1216 - Tensions were rising in the Anatolia once more; as the fact that the Seljuk Sultan, Arslan III, had effectively broken the release-valve that was the immigration of Turks and Islamic Romans into his territories would begin to bear fruit. Without a place to flee to those who found themselves opposed to the policies and hegemony of the Romans had begin to agitate; slowly at first, until there were obvious issues forming in central and eastern Anatolia. John Grypas, the Prefect of the East, was quick to try and calm it down--using his skilled lieutenants such as Theodore Laskaris and David Komnenos to put down localised rebellions before they truly formed; these rebellions forming the 'schooling grounds' for the young (23 year old) Manuel Kantakouzenos; a figure who would have a marked influence in the following decades.
Romanos V however wasn't blind to the events happening in his Empire; his reign of 18 years having tempered him from the young and energetic 28 year old who had taken the throne into the witty, well-minded, Emperor of 46 years that everyone now knew him as in the capital. His 12 years, after his near-maiming during the Siege of Constantinople, had seen him make considerable efforts to tow the line economically and culturally--having to keep a lid on both the nobility as well as the newly forming 'middle-class' of the Empire that had begun to take shape following his reinstatement of the allelengyon, as well as quality minted coinage. The truest sign of his reign however was the gradual growth of Constantinople in terms of bureaucracy and population; having numbered roughly 230,000 at the start of his reign and having rebounded to 250,000 by now. Such a growth had necessitated several expansions to Sykai and the northern portion of the city proper. The largest issue with this however was functionality of the Theodosian Walls; something made more obvious as Romanos was informed of the rising tensions in Anatolia.
The Theodosian Walls had been the great bulwark that had protected Constantinople for a near millennia--yet modifications made to them to ensure they properly protected the now stripped Palace of the Blachernae had left them inherently weakened; something shown quite well to Romanos during the Siege of Constantinople by the Latins. He well-knew that now, while the Empire was still able to draw resources after its expansions, could possibly be his last chance at hedging the bets of the City of the World's Desire. In mid-February of 1216, the Emperor released the order to disassemble the whole section of the Theodosian Walls that had been modified to encircle the Blachernae--draining the last of his personal provincial wealth to pay for work crews to go about this. Notably however, Andronikos Romanos--the Romano-Turkish Captain of the Lakonoi, would offer himself and 5,000 'brothers' to aid in this great effort. By April of 1216 the refurbishments would be complete; with Romanos, his wife, and three children arriving in a semi-parade to gaze upon the Walls. Romanos would, apparently, remark; "Anthemius, I have outdone you,".
Throughout the year though, following this, several notions would appear as the state began to prepare for what was genuinely looking to be a full-scale uprising; despite the efforts of John and his lieutenants to hold the line. In the backdrop with this however was the beginnings of what would come to be known as the 'Epanasyndéthike' movement, or the 'Reconnected' movement--or simply the Psenas movement--within the highest annals of the Church itself. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Psenas had come upon this philosophy himself during a night of pondering, in which he apparently had a moment of religious 'connectivity'. The basis of this new philosophy was that the Church itself should be divorced from the true internals of the state; instead looking to people for those who need help--the maxim that Michael himself would often note was simply; "We receive, and give,"--the inherent truth of which that the Church gained funds from its efforts, and in turn should use those funds to push further efforts for the good of the people; putting an emphasis on the propagation of self-sufficient monasteries over other Church 'constructs' such as new Basilicas or Temples.
Romanos himself was an advocate of this view, if a little silent on the matter of it considering how dangerous it would be to attempt a shift of policies within the Church; yet it went further than that. An ever pious Emperor, Romanos and Michael would go into the late hours of the night; discussing doctrine and intricacies that were unconsidered by many. By December the Emperor had made his decision to make this a genuine matter; spurred on by the major Fourth Council of the Lateran the previous year.
1217 - Throughout 1217 the Emperor and Patriarch began preperations for a great council, like those of old, within Constantinople itself. It was a massive undertaking; requiring months of sheer planning between the two friends--only aided by the Empress Maria Komnene and the rising Churchman Methodius of Thessaly in the major phases. By April of 1217 thousands of Churchmen and women funneled into the Hagia Sophia for the greatest council in centuries. Nobly the Catholics of the west were not invited, as those of east hadn't been invited to their previous Lateran Council. Over the whole breadth of the year doctrine and policies were discussed back and forth, with the fact that Romanos--the known 'conquering-hero Emperor'--was heavily involved eventually leaning heavily towards the acceptance of several changes to the way things were done; despite the efforts of the major opposition leader of George of Nicomedia.
What would become known as the 4th Council of Constantinople would come to an end, in a symbolic manner, on the planned day of Christmas Eve 1217--with several things hammered out;
1 - The Church, as an institution, would distance itself from the secular world of governance as was the purview of the Emperor and his administrative bodies.
2 - The propagation of Monasteries over other major constructions would be a major notion of the Church; as one of the major pillars of the Orthodox Church was its storied history of charity; providing bread and wine to millions of Romans for near a thousand years. The Monasteries would act as hubs of production; producing fine-goods as well as producing their own food; making them self-sustaining pillars of the communities they were built in.
3 - The reintroduction of a baseline education function via the use of the Monasteries; as it was agreed and noted that the Church itself had the largest ballot of resources for the education of the 'masses'. The system of education itself would be managed by overhead by the Kanikleios, the royal inkwell bearer--a title which had become honorific by now but would now be granted overview on this important matter. Functionally though the Church would largely be autonomous in the education of their new charges.
4 - The propagation of the silver Aspron coinage over the gold Hyperpyron coinage by the Church; a move--as said by the Patriarch Michael--to "distance those of God from the worldly temptations of such a metal,"
Functionally, aside from these same points, several things were reaffirmed--such as the fact that the Latins were false in their interpretation of how the bread and wine, thus body and blood of Christ, were to be prepared and reserved. The Council as it stood then, was a milestone more for the fact that it had occurred in the first place; bringing together thousands of Church peoples for the first time since the Iconoclast issue had been dealt with, and fostering a sense of interconnection that had not been felt in centuries.
In the long run the introduction of these policies would have wide-ranging consequences for the Empire; not all of them good.