Prologue; G. M. Aurelius, 1989, De vita Caesarum: The Reigns of the Emperors from Manuel II to Constantine XIV, (Constantinople) Chapter 3; The Hungarian Betrayal:~
1453, the year that the Venetian Republic overstepped its bounds once again, and also the year where the war between the Republic of St. Mark with its clients in Greece and both the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Byzantium. What the Venetians hadn’t accounted for however was the true extent of the Byzantine navy, the monies given to the Empire along with the huge influx of cash at the beginning of the century had not been squandered and the defining moment of the naval war was the Battle of Salamis, where the Byzantine fleet, despite smaller numbers and smaller ships were able to prevail over the Venetians using a combination of Greek fire and taking advantage of fortuitous winds.
The Venetian fleet was near halved in size with nearly fifty ships being captured and near twice that number of galleys having been sunk by the Byzantine Navy. It was then that the Venetians showed their true colours by stranding their client rulers in Greece to the Byzantines, leaving them totally without naval help and the small Duchy of Ionia fell quickly giving the Empire control over the Cyclades Islands along with the strategic islands of Crete and Euboea.
In the north the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary marched into Venetian controlled Dalmatia swiftly defeating the Venetian force there before moving north into Istria and threatening the city of Venice itself. However, it was then that the long friendship between Hungary and Byzantium was sundered, the King of Hungary, born of one of the minor lines of the royal family that had previously ruled exclusively in Moldavia. The Hungarians signed peace accords with the Venetian delegation at the twin city of Buda-Pest in 1456 allowing the Republic of St. Mark to concentrate its full strength on the Byzantine Empire.
Still unknowing of this Constantine XI at the head of the 24,000 strong Byzantine army marched south into the Duchy of Athens, with quick victories the provinces of Thessaly and Boeotia. Drunk on their quick victories Constantine led his troops quickly south hoping to take Athens with ease only to find, in the fields of Attica, an army of some 22,000 men, with a huge mercenary and Venetian contingent. Feeling like he was invincible Constantine XI led a cavalry charge straight into a full formed spear wall and Constantine XI himself was speared through the stomach. The battle waged for a good 12 hours and though Constantine was able to hang onto life for the siege of Athens the campaign into Greece was blighted. Over 14,000 of the Byzantine Army fell on the fields of Attica and at the base of the walls of Athens and the Emperor himself succumbing to his wounds shortly after. Peace was signed at the city of Elis in the south of Greece being signed declaring peace for 50 years. The Duchy of Ionia and the island of Crete would pass directly into the hands of the Byzantines with the Duchy of Achaea being passed back into Venetian hands and the Duchy of Athens having a Duke placed upon its throne of the Emperors choice.
Though land was regained in the treaty with almost the entirety of Greece being once again under the empire to many of the people, particularly Christian writers in the capital, the cost was too high. With the still young son of Constantine XI, Theodosius but ten years of age upon his accession the Empire would fall into the grip of the relatives of the wife of Constantine, a family from Italy known as the ‘Medici’.
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The Empire and its immediate neighbours on the death of Constantine XI in 1456:
Key:
Byzantine Empire ~ Deep Purple
Duchy of Athens ~ Light Purple
Kingdom of Hungary ~ Brown
Principality of Wallachia ~ Light Brown
Republic of Venice ~ Turquoise
Duchy of Achaea ~ Light Turquoise
Duchy of Apulia ~ Orange
Sultanate of the Ottoman Turks ~ Olive
Knight of St. John of Rhodes ~ Red