[center][u]Expansion & Consolidation of the Empire 1380-1401[/u][/center] One of the defining features of Manuel II's reign was a trend

not of outright expansionism, but consolidation of gains won previously, and while his father simply waged aggressive wars, Manuel preferred to ration his men for opportunities based on the affairs of his enemies, preying on weakness and taking opportunities only when the balance of action was utterly in Roman favour. While this policy did not have the chance to translate military superiority into territorial expansion, it helped to protect the reputation of the Empire, harmed by the schism between eastern and western churches and the growing reputation of the Empire for destruction and villainy, supported by the tales of the survivors who escaped to Italy from the Crusader states demolished by the resurgent Empire. From 1379 to 1392 the Empire was at peace the treasury was devoted mostly to the construction of the provincial arsenals, and extending the administration into the Gallipoli and the renamed Optimaton (Nikomedia). While the Empire did not need to begin recruiting from these regions, the mostly Roman populations turned out in force for the [i]Stratikoi Serifi[/i], with some [i]Serifi[/i] reporting over two thousand available soldiers in Nikomedia alone. Turkish incursions had vanished, since most of the militant raiders had been killed during the war for Gallipoli, leaving the economy of these border regions in a much better state. The additional mastery over the Bosphoros greatly strengthened the trade position of the Empire, since any ships wishing to travel into the Black Sea had no choice but to negotiate passage with the Empire. The annual tax revenue of the Empire was approximately fifteen thousand hyperpryon the minting of solidii had not yet begun again due to the lack of a large source of gold, but a small production of high-quality silver coins gives us some excellent pictorial evidence of what the Romans of the time considered important mostly images of saints and scenes of Manuel and John defeating the foes of the Empire, or at prayer with angels, which, combined with the superb condition of churches described by contemporary figures, indicates that the people within the Empire considered their change in fortune a miracle, and as such donations to the church expanded greatly. It is in 1384 that we get the first description of the church regiments groups of priests and laymen who travelled with the army, and while we cannot pinpoint a point after which they became involved in fighting such as in Andronikos' reformed tagmatic system, they were certainly present on the battlefield during Manuel's campaigns. Usually a single bishop, with ten or so lay men, would travel with the [i]Stratikoi[/i] levy from their area, and during battle would stand behind the main line, giving encouragement and prayer which is noted as [i]'greatly multiplying the courage of the men who heard them, for the Lord was with them, and as such they fought like the very demons of Hell[/i]. (It is probably worth noting that Patriarch Antony IV died in this service, hit by an arrow during a battle with revolting peasants in Epirus, indicating that even the very highest members of the religious hierarchy approved of or at least did not discourage this practise.) [center][img][/img] [i]Death of Antony, Williamson, 1921[/i][/center] In 1393, the Ottomans forged a treaty with the Knights of St.John over the possession of the control of Samos and the the Dodecanese Islands, seizing them in a display of power which is now attributed to the fear of further Roman and Eretnid expansion at their expense, attempting to stretch their reach back into the Aegean south of the Bosphoros, to try and restore some of the trade advantage they had lost to the Romans. While this worked for a short period, and restored confidence in the Ottoman military and nobility, it was a short-lived triumph. Eager to assure that no remaining loyalists could sabotage their position, the Ottomans began a campaign of destruction in the islands, which caused a small group of Roman-descended mercenaries to flee to Constantinople, and argue their case for

support to the Emperor, who had for some years now been out of war, instead dealing with Epirote rebels and continuing his campaign of personally funding the creation of regional arsenals, fortifying cities and encouraging movement into the [i]poleis[/i] where the populace could be more easily brought to war. His treasury at this time was full, and he was beginning to show signs of aging; he had become blind in his left eye, which is described as [i]'clouded, like a winter river'[/i], which is now attributed to partial cataracts. His eldest son, Andronikos, was eight years old at the time and apparently healthy, and his younger sons Basil and Konstantinos were four years old each, having been born twins, leaving his issue in no doubt. Raising the [i]Stratikoi Serifi[/i] levies, Manuel's army of nearly forty thousand marched into Optimaton, and an envoy arrived at the court of Mehmet I, demanding the return of Samos to the Knights of St.John and the restoration of all wealth lost in damages to the Roman descendants in Samos. Mehmet refused, and the Roman army marched into Ottoman territory once again. There were no large, decisive battles in this war; it was a punitive affair, in which the Romans quickly seized Bursa, Biga and secured Samos, and simply ordered his men to take what he wanted from the people in the occupied territories; by 1397, the Ottomans simply agreed to whatever terms the Romans wanted to get them to leave. The surrender of Samos, Nikaea and Biga was demanded, which left only Bursa near the Sea of Marmara. The Ottomans would never recover from this war, and while they survived for some years after this, they never again became the dominating power that they were fifty years before the war: the Roman Empire took over the role of regional master, and from this point on were almost totally unopposed by the Ottoman Turks for decades. Manuel became known as Turkofonias, or 'Turk Slayer', but the tragedy of his reign was his unfulfilled promise; he died in 1401 at the age of just 42. Many historians have speculated that he could possibly have extended Roman rule even further into Ottoman territory, and Thomas Thurwell suggests that given twenty-five years more, he could have completely destroyed the Ottoman lands. His son, Andronikos, took the throne aged just sixteen. [u]Consolidation of the Empire under Manuel II[/u]