"Io Mihailŭ, Împĕratul Românilor" - A Michael the Brave Romania Wank

[Zagan]

Romania after the Pressburg Peace Treaty​

Territorial Increase of Romania
(put in a perspective)

United Romanian Lands in 1601 (de jure): 258,000 sq km (100,000 sq mi).

Romania before the Peace Conference (de facto): 290,000 sq km (112,000 sq mi).

Romania after the Peace Conference (de jure): 360,000 sq km (139,000 sq mi), a 40% increase in less than a year since Unification.
(a little more than OTL Germany 2015)

The increase in population was probably a little less than 40% since European Ottoman territories tended to have a lesser population density.

1602 TTL Romania has probably around 2-3 million inhabitants, between two thirds and three quarters of them ethnic Romanians.


Compare to OTL:

Romania 1913-1918: 138,000 sq km (53,000 sq mi).

Romania 1919-1940: 295,000 sq km (114,000 sq mi), a 114% increase after WW1 (more than double).

Romania 1944-2015: 238,000 sq km (92,000 sq mi)
(a little less than OTL Great Britain 2015)

 

[Zagan]

Trăiască România Mare, de la Tisa pân'la Mare!
(Long live Greater Romania, from the [River] Tissa to the [Black] Sea!)​

The Aftermath of Pressburg​

17-19 April 1602, Pressburg, Austria

The heads of state left Vienna in unusually good terms and quite content with the Peace Treaty. Mihai had left a powerful impression as a strong, pragmatic and determined leader who disliked useless pomp and sterile talk and favoured peace and stability.

Sigismund was pleased that he was able to gain influence in Slovakia, but perhaps his greatest diplomatic victory was the article concerning the Tatar menace. He actually received a free hand to act against the Tatars if they kept on raiding his lands. The fact that Mihai did not mention Pokuttya was also good.

Matthias was relieved that the disastrous wars started by his brother were finally over and Vienna itself was safe for the forseeable future. The loss of Hungary was certainly extremely unfortunate, but things could have gotten even worse. As for the money, he would have to borrow from his wealthy Spanish cousins.

Mehmed was very proud of himself. While clearly unable to win the war on the battlegrounds, Mihai helped him to win it at the negotiating table. He was thus able to achieve what none of his predecesors did: he was master of Hungary and Croatia and suzerain of Romania and Slovakia up to the northern Carpathians. The Ottoman Empire had its greatest extent in its entire history. He had finally proven himself worthy of being a Sultan. His mother will be so proud of him.

Mihai was also very happy, although his happiness was not apparent. But more than feeling happy, he actually felt relieved. All the pressure he had upon himself during the last years was finally over. His country was united, strong, safe and in peace. And now he had time to prepare for the great future confrontation with the Ottomans when he will finally push them across the Bosphorus.

The Romanian army prepared to leave Pressburg and Slovakia and head back home. Mihai left the bulk of the army behind and protected by his 2500 strong mounted personal guard advanced faster towards Romania.


April-May 1602, Romania

The news of the successful Peace Treaty arrived in Romania before Mihai and the army. Celebrations erupted in several cities. People were mainly happy that the wars were presumably over and the threat of invasion was gone. Very few people comprehended how large Romania was before and after the Peace Treaty or knew anything about the newly added lands. They understood however that the bigger the country the better for them.

A solemn meeting of the Senat was held. The Senators really wanted to hear themselves talking. Most of them praised the Voivode. Some praised themselves. Others praised the country itself and even its people. But some dissenting voices could be heard as well. There were a few senators who deplored the loss of Slovakia and especially the acceptance of Ottoman suzerainty which was considered a loss of the country's independence.
In fact, Slovakia was never Romanian and was never even supposed to become part of Romania. The concepts of nationality and a National State were simply too abstract at that time. For many people the only tangible thing was that Mihai had conquered Slovakia and then given it away. As for the difference between a full administrative union and a mere personal union, it was probably too complicated to grasp.
As for the supposed independence of Romania, that was nothing more than a myth. Prior to the Peace Treaty, Romania had not even international recognition as an entity, much less an independent state. True, it was independent de facto, but that independence would only mean neverending wars with the Turks in the future.

Because there was much talk about the Roman past, a Triumphal Arch was commissioned in Alba Iulia. A wooden mockup was quickly erected and work begun at the site of the future Arch. If everything went smoothly, it was supposed to be unveiled some time in 1604.


May 1602, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire

Being at peace with Romania, Mehmed could sail down the Danube to the Black Sea and arrived quickly in Constantinople in order to bring the good news personally to his mother the powerful Valide Sultan.

Safiye: "Oh... So you signed this. I see... And do you think this treaty is actually good for us, don't you?"
Mehmed: "But sure, mother. We got a lot of land and money and Romania and Upper Hungary accepted our suzerainty. What should not be liked about it?"
S: "My poor silly child... You actually ceded more land to Romania than you received from Austria!"
M: "Yes, a little more. But Romania is still an Ottoman vassal, so little has changed in fact."
S: "Did you see how large this Romania is? It is more than half of our remaining European territories. Anyway, you have to ask yourself a simple question: Am I able to order Mihai to do anything? And answer it in earnest."
M: "Well... no. They have full internal independence."
S: "Then it is Ottoman only in name, not in fact. So you've lost it. Anyway, let's hope he will fail to pay the tribute..."


30 April 1602, Košice (Kassa), Slovakia

Mihai stopped in Kassa for less than 24 hours, being really anxious to get to Romania as soon as possible. He had been away from his country for almost 3 months.
He entered the Slovak Diet, officially informed the Slovaks of the content of the Pressburg Peace Treaty and left them a copy, then announced his abdication of the Slovak Crown.
The Diet thanked Mihai for all his support in securing their statehood and unanimously approved the treaty.

To this day, Mihai is remembered in Slovakia as a hero and one of the architects of the Slovak statehood. No less than 17 streets bear his name and a huge equestrian statue stands in the center of the Slovak Capital.


1 May - 12 August 1602, Romania

Mihai decided to tour Romania and personally assume control of the newly aquired provinces. He was to receive an enthusiastic welcome mostly by the Romanian population.

3 May, Ugocea (Uzhhorod), Maramureș (the North-Western most territories at the Slovak border added to Maramureș were obtained by the treaty)

9 May, Nŭiri (Nyíregyháza), Someșana (in the area of Royal Hungary on the left bank of the Tissa, de facto already under Romanian rule before the treaty)

13 May, Debrețin (Debrecen), Crișana (previously Romanian territory near the former border)

20 May, Biqŭişceaba (Békéscsaba), Crișana (previously Romanian territory under Ottoman occupation, evacuated by the Turks prior to the treaty)

24 May, Arad, Crișana (previously Romanian territory near the former border)

27 May, Temișoara (Timișoara), Banat / Temișana (capital of Banat)
The Pasha of Temesvar handed over the city to Mihai during an official ceremony. He seemed not pleased but did not dare to challange the Sultan.

7 June, Orșova, Oltenia / Little Wallachia (former border between Wallachia and Banat)

16 June, Turnu, Muntenia / Greater Wallachia (former Ottoman fortress at the Danube, now demolished)

21 June, Giurgiu, Muntenia (former Ottoman fortress at the Danube, now demolished)

30 June, Brŏila (Brăila), Muntenia (former Ottoman fortress at the Danube, now demolished)

2 July, Galațĭ (Galați), Moldova (greatest Moldavian Danube port; near the former border with Wallachia)

7 July, Qŭilia (Kiliya), Basarabia (already de facto under Mihai's rule before the treaty)

12 July, Cetatea Albă (Bilhorod-Dnistrovski), Basarabia (Moldavia's only Black Sea port on the Dniester Lagoon, at the border with former Ottoman Edisan / Transnistria; already de facto under Mihai's rule before the treaty)

17-18 July, Vozia / Oceacov (Ochakiv), Edisan (Capital of Edisan, major Black Sea port)
The local Pasha, seemingly unaware of the Peace Treaty and the cession of Edisan to Romania refused to surrender the city.
Mihai stormed the city and captured it after a short decisive battle.
The Pasha and all the surviving Ottoman officials and soldiers were transported to the nearby Bug River, at the border with the Tatar Khanate and delivered safely to the Tatar side.
Mihai decided that Edisan would need to be guarded by a strong force in order to repel any possible Tatar raids

23 July, Tigŭina (Bender), Basarabia (Dniester castle; already de facto under Mihai's rule befory the treaty)

26 July, Qŭișinău (Chișinău), Moldova (Moldavian city between Dniester / Nistru and Prut)

29 July, Eașĭ (Iași), Moldova (Capital of Moldavia; lavish welcome party)

1-10 August, Roman, Bacău, Miercurea Ciucului, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Săgŭișoara (Sighișoara), Mediaș (Speeding through central Romania; short meetings with Szeklers and Saxons)

12 August, Alba Iulia, Romanian Capital
Mihai arrives in the capital in the day marking the first aniversary of the birth of Romania. This was intentional, to arise people's awareness of the importance of the event and forever brand it into their minds that Mihai and the Country were so intimately connected as if blended into one.

 

[Zagan]

In August 1602 we can see the first signs of the future plans of Mihai
to crown himself as Emperor of the Romanians.​

A Period of Peace​

The Romanian army dislocated in Slovakia and Austria returned home during May and June. Most peasants were demobilized in order to tend for their land. Only some 8000 chose to stay in the army on a permanent basis. Most of them were later sent to Edisan, the only part of the country really in danger of being raided by foreign forces. Even those who headed home took their weapons with them, ready to return in the army if needed.
Like Mihai and his group of elite fighters, the bulk of the soldiers received a hero's welcome. The priests held special sermons and townspeople congregated to congratulate them and throw some parties in their honour and celebrate their victory. Panem et circenses!


May 1602, Peasant House Somewhere in Romania

Wife (crying with joy): "Husband, you could have been killed... I was afraid I would not see you ever again! Praised be God who kept you safe and sent you home to your children!"
Husband (hugging): "Well, woman, here I am."
... ... ...
Wife: "Why are all of you risking your lifes for this Voivode?"
Husband: "You don't get it, woman! Mihai Vodă and Greater Romania are guarantees that we do not get invaded by the heathens every other year, that our crops are not ruined and our animals are not stolen, that our children are not killed or taken into slavery, that you are not raped and I am not killed. A big, strong country means security and prosperity. Besides, we are going to receive as much land as we can work! I did not fight only for Vodă and the Country, but also for us!"
Wife: "May God hear you! You are so wise now. How do you know so many things?"
Husband: "Mihai Vodă asked the priests to teach us all sort of things on our long marches... I did not find many of them interesting or useful, but I suppose they know better. I can even read a little and our boys will have the opportunity to go to school and have a better life. That's what we all fought for."


12 August 1602, Alba Iulia

Mihai entered his Capital in triumph. Crowned with a laurel wreath and wearing a Roman Imperial toga, he passed through the Triumphal Arch followed by his guard, in the acclamations of an ecstatic cheering crowd.
His power was absolute. The love of his people was beyond imagination. His dream has come true.
"Thank you God, for sending me that dream and helping me turn it into reality."

In the Senat he was met with standing ovations.
Senator: "Does Măria Ta plan to proclaim yourself Emperor?"
Mihai: "Not yet..."

************


Law of Citizenship

Article I. Is a Romanian he who speaks the Romanian language in his house with his family, wherever he might live, inside or outside Romania.
Article II. Is a Romanian Citizen any Romanian who lives in Romania, owns property and knows how to read, write and cypher.
Article III. Is a Protected Citizen any member of the Saxon or Szeckler communities or of any other foreign community that may receive our protection in the future.
Article IV. Any Romanian Citizen or Protected Citizen may take part in the affairs of the Country and have their voice heard in any matters of common interest.
Article V. All Citizens have the right to be protected by the State. They may not be killed or imprisoned without a trial. In case of a trial, they have the right de speak on their behalf. They have the right to own property and to not be separated from their property except by lawful means.
Article VI. All Romanians shall be Romanian Orthodox. The protected Nations may follow their own religions. The Tatars may follow their religion as long as the Romanians in the Ottoman Empire enjoy the same right.
Article VII. All Citizens have the obligation to either pay thair lawful taxes or to do corvee by their own choice. All adult males, sane in body and mind have the obligation to defend the country in times of danger.
Article VIII. Romania is ruled by its Citizens through their representatives, the Romanian Great Voivode and Lord and the Romanian Senat, under the blessed guidance of the Romanian Church and the protection of the Romanian Army.

It was considered one of the most progressive laws in the World at that time.
However, like in the case of most Romanian laws, for a long time there will be significant differencies between the content of the law and the way it was put in practice.


Administrative Reform

The provinces of Wallachia (Țara Românească), Moldavia (Moldova) and Transylvania (Transilvania) were disolved alltogether.
12 smaller provinces were established instead:
1. Oltenia (Little Wallachia)
2. Muntenia (Greater Wallachia)
3. Basarabia (Southern Bessarabia / Budjac)
4. Edisan (still being under military rule at the time, because of the Tatar menace)
5. Moldova de Jos (Lower Moldavia)
6. Moldova de Sus (Upper Moldavia)
7. Maramureș (enlarged)
8. Someșana (Satmar plus other areas up to the Tissa)
9. Crișana (enlarged)
10. Temișana (Banat)
11. Ardeal (Transylvania proper)
12. Scaunele Săseșcĭ și Sĕcueșcĭ (The Saxon and Szekler Seats)

The 12 provinces were further divided into 99 Județe (Counties)
The provinces were administered by a Pretor and the județe by a Prefect. They had both administrative and judicial roles.


Population Census

A population census for the purpose of taxation, conscription and impeding land reform was superficially conducted.
The results had a large margin of error and were quite cumbersome to interpret. The biggest difficulty was that households, not people were actually counted. We may consider an average of 5 people per household.

Total: 683,317 families (~ 3,420,000 inhabitants)

By Ethnicity:
Romanians: 511,087 families (~2,560,000 people), 75%
Hungarians: 67,388 families (~337,000 people), 10%
Saxons: 49,760 families (~249,000 people), 7.3%
Szeklers: 45,402 families (~227,000 people), 6.6%
Tatars: 3,366 families (~ 17,000 people), 0.5%
Ruthenians: 3,077 families (~ 15,000 people), 0.45%
Serbs: 2112 families (~ 11,000 people), 0.3%
Jews: 654 families (~ 3,300 people), 0.1%
Greeks: 133 families (~ 700 people)
Armenians: 131 families (~ 700 people)
Bulgarians: 101 families (~ 500 people)
Poles: 43 families (~ 200 people)
Slovaks: 37 families (~ 200 people)
Turks: 12 families (~ 60 people)
Georgians: 8 families (~ 40 people)
Albanians: 6 families (~ 30 people)

By Religion:
Romanian Orthodox: 74%
Roman Catholic: 17%
Lutheran: 7%
Greek Orthodox: 1%
Muslim: 0.5%
Other: 0.2%

By Occupation:
Nobles: 1%
Clergy: 1%
Crafters: 3%
Traders: 3%
Peasants: 92%

By Citizenship:
Romanian Citizens: 4%
Protected Citizens: 7%
Non-citizens: 87%
Foreigners: 2%

************


Strange Laws

Many laws can be considered weird, even judging by that time's standards. One extreme example could be the Paranormal Law:

Law Concerning Paranormal Activities

For the good of the State, those people who claim paranormal powers like witches, fortune-tellers, mediums, alchemists, magicians et al. should be tested by the competent authorities.
If they can not prove their alleged powers, they will receive 20 lashes for fraud and be released. If their powers seem to be genuine, they may be hired by the state or army.

The enforcement of this law incurred lots of costs and produced only one useful addition to the army, an alchemist who was really good at experiments involving fire and explosives.


Education

Thousands of elementary schools were opened by all the functioning Romanian Orthodox Churches. All families were required to send at least one child, usually a boy, to attend school. The program was 5 hours in the morning every other day to leave some time for agricultural work. The subjects were: Reading, Writing, Arithmetics and Religion. Literacy began to improve.
99 gymnasiums were opened, one in each județ. The program was six hours a day, except Sundays. The subjects were: Latin, Greek, Rhetoric, Religion, History, Sciences, Arts, Defence of the country.
A University was opened in the Capital and foreign professors were employed.
Additional subjects to those from the Gymnasium were: Medicine, Law, Philosophy, Engineering and many others.
A maritime branch of the University was opened in Cetatea Albă, for those wanting to study Navigation.


Seafaring

It was decided to have a Romanian fleet. There were however two difficult issues.
1. Romania lacked a proper Sea Port. Cetatea Albă was on the Dniester Lagoon which at that time had already got almost closed. Oceacov was vulnerable to Tatar raids. The Danube Ports could be blockaded by the Turks at any time. The solution was to build a modern port in a good location found at the centre of the Bessarabian coast. It was named simply Portu (the Port).
2. No one knew anything about ship building or navigation. The solution was to get some 200 colonists from the Hanseatic Cities. Several years later Romania would have its own fleet with the Romanian Quadricolor waving on the main mast to be seen from all points of the compass and made known to the whole World.

 

[Zagan]

Emperor Mihai: "We see no need to expand into the lands of the Tatars.
The destiny of Romania lies to the south."​

The Tatar Question​

Diplomatic relations of Romania

- Ambassadors exchanged with: Ottoman Empire (suzerain power), Poland-Lithuania, Slovakia, Habsburg Lands, Saxony, Bavaria, Venice, Rome, Genoa, Russia.
- Diplomatic contacts with: Denmark, Sweden, several German and Italian States, France, Spain, England.
- Military alliances with: Ottoman Empire (as suzerain power, supposed to defend its vassal Romania against any threats), Poland and Russia (defensive alliance against Tatar incursions in their lands), Slovakia (defensive alliance against any threats)
- Protected Nations: Transylvanian Saxons, Szeklers, Transylvanian Hungarians (peasants and townpeople as there were no more Hungarian nobles left in Romania), Hanseatic Germans in Portu.
- Recognized Religions: Romanian Orthodoxism (Religion of the State, mandatory for all ethnic Romanians), Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Islam (conditioned by equal religious rigths granted to the Romanians in the Ottoman Empire).


The Romanian Army

All mercenaries have been dismissed. Only Romanians were allowed to serve in the Romanian army. Because of their military traditions and former standing as the oldest allies of Mihai, the Szeklers were an exception to this rule (in exchange for tax exemptions).

Romania had two kinds of army:
1. The Small Army (Oastea cea Mică) consisting of about 12,000 professional Romanian soldiers and about 3,000 Szeklers.
2. The Great Army (Oastea cea Mare) consisting of every adult Romanian man, sane in body and mind, capable of using weapons. Although around 800,000 potentially fit that description, without a proper conscription system no more than 200,000 could be expected to answer the call of the Great Voivode.

The army was organized in units (in increasing size): groups (cete, 10-100 men), cohorts (cohorte, 300-500 men), legions (legiunĭ, 2000-3000 men), armies (armate, 10,000-15,000 men)

Military ranks were introduced: soldiers (ostașĭ / oștenĭ, untrained peasants), legionnaires (legionarĭ, trained professionals), leaders (capĭ, leading groups), captains (căpitanĭ, leading cohorts), generals (generalĭ, leading legions) voivodes (voevoḑĭ, leading armies), Great Voivode (Mare Voevod, leader of the whole army)

The army was also organized in specialized units: infantry, cavalry, artilery and a kind of special operations units (ascunși / literary hidden ones). A Romanian Navy would be added soon.


The Land Reform

Although the State and the Church were working around the clock to instill patriotism and national fervour inside the newly proclaimed Romanian nation, it was a clear fact that the vast majority of peasants were only fighting in order to get a piece of arable land, the ancestral dream of every Romanian peasant.

And because Mihai had already promissed them land, he had to keep his word. The Land Reform Law was arguably the most difficult law passed by the Romanian Senat (Mihai had rescinded his title of Dictator and its incumbent powers after the conclusion of the anti-Habsburg war, as promissed).

After much deliberation, Mihai and the Senate decided that only the war veterans would get small lots of land, just enough to be able to feed their families.
There was no problem to provide land for the Transylvanian veterans as all land previously owned by the Hungarian and Ottoman landlords was now property of the state. The situation outside the Carpathian arch was not so favourable.
Some of the land belonging to the boyars and the Church in Wallachia and Moldavia was alloted to the peasants, the boyars and priests receiving compensation elsewhere, mainly in the newly annexed territories.
Almost no one wanted land in Edisan which was mostly barren steppe and under a continuous Tatar threat.

The Land Reform Law was nothing more than a compromise leaving the boyars and clergy only a little dissatisfied and the peasants looking forward to another war in order to get more land.


About the Tatars

A few words have to be said about the Tatars. The reader must not assume the Tatars were always that peaceful little colorful nation in the center of the Crimean Peninsula.
In the Middle Ages, the Tatar Crimean Khanate was by far the greatest scourge in that part of Europe.
Based in the Crimean Peninsula, they produced almost nothing, their whole economy being based on continously raiding their neighbours, Moldavia, Poland and Russia. They organized frequent attacks through the northern Black Sea steppe, looting, killing, destroying and taking enormous amounts of Christian slaves which they sold to the Ottomans. This led to massive depopulation and destruction in the steppe north of the Black Sea.

For hundreds of years, Poland and Moldavia had been in a neverending state of war with those Tatars, which were the most hated people in both countries.
Although Poland for example was much more powerful than the Khanate, this amounted to almost nothing because of three factors:
1. The Crimean Khanate was an Ottoman vassal and the Ottoman Empire could and did send large armies to defend it through its former land connection Dobrudja-Bessarabia-Edisan. Now, that land connection was no more since Bessarabia and Edisan were integral parts of Poland's ally, Romania. Moreover, the Pressburg Peace Treaty actually gave Poland and Romania a free hand to finally deal with the Tatars.
2. The Christian armies found it very difficult to wage war in the deserted steppe where they could find no shelter, no food and very little water east of the Dnieper. The sad fact was that the core Tatar territory, the Crimean Peninsula, was protected by a vast buffer of mostly deserted, underdeveloped territory which had to be overcome first. Mihai thought he had a viable solution to this problem and confered about it with the Poles and the Russian Cossacks.

The cold winter of 1602-1603 witnessed a period of extremely severe Tatar raids in southern Poland and Romanian Edisan and Bessarabia, because with the Dnieper, Southern Bug and Dniester frozen solid there was no physical barrier against them. Around 400 Romanian soldiers had been killed and more than 2000 people taken into slavery. The situation became unbearable.


22 February 1603

Romania, Poland-Lithuania and Russia activated their alliance against the Tatars and decided to invade and conquer the Crimean Khanate and split it among them. Russia would get its Easternmost part between the River Don and the eastern coast of the Sea of Azov, Poland would get its central part and Romania would get the land up to the right bank of the Dnieper.

Romania and Poland-Lithuania informed the Ottomans about the Tatar problem and asked them, as suzerain power of the Tatars, to intervene. The Ottoman ambassadors stated that the Ottoman Empire does not have the means to coerce the Tatars.
The Allies proceeded to inform the Ottomans that as per the provisions of the Pressburg Peace Treaty they have the right to retaliate against the Tatars.
The Ottoman ambassadors recognized the allies' right to enforce the Treaty only insisting that no Christian army should enter the Crimean Peninsula proper, which they suggested they had an interest in directly annexing it.


23 February 1603

The Black Sea Alliance (Poland-Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Polish Cossacks, Russian Cossacks) sent a declaration of War to the Tatar Crimean Khanate.
The Ottoman ambassadors in Warsaw, Alba Iulia and Koșice were informed. They confirmed that the Ottoman Empire will not intervene in the war as long the Crimean Peninsula was not invaded.

The Tatars did what they always did when stronger armies attacked them. They simply evacuated the steppe and retreated towards Crimea.
The main problem for the Black Sea Alliance would be one of logistics.
On the last day of February, the three-pronged invasion began.
Finally the day had come for Eastern Europe to get rid of the Tatar menace once and for all.

 

[Zagan]

The unexpected conquest of the Tatar Khanate removed an important foe
and let Romania and Poland-Lithuania focus elsewhere
having their eastern and respectively southern borders finally secure.​

The Tatar War​

The Money

Romania was an immensely rich country. It had large amounts of gold, silver, iron, coal, oil and other mineral resources, lots of extremely fertile arable land, plenty of forests, lakes and rivers, unhindered access to the Sea, control of half of the course of the Danube etc.

However, it did not have cash, yet.
Most of the money received from Austria have been transferred to the Ottoman Empire as payment for:
- Unpaid tribute for Wallachia (1595-1600);
- Unpaid tribute for Transylvania (1599-1600);
- Unpaid tribute for Moldavia (1600);
- Unpaid tribute for the United Romanian Lands (1601);
- Annual tribute for Romania (1602);
- Annual tribute for Slovakia (1602), paid by Romania as well per the bilateral agreement with Slovakia;
- Payment for western Banat, western Partium, the three Danube Kazas, Bessarabia and Edisan;
- Annual tribute (1603).

More money has been spent on weapons, soldiers' wages, mines, roads, ships, fortresses and castles, The Palace of the Senat, Mihai's Palace, The Patriarchal Palace, The Patriarchal Cathedral etc.

By the end of 1602, the state coffers were almost empty again.
Mihai did not want to lose the support of his people by increasing the already heavy taxation. The foreign nobles were long gone, the Germans, Szeklers and Hungarians were protected nations, the peasants had no money, the benevolence of the boyars and clergy was...
Who else had money? Obviously the Jews.


10 November 1602, The Expulsion of the Jews

As always, the Jews were ideal scape-goats.
Mihai asked them for loans. When they started talking about interest, Mihai said abruptly that charging interest was against the teachings of the Church and as they were living in a Christian country they had to obey its laws.
When they declined to lend money without charging any interest, Mihai proclaimed them enemies of the State, confiscated their fortunes and had all of them expelled from Romania pennyless.
More than 3000 Jews left Romania for Poland during the following weeks.

Romania finally agreed in 1999 to transfer that amount of gold to the Kingdom of Israel during the normalization of the Romanian-Israeli relations. (no more spoilers)


The Opposing Forces

The Black Sea Alliance military strength amounted up to a staggering 200,000 men:
- Romanian Army (80,000)
- Szeklers (2,000)
- Polish-Lithuanian Army (60,000)
- Mercenaries hired by Poland-Lithuania (18,000)
- Polish irregulars / Zaporozhian Cossacks (14,000)
- Prussian Army (4,000)
- Livonian Army (1,500)
- Russian Army (7,000)
- Russian irregulars / Don Cossacks (11,000)
- Slovak Army (2,500)

The Tatars were able to get around 90,000 men but the geography and demographics (or bettter said lack thereof) of the war theatre were greatly in their favour.
At least 3,000 Nogay and Circassian volunteers fought on the Tatar side.
The Turks were officially neutral but made a lot of money by selling weapons to the Tatars, hindered the maneuvers of the Romanian ships in the Sea of Azov and collected heavy fees in the Strait of Kerch.


The Strategy

First of all, the conquest of the northern Black Sea coast was given absolute priority in Poland-Lithuania. The importance of getting access to the Black Sea, securing its southern territories and destroying once and for all the Tatar scourge was an opportunity which might not appear a second time in history.

The greatest problem was recognized to be that of logistics and especially of feeding all those soldiers advancing into a deserted, unforgivable steppe.
Since Russia had just experienced an awful famine in the previous years, Poland agreed to feed the Russian and Cossack armies free of charge. The campaign was really that important!

The food and the other supplies were mainly distributed by ship where possible (down the Southern Bug and the Dnieper from Poland, down the Don from Russia and along the Black Sea and the Azov Sea coasts from Romania).
An enormous number of auxiliars, almost 100,000 were hired in Poland to support the advancing armies and carry gigantic quantities of supplies in countless wagons and carts.
The advance would be of course painfully slow but time and money were not considered an issue.


23 February - 30 March 1603, Invasion of the Crimean Khanate

Almost 300,000 soldiers and auxiliars entered virtually unopposed the almost uninhabited border regions of the Crimean Khanate and started a slow but inexorable advance towards its core.


The Romanian Theatre

The Romanians, Slovaks and Szeklers crossed the Southern Bug near its mouth and advanced towards the mouth of the Dnieper, being occasionally harrassed by small Tatar units. The supply issue was mostly nonexistent since the three Romanian vessels enjoyed complete naval superiority, the Tatars having almost no ships of their own.

The Romanians occupied the coast between the Southern Bug and the Dnieper in about a week, without engaging in any major battle.
The plan was to cross the Dnieper and advance on the coast towards Perekop but the Tatar forces around the Inguleț (Inhulets) River could pose a serious danger by falling on the Romanians' back.

Mihai decided to postpone the crossing of the Dnieper and occupy its right bank first, between its mouth and the Inguleț River.
At the battle of Inguleț, the Tatars were thoroughly defeated but the Romanians lost more than 2000 men.
Mihai sent 5000 men on the other side of the Inguleț to follow the retreating Tatars all the way to the Polish border, while the bulk of his army crossed the Dnieper and followed its course back to its mouth.

In the meantime, a smaller Romanian force from Oceacov crossed the Dnieper Estuary and met with Mihai's army near the mouth of the Dnieper.
From there, they headed Southwards and then Eastwards following the coast all the way to the Perekop Isthmus and namesake fortress.
The Romanians were only stopped by a large Tatar army a few miles West of Perekop.


The Polish Theatre

The Poles, Lithuanians, their Prussians and Livonians vassals and the mercenaries headed Southwards, down the mighty Dnieper. Their advance was slow but continuous and they fought no major battles before arriving at the last bend of the Dnieper, being mostly supplied by boats or ships sailing on the Dnieper.

After the Dnieper curved West towards the Sea, the Allied armies left the comfort provided by it and headed straight South through the lifeless steppe, on the shortest route to Perekop.
The advance was slower but uneventful with the exception of a major battle won decisively by the Poles.


The Russian Theatre

The small Russian army advanced on the right bank of the River Don towards the Sea of Azov. They encountered almost no organized resistance but had serious difficulties with their supply lines. The Russians could not use the Don as planned because the Nogay Tatars on its left bank attacked anything sailing on the river.

The Cossacks from both Poland and Russia invaded directly through the steppe harrassing the Tatars and providing additional support to the main armies when needed.

By the time the Russians reached the Sea of Azov, the other allies were already converging on Perekop.
The Russians were relieved to find a Romanian ship full of much needed supplies and, after a small break, their slow and difficult journey Westwards began on the coast of the Azov Sea.


31 March 1603, Salt Field West of Perekop

The Romanians were badly defeated in the Battle of the Salt Field, a mere 20 miles West of Perekop.
By the end of the day, the Romanians lost more than 8000 men and were retreating in disarray. Luckily, the Tatars were not able to pursue because of the approaching Polish-Lithuanian army.

The Romanians recovered after their losses and began to mop up any remaining pockets of Tatar resistance while the Poles lay siege on Perekop.


1 April - 14 July 1603, Siege of Perekop and Azov Sea Campaign

The Polish-Lithuanian army split in two after reaching Perekop. One half lay siege on the Perekop fortress and awaited its fall which would allow them to finally enter Crimea. The other half speeded along the Azov Sea coast to meet the Russians as far East as possible.
The weak and disorganized Tatars at the North of the Azov Sea found themselves caught between the Poles in the West, the Russians in the East, the Cossacks in the North and the Romanian ships guarding the Sea in the South.


15 July 1603, Sea of Azov Coast

The Polish-Lithuanian army and the Russian army met on the Azov Littoral.
The last remaining Tatar forces from the mainland capitulated in the following weeks.
By August all of the Crimean Khanate territory outside the Crimean Peninsula was in the possession of the Black Sea Allies.


24 July 1603, Perekop

The defenders from Perekop attempted to flee the besieged city but were crushed in a clear one-sided battle.
The following day, Perekop fell and the way to the Crimean heartland was open.


29 July 1603, Crimea

The Ottoman forces from Caffa entered the Crimean Khanate from the South and proceeded North towards the incoming Polish-Lithuanian army.
The Ottoman ambassadors in Slovakia, Romania and Poland-Lithuania threatened with war if the Allies did not stop their advance in Crimea.

Romania and Slovakia replied that they had no armies in Crimea and since the military campaign was already over for them, they should be considered non-beligerants.
Poland-Lithuania decided to prosecute the war alone and conquer all the Crimean Peninsula.


1-27 August 1603, Crimea

The Ottomans controlled the Southern part of Crimea while the Poles managed to occupy its Northern part. They clashed in the centre of the Peninsula.
The Ottomans slowly prevailed, pushing the Poles all the way to Perekop.
The Polish-Lithuanian army retreated in good order and reinforced the Perekop Isthmus and fortress.

The Ottomans had occupied the whole Crimean Peninsula but had neither the means nor the desire to invade the steppe.
They wanted however to capture Perekop and attempted to occupy it but failed. And because Perekop could be indefinitely supplied from the North, the Ottomans had no chance of besieging it either.

In these conditions the fighting slowly ceased and peace negotiations began.

 

[Zagan]

The Tatar War​

Legend:
1. Ottoman Empire
2. Tsardom of Russia

Note: Romania, Slovakia, the Nogays, the Circassians and the Khanate of Crimea are Ottoman vassals.

 

[Zagan]

Disclaimer: Although the Perekop Treaty chapter is not yet completely finished (it will be today), the maps are ready, so here they are:

Partition of the Crimean Khanate​

Legend:

1. Ottoman vassals (Slovakia, Romania, Nogay Tatars, Circassians)
2. Territory annexed by Russia (up to the Azov Sea and River Kalmius)
3. Territory annexed by Poland-Lithuania (between the Dnieper and the Kalmius, up to the Black ans Azov Seas)
4. Territory initially promised to Romania (between the Southern Bug and the Dnieper), eventually annexed by Poland-Lithuania as well (Romania got 7 and 8 as compensation)
5. Rump Crimean Khanate (the Crimean Peninsula), directly annexed by the Ottoman Empire an year later, per the Tatar's request.
6. Perekop Isthmus (buffer between Poland-Lithuania and the Ottoman Empire), annexed by Slovakia as an external territory (like a colony)
7. Pokuttya, Polish territory ceded to Romania (as compensation for 4)
8. Small area of southern Podolia, Polish territory ceded to Romania (as compensation for 4)
9. Ottoman Azov
10. Ottoman Caffa, subsequently integrated into Ottoman Crimea

The Aftermath​

Note: I think that Poland-Lithuania was by far the biggest winner here. Poland is stronk!

Detail of Slovak Perekop​

.

 

[Zagan]

After 4 centuries, the people from the Black Sea Steppe were safe from predation.
The darkest period in the history of Eastern Europe was finally over.​

Treaty of Perekop​

September 1603

Poland-Lithuania, although beaten in Crimea by the combined forces of the Tatars and the Ottomans, was in an exceptionally good position.
With less than 10,000 casualties (about 10%), it managed to push its Southern border all the way to the Black Sea. To put this in a perspective, the Commonwealth lost about 20,000 men each year, taken as slaves by the Tatars during their raids. So it was definitely worth it.
The end of the Tatar raids was probably more valuable than the land conquered and the secured access to the Black Sea. Millions of people celebrated for days, overwhelmed with joy because of the sudden and unexpected change in their lives. It was no insignificant issue, as from now on they would not live in fear anymore.
The victory was indeed so great that it was almost hard to comprehend.

Russia and the Don Cossacks lost more than 12,000 men (about 70%), but managed to conquer a large swath of steppe and, more importantly, to get a small outlet at the Azov Sea. They also annihilated another menacing Tatar Khanate. As Astrakhan had been already conquered, the only Tatars bordering Russia were the Nogays, on the other bank of the Don. The Russians planned to deal with them in the future as well.
The fact that they did not manage to get the border at the middle point of the Azov Sea as initially promissed aroused an enduring grudge against the Poles.

Romania lost about 16,000 men (about 20%) and was the only one of the allies to decisively lose a battle against the Tatars. The morale of the troops was low and the area conquered deserted and almost of no use.
The fact that the Ottomans threatened war if Romania annexed any more Ottoman (i.e. Tatar) territory only made things worse. The battered Romanian army started to retreat towards Edisan, the Poles taking their place on both banks of the Dnieper.
The only success was the end of the rather infrequent Tatar raids in Edisan and Bessarabia. The feeling of too much loss for too little gain prevailed.

Slovakia lost more than 2000 men (about 90%) having their small expeditionary force almost obliterated. In fact, their performance against the Tatars was abbysmal but on the other hand it was clearly not their war, since Slovakia was not threatened by the Tatars in any way.
They went to war only in order to honour their Alliance, not to gain anything.

The Ottoman Empire never actually controlled the Crimean Khanate and certainly not the Steppe so, at least in theory, they did not lose anything.
In fact, the loss was considerable since no more cheap slaves would ever again show up in the markets of Caffa. Instead of economically benefiting from the Tatars, the Ottomans ended up subsidizing them.
The fact that the Ottoman Empire did not actively support the Tatars from the beginning and accepted the loss of the Steppe was the second critical mistake made by Sultan Mehmed III, who will be called Mehmed III the Stupid by the later generations. The first critical mistake was obviously the Treaty of Pressburg, which allowed a Romania so big and powerful that any Ottoman suzerainty would only be nominal at most.

The Crimean Khanate lost more than 80% of its territory, only 20% of its population and all means of a continued independent economical life, since more than half of its economy was based on their raids, now rendered impossible. The Crimean Peninsula had not enough arable land for subsistence agriculture and the Tatars were not peasants after all and did not enjoy honest work at that time.
Even the continued statehood of their rump country was unsure since all of Crimea was under Ottoman occupation.


15 September 1603, Perekop, Khanate of Crimea

The negotiations were finished quickly. Two things were certain:
1. The Ottomans could not hope to conquer the Steppe.
2. The Poles could not hope to conquer the Peninsula.

The only real contentious issue was the Isthmus of Perekop and its namesake fortress still held by the Polish-Lithuanian army.
The Ottomans would not sign any peace treaty that would leave Perekop in Polish hands and the Poles would not accept to cede it to the Ottomans.

To break the deadlock it was proposed to give the fortress to a third party.
The Ottomans did not want Romania to get it and the Poles did not want the Russians there so in the end it became a Slovak exclave, a kind of an oversees colony, a mere buffer between the Ottoman Empire and the Commonwealth.
Thus, the Ottomans saved face because the Slovaks were still technically an Ottoman vassal and the Poles were happy to have their short southern land border covered by Slovakia which was almost a Polish Puppet being ruled by a Polish Prince and having its economy closely interwoven with the greater Polish economy.

Treaty of Perekop

I. The state of war between the signatories is over. They promise to attempt to live in peace with one another in the future.

II. The Crimean Khanate cedes the Steppe East of the Kalmius River to the Russian Tsardom.

III. The Crimean Khanate cedes the rest of the Steppe North of Perekop to the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania.

IV. The Crimean Khanate cedes the fortress of Perekop and the adjacent land on the Perekop Isthmus to the Ottoman vassal of Slovakia. The annexed map is authorative. Slovakia shall not keep more than 1000 soldiers in Perekop at any time.

V. Romania, Poland-Lithuania and Russia shall survey and set up their borders by common accord.

VI. All prisoners shall be returned safe to their countries. All Tatars who choose to leave the Steppe in order to live in Muslim Land shall be allowed to leave with all their movable belongings. All Tatars who choose to stay in the Christian States shall be allowed to practice their Muslim faith unobstructed.

VII. Freedom of navigation on the Black Sea and Azov Sea is guaranteed. All Ottoman, Tatar, Russian, Polish-Lithuanian, Romanian and Slovaks ships both civilian and military are allowed to sail unobstructed on the whole surface of the Black and Azov Seas in time of peace. All Christian ships shall pay a toll if they desire to pass through the Turkish Straits into the Mediterranian Sea.

VIII. Freedom of navigation on the Danube and the Tissa is guaranteed. All Ottoman, Romanian and Slovak ships may sail up or down the Danube and Tissa without paying any tolls. Any foreign ships will have to pay tolls when entering the Ottoman, Romanian or Slovak segments of these rivers.

IX. No reparations will be paid by any signatory. All financial claimes are forfeited.

Signed by the plenipotentiaries of:
Ottoman Empire
Crimean Khanate
Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania
Duchy of Prussia
Duchy of Livonia
Tsardom of Russia
Principality of Romania
Principality of Slovakia


29 September 1603, Colomeea, Pocuția, Poland-Lithuania (Kolomea / Kolomiya, Pokuttya)

Treaty of Colomeea

I. Poland-Lithuania is and will be forever thankful to the unparalleled theoretical and practical help generously provided by Romania in the war against the Tatars. Poland-Lithuania and Romania will be forever best friends and close allies and no other country or interest will ever stay between their sacred friendship and alliance.

II. In exchange for the Tatar Steppe between the rivers Bug and Dnieper promissed to Romania before the war and which is now recognized as Polish-Lithuanian land, the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania cedes in perpetuity and without any ill thoughts to Romania the land of Pokuttya and a small piece of land by the River Dniester belonging to the land of Pololia. Romania will administer these lands in any way it sees fit. May the new border between our Realms be eternal.

III. All Jews from the ceded territories will emigrate to Poland-Lithuania as they are not allowed to reside in Romania. All Poles and Ruthenes living in the ceded territories may emigrate if they so desire. All emigrants may take with them anything they can and desire. Poland-Lithuania will take care of their well-being and compensate them for their loss of land with lands in the Polish-Lithuanian new Southern territories.

Signed by:
King Sigismund III (titles), representing the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania, having the assent of the Sejm
Great Voivode and Lord Mihailu of Romania, representing Romania

I am not sure if they actually believed that the Polish-Romanian border would really stay unchanged through the centuries, defying time. But it did.

 

[Zagan]

Romania after the Tatar War and the Treaty of Colomeea​

Note: This will be the last map of this series, since after the next territorial expansion, Romania would surely not fit on this map anymore.
From now on, only the other series of maps (those showing South-Eastern Europe) will be used.

Spoiler

Romania will not expand further for quite a long time and the updates / chapters will cover longer periods of TTL time (no war, no fun, less to write about...)

 

[Zagan]

Europe in 1604​

Notes:
1. The map is very rough. Please, don't be picky.
2. See point 1.
3. The borders of the Ottoman Empire in Sahara, Arabia, Persia, Caucasus etc are not defined. Some areas are not inhabited. Some areas are under various and varying levels of vassalage. For simplicity, everything Muslim or vassal to Muslims is shown in the same colour.
4. The British Isles are by now ruled by the same monarch even though not politically united yet.
5. The mess in the HRE is shown with a single colour. Switzerland and the United Provinces are not yet recognized as independent although de facto they are.
6. Romania and Slovakia are not de jure independent either but they are shown in different colours because they are important for our story.
7. The areas shown as Spain are not politically united.
8. Spanish, Danish and other foreign possessions inside the HRE are not shown. This is intentional and it will be important later.
9. Norway is ruled by Denmark but it is a separate country.
10. Prussia and Livonia are Polish vassals.
11. Some Cossacks are mostly de facto independent.
12. Some areas shown as Russia are not or sparsely inhabited and not under firm central control. If there is not other power around they are marked as Russian.
13. Many states or parts thereof are too small to be shown.
14. Corsica is controlled by Genoa which is at least in theory in the HRE, so Corsica is also coloured gray.
15. Many other issues.
16. This is the base map on which the evolution of Europe will be shown, again with that low level of detail. The evolution of Romania will of course be shown with greater level of detail at a lower scale, based on the previous maps.

 

[Zagan]

Most historians consider that the chaotic events of the 17th century Europe
were triggered by the establishment of a National State in Romania.​

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​

Sigismund III Vasa​

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October 1603, Romania
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After signing the Treaty of Colomeea, Sigismund suddenly found himself on Romanian soil. Instead of leaving for Poland, he accepted Mihai's invitation to be his guest in Alba Iulia.
Sigismund now viewed Mihai in a very positive light, thinking of him as a great Romanian hero, a daring military commander and a skilled political leader, but admired him most for his uncanny ability and steeling resolve to press forward and succeed despite the meager resources under his command.
Accompanied by a delegation of the szlachta, Sigismund spent a full month in Romania, about half of that time being on the road to Alba Iulia and back with one short break in Suceava, the former Moldavian Capital of Ștefan cel Mare and another one in the German town of Bistrița.
During his stay in Romania, Sigismund (37) and Mihai (45) became very good friends and enjoyed countless hours of extremely fruitful dialogue. They even travelled in the same couch for most of the way towards Alba Iulia in order to have more time to discuss state business.
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Sigismund: "Tell me, Mihai, why were you so sure I would not invade Moldavia in August 1601?"
Mihai: "I was not. I just bluffed."
Both: [Laughter]
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************
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M: "Zygmunt..."
S: "Yes..."
M: "Do you want Constantinople?"
S: [Stupor]
M: "I will conquer it."
S: "Yes, I believe you. But why would you give it to me?"
M: "Because we are friends. And because I don't want it."
S: "You do not want Constantinople? Do you know that everybody says that you are a little strange..."
M: "You are being polite now. Everybody says that I am crazy. Don't be shy, I know everything."
S: "But I know you are not crazy. You are thinking so deep into the future that one cannot comprehend you. That's why I am asking for an explanation. And yes, of course, I want it!"
M: "Well, Zygmunt, I am building a National State here in Romania, the country of the Romanians, a country for the Romanians. The Romans of the past had a very large Empire, but the Greeks subverted it from the inside and turned it into a Greek Empire. I do not want to repeat the mistake of my forefathers. I will not incorporate Greeks into my Empire."
S: "But what about the Bulgarians or the Serbs? You are going to conquer them, aren't you?"
M: "They do not have 2000 years of history, philosophy, arts and literature. We will be able to assimilate them. But not the Greeks. Nobody has ever assimilated the Greeks, but instead the Greeks assimilated their conquerors. If the Turks were not Muslims, the Greeks would have assimilated them by now. Even so, do you know what the language of the Turkish elites in Constantinople is now? It's not Turkish, it's Greek! And we are Orthodox like them. Unfortunately."
S: "Excuse me... So, you do not like your religion?? I mean... Would you consider converting to Catholicism?"
M: "Yes of course. I would convert right now and attempt to convert my people if that were a good thing for my country. Unfortunately it is not. You know, while I am a devout Christian, I do not find it in any way important if one is an Orthodox, a Catholic or a Reformed. We are all Christians, that is the only important thing."
S: [Horror]
M: "I am first of all a Romanian. So I choose the Christian religion which is best for my people and my country right now. Later I may choose otherwise if the situation is any different. Don't get mad at me, please, let me finish. If I had any plan to conquer Poland, I would have converted to Catholicism. But obviously I have not. Since I only want to conquer Orthodox people, we have to be Orthodox like them. It is much easier to conquer a land that has the same religion as yours."
S: "So Religion is for you only a tool of the State??"
M: "Yes and no. The Christian religion is paramount. Its flavour is however subject to discussion. The fact that Christendom is disunited makes me very sad. It is however good for you."
S: [Stupor]
M: "Sorry, this time I actually wanted to shock you. I mean, it is a good thing for you, for Poland, that the Germans have many competing religions. Just imagine if they ever unite into a single centralized state!"
S: "I see. That is not a very pleasant prospect, indeed. So, after you conquer the Balkan Peninsula, well... except the Greeks, will you convert them to Catholicism?"
M: [Smiling] "Maybe. If it suits me. So, do we have a deal?"
S: "A deal?"
M: "When I drive the Turks out of Europe, you take Crimea and Constantinople and I take the Balkans."
S: [Shaking hands] "Deal. But what about the Straits?"
M: "A single power controlling the Straits is dangerous and invites enmity. If you have the Bosphorus and I have the Dardanelles, neither of us can pass through the Straits unless friendly with the other. I think it is one of the best possible scenarios for our countries and peoples to remain friends long after we are gone."
S: "I must say that I cannot help but still get bewildered by your vision of the future and your forward thinking. I think that you are the greatest strategist I have ever talked to. It is possible that if you were in my place, controlling the vast resources of Poland-Lithuania... You could have taken over most of Europe by now!"
M: "I don't think so. Do you remember the letter I sent you two years ago?"
S: "How could I not remember it? It was the strangest and boldest thing I had ever read!"
M: "I am sorry to tell you again, but your country is sitting on a powder keg."
S: "But why? We are stronger than our neighbours..."
M: "For the time being... But anyway, I was talking about the danger lurking inside. The fact that while in my country there is only one Nation, you have at least three: the Poles, the Lithuanians and the Ruthenes."
S: "So what? They are loyal to me!"
M: "Yes, but what about a hundred years from now? If you cannot make a Nation out of your peoples your country will be some time in the future at a great disadvantage. You may have time however to do something about it if you start soon enough."
S: "If you were not a King yourself, I would have hired you as an personal counsellor. Because you are the best in the entire World."
M: "If you want, I could offer you some advice, with some caveats though. What is good for Romania may only work for Poland if adapted to the specifics of your country."
S: "Yes I do. I would very much want you to describe your vision of a great future for the Commonwealth."
M: "Then we shall do that. But now let's have dinner."
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************
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S: "Now you have to keep your promise. Tell me about the Commonwealth's future."
M: "I am not an oracle, you know..."
S: "Oh yes, you are, you are!. Tell me, you promissed!"
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And Mihai talked for hours and hours, day in day out. And Sigismund would never have too much of it.
Many of Sigismund's future actions would look as if inspired by Mihai. And many of them probably were.

.​

Note: No spoilers here. You will have to guess which actions were inspired by Mihai when the chapter about Poland will get posted.
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Secret Treaty of Suceava
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I. Poland-Lithuania and Romania vow to destroy the Ottoman Empire. ​

II. Romania has at most 20 years to prepare for the eventual conquest of Ottoman Europe.​

III. Poland-Lithuania and Romania will attack the Ottoman Empire together.​

IV. Poland-Lithuania will annex the Crimean Peninsula (including Slovak Perekop, for which Slovakia will get a decent material compensation) and the city of Constantinople with its environs. Slovakia will be under Polish influence.​

V. Romania will annex most of the Balkan Peninsula, except the lands inhabited by the Greeks. A Greek State will be created, under Romanian influence.​

VI. Poland-Lithuania and Romania will assist each other in any wars that may take place, both before and after the future war with the Ottomans, with at least 10,000 armed men.​

VII. Poland-Lithuania will recognize the independence of Romania and any changes in its international status immediately after being proclaimed.
.​

Note: This is not a spoiler. Things will not unfold exactly as planned, obviously.
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Reception in Alba Iulia
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In Alba Iulia, Sigismund and Mihai were met by cheering crowds waving Romanian and Polish flags. The Mayor read a carefully prepared speech and the Romanian Patriarch blessed everyone present. A special meeting of the Romanian Senat was quickly summoned and the orators had plenty of opportunity to show their skills, at least in the art of oratory if not in politics.
But the most important event of the state visit would prove to be the ball at which Sigismund met Mihai's beautiful adolescent daughter.
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Sigismund & Florica
.
There are many books and movies about Sigismund and Florica.
However the facts are far from clear. There are three main possibilities:
1. Everything was prearranged by Mihai and Sigismund before arriving in Alba Iulia. Florica knew nothing about it. (the majority of historians seem to agree to that)
2. Sigismund knew nothing. Mihai and Florica conspired to get him on the hook. They succeeded. Rumours included about Florica's lack of innocence, to use an euphemism. (a minority of historians reported that)
3. Nothing was ever planned (or at most it was only Mihai's plan), with Florica and Sigismund genuinely falling in love with each other at first sight etc. (prefered by the novelists and film producers)
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The cold facts are that:
- Sigismund first met Florica at the ball and they danced at least seven times, far beyond the requirements of protocol.
- They spent most of the following two weeks together without any attempt to hide.
- Before leaving Alba Iulia, Sigismund asked Mihai for his daughter's hand and Mihai accepted, not before saying something really strange but correct.
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Mihai: "While it is a great honour for me and my daughter, I am not entirely sure that it is a wise thing to do."
Florica: "Father!"
Sigismund: "If I did not know you, I would have considered this an insult. Be kind and offer us another proof of your... comprehensive view of the world or whatever is on your mind."
M: "Hush, daughter! And you, Zygmunt, don't get me wrong. I am glad to offer you my daughter's hand. You may marry her. I just thought of something... These matrimonial alliances are not always good for the peace between the nations involved. After all, Sweden and Poland would not be at war today if it hadn't been for your parents marrying each other."
[Silence]
F: "You can write me off the inheritance list."
S: "There is a good point in what you've said, Mihai. I have to admit you are right again. The fact is that what every ruling family in Europe has ever done from the mists of time, marrying between themselves... is indeed wrong if there aren't clear succession laws in place."
M: "I will have the Romanian Law of Succession changed in order to make sure that no foreign ruler ever inherits the Romanian Throne. Something like: if you marry into another ruling family from another country, you and all your descendents will automatically lose any right to the Romanian Throne. Yes, something like this. I will arrange for a debate in the Senat. In the meantime, you have my blessing and please go to Doamna Stanca as well..."
S: "Of course, Mihai. Another question... Florica should become a Catholic."
M: "This is obvious. The queen of a Catholic country shall be a Catholic. No problem whatsoever. Dear Florica, the Catholics are our brothers, Christians as ourselves. Fear not, you commit no sin by worshiping God in their ways."
F (relieved): "Yes, father."
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Mihai embraced Sigismund and then kissed Florica trying to conceal a tear at the corner of his eye.

When Sigismund left Alba Iulia, he took Florica with him to Warsaw.
Sigismund married his young Romanian bride, 20 years his junior, on 30 November 1603, in the greatest Cathedral of his Capital.
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And like in a fairytale, a gorgeous 17 years old Romanian girl born in a family of small boyars in a remote corner of a small country ravaged by the Turks, became the beloved Catholic Queen of the largest country in Europe, the mighty Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania, with more than ten million subjects.
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And in less than a year, the still very young King, with no surviving male children from his first marriage, will be the proud and happy father of a healty royal boy, Mihai's grandson, the future King of the Commonwealth.​

 

[Zagan]

Besides his native Romania conquered with the sword,
Poland was the first domino marble to fall to the Mihai-style National Revolution.​

Poland-Lithuania (Sarmatia)​

30 November 1603, Warsaw

King Sigismund III Vasa (37 years old, widowed in 1598) marries Mihai's daughter, Domnița Florica (17 years old), who has converted to the Catholic faith the previous day.


21 December 1603, Warsaw

Florica is crowned Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania. She assumes the regnal name of Queen Flora (Krolowa Flora / Flora Regina).


Queen Flora

Perhaps inheriting her father's propensity for foreign languages, Flora quickly learned both Polish and Lithuanian (she already knew some Latin). By the end of the following year, she was able to converse in Polish to the delight of her subjects.

Flora was an active queen and became a good Pole and a good Catholic. She toured the whole country several times, befriended many wives of Polish nobles and was respected by most of her subjects, except for a handful of dectractors.

The short lived enmity against the queen was based on several factors:
1. She was an Orthodox who converted to Catholicism only before the marriage.
2. She was not of royal blood, but merely the daughter of a Voivode, himself of dubious extraction.
3. She gave birth to Crown Prince Karol only about 8 months after the wedding and the baby did not seem at all premature.
4. She was interested in politics and frequently discussed matters of state with the King and the members of the Sejm. It was speculated that she had an inordinate influence upon the King and the policies of the Polish State. There were even some rumours about her being a Romanian spy!

In the following years, her beauty and delightful personality made the gossip slowly wither away and she is now remembered as one of the most influential and beloved Polish Queens.


2-7 January 1604, Sejm, Warsaw

What happened in the Sejm of the Commonwealth in the first week of 1604 was endlessly debated by the Polish and international historians. Called The Glorious Revolution by some and Sigismund's Coup d'Etat by others, it was the first of the National Revolutions From Above after the original one engineered by Mihai in Romania.
What distinguishes it from the rest of the National Revolutions From Above was the singular fact that it was almost completely bloodless.

Surely influenced by Mihai, Sigismund called the Sejm for 2 January and perplexed the Szlachta by talking almost non-stop for more than six hours.

He emphasized the following points, using lots of examples and parables, for everybody to understand and comply:
- The National Consciousness of the Romanians, based upon unity of language, religion and tradition, despite their former lack of political unity.
- The overwhelming success of Mihai's National Policy and the meteoric rise of Romania.
- The fact that smaller countries like Romania or Sweden, with one third and respectively one tenth of the Commonwealth's population had larger and perhaps stronger armies. The King explained that by their internal cohesiveness, states based on only one language, ethnicity, religion and culture, but also highlighted the strength of the more centralized state and the issue of military conscription.
- The potentially perilious position of the Commonwealth which although large, rich and powerful, totally lacked ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural unity, a powerful centralized state apparatus and bureaucracy, a large and cohesive army, in short the lack of a Nation and its Nation State.
- The fact that the momentuos victory in the Tatar War was only possible because of the help of a Nation State, Romania. Four centuries of relentless Asiatic invasions had been stopped forever in a matter of months, to say nothing of the conquest of the Steppe and of the valuable Black Sea Littoral.

Then he suggested the advantages:
- Future Northern and Eastern continuous expansion of the Commonwealth.
- Vast enrichment of the country and its citizens.
- More land to be colonized.
- Safety from any possible invasion.
- End of internal strife and dissent.
- Ease of governance.

Finally, he proposed what he saw to be the obvious solutions:
- Massive strenghtening of State apparatus and bureaucracy.
- Abolition of the Liberum Veto. ("As I am speaking, we are being invaded by the Swedes. What if one of you, paid by the enemy, vetoes the raising of an army to defend the country?")
- Forging a common National Consciousness based on the Sarmatian Idea.
- Terminating the system of vassals and directly annexing Prussia, Livonia and the Zaporogian Host.
- Administrative and political unification of the State into a new Unitary National State.
- Gradually making the Catholic religion mandatory for everyone all over the Commonwealth.
- Creating a common language for all the Commonwealth, based on words common in Polish, Lithuanian and Ruthenian dialects. Do not force any adult to learn and use it, but teach it in schools and use it in the mass media and administration.
- Annex Swedish Estonia, but refrain from any further annexations for the time being. Modernize and integrate the existing territories first, before attempting to acquire more land and assimilate foreign people. Only afterwards embark on a slow and continuous policy of territorial expansion combined with the integration of the newly acquired lands and assimilation of their people into the Commonwealth Nation.
- Create a very large army based upon general conscription in order to quickly prosecute the War with Sweden to a victorious conclusion. Again, do not annex Sweden as it is extremely different racially, linguistically and religiously and therefore impossible to assimilate.

Somehow, despite the odds, Sigismund won the debate.
Most of his proposals were accepted and implemented either immediately or during the following years.


1604-1611, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

1. Abolition of Liberum Veto
All Ordinary Laws are passed with a simple majority.
The Basal Laws are passed with a two thirds majority.
During the following years, the Basal Laws were congregated into the first Constitution of the Commonwealth and the first such document in the whole World.

2. General Conscription in time of war
About one million men answer the call, creating by far the greatest army in Europe.
Hundreds of thousands march North. Prussia and Livonia are annexed to the Commonwealth without any shot being fired, the mere display of force being overwhelming.

3. Conclusion of the Swedish War
The Swedes evacuate Polish Estonia and Swedish Estonia without a fight.
The Commonwealth invades Swedish Finland where Sigismund is welcomed by the Finns who remained loyal to him and not to the usurper Charles.
The feable and inexperienced Commonwealth Navy is destroyed later by the much stronger Swedish Navy. Any hope of invading Sweden proper is dashed.

4. Peace with Sweden
- Sigismund officially relinquishes the Crown of Sweden and recognizes Charles IX as King of Sweden.
- Sweden cedes Estonia and Finland. Estonia is directly annexed to the Commonwealth and united with Polish Estonia. Finland is organized as an autonomous province.

5. Reform of the State
- Poland, Lithuania, Prussia, Livonia, Estonia and the Zaporigian Host as distinct territorial entities are abolished. All territory is divided into small Voivodeships.
- Various laws strenghen the central authority of the State, represented by the King and the Sejm. An efficient State Bureaucracy is formed.
- The Sarmatian idea, already popular among the Szlachta, gets the full backing of the State.
- A Sarmatian Language, the first constructed language in history is proposed. It largely fails, less than 10% of the population speaking it at the time of its greatest acceptance. Today it has around one million speakers.
- The Catholic Faith is strongly encouraged by the State. All Nobles are required to be Catholics in order to keep their privileges.
- The Zaporogian Cossacks are dispersed by the army. Their specific lifestyle largely vanishes during the following decades.
- The Ruthenian Orthodox Church is separated from Constantinople and united with Rome. It becomes the Ruthenian Eastern Catholic Church. Those who oppose the union are silenced.
- Finally, on 1 June 1611, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth changes its name in Sarmatia (Sarmacja).

6. Religious Persecutions
Between 1607 and 1610, Poland-Lithuania attempted to convert its non-Catholic population with mixed results:
- Tatar Muslims (30% converted, 10% killed, 60% expelled to Crimea)
- Jews (4% converted, 96% expelled, mainly to Russia)
- Non-German Protestants (80% converted, 5% killed, 15% expelled to Germany and Scandinavia)
- German Protestants (7% converted, 3% killed, 90% expelled to Germany)
- Ruthenian Orthodox (12% converted, 72% united with Rome, 8% killed, 8% escaped to Russia)
By 1611 the Commonwealth was almost completely Catholic (except the unsincere converts obviously)


1612-1619, Intervention in the Russian Civil War

Sarmatia invaded Russia three times in a span of seven years, in order to support various factions or pretenders to the Russian Throne.
The purpose was not to occupy or annex Russia but to prolong the unrest as much as possible in order to further weaken Russia.

Several regions were annexed though:
- Ingria, to cut Russia from the Baltic Sea and get a land connection to Finland. Ingria was actually attached to Finland, not to Sarmatia proper.
- Smolensk and Severia, in order to get a shorter and cleaner border.
- The Azov Sea Steppe between the Kalmius and the Don (the area annexed by Russia from the Tatars in 1603), to cut Russia from the Black Sea.

Since then, Sarmatia and Russia have remained sworn enemies.
They would fight countless wars in the ensuing centuries.
No real and comprehensive reconciliation ever happened.


1613-1615, Intervention in the German War

The Sarmatian Intervention was rather short and inconsequential.
It ended with status quo ante bellum.

Note: More details in the Chapter about Germany.


In 1622, Sarmatia had only one friendly neighbour: Romania.

 

[Zagan]

Poland-Lithuania (Sarmatia) in 1619-1622
(with conquered territories shown)​

Poland-Lithuania (Sarmatia) in 1619-1622
(final result)​

Note: The things happening in the Holy Roman Empire are a little spoiler and will come forth in the next Chapter: Germany.

 

[Zagan]

The national unity of the Germans can be seen as an unforeseen and
certainly unwelcomed side effect of the creation of Romania as a Unitary National State.​

Holy Roman Empire​

Between the Peace of Augsburg and the German Civil War

Since the Peace of Augsburg, the Holy Roman Empire had been in a state of delicate equilibrium and relative peace. There was some kind of balance of power inside the Empire between the Emperor and the Catholic states on one side and the Protestant states on the other side.
This fragile balance of power was actually nothing more than a waiting game. Each side bought its time waiting for something to happen which would either strenghten its own position or weaken the other side. And almost half a century after the Peace of Augsburg, something did happen. The Protestants got lucky.

The most important and powerful state in the Holy Roman Empire was the Habsburg Monarchy, a collection of Catholic Austrian Duchies, mainly Protestant Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia plus some territories which were outside the Holy Roman Empire such as Royal Hungary and Croatia. The Habsburg Monarchs were always elected Holy Roman Emperors by the German Electors. This state was rightfully seen as the backbone of Catholic Germany.


The Decline of the Habsburg Monarchy

Two weak and ineffective Emperors in a row, the Habsburg brothers Rudolf and Matthias were enough to all but destroy the Habsburg Monarchy and plunge the Holy Roman Empire into chaos and civil war:
- In 1591, Emperor Rudolf started the ill-fated war against the Ottomans.
- As if the Ottomans were not enough of a foe, Rudolf attempted at the same time to bring the Romanian Lands under his direct control, instead of being content to have them as allies.
- By 1600, the state had almost gone bankrupt and without Rudolf's wealthy Spanish cousins the war would have been already lost. Interestingly, ending the war in 1600 might have still saved the Habsburg Monarchy from complete destruction.
- The 1601-1602 campaign against the by now united Romanian Lands would prove to be the first nail in the coffin of the once mighty Habsburg Monarchy. The whole Habsburg army was completely destroyed and Rudolf lost Croatia, Hungary, an enormous amount of money as well as his mind.
- With Rudolf incapacitated, his almost equally unfit brother Matthias assumed the Habsburg Thrones and later the Imperial authority. The very close and heated Imperial ellection was a clear sign of the waning power of the Habsburgs.
- In the following years, the cowardly appeasing policies of Matthias were equally bad for the Habsburg Monarchy as were the previous wars of his predecessor. Ironically, while Rudolf waged an useless and catastrophic war against the far-away Romanians, Matthias simply let his Bohemian Crown slowly slip away without ever recourcing to war.


The Birth of German Nationalism

Germany was the birth place of the Printing Press and by the beginning of the 17th century had a fairly literate population (as compared to other parts of Europe). This allowed for the early proliferation of books and newspapers diffusing all kinds of new and revolutionary ideas. In the Northern parts of the Empire, the already revolutionary climate of the Reformation created an extremely fertile ground for other revolutionary ideas as well.

One of this new and truly revolutionary ideas which slowly took shape in Protestant Germany was the National Idea.
It all began with a simple question: "How was it possible that three little countries, mere pawns in the geopolitical games of the Ottomans, Poles and Habsburgs, were suddenly able able to unite into a country strong enough to decisively defeat the Habsburg armies and attain peace with its other two powerful neighbours?"
The answer seemed equally straightforward: "Because they had the same language, the same religion, the same customs and the same culture and so they were all the same people, the Romanian People."
It seems that when a People becomes conscious of its togetherness, it reaches the next stage in its evolution, that of being a Nation. And a Nation takes control of its destiny and shapes its own future.

Exactly this had just happened with the Romanian People. Under the wise leadership of their enlightend King, they united and turned into the Romanian Nation. And their Principalities united into a powerful National State which had the means and will to free itself from foreign domination.
Was it to remain a singular phenomenon? Certainly not. A few years later, Poland-Lithuania coalesced into a National State as well. Although they did not speak the same language, their languages were clearly related and they enjoyed the important benefit of a single religion.
Besides, there were some older states which exhibited a few characteristics of a National State, Sweden and Denmark being the most obvious examples. Or other states which despite being certainly non-National were at least united centralized States, like France and Spain.


May 1604, Dresden, Saxony

A little book, first published by an obscure Dresden printing house became the first manual of the German nationalists. Its title was: Das Römänische Reich - Der Nationalstaat der Römänen (The Romanian Realm - The National State of the Romanians).


1604-1610, Germany

All over Germany, the upper and middle classes of the German People were engaged in heated debates revolving around a very difficult question: "If the Romanians were able to achieve such a remarcable feat, why can't we, the Germans, achieve the same or even more?"
In a few years, all of Germany was full with nationalist societies which slowly coalesced in two groups: The Nationalist Party (Die Nazionalistische Partei) and Radical Germany (Radikal Deutschland). Although both longed for the creation of a German Nation and State, their political aims would diverge significantly over the years.

Nationalist Party:
- Transform the Holy Roman Empire into a proper German Empire (Deutsches Reich) with a federal structure, keeping the previous states albeit with a more limited sovereignty.
- Let the Italian states form an independent Italian Kingdom.
- Freedom of religion for all Christians regardless of denomination.

Radical Germany:
- Abolish the Holy Roman Empire and all the German States within it, depose all the rulers and proclaim a German Republic (Freistaat Deutschland) as a unitary centralized state.
- Forcefully convert all the German Catholics and allow only the Protestant denominations in Germany.
- Conquer and attempt to thoroughly germanize the non-German parts of the Empire as well as some territories outside the borders of the current Empire, like the rest of Italy, Scandinavia and possibly others.



March 1605, Prague, Bohemia

A bloodless coup in Prague turns the Bohemian Crown into a Protestant State run by the Prague Parliament. The role of the Habsburg Monarch is reduced to a mere figurehead.
Incapable to raise a sufficiently strong army in Austria alone and lacking money to hire lots of mercenaries, Matthias acquisces, thus virtually losing control over more than half of his remaining lands (Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia).
From that moment on, the Habsburg Monarchy could no longer be considered a Great Power. It is debatable if it remained even a small Regional Power.

The Habsburg Monarchy's free fall left a significant power vacuum in the heart of Europe. The German Protestants were emboldened and the Ottoman Empire had its eyes set on Vienna once again. And this time the Ottomans might have succeded in finally taking Vienna.
Two important factors stopped the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I from pursuing this goal. The first was the bloody war with the Persians and the second was the realization that the weakened Austria was a useful buffer between the Ottoman Empire and a new formidable foe: Protestant United Germany.
So, the once proud Capital of a powerful realm escaped an almost sure conquest by virtue of being useful to the would be conquerers. It was really shameful.


June-July 1607, Dresden, Saxony

The first German Parliament convenes in Dresden, the Provisional Capital of Germany. The clash between the Nationalists and the Radicals is quickly decided upon in favour of the former which were strongly backed by the German Princes.


1607-1610, Germany

The Nationalists gradually take control of the Northern Protestant German States. Sporadic low intensity fighting takes place between the local and the Revolutionary armies. Some Princes and Bishops are deposed or killed. There are a few clashes between Protestants and Catholics mainly in Northern Germany.
Emperor Matthias has absolutely no influence in more than half of his so called Empire. The Holy Roman Empire is by all means split in two if not actually defunct.


9 November 1610, Dresden, Germany

Note: It seems that the date of 9 November has some kind of occult relation with the German People since it would proeminently appear again and again in German History.

After the death of Elector Christian II of Saxony in August 1610, his younger brother Augustus inherited the Saxon Throne. A convinced German Nationalist himself, Augustus removed all obstacles set by his older brother and fully supported the German Parliament.

On 9 November, the German Parliament abolishes the Holy Roman Empire and deposes Emperor Matthias.
A German Empire is proclaimed with standing ovations as a virtual federal structure with no member states. All German States are invited to adhere to the new Empire.
Saxony is the first German State to become part of the new German Empire in the evening of the same day. More German States would follow suit in the following weeks, some voluntarely, some not.

Europe was inexorably set aflame.

 

[Zagan]

The Unification of Romania was noticed only by its neighbours.
The Unification of Germany got almost all of Europe involved.​

The German War​

1611

Most Protestant German States join the German Empire.
The largest are Saxony, Brandenburg, Pomerania, Mecklenburg, Braunschweig-Lüneburg and Württemberg. They contribute the most part of the Empire's military, but conscription is instituted all over Germany anyway.

Only a few German Princes share the enthusiasm of the German Nationalists. Most of them choose to join the German Empire for various reasons:
- Internal Nationalist pressure ranging from printed articles and small demonstrations to outright revolution.
- External Nationalist pressure ranging from demonstrations of force to actual invasion.
- The desire to look progressive and court the good will of the Nationalist Party, by now a formidable force.
- Fear of the republicans of Radical Germany, the Catholics and their Emperor, external intervention - Denmark, Sweden, Poland, France, Spain, etc.
- It simply looks unavoidable: the few States which actually refused to become Federal States of the newly created German Empire were ruthlessly invaded, outright annexed and even had their Princes deposed as in the cases of Anhalt and Hessen-Darmstadt.

By the end of the year, almost all Protestant Germany was united in the Federal German Empire.
The notable exceptions were: the United Netherlands (already independent de facto), the Protestant Cantons of Switzerland (already independent de facto) and the States of the Bohemian Crown: Bohemia, Silesia and Moravia (still under the rule of Emperor Matthias, de jure). The quite numerous Protestants in Catholic Austria were obviously not included as well.


1612

The few small remaining Protestant States finally join the German Empire.
The Protestants are gaining influence in several small Catholic States. Some of them join Germany as well.
No overt military action is taken against any Catholic State yet, but sporadic fighting erupts in various States.

22 March
Prince Augustus of Saxony is elected Emperor of Germany by the German Parliament with 73% of the total votes.
He assumes the legendary name Siegfried and is crowned Siegfried I Augustus Emperor of Germany. His intention was to have Augustus look like an Imperial Title rather than a given name. It worked. All future Emperors of Germany would take the name (or title) Augustus.

23 March
Augustus abdicates as Prince of Saxony. It has been previously decided by the German Parliament that the Emperor must be striclty neutral and not connected to any of the Federal States in order to eliminate favouritism.
The Ernestine Branch of the House of Wettin assumed power in Saxony.

31 March
The Prague Parliament disolves the Bohemian Crown and deposes King Matthias. Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia adhere to the German Empire as three distinct Federal States.

7 April
Emperor Matthias dies in Vienna under unclear circumstances. Most people believe he commited suicide.

19 April
Albert VII renounces his rights to the Archduchy of Austria in favour of his cousin Ferdinand II. Albert remains sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands and Ferdinand assumes the Crown in Vienna.
The election of a new Holy Roman Emperor is rendered impossible by the lack of quorum. Of the former seven Electors, four no longer exist (Bohemia, Palatinate, Saxony and Brandenburg are part of the German Empire, not of the Holy Roman Empire) and one has no means of leaving his enclave (Mainz).

4 May
Ferdinand creates the Kingdom of Austria out of his remaining territories: Austria proper, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Tirol, the Hungarian and Croatian regions annexed in 1602 by the Pressburg Peace Treaty and other small areas.
For all intents and purposes, the Holy Roman Empire is defunct.

8 August
King Ferdinand of Austria rescinds all laws enacted by his predecessors granting religious rights to the Austrian Protestants. The Kingdom of Austria is supposed to become a pure Catholic State. The forced conversion of the Protestant population is attempted.

22 August
The German Empire asks for the rights of the Protestants to be respected in all German States. An Ultimatum is delivered to Austria.

31 August
The Holy Alliance is signed by Austria and most of the other Catholic German States, including almost all Bishoprics.

16 September
The German Empire orders general mobilization. Large armies are levied all over Germany.

23 September
The Holy Alliance also starts preparing for war.

27 September
Spain joins the Holy Alliance. Numerous Spanish troops are sent to Italy wherefrom to start their long march towards Germany.

30 September
Sarmatia (Poland-Lithuania) joins the Holy Alliance and starts preparing for the invasion of Germany.

October-November
The low level hostilities slowly escalate to full-blown war. Heavy fighting is reported in Central Germany, especially in the vicinity of the rivers Rhine and Main.

10 December
The German armies from Bohemia invade Austria and start advancing towards Vienna. The Austrians manage to stop them at the gates of their Capital.


1613

January-May
With no foreign armies on German soil, the German Empire has the upper hand and manages to subdue all territory East of the Rhine including Bavaria and the Western parts of Austria in a matter of months. They fail however to capture Vienna.

2 June
The half-hearted Sarmatian intervention begins.
Sarmatia had hundreds of thousands of soldiers deep into war-torn Russia and many others guarding the Black Sea and the Baltic Littorals in order to fend off any possible Ottoman and respectively Swedish invasions.
Other important army effectives were scattered all over the large Sarmatian territory dealing with the Zaporogian Cossacks, the Orthodoxes who refused the Union with Rome and the Protestants from the Baltic Lands.
Less than 100,000 Sarmatian soldiers would be deployed in Germany at any given time.
In the following two years, the Sarmatian armies would attempt unsuccessfully to cross the Oder, most of the fighting being in Eastern Pomerania, Eastern Brandenburg and parts of Silesia.

August-September
The Spanish armies begin to arrive in Austria and relieve Vienna.
In the following months, they enter Bavaria but fail to advance further into Germany.

December
The fighting becomes less intense, neither Germany nor the Holy Alliance being able to win a decisive victory. The bad weather contributes to the lull.


1614

Germany has around 1,300,000 soldiers deployed over its entire territory, while the Holy Alliance did not manage to levy more than 600,000.

11 March
Long and difficult negotiations between the German Empire and France are finalized with the Treaty of Verdun.
France recognizes the German Empire as the sole representative of all Germans and agrees to enter the war on their side.
Germany agrees to cede its Westernmost Catholic territories to France, i.e. the Habsburg Netherlands, Lorraine, Burgundy, Savoy and some Bishoprics.

17 March
Radical Germany declares that the Nationalist Party has betrayed Germany by accepting to cede German territories to other countries.
The Radicals say that they represent all the Germans, not merely the Protestants and all the Catholic Germans should become part of Germany as well.

19 March
The Radicals attempt a coup d'état and storm the German Parliament. The German army enters Dresden and quells the rebellion.

April-July
A lesser civil war between the Nationalists and the Radicals takes place inside the areas controlled by the German Empire. Helped by the army, the Nationalist Government prevails and the Radicals are completely defeated.
Taking advantage of this situation, the forces of the Holy Alliance manage to take some territories, advancing up to 100 miles in some areas.

30 June
France joins the German War on the side of the German Empire.
The French armies attack in all directions: at the Pyrenees, in the Spanish Netherlands, in Lorraine and Burgundy.

July-December
France entering the War greatly changes the balance in favour of Germany.
With their Western flank secure, the German armies attack vigurously in the South and East.
The Spanish and German Catholic armies are pushed back into Austria and the Sarmatians are expelled from German soil.


1615

The war becomes less of a German Civil War and more of an European War. Religious issues become less important because France, a Catholic country, took the side of Protestant Germany in 1614 and Protestant Denmark and Sweden are to join the Catholic Holy Alliance.

19 January
Germany captures the Sarmatian City of Danzig. Sarmatia calls its armies from Russia to defend their homeland.

3 February
Denmark invades Germany from Danish controlled Holstein.

12 February
A Swedish army led by Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus invades Pomerania by Sea.

1 March
Sarmatia exits the war. A white peace is signed with Germany.
Sarmatia recognizes the German Empire and its rights over all German States, status quo ante bellum is accepted and all German armies retreat into Germany. No reparations are payed.
The Sarmatians could have continued the war, but the prospect of being allied with their old foe Sweden was probably too much for them. By this time, the Sarmatians were actually not sure if they preferred a stronger Sweden or a stronger Germany.

January-April
After occupying all the territories promissed by Germany, the French armies cross the Rhine into Southern Catholic Germany and advance towands Lake Constance.

March-May
The Spaniards attack in Savoy and along the Pyrenees. France has to retreat a few armies to defend against the Spanish invasion.

17 July
The Germans decisively vanquish the invading Danes. The Danish armies in Mecklenburg and Holstein are obliterated before joining the Swedes from Pomerania.

July-October
Germany occupies Holstein, then Schleswig, then Jutland.
The Swedes are defeated in Pomerania and sail for Denmark leaving behind tens of thousands of casualties and prisoners of war.

20 November
The Swedish and Danish armies are defeated near Copenhagen. The war in Scandinavia is over. The following day, Denmark capitulates and Sweden sues for peace.
It became painfully clear that in that new Europe of large National States with armies based upon general conscription, countries with small population like Sweden and Denmark had no further prospect of ever being Great Powers again.


1616

The German Empire is victorious on all fronts but nearly bankrupt. It controls almost all of the former Holy Roman Empire, except the areas occupied by France, about half of Austria still held by the Holy Alliance, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Italian States.
France has realized all its goals and is getting reluctant to help Germany any further. The Pyrenees campaign has turned into a stalemate.
Sarmatia and the Scandinavians are already out of the war.
Spain has realized that defeating both France and Germany is impossible.

5 March
Peace negotiations begin in Prague between France, the German Empire, Spain and Austria.

23 March
Germany invades the Netherlands. England is helps the Netherlands.
After heavy fighting, the German armies reach the Zuiderzee and cut the Netherlands in half.

25 March
Germany invades Switzerland. The Protestant Cantons welcome the Germans. The Catholic Cantons fight back vigorously.

1 April
France threatens Germany to withdraw its support.

April-May
Sporadic low intensity fighting goes on in Austria. No further attempt is made to take Vienna. Spain is getting desperate to find a way out of the war. Germany claims that Switzerland and the Netherlands are German territories, though neither are fully occupied.

4 June
The German Empire, Austria, France and Spain sign an armistice for a period of five years. Temporary demarcation lines are agreed upon.

The first phase of the German War is over.
Almost two million Germans are dead, chaos and destruction are widespread, but the consensus in war-torn Germany is that the war was worth fighting.

 

[Zagan]

Germany in 1612, just before the start of the German War​

Notes:
1. The German Empire, the Netherlands and the Swiss Cantons are de facto independent from the Holy Roman Empire.
2. The Lands of the Bohemian Crown had just voted to accede to the German Empire, thus leaving the Habsburg Monarchy.
3. The de facto status of the Italian States with regard to the Holy Roman Empire is uncertain.
4. While the Kingdom of Austria is a full member of the dying Holy Roman Empire, it is colored in its own color due to its importance.
5. Some extremely complex borders in the HRE are shown in a simplified manner.

 

[Zagan]

Germany during the War​

Notes:
1. Only the areas occupied by Germany inside the HRE have been annexed. The areas occupied in Denmark proper and Sarmatia were later released.
2. The areas occupied by France were later placed under civil administration without being properly annexed.
3. The border between Germany and France is a actually nothing more than a temporary demarcation line pending the final peace treaty.
4. The whole of Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria are claimed by Germany. They are de facto independent and de jure members of the HRE.
5. The Italian States are in limbo.
6. The borders inside the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria are actually armistice lines.
7. Again, this is not a final peace settlement, but only a ceasefire / armistice. Everything is temporary / facts on the ground.
8. The only peace treaties were between Germany and (separately) Sarmatia, Denmark and Sweden.
9. Germany and France are not very good friends anymore.
10. Sarmatia is neutral, having more important business in Russia and later in Crimea.
11. Denmark and Sweden begin to get closer to Germany.
12. Spain has lost the Southern Netherlands and does not want to have anything to do anymore with Germany / Austria / HRE.
13. The Ottoman Empire is relieved that Austria is still there.
14. France and Germany are happy. The others are not.

 

[Zagan]

Germany During the Ceasefire Period
(June 1616 - January 1622)​

Notes:
1. The Italian States are de facto independent from the HRE. Only Austria (most of it) and Salzburg (a small part) are still considering themselves to be parts of the HRE.
2. Salzburg (the small part not occupied by the German Empire) is administered by Austria, like the other smaller Bishoprics enclaved into Austrian territory.
3. Germany treats all occupied territories of Austria, Netherlands and Switzerland as integral parts of the German Empire and claims the rest of their territories as well.
4. The independence of Switzerland and Netherlands is not recognized by any State. De jure, the HRE is still made of: Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, the Italian States and the areas incorporated by France. De facto, the HRE means absolutely nothing.


Ready for now. No more maps till the next chapter.

 

[Zagan]

In less than 20 years, the European geopolitical equilibrium was shattered.​

Europe in 1622​

In the 17th century, the World was dominated by three groups of powers:
1. Christendom, Europe and its Colonies scattered all over the World, emerging as the most formidable global force the World has ever seen.
2. Islam, its most powerful representative being the Ottoman Empire, run by the Caliph of the Muslims.
3. East Asia, dominated by China, content and self-sufficient, but with its significance to the outside World gradually fading.

Unlike East Asia and the Islamic World, Christian Europe lacked a hegemon, power being instead shared between a variable number of Great Powers. Around 1620, these were: Spain, France, Germany, Sarmatia and England.
This system, based on the competition of the Great Powers, was possibly one of the cornerstones of the eventual success of Europe which, in less than two centuries, would thoroughly dominate the entire World.

The first decades of the turbulent 17th century saw many changes, some deep and some shallow. The most visible phenomenon was the strenghening and centralization of existing European States and the creation of new ones like Romania and Germany.
The National Idea was like a ghost, haunting the European Monarchs with its inherent hopes and fears. While some chose to prevent its growth, most rulers wisely chose to channel it to their own advantage and promote nationalism to further strenghten their states and themselves as rulers of those states.
Just 20 years after Mihai united the Romanian Principalities into a Romanian National State, feudal fragmentation was doomed all over Europe. It was clear that those who failed to reform and modernize their old state structures were to lose their position in that new European concert.
The masses seemed rather slow to embrace the new ideas promoted by their leaders, but where they did, as in Germany, the consequences were tremendous.

By 1622, Christian Europe consisted of about 20 States.


1. Spain

Territory: The entire Iberian Peninsula (Aragon, Castile, Leon, Navarre, Portugal), African outposts (Ceuta, Mellila), the Southern half of the Italian Peninsula (Naples), Mediterranian Islands (Baleares, Sardinia, Sicily), Altlantic Islands (Azores, Madeira, Canaries, Cape Verde); Colonies (Almost all of mainland South America and Central America, parts of mainland North America, Islands and territories in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific). Spain was by far the largest country in the World and one the greatest the World has ever seen.

Religion: Roman Catholics, a few Pagans in some of the colonies.

Ruler: King Philip IV (Felipe IV) of Habsburg (from 1620).

Recent History: During the rule of the former King, Philip III, Spain had lost the German War in a catastrophic manner and bankrupted the country. He lost the Spanish Netherlands and all influence in the former Holy Roman Empire.
Philip IV embarked upon an ambitious plan of reforms, with the aim to unify and centralize his realms. He unilaterally declared a total lack of interest in German matters and ditched his former ally, Austria.

Near Future: Spain will focus mainly on the Americas and will continue the Reconquista, the target being now the former Roman Africa. European affairs will become less important.


2. France

Territory: France proper, German States (Southern Netherlands, Lorraine, Burgundy, Savoy, Bishoprics, Western Swiss Cantons); Colonies (parts of North America, Islands in the Caribbean and elsewhere, outposts in India).

Religion: Roman Catholics, a few Protestants in the Eastern parts of the country and in the occupied German States.

Ruler: King Louis XIII of Bourbon (from 1610; of age from 1617).

Recent History: France took advantage of the German War and enlarged its territory by about 16%, incorporating the Western German States. Although the population of the new territories was thoroughly Catholic, from an ethnic point of view they were a mixture of Frenchmen, Germans and Italians. While the Italians had not posed any problems so far, some Germans had.
Rather a strange exception, France was actually less centralized than before. While they have absorbed French Navarre, the territories aquired from the Holy Roman Empire were not annexed but administered separately. The issue was that both France and Germany viewed their border as a temporary demarcation line pending the final peace treaty.
No reforms of any kind were undertaken.

Near Future: France will focus less on its colonial endeavours and more on expanding its influence in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. Military spending will increase.


3. Holy Roman Empire

Territory: De jure, all its former territory; de facto, most of Austria, a few Bishoprics enclaved into Austria and a part of Salzburg.

Religion: Roman Catholics, Protestants.

Ruler: None. No Holy Roman Emperor could be elected because of lack of quorum.

Recent History: The German War all but destroyed the Holy Roman Empire. The newly proclaimed German Empire annexed most of it, the Netherlands, the Swiss Cantons and the Italian States are de facto independent and only Austria still maintains the legal fiction of the Holy Roman Empire.

Near Future: The Holy Roman Empire is going to be officially dismantled.


4. Austria

Territory: Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Tirol, enclaved Bishoprics, Westernmost Croatia, Westernmost Hungary, (de facto) Salzburg. Almost a third of its territory is occupied by Germany which claims all of it.

Religion: Roman Catholics, numerous Protestants.

Ruler: King Ferdinand II of Habsburg (from 1612).

Recent History: A former Great Power, in two disastruous wars Austria lost three quarters of its territory (most of Royal Hungary and Croatia, Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, a third of Austria proper) and is now trying to avert incorporation into the German Empire. The country is bankrupt and depopulated. Its remaining territory was belatedly unified into a centralized Kingdom.

Near Future: Bleak, as war will soon resume.


5. Switzerland

Territory: Most of it is under German occupation; all of it is claimed by Germany.

Religion: Roman Catholics, Protestants.

Ruler: Federal Council.

Recent History: While de facto independent from the Holy Roman Empire, it was invaded by the German Empire which quickly occupied all the Protestant Cantons with the support of the local population. The Catholic Cantons just managed to avoid total occupation.

Near Future: Saved only by the Prague Armistice, rump Switzerland has really no hope of defending against a renewed German aggression. Only diplomacy can now save the Helvetic Republic.


6. Netherlands

Territory: Some of it is under German occupation; all of it is claimed by Germany; Colonies in the Carribean, outposts in India and the East Indies.

Religion: Protestants, a few Muslims in the East Indies.

Ruler: States General.

Recent History: While de facto independent from the Holy Roman Empire, it was invaded by the German Empire which managed to occupy the central part of the Netherlands all the way to the Zuiderzee, cutting the country in two.

Near Future: Even with the help of the English, defence against either Germany or France would likely be impossible in the long run. Playing Germany and France against each other would be the best chance of the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the focus remains on the colonial endeavours.


7. Germany

Territory: Most of the former territory of the Holy Roman Empire. Claims all the German parts of the Holy Roman Empire, i.e. the rest of Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands, possibly some regions occupied by France, although nothing clear was ever declared about that issue.

Religion: Protestants, a significant minority of Catholics.

Ruler: Emperor Augustus Siegfried I of Wettin (from 1612).

Recent History: Born just before the German War, it became a Great Power in just a few years and managed to frighten all its neighbours.

Near Future: Plans to finish the occupation and annexation of the remaining German States: Austria, Netherlands and Switzerland. Modernization is taking place at an accelerated rate. The German War will reignite.


8. Italian States

Territory: Informal confederation of the former Italian States of the Holy Roman Empire. Savoy is under French occupation and the rest of them are under French influence.

Religion: Roman Catholics.

Ruler: None. (independent States with different rulers)

Recent History: Virtually independent for a long time, the fall of the Holy Roman Empire meant almost nothing to them.

Near Future: They seem resigned to fall in France's sphere of influence.


9. Venice

Territory: Venice proper, Adriatic and Ionic Islands, Crete, Adriatic Port Cities.

Religion: Roman Catholics.

Ruler: Elected Doge.

Recent History: Nothing interesting.

Near Future: Venice will join a new Anti-Ottoman Alliance and fight in the subsequent war.


10. Rome

Territory: Papal States.

Religion: Roman Catholics.

Ruler: Pope Paul V (elected).

Recent History: Nothing interesting.

Near Future: The Papacy will play a role in the developing Concert of Europe and the future Great Power Council.


11. Slovakia

Territory: Slovakia proper, the Perekop Isthmus.

Religion: Freedom of Religion, Protestants, Roman Catholics.

Ruler: Polish Prince (Voivode).

Recent History: Liberated from Habsburg rule by Mihai, Slovakia is now a de facto independent country under nominal Ottoman suzerainty and moderate Sarmatian influence.

Near Future: Will enter the Anti-Ottoman War alongside its allies in order to achieve full independence.


12. Sarmatia

Territory: Unitary State composed of former Poland, Lithuania, Prussia, Livonia, Estonia, Zaporogian Host, the Black Sea Steppe, Russian annexed lands etc. Finland is an autonomous territory.

Religion: Roman Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Muslims, Jews.

Ruler: King Sigismund III Vasa (from 1587).

Recent History: Allied with Romania, the Commonwealth embarked upon major reforms greatly strenghtening the State. It won wars and annexed territory from the Crimean Khanate, Sweden and Russia.

Near Future: Will continue the modernization and centralization of the country and wage more wars with almost all of its neighbours.


13. Russia

Territory: European Russia up to the Arctic Ocean and the Caspian Sea, parts of Siberia.

Religion: Ortodox, some Muslims, Jews and Pagans.

Ruler: Various Pretenders.

Recent History: Time of Troubles. Low to high intensity Civil War with foreign intervention (Sarmatia). No reforms whatsoever. Many territories lost, access to the Baltic Sea and the Azov Sea included.

Near Future: The Civil War will end, the internal situation eventually stabilizing. Some prospects of further expansion in Siberia and towards the Caucasus.


14. Sweden

Territory: Sweden proper only.

Religion: Protestants.

Ruler: King Gustavus II Adolphus (from 1610).

Recent History: Beaten by Poland-Lithuania, Sweden avoided invasion but lost Estonia and Finland. The intervention in the German War was equally ill-fated.

Near Future: Getting closer to Denmark.


15. Denmark

Territory: Denmark proper, Schleswig, Scania, Norway, Gotland, Danish Estonia, Bornholm, Feroe, Iceland, Greenland; Colonies.

Religion: Protestants.

Ruler: King Christian IV (from 1588)

Recent History: Lost control over Holstein and other German fiefs during the German War. The Danish and Norwegian Crowns and all their associated territories were unified into a single country called Scandinavia.

Near Future: Plans to incorporate Sweden in order to make Scandinavia whole again.


16. England

Territory: England proper, Wales, Ireland, Personal Union with Scotland; Colonies in North America, the Caribbean, the Pacific, Africa, Asia.

Religion: Protestants, Catholics.

Ruler: King James VI (of Scotland from 1567) and I (of England from 1603).

Recent History: Recently got all British Isles under one King. Helped the Netherlands to defend against the German invasion.

Near Future: A Kingdom of Britannia is planned. More focus on colonial affairs and less on continental matters.


17. Romania

Territory: From the Tissa to the Black Sea, from the Southern Bug and the Dniester to the Danube.

Religion: Romanian Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, a few Muslims.

Ruler: Great Voivode and Lord Mihai I (of Romania from 1601)

Recent History: Achieved unification and de facto independence. Won wars against the Habsburgs and the Tatars and enlarged the Country's territory. Modernized and strenghtened the State, the Church and the Army.

Near Future: It will attack the Ottoman Empire.


Besides those Christian Countries, the South-Eastern part of Europe was still occupied by a foreign Muslim Power, the Ottoman Empire.
In the Northern Caucasus and on the Southern shore of the Mediterranian Sea there were some smaller Muslim States, most of them vassals of the Ottoman Empire.

 

[Zagan]

In the first decade of the 17th century, Emperor Mihai needed peace.
Twenty years later, what he needed was a casus belli.​

Tensions in the Balkans​

Exerpts from the 1977 Medina Symposium of Muslim History

A question frequently asked by historians is: What should the Ottomans have done about Romania and its meteoric rise?

One naïve answer might be: Well, invade it, of course, what else? In 1602, the Ottoman Empire was the undisputed hegemon of South-Eastern Europe. It could have conquered Romania easily.

Indeed? The situation was not so simple. If we look at the lessons offered by history we can see that the Ottomans had much trouble with Wallachia and Moldavia in the past. In fact, the Ottomans were defeated several times by the small Romanian Principalities and were never able to actually conquer them. Yes, neither Moldavia nor Wallachia were ever turned into Ottoman provinces, being instead sovereign countries under Ottoman suzerainty. And United Romania was about four times larger and more populous than any of the former Principalities.
The Ottomans were not that stupid. Had they had an easy way to subdue the Romanians, they would most certainly have attempted that. But as the ill-fated Austrian campaign of 1601 clearly showed, an easy conquest of Romania was a chimera. During the 1603 Tatar War, the Ottomans correctly assumed that they would need at least 300,000 of their best soldiers in order to successfully invade Romania.

And now the question rises again: So, why did they not do it?
The answer to this question is not so simple and can be approached in several ways:
1. Romania was already an Ottoman vassal which payed a reasonable yearly tribute and showed no aggressive intentions. Was all that worth risking by invading Romania?
2. War with Romania implied war with Poland-Lithuania and maybe Austria as well. Was it possible to beat them all?
3. Even if Romania was successfully and completely occupied and annexed, was it feasable to hold it? How many soldiers would be needed there on a permanent basis? At what cost?
4. And was it even desirable? After all, Romania was the major producer of food and timber for the Ottoman Empire. If annexed, the productivity would certainly plummet as has been the case of Bulgaria and Serbia.
5. By the time the Ottoman Empire was able to fetch the 300,000 needed soldiers, Romania had become stronger and therefore even more soldiers were needed. In fact, Romania was modernizing and improving its military capabilities so quickly that by 1620 a successful Ottoman invasion of Romania had been out of the question.

And all this prompts just another question: Good. So in 1620 the Ottoman Empire was already on the defensive. But what should the Ottomans have done to avert their fate?
Well, this is indeed a good question. And it has three possible answers:
1. Absolutely nothing. By 1602, they had been already doomed.
While this may be true, they still should have at least tried to do something.
2. Attempt to weaken Romania by inciting internal strife and to sour the relations between Romania, Slovakia and Poland-Lithuania.
This was indeed reasonable and was actually attempted, albeit unsuccessfully. The Ottomans tried to create a separatist movement in Moldavia in 1604, which was squashed by Mihai's Secret Police before it could pose an actual danger. They also tried to bribe Sigismund offering him parts of Romania only to be laughed at.
3. Invade Romania anyway, though having no real prospects of conquering it. Despite the perceived absurdity of waging a clearly losing war, this may have actually been the only chance the Ottomans ever had.

I would like to elaborate further on the latest topic. What would have been the effects of repeated Ottoman invasions of Romania, let's say every three or four years?
Most probably, the Ottomans would have advanced hundreds of miles inside Romanian territory, destroyed and plundered everything in their path and killed numerous Romanian civilians and soldiers.
Eventually, the Ottoman armies would have bogged down or even been decisively beaten by Mihai's armies. In any case, with each invasion Romania would have lost proportionally more wealth and manpower than the huge Ottoman Empire with its virtually endless resources.
The final and most important result would have been that Romania might have been denied the luxury of 20 years of peace during which it had developed tremendously and had finally managed to overcome the Ottoman Empire and become a Great Power itself.

Could the policy makers of the Ottoman Empire of that time have realized all this without knowing what we know today? Almost certainly not.
So, they were doomed after all? By all means, yes.


19 October 1604, Constantinople, Ottoman Empire

After three years of diplomatic overtures, the Greek Patriarchy of Constantinople declared the Autocephalous Romanian Orthodox Church to be heretical and excomunicated all its leaders and followers. Like the Western Church with the Protestant Reformation, from now on the Eastern Church was split as well.
Days later, the Romanian Orthodox Church declared itself out of communion with the Greek Orthodox Church. The split was thus accepted and formalized.


4 May 1605, Constantinople

Sultan Ahmed I split the Rum Millet into the Yunan Millet (Greek Orthodox) and the Ullah Millet (Romanian Orthodox).
While the Ottomans thought to employ the old principle of divide and impera to their own advantage, it backfired horribly in the following years. Some historians even consider this as yet another fatal mistake made by the Ottomans.

The actual number of Romanians in Ottoman Europe is very difficult to estimate. If you are to believe the later Romanian censuses, the Romanians were about a quarter of the Christian population in the Balkan Peninsula north of Greece.

Now these Romanians had just been recognized as a Nation inside the multinational Ottoman Empire. They were thus entitled to an autonomous religious and national life. This would have far-reaching consequences:
1. The Romanian Orthodox Church started to open Romanian Churches all over Ottoman Europe.
2. Like in Romania, schools were opened by almost all the churches.
3. Thousands of Romanian priests and teachers were sent from Romania to cater the needs of their conationals still under Ottoman rule.
4. All those Romanians were exposed to liturgical service and learning in their own language as well as copious amounts of national propaganda.
5. Large amounts of money were siphoned into the Ottoman Empire in order to encourage proselytism in the Balkan populations. It is thus very probable that the romanization of the Bulgarians, Serbs and Albanians started even before the actual incorporation of their lands into the Romanian Empire.
6. A low level conflict started in the Balkan Peninsula between the Greek and Romanian Churches. Priests were killed, churches were burned to the ground and worshipers were harassed and intimidated. The Ottoman authorities made no effort to stop the lawlessness.
7. The Romanian State started to smuggle weapons over the border in order to enable the Romanians to defend themselves from the attacks of the Greeks. The Ottomans were usually bribed in order to ignore the issue.
8. Slowly, the Romanian minority got the upper hand and the Romanian Church expanded all over Ottoman Europe with the exception of the territories with an overwhelming Greek majority.
9. In the end, the Romanian State benefited from a heavily armed and thoroughly indoctrinated Romanian fifth column inside the Ottoman Empire which were to help very much the advancing Romanian armies during the First Romanian-Ottoman War.


25 December 1620, Constantinople

It had become imperiously necessary for the Ottoman Empire to smother those foci of Romanian propaganda digging at the very foundations of the Empire.
Sultan Mustafa I the Deranged signed a law that severely restricted the rights enjoyed so far by the Romanian minority. All Romanian schools were closed and all Romanian citizens were expelled. The Romanian churches were forbidden to receive money from Romania anymore.
Romania issued a diplomatic protest and threatened to discontinue the payment of the tribute as well as to sever all commercial links with the Ottomans. No answer was ever received.


January - August 1621, Europe

The tolerant position of the Ottomans towards their Romanian minority had come to an abrupt end. All kinds of abuse were commonplace once again.
Romania, Slovakia and Sarmatia started to prepare for war. The tribute for 1620 was withheld. The relations with the Ottoman Empire quickly deteriorated to the point where all diplomatic personnel was either called back or expelled.

Despite the ominous signs, the Ottomans made no clear preparations for war; they only increased the suppression of the Romanian political and cultural organizations.

Mihai was aware that, for the first time in Romanian history, 16 years had passed without fighting any war. Worried about the lack of fighting experience, Mihai ordered his armies to engage in mock battles with one another.
These military exercises proved to be very useful and extremely popular. Soon afterwards, whole Romanian and Sarmatian armies exercised together in Edisan and Podolia. This practice would become widespread all over Europe in the following years.


2 September 1621, Ottoman Europe

The Balkan Romanians rose against their Ottoman oppressors, setting Ottoman Europe aflame.
The Ottomans started at last to bring troops from all over their Empire in order to quell the revolt.
By the end of the month, the rebellion had spread from the Black Sea to the Adriatic and from the Danube to the Pindus Mountains, important numbers of Bulgarians, Serbs and Albanians joining the Romanians in their Anti-Ottoman struggle. The Ottoman armies had to spread thin all over the Balkans.


15 October 1621, Venice, Republic of Venice

Venice joined the Anti-Ottoman Alliance.
Pope Paul V blessed the Christian Alliance against the Heathens and proclaimed yet another Crusade.
The diplomats headed for Spain.


13 December 1621, Lisbon, Portugal, Spanish Monarchy

Treaty of Lisbon

I. His Catholic Majesty King Philip IV of the Spanish Realms answers the call of His Holiness Pope Paul V and joins the Anti-Ottoman Crusade with all the combined might of his Catholic Realms.

II. The Crusaders - Spain, Sarmatia, Venice, Rome, Romania and Slovakia - will coordinate their military actions against the Ottoman Empire with the purpose of completely vanquishing it and driving the Mahomedans out of Europe and the Mediterranian.

III. If All-Mighty God will grant us victory over the unfaithful, the liberated territories will be partitioned as follows:
- Spain: The former Roman Provinces of Mauretania, Africa and Cirenaica;
- Sarmatia: Constantinople, Peninsular Taurida, Azov and any other lands on the far side of the Black Sea;
- Venice: Dalmatia, the Adriatic and the Ionian Islands, Cyprus and at least four strategically important Aegean Islands;
- Slovakia: Some territories inhabited by their people in the former Kingdom of Hungary;
- Romania: The rest of Ottoman Europe except the lands of the Greeks, who should be awarded a country of their own in view of their great contribution to the European Civilisation;
- Rome: No territories, but a solemn guarantee by Romania and its King that the Catholic faith will be protected in all Romanian Lands.

IV. Some thoroughly Catholic Lands in Hungary and Croatia shall be forfeited by Romania to nearby Catholic Austria which would most certainly help us in our Holy Crusade if not so viciously beleaguered by the German Schismatics. After all, Romania is a National State and there are surely no Romanians in those Lands.

V. If less territory will be liberated during this Holy War, these provisions will remain in force for the subsequent Holy Wars until the final victory. If the mercy of God will be even greater and even more territory will be liberated, it will be appropriated by those who shed their blood for its liberation.

VI. All the Crusaders shall contribute to the common cause proportionally to their military might.

So help us God,
[Signatories]

Anno Domini MDCXXI, December XIII


31 December 1621, the Ionian Sea

The Venetian Navy sunk two Ottoman Ships. The First Romanian-Ottoman War, the Great Crusade against the Godless Turks for the Liberation of Christian Lands, and so on and so forth, started.