"In 395 the Emperor Theodosius the Great breathed his last and with his last breath so too perished the united Roman Empire which has been split to this day, more than 1200 years later. It has been given to you, my dread Lord, by History herself to make right this ancient wrong. Do not spurn her offer, for she only gives such favors once in a millennia."
-Silvestro Mazzolini, Court Astrologer to His Imperial Majesty Theodor I
1630 continued: Although King Theodoros of Khazaria, Prince David of Georgia, and Prince Giyorgis of Ethiopia all have blood claims on the Roman throne, there is no protest in the Orthodox world. Despot Hektor of Sicily, the uncle of Andreas III, who took the Despotic throne without contestation on the death of his nephew, promptly swears loyalty to his new suzerain. Despot Andreas II of Egypt makes a protest over the incarceration of his sister Theodora (she is released and sent to Egypt after a few months) but also swears loyalty.
From Ibrahim comes an ominous silence, which is rather rude as during times of peace it has been customary for either polity to send congratulations and gifts on the accession of a new monarch. The Persians are not pleased at the new figure on the throne; a scion of that family is not a welcome sight. But with all of the eastern tagmata mustered since the death of Andreas III on the frontier, reinforced by three of the four guard units, there is no concern that he’ll try anything.
Ibrahim’s reign has not been easy. Although the Turks won promise of position and power from him, they’re not easily satisfied and what is given to them served to alienate the Persians. Meanwhile the Arabs of southern Mesopotamia, left entirely out in the cold, are muttering dark thoughts of their own. Still the Persian Empire is holding together, with some victories scored against the Khazars and Cossacks although Khwarazm remains in Theodoros’ hands.
Meanwhile Hormuz is full to the brim with Triune shipping, merchantmen loading the wares of Persia and the Orient in exchange for gunpowder and metals. A large naval yard has been constructed, producing fregatai and battle-line ships which are modern and well-armed, although the caliber of the crews are somewhat unimpressive. Neither the Persians nor the Turks have much practice with ocean-going seafaring. The Mesopotamian Arabs are better equipped in that regard so some find an outlet here for their ambitions and energies.
The concern in Muscat is growing stronger as the forest of masts across the straits grows larger. Unfortunately the Omani fleet is not powerful enough to defy the fortifications protecting the port, even with the promise of a squadron of Ethiopian galleons in support. The Sultan did propose a combined operation with the Romans to Andreas III but he died before making a response. Demetrios III reluctantly declines as he does not wish to spark a war with Ibrahim at this time.
That is because of the Holy Roman Emperor Theodor I who has been reunited with his sister Elizabeth in Munich. She was expelled from the Empire just after the coronation, all her assets confiscated save her dowry and personal items she brought from Bavaria, her departure from Constantinople marked by a rain of insults from the inhabitants of the city.
Naturally she is more than a little miffed with Demetrios III and her brother is inclined to agree. By the standards of primogeniture, on the death of Helena II the throne should’ve passed to Theodor as the eldest male descendant of Helena I’s eldest daughter. It certainly wouldn’t have gone to Demetrios Sideros, the eldest male descendant of Helena I’s second daughter. He would’ve been willing to waive his claim if his sister was Empress of the Romans, but this bureaucrat upstart clearly needs to be taught a lesson in inheritance law.
Despite Roman claims to the contrary, Theodor is not so delusional to think that the Roman populace will flock to his banner. His ambassador in Constantinople keeps him aware of the anti-Latin animus but he assumes that as long as he promises to respect the Orthodox faith and use Roman officials in Roman lands he can bring the peoples of the eastern Empire around. Furthermore the character of Demetrios III, a man ‘ruled by his own wife is incapable of ruling others’ in Theodor’s own words, suggest that he would not be the hardest to topple from the throne.
But even with all that, invading the Roman Empire is still no easy matter. Hungary’s assistance is absolutely vital as Theodor can’t even reach his target without it. But although King Stephan of Hungary is now twenty-three he wields little more power than when he first became King, sixteen years ago after the might of Hungary and his grandfather were annihilated at Mohacs. Krsto Frankopan, Ban of Croatia, is the real power in the lands of St. Stephan, and a major pillar of his power is his ‘relationship’ with the Holy Roman Emperor. Plus Hungary will get all the lands it lost to Rhomania and Vlachia back if it supports Theodor.
Casimir of Poland is also interested in an alliance. He has had his eyes set on Vlachia for some time now and there are old legal claims for Polish suzerainty over the lands of Moldavia. They’ve been gathering dust for three hundred years, but that’s a minor detail. Furthermore he is convinced that his attempts to expand further into Russia will be blocked if Rhomania is willing to bankroll opposition to him there (while Constantinople played a small role in the united Russian front presented to Casimir, the King vastly overestimates its importance) so having the Empire in the hands of a friend is enticing. The Polish army is fairly small but it includes crack heavy and light cavalry, arguably the finest in the world, including six thousand winged hussars.
But those are not enough. Even with Hungary and Poland at his side, Theodor knows that the entire might of Germany will be needed for this task. After the Brothers’ War, the German princes are either too beaten down to resist or in the hands of close allies such as the Archbishop of Cologne. So there won’t be any trouble there, but beyond the Rhine…
King’s Harbor, Capital of the United Kingdoms, October 28, 1630:
“Take a seat, Lord Burghley,” Emperor Henri II said, taking a sip of Madeira port. “Have a drink.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” Howard Stanley, Lord Burghley and Earl of Wentworth, said. He sat at the opposite side of the card table in his sovereign’s drawing room, stilling his fidgeting fingers. It was not often that the reclusive monarch had one-on-one meetings with his new ambassadors.
“You’ve read over your instructions,” Henri said. It was not a question.
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Any questions?”
“Yes.” A pause. “Why? You can’t want that, of all things, to happen.”
“You’re wrong. I do want that to happen. And after your losses from the Madagascar convoy I would think you’d want revenge.”
“I do, but I won’t put my wishes over the needs of the realm. I don’t understand how this proposal helps the kingdoms.”
Henri smiled, the jowls of his cheeks jiggling a bit. Somehow the gesture did not seem friendly. “I’ll explain it to you then. Theodor will not march unless it is guaranteed that we will not attack him while his back is turned. But a promise not to do so may not be good enough, after all peace treaties are worth their weight in gold. But an active alliance, on the other hand, will be a guarantee. Theodor will march. And one of two things will happen.
“One, he loses. He is thrown out, having suffered immense losses in manpower, material, money, and prestige. The Romans will be battered as well, and while we may have lost ten thousand, both of them will have lost a hundred thousand men. And in their weakness, we may do what we like.
“Two, he wins. This is less likely than one, but much more useful for our ends. Even if he takes Constantinople though, he will not be able to advance on Asia. He will be forced to spend immeasurable amounts of manpower, material, and money holding down the European provinces whose peoples will want him gone while on the Asian side the Romans will pull a Nicaea, reform, rearm, and in a generation or two come pouring across the Bosporus screaming for revenge. And while the Germans and Romans are fixated on tearing each other to pieces, we may do what we like.”
* * *
“And it came to pass, after the year had expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle (2 Samuel 11:1 KJV)” that Theodor I, Holy Roman Emperor, declares war on the usurper Demetrios Sideros, joined by the United Kingdoms and the Kingdoms of Poland and Hungary. Yet in an unusual twist, he ends the proclamation by quoting a piece of Chinese literature, from the opening line of
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The Empire, long divided, must unite. 
. Start making that standard use in Roman artillery and you've got an edge for sure. But take the principle of the shell and the bitumen cloth starts it burning from firing, and since you're not too fussed about whether your Greek Fire is dispersed on impact with the ground, or mid-air, as long as it isn't IN THE CANNON - and you've got a terrifying, and simple, method of deploying it.
