Asithema of the Balkans, 13th Century Era
Asithema is a portmanteau of the Greek words for Urban Theme, it encompasses the idea that Romanos had for it at its inception; to dilute the power of the nobility by giving it to the people, and keeping said people in check through a managed systems of checks and balances that rebuilt the economy and army.
Here is the map of the Astithema of the Balkans, circa Romanos' death (which hasn't happened yet and is a decent while's away);
As a description for each;
Constantinople; I think this one is fairly obvious; it's the capital 'province' of the Empire--with enough sway in West and East to be the central point of the whole Empire. It's built around the major cities of Constantinople, Adrianople, Nicaea and Nicomedia and can muster an impressive Synomata (levy) force by itself. While the whole Empire is considered the property of the Emperor, the Astithema of Constantinople herself--the province of the Queen of Cities--is considered the God-Given Jewel housed in the Imperial Crown.
Normandia; In basic terms it's Greek for 'Normanland' (which I found rather amusing in its simplicity). Its the area that the surviving Imperial Crusaders would settle in, at the forceful edict of Romanos; with these Frankish peoples dubbing themselves as 'Normans' to differentiate themselves from their Frankish 'cousins' to the west. It was founded when Boniface of Montferrat converted to Orthodoxy following the victories against the Turks in the Campaigns of the 1205's-1206's, and was gifted the then Astithema of Strymon; becoming its Governor and later Dux. In a ceremony in its capital of Trajanople (Traianoupolis), Romanos and Boniface would swear an eternal oath to each other, through their families, with Romanos redubbing Strymon as Normandia. It effectively, through this, becomes the home of the loyal Greco-Frankish minority in the Empire known as the Normandos, or simply Normans.
Voulgas; The central 'hub' of Bulgarian culture in the Empire, Voulgas is one of 3 large buffer Astithema that press right up against the Haemus; acting as large wall-blocs to deter invasion. It's a large producer of grains and fish, as its skilled Bulgar population has access to 'black' soil and good coastline to produce for the Empire. These Bulgars have been under the Empire's control for roughly a century and a half, and noticeable Romanization has occurred; resulting in Kaloyan, in a letter to Romanos in the 1209, calling them 'Romagos' in a disparaging 'tone'. Much of the areas most fertile zones were taken by Romanos from Kaloyan and Bulgaria following the Prefect of the West, Michael, defeating Kaloyan and his forces in the Battle of Skopje.
Macedonia; Often called the 'Second Province of the Empire', in a semi-cheeky manner, Macedonia itself holds the vital cities of Thessaloniki--the beautiful Second City of the Empire and Macedonia's capital--and Kastoria, which is the foundation of a long line of fortresses built through edicts by the Grypads as a 'last line' should the Haemus be broken through. Macedonia itself produces hardy native soldiers due to its mountainous climate. It would become the first major province to 'join' the Senate in 1238 when John III ratified its governors Senatorial Status.
Ohrid; An important area historically for Romanos, and his descendants, Ohrid was where Kaloyan of Bulgaria broke through during the reign of the Angeloi, and terrorized the Empire. It would, fittingly, be the area were Kaloyan would be defeated twice; breaking his will to attempt conquest south of the Haemus; giving rise to Romanos' first hints of legitimacy as well as giving 'stars' to notable generals such as Klephos and Michael. Ohrid itself is also a bastion of non-Romanized Bulgars, as historically the Greek Orthodox clergy of the area championed Slavonic Orthodoxy and its teachings over Greek Orthodoxy. The capital of the Ohrid region is Ohrid itself.
Dyrrachium; An important province through sheer functionality, Dyrrachium is named for its capital of the same name--also called Durres by the natives--and is the starting point of the Via Ignatia road network that crisscrosses the Balkans. It is a major trading zone between the Empire and the Italian and Illyrian areas; being a point throughout history for major events such as Caesar's Civil War, and the Norman Invasion led by Robert and his son Bohemond during the reign of Alexios I Komnenos. It's mountainous terrain, and skilled warrior natives, make for a good militarized zone that feeds the Empire skilled troops and building supplies. In recent years there has been a call to redub it Alvania, after the population.
Hellas; The 'homeland' of the Greeks, those not content to be Roman, Hellas is an important cultural and economic area of the Empire in terms of naval operations; having many efficient shipyards in the Demetrias area that funnel into the Aegean Sea. The capital of the area is the growing city of Glifa that sits centrally between the Thessalia and Attica regions. Glifa became a major city due to Romanos' reliance on it for the production and management of the Demetrias shipyards as well as its noted coastal-local for trading. Functionally, Glifa outstrips the backwater of Athens as a major city in population and production (as, historically, Athens was a tiny backwater during the Roman Period all the way up until Greece as we know it was founded and Athens was made into the capital we know it as today). Functionally, besides ships and trade, Hellas produces well-liked wine within the Empire; however foreigners still claim it contains disgusting ingredients such as pitch and resin.
Morea; The 'Land of Silk', Morea as an area was once the largest producer of Silk in the west following its settling in Corinth. This declined following the Norman theft of supplies and manpower to Sicily. However, the various wars and squabbling between the HRE and its states would see this industry destroyed; and with the Empire's changing fortunes Corinth is once more the largest producer of worth-price Silk outside of China--as far as anyone knows in the west. The capital of Morea is Corinth itself, but functionally the actual administrative capital is Nikli in the Acadia region due to its central location.
Epirus; An important area to the Roman peoples for what it represents as the homeland of Pyrrhus of Eprius, Epirus has always been a region with more autonomy and 'fire' than the others near it. Its a rather simple region though, a land of histories, culture and well... mountains. It has a few major population centers, such as the populous and important Arta which also acts as its capital. In recent years there has been an attempt by the Strategos' to build a base of knowledge and learning in Arta, as well as Ioannina to the north through school and university projects. Aside from this, Epirus is a major player in Ionian and Adriatic Seas; being charged with policing Venetian efforts especially--as well as acting as a deterrent to Sicily; who's area has a history of invading the Empire through the Normans two-time attempts.
Krete; Formed around its namesake, the Island of Krete, or Crete, by Romanos--the Astithema of Krete is a vital naval Astithema that holds the southern-to-central Aegean Islands under is sway, and is charged with protecting the Empire from incursions into the Aegean. Krete itself is a major naval center, as well as the site of an important victory against Islam by Nikephoros II Phokas. Its capital is the port city of Heraklion; a major trading and military hub that effectively controls all southern Aegean trade. Notably the first Strategos of Krete was the famed Shipmaster, Bardas Isandos; who's efforts during the 4th Crusade and its aftermath events aided in the recovery of much of the Empire's military strength. His friendship with Romanos V Grypas, and his insistence on the "Xýlinos Toíchos", or "Wooden Wall" doctrine saw to it that the Empire's naval might was reclaimed.
Here is the map of the Astithema of the Balkans, circa Romanos' death (which hasn't happened yet and is a decent while's away);
As a description for each;
Constantinople; I think this one is fairly obvious; it's the capital 'province' of the Empire--with enough sway in West and East to be the central point of the whole Empire. It's built around the major cities of Constantinople, Adrianople, Nicaea and Nicomedia and can muster an impressive Synomata (levy) force by itself. While the whole Empire is considered the property of the Emperor, the Astithema of Constantinople herself--the province of the Queen of Cities--is considered the God-Given Jewel housed in the Imperial Crown.
Normandia; In basic terms it's Greek for 'Normanland' (which I found rather amusing in its simplicity). Its the area that the surviving Imperial Crusaders would settle in, at the forceful edict of Romanos; with these Frankish peoples dubbing themselves as 'Normans' to differentiate themselves from their Frankish 'cousins' to the west. It was founded when Boniface of Montferrat converted to Orthodoxy following the victories against the Turks in the Campaigns of the 1205's-1206's, and was gifted the then Astithema of Strymon; becoming its Governor and later Dux. In a ceremony in its capital of Trajanople (Traianoupolis), Romanos and Boniface would swear an eternal oath to each other, through their families, with Romanos redubbing Strymon as Normandia. It effectively, through this, becomes the home of the loyal Greco-Frankish minority in the Empire known as the Normandos, or simply Normans.
Voulgas; The central 'hub' of Bulgarian culture in the Empire, Voulgas is one of 3 large buffer Astithema that press right up against the Haemus; acting as large wall-blocs to deter invasion. It's a large producer of grains and fish, as its skilled Bulgar population has access to 'black' soil and good coastline to produce for the Empire. These Bulgars have been under the Empire's control for roughly a century and a half, and noticeable Romanization has occurred; resulting in Kaloyan, in a letter to Romanos in the 1209, calling them 'Romagos' in a disparaging 'tone'. Much of the areas most fertile zones were taken by Romanos from Kaloyan and Bulgaria following the Prefect of the West, Michael, defeating Kaloyan and his forces in the Battle of Skopje.
Macedonia; Often called the 'Second Province of the Empire', in a semi-cheeky manner, Macedonia itself holds the vital cities of Thessaloniki--the beautiful Second City of the Empire and Macedonia's capital--and Kastoria, which is the foundation of a long line of fortresses built through edicts by the Grypads as a 'last line' should the Haemus be broken through. Macedonia itself produces hardy native soldiers due to its mountainous climate. It would become the first major province to 'join' the Senate in 1238 when John III ratified its governors Senatorial Status.
Ohrid; An important area historically for Romanos, and his descendants, Ohrid was where Kaloyan of Bulgaria broke through during the reign of the Angeloi, and terrorized the Empire. It would, fittingly, be the area were Kaloyan would be defeated twice; breaking his will to attempt conquest south of the Haemus; giving rise to Romanos' first hints of legitimacy as well as giving 'stars' to notable generals such as Klephos and Michael. Ohrid itself is also a bastion of non-Romanized Bulgars, as historically the Greek Orthodox clergy of the area championed Slavonic Orthodoxy and its teachings over Greek Orthodoxy. The capital of the Ohrid region is Ohrid itself.
Dyrrachium; An important province through sheer functionality, Dyrrachium is named for its capital of the same name--also called Durres by the natives--and is the starting point of the Via Ignatia road network that crisscrosses the Balkans. It is a major trading zone between the Empire and the Italian and Illyrian areas; being a point throughout history for major events such as Caesar's Civil War, and the Norman Invasion led by Robert and his son Bohemond during the reign of Alexios I Komnenos. It's mountainous terrain, and skilled warrior natives, make for a good militarized zone that feeds the Empire skilled troops and building supplies. In recent years there has been a call to redub it Alvania, after the population.
Hellas; The 'homeland' of the Greeks, those not content to be Roman, Hellas is an important cultural and economic area of the Empire in terms of naval operations; having many efficient shipyards in the Demetrias area that funnel into the Aegean Sea. The capital of the area is the growing city of Glifa that sits centrally between the Thessalia and Attica regions. Glifa became a major city due to Romanos' reliance on it for the production and management of the Demetrias shipyards as well as its noted coastal-local for trading. Functionally, Glifa outstrips the backwater of Athens as a major city in population and production (as, historically, Athens was a tiny backwater during the Roman Period all the way up until Greece as we know it was founded and Athens was made into the capital we know it as today). Functionally, besides ships and trade, Hellas produces well-liked wine within the Empire; however foreigners still claim it contains disgusting ingredients such as pitch and resin.
Morea; The 'Land of Silk', Morea as an area was once the largest producer of Silk in the west following its settling in Corinth. This declined following the Norman theft of supplies and manpower to Sicily. However, the various wars and squabbling between the HRE and its states would see this industry destroyed; and with the Empire's changing fortunes Corinth is once more the largest producer of worth-price Silk outside of China--as far as anyone knows in the west. The capital of Morea is Corinth itself, but functionally the actual administrative capital is Nikli in the Acadia region due to its central location.
Epirus; An important area to the Roman peoples for what it represents as the homeland of Pyrrhus of Eprius, Epirus has always been a region with more autonomy and 'fire' than the others near it. Its a rather simple region though, a land of histories, culture and well... mountains. It has a few major population centers, such as the populous and important Arta which also acts as its capital. In recent years there has been an attempt by the Strategos' to build a base of knowledge and learning in Arta, as well as Ioannina to the north through school and university projects. Aside from this, Epirus is a major player in Ionian and Adriatic Seas; being charged with policing Venetian efforts especially--as well as acting as a deterrent to Sicily; who's area has a history of invading the Empire through the Normans two-time attempts.
Krete; Formed around its namesake, the Island of Krete, or Crete, by Romanos--the Astithema of Krete is a vital naval Astithema that holds the southern-to-central Aegean Islands under is sway, and is charged with protecting the Empire from incursions into the Aegean. Krete itself is a major naval center, as well as the site of an important victory against Islam by Nikephoros II Phokas. Its capital is the port city of Heraklion; a major trading and military hub that effectively controls all southern Aegean trade. Notably the first Strategos of Krete was the famed Shipmaster, Bardas Isandos; who's efforts during the 4th Crusade and its aftermath events aided in the recovery of much of the Empire's military strength. His friendship with Romanos V Grypas, and his insistence on the "Xýlinos Toíchos", or "Wooden Wall" doctrine saw to it that the Empire's naval might was reclaimed.
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