Introduction
It is January 24 1204, and, to the 400.000 men, women and children of Constantinople, the world seems to be crumbling around them. Exactly 7 months have passed since the army which they came to so dreadfully despise had first arrived beneath their walls.
Since then, they witnessed the cities of Chalcedon and Chrysopolis being captured and sacked, the chain protecting the city's harbour destroyed, the sea-walls breached and the imperial army defeated and humiliated, the fleeing of the coward of an emperor Alexios III, who also took the imperial treasury with him, the forced restoration of the aged and blinded Isaac II along with his son Alexios IV, the burning of a large part of the city during both the initial assault and subsequent burning of a mosque that saw thousands die, and most horrific of all, the melting of countless priceless relics and icons by the new emperors to pay their western benefactors.
Today however, something extraordinary has happened. Today, after going through several unwilling candidates, an assembly of the Senate, Church and people of Rhomania elected a new emperor, a noble named Nikolaos Kanabos, hoping to finally end the nightmare they seemed to be living. Soon after the proclamation however, an event happened that would change the course of history.
Chapter 1
As he stood on the podium in the Augustaion, with his back to the great cathedral of Hagia Sophia and facing the large crowd of noblemen, priests and commoners, Nikolaos looked up, past Justinian's column towards the Blachernae Palace, where he knew the two emperors resided. He could feel the weight of 17 centuries of history pressing upon his shoulders as the patriarch reached to place the imperial crown upon his head and prepared to anoint him by giving him the sign of the cross on his forehead.
What happened next has been the subject of debate for centuries. According to contemporary accounts, Nikolaos, upon seeing the sun shine through the clouds above the Imperial Palace, immediately collapsed to the floor. Some say this was the result of stress and the tenseness of the situation, others that it was a wonderfully orchestrated theatrical stunt, while still more believe it was the work of God.
For several moments, everyone just stood there, shocked by what had just happened. Two senior senators that were with him on the podium tried to wake him, as everyone around looked towards the fallen emperor. As they picked him up, he seemed to regain consciousness and asked to be left to stand on his one so that he may speak.
He claimed to have had a vision from God, in which Christ had appeared before him, and told him of how foolish men are to think that they can imitate the Lord and rule alone over their brothers just as He rules over the world, for just as the apostles took care of the church together, so too must men take care of God's Kingdom in unity and harmony, from the beggars in the streets to the richest men and wisest monks. He then declared that representatives of the mob and of the church are to be admitted into the senate, and that all off his powers are forthwith transferred to the senate as the realm's sole authority.
As they listened, numerous thoughts must have gone through the minds of those present. What they were listening to was in stark contradiction to what they had been used to their whole lives. It went against the established tradition of a powerful emperor ruling over all men through the grace of Christ.
Just as opinions started to turn towards disbelief, everyone's eyes was caught by the scene unfolding before them. A white dove, seemingly out of nowhere, landed on the emperor's right shoulder, looked at the crowd for a few moments, and then flew off towards the Hagia Sophia. This pivotal moment in the world's history has been endlessly discussed since then. Some think it to be a mere coincidence, others point out the fact that Nikolaos' brother was very passionate about doves and was even reported to have trained many. To the people in Constantinople's main forum however, it seemed that the holy spirit had shown itself to them and confirmed the sayings of their emperor.
As everyone turned their eyes towards the patriarch, he and the other priests around him were debating what had just happened and whether this was indeed a sign from God. The patriarch, Ioannes Kamateros, had already, 4 years prior, denounced the idea of St. Peter's primacy in letters to Innocent III and thus, one could easily speculate that he was willing to accept the idea that a collective leadership was indeed God's will and that no one need be an image of God on earth. What exactly the priests discussed in those fateful couple of minutes will probably never be known. What is certain however is the fact that the patriarch's announcement, that what had happened was a sign from God, removed any doubts in the minds of those present.
Adrenaline and enthusiasm engulfed the members of the assembly that day. With God apparently on their side and with the prospect of holding more power than they ever had, be they senators, priests or ordinary plebs, it seemed that the sky was the limit.
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So, what do you guys think, both from a "technical" as well as an artistic/literary point of view ? Constructive feedback is more then welcome.
P.S. I know having the byzantines get rid of the office of emperor is pretty damn hard, but given how corrupt and inefficient previous administrations had proven, how the world seemed to be collapsing around them, and add the fact that they believed what they did was in accordance with God's will, while also taking into account that, at this time, many seemed not to care WHO the emperor was, and you get a situation were (I hope) it's possible. Sure, it's not extremely likely, but it might make a good story.
