Principality of Komneia
The realm of Komneia, the successors of the Empire of the Rasenna and a multi-ethnic state of Lakic, Mykran, Agrihenian, and Yarmezan peoples
Structure
Like the Rasenna before them, the Komneian state relies on its chief executor, the Autokrator, in this case the title of Autokrator replaced that of the title of Dominus and Imperator which were the main titles of the late Rasennan Emperors. The refusal of Western courts to refer to the Komneian Autokrator as such is a direct rejection of the notion of succession from the Rasennans to the Komneians and has caused more than its fair share of strife between the two peoples. Komneian notions of rule do in fact differ greatly from their Rasennan forebearers in that the strength and authority of the Autokrator is derived from support from the aristocrats of the city itself and in this way, the Komneians harken back to the days of the Republic, as rule is not based on lineage but on merit, familial and personal connections to the aristocracy, as well as military competence and diligence. Moreso after the failure to recapture much of Lakia, the Komneian grand strategy revolved around one of defense and fervent military diligence, life on the frontier of Agrihenia bred tough and stout military men, evident by the frequency of Autokrators being elected from the military chaste of the frontier due to their ability to successfully defend the state from enemies. In surviving correspondence and in written speeches, the Komneians are referred to as "Aue Elektalous" the Chosen People born in a world of past glory yet destined to weather the storms thrown at them and reclaim the glory of their past.
The Komneian Autokrator rules from the Purple Palace in the heart of the city from where authority derives both physically and spiritually. The palace is where the Autokrator receives and sends out correspondence to the guild leaders of the city, and the provincial leaders who receive their pay from the palace in order to maintain a sense of loyalty to the state.
Culture
Komneia is an interesting blend of cultures as primarily, it sees itself as a continuation of the culture of the Rasenna, a bastion of pre-Dykairos civilization in a seeming exile from its former glory. In reality, while this may be partly true, Komneia is a blending of dozens of influencing cultures mended together, from the Rasenna to the Mykrans, to the Agrihenians who properly make up a large portion of the population to the neighboring Yarmeza who have linguistically and culturally left their marks on this interesting corner of the world.
Very instrumental in the life of the average citizen of the principality is the Pankomisa Ecclesia, the eastern church which has its roots dating back to the time of the old Imperial Cult of Victus Ouea. The eastern Ecclesia rivals the western Mundana for authority over the souls of those who follow the belief in the sun, whether it be called Deus or Theos. The eastern church places a high emphasis on the belief of personal devotion to God, whether that be spiritual, in dedication and adherence to the doctrine of the faith, or the more tangible in a donation to holy orders, orphanages, poor houses, and other places of aid for the downtrodden. The unity provided by the Pankomisa has allowed the Komneians to survive in a very hostile world and believe in a glorious future.
The image of Komneia to their Western rivals is that of a greedy and deceitful state fueled by vanity and ambitions of restoring a past that is best left to the dustbin of history. The Pankomisa's love of religious relics, items supposedly tied to pious and respected figures has rubbed many in the West the wrong way as signs of Komneian idolatry and even polytheism in some cases, leftovers of the former Imperial cult that the Ecclesia was formed from. Yet Komenian veneration of Blessed figures is not all that different from those in the West, and their love of icons and relics is seen as proof of their devotion and their faith in the venerable "soldiers of God".
The highest honored religious figure in Komneia is that of Blessed Sestaia, a Rasennan clerical woman who in Ecclesial tradition was the spiritual teacher of Emperor Roman IV and as such is tied to the formation of the Ecclesia as a whole due to Roman's reformation of the imperial cult during his reign. Sestaia is the patroness of the city itself and its spiritual defender, icons of hers were paraded along the walls of the city during the Great Siege of 21 A.E when the Khan Turvil besieged the city. Maurice Vatatzes sponsored icons and liturgy call on her to help defend the city and when the Komneians successfully threw the Yarmezans from the walls, Sestaia's shrine was built nearby to Agias Anáktisis where it remains today.
Public Agenda
The internal agenda of the Princes is to reside over their realm, protect it and administer it to the best of their ability. The culture of the state however, very much wishes to reunite the expansive empire they once belonged to and restore the Empire of the Rasenna.
History
The site of what is now Komenia has been inhabited for several centuries prior to its famous founding by Emperor Aurakios. The site was a small settlement on the shore of the Arnziatic and served as a nest of pirate activity for a time. Eventually, it was incorporated into the empire during the reign of the 1st Emperor Marian. Eventually, the city would be refounded by Emperor Aurakios who holds special significance in the city's history as he also constructed many of the old landmarks the city still boasts of.
Komenia as it was renamed, is a name coming from either the bending of the river Propone or from a nearby field called Komenene. Now given a proper Rasennan founding, Komenia quickly grew in importance due to its importance in Agrihenia which was becoming the empire's primary recruiting ground for seasoned soldiers. Komenia benefited as a crossroad of trade and commerce in the Arnziatic as it led to the eastern markets of the Ivanshar and the rest of the empire. Komenia also served as a point of strength positioned near the Oltune frontier and so was a mustering location for armies looking to campaign across the river or to defend Agrihenia from foreign incursion. Overall, the city saw many uses throughout its time of imperial service and grew rich and wealthy from its connection to the other cities of the empire and from its key geographic significance.
Culturally, Komneia is an interesting remnant of the old Rasenna seemingly undiluted by the conquests and chaos of the empire's fall. Komneia was spared the fate of Rasca due to its geography, the skill of its defenders, and simple luck. During the final days of the empire, Komneia served as an exodus from the chaos of Lakia as the city was situated across the Arnziatic Gulf on the shores of Agrihenia. Easily defensible due to its swampy terrain, when Rasca fell, refugees poured into the city across the gulf, and soon Komneia drew the ire of numerous states. Attacked by invading Yarmeza riders, Komneia was put under a siege but was saved by the efforts of Maurice Vatatzes, a military leader and former commander of imperial troops.
Maurice's defense of the city and his driving off of the Yarmeza saved a corner of the Rasennan world from falling much as their mother city had. From here, Maurice would rule as the Autokrator of Komneia, a title meant to strictly emulate the regality of the former office of Emperor. Only in the west is the leader of the state called "Prince" in an effort to dissociate the imperial heritage Komneia claims to possess. So stood Komneia for centuries, a thriving harbor city, well-defended but for a long time without the means to push beyond its walls and retake land that had once, in their minds, been rightful imperial territory. Only recently has Komneia been a surging power in the region, backed by the strong military under Victor Therasius the Elder who pushed the borders outward in all directions against the settled Yarmeza. Now the Principality is under the regency of his son of the same name, a capable commander, and leader himself who rules in the name of his ward Princess Marcella Maniakes.
Komenia as it was renamed, is a name coming from either the bending of the river Propone or from a nearby field called Komenene. Now given a proper Rasennan founding, Komenia quickly grew in importance due to its importance in Agrihenia which was becoming the empire's primary recruiting ground for seasoned soldiers. Komenia benefited as a crossroad of trade and commerce in the Arnziatic as it led to the eastern markets of the Ivanshar and the rest of the empire. Komenia also served as a point of strength positioned near the Oltune frontier and so was a mustering location for armies looking to campaign across the river or to defend Agrihenia from foreign incursion. Overall, the city saw many uses throughout its time of imperial service and grew rich and wealthy from its connection to the other cities of the empire and from its key geographic significance.
Culturally, Komneia is an interesting remnant of the old Rasenna seemingly undiluted by the conquests and chaos of the empire's fall. Komneia was spared the fate of Rasca due to its geography, the skill of its defenders, and simple luck. During the final days of the empire, Komneia served as an exodus from the chaos of Lakia as the city was situated across the Arnziatic Gulf on the shores of Agrihenia. Easily defensible due to its swampy terrain, when Rasca fell, refugees poured into the city across the gulf, and soon Komneia drew the ire of numerous states. Attacked by invading Yarmeza riders, Komneia was put under a siege but was saved by the efforts of Maurice Vatatzes, a military leader and former commander of imperial troops.
Maurice's defense of the city and his driving off of the Yarmeza saved a corner of the Rasennan world from falling much as their mother city had. From here, Maurice would rule as the Autokrator of Komneia, a title meant to strictly emulate the regality of the former office of Emperor. Only in the west is the leader of the state called "Prince" in an effort to dissociate the imperial heritage Komneia claims to possess. So stood Komneia for centuries, a thriving harbor city, well-defended but for a long time without the means to push beyond its walls and retake land that had once, in their minds, been rightful imperial territory. Only recently has Komneia been a surging power in the region, backed by the strong military under Victor Therasius the Elder who pushed the borders outward in all directions against the settled Yarmeza. Now the Principality is under the regency of his son of the same name, a capable commander, and leader himself who rules in the name of his ward Princess Marcella Maniakes.
Demography and Population
Much of the demographics of the Principality reflect the reality of the state's situation. The vast majority of the state's population are rural Agrihenian farmers with ties to this portion of the former empire. Only in the capital of Komneia itself can one see the resemblance between the Principality and the former empire as imperial iconography is almost exclusively seen in the capital and little elsewhere. Further south, Mykran influence can still be seen and the Exarchate maintains a sense of only being under the suzerainty of Komenia instead of an outright theme in the Principality's system.
Territories
In terms of the area governed, the Principality has never been larger, during the early century of the Dykairos the state-controlled little outside the city of Komenia besides suburbs under the shadow of the city. In these hard times, the military had broken down and was robbed of valuable manpower by disaster, infighting, and plague. Gradually, the state peered over the Macerian Wall and was able to consolidate its hold on the far-flung suburbs of the city. In the 3rd century A.E, the state largely reclaimed the Agrihenian coast and reestablished its position as a mercantile destination and trading hub. In the bloody 5th century, the Principality was beset on two fronts by invading Hedbard mercenaries and migrating Davniaks. In the mid to late 600s, the Principality experienced a recovery that allowed it to expand greatly thanks to the successive military leaders and Princes such as Theophilos II, Theophilos III, Ardanes Therasius, his son Victor and grandson of the same name. By 707 A.E, the Principality has returned to the southern bank of the Oltune and retook the Mykran peninsula and the Rhaesseos, governing under the Exarchate of Mykra.
Military
Much of the early Komneian army was transitioned from the late Rasennan imperial army. The late Rasennan army was a force consisting mainly of allied and mercenary federate troops with a citizen corp of salary soldiers composing the elite guards of the tagma. However, as Komneia began to form around the last imperial remnant, the vestiges of the Rasennan system were done away with over time as the principality was beset by internal and external pressures. The first system to be abandoned was the use of federate troops, not only were they too costly, but had proven a dangerous force in the political arena as a base of power for would-be usurpers. As such, the Komneian army was significantly smaller and less professional than previous incarnations of the Rasennan system. However, the reliability of the army improved as citizen soldiers were what composed the majority of the army now. During the chaotic 2nd and 3rd centuries, the Komneian system relied heavily on a general levy, as well as a small corp of elite soldiers of the Autokrator's palatial units, leftovers of the Hyteoi, the only guard unit of the Imperial Tagma to survive the destruction of the empire.
However, issues with this system began to be unable to be ignored due to the tensions and conflicts between aristocrats in the city. Particular was the strife between the two urban prefects Lukus and Opellio. With violent power struggles spilling out inside the city, the military took effective command of the Principality, enforced order, and soon a new aristocratic class developed. The two generals, George Kouriadi and Matthaios Khalkhaletos reached an agreement to share power, and effectively both men ran the principality, with Kouriadi being recognized as the senior Prince and the younger Khalkhaletos as the junior partner and his heir. Kouradi and Khalkhaletos began to rely on a new system of land allotments, a grant, called a Ditagi, was given and granted the holder the right to administer tax and income collection, as well as the order to assess the military potential of the land enclosing their perimeter. Significantly, the grant did not give the holder the right to raise military forces, this was still the duty of the generals of the Autokrator. As such, the Kratidonia, or "ruler's donative" was a sorely needed reformation of the Komneian administration, decentralizing the system that had caused massive strife and unrest in the city as the aristocrats now vied for power in the realm's hinterlands, not inside the capital.
For much of the 5th century, Komneia was dominated by the Kouriadi-Khalkhaletos political alliance, as George Kouriadi's son Leo succeeded Matthaios Khalkhaletos after his death. Married to Khalkaletos' daughter Maria, Leo's son was the prominent John Kouriadi, whose thirty-year reign saw the beginning of the Komneian revival and a surge in the state's military strength. John Kouriadi's reign benefitted greatly from the reforms of his great-grandfather and grandfather, but he would expand this system further as he issued the greatest amount of Ditagi permits, splitting up the powerful class that had developed, ensuring that the Autokrator's power over these lands would remain unchallengeable. Under John Kouradi, the class of unlanded aristocracy that had developed under his predecessors was wiped away. Loyal supporters of Kouradi's, called "new men" or Neoi Anthroponoi came to dilute whatever power the Dononai, the donative class, once possessed.
John Kouriadi was able to greatly expand the Komneian army as its numbers swelled over time and with this available manpower, the principality fought two wars on two different fronts against the Hedbards of Lakia and the marauding Davniaks across the Oltune River. Also vital to this revitalization was the diplomatic efforts of the Kouriadi-Khalkhaletos as John married Conrada Hohengoff, the sister of the powerful Friedrich VI who had come to power and would jumpstart his dynasty to one day become monarch of Great Salia.
Through the revival of Komneia's military, John Kouriadi's successors managed to rule firmly and ensure that the state remained stable. The alliance between the Kouriadi and Khalkaletos families increased with the inclusion of the Kouriaktos and later Aurean families. As the Kouriadi-Khalkhaletos families slowly fell from grace, these two families emulated the familial alliances of the former and together they would continue the Komneian golden age through notable rulers like Theophilos II and his grandson Theophilos III Enáretos.
Foreign Relations
Generally, the Komneian Principality holds an odd place in its relations with much of the wider world. Still very much holding on to its Rasennan roots, Komneian diplomats are characterized by their prideful nature and authority when speaking. This has continued to make Komenia seem a distant relic of the imperial past to many of the courts of the west and the east. On the ground, there exists a tense distrust of western outsiders who many consider being directly responsible for the destruction of the Rasennan state. The Komneian government is seen as decadent, powerful yet inherently distrusted as their tendency to throw money at their enemies has caused some grief among those who receive this payment as the public appearance of being bought off by the Komneians has caused some to betray that agreement on the pretense of reclaiming their self-determination in the eyes of their followers.
Trade & Transport
The Principality survives abroad based on the revenue brought in by their state-sponsored mercantile guilds. Unlike other corners of the world that shirk the mercantile class in their kingdoms and states, the Principality has grown wealthy on the trade winds and caravans of its mercantile class. This importance to the wealth of the state has won this class privileges in the state and in the minds of the people as they are some of the wealthiest and while not as respected as the noble or the military aristocracies, in official circles they are treated with the respect and reverence that befits their importance in the Komneian survival plan.
Infrastructure
Maintainance of the infrastructure of the capital at Komneia is well attested before 707 A.E. The Kirean Cisterns, those built by the urban prefect Kires in the 1st century B.E are the three largest sources of freshwater for the city and measure approximately 500 by 300 feet and are capable of holding 2,800,000- 3 million cubic feet of water. These cisterns mainly collect rainwater and water from the Propone which flows through the city for most of the year.
"O Theós na sósei tous anthrópous sou" (God Save your People)
(The professional Akiratai soldiers of the newly refounded themes)
Founding Date
22 A.E
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Alternative Names
Native name- Rahennia (Land of the Rasennans)
Predecessor Organization
Formation Type
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Demonym
Komneian
Leader
Leader Title
Founders
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Command/Planned economy
Currency
During the hard years after the fall of the Empire and the founding of Komenia, the imperial currency was able to remain in place yet heavily debased as a result of previous measures taken by Emperors and Autokrators to fund the raising of armies. By the 3rd century, the Solidus had been so thoroughly debased that its gold content was nearly zero, and following economic reforms began by the Byzieri Theodore Veranis, the Solidus was finally replaced by the Pyron. This was of the same standard weight as the solidus, but only 20.5-carat purity instead of the standard 24 carats, resulting in a reduced gold content of only 4.1 grams instead of 4.8 grams. The lower purity was necessary due to the inclusion of earlier debased coinage. The Pyron however, was also replaced soon after as it too was debased thoroughly and by the 5th century, the Pyron was soon replaced by the Prankipa, a silver coin that proved much more stable and has only become slightly replaced by new gold coins in the 7th century, as Komneian power grew and its economic power stabilized.
Legislative Body
The later era of the Rasennan Dominate saw power completely transfer from the outdated Curia of the long-dead Republic into the palace and solely to the Emperor and his palace bureaucrats and officials. These men formed the basis of the Komenian legislative body and are mainly composed of influential families living in and around the capital. Today, the Komneian Kuria is a more powerful legislative body than its Rasennan imperial counterpart and acts as the body with the authority to appoint Princes from among their ranks. Yet so, the Kuria remains subservient to the Prince, as all powers remain vested in the executive office and the bestowing of titles and privileges.
Judicial Body
Inheriting much of the judicial basis from the Rasenna, the Komneian system of law is based on the law codes of Emperor Roman IV Vasilaiós, one of the most influential emperors of the later Dominate. Roman compiled his law codes based on the ill-defined laws and rulings of the Empire and the Republic and set the precedent for the law of the Rasenna all the way to the empire's fall. Many interpretations exist of the law in this case, with ideas such as Komneian Ereugetia, that of public good deeds remains strong among the aristocracy as both a way of showcasing their wealth and also of showing their generosity in providing public services to the poor of the realm.
Executive Body
At the head of government, the ruler of the state is the Autokrator of the realm.
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Related Traditions
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Comments