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This is my second ever attempt at writing any alternate history, thus feedback is desperately needed!
This is only the first chapter.
My main concerns with the timeline is how to write about political history from a medieval viewpoint. After all, states didn't really exist back then, so I'm not sure if I am writing this correctly or not. Feedback on that would be great!
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Revision Log:
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- (February 21st) Part 1 posted.
- (February 22nd) Part 2 and 3 Posted.
- (February 23rd) Revision Log Created.
- (February 23rd) Table of Contents Created.
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Table of Contents:
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PART I: THE P.O.D and AUTHOR'S NOTE
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1.1
If you are reading this book, you most likely are aware of the recent invention of the Chronoscope last year, in July 2154. This fascinating device, harnessing the newfound computational power of Quantum Computing and also using Gravitational Well Interdimensional Travel Reactors [GWITR’s for short], we can virtually explore timelines. Although scientists have known that time “Branches” upon any decision, with one branch being created for all possible outcomes, we have never explored these infinite alternate timelines. The mechanical and technical details on the chronoscope are irrelevant to this work, however the knowledge that can be gleaned from it is the basis for this book. In this book, we will be looking at the differences between our timeline and that of another “Prime” timeline [One which seems to be where all others branch from].
Note that the usage of the phrase “Our Timeline” references the alternate timeline in which we, the authors of this book reside in, as opposed to the Prime Timeline.
Also Note that all maps and tables in this book reflect our alternate timeline. All references to the Prime timeline will be explicitly stated as such.
1.2
In the year MCXCV [1195], our timeline took a turn away from all others, shaping our history into something completely different from the Prime Timeline. It is only now, with the invention of the Chronoscope that we are able to see that our path through history was not the only one. Now we can see all the time ways that humanity has gone through, the infinite amount of worlds that we have created in the multiverse. This book will only cover the history that diverged from the Prime Time way, starting in the year 1195.
The event that shifted our time way away from the Prime Timeline can be found in the Holy Roman City of Aachen in the summer of 1195, in a swelteringly hot room full of overdressed dukes, along with the Holy Roman Emperor himself, Henry VI von Hohenstaufen. It was here, in this room, that the Holy Roman Empire would be saved from the fate it saw in the Prime Timeline.[1] Henry VI, in return for releasing Sicily from the Empire, granting minor rights to the princes, and making vows to the Archbishops of the Empire, would pass a royal edict that would make the Imperial Throne Hereditary to Henry VI’s family. Although this may seem like a very insignificant political change, the Decree of Aachen (as it would later be called) would be the most important political event to happen to the Holy Roman Empire in the middle ages: By making the Imperial throne hereditary to the Staufen Dynasty, Henry VI not only secured the Imperial Throne but also paved the way for future emperors to begin centralizing the Holy Roman Empire.
Before the Decree of Aachen, the position of Holy Roman Emperor was elective, which caused low legitimacy and made the emperors unable to centralize their realm, as they would always have to focus on getting their heirs elected. [2]
Although the edict was approved by the majority of the dukes present at the Diet of Aachen, one prominent figure inside the empire rejected the deed: The Archbishop of Cologne, who was second only to the Archbishop in Frankfurt in religious authority. Rallying behind the Archbishop, the dukes of Northern Italy almost immediately rebelled against the now tightening grasp of the Emperor.
Marching across the Alps with an army of ten thousand five hundred Swabian Knights, the Emperor rendezvoused with pro-imperial supporters in the city of Legnano. With reinforcements from the local imperial supporters added to his army, the Emperor began his campaign.
This rebellion dragged on for a grueling five years, with cities changing hands between the Pro-Imperial Factions and the Pro-Ducal factions constantly.
Though initially successful in the campaign, as the civil war raged on, local support for the Emperor waned, eventually leading to the Imperial defeat at Milan in 1200 and the following treaty of Lombardia, in which the Emperor gave nearly complete local autonomy to the dukes south of the Alps, thus allowing them to self-govern and allow the Emperor to focus on rebuilding his power in Germany. Although this seems like a huge defeat for the emperor, it would eventually pay off, as the emperor would no longer need to worry about Italian power plays. [3] The Kingdom of Italy would still remain inside the Empire de-jure, but de-facto it became nothing less than a separate entity.
1.3
Following the release of Italy in 1201 AD, Pope Innocent III [r. 1198-1216] found himself in a prime position to take advantage of the lack of Imperial Protection in northern Italy. After the Italian Civil War, the once united Lombard league began to fall apart, with two factions beginning to form, one led by Venice and one led by Milan. The pope saw this as an opportunity: If he could rally the two factions behind him, he could create a much larger powerbase for the Papacy. With the recent reclamation of the Holy Land by the Arabs, Pope Innocent III called for a crusade against the Muslim attackers In Jerusalem.
In 1204, the crusade was called during a speech in Rome. To the pope’s delight, representatives from both Italian Factions showed signs of supporting the Crusade. In addition to the Italians, the German Dukes also agreed to send troops and supplies for a crusade, and Henry VI himself vowed to send royal soldiers from Germany. Crusaders from all around the Catholic world started to gather in major port cities such as Genoa and Venice. Around twenty three thousand crusaders, consisting of thirteen thousand Italians, five thousand Germans, and four thousand soldiers from various locations joined the crusade for Egypt. Doge Enrico Dandolo and Pope Innocent III sealed a vow to not attack any Christian states. In June the ships in Venice and Genoa were planned to sail for the Ayyubid Capital: Cairo. However, while Venice had fulfilled their part of the agreement by providing the required amount of soldiers and ships (Despite the great strain it put on the port city’s economy), the other crusading states were not able to pay the required toll agreed upon. This was disastrous to the Venetians, as they had halted almost all of their commerce in order to provide for the crusade, and without the toll their economy would be permanently devastated.
The venetians spent many days pondering what to do with the crusade: Disbanding it due to financial reasons would harm Venetian prestige, and cause significant trading and financial loss. Doge Enrico Dandolo, who was faced with no other option, proposed a controversial and grim plan: Using the crusading armies, the Venetians would loot cities along the way to Cairo, even if those cities happened to be Christian. Many of the crusaders, however, were reluctant or even refused to carry out this crazy plan. Doing so would be violating the agreement between the Crusaders and the Pope, and would also harm their kingdom’s reputation. Many soldiers left the crusade when the plan was announced, but despite this setback, the fleet set sail on the Seventeenth of June 1204, their first target being the Hungarian port city of Zara.[4]
The city was sacked on the twenty fourth of November, 1204. With the winter quickly approaching, the Crusaders took refuge in the captured city.
Meanwhile, Boniface of Montferrat (The leader of the crusaders who had opposed the plan to attack Zara), had fled to Swabia to conference with Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI. To his surprise, the recently deposed Byzantine Emperor Alexios IV was taking refuge in the Imperial Court in Swabia. When the Emperor was informed of the sacking of Zara, he was struck with disbelief and zeal fueled anger at the traitorous Doge. We have records that some sort of deal was struck between the deposed Byzantine Emperor and the German King Henry VI. This deal created a military alliance between Alexios’ faction of Byzantine nobles, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the Pope himself, all against the audacity of the Venetian crusaders and the current Byzantine Emperor. The Emperor and the Pope sent letters to the Crusading Armies, ordering their immediate retreat from the Fourth Crusade.
Upon receiving the letter from the Emperor, Doge Enrico Dandolo hid the letter from even his closest advisors, fearing that his soldiers would comply or lose morale. When spring arrived, the Crusaders departed from Zara, unaware of the opposition from the Byzantine Rebels, Papacy, and from the Holy Roman Emperor himself. Boarding their ships, they departed for the City of the World’s Desire: Constantinople. With the Byzantine ships unaware of the oncoming danger, they were caught completely unprepared for the sudden aggression of the Venetians and the Crusaders with them.
When word got to the Holy Roman Emperor and Alexios, they immediately attempted to rally as many soldiers from both of their realms, and to stop the Venetians. Both of them saw key incentives to aid the Pope and stop the Venetian fleet: Henry VI saw the need to improve the Empire’s relations with the pope, and doing this would also give him a new ally in Alexios. Alexios saw this as an opportunity to reclaim the Byzantine Throne: If he could humiliate the current Byzantine Emperor, and show his weakness, then Alexios could attempt a coup and reclaim the throne. Despite their efforts however, the Germans and Alexios’ followers were not able to reach the City of Constantinople before the Crusaders finished sacking it. The Crusaders established a new Emperor in the place, founding a so called “Latin Empire” in the ruins of the old Byzantine Empire. This new Latin empire was significantly weaker than the Byzantine Empire, and had very low legitimacy among the nobility of the region.
Alexios and his supporters found refuge in the last remaining pockets of the Byzantine Empire in Anatolia, plotting his revenge on the Venetians and the Latin Empire. With the Latin Empire founded and the Venetians in a much stronger position, the Pope now had a vast area of influence around the Mediterranean, much stronger than in the Prime Timeline. Another side effect of the 4th crusade was the potential for a German-Byzantine Alliance. After the war, Heinrich returned to Germany to begin preparations for his son, Frederick II, to take the throne.
1.4
While Central and Eastern Europe was engaged in the 4th Crusade, the French and the English were busy with their own wars. During the 1100’s, the English crown inherited most of Western France, while the French Kings had struggled with a lack of legitimacy and thus a lack of Centralization. The king was seen as a “First among equals” by the rest of the French dukes. Despite this, the French Capetian Dynasty had secured the throne, and their dynasty was uninterrupted since the days of Hugh Capet (Who reigned as king of France in the early 900’s). This series of uninterrupted rulers established a hereditary monarchy in France, allowing it to begin to centralize.
However, after Henry II of England inherited multiple lands along the western coast of France During the 1100’s (Territories such as Anjou, Aquitaine, Normandy and Brittany), the French crown controlled less than half of the regions now known as France. Despite being hemmed in between the English and the Germans, Philippe II was able to manipulate the brother of Richard the Lionheart, John the Pious, into giving up lands in Anjou and Brittany in exchange for the French supporting John’s claim to the English crown. By doing this, Phillippe II placated his rival, albeit temporarily: by the end of the 12th century, the uneasy peace between English and French had all but evaporated, with John the Pious, who was now king of England, attempting to reclaim the English position in France. Battles were fought in Normandy, with the English ultimately losing most of them, and having to retreat to a nearby castle. The French established a siege around it, one which would last five years until King Phillippe ordered his men to climb the toilet chutes, capturing the soldiers inside and winning the first war.[5]
Despite this resounding defeat in 1204, the English soon found a new ally against the threat of France. The papacy had long been wary of the growing power of the French Kings, but now with the astounding defeat of the English, the Pope saw it was time to “Cut them down to size”, and put out a call to all catholic nations to join a coalition against the French in 1213. Unfortunately for the Pope, Emperor Heinrich VI was unwilling to turn against the French, leaving only the Venetians, Papacy, England and Aragon willing to join. Though this force was much weaker than if the H.R.E joined, it was still able to muster up around twelve thousand troops for an invasion of Flanders, in Northern France. The French King Phillippe II was alarmed at this development, and started to rally as many levies as possible from his kingdom, and rushing up to meet the coalition forces in Flanders.
The English and French armies met at Bouvines in northern Flanders, engaging in a battle which would shape the western world forever. The English and Venetian forces were comprised of primarily infantry forces, with only two thousand knights joining on horseback. In comparison, the French were able to rally up around seven thousand mounted knights and another eight thousand infantry, enough to outnumber and out maneuver the English in battle. By the evening of the 27th of July 1214, the coalition forces had been decimated, and John II was fleeing back to England.
From what the Chronoscope can see, in the Prime timeline the Holy Roman Empire (under the rule of an anti-king named Otto IV) joined the coalition. Surprisingly, even with the Holy Roman Empire assisting, the coalition forces failed to beat the French at Bouvines.
With the English royal armies in disarray, and John II weakened and fleeing back to England without an army, the earls of England saw this as a great opportunity to rise up in rebellion, starting a yearlong civil war which would lead to John II being forced to sign a legal document known as the Magna Charta. This royal document would force the king to give up many royal rights to the earls, and also allow the local leaders to convene in a so called “Parliament”.
1.5
In Germany, the German Emperor Heinrich VI was finishing up his preparations for his son Friedrich II to take the throne. Knowing old age was approaching quickly, in 1225 Heinrich VI resigned to his palace in Regensburg, Bavaria, to take his place among the ancient kings of old. When winter passed, the Emperor was no more.
A grand funeral procession proceeded from Regensburg to Cologne, where his body would be put to rest at long last. In April 1225 Heinrich’s son, Friedrich took up the royal crown and received the blessing of Pope Innocent III, thus becoming the first Emperor to assume the Imperial Crown hereditarily. The future would hold many struggles for Friedrich, though because of the struggles of his father, the succession would not be one of them.
FOOTNOTES for CHAPTER 1
[1] In the Prime Timeline, the empire would fail as a political institution due to its inability to centralize. This trend of decentralization started after the 50 year conflict with the pope known as the Investiture Controversy, and centralization was further hindered by the lack of a hereditary monarchy or Capital city. De-centralization was made into law by Frederick II in the Prime Timeline in 1232 with the Statutum in Favorem Principum (A legal decree which gave all remaining imperial power to the local dukes). The 30 year long anarchy after his death ensured that the Emperor would never regain imperial power.
[2] In the Prime Timeline, the Decree of Aachen was never passed, thus keeping the HRE elective, and forcing almost every future emperor to give more and more autonomy to the local leaders. By 1250 in the Prime Timeline, the Holy Roman Emperor had almost no remaining power.
[3] In the Prime Timeline, Italy would distract many emperors, and prevent them from Centralizing the Holy Roman Empire
[4] In the Prime Timeline, the 4th crusade was almost identical to ours, with the exception of the German Emperor’s intervention.
[5] This amusing event seems to have also occurred in the Prime Timeline, as did the war between English and French kings.
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Thanks for reading! More will be posted soon!
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