Thank you, Effendi,
You shouldn't be here,
Vladut!
Are you there?
It's Radu, your brother,
Please,,,
You can't like it here,,,
Just do as they ask,
Show them respect and they'll let you out,
Are you there?
FIVE YEARS LATER
Are you there?
Vladut!
Are you there?
Vladut!
Beg for the Sultan's mercy!
VATICAN CITY ROME
Half of Europe is talking about Hunyadi,
His achievements are remarkable,
I want you to pay him a visit,
Me?
If it weren't for my health, I'd go myself,
Certainly, Holy Father,
Go and tell him that
I'm calling the nations of the West to join a crusade,
He'll have the army he's always dreamed of,
An army?
That man defeated Murad with only a handful of peasants,
I want him to lead the biggest crusade of all time,
The time has come to relieve Constantinople
of its constant Ottoman threat,
Holy Father,
do you believe that Hunyadi can drive the Muslims out of Europe?
If anyone can do it, he can,
Father Capestrano predicted it years ago,
You will go down in history
as the greatest pope that ever lived,
It sounds like you're already planning my funeral,
Perhaps you want to take my place?
EDIRNE THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
You'll always be with me, won't you?
Always,
Please help my brother Vladut,
Get him out of that place,
I can't, Radu,
What's the hurry?
We've never had the chance to talk as brothers, Mehmed,
I guess it's part of being born here,
But that's not our fault,
Just like the fact that I happened to be born first,
You're a decent kid, Mehmed,
Even if we hardly know each other, I like you,
That's why you have to listen to me now,
Leave here before it's too late,
If Allah wished me dead,
I would have died in the battle,
But I am,
I'm alive,
Allah has other plans for me,
If you feel you were born to do great things, I'm glad,
But please,,,
Don't forget
what the Prophet expects of me,
What our people and our traditions expect,
You must do your duty, Ali,
Mehmed?
Please help me,
My brother Vladut is in prison,
He can't help having a father like ours,
I was there when he insulted the Sultan,
not your father,
And he still hasn't backed down,
He'll back down,
Just help him, Please!
Why don't you ask Ali?
He's the heir to the throne,
And your lover,
Ali isn't brave enough to defy your father,
What makes you think I am?
May Allah give you another hundred glorious years,
Happy birthday, Father!
I made it myself,
From the best Damascus steel,
Not bad,,,
It's the twin of my own scimitar,
Your brother Ali has fathered a son,
Could anyone wish
for a more wonderful gift from his own child?
One day he'll be a great leader, just like his grandfather,
And like me,
BUDA THE KINGDOM OF HUNGARY
Your triumph at the Iron Gates has brought us a new era of peace,
You give hope
not just to the people of Hungary and Poland,
but to every Christian in Europe,
Janos Hunyadi and Miklos Ujlaki,,,
thank you,
I now name you the Lords of Transylvania,
Together, you will be responsible for the nation's most vital line of defense,
You know the right boots to lick, Ujlaki,,,
But we have a man here who can express the Pope's gratitude better than me,
Cardinal Cesarini,
I'm sorry to correct you, Your Majesty,
Although I'd like to,
I'm not here to express the Vatican's gratitude,
Perhaps you were lucky at the Iron Gates,
We were what?
The lucky star is shining on us both, Johannes,
Did the Pope send you here to insult us?
To babble about luck?
Murad was stopped by the fury of our peasants, not luck,
Johannes!
I came here to help,
The Pope has given his blessing to launch a holy crusade,
For all Christians to join forces and drive the Ottomans out of Europe,
Since the battle, the Ottoman Empire has been in turmoil,
To the south, Murad is threatened by the Karamanids,
to the east by other rebellious tribes,
If our timing is right,
thanks to their internal conflicts,
Edirne will be left undefended,
We could march to Constantinople virtually unopposed,
We've already seen how quickly Murad can deploy his armies--
If you let me finish, I can allay that fear as well,
The Pope has ordered the construction of a fleet of ships to support the crusade,
The warships of Venice and Burgundy will head off Murad's army at the Bosporus
and stop them from returning from Asia to Europe,
In a matter of weeks, the Balkans will be in flames,
After that, I might even be able to liberate Jerusalem,
What do you think?
If everyone can be convinced that
the fate of Europe is at stake,,,
If Friedrich of Habsburg sends at least a thousand mercenaries,,,
If every Hungarian nobleman,
and with them the Poles, the Czechs, the Carinthians,,,
If just this once everyone stood by us,
no power on earth could stop us,
My knights -
combined with your light cavalry - will make our army invincible,
There's one more thing to discuss, Your Majesty,
The Pope is worried that Hungary currently has two kings,
What does he want me to do?
No, no, no and no!
It's out of the question!
It's very simple,,,
Your Highness must accept Vladislaus as Hungary's king,
until your son becomes of age then the crown will be returned to him,
Everything depends on this agreement,
The fate of the entire Christian world is at stake,
No, no, no and no!
Another solution is
for Your Highness to marry Vladislaus,
Another pure knight? No thank you!
- He's a fine young man, - Young kid, you mean!
That's why he needs an experienced teacher!
Elizabeth is, well,,,
rather old,
You could be Queen again!
I'm sorry, Cardinal,
but she's not how I pictured my future Queen,
He must return the throne to our rightful king: my son,
I've been looking forward to seeing you, my lady,
Your Majesty,
Your Royal Highnesses,,,
God moves in mysterious ways, and this is a moment of grace,
Our hearts light up
by the bright hope of peace,
It truly is a moment of grace,
Why would the Creator want us to be enemies,
when we could be allies?
I will gladly bow to your will,
for I now clearly see that
you are the guardian of the weak and protector of the righteous,
Splendid work, my friend,
I can't take all the credit,
Political talent like yours belongs in Rome,
That would be a great honor,
but right now, my place is here, Father,
What a waste,,,
CELJE LOWER STYRIA
It's alive,,,
It's alive!
It's a girl,,,
We shall name her Lisabeth,
You sent for me, Your Majesty?
I need your advice,
How can I assist you, Your Majesty?
I'd like your help with,,,
fighting triumphant battles with my Elizabeth,
Battles?
Yes,,,
In bed,
Your Majesty,,, I'm not the one to discuss this with,
Help me, Please,
Well, first of all,,,
we need to know how experienced the enemy is,
Whether they've taken part in a campaign before,
According to intelligence, they've been through one or two,,,
campaigns,
The golden rule
is that an army's strength lies not only in its size
or its cannons' ammunition,
Victory depends on the right tactics,
A rapid attack can be messy,
It's better to first send scouts to explore the area,
Then, if everything seems right for an advance,
we mustn't rush the assault, because,,,
the infantry might get tired
and call on the artillery too soon,
Discharging your cannons
before the enemy has reached the summit
is a dishonorable act for a knight,
It's as bad as surrendering,
Thank you!
And Johannes,,,
The crusade,
I mean the real crusade,
I'd like you to be its leader,
Wait,,,
Wait,
First, tell me your desires,
What do you mean "my desires"?
What should I do to,,,?
This is your first time, isn't it?
Then let's concentrate on you,
It'd be dishonorable act,,,
So Hunyadi says,
You talk about these things with Hunyadi?
Of course not!
We were discussing the crusade and,,,
Wait!
I just,,,
I want it to be good for you, too,
Thank you,
Never thank me for this,
You're a wonderful woman,
That's not what others say,
Then they're fools,
You've no idea how many men told me they loved me,
But all they did was use me,
They didn't know you,
I'd never betray you,
Never,
ROAD TO HUNYAD CASTLE THE KINGDOM OF HUNGARY
Father!
I leave for a few months, and return to find a grown man!
You're finally ready to fight by my side,
You're taking me with you?
If you want,
Someone's waiting to see you,
He says he's an old friend of yours,
Do we know each other?
I know you, my lord,
Orban Tuzes is the best cannon maker there is,
Just like he's my best friend, huh?
Mock me all you want,
but soon it won't be blades winning battles: it'll be gunpowder,
Nice!
How quickly does it reload?
Cool it with wet sheepskin and you barely have to wait,
How many can you make?
I've got five in my warehouse,
If you've enough gold, I can make ten more,
You know what I can't stop thinking about?
Me?
Ilona,,,
Ilona!
There's nothing to be afraid of, sweetie,
Get the hell out, both of you!
It wasn't so long ago that I was a welcome guest in your bed,,,
- Elizabeth, - Don't!
Keep your hands to yourself!
I'm carrying the King's child now,
We'll hold the wedding at the end of the summer
and in the fall, I'll give birth to the future king of Hungary and Poland,
Congratulations,,,
What a shame the poor thing will never meet his father,
I've told you before,
a military campaign is full of hidden dangers,,,
Are you threatening the King?
Certainly not!
I'm just worried about you,
If you really love him,
and want what's best for the life growing inside you,,,
then you must talk him out of this senseless crusade,
I've been fighting for as long as I can remember,
The empire must expand,
At any cost,
Do you remember?
Telling me about a king who gave up his court and his crown
and went to live in a forest,
Because all he wanted
was to hear the birds sing?
- It was King Vladislaus's father, - Yes,,,
And now this Vladislaus is preparing to march against us,
And I'm coming to understand his father more and more,
I'm tired of war,
What do you mean?
I'm giving my throne to Ali,
I'm going to abdicate,
But the best years of your life are still ahead of you,
You're a charming liar,
But I'd rather hear your answer to this,,,
Would you come with me?
If one day you're no longer Sultan,
then as it is written in Allah's laws,
I'll be nothing and nobody,
I shall send an envoy to Vladislaus,
No matter what,,,
there must be peace,
Bad dream?
Matyas was restless, too,
I've dreamt it before,,,
Lacko lying in the mud,
Lying in the mud?
On a battlefield,
I want you to do something for me,
- Dismount! - What?
- You're not coming, - Why not?
Dismount, That's an order!
Father! You can't do this!
I'm not your father now, I'm your commander, You're staying here!
Miho, please,,,
You know the punishment for disobeying orders,
Janko!
The kid is skilled, This is his big chance,
We need to talk, my lord,,,
Lacko is no longer part of this army, Understood?
Father!
Was this your idea?
I ordered at least fifteen, Where are they?
This is what I could make with the money I was given,
- Where are the rest of the cannons? - Quality comes at a price, my lord!
Father!
I paid you a small fortune!
May I ask how many cannons my lord has ever made?
None so far, but it looks like I'll have to learn,
What's your problem with me?
- You keep quiet! - Or else what?
Get the hell out of here!
If I see you again, I'll beat you black and blue,
What's troubling you?
One minute
I can see my destiny,
my goal,
and my mission clearly,
The next,
it feels like everyone is making fun of me,
Our destinies are not decided by Allah,
No one else writes your story,
only you,,,
Only you,
Your grandfather had two sons,
The first-born lies here,
But I thought my father was the first-born,
No, he was just like you,
The laws of inheritance are not set in stone, Mehmed,
We can take destiny into our own hands,
Just like your father did,
I am Mehmed,
The second-born son of the Sultan,
My father was unjust to you,
I have decided to reduce your punishment,,,
Prince Vladut,
In return,,,
there is something I would like you to do for me,
All I ask is that you listen to the Sultan's offer,
I can't put it off any longer,
The troops await my command,
You might win more with peace than a war,
The balance of power has changed,
Now you can dictate terms,
I don't want my baby to grow up without a father,
You're right, my love, As always,
I'm worried about him,
I'm scared Hunyadi and that slimy Cesarini will put his life at risk,
You're crazy for him, my sweet,
And you so smart again!
I wish to be alone,
What do you want now?
Ulrich Cillei wishes to beg Your Highness' forgiveness,
This gift has just arrived,
He warmly congratulates you on your pregnancy,
and when you receive the Ottoman envoy,
he'd like you to be a dazzling Queen Mother,
Sultan Murad does not wish to fight you, Your Majesty,
He has sent me to offer a peace treaty,
We are willing to return the twenty-three castles
and the cities belonging to them,
which we have taken over the past two decades
in the Serbian border region,
You meant to say "twenty-four" castles,
Didn't you?
The Castle of Galamboc will remain part of our empire,
Without Galamboc there can be no peace,
Very well,
We will return twenty-four castles, Including Galamboc,
We also ask that the Sultan's troops withdraw
from the southern borders of the counties of Macva and Severin,
Additionally, you must surrender the Hum region,
Bosnia,
Northern Albania,
and all lands as far as the Bulgarian border,
Furthermore, both parties must release their prisoners of war,
If you meet these conditions,
we are willing to respect the borders of the Ottoman Empire,
and we swear not to wage war as long as the peace is in force,
Peace is our common interest,
We accept your requests,
Wonderful,
You have been very generous,,,
Elizabeth!
What's wrong with her?
The Transylvanian army is camped at Varad, Sire,
They're ready for battle!
They've been waiting weeks, and you make peace behind their backs?
You gave your word!
I'm your king, Hunyadi, Do not question my decisions,
You're mourning, Your Majesty, but,,,
She was carrying my child,
Did you know that?
Do you think they murdered her?
What do you mean?
The Ottomans,,,
they agreed to my terms so easily,
Did they kill my Elizabeth?
Was it them?
Answer me!
I've no idea,
I made peace with them,,,
I shall keep my word,
An oath is sacred, even if given to murderers,
There can be no peace with them,
There never will be,
Disband the army,
- You're insane-- - I am your king!
If you dare to defy my orders,
I'll strip every one of your titles,
I'll be the same man without those titles,
And you, Sire?
Who would you be without your crowns?
Forgive me, Your Majesty,,,
And what do you think?
Did they do it?
The Ottomans?
I've no reason to suspect anyone else, Your Majesty,
Perhaps a little walk would help,
A message has just arrived from Emperor John of Constantinople,
He wants the Pope to expel
all Christian kings who don't join the crusade
from the Holy Mother Church,
As the Pope's envoy,
I have the power to release you
from your oath to the pagans, which isn't valid in any case,,,
I'll never love anyone like I loved her,
I know,
The time will come for mourning, and revenge,
But for now the Lord has given you a different task,
To break my oath?
We have already angered the Lord by making this peace,
it's not too late to beg for forgiveness,
CELJE LOWER STYRIA
It'd be better if you stayed out of Hunyadi's next rampage,
You're mad!
I'm the Lord of Transylvania,
Just like he is,
I've got to send at least as many men as Hunyadi does,
Unless something terrible happens that stops you from joining him,
What have you done, Ulrich?
By the time you get home, a few of your villages will be in flames,
What?
I've given you a reason to stay home,
A what?
What are you talking about?
Sadly you cannot spare a single one of your soldiers for the crusade,
Because you have to defend yourself against me,
Did you really set fire to some of my villages?
You might have warned me,,,
Where would be the fun in that?
Just don't go over the top with your counter-attacks,
Burn down a handful of my villages by all means,
but please don't lose your head,,,
HUNGARIAN CAMP THE KINGDOM OF HUNGARY
Ujlaki?
Why is this wagon covered in soot?
We're in mourning, Father,
He says we're in mourning,
Who for?
The Turks,
The Turks?
These Turks!
We harvested them at the Iron Gates,
What kind of barbaric filth is this?
We call it "the Peaceful Plowman",
When you form a wagon fort, I shall ask for this thing to be at the front,
Closest to the Sultan's army,
Then you'll see what fun war is!
Thank you, Your Eminence!
We'll take the shortest route,
With two hundred wagons?
Over the rocky Balkan mountains?
If winter catches up with us
and we have no shelter, no provisions or stables for the horses,,,
This is why we should have set off sooner,
I didn't ask you to preach to me, Johannes,,,
Your Majesty, we should go over the details of the campaign and,,,
Yes, but you don't need to go over anything,
Because you won't be leading this campaign,
While I was praying, I had a vision,
I saw myself, in the heat of battle,
in a sea of warriors and corpses,
bathed in the light of the Lord,
When I woke up, I understood,
This campaign is not about men,
or soldiers,
or fighting, battles, blood and death,
It's about faith,
It's about believers,
light,
sacrifice and purification,
That's why I would like Cardinal Cesarini to lead this campaign,,,
,,,by the will of the Lord,
Thank you, Your Majesty,
I will try to be worthy of this great honor,
Asking a priest to lead an army?
Are you going to pray the Ottomans off the battlefield, Father?
Following your advice will keep me safer, Your Eminence,
The troops will be in better hands, too,
I take it you have no problem with that, Johannes?
Our campaign is not about one man's glory, but the salvation of Christianity,
I'm a soldier,
I do as my king commands,
Splendid!
One more thing,,,
That "advisor" of yours,,,
I don't want to see him at our council of war again,
You don't deserve this,,,
What if he had a little accident tonight?
Just a broken leg, say, Then he won't be going anywhere,
I'd rather strangle the bastard, though,,,
Miho!
What the bloody hell are you doing here?
I'm coming with you,
We've got enough problems already!
You've got to help me,
You heard what your father said,
- You're not in our army anymore, - That's why you must help me,
Like it or not, I'm going to fight,
I could say you're just like your father,
But the truth is, you're just like your mother,
Follow me,
Hey,
This kid here,,,
His name's Ignac,
- Ignac? - Yeah, that's your name,
I'm Ignac!
From tonight he serves on the Peaceful Plowman,
- Look after him, - Him?
Don't let him get killed,
- Why should we play mommy? - Because I said so,
Soldier,,,
From now on, you keep out of my way,
If you're wounded, you'll be sent home,
If you die,,,
He won't survive,
What?
He says you're going to die,
EDIRNE THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
Brother,
Vladut?
What,,,
What are you doing here?
Don't be afraid!
I'd never hurt my own brother,
And you wouldn't hurt me either, Right, Radu?