Gentlemen in Germany - a Brunswick AAR

[Sethanon]

Lol the reason I consistently went for 9 DIP rulers was .. because you said so in this AAR lol. Awell after I formed Germany I changed my ruler to a MIL 9 one and beated Austria. He then crowned himself the one and only King of the Germans and transformed from a Merchant Republic Germany to an Absolute Monarchy. Now we enjoy piece and prosperety whilst mopping up the last few independent German city states. I however have to admit that I wasnt nearly so gentlemanly as you were, even though I set my infamy limit at 8, I did vasalannex a lot when I was still the Hansa.

Hope u get a core on Franken soon, then the real fun can begin.

[Malurous]

I was assuming Schleswig and Holstein got annexed, (hey, I think of them as Danish), but remembering the map it was only Holstein that got the pink treatment and was the only province annexed. Have you got any unclaimed Brunswick cores, at this point?

"Got the pink treatment", love it! Kassel because Hessen is guaranteed by Austria (I'm waiting for that to expire), Würzburg because it's the capital of a 2PM (so I'm waiting for either a boundary dispute on the other province which I also border, for someone to conquer it, or potentially Germany) and Meissen because between Saxony, Hamburg, Friesland and Holstein I've had my hands full as far as diploannexing vassals goes (so I'm waiting for the diploannexation timer to run out).

Lol the reason I consistently went for 9 DIP rulers was .. because you said so in this AAR lol.

You're not the only one with the "lol", I burst out laughing when I read this. I'm not being entirely consistent I guess? Seriously, I don't think I've said that but I've probably been really vague. I believe I've mostly talked about high DIP rulers without giving an actual value. Though now that I think about it, I did say that hoping for DIP 9 is much more realistic in a republic than in a monarchy (or something to that effect). I admit that's a bit ambiguous.

Anyway, I keep 8 or 9 and replace anything less. But hey, going for 9 seemed to work for you!

Awell after I formed Germany I changed my ruler to a MIL 9 one and beated Austria. He then crowned himself the one and only King of the Germans and transformed from a Merchant Republic Germany to an Absolute Monarchy. Now we enjoy piece and prosperety whilst mopping up the last few independent German city states. I however have to admit that I wasnt nearly so gentlemanly as you were, even though I set my infamy limit at 8, I did vasalannex a lot when I was still the Hansa.

Hope u get a core on Franken soon, then the real fun can begin.

Hopefully. Still sounds like a neat set of house rules that you've been using!

[Malurous]

1561-1566: A Properly Imperial Europe

July saw the death of Grand Marshal August Franz Wassman. His position had been an honorary one for several years, so the effect on day to day politics was minimal, yet the charismatic man would be missed by many in the court. A new advisor, ambassador Friedrich Ickelrath, was hired, this time to work on the court's relations with foreign dignitaries instead of unruly nobles.



The foreign relations were put to the test soon as Brunswick couldn't stay in peace for long. For the seventh time, Austria launched a war of reconquest against Styria. Judging by the previous six ones, success - or anything else of note for that matter - couldn't be expected and the King wasn't going to raise a finger.

Still, the constant warfare caused some complaints from the general populace, and Rudolf August I appeased the common men by granting them more legal rights, continuing the work of some of his predecessors.

This proved to indeed be necessary as the Styrian matter wasn't the only useless war the nation was going to end up involved in. Transylvania and Bavaria attacked Krakow in June 1562 and the tiny nation begged its liberator Brunswick for protection.



Fortunately, the enemy coalition wasn't very decisive and swiftly occupying Franken was enough to convince them to sign peace. In the agreement, a small amount of money was added to Brunswicker coffers. Almost simultaneously, Styria and Austria had had enough. Once again nothing notable came out of the conflict.

These wars for not much gain proved frustrating, so Rudolf August I decided to actively look for supporters among persecuted minorities in foreign lands, similar to those that had come to him for aid earlier. The Prussians under Sweden and some of the Dutch under Great Britain were eager to support the ambitious King.



By late 1563 Rudolf August's armies were ready to attempt wresting Ostpreussen from the Swedes. However, they had to wait as the province was currently under Portuguese control due to another war. When peace was reached in that conflict in March 1564 the King reacted immediately. Brunswicker troops were pushing over the border the day after the Portuguese occupation ended.



Brabant was dealt with first. The small nation was forced to renounce their claims on Brunswicker territory in late April. Sweden wasn't much more difficult to convince days later: despite no action in the war other than Brunswick holding Ostpreussen, Rudolf August I managed to convince his Swedish counterpart to give up the province. Perhaps Sweden saw the writing on the wall as they had been utterly humbled several times in the region by Brunswick.





Soon after the war, fantastic news from Brunswicker diplomats reached the court - news that the King had been waiting for for almost two decades. Relations between Austria and Hesse had deteriorated enough that the Austrians would okay a war against the small nation! The reconquest of Kassel was started on October 14th.



The enemy coalition might have consisted of many nations, but unfortunately for them most of those nations were weak. Hesse, Trier and Luxemburg had already had their armies decimated by the end of the month.

Brunswick had everything under control since the beginning of the conflict, but the sheer amount of countries to deal with meant that the war lasted until May 1565. In the final peace agreements, Hesse ceded Kassel, Bavaria recognized Ansbach's sovereignty and Brunswick's right to former Thuringian territory, and the coalition paid a total of over 3000 ducats in indemnities.

The ducats were put to good use in a massive galleon construction spree.

In January 1566, Krakow once again needed assistance. This time the threat was a more dangerous one, Bohemia.



General Ickelrath's recent death caused the need for another promotion, and a fabled name came up: Schauseil. General Ferdinand Albrecht Schauseil had brought down the Bavarian monster of the late 15th century, and now his great-grandson Friedrich was ready for duty.

The war was a bloody affair - for the Bohemians. They stubbornly attacked Brunswicker positions with armies that were too small, and the only decent attempt was aptly repulsed by general Schauseil.



Bohemia's April annexation of Krakow was rather inconsequential, as Brunswick forced them to re-release the nation only a month later. In addition, Pommerania which had been under Bohemian protection would be looked after by Brunswick instead in the future.



August saw the start of two Imperial wars involving Brunswick. First, Siena asked for protection against Naples in a war that Rudolf August hoped would be handled by the Milanese (he turned out to be right), and later, another war for Great Britain's Dutch lands was launched. This time, only Armagnac stood by the enemy's side.



The British failed to show the same resolve they had often displayed earlier. Perhaps it was general Schauseil's battering of Richard Suffolk's army that made them unwilling to prolong a hopeless war.



Whatever the reason, eliminating British military presence in the area and occupying Antwerpen, Gelre and Utrecht was enough for the British to give up the latter two. Gelre was recovered for the Empire, while Utrecht was taken due to Brunswick's own claim and local support.



After four wars, often major ones, the British intruders had been driven out of the Holy Roman Empire.

[Athalcor]

I think you discovered the term Blizkrieg few centuries ahead.

[Omen]

The limitations you came up with for this AAR, along with your storytelling really brings this to life. Then seeing the spread of territory honorable Brunswick kings have built brings it all home. A great update.

[Blxz]

Is Meissen the final germany forming requirement? I must admit I have not played a german game in a long time...

[Fyregecko]

Boundary Dispute...Boundary Dispute...Boundary Dispute...

Your Europe has some bloody awful cartographers

[Fronzel]

Boundary Dispute...Boundary Dispute...Boundary Dispute...

Your Europe has some bloody awful cartographers

Indeed; somehow Brunswick, always intended to compose of all of northern Germany, got confined to only two provinces!

[Athalcor]

Who holds Antwerpen?

[FinnishFish]

..That is some awful cartographers Europe has.

+ Who is the leader on income? ^^

[Malurous]

I think you discovered the term Blizkrieg few centuries ahead.

Haha I guess so, I'm usually seeking so little in wars in this AAR that I just tend to go in, take what I want and get out quickly.

The limitations you came up with for this AAR, along with your storytelling really brings this to life. Then seeing the spread of territory honorable Brunswick kings have built brings it all home. A great update.

Thanks for the high praise! It's very nice to hear that the storytelling is appreciated, I often feel a bit unsure about any "narrative" elements - I used to write a lot in Finnish and compared to that, using a foreign language (even if it's a very familiar one) feels clumsy as heck!

Is Meissen the final germany forming requirement? I must admit I have not played a german game in a long time...

Meissen isn't required, Franken is. It's the Bavarian province I border. I wish it was Meissen, I'd be a diploannexation away from Germany, but as it is I'm going to need another boundary dispute.

Boundary Dispute...Boundary Dispute...Boundary Dispute...

Your Europe has some bloody awful cartographers

Haha, I've been thinking about that. It's no coincidence that I just ignore the event description.

Indeed; somehow Brunswick, always intended to compose of all of northern Germany, got confined to only two provinces!

I know, that's ridiculous! Fixing that gross injustice is what this AAR is all about!

Who holds Antwerpen?

The British.

..That is some awful cartographers Europe has.

+ Who is the leader on income? ^^

True.

I am. Here's a recent screenshot, it's from the start of the latest war:

[Avindian]

Very nice! Glad to see that unsightly red out of your territory.

[blsteen]

Nice to see the powerhouse that will be Germany still being gentlemanly.
If in a "Pressing" kind of way

[Edgewise]

Yea, he's very kind to his HRE neighbors in a slowly expanding kinda way, sort of passive-agressive. I will hurt you!!! but only slightly so as to maintain my dignified disposition.

[Dewirix]

Is Antwerp an Imperial province? You'd think the British would learn just to remove their Dutch holdings from the HRE, but their loss is Brunswick's gain.

[AwesomeSauce123]

I've been reading this for a while and have finally caught up.I have to say,this is a really good AAR.Also,I hope we get boundary disputes on a few more dutch provinces to smoothen up those ugly borders.

[FinnishFish]

Nice, extremely nice.

[Malurous]

Just a quick plug: I'm taking part in 1001 Sultans - A Jalayirids Succession AAR and the updates have now started (just click the link in the first post to skip the organization part). I won't be playing for a while as I'm last in the playing order, but check it out if you like the succession format - I know I do!

Very nice! Glad to see that unsightly red out of your territory.

Very much so!

Nice to see the powerhouse that will be Germany still being gentlemanly.
If in a "Pressing" kind of way

Heh, it must be nerve-wracking for some of the people that the Brunswick administration deals with. You know, someone being mad or aggressive and making demands is probably less scary than feeling very much pressured by someone who's perfectly polite and kind.

Yea, he's very kind to his HRE neighbors in a slowly expanding kinda way, sort of passive-agressive. I will hurt you!!! but only slightly so as to maintain my dignified disposition.

It's always the other side's fault. If they just returned the rightfully Brunswicker land, there would be no need for anyone to get hurt.

Is Antwerp an Imperial province? You'd think the British would learn just to remove their Dutch holdings from the HRE, but their loss is Brunswick's gain.

It isn't unfortunately. In general it seems that people are more interested in adding provinces to the Empire than removing them, which is good for me of course.

I've been reading this for a while and have finally caught up.I have to say,this is a really good AAR.Also,I hope we get boundary disputes on a few more dutch provinces to smoothen up those ugly borders.

Thanks, glad to have you! We pretty much surround those provinces, so hopefully there'll be disputes soon.

Nice, extremely nice.

[Malurous]

1566-1571: Emperor for a Day

Transylvania only managed to maintain its territorial integrity for fifteen years: in January 1567, Bohemia took back two thirds of the nation.



In May, the head of the Opp family finally perished. Philipp Magnus Opp had served in his court position for 69 years.

Instead of another Army Reformer, Statesman Christian Franz Gruebel was hired and tasked with looking into possible government changes, perhaps as soon as after Rudolf August I's death. Despite the King's protests, the idea of a republic remained popular among the administration, and the incompetence of the heir didn't help the monarchy's standing.



July saw the start of another Austria-Styria conflict. There was one notable diffence in this war compared to the seven earlier ones: Styria now had a powerhouse, Milan, on its side.



General Schauseil was sent to protect Austrian territory, Eickenroth guarded the homeland from any Milanese armies getting that far, while Hein launched raids into Styria.

Austria and Styria signed yet another inconsequential peace agreement in January 1568. However the war against Milan continued.

The next years were spent fighting the Milanese all over Europe. Rudolf August, seeing no point in this, begged the Austrians to sign peace with Milan, but his allies refused to do so. Queen Maria Theresia I seemed to have no problem with the ongoing war, as her subjects weren't taking part in any of the battles anyway.

By February 1570 Brunswick's troops had slaughtered over 80000 Milanese soldiers. Brunswicker losses amounted to less than a tenth of that figure. In addition, Tirol had fallen to Brunswick. Yet still, Austria refused to sign peace, and Rudolf August was reluctant to leave his ally alone against such a power.

But the spring changed something. The 72 year old Rudolf August's health, which had been deteriorating in recent months, took a turn for the worse and he was confined to his bed chamber. A message was sent to Maria Theresia: should the King die, Brunswick would cease hostilities immediately and the Austrians should follow suit. They didn't listen, as was discovered on June 1st when Rudolf August passed away and August Franz I took the throne.



As planned, peace was signed immediately, with the Austrians remaining in the war. Gruebel's planned reforms were put to motion: Brunswick would have elected rulers from now on. August Franz I's attempts to retain the crown proved hopeless, especially after his equally boneheaded younger brother Andreas was determined to be the next in line for the throne.



August Franz was, however, in power for the transitional period and was given a free spot on the final ballot as the administration wanted to give him every opportunity to become the first Syndic, mostly out of respect for his father and the monarchy's past success. Wanting to minimize backlash from the monarchy's supporters was another reason.

Statesman Gruebel wasn't necessarily as proficient as would have been required for such notable changes, which led to the end result being a bit crude. Therefore, while the notion had been popular for a long time, Gruebel's implementation was met with skepticism among the nobles.

Still, elections were quickly held and local nobleman Anton Ulrich Hattendorf became Brunswick's first Syndic. August Franz' reign was over before it could really begin, as he was narrowly edged by Hattendorf in the election, probably due to both his lack of talent and his foreign background.



A side effect of the change was the loss of the Imperial crown. Only a monarch could rule the Holy Roman Empire, so the position was lost to the vile Bohemians.

Having been pushed aside from Imperial matters, Austria was the only real ally Brunswick had left. That wouldn't last: a year later, Milan had overwhelmed the Austrians and the terms of their peace deal included the termination of the longstanding Brunswick-Austria alliance.



Suddenly Brunswick found itself outside all of Europe's important diplomatic circles. But that didn't stop Hattendorf, who found himself in a tough situation as the first Syndic, from negotiating closer to home. First in August, some of the Schlesians of Breslau were convinced to support future Brunswicker rule in their province.



Two months later, Meissen was convinced to give up its freedom and join the greater Brunswicker Republic.



It didn't seem to matter if Brunswick was ruled by a King or a Syndic - diplomatic triumphs continued to be the foremost way for a Brunswicker ruler to prove himself.

However, those that believed that only kings had the divine right to rule still had to be convinced...

[Avindian]

Interesting update; now, refresh my memory, in this most recent DW beta, can you be HRE as a Republic or not?