I saw some of these topics in several threads scattered, so I decided to open a joint discussion about it, and add some of my own.
My points are all historical and they are the following:
(If we find some sources I will link them below the main points (no wiki pls))
I. Serbia should be a vassal of the Ottomans
In the peace deal of 1444 July between Wladyslaw of Jagello and Murad II, Durad Brankovic agreed to pay 60k ducats annual tribute, and when the King decided to forsake the oath He even warned the Ottomans of the crusaders' coming and denied them passage. That's why they had to take the seashore pass to Adrianople. Between 1444 and 1456 Serbia denied military access to every Hungarian campaign aiming to harass the Ottomans, in 1448 at the 2nd battle of Kosovo Durad Brankovic even gave Murad tactical advices on how to beat Hunyadi.
(After the treaty of Szeged...)
"On 1444 aug 15 the formal agreement between Brankovic and Murad signed. By it the territory of reborn Serbia defined... ...George Brankovic also agreed to accept suzerainity and pay the sultan a tribute of 60 thousand ducats. And finally the sultan restored him his two blinded sons. The Ottomans it seems retained the important fortress of Krusevac. Thus the reborn state included Serbia north of the West Morava river Macva and Usora (or at least a part of it) on the Bosnian side of Drina."
John Van Anterwerp: The Late Medieval Balkans: A critical survey fom the late twelfth century, page 549 (1994 Universtiy of Michigan Press) - I found this source a little bit superficial, I will try to find a more detailed version.
There were also 1500 serbian cavalry and mostly german sappers (miners from the town of Novo Brdo) at the 1453 siege of Constantinople.
Crowley, Roger. 1453: the holy war for Constantinople and the clash of Islam and the West. New York: Hyperion, 2005. pp. 168–171. ISBN 1-4013-0850-3.
II. Bosnia should be two states
Kingdom of Bosnia
Ruler: Tomas Stjepan Kotromanic King of Bosnia (1443-1461)
Faith: Catholic
Provinces: Vizsok, Bosna, Donj Kranj (Jajce)
subsidized by Hungary (they wasn't supported by Habsburgs as their contender (Ullrich of Celje, husband of the daughter of King Tvrtko and rival of Hunyadi) couldn't make a valid claim, and with Hunyadi's support King Tomas was elected.
Principality of Hum or Duchy of St. Sava
Ruler: Stjepan Vukcic Kosaca Grand Duke of Bosnia (1435-1466), Herzog of Hum (1443-1466), Duke of St. Sava (1448-1466)
Faith: Orthodox
Provinces: Hum, Travunia
As the biggest of the Nobles he didn't accept a Catholic overlord after the death of King Tvtrko, and with Ottoman support revolted, claiming himself first the Herzog of Hum, then in 1448 Duke of St. Sava. He was a vassal of the Ottomans, then for some months a vassal of Aragon (in February of 1444), and again an Ottoman vassal until his death (and the dissolution of Bosnia in 1463).
There was only 1-2 years of peace between the two, when Kotromanic abandoned his wife to marry Vukcic's freshly catolisized daughter in 1446. Vukcic remained a friend/vassal of the Ottomans and Brankovic while Kotromanic a friend of Hungary.
Source: J. V. A. Fine: Late Medieval Balkans p 531, 554, 577.
III. Wallachia should be an instant target for the Ottomans
The so called crusader force of 1442-44 had nothing to do with the classic crusader countries. They were Wallachians (who were vassals of Hungary before the battle) Hungarian, Polish and Moldavian troops. In 1444 october Mircea of Wallachia tried to convince Wladyslaw at Nicopolis to abandon this campaign, but he failed to convince the king. Wladyslaw's army was only 15k strong. Wallachia refused to commit, but they sent a 4k strong aux cavalry force. Though they didn't commit to the battle of Varna, before that in 1442 and 1443 when the whole Rumelian force led by Hadim Sehabeddin were beaten twice in one year time. In these engagements they sent all their army against the padisah's forces, so Ottomans felt great anger against them. In 1445 they forced out of the Wallachians the Danube fort of Giurgiu and vassalized them.
IV. There should be one more Hungarian province (Nándorfehérvár(HUN)/Belgrade(Serbian)), a long one along the river Sava
In 1428 Sigismund von Luxemburg and Durad Brankovic after a lost war to the Ottomans agreed that the latter would take Hungarian lands worth of 50k ducats of annual income, and pay from it the Ottoman tribute. In exchange Sigismund gets all the forts along the river Danube for military purposes. From this day Hungary built a massive fortification system from Szendrő (Smederovo) to Szrebenik (Srbebenik) and organized it to one province guarding the precious river crossings along the Danube and Sava. This territory was under Hungarian control from 1428 to 1444 (1520-22) with only small changes, f.e. Szendrő falling to Ottomans in 1439 and given back to Serbia by the turks in 1444 and served its purpose well as the main defense against the overwhelming Ottomans. It was called the "Végvár"-system.
Nándorfehérvár was called "The Key of Hungary" at the time. If any other fortress fell the other forts and the hill&mountain terrain would halt enemies long enough, but at Nándorfehérvár things were different. If the enemy manages to secure the crossings of Sava and Danube at Nándorfehérvár, the road is open for them till Buda or even Wien.
So to speak the fort fell in 1521, between 1521 and 1525 all forts lost to the Ottomans near the area. In 1526 Hungarian armies lost a decisive battle at Mohács, then in 1529 and 1532 Sulejman was on road twice to the Ausrian capital.
It is a historical province meant to be on the map! After conquering Constantinople Murad II drove to Hungary in 1456. This fort (and the river crossing it secured) was the key to te country, if it fell the road to Buda and Wien would would have been opened. After the wondrous victory of Christian forces pope ordered to ring temple bells all over Europe at noon, to pay respect to heroics of the defenders. That's why they started the bell ringing which custom developed later to indicate time.
V. Smederevo is out of position
While creating the gif above I realized, that the real place of Smederovo (Szendrő) is not even in its province!
VI. Dobrogea should be on the map.
Tulcea was taken by the Ottomans in 1420.
Stănică, Aurel (2004). "Tulcea. Un centru economic la Dunărea de Jos în secolul al XVI-lea". Peuce. S.N. Tulcea: Institutul de Cercetări Eco-Muzeale. II(XV): 199. ISSN 0258-8102.
Kiliya was Moldavia's main port and finally was taken by the Ottomans in 1484.
Sergiu Iopescu: The Romanian concept of the Crusade in the fifteenth century
VII. Nis remained under Ottoman control (on the border) in 1444.
I'm trying to find sources for this, but J.V.A. Fine doesn't mention it amogst the biggest cities and forts George Brankovic was returned.
I suggest only a little change in borders in this province's case, and renaming the same province Krusevac.
My points are all historical and they are the following:
(If we find some sources I will link them below the main points (no wiki pls))
I. Serbia should be a vassal of the Ottomans
In the peace deal of 1444 July between Wladyslaw of Jagello and Murad II, Durad Brankovic agreed to pay 60k ducats annual tribute, and when the King decided to forsake the oath He even warned the Ottomans of the crusaders' coming and denied them passage. That's why they had to take the seashore pass to Adrianople. Between 1444 and 1456 Serbia denied military access to every Hungarian campaign aiming to harass the Ottomans, in 1448 at the 2nd battle of Kosovo Durad Brankovic even gave Murad tactical advices on how to beat Hunyadi.
(After the treaty of Szeged...)
"On 1444 aug 15 the formal agreement between Brankovic and Murad signed. By it the territory of reborn Serbia defined... ...George Brankovic also agreed to accept suzerainity and pay the sultan a tribute of 60 thousand ducats. And finally the sultan restored him his two blinded sons. The Ottomans it seems retained the important fortress of Krusevac. Thus the reborn state included Serbia north of the West Morava river Macva and Usora (or at least a part of it) on the Bosnian side of Drina."
John Van Anterwerp: The Late Medieval Balkans: A critical survey fom the late twelfth century, page 549 (1994 Universtiy of Michigan Press) - I found this source a little bit superficial, I will try to find a more detailed version.
There were also 1500 serbian cavalry and mostly german sappers (miners from the town of Novo Brdo) at the 1453 siege of Constantinople.
Crowley, Roger. 1453: the holy war for Constantinople and the clash of Islam and the West. New York: Hyperion, 2005. pp. 168–171. ISBN 1-4013-0850-3.
II. Bosnia should be two states
Kingdom of Bosnia
Ruler: Tomas Stjepan Kotromanic King of Bosnia (1443-1461)
Faith: Catholic
Provinces: Vizsok, Bosna, Donj Kranj (Jajce)
subsidized by Hungary (they wasn't supported by Habsburgs as their contender (Ullrich of Celje, husband of the daughter of King Tvrtko and rival of Hunyadi) couldn't make a valid claim, and with Hunyadi's support King Tomas was elected.
Principality of Hum or Duchy of St. Sava
Ruler: Stjepan Vukcic Kosaca Grand Duke of Bosnia (1435-1466), Herzog of Hum (1443-1466), Duke of St. Sava (1448-1466)
Faith: Orthodox
Provinces: Hum, Travunia
As the biggest of the Nobles he didn't accept a Catholic overlord after the death of King Tvtrko, and with Ottoman support revolted, claiming himself first the Herzog of Hum, then in 1448 Duke of St. Sava. He was a vassal of the Ottomans, then for some months a vassal of Aragon (in February of 1444), and again an Ottoman vassal until his death (and the dissolution of Bosnia in 1463).
There was only 1-2 years of peace between the two, when Kotromanic abandoned his wife to marry Vukcic's freshly catolisized daughter in 1446. Vukcic remained a friend/vassal of the Ottomans and Brankovic while Kotromanic a friend of Hungary.
Source: J. V. A. Fine: Late Medieval Balkans p 531, 554, 577.
III. Wallachia should be an instant target for the Ottomans
The so called crusader force of 1442-44 had nothing to do with the classic crusader countries. They were Wallachians (who were vassals of Hungary before the battle) Hungarian, Polish and Moldavian troops. In 1444 october Mircea of Wallachia tried to convince Wladyslaw at Nicopolis to abandon this campaign, but he failed to convince the king. Wladyslaw's army was only 15k strong. Wallachia refused to commit, but they sent a 4k strong aux cavalry force. Though they didn't commit to the battle of Varna, before that in 1442 and 1443 when the whole Rumelian force led by Hadim Sehabeddin were beaten twice in one year time. In these engagements they sent all their army against the padisah's forces, so Ottomans felt great anger against them. In 1445 they forced out of the Wallachians the Danube fort of Giurgiu and vassalized them.
IV. There should be one more Hungarian province (Nándorfehérvár(HUN)/Belgrade(Serbian)), a long one along the river Sava
In 1428 Sigismund von Luxemburg and Durad Brankovic after a lost war to the Ottomans agreed that the latter would take Hungarian lands worth of 50k ducats of annual income, and pay from it the Ottoman tribute. In exchange Sigismund gets all the forts along the river Danube for military purposes. From this day Hungary built a massive fortification system from Szendrő (Smederovo) to Szrebenik (Srbebenik) and organized it to one province guarding the precious river crossings along the Danube and Sava. This territory was under Hungarian control from 1428 to 1444 (1520-22) with only small changes, f.e. Szendrő falling to Ottomans in 1439 and given back to Serbia by the turks in 1444 and served its purpose well as the main defense against the overwhelming Ottomans. It was called the "Végvár"-system.
Nándorfehérvár was called "The Key of Hungary" at the time. If any other fortress fell the other forts and the hill&mountain terrain would halt enemies long enough, but at Nándorfehérvár things were different. If the enemy manages to secure the crossings of Sava and Danube at Nándorfehérvár, the road is open for them till Buda or even Wien.
So to speak the fort fell in 1521, between 1521 and 1525 all forts lost to the Ottomans near the area. In 1526 Hungarian armies lost a decisive battle at Mohács, then in 1529 and 1532 Sulejman was on road twice to the Ausrian capital.
It is a historical province meant to be on the map! After conquering Constantinople Murad II drove to Hungary in 1456. This fort (and the river crossing it secured) was the key to te country, if it fell the road to Buda and Wien would would have been opened. After the wondrous victory of Christian forces pope ordered to ring temple bells all over Europe at noon, to pay respect to heroics of the defenders. That's why they started the bell ringing which custom developed later to indicate time.
V. Smederevo is out of position
While creating the gif above I realized, that the real place of Smederovo (Szendrő) is not even in its province!
VI. Dobrogea should be on the map.
Bessarabia (and Northern Silistria) should be two provinces: Tulcea and Kiliya, or the province border should be changed, as they are on the two sides of river Danube, one is Moldavian one is Ottoman.
Tulcea was taken by the Ottomans in 1420.
Stănică, Aurel (2004). "Tulcea. Un centru economic la Dunărea de Jos în secolul al XVI-lea". Peuce. S.N. Tulcea: Institutul de Cercetări Eco-Muzeale. II(XV): 199. ISSN 0258-8102.
Kiliya was Moldavia's main port and finally was taken by the Ottomans in 1484.
Sergiu Iopescu: The Romanian concept of the Crusade in the fifteenth century
VII. Nis remained under Ottoman control (on the border) in 1444.
I'm trying to find sources for this, but J.V.A. Fine doesn't mention it amogst the biggest cities and forts George Brankovic was returned.
I suggest only a little change in borders in this province's case, and renaming the same province Krusevac.
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