User:TheKnightOfOyashiro/Roman History



It is 1517 and Europe is entering a new era. The Protestant reformation rages in central and western Europe, spurred on by the likes of Luther and Calvin. To the east, Asia Minor is entering a new peace as the last embers of war die down and the Turks are subjugated by the Roman and Azeri militaries.

Romania
The Empire of the Romans, more commonly known by the colloquial name Rhomania, or Romania, has just finished reconquering the majority of Anatolia that had previously been lost to the Sultanate of Rum and its successors. Anatolians have flooded into the newly-conquered territory, and within fifty years the territory which had previously been the borderland was swamped by the creole Anatolian culture.

By 1517, Romania was still reeling from the decades of war that had preceded it, with Roman soldiers going toe-to-toe with Egyptian mamluks for dozens of battles. Heavy casualties resulted in the reinstitution of the archontopouloi, an elite unit of war orphans.

Ak Koyunlu
The Ak Koyunlu confederation underwent a major revolution several decades ago, being ruined by war. In the ashes of that war came about a paradigm shift in the regional powerbase -- Ak Koyunlu converted to Orthodox Christianity, likely at the edge of an Armenian sword. Whatever the case, Ak Koyunlu very quickly asserted itself, carving a small realm for itself out of the Turkish lands to the west, from Adana to Ersurum.

Despite the concerted efforts of the Ottomans, Mamluks and Kara Koyunlu, the Ak Koyunlu confederation was there to stay, backed up by Romania and Georgia.

Bulgaria
The Bulgarians began their quest to reassert military dominance in the 1480s, conquering Serbia, Bosnia, and Wallachia in rapid succession, as well as conquering a portion of the Adriatic away from Venice. Much of this was with the direct military and financial aid of Romania -- but in 1491 the Bulgarians broke away from the Romans.

Despite being superior in terms of equipment and tactics, the Bulgarians still lack in numbers and tax base despite their threefold territorial conquest. Their break with Romania may not have been in their best interests, for despite being an obvious target for Roman attempted conquest (and indeed, some among the Roman nobility call for a full Reconquista of the Balkans) they have recently fallen prey to the much more populous Hungary, who have invaded in force. The victor in this war may very well decide the course of the Balkans for decades or centuries to come.