The Heretics in Chaos
I, Nilus of Constantinople and the one true Patriarch of the Eastern Christian Church, am once again profoundly disappointed in the heretics to the West[i][ii]. It seems that prior to my appointment as head Patriarch, the heretics in Rome have fallen into severe turmoil. Word travels slowly across the Meditteranean, but even I have heard of Pope Urban VI, the pretender in Rome, gaining a pretender of his own[iii]. In fact, my own maligned predecessor, Macarius, has traveled to the West to resolve this fascinating situation. Ultimately, this situation matters little to me, as my concern towards heretics towards the West dwindles in the face of the heathens to the East.
The Turks have long been a threat to Christendom as a whole. Ever since the Palaiologos reestablished the true, Eastern Christian following Roman Empire in Constantinople, the Turks have raided our lands and captured much of Greater Anatolia[iv]. Whilst the vulgar Bulgars to the north have also taken some Roman territories, Anatolia is considered by many to be the heartland of the Eastern Church, and having these holdings seized by Muslims is a threat to not only the Roman Empire but also Christianity as a whole. Indeed, the Turks seem to be consolidating, as the Mongol Ilkhanate threat passes, under Murad I of the Ottoman Kingdom and have even begun launching campaigns into Europe itself[v]. Whilst I loathe asking for help from those who so wronged this great city during the Fourth Crusade, now is not the time for petty squabbles from the Great Schism nor the Western Schism. Without a united Europe to face the growing Turkish force, I worry for the future of Christendom as a whole.
By 1387, the Byzantine Empire had fallen to only Constantinople, some holdings in Greece, and various Mediterranean islands. Although the Eastern Church, now known as the Orthodox Christian Church, is not directly linked to the Byzantines, they aligned on many goals. Most notably, impeding the dangerous growth of the Turkish Ottomans in Anatolia. The Ottomans have begun to invade southern Greece and Bulgaria, whose inhabitants are mostly devout followers of the Eastern Church. Whilst the Great Schism is still going strong during this era, this would not be the first time, nor would it be the last time, that the East has looked west for support against Muslim forces.
Frank Jiao
Assistant Director
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Works Cited
[i] “Nilus of Constantinople.” Wikipedia, 19 Jan. 2021. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nilus_of_Constantinople&oldid=1001415478.
[ii] “Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.” Wikipedia, 23 Jan. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ecumenical_Patriarchate_of_Constantinople&oldid=1067457705.
[iii] “East–West Schism.” Wikipedia, 26 Jan. 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=East%E2%80%93West_Schism&oldid=1068141212
[iv] “Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologos Dynasty.” Wikipedia, 14 Nov. 2021. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Byzantine_Empire_under_the_Palaiologos_dynasty&oldid=1055198968.
[v] Ottoman Empire | Facts, History, & Map | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Ottoman-Empire. Accessed 26 Jan. 2022.