Bastions
Prologue Three: The Kings of Kings
Part 28
se fældæs uw próŝjá sie suligs un gátaw, se firţæs: zálá un gárs; un laká growáp románjá mas.
The fields of Prussia are lush and ripe, the forests: green and tall; and all the while Rome grows small.
Prussia's kindness to Rome was quickly forgotten, as Romans are oft to do. The Roman Emperor saw an opportunity to do his two favorite things at once: anger Prussia and make money. In 1280 the Roman Emperor shut Prussian access to the Dardanelles and the Bosporus down. Prussia's Black Sea trade would be effectively bottled, despite the existence of treaties that prevented such actions from being taken. To top off the insult, the Emperor sent his heir to deliver the news as well as be the one that Kiten had to make his appeal to. But the Prussian King would have none of it. He told the Prince, "I will go to Constantinople and I will reopen trade and that is final." With the Prince dismissed, Kiten gave his commanders a simple order, "
iebrukt se románænæs" or "Invade the Romans!" So the Prussians called up a massive army, forged massive cannons from the iron of the Carpathians. Modern estimates put the Prussian army between 60,000 and 130,000 strong. The King, driven by the death of his beloved wife Rasa and the constant insults of the Romans, insisted on cracking the toughest nut in all of Europe: Constantinople. So the flames of industry grew under the constant breeze of bellows. It took two years to build the army and then march it to the gates of Constantinople. And once it was there, Kiten took great pride in the systematic deconstruction of the Queen of Cities. The largest cannon on the field was the famed
Uzwáru, or Victory, which had been so large that after it had been erected it became a permanent part of the surroundings of Constantinople. Always ready to take shots at the city.
In June of 1282 the sons of Prussia stirred from their wait in the shadow of the great walls. The breeze carried aloft the white and gold banners of the "Great Northern Kingdom", as the Roman Emperor would later call it. The Second Rome had never before fallen to an invading army, its people did not try to flee, they kept living their lives despite the constant thunder of cannons. And when it was obvious that the walls would fall, it was too late to flee. The Roman navy was busy keeping the Prussian fleet away from the Golden Horn. The walls eventually cracked and came tumbling down. The Emperor fled to the Hagia Sofia as the Roman armies began to deteriorate. The people panicked as the city flooded full of Prussians. Constantinople had fallen, the city was in ruins. Prussian soldiers looted her wealth, stole her relics, and made off with her women. The city burned, the flames stoked by the same anger that drove the bellows and crafted the swords. Despite the buildup, Kiten was surprisingly lenient on the Romans demanding three things: one ton of silver, the Bulgarian province of Varna, and the reopening of the Bosporus to Prussian trade. With that the Prussians retreated from the city and left the Roman Empire. It would not be the last time the Prussians marched in or out of Constantinople, but for now peace was secured between Rome and her northern neighbor.
Between 1280 and 1284 Kiten had been forcibly wed to Marie Dormandy by his court. But Kiten refused to consummate his marriage, despite lacking a male heir and being almost fifty years old. Marie eventually became pregnant, but Kiten said he could not possibly be the father. The two were divorced and Marie exiled. Kiten quickly married his mistress, Blazena Luxembourg. Blazena was also pregnant, so a quick marriage was necessary to ensure their offspring would be considered legitimate. In October of 1284, Queen Blazena gave birth to Vishly, who was quickly crowned Prince of Prussia, despite being a minor. In 1285 Kiten chose a new target for Prussia's ire, the nation of Bosnia. Bosnia was a Shia Muslim state ruled by Peter Crncevic, a former Prince of Naples. Peter had managed to conquer much of the Balkans, including the remains of Christian Croatia, Styria, and Dalmatia. Prussia, along with an surprising ally, the Caliphate, decided that the upstart Peter the Black had to go.