Chapter Four
Burgundy declaring war before I’ve finished with France is really annoying but the ‘Reconquest’ CB works both ways. Just saying... The full war is England, Aragon and Portugal vs. Burgundy, Brittany, Trier and Milan. I just need to get my main army back from rebel squashing in North Africa.
And for Christmas this year…
Aragon and Portugal both honour this call to defend against Castile. I’m a bit of a plan free area right now but I’ll start by getting out of the wars with France and Alencon then see how things look. I suspect Castile can be easily forced to peace as I don’t want any land from them. I am thinking of spending BB to force-vassalise Brittany but that’s a few cups of tea sort of decision.
Peace with France - January 1425
BB is 6.62 / 26.00 falling at 1.20 a year. I’ll probably need some BB before the end of the war with Burgundy. Scotland and Tuscany get called to war by Castile.
Interesting as I can use the Castilian ‘Reconquest’ CB to take my core of Ayrshire without BB cost if I take it in a peace deal with Castile.
Mid Summer
Another very welcome boundary dispute while Western Europe is a mess. I’ve killed the Bretons and a couple of Burgundian stacks but they keep coming. Half my troops and the Portuguese are tied up in Castile while Aragon is also at war with France. The Scottish invasion of England is unopposed - I need victory in Castile soon or I’ll have war exhaustion problems. Castilian ally Tuscany accepts white peace in the autumn but the situation in Northern England and Northern France deteriorates. My heavily outnumbered defenders can’t stop provinces falling to Burgundy and Milan in France. Scotland remains unchecked. It’s late in 1426 before I manage to bribe Milan out the war. Northern France is all but lost, England has fallen as far south as Derby and war exhaustion is over 4. On the positive side Castile is hurting although not yet badly enough to hand over Ayrshire and Burgundy’s armies are pretty ragged.
When Toledo falls to Aragon I have a tough decision. Do I eat 4BB to take another Castilian province as well as Ayrshire? Right now BB is down to 4.68 / 26.00 dropping at 1.10 a year and I’m a very long way from getting a result against Burgundy. Sleep and Tea before I make a call on that - I don’t want to run out of BB but I don’t like full price provinces either. Eventually I decide to bite the bullet, the sooner Castile is no longer a threat then the sooner I can take on Portugal and Aragon.
Peace with Castile - October 1426
Scotland has a right to feel aggrieved. Caceres is an inland province, a port would have been better but I didn’t have the war score and it does add new provincial borders.
War in France - Early Spring 1427
War objectives are now clear; vassalise Brittany and take a bunch of cores from Burgundy.
Good news in North Africa
Brittany vassalised - December 1428
The war is slow, Burgundy can raise armies just by whistling. I’ve all but liberated northern France and it’ll soon be time to grind forwards but war exhaustion is 8.96 and rising. The Admin 3 King really doesn’t help here. The Aragonese/French war is still going. December 1429 sees Portuguese Tangiers defect to Morocco despite the Portuguese army spending the last three years fighting rebels in English North Africa. Good news for me though
Finally in April 1430 peace with Burgundy.
BB is 7.88 / 26.00. War exhaustion is 9.38 and only drops at 0.12 a month in peacetime. It looks as if a period of quiet peace and recovery would be a good idea doesn’t it?