Year 1000 is here. Despite many false prophets and dumb-struck peasants, end of the world isn't here. No heavenly trumpets are playing and no rivers run with blood. No more than usual that is.
Passing century was the time of great
trial for the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Leon VI rules only 9 years.
During his rein, Imperial Court is blessed by 6 children. But God
turned away from a Catholic Emperor sitting on Orthodox throne, and
without Almighty's blessing, Evil found it's way into the court. Born
in 904 child of Leon VI and Empress Anastasia, Princess Kara Makedon
is tainted with Sin since her birth. Stories circulated around the
palace for years of the odd happenings during the childbirth. Of
birds falling from the sky, dead. Of crosses turning upside down, of
black shadows crawling in the dark and animals giving into blind
amok.
How much truth is in those tales,
nobody knows - truth beyond any doubt is, that during life of the
newborn baby, Makedon family will face many tragedies.
First blow comes in 907, with the death
of Emperor Leon at the age of 40. His hair, Prince Constantine VII
inherits the throne at the age of 8. Two years later a younger
brother of Constantine, Kryllos is found dead in his bed, with no
wounds or signs of struggle. Constantine follows his younger brother
merely 3 years later. Throne passes on to another son in line -
Antonios. He alone lives long enough to reach adulthood and sits on
the throne till the age of 48... perhaps only thank to marriage of
Princess Kara to King Alfonso IV of Asurias. With princess leaving
the Imperial Court, luck seamed to return to Makedon line - starting
slow and painful rebuild of lost territories during long years of
paralysis caused by weakened Imperial power.
While Empire itself survived, their
Georgian allies fell to the Muslim invaders. Nestorian heresy spread
across the Empire and provinces north-east of Anatolia fell to
Muslims as well.
Empire begun restoring order in it's
borders in late 960s and early 970 under rein of Antonios' son,
Romanos “The Wise”. Romanos' son - Alexos ruling since 974,
actually expanded Imperial borders, using weakness of Abbasid
Caliphate in the east. The crown achievement was capturing of
Jerusalem in 998.
Since rein of Romanos, Emperors of
Byzantine Empire returned to Orthodox faith.
Meanwhile Europe was turned into
Karling civil war as different branches of the family tried to usurp
control over majority of their dominion. The long struggle put
Karlings out of power in Germany - rulled since 950s by Immedinger
family. France proper turned into many small duches, slowly absorebed
by Brittany and Normandy from the north, and Aquitaine from the
south.
Today Karling family sits on the
thrones of Lotharingia, Bavaria and Italy - still being the most
influential family on the continent, contested only by the pagan
Rurikids in eastern Europe.
Both dynasties - Rurikids that ruled
Rus, and Oskydlr ruling Ruthenia got into a war over hegemony in eastern Europe. War ended with son of Budli 'The Cruel' of Rus,
Prince Vladimir sitting on the throne of Ruthenia. Surprisingly, few
years later Vladimir attacked domains of his father, starting a
Rurikid civil war, mirroring similar struggle of Karling empire. War
ended with death of king Budli in 997. His son, Vladimir, was now
ruler of both Rus and Ruthenia. Yet, his rein was cut short, just two
years after his father's death, Vladimir died as well, leaving his
own son - named, after grandfather, Budli the newly forged state. 11 years old boy, became a
sole ruler of the biggest kingdom in Europe, stretching from Gulf of
Finland, almost to the shores of Black Sea.
(also, King Alfonso the IV, husband to Kara Makedon is found dead, soon after his 27th birthday. 2 year old child, Alfonso the V sits on the throne, while Kara marries a Welsh nobleman who soon dies. Kara lives till the age of 87 in east of Spain, serving her son and grandson as spymistress for many years. She lived longer than the lifespans of all her 5 siblings put together)
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