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It seems that you will be spending some time now on internal improvements and perhaps colonization.
France's colonization capacity has not been neutralized though. What will you be able to do to contain their colonial ambitions and stop them from adding more provinces which are so painful to divest them of?
France's colonization capacity has not been neutralized though. What will you be able to do to contain their colonial ambitions and stop them from adding more provinces which are so painful to divest them of?
There is always the option to switch to a republic, and by staying monarchy I have decided to take the risks that comes with the benefits. My luck is not too bad so far: the string of bad sultans in the early game has been balanced by the last 3 decent and long-living sultans, and this is only the second regency council in my game. Maybe I will be enraged if my luck is worse, but I don't really feel the urge to complain about my luck at the moment.
I have spared the diplomats for vassal management, admin points for admin tech 22, and diplomatic points for the last 2 Expansion ideas. France stops trying to colonize after the last war with me; by the end of the next chapter I have sealed the west African coast, and the Hudson bay area is almost completely sealed as well. It will not be long before I can seal all the coasts of the Atlantic.
Thanks for your support. As for the plan after finishing this AAR, I am thinking of re-running the Ottomans for the first few decades, and see how I can utilize the event that allows the Ottomans to annex the Mamluks in one war.
Chapter 24: The Long Regency
Summary for the period 1665-1680
So it begins. 15 years of regency. 15 years of no war declaration.
Before the fun of war stops for a while, I still have 1 Indian war at hand.
I use this last chance to suck up some AE that I would not have taken otherwise.
More countries join the coalition, but it does not really matter.
After that, I focus on the vassal maneuvers.
Morocco and the Timurids are vassalized, and I annexed 4 of my other minions: England, Algiers, Timurids and Delhi.
To my surprise, diplo-annexation of both vassals and PUs generate substantial AE to the countries near my capital.
Serbia and Hungary are pissed enough to join the anti-Ottoman coalition.
So I have to be aware of one more thing when I annex vassals.
Another benefit of having a regency council is that you know when exactly it will end, and the legitimacy will reset after the end of the period.
So you can do everything that costs legitimacy, yet suffering no real consequences after the Sultan is of age.
Changing government takes a heavy toll on legitimacy. This regency council is the perfect moment for me to switch.
The +1 annual legitimacy and -1% prestige decay are more important than the -10% diplomatic point cost for taking provinces in peace deals.
That's why I choose to change to constitutional monarchy during this regency.
Idea-wise, I have finally completed the expansion idea group, and started the aristocratic group with the slot opened by admin tech 22.
After the regency, I can have more freedom expanding in Asia, and I will soon get another diplomat for the relation improvement, vassal management and war management.
As the end of the regency approaches, I position my armies in striking positions, and make last-minute diplomatic efforts to strengthen my position.
Another wave of wars is imminent...
Timeline
March 1665 - June 1666: 2nd Ottoman Purge of Khorasani Heresy. Gwalior is fully annexed by Ottomans. Khorasan cedes Herat to Ottomans.
June 1665: Orhan II dies. A 3-2-0 regent will take charge for the next 15 years on behalf of Ahmed II, born in March 1665.
January 1667: The Expansion idea group is completed. The Overseas Expansion CB is unlocked.
March 1667: Morocco becomes an Ottoman vassal.
January 1669: The annexations of Granada and Algiers begin.
May 1670: The Timurids become an Ottoman vassal.
July 1670: The annexations of England and Delhi begin.
January 1673: Admin tech 22 is acquired. The Aristocratic idea group is unlocked.
Febraury 1674: Delhi is integrated into the Ottoman realm.
October 1674: England and Algiers are integrated into the Ottoman realm.
November 1674: Ottomans form an alliance with Brandenburg.
March 1675: Granada is integrated into the Ottoman realm.
July 1675: The government form of Ottomans change from Despotic Monarchy to Constitutional Monarchy.
March 1679 - : Ottomans is at war with Denmark by honouring their alliance with Brandenburg.
March 1680: Ahmed II is of age. The regency council ends.
Events of interest
1. Vassal management
Vassal is the main theme for the regency period.
The free legitimacy on the ascension of Ahmed makes it desirable for me to do important things that costs legitimacy during the regency. One of them is vassal annexation.
In the period 1669-1675, all of my 4 diplomats are devoted to vassal/PU annexation. The vassals/PUs involved are England, Granada, Algiers and Delhi.
Before the start of the annexations, I have acquired 2 more vassals.
The Timurid Khanate is acquired relatively easily:
Morocco is a much closer business, and is only possible due to the +5 diplomatic reputation from event.
Even the Ottomans does not have diplomatic NIs, getting large vassals is still possible when enough trust is built up.
In this case, enforcing peace on Morocco's behalf back in the 1450s gives just enough trust for this vassalization to take place.
The rest of the +13 diplomatic reputation is a combination of my choice, effort and luck, and this is a breakdown of the factors:
With Morocco vassalized, North Africa is bascially settled. I will have one less front to worry about in the final years.
2. Technology, ideas and government form
The progress of technology and ideas is the same in the regency period, but with no more new wars, these issues naturally becomes the important matters of the era.
In January 1667, I finally complete the Expansion idea group. This gives a 50% AE casus belli on all states in Asia.
For some reason, OPM Kazakh cannot be targeted by this CB.
In January 1673, I get admin tech 22, unlocking a new idea group. I pick Aristocracy for a diplomat and some decent military bonuses.
Another benefit for admin tech 22 is that constitutional monarchy is now available.
Despite the cheaper diplomatic point cost for despotic monarchy, the +1 legitimacy is too attractive to be missed.
And if the government form is to be changed, it is better changed within this regency, as the legitimacy cost will be offset once Ahmed ascends to the throne.
It is changed in July 1675:
The stage is now set for the coming waves of vassal annexations. If I can get Diwani Script, then I will be able the maximize my legitimacy gain.
3. Religious conversions
With the annexations of England and Delhi, I have a few dozens of provinces waiting to be converted.
There are no spectacularly rich provinces, so I do not need to stack every missionary strength bonus.
For instance, this is enough to convert the 11 base tax Central Doab:
The conversions will take a couple of decades to complete, but there will be no insurmountable barriers.
4. Brandenburg calls us to arms!
The only reason that I join the war is to farm trust. For every call to arms that I respond to, I gain 2 trust to every country that I know.
I hope that enough trust will be built up to allow me diplo-vassalize Mali, Swahili and Aceh.
I will not commit myself to the war though; I am not really interested in it.
While the state of war will continue for a few years, it does not matter; the regency is about to end, and I am about the start my own war...
Final remarks
The regency do slow down my progress. For instance, I could have established my first foothold in China 5-10 years earlier.
But having a regency from time to time is somehow beneficial to myself.
The relative peace in the years force me to take a break and re-organize the mess that I have created through the years of warfare and scheming.
Now that my diplomatic relations are released, I am able to work on a really ambitious project.
The alliance with Brandenburg since 1674 is the first step, and this is the second:
By now, you should have an idea of what I am going to do...
This is the map of the Ottoman Empire in 1680.
Summary for the period 1665-1680
So it begins. 15 years of regency. 15 years of no war declaration.
Before the fun of war stops for a while, I still have 1 Indian war at hand.
I use this last chance to suck up some AE that I would not have taken otherwise.
More countries join the coalition, but it does not really matter.
After that, I focus on the vassal maneuvers.
Morocco and the Timurids are vassalized, and I annexed 4 of my other minions: England, Algiers, Timurids and Delhi.
To my surprise, diplo-annexation of both vassals and PUs generate substantial AE to the countries near my capital.
Serbia and Hungary are pissed enough to join the anti-Ottoman coalition.
So I have to be aware of one more thing when I annex vassals.
Another benefit of having a regency council is that you know when exactly it will end, and the legitimacy will reset after the end of the period.
So you can do everything that costs legitimacy, yet suffering no real consequences after the Sultan is of age.
Changing government takes a heavy toll on legitimacy. This regency council is the perfect moment for me to switch.
The +1 annual legitimacy and -1% prestige decay are more important than the -10% diplomatic point cost for taking provinces in peace deals.
That's why I choose to change to constitutional monarchy during this regency.
Idea-wise, I have finally completed the expansion idea group, and started the aristocratic group with the slot opened by admin tech 22.
After the regency, I can have more freedom expanding in Asia, and I will soon get another diplomat for the relation improvement, vassal management and war management.
As the end of the regency approaches, I position my armies in striking positions, and make last-minute diplomatic efforts to strengthen my position.
Another wave of wars is imminent...
Timeline
March 1665 - June 1666: 2nd Ottoman Purge of Khorasani Heresy. Gwalior is fully annexed by Ottomans. Khorasan cedes Herat to Ottomans.
June 1665: Orhan II dies. A 3-2-0 regent will take charge for the next 15 years on behalf of Ahmed II, born in March 1665.
January 1667: The Expansion idea group is completed. The Overseas Expansion CB is unlocked.
March 1667: Morocco becomes an Ottoman vassal.
January 1669: The annexations of Granada and Algiers begin.
May 1670: The Timurids become an Ottoman vassal.
July 1670: The annexations of England and Delhi begin.
January 1673: Admin tech 22 is acquired. The Aristocratic idea group is unlocked.
Febraury 1674: Delhi is integrated into the Ottoman realm.
October 1674: England and Algiers are integrated into the Ottoman realm.
November 1674: Ottomans form an alliance with Brandenburg.
March 1675: Granada is integrated into the Ottoman realm.
July 1675: The government form of Ottomans change from Despotic Monarchy to Constitutional Monarchy.
March 1679 - : Ottomans is at war with Denmark by honouring their alliance with Brandenburg.
March 1680: Ahmed II is of age. The regency council ends.
Events of interest
1. Vassal management
Vassal is the main theme for the regency period.
The free legitimacy on the ascension of Ahmed makes it desirable for me to do important things that costs legitimacy during the regency. One of them is vassal annexation.
In the period 1669-1675, all of my 4 diplomats are devoted to vassal/PU annexation. The vassals/PUs involved are England, Granada, Algiers and Delhi.
Before the start of the annexations, I have acquired 2 more vassals.
The Timurid Khanate is acquired relatively easily:
Morocco is a much closer business, and is only possible due to the +5 diplomatic reputation from event.
Even the Ottomans does not have diplomatic NIs, getting large vassals is still possible when enough trust is built up.
In this case, enforcing peace on Morocco's behalf back in the 1450s gives just enough trust for this vassalization to take place.
The rest of the +13 diplomatic reputation is a combination of my choice, effort and luck, and this is a breakdown of the factors:
With Morocco vassalized, North Africa is bascially settled. I will have one less front to worry about in the final years.
2. Technology, ideas and government form
The progress of technology and ideas is the same in the regency period, but with no more new wars, these issues naturally becomes the important matters of the era.
In January 1667, I finally complete the Expansion idea group. This gives a 50% AE casus belli on all states in Asia.
For some reason, OPM Kazakh cannot be targeted by this CB.
In January 1673, I get admin tech 22, unlocking a new idea group. I pick Aristocracy for a diplomat and some decent military bonuses.
Another benefit for admin tech 22 is that constitutional monarchy is now available.
Despite the cheaper diplomatic point cost for despotic monarchy, the +1 legitimacy is too attractive to be missed.
And if the government form is to be changed, it is better changed within this regency, as the legitimacy cost will be offset once Ahmed ascends to the throne.
It is changed in July 1675:
The stage is now set for the coming waves of vassal annexations. If I can get Diwani Script, then I will be able the maximize my legitimacy gain.
3. Religious conversions
With the annexations of England and Delhi, I have a few dozens of provinces waiting to be converted.
There are no spectacularly rich provinces, so I do not need to stack every missionary strength bonus.
For instance, this is enough to convert the 11 base tax Central Doab:
The conversions will take a couple of decades to complete, but there will be no insurmountable barriers.
4. Brandenburg calls us to arms!
The only reason that I join the war is to farm trust. For every call to arms that I respond to, I gain 2 trust to every country that I know.
I hope that enough trust will be built up to allow me diplo-vassalize Mali, Swahili and Aceh.
I will not commit myself to the war though; I am not really interested in it.
While the state of war will continue for a few years, it does not matter; the regency is about to end, and I am about the start my own war...
Final remarks
The regency do slow down my progress. For instance, I could have established my first foothold in China 5-10 years earlier.
But having a regency from time to time is somehow beneficial to myself.
The relative peace in the years force me to take a break and re-organize the mess that I have created through the years of warfare and scheming.
Now that my diplomatic relations are released, I am able to work on a really ambitious project.
The alliance with Brandenburg since 1674 is the first step, and this is the second:
By now, you should have an idea of what I am going to do...
This is the map of the Ottoman Empire in 1680.
Do you use your Sultan's as generals? I've had spectacularly short lived Kings in my French AAR. I'm on King number eighteen in the 1750's.
Caught up and subbed.
Shouldn't you be getting at least some foothold on China and East Asia?
Shouldn't you be getting at least some foothold on China and East Asia?
You got the idea
Usually, I convert the sultans to generals only after the heir has grown up. If the heir is not as good as the sultan, then the sultan will not become a general.
My plan is to use the Overseas Expansion CB for a foothold; the Expansion idea group is not complete until the first years of the long regency, so I still haven't got a chance to use the CB. The next chapter will see some action in East Asia.
Chapter 25: A Decade of Actions, and the Fall of an Empire
Featured events
1. Dismantling the HRE
The HRE question is one that every world conqueror needs to answer to.
Even though I have given up the glorious goal, dealing with the HRE is a necessary ritual that I have to perform.
There are 3 solutions: dismantle it, let it unite, and unite it yourself.
As far as I know, every successful world conquest after 1.2 requires uniting the Holy Roman Empire.
As a Muslim country, it is impossible for the Ottomans to do that, so I do not have this option.
Nor do I want to be another HRE. (For some reason, I am mildly offended by the idea of uniting the HRE; enough to prevent myself from doing so in a WC attempt)
So it is either accelerating the unification, or to dismantle the empire.
The former option is impossible for me, as the Imperial throne has been occupied by minors for centuries, and even 100 Imperial Authority is not enough to get the third reform passed.
The fact that Austria was not able to be the emperor for even once in the past 150 years is a mystery to me.
Half of the reason is the 2 Archduchesses, the younger one (Maria Theresa II) still ruling the country. Perhaps the other half is pure chance.
Anyway, there is no hope for the Empire to consolidate enough in another century.
This leaves me only 1 solution. Get the HRE dismantled.
At first glance, this seems to be prohibitive.
The capital of the Emperor needs to be occupied, and all the 7 electors cannot remain 'independent'.
The aritifical rule banning war declaration to HRE members when at war with the Emperor can make the whole affair very tricky.
Luckily, there is one usable trick. It lies in the condition for the electors.
An alliance is enough to fulfil the requirement for an elector.
So my plan goes like this: form alliances with the electors, even those allied with the emperor.
Then declare war on one of the emperor's allies, and drag the emperor to war.
The empire can then be dismantled by simply occupying the capital of the emperor.
The greatest merit for this plan is the simplicity of the diplomatic maneuvers, thus minimizing the chance of things going wrong.
But it comes with a big price: lots of diplomatic points will be drained in the process for going over the diplomatic relations limit.
It is a sacrifice that I will have to make.
I would have dismantled the HRE a few decades earlier, if Austria has not vassalized the elector Saxony.
This means while Austria have Saxony as a vassal, fighting Austria is one of the things that I need to do to dismantle the HRE.
But I know that Austria will annex Saxony, so I just set the issue aside and focus on other things during the wait.
In August 1688, it finally happens:
I have already allied with Trier and Brandenburg, and now I can proceed to the rest.
Meanwhile, the Palantinate appoints Freisland as the new elector, knowing that Freisland with support them for the Imperial throne.
In December 1688, everything is ready.
And the launch button:
The Swedish army is wrecking havoc to my troops, but my superior numbers and high morale eventually overpowers the Swedes.
When I am counting down for the siege of the Palatinate capital, Freisland has taken my alliance too seriously and decide to sabotage my plan:
With my ally Austria and a few other electors on the other side, I have to refuse their call.
While I will carry on my war with Sweden, some measures must be taken against the Palatinate.
After occupying the Palatinate capital, I force the Palatinate to break their alliances with Austria and the other electors.
A few months later, I sign my peace with Sweden, releasing Finland and returning a couple of Norwegian provinces.
Now it's the time to utilize the short window of the second chance.
Firstly, I declare war on Russia, and call Brandenburg, Bohemia and Austria to arms.
Then I directly declare war on the Palatinate without a casus belli:
The price is one province worth of AE and 4 points of stability. But I get exactly what I want.
Freisland honours their alliance with the Palatinate, and joins the war.
In December 1692, I have finally occupied the capitals of Freisland and the Palantinate, leading to this monumental event:
This is the coup de grace of the semi-defunct HRE. Now there is one less claimant of Roman descent in this world.
I no longer need to be afraid of the obscure HRE mechanics being an obstacle to my further expansion.
Things will start slow, but the momentum will eventually build up.
2. The First Wars in China
Due to the long regency, the first invasion of China is delayed for a decade.
My first plan for the region is to create a Shun vassal and force Ming to give up all the Shun cores.
Since the Shun cores are going to expire in 1694, and the only way to extend the deadline is to have Shun fighting against Ming, I have to start 2 wars with Ming before 1694.
After an Indian war, I start my plan for the Orient.
The first step is fleet basing rights from Korea:
This ensures the safety of my fleet in the seazones adjacent to Ming.
Then I can launch an invasion army to the theatre.
The first war is declared in August 1683.
Since I only have a 30k army for the war, I choose to split my army into 2 15k stacks, siege important provinces, and defeat any armies that are in my way.
In September 1685, I accumulate enough warscore to make Ming cede the 2 river estuary provinces to me:
Shun is immediately created from the 2 provinces. Nanjing is a much more sensible capital, but the AI or RNG decides that Jinan is the better choice.
The 5-year truce prevents me from further action in the theatre for the next few years.
In July 1691, I declare another war on Ming, this time to give Shun a power base to work on. Japan has been wrecking havoc in the Ming heartland, so Ming is caught unprepared:
This war declaration ensures the safety of the Shun cores:
This time, the Ming military is almost non-existent, so I can split my 30k stack into 4, resulting in faster progress.
In 15 months' time, I already have enough warscore to secure another 3 provinces for Shun.
My diplomatic points are running low due to the need to form alliances with electors for dismantling the HRE, so I do not press further for more. So...
This is only the beginning. In the next few decades, the cores of Shun will be acquired in a few more wars, and Northern China will be held firmly in Ottoman hands.
3. The Struggles of France
After a series of defeats to the Ottomans, France loses all influences outside the French region, but is still the strongest French power.
In an attempt to restore its former glory, France occassionally lanuches war of reconquest to the other French states.
In around 1580, France starts a war of reconquest against Burgundy.
My long-term plan for the region is to make France my vassal. I have to do everything that I can to prevent France from regaining provinces.
I boost my relations with Burgundy to +100, and enforce peace for them in August 1682. France naturally rejects my demand, and the result:
It is a defensive war for me, and taking provinces from any enemy has 75% AE cost.
As the 2 Sicilian provinces are requirements for the "Unify Islam" decision, I decide to sacrifice more progress in France for the 2 provinces.
I spend some extra time to have my armies deal with Tuscany and Naples after I eliminate the French as a threat. Separate peace treaties are signed with each of them.
And Tuscany receives a white peace in January 1685.
My relative neglect to France is compensated by the War of Hungarian Succession, declared on Provence by France:
Provence has a solid power base, and with France weakened by the recent war, Provence is able to take on France 1 vs 1.
Together with the help from Hungary, Provence wins the war convincingly.
In August 1688, France agrees to concede 2 provinces to Provence:
With only 12 provinces left, France's status as the dominant French power is no longer secure. It is likely for France to be overtaken by Provence in another war or two.
And I will do my best to accelerate the progress.
Summary for the period 1680-1692
After 15 years of regency, Ahmed II is finally of age. Many theatres demand my attention.
So there are lots of action everywhere. The plans for France, Sweden, Russia, India and China are already delayed for a decade, and there is no time to lose.
Wars are conducted in all those theatres. Many of them see promising progresses.
The war with France, Tuscany and Naples result in the Ottomans seizing 2 Sicilian provinces to Ottomans, and France losing 4 provinces to its neighbours.
The 2 wars with Russia renders Russia one war from being fully annexed.
The 2 wars with Ming result in the creation of a respectable Shun vassal, while preserving the Shun cores before their expiration in 1694.
The war with Sweden result in the release of Finland and more cores returned to Norway.
The wars with Malwa sees the return of many cores to my vassal Mewar.
In addition, there are some miscellaneous conquests in Central Asia and North America.
At the same time, the Ottomans form a series of alliances with the electors of HRE, and manages to win over every elector except the Palantinate, who holds the HRE throne as well.
The war with Sweden draws in the Palatinate, and the HRE is months from being disbanded.
Except the Friesland expects too much from us, and starts a war that will draw in Austria and the other electors.
I have to settle for peace with the Palantinate, and then break truce and start the war again, which fortunately also draws Freisland into war.
The HRE is finally dismantled in December 1692, after the occupation of the capitals of Freisland and the Palatinate.
In the same month, Ahmed II unexpectedly dies at the young age of 27. Ibrahim is only 8, and the next 6 years will be spent in another regency.
Timeline
March 1679 - July 1682: Assisting Brandenburg in a war against Denmark. It is a victory, but no direct gains for Ottomans.
March 1680: Ahmed II is of age, and the long regency ends. A 5-1-5 Mustafa becomes the heir to the throne.
April 1680 - August 1681: Ottoman Conquest of Malwa. 1st usage of Overseas Expansion CB. Malwa cedes Bihar to Ottomans, and returns 5 cores to Mewar.
May 1680 - March 1682: Ottoman Jihad against Perm. Tver is the only notable ally. Tver cedes Rzhev to Ottomans, and Tver to Novgorod. Tver ceases to exist after the war.
February 1681 - December 1682: 8th Ottoman Jihad against Russia. Russia cedes Ingermanland and Murom to Ottomans, renounces 2 cores, and pays ducats.
March 1681: Mustafa dies by event.
(January 1682: A 4-5-3 Selim becomes the heir to the throne. Only that a CTD happens almost immediately, and it is as if the heir never existed.)
August 1682 - August 1685: Peace is enforced on France on behalf of Burgundy. France rejects. Ottomans joins war. Naples cedes Pelermo and Messina to Ottomans, while France gives up 4 provinces.
August 1683 - late 1684: Assisting Brandenburg in a war against Bremen. It is a victory, but no direct gains for Ottomans.
August 1683 - September 1685: Ottoman Conquest of Ming. Ming cedes Nanjing and Jinan to Ottomans. Shun is immediately created from the 2 provinces.
March 1684: A 1-4-1 Ibrahim becomes the heir to the throne.
April 1685 - August 1688: War of Hungarian Succession between France and Provence. France cedes Nemours and Limousin to Provence.
June 1686: Scheming Bureaucracy event. Chooses to preserve the monarchy.
August 1686 - April 1688: 2nd Ottoman Conquest of Malwa. Malwa cedes Bundelkhand and Jharkland to Ottomans, and returns 4 cores to Mewar.
October 1686 - June 1688: Ottoman Conquest of Barqa. Tripoli cedes Barqa, Sirt and Tripoli to Ottomans, and Serbia releases Bosnia.
December 1686 - May 1688: Ottoman Conqeust of Chagatai. Khorasan returns 2 cores to Timurids, and Chagatai returns 4 cores to Timurids.
January 1687 - June 1687: Ottoman Conquest of Shawanee. Shawanee cedes Tuskegee and Chickasaw to Ottomans.
August 1688: Austria annexes elector Saxony.
August 1688: France converts to Protestant faith.
November 1688: The PU of Provence and Hungary dissolves.
December 1688 - December 1690: Ottoman Jihad against Sweden. The Palatinate severes ties with several electors. Sweden cedes Blekinge to Ottomans, returns 2 cores to Norway, and releases Finland.
March 1689: Freisland calls Ottomans to arms in a war against Utrecht, involving Austria and several other electors on the other side. Ottomans refused the call.
January 1691 - October 1692: 9th Ottoman Jihad against Russia. Successfully drawn Austria, Brandenburg and Bohemia to the war. Russia cedes Moskva to Ottomans.
June 1691 - December 1692: War of Ottoman Aggression against Palatinate. Freisland is the ally joining Palatinate's side. The Palatinate concedes defeat to Ottomans.
July 1691 - October 1692: 2nd Ottoman Conquest of Ming. Ming cedes Kaifeng and returns 2 cores to Shun. The Shun cores in Ming are preserved before the 1694 deadline.
December 1692: The Holy Roman Empire is dismantled.
December 1692: Ahmed II dies at the age of 27. A 4-0-4 regent rules the country for the next 6 years, on behalf of the underage Ibrahim.
Final remarks
These 12 years have been very busy for me. There are so much that can be done, and I am quite pleased with the results that I have achieved.
France, Sweden and Russia will continue to be my major targets in the west, while Serbia may be a good candidate for another vassal.
Regency is always unpleasant, but if there has to be a 6 year regency in the time period, I am lucky enough not to have it until I finish a few important steps.
If it comes 2 years earlier, then my plan for the HRE and China will be completely sabotaged.
Having it come the month I dismantle the HRE, and I can regard the 6 years as a chance to consolidate my gains, and to plan for more actions in the future.
Everything is progressing nicely.
Featured events
1. Dismantling the HRE
The HRE question is one that every world conqueror needs to answer to.
Even though I have given up the glorious goal, dealing with the HRE is a necessary ritual that I have to perform.
There are 3 solutions: dismantle it, let it unite, and unite it yourself.
As far as I know, every successful world conquest after 1.2 requires uniting the Holy Roman Empire.
As a Muslim country, it is impossible for the Ottomans to do that, so I do not have this option.
Nor do I want to be another HRE. (For some reason, I am mildly offended by the idea of uniting the HRE; enough to prevent myself from doing so in a WC attempt)
So it is either accelerating the unification, or to dismantle the empire.
The former option is impossible for me, as the Imperial throne has been occupied by minors for centuries, and even 100 Imperial Authority is not enough to get the third reform passed.
The fact that Austria was not able to be the emperor for even once in the past 150 years is a mystery to me.
Half of the reason is the 2 Archduchesses, the younger one (Maria Theresa II) still ruling the country. Perhaps the other half is pure chance.
Anyway, there is no hope for the Empire to consolidate enough in another century.
This leaves me only 1 solution. Get the HRE dismantled.
At first glance, this seems to be prohibitive.
The capital of the Emperor needs to be occupied, and all the 7 electors cannot remain 'independent'.
The aritifical rule banning war declaration to HRE members when at war with the Emperor can make the whole affair very tricky.
Luckily, there is one usable trick. It lies in the condition for the electors.
An alliance is enough to fulfil the requirement for an elector.
So my plan goes like this: form alliances with the electors, even those allied with the emperor.
Then declare war on one of the emperor's allies, and drag the emperor to war.
The empire can then be dismantled by simply occupying the capital of the emperor.
The greatest merit for this plan is the simplicity of the diplomatic maneuvers, thus minimizing the chance of things going wrong.
But it comes with a big price: lots of diplomatic points will be drained in the process for going over the diplomatic relations limit.
It is a sacrifice that I will have to make.
I would have dismantled the HRE a few decades earlier, if Austria has not vassalized the elector Saxony.
This means while Austria have Saxony as a vassal, fighting Austria is one of the things that I need to do to dismantle the HRE.
But I know that Austria will annex Saxony, so I just set the issue aside and focus on other things during the wait.
In August 1688, it finally happens:
I have already allied with Trier and Brandenburg, and now I can proceed to the rest.
Meanwhile, the Palantinate appoints Freisland as the new elector, knowing that Freisland with support them for the Imperial throne.
In December 1688, everything is ready.
And the launch button:
The Swedish army is wrecking havoc to my troops, but my superior numbers and high morale eventually overpowers the Swedes.
When I am counting down for the siege of the Palatinate capital, Freisland has taken my alliance too seriously and decide to sabotage my plan:
With my ally Austria and a few other electors on the other side, I have to refuse their call.
While I will carry on my war with Sweden, some measures must be taken against the Palatinate.
After occupying the Palatinate capital, I force the Palatinate to break their alliances with Austria and the other electors.
A few months later, I sign my peace with Sweden, releasing Finland and returning a couple of Norwegian provinces.
Now it's the time to utilize the short window of the second chance.
Firstly, I declare war on Russia, and call Brandenburg, Bohemia and Austria to arms.
Then I directly declare war on the Palatinate without a casus belli:
The price is one province worth of AE and 4 points of stability. But I get exactly what I want.
Freisland honours their alliance with the Palatinate, and joins the war.
In December 1692, I have finally occupied the capitals of Freisland and the Palantinate, leading to this monumental event:
This is the coup de grace of the semi-defunct HRE. Now there is one less claimant of Roman descent in this world.
I no longer need to be afraid of the obscure HRE mechanics being an obstacle to my further expansion.
Things will start slow, but the momentum will eventually build up.
2. The First Wars in China
Due to the long regency, the first invasion of China is delayed for a decade.
My first plan for the region is to create a Shun vassal and force Ming to give up all the Shun cores.
Since the Shun cores are going to expire in 1694, and the only way to extend the deadline is to have Shun fighting against Ming, I have to start 2 wars with Ming before 1694.
After an Indian war, I start my plan for the Orient.
The first step is fleet basing rights from Korea:
This ensures the safety of my fleet in the seazones adjacent to Ming.
Then I can launch an invasion army to the theatre.
The first war is declared in August 1683.
Since I only have a 30k army for the war, I choose to split my army into 2 15k stacks, siege important provinces, and defeat any armies that are in my way.
In September 1685, I accumulate enough warscore to make Ming cede the 2 river estuary provinces to me:
Shun is immediately created from the 2 provinces. Nanjing is a much more sensible capital, but the AI or RNG decides that Jinan is the better choice.
The 5-year truce prevents me from further action in the theatre for the next few years.
In July 1691, I declare another war on Ming, this time to give Shun a power base to work on. Japan has been wrecking havoc in the Ming heartland, so Ming is caught unprepared:
This war declaration ensures the safety of the Shun cores:
This time, the Ming military is almost non-existent, so I can split my 30k stack into 4, resulting in faster progress.
In 15 months' time, I already have enough warscore to secure another 3 provinces for Shun.
My diplomatic points are running low due to the need to form alliances with electors for dismantling the HRE, so I do not press further for more. So...
This is only the beginning. In the next few decades, the cores of Shun will be acquired in a few more wars, and Northern China will be held firmly in Ottoman hands.
3. The Struggles of France
After a series of defeats to the Ottomans, France loses all influences outside the French region, but is still the strongest French power.
In an attempt to restore its former glory, France occassionally lanuches war of reconquest to the other French states.
In around 1580, France starts a war of reconquest against Burgundy.
My long-term plan for the region is to make France my vassal. I have to do everything that I can to prevent France from regaining provinces.
I boost my relations with Burgundy to +100, and enforce peace for them in August 1682. France naturally rejects my demand, and the result:
It is a defensive war for me, and taking provinces from any enemy has 75% AE cost.
As the 2 Sicilian provinces are requirements for the "Unify Islam" decision, I decide to sacrifice more progress in France for the 2 provinces.
I spend some extra time to have my armies deal with Tuscany and Naples after I eliminate the French as a threat. Separate peace treaties are signed with each of them.
And Tuscany receives a white peace in January 1685.
My relative neglect to France is compensated by the War of Hungarian Succession, declared on Provence by France:
Provence has a solid power base, and with France weakened by the recent war, Provence is able to take on France 1 vs 1.
Together with the help from Hungary, Provence wins the war convincingly.
In August 1688, France agrees to concede 2 provinces to Provence:
With only 12 provinces left, France's status as the dominant French power is no longer secure. It is likely for France to be overtaken by Provence in another war or two.
And I will do my best to accelerate the progress.
Summary for the period 1680-1692
After 15 years of regency, Ahmed II is finally of age. Many theatres demand my attention.
So there are lots of action everywhere. The plans for France, Sweden, Russia, India and China are already delayed for a decade, and there is no time to lose.
Wars are conducted in all those theatres. Many of them see promising progresses.
The war with France, Tuscany and Naples result in the Ottomans seizing 2 Sicilian provinces to Ottomans, and France losing 4 provinces to its neighbours.
The 2 wars with Russia renders Russia one war from being fully annexed.
The 2 wars with Ming result in the creation of a respectable Shun vassal, while preserving the Shun cores before their expiration in 1694.
The war with Sweden result in the release of Finland and more cores returned to Norway.
The wars with Malwa sees the return of many cores to my vassal Mewar.
In addition, there are some miscellaneous conquests in Central Asia and North America.
At the same time, the Ottomans form a series of alliances with the electors of HRE, and manages to win over every elector except the Palantinate, who holds the HRE throne as well.
The war with Sweden draws in the Palatinate, and the HRE is months from being disbanded.
Except the Friesland expects too much from us, and starts a war that will draw in Austria and the other electors.
I have to settle for peace with the Palantinate, and then break truce and start the war again, which fortunately also draws Freisland into war.
The HRE is finally dismantled in December 1692, after the occupation of the capitals of Freisland and the Palatinate.
In the same month, Ahmed II unexpectedly dies at the young age of 27. Ibrahim is only 8, and the next 6 years will be spent in another regency.
Timeline
March 1679 - July 1682: Assisting Brandenburg in a war against Denmark. It is a victory, but no direct gains for Ottomans.
March 1680: Ahmed II is of age, and the long regency ends. A 5-1-5 Mustafa becomes the heir to the throne.
April 1680 - August 1681: Ottoman Conquest of Malwa. 1st usage of Overseas Expansion CB. Malwa cedes Bihar to Ottomans, and returns 5 cores to Mewar.
May 1680 - March 1682: Ottoman Jihad against Perm. Tver is the only notable ally. Tver cedes Rzhev to Ottomans, and Tver to Novgorod. Tver ceases to exist after the war.
February 1681 - December 1682: 8th Ottoman Jihad against Russia. Russia cedes Ingermanland and Murom to Ottomans, renounces 2 cores, and pays ducats.
March 1681: Mustafa dies by event.
(January 1682: A 4-5-3 Selim becomes the heir to the throne. Only that a CTD happens almost immediately, and it is as if the heir never existed.)
August 1682 - August 1685: Peace is enforced on France on behalf of Burgundy. France rejects. Ottomans joins war. Naples cedes Pelermo and Messina to Ottomans, while France gives up 4 provinces.
August 1683 - late 1684: Assisting Brandenburg in a war against Bremen. It is a victory, but no direct gains for Ottomans.
August 1683 - September 1685: Ottoman Conquest of Ming. Ming cedes Nanjing and Jinan to Ottomans. Shun is immediately created from the 2 provinces.
March 1684: A 1-4-1 Ibrahim becomes the heir to the throne.
April 1685 - August 1688: War of Hungarian Succession between France and Provence. France cedes Nemours and Limousin to Provence.
June 1686: Scheming Bureaucracy event. Chooses to preserve the monarchy.
August 1686 - April 1688: 2nd Ottoman Conquest of Malwa. Malwa cedes Bundelkhand and Jharkland to Ottomans, and returns 4 cores to Mewar.
October 1686 - June 1688: Ottoman Conquest of Barqa. Tripoli cedes Barqa, Sirt and Tripoli to Ottomans, and Serbia releases Bosnia.
December 1686 - May 1688: Ottoman Conqeust of Chagatai. Khorasan returns 2 cores to Timurids, and Chagatai returns 4 cores to Timurids.
January 1687 - June 1687: Ottoman Conquest of Shawanee. Shawanee cedes Tuskegee and Chickasaw to Ottomans.
August 1688: Austria annexes elector Saxony.
August 1688: France converts to Protestant faith.
November 1688: The PU of Provence and Hungary dissolves.
December 1688 - December 1690: Ottoman Jihad against Sweden. The Palatinate severes ties with several electors. Sweden cedes Blekinge to Ottomans, returns 2 cores to Norway, and releases Finland.
March 1689: Freisland calls Ottomans to arms in a war against Utrecht, involving Austria and several other electors on the other side. Ottomans refused the call.
January 1691 - October 1692: 9th Ottoman Jihad against Russia. Successfully drawn Austria, Brandenburg and Bohemia to the war. Russia cedes Moskva to Ottomans.
June 1691 - December 1692: War of Ottoman Aggression against Palatinate. Freisland is the ally joining Palatinate's side. The Palatinate concedes defeat to Ottomans.
July 1691 - October 1692: 2nd Ottoman Conquest of Ming. Ming cedes Kaifeng and returns 2 cores to Shun. The Shun cores in Ming are preserved before the 1694 deadline.
December 1692: The Holy Roman Empire is dismantled.
December 1692: Ahmed II dies at the age of 27. A 4-0-4 regent rules the country for the next 6 years, on behalf of the underage Ibrahim.
Final remarks
These 12 years have been very busy for me. There are so much that can be done, and I am quite pleased with the results that I have achieved.
France, Sweden and Russia will continue to be my major targets in the west, while Serbia may be a good candidate for another vassal.
Regency is always unpleasant, but if there has to be a 6 year regency in the time period, I am lucky enough not to have it until I finish a few important steps.
If it comes 2 years earlier, then my plan for the HRE and China will be completely sabotaged.
Having it come the month I dismantle the HRE, and I can regard the 6 years as a chance to consolidate my gains, and to plan for more actions in the future.
Everything is progressing nicely.
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What are the penalties for Ottoman's not being able to take the HRE?
-1000 from being Sunni?
So you could make every elector Sunni, make every state Sunni.
By vassal/annex/release
Also, need some pictures of religious/economical, etc map modes
-1000 from being Sunni?
So you could make every elector Sunni, make every state Sunni.
By vassal/annex/release
Also, need some pictures of religious/economical, etc map modes
Thanks for encouragement, though I am not sure what you are referring to. This rate of conquest is nowhere fast enough to wipe out every country in the map, though there is still a chance for me to achieve all of my modified objectives. Or are you talking about the dismantling of HRE?
How many nations are there fighting for freedom against the blobomans?
I have no data for the 1692 scenario. The number is 100 (not counting my vassals) in 1653. It has not reduced much since then, partly due to the release of new French minors.
Seeing that the emperor has the power to appoint new electors, and electors will lose their status on annexation, I can't see how I can create Sunni electors without becoming emperor first. It may be possible if there are less than 7 states in the empire, but that would require an extended period of heavy intervention of the HRE politics, which is the very thing that I want to avoid in the first place. I cannot see any benefit for a non-Christian state to try to become the emperor.
I have only taken global screenshots for the 50 year reports. The next ones were taken for the 1706 report. It would be great if you can tell me what additional information you feel interested in compared with the 1653 report, and I will try my best to add the relevant details in the coming country report.
Nice solving of the HRE problem. Now you can probably conquer all european minors before times runs out, I guess.
Is there any way to speed up those conquests?
Is there any way to speed up those conquests?
Ah that was a dumb mistake by me, what about converting provinces then selling them (assuming they are of the same culture) and then supporting rebels. Boom, sunni electors
Also it would be great if you could start/retroactively put your posts in spoiler mode because loading all the images always makes my page scroll up which is very frustrating sometimes.
I would love to see an economical map mode, and a culture map mode (of both you and of the world curious to see the change from 1444). Also the coalitions page would be interesting to see how many people are in versus you or someone else.
This may work. Maybe an Ottoman -> HRE world conquest is possible after all. I will not try this approach (for I am fed up with another screenshot showing the HRE ruling the world), but it seems to be viable.
This is a piece a good advice. I will start to spoiler the less important screenshots from now on.
I can see nothing special in the economical map mode (just patches of green for the home continent provinces and gold mines, and shades of yellow and red in the colonies). Despite the fact that my economic build up is virtually non-existent.
For the culture, I have just taken screenshots for the culture groups that have seen major changes since 1444, and I will post them below.
A coalition map will be present in the next update.
The screenshots for cultures
German (for Austrian)
Scandinavian (for Swedish)
East Slavic (for Russian)
British (for English/American)
French (for Cosmopolitaine)
I am not showing Turkish because that would reveal my extent of colonization by 1770.
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In your last update, in the "3. Struggles with France" section, in the first picture (political view, 1582), Iberia looks like beautiful Rainbow Sherbet!
Sorry for missing your post last time. Unfortunately, the AE is really slowing me down, and what I can do, as a last act of defiance, is to break the hell loose in the last 2 decades of the game.
Yes, but unfortunately only for the western part of the peninsula. Aragon is still owning all of its starting provinces except the 2 Sicilian provinces. I will see if I can make it happen for the eastern part of the Iberian peninsular as well