A Relic of the Past - The Achaemenid Megacampaign Part 3

[Killcrazy13]

The dramatised retaking of Achaemeniyya in the 1330 AD by Tsar Dragoman​

A Relic of Antiquity (Achaemenid Megacampaign Part 3)

The Achaemenid Empire had existed for more than 2,000 years though there were periods in the long century when it was no more than a daydream in an Achaemenid’s head. Surviving the ravages of the 3rd century’s many crises, the Muslim Invasions and the Great Catholic Betrayal, the entity lurched into the 15th century a shadow of its former self. Having once ruled the greatest empire the world had ever seen, the Achaemenids was now reduced to their core holdings in the Balkans and a scattering of territories in North Africa, Syria and a few islands in the Mediterranean.

It was still ruled by an Achaemenid who could trace his ancient bloodline back to Amastris and Cyrus and the many great rulers of the house – Darius, Orestes, Hormazd and many others. Despite their lineage, the Achaemenids had long abandoned their Persian heritage as they focused on ruling from Achaemeniyya, their great city straddling the Bosphorus and the crossroads of Europe and Asia. From their exile in the Eurasian steppes, they brought with them Slavic migrants and renewed their strength by infusing new traditions and cultures into their old domains. The empire had always been exceptionally tolerant, barring a few periods of xenophobia and persecution and that meant its lands were diverse, multicultural and at times riven with strife. Perhaps that contributed to the losses of territory it experienced as its many different people sought to break off from the crown that they had little in common with.

What held the empire together? Perhaps inertia but we cannot discount the influence of the Khodan Orthodox Church. From its inception encouraged by its Zoroastrian converts, the Church had always presented itself as the champion and the truest followers of the original precepts of Christ. In spite of these claims, the Khodan Orthodox Church had seen its own divisions on doctrine over the centuries and clashed with the sitting Shahanshah or Tsar as the emperors began to style themselves in the latter centuries. The Church evolved over time and it increasingly became defined by its opposition to the Papacy which dominated Western Europe and its evolving relationship with Islam that shifted from uneasy co-existence to outright hostility. In the last decades of the medieval age, the Church and the Empire view themselves as the last bulwark against Muslim invaders for an ungrateful Europe.


The Political Situation

From its hegemonic days, the Achaemenid Empire has fallen far. However, it’s still one of the great powers of the world, able to marshal armies and ships to match any of its rivals and enjoys a level of prestige unmatched outside of the courts of the Holy Roman Emperor, the Ming Emperor and the Nizari Imamate of Jerusalem. The world is becoming increasingly multi-polar and as it enters a new era of global exploration, the Achaemenids are finding trustworthy friends increasingly few and far and far between.

The antagonism with the Catholic West stems from the ill-advised conflict over France and the subsequent retaliatory crusade and loss of major parts of Greece. The Holy Roman Empire that arose out of that conflict now look to hamper the Achaemenids from restoring their old Hellenic heartlands and force it to expand resources that could perhaps be better used to defend Christendom from Muslims. Only in the Northern Russian forest and in Northern Gaul are there Khodan Orthodox compatriots who share the same tenets as Achaemeniyya but they too are raising their own Patriarchs to guide their nations – an outcome of the Khodan reformations that the Achaemenids engendered.

Al-Anatolia, lost since the 8th century, has only had fleeting periods when it returned to Achaemenid control. Now a Turkic power has consolidated a new realm there and the Osmanoğlu are calling for all ghazi warriors to join them to once again retake the red apple of Achaemeniyya for Islam. In the Hungarian plains, the Rev-Mehrans have converted many of the Dacians and Hungarians to Islam and look to hold off the surrounding Christian vultures. In the Middle East, rival Shia and Sunni factions square off in one of the wealthiest and most prosperous regions in the world.

However, it’s the far West where new developments might overturn the standing world order. The Christian nations of Portugal and Baetica on the southern end of Iberia are exploring new horizons and there’s talk of sailing around the world to access the wealth of the Indies. The Caliphate of Castille and the Muslim Berbers of Hadrametum are eager to join the race for new trade routes and wealth as the conflict between Islam and Christianity enters a new more global stage.

Welcome to the 3rd part of my Achaemenid Megacampaign!

 

[Killcrazy13]

Welcome old and new readers to this, the 3rd part of my megacampaign. You can read the previous chapters in these links:

Part 1 in Imperator Rome here: The Last of the Achaemenids (Part 1)
Part 2 in Crusader Kings 3 here: The Achaemeneh - A Saga of the Byzantine Kings (Part 2)

I've given a short overview of the past events in the introductory post but you are welcome to read the previous AARs for more details and to ask questions about the story/world in those threads or here.

My plan is to hopefully take the campaign all the way into Vic3 but let's see if we get there. For EU4, I plan to provide updates that are closer in-sync with the gameplay. I realised it can get draggy when you're 300 years in the future, excited to talk about events there while the readers are enjoying reading about the Muslim invasions. The other reason is that this will be my first actual EU4 playthrough and you get to watch me blunder through it, and maybe some of the experts like @jak7139 can provide advice if I dig myself into a hole. I have about 40 hours of play, just enough to know the basics but not enough to fully understand how the game works. Last note, I'm playing with Lucky Nations and Hard difficulty. Yes, it's asking for trouble but let's see how bad it can be.

Mods used here are mostly clamp mods recommended by Zemurin to create a better Vic3 conversion + XormeAI:

1. AI wants nice borders
2. Realistic African Colonisation
3. Slower Colonisation (-50% version)
4. Rebalanced Technology Spread
5. Responsible Blobbing
6. Responsible Warfare
7. Xorme - AI
8. Great Project Unlocked (this is for fun since it's not an Ironman cheevo run)

Cheers and welcome aboard!

 

[Killcrazy13]

Embers of Rebirth – The Achaemenid Empire in 1400


The Achaemenid Empire
The Empire has lost much of its territorial and cultural identity in the disasters of the medieval era. What stands now is a drastically different entity from the one that broke apart after the Argead reign. Culturally, it’s a fusion of Slavic, Greek and Persian peoples, defined by their allegiance to the Achaemenid dynasty and the Khodan Orthodox faith. Geographically, it’s an Eastern European power and still seeks to expand into its traditional homelands of Greece and Macedonia, now held by Catholic interlopers. Its overseas holdings are scattered outposts beyond it’s strong base in North Africa as Orthodox missionaries seek to convert the Muslim natives. Carthage is a vassal state created to meet the demands of Punic rebels when the empire was struggling in the 14th century and they threaten to break with the Empire and align with the Hadrametum Empire if Achaemedia did not pay enough attention to them. Its holding in Cyprus and Syria are threatened by Muslim states of Jerusalem and Rum while the Ilyrian provinces are cut off by land from the capital. It has a long alliance with Bosporan Kingdom, ruled by Krajica Lilyana Achaemenid, 2nd cousin to the current Tsar, Dominik. Together, they are the bulwark against Muslim expansion further into Europe and seek to bring the Hungarian Achaemenids into the embrace of Christ. The Empire has also extended an alliance to the Crusader state of Nicaea, now that they have entered communion with the Khodan Patriarchate of Achaemedia, in order to block Ottoman expansion into what remains of Christian Anatolia.

The Internal Body Politic

The pressures on the stressed system have foisted new civic and governing developments affecting how the empire is ruled. When Dragoman took the throne in 1307 AD, overthrowing Mundulf Kozman, it had come with the support of the Bulgarian boyars. The nobility had never relinquished its influence on the throne and the Tsars are hard pressed to deny them their privileges. They are entrusted with Expanding the Fortifications of the empire, controlling powerful castles such as Craiova, Zadar and Zenj. They enjoy substantial Land Rights and had the Right of Counsel – the Tsar would often include a rotating chair of powerful nobles in his war and state councils. With these privileges, the Primacy of the Boyars was enshrined as an inalienable right for many of the lords.

The next most powerful faction was the Patriarchate. The Tsars had attempted to reign them in but the weakness of the throne since the 13th century had seen their influence grow and even redouble in some aspects. Several Clerical Ministers served in the royal councils and members of the clergy act as Religious Diplomats in foreign missions. A nation such as the Achaemenid Empire, lacking the cultural unity of other nations, often fell back on religion as the great unifier, and the Patriarchate capitalises on this, eager to speak of the Tsar’s policies in sermons, and repeating endless times that the Empire was a Religious State. This veiled Oversight by the Patriarchs meant that the Tsar often had to make a show of supporting the expansion and Development of Churches. Church land was tax exempt and their Land Rights protected by the crown.

There were two other estates that the Tsars had to pay attention to in managing his realm. The Burghers or merchant class was a quickly growing faction. With the growth of trade in Achaemedia that the Great Catholic Betrayal had triggered with the establishment of Italian trading houses, they had begun to be looked at as a primary source of loans and liquidity when the crown fell on hard times. Certain policies dating from the Latin Domination had never been repealed such as the right to Free Enterprise and the trading houses right to maintain Private Trade Fleets to protect their goods from piracy. They also had protected Land Rights in the trading quarters of major cities. Lastly, there are the Cossacks. These free-spirited men of the steppes are a mix of rural Bulgarians, Moldavians and Sarmatinas who ride the open plains in the northern territories. Forming the bulk of the Achaemenid cavalry, they are often a source for cavalry officers, many Recruited Cossack Leaders have earned famed for their exploits. They’ve also given Prime Herding Rights in the territories they abound in, at the expense of more settled communities.

The Imperial Family

Portrait of Tsar Dominik holding court.
He was known for his swarthy appearance from long days on campaign and his love for military garb, even for formal occasions.
​

Dominik Achaemenid is the sitting Tsar, taking over from his grandfather 11 years ago. Having grown into his power, he is still only 30 and in the prime of his life. In the intervening decade, he has developed a reputation for battlefield command and is said to be a Tactical Genius and a Bold Fighter. His wife is Dalita Vivanid-Agurvan, a Syrian princess from the Kingdom of Durinj in Mesopotamia. Together, they have a child, Emiliya Achaemenid the future heir to the throne, still only a few months old.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Re-Establishing the Old Order (1400 AD – 1411 AD)

Tsar Dominik would seek to continue building on the successes of the past century. A man born more for the saddle than the throne, he would often neglect the state to prioritise the army. Luckily for him, he had Tsaritsa Dalita to attend to courtly matter. As the home of Khodan Orthodox, the Tsar felt it only right that he was the Defender of the Faith, and that any Orthodox kingdom in Europe could come to him for aid. There were far and few such kingdoms and the title was more a boost of his personal prestige than a tangible role.

Eastern Europe in 1400 AD​

The Taming of Krajina

In May of 1400, the Muslim states of Krajina ruled by the Rev Mehrans and the Ottomans launched assaults on lands that rightfully belong to the Achaemenid Empire, even if they were in Catholic hands now. The Rev Mehrans sought to capture Dalmatia while the Ottomans wanted Severan Greece, to hold land in Europe proper. The Ottoman conquest was bogged down by their lack of ships but Lycia in Anatolia foolishly answered the call to arms of the Severans. Cut off from any support, Lycia was decimated and most of its territories lost to the Turks less their border fortress with the other Orthodox states, Karahisar.

Dominik ignored the Turkish problem and focused on the breakaway vassals of Rev Mehran. They had the temerity to call themselves an empire and the Tsar sought to teach them their place. Krajina had vastly underestimated the scale of Christian reaction. The Tsar would first declare on them followed by the Pope calling a crusade to defend Dalmatia from the heathens. With pressure from both West and East, the army of Krajina and their vassal Hungary was hard-pressed and saw Strategos Islivan Dulo sack the capital, Branicevo, while the Muslim army was trapped in the highlands of Raska and Zeta. With the capture of the Hungarian capital at Temes by the Tsar himself, it seemed that the war was all but won but the Muslims were fanatical in their faith and refused to surrender – the next two years proved to be a game of cat and mouse in the Balkan mountains between the two armies until Dulo caught the main army in Zadar and slaughtered half their number. Dulo himself became a legend after the battle - a Cossack peasant who reached the highest levels of military command and defended the empire against its foes.

With that victory, the remaining months of 1404 involved mopping up the scattered enemy forces to drag Wultulf Rev Mehran to the negotiating table. The Great Sultan was forced to sign a humiliating peace treaty disbanding their empire and forced to be a vassal to the Achaemenid Empire. The Hungarian Achaemenids got off relatively – they were given their independence in return for the movement of thousands of Christians from their southern territories to Achaemenid lands and the confiscation of much of their palace valuables.

The Pressures of the Court

Tsar Dominik hoped to cow his own nobles with a show of strength but the subjugation of Krajina made the nobles only intransigent, demanding he make peace with the Catholics who were on edge by Orthodox and Muslim aggression. They sought to have the Empire support the independence of Thessali, to bring them into the fold and away from Macedonia’s control. The Tsar willingly agreed, against the advice of Tsaritsa Dalita. Thinking it simply a matter of building trust and friendship with the Bishop of Thessali, Dominik sent a religious mission to strengthen ties. It was a futile task and sending Orthodox priests to a Catholic Bishopric only hardened the stance of Thessali who had no intent to abandon their rightful Catholic lord for the heretics of Achaemedia. The Boyars held the Tsar to his word until his death, as Dominik wrestled with an impossible task. It’s said that the lords would raise their glasses in a toast to the foolish Tsar for giving them another stick to beat him with.

The war had also forced the Tsar to borrow from the merchant houses, placing him in their debt for the foreseeable future. With their new influence, they forced him to change the naval policies to focus on a merchant navy with ships dedicated to escorting merchants – compromising military effectiveness for trade would have a grievous effect on Dominik’s next war. As trade with Jerusalem and the ports of Syria increased, Bulgar-Byzantine merchants found themselves often at the mercy of local laws and customs that favoured Muslims. Again, the trading houses of Teleki and Asen, the two richest families in Achaemedia, forced the Tsar to bail their people out. The loans would be repaid slowly but would prove a drag on the Achaemenid’s finances for the rest of Tsar Dominik’s reign.

Most troubling of all was the Patriarchate. It had transformed from the tolerant and amicable entity of Nikola the First’s day into a staid, zealous entity after the traumas of the last two centuries. As Defender of the Faith and the long bond between church and state, the Tsar was obligated to champion their wishes. When reports of pagan worship surfaced among the Cossacks in 1404 AD, the Tsar was forced to take grievous action – executing any found to have strayed from the faith. The priesthood became a feared sight in Bessarabia and the larger state of Moldavia for years after.

Despite the looming debts, the Tsar refused to touch church income. Tsaritsa Dalita tells him no good can come of attacking the church directly and it’s better to have their support as she lays the groundwork for a more sweeping solution. When Dominik went offscript in his consecration of a new cathedral in the City, the Patriarch of Achaemedia questioned him about the additions to the liturgy. The Tsaritsa arranged a substantial donation to the church as a show of humility to head off the issue.

In 1406 AD, the crown would present a demand to the collective estates in the name of patriotism. The crown would be claiming a small percentage of their existing territories to further shore up the defences of the empire. All stakeholders would surrender a portion based on their existing holdings. Reminding all present of their oaths of loyalty, the Tsar, following the playbook of Dalita, reminded them it was a small price to pay and they did owe the Tsar for favours previously extended. Grumbles resounded but each faction viewed it as an opportunity to weaken the others around them and was fairly sure it was only temporary, and the crown would come hat in hand when troubles abounded again. The precedent was set and it’s said Dalita suppressed a smile after the last signature was penned to the document.

Betraying the Orthodox Covenant

With money in short supply, a new embargo by the Ottomans that prevented Achaemenid ships from docking in the rich cities of Anatolia, further harmed the finances of the throne. Despite the clamour from the merchant houses to start a trade war with the Ottomans, the Tsar took a different tack.

With a claim to lost territories in Thrace, Dominik attacked the fellow Orthodox nation of Melita based in Crete ruled by a smaller dynastic house, the Achaemenid-Goritsas. The war would bring in much of the Orthodox world as Nicaea, Galatia and Optimatoi took sides in the conflict.

The war would last for three years and the Tsar was struck down early in the campaign but refused to return to the capital to mend. The fever and coughing fits would follow him throughout the war as his armies demolished the Melitan forces on the mainland.

However, the weakness of a navy suborned to the needs of merchants soon grew apparent as the Orthodox alliance commanded the waters of the Bosphorus and the Achaemenids were unable to cross over to support their Nicaean allies. It’s here where Dominik's tactical genius and sheer bloody-mindedness came to the fore. He marched his army around the Black Sea in a year-long journey that saw many perish to exposure and exhaustion. Finally, when what remained of his 18,000-strong host reached Optimatoi, he would sack it mercilessly partly out of anger but also because he needed the coin. The Ottomans seeing an opportunity to capitalise on the chaos among the Christians, loaned their armies to the Galatans. 10,000 Turks would act as condottieries and laid siege to Achaemedia. The Tsar, cut off from his capital would carve a path of destruction through Christian Anatolia. Unable to prevent the destruction of Nicaea, he would give thought to creating a new order for the Principalities here. In Europe, the remaining Achaemenid forces were unable to break the Ottoman siege effectively as the superior skill of the Ottoman Janissaries threw them back in three separate attempts to break the siege. The city walls were strong but it seemed a losing proposition for the Achaemenids until the Turks suddenly ended their contract with Galatia, as the Christians ran out of funds to pay them after the ravaging Dominik delivered to their territories.

This saving grace was offset by the devastation that Melita and its allies were delivering in North Africa. Cut off by the naval blockade, Dominik was unable to support the provinces or Carthage who were mercilessly ravaged by the enemy. Compounded by the inaction of Krajina, it seemed the war would not deliver the complete victory Dominik was after. It took a threatening letter of rebuke from Dalita to Wultulf to get the Rev Mehran army marching to Italia and decimate King Lohrasp’ homeland before the Italians bowed out of the war. With the Italians out and Ottoman support withdrawn, the Orthodox alliance fell like dominoes. Galata was turned into a vassal and given Kocaeli to cripple Optimatoi and Melita loss all their holdings on the mainland. The war had delivered enough treasure for the throne to settle the last of its debts but had come at a huge cost to manpower and morale to the Achaemenid Empire.

Breakaway rebels in Africa arose out of the conflict and it took the throne more than a year to build a navy able to bring substantial troop numbers to Tunis and put it down and recapture Sousse. Corruption had also grown more rampant with the Tsar’s long exodus in Anatolia.

The Price of Conquest

In the wake of the heavy utilisation of manpower in Dominik’s two wars, the peasantry were up in arms and the Tsar was forced to decrease the number of men eligible for the draft from each village in order to let the peasantry recover.

Dominik’s health would never recover after his return from Anatolia. Exposure on the steppe and crossing the Caucasian mountains had prevented any chance of recovery and he would remain bedridden for the last year of his life before passing on in 1411 AD, at the young age of 41.

In his attempt to live up to the great conquering legends of his forebears, he had drastically damaged relations with most of his neighbours and left the Achaemenid Empire in a tender position to not aggravate any of them, less they band together to destroy the empire. His daughter and heir was only 11 years old and so Tsaritsa Dalita Vivanid-Agurva was made regent consort until the girl came of age.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Major Powers of the World

We’ll come to a more detailed look at the Achaemenid Empire at the turn of the century, but first, it’s important to outline the world the empire finds itself in the year of our lord 1400 AD. Not included in this list are the powers in India and China. We’ll talk about them when they come to be pertinent to the story.

The Muslim States

From their inception in the deserts of Arabia, the Muslims had spread across three continents, dominating Africa north of the Sahara, penetrating deep into Asia before clashes with the Indian Rajas stymied their progress and breaking into Europe from both East and West. In less than 600 years, they had established some of the most powerful realms yet but they were riven by internal schisms similar to Christianity that set sultan against sultan and only grew deeper as the Sunnis and Shi’ites continued their wars.

The Caliphate of Castille - Sunni
From its humble origins on the Valencian coast in the 8th century, Castille would grow to become the single largest power in Western Europe until the formation of the Holy Roman Empire in the 13th century. Unlike Islam in other regions, most of its population were native Romans who sought protection from Germanic invaders in the long dark ages after the fall of the Roman Empire and not Arab or Persian migrants bringing their faith with them. They would expand steadily over the next few centuries, eventually bringing the Word of the Quran beyond the Pyrenees and conquering Aquitaine and much of central France. Their domination northwards could not last as the HRE, Valois and Arles pushed them back or broke their power in dozens of wars. Now Aquitaine is a separate Muslim state but pays respect to the spiritual leadership of Castille.

The Sultanate took on a new spiritual dimension in the 11th century as the ruler Timotheos Flavian Bin Severus Flavius became the first Caliph of Hispania claiming he was given visions by Allah to unify the European Ummah in their holy cause. Now ruled by the 7th Caliph Epiphanius Flavian, they are still mighty, rich and eager to spread their faith in the lands of Europe and beyond. Many Iberian Christians had abandoned Castille over the centuries, congregating in the Christian states of Portugal and Baetica in the South, creating a rare heterogeneity within the Caliphate.

The Ottoman Empire - Sunni
A latecomer to regional politics, the Ottoman Empire was founded by Osman and his son, Ertugrul in the wake of the breaking of Byzanstani power in Anatolia in the 11th and 12th centuries. Initially serving as swords for hires alongside a dozen other Turkish tribes who migrated to the Anatolian Plateau. They would overthrow their Nizari Shia rulers in Rum and come to control most of the peninsular except for the Meander Valley and Bithynia where small crusader states stood against the growing threat.

By 1400 AD, they had expanded their power massively, even eliminating the last vestiges of Achaemenid power in Anatolia and seem to be preparing to cross the Bosphorus in their jihad to destroy Christianity. The lands they rule are populated by Byzantines, Armeno-Cumans and Cappadocians with the Turkish horsemen forming a thin layer of elites keeping the natives subdued. Beyond the war with Christianity, they also have work to do converting the local populations away from the heretical Nizari Shia faith that many professed to during the heyday of Rum just a century ago. Always on guard against fifth-column actors and religious revolts, the Ottoman regime, led by Padishah Iollas Osmanaglu (his name a fig to the Byzantine peoples) have to be careful that as they travel abroad for conquest, they don’t leave themselves exposed to danger behind them.

The Holy State of Jerusalem - Shia
Led by the Ayatollah Kresimir Radomir who can trace his genealogy back to the first Imam of the Nizari, Tigran Vishparid and from there, the Hashimids of Egypt and even further back to the Prophet, the Holy State of Jerusalem sits at the nexus of vast wealth and religious fervour. From their initial base in Anatolia, the Nizari Shias have grown to capture the 3rd holiest site in Islam and control all of Egypt. They seek to build a religious state where faith is paramount and work to expand their influence in the region and hopefully capture Medina and Mecca from the wayward Sunnis of Arabia.

From a Christian island in a sea of Islam to a bulwark of Shia Islam in an ocean of Sunnis, the power of Jerusalem has always offered its rulers a high degree of power thanks to its fertile lands, strategic location and large population. The local Egyptians and Jerusalemians have long accepted the Nizari creed and identify themselves as one people against the Arabs and Persian states that surround them.

To the North, they have a fellow Shia kingdom in Rum but the relationship between the two are prickly, switching from ally to enemy depending on the larger geo-strategic situation.

The Eranian Empire - Sunni
The Eranian Empire grew out of an idea of a non-aligned block during the peak of Achaemenid-Parsa hostilities in the 4th and 5th centuries as the two halves of the old empire fought for influence. Formed in the 10th century, the Eranian Empire called for the diaspora of Persians to gather under its banner for protection.

Now dominating both sides of the Caucasian mountains, the Eranian Empire is ruled by the High Imam Tahtaman Telavi and has grown rich on the trade along the Silk Road. Despite this, the people of the land have proven resistant to change, preferring to hold on to the ancient ways of Persia, priding themselves on horsemanship, hunting and poetry. This slowness to adapt to technology led to the devastating loss of the Crimean steppe as the Achaemenid Empire established a new Christian kingdom there called the Bosporan Kingdom in imitation of the ancient realm of the Spartokides. Despite the embarrassing loss, the High Imam has to maintain good relations with the Tsar as Achaemeniyya is still a major clearing house for goods coming from the Caspian and steppe to the merchants of Italy. Perhaps if a new trade route overland through Europe could be found, Tahtaman would be more willing push for hostilities against the Achaemenids.

Rev Mehran and Hungary – Mutazila
Lastly, we have the aberrant Muslim state of central Europe. The Rev Mehrans and the Achaemenids of Hungary had been devout Christians for generations. Somewhere in the 13th century, a preacher named Sinistra began developing a large flock of devotees who hearkened to his message that all creeds were a lie and that man was a rationale creature who needed to seek the truth on his own terms. He would even convince the Kings of the lands to take up his faith. We aren’t sure why the message resonated so strongly in the Hungarians, descendants of the old Dacian people but it should be noted that this preacher arrived during the period of religious fervour we call the Latin Domination that had nearly destroyed the Achaemenid Empire.

Whatever the cause, the Rev Mehran dynasty and their vassals in Hungary, an Achaemenid offshoot, have stood firm in their faith, despite the hostility of the Holy Roman Empire and the recovering Achaemenid Empire.


The Christian Powers
Christianity has always been marked by the division off East and West from its earliest days of being accepted as the religion of empires. The old Roman Empire and Achaemenids had established rival churches to tend to their own citizens but the Achaemenids always viewed themselves as the paramount authority, being the first great empire to adopt Christ. These would give rise to the vicious religious wars that dominated the medieval age from the Wars for God to spread the faith in the 6th century to the Achaemenid Crusade/Great Catholic Betrayal of 1203. Tensions have eased a little since then but not by much.

The Holy Roman Empire - Catholic
Formed in the 13th century by Kaiser Gerolt I who unified all of Germania, Italy and most of the Balkans under his charismatic banner, the HRE is both the champion of Christianity, specifically Catholicism, and its greatest impediment to expansion. Never unified, the nature of the vassal contracts agreed during the time of Gerolt I meant that its member lords enjoyed a great degree of freedom to act as they wished, as long as they recognised the Kaiser as leader of Christendom and provided manpower in service of the faith.

It had been founded in imitation of the old Roman Empire that collapsed in the 6th century and had never been adequately replaced by the pretender empire that called itself the Roman Empire that lasted from the 8th century to the 13th before Gerolt tore it all down to erect his shining new entity.

In the 14th century, the Italian states seek to follow the example of the East and break away to focus on their own priorities – trade and expansion. The sitting Kaiser, Gerolt III van Gaveren is the great-grandchild of Gerolt I and still rules from Rome but sees his influence slowly ebb away as German Kings in Alemania and Asciburgia contest the election for the next Kaiser.

Axuchos – Khodan Orthodox
The state of Axuchos or Valois as it used to be known was the tinderbox that ignited the Catholic-Orthodox wars of the 11th and 12th centuries. Orthodox expansion into France gave rise to resentment and calls of heresy against the Achaemenids and nearly saw their empire destroyed and replaced a Latin Empire. In the intervening period, the rulers of Valois would find a compromise with the Catholics of the West and agree to cede certain points of doctrine – in effect entering communion with the Papacy, and abandoning key Khodan tenets. This allowed the state to survive and in 1400, it and its vassals dominate northern France and seek to push the Muslims back across the Pyrenees and off rightful French clay. The Kingdom is ruled by King Khodadad Axurchos, after the previous Kozman dynasty died out. The Axurchos are foreigners, hailing from the Orthodox East but are trying their best to adapt to French culture to keep their nobles docile and compliant.

Archduchy of Austria - Catholic
Austria is a rising power in Germany and Central Europe. Only recently formed, they seek to contest the elections for the HRE and capitalise on the path of expansion eastwards into Orthodox and Muslim lands. Ruled by Tvrtko Lopac, the Austrians are another of a range of Germanic powers that threaten to make the early-modern era a German one.

 

[Killcrazy13]

The Regency of Dalita Vivanid-Agurvan (1411 AD – 1415 AD)

Portrait of Regent Tsaritsa Dalita Vivanid-Agurvan with the young Tsaritsa Emiliya, commissioned in the second year of her regency. ​

Despite her Syriac ancestry, Regent Dalita spoke impeccable Achaemenid Greek and boasted an ancestry that could be traced to the ancient Achaemenid Great Houses. Combined with her great beauty – she was still only in her early 30s when Tsar Dominik passed – she was the embodiment of an idealised Tsaritsa in the model of Lilyana, the Mother of the Empire. Similar to that famous ruler, she sought peace and stability during her tenure while ensuring her daughter was prepared for the rigours of ruling when she came of age.


Establishing a New Diplomatic Paradigm

The immediate challenge was allaying the concerns of neighbouring states after her husband's crass conquests. Many of the Balkan states had formed a net of alliances in order to rein in the growing ambition of the Empire. She would send diplomat priests to courts, both near and ranging as far as the Germanic Kingdoms of the HRE to soothe feathers and build some connection to better facilitate diplomacy in the future. These efforts would need to be reinforced over the following decades but Dalita had established a model for Achaemenid diplomacy that was based on imperial prestige and soothing ruffled feathers as the Empire sought hegemony in its territories. Moving forward, diplomacy would be based on three pillars:

• Ancient Pomp – Aweing foreign dignitaries with elaborate protocols and ceremonies and dynastic marriages to cement an alliance drawing on the Achaemenid’s storied history
• Oratory Skill – The diplomat-priest corps were well-versed in the ancient Greek art of rhetoric and used it appropriately to emphasise their points
• Divide and Conquering – Using a mix of gifts and threats to break up hostile coalitions and isolating enemies by befriending their neighbours.

There was also the web of official and unofficial agents (including merchants, missionaries, and military officers) who had gone abroad for various duties. On their return, they had usually fed it back to the throne and the Imperial Master of Whispers. Dalita would now have these agents loop in the Office of Missionary Affairs (as the diplomat-priest corp came to be called) to aid them in their duties in foreign courts and develop a more holistic lens when it came to advising the throne. Regent Dalita, as a Princess of Durinj in Mesopotamia had seen the necessity of such measures from her father’s court in Kufa where one wrong alliance or war could have ended her kingdom’s existence. Achaemenid arrogance had always denied them the foresight to reform their approach till Dalita’s reign.

The approach would give rise to the phrase “Achaemenian” to describe a devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation: intrigue, plotting, and bribing. Still, historical records show that Achaemenid politics were morally neither worse nor better than politics in previous or later years but the Empire would be tarred with the label by their European contemporaries.


Challenges to the Regent’s Rule

The five years of Dalita’s reign would be marked by a quiet peace and many compromises as she sought to prepare the system for Emiliya. The Patriarchate was pleased by their involvement in diplomacy and access to the gossip of foreign courts but the nobility demanded greater concessions for surrendering their lands and to ensure they did not lose influence at the expense of the clergy. The three greatest vassal families – the Rev Mehrans, Barcids of Carthage and the von Groothusens of Galata demanded more control of their lands in order to “better defend the empire”, this was supported by the long resident boyars such as the Terters, Hrabars and Tigheci who served as commanders of the army. Dalita would offer them increased rights as Duchies under the crown while the individual pensions for the great families of the land would be increased – paying them off with the revenues gathered from the newly acquired crownlands.

Galata would be redesignated as a March in order to better defend itself and the Achaemenid territories. Carthage and Krajina would seek similar terms but be denied by the regent who needed the vassal taxes to keep empire solvent. This would especially aggrieve Carthage and give rise to future problems as Hannibal Barcid II would seek a way to breakaway from the Empire.

Answering the Alliance

In 1413, the Lilyana Achaemenid, Queen of the Bosporan Kingdom would call on the alliance to conquer the state of Kyiv and return the city that Attalus the Exile had built into the Orthodox fold. After Nikola Achaemenid had brought his people from the steppe to reconquer the empire in the 10th century, Kiev and much of the Pontic Steppe had fallen to Muslim horse tribes, under the banner of the Telavis of Eran. Tsar Dragoman had pushed them out of the steppe territories bordering the Black Sea to establish an independent Achaemenid Bosporan Kingdom in 1328 AD. After the conquest, Kyiv and other states such as Voronezh became independent and Lilyana saw her chance now.

Imperial forces would march across the steppe and distinguish themselves at the Battle of Bahmut where an army of 18,000 Bulgarian soldiers aided by 7,000 Bosporan troops smashed the armies of Voronezh with the Strategos Sviatopolk Shishman distinguishing himself. A protégé of Islivan Dulo, Shishman would follow in his mentor’s step and lead the army of the Immortals to many famous victories in the decades to come. For the sake of diplomacy, credit is shared with the Bosporan army but Shishman is said to have privately commented that the damn Cossacks arrived just in time to sack the baggage train, cut down a few lagging troops and enjoy some unearned glory.

For the sacrifice of her soldiers’ blood, the Regent was compensated with gold taken from the Kyivan treasury but no land. Dalita did not make a word of complaint, the empire was over-extended as it is as the ancient Achaemenid bureaucracy had collapsed long ago and the Bulgarian Achaemenid conquerors never gave thought to reestablishing a new order. Gold sufficed for now and allowed the Regent to push through some much-needed improvements in the capital and surrounding provinces.

Emiliya Takes the Throne

In 1415, Emiliya took the throne after attaining her majority and would oversee an era of marked change. In the 15 years from Dominik’s subjugation of Krajina to the end of the regency, there were some important events across the world.

The Holy Roman Emperor Gerolt established the Pragmatic Sanction to ensure his daughter would succeed him in his seat in Rome but was laying the groundwork for her to take over as Empress, despite the scheming by the German Kings of Alemannia and Asciburgia. Italy itself was threatening to abandon membership in the entity that Gerolt I had established, aghast that the Roman Empire was ruled by Germanic barbarian instead of a legitimate Roman-Italian lord.

Macedonia declared itself Defender of the Catholic Faith as tensions in the Balkans stepped up. Islamic forces had already tried to invade Greece once but had been pushed back but worries were not abated and together with the looming shadow of Achaemenid domination, Macedonia sought to impress on the rest of Catholicism on the gravity of the situation. This did not go down well with the Holy Roman Emperor who viewed Macedonia usurping his traditional role.

Other notable events include Castille taking Catholic Portugal as a vassal and the consolidation of Northern France by the Axurchos. Increasingly, Europe was feeling the effects of a bullion shortage as the trade deficit with the East grew. The Empire was feeling the effects too but Western Europe would look to bypass the Muslim wall by exploring new routes to the Indies or new lands where gold could be acquired. These efforts were still nascent in 1415 AD as we turn the curtain down on Dalita’s regency.

 

[Killcrazy13]

A Renaissance Queen? (1415 AD – 1462 AD)

Portrait of Tsaritsa Emiliya Achaemenid (Angelo Dulo, 1456 AD)​

Throughout her childhood, Emiliya was groomed by her mother to follow in the footsteps of her autocratic ancestors. The Achaemenid Empire had practised a model of benevolent dictatorship its heyday where the Shahanshah or Tsar of Tsars was expected to work to the good of the empire in return for near complete control of the state. From the time of the Great Catholic Betrayal, much of that power had ebbed away to the church and nobility in return for their support in reclaiming the empire. Now, Emiliya would be the first ruler to attempt to force through increasing imperial control on her domain, inspired by the romantic stories of the old Shahanshahs that her Regent-Mother regaled her with.

Tsaritsa Emiliya was formally coronated in 1415 AD at the age of 15. Regent Dalita had done much in her five-year regency to ensure a stable empire for her daughter. She had restored calm to the Balkan diplomatic scene, as her diplomat priest moved from court to court to reduce tensions with Europe after the conquests in Anatolia. The Bosporan Kingdom alliance was renewed with a marriage alliance. Despite the eligibility of Tsaritsa Emiliya, they chose a lesser scion of the Achaemenid dynasty to move to the seat of the steppe-based Achaemenids. For the Tsaritsa, a match was chosen with the noble house of Terter. The match was done to tie one of the growing great houses with the throne and ensure that foreign entanglements did not effect the sovereignty of the empire. The marriage with Yazdegerd was happy and fruitful. Their first child, Artanis (the name was another way Emiliya tried to bring back the old ways) was named Crown Princess and heir. [1]

The House of Terter and of the Other Nobility

Terter family crest​

The House of Terter was originally House Jamshid, an offshoot of the ancient Great House of the Vivanids whose ancestry traced back to the time of Arbaces I. Adopting a Bulgarian name in the 1260s to align with the more Slavic-Greek nature of their lands and abate xenophobic tensions about Muslim Byzastanis infiltrating the realm, the Terters had focused on land ownership. Now, they were one of the great magnates of the Empire, owning swathes of territory in Thrace, Bulgaria and Moldavia. Yazdegerd Terter, younger brother to the House Head, Rostam, was a prime example of the family with an excellent head for numbers and a noble bearing that only a thousand-year-long genealogy could bring forth.

Other families within the empire including the Hriz, Tigheci, Bogoris, Krum, Shishman and the cadet branch Achaemenid-Mezeshka would follow the Terters to some degree in growing their land holdings but still held to the military aspects of their social class. They often served as senior commanders while lesser houses populated the ranks of the junior officer corp.

Hriz family crest​

The Hriz were of Macedonian-Dacian descent, hailing from the edges of Transylvania. The family had held high military and administrative positions, and several members served as generals and commanders of the Achaemenid army. The Hriz family played a crucial role in resisting the Latin Domination and established a home base in Herzegovina. They had lost their holdings in Greece with the rise of the Latin Empire after being out-manoeuvred by the Archaemenid-Mezeshka clan of Greece.

Tigheci family crest​

The Tigheci family was a prominent Bulgarian family from the Dobrudjan region, particularly associated with the city of Varna. They had played a significant role in the political and military affairs to put Dragoman on the throne in 1306 AD having served as skilled warriors and naval commanders, often acting as mercenaries during the Latin Dominations before swearing allegiance to the Tsardom. Their naval expertise and military prowess made them valuable allies and they were often trusted with the command of the imperial fleet – we see their names come up often as admirals of the Imperial Navy and would play a critical role in the growth of the fleet in the 15th century. Their defeats in the upcoming Carthaginian War would see Achaemedia spend significant resources in upgrading the size and capabilities of the fleet under the command of Andrej Tigheci to aid future war efforts.

Bogoris family crest​

The Bogoris family was another powerful aristocratic family that held high military and administrative positions in the Achaemenid Empire. They were involved in numerous military campaigns and played a significant role in the political struggles of the 14th century that brought Dragoman to power. Led by the patriarch Ionnes Bogoris, they claim their birthright as one of the first families to lead the Bulgarians into Moesia with Nikola I, claiming that their ancestor Boris Bogoris saved the Tsar’s life during the Battle of Silistra in 930 AD. Now, they apply their focus to state administration and military service. Some of the most renowned generals of the early-modern period will come from this family.

Krum family crest​

The name Krum is known and despised throughout the Bulgarian heartlands in the north. They rose to prominence during the 11th century, with several members serving as generals and governors of important provinces. The family's military prowess and political connections allowed them to accumulate significant wealth and influence which they used to put their lands under an iron grip of fear and control. It’s said that the peasants of Krum estates always gave up more than their fair share of taxes in fear of reprisals from the Krum family.

Shishman family crest. The crown was added to their crest in the 16th century after the founding of the Imperial Crown Company and ran by House Shishman​

The Shishman clan are some of the newest members of the Achaemenid high aristocracy. More an alliance of merchants than a coherent family. Founded by Ivan Shishman, the family name itself is derived from the Bulgarian word "shishman," which means "fat" or "plump”, the family was only a minor house focused on commerce to make up for their lack of estates to collect taxes from. Ivan Shishman offered merchants the right to his family name in order to develop a more powerful position in the affairs of state. Often at odds with the central government in Achaemedia, the Shishman

the burgher lords sought to maintain a degree of autonomy in trade and commerce in the expanding cities. Allied with the Kefaliyas of major cities, the Shishman was the mouthpiece of the middle class to the throne.

Achaemenid-Mezeshka crest. It has more Byzanstani design as a callback to their heritage​

Lastly, we have the Achaemenid-Mezeshka cadet house. The Achaemenid dynasty had seen many offshoots found their own houses over the long centuries such as the Axuchos and Kozmans of France and the Achaemenid-Goritsas of Crete. The Mezeshka branch was founded in the time of Tsar Hormazd who gave the land of Kranj including the castle of Mezeshka to his sister’s son. They would expand into Greece and several of them converted to Catholicism during the Zakariyah’s conversion. The loyalist would end up losing most of their estates in the chaos of the next century and now exist as a small appendage within the royal court. Focused on military excellence, the scions of Achaemenid-Mezeshka seek to build their reputation again and hopefully be restored to their old lands for their loyalty.

There are several other notable families but the families above are the most powerful or notable in the land. When others intrude into the narrative, we will provide their background.


The Rise of Kefaliya Wealth

The Achaemenid imperial system did not bring the old satrap system into the medieval era. Instead, power became increasingly hereditary and stayed within the great families such as those outlined above. However, these Houses still needed servitors and officials to administer the cities and townships that they owned. These are where the Kefaliyas come in. The term itself is a corruption of the old Achaemenid word for kephale or head. The Kefaliyas were tasked with adjudicating administrative issues and enforcing the laws of the empire. Their domains were small, ranging from a few villages surrounding the Kefaliya’s seat to a major trading hub. With the growth and importance of cities in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Kefaliya’s role became increasingly enmeshed with the merchant classes. Often taking a leading role in trade, due to their local influence, these merchant-mayors would often become the most important people in the cities located along trade routes, even over their feudal overlords.

In cities such as Thessaloniki and Ragusa, the Kefaliya’s ability to dictate local custom taxes and enforce collection ensured that merchant ships stayed on their good side and offered them preferential rates on the goods they were importing into the empire. Building on those advantages, and often allying themselves with the house of Shishman, the Kefaliyas became the new ruling class in the greatest cities and would eventually develop wealth to rival the greatest of the magnate noble houses. In the early stages of Emiliya’s reign, their influence was weak but they had already developed a strong influence on the priorities of the navy and their essentialness made it difficult for the throne to displace them.

The Patriarchate and the Tsaritsa

Being a woman left Tsaritsa Emiliya vulnerable to attacks from the clergy. Never comfortable with a woman in charge, the church had often offered only half-hearted support to popular rulers such as Lilyana and Arda. It was no different for Emiliya who was denied the right to be the Defender of the Faith due to her gentler sex by the Patriarch Aratos.

Painting of the scene of Patriarch Aratos denying the Tsaritsa the title of Defender of the Faith​

Emiliya as the arch-conservative still sought to make common cause with the church in order to deal with her strongest opponents, the noble houses. Siding with the church on disputes between lords and local bishops, she worked continually to bring them on her side. The following Sunday sermon by Patriarch Aratos highlighted the Tsaritsa’s godliness and fitness to serve the empire, even as a woman.

Over a decade of such favouritism, she built up enough support to slowly dismantle certain elements of the noble’s privileges. Emiliya asserted her right to administer justice within the realms, limiting the ability of nobles to exercise independent judgment in legal matters. This involved establishing imperial courts and forcing nobles to submit disputes to the Tsaritsa’s jurisdiction. The Patriarch also supported her in passing laws prohibiting private armies with the Office of Missionary Affairs tasked with cultivating relationships with individual nobles, offering them patronage or rewards in exchange for loyalty and obedience. This would eventually evolve into a system of dependence, limiting the ability of nobles to act independently without Patriarchate or Imperial consent.

These actions however extended only within the formal borders of the empire, vassals such as Galata, Krajina and Carthage were a different matter and stayed independent of the crown's direct influence with some even seeking out aid from foreign courts to pursue their independent policy. The limitations of the state in terms of manpower and reach meant that the Tsaritsa could do little but keep up the fiction of their fealty and service.

The First War

Tsaritsa Emiliya would continue in the expansionist path of her father. The old enemy, Hadrametum, still held on to rightful Carthage and by extension imperial soil. Falling back on the old treaties detailing the old claims of the client relationship that the Punics had with old Achaemeniyya, the Tsaritsa would launch a campaign to bring North Africa further under Achaemenid control. It’s amazing that such documents still existed after the number of times the old capital had exchanged hands but the Patriarch swore to the fidelity of the old scrolls – it having been protected by an old monastic order that had hidden it in an abandoned cistern.

Initially, the war seemed to be in the empire’s favour, Hadrametum and its vassals and ally lacked the manpower to face the imperial armies. However, animosity by other powers who rented out their own soldiers to Hungary on favourable terms meant that the Danubian front became a quagmire. Emiliya was forced to hire several mercenary companies to defend her home territories while the armies were in North Africa, most notably the Wandering Knights of Rhodes. The Knights were the remnants of the Crusader State of Lycia after the Duchy’s destruction and these pious Christians were eager to strike at any Muslim they could. The Knights would serve the empire for decades but immediately, they would break the Hungarian threat and allow Achaemenid forces to march into the Pannonian plain to force a surrender. The defeat was crippling for Hungary and see the end of the Achaemenid dynasty there a few decades later as internal strife tore the realm apart and prey to growing Catholic ambitions.

With the northern threat eliminated, Achaemenid forces would spend the next two years grinding down the Punic and Berber forces and eventually make them come to humiliating terms. A glorious triumph was held for Taxiarchos Bartol Tigheci who won a great victory at the Mitidja that coincided with the birth of the Tsaritsa’s second child – a blessing according to the Patriarch and a symbol of god’s favour on the empire.

Imperial Prestige Recovers

By attacking Muslims in North Africa and the work of the Ministry of Missionary Affairs, the European power’s attitude to the empire softened and the Achaemenid Empire was tacitly allowed entrance into their club, especially as the Caliphate of Castille extended its claws into France. Achaemedia became a hub for trade and commerce and Emiliya was content to usher in a potential new era of prosperity within her realm, as long none tried to challenge her authority.

The Great Catholic Betrayal had not just carried away treasure from the empire two centuries ago but ideas and learning from the ancient Greeks and Muslim scholars thanks to the empire’s comparatively friendly atmosphere with the Middle East. These had seen the city-states of Italy prosper and usher in an era of new discoveries, especially after Kaiser Gerolt had united Catholicism under the auspices of the Holy Roman Empire. In the decade from 1450 – 1460, a great flowering of intellectual thought, arts and culture would blossom across Europe, starting in the Sicilian state of Samnium, who had the closest relationship with the East and strong trade ties in the Mediterranean. This renaissance would spread to the empire slowly during this period and see Emiliya become a great patron of the arts and culture as she sought to embellish the grandeur of her realm.

Most notable of all was the construction of the new palace. The old Imperial Palace situated next to the Hagia Sophia had been restored multiple times since its construction during the reign of Smerdomenes but it still bore the hallmarks of Persian architecture and had only been re-touched by the Byzantine style. Emiliya would build a new palace north along the Golden Horn, with the lands around it reserved for government offices and diplomatic housing. The new style reflected Bulgarian and Byzantine influences and carefully enshrined the Achaemenids’ storied history into mosaics that covered almost every wall to awe foreign dignitaries into obeisance before they met the Tsaritsa. To this day, the Golden Horn Palace or the Palace of Emiliya stands out as the pinnacle of Bulgar-Byzantine Renaissance art.

Mosaic of Darius the Great in the main antechamber of the Palace of the Golden Horn​

Consolidation and More Reforms

In the intervening decade, Tsaritsa Emiliya would extend the empire’s influence in small but measurable ways. She would capture the isolated port city of Djerba off the coast of North Africa after Jerusalem had defeated the pagans of Tripoli and settled the Anatolian defences, absorbing Optimatoi into her march, Galata and bringing back Melita into the fold to form a concerted front against Ottoman expansion.

New institutions within the state would be developed to oversee the administration of the empire’s many provinces as noble authority slowly receded. The Ministry of Finance and the Council of Public Works was established in her reign to oversee the collection of taxes and the construction of roads and bridges, and the maintenance of the empire’s infrastructure. The new ministries would sit alongside the existing Ministry of Missionary Affairs and the Imperial Office of War as Emiliya sought to centralise imperial power and pull away from the medieval feudalism that she felt left the empire weak and vulnerable to the crises of the past two centuries. These bodies would prove invaluable when she fell ill in 1455 and had to delegate authority to her senior advisors. It was a fine chance to prove the new system worked and surprisingly it did, despite the relative recency of its implementation.

The Macedonian War and a Vulnerable Succession

By 1458, Emiliya was well into her senior years. She had overseen the empire through a period of evolution and built on the foundations established by her father and regent mother. But the long peace after the war with Hadrametum had given rise to accusations of cowardice and indolence. The new Patriarch Konstantinos talked of how the empire had forgotten to reclaim its lands from heretics and how the world would pass the empire by if it did not assert its prestige and dominance.

The War for Macedonia was both short and impactful. In three short years, Emiliya’s generals would display that the Achaemenids had not forgotten their skill at war, led ably by Strategos Tigraios Achaemenid-Mezeshka, pushing back an alliance of four nations. Tigraios had already served with distinction in the Bosporan conflict against Volodomyr in the north and the short but assertive man would be an inspiration to his soldiers on the battlefields of Macedonia. The only notch against the Strategos was the poor planning in the invasion of Sicily. A lack of coordination between the admiralty and Tigraios had left insufficient transports to bring a strong enough force to bear in Cosenza and had left his soldiers vulnerable on Italian soil. The war would be called to a close soon after but Emiliya would miss the opportunity to establish a presence on the peninsular – especially now that the new Holy Roman Emperor Sigeric of Alemannia had broken with many of his Italian subjects who felt they were treated as a secondary to German priorities.

The war handed over control of the core Macedonian provinces of Kastoria, Skopje, Sofia and Ohrid to the Empire but raised the spectre of the evil empire in European minds. It undid decades of good work by the Tsaritsa and left the empire isolated once again outside of the long familial alliance with the Bosporan Achaemenids. Trade cities in Italy closed their ports against Achaemenid ships. The death of Strategos Tigraios Achaemenid-Mezeshka was another blow to the prestige of the empire and the morale of his men, just as the enemies were gathering at the gates, seeking to cut the empire down to size.

A year later, Tsaritsa Emiliya would end up choking to death on a chicken bone during her evening repast aged 62 and her older daughter, Artanis took the throne. A kind hearted soul, who had been often ignored by her mother as the Tsaritsa focused on the empire, Artanis seemed to be the wrong candidate for the perilous times ahead. Despite the sudden succession, Emiliya had still established a greater realm for her daughter and implemented more tools of the state that future rulers could utilise to further the imperial mandate from the palace she built.

======================================

[1] Artanis I was more famously the mother of Orodes II who won the Great Campaign to recapture Persia for the Achaemenid dynasty in the 2nd century BC and the second female to rule the empire after the founder, Amastris. She had planned and assembled the army for the campaign but died birthing her 3rd child the day before the army was to march forth from its mustering ground in Anatolia. Perhaps the complications arose because she had rushed the birth in order to lead the campaign. With this tragedy, it became Orodes’ destiny to lead the Great Campaign.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Portrait of Tsaritsa Artanis II on her ascension​

Issued from the Sacred Palace in Achaemedia, under Our Seal and Authority in the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Just,

We, Artanis, by the grace of God, Empress of Europe, Africa and Asia,
Tsaritsa of the White and the Black Seas,
Emperor of the Twin Cities of Achaemedia and Tarnovo
and of Greece and Bulgaria
Master of the Three Continents and the Two Seas,
Guardian of the Shrine of the Noble Sanctuary of Hagia Sophia
Mistress of the Lords of the World,
Hand of God on Earth,
Daughter of Emiliya, of the line of Cyrus,
Tsar of Tsars, King of Kings,
An Achaemenid, Ever Victorious.


To all our loyal subjects, greeting:

Be it known that Darius Achaemenid-Mezeshka(1), a once-sworn prince of the realm, has wickedly cast aside his sacred oath of fealty. In his mad ambition to usurp the Imperial Throne, he conspires with foreign lords in the Roman West, courting papal agents(2) and their adherents to sow discord within Our domains.

Such foul treachery, seeking to undermine the peace, prosperity, and holy Orthodoxy of our well-guarded empire – constitutes a grave offense against Our Sublime Rule and the unbroken dignity of the House which God has appointed. This so-called claimant to the throne dares invite sedition and rebellion, betraying not only the lawful sovereign but the unity of Christendom under the true faith of the East.

Wherefore, We do hereby proclaim:

• All persons within Our dominions who knowingly shelter, aid, or encourage Darius Achaemenid-Mezeshka or his heretic accomplices shall be judged as traitors to the Crown.(3)
• Let no subject provide them counsel, supplies, or safe harbor. Any who fail in this duty, or who lend comfort to these conspirators, shall taste the full measure of Our imperial justice.
• Any who observe or suspect the presence of Darius’s envoys, spies, or papal agents intent on subversion shall immediately report such knowledge to the nearest judge, governor, or officer of Our laws. To conceal these offenders is to share in their wicked designs.
• Those who remain steadfast in loyalty, defending the Throne and the true faith, shall enjoy Our protection and imperial favor. But whosoever dares abet this usurper in his unholy alliance with the Latin powers shall meet Our righteous wrath. Let none doubt Our resolve to uphold the integrity of Our empire and safeguard the souls entrusted to Our care.

So let it be known by all that the peace of Our dominion stands inviolate under divine grace. May the Lord God aid us in preserving the Empire from all seditious threats, now and evermore.


Given in the Year of our Lord 1462,
in the Holy City of Achaemedia,
under Our Hand and Seal.(4)

===================================================================

1. Darius Achaemenid-Mezeshka was the son of Tigraios, the acclaimed general who served under Emiliya. His father had earned a marriage into the royal household, taking a cousin of the Tsaritsa as his bride and Darius hoped to push his claim through his mother at the expense of a woman sitting on the throne.

2. While there was no single official Papal bull in the 15th century that exclusively denounced all Eastern Orthodox Christians in the same sweeping manner as the mutual excommunications of the 12th century, the Papacy was the common ‘boogeyman’ of the Empire. The Papacy repeatedly reaffirmed that the “Persian Church” was in schism – especially for rejecting the Filioque clause and Papal primacy – and condemned Achaemenid positions in a variety of papal letters and council canons. Among these, the Fifth Lateran Council (1445) under Pope Innocent VI is the most significant conciliar document of the 15th century that implicitly denounced Orthodox teaching by codifying Latin dogmas. The Papacy would often send priests or bribe local bishops and nobles in the Balkans. Primarily the Church favoured the Order of Jesus to send agents to announce to the populace that they were absolved of their allegiance to Achaemedia. Artanis’ council became especially aggressive in rooting out these perceived threats. Jesuits and seminary priests were often singled out, as their missionary work was seen by the government as a prelude to sedition or invasion.

3. The short civil war ended at the Battle of Skopje where Strategos Mikaios Krum and 18,000 loyal soldiers defeated Darius’ 12,000 men and brought him back to Achaemedia in chains. He was summarily blinded and maimed, and left in a gibbet at the Golden Gate as an example to the populace and to the court who harboured similar ambitions.

4. Artanis’ reign would be known for the growth of the apparatus of the state, such as the Office of Missionary Affairs, the Office of the Chiliarch and most feared of all, the All-Seeing Eye. The Chiliarch or the Commander of the Thousand was essentially the Grand Vizier, fulfilling duties that the Church felt inappropriate for a woman or Artanis did not want to be too personally associated with while the All-Seeing Eye was a new organization instituted by Artanis’ paranoia against the threat of insurrection. A secret police who watched the peasantry, Boyars and Kefaliyas (merchant lords), the Eye reported back everything they heard, and perhaps a few weeks later a regiment of imperial soldiers would come by to make an example of a village or local seminary priest accused of heresy or treason. While Artanis was watchful, her options were limited with the more powerful lords. Kephradates Terter served as both Master of the Eye and Chiliarch for most of Artanis’ reign, putting down insurrections in the newly subjugated and restive domains of Macedonia and Dalmatia.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Tsaritsa Artanis and the Ciliarch Kephradates Terter​

Tsaritsa Artanis (1462 AD – 1500 AD)
Artanis ascended the imperial throne in 1462 AD at the age of thirty-four, laden with the uncertainty and paranoia born of a lonely childhood and maternal neglect. For her entire girlhood, she had lived in the half-shadows of court intrigue, with a mother dismissive of her existence, and no siblings to share her burdens.

These early insecurities were well known at court, and gave rise to fears of a cruel reign. Her earliest steps were hesitant. She feared conspiracies in every corridor. The pretender Darius Achaemenid-Mezeshka had proclaimed himself the rightful sovereign and commanded no small number of sympathizers among the nobility. In response, she created a formidable network of informants, the All-Seeing Eye - a system whose very name evoked dread among courtiers. In these first years, Artanis’s paranoia manifested in cruel purges of “traitors,”. Tales describe how entire families vanished after a single report. Many believed the Empress would reign as a vicious tyrant for the rest of her days. Yet, a remarkable evolution lay ahead. Over the next thirty-eight years, she would evolve into a capable, at times audacious, Empress, forging new diplomatic ties and radically modernizing her armies, even as personal tragedy haunted her family.

Artanis would shape the All-Seeing Eye towards a more righteous purpose. The meticulously gathered reports both anchored Artanis’ confidence and guided her policies. No longer in the dark about the machinations of corrupt mayors or rebellious nobles, she methodically rooted out threats and consolidated her authority. Over nearly four decades, she fashioned a naval force that would shape Mediterranean politics, reworked her empire’s medieval armies into disciplined contract soldiers, and championed the cause of the urban poor striving to learn crafts once locked behind ancient guild walls. The metamorphosis was neither simple nor sudden, but an evolution of an Empress that was learning what it meant to rule.

Breaking Down the Old Order
Once her personal safety was secured, Artanis’ attention drifted to the moribund economy. One of her ministers whispered that “our guilds function as personal fiefdoms for a select few.” Indeed, entrenched guild masters ruthlessly kept out new blood. Apprenticeships went to the friends and favoured servants of select noble families or personal favourites. The empire’s largest towns – Achaemedia, Thessaloniki, Ragusa - might have thrived in commerce, but skilled labourers were starved of a chance to grow.

Artanis recognized a political opportunity. She championed the Kefaliyas (merchant-mayors and local administrators) who insisted that new trade charters, free from guild monopolies, would enrich the towns and expand the tax base. At first, the old guilds fought back, calling the Kefaliyas “nestlings of chaos” who would destroy centuries of tradition. But the Empress sided with the new generation.

She authorized charters that allowed peasants to become apprentices, once a far-fetched notion. These new crafters could open modest shops or band together into more flexible “work cooperatives,” paying taxes directly to the crown rather than owing feudal duties to lords.

Artisans from weaving to glassblowing sprang up in neighbourhoods that had previously been impoverished. An official census in 1480 noted an unprecedented increase in recognized apprentices. Peasants’ families migrated from farmland into the city’s bustling wards to try their luck in nascent trades.

It shocked the older powers. But Artanis, buoyed by intelligence from the All-Seeing Eye, quashed the boyars’ attempts to sabotage or hamper the new system, proving that her fearsome secret police did not merely punish treason: it enforced her will for reform.

Commanding the Seas
The Empress’s next vision: command of the sea. A single modest fleet had guarded the empire’s coasts for generations, never contending with the realm’s greatest threat – dominant maritime states in Latin Europe or the rising powers in the Levant. Artanis refused to stay a bystander.

She commissioned the new flagship, named Artanis after herself – a magnificent war galley with heavier prows, advanced rigging, and a formidable contingent of marine crossbowmen. Then, with guild reforms accelerating urban wealth and the empire’s coffer swelling from trade duties, she authorized the building or refitting of dozens more ships:

Artanis effectively “escorted” caravans across the eastern Mediterranean, forcing the Islamic states of the Levant to open ports and fix their customs rates beneficially. Beyond this muscle-flexing on the seas, she endeavoured to forge an alliance with the Shia Imamate of Jerusalem and the Eranshahr in the Caucasus. On paper, the notion of a Christian Orthodox Empress allying with Shia powers unsettled conservative bishops, but Artanis was determined: securing access to Levantine markets and ensuring the empire’s eastern frontier remained peaceful demanded a convergence of interests. Diplomatic missives to Jerusalem and Eranshahr combined appeals to both faith and trade, culminating in beneficial treaties that bolstered the cross-border exchange of goods – grain, dyes, and especially precious metals. The added bonus that she established an entente to hamper the dreaded Ottomans of Anatolia was an important consideration of the strategic value of these alliances.

By 1485, foreign captains recognized that no maritime competitor in the eastern sea could match the Achaemenid navy’s scale and discipline. Where once pirates preyed easily upon merchant ships, the navy’s galleys now patrolled crucial shipping routes. The empire, at last, shaped Mediterranean commerce.

Victory and Blood in North Africa
Embarking on her largest military undertaking, Artanis set out to unify and strengthen her outposts in North Africa, particularly around Tunis and the old African coastal enclaves. Her collision with Morocco – called Hadrametum in old imperial records required careful engineering. Local Christian families, most notably the Selges held more sway here than the Imperial throne. This would all change in the 1470s as she provoked the local Emirs under the banner of Morocco (or “Hadrametum” in old imperial parlance) into a border dispute. With that pretext, she would bring the existing territories more cleanly into the imperial embrace and launch a formal campaign into Morocco to “defend her loyal Constantinian subjects”.

1476 was a year of bitter, punishing war. The imperial forces marched confidently, but the sultan’s cavalry ambushed them at oasis of Ourgia. Surviving diaries recall how entire ranks were cut down – 11,000 imperials and 15,000 Moroccans died. Artanis’s reliance on short-term feudal levies was already being challenged with supply lines being so stretched and many local levies lost in the first months. Failing morale demanded fresh troops, so Artanis turned to the Free Company and the Kastrioti. These hardened sellswords, placed under the overall command of the cunning Strategos Mihail Krum, hammered the Moroccans, culminating in the capture of Fez.

Krum skilfully manoeuvred around Moroccan positions. After Ourgia’s horrors, it was the mercenaries, temperamentally suited to such a lengthy war, who spearheaded the city sieges. The final capitulation of Morocco, formalized with the capture of Fez, turned the region of Tunis/Africa into an imperial stronghold. Victorious, she absorbed the Moroccan coastal provinces in Tunis, notably the strategic island of Djerba. Naval bases sprouted along that coast, the local fortresses were upgraded, small harbours were dredged, and imperial governors established watchtowers along caravan routes to deter raids. Henceforth, references to “the fortress of Africa” would denote both the physical walls along the coast and the empire’s relentless naval patrols.


Soldiers of Crimson and Gold
After this brutal war, returning to standard medieval levies seemed pointless. Artanis chose to hire mercenaries permanently, with year-round pay, lodging, and a contract forbidding private lords from meddling. Although it strained the treasury, it gave her a loyal, professional backbone. The arrangement bore dividends. Mercenary captains swore contracts that included strict codes of conduct, limiting the petty pillaging and abuses that had plagued medieval musters. This partial professionalization laid a foundation for the empire’s eventual modernization of warfare in the century to come. Artanis’s own words ring prescient: “Our soldiers should not vanish at harvest time.” On her watch, they did not.

Regions along the empire’s frontier, particularly Serbia and North Africa, hosted paid garrisons year-round, reducing local revolts and offering peasants greater security. Nobles grumbled that mercenaries, rather than traditional feudal cavalry, formed the empire’s backbone. Disputes with Artanis over the shrinking levy obligations would echo into her final years when her most trusted advisor attempted to restore noble privileges.


The Ottoman Frontier
Throughout her reign, Artanis coveted the reconquest of Achaemenid territories and warily eyed the Ottoman Empire, which had entrenched itself in Anatolia. She found local successes: subduing Thessaly and Athens, then forming a vassal princedom but attacks against her vassal states in Northeastern Anatolia had eroded her ability to project power into Asia. Anatolia itself had become fully Ottoman save for a toehold around Nicaea.

The empire recognized the near-impossibility of retaking the Byzanstani heartlands, given the Ottomans’ firm hold. Artanis resorted to forging alliances, trusting the Imamate of Jerusalem or Eranshahr to check Ottoman ambitions on their own borders, albeit rarely with decisive results. The Ottomans completed a fortress on the Chalcedonian coast, dominating the Bosphorus shipping route. As she turned her eyes back to the Bosphorus, the Ottomans were entrenching themselves in Anatolia. Their new fortress, Rumeli-Hisari, dominated the strait. They forbade Christian ships from passing unless they paid tolls and Artanis found it essential to station a segment of her new fleet in these waters, ensuring that imperial convoys could still pass unmolested.

She consoled herself by capturing Thessaly and Athens from the collapsing Macedonian state, merging them into a new “Princedom of Trebizond,” ironically named to evoke the empire’s old ambitions in Asia Minor. She declared symbolic victories, but the unstoppable expansion by the Turks haunted her.


The Ciliarch’s Adventurism
By the 1490s, the once-paranoid Empress was old and less attentive. She placed near-complete trust in Kephradates Terter, her Ciliarch. Cut from a more traditional cloth, Terter sought to roll back some of Artanis’s liberal reforms and placate disgruntled nobles.

With peasants embracing new freedoms, many old families felt shortchanged. Over decades, they had quietly formed alliances, waiting for the moment the Empress’s vigilance wavered. Kephradates himself had grown increasingly comfortable dipping into the imperial treasury for his personal enrichment and that of his cronies.

In 1496, at the urging of powerful lords, Terter launched an aggressive war against the Italic-Istrian duchy of Venetia et Histria, presuming their city-state allies in Italy would not stand a chance against the Empire and a quick strike for loot and plunder. Instead, the formidable Germanic Kingdom of Alemannia answered their call, framing the attack as an assault on rightful Christendom. In a stroke of penmanship declaring the war, Kephradates had reawakened the memory of the evil Empire in Western minds that Artanis and her mother had tried so hard to put to bed.

In early 1496, Achaemenid banners advanced across the mountainous borders of Istria, smashing local militias in quick, violent clashes. For a brief moment, the gamble looked to pay off: fortress after fortress fell. Yet the impetus soon changed. By summer, the forward imperial columns encountered something new – a trained Alemmanian army that had forced a corridor through Tyrol, arriving with startling speed. The armed might of King Guntimer III collided with the advanced but scattered Achaemenid soldiers in the foothills of the Alps.

Cannons at Wien
The empire’s ally, Austria, found itself in the crosshairs of Guntimer’s army. Their capital, Wien, was ringed by stout walls but had rarely faced modern artillery. Observers from the era spoke in awed terms of “thunder tubes,” or early cannons, monstrous to behold yet more accurate than the rudimentary bombards known in the east. Meanwhile, Mihail Krum, arguably the greatest living Achaemenid commander, hurried northward to break the siege.

The Catholic alliance unleashed newly perfected cannons – huge and unwieldy, but devastating to massed infantry charges. Krum’s 75,000 men faced withering artillery fire; half did not return. By twilight, Achaemenid lines had bent. Krum judged that continuing risked annihilation and thus led a disciplined withdrawal. Modern historians speculate he saved half his army by choosing retreat over hopeless assault. But Austrian watchers on Wien’s ramparts saw the empire’s might melt away. Within weeks, the city surrendered, and Austria itself agreed to humiliating terms, paying war indemnities to end the ravaging.

With Austria out of the picture, the Achaemenids faced a bitter truth: they stood alone against Alemmania’s unstoppable momentum. The imperial generals dreaded a prolonged campaign in alien terrain, far from supply lines, with an adversary both emboldened and armed with advanced artillery.



Burning Gold, Raising Armies

In Achaemedia’s palace, Kephradates grimly allocated emergency funds from the treasury to recruit more mercenaries. Fields of Bulgarian farmland were practically taxed into oblivion to fill war chests. The peasants, enthralled by Tsaritsa Artanis’s earlier boons, now found their produce requisitioned. Entire hamlets faced conscription as iron-limbed mercenaries demanded quarter and pay.

Many soldiers felt no personal quarrel with the Catholics or the statelets of northern Italy. A fresh wave of desertions began. The All-Seeing Eye, once used to quell internal dissent, found itself chasing down rebellious conscripts. And still, Kephradates demanded a continued push, unwilling to relent so soon after triggering this calamitous war.

A year after Wien, the imperial cause seemed to be verging on total collapse. Alemania marched through the Danube basin, threatening to carve right into the empire’s Balkan heart. Then Strategos Mihail Krum, recovering from the blow at Wien, found a defensive line in Hum – a rugged region of high passes and ravines.

The First Battle of Hum (1498)
Gaudulf von Tegernsee, leading the Alemmanian vanguard, attempted to bring his fearsome artillery into these narrow passes, a near-impossible logistical feat. Krum’s scouts raided relentlessly, sowing chaos. The empire’s forces outnumbered and battered, still refused to offer a pitched confrontation. Krum skillfully withdrew further up the mountainside whenever the pressure became too strong, forcing Gaudulf’s cannons to inch forward precariously. The cost to Gaudulf was ruinous: half his cavalry perished in disorganized skirmishes, and a fifth of the artillery was lost or abandoned on untraversable trails. Though Krum’s men also suffered in these cold, bleak highlands, the near stalemate gave new hope to the empire – clearly, the gunpowder advantage was worthless in pass-fighting if Krum controlled the pace.

The Second Battle of Hum (1499)
Now Gaudulf, smarting from the prior fiasco, decided to subdue the fortress of Kjluc, a smaller citadel. He assumed Krum had withdrawn to refortify deeper behind the mountains. In truth, Krum had left behind a token Trebizond contingent as “bait” inside Kjluc. Emboldened by previous partial successes, Gaudulf put his cannons to work reducing the fortress walls. At that moment, Krum’s main body descended from hidden ridges, sealing off the mountain roads behind Gaudulf. With the fortress in front and Krum’s host behind, the Alemmanian lines buckled. Caught in cramped defiles under the unrelenting arrow and crossbow fire, Gaudulf’s men struggled to pivot their artillery. The second day saw half the Alemmanian army lost to casualties or desertion. Gaudulf himself sustained injuries in a final, desperate breakout attempt.

Krum’s triumph in the mountains staved off immediate collapse and forced King Guntimer of Alemmania to consider negotiation. Meanwhile, the empire’s homeland was near to ruin. Pillaging had swept across the Danube region – grain fields burned, entire villages uprooted. The Venetian provinces turned resentful, under a savage occupation.

A Pyrrhic Victory
Kephradates realized he needed to sue for peace while claiming a rhetorical victory. The Catholic side likewise had exhausted its impetus, reeling from the shock of the second Hum fiasco. The peace terms were in Achaemedia’s favour but the gains hardly matched the misery left in the war’s wake.. Officially, Venetia was integrated as a vassal, paying homage to the Tsaritsa. Some outraged Italians labelled it “the start of the Khodan invasion”. King Guntimer, mindful of Gaudulf’s defeat, paid out an enormous indemnity of eight hundred talents of silver.

The empire returned to a battered domain with a near-emptied treasury, ravaged farmland, and a disillusioned populace. Noblemen boasted that they had gained heroic glory in Europe, but many peasants lamented, “Of what use is Venetian gold when half our households are fatherless?”

With the Ottoman invasion of Eranshahr shattering Artanis' entente model, there was little choice but to sign a compromised peace. Venetia et Histria became an Achaemenid vassal, and the Germanic powers were dealt with.


A Waning Tsaritsa
Throughout this catastrophe, Tsaritsa Artanis, once known for her incisive mind, scarcely grasped the scale of the calamity. Ageing and drifting in mental acuity, she relied entirely on the Ciliarch’s word. The few times she appeared at council sessions, she wore a distant look, speaking softly of expansions in the old days and new opportunities at sea, oblivious to the tears of local farmers who’d lost everything.

In 1500, as the empire bled from within, Artanis slipped away from life, her final hours spent in confused calm. She never realized how precarious Kephradates’s war had rendered her dominion, nor the extent to which the empire’s greatest general, Mihail Krum, had salvaged the realm at an unthinkable cost in lives.

Artanis’s personal tragedies paralleled the empire’s. Her eldest son, Dawud, died in his twenties of a wasting illness. It is said that from that day, her eyes lost their sharpness; she never again harangued or second-guessed the generals in the same fierce manner. She named her daughter, Kyriake, as her successor. Courtiers whisper that the princess was far more interested in sword duels and lavish feasts than governance, but the line of succession was at least secure.

Artanis died in the spring of 1500, leaving to her daughter a battered empire yet one still standing. The mercenary tradition endured, half the army being professional companies sworn to the throne. The navy, the fruit of her toil, remained the envy of many. And the peasantry, having tasted new freedoms, would remain a stubbornly independent force in the empire’s local economies.

The Paradox of Artanis
Historians continue to debate whether to remember Artanis for her harsh early years – marked by the All-Seeing Eye and swift punishments – or her mid-reign brilliance in modernizing the economy, forging a supreme navy, and pioneering a professional army. While her final years saw the empire nearly wrecked by an ill-conceived war, no one could call her reign dull. By her own measure, she once wrote to a foreign ambassador:

“I was born powerless and afraid. I will not die cowering in a corner. Let the world judge me by the empire’s vitality, not by the wrack of malice.”

In the end, that empire was indeed alive, armed with war galleys, brimming with urban crafts, and learning to rely on standing armies more than feudal muster. Artanis left a realm torn by foreign campaigns but also glimpsing modern governance and mercantile freedoms. She remains a singular figure – the paranoid Empress who conquered her terrors, marched against the end of feudalism, then watched, too frail and trusting, as her ministers marched thousands to battle in the empire’s name. When she closed her eyes in 1500, her realm stood on the cusp of the 16th century: precarious positioned as a new era of colonialism would see the rise of Western Europe to challenge the old order.

 

[Killcrazy13]

The World in 1501 AD

Map of Europe, North Africa and the Near East in 1501 AD​

A New World to Discover
As the 16th century dawned, the world began to turn its head West. A new world had been discovered by Iberian Christians looking for new routes around the Muslim and Orthodox forces in the Mediterranean. Captain Martinus Haemarus of Baetica was the first European to step ashore on an undiscovered continent and soon discovered opportunities for conquest and treasure from the natives, undreamt of by the rest of Europe. Many more Baetican men and ships would sail from Baetica to validate and enlarge the Christian presence. Portugal would soon join Baetica in capitalising on the opportunities there, allowing these two kingdoms to elevate themselves to a new level of prominence. The Romans had found their salvation against the Islamic threat. The treasure fleets of Baetica would sail back laden with gold to enrich the state coffers and allow them to hold down the Andalusian threat of Cordoba.

The Triangle Trade Easing the Bullion Shortage
The bullion shortage of the 15th century affecting Europe was due to the silver mines in Central Europe (such as those in Bohemia and Saxony) depleting or producing less metal than before. Combined by the fact that the European economy was highly dependent on luxury goods from the Middle East, India, and China (such as spices, silks, and porcelain), vast amounts of silver and gold were sent eastward via the Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade routes.

With Iberian states now bringing significant shipments of gold and silver, injecting it into the European economy. The influx of silver into Europe stimulated trade, expanded markets, and helped finance the rise of early capitalism. However, it also had major consequences, including inflation that would impact the Achaemenid economy. The rumoured riches would also trigger a gold rush from other states such as England and Axuchos to nail their own stake and claims to the new world.

A Snapshot of Western Europe

Iberia and Francia in 1501​

Baetica
Baetica is ruled by Rex Marcellus II Deusdedit, a young yet ambitious monarch who ascended to the throne just five years ago following the death of his father. At only twenty-five years old, he stands at a critical juncture in history, poised to shape the destiny of Iberia and beyond. With the riches of the New World flowing into his kingdom, he seeks to expand his influence, not just in the western Mediterranean but across the shifting political landscape of Europe.

Despite the challenges of the past, Baetica has stemmed the tide of territorial losses against Andalusia, consolidating its defenses and reclaiming strategic positions along the frontier. His father’s last triumph - the capture of Gaelicia in the Iberian Northwest – has bolstered the reputation of the Deusdedits as true Roman warrior-kings. However, Marcellus' ambitions extend far beyond mere defense; he envisions himself as the leader of a renewed Christian Reconquisita, determined to expel Muslim rule from the peninsula once and for all.

In this endeavor, he is not alone. The Francien state of Axuchos wages its own war against the Muslim-controlled lands of Aquitaine, a struggle that Marcellus sees as parallel to his own. A grand alliance of Christian powers—rooted in faith, history, and shared ambition—is forming. In Portugal, he finds a natural ally, one that shares his vision of a resurgent Latin Christendom. Together, they seek to reclaim the legacy of Rome and restore the rightful dominion of the Roman people over Iberia.

Baetica’s ambitions are fueled by the immense wealth of the New World. As gold and silver flood into Seville from across the Atlantic, Marcellus sees an opportunity not just to finance his campaigns but to secure his standing in the greater European order. His kingdom’s ports are bustling with merchants, explorers, and privateers, eager to carve their fortunes from the distant lands of the west.


Cordoba
The once-mighty Flavius-Melchos dynasty lies in ruin, cast down in the wake of a disastrous war against Baetica. In their place now rules Sultan Aderinola Umayyad, a man of ambition, cunning, and an unshakable belief in Cordoba’s destiny. Rising to power through a military coup, he has seized the reins of the Muslim Roman state with a singular purpose: to restore Cordoba’s supremacy in Iberia and to punish the Christian kingdoms that seek to undermine its rule.

With Andalusia renamed Cordoba – a symbolic use of that great city’s status – the new regime has embraced a policy of revanchism, stoking the fires of war against the Christian powers that press against its borders. While Baetica may have reversed some of Cordoba’s past conquests, Aderinola is determined to reclaim lost lands and reaffirm Cordoban dominance over Western Europe.

Despite its recent setbacks, Cordoba remains the most formidable power in Western Europe, boasting a military and economy that far surpasses its rivals. Its standing army, hardened from decades of border conflicts, remains one of the most experienced and disciplined forces in the region. Unlike its Christian adversaries, Cordoba enjoys deep ties to the Islamic world, drawing military and financial support from the rich states of North Africa and the Levant.

While the Sultanate has not yet turned to colonial expansion, it has nonetheless found a way to benefit from the New World’s riches. Cordoba’s strategic control over key trading ports along Iberia’s east coast allows it to tax, intercept, and profit from the massive silver flows coming from Baetica and Portugal. While it does not yet send its own ships across the Atlantic, Cordoba’s merchants and financiers have established a powerful trade empire, acting as intermediaries between Europe and the wealth of the Americas.

Axuchos
The House of Axuchos, once a family of Achaemenid conquerors, now reigns over the vast and unified Francian state. Though their name speaks of Byzantine origins, their hearts beat with the spirit of Francia—fierce, unyielding, and devoted to the cause of Orthodoxy. Under the leadership of Queen Ermensendis Axuchos, this once-fractured land has been reforged into a powerful kingdom, its people united under the banner of faith and the drive to expel the last remnants of Muslim rule from France.

Ermensendis, now in her fifties, stands at the pinnacle of her reign. For decades, she has waged war, brokered alliances, and steered Axuchos toward dominance. Yet with victory near, new dilemmas arise: when the Muslim threat fades, what will define the kingdom’s place in Europe?

Over the past century, the Axuchos have driven the Muslims of Aquitaine to the brink of collapse. Once, the south of France stood as a stronghold of Islamic power, a challenge to Christian rule in the region. Now, after decades of hard-fought battles, sieges, and strategic campaigns, the Muslim presence in France is reduced to a handful of isolated territories clinging to the edge of survival.

Through sheer force of arms and unwavering Orthodox faith, Queen Ermensendis has not only solidified Axuchos' rule over the north but also pushed deep into the south. Unlike the Achaemenid Empire, which rules through dominance and cultural supremacy, Axuchos has pursued a policy of careful integration and diplomacy. Coexistence has been a hallmark of their rule – at least with fellow Christians. Ermensendis understands that Francia's strength lies not just in its armies but in its ability to hold together diverse Christian peoples under a single faith and banner.

Despite Axuchos' military might, the kingdom has not sought open confrontation with its Christian neighbors. With the Muslim hold on France near its end, Ermensendis now faces a dilemma. What will unite the Francians once their great enemy is gone? Will they continue their policy of coexistence, or will they seek greater ambitions – perhaps challenging the rising Latin powers like Baetica and the Holy Roman Empire?

The Holy Roman Empire, Electors and Emperor in Brabant​

The Holy Roman Empire

Once a symbol of unity and imperial grandeur, the Holy Roman Empire now stands as a fractured and fragile remnant of its past. What was once a realm that sought to recapture the glory of ancient Rome is now a loose confederation of squabbling princes, divided by ambition, faith, and regional interests.

The empire’s decline became inevitable after Italy broke away, unwilling to remain under the thumb of German overlords. Only a few Italian princedoms – Genoa, the Papacy, and Campania – still cling to the imperial system. Genoa and the Papacy remain electors, wielding influence disproportionate to their size, while Campania stubbornly holds onto its role as the seat of Empire, even as true imperial power drifts ever northward. The last Campanian Emperor, Gerolt II, was the final ruler of the old southern dynasty before the imperial crown began rotating among the German lords—first Utrecht, then Alemannia, and now Brabant.

If anyone can halt the empire’s decline, it is Kaiser Ariald II Feuchtwangen-Kassel of Brabant. Known as a fierce warrior and charismatic leader, Ariald recalls the legends of Gerolt I and II, whose iron rule once commanded all of Germany and Italy. He has the vision and strength to restore imperial authority, but his every move is blocked by the entrenched power of the German princes.

Ariald’s greatest challenge, however, comes not from foreign enemies but from within the Empire itself. A growing theological revolt is taking root – princes and clerics alike are questioning the primacy of the Catholic Church, emboldened by murmurs of reform and schism. Some have even begun forming their own religious communions, threatening to rupture the unity of the Catholic world just as a new age dawns.


The Alemannian Crisis
But perhaps the most immediate problem is the deepening divide between Brabant and Alemannia. The most powerful of the German kingdoms, Alemannia, should be the backbone of the Empire. For years, it stood as the Defender of the Catholic Faith, a bulwark against heretics and foreign invaders. It was Alemannian knights who bled in the Achaemenid War for Venice, and it was King Guntimer who oversaw that bloody conflict with the Eastern juggernaut until his death three years ago.

Yet, instead of being rewarded, Alemannia was denied the imperial crown. The reason? The sex of its ruler.

Queen-Elector Filomena van Brederode, Guntimer’s daughter, commands the respect of her people and the loyalty of her vassals, but the imperial electors have dismissed her right to rule. The Empire has never had a female Kaiser, and the traditionalists of Utrecht and Ostfalen refused to even consider her candidacy. To Alemannia, this was not just an insult - it was a betrayal.

Now, Alemannia stands aloof and defiant, refusing to cooperate with Kaiser Ariald II. Filomena still claims that Alemannia is the preeminent German nation, and some whisper that she may sever ties with the Empire altogether. The Holy Roman Empire’s fate rests in the hands of its electors, but divisions among them make unity impossible. The other Electors are the Prince of Utrecht, Duke of Ostfalen and the Duke of West Franconia.


Scandinavia
The Scandinavian Empire dominates the lands north of the Baltic Sea, stretching across Norway and Sweden with influence reaching into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Though sparsely populated compared to the southern kingdoms of Europe, Scandinavia wields power through its formidable naval strength, trade networks, and warrior traditions.

At its helm is Emperor Eirikr II Irtegid, a ruler of Sámi descent, whose ancestors led the once-nomadic Northern Scandinavian tribes to conquer and unite the lands to the south. The Irtegid dynasty, tracing its lineage through both Norse and Sámi bloodlines, has ruled for centuries, blending indigenous traditions with Catholic governance. While the Achaemenid priestly delegation of diplomats sees little reason to engage with Scandinavia, they recognize it as a rising Catholic power eager for expansion and a key player in European affairs. The Catholic Church has a strong presence in the Empire, but pagan traditions remain, especially in the remote northern regions.

With its cold, rugged terrain yielding few natural riches, Scandinavia has turned outward, seeking new wealth through trade, conquest, and colonization. The Empire’s great merchant houses – many of which are run by Sámi, Norse, and Baltic families – control vital trade routes, ferrying furs, timber, iron, and amber from the Rus, Baltic states, and Arctic regions into Western Europe.

With the lure of silver and gold pouring in from the New World into Baetica and Portugal, Eirikr II sees an opportunity for his empire to claim its own share of the riches of the West. Scandinavian explorers and raiders, much like their Viking forebears, have begun to probe the edges of the Atlantic, setting up outposts in Greenland and Iceland, and even launching expeditions to the frigid shores of Vinland – long abandoned by their ancestors.

Major faiths in 1501 AD​

The Eastern Powers
Now we come proper to the lands the Achaemenids know well. Across the Bosphorus, the Ottomans grow from strength to strength as their hold on Anatolia solidifies and they expand outwards, and other Islamic powers threaten the hegemony of Orthodoxy.


The Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire stands stronger than ever, having crushed all rivals in Anatolia and now casting its eyes toward greater conquests. The Turks, under a lineage of capable and ruthless rulers, have eliminated or subjugated all competing Anatolian states, including the once-proud Crusader states of Galicia and Laconia.

Now, under Padishah Iollas II Osmanoğlu, a warrior-king of both cruelty and genius, the empire is at its peak. Just 28 years old, Iollas II has already proven himself on the battlefield, leading brutal campaigns against the Eranian Empire and securing his rule over the Persian vassal state centred around Adana.

With his eastern borders pacified and his authority undisputed, all eyes turn to the west, where the Byzantine Empress Kyriake II still holds the ancient capital of Achaemedia, separated only by the narrow waters of the Bosphorus. The Ottomans have built one of the most disciplined and deadly armies in the world, a force that has shattered crusaders and humbled Persian lords alike. The Janissaries, a force composed of Christian slaves, now serve as the backbone of Ottoman military power, wielding firearms with terrifying efficiency.

For centuries, the Turks have dreamed of taking the ancient capital of the Achaemenids. The Byzantines under Empress Kyriake II still hold the western shores of the Bosphorus, a glimmer of the old empire standing defiantly against the rising Ottoman power. Iollas II resents the Achaemenids’ defiance. Their survival is an insult to his dynasty, a lingering scar of past Turkish failures. Though Achaemedia is heavily fortified, and its navy still strong, the Ottoman war machine has grown mightier than ever before.

Should Iollas II wish it, he could strike across the Bosphorus, leading his armies into Europe, and bring the City to its knees. The only question is when. For now, Iollas II Osmanoglu sharpens his sword and waits. His Janissaries train, his Spahis ride, his cannons rest in their forges. The Ottomans are ready.


The Eranian Empire
The Eranian Empire, a Sunni-ruled titan with a legacy stretching back centuries, should have been a powerful counterweight to Ottoman aggression. Once the dominant force in northern Mesopotamia and the Caucasus, the Eranians had built a vast and diverse empire, ruling over a mosaic of Armenians, Georgians, Alans, Assyrians, Persians, and Turkic clans. But when the Ottoman Padishah Iollas II Osmanoğlu launched his war machine, the Eranians were in no position to resist.

The timing could not have been worse. The sudden death of the previous Padishah threw the empire into a regency, leaving a government of squabbling nobles and ineffective ministers to face one of the greatest military threats in their history. The boy emperor, Kamran Ediguid, only three years old, sat on the throne, but real power lay in the hands of feuding nobles and ambitious governors.

For decades, the Eranian Empire had ruled through compromise. The ruling Ediguid dynasty, of Turkic origin, had maintained control over a vast realm by allowing local elites to rule in their own lands. The Armenians, Georgians, Alans, and Assyrians had long been granted broad autonomy, their loyalty bought with privileges rather than force.

But when the Ottomans came, these peoples saw no reason to fight for a distant imperial court in Kamrasir. Many saw the war as a Turkic struggle, one that had little to do with them. The Christian Armenians and Georgians, long wary of their Sunni rulers, hesitated to send their best warriors to die for the Ediguids. The Alans, always fiercely independent, abandoned their posts and returned to their mountain strongholds. Even within the empire’s core Turkic and Persian populations, factionalism reigned.

When the Ottomans stormed into Armenia, Eranian armies collapsed before they could even mount a proper defence. The mighty fortress lines along the border were left undermanned, their garrisons either retreating or defecting outright. Kamrasir, the empire’s capital just beyond the border, was left undefended, its great walls holding only the ghosts of warriors who should have been there to defend it.

The Padishah Kamran Ediguid is still only 9 years old, and it seems the Empire will be trapped in a moribund state for the foreseeable future, much to the unhappiness of the Achaemenids who hoped for the Eranians to fight in a two-front war against the Ottomans.


Jerusalem
At the heart of the Holy Kingdom of Jerusalem stands Ayatollah Rostam II, both Imam and absolute ruler, a man who claims direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad himself. This lineage grants him an undisputed religious and political authority, making him not only a king but a spiritual guide to the millions who follow his rule.

The Shia Kingdom of Jerusalem, unlike its Sunni neighbors, has become the great Shi’a stronghold of the Western world, controlling the sacred city of Jerusalem, the powerhouses of Cairo and Alexandria, and the fertile floodplains of the Nile. With Egypt under its rule, the kingdom enjoys access to immense agricultural wealth and commands the key trade routes of the Indian Ocean, ensuring its importance in global commerce.

The Holy Kingdom of Jerusalem is not an ancient entity, but rather the product of a dramatic revolution and war of faith. Two centuries ago, the region was ruled by the House of Mihran, a dynasty that traced its bloodline both to the Prophet Muhammad and Cyrus the Great, blending Persian and Islamic legitimacy. However, their rule came to an abrupt and bloody end when the Nizari Jihad swept through the region, toppling the Mihranid rulers and replacing them with a new Shi’a order led by the Ayatollahs.

Since then, Jerusalem has become the spiritual heartland of Shi’ism outside of Persia, a beacon of faith in a world largely dominated by Sunni rulers. Under Ayatollah Rostam II, the dream of a united and pious Shi’a realm has been fully realized. The once-divided populace of Egypt and the Levant has been brought into the fold, and what was once a chaotic, multi-sectarian region has become an ideological stronghold of the faith.

The other major ally of the Achaemenids, Jerusalem has aided them previously in the wars against Morocco but this alliance holds only as long as the threat of the Ottomans’ existence.

Great Powers of the World in 1501 AD

This is the world Kyriake II finds herself in. The Catholics have arranged themselves into a coalition to defend themselves against the Achaemenids.

​

Combined with the unreliable nature of their allies, the 16th century looks to be one of danger and turbulence.

The Achaemenid Empire and its vassals and allies in 1501 AD​

 

[Killcrazy13]

The Achaemenid Empire in 1501AD

Despite the troubled Venetian War severely depleting the manpower and treasury of the empire, Kyriake II was blessed with a relatively strong position. Even with a significant amount of the tribute from Alemannia being siphoned off by Kephradates and his cronies, there was still enough to refill the vaults in Achaemedia, and trade with Jerusalem and Rum was proving fruitful, with the fleet protecting ships bound for Alexandria and Antioch.

​

Kephradates would pass on shortly after Artanis in 1501 AD and his replacement as Ciliarch was Gisgo Rhangabe, his old right hand man. More aligned with the kefaliyas than the court, he would petition Kyriake for greater control of the treasury and mints, assigning three main merchant houses Control over Monetary Policy. It’s said during the petition, Kyriake barely paid attention as Gisgo explained how the crown would enjoy lower inflation and better interest rates with actual money men in control of the coinage.

A major legacy of Kephradates’ vizierate was the granting of more privileges to the nobility to keep them happy. He had already invaded Venetia et Histria, but he also awarded them the right to Expand Their Fortifications and put into law certain inalienable powers of magnates to allow them to maintain Strong Duchies, independent of the crown. These went against Artanis’ principles, she had already revoked certain rights from them earlier in her reign as she no longer saw a need for Increased Levies.

Kephradates and Kyriake would also walk back key imperial reforms implemented by previous rulers, including dismantling elements of the Centralised Monarchical Bureaucracy in favour of an Expanded Royal Court.

When the Patriarch of Achaemedia petitioned for more rights for the church, she granted Lands to the Monasteries that would be exempted from taxes and granted significant autonomy. From her perspective, she merely viewed it as sharing the riches that the Achaemenid Empire enjoyed, as the crownlands had grown significantly during the reigns of Emiliya and Artanis. Redistribution of such wealth made sense to her equitable nature. Of course, none in her court countenanced such a decision.

The corruption in Achaemedia, bloodiness of the last war and the callous expansion of the state were all building up to a disaster for Kyriake. She was just too oblivious to see it yet.

 

[Killcrazy13]

Kyriake II

Spoiler: Adding a bit of a soundtrack (inspired by Jak7139)

I've been listening to Farya Faraji's Byzantine themed music a lot recently and I feel that his sound is almost a perfect representation of the world of the Achaemenid Empire. Hope you enjoy listening and reading along.

A portrait of Kyriake II on her coronation, intended to exemplify her martial nature​

The Achaemenid name was a powerful opiate that still maintained its hold on the peasantry and the lower classes in this period. Even after the hardships engendered during the War for Venetia et Histria in the 1490s, the people found it difficult to conceive of a system of government which did not have an Achaemenid at the helm. Tsar Dominik had once declared that the soil of Thrace was red as the Achaemenid banner for all the generations of Tsars that had bled in defence of the people. Fine propaganda but not truly a lie. The deeds of the bloodline of Cyrus the Great, Darius the 1st Christian and Tsar Nikola still resonated powerfully among the lay folk who viewed it as proof of god’s favour on them and that legends still walked the land.

So when Tsaritsa Kyriake II took the throne, it was assumed by the good and great that the commonfolk would accept another cycle of paying and bleeding for their betters – but even the strongest ox will break under a heavy enough yoke. The empire now seemed willing to accept female rulers after the capable reigns of Emiliya and Artanis II. The conspiracies committed during the Tyranny of the Three Witches or the betrayals against the first Kyriake had lain dormant under the last two Tsaritsas and the palace administration hoped a long enough peace would heal the fissures of the Venetian war.

Kyriake II was not pre-possessed to lead the empire, content to arrange soirees and tournaments to celebrate Bulgarian martial traditions. Already 41 years old by the time she took the throne, Kyriake’s child bearing chances were low, not that she viewed it as her responsibility to continue the imperial line. Dressed in armour for court ceremonies like her great-grandfather Dominik, and often preferring frivolities over practicalities, a superficial veneer of competence grew around Kyriake. She took the son of her Nicaean vassal as her husband. Twenty years separated the couple and the young Manuchehr Rhangabe was viewed more as decoration than a true partner to the Tsaritsa. Handsome and elegant in action, Kyriake enjoyed the contrast with her more put-upon war leader appearance.

The Years After the War

It can’t be said that Kyriake was impotent or actively harmful to the empire, but she had a poor grasp of strategy and often mistook grand acts would lead to significant impact. Her own personal code of courtly and knightly courtesy guided her interactions and she often placed a premium on treaties, formal pacts and the faithfulness of her word.

Alongside her grants of land to the church for building new monasteries, she would also sponsor the building of a large monastic complex in a valley of the Rilska River. The Monastery of Saint John of Rila or simply the Rila Monastery would grow to become the largest such complex in the empire and a popular pilgrimage site over the centuries.

She also indulged in courtly graces – music, formal banquets, ceremonial hunts – seeking a return to a bygone era, of the time of the Steward Kings and the glorious empire. She would establish permanence to the style of the Achaemenid court – bring together old Byzantine bureaucratic formalities layered with Bulgarian aristocratic privilege, and coded with ancient Persian imperial ceremony. Her love of grand chivalric hospitality ballooned the royal household expenses. Tension with treasury officials who pressed for new taxes led to her giving in to maintain civility and her fancies, worsening her popularity among many country boyars such as the Kaukadenos family, an offshoot of the powerful Bogoris clan, who held lands in the old country of Bulgaria.



Tumult in the Countryside

The first decade of her reign would pass relatively peacefully but the pressure on the dam was building. Focused on subduing Venetia et Histria and putting down uprisings, the mercenary army established up by Emiliya was kept at a high readiness level, which drove costs up to keep current with their payments and ensure they had enough rations to prevent mutiny or banditry. The old military legends such as Strategos Mihail Krum and the Master of Fleet Germanus Terter, now in their 60s, retired and a new generation of commanders took charge of the army and admiralty, seeking to build their own reputations and measure up to the idolized Krum.

When months of heavy rain washed away the topsoil in the fertile Danubian basin, the dam broke. Farms all along the river fell to famine and the breadbasket provinces in old Bulgaria and Wallachia could not grow enough crops to feed its own people, let alone the rest of the empire. Kyriake’s privy council or Symboulion, made up of the Ciliarch Gisgo Rhangabe, Megaspahbed Yazdegerd Hriz and the Protomowbed-o Vasil Strahil could do little and Kyriake herself, who rarely ventured beyond Achaemedia had little understanding of the nature of the disaster. The city itself could import grain from the fertile Black Soil region of the Bosporan Kingdom but Gisgo could not fund imports for the whole empire, at least without sinking into crippling debt.

In 1506, the first rebellions sprung up in the African provinces. Peasants captured the major city of Sousse while Constantinian nobles swayed the local troops in Kabylia to their side. An area rich in olive groves and maritime trade felt the effects of the famine more strongly due to their harsh climate and reliance on ships from Achaemedia bringing in grain supplies. Long gone were days when Africa was the granary of the Mediterranean as warmer temperatures transformed the land into arid drylands. The Baetican and Cordoban traders who dominated the harbours and markets of Kef and Tunis were not inclined to aid the citizenry and capitalised on the famine, marking up the prices of grain from their homelands to maximise profits and buying up eastern goods such as spices and silks below the market rate. The Shishman ‘family’ were outrage and local members were among those who led the charge at Kabylia.

Syrgarius Achaemenid was tasked with putting down the uprising and he set sail with 24,000 men to subdue the region. It would take him 2 years to defeat the rebels and recapture the fortress cities of Kabylia and Sousse, and the movement of troops led to a cascade of trouble in the Balkans and Bulgaria.

The country magnates, realizing that some of the garrisons along the imperial roads now sat empty, rose up in rebellion. The Boyars and Dynatoi had been bypassed by the Imperial mercenary system but they still maintained their own soldiers and feudal obligations by lesser lords under the old Bulgarian ‘Banner’ system. From the time of Nikola and the restoration of the empire at the turn of the 10th century, each boyar was obligated to provide a specific number of cavalry and foot soldiers in the event of war, along with “camp taxes” to feed their feudal lords. It had lain dormant but not forgotten in the past half a century, and so the Banners were called across the countryside as magnates sought to carve out their own independence and lessen the suffering of their families and serfs.

Seslav Kaukadenos

The Kaukadenos family were tasked by the greater Bogoris clan with overseeing the trade and family property in the city of Tirgoviste and the surrounding region. Seslav, the head of the household, was a man in his 50s and had been content during the reigns of Emiliya and Artanis to maintain the status quo. But the devastation of the Venetian war and the famine of 1505-06 forced this principled man to rise up. He would raise a rallying cry and many of the rebel boyars gathered under his banner and sought to raise him up as Tsar. This triggered an immediate reaction from the throne.

50,000 men pledged themselves to the would-be Tsar Seslav Kaukadenos and other nobles whispered conspiracy, debating on which side to stand on. Among them was Yazdegerd Hriz. Kyriake would have the man imprisoned and executed in short order as this time of crisis brooked no wavering thought while pulling back Syrgarius home to deal with uprisings across the Balkans.

The Symboulion would double down on Artanis’ mercenary strategy, taking significant loans to ensure they hired only the best. Condottieri from Italy and brave knightly orders promised to serve Kyriake for coin, coordinated by the new Megasphabed, Mihail Krum, brought out of retirement to save the empire one last time. Too old for the field, he still possessed a legendary strategic mind. Coordinating three different armies, the loyalists would catch the pretenders in the Bulgarian mountain passes. With all avenues of escape denied, the pretender rebels were killed near to the last man.

Krum would also bring about much-needed change within the palace. His mere presence inspired others to do better. The corruption of Grisgo Rhangabe were brought to light and slowly but surely the last vespers of Kephradates Terter’s long shadow was banished. Over the next couple of years, the empire righted itself as the famine abated and Tsar-consort Manuchehr, Mihail Krum and others worked to undo two decades of mismanagement and corruption. By 1512 AD, things were in a more stable position and the major flareups were done.

Perhaps God did favour the empire and sought to ready it against bigger challenges later in Kyriake’s reign.


The Age of Reformation Begins

As Western Powers rushed to sail their ships across the Atlantic, religious reforms were triggering within Europe and other parts of the world. In Carmarthen, Wales, a lowly monk would nail his document criticizing the Catholic Church to the door of All Saints’ Church. This treatise would eventually be called the Ninety-Five Theses and trigger a firestorm throughout Europe.

 

[Killcrazy13]

18th century depiction of the Battle of Bekes by Jean-Philippe Le Paon​

The Breaking of Hungary (1515 AD – 1522 AD)

As the empire recovered from the last decade of internal conflicts, Kyriake’s mind turned to military adventure. In Islamic Hungary, the ruling Achaemenid dynasty had been overthrown in a civil war at the turn of the 16th century. The state had undergone significant shifts, first winning independence over the Rev Mehran Sultanate then subjugating them, after Tsar Dominik Achaemenid had crippled the sultanate in the early 15th century. Emir Aldis Achaemenid became the first Sultan of Hungary in 1568 and would rule for another five years before being succeeded by his son, Bernadin. Unfortunately, Bernadin was killed tragically early after being shipwrecked on his way to Hajj and his young daughter, Frinella, was placed on the throne. The Qadariyah faith, while more egalitarian than other Islamic sects, still had issues with a female ruler.

With a child on the throne and a regent from the harem, powerful nobles pounced on the opportunity. For seven years, Hungary was torn apart by civil war before Tomas Basarab claimed primacy as the new Sultan of Hungary. He had all remaining Hungarian Achaemenids put to death to eliminate the risk of any claimants and set about repairing the fractured realm.

Tsaritsa Kyriake was mortified at this grievous attack on her family, no matter how distant or heathen they may have been and she plotted revenge. However, it had to put off for the first decade of her reign as the court dealt with internal issues. Finally in 1515 AD, she ordered her armies to march into the Pannonian Basin. Their faithful ally, the Bosporan Kingdom, joined the war effort, aligned on the need to avenge the Achaemenid massacre and hopeful of grabbing territory at the expense of Kiev, Hungary’s ally.

The initial battles were inconclusive as the empire’s armies were distracted by internal uprisings and the fact that the Achaemenid army was still unwilling to utilise cannons as part of their military doctrine. Mihail Krum was a military genius but he was a traditionalist and believed in the bravery of men’s hearts over the cold and unreliable nature of those copper contraptions. The Hungarians would penetrate deep into Old Bulgaria while the imperial army divided its attention on the Rev Mehran lands in the west and supported the Bosporans in subduing Kyiv. Eventually, the greater manpower of Kyriake’s armies told. Kyriake called in favours from her Muslim allies in Jerusalem and Eran for recruits to put down the Qadariyah heresy and they duly obliged, sending thousands to the strange jihad these ghazis were co-opted to. Buoyed by these Muslim auxiliaries, the Field Strategos Esvios Achaemenid would drag the Sultan to a decisive battle at the field of Bekes.


The Battle of Bekes

The Battle of Bekes took place on the rolling plains near the city of Bekes, where the Hungarian army gathered to face down the main imperial Kara in the late spring of 1518. At dawn, the Hungarians tried an enveloping maneuver, relying on swift cavalry wings while cannons fired to soften up the Achaemenids. Esvios countered with a flexible center – he drew the Hungarian cavalry inward and denied the guns an open shot, then struck with reserves. The heart of the clash was fought by the Achaemenid heavy infantry in tight phalanx, bracing for Hungarian charges. Despite repeated assaults by the Hungarian cavalry, the Achaemenid pike lines held firm. Late in the afternoon, Esvios unleashed his own cavalry from a concealed position along a tree line. Hitting the Hungarian rear caused panic in Sultan Diodorus’s ranks and the abandonment of his cannon emplacements. The Achaemenids prevailed with comparatively moderate losses, while the Hungarians sustained heavier casualties in their retreat. More importantly, the way into Pannonia was now open.

Diodorus’ realm was exhausted by the multipronged strikes of the Achaemenids and Bekes was one battle too many for them. Esvios would march on the capital of Pest while smaller armies would capture and occupy the remaining holdouts of the Sultanate. By 1519 AD, the Sultan would offer his unconditional surrender. The Symbalion was in no mood to be gracious in victory despite Kyriake’s chivalric inclinations and enforced humiliating terms on Hungary, carting off any wealth they could carry and claiming all lands south of the Danube. Kyiv was annexed by the Bosporan Kingdom, much to the happiness of Tsar Anselmo Achaemenid. The Bosporans ruled a large realm, but it was poor and sparsely populated. With the integration of Kyiv, they now had enough influence to control the trade across the steppe and build wealth independent of the charity of Achaemedia.

Over the next decade, Hungarian weakness would be preyed upon by the other Christian powers who sought to expand their own domains at the expense of the Muslims. Vesalian, Savia and Austria would all carve out significant chunks of the Sultanate and leave it with just a sliver of its old territories. Achaemenid vengeance had unleashed the wolves and it was expected that Hungary as an idea would disappear in the near future. Fate would have other ideas and we’ll come back to it in the future.

In the meantime, the treasure brought back from Hungary went to the repayment of loans and backpay for the mercenaries after the struggles of the last decade. The empire seemed to be in recovery and there was even more significant news for the dynasty – proof that God truly watched over his chosen nation.

A Heir is Born

The Tsaritsa had never been too affected by her inability to sire an heir but the court and patriarch were growing increasingly concerned about the succession. They had begun to plan for different scenarios including an idea of entering a union with the Bosporan Kingdom if Kyriake or her younger sister, Emiliya failed to provide progeny. Others such as Esvios Achaemenid put forth themselves as an imperial candidate but his claim was ignored as his grandfather was bastard-born by Tsar Dominik’s sister and the church would never accept such an illegitimate bloodline as god’s regent. So a miracle came to pass and the prayers of all were answered when Emiliya became pregnant at 47. The infant girl was christened Darya Achaemenid, at the expense of her father’s family name. Named crown-princess by Patriarch Denuos, Darya’s name was symbolic – a female adaptation of the famous Darius of heroic times – and soon became a darling of the court, fawned after and adored. Kyriake herself paid little attention to the girl but Tsar-Consort Manuchehr would take on a father figure role and oversaw the child’s education.

Manuchehr himself had begun to assert himself more strongly within the court. Once assumed to be a princely fop, the man had taken the initiative to attend to the Symbalion councils on behalf of Kyriake while she was off hunting or enjoying a play. His father offered advice from across the Bosphorus as the consort became de facto commander of the empire, especially after Mihail Krum passed on in 1520 AD. One of his immediate decisions was the integration of cannon technology into the military strategems of the imperial Karas. Though their skill and ability with gunpowder was still in its infancy, Manuchehr had at least started the work – just in time for the coming storm.


The Turks Cross the Bosphorus

While the empire caught its breath after its exertions, the tiger of the east grew restive and seized the opportunity. Both Achaemenid dynasties in Achaemedia and Zapozhia had lost many soldiers in the war against Hungary. The ghazis who had been seconded to Kyriake were intensely questioned by the Ottomans as they returned to their homelands through Anatolia. The Sultan Iollas II was eager to understand Achaemenid doctrine and military preparedness as he sought to strike while the iron was hot. The Ottomans declared war on the Bosporan Kingdom in 1521 AD and Kyriake was honour bound to defend her ally and blood-relative, Anselmo, against the Ottomans. The careful alliance network set up by Tsaritsa Artanis failed as Jerusalem and Eranshahr rejected coming to aid the Achaemenids in their moment of need, refusing on religious and diplomatic technicalities as they had no treaty with the Bosporans who were being attacked, only with Achaemedia.

The Ottomans marched on Nicaea and Kyriake commanded the Eastern Kara to defend her vassal and father-in-law, Konstantin Rhangabe. The Battle of Nicaea was a disaster as Strategos Mehrab Trichinopodes was outsmarted by the cunning Sultan. Of the 50,000 Achaemenid soldiers who crossed the Bosphorus, only half made it back to Achaemedia, spreading panic and rumour of the invincible Turk marching to destroy Achaemedia.

The morale-shattering defeat shook the strategoi ranks and they debated how to defeat a foe who boasted similar military strength to the empire and marched with indefatigable belief in their faith. The Achaemenids had seemingly forgotten how to fight an evenly matched foe. Nicaea fell quickly to siege and Manuchehr was horrified to hear of the capture and imprisonment of his father. At sea, the much-vaunted Achaemenid fleet was brushed aside as Iollas had built up his naval forces in secret and blockaded the Dardanelles to completely cut off Nicaea.

Now, the red apple of Achaemedia was in the Sultan’s reach and he sought to completes the ancient prophecy foretold by the prophet. The city that the prophet’s children had captured once, was now going to be home to the next great Islamic empire again. All of Islam supported the cause, sending ghazi warriors to join the righteous war or sending shipments of gold to aid the effort. The Doom of Achaemedia was at hand as cannons began bombarding the Darian walls built more than 1,000 years ago.