The House of Habsburg 1492-1520
In those days the House of Habsburg was, incredibly though it may sound today, a weak force in international affairs. Despite rich possessions in the Dutch lowlands and considerable holdings in Central Europe, and despite holding the title of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (of the Germanic Peoples), the arm of Maximilian I, the Fairly-Just, (1493-1519) was short, as had been clearly shown when emperor Friedrich V (1457-1493) failed to rally Christianity to defend Venice from the Turk in 1492.
Emperor Maximilian I, the Fairly-Just (1493-1519)
His arm was short, yes, but he compensated with an enormous brood of sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, and from the very first day of his reign, he began securing marital alliances with most of the Princes of the Empire and with much of the rest of Europe. Scarcely a month went by without some sort of royal wedding, which put some strain on the Emperor's treasury. Indeed, the following fragmentory records show not just his deep understanding of what motivated his fellow monarchs and their national character, they also show just
how far he was willing to go to secure ties with the great of Europe:
Muscowy...
To Ivan III of Muscowy: The fecundity of the Muscowy princesses is well-known. Send one ASAP. We have a strapping nephew who needs to be reigned in.
Response from Ivan III: My youngest daughter is a very able woman and it is my wish that sent is sent to marry a Austrian prince.
England...
From Henry VII of England: The King of England wonders if the Holy Emperor would like to strengthen ties between our realms with a Royal Marriage?
Response from Maximilian I: The Emperor always has spare nieces. Send a buck.
Portugal...
Following the unexpected arrival of a Portuguese princess with a huge dowry
Emperor Maximilian I: Ah, an Iberian maid for our stable. She will be treated well and washed frequently.
Lengthy correspondendence between Emperor Maximilian I of the Holy Roman Empire and King Charles VIII of France
Does France have a spare filly. Know what I mean, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?
France is running low on women related to the King to marry away.
Our thanks. We look forward to trying her out. Erhm I mean, our nephew happy to marry her.
You will find out that french women are among the finest of Europe.
Well, they have a lot of competition in the court of the Emperor. Alas, the job of an Emperor is a hard one.
Do they? How many marriages did the HRE struck?
All of the HRE supplies us with women for the improvement of the gene pool. Fortunately, the Emperor likes swimming.
Well France is dangerously running low on women now.
Were there no limits to how low Maximilian I would go in pursuit of alliances?
Following a dissembling marriage proposal sent to the Papal States:
Pope Alexander VI responded: Who does the emperor propose to marry!?
The Emperor's response: Does the Pope have a carnal cardinal? We have a princess here who seriously needs indoctrination in the faith
Apparently not. It is, perhaps, fortunate for his fame, that few other fragments remain of his early correspondence and that those that do are not taught in public schools.
How then did Maximilian I acquire the cognomen, Fairly-Just? Many theories abound, but leaving aside the lewd, licentious, and obvious later constructions, it seems likely that it was a reflection of his dealing with two regions: First, the Holy Roman Empire, and secondly, Italy itself, and how his policies differed markedly depending on region.
Ruling the Empire was a delicate balancing act in those days, as just about every major city or region was its bishopric, duchy, or independent imperial city, and each and every one had its own contentious ruler and set of issues of utmost importance. Faced with an inability to enforce Imperial Peace on the unruly subjects, Maximilian I pronounced the doctrine of
"Qui rapuit, possedit" for minor intra-Empire wars, but promised instant intervention in case minor wars should spread or outside powers be involved. Apparently he reasoned, that could wars not be prevented, which seemed unlikely with such fractetious Princes of the Empire, at least they could be contained.
In practise, it worked fairly well during his lifetime. When Duke Hans of Holstein, a German Prince in his own right, and King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was unceremoniously deposed by traitors in Holstein, he returned with a Danish army to reclaim his Duchy, and succeeded in short order, putting its government more firmly under the Danish throne. Nonetheless, as a Prince of the Empire and Duke of Holstien he answered still to the Emperor, and so did his successors. Thus, when the great Emperor Karl V sent out the call for aid against the Turk, it was scant surprise that Christian II (he of the righteous bloodbath of Stockholm fame) of Holstein, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, was amongst those who rallied to the Emperor's cause, albeit only morally and with a small donation to aid the war effort. Another example would be the vassalisation of several Northern states by Poland, which proud nation they had wantonly attacked without the Empire's sanction. With Poland restricting the actions of some of the most obnoxious of the empire's princes, the north lay quiet. Having nearly come to blows when it appeared that Poland might actually consider annexing land within the Holy Roman Empire, relations between the Empire and her Northern neighbour rapidly improved following this peaceful solution.
Amongst the achievements of Maximilian I must surely be listed the protection of Mantua. Following the loss of Ionia to the Turk, the Doge of Venice had been looking for a means to rally his people, and his lecherous eyes had fallen on the sovereign state of Mantua. The Emperor, dedicated to peace in the Holy
Roman Empire (of the Germanic Peoples), noted that attacking Mantua would be a crime against Christianity - and the Empire. The Pope concurred. With the stationing of 25,000 men in Mantua (fully half the Habsburg armies) for their protection, the Doge backed down, and, following spirited negotiations during which the Emperor agreed to bless any
peaceful uniting of nations, Venice joined the House of Habsburg in alliance and a trade agreement was signed. For this selfless act of generosity, the Emperor was much applauded in Italy, and few were surprised when Milano became a Habsburg possession in 1500 following the loss of the head of the Sforza family, Ludovic Le More. Though Louis XII of France also had a claim to Milano (as he was the grandson of Valentine Visconti, the great-granddaughter of the first Duke of Milano), he did not press it, and the Condottieris of Milano preferred the Emperor, thus sealing the fate of the Duchy.
Indeed, Maximilian I had a deep and abiding love for Italy, and did not stint in protecting the independent republics from aggression. Thus, when Modena suffered the rapacious depradations of Genoa and Tuscany in 1509, the Austrian armies under Von Frundsberg were sent in to restore peace, a task at which they succeeded admirably. After his defeat, Piero Soderino of Tuscany swore fealty to the Emperor, and promised never to raise arms against his neighbours again.
Now, as is well known, Europe was ever threatened by the Turk in those days. From his impregnable stronghold in Constantinople, the Turkish Sultan ruled Anatolia with an iron hand and his influence was growing. Bâyezîd II had raped Venice and conquered Egypt with one bold blow that secured him overlordship of the vast lands under the Mamelukes and a stranglehold on the eastern Mediterranean, and his successor, Selîm I the Accursed, had fought a victorious war in the east and was known to be seeking new conquests. Under the shadow of the Turk, Austria and Venice armed for war.
The storm broke in September 1518, as the Turkish armies crossed the border with Hungary, intent on a killing blow against the heart of Hungary. Desperately outnumbered, king Lajos II of Hungary cried for help, and the Habsburg alliance of Austria, Venice, Mantua, and Modena rallied to his aid.
The eastern Habsburg army, 30,000 men led by Ferdinand the bold, marched to the Hungarian's relief immediately, a premature decision that resulted in more than 70% casualties to the army when it encountered a substantially larger Turkish army led by general Bali in Odenburg in November. Pursued by the vengeful Turk, Ferdinand fought a series of skirmishes, falling all the way back to Vienna, and December 3rd, 1518, Vienna itself were under siege. The stage was set for the entry of the great general Von Frundsberg. Newly arrived from Milano, his army of 40,000 men had been strengthened with Italian mercenaries hired for precious gold from the substantial pre-war war chest, and he smashed the Turkish attackers before the gates of Vienna herself, forcing them to withdraw. Maximilian I died with a light heart that very same Christmas, which set the stage for Karl V of Austria, also known as Carlos I of Spain and many other interesting places besides, as the Habsburg heir succeeded to the throne of both Spain and the HRE.
Emperor Karl V (1519-1556)
Taking up rulership in the midst of a war and given the wealth and weather of Madrid, it is hardly surprising that Karl V chose to rule from Madrid rather than Vienna. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken a long time for the new administration to set up, but due to the war time was of the essence. From the shores of the Americas to the Iberian peninsula and from Italy to Austria, the people looked to the house of Habsburg in these troubled times. They were not to be disappointed.
Ferdinand and Von Frundsberg were giving joint command of the Austrian armies with wide rights to levy troops and to prosecute the war against the Turk, and they proceded to do so. The invading Turkish army was hounded mercilessly and finally crushed on the plains of Pest. At this time certain Princes of the Empire sent gifts to aid the war effort, most notably Christian II of Denmark - a stark contrast to the disgraceful behaviour of Wilhelm IV of Bavaria, and a transfer of some funds from Spain were arranged to fill the rapidly dwindling war chest. Seing the success of the Habsburg armies, king Zygmunt I of Poland declared war on the Ottomans and sent in a small army to help. Within a short time Von Frundsbergs army had cleared Northern Hungary of Turks, and both Magyar and Maros were under siege, Magyar by newly raised forces loyal to Lajos II, and Maros by Zygmunt I. With the Spanish armies being readied, it must have seemed that the tide was turning against the Turk.
As Autumn 1519 approached, words reached Von Frundsberg that Selîm I the Accursed had raised a new army, and was striking for central Hungary agains. The main Habsburg army quickly repaired to the plains of Pest, already fertilised with the blood of Bali's army, and prepared for the onslaught.
Selîm I's crack army, disoriented from the river crossing, engage in battle with Von Frundsberg's forces, who are well rested, have prepared rudimentary defenses, and are more numerous. Though most experts consider Selîm I the greater general of the two, under the given circumstances it comes as no surprise that the Habsburg armies are victorious. Fully 130,000 men joined in battle in Pest, September 27th, 1519, the largest battle in Europe in centuries, and more than half of the men fell, deserted, or were left unfit for duty.
Within a month, Banat has been stormed and retaken from the Turk, but the fleeing Sultan has yet another trick up his sleeve. With some reinforcements that have trickled in from Anatolia, he has turned on Maros, where the Polish siege is ongoing, hoping to break the siege. Outnumbered and outgeneralled, the Polish armies stand little chance. Nevertheless, both Zygmunt I Stary and Von Frundsberg send nearly identical messages: "Hold until relieved". The "Stand of the eighteen thousand", that well known poem commemorating the fate of the brave Poles remain even today a poignant tribute to their devotition to duty. Though they died by their thousands, they held out. When they lost the top seven in the chain of command within an hour, they carried on. And as the sun rose on November 28th, and the beleaguered thousands prepared to face the final assault, the Habsburg armies arrived having force-marched all the way from Banat. Relieving the weary Poles, Von Frundsberg cut Sultan's army to bits, then proceeded to retake Maros by storm. With these great tidings of victory against the Turk, the Pope sent in his crack troops to help Venice in the South, and Spain officially joined the war.
Thus, giving how the war was turning against the infidel by the will of our lord Jesus Christ, it must have seemed a double betrayal when François I of France chose that moment to restate his old claims to Naples, the Anjou inheritance. As few outside France recognized his claims, it was seen as a mere pretext for war, especially when the king announced that he might drop his claim if Spain would relinquish Roussilon. That being the case, and given the treacherous nature of François I, few were surprised when he declared declared war on Spain. He was excommunicated from the Mother Church within two weaks on the direct order of the Pope.
And thus stands the war as 1520 comes around. In the west, a new war is beginning, in the east, the Christian nations are currently on the ascendant. Consider Karl V, surrounded by his closest advisors, as he must attempt to chart a course that is best both for him, his family, Christianity, and his divided realm. The Empire's manpower, so swiftly drained, is as nothing compared to the neverending stream that pours out of Constantinople, and France is a powerful nation indeed. Few at that time predicted how the war would end.