The Emperor of LatiumGenre: Action/Adventure
Director: Mel Gibson
Writer: Meirad Tako
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, Charlie Hunnam, Tim Roth, Camilla Belle, Harry Styles
Plot: in 788 a man from the house of Umber and the Count Of Sienna of the Lombards Kingdom, his name is Alfano Umber (Mel Gibson) had an affair with his courtier and resulted in an unexpected son he named Alex (Keanu Reeves), he was legitimized by the Count and is able to take over the throne someday.
He was educated like the 15 of other Counts' children but he was treated differently. People treated him harshly and without respect, from the royal family to the peasant. He was so good at martial training, at the age of 15 he knocked down his personal trainer and beat one of the champions in Sienna, He was full of anger but always hold it back due to his calm demeanor.
But something he really hates is Christianity, he hates Jesus so much. He always thought that Jesus must already abandon the world because there are so many people in suffer so many plagues and the world should be better if Jesus really loves his creature.
He always tries to be a calm boy until he was 17 and witnessed his girlfriend got raped and killed by 3 of his royal brother.
With a rock, he beat them all and kill them then cut off their heads and bring it to the court of Sienna in case of rape and murder.
People look at him in horror, no one was brave enough to run the case, his father was infuriated and gave him punishment and throw him to the dungeon of the castle.
Not long after that, his father's spymaster that also his 4th oldest brother named Amadore (Charlie Hunnam) came to him to ask him to back his plot to kill all of their relatives so that he can be Count and if he became Count, Alex will be his chancellor.
With revenge, he accepts the over and with Amadore's high intrigue and Diplomacy experience, he manages to convince Count Alfano to release Alex.
Alex immediately slays all of his relative one by one and put their heads to a frame, after everyone died, he starts thinking to betray his only brother that's left. If Amadore can betray their entire sibling, so can Amadore betrays him so beforr it happens, Alex kill Amadore first and also put his head on a frame.
They bodies and the heads was kept inside a secret place in the castle, but it was soon discovered by the palace's servant and at the sametime when Alex was inside, the servant quickly run and report to the Count Alfano.
His father was again furious and challenge him to a duel, Alex accepts the duel. they duel in the training field of Sienna. The duel was so fierce it took hours and hours, Alfano did a little blunder when he slipped on a rock, Alex dash to his front and thrust his sword through his heart. Blood came out from Alfano's mouth immediately and a couple of seconds later he fell and his last breath is exhaled
Shortly after that, he took over the title Count Of Sienna, the people get a little unrest by the fact that the killing of the Count was so public and the fact that Alex got a bad reputation it was a gas to the already big flame, but he could calm his people with his speech and assurement plus his secret knights are killing people who wants to revolt. a couple of weeks later his liege, King Astolfo of Lombards Kingdom (Russell Crowe) called him to do the official ceremony.
The first thing after being a count, he declares war on the papal state, that borders his land in the northwest and also in the southeast.
3 days after the declaration of war, Pope Zachary (Tim Roth) tried to send a letter that filled with preach of how war can cause suffering and that lord forbids killing people, Alex did not like it and send letters back to him saying "If he loves his people so much, he won't let me kill anyone, including you
With 7 thousand men from merchants and 1 thousand of his own levy. he leads his men to march to the Rome of papal states, he left the northwest to his commander.
The night they made a tend in front of Rome's wall, Pope Zachary personally sent a letter to Alex to meet, he told him to meet him alone inside the wall of Rome.
His men warned him, he nods and said if he doesn't come back in an hour starts sieging the wall and if he uses the horn that he brings that also means to start the attack cause that means The Pope is dead. They nod and wake everybody to prepare.
He gets on his horse and gets inside, he was led by a guard to a cathedral, he gets in and sees Pope Zachary praying. He approaches him slowly.
When he is in the middle of the cathedral, a kind of net captured him and some guards rush to him. He quickly cut the rope with his knife and evade the sword-swinging towards him.
He takes out his swords and takes all of them down, he glances at the pope that is ready with a bow, he blocks the arrow with his swords and powerfully throws his sword and the sword thrust the throat of the pope, the pope's eyes are widen, the pain can't be hold. Alex slowly take out the sword of his throat and say "I conclude my statement, No god exist in this cold, cold world"
He blows the horn on top of the cathedral and his men attack Rome, with no leader, Rome could not last, and Alex's army takes over and control the area.
All of the papal states were annexed and after gaining 3 states from the papal states, Alex made the title of Duchy Of Sienna.
After hearing the news, King Astolfo was surprised and furious, he helped the papacy to be built in the Wessex kingdoms in the British isle.
One month later, King Astolfo was about to send Alex a letter when the news got to his radar that Duke Alex of Sienna, had already taken over half of his territory in the casus beli of Independence.
He quickly raises his levy and personally leads them to meet the boy that self-claimed to be a Duke.
After 3 months, they finally face each other, they clash in an epic sword fight and ended up scarring Astolfo's face and blind his left eye, Astolfo retreated. A month later, the Lombards Kingdom surrender and give Sienna its independence.
Not long after that, Alex married a woman from Sicily named Maria (Camilla Belle) and had a baby daughter named after her mother, Maria. Her mother died after giving birth to her and left her to his Father. Alex loves Maria so much that he hires 8 highly paid maid to take care of her.
Her growth was painted with war, his father always put the infant with the maid quite far from the battlefield but she can still see the bloodbath.
After taking over some random petty kingdoms in the Italian peninsula he creates a title of Kingdom Latium and he is the King Of Latium Kingdom.
Latium is from Sienna to Sicily, he claims some states owned by the Byzantine Empire such as Capua and Napoli so he declared war.
He met 3 basileuses in his war and kill 3 of them with his own sword and frame their heads. But the next in line to the throne is a 3 years old boy named Leonard. He likes the little boy so he spared his life, but he infiltrate the Byzantium empire politically. He arranges a betrothal between his 1-year-old daughter to Leonard.
After the Latium-Byzantine war, the lower half of the Italian peninsula to Sicily belongs to Alex and his Kingdom, and the only thing that stops him to be an emperor is the Lombards Kingdom in the upper half of the Italian peninsula.
He maintains a stable political influence in Byzantium, their trade road was guarded solidly, their immigration line also makes their relationship closer.
On his 45th birthday, a letter sent by the new king of Lombards arrived, the servant bring the latter to their king so he can read it himself.
It was filled with insult and slander, it enraged the King and the very next day, he raises his levy and navy. Without a declaration of war, he leads the attack to the Lombards Kingdom.
A couple of months, when he reached the capital, the army of west Francia ambush their army and get pushed back.
Alex calls the Byzantine Empire to war as the obligation of their alliance so they accept the request and help Latium win the battle and take over all upper half of the Italian peninsula. After the victory, Alex declares himself an emperor of the Latium Empire
Maria since she was 12 years old always demands to stop the war of expansion and better focus on the prosperity of the people, she debate about what's the meaning of a big land if the populations are dying by themself.
Her father always gets mad on her demand and one night after the heated debate, he slaps Maria and sent Maria to the Byzantine Empire to learn the art of war and to meet her future husband.
Maria there for the first time met the 15 years old Leonard (Harry Styles), Basileus of Byzantine Empire in the future. They spend their days and thoughts about war and they had the same opinion in focusing on the prosperity of the people rather than expanding their area. After time spending they actually fell in love.
But still, she is so good at martial just like her father, time of marriage, Alex and Maria had another debate and left Maria alone on her marriage.
after the marriage, Maria and Leonard start to decrease the relationship between the two empires. Starts by stoping their trade and neglecting the request of war when Latium tried to Invade West Francia.
Maria also published a book about her thought and it was so popular in her father's realm, and when they know that Maria is the next Empress of Latium, it became more popular.
The thought empowers the oppressed civilians and started a mass civil war.
And in time of Chaos, Byzantine Empire declares war to Latium, lead by Maria and Leonard.
Alex and Maria had a one on one battle, it was so bloody but Maria's sword successfully goes between the helmet of Alex and cut through his skull.
The reign of Emperor Alex "the conqueror" of Latium Empire had ended, it was succeeded by Countess Maria of Sienna, why Countess? Because maria gave back the lands that her father have taken from them.
And that is the end of the short-lived Empire Of Latium. The empire that was founded by mighty ruler but at the end of the day, the wheels is always turning and now it s his turn to be the bottom part of the wheel.
