The Empire Strikes Back - a Byzantine Megacampaign (Part 1)

[Idhrendur]

This was Konstantinos XIII of the Empire. He ascended in 1189, at age 9.

This was Konstantios, his regent.

Konstantios was kind, charitable, and just, but shy and deceitful. He sent Konstantinos off to finish being educated.

Konstantios believed that it was his duty to stabilize the Empire to prepare for Konstantinos to rule it. He freed the long-held prisoners (who had no quarrel with Konstantinos), saw an end to several plots, established good relationships with many vassals, and renamed the new retinues from the "Makarian Guard" to the "Scholai Palatinae". Not only did that mean that veterans of the Cataphracts might be willing to rejoin (they tended to view Makarios with great bitterness, blaming him for their rout), but it provided a sense of historical connection to the past glory of the Empire.

And he ensured that the war in southern Italy was won.

After that, some strategic gift giving weakened the more dangerous faction in the Empire.

That accomplished, Konstantios turned his energies to matters of law. It was not right that lands properly belonging to the Empire should be held by outsiders. He declared war against some of those holding Imperial lands.

Eventually the queen mother was able to manipulate the court such that she became regent. Zealous and just, she continued to war against non-orthodox rulers.

But her actions sparked a political battle, and she was soon replaced as regent. Chrysogonos was the new regent, and being envious of the former regents, he declared a war so he could grant himself some titles.

When the war was concluded and the titles his, he stepped down as regent, leaving Konstantios to be re-appointed.

Ever the good regent, he declared another war to recover territories that properly belonged to the Empire.

Finally, on 16 September 1196, Konstantinos reached the age of majority. The regency was ended.

 

[Idhrendur]

This was Konstantinos XIII of the Empire. He had ascended to the throne at the age of nine, and had just come out from the resulting regency in 1196.

He was just, ambitious, patient, greedy, and proud. Surely he would make the Empire much mightier than before. He was also attracted to men instead of women. But he knew he needed heirs, and so married.

Hungry for gold, he raised taxes on the clergy.

He later spent that gold on a tournament. During that tournament, he was able to announce the birth of his first child, a daughter.

Shortly thereafter, he declared war on Egypt to recover Hebron. The war was won swiftly.

It was followed by a few other strategic wars.

During this time, long tradition established Syria as a de jure kingdom in the Empire, not just a de facto one.

Eventually, Konstantinos found himself in truces with the only non-Imperial rulers to hold Imperial lands. He had long since lost his ambition for more, having achieved what few rulers could hope to. However, his chancellors, recognizing his former ambition, had found (at great cost) documents showing his right to rule the duchies of Genoa and Alexandria. The question of the veracity of those documents is still not resolved. Nevertheless, Konstantinos was too proud to let a territory potentially his to slip away. He declared war on France for Genoa.

 

[Idhrendur]

Konstantinos had recovered nearly all the lands that were de jure part of the Empire. Meanwhile, his chancellor had produced documents demonstrating his claims to Genoa and Alexandria. While his ambitions had been sated, his pride would not let the opportunity pass. So he declared war on France.

In the midst of this war, rumors flew about large groups of horse-riding invaders on the Seljuks' eastern borders. They were already in the midst of a dynastic upheaval, and Konstantinos prayed they would be shattered.

Some time later, a group of Egyptian vassals began a war with their liege. A war to place Konstaninos on the throne. While their odds of success were low, they provided an opportunity for Konstaninos to step in to pacify things. This would be enough to let him press his weak claim to the Egyptian crown.

The war raged for nearly two years, but eventually Konstantinos was successful.

There was a period of peace. During this time, the Il-Khanate arrived in the east with a massive army.

When the relevant truce was completed, Konstantinos declared war on the King of Sicily.

And when the next relevant truce was completed, on the King of Croatia.

And then finally on the Duke of Croatia.

With this war complete, the Empire was restored to its de jure boundaries. Plus a little more.

But in the north, the Golden Horde arrived with a huge army.

 

[Idhrendur]

Sorry about the recent slowdown in posting. I've been working on the converter, and work has been busy, and I've got a new girlfriend. And my backlog of posts has long been taken down to zero.

I'm sure I'll develop a new rhythm in time, but until then, here's the requested political map:

On religion, because I find it interesting how it's working out: apart from France and the HRE (which are Catholic), all Christians are Orthodox. France was as well for awhile, but recently fell to the sway of a Catholic ruler. Iberian Muslims are Ibadi. West African Muslims are Sunni. Horn of Africa Muslims are Shia, and the rest are Zikri. Cumania is still Tengri. There are a few pagan provinces left in Africa, and a few Suomenusko provinces in the north.

And on surviving that first war as Byzantium: as you can see from the first attempt at this campaign, simply attacking the Seljuk army is risky. I prefer what I did in this one. Siege their provinces in the west. Gather your entire set of armed forces to the place you're sieging. You'll lose a few provinces yourself, but you're trading land for time. Keep an eye on the size of their doomstack. Hire any mercs you need to have a sizable edge in size. Eventually, they'll get annoyed at you and march over. Make sure you have the best commanders available (pay attention to traits, not just the martial stat). Let them attack, so as to take any possible hit from terrain. With any luck, you'll beat them. Pursue them until they are completely smashed (but back off if they gather another force). Be willing to accept a white peace. It seems that in 1.08, you'll face two other crises rather soon. You'll have a faction to lower CA. Give in to their demands, because they grow overwhelmingly large. You can recover it later. The second is an independence movement. You can likely smash it entirely. Best of luck!

 

[Idhrendur]

Konstantinos had reclaimed the whole of the Empire. It was enough to fulfill any man's pride, even his. But now his advisors had sent a scholar to him. They claimed this scholar had news of great import, but that he tended to speak long. Konstantinos steeled himself.

"My liege, as you will recall, the Empire is of great age. It had had a great many civil wars, even discounting those during the era in which is was a republic. It was these civil wars which led to the division into East and West Empires."
"Yes, yes, and the West fell to barbarians. Now only the East remains, therefore we are simply the Empire."
"Quite true, my liege. But there are some who claim that via translatio imperii, they are the successors of the West Empire. They style themselves the Holy Roman Empire."
"Fah! Germans! They are none of those three. All civilized men know it!"
"Agreed, your majesty. Those within the Empire know the folly of those that claim to compare. But many outside the Empire ascribe to their views. After all, the former Patriarch of Rome, the Pope, supposedly granted the West Empire to the Germans, having inherited it from the Donation of Constantine."
"A document that is surely a forgery!"
"My liege, that is why am here today. I have evidences that could prove that it is false, to the satisfaction of all, both within the Empire and without. But I need access to more records, stored in the archives of the Duchy of Genoa."
"Proved false? That would be…hmm… You shall have access to all my archives in Genoa."
"My liege, I fear I shall also need access to archives in Nice, still held by the French."
"Very well, scholar. You shall have access to the archives in Nice."

When the war had been won, Konstantinos spent some time letting the Scholai Palatinae recover their strength. Eventually, Konstantinos demanded a report from the scholar.

"My liege, I have found several sets of correspondences mentioning the false Donation. With the letters written by the other members of these relationships, I could know the name of the forger and where he lived."
"And where would these letters be?"
"In Tunis, my Lord."
"Where in Tunis?"
"All over the duchy, I am afraid."
"Hrmph. Prepare your desert clothing, scholar."

The war for Tunis was swiftly won, but a few baronies were pleged to other local rulers. Two more short wars were fought for them. During the latter, Konstaninos received a request for aid from his daughter in law, the Duchess of Leon. He had married his heir to her when she was Queen of Leon, and apparently she had lost the title at some point. But now she was warring to reclaim it. Konsantinos sent the Scholai Palatinae and many levies. But the King of Leon did not submit easily. After over two years the war was finally won.

As the troops were being shipped home, the scholar met Konstantinos on the fleet.

"Have you a name scholar?"
"Yes, my Lord. And not just a name, but an exact house where he lived. And it's known kept his records there."
"Excellent! Where is it?"
"Venice."
"Hahaha! Scholar, you have given me excuses to entirely take control the trade of the Sea. To Venice!"

The city of Venice fell swiftly. The Scholai Palatinae could barely be restrained from sacking every bit of the city that had destroyed the former retinues of the Empire. But the house with the records was kept safe.
"My liege, I have it! The complete tale of how the Donation of Constantine was forged. I have written a report, with extensive references, for you."
"Advisers! Have you examined this report?" demanded Konstaninos. When they confirmed that they had, and it was accurate and unassailable (if boring), he continued. "Have copies made and sent throughout the lands of the West Empire."
And then he smiled sardonically. "And send copies to the Germans. And the Pope."
He turned back to the scholar. "Well done, scholar. For this, you shall be greatly rewarded. What is your name?"
"Kaisarios, my Lord."
"Well then. Doge Kaisarios of Venice, your name will be forever remembered within the Empire!"

And in late 1233, the report was sent throughout the land. It made little practical difference in most locations that had long been lost to barbarians. But all now recognized the Empire as the Empire, and not just the empire of the greeks.

Having fulfilled all that his ambition and pride could desire, Konstantinos spent the rest of his days improving his demesne, tightening his control of the Empire, and receiving reports of the ravages of the Mongols.

Finally, on the ninth of May, 1260, he died of old age. He was succeeded by his third (and only living) son, Niketas.

 

[Idhrendur]

Oh, and an updated political map:

 

[Idhrendur]

This was Konstantinos XIII of the Empire.

He had ascended to the throne in 1189, at the age of 9. Despite a revolving cast of regents, the Empire flourished during his childhood. Nearly all threats to his rulership were diffused, and territories were gained in muslim Armenia, central Italy, and eastern Sicily.

When he reached the age of majority, he constantly warred against rulers who held long-lost Imperial lands. Soon, all was recovered. As well, he took advantage of a plot in Egypt to bring it back under the Imperial fold.

His ambitions fulfilled, he had planned to cease his warring. But a scholar convinced him to conquer several regions so that his research could show the Donation of Constantine was a forgery. When this was done, he sent letters throughout the lands declaring that he also rightfully ruled the west Empire. While this changed nothing in practice, it allowed for a continuous greater glory of the Empire.

That accomplished, he spent the extensive remainder of his reign improving his holdings, founding new cities, tightening his rule, creating titles, and distributing said titles. After all, an Emperor should rule over kings.

Finally, in 1260, at the great age of 79, he died, and was succeeded by Niketas I, his third son.

 

[Idhrendur]

This was Niketas I of the Empire. He ascended to the throne in 1260, at the age of 58.

Proud, paranoid, greedy, and envious, he was not happy that his father had not bothered to claim any of the lands that could be claimed by the Empire.

And with the harsh laws his father had passed, he was not popular. He decided to hold a grand tournament to celebrant his ascension, and to hopefully turn opinions his way a little.

The tournament concluded, he considered the many factions in the Empire. One man was connected to many of them: Doux Gennadios of Cyrenaica. In the eyes of many, he had acted dishonorably towards Niketas, so they would not complain when soldiers were sent to arrest him. Unfortunately, the arrest did not go well.

The levies of Egypt were deemed sufficient to handle his rebellion.

Soon enough it was crushed, and Gennadios was led to the Emperor's dungeons.

Now, this was Carinthia. First settled by the Empire at it's height, the region had been overrun by Huns, Lombards, and finally Franks. But in 1261, Niketas declared war against the Germans to reclaim it for the Empire.

This was Verona. Conquered very early by the Empire, it was likewise conquered by Lombards and then Franks. In 1191, it achieved independence from the Germans, but in the 1240s, Lombardy conquered the central portion. In 1262, Niketas declared war on Verona proper, swiftly conquering it. He then declared war on Lombardy for the county of Verona, leaving the county of Padua under Lombard control.

The existing duchies of northern Italy were controlled by rulers that Niketas had truces with. So he marched the Scholai Palatinae further west. After all, there was a very great amount of the Empire to recover. Such as Provence. The first Imperial province past the Alps, it had been part of the west Empire. It was conquered in turn by Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Burgundians, and Franks. It also had achieved independence from the Germans in 1191, initially holding land west of the Rhone as well as Provence proper. But a near-immediate was with Lancaster, which held the southern reaches of England lost them that territory. Eventually, they were held in a personal union with Alsace. When It in turn was conquered by the Kingdom of Lotharingia, the coastal region declared independence…and was swiftly conquered by the Dhunnunuid Sultanate, which held the title of the Kingdom of Aquitaine, but held territory in eastern Iberia. This was this situation when Niketas declared war on Lotharingia in 1263 for Provence.

During this war, the Duke of Armenia's faction tried to install Loukas Doukas on the throne. Niketas did not respond well to their demands.

 

[Idhrendur]

In 1264, a faction demanded Loukas Doukas be placed on the throne. Emperor Niketas I refused .The ensuing war well-divided the Empire. But Niketas could raise impressive amounts of men, in addition to the power of the Scholai Palatinae.

In the midst of this war, an independence faction declared their intentions. They were also refused, but things were now beginning to look dire.

Before long, most of Niketas' armies were turned or destroyed. There remained two divisions of the Scholai Palatinae in Italy, an army in Croatia, an army in southern Greece, and an army in Syria. They sieged whatever they could and hoped to not run across a larger army from the various rebels.

After conquering Genoa (which had thrown it's lot in with the independence league), one of the Scholai Palatinae division realized the risk of the pretender war. The leader was in Armenia. Though they might seize the holding of supporters, they might well lose the war from the loss of Eastern territory. For that matter, there were reports that the Emperor's demesne was under assault. They began to travel east.

But it was too late. Loukas was proclaimed Emperor, Niketas imprisoned. The trajectory of the Empire for the past 200 years seemed horribly disrupted.

 

[Idhrendur]

Niketas had lost the Empire to Loukas. But he remained resolute that his branch of the family would become ascendant again. It was not hard to do so. He still ruled a large and rich demesne.

And commanded the full force of the Scholai Palatinae.

And it was not hard to find supporters for his claim to the throne.

But he was imprisoned, and could not press his claim if that was not remedied.

Meanwhile, he helped the Emperor fight against the independence faction. It would not do to regain control of a diminished Empire. During this time, the ruler of the Golden Horde converted to Orthodoxy. This would no doubt make future history interesting.

Niketas died before he could see his plans enacted, leaving his four year old son in rulership.

 

[Idhrendur]

This was Doux Konstantinos V of Thrace.

His father had lost control of the Empire to another branch of the Doukas family, and then died in the dungeons of his deposer.

Fortunately, the same loyal regent who had led the duchy after the loss remained regent of Konstantinos.

At age six, Konstantinos was sent to be educated by the King of Croatia.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Azerbaijan started a faction to place Konstantinos on the throne. Nikolaos, the regent, pledged Konstantinos' support to this faction. Unfortunately, the Duke soon participated in a war to lower crown authority in the Empire, and the faction disbanded. Konstantinos was technically on the Emperor's side, but the Scholai Palatinae were kept clear of any fighting. Until holdings that were being improved were threatened. Nothing should distract the workers.

Less than a year before Konstantinos came of age, the ruler of the Il-Khanate converted to Orthodox Christianity. The lands to the east were surely to be converted to the truth.

Finally, on June 28, 1278, Konstantinos came of age and took control of his holdings.

He immediately sought a wife (the daughter of a Mongol!) and created a faction that sought to make him Emperor. After he was married, he began working to improve his ability to wage war. It would be a needed skill to reclaim the Empire for his line.

On the 22 of September, 1278, he demanded his faction's claim. Sure, he was the only member. But he had the Scholai Palatinae supporting him. But the Emperor was not cowed. War would decide this issue.

But the Emperor was distracted by his other wars. The Scholae Palatinae made strategic strikes to seize the Emperor's few holdings, and in a very short time, he was forced to surrender. Konstantinos was now Emperor Konstantinos XIV of the Empire!

 

[Idhrendur]

Konstantinos had reclaimed the Empire for his family line, but the internal warring had left it a wreck of its former self. There was a war to weaken the right of the Emperor even more than the existing wars had lowered them. A war that was lost the moment it became his to fight.

The role of the Emperor could not be weaker except if it was completely removed.

As well, territory had been lost from the Empire. Egypt and Jerusalem had wholesale declared independence. A portion of Sicily was controlled by Norway. Ferrara was independent, Verona had sworn fealty to the Germans, and Genoa had fallen to Iberian Muslims.

Now, Konstantinos was diligent, honest, and charitable, but he had not many ambitions of his own once the throne was recovered. Fortunately for the Empire, he was close to his wife, and she was both just and proud. Her sense of justice encouraged him to restore a proper hierarchical balance to the Empire. And her pride encouraged him to continue reclaiming the old western Imperial lands. By this time, wars were mostly fought by the Scholai Palatinae.

This was Sardinia. Long an Imperial territory, it had eventually slipped from control after the loss of Justinian's conquests. It had ended in the lands of the germans, though on occasion a county would achieve independence…only to be swiftly conquered by muslims. The northern end of the island had yet to be reclaimed by the germans, so Konstantinos took advantage of the opportunity to restore it to the Empire.

While waiting for truces to expire, Konstantinos held a grand tournament to both celebrate his reign and to keep everyone's fighting ability sharp.

Eventually, all italian lands not held by the Empire instead swore fealty to the germans, with whom Konstantinos had a truce. He saw that there was only one Mediterranian island not controlled by Christians…

These were the Balearic islands. Long ago conquered and settled by the Empire, they had fallen to muslims. They achieved independence for a long while, before being conquered by France in the early 12th century. All but Minorca achieved independence in the late 1250s, but were not able to withstand the powerful Iberian Dhunnunid Sultinate. The Dhunnunids were largely beaten in Iberia, but held Mallorca until 1293, when Emperor Konstantinos declared war for it.

As truces expired or other rulers' vassals rebelled, Konstantinos declared war to reclaim old Imperial lands.

During this time, prince Konstantinos came of age. The Emperor found him a suitable wife, and according to long tradition placed him in charge of the barony of Blachernae, where he could gain experience is leadership, but be close to the Imperial court.

Between another set of wars, Konstantinos attempted to invent a flying machine. It went about as well as one might expect.

The Egyptian campaigns were eventually enough that Konstantinos could declare that he was rightfully the King of Egypt, usurping the title from the existing holder. All the former Egyptian vassals agreed to swear fealty to him, though the former king stubbornly held onto his remaining land.

However, When the kingdom had been granted to the Duke of Alexandria, the former king agreed to be his vassal. In Early 1305, the Egyptian campaign was completed!

 

[Idhrendur]

Here are some maps:

The Empire just before Niketas was deposed.

The Empire just after Konstantinos recovered it.

The Empire now (March 1305).

 

[Idhrendur]

During the truces with European rulers, Konstantinos had waged a campaign against Egypt, waging war against vassals who had rebelled against the Egyptian king. He eventually conquered enough that he could usurp the kingdom, and once he had granted it to one of the new vassals he had set in place, everyone was willing to swear fealty.

The Egyptian campaign won, he began a campaign against Jerusalem. This one would likely take longer, as the vassals of the king displayed no rebellious tendencies.

When his truce with the Germans expired, he immediately fought a war for the duchy of Susa.

That complete, he turned his gaze west.

This was Toulouse. Of old it was an Imperial territory, though it was later overrun by barbarians of all stripes. After being conquered by the Franks, it was made part of the duchy of Aquitaine. After years of Frankish infighting, the Carolingian Franks reconquered it, and Charlemagne organized it as part of the kingdom of Aquitaine. While the Frankish authority faded, leaving the Capet dynasty merely kings of France, Toulouse still swore allegiance to them. It stayed loyal through civil wars, Muslim invasions, everything (though some of the coast fell under English rule in the early 13th century). Finally, in 1310, Konstantinos declared war on France to regain it for the Empire.

It was one of the riskier wars fought by the Empire in quite awhile. The King of France sent a massive army (nearly as large as the collected forces of the Emperor) to break the initial sieges. The Scholai Palatinae gathered in order to withstand this army, the last ten thousand arriving by boat after the battle had begun. The gathered Scholai Palatinae were able to smash the French forces in what was a decisive battle, and the rest of the war was just sieging and winning foregone battles.

After the king of France surrendered, Konstantinos again tried to take advantage of the duke of Provence rebelling against his liege in order to declare a war on the duke for the duchy.

During this war it was discovered that Gerasimos of Perre, the King of Croatia, was trying to fabricate a claim on the Empire. Furious, Konstantinos sent men to arrest him. But Gerasimos escaped and began a rebellion.

Unfortunately for him, 27000 of the Scholai Palatinae were idly sitting out the war for Provence. They were sent by sea to Croatia, where they quickly put down the rebellion.

Both wars won, Konstantinos again looked to the western sea. He noticed that the old king of France, the one to whom he had a truce, had died…

This was Iberia. Long a territory of the Empire, it had fallen to wave after wave of barbarian invasion. Eventually, it was overrun by Muslims, with just a small Christian foothold in the north remaining. But the christian kingdoms pushed back, regaining most of northern Iberia by 1066. From then on, there was a constantly shifting series of wars and alliances among Christian and Muslim kingdoms. A few times, it looked as if the Muslims would control the entire peninsula. In the late 12th century, an eastern Iberian Muslim kingdom even conquered much of Aquitania from France, though two Christian kingdoms held the western half on Iberia at that time. Those Christian kingdoms fought and critically weakened the Muslim kingdom, but themselves fell to civil war, which allowed other Muslims to conquer much of the Christian lands. In the latter half of the 13th century, France had its revenge, pouring over the Pyrenees and conquering a significant amount of north-eastern Iberia. The christian Kingdom of Leon slowly regained power, and by the time that Konstantinos declared war on the powers in Iberia (France; Seville, during a rebellion from Leon; Leon itself; and the Almoravid Sultanate) for the Mediterranean coast, Leon held the majority of the peninsula. France held the lands north of the Ebro, as well as the duchy of Galacia in the northwest, and inconsequential Muslim kingdoms held the remaining territory.

By the time those wars were complete, Konstantinos' truce with Jerusalem had expired.

After the war for Ascalon was complete, he was again able to usurp the kingdom, and the duck of Oltrejourdain agreed to swear fealty to Konstantinos. The duke of Jerusalem (formerly the king) would not so agree.

With the Jerusalem campaign again waiting for a truce to end, Konstantinos fought a series of minor wars whenever a truce expired. Though he waged fewer than expected.

When two simultaneous civil wars broke out in France, the opportunity was to great to miss. Konstantinos, an honest man, was unsure, but his wife, heir, and advisors were proud, and longed to see the Empire restored to its full glory. He yielded to their pressure, and began declaring war on the various rebels.

The wars were successful, but before the last of them was fully concluded, Konstantinos XIV died, succeeded by his oldest son, Konstantinos XV.

 

[Idhrendur]

This was Konstantinos XIV of the Empire. His father had lost control of the Empire to another branch of the Doukas family, leaving Konstantinos merely the Duke of Thrace. His father had died in 1267, when he was four.

Despite these disadvantages, Konstantinos was able to reclaim the Empire before his 17th birthday, using the still large Scholai Palatinae to make strategic strikes on the false Emperor's holdings.

While the false Emperor had been in charge, the Empire had begun to fall apart. Egypt and Jerusalem were lost, and the Emperor had little real authority.

Prodded by his wife, Konstaninos spent his life reclaiming nearly all the lands that had been lost, as well as much of the Aquitainian and Iberian coasts.

In 1328, at the age of 66, Konstantinos the XIV died, and was succeeded by his son, Konstantinos XV.

 

[Idhrendur]

Also, a religion map, because I find it fascinating how this is all working out:

 

[Idhrendur]

This was Konstantinos XV of the Empire. He was a content man, not seeking greater glory for himself. But he was proud, and would do his best to see the Empire returned to the full glory of its past.

He began by reasserting the power of the position of Emperor. While other might contribute men to any levees, the forces of the Empire were controlled by the Emperor. And the control of the territories of the Empire was by the suffrage of the Emperor.

Meanwhile, due to the presence of strong factions within the Empire, he moved the Scholai Palatinae near to Konstantinople.

Eventually, he was able to bribe or otherwise placate enough members of factions that several disbanded. So he resumed his father's wars. Unlike his father, he was dishonest, and so was perfectly willing to use whatever excuse seemed appropriate.

In June of 1333, in the midst of these wars, a large faction tried to declare their independence. But Konstantinos would not be cowed.

To fight these rebels, he was forced to raise the levies of the Empire, an act that had not been done in many long years.

By the end of 1334, he had smashed three Sicilian armies and successfully conquered most of the rebel holdings in Bulgaria. But the Sicilian armies had themselves conquered many loyalis lands in central Italy. The war was balanced, though it looked as if Konstantinos had the long-term edge.

The rebel lands were slowly besieged and conquered. In Africa, a Sicilian army eventually completely conquered a loyal county. They set sail and besieged Constantinople…during a typhoid plague. By the time an Imperial levy had drawn near, they were weakened enough to be easily smashed. Two other levies reclaimed the African county. And the rebels had had enough. On June 6, 1337, the rebel leader surrendered.

And so began the post-war recovery. The levies were allowed to return home. The Scholai Palatinae were at less than a third of their possible strength. They were gathered back at Constantinople to recover and train new recruits. Known plotters were commanded to cease. Previously ignored peasant rebellions were put down. And Konstantinos considered the problem of overly powerful vassals.

The King of Sicily had led the rebellion. He was also the king of Bulgaria, and most of Africa swore fealty to him. It was clear that such overly powerful vassals were a grave risk to the Empire. So he sent scholars to research the relationships among his vassals, identifying all cases where fealty was sworn on lines outside the de jure relationships. He planned to rectify these, though he knew this was a project that might take generations.

As the recovery began, he also called for a grand tournament to celebrate the victory over the rebels. He had no issue with making a point, repeatedly.

The Scholai Palatinae recovered quickly. In January of 1339, they were ready to again be sent to war.

 

[Idhrendur]

The Empire had survived a major civil war. The Scholai Palatinae were recovered. It was time again to reclaim old territory.

The war with the Germans was harder than it had seemed it would be. They were able to send several armies into Imperial territory. Armies that outnumbered any given nearby group of the Scholai Palatinae. But between attrition, solid Imperial generals, and the sheer power of cataphracts, each was beaten and driven back. In June of 1341, the ruler of the Germans surrendered.

After that, Konstantinos continued waging war against other rulers. In this process, he saw no consequence to breaking truces with Muslim rulers, so he continually did so.

But again, the wars were disrupted by a powerful faction attempting to declare independence.

Some of the levies of the Empire were raised, but not all. The war was initially hampered by the Scholai Palatinae being in Iberia. And after the defeat of several levee armies, Konstantinos raised the levies of the entire Empire.

In 1362, the civil war ended when the leader of the independence faction died. And yet the war for Aragon was still not concluded (the Duchess of Valois being a rather stubborn old lady).

Shortly after that war was won, Empress Thora died. Konstantinos remarried, but his new wife was not terribly fond of him.

In time, a new independence faction arose, and again began a civil war.

In the middle of this war, Konstantinos XV died of extreme old age. He was succeeded by his grandson, Konstantinos XVI.

 

[Idhrendur]

This was Konstantinos XV of the Empire. He had ascended to the throne in 1328, at the age of 48.

During his time, he increased the authority and power of the position of Emperor. He caused several cities to be founded, cities which grew rapidly. He promoted the growth of universities, recognizing that learning made the Empire strong. As well, he succeeded in reclaiming much of the north-western Mediterranean for the Empire, including most of Aragon and Andalusia.

This was in spite of three major civil wars. Two of those he defeated, the third raged on when he died.

He died on the 21st of October, 1363, eighty-three years old. He was succeeded by his grandson, Konstantinos XVI.

 

[Idhrendur]

This was Emperor Konstantinos XVI of the Empire. He ascended to the throne at the age of 37, in the midst of a civil war.

He continued fighting the war, destroying the most dangerous his opponents' armies, finishing the sieges of several of their holdings, and reclaiming most of the lost imperial holdings.

But then in the middle of the war, a faction declared that one of his cousins was the rightful rule of the Empire, sparking a second civil war.

The wars slowly turned in Konstantinos' favor. And when his daughter came of age, she was quickly married to the ruler of the Golden Horde. And the Horde joined the wars on the side of the Empire.

Eventually the first civil war ended. The instigator was thrown into the dungeon. And the forces of the Empire were focused on the second civil war.

A great many undefended trade ports were captured, and the Doge of Venice soon acquiesced.

The levies were sent home. The Scholai Palatinae were sent to Constantinople to recover. And Konstantinos again sought to increase the authority of the Emperor. If he succeeded, his vassals would no longer be able to wage war among themselves. And any non-orthodox ruler's title could be seized with no objection from the other rulers.

That accomplished, Konstantinos called for a grand tournament to celebrate the peace within the Empire.

While the tournament was being prepared, Konstantinos revoked titles from as many non-Orthodox rulers as he could. Greek speakers were given the opportunity to convert, but peoples of other cultures quickly found themselves leaving the Empire for more friendly courts. The vacant titles were handed out to new rulers: Greek speakers of the Orthdox faith.

Though humble, Konstantinos was also diligent. When the Scholai Palatinae had recovered, he sent them off to continue the reconquest of the Empire.

This was Mauretania. Once part of the Empire, it had been captured by Vandals in the 430s, reconquered by the Empire in 533, then lost to the Muslims in 698. More recently, it had fallen to brutal infighting; there were at least three simultaneous civil wars against the Almoravid rulers. In 1369, Konstaninos declared war on them all to reclaim the long lost Imperial province.

Imperial forces inexorably advanced across the province. Armies fell before them, fortifications were brought low, false rulers deposed. Everything was conquered, barring one province held by Leon. When the Scholai Palatinae reached the Atlas Mountains, Konstantinos recalled the old phrase supposedly written on the Pillars of Hercules, "Ne Plus Ultra". He recognized the wisdom in this: what was there further out but deserts and endless sea? Sure, traders moved across the desert, but they were of little significance. So he declared "όχι πιο πέρα": No Further.

Likewise, the people of the Empire had their own take on an old saying. Thallasa Mas: Our Sea.