, impregnable for thousands of years, seemed to crumble in front of his eyes. But it was wasn’t the crumbling of the walls that drove hope from the city. It was the event that followed. The dust from the collapsing wall rose against all expectation, seemed to gathered itself together, and for a brief moment seemed to take the form of a huge, diabolical warrior of Aydin. It loomed over the city for just a moment, but just as the Cross had appeared to signal the Emperor Constantine that God would deliver the Empire into his hands, God seemed to signal to the Romans that their time had come to an end and that He had withdrawn his protection from the city and the Empire.
Isa Bey urged his men to the breach, and battled hand to hand with the defenders. He was repulsed, but more Turks were on their way from other parts of the walls. Euthymius had already turned and was ripping his clothes and pouring dirt on his head in deep mourning. Within days, Isa Bey again assaulted the walls, and although the Romans fought valiantly they were defeated. Isa Bey entered the city in triumph.
Isa Bey and his men met the Empress and her court at the gates of the Great Palace. He offered them exile if they left with the clothes they had on their backs; their alternative was to join their ancestors in the graves of the Emperors. They chose to leave the city with the Italian merchant ships.
With the departure of the Empress and the annexation of Constantinople into the Beydom of Aydin, the mighty Roman Empire ceased its existence after 2,171 years.
Isa Bey proceeded to the great church of Hagia Sofia. He found Patriarch Euthymius on the thone in sackcloth and ashes, with his monks surrounding him as they waited for the Conqueror. Isa Bey looked at the immense Church, so much larger and more ornate than anything existing anywhere else in the known world. He decided at that moment that the most fitting memorial to Allah for delivering this great city was to make this amazing building a place of worship for those believers in Allah. And so Hagia Sophia was renamed The Mosque of the Conqueror, and became one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, along with the Umayyad mosque in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
He then approached Euthymius.
“You are the instrument of my victory here, did you know that? Your letters to the rulers of the West, the Bishops of your Christ, and the Greeks of the eastern Mediterranean led inexorably to this moment. You claimed to be the father of your people; but I am the father of my people, Turk and Greek! Your claim could not be allowed to remain, and so with no other course open to me, I invoked the name of Allah the Merciful and brought my powerful men at arms to dispute your right to this title of Father of the People. In me are the Turks and the Greeks protected and governed. Your Emperor fought valiantly but lost because of your vainglory and trust in a God who long ago withdrew his protection of you.”
Turning his head, he signaled to a monk standing to the side.
“This is Matthew, a priest loyal to your God as a God of Peace, and a man who understands the difference between ruling the hearts of men according to the laws of God and attempting to rule the bodies of men according to the laws of the state. He tells me that there is a standard way in this city and your religion of dealing with those who fall from high places - I believe the Patriarch Anastasius suffered this fate for resisting the authority of his Emperor. It is quite barbaric - perhaps that is my your God has turned his face from you. But I leave you in his hands, and the Greek church likewise in the hands of the new Patriarch, Matthew II.”
The last thing Euthylius saw was Isa Bey walking back to the entrance of Hagia Sophia and toward the ranks of men cheering the Conqueror of Constantinople.
This is the story of the Bishop, the Basileus and the Bey
Very impressive stuff. Gaining control of Constantinople is a clear boon, and I really enjoy the story that went with it. The reasoning behind Byzantium's ending of her vassalization to the Ottomans seems plausible, and it made for a very good tale, with Michael IX falling in battle. Plus the revelation that Euthymius brought about his own nation's downfall was a nice touch.