Crusader Kings
Palaiologoi Golden Age
Basileus Alexios II Palaiologos is dead, but his excellent reign over the Byzantine Empire has allowed it to ascend into a golden age of military might and economic influence. Now his son, the promising young Kyrillos Palaiologos, is ready to continue his father's great legacy.
Kyrillos is coronated in a opulent and grandiose affair in Constantinople and it is clear that his vassals hold him in high regard, an heirloom of his father's success.
This sterling opinion is not common with all his vassals however, for Alexios' legacy does not sit well with every member of the Empire. One dissenter in particular is the Armenian Count of Lykandos, who was furious at Alexios, for liberating the Armenians from the Persians, only to subjugate them into the Empire. Kyrillos is a well tempered man, however, and is carefully not to cause a row at his own coronation, and thus he endures Lykandos' comments, for now.
Iberia continues its' descent into turbulence with the Death of Sultan Utman I of Aragon. With Utman's death, the House of Dhunnuniyun has been cast out of power by a popular revolt & has been replace by Sultan Utman II Adhaviyun, who has previously been the Sheikh of Barshiluna. This event has also released Castille from its' tribute status towards Aragon, however a revolt breaks out in the fading Christian Kingdom soon after.
Shortly after his coronation, Kyrillos receives a plea for help from the fledgling Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Kingdom is under attack from the Shah of Syria, who threaten to conquer the coast of Ascalon - which would leave the Kingdom to become a powerless rump state, centered around the Holy City and a sparse collection of minor settlements around the dead sea. The Holy Orders of Jerusalem has completely failed in defending against the Infidels, and with their allies from Europe having abandoned the Holy City to its' fate, King Lutbert now turns to Eastern schismatics for salvation.
Kyrillos is a pragmatic man, however, and any opportunity to defeat the Syrians is welcomed for him. He accepts Jerusalem's offer for an alliance as well as a betrothal between his daughter, Anastasia, and the young prince of Jerusalem, Hugo. It is just a question of if the Byzantine forces will be enough to save such a desperate situation.
Kyrillos begins to muster his troops for an invasion of Syria. However he must be swift, for the situation in Jerusalem quickly turns from bad to worse, with the Syrians taking the Ascaloni coast. If the Byzantines cannot retake Ascalon, then the Holy City will be lost once more.
As the Byzantine armies prepare once more for war, Kyrillos' wife Raymonde de Bourgogne, gives birth to a girl, who is named Elaiodora. Unfortunately Raymonde dies in childbirth.
The War in Syria is underway. The Syrians are allied with their fellow Persians in Azerbaijan, and so Kyrillos is forced to hold back an army to defend from an invasion from the East. He sends his fleets to blockade the Syrian coast & to transport his other two armies onto Syrian land. However, the Al-Kesran threat cannot be underestimated, and so Kyrillos asks his Marshal to recruit more soldiers, using a method first developed by Alexios, when he was marshal from Basil III.
The Byzantine troops make landfall in Jaffa, and quickly the province is besieged and captured.The war is off to a good start.
However as events unfold in Syria, greater & more drastic changes are happening in the West...
Queen Clotilde of France was successful in her war against the Duke of Poitou, reclaim la Marche for France. She then answered the call of the Barcelonians, who ever since the defeat of Duke Ermengol III have been pleading to foreign powers for assistance against the Moors. She won a decicive victory against the Sultanate of Aragon, which was still weak from the fall of the Dhunnuniyun dynasty, and recaptured Barcelona for Christendom. However this is far from the only development. Abbad I, "the Magnificent" of Al-Andalus, has died, and his successor, Abbad II, prepares to make use of Aragon's weakness...
The forces of Azerbaijan and Syria cannot oppose Byzantium and the war for Ascalon is shortly won without any major battles, and the Byzantine forces besiege the Ascaloni fortresses & return them to Jerusalem. In fact, the war was so one sided, that the Persian attack from the East never came, for the Al-Kesran Shah refused to waste the lives of his men in such futile operation. A true testament to Byzantium's might!
Iberia isn't the only turbulent region in Europe. Scandinavia continues to be a battleground between Sweden, Denmark & Norge, as well as the Great Pagan Horde of Pruthenia. However, now the Teutonic order has been established as a means of fighting against the warmongering Prussians, having been gifted Sweden's eastern-most regions as a foothold against Pruthenia. The Teutons have also invaded Livonia to help subjugate the Baltic to Christendom.
Having saved Jerusalem, Kyrillos is invited to King Lutbert coronation.
The Coronation is a rather modest affair to other such events that Kyrillos has been to, including & especially his own. The can be summed up to the Jerusalemite treasury having been completely expended by the war against the Syrians. Nevertheless, the ceremony proves the perfect chance for Kyrillos to confirm himself as the defender of the Holy Lands, a title well deserved after the Western powers abandoned the Kingdom. Kyrillos hopes this is the first step towards Jerusalem becoming a vassal state of the Empire.
In August 1194, Kyrillos is informed that a group of Armenian soldiers have formed an Apostolic holy order to fight against the oppression suffered by their people & faith. This causes Kyrillos to remember the angry words of the Count of Lykandos. Clearly something must be done about the Armenians, before they become a problem for the Empire.
Kyrillos is also confronted with a problem concerning another minority of the Empire. The Georgian Strategos Kul Bagrationi has died, and has been succeeded by his father, Gubaz Bagrationi. Strategos Gubaz informs Kyrillos, upon his coronation, that the Kingdom of Georgia has rebelled against Thocomer Khagan and claims its' independence. This is problematic for the Strategos of Georgia, because they claim the title of Kings of Gerogia. Gubaz urges Kyrillos to strike quickly & crush the rebelling Georgians and the Thocomer Cumans, to add the remaining Georgian territories to the Empire and confirm Gubaz as the rightful ruler of all the Georgians.
The war takes only a matter of weeks...
Kyrillos returns to more pressing matters, such as a recent influx of corruption within the Byzantine Bureaucracy. Kyrillos knows that corruption must be combated at all turns to prevent the Empire from decaying, like it did during the disgraceful rule of the Doukas family. In order help with matters, he gives his Sakellarios, andd older brother, Exarch Kallinikos of Epirus, executive powers over the Byzantine administration, to set things right.
This move is not popular among the many factions of the Byzantine court, who do not like Epirus having extended control over their tax. The Doux of Trebizond, the most powerful vassal in the Empire, and the suspected by Kyrillos to be one of the greatest abusers of the current bureaucratic system, protests against the degree. Unfortunately Kyrillos is too prideful to stand for this insolence and issues a new law, increasing the tax & levy obligations of all vassal throughout the Empire. Trebizond's faction replies with a demand that the Emperor instantly reverses this law, or face war!
Of course Kyrillos refuses and rebellion breaks out in the Empire.
The Most powerful revolting vassal, and subsequently the leader of the rebellion, is Trebizond. However he is joined by other prominent vassals, most notably the Exarch of Cilicia and the Doux of Adrianopolis. The Most notable loyalists are the Emperor's elder brother, Exarch Kallinikos of Epirus, the Doge of Cherson, and the Douxes of Nikaea & Moesia. The Rebellion has a slightly larger levy to call from, due to how proportionality powerful Trebizond was in comparison to the other vassals. However Kyrillos has a striking advantage in having the plentiful Imperial treasury to support his army with mercenaries, over five times more wealthy than the rebels, a testament to his administrative abilities.
Both the loyalists & rebels muster their armies, with the majority of the latter's forces coming from between Cilicia & Trebizond. Kyrillos is not as confident a military strategist as his father, and so opts for a quick victory by besting the rebels on the field.
The rebels also decide to go for a quick and decisive victory, sending their largest army to besiege Constantinople & make use of their advantage in numbers. Fortunately Trebizond proves an inept military leader for the rebellion, delegating most tasks to his more competent vassals - however this causes a grievous lack in communications between the commanders, without a common, reliable leader to communicate through, and the rebel army unknowingly walks into Kyrillos' trap...
An Epirotian victory over the rebel forces completely dispels the revolt from Greece. However,the rebel army stops & returns to Prusa, just a short march away from Kyrillos' awaiting army. The trap has failed, and the rebels are reinforcing their 10,000 strong army, with another 8,000 from Trebizond. Kyrillos calls on his brother to bring the Epirotian army to Constantinople to back up his men in Nikomedia.
The waiting game begins, precisely what Kyrillos didn't want, he is forced to abandon Nikomedia to the larger rebel army.
The Basileus hires another mercenary company as reinforcements arrive from Georgia & Cherson, hopefully give the loyalists a decisive numerical advantage. He moves Kallinikos' army to Kyzikos, to attack the rebel positions with a two-pronged assault.
The following battles unfold simultaneously, with the loyalists having an advantageous position in both. However a small army of rebels are seen in Paphlagonia, attempting to reinforce the fighting in Nikomedia.
Luckily they are halted by a small force of loyalists lead by the Duke of Nikaea. Without reinforcements, the battles of Dorieion & Nikomedia are overwhelming victories for the loyalists, turning the tide of war in Kyrillos' favor. Many rebels are captured following the battles, including the Count of Ani, one of the most outrageous critics of Alexios II's glorious reign and a thoroughly corrupt & greedy man.
The rebels are in a shattering retreat. Kyrillos decides to cut of the head of the rebellion, sending one of his armies to go to Trebizond & the other to go to Tarsos (the capital of Cilicia.). Staurakios of Trebizond offers Kyrillos white peace, however the Basileus will accept nothing less than the destruction of Trebizond's vast power, and consequently the Komnenoi's.
Soon the two cities fall & the rebels have no choice but concede defeat.
He takes a firm stance with the rebels, Trebizond in particular, who he is sure to dismantle thoroughly. Not only will this dampen the overwhelming power of Trebizond, but it will also weaken the Komnenoi, who remain the greatest rivals to the Palaiologoi throne. Kyrillos also destroys the title of Exarch of Cilicia, making Epirus the only vassal title that is above.
However the Basileus is not harsh to all of the traitors, granting amnesty to minor rebels lords such as the Doux of Cyprus & Bononia. Though some minor lords, such as Anthemios Monomachos of Adrianopolis do lose their title, for that family has quarreled with the Palaiologoi for years & never respected their right to the throne. The loyalist Doux of Moesia is granted the Theme of Karvuna, while Nikaea is granted Anatolia, taken from Trebizond. Lastly Cherson is granted all of the Empire's Crimean territories.
These significant political shakeups cause quite a stir in the Empire, with some rejoicing, while others plot revenge. However, for now, The Emperor's position is unassailable.
The Byzantine revolt ends in January 1200. The new century looks promising for the Empire, as it licks the wounds of rebellion.
England's dominance of the British Isles continues with Scotland struggling to keep up. Under the wise rule of its' first Queen, Amice de Normandie, daughter of Theobald. English expansion into Ireland continues, having increased their territory five-fold since twenty five years ago, including taking the province of Oriel from the Scots. Scotland is by no means a small power, however, but a number of costly wars with England & Norge have depleted their strength and limited their influence.
In Scandinavia, no nation wields as much influence as the still-powerful Norge. However, recent military setback, in reclaiming the Orkney Islands from Scotland and Halsingland from Sweden, hints that perhaps the Kingdom has more bark than bite. Despite this, Sweden has not yet had the opportunity to challenge Norwegian dominance and so Norge retains its' regional power status for now. The Norwegians have granted the Teutons the province of Kemi, so to put distance between the Prussians and their borders, and for now the Prussians seem content with expanding into the Bjarmian tribes. Lastly Denmark remains a powerful and stable nation as always, but distracts itself with futile wars against the Prussians rather than expanding its' influence into Scandinavia or Germany.
Hearing of Kyrillos' great victory in the civil war, a troubadour and his wife visit the Imperial court, eager to gain the Emperor's patronage. They perform a number of old Occitan poems & sirventes, which are enjoyable, but also a newly composed lyric poem told from the perspective of the corrupt & avaricious Doux of Trebizond and his attempt to supplant his lieges' throne, the noble & brilliant Kyrillos Palaiologos. Kyrillos is a moderate man, and finds this slanderous portrayal of his rival distasteful, though he cannot help but reward the skill of these westerners.
The continued military defeats against the Byzantine Empire has put overwhelming pressure on the Sultanate of Syria, and the failure to keep Ascalon was finally the straw that broke the camel's back. In late 1202, the Shahdom fractures into multiple different Emirates. The Shabankarai dynasty retains power in Aleppo, while the Abbasids rule from Antioch, the Al-e-Ka'usiya in Triopli & the Al-e-Gaznin in Galilee.
The present the perfect importunity for Kyrillos to once again expand Byzantine territories into Syria. He declares a reconquest of Antioch, in the name of re-establishing the patriarch of the city.
Some troubling news reaches Constantinople. Loukas Doukas, the Doux of Nikaea and a staunch ally of Kyrillos has been deposed by Maurikios Doukas, an ambitious and unlikable man, who is no friend of the throne. Currently he rules without Imperial assent, and Kyrillos decides to refuse him it, stating that Loukas was a servant of the Emperor, and any crime against him is treason. Thus Maurikios must instantly relinquish his new holdings & return them to his nephew.
Kyrillos has sent a small force into Antioch to besiege the city, while he is amassing another one in Attaleia to reclaim Cyprus from the Abassids.
The attack on Cyprus is easily won. Meanwhile, Antioch is rapidly besieged down.
The War is won with minimal effort. Kyrillos begins to prepare campaigns to invade the rest of Syria. However first he receives a call to arms from Jerusalem, whose attempt to conquer Galilee has been repulsed by the Muslims.
Kyrillos attacks the defending Muslims, and despite outnumbered, wins a crushing victory.
Unfortunately it is not enough to save the Jerusalemite war effort, for King Lutbert is slain in battle shortly after the victory at Hebron, and his son, Hugo von Oldenburg makes peace with the Muslims.
As King Hugo is Kyrillos' son-in-law, the Basileus hopes that the new King of Jerusalem will be even more complacent with the Byzantines expanding their influence over the Holy Land.
The waiting game begins, precisely what Kyrillos didn't want, he is forced to abandon Nikomedia to the larger rebel army.
The Basileus hires another mercenary company as reinforcements arrive from Georgia & Cherson, hopefully give the loyalists a decisive numerical advantage. He moves Kallinikos' army to Kyzikos, to attack the rebel positions with a two-pronged assault.
The following battles unfold simultaneously, with the loyalists having an advantageous position in both. However a small army of rebels are seen in Paphlagonia, attempting to reinforce the fighting in Nikomedia.
Luckily they are halted by a small force of loyalists lead by the Duke of Nikaea. Without reinforcements, the battles of Dorieion & Nikomedia are overwhelming victories for the loyalists, turning the tide of war in Kyrillos' favor. Many rebels are captured following the battles, including the Count of Ani, one of the most outrageous critics of Alexios II's glorious reign and a thoroughly corrupt & greedy man.
Soon the two cities fall & the rebels have no choice but concede defeat.
Kyrillos celebrates his victory, and allows his loyalists to take full honors as a reward for their loyalty.
He takes a firm stance with the rebels, Trebizond in particular, who he is sure to dismantle thoroughly. Not only will this dampen the overwhelming power of Trebizond, but it will also weaken the Komnenoi, who remain the greatest rivals to the Palaiologoi throne. Kyrillos also destroys the title of Exarch of Cilicia, making Epirus the only vassal title that is above.
However the Basileus is not harsh to all of the traitors, granting amnesty to minor rebels lords such as the Doux of Cyprus & Bononia. Though some minor lords, such as Anthemios Monomachos of Adrianopolis do lose their title, for that family has quarreled with the Palaiologoi for years & never respected their right to the throne. The loyalist Doux of Moesia is granted the Theme of Karvuna, while Nikaea is granted Anatolia, taken from Trebizond. Lastly Cherson is granted all of the Empire's Crimean territories.
These significant political shakeups cause quite a stir in the Empire, with some rejoicing, while others plot revenge. However, for now, The Emperor's position is unassailable.
The Byzantine revolt ends in January 1200. The new century looks promising for the Empire, as it licks the wounds of rebellion.
England's dominance of the British Isles continues with Scotland struggling to keep up. Under the wise rule of its' first Queen, Amice de Normandie, daughter of Theobald. English expansion into Ireland continues, having increased their territory five-fold since twenty five years ago, including taking the province of Oriel from the Scots. Scotland is by no means a small power, however, but a number of costly wars with England & Norge have depleted their strength and limited their influence.
In Iberia, the Christians still refuse to allow the Muslim's complete dominance,with Aragon crumbling & Castille now liberated, it seems that the peninsular has become a battle of will between Al-Andalus & France, with little hope for an end to the myriad conflicts. Al-Andalus continues to be the greatest power on the peninsular and even now continues to expand, following an invasion of Cordoba. However recent attempt to invade Castillian Zamora were repelled by a joint alliance of Castille, France & Navarra. Aragon has greatly deteriorated since the death of Sultan Utman, and has been reduced to the status of Banu Abbad tribute state. That being said, that Christians are far from stable. France is as powerful as ever, but is pestered by the rouge provinces of Poitou & Aquitaine and in near-constant "tests of strength" with its' mighty Holy Roman neighbor. Meanwhile, despite the Sultanate of Aragon's weak state, the Kingdoms of Castille & Navarra have failed to make use of it, with their attempts to reclaim Aragon thwarted by Al-Andalus.
In Scandinavia, no nation wields as much influence as the still-powerful Norge. However, recent military setback, in reclaiming the Orkney Islands from Scotland and Halsingland from Sweden, hints that perhaps the Kingdom has more bark than bite. Despite this, Sweden has not yet had the opportunity to challenge Norwegian dominance and so Norge retains its' regional power status for now. The Norwegians have granted the Teutons the province of Kemi, so to put distance between the Prussians and their borders, and for now the Prussians seem content with expanding into the Bjarmian tribes. Lastly Denmark remains a powerful and stable nation as always, but distracts itself with futile wars against the Prussians rather than expanding its' influence into Scandinavia or Germany.
Hearing of Kyrillos' great victory in the civil war, a troubadour and his wife visit the Imperial court, eager to gain the Emperor's patronage. They perform a number of old Occitan poems & sirventes, which are enjoyable, but also a newly composed lyric poem told from the perspective of the corrupt & avaricious Doux of Trebizond and his attempt to supplant his lieges' throne, the noble & brilliant Kyrillos Palaiologos. Kyrillos is a moderate man, and finds this slanderous portrayal of his rival distasteful, though he cannot help but reward the skill of these westerners.
The continued military defeats against the Byzantine Empire has put overwhelming pressure on the Sultanate of Syria, and the failure to keep Ascalon was finally the straw that broke the camel's back. In late 1202, the Shahdom fractures into multiple different Emirates. The Shabankarai dynasty retains power in Aleppo, while the Abbasids rule from Antioch, the Al-e-Ka'usiya in Triopli & the Al-e-Gaznin in Galilee.
The present the perfect importunity for Kyrillos to once again expand Byzantine territories into Syria. He declares a reconquest of Antioch, in the name of re-establishing the patriarch of the city.
Some troubling news reaches Constantinople. Loukas Doukas, the Doux of Nikaea and a staunch ally of Kyrillos has been deposed by Maurikios Doukas, an ambitious and unlikable man, who is no friend of the throne. Currently he rules without Imperial assent, and Kyrillos decides to refuse him it, stating that Loukas was a servant of the Emperor, and any crime against him is treason. Thus Maurikios must instantly relinquish his new holdings & return them to his nephew.
Maurikios knows that Kyrillos is in an untouchable position, ever since his victory in the civil war, and so rebellion would not be wise. Instead he attempts to bride his liege, a move that does not go down well with a Basileus who takes so firm a stance against corruption.
With Kyrillos' refusal, Maurikios is left with no choice but to submit. The Basileus restores Loukas to his rightful titles. He then turns his attentions to the Abbasids.
Kyrillos has sent a small force into Antioch to besiege the city, while he is amassing another one in Attaleia to reclaim Cyprus from the Abassids.
The attack on Cyprus is easily won. Meanwhile, Antioch is rapidly besieged down.
The War is won with minimal effort. Kyrillos begins to prepare campaigns to invade the rest of Syria. However first he receives a call to arms from Jerusalem, whose attempt to conquer Galilee has been repulsed by the Muslims.
Kyrillos attacks the defending Muslims, and despite outnumbered, wins a crushing victory.
As King Hugo is Kyrillos' son-in-law, the Basileus hopes that the new King of Jerusalem will be even more complacent with the Byzantines expanding their influence over the Holy Land.
Kyrillos attends King Hugo's coronation, and is impressed with the young King. Together they make plans to wage further wars in Syria.
September 1206 proves to be a month of celebration for the Catholics. Rodrigo of Navarra decisively beats the Sultan of Aragon in battle & installs his daughter, Queen Antsa as the ruler of Aragon. After 35 years of Muslim rule, Christians once more control Zaragoza & Calatayud. The Adhaviyun still rule in Toledo, including the important city of Madrid. The tide may finally turning back in Christendom's favor, but Al-Andalus is still as strong as ever and lead by a new Sultan, Abdul-Razzaq, who is a renowned military commander, in the same vein as Abbad "the Magnificent".
Also pictured: England has invaded/inherited southern Aquitaine, and seek to increase its' influence over the petty Kingdom.
More major developments unfold in the Baltic, as King Prusas of Pruthenia finally dies, splitting his mighty pagan Empire into twain, after reaching an impressive life of 74. Having outlived all his sons, his nephew Glande is elected King of the Prussians, while his grandson Kugis is elected King of the Lithuanians. The Scandinavian powers attempt to make use of Prusas' passing, but are mostly defeated by a Lithuanian & Prussian alliance, with only the Teutonic Order being successful in taking any land.
Kyrillos prepares for war with the Emir of Aleppo, to restore the important city to its' rightful Byzantine masters. The Emir of Aleppo will be a more potent foe than Antioch, for he is the Old Shah of Syria, and has a number of important alliances to protect his realm, including Syria's old allies, the Al-Kesran Shahdom.
However Kyrillos' plans are stalled by a declaration of war from the Fatamid Caliphate, who are attempting to reclaim Antioch. For a number of decades the Egyptians & Syrians have been in conflict over the Levant,and the boy-Caliph Biktor will not have the opportunity presented by the collapse of Syria, undone by the Byzantines.
Ever since the Fatamids where pushed out of the Levant & Arabia by Alp Arslan, they have waged a number of futile wars in an attempt to regain their lost territory. When these resulted in failure, the Egyptians instead invaded southwards, having much more success against the Ethiopian tribes. Fatamid success would stop at the Kingdom of Abyssinia, however, which has been bravely resisting Egyptian dominance over the horn of Africa for a century. While Egypt is the mightier power,wars between the two monarchies are frequent & with varying results, meaning that the borders are constantly changing and neither side can decisively defeat the other.
It is for this reason that Kyrillos sends an emissary to Abyssinia, proposing an alliance against the Caliph. In the meantime, Kyrillos orders a naval invasion of Egypt with roughly 30,000 men, leaving 17,000 behind to defend Antioch. Conscious that he has never been his father's equal in strategy, Kyrillos hopes that this bold move will allow the Byzantine forces to get behind the Egyptian army & destroy it, before it can oppose a threat to the newly captured province.
The Byzantine fleets blockade the Egyptian coasts, and also provide vision of the Suez Isthmus, where the Egyptian army is moving up. Kyrillos orders the Chersonian fleet to land in Jerusalem & engage them.
However, another Egyptian army has quickly marched into to Syria & is spotted in Aleppo. Fortunately, Kyrillos' army in Antioch are in position to trap them at Sarmin, engaging them with a small "vanguard" force to stall them in place, before crushing them with the main army & an overwhelming numerical advantage.
The result is the near destruction of the entire Egyptian army. Kyrillos decides that the numbers in the war are now decisively in his favor & the Caliph would be unable to stop a full invasion of Egypt. Kyrillos sends a letter to his ally, King Hugo, proposing a joint invasion.
The Egyptians are in full retreat from Syria. However their remaining army is still large enough to present a threat in the Egyptian homeland & Kyrillos will need to be cautious. Still it is clear that the boy Caliph - or whoever his regent may be, is severely lacking in military skill and organisation. The Egyptian army makes the foolish move of attempting to relieve the siege of Pelusia, where reinforcements from Damietta await to reinforce the defenders.
This desperate attempt to repel the invaders can only end one way...
Pelusia & Dalmattia fall and are soon followed by Jerusalemite successes in Sinai. The Caliph is forced to sue for peace, relinquishing his claim on Antioch & ceding Sinai to Jerusalem.
On the 31st May 1210, Kyrillos & the rest of the Byzantine court, are celebrating their glorious victory over the Egyptians in a rather decadent affair. They are interrupted by the sudden arrival of an emissary from Hindustan. Kyrillos knows the Hindus to be reputable people, for their near-constant struggle against the Sunni Empire of Bukhara, as well as shrewd merchants, and so grants the man an audience. However this emissary does not offer the Basileus the usual exotic wares of the Hindus, nor does he tell them of their latest conflict with the Muslims. Instead he tells Kyrillos of an emerging threat, from the Steppes, a threat that even Bukhara has cause to fear. A Mongol Khan has united the Mongol confederations and has already subjugated some distant Empire known as Xi Xia. Apparently it is said among men that read the stars that this Khan is destined to rule the world.
Kyrillos of course, scoffs at this foolish prediction. Even if these equestrians subjugate some far-off barbarians, how can they hope to challenge the might of Byzantium? For it seems the Byzantine military might is unparalleled, and Kyrillos' position as Basileus is unassailable. The Empire is well and truly in a Golden Age, and surely, it would be absurd to suggest that any foreign mongrel can challenge it...
The Byzantine fleets blockade the Egyptian coasts, and also provide vision of the Suez Isthmus, where the Egyptian army is moving up. Kyrillos orders the Chersonian fleet to land in Jerusalem & engage them.
However, another Egyptian army has quickly marched into to Syria & is spotted in Aleppo. Fortunately, Kyrillos' army in Antioch are in position to trap them at Sarmin, engaging them with a small "vanguard" force to stall them in place, before crushing them with the main army & an overwhelming numerical advantage.
The result is the near destruction of the entire Egyptian army. Kyrillos decides that the numbers in the war are now decisively in his favor & the Caliph would be unable to stop a full invasion of Egypt. Kyrillos sends a letter to his ally, King Hugo, proposing a joint invasion.
The Egyptians are in full retreat from Syria. However their remaining army is still large enough to present a threat in the Egyptian homeland & Kyrillos will need to be cautious. Still it is clear that the boy Caliph - or whoever his regent may be, is severely lacking in military skill and organisation. The Egyptian army makes the foolish move of attempting to relieve the siege of Pelusia, where reinforcements from Damietta await to reinforce the defenders.
This desperate attempt to repel the invaders can only end one way...
Pelusia & Dalmattia fall and are soon followed by Jerusalemite successes in Sinai. The Caliph is forced to sue for peace, relinquishing his claim on Antioch & ceding Sinai to Jerusalem.
After just 4 years of rule, King Glande of Pruthenia is deposed by a Christian alliance of Denmark, the Teutonic Order & the HRE, and is replaced with a Christian relative, King Kugis, "the Christian" of Prussia. This almost instantly provokes an invasion by King Kugis of Lithuania, to depose the weak Christians & unite Prusas' pagan Empire. Kugis of Lithuania is backed by a pagan Prussian revolt, while Kugis the Christian is backed by the Teutonic Order. This "War of the two Kugis" is set to determine the fate of the Pagan Baltic.
In Iberia, the Emirate of Toledo has just barely fought off a Castilian invasion, with Emir Abdul-Hakam Adhaviyun proving to be an extremely competent commander, proving victorious despite the odds. Can he restore Toledo to greatness, or will he crack under pressure from the Catholics to the North, and Al-Andalus to the South?
In France, England has successfully conquered the petty Kingdom of Aquitaine, greatly increasing the tensions between the two countries. Will England continue to expand its' dominion over the rest of Occitania? Or will France's animosity finally put an end to the Kingdom's expansionism, if an anti-English alliance was to form between it and the Scots?
Kyrillos of course, scoffs at this foolish prediction. Even if these equestrians subjugate some far-off barbarians, how can they hope to challenge the might of Byzantium? For it seems the Byzantine military might is unparalleled, and Kyrillos' position as Basileus is unassailable. The Empire is well and truly in a Golden Age, and surely, it would be absurd to suggest that any foreign mongrel can challenge it...
...Right?
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