A Tale of Two Germanies

And now for something that I'm sure won't have any bearing on anything...

@ Enewald: You have no Idea. On your other point, here ya go, though Russia does get its Civil War later in the oh so creatively named "Time of Troubles". It is a bad one too, very bad, probably the fifth worst civil war in the AAR.
@ Tweetybird: Yeah, Pretty much, and now I get to show you an early preview of just how blobby the game got, because here we get to see some serious conquest.
@ Vandervecken: Thanks! And I'm glad you appreciate the broader focus, as I'm trying to show just how interconnected things are.
@ gabor: Somethin' Like That.


The History of the Modern Russias begins in 1467, under Grand Duke Vasily II Temny of House Rurik of Muscowvy, who finally released his land from the shackles of the Dying Golden Horde.


Before this, the Grand Duchy had been largely inconsequential on anything other than a regional basis. With much of the land's income going to funding its rapidly desintigrating Overlord, Muscowvy, although claiming a central position in the Russian Lands and slowly drawing the smaller states around it into its grasp, remained largely unknown and uncared for in Europe. Brief Feuds with Lithuania ultimately ended inconclusively, as did a single feud with the Merchant Republic of Novogorod in early 1458. However all of this would change with the Last Ottoman-Mongol War from 1467 to 1470.

This war had begun, like most of the similar wars had, over Muscowvy's refusal to pay tribute to the Horde, and as always, the Horde had responded with strength of arms. However in this case, they fought against a United Muscovite State with a large and advanced army under the Brilliant General Ivan, the eldest son of Grand Duke Vasily II and later Grand Duke Ivan III 'The Great'. The War itself was largely one of maneuver and skirmishes, the Khan of the Golden Horde using his light cavalry well, but ultimately being unable to cause significant casualties to the Muscovite Soldiers. When both the Khanates of Crimea and Kazan enterred into the war, it seemed as though Russia's fate was sealed, however these were both led by impatient rulers who attempted to use their superior numbers against Ivan, and fell before him. With his allies defeated and heavily occupied, The Great Khan attempted to sue for peace, however the machinations of Ivan were against him, in the late years of the war, The Kingdom of Georgia declared war upon the Golden Horde.

This left the Khan Surrounded and with no where to flee to, cutting of his ability to use his light cavalry effectively and destroying any chance of continuing a harassing and raiding strategy. The Khan was forced into a pitched battle near Astrakhan, where he and his army were cut down by Russian and Georgian Arms.

This war saw the Vast Swaths of Territory annexed by both victorious powers, primarily to Muscowvy, although Georgia amassed a large Empire, including having been given the rich Trading City of Astrakhan. Russia would also annex the small principality of Ryazan as this land had become completely enclosed within Russian Territory, while the similar realms of Yaroslavl and Tver to the north of Moskva would escape such a fate only due to the guarantees upon them from Novgorod.


At this point, Georgia's realm was vast and rich, with trade allowed to persist through Astrakhan, and from there to the Genoese Ports in the Black Sea. This partnership with Genoa vastly increased the Kingdom's Fortunes, and gave the Georgian King the finances he needed to vastly reogranize his state, charting definite borders for his provinces and renovating the Georgian Court. Sadly, Georgia's Empire would prove startlingly short lived however, lasting not even till the turn of the century before desintigrating with Russian support turned from them to the West.

Vasily II would die the same year as the peace treaty was signed, never having seen his state's victory over its supposed Overlords. Ivan III would, due to his popularity from this war, succeed to the throne without any trouble, in many ways having already gained the throne several years prior. Although official documents do not state it, Ivan was already conducting meetings at the court and administrating Muscowvy long before his blind father died.

Much of Ivan's reign would be spent consolidating his newly conquered lands and dealing with the harsh nomadic citizenry of them. Almost constant border raids and feuds with the Kazan and Crimean Khanate ensure the Grand Duchy remained at a perpetual state of low level war, however Ivan III was more than capable of ruling through this period, and this age saw the expansion of the Muscowvite Beaurocracy into an efficient administrative system to rule the new lands. Considerable effort and finances were spent both on Missionaries to convert the populace to Orthodox Christianity, and to sedentarize the native populations, with many Muscowvite Citiens being moved into the newly conquered lands.

Ivan would eventually turn his gaze Westward however, not to Novgorod quite yet, but to Poland, in the late years of the 1400s. In this age, Poland had taken advantage of the Chaos in Scandinavia rescinding Swedish Protection of the Teutonic Order, and had invaded. Ivan, not wanting to see his rival gain absolute control of the southern Baltic Sea, pulled the Livonian Order into his sphere of influence, saving it from the fate of the Teutonic Knights and gaining Muscowvy's first Naval Influence, to be expanded upon in the following year.

For the next year would see Livonian Shipping turned against their neighbor in the North, Novgorod. With Livonian Ships attacking Novgorod's trade through the Baltic, the conflict reached its peak with Ivan's Invasion of Novgorod in 1505. This war hardly even counts as such, as Novgorod was incapable of fielding an army even one fourth the size of the force Ivan Led into the Republic's land. The Republic lost its independence in this war, losing all land save the city itself to Muscowvy and being placed into a position of Vassalage to Ivan III. With Poland once more cast into Civil War, they could do nothing to stop this, and so Ivan expanded his realm without any loss.

Sadly, Ivan would die just one year later, leaving his son Fyodor II on the throne for a scant two years before being succeeded by Ivan's Grandson through his eldest Son Ivan, this son having died in 1491 in a border skirmish with Nogai which saw that state pay tribute to Ivan. Fyodor III would reign over a largely peaceful realm. No graet wars tried Russia during this period, and Fyodor remained cautious almost to the point of Timidity, a trait he shared with his Grandfather, conducting only minor skirmishes along the eastern border which remained largely inconclusive.

Fyodor's son Boris I would be an entirely different matter, however he would lack not only Fyodor III's jurisprudence, but also his skill. Russia's gains under Boris would be balanced by its losses. In 1525, the newly Crowned Emperor Aleksander I of Poland would best him in a large scale war which would see Livonia enter the Polish Sphere of Influence and see Pskov annexed, as well as see the direct conquest of several provinces from Muscowvy itself.

In the East, the border with Kazan remained in constant flux as Muscowvy pressed south upon it, while it stabbed into the Heart of the Grand Duchy. Nogai broke free from Muscowvite Control and Boris remained incapable of combatting them. He is thus regarded as a poor ruler. Boris would die in 1530 and pass the throne to his infant son, however the regency would see Boris' brother Pyotr claim control of the throne as Regent for the 17 years until Boris' son claimed the throne. Pyotr's reign would be quite peaceful, and Muscowvy would remain aloof from the affairs in Europe and from the states around itself. The Grand Duchy would quietly build itself stronger internally, eventually letting its shackled rage free in the form of the young Prince who would forge a new Empire.

Upon Ascension to the throne proper, Ivan IV 'The Terrible' of Russia, would begin the work set forth for him. In a single year, the remnant of the Kazan Khanate and the Golden Horde were annexed into Muscowvy after a few short military campaigns. The Republic of Novgorod was officially annexed shortly thereafter, with the City's Hanseatic Kontor being closed, however with trade remaining in the city itself under Royal Administration.

However Ivan's Reign was as yet just beginning, and in 1546 he concluded he was no Longer Grand Duke of Muscowvy, instead, he would be crowned as The First Emperor of the United Empire of the Russias.



Next Update we'll get to see what's going on with Leopold after Freddy left him alone with Maria.

Heh Heh Heh...

@ Enewald: Russia just went crazy in this game for like the first 50 years, conquering huge swathes of territory, hell, they united in 1497!
@ Zauberfloete: Thanks! And yes, this will catapult Russia to new ambitions, but not for a while, they have a bit of a headache to go through first...

Speaking of headaches...

Run.

The word burned its way into my mind, shining like a beacon as the world shattered before my eyes.
Run.Fire

Flee.Fire
Get Out.
Run Run Hello Leopold
I had left the room quickly, the moment her words ended and I regained my bearings, I fled through the door. She had hardly said anything, not but a single sentence, a simple question as it were, yet it carried such terror on its speaking that I could not fight against it.
Fire
Run.
Flee.
Run Die!
No.Run Run Fire
Run Run Run Run She Laughed Fire Fire
Cannon. horses and Soldiers, the battle of Kelding. My Mind hid itself within these things and others, running, no, walking briskly, purposefully, slowed from my brief panic, through the corridors of this labyrinth. How had they so multiplied So? They led nowhere, the doors blurred together into one, all the same, none leading where I needed. Where was I?
So, You are the one standing between me and my Prize?
I passed a dead torch, and knew I was somewhere new. Was the hallway curving? There were no curved parts of this castle. Were there? No Matter, I knew where I was, as I passed another door, this one clearly marked as one of the many Barracks. The breathing of soldiers contentedly sleeping slipped its way into my ears, a calming sound, as I closed my eyes, and was on the field once more. My father was beside me, the sun was shining through the dust clouds as my legions marched in perfect precision. This precision kept me aware, as I noted with a slight grin that no legion would ever march with such discipline. I turned my head to my father, smiling as he smiled to me.
A dull wail. Fire
He said only three words to me, though I'm not sure if he said them, all sound having died alongside my smile.
She Smiled Figures Shambled across a barren wasteland
"Goodbye, my Son."Run Run Fire
So Deeply She Laughed
A Cloud of Dirt and Fire burst from the ground beside me, engulfing my Father, who smiled on while fire and shards of metal danced across his form. I spat out the dirt as I pushed myself up from the ground, my left leg pinned beneath the silent stonelike corpse of my horse. My ears were filled with the sound of screaming, the booming of cannon and the clang of metal. I coughed metal out of my mouth and yelled for my father, no acall returned to me, as I pulled my leg from the ground, broken, I felt the shards of bone splitting forth from the skin. There was no hope of walking in this state.
Fire in her Eye Run Fire
No soldiers stood their ground near me, I was alone, no soldiers, no horses, the legions were gone, descended into chaos on the field below what I saw now was a hill. I had been commanding from this hill, the memories flashed into my mind. I was so far from the castle at Schaffhausen, where was I? I didn't recognize any soldiers, their faces too far from my gaze, not but black specks above shining armor.
Run Fire Fire Fire
A Bellow sounded over the clash of men, their smaller cries being quickly overtaken by its force and volume. I knew that cry. My Eyes found him instantly, as he towered over the other soldiers, my brother, my oldest friend, waded through the carnage, swinging his mace. Even from here I could make out the glimmer of his armor, as my eyes focused with perfect clarity upon his form. What was he doing there? The Lines buckled around him as he pushed forward, Austrian Soldiers pressing forward to fill the gap.
Why wasn't I Running?
I had to get up.Run Run Run Fire Fire
Run.Run Run Fire
I could kill you with a thought
I stood, barely, hoisting an Imperial Banner to support my weight and limping forward, all pain in my leg numb as my mind focused on only one purpose, and my shredded tunic fluttered to my side in the wind, displaying the Imperial Insignia prominently. No, it couldn't. How could it? I couldn't be Emperor, where was my father? I couldn't be Emperor, he had been beside me. I cried out for him, still no answer.
You think you can stand before me?
The Bellow returned, different this time. I tried to find him, where was he, it had been pained. Where was he? My cries of his name grew more frantic as I stumbled down the hill towards the fray. The battle openned before me, the pain in my leg was gone, I cast aside the Imperial Banner and ran headlong, none stood between me, the front having pressed ever forward against the other army.

It was impossible not to find him, even laying down he was taller than the other soldiers, no motion, as I reached the broken form beneath me and gripped his shoulders in my hands. He smiled up at me weakly, his eyes half closed, mine open wide in pain. No words escaped his mouth, but he betrayed the form of a single word, spoken silently between us as all faded to nothing.
Don't bother trying to tell anyone.
"Brother."Run Fire
Flee you fool.
There was silence, as I collapsed onto his form, it lasted mere moments, from beside me, the words spoke themselves fully, his voice carying through the silence, faltering slightly, wavering, in shock and fear.
run Fire Run Run
"Brother."
Fear Me. Fire Run
I couldn't look for several moments, my eyes swollen shut with tears, but beside me he knelt over the form of another in armor, himself cradling the smaller form in his arms and rocking slowly. The armor split by the shaft of a spear near the armpit, blood pouring through cracks and gaps onto the ground below, disappearing as the dirt drank deeply.
Terror Endless white, the black abyss
The Soldier's face sat expressionless, eyes half closed, blood dripping slowly from the corners of its slightly open mouth.
The Soldier's face sat peaceful, calm, a mirror of the face on the ground beneath me.Run
I know Everything. Fire Fire Run
The Soldier's face was my own.

run
fear

"Brother"
He Looked concerned, as the light played across his widenned eyes. The fires raged once more, as my eyes focused and showed the shelves of books arrayed before me.
"Brother, are you okay? What happened."Run
He stood, towering over me and everything, that look of shock still on his face. He mumbled, my mind racing through these events I had witnessed, wondering of my own sanity.
Run
Maria Spoke.
Run
Instantly, my mind clicked back to the present, everything fell back to this room, this time. I was here once more. I don't know what she said, my mind still wandered while she said it, but upon the realization that she was still in the room,

I had to leave.
Fire

I stood, strongly, powerfully, my expression stoic and serious, as I always was. I did not wobble or sway, my legs supported me completely, themselves realizing the grave nature of our position. They seemed to sense my fright, though it appeared nowhere on the surface of my face.

Friedrich had turned towards me when I stood, he was asking me what was wrong. There was a concerned look on his face, but I knew I couldn't say anything, she stood slightly behind him, her hands clasped before her, her eyes latched onto mine as if chains ran between us. Through the cover of explanation my past and temperament provided me, my eyes remained stoic and half closed, as if in a mixture of boredom and thought. Although physically focused on the face of my brother before me, as I answered his questions without thinking, mentally I remained collected onto her features.
Fear
She stood silently as we talked, her form hardly moving, I'm not even sure if I saw her breath. Her hair fell around her head in a flowing mane, not quite red, but certainly brighter than a simple brown. Her eyes were large and bright, set into a small pointed face which sat precariously upon a slight frame. I had never really looked at her before.

It couldn't have been merely a dream, or so I thought, but as the night wore on into the early hours of morning, and I persisted in insisting to my brother that I was fully collected once more, my mind began to wonder. It had all felt so vivid, however there was no way this could actually have happened. My brother stood before me unharmed, no battles were within riding distance of this realm.
Fear
And yet, I could not shake it from my mind.

"I must leave, my brother." I said suddenly. "I fear staying within these walls has made me long for the open air. Send word to my personal guard, we shall ride out immediately."
"Brother, please stay, I cannot risk you falling ill again." He pleaded, concern evident in his eyes. The Stoic Friedrich, who towered over all, was reduced to pleading with his vastly smaller brother for a simple favor. This state of affairs unnerved me almost as much as my vision.

"No, I have already stayed longer than I had intended. I expected to stay merely through the mid-day, and then leave for Milan. I must return to my lands, there is a lot of work to be done adjusting to my new responsibilities in the Empire."

"I cannot simply let you ride out of here in the middle of the night."
"You can, and will. I shall hear no more argument on this matter."
Fear
I turned from him and He stopped, I hoped I had not hurt him with this remark, however I needed to get out, get away from both of them, and think. I needed a plan, and I needed the peace to find it, already my mind was calming in the . Returning my eyes to him, I saw only the blank stoic expression he had showed me before his wife arrived.

"So be it." He said with a gruffness I had little heard him use in regards to me.

I felt a slight pain in my heart, as he turned from me once more, sending for a servant to notify my guards of our imminent departure. I met my soldiers outside in the central courtyard. Maria's carriage lay stationary along the wall, picturesque in its simple beauty. My Guards themselves were dressed simply in black cloaks covering their light armor. They were trained for quick riding, enough in numbers to discourage an attack by vagabonds, but not enough to draw attention. Their expressions betrayed the slightest bit of displeasure at having been awoken so early, however upon seeing me this vanished from them.

"I am sorry to trouble you brother." I said quietly, lifting myself into the saddle of my horse. "I invite you to visit me at Milan at your earliest possible convenience."

"I shall." was the only response. He looked almost downcast as he said it.

Riding from the castle, with one last glance backwards, I saw him turn and return, Maria standing in the doorway waiting for him.

I know not how, but her eyes I saw with perfect clarity.

Oh Man do I have a Hangover... What just happened?

@Tweetybird: I can tell you where it won't lead right now, namely, anywhere good.
@Enewald: Exactly


The Death of Louis XII in 1513 began yet another period of Dynastic Wars in France, though these three would be entirely internal. On the heels of the Devastating Hundred Years War, the Three French Nobles Wars would further cripple the dying Kingdom. All of the centralizing efforts of Louis XII were undone during the regency over his twelve year old son Charles VIII, who found himself, even after his entrance into adulthood, little more than 'A Beautiful Bird in a Golden Cage'.


With the Northern Duchies distancing themselves from his control and banding together into a confederation of princes to resist his new attempts at reasserting Royal Authority, Charles VIII was forced instead to turn to the Southern territories of the Kingdom of France. There he found willing allies at a steep price. Although the Duchy of Guyenne accepted him as direct ruler with only small monetary concessions, the Duchy of Toulouse was more obstinate, insisting on virtual autonomy in exchange for aid to reclaim the throne. Although this was eventually granted, there would exist a constant rivalry between Charles VIII and the Duke of Toulouse, who would later attempt to place his son Philippe on the French Throne.

Charles VIII, with a somewhat stable base of power in the South of France, would then turn his gaze northward, where he would largely succeed only in angering the nobles there. Although several small counties were pulled into the orbit of the French Crown once more, and Charles managed to greatly enlarge the lands he ruled from Paris, he also prompted the creation of an 'Anti-Paris' at the city of Orleannais, where many of the Northern Nobles would meet annually to further reinforce each other against the Crown. The Duke of Toulouse would provide only wavering support, enough to keep Charles VIII in power, but little more than that and hardly enough to help Charles finally win this war. It should be noted that, despite that phrase, this period is not considered to be a part of the French Noble's Wars, for warfare itself never occurred, instead there was a constant period of subterfuge and political backstabbing perhaps far worse for France than an open war.

All of this would change in 1529 when Friedrich VI von Habsburg would succeed in killing Charles VIII in the last War of Burgundian Succession. This would begin the First French Nobles War, and set the North against the South, a theme that would persist for the rest of French History to this day.


The Rivalry would begin with the election of Philippe of Toulouse, now an adult of 24 years, as King of France by the southern Dukes. This was opposed by the Dukes of the North, however they remained without their own candidate due to internal bickering between the potentials. Having been formed to oppose the King, they naturally found it difficult to now support someone for this position, and this left them open to attack as they lacked a legitimate reason to resist Philippe's authority.

Philippe wasted no time in marching against the Northern Princes with the full support of his father in the south, however he encountered greater resistance than expected. With a definite cause for the Northern Confederation to oppose, even if they had no counter-claimant to support, differences were put aside and the armies were called, drawing the war out for the next four years. During this time, the Duchies of Berry and Orleannais, where most of the combat occurred, were devastated, prompting a local pretender to claim dominance over Southern Berry and Normandy and proclaim neutrality in the entire affair, neutrality which would last for the rest of the Nobles Wars. The Duchy of Orleannais would likewise withdraw from the war shortly thereafter, sufficiently weakening the Northern Confederation that Philippe was able to secure the throne as King Philippe VII in 1533 following several victories from a brief campaign in Champagne.*

His reign would be remarkably brief, and he would do little to combat the nobles beyond what he was able to do during the war. South Berry, Normandie, and Orleannais were pulled fully into the Royal Orbit due to their exhaustion from the conflict, however the crown also lost significant amounts of territory. The Duchy of Aquitaine was pulled fully into the Orbit of the Kingdom of Castile, while Britanny, in the chaos of the war, seized the territory the French Crown had taken from it and removed itself from the Kingdom, placing itself under a reluctant English Protection to retain its independence. At the same time, the Duchy of Provence-Anjou withdrew from the Kingdom and placed itself under the protection of Maria, Duchess of Imperial Burgundy.

By the end of this first war, France had been gutted, attacked from all sides and from within, leaving but a shell of the old Kingdom left, and Philippe recognized this, instead resigning himself to his current possessions and not moving against the foreign invaders, or the rebellious duchies. Writing suggests that Philippe recognized his precarious position and was more interested in merely staying on the throne with his head than in increasing his power. Sadly, he would not survive long, and died in 1538 after an accidental blow to the head in a game of royal tennis, having reigned as 'King' for a mere four years.

He passed the crown down to his son Philippe VIII, who was again supported by the Southern Duchies, however this time he was opposed by a rival claimant. Having seen what could happen without a claimant of their own, the Northern Duchies now threw their weight behind Charles Duke of North Berry, who would draw most of his support not from the Northern Duchies, but from his Wife Jeanette, the younger sister of the Duchess Maria of Burgundy, and who would later receive support from Friedrich VII following his mother's unfortunate death in 1538.


Despite this aid, which remained largely absent or merely feigned, enough to prolong the war but far too little to win it, Charles remained barely in control of the northern Duchies, who were understandably hesitant to show support for who was so obviously a puppet of the most Hated Habsburgs. Thus the war simply sat in a state of constant balance, with armies marching across the midlands of France and achieving no lasting control of any significant area. The Neutrality of several of the midland states complicated matters and forced much of the combat into the Duchy of Burgundy, although forces remained outside of the Duchy proper and confined themselves to the territory of the enlarged County of Nevers to avoid the potential wrath of Friedrich. Despite this concentration, several southern armies marched across Southern Berry into Charles' personal demesne, ravaging the countryside yet further while Charles' army was primarily concerned with defending his wife's vastly richer territories in Ducal Burgundy.

The detestation in his home and the home of his wife eventually forced Charles to withdraw from the contest for the crown, abandoning the Kingdom once more and pulling his lands out of the conflict. Despite his apparent victory, Philippe remained incapable of actually achieving the dominance he desired, for the northern duchies again resisted, demanding great autonomy. Their demands only grew in strength as the Huguenot movement gained momentum, eventually permeating through much of Northern France, and forcing Philippe to promulgate an edict of tolerance when he was eventually crowned in 1552 at Bourges.

Despite having been officially crowned as King of France, Philippe remained confined to Southern France, incapable of projecting his authority into the Duchy of Berry which served as a border between the two factions. The states North of the Duchy remained almost completely independent, and Philippe VIII became the first French King to never set foot into Paris, his supposed Capital.

After another decade of attempts to centralize the state, Philippe VIII finally gave up both his attempts for the crown, and his place on Earth, dying in 1564 from unknown causes, believed to have been poisoned, thus throwing France into the Third and Final French Nobles War.

This final war would see the end of the established North-South rivalry, as there were not two, but three claimants to the throne, one from each of the three principal branches of the Capetian Dynasty. The two principal candidates in the beginning of the war were Louis, Duke of Auvergne, and Philippe Duke of Orleannais. Both of these two duchies had remained largely outside of all of the wars, bidding their time until they could strike, however they were also joined by the young Duke of Guyenne, also named Louis, of the dynasty Capet-Valois, the son of Philippe VIII. Despite it being his birthright, the Duchy of Toulouse was actually opposed to Louis of Guyenne, with the nobles having elected Louis of Auvergne as their duke during the young Louis' regency.

Initially, the war concerned itself primarily with the feud between Louis of Auvergne and Philippe of Orleannais. Louis of Guyenne simply lacked the territory and funds with which to make the bold moves of his other opponents, however this lack of overt power also gave him a freer hand, as it freed him from the gaze of the other two claimants who left him largely to his own devices. As his principal territory was largely surrounded by both of them, the two larger powers reached an accord with each other that left him largely untouched lest either gain a greater hold over this small state.


To further complicate the young Louis' claim to the throne, during his regency, Castile took the opportunity to annex Aquitaine and seize a large amount of territory from Guyenne, further convincing the other claimants that they need not expend energy dealing with the small third claimant, who could not even maintain his small lands.

The two then turned towards each other and spent much of the war feuding over Paris and its surroundings, an area that to this day bears the scars of this war. The city of Paris itself was decimated as the state of the land remained in constant flux. Both sides traded control of the city and its surroundings several times, and over the years of this and the two preceding wars the people fled the city, generally to Normandy and Champagne, but also into the Southern Netherlands, where they found little peace under the reign of the Intolerant Emperor Friedrich VIII, thought at least for now, there was peace in the Netherlands

This situation changed markedly in 1475, when Louis of Guyenne matured and claimed the throne at the age of 15. He wasted little time and promptly attacked his target, his target being the Kingdom of Castile. Castile at this time was distracted, with much of its army either in the New World policing its empire, or in Northern Germany supporting the largely exhausted Austrian Empire in attempting to defeat the League of Berlin. With little opposition against him in Aquitaine, Louis attacked and won a series of decisive victories against what defenders and occupation forces in the territory. With Castile considering this small stretch of territory less important than the unity of the Church and the stability of the Habsburg Empire who they had recently married into through the Crown of Aragon, Louis was able to escape any immediate revenge from Castile.


With this conquest under his belt, he now did what most expected him to do from the start, and attacked the duchy of Toulouse With most of Louis of Auvergne's forces in Champaigne combating Philippe, The young Louis marched into the city of Clermont-Ferrand, seizing the duchy of Auvergne and his birthright of Toulouse on the same day that Louis of Auvergne succeeded in killing Philippe and crowning himself King, having finally claimed the city of Paris definitively.

However Louis XIII would reign for little more than a few months. His armies were exhausted while Louis of Guyenne's had just begun to fight, his finances were spent, while Louis of Guyenne had secured a significant tribute from Aragon in return for not claiming any of their territory in the war against Castile, Aragon likewise distracted in aiding the Habsburgs in Germany, and Louis of Guyenne had just succeeded in claiming Absolute Power in the south of France, Louis of Auvergne's former stronghold. Although Louis of Auvergne achieved the throne, he had alienated both the nobles and the people of the north, who were now the only people he could ask for assistance, and who he had spent the past several years decimating in this war.

In opposition to him was the powerful, brilliant, and beloved Louis of Guyenne, the man who turned back Castile and saw the first territorial acquisition for France in decades. His realm was stable and powerful, and he himself was beloved by the people he ruled, having been greeted in Toulouse as a Liberator, and having been able to completely reorganize the Southern Administration. When he marched into the North, many of the nobles pledged allegiance to him willingly, while those who did not were easily defeated by the refreshed and bolstered army of the South. The war against him lasted less than three months, and by 1577 Louis of Auvergne had been crowned Louis XIV, King of France.

To him would fall the task of leading France through the Reformation, and the Wars of Religion.


No Date Given;

I suspect my Patron is blind, he never looks at anything, and remains always with his hand upon his desk. In addition, he limps, and occasionally grasps his chest as if in pain.


*Try saying that five times fast.

YAY! Last post of Part 1, now its back to the Ottoman Empire and from there, on to the Wars of Religion!

We're studying the effects of Chainsaw on your Stomach

@Enewald: Sadly none, remember MMP2 removed practically like half of the revolter nations, and although I added most of them back in, I didn't give any of the French Nations cores or add them to the culture file, so instead it was just 10 years of constant rebel control. I did eventually add cores because of what happens to France however...
@Vandervecken: Very Temporarily.
@Marco Oliverio: No reveal yet.
@Tweetybird: Running theme for this AAR: It'll Get Worse,.
@gabor: Still not as bad as Switzerland, Lorraine, or especially the Balkans.
@mw1776: Exploded? Heh, this is just me pouring on the Fuel, I haven't even lit the fuse yet...
Oh, and Favorite? Why thank you sir!

@All: Holy Shit did I forget how much crap Suleiman did in this game. This single chapter is going to be the longest yet and take up like five posts. Sit tight...


With the death of Numan I, the Ottoman Empire was thrown headlong once more into utter chaos. With his largely inept brother Mehmet III officially the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and the Divan having proven itself the true authority of the Empire in its signing of a treaty of Peace with Aragon, completely without Mehmet's participation, the central authority of the Empir collapsed.

Although Numan had reasserted the authority of the Sultan over the army, he had done so by granting the Generals Temporal control over specific areas of his Empire, thus buying their loyalty and destroying the authority of the former Ottoman Nobility, consolidating power into a single institution which he controlled instead of spreading it across several institutions, many of whom disliked him. With his death, and Mehmet III incapable of even leaving the Ottoman Palace without the Divan's permission, the Generals asserted their own authority.

In no single province did the Generals assert themselves more than in Judea. An Island of Ottoman Control in a Sea of Mamluk occupation, Judea was preserved by the strength of tactics and personality of its Governor-General, the General Selim. Selim had achieved virtual autonomy under Numan, who bought his loyalty with not only great concessions and bribes, which Selim judiciously used to finance his vastly larger army, but also through the hand of Numan's sister Hafsa Hatum. It would be through her that Selim would bring forth the Dread Suleiman.

Although greatly overshadowed by his only son, Selim would become well known throughout the near East for his several victories against the Mamluk Sultanate. The Mamluks themselves were decaying, having been robbed of their lucrative Spice Trade by the efforts of Portugal, and thus seeing the loyalty of their armies desintigrate rapidly. In contrast to the well trained veteran forces of Selim, themselves very loyal to a General who obviously cared for them, there was little contest, and Selim, although himself cautious almost to the point of timidity in stretching his influence too far, succeeded in conquering large amounts of territory from the aging Sultanate.


Selim would pass from this world in 1553, passing the throne to his largely unknown son, a young man, slight of build, named Suleiman, who seemed even more timid than his father, and thus quickly attracted the wrath of the Mamluk Sultan, intent on reclaiming the land taken from him by Suleiman's father. This move would prove disastrous for the Sultanate, as Suleiman met the Sultan and his armies in a ptiched battle near Gaza, where he managed to secure an astounding victory, killing the Mamluk Sultan himself and routing or capturing the entire Mamluk army. With the way to Cairo being largely open to him, there was little to stop Suleiman from claiming control of the Egyptian Sultanate.

Suleiman's march into Cairo effectively ended the Mamluk Sultanate as a political entity, although the local administration remained largely unchanged. Suleiman allowed Mamluk generals and lords to continue in their control of the territories of much of Egypt, instead simply securing the central, richest territories of the state under his direct control, thus ensuring that these generals would never be able to raise enough taxes to suppor an army capable of challenging him.

Suleiman's conquest of the Mamluk Sultanate prompted large changes across the Middle East. Although it had been independent, the state of Najd had been largely dependent on the Mamluks for protection, and without this protection the state was partitioned between the Emirates of Yemen and Oran, while the Sultan of Hedjaz, a former vassal of the Mamluk Sultan, was forced to pay homage to Suleiman to retain his state in the face of the growing power of Yemen.


Not Content with this conquest, Suleiman at once turned north. Reinforcing his troops with Egyptian Levies, naming himself as caliph by virtue of his possession of the holy city of Jerusalem and Lordship over Mekha and Medina, Suleiman marched into Anatolia in 1554. There, he saw a string of brilliant victories over his opponents, the small rival generals that had seized direct control over the provinces. Largely following the path of Numan I before him, he made himself well known amongst both the surviving generals, many of whom pledged loyalty to him after his first victories in the former Dulkadir and central Anatolia, but also amongst the peasants of the Ottoman Empire, who saw him as the bringer of peace and stability.

Without any doubt, the greatest of Suleiman's conquests came in mid 1554, in his conquest of the last bastion of the Crusader States, the Island of Rhodes. The Knights themselves had seized the opportunity presented by the Ottoman Civil war, and had invaded and annexed several states along the coast of the Mediterranean, including several islands and Port Towns. Their fortunes briefly strengthenned, the Grand Master of the order decided to claim dominance, and opposed Suleiman's march, hoping to defeat the young General and secure the city of Jerusalem itself. Such a stunning victory against a powerful foe would surely bring in further aid both economic and military to the order, allowing them to reclaim yet more of the Holy Land, possibly even returning to Constantinople.

Unfortunately for the Knights, their Grand Master proved less skilled than Suleiman, and was defeated and captured after a long battle near Isparta. With their Grand Master captued, and much of their army having been routed while in Anatolia, the island of Rhodes itself was easy prey. Despite this, the garison survived for several months, and could likely have survived for far longer had Suleiman not reached an accord with the Grand Master, on peculiar terms. Although the Knights would surrender control of Rhodes, they would be allowed to leave the island in peace, on boats provided by Suleiman himself should theirs prove too few, and they would be allowed to take any items and people from the island that they wished. From there, they may go where they will, with Suleiman's blessing. In addition, Suleiman agreed to allow Christian Pilgrims to journey to the Holy Land in Peace, and even invited a few regiments of the Knights to Jerusalem itself to provide for the pilgrims.

In the end, after having been refused any land by the Christian Rulers of Europe, the Knights would instead relocate entirely to Jerusalem itself, where they would remain a considerable political force for the rest of the century, and possibly further.

With the Knights dealt with, Suleiman continued on his path to Constantinople, again breaking through Europe via Edirne, and surrounding the city. While Suleiman himself oversaw the siege of the Queen of Cities, he sent his friend Ibrahim, who had accompanied him on this path of reconquest and who had been a great asset, himself a brilliant general and administrator, to the Greek Confederation with terms of peace. The terms themselves were impressively generous, with Suleiman demanding merely that the Greek Cities accept Ibrahim as their Lord Protector. Beyond this, they would remain free of the Ottoman Empire's Territory.

As Ibrahim was himself a Greek, born into the Janissary Corps and himself being a peculiar mix of Islamic and Greek Orthodox teachings, and with the cities having been largely bled dry by their constant warfare with the local Ottoman Generals and the Ottoman Divan, they would willing to accept this, so long as Ibrahim would convene a local diet annually to aid him in deciding on policy. Of course this is a gross simplification, and in the end negotiations took several months, with correspondance constantly flowing between Ibrahim and Suleiman. The Greek Cities wished to be assured that they would remain free of Suleiman's control, and he accepted, although hesitantly. The return of the Knights to Ottoman Lands, where they were welcomed and treated with respect, ultimately convinced the Greek Cities to accept the terms of the treaty and accept Ibrahim as Lord Protector.

All throughout these months, the city of Constantinople stood strong against the force of Suleiman, its walls held tall and wide, and Suleiman remained incapable of seizing it from without. He planned thirty eight assaults, of which three would eventually be executed, and all of them repulsed in time. However while his attempts at breaking into the city ended consistently in failure, there was a more subtle force at work.

The Ottoman Divan had hardly become popular during this war, and this siege further sunk their popularity. The Greek Citizens, learning of Suleiman's treaty with the other Greek Citizens, rose up in revolt, a revolt the exhausted army of the Divan could not repulse, especially not when it was joined quickly by a similar revolt of the Turkish Citizens. Greek United with Turk to drive out the Ottoman Divan, and on the eve of his fourth assault, Suleiman rode into the open city where he was greeted as Liberator.


Suleiman's work was far from over however. In truth, his work was just beginning. After having spent the past thirty years in a state of civil war, the Ottoman Empire's Finances were in shambles, bankruptcy loomed upon the horison, and the people demanded a more open Divan, blaming the old organization and Sultan, cloistered away in the Ottoman Palace in Constantinople, for the strife they had experienced.

It was at this point that Suleiman displayed his greatest charisma, as he did not seize the Ottoman Throne, not in name. Despite having what the European Princes would have considered a legal claim to the throne, he instead opted to become a simple Regent, head of the new Ottoman Divan and nominal servant of the Sultan Mehmet III. Yes, instead of naming himself Regent, Suleiman contented himself with merely assuming total control over the Ottoman State, which he then split with his old friend Ibrahim, who ruled alongside him as co-regent of the Ottoman Empire.

Despite his lack of royal title, Suleiman remained Sultan in all but name, and he quickly pulled all Imperial Authority into his grasp. Using his considerable lands in Egypt and the lands he had conquerred and kept for himself in Anatolia, Suleiman financed his ambitions for power, grasping absolute control of the nobles and generals of the Empire and forcing them into his orbit, although many retained great deals of autonomy, such as the General of Candar.

Where Suleiman did not place his mark, Ibrahim did instead, claiming authority over most of the islands that had fallen to the Knights, as well as the Bulgarian territories of the Empire, which were reabsorbed after a series of small victories by Ibrahim. The Largely Catholic province of Beirut chose to report to Ibrahim over Suleiman, as did the Orthodox province of Trebizond.

It was thus, that The Ottoman Empire achieved Unity through Division.

Boink!

@EnragedKiwi: Why Thank you!
@daemonofdecay: And Again!
@Enewald: "Very Termporarily" And Vassal Greece and Balkan States. I decided to represent this in the AAR as a sort of Austria-Hungary Dualism.
@Vandervecken; There are two far more Temur Like nationn coming up...


Innsbruck, a beautiful city. I had always loved it, and it was the culmination of a dream when control of it and the surrounding countryside was handed down to me. However my stay would sadly be short, for the war still called to me from the north, as did certain matters which begged my father's attention.

The affairs of Insbruck were delightfully little, and mostly concerned with the war, a suitable subject I could bury myself within. Minor Trade disputes had come in from Venezia to the south, and Genoa was beginning to resent Habsburg Forces on their border with the Duchy of Milan, however these were minor quibbles, hardly more than the required opposition to continue a feign of respectability by those two states. They would take few actual steps against Austria, as even with the war in the north, hardly more than one third of the forces we could raise had been sent forward. With Swiss Support largely guaranteed by my Brother Freidrich and his demon wife Maria, sitting calmly in the corner of my room, a vicious smile on her face. Her face moved to follow me, however the rest of her was as carved from marble.
Minor Courtiers tried my patience in the early hours of the day, however they and their brethren were dismissed to be dealt with by my steward quickly, their complaints being less impressive even than the token insistences of Venezia. Ludovico took a delight in these matters, so he may delight in them all he wished. His Popularity amongst the people as a child of the native Sforza dynasty would keep things quiet, as it always had. In many ways, I suppose he was more Duke than I was.
A Slight smile and laughter, a nice change from the Fires of her eyes, glowing as she sat and played with his hair. he made no motion of notice, taking consistently as if there was nothing at all to be said on the subject.
Envoys had been dispatched to the major towns in Middle and Northern Germany concerning my path should my father march south. The war was likely nearing its end, there had been no major news from the front, and what news had come had suggested that Denmark's Counterattacks at my Father's armies had slowed to nought. Sweden's campaign in Norway had been quickly bankrupting the Danish Crown, and they would not long be able to endure this conflict. This would be good, we would prove our ability to defeat the Danes, even if we couldn't reach their capital.

I was not leaving with an army at my back, there was no need, rather a small regiment of cavalry, no more than Four Hundred Strong, would ride with me north. I had a new horse, my last still recoverring from making a two day forced ride across the Alpine Lands, and the guards who had accompanied me were themselves being given a proper rest as guards of my Steward. They had taken this gift willingly, and now sat in watch over the court. Little would disturb them, or so I hoped.

The Regiment had assembled outside the city, and my horse and I trotted to the front, breaking into a relaxed gallop upon nearing the head of the collumn, which followed suit and hit their stride beside us. Birds flew lazily through the sky under the shining sun, no clouds broke our vision of its blue expanse, and the calm of a pleasant autumn washed over me.

I think I had almost grown accustomed to her presence.


Very short one today (for me at least), I've been working out a few plot lines that I really need to get organized before I dive into the real chaos in the Reformation.