1504 -1507

The Realm

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and its Grand Duke Alexander, deal with the aftermath of a brutal and bloody war with the Muscovites and the all-consuming Tatar threat. Though Alexander found the wealth of the state to be in very poor form, attempts were made to strengthen the estates who had supported him in times of difficulty. Many of the major political magnates were granted large stipends and tax breaks from Alexander as thanks for their service, lending to a widespread feeling of a Lithuania that yet still fought well and honorably. The mercantile bourgeoisie of the Grand Duchy were granted similar benefits for an extended period of time, and a grand trading house in Kyiv was built to strengthen its position as a key trading hub. The wealth and prosperity of Lithuania would be attributed much to Alexander's attempts to coordinate amicably with his subjects, but there is no doubt that the great erosion of royal authority was brought on by his gentle touch.

Though the Grand Duke ensured that food was not in low supply and the coffers of his subjects not emptied, his growing tolerance for the various peoples of Lithuania had isolated some of the wealthier, and religious, individuals. Crownlands were given to the Lipka Tatars, who were grateful for such strong support from the Grand Duke. The peasantry that served as the tax base for the crown in these territories would be forced to vacate their lands by the Lipka, who had little desire to become feudal lords like the others of Lithuania. They would find comfort in the churches and monasteries dotted throughout the lands, as many of the lower ranked Catholic clergymen gave sermons about the un-Christian and dangerously tolerant Alexander. Their Orthodox clergy brethren did not share such disdain, but their distaste for their heretical neighbors only strengthened as tensions between the two grew as privileges were granted to all religious men of the Grand Duchy. Most notably, Alexander welcomed all expelled Jewish residents from Lithuania and beyond back into the Grand Duchy with promises of payment for land and a restoration of rights regardless of location. While many found farmlands purchased by royal coin to be welcome and warm homes, numerous revolts and massacres occurred in the urban centers of Lithuania as frustrated masses of peasants and artisans targeted these new communities.

A particular noble of import in Lithuania would experience these struggles personally. Jurgis of Franconia, otherwise known as George von Hohenzollern, had been granted the Duchy of Byela by the Grand Duke. He had been tasked with helping fund a restoration of the city and most importantly, a fancy new castle to be its centerpiece. However, the Duke would find his efforts falling on mostly deaf ears. The burghers pointed towards privileges and tax breaks given by Alexander as reasons for their inaction, while the peasantry of the poor Duchy had little to provide what Jurgis asked for. Knowing that Alexander had already given a lot of royal coin to the newly instated Duke, and the opinions the other nobility felt because of such favor, he would dig into what existed of his own pockets to make up the difference. Nevertheless, the city of Byela would find itself to be in many ways restored by the time of Alexander's unfortunate death, with the White Castle a shining beacon of the city's newfound wealth.

The Military

Alexander had strengthened his nobility and worked closely with the Lord's Council, but he did not share such sympathy with the workings of the soldiers who made up his army. First finding the efforts of his kin in Hungary to be worthy of attention, a small core of armored Hussars was created to serve the Crown. Support from a small cadre of craftsmen from Venice would be key in securing the necessary equipment.

Alexander also targeted the Leičiai, an old staple of the Lithuanian administration and military both. What had originally been a class of sorts, it had developed into a hereditary position dominated by a select group of families who served in many roles for the Grand Duke. Alexander had clearly taken a particular fascination with the German landsknecht that served under him in the most recent war with Muscovy, and the Leičiai were well aware of the origin of their liege's efforts. Though there was little doubt amongst them that their new equipment and royal stables was an improvement, they questioned the Grand Duke's erosion of traditional Lithuanian practices and the Duke's continual importation of both German nobility and traditions. They may have adopted the landsknecht style, but they seemed to have adopted the landsknecht mentality as well. More and more reports came in to the Lord's Council that the Leičiai had been exercising their "rights and privileges as an eternal Leičiai" in their duties across the Grand Duchy, often to the detriment of the non-martial classes. In particular, they seemed happen to stoke the flames of religious unrest for their own financial benefit.

Lands Near and Beyond

Alexander was not only focused on the lands his subjects now occupied. He sent resources and men into the Wild Lands and beyond, in a combined effort to grow connections across the Steppe and strengthen Lithuanian control over this notoriously dangerous region. One of the first efforts came from what was supposed to be a cross-Caucasian journey led by Uz-Timur, the brother of the old Khan of the Golden Horde, Sheikh Ahmed. They soon set off from Lithuania, a mix of Tatars and Lithuanian horsemen on royal duty. It would not be long, however, before Uz-Timur made clear he had his own designs independent of the Lithuanian Grand Duke. Under cover of a routine scouting mission from a number of the party, a coordinated strike of a small band of Cossacks willing to serve for a small sum of money with the Tatars in the camp made quick work of what Christians were there. Uz-Timur himself would slip into the tall grass of the Steppe, his whereabouts unbeknownst to Alexander.

A well-known Cossack leader, Ostap Dashkevych, had also been given the task of setting up an important fortification in the city of Chyhyryn to serve as a means to project power. Securing royal funding, Ostap would deftly manage the complicated tribal relations of both the local Tatars and the incoming migrating Cossack groups to allow for a period of relative peace. The city of Chyhyryn would build a new armory and barracks within its walls to host a sizable force of a few thousand should such a thing become necessary. Ostap would also follow the Grand Duke's orders and attempt to establish a sort of patronage system for some of the larger Cossack tribes that had moved into the area, but such efforts were met with much more resistance. The Cossacks had clearly no desire to pay fealty or taxes to anyone, much less a noble in far away Vilnius, and it was no surprise that some of the more enterprising leaders had their own designs on taking the city of Chyhyryn itself for themselves. A number of the local groups had fled the conflicts with Turkish and Tatar fortifications along the Black Sea, and were not in a position to attack a fortified position in the Wild Lands nearer to Kyiv. Ostap himself would soon recuse himself from the area, hoping to return to Alexander and ensure the Grand Duke is aware of the growing issue of the Free Men of the Steppe.

The Succession

Grand Duke Alexander would not find time to resolve these coming topics though, as he soon found that he joined his sons in the afterlife. His two sons, who had died at young ages in 1505, had meant that the death of their father soon after left little time for maneuvering by the magnates and others for the coming election. The loss of Alexander and his immediate family meant that the next Grand Duke would not be a simple one, and this would only become more apparent as a controversial message was sent by Mykolas Glinskis. The last request of the Grand Duke had been for Lithuania to elect his adopted son, Jurgis of Franconia. Jurgis had been, along with Glinsky, a common sight at Alexander's court in the last few years. Alexander's popularity had softened the intrigue and jostling of the Lord's Council, and the strong and deadly feud between the powerful Zabrzeziński and Glinsky flared up once more. Glinsky was seen as the head of a small but influential faction of "new" nobility that had the favor of the late Jagiellonian. Meanwhile, Zabrzeziński and a number of other magnate families made up an older and more prestigious Old Guard faction. This faction had also cooperated with Jurgis, who had attempted to serve as a mediator of the two groups. Glinsky's relaying of Alexander's message had not served the young Hohenzollern well, however, as Alexander had also sought to punish Zabrzeziński just a few months before his death. The situation complicated itself as Sigismund, King of Poland, moved to involve himself in Lithuanian affairs.

While a Yurii Slutskyi had thrown his hat into the ring and was seen as a favorable candidate by a number of Ruthenian and Lithuanian nobility, Sigismund had both sent and received offers. Sigismund hoped to secure the influential support of Glinsky and his cadre, who was more than happy to accept the generous terms of the agreement. Zabrzeziński and his newfound Radziwill allies had also seen Sigismund as a preferable candidate due to his lineage and their own personal ties to the Kingdom of Poland. Jurgis of Franconia soon found himself without footing in the fast moving court of Lithuania, as Glinsky happily spoke of Sigismund's generosity and the Old Guard spoke of the benefits of such a union with Poland. Jurgis did not give up his ambitions and wished to follow through with his adoptive father's wishes, but he would often by met with accusations of being a foreigner and undeserving of his position. Attempted public oration in his favor would find magnates jeering at his awkward accent as he spoke in Lithuanian and Ruthenian, and he would be accused of being favored only due to Alexander's personal tastes later in life. His efforts in the city of Byela were claimed to have been little more than the extended benefits of royal favor, and his close relationship with Alexander's children was nil due to their deaths. Any hopes of securing favor from those who may find themselves sympathetic to him, such as the Queen of Poland or Glinsky himself, would soon end up only speaking good of Sigismund rather than Jurgis.

By the time of the election itself, it was to little surprise to the participants that Sigismund won with a healthy majority. Both the Old Guard and the Juniors of Lithuania wished to see Sigismund enrich the Grand Duchy and reward their members, and the Amatores Poloniae were more than happy to find their opinions more popular in the common discourse. Though Jurgis's efforts were seen as naïve at best, they were more than happy to watch him return to his Duchy in Byela.

The coming time of Sigismund's rule was already at risk of breaking the tenuous, but holding, strands built by Alexander. Glinsky claimed that Sigismund must now fulfill his promises to him and his allies, while Zabrzeziński and the Ostrogskis demanded that Sigismund fix the mistakes of Alexander and remove royal favor from the Juniors. There were many, in particular those who made up the Amatores Poloniae like the Radziwills, who also saw Sigismund's election as a restoration of Catholic primacy in the Grand Duchy. All of the magnates were united in the belief that the lack of royal coin and the nature of Sigismund already being King of Poland meant Sigismund would agree to empower the Lord's Council, and such an agreement was necessary as he was coronated. Sigismund would need to resolve these disagreements quickly, for the generous tax breaks and gifts from Alexander had allowed the nobility to gain much coin and there were many in the Grand Duchy willing to fight for good pay...

TL;DR

• The Grand Duchy by and large bounces back from its earlier devastation

• A series of military reforms have been enacted, with a strengthening of a hand full of royally-backed military groups

• Alexander's efforts have lead to a growing number of personages, mainly Tatar and Cossack in nature, in the Wild Lands which has had a destabilizing effect

• Sigismund, King of Poland has been elected Grand Duke of Lithuania after beating out Yurii Slutskyi and Jurgis of Franconia

• Tensions between the Old Guard, primarily between the Zabrzeziński, and Glinsky, have nearly turned hot as royal authority crumbled in the wake of Alexander's death