Latin Empire

The Latin Empire is the common name of the entity that was known as the Holy Roman Empire of the East (French: Empire Sainte Romaine d'Orient; Italian: "Impero Sacro Romano d'Oriente"; Latin: Sacrum Imperium Romanum Orientis; Greek:"Αγια Ρωμανα Βασιλεία Ανατολης"). Also known as the Francocracy (Greek: Φραγκοκρατία). The state was born out of the Blackening Crusades, in which French Crusaders took to the Balkans to conquer all territories belonging to the Black Empire. After the Crusades, many soldiers sought autonomy, and thus broke away from France, forming a new Holy Roman Empire, with sanction by the Pope, to rule over the Orthodox east.

Foundation
The House de Savoie was one of the noble families that responded to the calls for the Eastern Crusades, against the Black Empire. The forces under the control of a Franco-Helvetian duke named Godfrey de Savoie were among the most effective of those who took up arms against the vampires. The Savoyard forces took the city of Athens in 1098, establishing the Duchy of Athens, and quickly grabbing lands around surrounding regions of Greece.

Following the acquisition of the area of Savoy by the Kingdom of France, the then king demanded of Godfrey to turn over his holdings in Greece to him, a request which was refused by the Duke. Godfrey and his supporters responded to the demands of the French king with rebellion, refusing to acknowledge his claims.

Franco-Athenian War and Sanctification
The House of Savoy had managed to produce a powerful entrenchment in Greece, establishing the Duchy of Athens as a major maritime power in the region, creating the so-called Frankocracy in Greece. While the French had managed to take the portions of the rebel nobles' lands in France itself, they were unable to take the holdings in the Balkans. The war came to an end with the inability for France to successfully hold onto the rebel lands in Greece, conceding an end to the conflict with the Duke's lands in France proper being taken, while they were allowed to keep their holdings in Greece.

A few years later, the Duchy was able to drive out the final remnants of the Black Empire from Greece. The Duke of Athens, Maurice III, was granted the title of the "Eastern Roman Emperor" for his conquest of the entirety of the former vampire holdings in Greece.

Invasion of Anatolia
Maurice later planned the conquest of Anatolia and the Orthodox Christian kingdoms present therein.