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Well, I got 8 years with my King. I unfortunately was unable to do much. I increased relations with the Papacy to prevent excommunication and to try and get more prestige from being Papal controller (didn't come close to being the controller, though). We're set up to pass the next HRE reform. I won 2 wars with nothing to show for it and lost a war.

The full update will be tomorrow and I'll pass along the save game then, too.

It seems you have done many things in a such short time.
 
I hope France doesn't leave us out to dry!

Part 2: The Reign of Emperor Albrecht III von Wittelsbach

The first thing Albrecht wants to do is increase taxes, so he recruits a treasurer advisor and pass the Liquor Act, which increases the tax rate by +3%. Albrecht also sends tithes to the Church, hoping to assuage the damage done by Bavaria in taking Christian lands. Some religious heretics see this as a time of weakness, and attempt to gain more privileges and acceptance of their religious views. Their army, however, is not large, and the Bavarian king elects to crush the new movement.

Religiousrevolt.png


Finally, after years of no serious conflict and a forced white peace looming, Denmark offers 15 ducats to escape war. It is the best offer that will come, and the Bavarians have no desire to make another push north. Unfortunately, King Albrecht no longer has a reason to collect war taxes.

PeaceDeal.png


With peace, of course, comes unhappy citizens. The people of Koblenz push for lower taxes to ease the economic burden on themselves. With no desire to lower taxes, Albrecht sends his army to the western end of his realm to put down the 10,000 dissenters. Victory is costly, but the rebels have weak wills. During the battle, Hungary mobilizes for war, seeking to eradicate the once Christian nation of Moldavia.

HungaryvsMoldavia.png


But with war, of course, comes unhappy citizens. The peasants of Bavaria seek greater freedoms, and Albrecht must choose to either please them or make them suffer further. Emperor Albrecht takes the free slider move toward Free Subjects, and gains 2 years of reduced revolt risks as well.

With a new army being recruited to reinforce the Hungarian armies from an Ottoman horde, a desperate call arrives from our French ambassador. The vile Burgundians, our most hated rivals, seek to dig deeper into French territory. Bavarians everywhere rejoice at the chance to crush our bitter enemies.

Francecalltoarms.png


Unsurprisingly, many other major powers wish to see the Burgundians taken out, even more so than the Ottomans. War subsidies pour in from Milan and England. All we need to do is win the war. A few months later, France also grants us war subsidies in an effort to take down the Magenta menace.

WarSubsidies.png


Bavaria’s 2 chief generals, the emperor himself and Gottfried G…something. History has lost his last name…

Generals.png


Though our armies are better disciplined and better trained than the Ottomans, defeat is imminent due to the size of the Ottoman armies, especially with mercenary forces taking heavy losses. Thankfully, after victories on our Western front, France makes peace with Burgundy, taking territory and forcing Burgundy to release Hainaut.

France’s peace is short lived. They wish to eliminate the state of Avignon, which they have completely surrounded. Unfortunately, good Bavarians are less inclined to support this war effort, and dislike our decision to support France’s claim, resulting in instability. Thankfully, Burgundy respects their truce, and does not make good on their guarantee to Avignon’s sovereignty.

A victory against the Ottomans. Bavaria would not have enough time to turn the tide of war, however.

Battle.png


Meanwhile, in September 1452, the Peasants’ war is finally over, and order is restored to the lands of Bavaria.

Hungarians, tired of war, cede two provinces to the interloping Ottomans. The 11,000 soldiers of Bavaria make the long march back home.

Finally, a slider move. Albrecht moves to reform the army to increase its training and discipline. Some men desert the local training camps, but their numbers are replaced in time.

Meanwhile, France has managed to annex Avignon, and now fights to keep it against Milanese forces. The Bavarians send their army south, hoping to capitalize on the war and make a profit from it.

SiegeofVerona.png


On 18 May, 1454, Sweden declares war on Byzantium, hoping to seize Kola. They do, easily. England, with whom we now have a royal marriage, also attacks France, and we are called to arms yet again. Emperor Albrecht sees a good opportunity to keep collecting war taxes. Meanwhile, Bohemia somehow annexes Meissen. It must have been accomplished diplomatically.

The Bourgeoisie request privileges on March 21st, 1455, and Emperor Albrecht denies them, increasing the power of the aristocracy. (Usually, I would go plutocratic, but the slider was so far left it made sense to increase the benefits)

Then, white peace between France and Milan. Bavaria’s armies were too slow, and are recalled home once more. Once at home, more unrest falls across Europe. How can this war torn continent ever stabilize itself? This time, the Teutonic Order attacks Danzig, whom Bavaria must defend as the Holy Roman Emperor.

But Albrecht would be unable to act on his defense of Danzig, as he passed on a mere 3 months later, the stress of war had clearly taken its toll, and his brother, Philipp Wilhelm I of Bavaria succeeded to the Kingship of Bavaria and was elected as Holy Roman Emperor.

Succession.png



Well, that was definitely fun, and I wish the best of luck to Klorius, whom I have left with 2 wars...I look forward to see what happens to our great country of Bavaria!
 
Great updates.

I'm honestly very happy that we're still just Bavaria and haven't turned into the HRE or anything crazy like that. :)
 
No conquests, only useless wars? :rolleyes::p
Very Bayerisch. :D

Ironically, my last name is Baier.

The reason I didn't do any conquests is because I was waiting for BB to come down, and ended up having to defend the alliances I had made.

@TheLoneGunman: I managed to get enough Imperial Authority to pass the next HRE reform, but I don't know what happens with low authority, so I decided to wait.
 
Great updates. :) Taking on the TO shouldn't be too hard.
Good luck Klorius!
 
Great updates.

I'm honestly very happy that we're still just Bavaria and haven't turned into the HRE or anything crazy like that. :)

Can we vote for becoming HRE or remaining Bavaria?

Edited: Good job, Whitefang! I approve your non-expansionist policy.
 
The Reign of King Phillipp Wilhelm I von Wittelsbach

Beginnings

Young Phillipp Wilhelm found himself ascending to the throne of the Bavarian house of von Wittelsbach rather suddenly, his brother Albrecht having passed away somewhat unexpectedly. Truth be told, he had not grieved much: his brother had been a rather overbearing one, and Phillipp (or Pip, as Albrecht always insisted on calling him) had always found himself being continually compared to his somewhat overachieving elder brother. Oh, Phillipp could just about hold his own when it came to the classics, or even social events; but when it came down to the physical stuff, Pip was always something of a push-over, and having to be constantly compared to the prime physical specimen that was Albrecht certainly did not help things.

What he lacked in physical prowess, though, he made up for in subterfuge. While Albrecht had been out leading the armies of Bavaria, Philipp had been carefully cultivating a sizeable intelligence service and network of contacts, both domestic and foreign. As such, even with the sudden ascension, Philipp found himself quite well-prepared with information regarding both basic domestic affairs:
StartCourt.jpg

StartIncome.jpg


and Bavaria's place in Europe and the world:
StartOverview.jpg

StartIncomeComparison.jpg

StartArmyComparison.jpg


Critically, Bavaria was still in firm control of the HRE:
StartHRE.jpg


As he leafed through the various reports, something seemed odd to Philipp. Then it struck him: Bavaria's name was conspicuously missing in the list of top armies. A quick search found the relevant information:
StartArmy.jpg


This would not do. While Philipp was not one to lead armies into battle, he was more than willing to have others lead them into battle for him, and Bavaria, as the leader of the HRE, must surely have an army commensurate to its status. And, at any rate, there were two wars to be fought.

Philipp immediately directed his generals to expand the Bavarian forces. Meanwhile, existing armies, under the command of Gottfried Gumpenberg, were directed to Danzig, where the armies of the Teutonic Order were besieging the Imperial city of Danzig. The French could surely take care of themselves against the English, after all.

The campaign against the Teutonic Order went smoothly, as their massed infantry ranks fell to the famed Bavarian cavalry charges:
TOwar1A.jpg


With little desire for an extended campaign in the Baltic, Philipp decides to settle for a quick, symbolic victory. At any rate, the Teutonic Order will have enough on their hands, with their main army annihilated:
TOwar1B.jpg


Recalling Gumpenberg from the successful Danzig campaign, Philipp contemplates his next move as other miscellaneous reports turn up on his desk:
1456reports1.jpg


The war against France rages on in the west. As Philipp considers whether he should send reinforcements to France, the picture changes considerably:
BURwar1A.jpg


What was that about the French being able to take care of themselves again?
 
The French are taking care of themselves, since Burgundy is a only a rebellious French duke, and all French-Burgundian wars are actually proper French civil wars. :cool:
Let them bleed dry. ;)
 
The French might need Bavarian help, though this does give you the oppurtunity to bring Burgundy down a notch.
You write well, I'm looking forward to the next update. :)
 
The Reign of Philipp Wilhelm I von Wittelsbach

Wars with England and Burgundy

The French now found themselves at war with England, Brittany and Naples on one end, and Burgundy, Aragon, and Bohemia at the other. With the French forces weakened considerably, the Burgundians had free rein as they swooped in from the east.

The French situation, however, was of little immediate interest for Philipp. The more pressing concern was the Bohemian troops just across the border to the east. Gumpenberg, stationed near the western border with Burgundy, was dispatched to siege Metz, while a newly-promoted general, Karl Albrecht Moshamm, was sent to drive out the Bohemians. As always Philipp had little problem with sending others to the frontlines while he was ensconced in the palace, plotting away.
BURwar1B.jpg


Certainly, the (potential) rise of Burgundy has some others worried.
BURwar1C.jpg

(Oddly enough, none seem to harbour the same problems with Bavaria. Or perhaps those who do find it more prudent to keep their views to themselves.)

Despite Philipp's penchant for appointing military leaders somewhat randomly (anyone other than himself!) to the battlefield, he seemed to have rather remarkable luck with those leading the troops. General Moshamm proved to be moderately effective at his given task:
BURwar1D.jpg


With Burgundy and France the alliance leaders, though, little was to be gained from actually sieging Bohemian lands. Attention quickly shifted to the western front. Burgundy had partially regained their losses from the last war with the French, but the Bavarians were knocking on the door.
BURwar1E.jpg


The French were on the ropes, squeezed in between English forces from the west, Burgundians from the east, and Aragon from the south, and half their provinces occupied by enemy forces.

Amazingly, at this point, the English decide that the weather is apparently better at home:
ENGwar1A.jpg


With the English so suddenly relieving the pressure on the French, and Bavarian troops approaching Bourgogne, Burgundy rather prudently decide that they have had enough for now.
BURwar1F.jpg


Having sent Bavarian troops marching across half of Europe, from the Baltic to France, in less than a year, and doubling the size of Bavarian forces in the process, Philipp found himself, rather more suddenly than expected, at peace with everyone else.

Now, what to do with all those troops?
 
Lots more to come.

That was just the first year or so.

Good to know.

You think we could get a small overview of the known world too?

I would love to see how much everything has changed since I started. :)

And maybe an update on our government so we can see where all the sliders are at this time as well. I'm glad I started us on the trend of becoming a purely army-reliant nation.

The thought of a massive Bavarian Navy with colonies all over the world would be disturbing to say the least. :p