Gesta Hungarorum (Deeds of the Hungarians)

[unmerged(8915)]

Endless glory for the liberators of Jerusalem!

Ecxellent update. I like the fact too that you took the path of the latter crusaders of conquering Egypt first and focusing on Palestine later, once the base of the Saracen is taken. Kudos

What sort of law are you using if some of your armies only contain Peasants and Light Cavalry?

 

[Victor1234]

Ladislav: Thanks. Well, it made sense, plus, I wanted to retake those Hungarian culture provinces while they were still relatively intact. I was just glad I got through this one with no CTDs, I had no saves at all during those 6 years of war....

I have salic primogenture, feudal contract and regal supremacy. I'm guessing it's either the levies (troops raised from newly taken provinces, where if Catholic, the power groups are 55% burgher and 45% noble, if not, they are 100% clergy) or the attrition. I'd start with 15-20k man armies in Europe, and be lucky if 5k reached the Middle East in one piece. Even then, after a little campaigning, the local attrition would wear them down too until I had regiments of like 15 men and 12 men. I don't really pay much attention to unit composition myself, so I didn't notice, but I'm thinking it's the levies.

 

[unmerged(59077)]

Yep, attrition is horrible in this game.

And so I see you're back in Egypt.

 

[Olaus Petrus]

Those massive campaigns can be little bit tiresome to play sometimes, because loading a save mess your moral. Usually armies already in field become rather useless when you load save and it can cost you whole war.

 

[Victor1234]

RGB: Yep, it's good to be back

Olaus Petrus: Indeed, the sheer number of battles in this war was also staggering. I only took screenshots of the important ones, and even these were alot.
This Fatamid war was by far the longest/hardest I've had to fight.

 

[Victor1234]

Chapter XLIX: The Military Reforms of King Kálmán


Whereupon in the year of our Lord one-thousand three-hundred and twenty-six, though the war against the infidel was won and Europe freed at last from the infidel, the armies of the Hungarian Kingdom were gravely exhausted. Wasteful losses of vassal troops left many villages depleted of men, and the hard fighting in Egypt had spared but five-thousand men of the Royal Army. The mercenaries and other levies employed in the war, too, had been depleted and at stages of the campaign practiced sedition against the Kingdom. Complacency had it's toll on the vassals of the Kingdom, so the war had proven, and to remedy this the King now set forth his plans to ensure such defeats would no longer stain the honour of the Kingdom. Henceforth, every man in each city of the Kingdom would be required to practice with crossbow, sword and pike upon attaining seventeen years, whereby each nobleman was to join with a regiment of calvary and thereby render their service having attained the same years. Agents of the Crown in each city would henceforth be compelled to prepare lists of these men between seventeen and sixty years of age, for in the case of mobilization, their services would be required as well. In view of the disasters brought on of entrusting the vassals of the Kingdom with the raising of their own troops, henceforth the old system of each vassal providing their inferior and under-equipped men would cease, to be replaced instead by an expanded Royal Army of fifty-thousand, with the further support of each male included in the lists. Within the Royal Army, a new regiment was created, sworn to the defense of the King's person, so entitled the Royal Guard (Királyi Őrség) to guard against future sedition and provide guards for the royal estates. So too, on the military frontiers of Hungary (határok), there was created regiments of watchmen and crossbowmen(határőrség), whose task being to prevent foreign incursions into the Kingdom and to regulate the conduct of merchants, were of utmost importance to the Kingdom. Furthermore, to ensure each the continued loyalty of the Kingdom and to forstall sedition against the Kingdom, no noble was thus permitted to command a greater regiment than that of twelve men, yet were permitted to retain their castles. So too, forces of mercenaries, who were to be employed only in the greatest times of need, were to be accompanied by an agent of the Crown, under the direct command of the Marshal of the Kingdom, whereby they were to take measures to ensure the loyalty of these mercenary forces. With these reforms of the army in place, the King now turned to the new lands in Egypt, Palestine and Syria, whereby with agreement of the Kingdom of Sweden, ally of Hungary, those parts of Syria which they had taken from the hold of the Fatamids were thus given onto the Kingdom of Hungary. In these lands, the King bid that each newly taken settlement build a house of God, whereby the Christian faith might spread to these desolate lands. So too, the King here too implemented his military reform, yet in these lands owing to the lack of fighting men and the lack of reliability of the rest, the King was forced to implement a system similar to that which had been recently discarded by the Kingdom, whereby there would be a standing army of small number, yet great valour, supported by the large numbers of men in the cities. Yet there too were many Christian converts who yearned to join the armies in the Holy Land, so these too were admitted as calvary, useful for a land of few noblemen. Throughout these years of administration, the King steadily oversaw the transfer and distribution of lands and titles to those deserving Hungarians whom had given so greatly in the war. Yet the King, having no wish to maintain these lands so far from the Kingdom, was advised that it might be opportune to create a Kingdom of Jerusalem, Syria and Egypt, ruled by a member of the Árpád family. Though before this Kingdom could be created, there still remained some of the infidel in Syria, who, having broken from the remains of the Kingdom of the Fatamids, still opposed these plans of the Kingdom. Thereupon, in pursuit of his plans, the King once more embarked his newly raised army of twenty-thousand men and sailed for Syria. The Royal Navy, having committed itself to the transport of men, horses and supplies during the war, was now expanded with twenty new war-galleys, built to Venetian designs taken from the Arsenal found there when the Hungarian armies took the city. With these war-galleys and transports, the King reached the coasts of Syria, whereby a short campaign commenced. Following a battle at Archa, whereby the Royal Army proved most successful, the remains of the infidel lands surrendered without further combat, though in the meanwhile, the city of Byzantium had fallen once more. Thus to recover the city, the Holy Father called a crusade to free this ancient city yet again, having been passed between victors for many years. Yet, though he had always obeyed the word of God when the crusade beckoned, the King chose instead to finish his work and thus create a Kingdom in the Holy Land worthy of Hungarians. A suitable King for this new realm, a distant cousin to King Kálmán who had fought valiantly at the King's side during the war, was thus chosen by the King to reign over the lands of Jerusalem, and thereby to ensure his continued prosperity, contributed a vast sum of gold to the treasury of the new Kingdom.

Battle of Archa

Byzantium Crusade

The new Kingdom of Jerusalem

The new King, so crowned at the Domed Church of Jerusalem


Yet now, though his work in the Holy Land was completed, news reached the King of the final fall of the Kingdom of Germany to the English, having been in civil war and beset by invaders for many years. Though this news was joyful to King Kálmán, further news arrived that the Principality of Crete, the only part of the Byzantine Empire not to fall, now turned to piracy against the ships of Hungary to further his wealth. Thereupon, Hungary having gained from Sweden half of Crete, formerly held by the Fatamids, the Kingdom declared war against the Prince of Crete and all his lands, with the intent that his piracy should cease. Fighting battles across all islands of Rhodes, Naxos and Crete, these islands were thus taken for the Kingdom of Hungary and placed under the administration of the King himself. Thus it was that his great task and that of his father had been completed, yet there still remained the crusade to Byzantium, which the Holy Father in Rome had called years ago, by which none had yet dared to embark, awaiting the Kingdom of Hungary to first declare war and assure all others of their safety on crusade.

Germany gone

Battle for Crete

The islands taken

Excerpt from "The History of the House of Árpád"



It was in 1326 AD that the King embarked on his great program of army reform, for though the Hungarian Kingdom had triumphed in the war, the glory of the army lay tarnished amongst the fields of dead left in the Holy Land. Though this task and the granting of titles and royal charters in the Holy Land would take him seven years, the conquest of the remaining infidel in Syria proved of vital importance, and thus the King embarked, there too to defeat the infidel. Following this victory, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was hence created, whereby the King moved onwards to Crete, in answer to the vile piracy conducted by that island Principality. Thus Hungary came to gain control over all the islands of the Aegean, save for those held by the Emirate of the Turkmens. Yet there still remained a crusade to Byzantium on which the Kingdom was forced to embark, lest it be no longer deemed the protector of Christiandom.

 

[Olaus Petrus]

England has grown to rather big, you better keep eye on them. Despite the fact that you try to avoid fighting with other Christians, they seem to be greatest threat to your hegemony.

 

[Victor1234]

Olaus Petrus: Yep, I've noticed. We're still (unofficially anyways) allied, so I'm not going to do anything to screw them over, but considering they effectively control all of the British Isles, Spain, most of France, and the other half of Germany, I'd say they were in for some trouble as soon as an inbred King assumes the throne. If that were to happen, and I really made sure of everything by excomming that King (using my PC powers), it would probably mean the end of English power

 

[Victor1234]

Chapter L: The first Southern Incursion


Having thus transformed the armies of Hungary into a mighty and overwhelming force, cause soon arrived whereby the true valour of this new warfare could be tested in battle, as the southern frontiers of Hungary saw a great menace forming against them. King Kálmán, having financed a crusade to free Byzantium from the grasp of the infidel and hence departed, returned to enjoy the comforts of his Royal Court at Pozsony for but a year, for the noble he had invested, the Count of Byzantium, had sent pleas for aid. Having arrived at Byzantium and recaptured it from the infidel after a lengthy siege, the King invested a certain noble amongst his ranks, of the family Szécsényi, the Count of Byzantium. Whereby, having in the year of our Lord one-thousand, three-hundred and forty-three, returned to his court, the King remained to enjoy the comforts of his lavish palace at Pozsony. Yet in Byzantium, the new Count found himself confronted by foes and with no hope of resupply by land. For though by the sea had the Royal Army come, so too by the sea did they go, and those infidel bordering the new County awaited only the departure of the King to begin a campaign of siege. By allowing no food or other relief to enter Byzantium by land and by using their ships to blockade the seas, the supplies of the city dwindled as they dispatched their lone ship, a small yet nimble vessel built to the designs of the Byzantines themselves. This vessel was thus able to bring word of the blockade to the lands of Hungary, whereby the King ordered the Royal Army to prepare. As the Royal Navy had thus possessed only eight aging galleys, the remains of the Venetian and Genoese navies, there remained no hope of breaking through the blockade by sea. Thereupon, to bring relief to Byzantium, the King thus led the Royal Army against the two counties of infidels bordering the city. Yet as the war was declared, all of the Greece, save for the Emirate of the Turkmens, too declared war on Hungary to aid their brethren. With the Royal Army moving through to free Byzantium from the siege, the first combat came at Thrake, whereby the King's army of nine-thousand destroyed the enemy army of three-thousand. With the enemy army destroyed, the path to Byzantium was open again through the county of Thrake, though other enemies yet remained. Moving against the army of Kaliopolis, the Royal Army smashed the infidels aside, laying siege to their castle and forcing their garrison to surrender. Thereby, after these campaigns, the Holy Father in Rome deemed the Crusade to be ended and the Christian duty of Hungary at an end. Yet the King, beset at his old age by the spectre of illness and misfortune, died a year after the end of the crusade.

Battle of Thrake

Action against Kaliopolis

The end of the Crusade

The King is dead

The new King Gellért


Having assumed the throne with but fourteen years, the young King could not in fullness carry out the duties of the King of Hungary, and thereby for those two years, minor engagements carried on in the south of Hungary in the place of the great battles of King Kálmán. Yet, upon the attainment of full powers by King Gellért, the struggle against the infidels in Greece continued as it had under his father, with vigorous campaigning. Thus continuing his father's war, the young King fought many battles in the south of Greece against the infidel, defeating all those who stood against the Kingdom. With his conquest of Athens, the infidel opposing the Kingdom in Greece became small, yet it would require but three more years before all of Greece was subdued, for in the year of our Lord one-thousand three-hundred and fifty-eight, a strange new illness was reported amongst those in the city of Byzantium. This strange plague, the work of the infidel, took many a life in the city, passing from house to house, carrying everywhere with it, the Black Death.

Battle of Dyracchion

Battle of Butrino

Battle of Athens

The Black Death

 

[Victor1234]

This strange illness, though having taken many lives in the newly freed Greek lands, had yet not spread further to the lands of Hungary, thereby allowing the King to continue his campaign against Greece. Whereby, after many further months of campaigning to the south of Athens, the last stronghold of the infidel on the mainland, fell to the righteous forces of Hungary. Thus there remained only the isolated enclaves of the Emirate of the Turkmens, to challenge Hungary's supremacy of Greece.

Final battle on the Greek mainland

Gains after the first southern campaign

Excerpt from "The History of the House of Árpád"



Thus in 1344 AD, to combat the evils brought upon Greece and the lands of Europe to the south of Hungary, the King duly embarked on crusade to Byzantium to free that city. Yet though the battle was won, the infidels against whom the Kingdom of Hungary had not warred, strove to retake Byzantium through treachery and deceitful practice. To punish the infidels for such actions, the King thus found it a necessity to occupy all the Greek mainland and thus secure Europe from the depravations of the enemy hordes, first to secure those independent states then within Greece, whereby in pursuit of these goals, the King remained on campaign until his death two years later, whereby the campaign continued under the guidance of his son, leading to the conquest of all Greece save for those lands of the Emirate of the Turkmens. Though these had been spared, their time too, would come.

 

[Olaus Petrus]

So Black Death has arrived. That's one nasty disease.

 

[Victor1234]

Olaus Petrus: Yep, but it hasn't spread too far yet. My hope is to finish the campaigning before the plague reaches Hungary itself, and my source of troops is gone due to the large income penalties.

 

[Olaus Petrus]

Olaus Petrus: Yep, but it hasn't spread too far yet. My hope is to finish the campaigning before the plague reaches Hungary itself, and my source of troops is gone due to the large income penalties.

Hopefully it doesn't do that quickly. Black Death can but even largest of empires on it's knees.

 

[LeonTrotsky]

Congratulations on a magnificent AAR. You've been nominated as this week's Weekly AAR Showcase !

Keep up the good work!

 

[Victor1234]

LeonTrotsky: Thanks very much!

 

[Victor1234]

Chapter LI: The Final Southern Incursion


Having conquered the wide mountain ranges and vallies of Greece, there remained only the Emirate of the Turkmens in existance, to menace the Kingdom of Hungary in it's quest to free Europe from the grasp of the heathens. Whereby, the King was informed that the strange illness, this plague which had arrived first at Byzantium and had spread far within the lands of Hungary, was even now approaching the royal estates of the Crown in the central portion of the realm, wherein the Royal Army was quartered. Yet in the southern lands of the Kingdom, this black evil took many lives and thereby shook the newly freed people's faith in God. It was then that the clergy, all of the Roman Catholic Church and newly appointed to these lands, journeyed to Pozsony to beg the King for alms and food with which to lighten the burden, as those men who had farmed the land soon fell ill themselves and thereby could work no more. Thereby having given to the priests, sufficient food and wealth with which they could ensure the continued survival of the Crown's subjects within the southern reaches of the Hungarian Kingdom, the King thus planned the final campaign against the infidel in the lands of Europe, whereby if successful, Europe should be freed of them at last.

Clergy begging for alms to stem the suffering


With the campaign planned, the King thus ordered the mobilization of the Royal Army and in the year of our Lord one-thousand three-hundred and sixty-one, journeyed south through the lands stricken by plague. These travels did sap the strength of his army, forced to live off the land and seek provisions elsewhere, for the plague had rendered those working the land incapable of work. Yet though the journey was short, the army lost many men to sickness and the plague, forcing the King to confront his enemies with but twenty-thousand soldiers. Thereby, having declared war against the evil Turkmens, the Royal Army moved through their lands, laying siege to their strongholds as they fell due to plague and pestilence, one by one. Though these victories secured many new lands for the Kingdom, the forces of the Turkmens remained elusive, being neither seen nor heard of, only at Strymon, where a small force of Hungary faced that of the Turkmens. Thereupon, at Adrianople, five months after the war had commenced, the entirety of the enemy force, eleven-thousand strong, met the Royal Army of eighteen-thousand men on the plains of Adrianople, and there began a great battle. The Royal Army, a glorious body of men and highly skilled in the arts of war, thus routed the enemy with a calvary charge and destroyed nine-thousand infidel, taking only four thousand casualties themselves. Following this, the armies of Hungary moved further onwards to Chalkidike, whereby the remains of their armies were beaten.

The skirmish at Strymon

The battle at Adrianople

The end of the battle

The battle of Chalkidike


With the armies of the Turkmen defeated, there remained only a campaign to conquer those strongholds and fortifications which remained in Europe, during which it was discovered that the conduct of the war had exhausted the Royal Treasury and placed a great burden upon it. The final battle, for Thessaly, came in the year of our Lord one-thousand three-hundred and sixty-three, whereby none remained to challenge the might of Hungary. Thereafter, with the peace duly agreed to, the Royal Army was free to return to Hungary, though the black plague had spread by this time, to every part of the realm.

The battle of Thessaly, the last in the war

Hungarian gains after the second southern incursion


Excerpt from "The History of the House of Árpád"



In 1361 AD, after contributing much wealth and food to the clergy of Greece, with the intent it was to ease the suffering of the plague, the King embarked on campaign to Greece, whereby he remained for three years. Having won a most glorious conquest, the King returned home, adding the King of Greece to his titles. Yet, while on campaign, the terrible plague had spread further into the Kingdom, even reaching the capital of Pozsony. Here the King returned to find his only living daughter, a baby-girl so oft cheerful, sick with this dreaded illness. No physician in the realm could find the cure for this illness, and as her elder sister and most of her brothers, the child perished, after the King's return. Whereby, though his very court was infected with the dreaded plague, work still remained, for the lands of Greece would have to be properly governed and administered. Thereby in pursuit of these goals, the King thus appointed many Dukes and other nobles to care for these lands in his name. The task of dividing the lands and granting titles took twelve years, whereby further evil struck the Kingdom. Though the first wave of disease had too taken it's toll on the Kingdom, a new disease spread, many times as powerful as the first, and an already strained Kingdom further suffered at the hands of this illness. Whereupon, the King with his task completed, was duly informed that the plague had also an effect upon his soldiers, whereby the Royal Army was crippled by plague and unable to campaign but in small numbers. Sensing weakness, some nobles attempted to raise arms against the King, yet though the Royal Army was weakened it remained strong still. The reforms of King Kálmán, by which no noble could command their regiments as in the past, which had further ended the system whereby vassals of the Kingdom would raise and train their own troops, had prevented any real power from remaining in the hands of the nobles, yet now to ensure himself of his safety further, the Királyi Őrség (Royal Guard) was thus expanded and made seperate from the Royal Army, so that they would better serve to protect the King. So too, sensing the remaining strength of the nobles lay in their mighty castles, the King bid that each castle not on the frontiers of the Kingdom of Hungary would hence be destroyed, being only a source of danger rather than of protection.

King's daughter sick, died later

Greece divided up into Duchies

 

[Olaus Petrus]

Good to see that you finished your conquest on Balkan and hopefully plague will spare rest of your dynasty.

 

[Victor1234]

Olaus Petrus: Yep, I decided to finally give in to the temptation, and take all of Greece.

 

[Victor1234]

Chapter LII: The End of the Rise to Power


Thus in the year of our Lord, one-thousand three-hundred and seventy-six, the Kingdom of Hungary was at peace once more. With the infidel driven from the lands of Europe, and the neighbours of Hungary well-aware of the Hungarian martial valour, there remained no enemies to do battle against. Yet the terrible plague which cast it's black shadow of death once upon the Kingdom, returned once more in strength. The commerce of the Kingdom, such as it was reliant on the movement of persons and goods, came to a halt as the plague took more lives. Yet in these troubled times, there remained tidings of joy and merriment as well, for in the past years there had been many advancements in the Kingdom. The Ujkeletvár Egyetem (University of Kiev) was founded in the year of our Lord, one-thousand three-hundred and seventy-four. So too, the Pesti Sörfőzde (Pest Brewery) was founded in the year of our Lord, one-thousand three-hundred and seventy-two. Yet, the great achievement would come with the founding of the Budai Egyetem (University of Buda), whereby that university would boast such a library as rivaled only by the Papal Library in all the known world. Though Hungary struggled with plague and new invention, the lands outside the Kingdom remained not as peaceful. For in the year of our Lord, one-thousand three-hundred and seventy-seven, the King of England, once ally of Hungary, would be beset by his vassals in a civil war raging across the lands of Spain, France and Germany. Yet in a short while, the King of England, having had his armies destroyed on plague, was beset not only by rebels, the Papacy and most of Europe, but also the Kingdom of Sweden, who landing a force of men at Essex, quickly forced the English King to sign peace, whereby a rebellious Duke of Francia would sit upon the thrones of England and Germany.

The English civil war

Remaining lands of the former King of England

The new English Kingdom

The new English King


Yet with such discord and conflict, many vassals of the former English Kingdom broke free from the unjust rule of England, such as the noble Leon de Seagrave, a Duke owning such lands that bordered the Hungarian Kingdom, and who had with his brave Occitan brethren, freed Spain from the infidel, in the name of the English King. Yet now, owing to burdensome taxes and difficult levies of troops, the Duke gained his freedom, whereby he would strive to control all of the lands of Hispania for himself.

The lands of the Duke

The noble Duke


Thereupon, all was peaceful in the Kingdom for many years to come, yet further news arrived from the lands of Jerusalem, whereby heralds cried the commencement of war between the Seljuk Turks and the brave knights of Jerusalem. Though the Kingdom of Hungary had furnished much wealth and blood in the founding of that Kingdom, now with the land desoiled of men by the plague, there remained no troops nor money to send in this war. Thereby, the Turks, having suffered meagre ill effects of the plague, with their cities secure in the mountains, strove to conquer the Kingdom of Jerusalem and extend their rule to the lands of Egypt. For the next years, all was calm for no further news of note arrived in the Kingdom, yet it was in the year of our Lord one-thousand three-hundred and eighty-one that the good King Gellért perished, having died of his elder years. Whereupon the Holy Father, seeming fit to begin the process of sainthood for yet another Hungarian King, decreed that Gellért be beatified for his pious and charitable acts.

Gellért the Blessed

King István of Hungary, former Duke of Peloponnesos

 

[Victor1234]

Though in the southern reaches of the Kingdom, the deadly plague had in earnest departed, the sickness still lingered at the capital of Pozsony. Such was the extremity of the plague at Pozsony, that the King was thus forced to remain within the walls of his great castle, lest he himself be infected with the sickness. This plague, killing farmers and commerce, turned the once wealthy area of Pozsony into a struggling land, whereby the ground itself seemed to have grown fallow. Whereupon news reached the King that a ferocious predator roamed the countryside of Pozsony, much to the distress of the local peasants. This remained the final affront for the King, who promptly moved the capital and his court to the town of Buda, a rich and wealthy land which the plague had left largely untouched. Thereby, the seat of the Hungarian Kings would hence be the Budai Vár (Castle of Buda), which by virtue of it's design, served as both a grand palace and a castle. This marvel, constructed in the earlier reign of King Géza (1174-1206) would thus serve the King well in ruling his lands. The close proximity of Pest, being across the river Duna (Danube) would also allow the King to remain close to the commercial centre of Hungary as well, though with the sad state of commerce during these times of plague, Pest remained in a struggle as well.

The barren Pozsony

The lavish Buda


Yet now news reached Hungary of the fate of the token lands of the former English King, who now stripped of all his lands and titles, roamed the wilds of Hispania as a simple courtier. In the place of his vassals, there now were vast duchies, whereby English power was broken at last. This alarmed many in Hungary, for if such a Kingdom so large as the English could break apart without resistance, so too could the Hungarian Kingdom. The King dismissed all signs of weakness, assuring his subjects that no such possibility existed in Hungary and that it was the cruel and unjust rule of the English King which caused his downfall. Yet now news arrived of Italy, whereby the news spread about the Kingdom that the Duchy of Apulia had conquered all who opposed them and that they now held rule over the southern parts of Italy, opposed only in few places. Thereby the peace lasted, until in the year of our Lord, one-thousand three-hundred and ninety-one, the Holy Father died, and thereupon the new Pope was decreed to be Tibor Árpád, cousin of the Hungarian King and well versed in the intrigues of the Papacy. At the same time, news arrived of Jerusalem, reporting that the Turks had advanced farther into Syria, thwarting the attack of Jerusalem into Asia Minor and driving onwards to Jerusalem. As before, Jerusalem appealed for aid to Hungary, yet Hungary had none to give, and thus they were forced further back from Syria. It was not until seventeen years later, that the infidel would at last seize Jerusalem, yet the knights of Jerusalem were powerless to stop them, for the plague had crippled their forces of badly needed troops. Thereby the forces of Jerusalem were able to halt the advance at last, in the deserts of the Sinai, saving the Egyptian and Nubian parts of their Kingdom from conquest. Thereupon, the final years in Hungary's rise to power ended, with the ascension of the new English King, of the de Montgomery line, and the death of good King István. In his place to lead Hungary into an uncertain future, there arose to the throne, János Árpád.

The deposed King

The large extent of Apulia

Cousin Pope

Jerusalem fallen to the infidel

new English King

King János, 21st King of Hungary

Excerpt from "The History of the House of Árpád"



In 1377 AD, after the plague ravaged the lands of Hungary, there arrived a second wave by which the men and wealth of the Kingdom were greatly reduced. Yet this disaster began a quest for knowledge which lead to greater learning in the Kingdom. Therein, new universities were founded within all the grand cities of the Kingdom, the interest with the former Byzantine Empire grew, causing many to examine the remains of that Empire in Byzantium. Though the plague had weakened the Kingdom greatly, it too weakened the nobles whom would have wished to benefit at the expense of the King, and in this, their moment of weakness, each in turn was forced to come forward and beg for aid from the King, for many of their subjects fell to the plague and there remained no food nor men to farm. The price for this aid caused the power of the King to be greatly expanded, though the ancient doctorine of the Holy Crown remained in place. Within the royal family itself, a member had been elected Pope, and though some envied the King's position, none dared plot against him for fear of his power. It was thus that the House of Árpád ended Hungary's rise to power.