Constantine XV of Mesogeia

Constantine XV (1648- 1712), known as Constantine the Glorious was Emperor of Mesogeia from 1653 until his death in 1712. His reign of 59 years is one of the longest in the history of Mesogeia. Coming to the throne at the tender age of five, his early years as emperor were dominated by a regency and a rebellion against that regency. Coming of age in 1669, Constantine took control of the government and ruled as an absolute monarch until his death. With the reins of government in his hands he began the centralization process turning Mesogeia from feudalistic state to a more modern state. Constantine is well known in the history of Mesogeia as a military strategist, a patron of the arts, and notorious lover of women.

During his long reign, his empire was one of the most powerful nations in Belisaria, but after his death a slow stagnation followed, reversed only by the successful reign of Theodora II. Constantine is most widely remembered for the lavish court that flourished under his rule at Alexandropolis; a court where he kept a harem of beautiful concubines.

Early years

Constantine was born December 1648 in the Philopation Palace, to Constantine XIV and Empress Athanasia of Messenia. Following tradition, the young prince was named Constantine Manuel Heraclius Alexander. His birth was hailed as a miracle because at the time his parents had been married for over twenty years and not a single child had been born alive to them.

At the age of five, Constantine's father died and he succeeded to the throne at a tender age. His mother the Empress Dowager served as regent for her young son; the two of them developing a close relationship unheard of in the royal courts across Belisaria.

Regency and the Dynatoi

With the death of Constantine XIV, his young son ascended the throne with his mother Empress Athanasia, a former princess of Messenia as regent.

Although Athanasia remained de-facto regent of the empire until 1663, she appointed her favorite Archbishop PLACEHOLDER to handle all government affairs, practically handing over the government of the empire to him.

Early into the reign of Constantine XV, a civil war known as the Dynatoi revolt erupted as a result of the Crown's augmentation of power at the expense of the traditional liberties of the people living in the urban areas as well as the established rights of the empire's four houses of Synedrion. Sometime in early 1658 forces loyal to the Parliament took control of the capital of Alexandropolis, following PLACEHOLDERs arrest of leading members of the Dynatoi. The Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Imperial Court were forced to fleet the city. Only returning after the army of PLACEHOLDER retook the city the following year. By the end of 1659 peace was restored for a time, with the Empress Dowager enshrining the rights of the parliament.

Within a year of peace being restored, civil war broke out for a second time in 1660, this time the revolt was led by disgruntled nobles and aristocrats, led by the Emperor's own uncle, the Duke of Chalcedon. By 1661, the Emperor, his mother, and the entire government were forced to flee the capital. The civil war raged for three years until it ended 1664 just as the first had, at the gates of Alexandropolis.

Personal rule and reforms

Majority and early reforms

At he start of 1666, Constantine XV declared himself to be of age, shocking everyone by announcing that he would assume personal control of the government. Constantine inaugurated his rule with the implementing of administrative and fiscal reforms. In 1669 with the government on the verge of bankruptcy, Constantine had the extremely wealthy Mesazon PLACEHOLDER imprisoned in the Galata Tower on charges of embezzlement. The Emperor confiscated the vast estates of the disgraced Mesazon. The disgraced Mesazon was replaced by PLACEHOLDER; who immediately began devising means to restore the country's financial situation, by introducing a more efficient taxation system. He revised the land tax, custom tax, and the tax on salt, and even asked the Emperor to allow him to tax the nobles; something that hadn't been done in centuries. At first the nobles rejected this encroachment of their traditional rights but the Emperor allowed it as a means to weaken their power.

In addition to this Constantine XV introduced wide-ranging plans to strengthen the Mesogeian economy, Mesazon PLACEHOLDER's government encouraged manufacturing, independent business, as well as support for such notable industries as silk, textile, and porcelain manufacturing; all which resulted in an increase of Mesogeian exports.

At the advise of his Mesazon, Constantine instituted military reforms which sought to reorganize the military into a professional and well trained standing army capable of waging war on several fronts. Before the reforms the old military elite had a virtual monopoly over the senior military positions; after the reforms those positions were awarded to those of merit, ironically enough the persons of high merit happened to be mostly from the ranks of the nobility

Patron of the arts

Constantine XV is most renown for his patronage of the arts. He established an elaborate Imperial Court at Imperial Palace at Alexandropolis and supported a countless string of artists, architects, musicians, in his goal to turn the palace at Alexandropolis into the most spectacular court in the world. He patronized the various languages of Mesogeia by bringing the Mesogeian Academy under his direct protection He encouraged traditional Mesogeian literature by protecting and patronizing writers, playwrights, and philosophers such as PLACEHOLDER, PLACEHOLDER, and PLACEHOLDER.

In his patronage of the arts, Constantine provided funding to various artists including PLACEHOLDER, PLACEHOLDER, PLACEHOLDER, and PLACEHOLDER,, whose works became famous not just in Mesogeia, but throughout the world. Musicians such as PLACEHOLDER, PLACEHOLDER, and PLACEHOLDER thrived under the influence of Constantine XV.

Personal life

Constantine was married in 1668 to Princess Iris of Messenia, who became his Empress consort; the couple had fifteen legitimate children of which seven reached adulthood. Empress Iris died in 1709, and Constantine wasted no time in marrying PLACEHOLDER, a middle-aged women from a wealthy noble family who had been his Chief Concubine for decades.

Other then his two Empress Consorts, Constantine had a total of four Imperial consorts, all of whom were noblewomen who had decided that life was better for them in the Emperor's harem then outside it. From these four women and at least two concubines Constantine fathered 25 children. He also carried on affairs with multiple married noblewomen.