Seeing the breakdown of Frederick's realm with the Barons warring against the stradioti is very interesting, and I don't think Sicily would fare well after Frederick's death, especially when someone as powerful as Alexandros and his family with just as a powerful claim to the throne is there. I would've thought the barons would be more wary of the Vatatzes especially when they have been shown to be powerful and run their lands differently from them.A single raider would come back to report the fate the Cretans who had ambushed them had dealt to the rest. Not every baron would understand the lesson from its first iteration. Some would go complain to Palermo in turn when the stradioti did not just limit themselves to beating back the raids but returned them with interest. But it would be learned sooner rather than later. Asia Minor and Crete had been a rather harsher school than Sicily in the petty warfare business after all...
Now that is interesting, the Genoese are much less powerful ittl and you've basically snuffed out an important genoese family in the crib. I have no doubt that the Genoese would still be a powerful force but they would be much less powerful ittl at the least. Also its nice to see the Vatatzes continue to expand their holdings, the Aegean is much closer to them than first assumed especially when they get Morea.Ioannis Vatatzes had sailed out from Constantinople in the end of April. His fleet, reinforced by a number of hired merchant galleys had not been particularly fast as it treaded south and made a stop to support Ephesus which had come under Turkish attack. It was at Ephesus that Ioannis had received the news that Benedetto Zaccaria was attacking Chios. For whom the old Genoese was working for, was somewhat fuzzy on paper, he had been made admiral by Philip IV of France two years earlier, but all to clear in practice, he was out to grab territory for himself. But if Chios, one of the richest islands in the Aegean was to fall to a Genoese adventurer why not fall to an ambitious young despot instead? And thus the Sicilians instead of sailing west had sailed north again. Zaccaria's small fleet, taken by surprise had been dispersed and the Chians had thrown open their gates for Vatatzes who had followed his takeover of Chios by seizing the nearly deserted island of Kos and Samos settling Asia Minor refugees on both. Back in Constantinople Andronicus unable to do anything without a fleet and with bigger troubles close to home, where Michael IX had been defeated by Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria had pretended to accept Ioannis excuses granting Ioannis Chios as a fief for two years. Soon the two years would be made ten years...
I wonder what will happen here. The peasantry seems like they would revolt and we'd prob see the Vatatzes come in to take control of the situation since its their land. This basically would make the Palailogian generals there redundant, and I think Alexandros and co. would like to take a more diplomatic route for Morea. I think as Andronikus' state breaks down they'll expand North and South and take over more of Old Hellas but other than that idk how it'd go down.Andravida, Principality of Achaea, July 1304
The news of Charles II making the principality of Achaea the dowry of his youngest daughter had not been taken well by princess Isabella and her third husband Philip of Savoy. Thus Philip had come with a plan. If he defeated the Greeks of Mystra and recovered their territory, the barons of the principality would come firmly on his side and make his position on the throne unassailable, hopefully even Charles would change his mind at news of his success after all he couldn't be very happy about giving the principality to Vatatzes. But warring against the imperial army in Mystra needed money. So taxation within the principality had sharply gone up to finance Philip's campaign to be. When the barons had balked at this Philip had been forced to call a parliament in Andravida.Of course said parliament did nothing to assuage the Greek peasantry which crushed by taxes and baronial demands kept grumbling...
I love how in spite of Alexandros being the servant of many masters he and his family are basically royalty. His family is basically getting the same treatment as Frederick with the marrying of Ioannis with Maria, and his family is given Morea while his son conquers Chios, and is one of the expanding powers in the region. I am definitely hyped by what is to come, especially when the Empire breaks down and we see basically every balkan have a crack at making an empire, while the Hungarians try to take over naples.Robert of Anjou was back in Syracuse, this time as a guest accompanying his sister on behalf of his father. The marriage of the 24 year old Ioannis Doukas Vatatzes and Maria of Anjou, 10 years his junior would take place in Christmas eve...
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