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We need a vassal in the North Sea, so that they may raise a navy and occupy England for us! :p
 
The Reign of Philipp Wilhelm I von Wittelsbach

The HRE goes to war

Bohemia and England answer Milan's call to arms, as Bavaria decides that having their non-existent merchants barred from Italian trade centres is enough cause for outrage to send armies to their death.
MILwar1B.jpg


Even before both sides join in battle, though, troubling news reach Philipp's desk.
GELwar1A.jpg


As the army expands to meet this new threat, another officer is promoted to the general staff.
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Invading Bohemian troops are quickly repelled and then crushed by forces led by Gumpenberg and Moshamm.
MILwar1C.jpg


General Scherer is sent to the Milanese front, where he enjoys early success against a small Milanese force cut off from their main army, busy with occupying Modena.
MILwar1D.jpg


Gelre achieve their war objectives, and wait apprehensively for the arrival of HRE reinforcements.
GELwar1B.jpg


General Moshamm efficiently disposes of the remaining Bohemian troops, and Bohemia is forced to liberate two more members of the HRE.
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MILwar1F.jpg


As the war rages on, the HRE is again called to defend another of its members against aggression. Bavaria now finds itself engaged in three wars at once.
DENwar1A.jpg


England and Hungary recognise the fact that neither can really engage each other in this war...
MILwar1G.jpg


as Denmark forces Holstein into vassalage.
DENwar1B.jpg


In the west, the French continue to lurch from one crisis to another.
1469-70reports2.jpg


With the Bohemian front successfully concluded, General Moshamm is dispatched to the Milanese campaign, where he enjoys some early success.
MILwar1H.jpg


General Gumpenberg, going strong since the reign of Albrecht, shows the army of Gelre that despite his advancing age, he is still a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
GELwar1C.jpg


England show the first signs of strain in their expanding empire.
MILwar1I.jpg


In the north, Denmark's ally Bremen is the first in the line of fire, as the forces of the HRE arrive to defend Holstein.
DENwar1C.jpg


Oldenburg, allied to Gelre, is forced to submit to the authority of the Emperor.
GELwar1D.jpg


Bohemia remains independent, but for how long more?
1469-70reports3.jpg


At home, a breakthrough occurs, as greater organisational effectiveness now allow for an improvement in infrastructure.
1469-70reports4.jpg

A building spree commences.

Gelre finally concedes defeat, and is replaced by Utrecht.
GELwar1E.jpg


In Russian lands, Muscowy is reborn from the ashes of the Golden Horde.
1469-70reports5.jpg


In what is easily the biggest engagement in the war, General Scherer proves his mettle convincingly.
MILwar1J.jpg


With their main force defeated, Milan sees little choice but to concede the war.
MILwar1K.jpg


With two wars concluded, all that was left was to take down the Danes.
 
The Reign of Philipp Wilhelm I von Wittelsbach

The Holy Roman Emperor

The recently-reborn Muscovy wastes little time in reclaiming Russian lands.
1470-2reports1.jpg


With Milan and Bohemia defeated, attention is focused on Denmark, whose forces are badly outmatched.
DENwar1D.jpg


Another of Denmark's allies capitulate...
DENwar1E.jpg


and the Danish are forced to surrender their gains in this war, as Holstein is liberated from vassalage by the HRE.
DENwar1F.jpg


The Ottomans find themselves facing yet more Christian armies, as rebel troops continue to rampage through their lands.
TURwar2A.jpg

TURwar2B.jpg


Meanwhile, a new Pope is appointed, in the midst of continued troubles in the Italian peninsula.
1470-2reports2.jpg


Bavarian reforms continue apace...
1470-2reports3.jpg


and with Imperial authority at a high after the liberation of eight HRE members in the last war, a proposal is made to extend reform efforts throughout the Empire.
1470-2reports4.jpg

1470-2reports5.jpg


In the north, fierce fighting ensues as English troops, led personally by King Stuart, land on the Pommeranian coast.
MILwar1L.jpg


England, realising that no gain is to be made fighting most of the HRE by themselves, make peace.
MILwar1M.jpg


The Imperial Diet, with the liberation of so many of the members of the Empire still fresh in the memory, are easily persuaded to support the revival of the Hofgericht.
1470-2reports6.jpg


Suddenly, the HRE is called into action to defend one of its newly-liberated members:
PAPwar1A.jpg


Courts around Europe are taken aback, both by the naked aggression of the new Pope, and by reports of the Holy Roman Emperor marching troops on the Holy City.
PAPwar1B.jpg


The prestige and authority of the Holy See is questioned even further in whispers around Europe. The sight of the Pope declaring war for territorial gains, so soon after the Great Schism, cannot but shake people's faith in the bishop of Rome as God's representative on earth.
PAPwar1C.jpg


In contrast, the reputation of the Holy Roman Emperor is riding high, with two major reforms undertaken by Philipp, and numerous members liberated. As if to emphasise this, Philipp's great architectural legacy is unveiled in München.
1470-2reports7.jpg


In the midst of joyous celebration in the capital, though, Philipp's attention has already shifted to other sections of Bavarian territory.
1470-2reports8.jpg


Rome falls. The Papacy is once again forced to concede authority to the office of the Imperium Romanum, and give up its territorial ambitions.
PAPwar1D.jpg


As war continues to rage in the various corners of Europe, stories begin to spread of voyages beyond known shores...
1470-2reports9.jpg
 
Ah, and now the Pope is in our pocket. Good news. :)
 
Bavaria cannot help but to conquer with God on her side! :)
 
The Reign of Philipp Wilhelm I von Wittelsbach

The death of Adalbert

The revival of the Byzantine Empire gathers pace...
1473-4reports1.jpg


as their Turkish rivals continue to suffer more setbacks.
1473-4reports2.jpg


With Bulgaria having occupied Hungarian cores in Ottoman lands, Hungary and Bavaria have both made peace, leaving the Turks to handle the triple threat of Bulgaria, Byzantium and Castille.

To their north, the Muscovite revival is rapid, as they double their territory in one war. Moskva itself, though, still awaits recovery from the Moslems.
1473-4reports3.jpg

1473-4reports4.jpg


At another distant corner of Europe, Irish dreams of independence grow.
1473-4reports5.jpg


And then, tragedy strikes for Bavaria. Despite the apparently successful treatment of his last illness, it appears that Adalbert never did fully recover.
1473-4reports6.jpg

Philipp produces a bastard son. Would Wilhelm survive to ascend to the throne and defend it? Only time would tell.

France seek to recover their past glory. Auvergne, however, is protected by Burgundy. Will the French be able to turn things around this time?
1473-4reports7.jpg


Maximilian Pfretschner and Adalbert Rickauer, two young Bavarian officers who have shown great bravery in leading men into battle in the last war, are rewarded by their promotion to the general staff, replacing the veteran Gumpenberg, who has finally succumbed to his many injuries.
1473-4reports8.jpg


Bavaria, as HRE, continues to make her presence felt across central Europe.
1473-4reports9.jpg


What next for Philipp?
 
The Reign of Philipp Wilhelm I von Wittelsbach

The Final Act

The Bavarian subjugation of Bohemia begins, with Milan, Burgundy, and Poland coming to her defense...
BOHwar1A.jpg

BOHwar1B.jpg


and is over almost as soon as it begins, as Bohemia capitulates within a month. The war continues, though, with Milan as the alliance leader.
BOHwar1C.jpg

BOHwar1D.jpg


While reforms continue to take effect in Bavaria...
1474-5reports1.jpg


A second act of Danish aggression against Holstein occurs.
DENwar2A.jpg


The English, despite having just led a war against Bavaria not too long ago, clearly are more concerned with Burgundy than Bavaria...
BOHwar1E.jpg


and probably justifiably so, as Burgundy gains yet more French territory.
BOHwar1I.jpg


The French court, finding themselves surrounded by enemies in Paris, make the humiliating decision to escape to the south.
1474-5reports4.jpg


With the Burgundians now free to focus on the war with Bavaria and her allies, attention is focused on defeating Milan quickly. General Rickauer proves his worth against the Milanese forces...
BOHwar1F.jpg


as news from the east warn Philipp that Polish forces are returning in force.
BOHwar1G.jpg


Meanwhile, oddly enough, despite the Holy See now a mere vassal of Bavaria, they are still able to force a favourable peace from Byzantium, from a war started before their vassalisation. Clearly, the Byzantine revival has still some way to go.
1474-5reports2.jpg


The situation gets yet more complicated, as another member of the HRE is attacked, this time in Italy.
NAPwar1A.jpg


The Danish forces are rapidly routed by Bavarian forces reinforcing those of Holstein...
DENwar2B.jpg


...as the next target is marked.
1474-5reports3.jpg


Another Milanese army finds itself dispersed by the might of Bavarian forces.
BOHwar1H.jpg


With Bavaria facing enemies in all directions, Philipp passes away, vacating the throne as suddenly as he came to it, leaving his infant bastard son as the new heir. The HRE proves that loyalty is prized over competence, as the infant is still elected as the next Emperor.
Death.jpg

DeathMAP.jpg


With Bavaria engaged in three wars, and the large armies of both Burgundy and Poland reaching her borders, could the new regency council hold on to pass a strong Bavaria to Wilhelm?
 
The next reform would definitely be doable if he can force any releases from Burgundy. More realistically, if Burgundy starts becoming overwhelming (the doom stack is already sieging Bern), forcing Milan (as the alliance leader) to release Savoy would give about 70+% imperial authority.

(I've never actually played as an HRE power before this game, so I'm not sure what level of Imperial authority is required for a reform to pass successfully. I only considered it after going past 90% for both reforms.)

He'll probably want to find some way to start pumping up that legitimacy first, though.
 
Good luck to the regency council.
Also, it seems that each of the Native American nations have taken care of their respective neighbors. :D