In mid-January 1469, amidst everyone's anticipation, a grand coronation ceremony was ready.
Laszlo and Joanna, who had recently arrived in Constantinople by ship, rode side-by-side along the streets near the Golden Horn sea wall, where crowds of onlookers lined the roads.
Only a small fraction of them were residents of Constantinople; the vast majority were eyewitnesses to the recent siege of Constantinople.
Behind the crowds, amidst the clusters of buildings, countless laborers and slaves could be seen repairing the war-damaged urban areas and city walls under the supervision of overseers.
The accuracy of artillery in this era was, after all, not great, and the Golden Horn sea wall was not very tall or thick, so the areas of the city close to the sea wall suffered relatively severe damage.
After Laszlo had largely completed the distribution of land within Constantinople, reconstruction efforts in various areas had successively begun and were now in full swing.
Soon, Laszlo's attention was drawn back from the ruins in the distance to the present, as the cheering crowds erupted in celebration of his impending coronation with a new crown.
Laszlo, however, felt little about it; the enthusiasm he experienced in Rome was far more fervent, and that coronation had been personally officiated by the Pope.
For some reason, the image of him kissing the Pope's feet and sleeping beside the old Pope suddenly resurfaced in Laszlo's mind, almost ruining his good mood at that moment.
Fortunately, this time the ceremony was conducted by his own people; Francesco, assigned as the representative of the Roman Curia, was already a close friend, and Cardinal Bessarion, the Patriarch of Constantinople responsible for his coronation, was his trusted confidant.
All arrangements for the ceremony were made according to his wishes.
Unlike the calm and collected Laszlo, the sixteen-year-old Joanna, with a maiden's curiosity, eagerly awaited the upcoming ceremony.
Although her former ideal was to become a nun and distance herself from worldly strife, one's state of mind always changes with shifts in environment and identity.
Previously, her father, Alfonso V, did not allow her to join a convent; instead, he bestowed upon her the title of Princess of Portugal and the right to inherit the throne, teaching her much knowledge about governing a country.
His original intention was for her to one day assist her younger brother, João, in controlling the Portuguese political scene and countering any factors that might threaten royal rule.
However, with Joanna's marriage to Austria, her political talents found new avenues for expression, primarily in assisting her husband in governing the Archduchy of Austria, the core of their dynasty.
During the days when Laszlo led his army on distant campaigns, Joanna admirably fulfilled her duties as Empress, ruling Austria on his behalf and managing all affairs in an orderly fashion.
Judging from the correspondence between the Privy Council ministers and Laszlo, the young Empress left them with an excellent impression.
Perhaps because Joanna had cultivated a devout and compassionate character from a very young age, always gentle and courteous in her interactions, she was deeply beloved by both the Portuguese and Austrian people.
Although she had not been married to the Emperor for very long, Joanna had already proven her ability to be an excellent Empress.
It was for this reason that Laszlo, after much consideration, decided to summon Joanna to Constantinople to complete this coronation with him.
In the past, Laszlo was crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire with his first wife, Leonor, in Rome.
Now, in Constantinople, he was to be crowned Emperor of the nascent "East Roman Empire," that is, the Latin Empire, with his second wife, Joanna, as Empress, as if to announce the arrival of a new era.
The procession soon arrived at the Hagia Sophia, which had undergone initial modifications.
Those buildings with obvious Islamic architectural styles were demolished, and architects, guided by the Cardinal, strove to restore this magnificent church to its original appearance.
Laszlo looked at the minaret being dismantled and felt a sense of triumph.
He turned his head and saw Joanna staring intently at the world's largest church before her, her eyes shining as if she had witnessed God's glory, filled with awe and joy.
Laszlo was not surprised by her reaction; after all, the Hagia Sophia could certainly be considered one of the top wonders of the world in this era.
Although various reasons had led to the church's dilapidation and the contamination by pagan elements, for Christians, it was the ultimate pilgrimage site, and Joanna happened to be among the most fervent of Christians.
"Let's go, everyone is waiting for us."
Laszlo was the first to ascend the steps and walk into the cathedral, with Joanna immediately following him.
Inside the central hall of the church, beneath the massive dome, people now filled the space.
They were the dignitaries who participated in the Crusade, whether noble kings or lesser imperial princes, all considered it an honor to be invited to the ceremony.
They would together witness this coronation ceremony, which marked the arrival of a new era.
Past East Roman Emperors had attached great importance to coronation ceremonies, using them to gain recognition from the Roman people—that is, the citizens of Constantinople, the army, and the Senate—thereby asserting the legitimacy of their rule.
Such coronation ceremonies were undoubtedly secular in nature, differing significantly from the religious coronations prevalent across Europe after the start of the Middle Ages.
Laszlo had considered foregoing the Roman Curia and holding a retro-style coronation ceremony, but given the overflowing religious fervor of the Crusaders in the city, he ultimately chose to combine both approaches.
After completing a series of lengthy and anxiety-inducing religious rituals such as prayers and anointing, Cardinal Bessarion, the venerable Patriarch of Constantinople, received the East Roman Empire crown, which had long been offered to Laszlo by the Palaiologos Family, from Andreas, the Despot of Morea and the last scion of the East Roman imperial family, who was assisting nearby.
He prepared to crown the Emperor and Empress.
However, to everyone's astonishment, Laszlo took the crown and placed it directly on his own head, then personally crowned Joanna.
According to the long-standing tradition of the Holy Roman Empire, the Emperor's status and power did not derive from ecclesiastical recognition; therefore, the Emperor did not require a bishop to perform the coronation.
Laszlo had, in a way, snubbed the Pope during the ceremony, and people were abuzz with discussion about it.
However, considering the Emperor's power and his current achievements, all doubts quickly vanished without a trace.
After Laszlo and Joanna were crowned, the onlookers expressed their respect and congratulations.
The war priests selected from the Crusaders also laid down their swords, took up crosses, and began to sing hymns for the Emperor and Empress during the Mass.
Before the banquet began, Laszlo, as per custom, knighted over a hundred individuals.
Unlike the imperial knights he had knighted in Rome, this time he bestowed the title upon genuine Crusader knights, all of whom were brave warriors who had made outstanding contributions during the siege of Constantinople, with a significant portion even coming from commoner backgrounds.
Some of them received fiefs in Constantinople, while others, due to a lack of sufficient land for reward, were granted fiefs by Laszlo in Bulgaria.
These warriors, who benefited from the Crusade, would undoubtedly become the most powerful propaganda for the holy war, inspiring the Crusader warriors about to march into Asia Minor to fight bravely.
After receiving the fealty of these new Crusader lords, the rulers from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Epirus, and Morea were next to appear.
Frederick, the Regent of Bulgaria; Anthony of Burgundy, Duke of Macedonia; Leonardo III, Despot of Epirus; and Andreas, Despot of Morea, stepped out from the crowd and came before the Emperor and Empress to swear allegiance.
"You have sworn loyalty to me in the past, but this time I have fulfilled my promise and recaptured Constantinople, which was occupied by the infidels.
Now, I wear this crown inherited from the East Roman Empire.
All subjects from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Epirus, and Morea should accept my protection and rule.
Do you have any objections to this?"
Laszlo made his final inquiry to those before him, though of course, it was merely a formality.
"We are willing to submit to your rule, Your Honorable Emperor."
The several individuals responded to the Emperor's question in unison.
Previously, the various Balkan vassal states had no connections with each other, and they all maintained a nearly semi-independent status as vassals of the Emperor.
Laszlo had not interfered much in the internal affairs of the vassal states; as long as no major troubles arose, he generally did not worry about these matters.
The affairs of Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary alone were enough to keep Laszlo busy, and for the more distant Balkan region, even if he wanted to manage it, he was powerless.
For some time to come, this situation might continue.
However, nominally, the situation in the Balkans had undergone a significant change.
The numerous small states formerly scattered across the Balkans had now all been incorporated into the territory of the Latin Empire.
Apart from Serbia and Albania, the entire Balkan Peninsula was now left with only the Latin Empire, which occupied half of what was once the East Roman Empire.
And the lords of Morea, Epirus, and Macedonia, who had previously been vassal monarchs, along with many nobles from Bulgaria, now became Laszlo's direct vassals.
The Pope had expressed approval and encouragement for this, so Laszlo directly completed a major integration of territories in one fell swoop.
The two Despots, one Duke, plus Frederick as the Prince of Tarnovo, instantly transformed into the four powerful vassals of the Latin Empire.
Recently, news came from Albania that Skanderbeg, whom Laszlo had always feared, had finally died of illness, and the once fragile Albanian alliance was now completely disintegrating.
Since Laszlo was currently busy leading the Crusaders to fight the Ottomans and temporarily had no time to deal with the mountain people of Albania, they had not yet felt the Emperor's might.
One day, they too would be brought under the Empire's rule.
Unlike the "beggar Empire" of past history, which was plagued by internal and external troubles from its very inception, the Latin Empire rebuilt by Laszlo had a solid and firm foundation.
Its only external enemy was the declining Ottoman Empire, and internal strife was currently out of the question; thus, the Empire would maintain stability for a long time to come.
Regarding who would govern this eastern Empire, which stood alongside the Holy Roman Empire, Laszlo's ultimate answer did not come as a surprise to anyone: it was still his "lazy" uncle, Frederick.
Due to Frederick's past performances, people couldn't help but doubt whether he possessed sufficient ability to govern this vast Empire, especially when it required directly confronting the Ottomans.
Laszlo also harbored such doubts, so he further appointed three other important vassals to hold key positions in the new Empire, with them assisting Frederick, along with Cardinal Bessarion, the Patriarch of Constantinople, in managing the nascent Empire.
After outlining the future governance structure of the new Empire for a period, the coronation still had one final important religious theme.
At the urging and reminder of Bishop Francesco, Laszlo finally publicly discussed the unification of the Eastern and Western Churches.
In fact, efforts to heal the Great Schism had begun much earlier, with numerous Roman missionaries pouring into the Balkans to work towards this goal.
However, before the establishment of the new Empire, the process of converting Orthodox Christians to Roman Catholicism was very slow and met with considerable resistance everywhere.
Now that the Latin Empire had been established, as a distinctly Crusader state, Laszlo had no choice but to declare his stance at this coronation ceremony.
He publicly declared Roman Catholicism as the state religion of the Empire and continued to implement the differential policy previously enforced in the Kingdom of Bulgaria, imposing more taxes and labor on non-Catholic believers.
If this decision had been made in the Constantinople of old, the citizens would surely have erupted in protest on the spot.
However, after the fall of the city, Laszlo had used semi-coercive methods to force the citizens of Constantinople to change their faith.
Even if they had only feigned conversion at the time, intending to revert later, they could now only silently endure their inner torment and slowly adapt to the changes brought about by their new faith.
Laszlo had already resolved the biggest obstacle to the unification of the Eastern and Western Churches; now, it was merely a matter of proceeding step by step, bringing the Balkan region into the sphere of Catholic influence, and the goals of the Roman Curia would largely be achieved.
As for the more northern Orthodox countries, such as Moscow, Moldavia, and Wallachia, these barbarians on the "edge of the world" did not receive much attention from Rome.
This decision by the Emperor also did not come as a surprise to people, as, being the defender of the faith of Catholicism, he certainly would not allow Orthodoxy to continue developing within his new Empire.
Especially since Gennadius, the Grand Patriarch serving the Ottoman Sultan, was still calling on Orthodox Christians to rise up against the oppression of the Roman Curia.
Of course, while unification was unification, Laszlo did not easily relinquish his control over the Eastern Church.
After a not-so-intense negotiation with Pope Paul II, he retained his right to appoint bishops in the Eastern Empire; in exchange, he had to vigorously promote the spread of Catholicism within the new Empire.
In any case, Laszlo himself would not suffer any loss, and the merit of ending the church schism would further enhance his prestige.
At the end of the celebration, Laszlo ordered the display of a brand new flag: a red background with a golden double-headed eagle emblem, largely similar to the royal flag of the Palaiologos dynasty, but entirely consistent in form with the eagle banner of the Holy Roman Empire, only with a different color scheme.
This was truly not Laszlo being lazy; he now intentionally sought to strengthen the ties between the two Empires, laying a foundation for the long-term rule of the Habsburg Family within the Western Empire.
Once the coronation ceremony concluded, Laszlo promptly handed over the numerous heavy and chaotic initial affairs of the newly established Empire to his slacker uncle, Frederick.
He had no choice; he had too many responsibilities and needed to focus his energy on military matters, ready at any moment to lead his army across the strait and launch a fierce attack on the Ottoman Empire.