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The Subjugation Wars - Part II


Vassalize Hesse

April 1386

Orland had his eyes focused on Hesse when he mentioned creating more vassals. The German Princedom wasn't particularly rich or important but they could use all the allies they can get. A polite invitation to the Hessian King to join the Brabantine realm for the greater good remained unanswered however. This left them with one option, to take Hesse by force.


Orland Debruyne unifies the monetary system

Before the war started Orland finally implemented his masterpiece. For years he had been working on a proper monetary system that could fulfill all the needs of the country. The implementation was easier said than done though. Many people preferred sticking to the old trade system and it took a while to convince them. However more liberal minded individuals embraced the changes and quickly specialized in the new coinage, which was commonly referred to as a Florin.


French forces blitzkrieg across the Burgundian border

Excerpt from ''concernant les rois Français'', unknown author*

In 1386 the French king Jean II had almost entirely retired from public service. His son Charles IV had taken over the leadership of the kingdom in all but name. Thus it can be said that it came as quite the surprise when the old monarch ordered the French generals to march onto Burgundy. War between France and Burgundy wasn't uncommon these days either. The powerful Burgundian Kingdom under Henri II ruled over much of the area that is now part of the Netherlands. As a last act of revenge Jean II wanted to remove this land from Henri's control. If he succeeded, and we know he did, it would effectively reduce Burgundy to a mediocre power at best.

So somewhere in April 1386 the French troops under command of Charles IV marched into Burgundy. France's armies quickly destroyed the Burgundian armies, leaving it for the many dukes that France counted back in the day to conquer it's cities. Without an army Henri II had no other choice but to retreat and hide behind the walls of Anvers, now known as Antwerpen. Here he actually managed to hold out for more than a year before all of Burgundy's cities had fallen.

On the other hand the French had already almost forgotten about their war with Burgundy. After infiltrators in the English court of Queen Jane I informed Charles IV that the English army was crusading in Anatolia against the Ottoman Empire, France was quick to declare war. England still owned land in southern France in the Aquitaine region and of course Calais.

Fortune wasn't on Charles IV side though. Mere months after the death of his father, he himself died in an accident. He was personally laying siege to the city of Calais when he got fatally injured by a stray practice arrow. His untimely dead led France into a crisis of some sorts. With no effective rulers the Regency Council for young Louis XI was left in charge of the country. They were quick to make peace with Burgundy, demanding the annexation of Hainaut and liberation of the Flemish nation of Belgium. Burgundy could do nothing but accept. Their lands were reduced to the core area around Dijon and the recently acquired regions of Liege, Luxembourg and Barrois.

France's war with England would last a lot longer though. However the story of Louis XI and his younger brother Louis XII is an entirely different one.

*Since we lack completely accurate information on this time period any dates might be slightly different.


War on Hesse!

A month after the Declaration of War from France on Burgundy Brabant also went to war. The army of Brabant had been expanded again to be able to decisively beat the Hessian forces. The Hessian army originally mustered in the Westfalen region, part of Cologne. Commanding the Hessian army was a distant relative of queen Jeanne, Ludwig II de Reginar, king of Hesse.


The Palinate wants to ally Brabant


The Battle of Westfalen

The Battle of Westfalen was a victory for Brabant. But it came at a great price. The Hessian army had taken superior defensive grounds in the Colognian province and only through the sheer number of men Brabant managed to break through the lines. Most of the Hessian army managed to retreat and fled to the province of Nassau. Brabant was unable to pursue them. General van der Most had to regroup and replenish his forces or his army would have been doomed right away. Thus it was up to the Münsterian and Colognian armies to deal with the rest of Hesse's army. They failed.


Burgundy is thoroughly defeated by France. Brabant's allies are fighting the Battle of Nassau



The results of the Battle of Nassau

In January 1387 Hesse's army again proved to be too tough. Cologne and Münster had been engaged in combat with Hesse already when Brabant's army finally arrived to support the attack. They were however unable to turn the tide. The result was total annihilation.

Nassau, near the town of Nassau, 17-01-1387

General van der Most ordered prince Antoine to take command of the First Reserve Brigade and help protect the eastern flank. The Hessian forces were breaking through the Colognian lines guarding the position. Antoine's younger brother Jean looked annoyed.

''What is it, young Prince? You look as if you have something on your mind.'' the general asked.

Jean rolled with his eyes. ''My brother is always the one who's actually allowed to do battle. I never do anything else but carry around messages and observe recruit training.''

''There is a reason for that. Your parents gave me very clear instructions to not send the both of you into battle at the same time. We need to be careful with our heirs.''

''I guess that's true but I want to fight for our country too! Especially now!''

At that moment another messenger almost crashed into the command post. ''Sir! The eastern flank has fallen. Prince Antoine is trying to hold back the enemy but they're steamrolling our centre from every direction!''

Trumpets sounded, ordering a total retreat to defensive positions a couple of miles behind the frontline.

''Retreat into the forest! Jean, it looks like you'll have a chance to prove yourself. We need to get as many men out of here as possible.''

Jean nodded and jumped on his horse. In the distance he could see the reserve brigade under his brother engaging Hessian cavalry forces. General van der Most was already leading a detachment of troops in the opposite direction to protect that side.

''This way! Fall back to the forest.'' Jean ordered the rest of the men.

They galloped into the forest. The trees drained out the sounds of the battlefield. Making it oddly silent, except for the sound of his own troops. When they reached a narrow passage they halted and set up a defensive line. ''We wait for my brother and the rest of their army to get here!''

Now that they weren't moving anymore the darkness of the forest was almost sensible. Strange sounds of both men and animals seemed to be coming from every direction. Jean almost expected the Hessians to mysteriously pop up behind him.

Then, all of a sudden, Antoine and his men appeared. ''I think we lost them in forest. The battlefield was a blood bath, brother. We can be glad if any of our troops survived. Let's get out of here first, we meet up with Geoffroi near Berg. If he survived...''

Jean nodded. ''Let's go.''

Together they had about 400 men under their command. Somewhere in the forest and surrounding lands more than 12.000 enemy troops were coming after anyone who survived.


A couple of months later Brabant takes its revenge

The battle of Nassau completely obliterated Brabant's army. The only positive thing was that Münster's and Cologne's armies had fled in different directions, allowing them to escape. It took general van der Most almost eleven months before a new army was raised and trained. This time, fortune was on his side though. Together with Cologne the Hessian army got beaten at Münster. They retreated into Nassau, but to no avail.


Without an army Hesse is forced to surrender

Hesse surrendered one month later. Ludwig de Reginar was vassalized and demoted to Duke as a punishment for his fierce resistance.


Brabant's realm



The Byzantines and the English are taking on the Ottomans



Aachen is next

Next on Orland Debruyne's target list is the newly liberated city state of Aachen. The city had been under Burgundian control for about the last twenty years. However with the French attack on Burgundy they overthrew the conquerors and declared their independence.


Brabant's navy is very prestigious



Brabant's bloodiest war to date starts

S-Hertogenbosch, Royal Palace, 09-04-1388

In the 32 years that she had been queen of Brabant, queen Jeanne had effectively become the dominant power in the Low Countries and the bordering German city states. Even though she was not as young as she once was anymore, her age hadn't deprived her of her future dreams.

Last year's war against Hesse had proven to be a lot tougher than expected. This had made her take the decision to expand the army even further. She couldn't very well let all these men just die on foreign soil. Together with Orland they discussed their plans on many occasions. She still praised herself lucky, even after all these years, with such a likeminded figure by her side.

Had her father still lived she probably would have married some German noble in exchange for certain rights, she realized. But that was not the case so she herself had made the decision. For Antoine and Jean that would be entirely different. Brabant was a relatively powerful nation, which brought obligations for everyone. Royal marriage arrangements were already being made with France and England in order to strengthen their bonds. Jeanne wanted war with neither of them.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. The royal physician entered the room.

''He's doing better, Your Majesty,'' he said while bowing. ''I've given him a mix of herbs to make him sleep a little better and ease the pain a little.''

Jeanne was relieved, the thought of losing Orland was hard to bear. ''Thank you, I will go check on him now.''

She quickly left the room and walked to the royal bedchambers. The hallway was decorated with imported carpets from somewhere in the Middle-East and paintings of her forefathers. Jeanne barely noticed them though, as she hurried herself through the hallway.

Orland seemed peaceful, sleeping in their bed. She knew that he had been through a hard time though. He had been suffering from a heavy fever for almost two weeks, something which was very dangerous at his age. She realized that, although their age difference wasn't big, it could be fatal soon. She sat down on the bed and grabbed his hand. It was time for Aachen first..


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Time for another bloody war next time. It won't be any of Aachen's allies who's going to prove too much of a challenge though.
 
This is a pretty good AAR, good job.

Thank you very much!

Nice update, although I'm not too happy about parts of the Low Countries being annexed by France.

I wasn't to happy either with that. Seems we're going to have to go to war with them sooner or later. Ah well, what's an AAR without stealing some lands from France?
 
With France having inflicted such wounds on Burgundy are you considering moving against Burgundy soon? Good that Brabant continues to grow via vassals anyway, she is turning into quite a power. Worrying regarding Jeanne and Orland, both are getting on in years now, but Jean and Antoine seem to have turned into fine young men, hopefully they can rule Brabant as well as their parents have when their time comes.
 
Actually I'm already at war with Burgundy, as can be seen in the last screen. I've already played through the war so you'll see the results of it in the upcoming two updates. :D

Next update also sees.. an update for Jeanne and Orland. I hope to post an update tonight or tomorrow night!
 
The Subjugation Wars - part III


The battle of Liège

General van der Most had led the Brabatine army against the Burgundians in may 1388, it would be the first major battle of the war. A war that started very bad for Brabant. The general's army got crushed by Henri II himself. Luckily for Brabant they were able to retreat with relatively little losses.


The warzone in September 1388

Brabant's defeat at Liege didn't turn out to be a bad thing though. Burgundy's army moved on and started to besiege Brussels. This allowed Brabant and its allies to move behind the enemy line and occupy their home country. Henri II foolishly kept besieging Brussels.


Three months later Liège and Namur have fallen

Three months later Liege and Namur were taken and Luxembourg was on the brink of surrender. This would prove to be a major setback for Burgundy. Also Trier and Aachen are being besieged by Brabant's vassals.


LR, UD: The battle of Arlon, a Call to arms from Bremen and the battles of Liège and Barrois.

Soon after Brussels would fall to the Burgundians. Giving Henri II the possibility to liberate most of his home country. The first two battles tipped in favour of Brabant, however general Van der Most grew overconfident and got ambushed in Barrois. This would be Brabant's first major setback. One that would change the course of the war. Luxembourg turned out to be a graveyard.

Bremen had signed an alliance with Brabant a couple of years before the war. When the Hansa's merchants saw it as a logical choice of action to add the little German city state to its expanding power Bremen called upon Brabant to defend them. Queen Jeanne was left with no other choice but to refuse. If she accepted Hansaetic and Norwegian troops could cross Brunswick's border and flood into Brabant.


The battle of Luxembourg


Orland Debruyne passes away

s-Hertogenbosch, St. John's Cathedral, 05-07-1389

For more than 33 years Orland Debruyne had served Brabant. He had been the power behind Jeanne's throne, always there and ready to serve. In the time that he was, effectively, king of Brabant, his cunning vision had aided the country in its growth. Now he was no more, another heavy fever had taken his life.

Although Brabant was still at war, every person of importance had gathered in the cathedral to attend the funeral. Many Brabantine nobles, generals and important merchants had come to pay their respects and representatives of foreign countries also gave acte de presence.

The Bishop of s-Hertogenbosch had just finished the sermon and passed the floor the Antoine.

''Thank you all for coming, it is a relieve to see that my father was a well respected man,''

Antoine paused and looked around. ''Father has been a man of great strength and capabilities. Without him our kingdom would not be where we stand today. But more importantly, without him I would not be where I stand today.''

He briefly looked at his mother and continued. ''He taught me how to walk, how to hold a sword and the importance of many valuable life lessons. He showed me, and my brother, the importance of being a good governor. The importance of being a good person and the importance of doing what is right.''

''Thanks to him I am ready to face the world and make it a better place for all of us. I am grateful for this. I want to thank you, father, for the good times we had and all the things we did together. Though on a side note I have to add that I am still not very happy with him making me study the Glossa Ordinaria as much as he made me do.''

He smiled a little at that thought. ''Thank you father, for everything you have done for me, my brother, our mother and everyone else. I will never forget you.''

With that he ended his speech. Everyone in the cathedral stood up one last time for Orland Debruyne, as the procession left the cathedral and headed to the cemetery, where the birds whistled in a summer sky.


The traitorous Flemish attack Brabant in its time of weakness.

Two months after Orland's funeral Belgium declared war on Brabant. They cited no obvious purpose nor seemed to have any intention with the war. There was one problem, their wealthy cities provided them with an army that matched Brabant's entire coalition. The Holy Roman Empire reacted with shock on this brutal act of aggression. Bohemia rushed to Brabant's defense, but it was only in name. Their armies were busy in a fight against both Austria and Poland at the same time. A war that would not be won easily.

This left Brabant with an army of 6000 fresh recruits and a defeated general to lead them against the Belgians.


The warzone one and a half year into the war

Belgium's armies started the siege of Middelburg and s-Hertogenbosch immediately. This effectively locked Queen Jeanne and her sons into the city, incapable of coordinating with the army. Thus it was up to general van der Most to free the city. He had gathered his men in Berg and waited for more recruits to be trained.


Brabantine and Belgian forces clash

Help came in the form of Hesse. Ludwig II de Reginar had been defeated by Brabant not even five years earlier, but he was a man of honour. He personally led a strong host of Hessian forces and joined up with general Van der Most. Together they marched on Breda, quickly scaring of the outnumbered attackers. The Belgians retreated into Antwerp, where they stood their ground. They got defeated and retreated to Gent, they got defeated again.

The only thing that prevented the Belgium army from getting destroyed was the return of their main army, twenty thousand troops strong.


Brabant's flourishing economy is good news for the court

As an act of revenge Antwerp and Gent were looted. This brought in a lot of wealth for Brabant's treasury.


January 1390, note that the Holy Roman Emperor came to Brabant's defense against Belgium

Northern Europe in January 1390. Bohemia is still fighting the Austrians. Ludwig II de Reginar got a little over excited and got trapped near the city of Bruges.


The Roman Byzantines defeat the Ottoman Turks

On a side note, the Byzantine Empire is on the rise again.


Finally Brabant achieves the goal of the war

It has been a little more than a year since the death of Orland, now his goal had been reached. Aachen surrendered unconditionally and pledged their full support to Brabant. Finally the last of Orland's cunning plans had been fulfilled.


Brabant's newly trained army marches on Burgundy

Trier and Burgundy stubbornly refused to surrender though, vowing to free Aachen from Brabant's evil rule. Henri II once again lured General van der Most deep into Burgundian territory. Henri's depleted army managed to beat the Brabantine army three times in quick succession. Once more Brabant was without an army. This time they would also be without a general.


General Van der Most dies at Trier


Peace

January 1391 brought better news to old Queen Jeanne. Cologne's forces had conquered Trier and the German state was now completely occupied by Brabant. For reasons unknown to Jeanne, Henri II had placed Trier at the head of the alliance.

When word reached Henri's ears that Trier had surrendered Liege and Namur to Brabant and turned itself into a vassal rumours say that he killed this messenger out of anger. They also said that he vowed to destroy queen Jeanne and her evil empire of coldhearted Dutchmen.


Brabant's lands at the end of the war

s-Hertogenbosch, Royal Palace, 04-01-1391

She missed him more than she could have imagined. Although she had just negotiated a very favourable peace treaty with Trier it brought her little joy anymore. How she wished that just one more minute she could hold his hand and find comfort in his presence.

It was cold outside, but it was the only thing that reminded her she was still alive. The cold that touched her face could not compare to the darkness in her heart either way. She stared at the frozen pond in front of her while the wind blew around small snowflakes. Soon she would be in his presence again, she hoped. Then they could enjoy each other like they were young again. Back when it still seemed like the world was theirs, ready for the taking. She was glad for one thing though, the same spirit that had once heated their hearts now burned inside their sons.

When she heard a scratching sound she looked next to her. A squirrel just sat there, furiously trying to set its teeth in an acorn. The tiny nut was frozen solid though, making the attempts rather futile. It still brought a shimmer of a smile to Jeanne's face, in the winter cold.

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A small question to my readers; should I keep Liege and Namur as unlawful territory or should I release Liege as a vassal state?
 
Very brusing stuff, I thought you were in a lot of trouble there until good, old EU3 mechanics made Trier coalition leader for whatever reason! The war was tough but you've still emerged from it stronger, some more vassals acquired. A real pity about Orland's passing though, he proved a strong presence and aid to Jeanne and has helped make Brabant a considerable power, at least she has her sons to console her though.

A small question to my readers; should I keep Liege and Namur as unlawful territory or should I release Liege as a vassal state?

I'm afraid I cannot offer much advice here, too long since I played a nation in the HRE! If the penalties are not too deadly, try to hold on to your lands though.
 
Yeah good old EU3 handed me the war on a silver platter, I'm very happy with that.

I wasn't as happy with Orland dieing, but they both had(have) it coming. I'm suprised they hold on this long actually.
 
Well done grinding out victories in those tough wars, with some help from the alliance leader mechanics of course. :)

I suppose I'd release, IIRC holding unlawful territory isn't that fun.
 
If there any logic to it, Burgundy would have been the war-leader and continued to whip your arse. :)

I have no idea why Belgium should be attacking you. They're located in Flanders, have Flemish colours and didn't even exist at this point, so they really should be called Flanders.
 
A small question to my readers; should I keep Liege and Namur as unlawful territory or should I release Liege as a vassal state?

The penalties are very disturbing. For ONE province, I think it is -0.5 prestige, +0.5 infamy. You should release Liege and maybe even Geldre, as you might get missions later on which gives you core by annexation. ;)
 
Well done grinding out victories in those tough wars, with some help from the alliance leader mechanics of course. :)

I suppose I'd release, IIRC holding unlawful territory isn't that fun.

God bless those game mech's indeed. Burgundy didn't even want to sign a white peace.. that says enough I guess!

If there any logic to it, Burgundy would have been the war-leader and continued to whip your arse. :)

I have no idea why Belgium should be attacking you. They're located in Flanders, have Flemish colours and didn't even exist at this point, so they really should be called Flanders.

Good that there isn't any logic, although you are of course biased about Burgundy's arse whipping capabilities. Guess they're doing a better job at it in your aar lol!

As for Belgium, I have no idea why the D&T 4.0 mod changed Flanders as a nation in 3.4 to Belgium. It indeed doesn't make a whole lot of sence.

The penalties are very disturbing. For ONE province, I think it is -0.5 prestige, +0.5 infamy. You should release Liege and maybe even Geldre, as you might get missions later on which gives you core by annexation. ;)

Yes they're quite severe. I can def. manage Gelre but adding another 2 provinces might be too much. I'll see whether it effects me too much before I choose though. They're nice provinces.


Thanks for reading all!
 
Nice to see this AAR continue, I have been a bit distracted by Crusader Kings II though :); hence I don't understand the logic behind the coat of arms of Belgium (if anything they should be very (too?) much like the coat of arms of Brabant), not to mention a Belgium in this period. OTOH the Netherlands tend to use symbols of the historic Dutch Republic, but if the Netherlands is formed in a different way, those symbols could be different too.

BTW I saw you vassalized Hesse; is Hesse still ruled by someone of the Reginar dynasty, since the house of Hesse is a cadet branch of the house of Brabant (Leuven/Louvain/Löwen).
 
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Yes they're quite severe. I can def. manage Gelre but adding another 2 provinces might be too much. I'll see whether it effects me too much before I choose though. They're nice provinces.

I have played a bit D&T lately, and the penalties are infact for ONE province: -1 prestige and +0,2 infamy. However, I think that if the Emperor asks for the provinces, they get a modifier that destroys the province's output
 
Nice to see this AAR continue, I have been a bit distracted by Crusader Kings II though :); hence I don't understand the logic behind the coat of arms of Belgium (if anything they should be very much like the coat of arms of Belgium), not to mention a Belgium in this period. OTOH the Netherlands tend to use symbols of the historic Dutch Republic, but if the Netherlands is formed in a different way, those symbols could be different too.

BTW I saw you vassalized Hesse; is Hesse still ruled by someone of the Reginar dynasty, since the house of Hesse is a cadet branch of the house of Brabant (Leuven/Louvain/Löwen).

Belgium as a country doesn't make any sense eitherway. They should have kept Flanders imho. I think if one forms the Netherlands as a country it keeps the lion coat of arms, we'll find out sooner or later. Hesse is indeed still ruled by someone from the Reginar dynasty. The poor lad got demoted to duke though.

I have played a bit D&T lately, and the penalties are infact for ONE province: -1 prestige and +0,2 infamy. However, I think that if the Emperor asks for the provinces, they get a modifier that destroys the province's output

The unlawful territory modifier is indeed a huge pain. It never fired for Gelre but im afraid it might for the other two, so releasing would probably be the best choice.


I still have screens for one more update before I have to play again but I've been hugely distracted with watching Breaking Bad and some other games. My apologies for that, I will try to update soon!
 
Queen Jeanne's last dream


With the Belgian army defeated, their cities were next

In December 1391 the Belgium cities of Brugges and Ghent were steadily under siege. Antwerp had already fallen to the Dutch. Without an army the situation seemed hopeless for the Belgians. This provided a happy break for the Dutch troops who had been in the field almost nonstop for over five years now. Besieging cities got a little boring and you still had to watch out for the occasional arrow if you came to close to the city but it was better than having to worry about getting your head chopped off every day. Unfortunately the break wouldn't last very long.


The merchant cities of The Hansa declared war on Brunswick

In March 1392 the merchant rulers of the Hanseatic League saw the weakness of their southern neighbours. They also knew if they didn't act now their dominion over Northern Germany and the Baltic would be destroyed. The only question was: when? So they gathered their mercenary armies and marched into Brunswick, hoping Brabant would be too busy with the war in Belgium. They were mistaken.


Belgium surrenders

A month after the Hansa's attack Belgium surrendered after the fall of Brugges. The country was forced to renounce all claims to the French-occupied region of Valenciennes and they were to break all ties with France. Queen Jeanne didn't want them to seek protection from the much more powerful state in the south.


Dutch nobles demanded more power in the rule of the country

10 april 1392


The first battle of Hannover, the battle of Osnabruck, the second battle of Hannover and the final battle of Hannover

With Belgium out of the war Brabant's army marched east. Brunswick's army was annihilated by the Hansa, thus it was up to their allies to save the day. Unfortunately, it would not be that easy. Over the course of two months Brabant clashed five times with the enemy. After the fifth time their army was completely destroyed. More than 20.000 Dutch corpses littered the fields. Rumours reached the court of entire fields being set aflame to prevent diseases from spreading.


Queen Jeanne passes away

After a 37 year long rule, queen Jeanne passed away in her sleep. During her rule she managed to unite most of the Low Lands. She expanded her lands and drove back the Scottish, Burgundians and countless minor German states who tried to stop her. She also gave birth to two sons, who will now rule the kingdom and continue to unite it. Their mother's dream wouldn't be forgotten.


King Antoine and his brother and heir Prince Jean

'S Hertogenbosch, Royal Palace, 16-02-1393

King Antoine sat in the throne room of the Royal Palace. His mother had it built about 10 years ago to accommodate more people. Something that was necessary as the power of their kingdom grew. His mother had a fine taste and the room was perfectly decorated.

He sighed at the thought of his mother. Her death had been long coming but it was still a shock when it finally happened. Her last years had been filled with illness and long periods of depression. At least now she is with father again, he thought.

His brother Jean walked in. ''The last of the dignitaries just left.'' he said.

''About time. They came to honour our mother but preferred to play their game of political intrigues.'' Antoine replied.

His brother nodded. ''Those Holy Roman Empire subject states are the worst of all. All half of those idiots did was trying to please the Emperor.''

''Perhaps one day, little brother, we needn't be bothered with them anymore.''

Jean looked up to his brother. ''Perhaps, but first we have a war to win. The Hansa's leaders have returned to their armies and hostilities will soon continue.''

''You're right, let's win the war. We have more pressing matters to attend to, like finding you a woman.'' Antoine smiled.

Jean started protesting but his brother interrupted. ''Mother was right, we're both still unmarried. That's too dangerous for a kingdom our size''

Jean took a deep breath. ''I suppose you're right. They better both be pretty though!''

Antoine laughed and patted his brother on the shoulder. Together they'd figure it all out.


The battlefields of northern Europe



The Hansa accepts peace after some of their cities fell

It took King Antoine almost a year, but peace was accomplished at last. The Hansa surrendered and was forced to release Saxe-Lauenburg. The little German kingdom got annexed by them a couple of years earlier. They also had to renounce any claims on Lüneburg. The area the war was started for in the first place.


King Antoine pursues complete unification of the Low Countries

'S Hertogenbosh, Royal Palace, 25-01-1394

''The daughter of the duke of Hesse looks worse than a witch they say. Besides she's practically family. Isn't Hesse ruled by a distant cousin of ours?'' Jean protested.

Antoine frowned. ''I am sure she can't look that bad. But I suppose you're right. She's practically family. What do you think of a girl from the south? You know what they say about Spanish girls!''

Jean nodded eagerly. ''I met a merchant's daughter from Castille just a couple of years ago. That was a night to remember.''

The king smiled. ''I agree. Luckily she brought some friends. I'll let someone inform for possible candidates.''

The oldest brother walked over to the fireplace. The thing was huge. It still didn't manage to heat the entire throne room though. So there were multiple smaller fireplaces to keep everything nicely balanced. He took some more logs from the stack beside it and threw it in the fire. The fire crackled as it devoured the new wood.

''Soon it's time brother. We will unite all the Dutch provinces under our rule. The Frisian people are a proud one. They value their independence but they cannot keep it. United we will form a force all of Europe should take into account. The German's form a weak alliance of independent city states, the French are fighting among themselves, the English prefer to stay on their island and the rest of Europe is too far away to directly interfere!'' Antoine spoke.

''That sounds very nice, the way you say it. Unfortunately it has yet to come true. Let's just begin with the easiest part. We will march on Frisia soon!'' Jean replied as he walked over to his brother.

They stood side by side and stared into the fire. Together they would devour anyone who would try to stop them in the same way as the fire did. Everything burns after all.


The Dutch and their allies


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I am most sorry about the lack of updates over the last.. almost two months. Playing the Mass Effect trilogy takes up a lot of time. As said before, I have to play more of this before I can write another update so I hope to get around to that soon.

Anyone who's still reading this, thank you very much!
 
I'm definitely still here! You need to work on minor spelling and grammar issues to have perfect written English, but it's still infinitely better than my grasp of Dutch. :D
 
Tell me about it lol. I did a reread but they tend to be more useful when you do them a day later. Feel free to point out any major errors though. My english has to become perfect ofc.

(Don't even try to learn Dutch btw, even I sometimes wonder why we have such weird grammar rules)
 
Tell me about it lol. I did a reread but they tend to be more useful when you do them a day later. Feel free to point out any major errors though. My english has to become perfect ofc.

(Don't even try to learn Dutch btw, even I sometimes wonder why we have such weird grammar rules)

Your grammar rules can't be worse than ours.

And I'm glad you brought this back; you have yourself a new reader. :)