Deleted member 147978
I believe you could do that, but I'm afraid it'll be a little redundant to revive one.
List of monarchs III
- Thread starter Shiva
- Start date
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To hat or list X does and I resurrect X
Good point, though it depends on why the list does, if it died from disinterest yeah, no point, but if it died from people being busy I think it could work
I say no to reviving X list if someone calls dibs on a new list because X died and the person who does that is the last person who posted on X. If we accept that then the same person, who seems the only one interested in that list, could just keep doing it and be the only one posting.
Just because I want a list to happen doesn't mean I could force that. I tried a Visigothic Kings of Spain who defeat the Moorish invasion list and no one responded. If we allowed this I could have kept it going over and over and that wouldn't be right. If it was that important to me I could go make my own thread.
Just because I want a list to happen doesn't mean I could force that. I tried a Visigothic Kings of Spain who defeat the Moorish invasion list and no one responded. If we allowed this I could have kept it going over and over and that wouldn't be right. If it was that important to me I could go make my own thread.
I would say that Person A makes last post in a thread, thread dies, Person A cannot then post again to resurrect the thread, as it would break the rule about two posts in a row by the same person not being allowed.
But if a thread dies, and a previous thread interested Person X but it timed out and the last post was by Person Y, they can resurrect THAT thread, but then if nobody is interested in the thread still, it timed out again and can't be resurrected by Person X again, as they would have been the last post.
POD: High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair managed to repel the Norman Invaders.
High Kings of Ireland
1166-1198 Ruaidrí I the Great [O'Conor]
1198-1221 Conchobar I [O'Conor] [1]
1221-1230 Ruaidrí II [O’Conor] [2]
1230-1289 Toirdhealbhach II [O’Conor] [3]
1289-1302 Hugh I [O’Conor] [4]
[1] Ruaidri (Rory or Roderic is the Anglicized version) was known as the great for his feat of ending the Norman invasion (for a while anyway as they would keep coming back). Conchobar was the eldest of his father's eight sons and took part in the defeating of Norman soldiers, earning a name for himself as a skilled fighter. He is called the butcher over in England for how many villages he pillaged and burned.
Once Conchobar returned to Ireland, he found himself fighting for his place as his father's heir, avoiding an assassination attempt and fighting against his own own uncle. But in the end, he fought just as he did against the Normans, viciously and ruthlessly.
When his father died, he traveled to Rome, almost emptying his coffers in order to be crowned by the pope himself. While he was there, he met King Philip II of France who suggested they make an alliance against the English. Having a deep hatred for those who attempted to take his country, Conchobar agreed. The two men, despite coming from vastly different cultures, would become unlikely friends, visiting each other's country twice and exchanging many letters.
King John of England tried to reach out to him, in hopes he would support John's war against the English barons. Conchobar who had fought with John's father and then his brother Richard, laughed at him, telling him, the only way Ireland would get itself involved with the English, it would be to stop any invaders.
In his personal life, Conchobar was married to a woman named Áine, who he had seven sons with. There are a few records of his daughters, only a scant few mentions of two of his girls who were either his daughters or nieces who married two of his political rivals.
For a man who lived most of his adult life, fighting for one reason or another, he died peacefully in his bed at age seventy. After his death, his son, Ruaidrí would become the new High King of Ireland.
[2] Ruadrí II was the third son of King Conchobar I. Born in 1195, he was originally destined for the Church, but two events changed his fate. The first was the untimely death of his older brother, and then Tanaiste, Brian, in 1210. Brian died in a horse-riding accident, though many suspect he was murdered by his brother, Seamus. Seamus was beyond ambitious and was noted for his cruelty, which led to many contemporaries accusing him of murdering Brian. It didn't help Seamus that he was his Father's least favourite son. Thus, Conchobar, would see to it that in 1218, Ruaidrí was elected the Taniaste. Seamus was angered by this and led a short-lived result, which was defeated, and he was exiled to England. In 1221, Conchobar died and Ruaidrí ascended the throne as Ruaidrí II, and held a splendorous coronation in Dublin.
In 1222, Ruaidrí would negotiate his marriage to the King of Alba’s niece, Lady Isabella Stewart, in a bid to create an alliance against England. The marriage would be agreed to in 1223. Isabela would be given a warm welcoming in Ireland, with a ceremony being held in her honour in Dublin, one which was remarked for it's great pomp. Ruaidrí would also be quite devoted to his wife, with no sources even speculating that he had an extramarital affair. The two would share ten kids, though only a few survived.
In 1224, Ireland and Alba launched a joint campaign against the Kingdom of Norway. The two Kingdoms hoped to conquer multiple small islands held by Norway, such as the Isle of Mann. Ruaidrí would lead his armies in person, and was noted to be a capable commander. After 4 long and bloody years, the Irish and Scots emerged victorious, defeating Norway and dividing the spoils of war between them. Ireland would gain the Isle of Man and the Islands of Iona, Islay and Arran. Ruaidrí would quickly install his favourite, Eoin O'Súilleabháin as the new Archbishop of Iona in 1227.
In 1228, Ruadrí's exiled brother, Seamus returned from exile in England with a force of 3,000 men, comprised mostly of mercenaries. The group would lay siege to Waterford that same year. Ruadrí rallied veterans from his recent war with Norway and march south to defeat his enemies. Annoyingly, they would scatter across the south, and utilises Guerrilla warfare tactics against him for the next year. After months of trial and error, Ruaidrí successfully lured Seamus's force into battle, at the Skirmish of Skibbereen, where Ruaidrí would emerge victorious, massacring the enemy force and capturing the enemy force. Ruaidrí would return to Dublin with his brother and had him kept under tight watch in his Castle.
In the final months of his life, Ruaidrí passed the Hereditary Act, which decreed that the King was to choose his successor before his death, and should he die prior to naming an heir, the crown would go to the nearest blood relative. Only a few weeks after this act passed, Ruaidrí fell ill with tuberculosis and died. He would be succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Turlough.
[3] Born in 1227, Turlough was the first child of Ruadr and Isabella to live past his first birthday. (Turlough’s seven older siblings, including a set of twins, each died young from a range of childhood illnesses. Before Turlough’s birth, Isabella wrote home saying “All he (Rory) has every given me is dead children”). Though only three years old at his father’s death, Turlough was legally his father’s heir due to Hereditary Act. This was challenged by several different claimants, all of which found Isabella an able opponent. She was able to secure her son a throne while being pregnant with her husband’s posthumous children. (She would give birth to twins some 5 months after the death of Rory)
Turlough would be forced to grow up fast. His early kingship shaped Turlough: Ireland was always his first priority and he would bring an intensity to ruling that impressed and intimidated his subjects.
He would marry a succession of Irish princesses: Muadhnait Ní Dhomhnaill (Maud O’Donnell) Princess of Tyrconnell, Labhaoise Nic Cárthaigh (Louise MacCarthy) Princess of Desmond, Eibhilín Ní Brian (Eileen O’Brian) Princess of Thomond, Ornóra Ní Néill (Honour O’Niell) Princess of Tyrone. And had an untold number of children. Turlough would use these marriages to bind the various lesser kingdoms closer to him and his dynasty.
Turlough brought that same single minded focus to choosing a successor that he brought to ruling. Several different sons and grandsons were examined and discarded before settling on Cormac late in the 1270s.
Turlough would pass away at age 62 from a winter chill. He was succeeded by his son, Hugh.
[4] Hugh was his father's seventh son by his third wife Eileen. He was born in 1260. His half-brother, Ruaidrí, had been his father's favorite but when he died supporting Prince Llywelyn of Wales against the English, leaving behind an infant son and an uncertain succession. Turlough deliberated over which of his sons should inherit. Eventually, he picked twelve-year-old Hugh. Historians suspect that Turlough wanted an heir young enough for him to groom, but not so young that if Turlough died, his son would be a child ruler, vulnerable to usurpation and used as a puppet.
Hugh married Gwladys ferch Dafydd, the niece of Prince Llywelyn of Wales when he was seventeen. He also took a leaf out of his father's book had took two concubines from the houses of other kingdoms. Wanting a closer relationship with the French, Hugh would start negotiating a marriage between his oldest son and the princess of France.
Unfortunately, King Philip III had two problems with the match. One, Hugh's son being the oldest did not mean he would actually succeed or that his children would. And two, the tradition of having concubines was far too close to bigamy for his comfort.
Hugh was ambitious and wanted his country's prestige to continue to grow, not to mention he felt that France would be a useful ally against the English invaders. Therefore three years after his father died and Hugh became king, he tried to outlaw having concubines, citing it was against secular law and that the oldest son would inherit everything.
This did not go over well with the triditional Irishmen and soon Hugh had a civil war on his hands. In 1302, he fell in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of_____
High Kings of Ireland
1166-1198 Ruaidrí I the Great [O'Conor]
1198-1221 Conchobar I [O'Conor] [1]
1221-1230 Ruaidrí II [O’Conor] [2]
1230-1289 Toirdhealbhach II [O’Conor] [3]
1289-1302 Hugh I [O’Conor] [4]
[1] Ruaidri (Rory or Roderic is the Anglicized version) was known as the great for his feat of ending the Norman invasion (for a while anyway as they would keep coming back). Conchobar was the eldest of his father's eight sons and took part in the defeating of Norman soldiers, earning a name for himself as a skilled fighter. He is called the butcher over in England for how many villages he pillaged and burned.
Once Conchobar returned to Ireland, he found himself fighting for his place as his father's heir, avoiding an assassination attempt and fighting against his own own uncle. But in the end, he fought just as he did against the Normans, viciously and ruthlessly.
When his father died, he traveled to Rome, almost emptying his coffers in order to be crowned by the pope himself. While he was there, he met King Philip II of France who suggested they make an alliance against the English. Having a deep hatred for those who attempted to take his country, Conchobar agreed. The two men, despite coming from vastly different cultures, would become unlikely friends, visiting each other's country twice and exchanging many letters.
King John of England tried to reach out to him, in hopes he would support John's war against the English barons. Conchobar who had fought with John's father and then his brother Richard, laughed at him, telling him, the only way Ireland would get itself involved with the English, it would be to stop any invaders.
In his personal life, Conchobar was married to a woman named Áine, who he had seven sons with. There are a few records of his daughters, only a scant few mentions of two of his girls who were either his daughters or nieces who married two of his political rivals.
For a man who lived most of his adult life, fighting for one reason or another, he died peacefully in his bed at age seventy. After his death, his son, Ruaidrí would become the new High King of Ireland.
[2] Ruadrí II was the third son of King Conchobar I. Born in 1195, he was originally destined for the Church, but two events changed his fate. The first was the untimely death of his older brother, and then Tanaiste, Brian, in 1210. Brian died in a horse-riding accident, though many suspect he was murdered by his brother, Seamus. Seamus was beyond ambitious and was noted for his cruelty, which led to many contemporaries accusing him of murdering Brian. It didn't help Seamus that he was his Father's least favourite son. Thus, Conchobar, would see to it that in 1218, Ruaidrí was elected the Taniaste. Seamus was angered by this and led a short-lived result, which was defeated, and he was exiled to England. In 1221, Conchobar died and Ruaidrí ascended the throne as Ruaidrí II, and held a splendorous coronation in Dublin.
In 1222, Ruaidrí would negotiate his marriage to the King of Alba’s niece, Lady Isabella Stewart, in a bid to create an alliance against England. The marriage would be agreed to in 1223. Isabela would be given a warm welcoming in Ireland, with a ceremony being held in her honour in Dublin, one which was remarked for it's great pomp. Ruaidrí would also be quite devoted to his wife, with no sources even speculating that he had an extramarital affair. The two would share ten kids, though only a few survived.
In 1224, Ireland and Alba launched a joint campaign against the Kingdom of Norway. The two Kingdoms hoped to conquer multiple small islands held by Norway, such as the Isle of Mann. Ruaidrí would lead his armies in person, and was noted to be a capable commander. After 4 long and bloody years, the Irish and Scots emerged victorious, defeating Norway and dividing the spoils of war between them. Ireland would gain the Isle of Man and the Islands of Iona, Islay and Arran. Ruaidrí would quickly install his favourite, Eoin O'Súilleabháin as the new Archbishop of Iona in 1227.
In 1228, Ruadrí's exiled brother, Seamus returned from exile in England with a force of 3,000 men, comprised mostly of mercenaries. The group would lay siege to Waterford that same year. Ruadrí rallied veterans from his recent war with Norway and march south to defeat his enemies. Annoyingly, they would scatter across the south, and utilises Guerrilla warfare tactics against him for the next year. After months of trial and error, Ruaidrí successfully lured Seamus's force into battle, at the Skirmish of Skibbereen, where Ruaidrí would emerge victorious, massacring the enemy force and capturing the enemy force. Ruaidrí would return to Dublin with his brother and had him kept under tight watch in his Castle.
In the final months of his life, Ruaidrí passed the Hereditary Act, which decreed that the King was to choose his successor before his death, and should he die prior to naming an heir, the crown would go to the nearest blood relative. Only a few weeks after this act passed, Ruaidrí fell ill with tuberculosis and died. He would be succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Turlough.
[3] Born in 1227, Turlough was the first child of Ruadr and Isabella to live past his first birthday. (Turlough’s seven older siblings, including a set of twins, each died young from a range of childhood illnesses. Before Turlough’s birth, Isabella wrote home saying “All he (Rory) has every given me is dead children”). Though only three years old at his father’s death, Turlough was legally his father’s heir due to Hereditary Act. This was challenged by several different claimants, all of which found Isabella an able opponent. She was able to secure her son a throne while being pregnant with her husband’s posthumous children. (She would give birth to twins some 5 months after the death of Rory)
Turlough would be forced to grow up fast. His early kingship shaped Turlough: Ireland was always his first priority and he would bring an intensity to ruling that impressed and intimidated his subjects.
He would marry a succession of Irish princesses: Muadhnait Ní Dhomhnaill (Maud O’Donnell) Princess of Tyrconnell, Labhaoise Nic Cárthaigh (Louise MacCarthy) Princess of Desmond, Eibhilín Ní Brian (Eileen O’Brian) Princess of Thomond, Ornóra Ní Néill (Honour O’Niell) Princess of Tyrone. And had an untold number of children. Turlough would use these marriages to bind the various lesser kingdoms closer to him and his dynasty.
Turlough brought that same single minded focus to choosing a successor that he brought to ruling. Several different sons and grandsons were examined and discarded before settling on Cormac late in the 1270s.
Turlough would pass away at age 62 from a winter chill. He was succeeded by his son, Hugh.
[4] Hugh was his father's seventh son by his third wife Eileen. He was born in 1260. His half-brother, Ruaidrí, had been his father's favorite but when he died supporting Prince Llywelyn of Wales against the English, leaving behind an infant son and an uncertain succession. Turlough deliberated over which of his sons should inherit. Eventually, he picked twelve-year-old Hugh. Historians suspect that Turlough wanted an heir young enough for him to groom, but not so young that if Turlough died, his son would be a child ruler, vulnerable to usurpation and used as a puppet.
Hugh married Gwladys ferch Dafydd, the niece of Prince Llywelyn of Wales when he was seventeen. He also took a leaf out of his father's book had took two concubines from the houses of other kingdoms. Wanting a closer relationship with the French, Hugh would start negotiating a marriage between his oldest son and the princess of France.
Unfortunately, King Philip III had two problems with the match. One, Hugh's son being the oldest did not mean he would actually succeed or that his children would. And two, the tradition of having concubines was far too close to bigamy for his comfort.
Hugh was ambitious and wanted his country's prestige to continue to grow, not to mention he felt that France would be a useful ally against the English invaders. Therefore three years after his father died and Hugh became king, he tried to outlaw having concubines, citing it was against secular law and that the oldest son would inherit everything.
This did not go over well with the triditional Irishmen and soon Hugh had a civil war on his hands. In 1302, he fell in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of_____
POD: High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair managed to repel the Norman Invaders.
High Kings of Ireland
1166-1198 Ruaidrí I the Great [O'Conor]
1198-1221 Conchobar I [O'Conor] [1]
1221-1230 Ruaidrí II [O’Conor] [2]
1230-1289 Toirdhealbhach II [O’Conor] [3]
1289-1302 Hugh I [O’Conor] [4]
1302-1328 Caoimhghín I [O’Conor] [5]
[5] Caoimhghín (modern day Kevin) was born in 1273 to Conchobar (the third son of Turlough by his second wife, Louise) and Alice (a daughter of an English Marcher lord). Alice had been captured during the Welsh/English War, and after the death of her father, her cousin was uninterested in ransoming her. She became Conchobar’s concubine and the mother of his only son.
Caoimhghín was Alice’s only child and the sole focus of her attention. She ensured he received an education worthy of the grandson of a King and pushed his interests in court winning him lands of his own. This left Caoimhghín with the impression that the world revolved around him and that he was capable of anything. Unfortunately for several people, he was capable of a lot.
Alice had a complicated relationship with her homeland that had raised and abandoned her. But her familiarity with the Welsh Marches that she passed onto her son would serve him well later in life.
Caoimhghín grew to adulthood during his uncle’s reign, and agreed with him that it was time for Ireland to be heard on a larger scale. But Caoimhghín disagreed with the alliance with France, thinking that Ireland shouldn’t be beholden to anybody to gain influence.
As such, Caoimhghín was an obvious focal point when the civil war started. Hugh, and later his eldest son, Lorcan, were backed by Wales, and it was here that Caoimhghín’s familiarity with the Marcher Lord’s mattered. Caoimhghín reached out to several Marcher Lords alerting them of various moments of the Welsh army. And caught between the Irish and the English, Prince Llywelyn found himself unable to support Lorcan. Without Welsh support, Lorcan was unable to continue his fight for the throne and surrendered. He would spend the rest of his life under house arrest and died from a winter chill some years later.
Caoimhghín was already married to a woman named Eithne, and two children by her. But for reasons unknown he considered her unsuitable as Queen and shortly after Caoimhghín was crowned Eithne would retire to a nunnery, and Caoimhghín went searching for a Queen. He found Margaret Eriksdatter, illegitimate daughter of the Norwegian King. They wed in 1307. (He had been offered Agnes Eriksdatter, the legitimate daughter of King Erik, but that marriage alliance required a guarantee that her son would be heir, a guarantee Caoimhghín wasn’t willing to give)
Caoimhghín would also take three concubines fairly early in his reign: Bronagh or Bronwen, his cousin and the daughter of Hugh and Gwladys ferch Dafydd; Sorcha Ní Dhomhnaill (Sarah O’Donnell) niece of the King of Tyrconnell; and a Lady known as Constance who appears to have been from Brittany or Normandy.
After securing his throne and arranging his marriage, Caoimhghín turned his attention to Wales and the mess he had left there. The Second Welsh/English War had slowed to a slog as the same few castles were won and lost over and over again. Additionally Prince Llywelyn of Wales would fall in battle in 1309, and his son Owain was ill-prepared.
Caoimhghín reached out to Owain offering to help…. with a price. Wales would join the list of Kingdoms that Caoimhghín as High King ruled over and in return, Caoimhghín would drive the English away. Owain would accept, and Caoimhghín was as good as his word; the English would be driven out of Wales.
While Wales was the first instance of Caoimhghín’s pattern of causing problems and then showing up to solve those same problems, it was not the last. Next, He used the Irish navy to harass trade ships from the Lowlands, and then offered his assistance protecting those same ships. And he got away with it, causing Ireland to gain quite a bit of wealth and influence.
He would take two more concubines later in his reign: Ceridwen ferch Gruffudd, a minor Welsh noblewoman of renowned beauty in 1317 and another cousin (though the exact relation is unknown) Fineamhain Ní Conchobair (Feenawn O’Conor) in 1324. And in 1322, Queen Margaret died giving birth to her fourth child. Caoimhghín would remarry to Joan of Flanders, daughter of the Count of Flanders. Between his three wives and five concubines, Caoimhghín had over thirty children.
Caoimhghín chose several heirs throughout his reign before being succeeded by ________ when Caoimhghín died from a hunting accident in 1328.
High Kings of Ireland
1166-1198 Ruaidrí I the Great [O'Conor]
1198-1221 Conchobar I [O'Conor] [1]
1221-1230 Ruaidrí II [O’Conor] [2]
1230-1289 Toirdhealbhach II [O’Conor] [3]
1289-1302 Hugh I [O’Conor] [4]
1302-1328 Caoimhghín I [O’Conor] [5]
[5] Caoimhghín (modern day Kevin) was born in 1273 to Conchobar (the third son of Turlough by his second wife, Louise) and Alice (a daughter of an English Marcher lord). Alice had been captured during the Welsh/English War, and after the death of her father, her cousin was uninterested in ransoming her. She became Conchobar’s concubine and the mother of his only son.
Caoimhghín was Alice’s only child and the sole focus of her attention. She ensured he received an education worthy of the grandson of a King and pushed his interests in court winning him lands of his own. This left Caoimhghín with the impression that the world revolved around him and that he was capable of anything. Unfortunately for several people, he was capable of a lot.
Alice had a complicated relationship with her homeland that had raised and abandoned her. But her familiarity with the Welsh Marches that she passed onto her son would serve him well later in life.
Caoimhghín grew to adulthood during his uncle’s reign, and agreed with him that it was time for Ireland to be heard on a larger scale. But Caoimhghín disagreed with the alliance with France, thinking that Ireland shouldn’t be beholden to anybody to gain influence.
As such, Caoimhghín was an obvious focal point when the civil war started. Hugh, and later his eldest son, Lorcan, were backed by Wales, and it was here that Caoimhghín’s familiarity with the Marcher Lord’s mattered. Caoimhghín reached out to several Marcher Lords alerting them of various moments of the Welsh army. And caught between the Irish and the English, Prince Llywelyn found himself unable to support Lorcan. Without Welsh support, Lorcan was unable to continue his fight for the throne and surrendered. He would spend the rest of his life under house arrest and died from a winter chill some years later.
Caoimhghín was already married to a woman named Eithne, and two children by her. But for reasons unknown he considered her unsuitable as Queen and shortly after Caoimhghín was crowned Eithne would retire to a nunnery, and Caoimhghín went searching for a Queen. He found Margaret Eriksdatter, illegitimate daughter of the Norwegian King. They wed in 1307. (He had been offered Agnes Eriksdatter, the legitimate daughter of King Erik, but that marriage alliance required a guarantee that her son would be heir, a guarantee Caoimhghín wasn’t willing to give)
Caoimhghín would also take three concubines fairly early in his reign: Bronagh or Bronwen, his cousin and the daughter of Hugh and Gwladys ferch Dafydd; Sorcha Ní Dhomhnaill (Sarah O’Donnell) niece of the King of Tyrconnell; and a Lady known as Constance who appears to have been from Brittany or Normandy.
After securing his throne and arranging his marriage, Caoimhghín turned his attention to Wales and the mess he had left there. The Second Welsh/English War had slowed to a slog as the same few castles were won and lost over and over again. Additionally Prince Llywelyn of Wales would fall in battle in 1309, and his son Owain was ill-prepared.
Caoimhghín reached out to Owain offering to help…. with a price. Wales would join the list of Kingdoms that Caoimhghín as High King ruled over and in return, Caoimhghín would drive the English away. Owain would accept, and Caoimhghín was as good as his word; the English would be driven out of Wales.
While Wales was the first instance of Caoimhghín’s pattern of causing problems and then showing up to solve those same problems, it was not the last. Next, He used the Irish navy to harass trade ships from the Lowlands, and then offered his assistance protecting those same ships. And he got away with it, causing Ireland to gain quite a bit of wealth and influence.
He would take two more concubines later in his reign: Ceridwen ferch Gruffudd, a minor Welsh noblewoman of renowned beauty in 1317 and another cousin (though the exact relation is unknown) Fineamhain Ní Conchobair (Feenawn O’Conor) in 1324. And in 1322, Queen Margaret died giving birth to her fourth child. Caoimhghín would remarry to Joan of Flanders, daughter of the Count of Flanders. Between his three wives and five concubines, Caoimhghín had over thirty children.
Caoimhghín chose several heirs throughout his reign before being succeeded by ________ when Caoimhghín died from a hunting accident in 1328.
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I assume the 5s in this paragraph should be 3s??
I'm also surprised to see the proud Welsh submitting to Irish rule so easily, but it's your turn, so, author Fiat, I suppose
Yep, I'm too used to Tudor time
It helps that it's much more hands off than what the English wanted. Still separate like all the other Irish Kingdoms.I'm also surprised to see the proud Welsh submitting to Irish rule so easily, but it's your turn, so, author Fiat, I suppose
Hey great addition, I do have a few notes though:
I don't know where O'Marley comes from?
We're not supposed to get to specific about offspring, it constricts the next person's turn. Instead you want to say something like "He had two sons and two daughters with his wife, and never took any concubines"
The Duchy of Normandy had a holding of the French Royal family at this point, you might want to pick the Duchy of Brittany. Or not, depends on what you're going for.
Again, too much of a constraint on the next person. Instead try "his _______, __________"
POD: Maria Komnene has a twin brother
Emperors and Autocrats of the Romans
1143-1180: Manuel I (House of Komnenos)
1180-1222: Romanos V (House of Komnenos) [1]
1222-1239: Leo VII (House of Komnenos) [2]
1239-1268: Alexios II (House of Komnenos) [3]
1268-1270: Michael VIII (House of Komnenos) [4]
1270-1294: Constantine XI (House of Mongolikí) [5]
1294-1308: Alexander II (House of Mongolikí) [6]
1308-1319: Civil War [7]
1319-1343: Manuel II (House of Komnenos-Doukas)[8]
1343-1348: Alexios III (House of Komnenos-Doukas) [9]
1348-1353: Constantine XII (House of Komnenos-Doukas) [10]
[10] Constantine was only seven when his father died and his brother became Emperor. Then he was twelve years old when his brother died of the bubonic plague. His mother was devastated and would leave his regency in the hands of his advisors who quickly took advantage of the young and wholly unprepared emperor to meet their own ends.
Feeling as though he was walking in his brother's shadow, neglected by his grieving mother, the young emperor was a gloomy boy who kept to himself. He did not seem to want to be emperor and often compared himself to a caged bird who longed to fly away. He would often wander off, leaving his guardians frantic.
At age seventeen, just days before he was declared of age to rule, Constantine vanished. Unlike the other times where he would go off by himself, he did not come backs. Weeks turned into to months as search parties turned the kingdom upside down looking for him. However, they found nothing. To this day, it is unclear if he committed suicide, was assassinated or merely ran away and took a new identity. Years later, his successor would receive a letter and a ring that was said to have belonged to Emperor Constantine. What the contents of the letter was are unknown as_____burned it.
Emperors and Autocrats of the Romans
1143-1180: Manuel I (House of Komnenos)
1180-1222: Romanos V (House of Komnenos) [1]
1222-1239: Leo VII (House of Komnenos) [2]
1239-1268: Alexios II (House of Komnenos) [3]
1268-1270: Michael VIII (House of Komnenos) [4]
1270-1294: Constantine XI (House of Mongolikí) [5]
1294-1308: Alexander II (House of Mongolikí) [6]
1308-1319: Civil War [7]
1319-1343: Manuel II (House of Komnenos-Doukas)[8]
1343-1348: Alexios III (House of Komnenos-Doukas) [9]
1348-1353: Constantine XII (House of Komnenos-Doukas) [10]
[1]
Romanos Komnenos was born in 1152 with a twin sister, Maria, being born with him and would grow up to be an intelligent and competent young man, distinguishing himself as the heir to the throne during his period as the heir to throne and proving himself a worthy heir to the legacy of his father as Emperor. As such, when Manuel Komnenos died in 1180, his son Romanos would prove to be a worthy heir to the throne of Rhomania, especially with the Sultanate of Rum looming in the East.
As Emperor, Romanos Komnenos' reign would in many ways see the House of Komnenos reach new heights as he defeated and humbled the Sultanate of Rum, dealt with coup attempts by his uncle Andronikos Komnenos and the Angeloi, and presided over a period of peace and prosperity with many historians arguing his reign was the height of the Komnenian Restoration.
Romanos Komnenos would marry the daughter of a prominent noble family with Romanos and his wife having four children. Romanos V would die in 1222 with a smile on his face, with his son, Leo, as the new Emperor.
[2] Leo, the little lion as his family and friends would affectionately called him, was born in 1173, the first child of his parents. As he grew older, his best friend was his uncle Alexios who was only four years his senior. In 1178, Leo's grandfather, Emperor Manuel arranged for his grandson to marry Agnes of France, the youngest daughter of King Louis VII. However, the match would not be finalized until his father, Romanos became Emperor and officially declared Leo as his heir. In 1181, Agnes, renamed Anna, would travel from France to Constantinople. They would not be officially married until the groom was fifteen and the bride was seventeen in 1188. They would go on to have nine children.
When the Fourth Crusade started, Leo was eager to join, believing that that with a common enemy, the East and the West of Christianity could start an equal cohabitation. His father choose to focus on dealing with the attacks by Sultanate of Rum. Father and son fought side by side as they conquered the lands of the Muslims. Meanwhile the fourth crusade would fail and many people felt it was the fault of the the Komnenos.
In 1222, just days after he was crowned, Leo learned that French, Italian and Venetian mercenaries were plotting to attack Constantinople. The source was his wife, Anna of France. Legend has it, she had dream from God, warning her by sending her a vision of Constantinople burning. Others suspect, she herself was warned by a sympathetic friend in France and instead of fleeing with her children, she chose to inform her husband.
Whatever story was true, Leo did his best to build the defense for his city, even sending his wife and children in hiding. He decided to launch a preemptive attack on the Republic of Veince, having his troops storm the beaches, sacking the city in the process.
That backfired badly. The Pope had not been happy with a Crusade being started without his consent and when he heard of it, he had drawn up a bill threatening excommunication to anyone who marched on Constantinople, the sacking of Venice, however, was a affront and he demanded now fully endorsed the proposed attack.
Upon hearing of this, Leo wanted to attack Rome in retaliation to what he felt was a betrayal, only to be talked out of it by his wife. "They will forgive Venice in time, but you will always be known as the man who raped the holiest city in all of Christindom," she wrote to him. His other advisors, including his uncle agreed with her and counseled him, just to focus on expanding their Italian properties.
Instead Leo would focus on reclaiming the country of Ravenna. With the Franks fighting with the English and the Republic of Venice still recovering from the damage done, Emperor Leo's troops were met by the Papal and Italian troops. At first the Empire of the Romans was winning, until the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary got involved.
Leo realized that he would soon be outnumbered and outmatched so he decided to end the war in white peace, returning the spoils of his war with Venice (most of it anyway) and signing a peace treaty.
In 1230, he turned his sights towards Bulgaria, deciding that if he could not have his lands in Italy, he take them from Bulgaria. He allied himself with Hungary as they agreed to split the lands of Bulgaria. To make the alliance official, it was agreed that his granddaughter would marry King Béla IV. The war would end in 1237 after the defeat of the Tsar of Bulgaria who was struck down by Leo himself.
Leo would die two years from food poisoning after eating some bad fished. He left his empire to his grandson, Alexios the II.
[3] Alexios Komnenos was Leo's eldest grandson by his eldest son, Manuel, and was born either in the year 1217 or 1218, although it is still to this day uncertain. Weak of stature, Alexios would have a weak relationship with his grandfather who prefered his younger siblings and cousins, but would still rise to be Emperor after his death due to the close support of his siblings.
Alexios' mark on the Roman Empire would be his cofidication of the Codex Iulia, named after his wife, Julia of Sicily which he would marry in 1227. The Codex would set up a permanet law of succession for the Roman Empire, wiping away "republicanisms" and setting up a pure male-preferable hereditary monarchy. Otherwise, Alexios' would be famous supporter of architecture and infrastructure - his great works in Thessalonica, Iconium, Corinth, Constantinople and Smyrna, and his investment in new fortifications, roads and ports, would permanently alter the military and economic capabilities of the Empire for future generations. In Anatolia, with Leo's great achievement of a frontier in the Taurus mountains, Alexios' would inert a program of converting both turks and Islamized greeks, all the while re-settling the interior with Bulgarian, Greeks, Cumas and Pechenegs.
There was only one war during his reign - the fifth crusade. Alexios would become a patron due to his extremely good relations with the west and would help organize it - Two crusader armies would linger in Roman territorry awaiting a third that would invade Egypt by surprise after the initial advance into Syria and Palestine - the first one, led by Andrew of Hungary, with Frederick of Austria as sub-commander, would be stationed in Iconium, and would advance through Cilicia into Syria, storming Antioch by surprise and, unexpectedly, marching down the coastal levant. William of Brabant would lead a second one, that through the use of the Roman Navy, would depart Smyrna later, landing in Palestine as Andrew's army left Antioch. The two would accidentally surround the armies of As-Salih, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and would give him a through trashing in the battle of Beirut, all the while, the third crusader army, led by Alphonse of Poitou, Count of Poitou and Toulouse, Prince of France, landed in Damietta with 15000 men.
Alexios' logistics and supplying of the Crusaders would lead to the inevitable conquest of Egypt, as the disciplined army of Alphonse of France stormed through the Nile Delta and conquered most of it - while the new Sultan, All-Muazzam, would retreat to Damascus, fighting William and Andrew through the use of guerilla warfare. Nonetheless, the advance of the two leaders would see most of coastal Levant conquered, although both men would soon get in arguments with Hugh of Cyprus and Jerusalem as to how the spoils were to be divided. With Alphonse of France distracted as he conquered the leaderless Egypt, William and Andrew would turn on each other, with the death of Andrew in battle seeing most of the central European contingent leaving, William of Brabant would soon also leave, leaving Hugh of Cyprus with two many Crusaders to handle and Al-Muazzam to face in Damascus.
Alexios would quickly attempt to spread his influence in both Egypt and the Levant, but Alphonse's quick storming of Egypt (Alphone of Poitou, the first Crusader King of Egypt, would, as a show of faith to God, leave all his European properties to his brother, the King of France, keeping much of Egypt's delta as his personal demesne in the highly contested land-grab that was the conquest of Egypt) would rebuke him, while Hugh would only swear fealty to him if he intervened in his favour.
Alexios, riddled with sickness and indecision, would die in 1268, leaving the question of what to do with the victorious crusaders to his heir, Michael.
[4] Michael VIII Komnenos was born in 1249 to Alexios II and his wife and would grow up to be an intelligent and strong young man, a worthy heir to his father's throne with a reign full of energy and competence as Michael VIII would make deals with the Crusader States, continue the policies of reclamation in Anatolia, and continue to reform the administration. His reign would be a reign marked by great vigor and competent rule over the Empire but tragically, his reign would only be two years.
However, all of Michael VIII's efforts as Emperor would be cut short in 1270 as the Mongols, having forged the largest empire up until then, would invade the Empire of Rhomania with Emperor Michael VIII dying with most of his army in the Battle of Theodosiopolis in Eastern Anatolia. With Anatolia and the Levant open to Mongol invasion, the throne of Rhomania would fall to Mongke Temur, the conqueror.
[5] The eldest son of Hulagu, Ilkhan of the Mongols of Iran and Khorasan, Mongke Temur would be the leader of the Mongol invasion force that could have brought down the whole Eastern Roman Empire, but he didn't. In one of history's most ironic moments, the aftermath of the battle of Theodosiopolis would see much of the Mongol army (And most of it's leaders) dead, but a strong force of twenty-five thousand would remain. Despite this, Mongke Temur, whose succession in Persia was very shadowy, decided to continue to advance, and, just as the Seljuks before them, carve for himself his own land from the corpse of Rome. Instead, life would take a funny trajectory that would permantly alter the nature of the land.
The death of Michael the VIII left his underaged (and possibly mentally ill) nephew, Andronikos, as the rightful inheritor to the Roman throne, but as the Roman state saw itself under so much pressure, the regency of Michael's only sister living in Roman land still, Irene, was in danger. In was thus that a treaty would be forged that would permanently alter the face of the Roman Empire. Mongke Temur, as he neared Iconium in what was a mostly desperate push as the Mongol army faced disentry and was forced to sack the land to survive, was aproached by Irene's emissaries. Irene would marry him, and if Mongke Temur (and his forces) converted to Orthodoxy, he would have an empire of his own. Despite the enormous pressure, the offer was just too good for Mongke Temur to pass by. As he was allowed entry into Constantinople by Irene, Mongke Temur would fall under the shadow of the Hagia Sophia and would kneel. In one of history's most romantized moments, the would be destroyer of Rome knelt before the church of the almighty, and rose as Constantine XI.
Having left behind his pagan wives and concubines behind, Mongke Temur, or as he was now, Constantine, fell into a deep love for his new Empire. The great works of the Roman, their culture and their history took him, and with the force of the remnants of his army and the Romans own, Constantine would become one of the most powerful rulers of the world. He and his opportunistic wife, Irene, would have more than seven children.
Constantine's decision to take over the reigns of Rome and betray his family was not taken lightly, his father and remaining brothers would launch a new invasion of Rome that would be trashed by Constantine in what is now known as the Second Battle of Manzikert. The Romans, doubtful of their barbarian Emperor, rallied around the victorious foreigner. A sense of arrogance and strenght took Constantine, and for the first time in ages Roman armies would cross into Mesopotamia, and in classic Mongol fashion, Constantine and his very much varied army would sack much of Jazira and northern Mesopotamia, and would see the Romans annex Aleppo and Antioch, regaining a foothold in Syria. The Romans, for years doubtful of their new Emperor, would turn worship the mongol-turned-romans feet, as he would lead them to victory after victory.
Rebellions in both Anatolia and the Balkans would be crushed, wars with Hungary would be won and the Dacian lands and the Serbian Kingdom subdued in lightning-like fashion. Constantine would turn inwards - his deep piety would make him one of the church's greatest patrons, and his wars in Crimea, Georgia and against his own brothers and cousins of both the Golden horde and the Ilkhans would see Rome reach a zenith it had not reached for generations. With Serbia, Wallachia and Moldavia, Georgia and Circassia as vassals and tributaries, and with an Empire that stretched from Greece, Albania and Bulgaria in Europe to Shirvan in the East and Northern Syria, the Mongol Emperor would be called a new "Macedonius".
The battle of Jaffa, fought by Louis of Egypt and Jerusalem, ruler of Egypt, Cyrenaica and Palestine in what was one of the Mongol's largest attempts to conquer the Levant once and for all, would see the Mongol army devastated in what would forever break (At least in the west and near east) break the belief of Mongol invincibility. With his grudging brothers humiliated, and their ambitions of claiming justice from Constantine for his betrayal, Constantine the "Prosperous" would rule a great Empire from the city of the World's desire.
It was really in the end, though, that the danger of Mongol, Rome finally shook. Aged and sick, the sons of Andronikos the ill would take up arms against Constantine and his sons, starting a civil war that sought to cleanse the Empire of it's new Mongolo-Roman rulers. In the end, disease took him, and Constantine would die just at the onset of the war. The victor of the civil war, Alexander, would inherit the Empire he left behind.
[6] Born in 1271 as the first child of Emperor Constantine XI and Empress Irene, Alexander grew up to be a intelligent and strong man, and ascended the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire on the eve of the Second Roman War of Succession (the first happened between 1071 and 1072) and lasted from 1294 to 1300, where he fought and killed almost all of the sons of Andronikos the ill, expect for his youngest, Michael.
For the rest of his reign, Alexander worked on consolidating the territory that was conquered during his father's reign as Emperor. In his personal life, Alexander married Princess Eleanor of Aragon in 1293, whom he had four children with. Alexander's reign was cut short in 1308 when he was killed in his sleep by Michael (who styled himself as "Michael IX"), leaving a civil war to determine the new Roman Emperor.
[7] Upon learning of the Emperor's death by the hands of Michael Komnenos, those loyal to Alexander would quickly grab his underage children, hiding them away as they fought for them. Alexander's oldest son was only five years old with his oldest daughter being ten.
Unfortunately, the loyalist (or Mongol lovers as their enemies would call them) became divvied as some would try and put Constantine's second son, on the throne.
However, his enemies fighting among himself did not help the so-called Emperor Michael IX for even those who saw Alexander as a Mongol mutt detested the way he was murdered and many just preferred to watch to see who would win. Others went looking for a descendant of a Komnenos' female line.
It soon became a four-way war:
1. Alexander III, five-year-old son of the murdered Emperor Alexander. He is a dour boy, perhaps because despite his young age, he realized the amount of danger he is in. His current heir is his two-year-old brother, Constantine and after him, his sister Irene who is known to be an intelligent girl, wise beyond her years.
2. Augustus (born Alexois), the second son of Constantine. He is a military minded man who has a secret fondness for his Mongol heritage, knowing to be quite brutal to his enemies. He believes that him taking his nephew's crown is necessary and has made it clear he bears no ill will towards nephews and nieces. Or so he says. Many doubt the truth of his words, considering he was a big advocate of destroying the houses of their enemies whether they were children or not.
3. Michael IX. Seen to seem as righteous man who killed his father and brothers' murderer for justice and self-defense. He hopes to take advantage of the squabbling between Alexander III and his uncle, to end the Mongol rule once and for all.
4. Antonina Doukas, granddaughter of Maria Komnene. She is twenty-years-old. The people who flock to her, see her as a compromise between the Mongol descendants, but also not associated with the unhonorable deeds of Michael. She is a known to be a brave and charismatic leader, inspiring those to follow her with grand speeches, often leading the troops herself.
The war lasted eleven years before a side emerged victorious, those who supported Michael and Antonina would emerge victorious.
[8] The son of the last of the Komnenoi, Michael of Thessalonica, the killer of the Alexander the II and Antonina Doukas, the favourite of Rhoma's nobility, he was born in 1314 of the desperate alliance between the supporters of the Komnenoi and the compromising parties of Southern Greece and the Anatolian Coast that supported Antonina Doukaina. Still, Augustus' of Cappadocia quaint capture of Constantinople and the death of Alexander the III of the "plague" and the subsequent death of Sebastos Constantine by lynching outside of Blacharnae palace saw the "mongol" faction of the Empire coalesce around Augustus. The war would drag on for a few years, but it would come to an explosive end in 1319 as the "Battle for Nicaea" saw Michael die in the middle of the battle, but a counter charge led by Michael's Megas Domestikos and greatest ally, Alexios Konstantephanos, surrounded Augustus' honour guard of Turkish and Tartar slave-soldiers butchered and Augustus himself struck down.
The Michaeline party, through Alexios' desperate attempt, had won the field. The remainder of the Komnenid army, twelve thousand soldiers out of twenty-one thousand that had taken to the field under Michael, took more than seven thousand of their Roman bretheren prisioner, and so, Antonina, despaired with grief but content with victory, ordered the march to Constantinople, and her army would indeed have the gates of the city opened to them, as the only remainder Mongolikí, Maria of Adrianople, was barely eleven, and her strongest supporters had either died with her uncle Augustus or had deserted her after his death. Still, Antonina, desiring vengeance and her rise to the purple, would never see it - As she and her retinue traveled to Constantinople by ship from Smyrna, her greatest bastion, an assassin disguised as a sailor would throw Antonina overboard, and the almost-empress, wearing most of her jewels and a heavy dress with mail underneath, would drown.
It was thus that all major contenders of the civil war were dead - and only two remained - Manuel himself, and his future wife, Maria Mongolikí. Manuel would be hurried to Constantinople by the Megas Domestikos turned regent, Konstantephanos, and the children - aged five and eleven respectivelly, were quickly married by the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Constantinople and the whole Empire then, erupted into celebration. After years of war - peace had been found, and for now the Empire could once more begin to heal. And heal it would.
A modern recreation of a painting of Emperor Manuel the II by Milanese artist Federico Galleazo Chiella.
The regency of Manuel the II, is, by Byzantine standards, perhaps one of the best in history. Headed by Megas Domestikos, leader of the Byzantine army and famous for it's modernization during this same time, establishing a system of training of cavalry especially in Anatolia and in Northern Bulgaria, making the use of the crossbow widespread in Byzantium's military, the developing of more establishments of Greek fire, and a refurbishment and adaptation of the Rhoman navy using the adoption of many Levantine and Italian techniques and their upgrading, Alexios Konstantephanos and his coleagues in the regency would manage to both secure the Empire's frontiers and break down an almost-rebellion in Bulgaria.
Manuel would only come into his own when he was eighteen, as Konstantephanos, now aged and having casted a large shadow over the young Emperor, retired to his estates in Anatolikon and stayed there until he died, forgotten. Manuel, however, was grateful. His reign started in earnest - with the birth of his first child seen as a blessing, as the Empire would sorely need it. The civil war fought by his father and mother had left the Empire lacking in Tributaries, and while the frontiers had been mostly re-established in their security, Georgia and Circassia had both been taken by the Golden Horde, who threatened Rhome's last remaining vassals in Wallachia and Moldavia. It was thus, that after many years of recovery that Manuel would lead the only war of his reign - as the age old alliance between Rhomania and the Rus was re-established, Manuel and his Megas Domestikos, Bardas of the Angeloi, would lead a double invasion from the Caucasus and through an army that would land in Crimea and push north to join with the forces of the resurgent Kiev under Danilo Siverski and possibly Ivan of Moscow. Manuel himself, would lead a large contigent of Anatolian soldiers that would march through the Black sea Coast through Georgia and Circassia, collecting many of these levies along the way. Muhammed Uzbeg Khan, who did not expect Byzantine intervention after years of decadence, found himself unable to decide which enemy to face, Manuel's large Caucasian army, Angelos and Sievierki's combined army that marched to join it or the many revolting princes led by the Danilovich princes. Eventually, the Khan, perhaps too late, would turn to face Manuel, with the intention of cutting the head of the snake, but the by now seasened emperor tricked the aged Khan into faltering, defeating him and impressionism him in battle. To the great shame of all Tatars of the Golden Horde, Manuel had his wife, who was regent for him in Constantinople, sail to Tanais (OTL Rostov-on-Don), the newly built fort-town built to secure the newly adquired outpost of Azov, and Uzbeg Khan, a muslim, was forced to recognized Maria, a Christian, as rightful ruler of all the Mongols. Manuel, content with Crimea and with guaranteing the safety of Georgia and his Circassian vassals and other allies North of the Caucasus Mountains, returned to Constantinople.
Manuel would celebrate his great victory over the Mongols by building both a new palace for the royal family in the center of Constantinople and by building a great Hippodrome (Two projects which he would never see to completion), dreaming of returning to the old days of great games in it. He would become a famed patron of artists, scientists, engineers, arquitects, tacticians and inventors, and he himself would sponsor a few major projects, like the restoration of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, or the Hagia Sophia of Iconium, or the great Aqueduct of Attica to ensure the growing cities of the southern Aegean had plenty of supply. Manuel would sponsor a religious renewal that would see Orthodoxy and Catholicism attempt to fix the bridges between the two, gaining Manuel many friends in the west. It was at this time, that he would recognize the papal legate to Palestine, Alphone of Naples, as Patriarch of Jerusalem on his own right, as long as the ever-developing Empire of Egypt recognized the restored Patriarchy in Antioch.
The growth of Crusader Egypt under the Capetian Poitevins, had, however, eclipsed the Rhoman Empire both in terms of political and socio-military influence, however. The Alphonsines, as they were known by the Franks of the west, had established a ruthless autocracy centered in Menefer (The Frankish rename for Cairo) and Alexandria, and from there exerted deep influence all over the Eastern Mediterranean, Levant and North Africa. The Rhoman economy saw a slight hit as the Italian republics would turn towards Egypt for profit, but the two states, despite contesting claims to each other's territory in Northern Syria, were on friendly grounds with Emperor Lothaire of Poitous marrying Manuel's remaining sister.
Manuel would suffer a crippling injury in 1342, however, as the Imperial family traveled through Kastamone, falling from his horse. The Emperor would never reach the intended destination of Trebizond, dying in the arms of his wife a few months later, his senses taken from him. He and Maria Mongolikí, despite having been enemies, truly loved each other, and shared more than seven children by Manuel's death. He would be succeeded by his son Emperor Alexois.
[9] Emperor Alexios III was born as the first-born son and heir of Emperor Manuel II and would be someone who would gain a reputation as a precocious and talented young boy who would become Emperor at the age of eleven after his father's death. Most of his reign would be marked by how he would be under the regency of his mother with Alexios III only becoming Emperor in his own right in 1348. However, later that year, tragedy would strike the young and intelligent Emperor.
Alexios III's reign would be cut short when the bubonic plague reached Constantinople with the young Emperor being cut down in his prime as a result of the bubonic plague. His successor would be, owing to his early death from the plague before he could marry, his brother Constance.
As Emperor, Romanos Komnenos' reign would in many ways see the House of Komnenos reach new heights as he defeated and humbled the Sultanate of Rum, dealt with coup attempts by his uncle Andronikos Komnenos and the Angeloi, and presided over a period of peace and prosperity with many historians arguing his reign was the height of the Komnenian Restoration.
Romanos Komnenos would marry the daughter of a prominent noble family with Romanos and his wife having four children. Romanos V would die in 1222 with a smile on his face, with his son, Leo, as the new Emperor.
[2] Leo, the little lion as his family and friends would affectionately called him, was born in 1173, the first child of his parents. As he grew older, his best friend was his uncle Alexios who was only four years his senior. In 1178, Leo's grandfather, Emperor Manuel arranged for his grandson to marry Agnes of France, the youngest daughter of King Louis VII. However, the match would not be finalized until his father, Romanos became Emperor and officially declared Leo as his heir. In 1181, Agnes, renamed Anna, would travel from France to Constantinople. They would not be officially married until the groom was fifteen and the bride was seventeen in 1188. They would go on to have nine children.
When the Fourth Crusade started, Leo was eager to join, believing that that with a common enemy, the East and the West of Christianity could start an equal cohabitation. His father choose to focus on dealing with the attacks by Sultanate of Rum. Father and son fought side by side as they conquered the lands of the Muslims. Meanwhile the fourth crusade would fail and many people felt it was the fault of the the Komnenos.
In 1222, just days after he was crowned, Leo learned that French, Italian and Venetian mercenaries were plotting to attack Constantinople. The source was his wife, Anna of France. Legend has it, she had dream from God, warning her by sending her a vision of Constantinople burning. Others suspect, she herself was warned by a sympathetic friend in France and instead of fleeing with her children, she chose to inform her husband.
Whatever story was true, Leo did his best to build the defense for his city, even sending his wife and children in hiding. He decided to launch a preemptive attack on the Republic of Veince, having his troops storm the beaches, sacking the city in the process.
That backfired badly. The Pope had not been happy with a Crusade being started without his consent and when he heard of it, he had drawn up a bill threatening excommunication to anyone who marched on Constantinople, the sacking of Venice, however, was a affront and he demanded now fully endorsed the proposed attack.
Upon hearing of this, Leo wanted to attack Rome in retaliation to what he felt was a betrayal, only to be talked out of it by his wife. "They will forgive Venice in time, but you will always be known as the man who raped the holiest city in all of Christindom," she wrote to him. His other advisors, including his uncle agreed with her and counseled him, just to focus on expanding their Italian properties.
Instead Leo would focus on reclaiming the country of Ravenna. With the Franks fighting with the English and the Republic of Venice still recovering from the damage done, Emperor Leo's troops were met by the Papal and Italian troops. At first the Empire of the Romans was winning, until the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary got involved.
Leo realized that he would soon be outnumbered and outmatched so he decided to end the war in white peace, returning the spoils of his war with Venice (most of it anyway) and signing a peace treaty.
In 1230, he turned his sights towards Bulgaria, deciding that if he could not have his lands in Italy, he take them from Bulgaria. He allied himself with Hungary as they agreed to split the lands of Bulgaria. To make the alliance official, it was agreed that his granddaughter would marry King Béla IV. The war would end in 1237 after the defeat of the Tsar of Bulgaria who was struck down by Leo himself.
Leo would die two years from food poisoning after eating some bad fished. He left his empire to his grandson, Alexios the II.
[3] Alexios Komnenos was Leo's eldest grandson by his eldest son, Manuel, and was born either in the year 1217 or 1218, although it is still to this day uncertain. Weak of stature, Alexios would have a weak relationship with his grandfather who prefered his younger siblings and cousins, but would still rise to be Emperor after his death due to the close support of his siblings.
Alexios' mark on the Roman Empire would be his cofidication of the Codex Iulia, named after his wife, Julia of Sicily which he would marry in 1227. The Codex would set up a permanet law of succession for the Roman Empire, wiping away "republicanisms" and setting up a pure male-preferable hereditary monarchy. Otherwise, Alexios' would be famous supporter of architecture and infrastructure - his great works in Thessalonica, Iconium, Corinth, Constantinople and Smyrna, and his investment in new fortifications, roads and ports, would permanently alter the military and economic capabilities of the Empire for future generations. In Anatolia, with Leo's great achievement of a frontier in the Taurus mountains, Alexios' would inert a program of converting both turks and Islamized greeks, all the while re-settling the interior with Bulgarian, Greeks, Cumas and Pechenegs.
There was only one war during his reign - the fifth crusade. Alexios would become a patron due to his extremely good relations with the west and would help organize it - Two crusader armies would linger in Roman territorry awaiting a third that would invade Egypt by surprise after the initial advance into Syria and Palestine - the first one, led by Andrew of Hungary, with Frederick of Austria as sub-commander, would be stationed in Iconium, and would advance through Cilicia into Syria, storming Antioch by surprise and, unexpectedly, marching down the coastal levant. William of Brabant would lead a second one, that through the use of the Roman Navy, would depart Smyrna later, landing in Palestine as Andrew's army left Antioch. The two would accidentally surround the armies of As-Salih, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and would give him a through trashing in the battle of Beirut, all the while, the third crusader army, led by Alphonse of Poitou, Count of Poitou and Toulouse, Prince of France, landed in Damietta with 15000 men.
Alexios' logistics and supplying of the Crusaders would lead to the inevitable conquest of Egypt, as the disciplined army of Alphonse of France stormed through the Nile Delta and conquered most of it - while the new Sultan, All-Muazzam, would retreat to Damascus, fighting William and Andrew through the use of guerilla warfare. Nonetheless, the advance of the two leaders would see most of coastal Levant conquered, although both men would soon get in arguments with Hugh of Cyprus and Jerusalem as to how the spoils were to be divided. With Alphonse of France distracted as he conquered the leaderless Egypt, William and Andrew would turn on each other, with the death of Andrew in battle seeing most of the central European contingent leaving, William of Brabant would soon also leave, leaving Hugh of Cyprus with two many Crusaders to handle and Al-Muazzam to face in Damascus.
Alexios would quickly attempt to spread his influence in both Egypt and the Levant, but Alphonse's quick storming of Egypt (Alphone of Poitou, the first Crusader King of Egypt, would, as a show of faith to God, leave all his European properties to his brother, the King of France, keeping much of Egypt's delta as his personal demesne in the highly contested land-grab that was the conquest of Egypt) would rebuke him, while Hugh would only swear fealty to him if he intervened in his favour.
Alexios, riddled with sickness and indecision, would die in 1268, leaving the question of what to do with the victorious crusaders to his heir, Michael.
[4] Michael VIII Komnenos was born in 1249 to Alexios II and his wife and would grow up to be an intelligent and strong young man, a worthy heir to his father's throne with a reign full of energy and competence as Michael VIII would make deals with the Crusader States, continue the policies of reclamation in Anatolia, and continue to reform the administration. His reign would be a reign marked by great vigor and competent rule over the Empire but tragically, his reign would only be two years.
However, all of Michael VIII's efforts as Emperor would be cut short in 1270 as the Mongols, having forged the largest empire up until then, would invade the Empire of Rhomania with Emperor Michael VIII dying with most of his army in the Battle of Theodosiopolis in Eastern Anatolia. With Anatolia and the Levant open to Mongol invasion, the throne of Rhomania would fall to Mongke Temur, the conqueror.
[5] The eldest son of Hulagu, Ilkhan of the Mongols of Iran and Khorasan, Mongke Temur would be the leader of the Mongol invasion force that could have brought down the whole Eastern Roman Empire, but he didn't. In one of history's most ironic moments, the aftermath of the battle of Theodosiopolis would see much of the Mongol army (And most of it's leaders) dead, but a strong force of twenty-five thousand would remain. Despite this, Mongke Temur, whose succession in Persia was very shadowy, decided to continue to advance, and, just as the Seljuks before them, carve for himself his own land from the corpse of Rome. Instead, life would take a funny trajectory that would permantly alter the nature of the land.
The death of Michael the VIII left his underaged (and possibly mentally ill) nephew, Andronikos, as the rightful inheritor to the Roman throne, but as the Roman state saw itself under so much pressure, the regency of Michael's only sister living in Roman land still, Irene, was in danger. In was thus that a treaty would be forged that would permanently alter the face of the Roman Empire. Mongke Temur, as he neared Iconium in what was a mostly desperate push as the Mongol army faced disentry and was forced to sack the land to survive, was aproached by Irene's emissaries. Irene would marry him, and if Mongke Temur (and his forces) converted to Orthodoxy, he would have an empire of his own. Despite the enormous pressure, the offer was just too good for Mongke Temur to pass by. As he was allowed entry into Constantinople by Irene, Mongke Temur would fall under the shadow of the Hagia Sophia and would kneel. In one of history's most romantized moments, the would be destroyer of Rome knelt before the church of the almighty, and rose as Constantine XI.
Having left behind his pagan wives and concubines behind, Mongke Temur, or as he was now, Constantine, fell into a deep love for his new Empire. The great works of the Roman, their culture and their history took him, and with the force of the remnants of his army and the Romans own, Constantine would become one of the most powerful rulers of the world. He and his opportunistic wife, Irene, would have more than seven children.
Constantine's decision to take over the reigns of Rome and betray his family was not taken lightly, his father and remaining brothers would launch a new invasion of Rome that would be trashed by Constantine in what is now known as the Second Battle of Manzikert. The Romans, doubtful of their barbarian Emperor, rallied around the victorious foreigner. A sense of arrogance and strenght took Constantine, and for the first time in ages Roman armies would cross into Mesopotamia, and in classic Mongol fashion, Constantine and his very much varied army would sack much of Jazira and northern Mesopotamia, and would see the Romans annex Aleppo and Antioch, regaining a foothold in Syria. The Romans, for years doubtful of their new Emperor, would turn worship the mongol-turned-romans feet, as he would lead them to victory after victory.
Rebellions in both Anatolia and the Balkans would be crushed, wars with Hungary would be won and the Dacian lands and the Serbian Kingdom subdued in lightning-like fashion. Constantine would turn inwards - his deep piety would make him one of the church's greatest patrons, and his wars in Crimea, Georgia and against his own brothers and cousins of both the Golden horde and the Ilkhans would see Rome reach a zenith it had not reached for generations. With Serbia, Wallachia and Moldavia, Georgia and Circassia as vassals and tributaries, and with an Empire that stretched from Greece, Albania and Bulgaria in Europe to Shirvan in the East and Northern Syria, the Mongol Emperor would be called a new "Macedonius".
The battle of Jaffa, fought by Louis of Egypt and Jerusalem, ruler of Egypt, Cyrenaica and Palestine in what was one of the Mongol's largest attempts to conquer the Levant once and for all, would see the Mongol army devastated in what would forever break (At least in the west and near east) break the belief of Mongol invincibility. With his grudging brothers humiliated, and their ambitions of claiming justice from Constantine for his betrayal, Constantine the "Prosperous" would rule a great Empire from the city of the World's desire.
It was really in the end, though, that the danger of Mongol, Rome finally shook. Aged and sick, the sons of Andronikos the ill would take up arms against Constantine and his sons, starting a civil war that sought to cleanse the Empire of it's new Mongolo-Roman rulers. In the end, disease took him, and Constantine would die just at the onset of the war. The victor of the civil war, Alexander, would inherit the Empire he left behind.
[6] Born in 1271 as the first child of Emperor Constantine XI and Empress Irene, Alexander grew up to be a intelligent and strong man, and ascended the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire on the eve of the Second Roman War of Succession (the first happened between 1071 and 1072) and lasted from 1294 to 1300, where he fought and killed almost all of the sons of Andronikos the ill, expect for his youngest, Michael.
For the rest of his reign, Alexander worked on consolidating the territory that was conquered during his father's reign as Emperor. In his personal life, Alexander married Princess Eleanor of Aragon in 1293, whom he had four children with. Alexander's reign was cut short in 1308 when he was killed in his sleep by Michael (who styled himself as "Michael IX"), leaving a civil war to determine the new Roman Emperor.
[7] Upon learning of the Emperor's death by the hands of Michael Komnenos, those loyal to Alexander would quickly grab his underage children, hiding them away as they fought for them. Alexander's oldest son was only five years old with his oldest daughter being ten.
Unfortunately, the loyalist (or Mongol lovers as their enemies would call them) became divvied as some would try and put Constantine's second son, on the throne.
However, his enemies fighting among himself did not help the so-called Emperor Michael IX for even those who saw Alexander as a Mongol mutt detested the way he was murdered and many just preferred to watch to see who would win. Others went looking for a descendant of a Komnenos' female line.
It soon became a four-way war:
1. Alexander III, five-year-old son of the murdered Emperor Alexander. He is a dour boy, perhaps because despite his young age, he realized the amount of danger he is in. His current heir is his two-year-old brother, Constantine and after him, his sister Irene who is known to be an intelligent girl, wise beyond her years.
2. Augustus (born Alexois), the second son of Constantine. He is a military minded man who has a secret fondness for his Mongol heritage, knowing to be quite brutal to his enemies. He believes that him taking his nephew's crown is necessary and has made it clear he bears no ill will towards nephews and nieces. Or so he says. Many doubt the truth of his words, considering he was a big advocate of destroying the houses of their enemies whether they were children or not.
3. Michael IX. Seen to seem as righteous man who killed his father and brothers' murderer for justice and self-defense. He hopes to take advantage of the squabbling between Alexander III and his uncle, to end the Mongol rule once and for all.
4. Antonina Doukas, granddaughter of Maria Komnene. She is twenty-years-old. The people who flock to her, see her as a compromise between the Mongol descendants, but also not associated with the unhonorable deeds of Michael. She is a known to be a brave and charismatic leader, inspiring those to follow her with grand speeches, often leading the troops herself.
The war lasted eleven years before a side emerged victorious, those who supported Michael and Antonina would emerge victorious.
[8] The son of the last of the Komnenoi, Michael of Thessalonica, the killer of the Alexander the II and Antonina Doukas, the favourite of Rhoma's nobility, he was born in 1314 of the desperate alliance between the supporters of the Komnenoi and the compromising parties of Southern Greece and the Anatolian Coast that supported Antonina Doukaina. Still, Augustus' of Cappadocia quaint capture of Constantinople and the death of Alexander the III of the "plague" and the subsequent death of Sebastos Constantine by lynching outside of Blacharnae palace saw the "mongol" faction of the Empire coalesce around Augustus. The war would drag on for a few years, but it would come to an explosive end in 1319 as the "Battle for Nicaea" saw Michael die in the middle of the battle, but a counter charge led by Michael's Megas Domestikos and greatest ally, Alexios Konstantephanos, surrounded Augustus' honour guard of Turkish and Tartar slave-soldiers butchered and Augustus himself struck down.
The Michaeline party, through Alexios' desperate attempt, had won the field. The remainder of the Komnenid army, twelve thousand soldiers out of twenty-one thousand that had taken to the field under Michael, took more than seven thousand of their Roman bretheren prisioner, and so, Antonina, despaired with grief but content with victory, ordered the march to Constantinople, and her army would indeed have the gates of the city opened to them, as the only remainder Mongolikí, Maria of Adrianople, was barely eleven, and her strongest supporters had either died with her uncle Augustus or had deserted her after his death. Still, Antonina, desiring vengeance and her rise to the purple, would never see it - As she and her retinue traveled to Constantinople by ship from Smyrna, her greatest bastion, an assassin disguised as a sailor would throw Antonina overboard, and the almost-empress, wearing most of her jewels and a heavy dress with mail underneath, would drown.
It was thus that all major contenders of the civil war were dead - and only two remained - Manuel himself, and his future wife, Maria Mongolikí. Manuel would be hurried to Constantinople by the Megas Domestikos turned regent, Konstantephanos, and the children - aged five and eleven respectivelly, were quickly married by the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Constantinople and the whole Empire then, erupted into celebration. After years of war - peace had been found, and for now the Empire could once more begin to heal. And heal it would.
A modern recreation of a painting of Emperor Manuel the II by Milanese artist Federico Galleazo Chiella.
The regency of Manuel the II, is, by Byzantine standards, perhaps one of the best in history. Headed by Megas Domestikos, leader of the Byzantine army and famous for it's modernization during this same time, establishing a system of training of cavalry especially in Anatolia and in Northern Bulgaria, making the use of the crossbow widespread in Byzantium's military, the developing of more establishments of Greek fire, and a refurbishment and adaptation of the Rhoman navy using the adoption of many Levantine and Italian techniques and their upgrading, Alexios Konstantephanos and his coleagues in the regency would manage to both secure the Empire's frontiers and break down an almost-rebellion in Bulgaria.
Manuel would only come into his own when he was eighteen, as Konstantephanos, now aged and having casted a large shadow over the young Emperor, retired to his estates in Anatolikon and stayed there until he died, forgotten. Manuel, however, was grateful. His reign started in earnest - with the birth of his first child seen as a blessing, as the Empire would sorely need it. The civil war fought by his father and mother had left the Empire lacking in Tributaries, and while the frontiers had been mostly re-established in their security, Georgia and Circassia had both been taken by the Golden Horde, who threatened Rhome's last remaining vassals in Wallachia and Moldavia. It was thus, that after many years of recovery that Manuel would lead the only war of his reign - as the age old alliance between Rhomania and the Rus was re-established, Manuel and his Megas Domestikos, Bardas of the Angeloi, would lead a double invasion from the Caucasus and through an army that would land in Crimea and push north to join with the forces of the resurgent Kiev under Danilo Siverski and possibly Ivan of Moscow. Manuel himself, would lead a large contigent of Anatolian soldiers that would march through the Black sea Coast through Georgia and Circassia, collecting many of these levies along the way. Muhammed Uzbeg Khan, who did not expect Byzantine intervention after years of decadence, found himself unable to decide which enemy to face, Manuel's large Caucasian army, Angelos and Sievierki's combined army that marched to join it or the many revolting princes led by the Danilovich princes. Eventually, the Khan, perhaps too late, would turn to face Manuel, with the intention of cutting the head of the snake, but the by now seasened emperor tricked the aged Khan into faltering, defeating him and impressionism him in battle. To the great shame of all Tatars of the Golden Horde, Manuel had his wife, who was regent for him in Constantinople, sail to Tanais (OTL Rostov-on-Don), the newly built fort-town built to secure the newly adquired outpost of Azov, and Uzbeg Khan, a muslim, was forced to recognized Maria, a Christian, as rightful ruler of all the Mongols. Manuel, content with Crimea and with guaranteing the safety of Georgia and his Circassian vassals and other allies North of the Caucasus Mountains, returned to Constantinople.
Manuel would celebrate his great victory over the Mongols by building both a new palace for the royal family in the center of Constantinople and by building a great Hippodrome (Two projects which he would never see to completion), dreaming of returning to the old days of great games in it. He would become a famed patron of artists, scientists, engineers, arquitects, tacticians and inventors, and he himself would sponsor a few major projects, like the restoration of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, or the Hagia Sophia of Iconium, or the great Aqueduct of Attica to ensure the growing cities of the southern Aegean had plenty of supply. Manuel would sponsor a religious renewal that would see Orthodoxy and Catholicism attempt to fix the bridges between the two, gaining Manuel many friends in the west. It was at this time, that he would recognize the papal legate to Palestine, Alphone of Naples, as Patriarch of Jerusalem on his own right, as long as the ever-developing Empire of Egypt recognized the restored Patriarchy in Antioch.
The growth of Crusader Egypt under the Capetian Poitevins, had, however, eclipsed the Rhoman Empire both in terms of political and socio-military influence, however. The Alphonsines, as they were known by the Franks of the west, had established a ruthless autocracy centered in Menefer (The Frankish rename for Cairo) and Alexandria, and from there exerted deep influence all over the Eastern Mediterranean, Levant and North Africa. The Rhoman economy saw a slight hit as the Italian republics would turn towards Egypt for profit, but the two states, despite contesting claims to each other's territory in Northern Syria, were on friendly grounds with Emperor Lothaire of Poitous marrying Manuel's remaining sister.
Manuel would suffer a crippling injury in 1342, however, as the Imperial family traveled through Kastamone, falling from his horse. The Emperor would never reach the intended destination of Trebizond, dying in the arms of his wife a few months later, his senses taken from him. He and Maria Mongolikí, despite having been enemies, truly loved each other, and shared more than seven children by Manuel's death. He would be succeeded by his son Emperor Alexois.
[9] Emperor Alexios III was born as the first-born son and heir of Emperor Manuel II and would be someone who would gain a reputation as a precocious and talented young boy who would become Emperor at the age of eleven after his father's death. Most of his reign would be marked by how he would be under the regency of his mother with Alexios III only becoming Emperor in his own right in 1348. However, later that year, tragedy would strike the young and intelligent Emperor.
Alexios III's reign would be cut short when the bubonic plague reached Constantinople with the young Emperor being cut down in his prime as a result of the bubonic plague. His successor would be, owing to his early death from the plague before he could marry, his brother Constance.
[10] Constantine was only seven when his father died and his brother became Emperor. Then he was twelve years old when his brother died of the bubonic plague. His mother was devastated and would leave his regency in the hands of his advisors who quickly took advantage of the young and wholly unprepared emperor to meet their own ends.
Feeling as though he was walking in his brother's shadow, neglected by his grieving mother, the young emperor was a gloomy boy who kept to himself. He did not seem to want to be emperor and often compared himself to a caged bird who longed to fly away. He would often wander off, leaving his guardians frantic.
At age seventeen, just days before he was declared of age to rule, Constantine vanished. Unlike the other times where he would go off by himself, he did not come backs. Weeks turned into to months as search parties turned the kingdom upside down looking for him. However, they found nothing. To this day, it is unclear if he committed suicide, was assassinated or merely ran away and took a new identity. Years later, his successor would receive a letter and a ring that was said to have belonged to Emperor Constantine. What the contents of the letter was are unknown as_____burned it.
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I’ll wait until @Mecanimetales has edited their post before I post my own.
Deleted member 147978
Ahem, I believe you typed "Constance" and not "Constantine" on your post.
So, you have two hours left in your claim, but @Mecanimetales hasn’t responded yet, so I’m think it’s okay to extend until they do.
Anyone else have an opinion?
Edit out the stuff about the names and dates of birth of the children, and the heir.
The House name can be changed later if/when any explanation is given, and the Normandy thing doesn't preclude it from being a holding if the French monarchy, it could just be a new Dukedom for a son of the King at some point, I guess?