The Right Man for the Job V3 - Final thread

The Right Man for the Job - V3 - Final Thread

Volume 1: Manuel I Komnenos

1143: John II Komnenos dies in Cilicia after being wounded by a poisoned arrow. He is succeeded by his youngest son, Manuel, chosen for his courage, his ability to listen to advice and the bad temper of his older brother Isaac.

1146: After three years, Manuel finally marries his fiance, Bertha of Sulzbach, but he keeps his mistress and niece, Theodora Vatatzaina, around. Both maintain the regal dignity of an empress, but Bertha, renamed Eirene, intrigues and impresses the nobles more by her piety and her refusal to be seduced by the intrigues and pleasures of the Imperial court.

1148: The Normans of Sicily capture the island of Corfu from the empire. Manuel allies with Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III and the Republic of Venice. The superior Venetian ships sink the Norman fleet, allowing Manuel to reclaim Corfu and prepare for a joint attack on Sicily and Southern Italy with Conrad.

1152: Conrad III dies. Bertha gives birth to a daughter, Maria.

1154: Roger II of Sicily dies and is succeeded by his untested son, William. The local barons are encouraged to revolt by Pope Adrian IV. Several refugees from Apulia flee to Constantinople. Bertha gives birth to a second daughter, Anna.

1155-1156: A new Holy Roman Emperor is elected - Frederick I Hohenstaufen, nicknamed 'Barbarossa' for his red beard. Frederick prepares to invade Southern Italy but is stalled by the unhealthy Italian summer, rebellious cities in Northern Italy such as Milan and an uprising in the city of Rome. In the end, he returns to Germany with his depleted, demoralised army.

Manuel decides now is the time to launch his campaign against the Normans. He places the expedition in the hands of John Doukas and Alexios Axouch (1st POD). If successful, the emperor and generals will gain prestige and wealth and the empire will gain a rich source of wheat, fruits and other foodstuffs.

The army lands at Ancona and from there heads south into Apulia. The cities of Apulia eagerly welcome the Rhomans, including Bari, capital of the old Catepanate of Italy. William tries to halt the advance with an army of 2,000 men but is heavily defeated by the Rhomans with the help of several disaffected barons, including Robert of Loritello.

The allied army begins to besiege Brindisi. William leads a joint land and naval attack to relieve the siege but is defeated (2nd POD).

William signs a treaty with Manuel which recognises his rule over Southern Italy. At the same time, Manuel discreetly encourages and bribes certain barons in Sicily to crown a new king. William arrives at Palermo but is refused entry. The barons have crowned his illegitimate half-brother, Simon as King of Sicily. William, rather than attempt a siege, instead retreats to Ifrīqiya (Arabic for Africa) and those Normans who are still loyal to him, establishing his new capital at Mahdia.

Manuel, though tempted to invade Sicily, instead discusses what to do next with his advisors. Manuel offers a new treaty to Simon - Simon will remain King of Sicily and receive support against William in exchange for recognising Rhoman sovereignty over Southern Italy. Simon reluctantly agrees but has no intention of keeping to the treaty forever...

1157-1158
: Manuel begins reorganizing the newly-acquired lands into themes. Back in Constantinople, his daughter Anna falls ill but miraculously recovers (3rd POD).
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1st POD - In OTL, the expedition was led by John Doukas and Michael Palaiologos. The latter ended up alienating Robert and other allies with attitude and the campaign lost its momentum, leading to its overall failure. Manuel did later send Alexios Axouch but by then it was too late.

2nd POD - OTL, the Byzantines, or Rhomans/Rhomaioi as I'm going to call them, lost that battle. I can't find many details on the battle itself, but there was a combination of the Rhomans being abandoned by the barons and their mercenaries, thus being outnumbered.

3rd POD - OTL, Manuel's daughter Anna died in infancy.
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Alright, this is the absolute last time I will reboot this TL. I have no excuse, I just keep changing my mind. But this was the first TL I ever started, and I will will finish it! For now, expect the updates from the last thread and either tonight or tomorrow, a new post detailing the first years of Alexios II's reign and the beginning of the Third Crusade.
 
1158:

Manuel finishes organising Southern Italy. Robert of Loritello, Alexios Axouch and John Doukas are made strategoi* of Longobardia, Lukania and Calabria respectively. Benevento and Capua are made themes under their previous counts. Ancona remains independant, but as a Byzantine protectorate.

From here, Manuel makes it a policy to integrate all the enthnicities living within the empire - Greeks, Turks, Franks, Italians, Bulgarians, Vlachs, Serbs and Cumans. To the outrage of many of his nobles, Manuel begins organising Latin-style jousting tournaments and even taking part in them. Manuel's main motives for this, however, were to rebuild his army in preparation for a campagin against the Seljuks and Danishmendids. These two rival Turkish powers held Central and Eastern Anatolia and Armenia, which were prime breeding and recruiting grounds for cavalry mounts and infantry skirmishers. To counter this he started recruiting other peoples into the army, regarded that they convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, with the exception of Venetian, Genoese, French and German mercenaries.

His preparations were stalled when Bertha-Irene went into labour once more. She successfully gave birth to a boy, Alexios. After years of lechery, what they saw as foolish military adventures, and favouring Latins and other barbarians and half-breeds, many disgruntled nobles saw Manuel as weak. A conspiracy led by Michael Palaiologos and Stephen Hagiochristophorites** began to plot the emperor's death.

1159-1160:

After years of training, Manuel decides to personally reaffirm Cilicia and Antioch's allegiance to the empire and to negotiate with the rising power of Nur-ad Din of Aleppo. He wants to settle the issue of Antioch in particular because the new prince, Reynald de Chatillon, had been raiding the island of Cyprus where he had captured the generals John Euforbenos and Michael Branas, plundered the island of its wealth and sent some of the mutilated hostages to Constantinople. There were even rumours that he had mutilated and/or killed the Patriarch of Antioch himself.

Manuel could not allow such outrages to go unpunished, so he set out with a small contingent, including the Varangian Guard and Archontopoulai, while leaving the majority of his army in Dorylaion under the command of his newphew, John Kontostephanos, secretly a member of the conspiracy to remove him.

The new army comprised of:

Psiloi, armed with javelins, slings and cleavers, recruited from the Rhoman Greeks, Vlachs and Serbians.
Toxotai, archers recruited from Rhoman Greeks and Muslims living in Southern Italy, using bows of Turkish design.
A small contingent of crossbowmen from Venice and Genoa.
Skoutatoi, Rhoman Greek heavy spearmen.
Alamannoi, mercenary Frankish, German and Italian knights fighting on foot and horseback.
Kataphractoi, heavy cavalry armed with lances, javelins, swords and maces recruited from Thrace, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia and the Crimean Goths.
Hippo-toxotai, horse archers recruited from Cumans and Turks living in Rhoman territory.
An artillery train including trebuchets, ballistae and mangonels.

After forcing Duke Thoros II of Cilicia to submit to him, Manuel arrives in Antioch. Reynald threw himself upon Manuel's mercy, dressed in a sack and with a rope tied around his neck. Manuel has him imprisoned, orders the release of the prisoners and the return of all the wealth stolen from Cyprus to their owners. Manuel decides to replace Reynald with his daughter-in-law Maria, who he marries to his nephew Alexios***.

Manuel sends the akolouthos (attendant) of the Varangian Guard, Basil Kamateros, to find some hostage candidates. He returns with four - Prince Bohemund of Antioch and his sisters, Philippa and Agnes. To keep up good relations with Baldwin, who was married to his niece Theodora, Manuel offers to surrender the remaining children of Constance of Antioch to his care. Baldwin agrees and offers his cousin, Melisende of Tripoli**** as a hostage. Manuel politely declines. Although Manuel knew the potential risk of letting the 'legitimate' heir to Antioch go, he also knew that Baldwin was preoccupied with expanding at the expense of the Fatimids in Egypt. Manuel leaves Maria and Alexios to consolidate their rule in Antioch while he heads to Turbessel to meet with Nur-ad Din.

1160-1161:

Turbessel was originally the new capital of the County of Edessa before it was sold to Manuel in 1150, but Nur-ad Din ended up conquering it anyway. Manuel offers a deal to Nur-ad Din. He will give up all claims to Turbessel and any territory he captures from the Danishmendids in exchange for lending no aid to the Seljuks of Iconium. Nur-ad Din does not agree straight away and the negotiations go on longer than expected.

Back in Constantinople, the conspirators are debating who to replace Manuel with. Michael wishes to use Isaac Komnenos, grandson of the emperors' deceased brother, as a puppet while Stephen wishes to release the handsome and charismatic Andronikos, imprisoned for an earlier conspiracy against the emperor and for having an affair with one of Manuel's nieces.

Manuel returns to Antioch, his negotiations with Nur-ad Din having come to nothing. They head back to Dorylaion through Cilicia, but when a storm forces them to divert past Iconium, they come under attack by a large group of horse archers led by Sultan Kilij Arslan II himself. Tired and caught unprepared, the Rhomans are quickly overwhelmed. Some of the Archontopoulai manage to escape but the Varangian Guard, including Basil Kamateros, fight to the death, refusing to surrender. Kilij Arslan begins marching back to Iconium with the emperor as a hostage. When news reaches Constantinople, the conspirators spring into action. Bertha, Theodora and the emperor's children are placed under house arrest. Andronikos remains imprisoned while the conspirators try to come to an agreement. John Kontostephanos orders his troops to march for Ankara...
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*: Not sure if the correct term for the leader of a theme was strategos or doux
**: OTL, he was Andronikos I's main henchman.
***: In OTL, Maria was Manuel's second emperor, and after Manuel died, she and Alexios became lovers until their deaths.
****: She was a candidate for Manuel's second wife in OTL after Bertha died, but Manuel picked Maria. Melisende and the Count of Tripoli did not take it well.
 
1160-1161 (continued): Kilij Arslan continues onto Iconium with his hostages. When he hears of the advance on Ankara, he leads half of his army to ambush the Rhomans while he sends the hostages to Iconium under his brother Sancar.

Back in Constantinople, news has broken out of Manuel's capture and possible death. The people begin rioting in the streets. While negotiating with Eirene Komnenos, Michael Palaiologos stirs up gangs to hunt down anyone who would support Manuel or his children, but finds himself unable to control all of them. A few Pisan and Venetian mobs take the opportunity to storm the Genoese quarters, beating and killing all in their path - men, women, children. Homes and churches were looted and burned to the ground. By the end, tens of thousands of Venetians were dead.

In Iconium, Manuel is stripped of all his finery and dressed in rags, but is otherwise treated well. One night, Prince Sancar is woken by news of a large contingent of soldiers approaching the gates. The host is difficult to make out, even with a few torches lit, but they can recognise some siege engines. A catapult launches a projectile which lands just over the gate. The soldiers find among the rocks a sack, and within the sack, the head of their sultan.

Sancar is shocked when the head is presented to him. 'Damn the emperor! Damn Palaiologos!' he screams. He calms down and heads to where the emperor is being held. 'Let these backstabbers fight amongst themselves,' he mutters.

John Kontostephanos and the army are relieved when Sancar personally escorts the emperor and the other survivors through the gates. John explains that Ankara has fallen, partly through siege and partly through the cowardice of Kilij Arslan's other brothers, Alp Arslan and Shahanshah. Sancar's brothers have fled to Tyana and Caesarea respectively to stake their claims to the throne. Manuel's last act before leaving is to 'persuade' Sancar to surrender Ankara for good. The following exchange is later recorded in Kontostephanos' journals:

Sancar: Do not test my generosity, your Majesty. My men still surround you.

Manuel:
And my men surround you, Sancar. And your brothers will surround your nephews, Mahmud and Malik, I believe their names were? Which matters more to you right now - pride or family?

Fuming, Sancar sends the Rhomans on their way and prepares to face his kin.

When the army arrives on the shores of the Bosporus, Constantinople is in chaos. Stephen Hagiochristophorites grew tired of waiting and released Andronikos Komnenos. The gangs began fighting amongst themselves and eventually pushed back Michael and Eirene, who have taken refuge in the Hagia Sophia. On the shores, a small body is found with his throat slit and his eyes gouged out. It is soon identified as Manuel's great nephew Isaac*.

The army is ferried across the Golden Horn and Manuel sneaks a few trusted soldiers into the city through an unused water conduit. The fighting inside the city begins to die down when the emperor's presence is announced. Those near the gate are deathly silent. When the gates open and Manuel comes into view, they erupt into cheers. Manuel immediately heads for the Blachernae palace, fearing for his for the lives of his family. When he finds them safe and sound, he collapses and hugs them, weeping with joy. It takes a few days, but Constantinople is restored to order. Eirene Komnenos and Michael Palaiologos are banished to a monastary, but Michael is blinded and his tongue is slit so he can spread no more lies. Stephen Hagiochristophorites is accused of murdering Isaac by Eirene, though no one can confirm it. Regardless, he is imprisoned after having his nose and his right hand cut off. The soldiers are unable to find Andronikos...

When he learns of the massacre, Manuel is horrified at the loss of life, but knows an opportunity when he sees one. Manuel allows the Venetians, Genoese and Pisans to stay**, but revokes Venice's tax exemption status. Manuel brings in native merchants from Greece, Anatolia and Southern Italy to 'fill the vacuum' as it were. Manuel justifies his actions on the terms of the Treaty of 1082, where the Venetians did not fulfil their side of the agreement in his grandfather's defensive war against the Normans. As 1161 draws to a close, Manuel heads to bed with an enormous headache. Venice will surely want revenge, and those two Hungarians, Stephen and Ladislaus, would have to be dealt with soon enough. But his eastern border and throne were secure and his family safe and sound, and that was all that mattered to him at that moment. Though he had noticed Theodora was looking a bit more plump around the belly...
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*: OTL, he ruled Cyprus independently like a tyrant for 7 years until he was evicted by Richard the Lionheart in 1191. He then fled to Iconium where he was poisoned in 1196.
**: OTL, Manuel instead expelled most of the Genoese and Pisans, giving the Venetians a free hand for several years. Then, in 1171, when he expelled the Venetians, the Genoese and Pisans profited. And they were the main victims of the OTL massacre in 1182.
 
1162-1167:

The Kingdom of Hungary was mired in a succession crisis. Following the death of King Geza II, his oldest son Stephen had been crowned. Unfortunately, the Rhoman Emperor Manuel, looking to extend his influence over Hungarian lands beyond the Sava river, was supporting the claims of his uncles Stephen and Laudislaus. Negotiating with the Hungarian barons, Manuel sent the brothers back from Constantinople. Stephen III fled to Pozsony and Ladislaus was crowned King Ladislaus II, granting his brother Stephen one third of the kingdom to rule.

Archbishop Lukas of Esztergom believed Stephen III was the legitimate king of Hungary and excommunicated Ladislaus. Ladislaus responded by arresting the archbishop, releasing him on Christmas Day, 1162 at the request of Pope Alexander III. Shortly afterwards, Ladislaus died, some believe of poisoning, and his brother was crowned Stephen IV. Lukas still remained loyal to Stephen III and excommunicated this new King as well. The Hungarian barons began to chafe against Stephen IV's pro-Rhoman policies. The Csak clan rebelled against him was defeated. His nephew, meanwhile, had sought the aid of Frederick I.

In 1164, Stephen III defeated his uncle in battle with the help of troops lent to him by the German emperor. On the advice of Lukas, the restored king exiled his uncle and appeased Manuel by sending his younger brother Bela to Constantinople as a political hostage. Manuel received Bela warmly, betrothing him to one of his nieces, but negotiations broke down when he also demanded Bela's paternal inheritance - Croatia, Bosnia, Syrmia and Dalmatia. Stephen refused and war broke out once more.

Manuel sent an army of 15,000 men under Andronikos Kontostephanos (brother of Manuel's saviour) through Serbia to meet the Hungarian army. The two armies met and clashed at Sirmium, ending in a decisive victory for the mixed Rhoman army over the cavalry-heavy Hungarian force. tired of war, Stephen agrees to surrender all Hungarian territory south of the Drava river to the Rhomans. Only Zara, under the Serene Republic of Venice, remains out of Rhoman control. To better incorporate all these new Catholic inhabitants, Manuel grants the theme of Dalmatia to general Michael Branas while keeping Ban Kulin in charge of Bosnia and granting Bela the new themes of Syrmia and Croatia, as is his birthright.

Back in Constantinople, Manuel turns to rebuilding the damage done by the conspirators and to managing his growing family. Theodora Vatatzaina, his niece, gives birth to a boy. Manuel names him Alexios, but refuses to legitimise him unless his first son dies.

In 1164, Bertha gives birth to her last child, a girl, named Eirene both for her mother and grandmother, Eirene-Piroska of Hungary. However, when Manuel comes to visit her alone, after years of being cheated on by her husband and the earlier incestuous birth of a son, Bertha lets loose a tirade of accusations against the emperor, asking what she and their children had ever done to deserve such a fate. Angered, Manuel slapped his wife, but she slapped him right back. Manuel staggered back, holding his cheek in shock. Bertha, still enraged, tries to climb out of bed despite her weakness after the birth. She stumbles and launches herself at Manuel who instinctively tries to push her away. Manuel ended up up throwing Bertha into a stone wall, cracking her skull. This shakes him out of his stupor. When servants, accompanied by the princesses Maria and Anna arrive, they find the emperor on his knees, roaring like a lion in grief and despair...

List of Manuel's children by 1167:

Maria (b. 1152 - 15 years old) - Betrothed to Alexios Palaiologos (no relation to the traitor, Michael Palaiologos).
Anna (b. 1154 - 13 years old) - Betrothed to Basil Vatatzes.
Alexios (b. 1158 - 9 years old) - Betrothed to Euphrosyne Kamateros.
Alexios (b. 1161 - 6 years old) - Illegitimate. Uneligible for the throne. Betrothed to Zabel Rubenid, daughter of Thoros of Cilicia.
Eirene (b. 1164 - 3 years old) - Betrothed to Michael Tarchoneiotes.
 
1167-1169:

The civil war between King William of Ifrīqiya and King Simon of Sicily has been going on for 10 years now. William has just defeated an attempt by Simon to take Tunis, but before he can follow up on his victory, the unlucky Norman dies from a combination of stress and a sudden heat stroke. His son and successor, William II, is still a minor and the regency council finds their depleted army ill-prepared to deal with the threat of the Almohads from Mauretania.

Abandoning Tunis, the surviving Normans flee to Mahdia where they meet with representatives of the Republic of Genoa. The Normans agree to sell their remaining African territories in exchange for passage to Sicily or Sardinia. When they arrive in Cagliari, however, the Genoese offer them jobs as mercenaries against the Republic of Pisa, who have opened up trade relations with the Almohads, and Frederick Barbarossa, who has just installed an Antipope in Rome, Paschal III, and is besieging Ancona. Some accept, but most are hungry and tired of fighting. One nobleman, Bohemond of Tarsia begins telling the Normans that if they must fight, let it be for a new homeland, an island nation to rival both Sicily and Venice. Under Bohemund, the Normans rise up against the Genoese and take control of Cagliari, seizing most of the fleet stationed in the harbour. By the end of the year, the southern half of Sardinia is under Norman control and raids on the northern half and Corsica are common.

Manuel is aware of all these problems in Italy - Pope Alexander himself has fled to Campania - but is currently preoccupied with preparing another campaign against the Seljuks. His son Alexios will accompany him under the watch of John Kontostephanos. Manuel therefore sends John's brother Andronikos to help John Doukas, Alexios Axouch, Robert of Loritello and the strategos of Benevento relieve Ancona. At the same time, he tries to persuade Alexander to acknowledge him as the sole Emperor of Rome. Manuel had fallen into a depression and seeks to clear his mind in the heat and glory of battle. Maria took the first chance she had to leave with Bela after the wedding and Anna and Alexios hardly speak to him, at least as a father. He privately acknowledged the second Alexios as his son but broke off his relationship with Theodora Vatatzaina and shipped her off to a monastary. Hoping to cheer him up, nobleman John Spyridonakes* offered to collect some of the most distinguished and beautiful virgins in the city for a bride show after his campaign against the Turks. Manuel half-heartedly agrees.

He also sends large sums of money to help rebuild the cities of Northern Italy who are allying against Frederick with the support of Pope Alexander III - the Lombard League. The Rhoman army, accompanied by Alexander, defeats the garrison left in Ancona and then marches towards Rome itself, intent on removing Paschal. Frederick moved to relieve his ally and secure Tuscany but his army was slowed down at Turin - struck by malaria. The German army soon found itself under a hail of javelins, arrows and crossbow bolts from both Rhomans and Lombards. Frederick escapes with his army in tatters, the stragglers run down by kataphractoi and Lombard lancers. Frederick escapes across the Alps back to Germany. The cities of the Lombard League demand that Frederick recognise their independence. Furious, but with his troops weary, sick and demoralised, Frederick agrees and turns his attention to Bohemia, Poland, Denmark, and his (in his view) treacherous cousin Henry the Lion. To celebrate their victory, the Italians begin construction on a new commune 56 miles from Turin - Alessandria, named after their restored Pope. Though unable to come to an agreement with the Pope, Manuel is able to strengthen ties to one of the league's leading members - William V, Marquess of Monteferrat, by betrothing his youngest daughter Eirene to his youngest son Renier.

Italy:

While Manuel prepares for his second Turkish campaign, back in Italy, the strategoi returned to their themes, but John Doukas dies shortly after, having picked up malaria while riding down Frederick's soldiers. Robert goes back to Bari and Alexios Axouch helps smooth the succession of John Doukas's son, also named John. After reinstalling Alexander, Andronikos Kontostephanos received calls of assistance from both Genoa and Pisa regarding the Normans. The Genoese need mercenaries to retake Cagliari, not trusting the Normans they've already hired, while the Pisans want to take the entire island for themselves. Andronikos, while tempted, declines, for the emperor has asked him, Alexios Axouch and Admiral Andronikos Angelos* to settle the issue of Sicily once and for all.
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*:
OTL, he was the governor of Macedonia under Alexios III Angelos. He unsuccessfully rebelled against Alexios and fled to Bulgaria.
**: Father of OTL emperors Isaac II and Alexios III.
 
1169-1171:

Anatolia:

Emperor Manuel splits his army into two groups. He will lead the first group towards Iconium, accompanied by his son, Prince Alexios, Alexios Bryennios, strategos of the Cibyrrheot theme, Baldwin of Antioch and a contigent of Frankish and Armenian mercenaries. The second group, headed towards Amaseia via Ankyra, would be commanded by John Kontostephanos, John Kantakouzenos and Manuel Laskaris, strategos of the Opsikion theme. They were accompanied by a contingent of Hungarian troops lent to the emperor by Bela. Once they captured or gained the surrender of Iconium, Amaseia and all the cities inbetween, they would meet up again and head towards Caesarea, where it was rumored Sultan Sancar was holed up. Manuel advanced towards Mistheia (OTL Beyşehir), coming across burned crops and poisoned water supplies along the way. Soo he was faced with a dilemma. His scouts had reported a moderately-sized Seljuk force nearby. With his supplies running out, Manuel had two choices - he could try and advance through the mountainous pass of Myriokephalon, or he could try and lure the Turks onto the open plain of Philomelion as his grandfather had done in 1117 AD. Manuel ordered his troops to head for Philomelion, praying to God that he would not lose his son there as Alexios I had...

The Northern Rhoman army marched from Amaseia towards Caesarea, as per the plan John Kontostephanos stayed behind to secure the city while John Kantakouzenos had been wounded during the recent siege and was heading for Sinope with the Hungarian mercenaries. They were halfway there when they were ambushed by the city of Tavium. This was the personal army of Prince Shahanshah. The majority were Azabs (meaning 'bachelors'), lightly armoured and armed with javelins and swords, but their main strength was their cavalry - heavily-armoured Ghulams. Being deprived of horse archers as punishment by his brother, Shahanshah planned to surprise the Rhomans, bog them down with the Azabs while he and his Ghulams wheeled around to kill any enemy commanders they could find. Then he would march onto Ankyra, to wash away the indignity of his retreat years earlier. Initially, this seemed to work. The Rhoman heavy infantry held their ground, but the Azabs kept coming and coming. Manuel Laskaris spotted the prince coming around the side and took his Athanatoi cavalry (named after the Persian Immortals) to meet him. Seeing this, John Kontostephanos screamed at Manuel to come back but his calls were ignored. Frustrated, John stayed with his men to keep them from routing. Athantoi and Ghulams collided. A ghulam swung his mace at Laskaris's head, denting his helmet and nearly knocking him off his horse. He rose his arm to swing again, but Manuel recovered just in time, stabbed at his chest and slashed across his throat. Manuel adjusted his helmet and saw Shahanshah skewering one of his companions with his lance. Manuel charged, cut down another Ghulam, and slashed the prince's horse.

As his horse fell forward, Shahanshah grabbed at Manuel and yanked him out of his saddle onto the ground. They began struggling while Laskaris's horse began to panic. Eventually, Manuel threw Shahanshah off. The last thing the Turkish prince saw was the hooves of Laskaris's horse come down upon him...

Laskaris barely managed to stand, preparing for death, when he heard and saw arrows strike down some of the ghulams. He looked to the horizon and, in disbelief, saw the Hungarians, and John Kantakouzenos riding and shooting alongside them. The strategoi and Hungarians charged straight into the flank of the Azab horde, hacking and smashing through their ranks. Word was already spreading of Prince Shahanshah's death and the Turks began to retreat, being picked off by the cavalry at their leisure. A week after the Battle of Tavium, the army finally reached Caesarea, and they noticed a large army was already outside the gates. A small contingent of riders met the strategoi at the front.

'What took you so long?' asked the emperor.

4 months later:

Sancar, the last Sultan of Iconium, kneels in the same chamber where he had kept the Rhoman Emperor and his concubines hostage. When the gates and walls fell, he gave orders for his fellow brothers-in-Islam to flee in whatever way they could. For him, however, there was no escape. He had been fooled by that very same emperor and led his kingdom to ruin. When Rhoman soldiers storm the room, they find Sancar lying face-first in a pool of blood, the blade of a scimitar protruding from his back. Many Turks, along with the surviving Seljuks, flee towards Persia, where the last remnants of the Great Seljuk Empire are being encroached upon by the Khwarezmian Shahdom. Rhoman territory in Anatolia now extends to the terminuses of the Halys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%B1...4%B1rmak_River) and Pyramus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceyhan_River) rivers. The only other significant powers are the Sunni Saltukids, based in Erzerum, and the rising Orthodox Kingdom of Georgia.

Manuel, his son, John Kontostephanos and John Katankouzenos head with a small entourage towards Trebizond. From there, they will head to Tbilisi to negotiate further conquest of Anatolia and Armenia with King George III of Georgia. Upon reaching Trebizond, however, he is informed that his cousin Andronikos has been sighted in Georgia and that his son has been married to George's daughter Rusudan. Manuel orders Katankouzenos to head for Georgia, conclude an alliance, or at least a treaty of friendship with King George, and recapture Andronikos and his children with a minimum amount of fuss.
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Comments and criticisms are always welcome!

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Map below

Purple - Basileia ton Rhomaion
Yellow - Serene Republic of Venice
Orange - Saltukid dynasty
Green - Zengids/Ayyubids (ignore Tripoli)

800px-Map_Byzantine_Empire_1025-en.svg.png
 
1171:

Manuel's last campaign against the Seljuks reestablishes the themes of Anatolia and Charsianon, lost since the aftermath of Manzikert, a hundred years ago. He appoints as their strategoi the generals Thedore Maurozomes and Alexios Branas respectively. Manuel's son Alexios bears witness to this and is intrigued, mainly because the way his father set up the themes was not in line with what he had been taught of the themes in his lessons...

Sicily along the Ionian Sea had been ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 1169, so the Rhomans had met very little resistance. The strategos of Crete had met up with Axouch at Syracuse while Andronikos Angelos had sailed on to Palermo. Sailing along the coast, Axouch had left the Cretan strategos to besiege Agrigentum. After two years of besiegement and unsuccessfuly sallies, King Simon surrenders, Malta following suit shortly afterwards. Now all of Sicily and Southern Italy is back in Rhoman hands, as was Manuel's intention sixteen years ago. Most of the remaining Siculo-Normans leave for Sardinia, England or France. Those that stay convert to orthodoxy and are either left on Sicily or are shipped to Anatolia to repopulate the Central plateau alongside Serbs, Armenians and others. Simon is led to a comfortable 'retirement' at Oinaion on the Black Sea. Sicily is made a new theme under general Michael Aspietes.

John Katankouzenos returns from Georgia with Andronikos Komnenos and his family in chains. Whatever bond the cousins may have shared in the past, Bertha's death has left Manuel determined to throw away the final trappings of his dissolute youth. Manuel blinds Andronikos and throws him into the deepest, darkest dungeon in Constantinople, utterly alone except for the guards posted to watch him at all times. Manuel gives his blessing to the marriage of Andronikos's son, Manuel, and Princess Rusudan and sends them back to Georgia in peace. Ultimately, Manuel decides to cancel the bride show. He knows he is getting older and wants to spend his final years maintaining an empire rather than building one.

1172-1179:

In 1172, Frederick Barbarossa formally concludes a treaty in Venice with the Rhomans and the Lombard League, agreeing to a fifteen year peace. Elsewhere, the Fatimid Caliph in Egypt is overthrown by one of Nur-ad Din's generals, a Kurd named Shirkuh. When Shirkuh dies, he is succeeded by his nephew, Salah ad-Din, aka, Saladin. Saladin refuses to swear loyalty to Nur-ad Din and starts building his own kingdom from Egypt and the Hedjaz. Nur-ad Din dies in 1174 of fever. Damascus falls to Saladin the same year. Manuel considers sending aid to King Baldwin of Jerusalem, but when he hears of a crusader victory at the Battle of Montisgard, he decides the situation is well in hand.

1180:

On the 20th of September, sick with a fever, Manuel asks to be baptised once again. He does so, taking the name Matthew and dressing himself in the manner of a monk. Manuel Komnenos 'the Great' died in his bed, with only his bastard son by his side. Alexios had by now taken on the name Erotikos, the other surname of the founder of the Komnenos dynasty. Maria and Anna hated their bastard sibling and never forgave their father for his role in their mothers' death. The soon-to-be emperor tolerated him because he was a brave soldier who would be more useful alive than dead. Only Eirene truly liked her older brother, for she had been too young to understand what had happened at the time. Manuel spent his last moments babbling about Bertha, Theodora and Andronikos and weeping over his mistakes. His eldest son, Alexios, is crowned Emperor Alexios II Komnenos in the Hagia Sophia the next day.

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Manuel's children by 1180:

* Maria (b. 1152 - 28 years old) - Married to Alexios Palaiologos (grandfather of OTL Michael VIII Palaiologos). Two children - George (b. 1169), Theodora (b. 1170).

* Anna (b. 1154 - 26 years old) - Married to Basil Vatatzes (father of OTL John III Vatatzes). Three children - John (b. 1170), Isaac (b. 1172), Manuel (b. 1175).

* Alexios II (b. 1158 - 22 years old) - Married to Euphrosyne Kamaterina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphros...kaina_Kamatera). Suffers from headaches but has a keen interest in religion and politics. Two children - Eirene (b. 1176), Zoe (b. 1177).

* Alexios Erotikos (b. 1161 - 19 years old) - Married to Zabel Rubenid, younger daughter of the deceased Thoros II of Cilicia. Illegitimate son of Manuel and his niece, Thedora Vatatzaina.

* Eirene (b. 1164 - 16 years old) - Married to Michael Tarchoneiotes.
 
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Volume 2: Alexios II Komnenos

1180-1181: Alexios II (so named for the AIMA prophecy foretold during the reign of his father) started his rule relatively well. He realised he could not handle everything by himself, so he immediately named his brother-in-law, Alexios Palaiologos, as Caesar or co-emperor until Euphrosyne gave birth to a son. In 1181, he sent Palaiologos to Anatolia to prepare for a campaign against the Saltukids in concert with King George III of Georgia. While he left others in charge of military matters, Alexios turned to politics and religious matters. Alexios continues his father's policies of trying to convert the Turks and Kurds inside the empire. Some, impressed by Rhoman military success, convert to Orthodoxy, but others refuse to convert, so Alexios begins a population transfer, moving Turks to Europe and Slavs and Greeks to Anatolia.

1182:

Anatolia:


Alexios Palaiologos, accompanied by Manuel Laskaris and Basil Vatatzes, strategos of Thracesia, marched to the border between the Saltukids and Rhomans with their army. John Gavalas, strategos of the Bucellarian theme, offered to accompany them, but the emperor ordered him to remain and keep an eye on Andronikos Komnenos. The army marched along the Halys River, then turned south towards the Euphrates. Caught off-guard by the speed of the Rhoman advance, town after town fell - Tephrike, Melitene and finally Samosata on the borders of the Zengids. Assuring the emirs of Aleppo, Edessa and Mosul that they hold no quarrel with them, the Rhomans turned around. Hearing reports of a possible uprising in Cilicia, Basil Vatatzes is sent back to assist the strategoi of Seleucia and Lykandos. Palaiologos continues along up the Euphrates, planning to march straight on Erzerum. The Saltukids make a last ditch attempt to stop him outside the walls of the city but are driven back. Erzerum surrenders. The morning after the battle, Palaiologos speaks to a gathering of soldiers and citizens. A long scar across his right cheek, he congratulates the soldiers on their victory and formally gives back the city its original name - Theodosiopolis.

The army then marches further eastwards to assist the Georgians in the mop-up operations. Alexios and George agree to establish the area around Lake Van as the new border between Rhomania and Georgia, with the Georgians taking the city of Van or Vaspurakan itself. Rhoman territory now streches to just beyond Manzikert, a place the soldiers treat with a quiet mixture of fear and respect.

1183: After the Christmas celebrations, Alexios felt one of his headaches coming on and sat down on a bench. His wife recognised the symptoms and had him hurried to his bedchambers before an accident happened *. The emperor spends the rest of the year confined to his bedchambers, slowly regaining his strength. In that time, Empress Euphrosyne began issuing orders in his name, sometimes coming into conflict with the nobles, especially Princess Maria. Though he named Alexios Palaiologos as Caesar and the theme of Bulgaria, and granted Alexios Erotikos a place in the army, Alexios in truth didn't trust any of his siblings and in-laws.

When Alexios was able to walk unaided again he received word that King Stephen was dead from pneumonia, leaving behind two children by his wife Agnes of Antioch - Geza and Margaret. 11-year old Geza was still a minor and the barons pledged their support to Stephen's youngest brother, Geza the Elder. When Bela asked the emperor to support his claim on the Kingdom of Hungary, he agreed but was certain Bela would stab him in the back and take back the lands Stephen had lost to Manuel. Then again, that's what the Turks were for...

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*: Alexios II Komnenos in this iteration is eplileptic. I'm not sure if, in the future of this timeline, it would even be called epilepsy, so I didn't mention it by name.

800px-Map_Byzantine_Empire_1025-en.svg.png
 
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If you don't mind me asking what's the reason for another reboot? I'm having trouble keeping up with the changes between different revisions.
 
If you don't mind me asking what's the reason for another reboot? I'm having trouble keeping up with the changes between different revisions.

The biggest change here is that Manuel's daughter, Maria, doesn't marry Bela of Hungary. Instead, she is married to Alexios Palaiologos, who, IOTL, was the grandfather of Michael VIII.

Bela is now married to one of Manuel's nieces. IOTL, after the death of his first wife, Agnes of Antioch, he wanted to be married to one of Manuel's grandnieces by his sister, Theodora, but she had become a nun. Because he's not married to his sister (thus having no dynastic claim to the imperial throne), Alexios II sees no reason to kill him but instead begins a population transfer between the Slavs and Turks who refuse to convert.

Instead of marrying Alexios Angelos as before, Manuel's daughter, Anna is now married to Basil Vatatzes, father of OTL John III.

If there are any other major changes, I'll list them.
 
1183-1185: On the urgings of his sister Eirene, Alexios negotiates with Bela III, recognising him as the legitimate King of Hungary. During the negotiations, Euphrosyne finally gives birth to a son, Andronikos.

Alexius attempts to check the power of the nobles by stopping the sale of public offices and punishing corrupt officials. Two Bulgarians, brothers Theodore and Ivan Asen requested a pronoia from the emperor. After testing their merit, Alexius does one better and appoints them to the now absent themes of Croatia and Syrmia, hoping to speed conversion along as it is in Southern Italy and Sicily. Calabria, Sicily and Malta are quick to embrace Orthodoxy, due to the large numbers of Greeks living there. Longobardia (Apulia) and Lukania also convert, knowing there's no turning back after betraying their former Catholic Norman rulers. The themes of Capua and Benevento remain stubbornly Catholic. Alexius, not wishing to go to war in Italy, takes no action.

Alexios' new reforms provoke a harsh response from the nobility. Theodore Katankouzenous, strategos of Paradounabon in Bulgaria, prepares to march on Constantinople but 'disappears' before he can make his move. His position is awarded to a Bulgarian noble. Others are not so easy to quash. John Gavalas, former strategos of the Bucellarian theme, stripped of his rank on charges of usury**, declares the emperor a "demonic adversary intent on exterminating the imperial family" ***. John and Leo Gavalas then begin championing Princess Maria's claim to the throne. To Alexios's not-surprise, Maria joins him. As do others - Isaac & Alexios Angelos (OTL Isaac II and Alexios III) and his brother-in-law Alexios Palaiologos, who, despite his expeditions to Mesopotamia, is ultimately a member of the civil aristocracy. Another noble named Andronikos Lampardas rises up in Adramyttion (modern-day Edremit in Turkey) when Manuel Laskaris and his sons refuse to support the revolt.

The emperor is in two minds about what to do. Take troops away from the European themes and leave them open to attack or further uprisings, or turn to the Asian themes and risk them joining the revolt? Alexios eventually decides to lead the imperial army to Anatolia himself, accompanied by Michael Tarchoneiotes, the Varangian Guard, the Archontopoulai and the strategoa of Macedonia. He also decides to call Andronikos Kontostephanos out of retirement, promising him the theme of Bucellarion, which he had ironically given to Palaiologos after dismissing Gavalas. Crossing the Bosporus from Callipolis (modern-day Gallipoli), the army heads for Adramyttion. The city surrenders without a fight but they find Andronikos Lampardas has already left for Nicaea. Alexios, not wanting to give Anna any chance of escape, turns his army south towards Samos. Despite protests from his commanders, he is confident in Manuel Laskaris's abilities and in Nicaea's walls.

The Samosian tagamata under Alexios Angelos meet the imperial army outside the city of Smyrna in full battle formation. Then, to everyone's utter shock, the commander turns and retreats, his courage failing him. He doesn't get far. Bewildered, yet suspecting a trap, Kontostephanos sends in cavalry and skirmishers to wear the troops down. Trapped, the survivors accept Alexius's offer of amnesty and hand over Alexios Angelos, found hiding under some corpses. Taking one look at him, the emperor calls Alexios Angelos a pathetic living representation of the corruption and decadence rampant throughout Rhomania. The Varangian commander eagerly asks to behead him but the emperor says he's not worth the effort. In the end, the emperor has Alexius Angelos tied up in a sack and tossed into the sea to drown as an example to the people of Smyrna.

Maria, Alexios Palaiologos and their children have already fled to Miletus to sail to Constantinople. Alexius is about to follow them when he receives dire news - Nicaea has fallen. Manuel Laskaris is dead. Emperor Alexios realises he made a tactical error. He has spent too much time trying to cut off the head of the revolt that he ignored the body completely. When asked where the army is headed next, the answer is Nicomedia. Then his enemy's strategy makes sense. Maria and Palaiologos left Alexios Angelos to stall them while they headed to Miletus. From there, they would sail to Chalcedon, meet up with John Gavalas and take Constantinople. Alexios force-marches his troops towards Miletus, hoping to catch his sister before she escapes again. Fortunately, he arrives in time, but the people of Miletus refuse to open their gates. With his army exhausted, Kontostephanos suggests using subterfuge to open the gates. The spies successfully manage to open the gates.

Alexios has tried to be merciful and to restrain his troops from pillaging and looting, but he wants this rebellion to be over and done with. The Varangians set fire to several portions of the city and the Archontopoulai ride over anyone in their path in their fanatical loyalty to the emperor. The emperor and his entourage catch Maria, Palaiologos and Isaac Angelos by the docks, just about to board their boat to Chalcedon. Isaac draws his sword and tries to defend his wife. Alexios personally duels him, but it is obvious Isaac, like his brother, is no soldier. Isaac is slashed across the throat by the emperor and hacked to pieces while the emperor captures his sister and in-laws.

Alexios Palaiologos is dragged before Emperor Alexios. When asked why, after being well-rewarded for his service to the empire, he threw it all away, Palaiologos replies that his attacks on their traditions would rip the heart out of Rome. Alexios rebukes that, if the heart is to be ripped out, it's because weaklings like him and his fellow rebels who had already made it rotten to the core. As Palaiologos is dragged away, Alexios expresses his disappointment that a soldier like him would be brought so low by a usurer and a woman.

Alexius sails back to Constantinople, leaving Andronikos Kontostephanos to take care of Bucellarion. During the trip, Alexios heads to the brig to speak to Maria. What happened exactly is unknown, but a few people heard yelling, silence and then sobbing. The emperor is discovered standing over a screaming Maria, having apparently gouged her eyes out in a fit of rage.
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*: Usurers, another name for loan sharks.
**: According to Niketas Choniates, he said the same thing about Andronikos I Komnenos.
 
1185 (continued):

The rebels are about to attempt another crossing of the Bosporus and take over the Galata Tower when they noticed a small fleet on the coming through the early morning mist. Their spirits sink when they see the lead ship flying the emperor's standard, even more so when Maria and Alexios Palaiologos are lifted up for all to see. Most of the rebels surrender, hoping for clemency. Many are imprisoned or exiled. The nobles aren't so lucky.

Of the Gavalas brothers, John falls upon his sword while Leo is imprisoned. Andronikos Lampardas and Basil Vatatzes, for treason and for the death of Manuel Laskaris, are dragged through the streets of Constantinople to the Hippodrome where they are flogged by the Vardariotai* and finally beheaded by the Varangian Guard. Bucellarion is given to Andronikos Kontostephanos, as agreed, while the Opsikion theme is granted to Manuel Laskaris's third son, Constantine**. Finally, Alexios Palaiologos is strangled with a bowstring.

Maria is exiled to one of the prince's islands, where her wounds become infected and she dies. To cover up the events that took place on the boat, Alexios imprisons anyone who might implicate him. The official story is that she was set upon by bandits while trying to escape at Miletus.

1186:

Though justice has been served, in Alexios's view, he takes no pleasure in it. He felt no pain at the deaths of the conspirators because he had them carried out by others. Shocked at having killed one of his own kin with his own hands, Alexios retreats once more into his chambers. For days at a time he remains in isolation, pouring over religious and historical texts, leaving matters of state to Euphrosyne and Thomas. He doesn't even attend the birth of his second son in April. When Euphrosyne finally drags him away from his books, upon seeing the boy, he smiles for the first time in a long while. Cradling the baby, he names him Manuel. That night, a feast is held at the Blachernae Palace to celebrate Manuel's birth. Alexios in particular consumes copious amounts of wine offered by Euphrosyne. Despite his joy, from that point on, Alexios never slept without a sword on his bedpost and praying fervently beforehand.

1186-1187:

While his brother had been more interested in politics and religion, Alexios Erotikos took more after his father and was more interested in warfare and combat. His brother, the emperor, was no fool and knew better than to pick fights that would gain nothing for the empire. Continuing his father's anti-Venetian policies, he began favouring Genoese, Amalfian and Greek traders more in Constantinople. In response, the Venetians began raiding Epirus, Longobardia and the Pelopponese. At the same time, the people of the trading city of Zara on the Adriatic coast requested Rhoman protection against Venice.

While Alexios II sent Alexios Branas, strategos of Dalmatia, to Zara, Thomas, with the help of his admirals, laid a trap for the main Venetian fleet under their Doge, Orio Mastropiero***. Striking from both Abydos and the island of Tenedos****, 200 Rhoman ships defeated 150 Venetian ships near at the Battle of Elaeus. Later (exaggerated) reports claimed the Rhomans lost 15 ships to nearly 70 Venetian ships, though the Rhoman casualties were probably twice that number. Humiliated, Doge Orio agrees to recognise that Zara was now under Rhoman soverignty.

In July 1187, Saladin inflicts a crushing defeat against the Crusaders at Hattin. Then, on October 2nd, after a siege of twelve days, the Holy City itself, Jerusalem, falls to Saladin. Surprisingly, the city was spared the carnage that the Crusaders inflicted upon the city in 1099 and Saladin allowed every Frankish inhabitant a month to pay for their ransom. Many refugees fled to the County of Tripoli, the last independant crusader state, while others fled to Antioch, Cilicia and Constantinople. On October 19th, Pope Urban III died, supposedly of shock upon hearing of the loss of Jerusalem. His successor, Pope Gregory VIII, immediately issued a bull calling for a third crusade to reclaim the holy city. For Latin Christendom, the world had stopped. For Emperor Alexios II Komnenos, it was the chance he had been waiting for to expand the empire into Syria once more. For Alexios Erotikos, it was his chance to prove his worth to the empire and to his family.
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*: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vardariotai
**: OTL Constantine Laskaris was the first emperor of Nicaea for a short while after the Sack of Constantinople.
***: The Doge of Venice before Enrico Dandolo. Yes, even he will be appearing in this TL.
****: Mentioned in the Iliad and Aeneid as the place where the Greeks hid their ships from the Trojans to trick them into taking the Trojan Horse inside the city.
 
1187-1190:

Since the defeat of the Saltukids, the imperial family had begun rebuilding the tagmata and themata against a possible invasion by the Cumans, Ayyubids or Hungarians. Now the emperor sought as much information as possible from Armenians who had served in the Fatimid army and Frankish refugees who might have knowledge of Saladin's forces. The best soldiers Saladin and his family would have at their disposal were the Mamluks - mainly Cumans, Alans and Georgians captured as children, sold into slavery and trained as cavalrymen (lancers and horse archers). Aside from the Mamluks and native Kurds, Saladin also employed archers from Nubia, archers and swordsmen from the Bedouin tribes, spearmen and cavalry lancers from the local Arab tribes, and the Al-Haqa - heavy infantry made up of Arabs, Egyptians and the sons of Mamluks.

With this information in hand, Alexios II and Alexios Erotikos pour over the Praecepta Militaria military manual written by Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas and organises their army almost entirely along those lines.

Light infantry/missile troops (padded or leather armour):

Psiloi - A blanket term for all soldiers armed with javelins, slings and cleavers. Equipped with a small metal or wooden shield.

Toxotai - Foot archers armed with Turkish-style composite bows, cleavers and round shields.

Crossbowmen recruited from Southern Italy and Genoa.

Heavy infantry (leather or lamellar armour):

Kontaratoi - spearmen armed with the 12-foot menaulion spear and an kite-shaped shield.

Skoutatoi - heavy infantry armed with the spatha sword, a short spear and a kite-shaped shield.

Varrangoi - Armed with two-handed axes. A mail-armoured guard unit made up almost wholly of Scandinavians and Englishmen.

Cavalry - (Leather, lamellar or mail armour):

Stratiotai - Light cavalry armed with axes, swords and javelins.

Hippo-toxotai - Horse archers recruited from the Cumans, Turks and Hungarians. Lightly-armoured for greater mobility. Armed with Turkish-style composite bows, axes and swords.

Cavallarii - Heavy cavalry armed with lances, swords and bows. The horses were covered with padded cloth.

Kataphractoi - The most heavily-armoured cavalry in the Rhoman army, with the rider clad in mail and the horse covered in lamellar or scale barding. Armed with heavy lances, swords and maces.

Archontopoulai - meaning 'sons of generals'. A heavily-armoured cavalry unit formed by Alexios I at the end of the 10th century from the sons of fallen officers. Armed with lances and swords and fanatically loyal to the emperor.

Across Europe, others were arming themselves to take up the cross. After completely emptying his coffers to fund his army, King Richard I of England meets with King Philip II of France at Marseille on July 4th, 1189. While he would travel by sea, Philip would take the overland route across the Alps to Genoa. In October, the two armies reunited at Messina. The French and English receive a chilly reception from the Orthodox inhabitants of Sicily. It is only due to the negotiations of the aging Alexios Axouch that open conflict is avoided and the crusaders soon leave for Acre*.

Meanwhile, the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa, organised an army of 15,000 men, including 3,000 knights**. Marching through the Balkans, they were joined by 2,000 men sent by King Bela III of Hungary. The German army arrived at Constantinople not long after Alexios II had sent his own army, nearly 45,000 men, out of Europe. His brother would lead 25,000 men with Barbarossa across Anatolia while the rest would head for Antioch by sea under John and Andronikos Kontostephanos. To secure his Europe frontiers, he left Southern Italy in the hands of Alexios Axouch, his son John Axouch, Nikephoros Doukas and Richard of Loritello, and the Adriatic themes under Alexios Branas, Ban Kulin of Bosnia and Theodore and Ivan Asen to guard against possible Hungarian aggression.

Alexios II was initially nervous when he heard of Barbarossa's involvement in the crusade, mainly because of his father's involvement in Frederick's defeat in Northern Italy. Fortunately, both men had vowed to not spill Christian blood during the crusade. Reaffirming their vows, the two emperors shipped their armies across the Bosporus, and then the long march began...
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*: OTL, the crusaders stayed in Messina until April 1191, mostly due to dynastic issues between King Tancred and Richard's sister Joan, wife of King William II of Sicily.
**: This is likely the true figure of Barbarossa's army. The common (likely exaggerated) figure is 100,000 men, including 20,000 knights.
 
1190:

After crossing the Bosporus, the Rhoman army began shadowing the German army until they met up again at Iconium on the way to Cilicia. There was an air of mutual distrust between the Orthodox Rhomans and the Catholic Germans, Austrians, Italians, Hungarians and Bohemians. Several scuffles had broken out in the camps but were quickly broken up before any major damage could be done. It would take a miracle to keep open war from erupting.

By June 10th, the armies of the Rhomans and the Germans had arrvied at the Saleph River in Cilicia. On that day, it is reported that Frederick Barbarossa decided to lead his horse across the river himself because the only bridge was too crowded with troops. The current was too strong for the German emperor's horse to handle - both he and the horse began to be swept away. Seeing this, Alexios Erotikos rushed to the river with some attendants, dove in, grabbed Barbarossa and began tearing off the emperor's heavy armour. Just before both were swept away completely, they were retrieved by the prince's assistants.*

While both emperors had escaped relatively unharmed, the armies rushed towards Seleucia where they could be properly attended to. Frederick's son, Duke Frederick VI of Swabia, expressed gratitude towards Erotikos for saving his father's life, and the stories began to spread through the ranks of Alexios' courage. Frederick Barbarossa himself found a new respect for the young man. After recovering, Frederick and Erotikos announced to their troops that, regardless of whether they were Catholic or Orthodox, they were all Christians and would fight to defeat Saladin and reclaim the Holy Land once and for all.

The soldiers finally arrived in Antioch just as the winter season came down. Alexios recieved word that John and Andronikos had managed to capture Laodicea (OTL Latakia) and Antioch-in-Pieria (OTL Arwad) before being forced to hole up in Tortosa alongside the Knights Templar by Saladin. Thomas comes to an agreement with Frederick Barbarossa. As soon as possible, the troops would march to retrieve Tortosa. Then, while Frederick, Richard and Philip marched on Jerusalem, he would head back towards Aleppo and Edessa and draw as many Muslim soldiers away from Palestine as possible.

1191:

Tortosa was relieved in early June 1191. The Rhomans had lost nearly 5,000 men from battle, starvation and disease and John Kontostephanos had died of an infected wound after his right arm was severed at the elbow. Alexios took as many fit men and horses as possible and sent the rest back to Antioch for rest and recuperation. He added Laodicea and Antioch-in-Pieria to the Principality of Antioch and gave up Tortosa to the County of Tripoli.

Back at Antioch, Alexios and Andronikos Kontostephanos were strolling through a garden, discussing strategy when a dagger flies through the air and stabs Andronikos near the collarbone. The perpatrator is never found, though the dagger is found to have been tipped with poison, which killed Andronikos instantly. A few nights later, Alexios found a dagger and a note next to his bed - a message from the Hashashin or Assassins.

The Rhoman army then marches east towards Aleppo, accompanied by Doux Leo II of Cilicia and Michael Laskaris, brother of strategos Constantine Laskaris. Scouts report a large Ayyubid force as they approach the city. To Erotikos' surprise, it is led, not by Saladin, but by his third son, Al-Zahir Ghazi**. Amongst his forces were Mamluk heavy cavalry and horse archers, Arab light cavalry, Kurdish javelinmen and Bedouin camel-riders.

As Alexios Erotikos prepares his troops for battle, he only hopes Ismail and David will be able to arrive at Turbessel in time...
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*: OTL, Barbarossa infamously drowned in the river because his heavy armour weighed him down. Most of his grief-stricken army returned to Europe for the impending imperial election.
**: OTL, he ruled Aleppo from 1186 to his death in 1216.
__________________________________________________
Notable members of the crusade so far:

Kingdom of England:

King Richard I

Kingdom of France:

King Philip II
Count Theobald V of Blois [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]
Duke Hugh III of Burgundy

Holy Roman Empire:

Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa
Duke Frederick VI of Swabia
Duke Leopold V of Austria
Děpolt II of Bohemia [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]

Kingdom of Hungary:

Geza, son of King Geza II

Kingdom of Jerusalem:

Guy of Lusignan
Count Henry II of Champagne[FONT=&quot] †[/FONT]
Conrad of Montferrat
Balain of Ibelin
Robert de Sable, Grand Master of the Templars
Garnier de Nablus, Grand Master of the Hospitallers

Empire of Rhomania:

Basileus Alexios II Komnenos
Prince Alexios Erotikos
John Kontostephenos, strategos of Epirus [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]
Andronikos Kontostephanos, strategos of Bucellarion[FONT=&quot] †[/FONT]
Michael Laskaris
Doux Leo II of Cilicia
Ismail, Kurdish strategos of Koloneia
David, Armenian strategos of Mesopotamia
 
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The Battle of Aleppo

1191:

Alexios Erotikos had just managed to get all his soldiers into battle formation. He would lead the Archontopoulai and Kataphractoi on the left flank while Michael Laskaris would lead the skirmisher cavalry - the Stratiotae and Hippo-toxotai - on the right flank.

In the centre, under Doux Leo II of Cilicia, he placed the Skoutatoi in a crescent formation with enough space for the Psiloi to move inbetween them. On the flanks were the Toxotai, themselves flanked by Kontaratoi. Behind them, in reserve, were the Varrangoi and Cavalarii.

Suddenly there was a frenzy of movement as the Ayyubid army began to march forward. The Psiloi and Kurds rushed forward and began hurling javelins and stones at each other. Alexios led his heavy cavalry against the Mamluk heavy cavalry and Arab lancers. Meanwhile, Michael Laskaris led his skirmishers against the Mamluk horse archers and Bedouin camel riders under Al-Zahir.

While the cavalry battled, the Ayyubid infantry rushed forward, brandishing their spears and swords and shouting praise for Allah. As the gap closed, the Skoutatoi raised their shields and spears and braced for impact, while the Cavalarii began to rain arrows into the crowded ranks.* While not devastating, it did unnerve many of the Muslim soldiers.

The infantry slowly began to be pushed back and the skirmisher cavalry had exhausted their missiles. The horses unnerved by the smell of the camels, Alexios and Michael led his troops back towards the flanks. Al-Zahir decided to follow them and strike at their missile troops in the process. At the last moment, when the horses and camels were almost upon them, the Toxotai broke ranks and retreated back. The Mamluks and Bedouins raised their maces and swords...

... and ran straight into lines of sharpened stakes, hastily carved from native pine trees. The mounts were skewered and the riders thrown onto the ground. The Toxotai rushed back and hacked any survivors to pieces while the Kontaratoi moved past to catch the Muslim infantry in a vice. Alexios gave the signal and all the cavalry galloped around the flanks and charged the rear of the army. The trap had been sprung.

By nightfall, the field was covered in blood and tangled limbs. Thomas had allowed a few Ayyubid soldiers to escape - survivors to tell the inhabitants of other cities of the crushing defeat they had suffered. The Rhoman soldiers who weren't wounded were busy collecting armour, weapons and as many horses and camels as they could find to replaces the ones they lost.

Alexios himself was speaking to an important prisoner - Al-Zahir, captured during the final stages of the battle. From him he learned that Saladin had divided his lands amongst his kin. Al-Zahir, Aleppo and the surrounding area. His eldest son Al-Afdal, Syria and Palestine (including Jerusalem). His seond son Al-Aziz, Egypt. His younger brother Al-Adil, Nabataea (OTL Jordan). And finally, his older brother Turan-Shah, Yemen. Mosul and the Hedjaz (including Mecca and Medina) were still ruled by the Zengid and Hashemite dynasties respectively, provided they remain loyal to Saladin.

The next morning, Alexios, after long deliberation, decided to spare Al-Zahir, as a sign of leniency. Aleppo opened its gates to him around midday. Leaving a garrison behind to safeguard the city, Alexios continued north towards Turbessel. He arrived to find Ismail and David had taken the city with a minimum of casualties. Crossing the Euphrates, more cities fell or surrendered to him - Aintab, Edessa, Harran, Amida, Dara and Martyropolis to name a few. The Emperor Alexios II sent Saladin a messager saying he would release all the Muslim captives in exchange for ceding all territory captured to him.

Meanwhile, Richard and Philip had landed at Acre and relieved the siege. There were two claimants for the throne of Jerusalem - Guy of Lusignan, former husband of Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem, and Conrad of Montferrat, defender of Tyre and husband of Sibylla's half-sister Isabella. While Richard supported Guy, Philip and Frederick Barbarossa, both related to Conrad in some way, did not. In the end, Richard was overruled and Conrad became the new King of Jerusalem. Enraged, Guy left for home.** Philip, sick with dysentry, also decided to return home. He left 10,000 French crusaders under the command of Hugh of Burgundy.

The Crusaders decided to march along the coastline, towards the port city of Jaffa. From there, they could march inland and capture Jerusalem. Before leaving, Saladin tried to negotiate for the release of all the hostages in Acre. Richard refused and began executing them right before Saladin's army. Frederick, enraged with Richard's misconduct, tried to halt the bloodshed, but it was too late. In retaliation, Saladin executed all his Christian prisoners.
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*: The Cavalarii were a callback to armoured horse archers from Late Antiquity.
**: OTL, a compromise was met. Guy would remain king and Conrad would take over when he died.
 
Crusader Kings triumphant

1191-1192:

The crusader host began the long march South, hugging the coast to protect their right flank, with crossbowmen and archers on their left flank. Because Saladin's army was largely mounted, they had the advantage of speed and mobility. They based themselves at Caesarea, continually harassing the crusaders and goading them into breaking formation. But still their discipline held.

Finally, 40 miles north of Jaffa, at the near the forest of Arsuf, Saladin finally launched a full attack on the crusaders. Arrows and javelins fell from all sides and the crossbowmen responded in kind. The main goal of the crusaders was to maintain their formation. With little success at the front of the column, the Muslims attacked the rear where the military orders - the Templars, Hospitallers and the newly-formed Teutonic Knights - came under heavy pressure. The Grand Master of the Hospitallers, Garnier de Nablus, pleaded to be allowed to counterattack, but Frederick and Richard refused, even when the forces began to lose cohesion.

Frustrated, Garnier charged into the Saracen ranks with a cry of Saint George!, and several other knights following them. Forced into action, the king and emperor ordered the rest of the troops to attack. The Ayyubid right wing, packed tightly together and caught off-guard by the crusaders sudden switch from passivity to ferocious activity, was cut to ribbons. Saladin ordered a retreat and the crusaders followed, breaking off after 1 mile, fearful of being drawn into a trap.

It was said that the crusaders had suffered about 900 casualties while the Ayyubids suffered almost ten times that number. The crusaders' morale soared while the Muslims, who considered retreat shameful, felt their morale begin to drop. Saladin, no longer willing to risk a third open battle, began to evacuate and demolish fortresses that he could not hold. The crusaders had managed to capture several cities and fortresses - Baalbek, Caesarea, Sidon, Byblos, Tiberias, Nazareth, Arsuf, Jaffa, Ascalon, Gaza and Darum - the last one only by Richard and his household troops.

By December 1191, the crusaders, reinforced by Michael Laskaris and the Varangians, were at Beit Nuba, 12 miles from Jerusalem. The weather was horrendously bad - heavy rain and hailstorms. Some of the leaders, including Richard, believed that they should retreat to the coast, but Frederick and Hugh of Burgundy were adamant about marching forward, insisting that there might be no better chance to take Jerusalem. Refusing to embark on what he saw as a suicide mission, Richard pulled his soldiers back towards Jaffa. Before leaving, he angrily mentioned that, given the men and the choice, he would march on Egypt itself to win the crusade.

The crusader host marched directly towards the holy city. About a third of the host died. Prince Geza of Hungary died of pneumonia and Frederick of Swabia's horse slipped and fell in the mud, crushing the duke under its weight and the weight of his armour. When informed of the death of his son and asked if they should turn back, Frederick roared 'My son is just one of many to fall in our quest! Though I grieve, I will not fall until Jerusalem falls!'

Within a month, the tattered, exhausted remnants arrived at Jerusalem. Morale in the city was so low that the city surrendered almost immediately at the sight. Though many feared that the city would be subjected to another massacre like the one in 1099, the damage was only confined to small-scale looting. The crusaders were too tired and under orders from their emperor.

When Saladin heard of the fall of Jerusalem, he diverted his soldiers from the route to Jaffa, but then he recieved Emperor Alexios' letter. Finally, Saladin was forced to finalize a treaty with the Christians.

The Treaty of Ramla - 1192:

* Jerusalem would be the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem once more, but the city would be open to unarmed Muslim pilgrims.
* A truce of three years.
* All territory captured by the crusaders and the Rhomans would remain in their hands.
* Ascalon and Gaza were to be handed back to Saladin and their walls demolished.

Frederick Barbarossa did not live to agree to the treaty. He died at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at the age of 70. Some suspected he had let his grief for his son's death finally claim him. Garnier de Nablus died of old age shortly afterwards. The treaty was accepted on behalf of the emperors by Duke Leopold of Austria and Michael Laskaris.

Back at Jaffa, Richard had already headed for home, knowing that his brother John and King Philip were conspiring against him. With Syria back under control, Thomas Komnenos returned to Constantinople a hero. He held a magnificent triumph, the first one since Belisarius defeated the Vandals in 534 AD. The soldiers marched through the city, displaying the captured spoils and stopped at the Hippodrome. After a recitation of prayer, Emperor Alexios congratulated the soldiers for their victory against the Muslims. He then gave special thanks to Michael Laskaris, Doux Leo of Cilicia, Ismail of Koloneia and David of Mesopotamia, and posthumus thanks to John and Andronikos Kontostephanos for their courage and dedication to the empire.

After the triumph, Alexios Erotikos lashes out at his brother, feeling betrayed by the Treaty of Ramla, thinking that they should have pressed on towards Damascus. The emperor explained that, even if they did take Damascus, they would have overextended themselves. Besides, the real lynchpin of the Ayyubid sultanate was not Damascus but Cairo...

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Notable members of the crusade:

Kingdom of England:

King Richard I - left

Kingdom of France:

King Philip II - left
Count Theobald V of Blois [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]
Duke Hugh III of Burgundy

Holy Roman Empire:

Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]
Duke Frederick VI of Swabia [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]
Duke Leopold V of Austria
Děpolt II of Bohemia [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]

Kingdom of Hungary:

Geza, son of King Geza II [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]

Kingdom of Jerusalem:

Guy of Lusignan - left
Count Henry II of Champagne[FONT=&quot] †[/FONT]
Conrad of Montferrat
Balain of Ibelin
Robert de Sable, Grand Master of the Templars
Garnier de Nablus, Grand Master of the Hospitallers [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]

Empire of Rhomania:

Basileus Alexios II Komnenos
Prince Alexios Erotikos
John Kontostephenos, strategos of Epirus [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT]
Andronikos Kontostephanos, strategos of Bucellarion[FONT=&quot] †[/FONT]
Michael Laskaris
Doux Leo II of Cilicia
Ismail, Kurdish strategos of Koloneia
David, Armenian strategos of Mesopotamia
 
No update tonight, but tomorrow I will go into the Coptic rebellion and the aftermath of the First Crusade, including some interesting regime changes.
 
The Copts strike back

1192-1194:

The return of Jerusalem is celebrated all across western Europe. Pope Celestine III calls for further crusades against the Almohads in Spain and against the Baltic pagans. Philip of France and the newly elected Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI had closed their ports, so Richard of England was forced to sail through the Adriatic and take a dangerous overland journey through Central Europe. After surviving a shipwreck at Aquileia, Richard was captured shortly before Christmas, 1192, by Duke Leopold V of Austria, whom Richard had offended by casting his standard from the battlements of Acre. Celestine excommunicated Leopold and Emperor Henry VI for detaining a crusader, but was largely ignored. Henry, who disliked the Plantagenets for supporting his father's rival, Henry 'the Lion' of Bavaria, demanded in exchange for Richard's release 150,000 marks, 2-3 times England's annual revenue.

While Eleanor of Aquitaine struggled to raise enough money, King Philip II of France took advantage of the situation to conquer Normandy and gain the fealty of the young Duke Arthur of Brittany. Unfortunately, his wife, Isabelle died in March, 1193 after giving birth to twins - Robert and Philip. Philip died after just three days. The King remarried to Princess Ingeborg, daughter of King Valdemar of Denmark, described as 'very kind, young of age but old of wisdom'. When the ransom money was completely raised, it began its long journey to Germany 'at the king's peril' - if the money was lost, Richard would be held responsible. As it turned out, the ransom never made it. Richard would never see England or his French lands again, his memoirs describing 'the monstrous betrayal of his people'. Only one person knew of the money's location - Leopold Babenburg, who, after consultation with a distant relation, began to aspire to more than wounded pride...

Back in Rhomania, Alexios II Komnenos was organising the new theme of Syria, centered around Edessa and Aleppo, and adding the area around Amida, Dara* and Martyropolis to Mesopotamia. To deal with the influx of Muslims into the empire, the emperor promises religious toleration, although Orthodox bishops are placed in the area. To encourage conversion, Alexios grants tax exemptions to the small landowners and appoints commoners to administrative and military commands, provided that they convert to Orthodoxy.

Alexios II at last revealed his plans for Egypt - at the most, they would drive Al-Aziz out and restore Egyptian independence under Coptic Christian rule, at the least, they would distract the Ayyubids long enough for their rule and prestige to diminish further. Alexios Erotikos would lead the expedition, but had to completely distance himself from the empire as much as possible. Alexios II himself was preoccupied with refilling the treasury and negotiating with Celestine and Leopold.

In January 1193, with most of the Egyptian ships captured by the crusaders, Isaac and a small cadre of elite soldiers were smuggled into Egypt via Alexandria and Damietta. With the private blessing of Patriarch George II and Pope John VI of Alexandria secretly forming cells of Coptic Christian rebels, waiting for the proper moment to strike. For two months weapons, armour and supplies were shipped in. Despite his mixed upbringing, Alexios Erotikos made many friends amongst the Copts - one of them being a young man with an aptitude for strategy named Zakariyah (Zachary). Getting the Copts to cooperate was difficult. Some were fearful of further Muslim persecution if the uprising should fail, others were adamant about striking as soon as possible. But Erotikos and Zakariyah managed to convince them that they needed to train and gain experience in guerilla warfare. And, anyways, they would not be alone. Erotikos and the emperor were in negotiations with Jerusalem, Genoa, even mercenaries from Ethiopia and the Nubian kingdoms.

Saladin died on the 4th of March, 1193 of yellow fever. He had hoped that his eldest son, Al-Afdal, would be able to continue the jihad against the crusader states. Instead, many officials left Damascus for Cairo and lobbied Al-Aziz Uthman to remove his inexperienced brother. In 1194, urged on by his uncle, Al-Adil, Al-Aziz took most of his army and headed for Damascus. As if this was not enough, Al-Zahir began conspiring with Emir Arslan Shah of Mosul to place himself on the throne of Damascus in exchange for Zengid independence, Turan-Shah and the Hashemite dynasty were trying to break away as their own seperate sultanates, and the Almohads were pushing into Tripolitania from Tunis...
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Manuel I's grandchildren by 1194:

Maria [FONT=&quot]†[/FONT] & Alexios Palaiologos[FONT=&quot] †[/FONT]:

Theodora Palaiologos - b. 1169 AD
George Palaiologos - b. 1170 AD

Anna[FONT=&quot] †[/FONT] & Basil Vatatzes[FONT=&quot] †[/FONT]:

John Vatatzes - b. 1170 AD
Isaac Vatatzes - b. 1172 AD
Manuel Vatatzes - b. 1175 AD

Alexios II & Euphrosyne Kamaterina:

Eirene - b. 1176 AD
Zoe - b. 1177 AD
Andronikos - b. 1183 AD - betrothed to Theodora, daughter of Roman Mstislavich'the Great' of Kiev.
Manuel - b. 1186 AD

Alexios Erotikos & Zabel Rubenid:

Theodore Erotikos - b. 1183 AD
Maria Erotikos - b. 1185 AD

Eirene & Michael Tarchoneiotes:

Manuel Tarchoneiotes - b. 1184 AD
Joseph Tarchoneiotes - b. 1187 AD
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*: The same Dara where Belisarius fought his first battle against the Sassanids during the Iberian War in 530 AD.

Rough map: Empire of Rhomania after the Third Crusade. The County of Tripoli is a joint vassal of both Rhomania and Jerusalem.

800px-Map_Byzantine_Empire_1025-en.svg.png
 
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I don't think I've ever seen so many updates condensed into a single page, it's a shame not more people a commentating on this. I don't think we have gotten past the point we left off in V2?
 
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