Alternate History Thread IV: The Sequel

[a_propagandist]

The Ming Dynasty should not be held in such low regard. Defending such a long border would be a difficult task in any dimension. Plus, the most progress was made during the Ming dynasty. It was essentially destroyed from the inside as the eunuchs are credited with stagnating the dynasty. Of course, the war with Korea against Japan took its toll on the treasury. However, the natural occurrences like plague and famine made the Ming dynasty weak against the Manchus.


And to address the Chinese imperialism, if that were taken into mind, northern Vietnam and Korea should be ceded over to China.


And the Eight-Nation Alliance consisted of Italy, Russia, Japan, Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, BRITAIN, and the UNITED STATES.

 

[silver 2039]

Isn't Qianlong the one who began the corruption which lead to the eventual downfall of the Qing by appointing his gay eunuch lover as some sort of supreme minister or something?

Apparently that eunuch Heshan if I recall correctly hoarded loads of wealth, and appointed all his friends to official posts, and corrupted the examination system or something? Besides didn't Qianlong also drain the Imperial treasury with wars in the West?

The Ming Dynasty should not be held in such low regard. Defending such a long border would be a difficult task in any dimension. And the Eight-Nation Alliance consisted of Italy, Russia, Japan, Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, BRITAIN, and the UNITED STATES. Back to the Ming, it was essentially destroyed from the inside as the eunuchs are credited with stagnating the dynasty. Of course, the war with Korea against Japan took its toll on the treasury. And to address the Chinese imperialism, if that were taken into mind, northern Vietnam and Korea should be ceded over to China.

The Ming dynasty had so much potential which was lost, it could have become a grand colonial empire. The problem was the abolishment of the treasure fleets the minute the barbarians began harassing them again.
They sent the treasure fleet out for prestige and glory and vassals rather than colonies and wealth. So the treasure ships were far more expensive and they didn't provide any monetary benefits of their own. So when the barbarians came along and the treasury was strained the fleets were abolished.

 

[alex994]

The Ming Dynasty should not be held in such low regard. Defending such a long border would be a difficult task in any dimension. Plus, the most progress was made during the Ming dynasty. It was essentially destroyed from the inside as the eunuchs are credited with stagnating the dynasty. Of course, the war with Korea against Japan took its toll on the treasury. However, the natural occurrences like plague and famine made the Ming dynasty weak against the Manchus.

So what? Just because it should not be held in low regard doesn't change the fact that it IS held in low regard. The most progress was made during the Ming Dynasty can be challenged by the Song Dynasty, but so what? You list facts and say we shouldn't be so hard on the Ming but the fact is most people are hard on them. The first Emperor of the Ming made the First Emperor look like a decent guy to some people. The fact is, regardless of how fate was SOO CRUEL to the Ming Dynasty, people still hold them in scant regard with perhaps the Treasure Ships being a small redeeming factor.

And the Eight-Nation Alliance consisted of Italy, Russia, Japan, Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, BRITAIN, and the UNITED STATES.

Yes yes, I am aware of that. However unlike the other six nations, British and American troops did not participate in the wanton destruction and sacking of Beijing even if the British are infamous in the destruction of the Old Summer Palace...

Isn't Qianlong the one who began the corruption which lead to the eventual downfall of the Qing by appointing his gay eunuch lover as some sort of supreme minister or something?

Apparently that eunuch Heshan if I recall correctly hoarded loads of wealth, and appointed all his friends to official posts, and corrupted the examination system or something? Besides didn't Qianlong also drain the Imperial treasury with wars in the West?

That's all correct, though I'm pretty such Qianlong wasn't gay considering the exorbitant amount of children he sired Even with his later senility, people still consider him a great Emperor due to the prosperity he brought about for the greater majority of his reign.

And I believe we already had the discussion about the Treasure Fleets so let's not bring that up again shall we?

 

[a_propagandist]

The treasure ships are but a small achievement by the Ming dynasty. The military was redeveloped, land was redistributed, the judicial system was reformed to give peasants fairness, trade flourished, science and printing and production grew. However, under the Qing, almost nothing good happened. Even their government system was largely inherited from the Ming. The only good thing that came about was the Beiyang Army and Fleet. Even then, the corrupt government ruined its chances in battles as the corrupt officials had the very shells were filled with concrete instead of powder to launder the money saved towards their possession.

 

[alex994]

The treasure ships are but a small achievement by the Ming dynasty. The military was redeveloped, land was redistributed, the judicial system was reformed to give peasants fairness, trade flourished, science and printing and production grew. However, under the Qing, almost nothing good happened. Even their government system was largely inherited from the Ming. The only good thing that came about was the Beiyang Army and Navy. Even then, the corrupt government ruined its chances in battles as the corrupt officials had the very shells were filled with concrete instead of powder to launder the money saved towards their possession.

So what? People remember little of the Ming as compared to the "great" rulers of the Qing. It doesn't matter what the Ming and Qing did or how bad they sucked in life, what matters is that people see and consider Kangxi and Qianlong two of the finest Emperors in Chinese history as they brought China to an unprecedented level of prosperity. To say "almost nothing good happened" under the Qing is such a blatant disregard by the century and a half of peace and prosperity brought by the early Qing Emperors! A century and a half that is considered by many to be one of China's finest times.

You only concentrate on what was bad about the Qing later on in the times and it's true; but worst can be said of the Late Ming Dynasty. Anyways, people don't care about how dynasties eventually turned rotten, they always do. The fact is that most people see the Qing in a better light than the Ming and that's all to it even if their view is considered wrong by you because of all the reforms the Ming brought about.

 

[Disenfrancised]

The treasure ships should not be held in such high regard as some people do, I guess its the size and guadiness thats attractive. Yes they were bigger and more sanitary than the european ships of the same period but they were a century behind in gunnery technology and two centuries behind in navigation. Plus, and this is rather more important, they were uneconomic - each voyage consumed a massive amount of treasure to effectively just show the flag, the merchents that came along were subsidised and failed when the subsidies were withdrawn; thus each voyage and fleet was a net loss to the state. In contrast the european voyages were smaller, rugged, and profit orientated - they went where the money was (and committed piracy if it couldn't be had through trade) so that each voyage funded more voyages and empire (see the EIC and VOC expansion being self-sustaining even when there were troubles at home). The mandarins were right, the treasure fleets were a bloody stupid idea and a waste of money, its just they should have reorganised the fleets rather than goning for isolation.

 

[das]

Lots of Chinese dynasties are underrated. Ming was definitely one of the greater ones, in spite of its 16th century shortcomings; I do believe I already did a timeline about its potential revival. I'm not sure if vast colonial empires are generally something China could manage; parts of Southeast Asia, sure, but beyond that the costs would far outweigh the gains.

At any rate, its not like China remained in isolation for all that long; soon after the European arrival revitalised Southeast Asian trade without them having to move a finger the Ming opened up to trade again and began reaping what the Europeans had sown. Another issue entirely is that they did that very clumsily thanks to a certain eunuch.

I strongly disagree with those criticising the Qing, though. As alex said, corruption is inevitable, and the Qing lasting as long as they did - lasting comparatively uncorrupted as long as they did, as well - was alone quite an achievement. What was said about the military was nonsense; the Qing had their own excellent military that helped them conquer China, and it was perfectly adapted for steppe warfare, allowing the conquest of the aforementioned "contested territories" which the Qing - unlike their predecessors - held on to. Qing foreign relations weren't as silly as they may seem, though mistakes were made. And of all the late-dynasty reform attempts, the various Qing efforts came closer to success than those of the Ming, for instance.

 

[a_propagandist]

The idea of a vast empire was possible; the Chinese having a large treasury, a large million-man strong standing army to defend its lands, and the treasury and effective taxing and judicial system to fund such things. The general technology of Ming China at its peak was at the same level or higher when compared to the Europeans. So, if one viewed Ming China like the beefier European state it was in terms of capabilities, the possibilities are endless in terms of Chinese imperialism.

 

[ThomAnder]

Think of it in EU3 terms, their sliders are at different places, such that Ming WON'T (more than can't) establish colonies and become imperialistic overseas.

 

[Dachs]

Ugh, not EU III. EU II, please, as it is far superior. Apparently.

 

[alex994]

The idea of a vast empire was possible; the Chinese having a large treasury, a large million-man strong standing army to defend its lands, and the treasury and effective taxing and judicial system to fund such things. The general technology of Ming China at its peak was at the same level or higher when compared to the Europeans. So, if one viewed Ming China like the beefier European state it was in terms of capabilities, the possibilities are endless in terms of Chinese imperialism.

Yes, yes, the possibilities are endless. But the powerful Confucian ruling elite cannot be so easily destroyed right after the expulsion of the Yuan Poor propagandist, never knows how difficult it is to be China sometimes....

 

[das]

The idea of a vast empire was possible

It was also incredibly stupid. Let us leave it at that.

 

[LightFang]

See, the above argument is why you don't argue with alex about China. He's too uncreative to think of anything original, so he responds by, instead of being shallow about many things, being excessively deep about one thing. D:

 

[alex994]

See, the above argument is why you don't argue with alex about China. He's too uncreative to think of anything original, so he responds by, instead of being shallow about many things, being excessively deep about one thing. D:

*adds Lightfang to hit list right below Thlayli*

 

[Disenfrancised]

The idea of a vast empire was possible; the Chinese having a large treasury, a large million-man strong standing army to defend its lands,

But the land was vast two - that army was for border defense and peacekeeping, building a maritime empire when the barbs were at the door might not have been the best idea .

and the treasury and effective taxing and judicial system to fund such things.

Wasting state funds on a maritime empire? Bad idea, you should go profits first so that the trade doesn't depend on the imperial courts whimsy. Plus the european financial establishments were rather more effective at mobilizing money, and the competitive environment of european nation states reduced the monarchs/courts opportunities to fritter it away .

The general technology of Ming China at its peak was at the same level or higher when compared to the Europeans. So, if one viewed Ming China like the beefier European state it was in terms of capabilities, the possibilities are endless in terms of Chinese imperialism.

Actuall the chinese were far ahead of the europeans in some areas, and far behind in others...the problem was that the ones they were behind in were exactly the ones you needed for a maritime empire (and that by the time the europeans appeared in the east the rate of their advancement was much greater, even if they hadn't caught up in all areas). Ming china cannot be compared to an atlantic european state in terms of capabilities or outlook, as they are very very different. Of course I'm not saying that a great chinese empire couldn't be built, but the comparison your making is incorrect.

 

[a_propagandist]

Actuall the chinese were far ahead of the europeans in some areas, and far behind in others...the problem was that the ones they were behind in were exactly the ones you needed for a maritime empire (and that by the time the europeans appeared in the east the rate of their advancement was much greater, even if they hadn't caught up in all areas). Ming china cannot be compared to an atlantic european state in terms of capabilities or outlook, as they are very very different. Of course I'm not saying that a great chinese empire couldn't be built, but the comparison your making is incorrect.

Actually, during the 16th century, the levels of tech were about the same. The edge is lost in the late 17th. In the first two-thirds of the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese were either ahead at equal to th Europeans.

 

[Disenfrancised]

Actually, during the 16th century, the levels of tech were about the same. The edge is lost in the late 17th. In the first two-thirds of the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese were either ahead at equal to th Europeans.

Techology isn't a singular stat you know, and I dispute your equal in all areas during the 16th - there were some areas the europeans were miles ahead in (and others they weren't of course) and those are the important ones for a maritime empire.

 

[Symphony D.]

As an outside observer, it would help if you named these points rather than simply leave them floating to shutdown counter arguments, as then it merely appears to be simple hand waving that can be countered by more hand waving on the other side.

Off the top of my head, I would guess among them would be portable time-keeping devices (the Chinese had water clocks, yes, but they aren't portable), superior cartography,better astronomical navigation techniques and equipment, and perhaps better overall sail rigging, benefiting as they did from both North Atlantic and Mediterranean / Red Sea traditions, as in actual boat construction the Chinese were generally ahead.

Ideology and disposition more suited to colonial enterprises might also be considered, I suppose.

 

[Disenfrancised]

As an outside observer, it would help if you named these points rather than simply leave them floating to shutdown counter arguments, as then it merely appears to be simple hand waving that can be countered by more hand waving on the other side.

Off the top of my head, I would guess among them would be portable time-keeping devices (the Chinese had water clocks, yes, but they aren't portable), superior cartography,better astronomical navigation techniques and equipment, and perhaps better overall sail rigging, benefiting as they did from both North Atlantic and Mediterranean / Red Sea traditions, as in actual boat construction the Chinese were generally ahead.

Ideology and disposition more suited to colonial enterprises might also be considered, I suppose.

Yes indeed, plus water clocks eventual become inaccurate thanks to silting. To yours I would add
-Much more developed mechanism of raising and investing capital from private sources, so that the naval trade is not such a drain on the state.
-Better naval cannon (in terms of range and maintainence) and gunnery techniques

On the non-technological side the voyages were intrinstically worth more to the europeans, as they couldn't get silks and spices anywhere else, and the distance created huge profits. Whilst the chinese didn't get much they couldn't have at home "betel, bamboo staves, grape-wine, pomegranates and ostrich eggs and suchlike odd things", there wasn't much point to an overseas empire (whilst the relatively poor europeans hungered after the wealth of the Indies)

Relevent things the chinese were ahead in:
-Having drydocks allowing much bigger ships and faster construction.
-Ship building techniques in terms of size and sanitariness (also a disadvantage - its harder for a huge ship to pay for it self through trade) and in job specialization (again its harder for a specialist ship to pay its way)

 

[Israelite9191]

Here is another installation. There aren't that many major changes in this one (Iberia and Bavaria are the only ones I can think of at the moment), but there is a lot of setting up for the next one, which should include the last of the major changes before the NES starts. If you all have comments on how you would expect things to progress (particularly in India, Persia, Iraq, and Central Asia, though anything else is almost of equal desire) from this point are more than welcome. Comments, criticisms, questions, etc. are very welcome. As always, the PoD is in blue and edits are in green.

The Age of Elisabeth – Timeline​

Spoiler “First Installation” :

1343 –
1.) Robert the Wise Angevine, King of Naples, King of Jerusalem, Count of Provence-Forcalquier becomes seriously ill.
2.) Elisabeth, Queen Mother of Hungary, arrives in Italy campaigning on behalf of her elder son, Louis I the Great Angevine, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Dalmatia to take the throne in place of her younger son Andrew, Duke of Calabria, heir to the Neapolitan throne.
3.) Robert dies.
4.) Pope Clement VI takes the side of Louis and Elisabeth over Andrew.
1344 –
1.) Louis I the Great Angevine, King of Hungary, is crowned King of Naples, King of Jerusalem, and Count of Provence-Forcalquier.
2.) Louis I and Stefan II Kotromanić, Ban of Bosnia, invade Zara declaring war on Venice. Zara is conquered and the Banate of Dalmatia is united with that of Bosnia as a reward to Kotromanić. The Republic of Ragusa is founded under Hungarian hegemony.
1345 – 1347 –
1.) Louis I, with significant aide from Kotromanić, campaigns in the Herzegovinan principalities and Cumania (Wallachia and Moldavia) with significant success.
1347 –
1.) Kotromanić invades Serbia on pretenses of aiding dynastic relatives in Montenegro gain independence. Louis I joins and the War of Montenegrin Independence begins officially on May 20.
2.) Albania rises in revolt under Charles Angevine, Duke of Durazzo, cousin to Louis I of Hungary, and legal claimant to the Albanian throne.
3.) The Battle of the Zeta takes place on July 3. Combined Hungarian, Bosniak, Montenegran, and Albanian forces crush the Serb military.
4.) The Treaty of Belgrade is signed ending the war. The treaty is signed by a collective of Serb lords in place of Stefan Dušan, who has fled to exile in Bulgaria. Serbia becomes a Banate of Hungary under Charles, who also becomes the Prince of Albania.
5.) Balša I is crowned king of the newly independent Montenegro.
6.) Balša I and his three sons and heirs die under mysterious contexts. Kotromanić becomes the logical heir and is crowned king of Montenegro.
1349 –
1.) An assassination attempt organized by Charles I, Prince of Albania on the life of Louis I, who had only female heirs which would have allowed Charles to place a claim to the throne, is uncovered by Kotromanić. Charles is seized and executed by Hungarian forces and Louis I, the logical heir, takes the Albanian throne.
1351 –
1.) Louis I re-releases the Golden Bull of 1222, guaranteeing the rights of Hungarian nobility.
1352 –
1.) The Moldavian Voivodeship is founded out of Cummania by Louis I. Dragoş of Béltek Maramureş is sent by Louis I to establish a line of boundary against the Golden Horde. Dragoş continues the campaign extending Moldavia to the Dneister River.
1353 –
1.) Tvrtko I becomes Ban of Bosnia and King of Montenegro.
1354 –
1.) Byzantine Emperor John V Palaeologos appeals to Hungary for aide against the Ottomans. Louis I responds by sending a moderate force under Tvrtko, marking Hungarian entrance into the War of Adrianople.
1355 –
1.) Kazimierz Wielki III, King of Poland names Louis I, his nephew, as his successor.
2.) The War of Adrianople stalls and John V appeals for more help. Louis responds by sending another small army followed by a second soon there after.
1356 –
2.) The War of Ardrianople turns in favor of the Byzantines with The Fourth Battle of Adrianople. Most of the Hungarian forces, including Tvrtko, return home.
1358 –
1.) The War of Adrianople turns again, this time in favor of the Ottomans, with The Sixth Battle of Adrianople. John V does not request aide.
1359 –
1.) The Ottomans win the seemingly decisive Battle of Pentikion. John V seeks aide from Louis I but is denied.
2.) John V seeks aide again, pledging to hand over all Byzantine territory as far south as Thessaloniki in Greece excepting the Golden Horn and Gallipoli. Louis I responds by personally leading a large force.
3.) Bâlc Maramureş assumes the Voivodeship of Moldavia.
4.) Bogdan of Cuhea raises a revolt in Moldavia. Bâlc flees into Transylvania and requests help from Buda, which sends a small force to prevent Bogdan from entering Transylvania, but nothing more.
5.) Proclamation of the first Orthodox Romanian Metropolitan Church in Wallachia.
1359 – 1360 –
1.) A series of decisive battles takes place between the Magyaro-Byzantine forces and the Ottomans culminating in The Eighth Battle of Adrianople. The Ottomans return to Anatolia.
1360 –
1.) Louis I redirects his attention and leads a large number of troops into Moldavia, crushing the fledgling rule of Bogdan and reinstating Bâlc as vovoide. Bogdan flees to Walachia.
1361 –
1.) The Hungarian royal residence is moved by Louis I to Buda from Esztergom (Gran).
2.) Louis I invades Bulgaria.
1362 –
1.) Louis I defeats and captures Ivan Stratsimir, Tsar of Bulgaria, securing northern Bulgaria.
2.) Pope Urban V succeeds Pope Innocent VI in Avignon.
1363 –
1.) Byzantium wins the naval Battle of Megara against the Ottoman Turks.
2.) Epirus revolts against Byzantium, establishing a greater level of independence while the Byzantines are distracted defending against the Ottomans.
3.) Tvrtko invades and conquers Epirus, crowning himself Despot of Epirus.
1365 – 1370 –
1.) Louis I initiates a series of successful wars against Wallachia and Bulgaria. Wallachia is conquered in 1368, Bulgaria remains independent.
1366 –
1.) Decree of Turda negates nobility rights of the Orthodox Romanians in Transylvania, Hungary.
1369 –
1.) Jan Huss is born in Bohemia.
1370 –
1.) Kazimierz Wielki III, King of Poland, dies and Louis I the Great Angevine, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Dalmatia is crowned King of Poland.
2.) Pope Gregory XI succeeds Pope Urban V in Avignon.

Spoiler “Second Installation” :

1371 –
1.) Tsar Ivan Shishman is crowned as co-emperor with his brother Ivan Stratsimir by their father Tsar Ivan Alexander, the supreme emperor. Bulgaria is significantly weakened by the split.
1372 –
1.) Louis I invades a weakened Bulgaria.
1373 –
1.) Ottomans defeat the Byzantines decisively at the naval Battle of Lesbos.
2.) Ottomans begin the invasion of Greece, landing forces on the mainland.
3.) Siege of Thessaloniki, John V Palaeologos requests aide from Louis I of Hungary, the request is denied as Hungary is tied up in Bulgaria.
1374 –
1.) Philip II of Taranto passes, leaving the Principality of Taranto and the Principality of Achaea to James of Baux.
2.) Mária of Hungary Angevine is betrothed to Sigismund of Luxembourg despite the wishes of Elisabeth of Bosnia Kotromanić, Queen Consort of Hungary and mother of Mária.
1374 – 1376
1.) Magyaro-Bulgarian War stalls with Hungary controlling the inner half of Bulgaria.
2.) The Ottoman invasion of Greece carries on with minimal Byzantine resistance but significant peasant uprising. John V requests help from Hungary several times but is denied. He also requests help from the West but is likewise denied.
1377 –
1.) The Avignon Papacy returns to Rome under the leadership of Pope Gregory XI at the behest of Catherine of Sienna.
2.) Treaty of Santorini signed ending the war between the Ottomans and Byzantines. Greece is handed over to the Ottomans and the Ottomans pledge to guarantee the independence of Constantinople under Byzantine rule.
3.) Pope Gregory XI condemns John Wycliffe.
4.) Władysław II Jagiello succeeds to the Lithuanian throne and becomes sole ruler.
5.) Plovdiv falls in late November. Bulgaria incorporated into the Hungarian Empire.
1378 –
1.) John Wycliffe attempts to defend his theses before the English public.
2.) Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg dies. His son Wenceslaus IV the Drunkard, Elector of Brandenburg, succeeds him as King of Bohemia and King of Germany. He is elected King of the Romans.
3.) Papacy permanently moved to Rome.
4.) Pope Urban VI elected Pope under pressure from the Roman mob.
5.) Antipope Clement VII elected at Fondi, establishes himself in Avignon. Western Schism begins.
6.) Louis I intervenes on behalf of Urban VI. He leads a large force into Italy while sending Tvrtko to lead a force in Provence, a holding of the Hungarian crown since merger with the Neapolitan crown, to besiege Avignon.
7.) France intervenes, sending a force to clash with the Hungarian one.
1379 –
1.) War of the Papal Schism continues with Hungarian and French forces clashing in Italy and Provence. Both sides make advances but neither is able to gain the upper hand.
2.) Radu I, titular Prince of Wallachia, and his son Dan I, titular heir to the Princedom of Wallachia, raise a revolt against Hungary. Forces under the loyal Bâlc Maramureş, Voivode of Moldavia, are sent to suppress the rebellion. They meet moderate success before being forced to retreat by lack of supplies.
1380 –
1.) Battle of Milan takes place between Hungarian lead pro-Urban forces and French led pro-Clement forces. The battle ends in a draw with both sides retreating from Northern Italy to lick their wounds.
2.) The War of the Papal Schism continues in Provence with minor gains by Tvrtko.
1381 –
1.) The Peasants’ Revolt takes place in England. As a result Wycliffe grows more unpopular among the elite.
2.) Kęstutis Alexander seizes the Grand Dukeship of Lithuania.
3.) The War of Chioggia comes to an end with Venice defeating Genoa.
4.) France launches a new offensive in Northern Italy. They are opposed by a weakened Venice.
5.) England enters the War of the Papal Schism in Northern France with a large invasion.
6.) Brittany revolts, siding with Pope Urban VI and joining England and Hungary.
7.) Second Battle of Milan takes place. French forces are soundly defeated by a Venice-lead alliance of pro-Urban Italian city states supported by Hungarian florins. France retreats from Italy.
8.) Battle of Kermartin takes place. Anglo-Breton forces defeat French forces.
9.) Battle of Évreux is fought between the English and French. French win a crushing victory through superior tactics. English retreat to stronger positions west of the Orne.
1382 –
1.) Battle of Orange is fought in Provence. Forces under the leadership of Tvrtko decisively crush French troops. Tvrtko marches on and lays siege to Avignon.
2.) Avignon falls. Clement VII and the rebel cardinals are executed en masse. Pope Urban VI is reinstated as the Holy Father for all of Catholic Christendom.
3.) Synod of London condemns the teaching of Wycliffe.
4.) Treaty of Genoa signed by all involved parties. Provence is made a duchy, Brittany is made fully independent, and England takes control of much of northern France.
5.) Trieste donates itself to Hungary out of fear of being conquered by Venice.
6.) Louis I the Great Angevine, King of Hungary, Croatia, and Dalmatia, King of Naples, King of Jerusalem, Duke of Provence-Forcalquier, Prince of Albania, King of Poland, dies. His eldest daughter Mária inherits the throne. At the behest of her mother, Elisabeth of Bosnia, she immediately dismisses her betrothal to Sigismund. Elisabeth organizes Tvrtko’s placement as co-regent.
7.) Kęstutis Alexander, Grand Duke of Lithuania is taken prisoner and executed by the former Grand Duke, Władysław II Jagiełło, who regains the crown.
1383 –
1.) James Baux, Prince of Taranto and Prince of Achaea, dies. Mária seizes the principality of Taranto, a fief of Hungary. Charles II of Durazzo the Short Angevine inherits Achaea.
2.) Stefan Tvrtko I Kotromanić, Ban of Bosnia and King of Montenegro and Mária wed at the urging of Elisabeth of Bosnia. Tvrtko receives the titles and holdings of Louis I.
3.) The Teutonic Crusades against Lithuania recommence.
4.) The Orthodox Romanian nobles in Transylvania are restored to their positions by Trvrtko.

Spoiler “Third Installation” :

1384 –
1.) John Wycliffe dies.
1385 –
1.) Tvrtko sends Bâlc Maramureş, Voivode of Moldavia, to lead an invasion of Wallachia. After a serious of minor defeats he wins the decisive Battle of Târgovişte both Prince Dan I Basarab and his son Mircea I Basarabare killed in the fighting. The voivodeship is awarded to the Maramureş family for their service.
1386 – 1390 –
1.) Tvrtko and Maria institute a series of reforms, consolidating power in the Crown of St. Stephen and weakening the Hungarian nobility.
1388 –
1.) The Wycliffe Bible completed.
2.) Mass persecution of Lollard followers of Wycliffe’s teachings begins.
1389 –
1.) Pope Boniface IX succeeds Pope Urban VI in Rome.
1390 –
1.) Lords in southern Hungary raise a revolt demanding a re-issuing of the Golden Bull and an expansion of rights.
2.) Charles II the Short of Durazzo, Prince of Achaea, begins secretly financing the rebels.
3.) Vytautas the Great Gediminaičiai, claimant to the Lithuanian Grand Dukeship the raises a revolt against the current Grand Duke, Jogaila Gediminaičiai Jagiellon in alliance with the Teutonic Order.
4.) Tvrtko leads an army into the south, engaging the rebels in several battles but makes little headway.
1391 –
1.) The nobles secure several key positions.
2.) Charles of Durazzo reveals his intentions and begins sending Achaean troops to aide the rebels.
3.) Charles of Durazzo dies mysteriously, assassination is assumed and Elisabeth of Bosnia falls under suspicion.
4.) Vytautas allies with Muscovy.
5.) The Ottomans invade Achaea from their positions in the southern Peloponnesus. Achaea is slowly annexed into the Ottoman Empire, leaving all of Greece except the Duchy of Athens and some northern territory in Hungary under Ottoman rule.
1392 – 1393 –
1.) The nobles begin loosing ground to Royal forces under Tvrtko, until the last stand at the Battle of Hódvásárhely (modern Hódmezővásárhely, Csongrád, Hungary). The battle was short and the few forces that fought for the rebels in the battle mostly fled.
1392 –
1.) Vytautas defeats Jogaila and takes the Lithuanian throne.
2.) Elisabeth of Bosnia, Queen Mother of Hungary, dies of natural causes.
1394 – 1396 –
1.) Tvrtko embarks on a second series of internal reforms eliminating defunct fiefs and reducing the number of noble titles. This includes the incorporation of Bosnia, Croatia, Dalmatia, Naples, Albania, Epirus, and Montenegro into the holdings of the Crown of St. Stephen.
1396 –
1.) The uneasy peace between France and England of the Treaty of Genoa is shakily secured with the marriage of Richard II Plantagenet, King of England, Titular King of France, and Lord of Ireland to Isabella of Valois, Princess of France.
2.) Charles VI the Mad Valois, King of France invades Genoa.
3.) Genoa soundly defeats the invading French force. France is forced to pay significant reparations.
4.) Charles VI turns up dead in his bead in the royal palace, assassinated. He has no male heirs and only one living female heir, Isabella of Valois, Queen Consort of England.
1397 –
1.) War of French Succession breaks out upon the death of Charles VI. Louis de Valois, Duke of Orléans claims the throne as does Richard II, whose wife is the closest thing to an obvious heir.
2.) England invades France with the intention of securing the French throne for the Plantagenets. Burgundy and most of the French fiefs side with Louis de Valois, while Brittany and a few French fiefs, in particular ones with lesser power, side with Richard II. For the time being Provence, under Hungarian rule, remains neutral.
3.) Milan sends troops to aid Louis, who is married to the duke’s daughter.
4.) Genoa, Venice, Florence, and Bologna, in a surprise alliance, invade Milanese territory. Milan is destroyed and the alliance marches on to France
5.) English troops defeat Valois troops at the Battle of Lisieux, securing northern France up to the Seine.
6.) The Ottoman Empire finishes the conquest of Anatolia up to the Black Sheep and White Sheep Turkomans.
7.) Thomas Arundel appointed and then ousted as Archbishop of Canterbury.
1398 –
1.) English win the Battle of Diepe. All of Normandy is now under English control.
2.) Anglo-Breton forces are defeated by Valois forces in the Battle of Batz-sur-Mer. Breton borders are pushed up to Nantes itself.
3.) Italian troops march across the Alps to attack Orléans from behind. They are confronted by a Valois army and are soundly defeated.
4.) Teutonic Order raids into Lithuanian territory resume.
1399 –
1.) The war quiets down considerably for several months with both sides gathering forces.
2.) An extraordinarily large force of English, along with Italian supporters, arrives in Rouen’s docks. The force begins marching for Paris.
3.) Louis diverts vast amounts of troops towards Paris in order to confront English forces.
4.) The forces confront each other at The Battle of Argenteuil. The battle is long, the forces involved tremendous in number, and the list of casualties never-ending, but the English emerge victorious over the Valois by a seeming stroke of luck. The English march on to secure Paris.
5.) Provencal forces, under the leadership of Tvrtko, launch a surprise attack against Languedoc and southern French territory. Burgundy is simply too weak to defend itself and does not put up a fight.
6.) After securing southern France Tvrtko happily offers to moderate a peace between the English alliance and the Valois faction.
7.) Mária Angevine, Queen Consort of Hungary, dies of natural causes.
8.) Battle of the Vorskla River won by the Golden Horde against Lithuania, which was led by Vytautas.
9.) Warlike John V the Conqueror Montfort, Duke of Brittany, dies, his peaceful son John VI the Wise Montfort ascends to the throne.