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Anno Domini 828, November-16
The waters of the Levant were unusually calm for that time of year, and without delay, driven by the strong seasonal winds, we reached Jerusalem quickly or rather the largest port nearest to the Holy City.
With me I brought a vast fleet made up of ships captured from the Sarakenoi in the ports when we took their cities, so I now possessed a fleet exceeding four hundred vessels. However, much of that fleet lay without crews, as sailors were scarce at the time. Many were reinforcing the Empire's naval forces, and in recent months migration had not been as steady as before. I had many ships that still could not be used for lack of men who knew how to handle them.
Even so, a fleet of nearly one hundred and twenty ships reached the shores of the port that led directly to Jerusalem. That port was the city of Joppa, but after having been under Roman control it seemed to have been sidelined. Though the harbor remained operational, it appeared diminished in size.
I suppose that for Abbasid communications and trade it had not been as important as it once was for the Romans, and the city had fallen into a deep economic depression. Large portions stood empty, likely because many Sarakenoi had departed rather than be ruled by Christians whom they considered infidels, or because the imperial armies that secured the region after the peace had quickly enslaved and sold part of the population.
The new thema of Jerusalem extended from the Holy City to Tyre, a total of six walled cities now forming part of the Byzantine defensive line, and it was my duty to ensure that this thema would not fall to a sudden invasion and could withstand Saracen attacks.
As we disembarked at the port of Joppa and unloaded supplies for hours, many construction materials were carried by the local population, who during that season had no work in the fields and welcomed payment for moving crates and transporting heavy objects to begin the journey toward Jerusalem.
Leaving many of my men overseeing the work in the area, I mounted my horse and began riding toward the city.
Along the road it became even more apparent that the Roman general under Theophilos who had taken control of these territories had thoroughly plundered the region. Many villages were burned or abandoned, buildings blackened, with only a few people on the outskirts trying to repair their homes.
The looting had been severe. I assumed the general had been desperate for spoils or driven by some other motive, and I would have to report this to Theophilos, since it would gravely affect future defenses. Much of the farmland lay abandoned and the population was sparse. I had expected to find around four hundred thousand people in the region, but as I advanced I greatly doubted that number was real.
At last we began to see Jerusalem, walled and solemn. When we displayed our standards, the local garrison granted us entry, and we were quickly received by members of the tagmata stationed there until we assumed control of the area.
The walls were not very high and had few towers. It was evident they had not endured heavy pressure and had not been reinforced or raised. I would likely have to rebuild the walls entirely to provide greater security for the city, perhaps even add multiple defensive layers.
"Are you in command here?" I asked as I dismounted, observing the man wearing the most ornate armor among those who had come out to receive me.
"That would be our droungarios. You are Strategos Basil, if I am not mistaken," the guard replied.
"Good. Take me to the droungarios. I need a report on the city to know what can be done," I said as my Varangian and Greek escort also dismounted and we began walking through the streets toward the inner fortress of Jerusalem to seek the man in charge of governance by imperial order.
As I walked through the city I saw the Dome of the Rock, which appeared to have been looted. Everything indicated a general sack by the general who had come before me, so I could expect chaos.
Upon inspecting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I saw that it was in good condition. It had not suffered the plunder, and everything seemed normal for the Orthodox priests who had continued tending the building even under Abbasid rule.
Much else, however, bore the scars of pillage. Markets stood empty, and many homes and workshops were deserted.
I kept my thoughts to myself for the moment. Shouting at those fools would accomplish nothing. It would not change what had happened, but it would influence the tone of the letter I would send to the emperor, for this clearly undermined the city's defenses.
At last I reached the inner fortress, where I saw officers working, writing on papyrus and wax tablets.
"Strategos Basil," said the droungarios, rising and saluting me.
"That is correct. Who ordered the sack of the city?" I asked immediately as I entered the chamber.
"General Andronikos, Strategos. The Sarakenoi refused to surrender the city. Although the Abbasid forces had abandoned it, many Sarakenoi inhabitants refused to yield and barricaded themselves in their holy places. A great battle broke out in their mosques, and much blood was spilled before we took Jerusalem. The general ordered the sack as punishment for the population," the droungarios replied, swallowing nervously.
"And why, along the entire road, did I find settlements plundered? If what you say is true, the general authorized the sack of Jerusalem, which is understandable given the resistance offered by the Sarakenoi. But what of the settlements outside the walls?" I asked, folding my arms.
"That… well… that had more to do with the needs of the men, Strategos. The siege in Cilicia yielded very little spoils to distribute, and they would have returned almost empty-handed. There were too many hands to divide too little, and the spoils of three cities had to be shared among tens of thousands, so few received much. Some simply failed to follow the rules and began looting settlements during their patrols. Mainly the forces that were not to remain in the region filled their pockets and then returned home," the droungarios finished with a slight shrug.
"Thematic soldiers…" I muttered under my breath.
The droungarios simply nodded. "They are paid very little. Their wages depend on plunder. I am not saying it is justifiable, because even I can see that defending this city will be difficult… but it was to be expected. No one wants to go to war and return poorer than when he left his home."
"Very well. I will inform the basileus Rhōmaiōn of this so that he is aware of the situation. I have heard no scandal in the capital, so I assume General Andronikos said nothing," I replied as I walked toward the desk where the droungarios stood.
"Then our forces are no longer needed here, Strategos? Shall I tell my men to withdraw from the city and return to our quarters in Anatolia?" the droungarios asked with a faint smile.
"Yes. Return to your quarters. I have brought my own men to replace you, and I will see whether I can organize a thematic force after what has happened here," I said with a grim expression.
The officers quickly began gathering their belongings, and before long the entire tagmata had departed the city.
I did not know whether to doubt his words, but they made sense. The thematic forces were self-financed through the lands they worked, and if a campaign yielded little plunder, desperation to return home with something was inevitable, especially since many of Theophilos' themata had been recruited that same year and had not even had time to draw income from their fields. It was understandable… though it left me in a terrible position.
"As soon as my administrators arrive, have them conduct a census in the city and in the others as well. I need to know how many people I have before we begin," I said, glancing at my men, who nodded.
With nothing further to add, I reviewed the officers' records to see whether there were irregularities, but in general the books were clean. For the moment, everything could be blamed on the Sarakenoi, so there was little point in searching for faults.
We quickly surveyed the city and identified the vacant buildings, which were numerous. A large district built in Arabic architectural style stood as the clearest sign of Muslim presence.
I immediately designated that quarter as the military sector of the city, where my men would be stationed.
As my administrators began to arrive and the census commenced, wagons laden with supplies also started to come in, and we set to work on the most urgent tasks.
I decided to fortify the city. I ordered the architects to plan outer walls to completely encircle it, ten meters high and three meters thick. Once completed, we would demolish the inner walls and rebuild them to the same dimensions.
I aimed to apply a system inspired by the Italian star fortresses, not by lowering and widening the walls, but by incorporating angled structures that would create killing zones, establishing fields of crossfire where archers and crossbowmen could unleash maximum devastation upon any attacking force.
I had arrived with roughly seven thousand men once more, though most were Varangians. Unlike before, when I had more Greeks. I quickly began dispatching them to all the cities in the region, assigning Greek officers who spoke Norse or Varangians who spoke Greek. In that way I maintained a degree of control over the Varangian garrisons, especially since the winter season made the climate less oppressive, though it would likely remain harsh regardless.
What I had brought in great numbers were Greek laborers and architects. Jerusalem soon began to fill with workers who started demolishing certain buildings. I intended to widen the streets, tear down old structures, and begin constructing the necessary facilities to attract pilgrims. The entire area surrounding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was partially demolished to make room for new buildings.
Some mosques and synagogues in the area were destroyed. There was little resistance from the Sarakenoi, likely because many had already been cut down or sold into slavery. Resistance was stronger among the Hebrew population, who were far from pleased that one of their places of worship and several buildings within the old city had been torn down.
Near the church, I began planning the construction of an inner fortress designed to function as a bank and repository for wealth. The idea was later to expand this system to the major Mediterranean ports, so that anyone wishing to travel to the Holy Land without the danger of carrying all his gold could deposit it in one of these banks and withdraw it in Jerusalem, paying me a handsome fee for the service.
At the same time, I began preparing numerous buildings intended for the arrival of pilgrims: lodgings, markets, in effect constructing a full system of hospitality for the wealthy who could afford the pilgrimage.
As I awaited the census results and studied how best to defend the city, I watched with a smile as foundations were dug and buildings demolished to make way for the bank and other structures.
With this, combined with trade, I could calmly say that I would become the richest man in the Empire, perhaps second only to the emperor himself, since in theory vast portions of the Empire belonged to him personally.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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