Heaven On Earth
Europe 1237: The Last Compline Of An Age
(Mood Music)
In 1237, Alexios II died at the age of 70. His reign lasted an astonishing 57 years. He had gone from a young boy-Emperor, to a teenage genius, to a glorious warrior-Emperor who brought down an empire. His death was much mourned by the populace. One could say he was the most popular Orthodox Emperor, aside from Alexios I The Great. Alexios II’s funeral was no less lavish and grand than his life and celebrations. One last time, young naked women threw themselves on his casket. He was succeeded by his 19 year old son, Manuel II. Manuel II took after his father in the department of military genius.
Aside from the collapse of the Seljuk Empire, there were two other changes in Europe that had occurred from 1180 to 1237. The first and most significant of these two was the Second Iberian War between the alliance of Leon and Aragon, and Castille. About 60 years before, Castille had devastated those two nations and cut their sizes in half. So in 1226, the alliance declared war on Castille and invaded the country with their combined powers.
At first they only looked to recover their old territories. But as the weakness of the Castilian army and state became evident, Leon and Aragon decided to advance further into Castilian territory. Eventually, the pressure of a two front war became too much for Castille and the entire nation collapsed and was divided between Leon and Aragon.
A depiction of a Spanish battle
The other, smaller, change in Europe was the English invasion of Scottish controlled Ireland. Aside from starting hostilities between England and Scotland that would last for centuries after, it was also the first “limited war,” in the sense that the two enemies agreed not to fight on British ground. Thus the war took place only on Ireland. This was a mistake on the Scottish part, as the English had much more men than them. Therefore, the English simply concentrated their forces on Ireland and were able to conquer more than half the island before peace was signed.
While the 60 years between 1180 and 1237 had little changes aside from the Orthodox conquest of half the Muslim world, the years after 1237 would change everything. The Mongols, under Ogedei Khan, had appeared on the outer steppes of Europe, ready to invade. Modern estimates of the entire Mongol force are set at about 250,000. While nations like the Orthodox Empire could match the Mongols in numbers, it was the Mongol tactics that would truly cause havoc on Europe.
Europe had had time to prepare ever since news of Genghis Khan had reached them. Still, fear swept across Europe as the Mongols finally appeared from over the Urals and into Russia and Persia. It is said that Manuel II, surely along with many other monarchs, said one last prayer for the age that ended with his father. It was called the “Last Compline Of An Age.”
A map of Europe in 1237, on the eve of the Mongol invasion