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I agree with The Danish King, One or two screens would be nice..
Well, You kicked Ottoman early than I normally do(1450s) . As The fight for survive is gone, now it's time to the Renaissance!
Well, You kicked Ottoman early than I normally do(1450s) . As The fight for survive is gone, now it's time to the Renaissance!
Pfft, the Byzantine future lies in the East. To the gates of Baghdad I say.Grundius said:
If he goes Catholic, Rome would be a nice addition
curtis said:Pfft, the Byzantine future lies in the East. To the gates of Baghdad I say.
If he goes Catholic, Rome would be a nice addition
I agree, the future of Byzantium lies in the east. Still, for any Roman empire, conquering Rome is obligatory
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The news of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire was largely ignored in Europe. England and France were still embroiled in their Hundred Years' War, and the nations of central Europe were distracted by the threat of the Hussites. After all, the Roman Empire had expanded quickly many times before and had always shrunk afterwards. Many saw the Roman victory over the Turks as merely the last gasp of strength left in the Empire. Some said the Empire would fall back to its capital within a decade.
And indeed, such a thing was entirely possible. The Romans had expanded too swiftly and the integration of the former Ottoman lands into the Empire placed incredible strain on the latter. Had a less able administrator held power, the Empire could easily have dissolved into civil war.
Fortunately, Emperor Ioannes VIII was up to the challenge. Along with securing the Empire's borders with Candar and Trebizond (through a peace treaty and a royal marriage, repectively), he also had to oversee the great (and largely chaotic) migration of Greeks back to the City.
Another growing problem was the ancient squabble between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. With a resurgent Roman Empire, the balance of power between the churches was growing less and less in favor of the Catholics.
Thus, in March of 1439, representatives from the Churches met in Constantinople to discuss the potenial for Union. To the surprise of the Emperor, the Western proposal was little more than a request for the absolute surrender of Orthodoxy, while at the same time, it included a request for aid to fight the Hussites of Bohemia!
The Emperor tore the proposal in half and demanded the Western representatives to leave his empire. The schism remained.
The Empire lived in peace until a group of renegade nobles in Bulgaria refused to pay taxes in April 1440. They were slaughtered by Konstantinos XI the following month, solidifying Imperial authority in the conquered European territories.
Angora province proved to be rebellious as well. As the region where the Sultan had made his last stand, it proved easy for local rebels to stir up huge amounts of support from the Muslim population. It took until well into 1443 to bring the province once again under Imperial control.
Once the Muslims of Angora were quelled, however, Emperor Ioannes VIII was faced with possibly the strangest war in the long history of the Roman Empire.
And indeed, such a thing was entirely possible. The Romans had expanded too swiftly and the integration of the former Ottoman lands into the Empire placed incredible strain on the latter. Had a less able administrator held power, the Empire could easily have dissolved into civil war.
Fortunately, Emperor Ioannes VIII was up to the challenge. Along with securing the Empire's borders with Candar and Trebizond (through a peace treaty and a royal marriage, repectively), he also had to oversee the great (and largely chaotic) migration of Greeks back to the City.
Another growing problem was the ancient squabble between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. With a resurgent Roman Empire, the balance of power between the churches was growing less and less in favor of the Catholics.
Thus, in March of 1439, representatives from the Churches met in Constantinople to discuss the potenial for Union. To the surprise of the Emperor, the Western proposal was little more than a request for the absolute surrender of Orthodoxy, while at the same time, it included a request for aid to fight the Hussites of Bohemia!
The Emperor tore the proposal in half and demanded the Western representatives to leave his empire. The schism remained.
The Empire lived in peace until a group of renegade nobles in Bulgaria refused to pay taxes in April 1440. They were slaughtered by Konstantinos XI the following month, solidifying Imperial authority in the conquered European territories.
Angora province proved to be rebellious as well. As the region where the Sultan had made his last stand, it proved easy for local rebels to stir up huge amounts of support from the Muslim population. It took until well into 1443 to bring the province once again under Imperial control.
Once the Muslims of Angora were quelled, however, Emperor Ioannes VIII was faced with possibly the strangest war in the long history of the Roman Empire.
Hmm a strange war, now what could that be? Good job tearing up that proposal from the Catholics
Save that for Bavaria, GrimPagan.
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To the south of the Empire lay the Despote of Morea. Though officially part of the Empire, during the Ottoman crisis it had gained greater and greater autonomy. It was to the Despote that the declaration of war was sent on November 1, 1443. Confused, the Despote relayed it to the Emperor in Constantinople.
Aragon had declared war on Morea.
To this day, no credible explanation for the declaration has ever been agreed upon. However, many historians believe the Aragonese monarch suffered from hemorrhoids and the war was started in a fit of frustration.
It would be an absolute disgrace. Although Naples and the Papal States joined in, the Empire backed up Morea. With Konstantinos XI facing their armies, none of the repeated Western landings gained any ground.
The western powers had better luck on the Mediterranean, though. THe combined Aragonese and Papal navies crushed the Romans in their first battle when the Roman sailors rebelled. After discovering the sailors had not been paid adequately, the Emperor funded the navy properly and the Romans came roaring back.
After cutting off and sinking the Papal naval force in the Aegean, the Romans engaged the Aragonese near Corfu. The Aragonese were smashed and their maps lost to the Empire.
After over two years of the impenetrable Roman defense and thousands of western soldiers dead, Aragon asked for peace, offering 250 ducats. The Emperor gladly accepted and peace reigned over the area again. No borders had changed.
The Empire and its citizens lived in relative peace for the next few years, the only disturbance being the revolting Muslims in Angora.
On November 1, 1448, Konstantinos XI had just crushed the latest rebellion when word came that the Emperor was dead. Konstantinos XI was now Emperor of the reborn Roman Empire.
The Empire at the beginning of the reign of Konstantinos XI.
Having seen the fighting over Morea and believing it had resulted from the weakness of the Despote, the first major act of Konstantinos' reign was to fully reintegrate Morea back into the Empire.The Emperor then secured an alliance with Trebizond, Georgia, and Wallachia, creating a massive power bloc in the Black Sea region.
With the immediate external threats neutralized, the Emperor appointed the former Despot of Morea as Supreme Commander of the Roman Army. The Army would always be loyal to Konstantinos and getting his brother out of the way would consolidate his power.
Despite the reemergence of an Ottoman pretender in Anatolian Iraq (an event that caused many sleepless nights for the Emperor, who kept dreaming of being killed by the Ottomans in his own City), the months of peace continued.
Then, in February of 1450, the Emperor called a meeting of his Council, the idea of Manuel II's that his successors had continued. Konstantinos was a military man at heart, and he could not rest until his Empire was secure.
Three overall proposals were presented to the Emperor. The Empire could expand to the west, reabsorbing the Balkan nation and taking away what Venice had wrongfully gained. Or, the Empire could turn East against the Turks, crushing those who had brought the Empire to the brink of collapse.
The third was oddest. It involved moderate expansion both East and West, but only enough to defend the Aegean, the center of the Empire. Some of the more radical proponents of this plan said the Empire should renounce its "moldy claims to be the inheritor of Rome" and settle down as a moderately-sized state on the order of the North Italian states, perhaps even returning to republic form. Although Konstantinos did not approve, the proposal did have some merit.
Emperor Konstantinos XI would spend the next several hours in deep solitude and prayer. What would be best for the Roman Empire?
-----------------------------------
To the south of the Empire lay the Despote of Morea. Though officially part of the Empire, during the Ottoman crisis it had gained greater and greater autonomy. It was to the Despote that the declaration of war was sent on November 1, 1443. Confused, the Despote relayed it to the Emperor in Constantinople.
Aragon had declared war on Morea.
To this day, no credible explanation for the declaration has ever been agreed upon. However, many historians believe the Aragonese monarch suffered from hemorrhoids and the war was started in a fit of frustration.
It would be an absolute disgrace. Although Naples and the Papal States joined in, the Empire backed up Morea. With Konstantinos XI facing their armies, none of the repeated Western landings gained any ground.
The western powers had better luck on the Mediterranean, though. THe combined Aragonese and Papal navies crushed the Romans in their first battle when the Roman sailors rebelled. After discovering the sailors had not been paid adequately, the Emperor funded the navy properly and the Romans came roaring back.
After cutting off and sinking the Papal naval force in the Aegean, the Romans engaged the Aragonese near Corfu. The Aragonese were smashed and their maps lost to the Empire.
After over two years of the impenetrable Roman defense and thousands of western soldiers dead, Aragon asked for peace, offering 250 ducats. The Emperor gladly accepted and peace reigned over the area again. No borders had changed.
The Empire and its citizens lived in relative peace for the next few years, the only disturbance being the revolting Muslims in Angora.
On November 1, 1448, Konstantinos XI had just crushed the latest rebellion when word came that the Emperor was dead. Konstantinos XI was now Emperor of the reborn Roman Empire.
The Empire at the beginning of the reign of Konstantinos XI.
Having seen the fighting over Morea and believing it had resulted from the weakness of the Despote, the first major act of Konstantinos' reign was to fully reintegrate Morea back into the Empire.The Emperor then secured an alliance with Trebizond, Georgia, and Wallachia, creating a massive power bloc in the Black Sea region.
With the immediate external threats neutralized, the Emperor appointed the former Despot of Morea as Supreme Commander of the Roman Army. The Army would always be loyal to Konstantinos and getting his brother out of the way would consolidate his power.
Despite the reemergence of an Ottoman pretender in Anatolian Iraq (an event that caused many sleepless nights for the Emperor, who kept dreaming of being killed by the Ottomans in his own City), the months of peace continued.
Then, in February of 1450, the Emperor called a meeting of his Council, the idea of Manuel II's that his successors had continued. Konstantinos was a military man at heart, and he could not rest until his Empire was secure.
Three overall proposals were presented to the Emperor. The Empire could expand to the west, reabsorbing the Balkan nation and taking away what Venice had wrongfully gained. Or, the Empire could turn East against the Turks, crushing those who had brought the Empire to the brink of collapse.
The third was oddest. It involved moderate expansion both East and West, but only enough to defend the Aegean, the center of the Empire. Some of the more radical proponents of this plan said the Empire should renounce its "moldy claims to be the inheritor of Rome" and settle down as a moderately-sized state on the order of the North Italian states, perhaps even returning to republic form. Although Konstantinos did not approve, the proposal did have some merit.
Emperor Konstantinos XI would spend the next several hours in deep solitude and prayer. What would be best for the Roman Empire?
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I think you should go East to get revenge upon those that would destroy you then head west. Also going East should be slightly easier and less BB. Nice map there.
I think you should go with the third initiative. Moderate expansion in both directions to protect the Aegean. Isfahan should be the east border and Tago the west. Moderate expansion .
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Well, securing Asia Minor would be an easier and less risky option. On the other side, reclaiming the western lands might be easier at this time, if there is unrest amongst those who controls the areas. If there is problems amongst the italian city states, they could be easy pickings. I guess one should consider the outside factors and see if there is an oppertunity to be taken or if one should simply stick to the plan.
At least your Konstantius XI wins battles. All mine did from 1424 -1435 was to lose all but one. Perhaps he knew he was only testing concepts!
Wallachia will involve you in wars against Hungary and Poland-Lithuania, which Trebizond won't honour and Byzantium doesn't have the resources to defeat those states at this time. Go east and regain Anatolia.
Wallachia will involve you in wars against Hungary and Poland-Lithuania, which Trebizond won't honour and Byzantium doesn't have the resources to defeat those states at this time. Go east and regain Anatolia.
Wallachia will involve you in wars against Hungary and Poland-Lithuania, which Trebizond won't honour and Byzantium doesn't have the resources to defeat those states at this time. Go east and regain Anatolia.[/QUOTE]
Well, I suggest one moderate expansion, but goin' east is less BB , but your choice anyway
Good Luck
Well, I suggest one moderate expansion, but goin' east is less BB , but your choice anyway
Good Luck
You´ll need the income and manpower that Anatolia provides. Then you can turn west.