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| The War of the Forsaken | |||||||
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 ;A depiction of Death playing chess, a metaphor for the plague. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Christendom and Allies
Byzantine Empire Kingdom of France Seljuk Empire (1124-1191) Angevin Empire Fatimid Caliphate (1131-1140) | The Possessed | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Varies | N/A | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Very high | N/A | ||||||
The War of the Forsaken (1127-1469) was the first major war fought between the Christian countries of Europe and the Plague victims who became known amongst Europeans as "The Possessed", ultimately resulting in the strengthening of the Christendom as a whole and stronger relations between the Western and Eastern Churches.
Arrival of the plague[]
After the initial spread of the plague in Central Asia, the infected made their slow way down through the Seljuq Empire, destroying all in their path. By 1126 the plague had spread to the Middle East and Baghdad. It is estimated that by this time around 421,000 people were stage II infected, and all the great Muslim cities such as Samarkand were abandoned. When news of the destruction of Baghdad reached Byzantine Emperor John II, he immediately assembled his armies in Constantinople to prepare for a defence against the incoming hordes. His armies were successful in preventing the infection reaching the city, though they took very heavy casualties. Construction of a wall along the eastern side of the Bosporus began to prevent the hordes from crossing.
John II sent a letter to the Pope of Rome warning him of the impending invasion by what he referred to as "the Possessed", and asked him to send reinforcements to prevent the hordes entering Constantinople. Another letter was sent to Mstislav I of Kiev, warning him that the Possessed could arrive at any time and he should prepare for an invasion.
And so the message traveled around the kings of Europe. Many dismissed it at first but new in their hearts there was something going on. Some prepared their armies for battle. Others, such as the Archbishop of Salzburg began building walls around their entire realms - inevitably, most wouldn't be finished in time. The Pope began construction of a wall separating the Papal States and the south of Italy from the rest of the world, which would take 16 years to complete.
In late 1126, the first sightings of the Possessed occurred near Nicaea. It is reported that there were at least 3000 of them, and they screeched a blood-chilling war cry as they ran to wards the battlements.
The battle that ensued is generally not considered to be part of the War of the Forsaken as it occurred before the Papacy declaring war on "The Legion".
Battle of Nicaea[]
See main article: Battle of Nicaea
The first conflict between Christian forces and the infected. A horde of around 3000 infected were killed at this battle, giving the Byzantine forces enough time to finish a defensive wall (See: The Bosporus Wall), separating Asia and Europe.