Logos I
There were certain people who would dispute the fact that Constantine Ducas was the most powerful person in the world. The Fatimid Caliphate under al-Mustansir of Cairo and Alp Arslan’s Seljuk Horde were both formidable enemies. The Holy Roman Emperor, Heinrich of Innsbruck, had more land and warriors than any other realm. And the word of the patriarch of Rome – Anselm of Lucca, a brilliant philosopher, rhetorician and theologian – carried authority everywhere in western Christendom.
But what those people failed to consider, other than their inability to see beyond their own tasteless desire for aggrandizement, was that the Basileus Romaion was the terminus of a line of Roman rulers stretching back to over seven centuries before the Incarnation – and considerably more than that, if you counted the rulers of ancient Troy, from whose ruling dynasty the founder of Rome had come. Constantine Ducas sometimes imagined that the walls of Troy had stood on the same place as Constantinople. That would make for an attractive and neat full circle, and Constantine Ducas was a great admirer of neat figures.
In any case, this grand tradition allowed the Basileus to rightly consider himself placed on a level above all other rulers of the world, and certainly to ignore such petty matters as the sizes of armies and treasuries.
That was not to say that the Basileus did not have his own problems to wrestle with. Far from it. And if somebody had asked Ducas himself – not that anyone would have dared – he would say that the greatest problem of them all was his lack of land. This might be surprising, considering that his word carried absolute authority throughout the (second) largest realm of the known world. Yet, those who knew better also knew that outside Constantinople proper, this authority was absolutely dependent on the goodwill of the Princes and Counts who actually ruled the individual provinces. This was obviously a weakness, and Constantine Ducas was determined to rectify it at the earliest opportunity.
Such an opportunity presented itself during a council meeting on January 4th, 1066. A messenger had arrived and handed a diptych to the Lord Chancellor, who swiftly read it, then stood and addressed the waiting Basileus.
“My lord, glorious Basileus! There is news from the northern frontier. Prince Alexandrii of Galich has declared war on the Pecheneg tribe. Georgios, your Majesty’s Prince of Varna, humbly suggests that we exploit this opportunity to crush the pagans and add their lands to the Roman Empire.”
Constantine Ducas briefly considered this. If he was to make use of this situation, it was essential that he could do so in person. He nodded. “Thank you, Lord Chancellor. As we all know, the responsibility for defending the borders of the Empire ultimately falls on the shoulders of the Basileus, and We would not have this matter bring undue discomfort to our princes and governors. Marshall Nicephorus, Can we take care of this campaign in person, with only our personal legions and a minimum of assistance from the provinces?”
The old soldier nodded. “Certainly so, my glorious Basileus.”
“Then by the Grace of God, that is the course we shall take. Marshall Nicephorus, call up such legions as you feel are necessary, and plan a campaign to crush the Pechenegs. I have spoken.”
The Marshall bowed deeply. “It shall be as you order, glorious Basileus.”
----
In late April, the forces of the Roman Empire had assembled near the town of Nikopolis on the southern shore of the River Danube. Constantine Ducas himself surveyed the camp from a nearby hill, and was content. Now that the troops from the province of Zadar had arrived, they were ready to strike. He turned to his entourage.
“Marshall Nicephorus. Order the troops to cross the Danuvius. Mikalos, fetch my arms and my horse.”
On April 22nd, 4500 troops of the Imperial legions crossed the River Danube into the mountainous pagan lands of Turnu, routed the defenders within hours and captured the local chieftain’s hill fort within days. Severin, Tirgoviste and Birlad fared little better. Soon, the campaign turned into little more than a race against the Prince of Galich over who would first reach the main camp at Belgorod.
Ultimately, the Prince of Galich did, but in the meantime, four whole provinces had been captured for the glory of the Empire, and Basileus Constantine decreed at once that these should henceforth form the Principality of Wallachia, and that this should form a part of the imperial demesne from this day and until the Day of Reckoning.
(Or so he would have done, if a small shortage of finances hadn’t made a brief delay necessary.)
The new Imperial Principality of Wallachia
