An Age of Miracles Continues: The Empire of Rhomania
- Thread starter Basileus444
- Start date
@Babyrage: Important thing to note about those troops from Georgia-they have to march across the entire breadth of the Empire, something like 1700+km. That’s two months minimum, more likely three months, of marching. Since they’re not moving out in winter, they can only get going in spring. So they couldn’t be a factor in Europe till end of summer 1634 at the earliest.
To be fair to the Hungarians, Demetrios II Drakos was supporting Serbian rebels. The Hungarians are at fault because they escalated things to war, but the Romans aren’t exactly innocent here. Plus people tend to resent losses in war, even if it is in a war they started. See France and Alsace-Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War.
It is a bit of a jab at the Wittelsbach status ITTL. But I find it interesting to think how their status would lead to a reputation ITTL, and thereby affect others’ actions toward them.
@HanEmpire: I feel bad for Elizabeth.
Theodor’s relying on Vidin, still under Allied control, to guard his flank while he’s still in Serbia & Upper Macedonia. If the Allies break into Lower Macedonia, the Romans could sweep in and take Skopje back, but Lower Macedonia is fertile and developed enough that the Allies can live off the land for a while without having to worry too much about supply lines. And the idea behind his plan is that taking Thessaloniki triggers a pro-Theodor coup in Constantinople which flips the Empire to him (after all, he who is lord of Constantinople is lord of Rhomania, usually).
@ImperatorAlexander: I wanted there to be a bit more substance to Theodor. Still not the sharpest spoon in the drawer though.
The Germans are at least semi-aware of what’s going on in Constantinople, although Theodor’s looking at everything with rose-tinted glasses. Their information on the eastern front though is pretty vague.
@Lascaris: Pretty much, although as of now Vidin is still under Allied control. It’s the only Roman fortress on the Danube they still have. And you’re right that Theodor especially doesn’t really get sea power, although he’s Bavarian so that’s not too surprising.
@InMediasRes: They should, although an important point is that neither side is particularly well informed about the status of the other’s front. Which will affect their actions.
@Grammar Kaiser: Yeah, while Elizabeth is the smarter of the two, Theodor is right that stopping now isn’t really an option. Plus Elizabeth was underestimating how amenable Demetrios would be to peace talks.
Theodor’s familiar with ‘civil war’, but he does plan on making concessions to win over the Romans once he’s on the throne, restoring the pre-Demetrios III tax scheme (no tax brackets), marrying a prominent Roman noblewoman, and leading a combined army to avenge Mashhadshar. If he wasn’t a foreign barbarian Latin Catholic in Roman eyes, those concessions would probably be enough.
@minifidel: Assuming they get to Lower Macedonia, that area is fertile enough to support even a large army for a time while having to deal with long supply lines, but cutting off communication and retreat lines with Allied territory presents a major problem.
@nlucasm: Good. I want to rehabilitate her; she’s going to be very significant in the coming years.
@Ain: Only time will tell…
@Khaine: That would probably be a record, of some kind.
@Donald Reaver: There’s no need, but it’s not as much fun…
@Curtain Jerker: Very well said. I wish I could like the post more than once.
I think that’s unfair to Theodor. The dynastic mindset isn’t just medieval. Just look at Charles I/V, the ultimate in dynastic land collection, and the number of ‘war of the [x] succession in the 1700s’. In Latin Europe, his rightful claims would carry a lot of weight. His problem is that he keeps thinking of Rhomania like it is part of Latin Europe.
@Prometherion92: Pre-war population was 35,000 (war has caused some substantial fluctuations because of refugees). It’s a mixed population; I’m going to say 60% Greek and 40% Slav. There’s a TTL Greek name for it coming up, but I hadn’t come up with it until after I’d already finished writing this update.
@RogueTraderEnthusiast: I’d imagine marriage is all church, not a secular affair, although I’m not sure if the Byzantines IOTL had a form of common law marriage. During most of the Middle Ages, the church was surprisingly uninvolved in marriage. But I can’t see polygamy becoming an official thing; monogamy is too big a part of Christianity. The unusual nature of Demetrios and Jahzara’ marriage is a product of their ‘unique’ relationship.
There are Prostitutes Guilds in the big cities, which I’d assume cover a broad range of sex workers. While I’ve never said so outright, I’ve always pictured Eudoxia as a type of courtesan, educated and cultured.
@5000 Cows: Yes, I did mention that…
@TheCataphract: Exactly. Rhomania is similar in many ways to the states of Latin Europe; it’s different but not completely so like the Ottomans or Chinese, for example. It often acts like a dynastic state. Andreas III had a personal union with Rhomania and Sicily when he was alive. The Laskarid, Second Komnenid, Drakid, and now Siderid dynasties are all related to each other in some form. Alexandros Drakos was considered a serious contender for the throne, not because of his power base, but because of his incredible dynastic pedigree. So someone who knows about Rhomania, but isn’t an expert, could very well treat Rhomania like just another dynastic state.
@Cryostorm: I’ve never played CK2. I have CK1, which I tried to like, but I kept having issues with it so I never got into it. One of my beefs, albeit not the most important, was how Byzantium was just another feudal state (although if I remember correctly, being Emperor did give a boost to the number of provinces you could rule personally).
@JohnSmith: Oh, they’re totally real. There’s always a few disgruntled rich people who will sell out if it means more profits or less taxes. There’s always a few traitors. Theodor though is in full confirmation bias mode, seeing it as an undercurrent that he can harness with the right concession, namely going back to the old tax system, rather than just a few malcontents that the people of Constantinople are quite happy to see mutilated and their heads stuck on pikes in the Forum of Constantine.
I think it might take a while, if it ever happens, precisely because Demetrios’ skill-set is not military. It’s administrative/bureaucratic; it’s not sexy; it doesn’t grab attention. He’s the ‘quiet nerd’. Even if he’s a genius, he’s not the person people notice.
@Tirion: Glad you like it. There is a lot of that. “I’ve received letters of support from 10 disgruntled dynatoi. That means a city of 320,000 will rise up in my name!”
For the Romans, Demetrios’ curses are on the level of ‘widespread but unconfirmed rumor’. Casimir would, assuming he knows and cares, scoff at it; it’s just more proof that Demetrios is a godless heretic. The curse isn’t considered an order; any Roman that has a shot at Casimir takes it. Alexandros Drakos came really close to killing him at Second Ruse.
@chrnno: The dynastic mindset runs by a different logic. Just look at the collection of domains through Habsburg history, or the borders of Prussia throughout most of its history. From a purely geopolitical level, those borders are absurd, but the states exist because that’s what dynastic strategy netted the family in question. To be fair to the Habsburgs, Charles I/V realized the unsustainability of his dynastic collection and split it up, but Theodor doesn’t have that example.
@catconqueror: It is elective on paper, but the Wittelsbachs have been getting elected since sometime in the 1300s, so the ‘elective’ part hasn’t been meaning much.
@Rui: That is a possibility. One thing hampering the electors’ is that most don’t have much in the way of military force, so despite their high rank it’s not that hard to ‘lean’ on them.
@Evilprodigy: Co-rulership seems to have been a fairly common practice in the Middle Ages. I know the early Capetians did it also to have an orderly succession between generations. It seems later on though, probably with the growing centralization of monarchial power, that the tradition faded away to ‘there’s only one king at any one time’.
The HRE ITTL should be an interesting place that I could develop more. The Golden Bull of 1356 got butterflied away and the OTL electorates of Saxony and Brandenburg are both Wittelsbach possessions at this point.
Theodor isn’t married yet because he hopes to wed a high-ranking Roman noblewoman as a conciliatory gesture, and his own sibling is Elizabeth. She could be a ‘Wittelsbach Maria Theresa’, at most, but you’re right that she can’t rule in her own as Holy Roman Emperor.
@Oda: RogueTraderEnthusiast covered it. To add a bit more though, in Latin Europe most of the population really doesn’t care about how their lord is. The new boss is the same as the old boss; you have to pay taxes to both so who cares? What he doesn’t realize is that the Roman populace does have a budding nationalism which is predicated on being anti-Latin, so here the populace does see a difference between the old and new boss, and cares about said difference.
@andry2806: Very on-the-nose point about Theodor.
An Age of Miracles, Pt 12: Dreams and Promises, 1626-1630 has been posted on Patreon. This brings the PDFs up to the current section of the TL proper, An Age of Miracles, Pt 13: The War of the Roman Succession. If I keep to my outline, there will be 7-10 more updates before Part 13 concludes. The PDFs will be continued to keep up with the TL sections as we move on in the future.
But that means I’m now moving on to the special updates for the Megas Kyr patrons. The main focus will be on A New and Ancient World, although with some side stories set in the 'real' Age of Miracles world. There will be a special update each month, although I haven't yet scheduled when in the month those will post, probably in the middle. These updates will be at least comparable in size to an average regular update, with the possible exception of March. I'll be on vacation for a good chunk of the month which may, but hopefully not, affect my writing schedule.
I hope you'll enjoy what's coming and thank you again for your support.
To be fair to the Hungarians, Demetrios II Drakos was supporting Serbian rebels. The Hungarians are at fault because they escalated things to war, but the Romans aren’t exactly innocent here. Plus people tend to resent losses in war, even if it is in a war they started. See France and Alsace-Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War.
It is a bit of a jab at the Wittelsbach status ITTL. But I find it interesting to think how their status would lead to a reputation ITTL, and thereby affect others’ actions toward them.
@HanEmpire: I feel bad for Elizabeth.
Theodor’s relying on Vidin, still under Allied control, to guard his flank while he’s still in Serbia & Upper Macedonia. If the Allies break into Lower Macedonia, the Romans could sweep in and take Skopje back, but Lower Macedonia is fertile and developed enough that the Allies can live off the land for a while without having to worry too much about supply lines. And the idea behind his plan is that taking Thessaloniki triggers a pro-Theodor coup in Constantinople which flips the Empire to him (after all, he who is lord of Constantinople is lord of Rhomania, usually).
@ImperatorAlexander: I wanted there to be a bit more substance to Theodor. Still not the sharpest spoon in the drawer though.
The Germans are at least semi-aware of what’s going on in Constantinople, although Theodor’s looking at everything with rose-tinted glasses. Their information on the eastern front though is pretty vague.
@Lascaris: Pretty much, although as of now Vidin is still under Allied control. It’s the only Roman fortress on the Danube they still have. And you’re right that Theodor especially doesn’t really get sea power, although he’s Bavarian so that’s not too surprising.
@InMediasRes: They should, although an important point is that neither side is particularly well informed about the status of the other’s front. Which will affect their actions.
@Grammar Kaiser: Yeah, while Elizabeth is the smarter of the two, Theodor is right that stopping now isn’t really an option. Plus Elizabeth was underestimating how amenable Demetrios would be to peace talks.
Theodor’s familiar with ‘civil war’, but he does plan on making concessions to win over the Romans once he’s on the throne, restoring the pre-Demetrios III tax scheme (no tax brackets), marrying a prominent Roman noblewoman, and leading a combined army to avenge Mashhadshar. If he wasn’t a foreign barbarian Latin Catholic in Roman eyes, those concessions would probably be enough.
@minifidel: Assuming they get to Lower Macedonia, that area is fertile enough to support even a large army for a time while having to deal with long supply lines, but cutting off communication and retreat lines with Allied territory presents a major problem.
@nlucasm: Good. I want to rehabilitate her; she’s going to be very significant in the coming years.
@Ain: Only time will tell…
@Khaine: That would probably be a record, of some kind.
@Donald Reaver: There’s no need, but it’s not as much fun…
@Curtain Jerker: Very well said. I wish I could like the post more than once.
I think that’s unfair to Theodor. The dynastic mindset isn’t just medieval. Just look at Charles I/V, the ultimate in dynastic land collection, and the number of ‘war of the [x] succession in the 1700s’. In Latin Europe, his rightful claims would carry a lot of weight. His problem is that he keeps thinking of Rhomania like it is part of Latin Europe.
@Prometherion92: Pre-war population was 35,000 (war has caused some substantial fluctuations because of refugees). It’s a mixed population; I’m going to say 60% Greek and 40% Slav. There’s a TTL Greek name for it coming up, but I hadn’t come up with it until after I’d already finished writing this update.
@RogueTraderEnthusiast: I’d imagine marriage is all church, not a secular affair, although I’m not sure if the Byzantines IOTL had a form of common law marriage. During most of the Middle Ages, the church was surprisingly uninvolved in marriage. But I can’t see polygamy becoming an official thing; monogamy is too big a part of Christianity. The unusual nature of Demetrios and Jahzara’ marriage is a product of their ‘unique’ relationship.
There are Prostitutes Guilds in the big cities, which I’d assume cover a broad range of sex workers. While I’ve never said so outright, I’ve always pictured Eudoxia as a type of courtesan, educated and cultured.
@5000 Cows: Yes, I did mention that…
@TheCataphract: Exactly. Rhomania is similar in many ways to the states of Latin Europe; it’s different but not completely so like the Ottomans or Chinese, for example. It often acts like a dynastic state. Andreas III had a personal union with Rhomania and Sicily when he was alive. The Laskarid, Second Komnenid, Drakid, and now Siderid dynasties are all related to each other in some form. Alexandros Drakos was considered a serious contender for the throne, not because of his power base, but because of his incredible dynastic pedigree. So someone who knows about Rhomania, but isn’t an expert, could very well treat Rhomania like just another dynastic state.
@Cryostorm: I’ve never played CK2. I have CK1, which I tried to like, but I kept having issues with it so I never got into it. One of my beefs, albeit not the most important, was how Byzantium was just another feudal state (although if I remember correctly, being Emperor did give a boost to the number of provinces you could rule personally).
@JohnSmith: Oh, they’re totally real. There’s always a few disgruntled rich people who will sell out if it means more profits or less taxes. There’s always a few traitors. Theodor though is in full confirmation bias mode, seeing it as an undercurrent that he can harness with the right concession, namely going back to the old tax system, rather than just a few malcontents that the people of Constantinople are quite happy to see mutilated and their heads stuck on pikes in the Forum of Constantine.
I think it might take a while, if it ever happens, precisely because Demetrios’ skill-set is not military. It’s administrative/bureaucratic; it’s not sexy; it doesn’t grab attention. He’s the ‘quiet nerd’. Even if he’s a genius, he’s not the person people notice.
@Tirion: Glad you like it. There is a lot of that. “I’ve received letters of support from 10 disgruntled dynatoi. That means a city of 320,000 will rise up in my name!”
For the Romans, Demetrios’ curses are on the level of ‘widespread but unconfirmed rumor’. Casimir would, assuming he knows and cares, scoff at it; it’s just more proof that Demetrios is a godless heretic. The curse isn’t considered an order; any Roman that has a shot at Casimir takes it. Alexandros Drakos came really close to killing him at Second Ruse.
@chrnno: The dynastic mindset runs by a different logic. Just look at the collection of domains through Habsburg history, or the borders of Prussia throughout most of its history. From a purely geopolitical level, those borders are absurd, but the states exist because that’s what dynastic strategy netted the family in question. To be fair to the Habsburgs, Charles I/V realized the unsustainability of his dynastic collection and split it up, but Theodor doesn’t have that example.
@catconqueror: It is elective on paper, but the Wittelsbachs have been getting elected since sometime in the 1300s, so the ‘elective’ part hasn’t been meaning much.
@Rui: That is a possibility. One thing hampering the electors’ is that most don’t have much in the way of military force, so despite their high rank it’s not that hard to ‘lean’ on them.
@Evilprodigy: Co-rulership seems to have been a fairly common practice in the Middle Ages. I know the early Capetians did it also to have an orderly succession between generations. It seems later on though, probably with the growing centralization of monarchial power, that the tradition faded away to ‘there’s only one king at any one time’.
The HRE ITTL should be an interesting place that I could develop more. The Golden Bull of 1356 got butterflied away and the OTL electorates of Saxony and Brandenburg are both Wittelsbach possessions at this point.
Theodor isn’t married yet because he hopes to wed a high-ranking Roman noblewoman as a conciliatory gesture, and his own sibling is Elizabeth. She could be a ‘Wittelsbach Maria Theresa’, at most, but you’re right that she can’t rule in her own as Holy Roman Emperor.
@Oda: RogueTraderEnthusiast covered it. To add a bit more though, in Latin Europe most of the population really doesn’t care about how their lord is. The new boss is the same as the old boss; you have to pay taxes to both so who cares? What he doesn’t realize is that the Roman populace does have a budding nationalism which is predicated on being anti-Latin, so here the populace does see a difference between the old and new boss, and cares about said difference.
@andry2806: Very on-the-nose point about Theodor.
An Age of Miracles, Pt 12: Dreams and Promises, 1626-1630 has been posted on Patreon. This brings the PDFs up to the current section of the TL proper, An Age of Miracles, Pt 13: The War of the Roman Succession. If I keep to my outline, there will be 7-10 more updates before Part 13 concludes. The PDFs will be continued to keep up with the TL sections as we move on in the future.
But that means I’m now moving on to the special updates for the Megas Kyr patrons. The main focus will be on A New and Ancient World, although with some side stories set in the 'real' Age of Miracles world. There will be a special update each month, although I haven't yet scheduled when in the month those will post, probably in the middle. These updates will be at least comparable in size to an average regular update, with the possible exception of March. I'll be on vacation for a good chunk of the month which may, but hopefully not, affect my writing schedule.
I hope you'll enjoy what's coming and thank you again for your support.
Finally caught up on this monstrosity; this has long been one of my favorite timelines, but I kept stalling out during the Time of Troubles in previous readthroughs. Honestly, I'd still consider it the weakest part of the story. But now I'm through, I've caught up on the new stuff, and I gotta say: loving it!
Though, I would like one thing, @Basileus444 : a map of the East, because I am having a devil of a time keeping track of who owns what there.
Though, I would like one thing, @Basileus444 : a map of the East, because I am having a devil of a time keeping track of who owns what there.
The word I'm thinking of is "Manafucked".
If we are talking about Skopje here, the name is coming from Greek in the first place. Ancient Skoupoi, becoming Skopia in modern Greek and Skopje/Uskub et all in other languages
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I ask because IIRC the first tree rulers of the 2nd Komnenoi are referred to as the ‘Great Komnenoi’, so clearly someone is getting some recognition, especially since he’s stuck between Demetrios Megas and Andreas Niketas.
And surely the old tax system wouldn’t be enough to raise a mob? I’d imagine many of the working class are happy someone’s sticking it to the rich folks.
Don't have the slightest idea. Probably messed up deleted text trying to avoid quoting the whole thing. Should be fixed now?
Not yet, your comment is part of the quote now.
On another note, I think D3 missed an opportunity with his curse on Ibrahim. If he said "May you be made a woman", that'd have given him the satisfaction of forcing Ibrahim to watch the Ottoman Empire go up in flames. Having him be killed by 2 women doesn't seem creative at all, though I suppose the phrasing is open enough for some creative interpretation.
Something something damn Greeks with that castration fixation are at it again.
Gotta say - if D3 did that to Ibrahim, then he'd basically be inviting further war. Castrating him and then sending him back may make HIM powerless, but I can see him as a lingering reminder of the indignity of the Roman victory.
You'd have to keep Ibrahim somewhere. In which case it'd be better to execute him. Maybe a bit of sacrilege to boot. Crucify after castration in full view of his army, or feed it to dogs or something. I dunno.
@Shard: The Fields of Philip are Macedonia, but Nostramadus wasn’t any more specific. Prophecies work best when they’re vague, after all.
@CV12Hornet: If I were to do a rewrite, I would do some editing on the Time of Troubles. I like the concept, but I’d take the original and dial it down some.
I’m thinking a series of regional updates will be in order in the future, including (probably more than) one on the east. That’d be a good place for maps. Although I really could use a good base map of Indochina + Indonesia (the one I have has a good chunk of southern China, and I want one that focuses on Southeast Asia proper).
@Lascaris: I didn’t realize there was an ancient Greek name. I saw the Latin ‘Scupi’, decided I didn’t care for that name on aesthetic grounds, and so started calling Skopje ‘Axioupoli’ instead (the OTL Greek town goes with its classical name Atalanti). I could change it to ‘Skoupoi’ in the upcoming update, although I suppose a TTL Emperor could’ve renamed it at some point when it was a town, rather than the city it is now ITTL (Axioupoli appeals to me on aesthetic grounds). I’m not sure. Thoughts?
@JohnSmith: Good point, although of the three he’s definitely the least ‘Great’ in popular history. And part of that could be from comparing those three Komnenoi as a group to the post-Niketas Komnenoi; there’s a serious downgrade in quality and longevity.
Theodor focusing just on the rich who don’t like the new tax system for obvious reasons, not the peasantry. It could be a mistake, but I think an understandable one for a person with a 17th century aristocratic mindset.
@HanEmpire: Well, to be fair to Demetrios, at that point he going ‘ah screw it’.
@Tirion: That’s so primitive. This is the modern era; get with the times. We use eyeball knives now, much more humane…
@RogueTraderEnthusiast: Mutilating Ibrahim isn’t in the cards. One doesn’t treat royalty like that. Reciprocity is a serious issue. (Barbary pirates are a different story.) Plus Ibrahim is the Shahanshah, the one sovereign that Roman Emperors recognize as an equal. If captured, he may remain a prisoner for the rest of his life, but he will be treated ‘like a king’.
One final note. Ibrahim doesn’t deserve it. His interests are aligned against Rhomania’s, but that’s to be expected from his position. Nothing he’s done is unreasonable (which is different from unwise) for someone in his position. It’s Theodor who’s being the belligerent twit.
@CV12Hornet: If I were to do a rewrite, I would do some editing on the Time of Troubles. I like the concept, but I’d take the original and dial it down some.
I’m thinking a series of regional updates will be in order in the future, including (probably more than) one on the east. That’d be a good place for maps. Although I really could use a good base map of Indochina + Indonesia (the one I have has a good chunk of southern China, and I want one that focuses on Southeast Asia proper).
@Lascaris: I didn’t realize there was an ancient Greek name. I saw the Latin ‘Scupi’, decided I didn’t care for that name on aesthetic grounds, and so started calling Skopje ‘Axioupoli’ instead (the OTL Greek town goes with its classical name Atalanti). I could change it to ‘Skoupoi’ in the upcoming update, although I suppose a TTL Emperor could’ve renamed it at some point when it was a town, rather than the city it is now ITTL (Axioupoli appeals to me on aesthetic grounds). I’m not sure. Thoughts?
@JohnSmith: Good point, although of the three he’s definitely the least ‘Great’ in popular history. And part of that could be from comparing those three Komnenoi as a group to the post-Niketas Komnenoi; there’s a serious downgrade in quality and longevity.
Theodor focusing just on the rich who don’t like the new tax system for obvious reasons, not the peasantry. It could be a mistake, but I think an understandable one for a person with a 17th century aristocratic mindset.
@HanEmpire: Well, to be fair to Demetrios, at that point he going ‘ah screw it’.
@Tirion: That’s so primitive. This is the modern era; get with the times. We use eyeball knives now, much more humane…
@RogueTraderEnthusiast: Mutilating Ibrahim isn’t in the cards. One doesn’t treat royalty like that. Reciprocity is a serious issue. (Barbary pirates are a different story.) Plus Ibrahim is the Shahanshah, the one sovereign that Roman Emperors recognize as an equal. If captured, he may remain a prisoner for the rest of his life, but he will be treated ‘like a king’.
One final note. Ibrahim doesn’t deserve it. His interests are aligned against Rhomania’s, but that’s to be expected from his position. Nothing he’s done is unreasonable (which is different from unwise) for someone in his position. It’s Theodor who’s being the belligerent twit.
So we've all been going on about what happens if Theodor dies, and all, but what happens if he's captured? He is planning to put himself if such a position where the odds go up considerably. First thing would be the renouncement of the title King of the Romans, and can no longer be "Holy Roman" Emperor. At least I would, everything after that, profit, and then mend the relationship as best I can. War can build a certain respect for each other, and brass tacks Germany needs a commercial friend, that won't gouge them like the Triunes, and the Rhomans are in a position of advantage to bring more fair terms than them. They just captured their Emperor, and won the war.
How would a weaker Germany help him? This is a war of claims and vanity, not one of territorial swapping. If the Germans lose, they won't be losing land to Rhome, they will draw some serious concessions, and indemnity I imagine. Also a Germany with its act together means the Triunes have to spend on land forces instead of the its navy. Domestically, Theodor is going to have a lot on his hands anyways with the Czechs having more parity. I feel a lot would come down to when the two meet, and if Theodor acts like a tool. Then again there's nothing more humbling than watching your grandest dream crumble around you, while having to have coffee and cakes with your mortal enemy.
A real dagger to slide would be if D3 shared some intel on Henry's dealings, and "secret communiques" between Henry and "agents" within the kingdom of the Germans. He could wow him with real missions that the Rhoman spy network executed, just to add validity to the gifted documents, incase they are somewhat fabricated.
A real dagger to slide would be if D3 shared some intel on Henry's dealings, and "secret communiques" between Henry and "agents" within the kingdom of the Germans. He could wow him with real missions that the Rhoman spy network executed, just to add validity to the gifted documents, incase they are somewhat fabricated.
Cryostorm
Donor
Yeah, while Rhome might want to knock sense into the German Empire, really just its emperor, it is not a good idea to let it implode and breakdown since it really is the only realm that can single handily cause the Triunes to sweat when it come to a land conflict. Not to mention that if you can get the Balkan and Italian border and areas of interest recognized then there is no real reason for conflict between an empire based on the North European plain and one based on the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. Even in the colonial game Germany, if it has any, will be focused on the Atlantic and Rhome is focused in the Indian and South Pacific Oceans.
Cryostorm
Donor
As to Theodor, honestly if he does not die in this war his nobles may just force him to step down for a different claimant. For the Wittelsbach dynasty to survive it will likely be along the way the Hapsburg dynasty did, have a important but lesser dynasty, though possibly an equal, join it by marrying Elizabeth to create a joint house like the Hapsburg-Lorraine.
I would imagine that parts of the army in Georgia be allocated to different fronts as needed. If the portion sent to Europe is small enough couldn't they just march to Trebizond and be shipped to Macedonia? It's not like there's any rival sea power to contest this.
@Duke of Nova Scotia @Cryostorm whilst I agree collapsing the HRE/German Empire is bad, I don't think a simple "Cool, lets peace out" actually solves any long term problem. It just ends THIS war. We don't solve the geopolitical threat on the western border.
I've stated already that really that this war, assuming we're on the cusp of the victory we're about to see in Macedonia, has to be a situation where the Roman Empire are the ones able to project power into Germany, rather than the HRE able to project power into the Balkans. You're also right that we don't want to get onto the North European Plain - that is a German problem. The Romans need to get control of Vienna and the Carpathian basin. No new buffer state there, just a great, big Roman fortress, with infrastructure set up on the Danube, the lot.
A quick peace may seem tempting, but that is what always happens, and then the Latins attack again, and threaten the European Heartland of the Empire. The Alp-Carpathian-Pruth (if we include the Vlachs) makes effectively a Fortress out of SE Europe, with the only real territory worth fighting over nearby being Bohemia (with its lovely mountains)
A disaster in Macedonia gives probably the best chance to change the current geopolitical reality in Europe in Constantinoples favour - and this doesn't have to destroy the HRE. Bavaria is near the Romans, so a Wittlesbach-Roman alliance secures borders - Bohemia is a rival in the HRE, so supporting them in an alliance could create a powerful leader that borders the Romans. It isn't in the Roman interest to watch Germany collapse - just maybe to end the title of HRE, in exchange for the German Empire.
So yeah, Theodore being captured would be nice, but that isn't going to lead to the secession of land. Just short-term chaos that the Romans can take advantage of to roll back Theodores invasion. What he does give is the chance for him to give up the title of Holy Roman Emperor to Demetrios III. A rather nice turnabout considering the reason for the war.
I've stated already that really that this war, assuming we're on the cusp of the victory we're about to see in Macedonia, has to be a situation where the Roman Empire are the ones able to project power into Germany, rather than the HRE able to project power into the Balkans. You're also right that we don't want to get onto the North European Plain - that is a German problem. The Romans need to get control of Vienna and the Carpathian basin. No new buffer state there, just a great, big Roman fortress, with infrastructure set up on the Danube, the lot.
A quick peace may seem tempting, but that is what always happens, and then the Latins attack again, and threaten the European Heartland of the Empire. The Alp-Carpathian-Pruth (if we include the Vlachs) makes effectively a Fortress out of SE Europe, with the only real territory worth fighting over nearby being Bohemia (with its lovely mountains)
A disaster in Macedonia gives probably the best chance to change the current geopolitical reality in Europe in Constantinoples favour - and this doesn't have to destroy the HRE. Bavaria is near the Romans, so a Wittlesbach-Roman alliance secures borders - Bohemia is a rival in the HRE, so supporting them in an alliance could create a powerful leader that borders the Romans. It isn't in the Roman interest to watch Germany collapse - just maybe to end the title of HRE, in exchange for the German Empire.
So yeah, Theodore being captured would be nice, but that isn't going to lead to the secession of land. Just short-term chaos that the Romans can take advantage of to roll back Theodores invasion. What he does give is the chance for him to give up the title of Holy Roman Emperor to Demetrios III. A rather nice turnabout considering the reason for the war.
I suppose you could but when and why you have... Skopia renamed? After all TTL it is under constant Byzantine control since John III recovered it from the 2nd Bulgarian empire in 1246.