1278-1279

Byzantine emperor Theodore II Laskaris died in 1278

Game map by the end of 1280

The following is the turn report covering the years of **1278 and 1279**, which took place from 18 March to 28 March 2017.

## The Dance of the Lions

The year 1278 would be remembered on the British Isles for decades to come, for here the seeds were planted for a long period in the relation between the two great kingdoms of the Isle and indeed for what paths they would take in the coming centuries, some even claiming that the first starts of nationalism can be traced back to this time.
The year started with lots of maneuvering as the English slowly retreated southwards, burning the lands as they went stripping it of all resources the Scots may need. The Scots meanwhile remained in their position as they awaited the arrival of their Danish allies. This would however wait until Summer, when prince Arthur had already laid waste to a good part of the land, slaying the sons of the Chiefs Hunter and Armstrong. However when the Danes arrived the tide soon turned against the English.

Soon after their arrival the Danes joined with the Scottish forces in Glasgow and made a fast march southwards to meet the forces of Prince Henry in battle. Henry, wishing to weaken them managed to outmaneuver them as he withdrew hastily eastward, burning down the land as he went. The second part of the Scottish army, lead by king Alexander and his uncle Floris, advanced southward confident that they would be able to reach king Henry undisturbed now. However, as the days went on, they got no more news from prince Sweyn and his Danes, but it was too late to retreat now. As they neared Balliol castle, they were reached by outriders of the Prince: He had been defeated by king Henry in battle, but had been able to retreat in order and was now rushing towards him at the head of his army, but Henry was in hot pursuit. Further prince Sweyn, weakened by the march, had suffered a blow to his leg, which would leave him with a slightly stiff leg for the rest of his days.

Thus the battle was made near Balliol castle, with Alexander and his Scots advancing from north-west on King Henry and his siege ring around the imprisoned Balliols, while Henry came rushing in from the east. The battle proved a meat grinder, as the English archers fought savagely for every inch they retreated, but by the end, the English line collapsed as the camp burst apart into a headless retreat as each man fled for himself. Among those caught in the confusion was king Henry himself, who died with defiance on his lips when he ran into a line of Scottish spearmen. However, the Scots failed to reach a decisive blow, as prince Arthur reached the battle ground just in time to create an opening for the battered Englishmen to escape with some order remaining.
The next year of the war proved stagnant. The English had been decisively repelled from Scotland, yes, as the new king William III, nicknamed "The Scarred Lion" for the military damage he inherited, lacked the economic resources to raise a new army, but that just meant that his brother could settle in in York and use the vast network of border castles to keep the Scots contained in their own kingdom. This war, while having entered a new phase, could be ended now, but it could also continue. Whatever decisions the rulers made, historians would still later disagree whether this war started by Henry III "The Exile" should be considered the last of Henry's fruitless attempts at expansionism or if it is the first of the Dance of the Lions, a series of confrontations between Alexander III and William III which would dominate British politics for the rest of the century. And meanwhile, playing in the halls of Westminster, far from the front or London, crown prince Richard is singing about how he just wants to be a king.

## The Great Imperial Interregnum

The two years that have passed have proven one thing: The reigns of Heinrich VIII and his son Otto VII, instead of being the end of the Great Interregnum, have been merely an island of peace as the same underlying issues remained unresolved and no faction could create enough unity to sustain great challenges to royal authority. Thus proved the devastating Polish victory of 1278. Using the support they had gotten from their German allies they managed to cross the Elbe north of Meissen, thus threatening to burst open the citadel. Otto met them in battle, determined to defend his realm before the gates of his father's capital. He was crushed, as the Polish numbers and fierceness could not be met by the often randomly collected troops he fielded. Otto himself was captured, when he tried to escape when swimming against the stream of the river, suffering grievous wounds from arrows and getting a scourging fever, even threatening his life for two weeks as the Poles looked after him. A priest sent in the give him his last rites fell silent for the rest of his days afterwards. Then he recovered, yet still found himself in Polish captivity. Still, as he did so he was also blessed with his first child by his wife a girl named Henrietta for her grandfather. Still the Empire burst into chaos following the capture of King Otto. Habsburg, Ludowinger, Brandenburgian Askanians, Saxons and other members of the core Wettin alliance stayed loyal to the captive king as Premyslids and Wittelsbachs remained in neutrality, though with great tendency towards the Wettins. Yet finally cracks started to show in the Empire. First were the archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg and the Bishop of Münster, both of the House of Lippe a close ally of the Danish royal house. Fearing further extension in power should the Welfs and their allies stay in power they saw great gains in siding with a new movement. This went so far that even some of their friends in the royal Danish court urged king Valdemar to join the war for gains in Brandenburg. Yet the fire of rebellion was far from stopping now. This particularly so, because the news of Polish victories often traveled together with the fresh news of territories rising in rebellion. One by one the Bishop of Utrecht, the Count of Flanders, the Count of Wassenberg, the Count of Bar and the Duke of Lorraine rose in defiance over the next year, ending on christmas eve 1279 when Count Henri De Luxembourg at age 64 for one last time declared himself king Henri VIII of Rome, with the acclamation of the Electors of Cologne, Mainz and Trier. The Luxembourgians were back, fear all ye, who deny their rights.​

## The First Orvetian War

The other part of this Imperial fighting occurred in Italy as the popes battled the Houses of Premyslid and Hohenstaufen.

They also show a great portrait in difference. Where Duke Ottokar of Austria proactively pursued the war, Henry of Sicily seemed to enter a phase of indecision. Ottokar started out the war with the biggest disappointment: His grandnephew-in-law turned out be a quite pampered young man, fat and friendly, aye, but of no great sense or particular strength. He did bring with him though great lands, alliances, prestige and claims, which was enough for Ottokar. From there however, the Duke encountered little but success. The Count of Tirol with gnawing teeth retired into a monastery, solely breaking off a slice of his southern county to rule as a churchman, but leaving the rest with an immediate letter to the heir of Ottokar's choosing. From there Ottokar marched into Milan, mounting a short campaign, which by the middle of 1279 would lead him to control the county and make the Duke change sides. However, since then he has been unable to make great advances as more and more smaller Italian cities join the pope, such as Cremona, Bergano, Parma, Luccan, Florence and others, fearful of a take over of noble families even in the city of Milan itself anti-imperial sentiment remained high. Ottokar's troops however, still stood together quite firmly, showing few indication that they would break soon, though losses from disease naturally occurred.

The Hohenstaufens and their Egyptain allies meanwhile remained in passive state of control of their lands, basically daring the pope to march on Rome or Genoa to waste his troops. This however also meant that the papal faction could dig in somewhat as far away acknowledgements of the papal dignity trickled in from Sweden, Norway, Hungary and the Templar Order, further boosting papal prestige.
At the end of 1279 the Premyslids despite their great advance suffered now their first setback since their entrance into Italy: News reached them that the Republic of Venice, while maintaining their neutrality, had seized three tiny exclaves owned by the County of Görz as it had become "abandoned without owner" by the usurped count.

## The Burgundian War

For king Louis X the years of 1278-1280 proved to be among the most successful, as he established his rule in the region of Burgundy. By the end of 1279 he had taken all of Savoy without too much resistance and managed to pursue the Dauphine to accept peace. Not so much the Eunuch of Montagu, who despite being no lord of Burgundy continued to act as a bandit would in Savoy, while fighting the French forces. Louis naturally cared little as he returned to Lyon to be crowned as Louis I, king of Burgundy.
This however did not end his war, despite his hopes to the contrary. First of all, he had no idea who he should address as the rightful king. After all he was at war with Otto VII and his vassals, yet his father-in-law now claimed to have been the rightful king all along. Further, the lord of Montagu sent a letter to Milan urging Ottokar of Austria as a fellow vassal of king Otto to come to his aid, something heavily supported by a further letter from the Count of Geneva as well as Kyburg who was present when Ottokar read the letters. Many fear that the war thus will continue on. Still, Louis held Burgundy, and there were few who could just come out and challenge him over it for now.

## The Scandinavian War

The Swedish war of succession has ended with the Estonians winning, the Norwegians retreat back into their homeland.

## The Lion Sleeps

Following months of seclusion in prayer Emperor Theodore II  is found dead in his chambers on the 1st December 1278. An official mourning lasts until Easter 1279 when his son officially ascends the throne in a lavish ceremony. As official cause of death of the aged Emperor is given that god has taken his truest warrior home following his sacrifices in battle and prayer. Already the young *Basileus* must face first tests to his power. One of the great accomplishments of his father was the conquest of Bulgaria and while the Roman parts of it remain peaceful for now, waves and waves of refugees, beggars and bandits are fleeing the violence north of the Danube. Many are uncertain how should be reacted to this as few feel the need to raise an expensive campaign for little gain, while still demanding something be done. On the other end of the Empire the young Osman , who succeeded his own father Ertrugul in 1280 has started a series of raids against his Turkish neighbours. In the Roman court this is seen as the young lord letting his muscles play and testing out what he relationship with John shall be.

## The Holy Land

The kingdom of Jerusalem has returned to an easy truce as no side wishes to break the armistice, thus leaving the Ibelins to rule themselves while king Bohemond tries to figure out how he shall beat them once the war continues.​

## The Mongols

Rumours from the far east tell that the Great Khan has built the greatest fleet in the world and destroyed and island that lies right next to the rising sun.​

## References

https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/before-the-fall.36591/page-11#post-8165705

https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/before-the-fall.36591/page-11#post-8165861