Europe on the day the Treaty of Tordesillas is ratified (Feb 1512):
Major Swiss holdings overseas:
Helvetia also owns 13 provinces outside these areas, and about 125 provinces in total.
Statistics:
Army: approaching 1 million men
Navy: ~ 200 ships
Key events:
4 Jun 1493: After half a century of being passed around various minor princes, the title of Holy Roman Emperor is bestowed upon Ferdinand of Spain, with Isabella as Empress.
1498: Most Indonesian trade relocates from Tahiti to Sunda on the island of Java. The new centre of trade completely eclipses nearby Malacca.
14 Nov 1498: After 'negotiating' <cough> military access through English-controlled Holstein, Helvetia finally succeeds in capturing Copenhagen and securing for the Confederation control of the lucrative Sund.
15 Nov 1498: Buoyed by its conquest of the resilient Danes, the President starts a war to capture Rome, annexing it nine months later. However soon both France and Spain are drawn in, pledging to defend the Pope and the Catholic faith against the Swiss menace.
France joins the war severely weakened by its recent costly failure to take the Massif Central from Auvergne, which had long ceased to be a vassal in anything but name. The Spanish are slightly better-placed to stem the Swiss tide, having recently united under one kingdom, including Aragon's Italian posessions. However, Spain gambles - and loses - by sending the greater part of its forces into a woefully mistimed counter-attack across the Seine. Unable to coordinate with nearby French reinforcements, the army is utterly routed.
Although most of the fighting takes place in France, it is Spain that pays the price of peace on 1 Apr 1500. Every island previously belonging to Spain is transferred to Helvetia, except for Sicily, which successfully obtains independence from Spain in 1503, and Antigua, which in the turmoil of the period is briefly claimed by England before Spain re-establishes control. In addition, Spain must cede three provinces in northern Iberia to the Confederation.
Meanwhile, the Pope leaves Rome and re-establishes himself in Toledo. In response to the annexation of Rome, he declares the President of Switzerland to be the Antichrist and calls on all Catholics to fight the Confederation in any way possible. He is soon disappointed to find out that the only uprisings against Swiss rule are in predominately Orthodox Albania.
1500-01: England tries unsuccessfully to defend Pommern from the Swiss. The English navy fights valiantly, but soon Swiss forces start landing all over England as the country's defences are overwhelmed by the sheer number of Swiss fleets. Thankfully for England, Helvetia limits its demands to Pommern itself, but its inability to defeat the Swiss at sea does not bode well for the island's future.
17 Nov 1501: Burgundy rallies to the defence of its vassal, Hessen, in a desperate attempt to hold off the Swiss. The war is a complete disaster for the duchy - Hessen is annexed and Burgundy's feeble army is trapped in Brussels and destroyed. When the war ends in 1504, Burgundy must relinquish control of six provinces, including all of its holdings in Germany.
27 Jul 1503: Constantinople, the last remnant of the Roman Empire, falls to the Ottomans. This represents the first significant victory for many years for the Ottomans, who have lost most of their European land to the Knights and Venice, and have failed to complete their conquest of Asia Minor itself.
1504: Muscovy suffers a horrific defeat at the hands of the Swedes and Teutonic knights, losing almost everything north and west of Moscow. The war demonstrates the massive inferiority of Russian equipment, compared to that of Catholic Europe. The victors' glory is short-lived, however.
1504-07: Switzerland is at war with Sweden and their Teutonic vassals, after they unexpectedly rallied to the defence of Navarra. As well as conquering the Basque kingdom, Helvetia gains 4 provinces off the knights, but at the cost of countless Swiss lives lost in the region's harsh winters.
May 1505: The Neapolitan rebellion marks the end of Iberian rule in Italy. After a brief period of nominal vassalage to Spain, the city is annexed by Helvetia in 1508.
1 Feb 1512: Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas. In it, Pope Julius II declares that "only the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal are capable of bringing good Christian rulership to the newly-discovered lands, after the atrocities committed by the Swiss" and that "it is the duty of all good Catholics to aid the progress of this sacred mission."
Major Swiss holdings overseas:
Helvetia also owns 13 provinces outside these areas, and about 125 provinces in total.
Statistics:
Army: approaching 1 million men
Navy: ~ 200 ships
Key events:
4 Jun 1493: After half a century of being passed around various minor princes, the title of Holy Roman Emperor is bestowed upon Ferdinand of Spain, with Isabella as Empress.
1498: Most Indonesian trade relocates from Tahiti to Sunda on the island of Java. The new centre of trade completely eclipses nearby Malacca.
14 Nov 1498: After 'negotiating' <cough> military access through English-controlled Holstein, Helvetia finally succeeds in capturing Copenhagen and securing for the Confederation control of the lucrative Sund.
15 Nov 1498: Buoyed by its conquest of the resilient Danes, the President starts a war to capture Rome, annexing it nine months later. However soon both France and Spain are drawn in, pledging to defend the Pope and the Catholic faith against the Swiss menace.
France joins the war severely weakened by its recent costly failure to take the Massif Central from Auvergne, which had long ceased to be a vassal in anything but name. The Spanish are slightly better-placed to stem the Swiss tide, having recently united under one kingdom, including Aragon's Italian posessions. However, Spain gambles - and loses - by sending the greater part of its forces into a woefully mistimed counter-attack across the Seine. Unable to coordinate with nearby French reinforcements, the army is utterly routed.
Although most of the fighting takes place in France, it is Spain that pays the price of peace on 1 Apr 1500. Every island previously belonging to Spain is transferred to Helvetia, except for Sicily, which successfully obtains independence from Spain in 1503, and Antigua, which in the turmoil of the period is briefly claimed by England before Spain re-establishes control. In addition, Spain must cede three provinces in northern Iberia to the Confederation.
Meanwhile, the Pope leaves Rome and re-establishes himself in Toledo. In response to the annexation of Rome, he declares the President of Switzerland to be the Antichrist and calls on all Catholics to fight the Confederation in any way possible. He is soon disappointed to find out that the only uprisings against Swiss rule are in predominately Orthodox Albania.
1500-01: England tries unsuccessfully to defend Pommern from the Swiss. The English navy fights valiantly, but soon Swiss forces start landing all over England as the country's defences are overwhelmed by the sheer number of Swiss fleets. Thankfully for England, Helvetia limits its demands to Pommern itself, but its inability to defeat the Swiss at sea does not bode well for the island's future.
17 Nov 1501: Burgundy rallies to the defence of its vassal, Hessen, in a desperate attempt to hold off the Swiss. The war is a complete disaster for the duchy - Hessen is annexed and Burgundy's feeble army is trapped in Brussels and destroyed. When the war ends in 1504, Burgundy must relinquish control of six provinces, including all of its holdings in Germany.
27 Jul 1503: Constantinople, the last remnant of the Roman Empire, falls to the Ottomans. This represents the first significant victory for many years for the Ottomans, who have lost most of their European land to the Knights and Venice, and have failed to complete their conquest of Asia Minor itself.
1504: Muscovy suffers a horrific defeat at the hands of the Swedes and Teutonic knights, losing almost everything north and west of Moscow. The war demonstrates the massive inferiority of Russian equipment, compared to that of Catholic Europe. The victors' glory is short-lived, however.
1504-07: Switzerland is at war with Sweden and their Teutonic vassals, after they unexpectedly rallied to the defence of Navarra. As well as conquering the Basque kingdom, Helvetia gains 4 provinces off the knights, but at the cost of countless Swiss lives lost in the region's harsh winters.
May 1505: The Neapolitan rebellion marks the end of Iberian rule in Italy. After a brief period of nominal vassalage to Spain, the city is annexed by Helvetia in 1508.
1 Feb 1512: Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas. In it, Pope Julius II declares that "only the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal are capable of bringing good Christian rulership to the newly-discovered lands, after the atrocities committed by the Swiss" and that "it is the duty of all good Catholics to aid the progress of this sacred mission."
Last edited: