Book 1: Alexios II Komnenos
Prologue
Prologue
Author's note
Dear reader, I must now offer my apologizes. The years between 1178 and 1186 are sparsely mentioned in this chronicle for a simple reason, there are sparse sources for it. During the events of the Latin Riots, which I shall attempt to detail below, parts of the Imperial Archives were destroyed, containing the personal records of both Saint Sophia and her son Alexios. In addition to this great loss, many noble mansion and manors in the western Empire were also sacked, leaving my access only to sources of the second or third hand. Later scholars may be able to pierce the darkness that covers these years, but that is to be seen. For now, let us return to the tale of Alexios, beginning with the aforementioned Latin riotsThe years between the death of Saint Sophia and the Wars of Reconquest were very turbulent for the Empire. The grand religious experiment in reconciliation seemed in danger of falling apart as Catholic partisans all across the West rose up in arms against their rightful lords. Alexios was forced to put down a number of rebellions, including one in the heart of the City itself. For months, unbeknownst to Mystikos Gregorios or any of his agents, a group of German clergy had arrived in the city. They had come to preach heresy to the faithful and attempt to bring down the Empire from within. They were moderately successful in winning converts, mainly among the poor and vagrants of the City. They also began smuggling large numbers of Latin zealots into the city, promising the head of the Patriarch and Emperor, and a direct path to heaven for those who came to fight. On the first day of February in 1186 the heretics made their move, beginning with an attack on the wharves of the city.
It was a strange and terrifying affair, as mobs of heretics stormed through the city, attacking the faithful and even laying brief siege to the royal palace. All might have been lost had the Emperor not personally rallied his failing guardsmen, encouraging a last ditch charge against the mob. The streets ran red with blood as the beleaguered guardsmen hacked and slashed through the throngs of poorly armed interlopers, pushing the bulk of them into the nearby Hippodrome. This is where Alexios showed his tactical genius, as the reinforcements he had sent for now arrived behind the rioters and surrounded them in the amphitheater. Nearly a thousand Latins, along with the usual rabble that join any riot, now found themselves at the Emperors mercy, and the prospects looked bleak for them. Justinian had massacred the last group of rebels to reside in the Hippodrome, and there was no reason to expect differently this time. Thankfully for the people, Alexios was far kinder than his infamous predecessor. He also had his brother, the German Kaiser Gregorios to contend with, who was simply itching for an excuse to declare war on his younger sibling. Slaughtering a thousand Latin converts would be the perfect rallying cry for the entire heretic West to unite against the Empire, something Alexios could not afford. Instead, he sent spies among the rebels, seeking to discover the names of the leaders among them. They were successful, and the Emperor made a bargain with the rioters, the leaders would surrender and be imprisoned, and the rest would go free. This offer was shouted into the arena from all sides, along with the names of the leaders and a promise of imminent attack if the demand was not met. Twenty German clerics where quickly thrown from the crowd, looking thoroughly unhappy. The troops now moved in and began moving the crowd out of the city, to the dismay of all assembled. The Emperor's reply to their protests is recorded here“Good people, why do you protest? I said I would let you go free, I did not specify where you would go.” Four thousand people were exiled from the Empire that day, each given a mark on his or her cheek that meant instant death if they were ever to return. The leaders of the riots were never seen again, but my research reveals that they were sent to fight in the eastern deserts, imprisoned by the endless sands.
Now Alexios turned his eyes west, to the turbulent lands not under the aegis of Roman control. In Hungary the faithful were protected by the Arpad dynasty, longtime allies of the Imperial court. In exchange for their quick conversion to the True Faith, Sophia had married the only daughter of King Salamon to her heir, then Prince Alexios. The marriage was a happy one, producing a son and daughter by the time Alexios came to the throne. North of Hungary sat the kingdom of Poland, also recenlty converted from the Latin heresy. King Kasmirez feared the increasing power of the Kaiser, and decided to ally himself with the more distant Roman court, correctly surmising that the Roman court had no interest in his lands.
In the east the Russian princes fought on in their ceaseless wars against the infidels, who were now nearly united under Khan Borc of the Volga. Imperial aid and soldiers were sent north, but fighting on the steppe itself was still seen as a fools errand, and the Russians for the most part had to fend for themselves.
Iberia was divided between three competing powers, the infidel Sultan Marwan, based in Marrakesh, made constant war against the Germans in Aragon and Grenada. In the north stood the small kingdom of Leon, whose king had converted to the true faith seeking military aid against the Moors. This he received, but only intermittently.
Africa was divided in half, with Sultan Marwan controlling the West and Alexios controlling the East, while a small enclave of the Kaisers men controlled Tunis. In far off Britannia the news was sad indeed for the faithful. The English had not taken to Sophia's reforms, and aggressively stamped out the faithful wherever hey could be found. The kingdom of England fell into civil war several times, only to be unified again under the brutal King Richard de Normandie. The Welsh and Cornish lands had broken away at this time, and Scotland was firmly under the faithful King Malbride.
In frozen Scandinavia the Catholic heresy ran strong, with the kings of Norway, Sweden and Denmark professing loyalty to the Bishop of Rome, who now resided in the small monastery of Skara near the Danish border with Sweden
Finally, sitting astride central and western Europe like a colossus, was the German Empire. Kaiser Gregorios had not been idle these past ten years, using the banner of holy war to annex large portions of southern Gaul back from the Moors and from the faithful. On his western border stood the duchy of Aquitaine, under the firm control of the so called Knights Templar, a group of zealous Latins dedicated to reclaiming the Holy Land from all who would keep it from them, including the Empire. Only in France did the faithful hold sway, and they cried out for aid from their brethren in the East.
Alexios knew that the time for talk with the heretics was over and began his plans for war. Not a small skirmish as had been fought in years past, striking hard then withdrawing and negotiating. No, this would be a total war, fought to the bitter end and without mercy. The Wars of Reconquest were about the begin...
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