1444, Byzantium Resurrects
Chapter 259 The end of an era
Chapter 259 The end of an era
In the easternmost palace of Constantinople, eunuchs and maids walked around hurriedly with lowered brows.
In recent days, the sky over Constantinople has been covered with thick dark clouds, pressing low towards the ground, and strong winds and heavy rains are about to come.
The light was still on in Constantine XI's bedroom. Behind the purple curtain, Constantine XI was lying on the hospital bed, with beads of cold sweat on his forehead and mumbling to himself.
In the room, all the family members of Constantine XI gathered here, including Isaac's family, Lady Mara, Manuel who had just returned from Serbia, and Andreas and Theodosius who had just come from Constantina.
Lady Mara was holding a warm cotton cloth and wiping the cold sweat from Constantine XI's forehead, while the others sat aside, waiting quietly.
"Brother, when was the last time our father woke up?"
Manuel looked at Constantine XI's face with a sad expression.
"Three days ago, that's when he ordered you to come back and kicked all the doctors out, abandoning further treatment."
Isaac whispered.
"Can the emperor wake up?"
Manuel asked.
"It will be alright, God will bless him."
Isaac walked to the bed, leaned over, and spoke softly.
"Father, everyone is here. As per your instructions, all the senators in Constantinople have gathered in the Senate, all waiting for your recovery."
Constantine XI seemed not to hear it and continued to groan unconsciously.
Isaac watched silently for a while, and when he was about to leave, his right hand was grasped tightly.
Looking back, Constantine XI's eyes slowly opened and his chest rose and fell.
"Go...see a doctor..."
Constantine XI opened his mouth with difficulty.
"Okay! The doctors from Carthage Medical School finally arrived yesterday. They will definitely make you better."
Isaac nodded, but Constantine XI held on tight.
"No... go find them... ask them to find a way to keep me awake for a while..."
Isaac's smile froze slightly, and after a long silence, he nodded slightly.
After a while, a well-trained Arab doctor came to the bedroom and Isaac conveyed Constantine XI's request to him.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this will--"
The Arab doctor was a little embarrassed.
"Just do it, no one will blame you."
Before Isaac could speak, Constantine XI ordered.
The Arab doctor gritted his teeth and immediately got busy, taking out a few dried flowers and fruits from his bag, grinding them into powder, and making a cup of turbid suspension.
Isaac recognized this thing, the flower of evil, the poppy.
Poppy means "hypnotic" and is widely distributed in Eurasia, but all civilizations in Eurasia only regarded it as an emergency medicine and never invented a method similar to burning and smoking it in later generations.
The Arab doctor held the poppy suspension to Constantine XI's mouth and fed it to him carefully.
After drinking the suspension, a sickly blush appeared on Constantine XI's face. He propped himself up with his arms and sat up, waving his hand to drive the Arab doctor out of the room.
Constantine XI looked around, his old and kind eyes lingering on everyone's face.
"Everyone is here, good."
Constantine XI nodded and smiled.
"I don't have much time left. God is going to take my soul."
Constantine XI's concise words immediately plunged everyone present into sadness. Manuel tightly held his mother's hand, his eyes were red, and tears were already flowing from the corners of Thessaloniki's eyes.
Constantine XI turned his head and looked first at Andreas and Theodosius.
"Andreas, Theodosius, your father died too early, and your mother also died last year."
Constantine XI said softly.
"Your elder sister married Ross and you have an ignorant younger sister. Although you are young, you must support your family and learn to be mature."
"Andreas, you are Thomas's eldest son. Your brothers and sisters depend on you, and so do the territory and the people."
"Your father died too early, and I am too old to fulfill my duties as a clan leader."
Constantine XI sighed.
"Isaac will take care of you when I'm gone."
"I understand, uncle."
Andreas whispered.
"Theodosius, you are still a child. You should finish your studies first, and then think about helping your brother manage the household. You are not allowed to have any random thoughts. Do you understand?"
Constantine XI looked at Theodosius, who was cowering to the side.
"I will, uncle."
Constantine XI turned around and found Basil.
"Basil, come here."
Leonor pushed Basil, who was a little afraid and walked forward slowly.
"You are also a man of our Valleoli family. You are five years old now. You are not allowed to always pester your mother and sister. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Grandpa."
Basil blushed.
Constantine XI touched his head, picked up a dagger from the bedside, stroked it for a while, his eyes full of nostalgia.
"This was given to me by my father, Emperor Manuel, when I was a child. I am the third boy in my family, and you are also the third boy. This sword is given to you. I hope you will keep it well and keep the admonitions of your ancestors in mind."
Basil took the sword, bowed, and stepped aside.
"Thessaloniki, Carlo."
Salonica and Carlo stepped forward obediently and looked at Constantine XI.
"I'm sorry that I can't attend your wedding, but I still wish you happiness."
Constantine XI took out another crumpled booklet and handed it to Thessaloniki.
"These are the poems and essays written by my elder brother, Emperor Ioannis, when he was young. They record the difficult years he went through during his reign. I give them to you."
Salonika wiped away her tears and took the book.
“Carlo, Salonika is my only granddaughter. You must treat her well in the future.”
Constantine XI looked at Carlo again.
"Don't worry, I will."
Carlo said firmly.
Before the two men left the bed, Constantine XI called Alexios.
"grandfather."
Alexius bent down.
"Be firm in your resolve, be sincere in your faith, be kind to the weak, and help the poor."
Constantine XI spoke, his eyes full of admiration.
"Go your own way, don't care about other people's opinions, keep going, future generations may not remember me, but they will definitely remember you."
"Future generations will definitely remember you, Grandfather."
Alexios shook the hand of Constantine XI.
"When you were a child, you came to visit my study and were very interested in the armor in the study. It is said that the armor came from Constantine the Great, and the nails on it are said to be the holy nails that Saint Helena brought back from Jerusalem."
"Whether the legend is true or not, the armor is given to you."
"Thank you, Grandfather. I will make it bloom."
Alexios shook Constantine XI's skinny hand and returned to the back.
"Manuel, Mara, come up."
Constantine XI spoke.
As the two men came forward, Manuel quickly opened his eyes and held back the tears.
"When you grow up, you will be a local lord. You no longer need my protection and can spread your wings and fly high."
Constantine XI looked at his second son with a smile.
"Father..."
"You are getting married. I am sorry that I cannot attend you. The few ornaments passed down from my mother will be left to you and your wife. No matter what, Constantinople is always your home."
Manuel nodded silently.
"Mara, what are you going to do after my soul ascends to heaven?"
Constantine XI looked at Mara gently.
"It has always been my wish to become a nun, and I will spend the rest of my life serving God."
Mara said softly.
"Well, you can go to the monastery where my mother lived."
Constantine XI patted Lady Mara's hand.
"Justinian, my eldest grandson, come here."
Justinian walked forward, thought for a moment, and took off the crown on his head.
Constantine XI looked at it for a while and sighed.
"When I see you, I seem to see Isaac 20 years ago, just as proud and confident."
Constantine XI gazed into the brown eyes of his eldest grandson.
"However, your father is steady and mature, while you are arrogant and unbridled, as if no one in the world can stop you."
Justinian remained silent and said nothing.
"You are worthy of being Isaac's child. You are quite capable in many ways. You have won the love and trust of so many noble children, making them willing to follow you and risk their lives for you."
Constantine XI continued.
"This is certainly related to your father's education method, but it is also inseparable from your personal charm. You are not greedy for money, you are not lustful, you are not addicted to luxury and prosperity, and you are willing to share the best things with others instead of keeping them all for yourself."
"You have always stubbornly believed that your father was blessed by God, and that our family is also blessed by God because of our blood relationship, and will rule from generation to generation until the end of the world."
“We can indeed sanctify the imperial power for the sake of ruling stability, but you have to remember that the power of the Roman emperor does not come from the gift of gods, but from the recognition and respect of all Romans.”
"If you can figure this out, you will be the most competent monarch."
“It will be etched in my mind.”
Justinian said.
Constantine XI nodded and looked at Isaac.
Isaac stepped forward and waited quietly.
After a long time, Constantine XI still did not speak.
"Isaac, you are my lifelong pride. Perhaps, as they say, you have been blessed by God."
Constantine XI took off the family ring representing the Palaiologos patriarch and put it on Isaac's finger.
"I have always been very satisfied with you. There is nothing much to say. I have not been able to help you in any way, but I have asked you to do a lot for me."
Constantine XI looked Isaac in the eyes.
"Now, one last request."
"You tell me."
"One last request, protect our country, protect our Rome."
"As long as I am here, the eagle flag will never fall."
Isaac said firmly.
"Good, good, good!"
Constantine XI said repeatedly, turning to everyone with a smile on his face.
"More than two hundred years ago, our family's ancestor, Emperor Michael, recaptured Constantinople, and the Romans returned to their homeland."
"However, many emperors who followed were unable to continue the trend of revival and were busy fighting among themselves. Repeated civil wars exhausted our national strength."
Constantine XI sighed. "Brothers fought against each other, fathers and sons killed each other, and foreign enemies took advantage of the situation to invade. Large tracts of land were lost to powerful enemies."
"Later, King Timur defeated the Turks, and Constantinople was saved. My father, Manuel II, did his best to maintain the balance between the princes of the Ottoman family. He also recaptured Thessalonica and forced an Ottoman prince to submit to us. The empire seemed to be on the mend."
"Yet my brothers and I continued to be mired in internal strife, fighting from the Morea to Constantinople."
"This is the most painful and helpless time in my life. I often wonder why our Roman royal family always falls into endless civil strife."
Constantine XI sat up straight.
"I haven't figured out these issues, but I definitely don't want you to make the same mistakes again."
"After I leave, the throne will be handed over to Isaac, and Justinian will be the co-emperor. You must be loyal to them."
Constantine XI glanced at the crowd.
"Alexios, Basil, Manuel, Andreas, Theodosius, Anastasius."
Constantine XI looked at Anastasius who was sleeping soundly in Leonor's arms.
"When Isaac and Justinian are crowned in Hagia Sophia, you must swear to give up your rights of succession and never compete for the throne. If the eldest son's family line dies out, you are not allowed to send troops to fight for it. The oldest person with the closest relationship will inherit the throne."
"If you disobey this commandment, you will not be allowed to enter the family mausoleum, and your descendants will not be allowed to use the Palaiologos name."
"Kneel down and swear."
Several people were stunned. Alexios knelt down first, and Leonor also knelt down holding Anastasius. Then, all the men whose names were called knelt down in front of Constantine XI and recited their oaths.
"Okay, I feel relieved now..."
Constantine XI waved his hand and several people stood up.
"grandfather……"
"what happened?"
Constantine XI looked at Justinian.
"It looks like Isabella is going into labor!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Isabella beside Justinian. At this moment, she was holding her stomach with a painful expression.
"Go find a doctor!"
Isaac yelled.
Everyone moved in a hurry, supporting Isabella as she ran towards the Purple Room.
"Father, I'm going to go over first. You can rest here."
Isaac said, preparing to leave.
"Isaac, pull me up, I want to wait!"
Constantine XI said stubbornly, struggling to get out of bed.
Isaac sighed, stepped forward, and took Constantine's arm.
"Father, you are like this—"
"Go find a doctor and give me some poppy juice. I want to see the birth of a newborn baby with my own eyes!"
Constantine XI took a step forward stubbornly.
The delivery went on in an orderly manner, and the doctors in the Grand Palace had already set up the delivery room.
Isabella lay down on the bed and the midwife sent the men out of the room, leaving Leonor and Salonica behind.
At this time, Isaac and Constantine XI also came to the delivery room, and together with everyone else, they fell into a long and anxious wait.
The delivery process was very long, lasting from morning to dusk. The children went back to rest, but Constantine XI waited in the chair and once again took the poppy juice prepared by the doctor to force himself to hold up his weak body.
Dusk had arrived, but thick clouds blocked the sun, and the sky was gloomy without a single ray of sunshine.
The wind blew hard, dark clouds rolled, and the double-headed eagle flag fluttered in the sky above Constantinople.
Obviously, it's going to rain.
In an instant, a dazzling flash of lightning flashed across the sky of Constantinople, flying through the dark clouds like a silver dragon, and hit the metal dome of Hagia Sophia heavily.
Under the astonished gaze of the citizens, a bright spark rose from the dome, just like it had fourteen years ago, and then dissipated into the sky.
Violent thunder followed, like the war drums of the gods, rumbling between the empty sky and earth.
Heavy rain fell and a storm came.
Amid the rumbling thunder and gusts of wind, loud cries descended on the Great Palace of Constantinople, awakening the dazed Constantine XI.
The door of the delivery room suddenly opened, and the midwife walked out happily, holding a crying baby wrapped in a purple robe in her arms.
"Your Majesty, it's a boy."
A smile broke out on Constantine XI's wrinkled face, and his deep eye sockets were filled with tears.
Constantine XI took the baby, gently stroked his tender cheeks with his old hands, and wiped away the remaining blood stains for him.
The baby seemed to feel the caress of his great-grandfather, opened his eyes, looked at Constantine XI, and started crying again.
"He looks like me!"
Constantine XI looked at his great-grandson and murmured.
"Yes, he looks like you, Father."
Isaac smiled and nodded.
In fact, this child looked nothing like Constantine XI. His less than one-eighth Greek ancestry made his appearance very different from that of traditional Greek nobles. He had light brown curly hair, light blue eyes, and fair skin... Only the double eyelids inherited from the Palaiologos family were very similar to those of Constantine XI.
Constantine XI, holding the baby, walked into the delivery room with the help of Isaac and saw Isabella, who was still in a weak state.
Justinian ignored his children and ran in early, sat aside, and held Isabella's hand tightly.
"Thank you, Isabella."
Constantine XI looked at Isabella.
"This child was born in a storm and will achieve great things in the future."
"This is my child, what is there to thank me for?"
Isabella forced a smile, her gentle eyes focused on the baby's little face.
"Your Majesty, take him to the Senate and let the elders see their future monarch."
Isabella turned her gaze away from the baby and looked at Constantine XI.
"it is good!"
Constantine XI nodded, took the baby and left.
"Justinian, you go too, I'm fine."
Isabella stared at Justinian.
Justinian grunted and followed Isaac and Constantine XI.
In order to save money, Isaac directly handed over an empty palace in the Grand Palace to the Senate's three-level council. With the support of his eldest son and grandson, Constantine XI held the baby, walked through the corridors, and stepped into the door of the Senate.
The elders had been waiting here early, and when they saw the old emperor whom they hadn't seen for a long time, they quickly stood up to greet him.
Under the gaze of everyone, Constantine XI slowly walked to the front of the stage and, using all his strength, lifted his great-grandson above his head.
"This is the great-grandson of Constantine Dragases Palaeologus, grandson of Isaac Gatilusio Palaeologus, and son of Justinian Capet Avis Palaeologus!"
"His name is Constantine!"
"Constantine Trastamara Palaiologos!"
The elders were stunned and congratulated in unison.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
Constantine XI nodded, an abnormal blush on his face, and handed the baby to Justinian.
"Just now, I issued the last decree of my life."
Constantine XI opened his cracked mouth, tried hard to open his eyes, and looked at everyone with the most majestic look.
"From now on, the previous emperor will designate one child as the heir, usually the eldest son. The other members have no right of succession and are not allowed to participate in the fight for the throne. The heir designated by the monarch will give a speech in the Senate and be examined and questioned."
"Members of the Senate have the right to vote, but they can only vote in favor, against, or abstain. They are not allowed to add other candidates without permission. Do you understand?"
"understand!"
The elders roared in unison.
"After my death, my eldest son Isaac will be the next emperor, and my eldest grandson Justinian will be the co-emperor. Do you agree?"
Constantine XI swept his eyes over the senators.
"Agree!"
The elders spoke loudly.
"Very good, I'm going to rest now, you guys go."
Constantine XI slumped in his armchair, expelled the senators from the chamber, closed his eyes and gasped for breath.
"Isaac..."
"Ok?"
Isaac leaned down and put his head close to Constantine XI.
"I won't go to confession. When I go to heaven, God will give me a fair judgment."
"I've done everything I can."
"The rest is up to you."
Constantine XI's mouth was stretched into a smile.
"Father?"
Isaac was startled and reached out his hand to check Constantine XI's breath.
After a long time, Isaac withdrew his right hand, sighed, and made the sign of a cross on his chest.
……
On October 1467, 10, in the midst of a violent storm, Isabella, Princess of Athens of the Eastern Roman Empire, gave birth to a son in the Purple Room of the Grand Palace, who was named Constantine.
On the same day, Constantine XI of the Palaiologos dynasty died of illness in the Grand Palace at the age of sixty-three.
Constantine XI was born at a time when the country was in danger. When everyone chose to escape and pinned their hopes on illusory religions, he chose to go against the current and supported the entire country with his extremely firm determination and extremely tenacious spirit. He was always full of motivation and hope.
He was a realist. Even though he was not understood by the citizens and was criticized by everyone, he insisted on the unity of the church of the Council of Florence and advocated uniting Western forces to fight against the powerful enemies in the East.
During the Battle of Constantinople, Constantine XI refused to surrender, fought bloody battles, insisted on running on the front line of the battlefield, fought hard for months, and waited for the final victory.
And now, this tenacious and resolute holy warrior has left this world forever and will become a page in the history book, shining in the galaxy of human history.
In the next ten days, the citizens of the city held a grand funeral for Constantine XI. According to his will, Constantine XI's body was buried in the family mausoleum in Constantinople, and his internal organs were placed in golden boxes and buried in major cities of the empire to show that he would remain with the empire.
A new tombstone was added to the Palaiologos family mausoleum, engraved with Isaac's own handwriting.
God needed a strong holy warrior, so he went.
……
On October 1467, 10, the surrounding troops arrived in Constantinople. With the support of the people of the city, Isaac was crowned emperor in Hagia Sophia and became Isaac III of the Palaiologos dynasty of the Eastern Roman Empire.
On the same day, Issac appointed his eldest son Justinian as co-emperor, crown prince and prince of Carthage, but he no longer had the traditional right to co-rule. It was merely a title of heir and he had to obey the emperor's orders.
The next day, Isaac appointed the crown prince Constantine as Prince of Athens, the second son Alexios as Prince of Sparta, the third son Basil as Prince of Corinth, and the fourth son Anastasius as Prince of Thebes. These were all honorary titles with no real power, no fiefdom, and no salary, but they automatically obtained the first-level pioneering privileges, and all the territories expanded abroad belonged to them.
At the same time, Isaac negotiated with the Patriarch to canonize Constantine XI as "Saint Constantine", which was recognized by the Catholic Church fifteen days later.
Next, Isaac, based on the decree issued by Constantine XI before his death and taking advantage of his family's canonization, formulated the first law of succession to the throne in the Eastern Roman Empire, stipulating that the eldest male heir had priority in the succession to the throne, and all other heirs had to swear to God and give up their inheritance rights after the heir was determined.
This bill marked a significant deepening of the dynastic tendency of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Palaiologos family began to transform into the Holy Family. The Eastern Roman Empire was of course still a Roman state, and the emperor was of course still a public emperor, but these concepts had become empty clauses on paper and gradually faded from the people's vision.
This behavior that went against the foundation of the country naturally caused a commotion, and many scholars talked about it, but the soldiers and mounted police all over the streets made them wisely keep their mouths shut. After all, only a few people dared to speak out.
Then, Isaac announced a three-day holiday in Constantinople and prepared a lot of wine and food as gifts for the citizens, completely eliminating possible unrest.
While the citizens of Constantinople were immersed in the complex emotions brought about by the transition from the old to the new, a piece of news came from the East, causing an uproar.
In 1467, after solving the Persian problem, Jahan Shah of the Black Sheep Dynasty turned west and attacked the White Sheep Dynasty again, attempting to capture Diyarbakir in one fell swoop.
However, what he never expected was that the White Sheep Dynasty had already shown great vitality under the rule of the great hero Uzond Hasan, and had even mobilized an army of 100,000 to fight against Jahan Shah.
On October 10, the two Turkmen tribes finally got tired of the long-term border conflicts and small-scale wars, and a decisive battle broke out in the Bingol area.
The outcome of this war was beyond everyone's expectations. From the perspective of an observer, Jahan Shah of the Black Sheep Dynasty was a truly brave general. It took him only a dozen years to defeat the remaining forces of Timur in western Persia and expand the territory to central Persia. He was unparalleled in talent and wisdom and was invincible.
However, after the war, the news from the East was short but shocking.
The Black Sheep Dynasty was defeated, Jahan Shah was killed in battle, and the White Sheep King Uzum Hassan led his troops eastward, aiming at Persia.
(End of this chapter)
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