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It is not, and he is lacking any real allies.
I will use this reply for some shameless promotion and announce a new chapter this weekend. Hope all of you are having a good week. Cheers.
-
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It is not, and he is lacking any real allies.
I will use this reply for some shameless promotion and announce a new chapter this weekend. Hope all of you are having a good week. Cheers.
CHAPTER X - Centennial dream
Before the end of the year, Duke Filip "the Fat" defeated Chief Jeno's army on the field of battle. It was a complete victory for the Croatian side that day though Jeno tried to surprise their leader with an ambush in the woods. He used the very same spot in the same pine forest which Chief István of Temes already used twice during the previous decade.
First time against King Almos "the Great" to neutralize his great army of twenty thousand men with the help of a narrow passage, and later (less successfully) to stop the old King's son and heir, Arpad, in an attempt to avenge his deceased father. But Chief of Marmaros did not count on two important things along the way.
First, Duke Filip was not a fool to fall for the same trap on the same road as the late king, he learnt from his infamous mistake and sent his household knights as outriders around the passage just in case if Jeno try something similar; and second, the passage itself did not have the same effect on the huge army of tens of thousands as on the army of several hundred. It was narrow but not that much narrow.
Jeno has overestimated his tactical ability and it cost him greatly. The Croats managed to push through the passage in mere hours with the help of outriders who attacked from the rear and threatened to encircle his army. Their shiny plate armour proved to be nearly impregnable against nomad steel yet again. Defeated and broken, the Magyars were forced to retreat with haste to the mountains. Many have been killed in retreat before Filip commanded his men to cease the pursuit. Enough blood was shed for a day of fighting.
Instead of wasting time on the pursuit of Jeno and his disheartened army to the mountains, Duke Filip laid siege to his capital Máramarossziget. He knew Jeno has too few men to pose a serious threat to him any longer. The siege itself lasted for nearly ten months before the starving defenders were forced to hand over the city. Duke Filip did not want to risk any life of his men on some opportunist storming attempt. He had few able men and every one of them was precious to him for future plans to be lost in such a risky manner.
It was a tedious affair, such a war. The soldiers shortened their time mainly by throwing dice and enjoying the company of the prostitutes who joined the army in large numbers as the camp followers. Prostitution was a business that recently flourished in the Duchy of Ungvar, as it was encouraged by the fat Duke itself. Once a loyal customer of that activity, now he used it only as an effective tool to obtain even more influence over his people.
He passed the new laws that were friendly oriented towards that profession and even sponsored the opening of several brothels; in return he received a direct percentage of their income in the form of taxes and used many whores as his spies, at the initiative of his new spymaster Prohor. Through them Filip received first-hand information about their diverse customers, thus easily controlling almost every aspect of life on the territory under his authority.
The Church has tried to rebel against the new laws that promoted fornication, but soon even newer laws have been passed which imposed considerably higher taxes to the faith. They were silenced. Duke Valentinovic did not tolerate his authority being questioned in any way, he ruled his dominion with a firm hand.
But still, he kept moderately friendly relations with the Church. It was for mutual benefit. He set himself as the protector of the faith in that part of Europe, surrounded by the sea of heathen states. After the mission in Bereg was successfully completed and the majority of its population were converted to the Catholic faith, missionaries led by Bishop Besar were immediately sent to Marmaros.
After the fall of Máramarossziget, the remaining loyalists turned against Jeno and he was forced to flee for his life. Soon, the whole province surrendered peacefully to Ungvar. The war was over. After more than a hundred years de jure territory of the Duchy was once again whole. Common people were in the streets celebrating, the nobles were in their castles feasting, more days were required to put the life in Ungvar back to normal.
But Duke Filip did not think to stop there. Together with his Ruling council, he began to make plans for his next conquest. Since he had two sons who would inherit his lands, elderly Duke Valentinovic was determined to create solid ground for both of them.
He loved them equally and did not plan to deny either of them from their inheritance because he still remembered the situation from his youth (as well as everyone else from Ungvar) when two younger brothers were riding in the war for inheritance against the oldest one, in the bloody civil war that had the devastating consequences for their country that were still felt after two generations.
Karlo, Tvrtko and Hrvoje; all three of them were like the brothers he never had for Filip. Yet he was forced to pick a side, to go to a war against the two younger ones who rebelled against Hrvoje. And yet, he was compelled to murder his brother in cold blood by breaking his skull with his warhammer and thus ending the war. Although they did not share the same blood, he felt he had been cursed as a kinslayer since then. It was one of the few truly righteous things he did, and yet one of the few things he felt bad about.
After a few days of intensive deliberation, County of Bihar was chosen as the next target. It was a rich province located somewhat southward from southernmost Ungvar's border. Even though they did not share the same border, it was chosen for simple reasons because its ruler has many enemies and currently has no known allies. At the same time he was one of the richest men in the Khanate and a member of the Royal council. And the outsider, just like Filip. Too many similarities... But instead of Croatian, he was of Avarian descent. Paval Pavalid was a cunning man of a few words and he served as the realm's steward. If anything could be said about him, the man was really capable of managing the coin.
What could be said about Khan Linutika? It could be said that he was hypocritical from the beginning. Why? Because he refused the royal crown and proclaimed himself as the khan. But except for the name of the title, everything else remained the same as before. Feudalism was still there, albeit more moderate than in most of the Christian kingdoms of the west. It can also be said that he was an extremely capable ruler.
Knowing that there are factions in the ranks of the nobility that are dissatisfied with his rule, he has given many land titles (counties and duchies) to people who already proved their loyalty to him. Most of them were the military officers who proved themselves in the war with Bulgarians or his courtiers, thus creating a new part of nobility that was deathly loyal to him as they knew that their new social status comes only from his rule.
_________________________________________________________________________
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Although I promised to post this chapter over the last weekend, it is indeed released during the weekend so we'll count this just as a semi-lie. Also, I want to use this opportunity to wish a happy Easter to all who celebrate.
Before the end of the year, Duke Filip "the Fat" defeated Chief Jeno's army on the field of battle. It was a complete victory for the Croatian side that day though Jeno tried to surprise their leader with an ambush in the woods. He used the very same spot in the same pine forest which Chief István of Temes already used twice during the previous decade.
First time against King Almos "the Great" to neutralize his great army of twenty thousand men with the help of a narrow passage, and later (less successfully) to stop the old King's son and heir, Arpad, in an attempt to avenge his deceased father. But Chief of Marmaros did not count on two important things along the way.
First, Duke Filip was not a fool to fall for the same trap on the same road as the late king, he learnt from his infamous mistake and sent his household knights as outriders around the passage just in case if Jeno try something similar; and second, the passage itself did not have the same effect on the huge army of tens of thousands as on the army of several hundred. It was narrow but not that much narrow.
Jeno has overestimated his tactical ability and it cost him greatly. The Croats managed to push through the passage in mere hours with the help of outriders who attacked from the rear and threatened to encircle his army. Their shiny plate armour proved to be nearly impregnable against nomad steel yet again. Defeated and broken, the Magyars were forced to retreat with haste to the mountains. Many have been killed in retreat before Filip commanded his men to cease the pursuit. Enough blood was shed for a day of fighting.
Instead of wasting time on the pursuit of Jeno and his disheartened army to the mountains, Duke Filip laid siege to his capital Máramarossziget. He knew Jeno has too few men to pose a serious threat to him any longer. The siege itself lasted for nearly ten months before the starving defenders were forced to hand over the city. Duke Filip did not want to risk any life of his men on some opportunist storming attempt. He had few able men and every one of them was precious to him for future plans to be lost in such a risky manner.
It was a tedious affair, such a war. The soldiers shortened their time mainly by throwing dice and enjoying the company of the prostitutes who joined the army in large numbers as the camp followers. Prostitution was a business that recently flourished in the Duchy of Ungvar, as it was encouraged by the fat Duke itself. Once a loyal customer of that activity, now he used it only as an effective tool to obtain even more influence over his people.
He passed the new laws that were friendly oriented towards that profession and even sponsored the opening of several brothels; in return he received a direct percentage of their income in the form of taxes and used many whores as his spies, at the initiative of his new spymaster Prohor. Through them Filip received first-hand information about their diverse customers, thus easily controlling almost every aspect of life on the territory under his authority.
The Church has tried to rebel against the new laws that promoted fornication, but soon even newer laws have been passed which imposed considerably higher taxes to the faith. They were silenced. Duke Valentinovic did not tolerate his authority being questioned in any way, he ruled his dominion with a firm hand.
After the fall of Máramarossziget, the remaining loyalists turned against Jeno and he was forced to flee for his life. Soon, the whole province surrendered peacefully to Ungvar. The war was over. After more than a hundred years de jure territory of the Duchy was once again whole. Common people were in the streets celebrating, the nobles were in their castles feasting, more days were required to put the life in Ungvar back to normal.
But Duke Filip did not think to stop there. Together with his Ruling council, he began to make plans for his next conquest. Since he had two sons who would inherit his lands, elderly Duke Valentinovic was determined to create solid ground for both of them.
He loved them equally and did not plan to deny either of them from their inheritance because he still remembered the situation from his youth (as well as everyone else from Ungvar) when two younger brothers were riding in the war for inheritance against the oldest one, in the bloody civil war that had the devastating consequences for their country that were still felt after two generations.
Karlo, Tvrtko and Hrvoje; all three of them were like the brothers he never had for Filip. Yet he was forced to pick a side, to go to a war against the two younger ones who rebelled against Hrvoje. And yet, he was compelled to murder his brother in cold blood by breaking his skull with his warhammer and thus ending the war. Although they did not share the same blood, he felt he had been cursed as a kinslayer since then. It was one of the few truly righteous things he did, and yet one of the few things he felt bad about.
After a few days of intensive deliberation, County of Bihar was chosen as the next target. It was a rich province located somewhat southward from southernmost Ungvar's border. Even though they did not share the same border, it was chosen for simple reasons because its ruler has many enemies and currently has no known allies. At the same time he was one of the richest men in the Khanate and a member of the Royal council. And the outsider, just like Filip. Too many similarities... But instead of Croatian, he was of Avarian descent. Paval Pavalid was a cunning man of a few words and he served as the realm's steward. If anything could be said about him, the man was really capable of managing the coin.
What could be said about Khan Linutika? It could be said that he was hypocritical from the beginning. Why? Because he refused the royal crown and proclaimed himself as the khan. But except for the name of the title, everything else remained the same as before. Feudalism was still there, albeit more moderate than in most of the Christian kingdoms of the west. It can also be said that he was an extremely capable ruler.
Knowing that there are factions in the ranks of the nobility that are dissatisfied with his rule, he has given many land titles (counties and duchies) to people who already proved their loyalty to him. Most of them were the military officers who proved themselves in the war with Bulgarians or his courtiers, thus creating a new part of nobility that was deathly loyal to him as they knew that their new social status comes only from his rule.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Although I promised to post this chapter over the last weekend, it is indeed released during the weekend so we'll count this just as a semi-lie.
Also, I want to use this opportunity to wish a happy Easter to all who celebrate.
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A happy Easter to you too @valentino
Filip is really not very nice, but he is effective and a man of his times: feasting, fornication, fratricide, treachery, murder, great pox, usurpation ... all in a good day’s work!
May his next conquest succeed - he is like the wolf who prowls around the flock, looking for the isolated sheep to pounce upon. And hope he is not victim of something similar. To change the metaphor, there is always a bigger fish!
Filip is really not very nice, but he is effective and a man of his times: feasting, fornication, fratricide, treachery, murder, great pox, usurpation ... all in a good day’s work!
May his next conquest succeed - he is like the wolf who prowls around the flock, looking for the isolated sheep to pounce upon. And hope he is not victim of something similar.
To change the metaphor, there is always a bigger fish! 
So it comes to the expansions of Filips' domain, and I could not be happier to read about that. How many Avar landholders are left in the khanate, I wonder? More there are the better it is for Filip, to use that advantage to expand on their lands instead of Magyar lands (until he or his descendants are strong enough).
I'd also like to wish Happy Easter to everyone, may you enjoy the holidays.
I'd also like to wish Happy Easter to everyone, may you enjoy the holidays.
Hope you had a Happy Easter as well, @valentino
Bihar looks to be an excellent target -- moderately prosperous, and well-positioned for further consolidating control over the eastern Pannonian Plain. Let us hope that Filip's next conquest goes well.
Bihar looks to be an excellent target -- moderately prosperous, and well-positioned for further consolidating control over the eastern Pannonian Plain. Let us hope that Filip's next conquest goes well.
A happy Easter to you too @valentino
Filip is really not very nice, but he is effective and a man of his times: feasting, fornication, fratricide, treachery, murder, great pox, usurpation ... all in a good day’s work!
May his next conquest succeed - he is like the wolf who prowls around the flock, looking for the isolated sheep to pounce upon. And hope he is not victim of something similar.
I couldn't agree more with you on this part, but Filip is cunning enough to choose his enemies carefully.
( - Someone shouted "ARPAD!" loudly out of the crowd
)Filip sounds like a very upstanding example of a mediaeval great lord
Upstanding maybe, but not really chivalrous one. But very alive, which is definitely more important.
So it comes to the expansions of Filips' domain, and I could not be happier to read about that. How many Avar landholders are left in the khanate, I wonder? More there are the better it is for Filip, to use that advantage to expand on their lands instead of Magyar lands (until he or his descendants are strong enough).
I'd also like to wish Happy Easter to everyone, may you enjoy the holidays.
Indeed. Once we have a very solid foundations, the time has come for the expansion of the territory.
I am not really sure about the exact number of Avar landholders, so do not take me for a word. But I'll say few of them.
I agree. Let us hope only that Duke Filip will live enough to realize this plan.Hope you had a Happy Easter as well, @valentino
Bihar looks to be an excellent target -- moderately prosperous, and well-positioned for further consolidating control over the eastern Pannonian Plain. Let us hope that Filip's next conquest goes well.
Although I'm not personally religious, I thank you all for your lovely wishes.
It is more a matter of tradition on my part...
So chief, when can we expect a new update? You're quite late considering your updating standards. I wish not to rush you mate, I am asking out of my curiousity.
So chief, when can we expect a new update? You're quite late considering your updating standards. I wish not to rush you mate, I am asking out of my curiousity.
Hey, thanks for asking. I was a bit busy the past days in RL so I was not able to write anything new. But you can expect the new chapter/s soon.