Historia Slovakæ

[unmerged(81979)]

Slovakia owns all of Bohemia now! Amazing, not it's time to form the Slovak Empire from the borders of the Austrian Empire, of course, you could always leave the Austrians hanging around

haha! March Slovakia! Well, maybe if Austria pulls backa bit from alliance w/ Hungary,w e could work something out...

I want to be an Irish Knight! Or at least a Slovak noble. (The Golden Age Poland type of noble.)

Alright, I accept bribes, what's the offer? :rofl:

Liberum Veto and all?

I think so...

Hell yeah! Too bad they started thinking they don't need Poland which turned out pretty bad for them.

Well, I prefer to remember the golden age rather than think about Hitler and Stalin being bad and stuff.

Very true, despite HOI3 coming out... :rofl:

 

[Vesimir]

Hmm... How about 1 000 000 yens?

And seriously, I don't think I have anything I could give you right now except continuing reading BOTH of your AARs...

Muahahaha...

 

[unmerged(81979)]

Hmm... How about 1 000 000 yens?

And seriously, I don't think I have anything I could give you right now except continuing reading BOTH of your AARs...

Muahahaha...

Well, your patronage is quite welcome all the time!

 

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Marian I
Part Two, 1463-1466​

~In which Religion is of the essence~​

In December 1463 the greatest Slovak writer of the 15th century, Henryk of Nitra, died at the ripe old age of 77. His death was mourned in the court and throughout the land. His works, all short stories, epic poems and songs did not disappear after his death. For, in February 1464, a printing press arrived in Bratislava from Mainz where Johannes Gutenberg had made it himself. The first thing printed on the press was the bible, but shortly thereafter came the complete works of Henryk of Nitra. 164 originals survive today, a most astonishing number considering the almost 550 years they had to survive. Most are in museums around the world or in the archives of Universities with only 20 or so in private hands. Most recently, a copy of went for auction at Sotheby's in London and sold for over 9 million pounds sterling for the book. The printing press also provided an opportunity for the Hussites, still strong in Moravia and Bohemia, to get their message out to the nation. Using a contract printer in Leipzig, Hussites produced 200 copies of their works and their bible.

Henryk of Nitra​

Pope Pius II send strong warnings to Marian telling him he had to stop the production of these heretical texts or else face excommunication and interdiction. Marian, worried to a greater extent about his relationship with the church than either his very pious brother or father, agreed. However, he could not simply remove the texts or kill the Hussities, there were simply too many to do that. Instead, a full scale invasion of Saxony would stop all contract printers serving the Hussites. Using that exact excuse, Marian declared was on the Saxo-Brandenburgian alliance shortly after Pope Pius II's death in August of 1464. Pius's successor, Paul II, was indifferent to the war so long as the Hussities were stopped.

Pius II and Paul II​

Marian, being of no martial talent, allowed his top generals to lead the army into battle in his stead. The first battle, fought South East of Dresden in Pirna, was a humiliating defeat for the Slovaks. Over 11,000 of their own men had perished in the opening volley of the war in a kind of defeat Slovakia had never really experienced. Marian reluctantly tapped into the gold reserves and hired mercenaries to make up for the losses. The Slovaks invaded again that October and won a suitable victory at Zschopau. The invasion ground its way through Saxony and arrived back at Dresden for the siege. The culverins found their way from Bratislava in late November, just as the snows were beginning to fall. The culverins were so powerful that with each shot, the snow within 50 yards of it would simply evaporate. So, with 14 culverins pounding away at the city, the winter was relatively light for the Slovak troops while elsewhere the snows were piling in 10 foot drifts. Dresden fell on New Year's Day 1465. Meanwhile, in the north, Brandenburg was defeated by a second Slovak army and was already asking for peace. Marian, realizing that his quarrel lay with the Saxons and not the Brandenburgians, accepted.

In February, the armies were once again on the march; this time to Leipzig, the source of the heretical documentation. The siege was commenced and completed in slightly less than two months, falling on April 29, 1465. The printing press in Leipzig was taken captive and shuttled back to Bratislava where it was put to good use by the Methodian order to make religious texts and other such necessities. Shortly after the fall of Leipzig, a Bavarian army of 12,000 men came to Saxony and helped the Slovaks finish off the country. Peace was finally concluded after the mutually destructive battle of Dahlen in which over 20,000 lost their lives. The Treaty of Olbernhau was signed on August 9, 1465, almost a year to the day the war started. In the treaty, 50,000 ducats were given to both Slovakia and Bavaria for their troubles.

The printing press stolen from the Saxons on display in the Musuem in Bratislava.​

There is one question I suspect the reader may be asking: "Where is Austria and Hungary in all of this?" Well, in mid 1465 Fredrick III of Austria and Matthias Corvinus had a great spat and broke their alliance into little pieces. Now, they were at each other's throats almost every chance they got. This gave Slovakia much needed breathing room and as such for a good while, the peaceful traditions of art and science flourished in Slovakia, which entered a sort of golden age. On September 30, 1466, 30 years to the day it was started, the Cathedral of St. Methodius was completed in Bratislava and opened for worship for the first time. The construction time was a feat of epic proportions. While not as big as some of the French cathedrals, St. Methodius was of comparable size to Cathedrals that would take well over 80 years to fully construct. This goes as a testament to the skilled artisan class of Slovaks who essentially gave their all to the completion of St. Methodius.

Modern photo of St. Methodius after the renovations of the 16th century...​

One piece in particular, a statue of Sts. Cyril and Methodius which stands outside the cathedral even to this day, was so well admired in its day that an Italian visitor wrote in the 1470s, "Where ever I go, and people recognize me as a visitor, I am told to see the great statue of the saints. I have seen it and am impressed by the craftsmanship. [The craftsmanship] is as good as the greats of Italy!" The condition of the statue today is poor, although restoration work on it is beginning to take place. Matter of fact, even this humble historian helped! If the reader ever sees the statue, look at the nose of St. Cyril and behold my work of restoration!

The famous statue, though with 550 years of grime still on it to be cleaned...​

However, not all golden ages last.... How much longer will this one?


​

 

[Enewald]

It lasts until the next stab hit.

 

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Slovak historians - helping saints keep their noses clean since 1470!



I like the theft of the printing press. Very good idea.

 

[unmerged(87106)]

Printing press wars? Nose cleaners?

That was one weird update.

 

[unmerged(81979)]

It lasts until the next stab hit.

:rofl: Amen to that...

Slovak historians - helping saints keep their noses clean since 1470!



I like the theft of the printing press. Very good idea.

We try to keep up with the demand, the business of Holy Cleaning is brisk these days... :rofl: Thanks! I thought it made a good excuse for the war...

Printing press wars? Nose cleaners?

That was one weird update.

I aim to please...

 

[volksmarschall]

So the Printing Press comes out, now you have unlimited propoganda to destroy Austria with!

(and is it me, or is Paul II a bit on the fluffy side?), Great stuff!

 

[unmerged(81979)]

So the Printing Press comes out, now you have unlimited propoganda to destroy Austria with!

(and is it me, or is Paul II a bit on the fluffy side?), Great stuff!

Woohoo! The Irish would KILL for one of those!

No, it's me too... And, thanks!

 

[Vesimir]

Noses? Presses?

I want maps, blood and wars! Crusades on the Turks! Recreating the Byzantine Empire! The burning of Paris! Occupation of Venice! Making both of Americas being called "New Slovakia"! I want... OK, you get the message.

(Occupation of Venice as a port from which the colonists could sail away into the unknown is quite a good idea actually.)

 

[unmerged(81979)]

Noses? Presses?

I want maps, blood and wars! Crusades on the Turks! Recreating the Byzantine Empire! The burning of Paris! Occupation of Venice! Making both of Americas being called "New Slovakia"! I want... OK, you get the message.

(Occupation of Venice as a port from which the colonists could sail away into the unknown is quite a good idea actually.)

:rofl: Well, we did have the Saxo-Brandenburgian war in there... Well, I think the most realistic of your demands, the capture of Venice, is still a ways off. I have to fight through Hungary first to get there...

 

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Marian I
Part Three, 1466-1473​

~In which terms are favorable~​

To answer that question in Medieval terms, a lifetime. In modern terms, four years. The last 1460s flourishing in art and Slovak culture climaxed when the brilliant Slovak painter Vladjo Archestsky presented his work 'Fire of Heaven' to King Marian on November 1, 1469. The painting was so delicate, yet so majestic in the way fire rained down from heaven upon unrepentant Hussites, Gnostics and other infidels. Vladjo immediately coughed up some ducats for Vladjo Archestsky to travel to the great artistic courts of Italy and Holland. The debut of his other works in Florence in February 1470 and in Amsterdam that May caused a sensation. When the Duke of Burgundy and otherwise very martial man Charles the Bold saw one of Archestsky's paintings, he reportedly, "weepte untill thee royale eye wast redduned" What painting he cried over is unknown, though in this historian's opinion it was mostly likely the same one Marian was impressed with back in Bratislava. Archestsky's travels brought great acclaim and great prestige to Slovakia. So much so, that several Italian artists flocked to Bratislava and became painters in the court of the "Art King" as Marian was becoming known.

A near contemporary view of Amsterdam.

However, by the time 1470 came to a close the atmosphere in Europe had changed. Even in the West, renewed war between the Scots and English cast a cloud over the continent. That cloud followed the winds and seemed to halt on the Tatra, Matra and Fatras of Slovakia. In July of 1470, Hungary and Austria made up their differences and once more allied themselves. Wary of this, Marian slowly transferred troops to the borders of his Kingdom. The Austrians and Hungarians, 'Outraged' at the Slovak King moving troops in a 'threatening' fashion, declared war on August 9, 1470. Slovakia mobilized quickly with a similar war strategy that had won them last time. Tack out the bigger threat first, then finish off the weak guy. This was a tough decision, as Hungary and Austria were about equal in strength. It was decided that Hungary should go first, because they only had borders with Slovakia. Meanwhile, the Bavarians could keep Austria busy while Slovakia took out Hungary.

It was a long slog, with battle after battle running along the Hungarian plain with no decisive victories for either side for almost a full year. Most, surprisingly, were Slovak losses. Despite the failure of their troops, a massive and miraculous victory on the shores of Lake Balaton on July 31, 1471, where 1,200 Slovak lives were traded for 9,000 Hungarian, things began to turn around. The eventual fall of Buda and Pest later in the year saw the Hungarians strike a peace deal, retaining the antebellum status quo on the Christmas Peace of 1471. Austria, meanwhile, had been running amok. Nearly felling Bratislava in two great sieges, the city was saved only by the skin of its teeth. By New Year's 1472, the 40 mile stretch along the Danube between Vienna and Bratislava was beginning to be known as the bloody avenue. When battles occurred in the avenue, citizens of Bratislava would often retrieve the bodies of fallen friend and foe floating down the Danube and could tell before the runners even returned who had won that day's battle.

The battles raged in January and February, but a particularly brutal cold snap in early March allowed the Slovaks to cross the frozen Danube River and surprise attack an Austrian defense force, capturing or killing almost 5,000 soldiers. In May, the siege of Vienna began almost on the same day as the great city of Innsbruck fell to the exhausted, starved yet totally exuberant Bavarian Army. The Austrians tried to make a deal, but the Slovaks were determined to gain something out of this war. When Vienna fell to the culverins in August, peace was imminent. On September 2, the Treaty of Passau was struck in which Slovakia gained all Austrian territory north of the Danube, and Bavaria received a chunk of land in the West and 100,000 ducats compensation for the sack of Salzburg.

Shortly after this profitable war was over, Austria and Hungary returned to bickering with each other. However, danger was coming in from the north. Poland, erstwhile and estranged ally of Slovakia had been involved in a civil war of sorts with their close neighbors the Lithuanians. In a lightning war, Poland secured access to the black Sea by the taking of South Lithuania. This left an even more massive Poland, bristling to the teeth with weapons and testosterone, right on Slovakia’s rear flank. However, any worries over Poland were shifted to the newly acquired territories from Austria. On New Year’s Day, 1473, 15,000 peasants rose in revolt against the new rulers. However, an army of 6,000 Slovaks put down the poorly thought-out revolt in three short weeks. This pattern of unrest continued throughout the early part of 1473 until, after the crushing of the last rebellion in June, things quieted down significantly, and focus shifted back to Poland.

Where, not long after, events will heat up.

​

 

[Qorten]

Nice natural borders. It would be sorry to screw them up with new gains in Poland. In the end, you might have to deal with a three-front war against Poland, Hungary and Austria together. At least get Lithuania or another regional power at your side by then.

 

[Vesimir]

This left an even more massive Poland, bristling to the teeth with weapons and testosterone

That's us alright.
Seriously, get into an alliance with Poland and focus on destroying the Turks.

Nice natural borders. It would be sorry to screw them up with new gains in Poland.

I wouldn't be so sure. Poland is stronger than Slovakia (At least that's what the historian hints.) And the borders might be destroyed by the Poles.

 

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did Bohemia participate in the war?

 

[Enewald]

Ah, like a millennia before a new storm is on the rise. And both of them shall start from the same location, from the ancient home of all Slavs.
Let there be one Slavic Empire!

 

[unmerged(87106)]

Great update!

(...another Vladjo!!)

 

[cthulhu]

That's right, teach those Austrian peasant who's boss! Good to see Slovakia prospering.

 

[unmerged(81979)]

Nice natural borders. It would be sorry to screw them up with new gains in Poland. In the end, you might have to deal with a three-front war against Poland, Hungary and Austria together. At least get Lithuania or another regional power at your side by then.

You have a good point, though no blows between Slovakia and Poland have heppened so far...

That's us alright.
Seriously, get into an alliance with Poland and focus on destroying the Turks.



I wouldn't be so sure. Poland is stronger than Slovakia (At least that's what the historian hints.) And the borders might be destroyed by the Poles.

:rofl: They're quite for now, so we'll leave them alone... Yeah, that's my fear...

did Bohemia participate in the war?

As part of Slovakia since the annexation? Yes!

Ah, like a millennia before a new storm is on the rise. And both of them shall start from the same location, from the ancient home of all Slavs.
Let there be one Slavic Empire!

:rofl: March, march Slavia!

Great update!

(...another Vladjo!!)

Thanks and you're welcome!

That's right, teach those Austrian peasant who's boss! Good to see Slovakia prospering.

Wooohooo! Thanks!