The Black Sea Succession: Founding of the Empire of Trebizond, 1204 TREBIZOND

The Roman Empire under Emperor Manuel I Komnenos has faced historical retraction but was meeting those challenges head on and starting to really win. However, after his death, Manuel’s cousin Andronikos’ rule seized power from the lineage and brought disaster, causing the empire to fracture, leaving cities vulnerable to being sacked. As one might expect, this led to widespread resentment of the Emperor. When Andronikos attempted to remove the popular Isaac Angelos, the people in Constantinople revolted. Andronikos was killed by the crowd but his grandchildren, Alexios and David, were spared. Then after a coup implicated them against Isaac (now emperor Isaac II), they fled to their aunt, Queen Tamar of Georgia.

When the boys were in their early 20s, they decided to take power in their homeland. They landed a small Georgian force outside the city of Trebizond. The city likely could have held out, but they were worried about news from Constantinople and the crusader army at its gates, so Alexios was hailed emperor and David made head of the army.

This is where our committee begins. The GA section of this hybrid committee will focus on the organization of the government, where delegates will decide how they want it to operate. One particular consideration would be policy regarding the two Roman states in Nicea and the new one in Constantinople (Latin empire). In addition, delegates will have to consider how to deal with foreign trading states like Genoa and Venice that want lower taxes and the right to build their own castles in the city. The crisis component deals will address the world that has now been formed, dealing with foreign adversaries, complex trading networks, population movements, and internal conflict. Welcome to Trebizond!