1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 120 Owl City

Billinge, Castle Black.

The emperor sat high on the throne, with his ministers on both sides and the visiting envoys kneeling below.

After the Battle of Constantinople, envoys from the Christian and Muslim worlds came in droves, one to congratulate and the other to seek peace.

Prior to this, Isaac had received four envoys from Marrakesh, Tripoli, Cairo and Damascus, each with different demands.

The Marein envoys from Marrakesh merely sought normal diplomatic relations and hoped that Isaac would be able to restrain the Christian pirates active along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.

Isaac's Governorate of La Palma on the Atlantic Ocean is very close to the West African continent. Many pirates would use it as a base to harass the coastal areas of Morocco, causing great trouble to the Marin Dynasty.

Nasirlan, who ruled the city of Tripoli, helped the Hafsid dynasty fight against the Eastern Roman Empire during the Constantinople War. As expected, after the war, he sent envoys to beg for forgiveness, paid the taxes owed, and reiterated his submission to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Isaac accepted the taxes and gifts he brought, but did not comment on the messenger's promise.

Mansur, who ascended the throne of the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, also sent envoys to Isaac. Deeply involved in political struggles, he tried to make peace with Isaac so that he could focus back on the country and start to fight against the aggressive prime minister Ashriver.

Isaac agreed to his proposal in principle, and neither side was able to do anything to the other in the short term.

Historically, the incompetent Mansur stayed in the Citadel of Saladin for less than a year before he was driven off the throne of Sultan by Ashriver.

Giacomi, the governor of Damascus who was nominally loyal to the Mamluk Sultan, also sent a personal envoy to Birinci, who mainly made some diplomatic mediation on the Cyprus and Karaman issues, but failed to obtain any guarantees.

However, Isaac still extended an olive branch to the Syrian governor and tested Damascus' current views and attitudes toward Cairo.

The Mamluk Sultan's real title was the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, with Cairo being the political center of Egypt and Damascus of Syria.

During the Ayyubid dynasty, the open and covert struggles between Cairo and Damascus had already begun to emerge, and this difference was infinitely magnified with the invasion of the Mongol Empire.

Later, the successor of the Mongol Empire, Timur, who called himself Guleghan, invaded Syria again and burned and looted several historical cities, while the Sultan of Cairo stood by and watched.

From then on, the conflict between the two sides could no longer be reconciled, and Damascus's loyalty depended solely on the personal strength of the Mamluk Sultan.

In the last years of the dynasty, there was constant strife in Cairo. Mamluk sultans came and went like a revolving door, causing increasing disunity in the Syrian region. Everyone from the emirs to the common people opposed the Mamluk rule.

In order to strengthen his control over Syria, the Mamluk Sultan often sent his cronies to serve as governors of Damascus, but the effect was not good.

These governors were either assimilated into the local people and became spokesmen for the powerful, or were completely sidelined and eventually died in unclear circumstances.

In the original time and space, when Selim I conquered the Mamluks, large areas of Syria surrendered, welcoming the royal army with food and drink, and directly gave up a passage to Egypt.

Selim I himself was very angry, thinking that these cowards could not satisfy his desire to fight and the sense of glory brought by conquest.

This time, the messenger from Damascus reminded Isaac that the infiltration and provocation of Damascus and Aleppo could be put on the agenda, regardless of whether it would be useful or not.

Now standing in the hall is the fifth Muslim envoy, from the Zayanid dynasty.

The Zayanid dynasty, which occupied the Tlemcen region, was the weakest of the three Maghreb states and served as a buffer state between the Marinid dynasty and the Hafsid dynasty.

When the Marinid Dynasty was at its peak, it occupied the entire Tlemcen and half of the Hafsid Dynasty. The Zayanid Dynasty at that time was servile and submissive, and finally waited for the day when the Marinid Dynasty declined.

At present, the Marinid Dynasty in the west was forced to take care of other things due to the threat from Portugal, and the Hafsid Dynasty in the east was restrained by the Eastern Roman Empire. The Zayanid Dynasty took the opportunity to escape the fate of being a vassal state and ushered in a rare period of peaceful development.

The Zayanid Dynasty did not border Cyrenaica and Surt, and there was no territorial conflict between the two sides for the time being. The envoys' demands were similar to those of the Marinid Dynasty, requiring the establishment of normal diplomatic relations and the restraint of the looting behavior of Christian pirates.

Of course Isaac agreed to all of this, but no one cared how he did it.

"Go back and tell your monarch that I will remember his kindness and will be happy to work with him to deal with the threat of the Hafsid dynasty."

Of course, the envoy would not dwell on this issue in public. He just made a few casual compliments and then left.

With the rise of Isaac in Cyrenaica, the Hafsid dynasty no longer had enough energy to control the Tlemcen region. For the Zayanid dynasty, the Hafsid dynasty was no longer a powerful threat, but a solid barrier against Christian invasion.

Of course, if one day the Hafsid dynasty completely collapsed under the attack of the Christians, they would not mind pouncing on it and taking a big bite.

"His Majesty."

After the Zayanid envoy left, a servant came forward and handed Isaac a report from Abel, the commander of the city guard.

"An envoy from the Hafsid dynasty?"

"Yes."

"Leave him alone for now, and order the Slaves Corps in Misrata and the pirates on the Saint Simon Islands to make some moves and put pressure on our old buddy."

The attendants left and the court meeting continued. Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Isult, the ministers reported on their work progress one by one.

In general, administrative officials are doing a good job, their power is on the rise, the political environment has not deteriorated for the time being, and although corruption and abuse of power for personal gain still occur, they are generally under control.

Isaac listened attentively to the new Chief Justice, Marquis Adnan, introducing the reform and streamlining of law enforcement agencies, his mind having long since flown away.

At present, the surrounding forces are in a period of decline and temporarily do not have the ability to launch a large-scale war against themselves. The overall security situation in the territory is still good.

Under the joint suppression from both land and sea, it would be difficult for the Hafsid Dynasty to return to its former prosperity. The longer it dragged on, the weaker it would become.

External forces that are eyeing them covetously will not wait for them to complete internal reforms.

Isaac tapped the throne, drawing the ministers' attention to himself.

"While I was away, you all did a very good job, working diligently and conscientiously."

"I will make some arrangements for the general direction of the territory. The specific implementation still depends on you, my dear ministers."

"First, resume production and free the territory from the trauma of war as soon as possible and get it back on track."

"Second, continue the population exchange and strive to relocate all Armenian Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox who are willing to come to the Green Mountains to settle there."

"Their fields, houses, and basic means of production will be arranged by the Minister of Agriculture. I will have the farm tool workshops in each city cooperate with your work."

According to the reclamation decree issued after consultation between Isaac and the Minister of Agriculture, every Christian willing to settle in the Green Mountain area could obtain a small piece of land granted by the local governor, and the basic means of production were leased.

The central government of the empire encouraged immigration and open up wasteland, and people willing to open up new gathering points could enjoy certain discounts on the purchase of slaves, livestock, tools and seeds.

"Third, encourage people to join the army, actively train, and restore the combat effectiveness of the troops as soon as possible."

Isaac looked at the dozing Marquis Mikhail, who nodded quickly.

The meeting was over and the ministers dispersed. Isaac returned to his study and looked at the map alone, deep in thought.

Although the Eastern Roman Empire won the Battle of Constantinople, its national strength was still far inferior to that of the Ottoman Empire. If it did nothing, it would be suppressed again and again.

Mehmed II was a formidable opponent, tenacious and stubborn, and it was only a matter of time before he could restore order from the temporary chaos.

Therefore, it is necessary to make full use of the past few years of internal and external difficulties of the Ottoman Empire to vigorously develop itself and actively expand its influence, so that it can be more at ease in the next Constantinople War.

At present, the Eastern Roman Empire has three main expansion directions.

West Africa, North Africa, Balkans.

The colonization and trade of West Africa were Isaac's lifeblood. After the Battle of Constantinople, the Eastern Roman naval fleet, which had incorporated some Ottoman warships, immediately headed to the western Mediterranean to re-protect the trade routes.

At the same time, the naval shipyard in Mansreti was working at full capacity, with several large docks operating day and night.

It turns out that building your own ship is indeed much cheaper than buying a second-hand ship from a Latin profiteer, but it takes a lot of time.

Activities to explore the coast of the African continent to the south are also ongoing. There is no need to rush these things, so just wait and see.

The expansion in North Africa required a strong military force as a backing. More than half of its own military force was lost in the War of Constantinople, and it needed time to reorganize, so it was temporarily unable to launch a large-scale offensive.

After much consideration, Isaac turned his attention to the Balkan Peninsula.

From Constantinople to the south, the Ottoman Empire still occupied Thrace, Thessaly and Macedonia, which originally belonged to the Eastern Roman Empire. It was still the most powerful country on the Balkan Peninsula, with tens of thousands of troops, and could still maneuver in field battles.

After the signing of the Balkan Treaty, the various vassal states of the Ottoman Empire broke away from control. Mehmed II silently endured the betrayal from the former vassal states and began to rectify internal affairs to protect the core areas. Isaac's eyes continued to move downwards. In the southern Balkans, the power of the Eastern Roman Empire retreated to the Morea Peninsula south of the Corinthian Wall.

Around the Morea Peninsula, the remaining few Crusader states still exist, like ugly scars, revealing the shame of 1204.

He made up his mind and rang the bell, and soon the servant knocked on Isaac's door.

"Your Majesty, what is it?"

"Please ask Captain Nathan to come to my study and ask him to find the pirate named Lupo."

……

Aegean Sea, Attica Peninsula, Athens.

In the entire European civilization process, the importance of Athens is self-evident. The famous city-state of Athens was born here. It is the well-deserved civilization center of ancient Greece and the birthplace of democratic politics.

The city is named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom in ancient Greek mythology, and the owl, the bird of wisdom, is used as the city's symbol.

Later, Athens and the Greek city-states were successively incorporated into the Kingdom of Macedonia and the Roman Empire, and gradually declined in the years that followed, no longer as prosperous as they once were.

After the Roman Empire was divided into East and West, the focus of the empire's rule shifted to the East. Constantinople and Thessalonica quickly rose and flourished as the capital and commercial center of the empire.

During this period, the city of Athens also experienced a certain degree of development, but it was no longer comparable to the former Byzantine and Chaldean city-states.

In the disaster of 1204, the city of Athens was occupied by a Burgundian knight, who established the Principality of Athens, which ruled the Attica Peninsula with Athens and Thebes as its center.

Under the rule of the Latins, the original centralized system of the Eastern Roman Empire was destroyed step by step, and the feudal system from Western Europe began to prevail.

Later, the Catalan Mercenaries and the Navarre Mercenaries successively seized power in the Principality, and the Axiaari family from Florence obtained the title of Duke of Athens.

With the rise of the Ottoman Empire, this small country in a remote corner could only submit to the Turks in exchange for temporary peace.

In 1444, Constantine, the despot of the Morea in the Eastern Roman Empire, led his troops northward and quickly defeated the army of the Principality of Athens, bringing this land that had been lost for two hundred years back to the embrace of the Roman Empire.

The good times did not last long. With the failure of the Battle of Varna, the Ottoman army marched south in 1446 to punish Constantine's usurpation. The Principality of Athens immediately turned against the Ottoman Empire and submitted to it again.

However, Isaac and Constantine won a partial victory in the Battle of Corinth, and the Ottoman army returned north, looting the city of Athens before leaving.

On October 1453, 10, Francis I, then Duke of Athens, sat in the palace of the Acropolis, looking at the silent ministers below the stage with a worried look on his face.

He summoned all his advisers and officials to discuss matters of life and death concerning the principality.

"My dear ministers, just a few days ago, the envoy of Bilinchi delivered a letter of accountability to my palace."

Francisco I took out an exquisite and majestic document, on which was printed the emblem of a double-headed eagle.

"The emperor of Birinci accused me of helping the Ottomans against their Christian brothers and demanded that I give up my dukedom."

In the Battle of Constantinople a few months ago, in order to prevent the Eastern Roman army on the Morea Peninsula from supporting Constantinople, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II sent the veteran general Toulahan Bey to lead his troops to the Isthmus of Corinth and engage in a bloody battle with Grand Duke Thomas, who was in charge of the defense of the Great Wall.

As a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire, the Principality of Athens was also forced to send an army of several hundred people to participate in the war and provide food and supplies to the army.

Unexpectedly, the once-mighty Ottoman Empire was defeated. Turakhan Bey was urgently recalled by Mehmed II and led his army to the northwest border to confront the border intruders Albania and Serbia.

From then on, Francesco I lived in constant fear that the rising power of Isaac and Constantine would cause trouble for him.

And just like that, after several months of anxious waiting, what was supposed to come finally came.

Emperor Isaac did not give him a second choice at all: either surrender the city of Athens or go to war.

"Your Majesty, did you try to submit to them? Just like before."

one of the ministers asked.

"I tried it, it didn't work."

"They are extremely determined this time. They insist that I give up the title of Duke."

Francisco I said.

After receiving Bilinchi's letter, he was full of complaints and had no place to vent.

As a small country, it has no right to make its own choices and can only be at the mercy of the surrounding big countries.

Moreover, sending troops to support the Ottoman Empire under pressure is not an unforgivable crime, and many countries have done so.

Wallachia also sent troops to participate in the Battle of Constantinople, why did you sign an agreement with them?

Serbia used to be staunchly pro-Ottoman, and Serbian knights could be seen on every battlefield in the Ottoman Empire. Why did you still want to marry them?

After all, he just likes my little piece of land.

"Too deceiving!"

A young knight shouted loudly.

"Let's fight! Let the Greek emperor see how powerful we are!"

There was silence, and no one wanted to respond.

Even the Ottomans were defeated by the two emperors of Constantinople, so how could they possibly win?

"Your Majesty, whether what Emperor Isaac said is true or not, you should respond as soon as possible."

"Although the Greeks are strong, they also have many enemies. You should send envoys to Venice and the Ottoman Empire as soon as possible to ask for their support."

A mature voice came.

"already done."

There was a hint of coolness in Francisco I's voice.

"Yesterday, the envoy I sent to Ottoman Empire returned to Athens. Mehmed II learned what happened and was indifferent to it."

"Just now, the Venetian Doge of Negroponte said that he would never sit idly by and watch the Greek emperor's conspiracy succeed, but he asked us to hold on for a while and wait for the Grand Council's response."

There was another moment of silence.

"Your Majesty, perhaps you can try to ask for support from other Catholic countries. I believe they would not want to see the Greek emperor with heretical beliefs do whatever he wants."

"The Kingdom of Epirus, the Italian city-states, the Knights Hospitaller, and even His Holiness the Pope."

"They may not take direct action against the famous jihadist due to face, but they will still provide us with some support, overtly or covertly."

"As long as you can hold on until the Venetians are defeated, we still have hope."

A Catholic priest offered advice.

"If you need me, I can visit various countries on your behalf and persuade them to unite against the Greek emperor."

"Very good, I'll do as you say!"

Francisco I grasped at this last straw, jumped up and shouted.

"If you succeed, I will gradually ban the Orthodox Church after the war and send all these heretics to hell!"

He turned around, raised his scepter, and shouted at his ministers.

"Gather the vassals and fight to the death!"

(End of this chapter)