This Day in History: October 17th- October 22nd
October 17, 1448 - Ottoman Victory in the Second Battle of Kosovo
Following the European defeat in the Crusade of Varna, the Kingdom of Hungary had sought to mount an offensive against the Ottoman Empire that occupied much of Anatolia and the Balkans. These hopes failed, however, when the main Hungarian force was crushed in the Second Battle of Kosovo, which caused Hungary to lose the resources and manpower it would need to continue an offensive, and instead forced them to take a defensive role while the Ottomans continued to expand. With this threat dealt with, the Ottomans turned and took the last holdout of the Byzantine Empire (Constantinople) in 1453.
October 18, 1599 - Michael The Brave Defeats A Rival For the Crown of Transylvania
Having secured control over the princedom of Wallachia, Romanian leader Michael the Brave decided to march out against a rival for the Transylvanian crown - a Prince named Andrew Bathory. In the ensuing Battle of Selimbar, Bathory would be defeated, and Michael would become Prince of both Wallachia and Transylvania. This paved the way for him to eventually take a third principality, Moldova, placing all of modern Romania under the control of a single ruler for the first time in history.
(Domains under the control of Michael the Brave, 1600 ACE)
October 19, 1866 - Austria Cedes the Provinces Veneto and Mantua to France
In order to achieve full unification, the Kingdom of Italy made an alliance with the growing power of Prussia, who in turn seeked to unify Germany. In the 1860’s, both of them declared war on Austria . For Prussia, this was to establish itself as the dominant German nation, while for Italy, it was to take the city of Venice. While Prussia succeeded in easily wiping out the Austrian army, the Italian performance was far inferior, even though Austria still had to give the Italians Venice at the end of the war. Therefore, in order to save face, Austria ceded Venice to France, who in turn ceded it to Italy.
October 20, 1740 - Beginning of the War of Austrian Succession
Prior to his death, the Austrian / Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI declared that females could inherit the Austrian crown, if the monarchy was lacking a male heir. When he died in 1740, a coalition of nations in the Holy Roman Empire refused to honor this sanction, declaring war on Austria soon after Charles’ daughter (Maria Theresa) ascended. The coalition was led by Prussia, whose king (Frederick the Great) sought to make his nation a European power by taking land from Austria. Other nations in this alliance included Bavaria, Saxony, and even the non-HRE member France.
October 21, 1805 - A Combined French-Spanish Navy is Defeated by the British at the Battle of Trafalgar
Following a string of victories by France during the Napoleonic Wars, the British constantly feared an invasion from mainland Europe. In an attempt to clear the way for said invasion, a French fleet set out to destroy their British counterparts, but were defeated in the Battle of Trafalgar by Admiral Nelson. This would then decide how the remainder of the Coalition Wars would be fought; France would hold the mainland, while Britain would control the sea. As such, neither side could decisively defeat the other for years.
October 22, 1383 - King Fernando of Portugal Dies, Sparking a Crisis
Following the death of the Portuguese King Fernando, the Kingdom of Portugal faced a prolonged period of crisis where it risked becoming dominated by foreign powers on the Iberian Peninsula -- namely the Kingdom of Castile. As the dead king had blood relatives in common with the Kingdom of Castile, and seeing as he had left no heir, the then-King of Castile chose to invade with the intent of adding Portugal to his domain. The ensuing war wouldn’t end until John I, a native to Portugal, was crowned King following his victory over the forces of Castile in the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385.
