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Intermission
The State of the World - 1500
- Europe south of the Alps and the Middle East -


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Nearly a hundred years had passed since the Jalayirid Caliphate's formation by Ahmad the Bald. In the meanwhile, much of the world had changed, both as consequences to the Caliphs' actions and others'. While the Caliphate is indeed mighty - it is in fact, about to meet a never before seen epoch of splendour, prosperity and wealthy, entering the so-called 'Great Islamic Century' - it has still many adversaries, within and without. To the North looms Russia, a massive giant who has so far found no worthy adversary in the field of battle; To the East stands the Chagatai Khanate - a worthy sucessor of Timur and Genghis Khan - and the empire of the city of Vijayanagar, stretching across southern India and bent on conquering the rest. Even further, to the Far East, the mighty Chinese and Khmer Empires stand, they too experiencing remarkable prosperity.

That is not to say that the Western Europeans are to be ignored. Most Catholics saw Lepanto as a mere setback, and already the Pope calls for the faithful to engage in another Crusade. However, now, they knew better than to listen to the Pope. Through spies and merchants placed along the Caliphate, they realize its true wealth: spices from India, silk from China, Cinnamon from Ceylon... the list goes on; the Europeans already begin their attempts to disprove Ptolemy's maps - that ascertained that the only way to reach India was through land - and carve some of the fantastic wealth of the East for themselves, enriching themselves and weakening the infidels at the same time.

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Ignacio de Toledo, depicted in his study in Cologne.

To the Far North, in Scandinavia and Germany, heresy has taken its toll. Under Ignacio de Toledo, the Protestant faith, preaching the corrupt nature of the Catholic Church, its inability to truly carry on God's message and seeing the failure at Lepanto as proof of God having turned their back on them. All this the Caliphate watches carefully, seeking a way to benefit from the situation.

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The Mediterranean and the surrounding lands

It is here that the failure of the 11th Crusade hit hardest. The Caliphate managed to expel the Christians from Africa, with military governments being set up and conversion efforts - of those audacious few who converted to Catholicism during the Iberian occupation - beginning. Piracy dimished considerably against Muslim shipping, with the annihilation of the Knights of St. John and the devastating use of the Barbary Pirates against Christian ships and coastal areas.

In Western Morocco, a protectorate was established to ensure the safety of caravans from Sub-saharan Africa in an area so far away from the central administration. The Caliphate's troops actually went farther inland that the Iberians, subjugation the triublesome Berber raiders that had caused so much trouble to the infidels. However, the not all is well in the Caliphate, as the central government seeks to limit the clergy's powers and stature, while favouring artists, philosophers, scholars and thinkers - all with ideas questionable from a religious point of view. Not to speak of course, of the existance of a woman in the highest position of leadership; periodically mullahs declare the Caliphate to be a farce due to this, leading to widespread uproar and arrests.

In Portugal, a 'revolution' headed by the burghers of Lisbon and a few cities deposed the king and what was left of the nobility - the high cadres having died in Lepanto, the ill-prepared response allowed the 'revolutionaries' to capture the king, and then expel the nobles and defenestrate King Joao III - in the same way as the Romans did to their last king, Tarquin. A council was set up, with the Edil - 'mayor' - of Lisbon presiding as chief and with delegates from the larger cities sitting in. Their decision was unanimous: The Most Noble Republic of Lisbon and its partners - the country started out as more of a League than a full state after the revolution, but slowly Lisbon took more power for itself, reducing the other cities from equals to subjects - would refrain from any conquests in Africa, instead proceeding to explore a possible path to India.

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Joao III and his entourage being thrown out of the Paço Real's windows.

Remarkably, Spain chose not to intervene, most likely to blackmail from the powerful merchants of Seville, who pursued a similar agenda of exploration, and managed to get Crown backing for their projects later on.

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Giovanni de Medici, who, together with his family, had been expelled from Florence, and managed to blend in within the Genoese high social circles, culminating in his bribe-fueled rise to power. Now that he held the power of Lombardy, his dream was to punish the de Pazzi family, the rulers of Florence that had expelled his family.

In Italy, after the end of the War of Lombardy, in which France and Genoa fought against Milan, Cremona and Venice, the balance changed considerably. While it was France who gave the killing blow to Milan, its troops had to be diverted to fight the Kingdom of England-Aquitane, who sought a way to grab more land from the French kings. Genoa, left to perform the mop-up, performed admirably - getting its revenge for the many times the Milanese occupied their fair city - taking the entire western valley of the Po, retaking Corsica and reducing Venice, its eternal nemesis, into a vassal. Not shortly after, its doge took on the title of king, crushing all opposition. Southwards, the Pisan Confederacy, caught between Florence and Genoa, continues to grow, in an uneasy truce between the two major powers on the peninsula - each of them backed by one Greater power, Genoa by France, and Florence by the Austro-Sicilians - who try to gain the support of the Confederacy's constituent cities - and all other, smaller states between them - in the event of war. Florence has kept its own as the peninsula's cultural centre, especially since Rome was sacked by Muslim forces a few years ago. With its extraordinarily able leaders and generals, beside a motivated, formidable army - as is the case with citizen armies - the Florentine Republic is a match for any other power on the peninsula.

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The Kingdom of Austria-Sicily, composed of southern Italy, Austria proper, eastern Hungary and Croatia

In Naples and to the North stands the mighty Austro-Sicilian Kingdom. Having lost Sicily to the heathens and seeing its shipping mercilessly cut down by the Barbary Pirates, its support in the Southern part of the kingdom is eroding, who begin to see the King in Vienna as little more than a tax collector, unable to defend them from the Muslim hordes. Despite these stirrings of unrest, the Kingdom is mighty, and fields one of the largest armies in the world. Unable to strike back at the Caliphate, due to its tiny navy, the Kingdom must expand on the fickle plains of Central Europe. Surrounded by Bohemia and the german states under her protection, Russia and a restored Hungary after the fall of the reborn Jagiellon Empire, Austria-Sicily has many choices, all of them dangerous, all of them with great rewards for the bold and sucessful.

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The coat of arms of Hungary.

Its obvious rival, Hungary, is biding its time to attack and reclaim the Eastern portion of its kingdom from Austria - and Croatia. The Magyars, with their tradition of horsemanship, will stop at nothing to ride to Vienna and assure their position as a the foremoost power in Eastern Europe. To do so, however, is an entirely differently matter. The Austro-Sicilians have their sites set on their lands too, and an unsubtle move may make the anger of Russia befall the young state.

To the south resides the Ottoman Empire, having accomplished little more than the conquest of Athens in the past fifty years. A series of disastrous dynastic successions crippled the state, allowing, for example, the Caliphate to take Syria and southeastern Anatolia. However, its culture is very vibrant, being at the crossroads of East and West. To proceed their march into Europe, they need only to strike during one of the numerous wars between the major powers. The Caliphate however, is also in the eyes of the Ottoman sultans, and a major defeat could propell the various factions and peoples within the Caliphate to ease its possible fragmentation; no empire could stretch from Persia to Morocco without some compromising with the local elites, and these were often fickle and willing to ally with foreign powers.

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St. George slaying the dragon,

Lastly, in the Caucusus there is the Kingdom of Georgia, named after the dragon-slaying saint. Indeed Georgia is surrounded by warmongering dragons, a small country dividing the two great Muslim empires from the Russian Bear. It's only way of survival and, who knows, expansion is through playing its powerful and warmongering neighbours against each other.

Thus, in southern Europe and the Middle East we see a great number of conflicts, as states scramble for dominance. Up next, we shall seen Northern and Estearn Europe in detail.
 
nice change of tone and an engrossing overview. I know a lot of AARs shift tone as they develop but the leap from the highly entertaining comedy of the first posts to this very thoughtful history book presentation is quite something to have pulled off.
 
Not a bad position for 1500. Next stop, India and Indonesia?

(I'm also curious about the New World status :) )
First Eurasia, then those other puny continents! :D
You did a good job at adapting too. Now go Conquista on Iberia. :p
You've read my mind :D
 
Its the tenth day of Ramadan. Surely this warrants a great sacking or subjegation right about now? :D
 
(also, is there anyone in the New World already?)
Very little. Wars in Africa kept the colonizing powers busy. Only now are they beggining to explore outside Europe.
Its the tenth day of Ramadan. Surely this warrants a great sacking or subjegation right about now? :D
In the Caliphate, every day is sacking and subjugation day!

**********************

Intermission
State of the World - 1500
- Northern and Eastern Europe -


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Northern and Eastern Europe.

In the North, large powers arise. With the collapse of the Jagiellonian Empire - one which formed the triangle between Danzig, Buda in Hungary and the Moldavian coast - three empires have arisen in the Central plains. Bohemia, under the Luxembourgs, managed to take most of the Polish homelands at the time of the late empire's demise. However, its campaigns abroad have led to a waning of its influence in Germany as the bearer of the title of Holy Roman Emperor. In the absence of an effective Imperial response, many smaller states have been integrated, forcibly or not, into the larger states. Particularly favoured by this were the Hansa and the duchy of Baden. However, now that its latest avenue of expansion has been exhausted, it has the room - and the resources - to remake the Holy Roman Empire in its image: a powerful, centralized state, with its industrious and prosperous subjects loyal to their rulers.

In its way stand the powerful, if smaller, German states, not to speak of France or Austria, who would never tolerate such a behemoth on what they feel is their playground.

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Ignacio de Toledo preaches to a congregation in Brandenburg.

To the Northwest stands, beside the Duchies of Saxony and Poznan, the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Having been inherited by what eventually became Russia, it has served its overlord faithfully - until recently. Being rather far away from the center of power in Moscow, the local nobles are allowed great autonomy in their affairs - and receive the protection of the mighty Russian Empire - to the point where they have declared their state to be a follower of the Reformation's teachings. This has shocked the Catholic higher echelons of Russia, and the series of reprimands that followed have only served to diminish Russia's support in the margraviate. Many already talk of secession, and Russia's influence on the region is increasingly precarious.

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Lubeck, the seat of the Hansa, with its many towers.

To the North, the three great Thalassocracies of the Baltic extend their grip along the Baltic Sea. Having neglected its overseas kontors to acquire the adhesion of the wealthy towns of northermost Germany - it was not at all uncommon for the Hansa to use underhanded and dastardly tactics to secure the integration of smaller towns* - this alliance of trading cities now has to deal with the emerging powers of the Republic of Gotland - backed by Sweden and Norway - and that of the Grand Duchy of Pommerania - backed by Russia and a de iure vassal of the Russian Bear - both involved in a low-intensity war for the waters and shores of the Baltic. Due to the formidability of the land power of both the Scandinavians and the Russians, and their weakness in naval matters, both Gotland and Pommerania serve as de facto extensions of their supporters aims in the Baltic. The Hansa must bide its time, and choose carefully. Hasty and ill-thought actions may cost them all they have - both the closure of the Oresund strait and the loss of the hinterland markets of Russia (mostly agricultural backwaters hungry for manufactured goods) would be devastating. Only time will tell, and in the meanwhile, the Hansa exploits the upsurge in piracy along the coast for both privateering, and to be seen as the saviours of the small towns wrecked by its effects. At the same time, the Reformation, a political and religious wrecking ball, begins to spread, and many cities within the Hansa have already embraced it.

In Southern and Central Germany we have many small states - usually the product of crafty marriages and opportunistic wars - mostly peaceful but occasionally aligning with larger powers, as they will during the many wars caused by the advent of the Reformation of Ignacio de Toledo. Of particular notice are Baden, Cologne and Saxony. Being the largest and most influential - 'native' - states in the region along with Brandenburg, they hold sway over the many states that make up the political mosaic of Germany. Baden, having been given the title of Elector as an attempt by the Bohemians to quell its conquest spree, continues to plan the takeover of more states. Cologne, until recently a archbishopric, has been overturned by supporters of de Toledo, and turned into a protestant-led princedom. Fraught with religious fragmentation and disunity, and surrounded by hostile heretics, it continues to try and spread the words of the Reformation. Saxony too has converted to the new faith, having sent out missionaries to convert those that have strayed from the True path. With the conversion of most regional powers to Protestantism, the Emperor must use swift action to quell the issue, or risk see Catholicism expelled altogether from Germany.

On the Alps, stands the impregnable country of Switzerland. With its myriad cantons and weak central government, it resembles its neighbour to the North, the Holy Roman Empire. While the central administration - composed of dignataries from the many cantonements - has no stance on the subject, protestantism too has begun to take sway in the land, especially in Bern and its surroundings. The Pope in Rome may be too preocupied with organizing new crusades to destroy the infidel, but his aides and cardinals are already worrying with the spread of Ignacio's heresy to the very gates of Italy. Expropriation of Church land has already begun, from all corners of Switzerland, the Empire and Scandinavia, and the Church is losing massive amounts of cash and faithfuls.

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The young king Charles VI

In France, the increasingly strong monarchy has been violently repressing any protestant tendencies in its kingdom. Having managed to impose its will on the feudal nobility, the Court in Paris has submited them to its orders, although much remains to be done. Its magistrates are notoriously corrupt, the oppressed peasants continuosly revolt, as do the Bretons; all the while the English still hold to Aquitaine, and eye all other French land greedily, waiting for a chance to strike. The British attacks during the war of Lombardy proved fruitless, but they have managed to create a potential ally on France's flank, the Kingdom of Genoa. The French suffer from an excess of centralization - for their current administrative capabilities - and their state's structure has not yet adapted to its newfound powers. Favourites dominate the palace positions, at the cost of efficiency and competence. However, the French have found a worthy ruler in the person of Charles VI de Valois, and he may just yet manage to undo his predecessor's wrongs, and drive back the English from France's rightful lands, and retake Charlemagne's empire for himself...

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The flag of the Kingdom of England-Aquitaine

Across the Channel stands the Kingdom of England-Aquitaine. While they hold all of Great Britain, the english nobles have never truly felt at home in their Scottish and Irish lands, being more than happy to let the local gentry handle most of the issues - for now. The Kingdom is focused, if not obsessed, on retaking the lands of the Angevin Empire. While the kingdom is powerful, it cannot face France in a protracted land war, due to its lack of manpower, the given logistical situation and the rebelliousness of the peoples it has subjugated. It must exploit France's dificulties and weaknesses - its government and the unhappy regional nobility. If England-Aquitaine can succeed in this bold endeavour, it is poised to absorb all of France... and beyond.

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The proposed expansion of England-Aquitaine into western France.

In the Lowlands, the once all-powerful House of Burgundy has been reduced to its ancestral lands surounding Dijon, and three large Dutch states have appeared in its stead. The Republic of Holland, the Archbishopric of Utrecht and the Duchy of Brabant - each representing one predominant form of power: republican, theocratic and monarchic - vie for the rich and fertile lands surrounding them. Until recently, a balance of power has been maintained, with each state being supported with arms and troops by larger nations - England-Aquitaine, Bohemia and France, respectively. When one or two states appear to be gaining an advantage over the other, another will turn against the possible hegemon, restarting the cycle. However, an entirely new variable has now been introduced: protestantism. A state which converts will have undying support from the northern european states, but the lasting emnity of all catholics, possibly subjecting itself to the two other states allying for good to destroy the heretic. Only time will tell who will rise from this never-ending war, and in the mean-time, the people of the Netherlands suffer the evils of war almost daily.

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Norwegian troops are ambushed in the town square during the 'siege' of Copenhagen

A similar situation, and one these powers can learn from, is that of Scandinavia. After the breakup of the Kalmar Union, the three countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden engaged in a war of attrition, through piracy and raids, to wear each power out. However, when Sweden was distracted with the Finnish rebellions - which it eventually lost, alloting the Finnish interior for the new state, under an Orthodox patriarch (most of these Finns were orthodox) - Norway, under its brilliant king Magnus VIII Christiansson, launched a swift invasion of Denmark, capturing the Danish king and holding his kingdom as ransom. While the conquest of Denmark was quick, many norwegian soldiers lost their lives in the taking of Copenhagen, where an inebriated Magnus accidentally ordered a full-on attack on the city; while he had the manpower to take the city, the ill-prepared, but loyal, soldiers fell into many a trap and ambush. While it has gained the loyalty of the Danish - for now - by promising to keep their special rights and exemptions, Norway must now recover, before it can face Sweden. If Magnus VIII plays his cards right, he just may realize the dream of the Gryf kings before him: the unification of Scandinavia.

To the East, far to the East, stands almighty Russia. The product of the Lithuanian conquest of the Tartar steppes, the nobility became increasingly Slavicized, and by order of the king, relocated the capital to Moscow and proclaimed the Empire of the Russias, both in order to legitimize a large amount of its conquered terriotory and to win over its overwhelmingly Russian subjects. However, while this behemoth may possess extraordinary power, it must apply it wisely. She is surrounded by enemies in all sides: Bohemia - although the Polish March (a highly militarized territory between the two powers) may sever to diffuse some tension - and Hungary to the West, the troublesome Novgorodians - who, despite the loss of their beloved city, continue to fight a long war against the Catholic-led Russia to the South - and their Finnish allies; to the East, Tartar tribes continue their rides into the very heart of Russia; and, to the South, the Bosphoran Kingdom and Georgia. If Russia focuses too much on one single direction, the combined forces of its many adversaries will overwhelm it.

Another one of Russia's weaknesses is its utter lack of a navy. In the Baltic Sea it can depend for now on the Grand Duchy of Pommerania - although it has ambitions of its own, and will only maintain its fealty to Russia for as long as it is convenient. On the other hand, Russia has proved incapable of negotiating any significant treaty with the Bosporan Republic, and as such, has not managed to hold any significant territory on the Black Sea.

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The expansion of the Bosporan republic, from oldest territory (darker) to the newest (lightest). Starting as a series of independent colonies ruled originally by imams and petty kings, eventually the moneyed merchants assumed control of their cities, forming a league to defend their interests, culminating with the rebuilding of Pantikapaion - in the greek city model - over the former genoese city of Cerco, that had been raised to the ground by the Golden Horde.

From Moldavia to Abkhazia extends the prosperous Bosporan Republic. Populated by Greek Muslims and Tartars, it was mostly settled by converted Greeks fleeing the civil wars in the Ottoman Empire in the past 50 years*. A republic - unlike any other state in the Muslim world - it took on the mantle of the ancient Bosporan Kingdom - one formed by the greek colonies in the area surrounding the Crimea. It is a country where the arts flourish - a mix of greco-roman and muslim techniques and styles - thanks to the patronage of the wealthy merchants. Pantikapaeon, the capital, is a centre of translation and dissemination of western and muslim books. It is, curiously, in a Muslim state that the torch of the ancient greek and roman glory burns the strongest, and its people - like the ancient greeks - see their tartar and russian neighbours as barbarikoi - barbarians. New territory is constantly colonized and cities created in the very loosely controlled southern russian territories. With its many trade contacts in the Caliphate and the Ottoman Empire, it imports manufactured goods, spices and rare timbers, while exporting slaves, salt and grain from the interior.

However, while most of the European continent knows prosperity and recuperation, a new threat looms from the steppes to the East, into Asia.

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*On one account, the Hansa starved a town by hiring thieves and other malcontents, who raided any and all grain shipments. Once the city was on the brink of food riots, the Hansa entered, bringing thousands of sacks of grain, giving them out on the condition that the town accept inclusion in the Hansa, under the patronage (the patronage system established in the Hansa in the mid-15th century created two 'castes' of league members: the patrons, the larger cities, who held special relations and received certain fees from their clients; and clients, who were subordinate to their patron city, and then to the Hansa) of Hamburg. This system allowed the 'balkanization' of the Hansa into smaller alliances of each major city, leading to bloody factional politics at the Hanseatic assemblies between the cities of different faiths and with different political and comercial objectives. This status was abolished after the Client War, an uprising by the majority of the client cities and towns.

* The Bosporan Republic went on to recieve very large amounts of jews due to their greater tolerance and lower jizya - taxes paid by non-muslims.
 
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So I adapted instead of perishing :D

It's really impressive how well you managed to do that, great work!

Baden, having been given the title of Elector as an attempt by the Bohemians to quell its conquest spree, continues to plan the takeover of more states.

yeah, go Baden \o/

I'm can't wait to see what's going to hapen next. A Muslim 'mare nostrum' perhaps? But first, finish the re-Reconquista!!
 
It's really impressive how well you managed to do that, great work!
yeah, go Baden \o/
I'm can't wait to see what's going to hapen next. A Muslim 'mare nostrum' perhaps? But first, finish the re-Reconquista!!

Thank you! And you will see what happens to those meddling Christians!
You get a prize! A composite map of Europe I made in literally 15 seconds:
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I'm actually proud it fit so well, since I sometimes change a few province borders so it looks better.
 
You're in a very good position to dominate Africa, Europe and all of Asia - everything without overseas penalties - from Timor to Lisbon, from Cape to Finmark.
 
You're in a very good position to dominate Africa, Europe and all of Asia - everything without overseas penalties - from Timor to Lisbon, from Cape to Finmark.

If this were a normal game, i would. Bu lest we forget that an empire from persia to morocco is ALOT to administer for a 16th century monarchy.
And real men dominate Timor TO Timor! All round the world!
 
If this were a normal game, i would. Bu lest we forget that an empire from persia to morocco is ALOT to administer for a 16th century monarchy.
You intend to suicide your empire before the end of the century?

And real men dominate Timor TO Timor! All round the world!
And real Caliphs, what do they dominate? From East Timor to West Timor, via Shangai and Berlin (by this order)?
 
You intend to suicide your empire before the end of the century?
No.
And real Caliphs, what do they dominate? From East Timor to West Timor, via Shangai and Berlin (by this order)?
nice overview of the world ... but I'm sure the descendents of Miryam are more than up to the task of dealing with them all
We'll just have to see...

Dear Readers
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It's the Second time I use this pasty chap. I hope the last.

FeAAR not! I'm not here to announce that a save has been lost (although I should really look into making some copies of those saves...) only that I will be away from my lovely PC for three weeks, exercising my bum somewhere in the portuguese countryside (who knew running away from Interpol was so good for your health?!). As such, there shall be no updates until around september 7th. I may take some time and compose a few overview texts in my absence, but I will only compile them with images on my arrival here. I bid you patience, although I do hope some of you are impatient, beacause it means you want this to keep running.

Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish.​
 
Very engrossing updates. Surprising to see that Russia has turned into such a behemoth so quickly although the power which truly gives me pause for thought is Austria. Not a surprise to see her quickly grow stronger, but he lands seems perfectly positioned to cause a nuisance to you due to her southern Italian holdings, although I suppose that will only truly happen if she can create a decent fleet. Otherwise things are looking very good for the Jalayirid empire.

Oh and curses that you are away for the next few weeks, don't you know sitting inside infront of a monitor churning out EU3 AAR updates is far more healthy than engaging in outdoor activity?!
 
I'm crying now