Part XII (1310-1350)
Ghosts of the Past
Early 1310 – The Crusades take a land route in order to evade more politicking.
-The Sixth Crusade (Fifth being the name usually given to Frederick II’s conquest of Tunis) set forth on land towards the Balkans, Anatolia, and into the Holy Land
Summer 1310 - Tensions between those of the West and of the East rise until a small town of Thrace is sacked. Basil of Byzantium replies with another battle taking many prisoners, including Emperor Albert himself.
1310 – 1312 – Civil Turmoil envelopes the Holy Roman Empire
1316 – Emperor Albert dies in captivity
1312 – 1315 – Pretenders & Claimants to the Imperial Throne make themselves known.
- A succession of popes emerges at this time.
1315-1336 – More (unrecorded) Popes begin their reign.
1317-1321- Byzantium declares war on Bulgaria and conquers about 75% of it.
1319 – Due to rising tensions in Great Britain, Louis XII invades the said isles thereby starting the Hundred Years War.
1321 – Basil III of Byzantium perishes; Alexius VII becomes the new ruler
1324 - Albert von Lichtenstein manages to gain the role as King of Germany
1324 -1330 – Albert von Lichtenstein (hither known as Albert II) enacts governmental reforms.
1325 – Albert II gains the nickname “the Wolf” by eliminating all his competition. Over time he sets his sights on the Hapsburgs.
1329 – Albert II creates the Reichstag, a legislative (democratic) body that openly defies Hapsburg’s imperialistic urges
1331 – The future Pope Adrian VI becomes a cardinal
1332 – Albert II attempts to gain peace with Alexius VII; triumphs only by formally acknowledging Byzantine claims on Apua/Sicily as well as an apology for the Sixth Crusade
1334 – The alliance is formalized. Sicily is formally claimed with Byzantine troops without any actual documentation. Domestic politics force Albert II to formally recognize the Hapsburgs’s claims before the changes.
1336 – Adrian VI becomes Pope.
1337 – Adrian VI forces both the HRE and the Byzantine Empire to “talk” with the Hapsburgs barging in.
Also in this year, Tver strikes the first blow for freedom against the Mongol Hordes, outshining the Teutonic knightly order converting Lithuania to Christian rule.
Fall 1338 – The “talks” continue with Albert II succumbing to a mysterious end.
Fall 1339 – The Byzantines, frustrated at the long hours, make a diplomatic blunder through forceful words. Adrian VI strikes a deal with Maximillian Habsburg as the formal Western Emperor.
1340 – Poland takes Kiev.
1341 - Alexius VII dies without naming which of his sons John (III), Michael, Alexius, and Constantine will be Emperor. Thus the Byzantine Civil War emerges.
1342 – Sicily becomes free (of Byzantine soldiers) and then re-occupied by Hapsburg troops.
1343 - Michael manages to imprison, blind, and tonsures his brother Alexius
1344 - Michael’s troops won a smashing victory against John III’s army in Macedonia; however, he was unable to follow up on his triumph due to Constantine threatening Nicaea itself
1344-1346 – John III puts down an Eastern Bulgarian rebellion
1348 – John III becomes jealous of his general Vataces, attempts to have him whacked, but winds up writing his own warrant for arrest.
Winter 1348 – Michael is summarily killed by devious means. Constantine XI Ergutrulos becomes the ruler by default.
Part XIII (1350-1400)
In The Shadow of Death
1348-1351 – German barons grumble; Maximillian decides to invade Russia, specifically Novgorod
1351 – The Expedition (composing of a very large force drawn from the German noble class) go marching in Russia
1351-1353 – The Expedition ends in a complete military disaster; Maximillian is forced to pay a very large ransom for those survivors captured in the “Second Baltic Crusade”.
1353-1355 – Maximillian’s guilt kicks in thereby accounting for his early death.
1354 – First reports of the Great Black Plague appear in a Greek trading post on the Sea of Azov
1355 – The Great Black Plague reaches Greece
At this time Adoph II becomes Emperor of the HRE
1355-1356 - Constantine XI institutes the first use of quarantine on his capital city thereby causing another round of civil strife with the pretenders ranging from: Andronicus Ergutrulos (the Emperor’s uncle previously thought of as harmless), Nicetas Botaneiates (the Strategos of Cappadocia) and Michael Argyros, Drungarios (or High Admiral) of the Byzantine Black Sea fleet.
Late 1356 – Adolph II falls to the Great Black Plague and is replaced by Otto V (had he been actually crowned if he got to Rome in time).
- Also at this time;
1) The War in Great Britain becoming a three way fight between the Scots, the English, and the French with the former annexing Wales.
2) Granada becomes more fanatical in their Islamic beliefs after a military reversal at the hands of Leon/Castile.
1356-1360 – Cathar refugees flee to Balearic Islands and slowly lapse into piratical ways.
1359 - Dimitri Obolenskiy manages to liberate Kiev and becomes the Grand Prince. As a result, Prince.Giray, a Mongol Prince, sets up the Khanate in Crimea, which ignites the creation of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Caucasus
1360 – The Great Black Plague ebbs.
1360-1367 – Papal elections begin with Innocent VII becoming Pope.
1361 – Francis, the current head of the Hapsburg clan, manages to secure the post of “Kaiser” by the senile hands of Pope Adrian.
1361-1363 - Constantine XI manages to eliminate all his rivals with the exception of his uncle who goes into hiding
1361- 1366 – Constantine XI hammers out a treaty with Caesar/Kaiser Francis.
1364 – The current King of Syria sends Andronicus’s head as a bribe to Constantine in order to prove his loyalty.
1364-1389 – Khalil, the said King, manages to capture Cairo and set himself as the new Caliph of the Islamic Realm.
1370 – The French have almost eliminated the British as a major force in Great Britain. The King of England gets a demotion to Prince of Norfolk.
1370- 1378 – Tensions grow between the French/Scots until another round of war sparks.
1373 – The Abbassids loose control of Jerusalem.
Constantine XI launches a pseudo-crusade to recapture former Byzantine lands, namely those in the Balkans.
1374 - Conrad von Gottingen, a knight sent to fight the Russians, dies in bed. Francis I, the defacto Emperor of the HRE dies and is replaced by his son, Francis II.
1374-1389 – Much of the Balkans have been put down by this time. Constantine XI dies.
1384 – Innocent VII dies, replaced by other popes, and finally Celestine VI gets the “throne”.
1387 to May 30th, 1388 – Pisa is conquered by Papal Armies, personally led by Celestine VI.
1388- 1392 – Celestine VI hammers out another treaty between Aragon and the HRE over bordering lands.
1389 – 1392 – Carthage, a former Crusader Kingdom artificially created falls into disrepair with the king forced to lean on Muslim support to gain his kingdom back.
February 1392 – Carthage falls to Khalil of Aleppo/Syria. As a result, major concerns over a new resilient Caliphate emerge at this time.
Early 1393 - Khalil of Aleppo dies, leaving the Caliphate quite weak. Both the West and the East connive to exploit this advantage.
1393 – 1395 – Plans emerge for a coordinated “Crusade” to liberate Carthage & other places
1395 – The “Crusade” formally leaves port. Hostilities officially begin at this point.
July 1395 – “Hassan”, a Muslim general, routs a major Crusader army. The Battle of Carthage occurs at this point with the introduction of gunpowder, albeit used ineffectively. Nicephorus IV then barges in, kicks the Crusaders out, effectively declaring the Northern African region as his own sandbox.
1396 – Another Francis (Hapsburg) takes the imperial crown from the Pope with the spoken guarantee of mutual understanding (re: military conquest/political domains).
1395-1398 – Nicephorus IV continues his battle and eventually dies, replaced by Alexius VIII.
1399 – Alexius VIII creates the Duchy of Mauritania as a token of his “appreciation” of the East/West relations.
Ghosts of the Past
Early 1310 – The Crusades take a land route in order to evade more politicking.
-The Sixth Crusade (Fifth being the name usually given to Frederick II’s conquest of Tunis) set forth on land towards the Balkans, Anatolia, and into the Holy Land
Summer 1310 - Tensions between those of the West and of the East rise until a small town of Thrace is sacked. Basil of Byzantium replies with another battle taking many prisoners, including Emperor Albert himself.
1310 – 1312 – Civil Turmoil envelopes the Holy Roman Empire
1316 – Emperor Albert dies in captivity
1312 – 1315 – Pretenders & Claimants to the Imperial Throne make themselves known.
- A succession of popes emerges at this time.
1315-1336 – More (unrecorded) Popes begin their reign.
1317-1321- Byzantium declares war on Bulgaria and conquers about 75% of it.
1319 – Due to rising tensions in Great Britain, Louis XII invades the said isles thereby starting the Hundred Years War.
1321 – Basil III of Byzantium perishes; Alexius VII becomes the new ruler
1324 - Albert von Lichtenstein manages to gain the role as King of Germany
1324 -1330 – Albert von Lichtenstein (hither known as Albert II) enacts governmental reforms.
1325 – Albert II gains the nickname “the Wolf” by eliminating all his competition. Over time he sets his sights on the Hapsburgs.
1329 – Albert II creates the Reichstag, a legislative (democratic) body that openly defies Hapsburg’s imperialistic urges
1331 – The future Pope Adrian VI becomes a cardinal
1332 – Albert II attempts to gain peace with Alexius VII; triumphs only by formally acknowledging Byzantine claims on Apua/Sicily as well as an apology for the Sixth Crusade
1334 – The alliance is formalized. Sicily is formally claimed with Byzantine troops without any actual documentation. Domestic politics force Albert II to formally recognize the Hapsburgs’s claims before the changes.
1336 – Adrian VI becomes Pope.
1337 – Adrian VI forces both the HRE and the Byzantine Empire to “talk” with the Hapsburgs barging in.
Also in this year, Tver strikes the first blow for freedom against the Mongol Hordes, outshining the Teutonic knightly order converting Lithuania to Christian rule.
Fall 1338 – The “talks” continue with Albert II succumbing to a mysterious end.
Fall 1339 – The Byzantines, frustrated at the long hours, make a diplomatic blunder through forceful words. Adrian VI strikes a deal with Maximillian Habsburg as the formal Western Emperor.
1340 – Poland takes Kiev.
1341 - Alexius VII dies without naming which of his sons John (III), Michael, Alexius, and Constantine will be Emperor. Thus the Byzantine Civil War emerges.
1342 – Sicily becomes free (of Byzantine soldiers) and then re-occupied by Hapsburg troops.
1343 - Michael manages to imprison, blind, and tonsures his brother Alexius
1344 - Michael’s troops won a smashing victory against John III’s army in Macedonia; however, he was unable to follow up on his triumph due to Constantine threatening Nicaea itself
1344-1346 – John III puts down an Eastern Bulgarian rebellion
1348 – John III becomes jealous of his general Vataces, attempts to have him whacked, but winds up writing his own warrant for arrest.
Winter 1348 – Michael is summarily killed by devious means. Constantine XI Ergutrulos becomes the ruler by default.
Part XIII (1350-1400)
In The Shadow of Death
1348-1351 – German barons grumble; Maximillian decides to invade Russia, specifically Novgorod
1351 – The Expedition (composing of a very large force drawn from the German noble class) go marching in Russia
1351-1353 – The Expedition ends in a complete military disaster; Maximillian is forced to pay a very large ransom for those survivors captured in the “Second Baltic Crusade”.
1353-1355 – Maximillian’s guilt kicks in thereby accounting for his early death.
1354 – First reports of the Great Black Plague appear in a Greek trading post on the Sea of Azov
1355 – The Great Black Plague reaches Greece
At this time Adoph II becomes Emperor of the HRE
1355-1356 - Constantine XI institutes the first use of quarantine on his capital city thereby causing another round of civil strife with the pretenders ranging from: Andronicus Ergutrulos (the Emperor’s uncle previously thought of as harmless), Nicetas Botaneiates (the Strategos of Cappadocia) and Michael Argyros, Drungarios (or High Admiral) of the Byzantine Black Sea fleet.
Late 1356 – Adolph II falls to the Great Black Plague and is replaced by Otto V (had he been actually crowned if he got to Rome in time).
- Also at this time;
1) The War in Great Britain becoming a three way fight between the Scots, the English, and the French with the former annexing Wales.
2) Granada becomes more fanatical in their Islamic beliefs after a military reversal at the hands of Leon/Castile.
1356-1360 – Cathar refugees flee to Balearic Islands and slowly lapse into piratical ways.
1359 - Dimitri Obolenskiy manages to liberate Kiev and becomes the Grand Prince. As a result, Prince.Giray, a Mongol Prince, sets up the Khanate in Crimea, which ignites the creation of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Caucasus
1360 – The Great Black Plague ebbs.
1360-1367 – Papal elections begin with Innocent VII becoming Pope.
1361 – Francis, the current head of the Hapsburg clan, manages to secure the post of “Kaiser” by the senile hands of Pope Adrian.
1361-1363 - Constantine XI manages to eliminate all his rivals with the exception of his uncle who goes into hiding
1361- 1366 – Constantine XI hammers out a treaty with Caesar/Kaiser Francis.
1364 – The current King of Syria sends Andronicus’s head as a bribe to Constantine in order to prove his loyalty.
1364-1389 – Khalil, the said King, manages to capture Cairo and set himself as the new Caliph of the Islamic Realm.
1370 – The French have almost eliminated the British as a major force in Great Britain. The King of England gets a demotion to Prince of Norfolk.
1370- 1378 – Tensions grow between the French/Scots until another round of war sparks.
1373 – The Abbassids loose control of Jerusalem.
Constantine XI launches a pseudo-crusade to recapture former Byzantine lands, namely those in the Balkans.
1374 - Conrad von Gottingen, a knight sent to fight the Russians, dies in bed. Francis I, the defacto Emperor of the HRE dies and is replaced by his son, Francis II.
1374-1389 – Much of the Balkans have been put down by this time. Constantine XI dies.
1384 – Innocent VII dies, replaced by other popes, and finally Celestine VI gets the “throne”.
1387 to May 30th, 1388 – Pisa is conquered by Papal Armies, personally led by Celestine VI.
1388- 1392 – Celestine VI hammers out another treaty between Aragon and the HRE over bordering lands.
1389 – 1392 – Carthage, a former Crusader Kingdom artificially created falls into disrepair with the king forced to lean on Muslim support to gain his kingdom back.
February 1392 – Carthage falls to Khalil of Aleppo/Syria. As a result, major concerns over a new resilient Caliphate emerge at this time.
Early 1393 - Khalil of Aleppo dies, leaving the Caliphate quite weak. Both the West and the East connive to exploit this advantage.
1393 – 1395 – Plans emerge for a coordinated “Crusade” to liberate Carthage & other places
1395 – The “Crusade” formally leaves port. Hostilities officially begin at this point.
July 1395 – “Hassan”, a Muslim general, routs a major Crusader army. The Battle of Carthage occurs at this point with the introduction of gunpowder, albeit used ineffectively. Nicephorus IV then barges in, kicks the Crusaders out, effectively declaring the Northern African region as his own sandbox.
1396 – Another Francis (Hapsburg) takes the imperial crown from the Pope with the spoken guarantee of mutual understanding (re: military conquest/political domains).
1395-1398 – Nicephorus IV continues his battle and eventually dies, replaced by Alexius VIII.
1399 – Alexius VIII creates the Duchy of Mauritania as a token of his “appreciation” of the East/West relations.