My first TL, so please be gentle. Please tell me if/what you like.
Burgundy and Byzantium, Pheasants and Philippe
Or how a Valois became Emperor in the East
The year is 1454. Constantinople had fallen to the Ottoman Turk, and the Church in the East had been subjugated. Few still held hope for the liberation of Hellas after the failure of the Crusade of Varna. But one of those few was one of the mightiest men in Europe.
This man was Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. He was seen by many as an example, both in Chivalry and Faith, and in style and patronage of the arts. As Lord of the Low Countries, one of the richest regions in Europe, he had the money to spend on lavish feasts.
One of these feast was known as
the feast of the pheasant, where Philip and many of his knights swore to liberate the holy land.
An oath made must be fulfilled [1], and so, after a year of preparation, he set off with an army of 40 000 and a large amount of cannons, south towards Genoa.
In this year of preparation, he had made contact with John Hunyadi of Hungary, an experienced commander, who too was crusading against the Turk, and with Skanderbeg, Lord of Albania, who was revolting against the Ottomans.
The army itself was 40 000 men strong, most of them men-at-arms in full plate, courtesy of the Ardennes’ mines and the riches of the Low Countries. They were complemented with an impressive amount of cannons, ranging from bombards to newer models.
The army was led by Philip himself, who was accompanied by his son and heir Charles, and Jean le Fevre, king of arms of the order of the golden fleece.
On their way towards Italy, many knights and lords followed the call of the crusade, and thus his forces swelled to an impressive 45 000 men as he arrived in Genoa.
The Republic of Genoa was willing to lend them ships, in return for promises of free passage through the Bosporus (and money), should Constantinople be reclaimed.
A short stop in Ostia, and Papal blessings later, and the crusading force sailed off, to round the Italian peninsula and to reclaim Greece.
Finally they came ashore in Albania, and Philip wasted no time in marching on
Berat, to assist his ally Skanderbeg in taking the citadel from the Ottomans.[2]
The Burgundian Crusade had begun.
[1] POD: In OTL, Philippe never made good on his oath.
[2] OTL a failure. This time it'll be different