Delusion is a helluva drug. History will be very unkind to this man, likely to a very unfair degree. All of his actions have been correct assuming a medieval dynastic mindset.
An Age of Miracles Continues: The Empire of Rhomania
- Thread starter Basileus444
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His emphasis on "mah rights! What about mah rights!" to the detriment of almost everything else is straight outta the 14th Century.
Problem is that it is the 17th Century.
Doesn't help Theodor's case that the Empire isn't divine right. No one has a right to the throne, they have support. Granted it tends to cause more trouble on succession because anyone with an army is a potential claimant, or if they have the support of Constantinople, the Church or what have you. It shows that as much as Theodor wants the Empire, he doesn't understand the first thing about the throne he is trying to take.
Yeah, Rhomaion was always an odd one in medieval Europe, one of the best things CKII did was make the new government form that better models the byzantine way that some emperors gained the throne.
Sure Theodor, I’m sure those are totally real. At this point I’d reckon the Romans would prefer a gang of Muslim Turkish Eunuchs running the joint to a Latin.
How long will it take people to catch on to the fact that Demetrios is perhaps the most formidable (non military) Emperor the Empire has had since Theodoros IV (perhaps ever)? Intellectually who else is there? He’s university educated, worked his way up the bureaucratic ladder and has shown himself to be a visionary.
The thing is that the medieval dynastic mindset is delusional. I have talked about this before but attempting to rule both the Holy Roman Empire and the Roman Empire is a fool's bargain, it would never work out due to so many internal and external reasons any kind of logic that leads one to attempt that must be wrong.
But isnt the position of hre emperor is not hereditary, with electors and stuff? Shouldnt Theodor undestand this?
It is an elective monarchy the same way the Scandinavian and English thrones were elective in theory but almost completely hereditary in practice. There hasn't been a true competitor for the HRE throne for centuries and has almost become a rubber stamp.
Unless the Emperor completely fucks up. Then some of the electors might get tired of them and vote for someone else. But that would also certainly mean civil war. Plus the current emperor needs to die first for there to be an election.
Evilprodigy
Donor
Not necessarily. I don't know about ITTL 17th century but generally during the middle ages the elections for the heir to the HRE were done long before the death of a reigning Emperor. The heir was named "King of the Germans" and early on in HRE history they ruled as a sort of co-emperor for their father but I believe that practice died out, maybe. I recall as late as Maximilian I he ruled jointly with his father for a decade or so and that was the late 15th century. So even if the electors hate the current emperor they have probably already elected the heir, as any sane monarch would want to do to secure smooth inheritance, and a new election would be done either when the new emperor dies or, more likely, when the new emperor wishes to secure inheritance for his son and calls for an election. We won't be seeing the Wittelsbachs leaving office anytime soon.
Theodor isn't even married here though... So who is his successor for the HRE and how about his demesne? Maybe his sister can inherit the latter but she definitely won't be elected for the former. So... Hail Ottokar?
Evilprodigy
Donor
Does he have any siblings other than Elizabeth?
If not well, the HRE has Salic Law. Women can't rule. Period. There'd need to be an analogue of the Pragmatic Sanction that people actually listen to, and no one listened to it IOTL despite it being around for decades before Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg lands. And she didn't even get the HRE crown. Just Habsburg family territory. Elizabeth would need allies to secure inheritance but she'd never get the HRE throne. But she could probably get married to whoever became HRE or arrange her husband to become HRE.
If I can draw a distinction between deluded and delusional. In his context of inherited titles, and primogeniture, he's entirely right. He has this one single delusion that the Romans Give A Damn about this, and that they'll tolerate him or his faith. That is the great delusion of Theodor.
This explains a lot of behaviour. He thinks he can take the Empire because if D3 can just seize the throne, then the Empire falls to who holds Constantinople (there are enough examples of this happening in history). However, this ignores the internal military politics. It is a case of who has the money and the soldiers controls the Empire, but D3 managed to do that, because he was more tolerable. Because he was a Roman, a member of the Imperial Government, because he was Orthodox, and because he's written plenty of public statements that meet the opinion of the public. Theodore has none of those things, but ignores this based on right.
He's not a great strategist, partially because he's ignorant of sea power, which is why he has that campaign - that is a disaster waiting to happen for US with the knowledge we have, but Theodore doesn't understand sea power, and with his disdain for Lubeck, potentially thinks very little of its value. Which is wilful ignorance, rather than delusion.
Plus, he wouldn't be the first great tyrant of the Empire. Plenty of intolerable Emperors have existed - and compared to those rulers, he does have a stronger base in the HRE and his allies than most Romans would have - and if he had control over the Danube then he'd be set to deploy that strength rapidly and safely by river.
Most of his issues are that prime delusion, combined with his utter ignorance of sea power, and Roman sentiment, before or during this war. That is his great fault. That is why he should be known as Theodore the Fool.
I was wondering about the "Killed by a woman" line in the curses Demetrios made - I forget who is the target and can't find the right update. What if this is a reference to Elizabeth cutting off, or agreeing to let certain people be executed, or held captive. Effectively by her decision, her hand signing the letter, kills them. Is that a potential prophecy-fulfiller?
@andry2806 - so what do you think? Theodor dies, Elizabeth signs a peace for the House of Wittelsbach alone? German troops are allowed to leave but not the Polish. Casimir dies in siege?
Thanks btw
Thanks btw
Well, in a certain way Theodor is already losing his mind, his visions on the war are clearly detached from reality. Maybe a great failure may make him snap definitely. Casimir, I see him dying in a partisan ambush. Maybe killed by the girl protagonist of some of the narrative chapters about the partisans. Ibrahim, I don't know. I think he's the most long term affair.