Mettermrck: I want to develop a more historically-bent Roman Empire (One that I play according to the abilities of my monarch, the relations between my nation and others, and events), rather than a gameplay-driven one. Therefore, it's likely the Empire won't be seeing a reconquest of Europe.
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As the Turkish forces concentrated their fury on Trebizond, Rome quietly split up her armies, and ensonced themselves firmly in the Turkish mountains surrounding the Roman plains in Anatole and Smyrna. Besieging enemy fortresses, but well-fortified themselves, every Turkish attempt to root them out in the early months of the campaign failed miserably. Although the Romans lost another five thousand men to disease and Turkish arrows, the Turks lost almost ten, attempting, time and time again, to retake their home provinces, but with no luck.
On May 11th, the Romans were moving into the northern mountains, and already held the southern ones. The Battle of Antayla saw a Turkish force attempt to oust the Roman one, with little success. Eight thousand Turks lost over a thousand of their number, and were forced back, in retreat. Where the war had been seen as folly by some of the generals, the populace at home cheered for Alexios and his glorious victories.
The Roman position on May 11th. Roman advances made are shown in red, Turkish movements are shown in green.
On August the 9th, a second attempt was made to oust the Romans from the mountains, but with no more success. Although the Turkish force in Trebizond was more than sufficient to destroy any of the Roman ones, the idea that the Emperor was in Trebizond still hung in the air like a prize, each Turk wishing to grab it. The reality of the situation was that Alexios was riding out from Constantinople with five thousand men to reinforce the north, and ensure he could negotiate treaties from the from.
The Battle of Angora. About five hundred infantry and a thousand cavalry are lost by the Turks, with perhaps a third of that lost to the Romans.
However, the Emperor was delayed, as a small Turkish fleet sailed into the Bosphuros, which had been left undefended as to allow the Turks to believe the Emperor was truly in Trebizond, and, as the fleet had luckily been recalled at that moment, the blockade lasted only two days. Five Turkish ships, including among them two warships, were sunk, leaving the Romans yet another victory. Although destroying an enemy you outnumbered ten to one was no real glory, the Turks had been attempting a desperate maneuver - land a small force at Constantinople, and starve the populace into giving in. Like many of the moves made by the Seljuk remnant forces in this war, it had the potential to be a masterful stroke, however, since two of the three navies the Seljuks had under their banner refused to undertake it, it was another fool's venture.
The Battle of Marmara. Almost as soon as the battle is joined, three enemy galleys are sunk by the Roman fleet. The remaining two ships last only a little longer.
The army of the successor state of Candar was in Trebizond, and a pair of skillfully-executed sieges by the Romans left their ruling family captured, and in the hands on the Roman Emperor.
However, the Candar refused his initial offers, and, enraged by the possibility that the enemy armies could be returning to take back his hard-gotten gains, Emperor Alexios ordered the majority of the family killed. A bloodbath of massive proportions ensued, the one-hundred-and-thirty members of the Candar ruling family reduced to seventeen, twelve of those female, and the heir a mere ten years old.
"Your father has defied me. Your mother has defied me. Your brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts have defied me. I ask you now, boy. Will you take up the crown of Candar, and rule as my vassal, or will the streets find yet another rivulet of your vile family's blood?"
- Emperor Alexios VI, Negotiations with Candar.
Suleyman II, ten years old, accepted Alexios's offer. He would be named Sultan of Candar, and would cede Kastamon to the Roman Empire, to be held in perpetuity, and pay half of his taxes to Rome. A Roman regent and two thousand Roman men remained in Angora to enforce Alexios's will, and, immediately, the men from Trebizond were recalled. By now, the Turks were aware of Alexios's gambit, but it was already too late. Candar, the most powerful contributor to the war, had been removed.
Soon after, Teke was taken. However, the bloodbath was not repeated - Uthman I, ruler of Teke, had heard of Alexios's reputation, and immediately capitulated to all his demands, sending two of his three sons as hostages to Constantinople, marrying his daughters off to minor Roman nobles, and allowing a Roman regent (or 'advisor' as he was named, as Uthman was of age) to be by his side.
With the monies he acquired from Uthman, Alexios decided to crush the Turks once and for all. They would all live under Roman rule - he could not allow them to continue to be a threat towards the Empire. Although other Christian states were just as much of a threat, (especially towards Orthodox 'heretics'), Alexios was fiercely religious, and saw the Moslems as an affront against God.
However, it was not to be. His vassals in Morea had taken out many debts, and sent almost twelve thousand men in this campaign, and, as a result, were facing closure on their loans by Genoan bankers. Alexios knew he could either fund them, or let them collapse. The collapse would mean he had a chance to pick up new personal lands, but, if Morea collapsed, he could no longer rely on a significant contigent of his men. The choice was obvious. He paid the Moreans, stating that it was only through loyalty and brotherhood they had taken out the loans to help defend Christendom, and it was only right for him to recognise that, and aid a fellow Christian, as they had so selflessly done for him.
The real result was that Morea became a more dedicated follower of Alexios - their forces were more often marshalled, and the Moreans would follow Alexios's children for almost a hundred years unquestioningly. When the position of
megas domesticous cropped up, a Morean was almost always appointed, the Emperors knowing they could rely on the Moreans. using the Emperor's money to recover from their losses, and become a wealthy house once more.
However, the loss of the money crippled Alexios's planned spring offensive. Remarshalling his forces into new groups, Alexios decided to see if the Turks would come to him. If they could be lured out once more, it would be a simple matter to end the war.