Why, why, why must a child inherit an empire on the rise? This cannot end well.
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Uh oh. It’s going to be like what happened when Alexander the Great died…
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No? Alexander’s baby heir was indeed circled by vultures as Cora stated.heh, not comparable.
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Indeed.
I thought you meant it being divided into successor states.
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It had to happen at some point. The young Basileios won't be able to handle the next Catholic crusade, Muslim invasion, and civil war.
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A child inheritance is certainly not good, although it could be worse: at least the regency won't be that long. That's not the same as "good" of course, but if Zacharias had been say three instead of thirteen it would've been a lot more painful. Now that I've said that, the world will probably conspire to pile misfortune and calamity upon the young basileus in as short a time as possible.
Regardless, I imagine further expansion is going to be put on hold for a while.
Regardless, I imagine further expansion is going to be put on hold for a while.
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It will be a mess.
Just you wait and see.A child inheritance is certainly not good, although it could be worse: at least the regency won't be that long. That's not the same as "good" of course, but if Zacharias had been say three instead of thirteen it would've been a lot more painful. Now that I've said that, the world will probably conspire to pile misfortune and calamity upon the young basileus in as short a time as possible.
Regardless, I imagine further expansion is going to be put on hold for a while.
Well, I have built a solid fundation, fwiw. But aside from vassals doing the leg work, I ain't got time for that right now.
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Basileus Zacharias I (1256-1271)
Basileus Zacharias I (1256-1271)
The young, newly minted Basileus would not have a good reign, or life for that matter. His reign would see the end of the reign over the Eastern Roman Empire for his branch of the dynasty, and would leave Constantiople in the hands of other families for decades. In fact, his surprisingly long reign would almost finish the Batatzes family’s hold of power – any power – for good.
Young Zacharias was left with his father’s war in southern Italy still raging, and despite going well, far from finished. Already in 1257 a claimant to the throne rose up in rebellion, taking with her many disgruntled vassals who saw the young boy as a weak monarch who did not have the mettle to lead the Empire onto further successes.
Mere months later another pretender rose, thus having the Empire in a three-way struggle that would hold it in a choke-hold for years. Even worse, even after the second pretender were fought to a white peace, leaving Zacharias only at war with Garyphallia and her supporters, and even though he had agreed to a white peace with the South Italians in Sicily, he could not hold onto the Italian lands when they – lead by Pisa – rose in revolt for their renewed independence in 1263. Two years later they were, indeed, independent and only a shadow of the former East Roman presence were left on the peninsula.
Garyphallia died, but her supporters continued in the name of her son, and their goal was as ever to depose Zacharias I or die trying. Zacharias I was by now a young man, but he was unable to lead his forces, being depressed and increasingly being ruled by his advisors, of which most prominent was the hated eunuch Gellert, who over time became the de facto ruler of the East Roman Empire, ruling it in every way but name. He amassed much wealth and power, and the weak Zacharias let him, spending his time in the whore house and else keeping to himself.
After a stroke of luck with battles and sieges where the war was close to be decided either by total victory or white peace, a series of lost battles meant that the writing was on the wall. In 1271 Zacharias I was forced to abdicate, and he fled the realm, to the West, seeking Latin power to be restored to the throne. Back in the Empire, his three-year-old daughter Flámula inherited his wealth and estate, a young girl with no money, no prospect of power, a lot of money and extremely expensive troops in her employ with no way of gaining a comparable income. No other Batatzes family member had any power either, for that matter.
The start of the long years in the shadow for House Batatzes had begun.
(The new Basileus.)
The young, newly minted Basileus would not have a good reign, or life for that matter. His reign would see the end of the reign over the Eastern Roman Empire for his branch of the dynasty, and would leave Constantiople in the hands of other families for decades. In fact, his surprisingly long reign would almost finish the Batatzes family’s hold of power – any power – for good.
Young Zacharias was left with his father’s war in southern Italy still raging, and despite going well, far from finished. Already in 1257 a claimant to the throne rose up in rebellion, taking with her many disgruntled vassals who saw the young boy as a weak monarch who did not have the mettle to lead the Empire onto further successes.
Mere months later another pretender rose, thus having the Empire in a three-way struggle that would hold it in a choke-hold for years. Even worse, even after the second pretender were fought to a white peace, leaving Zacharias only at war with Garyphallia and her supporters, and even though he had agreed to a white peace with the South Italians in Sicily, he could not hold onto the Italian lands when they – lead by Pisa – rose in revolt for their renewed independence in 1263. Two years later they were, indeed, independent and only a shadow of the former East Roman presence were left on the peninsula.
Garyphallia died, but her supporters continued in the name of her son, and their goal was as ever to depose Zacharias I or die trying. Zacharias I was by now a young man, but he was unable to lead his forces, being depressed and increasingly being ruled by his advisors, of which most prominent was the hated eunuch Gellert, who over time became the de facto ruler of the East Roman Empire, ruling it in every way but name. He amassed much wealth and power, and the weak Zacharias let him, spending his time in the whore house and else keeping to himself.
After a stroke of luck with battles and sieges where the war was close to be decided either by total victory or white peace, a series of lost battles meant that the writing was on the wall. In 1271 Zacharias I was forced to abdicate, and he fled the realm, to the West, seeking Latin power to be restored to the throne. Back in the Empire, his three-year-old daughter Flámula inherited his wealth and estate, a young girl with no money, no prospect of power, a lot of money and extremely expensive troops in her employ with no way of gaining a comparable income. No other Batatzes family member had any power either, for that matter.
The start of the long years in the shadow for House Batatzes had begun.
(The new Basileus.)
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Are we going to be rooting for the next crusade?
Hopefully these Palaiologos emperors are more competent and less about infighting than OTL, otherwise House Batatzes will have to return.
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Well, I am not playing as him anymore, but rather his daughter...
The Palailogos will not remain long on the throne, another dynasty will hog it for the longest time, soon enough.
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Welp, that certainly wasn't great. Alexios' gains crumbling away like sand castles in the tide. Let's see how House Batatzes fares during their exile from power.
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Everything that comes up, must come down. Is Flamula up to the challenge?
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A brutal fall, as expected. Hopefully somebody can steer Flámula (amazing name imo) in the right direction.
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It will be a long slog, with plenty to tell in between.
Is she? We will see. But her claim for the throne must be pressed or it disappears when she dies. Then, it becomes much harder.
She is 3 years old. At this point I was seriously losing all hope.
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Strategitissa Flámula (1271-1292)
Strategitissa Flámula (1271-1292)
With the fall of the Batatzes dynasty from Imperial power, and its last Basileus fled to the West, his 3-year-old daughter was “in charge” of the home front. No Batatzes were in power, anywhere. She spent her days on the Batatzes family estate in Anatolia, getting fed the stories of her glorious ancestors and told how it was up to her to regain the glory of the Batatzes family.
As she became an adult, and with her great family fortune slowly being eaten away by the upkeep of all too expensive and large retinues, she slowly started building support for her claim to the throne. Unfortunately for her, she was a woman, and a woman of a disgraced family, so it was a hard, long slog.
In 1290 her father returned to the Eastern Roman Empire with a host of Latins, trying to regain the throne by Western might. This war would rage until 1294, two years after the death of Flámula. She would be murdered by the reigning Basileus as a threat too dangerous to be kept alive. With her, the family estate would move to her 19-years-old sister Eusthatia, a young woman with no direct or indirect claim to the throne. Either their father succeeded in his quest to regain the throne, or the throne would be quite a far way off, with the Imperial claim being lost to the mist of time and circumstance.
With the fall of the Batatzes dynasty from Imperial power, and its last Basileus fled to the West, his 3-year-old daughter was “in charge” of the home front. No Batatzes were in power, anywhere. She spent her days on the Batatzes family estate in Anatolia, getting fed the stories of her glorious ancestors and told how it was up to her to regain the glory of the Batatzes family.
As she became an adult, and with her great family fortune slowly being eaten away by the upkeep of all too expensive and large retinues, she slowly started building support for her claim to the throne. Unfortunately for her, she was a woman, and a woman of a disgraced family, so it was a hard, long slog.
In 1290 her father returned to the Eastern Roman Empire with a host of Latins, trying to regain the throne by Western might. This war would rage until 1294, two years after the death of Flámula. She would be murdered by the reigning Basileus as a threat too dangerous to be kept alive. With her, the family estate would move to her 19-years-old sister Eusthatia, a young woman with no direct or indirect claim to the throne. Either their father succeeded in his quest to regain the throne, or the throne would be quite a far way off, with the Imperial claim being lost to the mist of time and circumstance.
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I did, in the end, find a solution. The road there is interesting in itself though.
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