The new year, 1578, was run in… unfortunately… with an inopportune defeat.
The city of Berg was on the very verge of capitulation, when the French arrived to break the siege and rescue them. Meanwhile, more combat raged, just to the south. Reinforcements were called in, from the east – drawing attention away from the Polish frontier to contain this new French breakthrough.
Not that the Polish frontier was really in crisis. It was just not likely to improve until Milan’s full concentration could be brought against her. Finally, by the end of February, an assault brought the first Polish province, Leipzig, under Milanese control.
There was an uneasy balance, of sorts, building in the north of France. Many French regiments had been able to rest, and to restore their morale and some of their strength while Emperor Massimiliano was focused on Paris. Finally, the Emperor made the fateful decision to leave a masking force – one strong enough to hold off assault until he could return – and to go stir the pot in the surrounding provinces once more. He was determined not to risk so much as Gen. Carafa had.
At the same time, Gen. Sfondratti finally had enough power to dare to contest Polish King Kasimierz, who had recently begun an assault upon the capital of Bohemia, but had not been able to bring the city to defeat before Sfondratti’s thousands of soldiers descended upon the perimeter.
Outnumbered, nearly two to one, the Imperial general gained tremendous success at first, and was very hopeful of a final victory. At least, he felt, he would save the city. Lausitz, to the north, was not fortunate enough to have such a protector. The city surrendered on March 8th.
In France, a siege and assault brought yet another city to its knees. It was hoped Paris would soon follow. Gen. Carafa’s first attempt to hold his siege at Vlaanderen failed.
Milan found itself in a tough, though not desperate, struggle. When Paris finally fell, on April 2nd, another bid was made to bring the French to terms.
Three provinces were asked – two in Germany, and one to connect Milan’s Spanish provinces with the isolated city of Armagnac. All in all, it was not a harsh request. But the French could not bring themselves to accept. The war dragged on.
In Bohemia, King Kasimierz had suffered tremendous losses – about 2,500, compared to less than 1,000 Imperial soldiers lost. But the Poles still hung on. Sieges still held fast in the west, against those German provinces owned by Poland, but Poland itself (and their newly secured prize of Lausitz) still seemed unassailable.
But Gen. Ghislieri dared to try. He brought 14,000 Imperials against 16,000 Polish soldiers at Lausitz. At least, it was felt, he would weaken the redoubts, so that another attempt might succeed later.
In France, Gen. Carafa had finally redeemed himself, having returned to Vlaanderen, and even assaulting the city, finally recapturing that island of Imperial control on the Channel coast.
In the first week of May, everything in the east came to a head. Troops were marshaled, and led, in such a way that by the second week, Ghislieri had actually succeeded in his attack at Lausitz, against all odds – had not won one, but rather two battles – and had even assaulted and recaptured the city. The Polish city of Erfurt also fell, and Anhalt was so close it might as well have fallen.
King Kasimierz, still locked in an enduring struggle at Bohemia, and also remaining at war with powerful Austria, accepted the inevitable. Taking advantage of Imperial eagerness to end this war, he consented to lose the province of Erfurt to Milan’s control.
But even at this moment of Imperial triumph, the war in the east seemed to be unraveling…
Emperor Massimiliano was embarrassed, as he, like Carafa, proved to have been overconfident with his control over Paris! The French were able to breach the siege while Massimiliano was engaged in furious combat near Othe. The Emperor broke off his promising battle in an attempt to retain Milan’s control over the Ile de France in the face of a French assault. To the north, the French had consolidated, and converged upon another Milanese force at Vermandois, who fled for their lives.
Remarkably, it was Massimiliano’s quick action, defeat of the French, and recapture of the wartorn and recently freed French capital, which added to word of peace with Poland that finally forced events…
Knowing that thousands of Milanese soldiers would soon return their attention to France, King Gaston’s calculus was that he had best accept the same demands that had been made nearly 3 months prior. Bearn, Hannover and Hesse became part of the Holy Roman Empire, and joined with the other newly conquered province of Erfurt to represent a vast territorial expansion for Milan.
If Milan’s power was feared before – indeed, enough to spark this long and widespread war – then Milan was feared even more now!
