das
Regeneration In Process
They said the same about Fomenko and he said that California was ruled by Muslim Mongols led by Khan Pugachev until USA and Russia partitioned the Tobolian Muscovy in mid-18th century!
Alternate History Thread II...
- Thread starter Xen
- Start date
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They said the same about Fomenko and he said that California was ruled by Muslim Mongols led by Khan Pugachev until USA and Russia partitioned the Tobolian Muscovy in mid-18th century!
Sheep
Orange Shrooms!
das
Regeneration In Process
It seems oddly familiar.
das
Regeneration In Process
OOC: Sorry, I was distracted several times and failed to get the inspiration for this. I only now managed to finish the "prologue". But it should go better from now on.
IC:
The year of 1648 was a very notable one. The Peace of Westphalia was attained, ending the Thirty Years War, confirming the Holy Roman Empire's fragmentation and ended the practice of intervention in another country's internal affairs (in letter, anyway). King Charles I was defeated and captured by the Parliamentary forces in England. The Fronde begun in France.
The Fronde was similar in many ways to the civil war then (in June 1648) raging just across the La Manche. At the time, King Louis XIV was still young, and so France was ruled by the queen-regent, Anne of Austria. Anne herself was, however, mostly dominated by the de facto ruler of France - first minister Cardinal Jules Mazarini. An Austrian queen being advised by an Italian cardinal looked suspiciously like "foreign tyranny" by the parlement. But that wasn't the matter that trully disturbed the parlement. No - it was a matter of finance. This was before the Peace of Westphalia, but even after the peace, France was to continue the war with Spain if not with Austria. Someone needed to pay for the war. France was fighting for over a decade now, and no end was in sight, so Mazarini needed to raise more and more money. Finally, the parlement just refused to adopt the newest measure which could be regarded as a personal insult - a tax levied on judicial officers of the said parlement. Furthermore, it begun cancelling previous financial edicts and demanding greater power. Some people...
Naturally, Mazarini didn't like it. But there was little he could do, until news came of la Grande Conde's grand victory at Lens against the vile Spaniards. He decided to quickly capture the anti-government parlement leaders. He nearly succeeded, but due to a minor accident, a few of them got away and escaped into the city - rather like in England.
Still, the most outspoken leaders were seized. It was thought that Mazarini's troubles will end here. No - this was but a beginning. Paris flew into rebellion, organized by the fleeing parlement leaders. The streets were barricaded, and the royal court had to flee. During its escape, a group of men who were either from the mob, either assassins (history isn't very sure on that one) attacked it, shooting some courtiers, scaring young Louis XIV and wounding Mazarini. At first, it seemed like this would not have much of an effect - the wound didn't seem serious. But this would derail the world's history completely...
---
Not at first, though. At first, the Peace of Westphalia was attained, and Conde with his army was free to march back to Paris. A notable aristocrat and a brilliant military commander, enormously rich and now (after the death of the old Conde) the owner of most of France, a man of royal descent and great ambitions, he scorned the bourgoise just like any other normal French nobleman and besides felt the opportunity for even more glory and influence at court. So Conde was only too glad to besiege Paris. The negotiations at Rueil failed, however - Mazarini was increasingly ill, in part due to his wound. Finally, Paris had to surrender, as a patriotic rebellion broke out within it as rumours of a parlement-planned alliance with Spain spilled out. That and there was much starvation, which made the patriots only more eager.
The Fronde was put down. The first one, anyway - the other one would come in a few months. In the meantime, Conde's influence grew, and Mazarini tried to limit it; the ambitious grand seigneur was disliked and distrusted by many. Mazarini and Queen Anne quickly reconciled with the bourgoise, and treacherously captured Conde. His friends didn't like that for some reason, and started a rebellion. The army and the nobility (which at the time was essentially the same thing) supported this "Second Fronde" as it was occasionally called. Already unpopular amongst the people, Mazarini became hated by it after he and Anne had to flee again, this time from Conde's army (as Conde escaped with some help from the rebels) and to Orleans. The Parisian leaders surrendered quickly, lest they suffer Conde's wrath, and Louis XIV somewhat grudgingly refused to flee for Orleans and renounced Mazarini at Conde's insistance.
Soon after, Mazarini was assassinated and his corpse was torn to pieces by an Orleans mob. Anne of Austria was sent to a nunnery. The French army was then prepared to combat the Spaniards, who took advantage of the turmoil to invade France.
Thus in the year of 1653 from the (official) birth of Christ and the year of 32 from the birth of Conde, the latter became the most powerful man in France, in spite of Louis XIV's increasing independence. Conde was still young, charismatic, and, as mentioned before, ambitious. By the time he died, he was almost universally hated and all that he had struggled for was defeated and overthrown.
IC:
The year of 1648 was a very notable one. The Peace of Westphalia was attained, ending the Thirty Years War, confirming the Holy Roman Empire's fragmentation and ended the practice of intervention in another country's internal affairs (in letter, anyway). King Charles I was defeated and captured by the Parliamentary forces in England. The Fronde begun in France.
The Fronde was similar in many ways to the civil war then (in June 1648) raging just across the La Manche. At the time, King Louis XIV was still young, and so France was ruled by the queen-regent, Anne of Austria. Anne herself was, however, mostly dominated by the de facto ruler of France - first minister Cardinal Jules Mazarini. An Austrian queen being advised by an Italian cardinal looked suspiciously like "foreign tyranny" by the parlement. But that wasn't the matter that trully disturbed the parlement. No - it was a matter of finance. This was before the Peace of Westphalia, but even after the peace, France was to continue the war with Spain if not with Austria. Someone needed to pay for the war. France was fighting for over a decade now, and no end was in sight, so Mazarini needed to raise more and more money. Finally, the parlement just refused to adopt the newest measure which could be regarded as a personal insult - a tax levied on judicial officers of the said parlement. Furthermore, it begun cancelling previous financial edicts and demanding greater power. Some people...
Naturally, Mazarini didn't like it. But there was little he could do, until news came of la Grande Conde's grand victory at Lens against the vile Spaniards. He decided to quickly capture the anti-government parlement leaders. He nearly succeeded, but due to a minor accident, a few of them got away and escaped into the city - rather like in England.
Still, the most outspoken leaders were seized. It was thought that Mazarini's troubles will end here. No - this was but a beginning. Paris flew into rebellion, organized by the fleeing parlement leaders. The streets were barricaded, and the royal court had to flee. During its escape, a group of men who were either from the mob, either assassins (history isn't very sure on that one) attacked it, shooting some courtiers, scaring young Louis XIV and wounding Mazarini. At first, it seemed like this would not have much of an effect - the wound didn't seem serious. But this would derail the world's history completely...
---
Not at first, though. At first, the Peace of Westphalia was attained, and Conde with his army was free to march back to Paris. A notable aristocrat and a brilliant military commander, enormously rich and now (after the death of the old Conde) the owner of most of France, a man of royal descent and great ambitions, he scorned the bourgoise just like any other normal French nobleman and besides felt the opportunity for even more glory and influence at court. So Conde was only too glad to besiege Paris. The negotiations at Rueil failed, however - Mazarini was increasingly ill, in part due to his wound. Finally, Paris had to surrender, as a patriotic rebellion broke out within it as rumours of a parlement-planned alliance with Spain spilled out. That and there was much starvation, which made the patriots only more eager.
The Fronde was put down. The first one, anyway - the other one would come in a few months. In the meantime, Conde's influence grew, and Mazarini tried to limit it; the ambitious grand seigneur was disliked and distrusted by many. Mazarini and Queen Anne quickly reconciled with the bourgoise, and treacherously captured Conde. His friends didn't like that for some reason, and started a rebellion. The army and the nobility (which at the time was essentially the same thing) supported this "Second Fronde" as it was occasionally called. Already unpopular amongst the people, Mazarini became hated by it after he and Anne had to flee again, this time from Conde's army (as Conde escaped with some help from the rebels) and to Orleans. The Parisian leaders surrendered quickly, lest they suffer Conde's wrath, and Louis XIV somewhat grudgingly refused to flee for Orleans and renounced Mazarini at Conde's insistance.
Soon after, Mazarini was assassinated and his corpse was torn to pieces by an Orleans mob. Anne of Austria was sent to a nunnery. The French army was then prepared to combat the Spaniards, who took advantage of the turmoil to invade France.
Thus in the year of 1653 from the (official) birth of Christ and the year of 32 from the birth of Conde, the latter became the most powerful man in France, in spite of Louis XIV's increasing independence. Conde was still young, charismatic, and, as mentioned before, ambitious. By the time he died, he was almost universally hated and all that he had struggled for was defeated and overthrown.
Symphony D.
Deity
A few interesting alternate histories I came across online. Haven't read through them all to see if they make sense, but, here they are anyway:
Shattered World - Soviet Union invades Poland in 1937. A rather different world war ensues.
Decades of Darkness - Jefferson dies during his second Presidential term. New England secedes. American goes onto to other things.
A Shot Heard Around the World - The Prince of Wales (Future King Edward VII, OTL) is assassinated, and thus the Entente Cordiale is prevented from happening. The Central Powers win WWI as a result.
Shattered World - Soviet Union invades Poland in 1937. A rather different world war ensues.
Decades of Darkness - Jefferson dies during his second Presidential term. New England secedes. American goes onto to other things.
A Shot Heard Around the World - The Prince of Wales (Future King Edward VII, OTL) is assassinated, and thus the Entente Cordiale is prevented from happening. The Central Powers win WWI as a result.
das
Regeneration In Process
Decades of Darkness has been posted here before, by me and NK, several times. I also made a (NES-like) map for it somewhere, I think. Its great!
das
Regeneration In Process
Here is the world map for Peter III timeline, year 1812.
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
OK, this Council of Constance timeline is becoming a real monster... the last year I've typed up takes up two pages. Here's a shorter section:
POD: Council of Constance
The War that Bled White: 1456
Meanwhile, back in Europe, the war of Austrian Succession was still in full swing. The rest of the year 1456 went well for the Hussite cause; the French were driven back to the river Rheine, and Gutenberg smashed further Austrian forces at München.
At the same time, Polish forces under an obscure noble commander known as Sienawiski drove back the Austrians in their east, and secured the southern bank of the Danube all the way to Wien. A few riders secured a line of communication between Hussite and Pole, and the two armies under Sienawiski and Gutenberg descended on Wien together.
Polish forces dashed in a daring cavalry raid across the bridges of the Danube, while Hussite forces advanced from the north to crush Frederick Vs armies where they stood at last. Fortunately for the Austrians, a few good company commanders remained, and the bridges on the Danube were held by a few desperate groups of crossbowmen who threw back the Poles again and again.
However, the situation grew more desperate as a Hungarian commander drove forward and took the city from the northeast. Now they were attacked on three sides, and it seemed like the Austrian cause was lost. Maximilian, Crown Prince of Austria, rode to aid the resistance himself, but was cut down by a flurry of javelins from the Hungarian vanguard.
The defense of the capital of Austria fell apart piece by bloody piece, and the ragtag army of mercenaries and religious fanatics that Frederick had assembled died with him, the fanatics being slain nearly to the last man, and the mercenaries striking their colors and going over to the Hussite armies.
Yolande Valois Hapsburg, Princess of Austria and daughter of Charles the Victorious narrowly avoided capture by escaping the royal palace with almost only the clothes on her backit would later be found she had commandeered a boat down the River Danube, and avoiding the Poles and Hungarians, slipped into the Ottoman Empire.
The end of the Hapsburg dynasty was in fact at hand (even though Maximillian had been quite a bit older than he would have been in our timeline, he did not have any children), and with their last member only one by blood and escaping into the Ottoman Empire, the rest of Austria was fairly easily overrun. Bayern was annexed into the Hussite Confederacy, and Austria proper became a duchy under the sovereignty of the Hungarian king, Matthias Corvinus (who in this timeline was married to a Jagellion and already had several children by this time).
The late summer and fall of 1456 saw Corvinus drive with his Hungarian army into Italy, where he met the armies of Francesco Sforza, a mercenary general who had seized control of Milan and now led the armies of that city. They met on the field of Goito, named for a village of the same name, on the Northern Italian plain.
The initial fighting went easily in the favor of the Milanese; Francescos gendarmes smashed the vanguard of the Hungarian host and sent them reeling. However, Corvinus himself led the main body of the Hungarian army, and in a hard fought battle, defeated the Milanese forces and drove them back to their city, while he seized several key fortresses in the region.
At the same time, the Danes attacked several cities of the Hanseatic League, creating quite some havoc in the northern regions of the Hussite Confederation. Gutenberg drove north with the veterans of the Austrian campaign and handily smashed the northerners at the siege of Kiel, where he broke their siege lines and routed their reserves. In short order, he had conquered Jutland, and the Danes were only safe in their capital of Copenhagen because of the Sund that separated it from the mainland.
The days changed from autumn into winter, and a minor noble by the name of Sten Sture saw an opportunity for the freedom of Sweden, and he raised the banners of rebellion. Defeating a Kalmar force upon entering Stockholm, he was recognized as king of Sweden by the nobles of the land, and he marched to reinforce that title in blood. He was only 16.
Rapidly securing his dominion, he met Danish forces again on the River Lagan, and, again, defeated them. Waiting until an unusually cold Christmas day, he led his armies across the frozen Oresund and captured the Danish capital of Copenhagen in a shocking surprise attack. With this, he also captured the vital fleet of Danish galleys, which was to prove very useful in the spring thaw.
Meanwhile, Yolande Valois Hapsburg, the last of the royal line of Austria, had arrived in Constantinople on December 30th, and there she met the Turkish sultan in secret. There, it was said, she seduced the 24 year old Turkish sultan Mehmed II, and after a night where court records are silent on exactly what happened, the sultan declared war on Jagellion Hungary, a move which was stunning to the rest of Europe (who obviously knew nothing of him bedding Yolande).
******************
Previous Entries:
Introduction
The War of the Roses
Europe to c. 1450
Europe: 1450-1455
Europe: 1455-1456
The East: 1450-1490
POD: Council of Constance
The War that Bled White: 1456
Meanwhile, back in Europe, the war of Austrian Succession was still in full swing. The rest of the year 1456 went well for the Hussite cause; the French were driven back to the river Rheine, and Gutenberg smashed further Austrian forces at München.
At the same time, Polish forces under an obscure noble commander known as Sienawiski drove back the Austrians in their east, and secured the southern bank of the Danube all the way to Wien. A few riders secured a line of communication between Hussite and Pole, and the two armies under Sienawiski and Gutenberg descended on Wien together.
Polish forces dashed in a daring cavalry raid across the bridges of the Danube, while Hussite forces advanced from the north to crush Frederick Vs armies where they stood at last. Fortunately for the Austrians, a few good company commanders remained, and the bridges on the Danube were held by a few desperate groups of crossbowmen who threw back the Poles again and again.
However, the situation grew more desperate as a Hungarian commander drove forward and took the city from the northeast. Now they were attacked on three sides, and it seemed like the Austrian cause was lost. Maximilian, Crown Prince of Austria, rode to aid the resistance himself, but was cut down by a flurry of javelins from the Hungarian vanguard.
The defense of the capital of Austria fell apart piece by bloody piece, and the ragtag army of mercenaries and religious fanatics that Frederick had assembled died with him, the fanatics being slain nearly to the last man, and the mercenaries striking their colors and going over to the Hussite armies.
Yolande Valois Hapsburg, Princess of Austria and daughter of Charles the Victorious narrowly avoided capture by escaping the royal palace with almost only the clothes on her backit would later be found she had commandeered a boat down the River Danube, and avoiding the Poles and Hungarians, slipped into the Ottoman Empire.
The end of the Hapsburg dynasty was in fact at hand (even though Maximillian had been quite a bit older than he would have been in our timeline, he did not have any children), and with their last member only one by blood and escaping into the Ottoman Empire, the rest of Austria was fairly easily overrun. Bayern was annexed into the Hussite Confederacy, and Austria proper became a duchy under the sovereignty of the Hungarian king, Matthias Corvinus (who in this timeline was married to a Jagellion and already had several children by this time).
The late summer and fall of 1456 saw Corvinus drive with his Hungarian army into Italy, where he met the armies of Francesco Sforza, a mercenary general who had seized control of Milan and now led the armies of that city. They met on the field of Goito, named for a village of the same name, on the Northern Italian plain.
The initial fighting went easily in the favor of the Milanese; Francescos gendarmes smashed the vanguard of the Hungarian host and sent them reeling. However, Corvinus himself led the main body of the Hungarian army, and in a hard fought battle, defeated the Milanese forces and drove them back to their city, while he seized several key fortresses in the region.
At the same time, the Danes attacked several cities of the Hanseatic League, creating quite some havoc in the northern regions of the Hussite Confederation. Gutenberg drove north with the veterans of the Austrian campaign and handily smashed the northerners at the siege of Kiel, where he broke their siege lines and routed their reserves. In short order, he had conquered Jutland, and the Danes were only safe in their capital of Copenhagen because of the Sund that separated it from the mainland.
The days changed from autumn into winter, and a minor noble by the name of Sten Sture saw an opportunity for the freedom of Sweden, and he raised the banners of rebellion. Defeating a Kalmar force upon entering Stockholm, he was recognized as king of Sweden by the nobles of the land, and he marched to reinforce that title in blood. He was only 16.
Rapidly securing his dominion, he met Danish forces again on the River Lagan, and, again, defeated them. Waiting until an unusually cold Christmas day, he led his armies across the frozen Oresund and captured the Danish capital of Copenhagen in a shocking surprise attack. With this, he also captured the vital fleet of Danish galleys, which was to prove very useful in the spring thaw.
Meanwhile, Yolande Valois Hapsburg, the last of the royal line of Austria, had arrived in Constantinople on December 30th, and there she met the Turkish sultan in secret. There, it was said, she seduced the 24 year old Turkish sultan Mehmed II, and after a night where court records are silent on exactly what happened, the sultan declared war on Jagellion Hungary, a move which was stunning to the rest of Europe (who obviously knew nothing of him bedding Yolande).
******************
Previous Entries:
Introduction
The War of the Roses
Europe to c. 1450
Europe: 1450-1455
Europe: 1455-1456
The East: 1450-1490
North King
blech
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 18,165
I hate Netscape.
POD: Council of Constance
1457
Raising troops from Mesopotamia to Wallachia, Mehmed was able to assemble an army of the shocking size of one hundred thousand men, unrivaled by contemporary Christian powers. At the same time, both Shia Muslim resistors in the Empire and the Hussites were able to capitalize by saying that their respective enemies were making a pact with the devil, and several rebellions rose against the Ottomans in both Shia and Christian areas, which were quickly stifled.
He then marched north with his only slightly reduced host, something to the order of ninety thousand men. A rapid campaign which quashed more Christian resistance along the way reached Budapest in an unusually cold March. While foodstuffs were a problem for the Ottoman army, the hard frozen mud made bringing up their siege train quite simple, and the best Christian fortifications fell to the Ottoman heavy artillery in short order.
Matthias, in Italy, heard of his capital falling and was forced to withdraw from ItalyFrancesco capitalized upon this by retaking his fortresses that had been lost and even proceeding into Austria, where he made some gains nipping at the heels of the rapidly retreating Corvinus. Corvinus for his part met up with the Hussite commander Gutenberg at Wien, and after depositing a sizable garrison, marched to meet their foe at the field of Nickelsdorf.
And almost as soon as they arrived, the Christian army was demolished. Even the combined tactical genius of Gutenberg and Corvinus could not defeat the Young Dragonas they were calling Mehmed by now. Ottoman artillery pulverized the Christian infantry, and Ottoman sipahis utterly demolished the undisciplined Hungarian knights.
It was a staggering blow, since the myth of Gutenbergs invincibility was shattered, and the magic that surrounded the Hussite forces was gone.
In only a week, the Ottomans besieged Gutenberg and Corvinus in Wien, where, after a few days of artillery bombardment, the Christian leaders offered a truce. With a little bit of negotiating, it became a full blown treaty. Corvinus was to become a vassal of the Ottoman sultan, and Yolande Valois Hapsburg was restored to her rightful throne, with Ottoman guns to fight any who dared disagree.
As it happened, Francesco dared disagree, and he had a good thirty thousand men, plus a reinforcing French corps to back him up. This army advanced to Wien right as the Ottoman army largely withdrew, and Yolande was left to defend the city by herself with only ten thousand men plus a few hundred sipahis.
The Milanese were understandably contemptuoushow could only ten thousand men oppose them? Even more so, with a woman commanding them?
The armies met at Predlitz, a minor Austrian town, but one that was to be immortalized in the little nations literature and painting.
The Austrian army took up position on a high ridge that overlooked the local area, and waited not all that idly. They dug fieldworks and concealed artillery in the hill at Yolandes order. Meanwhile, a hundred precious sipahis harassed the flanks of the Christian army and drew their sentries away. Thus Francesco arrived at the field with no knowledge of what had been going on in their enemys camp. Indeed, Francesco arrived at dusk, and saw the sprawling, disorganized mass of Austrian tents, and assumed they were encamped. He sent forth his army in what would have been a shattering charge.
Then all hell broke loose.
Twenty cannon roared as one, and cannonballs bounced down the little ridge, plowing into the pretty formations of colorful knights, who were slaughtered in the cold, cruel Austrian Alps that day. Hundreds of crossbow bolts whistled through the air and punched through solid plate as well. And then ten thousand Austrians burst from behind their fortifications, and charged straight into the Milanese army, which broke.
Francesco Sforza was slain with four crossbow bolts to his chest and his leg shattered by a cannonball, and the Italians were driven completely out of Italy. Oh, and the myth that good field commanders could not come from the gentler sex was completely shattered as well. Austria was secured, as was Yolandes rule.
Meanwhile, the Oresund had finally melted, and young Sten Sture sailed north with a small but fierce force, and seized the city of Christiania (Oslo) with almost no fight, as they were still sailing under Danish bannersno one had bothered to change them, for some odd reason.
However, a severe test of the ability of Sture to defend his fledgling kingdom was given by the armies of an invading Muscovy, whos Ivan III saw a perfect opportunity in the disorganization of the west.
Stures forces landed at Ingermanland in April, and the snow was still on the ground. His armies were under supplied, and in hostile territory, when Ivan III cautiously bottled them up on the isthmus. Not to be outdone, the Swedish leader found a clever way out of it, by portaging three of his galleys from the Baltic to Lake Ladoga and shipping his army bit by bit to the eastern shore. With half his army there, and half where the Muscovites had trapped it, he took a daring risk and surrounded and defeated the northern army.
Leaving a significant garrison to stopper the Muscovites from attacking his rear, he campaigned into Finland and not only defeated the Muscovite besiegers in battle, he then took the fortresses still loyal to the banner of the Kalmar Union. However, word came from Sweden proper that the Norwegians were advancing on Stockholm, and he agreed to a white peace before rushing back to defend his capital.
Tired as they were, the Swedish forces were still handled competently against an enemy which was sure they wouldnt be there for another few weeks. The Swedes defeated the Norwegian field army at Surahammar, and their nationhood was secured when he negotiated a peace in late June that agreed to let Sweden go independent of the Kalmar Union, along with Finland.
Of course, this meant the Danes were relatively free to rebuild, which they did through the summer of 1457, preparing to strike at the Hussite armies that still held Jutland.
Meanwhile, on the Rheinland front, Gutenberg launched several strikes at France, one of which came as deeply as Metz before being turned. The problem for the Hussites, though, was that they were simply outnumbered. Far too many of their men had been lost in battle against Austria, against the Ottomans, against Italy, against France, against Denmark. France, too, had been afflicted by the war, to be sure. But the Hussites bore the brunt of the war, in almost all the directions, and they were paying for it now.
A French army advanced in Holland, and seized the cities there with relatively little opposition, while in early fall, Gutenberg was stopped short by the new French fortifications at Verdun. These hasty, earthen walls stopped all cannonballs short, and with this, the Hussite army was stymied.
Suddenly the French realized they had a stupendous idea, and the Défense Française was soon being utilized by both their allies and enemies. By December, the forces of war had been cut short by this new style of fortification that froze all movement as hard as the bitter winter that came, while Denmark reconquered Jutland in an agonizingly slow campaign.
The Hussite generals, near unbeatable in the field, were being defeated by dirt and snow.
Meanwhile, Ivan III launched what was for him the most daring attack of his reignusing the frozen rivers as highways across the land, he defeated Lithuanian border armies and seized much land before they could possibly respond.
******************
Previous Entries:
Introduction
The War of the Roses
Europe to c. 1450
Europe: 1450-1455
Europe: 1455-1456
The East: 1450-1490
1456
POD: Council of Constance
1457
Raising troops from Mesopotamia to Wallachia, Mehmed was able to assemble an army of the shocking size of one hundred thousand men, unrivaled by contemporary Christian powers. At the same time, both Shia Muslim resistors in the Empire and the Hussites were able to capitalize by saying that their respective enemies were making a pact with the devil, and several rebellions rose against the Ottomans in both Shia and Christian areas, which were quickly stifled.
He then marched north with his only slightly reduced host, something to the order of ninety thousand men. A rapid campaign which quashed more Christian resistance along the way reached Budapest in an unusually cold March. While foodstuffs were a problem for the Ottoman army, the hard frozen mud made bringing up their siege train quite simple, and the best Christian fortifications fell to the Ottoman heavy artillery in short order.
Matthias, in Italy, heard of his capital falling and was forced to withdraw from ItalyFrancesco capitalized upon this by retaking his fortresses that had been lost and even proceeding into Austria, where he made some gains nipping at the heels of the rapidly retreating Corvinus. Corvinus for his part met up with the Hussite commander Gutenberg at Wien, and after depositing a sizable garrison, marched to meet their foe at the field of Nickelsdorf.
And almost as soon as they arrived, the Christian army was demolished. Even the combined tactical genius of Gutenberg and Corvinus could not defeat the Young Dragonas they were calling Mehmed by now. Ottoman artillery pulverized the Christian infantry, and Ottoman sipahis utterly demolished the undisciplined Hungarian knights.
It was a staggering blow, since the myth of Gutenbergs invincibility was shattered, and the magic that surrounded the Hussite forces was gone.
In only a week, the Ottomans besieged Gutenberg and Corvinus in Wien, where, after a few days of artillery bombardment, the Christian leaders offered a truce. With a little bit of negotiating, it became a full blown treaty. Corvinus was to become a vassal of the Ottoman sultan, and Yolande Valois Hapsburg was restored to her rightful throne, with Ottoman guns to fight any who dared disagree.
As it happened, Francesco dared disagree, and he had a good thirty thousand men, plus a reinforcing French corps to back him up. This army advanced to Wien right as the Ottoman army largely withdrew, and Yolande was left to defend the city by herself with only ten thousand men plus a few hundred sipahis.
The Milanese were understandably contemptuoushow could only ten thousand men oppose them? Even more so, with a woman commanding them?
The armies met at Predlitz, a minor Austrian town, but one that was to be immortalized in the little nations literature and painting.
The Austrian army took up position on a high ridge that overlooked the local area, and waited not all that idly. They dug fieldworks and concealed artillery in the hill at Yolandes order. Meanwhile, a hundred precious sipahis harassed the flanks of the Christian army and drew their sentries away. Thus Francesco arrived at the field with no knowledge of what had been going on in their enemys camp. Indeed, Francesco arrived at dusk, and saw the sprawling, disorganized mass of Austrian tents, and assumed they were encamped. He sent forth his army in what would have been a shattering charge.
Then all hell broke loose.
Twenty cannon roared as one, and cannonballs bounced down the little ridge, plowing into the pretty formations of colorful knights, who were slaughtered in the cold, cruel Austrian Alps that day. Hundreds of crossbow bolts whistled through the air and punched through solid plate as well. And then ten thousand Austrians burst from behind their fortifications, and charged straight into the Milanese army, which broke.
Francesco Sforza was slain with four crossbow bolts to his chest and his leg shattered by a cannonball, and the Italians were driven completely out of Italy. Oh, and the myth that good field commanders could not come from the gentler sex was completely shattered as well. Austria was secured, as was Yolandes rule.
Meanwhile, the Oresund had finally melted, and young Sten Sture sailed north with a small but fierce force, and seized the city of Christiania (Oslo) with almost no fight, as they were still sailing under Danish bannersno one had bothered to change them, for some odd reason.
However, a severe test of the ability of Sture to defend his fledgling kingdom was given by the armies of an invading Muscovy, whos Ivan III saw a perfect opportunity in the disorganization of the west.
Stures forces landed at Ingermanland in April, and the snow was still on the ground. His armies were under supplied, and in hostile territory, when Ivan III cautiously bottled them up on the isthmus. Not to be outdone, the Swedish leader found a clever way out of it, by portaging three of his galleys from the Baltic to Lake Ladoga and shipping his army bit by bit to the eastern shore. With half his army there, and half where the Muscovites had trapped it, he took a daring risk and surrounded and defeated the northern army.
Leaving a significant garrison to stopper the Muscovites from attacking his rear, he campaigned into Finland and not only defeated the Muscovite besiegers in battle, he then took the fortresses still loyal to the banner of the Kalmar Union. However, word came from Sweden proper that the Norwegians were advancing on Stockholm, and he agreed to a white peace before rushing back to defend his capital.
Tired as they were, the Swedish forces were still handled competently against an enemy which was sure they wouldnt be there for another few weeks. The Swedes defeated the Norwegian field army at Surahammar, and their nationhood was secured when he negotiated a peace in late June that agreed to let Sweden go independent of the Kalmar Union, along with Finland.
Of course, this meant the Danes were relatively free to rebuild, which they did through the summer of 1457, preparing to strike at the Hussite armies that still held Jutland.
Meanwhile, on the Rheinland front, Gutenberg launched several strikes at France, one of which came as deeply as Metz before being turned. The problem for the Hussites, though, was that they were simply outnumbered. Far too many of their men had been lost in battle against Austria, against the Ottomans, against Italy, against France, against Denmark. France, too, had been afflicted by the war, to be sure. But the Hussites bore the brunt of the war, in almost all the directions, and they were paying for it now.
A French army advanced in Holland, and seized the cities there with relatively little opposition, while in early fall, Gutenberg was stopped short by the new French fortifications at Verdun. These hasty, earthen walls stopped all cannonballs short, and with this, the Hussite army was stymied.
Suddenly the French realized they had a stupendous idea, and the Défense Française was soon being utilized by both their allies and enemies. By December, the forces of war had been cut short by this new style of fortification that froze all movement as hard as the bitter winter that came, while Denmark reconquered Jutland in an agonizingly slow campaign.
The Hussite generals, near unbeatable in the field, were being defeated by dirt and snow.
Meanwhile, Ivan III launched what was for him the most daring attack of his reignusing the frozen rivers as highways across the land, he defeated Lithuanian border armies and seized much land before they could possibly respond.
******************
Previous Entries:
Introduction
The War of the Roses
Europe to c. 1450
Europe: 1450-1455
Europe: 1455-1456
The East: 1450-1490
1456
das
Regeneration In Process
Which is only for the best - keep it up!
Unlikely, as it wasn't "shattered" neither by Joan d'Arc nor by, say, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Just a minor nitpick though.
Really loved the Défense Française. Does that mean the development of advanced fortifications half a century earlier (assuming that this is roughly based off the OTL Italian Wars-era fortifications)?
Btw, I'm somewhat confused by the political situation in (former?) HRE. It seems to be a loose confederacy (like in OTL after the Thirty Years War?) with Hussite Bohemia as a hegemon, right? What government do the Hussites have?
North King
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The Hussite Confederacy has been slowly solidifying into a fairly centralized republic with representatives from all the principalities. Not everyone is happy with this situation, though... (see entry after next)
das
Regeneration In Process
Hussite Confederacy being on control of the Holy Roman Empire will probably cause some problems - it will inevitably be viewd as "Bohemian" by many, and the Germans rather outnumber Bohemians. That said, the Hussite government has probably capitalized on Gutenberg in its propaganda...
I also somehow doubt that a centralized republic of this size is feasable so early on. Simply put, the main supporters of such a republic would be the burghers - but they are also interested in their cities retaining autonomy. Ofcourse, their fear of France probably could override some of this regionalism, but the French could play on it as well.
I also somehow doubt that a centralized republic of this size is feasable so early on. Simply put, the main supporters of such a republic would be the burghers - but they are also interested in their cities retaining autonomy. Ofcourse, their fear of France probably could override some of this regionalism, but the French could play on it as well.
North King
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With the much much much much more widespread war of religion, the Hussite confederacy was a Pan-German entity. Bohemia was the first Hussite nation, yes. But their supporters were all over the nation, and it is much more German than any Hussite nation in any other timeline.
Oh, and I said *fairly* centralized. That means it is not exactly a federal republic, far closer to a federation of city states--but more so than the Holy Roman Empire.
Oh, and I said *fairly* centralized. That means it is not exactly a federal republic, far closer to a federation of city states--but more so than the Holy Roman Empire.
das
Regeneration In Process
Ah. One last thing, then - is it actually called "Hussite"? IMHO the name doesn't make much sense in the light of Hus' survival... Maybe "Evangelical Confederacy"? "Holy German Confederacy"?
That's all the nitpicks for now. Btw, Kal'thzar, I'm still working on your althist; that is to say, I only recently got around to it, but now things have picked up.
That's all the nitpicks for now. Btw, Kal'thzar, I'm still working on your althist; that is to say, I only recently got around to it, but now things have picked up.
I'll probably start a nes on it, if anyone else is intrested.
das
Regeneration In Process
A much earlier French Revolution takes place (am getting to that), the Enlightenment is stillborn, education is more engineering-based and less humanitarian, and probably this will result in an earlier Industrial Revolution.
North King
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das said:
Luther didn't die, and I recall a major sect of Lutheranism...
das
Regeneration In Process
One thing is religion; another thing entirely is a state. Was there ever a long-living state called "Lutheria"? Or, going back to Soviet analogies, was there a state called "Marxoleninia"?
Ofcourse, there was a city called "Christiania" - but even then, it wasn't a country.
North King
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1458
However, Ivan the third had miscalculated as to the strength of Lithuania. The nation might have been tied to Poland, which had been busy bleeding itself in the War of Austrian Succession... but Lithuania itself had been expending relatively little effort, and their corps of medium cavalry soon engaged the Muscovites in a series of running battles.
Smolensk, Kaluga, Podolsk, they all ended in the same resultLithuanian victory. The Lithuanian forces then entered and burnt the city of Moscow. Unfortunately, this was their undoing, as the Muscovite forces were in friendly countryside, while they were fighting at the wrong time of year, with no stores, and no city to hold.
The Lithuanian forces were defeated at the battle of Ryazan, and in the subsequent month, a peace treaty that signed away large concessions meant that the Muscovite realm grew its territory by nearly a half again its previous size.
Meanwhile, in Europe, the fighting continued to stagnate through the spring and summer. By early autumn, with much of the fields ash and peasants looking at another cold, hungry winter, the rulers had had enough. Finally, the King of France, Jean III, and the Prime Minister of the Hussite Confederacy, Frederick Wettin, met on a barge in the River Rheine, and sat down to peace negotiations. After the long war of Austrian Succession, there was little to be said and done as neither side had gained or lost much.
In the end, it was decided that all the land West of the Rheine, minus Luxembourg and the Western Palatinate, would go to France. Those lands (excepting Luxembourg) and all lands East of the Rheine would go to the Hussite confederacy. Jutland was restored to Denmark.
In short, nothing was gained by either side.
A New Spring: 1458-1490
Little occurred in 1459 and 1460. It seemed like the kings had finally decided to make amends, and that God had granted the peasantry a few years of peace. Crops regrew, and the winters were relatively warmer compared to the years that had come before. The fields which had been sown with blood and ash now flourished, and there was no famine, and little disease, for a few good years.
There were a few spots of trouble still, though. Jagellion Lithuania struck back at Russia, and in a year of brutal fighting, managed to conquer back a few precious strips of land, in 1460.
Trade disputes in the North Sea finally led to a naval war between Denmark, and England and Sweden. The war went relatively badly for the Danes until they managed to get some Scottish support, and the Scots launched one of the worlds largest warships only to have her capsize in the River Thames on a raid. The straights between the Baltic and the North Sea were thus opened up in the ensuing peace, and anyone could use them, free of tariff.
The most troubling event for the Hussites, in turn, was the Defiance of Wurtemburg. Initially a small dispute, the small state refused to follow one of the latest decrees of the Hussite Confederacy in 1470. Troops of the Confederacy marched to put them down, and soon several southern, Catholic states rebelled against the confederacy. This was as great, if not a greater threat, than even France had been to the Confederacy... and if they were not put down, France might again attack in their moment of weakness.
The Hussites moved quickly, and Gutenberg was pulled out of retirement. Forging an army out of grizzled old veterans of the War of Austrian Succession, he went south with his usual genius guiding the troops, and crushed army after army of scared, tired, hungry rebels. The Defiance ended as quickly as it began, but it showed that the Confederacy was not exactly as perfect as its heads would like it to appear...
Meanwhile, another minor event happened as the Ottomans conquered Granada. It was not that troubling to the Iberians, as they were busy fighting amongst themselves, and infidel replacing infidel was not that major of a concern.
From 1475 to 1490 in Europe, the, very little happened. There were some wars, but none major, a few rebellions that were put down, tournaments still going on among the knights who were still obsessed with their own honor and not recognizing that their era was almost done. The main event, then, of this period, was something altogether different.
By 1480, the Basque whalers and cod fishers had been following the good fishing grounds as far north as they would possibly go, and then some. They explored more, intrepid as they were, and then, a Basque trawler sighted a land which was not white or gray with ice, but one that was lush, green, and verdant. They named it Nova Euskera, Nova Latin for New, and Euskera Basque for Basque.
Soon, small settlements sprung up there, of Pure Basque lineage. And they continued to grow, until they were the size of minor fishing villages, and ships could actually moor there. So they werent massive citiesthey were still the only European settlements in this new land.
All that changed in 1483, with Richard Taylors expedition to the West from England. He had barely managed to convince the King to let him sail, but luckily for England, the King decided to humor him. And so they sailed, for months on end, bypassing Norse Greenland, and getting caught in the currents and finally landing on a large island, or so it seemed. Then, they did a few more surveys, and realized it was a full blown continent. Taylor named the virgin land an appropriate name: Virginia.
New trickled back to Europe at an agonizing pace, and it took two full years for the crown to organize another expedition, in 1485, with the intention of settling it. Thus, Richmond was founded in Virginia, on the near island of Nova Anglicawhich to another universe might be known as Nova Scotia.
Meanwhile, more countries began to learn of this new land, and soon Danish, French, Scottish, even Swedish expeditions went to learn more of this new world. New France was charted on a long island which was, appropriately, named Longue Île, or Long Island in English. The inner isle that was across a small bay from it was soon targeted from settlement, and after paying the strange natives of the land a tiny price in beads and a few swords, they built Nouveau Paris on this island. Nouveau Paris grew into a relatively prosperous trading post in short time, with corn being imported from the natives for food, and furs being shipped off to France. And best of all, from the French perspective, these were docile, and pleasant natives to deal with.
Unfortunately, they seemed to be rather susceptible to measles and smallpox, and soon they began to shy away from the village area, so the French were forced to procure their own food, but the furs were still plentiful.
About 1488, the Scots founded a new colonyNova Scotia, on lands inhabited by the Micmac natives. The Swedes founded a new settlement on a bay sheltered by a great, hook-like cape, and with plenty of cod to feed their peoplesthey named it New Skania.
Not all was well in these new landsboth the French and the English tried to claim the mouth of a great river that emptied into the Virginian Bay, and a short war ensued between the settlers. The French eventually fended off the English, and this land of Quebec, named by conversations with local natives, was theirs to keep, with all its furs.
For all this, the land of Virginae (it had come to be known by the Latin name) remained almost as pure as its name would suggest. The natives still grew their crops all over, and though they were devastated by disease several times, they still managed to cling onto life. But the European settlements remained limited, for there was still too much tension in the homelands to give these lands their full energy.
In 1490, the Danes founded the colony of Vinland, named after an old Viking saga, on the northern coast of this land, a bleak, harsh place, and they also claimed the great sea to the Northwest. They felt that perhaps there was some way around this land, to go completely around the world, to the East. To the Orient. To glory.
However, Ivan the third had miscalculated as to the strength of Lithuania. The nation might have been tied to Poland, which had been busy bleeding itself in the War of Austrian Succession... but Lithuania itself had been expending relatively little effort, and their corps of medium cavalry soon engaged the Muscovites in a series of running battles.
Smolensk, Kaluga, Podolsk, they all ended in the same resultLithuanian victory. The Lithuanian forces then entered and burnt the city of Moscow. Unfortunately, this was their undoing, as the Muscovite forces were in friendly countryside, while they were fighting at the wrong time of year, with no stores, and no city to hold.
The Lithuanian forces were defeated at the battle of Ryazan, and in the subsequent month, a peace treaty that signed away large concessions meant that the Muscovite realm grew its territory by nearly a half again its previous size.
Meanwhile, in Europe, the fighting continued to stagnate through the spring and summer. By early autumn, with much of the fields ash and peasants looking at another cold, hungry winter, the rulers had had enough. Finally, the King of France, Jean III, and the Prime Minister of the Hussite Confederacy, Frederick Wettin, met on a barge in the River Rheine, and sat down to peace negotiations. After the long war of Austrian Succession, there was little to be said and done as neither side had gained or lost much.
In the end, it was decided that all the land West of the Rheine, minus Luxembourg and the Western Palatinate, would go to France. Those lands (excepting Luxembourg) and all lands East of the Rheine would go to the Hussite confederacy. Jutland was restored to Denmark.
In short, nothing was gained by either side.
A New Spring: 1458-1490
Little occurred in 1459 and 1460. It seemed like the kings had finally decided to make amends, and that God had granted the peasantry a few years of peace. Crops regrew, and the winters were relatively warmer compared to the years that had come before. The fields which had been sown with blood and ash now flourished, and there was no famine, and little disease, for a few good years.
There were a few spots of trouble still, though. Jagellion Lithuania struck back at Russia, and in a year of brutal fighting, managed to conquer back a few precious strips of land, in 1460.
Trade disputes in the North Sea finally led to a naval war between Denmark, and England and Sweden. The war went relatively badly for the Danes until they managed to get some Scottish support, and the Scots launched one of the worlds largest warships only to have her capsize in the River Thames on a raid. The straights between the Baltic and the North Sea were thus opened up in the ensuing peace, and anyone could use them, free of tariff.
The most troubling event for the Hussites, in turn, was the Defiance of Wurtemburg. Initially a small dispute, the small state refused to follow one of the latest decrees of the Hussite Confederacy in 1470. Troops of the Confederacy marched to put them down, and soon several southern, Catholic states rebelled against the confederacy. This was as great, if not a greater threat, than even France had been to the Confederacy... and if they were not put down, France might again attack in their moment of weakness.
The Hussites moved quickly, and Gutenberg was pulled out of retirement. Forging an army out of grizzled old veterans of the War of Austrian Succession, he went south with his usual genius guiding the troops, and crushed army after army of scared, tired, hungry rebels. The Defiance ended as quickly as it began, but it showed that the Confederacy was not exactly as perfect as its heads would like it to appear...
Meanwhile, another minor event happened as the Ottomans conquered Granada. It was not that troubling to the Iberians, as they were busy fighting amongst themselves, and infidel replacing infidel was not that major of a concern.
From 1475 to 1490 in Europe, the, very little happened. There were some wars, but none major, a few rebellions that were put down, tournaments still going on among the knights who were still obsessed with their own honor and not recognizing that their era was almost done. The main event, then, of this period, was something altogether different.
By 1480, the Basque whalers and cod fishers had been following the good fishing grounds as far north as they would possibly go, and then some. They explored more, intrepid as they were, and then, a Basque trawler sighted a land which was not white or gray with ice, but one that was lush, green, and verdant. They named it Nova Euskera, Nova Latin for New, and Euskera Basque for Basque.
Soon, small settlements sprung up there, of Pure Basque lineage. And they continued to grow, until they were the size of minor fishing villages, and ships could actually moor there. So they werent massive citiesthey were still the only European settlements in this new land.
All that changed in 1483, with Richard Taylors expedition to the West from England. He had barely managed to convince the King to let him sail, but luckily for England, the King decided to humor him. And so they sailed, for months on end, bypassing Norse Greenland, and getting caught in the currents and finally landing on a large island, or so it seemed. Then, they did a few more surveys, and realized it was a full blown continent. Taylor named the virgin land an appropriate name: Virginia.
New trickled back to Europe at an agonizing pace, and it took two full years for the crown to organize another expedition, in 1485, with the intention of settling it. Thus, Richmond was founded in Virginia, on the near island of Nova Anglicawhich to another universe might be known as Nova Scotia.
Meanwhile, more countries began to learn of this new land, and soon Danish, French, Scottish, even Swedish expeditions went to learn more of this new world. New France was charted on a long island which was, appropriately, named Longue Île, or Long Island in English. The inner isle that was across a small bay from it was soon targeted from settlement, and after paying the strange natives of the land a tiny price in beads and a few swords, they built Nouveau Paris on this island. Nouveau Paris grew into a relatively prosperous trading post in short time, with corn being imported from the natives for food, and furs being shipped off to France. And best of all, from the French perspective, these were docile, and pleasant natives to deal with.
Unfortunately, they seemed to be rather susceptible to measles and smallpox, and soon they began to shy away from the village area, so the French were forced to procure their own food, but the furs were still plentiful.
About 1488, the Scots founded a new colonyNova Scotia, on lands inhabited by the Micmac natives. The Swedes founded a new settlement on a bay sheltered by a great, hook-like cape, and with plenty of cod to feed their peoplesthey named it New Skania.
Not all was well in these new landsboth the French and the English tried to claim the mouth of a great river that emptied into the Virginian Bay, and a short war ensued between the settlers. The French eventually fended off the English, and this land of Quebec, named by conversations with local natives, was theirs to keep, with all its furs.
For all this, the land of Virginae (it had come to be known by the Latin name) remained almost as pure as its name would suggest. The natives still grew their crops all over, and though they were devastated by disease several times, they still managed to cling onto life. But the European settlements remained limited, for there was still too much tension in the homelands to give these lands their full energy.
In 1490, the Danes founded the colony of Vinland, named after an old Viking saga, on the northern coast of this land, a bleak, harsh place, and they also claimed the great sea to the Northwest. They felt that perhaps there was some way around this land, to go completely around the world, to the East. To the Orient. To glory.
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