Megas Logothetes' and Senators' Reports

[Zim]

1192-1193 Megas Report

OOC: Bolded sections contain the gist of the report for those who'd prefer to forgo my boredom induced style change for this one.


The History of the Byzantine Empire: The Years 1192-1194
A report by Matthew O'Connor
Grade: C-

The last decade of the twelth century came off to a rough start for the young new Emperor Ioannis Tagaris. It was bad enough to have his father's death followed by the denigration of his memory and questioning of the legitimacy of Ioannis' claim to the throne discussed openly in the Magnaura as if a matter no more important than the weather. It was worse when Sophianos Kousinos claimed to be the Princess Anna's son and he and Ioannis Erotikos declared war on just about all family members with the slightest claim as heirs. Of course they had to have two very large armies. And of course the Empire had to be in a two front war against the Turks and Venetians while its economy imploded and the debt sky rocketed.

One would think that these difficulties would be enough for any new Emperor to face, but in 1192 the fates decided he had it too easy and
in 1192 all hell broke loose. In the Hippodrome the Caesar Adronikos Komnenos declared his theory that the throne was something to be won by the worthy and that as he had yet to do great things Ioannis Tagaris was not worthy. With this declaration he seceded from the Empire with much of Georgia and the Northern Anatolian coast, with Tbilisi as his capital. He said he would rule an Empire based in the east.

Before Tagaris could even answer this proclamation another came, this one made in the Magnaura by the nephew of the departed Emperor Ioannis Komnenos, the third Komnenoi to share that man's name. Ioannis Komnenos III declared that the Basileus' will had left the Western half of the Empire to him. He was now seceding with the core Imperial territories of Nicaea, Dardennellia and, worst of all, took for his own capital the ancient Imperial city of Constantinople. There was now a fourth claimant to the throne, and every single one with large armies.

At least there was some good news to come out of the reports of 1192-3. While the nominally neutral Megas Arintheos Voutoumatis might harbor some sympathy for the rebels, the faltering Imperial Economy left no money to recruit troops. Ioannis Tagaris' movement of the capital and Magnaura to Jerusalem was a wise decision, greatly increasing unrest in Constantinople. The citizens could bear an Empire rife with division, but not the lowered status of their city. Constantinople rioted. Loyalists also rose up in Nicaea, Yerevan, and Trebizond. Best of all the move would ensure the people of relatively newly conquered Jerusalem would stay loyal. Less promising were the riots caused by partisans of the rebels in the so far loyalists in Thessalonike and Bucharest. Lowered taxes would be needed to appease them.

All was not lost on the Venetian and Turkish fronts, either. In the east Senator Theo, member of the Order, marched towards Edessa, while in the west Senators Ammonathas and Helarionas raced to Zagreb to fight the Venetians.

Across the Empire, all held their breath to see what news 1194 might bring.

The Save: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/local...id=199&id=4592