prussiablue: Heh, well true. Never neglect loyalty!
stnylan: I wish except they have managed to ally themselves with Spain!
The Spaniards refused to help us fight some godawful war the Burgundians dragged us into, so bye bye to that alliance...
J. Passepartout: Amen brother!
Draco Rexus: Heh, colorful curse there.
Yes though I think you might be right.
Specialist290: Er, technically the Falconi/Falieri has more of a link with the 4th Crusaders than the Byzantines, but thought accepted.
Ok I'm back up and running - thanks for your patience guys!
Above: Impeial soldiers, circa 1560. The threat or reality of revolt overshadowed Caterina's later years.
Part 30
The 1560's opened with naval battles against the Danes in the Aegean, revolts in Bosnia and the loss of Kaffa to an unexpected Sofian revival under Prince Domenico, son and heir to 'Emperor' Alessandro. Though enjoying practically no support outside of Kaffa 'Emperor' Domenico would cling on until 1563 when Caterina was finally able to free up sufficent men to drive him out again. That he was able to take over a province at all was symbolic of the multitude of misfortunes besetting the Empire.
In the same year that Domenico's would be throne tumbled Giani Falieri, Count of Korinthos and Prince-Consort died. For almost thirty years he had offered a rock for the Empress, his solid, dependable, unexciting presence keeping the younger, more imaginative Caterina grounded. They had had four children together: Antonio (the Prince of Smyrna), Michele, Bianca and Helena. His loss was a devastating blow to the Empress who aged visibly after Gian's death. In a final act of indignity the Senate voted against giving him a funeral fit for an Emperor.
The Senate was not the same body it had been in the previous century. A powerful merchant faction had appeared flooding the old conservative body of rural landlords with new vitality and a sense of it's own importance. The Senate had never much liked Caterina and particularly resented her tendency to rule from court alone. I gave them considerable satisfaction to say no to the Empress. In the old days Caterina would have been able to easily swing the senators around but then again in the old days the Senate would never have dared act in such a high ended manner. Tired of war, revolt and increasingly poor the crown was weakening and the sharks could smell blood in the water.
To complete this Annus horribilis November saw the useless alliance with Burgundy drag the Romans into yet another war: with England this time. Though no fighting took place Caterina was intrigued that her opponent was also a woman, albeit a heritic. As she gloomily confessed to her old friend Bartolome quoting Pompey but indentify with Sulla: "more people worship the rising sun than the setting sun."
Was even her place in history being stolen from her by this girl from out of the West? The following year saw the Council of Trent and despite the staunchest efforts of the Empire's bishops and cardinals Caterina's claim to the western throne was ignored. As her negotiaters trudged back in defeat and her very Church buckled and changed around her the Empress must have felt her lifes work was in vain.
The end now was not long coming. On the 30th of June 1566 Empress Caterina passed away in her sleep - some say of despair over the state of her Empire. She was fifty-two. As word spread throughout the city the Senate which had so fought her life took view of public grief and wisely kept it's peace. Now was not the right time to take advantage.
For the first time in decades the crown passed with no objection from parent to so: Thirty year old Prince Antonio was summoned from Smyrna to take the purple as Antonio III, Imperator Romanus.
