Proclamation of 1095


Greetings and regards to the Baselius, the Caesar, the Senators, and all people of Byzantium. First of all, my congratulations to the Basileus on such a productive reign. He is to be commended for spreading the True Faith to many places in such a short time.

However, it is such that we now face the consequences of such a rapid expansion. Much like the child in puberty who has grown rapidly in too little time, the Empire is now experiencing the awkward feeling as we try to readjust to our new size.

As mentioned in my first proclamation, our Empire and our faith is in the unique position of being surrounded by nonbelievers. As such, we need to take care that we are not overwhelmed and, more importantly, overstretched. We have expanded, in the Basileus's term, both into the Orthodox/Catholic borderlands of the Eastern Adriatic as well as Mohammedan territory in Anatolia. While conversion efforts have (rightly) begun, the point remains that there are still a lot of people who have not been Saved. These people still believe, after being raised their entire lives to do so, that their faith is the correct one. They will naturally not take kindly to whom they perceive to be invaders coming in and shaking their world.

It will take time to convert these people, but in the meantime we must be vigilant. The heretic Spartacus has led an army in the East that is threatening to undo all the progress that has been made in that region. He must be dealt with. Similar problems exist in the west.

In the meantime, while these problems are being addressed, we must stop to reflect on why they arose in the first place. I believe the answer is simple: Too much, too fast. Too much conquest over too short a period of time. The people of the newly Byzantine lands do not regard her soldiers as a welcoming hand into a loving society, rather, they see them as invaders and enemies. This is disheartening.

I pray that the next Megas take the lessons taught by Spartacus and the others to heart and slow down. Take some time out, fully pacify and convert our new lands before satisfying the greed of some Senators and conquering new lands. Once this step has been completed, we must not be like the fool who bangs his head against the wall of stone eternally, each time injuring his brain, each time hoping for a different result, and learn from our mistakes. We have reached the point where every new territory we liberate becomes less and less Orthodox.

If, ahead of time, we send legions of priests in to preach the True Word and convert the populace, then we will experience no growing pains. If we pacify the lands ahead of time, then when our soldiers do march in to formalize Byzantine rule, the people will not spit in their faces and treat them as conquerers, but rather, as saviors whose rule will better the lives of everyone. Follow these steps and further conquest will go much smoother. As Patriarch, the religious overseer of the only bastion of Orthodoxy aside from the farmers of Russia, I am prepared to sacrifice speed of conversion in favor of effectiveness. I believe you should all follow this mindset.

May God grant you all prosperity in the coming months and years.

~Nicholas III