Interregnum
Part One 1543
Part One 1543
~In which contenders are named~
As Methodius I lay dying in his bed, advisors begged him to avert a crisis and choose a succesor. The inheritence laws of the Kingdom provided the King's nephew Andrej z Trnava as the next heir. The other major contender being the King's cousin Grigory, the powerful and popular Duke of Silesia. However, to his dying breath on August 19, 1543, Methodius refused to choose one over the other. His last words, perhaps apochripally, were "My Kingdom goes to the strongest."
The Contenders:
Grigory Presovsky z Silesia, Duke of Silesia and Count of Tekov.
Age: 55 years
Pros:
-Nationally renowed figure
-Warrior and hero of the Slovak peasantry
-Second largest landowner in Slovakia
-Vastly Wealthy
-Already has a devoted and expierenced army
Cons:
-Age is 55
-Son and heir is hated for his gluttony
-Bohemians fear him and many Silesians hate him
-According to laws, he is not first in line to the throne
Story:
Grigory z Presovsky was born in early 1488 in the house of his father, Andrej z Tekov, the Count of Tekov and only son of Ladislav, the younger brother of Marian I. Grigory was raised, essentially, by the army. In 1501 at age 13 he joined in his father on the first of what would be many successful campaigns. After the 2nd Hungarian Border War wrapped up in 1503, young Grigory was sent to the court of King Vladjo IV to recieve further military training at the recently created Royal Military Academy. He return to Tekov in time to watch his father die of a prolonged illness in 1509, where he assumed the duties of count at the age of merely 21. Not long thereafter, civil war broke out with the ascension of Methodius I. Grigory, eager to gain favor with the new regime, joined the Methodist side and offered his skills and his small personal retinue to the King. Despite his valor fought in the war a decade before, Grigory was still too young to be fully tested as a commander. However, the opportunity arose in late 1514 when the Methodists faced off against the Legitimists at Petrovice. In a stunning and affirmative victory, Grigory won and a year later was named Duke of Silesia for his efforts. This title, second to that only of the King, gave him much power and influence in Silesian and Slovak affairs.
But the story of Grigory does not end there. After assuming his title, Grigory returned to Silesia and rid the area of Catholic influences which made him extremely popular with the King, though due to his brutal techniques, to am much lesser extent the Silesian peasantry. Another opportunity to shine came a few years later with the oncoming deathmatch that was the Great Religious War of 1523-1528. Facing off countless times against Polish armies, Duke Grigory was largely the only reason there where no majorly successful invasions of Silesia or Bohemia by the Poles. Only when the Germans stole behind him through Prague did Grigory have to retreat, and only with great reluctance. By the end of the war, Grigory was once more a hero with the Slovak peasantry and amongst the court. His fame started to rub the other nobles the wrong way, and it is around this time that we see his first detractors appear in the written word of the day.
The next years were spent crushing peasant revolts which, though still beloved by Slovak peasantry, his popularity amongst the Hungarians, Bohemians, Germans and especially Silesians was falling greatly. And, to boot, those ehtnic groups made up over half of the Kingdom. Now, in 1543, Duke Grigory has made the claim that it is he and he alone that has the power and will to rule Slovakia and steer her into prosperity. He stands with an army of 20,000 ready to march and take the crown in Bratislava.
Andrej z Trnava, Son of Martin z Trnava, Count of Trnava
Age: 29 Years
Pros:
-Youhtful and ambitious
-Acording to the laws, he is the rightful heir
-Popular amongst nobility and church
-Is a bishop
-Could ally with Bohemians/Silesian in an 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' deal
Cons:
-Not well known outside of noble circles
-Financial resources are limited
-Doesn't have an actual title of 'nobility' per se to his name
-Would have to build an army from scratch
Story:
Andrej z Trnava was born in early 1514 at the house of his father in Trnava. His mother Jana was the only sister and sibling to King Methodius I, and his father was the middling power of the Count of Trnava. His upbringing was largely within the church, and he was ordained a Hussite Priest in 1533. Shortly thereafter, he was married and made Bishop of Trnava. His deeply spiritual attitude forbade him personally from fighting, and thus he did not appear initally as a strong leader. However, his father Martin z Trnava, would make up for that in spades. Martin was the second most able military mind in Slovakia after Grigory himself. This reflected int he quick wit and dashing presence of his son, which earned the pair high esteem amongst the noble crowd. This popularity amongst the established church and nobility, combined with his youthful and pious ambition, would set him well up in a time of prosperity to be a wonderful King. However, he lacked one key thing. Money. The nobility were willing to donate money and arms to his cause, though at a steep cost int he long run. However, by his birth Andrej is the true heir to the throne of Vladjo I, and as such stepped up to make his claim known in Bratislava not long after Methodius I's death. Not long thereafter, Grigory began to march his troops south towards Bratislava.
Civil war...again...lay surely on the horizon.
