While waiting for the events to heat up I have decided to pass on the "Weekly AAR Showcase" to your aar.
Look here!
Congratulations!
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Congratulations!
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While waiting for the events to heat up I have decided to pass on the "Weekly AAR Showcase" to your aar.
Look here!
Congratulations!
Oh my!!! Thank you ever so much, sir!
I am truly honoured! 
Marian I
Part Four, 1473-1479
Part Four, 1473-1479
~In which winds change~
The border between Poland and Slovakia became a dangerous place to live in the mid 1470s. Though diplomats and governments of both nations maintained an outward appearance of an alliance, anyone who knew anything was keenly aware of the friction between the two allies. From 1473-1476, this false alliance held the norm. This uneasy time, though peaceful, did not see a flourishing in arts as the 1460s had. Instead, in 1474, a great plague of Typhoid fever swept Bratislava. The plague spread via the trade routes coming from the Italian city-states, as the artists which travelled between Slovakia and Italy most likely brought the plague with them. Angered citizens and a concerned King put the Italians in the dungeons of the city. Twelve artists died in these dungeons, where they were not allowed to paint for fear of contamination. The most famous two were Antonello da Messina and Paolo Uccello, of Sicily and Florence respectively. Vladjo Archestsky finished da Messina's painting, the "Virgin Annunciate" after da Messina was sent to the dungeons.
The Virgin Annunciate, by Antonello da Messina, finished by Vladjo Archestsky
Naturally, the imprisonment and death of artists from all across Italy caused uproar on the Italian peninsula. Slovakia had done what the Romans last had, united the Italians in a common purpose. However, bickering and squabbling about what should be done about it dissolved any relations and by the end of 1476, when the plague was over and the artists long dead. Despite this, Venice, acting on behalf of the Italian states, issued a reprimand to Slovakia. What was even more damming was the proclamation was signed by Pope Sixtus IV, who was essentially a Venetian puppet.
Pope Sixtus IV
The signature of the Pope gave the Poles enough cause and the alliance was over and done with by proclamation on December 1, 1476. In the meantime, the death of the Voivode of Walllachia, Vlad III Tepes, brought about a succession conflict on the borders of the Ottoman Empire. Two dangerous situations presented themselves within a few weeks of each other at the end of 1476, which left the Slovaks little time for diplomatic maneuvering. However, with the greatest skill that Marian could muster, an alliance between Slovakia and Moldavia was signed March 16, 1477. The alliance of Moldavia and Slovakia was seen with mixed reviews in Bratislava. The Moldavians had grown to their present size mostly on the backs of the other regional powers, and hadn't really been tested in a war for quite some time. However, in King Marian's eyes, Moldavia provided a distraction for the Poles while the Slovaks could take critical areas like Krakow. Heated messages flashed across the border for the duration of 1477 and war appeared on the imminent horizon in early 1478. However, an event halted all possibility of war between Poland and Slovakia. The Wallachians, still hotly debating and fighting over the succession crisis, had just been invaded by the Ottomans. Poland, Slovakia, Moldavia and Bavaria all declared war within a week of each other in April 1478. Armies once on the brink of fighting each other marched to the same beat to save Wallachia. The Byzantines also joined in the conflict shortly thereafter, sending armies against the Ottoman rear and halting Ottoman communication between Europe and Asia.
The armies from the protective powers started to have their effect felt in July as hundreds poured in from the north each day. By August, the Ottomans had been pushed out of Wallachia proper. Vlad's brother, Radu cel Mare, was placed firmly on the throne with hefty Polish and Slovak support to keep the buffer with the Ottomans alive. Meanwhile, the armies marched further into the Ottoman Empire. In a great show of cruelty, of which the Polish are as equal to blame as the Slovaks, the city of Sofia was burned to the ground after it refused to surrender to its Slavic brethren. The date for the burning down is assigned at January 16, 1478, a date which would otherwise go unnoticed, but for the fact that King Marian turned 52 that day.
The Sack of Sofia.
The burning down of a Slavic city on the King's birthday was a major faux pas that was reviled in Bratislava. The strategic gain from the sack of Sofia was minimal, and thus only added to the furor. The commander of the army was stripped of his rank and sent to exile in England, where he would become famous in the Scottish wars in later years. However, with the conscious of the alliance damaged, peace became imminent. On March 12, 1478, a peace treaty was signed ending the war, where the victors got a few thousand ducats. The Byzantines also won several thousand more ducats in a separate peace.
Rather than increase the Slavic brotherhood, this war served only to separate the Poles and Slovaks even further. The Poles regarded the Slovaks as barbarians and the Slovaks regarded the Poles as overzealous snots. The path towards conflict resumed and by early 1479, it seemed all but imminent.
That's eastern europe at its best for you. One war immediately followed by another.
Vlad is followed by Radu - are you using historical monarchs?
Vlad is followed by Radu - are you using historical monarchs?
:rofl: And it never seems to end...
Yes I am, simply b.c in my details notes, I left out all the names of opposing monarchs, so I've simply used historical ones...
Map of the Byzantine Empire so that I'll be able to demand something to be conquered by them.
Orthodox Slavs refused to Catholic Slavs because they like Sunni Turks. :wacko:
Congratulations on the showcase btw.
Orthodox Slavs refused to Catholic Slavs because they like Sunni Turks. :wacko:
Congratulations on the showcase btw.
Well, the Greeks really did, in the 15th century, prefer the rule of the Turks over that of the Latins, the Turks being less intrusive into matters of faith. However, the common Slavic factor could change that balance the other way.
But there's Jizya. And Bulgars are... well, I don't really know anything about Bulgars so I'll just stop there.
Sometimes one ought to give a teaching to ones slavic brethren.
zealous snots? :rofl:
zealous snots? :rofl:
Haha! It's not expansive, so that won't be hard...
RGB makes the point below better than I could about religious matters... Thanks! You explained it better than I could've...
Bulgars are part Slav, they come from that Slav, Thracian and Ethnic Bulgar mix, so I guess calling them slavs here is a bit of a stretch, but ah well..
Haha, we shall try!
:rofl: Yeah, i couldn't think of a better way to put it...
Bulgars are part Slav, they come from that Slav, Thracian and Ethnic Bulgar mix, so I guess calling them slavs here is a bit of a stretch, but ah well..
Whatever. Stretch or not, they ought to be encouraged into the Happy Slavic brotherhood
Whatever. Stretch or not, they ought to be encouraged into the Happy Slavic brotherhood
Exactly! If they don't want it, well then they have other cities to burn down...
:rofl: 
A big thank you to my readers for voting for this AAR in the AARland Choice AwAARds! Tieing for first against Milities's wonderful AAR is quite the accomplishment!
And as a reward to you all:
An update witll be comming relatively soon...
And as a reward to you all:
An update witll be comming relatively soon...