Heaven On Earth
Emperor Michael VIII: The Phoenix: II
(Mood Music)
The might of 50,000 highly trained and heavily armed Orthodox soldiers struck into Hungary on September 10th 1273, about 30 years after peace was made with the Mongols. The Mongols had abandoned Hungary and effectively cut off their alliance with them. No military aid would be sent to the Hungarians. But even without Mongol backing, the Hungarians were a powerful foe, and Michael VIII made sure that his army was nearly indestructible. He equipped all his men with the finest weapons, had thousands of camp followers, everything an army could ever need or want. The Second Orthodox-Hungarian War would be the first test for the reemerging Orthodox Empire.
So on that September morning, the grand Orthodox army crossed into Hungary. Soon after they came across the first Hungarian outposts, the small garrisons within them didn’t stand a chance, and they fell with ease. Moving into Bulgaria was made much easier by the thousands of Orthodox men joining the army, taking with them whatever makeshift weapons, pitchforks, kitchen knives, they had. Thirty years was too long, and the Orthodox people were eager to rid their land of the often oppressive Hungarians.
Now strengthened to about 70,000, the Orthodox laid siege to Sofia. The Hungarian garrison was trapped and massacred by the Orthodox populace as soon as news reached them that the Imperial army was approaching. All throughout the Balkans, the Orthodox people were rising up against the Hungarians. And the scattered massacres of Orthodox people that Hungary conducted only fueled the fire. So when the Orthodox army arrived at Sofia, the gates were thrown open and Michael VIII was surprised to find not one living Hungarian soldier. Soon after, all of Bulgaria fell to the Orthodox.
One of the many tapestries that were made to commemorate Michael VIII’s victories
After this, Michael VIII turned his army towards Serbia. By this time, the Kingdom of Hungary was panicking. All their territories south of the Danube were at risk of being retaken by the Orthodox Empire. They had a huge Orthodox army attacking key points, and Orthodox people revolting everywhere. Michael VIII arrived at Belgrade in February of 1274. This time, he had a fight on his hands. Belgrade’s central position meant it had a much larger garrison than Sofia. The winter and the walls took their toll on both sides. The siege was quite long and it wasn’t until things warmed up in May that Michael VIII made his move on the city. Coupled with internal riots, the gates were once again thrown open and the Orthodox army massacred the Hungarian garrison.
By now Michael VIII was the superstar of Europe. In all towns, the populace rioted, killed the Hungarians, and welcomed Michael VIII and his army into their city. By the time he advanced into Croatia, the land was already purged of Hungarians the citizens were just waiting for Michael VIII to come. By the summer of 1274, the war was over. The Hungarian military was destroyed, and all Balkan lands south of the Danube were in Orthodox hands once again. The phoenix had started its rise.
Orthodox troops attacking the walls of Belgrade