Bastions: Tales of the Anglo-Prussians

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Damn, already 8 pages to catch up with! What are you doing to me man!? At least it will be a good refresher course he? Well, there goes my weekend
I'll start reading up after I finish reading "Res Gestae Divi Augusti" by Gaius Julius Ceasar Augustus.

Awesome, it is good to keep up.

Later today, since I have no homework, I am going to try to get out a few updates. I am probably going to shorten the length so that we aren't waiting here until summer for some new material. Also, Homelands (and therefore Baltica as a whole) turns 2 on February 7th!

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Bastions
Prologue Two: The Prussians
Part 20

normándæn ist se runæŝaná ŝev milánærs, sáŝæn ist se runæŝaná ŝev cinitærs, ánglæn ist se runæŝaná ŝev lærærs, próŝjæn ist se runæŝaná ŝev sinikæs.
French is the language of the Lovers, German is the language of the Warriors, English is the language of the Priests, Prussian is the language of the Kings.

In the summer of 1199 the soldiers of Prussia marched again. Not to some construction site, but to war. 65,000 soldiers were at hand to enforce an important claim, Prussia's claim to Moldavia. The region was a borderland, and in terms of the time that meant that it was between two major powers who both claimed the region. This meant that the citizens often paid twice the taxes (once to both powers) or that the hinterlands were no-man's land and that tiny cities representing each nation sprung up all over, leaving tiny enclaves of one state in another. Hungary needed the region as a port, it was the only connection Hungary had to the sea and was necessary to continue Hungary's support of Crusaders in the Holy Land and in Georgia and Armenia. But Prussia wanted the same strip of land to build a road from Kiev to Constantinople, linking Prussia to one of its largest trading partners. However, to build the road, Prussia would require more direct control over the region as it would also allow for the enforcing of tolls, tolls that Hungary would have to pay to reach the sea. Neither side was going to back down, they had too much riding on their control over the region, so war became inevitable.

That is why Sviendorog levied 65,000 soldiers in the winter of 1198, far more than were needed. He wanted to crush Hungary in a single blow, attacking over a large, wide area and stretching their small armies thin. For the West it was going to be a proving ground. If Hungary managed to win, Prussia was likely to fall; if Hungary lost, Prussia would have to be their guardian. By the end of 1199 Hungary's capital, Pressburg, had fallen as had Moldavia. But King István kept up a fighting retreat to Pest. But the fight could not be kept up forever and by the spring of 1200 many in the Hungary army had disserted to return to the fields. King István was forced to surrender Moldavia, and though he could have taken more, Sviendorog accepted this offer. Hence forth Hungary was in an awkward position. With France crushed, Italy crumbling, Germany wracked by civil war and England isolating itself, Hungary was left as the sole Christian power of the West. But it was a tributary state to the Prussians and Romans who controlled its access to the seas. It was a sign of times for Europe and the fate of Christianity.

In Bohemia, Prince Dzintis was crowned King of Bohemia as King Dominic as wed to the daughter of King István. What made the crowing strange was that Dzintis was a King before his own father. Though Meinekinus thought little of it, Dzintis was more than willing to let it get to his head. To him he was the force of unity in Europe, the glue that held Prussia bound to the West. So while Meinekinus prepared himself for being King and Dzintis went about his indulgences as a young man made King, King Sviendorog had a new issue arising: immigrants. From the West fled untold numbers of Germans, French and Dutch nobles and merchants from their beleaguered lands to Prussia. In the south, Catalan, Spanish and Italian nobles favored Rome for their destination. All fled the loss of their wealth and status, and in unlucky cases in the south, their lives. For Sviendorog it was a too edged sword. The new blood was able to stamp out much of the Saxon nobility, pushing it to the side. However, so many more nobles were now clambering for land, wealth and position. The stress on the King grew and in 1204 he died at the age of 60.

[Enewald]

How can you say so about the deeply religious French?

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Bastions
Prussian Lesson
Evolution of "poleje"

trádzæn ist se dziva uv ien poleje!
Tragic is the life of a Pole!

The word "poleje" in Modern Prussian has come under fire in the age of political correctness. However, for a word of such controversy it remains a common staple in the classroom as well as in theater and on television. The question is, is it proper to call some one a Pole (ie a person from Poland) when they really mean to call someone an idiot or a side kick? The best place to start is to look at the origin of the word. Poleje comes from polejá meaning "Poland" and follows the main convension of já > je when referring to a citizen of a country. Documentation from the age of King Eadbert and King Gunvald I both show pronounced usage of the word to refer to the people of neighboring Poland. However, by King Kiten the usage of the word had all but stopped in official documentation. By the reign of King Gunvald II the word seems to have disappeared from normal conversational usage.

This of course can be linked to the decline in the Polish language and identity in the XIII and XIV Centuries. With the death of the language in the XIV Century, there was no reason to refer to the Polish, only to the region still called "Poland". Under King Gunvald II, Poland was a "Protectorate" under the watchful eye of Prince Doyvát. It was this status that would give birth to the modern usage of the word poleje. The reemergence of the word can be linked to a play written in the first few years of the XV Century. One scene, in the Prussian throne room, calls for a "Pole", in this case it was referring to Steward of Poland, the eldest son of the King. At the time the heir of the King could function in the throne room as the Steward of Poland, second only to the King. But it was this position, being second, that seemed to stick. By the 1450s there are a few plays that call for a "Pole", this time referring to a character's status as a side kick, or second in command.

So from a Slavic people of Central Europe, to an heir, to a second in command; the word was losing its position. This was exacerbated by the humorous plays of the XVI Century. In one of the most famous, Of Love Between two Young People, the leading character refers to his friend as an ally, to which his friend replies (sarcastically), "Yes sir, that is I, the best Pole God ever put on this Earth!". In this sense it still means second in command, but the sarcasm was lost on lay audiences. The sarcasm was not supposed to be in the word Pole, but rather that this character had more or less been doing all the work for the main character. So it is after this that poleje begins to take on its more modern form.

Enter the modern age. 1920 there was no Poland, there were no people from Poland and there were no people who spoke Polish. In the films of Communist Prussia the word poleje flourished as slang for dunce. But in recent years, since the end of the Communist Empire, the word has remained and has come under fire. But to what end? To what good? Who are they protecting and why? Many suggest that they are protecting the memory of Poland and the Polish people. Other just say that it is a matter of common decency. The word has fallen out of usage amongst TV programs and it is noted as a word that generally falls out of usage as a person ages (only to be replaced by "stronger" curse words). It is still common in school yards and for some that is too much, but no amount of government spending is going to stop school kids from calling each other polejes.

[Enewald]

Died during XIV century, and was also used in that play during XIV century?
So swift.

[gigau]

Awesome update, Sir Capiatlist ! I really love and enjoy your writing skills (although it's true i don't always comment ).

How can you say so about the deeply religious French?

Us ? "religious French" ?

[Enewald]

Awesome update, Sir Capiatlist ! I really love and enjoy your writing skills (although it's true i don't always comment ).




Us ? "religious French" ?

But they are Muslim! And that is surely improper!

[gigau]

But they are Muslim! And that is surely improper!

It's true that Charles Martel must be spinning in his grave

But italians and spanishs are even more catholic in our timeline

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Died during XIV century, and was also used in that play during XIV century?
So swift.

Sorry, that was supposed to be XVI Century, I fixed it.

Awesome update, Sir Capiatlist ! I really love and enjoy your writing skills (although it's true i don't always comment ).

I understand, I am quite the prolific lurker myself.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Bastions
Prologue Two: The Prussians
Part 21

ien gol paturáf ien stórt mind fokut.
A goal keeps a bored mind focused.

Sviendorog said that the key to controlling your life and your future was to have a goal in mind, something to work toward and to build whenever you have down time. Memelgrád blossomed under the reign of King Sviendorog, who built cathedrals, palaces, roads, ports and urbanized the city. He was the Paris of the East and quickly gaining on Constantinople in size and splendor. Memelgrád was and still is an important part of Prussian culture. Unlike many cities, Prussians always refer to Memelgrád in the masculine. This steamed from conflicts with the Roman Empire; if the Romans had the Queen of Cities, Prussia would be damned if it didn't have the King of Cities. In 1206, King Meinekinus was working on his first actions as King, despite being King for almost two years. The ex-monk sought an important piece of territory as a mark of Christianity's refusal to back down to pagans. The territory was the lands centered on the Mordvin fortress of Mustajoki, in Prussian, Máskáó. Holding the city would be key to controlling the Volga and for holding back the Mordvins. In 1207 Prussian invaded Máskáó, which was trying to gain its independence from Mordvia. Meinekinus believe that it was his duty, as Prince of Kiev, to protect all Russian peoples. Since Máskáó was three parts Russian to two parts Mordvin, he claimed it as part of his realm. But as soon as the Russians were safe, a new problem came from the West.

The Caliphate made its boldest move yet, attacking Denmark in an attempt to expand their own hold on the Baltic trade routes. The Baltic was a fairly stable place, even in an age of almost constant warfare in Europe. This stability, of course, was due to the Prussian Kingdom. The Baltic was a Prussian play-thing and the Scandinavian nations knew and felt it in their pocket books. Denmark, controlling the Sjaelland Islands, Scania, and Jutland, was in a powerful position to control the flow of Prussian goods. But they knew that they would never stand a chance against Prussia in a military engagement, so they never did. The Caliphate was uncertain if Prussia would even intervene, but Meinekinus said that the guarantee that Prussia would never enter the Infinite War was on the condition that the Caliphate did not interfere with Prussia. Messing up trade routes was very much a cause for war. Prussia invaded Sjaelland, kicking out the Caliphate and attempted to take Fyn. But the Swedes invaded Denmark as well, taking Scania. So in the end Denmark was divided by the three states: Prussia took Sjaelland and the Danish ports in Pommern, the Caliphate took Jutland and Fyn, and Sweden took Scania and the crown. Meinekinus promised the old King of Denmark that he would one day reunite Denmark and it would once again be lead by descendents of the Danish family.

By 1212 Fyn was already under Prussian control and Jutland looking flimsy. Meinekinus saw that the Caliphate was having issues with its central command. It wasn't so much a state as a collective of Dukes and Counts led by one King. The vassals squabbled over dinner scraps, fighting each other and their neighbors without so much as asking the Caliph first. Jutland, being unattached to the Caliphate, was already acting as several independent states. But capturing Fyn was important as it gave Prussia control over one channel of Baltic trade into the North Sea. 1212 was also an important year as it was the year that the heir of both Bohemia and Hungary was scheduled to arrive in Memelgrád for his education. The young boy was Kárnák, the son of King Dzintis. Kárnák and his grandfather would soon grow close, bound by their blood and their desire to better Prussia.

[Enewald]

Funny how fast the Muslims got as far as Jutland.

Do Mordvans ever get the city back?

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Funny how fast the Muslims got as far as Jutland.

Do Mordvans ever get the city back?

Moscow remains Prussian from this point on (not counting Civil Wars).

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Question: Did people enjoy the language updates from Homelands? Should I continue them here once Bastions is up an running?

[mayorqw]

I did.

[Vesimir]

They were enjoyable even though they were hard. It'd be nice for them to continue.

[Hannibal X]

I say put thosae updates on the anglobaltikja forums, but focus more on culture updates and storyline here. I never really grasped the language updates- they seemed more like background filler, the Klingon to your Star Trek. I'd rather see more gameplay and especially culture updates.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Bastions
Prologue Two: The Prussians
Part 22

æs cæráj tas æs min áng sun ápglábát zoildáj.
I hope that I shall not have to bury my own son.

Prince Kárnák was born in an awkward position as the eventual heir of not one, but three Kingdoms: Hungary, Bohemia and Prussia. He was the eldest son of Dzintis, known as King Dominic in Bohemia. But the Hungarians, spurred on by the Pope, resisted Kárnák's claim to the throne. Two other contenders appeared. First was Mihály Árpád, the Count of Pest. Second was Otto von Franken, scion of the Imperial line of von Frankens (as compared to the Ducal line in which would come to rule Wallachia). The three heirs represented different forms of legitimacy: blood, family and prestige. King István of Hungary called a large gathering were the nobility of Hungary would vote to see who'd be heir. Kárnák was largely represented through Lucas, Prince of Banat and a rival of Mihály Árpád. After the votes had been tallied, Otto was the winner with Kárnák a close second. But Prince Lucas was unhappy with the results. Otto was six months old at the time of the vote and with King István looking very ill, many feared that Hungary would be usurped by the Pope (who was the likely regent) and used as a tool to fight Muslims. King Meinekinus did not want to have any blood on the hands of his young grandson and therefore demanded that Lucas do nothing. But what really happened is a mystery to this very day.

Not even a month after the election, Otto was dead. Since he was not even a year of age, many just blamed it on natural causes. Supporters of Mihály Árpád accused supporters of Kárnák of foul play. There is no evidence for this, but they (correctly) pointed out that Otto's death mask was perfectly symmetrical, which was not natural. They said this was meant to cover up some defect or mark that would implicate murder. Most historians agree that this was most likely done for an aesthetics purpose or that Otto was actually deformed and the mask was artificial anyways. Regardless; Kárnák, Prince of Moravia, was declared the heir of King István. On October 31st, 1218 there were three Prussian Kings. King István had died and Kárnák took the throne of Hungary. Since he was only 12, Lucas Prince of Banat took the role of regent. And Mihály Árpád was placated with large land grants, giving him control over much of Hungary directly. But it was all a house of cards, the slightest disturbance would send everything crashing to the ground. But to the dismay of Mihály, Kárnák endeared himself to the Hungarian nobility. His innocents and will to do good coupled with a strong sense of honor reminded many of the old ideals of the Western World.

But by 1220 Mihály had his war and soon Hungary descended into civil war. On one side was King Kárnak supported by the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Kingdom of Prussia. On the other side was Mihály Árpád, supported by the Pope and nominally by the Roman Empire. Dzintis was not a great commander, but assumed control of his armies anyways. Despite the advantage that Kárnák had, it was easily lost or squandered by Dzintis. Luckily, after several failures, Meinekinus sent the general Zygimantas, a mysterious character in the Prussian annals. Zygimantas came from an unknown pedigree, an unknown training, and commanded the Prussian armies for Meinekinus. What is known was that he spoke in a strong Lithuanian accent, found for the Prussian Guard, and was likely a victim of leprosy late in life. Other than that there is little way to distinguish fact from myth. Even more mysteriously he appears at the beginning of Meinekinus's reign and disappears shortly after the death of the King. Zygimantas was key to the Prussian victory in Hungary, a victory that was almost lost by King Dzintis. Following the war, Dzintis assumed control over Hungary and deposed his son, Kárnák, uniting Bohemia and Hungary. The former King, and now Prince, was returned to Memelgrád, though Dzintis wanted him to study elsewhere. This tension eventually turned into an out-right feud between Meinekinus and his son, Dzintis.

[Mr. Capiatlist]

Bastions
Prologue Two: The Prussians
Part 23

lá, bæt he ist næ ápkárt kán se pirmás klódá mácæt... se ænlik klódá tas intingæt ist kán se liestæ mácæt.
Yes, but it isn't about who makes the first mistake... the only mistake that matters is who makes the last.

In the 1220s the was a great deal of change in Christianity. Catholicism splintered into five main groups. The first were the Norse Rite, a group centered on Scandinavia and the Gaelic countries. They incorporated a great deal of decentralization and were often divided more into clans then into dioceses or bishoprics. Next were the Edessan Catholics, centered on the Crusaders still clinging onto Edessa. It was a militaristic organization, and even more heavily male dominated then Catholicism. It was illegal for women to even enter churches until the 1800s and even today there are sects (especially in Arabia) that still refuse women and children entry into churches which often doubled as guard posts. In regions under Orthodox influence (England, northern Germany) Unionism was a popular option. Unionism preached that Christianity had to unite or face extinction. But the message of love and understanding often fell on deaf ears. In Hungary and Croatia, Catholicism still existed, though it was not referred to as Roman Catholicism, often called Magyar Catholicism (in Hungary) or Slavic Catholicism (in Croatia). Lastly, and most numerous, were the Revisionists. Revisionism was a highly reactionary, highly violent sect of Christians who sought the end of the Caliphate at all costs. Stories of their deeds, both against the Muslims, other Christians, and even to themselves. One story reported by Muslims and other Christians alike in the lowlands told of a congregation of Revisionists locking themselves and their children in a church and setting it ablaze from within.

In 1223, Prussia got its biggest shock. In Bohemia-Hungary, King Dzintis seemingly committed suicide; throwing himself off of a balcony after attacking a maid and running around shouting nonsense. Many in both countries celebrated the death of a tyrant and went to Prince Kárnák to return to the throne of Hungary and assume the title King of Bohemia. The young man did, once again uniting Hungary and Bohemia, though he put his capital in the city of Pressburg and not Prague. The King was seventeen years old, newlywed to his young wife, the daughter of a wealthy Flemish merchant in Memelgrád. Around the same time, King Meinekinus had King Kárnák crowned Prince of Prussia, the heir to the largest Christian kingdom in the world. But Kárnák chose to remain close to his grandfather in Memelgrád. Many suppose that Meinekinus took the role of father for the young man, and was actively engaged in his education as well as being the one to introduce Kárnák to his wife.

But Meinekinus was growing old. He wasn't quite as old has his father, Sviendorog, but he was also never as healthy as the active and fit general. In the autumn of 1225, Meinekinus considered excommunicating all Revisionists from Christianity. It would not actually be anything, but was meant as a sign that the other Christian sects did not approve of actions taken by the Revisionists during the purging of Antwerp after its capture and abandonment by the Caliphate. However, the leaders of the Unionists strongly protested and Meinekinus withdrew his idea. But it was not long after that he retreated into hiding. He kept in contact with Kárnák, but it was not soon after that the King died. Kárnák was crowned King of Prussia in Mariengrád and he moved his capital to Memelgrád. He assumed the title King of Kings and was the most powerful man in all of Christendom. By the Grace of GOD: the King of Kings; King of Prussia, Bohemia, Hungary; Prince of Kiev, Prussia, Moravia; Protector of the Russians; Defender of the Faith; Count of Memelgrád, Mariengrád, Dánzik, Pinsk, Kiev, Chernigrád and Morcárgrád etc etc.

[Beowulf1990]

Woot! Finally caught up

[Enewald]

Was it that Dzintis really attacked Hungary?

Emperor of Prussia?
Servant of the faithful?
Lord of the north?