I don't really like having my "freedom" as a writer trampled on like that, FDW. Please don't post that sort of PM-discussed stuff again.
Isaac's Empire 2.0
- Thread starter Basileus Giorgios
- Start date
I don't really like having my "freedom" as a writer trampled on like that, FDW. Please don't post that sort of PM-discussed stuff again.
It is, yes.
I wouldn't say so- I think the Parakoimomenos will eventually end up as being merely a ceremonial role. I think the "Chancellor" might end up evolving from the office of "Keeper of the Imperial Inkstand", the Khartoularios tou Kanikleou. I used "Chancellor" despite the inaccuracy in 1.0 simply because its a term much more familiar to an English-speaking audience, much as "Emperor" is, for that matter. I think for now, tax collection has been under Basilios, but he's a very, very old man now, and can't go on much longer.
I think that's reasonable. Imperial policy towards the Italian city states would probably take a similar form to that IOTL over the Armenian and Serbian princes, keeping them divided and weak in order to dominate them without the bother of actual annexation. Over the centuries (especially after the 1350s), large parts of Italy will be "formally" incorporated into the empire, but for now, the burden of administration and the primarily southern focus of Byzantine policy means that the North can survive with a degree of notional independence.
I think what'll happen before devaluation is increased circulation of copper and silver coinage, set against a Nomisma that retains its full value as a point of pride- yes, it's not sensible modern economics, but then we're not dealing with a modern economy. I do know when I will have serious devaluation set in (you can probably guess when), but economic expansion will be a side-effect, not the cause, of devaluing the currency.
Forgive me if you've already addressed this in the comments (which I don't read because of the volume and amount thereof 
), but its been almost a month since the last update...
So ah... Any chance of one soon? We're all lusting after one.
), but its been almost a month since the last update...So ah... Any chance of one soon? We're all lusting after one.
FDW
Banned
I sincerely apologize, I didn't know you were touchy about PM's. I'll make sure not to that again.
Forgive me if you've already addressed this in the comments (which I don't read because of the volume and amount thereof
So ah... Any chance of one soon? We're all lusting after one.
Ha. I have a few things to do in the next few days- moving out of my student house and having meetings about my dissertation (on late antique Egyptian religious minorities, you might be interested to know), but I'll see if I can throw something out. If the worst comes to the worst, I can give you a vague skeleton of English history in the years since TTL's 1066, which Elfwine has promised he's going to fill out in the next few months in much more detail. But, I will have a go at a proper update!
I'm not too touchy- I just have a policy that nothing is canon until its written and approved. And spilling out your (excellent) ideas over the thread effectively forces me to accept them right now. In this instance, it's not a problem because they're great ideas, but in future, please restrain yourself!
FDW
Banned
I'm not too touchy- I just have a policy that nothing is canon until its written and approved. And spilling out your (excellent) ideas over the thread effectively forces me to accept them right now. In this instance, it's not a problem because they're great ideas, but in future, please restrain yourself!
I will make sure to that. In the meantime though, I'm going to go the library and do some more research on how to make what we talked about work.
Well, looking forward to seeing those East Asian changes... For one thing, it would mean Karl the Pirate would sail into a very different China Sea when the 1600s finally roll around...
(Saepe Fidelis are you even still around these days?)
Anyway, we have reached the mid-12th century, so that means the genesis of the Grand Duchy of Cyprus is just a couple of decades off... Looking forward to the story of how the Empire's special status island comes about...
Lastly, I have that medieval Holy German Imperial constitutional stuff that I wrote several years ago but never published. The IE 2.0 updates about Germany so far doesn't really contradict that stuff - so should I now publish it on here BG? I hope you remember which document I'm going on about...
(Saepe Fidelis are you even still around these days?)
Anyway, we have reached the mid-12th century, so that means the genesis of the Grand Duchy of Cyprus is just a couple of decades off... Looking forward to the story of how the Empire's special status island comes about...
Lastly, I have that medieval Holy German Imperial constitutional stuff that I wrote several years ago but never published. The IE 2.0 updates about Germany so far doesn't really contradict that stuff - so should I now publish it on here BG? I hope you remember which document I'm going on about...
I do, and it remains canon. I'd appreciate it if you sent it to me before posting, though!
I've spent the afternoon making a complete family tree for the Komnenoi, their descendants, and various other aristocratic families. There's still lots of stuff to fill in, but a basic version of it all can be seen here. To login, use the username "IEfan". I've forgotten the bloody password shortly after setting up the account, standard me, but it's either "Komnenos" or "Komnenoi". I forget if the first letter is capitalised. Anyway, try it out and see.
Beware, though, it contains spoilers!
EDIT- password is "komnenos".
Beware, though, it contains spoilers!
EDIT- password is "komnenos".
Their common ancestor is called Manuel Erotikos? That's kind of funny in a childish sort of way.
And I think I'm going to take the opportunity to say that the likelihood of me doing (as intended) the "So, how do the British Isles fare?" stuff is approaching nil - despite asking if I could do it for this version and having initially been interested, this humble senator has other things going on that are absorbing his attention and begs to be relieved of his duties by the all-mighty and ever-victorious Basileus.
I am a terrible writer, I hang my head in shame. The next update is about 40% written.
I am a terrible writer, I hang my head in shame. The next update is about 40% written.
Well, you better get cracking on and finish the next update soon, as it has been a while (3 months, hang your head in shame
).FDW
Banned
I am a terrible writer, I hang my head in shame. The next update is about 40% written.
And I'm a terrible researcher because I procrastinate too much. Still, I'm more literate on the situation in East Asia at the time of POD then I was before, and I'll get back to you when I finish my research.
A summary of Norman History, 1066-1149
To whet your appetite for the next update, here's a small treat. I wrote this to help Elfwine to write English history in the IE universe. Now his other commitments have prevented him from doing this, I thought I may as well publish it. Not very detailed, but hey. Enjoy!
1066- Edward the Confessor dies on schedule, nominating as his heir not Harold Godwinson but his teenage nephew Edgar. The regime of Edgar is shaky, though, and is badly damaged by a severe defeat suffered at the hands of Harald Hardraada, who captures York before marching south to London. In panic, Edgar’s regime turns to the Normans, who enter the country and defeat Hardraada at the Battle of Hertford. Edgar is forced to marry William’s daughter Cecilia.
1070- Cecilia gives birth to a son, Robert.
1072- English rebellion in East Anglia breaks out, with the support of Sweyn of Denmark. This is defeated, and the last remaining English barons at court are removed by William, who is now in effective control of the realm.
1073- Edgar dies in mysterious circumstances, to be succeeded by his son Robert. William remains regent for his grandson.
1077- William’s two eldest sons, Robert and Richard, take part in a major offensive against Byzantine positions in southern Italy. Both are killed early in 1078 in the disastrous raid on Thessalonica. The administration of England is left in the hands of the Queen Dowager Cecilia, while William makes war on the King of France.
1080- William sacks Paris, but is unable to consolidate his gains and is soon driven out by King Philip I.
1081- At the Treaty of Caen, King Robert of England is betrothed in marriage to Emeline, the daughter of the King of France. William the Conqueror is now linked by blood to both the French and English monarchies.
1084- William attempts to return to England, but is overwhelmed by a storm at sea. The Duchy of Normandy passes to his eldest surviving son, William Rufus, who defeats and kills his younger brother Henry in battle for the Duchy to become his father’s last surviving son.
1085- Queen Dowager Cecilia dies, and William Rufus crosses to England to assert his authority over his teenage nephew Robert, who is brought back to Normandy as an effective prisoner.
1089- In a reversal of fortune, William Rufus is himself captured and held hostage by the Duke of Anjou. Robert escapes from Normandy and returns to London. A second revolt in East Anglia is summarily crushed, but he is unable to prevent the Scots from asserting authority over much of Northumbria.
1091- Robert’s eldest son Richard is born.
1092- William Rufus is ransomed, but is forced to feudally submit to his nephew in London. Queen Emeline provides King Robert with a daughter, Agatha.
1095- King Robert’s second son, William, is born.
1097- French invasion of Normandy breaks the alliance between England and the Capetians. William Rufus, with English reinforcements, routs the French army.
1101- King Robert suffers a sharp defeat at the hands of the Scots. The Anglo-Scottish frontier is fixed along the Rivers Ribble and Aire.
1103- Battle of Preston ends in an English victory but King Robert is killed fighting. William Rufus quickly seizes the opportunity to emulate his father, and, in a reversal of the expected feudal role, becomes dominant over the young King Richard of England. A posthumous daughter, Adela, is born to the deceased king Robert.
1104- Richard is forced to marry Matilda, the only daughter of William Rufus, and a woman some ten years his senior.
1108- A civil war breaks out amongst the Normans, encouraged by the French, with Queen Dowager Emeline using her second son William as a tool against William Rufus. Matilda gives birth to King Richard’s son Robert.
1109- William Rufus defeats the forces of Queen Emeline, and she and William flee to Scotland. William Rufus himself, though, is executed by his great nephew Richard, who also forces his wife Matilda into a convent and proclaims himself Duke of Normandy.
1111- After a protracted siege, Caen falls to the French and Richard’s control is mostly restricted to the Contentin peninsula. Further erosion of the position is prevented by a skilful defence provided by Edward of Winchester, a native English commander.
1112- William is proclaimed Earl of Northumbria by the Scots, with his seat at Durham.
1117- Robert is made Duke of Normandy as heir to the throne, with the Isle of Wight added to his holdings.
1119- King Richard begins four years solid campaigning to subdue the peoples of Wales. This ends with the southern western areas annexed to England, but little more.
1124- Edward of Winchester defeats an attempted Cornish uprising and then transfers the fight to Brittany.
1126- Large parts of Brittany are forced to submit to the English crown. Edward himself, though, suffers execution, a victim of King Richard’s murderous paranoia.
1129- Robert, Duke of Normandy and heir of King Richard is imprisoned at Winchester.
1132- King Richard executes two more high-flying barons, who have been supported by his brother William from Durham. His kingdom is becoming ever more centralised upon his royal person.
1133- First recruitment of a sort of professional army by King Richard.
1139- Using this new model army, Richard raids deep into Northumbria, and sacks York and several other cities. William’s second son Henry is killed. The main prize for King Richard though is the capture of his mother, the aged Queen Emeline, who is brought back to London and decapitated.
1141- Richard engages in one final Welsh campaign, which is brutally successful, with a large part of the north coast of Wales annexed to England. His son Robert escapes from a twelve year captivity.
1142- While marching on Robert, Richard falls ill and dies at the age of fifty-one. Robert is able to quickly be crowned King of England, though it takes several years for Richard’s war machine to fully accept him.
1143- Robert II intervenes on the French side in a war with the Occitanian nobles. Though the French King is defeated, Robert is able to profit from the war, by marrying a French princess, Bertha, and regaining much of Normandy.
1145- Birth of Matilda to Queen Bertha.
1148- William of Northumbria launches another invasion of England, which is fairly successful. Birth of Henry to Queen Bertha.
1149- An attempted revolt against King Robert, who is away on the continent, is only put down with some difficulty.
1066- Edward the Confessor dies on schedule, nominating as his heir not Harold Godwinson but his teenage nephew Edgar. The regime of Edgar is shaky, though, and is badly damaged by a severe defeat suffered at the hands of Harald Hardraada, who captures York before marching south to London. In panic, Edgar’s regime turns to the Normans, who enter the country and defeat Hardraada at the Battle of Hertford. Edgar is forced to marry William’s daughter Cecilia.
1070- Cecilia gives birth to a son, Robert.
1072- English rebellion in East Anglia breaks out, with the support of Sweyn of Denmark. This is defeated, and the last remaining English barons at court are removed by William, who is now in effective control of the realm.
1073- Edgar dies in mysterious circumstances, to be succeeded by his son Robert. William remains regent for his grandson.
1077- William’s two eldest sons, Robert and Richard, take part in a major offensive against Byzantine positions in southern Italy. Both are killed early in 1078 in the disastrous raid on Thessalonica. The administration of England is left in the hands of the Queen Dowager Cecilia, while William makes war on the King of France.
1080- William sacks Paris, but is unable to consolidate his gains and is soon driven out by King Philip I.
1081- At the Treaty of Caen, King Robert of England is betrothed in marriage to Emeline, the daughter of the King of France. William the Conqueror is now linked by blood to both the French and English monarchies.
1084- William attempts to return to England, but is overwhelmed by a storm at sea. The Duchy of Normandy passes to his eldest surviving son, William Rufus, who defeats and kills his younger brother Henry in battle for the Duchy to become his father’s last surviving son.
1085- Queen Dowager Cecilia dies, and William Rufus crosses to England to assert his authority over his teenage nephew Robert, who is brought back to Normandy as an effective prisoner.
1089- In a reversal of fortune, William Rufus is himself captured and held hostage by the Duke of Anjou. Robert escapes from Normandy and returns to London. A second revolt in East Anglia is summarily crushed, but he is unable to prevent the Scots from asserting authority over much of Northumbria.
1091- Robert’s eldest son Richard is born.
1092- William Rufus is ransomed, but is forced to feudally submit to his nephew in London. Queen Emeline provides King Robert with a daughter, Agatha.
1095- King Robert’s second son, William, is born.
1097- French invasion of Normandy breaks the alliance between England and the Capetians. William Rufus, with English reinforcements, routs the French army.
1101- King Robert suffers a sharp defeat at the hands of the Scots. The Anglo-Scottish frontier is fixed along the Rivers Ribble and Aire.
1103- Battle of Preston ends in an English victory but King Robert is killed fighting. William Rufus quickly seizes the opportunity to emulate his father, and, in a reversal of the expected feudal role, becomes dominant over the young King Richard of England. A posthumous daughter, Adela, is born to the deceased king Robert.
1104- Richard is forced to marry Matilda, the only daughter of William Rufus, and a woman some ten years his senior.
1108- A civil war breaks out amongst the Normans, encouraged by the French, with Queen Dowager Emeline using her second son William as a tool against William Rufus. Matilda gives birth to King Richard’s son Robert.
1109- William Rufus defeats the forces of Queen Emeline, and she and William flee to Scotland. William Rufus himself, though, is executed by his great nephew Richard, who also forces his wife Matilda into a convent and proclaims himself Duke of Normandy.
1111- After a protracted siege, Caen falls to the French and Richard’s control is mostly restricted to the Contentin peninsula. Further erosion of the position is prevented by a skilful defence provided by Edward of Winchester, a native English commander.
1112- William is proclaimed Earl of Northumbria by the Scots, with his seat at Durham.
1117- Robert is made Duke of Normandy as heir to the throne, with the Isle of Wight added to his holdings.
1119- King Richard begins four years solid campaigning to subdue the peoples of Wales. This ends with the southern western areas annexed to England, but little more.
1124- Edward of Winchester defeats an attempted Cornish uprising and then transfers the fight to Brittany.
1126- Large parts of Brittany are forced to submit to the English crown. Edward himself, though, suffers execution, a victim of King Richard’s murderous paranoia.
1129- Robert, Duke of Normandy and heir of King Richard is imprisoned at Winchester.
1132- King Richard executes two more high-flying barons, who have been supported by his brother William from Durham. His kingdom is becoming ever more centralised upon his royal person.
1133- First recruitment of a sort of professional army by King Richard.
1139- Using this new model army, Richard raids deep into Northumbria, and sacks York and several other cities. William’s second son Henry is killed. The main prize for King Richard though is the capture of his mother, the aged Queen Emeline, who is brought back to London and decapitated.
1141- Richard engages in one final Welsh campaign, which is brutally successful, with a large part of the north coast of Wales annexed to England. His son Robert escapes from a twelve year captivity.
1142- While marching on Robert, Richard falls ill and dies at the age of fifty-one. Robert is able to quickly be crowned King of England, though it takes several years for Richard’s war machine to fully accept him.
1143- Robert II intervenes on the French side in a war with the Occitanian nobles. Though the French King is defeated, Robert is able to profit from the war, by marrying a French princess, Bertha, and regaining much of Normandy.
1145- Birth of Matilda to Queen Bertha.
1148- William of Northumbria launches another invasion of England, which is fairly successful. Birth of Henry to Queen Bertha.
1149- An attempted revolt against King Robert, who is away on the continent, is only put down with some difficulty.
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Bloody Hell. Well, that's about right. Bloody indeed.
Not exactly the most sane of Kings, is he? Was the plan for England in this new Edition to be similar to what it was in the first edition of this wonderful universe. Gallic Empire, United England-France.
Not exactly the most sane of Kings, is he? Was the plan for England in this new Edition to be similar to what it was in the first edition of this wonderful universe. Gallic Empire, United England-France.