1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 89 The Emperor and the City Wall

Constantinople, Theodosius Walls.

If there is anything worth praising about the late Eastern Roman Empire, apart from the tragic last emperor Constantine XI, it is only the majestic walls surrounding Constantinople.

Although Constantinople's fortifications were dilapidated, they were still formidable. The impregnable defenses of the capital were an important reason why the Eastern Roman Empire was able to survive for so many years.

In terms of geographical location, there is no other city in the world that is so advantageous. The total length of the city perimeter is twelve miles, eight miles of which face the sea, and only one-third requires land defense.

The southern end of the city is closely hugged by the Sea of ​​Marmara, where the currents are extremely strong and storms are always present, making an attack from here extremely risky.

In fact, for more than a thousand years after the founding of Constantinople, no enemy seriously attempted an attack from this location.

Constantinople's southern coast also has a continuous city wall, with more than a hundred large and small towers and fortified ports along the way. The main enemy is not the invaders, but the more unpredictable nature - the violent waves of the Sea of ​​Marmara continuously hit the city, sometimes even destroying parts of it.

The fast-flowing waves flow around this section of the coast all the way to the ancient Acropolis, then head north into the calm Golden Horn Bay.

The Golden Horn itself provides an excellent port for the imperial fleet and various merchant ships. The several districts along the coast are the most prosperous and were the pride of the empire during its heyday.

However, the calm waters here also attracted the attention of invaders. During the Fourth Crusade, Venetian warships landed from the shallows here, broke into the city, and looted it.

In order to guard against possible enemy attacks from the sea, the defenders would usually raise an iron chain during wartime to block the entire Golden Horn Bay, thus saving troops to guard the sea walls of the Golden Horn Bay.

The entire city is triangular in shape, and the base of the triangle is protected by a 4-mile-long land wall, the so-called "Theodosian Wall".

The wall spanned the narrow strip of land from the Sea of ​​Marmara to the Golden Horn, protecting the city of Constantinople from any traditional land attack.

The Theodosian Walls were built in the early fifth century and have remained strong through the ages, successfully resisting countless notable invaders.

"The Scourge of God" Attila was deterred, "The Lightning" Bayezid returned in defeat, the Huns, Goths, Avars, Russians, Bulgarians, Turks, throughout history, foreign races from afar have always coveted the wealth of Constantinople, but have never directly breached the solid Theodosian Walls.

This city wall is not only a large defensive structure, but also the faith of the citizens of Constantinople.

At the end of the Eastern Roman Empire, the original military and political systems collapsed completely. The nobles quarreled over positions such as "Director of the Royal Wardrobe" and "Governor of the Royal Stables", and the common people participated in religious activities all day long, most of which were meaningless.

However, both nobles and common people regarded the maintenance of the Theodosian Wall as a top priority and maintained great enthusiasm in this matter, never relaxing.

The emperor would specially send officials to be responsible for the maintenance and repair of the city walls, and they were called "Counts of the City Wall" by the citizens.

The common people of Constantinople regarded the repair of the Theodosian Wall as their responsibility, and almost every adult male volunteered to join in, which was very rare in the late Eastern Roman Empire, which had lost the support of the people.

The Eastern Roman emperors were well aware that the defense of city walls was of vital importance, and they always tried every means to strengthen the city defenses and pile as many stones as possible on the towering towers.

Due to the shortage of funds and labor, the last few emperors found it difficult to organize large-scale expansions and could only make minor repairs based on the work of their predecessors.

However, things began to change in the winter of 1450, after the new "Earl of the Wall" took office.

On the advice of his co-emperor Isaac, Constantine XI appointed the Genoese general Giovanni Giustitiani to oversee the repair of the wall and began to renovate the Theodosian Wall.

After Giovanni finished the construction and initial management of the pirate port, he handed over the work to Bilinchi's commissioners and several of his loyal old companions, and rushed to Constantinople without stopping.

Giovanni was not only an excellent naval commander but also an expert in city wall defense. He calmly assessed the city's fortifications and took appropriate measures.

At his request, large numbers of slaves from North and West Africa were packed into the bottom of ships, transported across the ocean, and brought to the walls of Theodosius to do heavy work.

In addition, he humbly sought advice from Balsamon, the governor who built the Tobruk Fortress, and boldly used the material of batalan on the city walls, which greatly accelerated the repair work.

"Tell all teams to take a day off today and prepare lunch according to the highest standards!"

On the city wall, Giovanni and Theophilus stood side by side, looking at the busy crowd in the distance.

"Any good news today, General?"

A middle-aged man came over with a smile, wearing traditional Orthodox clothing, but from his appearance he looked like a true Turk.

Orhan Osmanoglu, a descendant of Osman and the only other claimant to the Ottoman throne.

His father had been sent to Constantinople in a hostage exchange many years earlier and had given birth to him there.

Like Mehmed II, Orhan was one of the legitimate heirs to the Ottoman Empire, and his existence itself was one of the few political weapons that the Eastern Roman Emperor could use to restrain the Ottoman Sultan.

The Eastern Roman Emperor threatened the Sultan to pay an annual pension by claiming to release Orhan to pay for the living expenses of Orhan and his people in Constantinople.

As a descendant of Osman, although Orhan never left Constantinople, he attracted some Turks who were dissatisfied with Murad II to come and join him, and was able to organize a force of about 200 people.

This time, Orhan's troops were also handed over by Constantine XI to Giovanni and Theophilus to monitor the slaves and serve as helpers.

Giovanni looked at Orhan and could read deep anxiety in his smiling face.

Compared with the nobles in Constantinople, he is even more irreconcilable with the current Sultan.

If the Ottomans really captured Constantinople, the nobles would not even have to wear white turbans. They could save their lives and some of their wealth by simply submitting to the new ruler.

But what awaits Orhan is only death.

When dealing with their own people, whether they are Christians or Muslims, they will not be lenient at all.

Therefore, Emperor Constantine and Emperor Isaac were very confident in this Ottoman prince, and even his conversion to Orthodoxy was his own suggestion.

"The Cyprus war is over, the Christian warriors have successfully defended the dignity of the Lord."

"The Lusignans agreed to transfer the Armenian crown to His Majesty Isaac, and the elders of the Apostolic Church performed the coronation ceremony for him."

“It’s a great victory.”

Orhan said hastily, crossing himself expertly.

"Emperor Isaac is truly a great monarch, may God bless him."

"I heard that Bilinchi has become more and more prosperous, and many new churches have been built. I don't know when I can go there to worship."

Orhan said this while stealing glances at Giovanni and Theophilus.

As the domestic situation in the Ottoman Empire gradually stabilized, Orhan had basically given up the idea of ​​seizing the throne, and saving his life became his only requirement.

In recent years, Emperor Isaac, who rose in North Africa, opened up a vast territory for the empire and found a home for the Romans to thrive and reproduce.

Against this background, many Greek Orthodox Christians in the Morea and Athens regions who were unwilling to live under the eyes of the Turks began to settle in Cyrenaica and reclaim the abandoned land.

However, the citizens of Constantinople were not very interested in this. Until the end of the empire, the citizens of Constantinople still maintained their former pride and looked down on their compatriots in remote areas.

Orhan was certainly not one of those self-proclaimed noble citizens of Constantinople. He wrote to the two emperors several times, asking to go to North Africa to participate in the holy war, but was rejected by Constantine XI every time.

It is said that the two emperors had a quarrel over Orhan's whereabouts.

"There will be a chance."

Theophilus quickly tried to smooth things over and put an end to this sensitive issue.

……

At the same time, in the Grand Palace, Constantine was concentrating on reviewing documents, his quill pen flying across the paper.

Since he ascended the throne, he has been carrying the broken flag of Constantinople alone, trying to steer this sinking ship.

He was not interested in women, money, or fame. He spent every penny he could raise on the right place and put every talent he could find in the right position.

"Selimbria was harassed by Turkish cavalry, and the local governor requested assistance..."

Constantine frowned, sighed, put the document aside, and prepared to hand it to the ministers for review.

Every time he reviewed documents, he would immediately approve those that he could solve, and hand over those that he was unable to solve to ministers such as Sphrantzis.

Of course, the ministers were unable to solve the problem and could only give a few formulaic responses, which was equivalent to leaving it alone.

"Venetians force people to buy and sell, rape women, and disturb public order..."

Constantine was about to put this document aside, but after hesitating for a moment, he pulled it back.

He gritted his teeth and wrote a few lines on it.

"Demand that the Venetian alderman Miloto hand over the murderer, and let the chancellor, Grand Duke Lucas, handle it!"

Everyone knows Archduke Lucas' political inclinations, and he is ready to take tough measures.

Isaac's successive victories abroad boosted Constantine's confidence and made him no longer as timid as before when facing Latin merchants.

"The Galata City Council is re-elected, and the Gattiluccio family is expected to succeed the current mayor..."

“I have read it, and I will continue to pay attention to it.”

Constantine knew that this was the work of his son, and the letter that had just arrived this morning had made it clear.

Constantine always felt mixed emotions when thinking of his son Isaac, who was doing very well outside.

This kid is so good at causing trouble.

Constantine thought of Isaac's recent letter.

"Actual combat has proven that the Mamluks' traditional infantry tactics have gradually become outdated and cannot keep up with the development of the times."

"In the battle of Famagusta, the lance phalanx of the Third Guards Legion firmly locked the Mamluks' charge route, gradually forced them back, and then annihilated them in batches."

"The emergence of firearms has changed the pattern of war. Those who cling to the old ways will surely be left behind by the times..."

"In this respect, the Ottomans are once again ahead of us. Whether in the production of firearms or the mining of raw materials, they are far ahead of other European countries..."

"There is a serious shortage of copper and tin mines in my territory. I hope that the control of Cyprus this time can alleviate the urgent need..."

"Back in Cyprus, under the attack of the soldiers, John II fled in panic and tried to escape."

"Our soldiers caught John II in the bushes wearing civilian clothes and killed him with a single blow."

"If someone dies on the battlefield, even the Pope will have nothing to say."

"As for John II's illegitimate sons, they all committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

“Then, several forces held a meeting in Famagusta and made a plan for the future of Cyprus.”

What happened next has spread across half of Europe.

After the Battle of Famagusta, the Mamluk forces hastily evacuated Cyprus with the looted treasures and slaves, and returned to the Syrian region under the protection of the Venetian fleet.

The Venice Council demanded a not-too-small amount of compensation and also requested the franchise rights for some products, which was considered to have saved its face.

The new Queen Charlotte de Lusignan was crowned King of Cyprus and Jerusalem in Famagusta, officially ushering in the Queen's Era in Cyprus.

Since the Armenians refused to recognize the Lusignans as kings, the crown was transferred to the Palaiologos family, and Isaac was crowned by the Pierni priests from the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Queen Charlotte was still young, so she temporarily went to Billinge to study, and her uncle Isaac became her guardian.

Under the organization of Queen Mother Jelena, the national affairs of Cyprus are temporarily dominated by the Regency Council, which consists of five members. In addition to Queen Mother Jelena, the Belfa merchants and Baron Julian who represent the interests of Cyprus, Speaker Martir representing the Genoese and Advisor Ymir representing Bilinchi have also joined the Regency Group.

It is worth mentioning that advisor Ymir successfully obtained this position with his rich military capabilities and led the reorganization of the Cyprus rebel army.

After considering many factors, the rebel army, together with the former royal army, was reorganized into two flags, totaling 800 people, respectively controlled by Baron Julian and Advisor Ymir.

The Cyprus War ended.

In the letter, Isaac began to persuade Constantine tirelessly to give up using Orhan and tried to transfer him out of Constantinople.

Constantine was somewhat puzzled by this.

Every few days, Constantine would be bombarded with letters from Isaac, either advising him to give up Orhan or asking about the repair of the city walls, as if he was facing a great enemy.

What exactly happened here?
With the joint efforts of father and son, the situation in the empire improved steadily, and the Ottomans suffered a severe blow.

Murad II had just been defeated and was depressed and ill after returning to Edirne. He was certainly unable to continue to cause trouble for the empire.

Of his two sons, Ahmed was still young and not a concern.

As for Muhammad, he is aloof and unpopular. The last time he ascended the throne, he made a mess of the entire country. He should not be a threat, right?
As the situation changed, Constantine XI seemed to see the dawn of the empire's revival.

(End of this chapter)