Year: 1443 AD
Eastern Roman Empire
Constantinople
Blachernae Palace
The once glorious Palace of Blachernae, the administrative seat of the Eastern Roman Emperors from the 8th century onwards, was now at its lowest and most critical moment, the West was looking to Constantinople as a way to help the Eastern Romans against the growing threat of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II, but something reached the ears of the Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine Palaiologos XI, learned from traders coming from the Iberian Peninsula that there were rumors that the Portuguese were under the protection of a nation overseas and this matched the information of great ships protecting Portuguese vessels in both the Western Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean and that is why the Eastern Romans believed them to be the Sons of Theodosius or in Greek "Paidiá tou Theodosíou".
The Eastern Roman Emperor was on his throne when his brother Theodore Palaiologos appeared, he was part of the anti-unionists and saw this rapprochement with the Western Romans and the Westerners as a sign of apostasy from the Orthodox faith and with that began yet another useless discussion between Theodore and Constantine expelled him from the palace once again.
Constantine already had a feeling that perhaps this was fate trying to play a trick on him, the first leader of Rome was Romulus and the last Western Roman emperor was Romulus Augustulus, The first Eastern Roman Emperor was Constantine the Great and probably the last would be him, Constantine Palaiologos.
Constantine knew that the Eastern Roman Empire there was no sign that would have its Aurelian and would restore the borders of the Eastern Roman Empire as they were in 1025 and perhaps a surrender to the Turks would be more acceptable that the end of those who claim to be "the true heirs of Latium", a clear reference to Doge Athanasius Liberus who ordered the Venetians to sack Constantinople in 1204, under the pretext of to be the true heir of Latium and to deny the Eastern Romans as "Romanized Greeks" which made them less Roman than a Saracen recently converted to Christianity, this made increase the Schism that had already been going on for 150 years at that time and the French were still angry about the massacre carried out in 1182 under the command of Alexios Commnenos II and thus the infamous Fourth Crusade took place, since so the Eastern Roman Empire never recovered from such a thing and is now no more than a mere moribund in a crumbling city surrounded by a Titan at its heels.
Constantine was on his throne waiting for a person who claimed to be from the land beyond the sea and wanted an audience with the Eastern Roman emperor.
The gates opened and a man appeared wearing a lamellar and wearing a cloak of indigo clothing, something that made Constantine impressed and he greeted the mysterious traveler and he said in a different Latin of the Western Romans and the Westerners:
"Greetings Emperor Constantine XI, I come on a diplomatic mission from my father, Emperor Caesar Paulus II, I am Caesar Theodosius Ambrosius, heir to the Caesarian throne, Legatus Legionis of the 10th Caesarian Legion and diplomat responsible for commercial and political agreements with the Caesarian Empire and the European kingdoms. I come here knowing about the critical situation of the Eastern Roman Empire, Sultan Murad II is advancing on Europe and Constantinople is in his path, sooner or later he will turn to Constantinople,we learned of the Siege of Constantinople in 1440 and now the Pope Eugene IV began another crusade, this time against the Turks.We know that firearms and cannons will change the entire European scenario, which is exactly why my father and the Caesarian Senate sent about 10 Destructors, 1500 Fulminatrix Alpha to the Eastern Roman Empire, as a token of good faith of the Caesarian Emperor Paulus II to our brothers of Roman blood." said Caesar.
Constantine was very impressed to see that this mysterious person was a Son of Theodosius in the real sense of the word, after all the last Theodosius ruled the Eastern Roman Empire in the 5th century and for many it was impossible that a descendant of the Theodosian Dynasty and on top of that an heir, so Constantine suspiciously asks Caesar in medieval Latin:
"Why should I believe you? You could be a Venetian or a Genoese wanting to scam me. Come on, tell me, who are you really?" asks Constantine.
Caesar took a deep breath and looked at Constantine seriously and replied sharply:
"Do you remember what Caesarian Emperor Leo I and Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II fought for at the Battle of Adrianople?Well, those Romans from overseas saved the Romans from the Old World in 680 AD and after centuries it seems that you have learned nothing, in that battle we were already using firearms and what It appears that you never wanted to take a leap forward, so you who have as ancestors the Greek philosophers of Ancient Greece and Alexander the Great, are at your lowest point and now you can't It's no use calling yourself Emperor of the Romans and governing a handful of illiterate peasant zealots and traitorous nobles. If you really want to change the destiny of the Eastern Roman Empire, you will have to destroy the internal threat and soon after containing the Ottomans, we Caesarians faced the Mongols at their peak and defeated them.If you really want to save what's left of the empire founded by Constantine the Great, you'll have to use firearms, the time of stock fighting of the 2nd century is over and now the Old World will start a great revolution, gunpowder is being stockpiled from Lusitania to Poland and this is not the time to cling to bows and arrows and hope that the Walls of Theodosius will once again save them, It is time for the empire founded by Constantine the Great not to show itself as a bitter zealot or a Turkish dragon entering the Queen of Cities. I do not ask that you simply accept the most humiliating situation how to sell Constantinople to the Venetians or Genoese, you carry the fate of thousands of people and I hope you know how to differentiate a zealot from a revolutionary, they both want the same thing, know very well who you can really trust and who you can't, otherwise you will have the same end as Majorian, remember he was the last Western Roman emperor who was minimally effective, but That's all I had to say, weapons are already being sent to headquarters, good luck Emperor Constantine XI." replies Caesar.
Caesar leaves the hall and in that short conversation he had with Emperor Constantine XI, he learned why the Eastern Roman Empire was in that situation, terrible rulers, bloody civil wars, Turkish and Roman invasions of Italy, traitorous nobles, corruption and zealotism.
The weapons were given to the Eastern Romans for their defense, but soon traditionalist forces in the Eastern Roman army sabotaged the weapons and only a few remained or were sold to the Venetians.
This was the last time that any figure of great importance from the Caesarian Empire visited Constantinople, relations with the Eastern Roman Empire were neutral after the bad impression that the future Caesarian Emperor had with the Eastern Romans and with that the Caesarian Empire maintained commercial and political relations with the Western kingdoms and the Roman states of Italy.
The Varna Crusade that began that year had as its main objective to contain the invasion of the Ottoman Empire in Europe, at the beginning the crusaders won important battles, but would end with the main objective not achieved and the Polish prince Vladislaus III ends up dying and a crisis on the Polish throne occurs.
The Eastern Roman Empire collapses and becomes a client state of the Ottoman Empire, at that time young Mehmet was 11 years old and he would become in the future, Mehmet II the Conqueror.