Sounds pragmatic, I like it. Shows the leadership have a good head on their shouldersIll spoil a couple things and say the idea at the moment is to develop a combination of both western and eastern units to form the core of the army, rather than looking back to how the legions did things. Rome is going to be looking at tried and tested methods of warfare in the period they can easily copy rather than experimenting with past methods of warfare. That stuff would happen in a Renaissance type scenario where there's a flourishing of old military manuals and history books that allows aspiring reformers to use and experiment with.
So... Give it a couple decades for things to go back to the legions.
I'm stealing that marine idea if you don't mind.
Feel free to ask away.
More or less as OTL. Trebizond is doing marginally better as the Venetians aren't there, but now they have to deal with a stronger Genoa and a mildly uncaring Romania taking up the Venetian niche. Georgia is roughly the same as OTL but it will probably be in a better position as the decades pass. Probably.More stuff: how are Trebizond and Georgia doing in this timeline?
All policy at this point has to have a certain bit of pragmatism.Sounds pragmatic, I like it. Shows the leadership have a good head on their shoulders
A whole new meaning to the term Varangian Guard?
Thanks!First of all this time-line is amazing.
Not Russians; its much easier (although not as cheap) to recruit Italians and Englishmen in France (especially the latter once the Second phase of the Hundred Years war dies down and there's all these mercs now out of a job). Getting recruiters from Scandinavia is an option, but less likely.Now to my questions based on that Varangian Idea, will the empire try and get Russians who are trying to escape the Golden Horde's Civil War (If I am correct in believing that there is a civil war) and turn them into these Varangian Marines or attract the original vikings of Scandinavian for their greater naval prowess for this? What do you think the Romans will attempt?
There's an implication that Rome can conquer Bulgaria here.By 1500 will Rome's border be that of the Komnenoi, Basil II's borders or something else entirely that will wow everyone away.
Three words: Timur is coming.Will the Mameluke's fate will be the same as OTL's but simply under Roman hands?
Maybe. Probably. I mean there's a good chance it will be something once the gunpowder becomes a thing.Will Rome survive to it's 2500th year? Will it be a power by any of the dates I've listen below?
Probably a 4.On a scale of 1 to Sandwich how inbred will the houses of Europe be? With Charles II of Spain being a Sandwich.
Not at all. I enjoy answering.Am I asking too many questions? If so apologies
Wouldn't Timur's coming be bad for Georgia as well?
Fixed it for you.So, the war started at January of 1371?
I highly doubt it.Were there even any female Bulgarian rulers?It would be a precedent to do sther than that,the Bulgarian ruler has a lot of sons of his own.More than that,the Bulgarian nobility was more interested in conquering the ERE than to be a part of it.Finally,it would be against the Church's rules for John to marry the sister of his brother-in-law(although a dispensation shouldn't be hard to get).If you are willing to use force to get Bulgaria,you may as well as clean the house,get rid of most of it's native nobility except for those that are willing to defect to the empire and make it a proper province of the empire--saves a lot of trouble on the long run.Use population transfer as well.The last thing the empire needs is a third Bulgarian Empire.More stuff; would a Personal Union between Bulgaria and the ERE be possible in the future?
I highly doubt it.Were there even any female Bulgarian rulers?It would be a precedent to do sther than that,the Bulgarian ruler has a lot of sons of his own.More than that,the Bulgarian nobility was more interested in conquering the ERE than to be a part of it.Finally,it would be against the Church's rules for John to marry the sister of his brother-in-law(although a dispensation shouldn't be hard to get).If you are willing to use force to get Bulgaria,you may as well as clean the house,get rid of most of it's native nobility except for those that are willing to defect to the empire and make it a proper province of the empire--saves a lot of trouble on the long run.Use population transfer as well.The last thing the empire needs is a third Bulgarian Empire.
I mean, one or two centuries from now.
Why do it one or two centuries from now?The ERE will probably do it within fifty years.It makes more sense to go for Bulgaria than Anatolia.The Danube is a natural frontier that shields the European parts of the ERE from the North.
You can continue this after you wake up if you want.I'd debate this, and argue that Anatolia is more important than Bulgaria because that's not only the former Heartland of the Empire, but also because that's where its most dangerous foes, the Turks, come from.
But I'm tired and I want to sleep in a few hours, so I won't argue.
I don't think it's impossible.The quality of the Ottoman army,when compared to other armies of this period was superb,assuming the Ottomans are still able to pay for their army(which would have been much more difficult but not impossible if they decreased their army or raid other Muslim states),given they don't have anymore Christian states to raid or conquer.Another thing is that coalitions are made up of states that have their own ambitions,and are generally suspicious of each other's motivations.They generally won't go all out to assist one another and will try to settle for peace independently of one another if things don't turn out well in a short time. If the Ottomans still have their superb army and at the same time exploit the poor coordination and paranoia of the coalition army,they should be able to defeat the coalition without trouble.I'm quite concerned by Germiyan. Either they could support the Ottomans conquer territory held by the coalition with them, or they could sweep in when everyone else is tired out, and create a greater threat than even the Ottomans were.
I wonder if the Byzantines can encourage the Bulgarians to assist them in exchange for that Serbia territory? Would certainly help having those soldiers to hand. Though it may not be worth it now that the area has been pacified.
Are the ottomans really going to be able to fight a two front war against the Romans and the rest of the Turks?
Oh, I'm so excited!
Really loving the mix of narrative styles