The challenge is to have the Kingdom of Hungary gain access to the Black Sea up to Odessa by conquering much of northern Romania, Moldova and the Odessa Oblast instead of focusing gaining access to the Adriatic Sea.
Firstly, avoid union with Croatia so it doesn't have access to the Adriatic directly but keep it mostly allied so it's not focusing that way. Hungary will then be a landlocked state with less united groups to its east.
Then in the aftermath of the Mongols it will seek to regain control and extend that control eastward. Union with various Vlach/Cuman leaders will help. And christianisation should gain support of church authorities.
The Cumans in the area weren't Christian until mid 1200s iirc even if the Vlachs were.But most of the territories to be conquered are already Christian even if Orthodox.
But isn't "the aftermath of the Mongols" mid XIII? To think about it, it would be even the end of the XIII century because Nogai was controlling the territory until 1290s and kept Bulgaria a vassal of the Golden Horde.The Cumans in the area weren't Christian until mid 1200s iirc even if the Vlachs were.
I should have been clear I meant the aftermath of the Mongol invasion of Hungary which was c1240. About the time of the beginning of Christianisation of the Cumans under Hungarian rule. There still would have been non Christian Cumans in what became Moldavia etc.But isn't "the aftermath of the Mongols" mid XIII? To think about it, it would be even the end of the XIII century because Nogai was controlling the territory until 1290s and kept Bulgaria a vassal of the Golden Horde.
The initial drive would be to take back the remains of Hungary, then to create buffer vassals. Going for the Black Sea coast would come later and especially if (south-)westward was held by a stronger power.But, the crusading thing aside, what would be an advantage for Hungarian move to the Black Sea instead of Adriatic? The Straits had been held by Byzantines (Nogai's allies) who were "traditionally" at odds with Hungary.
Only if Hungary took and held the Kingdom of Halich - then the mouth of the Dnestr would have some relevance.Not particularly Odessa, but the region it belonged (Etelköz), although it would include Bessarabia