It turns out that Prince Carl, Cardinal Ferdinand Verbest and Mary Anne had already discussed in private how to carve up the Balkan Peninsula!
Of course, Osman didn't fall so quickly. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse! The Ottoman Empire was a huge country, and the Ottoman Sultan also served as the caliph of the Tianfang Sect. It’s just that the Ottoman Empire has been very prosperous in the past one or two hundred years. It can hold back the Christian countries in the West by relying on the Yenicherry Army, the Crimean Tatar Cavalry, a small amount of Sipaxi Cavalry, and Barbary pirates, so there is no need. Raising the flag of the Caliphate of the Caliphate too high - Holding the flag of the Caliphate high can mobilize the strength of the territory of the Caliphate held by the Ottoman Empire, but it will also cause the conservative forces within the Ottoman Empire to be too strong, which will have a negative impact on the development of the Ottoman Empire in the long run. large adverse effects.
But when the national crisis hits, the Ottoman Empire can no longer take the long term into consideration... So the Ottoman Empire can still mobilize the manpower and material resources on the territory of the Eastern Tianfang Sect to fight against the West!
Moreover, the Ming Empire in the East and the Timurid Empire in India would not just watch the Ottoman Empire collapse - if it collapsed, Europe might be unified by Rome. Although a unified Rome is not necessarily more capable of fighting, it is always uncomfortable to see on the map, so it is better to maintain the Ottoman Empire.
Therefore, the blow to the Ottoman Empire from the Lakeside-Danube Battle was similar to the disastrous defeat of the Second Battle of Vienna in history.
Just because there is already a country on the Christian territory of Europe that can truly lead the community - the Roman Empire!
Therefore, the Ottoman Empire will not have an easy time in the future, and it will definitely lose a lot of territory. However, there is a high probability that Istanbul will not be lost. Firstly, it is because it is difficult to defeat - it is a bit far to send troops from Austria, Poland, Venice and other places to reach Istanbul.
And there is so much land in between, how to divide it up is a problem!
Secondly, it was because Emperor Louis the Great actually needed a arrogant Ottoman Empire, so that he could digest the "Carlos legacy" and the trophies he obtained in Central Europe and the Balkans...
"Carlos Legacy" has nothing to do with Marie Anne, Prince Carl and Archduke Henry. But how to divide the spoils of war in Central Europe and the Balkans has something to do with the three of them.
Because many territories in Central Europe and the Balkans now look like they will be occupied by the Austrian army and the Hungarian knights who love Queen Mary Anne!
"How many Hungarians support us now?" Archduke Henry frowned and asked, "What do they want from us?"
"Except for the nobles of Transylvania, most of the Hungarian nobles support us. This is a very powerful force!" The answer to this question was Mary Anne, the candidate Queen of Hungary. "Of course what they want is a greater Hungary. Got it!"
She had found a chair and sat down in Henry's office. She had not yet put on the St. Stephen's crown - because the original crown could not be found, the new crown had not yet been made, and she had not yet been officially crowned Hungary. Queen.
However, she has received the unanimous support of 188 great nobles in upper and lower Hungary - the great nobles of Hungary prefer a pleasant-looking queen. Historically, Maria Theresa was defeated by Frederick II during the War of Austrian Succession. Shi was beaten until her nose was bruised and her face was swollen, and her country was about to be destroyed, and no one in Europe could immediately send out troops to save her. In desperation, she had no choice but to plead with the Hungarian nobles who had been fighting for independence. She gave a speech in the Congress Hall in Pressburg, Hungary, tearfully telling her misfortune and asking the noble Hungarian knights for help. As a result, a group of Hungarian uncles saw how cute their pretty girl king was, so they all gave up the idea of rebellion and helped Austria to beat Prussia... Frederick II was really unlucky. Who was he provoking?
Later, the Austrian Empire was defeated by Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War. Seeing that it was about to fall apart again, Franz Joseph I had no choice but to ask his beautiful wife to win over Hungary, and the result was an Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Now that the beautiful Habsburg girl is gone, she has been replaced by a Bourbon-Mancini mature beauty, which is also in line with the aesthetics of the Hungarian aristocracy, so the Hungarians decided to send troops to support their queen.
Hungary has a large territory and a large population (much more than Henry's Austria), and because the Hungarian nation has a nomadic tradition, it can provide very powerful hussars (light cavalry), which are far more powerful than the Crimean Khan's Tatars. The cavalry is on par with the Polish cavalry.
Henry's strength would be greatly increased if he could get the support of tens of thousands of Hungarian hussars.
Henry asked: "How big...is Great Hungary?"
"The bigger the better! Only when the map is big will the Hungarian nobles feel proud and satisfied!" Mary Anne replied, "So this Greater Hungary must include Upper Hungary, Lower Hungary and Transylvania... .And this country must also protect the interests of the Hungarian nobles and cannot allow German or French nobles to go to Hungary to seize farms.”
"Then..." Henry asked thoughtfully, "What benefits can Austria get? The Austrians paid a huge price for this war!"
"The Austrians can gain the right to establish and participate in the management of autonomous cities along the Danube River!" Mary Anne said, "Most of the Hungarian nobles are serf owners... they cannot manage the city, and they are not very interested in the city. So. Bratislava, Gyor, Buda and Pest will all become chartered autonomous cities, allowing Austrian merchants to live freely there, and separate Austrian districts will be set aside and given to Austrians."
"It's not enough," Henry shook his head, "Austrian merchants should also obtain tax-free and free navigation rights on the Danube River in Hungary!"
"That's no problem," said Mary Anne, "I can convince the Hungarians, because this is what the Austrians deserve.
In addition, there is another point that must be emphasized... Austria and Hungary will never merge, but they can always be allies! "
Henry thought for a while and nodded: "That's okay... The Hungarians have suffered a lot from the Austrian nobles. If Austria-Hungary merges, sooner or later there will still be a falling out!"
He paused and looked at his wife seriously, "Then will Emperor Louis agree to our eating Hungary? Hungary is a big fat piece of meat!"
This Great Hungary is huge! Among them, Upper Hungary is roughly the area of Slovakia in later generations, Lower Hungary is roughly Hungary in later generations, and Transylvania is the northern region of Romania in later generations.
"Yes!" Mary Anne smiled, "Because my father is the biggest winner!"
"He..." Henry asked, "What can he get?"
"First of all, of course, the Kingdom of Bohemia!" Mary Anne said, "We can arrange for the nobles of Bohemia to elect Count Vermandois as their king.
Next is the Kingdom of Croatia. We can try to get the Croatian nobles to elect Duke Mann as king. "
The Duke of Mann was also the son of Louis, named Louis Auguste. He was the illegitimate son of Louis the Great and Madame de Montespan. He obtained legal status in 1673.
Mary Anne said: "And I am also the daughter of the Great Emperor... In this way, the three countries of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia will all be ruled by the Bourbon dynasty! The Grand Duchy of Austria will still look the same as before, but A small, harmless, neutral country.
My father will definitely be satisfied with such a distribution plan. "
Will he be satisfied? Archduke Henry glared at his woman angrily and said to himself: The Count of Vermandois and the Duke of Mann are both very outstanding soldiers! I don’t know how much better than Crown Prince Louis...and Crown Prince Louis is in very poor health, and he might not be able to survive Emperor Louis the Great.
If such a situation really happens, will the Count of Vermandois, the Duke of Mann, and you, Queen Mary Anne, raise an army to quell the trouble?
When he thought of the "Battle of Jingnan", the Archduke of Austria had a hard time making a decision, so he turned his attention to Count Eugen, an "illegitimate" illegitimate son of Louis the Great - this guy was very good at fighting! If he helps the King of Bohemia or Croatia to "appease", little Louis will be in trouble!
Of course Henry would not have thought that Prince Louis' son, little Louis, was born with a short life and would not survive his grandfather. The person who would inherit the throne of the Roman Empire would be the grandson of Louis the Great... who was only five years old when he ascended the throne!
“Grand Duke,” Count Eugen has been pondering the current situation, and now he has made a decision, “I’m afraid we don’t have the ability to swallow up the entire Balkans in one go!
However, it should be possible to win Upper Hungary, Lower Hungary, Transylvania, Bohemia and Croatia.
And, after taking Upper Hungary, Lower Hungary, and Transylvania... we also need an Ottoman Empire that still looks a little alive to play the enemy of God! "
full text
