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Great the Union of Prussia, Hungary, Bohemia, Russia, Ukraine and Poland, did I forget anyone?

Great Update, too bad the Hungarians choose to be "Democratic" like the Polish :p
 
Homelands
Chapter Twenty Two: We Three Kings
Part 2


Prelude:
Prince-Elect Otto von Franken of Hungary was dead not even a month after his election. Officially his death was ruled natural, specifically by pneumonia. But to this day there is much speculation of foul play by the Bloodites, Hungarians who supported the blood right rule of Karnak, Prince of Moravia. One of the biggest claims to this is that the death mask of Otto is perfectly symmetrical. Supporters of Mihály and Otto said that the mask is symmetrical to cover up some injury that would be present if the mask was really of the child. Whatever the cause, Otto was dead and now Karnak was the official heir to the Kingdom of Hungary. The debate returned in Hungary, but King István denied a revote, asking that people stop treating him like a senile old man and let him make up his own mind. The Bloodites celebrated their victory while they could, but the throne would only be secured when King István was dead. Others mourned the end of a great dynasty. The Imperial Line of the von Frankens finally came to an end leaving only side branches in Prussia. Many saw it as a sign of times to come, that the end for the West was in sight, just around the corner. The work of the Romans, of Charlemagne was finally coming to an end.

Otto.jpg

The death mask of Otto von Franken, Prince of Hungary.

July 30th, 1213

Meinekinus rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The sun was still far from the sky and in the darkness the King of Prussia moved alone by candle light into his private chapel. He locked the door behind him, leaving him completely separated from the world and he used his small candle to light more candles to light a small altar. In the flickering light Meinekinus looked around the sparse little room, dominated on one wall by a cross and icon of three men. In the center was Jesus Christ. On the left was Saint Stephen de Seagrave, protector of the Prussian Kings. On the right was Saint Andrew, who had founded the Patriarch of Constantinople.

"Strength," Meinekinus muttered, "I require strength to face my enemies with patients and humility. Amen." Meinekinus remained at prayer. Outside he heard messengers looking for him. He sighed and finished what he was saying and then after a brief silence stood up and walked over to the door.

In the hall he was quickly found by his guard and the people looking for him, "Your majesty! This came by rider just now. We were told that it was urgent by Lucas, Duke of Banat!" The messenger pulled out the rolled paper and handed it to the King. Meinekinus took a deep, soothing breath and opened the letter up. He read quickly and then handed the letter to his guard.

"Put this on my desk, I'll tend to it later," he turned to the messenger, "Thank you for your riding." The King took a few gold pieces and handed to the man and then excused himself. This news could have waited, Meinekinus thought, there is little I can or would do right now.

"What was it sire?" the guard asked.

"Nothing the required such urgent delivery, I shall deal with it when it becomes pressing," Meinekinus smiled.

"I am sorry he disturbed your prayer. Had I known of its urgency I would have not..."

Meinekinus held up a hand to stop the man, "No need to apologize. They told you it was urgent and there was no reason for your to suspect otherwise." Meinekinus and the guard began the King's morning ritual of patrolling the castle and then going for an early morning walk in the gardens.

Much of the journey was done in silence as Meinekinus took his time to enjoy the flowers and the images of the early sun as it rose through the cathedral to the east. He took a deep breath of the sea air and then worked his way onto the ramparts around the main palace and watched the ships in the harbor. Sailors worked at a ravenous pace to unload the cargo for the morning rush of buyers and sellers. Fish, beer, mead, bread, cattle, pork and linens were all about to go on sale in Memelgrád, and by the looks of the ships linen was going to be today's best buy.

"Where does that ship hail from, sire?" The guard asked.

"Flanders in northern France. Normally that means wool and linens are aboard. I bet, though, it also has refugees."

"Refugees?"

"People fleeing the advance of the Caliph. Flanders is a buffer state between Germany and the Caliph. I haven't heard much news from the region, though. Sailors seem to be getting tight lipped about the entire affair, though they know once more which side Prussia fights on."

"But what about Hungary?"

Meinekinus was quiet, "Well... we'll see when King István dies. That is what that letter was about."

"King István is ill?!"

"No... Prince Otto is dead, Karnak is now heir."

"Well that is good news!"

"For now. We'll see when he actually takes the throne. I have a feeling that his reign will be enforced, not accepted."

The guard's smile faded slightly, "War, sire?"

"Probably." Meinekinus frowned, but hid it by turning back to the harbor and gazing slackly at the ships. "The urge to sail away becomes too great some days."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I spend all day and night in the palace or on the throne or in a church listening to people's demands and then having to rule in favor or against, but what I really want to do is stand up and leave... let people sort it out themselves."

"It makes the people feel better knowing their King looks after them and deals with their issues promptly."

"Yes, but that leaves little for me in the equation." The King stood back up and began to walk again, adverting his attention from the ships and the water. The day had only recently dawned and yet he felt as if it were already night, exhausted and wasted.
 
Great the Union of Prussia, Hungary, Bohemia, Russia, Ukraine and Poland, did I forget anyone?

Great Update, too bad the Hungarians choose to be "Democratic" like the Polish :p
Yeah... but you got the important ones. ;)

Hungary needs a King too!


Well it is time for a little break everyone, I am headed to T-Day at my girlfriend's place so that means my desktop gets to take a few days off. When I get back, Sunday, it is my birthday, which means alcohol! After that I have an exam on Tuesday the first. So expect the return of updates in about a week or so. I might periodically check the forums, but if my normal rate of replying is not met, I am probably just unable to get on.

Everyone have a safe holiday (or just a good weekend for those of you not in the US), and I'll see you all when I get back.

-Tschüß
PS: 30,000!! Huzzahs!
 
At least Hungary won't get a Valois thanks to the death of the prince... :)

If the old adage "Those who don't wish for power are those most able to wield it," is true, I want Meinekinus for my king. :)
 
At least Hungary won't get a Valois thanks to the death of the prince... :)

If the old adage "Those who don't wish for power are those most able to wield it," is true, I want Meinekinus for my king. :)
Are you sure that is what you want? Clearly, Meinekinus is becoming stressed under his duties. I fear for Prussia. Though she shall inherit more land to swell her boundaries, Prussia needs a leader to hold it all together.

I hope your Thanksgiving is a good one, Mr. C. Don't get too drunk. ;)
 
Have fun.

Carpaths will be painted with blood in the close future.
In time they will, in time. I wish I had brought my notes to write, but alas.

Hungry eh? I hope it won't be too bloodied, the King of three Kingdoms should be a good king, I hope he's competent.
Well war means blood. And unhappy, spoiled nobles usually means war.

At least Hungary won't get a Valois thanks to the death of the prince... :)

If the old adage "Those who don't wish for power are those most able to wield it," is true, I want Meinekinus for my king. :)
Meinekinus was a good man, but was not the King that his father was. Sviendorog was truly a master King for Prussia.

Are you sure that is what you want? Clearly, Meinekinus is becoming stressed under his duties. I fear for Prussia. Though she shall inherit more land to swell her boundaries, Prussia needs a leader to hold it all together.

I hope your Thanksgiving is a good one, Mr. C. Don't get too drunk. ;)
Yes, the boundaries are getting swollen, but I don't want to give too much away. ;)

Don't worry about my drink, Brigid made me leave the Bailey's home. No yummy alcoholic chocolate milk.
 
Prussian Lesson 7
Imperfect Past Tense


lábdien klasá!
ká bást ju? kát háso ju liestæ nedælás nogál gemachan?

This lesson we are going to finish working on conjugation for a while with the imperfect or literary past. Imperfect past is used mostly in the north and in the Kiev and Chernigov urban centers. This is because imperfect past is "faster" than perfect past. In literature (both fiction and non-fiction) imperfect past is used to give a sense of action, lacking the helping verb means characters are acting as compared to constantly being broken from their actions. The sentence structure remains fluid, though the preferred is SVO.

Here is the conjugation table:
Lesson7.png

Your best source of examples comes from Sviendorog's poem, which I will repost here:

ien dien bráuláfáth een dalish mietena wis se wolgá.
tór kræsáláfáth win ien vienæ wulf sedáfást ám se upa.
"mietena," áizliktáfást se wulf "kápesh sie tháó talus no cot vienægá?"
"æthel kung wulf, min inhird vajádzáf ódæn."
"háp tháó kien bralisæs?"
"næ abæs he sa ár se árma gebráulæn."
"slims. kát cannáj æs in the machæt?"
se mas mietena dómásáfáth un áizliktáfáth
"infind min bralis un átæll him ka we gáslissæt him."
se wulf gálvásmajáfást un átælláfást vim uz se Wolgá náko full-liefæt átgrienáfáth.
se mietena ieránáfáth án cot ár vins spans ódæn.
wán vin bráuláfáth tór vins mátæ wor grim un vins tevá theostor.
"mátæ? tevá? kát ist he?"
"tavs bralis sa án chiná gedeadæn. tu klumáfáth se kurjer."
un se mietena ráudefáth abæs áizmirzáfáth næ vins solit ár se wulf.
durch se náko full-liefæt átgrienáfáth vin uz se tráps kór vins se wulf sástadáfáth.
se wulf wor tór in vim gádisáfást. en hims mut wor vims brailisus swærd.
"hvæt æthel wulf, tu atnæstáp pierádjim uv min brailisus náve?"
"raze næt, vel tavs brailis ist ár æmi sefs."
"kápesh aizliktáp tu swilch letás?"
"raze næt, vel tavs timá ist næ nó.
abæs tu sa gezinon ka se wolgá durch se full-liefæt márá tán ódæn tvernisáf."
un lajá se liefætus kvala se wolgá wor mistæn zilá un ien zemæn mæn kámáfást wis.
shkersám se strámæ stáváfan ien árma uf záudæn kalpæs kercháfan uv cot.
ámang hiem wor se mietenas bralis un he skátiesáfást seriga ad vina no áfer.
se mietena bevæláfáth un ieránáfáth bæk cot uz vins mátæ un tevá átællát.
abæs hie ticáfan næ vim kamer vin se swærd átcertáfáth.
hvæt se swærd wor naletá un vim hiem næ parádæt cánnáfáth.
atcertæt se liefæt vin gádisáfth kamer se full-liefæt un uz se wolgá átgrienáfást.
tór sedáfást ogæn se wulf lepns un æthel.
un en se liefætus kvala turnáfást se wolgá mistæn zilá.
"tu belángás næ hór, he ist næ tavs timá" se wulf áizliktáfást.
"æs zinátáj kán tu bist un kámáj æs uz the izacinájut in min bralis!"
se wulf gálvásmajáfást un smieláfást.
"lá he ist æs, se seglær on se wolgá, se reopær, se sith!"
un thon se wulf párveráfást ánuz ien gárs, lang kalp kán ien sith iznesáfást.
"abæs min deore, tháó cannáp naletá machæt, in tea kán in próshjó dæduth
wuldáp ogæn lebæt uz próshjá strádáp durch vins deocish ór!"
un se lavinek segláfást vina shkersám uz vins bralis.
abæs he cánnáfást wisletá machæt.
he cánnáfást næ runæt.
he cánnáfást næ kustibæt.
he cánnáfást næ mirogæt.
abæs wán dagáz kámáfást párveráfan se kárávursæs ánuz butorfleogæs.
un hie pludináfan dun unlang se wolgá.
"un tór, min deore, hie wuldáp Walhala ræcæt."
se mietena izbrástáfáth bædzot kápesh se wolgá próshjádus áustrumæn vánt wor.
un uz shis dien zoildáso ju næ ien wulf vai ien butprfleog unlang se wolgá láthæt.
hvæt dathær ist se shæhierd se kárávursæsus.
un próshjádus árma uf se braf gadisáf in se dien hie sind ogæn inkállát.

The hardest part for you now should be vocabulary, so let us break it down a bit, shall we?

ien dien bráuláfáth een dalish mietena wis se wolgá.
The first word to stand out might be bráuláfáth:
βράyλάфάθ
-'áfáth is the feminine imperfect past conjugation meaning the verb is bráulæt. In this case the extra ' is ignored, but from a novice's perspective another good guess would be braulæt or even braulát. Bráulæt means "to go", in the imperfect past "went".

Ien and een are both "a" or "one". Ien is neuter and een is feminine.

Dien is "day" so that means thus far we have "A/One day went a/one".

Dalish is an adjective and means "beautiful" so thus far: "A/One day went a/one beautiful".

Mietena means "girl" so that means: "A/One day went a/one beautiful girl". From here we can stop and correct the ien/een to: "One day went a beautiful girl". This is not actually an issue, as in essence it means the same thing no matter if you pick "a" or "one".

Lastly is "wis se wolgá". Se is an article, it means "the". Wolgá is obvious to its meaning, it is the Volga River. Wis is a locative and roughly translates to "up to" or more properly "up to the edge of". Anglo-Baltic is very fond of locatives, so it might be confusing for a while. But for now, "wis" means "up to".

So this sentence boils down to "One day went a beautiful girl up to the Volga" or in a more proper English: "One day a beautiful girl went to the Volga".


tór kræsáláfáth win ien vienæ wulf sedáfást ám se upa.
For those paying attention, you will notice that two imperfect conjugations appear here and one is feminine and the other neuter. The first is kræsáláfáth, and breaking it down we find that it is "kræsálæt" in its infinitive form. This means "to see" so in the imperfect past it is "saw". The second, sedáfást, is "sedæt" in the infinitive and means "to sit".

Tór is another locative meaning "there" or more specifically, "in the previously defined location".

Win (also spelled vin due to the Prussian merger of w and v) is the pronoun "she".

Ien is the same as above.

Vienæ means "lonely".

Wulf translates as expected into "wolf". So far the sentence reads: "There saw she a/one lonely wolf sat". Some will notice that the wolf's action is also in imperfect past. In English "sat" would be "sitting", but in Anglo-Baltic it is in the imperfect past to maintain the tense within the sentence.

The phrace "ám se upa" means "by the riverbank". Ám is another locative meaning "within the vicinity of". So finishing the sentence and making it more readable: "There she saw a lonely wolf sitting on the banks". Notice the use of "on" verses "by", this is mostly semantics. The Anglo-Baltic word for "on" is "on" and means "supported from under by".

This is all for now. If you have questions feel free to ask.
 
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Homelands
Chapter Twenty Two: We Three Kings
Part 3


Prelude:
On October 31st, 1218 King István of Hungary died in his sleep and his grandson from his eldest daughter, Karnak, Prince of Moravia, became King of Hungary at the age of twelve. His father, King Dzintis of Bohemia and Duke Lucas of Banat, became his co-regents; effectively uniting Hungary under Bohemian rule. Quickly issues arose with the other heir of István, Mihály Árpád the Count of Pest. Dzintis was quick to try to pacify Mihály by granting the man an enormous fief that contained most of King István's personal demesne. It worked for the time keeping Mihály busy while the Bohemians set up their rule in Pressburg. Dzintis, with the help of Meinekinus, was quick to make certain that other Christian rulers saw Karnak as the legitimate heir to the Hungarian throne, but inevitably many nations were worried about a Prussian super-state that would stretch from the Baltic deep into the Balkans. But there was little that could be done by the Catholic nations who faced their own doom. Meinekinus himself feared such a state as well, as he felt it was too large to be administered effectively. Prussia itself was already a massive state and if it were not for the roads and rivers, communication and law would be completely impossible. As it was, in 1218 there were three Prussians who ruled as Kings of their respective lands. In time this would be whittled down to one.

November 8th, 1218

A week was a long time for a twelve year old boy who was now forced to deal with problems far out of his ability. Karnak longed to be outside practicing with his sword and fighting the other noble boys of Bohemia. Now he was in a strange land full of people who referred to him as King. His father told him not to worry, that he would help him until he was old enough to rule on his own. It seemed, though, that he had a rival in Mihály. Raised on fairy tales from western bards and minstrels, Karnak saw himself as the White Knight to this mysterious man's Black Knight. It made perfect sense, his shield had a white lion and white stripes, his father's had a white lion and his grandfather's was a white banner.

KarnakCoA.png

The Coat of Arms of King Karnak of Hungary.

Growing bored, Karnak stood up and began swinging a sword around. The people in the court around him gathered together as the boy already had a strong arm and good form. He concentrated on a invisible spot that hung in the air, cutting it expertly.

"My liege," Lucas of Banat called, "You have impeccable form. You must want to train with the knights of Bohemia!"

"I did once, Lucas, before I came here."

"Ah! Well then, I shall write to your father and have a few sent here to continue your training!" Lucas turned and faced a servant and with a light clap summoned him over. "Knave, I require you to write to his majesty, King Dzintis of Bohemia, request he send some of his finest knights to our realm to teach our young King the art of chivalry."

"Yes, m'lord." The servant bowed and left the room quickly to do as commanded.

"Lucas, what is chivalry exactly? I hear gentlemen speak of it, but I never see it."

"Ah, my lord, chivalry is a fine institution from western Europe. Knights do not just serve their King, they serve a higher calling. They are to be polite, chaste defenders of good to serve as the best examples of what God wants of his children!"

"That makes sense! And black knights are those who are rude, lustful and attackers of the innocent?"

"Exactly, m'lord. Exactly. Black knights ride only for personal fame and coin."

"Is Mihály a black knight?" Karnak asked after a brief pause.

Lucas laughed, "I would say so."

"Good, because I need a black knight to be my enemy. All good knights have a black knight, right?"

"Yes, but not all black knights have a good knight. Some good knights have three or four black knights these days."

"Huh." Karnak put the sword back into its sheath and turned to face Lucas, "What is there to do here?"

"Well, the castle really isn't the place for a boy of your age."

"Then call my guards, if you can Mr. Lucas, I wish to go into the forests!"

"Very good, m'lord."

Gathering a few guards and an archer, Karnak led the posse into the near-by forests to hunt and explore as he pleased. With the men he worked on archery and horse riding and fighting. And things to keep him strong and fit. But the high point of the day came when a large stag appeared before them. It turned to face Karnak, and stood still and silent.

"Your majesty, that would make a fine prize and meal for tomorrow," the archer said, "Shall I bring it down for you?"

"No, I wish to try myself. If I fail, we shall just have to eat what was already planned. If I succeed, it will be by my hand alone." The archer nodded and handed the bow and an arrow to Karnak who silently dropped from the horse. He took the weapon and lined it up, pulling with all of his might.

In an instant, the stag jumped, but wasn't going very far. It fell flat on its face in a few yards. An arrow protruded from its flank. It thrashed around on the ground trying to stand back up, so the archer placed a hand on Karnak's chest, commanding him to stay put, and went up behind the stag and ended its suffering.

"Good shot, m'lord," one guard said.

"Yes, we shall eat well once the cooks are done with it," said another.

"Thank you," Karnak said. He smiled to himself, but he tried to remain calm. He was supposed to be chivalrous. Like a good knight.

Karnak.jpg

King Karnak of Hungary as a small child, portrait done in the XV Century.
 
Homelands
Chapter Twenty Two: We Three Kings
Part 4


Prelude:
Inside Hungary, tensions grew in the two years after Karnak's ascension as King. Mihály Árápad used his massive fief and Papal support to his advantage, eventually gaining the support of the nobility and starting the Hungarian Civil War in 1220. The war was fought between the Bohemian and Prussian backed "Bloodites" and the Papal and German supported "Árápadites". King Dzintis of Bohemia wanted to work hard to ensure his father did not have to commit troops himself, instead saving the glory for himself as an independent ruler. Dzintis's place in European history was primarily defined by his role in the Hungarian Civil War. As a commander he lead the out-numbered Bloodites to an eventual victory over Mihály. But the war came at a cost, both in lives and coin, but also Dzintis's health and the wellbeing of the Hungarian countryside. The region would suffer under plague and famine quickly becoming an economic and cultural backwater. The region under Prussia would not get the loving attention that Prussia's own "core" provinces would receive. Historically Prussia and Hungary were in a Personal Union, giving the Kings very little reason to take care of their extra possessions. Even so, revolts were dealt with harshly, so the region would remain under Prussian rule until its rebirth.

1220a.png

Bohemia and Hungary in 1220, Bohemia is in Blue, Dark Grey is Mihály's personal realm, Light Grey is the Hungary, and the Darkest Grey is the Papal Fortress.

July 19th, 1220

Dzintis stopped at the head of his Bohemian army outside of Pest. Battle and attrition was leaving his army smaller each day. Reinforcements were headed his way, but to speed things up, he might have to start a tactical retreat to meet up with the Army of Moravia. His hope was in doing so it would convince Mihály that his army was weak and maybe even lull him into a foolish attack. The King sighed, that was what he was going to have to do. He looked down at the map of the city's defenses and nodded, confirming to himself what must be done.

"All right, sound the horns. We move north!" Dzintis shouted.

"A retreat, my liege?" asked the marshal.

"Yes, it is imperative that we meet up with the Army of Moravia as soon as possible."

The marshal looked unconvinced but nodded as was his duty, "Right away, your majesty." He left Dzintis's tent to rally the troops.

Dzintis turned to his aide, "Pack quickly. We do not want to be left behind." With that he left the tent as well and covered his eyes to shield them from the bright of day. Squinting his eyes he could make out the unsatisfied faces of his soldiers. But they did as commanded and were packing up in preparation to leave.

"We're in luck, sire, a letter from the commander of the army of Moravia: he's camped twenty miles to the west."

"Good, good. The my intuition was right. Please make sure that the men know that this is not a retreat. I do not need our spirit broken when we join up with the rest of the army."

"Very good sire." As the aide stepped away from Dzintis, the King caught him with a heavy hand on the shoulder. The King looked directly into his eyes and spoke clearly.

"All retreats are backwards advances, but not all backwards advances are retreats."

"Absolutely," and with that the aide was off to spread the word of the backwards advance. Now with little left to do, Dzintis mounted his horse and with his guard in quick pursuit was off to the front of the column of men.

"There is talk, my lord, that your father has sent troops as well," the commander of the guard said to Dzintis.

"Where did you hear this?"

"Some of the prisoners have spoke of a second army attacking Wallachia. Lucas's base in Banat is not strong enough to afford an attack. If it is to be believed, it must be your father and his general Zygimantas."

"Damned," Dzintis said, "My father is a kind soul, but this did not warrant meddling."

"He probably wants the war over quickly. Fighting in his backyard will disrupt trade."

"I assume, and we don't want father to lose a coin."

"He means well, my lord. Your father's kindness is known far and wide."

Dzintis turned to face commander who quickly quieted himself and looked away. Less widely known than Meinekinus's kindness was Dzintis's inferiority complex. But there was nothing more to be said, so the Bohemian King remained silent, content to chew his lip and scowl.

"What will the plan be once we meet up with the Moravians?"

"We will march to meet Mihály's army directly. Then back to Pest and we lay waste to it."

The commander smiled, "Sounds good. And after Pest? Shall we heat south into Slavonia?"

"We head east into Banat and free up Lucas."

"If I might, I believe that the Hungarians might be getting support from Croatia through Slavonia, it might be important to stop them." Dzintis was displeased. He said east, why would his marshal be disobeying this command? If Zygimantas is near Banat, his success must be limited.

"No, east. That is final." Dzintis remained facing away from the commander who looked displeased with his liege's single-mindedness. There was more to this than just personal glory, was he that blind to the issues?

"Yes, your majesty, east is best." He sighed heavily. Bohemia needed a great King to put itself back to the top of the German scene, but instead they got a boy. And the boy grew up, but he never grew up in the head. Thank God that Zygimantas would be there to salvage the war effort, the commander thought.

After an afternoon's march and just as the sky began to turn red the Army of Moravia, almost 12,000 men, came into view as a scattering of tents and fires. Tomorrow it would mean it was time to go to battle once more. The commander, prayed for strength that night. Strength to fight righteously and strength to deal with his liege's poor choices and damned honor. In Memelgrád those prayers were being matched.
 
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