Imperium Romanum Sacrum

The following is a reworking of my former TL, which can be found here. Enjoy, more updates are on the way...

Part I: Ordo ab chao, 1195-1199[FONT=&quot][/FONT]​
In late summer, Adolf of Berg-Altena, Prince Archbishop of Cologne dies of fever at his estates in northern Germany. The sudden loss of the prelate is well received by Emperor Heinrich VI (b. 1165) at his court in Palermo, as the archbishop has been the most outspoken opponent of any imperial attempt to increase the powers of the crown in the face of its vassals, both lay and spiritual.[FONT=&quot]

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Drawing on this recent fortune, Emperor Heinrich VI summons the imperial diet at Frankfurt in the spring of 1195, with the aim of implementing his Erbreichsplan(1). The Emperor is easily able to gather the support of the secular princes by promising in return to confirm hereditary succession to all imperial fiefs. Further, he effectively buys the support of the ecclesiastical princes by abolishing the practice of Jus Spolii(2).
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The ruling of the diet is secured in the Edict of Frankfurt, which receives official imperial assent in the fall of 1196; the edict vests the succession to the imperial crown in the heirs male of Emperor Heinrich VI and the House of Staufer. The law also confirms the hereditary succession to imperial fiefs granted by the Emperor in the male line and guarantees the right of the Emperor’s vassals to subdivide up their own fiefs between multiple heirs.[FONT=&quot]

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Emperor Heinrich’s eldest son, Friedrich (b. 1194), is proclaimed ‘King of the Romans’ at Frankfurt in accordance with the new edict, as he is now hereditary heir to the crown.[FONT=&quot]

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Horrified at this potential increase in imperial power (not to mention the personal union it will create between the Sicilian and Roman crowns, Pope Celestine III refuses to recognize the Edict of Frankfurt, reclaiming the rights of the papacy expressed by Pope Gregory VII of ‘overlord of all temporal princes’.
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At this time, Emperor Heinrich is unable to confront the pope directly, the Emperor currently being occupied with crushing the revolts of his Arab subjects in Sicily, and is thus not seen as a threat by the Holy See. By the close of 1197, however, after nearly two years of warfare, the rebellions are mercilessly crushed via both the Emperor’s own personal forces and reinforcements sent by his German vassals—his power still strong in the Empire, despite the objections of the Pope.

In 1198, however, Pope Celestine III dies, aged ninety-two. Immediately the emperor begins maneuvering with the cardinals of the Papal Conclave. He is determined at this time to see a pro-imperial candidate brought to power, in order to secure his many ambitions. After nearly four months of debate and heavy imperial bribery, the cardinals finally select the seventy-eight year old Konrad of Bavaria, Archbishop of Mainz and a loyal supporter of the Emperor. He is duly crowned as Pope Clement IV.

The following year, good to his word to the Emperor, the new Pope Clement IV confirms the Edict of Frankfurt via the Golden Bull of 1199. The bull not only recognizes the hereditary succession to the imperial crown in the male line of the House of Hohenstaufen, but also confers the right of Emperor Heinrich’s heirs to assume the title of ‘Emperor of the Romans’ immediately upon succession, and thus removes the necessity for a papal coronation.


(1) The proposal formulated by the Holy Roman Emperor for making the imperial crown hereditary in the House of Staufer.[FONT=&quot]
(2) The right of secular lords to seize the property of deceased prelates.[/FONT]

 
Part II: Urbi et orbi, 1200-1206
The winter of 1200 opens with the death of Pope Clement IV. Once again, Emperor Heinrich VI invests much of his resources in the assurance of an imperial candidate once again being elected to the chair of St. Peter. Luckily, the Pope Clement IV has ensured a smooth transition for the Emperor, the late Supreme Pontiff having appointed several new pro-imperial cardinals to the college, as well as filling the key positions in the Papal court and household with supporters of the Emperor. Thus, albeit with further bribery and maneuvering, the pro-imperial Cardinal Cencio (b. 1148), is elected to the triple tiara as Pope Honorius III.

Meanwhile, in Constantinople, the young Byzantine prince Alexios Angelos (b. 1182), manages to bribe a group of Pisan merchants to smuggle him out of his confinement in an imperial monastery in the city. Alexios has been imprisoned since 1195, after his uncle and namesake, Emperor Alexios III Angelos, deposed and blinded his elderly father, Isaakios II Angelos, confining both brother and nephew to separate cloister prisons.

The prince arrives at the court of his brother-in-law, Duke Philipp of Swabia, in Tuscany during the summer of 1201. Duke Philipp, at this time wed to the prince’s sister, Eirene Angelina, is impressed by the ambitious prince. Seeing the potential usefulness of youth, he immediately dispatches him south in the spring, to the court of his own brother the Emperor in Palermo. Wishing to restore his father to the imperial throne in Constantinople, Alexios promises the Holy Roman Emperor 500,000 silver marks if he will restore his father to the purple. Further, eager to gain the support and alliance of Christendom, the ambitious prince promises to end the schism and reunite the eastern and western churches by submitting the Orthodox Church to the primacy of the Holy See.

At the same time, Pope Honorius III, now facing increasing pressure and opposition for his patronage of the pro-imperial party at the Papal court—especially from the French, decides to increase his own prestige by calling for a Fourth Crusade. Thus, in January, 1202, amongst a crowd of freezing spectators in Rome, the Supreme Pontiff preaches a fiery sermon upon the steps of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, calling for all Christians to take up the cross. The Pope, in line with most of his fellow rulers, sees Sultan Saphadin of Egypt and Syria as the primary obstacle to regaining the Holy Land, as it is now realized that if Cairo is not removed from the equation, there will be no security for any Crusader states in Palestine. He thus calls for an invasion of Egypt.

In addition to his previous promises, Alexios also agrees to aid the new potential Crusade with the Byzantine army and navy, if restored to his throne by the West. Emperor Heinrich now realizes that the time is ripe for his own ambitions: with Alexios Angelos in play, he can now both increase his own temporal authority, as well as his own spiritual prestige in Europe. He presents the plan to the pope immediately, promising to personally lead the Fourth Crusade. With the potential to reunite the Churches of Constantinople and Rome now a reality, the ambitious Pope Honorius, relishing the prospect of both a triumphant crusade and united Christendom, agrees to the plan. He immediately issues a bull recognizing Alexios and his father as rightful emperors in Constantinople, and sanctioning the use of force to restore them to their throne there.

By the fall of 1202, both Count Thibaut III of Champagne and Margrave Bonifacio I of Montferrat, have pledged themselves to aiding the Emperor in his Crusade and taken the cross. Doge Enrico Dandolo in Venice also offers his support for the proposed Crusade against Egypt, seeing the involvement in Byzantine affairs as a ripe chance to restore the primacy of his republic’s merchants in Constantinople (their privileges having been considerably reduced and revoked since the late Comnenid dynasty). He agrees to outfit a fleet to carry the Crusaders to Constantinople, though in exchange he demands the restoration of Venetian trading privileges by Alexios Angelos, along with a share of one-third of any spoils looted or gained from conflict with the Greeks.

Outfitted by the Doge, the Crusaders finally assemble in Venice and depart on St. George’s Day, April 23, 1203, their total strength now numbering over 35,000.

The Crusaders arrive in Chalcedon soon after, in June, 1203. There, they engage the Byzantine forces of Emperor Alexios III for the first time, the Basileus being unprepared and having neither the appropriate funds or time to garrison Bithynia. Thus, Emperor Heinrich VI and his allies are easily victorious against the smaller force of Greeks, taking the city within a matter of weeks. With little regard for the vanquished city, the Crusaders soon set to looting and pillaging Chalcedon and the surrounding countryside, mostly at the behest of the Venetians.

After taking Chrysopolis the following month, the Crusaders are able to successfully cross the Bosporus, once again engaging the Emperor Alexios III and the famed Byzantine mercenary cavalry just north of the city. Only able to gather 15,000 men, the Byzantine emperor is easily defeated by the Latins, forcing the remainder of his forces to retreat into the city.

Now at the gates of Constantinople, and taking the ease of his conquest as a sign of divine favor, Emperor Heinrich and his allies immediately besiege the city. By mid-August, the Crusaders finally manage to breach the walls and force their way into the city. Though he attempts to flee while the Varangian guard hold off the forces of the Crusaders, Emperor Alexios III is captured by a group of knights from Champagne, and slain in the ensuing confusion. At least having achieved victory, the blind Isaakios and his son are jointly restored to the purple as Emperors Isaakios II and Alexios IV.

The next few months, however, do not see the expected cooperation that the Crusaders would have liked from the Byzantines. Though Alexios IV is eager to please his Latin supporters, he soon finds he is unable to make good any of his promises. While he is able to offer at least twenty ships to the soldiers, to ensure their passage to Cairo, the emperor finds the army far too run-down to be of any use. Further, with the treasury heavily depleted, he is unable to hire more mercenary troops—at this point the backbone of the imperial army of Constantinople. The lack of funds also forces him to increase taxation on his subjects, in order to pay his debts to Emperor Heinrich. The Patriarch is also unwilling to work with the Emperor on healing the Schism between the churches, and firmly refuses to concede.

Unhappy with the sudden influx of foreigners (particularly the new concessions to Venetian merchants, a great blow to the local commercial class), resentful of the new taxes imposed upon them, and unsettled by presence of a massive Latin force camped outside their gates, the citizens of Constantinople finally act in February, 1204. After a series of riots causes the breakdown of public order in the streets, an urban mob, encouraged by the efforts of the court aristocracy, then immediately marches on the imperial palace and murders the hapless emperors, strangling them in their very throne room. Alexios Doukas, leader of the anti-Frankish aristocratic faction at court, is then immediately proclaimed emperor.

Their support now lost, the Crusaders are not about to lose their newly found dominant position in the east. Seeing the new opportunity to unite the eastern and western empires under one emperor for the first time since Theodosius, the ambitious Emperor Heinrich, on the advice of the Venetians, immediately acts. Rousing his troops, and calling his allied sovereigns to his aide, the Holy Roman Emperor leads the Crusaders to the gates of Constantinople, once again besieging the battered walls.

On February 22, 1204, the city finally fails to maintain its defenses, the new Emperor Alexios V Doukas now unable to gather enough soldiers in time. The Crusaders soon break through the gates and immediately all attempts to maintain a semblance of discipline and order are abandoned. The Byzantine emperor is put to the sword and the city is sacked. Churches, palaces, and private catches are all looted and burned; Orthodox priests are murdered and nuns raped in the streets. The city and surrounding lands are essentially left in ruins.

By the Treaty of Nicomedia, signed by all Crusader parties, in July, 1204, the Byzantine empire is essentially portioned into a series of new states. The total looted spoils of the Latins, now valued at over 1.5 million silver marks, is divided between the parties. Emperor Heinrich VI is recognized as ‘Emperor of the Greeks [sic] and the eastern Roman empire’, and soon after crowned at the Hagia Sophia. The Republic of Venice receives the Aegean isles, including Crete, Negroponte, and Rhodes, along with a string of cities in Epirus, and the restoration of their former trading privileges in Constantinople, though in return, the reluctant doge is compelled to accept Emperor Heinrich VI as his liege, via his position as Emperor in the East. A series of vassal duchies and counties are also set up in Greece, with the remainder of the empire going to Heinrich VI, as emperor.

While opinion is still divided at whether or not to continue to Egypt, instructions received from Pope Honorius III in Rome soon after the signing of the treaty immediately set the tone for the remainder of the time spent in Constantinople. Having finally received the news of the new treaty, the Pope confirms the choice of Heinrich VI as emperor in the east, applauding ‘this new reformation and reuniting of the Holy Empire of the Romans on earth, the temporal divisions of east and west having been made whole again.’ However, he informs the Crusaders that they must not stray from their true path: the reunification of the eastern and western churches. By now, the ambitious pope is determined to see the unification through as quickly as possible.

Eager to return home, the Emperor Heinrich agrees to the demands of the Pope, at least in part. He reinstates the Church of Rome as the state faith, and creates an expansive ecclesiastical hierarchy to support, simply replacing the Orthodox bishops with Catholic prelates. However, he does not relish the idea of increasing any Papal power in his domains, and thus refuses to suppress the Orthodox Church entirely, allowing it to retain its rites and customs, though demoting the church to a subordinate position beneath the Latin one.

Upon the arrival of his brother, Philipp of Swabia, in Constantinople in late 1205, he leaves the duke there as his ‘Imperial Vicar in the East’, returning to Palermo in 1206.
 
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The following year, good to his word to the Emperor, the new Pope Clement IV confirms the Edict of Frankfurt via the Golden Bull of 1199. The bull not only recognizes the hereditary succession to the imperial crown in the male line of the House of Hohenstaufen, but also confers the right of Emperor Heinrich’s heirs to assume the title of ‘Emperor of the Romans’ immediately upon succession, and thus removes the necessity for a papal coronation.
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While I agree that any Pope the Emperor has some control over would likley agree to the hereditary succession, I find it difficult to accept that the Pope and his Church would relinquish all control over title and coronation. At most I can see the title of Caesar being assumed on election/succession with the Pope bestowing the title of Augustus on coronation.
 
Part II: Urbi et orbi, 1200-1206
Now at the gates of Constantinople, and taking the ease of his conquest as a sign of divine favor, Emperor Heinrich and his allies immediately besiege the city. By mid-August, the Crusaders finally manage to breach the walls and force their way into the city.


Hrmm. How do they breach the walls?

By the Treaty of Nicomedia, signed by all Crusader parties, in July, 1204, the Byzantine empire is essentially portioned into a series of new states. The total looted spoils of the Latins, now valued at over 1.5 million silver marks, is divided between the parties. Emperor Heinrich VI is recognized as ‘Emperor of the Greeks [sic] and the eastern Roman empire’, and soon after crowned at the Hagia Sophia. The Republic of Venice receives the Aegean isles, including Crete, Negroponte, and Rhodes, along with a string of cities in Epirus, and the restoration of their former trading privileges in Constantinople, though in return, the reluctant doge is compelled to accept Emperor Heinrich VI as his liege, via his position as Emperor in the East


Mmm. A minor nitpick. The Holy Roman Empire didn't recognize an Eastern Empire.
 
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