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First Lieutenant
Jan 29, 2004
299
0
This is my very first AAR. I am a first-time AAR writter, but have been reading the EUII and Victoria Forums for months now. I am playing on Normal/Normal and shall be trying England. This will be my second-time as England and my eleventh game (around eleven I think) in total. Any criticism is welcomed! Please keep in mind this may be really brutal! Also, can anyone tell my how to take screenshots? Thanks. :rolleyes:

Kings of England
An AAR by _Arcadian_

EnglandJan1419.JPG

From the Diary of Brigadier Beauchamp

January 1st, 1419.
We are camped outside of Rouen, with Henry himself. The men grow restless, for they know war is upon us. Our armies in the North of France number some 31,000. Henry knows the war with France will soon come to an end, but will it be a victory. He aims at taking Orleans, so as to establish his control over central France. However, many think it too ambitious, as the French could surround us and force us from our siege. My interests lie closer to Caux, at Picardie. I believe taking Amiens from the French will ensure that England holds its control of France, and that the French will not win this war. I cannot write further tonight for the King has summoned me to his tent to discuss our plans. I hope he consider my advice and that England and France may one day be united as the greatest kingdom of Christendom...

__________

My goals:
- England having English and French culture forever!
- 1st in Victory points
- become a major colonial power
- Complete Dominion of France, if possible
 
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King Henry V's Tent

"Milord, what is your decision?" the official asked impatiently as the King stared away from him.
"Silence! Cannot you see that your King is thinking!" King Henry boomed at him.
"Milord, please. When word of your war with France and Scotland reaches England, the people will need something to think that you are making a difference in France and in England. If we free some of the people from serfdom further, then the government will yield greater income and English soldiers will fight will renewed vigour!" exclaimed the official, clearly well-educated and passionate on the affairs of the government.
"Hold your tongue, Shrewsburry!" the King said agrilly. "I said be silent! I am not a fool! I understand the benefits of freeing some of the serfs, but I am also aware of the disadvantages! Stability will be more difficult as they are farther away from bondage, and raising infantry shall be costlier."
The King paused.
"Yet, my army is large at the moment. And England's coffers large as well. I suppose it is worth it that I, Henry V, England's greatest King, and soon France's as well, bring my people freedom! Hurry to England now with this message!" The King said triumphantly, with his ego now larger than ever.
"Yes milord, England's greatest King, and soon Fra -" Shrewsburry said, yet was interrupted by King Henry.
"Now Shrewsburry!" Henry boomed.
Shrewsburry hurried out of the tent.
"Come in Beauchamp. We now prepare our plan of invasion," Henry said getting his maps out.
Beauchamp glanced at Henry's maps.
"Soon, my King, you shall rule it all. England and France united! With one King!" Beauchamp said, his eyes glimmering with ambition.
King Henry glanced back, and grinned.
"What is your plan of attack, my King?" Beauchamp asked.
"I summoned you hear to hear yours," The King said commandingly.
"Mine, my King. You know my plan. Take the Picardie region from France. If we control Amiens and retain our current holdings, then the English claim on France will never die," Beauchamp said pleadingly.
"Yes, I have considered that. But I believe Orleans is our main target," The King replied.
"My King, please we must siege Amiens!" Beachamp exclaimed.
"In time," The King calmly responded. "If we can take Orleans, then we shall march a sizeable force to Amiens. Lead by you of course."
"Thankyou so graciously my King," Beauchamp said happily. Little times had the King shown such favour to one of his generals. "I assure you England will be center on every map of Europe, a defeder of Christendom, and a light to Europe."
"You may go now, Beauchamp," The King ordered.
"Thankyou, my King."
Beauchamp bowed, then exited.
__________

Free Subjects + 1 on Domestic Policy settings.

England, Brittany, and Burgundy are at war with France, Scotland, and France's four vassals.

Entire English army from Caen to Orleanais.
 
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Nice start, _Arcadian_. I've never played England, so I can't offer much in the way of game advice, but I do like screenshots, so here's a brief summary of what I do:

Get the view you want in the game and hit the Print Screen key - this puts the screen on the clipboard
Alt-tab out of the game, open MS Paint and paste in the screenshot
Reduce it to exactly the bit you want to display (select all, move it up and left, then clip the bottom and right by changing the Attributes)
Reduce to the size you want using Stretch/Skew (you can Undo if you don't like the results and try a different size)
Save As a JPEG format file
Get this file hosted somewhere on the Internet - this is of course the tricky bit for a lot of people, but I understand there's plenty of possibilities. My ISP gives me 100 Mb of free webspace in "personal pages" which is nice.
Insert a link in your AAR using {IMG}web address of image{/IMG} where {} are changed to []

Hope we see some piccies soon!
 
Thanks for the help, Farquharson! I'll try to have some within a week. :)
 
The Hundred Years War with France
The First War

In January, Henry and Beauchamp marched to Paris, to inflict a devastating blow on French forces there, before marching to Orleans. It succeeded. English casualties were non-existent as French forces numbering some 3,000 fled when seeing the 31,000 Englishmen. As Henry's army was besieging Orleans, Bedford and Gloucester marched into Limousin and initiated a siege there as well. Brittany, an English vassal also began a siege in Northern France, yet they were all dwarfed by Burgundy's poor performance in the war. After all three successful sieges by England and Brittany, English troops also took Berri and Picardie (to the wishes of Beauchamp) and France began to beg for peace.

Across the waters, in England, the Scottish highlanders tried three times to break the Anglosaxon defenses on Northern England. But each time the Scotsmen failed. A Scottish fleet near Anglia, numbering 5 ships was smashed by a 40-ship English Fleet. However, an attack on a small 11-ship French fleet by English ships was a complete failure, making it England's only naval loss, despite outnumbering the French 4 to 1!

In the end, Burgundy had to settle for a seperate peace: 8 ducats, and military acces given to France, signed on April 12th, 1420. Only days later, on April 23rd, the English and their vassal Brittany signed a peace for 25 ducats, and the province of Picardie. Orleans was annexed earlier. Also, a 6,000-man army was raised in Anglia to bolster the front with Scotland. Brittany, however, cancelled their vassalization with us, and now hopes of them joining the England-Burgunday Alliance are slim to none.

And so the first phase of this great war with France ends in a victory for the English, and the dream of a united England and France lives on...

siege_orleans.jpg


The English siege of Orleans brings the 'Jewel of France' into the hands of King Henry V.
__________

BBC News, 1422

"English revenues are still down from their 1419 level, despite the appoointing of six tax collectors across southern and eastern England. Sources believe the cause is the -1 stability. The King's officials have allocated extra funds from the Royal Budget to fight instability, due to the fact that our stability costs are even higher due to the recently acquired non-core French provinces of Picardie and Orleanais," grinned the yellow-toothed newsanchor. "Now to you Maddy!"

"Thanks, Geoff! Plague broke out in Normandie and the Midlands recently, due to infected grain shipments from Southern France. The King has yet to comment, but assures us that blood will be spilled," smiled the crooked-toothed newswomen. "Now to One-Eyed Oliver with the sports!"

"The triumphant row of victories of the famous jouster Sir Edgar of Lancaster have ended, along with Edgar's head! Edgar was caught looking at King Henry's cousin for too long, so he was beheading at a quiet ceremony on Monday. Very exclusive, only England's richest and royalest attended," said the old anchorman with an eyepatch. "Back to you Geoff."

"Thanks, Oliver! Across the Bay of Biscay in Spain, the Reconquest continues with Spain and Portugal fighting Grenada and Fez. I think we know how that turns out," he chuckled. Maddy and Oliver also let out a laugh. "The Russians in Tver are also at war with the Hanseatic League, which means Tver may soon be Tv-annexed. Thanks for watching BBC News!"
__________

Plague breaks out: -1 stabilty, -1000 people in Normandy and Midlands.

Spain and Portugal in a war versus Grenada and Fez.

Tver at war with Hanseatic League Alliance.
 
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Nice start and welcome to the forum. I wish you luck with Henry and company!

One small request, could you change the font for you chapter titles -- the red does not show up at all.

:)
 
Hah. Just so long as a mediaeval Andrew gilligan doesn't turn up... damned, he already did (Geoffrey de Mandeville). ;) :D

Good start.
 
Thanks for the feedback, guys! I'll change the font colour from dark red back to white. I'll post another segment later tonight or tomorrow. Peace out and thanks for reading! :cool:
 
Nice start!

Btw. it's easier to press F11 in order to make a screenshot (you will find it in the main game folder)
 
London, June 21, 1427

It had been eight years since England was seen fighting with France in the great war and the time of Henry the Fifth had been long gone. With Henry dead, a great leader of England had perished and his son, Henry the Sixth had taken the throne. But alas for England, for Henry VI was a poor military leader, and preferred the castles of England to the battlefields in France. He was also a poor administrator and his confusing trade laws and barriers made it difficult for English merchants abroad. However, Henry remembered hearing of a wise official under the service of his father and he summoned him at once.

"You summoned me, milord?"
"Yes, Shrewsburry. I hear you are quite the administrator," the King said, looking at Shrewsburry like a mighty lion looks at a filthy rat.
"Well milord, I-I do the best I can. I have much experience wi-" Shrewsburry said as he interrupted.
"Enough chatting. I shall appoint you to a ministry position, provided that you stay within your limits as a peasant. You are simply to make observations and recommendations, NOT give me orders! For I am King Henry VI, England's greatest King and soon France's as well. My Kingdom shall be the center of every map and be a light to Christendom! ," said Henry snobbishly. Clearly, he got his tongue - and ego - from his father.
"Tha-thankyou milord," Shrewsburry said bowing.
Shrewsburry was not of noble birth, but was the son of an English merchant from Bristol. Highly educated and respected by many, Shrewsburry had never been talked to like that by Henry's father. However, Henry knew what he was doing by appointing Shrewsburry to a minister's position, and the seeds of his wise decision would soon bear fruit. For Shrewsburry's genius improved Henry's skills in administration and diplomacy, as well as in military tactics. Also Shrewsburry encouraged the King to centralize his government, as it would increase England's revenues and would have no effect on England's short series of wars with France. It paid off...
__________

From the diary of General Talbot:

June 21st, 1430:
The siege is finally over. We have liberated Amiens from the Rebel Scum and the province of Picardie is now firmly in the control of England. Those loyal to the English crown cheer not the name of Beauchamp, but that of Talbot! I have achieved so much success after taking over an army from our late King Henry V (God rest his soul). I feel that Brigadier Beauchamp is growing jealous of my newfound position, as I now lead Henry V's old army. He should not be feeling jealous, more England should be feeling angry! For it was he who lost control of Picardie to the rebels, and he who lost the battle to retake Picardie, and he who caused some 3,000 Englishmen to die on the battlefield! I long for the day when he leave France, either voluntarily or by death, as rumour spreads of his wish to take my command as General of English Forces in Northern France. I must stop my writting now, as tonight we parade through Amiens once more before returning to Orleans, lest the rebels there cause an uproar...

__________

Shrewburry's Appointment to Minister

Excellent Minister Random Event

+1 Centralization to Domestic Policy

Talbot's Campaign in Picardie

Rebels defeat army under Beauchamp in Picardie

Beauchamp's army fails to retake the province

Province falls to rebels

Beauchamp and Talbot's armies defeat the rebel army and retake Picardie
 
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Thanks, Alexandru H. That does make it a lot easier. Does anyone know of a good place on the web to host screenies? I already have two cool really good ones stored in my Paint files: one before and after the second war with France. Anyways back to my AAR.

The Hundred Years War with France
The Second War 1432-3

England's power was at an all-time high as men were conscripted to defend England's borders with Scotland and Eire. Those loyal to the Crown of England in France flocked to its banner and the armies in France were ready to make greater progress in the war against France. The French, meanwhile, annexed Provence and declared war against Bourbonnais! Their only ally would be their vassal Auvergne, as Scotland and Savoy left their alliance. England joined Lorraine's alliance after a large gift and royal marriage was made with them, so English had Lorraine, Burgundy, and The Palatinate to back them up.

Using the casus belli that would soon expire, England officially declared war against the "unrightful" King of France. The opposing sides were as follows:
England, Lorraine, Burgundy, and The Palatinate (who left and rejoined the alliance) vs. France and Auvergne
The Hundred Years War raged on...

Henry VI gave Beauchamp the right to redeem himself by sieging Paris. This would force the French to give up their war. General Talbot was kept in Orleans to keep the large French army who was besieging Bourbonnais' capital at bay. However, the French managed to send 20,000 of their 30,000-man army in the siege around through Normandy and into Paris! The 20,000-man French army completely annihilated Beauchamp's 8,000-man army! The only Englishman who didn't mourn this day was General Talbot (not surprisingly). But now we need to move the story of the war onwards. English forces in the south were split in two and took two provinces. In the North, Talbot and Clarence (who had just arrived from Northern England) took Paris. By the end England recovered all French-controlled Burgundian provinces as well as Lorraine. Even Bourbonnais was on the offensive!

BID1029b1.gif


French kinghts crush the numerically inferior English forces under Beauchamp.​

The Second Peace of Amiens, signed in 1433, granted four provinces in France: Vendee, Maine, Languedoc, and Guyenne. France has no outlet to the Atlantic anymore, and Brittany is shielded by England, far from the ambitions of the greedy French King, who's lands are split in two by the Anglo-Burgundian Alliance.
 
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The 100 Years war as it ought to have progressed ;)
 
Thanks for the comments and feedback, guys! Hope you're all enjoying reading it. PS. Does anyone still know where I can place my screenshots on the web so i can include them with my AAR? Thanks.

BBC News, April 2nd 1438

"Late-breaking news has been reported! England joins the war with Burgundy against France! The King is confident of a quick victory against French forces and a promise to end the Hundred Years War once and for all! Now to you Maddy on the diplomatic report," said Geoff.

"Thanks Geoff! Many in Parliament question the King's decision to support Burgundy in its downward spiral of warmongering! King Henry VI has declared backing for all three of Burgundy's war, and all declared within the last year. The King however has told BBC reporters that he will only give military support to the conflict with France, which could pose a serious threat to English interests in Western Europe. Also, cities fearing increased taxes and a shift of power to the King's holdings in France have demanded and (surprisingly) been granted extra powers by the King. Sources believe this decision was made so the King would stay in favour with English cities and to keep the Kingdom from falling into anarchy. Now to No-Eyed Oliver for the sports," smiled Maddy, who could smile even when Bubonic Plague kills millions.

"Sports continue despite the recent war cri-" said Oliver, who wore two eyepatches now, as he was interrupted.

"No-Eyed? What happened to One-Eyed Oliver?" asked Geoff.

"Oh, me last eye. Ummm," said Oliver as he was obviously stalling. "Well I lost it when I was fighting in Italy!"

"Fighting in Italy?" asked Geoff.

"Yes, figting in Italy. For the Pope's army against Siena." replied Oliver.

"For the Pope's army against Siena?" asked Geoff again.

"Yes! Is there a bloomin' echo in here! I lost it to seven assassins from Siena who tried to kill the Pope-" Oliver went on as Maddy interrupted him.

"You told me you lost it in a bar fight to some Dutchmen when you insulted the Dutchess of Luxembourgh!" Maddy said.

"Well I-I was tri-they were there an-an the Pope's army- She's larger than Luxembourgh itself for heaven's sake! There I said it! And I have no regrets!" Oliver exclaimed, then pausing for several seconds. "Anyways, in archery the Danish archer Kristian of Copenhagen was badly beaten by Aragorn's own Juan de Fu-"

"The country's called Aragon," Geoff said, correcting Oliver.

"Then what's Aragorn?" Oliver asked.

"Vigo Mortensen's character in Lord of the Rings," answered Maddy.

"Oh yeah, the bloke from G.I. Jane and Hidalgo!" Oliver pointed out.

"I hate to interrupt your chat, but I'm afraid were out of time. Stay tuned later on for more coverage as the war with France continues. I'm Geoffrey Badgerton and this has been another edition of BBC News."
__________

BBC Report

England currenlty engaged in three wars with Burgundy as an ally.

Third War with England and France begins.

"Cities Demand Old Rights" Random Event; Grant Rights; -1 Centralization

War with Papal States versus Siena ends with Siens becoming a vassal of the Papal States.
 
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:) I like the primordial BBC - it sounds so reassuring.

This is turning into a very nice AAR - good luck finding somewhere to host the screenies.
And it's good to see the Frogs get their just desserts. :D

Well done on getting four provinces in the second war - I thought you might be in trouble when Harry only managed one.
Just remember to trash France properly this time (either force-vassalise or strip it to one or two provinces), because a couple of thugs called Richemont and Dunois are going to turn up sometime soon and you don't want them having any sort of army to play with.
 
The Hundred Years War with France
The Third War 1438-9

England would square off against its centuries-old rival, France, once again. England's ally Burgundy had lead the King to back three of their wars, all of which were causing the Catholic World to see Burgundy as a cancer in Europe; its survival depended on its annexation of minor Dutch and German states. England, Burgundy, and Lorraine would face three opposing alliances:
I. Luxumbourgh, who was supported by Austria and other powerful central and southern German states.
II. Hannover, and three other German states, located on the border with Burgundy. This was probably the most dangerous alliance to Burgundy.
III. France and its alliance, consisting of Aragon and Auvergne, which would later be annexed by the French.

England's main concern in this grand conflict, was the war with France, who was the only threat to England's growing power on the continent. The war against France was considered part of the greater 'Hundred Years War' and is where our story finds its roots. England would only provide "moral support" to Burgundy's other wars, and standing true to even the worst of allies, would mean England's relations with the rest of Europe would remain high. England bought off Luxumbourgh with a white peace, after some nice gifts were sent to their plump Duchess. As No-Eyed Oliver of BBC News put it:
Those gifts sent to Luxumbourgh would probably get the Duchess some nice cakes, which would make her so fat that she be declared a seperate nation.
The war with the other Germans, however, would only end until English forces would loot many provinces in Germany, and that was only after they annexed Lorraine.

The war with France was surprisingly short and successful for England. Two English armies, one under Talbot - the now world-renowned English general - would take Paris, and the other would take Provence, and after which the Burgundians would settle a peace on England's behalf: a mere 48 ducats for a superb English military campaign and a poor display of Burgundian warmongers.
__________

The Interwar Period
1439-1449

The Interwar years were fairly insignificant with improvements in centralizing King Henry's power in his vast realm, so we shall not dwell on the interwar years for very long. A plague broke out in much of France, so the King passed a series of laws banning French beef from Northern France from crossing across the Channel or being exported. England's alliance with Burgundy expired, and the King bothered not to recreate it as Burgundy and England had a -170 relation, due to the seperate peaces King Henry made with the German alliances for Burgundy's power-hungry wars. Indeed, Burgundy grew big and fat from the series of wars of 1438-9, annexing and vassalizing several German and Dutch states. This made them envied and hated by the rest of Europe. England had good relations with many other states and considered joining Austria's alliance. However, another war with France was to be fought. Henry was determined to strip France of more of its territories, which he should have gained during the Third War. So England would fight, with no allies whatsoever against the Grand Alliance assembled by France. The Hundred Years War was nearly over, and victory was closer than ever...
__________

The Hundred Years War with France
The Fourth War 1449-50

England was now at war with a Grand Alliance led by the French King. The French had assembled a formidable alliance of whose who wished to prevent Henry from being the King of two powerful a Kingdom. They wanted to make sure that England would not dominate Western Europe. And so, the opposing sides were:
England vs. France, Eire, Navarra, and Aragon

England has a casus belli on France and so our relations were not damaged that heavily in the courts of Europe. Henry's plan called for the quick fall of Eire, with a defensive following by a massive counterattack while the Irish were disorganized. The plan succeeded. Eire's army of 8,000 outnumbered England's 6,000 on the island, but after their disastrous invasion of Meath, the English counterattack left the war in Ireland settled with a white peace.

England began by laying siege to Paris once more. However, the great General Talbot died years earlier, so the English would carry on with a lesser general in the North. In Southern France, England took Clevennes and Picardie, but Aragon and Navarra had advanced over the Pyrenees and taken Languedoc. Gloucester and the other generals in the south amassed forces numbering some 30,000 to attack the 30,000-man combined Iberian forces in Languedoc. In the north, France's last great army would fight for control of the Parisian countryside, but France's plan was heavily flawed: England had a disadvantage in numbers (20,000 vs. 30,000), but was superior in quality of troops, and would defend Paris from behind the river. English losses were 7,000 compared to a complete annihilation of French troops. Paris was taken, along with Berri, and so were French hopes of an allied victory. France granted England control over their provinces of Berri and Clevennes, and the Fourth War came to a close.
 
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That's a lovely amount of red in France. Well done! :) I did have a bit of difficulty getting at the picture though - I had to right-click, get the address from Properties and paste it into the address box directly.