Two Lucky Princes: A TL
- Thread starter SavoyTruffle
- Start date
The Siege of Buda
After a few raids on the Hungarian-Ottoman frontier proved effective, Louis II of Bohemia and Hungary decided to gamble and begin retaking the rest of Hungary. He had declared war on the Ottomans in August of 1534, around the same time of the Livonian War. Although he knew his kinsman and ally Sigismund would not be able to assist, he still pushed ahead with the invasion, feeling ready.
The relatively light Ottoman presence was quickly overwhelmed by the surprise attacks. Louis' army marched toward Buda, a major city of Ottoman-held Hungary, and began laying siege.
The siege went rather well. Ottoman attempts to lift the siege met with initial failures rather than successes, especially as Hungarian morale was running rather high. The city would still hold out for long, however; the Ottomans had wisely stockpiled food supplies in the event of a siege.
When news reached the Padishah Suleiman, he began a campaign to lift the siege, with even more troops than the initial lifting of the siege - and more troops than the Hungarian contingent...
Tuscany absorbs the smaller Italian states around it.
The Kingdom of Naples, Sicily and Sardinia is ruled by a cadet branch of the Avis-Trastamaras after an Iberian loss in a war in the early 18th century.
Genoa is TTL's Venice analogue - merchant republic swallowed up by a large neighbor. France will be fulfilling the role Austria did in TTL's Italian unification.
Bavaria is a different color than Venice, actually...
Speaking of unifications, will there be a German unification and which nation will lead it?
Regarding the Siege of Buda, I guess that Hungary-Bohemia is in trouble now they have the full attention of the Ottoman Empire. Will Hungary-Bohemia be alone or will they find allies, which probably will want to have something in return for their support. Trastamara Spain, Habsburg Burgundy-Austria, Jagiellon Poland-Lithuania (although they are currently busy fighting their own Livonian war), maybe the Holy Roman Empire or even Venice.
Although support from the Habsburgs and the HRE (ruled by a Habsburg), given how much Louis II and Charles V like eachother, will cost Louis II concessions; even though Charles V probably is willing to join a 'crusade', he won't forget to profit from this position politically (although that would apply to each ruler, even the Jagiellon king of Poland-Lithuania).
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Yes, yes, there's still nationalism coming ahead. Austria and Saxony are the top candidates, but Brandenburg and Bavaria aren't out of the race.
Oh, this is a salient take. I haven't have Venice do anything for this TL so far, innit?
Boxing Day update!
While the first part of the Livonian War involved troop movements, both Polish and Muscovite, into Livonia, there had been no major battles until the sixth of September 1534. On this day the Battle of Riga was joined.
A Polish vanguard was nearing the city of Riga, garrisoned by a Muscovite force. When the Muscovite commander, Vasily Zakharov[1], heard of the vanguard, he had moved his forces out near the city, hoping to prevent the Polish from taking the city.As he assumed that the force was the only one approaching the city, he had not bothered to call for reinforcements, a judgment that would cost him the battle.
In total, 15000 Polish and Lithuanian soldiers met 12000 Muscovite and Rigan troops. Poland had only begun adopting the pike and musket, while Lithuania and Muscovy retained the medieval peasant levies, and in the latter's case, a cavalry-heavy army. This battle was to attest to the superiority of pike and musket warfare, lasting for two and a half centuries.
Kazimierz Szczuka[2], the szlachcic commanding the vanguard, felt that his cavalry would be the deciding factor, though he still put the pikemen in the middle of the line. He then sent a small cavalry force to scout the Muscovite lines. Zakharov sent an intercepting force of cavalry, and the Polish cavalry began an ordered falling back towards the Polish line. Meanwhile, Szczuka ordered the right wing of the infantry to meet the advancing Muscovites.
Although Zakharov threw his cavalry again and again at the Polish, the pikemen stood firm, and eventually the Russian advance broke. With most of his cavalry retreating or killed, he then had the infantry advance. Without any cavalry to counter his cavalry, Szczuka charged at the demoralized Muscovite levies. 4000 Muscovites and Rigans died on that field, compared to 1500 Polish and Lithuanians.
It was a glorious day for Poland; to this day the sixth of September is remembered fondly.
[1][2] Fictional generals I made up.
The Battle of Riga
While the first part of the Livonian War involved troop movements, both Polish and Muscovite, into Livonia, there had been no major battles until the sixth of September 1534. On this day the Battle of Riga was joined.
A Polish vanguard was nearing the city of Riga, garrisoned by a Muscovite force. When the Muscovite commander, Vasily Zakharov[1], heard of the vanguard, he had moved his forces out near the city, hoping to prevent the Polish from taking the city.As he assumed that the force was the only one approaching the city, he had not bothered to call for reinforcements, a judgment that would cost him the battle.
In total, 15000 Polish and Lithuanian soldiers met 12000 Muscovite and Rigan troops. Poland had only begun adopting the pike and musket, while Lithuania and Muscovy retained the medieval peasant levies, and in the latter's case, a cavalry-heavy army. This battle was to attest to the superiority of pike and musket warfare, lasting for two and a half centuries.
Kazimierz Szczuka[2], the szlachcic commanding the vanguard, felt that his cavalry would be the deciding factor, though he still put the pikemen in the middle of the line. He then sent a small cavalry force to scout the Muscovite lines. Zakharov sent an intercepting force of cavalry, and the Polish cavalry began an ordered falling back towards the Polish line. Meanwhile, Szczuka ordered the right wing of the infantry to meet the advancing Muscovites.
Although Zakharov threw his cavalry again and again at the Polish, the pikemen stood firm, and eventually the Russian advance broke. With most of his cavalry retreating or killed, he then had the infantry advance. Without any cavalry to counter his cavalry, Szczuka charged at the demoralized Muscovite levies. 4000 Muscovites and Rigans died on that field, compared to 1500 Polish and Lithuanians.
It was a glorious day for Poland; to this day the sixth of September is remembered fondly.
[1][2] Fictional generals I made up.
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Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
Interesting to see Ireland for the most part not under direct English administration.
Yeah, at this point, even in OTL, Ireland isn't under direct English administration beyond the Pale of Dublin.
Poland in its better days, I see.
How's the situation in Scandinavia? That territorial setup looks... tense.
How's the situation in Scandinavia? That territorial setup looks... tense.
Not much different from OTL. Norway and Denmark are Catholic, though, and are still united.
New Granada and the Mexica
Columbia was not uninhabited by humans when Columbus arrived there seeking a westward route to India. Many had crossed there from the Bering Strait, and by the 16th century thriving cultures had developed in the middle and south of the continent. A culture called the Mexica had built the cities of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco in the middle of Lake Texcoco.
The arrival of the Iberians in Columbia would soon throw many a wrench into the civilizations of the land, however. Though the steel weapons and gunpowder they brought were deadly, one was to prove the deadliest - Disease. The so-called "Columbian sicknesses" would weaken societies in the land.
Thus, when Hernán Cortés, an Iberian soldier of fortune who had made his name in India, arrived, the Mexica were apprehensive of his arrival. Some assumed he was Quetzalcoatl, including the tlatoani Moctezuma II. Others were more cynical, assuming the white man came to conquer, including the tlatoani's nephew Cuauhtémoc. Eventually, however, the latter faction grew in power, culminating in a coup that deposed Moctezuma and set up his more pliable brother Cuitlahuac as tlatoani[1].
Cortés, being a shrewd man, took advantage of this period of political instability to gain the Mexican lands for the Iberian crown. He gained an audience with the deposed Moctezuma, offering him his throne back if he would agree to recognize Miguel of Iberia as a formal suzerain. After much internal debate, he finally relented, recognizing that he was still the rightful ruler of Tenochtitlan.
Cortés and Moctezuma's forces soon faced Cuauhtémoc's forces in a battle near Tlaxcala, where the latter was defeated by the superior arms of the Iberian. Though Cuauhtémoc lost, he gathered his supporters, and fled north, establishing a Mexica state that would hold for decades...
Upon arriving at Tenochtitlan, Cortés deposed Cuitlahuac and imprisoned him, and restoring Moctezuma to the position of tlatoani. However, Cortés was not satisfied with Tenochtitlan as a mere vassal state under Iberia - in order to further increase Iberian control, as well as increase the flow of gold to the state's coffers, he began to plan his own accession as leader of this state. But a lucky pathogen would make it easier for him.
Moctezuma II died in June of 1525; at the time many suspected poisoning, but the modern consensus is that he died of smallpox. This created a power vacuum - some had hoped for Cuitlahuac to become tlatoani, but Cortés himself used the occasion to become not tlatoani, but the Capitan of New Granada. At the time New Granada only extended to the lands around Tenochtitlan, but over time its conquests would extend it far to the north, and southward towards Lake Cortés[2].
After Cortés' coup, Cuitlahuac quietly died in his prison. He then asked his king for permission to lead the territory, and Miguel accepted, on the grounds that he rule it well in the name of the Iberian Crown.
[1]The butterflies begin flapping wildly upon Cortés stepping on the Mexican shore...
[2]OTL Lake Nicaragua.
NIce! Cortes is pretty much the show in all but title.
It's also a subtle nod to your TL.
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
It's also a subtle nod to your TL.
It's vaguely familiar to how I had Pizarro take sides in the Inca Civil War. You devil, you.
It's vaguely familiar to how I had Pizarro take sides in the Inca Civil War. You devil, you.
The great artists of the time inspired each other.
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
The great artists of the time inspired each other.
True. Where will your next update take place? A return to Europe?
Asia, likely; the presence of the Portuguese Iberians should cause enough butterflies to flap there now.
And a corrected map of Europe.
Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
I see the Pale of Calais is much larger than in OTL. At least French can have a bit more importance in England.
A nice map, but what happened to the border of the kingdom of Habsburg Burgundy between the map post imperial war and the map in 1540?
Since I haven't found an explanation for this transfer of territory ITTL like Artois, Cambrai, parts of Flanders and Hainaut.(Although maybe I should look better).
Since I haven't found an explanation for this transfer of territory ITTL like Artois, Cambrai, parts of Flanders and Hainaut.(Although maybe I should look better
).