The Raven of the East

Cambyses

This is a fairly rough TL based on the POD of Harald Hardrada remaining in Byzantine service. I've got an outline of events up to 1080 or so, but for now here's the first six years:


1042 ad:
Harald Hardrada, exiled prince of Norway
and hero of Byzantium's wars in Sicily, petitions
the newly crowned Emperor Constantine IX for
release from Imperial service. Constantine declines
Hardrada's request, instead offering him promotion
to the rank of Protospatharios. This offer, along
with the sizable bribe Varangians traditionally
recieved from new Emperors (known as the polutasvarf)
was sufficient to convince Harald to remain.

1043 ad:
Harald serves as Ethnarches (commander of
foreign mercenaries) in the Imperial army sent to
crush the rebel forces of George Maniakes, the ousted
Exarch of Italy. Harald's troops serve in the front
line at the Battle of Thessalonika, where Maniakes is
slain.

1044 ad:
Hardrada marries Ellisif, daughter of Grand Prince
Yaroslav of the Rus in Constantinople.
The two had been betrothed since Harald's service in
Kiev, but Yaroslav himself had awaited proof of
Harald's valour before condoning the engagement.

1045 ad:
Byzantine forces annex the Armenian Kingdom of Ani,
giving them a shared frontier with the Sejuk Turks
for the first time.
In Constantinople Ellisif bears Harald a son, but the
child is stillborn.

1046 ad:
Emperor Constantine agrees a formal peace treaty with
Yaroslav of the Rus, putting an end to intermittant
raiding from Kiev. Constantine's daughter Anastasia
is wed to Yaroslav's son Vsevolod.

1047 ad:
Hardrada and the Varangians serve in the defence of
Constantinople against the rebel army of the
Emperor's nephew Leo Tornikios, protecting the
Emperor as he personally lead the defence. Leo is
captured during the battle, and his forces disband.

In Norway, Harald's nephew Magnus drowns whilst
leading a fleet to engage King Sweyn II of Denmark.
The Norwegians, absent a clear heir, descend into
infighting whilst Sweyn prepares for a counter-attack.

1048 ad:
Harald acts as Protostrator (second in command) of
forces combating the depradations of the Pechengs
into the Balkans.

Byzantine forces clash with the Sejuks for the first
time, resulting in an uneasy truce.

Sweyn launches his invasion of Norway, taking most
of the South with little resistance. His forces are
intercepted outside of Trondhjem by an alliance of
Jarls led by Magnus's son-in-law Håkon Ivarsson.
The Danes are victorious and take the capital, but
take too many losses to continue to push north.
 

othyrsyde

Sounds cool, but I'm not familiar with a lot of the figures. Is the POD Harald Hardrada being declined his request?
 

Douglas

othyrsyde said:
Sounds cool, but I'm not familiar with a lot of the figures. Is the POD Harald Hardrada being declined his request?
Click to expand...

Yes. Harald Hardrada was the claimant to the throne of England that the more-famous Harold defeated at Stamford Bridge. Though he was able to get down to Hastings with his army in time to fight William the Conqueror, his army was fairly tired out and ultimately unable to stand up to the Normans...with obvious effects.
 

othyrsyde

Douglas said:
Yes. Harald Hardrada was the claimant to the throne of England that the more-famous Harold defeated at Stamford Bridge. Though he was able to get down to Hastings with his army in time to fight William the Conqueror, his army was fairly tired out and ultimately unable to stand up to the Normans...with obvious effects.
Click to expand...

:eek: I didn't realize this. Now I see the history shattering events that have been brought to bare.
 

Cambyses

Cyrano said:
So will this result in the Saxons retaining control of England? Count me in!!
Click to expand...

Possibly. ;)

othyrsyde said:
:eek: I didn't realize this. Now I see the history shattering events that have been brought to bare.
Click to expand...

Aye, it's going to affect a lot. I'm still not sure whether the impact will be greater on Byzantium (who were in dire need of decent, loyal, generals at this point) or Western Europe.

I'll update later this evening with the next decade or so.
 

Roberto

This is cool, to have so simple a POD affect different regions in different ways. I'll be following this one!
 

Cambyses

Thanks for the interest guys, here's the next 4 years:

1049 ad:
Håkon Ivarsson proclaims his child bride Ragnhild Magnusdotter as rightful queen of Norway. The Jarls forge an alliance with Anund Jacob the Coal-Burner, King of Sweden, who sought as ever to maintain the balance of power in Scandinavia. The allies gather their forces to move against Sweyn.

The Pechengs are driven from the Balkans. Harald is rewarded for his part in the victory with the title of Vestarches. Ellisif falls pregnant.

1050 ad:
Ivarsson's alliance marches on Trondhjem under the overall command of Anund Jacob. The Danes are pushed back in a series of battles and the city is surrounded. All seems well for the alliance before winter sets in and claims the life of the ageing Swedish King. Despite Håkon's entreatments the Swedes swiftly lose heart, quit the siege and return home. Sweyn counter-attacks and crushes the forces of the Jarls. Ivarsson is captured in the rout, accused of worshipping the Old Norse Gods, and forced to drink molten lead.

Empress Zoe dies in Constantinople. Hardrada names his newborn daughter after her as a mark of respect.

1051 ad:
Harald is apointed Hypostrategos (Lieutenant-General) of Byzantine forces in Italy, under the command of Exarch Constantine Doukas. The two formed an alliance with Humphrey of Hauteville, Norman Count of Apulia, and pushed the Lombards out of Southern Italy.

Danish forces capture Ragnhild Magnusdotter, who disappears shortly afterwards. Sweyn begins a series of brutal reprisals against the Jarls of Norway, accusing many of heresy and paganism and awarding their lands to his supporters.

1052 ad:
Sweyn is formally crowned King of Norway. Many surviving loyalists flee to the East, in no small part inspired by somewhat exaggerated tales of Harald Hardrada, last of the old line.

Relations between Humphrey of Hauteville and Pope Leo IX begin to deteriorate. The Pope calls on Holy Roman Emperor Henry III for assistance in curbing Norman advances into central Italy. Humphrey asks for aid from Byzantium, but is refused.
 
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St. Just

St. Just

Have Hardrada get land in Mesopotamia after a victorious Seljuk War- I want a Gnostic Yngling Persia, damnit!


The Gnostic can come later, of course. First the Ynglinga Hird ruling Persia.
 

Cambyses

Brad Matthews said:
Have Hardrada get land in Mesopotamia after a victorious Seljuk War- I want a Gnostic Yngling Persia, damnit!


The Gnostic can come later, of course. First the Ynglinga Hird ruling Persia.
Click to expand...

Harald is going to be busy with Doukas in Italy for a while, but he'll see action against the Sejuks eventually.

Unfortunately Emperor Constantine IX is still a bit of an idiot, so things will be far from easy for the Byzantines in the east.
 

Cambyses

Only three years this time, but they're quite busy:


1053 ad:
Norman forces under Humphrey of Hauteville and his half-brother Robert Guiscard defeat an army of Papal and HRE soldiers just north of Capua. The Papal army is utterly routed, and Pope Leo IX is captured by Humphrey's forces. With the Papal forces in ruins and the Holy Roman Emperor busy in Hungary, Leo is forced to seek aid from the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Norwegian exiles reach Constantinople, and enter Imperial service. Many join Harald and Doukas' forces in Southern Italy, where they inform Hardrada of the full events in Norway. Although unwilling to abandon his position in the Empire, Harald styles himself as King of Norway. Emperor Constantine IX grants him the title of Megas Doux Varangia (Grand Prince of Varangia).

Sweyn II declares Norway "free of heresy" and begins construction of a Cathedral in Hedaby, now the largest city in North-West Europe.

With the Sejuks occupied in Persia, Emperor Constantine, against the advice of his generals, disbands the Armenian Militias, severely weakening Byzantine forces in the East.

Harald's wife bears him a son, who he names Magnus, a gesture appreciated by the Norwegian Exiles.

1054 ad:
The Patriarch agrees to assist the Pope on the condition that Leo abandon the concept of Papal Primacy. With no other offers of rescue forthcoming the Pope reluctantly agrees. Doukas and Hardrada immediately mobilise their forces to engage Hauteville. Indeed, the Byzantine response was so rapid that many suspect Doukas and Hardrada had been planning a campaign against the Normans for some time.

Imperial forces meet those of the Normans near the site of the ancient Battle of Cannae. Hardrada's veteran Norwegian troops are instrumental in breaking the Norman infantry and Humphrey is slain. Guiscard takes over the Norman forces and fights a series of small skirmishes against the Byzantines.

Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kiev, dies and is succeeded by his son Iziaslav. Informally, however, power in the Rus is shared equally between Yaroslav's sons.

1055 ad:
Guiscard proves to be a considerably better commander than his half brother, but in spite of winning several minor skirmishes against the Byzantines lacks the forces to meet them in open conflict. Harald and Doukas seize Apulia and Capua, and Guiscard is forced to retreat to the north.

Pope Leo IX dies. His successor, Pope Victor II, considers repudiating Leo's abandonment of Papal Primacy, but decides against angering the Patriarch with a Byzantine army a few days march from Rome, which stands almost undefended.

Emperor Constantine IX dies and is succeeded by the ageing Empress Theodora, who is proclaimed "Emperor" by the Imperial Guard. Theodora begins a purge of high ranking Byzantine officials, but wisely decides not to interfere in the ongoing military struggle in Italy, or risk angering the Varangians to whom she owes her position. Hardrada receives polutasvarf for the fifth time, and is now a very wealthy man.
 

RyuDrago

No Great Schism for now, then...and towards the rise of the Patriarch of Costantinople as new leader of the united Church? Things are become very interesting...:D
 

Roberto

:cool:

I'm entranced by how instrumental this period in the Mediterranean was to Europe as a whole in the medieval period, you've already referenced changing several events/processes that will yield immense butterflies further along the road.
 

Cambyses

RyuDrago said:
No Great Schism for now, then...and towards the rise of the Patriarch of Costantinople as new leader of the united Church? Things are become very interesting...:D
Click to expand...

Roberto said:
:cool:

I'm entranced by how instrumental this period in the Mediterranean was to Europe as a whole in the medieval period, you've already referenced changing several events/processes that will yield immense butterflies further along the road.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys, thing should get really interesting by the end of the century; when events will have diverged to the point that I have to invent everything.
 

Cambyses

1056 ad:
Emperor Henry III dies, leaving only his 6 year old son to inherit the crown of Germany. The HRE descends into chaos as squabbling nobles compete for the regency. Pope Victor II, despite being a German himself, turns to the Byzantines to help maintain stability in the Italian peninsula.

Robert Guiscard's army, riven by dysentery and low on supplies, disintegrates without ever facing the Byzantines in open battle. Guiscard flees to the north, eventually finding his way to the court of William of Normandy.

The Emirate of Sicily takes advantage of Norman weakness to seize control of the island. Hardrada and Doukas begin plans to invade but are distracted by events in Constantinople.

Empress Theodora appoints Michael Bringas, one of her favourites, as her successor before finally succumbing to old age. The new Emperor Michael VI is not popular amongst the nobles and military elite, who begin to rally around General Nicephorus Bryennius and plot against the Emperor. Michael unwisely chooses not to allow the Varangians their traditional polutasvarf, stating that the tradition did not apply in the case of the death of a female monarch. Harald is particularly offended by this, but is prevented from rash action by his friend Constantine Doukas.

1057 ad:
Robert Guiscard commands William the Bastard's cavalry at the Battle of Dives River, with the Normans defeating a French army.

Pope Victor II dies and is replaced by Boniface IV, a man originally educated in Constantinople. Whilst western European monarchs are quietly worried about Byzantine influence over the Papacy, none of them are in position to take action.

Nicephorus Bryennius is arrested and blinded for conspiracy against the Emperor. Byzantine nobles are outraged and form a revolt led by Isaac Komnenos. Doukas and Hardrada side with the rebels, and Harald joins Komnenos in Nicea whilst Doukas remains behind to secure Southern Italy. Michael IV begins to raise an army to deal with the rebels, but is dethroned in a palace coup by the Varangian Guard, probably at Harald's order. Isaac Komnenos is proclaimed Emperor and enters Constantinople to celebratory crowds. Isaac I allows the Varangians to collect the polutasvarf owed for the death of Theodora.

Sweyn II capitalises on turmoil in the HRE to take control of Saxon lands North of the Elbe, stating a need to protect the flourishing city of Hedeby from raids by the Slavic Wends.

The Sejuk Empire begins a conflict with the Fatmid Caliphate for control of Syria and the Levant. Jerusalem changes hands several times.

1058 ad:
Patriarch Michael I Cerularius quarrels with the Emperor over taxes levied on the church. Isaac sends the Patriarch to Rome, ostensibly to discuss theological matters with Pope Boniface. Although it was not Isaac's intention, the debates between the two theologians are remarkably successful, and considerable strides are taken towards full communion.

The King of Hungary incites the Pechenegs to renew their raiding into Byzantine and Rus territory. Isaac sends Hardrada to the court of Grand Prince Iziaslav (Harald's brother in law) to discuss reprisals against Hungary and a permanent solution to the Pecheneg problem.
 

Paraipan

Had a great time reading this on my mobile in the winter vacation. I'm sad to see it wasn't updated since then. Any plans on continuing this Cambyses ?
 

Cambyses

Behold, I resurrect my TL from months of neglect!

1059 ad

Harald and Iziaslav launch their campaign against the Pechenegs and their Hungarian allies. Harald, now elevated to full Strategos, Constantine, and Emperor Isaac Komnenos lead a force into Pechneg territory from the south, whilst Iziaslav and his brother Vsevolod attacked from the North. The Hungarian and Pecheneg forces are able to unite and face the Byzantines in eastern Hungary. A gruelling and desperate battle is fought between the two forces until the arrival of the Rus, who tip the scales. The Hungarian and Pecheneg forces are routed.

Muhammed ben Da'ud, known as Alp Arslan, becomes second sultan of the Seljuk Turks. He takes control of the war against the Fatmid Caliphate, launching an offensive deep into Syria.

Isaac Komnenos and Iziaslav conclude a peace with Hungary after each recieving a large tribute. Isaac falls gravely ill, and appoints Constantine Doukas his successor, then abdicates. Constantine returns to Constantinople, and leaves Harald to finish of the Pechenegs, appointing his old friend Megas domestikos (Commander of the Army).

The infant King of Germany, Henry iv, dies under mysterious circumstances. The already fractured Holy Roman Empire erupts into full scale civil war.

1060 ad

King Andrew of Hungary is overthrown by his brother, Bela the Bison, after a fierce struggle in the wake of the Hungarian defeat.

Hardrada and Iziaslav complete the conquest of the Pecheneg lands, dividing them between Kiev and Byzantium. Harald goes to Constantinople to join the court of Constantine X Doukas.

Alp Arslan wins a series of victories against the Fatmids, driving them out of Syria and securing Jerusalem.

Stenkil, nephew in law of Arkun Jacob, becomes King of Sweden and begins a christianization campaign.

The Emirate of Sicily concludes a peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire, and trade begins to flow through the island.

Emperor Doukas recalls the Patriarch from Rome. Michael happily returns to his seat of power, taking several western scholars with him. Though the legacy of his time in Rome has only just begun to be felt, he leaves with the beginnings of a truly united church.

1061 ad

Sweyn II claims dominion of West Frisa, adding it to his nascent Empire. With the French Crown at its' weakest and the HRE in civil war, there is little to stop him.

Harald clashes with a Byzantine court faction lead by Michael Psellos, the leading Professor at the University of Constantinople. Psellos' faction pressures the Emperor to strip funds from the military in favour of the court bureaucracy and the church, whilst Harald naturally opposes such a move. Trapped between his two radically different advisers Doukas takes no real action.

The Fatmid Caliphate begins to crumble from both within and without under Alp Arslan's onslaught. Sudanese mercenaries riot over unpaid wages, looting Alexandria and Berber Tribesmen ravage Lower Egypt, destroying much of the ancient levy system. The Caliph tries in vain to rally his army and restore order.

1062 ad

The Emirate of Sicily distances itself from the ailing Fatmid Caliphate, and begins to align to the Almoravid dynasty in the west.

Political clashes between the military faction and the court faction continue in Byzantium. Psellos' supporters spread the rumor that Hardrada is secretly a pagan, citing his continued use of the Raven banner. Harald claims that Raven is simply the crest of his house. The Patriarch, well known to Harald during his time in Italy, refuses to get involved, whilst the Emperor remains inactive. This suits the military faction as it retains the status quo.

The Fatmid Caliph Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah virtually empties his treasury in a desperate attempt to secure peace with the Sejuks. Surprisingly Alp Arslan agrees, settling for the territory he has already claimed, perhaps seeking to consolidate his gains.

In Sweden, Stenkil authorises the destruction of the great Temple of Uppsalla. This creates a sizable backlash against the Christianization process, leading to a pagan insurrection.
 
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