1087:
As the Viking age ended, new kingdoms rose in the west. The Normans, unable to enforce their claim to England, instead seized much of France as their own fief, killing and deposing the Capet dynasty in civil war. Richard de Normandie, betrothed to Agnes de Aquitaine in 1074, was set to inherit much of France, and spread Normano-Occitan culture to the country.
Germany was wracked by destructive civil war- Italy was a complete mess, and the Normans in the South were the only force of stability
Spain was slowly being conquered by Muslims. The Emirate of Toledo, reinvigorated by conversion to a Shiite al-Haruriya sect, had conquered and reunited much of the former Caliphate of Cordoba. The Christian kingdoms were wracked by war. Rodrigo de Vivar, the great marshal, had defected to Porto. The fruit of the Jimenez dynasty had been crushed in battle with the Muslims, and the infant son of Navarre, Kelemen Jimenez, is ruler of much of Northern Spain. Porto, led now by Rodrigo de Vivar, had seized Galicia and raided Leon. Barcelona had been subdued by the Caliphate, and the one remaining scion, Sancha de Barcelona, had been married to the heir of the Emirate.
But all was not well. Many Muslims clung to old Sunni beliefs, and conversion and stability would take a long time.
In the isles of Brittania, three powers existed. Harald Hardrada had defeated the English lords and his son Olaf Kyrre was king of England. Scotland, meanwhile, had slowly been subjugated and stabilized by MacBeth.
Wales, now free of the Anglo-Saxons, had absorbed Brittany and had become united under Maredudd Dinefwr. His son, Seisyll, was a brilliant general, had claims to England from his mother Margaret Atheling, and ruled Brittany and Cornwall outside of actual crown control.
And what of the East?
The Seljuk Shahanshah Alp Arslan had defeated Roman armies in pitched battle, and had seized the themes of Armenia and Mesopotamia. He had also conquered the kingdom of Georgia, and only the small sheikdom of Albania, the county of Kartli and the county of Syunik remained independent. The Pahlavuni had been culled, and the last scion fled to the Imperial court.
The Fatimid caliphs had been defeated by a new Nubian dynasty from Meroe, which seized much of Southern Egypt. At the same time, rebellion broke out in Palestine, and anything north of al-Quds had broken away.
The Roman Empire, or Romanion, had been in a state of disarray ever since the death of the Macedonian dynasty and the rise of the Dukids. The weak Konstantinos Dukas had died in 1069, and his son, Michael VII, was an incompetent stuttering fool. Much of what is known of Michael comes from the chronicler Staurakios of Kaffa
"Michael in all things was a fool. His speech inspired naught but mockery; his power brought nothing but resentment. His dynatoi made all sorts of plots and schemes, and all manner of things were considered in order to depose him"
Michael, in 1085, had established dynastic succession after his son Thomas had been born to a second wife. This upset the long-established elective monarchy of the Roman empire, and many of the Princes openly sought to take down Dukas. Even the Tarnovo Dukids considered open rebellion.
However, all was not ill. The Pechenegs had been conquered, and the lands went to the Shishman dynasty of Bulgaria.
The Komnenoi holdings had been united dynastically by Alexios Komnenos. Leaving Armeniacon and Paphlagonia to vassals, he conquered much of Syria from his capital at Antioch. He had defeated Alp Arslan in battle, and had conquered all of Syria, destroying Damascus and Aleppo in the process. The major cities of Syria were now Antioch, Tyre and Palmyra.
However, Alexios Komnenos was a loyal, loyal man. He, having been friends with Michael since childhood, was content to bring glory to his name and stability for his son. He was also a dying man.
In 1085, he had been wounded in battle with Turkish forces in Syria. While the war ended soon after, Alexios' wounds had been quite severe. The future of his patrimony would now rest upon his son Arkadios. Arkadios, the eldest son, was a brilliant general and had some skill in subterfuge. His wife, an Armenian woman by the name of Mira Kevorkian, brought diplomatic credibility to her husband.
And on July 5th, 1087, Alexios Komnenos passed away, at the age of 39. His son, Arkadios, was now Prince of Antioch.
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Yes, this bears similarities to Rome AArisen, especially considering the backstory of Arkadios/the Komnenoi. But I promise this- this will not be a ripoff.
As the Viking age ended, new kingdoms rose in the west. The Normans, unable to enforce their claim to England, instead seized much of France as their own fief, killing and deposing the Capet dynasty in civil war. Richard de Normandie, betrothed to Agnes de Aquitaine in 1074, was set to inherit much of France, and spread Normano-Occitan culture to the country.
Germany was wracked by destructive civil war- Italy was a complete mess, and the Normans in the South were the only force of stability
Spain was slowly being conquered by Muslims. The Emirate of Toledo, reinvigorated by conversion to a Shiite al-Haruriya sect, had conquered and reunited much of the former Caliphate of Cordoba. The Christian kingdoms were wracked by war. Rodrigo de Vivar, the great marshal, had defected to Porto. The fruit of the Jimenez dynasty had been crushed in battle with the Muslims, and the infant son of Navarre, Kelemen Jimenez, is ruler of much of Northern Spain. Porto, led now by Rodrigo de Vivar, had seized Galicia and raided Leon. Barcelona had been subdued by the Caliphate, and the one remaining scion, Sancha de Barcelona, had been married to the heir of the Emirate.
But all was not well. Many Muslims clung to old Sunni beliefs, and conversion and stability would take a long time.
In the isles of Brittania, three powers existed. Harald Hardrada had defeated the English lords and his son Olaf Kyrre was king of England. Scotland, meanwhile, had slowly been subjugated and stabilized by MacBeth.
Wales, now free of the Anglo-Saxons, had absorbed Brittany and had become united under Maredudd Dinefwr. His son, Seisyll, was a brilliant general, had claims to England from his mother Margaret Atheling, and ruled Brittany and Cornwall outside of actual crown control.
And what of the East?
The Seljuk Shahanshah Alp Arslan had defeated Roman armies in pitched battle, and had seized the themes of Armenia and Mesopotamia. He had also conquered the kingdom of Georgia, and only the small sheikdom of Albania, the county of Kartli and the county of Syunik remained independent. The Pahlavuni had been culled, and the last scion fled to the Imperial court.
The Fatimid caliphs had been defeated by a new Nubian dynasty from Meroe, which seized much of Southern Egypt. At the same time, rebellion broke out in Palestine, and anything north of al-Quds had broken away.
The Roman Empire, or Romanion, had been in a state of disarray ever since the death of the Macedonian dynasty and the rise of the Dukids. The weak Konstantinos Dukas had died in 1069, and his son, Michael VII, was an incompetent stuttering fool. Much of what is known of Michael comes from the chronicler Staurakios of Kaffa
"Michael in all things was a fool. His speech inspired naught but mockery; his power brought nothing but resentment. His dynatoi made all sorts of plots and schemes, and all manner of things were considered in order to depose him"
Michael, in 1085, had established dynastic succession after his son Thomas had been born to a second wife. This upset the long-established elective monarchy of the Roman empire, and many of the Princes openly sought to take down Dukas. Even the Tarnovo Dukids considered open rebellion.
However, all was not ill. The Pechenegs had been conquered, and the lands went to the Shishman dynasty of Bulgaria.
The Komnenoi holdings had been united dynastically by Alexios Komnenos. Leaving Armeniacon and Paphlagonia to vassals, he conquered much of Syria from his capital at Antioch. He had defeated Alp Arslan in battle, and had conquered all of Syria, destroying Damascus and Aleppo in the process. The major cities of Syria were now Antioch, Tyre and Palmyra.
However, Alexios Komnenos was a loyal, loyal man. He, having been friends with Michael since childhood, was content to bring glory to his name and stability for his son. He was also a dying man.
In 1085, he had been wounded in battle with Turkish forces in Syria. While the war ended soon after, Alexios' wounds had been quite severe. The future of his patrimony would now rest upon his son Arkadios. Arkadios, the eldest son, was a brilliant general and had some skill in subterfuge. His wife, an Armenian woman by the name of Mira Kevorkian, brought diplomatic credibility to her husband.
And on July 5th, 1087, Alexios Komnenos passed away, at the age of 39. His son, Arkadios, was now Prince of Antioch.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, this bears similarities to Rome AArisen, especially considering the backstory of Arkadios/the Komnenoi. But I promise this- this will not be a ripoff.
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