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As for leaving the empire, you should do everything in your power to get the crown back and if that does not work, then leave. Also, as long as he stays in the empire, Austria is getting a manpower bonus from his lands. If he leaves, he deprives them of the bonuses that come from his land.
The change in Imperial bonuses from one nation leaving will be pretty negligible. The bonuses are based on the number of nations in the HRE, it doesn't take into account the size of the member nations. So Friesland leaving the HRE would have just as much impact on Austria as Corsica leaving.
 
Apologies in advance, but there was no real war with Austria this time around. I’ll remember your votes for when it does finally happen though, so they weren’t wasted. Thanks for voting anyway.

Chapter Thirty Eight: False Alarm

As Frisian forces move forward to annex Hesse and engage their opposites from Austria and Wurzburg the diplomats discover an interesting fact about the conflict.

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Somehow, the Duke of Wurzburg was able to take command of the conflict away from the Emperor. The small Duchy would provide no real opposition to Frisian armies, so the war could be ended at any time should the need arise.

Unfortunately, such an occasion emerged shortly after the war began. Word came from Burgundy that they were massing their troops on the southern border having cancelled their military access treaties with Greater Friesland. They also insulted Friesland by withdrawing the majority of their diplomatic offices from Groningen.

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In light this, it was decided to end the war as rapidly as possible to avoid having to fight a two-front war against both the Emperor and the largest French nation. Hesse was annexed, the Duchy of Wurzburg was forced to submit and the conflict with Austria was put on hold for the moment no matter how much either side desired it to continue.

With a ceasefire with Austria the generals and economy were all worked up with nowhere to go. Burgundy had backed down, probably as it didn’t believe it could take on Friesland without the Austrian distraction. A new target would have to be found.

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At one time Luneburg had been one of the most powerful nations in Germany. Now, they were reduced to the Mecklenburg region and some holdings further along the Baltic coast.

Frisian forces marched into their capital only to find their King had already fled. To pursue him a single army was loaded onto the fleet and dispatched to the Lithuanian coast.

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The local forces were no match for even a single army of Frisians, and the king was captured and forced to submit as well.

This had an ulterior motive, as now that Luneburg was under Frisian dominance they would be compelled to vote for them in the Imperial elections.

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Combined with the constant shuffling of electors by Austria resulting in Denmark and Frisian-friendly Salzburg joining the numbers it seemed that the Austrian lock on the Imperial Crown was just a brief fantasy of the pessimists within the government. Of course, with Austria’s tendency to shuffle electors that could very well change.

To the south, Burgundy took out its frustrations on the various minor Duchies of southern France.

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The fortress of Avignon was seized, and the largest of the Duchies was broken up and forced into servitude under Burgundy. This further consolidation continued to cement Burgundy in a power in its own right. Clearly they had gotten tired of living in the shadow of Friesland. Perhaps providing them with so much support had been a bad idea?

Quiet years passed as the Noble’s Council looked hungrily over the border into Austria. As Sibraht aged, they were having a greater and greater influence on his role as King. War would certainly be declared the moment the ceasefire expired. That was until the annual report from Frisian agents in Austria reached the Cabinet.

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Somehow Austria had sped far ahead in the technology and doctrine of warfare, surpassing every other power in the world with the skill of its armies after the last conflict with Friesland. It took a lot of begging and concessions from the Common’s Council to get the Noble’s Council to back down from promoting such a dangerous war. Almost immediately all funding was redirected to the army in order to help them catch up with Austria.

It would be years before Friesland was caught up to Austria and so quiet once again returned.

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In New Friesland, a major program of colonial expansion deeper into the interior of the continent was set in motion. The effort was headquartered in the newly founded city of Johansburg on the shores of Lake Michigan.

While the situation remained peaceful, tensions were once again on the rise between Friesland and Burgundy. The situation came to a head when a Burgundian diplomat made disparaging remarks about Hendrik the Great’s death during wars with Burgundy in the past.

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War was declared in response, with the aim of securing Frisian claims to the Burgundian lands on the north coast of France.

At first, it seemed as though the war would be a fairly even one. The isolated Burgundian regions were conquered while their main body of troops marched into Frisian lands unopposed.

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However, this was really an illusion as the Frisian armies were simply waiting for the bulk of Burgundian forces to get in one place so they could easily be dealt with.

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With the enormous sums of money pumped into the Frisian armies, the Burgundians found themselves completely outmatched. Against armies built to take on the world’s strongest land power, the Austrians, the lower-tier Burgundians simply stood no chance.

It was quickly discovered that the initial assault had contained the vast majority of the Burgundian army. With no reserves to fight against, Frisian forces were free to carve a path directly to Dijon and beyond. With no way to stop them, the enemy leader sued for peace.

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Caux was handed over, and the Duchies of Liege and Baden were both liberated and added to the Frisian sphere of influence. This move effectively forced Burgundy to only hold land from the Lorraine southwards and ensured Frisian control of the northern French-speaking lands.

In India, Friesland’s local allies were once again attacked.

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Naturally this foolishness was used to aquire more land for Frisian India. It was starting to look like one army wouldn’t be enough to police the whole area though, especially as Frisian territory drew closer to the British holdings.

Meanwhile, claims on Liege had been drawn up and the troops moved in. (Seriously, a boundary dispute just months after releasing them, the third of this update with others in Bar (rejected) and Meissen. What’s up with all these things?)

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Without any allies the people of Liege simply accepted Frisian annexation peacefully. There was little opposition from other countries either, as Liege was recognised as being effectively part of Friesland by being so enclosed by it.

Finally, the troops were armed with the latest guns, the horses fed and the cannon loaded. War with Austria could finally come and a decisive defeat inflicted. However, fate had other ideas.

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Sibraht died, and on his deathbed he passed on his crown to his three-year old son Hendrik III. The laws stated that war could not be conducted as long as the king was not of majority, and so the army had no choice but to once again back down and settle in for the long haul as they waited for the child to grow up.

To be continued...

So twelve years of Regency Council sit between Friesland and finally settling the score with Austria. While Land tech is caught up to the top, the same cannot be said for other sectors as you can see from the tech comparison in the update. What should most income be put in during this time?

Option A: Production Tech. Also, money will be spent mostly on buildings.
Option B: Trade Tech. Money will be spent mostly on trading.
Option C: Naval Tech. Money will be spent mostly on building up the fleet to get 100% tariffs.
 
Option C
 
option A are you building enough manufactories to get a significant tech boost?
 
Option C
 
Duke of Awesome: I have something like 25 manufactories of varying types at the moment. They cost 3K each now, so I won’t be building any unless the price starts dropping again.

Option C it is. Very short update today, as very little happened during the Regency council so I want to devote a whole update to the war.

Chapter Thirty Nine: Patience

With twelve years of free time ahead of them before they have to prepare for another war, the Councils convened to discuss what the focus of the nation should be in the meantime. There is significant debate between the colonial, merchant and industrial factions within the government, but after many days they all agreed that the navy is not up to the task of overseeing the vast amounts of goods flowing into Friesland from across the world.

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A recently-developed class of ship with two cannon decks, imaginatively named a Twodecker, was ordered up in large numbers Frisian shipyards. Financing was also switched from the military to the navy, as soon as the economy has recovered from recent instability due to the war with Burgundy.

On the subject of Burgundy, they continue their devouring of the remains of France without any trouble.

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With its territory cut into several isolated segments, the Kingdom of France was now officially a non-entity. No one except their long-time Irish allies were willing to associate with the ruined power.

Austria continued its shuffling of the electors by kicking Friesland out once again.

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All was not lost, as Denmark, Luneburg and Salzburg are all still on the Frisian’s side.

Years pass, and war continued to grip parts of the world. The Spanish hold on Greece finally begins to slip as it found itself in a war with Sweden and Austria simultaneously.

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The waning Iberian power suffered a serious defeat that results in the loss of a large portion of its territory. Combined with rebellions in the remains of its North African lands, the Castillian Mediterranean Empire is certainly coming to an end.

In the Groningen War Academy, one of the Noble Council’s top advisors gave a brilliant lecture on the tactics the Austrians used during their war with Castille. With that as reference material, the officers produced by the Academy will certainly be of greater quality.

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However, it was a shame that a man like him would emerge during a time of peace instead of when he was really needed.

As luck would have it, just a few years before Hendrik would make the age of majority the Emperor died. With Austria’s own supporters turning against it the election results in the Hendrik III being declared Holy Roman Emperor.

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Although he is still just a boy, the nation almost immediately begins to feel the boost provided by having their ruler as Emperor.

Burgundy continued their consolidation of France, but this time around things did not go according to plan.

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The massive fortress built by the Duke of Bar with Austrian financial tied up an enormous number of Burgundian troops, allowing the Duchy’s allies to run rampant across the southern lands. This was definitely a sticky situation, but as long as major powers stayed out of it appeared Burgund would ultimately triumph.

Naval power wasn’t the only thing being financed during this era. Now that the Imperial Crown was in Frisian hands, it seemed nothing would stop the war with Austria starting in a matter of years.

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To prepare for this, the armies that would be facing the bulk of Austrian forces were increased in size from twenty-four to thirty thousand men each.

The constant financing of shipbuilders and other naval industries finally paid off when designs were handed over for a brand new class of ship.

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With three decks of cannon, this new ship would be the most powerful warship in the world. (Showing this because this is where I tend to stop in Naval Tech. As I’m the most powerful nation on the seas and have colonial range to reach anywhere, there is nothing to gain from going above the tech for Threedeckers)

Shortly after that, Hendrik III finally reached the age of fifteen and took the throne of Greater Friesland and the crown of the Holy Roman Empire.

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With urging from the Noble’s Council, his very first act as king was to issue a declaration of war to the Austrians. Finally, it could begin.

To be continued...

No vote for this update as I’ve actually already played through the war. Next update either later today or early tomorrow.
 
Last update until the middle of next week. I really need to knuckle down and study and I can’t afford to have EU3 distracting me.

Chapter Fourty: Battle to the End

The official flashpoint for this war was the Meissen region, which had a significant minority following the Church of Burgundy who had expressed their desire to join Greater Friesland. With this claim in hand the war could begin.

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Austria stood effectively alone, as its infamous reputation had left it isolated amongst European powers and even the nations whose independence it had supported were simply returning the favour. Despite this, Austria still had an enormous numerical advantage with numbers approaching four hundred thousand men. This would be one the toughest fights in a long time, especially as the Frisian leaders were intent on not ending the war until a decisive victory had been won over their archrivals. This would be a fight until Austria or Friesland was utterly beaten.

The plan was the usual. Lure Austria into Frisian lands where their supply lines would be strained and Frisian forces could operate with impunity, then counterattack in force wherever they were weakest. Unfortunately the Austrians had other ideas.

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They seemed to have learnt from their past mistakes, and were avoiding walking into the trap of Frisian lands in favour of attacking Friesland’s allies of Luneburg and Baden. Forces were dispatched to intercept them, as well as some minor border incursions.

The first real clashes between Frisian and Austrian forces were a mixed bag of results. A cavalry force sent across the border to raid was intercepted and scythed down by Frisian cannon. However, the force that moved to protect the capital of Luneburg in Mecklenburg weren’t so lucky.

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Despite massive numerical superiority and a defensive position the Frisian forces were forced to retreat. Commanders reported seeing an ocean on the battlefield, a veritable sea of superbly drilled Austrian soldiers dressed in blue coats. Clearly they had been continuing the arms race even has Frisian focus had been on the navy.

With such a disparity in doctrine, the Austrians were able to beat the Frisian armies back and begin to lay siege to the frontier.

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Luckily, Frisian reserves were able to arrive and shore up the armies and keep the Austrians from totally breaking them. Meanwhile, fortresses based on the ones seen in Navarra had been built along the entire border and were seriously slowing down Austrian attempts to assert control of the region.

To the south, careful manoeuvring had turned the Austrian armies away from Baden and into Ansbach, where it was expected that the fortress could hold them up significantly. As the total number of troops and hence the danger was less on this front, there was a chance to take some risks. One enterprising young noble officer on his way to the front lines took his regiments, marched them into the Duchy of Trier and seized control, taking their treasury for the war effort.

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Luckily Trier was so far in the Frisian political sphere that no one complained. The southern front continued to remain mostly static, with the only action being Frisian armies striking wherever a smaller Austrian army had made itself vulnerable.

That was until an opportunity presented itself to crush the depleted Austrian force besieging Ansbach. A portion of the force had left for locations unknown so it seemed an ideal time to strike. However, the location of the rest of that army soon became apparent.

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The Austrians were making a push into the Rhineland regions of Baden and perhaps beyond, a very gutsy move that required several Frisian armies to halt their advance. Ultimately the splitting of their army proved their undoing. If they had abandoned Ansbach altogether and attacked with the whole force things might have been different as the local Frisian and allied forces were outnumbered by the full contingent.

A desperate intelligence battle had been going on while the skirmishes in the south and retreat in the north carried on. Frisian commanders were trying desperately to replicate the tactics used by the Austrian Blue Coats to once again put their armies on an even footing. Finally that breakthrough came, after months of tense watching the front.

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An Austrian commander by the name of Frederick approached the Frisian lines and offered his defection in return for protection and some financial incentive. As a native of the Brandenburg region and secret follower of the Bugundian Church he had grown increasingly concerned about the austr-ification of his homeland and crackdowns on religious minorities until defecting was the only thing that could satiate his guilt at fighting for Austria. With his leadership an unheard of mid-war reformation of the Frisian army began. The troops were pulled back and the Austrians left to their devices while the new tactics were spread amongst the troops.

With the threat of the Austrians realising what was going on bearing down on them, it took only a matter of months to finish the reorganization and have the troops ready to test out their new tactics on the field. The Frederickian Infantry marched forward with the feeling that the tide might finally be turning.

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Now that the Frisian soldiers were an equal match to the Blue Coats, the weight of numbers they could bring to bear by virtue of operating in their home territory actually mattered. The frontline in the north was pushed back, and in the south it was actually shattered as the largest single concentration of Austrians was completely routed.

The sudden hole in the Austrian lines was quickly filled by Frisian troops who poured into Bavaria opposed only by a collection of small Austrian armies.

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While things looked up to begin with, without a decisive advantage the Frisians were unable to completely press their advantage and soon found themselves fighting evenly sized Austrian armies. After advancing halfway through Bavaria, the pace had to slow down to keep the counterattack from being too effective. The breakthrough was an incredible morale boost to troops across the front, but it didn’t achieve much except taking the fight into Austrian lands.

The battles continued, and while a decisive blow had not yet been struck it seemed clear that the playing field had been levelled.

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The frontline a year and a half after the start of the war.

Victory was finally confirmed when scouts reported the main Austrian army in the north in full retreat back into their lands, a fact which the Frisian armies were quick to exploit to take the fight to them. The reason for retreat was a cause for concern, in case it was a feint, but it quickly became clear when a fast Frisian raid into Austrian Bohemia bumped into a theoretically superior force.

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The Frisians were able to decisively win despite being on the offensive against an even number of slightly better drilled enemies and the capture of several Austrian soldiers after the battle revealed why. The Austrian had been harassed by Frisian forces constantly, and so had been gathering in larger and larger concentrations to avoid being targeted by an overwhelming counterattack. This would be their undoing, as thousands upon thousands of men died from the attrition caused by hopelessly overextended supply lines. Despite this, the Austrian leadership continued to pile more and more men into the mess to keep the forces well stocked against Frisian attacks. The simple fact was that Austria was beginning to run out of warm bodies to fill its blue coats and so the majority of their regiments were far under strength.

With this knowledge in hand, Frisian forces marched straight on into Brandenburg and engaged the retreating bulk of the Austrian’s primary invasion force.

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The Austrian army was totally annihilated, meaning the end of any real Austrian resistance. The only significant presence remaining was in Bavaria, where thirty thousand or so Austrians were being held in place by the Frisian armies that had broken through earlier.

At that point, the war was effectively over. The Duchy of Baden withdrew with Frisian blessing, taking the lands of Breisgau that it had claims on. As it did so, Frisian troops continued marched and seizing everything in their path.

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Austria and even their allies from Bulgaria through everything they could at the Frisians to try and slow down the inevitable, but it was not enough.

Within six months of the decisive defeat of the Austrians in Brandenburg, Frisian troops entered Vienna triumphantly.

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Up until the end, the Austrian king had hope that his soldiers would turn the situation around and force some kind of neutral or favourable peace from the war. That delusion finally came to an end when infantry led by Frederick himself stormed the royal palace and took him prisoner. With no way out and the majority of his lands under siege, the Austrian king could only accept the terms dictated to him.

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Austria would recognise Friesland’s right to have political control over all the remaining German nations, bar the isolated Salzburg, they would cede the contested Meissen, and the financial centre of Venice would be given independence as well as the Transylvanians. Finally, Austria had been completely and decisively beaten, leaving Greater Friesland as the sole dominant power within the Holy Roman Empire.

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The Frisian sphere of influence covered all of Central Germany, so the consolidation of the region could go in just one direction. And Austria could only go in one direction as well. Down.

To be continued...

Frisian control over the Empire is secure, but releasing those nations has likely caused Austria’s infamy to plummet. There might now be many major nations within Europe willing to aid them against Greater Friesland. Having allies of our own will help to counter that, but which ones should be approached? Burgundy is not an option as they now see us as a bitter rival so we will have to look amongst the heretics. (Please vote for more than one, I’ll take the top two or three to work on because I don’t really know which of these might actually be willing to become allies. Also note that these choices are likely to affect long term events beyond 1821.)

Great Britain: Decent colonial and naval power, but conflicts with us in Africa and India are likely in the future.
Castille: They are on the way out, but they still have a fairly large army so they would be a useful distraction if nothing else.
Sweden: Very strong in the Middle East, so they would be a useful way of drawing Austrian troops south in a war. Also useful against Russia should they come knocking on the Empire’s door.
Russia: The Bear. What more do I need to say?
Portugal: Really focused on the Americas and East Indies more than anything. Making friends with them will at least help cover our back should a large colonial war break out.
Siena: Up and coming power in Italy. Once they unite the boot, they are very likely to be a major contender in Europe.
Navarra: An unusual choice, but they are advanced in technology and have a decently large army for their size. Might be handy in a conflict with Burgundy or the Iberians.
Aragon: Similar to Navarra, but minus the high tech level.

World Update 1746:

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Most interesting thing here is Persian Madagascar and New Guinea. Other than that, not many major changes to the map.
 
Great AAR, I have just finish reading it and loved it. as for the vote I would go with either Sweden, Russia, or Seina as they all have borders with Austria and they powerful in their regions, also another reason why (especially for Sweden and Siena) is that you have yet to fight a major conflict with them making it easier to ally with them. Keep up the amazing work.
 
Siena, hands down.
 
Russia and Siena

P.S. excellent job taming the Austrian menace :)
 
Russia or Sweden, and maybe Siena.
Also, I like Frederick joining Friesland. It was a unique touch. :)
 
Sienna and Sweden. While Russia is large and powerful, there is a very big problem with allying with them. If and when you go to war with Austria, you will very likely be in a race with them to seize territory in Northern Germany. They might steal Northern Germany from you in a war. If you are not worried about that possibility for some reason, then substitute Russia for Sweden. Siena and Sweden however, are focused primarily in the South, so not only are you drawing their attention to the South as well as the North, any territory they take will be in the South as well and therefore you will be able to partition Austria among yourselves (Wait a minute,Did I just stumble on a potential story element in the post 1821 era?).
 
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Very nice updates, Austria has been humbled once again. I doubt you even need allies to best anyone these days! Still I'll put in a vote for Siena as well.
 
Ally with Britain. when it comes to continuing the AAR late, perhaps justify the alliance with an "Entente": swapping colonial lands around to lessen disputes. Sweden as well I think: A grand alliance of Nothern European States to fight teh Austrian Menace.

Also, this AAR is an excellent mix of Gameplay, interactivity and history, and therefore I am compelled to award the the honour of a Lord Strange Cookie of British Awesomeness
Place it in your signature, and your AAR will be marked out as one of the greats.
 
DjMangus: I’m happy you like my AAR. I’ve actually fought a couple of large wars with Sweden in the past, but you are right that I’ve fought those powers overall less compared to most others in Europe.
Duke of Awesome: Thanks!
JDMS: Well, I needed to come up with a reason to have Frederickan Infantry when Prussia doesn’t even exist. :p
History_Buff: Good analysis, although this late in the game I’m not too concerned about grabbing large chunks of territory. The location of allies will definitely make an impact post 1821 though, just wait and see.
morningSIDEr: Of course I probably don’t need allies, but it makes things more interesting.
Lord Strange: Swapping colonial lands is a good idea, I’ll see if I can work that into later narrative. Thank you for the award as well, I’ll wear it proudly.
sjones25: It’s always interesting to see normally minor nations join the big leagues. I’m still not sure exactly how Siena managed it though. They went from a few provinces to dominating the peninsular out of nowhere, while I was able to keep track of Navarra’s growth.

Thanks all for voting! Siena and Sweden have the most votes, so I’ll aim for those first.

Chapter Forty One: Dragged into It

Ten miles west of Berlin, March 1745

The cannons’ thunderous report filled the air once again, and another volley of shells tore up a storm of mud and flesh in the shallow hillside in front of them. The hail of attacks continued, keeping the ones attempting to hold the hillside suppressed and disorganised while the foot soldiers advanced up it.

Frederick, now titled Duke-in-exile of Brandenburg upon his defection to Greater Friesland, watched the unfolding carnage from the top of his horse with disinterest. The outcome of this battle wasn’t in any doubt, and it had been reduced to simple mop-up. Not that this sector even mattered; General Elsinga was engaging the bulk of the Austrian forces to the south-east leaving him in command of a portion of the Army of Holstein to clear the road to Berlin.

The turning point in this conflict had been subtle, but decisive. Where there had once been an ocean of men in blue coats in precise formations laying withering fire upon their enemies, there were now a scattering of far-understrength regiments that struggled to maintain anything remotely resembling a coherent battle line. The cannon fire was only making that worse, and it gave ample room for the Frisian soldiers to advance and close the gap between them. Austria simply hadn’t the staying power for an all out conflict with their rivals.

“My lord,” spoke a lightly equipped rider who approached the commander and his escort, “the 3rd Lubeck regiment has crested the hill. The Austrian right flank appears to be surrendering completely.”

“Accept it and secure them, these men were only placed here to slow us down and were fully expected to die. We will show mercy for their bravery,” Frederick replied and the rider nodded before turning his horse to deliver the message to the commander on the far left flank. As he left Frederick noted the morale of the Austrian forces collapsing, probably as a result of the news of the surrender of their right flank spreading down the line. Frisian soldiers were now halfway up the hill and actually accelerating in their advance as the Austrian discipline utterly melted away.

“Where to now, General?” one of his subordinates asked.

It was true that they had two targets they could turn to. Berlin was the old capital of the region and Frederick’s home, but there was another more inviting target nearby. The city of Postdam had been selected to be the centre of the Austrian administration in Brandenburg, or North Austria as some in Europe were beginning to call it. The city was firmly Austrian and growing at a rate that would see it surpass Berlin within a century. Along with the Pommeranian coast and the Polish border it was one of the main concentrations of Austrians in the region. If he could raze the city and drive them out then maybe...

“We’re going to Berlin. Let’s go.” He shook off the thoughts of reclaiming Brandenburg by himself and without permission. No matter how much he had pleaded with the Frisian Noble’s Council they had refused to acknowledge the liberation of his homeland as a goal in the war. He accepted the strategic reasons for that, as limiting Austria’s control over the remaining small German states was a much more valuable victory than taking these now-culturally-divided lands. Nonetheless it still pained him, and he had vowed to find another way to see the Austrians driven from this place no matter how long it took.

Six months later

Frederick’s plan was simple. Friesland’s reluctance to take Brandenburg and the surrounding areas was that it lacked any real claim to the region. After spending some time looking at the cultural disposition of the Empire, Frederick realised a way to acquire the claim required to take the lands and severely weaken Austria in the process. (Austrian and Frisian/Flemish lands highlighted)

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A unified Kingdom Of Germany would be able to lay claim to all the lands of Germany, although those already culturally Frisian would probably be exempt from that if they were the ones to create it. With those claims in hand, Austria could be swept aside and the majority of its lands seized. He enthusiastically proposed his plan to the Noble’s Council, but it was shot down as they had no intention of adding legitimacy to the ideas of uniting amongst the currently weak and easy to control German states. The plans were filed away, perhaps waiting for more a suitable time for their ideas to come to fruition.

In the diplomatic aftermath of the war with Austria, it was becoming more and more clear that Friesland was becoming isolated in the international scene. Once a loyal ally, Burgundy now saw its northern neighbour as a bitter rival for domination of northern France. To fix this, the Noble’s Council met to discuss options for new allies.

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First and foremost, they had to clear out the present list of allies. If they perceived as having many nations at their backs already then many others wouldn’t be very interested in joining them. Although it was problematic to renounce promises of support to small nations it had to be done. All the allies except Denmark as a long time close ally, Venice as an important financial ally, and the Frisian vassals had their support pulled back. Soon afterwards diplomatic talks opened up with Sweden and Siena, those two nations having been picked as major powers that did not have any major conflicts of interest with Greater Friesland.

As expected, Burgundy was able to come back from the trouble it was having in its war with the various minor French powers and finally delivered total defeats to them.

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Large regions of southern France were conquered, and Paris itself now lay in Burgundian hands. The French king was captured and imprisoned before he could flee, and without an heir the throne of what was left of the French kingdom passed into the hands of the elected Prince of Navarra.

With the role of monarch becoming more and more of a ceremonial role, there was plenty of time for Hendrik III to indulge in some of the baser pleasures in life. Despite urging from the nobility to marry of foreign princess for political reasons he insisted on staying in the life of a bachelor so that he did not have to stick with any one woman. This began to backfire on him as he became known throughout foreign courts as a target for women wanting to get up in the world.

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He was constantly pestered with marriage proposals from noblewomen as far away as Africa. Of course, he turned each and every one down but it was only a matter of time before this ended badly. (This is part of an interesting event chain I’ve never seen before. Either give up the useful ‘bachelor’ modifier (+2% prestige, -0.5 infamy) or risk a 50/50 chance of losing your king. The problem is this event in the set fires ridiculously often, even if you have a Regency Council.)

Large amounts of money and resources were being poured into the diplomatic efforts, and they finally bore fruit in Italy.

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Frisian weapons were being used so frequently in the war with Milan, that Siena was willing to accept them as full war partners. This was especially useful for the Sienese as they were presently unable to reach Milan’s colonies.

Upon joining in the war, Frisian forces deployed to the Bahamas and the Indian Ocean and easily secured the remaining free Milanese lands.

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The city of Parma was annexed by Siena, and for its support Friesland took the Indian Ocean island of Mahe.

Even as the Noble’s Council were patting themselves on the back for securing a useful ally, news came that Siena was continuing its march through Italy.

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This time they incurred the wrath of Burgundy, making this a fight that Friesland would have to take part in to ensure their new ally did not suffer at the hands of the rulers of France. Several Frisian armies were deployed south to meet the advancing Burgundians head on, while the Army of Koln was sent into Baden, the leader of the coalition defending Genoa.

Burgundy deployed the majority of its forces against Friesland, but that wasn’t enough. They were up against troops hardened in combat against the Austrian Blue Coats and so the line broke apart within days of the arrival of the Frisian armies.

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Frisian soldiers continued straight into the heart of Burgundy and the other Genoan allies. There were many among them wondering if conquering Dijon would become the new conquering Paris now that the latter was losing importance.

With the Burgundians that made up the bulk of the allies forces shattered, the Sienese and Frisian forces were able to force harsh peace terms.

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Genoa was forced to give up the city of Nice, while Baden was made to pay reparations and give up its alliances with the various nations that might stand in the way of Siena’s rampage. Of course, the trouble didn’t end there as they were the alliance leader and so Siena was still in the war against them. They were later forced to released the Palatinate as an independent Duchy, although it didn’t remain so for long as it was immediately inducted into the Frisian political sphere.

Hendrik’s constant playboy behaviour finally caught up to him shortly after the end of the war.

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A spurned lover stabbed him and then killed herself after being rejected and he died before anyone could reach his bedroom. The Noble’s Council met and agreed to pass the throne to Hendrik’s two year old nephew Wiebe to continue consolidating power over the country to themselves. (But still the events come. Accept this marriage or 50% chance of [Regency Council] dying! Eventually I just accept one to shut them up.)

The first crisis of the toddler’s time as Holy Roman Emperor came up almost immediately when a rebellion in Milan saw them convert to a heretical religion.

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Or at least that’s what the Imperial bureaucrats complain about. Actually Milan simply converted to a minor sect of the Church of Burgundy which was almost indistinguishable from the normal following, leaving many wondering what the big deal was (Seriously. Must be a bug of some kind)

Peace reigned for a few years, as Siena consolidated its gains and the Noble’s Council worked to prevent any wars of adventure either in Europe of abroad in case Austria tried anything. Their view was finally vindicated when Austria made their move.

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The Duchy of Danzig was invaded by both Austria and Poland (twice!), and Greater Friesland scrambled its forces to its defence. While the Duchy itself had very large forts guarding it, it was still isolated from the rest of the minor German states and so it would be a very long while before reinforcements could arrive. They were written off almost immediately so that Frisian forces could engage the Austrians properly instead of having to rush to their aid.

The problem was that the majority of Frisian forces were out of position, with only a couple of armies sitting on the Austrian border. The Army of Oldenburg was sent to skirmish with the small Austrian advance elements to thin out their numbers a little before the main battle lines met. Unfortunately, they weren’t fast enough to slip away from the ones right behind them.

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The offending army was wiped out, but losing a whole army so early on in the war was not a good sign. One valuable item of interest came out of the battle, which was the appearance of General Ripperda. His brilliant leadership commanding one of the smaller units lead to the total destruction of the Austrian force with only minimal Frisian casualties. He was immediately promoted to the rank of a full general, even though his family could not be tracked down to check if he had noble heritage as was usually required to reach that rank.

With the Empire once again caught up in a war between its two most powerful members, many nations were eager to take advantage of that. However they all knew that Friesland was not one to be messed with in colonial wars, and so only one nation was desperate enough for a victory to actually follow through on that.

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Even with the war in Europe, Frisian forces were more than capable of holding off the Castillian attempt to conquer the Panama region. After a few skirmishes in South America and South-East Asia, the Iberians agreed to a plain ceasefire.

Despite being cut off, Danzig was actually proving incredibly useful in holding off the Austrian advance by drawing away significant numbers of men to lay siege to the massive fortress in Warmia.

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The frontline in northern Germany wasn’t nearly as much of a meat grinder as it had been in previous wars, as the Austrians simply didn’t have the numbers to match up to the local Frisian forces. General Ripperda was able to defeat invading Austrian armies one after another and soon the frontline began to move backwards into Brandenburg.

Elsewhere, France finally disappeared from the map as Navarra took full control of the nation.

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It was questionable whether they could hold onto the isolated lands with Burgundy eyeing them hungrily, but it confirmed once and for all that the idea of France was dead and gone.

Ripperda’s advance into Brandenburg had caused the Austrian king to move north with his main army to counterattack and buy his forces in Danzig more time to conquer to fortress they were still having trouble with. However, almost immediately after his forces had left their posts in Ansbach and Bavaria the local Frisian forces were able to take advantage of it.

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With the southern front open and Frisians pouring into the heart of Austria the Austrian king realised he wouldn’t be able to achieve his aims and sued for peace. He offered to renounce his claims to some of the lands of Central Germany as well as Transylvania. Not wanting this war to drag on and more to get ideas like Castille, the Noble’s Council accepted.

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With Austria out of the way, Poland was a walkover and they were forced to give up the Imperial province of Mazovia. As reparations for the war, Danzig was subsequently given control of the land.

While Friesland’s place in Europe seemed assured, not all was well in the colonies.

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The inhabitants of the lands around Maracaibo and Caracas were seeking independence. Why it was called Venezuela wasn’t entirely clear, as that hadn’t been used as a name for the region since Friesland had conquered it from Britain and Castille. Perhaps the rebels wanted to distance themselves from the official moniker of Frisian Panama in the creation of their new nation and focused on the name used by the old Iberian colonists.

Before much interest could be put on dealing with these rebels, the situation in Europe once again flared up.

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Siena was after what remained of Genoa, and it looked like they were going to drag Friesland into yet again. Perhaps allying with the young and battle-eager nation was not such a smart idea.

To be continued...

One of the colonials’ main complaints is that Friesland is considering abolishing slavery, at the urging of some of the more liberal members of its society. The colonies use large numbers of slaves to work on their plantations and an official declaration of the government’s policy on this could have a major impact, even if the political effects are not felt until decades down the line.

Option A: Abolish. Enacts the abolish slavery decision. No other immediate effects.
Option B: Don’t abolish. Will not enact the abolish slavery decision until at least 1800. No other immediate effects.