Thursday 12 May 2016

A timeline of Bordurian history - Part 2: From the conquest of Syldavia until the Ottoman conquest

1195: Dragomir of Peshod, now Voivode of Szohôd and de facto heir to the Syldavian crown invades Syldavia and deposes Muskar II, who is imprisoned in the fortress of Poliszchov, across the Bordurian border. The two countries are united under Bordurian rule.

1197: Muskar is strangled while incarcerated. Dragomir installs his son, also Dragomir as Ban of Syldva. Queen Agnes and the Royal Family flee and seek asylum in Venice. The pro-Bordurian Foskar of Nokosz seizes control of Klow, while Dragomir fortifies Niedzdrow, which he makes his capital.

1204-1206: While Syldavia remains under Bordurian rule, Borduria itself is riven by a schism between pro-and anti-Greek factions following the Fourth Crusade, which deposes the Greek emperor and installs Baldwin of Flanders as the first Latin emperor. This eventually turns violent and a civil war ensues.

1206: Dragomir, Voivode of Szohôd defeats the pro-Latin rebels and executes their leader, Borisov of Zug in his castle in Niedzdrow, the new capital of the joint kingdom.

1221: Dragomir, Voivode of Szohôd dies from heart failure. His son, Dragomir, Ban of Syldva succeeds him as King Dragomir II.

1229: Dragomir II is killed in battle against the Bulgarians. Byzantine exile, George Maniotes, occupies Szohôd at the head of a Bulgarian army. He is installed as Despot.

1230. Maniotes is assassinated on the orders of Odomir, son of Dragomir II and King of Syldva. Bordurian rule is restored. Odomir, later known as Odomir the Cruel brings the capital back to Szohôd and installs his brother Migod as Ban of Syldva.

1256: Odomir dies, allegedly from natural causes, but murder is suspected. He is succeeded by his son Bogdan, who orders the arrest and execution of three powerful boyars, Boris of Itzy, Stepan of Prodz and Michaelis Doukas of Buzbag. The southern boyars, led by Manuel Doukas, the son of Michaelis revolt against Bogdan. Five years of war ensue.

1261: Manuel Doukas defeats King Bogdan at the Battle of River Prog, with the aid of troops supplied by his relative, the Despot of Epirus, Michael II Komnenos Doukas. Unwilling to take the title of king, Manuel is proclaimed Voivode Manuel I of Szohôd and Protector of Syldva.

1270: Ottokar, Baron Almaszout immediately lays claim to the vacant throne of Syldavia, being the last member of the bloodline of Muskar the Hveg.

1271: With the aid of Venetian and Carinthian mercenaries, Ottokar invades Syldavia amd four years of war ensues.

1272: Manuel, Voivode of Szohôd is killed in battle against Ottokar. The two countries, Syldavia and Borduria are effectively partitioned. Manuel II succeeds his father as Voivode and Dragomir, a grandson of King Odomir becomes Ban of Syldva.

1274: Ottokar defeats Bela II of Klip at the Battle of the Wladir. He gains control of much of Upper Syldavia. Many surviving Syldavian nobles flock to his banner.

1275: Ottokar defeats Foskar III of Klow and Petar of Douma in quick succession. He besieges the city of Niedzdrow, which surrenders after a siege of 60 days. Dragomir III, Ban of Syldva is hanged from the castle walls and his head sent to Voivode Manuel II of Szohôd in a barrel of salt.

1294: Manuel II dies. He is succeeded by his son, Alexios, who rules for a mere 6 months before dying of plague. He is succeeded by his younger brother Demetrios, who is 19.

1297: Demetrios marries Theodora of Nicaea, a relative of the Greek emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos.

1319: Demetrios begins to show signs of mental instability. He believes that his wife and son are plotting to remove him from power and has Theodora locked up in a nunnery. His son, Nikephoros seeks help from the Turks and from some mercenaries from the Catalan Company and deposes Demetrios, blinds him and banishes him to a monastery in the middle of Lake Poliszchov.

1322: Kept in power by the rapacious Catalan mercenaries, Nikephoros swiftly becomes very unpopular. An uprising led by the northern boyars under Istvan Ogorek of Bytzy initially fails to unseat him but he is eventually defeated when the Catalans switch sides after their leader Bernat de Bacalla accepts a huge bribe. Nikephoros is thrown from the battlements of Szohôd castle. Istvan is proclaimed Voivode.

1346-53: The Black Death arrives in Borduria. Many people die, including Voivode Istvan and his family. There is a power vacuum until 1352.

1352: Bogdan Mleko, a distant relative of Istvan becomes Boyar of Bytzy. He attempts to become Voivode but is defeated by Theodore of Peshod in battle and they agree to partition Borduria.

1368: With Ottoman support, Theodore of Peshod defeats Bogdan Mleko. He is proclaimed Voivode but is soon assassinated by his Ottoman allies. A puppet ruler, his son Constantine is installed, but the real ruler is the Ottoman Hospodar, Orhan Pasha.

1374: Constantine is murdered by Orhan Pasha and Borduria falls under Ottoman control. This lasts until 1697.

1453: Many Bordurian troops participate in the Siege of Constantinople as part of the Ottoman army. Alexios Doukas, the last known descendant of Manuel I Doukas of Szohôd is killed fighting on the Greek side.


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