Borders and Bunkum

Since my last posting I have been toying with maps - yet again.  Looking at the borders of the State as shown in my earlier posting, I was dissatisfied with the shape of the territory.  There was an uncanny similarity to Cyprus and even modern-day Austria.

Although the territory was logical and the size fine - the shape needed tweaking.  I have done this by shifting the borders South and West by approximately 50 miles.  This has had the added bonus of giving me a short stretch of (mountainous) coastline with a couple of small towns.   Thus B-S is no longer land-locked.

I have no interest in naval power but the ability to send ships out on the high seas is a boon.  Minor colonial adventures can be undertaken and trade routes generated.  Indeed the presence of Red Indian servants at Court (long planned) is no longer so hard to justify.

At present, I am trying to get to grips with Campaign Cartographer.  Mostly, I find the interface to be fairly straightforward but I am having a great deal of trouble when it comes to borders abutting borders.  The software seems to prefer generating a random margin rather than in-filling an area.  Probably something I am doing (or not doing) but frustrating nonetheless.

Map will be posted in due course and then I can finally move on to what I had planned for last week!

Cartography - a tricky matter.

Whilst waiting for the delivery of my figures from Northstar, I decided to take the plunge and map Beimbach-Schönau.  Surprisingly, I found this to be one of the trickiest things to date.

The Reichsfürstum is known to be on the very fringes of the Holy Roman Empire and to enjoy a good deal of autonomy.  Additionally, the very real menace from the savage Turk needed to be immediate and relevant to the C18. 

After much perusal of Google Maps and pouring over old documents, I decided upon a plausible location.   In short the ImagiNation is located in the area now occupied by Southern Hungary, Northern Croatia and Eastern Slovenia.   The map I have created is very much a first draft and I can see many ways to improve it.  However, it shows the main highways, fortresses, conurbations and topographical features (the latter two are grounded in reality)

Additionally the cantons, for want of a better term, are shown outlined by a broken line.  These are in the process of being numbered and named.  The system used will approximate to that of the C20 "Wehrkreis" - anachronistic but logical.

I think over the next few weeks I will have to hand-draw a full map complete with all desired information.   However, the above will suffice for the present.

"Der Pistaziekrieg" 1744

No doubt our well informed readers will be aware that the Reichfürstum is again embroiled in hostilities to the South East.  However, the cause of the so-called "Pistachio War" is less well known.  To rectify this, a brief summary follows.

Following the cessation of hostilities with the Turk, the Treaty of Beograd (1739) required the Emperor Charles VI to relinquish control of territory won earlier this Century.

Through skillful diplomacy, Beimbach-Schönau had avoided major involvement in the war but had been required to dispatch a contingent in support of the Reichsarmee.  This force acquitted itself well and returned with honour.  However, despite the bravery of our soldiery, the deficiencies of what was in effect an outdated institution were made apparent during this conflict.  This resulted in a reorganisation and expansion of the military.

Amongst the lands lost to the Empire was the highly volatile area known as the "Banat of Nuštavar".  This area has, following the Treaty, acquired a semi-autonomous nature and is now ruled by "Pasha Zahi" (formerly a general in the Ottoman Army)  Masquerading as a Liberator and man of culture,  Zahi has a long history of atrocity and intolerance toward all non-Mohammedans.  This cruelty is matched only by his insatiable greed.

Even though his rise to power in the Banat was of grave concern to all Christians in the area, it was hoped that Zahi would at least attempt to show a modicum of decorum when dealing with his new "neighbours".  Unfortunately, this did not occur.

As the Banat of Nuštavar sits astride the highly profitable Oriental Trade routes, there are many Imperial merchants present within the capitol, Torşova (more properly named Torschowa).   In addition to the well developed spice and textile trades, there are a goodly number of merchants (the majority Subjects of out State) whose livelihoods depend upon the demand for exotic foodstuffs.  High on the list of comestibles is the versatile Pistachio nut, grown in Hellas and Asia Minor.  These nuts are used in dishes both sweet and savoury and, as such, form an important part of many an exotic recipe and hors d'œuvre.  It could be said that the Aristocracy's enthusiam for these green morsels has become something of a craze.

The wealth accumulated by these traders did not escape the notice of the rapacious Pasha.  Through a series of blatantly criminal actions Zahi's regime levied outrageous taxes on non-Moslem commerce and additionally dispatched thugs to extort further funds from these industrious persons.  This robbery was accompanied by the closure of many Churches and frequent acts of anti-German violence.

The most prominent of the "Pistachio Merchants" was Johannes Schürlein  formerly of Alt-Beimbach.  Having established his offices in Torschowa some twenty years earlier he had acquired a fine reputation and earned a considerable fortune - which, within the space of three years, had been drained by Zahi and his cohorts.

The situation reached breaking-point during 1743, when the remaining merchants decided to make a stand against further extortion.   This noble action by Schürlein and his fellow nut traders was met not by negotiation but by force.  A mob was encouraged to murder these good people during Sunday Mass, their families being enslaved and what little assets remained confiscated by Pasha Zahi.  The orgy of violence spread throughout the city and after a week of murder, rape and theft no foreign traders remained in Torşova.

This resulted in outrage throughout Christendom but the Empire was enmeshed by the great wars elsewhere in Europe. Beyond issuing formal complaint, to both Torşova and Constantinople , Wien took no action.  The Tokapi expressed regret but pointed out that the affairs of the Banat were not under the Sultan's control.  The vile Pasha acknowledged the grievance by executing the Imperial messengers and thus further inflamed the situation.

Our Prince was enraged by Pasha Zahi's arrogance and the maltreatment of the traders.   Encouraged by the apparent indifference of Constantinople and the strength of his newly reorganised army, Reichfürst Maximilian determined upon a punitive campaign against the Banat with the dual aims of deposing the Pasha and acquiring the territory, in the interest of Christendom, The Empire and fine canapés. 

 

A Brief History

Like so much in Central Europe. the origins of the State are complex.

Since at least the Dark Ages there has been a lakeside settlement on the site.  The founder of Bad Löwensee was a Knight named Ulrich the Pious  (1053-1128).  At the end of what had been a somewhat disappointing foray into the Pagan lands, he claimed a mystical Lion "promised" him the territory in a vision.  Ulrich followed the "instructions" he had been given and the town fell to his retinue. Ulrich adopted the feline prophet as his badge and to this day the Coat-of-Arms proudly displays the legendary "Lion of Ulrich".

By the early Middle Ages, the settlement  had become an Imperial Free City, reknowned for both it's hot springs and the supposed "miracle".  Due to it's convenient location astride the pilrgimage route to Outremer, the city received many visitors and a good deal of revenue. 

Through aggressive means and dynastic marriages, the now renamed von Löwensee family came quickly to control the surrounding area including the commercial centre of Schönau and the heavily fortified outpost at Beimbach.   When granted the title of Markgraf,  (1223) Otto von Löwensee decided to recognise the importance of these towns in his choice of a new name for the Markgrafschaft.  In addition, he added three Suns to his standard, representing his domain's three main cities.  

Due to it's location on the fringes of the Holy Roman Empire and the decline in Pilgrimage traffic, Beimbach-Schönau was spared much of the devastation caused by the Black Death (1348-50).  Once the plague had passed, this left the area in an advantageous position in relation to other, more severely depopulated, States.  Many physicians attributed  the low mortality rate to the "miraculous" waters of the Löwensee.

The illustration shows Bad Löwensee in the mid-15th Century.  This flourishing town was severely damaged by marauding troops during "Thirty Years War" (1618-48).  Although a tragedy, the sack of the capital has enabled the Nobility to consolidate it's power by urging subjects to unite against the "Protestant Menace" beyond the borders.

The rebuilt town remains the ceremonial and cultural heart of the Markgraf's territory.  Perched atop a rocky outcrop overlooking the town, the imposing "Schloss Löwenstein" is the official residence of the Markgraf.  However, the main military and commercial functions have now been assumed by the larger cities of Beimbach and Schönau.

The Economy is tightly controlled by the Markgraf and is predominantly agrarian.   Fine glassware is produced in the Bad Löwensee area.  Schönau is famed for it's textiles and fine wines which some say rival "Tokaj" in terms of quality.   Beimbach is the major garrison city and has the workshops and artisans essential to support a modern military.

Beimbach-Schönau has an ethnically varied population comprising a German majority with sizable Czech and Magyar communities.  In addition there exists a large body of serfs working the Estates of the gentry. The official religion is Roman Catholicism and other Faiths are aggressively discouraged by the Nobility.  Politically the State is closely bound to the Emperor in Wien.

Currently enjoying an uneasy peace with it's Protestant and Slavic neighbours, The now Reichsfürstentum of Beimbach-Schönau quietly arms for the inevitable conflict between the Empire and it's many enemies.