Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A MMG2 HungAARy
Magna Mundi Gold 2 v. 1.26
Goals:
NONE. This is one of the reasons that I picked Hungary. I find that, in most of my games, I unconsciously try to emulate what the country that I am playing accomplished in real life. Seeing as I do not want to get annexed by Austria, I will not follow this route with Hungary. Instead, I will just go with the flow and see what happens.
-----
The fall of Byzantium sent a shockwave throughout Christendom. No place was this more felt than Ladislaus the Posthumous’s Kingdom of Hungary. An army 9000 men strong had been summoned and placed in the capable hands of the legendary warrior János Hunyadi. Hunyadi had experience fighting the Ottomans and won several victories against them. He also was the regent to the young King Ladislaus, and de facto ruler of Hungary.
Hunyadi faced a seemingly indomitable opponent in the Turks. Ottoman armies seemed to be galvanized by both their recent conquest and the glory of their Sultan, Mehmet II Fatih. “The Conqueror” turned his attention to the other Balkan states.
Fortunately for Hunyadi, the principalities of the Balkans provided a significant buffer between him and the Turks. There was the Principality of Serbia, which was under immediate threat of invasion. To the west was Wallachia, a shamed vassal of the Sultan. Adding a second layer of protection was Transylvania, a Hungarian vassal and a staunch ally of Hunyadi. The regent planned to exploit these buffer zones for a tactical advantage in his latest war against the Ottomans.
The Kingdom of Hungary at the fall of Constantinople.
The Ottomans seem barely phased by their recent siege.
The current King of Hungary is Ladislaus the Posthumous (known in Hungary as Lázló VI). He had the three realms of Hungary, Bohemia, and Austria, but was too young to rule any of them.
A formidable force of peasants and knights has been assembled under regent Hunyadi.
-----
”Lord Hunyadi, it is very generous of you to protect the many nations that live as subjects of the Hungarian crown. Yet many are ungrateful.”
“Yes, I am aware of that. I can only tolerate so much of their silly customs, however. The Magyars are of course my favorite. I am also positively disposed towards those Croats and Slovaks that reside in my realm. The bloody Ruthenians of Carpathia are too much, though.”
“I concur, my lord. How can they not see the superiority of our Magyar civilization? They are almost like Mohammadens.”
“Now, Mohammadens are not all bad. I indeed fought with some Mohammaden mercenaries on a few occasions. The Ottomans are indeed terrible, but so is any Christian scourge.”
“Surely you do not feel the same way about Eastern Christians, my lord?”
“I do. They can be foolish at times, but they are not evil people. If there is one group that I hate, however, it is Pagans. I absolutely cannot stand all that nonsense.”
“And Dharmic peoples, my lord?”
“What peoples? I’ve never heard of them. If they are anything like Pagans, however, they can just rot in hell. I don’t buy in to any of that polytheistic hokey.”
The balances of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1453.
-----
Hunyadi was a brilliant strategist who was ahead of his time. His first task for ensuring success in the war against the Ottomans was to secure his other frontiers. To further this end, he arranged royal marriages between the Royal Family of Hungary and those of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Archduchy of Austria. He attempted to do the same with the Kingdom of Poland, although the Polish refused on the grounds that they were contemplating war with one of Lázló’s other realms, Bohemia. Frightened at this new turn of events, the nobles of Bohemia urged Hunyadi to join them in an alliance, to which Hunyadi complied.
This minor setback was not going to change Hunyadi’s plans for the war. He knew that he could not afford to station any armies near the Polish border. The Ottomans had recently laid siege to Serbia, and Hunyadi knew that it would soon fall. He prepared his troops and stationed his armies outside of the Hungarian capital of Pest, where they would be able to lend aid to the Transylvanians should their province of Banat come under attack. War taxes were enacted and extra peasants were levied.
Hunyadi secures royal marriages with Bohemia and Austria, but fails to do so with Poland.
Hunyadi appoints advisors and other prominent men to places in his court.
The Serbian capital of Beograd fell on September 2, and the Ottomans moved north into Transylvania. Hunyadi was not prepared for the swiftness of the Turkish advance, and was caught off guard when he received word that Transylvanian forces had engaged the Ottomans south of the Danube. Hunyadi was unable to join his army, as he was in Pest at the time, but ordered his army to march south anyway in hopes that they could arrive in time to bail out the outnumbered Transylvanians.
The First Battle of Banat went on through the winter. The Turkish forces were commanded by Mehmet himself, while the Transylvanian (and later joined by Hungarian) forces were under the leadership of Transylvanian general Iancu de Hunedoara. With Hungarian reinforcement, the Christian forces gained a slight numerical edge, and this advantage combined with defensive positions forced the Conqueror to retreat.
Hunyadi faced what would be a recurring problem during the war. De Hunedoara wanted to pursue the fleeing army into Serbia. The Prince of Serbia had fled to the Transylvanian court, and was confident that the Ottomans could be driven out of his Principality and he could be reinstalled as ruler.
Hunyadi doubted that an invasion of Serbia could be successful. His scouts that had been sent out during the Battle of Banat informed him that there was a sizeable Ottoman army in the province of Bulgaria, and that there probably was another in neighboring Macedonia. Any assault on Serbia would face an attack from two directions against a numerically superior and better supplied force. If defeated in battle, the disorganized army would be hard pressed to defend against a counterattack in Banat.
The Transylvanians ignored Hunyadi’s warnings and invaded Serbia anyway. Like Hunyadi predicted, they were attacked and defeated, and Ottomans launched another invasion in to Banat. Fortunately for Hunyadi, an army 1000 strong arrived from the Holy Roman Empire. This army along with Hunyadi’s regrouping forces that were still in Banat was enough to force the Turks to turn back.
-----
”Lord Hunyadi, there has been a scoundrel living in Pest who has been entertaining your diplomatic guests. He has tried to spread awful rumors about you, although they did not believe him. We were alerted to his presence but he was gone when our guards arrived.”
“That is most unfortunate.”
“No one could sully your reputation, my lord. It is impeccable. The rest of Christendom is a mountain of sin in comparison. Castile and Aragon are engaged in open warfare. Why would two Christian kingdoms go to war?”
“And several of my own bishops are behaving in a very avaricious manner.”
“Yet you alone have the courage to fight the battle that every Christian should be fighting.”
Hunyadi faced clandestine foreign interference in his diplomatic affairs, but these incidents had little effect.
Religious problems plagued Hungary.
-----
Hunyadi found that one of his greatest difficulties was finding adequate supplies for his troops. Between his armies and those of de Hunedoara there was simply not enough food to be foraged from the province of Banat during the hot summer of 1454. With hundreds of troops dying every month and dwindling conscripts in reserve, Hunyadi was forced to withdraw his armies back to the Hungarian province of Szolnok.
Always a tactician, Hunyadi managed to turn this unfavorable situation into an advantage. He left a regiment of scouts behind in Banat to keep an eye on the activities of the Turks. If there was a sign of an attack, Hunyadi would quickly mobilize his army and send it into Banat. He would easily reach Banat first due to the difficult crossing of the Danube that the Turks faced. The Sultan’s forces would also have limited intelligence due to Hunyadi’s main forces being so far away.
This new tactic first proved itself during the Second Battle of Banat, which occurred in the north of the province. The Turks were turned back and, to Hunyadi’s dismay, de Hunedoara again decided that this would be a good opportunity to invade Serbia.
Hunyadi’s new strategy was able to protect Banat while sustaining few casualties.
Despite Hunyadi’s retreat to better foraging ground, he found that the lords of the realm were reluctant to send their peasants off to his army. The Hungarian army was facing a manpower crisis. Hunyadi consulted his advisors and created a new plan that streamlined the conscription process. Manpower shortages still persisted throughout the war, although this new system allowed Hunyadi to strengthen those regiments that needed it most.
The Ottomans repeatedly invaded Banat, and Hunyadi repeatedly employed his tactic of positioning his army in Banat before the Turks could cross the Danube. Hunyadi saw no end to the war. The Turks seemed to have several idle armies in Greece. If these were employed, then he doubted he could win. The Ottomans seemed to not be tiring of the war at all, while the Hungarian lords were already complaining to Hunyadi of his policy of war taxes. Hunyadi offered to pay the Ottomans 50 ducats to hold off on attacks for a little while, but the Ottoman diplomats would have none of it.
Hunyadi’s new conscription methods took advantage of bureaucratic advancements he enacted. They cracked down on corruption and significantly decreased the burden on individual lords of the realm, therefore making them more compliant in sending their peasants to war.
The spring of 1456 saw a massive Ottoman offensive. A large army under ‘Aldulmecit Djezzar invaded Banat, while two more armies advanced through Wallachia. One besieged the Transylvanian capital of Turda, while the other moved north into the Hungarian province of Partium. Hunyadi ordered all of his forces to engage in Banat. This battle, known as the Battle of Temes, was the bloodiest of the war. Hunyadi contemplated a premature withdrawal of his troops, since a victory was scarcely worth the casualties that were being sustained.
The Ottomans were eventually forced in to retreat, and Hunyadi immediately marched his army to Partium, where he won another victory. Djezzar had since been placed in command of the army outside Turda, and braced his army for an attack from the Turkish forces. Hunyadi pursued the fleeing army, thinking that Djezzar would not be able to organize his forces fast enough and another swift victory could be won. This turned out to be a costly miscalculation as Hunyadi’s forces were defeated.
The siege of Turda was almost complete by this point. Hunyadi feared that he would not be able to regroup his forces in time to save the city. Transylvania was almost on the verge of collapse already, and an Ottoman victory at this siege would certainly lead the Transylvanians to capitulation.
The Holy Roman Empire once again came to Hunyadi’s aid. This time, the Diet offered Hunyadi 2000 troops, which Hunyadi graciously accepted. This new army came under the command of Imperial General György Széchenyi, an experienced commander who had worked with Hunyadi during his previous campaigns against the Turks. These reinforcements provided Hunyadi with what he needed to drive the Turks back to Wallachia.
The bloody Battle of Temes in Banat was the most costly of the entire war.
Hunyadi won a great victory in Partium, forcing the Turks out of Hungary.
The Empire gave Hunyadi what he needed to lift the siege of Turda.
The Hungarians and Transylvanians successfully pushed back the Ottoman offensive.
Hunyadi sent a gift to the Empire to thank them for their aid.
After the Battle of Temes, de Hunedoara had again invaded Serbia. Unlike previous Transylvanian escapades, this one did not face any Ottoman opposition and a siege of the Serbian capital of Beograd was initiated. Since several large Ottoman armies had just been defeated, Hunyadi assumed that the Ottomans would now be weak and decided to join the siege. Hunyadi underestimated the size of the Sultan’s forces, however, and a fresh Ottoman army attacked from Macedonia. Hunyadi retreated almost before the battle had even begun so that casualties could be avoided.
Hunyadi now faced a desperate situation. Both his main army and de Hunedoara’s Transylvanian forces were in a disorganized retreat and in no condition to defend Banat. The Turks would be able to easily gain control over the province should they choose to invade. The Christian forces were spared, however, by a large revolt in Bulgaria that distracted the Ottoman forces.
While making a stop in Pest, Hunyadi discovered that Ottoman diplomats had been waiting for him. They offered a cease to the attacks for at least two years if the Kingdom of Hungary would pay Mehmet all the ducats in the Royal Treasury. Peace for Transylvania was conspicuously absent from these terms, but Hunyadi was not sure when he would next get a chance for peace and accepted the offer.
Peace was finally signed on March 13, 1458, ending almost five years of war.
The war continued for Transylvania, and Hunyadi could do nothing to help. He could not even send monetary aid due to the pecuniary stipulations of peace with the Turks. Hunyadi was forced to mint new coins just to keep the finances of the realm balanced. Finally, in August of 1458, Transylvania signed peace with the Turks in exchange for the much contested province of Banat.
Hunyadi vowed revenge, and worked to build up a Christian coalition against the Ottomans. Tensions between Poland and Bohemia had since been relaxed, which enabled Hunyadi to arrange a royal marriage tying Hungary to Poland. A formal alliance with Poland soon followed.
Transylvania surrendered Banat to the Ottomans after the withdrawal of Hungary from the war.
Hunyadi’s numerous victories over Ottoman forces made him a renown hero throughout Christiandom.
Another member was added to the Anti-Ottoman alliance, which then consisted of Hungary, Transylvania, Bohemia, Austria, and Poland.
-----
”Lord Hunyadi, our spy master says that his mission has succeeded. He has modified and forged documents that show our claim over Banat to be legitimate. Other countries, however, have heard rumors about this action and view it with suspicion and anger.”
“What? Why? They are fools, all of them. They love me as long as I fight the Turks, but when I try to prove my lawful right to that stolen land, they make complaints and threats.”
“Yes, absolutely, my lord. At least the realm is prosperous and the people are quite content.”
“What do you mean? Are the serfs content? How about the lords?”
“Well, I honestly don’t know, my lord, but on a scale from negative three to positive three, I would say that their contentment is now at a positive two.”
“Good I suppose, but work on that. I want it at a positive three.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Many historians believe that Hunyadi’s claims to Banat were forgeries.
After the Hungarian-Ottoman War, the Kingdom of Hungary was prosperous and stable.
The Kingdom of Hungary in 1461.
Magna Mundi Gold 2 v. 1.26
Goals:
NONE. This is one of the reasons that I picked Hungary. I find that, in most of my games, I unconsciously try to emulate what the country that I am playing accomplished in real life. Seeing as I do not want to get annexed by Austria, I will not follow this route with Hungary. Instead, I will just go with the flow and see what happens.
-----
The fall of Byzantium sent a shockwave throughout Christendom. No place was this more felt than Ladislaus the Posthumous’s Kingdom of Hungary. An army 9000 men strong had been summoned and placed in the capable hands of the legendary warrior János Hunyadi. Hunyadi had experience fighting the Ottomans and won several victories against them. He also was the regent to the young King Ladislaus, and de facto ruler of Hungary.
Hunyadi faced a seemingly indomitable opponent in the Turks. Ottoman armies seemed to be galvanized by both their recent conquest and the glory of their Sultan, Mehmet II Fatih. “The Conqueror” turned his attention to the other Balkan states.
Fortunately for Hunyadi, the principalities of the Balkans provided a significant buffer between him and the Turks. There was the Principality of Serbia, which was under immediate threat of invasion. To the west was Wallachia, a shamed vassal of the Sultan. Adding a second layer of protection was Transylvania, a Hungarian vassal and a staunch ally of Hunyadi. The regent planned to exploit these buffer zones for a tactical advantage in his latest war against the Ottomans.
The Kingdom of Hungary at the fall of Constantinople.
The Ottomans seem barely phased by their recent siege.
The current King of Hungary is Ladislaus the Posthumous (known in Hungary as Lázló VI). He had the three realms of Hungary, Bohemia, and Austria, but was too young to rule any of them.
A formidable force of peasants and knights has been assembled under regent Hunyadi.
-----
”Lord Hunyadi, it is very generous of you to protect the many nations that live as subjects of the Hungarian crown. Yet many are ungrateful.”
“Yes, I am aware of that. I can only tolerate so much of their silly customs, however. The Magyars are of course my favorite. I am also positively disposed towards those Croats and Slovaks that reside in my realm. The bloody Ruthenians of Carpathia are too much, though.”
“I concur, my lord. How can they not see the superiority of our Magyar civilization? They are almost like Mohammadens.”
“Now, Mohammadens are not all bad. I indeed fought with some Mohammaden mercenaries on a few occasions. The Ottomans are indeed terrible, but so is any Christian scourge.”
“Surely you do not feel the same way about Eastern Christians, my lord?”
“I do. They can be foolish at times, but they are not evil people. If there is one group that I hate, however, it is Pagans. I absolutely cannot stand all that nonsense.”
“And Dharmic peoples, my lord?”
“What peoples? I’ve never heard of them. If they are anything like Pagans, however, they can just rot in hell. I don’t buy in to any of that polytheistic hokey.”
The balances of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1453.
-----
Hunyadi was a brilliant strategist who was ahead of his time. His first task for ensuring success in the war against the Ottomans was to secure his other frontiers. To further this end, he arranged royal marriages between the Royal Family of Hungary and those of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Archduchy of Austria. He attempted to do the same with the Kingdom of Poland, although the Polish refused on the grounds that they were contemplating war with one of Lázló’s other realms, Bohemia. Frightened at this new turn of events, the nobles of Bohemia urged Hunyadi to join them in an alliance, to which Hunyadi complied.
This minor setback was not going to change Hunyadi’s plans for the war. He knew that he could not afford to station any armies near the Polish border. The Ottomans had recently laid siege to Serbia, and Hunyadi knew that it would soon fall. He prepared his troops and stationed his armies outside of the Hungarian capital of Pest, where they would be able to lend aid to the Transylvanians should their province of Banat come under attack. War taxes were enacted and extra peasants were levied.
Hunyadi secures royal marriages with Bohemia and Austria, but fails to do so with Poland.
Hunyadi appoints advisors and other prominent men to places in his court.
The Serbian capital of Beograd fell on September 2, and the Ottomans moved north into Transylvania. Hunyadi was not prepared for the swiftness of the Turkish advance, and was caught off guard when he received word that Transylvanian forces had engaged the Ottomans south of the Danube. Hunyadi was unable to join his army, as he was in Pest at the time, but ordered his army to march south anyway in hopes that they could arrive in time to bail out the outnumbered Transylvanians.
The First Battle of Banat went on through the winter. The Turkish forces were commanded by Mehmet himself, while the Transylvanian (and later joined by Hungarian) forces were under the leadership of Transylvanian general Iancu de Hunedoara. With Hungarian reinforcement, the Christian forces gained a slight numerical edge, and this advantage combined with defensive positions forced the Conqueror to retreat.
Hunyadi faced what would be a recurring problem during the war. De Hunedoara wanted to pursue the fleeing army into Serbia. The Prince of Serbia had fled to the Transylvanian court, and was confident that the Ottomans could be driven out of his Principality and he could be reinstalled as ruler.
Hunyadi doubted that an invasion of Serbia could be successful. His scouts that had been sent out during the Battle of Banat informed him that there was a sizeable Ottoman army in the province of Bulgaria, and that there probably was another in neighboring Macedonia. Any assault on Serbia would face an attack from two directions against a numerically superior and better supplied force. If defeated in battle, the disorganized army would be hard pressed to defend against a counterattack in Banat.
The Transylvanians ignored Hunyadi’s warnings and invaded Serbia anyway. Like Hunyadi predicted, they were attacked and defeated, and Ottomans launched another invasion in to Banat. Fortunately for Hunyadi, an army 1000 strong arrived from the Holy Roman Empire. This army along with Hunyadi’s regrouping forces that were still in Banat was enough to force the Turks to turn back.
-----
”Lord Hunyadi, there has been a scoundrel living in Pest who has been entertaining your diplomatic guests. He has tried to spread awful rumors about you, although they did not believe him. We were alerted to his presence but he was gone when our guards arrived.”
“That is most unfortunate.”
“No one could sully your reputation, my lord. It is impeccable. The rest of Christendom is a mountain of sin in comparison. Castile and Aragon are engaged in open warfare. Why would two Christian kingdoms go to war?”
“And several of my own bishops are behaving in a very avaricious manner.”
“Yet you alone have the courage to fight the battle that every Christian should be fighting.”
Hunyadi faced clandestine foreign interference in his diplomatic affairs, but these incidents had little effect.
Religious problems plagued Hungary.
-----
Hunyadi found that one of his greatest difficulties was finding adequate supplies for his troops. Between his armies and those of de Hunedoara there was simply not enough food to be foraged from the province of Banat during the hot summer of 1454. With hundreds of troops dying every month and dwindling conscripts in reserve, Hunyadi was forced to withdraw his armies back to the Hungarian province of Szolnok.
Always a tactician, Hunyadi managed to turn this unfavorable situation into an advantage. He left a regiment of scouts behind in Banat to keep an eye on the activities of the Turks. If there was a sign of an attack, Hunyadi would quickly mobilize his army and send it into Banat. He would easily reach Banat first due to the difficult crossing of the Danube that the Turks faced. The Sultan’s forces would also have limited intelligence due to Hunyadi’s main forces being so far away.
This new tactic first proved itself during the Second Battle of Banat, which occurred in the north of the province. The Turks were turned back and, to Hunyadi’s dismay, de Hunedoara again decided that this would be a good opportunity to invade Serbia.
Hunyadi’s new strategy was able to protect Banat while sustaining few casualties.
Despite Hunyadi’s retreat to better foraging ground, he found that the lords of the realm were reluctant to send their peasants off to his army. The Hungarian army was facing a manpower crisis. Hunyadi consulted his advisors and created a new plan that streamlined the conscription process. Manpower shortages still persisted throughout the war, although this new system allowed Hunyadi to strengthen those regiments that needed it most.
The Ottomans repeatedly invaded Banat, and Hunyadi repeatedly employed his tactic of positioning his army in Banat before the Turks could cross the Danube. Hunyadi saw no end to the war. The Turks seemed to have several idle armies in Greece. If these were employed, then he doubted he could win. The Ottomans seemed to not be tiring of the war at all, while the Hungarian lords were already complaining to Hunyadi of his policy of war taxes. Hunyadi offered to pay the Ottomans 50 ducats to hold off on attacks for a little while, but the Ottoman diplomats would have none of it.
Hunyadi’s new conscription methods took advantage of bureaucratic advancements he enacted. They cracked down on corruption and significantly decreased the burden on individual lords of the realm, therefore making them more compliant in sending their peasants to war.
The spring of 1456 saw a massive Ottoman offensive. A large army under ‘Aldulmecit Djezzar invaded Banat, while two more armies advanced through Wallachia. One besieged the Transylvanian capital of Turda, while the other moved north into the Hungarian province of Partium. Hunyadi ordered all of his forces to engage in Banat. This battle, known as the Battle of Temes, was the bloodiest of the war. Hunyadi contemplated a premature withdrawal of his troops, since a victory was scarcely worth the casualties that were being sustained.
The Ottomans were eventually forced in to retreat, and Hunyadi immediately marched his army to Partium, where he won another victory. Djezzar had since been placed in command of the army outside Turda, and braced his army for an attack from the Turkish forces. Hunyadi pursued the fleeing army, thinking that Djezzar would not be able to organize his forces fast enough and another swift victory could be won. This turned out to be a costly miscalculation as Hunyadi’s forces were defeated.
The siege of Turda was almost complete by this point. Hunyadi feared that he would not be able to regroup his forces in time to save the city. Transylvania was almost on the verge of collapse already, and an Ottoman victory at this siege would certainly lead the Transylvanians to capitulation.
The Holy Roman Empire once again came to Hunyadi’s aid. This time, the Diet offered Hunyadi 2000 troops, which Hunyadi graciously accepted. This new army came under the command of Imperial General György Széchenyi, an experienced commander who had worked with Hunyadi during his previous campaigns against the Turks. These reinforcements provided Hunyadi with what he needed to drive the Turks back to Wallachia.
The bloody Battle of Temes in Banat was the most costly of the entire war.
Hunyadi won a great victory in Partium, forcing the Turks out of Hungary.
The Empire gave Hunyadi what he needed to lift the siege of Turda.
The Hungarians and Transylvanians successfully pushed back the Ottoman offensive.
Hunyadi sent a gift to the Empire to thank them for their aid.
After the Battle of Temes, de Hunedoara had again invaded Serbia. Unlike previous Transylvanian escapades, this one did not face any Ottoman opposition and a siege of the Serbian capital of Beograd was initiated. Since several large Ottoman armies had just been defeated, Hunyadi assumed that the Ottomans would now be weak and decided to join the siege. Hunyadi underestimated the size of the Sultan’s forces, however, and a fresh Ottoman army attacked from Macedonia. Hunyadi retreated almost before the battle had even begun so that casualties could be avoided.
Hunyadi now faced a desperate situation. Both his main army and de Hunedoara’s Transylvanian forces were in a disorganized retreat and in no condition to defend Banat. The Turks would be able to easily gain control over the province should they choose to invade. The Christian forces were spared, however, by a large revolt in Bulgaria that distracted the Ottoman forces.
While making a stop in Pest, Hunyadi discovered that Ottoman diplomats had been waiting for him. They offered a cease to the attacks for at least two years if the Kingdom of Hungary would pay Mehmet all the ducats in the Royal Treasury. Peace for Transylvania was conspicuously absent from these terms, but Hunyadi was not sure when he would next get a chance for peace and accepted the offer.
Peace was finally signed on March 13, 1458, ending almost five years of war.
The war continued for Transylvania, and Hunyadi could do nothing to help. He could not even send monetary aid due to the pecuniary stipulations of peace with the Turks. Hunyadi was forced to mint new coins just to keep the finances of the realm balanced. Finally, in August of 1458, Transylvania signed peace with the Turks in exchange for the much contested province of Banat.
Hunyadi vowed revenge, and worked to build up a Christian coalition against the Ottomans. Tensions between Poland and Bohemia had since been relaxed, which enabled Hunyadi to arrange a royal marriage tying Hungary to Poland. A formal alliance with Poland soon followed.
Transylvania surrendered Banat to the Ottomans after the withdrawal of Hungary from the war.
Hunyadi’s numerous victories over Ottoman forces made him a renown hero throughout Christiandom.
Another member was added to the Anti-Ottoman alliance, which then consisted of Hungary, Transylvania, Bohemia, Austria, and Poland.
-----
”Lord Hunyadi, our spy master says that his mission has succeeded. He has modified and forged documents that show our claim over Banat to be legitimate. Other countries, however, have heard rumors about this action and view it with suspicion and anger.”
“What? Why? They are fools, all of them. They love me as long as I fight the Turks, but when I try to prove my lawful right to that stolen land, they make complaints and threats.”
“Yes, absolutely, my lord. At least the realm is prosperous and the people are quite content.”
“What do you mean? Are the serfs content? How about the lords?”
“Well, I honestly don’t know, my lord, but on a scale from negative three to positive three, I would say that their contentment is now at a positive two.”
“Good I suppose, but work on that. I want it at a positive three.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Many historians believe that Hunyadi’s claims to Banat were forgeries.
After the Hungarian-Ottoman War, the Kingdom of Hungary was prosperous and stable.
The Kingdom of Hungary in 1461.
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