That happened one thousand two hundred years from this era, something that can be called the future.
The origin of everything should be traced back to the First Crusade.
Pope Urban II at that time may have been worried about competing against the Holy Roman Empire, which was growing in power in Europe and was trying to put royal power above divine power. Perhaps it was because the holy city of Jerusalem was in the hands of pagans. anger------
Or maybe it was simply to respond to the Eastern Roman Empire's request for help after it lost a large area of land in Asia.
In short, the mighty Crusaders from various European countries began to march towards the holy city of Jerusalem, accompanied by the slogan of Pope Urban II.
The originally fragmented continent of Europe seemed to be reunited under the call of the Crusaders, once again glowing with the glory of the Roman Empire and Charlemagne's Frankish Empire.
The Christian Church, which has been greatly divided into the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, also seems to be seeing the light of reconciliation again.
Perhaps the Pope had all the above reasons and conspiracies when organizing the Crusade, and even more——————
But at least once the Crusaders were organized and embarked on their journey, this war no longer belonged solely to the Pope and the Church.
The purpose of most of them is not to plunder, nor to kill, nor to make achievements.
Most of the veterans who participated in the Crusades simply brought home a handful of soil from the Holy City.
They simply believe and believe, and even if they die, they still have to face the Holy City.
brave? madness?
The lines are blurry.
But at least they are dazzling.
There is no justice in war and killing.
But in the eyes of the Crusaders, they were already walking on the path of justice.
In the name of God.
Those were probably one of the few dazzling moments in what would later be called the Middle Ages.
That Crusade, the first Crusade, was also the only Crusade that achieved complete victory.
It is sung as a miracle in this world, and it is refreshing as a contemporary legend. Just thinking about being a member of the Crusaders and going through all kinds of hardships under the temple of the holy city of Jerusalem with him. The scene of his colleagues cheering together is enough to make people's blood boil.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem, the "Kingdom of Heaven", was established during this Crusade, and the Eastern Roman Empire also recovered a large amount of lost territory with the help of the Crusaders.
Michael VIII grew up hearing such stories.
But the impression left by the "Crusader" on him was not as glorious as the story.
Michael VIII's mother was a member of the royal family of the Eastern Roman Empire, and her grandfather was Alexius III, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.
But all this glory has ended long ago.
Because in the fourth expedition, the Crusaders who had established the Kingdom of Heaven were bewitched by Venetian merchants and turned their spearhead against the Eastern Roman Empire, which also believed in Jesus Christ.
Constantinople fell.
Emperor Alexios III fled from Constantinople with gold and treasures, and traveled to several small countries that established themselves after the collapse of the empire, trying to restore his crown.
But having lost everything, he could not order anyone, including his son-in-law, Theodore I, to establish the Nicaea Empire on the territory of the original Eastern Roman Empire.
Eventually, Alexios III was imprisoned in a monastery in the Nicaean Empire for the rest of his life.
As the decades passed, the glory of the Eastern Roman Empire seemed to have gradually faded away. In the end, only the Latin Empire established by the Crusaders and several countries founded on the old sites of the Eastern Roman Empire remained in the Balkans and Anatolia Peninsula. .
Michael VIII, who was born in Nicaea and whose father was just an ordinary official, had no use for the noble bloodline of eleven emperors.
However, Michael VIII, unwilling to remain ordinary, became the mercenary commander of Emperor John III of Nicaea through maneuvering.
The Nicaean Empire was almost on the verge of retaking Constantinople under the talented John III, but he failed to complete his great work when he collapsed before he was sixty years old.
His successor, Theodore II, did not possess the same great talents and strategies as his predecessor. Although he was obsessed with theology in his early years and actively tried to restore the country, he did not successfully implement his predecessor's plan due to his lack of talent, and was once about to The restored Eastern Roman Empire also came to a standstill.
However, Michael VIII gradually gained greater authority by virtue of his previous loyalty to John III, and began to gradually reveal his talent for weaving conspiracy.
Soon Michael VIII got his chance. Theodore II contracted a serious illness and passed away only four years after taking the throne, leaving behind his youngest son John IV who was only seven years old.
George Musalon, the regent of Togo appointed by Theodore II, became a victim of aristocratic politics only ten days later when the long-planned Michael VIII united with other nobles to launch a coup.
Michael VIII succeeded him and became the regent of the young emperor John IV. A year later, with the help of businessmen from the Republic of Genoa, he became the co-emperor of John IV.
In this way, Michael VIII ascended to heaven and became the most noble being in the Nicaea Empire.
But anyone who knows his past will despise Mikhail VIII.
Scorn this villain who rose to power by relying on conspiracy and trickery, and spurn this spider who has no glory at all.
But Michael VIII's career as a spider has just begun.
By continuing to sell profits to Genoese merchants, Michael VIII gained a strength that was enough to compete with the Venetian merchants behind the Latin Empire.
And finally, when the Latin Empire was defeated by the Bulgarians in the north, the Venetian navy was restrained by Genoa. Michael VIII miraculously recaptured Constantinople with only 800 men and was crowned there with his son.
At that time, Michael VIII seemed to finally have achievements that he could be proud of, and he finally had the glory to match the title of "Basilius".
But the little emperor John IV who he left in Nicaea completely nailed Michael VIII to the pillar of shame.
Just four months after the reconquest of Constantinople, the eleven-year-old Emperor John IV was blinded and imprisoned in a monastery.
In the eyes of the Greeks, being blind was equivalent to being deprived of the right to inherit. John IV, who was blinded, naturally became a commoner.
The sisters of John IV were quickly married off to distant countries by Michael VIII to avoid future troubles.
From then on, Michael VIII Palaiologos completely usurped the Eastern Roman Empire under the name of "Paleologus", and thus founded the Palaiologos dynasty that lasted until 1453 AD.
Even in the Roman Empire, where assassinations and usurpations were as common as drinking water, Michael VIII's behavior was definitely a shame.
Arsenius, the Patriarch of Constantinople who crowned him, also excommunicated him. No matter how Michael VIII threatened, he could not shake the Patriarch's anger.
Although the infamous eight-clawed spider can manipulate people's hearts through lies, terror and conspiracy, it has never been able to shake the Patriarch who still has a trace of conscience.
Perhaps his inability to manipulate Seneca stems from this.
But Michael VIII actually didn’t care about his excommunication. The Eastern Roman Empire, which had continued, had always firmly placed royal power above divine power. The patriarchs in the East were not as religious as the Western ones. Zong also has the influence that can determine the country's orthodoxy.
Therefore, six years later, Michael VIII was reinstated by the new Patriarch.
But Michael VIII still faced many difficulties, harassing the Mongols in the east, trying to establish a Mediterranean empire, the brother of the French king, the founder of the Angevin dynasty of Poland, the king of Sicily, the talented and ambitious Charles I, and the eyeing Arabs. .
Through marriage with the descendants of Genghis Khan, the Golden Horde and the Il Khanate, Mikhail VIII temporarily settled the problems in the East.
It also drew an extremely far-fetched line of kinship between the Yuan Dynasty and the Eastern Roman Empire in the east.
But Michael VIII, who captured the Latin Empire established by the Crusaders, always faced the risk of the Crusaders coming back.
King Charles I of Sicily, eager to achieve great success, could always join forces with his brother, King Louis IX of France, to attack Constantinople.
Venice and the Pope, hoping to regain their influence, may also participate in the attack on Eastern Rome at any time.
By then Constantinople would once again fall into the hands of the Crusaders.
If Caesar Octavian and even Romulus had important things that they wanted to achieve even at the cost of destroying Rome, then the only thing Michael VIII valued was Rome (Paleo). slightly).
How could Michael VIII, who had abandoned family, friendship, honor, reputation, and almost everything except power, just sit back and watch the Crusaders capture Constantinople again.
So in the last year of his life, he began to instigate the reign of Charles I.
Charles I, who was French but ruled Sicily and Naples, was not loved by his people. Michael VIII noticed this and instigated a civil uprising in Sicily through sophisticated diplomatic means, secretly supporting the Sicilian Emperor. The rebels also drew the Spanish Kingdom of Aragon into the war.
At the beginning of the massacre of the French by the Sicilians and the subsequent great war involving half of Europe, the Sicilian Vespers was provoked under Michael VIII.
The tragic result of hundreds of thousands of casualties left Western Europe no longer able to launch a crusade against Constantinople.
The conspiracy planned a year before his death allowed Michael VIII to achieve the greatest diplomatic victory in the Middle Ages, but as a result, he was permanently nailed to the rack of shame, and it was difficult to change.
But if Mikhail VIII had to choose again, he would still do it and choose to become a notorious "spider".
