Later Symmerian Empire

In historiography, the Later Makedonian Empire (also referred to as the Late Imperial Period) refers to the history of Makedonian Empire from 825 CE until the Arkoennite conquest of Makedon in 1305.

The onset of the Burning Plague and subsequent Crisis of the Ninth Century are used to mark the division between the Empire's middle era and the Late Imperial Period, during which the Empire underwent rapid demographic change, violent internal conflict, and territorial recession as more than half of the Empire's provinces attempted to secede from Makedonian dominion. Led by King Aristoxenus, the Makedonians were able to re-assert domain over northern Siduri, but the devastation caused by the plague and resulting military conflicts had depopulated the Empire and severely damaged its internal trade network. The empire never fully recovered from the crisis and for the next five centuries would see a gradual decline in Makedonian rule over Siduri as civil wars, political and civil unrest, rebellions and foreign conflicts steadily drained and reduced Makedonian influence.

History

The Makedonian Empire emerged from the Crisis of the Ninth Century badly depleted and weakened. By some estimates, the population of the Empire had decreased by 15-20% as a result of the Burning Plague and the wars waged by Aristoxenus. Despite the defeat of the Tống Rebellion in Quenmin, Makedonian influence in Siduri was already beginning to wane. In an effort to rebuild Makedon's shattered economy, Aischylos forged ties with the Kingdom of Dragovita on the basis of trade relations. The influx of Slavic traders and merchants from Dragovita into Syara had the unintended side effect of promulgating the Slavic language of Dragovita into the Empire, especially with the Syaran population. Over the course of the next several centuries Slavic languages would gradually take root in Syara and by the time of the Arkoennite conquest more than half of Syara's population spoke a Slavic tongue rather than the Makedonian language.

Although the 10th Century saw a temporary "restoration" of Makedonian rule as the Empire slowly recovered from the disaster of the previous century, it did not last. Beginning in the 11th Century Makedon began facing rebellions once more across its territories as various tribes and nations sought to take advantage of Makedonian weakness to gain their independence. Four major rebellions broke out in Knichus, Górska, Serikos, and Mansuriyyah between 1000-1060, which the Makedonians bloodily suppressed. Continuous fighting with the al-Bashiri Caliphate in southern Mansuriyyah was a constant drain on Makedonian resources, paving the way for the Âu Lạc Rebellion.

The loss of Qunemin as a result of the Âu Lạc Alliance was a major blow to the Makedonian Empire, as Quenmin had been a major source of manpower and taxation revenue for centuries. The Quenminese victory itself spurned several more rebellions across the Empire, especially in neighboring Serikos which the Makedonians struggled to suppress. As a result of the loss of Quenmin, Makedonian influence in south-east Siduri began to seriously wane, worsened by the increased demands of taxes and tribute the Makedonians required to make up for the loss of Quenmin. Makedonian heavy handedness in Knichus and Mulajhrya spurned rebellions and insurrections which eventually drew in the Rideva Empire, resulting in the Makedonian-Ridevan War in 1148.

War with the Ridevans was beyond the capability of Makedon to sustain, and in 1161 the Empire was forced to sue for peace. The terms of the peace treaty forced the Makedonians to abandon their claims to Knichus and effectively ended Makedonian influence in Mulajhrya, bringing south-east Siduri fully out of Makedonian dominion. Emboldened by the Ridevan victory, the recently formed Rawwadid Sultanate waged war against the Makedonians, which ended in a Rawwadid victory at the Battle of Tell Saqara. Makedonian control of Mansuriyyah was brought to an end after 1,440 years.

With the Empire's treasury and manpower emptied, the Makedonians were unable to prevent their remaining territories from exercising increasing levels of autonomy, which further lessened Makedon's ability to collect tribute and taxes. By the mid-1200s much of southern Arkoenn was in a state of frequent rebellion, but it was the War of the Marked that finally began the Empire's final collapse. Initiated by Eryx I, the Viceroy of Serikos and backed by the Han peasantry, Serikos successfully broke away from the Empire depriving the Empire of it's last bastion of foreign manpower and revenue. The Empire began to rapidly recede in the face of Arkoennite conquests, who rapidly expanded into Ruvelka in the final years of the 13th Century. In 1303 the Arkoennites crossed the Kurilla Mountains and invaded Syara itself, leading to the decisive Battle of Nemaro in 1305 which resulted in the surrender of the Empire and its subjugation by Arkoenn.

Society

The Empire's society underwent several significant changes during the Later Imperial Period. The Burning Plague and the Crisis of the Ninth Century had a profound impact on the demographics of the Empire, resulting in population decline and transfer. Makedonian Censuses were rare and often limited in scope, making it difficult to determine the population of the empire at specific dates. The general consensus is that the Empire neared appropriately 120-150 million inhabitants just before 825 CE. By the beginning of the Tenth Century the population was estimated to reside somewhere between 90-110 million, with civil wars, plagues, and economic unrest leading to depopulation of large sections of the Empire.

Among the hardest hit regions was Syara itself. Prior to the Burning Plague, Hellenic speaking Syarans had extended from Scitaria into western Ruvelka, where they had largely absorbed and Hellenized the native Kartozan (with the exception of the Karvelebi). Decimated by the Plague, the population of Hellenic speaking Syarans residing in western Ruvelkan began to drop drastically, resulting in the westward migration of large numbers of ethnic Ruvelkans out of the Kurilla Mountains, resulting in the ethnic boundaries that still remain today.

The decimation of the Empire's population played a major role in the decline of the practice of Slavery in the Makedonian Empire. The loss of so much manpower resulted in a sharp increase in the value of labor, drastically increasing the value of slaves. With so much of the Empire's military forces exhausted by decades of conflict and turmoil, the threat of slave revolts and insurrections further allowed for more power to be accrued by slaves. With the increased value of labor and the demographic limitations of the Empire, slaves steadily gained more rights and power leading to the transformation of chattel slavery to serfdom.

Another result of the turmoil was the steady Slavization of Syara's population. For most the Empire there had existed little effort to formally educate most of the Syaran population, which was treated largely the same as the citizens of the rest of the empire. As a result, the prominence of the Makedonian language was largely de facto, and not the result of a deliberate effort by the Makedonians to Hellenize their subjects. The opening of relations with the Kingdom of Dragovita opened Syara up to Slavic speaking merchants from modern day Svinia, who quickly flooded through Syara to sell their wares and goods. The prominence of Dragovitan influence in Syara resulted in a gradual shift towards Slavic speech, which was easier for many Syarans to learn due to the prevalence of Slavic schools and teachers traveling across the Sundering Sea from Eracura to Siduri.

Zobethos, the religion of the Makedonians and most of Syara also changed, primarily as a result of contact with Islam. Pre-Crisis Zobethos was largely considered a pantheistic religion with a focus on universality and an omnipresent natural concept of a divine being. Exposure to Islam however marked a change in Zobethos doctrine as Zobethians began conceptualizing Gaia as a more distinct, individual entity with a defined sense of person-hood separate from the rest of the universe.

Military

For most of the Empire's history, the Ancient Makedonian army had been known for its Pezhetairos; infantry wielding the the six meter long pike known as the Sarissa who fought in a Phalanx formation. The Pezhetairos were among the most professional soldiers of their day, highly trained and well drilled in order to effectively employ their phalanx across the wide range of terrain and landscapes of Siduri. The phalanx formation was often the only part of a Makedonian field army (apart from the officers) that were ethnic Makedonians, and battalions of Pezhetairos were drawn up from Makedon itself. After the Burning Plague, the numbers of available Makedonians to recruit for the Pezhetairos sharply declined, and shortages of money did not allow for the expensive training sessions that were normally required to perfect the movement of the phalanx. As a result, the usage of the phalanx entered into decline. Makedonian forces became increasingly cavalry focused, while Syaran infantry adopted a more simple shield-wall style formation to accommodate the losses of manpower and resources.

Frequent warfare during the Late Imperial Period necessitated massive military expenditures in order to maintain the Empire's strength. Between the 10th-14th Centuries, over 50% of taxation and tribute revenue was spent maintaining the Makedonian military. The burden of military maintenance was a major one of the already weakened Makedonian economy, which never was able to reassert the same level of trade and commerce that had existed prior to the Plague. Constant warring forced the Makedonians to increasingly rely on forced conscription and levy troops to fill out the ranks of their forces, much of which was forced upon the lower-class peasantry of the Empire. This had a negative impact on the economy and population of the Empire, perpetuating a cycle of instability that would persist until the fall of the Empire.

Forced conscription and constant warfare left the Empire on what historian Aristeo Laurito termed a "siege mentality", resulting in excessive military force and frequent usage of the army to assert Makedonian rule. Where previously the Makedonians had ruled by decree through vassals and clients, increasingly Makedonian rule had to enforced by the sword and spear. As a result the size of the Makedonian army ballooned, reaching almost 750,000 soldiers under arms in the 11th Century. Despite these large numbers the Makedonian military capability had sharply decreased. Laurito noted that the Makedonian troops that clashed against the Rideva Empire were incapable of the same complex maneuvers and tactics that had been employed by the likes of Rhoekos against the Hannashka Empire.

Despite the immense burden placed upon the Empire and the cost of its military apparatus, the Makedonians repeatedly refused to accept voluntary recessions of their domain. In some cases this resulted in strategically hopeless endeavors pursued in an effort to retain control of the Empire. Laurito noted that Makedonian refusal to accept the decline of their empire resulted in continued warfare and bloodshed up until the very end of Makedonian sovereignty.

The zeal that had been identified by Kydonian authors in the 4th Century BCE as the defining trait of the Makedónes continued to manifest itself a millennia-and-a-half later as a stubborn, dogged refusal to willingly part with any parcel of Makedonian territory if it could be helped. Even as their empire crumbled away, their influence receded, and increasingly large sections of their domain gained independence, the Makedonians insisted that their dominion would be re-asserted and planned accordingly. Even as the last vestiges of Makedon mobilized to face down the Arkoennites at Nemaro, plans were being made on how to reconquer Ruvelka from the clutches of the steppe hordes. It is almost certain that such plans would have been a precursor to expeditions to regain all of Siduri had the Makedonians not been extinguished in 1305.