Elector Palatine - the true story of the Palatinate

unmerged(84033) · Sep 15, 2007

Elector Palatine - a Pfalz AAR

ELECTOR PALATINE

Intentions and goals

This will be my first serious attempt at a EU3 game – and my first AAR attempt ever. I enjoyed playing “some” EU2 a couple of years ago, but I would not consider myself an expert by a long shot. I am quite aware that taking the destiny of the divided, two province Palatinate into my unexperienced hands might prove a bit too much, but heck, I wanted a challenge. So here we go.

My first goal is to enjoy myself. Surviving as a nation comes second to enjoying and telling a good story. I will not allow myself to reload: what happens, happens.
Other goals – at the same time more concrete and more utopian – might be linking the “lower” and “upper” Palatinate (Pfalz and Franken) or, god willing, the unification of all Germany.

Like others have said before me, I fully intend to take my time with this one, as most of my play time is limited to weekends.

Prologue: Frederick and the Bull

Friedrich's fingers caressed the seal once more. The Golden Bull. In spite of all its noble intentions, it had never really sealed anything. It had not been the end of internal strife on German soil. Almost a century had passed, but the Empire remained as divided as ever. The world would never be rid of ambitious politicians, Friedrich knew.

He knew all too well. His very name spoke of ambition. Friedrich. It was widely know that the first hereditary Count Palatine of the Rhine, Conrad of Hohenstaufen, had been the younger brother of Frederick Barbarossa. And it had been Charles IV himself, the Holy Roman Emperor, who had explicitly named the ruler of the Palatinate as one of the seven prince-electors at Nuremberg.

So here he was. Friedrich, Elector Palatine, Kurfürst von der Pfalz, but still the ruler of a minor nation in a divided Reich, surrounded by antagonists. A new bull had to rear its head. A bull indeed that could carry away Europa...

Friedrich stared at the map. Mainz. In public, the archbishop remained as friendly and charming as ever, being courteous to every diplomat he had sent. But Friedrich knew better. One may smile and smile and be a villain. Behind the scenes, the archbishop had supported the Austrian Emperor in his attempt to displace Friedrich by his young nephew Philip. So now the good bishop had to go. But how? Friedrich did not want to spoil everything by rushing head over heels into a war. Mainz could not be gained without the use of steel, Friedrich knew, but he had no claim whatsoever on the land.

The stage is set. Mainz will have to be taken by force soon. Diplomacy should be the key in the long run, however, since too much warmongering will bring down my enemies en masse. Help or suggestions are more than welcome, good readers. God knows I will need them.

kfijatass · Sep 15, 2007

That's a one big picture. Well good luck, i can hope you won't get owned by austria too early - they tend to do that to the palatinate often in the early game.

One advice : Don't ever discourage yourself if you won't get replies. Just keep on writing , try to improve, but don't stop unless someone tells you this AAR sucks.(and i know it won't)

Good luck ^^

coz1 · Sep 15, 2007

I always enjoy a Pfalz tale so this should be interesting. Good luck but watch out - a one province minor is great prey.

And that was a rather big picture. A word of advice - consider sizing screenies and such to fit into the grander picture of your posts.

Good luck and I'll be watching. And hey - welcome to AAR writing!

Nehekara · Sep 16, 2007

Try to devour as many OPM neighbours as you can before the big countries do!
Anyway, this looks like a promising AAR, I'll follow it.
Good Luck!

unmerged(84033) · Sep 16, 2007

Thanks for all the interest, folks, and welcome

Will think about resizing the pictures next time.

I intend to start my first playing session later this afternoon, so I have much to look forward to.

Friedrich will invest his income in government research first (from what I've read, that's what almost everyone goes for first), to pick his first Idea as soon as possible. Any suggestions in that direction?

kfijatass: Will keep an eye out for Austria of course. Maybe trying to ally with them, but then again, I don't want to be dragged in wars all over Europe.

Nehekara: Yes, swift action is needed. War on Mainz will have to start without a Casu Belli, but like I said, I am not a real warmonger. I'll see what happens.

stnylan · Sep 16, 2007

I hope you enjoy yourself. Can be a tough neighbourhood to be in.

coz1 · Sep 16, 2007

Well, I always choose National Bank first, but that's due to my issues with inflation. It is a help though.

unmerged(84033) · Sep 17, 2007

Chapter One: On the banks of the Rhine

The stage was set, thought Friedrich.

On the morning of August 1st 1453, the morning he turned twenty-eight, the Elector Palatine crossed the Rhine, and marched into war.

Busy months had passed since spring.

He had sought, and found, allies and thus – he hoped – secured his flanks. The royal marriage with the house of Lorraine had been a means to that end. Friedrich believed it was only a matter of time before the Burgundian-Lorrainian front would try to push eastwards along the banks of the Rhine. The marriage had considerably improved Friedrich's relationship with them, and would hopefully keep the Burgundian predator at bay for the time being.
The marriage with the house of Ansbach, though agreed upon a long time ago, was even more vital. Before Friedrich, or any of his successors, could ever dream of connecting Rheinpfalz with Oberpfalz, Ansbach would have to be secured.
The third and arguably most important marriage had been the one with Bavaria. For more than five decades Friedrich's predecessors had attempted to reconcile the Palatine and Bavarian branches of the house of Wittselbach. Where they had failed, he had succeeded. This marriage had been Friedrich's first real triumph. Of course, the fact that Albrecht, the Duke of Bavaria, also believed the HRE was in dire need of reforms, had helped. Rumour spread that the Austrian Emperor, being the current Holy Roman Emperor, was annoyed by Friedrich's prestigious diplomacy, as was the conservative archbishop of Mainz.

Within 24 hours after the fabled "Triple Marriage", both Ansbach and Bavaria had signed an alliance with Friedrich.

With the signing of the Bavarian alliance, the coat of arms of Wittselbach could proudly show the world its true colours again.

And it was under this banner that Friedrich now marched into war...

In June, he had sent Dietrich of Mainz an insulting letter, in which he exposed the archbishop as a puppet ruler for Austria, hoping to lure him into armed conflict.

It had not worked. Mainz had hurriedly allied itself with Salzburg, but no hostilities were started. Friedrich had realized he would have to set things in motion himself.

So three weeks later, Friedrich had finally declared war on the bishop.

His people had been reluctant at first, but Friedrich hoped they would realize it was merely a question of survival, a counterbalance against the territorial ambitions of Austria, France and Burgundy. That, and the fact that the Reich needed to reclaim its soul. War taxes had been raised throughout the realm.

Both of his allies had promptly honoured their alliance: Ansbach with a promise to reinforce Friedrich's army as soon as he arrived in Mainz, Bavaria by starting the march south towards Salzburg.

Yes, he had prepared well, thought Friedrich, while he was crossing the Rhine with 4,000 men. It should be enough. It should be.

unmerged(84033) · Sep 17, 2007

Hmm, I intended to post the rest of this chapter tonight, but I'm just too darn tired right now. Good night, and see you all later.

stnylan · Sep 18, 2007

Good beginnings. Just be wary of getting greedy at too early a stage.

Doge Robert · Sep 18, 2007

Great start, I must say.. Seems like an AAR I most definately need to keep an eye on.

Heh.. on a side note... My eye was caught by that "Elector Palatine".. Am I the only one who read "Elector Pal-p-atine.. The true story of....."

Gives a whole new meaning to the concept of the empire, doesn't it?

unmerged(84033) · Sep 18, 2007

stnylan said:
Good beginnings. Just be wary of getting greedy at too early a stage.

Thanks. And don't worry, I won't act this badboyish all the time, in fact most of the time I radiate goodness. I just want to consolidate some kind of power base before the biggies get even bigger.

Doge Robert said:
Great start, I must say.. Seems like an AAR I most definately need to keep an eye on.

Heh.. on a side note... My eye was caught by that "Elector Palatine".. Am I the only one who read "Elector Pal-p-atine.. The true story of....."

Gives a whole new meaning to the concept of the empire, doesn't it?

Ha! Thanks but nah, I hope my Palatinate won't turn into a dark imperial overlord too soon. Now, if you are looking for a Sith lord, I think the emperor of Austria would be a good candidate.

I will post the remainder of the first chapter asap. Salvé!

coz1 · Sep 18, 2007

Nice diplomacy. Now we see if you have the stick to go along with your carrot.

Doge Robert · Sep 19, 2007

Jestocost said:
Ha! Thanks but nah, I hope my Palatinate won't turn into a dark imperial overlord too soon. Now, if you are looking for a Sith lord, I think the emperor of Austria would be a good candidate.

It wasn't a suggestion.. I honestly thought the title read Elector Palpatine, the true story of the Platinate, when I first saw it.. My mind went instantly Kaboom of course, and I started imagining a story like that of the newest three films with back-stabbing diplomacy and behind-the-scene influencing of noble heroes and stuff.. It was what made me open and read....and find myself mistaken....

However... NOT dissapointed

Looking forward to the update

unmerged(84033) · Sep 20, 2007

Chapter One: On the Banks of the Rhine (cont.)

It was early in the morning of August 31st, 1453, and the Count Palatine was idly fumbling the pages of Plutarch’s Life of Alexander, when there was a sudden burst of noise outside his field tent. Seconds later, Marshal Von Brünnecke came rushing in.
“My lord, noble p…”
“What is it, Wilhelm? Did Graf Von Katte finally arrive?” Friedrich had been awaiting the reinforcements from Ansbach for three days now.
“Sir – no sir, it’s Mainz – Storck is coming with 3,000 men.”
“What? But how…?”
“Sir, several of our scouts are missing and well… the fog these past few days…”
“Oh for heaven’s sake, man. Get me my horse!”
For a brief moment, while his cupbearer was strapping on his armor, Friedrich wondered whether he should have stayed in Heidelberg. How could a third rate general like Lothar Franz Storck outmaneuver him so easily?

The battle almost ended in disaster. From the onset, it looked like the morale of the Palatine mercenaries would break, and one particularly desperate cavalry charge by Friedrich almost cost him his life. The odds turned when Ansbach eventually arrived on the scene with a contingent of 3,000 men. Storck counted his losses and retreated his army to Ansbach province. On September 29th, in the pouring rain, Friedrich could finally lay siege to the city of Mainz. Not long after, a messenger arrived from his allies in the south, speaking of victory. Bavarian forces had crushed the opposition and were already besieging Salzburg.

In November general Storck, defeated but not broken, started a counteroffensive and laid siege on Franken with the 2,000 men left to him.

Friedrich, confident that the defenders could hold out, continued to besiege Mainz. On December 17th the city capitulated. Friedrich and his jubilant army celebrated the Christmas days in Dietrich’s former palace. The archbishop, however, was nowhere to be found.

In the last days of 1453, Friedrich ordered his mercenary cavalry to Franken as a relief force, while the Count and his infantry held their position to quell possible rebellion. Storck, who apparently was losing determination as the days passed, broke his siege and fled south into Bavaria, where he was defeated a first time in Niederbayern and a second time in Schwaben by a joint Bavarian-Ansbach army. With the death of Lothar Storck on March 9th, Mainz' capacity for war quickly evaporated.

In the ensuing weeks however, while his cavalry was speeding towards Salzburg to help in Bavaria’s siege, Friedrich’s allies unexpectedly lost their incentive to fight, and a truce was signed. Friedrich wanted to finish what he had started, even if he had to do it alone. In spite of his rapidly dwindling funds, he ordered the mustering of a new infantry regiment in Franken and soon Salzburg was besieged again.

Following September, a revolt broke out in Mainz. Although the uprising was short-lived and Friedrich proved himself an able commander this time, autumn came with sad tidings. Austria had gone to war with Saxony, Hannover and Mecklemburg and petitioned for military access. While Friedrich did not like the idea of the Habsburgs gaining more lands in northern Germany, rights of passage were granted, if only to keep the Emperor off his back for now. On top of that, the financial situation was getting pretty grim, and the Count dreaded the prospect of being forced into a loan. The year ended with an utterly empty treasury. On January 3th, 1455, Salzburg finally succumbed to its besiegers. Friedrich had won his first war.

Negotiations started the next day. Henceforth, Mainz would be considered an integral part of the Palatinate dominions. Friedrich realized, however, that such aggressive policies could easily gain him the enmity of the whole of Europe. The war had given him great prestige, but also a tarnished reputation. Clearly, another solution had to be found for Salzburg – the more so because the Count did not want to become a direct neighbor of Austria. Thus, Salzburg was declared a protectorate.

In the ensuing months, Friedrich actively tried to improve his diplomatic relationships with his immediate neighbors. A considerable part of Salzburg’s ducats were gifted to this loyal allies, and March saw two more royal marriages: the first one with the house of Württemberg, the second one with Baden. The Elector Palatine insisted that forging a lasting bond between the realms of the Rhine was a conditio sine qua non for survival. When Baden offered an alliance in April, the “League of the Rhine” was officially installed.

During summer, it had become clear that Austria was indeed wreaking havoc in the north. By July, Austria’s enemies had capitulated and the provinces of Hannover, Erfurt and Leipzig had been annexed by the Emperor. Although the first years of Friedrich’s reign had been a genuine success, the Count wondered how long he could withstand the tides of time, or the whims of fortune.

stnylan · Sep 21, 2007

Very wise I imagine to settle for vassalisation. Still, I only hope Austria does not turn on you.

unmerged(84033) · Sep 21, 2007

stnylan said:
Very wise I imagine to settle for vassalisation. Still, I only hope Austria does not turn on you.

As do I.

I tried to ally with them in the beginning (even if I don't like them at all), but they refused. They seemed to prefer the Hessians more for company. I hope the military access I granted them will serve as an early warning system, should they intend to declare war.

In the meantime, I'm considering my options for further expansion. Würzburg seems like a very tempting target at them moment (they are in a war with Lithuania, Poland and Mazovia and allied with Trier and the Teutonic order -- two allies that aren't a real threat to me). But a new aggressive war would probably spell disaster, and make me stand out like a Very Bad Boy. So I'll try to build and grow stronger on the diplomatic front for a while (if they let me). I hope I won't be surrounded by Austrian domains entirely in a few decades.

Doge Robert · Sep 22, 2007

Jestocost said:
As do I. I tried to ally with them in the beginning (even if I don't like them at all), but they refused. They seemed to prefer the Hessians more for company. I hope the military access I granted them will serve as an early warning system, should they intend to declare war.

In the meantime, I'm considering my options for further expansion. Würzburg seems like a very tempting target at them moment (they are in a war with Lithuania, Poland and Mazovia and allied with Trier and the Teutonic order -- two allies that aren't a real threat to me). But a new aggressive war would probably spell disaster, and make me stand out like a Very Bad Boy. So I'll try to build and grow stronger on the diplomatic front for a while (if they let me). I hope I won't be surrounded by Austrian domains entirely in a few decades.

Hmm.. Perhaps, you should focus on going to war with non-neighbour nations? That way, you can force-vassalize them, they usually love you for that, so allying with them is rarely a problem.. then you'd have some "cheap" allies, who wont declare any wars or negotiate peace, but follow your commands on these two accounts like nice little ducks in a row..

And of course.. when in a hundred years, these nations ARE your neighbours or perhaps even inside your realm, diplo-annexing is a viable, and far less "Bad" option than force-annexing...

Apart from this... Going for the curia, when you have the funds? for the BB...

Great Update

coz1 · Sep 22, 2007

Yes, the Austrian growth is always the bugaboo during this stage. For every inch you take, they take three. But a nicely fought war and the peace and then league of allies should help pgreatly.

unmerged(84033) · Sep 25, 2007

Chapter Two: Hubris and the Habsburgs

Friedrich II, of Wittselbach

Although Friedrich II inherited the throne when he was still a very young man – inherited it, to be sure, rather unprepared, when his father tragically died in a hunting accident at the age of 34 – he proved himself a talented ruler almost immediately. From the onset, he built upon and actively expanded the policies his father had adopted in the previous decade. After the war with Mainz, the elder Friedrich had picked diplomacy as the weapon of choice against the expansionism of the Austrian Emperor. By 1458 Austria had attacked and subdued three more German minors, and Friedrich I – always an able strategist – had convinced first Ansbach, then Baden, to accept protectorate status and thus become “core members” of the Rhine League. By November 1462, a mere two years after his ascension to the throne, his son and successor had been able to bring two more allies into that League: Württemberg and Hesse. Still, Friedrich II realized, like his father, that he could not openly challenge the Austrian Emperor. Then two things happened that made him reconsider. The first was a boundary dispute with the bishop of Würzburg, at that time one of Austria’s newly gained vassals, which gave young Friedrich a legal claim on the land. The second, and no doubt most decisive factor, was the ever growing ambition and somewhat unstable temperament of Ladislas Postumus, the Austrian Emperor himself. (…)

--- Encyclopedia Universalis, Volume XXIII, page 905

“He invaded Poland?”
The young Count could not believe the news his herald had just brought. The Kingdom of Poland, after all, was one of the most militarized countries of Europe and had Lithuania, the eastern giant, as one of its allies.
"Yes, my lord."
“And Lithuania’s response?”
“That of a loyal ally, my lord. They swiftly declared war on Austria. As did Athens, Mazovia and the Teutonic order, Poland’s other allies.”
“I see,” Friedrich said. He tried to maintain his composure of calm and serenity in front of his servant, but inwardly he was jubilant.
“That will be all, good man. Kammermeister Stolz will pay you for your services.”
The messenger bowed and left.
Friedrich’s mind was ablaze. He knew he had to act, of course. An opportunity like this might never again arise. This was Germany’s big chance to avenge the wrongs Austria had inflicted upon its people. And vengeance would be sweet. Friedrich smiled, and called for his chancellor.
What, he wondered while he was waiting, had driven the Austrian Emperor to embark on this audacious enterprise?

Ladislas Postumus, of Habsburg

(…) Historians are still debating what exactly prompted the Austrian Emperor to start the disastrous Austrian-Polish conflict, a war more commonly known as “Ladislas’ Last”. Although some have argued that Postumus indeed held legal claims over Poland’s western territories, hard historical proof to back this up is still lacking. Others have defended the Emperor’s decision as a pre-emptive strike against the growing military might of the eastern powers. In any case, most historians agree that the conflict was largely sparked by Postumus’ considerable self-confidence: Austria, after all, had not been defeated on the battlefield for more than two decades. However dubious and debatable the reasons for the war, the consequences were far-reaching and undeniable. By the summer of 1464, four months after war was declared, the Polish-Lithuanian alliance – a commonwealth in all but its name – had fought the vast Austrian armies to a standstill. On July 10th of that year, Friedrich II of the Palatinate, who had inherited his father’s hatred for Postumus, declared war on Würzburg, Austria’s vassal. Austria immediately dispatched the majority of its forces towards the Palatine regions, but apparently the Emperor had greatly underestimated the cohesion of Friedrich’s Rhine League. All of Friedrich's allies – Ansbach, Bavaria, Salzburg, Baden, Württemberg and Hesse – came to his aid and declared war on Austria, which many perceived as Germany’s oppressor. The final blow came from the west. Burgundy did not want to miss out on the opportunity to gain some ground in Central Europe and declared war on August 25th, as did its allies Lorraine and Bohemia. Soon, Austria was beset by enemies on all sides. (…)

--- Encyclopedia Universalis, Volume IV, page 112-113

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