For God, Spain and Gold

Rifal

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #1

For God, Spain and Gold (Death and Taxes)

For God, Spain and Gold
A Death and Taxes Castille AAR

"Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad"​

Yes, Castille. What can I say, I felt like it. My goal with this AAR will be similar to my previous ones. Historical plausability comes first. No silly world conquest or Castille conquering Russia. The writing style will be History book as it is the only style I feel comfortable with, its also the style I enjoy to read the most.

Overall goal: Become a colonial powerhouse to rival that of real world Spain.

Lessser goals: Dominate the mediterrenian, Resist the Ottoman advances in this area, Rule Italy, Maybe do some Crusading. Castille is the god appointed defender of Christianity after all, Conquer India. (not necessary in this order)

That all seems reasonable to me.

Table of Content

Enrique III de Trastámara (1399-1424)

Chapter I: The guardian of Navarra.
Chapter II: Enrique`s Ambition
Chapter III: Blood and Sand
Chapter IV: Enrique´s Ambition, Part 2


The Regency Council under Fernando de Avalos-de Avalos on the throne (1424-1449)

Chapter V: Interregnum-Beginning of the de Avalos line
Chapter VI: Matters of State

Juan II de Avalos (1449-?)

Chapter VII: The sins of our fathers

 

Last edited: Nov 18, 2011

Arakhor

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #2

Go for it, Rifal.

 

Ashantai

Lost in Time

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #3

Awesome, another Rifal AAR!

God is with Spain!

I shall follow closely.

 

Avindian

People's Commissar of the Navy

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #4

An AAR doesn't have to be a challenge to be interesting; I've enjoyed your previous work and I'm sure I'll like this one.

 

safferli

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #5

Lots of Death and Taxes AARs lately. I think I'll really have to try that mod out sometime!

 

blablablubbe

Sergeant

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Jul 4, 2010

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #6

Will be following but please don't use Comic Sans.

 

Rifal

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #7

blablablubbe said:

Will be following but please don't use Comic Sans.

Click to expand...

Now that you mention it, the more I look at it the more i dislike it. I will however not use the standard font "Verdana" I will most likeley switch back to "Book Antiqua."

 

safferli

academic outlaw

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #8

Rifal said:

Now that you mention it, the more I look at it the more i dislike it. I will however not use the standard font "Verdana" I will most likeley switch back to "Book Antiqua."

Click to expand...

What do you have against the standard font? That way, each reader can adjust it to his own needs.

 

Rifal

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #9

Nothing against it really. I just like letters with curves on pointy edges on them

 

Arakhor

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #10

I like serif fonts as much as the next man, but please don't use a font as tiny as that Book Antiqua snippet. It's far too tiny to read properly.

 

Rifal

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• Nov 2, 2011

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• #11

Arakhor said:

I like serif fonts as much as the next man, but please don't use a font as tiny as that Book Antiqua snippet. It's far too tiny to read properly.

Click to expand...

I will write in the same size as my previous AAR as I found that to be very easy to read.

 

Rifal

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• Nov 3, 2011

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• #12

Chapter 1​

The Guardian of Navarra​

Iberia 1399, most of the peninsula has been cleansed of Muslims during the Reconquista. Only the small Emirate of Granada remains and so only at the mercy of the Castilian king Enrique III.

As Enrique´s reign approaches the 15th century Enrique arranges the marriage between the daughter of a prominent Castilian noble to one of his Portuguese counterparts. This is a tradition that will continue with every Castilian ruler. Castilian-Portuguese relations will rarely sour.(Royal Marriage with Portugal)

To secure the Mediterranean front he petitions the King of Naples, Louis II Valois for a military alliance. As Louis II is also the Count of Maine, Count of Provence and Duke of Anjou. Lands that the French King also has claims to this alliance will hopefully keep France in check.

Enrique has one large ambition, the unification of the Aragonese crown of his mother and the Castilian one of his Father. Such a union will certainly place Castille among the greatest powers in Europe and forever change the power balance in Iberia and the Mediterranean. ​

(Enrique´s Ambition)​

As Enrique is overseeing the training of several new regiments throughout Castille a messenger arrives in his tent in an army camp outside Madrid. The messenger tells him that his wife Catherine of Lancaster has given birth to a baby boy. The boy is named after his father and becomes the Heir apparent of Castille.​

​

Enrique`s first battles​

As winters cold starts to envelop northern Iberia a messenger arrives on an exhausted horse. He has sprinted all the way from Pamplona with a plea of help from King Charles III of Navarre.​

King Marti of Aragon has declared war upon the tiny kingdom in hopes of forcing it into submission. King Enrique acts swiftly; he orders all available forces to march east. Enrique dons his finest armor and mounts his best war horse. He is determined to lead his forces personally.​

​

The first battle of the war is fought between the Armada Real under the command of Admiral Gonzalo Pizarro and a Aragonese galley squadron in the Gulf of Lion. The Castilian Carracks prove much too difficult to board from galleys and as a result the Aragonese squadron is smashed.​

​

The land campaign began in February 1400 when Enrique III ejects the Aragonese from Cuenca with very low casualties. As the Aragonese army readies for battle Enrique signals his Knights to charge before his infantry can get into positions. As the infantry captains spot the kings standard rushing towards the unprepared Aragonese line they order a general advance into melee. ​

​

The surprise is devastating. The Aragonese infantry is massacred and Enrique claims to have slain a hundred Aragonese soldiers himself.​

​

[/CENTER][/CENTER]

(Enrique’s first taste of battle)​

With the Aragonese army fleeing back to Barcelona Erique settles in for the long coming sieges. Aragon´s western territories fall in November 1400 and Enrique Plans a winter offensive towards Barcelona. [

​

The winter offensive​

[/CENTER]

The Battle of Barcelona is almost a complete replica of the Battle of Cuenca almost exactly one year ago. Enrique takes personal command of his cavalry and in one swift move he routs the entire Aragonese cavalry force. Coupled with the losses back in 1400 75% of Aragon´s military serving nobility has been slain.​

​

By spring 1401 Aragon can no longer keep up with the steady stream of casualties and King Marti is forced to the negotiating table. He meets Enrique in Girona where he renounces all of Aragon’s claims to the island of Sardinia and to cancel all her treaties with various powers.[
[/CENTER]

​

(Treaty of Girona)[/CENTER][/CENTER][/CENTER][/CENTER]

The Neapolitan-Byzantine war​

The Neapolitan-Byzantine war erupted when the king of Naples presses claims to Epirus. The remnants of the Byzantine Empire Responds the Epirus call for help. Castille however will only contribute with a naval squadron and the only action it will see happens on the 1st of June 1401 where it alongside some Galleys from Provence manages to destroy a Galley flotilla coming from Constantinople.​

​

Castille quietly withdraws from the hostilities in 1403 by signing a Status quo Ante Bellum with the Byzantine emperor. The coming three years will pass peacefully for Castille but in the Spring of 1406 King Enrique rattles his sabre against King Marti I again, this time for personal reasons.​

Castille c. 1406​

Enrique III de Trastàmara​

King of Castille and Leon, Guardian of Navarre​

Treasury: 866 Million ducats ​

GDP (Estimated): 671,9 Million ducats​

Army: 16000 Men at Arms, 8000 Knights​

Reserves: 28,226​

Navy: 11 Caravels, 1 Galley, 7 Cogs.​

Discipline: 116 Tradition: Land: 5,00 Naval 7,60​

Prestige: 35 ​

Reputation: 0,0 (Hounorable)​

Legitimacy 100​

 

Last edited: Nov 3, 2011

Rifal

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• Nov 3, 2011

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• #13

Some mistakes with the spacing between Text and Pic, Will get better in future updates.

 

Ashantai

Lost in Time

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• Nov 3, 2011

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• #14

Great first update!

 

M

Monzon

First Lieutenant

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• Nov 3, 2011

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• #15

Very interesting.

Subscribed.

 

Rifal

Banned

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• Nov 3, 2011

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• #16

Ashantai said:

Great first update!

Click to expand...

Glad you like it. When I read it it felt a bit sloppy, I am however not a very talented writer. Ill do my best to reduce sloppiness in future updates.

Monzon said:

Very interesting.

Subscribed.

Click to expand...

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Arakhor

Dremora Astronomer

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• Nov 3, 2011

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• #17

You still have a rogue piece of code lurking at the end of your first post.

 

Rifal

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• Nov 3, 2011

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• #18

I think i got it.

 

Crimsion_King

Y E E T

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• Nov 4, 2011

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• #19

Ooooo. Im looking forward to this one. Great job so far mate.

 

Rifal

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• Nov 4, 2011

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• #20

Chapter 2​

Enrique’s Ambition​

The ravages of war would return to Iberia after just half a decade. To even the balance of power between Castille and France Enrique desires the throne of Aragon. Not only will this unify the two mightiest kingdoms in Iberia and keep the rapacious Valois at bay. It will also greatly alter the balance of power in the Mediterranean.

Dominance of the Mediterranean is key to resisting the ever advancing Turks. If Castille is to assume her rightful role as the defender of Christianity she will have to be able to resist the massive waves of galleys that the Turks command.

To ensure the success of the war several prominent nobles donate large portions of their treasury in return for honorary titles and high positions in the army.

(War revisits Iberia) ​

One of these men is Hermenegildo de Zuniga. He is given command of the initial attack, a great host of 22 000 men march towards Valencia and effortlessly dispatches the 11 000 Aragonese defenders.

This battle did however feature one of the most severe losses to Aragonese morale.

King Marti I is slain when Castillian knights fight their way through his bodyguards. Marti desperately tries to flee but his horse is struck by a lance and he falls to the ground. Marti’s last sight in life is that of four men clad from top to bottom in steel plate bringing their swords down on him.

Now Enrique has arrived and personally leads his army north in pursuit of the Aragonese who are retreating towards Aragon (The Province).

As his army makes camp for the night Enrique receives a dispatch from Toledo. His son Enrique the younger has been struck with a severe fever and will most likely not survive the night. Enrique spends the entire night praying to god for a swift victory and that he will be allowed to see his son again.

​

Enrique’s prayers are answered in June 1406 as he successfully defeated the Aragonese main army. After the battle another messenger arrives from Toledo with news that Enrique the younger is well. Truly an act of god, no?

(The victory that decided the outcome of the war)​

In the Summer of 1406 Enrique returns to Toledo to be with his family and of course attend the business of being king. The task of continuing the offensive against Aragon falls once again to Hermenegildo de Zuniga.

He will win two important victories, one in the summer of 1406 and one in January 1407. By then almost all of Aragon has fallen to Enrique`s forces. Enrique then returns and leads his forces to one last battle in Girona.

After the Castillian victory at Barcelona and Girona Aragon has almost no standing forces left. Its remaining cities and castles however hold for almost a year before they finally fall in the Summer of 1407.
The regency council of Aragon now meets Enrique in occupied Barcelona to discuss peace terms. After a lot of fussing the council yields and agrees to crown Enrique king of Aragon.

​

Castille c. 1407​

Enrique III de Trastmàra (ADM:6 MIL:5 DIP:5)​

King of Castille and Leon, King of Aragon.​

Treasury: 892 million Ducats
GDP: 725,8 Million Ducats​

Army: 16 000 Men at Arms, 8000 Knights
Reserves: 28 242
Navy: 11 Carracks, 3 Galleys, 7 Cogs​

Discipline: 116%
Tradition: Land: 14,90 Naval:8,70​

Prestige: 100
Reputation 0,0
Legitimacy: 100​