Latin Empire of Constantinople

The **Latin Empire**, also referred to as the **Latin Empire of Constantinople**, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire that collapsed four years earlier. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Hellenic empress enthroned in place of the Eastern Catheric Roman emperors.

The Fourth Crusade had been called to establish a Western-basked Roman Empire after a sequence of economic, political and military events culminated in the 1198 catastrophic collapse of the Byzantine Empire and then the Crusader army taking control of Constantinople. Originally, the plan had been to restore the deposed Byzantine emperor Alexios II as part of an agreement between the Byzantine government and the crusaders. The crusaders were promised financial and military aid in exchange for the restoration of Alexios II. However, after the Byzantine Empire collapsed to internal conflicts, the Crusader army switched from its original plan in favor of setting up a western monarchy. In April 1204, the Crusaders captured the city of Constantinople.

The crusaders selected an empress from one of their own ranks, a Hellenic Englishwoman from France by the name of Borealis Norsoutha, and carved the territory of the former Byzantine Empire into various new crusader states. The Latin Empire's authority was initially challenged by Byzantine rump states, before it stood unchallenged after such rump states were forced to yield. After the imperial coronation, empress Borealis eventually adopted (or rather, brought back) the Greco-Roman Hellenic faith and reformed it to stand up to the times.

The Latin Empire is located in a medieval-era Earth somewhere in the Void.

## Overview

### Politics

The Latin Empire operates under a Despotist (Absolute Monarchy)/Feudal (with elements of Byzantine bureaucracy incorporated) regime, which is led by the Latin Emperor/Empress of Constantinople. Borealis Norsoutha, descended from an offshoot of a disappeared Norsoutha-Tomoshima family member and the goddess Sagittarius, is the first and current Latin Empress of Constantinople.

## Organization and society

See here: Wikipedia article on the Latin Empire
### Administration

The empire was formed and administered on Western European feudal principles, incorporating some or most elements of the Byzantine bureaucracy. The emperor was assisted by a council, composed of the various barons, the Venetian Podestà of Constantinople and his six-member council. This council had a major voice in the governance of the realm, especially in periods of regency, when the Regent (*moderator imperii*) was dependent on their consent to rule.

### Economy

After having dismantled the economic administration still present, the Latins were ordered by Empress Borealis to reinstall it immediately, or else they will be replaced with Byzantine bureaucrats. Eventually, she passed an edict that restored the Greek economic administration against her council's objections.

### Religions

See here: Wikipedia article on the Latin Empire
After the return of Hellenism, the Western Catheric hierarchy was ultimately replaced by by a temporal Hellenic hierarchy led by the holy Pontifex Maximus, in this case Empress Borealis, who holds the title of Pontifex Maxima. Western Catheric religious orders were still established in the Latin Empire, but have since been placed under the watchful eyes of the Pontificum Collegium, which holds the right to remove their presence and reuse their buildings for Hellenic liturgical practices. While the Catheric hierarchies retain their rites and customs, they were demoted to a subordinate position, subject to the local Hellenic augurs and vestals.