Thessaly, March 1329
Demetrias, surrendered to its besiegers. The Sicilians would devote the campaign season securing the smaller castles in Magnesia. By the end of the year they would advance to secure Pharsalos and Pherae from the Catalans. Alfonso would still securely hold Larisa but his army kept dwindling, particularly since with the loss of Magnesia what remained of Catalan Thessaly was effectively landlocked/
Pelekanon, June 1329
Andronikos III and Ioannis Kantakouzenos could not be blamed for not trying to check Ottoman advances in Asia Minor. When Orhan had blockaded Nicaea and Nicomedeia the last major cities in Anatolia in imperial hands they had collected an army of 4,000 men to challenge the Ottomans. Theodore Lascaris had conveniently provided ships for this army to cross into Asia Minor even as he refused to send soldiers.But Orhan had been able to muster twice as many men. In a two day battle the imperial army had fought well but had been defeated and forced to retreat nevertheless. Relief would not reach either Nicaea or Nicomedeia.
Lesvos, September 1329
A rare sight in the past half century appeared in front of Mytiline as a Byzantine fleet with Andronikos III in command appeared before the port. Martino Zaccaria was a capable man. His brother Benedetto was not as capable but he was certainly ambitious enough to want to take the place of his brother thus had turned to Andronikos for support. Andronikos had not failed to take advantage of the opportunity to invade the island. The Greek population had risen up in support of the emperor and Martino with 500 mercenaries had been forced into the castle of Lesvos. But he had been forced to surrender that as well when his mercenaries had start deserting him for Andronikos. Lesvos was back in the imperial fold. Phokaia would follow before the end of the year.
Trapani, December 1329
Walter VI of Brienne was a frustrated man. First he had to work wit Vatatzes, the very same Vatatzes who had conquered his own feudal claims in Greece. Then thanks to the German invasion of Italy, Robert had switched his efforts from Sicily to the Italian mainland, giving Frederck a much needed breathing space. It was not that Frederick's position had much improved, apparently this year he had been forced to lay up over half his galley fleet lacking the money to pay their crews. But he still had been able to field over six thousand men on land enough to fight both Vatatzes raids and Walter's own advances to a standstill. And however much Walter did not want to admit it, were it not for Vatatzes attacks in the east Frederick would had likely been able to advance into Angevin held territory reversing some of the gains made in the previous years.
Lesvos, March 1330
Ioannis Kantakouzenos had been busy at work for the past several months following the liberation of the island and Phokaia. New pronoias had been granted both here and in the mainland organizing a garrison of about a thousand men to secure the new holdings. The income from the alum mines and Lesvos taxes, slightly over 110,000 hyperpyra in total, would go directly to the imperial fisc paying for a standing army of five hundred heavy horse and twice as many infantry. Benedetto Zaccaria who had gained nothing for his treason was not a happy man. Neither had been several nobles in Andronikos entourage who had been hoping to be granted the use of the alum mines. It did not matter to Kantakouzenos. The empire mattered more than any individual.
Macedonia, July 1330
Andronikos III, seized Prilem and the forts surrounding it then ceased his advance into Serb territory. The emperor had allied with Michael Sisman of Bulgaria against the Serbs but trusted his newly found Bulgarian ally very little. not without good reason. He would wait on the Serbs and Bulgarians to fight it out.
Velbazhd, July 1330
The opposing Serb and Bulgarian armies were roughly comperable in size with the Serbs mustering some 18,000 men and the Bulgarians about 15,000 men. But the Serd army thanks to the revenues from the kingdoms silver mines had included abouut 3,000 Italian and German knights as mercenaries. The heavy cavalry Serb and Westerner alike led by the son of the king, Stefan Dusan, had proven decisive breaking Bulgarian lines in a surprise attack and killing emperor Michael Sisman. The Bulgarians would avoid a complete rout and a peace between the two states would be soon signed but Serbia had clearly demonstrated it was the dominant military power in the Balkans.
Asia Minor, March 1331
Nicaea fell to the Ottoman army. Nicomedeia was the last major city still in Byzantine hands. But the Ottomans were already blockading it for the past few years...
