Basilissa Alexeia I
(938-1008)
Oh, what a reign. A reign of the ages. A highly successful reign. A reign that almost destroyed the very empire. Basilissa Alexeia I expanded the empire to an extent you would have to go back to Justinian to find. But she also sowed dissent that would almost destroy the very thing she built – and more. Overextension, I think they call it.
First few years as she got to maturity was pretty calm. Slow expansion into Mesopotamia. Then, in 957 AD, she ordered the invasion of the sorry remains of the Caliphate. Took out half of what remained, she did. No one came to his rescue, so what does a Basilissa do other than return?
But she did it with a twist. Oh, that lady was cunning like a fox. She went to war to
subdue the Caliph as her vassal. Yes, you heard right. The ruler of half of Christendom vassalized the head of the Muslim faith. Or the dominant form of it in any case. What a humiliation. What a feat.
But did she stop there? No, she decided to take on the mightiest opponent in the area, almost as powerful as her empire. The Tulunids, ruling Egypt. She crushed them. And took Sinai.
Then she returned in 976. With a vengeance. She went to war claiming the entirety of the kingdom of Egypt. Yes, she did. Cost her some, as many thought it too bold, too much, and that she was not the right person. That she would regret it. That it would be a mistake.
It almost was.
First, it went well. Very well. Victory came in 978 AD, after two years of warfare. Another seat of the ancient Patriarchates was restored. Much rejoicing. Much patting on the back.
Then came the Time of Troubles. The time where the last remains of ancient Rome, at this point so resurgent, almost fell.
In 979 AD, a huge uprising of disgruntled Muslims happened. All of Egypt and Mesopotamia rose in rebellion. Thousands of holy warriors, eager to restore Muslim rule. Alexeia sent her armies to Mesopotamia first. They won. She sent her armies to Egypt. The army was sent packing, losing every battle, dwindling.
Then several vassals decided to demand independence. Furious, Alexeia refused the demand. She let the lesser threat, the independence movement, roam free. Her armies recouped, finally ending the rebellion in Egypt in 982.
Turning north, to the core rebel territory in Syria, the armies of Alexeia saw losses upon losses. She called for help from her allies, fought hard, was sent packing, and now it was a close call before the rebels would have had victory. Slowly, with the help of her allies, they were pushed back. Slowly.
Then the Muslims in Egypt rose again, in 986 AD. Smaller, weaker, but seeing as the Byzantine forces were depleted, a threat.
Worse, in 988 AD a cabal of disgruntled vassals decided the time of Roman rule should be at an end. Clearly, they reasoned, they were better off alone. With no empire to rule them. They demanded Alexeia I would be the last Roman sovereign.
Furious, Alexeia took charge of her main army herself. She might be a woman, but she turned out to be a good general. The same year, she granted absolution to the independence movement, on the term they accepted peace, they would keep their titles, lives, and freedom. Aghast at seeing how the empire of Rome was at risk, the rebels accepted.
In 989, the Muslim rebels of Egypt was defeated and the rebels wanting to dissolute Byzantium got to know Roman steel. Battle after battle, they were sent packing. In 992 AD Byzantium was again at peace. The Eastern Roman Empire stood victorious, with Basilissa Alexeia I at the helm.
The economy was in ruins, though, and the next years were peaceful, as the Basilissa rebuilt her armies and domain. She also gained several vassals peacefully, as her prestige was soaring after the victories of recent years.
But she was not finished yet. Somehow, this lady thought adding Egypt, Mesopotamia and Cyrenaica was not enough. No, she wanted to place one of her vassals on the Bulgarian throne as vassal king. She would get a powerful vassal this way of course, a dangerous thing. But she believed the positives outweighted the negatives, with Bulgaria adding strategic depth to protect Konstaninople. The war only took a little over one year.
From 1006 to 1008, her armies engaged in several smaller wars in the Balkans, expanding her reach far into pagan lands up north. It is said she considered taking on the Manichean realms lying between Sicily and the Papal States. But it would not be. Having got a taste for strong drink during the latter years of her reign, she would finally be done in, not by a human enemy, but by king alcohol. Having had one party too many, she died in a drunken stupor on December 28th, 1008 AD.
