An Age of Miracles: The Revival of Rhomanion

[ed_montague]

Originally Posted by 5000 Cows

Hmmm... makes me wonder what eventually China is eventually going to think finally coming into direct contact with the Da Qin.

They have. A diplomatic delegation from one of the Chinese states showed up in Constantinople back in the time of Demetrios Megas asking for military aid. Although they were turned down, they managed to get the ear of Shah Rukh, who proceeded to invade. The result was the Tieh Dynasty.

[MerryPrankster]

Originally Posted by Mathalamus

so? Andreas likely already knows the Empire is in for a heap-load of trouble when he dies, so he would want to live as long as possible, if only to consolidate Egypt so it wont break away in the Time of Troubles.

Good point. Maybe his goal is to outlive the most potentially problematic of his sons, like Leo or even Heraklios (sp?).

(Yes, he made him co-emperor, but his irreligious views mean the clergy and the very religious public might support a challenger.)

[Alexandria Eschate]

How will the Thirty Years War affect colonisation? Will the Western Europeans states decide to forego settletments until their population recovers, or will we more people emigrate to the New World to escape war-torn Europe?

[eliphas8]

Originally Posted by Alexandria Eschate

How will the Thirty Years War affect colonisation? Will the Western Europeans states decide to forego settletments until their population recovers, or will we more people emigrate to the New World to escape war-torn Europe?

I suspect Scandinavia and Al-Andalus will be the real winners in the early settlement of the new world, they dont have to deal with fighting in their borders for the 30 years war while they're immediate competitors (england-france, Castile, Portugal) will likely be busy bleeding each other in a massive war of attrition.

[Basileus444]

Egypt and Sicily: I'm not entirely sure why Egypt stopped being a great power once it gets to the late Middle Ages. My money's on the Black Death though; it would have been horrific in the densely populated Nile valley.

Currently ITTL Sicily's major produces are grain, sugar, fish, and fruit. I do know that Sicily has some oil, sulphur, and natural gas, but no idea how much.

Language: Communication was primarily known with the assistance of the Plethon-Medici agents, but Arabic is the lingua franca of the Indian Ocean basin because of the importance of Muslim merchants in the region. Greek is quite prestigious, and fulfills the same role in the Orthodox world, but due to the absense of Greek speakers it hasn't penetrated much into the Indian Ocean. But with the Pepper Fleets, that can be expected to change very quickly.

Stereotypes: Yeah, I thought the ITTL modern stereotype of Romans would be an interesting touch. Do you guys like it?

India: I'm not going to go into detail, but the fact that the overseas territories are developing prior and during the ToT will be highly significant in their development.

The Empire and Economy: I didn't know about the Greek bills of exchange, but the mint certificates could be viewed as an extension of those. When it comes to securing large quantities of bullion, there's no one in the Empire that can match the Imperial government. Plus the number of mints and money exchange centers provide Empire-wide coverage, and only a few merchant families could provide that.

Getting involved in the east appealed to me on two counts. First, it helped satisfy my desire for Roman colonies. Second, it does do a whole lot for the Empire's economy and ensuring that western Europe doesn't overtake it, since it's not going to get a piece of the American pie.

Andreas' death: It will get a special update. His death was, oddly enough, one of his first scenes that I had planned out. And I have also planned a 'stupd/embarassing death' for a very prominent historical figure.

The West: The next update will return there for a good portion. As for the Crimean Greek Cortes idea, I've made some significant modifications to the concept.

China: As for China, I've decided what's going to be the intro to the special Wu update. When the ships of Rhomania and Wu finally meet face to face...

[Elfwine]

Originally Posted by Basileus444

Egypt and Sicily: I'm not entirely sure why Egypt stopped being a great power once it gets to the late Middle Ages. My money's on the Black Death though; it would have been horrific in the densely populated Nile valley.

Governmental issues didn't help. The late Mamelukes were not the best rulers.

Stereotypes: Yeah, I thought the ITTL modern stereotype of Romans would be an interesting touch. Do you guys like it?

I do. As stated, what else do you drink when staying up for all night *internet discussions?

Also, coffeehouses as place to meet as well as to drink coffee fits the Byzantine theme very well (So well I intend to use in my timeline - had that plan before reading yours, honest! Probably won't be using the stereotype though.)

The Empire and Economy: I didn't know about the Greek bills of exchange, but the mint certificates could be viewed as an extension of those. When it comes to securing large quantities of bullion, there's no one in the Empire that can match the Imperial government. Plus the number of mints and money exchange centers provide Empire-wide coverage, and only a few merchant families could provide that.

Getting involved in the east appealed to me on two counts. First, it helped satisfy my desire for Roman colonies. Second, it does do a whole lot for the Empire's economy and ensuring that western Europe doesn't overtake it, since it's not going to get a piece of the American pie.

It's a good investment. The Byzantines don't need a lot to do reasonably well, but they do need something to ensure they have trade to profit from without the Americas, and some effort in India and Africa is probably quite enough - the "basics" (iron, timber, etc.) are enough with ties to Russia and Mitteleuropa, but real money takes more extensive commerce.

China: As for China, I've decided what's going to be the intro to the special Wu update. When the ships of Rhomania and Wu finally meet face to face...

Rome: Holy shit those are big ships. (even at half the size traditionally given for the treasure ships)

Wu: Holy shit those are big cannons.

Rome and Wu together: Someone who might actually qualify as more advanced than us. How do we steal their secrets?

[Shard]

Originally Posted by Elfwine

Rome: Holy shit those are big ships. (even at half the size traditionally given for the treasure ships)

Wu: Holy shit those are big cannons.

Rome and Wu together: Someone who might actually qualify as more advanced than us. How do we steal their secrets?

umm...


This was in 1440.
How would China recover from the warlords in 68 years?
(As in, have a civilization,general stability,and desire to build ships-China could very well have fallen into a sort of situation that nobody loves, at least for the Chinese people)
Especially considering the brutality conducted by Timur...
Also, Wu(17) looks way too tiny to have Big ships.

[Vince]

Although it will take a few years before it is ready, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that it will not be a fearsome force. The number of private backers for the Second Fleet is quadruple that of the First Fleet, the Rhosoi alone agreeing to pay for four carracks. And for every hyperpyra the merchants pledge, Herakleios matches.

So if the fleet were to say...go down in a storm...how bad off would some very important people be financially?

[Arrix85]

Originally Posted by Vince

So if the fleet were to say...go down in a storm...how bad off would some very important people be financially?

very badly if they invested all (or most of) of their asset into it (the whole all eggs in one basket thing), as for investors even today it's a dangerous thing to do.
I guess we'll see the rise of insurance companies?

[Elfwine]

Originally Posted by Shard

umm...
(snip.)
This was in 1440.
How would China recover from the warlords in 68 years?
(As in, have a civilization,general stability,and desire to build ships-China could very well have fallen into a sort of situation that nobody loves, at least for the Chinese people)
Especially considering the brutality conducted by Timur...
Also, Wu(17) looks way too tiny to have Big ships.

Fair enough on Wu, forgot that they were only one of the smaller guys.

Still, I think "interesting times" in terms of civilization and stability might not be as bad as it sounds if you think of China as having to be one polity - as in, there might be considerable areas that are doing nicely enough even if "China" is divided into a dozen pieces.

[ed_montague]

Originally Posted by Basileus444

Stereotypes: Yeah, I thought the ITTL modern stereotype of Romans would be an interesting touch. Do you guys like it?

Do you really need to ask that question of your readers?

Originally Posted by Basileus444

India: I'm not going to go into detail, but the fact that the overseas territories are developing prior and during the ToT will be highly significant in their development.

Hm. Increased autonomy, perhaps, given the turmoil at home.

Originally Posted by Basileus444

Getting involved in the east appealed to me on two counts. First, it helped satisfy my desire for Roman colonies. Second, it does do a whole lot for the Empire's economy and ensuring that western Europe doesn't overtake it, since it's not going to get a piece of the American pie.

I see the Portuguese getting screwed over later on. With the Romans (and perhaps the Ethiopians and Omani) taking over most of the Indian trade, the Portuguese are left with the African trade, where they're competing with the Andalusi. Unless they were to shift their focus westward (with the Senegal beckoning, I doubt they'd care to do that) they're not going to be able to grab much.

Originally Posted by Basileus444

Andreas' death: It will get a special update. His death was, oddly enough, one of his first scenes that I had planned out. And I have also planned a 'stupd/embarassing death' for a very prominent historical figure.

I'm guessing Andrew of Hungary.

Originally Posted by Basileus444

China: As for China, I've decided what's going to be the intro to the special Wu update. When the ships of Rhomania and Wu finally meet face to face...

Holy shit.

[Derekc2]

I think I have the perfect natinonal anthem for the Eastern Roman Empire.

I'm playing it to see if you guy's agree with me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7L2PVdrb_8

[PlayerOne]

Considering that ITTL, a lot of actors from our Game of Thrones seem to play Komnenoi characters, it seems appropriate.

[Arrix85]

the theme song is awesome, but somehow it doesn't scream "national anthem" to me.

[Bmao]

One other thought. With the Roman exploration focus geared toward the East, its also a certainty that they would discover Australia first and subsequently have free rein to begin colonization efforts there if they so choose (that is, if the Chinese don't decide to suddenly jump into the game).

[Evilprodigy]

Originally Posted by Bmao

One other thought. With the Roman exploration focus geared toward the East, its also a certainty that they would discover Australia first and subsequently have free rein to begin colonization efforts there if they so choose (that is, if the Chinese don't decide to suddenly jump into the game).

The Wu kind of live on Australia...

[ed_montague]

Originally Posted by Bmao

One other thought. With the Roman exploration focus geared toward the East, its also a certainty that they would discover Australia first and subsequently have free rein to begin colonization efforts there if they so choose (that is, if the Chinese don't decide to suddenly jump into the game).

Colonizing Australia? I don't think the Southern Wu will like that very much.

[Mathalamus]

Originally Posted by Bmao

One other thought. With the Roman exploration focus geared toward the East, its also a certainty that they would discover Australia first and subsequently have free rein to begin colonization efforts there if they so choose (that is, if the Chinese don't decide to suddenly jump into the game).

it woudl be best to simply let the Wu have Australia. better they colonize the landmass so others would not have to experience the questionable flora and fauna.

[PlayerOne]

Actually colonize New Zealand, shove prisoners in Australia, because fucked if anyone is going to want to live there.

[bolhabela]

This was stated be Basileus444 a 100 pages back. He said that the Byzantins will have New Zealand as a settlers colony as well as copple of other islands. He said that it was likely that they will acquire Taiwan, Ceylon and the Cape colony as well but the for the rest they wont bother conquering large tracts of land. They will incorporate islands and island chains but only on strategic locations.