Felipe IV. 1621-1648
Conquest Slowdown
His Catholic Majesty, Felipe IV of Spain and beyond, comes to power after the state bankruptcy undermined his grandfather's efforts in his war against inflation. Felipe is good diplomat, but hardly a worthy warrior. He soon finds that kingship is more trouble than advertised.
First items on His Majesty's agenda are increasing stability, fighting inflation and gently encouraging people to leave Spain and settle lands in America. His methods are old and tried - let the clergy run the country and people will gladly sail across the ocean.
After two years of work, Felipe finally realizes that he needs help, so he starts looking for a good Minister. Those are usually scare, but beginner's luck helps his Majesty this time. Olivarez comes to his rescue, teaches His Majesty a great deal about diplomacy, war and economy and by spreading lies about how healthy Spanish economy is (that's what the ministers are good for anyway) increases stability throughout the kingdom... For awhile, at least.
When the truth is found out, unhappy peasants rebel against the King, and although the rebellions are put down without much effort, stability suffers again.
War on Piracy
To make things worse, hateful English and French send scores of pirates to the Caribbean. Felipe IV, in his righteous fury, declares war on the international piracy and demands other support him as well. French and English obviously refuse, while Austrians point out to their lack of capable warships. His Catholic Majesty says many bad words about his German cousins and treacherous French, but in the end Olivarez is able to persuade him that these countries do not speak for Europe, they are old and cowardly and that Spain needs to find friends elsewhere in so-called New Europe. Big and powerful friends, the ones that matter... Like Spanish mighty vassals Portugal and Eire.
In the end, Spanish navy handles all the dirty work. Portuguese warships appear once in a while on the horizon, while Irish threaten and insult the pirates from the safety of their shores.
Felipe's war on piracy
Saving the War Effort
In 1623, continuing his father's war against Protestants, Felipe makes a bold move against Saxony and her Protestant allies: Brandenburg (or Prussia, a new name the country got after annexing Prussia) and Bohemia.
The war starts when country is still unstable, so Felipe plays another old and tried trick on his subjects. He spends a lot of money on a big cathedral in Madrid. People are razzled-dazzled. Stability increases, the war effort is saved... or so the King claims, while his numerous armies put down rebellions across the Netherlands, France, England and North America.
Two years later, afraid to bite off too much of the Protestant flesh, His Catholic Majesty agrees to settle for Magdeburg. However, as his subjects have tendency to think too much when not distracted, Felipe immediately tries to distract them again with yet another war on England.
The Fourth Spanish-English war lasts accidentally four years. As English have less and less territory, the wars with them tend to become less and less rewarding. In 1629 Spain acquires the last English province in North America - Nova Scottia and two more provinces in England itself - Kent and Wessex. Munster is awarded to Eire - which couldn't even capture the province without Spanish help.
In 1630 once mighty Portuguese empire starts to feel the effect of constant wars started by it's overlord and ally - greedy King of Spain. They still vow their support to the Spanish, even as nine provinces in Brazil rebel and acknowledge Felipe IV as their own rightful ruler and protector. To celebrate His Most Catholic Majesty declares war on France, clearly intending to punish them for harboring pirate ships in ports of Brittany.
As war with France requires more money, Olivarez advices the King to burden the population in Catalonia with feeding the invasion force. The result is revolts in Iberia, Italy and Portugal. The King ends up spending 1,600,000 doublons to appease the rebels. The only positive effect of this blunder is the increase in stability. The rebel scum is too busy spending His Majesty's money to trouble the kingdom now. Olivarez begins to wonder whether his head is as safe on his neck as he thought it was.
Meanwhile, Louis XIII of France offers a token resistance (his allies - Baden and Scotland - have definitely more fight in them, each capturing at least one province) and the quickly surrenders. Felipe's royal cousin, Fernando of Austria (who, in order to pay his debts, asked to become in general in the Spanish army) is welcomed as a hero of the Sixth Spanish-French War. This time French cede Cevennes, Auvergne, Dauphine, Berry and Orleans.
The Sack of Magdeburg
In Germany the people of Magdeburg constantly refuse to convert back to the One True Faith. Spanish commander presents the city with an ultimatum, which orders the defenders to surrender their beliefs and weapons or face swift Spanish justice. The Protestants say they have no weapons and there is no way in hell they will surrender their beliefs. The Spaniards troops respond by storming the city, suffering little losses and killing every soul inside. To their surprise the defenders really had little or no weapons. Spanish search everywhere, simultaneously plundering the city, but the weapons cannot be found. Serves them well, if the final verdict. Thus happened the Sacking of Magdeburg.
The Conquests in Germany
In 1635 German Protestant Princes have little faith in their own forces and they ally themselves with powers outside of the empire. Saxony and Bohemia enter French alliance, Brandenburg -English.
Felipe immideately decides to test French committment and declares war on Saxony. French and the rest of the alliance break their promises. Saxony, Bohemia and Scotland stand alone against Spain.
This time Saxons offer little resistance, while Bohemians do all the fighting. Impressed with their fighting spirit, Felipe spares them from the humiliation and punishes Saxons alone, by forcing them to cede Sudeten, Hinterpommern and Anhalt.
The Wars with Scottland and England
Scotts on the other hand perform miracles on the battlefield, but even Scottish King cannot fight off the superpower forever. If only his English subjects supported him. In 1639, two months before Saxon surrender, the Charles I, King of England and Scottland agrees to cede Yorkshire and Strathclyde and pay 100,000 doublons in exchange for peace.
Two years before the war on piracy is over, according to Olivarez. This must have been one of the reasons he accepted the gift of forty warships from the merchant elite of Spain and Italy.
In 1641 Felipe becomes the first Spanish monarch to finally convince Habsburgs of Austria to join Spain in a formal military alliance.
In 1642 Welsh rebels request assistance from Madrid and Wales soon joins the other Spanish holdings in England. In the same year the kingdom is hit with one of the worst plagues ever. Miriads of people die, for unlike Russians or Turks they do not enjoy the pleasure of a hot sauna.
In 1643 the Fifth Spanish-English War begins with the sacking (the number of times it happened is unknown to that day) of London. This time Scotts and English fight together. Scotts even help English with rebels in Lancashire (even though Charles I makes sure it remains in Scottish hands afterwards). Unimpressed, Felipe starts the Fourth and the last war with Saxony.
The Subjugation of Netherlands
Across the Channell the Dutch Protestants seize this moment to rise up in the largest rebellion the Netherlands had ever seen. More than hundreed thousand rebels besiege cities and castles in Holland, Friesen, Geldre and Zeeland. The Spanish King has only twenty thousand troops to oppose them, but reinforcements are raised in Flandres and Brabant.
In 1646 Charles I looses all his lands in Scottland except for Lothian. He also has to cede Falklands - the last piece of land in Americas. Saxony is annexed while the Dutch rebels suffer defeat after defeat, as the veterans of the Saxon Wars are recalled. On their way back they stop to enjoy the hospitality of the Prince of Hessen and, as they find it lacking, as of year 1646 Hessen is no more.
The fighting drags on for another two years and finally, when their will is broken, their forts are destroyed and armies are scattered, the Dutch accept the inevitable. The Netherlands is subjugated, Flandres turns Catholic and the conversion of the Northern provinces is on the way. This victory frees up Felipe's hands elsewhere and enables him to raise 40,000 more troops in America, England and France.
Habsburg European Empire in 1648
Spanish possessions in South America in 1648