The Substance of Power: A Tuscan AAR

[Specialist290]

Who's the purple in the Caucasus, and if it's the Byzantines, how'd it get there? And is that Venice in Georgia?

Also, now that I see a wider view of the region, I think the Ottomans may not be as easy to defeat quickly as I first imagined... Nevertheless, the task remains!

EDIT: Typo.

 

[J. Passepartout]

Seven years old... That is NOT GOOD! I hope that Andreas knows what he is doing.

I do not trust small children with empires, let alone anything else important.

 

[unmerged(35685)]

With all the core provinces in the East, further conflict with the Turks are imminent.

 

[unmerged(28944)]

Gee, the Empire just can't catch a good break, can they? I mean things seem to be going quite well, and then we have the Emperor drop dead leaving behind a minor. Never a good thing, eh?

Well, what's not so pleasent for the Empire, is great reading for us, so I won't cry to much!

Despite his young age, I think the Empire should begin waging war against the Turk and give the new Emperor a suitable birthday gift in the form of new lands, whaddya think?

 

[RossN]

stnylan: Ah, well in Roman terms lets hope the age of Good Emperors still has some life in it yet!

Specialist290: The purple is indeed Roman - it was conquered by Piero I in his war with the Crimeans back in 1518. Unfortunatly the green is Venetian; inherited from the Genoese.

As if the Ottomans aren't bad enough they've just taken over Egypt too!

J. Passepartout: Yes, well it could be worse - he could be learning to walk for instance. :wacko:

prussiablue: Yep!

Draco Rexus: I think you may be on to something...

Above: Prince Andreas, Count of Corfu, Regent (1611-1621)​

Part 35

In character the new Regent, Prince Andreas did not closely resemble either his brother or his father. While they had been men of strength, vision and glory, Andreas was more down to earth, pratical, dull. "There are no wings to his imagination," bemoaned Kadri bin Salih the Smyrna born Muslim widely considered the finest poet of the 17th century empire. Few would have argued with that; however he was duitiful, hard working and completly lacking in personal ambition. Perhaps even vision must take a back seat to stability.

Of course with the Ottomans on the border stability could only go so far. The Turkish Sultan had finally (1612) subdued the Egyptians and assumed the title of 'Caliph' - a move which whatever it's reasons was intrepreted in Constantinople as a riposte to the "Emperor of Asia". It could not be forgotten that during the Regency well over a quarter of the Roman Empire was Muslim, and Turks were, after Greeks, the second most numerous peoples in the Empire.

The potential for crisis had been recognised for over a century and Emperors practiced a system of tolerance unique in Europe - though ironically very similar to the despised enemy in Anatolia. The millet system had to take into account not only Turkish Muslims, but Jews, Albanian and Greek Catholics and Bulgarian Orthodox Christians. Overall it worked quite well - arguably the Turkish subjects of Asia Minor were loyaler subjects than the Christian Bulgarians! Still the arrogant assumptions of the Sultan had to be punished and the jingo crowd in the Great Palace persuaded Prince Andreas to go to war.

The Caliph's War (1613-22) was similar to that of Antonio III four decades previously: the Romans had once again to fight a two front war against the Turks in Asia and against the Bosnians in Europe. Casualties were once again heavy on both sides as battles raged as far afield as Corfu (an attempted naval landing by the Ottomans) to Aleppo (a Roman cavalry raid). By 1621 both sides were showing signs of wear and looking for peace. As the Romans had the best of the war it would have to be on their terms, but the Sultan proved obstinate.

That year Francesco II, the boy Emperor turned seventeen and decided the time was right to take charge of his own affairs. Gently dismissing tired old Andreas to his estates in Corfu, Francesco took command of the war, which to his dissapointment was winding down with no real end in sight. Still it was his decision to try and recapture Bursa, the Ottoman capital that had changed hands many times during the war and now did so once again. This may have been the proverbial straw as the Sultan duly offered peace... on somewhat unusual terms: the Emperor would gain Konya - a much hoped for prize, but also Jordan and Quattara each hundreds of miles from the fighting! Still Francesco shrugged his shoulders and accepted, wondering at the strange nature of the House of Osman.

Above: The Roman Empire, circa 1623​

 

[Specialist290]

And now you have yet another reason to go to war again in the future--to link those provinces to the Empire proper What's the easternmost extent of the Ottomans on the map?

My oh my, that's one disjointed map--I assume Spain's been having some sort of North African adventure?

 

[Patrick Harte]

Still Francesco shrugged his shoulders and accepted, wondering at the strange nature of the House of Osman.

Priceless. :rofl:

 

[unmerged(35685)]

Stupid AI. Indeed it is hard to justify this weird settlement. Quattara is ok. Next to Alexendria. Would be a good launching pad to take Egypt.

 

[unmerged(15751)]

Stupid AI. Indeed it is hard to justify this weird settlement. Quattara is ok. Next to Alexendria. Would be a good launching pad to take Egypt.

My experience is that the AI has trouble coping with multiple strong axes of attack, at least once you've destroyed their initial army dispositions. They'll probably fight him in Anatolia while his armies run over Egypt, or vice versa.

 

[stnylan]

Perhaps our young lad will consider it his life's work to humble the House of Osman forever, and also out of the spirit of scientific enquiry to see what other wacky things they might do?

 

[J. Passepartout]

I would imagine that the Sultan knew about some problem that he wanted to unload upon the Emperor. Who knows if it will prove to be a problem for the Romans, though.

Well, that regency managed to go off smoothly. Especially when Andreas was kicked out.

 

[unmerged(28944)]

Nice easy transition from Regency to reign of the young Emperor, and a nice war to boot! As for the "strange nature of the House of Osman"... I'd suggest Francesco just do more than shrug his shoulders, do things like use the new territories as a launching pad to recover the Holy Land as well as link the Empire's wide spread provinces. I mean, if the the House of Osman is going to be silly enough to create a logistical problem for the Empire than they just need to understand that it will be the Empire's duty to fix that logistical problem to the cost of the House of Osman, eh?

 

[RossN]

Specialist290: The Ottomans extend into Russia; you can see all their provinces on the new map (see below) - though most of their northenmost province, beside Volograd is cut off.

I'm not sure why Spain is there actually - though it's been for quite a while! A century or more... I'll get some pictures of the rest of Europe to show what's happening elsewhere.

Patrick O'Harte: Thank you, I'll be here all week.

prussiablue: True that, good idea.

Pablo Sanchez: Pretty what happened - the worst problem was getting sufficent units to Africa: the Ottomans control the sea.

stnylan: He may indeed.

J. Passepartout: You my friend are clearly psychic!

Draco Rexus: Damn straight!

Above: Francesco II, Basileos Rhomaion, in middle age. ​

Part 36

Francesco the Second was an educated, thoughtful young man upon first assuming his responsibilities. Throughout his life he strove to unite his Moslem, Christian and Jewish subjects: he was the first Emperor to learn Turkish, Hebrew and Arabic. Religous tolerance was officially established - not it must be said without some opposition - and the Emperor, a great patron of the arts utilised many Turkish and Jewish artists in the construction of the new Imperial Winter Palace on the Danube.

The Emperor also adopted several personal customs from his neighbours such as keeping an Imperial Harem. More importantly in 1628 he married Safiye bint Hamid. The new Empress was a Catholic, but Turkish and of a noble Moslem family of Smyrna.

Despite, or perhaps because of his desire to become a sovereign for all his peoples Francesco was his father's son and his reign saw some of the longest and bloodiest wars in the history of the Near East. The war conducted during his youth by the Regency had only been the beginning. A mere eight years later (in 1630) Francesco invaded Ottoman territory. This war lasted a mere two years and compared to the conflicts too come little bloodshed. At the end of it Francesco had annexed Aleppo and Adana to the Empire and content to settle down to peace that lasted a dozen years, the longest peace of his reign.

Possibly this peace might have continued indefinitely had Jordan not revolted. It may be there was method in the Sultan's madness after all, as Jordan lay unreachable across the Ottoman lands. After months in rebel hands the province defected to Iraq.

"I'm sure they are laughing in Bursa," he admitted ruefully to his beloved wife, married for pragmatic political reasons but long since grown genuinely affectionate. "The Ottomans knew what they were doing lumbering me with Jordan. How does it look to my other Moslem subjects if I can't hang to one of my provinces?"

"Do you think it is Ibrahim who persuaded the rebels to rise up my love?" asked the Empress. Ibrahim was the current Ottoman Sultan.

Francesco gave her a look of disbelief. "Ibrahim is fat, stupid, cruel and - so I hear - impotent. I doubt he could persuade his own harem to tell him stories let alone instigate rebellion. No this is his mothers doing - she's the real ruler. It's a smart move to humiliate me."

He smiled without humour, a wolfish smile. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to restore confidence in my subjects somehow..."

So once again Francesco went to war with the Ottomans. This war which went from 1644 to 1653 was the largest and most devastating war in the Near East since the depredations of Timur the Lame. Battles were fought as far afield as Bosnia and Corfu, Kaffa and Nubia. The Empire got by far the best of it, taking town after town in the Ottoman territories - Francesco's army even came within an ace of capturing Jerusalem itself but had to withdraw to counteract an Ottoman counterthrust in Smyrna. Most serious for the Emperor where the Bosnians - a constant plague who overan Serbia and Kosovo and nearly threatened Constantinople itself before being driven back. Eventually though the Ottoman back was broken and Mehmed IV (Ibrahim's marginally more capable son) sued for peace. A weary Francesco accepted.

The Treaty of Smyrna (as it was known) increased Francesco's realm by a third. Nuyssaybin, Angora, Syria, Sivas, Cataract and Alexandria passed to the Emperor. It was an immense achievement and upon hearing of it Francesco wept and prayed thankfully to God. He had restored Damascus to Christian rule. He had united four of the five patriachies. He had broken the back of the so called Ottoman Sultans.

All this before turning fifty.

Above: The Roman Empire, April 1653​

 

[stnylan]

That's the way to teach the Turks a lesson! Their back looks broken, and hopefully either Francesco or his successor will plunder the corpse!

Umm, a little bloodthirsty perhaps, but the Empire's been waiting a very long time!

 

[King of Men]

Ave! Ave Francesco - Imperator! Ave, Imperator! I can just see the crowd screaming at the triumph.

 

[J. Passepartout]

Whoa, great work there! Looks like a painful war for the other side.

So Francesco has a harem...?

And yes, I am a psychic.

 

[Specialist290]

I fear the Pope is going to have something to say about Francesco's rather creative interpretation of the Scriptures that he's using to justify that harem of his

For your next war w/ the Ottomans, I suggest focusing on retaking the Holy Land and the old Breadbasket of the Empire (Egypt) to get yourself some fairly rich provinces (and, of course, to deny them from the Ottomans ). Might as well take Medina, too (if that's them in the pic--plus the irony of the Catholic Byzantines taking control of one of Islam's holy cities would be rather interesting). Then, once your southern front is consolidated, take the Caucasus to split their southern steppe possessions from their Anatolian core. Finally, drive them out of the steppes and encircle their capital, and the rest should be easy.

As for Iraq, I'm sure you'll discover that their leader is hoarding weap--no, wait, that's not for another 350 years. Nevermind, I'm sure you'll find a way to justify retaking Jordan

Wow. Hungary's still alive? Or did they revolt away? And is that Portugal next to Cyrenacia, or does one of the Arab North African states also have that shade of green?

And, finally, who's the red in Kirkkuk? I'm thinking it's a little late for the Kaliphate, but then I've never played a game past the 1500s.

 

[unmerged(35685)]

I am just curious that none of the European powers step in to take advantage of your war with the Turks. Venice and Austria always have their eyes on the rest of the Balkans....

 

[unmerged(28944)]

Ave! Ave Francesco - Imperator! Ave, Imperator! - Aye, I can agree with that. But with only four of the five patriarchs of the East re-united under Christian rule, I foresee the beginnings of a crusade to re-acquire the fifth (Jerusalem), and it would be nice to see Francesco II be the Emperor to do it.

Just how are the European monarchs, as well as the Pope, reacting to the rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire?

 

[RossN]

stnylan: It has indeed!

King of Men: As well they might. In 50 years he accomplished more than the previous century worth of Emperors.

J. Passepartout: Heh, prepared to accept a position as Court Soothsayer?

Specialist290: Good ideas for the next Turkish War, I'll definitely take them on board!

My guess as to why the map is so weird is that the collapse of the Ottomans in Europe has radically changed the balance of power. Then again funny things are happening elsewhere... I'll post maps.

prussiablue: Austria isn't as strong as it usually is (no Hungary). As for Venice... they are just preoccupied elsewhere, and aren't exactly shabby!

Draco Rexus: Some are probably pro, some anti, some indifferent. Other huge events (the Reformation, the total disintergration of France), have probably sapped their ability to react much.

Above: Aleppo, 1658. One of the many wealthy and important cities won by Francesco's conquests.​

Part 37

The decade after the Treaty of Smyrna was a largely peaceful one for the Empire, interrupted only by a brief war with Fars (the inheritor of Iraq) in 1659/60 that saw Francesco regain Jordan and also annex Arabia (the province) to Rōmanía*. Though seperated by a number of years and against a different foe later historians generally agreed that this represented a continuation and conclusion of Francesco's Great War against the Turks and his decisive settlement of the East.

Peace now reigned over a very different empire than the one Francesco had inherited from his father, still more so than that of Caterina a century previously. Quite aside from sheer size and population - and the empire had more than doubled each since the closing of the 17th century - vast cultural changes had occured. Fully half Francesco's subjects professed either the Sunni or Shi'a faith and combined with the hundreds of thousands of Jews meant that Christians were actually a slight minority in Rōmanía. This great challenged called for a steady hand and good and moral leadership.

Fortunatly there was a model at hand, albeit an old one. The Umayyad Caliphs had gone out of their way to appoint Christians to important positions and Francesco followed their examples with Moslems. Moslems (and Jews and Copts) were allowed into the Civil Service and the army - the army that conquered Jordan was composed mostly of Turkish soldiers. Thogh some restrictions remained, and Rōmanía was definitely not a secular state in the modern sense of the word, non-Christians were considered proper Romioi** so long as they paid their taxes and loyally supported the Emperor.

Francesco was, like all Falconi, a genuinely pious Catholic and though naturally tolerant did not pass such measures solely out of the good of his heart. Rather he was a shrewd and far sighted politician and ruler who saw tolerance as the best way forward to keep his dynasty in power and his realm together. The success of his plans and hopes would have to wait for his heirs.

Francesco II died on 5th January 1665. Most of his Greek subjects had never known another ruler. Most of his Asian subjects had been brought into the fold by him. The Senate unamiously called for the late Emperor to be awarded the title 'the Great' and for once that faded body was in accord with the court elite and the citizenry.

Francesco's thirty year old son, coming to the purple as Alexander I would have to be a different sort of Emperor, for a different sort of age. Francesco the Great had changed all.

Above: Basileía Rōmaíōn ("the Roman Empire"), 1665​

*The 'real' name of the Byzantine Empire. I'm using it from now on to prevent to coinfusion and because 'Roman Empire' sounds so strange in a 17th century context! Also to show the changing nature of the Empire.

**What Byzantine people called themselves. See above for reasoning.