Thanks for all the comments, everybody.
Good update, BG!
Cheers!
I can't quite remember the original Pope-Emperor's rise to power, but this *seems* more chaotic and less contrived. Miscalculations, mistakes and rapid reversals upset even the most carefully laid plans. Samuel isn't gone (obviously, given the original) though, so it'll be interesting to see how the new situation collapses in time.
We're also getting to the point that soldier rebellions and political infighting are dangerous. Some kind of reform needs to be taken to create a more stable country (even if this is centuries from now).
Great update. It sucks not quite remembering how the story developed up to this point though.
A question: Why isn't Xanthis held responsible for the poor performance in Bulgaria? He was in charge after all, no ?
Would it be helpful if I reposted the material from IE v1 upon which this chapter is based?
Rebellions and infighting are indeed very dangerous, and what's happened so far is only a small hint of what is to come. When a secure and powerful dynasty is on the throne, they're not so much an issue, but of course this isn't the case in IE's fourteenth century.
As for Xanthis, the Bulgarian revolt broke out in 1312, upon the death of the deposed Bulgarian Tsarina, who had been a prisoner in Constantinople for a generation. She had, however, become something of a lightning conductor, and in her absence, the boyars made an initially fairly successful attempt at seizing independence from the unpopular Alexander IV. At the time, Xanthis was a fairly junior adviser to that Emperor, and he struck up a friendship with David Pegonites during Alexander's ill fated Eastern expedition of 1314. When Pegonites took the throne, Xanthis was appointed Catepan of Italy, and remained in this post for a decade, with command for subduing Bulgaria largely going to David's eldest son Alexios, who died in the process. In 1326 he was appointed Grand Domestic of the West, with primary responsibility for maintaining order in Bulgaria, which had by this point been largely at peace for six years.
All in all, he wasn't blamed because the Bulgarian revolt of 1312-20 had nothing to do with him!
That must have been one hell of a struggle.
It was. Both Google Chrome and Internet Explorer have their own very special issues that combine to irritate me!
Always awesome to see updates!
Always awesome to see so much feedback!
So the Pope's road to power is much less straightforward this time. I would imagine that his Imperial aspirations would be a lot less abrupt then, I remember that he just suddenly declares himself Emperor in IE1.
Samuel's rise was indeed smoother in IE1. That said, even back then he had opposition and his rise to power was troubled with some of his opponents becoming Basileus as I recall.
As for his failure here, I think that could be interpreted as him lacking experience as Pope and overestimating the strength of his temporal power. Samuel has only become Pope recently after all: he isn't the complete political badass he was in IE1 yet. But I think he's going to be a thorn in the side of Constantine XI and his successors in the years to come.
Remember that when it happened, Samuel had become senile and was going off the rails in IE1. It could still happen in IE2.
Yorel has answered this question better than I could myself.
Great update BG.
Shouldn't it be Samuel II?
It should, thanks for catching this.
I don't know why, but reading this, I can't help but imagine a movie where George Dasiotes is being portrayed by Charles Dance and Damianos by Jack Gleeson.
Ha, I often have ASOIAF in my head when writing these days, but not in this case. Dasiotes is about as far from Tywin Lannister as one can get. As for Damianos, it's impossible not to feel sorry for the guy, as an ignored middle son roundly attacked by the historical record. Clearly there was
something not quite right about him, that said.
Yorel said:
Basil III: "Screw this, I'm out of here"
So, Xanthis led his veterans to the City, but it was Constantine who got the throne.
Well, well, I cannot imagine that the guy leading his cutthroats to Constantinople did not think (even for a brief moment, even in his dream deep at night) about himself taking an imperial purple. I just don't buy it.
Seeing your friend and a relative getting the highest reward in the world which you truly deserved is a disputable pleasure.
just my opinion
may be that is my mean nature ...
Hah, perhaps so, though it's not entirely unprecedented: both Heraclius and Alexios I only came to power after coups involving various individuals, any one of whom could have come out on top, after all.
For now, Xanthis is quite content. Given the precedent seems to be for appointing imperial colleagues, he has every reason to expect to share the throne with his brother-in-law, or, at the very least, be extremely important to Constantine and his sons (Xanthis' nephews). You're quite right to suggest that this expectation could lead to disappointment and frustration on both sides, however...
