magyar magic: hungary AAR

The time: January 1, 1419 AD. The place: the Balkans, a clash of cultures and religions; a place where East (Asia) has often met West (Europe), sometimes peacefully, other times not so. Often ruled by foreigners, first Rome, later Byzantium, and later still, the Holy Roman Empire under the great Charlemagne. The Mongols too had reigned in terror for a brief time, but they, like all the others, had come and gone, leaving the region to sort out its own domestic disputes in several centuries of warfare and diplomacy.

After the dust from these conflicts had settled, a sizeable kingdom had been established: that of Hungary, which will be the primary focus of this report. Having conquered or subdued most of her neighbors*, Hungary was poised to strike further south and west into the Balkans and reclaim lands that she considered rightfully hers (CB shields on Serbia, Siebenbergen, and Istria, owned by Venice). To the north lay Bohemia, Austria, Poland, and Lithuania, all of who were on more or less friendly terms with Hungary. To the east lay the heathen Turks, who had been slowly expanding into Byzantine territory and now posed the greatest danger to all of Christendom since the Mongols a few centuries earlier.

Economically, Hungary was still very much medieval (DP full serfdom), with a focus on the aristocracy and with no strong leadership among the nobles (DP towards decentralization and aristocracy). There was little or no trade among the various provinces (no merchants), so the bulk of the treasury was filled from provincial taxes and tribute from Croatia. Most of the treasury went towards the upkeep of the large standing army (one large army in the capital of 25K infantry and 25K cavalry, and one smaller army in Carpathia of 7K infantry and 3K cavalry), which had been mobilized for the coming conflict with Venice (started at war with Venice).

The king during this time was Zsigmund (or Sigismund), a man not known for his administrative skills (A:2) and with only average diplomatic skills (D:3), but who excelled in the art of war (M:5). The son of the former German emperor Charles IV (and therefore a foreigner in the eyes of most Hungarians), his reign had been a turbulent one up to that point, with several rebellions that he ruthlessly crushed. His subjects had gradually come to accept his rule, though there were still areas of discontent (starting stability +2). Once these internal conflicts had been resolved, Zsigmund set about to reclaim Hungary’s rightful territory and establish the nation as a bulwark against the growing power of the Turks.

The first reforms made by Ziggy (his nickname among the nobles) consisted of improving the taxation system in the kingdom (tax collector in Magyar) and reorganizing the military (set DP slider to +1 land). These reforms were accepted with some grumbling among the nobility (stability –1, now +1 overall), but these were quickly silenced (regained lost stab point in 4/1/1419. Stab now +2 overall). His newly reformed army was immediately tested in a war with Venice. A small detachment of 9K infantry and 3K cavalry was sent from the capital to the Balkan province of Istria, long considered an ancestral province but now under the rule of the Doges. They immediately attacked and defeated the small standing army left by the Venetians, and a siege of the provincial capital was initiated on April 27, 1419.

The next few months saw several small battles in Istria, as the besieging army was repeatedly attacked by reinforcements arriving from Venice and Dalmatia (4 battles from 06/05 to 07/13). However, the Venetian armies were too small and disorganized to break the siege, and a unit of Hungarian cavalry arrived on July 15 to aid in the siege (5K cavalry to Istria). Another small Venetian army arrived in mid-July, but they too were defeated in a five-day battle outside the city walls.

It was in August of 1419 that word came of the death of King Vaclav IV in Bohemia. As Vaclav had died with no clear successor, the throne was set to pass to Ziggy upon his death. It was generally accepted at that time that Ziggy would “rule” Bohemia from Hungary, leaving the kingdom more or less to its own devices. There was no real reason to believe that the Bohemians would refuse to accept Ziggy as their new lord. But the herald arriving in Pest in August 1419 brought direr news than the death of Vaclav. The Bohemian nobles had unanimously decided not to accept Ziggy as their new king, and instead broke all ties with Hungary. Hungarian troops were no longer allowed to pass through Bohemian lands, and Hungary could no longer count on her old ally in battle (Bohemia leaves military alliance with Hungary). Upon hearing this news, Ziggy flew into a rage and executed the messenger on the spot, and vowed to bring the rebellious Bohemian nobles back under Hungarian rule (CB with Bohemia).

For the moment, however, they would have to be ignored, as the campaign against Venice had not yet been completed. Another Venetian effort at relieving the siege in Istria was turned back in late August. In September, word came of war in the East: Byzantium and Trebizond, both Orthodox states in a world of Islam, had declared war on Dulkadir. Ziggy was torn between wishing the Byzantines success and desiring their failure. With Byzantium weakened, the status of Hungary as the bulwark of Christendom would increase, thus ensuring that most of the Christian world would unite behind him against the heathen Turks. Besides, being a devout Catholic himself, Ziggy held no great love for the heretic Orthodox Church (even though a sizeable portion of his lands prayed under the Orthodox cross). But it also meant that if Byzantium were eliminated, the entire Muslim world could focus its expansive efforts on the Balkans, and even Ziggy was unsure if his army was prepared to face the Turkish onslaught.

The string of successes against the Venetians in Istria seemed to calm the population as well as the nobles, and the entire nation rallied behind its army (stability increased to +3 in 10/1/1419). November and December of 1419 saw two more Venetian attacks rebuffed, and the siege of Istria continued into 1420.

*- The small independent kingdom of Croatia had been vassalized in 1097, while Translyvania was administered as a distinct region of the Hungarian crown, acting in union with the king of Hungary (in game terms, Siebenbergen is allied with Hungary).



that's the first year. just want to see what you think of it so far before i continue...

Originally posted by Lt. Tyler
I'm following, and am interested in seeing where you go with this!

Give us some more!

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hey cool, a fan!

next update....

1420-1430: the (sort of) quiet years

With the new year, Ziggy decided that diplomatic relations with his neighbors should be strengthened, so a small monetary gift was sent to his vassal Croatia (Letter of Introduction, relations now +162) in the hopes of possibly diplomatically annexing them later. The rest of the treasury would be needed to complete the Venetian campaign, so the taxation project was temporarily put on hold. In February and March, two more Venetian attacks were repulsed. With her armies suffering defeat after defeat, and with the siege of Istria nearly completed (it was down to 'within 3 months' at this point), Venice offered peace with Hungary for the large sum of 191,000 ducats on March 22, 1420, which Ziggy gladly accepted.

The years following the conclusion of the war with Venice were peaceful ones, spent mainly on administrative and diplomatic measures. Tax collectors were eventually installed in each of the Hungarian provinces (one per year until finally completed in 1428), and gifts were sent to neighboring kingdoms in an effort to improve relations (Croatia, Siebenbergen, Bosnia, Poland, Austria). The prosperity and peace attracted merchants, who were sent abroad in an attempt to increase the yearly income of the kingdom (3 merchants to Veneto in 1/1/1420 and Mecklenburg in 1423). Technological achievements were also made in the art of naval warfare (naval tech now 1), though without a port, this was useless for the time being.

But these peaceful years were not without strife. In October 1422, a delegation of city landowners approached the king to demand some of their old medieval rights. The king, faced with the prospect of possible civil strife, agreed to relinquish some of his power (centralization -1) in exchange for greater support among the nobility. But not all of these events were necessarily bad: a religious movement in November of 1424 resulted in the conversion of a sizeable Orthodox minority to the Catholic faith (conversion of heretics: Ruthenia province converts to Catholic). Now, the vast majority of his subjects now followed the true faith, resulting in greater stability throughout the realm.

But peace is the Balkans is never permanent, and in 1427, a golden opportunity arose to exert Hungarian authority over their ancient enemies, Serbia. Serbia was already involved in a war against the Italian city-state of Ragusa, which was advancing rapidly into Serbian territory (Ragusa besieging the city of Nish in Kosovo). Seeing his enemies weakened and faltering, Ziggy declared war on Serbia in January 1427. Serbia was allied with Hungary's old foe Venice, but as Venice was already involved in a war against Croatia, it was reasonably certain that Venice would not threaten any Hungarian provinces.

A Hungarian army marched into Serbia and met their enemies on the field of battle on March 10, 1427. For the first time in the reign of King Ziggy, the armies of Hungary met defeat, and retreated back to Hungary in disarray. In the meantime, an envoy from Serbia's allies Venice and The Knights had arrived with offers of a status quo peace. Hungary agreed to give Venice a free hand in Croatia in exchange for being left alone in Serbia, and as Hungary had no ports and could not reach the Knights, their offer of peace was accepted as well. Thus, with no danger of attack by Venice, the battered Hungarians regrouped and marched into Serbia a second time.

This time there was no mistake, and the Hungarian army defeated the Serbians utterly on May 8, 1427, and began the siege of Beograd. The Serbs attempted to raise a second army, but this was also defeated on May 11. On May 20, Ragusa captured Kosovo, leaving The Hungarians to complete the siege in Serbia.
On May 26, Croatia declared war on Serbia. In December 1427, a military cantonment was established in Pest, increasing the manpower of the province (+1 manpower in Pest).

The year of 1428 saw the Hungarians complete their siege in Serbia, forcing the Serbs to pay a heavy tribute (Serbia would replace Croatia as a vassal, as Venice annexed Croatia in November 1428). In April of 1428, Hungary was again dragged into war, as their allies Luxembourg declared war on the Palatinat. Hungary joined the war on behalf of her allies. This war did not last long, and on May 22, Luxembourgh paid 28,000 ducats in war indemnities. Hungary was once again at peace.

1429 and 1430 saw more domestic reforms (innovative +1, now middle), though at a cost of increased unrest (stability -1, now +2). Diplomatic iniatives were also made, improving relations with Siebenbergen and Bosnia, and Poland (royal marriage with Poland). In August, the civil unrest died down (stability +1, now +3), only to flare up once again later that month when a delegation of nobles demanded increased pensions. This time, the king did not give in, but refused to drain his treasury to appease the greedy aristocracy (I would have had to take a loan to pay the 200 gold, so i just took the stability hit). As expected, the nobles protested violently (stability -2, now +1), though they gradually settled down (stability restored to +3 in 08/01/1430).

hmm... no replies. well, another update coming up....

war with bohemia and austria: part 1.

The early months of 1431 were not any different from previous years; money was spent in diplomatic overtures to neighbors (Bosnia and Siebenbergen, and a royal marriage with Lithuania). More merchants were also sent abroad, to Venice and Liguria.

January 1431 saw the Ottoman Empire, the great heathen nation to the east, declare war upon their ancient enemies Byzantium. Both the Christian and Muslim worlds held their respective breaths to await the outcome of this epic struggle. April also saw the Hungarian army back in action. After years of peace and economic prosperity, the chance had come at last to repay the Bohemians for their defiance of King Ziggy twelve years earlier. This war would not be as easy as the earlier conflicts. Not only did Bohemia field an army that could rival Hungary's (Bohemia land tech 2, Hungary land tech 1. Bohemia also had a good leader in Prokop Holý), but the Bohemians had an impressive alliance that included Hungary's powerful neighbor Austria. However, Bohemia and Austria were currently involved in a war with Poland and Lithuania, and since the outcry for vengeance was still loud, on April 1, 1431, Hungary and its allies (Luxembourg and Siebenbergen) declared war on Bohemia and its allies (Austria, Baden, Baveria, and Wartemburg).

The war started simply enough for Hungary; a Hungarian army marched into Moravia and defeated the small Bohemian army stationed there. But the siege of Brünn had barely gotten underway when the main Bohemian army under the command of Prokop Holý arrived in the province. In a four day battle (04/24 to 04/28), the Bohemians routed the Hungarians. But all was not lost for Hungary. An offer of a status quo peace with Bavaria was accepted that same month, and the Hungarians recruited another army and reorganized for a second march into Bohemia.

In June, word came that the Moorish kingdom of Grenada in faraway Spain had fallen to the Christian kingdom of Aragon (Grenada annexed by Aragon 06/04/1431). This was a victory for all Christians, and the church bells were rung in Pest in celebration. Many prayers were also offered for their own troops, and would soon be answered. A second Hungarian army had mached into Austria and laid siege to Graz in Steirmark in July 1431. An Austrian relief force was met and defeated in August. Meanwhile, the newly reformed Magyar Regiment reached Moravia and laid siege to Brünn once more. More peace offers were accepted in August, this time from Wurtemburg and Baden. Now only Austria remained of the Bohemian alliance.

1432 started quietly, with the standard monetary gifts to Sibenbergen and Bosnia. In February, word came of the Byzantine capture of Dobruja from the heathen Ottomans, and this seemed to inspire the Hungarians. Moravia was finally taken in April, and the Magyar Regiment moved on to the capital of Prag. Steirmark was captured from the Austrians in May, and a Bohemian relief army was defeated outside the walls of Prag. The army in Austria now marched on Vienna and defeated a small standing army there in May, laying siege to Vienna. Three times the Austrians tried to break the siege, and three times they failed (5/24, 7/3, 7/6).

The main Bohemian army had been laying siege to Silesia, and captured it from Poland on July 19. They immediately began marching toward Prag, so King Ziggy, fearing another defeat at the hands of Prokop Holý, hastily ordered replacements of 14,000 men in Magyar. Things here began to turn against the brave Hungarians. A large Austrian army attacked Hungary in Vienna, and a fierce 16 day battle saw the Hungarians defeated. Even while this battle raged, the Bohemians met the Maygar Regiment outside Prag, and smashed the besieging Hungarians. The remnants of the two Hungarian armies retreated, one back toward their own territory, and the second further into enemy territory. It was feared that these would be lost forever, but in an amazing display of Hungarian courage, they laid siege to Pilsen in Súdeten in September 1432. The Bohemian army, amazingly enough, did not pursue them, but instead marched on to Moravia, where they began a siege to retake Brünn. It was now a race against time to see which army could complete their siege before the other.

The Austrian front had stabilized, and a reformed and reinforced Hungarian army marched back into Austrian territory. In October, they reached Ostmarch and began the siege of Krems. A small Austrian force had detected their return and had moved to intercept them. but they were defeated in November.

1433 started in the same fashion as the previous years of the war, with monetary gifts to Siebenbergen and Bosnia. But the quiet was not to last long, and on March 27, another Austrian army attacked the Hungarians in Ostmarch. They were finally defeated on April 9, but barely, and the still-exhausted Hungarians were no match for a second Austrian assault on April 17 (my army morale was still low from the previous battle). This army was immediately turned back around, and arrived back in Ostmarch on May 21.

In Bohemia, Pilsen was taken on June 22, and the Bohemian army in Moravia lifted their siege and began to march on Pilsen. In July, an Austrian attack in Ostmarch was defeated, and on July 4, 1433, Austria offered the sum of 200,000 ducats to Hungary, which was gratefully accepted. Now the war was only with Bohemia.

Originally posted by Warspite
Viva la Hungary...... uhhh oh wrong country

This is great Nines, Incase you didnt know, I absolutely LOVE playing Hungary (though Venice is my favorite to play) and to see a great AAR covering the Magyarians with good ole Ziggy in command is superb

My favorite tactic was to eat up all the little countries to the south and then try to keep good allies, either Austria or Poland and then take out venice or push into the bloody turks.

With power solidified I then prepare for many years, fighting off the occassional badboy war and then launch a MASSIVE offensive deep into the bowels of Muslimia munch munch munch muahahaha mohammed is mine touche pussy cat

Keep up the good work

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you'll like the war with venice then, when hunyadi goes nuts. but i'm getting ahead of myself.....

another update in a little while....

Originally posted by USA patriot
Care2.com - What I have heard they are easy to deal with .

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alright, i'll check it out, thanks.

in the meantime, the next installment...

war with bohemia and austria - part 2: bohemia stands alone.

With all her allies out of the war, Bohemia stood alone against the Hungarian fury. Against Hungary alone she might have had a chance, but having to fight two wars was taking its toll. The main Bohemian army was attacked and defeated in Bohemia province in July 1433. The remnants retreated to Sudeten, where they began a siege to retake Pilsen. In August, word came of the Ottoman Empire's victory over Byzantium in Morea. With that victory, Byzantium agreed to cede 5100 ducats and the province of Morea to the Ottomans. The waning power of the Byzantines was proving to be no match for the rising tide of the Turks. Eastern Europe and the Balkan states now awaited with dread the seemingly inevitable invasion of the Muslim hordes.

But at the moment, Ziggy had more important matters at hand; namely, finishing the war with Bohemia. As Prokop Holý laid siege to Pilsen, the Hungarian army moved back into Bohemia province and laid siege to Prag on October 26. A small detachment from Súdeten failed to relieve the siege and was destroyed by the Hungarians on November 14, 1433.

1434 saw a renewing of the royal marriage with Austria in an effort to put behind them the memory of the recent war. One of the king's own cousins was wed to a prominent Austrian lord in a splendid ceremony that was attended by King Ziggy himself. Monetary gifts were also sent to Siebenbergen and Bosnia in appreciation for their wedding presents to the couple.

In March, some prominent artisans complained about the excessive taxes levied upon them by their local lords. King Ziggy, perhaps still a little drunk from the wedding feast, agreed to abolish a tax, giving more freedom to the local serfs and cutting a source of the crown's revenue (-1 serfdom, -100 ducats). In the East, the Turkish rampage continued, as the Ottomans annexed the Duchy of Athens in December 1424 in a war that had lasted just under a year (declaration on January 1).

1435 saw more progress in the Bohemian war. Prag was finally captured on March 26, and though a peace offer for Moravia was refused, the Bohemian army was defeated in a pitched battle in the Súdeten in May. The situation was becoming increasingly desperate for Bohemia, and they signed a seperate peace with Lithuania in exchange for 25,000 ducats. Lithuania had captured the city of Erz earlier in the war, and with it back in Bohemian hands, the Hungarian army moved to capture it again, hoping to increase pressure on Bohemia for some territorial cessions. Upon their arrival, the Hungarian troops found the city already under siege by an army from Brandenburg. After some debate by the commanders, the Hungarians decided to aid in the siege, and the city fell soon after.

1436 was a relatively quiet year. The usual monetary gifts were sent to Siebenbergen, and merchants were sent to Veneto, Liguria, and Mecklemberg. In July, word came of yet another Ottoman conquest: this time the Italian city-state of Modena, which was forced to pay tribute to the Sultan and recognize him as their liege-lord (Modena pays 7,000 ducats to Ottoman Empire and becomes a vassal). December saw the Bohemians pay 7,000 ducats and cede the province of Erz to Brandenburg.

1437 would be a year to remember in Hungarian history. Not only did the war with Bohemia come to a successful conclusion, but it also marked the arrival of a man who was to become legendary in the annals of Hungarian legend: Janos Hunyadi. General Hunyadi was a brilliant tactician, possessing a keen understanding of both open field and siege warfare (M:4, F:4, S:4, S:1). It was he who would largely be responsible for bringing the war in Bohemia to a swift conclusion.

Hunyadi arrived for duty in Pest and was immediately transferred to the field army in Bohemia. Under his leadership, the army crushed the remnants of the Bohemian army and laid siege to Wurzburg in March. A hastily assembled army of Bohemian conscripts was soundly defeated on May 1, and the city fell on December 14. That month also saw our military engineers make a breakthrough, enabling us to build larger and more powerful fortresses (land tech now 2).

But not all was joyous either: beloved King Ziggy died on December 10, and his son, Ulászló I, succeeded him. Though Ulászló would see the borders of the kingdom expanded greatly during his reign, he never was as talented as his father, being only average in administration (3) and diplomacy (3), and having little or no knowledge of things military (2). But his reign would start promisingly, as Bohemia accepted Hungarian demands for the province of Moravia on December 14, 1437.

i have one screenshot now posted, which i'll show at the appropriate time. i thought i had 3 different ones, but apparently it only saves one shot at a time, and this is the latest one so far.

will post another update sometime today.

thanks for the comments all. at least i know people are reading.

revolts in moravia and 2nd venetian war

A government official was sent to administer taxes in the newly-acquired province, and construction was begun on a larger fortress in the capital in Magyar. The usual New Year monetary gift to Siebenbergen was also sent, as the new king Laz wished to continue his father's diplomatic aim of eventual vassalization and annexation of Hungary's Translyvanian neighbors.

Naturally, the people of Moravia resented their new Hungarian overlords, and a revolt broke out in the province in February. It lasted two months before being ruthlessly crushed by Hunyadi in April. The entire peasant army was slaughtered, and their bodies displayed along the provincial roads as a warning for future insurgents that Hungary had still not forgotten the Great Insult of 1419, and would tolerate nothing less than full obedience from her new subjects.

With the ruthlessness of the new king apparent, it is surprising to note that in May a group of artisans approached the king with a proposal for the abolition of a new tax. It is even more surprising that the king agreed to the proposal (serfdom -1, -100 ducats). Perhaps he too realized his harshness in dealing with the Moravian revolt and sought to soften his image and improve his reputation with his people. But whatever the case, the artisans left pleased, and many of them swore to serve their new king eagerly until their dying day.

Laz's harsh policy in dealing swiftly with rebellion did nothing to impress the people of Moravia, and another revolt broke out there in June 1438. Again, Hunyadi was sent to deal with the problem, and again it was stamped out with brute force. This time, whole villages were burned, and the bodies of the dead rebels were left to rot in the fields. The stench of rotting flesh lingered in the province for weeks, and even some of Laz's own commanders cursed their king's barbarity.

But even Laz's ruthlessness could not compare to that of the Ottoman Turks, who continued their stampede of death and destruction across Europe. In July 1438, they annexed the Italian city-state of Tuscany, slaughtering most of the garrison even after they had surrendered to the armies of the Sultan. It seemed that no force on earth could stop or even slow their black tide. All Europe now trembled in fear at the prospect of the now-inevitable invasion of the "Armies of Satan", and many prayers were offered to God for deliverance both far and wide.

The year's end saw Hungary's former vassal state Croatia rebel against Venetian rule, a rebellion that was later put down (August 1438). September featured a minor diplomatic setback with Siebenbergen when an envoy was sent to Transylvania to discuss the possibility of a peaceful vassalization. The offer was flatly refused, and diplomatic relations were somewhat strained for a while, though the two nations remained on friendly terms.

The year 1439 opened with an attempt at restoring diplomatic relations with Siebenbergen in the form of the customary monetary gift and letter of introduction to the court (relations back up to +180). More administrative measures were also taken, and the army was reorganized into a more cohesive fighting unit, much to the chagrin of local commanders (land +1, stability -1). But these reforms were seen as necessary by King Laz and Hunyadi, and any doubt was laid to rest when the Ottomans Turks declared war on Byzantium once again on January 8, 1439, along with their ally Teke (a smaller Turkish kingdom). Byzantium's allies Ragusa and Bosnia also joined the fray.

Hunyadi approached the king in early February with a daring plan. He argued that since the Turks were obviously not resting and consolidating their gains, then neither should Hungary. "We must be a large and powerful nation if we are to be the first line of defense for Christianity" he declared, and plans were laid for expansion further south and east into the Balkans. It was suggested that Wallachia, being a one-province minor nation, would not stand long against the Turkish menace, and therefore should be taken first by Hungary and fortified against the inevitable Turkish strike. Then too, there was the matter of Hungarian territory still held by Venice. The truce from their war two decades earlier had long since expired, and war could be declared again if the opportunity arose.

Such an opportunity presented itself much sooner than anyone could have hoped, for almost as soon as these plans been discussed and implemented, than word came of Venice's declaration of war on Ragusa, Byzantium, and Bosnia. Apparently, one of the Byzantine envoys, in an attempt to gain support for their war against the Turks, had accused a prominent Venetian noble of cowardice and lack of faith. The Venetian of course had challenged him to a duel. The Byzantine refused, and so a declaration of war had been sent in April 1439.

Preliminary reports indicated that most of Venice's armies, including her main army under the command of their general Gatamelata, were busy sieging Ragusa and Bosnia,or were further east fighting the Byzantines, leaving their territory to the south and east of Hungary wide open for a lightning strike. Even as Hunyadi marched with the main Hungarian army south towards Krain, the declaration of war was sent to Venice on May 15, 1439. Hungary's allies Siebenbergen and Luxembourg also declared war, and Venice's allies Serbia and The Knights joined Venice.

Hunyadi marched the main Hungarian army into Krain and laid siege to Laibach on June 11. As always, a smaller army was left behind to put down any revolts. In August, word reached the capital of the convening of the Council of Florence in Constantinople. Faced with the prospect of defeat at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, Byzantium appealed to Rome for military and financial aid. To gain this aid, the Orthodox church had agreed to recognize Rome as the supreme Christian authority, and so the pope issued a call for a Holy Crusade of all Christian nations against the heathen Turks. This seemed to come not a moment too soon for Christendom, as the Ottomans annexed Ragusa in February 1440.

None of this concerned Hungary at the moment, however, as she was busy with the war against Venice. The siege of Laibach was completed on March 11 and the army immediately set out for Croatia. The Knights offered a status quo peace on 12, which was accepted by Hungary. On March 29, Hunyadi's army arrived in Croatia and defeated the small Venetian garrison April 3, paving the way for the siege of Zagreb to begin. Serbia also offered a white peace, and it too was accepted. Venice's allies were now out of the war.

The main army of Venice eventually returned from Bosnia and attacked Hunyadi's siege force April 7, 1440. The battle lasted a week, and both sides suffered heavy casualities. Finally the superior numbers of the Venetians won out, and Hunyadi's army was forced to retreat on April 14. Badly bloodied, Gatamelata and the army of Venice did not pursue, but instead retreated to the province of Istria to regroup. Reinforcements were immediately called up, and these arrived to swell Hunyadi's army back to a respectable size. They arrived back in Croatia on June 29 and began the siege of Zagreb anew.

August 1440 was the true turning point of the Second Venetian War. Gatamelata and the remnants of his army attacked Hunyadi's forces again on August 1, but this time, Hunyadi's fresh troops destroyed them utterly. Gatamelata himself was killed as he made a last desperate charge into Hunyadi's elite guard. His body was sent back to Venice to receive a Christian burial, and Hunyadi himself wrote a letter to be given to his family. "He was the only warrior whom I would call an equal" he wrote. In celebration of their victory over the Army of Venice, royal marriages were arranged with Siebenbergen and Luxembourgh. The dual weddings took place in Magyar on August 9, and Hunyadi himself attended as the guest of honor, leaving the siege of Zagreb to his subordinates.

In September, the peasants in Moravia revolted once again, hoping to go largely unnoticed amidst all the other happenings. It did not work, of course, and this rebellion met the same fate as all the others. But that was not the end of the social unrest for Hungary: in November, a court scandal was uncovered involving several prominent nobles who had been conspiring with Serbian military officers to assassinate the king. The traitors were executed and relations with Serbia were strained (relation with Serbia -25).

Zagreb fell on November 11, and Hunyadi's army marched on Istria. The small Istrian army was no match for the Hungarians and was quickly eliminated. Hunyadi then split his army, leading the larger detachment himself to Venice and sending the other under a subordinate commander to Dalmatia. The siege of Venice was begun on January 11, 1441. Zara in Dalmatia was besieged a few weeks later. In July came word of a strange twist in the war in the East: the small island nation of the Knights had secured a victory over Byzantium and vassalized them. The once-great Byzantine Empire was now reduced to a mere puppet state of one of their former provinces.

August 1441 saw several Venetian attacks defeated, and on January 20, 1442, Hunyadi accepted the surrender of the garrison of Venice. Leaving behind a small detachment to guard the newly-captured trade city, the remainder of his army marched on to Istria and began a siege of Triest. After several failed peace overtures, Venice finally agreed to cede Croatia and Krain to Hungary.

Originally posted by Lord Durham
Very good work, KoN. Hungary is a great country to tackle, and one that isn't covered too often in AARland. However, it's kind of hard to get worked up over a land led by a King who is called Ziggy

Keep it up, and the responses will come.

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Ziggy, Laz, Matty.... the names of the kings alone make it worth the effort playing it.

next update will be sometime today. i'm at work right now so it probably won't be until this afternoon when i get home. but, you never know...

ok, next update coming. i plan to include the first screenshot here too. to view it, right-click the picture and select "properties". then copy the url and paste it to a seperate browser.

To celebrate the Hungarian victory in the Second Venetian War, a monetary gift was sent to long-time ally Siebenbergen, which was accepted eagerly. Later that year, more merchants were sent out from the capital, all of them ironically to Venice. The extra income generated from their trade enabled the hiring of a new tax collector in the newly acquired province of Krain in January 1443. Construction was also begun on an upgraded fortress in Pest (level 2 fort in Pest). Another monetary gift was sent to Siebenbergen, bringing the two kingdoms closer together. Indeed, Transvlvania agreed to become a Hungarian vassal later that year (03/01/1443, Siebenbergen diplo-vassalized).

Dire news reached the capital in January 20. The armies of the Turkish sultan had captured the Holy citadel of Constantinople. Now it truly seemed that God had abandoned His children in favor of the heathens. With this latest setback, the Byzantines paid Venice a handsome sum of 114,000 ducats in order to concentrate on recapturing their capital from the Turks. But it would be in vain. On March 9,1443, The Ottoman Empire formally annexed the last remnants of their ancient enemies. Now the way to Europe lay open before the armies of Islam.

But none of this concerned Hungary at the moment. In April, a political crisis struck. The king had long had a wandering eye when it came to women, and it finally caught up with him when he was caught in a rather uncompromising position with a servant girl in the palace. This of course had a detrimental effect on the entire nation, driving it into civil unrest and hampering the king’s ability to rule effectively for months afterward (random event: political crisis. Stability –3 and monarch administrative skill –2 for 12 months). Naturally, the unrest led to open hostility, and a revolt broke out in Presburg in May. It was swiftly and harshly put down on May 15, but the anxiety would linger for far longer. 1443 saw no further incidents, however.

After a quiet start to 1444, the king suddenly fell ill in November, and after several days of fever, finally died on November 11, 1444. The rumor at the time was that he had never fully recovered from the political crisis of the previous year, but whatever the case, the throne now passed to his son, László. László VI, as he would forever be known, was like his father a rather average monarch in talent, although he was slightly better suited for rule of an expanding kingdom (D:4, A:4, M:3). It was Laz VI who first used the phrase “Hungarian Empire” when describing his lands to a friend at a dinner party, and it eventually stuck.

The first full year of the new king’s reign (1445) was quite an eventful one. The usual monetary gifts were sent to Poland and Siebenbergen, and Hungary’s standing with these nations increased. In July, word came of the death of a wealthy landowner in the capital. He had died with no heir, so according to medieval custom, his lands passed to the king. Rather than divide this new land among the nobles, the young king chose to administer it directly himself, increasing the treasury and providing the crown with more tax income, but slightly irritating some of the nobility (random event: heirless landowner dies. +1 tax revenue in Magyar and +30 ducats. Stability –1, now +1 overall).

Shortly after, reports began to trickle into the court regarding events in Wallachia, Hungary’s neighbor to the southwest. The new king there, Vlad II, had been ruthlessly oppressing all foreigners and dissidents in his land. According to reports, he had thousands of them rounded up and impaled on stakes as a warning that Wallachia would not tolerate any foreign rule or dissension. Some of these foreigners included people of Hungarian descent, so on August 1, 1445, Hungary declared war on Wallachia under the guise of protecting the rights of Hungarians living there. In truth though, the war was meant as a distraction from the political squabble between the king and certain members of the nobility. Laz VI sought to further strengthen his already precarious hold on the throne by uniting the aristocracy against a foreign foe. By declaring to “protect the God-given rights of all my people, both home and abroad”, he also hoped to improve his standing among the commoners as well. Wallachia’s ally Moldavia also entered the war, but it was hoped that a quick siege of Bucharesti would end the war before their armies could be mobilized.

The aging Janos Hunyadi was given command of the Royal Magyar Army and marched into Wallachia on September 3. There, on the fields outside Bucharesti, he met the forces of Vlad II. In a four-day battle, Hunyadi’s troops annihilated the Wallachians. Vlad was captured alive and impaled on a stake in return for his cruelty, and his body was cut to pieces and burned. Rumors abounded at the time that he in fact did not die in that battle, but instead fled to the hills, and this rumor would give rise to many pretenders who would claim to be Vlad returned. A peasant army was hastily assembled in Bucharesti, but it was easily defeated on October 4. An envoy from Moldavia arrived with an offer of white peace, which was gladly accepted, leaving Hunyadi’s army to continue the siege of Bucharesti without fear of Moldavian intervention.

The victory over Vlad seemed to calm the nation, and the tense situation gradually calmed itself (stability +1, now +2 overall). On June 7,1446, Bucharesti was captured, and the province of Wallachia was added to the Hungarian Empire. Things in Hungary eventually returned to normal (stability +1, now +3), and King Laz VI was overjoyed that his daring plan had worked. But it did not last long. The newly appointed governor of Wallachia was the king’s longtime friend, the Duke of Pest. The Duke knew little of the day-to-day affairs, and his poor administrative abilities resulted in a loss of research investment in November. The king decided to let the matter drop and did nothing, which angered some of the nobles, who accused the king of playing favorites among the nobility (random event: poor gov’t policies. Stability –1 to +2 overall. –250 ducats in trade and infrastructure).

1447- 1452 were quiet years, save for the revolts in Wallachia in June 1447, October 1450, and June 1452, which were of course quickly crushed. Many merchants were sent abroad, and diplomatic overtures made to Poland and Siebenbergen. A court painter was hired in December 1448, and his works were displayed in the Imperial Palace for years after. January 1449 saw a breakthrough in trade and infrastructure (both now level 2), and the fortress in Maros was expanded (to level 2). The years of peace and quiet prompted a group of nobles to donate some of their wealth to the treasury (random event: gift to the state in 9/16/1450. +100 ducats), which was used to expand the fortress in Odenburg (to level 2). The only negative event during this time was a minor scandal involving the daughter of a Bosnian ambassador and a minor Hungarian knight (random event: scandal at court. Relation with Bosnia –25), but even that was soon forgotten.

With the new wealth pouring into the treasury, King Laz VI decided to reform the army. With such a large empire consisting of so many different cultures, achieving any kind of technological parity with its neighbors would be difficult at best. So it was decided that sheer numbers would be the best counter to the technological advantage of other nations. The officers complained that this would lower the morale of their troops, but nonetheless, it was implemented (quantity +1, stability –1, now +2 overall). But the army was not the only means of expanding the empire. Relations with Siebenbergen had been close ever since she had agreed to become a vassal, and on March 1, 1453, the government of Transylvania agreed to formally become an official part of the Hungarian Empire (diplo-annexed Siebenbergen).



hungarian empire in 1453

my empire in 1453, after the diplo-annexation of transylvania. here you can see all the gains from the previous wars: moravia, croatia, and krain.