The Lion's Roar- A Map of the Month TL

  • Thread starter Deleted member 67076
  • Start date

Deleted member 67076

For those who don't know, Krall and I have decided to partner up and do the Map of the Month challenge, with our entry being a short timeline on quite an underrated medieval state, the Second Bulgarian Empire. One who, while a major regional power for nearly a century, we feel could have had a much better run during its heyday. For the most part, I'll be doing the writing and Krall will do the maps.

But, without further ado:

----------


​
"The Lion's Roar: Not Just Heard, but Felt".

By Soverihn and Krall

bulgaria_lion.jpg

​

Part 1: The Lion Awakes

1204: The year that changed everything. For good or for ill, the so called ‘Knights of Christ’ attacked the holy city of Constantinople, where they gave way to days of sacking, looting and burning. Their greed would cause the end of one of the greatest and longest empires to ever grace the face of Earth.

With the entrance of crusaders,the immutable Roman Empire was put to the sword and butchered by the Latins, its lands divided as spoils for the victorious forces. In its place came out the western controlled Latin Empire, the Duchy of Athens, the Kingdom of Thessalonica, and the Principality of Achaea. What remained under imperial control was broken apart by the squabbling remnants, leading to the establishment of the Despotate of Epirus, the ‘empire’ of Trebizond (really just a long strip of the Pontic Coast) and the Empire of Nicaea. The remainder of the once great empire that had not been carved up by the western vultures was awarded to the most Serene Republic of Venice, arguably the mastermind of the incident.

However, in all this chaos lurked the Second Bulgarian Empire to the north. Formed through rebellion against the decadence of the Angeloi dynasty a mere 20 years ago, this state grew quickly and aggressively under its competent leaders. At the time of the Fourth Crusade, the Second Bulgarian empire encompassing all the lands north of the Rhodope Mountains to the south of the Dnieper River.

And with the destruction of its perennial rival, Bulgaria would enter a new period of domination. Under the leadership of the wily Kaloyan and his successors, a new era of power and glory descend upon the Tsardom of Bulgaria. The Lion of the Balkans would roar- the Second Bulgarian Empire would gain his place in the sun.

-------------

In the immediate aftermath following the Sack of Constantinople Baldwin, the Count of Flanders, claimed dominion over all of Thrace, Bithynia and Greece. However, in doing so he immediately committed a costly mistake: by extending his control over the richest areas of the empire in Europe, he came into conflict with his rival Boniface of Montferrat, leader of the Crusader forces. Days after the crusade, the two clashed over who would receive the crown of Constantinople, and with it the title of Emperor of Romania [1] along with the more tangible reward of what fiefdoms they would rule.

They were not unique in this. Clashes over the spoils of war were depressingly a common occurrence among crusading troops following victories, something that would divide and weaken them again and again. This was no exception to the rule: the altercation over who would receive the crown quickly grew into a major split among the formerly unified crusading forces, causing the newly controlled Latin Empire to divide itself less than 3 months after its formation. Baldwin based himself in Constantinople and was declared emperor, whilst Boniface took his troops and marched into Macedonia. There, he established his power base in northern Greece, and formed the Kingdom of Thessalonica. Neither established firm control over Thrace, despite Baldwin’s claim over the territory and so skirmishes between the Latins would result.

At the same time, the division of territory left a void in power in contested Thrace, which the conquered Roman populace used to expel the Latin garrison from Adrianople and attempt to reclaim their homelands for themselves. However, peasant armies were little match for trained soldiers, so they called upon a protector to aid them in their endeavors. With this call, the Lion of the East would awake from his slumber.

Messages were dispatched to the court at Tarnovo, where the reigning tsar Kaylon saw this as an opportunity to increase his influence and expand south. As soon as he could, Kaloyan prepared for war. In February the time was right, and Kaloyan’s host set forth.

[1] Most Westerners refused to call it the Roman Empire, instead calling it things like ‘Empire of the Greeks’ or ‘Empire of the Romanians’.

-----

Of further note, all of this update is prior all according OTL. The actual POD shall come on the next update.
 

Deleted member 67076

Glad to see you guys are enjoying this!:D

-----------

Kaloyan set out for war with his forces, supplemented with a host of Cuman mercenaries acquired from the northern nomadic tribes in order to supplement his cavalry. Immediately he began with raids into Thrace, directly addressing the area from which the call to aid was sent forth. The Byzantine nobility in Thrace eagerly welcomed his troops, offering whatever support they could to fend of the hated Latins. This could not have come at a more opportune moment as Baldwin and his men licked their wounds and set forth to break the Greek rebellion. Once more they marched toward the so called “Second City of Rhomania”, Adrianople where the Tsar prepared to intercept the emperor and meet his host on the field of battle.

In April, the battle began. Unaware of the Bulgarian advances, Baldwin and his knights were caught completely by surprise. Expecting to see an unruly mob of peasants led by a few nobles, the Franks and their Lombard allies were completely surprised by the appearance of a combined Bulgarian-Cuman detachment.

This ignorance would cost them dearly.

The confrontation was short yet brutal, with most of Baldwin’s forces decimated in the surprise attack that ensued. His levies were broken, his knights slaughtered, and he himself captured and at the mercy of Kaloyan. The capture of Baldwin would cause chaos in Constantinople, as factions began to fight over who would assume command of the Empire. At the same time, Kaloyan continued to press his advances into Thrace, liberating town after town without delay and expelling countless Latin troops from their garrisons. This action would ironically enough harm him, as with his advances towards Constantinople the Byzantine populace grew from welcoming to fearful. The populace began to think that he would simply replace the Crusaders as the next foreign conqueror. Eventually they began to revolt against both the Latins and the Bulgarians, expelling garrisons and raising peasant armies to fight both. It is interesting how in doing this, they sealed their fate.

Initially hoping to simply place a puppet emperor on the throne, take some land from Thrace and be done with it (the Tsar had his mind on expanding north for the most part), Kaloyan instead changed his mind to give the the people what they wanted: A Bulgarian ruler. Instead of liberation, there would be domination. The Lion had found his prey.

Vengefully stepping back from Thrace, he returned back to Bulgarian held territory to raise a grand army with his expelled garrisons. With that he would take as much as he could from both the Latins and the Byzantines. Perhaps he could even finish what he predecessor Simeon the Great could not. With the Latins divided, the Romans shattered, and Hungary distracted by its own affairs, Constantinople was seemingly wide open….

----------

To raise the army for his plan, the Tsar needed money, and lots of it. While he could always increase taxes or levy additional troops, these would come at the cost of alienating his support base at home and eliminating the large amount of goodwill he had; critically the powerful Bulgarian nobility; in addition to making him look rather hypocritical. [1] As such, Kaloyan turned to another option he had: Ransom. The captured Latin Emperor Baldwin had been held in his capital at Tarnovo for little over 2 months recently, and would fetch quite the hefty price being the crusaders’ favorite. [2]

Initially Baldwin was attempted to be ransomed to his ‘empire’, (now reduced to a patchwork of fiefdoms in Thrace where former byzantine nobles and his underlings vied for power and control while the land in Bithynia was swiftly conquered by the Niceans) but no one took the offer. They were too busy attempting to make plays for power to ransom the disgraced man (or more likely they couldn’t afford it). Thessalonica was offered next, but Boniface merely laughed at the messenger's face before thanking Kaloyan and dismissing him. With the main Latin powers out of the question, the Tsar turned to another large source of crusader support and funding: The Church. In this he found one willing to pay the ransom. Much to Rome’s chagrin, Baldwin was ransomed to the pope for quite a hefty price, a cruel reminder of last years folly. Pope Innocent III was apparently so enraged and ridden with embarrassment and grief that after having to pay the large ransom for the Emperor, extended the excommunication of the Crusaders that attacked Constantinople to all crusaders in Greece and demanded they give up their mission and return to their homes.

After payment was delivered to the Bulgarians, the enlargement of the armed forces could begin. In addition to the standard enlistment of troops from the homeland, large contingents of mercenaries were hired, most noticeably Cumans serving as a supplement to the cavalry. In addition, the mercenaries that were already in Bulgaria’s army were paid off (they were a bit late on payment) and their contracts rescheduled for another campaign. All this took well over 2 months, but it was well worth it as time would tell.

Following the army’s enlargement, messengers were dispatched to rump Byzantine court at Nicaea, where Theodoros Lascaris based himself as the new Roman Emperor following the dreaded events of the Fourth Crusade. The messengers relayed an offer of friendship and cooperation from the Tsar, primarily to serve as an anti Latin Alliance, where both sides would work against the crusader lead states in the former Byzantine Europe. Such an alliance was mere realpolitik; in truth, Kaloyan and Theodoros disliked each other for what each led and represented, but the Latins were an anathema to them both. As such, Theodore agreed to Kaloyan’s terms: Both sides would attack the remainder of the Latin Empire and its holdings in both Asia and Europe, forcing it to divide what little resources they have in an attempt to stall the inevitable. Kaloyan’s payment (on paper at least) was simply a good chunk of Thrace and Macedonia. It was a hard bargain to many in the court, but the thought of aid against the Latin threat and the reconquest of Constantinople from the Latins proved too tempting. Some in the court grumbled over this and believed the Romans Empire did not need aid, but they were silenced by Theodore.

Meanwhile, upon receiving word of Baldwin’s defeat and Kaloyan’s apparent withdrawal from the Latin Empire, his rival and King of Thessalonica Boniface I moved swiftly into Bulgarian held Thrace, hoping to make a push for Constantinople and declare himself the rightful Latin Emperor.

[1] A large part of the reason the Bulgarians revolted was the ludicrously high taxes of the Angeloi in Bulgaria combined with their economic mismanagement. In raising taxes, Kaloyan opens himself up to being compared with the former Byzantine dynasty, which is troubling to say the least.

[2] And here’s our POD. IOTL Baldwin died soon after he was captured in Tarnovo, so Kaloyan didn’t ransom him.
 
BgKnight

BgKnight

MarshalBraginsky said:
Would this Second Bulgarian Empire be able to survive the possible Mongol invasions though?
Click to expand...

Lets not get ahead of ourselves, I am more interested in how Kaloyan will handle the immediate war.

Kaloyan himself is an exceptionally interesting person, a giant of a man, 1,90 meters tall he was frighteningly efficient, if there is someone to beat back the latins, it will be him. :D
 

MarshalBraginsky

Banned
BgKnight said:
Lets not get ahead of ourselves, I am more interested in how Kaloyan will handle the immediate war.

Kaloyan himself is an exceptionally interesting person, a giant of a man, 1,90 meters tall he was frighteningly efficient, if there is someone to beat back the latins, it will be him. :D
Click to expand...

Heck, I even use the username TheRomanSlayer in some video games that I play.
 

Deleted member 67076

MarshalBraginsky said:
Would this Second Bulgarian Empire be able to survive the possible Mongol invasions though?
Click to expand...
I doubt we'd get there, to be honest. This tl is about the initial expansion of the Bulgarian state following the catastrophic events of the Fourth Crusade, and the Mongols arrived in the Balkans a good 40ish years after that, so....

Hobelhouse said:
Well, you have me hooked already...
Click to expand...
Thanks! :D
 

Deleted member 67076

Part 2: The Lion Pounces
​

-Tsar Ivanitsa [1] Asen, better known by his nickname Kaloyan, has begun the march towards Thrace from his capital at Tarnovo, with one thing in mind: expansion. He intends on subduing as much of the territory and populace as he can into the Tsardom of Bulgaria. He carries with him a vast army; with levies of infantry, a powerful and effective heavy cavalry (the specialty of Bulgarians for centuries), various siege weapons and a host of Cuman and Italian mercenaries to supplement his main forces. His target is Adrianople, the second largest city in the Balkans and the so called, “Second City of the Roman Empire”. It is a vast and tempting prize, one worthy of the northern Tsardom. But the Lion to the north is not contested in his attempt to subdue his prey. To his flank lies another contender for the domination of Thrace, another opportunistic predator who would like to feast on the carcass of Rome: The Kingdom of Thessalonica. Nominally a vassal to the Latin Empire, its leader Boniface has decided to tear that last shred of loyalty he had to the emperors at Constantinople and make a grab for power. He is armed with a contingent of several hundred to a few thousand knights, along with whatever peasant levies and mercenaries he can scrounge up. At the same time a third contender comes comes out: The Latin Empire returns to fray to claim their birthright, this time led by the brother of the captured Baldwin, Henry of Flanders. Unlike his brother, Henry is a far more dangerous enemy. Even handed and pragmatic, with a strong instinct for battle, Henry reorganized the shattered Crusaders into a potent fighting force.

As such the great race to glory has begun. Who shall defeat the others? Who shall obtain hegemony? Who shall obtain the prize of Thrace and unite the remnants of Rome in Europe?

-----------

The race to Adrianople was a heated affair, to say the least. From the North, West and East 3 armies marched to the grand prize, with the Roman populace caught right in the crossfire. Despite what one would initially think, it was Thessalonica who reached the area first and quickly. However with hindsight it was inevitable; see, the the remnant Latin Empire was restructuring itself and reestablishing control over all the lost territories, crushing the Roman populace every step of the way to Hadrian’s city and Bulgaria was mobilizing and expanding its forces, along with negotiating payments for it large mercenary contingent. Boniface on the other hand, had his forces fresh from crusading and had his realm relatively stable, so was fully prepared to embark on a another campaign.

Adrianople’s walls were stormed by Boniface but to no avail they would not budge. And so the siege began, with the Latins of Greece entrenching themselves outside the great city. At the same time they fortified their positions, as word had it that both Henry and Kaloyan were after the same prize. But it would do him and his mean little good. Kaloyan’s massive host came a few months after and smashed the Latins in battle repeatedly, driving them from the city walls and south, just as Henry’s own army arrived at scene and intercepted the fleeing Thessalonians. Boniface’s army, already battered by the Bulgarian attacks, was crushed by Henry; its shattered remnants driven back to Greece. Instead of pursuing them however, Henry focused on what he perceived as the more important target. As well, he had no desire to be followed by the Bulgarians and ambushed in turn.

Meanwhile at Hadrian’s city, the Roman populace gained little relief as the siege effectively passed from the hands of the Crusaders to the Bulgarians. A brief glimmer of false hope of freedom came when Henry’s knights surprised Kaloyan and his forces outside the city. The tsar and his men knew not that that the Latin Empire was once more a credible threat. Be that as it may, Kaloyan was a crafty man and managed to hold his own, repulsing the initial attack. But the true saving grace was when news across the Marmara reached Henry’s ears.

For as all sides raced towards the rich and fertile lands of Thrace, another crucial battle occurs across the Sea of Marmara. Theodore Lascaris, the Emperor at Nicea, began to mobilize his men. War and vengeance were their minds. Nearly two years had passed since The Black Day: the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Latin Barbarians. For them the liberation of Rhomania had begun in the Spring of 1206. And so they fight. Their target is Bithynia, the Latin Empire in Asia. Despite the relatively small size of their target, Bithynia is what stands between Nicea and the Queen of Cities, and thus is priority number 1 for the Latins.

With a righteous fury that could only be compared to the wrath of God, the empire strikes back. The Latin knights stationed in Asia minor were swiftly overwhelmed, prompting Henry to recall. Forced between taking the large and powerful city and protecting his flank, the pragmatist in him chose the latter, with Henry rationalizing Kaloyan would suffer from both attrition and holding down the territory, making it easier for him to retake soon. Messages were dispatched and a truce of 2 years was agreed upon. All of Thrace east of Syrallo [2] was tentatively ceded to Kaloyan for the time being while Henry left to deal with the Niceans.

The Bulgarians were quick to subdue and garrison their new territories and settle them with loyalists from the north. Henry was right however, the Romans did rise up repeatedly against Kaloyan, however he miscalculated their effectiveness. Instead of shaking off the Bulgarian yoke and establishing a Roman state, Kaloyan repeatedly ravaged the Romans until they bent the knee. Such forcefulness got to the point where many began to fearfully call him “ The Romanslayer” as an inverse of the famed Basil’s moniker.

At the same time, with all his rivals either retreating from Thrace, Kaloyan was finally able to finish off the siege of Adrianople. The people, weak from starvation and war, accepted their new ruler without much of a fuss. Bulgaria had scored a major victory, taking a large and important city and cementing their control over much of Thrace. And with their eastern rivals busy, the Tsardom was able to turn its attention to its next target: the weak and imploding Kingdom of Thessalonica.

------

All around the Crusaders, the work of the Fourth Crusade was being undone. In less than 3 years, the Latin Empire went from the new base of power of Catholicism in the east to a city state. The Roman remnants had clawed struck against their Latin masters whilst their northern rivals were hell bent on undoing all the progress the foreigners had made and expanding their domain. In Thessalonica, Boniface’s brutal defeat had not just crushed the main Latin army, but it had undermined Boniface’s authority. The Romans no longer feared him and soon rallied around a charismatic leader, Micheal Comnenos Ducas, who in the following year had managed to rip apart chunks of Epirus, the Morea and Thessaly from the control of the westerners.

[1] Literally the diminutive of Iaonnes/Ivan/John. That was his legal name and what he’s usually referred to by many historians of the time, mostly Byzantines. Emperor Johnny has a nice ring to it no? :D Kaloyan itself is a nickname, roughly translating into “John the Good”.

[2] Modern day Çorlu
 
BgKnight

BgKnight

Its great, bravo my friend. I just have to note (not a nitpick since its not exactly wrong and all), that Kaloyan means Kalos Ivan, Kalos being Greek for Beautiful, so in translation it will be more John the Fair (or Handsome)

Then again the Byzantines at that time used Kalos to denote a lot of things, and "good" was one of them, kinda like the Russians used Terrible for both scary and awe inspiring.

Anyways, I love how it is developing and will be looking for more hopefully soon.
 

Deleted member 67076

BgKnight said:
Its great, bravo my friend. I just have to note (not a nitpick since its not exactly wrong and all), that Kaloyan means Kalos Ivan, Kalos being Greek for Beautiful, so in translation it will be more John the Fair (or Handsome)

Then again the Byzantines at that time used Kalos to denote a lot of things, and "good" was one of them, kinda like the Russians used Terrible for both scary and awe inspiring.

Anyways, I love how it is developing and will be looking for more hopefully soon.
Click to expand...
Apparently John II Komnenos got Kalos as his nickname for Fair, so I'll take your word for it.

1-2 more updates and we'll be done! I hoped to have finished this by last week but real life always finds a way to throw a wrench in your plans, so I'm a bit late. Thankfully the challenge was extended by a week. :p

Part 3: The Lion Feasts


Michael I, the Despot of Epirus was the culmination of the Roman’s collective anger at the occupation of their rightful lands. He was driven, charismatic and a good military leader, managing to gain the support of both the Roman populace and the Albanian clan chiefs. The people saw him as the leader God had deliver to free them from their bondage. Such was his popularity that the Romans called him the “Second Noah”, delivering them from the Latin flood.

Rallying around this charismatic and driven leader the Roman populace successfully rebelled and retook Epirus for their own. Immediately declaring his intentions to free Constantinople, Michael of Epirus gathered his army and set out for war. At the same time, hearing of the Bulgarian advance into Thessalonica, the crafty leader allied himself with the Tsardom, discussing that they should carve out the Latin state between themselves. Kaloyan readily agreed as this both divided his opponents forces with a two front war and still allowed him to take as much land with minimal energy. So while Bulgaria moved deeper into Macedonia and the capital, Epirus moved to liberate Greece proper.

With an army composed mostly of peasants, some mercenaries, Albanian irregulars and few professional troops, Boniface was not wrong when he calculated that attacking Epirus would be in theory easier. From then on he could focus on Bulgaria and mount a successful defense. In theory. In practice Michael’s soldiers were ferocious and brutal, fighting with all their might and a martial vigour not traditional seen amongst Romans. Michael, rather than apply the standard of warfare indulged his soldiers on massacres of any Latins. [1] It was this extremely brutal and indiscriminate style of fighting that worked against the Latin Knights well, spreading fear and uncertainty amongst the Franks. Already strapped short on men, dissertations became even more common and Boniface had to rely on equally brutal methods to keep the discipline of his men, to little avail. They grew tired of the endless war, the constant losses, the inconclusive gains and hostile populace. Even fear wasn’t enough to co-orce them to continue the fight. By 1208, the army led by Boniface, King of Thessalonica had enough. Boniface was grabbed by his own men, beaten thoroughly and sold to Michael of Epirus in exchange for peace and being able to leave freely and without harassment. The men sold their land and their assets and left for their homes in Western Europe.

Boniface himself was captured and crucified as a testament to the brutality of the Roman army. In the year that followed, Thessaly was liberated by Epirus. When word reached of a Bulgarian army was marching from Macedonia and into Thessalonica, Michael was wise enough to let them fight their battles for them and continue to focus south, where the remnant Crusader states were ripe for the taking. 2 years of campaigning later, and both Morea, Athens and Achaea were now controlled by Epirus.

---------

From the north, towards, Macedonia, the Bulgarian invasion went straight for the capital. Kaloyan and his armies were intent on capturing the great port of Thessalonica, its riches and large population would add yet another crown jewel in the growing Tsardom. And with his scouts reporting that Boniface attempted to eliminate the Epirotes first, the path was wide open.

When word reached back to the Crusader court in the city that their king was dead at the hands of a Roman general, the populace began to grow restless. The news that they may be soon liberated from their years of occupation gave hope to the people, and they began to conspire. The people began to organize into small bands, waiting for the fight moment to strike. At the same time, the crown was now held by the son of the former king, one Demetrius. Demetrius, named after the popular martyr from the city, was still a minor at the time of his ascension and thus a regency council was formed to rule in his stead. This did not due his rule any favors, as other nobles and unscrupulous characters attempted to take advantage of the people’s discontent and plan against their king in order to place their candidates on the throne.

Upon the Bulgarians reached the gates of the great city, the populace exploded. Orthodox zealots, Roman patriots, Frankish conspirers and other dissidents all fought against the ruling council and king Demetrius. They knew there was little chance of reinforcements, and the Latin garrison was outnumbered heavily by the populace, even though the vast majority had little to no experience in matters of war. Be that as it may, the people took their chance, rioting and revolting while a hostile foreign army besieged the government capital. The irony that the crusaders were now in the same situation the Romans had been several years ago was not lost on many of the veterans. They had no desire to repeat the mistakes, and so clamped down on the rebels, massacring all those who revolt and imposing a brutal regime to keep the peace and order.

Such was the brutality of the crown that in due course when the siege was broken, the Bulgarian army was let in without scarcely a fight. Indeed, the people even joined their invaders against the city's garrison. To them, Kaloyan was their liberator; for anything would be better than continuing to toil under the Latin yoke. And so Thessalonica switched hands once more to the Tsardom. With the great port now in the hands of Bulgaria, the Tsardom now reached the waters of the Aegean and cleaved their rivals in half. The fall of the city now marks the ascension of Bulgaria as THE Balkan power, as all rivals are too weak to contest it. Epirus is busy conquering swaths of Greece, the Niceans are encroaching back into Europe and the Latin empire is but a glorified city state running on borrowed time. While there were calls to attack the Latins and the Epirotes, the Tsar chose to bide his time for now, focusing on integrating the gains he had made in Macedonia.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Deleted member 67076

Epstein said:
Well done, Sov. :)

Suscribed; will read and provide feedback ASAP.
Click to expand...
Thanks! :D And here we are, the final update.

---------

Part 4: The Lion Roars

It is now 1214. Three years have passed since the last phase of expansion by the Bulgarian Tsardom, and it is quiet in the Balkans. Consolidation is the agenda, so aside from border movements and smacking down any would be rebels the, the Tsardom’s armies are quiet. It is a time of peace and relative comfort. Yet Michael, the Despot of Epirus has other plans. Upon finishing his campaigns in Hellas, he has conquered quite the sizable realm, stretching from the Morea to Raska, and hopes to continue to expand; this time eastwards. Aiming to betray his recent ally and add hinterland of Macedonia to his domain, Michael mobilizes his troops and prepares to strike against his tentative ally. By 1215, he and his men are armed and ready, willing to betray their ally to take what they believe as rightful Roman lands.

While the Balkans are mostly calm and peaceful, Asia Minor has been anything but. The imperial remnant in Nicea has launched repeated attacks against the Latin Empire’s holdings, attempting to drive them across the Sea of Marmara and head straight for Constantinople. And despite Henry’s effectiveness as a general and emperor, he was simply too overwhelmed and too undermanned to effectively deal with the imperials. The recent losses in both men and land to the Bulgarians and his realms instability had bled him dry of troops, and little by little the Nicean pressure was too much. Bit by bit, land was lost and there was little he could do. By 1215, all of Asia Minor was lost and the Niceans were greedily eyeing their old capital. Yet they did not strike immediately. The city of Constantine had immense natural defenses and so various preparations were needed before attacking their city. First and foremost of such things was the enlargement and development of the navy. After the time of Manuel Komnenos, the Byzantine navy had been in relative decline; but with the need for its use once more, imperial funding returns to this ancient institution. The navy is enlarged, its sailors trained and tested by means of attacks on crusader held islands, most of which lacked any means of contesting imperial presence. This served to both strengthen the navy’s reputation and train sailors, but also to reclaim land back into the imperium.

Naxos, upon seeing the actions the Imperials had undertaken, and the success of their navy called out to any potential savior. One answered the call: The Serene Republic of Venice. In the hopes that this will curb Nicean expansion southwards, the Republic of Venice issues a decree, proclaiming that the Catholic Duchy of Naxos, the last Crusader state in the Aegean, is now under the protection of the Serenissima. He who shall attack the Duchy will immediately proclaim a state of war between with Venice. Such bountiful protection came at a high price; Naxos became a de-facto vassal of the Venetians, had given up its economic freedom and in effect was reduced to little more than a satellite. Still, the court did not worry; they had gotten what the protection that they wanted, the Niceans did not attack them in the coming years. The price of their economy was not a problem; the lords cared little for the economic status of the country so long as the lords held their grand estates.

After dealing with various renegade crusaders and restoring imperial control to the wayward islands (that were not under Venetian protection mind), the Niceans prepared for their most important mission yet: The liberation of Constantinople. The Queen of Cities was now within their reach, and they now had the naval power necessary to crack any would be defenses the Latins could muster. All that was left was to take what was rightfully theirs.

Back in the Balkan Front, Michael and his men lead a surprise attack that manages to push deep into Bulgaria’s newly conquered territories. They arrive with a stunning success, with their trademark savagery and quick, brutal offenses winning them a host of early victories. But it is this very same attitude that proves to be their undoing. For in having such a successful campaign, the Epirotes have become drunk with victory and have gotten careless. Believing themselves to be close to obtaining the great port, they allow themselves to go into pitched battle with a Bulgarian army near Central Macedonia, not knowing of what the future held. And so it was this that brought their downfall. The army they had engaged in was but a decoy to hold them off while reinforcements arrived to deliver the fatal blow. The Epirotes were caught between two opposing armies, and were smashed to bits. Michael I, Despot of Epirus died alongside his men that day, plunging his realm into chaos and civil war while the Bulgarians begin to return the favor. [1]

War yet again resumed, but this time the Epirotes were at the receiving end of a thorough mauling. The next 3 years were cruel to the Despot and shattered its dreams of uniting the Balkans under the Roman banner. Sapped of men and will, the newly victorious forces of the civil war yielded to their northern neighbors. The peace was brutal with the despotate giving to their neighbors in both land and tribute, such as the important port of Duress in the north. Such was the defeat and weakness that the balance of power had shifted; while not officially vassals, the Despot had to recognize the Tsar as his superior and was effectively made a satellite of the larger power.

At the same time that Bulgaria and Epirus clashed, the other imperial remnant began its most important task yet: The liberation of Constantinople. The men were trained, the ships supplied and their enemies ripe for the taking. All that was left was to launch the operation. And so they did. In the Spring of 1217, The newest Siege of Constantinople had begun and the Latin Empire had run out of luck. All around it, the Latin Empire began to crumble. From the East, across the Sea of Marmara, the Imperial remnant of Nicea was at the city gates. From across the lands of Thrace, the Tsardom of Bulgaria took advantage of their demise to resume its unopposed expansion into Thrace, mopping up the motley resistance and snatching the town of Gallipoli. And worst of all, from inside, the people were slaughtering their lords. They knew liberation would come, and it was time they got their sweet revenge for years of occupation. The gates were open, the soldiers slaughtered by angry mobs and the court was at the mercy of city’s inhabitants. Emperor Henry for instance was seized by the urban mob and thrown from the Seawall into the Golden Horn, where he is captured by the Imperial Navy after being paraded around the districts.

When the siege is lifted and Emperor Theodoros enters the city, there is jubilation and euphoria. The Holy City has been restored to her rightful owners and people are free. The Frankokratia is finally over and a new day is upon them. Yet beneath the glow of victory there lies a feeling of fear, and of uneasiness. The empire’s northern neighbor has proved itself to be a highly worthy opponent, and in some ways, more successful than they are. They are- larger, more unified, peaceful and under the reign of a brilliant man. In short, they are strong- stronger than all their opponents, all who could challenge them. It is a bitter pill to swallow. The Romans may have retaken their capital and restored their empire, but they have lost the right to call themselves the premier power of the east. Their time had waned, and a new state had risen to take its place, the Lion of the North: The Bulgarian Tsardom. Their time in the Sun had begun.

[1] Due to butterflies, his half brother and OTL be successor doesn’t join him back in Epirus.
 
BgKnight

BgKnight

Well damn Sov, I loved it, can't wait for the map!

You should look into continuing this after the Map of the Month Contest is over.
 

Deleted member 67076

BgKnight said:
Well damn Sov, I loved it, can't wait for the map!

You should look into continuing this after the Map of the Month Contest is over.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!:D I have thought about continuing this but have decided not too as I want to finish a few other projects I have in mind (like a surviving Gran Colombia, a communist Dominican Republic, my take on a late Byzantine revival, Green Sahara, etc) and adding another one would distract me from focusing on them. I might revisit this in a TLIAD.

Jonathan Edelstein said:
Very well done - now I'm eagerly anticipating the map.
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top