Swiss Arms

Swiss Arms

Chapter 160

-VB-

Though formed in the midst of the coin crisis that shook the central region of the empire, the Fluelaberg-Gorizia-Habsburg alliance was never going to last long, and anyone practiced in geopolitics of the era would have seen it. The reason for this is as simple and complicated as it could get: land.

The Habsburgs could not afford to expand into the Bavarian lands, whose alliances and house networks would have overwhelmed the Habsburgs at this stage of development. The region that would become future Baden-Wurttemburg was already heavily influenced and dominated by the Habsburgs, and so breaking those alliances and influences to go for direct land grabs would turn them into diplomatic pariahs instantly for attacking blood relations.

They could not afford to attack the rich and powerful city-states of the Northern Italy, and all routes they wanted to expand through were occupied by powerful states they could not afford to anger like the Serene Republic of Venice, County of Savoy and its regional allies, and the Lordship of Milan and its growing power.

This left the Three Lords generation of early Habsburg - Rudolf, Leopold, and Albert, the sons of King of Romans Albert I of Habsburg - with only three paths to expand militarily: the Kingdom of Hungary, Crown of Bohemia, and the lands of Gorizia.

At the time, House Gorizia controlled four main titles: their titular County of Gorizia in Northern Italy, the County of Tyrol in the Central/Eastern Alps, and the twin duchies of Carinthia and Carniola in the southeastern reaches of the Holy Roman Empire. Together, these four titles granted them enough land, prestige, manpower, and wealth to rival the Habsburgs. And given their better reputation (simply by not being as much of a powerhungry house like the Habsburgs), their status was a cause enough for the Bohemian nobles to ask Duke Henry of Gorizia to become their king over the Wittelsbach and Habsburg nobles when the last king of their native dynasty died.

This unified the lands south and north of the Habsburg into the hands of one of their rival houses. However, this was a consolidation of titles and power that had not yet solidified. The Bohemian nobles, in particular, were not yet fully in support of the new Gorizian king, no matter his marital status with one of their princesses and had actually helped another Gorizian rival. The House of Luxembourg took advantage of this by smuggling out a different princess for their scion to marry, and the same nobles who helped them with the smuggling were ready for even more disruption.

At the same time, the Habsburgs - particularly Rudolf III of Styria (one of the duchies under Habsburg control) - had allied with one of the Hungarian nobles during its Interregnum, leaving eastward expansion blocked off for now. This left the Habsburgs with very few avenues of growth, and everyone

knows how the Board of Directors hate hearing that.

Ah, my mistake. How the

Lords hate hearing that they had to play nice with someone whose lands they wanted.

So the Habsburgs schemed to wage war on Gorizia, even if their own mother came from House Gorizia. However, they had a problem: King Henry of Bohemia, Tyrol, Carinthia, and Carniola, the one blocking off most of their expansion, was allied to Count Hans von Fluelaberg, the Undefeated Commander of the Alps. Despite having the smallest force out of all aforementioned houses and territories, their "ranger" men-at-arms were known for their unorthodox warfare and experimental weapons that gave them technological advantage. The Habsburg knew that an attack on Gorizia would surely bring Fluelaberg out to support their defending ally, especially because the alliance between Fluelaberg-Gorizia was deeper and stronger than the flimsy one established between Fluelaberg-Habsburg.

Their solution to this was to tie up Fluelaberg and its rangers in defending its territory while the main Habsburg armies assaulted and conquered Gorizian lands in Carinthia, Carniola, and Bohemia with their Hungarian allies and Swabian vassals.

What they did not expect was for their future enemies to know of their plan beforehand and to have a say in how it would play out.

-VB-

Louis of Erstfeld

January 1310

Louis slowly read through the many lines on his son's letter and felt himself dreading what was to come.

He was not a learned man, but he knew enough about the empire to know that his son was alluding to a war that would span a good fifth of the entire empire. This was not a small war but a huge one that would see thousands of dead at a minimum.

But then again, when wasn't his son not involved in a landscape changing event?

"What is it, dear?" his one and only wife asked. He looked up from where he had been reading the letter by the home hearth.

"Ah," he uttered before thinking about whether he should tell her about this. Well, actually, she was going to learn about it anyway from the wives of other men, some of whom would gladly take the chance to earn some extra coins and be free of the house during winter, so there was no reason for him to not tell her, even if it was about their son being in yet another war. "It seems that Hans will soon be embroiled in another war."

She frowned and sighed with her eyes closed. "That boy. Didn't he leave the house to become a hermit or something? Why is he so set on being anything but that? At least, I wouldn't have to worry about him in that case."

"I know," Louis huffed. "But he is our son, and our son is asking me if there are any men in Uri who might want to get involved in the war as mercenaries." Then he offered her the letter. Just like him, his wife was not a learned or highborn woman, but she knew enough to be able to read. Mostly. As long as anything she was reading was written simply and not with the eloquence of highborns.

She took the letter, sat down next to him, and read through it slowly.

"Oh my," she said at the end while covering her lips with her free left hand. "The Habsburgs?"

He nodded while staring at the fire.

One of the reasons why the Forest Cantons had come together had been exactly because of the Habsburgs and their grubby paws.

Aargau was the ancient homeland of the Habsburgs, and they kept their hold onto it to this day. And with how strong they were, they kept trying to push for more across the Rhine River, including their cantons. That was why the Forest Cantons banded together and swore a defensive alliance.

And now, someone else was coming under attack by the same grubby Habsburgs.

"You should take this to the town hall tomorrow," she said as she handed him the letter back. "I'm sure many men - and a few women - will appreciate the coin."

He grunted in agreement.

Because his son was offering way more than anyone else would offer lowly peasant mercenaries for their services. At the price written on his son's letter, there wouldn't be any men left in the village by next month.

Because at 10 pfennigs per day, that was close to twice what they would make as a day laborer in a merchant's warehouse.

---

Louis

"Say what?" the village elder, Samuel, asked with shock.

"My son, the Lord of Fluelaberg, is offering to pay 10 copper pfennigs per day."

Everyone in the town hall looked at him.

The town hall was a new thing that was built not by the villagers but the helpers that Hans sent with the foodstuff back when the flood and rain nearly wiped them out. It was only thanks to that help and the town hall acting as a home for those who lost their homes that they were able to get through the roughest months before they got back on their feet.

And now, here he was, putting out a call for mercenaries during winter for that very same son of his.

Hell, he was sure that Hans would have gotten volunteers and mercenaries even if he paid at the same rate as any other lord or city would pay their mercenaries.

But now…

He stared out into the gathered villagers.

Many men - and women - looked hungry for that.

Because if they worked a week for Hans - sans the rest day - then they would earn sixty pfennigs, which would buy them enough food to survive a month. And if this war lasted for weeks and even months? Some of them might come home with enough money to try their hands at something else.

"That's all I had to say."

"How many is he hiring?!" someone in the back shouted their question.

The crowd suddenly became intense.

"U-Um…" Louis muttered under the intense wide eyed gazes. "He hasn't said it in the letter…?"

The village elder concluded the meeting right then.

And everyone rushed out of the town hall.

"... Is there even going to be a village by this time next week?" the elder shook his head and then turned to Louis. "You keep them all as safe as you can, you hear?"

"... Yes, elder. I'll try my best."

---

Later that week, Louis set off from Erstfeld toward Goothard Pass with forty men and their families.

To Disentis.

To the Compact.

To his son.

-VB-

Snippet of record from the Book of Mercenaries, 1st Edition (1305-1330)

Mountain Library of Fluelaberg

Erstfeld Band

Captain: Louis of Erstfeld

Mercenaries: 40

Dependents: 79

Certified by Fluelaberg Office of Records