The Great War
The Baltic State's situation in the year 1577 wasn't bad - the monthly budget of the Kingdom numbered about 60'000 ducats, placing it among the richest countries of Northern and Eastern Europe. Pomerania was quite stable at that time both internally and internationally, allied to the duchies of Saxony and Meissen and the Kingdom of Sweden under Johann III Vasa. This alliance ensured Pomerania's safety, checking her rivals to the north - the Danes - and to the east - Poland. The largest threat, namely the huge Habsburg Empire, was separated from Pomerania by her German allies.
The only real problems that Pomerania was encountering at that time were the constant lack of money, caused mostly by the large costs of training of military units - which needed to be replenished to full strength every now and then after dealing with the other big trouble of Pomerania, namely its former capital - Gdańsk. The bourgeoisie of the city refused to acknowledge the authority of Ernest Ludwik, the King who has put an end to their economical priviledges. The situation was becoming increasingly strained in that region, as the Stefan Batory's diplomacy and spies were agitating in Gdańsk against the rule of the Pomeranians once again, promising to give back the priviledges they had been experiencing years earlier, should the merchants accept the rule of the King from Kraków.
Both countries came almost to the brink of war when Pomeranian merchants on their way from Hungary were reported robbed while travelling through the Polish-owned County of Cieszyn (Teschen). Outright military actions were avoided, but the situation started to look more grim than ever.
Finally, almost a year later, the inevitable came - king Stefan Batory, a brilliant tactician, decided boldly to move on a campaign into Pomeranian lands, without sending a formal declaration of war to the court in Szczecin. Kalisz, Gniezno (Gnesen) and Poznań (Posen) fell almost immediately to the hands of his troops, with Nakło (a fortress-key to Pomerelia) and Gdańsk itself following suit - all within March and April of the year 1579. Batory's stunning success inspired awe and fear in the hearts of the Pomeranians, whose commanders had been quite lacking in skill since the times of Bogusław X the Great. One mustn't say that they were incompetent - in fact, they were more than enough to repel the repeated Danish invasions and even win a colonial war against France some decades earlier - they just lacked the brilliance of their Polish contemporaries like the king Stefan or the chancellor Jan Zamoyski.
Ernest Ludwik declared war on the treacherous Polish promtply, ordering the army to regroup outside Gdańsk and start besieging the city, while at the same time ordering new regiments to be recruited in the regions of Hinterpommern, Ukermark and Vorpommern. The armies were divided into two groups, one of which, consisting mostly of artillery, was to help in the siege of Gdańsk, whereas the other was directed against a numerically inferior Polish force in Wielkopolska. The Polish invaded Ziemia Chełmińska (Kulmerland), laying siege to the capital of the province, Chełmno and taking it quite quickly. The armies sent by Ernest Ludwik into Wielkopolska and Gdańsk were repelled with unpredicted ease - in the battles of Gdańsk and Gniezno the Pomeranian forces were routed by swift light cavalry charges, combined with continuous fire from the Polish musketeers (muskets had been introduced in the Polish army by Stefan Batory).
The Pomeranian defeats destroyed the morale of the society and the army, which was regrouping on the border of Polish occupied lands, receiving news of consecutive cities in Warmia (Ermland) and Pomerelia falling into the hands of the Polish. The King Ernest Ludwik was already considering the acknowledgment of the Polish victory and signing peace with Batory before it was too late, when he was approached by a man he didn't at first recognise.
***
Ernest's throne room in Szczecin wasn't a large one. To be honest, the whole castle in Szczecin looked more like an ancient pre-Roman fortress to the Renaissace man that Ernest was - he was accustomed to the large, beautifully decorated and furnished royal court in Gdańsk. This town was barely big enough to support the living of his entire court and office! God be praised that his predecessors had moved from this fusty city decades ago - no wonder why Pomerania became considered as a serious power only after his forefathers had decided to abandon this relict of the Dark Ages...
This was one of the only moments when Ernest's attention was distracted from the most pressing matter - the ongoing war against Poland. The situation was desperate: hetman Jan Zamoyski's and king Batory's armies were seemingly unstoppable - not even a single, smalles skirmish was won by the Pomeranian troops - not to mention large, full-scale pitched battles! Perhaps investing so much into the naval military and developments of ships and docks was not the best of ideas? Pomerania's colonies couldn't be kept without support from a strong metropolis, which must be protected properly - in which ships, however numerous, would never suffice. He must remember to, as soon as this war is over, order the development of a strong army, the latest performance of which showed how neglected its matters had been in the past years.
His thoughts were interrupted by his chancellor, best and closest advisor and protestant Archbishop of Gniezno in one person, Stanisław Karnkowski, who approached Ernest with a calm look on his face.
"My King..."
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Ernest always called Karnkowski this way, as he was the highest church official in Pomerania, namely the Primate of the country.
"You know of Bogusław Gryfita-"
"One of the many relatives of mine of that name. Who do you mean at this time? My son, my great-great-grandfather, one of my uncles or cousins?"
"Sarcasm might be the feature of intelligent men, Your Highness, but politeness towards elderly people is a virtue in all societies"
"Please forgive me, Archbishop, you know just as well as I do, in what state the Baltic State is right now and how much this situation strains my nerves of late..."
"Of course, my King. The Bogusław in question is your cousin, the count of Bardo and Wołogoszcz"
"What is the matter with him?
"He asked if he could take command of our forces. He would like to lead our troops to victory, as he says"
"He boasts being a better commander than Zamoyski or Batory? He must be either mad or stupid!"
"Your Highness, I know of something that could prove you wrong, to our fortune"
"What is it?"
"After his studies in Wittenberg he travelled to Vienna and even as far as Venice, acquiring - as he claims - knowledge about the newest military techniques and tactics. He said that if he was given enough troops, he could turn the tide of the war to our advantage"
"We have much to loose, Your Majesty - should he fail, we might have to cede much more than the Poles are demanding already-"
"On the other hand, if he prevails, we could get out of this conflict unscathed, if not with territorial gains..."
"Let us not press our luck too much. Put him in command of our army, but order him to only reconquer what the Polish have taken - and let them even have Gdańsk!
"Yes, my Lord"
***
Well... This fragment was just a go at narrative writing. It's not good, I know for sure that I am no narrative writer - much more a history-textbook-style one. Or at least, when I'm writing in Polish - I don't have a clue what it reads llike when I write in English
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Alright, enough of that. Please, tell me whether you liked it. Tell me also what you dislike about reams of a Baltic State - criticism may help it get better
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