Timeline of Theodoran History
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This article outlines the timeline of Theodoran history, from the nation's foundation to the present day.
First Principality (1328-1461)
- 1328 CE: The first Principality of Theodoro (Afthentía Póleos Theodoroús kaí Parathalassías; "Lordship of the City of Theodorous and the Parathalassias") is founded within the Byzantine Empire as a grant to the nobleman Dēmḗtrios, crowned as Prince Demetrius.
- 1453 CE: The Byzantine capital Constantinople falls to the Ottomans. The Principality falls under the dominion of Trebizond, a Byzantine rump state in north-east Anatolia.
First Serene Principality (1461-1482)
- 1461 CE: Trebizond falls to the Ottoman Empire, leaving Theodoro as the sole Byzantine rump state. The Principality adds the word "Serene" to its Latin name, signifying its independence.
- 1463 CE: Prince Isaac II (Isaakios) of Theodoro forms an alliance with Genoa, with each agreeing to help protect Crimea from Ottoman incursions.
- 1465 CE: Thomas Palaiologos, heir to the defunct Byzantine throne, dies. His son, Andreas, offers to sell the Byzantine imperial titles and insignia to Isaac II for a modest sum. Isaac II agrees, and declares himself to be Isaac III, Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans.
- 1471 CE: Isaac III dies, and his son, Alexander (Aléxandros), inherits his throne. Prince Alexander is never coronated as the ostensible Roman Emperor.
- 1475 CE: Ottoman forces, led by Gedik Ahmed Pasha, attack Theodoro, beginning the First Turco-Theodoran War. Combined Theodoran and Genoan forces repel his attack.
- 1479 CE: Gedik Ahmed Pasha returns, this time with a larger army. Genoa refuses to defend Theodoro.
- 1480 CE: Prince Alexander strikes a deal with the Ottomans, agreeing to ally with them and assist in their conquest of the Genoan areas of Crimea in exchange for partial independence as an Ottoman Tributary State.
- 1482 CE: The remainder of Crimea falls to the combined Ottoman-Theodoran forces.
Second Principality (1482-1510)
- 1482 CE: Theodoro becomes a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, known as the second Principality of Theodoro.
- 1507 CE: The Ottomans raise the tribute amounts required from Theodoro significantly.
Second Serene Principality (1520-1562)
- 1510 CE: Objecting to excessively high tributes, Prince Anastasius IV (Anastasios) announces the full independence of Theodoro, removing it from the Ottoman sphere entirely. The Ottoman Empire, in the midst of a civil war, does not react or retaliate.
- 1512 CE: Anastasius IV orders the Theodoran army to intervene in the Ottoman Civil War, on the side of Selim the Grim.
- 1513 CE: Selim the Grim emerges victorious and is crowned as Selim I, Ottoman Emperor. In recognition of Theodoro's contributions, he signs the Treaty of İzmir, promising Ottoman support for the full independence of Theodoro.
- 1559 CE: Constantine Augustus I (Konstantínos Ávgoustos) is crowned as the Prince of Theodoro.
- 1561 CE: Theodoran forces, under Constantine Augustus, capture the entirety of Crimea, beginning the Second Turco-Theodoran War.
Neo-Byzantine Empire (1562-1568)
- 1562 CE: Constantine Augustus revives his dynasty's claim to the defunct Byzantine throne, declaring himself to be the Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans. Theodoro becomes known officially as the Roman Empire (Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn). Theodoro under his reign from this point on is generally known as the Neo-Byzantine Empire. Constantine Augustus simultaneously orders a massive naval buildup.
- 1563 CE: Allying with Greek and Bulgarian rebels, Constantine Augustus launches a guerilla campaign in Thrace against the Ottoman Empire. Constantine Augustus simultaneously orders the Neo-Byzantine fleet to attack the Trebizond region.
- 1565 CE: All of Thrace, with the exception of Constantinople, comes under Neo-Byzantine control by March. Trebizond likewise comes under Neo-Byzantine control by October.
- 1566 CE: Constantine Augustus launches a similarly guerilla-style campaign in the Aegean, taking control of numerous islands by January.
- 1567 CE: Ottoman forces begin an invasion of Thrace in February. Constantine Augustus mostly ignores it, instead launching a successful naval attack against Alexandria in Ottoman Egypt, taking control of the city by September.
- 1568 CE: Neo-Byzantine forces conquer Salento in the Kingdom of Naples by April. Ottoman forces take control of both sides of the Hellespont straits in July, cutting off the Neo-Byzantine fleets in the Aegean and Mediterranean. Constantine Augustus dies in December.
Neo-Trapezuntine Empire (1569-1643)
- 1569 CE: Constantine Augustus is succeeded by his son Isaac VII in January. Isaac VII seeks peace with the Ottomans and Naples, agreeing to surrender all of Theodoro's new conquests except for Crimea and Trebizond. Both countries agree by February, promising to safeguard Theodoran sovereignty with the signing of the Delos Accords. Theodoro from this point onward is often known as the Neo-Trapezuntine Empire.
- 1588 CE: Ottoman forces attack Trebizond, in violation of the Delos Accords, beginning the Third Turco-Theodoran War. Isaac VII calls upon Naples to honour its promise to safeguard Theodoran possessions.
- 1589 CE: Naples intervenes against the Ottoman Empire, successfully repelling their attack on Trebizond.
- 1597 CE: The Ottoman Empire sends mercenaries to launch a guerilla offensive in Trebizond, circumventing the terms of the treaty, and beginning the Fourth Turco-Theodoran War.
- 1612 CE: Ottoman mercenaries have captured more than 50% of Trebizond by this point.
- 1629 CE: Ottoman mercenaries have taken almost all of Trebizond with the exception of the areas surrounding its eponymous capital by this point. The Neo-Trapezuntine Emperor, Lucas I (Loukás), orders the construction of strong defensive walls armed with sophisticated artillery systems.
- 1630 CE: Ottoman forces lay siege to the city of Trebizond from the land, but are unable to establish an effective naval blockade.
- 1636 CE: Ottoman forces halt their siege after 6 straight years with no success. Lucas I proposes a peace treaty, ceding some areas of the Trebizond region to the Ottomans. The Ottomans reject the offer.
- 1642 CE: Ottoman forces begin a second siege of Trebizond in March. By October, they establish a successful naval blockade.
- 1643 CE: Anatolius (Anatolios), the Theodoran Despot (equivalent to a duke) of Trebizond, surrenders to the Ottomans, bringing the siege to an end.
Third Serene Principality (1643-1820)
- 1643 CE: Ottoman forces take control of the city of Trebizond by August. The Ottoman fleet sails to Crimea by September, while its vassal state, Desht-i Kipchak, invades the peninsula from the north, beginning the Fifth Turco-Theodoran War. Theodoro after the fall of Trebizond is generally referred to as the Third Serene Principality.
- 1644 CE: Ottoman and allied forces seize control of all of Crimea except for the city of Doros and the adjoining Parathalassias region by February. The Ottomans demand that Theodoro relinquish its claim to the Roman imperial throne, threatening a siege. Emperor Romulus Josephus concedes, renaming the former "Roman Empire" to the "Serene Principality of Theodoro" and becoming Prince Joseph III of Theodoro.
- 1670 CE: The Cossack leader Stenka Razin leads an uprising against Russia. Prince Joseph IV of Theodoro sends 2,500 troops to aid the Russian forces.
- 1671 CE: The Russians and Theodorans successfully crush Razin's rebellion, and sign a treaty of alliance.
- 1698 CE: The Ottoman Empire launches a new assault on Theodoro in December, beginning the Sixth Turco-Theodoran War.
- 1699 CE: The Russians intervene on the Theodoran side by January, defeating the Ottomans by March. Crimea is conquered from the Ottomans to be ruled jointly by Russia and Theodoro.
- 1701 CE: Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, announces the annexation of Crimea, including Theodoro, offering John VII, Prince of Theodoro, the title of Duke should he concede peacefully. Peter also demands that John VII cede the title of Roman Emperor to him. John VII refuses, affirming his commitment to Theodoro's independence. Russian forces invade northern Crimea by October, taking the entire peninsula with the exception of the city of Doros, to which they lay siege by November.
- 1702 CE: Theodoran emissaries contact the Ottomans and convince them to invade Crimea and fight back against the Russians. Ottoman forces break the siege of Doros and take the peninsula of Crimea. John VII is allowed to continue ruling over the city of Doros, but the rest of Crimea comes under Ottoman control.
- 1765 CE: Princess Cleopatra Cynane, daughter of Prince Augustus II of Theodoro, is sent to Russia as an ecclesiastical envoy. She later meets and befriends the Russian Empress Catherine the Great, becoming a member of her court.
- 1768 CE: Ottoman forces demand that Augustus II and the Theodorans pay an extremely high tribute. Augustus II refuses, and the Ottomans lay siege to the city of Doros, beginning the 7th Turco-Theodoran War. Cleopatra Cynane urges Catherine to intervene and break the siege.
- 1769 CE: Catherine sends a small expeditionary force to Crimea to break the siege of Doros. The Ottomans, fearing a larger invasion, withdraw from the peninsula in July. With Catherine's assistance, Cleopatra Cynane forces her father to abdicate, and becomes the first regnant Princess of Theodoro.
- 1772 CE: The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is partitioned, with a large part of its territory going to Russia. Catherine secures a small area in the country's southeast, around the city of Kraków, for Theodoro.
- 1774 CE: Cleopatra Cynane visits the new Theodoran territory of Krakow. In her absence, the Theodoran general Flavios Philippos Nikos
