The Silver Knight, a Lithuania Timeline
- Thread starter Augenis
- Start date
Woof. Looks like the Lithuanian road to reform will be a bumpy one.
I had a few questions re the last map of Europe and the aftermath of the 20 years war: where is the border (roughly) between Reformist south Germany and the Catholic federation in the south. (I forget: is Switzerland Reformist?) What's that red-brown state south and SW of Denmark? And what's that state just to the south of Venice?
Keep up the good work,
Bruce
I had a few questions re the last map of Europe and the aftermath of the 20 years war: where is the border (roughly) between Reformist south Germany and the Catholic federation in the south. (I forget: is Switzerland Reformist?) What's that red-brown state south and SW of Denmark? And what's that state just to the south of Venice?
Keep up the good work,
Bruce
Please let Visegrad prosper long into the future! I want to see my home city be the center of a glorious Kingdom with hegemony over Central Europe!
I find switching to BB Code mode to fix the issue works. Sadly, support for BB Code is a lot more lacking here than in NationStates. You'll need to type in the brackets yourself.
Thank you for your questions and support.
The border between North and South Germany runs approximately through Saxony, Hesse and Westphalia, so more or less through Central Germany. And the red state is a confederation of the German free cities that banded up during the Twenty Years War - the North German Communion. It's a sort of spiritual successor to the Hansa.
EDIT: And I forgot to answer, but the country south of Venice is not a country at all, but rather just the color I picked for representing small, unimportant states. Switzerland is Reformist, yes.
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Welcome to sengoku lithuania, Brother
Is like shogunate japan all over again!
Seriously though, I bet that lithuania will lost russia and prussia to russian rebels and visegrad(I think is hungarian-pole commonwealth correct me please)unless grand hetman go full blitzkriege with his chavary.
Is like shogunate japan all over again!
Seriously though, I bet that lithuania will lost russia and prussia to russian rebels and visegrad(I think is hungarian-pole commonwealth correct me please)unless grand hetman go full blitzkriege with his chavary.
Chapter 42: They Were Martyrs
Part 42: They Were Martyrs (1690-1692)
He is also popular in post-mortem portrayals because he can easily fit into obvious character archetypes. For Lithuanians, he plays the role of a dark, double-edged antihero who saved his Empire, even if it meant violating ancestral right and the Emperor's authority, such a view being the main focus of the 1997 opera "Chodkevičius". For Russians, Poles, Czechs and Hungarians, however, he's an evil scheming bastard, a villain, a cliched one even, like in the famous novel "1691". Or course, both of these views are just revisionist creations, no person in history is a cartoonish villain or anti-hero with a simple personality, but the history of Chodkevičius's portrayal is nevertheless very interesting and worthwhile to look at.
In the aftermath of the October Coup, there were a few irritated rumblings from the Lithuanian nobility, but overall, the people were content with this sudden change in government. That's how unpopular Žygimantas II was. Plus, many of the nobles figured that they'd have a much higher say in the Hetmanate than in the imperial regime, so they supported it. The Grand Hetman secured a stable power base within Lithuania Propria and Ruthenia, his rule was not instantly threatened - it was Russia and the invading Visegradian armies who were the problem. In the former, the situation was getting more and more critical by the hour, the local Russian population was preparing for a revolution, led by the charismatic Vladislav Semyonov and his "Group for Russian Liberation", while the latter was rapidly advancing into Lithuanian territory, The Hetmanate had to react fast, and so it did. The state was rapidly put to full mobilization, all of the nation's strength was being directed towards the military and it's apparatus. A mobilization of volunteer noble units, reminiscent of ancient Lithuanian military organization, was put into place, and loyal soldiers raided the Royal Palace to gather up enough loot for hiring mercenaries. Martial law was enacted all over Russia, and an extensive crackdown on Vladislav Semyonov's supporters began. Chodkevičius had enormous political capital to enact extreme measures, he was here to save Lithuania and his peers knew it.
1691 saw the beginning of a major Visegradian push towards the Lithuanian heartland. In April, forces under the Czech general Bruno Bilek captured Brest and moved on towards Gardinas, dangerously reminiscent of Matthias Corvinus's march in 1467, which was alarming to the Lithuanian army. The Galician Front was also no longer stationary, the Hungarian forces moved on and captured Lutsk from the retrating Lithuanians, an important forces in western Ruthenia. Charles VI wanted the troops in East Prussia and in Podlasie, around Brest, to connect into one united front that could push right into Vilnius, and this is why he ordered Bilek to continue pushing towards Gardinas. Time was running out. France and Spain finished their war in 1690, ending it in a French victory, and now had free reign to look east. Charles VI hoped for a single, glorious campaign to end the war right then and there, which, ironically, was the same line of thought Teodoras I used to justify his attack towards Krakow in the Polish Succession War before Czestochowa. To connect with the Prussian Front, Bruno Bilek's forces had to defeat an 18 000 men strong Lithuanian contingent near Vawkavysk, initiating the Battle of Vawkavysk. And, even though Visegrad's superiority in personnel and tactics has already been explained, this clash showed their primary weakness - arrogance. Dazzled by the numerous victories throughout the Galician War, the Visegradian officers no longer saw Lithuania as an adversary, but rather just a road to walk through, heavily underestimating their opponent. And the Lithuanians at Vawkavysk were led by Algimantas Songaila, a young, but very talented officer, son of Jaunutis Songaila and the Grand Hetman's close ally, who already had experience in fighting the Visegradian armies in Galicia and Greater Poland. In addition, the Lithuanians knew the land, they knew the terrain, and their opponents did not.
The armies were about equal in strength, but the Lithuanians had the advantage of the city's fortifications. Nevertheless, it was an incredibly close battle, taking almost three days to finish. Visegrad's forces bombarded the town day and night and initiated numerous well-planned attacks, many of which came close to actually breaking the Lithuanian defense, but Songaila's forces held out every time, and in the end, they even managed to push the Redcoats a few kilometers back. It has been said by some sources that Charles VI was so sure in his troops, that when the news of a Visegradian defeat arrived to his court in Buda, he dismissed the news, believing that it's just Lithuanian propaganda. But it was not! The Lithuanians won the battle! And even though the Battle of Vawkavysk was only a minor setback for the advancing Visegradian forces, it was a big enough victory that it reached the ears of the rest of the Treaty of Amsterdam signatories, and soon enough, diplomats from France and the Holy Roman Empire arrived in both Buda and in Vilnius, requesting an armistice to be signed before a peace treaty can finally be negotiated.
And are you really going to fight the Amsterdam System? Denmark once tried to fight the system in 1648, attacking Holstein and declining French requests for peace, and what they got was a united French and Swedish intervention that dethroned the warmonger Frederick III in two months... The two sides put down their weapons, and Aleksandras Chodkevičius used the armistice to turn his focus to another frontier, where something massive was about to happen...
19th century imagining of the Battle of Vawkavysk
Tver had for a very long time been the heart of the Russophile movement, as it is sometimes called in the present day. It was the largest and most Westernized city in the entire region, it used to be the capital of the short-lived Russian national state founded and destroyed during the Great Russian Uprising, and naturally it is where the Lithuanians focused their efforts the most. In the Market Square of the city, far to the side, away from the ruins of the city's Kremlin and the town hall stood a quiet, inconspicuous two-story building, mostly ignored by the masses of the city and the Lithuanian garrison. But in secret, it was the heart of the flow of illegal pro-Russian press across the city and beyond. And managing funds for arming for a potential revolution. And sending cries of help to the West. It was the headquarters of the Group for Russian Liberation, indeed. And isn't it funny that in 1691, after extorting information from a Russian student in Kiev, the Lithuanian troops suddenly kicked down the door of the building one night?
In what was dubbed as the Tver Affair, Lithuanian soldiers arrested 12 out of 25 head members of the Group of Russian Liberation, including the leader of the organization itself, Vladislav Semyonov. Most of them, including Semyonov himself, were young, less than 30 years old did not attempt to cover up their crimes and deeds, they saw no reason to. The orders from the Grand Hetman were clear - let them hang. Show the Russians what happens if they attempt to rebel. What was said, that was done. On June 23rd, 1691, all 12 captives were hanged in the Tver Market Square, the event being watched by hundreds of people. Shocked, frightened, angry. Very angry.
Vladislav Semyonov, the Russian revolutionary
Lithuania lost a large amount of territory, with Lemberg, Lutsk and Bialystok among many other lost cities, as well as over one and a half million people within the conceded land. But it had now secured it's western frontier, and could now focus towards the East, where everything was past it's boiling point...
Looks like Lithuania is gonna suffer a LOT of unrest from both of these events till I say the start of the 18th century. What comes afterward will be up in the air from focusing southward on the Ottomans to taking up conquest of the Khanates in Siberia
I was thinking the Russia will gradually expand to the Caucus and MAYBE into OTL Georgia, while the Lithuanians will place their efforts on South Western Europe under the concept of being the 'Third Rome' and retake Constantinople.
Worse. Though if the populace is war-weary they might not support further conflict against the Russians. It depends on the threat they pose.
Then again, if Lithuania is seen to lose out to both the West and the East, the resulting unrest would probably destroy the Hetmanate.
Hmm. There are two distinct Russian strains here, right? The Volga Russians (who mixed with Tartars) and the Ruthenians (fairly loyal). Are there others? Maybe an "undecided group"?
Chapter 43: Mother Russia Bleeds
Part 43: Mother Russia Bleeds (1692-1700)
The Hetman's orders were clear - give them a second "Glinskiada". That's how the Russians ironically called Mykolas Glinskis's bloody scorching campaign in the Tverian-Lithuanian War, after the famous panegyric about him - and the end of the 17th century turned it from an ironic saying to an official term.
The first city to rise in revolution was Suzdal, the thousands of citizens overthrew the garrison of the city in June of 1693, declaring this to be the heart of the Second Great Russian Revolt, and raised the old flag of the 16th century rebellion, a light blue banner with the coat of arms of the Russian nation, Saint Michael the Archangel. The Lithuanian garrison in the city, save for the Russian members, was slaughtered and gored, and put on display in the town square. Even the Russian soldiers themselves were seen with heavy suspicion. Suzdal was followed by a number of other towns - Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, also small towns like Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vladimir and Bryansk. But what about Tver, which was almost universally considered to be the capital of Russia? Well, the Lithuanians knew that Tver would be among the first to fall to revolution, and thus they held a massive garrison within the city to prevent this from taking place. Even then, numerous street clashes and skirmishes were popping up one after another.
Aleksandras Chodkevičius's response was obvious - he began preparing a massive campaign to pacify the unruly East. Though, in this case "pacify" was pretty much the complete opposite of an another word with it's root, "pacifism". An army of 50 000 soldiers began to march from Polotsk, aiming for the Russian voivodeships. Chodkevičius ordered his generals to enact a bunch of... extreme measures in preparation - to incite looting and destruction through hunger, the soldiers were purposefully given a half of their normal wage and food ration, and they were provided with tools you wouldn't normally associate with warfare, like scythes and bags. For looting. In addition, some units handpicked the soldiers for the campaign to be bachelors, especially older ones, seeking to fulfill their physical desires rising from lack of love.
Disgusting. But it was the 17th century.
A group of Lithuanian soldiers looting a Russian house
In late 1693, Lithuanian armies reached Bryansk, putting the city and it's surroundings through seven days of fire and destruction. Massive clashes between lightly armed, inexperienced Russian rebels and professional Lithuanian forces took place, but opposition was quick to succumb. Mass flag and book burnings took place, the leaders of the uprising were hanged, and eventually the Lithuanians moved forward to the next victim. One thing that was heavily in favor of their side was the infighting and disagreements between the Russians themselves. In the 16th century uprising, the rebellion was centralized, had a single governing authority, and even then it was prone to internal conflict - and now, each city was revolting all by itself with little to no cooperation with others, each one had their own view of how Russia should be created. The nobility was quite conservative, and believed that a simple monarchy would unite all the Russians, while the peasantry and some citizens wanted radical republican reforms, even beyond what was present in France. This prevented the Russians from putting up an organized, serious resistance.
In 1694, Chodkevičius's forces pillaged through the southern parts of the region, recapturing Moscow, Ryazan and Suzdal. The situation was getting critical, and the leader of the revolution in Nizhny Novgorod, Alexander (the Chronicle of Lithuania, the only source on this event, only mentions his first name), began a last ditch effort to organize a Russian army against the Lithuanian threat. He was joined by the opolcheniye from other minor towns in the region, and the Russian forces met the Lithuanians in the Battle of Nikologory, not far from Nizhny Novgorod itself. Despite the high morale and willpower within the Russian forces, they were heavily outmatched in almost every other category - logistics, weaponry, experience, leadership and tactics, among others. The Lithuanians adopted the usage of line volley fire that they fought against in the Galician War, and Russian skirmish tactics were no match against it. In addition, the Russians had no cavalry, while the Lithuanians had plenty, and it easily overrun the remaining rebel forces. The victory in Nikologory opened the path for "restoring order" to the rest of Russia, and by the end of 1695, all regions and voivodeships were firmly under the Hetmanate's control.
The Russians were not done yet, however. Many of them took the fight into the forests, and for the next five years, the Lithuanians had to fight a low-scale partisan insurgency campaign. Russian partisans attacked small Lithuanian units, harassed their supply lines and spread anti-Lithuanian literature and proclamations. For each Russian offensive, however, the imperial forces would respond with ten times the ferocity and damage, not even checking in the villages they are dishing justice on are rebelling or just in the way. Mother Russia continued to bleed. It's hard to calculate the number of casualties that the "Second Glinskiada" caused, but most historians calculate them to be very, very high.
And thus, a yet another century has come to an end. The 17th century can be considered to be an intermediary, a break between the late ages of the Renaissance and the brewing Enlightenment, and with it, the modern era as we know it. Lithuania firmly established itself as one of the four great powers of Europe, but not a world power. It stands as the vanguard of reactionary absolutism, even surpassing Britannia in it's authoritarianism, one could say. But the modern era has no place for old kings. As the 18th century rises to the horizon, one thing we can say - after the next 100 years, Europe might become completely alien to Chodkevičius's generation.
Expect a map sooner or later.
For the next update, I'm thinking of doing something a bit different. As we get closer and closer to today, more and more importance will have to be placed in the affairs in the entire planet, not just in Mother Lithuania - especially considering what's going to happen in this century according to my plans. But so far, I have mostly been covering Europe, and only the most important nations within it, like France or Visegrad.
So for the next update, I'm thinking of doing an overview of the world and especially the nations that you would be interested to hear about. So tell me which countries you would like to know about and how they are doing, and I'll be sure to cover them (alongside some important regions that I haven't been paying attention to, East Asia comes to mind)!
For the next update, I'm thinking of doing something a bit different. As we get closer and closer to today, more and more importance will have to be placed in the affairs in the entire planet, not just in Mother Lithuania - especially considering what's going to happen in this century according to my plans. But so far, I have mostly been covering Europe, and only the most important nations within it, like France or Visegrad.
So for the next update, I'm thinking of doing an overview of the world and especially the nations that you would be interested to hear about. So tell me which countries you would like to know about and how they are doing, and I'll be sure to cover them (alongside some important regions that I haven't been paying attention to, East Asia comes to mind)!
What I'd like to see:
- Well, you've already told me a bit about Mejico, so it isn't necessarily needed, but I would like to see a bit more of them.
- Of course, absolutely everything that's happening in the frigid wastelands of Siberia is of vital importance and must be constantly updated
- What's going on with the Incans and the Portuguese?
- Anything interesting happening down in Southeast Asia or India?
- What's the state of the rest of the Near East other than the Ottomans?
- Basically, what's happening in the world outside of Eastern Europe?
This is Destructive warfare that would make even Timur proud.
As this would most certainly create and exodus of Russians to Volga Russia as they are conquering land throughout the Caucuses and Siberia, making them ripe for greater settlement than OTL.
Finally glad we will be getting an update on whats going on in the rest of the world from the race for the America's to Geopolitical developments throughout Asia. With areas like the Malay Archipelago taking interest as the Ottomans can exert much more naval influence thanks to obtaining the ports of Persia in their conquest.