Despite your hammering of the only true Nordic master race, I am actually quite interested in this piece and will await further updates with much attention.
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Thanks a lot, let me know if there is to much text
Haha, you are correct, glad to have you with us
If sweden is out of the Union, how strong is the Danish navy? Could you get access from a north german state and go into the Oresund? You wouldn't get the blockade yet but it would either force the Danes to fight or allow you to seize their higher value provinces.
The Danish navy is stronger than mine, unfortunetly, they have 17 ships I think, and even though Sweden is out of the uinion, they are still in the war :S There is another update coming today, I think you will be surprised
The Danish navy is stronger than mine, unfortunetly, they have 17 ships I think, and even though Sweden is out of the uinion, they are still in the war :S There is another update coming today, I think you will be surprised
The AI has gotten much better at Naval warfare than in previous versions. I'm doing a Ryukyu game, trying to stay in Asia, and the smallest nation that is invadeable from the sea has 8-12 carracks...I'm struggling to support 5.
You are correct, when I started playing EU3 there was no problem at all with enemy fleets, now it's tough shit to control the waves...
The Morale boost NI helps so much when it comes to naval battles. Defeated 14 carracks +4 cogs with 12 Carracks + NI and a poor admiral
Act VI, Pierre's great triumph
As the sun rose over Brittany, it marked the end of winter. March marked the melting of the snow and the start of spring. The Breton soldiers prepared for a summer offensive, some of them where going far north, so the winter had barely begun, at least so they thought. Pierre had been gone for two weeks, and it was March 5. before he returned to the camp in Maine. His soldiers gathered round him to greet their leader, he was not alone. Jean's son, who was also named Jean was with him. The boy was now 15, he had always been a shy boy, and when his father died he was only 12 years old, it did not help him with his shy personality. Young Jean was not the figure that his father had been, he lacked the ability to inspire and he was neither tall nor muscular. The boy tried to seem interested in Pierre's strategic planning, and when he rode to Maine with him he entered the camp on a white horse while wearing full armor.
Pierre raised his voice to the men. "Here boys, here is the man who will lead you in the future." He continued with a confident voice, and the soldiers realized that Pierre was about to bring them good news. "The war is over men! I have managed to conclude peace with our enemies, and they have departed our lands." The soldiers looked at each other and smiled, they knew that they could go home, cheers went up in the camp, and in the next morning the army marched slowly back to Brittany, the war was over.
On paper the Bretons had lost the war, Pierre had to admit to the Danish king that he had been defeated, but the rest of the world did not see it that way, the Bretons had not lost any major battles, and casualties had been low, they had also managed to defend their homeland, and their returning army was cheered by the population.
As Pierre and Jean returned to Nantes they talked about immortalizing the war on a national epic. Brittany's finest artists were commissioned to do the work, the work began quickly, but it would take years before this piece of national propaganda was done.
Until Jean came of age Pierre was still in charge. He decided that the best way to fix the relations with the Nordic nations after this terrible war was to arrange marriages with them, and both Denmark and Sweden agreed to improve relations with Brittany.
As peace was a factum Pierre had time to enjoy the fruits of Brittany, he enjoyed oysters and fine vintage wine, the state had more than enough money now that the army was down on peacetime pay.
Even though peace was now declared and everyone felt as if there was no further painful issues. For Pierre this was not the case, even though Brittany had negotiated a peace with Denmark, Burgundy was still at war with them. And Burgundy had now sent an envoy to Brittany, asking them to rejoin the war against Denmark, not only would this send the stability of Brittany down, but the Danes also had the backing of France, and a confrontation with France was not yet possible for Brittany. Pierre and the regency council agreed that they could not enter the war. The Burgundian duke was furious, he immediately broke his alliance and cursed the Bretons, he promised to raise Nantes to the ground.
(Burgundy's new and outrageous war.)
As the Bretons settled their external problem, internal issues appeared for Pierre, Nantes was one of the biggest salt producing areas in Europe, and with the siege of the city, the production centers had been attacked by enemy troops. It was only now, a year later that the damage was being felt, and as a consequence the production of salt dropped a lot, some people talked about a "salt crisis", Pierre knew that the situation was not this serious, but he was aware that the production would be lower than usual.
Pierre's final act as head of the regency council was to try to get a new alliance, now that the Breton-Burgundian alliance was broken. He found new allies to the south. The kingdom of Aragon had long wished to ally themselves with the Bretons, and Pierre decided that this nation could be of great assistance if the French made a move against Brittany. Pierre was smart enough to realize that if Aragon was attacked by Castile, they would lose, and that meant that Brittany would lose too. He therefore sent an envoy to the king of Portugal, and requested an alliance with this naval nation. He was surprised to discover that they agreed to his proposal, he felt confident that with Aragon and Portugal as allies he had cemented Brittany for the new duke that was soon to be crowned. He was sure that the new alliance, the triple entente as he called it would last for years, only time could tell.
(The triple ententé.)
PS: Thanks you guys for over 2000 views
As the sun rose over Brittany, it marked the end of winter. March marked the melting of the snow and the start of spring. The Breton soldiers prepared for a summer offensive, some of them where going far north, so the winter had barely begun, at least so they thought. Pierre had been gone for two weeks, and it was March 5. before he returned to the camp in Maine. His soldiers gathered round him to greet their leader, he was not alone. Jean's son, who was also named Jean was with him. The boy was now 15, he had always been a shy boy, and when his father died he was only 12 years old, it did not help him with his shy personality. Young Jean was not the figure that his father had been, he lacked the ability to inspire and he was neither tall nor muscular. The boy tried to seem interested in Pierre's strategic planning, and when he rode to Maine with him he entered the camp on a white horse while wearing full armor.
Pierre raised his voice to the men. "Here boys, here is the man who will lead you in the future." He continued with a confident voice, and the soldiers realized that Pierre was about to bring them good news. "The war is over men! I have managed to conclude peace with our enemies, and they have departed our lands." The soldiers looked at each other and smiled, they knew that they could go home, cheers went up in the camp, and in the next morning the army marched slowly back to Brittany, the war was over.
On paper the Bretons had lost the war, Pierre had to admit to the Danish king that he had been defeated, but the rest of the world did not see it that way, the Bretons had not lost any major battles, and casualties had been low, they had also managed to defend their homeland, and their returning army was cheered by the population.
As Pierre and Jean returned to Nantes they talked about immortalizing the war on a national epic. Brittany's finest artists were commissioned to do the work, the work began quickly, but it would take years before this piece of national propaganda was done.
Until Jean came of age Pierre was still in charge. He decided that the best way to fix the relations with the Nordic nations after this terrible war was to arrange marriages with them, and both Denmark and Sweden agreed to improve relations with Brittany.
As peace was a factum Pierre had time to enjoy the fruits of Brittany, he enjoyed oysters and fine vintage wine, the state had more than enough money now that the army was down on peacetime pay.
Even though peace was now declared and everyone felt as if there was no further painful issues. For Pierre this was not the case, even though Brittany had negotiated a peace with Denmark, Burgundy was still at war with them. And Burgundy had now sent an envoy to Brittany, asking them to rejoin the war against Denmark, not only would this send the stability of Brittany down, but the Danes also had the backing of France, and a confrontation with France was not yet possible for Brittany. Pierre and the regency council agreed that they could not enter the war. The Burgundian duke was furious, he immediately broke his alliance and cursed the Bretons, he promised to raise Nantes to the ground.
(Burgundy's new and outrageous war.)
As the Bretons settled their external problem, internal issues appeared for Pierre, Nantes was one of the biggest salt producing areas in Europe, and with the siege of the city, the production centers had been attacked by enemy troops. It was only now, a year later that the damage was being felt, and as a consequence the production of salt dropped a lot, some people talked about a "salt crisis", Pierre knew that the situation was not this serious, but he was aware that the production would be lower than usual.
Pierre's final act as head of the regency council was to try to get a new alliance, now that the Breton-Burgundian alliance was broken. He found new allies to the south. The kingdom of Aragon had long wished to ally themselves with the Bretons, and Pierre decided that this nation could be of great assistance if the French made a move against Brittany. Pierre was smart enough to realize that if Aragon was attacked by Castile, they would lose, and that meant that Brittany would lose too. He therefore sent an envoy to the king of Portugal, and requested an alliance with this naval nation. He was surprised to discover that they agreed to his proposal, he felt confident that with Aragon and Portugal as allies he had cemented Brittany for the new duke that was soon to be crowned. He was sure that the new alliance, the triple entente as he called it would last for years, only time could tell.
(The triple ententé.)
PS: Thanks you guys for over 2000 views
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Chapter III, The Castillian wars
Act VII, a new duke
The date was now 27. of December 1404 Anno Domine, Brittany had been under the rule of a regency council for three years now. That was about to change now. The church in Nantes was packed with the aristocracy of Brittany, everyone wanted to see the coronation of the new duke. Jean peeped into the church, as he saw the mass of people he got nervous, he had never been fond of attention and now there were thousands of people who were waiting to see him. His thoughts were interrupted by Pierre de Finisterre. The old man who had been head of the regency council for the past years told Jean that all was ready. Jean, who was dressed with everything that tradition required started walking up the corridor of the church, there was complete silence. The ceremony was long and Jean had to swear to defend his people from anyone who wished them harm, he swore to do just that. Pierre's son whispered in to his father "He is just a boy, he can't defend us." Pierre looked at his son and said in a low voice "He is not a boy anymore, now he is the Duke." Pierre knew that the boy was not up to the task. It was true, the boy had never been very clever, and he was not a good soldier either. He had been practicing with swords for many years now, and there had been little improvement over the years. When he was ten he had ruined his opportunity to marry into the French royal family because he had been informal towards the king of France. This boy was now crowned as Jean VI.
(The coronation of Jean VI.)
The days after the coronation were filled with celebration, however, Pierre was surprised to find Jean studying government business instead of taking drinking wine with the nobles. Jean was aware that he was not the best choice for a king, but this made him a good listener, he took Pierre's advice in many cases, and decided to keep the old experienced soldier as his grand marshal.
Pierre advised Jean to marry a princess from Aragon, he knew of a beautiful young woman who was a couple of years younger than Jean, her name was Isabella, she was the daughter of the count of Huesca. Jean who had met the young lady before and who knew of her beauty agreed. A few weeks later the answer from Aragon came, they agreed to the proposal from the Bretons, and Isabella was already on her way to Brittany to become queen. When Jean met her he was stunned. She had long black hair and her eyes were hazel, she smiled and kissed her future husband on the cheek. Pierre could see that Jean was completely taken.
The celebrations after the coronation had only just passed before Nantes were celebrating again. They were excited that the young duke had already taken a bride, and many nobles in Brittany felt like this was the beginning of a secure alliance with Aragon. Pierre who was always skeptical suspected that the king of Aragon would use Isabella to claim the throne of Brittany, and within a month he was proven right. The king of Aragon had written a letter to Jean stating that if he did not produce an heir within the next year then he would put Isabella's brother on the throne of Brittany when Jean died, with force if necessary. Jean who had already gotten a reputation for staying calm and relaxed was being pressured by his grand marshal, however, Jean knew something that Pierre did not yet know, Isabella was already pregnant.
(Martin I. King of Aragon.)
On a cold October morning the news came from the court in Brittany, a royal heir was born. The country rejoiced, as the last year had been tense, most of the population as afraid that the country would be ruled by a Spanish noble instead of a man from the Dreux family. That was all history now, Jean had produced an heir, a daughter who was healthy by all means, and the queen had performed well too. Jean kissed his wife and left her, so that she could rest, Jean had decided to call his daughter Claudine. In the meantime Pierre had managed to get back on good terms with the king of Aragon, and Jean thanked his Grand marshal for his work, which had truly been hard.
For the next months Jean pondered on what to do, his ally Portugal had for some time been at war with Castille, yet they had not requested Breton assistance, he was happy that he did not have to leave his wife and daughter at this moment, but he feared that his ally was being defeated, the news coming from Portugal was far from good. The Portuguese had go give up in the end, and they were forced to cede one of their provinces to Castille, Jean did not appreciate that Castille was gaining more strength.
To counter the Castilian victory Jean did what his father had not wanted to do. He accepted an alliance with England. His father had been asked by them several times to join forces and fight together as they had done before, he had not accepted because England was attacking the Irish kingdoms whom Brittany shared their culture with. By now the Gaelic cause in Ireland was lost, the English had defeated all of the Irish kingdoms except for Munster, whose capital was under siege now. The English were also fighting a war in Scotland, and they seemed to be winning. Perhaps the most important factor, England had declared war against Castille, and there was nothing Jean wanted more than to fight Castille. Pierre was once again skeptical, he feared that an alliance with England would force Jean to declare war against Castille, Jean ignored his advice. Pierre could see the merit of an alliance with England, for about a year now, France had been at war with Bohemia, Burgundy and several other nations, he realized that if Brittany and England joined in, they could perhaps defeat the French, Pierre finally agreed that the risk was worth it.
As 1404 and 1405 passed to 1406 and the fields of Brittany were once again covered with snow, Pierre was once again proven right. The English demanded that the Bretons declared war against Castile. Jean seemed to be happy with the request, and without consulting with his grand marshal he agreed to the venture. The army was once again called up, and the soldiers were paid full wages. Jean kissed his wife and daughter farewell, he was sorry to leave them, but there was no alternative. He wanted to prove to the Breton nobles that he could lead the army just as well as his father. There was months of waiting before the army could move, the new recruits had to be trained and military access had to be secured from the Duchess of Auvergne. It was not before July 1406 that the army was ready, morale was high, the new king had trained and slept alongside of them for weeks now, and they felt confident that Jean VI. could lead them to victory. The new duke did not ride alone with the army, he had brought both Pierre and Jaque with him.
In the Duchy of Auvergne the peace was broken by 6000 soldiers who were on the march, the Bretons were moving south towards the English possessions in southern France, the Castilian army had invaded Labourd, and the enemy were now besieging Bordeaux. The Bretons did not stop to rest for any longer than was necessary, and by the end of September they reached the city of Bordeaux. The Castilian forces who had learned about Jeans move had retreated south into Labourd. The population of Bordeaux was ecstatic, they cheered the Bretons as they marched through the city, Jean had experienced his first triumph, he felt confident that the rest of the campaign would be just as simple.
Jean did not halt for long in Bordeaux, he moved his army further south, and started pursuing the Castillian force. In late October Jeans army neared the city of Bayonne, which was the region capital of Labourd. The enemy was still nowhere in sight. Pierre felt as if something was wrong, but Jean ignored him. On a cold October day when the Breton army was stretched out on a road they were suddenly ambushed by 3000 Castillian soldiers. The enemy pounded the advance guard of the Bretons, who recoiled and tried to form up. Pierre who had been riding at the front was hit three times and he fell dead from his horse. When all seemed lost Jean rallied his men and managed to hold the enemy at bay. The battle continued for days, but after a week of indecisive fighting the English army appeared and together with the Bretons they swept forward and destroyed the Castillian soldiers. Jean had won a victory, it had been bloody, he had lost 596 men, but the enemy had suffered 3000 losses, most of these were prisoners taken with English assistance. The greatest loss was the loss of Pierre, his body was sent back to Brittany to be buried in his home, the region of Finisterre. Jean mourned the loss, but he was used to it by now, he had lost his father when he was 11, and this had taught him how to handle grief.
After the battle Jean helped the English to set up a siege against Bayonne, which was still held by 1000 Castilian soldiers. As Jean was about to move south and invade Castille, he got interesting news from home. His diplomatic minister told him that the French were having a hard time, they had taken some Burgundian lands, but the new Duke of Burgundy, Jean II was fighting back with fury, and he was assisted by the Bohemian emperor. Jean hoped that the war would drag on, his hopes were that maybe he could join in against France and grab the territory which he viewed as a part of Brittany.
(The situation in France at the moment.)
He did, however, not have much time to think, winter was fast approaching, and he wished to cross into Castille before the new year began. The king of Navarre agreed that the Breton army could pass through his lands, and on the 14. of December Jeans forces had reached the Vizcaya region and they started siege operations against the city of Bilbao. Jean was constantly alert, he knew that Castillian army outnumbered his by at least 2-1. On January 1. as 1406 had just given way to 1407 the new grand marshal, Jaque Brne rode into the Breton camp outside Bilbao. Jaque, who had opposed Jeans invasion of Castille from the beginning came with bad news for the Duke, the Castillian army, 15 000 strong was only a few hours away.
(Vizkaya's position on map.)
Jean rallied the army and moved south to meet the enemy, his stopped his men in a forest on the outskirts of Bilbao, here he rode in front of his men and shouted, as Pierre had done before him "We fight as one!" The men were ready, and when the Castillian soldiers moved forwards and attacked the Bretons they were hurled back, for 7 days the battle outside Bilbao raged on, but on the night of the 8. day, Jean realized that he could not continue fighting. He assembled his army during the night and retreated, Jaque guarded the rear of the army, should the Castillian troops pursue. Losses were heavy on both sides, the Bretons had lost 892 men, while the Castillians had lost 920 of their men, Jean was afraid that his army was demoralized, but that was not the case, they were eager to fight again another day, Jean had proven his courage and some soldiers were already calling him "Jean the Brave".
Jean decided that the army needed to rest, and he fell back into Labourd, which was back under English control by now, the English commander told Jean that the English had just annexed Munster, they had also defeated Scotland, who was forced to become a vassal of the English king. Jean was rejoiced to hear of about the fortune of his ally, and asked the English commander to send his congratulations to the English king. As Jean talked matters over with the English commander on how to conduct the next phase of the war he was called out by Jaque. Standing beside Jaque was a man dressed like a monk, he was, however, and envoy from the King of Castille. The Castilian king felt that there was no point for the Spanish and the Bretons to keep fighting, and he proposed a white peace, Jean agreed. Suddenly Jean's first war had come to an end, he had not won a victory, but he had fought well enough to earn the respect of the king of Castille, he had also won the respect of his soldiers, something that would be crucial if he ever was to fight the French.
(The conquests of Henry IV. Lancaster.)
Act VII, a new duke
The date was now 27. of December 1404 Anno Domine, Brittany had been under the rule of a regency council for three years now. That was about to change now. The church in Nantes was packed with the aristocracy of Brittany, everyone wanted to see the coronation of the new duke. Jean peeped into the church, as he saw the mass of people he got nervous, he had never been fond of attention and now there were thousands of people who were waiting to see him. His thoughts were interrupted by Pierre de Finisterre. The old man who had been head of the regency council for the past years told Jean that all was ready. Jean, who was dressed with everything that tradition required started walking up the corridor of the church, there was complete silence. The ceremony was long and Jean had to swear to defend his people from anyone who wished them harm, he swore to do just that. Pierre's son whispered in to his father "He is just a boy, he can't defend us." Pierre looked at his son and said in a low voice "He is not a boy anymore, now he is the Duke." Pierre knew that the boy was not up to the task. It was true, the boy had never been very clever, and he was not a good soldier either. He had been practicing with swords for many years now, and there had been little improvement over the years. When he was ten he had ruined his opportunity to marry into the French royal family because he had been informal towards the king of France. This boy was now crowned as Jean VI.
(The coronation of Jean VI.)
The days after the coronation were filled with celebration, however, Pierre was surprised to find Jean studying government business instead of taking drinking wine with the nobles. Jean was aware that he was not the best choice for a king, but this made him a good listener, he took Pierre's advice in many cases, and decided to keep the old experienced soldier as his grand marshal.
Pierre advised Jean to marry a princess from Aragon, he knew of a beautiful young woman who was a couple of years younger than Jean, her name was Isabella, she was the daughter of the count of Huesca. Jean who had met the young lady before and who knew of her beauty agreed. A few weeks later the answer from Aragon came, they agreed to the proposal from the Bretons, and Isabella was already on her way to Brittany to become queen. When Jean met her he was stunned. She had long black hair and her eyes were hazel, she smiled and kissed her future husband on the cheek. Pierre could see that Jean was completely taken.
The celebrations after the coronation had only just passed before Nantes were celebrating again. They were excited that the young duke had already taken a bride, and many nobles in Brittany felt like this was the beginning of a secure alliance with Aragon. Pierre who was always skeptical suspected that the king of Aragon would use Isabella to claim the throne of Brittany, and within a month he was proven right. The king of Aragon had written a letter to Jean stating that if he did not produce an heir within the next year then he would put Isabella's brother on the throne of Brittany when Jean died, with force if necessary. Jean who had already gotten a reputation for staying calm and relaxed was being pressured by his grand marshal, however, Jean knew something that Pierre did not yet know, Isabella was already pregnant.
(Martin I. King of Aragon.)
On a cold October morning the news came from the court in Brittany, a royal heir was born. The country rejoiced, as the last year had been tense, most of the population as afraid that the country would be ruled by a Spanish noble instead of a man from the Dreux family. That was all history now, Jean had produced an heir, a daughter who was healthy by all means, and the queen had performed well too. Jean kissed his wife and left her, so that she could rest, Jean had decided to call his daughter Claudine. In the meantime Pierre had managed to get back on good terms with the king of Aragon, and Jean thanked his Grand marshal for his work, which had truly been hard.
For the next months Jean pondered on what to do, his ally Portugal had for some time been at war with Castille, yet they had not requested Breton assistance, he was happy that he did not have to leave his wife and daughter at this moment, but he feared that his ally was being defeated, the news coming from Portugal was far from good. The Portuguese had go give up in the end, and they were forced to cede one of their provinces to Castille, Jean did not appreciate that Castille was gaining more strength.
To counter the Castilian victory Jean did what his father had not wanted to do. He accepted an alliance with England. His father had been asked by them several times to join forces and fight together as they had done before, he had not accepted because England was attacking the Irish kingdoms whom Brittany shared their culture with. By now the Gaelic cause in Ireland was lost, the English had defeated all of the Irish kingdoms except for Munster, whose capital was under siege now. The English were also fighting a war in Scotland, and they seemed to be winning. Perhaps the most important factor, England had declared war against Castille, and there was nothing Jean wanted more than to fight Castille. Pierre was once again skeptical, he feared that an alliance with England would force Jean to declare war against Castille, Jean ignored his advice. Pierre could see the merit of an alliance with England, for about a year now, France had been at war with Bohemia, Burgundy and several other nations, he realized that if Brittany and England joined in, they could perhaps defeat the French, Pierre finally agreed that the risk was worth it.
As 1404 and 1405 passed to 1406 and the fields of Brittany were once again covered with snow, Pierre was once again proven right. The English demanded that the Bretons declared war against Castile. Jean seemed to be happy with the request, and without consulting with his grand marshal he agreed to the venture. The army was once again called up, and the soldiers were paid full wages. Jean kissed his wife and daughter farewell, he was sorry to leave them, but there was no alternative. He wanted to prove to the Breton nobles that he could lead the army just as well as his father. There was months of waiting before the army could move, the new recruits had to be trained and military access had to be secured from the Duchess of Auvergne. It was not before July 1406 that the army was ready, morale was high, the new king had trained and slept alongside of them for weeks now, and they felt confident that Jean VI. could lead them to victory. The new duke did not ride alone with the army, he had brought both Pierre and Jaque with him.
In the Duchy of Auvergne the peace was broken by 6000 soldiers who were on the march, the Bretons were moving south towards the English possessions in southern France, the Castilian army had invaded Labourd, and the enemy were now besieging Bordeaux. The Bretons did not stop to rest for any longer than was necessary, and by the end of September they reached the city of Bordeaux. The Castilian forces who had learned about Jeans move had retreated south into Labourd. The population of Bordeaux was ecstatic, they cheered the Bretons as they marched through the city, Jean had experienced his first triumph, he felt confident that the rest of the campaign would be just as simple.
Jean did not halt for long in Bordeaux, he moved his army further south, and started pursuing the Castillian force. In late October Jeans army neared the city of Bayonne, which was the region capital of Labourd. The enemy was still nowhere in sight. Pierre felt as if something was wrong, but Jean ignored him. On a cold October day when the Breton army was stretched out on a road they were suddenly ambushed by 3000 Castillian soldiers. The enemy pounded the advance guard of the Bretons, who recoiled and tried to form up. Pierre who had been riding at the front was hit three times and he fell dead from his horse. When all seemed lost Jean rallied his men and managed to hold the enemy at bay. The battle continued for days, but after a week of indecisive fighting the English army appeared and together with the Bretons they swept forward and destroyed the Castillian soldiers. Jean had won a victory, it had been bloody, he had lost 596 men, but the enemy had suffered 3000 losses, most of these were prisoners taken with English assistance. The greatest loss was the loss of Pierre, his body was sent back to Brittany to be buried in his home, the region of Finisterre. Jean mourned the loss, but he was used to it by now, he had lost his father when he was 11, and this had taught him how to handle grief.
After the battle Jean helped the English to set up a siege against Bayonne, which was still held by 1000 Castilian soldiers. As Jean was about to move south and invade Castille, he got interesting news from home. His diplomatic minister told him that the French were having a hard time, they had taken some Burgundian lands, but the new Duke of Burgundy, Jean II was fighting back with fury, and he was assisted by the Bohemian emperor. Jean hoped that the war would drag on, his hopes were that maybe he could join in against France and grab the territory which he viewed as a part of Brittany.
(The situation in France at the moment.)
He did, however, not have much time to think, winter was fast approaching, and he wished to cross into Castille before the new year began. The king of Navarre agreed that the Breton army could pass through his lands, and on the 14. of December Jeans forces had reached the Vizcaya region and they started siege operations against the city of Bilbao. Jean was constantly alert, he knew that Castillian army outnumbered his by at least 2-1. On January 1. as 1406 had just given way to 1407 the new grand marshal, Jaque Brne rode into the Breton camp outside Bilbao. Jaque, who had opposed Jeans invasion of Castille from the beginning came with bad news for the Duke, the Castillian army, 15 000 strong was only a few hours away.
(Vizkaya's position on map.)
Jean rallied the army and moved south to meet the enemy, his stopped his men in a forest on the outskirts of Bilbao, here he rode in front of his men and shouted, as Pierre had done before him "We fight as one!" The men were ready, and when the Castillian soldiers moved forwards and attacked the Bretons they were hurled back, for 7 days the battle outside Bilbao raged on, but on the night of the 8. day, Jean realized that he could not continue fighting. He assembled his army during the night and retreated, Jaque guarded the rear of the army, should the Castillian troops pursue. Losses were heavy on both sides, the Bretons had lost 892 men, while the Castillians had lost 920 of their men, Jean was afraid that his army was demoralized, but that was not the case, they were eager to fight again another day, Jean had proven his courage and some soldiers were already calling him "Jean the Brave".
Jean decided that the army needed to rest, and he fell back into Labourd, which was back under English control by now, the English commander told Jean that the English had just annexed Munster, they had also defeated Scotland, who was forced to become a vassal of the English king. Jean was rejoiced to hear of about the fortune of his ally, and asked the English commander to send his congratulations to the English king. As Jean talked matters over with the English commander on how to conduct the next phase of the war he was called out by Jaque. Standing beside Jaque was a man dressed like a monk, he was, however, and envoy from the King of Castille. The Castilian king felt that there was no point for the Spanish and the Bretons to keep fighting, and he proposed a white peace, Jean agreed. Suddenly Jean's first war had come to an end, he had not won a victory, but he had fought well enough to earn the respect of the king of Castille, he had also won the respect of his soldiers, something that would be crucial if he ever was to fight the French.
(The conquests of Henry IV. Lancaster.)
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Wow the English seem to have things well in hand in the isles...
now for the French
now for the French
does seem that in the short term a very aggressive England is good news ... as to the longer term?
That is what I hope it will come to, the Burgundians are not doing as good as I had hoped though...
Well right now I just need a chance to grab some territory, in the long term a strong England is not something I would like to have as my neighbor...
Act VIII, Filling a Duke's purse
Jean had just brought his army back home, they came back just in time to enjoy spring at home, many of them had farms to attend to, and they were happy that their young king had brought them home fast. Jean expected to hear something from his head of diplomacy, he hoped that the French had suffered setback while he was busy fighting in Spain. This had not been the case, the French had thrown the Burgundians out of France, and they had received assistance from within Burgundy. The nobles of Luxembourg had revolted, and within the next year they would reform the nation of Luxembourg. The Burgundians also had to give the French to provinces, Picardie and Cambray.
(Burgundy's lost provinces, as well as their trade center in Antwerp.)
Jean was not happy to hear that the French had won against the Burgundians, but he could comfort himself with the fact that they were still fighting against Bohemia. The duke of Brittany did, however, have other things to attend to. His advisers told him that the state had a lot of money at the moment, and that he should invest the money in trade. Jean realized that he had to gamble if he was to improve the economy of Brittany. He backed a lot of merchants and sent them on their way to Antwerp, in northern Burgundy. The Breton merchants managed to get their gods sold, and they also brought back valuables to Brittany. Within the next years Jean managed to get 5 merchants to operate in Antwerp.
He was, however, not content with this, he disbanded 3000 Breton soldiers, to save the state some money, and over the next 5 years he would back merchants in Lübeck as well. These merchants would in time bring back much wealth to Brittany. Jean also joined the Hanseatic trade league during the next years.
(The trade center in Lübeck.)
Since there was no war at the moment Jean could watch his daughter grow up, he was also able to spend much time with his wife, whom he adored. The king of Aragon had also become a good friend during the last years, the claim on the throne of Brittany was a thing of the past. Their relations were so good that the Aragonese king traveled to Brittany. To honor his ally Jean arranged a jousting tournament, this gave a positive impression upon the king of Aragon, who respected greatly the Breton army.
During the last years Jean had heard rumors about the French having instructed their soldiers with an immense program of military drilling, and that this was partly the reason why they had been so successful against the Burgundians. Jean did not like the fact that the French army was better than his own, he also remembered his father's military reforms. Jean decided that he wanted his soldiers to be drilled as well, and over the next years the Bretons developed a military drill of their own. Some believed it to be better than the French one. Jean did, however, not stop there, he also continued to priorities the quality of his soldiers, he knew that his father had been right when he chose to increase the discipline of the Breton army, and Jean continued his father's work. Jean discovered the same problem which his father had encountered, a lot of the old recruits were unsuitable, and had to be replaced.
When everything seemed to be going Jeans way he experienced a terrible personal blow. His wife had betrayed him for a servant, they had been meeting for years, and some started to believe that Jeans daughter was not really his child. He managed to disprove the rumors, but he could not forgive his wife. Overcome with grief and hatred he had both her and her lover executed. The Aragonese king protested, but he finally accepted Jeans decision. The scandal had shaken the stability of Brittany, it had also weakened the king's prestige, Jean's response to the problem had regained some, but he was now regarded as an infamous king. Jean hoped that he could salvage some prestige by getting his portrait painted, it managed to salvage some prestige for the young king, but his earlier mistakes were not forgotten.
After all of these blows Jean was not the same man, he began to drink more wine than he had done before, and he slept badly, which started to affect his actions. He finally got some good news when 1411 turned into 1412. Many years had now passed since his war in Spain, and in Brittany there had been improvements in production, many weavers were now able to produce war more. There was talk of a technological revolution, in reality it was from the breakthrough some people believed, but every little bit helps.
Finally there was news from the south. The Aragonese king had been clever with his royal marriages, and he was now able to claim the throne of both Navarra and Portugal. The result was that the territories of Aragon almost doubled in size. Jean viewed this an effective counter to Castille. Castille had been weakened lately as well. They had to give their colony in Morocco to England as part of the peace deal, they also had to liberate Galicia, which was now an independent nation in the northern part of Spain. Castille's king had hoped for some time to rest after this, it was not to be. The Ottomans decided to attack the Castillians now, the war was still young, but Jean hoped for a Muslim victory, he dared not say so to anyone though. Jean had now been duke of Brittany for 8 years, he had reversed setbacks, victories and sorrow, only God knew what the future would bring, he was eager to find out...
(The Iberian peninsular as it was divided in 1412.)
Jean had just brought his army back home, they came back just in time to enjoy spring at home, many of them had farms to attend to, and they were happy that their young king had brought them home fast. Jean expected to hear something from his head of diplomacy, he hoped that the French had suffered setback while he was busy fighting in Spain. This had not been the case, the French had thrown the Burgundians out of France, and they had received assistance from within Burgundy. The nobles of Luxembourg had revolted, and within the next year they would reform the nation of Luxembourg. The Burgundians also had to give the French to provinces, Picardie and Cambray.
(Burgundy's lost provinces, as well as their trade center in Antwerp.)
Jean was not happy to hear that the French had won against the Burgundians, but he could comfort himself with the fact that they were still fighting against Bohemia. The duke of Brittany did, however, have other things to attend to. His advisers told him that the state had a lot of money at the moment, and that he should invest the money in trade. Jean realized that he had to gamble if he was to improve the economy of Brittany. He backed a lot of merchants and sent them on their way to Antwerp, in northern Burgundy. The Breton merchants managed to get their gods sold, and they also brought back valuables to Brittany. Within the next years Jean managed to get 5 merchants to operate in Antwerp.
He was, however, not content with this, he disbanded 3000 Breton soldiers, to save the state some money, and over the next 5 years he would back merchants in Lübeck as well. These merchants would in time bring back much wealth to Brittany. Jean also joined the Hanseatic trade league during the next years.
(The trade center in Lübeck.)
Since there was no war at the moment Jean could watch his daughter grow up, he was also able to spend much time with his wife, whom he adored. The king of Aragon had also become a good friend during the last years, the claim on the throne of Brittany was a thing of the past. Their relations were so good that the Aragonese king traveled to Brittany. To honor his ally Jean arranged a jousting tournament, this gave a positive impression upon the king of Aragon, who respected greatly the Breton army.
During the last years Jean had heard rumors about the French having instructed their soldiers with an immense program of military drilling, and that this was partly the reason why they had been so successful against the Burgundians. Jean did not like the fact that the French army was better than his own, he also remembered his father's military reforms. Jean decided that he wanted his soldiers to be drilled as well, and over the next years the Bretons developed a military drill of their own. Some believed it to be better than the French one. Jean did, however, not stop there, he also continued to priorities the quality of his soldiers, he knew that his father had been right when he chose to increase the discipline of the Breton army, and Jean continued his father's work. Jean discovered the same problem which his father had encountered, a lot of the old recruits were unsuitable, and had to be replaced.
When everything seemed to be going Jeans way he experienced a terrible personal blow. His wife had betrayed him for a servant, they had been meeting for years, and some started to believe that Jeans daughter was not really his child. He managed to disprove the rumors, but he could not forgive his wife. Overcome with grief and hatred he had both her and her lover executed. The Aragonese king protested, but he finally accepted Jeans decision. The scandal had shaken the stability of Brittany, it had also weakened the king's prestige, Jean's response to the problem had regained some, but he was now regarded as an infamous king. Jean hoped that he could salvage some prestige by getting his portrait painted, it managed to salvage some prestige for the young king, but his earlier mistakes were not forgotten.
After all of these blows Jean was not the same man, he began to drink more wine than he had done before, and he slept badly, which started to affect his actions. He finally got some good news when 1411 turned into 1412. Many years had now passed since his war in Spain, and in Brittany there had been improvements in production, many weavers were now able to produce war more. There was talk of a technological revolution, in reality it was from the breakthrough some people believed, but every little bit helps.
Finally there was news from the south. The Aragonese king had been clever with his royal marriages, and he was now able to claim the throne of both Navarra and Portugal. The result was that the territories of Aragon almost doubled in size. Jean viewed this an effective counter to Castille. Castille had been weakened lately as well. They had to give their colony in Morocco to England as part of the peace deal, they also had to liberate Galicia, which was now an independent nation in the northern part of Spain. Castille's king had hoped for some time to rest after this, it was not to be. The Ottomans decided to attack the Castillians now, the war was still young, but Jean hoped for a Muslim victory, he dared not say so to anyone though. Jean had now been duke of Brittany for 8 years, he had reversed setbacks, victories and sorrow, only God knew what the future would bring, he was eager to find out...
(The Iberian peninsular as it was divided in 1412.)
Ooh a humbled Castille and a cuckolded Jean. You disbanded troops to afford merchants...interesting. Its something I rarely ever do, even if cash is tight. Due to the fact that someone, somewhere can always quote Machiavelli.
I usually don't send merchants uless I have my own COT, but I wanted to try it for once. Disbanding troops isd not really a good idea, but I don't like earning 3.65 ducats a year either xD
its an interesting gamble, you risk being banned from a CoT if you do too well and you lack strategic depth if someone attacks and you have to raise an army in a hurry ... but then it does allow you to build up cash for some economic development
I need some more cash right now, so that I can build up constables in all my provinces.
Act IX, Jean's soul mate
The years since Jean Vi. was crowned duke had passed quickly, he had been duke for almost 10 years, and was now 25 years old. In his young life he had experienced many losses, he had lost his father, his wife had betrayed him, and he had lost his tutor. Now he was a man who was experienced in matters of state, and he had governed Brittany well. Under Jeans rule, the economy had blossomed, and he had also kept alliances with both England and Aragon. Maintaining an alliance with England were seen by the Breton nobles as crucial, not only were they the only real power that stood against French expansion, but the new pope was also English.
The English pope was a war hungry old man, he hated the fact that the time of the crusades had passed was to him a terrible sin. He had resolved to start a new crusade, his target was Morocco, the pope declared "Deus vult" or "God wills it" as a justification to attack the Muslim nation. Jean was eager to join in, but his nobles managed to persuade him from joining the crusade, they knew that the coffers of Brittany was not filled enough to start another war.
At this moment Jean had a talk with the son of his former advisor, Chattier de Finisterre brought some good news for the duke. His lands had not been taxed properly for years, the low tax had built up huge amounts of wealth in the area, that could now be taxed dry. Jean was ecstatic, and together with Chattier the two of them managed to get 100 ducats out of the area. Jean now had enough money to finance new administrative buildings in his lands. Over the next three years he built constables in Nantes, Rennes and Rohan. Their task was simple, tax the population as much as possible. The new tax buildings seriously improved the economy of Brittany, but the population was not too happy, and Jean soon got a new nickname; "the mean".
Brittany's neighbor, France, had for many years been at war with Bohemia, this had seriously weakened the old emperor, Ladislav II. the fact that imperial lands had been lost to the French was a serious defeat for the Empire. The electors began to doubt the power of Bohemia, and they turned towards Austria instead. The King of Austria replaced the Bohemian king as emperor, and Albrecht V. von Habsburg was crowned emperor. Jean liked the developments, he viewed the Austrians as much more capable than the Bohemians, and he hoped they could damage France a bit, something which the Bohemians had not done too well. Jean was still afraid of the French, he constantly looked out from his castle, every time he was afraid of seeing a French invasion force, after the death of Charles VI. this looked more likely, however, at the moment the country was ruled by Henry II. who was not yet old enough to rule. The regency council who now ruled the country was not powerful enough to go to any wars. To prevent any future wars with France Jean decided to guarantee their independence, he would later regret this.
(Albrecht V. Von Habsburg, the new Emperor.)
A few months later there were news from the south, Aragon had joined their fellow Spaniards in their war against the Ottomans, and Aragonese troops were now heading for the Ottoman empire as well. Jean had not been asked to join the war, and had he been he would not have fought actively in the war. The Ottomans were simply too far away. Some tears later the English would join the war against the Ottomans as well, the Greek territories of the Muslim empire were occupied for a long time, but during the peace deal all they had to do was to admit defeat, so ultimately the Muslims had the last laugh.
(The occupation of the Ottoman empire.)
As 1414 passed to 1415 and the nation celebrated that Jean had been duke for 10 years there was news from the wealthiest merchants in Brittany. They had worked together for years trying to write a book on how to conduct modern trade. The merchants felt like they had issued a technological breakthrough, equal to the one in production a few years ago.
(Charles de Chateu vert, the richest Breton merchant.)
When 1415 brought a warm summer to Brittany Jean was occupied with diplomatic business. Recently a new nation had appeared in Iberia. The English had liberated Galicia, jean got news that the new nation had no legal heir, they also had no marriages with any other nations. Jean decided to take action, he asked the Galician king to marry his niece, a stunning woman. She was not tall, had broad hips, long blonde hair and deep green eyes, her name was Maria. It was said that when the English king heard about Jeans marriage he was jealous of the Breton duke.
(Galicia would be a fine addition to the realms of Brittany.)
Jean was not to interested in the woman he just married, of course it helped that she was pretty, but he married her purely for political reasons, and he soon showed his intentions. He made a claim to the throne of Galicia within weeks. The king of Aragon did not approve of this, he viewed Galicia as his sphere of influence, and he was furious that Jean had broken this sphere. The alliance that Pierre had worked hard to get was now dissolved, the triple entanté was now gone.
Jean expected his new wife to feel used by her new husband. This was not the case, she felt like she could become far more powerful as duchess of Brittany, and if jean could add Galicia to his realm she would, together with him rule over more lands. She even tried to assist Jean's claim to the throne, she wrote numerous letters to her uncle, saying what a good duke Jean was. Maria and Jean were made for each other, they both loved money and power, and after a while they started to love each other as well. Maria was not happy that Jean's other daughter had first claim to the throne, but if she was lucky Claudine would die off in a few years.
(Jean's new wife, a beautiful woman by any means.)
Jeans luck continued for a while. After the Hanseatic league persuaded Jean to join them they had shown more and more interest in Brittany, especially the Breton trade in naval goods benefited both the trade league and Brittany. As the Breton trade in Lübeck continued to increase the trade league decided to build trade stations in Brittany, first in Nantes and over the next years another one was built in Rennes. Of course this brought benefits to the trade league, but also to Jean, who wanted all the money he could get. Not everything was going as planned, since Jean had invested most of his money in economic building he had little in case he had to invest any money in the Breton merchants who were operating in Lübeck. As was the case this was just what happened, merchants from Baden had put pressure on the Bretons, and the duke had to invest more money. To cover his other expenses the duke had to mint more money to be able to pay, after a year the situation was stable again.
As 1416 began the duke was out riding with his daughter. To everyone's surprise the young princess showed remarkable interest in diplomacy, as well as governmental business. Many of the advisors who tried to teach her about the governmental systems found to their dismay that she knew better than they did and it was often she who showed them new ways of doing things. Jean and Claudine began talking about the crusade against the Ottomans, it was clear that the Ottomans where on the verge of losing. In addition to this war the Burgundians were once again at war, they were now fighting a massive coalition, consisting of Poland, Austria, Savoy, Switzerland and numerous other nations. The two of the hoped that the Austrians would gain more power, so that they could threaten France. As they were heading back towards Nantes a rider approached the duke, he had to catch his breath, but once he did and began to deliver his message the duke's eyes narrowed, and the look on his face turned serious. The French had been attacked by Castille, and since Jean had guaranteed the French independence he was now called by the French regency council to join in the war. Jean knew that to decline would send his prestige plummeting, he rode back towards Nantes and started to assemble the army, he would fight. The nobles were against the war, the state did not have enough money. Jean knew that the state was almost broke at the moment, and he resolved to start minting, the nobles opposed him, but they were overruled as usual. Jean started to assemble the men of his new and professional army, and as he watched his soldiers train he realized that the Breton army was no longer a gathering of militia, but a professional force, and they were ready to fight, and if necessary, die for their homeland. A lot of them would do precisely that in the years that were to come.
The years since Jean Vi. was crowned duke had passed quickly, he had been duke for almost 10 years, and was now 25 years old. In his young life he had experienced many losses, he had lost his father, his wife had betrayed him, and he had lost his tutor. Now he was a man who was experienced in matters of state, and he had governed Brittany well. Under Jeans rule, the economy had blossomed, and he had also kept alliances with both England and Aragon. Maintaining an alliance with England were seen by the Breton nobles as crucial, not only were they the only real power that stood against French expansion, but the new pope was also English.
The English pope was a war hungry old man, he hated the fact that the time of the crusades had passed was to him a terrible sin. He had resolved to start a new crusade, his target was Morocco, the pope declared "Deus vult" or "God wills it" as a justification to attack the Muslim nation. Jean was eager to join in, but his nobles managed to persuade him from joining the crusade, they knew that the coffers of Brittany was not filled enough to start another war.
At this moment Jean had a talk with the son of his former advisor, Chattier de Finisterre brought some good news for the duke. His lands had not been taxed properly for years, the low tax had built up huge amounts of wealth in the area, that could now be taxed dry. Jean was ecstatic, and together with Chattier the two of them managed to get 100 ducats out of the area. Jean now had enough money to finance new administrative buildings in his lands. Over the next three years he built constables in Nantes, Rennes and Rohan. Their task was simple, tax the population as much as possible. The new tax buildings seriously improved the economy of Brittany, but the population was not too happy, and Jean soon got a new nickname; "the mean".
Brittany's neighbor, France, had for many years been at war with Bohemia, this had seriously weakened the old emperor, Ladislav II. the fact that imperial lands had been lost to the French was a serious defeat for the Empire. The electors began to doubt the power of Bohemia, and they turned towards Austria instead. The King of Austria replaced the Bohemian king as emperor, and Albrecht V. von Habsburg was crowned emperor. Jean liked the developments, he viewed the Austrians as much more capable than the Bohemians, and he hoped they could damage France a bit, something which the Bohemians had not done too well. Jean was still afraid of the French, he constantly looked out from his castle, every time he was afraid of seeing a French invasion force, after the death of Charles VI. this looked more likely, however, at the moment the country was ruled by Henry II. who was not yet old enough to rule. The regency council who now ruled the country was not powerful enough to go to any wars. To prevent any future wars with France Jean decided to guarantee their independence, he would later regret this.
(Albrecht V. Von Habsburg, the new Emperor.)
A few months later there were news from the south, Aragon had joined their fellow Spaniards in their war against the Ottomans, and Aragonese troops were now heading for the Ottoman empire as well. Jean had not been asked to join the war, and had he been he would not have fought actively in the war. The Ottomans were simply too far away. Some tears later the English would join the war against the Ottomans as well, the Greek territories of the Muslim empire were occupied for a long time, but during the peace deal all they had to do was to admit defeat, so ultimately the Muslims had the last laugh.
(The occupation of the Ottoman empire.)
As 1414 passed to 1415 and the nation celebrated that Jean had been duke for 10 years there was news from the wealthiest merchants in Brittany. They had worked together for years trying to write a book on how to conduct modern trade. The merchants felt like they had issued a technological breakthrough, equal to the one in production a few years ago.
(Charles de Chateu vert, the richest Breton merchant.)
When 1415 brought a warm summer to Brittany Jean was occupied with diplomatic business. Recently a new nation had appeared in Iberia. The English had liberated Galicia, jean got news that the new nation had no legal heir, they also had no marriages with any other nations. Jean decided to take action, he asked the Galician king to marry his niece, a stunning woman. She was not tall, had broad hips, long blonde hair and deep green eyes, her name was Maria. It was said that when the English king heard about Jeans marriage he was jealous of the Breton duke.
(Galicia would be a fine addition to the realms of Brittany.)
Jean was not to interested in the woman he just married, of course it helped that she was pretty, but he married her purely for political reasons, and he soon showed his intentions. He made a claim to the throne of Galicia within weeks. The king of Aragon did not approve of this, he viewed Galicia as his sphere of influence, and he was furious that Jean had broken this sphere. The alliance that Pierre had worked hard to get was now dissolved, the triple entanté was now gone.
Jean expected his new wife to feel used by her new husband. This was not the case, she felt like she could become far more powerful as duchess of Brittany, and if jean could add Galicia to his realm she would, together with him rule over more lands. She even tried to assist Jean's claim to the throne, she wrote numerous letters to her uncle, saying what a good duke Jean was. Maria and Jean were made for each other, they both loved money and power, and after a while they started to love each other as well. Maria was not happy that Jean's other daughter had first claim to the throne, but if she was lucky Claudine would die off in a few years.
(Jean's new wife, a beautiful woman by any means.)
Jeans luck continued for a while. After the Hanseatic league persuaded Jean to join them they had shown more and more interest in Brittany, especially the Breton trade in naval goods benefited both the trade league and Brittany. As the Breton trade in Lübeck continued to increase the trade league decided to build trade stations in Brittany, first in Nantes and over the next years another one was built in Rennes. Of course this brought benefits to the trade league, but also to Jean, who wanted all the money he could get. Not everything was going as planned, since Jean had invested most of his money in economic building he had little in case he had to invest any money in the Breton merchants who were operating in Lübeck. As was the case this was just what happened, merchants from Baden had put pressure on the Bretons, and the duke had to invest more money. To cover his other expenses the duke had to mint more money to be able to pay, after a year the situation was stable again.
As 1416 began the duke was out riding with his daughter. To everyone's surprise the young princess showed remarkable interest in diplomacy, as well as governmental business. Many of the advisors who tried to teach her about the governmental systems found to their dismay that she knew better than they did and it was often she who showed them new ways of doing things. Jean and Claudine began talking about the crusade against the Ottomans, it was clear that the Ottomans where on the verge of losing. In addition to this war the Burgundians were once again at war, they were now fighting a massive coalition, consisting of Poland, Austria, Savoy, Switzerland and numerous other nations. The two of the hoped that the Austrians would gain more power, so that they could threaten France. As they were heading back towards Nantes a rider approached the duke, he had to catch his breath, but once he did and began to deliver his message the duke's eyes narrowed, and the look on his face turned serious. The French had been attacked by Castille, and since Jean had guaranteed the French independence he was now called by the French regency council to join in the war. Jean knew that to decline would send his prestige plummeting, he rode back towards Nantes and started to assemble the army, he would fight. The nobles were against the war, the state did not have enough money. Jean knew that the state was almost broke at the moment, and he resolved to start minting, the nobles opposed him, but they were overruled as usual. Jean started to assemble the men of his new and professional army, and as he watched his soldiers train he realized that the Breton army was no longer a gathering of militia, but a professional force, and they were ready to fight, and if necessary, die for their homeland. A lot of them would do precisely that in the years that were to come.
Act X, The deep breath before the plunge.
Jean had once again dragged Brittany into war, the nobles did not like this new war with Castille, the last one had yielded nothing, and many of them feared that the result would be the same this time. Jean did, however, use the war to get info about France. They were now his ally and he could easily find out how many men the French king could call upon. Jean found out to his horror that the French had 33 000 men, and their vassals had about 10 000 men, however, the French had been a lot at war for the past years, and they had a high war exhaustion.
As Jean looked at a map, and pondered his first move he was surprised to hear that the enemy had already made their move. 7000 Castillian troops had landed in Nantes, the Breton capital was now under siege. Jean's army was not yet mobilized, and he could do nothing but wait. The enemy had made a terrible blunder, the Castillians had not reckoned that the French would move to help the Bretons, the 7000 Spaniards were hit by 19 000 French troops, and in a few short battles the Castillians surrendered. This did not stop the king of Castille. Another Castillian force of similar numbers landed on the beaches of Morhiban, they headed inwards quickly, towards Rohan. Jean moved north from the capital to engage the enemy, but they retreated before him. Always on the offensive the duke followed them north into Finisterre. The French had also joined Jeans pursuit. On a war summer day the Breton forces caught up with the Castilians, the enemy had virtually no will to fight, and with the assistance from the French troops the battle turned into a massacre, another 7000 Castillian troops were counted as casualties.
Jean was now determined to move south, he wanted to invade Castille, again. The French left 8000 troops behind in Brittany, over the next years they would beat back another enemy invasion. Jean's army which was in high spirits as usual headed south, they marched through Auvergne, the southern part of France, and when he got to the province of Navarra in Aragon he halted. The men were eager to push forward, as was Jean. Jaque Brne, who was still the dukes grand marshal had opposed the invasion from the start tried to persuade Jean that an invasion would certainly fail. Jean would listen to no one, and as the snow started to fall in early November he moved towards Vizcaya.
The 6000 man strong Breton army marched forward, many of them did not have proper shoes, and it was said that one could follow the Bretons by following the trail of blood left in the snow. As Jean reached Bilbao and started besieging the city a Castillian army approached him, 14 000 strong, more than twice his number. Jean ordered Jaque to prepare to fight, Jaque set up a field that suited the Bretons, the 6000 men were anchored on a high hill, a small river shielded their left flank, in front of the hill were a deep marsh. The Bretons had to have could ground if they were to stand a chance against the enemy, the Castillians had 8000 cavalry, the Bretons had barely 1000.
The Castillians were confident of victory, and they attacked in huge waves, the Bretons beat them back, as the enemy tried to climb the hill they were showered by arrows and spears, the river soon ran red with blood, and Castillian troops drowned in the marsh. The Castillians tried to turn the flank of the Bretons, it did not work out as they had planned, the Breton cavalry charged and retreated again before the enemy could react, the Castillians had relied on thei heavy cavalry, but they could not keep up with Jean's chevauchée.
(The battle of Bilbao was extremely brutal.)
Finally, on the night of December 4. Jean moved his army back towards Navarre, he had lost the battle, but the enemy had been bloodied quite badly. The Castillian losses were as high as 1 684 men, Jeans had in comparison only lost 504 men. The battle was still a Castillian victory, and Jean's retreat did little to improve his prestige. The French had not done much better, they had managed to occupy the province of Porto, but they could make no move against the Spanish main territories. In 1919 Jean had been camped in Navarra for almost 2 years, he had not heard much from Brittany, before now. The Bourgeoisie class had demanded more privileges over the last years, and now they were on the verge of revolt. Jean decided to give them what they wanted, it was not completely against Jean's intentions, he had long wanted to limit the power of the nobles, and now he had an excuse.
Not long after this incident the French arranged a peace deal with Castille, Jean's latest war was now over, and the Breton army marched home, many of the soldiers now began to doubt their ruler, over the years they had been dragged into two wars with Castille, neither of which had given them anything. The morale plummeted further when Jean started to cut the pay of the soldiers, even before they had marched home.
Years passed without anything happening, the French king Henry II, cane of age, the Burgundians were occupied by Austria, and over the years they would have to give up Flanders, the region formed a new nation, they also lost Liege and all of their northern territories. The southern Burgundian territories were also eaten up, Savoy and Austria both wanted their share.
(The remains of Burgundy.)
For over 20 years Brittany had kept the advisors which Jean V. had installed, Jean Vi. decided it was time to bring in more competent people, both the statesman and the army reformer were replaced in a matter of weeks. Not long after Jeans actions bore fruit. Jean de Rieux who was the new chief of state in Brittany improved the government even further, and the new army reformer Mikael de Beaudiez reformed the army like no one before him had managed. The earlier peasant soldiers were replaced by professional Men-at-arms, Jean hoped that these new troops would improve his army even further.
Outside of Brittany England and Aragon decided to make their move, both of the disliked Castille. They mobilized their forces and invaded Castille. The war dragged on for a couple of years, and by the end Aragon and England had won a decisive victory, Castille was totally occupied, and the peace terms were hard on the Castillian king, his nation became divided, Castille was no longer a great power. The English did not receive any territorial gains, however, the English king had decided to annex Scotland, England was now bigger than ever before, Jean was glad that the English were a close ally of Brittany.
(The Iberian peninsular after the war was over.)
(England now controls all of the British isles.)
The year was now 1423 and Jean stood before the greatest decision of his life, the French king Henry II had declared war on England, England had in turn asked Jean to join them, they had never before requested Breton assistance in any of their wars, but now they pleaded with him to join them. Jaque Brne in turn told Jean that if he did not assist the English then he would resign his post. When even the cautious Jaque wanted to join the war Jean realized that he had no other alternative, he called up the army again, this time it would a be a fight like none before, to defeat the French the Bretons would have mobilize every man, woman and child, and everyone would have to be willing to sacrifice if Brittany was to survive this war. Time would tell if they were up to the task.
Jean had once again dragged Brittany into war, the nobles did not like this new war with Castille, the last one had yielded nothing, and many of them feared that the result would be the same this time. Jean did, however, use the war to get info about France. They were now his ally and he could easily find out how many men the French king could call upon. Jean found out to his horror that the French had 33 000 men, and their vassals had about 10 000 men, however, the French had been a lot at war for the past years, and they had a high war exhaustion.
As Jean looked at a map, and pondered his first move he was surprised to hear that the enemy had already made their move. 7000 Castillian troops had landed in Nantes, the Breton capital was now under siege. Jean's army was not yet mobilized, and he could do nothing but wait. The enemy had made a terrible blunder, the Castillians had not reckoned that the French would move to help the Bretons, the 7000 Spaniards were hit by 19 000 French troops, and in a few short battles the Castillians surrendered. This did not stop the king of Castille. Another Castillian force of similar numbers landed on the beaches of Morhiban, they headed inwards quickly, towards Rohan. Jean moved north from the capital to engage the enemy, but they retreated before him. Always on the offensive the duke followed them north into Finisterre. The French had also joined Jeans pursuit. On a war summer day the Breton forces caught up with the Castilians, the enemy had virtually no will to fight, and with the assistance from the French troops the battle turned into a massacre, another 7000 Castillian troops were counted as casualties.
Jean was now determined to move south, he wanted to invade Castille, again. The French left 8000 troops behind in Brittany, over the next years they would beat back another enemy invasion. Jean's army which was in high spirits as usual headed south, they marched through Auvergne, the southern part of France, and when he got to the province of Navarra in Aragon he halted. The men were eager to push forward, as was Jean. Jaque Brne, who was still the dukes grand marshal had opposed the invasion from the start tried to persuade Jean that an invasion would certainly fail. Jean would listen to no one, and as the snow started to fall in early November he moved towards Vizcaya.
The 6000 man strong Breton army marched forward, many of them did not have proper shoes, and it was said that one could follow the Bretons by following the trail of blood left in the snow. As Jean reached Bilbao and started besieging the city a Castillian army approached him, 14 000 strong, more than twice his number. Jean ordered Jaque to prepare to fight, Jaque set up a field that suited the Bretons, the 6000 men were anchored on a high hill, a small river shielded their left flank, in front of the hill were a deep marsh. The Bretons had to have could ground if they were to stand a chance against the enemy, the Castillians had 8000 cavalry, the Bretons had barely 1000.
The Castillians were confident of victory, and they attacked in huge waves, the Bretons beat them back, as the enemy tried to climb the hill they were showered by arrows and spears, the river soon ran red with blood, and Castillian troops drowned in the marsh. The Castillians tried to turn the flank of the Bretons, it did not work out as they had planned, the Breton cavalry charged and retreated again before the enemy could react, the Castillians had relied on thei heavy cavalry, but they could not keep up with Jean's chevauchée.
(The battle of Bilbao was extremely brutal.)
Finally, on the night of December 4. Jean moved his army back towards Navarre, he had lost the battle, but the enemy had been bloodied quite badly. The Castillian losses were as high as 1 684 men, Jeans had in comparison only lost 504 men. The battle was still a Castillian victory, and Jean's retreat did little to improve his prestige. The French had not done much better, they had managed to occupy the province of Porto, but they could make no move against the Spanish main territories. In 1919 Jean had been camped in Navarra for almost 2 years, he had not heard much from Brittany, before now. The Bourgeoisie class had demanded more privileges over the last years, and now they were on the verge of revolt. Jean decided to give them what they wanted, it was not completely against Jean's intentions, he had long wanted to limit the power of the nobles, and now he had an excuse.
Not long after this incident the French arranged a peace deal with Castille, Jean's latest war was now over, and the Breton army marched home, many of the soldiers now began to doubt their ruler, over the years they had been dragged into two wars with Castille, neither of which had given them anything. The morale plummeted further when Jean started to cut the pay of the soldiers, even before they had marched home.
Years passed without anything happening, the French king Henry II, cane of age, the Burgundians were occupied by Austria, and over the years they would have to give up Flanders, the region formed a new nation, they also lost Liege and all of their northern territories. The southern Burgundian territories were also eaten up, Savoy and Austria both wanted their share.
(The remains of Burgundy.)
For over 20 years Brittany had kept the advisors which Jean V. had installed, Jean Vi. decided it was time to bring in more competent people, both the statesman and the army reformer were replaced in a matter of weeks. Not long after Jeans actions bore fruit. Jean de Rieux who was the new chief of state in Brittany improved the government even further, and the new army reformer Mikael de Beaudiez reformed the army like no one before him had managed. The earlier peasant soldiers were replaced by professional Men-at-arms, Jean hoped that these new troops would improve his army even further.
Outside of Brittany England and Aragon decided to make their move, both of the disliked Castille. They mobilized their forces and invaded Castille. The war dragged on for a couple of years, and by the end Aragon and England had won a decisive victory, Castille was totally occupied, and the peace terms were hard on the Castillian king, his nation became divided, Castille was no longer a great power. The English did not receive any territorial gains, however, the English king had decided to annex Scotland, England was now bigger than ever before, Jean was glad that the English were a close ally of Brittany.
(The Iberian peninsular after the war was over.)
(England now controls all of the British isles.)
The year was now 1423 and Jean stood before the greatest decision of his life, the French king Henry II had declared war on England, England had in turn asked Jean to join them, they had never before requested Breton assistance in any of their wars, but now they pleaded with him to join them. Jaque Brne in turn told Jean that if he did not assist the English then he would resign his post. When even the cautious Jaque wanted to join the war Jean realized that he had no other alternative, he called up the army again, this time it would a be a fight like none before, to defeat the French the Bretons would have mobilize every man, woman and child, and everyone would have to be willing to sacrifice if Brittany was to survive this war. Time would tell if they were up to the task.