Thank you for your patience with the replies... work took up almost all my free time this week, and then
Skyrim came out, so...yeah...I have been more than a little...um... “distracted.” Needless to say, the update after the next one was totally inspired, and conceived and inspired by the main threme to
Skyrim.
Darn you Bethesda! Coming up with new ways to distract me!
Carlstadt Boy – A Turkish defeat in soccer (football to the rest of you outisde the US) I assume? And with Guillaume, remember that in his mind, throwing away Andronikos' sinful treatment is the best thing a friend can do—to Guillaume, Andronikos' mortal soul is in danger, and a true friend would do everything he can to save him from the pain of damnation. Indeed, in Guillaume's mind if he merely sat back and let Andronikos continue to do this, he wouldn't be a true friend at all...
Vesimir – Well, in this case, nothing good—though abd-Hinnawi's “treatments” were just that, treatments of symptoms, but decidedly not cures. I'm actually surprised no one has ventured any more guesses as to what medical condition Andronikos suffers from. I will offer that those of you who said bipolar disorder were partly right... that's one condition he has. What is the other, though?
Well, keep in mind Eirene, and much of the Perso-Roman nobility, as well as the army and the politikoi, have been raised from childhood to think of the 'Mongols' as the enemy. Roman Persia was forged in the fires of Mongol invasion. I think it'd be hard for many of them to stomach another more insidious “Mongol invasion” via the bedchamber...
BraidsMAmma – D'Ockham is trying his best to “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk.” It's why he has been so hard on church corruption, and partly why he is so respected that he was put up, in desperation, for the position of chaplain to the emperor.
Petros' sons name is Isaakios. He doesn't have any brothers as of yet. Of note, though—one of Petros' brother's names is Anastasios...
asd21593 – What parts are confusing? I'd be curious, I can further elaborate and clear up some things if it'd help.
Lord Strange – Doomed itself? The Church has gone up against non-Christian emperors before, without hundreds of years of tradition backing it up, and still won. It has edged towards the largest fight between the Church and the monarchy since Andreas Kaukadenos' rebellion in 1216, but it hasn't signed any death warrant, nor has it even thrown a gauntlet—it's pulled the gauntlet out and is waving it about currently.
As for Persia, Eirene has (at least temporarily) forced Yemen and Oman into being clients (the control is too loose to call them vassals, and they have a great deal of independence). These moves could be just cementing her desire for a secure Persian Gulf alternative to the Red Sea... or they could be the first steps to bottling up the Red Sea route...
cezar87 – Abd-Hinnawi will, in this timeline, go down as a great scientific mind, as well as, at least in Christian chronicles, a rabble rouser. He was only guilty of one thing really, he did encourage the Emperor to invite the Egyptian bishops to the Council, but this could be more an expression of his own inherent thirst for debate than any real attempt at manipulation. Indeed, he didn't seem like he wanted to be in any position of power or manipulation at all...
And you're dead on about Andronikos and the Church. Andronikos' power base, like all the Komnenid emperors, is the army. As we've seen, the army is not nearly what it was even in his father's day, let alone the powerhouse of Thomas II or Basil. The Church tried to challenge the army once in 1216 and lost. Now, the army might be weak enough (and the Church strong enough, with enough allies) that the tables could easily be turned... ironically it's been the sudden and stunning success of the Christian Empire in reforming lost Patriarchates (and thus clunking up Church bureaucracy) that has prevented a unified response to the...laxity...of the imperial government itself so far...
Zzzzz... – The only two things standing between Leo and taking the top tier title in Konstantinopolis itself are Andronikos' own children (the eldest of which are just coming into adulthood) and Andronikos' greater support amongst the army. A bid at this point would likley result in a return to the civil war, as neither Leo nor Andronikos have the power to forcibly remove the other from their core areas of support. However, once Alexios is removed (assuming he is), look for both of these caged wolves to start snarling at each other once more in earnest...
vadermath – If Leo were to strike a secret deal, his best bet would be with the dynatoi (especially the Angeloi, who are his in-laws as well), the Skalitoi, and the church. The von Frankens have shown themselves utterly preoccupied with Germany at this point, and would likely render ineffective aid at best (just as they were ineffective when they were called to help Andronikos too). Leo's biggest problem would be how to win over Andronikos' army. Skalites could deliver the Palatinoikoi, but Andronikos also has numerous Muslim contingents from the Levant now that are battle-hardened and not beholden to the Archeoikos, and beyond the reach of the Church...
Let's just say things could get very ugly very quickly...
And yes, that's a pretty nail-to-the-head description of how and why Aionism came about—an apocalyptic event took place (the fall of Islam), yet there was no Armageddon. Aionism was one response to this paradox, while Taymiyyism (a retrenchment, with more populist ideas almost) was another.
FrozenWall – Well, modern medicine could certainly replace the blood to get the same treatment of the underlying disease. For Andronikos' day, however, the blood in question (is it just pig's blood, or blood in general? Hmmm...) would be one of the most effective treatments. And you'll be pleased to know that the update after next deals with some things going on in the West...
Hannibal X – It's one of many, I'd imagine—the Roman medieval world has had unparalleled interaction with the heart of Persia, so I'd imagine they'd pick up and bring back ideas from there, just as Crusaders brought back ideas and concepts from their experiences in the Levant...
...and if the von Frankens ever unite with Burgundy, for all intensive purposes, Charlamagne's empire has been rebuilt. The Hohenfrankens would have the power and prestige to crush all other opposition in Germany AND France—their lands would be even greater than that of the Austrian Habsburgs...
4th Dimension – Good points. This disunity amongst the Eastern Churches—Konstantinopolis might be the preeminent Patriarchate, but it
is definitely considered a first among equals, and the others would want a say—has been the main reason the Church hasn't taken as prominent a stance as one would expect from, say, the medieval Catholic Church. Even when the Church did take a stand against the monarchy in 1216, it was more the Patriarchs of Konstantinopolis and Jerusalem who took the stand—Alexandria and Antioch backed Thomas II...
And yes, the Church's biggest bone with the Aionites is that the Egyptian bishops are claiming to be Christian, and using their Christian offices to force 'heathen' ideas down on the population (ignoring the fact the population is heavily Aionite to begin with, obviously). The success of the Komnenoi in reforming the 'Lost Patriarchates' is exactly what has kept the Church from forming a formidable response to Aionism, or Islam, within the imperial borders as it did against monophysitism or during iconoclasm...
RGB – True, but the Church had an
expectation that the secular lords would root out heresy on the Church's behalf, and the Church often became quite upset when they failed to do this, and would stir up much trouble as a result. In this history, the interesting situation more comes from the sudden, massive reversal of religious fortune-- the Church now suddenly has seven more Patriarchates, and hundreds more bishops, etc. than it had even two centuries before, at the same time the secular government is
still, in many ways, scratching its head in how to deal with its rapid military conquests. I'd almost say there isn't a disagreement historically between the Komnenoi and the Church, more the Church itself becoming muddled and confused, while the secular response is usually, “hold on, let me think of something.” Only a few emperors have outright stood
against the Church, or against something the Church was doing, and it didn't end up well for them (Gabriel comes to mind).
wolfcity – In some ways it shares some ideas with Christianity, especially with the syncretism that is quickly taking place in Egypt, but at its base Aionism is an offshoot of Islam in the same way Christianity started as an offshoot of Judaism... Aionites, for example, would say that Jesus was divinely appointed, but was not divine (which makes them heretics/heathens in Christian eyes)...
Leviathan07 – Eirene really doesn't have much of a choice... in another society, another situation, she would make a damn fine Queen. Unfortunately for her, there
are male alternatives available, so she has no other recourse but to use her useless husband to advance her goals.
TC Pilot – Next update we'll see him when he's 15... still too young even in CK terms to be doing much, but believe me, he'll already be trying...
sarevok2 – Nope, its Isaakios. Though as I said above, Petros has a younger brother named Anastasios...
JacktheRipper21 – There are
tons of Dukids running around by this point. Ironically enough, the Komnenoi are themselves a cadet branch of the Dukids...
AlexanderPrimus – Ecclesiastical foil, or voice of reason? And yes, I realized I hadn't used Jeremy Northam yet, so it was a no brainer!
Basilieus444 – If Persia and Egypt continue their trade rivalry, the Indian Ocean might get mighty interesting in the EU3 timeframe. Both, armed with ships and the desire to secure the eastern trade lanes, could make for a powerful rivalry, and perhaps creature some transoceanic empires of their own...
richvh – I wikied the synopsis of several of the novels, I think I'm going to have to take a look now!