Chapter 16
Tests of Loyalty
In the spring of 1139 Ionnes the Polite accompanied his uncle, the Emperor Ionnes, on his campaign east against Melik Mehmed Gazi. Pushing deep into the inland region south of the Black Sea to the area which had once been the province of Pontus, they lay siege to the city of New Caesarea which had been lost to the Turk long ago. Androkios had not been present, but later he heard of his brother’s conduct.
At one point during the siege a Latin knight of some repute fighting in the service of Emperor John, had his horse slain out from underneath him. From his vantage point the Emperor could see the soldier’s distress as he continued to fight on foot. He ordered his nephew Ionnes ‘the polite’ to dispatch his horse so the knight might remount.
Ionnes’ horse. His fine Arabian. The one which had been the gift from the Sultan of Rhum. Ionnes refused. The magnificent beast was his. Never. He would send a dispatch challenging the knight to duel for his horse, but a gift - even temporary - never. He told the Emperor as much.
“You are being judged,” John the Persian cautioned him.
In a spitting rage Ionnes sent the stallion to the knight, then seeing his uncle’s stern face, he mounted the nearest charger and bolted to the enemy line - defecting to the Danishmendid Emir and leaving his family, nation, and faith behind forever. To complete his betrayal Ionnes politely told his new host about his uncle’s weakness, namely that the army had pushed so far into Pontus they were ill supplied and the baggage train was slow and stretched thin. Emperor Ionnes needed either a quick victory, or for Neocaesarea to surrender. Once the Emir knew the besiegers would starve before the besieged… all he had to do was wait. The Byzantine army withdrew for the season, having accomplished nothing.
Rain, flooding, and hail ruined the following campaign season, so it wasn’t until the spring of 1141 before it was Andronikos’ turn to show his loyalty.
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The first campaign took him to the massive lake Caralis in the Isauria region to put down a rebellion. For generations Greek Christian communities living on fortified islets in the lake had been living peacefully surrounded by Turks. They maintained ties of friendship. They needed the Turks for trade. Constantinople was far away and did not buy their fish. Their only experience of the empire was corrupt officials and brutal tax farmers. Feeling secure on their islands they refused to either submit or leave. Both Manuel and Andronikos were tasked with commandeering fishing boats and light transports to be refitted and lashed together to act as floating platforms for siege engines. Andronikos was reminded of happier times growing up with his cousin. It felt good to be working together. One by one the little fortified islands were reduced.
The army had begun moving on to the east again when disaster struck the Emperor from an unexpected source. Disease. But it was not John himself who was struck down, rather his eldest son and heir, Alexios - thirty-six years old - in the prime of his life - and co-emperor in his own right. A burning fever attacked with such intensity nothing could be done to cool him. His life was snuffed out in only three short days. His two younger brothers, Andronikos and Issacos were selected to escort the body on its return to Constantinople. No sooner had they reached the city when Andronikos, the elder of the brothers, was struck down himself by the same fever. In the space of a month the Emperor lost his two oldest sons.
Yet John had to push on to the east. Returning to Constantinople would accomplish nothing and the entire question of Antioch’s suzerainty - which he had thought settled four years earlier - was already needing a firm hand again. So back to Syria it was - accompanied by John the Persian, with his youngest son Manuel and tall nephew Andronikos among the officers.
Arriving in autumn the army once again camped outside of the city walls. John, still grieving the loss of his sons, did not want another siege and more bloodshed. Nor did he want to listen to Raymond of Poitiers protestations or suffer through any empty homages and sycophantic veneration only to leave with more empty promises. His messengers made his intentions clear. John was going to winter nearby in Cilicia. In spring he would travel with his army to Jerusalem on pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher. There he would explain to King Fulk - in person - once and for all - who was monarch of Antioch. Count Raymond could delay, play for time, or even let the Antiochines vote in assembly and remove himself from the decision. It would not matter. In the new year he would have to submit or face slaughter.