I'm enjoying this, but I'm not sure how realistic Wladyslaw giving the Byzantines all that land is, and I'm also not sure if they'd be able to recover so quickly. Still, I'm enjoying this timeline, so keep up the good work.Thank you for the praise (I'm not too sure how to hand it...).
But I'm not very good at depth... But you can help fix that! I'm accepting submissions for additional writings to help flesh out the timeline!
Just look at the OP on the first page for details. If you have anymore questions, don't be afraid to ask! This really is my first time ever doing this!
Varna Crusade Victorious: The Second Coming of the Conquest Armies.
- Thread starter Putnam
- Start date
Crazier things have happened. However, i do agree that if byzantines were handed all of that territory, emperor would have nominal control over the cities at best, as simply there wouldn’t be enough soldiers to enforce the control. Realistically, even if they would have been handed everything, there would be revolts and provinces breaking away from Constantinople.
Saying that, i do like how this reads
Władysław had a near death religious experience during his final charge at Varna. A near death experience does something to a person (I touch on this in the last update). Also, appeasing the Romans had a certain appeal to it as well.
Also, I do bring up the difficulties the Romans were having in controlling the Balkans. It's only on the word of Władysław that it even had a ghost of a chance of succeeding.
This is correct. There were some minor revolts and some severe banditry in the Balkans that would last for a good third of the time between 1444-1500. However, there are a few things that kept it from spiraling out of control:
1) During the campaign that led up to Varna and Varna itself the military age manpower was decimated. This wouldn't prevent rebellions, but it would help make them smaller in scope and more easily contained.
2) Also, to expand on the first point, the Ottomans also would've recruited (conscripted) men of fighting age to fight in their wars to recover from the First Interregnum that resulting from Timur never mind the fighting during that Interregnum itself. Generally speaking, the people of the Balkans were just straight up tired of war.
3) John Hunyadi, who now rules the lands between the Danube and the Haemus Mountains as a client of Constantinople, is now obligated to use his soldiers to assist Constantinople in securing the Balkans.
4) While this doesn't really impact internal stability much at all, both the word of the Pope and Władysław have guaranteed the new borders of the Roman Empire, which would definitely help with any potential external threats. This point will only grow in importance as the Romans grow more confident and assertive in the east, since they now no longer have to deal with threats in the West.
5) As for Anatolia, most of Roman rule here is nominal at best and the reason why it holds for the first decade is mostly due to the absolute shock of the Ottoman collapse. Karamanid rule over Turkish Anatolia wouldn't begin to emerge until the 1470s and what you see on the map would only be secured (in the loosest terms possible) until the 1480s. Karamanid rule would never be as strong as during the Rum or Ottoman eras. By the 1470s the Empire is capable of at least defending themselves quite well, while even raiding the Turks a couple of times.
So over all, while there are problems in both the Balkans and Anatolia, they're not so bad as to seriously threaten the Romans' ability to keep a lid on things while conditions outside the Empire are also giving them the time they need to recover in both the East and West.
As for the Updates covering the South Italian Wars, these will have a slightly different format and be less wordy. Hopefully I'll be able to put these out in only three parts.
Also, I am considering doing a map highlighting the gradual expansion of Roman Control over the Balkans and Anatolia during this period. No guarantee on it or anything, but I'm certainly contemplating it.
Expanding on what Roman control over Anatolia is like would be quite nice, with that in mind.
Random thought, but I could see Władysław's actions in giving the Romans all that land being compared to the Donation of Pepin. It would be great propaganda for both Władysław and the Catholic Church in sponsoring reunification.
In short, in the early years after the Anatolian Crusade, Roman control over Western Anatolia was a polite fiction that was only really allowed to persist due to the kindness of the Crusaders and the confused disorder in Turkish Anatolia. While there were a few Turkish raids in the period, they were small enough that the locals could deal with them fairly easily.
It wouldn't be until the 1454 Council of Ferrara that a solution to the manpower issue in Anatolia could be solved in the form of basically hiring out the job of defending Anatolia to the Knights Hospitaller in exchange for the Island of Rhodes and surrounding islands.
Also, I am working on the map of Roman Control as I type this.
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Maybe not, but the fact Casimir would keep his throne (and still would probably need to make at least token concessions to Vladislaus) would give Podebrady or Habsburgs force to act against Vladislaus if he wanted Bohemia.
Just found this and sign me up! Rome restored at the very last minute, thank God. And we have a third Emperor Basil, would love to know more about him.
The union of the churches should make Rome ruling south Italy far more palatable as well as making it simpler to recruit more Latin settlers for the repopulation of Anatolia (eventually they'll assimilate, but it'll be easier when there is no official disunion within the church), and if what you said about the reformation is true, a beleaguered pope might have to accept far more Eastern customs and influence in return for the Eastern church providing some needed numbers to back him against the reformation.
Since the Romans are trying to rebuild their armies, would they consider reforming the Varangian guard? That could be a good way to channel anti-Islamic crusading sentiment into something far more easily controlled by the Emperors in Constantinople. Down the line, them defeating the Mamelukes and reclaiming at least Syria would be amazing to see
The union of the churches should make Rome ruling south Italy far more palatable as well as making it simpler to recruit more Latin settlers for the repopulation of Anatolia (eventually they'll assimilate, but it'll be easier when there is no official disunion within the church), and if what you said about the reformation is true, a beleaguered pope might have to accept far more Eastern customs and influence in return for the Eastern church providing some needed numbers to back him against the reformation.
Since the Romans are trying to rebuild their armies, would they consider reforming the Varangian guard? That could be a good way to channel anti-Islamic crusading sentiment into something far more easily controlled by the Emperors in Constantinople. Down the line, them defeating the Mamelukes and reclaiming at least Syria would be amazing to see