The Dragon of Greece

[Tyr]

Upon my recent trip to Istanbul I was inspired to revisit a scenario that is a favourite of myself and many others; saving the Byzantine Empire.

Already not too long ago I have played such a game in Europa Universalis 4, so, despite it seeming like too easy a challenge, I decided this time to do it in Crusader Kings 2.

I wanted a start date that would give me a good balance of having many years to play and Byzantium being weak and needing a kick up the arse.
Unfortunately it is only really in the later start dates that Byzantium is truly at death's door, thus I scoured the timeline for a likely start date.

And here it is:

1 May 1081.
A recent crushing defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 has led to the loss of the Empire's Anatolian homeland. Additionally, incursions of the Normans in southern Italy have removed the last Byzantine outposts from the peninsula.
IOTL, according to CK2, this date marks Alexios I Komnenos' first day as Emperor, replacing the inept Nikephoros III Botaneiates.
The POD for this timeline however, has it that this chap is instead the one who has seized power:

Josquius I Josquius.
A mysterious figure who appeared seemingly out of nowhere in the mid 1070s. Possessing a sound grasp of military matters and a certain unmistakable charisma about him he was able to play an active role in the palace struggles of the Empire, allying with the Varangian Guard to rise to the throne.
Wounded in the process of his coup he is a man with no family, little reputation, but big ideas. He speaks with great passion about rooting out corruption and restoring the empire to its former glory.
Will he succeed?
Well this is CK2, so probably.
But what shall happen along the way?


(note: I made a mess of taking screenshots during the reign of Josquius I Josquius, accidentally taking map captures instead of screenshots. As such things here may be incomplete.

 

[Tyr]

Josquius I Josquius

1081.
Constantinople was burning.
Two days earlier the emperor had fled the city leading to the collapse of all authority. The nobility were at each other's throats, private armies clashing in the streets. All decent folk remained barricaded indoors.
A crazed priest was roaming the streets proclaiming that it was the end times, that this chaos was all the fault of Josquius, the leading tactician of the empire's armies. He was no true Greek the priest screamed. It was likely that this man was in fact none-other than the anti-christ, come to throw open the gates to the Turk.
The Norsemen of the Varangian Guard were soon to put an end to this priest's ravings. They spread into the streets, a purple robed figure at their head, his arm was in a blood stained sling but still he led from the front, scattering all who stood before his elite soldiers.

And then it was over.
The private armies retreated into the shadows from which they had came. Proper proclamations went out across the land. All hail the new emperor.
He spoke publicly from the seaward walls; Anatolia would be reclaimed! The Greeks would know freedom again!
The people cheered.
Though the nobility distrusted this nobody he was well known amongst the commons. He was a warrior. Just the sort of man the Roman Empire needed in these trying times.

But first there was a problem.
Despite his advanced age of 34 Josquius lacked a family. He was sure that there had to be bastards somewhere out there however none that he knew of.
He needed a wife. A good one.
Diplomats were instructed to scour Europe for a suitable bride. The nobility whispered their disdain that he would not marry a Greek but Josquius knew that the only way the empire would survive would be by looking outwards.

Within a week of taking the throne Josquius reached a decision. This woman would be his wife:

Mabel. A middle daughter of the Norman adventurer Robert Guiscard. The man who had unjustly seized the Empire's last Italian territories.
This decision was not without its objectors. However Josquius' reasoning was sound; whatever crimes the Normans may have committed, the western flank must be secured.
With the Turks at the shores of the Marmara Sea there were more important matters than Italy.

So it was then with great surprise that later that his wounds not yet healed, Josquius decided to launch his first military campaign; against the Pechengs in the north.
"The west is secured. Now we must secure the north." Josquius explained to his closest advisers "Only then may we strike at the Turk."
The Roman army marched northwards. The Pechengs were reluctant to give battle against the superior numbers invaded their lands from the south. A further blow to the horsemen came when the Hungarian king decided that now was also a good time to strike against them.

The war was short and victorious. Josquius' primary concern was not the Pecheng's themselves but rather seizing all rightful Roman lands before the Hungarians could steal it. There was one short bloody battle at Belgorod during which the Roman's were able to catch the Pecheng horsemen unaware and strike them down.

The war won the Empire was able to retake land north of the Danube.

Without the safety of the mighty river as a border would this not weaken the empire? "No" proclaimed the emperor "That is the sort of thinking that led to past losses. We cannot act like tortoises hidden in our shells. We must be like the empire of old! We must be dragons! Striking forth and taking what we please!"

The war won internal politics took up much of the emperor's time.
He was not a popular man with the nobility.
Council reshuffles and well maintained spy network were paramount for protecting his throne from pretenders; and there were many. The son of the former emperor was one particular annoyance.

Foreign policy wise the emperor proved himself to not just be a man of war. With the Serbian lords of Dioclea and Rascia a charm offensive was launched to bring them back under the imperial fold. A campaign which first with Rascia and then with Dioclea soon showed fruit.

A frequent concern of the emperor during the first half of his reign was his lack of children. It was whispered that he and his wife were both incredibly lusty people (must to the annoyance of the church) however for some reason Mabel never fell pregannt.
There is one famous story of this time of a drunk Varangian proclaiming that this was due to the emperors love of "Giving it to her up the arse", a boast that led to the destruction of a street of Constantinople as the Varangians fought amongst themselves. Certainly it is reported historically that this minor riot of the norsemen did take place, however there is no indication of its cause.

Halfway into his reign and Josquius had yet to fulfil his promise to reclaim Anatolia. His preparations were taking time; the Imperial coffers were empty, a war chest was required before the invasion could be launched. The time was nigh, when the unexpected happened; the Pope in Rome made an announcement. There would be a crusade!
Josquius nodded as he heard this news. He had long predicted with his advisers that it was only a matter of time before the Latins make their move to liberate Jerusalem.
But it was not to be. The crusade was instead aimed....at Greece.

Josquius was in shock. Greece? Western Anatolia? The people rejoiced, however for Josquius this news was met with a mixed reaction.
In the short term it would certainly be excellent to rid the Turk from these lands. However he did not like the idea of a Latin kingdom in the core lands of the empire. Spreading their false brand of Christianity amongst the people there.... Threatening the legitimacy of the one true Empire.

Tens of thousands began arriving in western Anatolia. Lykia was the centre of their efforts.
The time was right Josquius proclaimed to his council. The Empire could use this. His preparations were almost complete and with the Turk distracted the reconquest of Nikaea could go without a hitch.
Thousands died in the ensuing Holy War. Muslim reinforcements from the east backed up the Turks. When Eastern and Western armies met relations were uncertain.
As the war drew to a close it was a partial success for the Empire.
Much of Nikea was reclaimed, however the new king of the Greeks (a Welshman of all things) held substantial territories in the west of Anatolia.

Josquius wanted to push on. He knew that he could destroy the Turk if given the chance. However this wasn't to be. His honour got the better of him and Josquius refused to break the true with the Turks. It is reported that he could frequently be found muttering that he wishes it could have been possible to take more territory and that an artificial limit had forced him to keep to Nikea. The meaning of this remains uncertain to this day.

An oft forgotten part of Josquius' reign was his naval campaigns.
Though often painted as a stupid soldier with little knowledge beyond military matters he was in fact a keen proponent of trade. To this end he led a brief campaign against Malta, seizing the tiny island in order to cut down on piracy in the area.

 

[thekingsguard]

Good start for Byzantium - I've never quite figured out how the mechanics of war work on CKII.