Central Europe

Holy Roman Empire

A loose confederacy of feudal states nominally led by the Emperor Heinrich IV, the heart of the Holy Roman Empire are the archduchies of the prince-electors. An old germanic tradition stated the king should be elected by the foremost nobles, although in practice the crown of the German king has been hereditary since the time of Charlemagne. There are four electoral duchies: Fraconia in middle and eastern Germany, Swabia in the west, Saxony in the north, and Bavaria in the southeast. In addition the archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne have electoral rights.

The Empire has two kingdoms, namely Italy and Bohemia, and additional duchies in Austria and Luxemburg. Some of the largest counties include Burgundy, Flanders, Geneve, and Savoy. The archbishopric of Magdeburg is also a powerful state. Some of the largest cities such as Aachen, Basel, Bremen, Florence, Hamburg, Milan, Verdun, and Worms have a status of Free City.

Heinrich, or Henry IV is the Duke of Bavaria, King of Italy and the Holy Roman Emperor - the most powerful man in Europe after the Pope Leo IX. Not surprisingly, these secular and spiritual leaders are not on very good terms to say the least. Pope Leo wishes to deny secular rulers the right to place bishops in office, which would increase his influence especially in Germany where many archbishops have large feudal states. Henry obviously does not wish to lose the authority over these powerful bishops, but cannot very well wage war on the Church.

As if the problems with the Pope weren't enough, Henry's power in Italy is not very well established and while the emperor is on a campaign to punish the rebellious Italian city-states, his wife and son scheme against him in Germany. Henry's overthrow seems imminent.

Kingdom of Sicily

Previously a highly civilized Saracen Emirate, the island has remained a tolerant and diverse place even under the recent Norman rule. Muslims and jews can freely practice their religion and trade, which has given Sicily financial, educational, and magical resources unmatched anywhere in Christendom. Only the large universities in Al-Andalus can compete with those of Palermo and Syracuse.

The sons of Tancred Hauteville were largely responsible of turning southern Italy into a Norman dominion. The eldest brothers William Iron-Arm, Drogo, and Humphrey drove the Byzantines away from Apulia and Calabria, and were later joined by their younger siblings Robert and Roger. As the older brothers had already won dukedoms, the younger ones turned their focus on Sicily and managed to capture it with brilliant military tactics and shrewd politics. The help of the Pope, who wanted a strong opponent to the power of Emperor Henry in Italy, was also instrumental.

Robert Hauteville came to be called Guiscard, or Cunning, although many of the better stratagems had come from the youngest brother Roger. The dominions of his elder brothers in southern Italy were eventually transferred to Robert, while Roger received the title of Count of Sicily from the Pope. Robert's dukedom went to his weak son, who was also called Roger, after the father's death. The younger Roger now also holds the crown of the new Kingdom of Sicily, while his uncle the Count is his chief advisor. Roger the elder is the real power behind the throne, as he was the real brains behind Robert Guiscard.

Both Count and Duke Roger are well aware of the unique situation brought by religious freedom and do all they can to keep the lucrative status quo despite pressure from the Church. At one point Count Roger looked towards further possessions from the Byzantine Macedonia, but the Normans were eventually pushed back from Dyrrachium by Emperor Alexios. The losses, however, were heavy - the numerically superior Byzantine army was at one point on the brink of defeat after Alexios was wounded by Roger himself. It is no surprise that Alexios has not held the Norman "rabble" in very high regard ever since.

The Papal States

The areas under the secular rule of the Church consist of a slice of the Italian peninsula around Rome. Other major cities are Naples and Ravenna. At the moment the Pope has allied himself with the Normans of Sicily against The Holy Roman Emperor Henry.

The Pope Leo IX is a ambitious and ruthless man, a staunch supporter of religious purity and the mastermind behind the inquisition. It is said that the rift betwen the Western and Eastern Churches was largely caused by the intolerance of Leo, and some go even so far as to claim that he did not have the patience to wait that his predecessor would die of natural causes.

The Maritime Republics

Originally parts of the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy Roman Empire, the cities of Genoa and Pisa are in practice independent republics. Previously a Byzantine colony, the Republic of Venice competes with them for maritime and commercial power in the Mediterranean. The power in the city-states is held by elected councils, which are chosen from amongst the biggest merchant families.

The navies of Genoa, Pisa, and Venice have been assisting practically all naval operations of Christians against Saracens - be it Normans or Byzantines. The cities have large trading colonies all over the Mediterranean, especially in the port cities of Palestine and the Greek archipelago. They have no real ground troops, mercenaries are used for field operations and as marines. However, some of the mercenaries have made so extended contracts that they form practically a standing army.

Since Pisa has managed to drive Genoans out of Sardinia and Corsica, which both states previously conquered from the Saracens together, the relationship between the cities are very strained. The biggest income for all is the trade to Constantinople and the Holy Land, in which Venice currently has a slight advantage.