Spoiler-safe
The Timeline - Book One (1428–1433)
Key events from Book One, focused on Constantine's rise and the reshaping of the Morea.
1428
October: The Awakening – Michael Jameston, a 55-year-old American book dealer, wakes up in the body of Constantine Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea, in Clermont Castle.
October: The Sale of Selymbria – To fund his industrial and military vision, Constantine decides to sell his ancestral holdings in Selymbria.
1429
February: The Triple Base Strategy – Constantine establishes a regional organization: Andravida (agriculture), Clermont (military/arsenal), and Glarentza (commerce/industry).
February: Heir to the Morea – Theodora (Creusa Tocco) reveals she is pregnant, providing hope for a dynastic succession.
March: Arrival of the Craftsmen – George Sphrantzes returns from Constantinople with 30 skilled artisans (blacksmiths, carpenters, masons) and funding to begin the industrial revolution.
May: The First Page of History – The Morea Publishing Company produces the first flawless page of printed text using a rudimentary movable-type press.
June: Succession in Epirus – Carlo I Tocco dies and is succeeded by Carlo II Tocco, shifting the political landscape in Western Greece.
September: The First Book Sale – The first 60 copies of the Latin Bible are sold to Venetian and Genoese traders for 30 gold ducats each, proving the printing press's economic potential.
Late: The Birth of Drakos – After initial failures, the first successful bronze field cannon, named Drakos, is cast and tested near Clermont.
1430
February: The Tragedy of Glarentza – Constantine’s wife, Theodora, and their infant daughter die during childbirth, a loss that deeply hardens Constantine.
February: Ottoman Expansion – News reaches the Morea that Ioannina has fallen to the Ottomans under Sinan Pasha.
March: The Fall of Thessaloniki – The Ottomans capture Thessaloniki after a prolonged siege, followed by a three-day plunder and the conversion of churches into mosques.
April: Naval Victory over Pirates – During a trade mission to Ragusa, the flagship Kyrenia uses its new cannons to sink a Dalmatian pirate vessel.
May: Sabotage at the Press – A monk named Father Petros, sent by anti-unionist factions in Mystras, is caught attempting to burn the Glarentza printing press.
June: The Scholar Bessarion – The philosopher Plethon and his student Bessarion visit Glarentza; Plethon is invited to stay permanently to guide the cultural renaissance.
1431
Early: Economic Sovereignty – Constantine establishes a new mint in Glarentza to strike gold coins bearing the Palaiologos eagle, asserting economic independence from foreign currencies.
March: A New Pope – Pope Eugene IV (Cardinal Condulmer) is elected, signaling a shift in Roman politics and potential support for the Union of Churches.
Late: The Terni Contract – In Italy, Constantine signs a condotta with Francesco Sforza, securing 4,000 elite mercenaries for the defense of the Morea.
Late: The Medici Investment – Constantine secures a massive 20,000 gold florin investment from Cosimo de’ Medici to expand printing operations across Europe.
1432
Early: The Road Ambush – Following Thomas’s wedding, Constantine’s convoy is ambushed by Theodore’s agents; Captain Andreas identifies the attackers as Theodore’s soldiers.
April: The Siege of the Hexamilion – Sultan Murad II launches a massive assault on the Hexamilion Wall, which is successfully repelled by Constantine’s combined-arms tactics.
April: The Capture of Athens – Following the victory at the wall, Constantine captures Athens; the Greek population revolts and kills the pro-Ottoman Duke Antonio Acciaioli.
Summer: The Reorganization of Mystras – Constantine formally assumes control of Mystras and establishes the Tachis Ippos, a rapid horse-relay postal system.
Late: The Great Betrayal – In a palace coup in Constantinople, Theodore and Demetrios assassinate Emperor John VIII; Demetrios then betrays and murders Theodore to seize the throne as an Ottoman puppet.
1433
January: The News Reaches the Morea – Diocles Argyropoulos arrives in Glarentza with news of the coup, prompting Constantine to claim the imperial title.
Early April: Coronation in Mystras – Constantine is formally crowned Emperor of the Romans in the Church of Saint Demetrios, rejecting Demetrios’s demand for fealty.
April: The Capture of Zakynthos – Constantine launches an expedition to Zakynthos, seizing the island from Tocco’s remnants and appointing Stylianos as its Orthodox bishop.
May: The Northern Offensive – Constantine launches a major campaign into Thessaly with 12,000 men to aid the Albanian revolt and secure a buffer zone.
June: The Blinding at Livadeia – After capturing the fortress of Livadeia, Constantine orders the blinding of the Ottoman prisoners as a psychological warning to other garrisons.
September: The Battle of Domokos – In a decisive field engagement, Constantine’s modernized army defeats Sultan Murad II’s main host, forcing the Sultan to retreat northward.