Basil Argyros

Basil Argyros is the eponymous main character of a sequence of short stories (by Harry Turtledove) set in an alternate 14th Century.

Plot

In this universe, the Prophet Moaumet, instead of developing Islam, converts to Christianity. As such, by the time the stories take place, the Eastern Roman Empire is still the pre-eminent power in the Mediterranean world, has reconquered much of southern Europe and North Africa, and is still — as it was in our history up to the advent of Islam — involved in a never-ending cold war (occasionally flaring up into actual fighting) with its Persian arch-enemy.

Basil works as an agent for the Roman Emperor, and as such is sent across the Empire to solve problems — sometimes as a spy, sometimes as a negotiator, and sometimes as a soldier.

Continuity

Stories in the Basil Argyros universe (in order written) are:

*Unholy Trinity
*Archetypes
*The Eyes of Argos
*Strange Eruptions
*Images
*Superwine
*Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire

Production

Most of the above were collected into a single book, "Agent of Byzantium". An additional story in the universe, "Departures," was written by Turtledove; Basil was absent from it as it took place hundreds of years earlier, and focused on the future St. Moaumet. Furthermore, "Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire" was not published until after the first edition of "Agent of Byzantium". It was included in the second edition of the book (published by Baen Books).

Differences

Much of the fun of the series is to see how familiar inventions and social institutions crop up in this world far ahead of schedule, and under very different circumstances than they did in our world. Among these are:

* The telescope, discovered among the shamans of the Jurchen nomads who threaten the Empire from the north
* Vaccination for smallpox, which is discovered during a terrible plague inflicting Constantinople itself
* Trade Unions and strikes, appearing first among the builders engaged in the dangerous erection of a great lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt
* Black powder, developed by the monks in the Abbey of St. Gall and used with great effect by the empire's Frankish enemies — until stolen by Argyros, with the help of agents from an Anglo-Saxon England which has known no Norman Conquest
* Printing, invented by the empire's Persian enemies and used to foment sedition and dissension inside its borders, until this secret is also apprehended by Argyros.
* Distilling invented by a wine-seller in Constantinople and purchased for the empire by Argyros. (This is anachronistic as the process was actually well known to Greek alchemists from the 1st century AD.)