If you need a quick chronology of the Grand Campaign plus some screenies:
The foundation of Portugal – by the hands of Dom Afonso Henriques, who designated himself King when the “Reconquista” had jet to be finished – dates back roughly 300 years and King Joao I of the House of Avis rules from the capital of Lisbon on a prosperous, unified and promising country.
It is since the time when Roman legions stopped to bring everywhere into the known world the authority of the Empire upon their eagled insignia that Europeans do not project themselves beyond the waters encircling the continent. Since those times, the very first brave European sailor men who discovered and colonised the small Atlantic archipelagos of Azores and Capo Verde have been Portuguese. Thanks to new experimental profitable plantations of sugar the treasury of the crown is quite rich, seafaring traditions strengthen one year after the other and naval knowledge is among the most advanced in Europe. But Portuguese people, confined in the ports of Lisbon and Porto in the furthermost spot of Europe, only the ocean at their front, are hungry of new lands, gold and spices.
Joao I sits on the throne since 1385, after he managed to defeat the other pretender to the Crown of Portugal, King Juan of Castile. His judicious efforts to make an alliance with the Kings of England, sanctioned by his royal marriage with Philippa of Lancaster, now Queen of Portugal, has secured 30 years of peace and prosperity to the Portuguese people, a long period devoted to strengthen the authority of a central administration. The King has funded with his own gold many trading enterprises with Northern European countries, establishing the province watered by Tago River as one of the richest centres of trade in the continent.
Queen Philippa has given six sons to King Joao. One of them, the young Enrique, Crusader and Navigator, during his involvement under the command of General Pereira in the conflict against Morocco and Tlemcen for the conquest of Tangiers has listened about the great riches of Africa. The ambitious young, who is not insensitive neither to the dogma of the Crusades for the conversion of the infidels inhabiting the Northern coast of Africa nor to the gorgeous amount of gold amassed just on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, has founded the best European naval equipment manufactory in Algarve with the gold received by the King.
Hence, this is Portugal in year 1419: a mercantilist, maritime country animated by a spirit of adventure, enterprise and ambition, guided by farseeing rulers, ready for the greatest collective history a so small people has ever written…
Settings:
GC 1.08 with AGCEEP, played at VH / Furious, with my house rules (absolutely no cheats & reloads, no Declarations Of War upon other countries without a valid Casus Belli, limitation on attacks to European countries - only badboys, nations at war with the Pope, and so on - I will send explorers to discover America before Columbus only and only if more than one is available at the moment).
My goals are very simple:
Considering that Portuguese domination was “light” compared to the Spanish one, force-vassalisation will be quite customary, instead of province seizing (apart, obviously, “shielded” provinces). This behaviour will not solve the chronic Portuguese problem for low manpower, but some spicy flavour in the game is needed, isn’t it? That’s all; I hope you’ll enjoy my story…
- in the '400s (the so-called "Atlantic Century"), go to posts 31-32
- in the '500s (the "Indian Century"), go to posts 59-60
- about the dramatic way Spain was subjugated in 1694, go to post 81
- in the '600s (the so-called "Pacific Century")go to posts 87-89
- about De Andrade's glorious campaign of Russia (1810-12), go to post 115
- in the '700s-'820s (the so-called "Long Century")go to post 123
Prologue: "1419 Anno Domini"
The foundation of Portugal – by the hands of Dom Afonso Henriques, who designated himself King when the “Reconquista” had jet to be finished – dates back roughly 300 years and King Joao I of the House of Avis rules from the capital of Lisbon on a prosperous, unified and promising country.
It is since the time when Roman legions stopped to bring everywhere into the known world the authority of the Empire upon their eagled insignia that Europeans do not project themselves beyond the waters encircling the continent. Since those times, the very first brave European sailor men who discovered and colonised the small Atlantic archipelagos of Azores and Capo Verde have been Portuguese. Thanks to new experimental profitable plantations of sugar the treasury of the crown is quite rich, seafaring traditions strengthen one year after the other and naval knowledge is among the most advanced in Europe. But Portuguese people, confined in the ports of Lisbon and Porto in the furthermost spot of Europe, only the ocean at their front, are hungry of new lands, gold and spices.
Joao I sits on the throne since 1385, after he managed to defeat the other pretender to the Crown of Portugal, King Juan of Castile. His judicious efforts to make an alliance with the Kings of England, sanctioned by his royal marriage with Philippa of Lancaster, now Queen of Portugal, has secured 30 years of peace and prosperity to the Portuguese people, a long period devoted to strengthen the authority of a central administration. The King has funded with his own gold many trading enterprises with Northern European countries, establishing the province watered by Tago River as one of the richest centres of trade in the continent.
Queen Philippa has given six sons to King Joao. One of them, the young Enrique, Crusader and Navigator, during his involvement under the command of General Pereira in the conflict against Morocco and Tlemcen for the conquest of Tangiers has listened about the great riches of Africa. The ambitious young, who is not insensitive neither to the dogma of the Crusades for the conversion of the infidels inhabiting the Northern coast of Africa nor to the gorgeous amount of gold amassed just on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, has founded the best European naval equipment manufactory in Algarve with the gold received by the King.
Hence, this is Portugal in year 1419: a mercantilist, maritime country animated by a spirit of adventure, enterprise and ambition, guided by farseeing rulers, ready for the greatest collective history a so small people has ever written…
Settings:
GC 1.08 with AGCEEP, played at VH / Furious, with my house rules (absolutely no cheats & reloads, no Declarations Of War upon other countries without a valid Casus Belli, limitation on attacks to European countries - only badboys, nations at war with the Pope, and so on - I will send explorers to discover America before Columbus only and only if more than one is available at the moment).
My goals are very simple:
- Following as much historically as I can the expansion of Portugal during XV-XVI centuries,
- Exploring and colonising as much land as possible,
- Trying to force-vassalise the largest number of non-Christian overseas potentates,
- Trying to write an enjoyable AAR. I will use different colours for different aspects of the story: white writing for foreign affairs & wars, green for economy & domestic affairs, blue for exploration & colonisation. Every end of century a chronology and a general overview about (known) world situation will hopefully enrich the history and help those latecomers to the AAR.
Considering that Portuguese domination was “light” compared to the Spanish one, force-vassalisation will be quite customary, instead of province seizing (apart, obviously, “shielded” provinces). This behaviour will not solve the chronic Portuguese problem for low manpower, but some spicy flavour in the game is needed, isn’t it? That’s all; I hope you’ll enjoy my story…
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