In 1402, the Byzantine Empire was at its last legs , controlling only the city of Constantinople and a few small holdings here and there, encroached by the growing Turkish Empire.
However, on that year, the Turkish sultan went to fight Tamerlane, a very ferocious central asian ruler, and got killed.
The Sultan's four sons began to fight against each other, and to get legitimacy, all four of them went to Constantinople to get an alliance with the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II.
The Byzantine Emperor, suddenly realizing his new power, made each prince sign a treaty to not attack Constantinople, and one of them beat the others and became the new Sultan. he kept his promise and he didn't attack Constantinople until he died in 1421l giving the Empire a badly needed respite and extending its life by 51 more years.
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It is ironical that IU enters her 16th year in a much better strategic position than before.
The singer very well known for her almost complete lack of contribution to KPop's worldwide explosion , yet reigning for 9 years as the Senior Singer because MAMA gave her a lifetime achievement award back in 2014, was on the way out earlier this year, with the explosion of the 4th generation who was obliterating the entire Kpop hierarchy.
And then the Fifty Fifty thing hit, questioning the validity of the Melon Chart System and threatening to end it all , with the new emphasis on tiktok and away from Melon, IU's chief playing ground.
Around June 15, it was expected that her 15th anniversary would have been the anniversary where the former owner of the Edam Entertainment is finally carted off to the nursing home of KPop .
However within 3 months everything changed. Fifty Fifty had its legal trouble and is now out of KPop, NewJeans went to see the 1,344 years old, as well as Kim Taehyung, while Akmu, a longtime IU ally, has restored most of its power, restoring the vocalist tradition which was on the way for the dustbin and enabling her proposed return in Oct or Nov viable.
And BlackPink's position is now uncertain while BTS won't return until very late in 2025 at the earliest,
She has reaffirmed her position as the Senior Singer of Korean Pop. There is only Twice, an act she can control, which can challenge her seniorhood.
It might be possible that she is going to forgo a Nov/Dec comeback and jump back in with a vengeance in Jan 2024, since with BTS' members mostly in the military, BP's status uncertain (and no comeback anyways since Jisoo is now acting), and no 4thGen acts truly dominating . the last remaining major 2nd Gen singer would have a very strong chance to wreak a big havoc in 2024.
What a reversal of fortune . The 4th gen should hurry up to shut her out.
