The Crusade of Varna TL

I’m new at writing timelines, and this is my first major attempt. I appreciate any feedback. I decided to write this timeline when I read the preface for the game Europa Universalis IV, which begins almost immediately after the Battle of Varna. This timeline focuses on what would happen if the Crusaders won the battle.

The Crusade of Varna

The Crusade of Varna is considered by historians and scholars the world over to be the pivotal event in the course of European and Mid-Eastern history. It resulted in the collapse of the Ottomans, long thought to be a rising power, and the survival of the Eastern Roman Empire, long thought to be on the verge of collapse. It also cemented the power of Hungary and Poland-Lithuania as European powers.

In 1443, Pope Eugene IV called a crusade against the Ottoman Empire in order to curb their expansion. King Wladyslaw III of Poland, Lithuania, Bohemia, and Hungary, and Hungarian General John Hunyadi answered the call to Arms and assembled a massive army, numbering 50,000 strong, composed of 30,000 professional soldiers and 20,000 militias and peasant regiments.

The Crusader army defeated the Ottomans at the battles of Nish and Zlatitsa, before meeting the main Ottoman forces at Varna in 1444.

At Varna, as the battle descended into Melee, Sultan Murad II was struck down by a crossbow bolt from a Hungarian soldier and subsequently trampled by his horse. The death of the Sultan caused the center of the Ottomans to give way, and King Wladislaw III lead a charge into the breach in the lines. The ensuing fighting caused the left Ottoman flank to be encircled and destroyed.

Following the left Ottoman flank’s destruction, the 20,000 remaining forces break ranks and rout. After the destruction of much of the Ottoman forces, Venice joins the Crusade and sends its formidable fleet to blockade Salonika. In Constantinople, Emperor John VIII decides to capitalize on the collapse of the Ottoman army and musters an army, commanded by his brother Constantine, 12,000 men and invades Thrace.

On January 15th, 1445, 35,000 Crusaders lay siege to Salonika, as Venice blockades the port. Meanwhile, Trebizond and Karaman invade the Ottomans from the East.

The new Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II, hastily withdraws his forces from Gallipoli to his new capital in Smyrna, and marches to Adana to fight the Karamanids. He takes 10,000 to deal with Karaman. The Karamanids, with 14,000 in conscripts, meets the disorganized and demoralized Ottomans in battle, and after a bloody fight, manage to defeat the Ottomans and capture their two pieces of artillery.

Meanwhile, Mehmed II’s Grand Vizier Candarli Ali Pasha takes the other 13,000 troops to defeat Trebizond. The two forces meet in battle at Sinop, where the Ottomans appear to have the upper hand, until the Genoese, not wanting to lose their Black Sea colonies, land 5,000 troops from the Crimean colonies behind the Ottoman forces and the Ottoman forces is almost completely destroyed.

At this point, Sultan Mehmed II decides to cut his losses and sues for peace with the Crusaders and Venice. At first, Mehmed refuses to cede Bulgaria, but after news reaches him of a second defeat in Anatolia, he agrees to cede Thrace, South Macedonia, and the Eastern half of Salonika to the Eastern Roman Empire. The Ottomans also cede the eastern quarter of Salonika city to Genoa as a trade quarter. The Hungarians establish the Principality of Bulgaria in Vidin and Sofia, Venice annexes Albania, and the Voivoideship of Wallachia annexes Varna.

the war is not over for the Ottomans, as Karaman and Trebizond lay siege to Ankara. Once again, Mehmed II is forced to seek terms. He cedes Sinop to Trebizond, and Adana and Konya to the Karamanids, as well as paying large sums of money.

Part II: Europe 1444-1460

France and England: England had been in turmoil in a dynastic civil war between the Lancasters and Yorks, known as the War of the Roses. The Hundred Years war was still ongoing, and in 1448 King Charles VII launched a surprise assault on Normandy and Aquitaine, taking the English garrisons by surprise and capturing the forts.

In 1449, King Henry VI sent a force of 10,000 men to Normandy, but were defeated in the battle of Cotentin by 20,000 French troops. The English force was completely destroyed, with 6,000 dead and the rest taken prisoner.

In 1451, King Henry VI ceded all English possessions in France except Calais to France in the Treaty of Cotentin.

In 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field, King Richard III and his Yorkist army triumphs. Richard III pursues Henry Tudor to a field just outside Cardiff. The battle devolves into both sides charging at once, resulting in a bloody melee that ends with both sides retreating from the field. Henry Tudor and Richard III begin peace negotiations as both side’s manpower and supplies are depleted following the battles of Bosworth Field and Cardiff.

In 1486, after months of negotiations, a settlement is reached. Henry of Tudor shall become King of Ireland and Wales, and he shall also be ceded Lancashire as part of Wales. Richard III shall receive the rest of England as his domain.

Novgorod and Denmark: in 1470, Muscovy invaded Novgorod. King Wladyslaw III of Poland and Lithuania sees Muscovy as a threat to his realms and enters into an alliance with Novgorod. Muscovy scores minor victories against small bands of Novgorodian troops, as Muscovy slowly advances into Novgorod. With Muscovy distracted, King Wladyslaw III takes an army of 30,000 and marches into Muscovy proper. In September of 1471, the Polish-Lithuanian army captures Moscow completely by surprise, and the troops sack and burn the city, leveling it. At this point, the Novgorodians have met the Muscovite army in battle and defeated them.

In 1472, when the disorganized Muscovite army reaches Moscow, they are ambushed and Grand Prince Ivan III is captured. Novgorod gains all of Muscovy north of Moscow. The ruins of Moscow proper become a vassal of Lithuania.

Upon the death of King Christopher III of Denmark, Sweden declared Charles VIII as King. Shortly after, Norway elected him as King of Norway. Following this, King Christopher III of Denmark invades Sweden and Norway. King Charles VIII struck a deal with Novgorod, promising large tracts of the Finnish interior, rich with timber, and exclusive trade rights in Stockholm to them in exchange for assistance.

The Swedish, Norwegian, and Novgorodian armies meet the Danes in the battle of Malmo. King Charles VIII leads his left flank, with the aid of Novgorod’s artillery, into smashing the Danish right flank and outflanking the Danish forces, causing heavy casualties. King Christian of Denmark attempts to keep fighting, but upon the flanking and charging of his center, the remaining troops in the center break and rout, forcing Christian I to bring the left flank into a retreat.

Following this, Novgorod’s allies in the Hanseatic League send their fleet to blockade Danish ports, crippling trade.

By this point, Denmark is cut off from Baltic trade, crippling the economy.
they have also lost another two battles with the Swedes, Norwegians, and Novgorodians. At the most recent one, the Danes lost a third of their army and King Christian was badly wounded in the shoulder. Facing a much larger army than his, and facing nobles angry over the prospect of being shut out of lucrative markets, King Christian is forced to negotiate. In the treaty of Malmo, King Charles VIII is confirmed as King of Sweden and Norway, but in exchange does not gain Scania and Gotland.
 
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I’m new at writing timelines, and this is my first major attempt. I appreciate any feedback. I decided to write this timeline when I read the preface for the game Europa Universalis IV, which begins almost immediately after the Battle of Varna. This timeline focuses on what would happen if the Crusaders won the battle.

The Crusade of Varna

The Crusade of Varna is considered by historians and scholars the world over to be the pivotal event in the course of European and Mid-Eastern history. It resulted in the collapse of the Ottomans, long thought to be a rising power, and the survival of the Eastern Roman Empire, long thought to be on the verge of collapse. It also cemented the power of Hungary and Poland-Lithuania as European powers.

In 1443, Pope Eugene IV called a crusade against the Ottoman Empire in order to curb their expansion. King Wladyslaw III of Poland, Lithuania, Bohemia, and Hungary, and Hungarian General John Hunyadi answered the call to Arms and assembled a massive army, numbering 50,000 strong, composed of 30,000 professional soldiers and 20,000 militias and peasant regiments.

The Crusader army defeated the Ottomans at the battles of Nish and Zlatitsa, before meeting the main Ottoman forces at Varna in 1444.

At Varna, as the battle descended into Melee, Sultan Murad II was struck down by a crossbow bolt from a Hungarian soldier and subsequently trampled by his horse. The death of the Sultan caused the center of the Ottomans to give way, and King Wladislaw III lead a charge into the breach in the lines. The ensuing fighting caused the left Ottoman flank to be encircled and destroyed.

Following the left Ottoman flank’s destruction, the 20,000 remaining forces break ranks and rout. After the destruction of much of the Ottoman forces, Venice joins the Crusade and sends its formidable fleet to blockade Salonika. In Constantinople, Emperor Constantine XI decides to capitalize on the collapse of the Ottoman army musters an army of 12,000 men and invades Thrace.

On January 15th, 1445, 35,000 Crusaders lay siege to Salonika, as Venice blockades the port. Meanwhile, Trebizond and Karaman invade the Ottomans from the East.

The new Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II, hastily withdraws his forces from Gallipoli to his new capital in Smyrna, and marches to Adana to fight the Karamanids. He takes 10,000 to deal with Karaman. The Karamanids, with 14,000 in conscripts, meets the disorganized and demoralized Ottomans in battle, and after a bloody fight, manage to defeat the Ottomans and capture their two pieces of artillery.

Meanwhile, Mehmed II’s brother Ahmed takes the other 13,000 troops to defeat Trebizond. The two forces meet in battle at Sinop, where the Ottomans appear to have the upper hand, until the Genoese, not wanting to lose their Black Sea colonies, land 5,000 troops from the Crimean colonies behind the Ottoman forces and the Ottoman forces is almost completely destroyed.

At this point, Sultan Mehmed II decides to cut his losses and sues for peace with the Crusaders and Venice. At first, Mehmed refuses to cede Bulgaria, but after news reaches him of a second defeat in Anatolia, he agrees to cede Thrace, the Morea, South Macedonia, and the Eastern half of Salonika to the Eastern Roman Empire. The Ottomans also cede the eastern quarter of Salonika city to Genoa as a trade quarter. The Hungarians establish the Principality of Bulgaria in Vidin and Sofia, Venice annexes Albania, and the Voivoideship of Wallachia annexes Varna.

the war is not over for the Ottomans, as Karaman and Trebizond lay siege to Ankara. Once again, Mehmed II is forced to seek terms. He cedes Sinop to Trebizond, and Adana and Konya to the Karamanids, as well as paying large sums of money.

Part II: Europe 1444-1460

France and England: England had been in turmoil in a dynastic civil war between the Lancasters and Yorks, known as the War of the Roses. The Hundred Years war was still ongoing, and in 1448 King Charles VII launched a surprise assault on Normandy and Aquitaine, taking the English garrisons by surprise and capturing the forts.

In 1449, King Henry VI sent a force of 10,000 men to Normandy, but were defeated in the battle of Cotentin by 20,000 French troops. The English force was completely destroyed, with 6,000 dead and the rest taken prisoner.

In 1451, King Henry VI ceded all English possessions in France except Calais to France in the Treaty of Cotentin.

In 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field, King Richard III and his Yorkist army triumphs. Richard III pursues Henry Tudor to a field just outside Cardiff. The battle devolves into both sides charging at once, resulting in a bloody melee that ends with both sides retreating from the field. Henry Tudor and Richard III begin peace negotiations as both side’s manpower and supplies are depleted following the battles of Bosworth Field and Cardiff.

In 1486, after months of negotiations, a settlement is reached. Henry of Tudor shall become King of Ireland and Wales, and he shall also be ceded Lancashire as part of Wales. Richard III shall receive the rest of England as his domain.

Novgorod and Denmark: in 1470, Muscovy invaded Novgorod. King Wladyslaw III of Poland and Lithuania sees Muscovy as a threat to his realms and enters into an alliance with Novgorod. Muscovy scores minor victories against small bands of Novgorodian troops, as Muscovy slowly advances into Novgorod. With Muscovy distracted, King Wladyslaw III takes an army of 30,000 and marches into Muscovy proper. In September of 1471, the Polish-Lithuanian army captures Moscow completely by surprise, and the troops sack and burn the city, leveling it. At this point, the Novgorodians have met the Muscovite army in battle and defeated them.

In 1472, when the disorganized Muscovite army reaches Moscow, they are ambushed and Grand Prince Ivan III is captured. Novgorod gains all of Muscovy north of Moscow. The ruins of Moscow proper become a vassal of Lithuania.

Upon the death of King Christopher III of Denmark, Sweden declared Charles VIII as King. Shortly after, Norway elected him as King of Norway. Following this, King Christopher III of Denmark invades Sweden and Norway. King Charles VIII struck a deal with Novgorod, promising large tracts of the Finnish interior, rich with timber, and exclusive trade rights in Stockholm to them in exchange for assistance.

The Swedish, Norwegian, and Novgorodian armies meet the Danes in the battle of Malmo. King Charles VIII leads his left flank, with the aid of Novgorod’s artillery, into smashing the Danish right flank and outflanking the Danish forces, causing heavy casualties. King Christian of Denmark attempts to keep fighting, but upon the flanking and charging of his center, the remaining troops in the center break and rout, forcing Christian I to bring the left flank into a retreat.

Following this, Novgorod’s allies in the Hanseatic League send their fleet to blockade Danish ports, crippling trade.

By this point, Denmark is cut off from Baltic trade, crippling the economy.
they have also lost another two battles with the Swedes, Norwegians, and Novgorodians. At the most recent one, the Danes lost a third of their army and King Christian was badly wounded in the shoulder. Facing a much larger army than his, and facing nobles angry over the prospect of being shut out of lucrative markets, King Christian is forced to negotiate. In the treaty of Malmo, King Charles VIII is confirmed as King of Sweden and Norway, but in exchange does not gain Scania and Gotland.

There was a Sehzade Ahmed but he was not born yet. Mehmed had an older brother Aladdin but he died before Murad II abdicated. So if you correct that, it would be better.
 
god bless this timeline. i get the feeling that the ERE will just become a border and somewhat of a puppet state for the eastern powers though, even if this does become the case i due hope they can then reverse that.
 
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