Four emperors have come and gone on the Eastern Empire's throne in Constantinople and much has changed since the death of Aleksios the Conqueror.
1133 - 1170.
Here reigned Emperor Ioannis the Brave.
Also called the Conqueror, and the Honorable, Emperor Ioaniss took power upon the death of his father Aleksios. None could dare despute his claim to the throne... well except perhaps the other rival princes. But any doubt as to whether this man truly deserved the crown was soon silenced in the following decade with his campaigns south against the Fatimids.
Predictions of the campaign were said to be nothing but bloody, the emperor's finest telling him that to take Jerusalem would require all the Empire's might... despite this warning Ioannis would hear of nothing else but victory. Despite initial setbecks, the Emperor gathered to him every soldier the local garrison could spare and hit the city in 1140, cutting off the defenders and sacking the city inside of the year. Acre and Kerak would soon follow in turn, needing much less force than was previously predicted. The Fatimids seemed on the verge of defeat.
The emperor pushed on, aided by the strength of the Knight's Templar at his side, he pushed into upper Egypt meeting little resistance and sacking the ancient city of Alexandria. As he pushed south toward Cairo however, he found the Fatimid strength rebuilt. Surprised by their numbers he was forced to retreat back to Alexandria and wait. Unfortunately the occupation of much of the Levant had drained his forces and forced them to turn to garrison duty to prevent local uprisings, it was not until 1146 that he was able to push on Cairo in earnest. The battle of Cairo was particularly bloody, seeing the destruction of the Fatimid forces.. Although Byzantine troops were reportedly so exhausted they were unable to push a single step forward. Cairo lay defenseless, but it was not to be.
It was not until the following year that the Emperor was able to push forward, laying siege to the already battered walls of the great city. The defenders of Cairo were few, and after a drawn out siege the city fell in 1150. The fall marked the beginning of the end for the Fatimid resistance to the Eastern Empire in Egypt. Though they would make attempts on Alexandria, they would never again hold a stronghold in the storied land. Egypt was once more a province of the Roman Empire.
While Ioannis still had to contend with the weakened Fatimids in North Africa and in Lower Egypt he decided that his empire would be better served by opening a second theatre of operations. He chose Italy. Too long had the very cradle from which Rome had grown to an empire been controlled by petty city states. Even now the Italian wars were in full swing and the peninsula was in chaos. What had started as trade disputes between the Sicilians and the Venetians had exploded into all out war. With Venice fighting not only Sicily but the Holy Father, the Pope himself! Genoa was also rumored to be aiding the conflict from the background, providing financial aid to the Papacy.
It was the perfect time to strike, while Sicilian and Papal authorities were concentrating on Venice, Ioannis was about to come knocking on the back door. Meanwhile, his armies in North Africa were hunting down the last strongholds of the Fatimids. By the time Roman troops landed in Italy, the Fatimids had been all but driven from their lands as far as Tripoli. Ioannis was now the true master of the eastern Mediterranean.
Initial skirmishes at both Naples and Bari saw both settlements exchange hands to the Romans with hardly much of a fight. Southern Italy was secured by as soon as 1160 and the gaze of the emperor set upon Sicily shortly after. The island, however, was guarded by some eight thousand men, all marching north to retake their lost provinces. It was to their misfortune then that to greet them along the narrow Italian coast was waiting the armies of the Eastern Empire. Utilizing a new tactic by their standards, the Romans presented a shield wall to the Sicilians in battle after battle. With only militias to their service to back up their powerful knights, the Sicilians found their efforts to batter down the shield wall fruitless. Indeed, upon the lines of the Byzantines the Sicilians were allowed to break, in battle after battle the shield wall prevailed. The southern Italian campaign saw a Byzantine force of almost three thousand reduced to just over eight hundred. However that was enough to press onward. In 1162 Roman forces arrived in mainland Sicily.. and in just three short years both local power bases had been capture.
Resigning to their fate, the Sicilians agreed to yield to the storm. The following year in 1167 the unthinkable happened. The Eastern Empire reclaimed Rome herself from the Papacy. Joyous celebrations erupted throughout Constantinople indeed, when Ioannis heard of his general's success he could only smile for the dream of Aleksios was becoming a reality some thirty years after his death. He expected the Christian forces to rise as one upon the capture of Rome, but it would seem due to the aggressive policies of the Pope in Italy not a single king in Europe seemed to care. One could even say they rejoiced upon t he capture of the eternal city. Three years later, even as the war for Italy progressed, the Emperor passed after spending the final 20 years of his life in the city of Cairo. May he rest well for his glorious conquests!
1170-1172
Here reigned Emperor Gennesios the Saint.
Who could seek to fill the shoes of Aleksios and Ioannis? Gennesios came to power in 1170, though his reign would be short due to his old age at the time, is impact would be profound. Already great in his piety he found the faith of many Byzantine territories lacking, and set about the building of many (and I do mean.. many) Orthodox churches. The wars in Italy came to a short standstill as the Romans both rebuilt and ferried in fresh armies from their great citadels in Anatolia and Greece.
1172-1180
Here reigned Emperor Kalliparios
While neither a battlefield commander nor a great building, Kalliparios was a man who ruled from his capital of Constantinople. Content to never leave it's walls and delve into the Arts and culture of the city while his generals continued their relentless wars in Italy. He was a man who believed in allowing the Generals have their way... although he wasn't without his intrigues.
Byzantine Politics.
Kalliparios would become known for one thing above all else. When he was crowned Emperor adopted son was named the heir, Prince Zigavinos. However.. Zigavinos had been a treacherous man since he was accepted into the royal family. Having openly defied the last two emperors in public during their reigns, he stood as a man who had few friends and as even less popular man among the masses. To allow him to sit upon the throne could have proven disastrous for the Empire even at its greatest hour. Therefore it was decided he must be forced to exit the stage..
The battle of Bologna, a city in the North of Italy and the final bastion of power for the Papal States in Italy came in 1177. Zigavinos grudgingly accepted his role in support of the left flank of the Byzantine force. What he hadn't truly noticed, however, was that his flank had intentionally been weakened with militia and mercenaries. When the two forces clashed Zigavinos found his wing was in danger of breaking! Bravely he charged into the breach intent upon sealing it. His actions that day would forever be remembered by the Royal court, for while Zigavinos succeeded in halting the Papal troops, and indeed saving the left wing; he was cut down in the attempt. A hero to the common people, his name was used as a rallying cry for further support in the Italian Wars. And with his death a new heir was named, ending whatever problems that may have arisen with the next transition phase.
1179 saw the fall of Bologna and the final city of the Papal States conquered by the Byzantines, now widely regarded as true Romans. The following year a brutal surprise attack upon the Genoese saw the Republic nearly collapse. Diplomats were dispatched and offered a single deal Become a client kingdom and have their Capital back… or die by the sword.
They accepted.
1180-Current.
Here reigns Emperor Amintas the Conqueror
Having been named heir upon the death of Zigavinos, Amintas proved his worth in the campaigns against northern Italy and Genoa. Not only sacking the city of Genoa but allowing the Genoese to return to their capital just one year later; currently the Emperor campaigns against the Venetians. In a deadly surprise attack in 1181 Roman forces cut off and besieged the only two strongholds the Venetians had left after the long wars against the Papacy. Battered from the Italian wars, Venice is about to fall...
It's good to be the king.
Re: Pics and History of your Empire
Originally Posted by Martok
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Will the Byzantines initiate a new campaign elsewhere now, or will they stop to consolidate their gains?
) The amazing thing is i've not faced a single revolt despite having 0% orthodox in some provinces for extended periods of time, Antioch being one of these! (though i've come close..)
1196. Best. Turn. Ever! 
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