The Eagle of Eastern Europe

Under Peter's influence, Sofia also began to come into contact with a large number of literary works, the most representative of which is "The Biography of Alexios" written by Anna Komnenos.

Although there is too much praise for Alexios I, he and his descendants failed to recover the Asia Minor peninsula during their reign, leaving the empire lacking a basis for revival; its suspicious attitude towards the Crusaders may be appropriate, but it also lost the support of potential allies ; His connivance with the Venetian trading city-state in order to defeat the enemy also laid the foundation for the future fate of the empire.

But it cannot be denied that without Alexios Rome would have perished three hundred years ago. During his thirty-seven years in office, he used superb diplomatic methods to avert danger several times, laying the foundation for Rome to realize the resurgence of Comnenus, so he was still a very good emperor.

Sofia reads passages from the biography aloud every day, not only to herself, but also to the child in her belly.

Yes, after three years of marriage to Peter, Sofia is finally pregnant. All the previous rumors were proven to be true. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were both very happy. Finally, an heir to the Bartland family was about to be born.

"Look what my dear wife is doing, ah, she is coaxing the children."

Peter walked in smiling, unable to contain his joy when he found out he was going to be a father. Whether it is a boy or a girl, this is his first child and he will naturally be given the most pampering.

"How are our children today? Did they bother you?"

"The child is very well-behaved and quiet. He will definitely become a scholar in the future."

Sofia was thinking about her child's future, and Peter also chatted with his wife about finding a future wife for their child. The child in her belly is the first of the third generation in the family, so there must be no accident. If there is something else going on in Constantinople, the Grand Duke will have to come and watch.

When the people learned that the married princess was pregnant, they spontaneously prayed for her and her child. The Patriarch of Constantinople personally blessed Sophia at Hagia Sophia and blessed the child's smooth birth.

Peter's brother Mihai also prayed with his new wife Anna. After marrying this fiancée from the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Mihai's free life was over. Although he didn't hate Anna that much, he couldn't talk about it either. He likes it so much, but he feels that marriage is a prison that restricts his intention to make achievements. He also wants to imitate his brother's achievements, but unfortunately he lacks the soil for experience.

He wrote to Peter three times, asking for an opportunity to go on the battlefield and make meritorious deeds. But he declined every time. He was no longer a child. He also wanted to fight on the battlefield to gain his own honor. He admires his brother very much and doesn't know when this dream will come true.

Peter also has some suspicions about where Mihai will go. It is better to go to the Northeast, where the various Rus principalities are still there. If Mihai is allowed to go, the family may still get a country. Just like the Habsburgs, an unintentional marriage brought Spain and the New World.

At present, Grand Duke Vasily I of Moscow has no heirs. This is a potential opportunity. With Michael's character, he should be able to get the support of some nobles. At the same time as the Golden Horde was declining, the Grand Duchy of Moscow was also breaking free from its shackles. Now there was only one opportunity left to get rid of its vassals and regain its independence.

In Bohemia, Wenzel sent his daughter and wife to Brno, while he remained in Prague to cope with the current situation.

In response to domestic calls for reform, Wenzel decided to comply with popular sentiment and refused to appoint a very corrupt man as Bishop of Pilsen. This move angered the Catholic Church in Bohemia, who, together with the local German nobles, decided that they should confront him. After a bitter confession, Sigismund also felt that the time was ripe and he should run for the king of Germany.

However, his brother actually had a daughter, and he was the last to know about it. This made it more difficult for him to inherit the Kingdom of Bohemia. It can be said that whoever marries Anne can inherit Bohemia as a son-in-law. Ya. When the Babenberg family died out, King Ottokar of Bohemia inherited Austria as his son-in-law, although he later vomited it out. But at this time, Anne can be said to be a marriage partner with a rich dowry. I wonder who Wenzel will find to inherit the largest country in the Holy Ra.

The two brothers and two sisters have already been married, and now only Peter's youngest brother Stefan is left. He is only eight years old now, and he has searched all the countries around him, but there is no suitable one. In addition, there are many things going on recently, so the marriage issue has been put on hold for the time being.

The marriage politics had an effect. Naples and Moscow basically sided with Wallachia. Bohemia was also on the way. Milan had just been promoted to a duchy and had not yet shown its influence. Now it faced the HRE. The pressure on Poland and Lithuania is much less.

----Dividing line----

Speaking of the Crusaders, a month after the siege of Antalya, the second group of troops also arrived here. They also brought a large amount of supplies and several light artillery to help. At this time, the city of Antalya had basically run out of food. In order to force the opponent to surrender, the Crusaders also threw dead rats and other things into the city, which eventually caused the plague to spread in the city. Half a month later, the defenders could no longer hold on and had no choice but to surrender in Kaicheng.

The siege of Antalya was the first victory achieved by the Orthodox Crusaders. They seized the huge vacuum left by Timur to attack the newly independent Turkic state and won. When the news reached the rear, the believers rejoiced. They formed a third group of troops and headed east, with the Anatolian navy replenishing their supplies.

In addition to pagans, those who believed in heresy were also the targets of the Crusaders. After acquiring Thessaloniki, Wallachia began to provoke the Orthodox Christians in the Eastern Mediterranean to revolt. The serfs of Crete launched two uprisings and were suppressed. The Catholic nobles of Cyprus were unable to suppress the Orthodox Christians. There were even Christian uprisings in Antioch. The volume of letters requesting rescue from Venice was so heavy that the Doge's head was nearly swollen. Heresy is so hateful.

Although the Orthodox Church is not as independent as the Catholic Church, they obey the imperial authority. The emperor will protect them and encourage them to preach abroad. After the iconoclasm movement, there will be no similar disputes over power in the Eastern Church. The patriarch accepts the emperor's orders. Avoid a schism in the Catholic Church.

As religious fervor returns, believers become increasingly active. The number of pilgrims to Jerusalem and Alexandria doubled, the construction of churches and monasteries was put on the agenda, and most of the pagan places of worship were demolished. This is really a turn of events. They have been dominant in Asia Minor for hundreds of years, and now Finally taste the bitter fruit planted by our ancestors.