HRE NES

[bipolarbear]

From Duke Erchanger of Swabia to Duke Hitler

Many glorious troops comrade, however even a bloodthirsty despot such as my glorious self knows that a lost soldier incurs a significant financial loss.

Currently my country is teaching every citizen and supercitizen (that includes our bristly mustachioed soldiers) an advanced form of Systema: The Ultimate Fighting Art. We have amended it to include a section which teaches "Flying Arrow Recoilation Tactics".

With my soldiers beter knowing how to defend themselves, they will do both us a much greater good indeed.

As soon as the soldiers have completed Sytema with F.A.R.T. emphasis, they will be sent upon the vile maygars like a bad case of the common cold!

Please accept a bottle of our finest wine, and a coupon for 25% off on your next wine purchase from us as compensation for this inconvenience.

[foolish_icarus]

King Conrad to Duke Erchanger "The Dude" of Swabia:

When?

[Cyclotron]

I will begin the update this afternoon. I am assuming that the Swabian troops currently with the main German army are remaining there, and no other Swabians are joining it, unless somebody tells me otherwise.

[foolish_icarus]

see my order for minor additions

[bipolarbear]

ooc: well if it is possible to get some troops trained and sent off this turn, I'd love to do that. I'd thiunk that with 1000 Denarii invested in the F.A.R.T. program, I could maybe swing that.

I'll tell you what, I'll send 70 light archers and 100 medium spearmen, and 30 angonmen from my Army of Relief to assist you right now. After training there will be more.

[Cyclotron]

Wait, wait. The Army of Relief is already in Regensburg. It was sent by Swabia before bipolarbear took over, and has participated in all battles since with the Magyars. I was assuming it was still travelling with them - this needs to be clarified before I can update.

EDIT: Issue resolved.

[Cyclotron]

Anno Domini CMXVI

This year’s Pope: John X
This year’s Emperor: Berengar I

Successions

Hail to the Imperator Romanorum, master of Christendom! Responding to the pleas of Pope John X for assistance against the Saracens in Italy, Berengar, Marchese of Verona and King of Italy, has marched his army into Rome and been crowned Holy Roman Emperor with the crown of mighty Charlemagne. Berengar becomes the 11th Emperor since Charlemagne re-established the Imperial tradition.

Family Business

Our good Queen has made a full recovery, much to the joy of Germans everywhere. The King is likely quite relieved.

Land und Leute

Alas! A blight on wheat has swept through central Europe, impoverishing and starving farmers in Germany, Bohemia, Northern Italy, and Lothairingia. The peasants have shown their dissatisfaction by rioting across the land. Local churches have exhausted their supplies in dealing with the problem, but even their emergency stores are unable to prevent all the deaths that this pestilence has caused. The productivity of all Duchies decreases by 10% this year.

Krieg und Frieden

Pope John X has proven himself a master of both politics and war. Spending a full year gathering the various city-states of Italy into an alliance, he marched in late summer with 16,000 men to the Saracen-held city of Brindisi. The King of Italy, citing the need to deal with troublesome Magyars in Friuli, did not attend personally, though he did supply a large body of reinforcements under his vassal Duke Alberic of Spoleto. Undeterred, the Pope (together with Duke Gregory IV of Naples, Duke John I of Gaeta, Prince Guaimar II of Salerno, Prince Landulf of Capua and Benevento, and a force of Greek soldiers and mercenaries under Strategos Nicholas Picingli of Bari) drove the Saracens back to the walls of Brindisi. The heathens likely thought to make a quick attempt to leave by their ships, but this was to no avail – the Pope had procured the assistance of a Greek naval detachment sent by the Empress, which kept all but a handful of ships from fleeing. The desperate heathens then tried to break through the Italian lines in force, but were slaughtered by the victorious Christian soliders. The Pope, himself at the front lines of the battle, has returned triumphantly to Rome after re-consecrating the churches of Brindisi. At Rome, Berengar of Friuli was crowned Emperor for his aid rendered to the Pope.

The Bulgarians, under their Emperor Simeon, have conquered the last free remnants of Serbia, bringing them into direct conflict with the Croats – and sure enough, this year Duke Tomislav of Dalmatia declared war on the Bulgarian Empire. So far, the war has only resulted in minor skirmishes between the two sides, though it is known that the Duke is in the process of raising a large army. The Bulgarian Emperor has arrived at somewhat of an impasse in his Thracian campaign; though his ground forces have been able to defeat the Byzantines at every turn, the naval superiority of the Greeks has enabled them, as usual, to keep Constantinople out of the hands of their enemies. Simeon has instead turned his attention to Greece proper, where his forces are making steady advances towards the Peloponnesus.

Luitpold, exiled noble of Carinthia, has invaded Carinthia and proclaimed himself Markgraf! His gains came only after a valiant defense of Vienna by Vizegraf Magenhard von Linz, who exacted a heavy price from Luitpold’s men before he fell and was defeated. Survivors tell of a sack most horrid, and that Luitpold allowed Muslim infidels and pirates to defile the very church of Vienna itself! Nobles throughout Germany have expressed their outrage, and Pope John X has threatened Luitpold with excommunication if he does not withdraw and submit to the arbitration of the Holy Church.

Other News of Christendom

The controversial Archbishop Hatto of Mainz has died. Sources close to him say that he died in his sleep, while a rumor circulates among the peasantry that he was struck by lightning, a strange fate for a man of God. The Saxon nobles, always enemies of the Archbishop, have conjectured that he was in reality dragged down to Hell by Satan himself, and even now receives his just punishment. All of Franconia mourns his loss. The Archbishopric is now open, awaiting a selection by the King.

Regino von Prüm, a German monk and chronicler (born in Franconia) as well as the abbot of Saint Martin’s abbey at Trier (in Lothairingia) has died. He is most famous for his history of European Christendom from its inception until the year 906, as well as his recently penned Tonarius, a publication on improving the quality of singing in church. As an astute and pious historian and man of letters, he will be missed, especially by those who appreciated his efforts to make church choirs across Germany less tone-deaf.

Saxony

The wisdom of the Duke, though away, has had positive impacts on Saxony. The Duke’s policy of keeping grain reserves blunted the effects of the wheat blight in Saxony, and though his stores are now exhausted, Saxony was as a result the least hard-hit of the German Duchies. The forethought and generosity of the Duke, coupled with his success in warding off Viking raids, has made him quite popular with the peasantry.

Viking attacks in the north are still at a minimum, but the violence in the west continues to spill over into Saxony. A few border hamlets have been raided by Vikings, to whom borders matter very little, and Frieslanders and Vikings have skirmished all along the border. Anticipating a German intervention, a few hundred Frieslanders have joined the Viking Slayers after being driven from their homes, and the Saxons have welcomed them as part of Ducal policy.

The status quo in Meissen has been maintained, though a conflagration is surely near at hand. Berstuk has begun pushing against the Germans in Meissen, whose control over the land around them is growing lesser and lesser. Perhaps to provoke the Duke, Berstuk has ordered eleven Christian missionaries captured in his lands hung from trees visible from the walls of Meissen. This aggravation, coupled with the critically low supplies in Meissen and the cold, isolated position of the Saxon Peacebringers, have caused morale among the levies to slip further despite the Duke’s best efforts. The chivalry, on the other hand, is impatient to go at the Christian-killer, and many nobles voice their discontent with the Duke’s hesitation, proclaiming that surely God will lead them to victory despite their low numbers. Zwickau remains secure, though raids from Korzin and his men grow more severe, both against Zwickau and Saxony. It appears Torbin is now gone for good – he arrived back in Lipsk to reclaim his chieftainship, only to be slain by his power-hungry son. Another enemy of Saxony goes unceremoniously to his grave.

The Duke’s policies have kept the blight from resulting in widespread famine. Corruption has remained constant at 14%.

Franconia

The King’s return has proven sufficient to reign in the nobles in northern Franconia, and the appointment of Cristianus von Mellrichstadt to a position of authority has created widespread suspicion that the King has reached some manner of compromise with the south Thuringian nobles. After this apparent concession, and the successful campaign in Bohemia, von Mellrichstadt’s leadership of the northern barons has been firmly established.

The Duchy has begun levying taxes on the renewed Rhine trade route, and though some instances of graft have been noted, the rates are generally not high enough to discourage trade. The coffers of the Duchy have been enriched as a result.

The wheat blight has caused significant famine in many areas of Franconia, and as a result some peasants have turned to petty theft and banditry. Corruption in Franconia has increased by 1%, to 11%.

Swabia

The Duke has amassed a sizeable reserve of dried Amanita Muscaria (better known as Toadstools to the peasantry) as a result of his collection policies, though to what end these mushrooms are headed in unknown. Some priests have expressed concern over the connection of these fungi with Nordic pagan rituals. The peasants don’t much care; toadstools are not hard to find, and free massage has proved a reasonably good – if rather unorthodox – motivator of people who seldom take baths in their lives. Various priests have also expressed misgivings over reported, though unconfirmed, incidents of Ducal-sponsored massage locales serving double duty as brothels.

The barons of Swabia have completed their fortification of the border with the vast sum granted to them, and the result is a strong and extensive network of fortifications along the border with Bavaria. Though the new fortresses are significantly understaffed, they have been effective in making a considerable dent in Magyar raids, as they effectively control and monitor the countryside, making it difficult for raiders to leave and enter freely.

Training of the freedmen and soldiery in fighting tactics, as well as the new “arrow avoidance” system, has made progress despite the questionable nature of arrow-dodging. Unarmed fighting has always been part of knight training, but perhaps training the freedmen and their levies in this will increase their close-combat effectiveness and discipline. The Duke certainly seem to hope so.

The wheat blight and famine have hit Swabia as hard as Franconia, and many peasants have turned to theft to keep themselves from starvation, while others default on taxes. Corruption within Swabia has increased by 1% to 16%.

Bavaria

Though Carinthia has entirely escaped Bavarian control, Bavaria itself is still quite intact. Though the blight has caused widespread hunger, the Duke’s efforts to settle the Slavic immigrants have, over the years, kept the immigration from becoming a troubling problem. With the Přemyslid dynasty back in control of Bohemia, immigration from Bohemia has dropped off, and a few are actually returning across the border. It remains to be seen how many of the new immigrants will stay for the long term.

Bavarian trade with Swabia has picked up, the products of Friesland reaching far and wide, but the trade with Venice has been forcibly postponed by the Carinthian rebellion. For now, no trade with Italy is possible, as the rebels under Luitpold have intercepted all merchants who attempt the transit through or near Carinthia.

Due to the famines, some peasants have been forced into thievery and banditry. Corruption in Bavaria increases by 1% to 22%.

Carinthia is no longer under the control of Bavaria, and records for it will no longer be kept pending its return. See battle reports for details.


Pending:
- Battle Reports (Bohemia, Carinthia)
- Diplomacy
- Stat Block
- Generals

Please remind me if I owe you any PMs.

[Cyclotron]

Carinthian Campaign
Bavarian Marginal Defeat

Carinthian Rebels (around 2,500 men) – Luitpold von Frelsing

Bavarian Fourth Regiment (970 men) – Vizegraf Magenhard von Linz
30 Knights
110 Sergeants
350 Medium Spearmen (spear, shield)
180 Medium Swordsmen (light, shield, sword)
150 Light Archers (bow)
150 Light Composite Archers (bow, Magyar bow)

As soon as weather allowed, Vizegraf Magenhard von Linz marched south into the war-torn lands of Carinthia, with the Fourth Regiment and Carinthian chivalry, in an attempt to re-establish Bavarian authority and bring some order to the province. Von Linz opted to take the Danube River to Vienna; though he had to wait until early March before the river was ice-free enough to make the transit, the journey was much shorter by land, and his troops had arrived at Vienna in good order by the middle of the month. Vienna had not been threatened by the Magyars since their departure to attack Eppenstein, and the population was relieved to see some kind of German force enter the seemingly abandoned territory.

Setting up his headquarters in Vienna, von Linz began a systematic campaign through the Wachau and northern Carinthia, crushing a peasant revolt in several villages north of Eppenstein and replacing local authorities and reeves. In April, believing the north of the country to be reasonably secure, he made his move on Eppenstein.

Eppenstein, it seemed, was no more. Only a few people camped in shacks and tents in the smoking pile that had once been the town. The ring wall, though it had been damaged, was not beyond hope – the Magyars, no experts at siege warfare, had mostly climbed over rather than breached it. With stone and supplies on hand, the wall was rebuilt in short order, though the town remained essentially nonexistent.

It was at this point that von Linz, having sent scouts out to appraise the situation in the south, received several disturbing reports. Firstly, the Friuli Border Guard under Marchese Biordo d’Belluno had been unsuccessful in stopping the Magyars from entering Italian territory, and had been sharply defeated by the Magyars just two weeks previously. The weakness of Italy’s border defenses was only one problem – on April 16th, the rebel Luitpold von Frelsing came roaring back into Carinthia.

It seems that, though the Italians had make token efforts to apprehend him, he had been living as a bandit lord in the lawless regions between Italy and Dalmatia, recruiting armed toughs and mercenaries using what family fortune he had escaped with. With Carinthia in chaos and the Italians unable to intervene, he chose this year to march back into Carinthia, proclaiming himself Markgraf Luitpold von Kärnten. With nearly three thousand men, he quickly gained control of much of southern Carinthia, as most nobles were either away at war or had too few of their vassals about them to offer any resistance. What nobles remained swore allegiance to him, some genuinely, and some simply out of fear. Now, his forces (backed by Italian and Saracen mercenaries) marched on Eppenstein.

Though Magenhard von Linz was not the smartest of men, even he realized his grave predicament. Though Eppenstein had been refortified, it had been thoroughly sacked, and that combined with the wheat blight left them almost no supplies to withstand a siege. There was no aid to be had from any direction; The Italians, Bavarians, and Croatians all had their hands full elsewhere. Though humiliated by the necessity of a retreat, von Linz decided that his position – though fortified – was completely untenable, and ordered a retreat (but only after collapsing Eppenstein’s well and burning the newly-reconstructed gate).

Von Linz also knew that, unless Vienna was taken, Luitpold could not truly exercise his claims to be lord of all Carinthia. Linz thus repositioned himself in Vienna, and used the stone left over from Eppenstein, as well as the funds for iron mining in Carinthia (which clearly could not be utilized as intended) to fortify Vienna. When Luitpold and his men arrived in the Wachau in July, Vienna had a modest (though sturdy) stone ring wall. Luitpold could not hope to starve out the town, as Vienna was well stocked and could receive supplies by river. After von Linz stubbornly refused a demand of surrender, even after being offered a position as Count of Vienna and the Wachau, Luitpold opted instead to take the town by storm, outnumbering the defenders handily.

Neither leader knew much of siege warfare, so the battle that followed was straightforward and bloody. The reach of the Bavarian composite bows kept the rebels far back in the trees, where they constructed ladders. On July 22nd, the rebels advanced on the walls.

Luitpold attempted to cover his advance with his Saracen mercenary archers, but the Bavarian archers (though outnumbered) had the advantage of superior bows, more arrows, and a higher vantage point atop the walls, and the unarmored Saracens were repulsed. Furious, Luitpold ordered a mass assault. The Bavarian archers fired until they were out of arrows, but could not possibly halt the advance of so many men (though it took an enormous toll on the advancing army). Ordering his few knights and sergeants to dismount, the Bavarian swordsmen and Carinthian chivalry took to the walls.

The rebels had many ladders, and though ladders are poor at assaulting defended walls, the defenders had their hands full. Hundreds of swordsmen stormed up the ladders. Despite their best efforts and superior numbers, the attackers were turned back by the desperate defenders. The archers, out of arrows, instead hurled rocks down upon the advancing rebels.

The next day at dawn, the rebels again marched to the walls with ladders. Meanwhile, the Italian mercenaries under Luitpold brought a great log to the main gate, and began battering down the heavy door. The Bavarian spearmen piled wood and stones (as well as their own persons) against the gate, and it took fully an hour to penetrate the gate. The Italians, heavily armored and disciplined, were able to push back the German spearmen and soon gained control of the gate, though the defenders on the walls hurled rocks down upon them.

Though it took hours of hard fighting, eventually the rebels gained footholds on the wall, and once this had been done the defenders had little recourse. The attackers outnumbered them by more than 2 to 1, and many of the defenders were archers without arrows. Several hundred townspeople had joined the defense, but with little in the way of arms they were of only limited help to the defenders. Eventually, the defenders were forced to abandon the walls, and were forced back through the streets, until the resistance finally ended when von Linz was killed in the fighting. At this, the defenders finally surrendered, but to little avail – Luitpold had descended into one of his fits of rage at the support the townspeople had given von Linz, and put the town to the sack. The Muslim mercenaries and the rebel Carinthians gleefully went to this task, with only the stoic Italians declining to participate. Many peasants and townsfolk fled the town, and many were killed trying to flee.

Luitpold, styled Markgraf Luitpold von Kärnten, is now in charge of Carinthia, but his hold is tenuous. His atrocities in Vienna and his use of Muslim troops have stirred many peasants into rebellion, and his forces took heavy losses in his attack on Vienna. Unless he gains foreign reinforcements, it seems unlikely he will be able to hold on to power, and even less likely that he will be able to defend against the Duke of Bavaria, should the combined German army turn against him.

Losses:

The Fourth Regiment was entirely destroyed. About half of its members are dead; the rest were stripped of their arms and armor and disbanded, many of them wounded. Some were forcibly conscripted into Luitpold’s force, and have been re-armed.

The Chivalry of Carinthia lost 20 knights and 65 Sergeants, and the remainder has been forced to swear allegiance to the new Markgraf, save a few who fled to Bavaria.

The Carinthian Rebels have lost between one thousand and 1,500 men, with a significant number of the rest wounded.

Spoils:

The Carinthian Rebels gained all spoils from the battle, including loot from the sack of Vienna and arms belonging to the Fourth Regiment.

[Cyclotron]

Reports from Bohemia are being edited and may have to wait for tomorrow. In the meantime...

Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia to King Conrad
Good King, with the help of your forces I have regained my rightful throne and am in the process of liberating my country from the Magyars. Once my borders are secure, I will be glad to assist with further action against the heathen.

Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia to Duke Heinrich of Saxony
I have become aware of your position and I am able to render some limited assistance. The detestable Berstuk has raided my lands as well, and I am certainly concerned with the integrity of my northern border. If you have a plan in mind, I may be able to temporarily provide a detachment of soldiers to help crush him.

King Rudolph II of Burgundy to King Conrad
I am glad my men have proved some use to you. Though I am afraid my contract with the Italians in my company must expire, the rest of the detachment are at your disposal for now, though I may be forced to recall them at some point. I wish you God's favor in your endeavors.

Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
I, of course, do not blame you for the default upon our deal - this rebel Luitpold is to blame. I fear he may be backed by the Emperor, who surely seeks your undoing. I would be happy to render such assistance as I can to any efforts to bring this bandit and criminal to justice.

[Micha]

Duke Heinrich of Saxony to Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia

My trusted friend, with much delight I have heard of your offer! Indeed we have a solid plan to crush those savage heathens and secure these lands for good christians once and for all. The Elbe river will be a key in the strategy we have developed, as it links your demesne with mine and provides access to both Dresden and Meissen.
Your aid, both in men and supplies, will be most welcome to arrive at Meissen as soon as possible. Assistance in times of need is the highest form of good deeds, and it surely won´t be forgotten.
Once your forces have arrived, which will be by the time our reinforcements arrive at Leipzig, we will join the siege and - with the help of god - crush those infidels at once!

Gratefully, Duke Heinrich of Saxony.


OOC:
Awesome update, many thanks for the effort, Cyclotron!
Please don´t forget the generals (they are not listed under "pending").
The most important thing now is the status block. All orders almost exclusively depend on it...

[appleciders]

*Sigh*... c'est la vie. Still, not all bad news; good to hear I've got a buffer against the Magyars (sort of). And I suppose an easy update would be boring, anyway. Good update! I love the detail in the battle reports; really gives me a sense of the tactics working out. That superhero metaphor with Berengar is looking more and more accurate...arrogant bastard. And now, for some slight responses.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia
My brother Duke! It pleases me to be able to adress you so. I am grateful to have played a part in the return of Christian control to Bohemia. Now that this has been played out, I must begin the process of pulling my army back out of Bohemia to deal with a rebel who has renounced Christ and hires other heathens to sack my lands. I will be pulling some of my forces out to deal with this, but don't worry- the majority of the German army shall remain with you, to protect Bohemia.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice
When you say "such assistance as I can", what might I expect? I know Venice has no standing army, but if you could hire mercenaries to assist in the liberation of Carinthia, we might complete our trades sooner to the greater benefit of us both. Even simple financial aid would be a great boon in achieving this goal.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Conrad of Franconia
My liege, I desperately require your help in this matter! You must declare Luitpold's position in Carinthia illegal, and leave no doubt that he is an imposter!

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Cyclotron
Pending:
- Battle Reports (Bohemia, Carinthia)
- Diplomacy
- Stat Block
- Generals

OOC:
Awesome update, many thanks for the effort, Cyclotron!
Please don´t forget the generals (they are not listed under "pending").

Don't worry, most things should be posted today. The stat block will be updated as soon as I have time, which I have a lot more of now that I'm at home (I'm not working for another two weeks).

[Cyclotron]

Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria

Our treasury is, of course, always adequate - as the Persian king of old once said, "my best soldiers seem to be my archers!*" Though Italians seem to be in high demand these days, we will be able to raise a force of Italians, Franks, and Normans - heavy and disciplined troops all. Though we must still work out the contracts, I predict a force of around 1,500 to 2,000 well trained fighters, including cavalry. It is difficult to raise more on such short notice, but unless an ally of Luitpold's intervenes, this should be sufficient.

My troops can move up and secure Eppenstein, likely before Luitpold can react. If your foces land by river we may be able to catch them between us, and take Vienna back from them.

*This is funny because Persian coins of the time had a picture of the king drawing a bow on them, so archers=coins. It's a military-economic pun! Ha ha!

[bipolarbear]

OOC: I really enjoyed that update cyc.

[Cyclotron]

Bohemian Campaign
German-Bohemian-Burgundinian Marginal Victory

The Spring thaw saw the movement of the combined German army, with its Bohemian and Burgundinian allies, out of Regensburg and towards Bohemian territory. The advance was made in good order, and within a week the troops had reached the border. At the border, however, Duke Vratislaus announced his opposition to Duke Arnulf’s battle plan; while he agreed in principle with the plan of attack, he proposed that if he was not allowed to lead his forces personally he would not be able to show the Bohemians that he had returned as their rightful leader. Irritated, but unable to refuse the request, Arnulf allowed the Bohemians to form up separately under the command of the Duke of Bohemia.

The border crossing was made without resistance. Within three weeks, the army arrived in Pilsen. Though the force had been drawn up for battle, no resistance was encountered – a small contingent of Magyar scouts near the city quickly departed when the Germans drew near. Duke Vratislaus paraded his men through the streets, to the cheers of the native population. The army remained at Pilsen for three days as Vratislaus gathered more men to his banner, but the Germans were unable to find much in the way of supplies – much of the countryside had been stripped by the Magyars, and little food was available after this year’s wheat blight. Low on supplies, but having raised an additional 1,100 militiamen, the army continued its march towards Prague.

The Magyars first opposed the German advance near the small town of Beroun, on the Berounka River about 25 miles from Prague. The Magyars had occupied the opposite shore, and had apparently burned the town’s bridge (and the town), and moved to check every attempt to cross the river. The river needed to be crossed, however, and so the Germans set up their pavise archers on the east bank, to provide cover fire for the troops crossing the river. The Berounka is small enough that this was not a great difficulty, though once on the other side the German troops were charged by Magyar lancers braving the German arrow bombardment. The Magyars smashed the German infantry as they attempted to form ranks on the steep bank of the river, driving the Germans back into the river in a bloody mass. The Germans fought back, but without the support of their knights (who could not easily cross the river) and with poor footing in the water, Duke Arnulf was forced to pull back and abort the crossing attempt. The evening brought light rain, and Arnulf attempted the crossing again, but it again failed (though the mud and poor weather increased casualties on the Magyar side), and Visloff der Kroat was wounded leading the infantry across the Berounka. Conferring with each other, the Franconian generals came to Arnulf with a plan.

That night, the Bohemian troops marched up the river with a great number of torches, attempting to make the Magyars think they were crossing further upstream. The Magyars followed, and as they left the Germans attempted to cross a third time in the dark. Too late, the Magyars realized the deception and wheeled back to attack the German force. The German spearmen, however, had already established themselves on firmer ground, and though both sides took casualties in the chaotic night fighting, the ongoing rain forced the Magyars to abandon hope of opposing the crossing further. The next morning saw the transferal of the remaining allied force to the opposite bank of the Berounka.

Within a few days, the German force – harassed (but not deterred) by sporadic Magyar raids – reached the top of Bila Hora (“the White Mountain”), a 300 foot, forested hill about two and a half miles from Vyšehrad, the “High Castle” around which the city of Prague was built. This is to say “was,” as the city walls had apparently been overrun and the town burned. Vratislav despaired, until it was realized that the castle itself was untaken, and thus likely contained many survivors of the attack. With their headquarters in a small hunting castle atop Bila Hora, the generals began to plan the attack. Magyar sorties against the mountain proved fruitless; with the protection of the forests and the high ground, the army proved impossible to dislodge. Taking advantage of their defensive position, however, the Magyars managed to draw a wide circle around Bila Hora, and remained patient.

Time for all sides was running out. Supplies in the citadel were likely quite low, the Magyars had long since pillaged the area of all its food, and the German commanders had reduced their army’s rations to make good use of what little food was left. Several days dragged on. Finally, opting to take advantage of a rainy day, Duke Arnulf ordered the Bohemians and Burgundinians, backed by a host of German chivalry, to advance to the walls. Fearing the loss of Bila Hora, the Germans kept back their infantry and some knights. Though the Magyars found their bows to be largely ineffective, their lancers made repeated charges to the advancing party, which the German chivalry were unable to repel, as they came from all directions. Without support from the German archers, the allies were forced back to Bila Hora with significant casualties. Unwilling to lose the high ground, Arnulf opted to wait longer, despite the pleas of Duke Vratislaus to lift the Magyar siege. Rumors regarding Arnulf’s cowardice began to circulate in the army’s ranks, especially among the Burgundinians, eager to have at the enemy (unlike the more battle-weary German levies). Finally, faced with starvation, the German command was forced to act.

Leaving the Burgundinian contingent (who Arnulf considered too unreliable) to guard the crest of the hill, the Germans and Bohemians advanced in a broad column, with the Bohemian skirmishers covering the flanks. Once they were a mile from Bila Hora, the Magyars struck in force. Surrounded on all sides, things looked quite bleak for the Germans. The skirmish lines collapsed, and the carefully plotted ranks turned into an oval-shaped morass of German and Bohemian footmen. The farmland, stripped, burnt, and very wet, turned into sloshing mud. Though this entirely crippled the German chivalry, it was similarly unhelpful for the Magyars, and the Germans ended turning what could have been a rout into merely a very bloody defense. The Magyars, stripped of much of their mobility and archery ability by the wet conditions, took heavy casualties, though they hurt the Germans and Bohemians more. Eventually, significantly outnumbered, they abandoned the attack, and the combined force reached the city walls. Fearing entrapment within the city (where cavalry skirmishing would be impossible), the Magyar force laying siege to the citadel exited out the city gates. The Bohemian defenders within Vyšehrad jubilantly opened the gates to the Germans, who quickly went about securing the charred town and its still-intact city walls. The Magyars, however, were after something else.

Realizing that only a small force had been left at the Bila Hora, Hadúr Zoltán opted to assault the hill before his departure. Though heavily outnumbered, the Burgundinians conducted a brilliant and stalwart defense; hunting castles are not exactly built for security, but the Burgundinian sergeants and knights dismounted, using their lances like spears, and together with the Italian mercenaries and other spearmen held several bridges and marshy brook crossings against the Magyar assault. Though the Burgundinians lost a third of their force, the Magyars were severely beaten – their light horsemen fared poorly against the well-trained Italians and Knight-spearmen in close combat. The remnants of the Magyar host, thwarted at every turn and having lost control of the city, departed south in search of critical supplies. Thus, though defeated and diminished, the Magyar force remains in existence, Hadúr Zoltán presumably still alive.

The Germans opted to stay at Prague for some time, to accumulate supplies and to rest their troops. Meanwhile, gathering more and more Bohemians to his banner, Duke Vratislaus struck northwards Leitmeritz, liberating the city and securing the Elbe river basin. After restoring order to his northern frontier, he returned to Prague around autumn, and released the Germans and allies from his service. The Germans and Burgundinians, not wanting to risk a long march in winter, wintered in Pilsen, awaiting the final leg of their journey home. The German levies, sick of campaigning and starvation rations, seem to be obeying only out of the knowledge that home will be soon at hand. Some have already deserted the battered German army. Conrad’s Moravian mercenaries, for their part, opted to terminate their contract while still in Prague, preferring to join up with the reconstituted Bohemian army.

Losses:

Duke Arnulf - alive
Duke Vratislaus - alive
Freiherr Visloff der Kroat – wounded in battle
Rhinegraf Gisfried von Ingelbeim – alive
Burggraf Otto von Nordgau – alive
Count Odo de Neuchatel – alive
Vizegraf Bernard von Thurgau (Swabian) – alive
Landgraf Abelard von Bernfeld – alive
Landgraf Cristianus von Mellrichstadt – alive
Wildgraf Waldhar von Brenner - alive

The Franconians lost 780 men:
540 Medium Spearmen
80 Light Archers
10 Light Skirmishers
120 Medium Swordsmen
20 Sergeants
10 Knights

120 men have deserted the Franconian Army:
70 Medium Spearmen
30 Light Archers

The Bavarians lost 790 men:
45 Chargebreakers
340 Medium Spearmen
30 Light Archers
65 Composite Archers
130 Angonmen
85 Thuringian Woodsmen
25 Knights
70 Sergeants

140 men have deserted the Bavarian Army:
70 Medium Spearmen
10 Light Archers
40 Composite Archers
20 Angonmen

The 35 remaining Thuringian mercenaries have abandoned the army.

The Swabian lost 30 men:
20 Meidum Spearmen
10 Medium Guards

The Magyars lost between 2 and 3 thousand men.

The Bohemians lost around 1,500 men.

The Burgundinians lost 550 men:
120 Italian Urban Guards
160 Medium Spearmen
140 Medium Swordsmen
30 Knights
90 Sergeants

The remaining Italian mercenaries have been released from their service.

Loot:

No settlements or baggage trains were compromised during this battle.

The German army was able to loot the battlefield. Gear lost by the Burgundians and Bohemians was returned to them. Some gear from deserting soldiers was abandoned, but some is also lost.

From the Magyars:
900 Magyar bows
250 Spears
120 Light Armor
40 Maces
100 Shields

From the Germans:
60 Bows
380 Spears
20 Polearms
60 Swords
20 Magyar bows
30 Javelins
330 Light Armor
60 Heavy Armor
20 Axes
410 Shields