Eastern Europe

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantines call themselves the Roman Empire, while everyone else calls them the Greek Empire. The heir of ancient Rome, the empire currently covers only Greece, the southern Balkans, and western Asia Minor. It is still the richest and most powerful state in Europe (as everywhere else power is divided among bickering feudal lords). The capital Constantinople boasts a population of almost half a million, more than ten times that of any other Christian city.

The Emperor Alexios Komnenos has spent the last twenty years trying to restore the glory of the Empire after the disastrous loss of most of Asia Minor to the Turks in the battle of Manzikert. He has been quite successful. With shrewd diplomacy and bribing he has made both barbarian tribes and the crusaders to fight for his behalf, while reforming the badly degenerated Byzantine army.

Having been wounded and losing an army to Robert Guiscard in Macedonia, Alexios is not on the best terms with the Normans but has come to respect their military strength. The feeling is quite mutual, as the crusaders never received any military aid from the Emperor. The relations with the Kingdom of Jerusalem are cool, but both parties seem to be content with the current state of things.

Venice (and the other maritime republics to a lesser extent) are important trade allies, the cities having large colonies in the Galata district of Constantinople. Italians take care of most of the lucrative sea trade between Byzantium and Outremer, and there are large numbers of westerners present.

After the split of the eastern and western Churches, Alexios has made the Patriarch of Constantinople his de-facto vassal. The Emperor has been able to use the considerable funds of the Church for his reforms and the extensive network of monks and priests have been made into an intelligence network for the Empire.

Poland

North from Hungary lies the Duchy of Poland, recently elevated to the status of Kingdom since the Holy Roman Empire has enough problems with the Pope. Poland is ruled by Boleslaw Wrymouth, as King since he drove his elder half-brother Duke Zbigniew to exile. Boleslaw is a fine general and has set his sights to the Duchy of Pomerania on the shore of the Baltic Sea, previously a part of Poland but rebelled during the civil war at the time of Boleslaw's predecessors. Even stronger motivation for conquest than access to the sea seems to be his hated brother Zbigniew's support of the Pomeranians. As the pagan Pomeranians have few allies among the Christian states, their fate seems sealed.

Lithuania

Between the Baltic Sea and Republic of Novgorod lie the lands of the pagan Liths. No-one, except the Liths themselves, would call this loose alliance of tribes a nation but that is what the forests of the Liths is becoming. The tribes still pay tribute to Kiev or Novgorod, depending on who comes to collect, but resentment and pride is rising and it is only a matter of time when the tax-collectors have to return empty-handed, if they return at all.

The shamans of the Liths are said to be second only to the Finns in demon lore, and rumors of all sorts of dark rituals are told among the surrounding Christian nations.

Kingdom of Hungary

Covering about the ancient Roman province of Pannonia, Hungarian Kings rule also over Transylvania and Croatia on the northwestern border of the Byzantine Empire. As Hungary is mainly a country of plains and cattle, its warhorses and riders are among the best in Europe.

The king Könyves Kálmán, or Coloman the Bookish, has received religious training as his father wanted to make him a bishop. Coloman, however, managed to dispose of his younger brother and took the throne instead. He has made good use of his ridiculed learning and is in quite good terms with the Pope, unlike many other rulers of the time. The court of Hungary is a place of learning, and the laws are enlightened - Coloman does not allow the use of magic to be prosecuted, nor is the Inquisition allowed to operate in Hungary.

Principality of Kiev

Stretching from the Black Sea in the south to the Baltic and Lake Ladoga in the north, the Kievan Rus is the largest state in Europe by land area. The ruling class is originally of Varangian (viking) blood, while the common people are slavs - the groups have become mixed so much as to become indistinguishable by now. The capital is Kiev on the Dniepr river, ruled by Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) Vladimir Monomakh. Vladimir's mother was a Byzantine princess, and he maintains very good relations with Emperor Alexios. His sister Eupraxia was once the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, before accusing Emperor Henry of performing heretic rituals and being granted divorce by the Pope (some say the Pope made up these accusations due to his schism with Henry.)

Grand Prince Vladimir is well loved by his people, but does not lead a peaceful state. His cousin and bitter enemy Oleg of Chernigov has allied himself with the barbarian Polovtsi of the steppes and skirmishes are commonplace. The northern part of the Principality around the river Volga is isolating itself from Kiev, led by the boyars of Novgorod - they style themselves the Republic of Novgorod, although Vladimir is still the official head of state.

The Rus have chosen the eastern orthodox faith of Byzantium and are culturally relatively advanced, literacy is common and the cities well built and clean - mostly due to Byzantine influence.