1092 in Brief

See the First Crusade Emperor Alexios of House Komnenos . A leader this epic does not appear very often in Roman history, and he did when The Roman Empire needed one the most. He is a skilled diplomat, courtier, general, and warrior. Seljuk and Byzantine Wars . Seljuk Turks having been kicking Roman but for a while. The romans have only their leadership to blame, ever since Basil II. In 1091 Alexius has just lost a number of Towns (millions $ assets and large revenues), but was able to successfully defend against an invasion (the Seljuks and Pecheneg) AND a Norman Invasion this year. PCs can be veterans of this battle. Normans . Led by Robert Guiscard and his son Bohemund, they took Dyrrhachium and Corfu (cities which are multi-million $ assets and their revenues). Held only at bay through Venetian Allies and Strategic bribery. Basil the Bulgar Slayer (aka Basilleios II) - the last competent Emperor, before Alexius came to power. He was succeeded by air-head nieces who took on lovers who became emperors till they screwed up. Battle of Manzikert . The defeat that could not be let down. This was 20 years ago, but it had the writing on the wall of the empires end. It signaled the Turks rise to power, loss of the Anatolian manpower, The Orthodox Church . Constantinople is the the Seat of the Orthodox and rival of the Catholic Church of Rome. There was a schism, and it is important to understand that in the end, its about power. Currently the Church is weak since The Emperor has been tapping them for Revenue. Constantinople in the 11C . This is its height since the Justinian Plague, and if Alexius succeeded in countering the loss of Manzikert it would have reverted back to the state in the time of Justinian. The city has technology, bureaucracy, and sophistication second only to the Song Dynasty of the Far east. The city has a mature industrial base and can potentially The Roman Empire . Despite having Greek as the first language, most technology, literature, and tradition of Rome still survived under the patronage of the Greek Emperors of Constantinople. The people called themselves Romani, they adopted freed slaves, vasal peoples, and other ethnicity into their "House" as a form of National Identity. Multi-cultural and ethnic, the Roman Nation still existed. Kenneth Harl is my Primary Source of Inspiration and Historical Material. Technologically more advanced and culturally more complex and sophisticated. Classical Literature was part of Education as well as Natural Philosophy and the Great Secular Philosophers of Antiquity. Literacy was best in the Empire, broken literacy can be found even in the countryside. Roman is a National Identity, and thus despite Culturally Greek and Ethnically Diverse, Rome can be considered still alive. The West has just recovered from the Darkages demographically and has reached a level of wealth and organization that allowed them to launch the crusades. Technologically they have a way to go, but what they do have that more than makes up for this is the Martial Tradition of the Danes in Cavalry Form - the Normans. Titles and Feudalism. Titles are bought (A practice dating back to Roman times, and practiced even in China), with the Emperor and his Vassals brokering the price and gaining it. When a title is bought, taxation and infrastructure is up to the Title-holders competence and capabilities. When mismange the Title holder cannot keep his payments, and thus it reverts back to the Emperor. Families have their Ancestral Principalities, there are about 50 major Dynasties around the 1092, representing each major Town, and City that pay tribute to the Emperor. Major Projects in the Pipeline: Reconquer Anatolia, Deal with the Norman, the Levant, and Egypt.