So I started work on this around the time the devs released the 1043 bookmark as a minor flavour mod for Zoe and Theodora (hence the name, Google Translate-ese for "Long Live the Empresses"), since I didn't think a weak claim alone was enough to represent their importance. Since the stuff I made for them has largely been rendered obsolete by a combination of bloodlines and the imperial succession law, it branched out into a general Byzantine Empire flavour mod.
If the devs want to integrate this submod as a whole or any part of it into SWMH, EMF or whatever, just say the word. As long as I get credit, that's fine by me.
Features:
* The main feature is co-emperorship, represented by the symbasileus minor title.
** This title, if it's going to be used by players at all, should be used with caution: it isn't revocable and immediately grants a strong claim on your primary title (if the co-emperor somehow loses the title, they'll revert to whichever strength claim they had beforehand, if any).
** The conditions to grant it are fairly restrictive (mainly to stop the AI screwing itself over by handing out co-emperorships like Smarties), but historical, so you probably won't be able to grant it to (m)any people immediately after starting.
** It has double the weighting on imperial succession that the despot title has, andcounts as born in the purple.
** You can create up to 3 co-emperors because (apart from in the interval between the Macedonian and Komnenos dynasties when pretty much all of Constantine X, Romanos IV, and Michael VII's sons were (largely symbolic) co-emperors at various, overlapping points) that was the most to exist at any one time during the game period (under Romanos I).
** And of course, any co-emperor and their spouse will receive snazzy new imperial finery to suit their station (although the new clothes won't show up on the same day you grant the title).
** UPDATE: Symbasileus parents will now have purple-born children.
* Since having Basil ahistorically start as emperor is no longer such a requirement for the rise of his dynasty, I've resurrected Michael III in the 867 bookmark, and added his missing mother and sisters to the game (they're all nuns, though, so not much use as successors). Also, his wife, Eudokia Dekapolitissa.
* Basil, and all other historical co-emperors from the game period, start as co-emperors. To this end, I've also added in Andronikos I Komnenos' missing second son, Ioannes, who was his chosen heir and co-emperor (surprised he wasn't in-game already tbh).
* Basil still starts married to Eudokia Ingerina (whose culture is now Greek, but is still ethnically Norse), but she's also Michael III's lover, and Basil has Michael's sister Thekla as a lover.
* Updated and standardised all Greek character names in line with the updates to the Greek name list a few patches ago.
* Finally, I've opened up the Varangian Guard not only to North Germanics, but also East Slavs, Anglo-Saxons and Anglo-Norse (provided there are no independent rulers of either culture, to match history), Englishmen, and Crimean Goths (because why not?). Any kind of non-Hellenic pagan who joins the Varangians is now at risk of returning home a Christian zealot, rather than just Norse pagans. Foreigners will also stop joining up once their top liege has protected inheritance (a historical measure employed by the Scandinavian monarchies to stop so many of their men pissing off to Miklagard because joining the Varangians was that lucrative a career path).
Known issues:
* None, currently
Edit: made a separate version (Zeto e Basileios) with Basil the Macedonian starting as emperor in 867
If the devs want to integrate this submod as a whole or any part of it into SWMH, EMF or whatever, just say the word. As long as I get credit, that's fine by me.
Features:
* The main feature is co-emperorship, represented by the symbasileus minor title.
** This title, if it's going to be used by players at all, should be used with caution: it isn't revocable and immediately grants a strong claim on your primary title (if the co-emperor somehow loses the title, they'll revert to whichever strength claim they had beforehand, if any).
** The conditions to grant it are fairly restrictive (mainly to stop the AI screwing itself over by handing out co-emperorships like Smarties), but historical, so you probably won't be able to grant it to (m)any people immediately after starting.
** It has double the weighting on imperial succession that the despot title has, and
** You can create up to 3 co-emperors because (apart from in the interval between the Macedonian and Komnenos dynasties when pretty much all of Constantine X, Romanos IV, and Michael VII's sons were (largely symbolic) co-emperors at various, overlapping points) that was the most to exist at any one time during the game period (under Romanos I).
** And of course, any co-emperor and their spouse will receive snazzy new imperial finery to suit their station (although the new clothes won't show up on the same day you grant the title).
** UPDATE: Symbasileus parents will now have purple-born children.
* Since having Basil ahistorically start as emperor is no longer such a requirement for the rise of his dynasty, I've resurrected Michael III in the 867 bookmark, and added his missing mother and sisters to the game (they're all nuns, though, so not much use as successors). Also, his wife, Eudokia Dekapolitissa.
* Basil, and all other historical co-emperors from the game period, start as co-emperors. To this end, I've also added in Andronikos I Komnenos' missing second son, Ioannes, who was his chosen heir and co-emperor (surprised he wasn't in-game already tbh).
* Basil still starts married to Eudokia Ingerina (whose culture is now Greek, but is still ethnically Norse), but she's also Michael III's lover, and Basil has Michael's sister Thekla as a lover.
* Updated and standardised all Greek character names in line with the updates to the Greek name list a few patches ago.
* Finally, I've opened up the Varangian Guard not only to North Germanics, but also East Slavs, Anglo-Saxons and Anglo-Norse (provided there are no independent rulers of either culture, to match history), Englishmen, and Crimean Goths (because why not?). Any kind of non-Hellenic pagan who joins the Varangians is now at risk of returning home a Christian zealot, rather than just Norse pagans. Foreigners will also stop joining up once their top liege has protected inheritance (a historical measure employed by the Scandinavian monarchies to stop so many of their men pissing off to Miklagard because joining the Varangians was that lucrative a career path).
Known issues:
* None, currently
Edit: made a separate version (Zeto e Basileios) with Basil the Macedonian starting as emperor in 867
Attachments
Last edited: