CHAPTER 27
1417-1421
AMONG THE TOMBS
Augustus Alexios I Angelos was greatly saddened by the death of his uncle. His death meant that the Imperium lost one of its most loyal servants and that yet again Angelos died in the line of his duties as the grandmaster of the Brotherhood of Holy Sepulchre. To honor the memory of brother of Leon VIII Angelos and to celebrate the liberation of Antiocheia, it was decided that Augustus himself will make a pilgrimage to the holy city, to pray for the soul of his uncle and to thank God for the blessings Romaioi have received, for truly the death of Iron Khan and collapse of the Horde were shining examples of God's love to His Children.
On 6th July 1417 Augustus left Konstantinoupolis, leaving the Throne and his sons to basilissa Ambrosia to take care of as Imperial Regent, for so great was the dedication and trust he put in his beloved wife. Pilgrimage was to be made by land – it was wish of Augustus to travel through his land and to meet with some of his subjects. In his wisdom he knew that in these harsh times no sight would be more inspiring for common citizens and governors of
themata alike than 10,000
kataphraktoi, Varangians and elite Companions of
Hetaireia marching along with countless servants and eunuchs, all surrounding their Augustus like Moon, Sun and
planetes circling Earth.
But before the glorious retinue with countless members of the Imperial Court left the Great Palace, one of the courtiers asked Augustus for a permission to join the ranks of the Brotherhood and to join the pilgrimage to Antiocheia where he would say his sacred vows. This person was
noble Leontios Doukas. The moment of greatest influence House Doukas had over the Throne has already passed with deaths of doux Megistos Doukas,
magistros and president of the Imperial Council and Head of the House Doukas, and Leon Doukas, grandmaster of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre before Alexandros Angelos succeeded him.
Illustrious Leontios, as a great-grandson of Megistos, was married to
porphyrogenetissa Iulia, who at the time was third in line to the Throne, to seal the alliance between Greats Houses Angelos and Doukas. But this alliance was only temporary and dictated by the good of the state, facing a dangerous civil war and uprising against Leon VIII. It is worth mention that despite what vile rumors were saying, Imperial Regent
mystikos Thomas Angelos had nothing to do with untimely death of Megistos Doukas, who passed away due to his old age – a great loss for the Imperium. Now
honorable Leontios' marriage was all that was left of influence that Doukoi had just a few years before the pilgrimage. Although married and having fathered children, he received Augustus' blessing and joined him on his way to Antiocheia.
And so on 19th August 1417 Augustus arrived in holy city – but it was nothing like he was told it is. Sacked by Iron Khan and under Mongol occupation for over 20 years Antiocheia was but a mere shadow of its former glory. Great churches and chapels of old were in ruins, stripped from stone, ivory and precious metals used to built mosques. Sword of Islam ordered all of the chalices, altar candlesticks, bells and crucifixes to be melted and used to mint gold coins with his image on it. Citizens of Antiocheia, ruthlessly slaughtered after the conquest, weren't many – after the slaughter Timur ordered to repopulate the city with his subjects who, after victory of Imperial Army, set the city on fire and fled back to the East where they came from. Glorious city in which lived once more than 300,000 Romaioi reminded now more of a war camp, filled with soldiers, orphans, beggars and fallen women. Great cathedral was as a cracked golden chalice surrounded by filth of the city, with swarms of workers and slaves slowly rebuilding the temple of the Lord. But it was only with the arrival of Augustus that a holy mass could be conducted in the smoldered ruins of empty cathedral, for Timur's
ghazis spared none of the priests, monks or nuns of Antiocheia.
The destruction witnessed by Augustus was so great that for days he was fasting and praying to God to save His chosen people from such terrible fate. The desolation laid upon Syria by Timur the Terrible was never to be repeated – with death of Iron Khan East was consumed by the flames of civil wars and
ghazis instead of slaughtering innocent Christians were fighting each other. With the collapse of the Horde it seemed however that at long last the eastern
limes were secure and Romaioi inhabiting in these lands didn't have to live in fear of horse-lords. Still, the threat from the East remain everpresent, even more so with the unexpected arrival of the Treasure Fleet. It was unknown what the true intents of the distant Sinae and so-called „Son of Heaven” were.
Are Seres another threat from beyond the known world, a new tribe of barbarians worshipping Dark Powers? Or are they a possible ally, a God's blessing in disguise and a chance to destroy the Horde once and for all? Only time could answer these questions. Before the will of God would be revealed however, only through absolute loyalty to the Throne and veneration of Saint Markos Isapostolos the citizens of the Imperium could ensure a safe future for their children.
After spending several weeks in holy city during which Augustus funded reconstruction of all the churches and monasteries in the city, it was time to go back to Konstantinoupolis, for the Throne could not remain empty for long – the Imperium, as always, needed guidance from the blessed House Angelos. A great cathedral was now to be dedicated to Saint Markos Isapostolos, whose protection would ensure the prosperous future of the city. While traveling back to Konstantinoupolis, Augustus wished to stop in his palace in Smyrna, the old seat of House Angelos. It was during his short stay there were he was persuaded by
wise Leontios to visit island Chios – the birthplace of Angeloi.
For during the pilgrimage Augustus Alexios I Angelos grew very fond of Leontios Doukas. His brother-in-law, despite being son of House Doukas, was
not only gifted with a keen intelligence but also great wisdom. Being a monk-knight of the Brotherhood, he was greatly interested in a local legend concerning House Angelos. Even despite all these years there were still rumors heard throughout the land that - allegedly – son of doux Manuel II Angelos, Niketas the Cruel, was not only a heretic but even worse, for he was said to practice Dark Arts. Obviously, it's not uncommon for clueless and superstitious peasant rabble to believe in such things – but, as it is said in the Holy Bible, sorcery is a mortal sin and therefore the Holy Church and imperial officials were working tirelessly to eradicate such heretic beliefs. Still, there were whispers heard in
thema of Samos that Niketas the Cruel was in fact a servant of Darkness. Augustus himself was very interested in this matter and, convinced by Leontios, decided to visit old Angelid castle in order to search for answers in the dusted libraries. These efforts were fruitless however and in the end Augustus decided to finally come back to the City, with only several ancient scrolls and books from Chios for further studies of the eventful history of his House.
Worrying news reached the City on 11th December 1417 when khan Afanasiy ended his campaign against Suomi in victory. What was left of once powerful pagan realm after unification of Lithuania and
xenoi invasion of Suomi was but a mere shadow of its former glory. The fall of pagans was so great that queen Inkeri Saranskid had no other choice but to abandoned faith of her fathers and worship Dark Powers of
xenoi, hoping to save her people. Trading one daemons for others and forced to marry Aztec lord, she was probably the last member of House Saranskid to rule these lands – after 200 years their long reign was coming to an end.
Even worse news came few months later – supreme lord of
xenoi, Cacamatzin Acatl, during one of the heathen festivals turned against assembled there commanders of his armies. All those whose loyalty was questioned in even a slightest way were then sacrificed to the Dark Powers in a blasphemous ritual on a great pyramid in Aztec capital in what used to be known as Normandy. His power was now greater than ever – without any opposition, surrounded by obedient slaves and fanatical soldiers, Cacamatzin Acatl could plan new atrocities and conquests undisturbed.
But while the might of
xenoi was growing to unprecedented heights, Timur's legacy was shaking in its foundation. On 2nd January 1418 a new civil war erupted, more dangerous for khagan Menggei than anything before that. For his own brother, Bilge Timurid, decided to usurp his position. This was splendid news – children of Iron Khan were fighting against each other. Armies of
ghazis were sieging Shia castles and razing Shia cities – the realm was bleeding but this time it was blood of accursed heathens, not faithful Christians. Death toll was immense and hearts of Romaioi were filled with joy.
Even caliph Sadiq Aghlabid, son of Khaireddin, murderer of noble Augustus Leon VIII Angelos, was not spared. His death in a pointless battle against Mongol chief loyal to Bilge Timurid brought great joy to the Great Palace – truly, the justice has been served and Shia snake paid for his deeds with his head on 22nd August 1418.
With eastern
limes secured and both Timurids and the Horde consumed by internal strife Augustus decided to seize the occasion on 23th January 1419 war for liberation of
thema Kartli. Being the easternmost
thema of the Imperium, it was among the first to fall when the Horde arrived. For almost two centuries the mountains of Caucasus were an impenetrable barrier for Romaioi, protecting the crucial passage connecting northern and southern lands of the Ilkhanate. But with the arrival of Iron Khan the Horde lost virtually all it's territory south to the mountains and Caspian Sea. The strategic value of the Caucasus was great and it was recognized as such by Augustus – the Imperium was presented with a perfect occasion and the Throne wanted to make a good use of it. And so
themata arrived on Caucasus on 14th March 1419, for the first time since the reign of basilissa Euphrasia Doukas.
But imperial soldiers were not the only ones who were marching to war.
A new
xenoi invasion started, this time aimed against what little was left of Kingdom of Sweden. King Johan Stibolt, son of Hans Half-hand, was doomed – the last surviving Norsemen were barely able to resist Lithuanian raids. They could not dream to oppose the full might of Cacamatzin's armies – without help of the Imperium or Kingdom of Poland they had to be defeated. But they were loyal to the Holy Cross and, like their fathers before them, they refused to submit to the will of
xenoi and their dark gods. Death on the field of battle or submission and slavery – the decision was made decades ago during the initial invasion of Sweden and they were probably the last ones to obey it. Little could be done to help Norsemen – imperial
themata was fighting against the barbarians not only in Caucasus and Kingdom of Poland wasn't interested in provoking the
xenoi. Only the Antiocheia itself was liberated but with Mongol chief in charge of surrounding lands joining Bilge's rebellion, the liberation of full
thema of Antiocheia could be completed.
But the greatest obstacle in sending help to Kingdom of Sweden was Pisa. Persuaded by
noble Leontios Doukas to finish the liberation of Italia by taking Cagliari on Sardinia island from the Republic, which once again was trying to steal rightful land of Kingdom of Aquitaine. But Pisans were much more dangerous opponent than isolated Mongol rebels or greatly weakened Ilkhanate armies in Caucasus – more formidable force than
themata was needed if the victory was to be swift. And thus Augustus decided to declare war against treacherous Pisan merchants on 10th January 1420 and to send force counting 30,000 men, most of them mercenaries, to reclaim ancient Roman province. Only afterwards the army was to be sent to the North – by that time coffers of imperial gold was the only help king Johan could count on.
Flames of war within the Horde were only intensified by death of khagan Toghoril Toluid on 9th April 1420. New khagan of Tartaria, Bolkhadar Toluid was even less suited for a ruler than his father. His weakness provoked only even more rebellions when horse-lords saw a chance to reign as independent chiefs. For on the endless steppe only basis of power is power itself – strong are said to be blessed by Tengri the Sky-Father and weak are destined to be their slaves and subjects.
Knowing this, Iron Khan built his power on not only sheer strength but also on religious zeal.
In the end it was fanatical loyalty of
ghazis which made khagan Menggei victorious. Son of Timur was called „the Holy” by his subjects not only because his father was allegedly a
mahdi but also because his dedication to the teachings of the false Prophet was so great that even during the war he was willing to fund new mosques. In every city new
madrasah was built in which young could study blasphemous
Quran. This dedication was what cause many of the veterans of Timur's conquests to join the side of his son and so on 16th May 1420 the uprising against his rule was finally supressed.
Soon the end has come for his brother too – defeated and humiliated, he was thrown into prison and once again there was peace in Shia realm. Khagan emerged from the conflict stronger than before, even considering his losses in Syria, where whole
thema of Antiocheia was reclaimed by Romaioi. It was doubtful however whether he would pose a major threat to the Imperium in following years, weakened by the internal struggle. One thing was certain however – eastern
limes were no longer safe.
It mattered not.
Following the advice of
wise Leontios, Augustus Alexios I Angelos managed to in just few years strengthen his position so much that there was virtually no one among the
aristoi who would dare to disobey the orders of the Throne. For even if Doukoi submitted completely to the will of Augustus, who could challenge him? With Leontios as his most trustworthy advisor Alexios I Angelos reformed
themata administration and put an end to corruption among imperial officials in more distant provinces, thus significantly increasing the number of soldiers available for the Imperial Army. Having reconquered
thema Kartli in a victorious war against the Ilkhanate which ended on 28th July 1420, it seemed that there was nothing what he couldn't achieve.
Following the advice of his brother-in-law, in an unprecedented move Augustus decided to completely reform
themata system in regard to westernmost province of the Imperium – Aragon. Before it's incorporation into the Imperium, Kingdom of Aragon was a proud realm with long history and tradition of independence. During the period of Castillan Emperors it became one of the wealthiest but also one of the most unruly provinces of the Imperium. For Castillans never abandoned they traditions and even decades after the reign of Luis I Angelos tangible differences between Aragon and other
themata remained. Even some of the old Castillan laws were still being used there – a cause of great problems for the imperial administration. Great distance between former Kingdom and easternmost
limes was the main cause why most of Castillans served in the Imperial Army only on paper – save for the
xenoi invasion, Castillans didn't see much fight and their main contribution to the state was in gold. Augustus decided it's time to change this – he was going to need more soldiers than ever if he was to make a good use of Horde's collapse. And so from
themata of Barcelona, Aragon and Mallorca on 9th January 1421
despotaton of Aragon was created. The task of governing this land was given to Kyrillos Palaiologos, former doux of
thema Barcelona. Great deal of trust was put in new
despotes but, assured by Leontios Doukas that his choice was right, Augustus was confident that he would not be disappointed – after all, despite being from minor House Kyrillos' father was a loyal servant of the Throne and exceptional
sakellarios of the Imperial Council.
Soon the war with the Republic was over – Pisans were defeated and Sardinia was liberated, once again safe within imperial
limes. After Kartli and Antiocheia campaigns it was another glorious victory of Romaioi. But it came with a price - constant warfare and extensive use of the mercenaries proved to be too much of a burden for the imperial treasury. But peace turned out to be even more costly than war.
As it was counseled by Leontios, „gifts” from Augustus immensely helped to quell all signs of disloyalty among
aristoi. But many of douxes instead of spending
hyperpyrra on improving defenses of their castles or repairing
limes in
thema for which they were responsible squandered it on pleasures and luxuries. Indeed, reforms conducted by Augustus proved to be very costly and combined with war effort and expensive donations to churches and monasteries emptied the treasury.
Despite the financial problems of the Imperium, Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre not only remained as wealthy as before but was getting richer with every year. It was a tradition that every new doux was expected to make a generous donation to the Brotherhood. The knight-monks of the Order were not only responsible for their monasteries-castles scattered throughout the Imperium but also fielded thousands of troops for the Imperial Army and were used as a main force to fight heresy. Their role as a special enforcers of orders of the Throne was of great importance – when official means of solving conflicts failed and situation wasn't serious enough to use
tagmata, the Brotherhood was there to carry the will of Augustus. To make this huge organization work efficiently it took a very skilled man. It was no surprise to many that it was Leontios Doukas who, using his influence, became the
sakellarios of the Order. Being responsible for managing the Brotherhood's finances, as one of the closest advisors of Augustus and his brother-in-law, Leontios Doukas was without a doubt among the most influential men in the Imperium.
For some even too influential.
Many courtiers of the Great Palace, seeing his growing importance and position, quickly became supporters of Leontios. With friends in imperial court, within Brotherhood and among other Doukoi and allied Houses, Leontios influence seemed to be immense. It didn't mean that there weren't some who despised him. Some even, like Philotheos Komnenos, were openly hostile to him and tried to warn Augustus about him.
These were obviously nothing more but false accusations funded on lies and forgery. But Augustus held his counsel in a high esteem and frequently asked him for advice. And Leontios,
being capable man he was, always delivered, finding easy solutions for complicated problems which left even members of the Imperial Council helpless.
With time Alexios I began to trust him so greatly than he asked him for advice even in most important private or secret matters. Obviously, there were some who were
jealous of Leontios' influence and, pretending to be worried about their Augustus tried to discredit his brother-in-law. But it proved to be almost impossible –
wise Leontios effortlessly dealt with any botched attempt of
false friends of Augustus to undermine his position. Spending almost all of his time in Great Palace, Doukas managed to find time for both his duties as Brotherhood's
sakellarios and advisor of the Throne, which was an excellent proof of his dedication to Alexios. Those who hated him couldn't do anything – they were limited to petty schemes and unstated though empty threats. While the
jealous and mean-spirited eunuchs and other officials were trying to stop him, the economy of the Imperium was flourishing, largely thanks to his skills. It was Leontios who
in his wisdom suggested that Augustus should resume his studies of „De Administrando Imperio”.
Although this venerable treatise on the governance of the Imperium was centuries-old, it was still an invaluable source of knowledge and wisdom for every ruler to sit on the Throne. Written between years 948 and 952 by basileus Konstantinos VII Makedon known also as „
the Porphyrogennetos” it contains lesson on how to properly govern
themata, incorporate new provinces and deal with taxation. Being a book of great value it was an inherent part of education of future Augustus like his fathers before him. It was this book and others, among them „Three Treatises on Imperial Military Expeditions” also writtenby basileus Konstantinos VII Makedon, „De velitatione bellica” by basileus Nikephoros II Phokas and „Taktika” by great
strategos Nikephoros Ouranos, which were meticulously studied by Augustus.
It has to be underlined emphatically that, despite disgusting rumors surrounding these matters and
noble Leontios, Augustus did not spent even a single day on reading tomes of forbidden knowledge. Spreading such vile and vicious lies is considered high treason against the Throne, for only heretics and traitors or servants of
xenoi could believe that Augustus himself would ever turn away from light of Kristos to the blasphemous madness taught by sorcerers and
nekromantoi. It is indisputable that such unthinkable deed would never be committed by any member of House Angelos. It is clear that these tales of a madman are based on legend about Niketas the Cruel who, allegedly, mastered the dark arts. Such despicable and horrid lies are clearly false and hast to be dealth with once and for all. Among them none is worth stronger condemnation than this concerning that – allegedly – Alexios I Angelos was studying also infamous „Book of the Law of the Dead”, known also as „Nekronomikon”. Such claims are not only outrageous and heretic but those who propagate them shall be treated as traitors and punished accordingly. This is but a gibberish of lunatics – there was never such a book. There are no traces of it in libraries of Pandidekterion, nor there is any evidence that its author, Abdullah al-Hazred known also as the Mad Arab, ever existed. Therefore any claims concerning this book or its translation purportedly made by Theodorus Philetas are obviously and without any doubt false and there can be no discussion about it. And even assuming that such heretical accusations can be true – and they obviously are not – it would be momentarily clear to everyone that Augustus in fact studied them, for every contact with dark arts can corrupt even the purest, most noble soul. But, with Iesus Kristos blessing and thanks to intercession of Saint Markos Isapostolos, such terrible thing could never happen to God's Regent on Earth, for
Diabolos has no power over him.
The Angeloi protect.