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Nah, we don't get to get rid of the democracy until there's a short, jug-eared emperor who wants to get rid of the "democrifizers."

And to think I'm a Bush supporter...

'Maybe not today, maybe not tommorow, but someday.' Later that day we reformed government and transformed into a democracy.

Democracy? The Platers kick democracy in the FACE!

Don't be silly, they're royalty! They get other people to kick it in the face for them.

Methinks the whole democracy thing is...not happening soon.

Probably not :p

Long-time reader, first-time poster, but it was worth digging up my old paradox account for this riveting read. Looking forward to the rest.

:D Glad to hear that you enjoy it, and thanks for posting!

A charachter inspired from Oliver Cromwell would be great in the next updates of your AAR. Have you researched the Republican Dictatorship yet ?

That would need another Civil War would need to be orchestrated, and Transylvania's already had TWO! Ahhh
 
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This Chapter’s Mood Music

“It is a grave insult to you and the Empire, your majesty.” Artaxias Papadakis spoke softly to the eight year old Emperor in an attempt to convey the seriousness of the what he was saying.

“Why?”

“Well, because they are claiming lands that belong to you! Lands that belong to Transylvania; it’s more than enough to justify war.”

“War?” Mihály looked perplexed, as it was kind of a flimsy excuse for open warfare despite what Artaxias was saying.

“Oh yes, it is a grave insult.” Artaxias passed him a inkwell and quill, “All you need to do is sign here, and everything will be handled accordingly.”

Mihály signed mutely, not truly understanding what was going on.

The door to the room opened and the now General Kálmán Lázár hobbled in on one leg with the help of his crutches. “Ah, Artaxias. I suppose I should not be surprised to see you here whispering your drivel in the Emperor’s ear.”

“Now, now. I am simply a humble representative of the people, General.”

Lázár eased himself down into a high backed chair in the small room in Koloszvár’s palace. “You’re a snake is what you are.”

Artaxias shook his head, tsk’ed twice, and picked up the freshly signed declaration of war and began to move to the room’s exit.

“And what is that, exactly?”

“Oh this?” Artaxias held up the document with a quiet smirk, “War against the Ukraine. Kiev should look nice as part of the Empire, no?”

“Another war? We just started one against Denmark! Besides, Ukraine’s independence is guaranteed by Scandinavia.”

“So? Who cares?”

“Jesus Christ you’re stupid. Were you asleep these past few years? We just had a bloody civil war; we don’t have enough men to go against the Scandinavians.”

“The Internal Government ordered new regiments raised from among the Persian provinces.” Artaxias gave General Lázár a toothy grin as he opened the door and exited the room.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------​

It was a rather volatile arrangement that the Empire found itself in, with a child Emperor on the throne. Reforms and laws were passed as record speed with the purpose of stripping the power of administration of the law from the Emperor and transferring it into the duty of the Internal Government.

SpuP6.png

The Judiciary Act is passed just weeks after Mihály II’s coronation, March 31st, 1635

The war with Denmark was a minor thing. The Danes could field around 11,000 men at best, and it was a disgruntled General Lázár who was given the task of crushing the Danes, and then remaining in Denmark to pacify conquered regions. It was an assignment he was chosen for not because of his skill, but because a large majority viewed him and General Leopold Apafi as threats to themselves, given their influence over the boy Emperor. Within a quick short weeks, Copenhagen was under the control of the Transylvanian Empire, and the rest fell shortly after that. Though the pretense for the war against Denmark was some obscure claim to the Danish throne, the IG opted instead to simply take territories from Denmark (partly so that General Lázár and his troops would be forced to remain in Denmark, far away from the politics of the Empire).

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The Treaty of Copenhagen, May 7th, 1636

The war with Ukraine and their ally Scandinavia was an all together different situation. Through blind luck rather than careful strategic planning, the main portion of Scandinavia’s veteran troops were far East, having just recently conquered the lands of Xia China.

8aBPx.png

The Transylvanian War of Conquest against the Ukraine

The Transylvanian armies in Lithuania that had spent the majority of the civil war putting down local rebellions were quickly mobilized and struck North inside Scandinavia’s Russian lands, smashing aside a Scandinavian army in Vladimir and forcing the area’s city garrisons to surrender in just 6 days. Farther East, a newly raised army made up of various Persian, Armenian, and Arabic regiments received their first combat experiences in the Hindu-Kush, fighting a fierce guerilla style war against Scandinavia’s Kazakhistani soldiers. The rather green Transylvanian battalions would eventually force the Scandinavians out of the Hindu-Kush by sheer numbers, but it wasn’t that move which brought peace.

When Transylvania had declared war, the Scandinavian King Håkon III had recalled all his armies from the Far East to fight against the Transylvanians, and the first of those troops were trickling in from Siberia mid-1637. Still recovering from the bloody civil war, the Empire was in no condition to fight a prolonged war against another major land power, and so General Kálmán Lázár disobeyed the orders that he had been given – to stay put in Halland and Skåne and quell any unrest in the newly conquered Danish territories. He decided to march his army north, and it wasn’t until a Transylvanian army was besieging Stockholm that the Scandinavians were willing to discuss peace terms.

Though, the war didn’t end. It is a rather interesting political story of why exactly it was prolonged, but for the most part it was because the Internal Government was entirely divided on the issue and everyone pulled and tried to sway the young and almost entirely unguided Emperor into supporting their proposals and obfuscating their opponent’s. The first Scandinavian armies arrived from the Far East and chased the newly raised Transylvanian armies out from the Hindu Kush, and actually advanced south and started besieging Transylvania’s Persian provinces.

It wasn’t actually until late November of 1637 that the war ended, after General Lázár’s troops broke through the gates of Stockholm and stormed the city. After that, King Håkon III was willing to accept even to most ludicrous of proposals, and with Scandinavian troops pressing deeper into Persia, even the most militant of politicians within the IG finally relented and allowed peace to be signed between the two states.

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The Treaty of Stockholm, signed November 26th, 1637, after many hair pulling peace talks and political meetings

The next two years were spent almost entirely in bringing back the Transylvanian armies to full strength and raising new regiments, but Mihály was getting older every passing day, and by the time he came to be the age of 12 he finally realized the extent of the manipulation that the politicians within the Internal Government had used, and began fantasizing about taking his revenge. That would come later, but for now it was enough for him to play the part of an Emperor, and what Mihály wanted more than anything was to lead soldiers into war, and so in 1639 the Transylvanian Empire prepared for another excursion into its favourite playground – India.

FsMCD.png

The military strength of the Empire, September, 1639

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Wow, at age 12 he wants to conquer more land. He's a restless little tyke isn't he? :D

Good update! I'm glad Scandinavia didn't pose too much of a problem. It's funny that they just conquered Xia and then you make them release Xia again. :rofl:
 
So what ... Civil wars are always interesting and by the 1650s the scars of the last Civil War will be healed. And with a bastard Emperor civil wars are always likely. I'm just saying this because I don't like the Platers very much and it would be nice if an Oliver Cromwell kind of guy would kick them out of Transylvania, and the decapitation of a monarch is always a nice story.
 
Xia, what?

Yea...

Wow, at age 12 he wants to conquer more land. He's a restless little tyke isn't he? :D

Good update! I'm glad Scandinavia didn't pose too much of a problem. It's funny that they just conquered Xia and then you make them release Xia again. :rofl:

He is Ákos' son after all.

And yea that was pretty dickish but I had to punish them somehow.

So what ... Civil wars are always interesting and by the 1650s the scars of the last Civil War will be healed. And with a bastard Emperor civil wars are always likely. I'm just saying this because I don't like the Platers very much and it would be nice if an Oliver Cromwell kind of guy would kick them out of Transylvania, and the decapitation of a monarch is always a nice story.

Maybe later on. There's a few more Platers left.

What don't you like about the Platers?
 
I like Mihaly already. :D
 
Maybe later on. There's a few more Platers left.

What don't you like about the Platers?

It's not that I don't like them ... some of them were great (not only Akos the Great :) ) but I think they are very conservative and "old school", kind of out dated, and Transylvania needs a change in order to reach the next stage of it's glory. But maybe that's just me, since I don't know what you're planning for Mihaly II. Maybe he'll turn out a very enlightened guy, but that's for you to decide.
 
I want still democracy or atleast very corrupted ministers >:] (Insert evil laugth at here)

Some day it will happen, I assure you.

I like Mihaly already. :D

Ohhh I don't know, should probably wait a bit before making that conclusion. We still are in the 'Greed' section after all. :eek:

It's not that I don't like them ... some of them were great (not only Akos the Great :) ) but I think they are very conservative and "old school", kind of out dated, and Transylvania needs a change in order to reach the next stage of it's glory. But maybe that's just me, since I don't know what you're planning for Mihaly II. Maybe he'll turn out a very enlightened guy, but that's for you to decide.

:D Seems everything is going to plan then. You're not really meant to like the later monarchs of Transylvania, they're all nasty assholes, and like you say, very traditional and old school.

It would be very hard to explain why an Empire collapsed if it had such forward thinking rulers at the helm, eh?
 
I do not think It Should collapse. It think you should have it go through a crisis where it is on the verge of collapse and on the verge of destruction and then have you bring it back from the brink. If you have to have it collapse, Then I think it should be in the sense that WalahLegionaire suggested
 
Yes it would be ... but the collapse of an Empire could also mean the end of the Empire as a form of government after a civil war or a coup.

Maybe both? :D

I do not think It Should collapse. It think you should have it go through a crisis where it is on the verge of collapse and on the verge of destruction and then have you bring it back from the brink. If you have to have it collapse, Then I think it should be in the sense that WalahLegionaire suggested

Bringing it back from the brink of collapse is something that's already happened before though...during the first civil war, the Greek war of Independence, the second civil war, and the Austro-Transylvanian Excommunication War. And we're only in the early 1600s! Ack.

War...in India

WITH ELEPHANTS!

--------------

Apologies for such long delays between updates, work, school, life, etc, etc - the usual excuses. :(
 
A little late in posting, but a great update there above! :)
 
Bringing it back from the brink of collapse is something that's already happened before though...during the first civil war, the Greek war of Independence, the second civil war, and the Austro-Transylvanian Excommunication War. And we're only in the early 1600s! Ack.(

True but none of these conflicts were what I had in mind when I suggested it. I had in mind more of a massive rebellion of Transylvania's conquered peoples, probably in Asia, that then had to be put down. In case you have not noticed, I want to see Transylvania survive as a Great power into the modern age and not collapse like Austria-Hungary. Plus, if it collapses now, it would be held up as an example of a Medieval empire that had no hope of surviving long term. What I would see as appropriate and would not be disappointed about is if Transylvania were to survive, but largely shorn of its Asian territories. As long as it does not lose its membership in the Great Powers club, I will be happy.
 
True but none of these conflicts were what I had in mind when I suggested it. I had in mind more of a massive rebellion of Transylvania's conquered peoples, probably in Asia, that then had to be put down. In case you have not noticed, I want to see Transylvania survive as a Great power into the modern age and not collapse like Austria-Hungary. Plus, if it collapses now, it would be held up as an example of a Medieval empire that had no hope of surviving long term. What I would see as appropriate and would not be disappointed about is if Transylvania were to survive, but largely shorn of its Asian territories. As long as it does not lose its membership in the Great Powers club, I will be happy.

You may end up disappointed with how things turn out then, or maybe not who knows. What you say about Transylvania being a medieval kingdom that couldn't survive...that's really what it is though - it's like some sort of crusader kingdom that somehow managed to cling on to life after the crusades disappeared.

I can't really say all that much about the future of it as I don't want to spoil anything...but this is a tiny little clue I can give:

2jsu3.png
 
The problem with Transylvania is that it is too damn big and comprised of too damn many different peoples. They need to have good rulers or else they cannot function. I could seriously see one bad ruler spelling their doom at this point. Also about Transylvania being a medieval kingdom with no hope of survival is true. What needs to happen if Transylvania wants to survive is that they have to modernize. The problem with that is the Platers have no desire in doing so and seem intent on living in the past. I think that a new dynasty had to come to power before anything changes and until that happens, Transylvania will remain stuck in the past and probably collapse. That is what happened to the Hapsburgs. They refused to change with the times and it bit them in the but BIG TIME.