1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 371 The Last Knight
It's spring again, the weather in Europe is getting warmer, people are coming out of their houses after a winter hibernation and starting their work for the year.

Holy Roman Empire, Archduchy of Austria, in the center of Vienna, in the Knight's Arena in the Hofburg Palace, two knights are putting on armor with the help of their servants, preparing for a fight.

The knight on the left is wearing Gothic armor, a type of heavy full-body armor that was very popular in Germany in the 15th century. It is made of stacked and nested steel plates with sharp edges and corners. Leather is used instead of steel in key places to increase flexibility.

His shield and horse clothes are engraved with a double-headed black eagle with a yellow background and a tongue out. At the heart of the black eagle is the red and white stripes of the Archduchy of Austria, which obviously comes from the Austrian Habsburg family.

This is Maximilian von Habsburg, Crown Prince and sole heir to the Holy Roman Empire.

The knight on the right is wearing Milanese armor, a type of heavy armor that is widely praised in Italy. Compared to the hideous Gothic armor, the Milanese armor is more rounded and slim-fitting. It is made of a whole piece of steel and can distribute point impact force to the armor plates all over the body. It has poor flexibility and is suitable for brainless heavy cavalry charges.

On his shield and horse robe were silver lion emblems with a black background, obviously coming from a family that was derived from the Bohemian royal family.

The heavy armor and the knights made the tall warhorses under their crotches neigh uncomfortably, and the audience in the stands cheered for their favorite knights.

The two knights took the jousting lances from the squires, spurred their horses, and broke into a trot.

Since this was a friendly match, the knights did not drive their horses to their maximum speed, but the huge weight still increased their impact force to a very high level.

Squeak——

Two spears pierced the opponent's protective shield on his chest, and the wooden spear shafts broke one after another. The young man in Gothic armor tried his best to control the warhorse. Although he was shaky, he finally sat upright on the horse.

His opponent was not so lucky and fell off his horse onto the soft sand.

Maximilian took off his mask, revealing his handsome face and dazzling blond hair.

He pumped his fists, cheered on the crowd, then walked over to his opponent and helped him up.

The audience was also very happy and stood up and applauded. Most of them were from Viennese, and they were naturally proud to see their prince win and defeat a foreigner.

"Lord Victorin, it is my honor to compete with you."

Maximilian smiled as he looked at Victorin who had taken off his mask, and bowed slightly.

"I am still old, not as young as you."

Victorin also nodded with a smile and sighed.

"Back when my father was still alive, I won many championships in the knight tournaments in Prague and Kuttenburg."

The servants quickly rushed over and helped the two men take off their armor and put on casual clothes.

Next, the other knights came on stage one after another, and Maximilian and Victorinus walked up to the highest stand and sat on both sides of Frederick III.

"Your Majesty, your son is young and courageous. He will surely be a brave knight in the future."

Victorin sipped his wine and laughed.

"I have a good horse there, so I'll give it to him as a gift."

"That's very kind of you."

Frederick III spoke slowly, seemingly not having much interest in knightly competitions.

"The era of knights is coming to an end. I would be more pleased if he could use the time he wasted on knightly competitions to study diplomacy and domestic affairs."

Maximilian's face froze and he turned his head away in dissatisfaction. Victorinus also changed the subject and said nothing more.

Like Maximilian, although he came from a prominent family, Victorinus had little interest in diplomacy and politics, but was a fan of knightly competitions.

Victorinus Podgeblad, the second son of the former King of Bohemia, Jiri Podgeblad, Duke of Montonsburg.

After Již's death, the Poděbrady family lost power, and the Hussite Grail nobles who had previously supported Již elected Ulaszló II of the Jagiellonian family of Poland as king, confronting the Hungarian King Matthias Hunyadi, who also claimed the throne of Bohemia.

Although Victorinus was a "remnant of the previous dynasty", because King Jiří had a very good reputation among the Holy Grail Faction and King Matthias I of Hungary had married a princess from the Podebrad family, the two Bohemian kings did not criticize them too much. Instead, they pulled them out in some negotiations to act as "peacemakers."

After the Bohemian War broke out again, King Matthias I of Hungary occupied many of Victorinus's territories, but still gave them some financial compensation for the sake of Jiri. Victorinus stayed away from politics and war, traveled around with his wife, and sometimes served as a messenger to assist the warring parties in negotiations and mediate conflicts.

"Prince, where did you live before you came to Vienna?"

Frederick III looked at Victorinus.

"Well, I rarely stay in one place for long. I went to Brno in Moravia not long ago to talk with King Matthias on behalf of King Ulaszlo."

Victorin responded.

"King Ulasro and King Matthias are ready to make a formal peace."

"Peace?"

Frederick III sneered.

"I thought that barbarian Matthias would fight all the way to Prague."

After sneering, Frederick III looked a little serious and asked in a low voice.

"Are all the nobles of the Holy Grail sect willing to negotiate peace?"

Victorinus looked at Frederick III and nodded.

"The war has lasted too long, and no one wants to fight anymore."

Having said that, he sighed again.

"Bohemia is our homeland. In this century, we have hardly had a peaceful life. There are bandits and famine everywhere."

"If there can be peace, even for just a few years, everyone can have a break."

Frederick III pursed his lips and said nothing.

Since the end of the golden age of Charles IV, Bohemia has lost its glory, the king and the nobles have been fighting each other, and the citizens and peasants have suffered from undeserved disasters.

From Wenceslas, Jobst and Sigismund in the Luxembourg Civil War, to Albrecht in the First Hussite War, from Jiri Podebrad in the Second Hussite War, to Matthias Hunyadi and Ulaszló Jagiellon in the Battle for the Throne, one monarch after another galloped across the rich Bohemia and imposed their will on millions of people, but only a few could truly represent the Bohemians.

For nearly a hundred years, only Jiří Poděbrad was the true spokesperson for the Czech national will. This wise monarch of the Holy Grail faction was the first Bohemian king of Czech descent since the demise of the Przemyśl dynasty, and of course, the last one.

The two Hussite Wars profoundly changed the entire Bohemia, widening the gap between the Czechs, a somewhat "Germanized" Slavic nation, and the German nation, and accelerating the formation of Czech national identity.

Unfortunately, the Reformation was inevitably accompanied by ideological confusion and social unrest, which in turn provided the best opportunity for foreign forces to intervene in a large way.

To this day, the Bohemian Hussites still occupy half of Bohemia, mainly Prague and its surrounding areas, and they invited the Pole Ulaszló.

The remaining Catholic territories, scattered in the north, south, and east, invited King Matthias I of Hungary.

At this moment, just as at that time, the period of Jiri Podebrad's revival was passing by, and the story of Wenceslas and Sigismund decades ago was repeated in Bohemia.

But this time, the strength of the two sides of the war was not so balanced. As the King of Bohemia, Ulaszlo II was not the legitimate Holy Roman Emperor like Wenceslas. As the King of Hungary, Matthias I was more shrewd, capable, brave and courageous than Sigismund.

Moreover, Ulaszlo II was a mediocre ruler who was weak and could be bullied. His orders did not come from the palace. The territory he ruled was basically ruled by local nobles who were tyrannical and autocratic. The nobles took back a large number of privileges from the citizens and established farms, pastures and mines on their own territories. The budding capitalism in Bohemia progressed slowly.

"Your Majesty, don't blame the nobles of Prague. King Matthias is too powerful. His Black Army is invincible, not to mention the brutal Cuman Rangers."

Victorin whispered.

"Moreover, according to my personal understanding, King Matthias was not the barbarian you said, but a very wise monarch. He developed the economy, encouraged agriculture and animal husbandry, sponsored literature and art, invited masters, attracted refugees, and quelled civil unrest. Under his rule, Hungary became the second most powerful country in Eastern Europe, second only to the Eastern Empire."

"Do you know the Corvina Library? It was built by King Matthias. It is extremely large and has a huge collection of books. It is second only to the Apostolic Library in the Vatican and larger than several libraries in the Eastern Empire."

"Okay, I know all this."

Frederick III waved his hand in annoyance.

"Matthiash has ruled half of Bohemia. What is the situation there now?"

"Rebellions broke out from time to time, but people were calm and large-scale uprisings did not occur. The local nobles were basically loyal to King Matthias."

Victorin said.

"Among the three pillar families of the Holy Grail Cult, the Lepe family's territory is very close to Moravia. They can't stand the long-term plundering, so they have already turned to King Matthias."

The Leppe family, whose coat of arms is a black cross on a yellow background, is a large Bohemian noble family with many branches. They are the hereditary supreme marshal of the Kingdom of Bohemia.

"And the Rosenberg family in southern Bohemia, they were the first to invite Matthias to be king."

"What does Kunstadt say?"

Frederick III asked again, glancing at Victorinus.

"The Kunstadt family also has many branches, some of which support King Matthias, and some of which support King Ulaslo."

Victorin smiled.

"You don't have to look at me. Although I am related to them, I haven't been in touch with them for a long time."

The Kunstadt family, whose coat of arms is black and white horizontal stripes, is a very magical Bohemian family. The family bloodline is known for its instability, and there are both lunatics and geniuses among their descendants.

The paternal descendants of this family are many crazy people, such as the Moravian robber baron "The Devil" Hynek Kunstadt, who is notorious in the Catholic Church for his cruelty and bloodthirstiness, but is still commemorated by the Czech people in the 21st century.

The maternal descendants of this family are many geniuses, such as Jiri of Podebrad, the king of the Holy Grail faction who brought peace and stability to Bohemia, and Henry of Pickstein, King Jiri's life mentor and a high-ranking official of the Kingdom of Bohemia who was also a member of the Holy Grail faction.

As an Austrian, Frederick III certainly hated the Kunstadt family very much. Back then, Sokol of Lamberg and Hynek of Kunstadt had shrouded half of the Austrian countryside in blood and gore. Even now, the horrific legend of the "mummy devil" is still circulating on the northern border of Austria.

"Your Majesty, I know you don't like King Matthias, but I have to say that he is a very capable monarch. If you think he is a threat, you should have made preparations long ago."

Victorin suggested.

"But, in the final analysis, this is your business and has nothing to do with me."

"You're right, eh."

Frederick III sighed heavily.

"If I had a son like Matthias, I would have no worries in my life."

Frederick III said this, glaring at Maximilian.

"Unlike this kid, who only knows about knightly competitions all day long."

As he grew older, Frederick III became more and more dissatisfied with his only son because the difference in personality between father and son was too great.

When faced with an irresistible crisis, Frederick III would lock himself in a room to read astrology and then compromise weakly, while the young Maximilian yearned for the chivalrous spirit of fighting to death.

Of course, Frederick III definitely loved his son, but he expressed it in a different way.

"Your Majesty, I do not think so."

A soft female voice came into the ears of Frederick III. It was Margaret, the orphan of Henry Pickstein and wife of Victorinus. King Jiri, grateful for the friendship of his mentor, allowed his second son to marry the helpless girl.

“Chivalry is a virtue that symbolizes indomitable courage. The era of chivalry may have ended, but this spirit is worth pursuing throughout one’s life.”

Margaret smiled softly.

"As the saying goes in my hometown, fortune favors the brave."

"Thank you for your trust and guidance, dear madam!"

Maximilian stood up excitedly and bowed.

Frederick III shook his head indifferently, his eyes still very gloomy, and stopped talking. He shrank in his seat and watched the knightly competition in silence.

As night fell, the hosts and guests were enjoying themselves. The Podebrads returned to their guest room to rest, and Maximilian also opened the door of his room.

"Father, you are here."

Maximilian saw Frederick III sitting alone at the table, his face full of gloom and the cigarette in his hand burning to his fingertips.

"Is there a problem?"

"Victorin is not a fool, nor is he an idle person. Since he came to visit us, he must be representing some people and conveying some information."

Frederick III pointed to the seat next to him, but Maximilian did not move.

"Our plan failed completely. Matthias Hunyadi did not waste much time in Moldavia and Wallachia, nor did he risk everything for Prague."

"Matthiash is ambitious. Since he maintains such a large standing army, he will never stop the war."

Frederick III frowned and looked at his eldest son.

“How much do you know about Hungarian geopolitics?”

“The main part is the Great Hungarian Plain, the North Carpathians to the north, the South Carpathians to the east, the Balkan Mountains to the southeast, the Dinaric Mountains to the southwest, the Vienna Basin to the west, and the Alps further west.”

Maximilian replied.

"Most of Hungary's big cities are located along the Danube River, and transportation depends on Danube shipping. Unfortunately, Vienna is located on the Danube River. From Bratislava under Hungarian control to Vienna, it is almost flat."

"Even more unfortunately, Matthias has no other direction for expansion. After taking half of Bohemia, his territory has formed a double-sided sandwich around Vienna. Unless he is a fool, he will not cross the mountains to attack the Eastern Empire or Poland and Lithuania. We are definitely his next target."

Frederick III analyzed the situation soberly for once.

"So, our previous plan has basically failed, and Vienna is about to face a war."

"Oh, I told you that at the beginning, but you just didn't believe it," Maximilian said sarcastically.

"Now what are you going to do? I can train you a knight!"

"No, we can't beat them."

Frederick III shook his head.

"I plan to marry your sister Kuniyed to Matthias and pay some compensation to help us get through this difficult time. What do you think?"

"You are crazy!"

Maximilian immediately shouted.

"Why should my sister marry a Magyar barbarian?"

"She is the princess of the empire! She deserves to find the bravest knight as her husband!"

"Very good, there is another way."

Frederick III stared at Maximilian.

"If you don't want me to marry Kuniyed to a Magyar, then get married."

"?"

Maximilian's face was full of question marks.

"I have arranged with Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, that you will marry Princess Marie of Burgundy. Now is the time."

Frederick III said in a deep voice.

"The Duke of Burgundy's annual income ranks fourth in Europe, after the Eastern Empire, France and Hungary. We need this wealth!"

"But...Duke Charles asked you to meet him, but you ran away, didn't you?"

Maximilian was shocked by his father's shamelessness.

"There are many people who have been engaged to Mary. Didn't Prince Ferdinand of Aragon, who was completely deceived by the French, have an engagement with Mary?"

"Now they are all gone. Among Mary's suitors, there are only two who are important enough. One is you, and the other is Prince Charles of France."

Frederick III said slowly, looking at his son's handsome face.

"Although you can't compare to my younger self, you are still a handsome man, and you always like to pretend to be a knight. Mary will like you."

"Marie would never lean towards King Louis of France, the enemy who killed her father, and the Netherlands would not want to be ruled by a powerful monarch. Your chances are very high."

"No, I don't love Mary, and she may not love me either. What if she grows up to be an ugly monster? We won't be happy."

Maximilian stubbornly refused.

"You don't need to rely on women. You are the Kaiser of the German people! If we always do this, how will the princes of the empire view us?"

"I can go to the fiefdom to gather soldiers, hire troops, and help you defend Vienna and stop Matthias' invasion!"

The so-called fiefdom of Maximilian was the Friuli region in northeastern Italy, which he had seized a few years ago when Venice was destroyed.

"How many soldiers can you muster? Three thousand? Five thousand?"

Frederick III sneered.

"Matthiash's army is ten times as large as yours! And his fighting power is a hundred times as large as yours!"

"No, there's always a way."

Maximilian still shook his head.

Frederick III stopped persuading and handed Maximilian a rose-scented letter and a small necklace locket.

Maximilian frowned and opened the letter.

"Dear Maximilian, this is the first letter I write to you, and I hope it will be the last. After we get married, we will never be separated."

The Latin handwriting is beautiful and elegant, yet also a little impatient, revealing the protagonist's sad and anxious mood.

"Please do not doubt that I firmly intend to follow my father's decision. It is my wish to be your loyal wife, not forced by others."

"I'm sure you feel the same way about me."

Signed to Marie of Burgundy.

"When the Duke of Burgundy died in battle, I sent an envoy to Ghent and decided to bring up the marriage again."

Frederick III said.

"I took your portrait and some of your poems and essays to Marie of Burgundy. The messenger reported that Marie was very satisfied and laughed for the first time in many days."

"If I hadn't found your diary, I would—"

"you--"

Maximilian was a little annoyed and glared at his father.

"You...you want a prince to betray...betray--"

Frederick III interrupted Maximilian and pointed to the necklace locket in his hand.

Maximilian opened the locket and what came into view was a picture of a beautiful girl with a fair face, a few strands of hair hanging by her ears, and a hint of sadness in her light eyes.

As soon as Maximilian saw the picture, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

"She's so pretty."

The young knight muttered to himself.

“And very rich.”

Frederick III interrupted him and handed him a piece of paper.

"Here's a poem Mary wrote for you."

Maximilian's eyes lit up, he took the manuscript and began to read it.

Soon, the original dissatisfaction disappeared, and Maximilian showed a happy expression.

"She said I was the destined knight."

Maximilian's lips curled up into a smile.

"As a true knight, rescuing a princess caught in a political whirlpool all on your own is completely in line with the spirit of chivalry, isn't it?"

"You agree?"

Frederick III's brow relaxed a little.

"Of course, she is my legal fiancée, and I have a duty to protect her and her property."

Maximilian waved his hand without hesitation.

"When are you going to get married?"

"You need a luxurious wedding procession to show the royal family's kindness and don't let the Dutch look down on us."

Frederick III said.

"You need a traveling mercenary army to avoid any unexpected incidents. This will also help you subdue the Dutch merchants and resist the French army."

"You'll also need some unique wedding gifts to win Mary's heart and make the Dutch feel valued."

"You've prepared everything for me, haven't you?"

Maximilian opened the locket again and looked at it.

"The order for the wedding carriage should be placed with the Royal Carriage Workshop in Constantinople. They will make your and Mary's carriage luxurious and comfortable, using mahogany, silk, rubber, springs, and velvet. It will open the eyes of the arrogant Dutch people."

Frederick III said.

"You can look for mercenaries from Italy, from the imperial states, or from the mercenary houses in Carthage. It's up to you."

"The wedding gift should be a ring, but it can't be an ordinary ring. Mary must be used to gold and silver. I suggest you ask the craftsman in Constantinople to customize a wedding ring of the highest quality, using platinum and diamonds from New Thrace."

"That sounds great, are you ready?"

Maximilian closed the locket and paced back and forth in some agitation.

“I have all the means, but I don’t have the money.”

Frederick III put it bluntly.

"You have to figure this out yourself, and you have to do it as soon as possible, or else something bad will happen."

"I'm going to borrow money!"

Maximilian immediately walked towards the door.

"and many more!"

Frederick III called him back.

"What else, dear father?"

Maximilian turned around.

"Will you lend it to me?"

"Unfortunately, I have to tell you that since I have borrowed too much money from Frankfurt and other free cities in the past ten years, and I don't like to pay it back, they probably won't continue to provide me with any loans, and they may even take you hostage. I suggest you avoid these places... Let me tell you in advance, I don't have the money to redeem you, and selling out the territory is absolutely impossible for me."

Frederick III said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Your fiefdom is in Friuli, so try Italy."

"Italy... that means we have to borrow from the Eastern Empire."

Maximilian ignored his father's unreliability, to which he had become accustomed.

"The Medici Bank collapsed, and the Royal Bank of Palaeologus took over its business and issued the Italian Roman pound."

“Isn’t the interest rate high?”

"No, France is the greatest enemy of the Eastern Empire. The threat is even greater than that of the Saracens. As long as we can make King Louis unhappy, Emperor Isaac will be very happy."

Frederick III said.

"Go ahead and borrow it. Emperor Isaac might even help you complete these tasks in the shortest possible time."

After saying this, Frederick III stood up, walked to Maximilian and patted him on the shoulder.

"My child, don't be limited by the spirit of chivalry. There is nothing shameful about gaining benefits through marriage. I hope that through this opportunity, you can change your mindset."

"As far as I know, besides you, the only other nobleman who was keen on chivalry was Prince Alexios of Constantinople. What happened? He didn't have the slightest chance of competing for the throne. Didn't he just run away to a remote place?"

"I will understand, Father."

Maximilian nodded.

"The goddess of fate favors the brave, may I succeed!"

"Of course it has to succeed. I am now convinced of this."

Frederick III finally laughed.

"I asked the best astrologer to tell your fortune. They said that as long as you agree, there will be no obstacles!"

Maximilian curled the corner of his mouth, did not stay, and pushed the door open and walked out.

……

In the late spring of 1476, the death of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, caused a series of changes in the European situation. King Louis XI of France began to gather troops and marched towards Burgundy and Franche-Comté, burning, killing and looting along the way.

At the same time, the two kings of the Kingdom of Bohemia signed a formal peace treaty and decided to stop the war. Ulaszlo II of the Jagiellonian family retained Prague, Kutenberg and surrounding areas, while Matthias I of the Hunyadi family obtained Moravia, Silesia, Lusatia and many scattered provinces.

After signing the formal peace treaty, Matthias I deployed his troops on the banks of the Danube, sharpening his sword against the Archduchy of Austria.

In this crisis, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III decided to revive the marriage issue and marry his heir Maximilian to Mary of Burgundy, using money from the Netherlands to save Austria from crisis.

On May 1476, 5, Maximilian von Habsburg led his entourage out of Vienna, and the last knight embarked on the "great journey" to rescue the princess.

(End of this chapter)