Machiavellian said:
As a hungarian I love that part of the story!Keep on writing Machiavellian!
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As a hungarian I love that part of the story!Keep on writing Machiavellian!
You just gotta love the irony in this last installment. Austria being humbled, the Mongols of the Golden Horde becoming vassals...great stuff!
"The soundest strategy in war is to postpone operations until the moral disintegration of the enemy renders the delivery of the mortal blow both possible and easy." -- V. I. Lenin
Despite the submission of Duke Leapold of Austria, the war that had begun due to the notorious Klinehart affair was far from over. It was the Knights who had in truth caused the war and they, while prevented from taking any action in the European conflicts due to a joint Hungarian-Byzantine naval blockade, remained confident on their mighty fortress island of Rhodes. It is said that nearly fifty thousand experienced Crusader Knights waited on the shores of Rhodes, eager to due battle should Roman or Magyar set foot on their sacred soil. Emperor Ferenc II was far too wise to attempt such a landing, instead focusing on the powerful forces of Hessen.
Hessen obviously did not wish to make the Hungarians job any easier and had much to prove, or so they believed, on the battlefield. The Hessians considered themselves the future leaders of a united north germany and had a bitter rivalry with the Prussians, who they considered feeble due to the fact that they did not earn their freedom in riteous revolution against the English as they themselves had. Furthermore under the leadership of Count Karl of the old line of Hesse-Kasse, the Hessians seemed to produce many fine military leaders. This was proved again best in the old Saxon city of Wittemburg, which perhaps suffered the most in the war.
The battles of Wittemburg
"It is on gods green earth that we were put here to fight. I can think of no greater distinction than fighting well and having lived a just life. It was the fate that god set for us to break the tyranny of England over the north. So to now has god decreed that we shall break the tyranny of the magyar crown. And break them we shall, here.. now.. at Wittemburg." -- Count Ernst Ludwig von Hesse-Darmstadt, In a speech to the Hessian army before the third battle of Wittemburg, 1700 A.D.
It was in the first days of July, the year of our lord sixteen ninety-nine, that the german army of Hungary under the command of Mihal Oramosy marched near to a ten miles from the walls of Wittemburg. It was the hope of commander Oramosy that he could singlehandedly relieve the Prussian city from the detirmined Hessians. What he got instead was a battle he could not win. The next morning, the Hessian general, a viscount by the name of Otto von Romscrafft, engaged the hungarian army. Not only did the crafty hessian manage to position cavalry on the hungarians right flank, but his army also outnumbered his foes. The battle was brief and bloody. The Hessians gave no quarter on order of the ruthless von Romscrafft, who then ordered that the bodies should not be buried and left as a gruesome display to any enemy forces that made an future attempt to relieve the city.
The summer caused the bodies to rot and stink and attracted hundreds of carrions crows, along with a plethy of disease. Surprisingly the Hessians managed to avoid most of the sickiness, but the germans villiagers around the city of Wittemburg were not so fortunate. Though Anhalt remained under the Hessian seige, Emperor Ferenc II ordered another army to march straight for the capital of Kessel. If Hungary could not win through direct conflict of arms, the numbers of the Empire would outflank and overwelm the Hessians, or so the Emperor of the Double Cross reasoned.
The second battle of Wittemburg occured on the 18th of August, which most report as one of the hottest days of the entire summer. The hungarian army marched in steady rhythm despite the weather under the command of a distant cousin of the Emperor through marriage, count Wytalyius Maÿlat. Wytalyius was an up and coming military hero who had gained for himself some renown in other minor battles before the war, though mostly against rebel scum. He saw this as his chance to prove himself against an experienced army and rival commander. The battle proved to be just what he was searching for. When many of the hungarians encountered the rotting remains of their fellows in arms, many wanted nothing more than to charge with Bayonnet's gleaming at the hessians. Fortunately the count maintained order. Instead for many days, through the blistering summer heat, the two armies fought each other in classic formations. Volley after Volley sending hundreds of soldiers to their deaths. Many future military historians point to this battle as a classic example of late seventeenth century warfare. To the two opposing nobles, it was nothing more than a giant chess game, with thousands of lives and great glory on the line. It all turned on August 30th, when astride his white charger, seeking to motivate his men, Von Romscrafft was shot in squarely in the chest by a veteran from Wurzburg whose brother had been killed in the previous battle with Romscrafft. Seeing their leader fall from his steed, shook the morale of the Hessian army and while it did not at first crumble, within two days the skillful hungarian count pierced the opposing armies left and forced a retreat. Rather than persue the Hessian army, Count Maÿlat allowed the army to rest, knowing that he had earned a fair share of glory for himself while relieving the seige. The Wurzburgian unfortunately died the day following his deed, torn apart by the unlucky landing of a cannon ball.
While the third battle of Wittemburg would not take place until 1700 A.D., several other momentous events did occur at the very end of 1699. After a christmas eve feast with Emperor Ferenc II, Duke Leapold I of Austria announced formally to all in attendence, including the Emperor of the Byzantines Konstantinos XIII, that he and his dutchy would enter into alliance with the two Empires, Jerusalem and Prussia. With this news and the sighting of a meteor over the skies of Mainz, which astronomers later named Leopold, many scared peasents believed the world was coming to an end. They of course were proved wrong.
On the 28th of December, the Hessian capital city of Kessel fell under the control of Hungarian troops and Count Karl Hesse-Kessel, leader of Hessen was locked away within his own beautiful palace. On order of the Emperor himself, little looting occured within the capital city of the Hessians and for the most part respect was given to the captive nobleman. As the year passed into a new century, Emperor Ferenc II took up the traditional sword and war crown of the Hungarian kings and made it known that he would command the armies personally in the war. This however, was more of a symbolic gesture, as he was far from the northern front lines and had no intention of traveling by sea to Rhodes.
Even as Kessel fell to the Hungarians, the cousin of Karl, land Count Ernst Ludwig von Darmstadt-Hesse managed to gather together the surivors of Wittemburg and incorportate them into his own army. While loyal to Hessen as a whole, the same loyalty can not be applied to his cousin Karl. An ambitious man by nature, Ernst was from the Darmstadt line of old Hesse and wished nothing more than to reclaim the county under his name. While arrogant, he was quite able. Though not the diplomat that his cousin Karl was, he surpassed the Kessel-Hesse in military aptitude. Marching with twenty six thousand loyal troops, he met the Hungarians at Wittemburg. Once more the city and its surrounding area became a battlefield, as artillery pounded away and soldiers mobilized to meet one another. Again two nobles pitted men against one another, bullets ending thousand of lives in their prime. The Hessians were detirmined and would not give an inch, continuously hammering the hungarian line with fire with brilliance not expected from such a young military power. Finally on the 4th of January, 1700 the hungarian army of Wittemburg had too much. Too many had died for defending this piece of prussian land. Von Darmstadt-Hesse allowed the hungarians to retreat, wishing next to march on Kessel and make peace, though he never got the chance. As for Count Wytalyius Maÿlat, he escaped in the retreat alive, though he would never return to the field of combat, so shaken by his defeat at Wittemburg, which ironicly was the site of his greatest victory as well.
Despite Ernst Ludwig von Darmstadt-Hesse's victory at Wittemburg, his glory proved to be short lived. Less then twenty four hours after the last of the retreating hungarians disapeared from sight, a new army appeared on the Horizon baring the black cross of the Prussia. Adding to what would be a long rivalry, Prussian and Hessian fought bitterly in the ruined city of Wittemburg that day and for ten long days afterwards. In the end the Hessian army was all but obliterated and Ernst perished in a cavalry charge which had to his credit nearly turned the tide.
Learning of the fate of his cousin and knowing that the war was no hopeless Count Karl von Kessel-Hesse agreed to the terms of the Hungarian Emperor in late may. He would swear fealty to the crown of St. Stephen like many before him and the county of Hesse would pay 100,000 ducats in indemnities.
The fall of the Hospitillers
"Better a thousand times to die with glory than live without honor."
-- Louis VI of France, 1081-1137
With Hessen defeated and now a member of the growing list of Hungarian vassals, all that remained was the inevitable battle with the Knights of Saint John, the legendary Hospitillers. On the continent, preperations were made for an attack on Rhodes, with hope of being more successful then the two failed byzantine landings since the war began.
But the world did not stay still for such preperations and the rebellious englishmen in Delaware took up arms in a revolt. Known as the June revolt, creatively named after the month in which it took place, the protestants in delaware killed to a man the local garrison and held the city for three months before troops from Santee and Carolina restored peace to the region. Also in the Atlantian colonies the Shawnee of Kentucky eagerly accepted the teachings of christ and what they were told was the superior hungarian culture.
In August, in an effort to encourage more participation in an attack on Rhodes, the Emperors beautiful cousin Istalia was sent to the King of Jerusalem as a bride. This had the desired result, but rather than go ahead in an attack immediately, Ferenc II decided to wait and continue the military build up, for an interesting development was occuring within the ancient knightly order. Apparently a civil war of sorts was brewing between the sixty three year old Grand Master Ramon Perellós de Rocafull, who supported Klinehart and the continued war .. and the younger and ambitious sienese knight Marc'Antonio Chigi Zondadari. Zondadari was clearly Rocafull's obvious successor, but the thirty eight year old believed that this war would destroy the order and had a personal hatred for Klinehart, who apparently deflowered Marc'Antonio's sister. Throughout the months of September, November and december the Knights fought bitterly amongst themselves, providing the allied forces the opening they desired. Ignoring the news that Philip of Bourbon took Carlos II place as King of Spain, making the mighty nation a vassal a france, the invasion fleets converged on the island stronghold of Rhodes.
The Island of Rhodes in december was filled with the sound of combat, as forces of Jerusalem, Byzantium, Hungary and two rival factions of the knights fought over control of the island. It is said that the island swarmed with soldiers and so thick was the fighting, that confusion ran rampant. In early January there was even an instance of troops from Byzantium exchanging fire for nearly three hours with Hungarian turks. Eventually Zondadari's faction gained control of the order, but it was too late for peace and he knew it. He and his followers fought three pitched battles, killing thousands on all sides, before they retreated to the walls of one of the great citadels to await the ultimate conclusion. It is not surprising that Zondadari and the remaining knights held out for a year, as well as other bands of knights that were loyal to their own smaller factions. Finally however in late June 1702, after a daring assault led by the Byzantine Emperor himself the great walls were breached and the Knights surrendered. The remaining Hospitillers were banished from the island and in a rushed speech, Konstantinos XIII covered in soot and needing support due to an injured leg, declared the Island of Rhodes once more returned to the Romans and the Byzantine Empire.
The Knights of the Hospitiller however were not as it seemed destined for the scap heap of history, for two Monarchs found it in their hearts to give the order a chance to continue its legacy. One such monarch was surprisingly Ferenc II. On July 11th, a french knight of Rhodes by the name of Francis Fornovi came to the Emperor of Hungary along with the powerful cardinal Andre Bosio. Together the two requested funds to rebuild the order in service to the Emperor of Hungary, claiming that it was gods will. Ferenc II, agreed that the knightly orders had long served gods will and though he did not entirely trust the frenchmen, he agreed under several conditions. First, the order he would fund must not be the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, for Hungary was not in control of that sacred city. And secondly, several of the codes in the twelve precepts must be changed.
While Sir Francis Fornovi mused over this, the King of Aragon made a similar proposition to the exiled Hospitillers under the new Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari. The Aragonese King went so far as to give his capital, fabulous Malta to Zondadari under the condition that the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem swear fealty to him. Zondadari readily became an Aragonese Vassal and the court of Aragon moved to distant New Aragon, in Table - a province in southern africa. At first many questioned this move, but it was soon discovered that New Aragon was a rich and beautiful region, flooding with new immigrants everyday.
As for Sir Francis Fornovi, he founded the new order of Saint Irenaeus of Aleppo. Building a great fortress in Aleppo the new tenents of the order were merely altered slightly from the old. They can still be seen on the monument of Grand Master Fornovi in Aleppo.
* Thou shalt obey the Commandments of Almighty God.
* Thou shalt believe the teachings of the Holy Church and obey all her admonitions.
* Thou shalt defend the One, Holy, Catholic Church.
* Thou shalt love the Country of thy Emperor and the crown of most holy Saint Stephen.
* Thou shalt be forever faithful to our Sovereign Order and thy Brothers in Saint Irenaeus.
* Thou shalt never quit the struggle or surrender to the enemy.
* Thou shalt lead an unceasing and uncompromising war against the infidel and every ungodly force.
* Thou shalt not lie, and thou shalt stay ever true to thy word.
* Thou shalt be generous and charitable.
* Thou shalt show regard for our weaker kinsmen and defend them.
* Thou shalt always and in all places be a champion of good and justice against evil and iniquity.
* Thou shalt do all in thy power to preserve the True Faith and build a Christian Civilization.
Of the twelve precepts, only the fourth was truly altered, for the Knights of Saint John remained loyal to their land of birth, whereas the Emperor desired a diverse knighthood that would remain loyal to Hungary, regardless of the birthplace of its members.
Despite the submission of Duke Leapold of Austria, the war that had begun due to the notorious Klinehart affair was far from over. It was the Knights who had in truth caused the war and they, while prevented from taking any action in the European conflicts due to a joint Hungarian-Byzantine naval blockade, remained confident on their mighty fortress island of Rhodes. It is said that nearly fifty thousand experienced Crusader Knights waited on the shores of Rhodes, eager to due battle should Roman or Magyar set foot on their sacred soil. Emperor Ferenc II was far too wise to attempt such a landing, instead focusing on the powerful forces of Hessen.
Hessen obviously did not wish to make the Hungarians job any easier and had much to prove, or so they believed, on the battlefield. The Hessians considered themselves the future leaders of a united north germany and had a bitter rivalry with the Prussians, who they considered feeble due to the fact that they did not earn their freedom in riteous revolution against the English as they themselves had. Furthermore under the leadership of Count Karl of the old line of Hesse-Kasse, the Hessians seemed to produce many fine military leaders. This was proved again best in the old Saxon city of Wittemburg, which perhaps suffered the most in the war.
The battles of Wittemburg
"It is on gods green earth that we were put here to fight. I can think of no greater distinction than fighting well and having lived a just life. It was the fate that god set for us to break the tyranny of England over the north. So to now has god decreed that we shall break the tyranny of the magyar crown. And break them we shall, here.. now.. at Wittemburg." -- Count Ernst Ludwig von Hesse-Darmstadt, In a speech to the Hessian army before the third battle of Wittemburg, 1700 A.D.
It was in the first days of July, the year of our lord sixteen ninety-nine, that the german army of Hungary under the command of Mihal Oramosy marched near to a ten miles from the walls of Wittemburg. It was the hope of commander Oramosy that he could singlehandedly relieve the Prussian city from the detirmined Hessians. What he got instead was a battle he could not win. The next morning, the Hessian general, a viscount by the name of Otto von Romscrafft, engaged the hungarian army. Not only did the crafty hessian manage to position cavalry on the hungarians right flank, but his army also outnumbered his foes. The battle was brief and bloody. The Hessians gave no quarter on order of the ruthless von Romscrafft, who then ordered that the bodies should not be buried and left as a gruesome display to any enemy forces that made an future attempt to relieve the city.
The summer caused the bodies to rot and stink and attracted hundreds of carrions crows, along with a plethy of disease. Surprisingly the Hessians managed to avoid most of the sickiness, but the germans villiagers around the city of Wittemburg were not so fortunate. Though Anhalt remained under the Hessian seige, Emperor Ferenc II ordered another army to march straight for the capital of Kessel. If Hungary could not win through direct conflict of arms, the numbers of the Empire would outflank and overwelm the Hessians, or so the Emperor of the Double Cross reasoned.
The second battle of Wittemburg occured on the 18th of August, which most report as one of the hottest days of the entire summer. The hungarian army marched in steady rhythm despite the weather under the command of a distant cousin of the Emperor through marriage, count Wytalyius Maÿlat. Wytalyius was an up and coming military hero who had gained for himself some renown in other minor battles before the war, though mostly against rebel scum. He saw this as his chance to prove himself against an experienced army and rival commander. The battle proved to be just what he was searching for. When many of the hungarians encountered the rotting remains of their fellows in arms, many wanted nothing more than to charge with Bayonnet's gleaming at the hessians. Fortunately the count maintained order. Instead for many days, through the blistering summer heat, the two armies fought each other in classic formations. Volley after Volley sending hundreds of soldiers to their deaths. Many future military historians point to this battle as a classic example of late seventeenth century warfare. To the two opposing nobles, it was nothing more than a giant chess game, with thousands of lives and great glory on the line. It all turned on August 30th, when astride his white charger, seeking to motivate his men, Von Romscrafft was shot in squarely in the chest by a veteran from Wurzburg whose brother had been killed in the previous battle with Romscrafft. Seeing their leader fall from his steed, shook the morale of the Hessian army and while it did not at first crumble, within two days the skillful hungarian count pierced the opposing armies left and forced a retreat. Rather than persue the Hessian army, Count Maÿlat allowed the army to rest, knowing that he had earned a fair share of glory for himself while relieving the seige. The Wurzburgian unfortunately died the day following his deed, torn apart by the unlucky landing of a cannon ball.
While the third battle of Wittemburg would not take place until 1700 A.D., several other momentous events did occur at the very end of 1699. After a christmas eve feast with Emperor Ferenc II, Duke Leapold I of Austria announced formally to all in attendence, including the Emperor of the Byzantines Konstantinos XIII, that he and his dutchy would enter into alliance with the two Empires, Jerusalem and Prussia. With this news and the sighting of a meteor over the skies of Mainz, which astronomers later named Leopold, many scared peasents believed the world was coming to an end. They of course were proved wrong.
On the 28th of December, the Hessian capital city of Kessel fell under the control of Hungarian troops and Count Karl Hesse-Kessel, leader of Hessen was locked away within his own beautiful palace. On order of the Emperor himself, little looting occured within the capital city of the Hessians and for the most part respect was given to the captive nobleman. As the year passed into a new century, Emperor Ferenc II took up the traditional sword and war crown of the Hungarian kings and made it known that he would command the armies personally in the war. This however, was more of a symbolic gesture, as he was far from the northern front lines and had no intention of traveling by sea to Rhodes.
Even as Kessel fell to the Hungarians, the cousin of Karl, land Count Ernst Ludwig von Darmstadt-Hesse managed to gather together the surivors of Wittemburg and incorportate them into his own army. While loyal to Hessen as a whole, the same loyalty can not be applied to his cousin Karl. An ambitious man by nature, Ernst was from the Darmstadt line of old Hesse and wished nothing more than to reclaim the county under his name. While arrogant, he was quite able. Though not the diplomat that his cousin Karl was, he surpassed the Kessel-Hesse in military aptitude. Marching with twenty six thousand loyal troops, he met the Hungarians at Wittemburg. Once more the city and its surrounding area became a battlefield, as artillery pounded away and soldiers mobilized to meet one another. Again two nobles pitted men against one another, bullets ending thousand of lives in their prime. The Hessians were detirmined and would not give an inch, continuously hammering the hungarian line with fire with brilliance not expected from such a young military power. Finally on the 4th of January, 1700 the hungarian army of Wittemburg had too much. Too many had died for defending this piece of prussian land. Von Darmstadt-Hesse allowed the hungarians to retreat, wishing next to march on Kessel and make peace, though he never got the chance. As for Count Wytalyius Maÿlat, he escaped in the retreat alive, though he would never return to the field of combat, so shaken by his defeat at Wittemburg, which ironicly was the site of his greatest victory as well.
Despite Ernst Ludwig von Darmstadt-Hesse's victory at Wittemburg, his glory proved to be short lived. Less then twenty four hours after the last of the retreating hungarians disapeared from sight, a new army appeared on the Horizon baring the black cross of the Prussia. Adding to what would be a long rivalry, Prussian and Hessian fought bitterly in the ruined city of Wittemburg that day and for ten long days afterwards. In the end the Hessian army was all but obliterated and Ernst perished in a cavalry charge which had to his credit nearly turned the tide.
Learning of the fate of his cousin and knowing that the war was no hopeless Count Karl von Kessel-Hesse agreed to the terms of the Hungarian Emperor in late may. He would swear fealty to the crown of St. Stephen like many before him and the county of Hesse would pay 100,000 ducats in indemnities.
The fall of the Hospitillers
"Better a thousand times to die with glory than live without honor."
-- Louis VI of France, 1081-1137
With Hessen defeated and now a member of the growing list of Hungarian vassals, all that remained was the inevitable battle with the Knights of Saint John, the legendary Hospitillers. On the continent, preperations were made for an attack on Rhodes, with hope of being more successful then the two failed byzantine landings since the war began.
But the world did not stay still for such preperations and the rebellious englishmen in Delaware took up arms in a revolt. Known as the June revolt, creatively named after the month in which it took place, the protestants in delaware killed to a man the local garrison and held the city for three months before troops from Santee and Carolina restored peace to the region. Also in the Atlantian colonies the Shawnee of Kentucky eagerly accepted the teachings of christ and what they were told was the superior hungarian culture.
In August, in an effort to encourage more participation in an attack on Rhodes, the Emperors beautiful cousin Istalia was sent to the King of Jerusalem as a bride. This had the desired result, but rather than go ahead in an attack immediately, Ferenc II decided to wait and continue the military build up, for an interesting development was occuring within the ancient knightly order. Apparently a civil war of sorts was brewing between the sixty three year old Grand Master Ramon Perellós de Rocafull, who supported Klinehart and the continued war .. and the younger and ambitious sienese knight Marc'Antonio Chigi Zondadari. Zondadari was clearly Rocafull's obvious successor, but the thirty eight year old believed that this war would destroy the order and had a personal hatred for Klinehart, who apparently deflowered Marc'Antonio's sister. Throughout the months of September, November and december the Knights fought bitterly amongst themselves, providing the allied forces the opening they desired. Ignoring the news that Philip of Bourbon took Carlos II place as King of Spain, making the mighty nation a vassal a france, the invasion fleets converged on the island stronghold of Rhodes.
The Island of Rhodes in december was filled with the sound of combat, as forces of Jerusalem, Byzantium, Hungary and two rival factions of the knights fought over control of the island. It is said that the island swarmed with soldiers and so thick was the fighting, that confusion ran rampant. In early January there was even an instance of troops from Byzantium exchanging fire for nearly three hours with Hungarian turks. Eventually Zondadari's faction gained control of the order, but it was too late for peace and he knew it. He and his followers fought three pitched battles, killing thousands on all sides, before they retreated to the walls of one of the great citadels to await the ultimate conclusion. It is not surprising that Zondadari and the remaining knights held out for a year, as well as other bands of knights that were loyal to their own smaller factions. Finally however in late June 1702, after a daring assault led by the Byzantine Emperor himself the great walls were breached and the Knights surrendered. The remaining Hospitillers were banished from the island and in a rushed speech, Konstantinos XIII covered in soot and needing support due to an injured leg, declared the Island of Rhodes once more returned to the Romans and the Byzantine Empire.
The Knights of the Hospitiller however were not as it seemed destined for the scap heap of history, for two Monarchs found it in their hearts to give the order a chance to continue its legacy. One such monarch was surprisingly Ferenc II. On July 11th, a french knight of Rhodes by the name of Francis Fornovi came to the Emperor of Hungary along with the powerful cardinal Andre Bosio. Together the two requested funds to rebuild the order in service to the Emperor of Hungary, claiming that it was gods will. Ferenc II, agreed that the knightly orders had long served gods will and though he did not entirely trust the frenchmen, he agreed under several conditions. First, the order he would fund must not be the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, for Hungary was not in control of that sacred city. And secondly, several of the codes in the twelve precepts must be changed.
While Sir Francis Fornovi mused over this, the King of Aragon made a similar proposition to the exiled Hospitillers under the new Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari. The Aragonese King went so far as to give his capital, fabulous Malta to Zondadari under the condition that the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem swear fealty to him. Zondadari readily became an Aragonese Vassal and the court of Aragon moved to distant New Aragon, in Table - a province in southern africa. At first many questioned this move, but it was soon discovered that New Aragon was a rich and beautiful region, flooding with new immigrants everyday.
As for Sir Francis Fornovi, he founded the new order of Saint Irenaeus of Aleppo. Building a great fortress in Aleppo the new tenents of the order were merely altered slightly from the old. They can still be seen on the monument of Grand Master Fornovi in Aleppo.
* Thou shalt obey the Commandments of Almighty God.
* Thou shalt believe the teachings of the Holy Church and obey all her admonitions.
* Thou shalt defend the One, Holy, Catholic Church.
* Thou shalt love the Country of thy Emperor and the crown of most holy Saint Stephen.
* Thou shalt be forever faithful to our Sovereign Order and thy Brothers in Saint Irenaeus.
* Thou shalt never quit the struggle or surrender to the enemy.
* Thou shalt lead an unceasing and uncompromising war against the infidel and every ungodly force.
* Thou shalt not lie, and thou shalt stay ever true to thy word.
* Thou shalt be generous and charitable.
* Thou shalt show regard for our weaker kinsmen and defend them.
* Thou shalt always and in all places be a champion of good and justice against evil and iniquity.
* Thou shalt do all in thy power to preserve the True Faith and build a Christian Civilization.
Of the twelve precepts, only the fourth was truly altered, for the Knights of Saint John remained loyal to their land of birth, whereas the Emperor desired a diverse knighthood that would remain loyal to Hungary, regardless of the birthplace of its members.
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Chapter XIV: The growth of the Vassals
"Peace will come soon to stay, and so come as to be worth keeping in all future time. It will then have been proved that our Empire is with no rival and that our actions have been with Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, in forging a world of peace and christian brotherhood." -- Emperor Ferenc II of Hungary, the year of our lord 1702.
"One cannot subdue a man by holding back his hands. Lasting peace comes not from force." -- David Borenstein
As the great wars of Germany and the Mediterranean came to a close, focus turned inward once more, specifically towards the constantly growing colonial empire developing in the west. The riteous inquisitions of the conquered lands seemed to finally be having some amount of success. By 1703 the Iroqouis lands of Eire and Hindua were purged of their pagan beliefs and transformed into more model citizens, as well as the shawnee Miamis. In addition, the english in delaware abandoned protestantism after some thorough convincing and returned to the more acceptable catholic faith. Of course in the old world the stupid bastards of Nuyssaybin refused to halt their outlawed religion and attempted yet another failed rebellion. The Emperor and leading nobles in the region were beginning to become aggitated with the Nuyssaybin situation.
Also in 1703 a enterprising young man from the imperial territory of provence gained royal favor and embarked on a exploration across the atlantic with hopes of rounding cape horn for Viti Levu and exploring the great pacific beyond. The following year proved rather uneventful and the only historical note was the outbreak of a small, yet deadly disease in the sleepy land of Ragusa. Unknown to all was that this disease would be spread througout the Empire in the winter of 1705, due to the vastness of ragusan shipping and merchants.
The may of 1705 saw the death of Duke Leopold I and the rise of the Austrian Duke Joseph I, son of Leopold. A musican and appreciator of the fine arts, Joseph resigned himself to improving the quality of life in Vienna, hoping to make the city stand out as a beacon throughout europe, despite the decline in austrian power. He was not however without his own share of influence, for not long after he came to power, the electorates of the HRE, of which hungary had no vote despite its vast power, declared the young Duke Emperor of the Romans. This of course did not sit well with either Emperor Ferenc II or Emperor Konstantinos XIII, and both began plotting to bring an end to the situation. Ferenc II however was distracted from such when he soon heard world of a vast island discovered in the south pacific, which the sailors dubbed Australia. Colonization of the great island did not commense very quickly however, for the ragusan plague had by then spread throughout the entire empire; Hellas, Istria, Tyrolia, Bulgaria, Ansbach, even Tahiti fell victim to the deadly strain. Worst hit however was the capital provence of the magyars and piedmont.
More internal problems struck in the year of seventeen hundred and six, when the powerful Atlantian lords of New Dobrudja, Puerto Rico and New Maros in the Bahamas sought to subjugate the citizens and return them to status closer to serfdom. They were far away from the heart of the Empire and sought to rule like kings within their island dominions. Of particular note was the Tyrolian noble Arnwolf Baldemar, who held vast influence on New Maros. The Hungarian Emperor believed that the nobility had enough influence and power as was, and refused to see his predecessors work in eradicating serfdom put to shame. Declaring his support for the 'peasants' as the nobles called them, a mini-civil war began. Viscount Penn Baldemar, unclue to the lord of New Maros and member of the golden bull and hungarian diet objected to the Emperors decree. Soon greedy nobles began to side with the Baldemar family and an open revolt began. On September 25th, the forces of New Maros and New Dobrudja took control of the island dominions and the capital of the very boiled with rebellion. Two days later, five powerful nobles of the diet, including Penn Baldemar gathered an army behind them sought to take control for themselves. The imperial guards were defeated, surprised and overwelmed by the rebellion, though to the ambitious nobles dismay the Emperor and his family had escaped to Budapest.
Vice-Prince Ambrus was quick to react to the local insurrection, having far greater control over the colonial fleets and a vaster body from which to draw troops, he systematicly retook the islands, imprisoned the disloyal nobles and redistributed their holdings between several nobles, granting much of New Dobrudja to Emmanuel Elradiam, a simple hebrew shipwright who had done many services to Ambrus and the colonial empire with minimum charge. The faction behind Penn Baldemar in the capital however proved more difficult in bringing under control. Calling upon the Knighthood of the Dragon and reportedly offering them much of the fianances of those who had dared rise up, two pitched battles were fought in and around the capital. By the 1st of December, the order of the Dragon ruthlessly purged the capital of Penn Baldemar and his supporters. Returning to the Capital, Emperor Ferenc II began searching for a bride. Despite still having difficulty getting over the death of his former lover, of which he was reminded by yet another failed rebellion by the muslim people of Nuyussybin (who weren't citizens due to their faith), the Emperor knew that he must continue the Rákóczy royal line. At first he sought a bride in the court of Flanders, but was turned down. Surprised, but undaunted he instead sent word to Aragon, long the nation of choice for brides for the Hungarian Emperors. He found a bride in the Kings unmarried sister, Catalin. They were wed the summer of 1708 with much pomp and flare in a cathedral suituated outside the new university in Fort Lyon. In attendence were the King of France and reigning soveriegn of the Huguenots, as well as the three Iberian Kings, Emperor Ferenc II's sister Zsofia and her husband prince Alexius of Byzantium. Also in force were the imperial guards, who had worried about a possible attempt of the Emperors life. Fortunately this never occured.
The year of 1709 proved to be an exceptional one, not only had annual returns from the previous year been high, but more and more discoveries were being made in the pacific. While attempts to colonize them were not planned anytime soon, the knowledge in itself was of value. The minor county of Kleves made a gamble for independence from France in July, but soon found itself no match for the french armies and was reabsorbed into the formiddable french Kingdom. Then tragedy struck the austrian Habsburgs, on a return journey from Sienna where he had been taking in the arts, Duke Joseph of Vienna and Holy Roman Emperor was struck down by a romanian assassin by the name of Rares. The assassin was apprehended in the Carpathian mountains, but later escaped and never again turned up. It is believed that he fled to Poland or Lithuania. Rather then pass the dutchy onto one of his relatives, Emperor Ferenc II seized the oppurtunity and officially disolved the independant dutchy of Austria, instead making it a dutchy fully within the Empire of the Double Cross. This sparked a fued among the nobles, many of which were Habsburgs. Rather than alienate the habsburgs, who would now become a factor in Hungarian politics, vast sums of ducats were paid out to the fueding families from the royal treasury to quiet the division. Needless to say, the Electorates were not pleased and looked outside the borders of the HRE for a new Emperor, electing Felipe V of spain. With this surprise, Emperor Ferenc II made it is new goal to bring the Crown of the HRE back to Hungary.
"Peace will come soon to stay, and so come as to be worth keeping in all future time. It will then have been proved that our Empire is with no rival and that our actions have been with Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, in forging a world of peace and christian brotherhood." -- Emperor Ferenc II of Hungary, the year of our lord 1702.
"One cannot subdue a man by holding back his hands. Lasting peace comes not from force." -- David Borenstein
As the great wars of Germany and the Mediterranean came to a close, focus turned inward once more, specifically towards the constantly growing colonial empire developing in the west. The riteous inquisitions of the conquered lands seemed to finally be having some amount of success. By 1703 the Iroqouis lands of Eire and Hindua were purged of their pagan beliefs and transformed into more model citizens, as well as the shawnee Miamis. In addition, the english in delaware abandoned protestantism after some thorough convincing and returned to the more acceptable catholic faith. Of course in the old world the stupid bastards of Nuyssaybin refused to halt their outlawed religion and attempted yet another failed rebellion. The Emperor and leading nobles in the region were beginning to become aggitated with the Nuyssaybin situation.
Also in 1703 a enterprising young man from the imperial territory of provence gained royal favor and embarked on a exploration across the atlantic with hopes of rounding cape horn for Viti Levu and exploring the great pacific beyond. The following year proved rather uneventful and the only historical note was the outbreak of a small, yet deadly disease in the sleepy land of Ragusa. Unknown to all was that this disease would be spread througout the Empire in the winter of 1705, due to the vastness of ragusan shipping and merchants.
The may of 1705 saw the death of Duke Leopold I and the rise of the Austrian Duke Joseph I, son of Leopold. A musican and appreciator of the fine arts, Joseph resigned himself to improving the quality of life in Vienna, hoping to make the city stand out as a beacon throughout europe, despite the decline in austrian power. He was not however without his own share of influence, for not long after he came to power, the electorates of the HRE, of which hungary had no vote despite its vast power, declared the young Duke Emperor of the Romans. This of course did not sit well with either Emperor Ferenc II or Emperor Konstantinos XIII, and both began plotting to bring an end to the situation. Ferenc II however was distracted from such when he soon heard world of a vast island discovered in the south pacific, which the sailors dubbed Australia. Colonization of the great island did not commense very quickly however, for the ragusan plague had by then spread throughout the entire empire; Hellas, Istria, Tyrolia, Bulgaria, Ansbach, even Tahiti fell victim to the deadly strain. Worst hit however was the capital provence of the magyars and piedmont.
More internal problems struck in the year of seventeen hundred and six, when the powerful Atlantian lords of New Dobrudja, Puerto Rico and New Maros in the Bahamas sought to subjugate the citizens and return them to status closer to serfdom. They were far away from the heart of the Empire and sought to rule like kings within their island dominions. Of particular note was the Tyrolian noble Arnwolf Baldemar, who held vast influence on New Maros. The Hungarian Emperor believed that the nobility had enough influence and power as was, and refused to see his predecessors work in eradicating serfdom put to shame. Declaring his support for the 'peasants' as the nobles called them, a mini-civil war began. Viscount Penn Baldemar, unclue to the lord of New Maros and member of the golden bull and hungarian diet objected to the Emperors decree. Soon greedy nobles began to side with the Baldemar family and an open revolt began. On September 25th, the forces of New Maros and New Dobrudja took control of the island dominions and the capital of the very boiled with rebellion. Two days later, five powerful nobles of the diet, including Penn Baldemar gathered an army behind them sought to take control for themselves. The imperial guards were defeated, surprised and overwelmed by the rebellion, though to the ambitious nobles dismay the Emperor and his family had escaped to Budapest.
Vice-Prince Ambrus was quick to react to the local insurrection, having far greater control over the colonial fleets and a vaster body from which to draw troops, he systematicly retook the islands, imprisoned the disloyal nobles and redistributed their holdings between several nobles, granting much of New Dobrudja to Emmanuel Elradiam, a simple hebrew shipwright who had done many services to Ambrus and the colonial empire with minimum charge. The faction behind Penn Baldemar in the capital however proved more difficult in bringing under control. Calling upon the Knighthood of the Dragon and reportedly offering them much of the fianances of those who had dared rise up, two pitched battles were fought in and around the capital. By the 1st of December, the order of the Dragon ruthlessly purged the capital of Penn Baldemar and his supporters. Returning to the Capital, Emperor Ferenc II began searching for a bride. Despite still having difficulty getting over the death of his former lover, of which he was reminded by yet another failed rebellion by the muslim people of Nuyussybin (who weren't citizens due to their faith), the Emperor knew that he must continue the Rákóczy royal line. At first he sought a bride in the court of Flanders, but was turned down. Surprised, but undaunted he instead sent word to Aragon, long the nation of choice for brides for the Hungarian Emperors. He found a bride in the Kings unmarried sister, Catalin. They were wed the summer of 1708 with much pomp and flare in a cathedral suituated outside the new university in Fort Lyon. In attendence were the King of France and reigning soveriegn of the Huguenots, as well as the three Iberian Kings, Emperor Ferenc II's sister Zsofia and her husband prince Alexius of Byzantium. Also in force were the imperial guards, who had worried about a possible attempt of the Emperors life. Fortunately this never occured.
The year of 1709 proved to be an exceptional one, not only had annual returns from the previous year been high, but more and more discoveries were being made in the pacific. While attempts to colonize them were not planned anytime soon, the knowledge in itself was of value. The minor county of Kleves made a gamble for independence from France in July, but soon found itself no match for the french armies and was reabsorbed into the formiddable french Kingdom. Then tragedy struck the austrian Habsburgs, on a return journey from Sienna where he had been taking in the arts, Duke Joseph of Vienna and Holy Roman Emperor was struck down by a romanian assassin by the name of Rares. The assassin was apprehended in the Carpathian mountains, but later escaped and never again turned up. It is believed that he fled to Poland or Lithuania. Rather then pass the dutchy onto one of his relatives, Emperor Ferenc II seized the oppurtunity and officially disolved the independant dutchy of Austria, instead making it a dutchy fully within the Empire of the Double Cross. This sparked a fued among the nobles, many of which were Habsburgs. Rather than alienate the habsburgs, who would now become a factor in Hungarian politics, vast sums of ducats were paid out to the fueding families from the royal treasury to quiet the division. Needless to say, the Electorates were not pleased and looked outside the borders of the HRE for a new Emperor, electing Felipe V of spain. With this surprise, Emperor Ferenc II made it is new goal to bring the Crown of the HRE back to Hungary.
Just finished reading the whole thing
Great writing. Did you stop taking screenshots at some point?
Great writing. Did you stop taking screenshots at some point?
Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it thus far. As to your question, No, I didn't. I actually have a screen shot coming up in 1717 and then four screen shots for 1730.
"I hold it to be of great prudence for men to abstain from threats and insulting words towards any one, for neither the one nor the other in any way diminishes the strength of the enemy; but the one makes him more cautious, and the other increases his hatred of you, and makes him more persevering in his efforts to injure you" -- Niccolo Machiavelli
As 1710 dawned the Hungarian Emperor's son-in-law, Prince Alexius VI of byzantium rose to the throne of the Byzantine Empire. This event was widely celebrated in the greek lands of Hungary, for Alexius was well loved by the people and was known for his generosity. As the year continued, new diplomatic channels were opened in Scotland and Flanders, and the vassal state of Hessen was formally admitted into the Empire Alliance. Peace seemed to be lingering after the recent wars, with only a minor incident of rebellion in Uralsk in the september of 1711 causing any fuss. The rebellion was of course put down with minimum difficulty.
The year of 1712 unfortunately put an end to the illusion of peace. Early in the year, the north german city-state of Mecklenburg put a full trade embargo out on the Empire at the assistance of its would-be-king Christian Ludwig I, confiscating hungarian goods and exiling its merchants. At first Emperor Ferenc II decided not to press the issue, his people were tired of war and there remained plenty of other more prosperous markets in which to trade. That all changed when on July 11th the government of Mecklenburg fell. Christian Ludwig I disappeared in the violent uprisings and is believed to have perished. The exact cause of the governmental collapse is unknown, but it is believed that the merchants angered by Mecklenburgs various embargos against the surrounding powers and the dangerous aggitation of Christian Ludwig I, decided to seize the government for themselves, with hopes of mimicing the policies of old venice. This fluctuating government could potentially destabalize the reason and so the Emperor believed that the city and its surrounding lands might better be managed by one of his vassals. Declaring war on Mecklenburg, a nation which had no military of its own due to defeats of recent history, the Hungarian Emperor sat back and watched the contest between the Hessians and Prussians as they raced for control of the prize.
During this 'war' enterprising adventurers, seeking to make a profit in the new world, offered out their services to the crown. For several large fee's, the colonial militia's were better trained and new fortresses and outposts were set up. It is also during this time, in an effort to increase its prestige, that Prussia introduces the idea's of Absolute Monarchy to its system and many offensive military reforms. This does not seem to help Prussia, as by the 19th of February 1713 Mecklenburg is captured by Hessen and annexed. Five days later, Friedrich Wilhelm I is crowned the King of Prussia and renews vows of fealty to the Hungarian Emperor.
Freedom, rebellion, and an unjust war
"We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand, of overwhelming power on the other." -- George C. Marshall
The november of 1713 saw yet another rebellion brought on by the muslim practioneers of Nuyussaybin. This was the last straw for the hungarian emperor and rather than mobilize the army or one of the Knighthoods in Aleppo, the rebels were allowed to take control of the city, as loyal citizens were ushered out of the region towards the christian lands. This new boost of population, as well as increases in birth rate brought by christianity called for a new bank to be created in Kastamonu. This new bank grew in popularity and influence quickly and soon made its founders quite rich, when it was transfered to government control. 1715 brought more reformations, including a change in the way the navy was maintained, though most significant was the declaration of universal freedom issued by the Emperor. This made all standard class citizens equal under the law and ensured full citizenship to the various ethnicities within the empire. The Islamic religions of course were still outlawed, but that was hardly an issue and the Empire was not without an islamic vassal state.
This universal freedom however caused several problems. Citizens soon went up in arms across the empire. The exact reasons for this are still debated. Some feel that the common people were given too much freedom and the age old social structure broke down in places causing anarchy. Others believe that these new freedoms encouraged independance movements and misguided ethnic nationalism. Still others point that this was a ploy of the aristocracy, specifically rousing up the people in an effort to show faults in the Emperor's new policy and garner more control on the populous. Whatever the cause was by late april of 1716 attempted uprising had spread through the regions of Puerto Rico, Banat, Alleghany and Mainz.
The rebellions were surpressed by local and imperial troops without much difficulty in Puerto Rico and Banat. In Mainz the fighting was costly on both side and the Order of the Dragon was called in to restore peace, extracting a hefty fee from local lords. Alleghany proved troublesome and peace was not restored to the area until the 5th of January, 1717.
In an effort to improve relations with the european community and pave the way to a time of peace, Emperor Ferenc II opened diplomatic channels with Sweden and sending several impressive gifts to the north. He also declared that Hungary would no longer expand in the lands of Europe and would do all in its power to maintain the status quo. Despite the gifts being sent to various european monarchs, this was still viewed with suspicion. Especially when the Empire of Hungary and its allies declared war on the Empire of Morocco, without any real cause or reason. While their were some reasons behind the declaration, like a moroccan trade embargo, most felt that this was an unjust war. Morocco was perhaps the most powerful islamic state in africa and so threatened the influence of Hungary and Jerusalem in africa. Others point to Morocco's growing friendship with Spain and fear that the two powers might cut off the strait of Gibraltar, blocking Hungary from reaching its vast oversea colonies.
The known borders of Morocco. Note that the canary islands are owned by the Caliphate of Morocco and the empires influence is believed to extend not only to its vassal tunis, but also deeper into the dark heart of africa.
The war, declared march 2nd, 1717 had all allies of the Hungarian Empire join in, whereas Morocco, thinking it had no enemies itself, also had no true allies to support it. This was not a war called suddenly though, it was a planned endevour and troops soon arrived via ship in the gulf of almeria. By June a victory had been one in Fez and the city soon found itself under seige. Modernized cannons blasting the walls of the Moroccan capital, as the caliph fled south. The summer of 1717 saw more victories in upper Morocco and despite Morocco's best efforts, it was taking far too long for them to mobilize troops, to the north. Morocco had spent years extending to the southern ivory coast and most of its troops were grouped there. On april 6th, 1718 the capital of Fez fell to the hungarians, who were arriving in force over the course of the year from harbors in Genoa, Athens, and Smyrna.With the capital captured, Imperial troops began pouring across the northern lands of Morocco, looting and burning, while major effort was concentrated in capturing the port of Tangiers.
Early in the February of 1720, the Caliph of Morocco realized that fighting the hungarians and their allies would become too costly and already saw a large fleet of Byzantine warships heading towards his coasts. He quickly settled, offering over Tangiers to the Hungarians and Al-Djazair to the King of Jerusalem. In addition, 200,000 ducats were paid to the alliance as a whole. The caliph then angrily returned to his palace in Fez and supposedly in the following years hosted diplomatic meetings with many of the leaders of the west.
During the time of war, two important incidents of international note occured. The first was the potential conflict with the Huguenots. Complaints with merchants interfering on both sides of the atlantic were growing more and more troublesome and it seemed clear that Prince Hercules Mériadec de Rohan, the leader of the Huguenot nation was growing impatient with the situation. Wishing to avoid a european war, Emperor Ferenc II was quick to appease the house of Rohan with several wonderous gifts and soon signed a treaty of trade to prevent future occurances of the same problem. The other incident was the defection of Nuyssaybin to Ak Koyunlu. This gave credit to the Emperor's suspicions that the Ak Koyunlu had for a long time been supporting and funding the insurrections in the troublesome province.
The fevor of crusade against the Islamic nations had been ignited again and it seemed clear where the next target would be.
As 1710 dawned the Hungarian Emperor's son-in-law, Prince Alexius VI of byzantium rose to the throne of the Byzantine Empire. This event was widely celebrated in the greek lands of Hungary, for Alexius was well loved by the people and was known for his generosity. As the year continued, new diplomatic channels were opened in Scotland and Flanders, and the vassal state of Hessen was formally admitted into the Empire Alliance. Peace seemed to be lingering after the recent wars, with only a minor incident of rebellion in Uralsk in the september of 1711 causing any fuss. The rebellion was of course put down with minimum difficulty.
The year of 1712 unfortunately put an end to the illusion of peace. Early in the year, the north german city-state of Mecklenburg put a full trade embargo out on the Empire at the assistance of its would-be-king Christian Ludwig I, confiscating hungarian goods and exiling its merchants. At first Emperor Ferenc II decided not to press the issue, his people were tired of war and there remained plenty of other more prosperous markets in which to trade. That all changed when on July 11th the government of Mecklenburg fell. Christian Ludwig I disappeared in the violent uprisings and is believed to have perished. The exact cause of the governmental collapse is unknown, but it is believed that the merchants angered by Mecklenburgs various embargos against the surrounding powers and the dangerous aggitation of Christian Ludwig I, decided to seize the government for themselves, with hopes of mimicing the policies of old venice. This fluctuating government could potentially destabalize the reason and so the Emperor believed that the city and its surrounding lands might better be managed by one of his vassals. Declaring war on Mecklenburg, a nation which had no military of its own due to defeats of recent history, the Hungarian Emperor sat back and watched the contest between the Hessians and Prussians as they raced for control of the prize.
During this 'war' enterprising adventurers, seeking to make a profit in the new world, offered out their services to the crown. For several large fee's, the colonial militia's were better trained and new fortresses and outposts were set up. It is also during this time, in an effort to increase its prestige, that Prussia introduces the idea's of Absolute Monarchy to its system and many offensive military reforms. This does not seem to help Prussia, as by the 19th of February 1713 Mecklenburg is captured by Hessen and annexed. Five days later, Friedrich Wilhelm I is crowned the King of Prussia and renews vows of fealty to the Hungarian Emperor.
Freedom, rebellion, and an unjust war
"We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand, of overwhelming power on the other." -- George C. Marshall
The november of 1713 saw yet another rebellion brought on by the muslim practioneers of Nuyussaybin. This was the last straw for the hungarian emperor and rather than mobilize the army or one of the Knighthoods in Aleppo, the rebels were allowed to take control of the city, as loyal citizens were ushered out of the region towards the christian lands. This new boost of population, as well as increases in birth rate brought by christianity called for a new bank to be created in Kastamonu. This new bank grew in popularity and influence quickly and soon made its founders quite rich, when it was transfered to government control. 1715 brought more reformations, including a change in the way the navy was maintained, though most significant was the declaration of universal freedom issued by the Emperor. This made all standard class citizens equal under the law and ensured full citizenship to the various ethnicities within the empire. The Islamic religions of course were still outlawed, but that was hardly an issue and the Empire was not without an islamic vassal state.
This universal freedom however caused several problems. Citizens soon went up in arms across the empire. The exact reasons for this are still debated. Some feel that the common people were given too much freedom and the age old social structure broke down in places causing anarchy. Others believe that these new freedoms encouraged independance movements and misguided ethnic nationalism. Still others point that this was a ploy of the aristocracy, specifically rousing up the people in an effort to show faults in the Emperor's new policy and garner more control on the populous. Whatever the cause was by late april of 1716 attempted uprising had spread through the regions of Puerto Rico, Banat, Alleghany and Mainz.
The rebellions were surpressed by local and imperial troops without much difficulty in Puerto Rico and Banat. In Mainz the fighting was costly on both side and the Order of the Dragon was called in to restore peace, extracting a hefty fee from local lords. Alleghany proved troublesome and peace was not restored to the area until the 5th of January, 1717.
In an effort to improve relations with the european community and pave the way to a time of peace, Emperor Ferenc II opened diplomatic channels with Sweden and sending several impressive gifts to the north. He also declared that Hungary would no longer expand in the lands of Europe and would do all in its power to maintain the status quo. Despite the gifts being sent to various european monarchs, this was still viewed with suspicion. Especially when the Empire of Hungary and its allies declared war on the Empire of Morocco, without any real cause or reason. While their were some reasons behind the declaration, like a moroccan trade embargo, most felt that this was an unjust war. Morocco was perhaps the most powerful islamic state in africa and so threatened the influence of Hungary and Jerusalem in africa. Others point to Morocco's growing friendship with Spain and fear that the two powers might cut off the strait of Gibraltar, blocking Hungary from reaching its vast oversea colonies.
The known borders of Morocco. Note that the canary islands are owned by the Caliphate of Morocco and the empires influence is believed to extend not only to its vassal tunis, but also deeper into the dark heart of africa.
The war, declared march 2nd, 1717 had all allies of the Hungarian Empire join in, whereas Morocco, thinking it had no enemies itself, also had no true allies to support it. This was not a war called suddenly though, it was a planned endevour and troops soon arrived via ship in the gulf of almeria. By June a victory had been one in Fez and the city soon found itself under seige. Modernized cannons blasting the walls of the Moroccan capital, as the caliph fled south. The summer of 1717 saw more victories in upper Morocco and despite Morocco's best efforts, it was taking far too long for them to mobilize troops, to the north. Morocco had spent years extending to the southern ivory coast and most of its troops were grouped there. On april 6th, 1718 the capital of Fez fell to the hungarians, who were arriving in force over the course of the year from harbors in Genoa, Athens, and Smyrna.With the capital captured, Imperial troops began pouring across the northern lands of Morocco, looting and burning, while major effort was concentrated in capturing the port of Tangiers.
Early in the February of 1720, the Caliph of Morocco realized that fighting the hungarians and their allies would become too costly and already saw a large fleet of Byzantine warships heading towards his coasts. He quickly settled, offering over Tangiers to the Hungarians and Al-Djazair to the King of Jerusalem. In addition, 200,000 ducats were paid to the alliance as a whole. The caliph then angrily returned to his palace in Fez and supposedly in the following years hosted diplomatic meetings with many of the leaders of the west.
During the time of war, two important incidents of international note occured. The first was the potential conflict with the Huguenots. Complaints with merchants interfering on both sides of the atlantic were growing more and more troublesome and it seemed clear that Prince Hercules Mériadec de Rohan, the leader of the Huguenot nation was growing impatient with the situation. Wishing to avoid a european war, Emperor Ferenc II was quick to appease the house of Rohan with several wonderous gifts and soon signed a treaty of trade to prevent future occurances of the same problem. The other incident was the defection of Nuyssaybin to Ak Koyunlu. This gave credit to the Emperor's suspicions that the Ak Koyunlu had for a long time been supporting and funding the insurrections in the troublesome province.
The fevor of crusade against the Islamic nations had been ignited again and it seemed clear where the next target would be.
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Haha, will be nice to see how you deal with them on one more of your countless crusades.
Nice bashing of the Maroccans (I was waiting for this update).
Nice bashing of the Maroccans (I was waiting for this update
).
A great AAR, Machiavelli! I´ve finally caught up. The way you stick with institutions like the knightly orders looks good! Makes me wonder what they look like in the 18th century...
...the Hungarian grandmaster with his wig and pipe looking out from his baroque castle on the Elbe, selling the services of the army (the ´knights´ now more like a board of directors) to the government or the local authorities? Or am I wholly wrong here?
...the Hungarian grandmaster with his wig and pipe looking out from his baroque castle on the Elbe, selling the services of the army (the ´knights´ now more like a board of directors) to the government or the local authorities? Or am I wholly wrong here?
No, actually I think you are pretty close to the mark. I was trying to comtemplate what this Hungarian Empire's society would be like in the 19th or 20th centuries with a few friends of mine and it truly is bizzare. Going off the DP settings, you'll see what I mean. I believe on of my next screenshots should show the DP settings, but I know that free subject slider is now all the way at free, yet in weird contrast the Plutocracy-Aristocracy slider is all the way maxed at Aristocracy.
Finally caught up yet again...been so busy, but I am still reading, Machiavellian. Honest! I am a bit surprised that you only took Tangiers and money. As huge as Morocco is, and I have NEVER seen them that large!, they might have been bled some more as they could probably have afforded it...but then if they offered and you decided to get out of the war quick, I can see it...
All I really wanted was Tangiers and its lovely, lovely port. I also decided that that was all the Hungarian government really wanted. (of course giving Jerusalem a province was nice as well) While I may have been able to continue the war, I noticed a large collection of troops marching through central africa from the south heading north and I didn't want to be overwhelmed as my troops were suffering attrition and were sailing a fair distance just to engage.
Perhaps more than that, were the two other reasons. I wanted a new war against another infidel opponent (next update) and if I had taken more territory from Morocco I would have been left with a lot of Muslim provinces. I'd already had my fair share of failed conversions with the infamous Nuyussaybin.
Perhaps more than that, were the two other reasons. I wanted a new war against another infidel opponent (next update) and if I had taken more territory from Morocco I would have been left with a lot of Muslim provinces. I'd already had my fair share of failed conversions with the infamous Nuyussaybin.
Hi Machiavellian. Have been reading this AAR when I had some time over at work and am you have really written some great instalments. Hungary seems to be thriving
Machiavellian said:
Yes, that's pretty weird. You might rationalise though that all your rank and file citizens are craftsmen or free farmers, but that political decisions are still made by factions or nobles, not the bourgeoisie. Look, for example, at eighteenth century UK. Hungary has even less of a bourgeois tradition!
But such a state in the 19th or 20th century would be bizarre. *shivers* nationalist uprisings, an almost deified Emperor on the throne, repression of liberalism and socialism... how innovative is Hungary?
I've been away from this AAR far, far too long. Well done on keeping going, Machiavellian, and congratulations on keeping the 'historical' feel even as the events themselves become increasingly anhistorical. Still wondering if the Edgar story is over, though.
The quotes are great, but the new font you've chosen is just a little hard on my eyes - any chance of having it a point or two larger?
Max Free Subjects and max Aristocracy - that's a tough one.
Maybe the peasants have been emancipated but the land is still dispensed by royal grant, so the aristocrats can't lose their estates and even the richest commoners are still tenants of their lords?
Or an Eastern style caste system where the rights of the commoners are protected in law but they are forbidden from rising in station and excluded from any political power?
Wierd....
The quotes are great, but the new font you've chosen is just a little hard on my eyes - any chance of having it a point or two larger?
Max Free Subjects and max Aristocracy - that's a tough one.
Maybe the peasants have been emancipated but the land is still dispensed by royal grant, so the aristocrats can't lose their estates and even the richest commoners are still tenants of their lords?
Or an Eastern style caste system where the rights of the commoners are protected in law but they are forbidden from rising in station and excluded from any political power?
Wierd....
Excellent post Machiavellian, i can't wait to see who the next target of your crusade will be . Also, do you possibly have a screen shot of Byzantium? im curious to see how they are doing.
. Also, do you possibly have a screen shot of Byzantium? im curious to see how they are doing.
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
-- John Stewart Mill
"Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe." -- John Milton
Victory and success had made the rulers of Europe arrogant. In the West, Spain made proud boasting to all who would listen of their attempts to colonize the western coasts of the Atlantan continents, while Aragon claimed that Africa and all beyond the cape of storms would soon belong to the Aragonese, who now had great interest in the area as their capital was situated there. The Huguenots also cast off their ties to France, Prince Hercules Mériadec de Rohan stating that the nation built by the Huguenot's would surpass the faded glory of the olde regime. In the East, the people of the Empire of Hungary also expressed an arrogance brought on by over a century of success. The hardships of the past were forgotten by all save historians and only the glory of the present and the prospect of future victory was seen by the populace at large.
However not all traditions of the past were forgotten, for the burning hatred and intolerance that fueled the zealous religious wars of the crusades reemerged, partially due to the crimes Nuyssayabin, but also because of the urgings of the powerful eastern Knighthoods, who sought to exert their influence as to not be forgotten or lessened of political power.
Emperor Ferenc II Rákóczy, now into his forties, had not softened with age and while he conceded to the diet that he would not personally lead the army in war, he was allowed to issue his decree of just crusade. On January 10th, 1722 with promises of bringing order and peace to the East, War was declared upon the Ak-Koyunlu. Despite the impressive numbers of the Kurdish armies, the seasoned troops and knights of the Empire eagerly marched off to war.
The first battle of the war appropriately enough took place outside the city of Nusaybin. Over fifteen thousand of the white sheep turks, fitted in flowing robes and brandishing many cruel swords poured from the walls of the city to over take a force of Christianized turks little over half their size. Times had changed however, it had been centuries since the glory of the Ottoman Empire and these turkish citizens were loyal to Hungary, the Emperor, and Christ. Muskets barked out death against that advancing horde and broke its will to fight. What looked to have been an assured victory for the white sheep, turned instead into the first of many defeats. The army of Nusaybin was chased throughout the province and obliterated even as the other armies of Hungary, supported by the powerful knightly orders in Astrakhan, Aleppo, and Armenia, swept into the lands of Azerbaijan and Kurdistan.
Between the dates of February 15th and March 5th the Knights of St. Irenaeus made a name for themselves, as they along with the army of Aleppo crushed a massive army of over twenty-thousand in the capital of Kurdistan. Soon they ringed the city and cannons were brought down from Trabizond to shatter the enemy defenses much in the same way as they had shattered their morale. The city fell in early June, but the Sultan escaped to Azerbaijan where the shattered remains of the Ak-Koyunlu linked up to form any army over fifty-thousand strong. The generals and masters of the orders conferred amongst themselves and decided to strike quickly and as one. The battle was joined in the harsh steppes of the region, where the white sheep turks sought to intimidate with their sheer volume. Undaunted by the numbers of the Ak-Koyunlu, the artillery was used to soften the lines, before the Harquebusers dolled out hot lead into their militarily primitive foes. The mid-august victory broke the back of the Ak-Koyunlu, their once vast army was reduced to near nothing. It is estimated that within the course of the year, over 100,000 of the people within the borders of Ak-Koyunlu domain died, nearly 4/5 of that number soldiers. In January of 1723 after months of siege, the stubborn cities of Azerbaijan and Nuyussabin surrendered. Some understandable pillaging occurred, but for the most part the cities were left unharmed. With little option available to him, the sultan of Ak-Koyunlu was forced to renounce his title. In his place, the one of the local governors who was well liked by the populous, yet not linked to the royal line, was placed at the head of the Ak-Koyunlu government. He was little more than a puppet and all knew it. He would be allowed to administer the Ak-Koyunlu and even continue the Islamic traditions, but he would owe his position to the Hungarian Emperor and annual tributes would be taken from the white sheep. Perhaps even more pitiful than the vassalized Golden Horde, the Ak-Koyunlu continued to exist, but in truth their legacy died in the arid steppes of Azerbaijan.
In April catastrophe struck the Byzantine Empire, when Alexius VI and his family, which included the Hungarian Emperors sister and nephews, perished when their vessel sunk after being caught in a storm south of Corfu. Byzantium looked to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, where Emperor Alexius VI's sister resided as wife to the King of Jerusalem. The King of Jerusalem at this time was an ambitious and silver tongued man by the name of Tancred IV. Through skillful diplomacy he moved upon the stunned Byzantine nobility and persuaded them to crown him Emperor, however, during his coronation at Constantinople he shocked the world by proclaiming himself King of Jerusalem first and lord of the lands of Byzantium second. Within days, the King of Jerusalem left the city of men's delights and placed his brother Adalbert in position as the titular ruler of the Byzantine Empire. In a matter of weeks, one unexpected tragedy had turned the last Empire of the Romans into an appendage of the third Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The following April, english rebels poorly treated by the local governors in southern Atlantia and supplied secretly by the Vice-Prince of the Atlantan colonies broke away from the crown of England. First seizing control of Fort Mary and Fort Buckingham in the provinces of Marajo and Amppa, the rebellion soon spread into the colonial city of Queenstown, Maroni. For a few months the former english in South Atlantia governed themselves as the 'dominion of Umbert' named after the Protestant priest turned revolutionary Reginald Umbert. But when a vast English fleet was reported heading into the area, the dominion of Umbert was dissolved and the rebellious provinces were welcomed into the colonial possessions of the Empire of the Double Cross. Though Protestant, Reginald Umbert was given a place in the colonial diet and large swaths of land. Vice-Prince Mozes Szilagyi, the second to hold the position of Colonial Pontiff, defiantly turned aside the protests from the English crown and told them to lodge a complaint with the Emperor if they so pleased. Naturally the leaders of England were outraged, but for the moment dared not challenge Hungary, especially with rebellion still brewing within their own lands.
However the arrogance of the Hungarian Kings and Princes would bring ire and resentment throughout Europe, with far reaching consequences in the coming years.
-- John Stewart Mill
"Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe." -- John Milton
Victory and success had made the rulers of Europe arrogant. In the West, Spain made proud boasting to all who would listen of their attempts to colonize the western coasts of the Atlantan continents, while Aragon claimed that Africa and all beyond the cape of storms would soon belong to the Aragonese, who now had great interest in the area as their capital was situated there. The Huguenots also cast off their ties to France, Prince Hercules Mériadec de Rohan stating that the nation built by the Huguenot's would surpass the faded glory of the olde regime. In the East, the people of the Empire of Hungary also expressed an arrogance brought on by over a century of success. The hardships of the past were forgotten by all save historians and only the glory of the present and the prospect of future victory was seen by the populace at large.
However not all traditions of the past were forgotten, for the burning hatred and intolerance that fueled the zealous religious wars of the crusades reemerged, partially due to the crimes Nuyssayabin, but also because of the urgings of the powerful eastern Knighthoods, who sought to exert their influence as to not be forgotten or lessened of political power.
Emperor Ferenc II Rákóczy, now into his forties, had not softened with age and while he conceded to the diet that he would not personally lead the army in war, he was allowed to issue his decree of just crusade. On January 10th, 1722 with promises of bringing order and peace to the East, War was declared upon the Ak-Koyunlu. Despite the impressive numbers of the Kurdish armies, the seasoned troops and knights of the Empire eagerly marched off to war.
The first battle of the war appropriately enough took place outside the city of Nusaybin. Over fifteen thousand of the white sheep turks, fitted in flowing robes and brandishing many cruel swords poured from the walls of the city to over take a force of Christianized turks little over half their size. Times had changed however, it had been centuries since the glory of the Ottoman Empire and these turkish citizens were loyal to Hungary, the Emperor, and Christ. Muskets barked out death against that advancing horde and broke its will to fight. What looked to have been an assured victory for the white sheep, turned instead into the first of many defeats. The army of Nusaybin was chased throughout the province and obliterated even as the other armies of Hungary, supported by the powerful knightly orders in Astrakhan, Aleppo, and Armenia, swept into the lands of Azerbaijan and Kurdistan.
Between the dates of February 15th and March 5th the Knights of St. Irenaeus made a name for themselves, as they along with the army of Aleppo crushed a massive army of over twenty-thousand in the capital of Kurdistan. Soon they ringed the city and cannons were brought down from Trabizond to shatter the enemy defenses much in the same way as they had shattered their morale. The city fell in early June, but the Sultan escaped to Azerbaijan where the shattered remains of the Ak-Koyunlu linked up to form any army over fifty-thousand strong. The generals and masters of the orders conferred amongst themselves and decided to strike quickly and as one. The battle was joined in the harsh steppes of the region, where the white sheep turks sought to intimidate with their sheer volume. Undaunted by the numbers of the Ak-Koyunlu, the artillery was used to soften the lines, before the Harquebusers dolled out hot lead into their militarily primitive foes. The mid-august victory broke the back of the Ak-Koyunlu, their once vast army was reduced to near nothing. It is estimated that within the course of the year, over 100,000 of the people within the borders of Ak-Koyunlu domain died, nearly 4/5 of that number soldiers. In January of 1723 after months of siege, the stubborn cities of Azerbaijan and Nuyussabin surrendered. Some understandable pillaging occurred, but for the most part the cities were left unharmed. With little option available to him, the sultan of Ak-Koyunlu was forced to renounce his title. In his place, the one of the local governors who was well liked by the populous, yet not linked to the royal line, was placed at the head of the Ak-Koyunlu government. He was little more than a puppet and all knew it. He would be allowed to administer the Ak-Koyunlu and even continue the Islamic traditions, but he would owe his position to the Hungarian Emperor and annual tributes would be taken from the white sheep. Perhaps even more pitiful than the vassalized Golden Horde, the Ak-Koyunlu continued to exist, but in truth their legacy died in the arid steppes of Azerbaijan.
In April catastrophe struck the Byzantine Empire, when Alexius VI and his family, which included the Hungarian Emperors sister and nephews, perished when their vessel sunk after being caught in a storm south of Corfu. Byzantium looked to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, where Emperor Alexius VI's sister resided as wife to the King of Jerusalem. The King of Jerusalem at this time was an ambitious and silver tongued man by the name of Tancred IV. Through skillful diplomacy he moved upon the stunned Byzantine nobility and persuaded them to crown him Emperor, however, during his coronation at Constantinople he shocked the world by proclaiming himself King of Jerusalem first and lord of the lands of Byzantium second. Within days, the King of Jerusalem left the city of men's delights and placed his brother Adalbert in position as the titular ruler of the Byzantine Empire. In a matter of weeks, one unexpected tragedy had turned the last Empire of the Romans into an appendage of the third Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The following April, english rebels poorly treated by the local governors in southern Atlantia and supplied secretly by the Vice-Prince of the Atlantan colonies broke away from the crown of England. First seizing control of Fort Mary and Fort Buckingham in the provinces of Marajo and Amppa, the rebellion soon spread into the colonial city of Queenstown, Maroni. For a few months the former english in South Atlantia governed themselves as the 'dominion of Umbert' named after the Protestant priest turned revolutionary Reginald Umbert. But when a vast English fleet was reported heading into the area, the dominion of Umbert was dissolved and the rebellious provinces were welcomed into the colonial possessions of the Empire of the Double Cross. Though Protestant, Reginald Umbert was given a place in the colonial diet and large swaths of land. Vice-Prince Mozes Szilagyi, the second to hold the position of Colonial Pontiff, defiantly turned aside the protests from the English crown and told them to lodge a complaint with the Emperor if they so pleased. Naturally the leaders of England were outraged, but for the moment dared not challenge Hungary, especially with rebellion still brewing within their own lands.
However the arrogance of the Hungarian Kings and Princes would bring ire and resentment throughout Europe, with far reaching consequences in the coming years.
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I didn't get to do as much as I wanted in this update, but I hope that you still find it enjoyable. I increased the size of the font so that it can be better viewed by those expressing difficulties. Personally I think it looks better smaller, but I don't think you should have to strain your eyes to see it so i've compromised.
Another sidenote. One thing you should know about next update. When I was playing I decided to try out what would happen if I changed the difficulty from Hard to Very hard. I detirmined on Jan 1st of 1726 that I would do this. The results were ridiculous and didn't make for a good story so I, for the first time in the game reloaded. I then tried it again, the same unrealistic results greeted me, but this time I just changed it back to hard on Jan 2nd. However, the events that happened in that one day of January 1st were kept. ( Its not that I have anything against a challenge, but when vassals of +190 relations start declaring war without reason it ruins the whole feel and flow to the AARs history )
Another sidenote. One thing you should know about next update. When I was playing I decided to try out what would happen if I changed the difficulty from Hard to Very hard. I detirmined on Jan 1st of 1726 that I would do this. The results were ridiculous and didn't make for a good story so I, for the first time in the game reloaded. I then tried it again, the same unrealistic results greeted me, but this time I just changed it back to hard on Jan 2nd. However, the events that happened in that one day of January 1st were kept. ( Its not that I have anything against a challenge, but when vassals of +190 relations start declaring war without reason it ruins the whole feel and flow to the AARs history )
Hmm interesting idea to change the difficulty during the game.
Are you talking about badboy wars? What was your badboy rating at that moment?
Are you talking about badboy wars? What was your badboy rating at that moment?