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Well I'm all caught up and what a beautiful AAR!
The method by which you write your 'history book' is nice and lively. Looking forward to the next update.
 
interlude.jpg

The State of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1422 (1)


The Military


By 1422, with the Polish lands absorbed into Hungary, the Magyars were able to bolster their standing army to 21,000 men. Though this was a considerable improvement to previous Hungarian armies, the number proved to be inadequate compared to many of the other kingdoms in Europe and afar.(2)

armies_1422.jpg
The Golden Horde with its rapid expansion has become the predominant military force in the world. A scary adversary for any enemy.​

The Hungarian military consisted of 13,000 infantry/light horse and 8,000 knights. These numbers are important to take notice for it had long been customary for the Magyars to rely more heavily on knights then infantry. However with the fragile state of affairs with King Sigismund and the nobles, the number of infantry finally eclipsed that of the cavalry by 1420. The tradition of its native nobles being recruited into the Banderium of the Barons for service of the king was severely damaged during Sigismund's reign.


Composition of the Hungarian Army in 1422


Native-Hungarian Knights

As mentioned above, the Hungarian army saw a decline in the Hungarian nobility joining the ranks of its famed Banderium. Yet even with the decline, many nobles continued to follow tradition and joined to become a knight in the Hungarian army. These knights were quite a bit different from its Western European counterparts. Traditionally, Hungarian knights did not have retinues. However, in 1396, King Sigismund decreed that two mounted archers should always accompany each knight. The other notable difference between Hungarian knights and other Western knights was their caution in battle. French knights, as an example were known to show great bravado but occasional carelessness and arrogance during battle. The caution showed by Hungarian knights can be attributed to their consistent battle experience with light horse tactics used by the Ottoman Empire and the Golden Horde.

Mercenary Knights

Having a shortage of native nobles joining the army forced King Sigismund to hire foreign knights for service to supplement the Hungarian army. In some regards, these mercenaries were far more advantageous to have in battle then its native Hungarian counterpart. These highly trained and disciplined knights were also a supreme reason Hungarian knights fought with caution in battle. The mercenary knights, mainly from the regions of Germany and Bohemia were a stabilizing force among Hungarian knights. The mercenaries were required to supply two to three mounted archers, the same requirement given to native Hungarians. King Sigismund started a long-standing tradition of hiring foreign-born nobles to be the vanguard of the Hungarian cavalry.


Light Cavalry


Light cavalry has been a staple of the Hungarian army for centuries, mostly due to the continuous encounters of the Ottomans. However, it also must be said that the Hungarians have had a long history of light cavalry tradition. As noted in the prologue, many Hungarians believe they are descendents of the Huns, who did settle in the lands, which are now called Hungary. The Huns were masters of light horse tactics and horsemanship. It is said that the Huns “lived on their horses,” and this tradition has prevailed for centuries. The Hungarian army contained various types of light horse units. In 1422, the most prevalent types were the Hungarian light horse, Szekely and the Cumans.

Hungarian Light Horse

These were the horse archers recruited by the Militia Portalis as part of the retinue of its Hungarian and Mercenary knights. Most of these archers were not particularly skilled or equipped for a long war campaign. They were merely supplemental forces that were often used as cleanup on the battlefield. Yet, in time, they would become more of an integral part of the Hungarian army.

Szekely

It is not certain on the exact origin of the Szekely, but it is known that they were a separate ethnic group of the Magyars and the Szekely believed they were descendents of the Huns. By the 13th century, the Szekely were the largest Hungarian-speaking group in Transylvania. Their lands were outside of traditional Hungarian or Transylvanian law. The administration of the law fell to the Count of Szekely; usually a Hungarian noble appointed by the King of Hungary. Often times, the Count of Szekely would also hold the office of Voivode of Translyvania as well.(3)

Throughout the centuries, the Szekely remained a semi-nomadic people whose lives focused on horse and cattle breeding. Due to this, the Szekely were considered some of the finest light horsemen in all of the Kingdom of Hungary. Also, it can be said that due to their nomadic lifestyle, the Szekely were able to retain their traditions while other ethnic groups such as the Cumans were assimilated into Hungarian society. The only obligation the Szekely had to maintain toward the Hungarian crown was supplying horsemen for the Hungarian army. By 1422, the Szekely were obligated to provide about 2,400 light horsemen for the army. Their role inside the army were numerous, though a small, elite core of the Szekely were deemed bodyguards for the King of Hungary while he was on campaign.

Cumans

The Cumans were also a nomadic tribe that would provide light horsemen to the King of Hungary. The Cumans were incredibly skilled horse archers. However, unlike the Szekely, the Cumans’ role in the Hungarian army was nearly gone by 1422. In the 13th and early 14th centuries, the Cumans were an integral part of the Hungarian army. Yet, this would dramatically change in 1280 when their revolt would be crushed at the Battle of Lake Hod. After the crushing defeat, many Cumans would leave Hungarian lands forever. Because of the exodus, as well as the remaining Cumans integrating into Hungarian society, the disappearance of the Cumans as a separate ethnic group is not surprising. The loss of the Cumans’ horse archers is a prime reason for King Sigismund’s decision to create the Militia Portalis in 1397 to supplement the Cumans’ declining role.


Infantry


By 1422, the infantry would outnumber cavalry by a small margin. Yet, the infantry in the Hungarian army was still a secondary concern. Most of the attention and finances went into supplying the knights and light horsemen. Even with this secondary consideration, it is still noteworthy to mention the infantry. Nearly half of all infantry were foot archers, mainly from the mass levy sent out by the Hungarian King during times of war. The other remaining portion was lightly armored foot soldiers that usually carried a small shield, sword and often times javelins for skirmishing.

It would not be until the mid 16th century when the infantry would take more of a primary role in Hungarian warfare.


chart_1422.jpg


The Economy

By 1422, the Hungarian economy was slowly growing, yet still far behind many of the more traditional powers in Europe. It's yearly income was ranked 19th in the world with such notable powers as England, Golden Horde and France's income amounting to three times the amount of Hungary's.(4) Most of Hungary's income came from census taxes each year followed by tolls and then production. Much of the production of Hungary came in the form of cloth or grain. One last note is the inflation rate. Due to the long war with Poland, Hungary suffers from a horrible inflation rate of 9%, compared to England which has 2%, this is staggering and needs attention.


Religion

As a whole, Hungary enjoyed a good amount of religious harmony during Sigismund's reign. Most of the population were known Catholics, yet with the integration of Transylvania, a small surge of Orthodox believers would join the Hungarian population. Also about 0.3% of the population would known Jews. Even with the influx of Orthodox believers, the Kingdom of Hungary was still known as the Eastern Bastion of Catholicism for all of Europe.


Cultures

In many ways, Hungary was a melting pot of different cultures. Besides native Hungarians, the Kingdom of Hungary enjoyed a large population of Polish, as well as smaller populations of Croatian and Ruthenian. A number of Transylvanians, Wallachians, Moldavians, Saxons and Cumans also shared a part of the total Hungarian population. Even with all these cultures, the Kingdom of Hungary has achieved a relatively calm stability among its people. Though there are many sects and cultures, most would still consider themselves Hungarians first and foremost.

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(1) - The Kingdom of Hungary was not considered an empire until two major events occurred: the fall of the Golden Horde in 1465 and the subjugation of the Holy Roman Empire in 1504.

(2) - It must be noted that the standing army of Hungary did not consist of mercenaries or militia units that would undoubtedly be raised during war. With these units raised, Hungary could nearly double its standing strength. Austria benefited from its ruler being Holy Roman Emperor, and England contracted many mercenaries during its war with France which swelled its number beyond its manageable upkeep.

(3)- The King of Hungary would combine the offices of the Count of Szekely and the Voivode of Translyvania in 1478. It would become one of the premiere positions in the Hungarian government.

(4)- In 1422, Hungary boasted a yearly income of 17.7 million ducats; in contrast, England saw 40.7 million ducats, Golden Horde with 37.2 million ducats and France with 35.2 million ducats.
 
Haha the Turks? Whenever I play Hungary it's always the Austrians that are the biggest stab-me-in-the-back threat. Although they're at least not the emperor, not yet anyway.

The Austrians do become trouble but the Turks will always be a menace for the Hungarians.

Dewirix said:
I'm not sure a :( does justice to how you must be feeling right now. No need to apologise - we can wait until you're feeling like taking this up again.

Thanks, things are a lot better now. I'm up for writing again as you can see. I just hope people had patience while I went through some stuff...

Tallfellow said:
subscribed. And hope things get better with you soon mate. We can wait.

Thanks! Glad to have you onboard!

Battle bunny said:
Please continue this AAR!

As you wish. :D

KPJ said:
Well I'm all caught up and what a beautiful AAR!
The method by which you write your 'history book' is nice and lively. Looking forward to the next update.

Thank you for the compliment! I'm happy that you are enjoying it. :)

Enewald said:
Why is inflation bad?
A sign of a healthy growing economy.

True, but I always try to keep inflation down. If you're not careful, it can get away from you and everything doubles in price before you know it. I don't mind having some inflation but when my inflation is 4 to 5 times the amount of most countries, it worries me. The war with Poland made me mint quite a bit to survive and win.


I hope everyone liked my 2nd interlude. That is the final one. Next update will be the last chapter of Part 1 explaining what happens right before the rebellion.
 
Good to see you back with us and continuing this AAR.

I agree with your comments about inflation to a point, but better to run the economy a little hot than be crushed by your enemies. Seems like a lot of the biggest armies in the world are in your neck of the woods.
 
Good to see you back with us and continuing this AAR.

I agree with your comments about inflation to a point, but better to run the economy a little hot than be crushed by your enemies. Seems like a lot of the biggest armies in the world are in your neck of the woods.

Thanks! Glad to be back! You're right that it is sometimes needed to mint in times of need. I just don't want to unnecessarily mint when it's not needed. And yes you're right, I'm surrounded by larger armies then me. It's a bit scary that Eastern Europe is the hot zone for large armies. Luckily, no two countries are allies with each other so I won't get ganged up by two large armies.

mayorqw said:
Good to see this is back! Awaiting the next update eagerly! :D

Thanks! The next update will probably come later today. I'm still trying to work out some kinks in the update.

Thanks guys for the support! I'm glad some people are still reading this even with my long hiatus!
 
I'm still following as well. Good to have you back. I hope the problem(s) that caused the hiatus are solved to your satisfaction.
 
I'm still following as well. Good to have you back. I hope the problem(s) that caused the hiatus are solved to your satisfaction.

Thank you, Qorten! The problem has, for the most part, been solved but now school is taking up some time. I put a lot on my plate early this semester so later on this semester I can completely focus on my thesis (which is long, tedious but oh so great, writing historical papers is fun.)

Because my absence has been longer than I expected, I wanted to show you all that I haven't forgotten about this. To show my dedication in this AAR, I will be posting two updates instead of one tomorrow. As you all should know, the Magyar Rebellion will be occurring. As a teaser, here is the coat of arms of the usurper to the throne that led to the rebellion.

Hunyadi_coatofarms.jpg

I will be interested if anyone knows whose coat of arms this is. It is, actually historically the coat of arms of a Hungarian noble. I tweaked it a little, especially color though.
 
Glad to see this is back! :)
 
Corvinus Rex! Corvinus Rex! (The lad was born in one of my adoptive cities, so a few years ago I would pass by his statue literally every day. He'll make a splendid king, just make sure you crown him on the frozen Danube for full effect.)

Now that I've got that out of my system I must say I've been reading since the beginning what is an essentially very well written and presented AAR.
 
I just discovered this AAR this morning, and wanted to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed all the updates so far. Well done, Eber!
 
Chapter VI – A Delicate Succession


“A fair war is better than an insidious friendship.” – Magyar Saying


Throughout the reign of Sigismund I, he was constantly plagued with noble dissent as claims to the throne were numerous, as well as his own legitimate claim to the throne questioned. With the death of his first wife, Mary I of Hungary in 1395, he barely held on to his throne for it was her position and family that he owed his crown. Delicately, he managed to keep his nobles from rebelling and he would wed Elizabeth of Celje in 1399, which would produce a son in December of 1401. The birth of Matyas von Luxembourg, the legitimate son of the King and Queen of Hungary quelled unrest and the uneasiness of the Magyar crown, at least for the time being.

As the years passed, the throne of Sigismund would continue to be an uneasy affair, as Sigismund battled not only outside forces but interior aggression as well. However, it must be said that overall Sigismund’s reign was never truly in jeopardy or in questioned. His policies brought prosperity to the Magyars, and his conquests brought new lands and titles under the crown. He was, indeed, a good ruler and king to the crown of Hungary.

sigismund-1.jpg

Sigismund I von Luxembourg. This painting was commissioned right before his death in 1422.


By 1422, King Sigismund was gravely ill. He had steadily grown weak in the years after the Polish war ended in 1417. In most occasions, he was a model of health and vitality as he conducted business in a rightful manner. Yet, privately and sporadically, he would erupt in a coughing fit, where blood often would be spewed.(1) Sensing that his death was imminent, he sent for his son, Matyas, as well as his confidant and general, Branabus Hunyadi. Sigismund had always been fond of Hunyadi, for it was he that gave him great victories on the battlefield and more or less saved Sigismund’s crown. On his death bed, Sigismund gave Hunyadi the title of Voivode of Transylvania as well as the newly created title, Protector of the Magyars.(2) The Voivode essentially gave Hunyadi abundant estates and land, as well as a certain amount of power that unequalled any in the court except that of the Prince of Hungary, Matyas. The King’s son received his father’s blessing and proper ascension to the throne. Late in the night of February 14, 1422, King Sigismund I of Hungary, Croatia and Poland; Prince of Silesia and Luxembourg died at the age of fifty-four. Sigismund I was buried in Nagyvárad, Hungary, adjacent to the tomb of the former king, Ladislaus I of Hungary, who Sigismund held in high respect for his standard of the ideal monarch, warrior and pious ruler.

burial_sigismund-1.jpg

The burial of Sigismund I von Luxembourg.

With the death of Sigismund, Matyas von Luxembourg was crowned King of Hungary and rightful ruler of all its domains on February 15, 1422 at the age of twenty.

matyas_luxembourg-1.jpg

Matyas's induction as King of Hungary was even more politically unstable then that of his father, Sigismund.

The inception of Matyas onto the throne of Hungary received an incredibly mixed attitude from the nobles. The nobles who supported Matyas were ones who were staunch supporters of Sigismund; many of them were newer noble families whose lands were given by Sigismund, himself. The nobles in opposition of Matyas disagreed with the succession of Matyas for he was not a Hungarian, much like his father. Furthermore, not only was he not of Hungarian stock, but also he did not spend his life in the Hungarian court but abroad in the Venetian court. This greatly displeased many of the traditional nobles and older families in Hungary. These nobles did not want another king, foreign to Hungarian ideals on the throne, who they believed would spend the fortunes of Hungary on outside elements and not the kingdom. Matyas did not win favor of many of the nobles when his royal entourage consisted solely of Italians and Germans, men he trusted and socialized with while in Venice. This did not reflect well for King Matyas for many of the Hungarian noblemen did not care for the fact that he did not have any native Hungarians in his retinue, nor did Matyas make an effort to resolve this situation. Matyas was an incredibly proud and intelligent man, who grew up firmly believing that he was born to rule; his belief, his actions were always right. Traditionally, this usually created very powerful and enormously effective rulers, yet when your established kingdom does not see you as a native-born; it could pose problems no matter how effective the ruler.

matyas-1.jpg

King Matyas I von Luxembourg, King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland.

Almost immediately after taking the throne, the nobles of Poland voted and agreed to give the title of King of Poland to Matyas, just as they did to his father, Sigismund I. However, Matyas knowing the Polish nobles were weak, insisted that further concessions were made. In only a few short weeks, with political cunning and intrigue, Matyas became the supreme ruler and authority of the kingdom of Poland.(3) This effectively ended the long history of the kingdom of Poland as it would eventually absorb into the Hungarian Empire over the centuries. With the addition of Polish lands under the Hungarian crown, and the taxes and trade that would come of it, the coffers of Hungary grew enormously in the months to follow.

inherit_poland-1.jpg

The absorption of Poland was seen as great for Hungary, yet these lands would prove to be a hindrance to the rebels in The Magyar Rebellion.

King Matyas would receive his first test of power and taste of taming the nobles in April of 1422. In this month, a petition to the king was brought forth by the nobles asking for compensation for the service they gave during the Polish war. They believed it was a perfect time to ask, for King Matyas was growing increasingly wealthy due to the acquisition of Poland. Matyas heard the petition and reportedly laughed at the nobles present. He chastised them for their greed, declaring that they all grew rich from the war, be it from looting and land gains, and that his father was generous toward them. He continued with the fact that what his father may have promised, died with him; he had no obligation to fulfill any duties his father may or may not have agreed upon with the nobles. Though Matyas was intelligent, this was seen as complete ignorance as well as inexperience in the Hungarian court. He had no knowledge of how his father conducted business in the court, or how precarious his position as king really was. He ignored the nobles and denied the petition based on the simple fact that he was now king, and he owed nothing to the nobles for past actions of his father. This, of course entirely displeased many of the nobles, including some who had previously supported Matyas’s father. Rebellion was merely a whisper during Matyas’s induction as king, but after this complete lack of respect for the nobles, the whisper began to have a voice among the nobles.

noble_recompensation-1.jpg

The decline of King Matyas to the Hungarian nobles hastened open rebellion in Hungary.

One man who did not bother with court politics was Branabus Hunyadi. Though he was Voivode of Transylvania and was caught in the middle of court politics, he was very soft-spoken and respectful. He was not a politician but a warrior, a competent general. Yet, the nobles as well as King Matyas knew how important and dangerous he could be, and how intricate he was in the future of Hungary. Hunyadi was a patriot, a firm believer in Hungary and what it stood for. He was staunchly loyal to Sigismund, but failed to give his opinion on Matyas. He was the king’s servant, but it was obvious that Hunyadi would ever share the friendship with Matyas as he once had with the king’s father. Matyas, above all, knew that it was important to insure that Hunyadi was strictly in favor of him. With Hunyadi’s loyalty, Matyas knew his throne would be secure against the other nobles.

After the ordeal in April, Matyas began hearing rumors of open hostility in the court against his rule. He did not know who was speaking against him, but he knew whom he had to question and see first, Branabus Hunyadi. The next few weeks saw King Matyas and Branabus Hunyadi having words together on a few occasions. During this time, Hunyadi never spoke against his king, nor did he speak against any nobles. Matyas was growing frustrated with Hunyadi and his soft-spoken manner. Hunyadi persisted that he was a loyal subject of the king of Hungary.(4) Matyas was not convinced of Hunyadi’s loyalty, and believed that he was far too dangerous to his throne. With Hunyadi dead, he would severely cripple any threat against his rule; though only if Hunyadi was, in fact, against his majesty.

In June of 1422, King Matyas secretly gave orders for the assassination of Branabus Hunyadi. He gave the order to a trusted associate who was to carry out the task late at night, by poisoning to accomplish the task. Matyas’s associate bribed one of Hunyadi’s servants to slip in a poisoning agent into the wine before serving it to Hunyadi’s table; this if successful would kill not only Hunyadi but also other supporters and close friends of the Voivode. Dinner that night brought together some of the nobles of the court, to try and lure Hunyadi to their side. Because of this, Hunyadi declined the wine on the grounds that he wished to be of pure mind while discussing such an important national issue; yet some of the others at the table accepted the wine and drank. Soon, the ones who drank the wine began to cough hysterically before collapsing to the floor dead, blood seeping from their mouths. It was not long before the servant was captured trying to escape and confessed after torture who had given him the poison. Branabus Hunyadi had escaped death and he knew that it was his king, Matyas that had ordered the attempt on his life. The nobles did not have to convince Hunyadi to take up their just cause, for King Matyas had done it for them.

poison_wine.jpg

Hunyadi's dinner, where six noblemen died due to poisoned wine, on the behalf of King Matyas.

When the news reached Matyas that his assassination attempt failed, and that the would-be-assassin talked; he shut himself up in his chamber for three days. The king knew that he had lost his element of surprise, and lost his chance of ending dissent before more blood would be lost. All he had managed to do was turn a loyal and incredibly popular general against him.

hunyadi_rebellion-1.jpg

Branabus Hunyadi leading the rebellion would send shockwaves throughout Europe since he was the savior of Sigismund's reign.

By September of 1422, Branabus Hunyadi began to assemble an army with its intent on marching on Buda to finally rid Hungary of a foreign ruler and replace him with a man with true Hungarian blood, one who would not betray its people but fight to protect all that Hungary represents.(5) The Magyar Rebellion had begun.

map1422.jpg

Lands in red are controlled by King Matyas; lands in blue are controlled by the Magyar rebels.



-----------------------------​

(1) - Historians are not exactly sure on what brought about the coughs and blood. Many believe it was a form of pneumonia that led to the weakening of the king and ultimately his death.

(2) - The title Protector of the Magyars was purely a title of respect and honor, holding no legal authority. It was given by Sigismund to commemorate Hunyadi for his excellent service to the crown and to the people of Hungary.

(3) - Though Matyas's excellent diplomatic skills must be commended during his acquisition of Poland, it also must be noted that it was not just diplomacy that won the king the Polish lands. Two nobles opposing Matyas's bid, were conveniently silenced before the vote, which assured Matyas that he alone would control Poland.

(4) - It is indeed true that Branabus Hunyadi was a loyal subject to King Matyas. In private correspondence to a beloved friend, recently discovered by historians, he had expressed his support for Matyas after hearing of other's discontent with the young king. It is known fact that he did not agree with the king's decision over recompensation of the nobles, but that still did not deter his support.

(5) - Branabus Hunyadi was not expecting to lead the revolt, nor was he anticipating that he would be seen as the icon of Hungarian freedom. The nobles who participated in the rebellion voted and believed that Hunyadi was the ideal candidate to not only lead the army, but hopefully become the voice of all Magyars in the coming war.
 
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An excellent narrative and story! The pictures are first rate, and the characters are very impressive!

Well done. :)
 
Corvinus Rex! Corvinus Rex! (The lad was born in one of my adoptive cities, so a few years ago I would pass by his statue literally every day. He'll make a splendid king, just make sure you crown him on the frozen Danube for full effect.)

Now that I've got that out of my system I must say I've been reading since the beginning what is an essentially very well written and presented AAR.

Indeed you are right! The most notable king of Hungary. That's awesome how you walked by a statue of him everyday. :) And thank you for patronage and compliments. I hope you continue to enjoy the AAR!

Chris Taylor said:
I just discovered this AAR this morning, and wanted to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed all the updates so far. Well done, Eber!

Well thank you! I also enjoy your English AAR immensely. I hope you update it soon!

Ashantai said:
An excellent narrative and story! The pictures are first rate, and the characters are very impressive!

Well done. :)

Thank you! I was hoping you guys would like the simple map especially.

Enewald said:
Ruthenia is suddenly half of Hungary? ;)

haha...well no. :p However, the pretender events are usually incredibly easy to put down. So when I received the first event randomly and saw that it was Hunyadi (who has incredible lore in Hungarian history), I chose to increase the rebellion by forcing more rebellion events until the rebels encompassed what you see. Now it was up to Matyas and Hungarian armies to try and quell the rebellion, hence where we are now. :)

Also, I wanted to apologize for only giving one update and not two. I actually haven't finished the second update. This week is a bit of a killer for me, but I'm hoping to have the next update by Wednesday. Sorry about that folks!
 
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!