So i've been fooling around for a few hours trying to find a good strategy for a Hungary into Transylvania via vassal release. It seems that becoming a March of Hungary still has issues where the nations you get to support your independence don't actually join you which makes it a bit tricky.
The first strategy I developed consisted of getting a start where Bohemia has a friendly disposition towards you and allying them and the Teutonic Order while fabricating a claim on Poland. Build a few cavalry and infantry to max out your FL and when claim is complete, DOW Poland. When decision comes to keep or kick out Janos, keep him because you can't DOW without him as regent. Unless Poland or Lithuania get super lucky with generals, you can tear Poland and Lithuania a new one and force Poland to release Moldavia. The idea behind doing this is to open up expansion possibilities later as well as make sure Poland is pissed off at Hungary. With Moldavia free, you can release Croatia and then insult and rival Bohemia, rival Poland, and insult the Teutonic Order and break alliance, insult France, Austria and Burgundy for good measure to help prevent alliances forming with any major powers. This done you can release and play as Transylvania. If you want you can wreck Hungary's armies, economy etc to make them weak as well.
From there it can be a bit tricky. Poland will support you with a little buttering up but thats about it. Preferably in the previous war you don't want to prevent or destroy Poland+Lithuania union or else Teutonic Order might get ideas on Poland if they don't get smashed by Denmark or Pomerania. Once a good opening presents itself you can declare independence.
The second strategy is a little more simple. Get a game started where Bohemia and Poland at a minimum rival you, if Austria does, even better. Choose to kick out Janos and remove him as a general, then release Croatia and Transylvania. Fairly simple to get supported by Poland and Bohemia and get your independence from there.
Now the bad news...i'm not sure if this applies to the first method or not since I didn't play it all the way through to gaining independence due to some bits of bad luck and other little things I hadn't planned for, but when I did the second method (without Austria support), even though I waited the 5 years for truce to end, when I declared and got enough warscore I took Bekes and forced the cancellation of vassal Croatia. I got a net total of like 80 AE with almost everyone nearby. I had to wait ages for Austria to calm down. I did do another war against Hungary though and took Somogy since Austria took Sopron, giving me a border with Austria. Even though I could RM them, it wasn't until the 1470s that I could get them to ally and work my way into the HRE. I had also picked up a coalition from Croatia and Wallachia and with Bohemia having a defensive posture, they wouldn't help in any wars against them.
I suppose a third variation could be to not release Croatia and that should allow support from Venice(if you release Croatia then Venice wont support because it can't reach Hungary). I'm not sure if taking Bekes, Sopron, and Somogy in the independence war would cause you to be too big to join HRE though. If Poland, Bohemia, Austria, and Venice can all be gotten as supporters, the subsequent alliance would also make winning a war against the Ottomans for the Balkans a snap.
Going to play around with it a bit more and see if I can manage some better starts. Preferably without having to wait 15-20 years to join the HRE.
Update: Looks like just getting a start where Venice, Bohemia and Poland are all rivaled is more than good. Can just kick out Janos as a general and switch to Transylvania right away. Get support from Venice, Bohemia, & Poland and declare after the 5 year timer. At one point Austria can be RM'd but not gotten to support even with a statesman. I took Bekes, Temes, Somogy and Varasd and still small enough to enter the HRE, just need 162 relations but can only get to 150 right away because of 29 AE on Austria (but we are allies). All by 1457. Unfortunately I ended up with a regency from bad luck monarch death (didn't even make him a general and he died during independence war). But I believe I should be able to get support from everyone to invade the Ottomans and expand into the Balkans and eat up->vassalize Hungary later on.
Edit: I think I may have accidentally attacked before the 5 year truce was up(didn't wait for end of month) and thats why I gained so much AE with Austria in the one attempt.
The first strategy I developed consisted of getting a start where Bohemia has a friendly disposition towards you and allying them and the Teutonic Order while fabricating a claim on Poland. Build a few cavalry and infantry to max out your FL and when claim is complete, DOW Poland. When decision comes to keep or kick out Janos, keep him because you can't DOW without him as regent. Unless Poland or Lithuania get super lucky with generals, you can tear Poland and Lithuania a new one and force Poland to release Moldavia. The idea behind doing this is to open up expansion possibilities later as well as make sure Poland is pissed off at Hungary. With Moldavia free, you can release Croatia and then insult and rival Bohemia, rival Poland, and insult the Teutonic Order and break alliance, insult France, Austria and Burgundy for good measure to help prevent alliances forming with any major powers. This done you can release and play as Transylvania. If you want you can wreck Hungary's armies, economy etc to make them weak as well.
From there it can be a bit tricky. Poland will support you with a little buttering up but thats about it. Preferably in the previous war you don't want to prevent or destroy Poland+Lithuania union or else Teutonic Order might get ideas on Poland if they don't get smashed by Denmark or Pomerania. Once a good opening presents itself you can declare independence.
The second strategy is a little more simple. Get a game started where Bohemia and Poland at a minimum rival you, if Austria does, even better. Choose to kick out Janos and remove him as a general, then release Croatia and Transylvania. Fairly simple to get supported by Poland and Bohemia and get your independence from there.
Now the bad news...i'm not sure if this applies to the first method or not since I didn't play it all the way through to gaining independence due to some bits of bad luck and other little things I hadn't planned for, but when I did the second method (without Austria support), even though I waited the 5 years for truce to end, when I declared and got enough warscore I took Bekes and forced the cancellation of vassal Croatia. I got a net total of like 80 AE with almost everyone nearby. I had to wait ages for Austria to calm down. I did do another war against Hungary though and took Somogy since Austria took Sopron, giving me a border with Austria. Even though I could RM them, it wasn't until the 1470s that I could get them to ally and work my way into the HRE. I had also picked up a coalition from Croatia and Wallachia and with Bohemia having a defensive posture, they wouldn't help in any wars against them.
I suppose a third variation could be to not release Croatia and that should allow support from Venice(if you release Croatia then Venice wont support because it can't reach Hungary). I'm not sure if taking Bekes, Sopron, and Somogy in the independence war would cause you to be too big to join HRE though. If Poland, Bohemia, Austria, and Venice can all be gotten as supporters, the subsequent alliance would also make winning a war against the Ottomans for the Balkans a snap.
Going to play around with it a bit more and see if I can manage some better starts. Preferably without having to wait 15-20 years to join the HRE.
Update: Looks like just getting a start where Venice, Bohemia and Poland are all rivaled is more than good. Can just kick out Janos as a general and switch to Transylvania right away. Get support from Venice, Bohemia, & Poland and declare after the 5 year timer. At one point Austria can be RM'd but not gotten to support even with a statesman. I took Bekes, Temes, Somogy and Varasd and still small enough to enter the HRE, just need 162 relations but can only get to 150 right away because of 29 AE on Austria (but we are allies). All by 1457. Unfortunately I ended up with a regency from bad luck monarch death (didn't even make him a general and he died during independence war). But I believe I should be able to get support from everyone to invade the Ottomans and expand into the Balkans and eat up->vassalize Hungary later on.
Edit: I think I may have accidentally attacked before the 5 year truce was up(didn't wait for end of month) and thats why I gained so much AE with Austria in the one attempt.
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