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Wow, almost all of Hungary lost. At least Matyas still has support from his Polish and Croatian subjects. I hope he will deal with them in a more cautious tactful way then he did with his Hungarian nobles. If not, I fear for his throne.
 
Matyas seems to have stirred up a hornets' nest. Assassinating your own nobility is always a gamble, but you should at least make sure you actually manage to get your targets. Let's hope that none of Hungary's neighbours decide to make use of its internal instability to bring it down to size.
 
Is it wrong of me to root for Hunyadi? Because I am.

Also, the background texture of the map looks oddly familiar, is it the Piri Reis map
 
Just finished this AAR -- normally I don't like history book style AARs, but this is really well done! Good mix of pictures from the game and prose, so I can follow along. Subscribed!

I'm glad I was able to entice you to take a chance on this style of AAR. Thank you for your support and subscription!

Wow, almost all of Hungary lost. At least Matyas still has support from his Polish and Croatian subjects. I hope he will deal with them in a more cautious tactful way then he did with his Hungarian nobles. If not, I fear for his throne.

Matyas is in a pretty pickle. The Polish lands really help Matyas. He fears for his crown too, but he's so arrogant that he just doesn't know it yet. :p

Dewirix said:
Matyas seems to have stirred up a hornets' nest. Assassinating your own nobility is always a gamble, but you should at least make sure you actually manage to get your targets. Let's hope that none of Hungary's neighbours decide to make use of its internal instability to bring it down to size.

That is actually THE biggest problem with this whole war. Austria and the Golden Horde are watching very carefully, waiting for a time to strike since Hungary is divided. Golden Horde as you saw commands the most powerful army, and Austria is HRE so that doesn't help either.

Milites said:
Is it wrong of me to root for Hunyadi? Because I am.

Also, the background texture of the map looks oddly familiar, is it the Piri Reis map

Hah, not at all. Hunyadi is a man of the people, a medieval version of Castro, well besides the facts of communism, paranoia and the cigars. :D

The map actually is not the Piri Reis map, though I do have that in my collection too. It is part of a medieval maritime map from Aragon. It is housed in the maritime museum in Barcelona (I believe), Spain.
 
So I just finished the first update . I'll be trudging along in the next few days :D . It may not be your famous narratives , but I'm always happy to see you writing !
 
So I just finished the first update . I'll be trudging along in the next few days :D . It may not be your famous narratives , but I'm always happy to see you writing !

I sense a tiny bit of disdain for it not being narrative. For shame! ;) Actually, I really want to do a narrative again, but I definitely don't have the time to do two AARs right now, at least two that would be updated as much as readers would like. Though, maybe 1 update each week for both AARs could work. I wonder if people would be satisfied with that? *shrug*

Speaking of updates, the next one should be up later tonight, hopefully.
 
Things look pretty dire for King Matyas; but that's what happens when you play "kick the noblemen" too often. :p

Like Milites I find it hard to resist rooting for Branabus Hunyadi; he seems like a competent general and an all-round decent fellow. Especially when compared to his overlord.
 
I have just come to this through the link in your signature elsewhere. Glad I did. Excellent AAR.

You have me rooting for Hunyadi and the rebels.
 
Things look pretty dire for King Matyas; but that's what happens when you play "kick the noblemen" too often. :p

Like Milites I find it hard to resist rooting for Branabus Hunyadi; he seems like a competent general and an all-round decent fellow. Especially when compared to his overlord.

Yea, when you mess with your nobles, you won't be a very popular king. Everyone likes the under-dog, which Hunyadi definitely represents. He is not of "noble-blood" so to speak and only made a name for himself due to his actual accomplishments unlike some monarchs that go based solely off of family heritage.

Vandervecken said:
Here's to the Corvinus dynasty. May they reign with justice and take the fight to the Turk.

Well, we may be getting just a tad bit ahead of ourselves. ;) Hunyadi still has to win against Matyas which is definitely not an easy task. Hunyadi might be a great general but he's facing a much larger army and territory.

Alfredian said:
I have just come to this through the link in your signature elsewhere. Glad I did. Excellent AAR.

You have me rooting for Hunyadi and the rebels.

Well thank you! I'm glad the signature is getting some use out of it. :D Yea, Hunyadi seems to be the popular guy out there. King Matyas isn't really getting much love...tis sad.

Speaking of the update, I'm sorry it has been a while. This was my last week of midterms before spring break. I'm heading on a nice little 3 day vacation over the weekend, BUT I will be updating this tomorrow. The update is nearly ready, but I wanted to tweak some things. Sorry for the wait. :)
 
I sense a tiny bit of disdain for it not being narrative. For shame! ;) Actually, I really want to do a narrative again, but I definitely don't have the time to do two AARs right now, at least two that would be updated as much as readers would like. Though, maybe 1 update each week for both AARs could work. I wonder if people would be satisfied with that? *shrug*

Speaking of updates, the next one should be up later tonight, hopefully.

I would be more then satisfied with 1 update a week for two of your AARs! More then enough other things to read too so more then that might lead to me not being able to follow either your AARs or someone else's as closely as I would like. ;)
 
I would be more then satisfied with 1 update a week for two of your AARs! More then enough other things to read too so more then that might lead to me not being able to follow either your AARs or someone else's as closely as I would like. ;)

I actually remember the excellent Scottish narrative.
Well enough written that it still sticks in my head. ;)
 
Chapter VII – The Beginning Year of the Rebellion



By the beginning months of 1423, loyal supporters to King Matyas had formed an army of nearly 25,000 men to battle Branabus Hunyadi and the Magyar rebels. It was a great feat that, in many aspects, was a miracle to see. King Matyas had limited funds to supply, let alone form a large army. The Hungarian army that did exist before the rebellion had splintered into opposing sides, with nearly half the available men and generals siding with Hunyadi or abandoning the army all together. One common belief among Magyar rebels was that the war would be quick, for they did not believe Matyas could truly mount a defensive. Unfortunately for the rebels, they were wrong. One aspect the rebels failed to realize was the importance and loyalty of the newly acquired Polish lands in the north. The Polish nobles, delighted of the Luxembourg heir were staunch allies against the Magyars.(1) With their assured loyalty, Matyas was able to recruit over 10,000 Polish soldiers to fight for him, as well as attain a sizeable loan to pay for a few seasons of campaigning. Along with his Croatian subjects, as well as the remnants of the former army, Matyas mustered a force that was three-times the size of the Magyar rebel army.

With that said, King Matyas still had problems facing his army and his hopeful victory over the rebels. The king was fighting an enemy that had no official fortifications or castles, and its army had the support of many common Magyars throughout the kingdom especially in the Carpathian Basis and Transylvania. In short of ransacking and burning every town and castle in the rebel regions, which would not be looked upon favorably by his own loyal subjects, Matyas could only wait for good intelligence of rebel movement and hopefully strike when the rebels were at their weakest.

Branabus Hunyadi was having troubles of his own. Though word of the rebellion began to spread in September of the previous year, Hunyadi’s army was slow to form. The largest part of his army to arrive was his former Hungarian soldiers that splintered from Matyas’s Royal army months earlier. These reinforcements of nearly 6,800 men increased his army to not quite 8,500 men by April of 1423. Promised reinforcements from loyal nobles were coming in every day, usually in pockets of 100 to 300 men. This pleased Hunyadi but he knew that Matyas was able to form a larger army much quicker, and he constantly worried that Matyas would ambush the smaller rebel armies while in route to him. Again, fortunate was not in favor of Hunyadi, his biggest stress and worry became reality.

In April of 1423, a rebel army of nearly 4,000 men under a local Magyar lord named Karoly Festetics was marching to Carpathia to join forces with Hunyadi. Matyas’s spies very easily discovered the army, for it was the only notable rebel force in a region that Matyas unofficially controlled. King Matyas, along with his best general Erno Ozoray left a small garrison force in Buda and forced march to intercept the rebels in Ersekujvar. In only two days, the Royal Army, numbered over 20,000 men met up with the small rebel force and battle ensued. The Battle of Ersekujvar was a relatively quick but incredibly brutal battle. King Matyas did not declare that the common soldiers would be spared and a massive massacre occurred after rebel troops surrendered.

ersekujvar_victory_1423.jpg

The Battle of Ersekujvar was one of the worst massacres in all the years of the Magyar Rebellion.

Actual rebel casualties in the battle were light, but the ensuing aftermath would see the eventual destruction of the entire rebel army. No quarter was not a typical sight on European battlefields, yet Matyas enraged with the war felt it unnecessary to spare the lives of traitors.

ersekujvar_battle_1423.jpg

It was an outstanding though predictable victory for King Matyas. His army only received about 150 casualties in the battle with only about thirty men perishing. However, one of those thirty men was Matyas’s loyal general, Erno Ozoray.(2) With the death of General Ozoray, Matyas did not have a competent or experienced general to fight against Hunyadi. Matyas, himself was a relatively incompetent field general with no experience in war. Though the king had won the battle, he lost a key piece to his hopeful victory against Hunyadi.

general_death_1422.jpg

A huge blow to King Matyas, it deprived the king of his best and only experienced general.

Branabus Hunyadi would receive word of the devastating loss a week later. Hunyadi who was always a composed man reportedly slammed down the message against the table. Though such a small act of rage, it was clear that Hunyadi was distressed over the no quarter given to the army. King Matyas had massacred his own subjects.

After the victory over the rebels in Ersekujvar, King Matyas briefly returned to Buda to proclaim a new coinage to promote his enlightened rule as well as limit inflation that the old currency was giving. This, of course, was a large undertaking that would take over seven years to fully be in effect, but it held promise that it would help the Hungarian economy in the long run. However, the immediate benefit was that it increased Matyas’s treasury to provide funds for his army, which he desperately needed.(3)

currency_revaluation_1423.jpg

By July of 1423, Matyas’s army was on the march again. Emboldened by the victory in April, Matyas marched his army to Carpathia in hopes of facing Hunyadi’s main force and crush the rebellion instantly. Matyas and his Royal Army would come up against a very small detachment of the Magyar army on July 18. A noble named Pavlo Shchukarev was in command of a rebel army of 2,500 men. Shchukarev was a complete imbecile and failed to heed warnings of an approaching enemy army. The fatally confident general did not believe Matyas would march to Carpathia with his army. His extreme error would lead to the destruction of his army. Again, no quarter was given to the rebels. Only Shchukarev and a small band of rebels were able to escape and send word to Hunyadi of Matyas’s invasion.

carpathia_battle_1423.jpg

A massive blunder by Pavlo Shchukarev.

Hunyadi was surprised with the daring Matyas was showing. He was slightly impressed with the young king. He sent Shchukarev with a force of 8,000 men around Matyas to hopefully trap the king. The main force led by Hunyadi, which had grown to 5,000 men would form a pincer movement, in effect hopefully confusing the Royal Army and severely cripple it, if not destroy it. However, Hunyadi was completely unaware of Shchukarev’s incompetence as he failed to wheel his army around far enough away for Matyas to be unaware of the movement. Believing that Hunyadi was trying to escape sent his entire force to catch the army before it could get away. The Battle of Ruthenia, which it is commonly called due to being fought on the border of Ruthenia, was nearly a complete disaster for the Magyar army. Though both armies fought to a standstill, the rebel army was forced to retreat back where it came from. This allowed Matyas to follow, while also not allowing Hunyadi to trap the king.

ruthenia_battle_1423.jpg

The Battle of Ruthenia was nearly a disaster for the Magyar army.

With the defeat, Hunyadi dismissed Shchukarev and licked his wounds. Branabus Hunyadi with a command of only about 10,000 soldiers only could watch as the Royal Army numbering 20,000 men led by King Matyas formed on the opposite side of the river. Hunyadi decided this is where he would make his stand.

map1423.jpg

King Matyas's expansion in the beginning year of the Magyar Rebellion.


-------------------------------------​

(1) - Many historians also argue that the Polish lords were more inclined to help Matyas because they believed that they could possibly gain more lands that reached beyond the borders of Poland. They also enjoyed the fact that the Magyars were suffering under the head of a "Venetian."

(2) - It is not entirely clear how General Erno Ozoray died in the battle. Yet, many believe that he was surrounded by the frustrated and outnumbered Magyars and cut down in one last effort.

(3) - In seven years, the coinage was finally completely replaced, but this would become a massive failure by King Matyas. His overwhelming reason for the replaced coinage would also come out as being a last ditched effort to gain money to fight the rebels.
 
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Excellent update, Eber! :)

I love the little touches you put into this to make it all the more interesting.
 
Just read through the whole AAR and I must say, you do a good job of creating an Eastern European power!

Is Hunyadi really the leader or someone else?
 
I say like the Jews in the Gospels "...Give us Branabus!"
 
Excellent update, Eber! :)

I love the little touches you put into this to make it all the more interesting.

Thank you! I'm glad to enjoy the little details. :)

Enewald said:
No foreign powers intervening? ;)

Hah...well the war is only a year old. The war actually last for eight years. There's a reason for that. ;)

CivandEUIII said:
Just read through the whole AAR and I must say, you do a good job of creating an Eastern European power!

Is Hunyadi really the leader or someone else?

Thank you! And yes, Branabus Hunyadi is the leader, you will see him as the general in the next update.

Milites said:
I say like the Jews in the Gospels "...Give us Branabus!"

Haha...You will see Branabus Hunyadi very, very soon. :D Though, I wonder, do you want Branabus to be executed or loved? ;)
 
This might be somewhat heretical, but I'm rooting for Matyas. It's not that I don't understand Hunyadi's reasons for fighting, but overall I think the rebellion represents the narrow sectional interests of the Magyar elite. Matyas has got what it takes to make Hungary a European power, even if his methods are highly dubious. He's one of those kings who will only be known as a great leader after a couple of centuries have passed.
 
This might be somewhat heretical, but I'm rooting for Matyas. It's not that I don't understand Hunyadi's reasons for fighting, but overall I think the rebellion represents the narrow sectional interests of the Magyar elite. Matyas has got what it takes to make Hungary a European power, even if his methods are highly dubious. He's one of those kings who will only be known as a great leader after a couple of centuries have passed.

That's interesting that you would say that. Sigismund would definitely be considered a great king after a couple of centuries, but his son Matyas, has as of yet done nothing note-worthy. The acquisition of Poland was, more or less, his father's success. Yet, I like how you are rooting for him. Matyas is definitely a formidable opponent and he has the backing of the other royal houses.