Isaac's Empire 2.0
- Thread starter Basileus Giorgios
- Start date
The wording of that definitely gave me a chuckle. She'll be done, but wouldn't you guys be more interested in hearing about characters who've not been covered in the main narrative of the TL?
Thanks!
1204: Venice is sacked.
How did I not notice that before?
Pay attention at the back!
1204: Venice is sacked.
How did I not notice that before?
As Homer Simpson would put it, the ironing is delicious.
So, after a delay...
Manuel I (7th December 1070-17th January 1152) was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Komnenid dynasty. Manuel's reign is thought to mark the pinnacle of the power of the Komnenoi, and he was known within his own lifetime as Megas Basileus: "Manuel the Great".
Manuel was the son of Isaac Komnenos the Younger. At the time of Manuel's birth, his father was the eldest living male relative of the reigning Emperor, Isaac I Komnenos, but the Emperor passed over his namesake for the succession and instead named Manuel's uncle Alexios his co-Emperor and heir apparent. Isaac the Younger initially remained relatively loyal to his brother, but after 1092 was largely confined to Constantinople by a jealous Alexios.
Manuel largely grew up in Italy and with the departure of his father for Constantinople in spring 1092 he and his younger brother Stephen became virtual co-rulers of the imperial territories there, where they supervised the consolidation of Sicily and Sardinia, and attempted to contain German expansion. In 1096, Manuel was officially made Katepánō, or Viceroy, of Italy. In this period, he had two wives: firstly the noblewoman Sophia Bryennaina, who died childless in 1091, and secondly a much more passionate relationship with one Yvantia of Beneventum, which produced a son, Theodosios, and a daughter, Maria. This second marriage was later argued to be illegitimate: in any case, Yvantia died in 1101.
Following the Battle of Savona, Manuel was recalled from Italy and married to his third wife, this time his cousin Styliane, daughter of the Emperor Alexios. Styliane produced a single child, Manuel's son John, and the marriage was not a particularly happy one. Between 1103 and 1105 Manuel governed the Chersonese, and seems to have participated in the Battle of Emesa in 1109. In 1114, he singlehandedly smashed the Greek rebellion of Theodosios Melissenos, and thereafter settled in Thessalonica to keep the restive region under control.
In 1117, the Emperor Alexios died, and the throne was seized by his elder brother Isaac, Manuel's father, who named Manuel as Domestikos tēs Dyseōs, supreme commander of the West. This perceived favouritism led to Manuel's younger brother Stephen joining a broader series of revolts against their father, which were only put down with some difficulty. In 1119, Manuel defeated his brother in battle and, despite Stephen's pleas, blinded him so brutally that Stephen died soon afterwards. Two years later, with the Empire at peace, Manuel became co-Emperor and took over effective governance from his ailing father, who died in 1122.
As Emperor, Manuel's reign was marked by a series of major foreign policy successes. Troubles in Serbia and the Chersonese were swiftly dealt with in the 1120s, and shows of power were arranged to cow the restive Armenians on the empire's eastern frontier. The 1120s and 1130s were a time of economic growth within the empire: several important cities were forced to raise new walls in the period to accommodate population rises, and the year 1135 saw more churches built than in any other of the twelfth century. This peace and plenty meant Manuel was deeply popular across the Empire, and later Roman writers (notably Philotheos of Thebes) make clear that his reign was considered unusually bountiful and blessed.
In 1148, despite his advanced age, Manuel returned to Italy to personally deal with German-directed religious disputes in the peninsula, leading to the crowning achievement of his reign: the Third Council of Nicaea in 1150. Third Nicaea did much to abolish the crowing doctrinal differences between the Patriarchates of Rome and Constantinople, in the process creating the modern Uniate Church.
Manuel declined drastically after his Italian trip, and was rarely seen in public in 1151. He died in January 1152, with the throne passing peacefully to his son John II Komnenos. The circumstances of John's accession are finally testimony to the great successes of Manuel, who fully deserves his status as the greatest of the Komnenid Emperors.
MORE TO FOLLOW!
Manuel I (7th December 1070-17th January 1152) was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Komnenid dynasty. Manuel's reign is thought to mark the pinnacle of the power of the Komnenoi, and he was known within his own lifetime as Megas Basileus: "Manuel the Great".
Manuel was the son of Isaac Komnenos the Younger. At the time of Manuel's birth, his father was the eldest living male relative of the reigning Emperor, Isaac I Komnenos, but the Emperor passed over his namesake for the succession and instead named Manuel's uncle Alexios his co-Emperor and heir apparent. Isaac the Younger initially remained relatively loyal to his brother, but after 1092 was largely confined to Constantinople by a jealous Alexios.
Manuel largely grew up in Italy and with the departure of his father for Constantinople in spring 1092 he and his younger brother Stephen became virtual co-rulers of the imperial territories there, where they supervised the consolidation of Sicily and Sardinia, and attempted to contain German expansion. In 1096, Manuel was officially made Katepánō, or Viceroy, of Italy. In this period, he had two wives: firstly the noblewoman Sophia Bryennaina, who died childless in 1091, and secondly a much more passionate relationship with one Yvantia of Beneventum, which produced a son, Theodosios, and a daughter, Maria. This second marriage was later argued to be illegitimate: in any case, Yvantia died in 1101.
Following the Battle of Savona, Manuel was recalled from Italy and married to his third wife, this time his cousin Styliane, daughter of the Emperor Alexios. Styliane produced a single child, Manuel's son John, and the marriage was not a particularly happy one. Between 1103 and 1105 Manuel governed the Chersonese, and seems to have participated in the Battle of Emesa in 1109. In 1114, he singlehandedly smashed the Greek rebellion of Theodosios Melissenos, and thereafter settled in Thessalonica to keep the restive region under control.
In 1117, the Emperor Alexios died, and the throne was seized by his elder brother Isaac, Manuel's father, who named Manuel as Domestikos tēs Dyseōs, supreme commander of the West. This perceived favouritism led to Manuel's younger brother Stephen joining a broader series of revolts against their father, which were only put down with some difficulty. In 1119, Manuel defeated his brother in battle and, despite Stephen's pleas, blinded him so brutally that Stephen died soon afterwards. Two years later, with the Empire at peace, Manuel became co-Emperor and took over effective governance from his ailing father, who died in 1122.
As Emperor, Manuel's reign was marked by a series of major foreign policy successes. Troubles in Serbia and the Chersonese were swiftly dealt with in the 1120s, and shows of power were arranged to cow the restive Armenians on the empire's eastern frontier. The 1120s and 1130s were a time of economic growth within the empire: several important cities were forced to raise new walls in the period to accommodate population rises, and the year 1135 saw more churches built than in any other of the twelfth century. This peace and plenty meant Manuel was deeply popular across the Empire, and later Roman writers (notably Philotheos of Thebes) make clear that his reign was considered unusually bountiful and blessed.
In 1148, despite his advanced age, Manuel returned to Italy to personally deal with German-directed religious disputes in the peninsula, leading to the crowning achievement of his reign: the Third Council of Nicaea in 1150. Third Nicaea did much to abolish the crowing doctrinal differences between the Patriarchates of Rome and Constantinople, in the process creating the modern Uniate Church.
Manuel declined drastically after his Italian trip, and was rarely seen in public in 1151. He died in January 1152, with the throne passing peacefully to his son John II Komnenos. The circumstances of John's accession are finally testimony to the great successes of Manuel, who fully deserves his status as the greatest of the Komnenid Emperors.
MORE TO FOLLOW!
I did mention this in the text: John II's mother was Styliane Komnena, Alexios' daughter. His parents were therefore cousins, and the match was somewhat disapproved of by the church. I've done a bio on Styliane (plus some others, including Manuel's remarkable mother Eudocia) on my old IE wiki page, but this seems to have crashed from the shock of being brought back into use after several years. If/when it returns I'll post the links.
Okay, the Wikia now seems to be back and running. Most recently edited articles can be seen here.
Character bios I've done today and are therefore to be regarded as fully canon:
Eudocia Sklerina
Rōmanos Skleros
Styliane Komnena
Manuel I Komnenos
Michael Psellos
Constantine Doukas
Michael Doukas
Character bios I've done today and are therefore to be regarded as fully canon:
Eudocia Sklerina
Rōmanos Skleros
Styliane Komnena
Manuel I Komnenos
Michael Psellos
Constantine Doukas
Michael Doukas
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MarshalBraginsky
Banned
Just a question that I have: is the Uniate Church of TTL similar to the one in the original TL? Or are there some differences?
I think it will work out to be reasonably similar in the end. I'm trying to build up the doctrinal changes more "organically" this time round.
I don't suppose any posters here would be interested in adding articles to the Wikia to help build it up?
Are there going to be any maps posted soon because I love maps
I could try some work on a map, I suppose.
I have to say that I am rather suffering from writer's block. I know roughly where I want to go with the story of the Regency of Demetrios, but I'm having some difficulties with actually writing it down. If readers of the TL have any ideas or thoughts, I'd really appreciate them.
Right, after saying that, I've had a reasonably productive day IE-wise.
Firstly, I've begun work on a fully updated world map for the year 1240. The map itself is attached.
Secondly, making the map has inspired me to come up with some more "history" for Western Europe, which has largely centred on the reign of an exceptionally weak king, the half-mad Robert III of Francia. You can read the two part history of the first monarchs of the united Anglo-Francian kingdom here, and here, and I'll probably at some point do a "full" version of these summaries.
I hope all of this is of interest to readers!
Firstly, I've begun work on a fully updated world map for the year 1240. The map itself is attached.
Secondly, making the map has inspired me to come up with some more "history" for Western Europe, which has largely centred on the reign of an exceptionally weak king, the half-mad Robert III of Francia. You can read the two part history of the first monarchs of the united Anglo-Francian kingdom here, and here, and I'll probably at some point do a "full" version of these summaries.
I hope all of this is of interest to readers!
I'm actually curious about the Francian Civil War that follows Robert III's reign. My guess is that the contestants are Robert III's son by Queen Margaret whose legitimacy is doubted at court and his uncle Richard or Richard's son. Still, wonder who is going to win.Basileus Giorgios said:
Interesting also that Gascony becomes an independent Kingdom. And judging by the map, it also seems Toulouse and Provence are independent realms as well.
I'll write about Francia at some point. And yes, there are independent kings throughout Occitania: I've already mentioned them, and will write about them again in more detail in the future.
The more I do of this map, the more I realise I've left unsaid. The Croats, in particular, should probably have been given more love by me: instead, they've only featured in a single solitary chapter, with a tiny role at that. And there's a gaping role where Iberian history should be.
I think the way to get back into IE is to fill in some of these gaps, which will hopefully ease my writer's block going forwards.
Stephen III, King of Croatia 1219-53
I'm still waiting on my Eirene bio snip.
Ahhh yes! I'll get onto it at some stage, don't worry.
For now, here's something completely different.
Stephen III, King of Croatia
Stephen III, known as Stephen the Great, was King of Croatia from 1219 until 1253. During this time, he brought the Kingdom of Croatia to its greatest extent, ruling over most of the old Roman provinces of Illyria and Dalmatia.
Stephen unexpectedly succeeded his father, the weak king Petar II after the death of his three elder brothers. Due to the new king's youth and inexperience (he was just sixteen upon taking the throne) he was initially underestimated by his rivals. In 1220, he almost lost his throne due to the revolt of an older cousin, Krešimir. The failure of the revolt, and the bloody treatment of Krešimir that followed did much to consolidate Stephen's rule, and marked him out as a leader to be respected. In 1221, he married the Bulgarian Maria Prienensis, the recently widowed twin sister of Tsar Symeon II, thus drawing himself into the affairs of the Bulgarian kingdom.
Though notionally a vassal of the Roman Emperor at Constantinople, Stephen failed to provide troops to contribute to the war effort against the Jušen in Anatolia in the 1220s and 1230s, and thereafter conducted himself as an independent monarch. He was supported in this by the kings of Hungary and the Parisian Papacy, although Stephen himself never explicitly rejected the doctrines of the Eighth Ecumenical Council. His strategy as a monarch was generally to attempt to steer an independent path to avoid drawing attention from more powerful rivals who generally had their own concerns.
In 1226, Stephen's brother-in-law Symeon II of Bulgaria died young, leaving behind him two young daughters and no male heir. With the Romans increasingly distracted by affairs to the East, Stephen took the opportunity to intervene in Bulgarian politics, marching into Bulgaria to champion the claim of his stepson Ivan, the only child of Maria Prienensis' first husband. The ensuing conflict, known as the War of the Margus after the river system in western Bulgaria, lasted nearly three years, and eventually saw the victory of the Croatian king and his son-in-law, who ruled Bulgaria thereafter as Ivan III. In exchange for his crown, Ivan ceded a large chunk of the western part of the Tsardom to Stephen, who thus gained dominion over a mixed population of Croats, Serbs and Bulgarians.
This great success gave Stephen III a great deal of prestige, and from 1232 onwards he began to claim, on occasion, an imperial title as well as a royal one. The Roman held enclaves of coastal Dalmatia certainly used a style of address towards him hitherto reserved for the monarch of Constantinople, though they stopped short of hailing Stephen as Basileus. In 1236, the Serbs rose up against him, perhaps with Roman support, but the revolt faded away quite quickly: the last Serbian strongholds fell in 1238.
The last decade of Stephen's reign was dominated by increasingly difficult diplomatic relations with the Hungarian monarchy under first Andrew III and then the Croat king's namesake, Stephen II. A surprise Hungarian attack in 1240 pushed back the Croats and seized a number of northern towns, and it would be 1246 before the Hungarians were entirely expelled. A succesful Croat offensive was mounted in 1247, but this failed to gain much ground due to the displeasure of the German Emperor Otto V, a cousin of the Hungarian king.
Despite this, Stephen can be judged to be the most succesful monarch in Croatian history, by some way. Upon his death, he left a full treasury, a strengthened monarchy, and an adult male heir in his son, Petar III. Croatian power would recede after him, but the seeds of decline cannot be attributed to Stephen.
The Prienensid Dynasty of Bulgaria 1183-1226
Hmmmm, no love for Croats, then? How about some Bulgarian stuff?
The second son of the Armeno-Roman general John of Priene who had taken the throne as Tsar Ivan I, Symeon had come to power unexpectedly following the deposition of his older brother Ivan II at the hands of the Bulgarian aristocracy, who resented their foreign rulers. A brief interregnum followed, in which there was a standoff between the native nobles (Boyars), and the army, who largely supported the memory of John of Priene. In the end, a compromise was agreed, with the twelve year old Symeon being restored to the throne and married off to Anna, the daughter of one of the most powerful boyars. For Symeon's first six years as Tsar, power was held by a regency council made up of twelve boyars.
Symeon was something of a weak figure, and generally was dominated by the aristocracy even after his minority ended. He ruled in his own right for ten years, and in that time Bulgaria was largely peaceful, although there were flares of religious trouble in 1219 and again in 1223, when bishops protested the Bulgarian Tsar's allegiance to the Latin-speaking Parisian Patriarchate.
In 1226 Symeon died while hunting, at the age of just twenty eight. He left no male heirs behind him: despite nine pregnancies, his wife Anna had only produced two surviving children, both daughters. The ensuing conflict, known as the War of the Bulgarian Succession, would tear apart the Tsardom and end the Prienensid dynasty in the male line.
The Prienensid dynasty is a term used by historians to denote the first three Tsars of the Second Bulgarian Empire, although they never used this family name themselves. The dynasty was founded by Ivan I, an Armeno-Roman general who claimed the vacant Bulgarian throne in the summer of 1183. Ivan was able to secure the loyalty of the local aristocracy through military success and the granting of a Bulgarian Patriarchate by Patriarch Michael I of Paris in 1198. He died in plague in 1201, however, with both of his sons young children without native ties to Bulgaria, prompting a revolt of the aristocracy in 1210 against the elder, Ivan II. The dynasty ended with John's younger son Symeon II, who died in 1226, although future Bulgarian monarchs would continue to descend from him through the line of his daughter Maria.
Symeon II Prienensis, Bulgarian Tsar
Symeon II (1198-1226) was the third and last Bulgarian Tsar of the Prienensid dynasty, ruling Bulgaria from 1210 until 1226.
The second son of the Armeno-Roman general John of Priene who had taken the throne as Tsar Ivan I, Symeon had come to power unexpectedly following the deposition of his older brother Ivan II at the hands of the Bulgarian aristocracy, who resented their foreign rulers. A brief interregnum followed, in which there was a standoff between the native nobles (Boyars), and the army, who largely supported the memory of John of Priene. In the end, a compromise was agreed, with the twelve year old Symeon being restored to the throne and married off to Anna, the daughter of one of the most powerful boyars. For Symeon's first six years as Tsar, power was held by a regency council made up of twelve boyars.
Symeon was something of a weak figure, and generally was dominated by the aristocracy even after his minority ended. He ruled in his own right for ten years, and in that time Bulgaria was largely peaceful, although there were flares of religious trouble in 1219 and again in 1223, when bishops protested the Bulgarian Tsar's allegiance to the Latin-speaking Parisian Patriarchate.
In 1226 Symeon died while hunting, at the age of just twenty eight. He left no male heirs behind him: despite nine pregnancies, his wife Anna had only produced two surviving children, both daughters. The ensuing conflict, known as the War of the Bulgarian Succession, would tear apart the Tsardom and end the Prienensid dynasty in the male line.
Prienensid Dynasty
The Prienensid dynasty is a term used by historians to denote the first three Tsars of the Second Bulgarian Empire, although they never used this family name themselves. The dynasty was founded by Ivan I, an Armeno-Roman general who claimed the vacant Bulgarian throne in the summer of 1183. Ivan was able to secure the loyalty of the local aristocracy through military success and the granting of a Bulgarian Patriarchate by Patriarch Michael I of Paris in 1198. He died in plague in 1201, however, with both of his sons young children without native ties to Bulgaria, prompting a revolt of the aristocracy in 1210 against the elder, Ivan II. The dynasty ended with John's younger son Symeon II, who died in 1226, although future Bulgarian monarchs would continue to descend from him through the line of his daughter Maria.
And in my clear desperation for some lovin', here's the latest WIP of the 1240 map.
