Ernst Von Babenburg: One of the best recorded tales of this period is that of the legendary Ernst Von Babenburg. He has virtually become a folk-legend. While not much first-hand writing exists, many stories have him as a central character. This biography will be composted from both folktales and what writing did exist.
Ernst was born on February 28th, 1027 and grew up in the court of his father, the duke of Austria. Here he learned much about the art of diplomacy. And there was much of it in this court, as his father was quite quick to compromise in any matter of politics. It is also recorded that he took a dislike to his father, thinking of him as a weak puppet to his German masters.
Ernst became Duke at twenty-eight, the only surviving child of his father. He immediately began to change the peaceful policies of his father. He marched his armies north to fight against the Baltic pagans in the name of his lord, Heinrich King of Germany. Along with Heinrich, he conquered the Meklenburg tribes and was granted Stettin and Wolgast. These were poor lands and he wished for more. His armies marched into Danzig and drove out the pagans. If his forces weren't forced to return to Austria due to a rebelling vassal he probably would have continued up and into Lithuania.
Germany meanwhile was crumbling. Possessing the thrones of Germany, Italy and France Heinrich simply could not deal with all of his vassals. They started to rebel, forcing him to mobilize those still loyal. The first time he was asked to mobilize, Ernst gladly agreed. His army of 8000 was assembled and marched to fight rebels in Brandenburg. It was well equipped and led by Ernst himself. However it ended in disaster. His forces were marched for months, draining the coffers of Austria. And when they finally reached their destination, Ernst was put under the command of Heinrich.
Heinrich had no head for strategy. That much is historical fact. The battle itself is a matter of debate. Not much was written about the battle. What is evident from other writing is that it was an unprecedented disaster. The German force, many times greater than the rebels, was slaughtered. Ernst returned home at the head of a shattered army. A whole generation of Austrian youth had been squandered by Heinrich.
One month later Ernst received a message. It was an order from King Heinrich ordering him to raise an army of 5000 men to serve in a campaign in Bavaria. Further more, it revealed that he was to pay a large scutage to his liege. A young fosterling from Georgia details the reaction to this, "The court fell silent after it was read. Even Lady Von Wettin ceased conversation. Then the Duke began to laugh. Slowly other members of the court joined in until everyone in the place was laughing. It was just so absurd!"
Firstly Ernst had no men; they all died at Brandenburg. Secondly he had no food to feed his non-existent men; the deaths of the able-bodys caused the crop to fail. And thirdly he had no money to pay Heinrich; he was in debt from paying for his massive army.
Over the next couple months Heinrich continued to send messages and Ernst continued to ignore them. Ernst was raising a secret force known as the Gotthand (God's Hand) to overthrow Heinrich. He only took the strongest and he trained them well. And after about a year he declared his loyalty to Hungary. But instead of the fierce battle he anticipated no enemy force arrived. Germany simply didn't have the resources to pursue a war so far away from the center of the country.
The current King of Hungary was named Leopold. He and Ernst were good friends that used to go on frequent hunting trips in their youth. However Leopold was a very weak king. His personal demesne consisted of only the province of Pest. While Ernst may not have enjoyed doing so he quickly turned the Gotthand against his new liege. His forces took Leopold completely by surprise and he was unable to get any sort of army to his defense. The Gotthand smashed Leopold's garrison and Ernst was crowned King of Hungary.
Once a Duke now a King Ernst quickly earned the trust of his vassals. However his lust for conquest drove him to the battlefield once again. Somehow he gained a claim to the island of Corsica which was currently owned by the incredibly wealthy Republic of Venice. He mustered a massive force and marched to Corsica. He won an easy victory, but Venice refused to surrender. And so he set upon the city itself. When he neared the city his scouts told him that the Venetians had hired a massive mercenary force. And so he organized all of his 10000 men into a single line and marched them to the crest of a hill near the city. Meanwhile his Chancellor gathered the Venetian heralds to watch. They were told the army was 40000 men, a tale the heralds believed. At this point the Republic was happy to cede Corsica for peace. And so Ernst's eldest living son, Adalbert, was made count of Corsica.
Now aging Ernst felt he had to thank God for his great success in life. He vowed to crush the Marienburg pagans and spread the teachings of Christ to the heathen. His mighty armies marched north into Lithuania carving a path of destruction. He avoided the most powerful tribes, not wishing to fight anyone who may be able to hamper his progress. After two years of conquest he had managed to fight his way up to the south shore of the Gulf of Finland.
Ernst's old age was spent in Castle Pest with his second wife, Adriana Kobilic, who he met while campaigning against the pagans. If legend holds true than he died on February 28th, 1097 exactly seventy years of age. Upon his death the Church recognized his religious impact and beatified him.
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Topic: Crusader Kings Complete: The Great Rulers (Read 2269 times)