Crosses Marching

Crosses Marching
A Central European/Bavarian Timeline



The Battle of Pressburg:


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In 907 AD the Margrave of Bavaria, Luitpold, was calling for a large German-Bavarian army to be assembled, to march into the former Bavarian eastern march and end the threat of the hostile Hungarian tribes once and for all.

This came as a reaction to frequent Hungarian raids on Bavarian lands, the destruction of Greater Moravia, which was formally (though more often than not, not de facto) subordinate to the king of East Francia, Louis the Child, and most importantly the Hungarian occupation of the Eastern Bavarian-, or Pannonian march.

The Bavarian army was nominally led by fourteen year old Louis the Child, the real leader however was Margrave Luitpold, an experienced military leader who had achieved minor successes against the raiding Hungarians in the past. Other notable figures include Dietmar, the archbishop of Salzburg, the bishops of Brixen and Freising and Luitpold’s son and heir Arnulf[1].



The attacking army advanced into Pannonia separated into two groups on both sides of the Danube. Luitpold led the northern group, while the southern group was led by archbishop Dietmar. An East Francian fleet followed both armies on the river to allow them to connect their armies if necessary.

During their advance the Bavarian army had to endure minor harass by the scouts of the Hungarian main force, led by their Grand Prince Arpad[2]. During one of these small scale raids, Margrave Luitpold was killed by a lone arrow[3]. The early loss of their leader was a small shock for the Bavarian leadership, forcing them to increase their general vigilance by increasing the number of guards and the readiness of their troops and fleet. Nevertheless they decided to continue the advance, the northern group now being led by Luitpold’s heir Arnulf and a group of minor nobles.



The battle started in earnest when the Hungarian forces launched a surprise attack on the smaller half of the army south of the Danube, commanded by Dietmar. The Hungarians made use of feigned retreats and archery harassment to loosen the Bavarian formation in preparation for the final attack. Dietmar however, realising that his men would be unable to resist an outright attack by the enemy, chose to retreat over the river with the help of the Frankish fleet. Even though the first day of the Battle was a clear victory for the Hungarians and the Bavarians suffered significant losses, the archbishop managed to save the core of his part of the army and connect it with the larger force in the north.

That night the Hungarians tried to cross the Danube in secret in an effort to surprise the men of the Bavarian-German army in their sleep, similar to the tactics used during the Battle of Brenta in 899. This time however, the Hungarians were spotted early by the significant Bavarian guards. Arnulf and Dietmar managed to rally their troops quickly, even though there was some confusion because of the darkness. They confronted the Hungarian forces at a time when more than half of their forces were still trying to cross the river.

Caught between the river and the significantly more numerous Bavarian troops, unable to make use of their usual steppe battle tactics, the majority of the Hungarian forces, including their leadership was slaughtered. Many also drowned in the river trying to escape. Among them was Grand Prince Arpad.

Only a fraction of the Hungarian troops managed to retreat eastwards, while the Bavarians suffered only minor casualties.



After deciding not to pursue the enemy across the river at night, the Bavarians celebrated. The Bavarian lords raised their leader Arnulf on their shields and proclaimed him Duke of Bavaria, a more prestigious title than the margraviate of his father. Louis the Child later affirmed Arnulf’s right to the title.

On the next day the army continued it’s march towards the east.





[1] We can’t be exactly sure if Arnulf was part of the Bavarian army IOTL and was among those few who managed to escape the OTL crushing Hungarian victory, or if he stayed in Bavaria. In TTL I have him be part of the army.

[2] Sources are a bit fishy if Arpad was still alive at that point, but most later Hungarian historians seem to put him as the leader in this battle, so I’m going with that.

[3] This is the POD. IOTL the main reason for the Bavarian defeat seems to have been arrogance. The Bavarians had about three times the troops, but their laziness (not putting up guards or scouts for example) cost them the battle. The early loss of their leader should definitely shake them up and let them be more vigilant.
 
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This is my first timeline here, add to that, that I’m not a historian and English isn’t my first language, so some mistakes are to be expected. I would be very happy about some constructive criticism (Including spelling/grammar corrections).

This is going to be a TL focusing on a stronger Bavaria leading Germany in the Post-Carolingian world.
 
The Flight of the Hungarians


With Arpad, his sons and the majority of their fighting force lying dead on the fields near Pressburg and a numerous hostile army approaching from the west, the remaining Hungarian leadership disintegrated. With the dynasty of Arpad becoming extinct, no clear successor could establish himself and the Hungarian tribe collapsed into several rival groups.

Just like after the battle of the Southern Buh in 896, where a coalition Bulgarians and Pechenegs forced the Hungarians from their land of Etelköz[1], the initial cause for their invasion of Pannonia, the majority of the rival groups decided to flee from the advancing Bavarians.

With the hostile Bulgarians blocking the eastern escape route, the northern route being blocked by the Carpathians and the remnants of Moravia and the Bavarian army advancing from the west, the only possibly direction they could flee towards was south.

Exploiting conflict within the Principality of Serbia, the Hungarians managed to conquer the Bosna River valley and establish themselves permanently in the Region.


[1] Region between the Dnieper River and the Carpathians.



Continued Bavarian Colonisation of Pannonia


Since the end of the 7th century there had been a continuous drive eastwards by the Bavarians towards Pannonia. This colonization happened at the beginning under the leadership of the independent Bavarian dukes, later under the Bavarian vassals of the Frankish Empire.

During that time the colonization process suffered numerous setbacks, most commonly through slavic tribes or nomadic peoples from the east, like the Avars, yet in the end all of these obstacles would be overcome.

By the time of the Hungarian invasion Bavarian settlements and influence would reach as far east as lake Balaton. The only significant rival in the region was the Moravian empire under the rule of the Mojmir dynasty. This empire was utterly shattered by the Hungarians prior to their defeat at Pressburg.

With no one left to hinder their advance, the Bavarian colonization continued eastwards over the Pannonian Basin, until they were stopped by the Carpathians in the east and the Bulgarians in the south.


This process of colonization was for the most part a peaceful one. Remnants of the Slavic and Hungarian peoples that still settled in the region lived peacefully side by side with the new arrivals. Eventually they would be culturally overwhelmed by the far more numerous Bavarians and integrated into the majority.

The expansion into the fertile valley of the Danube would prove to be a boon for Bavarian people, the increased trade and population would allow Bavaria to dominate Germany in the post-carolingian world.

There were several cities that profited greatly from this development. The most powerful of these cities would be Wenia[1], which would grow to be a major centre of the Bavarian duchy.


[1]Modern day Vienna.


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This is the best map I could find about this time period. I drew some arrows in there with my absolutely wonderful :)D) drawing powers, so I hope you have somewhat of an idea how the world looks right know.
 
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