The Siege of Thessaloniki by the Normans, 1185 AD
After the death of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos in 1180, a period of disintegration and decline begins for Byzantium, which culminates in the Fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders of the 4th Crusade in 1204. During these years, the Byzantine state is plagued by uprisings and civil strife, while the central authority is unable to control the territory. In this turbulent environment, Alexios, an exiled nephew of Manuel, emerges and urges the Normans of Sicily and their king, William II, to turn against Byzantium. Indeed, the Norman army captures Dyrrachium and advances towards Thessaloniki.
As a Byzantine officer named Leon Koutalas, you are called to leave a tower on the sea wall and, crossing sections of the city and the walls, reach the gate of the Acropolis to deliver a critical message to an officer, and also to save your beloved who is trapped there.
Your name is Leon Koutalas and you are 25 years old. You are an officer in the Byzantine army. You come from a wealthy family in Thessaloniki. Your father, Michael, who has passed away, was a landowner, and your mother, Anastasia, is one of the noblewomen of the city. You have two younger siblings, Thomas and Angelina, whom you adore. You are still unmarried but engaged to the beautiful eighteen-year-old Areti, the daughter of the city’s exarch. You would already be married if the Norman army had not appeared.
