1460-1490
Expansion in the HRE, the British Isles and the Western Mediterranean Sea
With our successful wars and gained land territory our manpower rose, thus making our army support bigger. New recruitments were taking place, and with our new armies we declared war on Burgundy, the last nation in France (except for France). Their other provinces were Holland, Luxembourg, Brabant and they controlled Friesen (which they would later annex). This brought us in to a war versus Mainz, Siena (which we couldn’t reach) and Scotland (which we also couldn’t reach). In September and October 1460 battles were fought and sieges initiated in Brabant, Luxembourg and Mainz. We would leave the Burgundian capital as rebel scum controlled it. The next month white peace was signed with Scotland. In May, 1461 enthusiasm for the navy happened to us, bringing us 5 warships. With our inflation (35%), aristocracy and land policies warships were at the price of 80 ducats each. In other words we got 400 d. In May we also set up a siege in Holland, so now we either besiege or control all of the Burgundian provinces. On the 26th June, Hungary annexed Siebenbürgen (diplomatically). The war continued and finally we captured the first province, Mainz. A week later, the 23d July, Charles VII died and his son Louis XI was chosen as the new king.
On the 5th August, Ottoman Empire annexed Tuscany, what they had there to do, I don’t know. Three months later, in October, we captured Brabant from Burgundy. In the first March in the new year Anhalt defected to Hannover from their former owners Bohemia. In April Ottoman Empire grow even stronger, this time they annex Albania. In the 6th of June we send our offer of peace: total annexation. What could they do, but accept? The 18th of the next month we capture Holland, we also sign white peace with Ragusa, Venice and the Papacy. In the beginning of December Mainz revolts and the darn revolters succeed with persuading the garrison, we lose the control to the province.
In the end of February following year another scandal at the court is a fact. Now all our neighbours must hate us. Same day Austria annexes the revolters of Mecklenburg. In the 17th of April peace is signed with Burgundy and we gain the Dutch provinces Holland and Brabant. Only Gelre and Friesen to go, and then we control all of the Dutch area. Well, know when we are at peace Jean Bureau thinks it’s time to die, and the tragic happening is a fact. In the 12th September 1463 Hungary annexes Croatia (diplomatically), they are getting really big! Well well, now when at peace it’s boring. Most of the time I beat down revolts, appoint tax collectors etc... Until the 2d October, when we declare war on England. We lose 3 in stability (I have no time nor money to send state gifts, enter royal marriage, claim throne and break royal marriage). On our side Eire joins, while Aragon, Navarra and Mantua join. By this time we’ve also built up a quite large Mediterranean fleet of 24 warships and 19 galleys. In Anglia, Bristol, Aragon, Gerona and Navarra forces are defeated and sieges started. Mantua, which we can’t reach, we sign a white peace with in the end of November. In December, a monopoly company is formed which gives me, I mean France 100 ducats.
In February we capture a province, but it’s not English, not Aragonese and not Navarran, no it’s our own province Mainz that was occupied by rebel scum. The 2d April, just a day after Fool’s day we discover Kurdistan and Ak Koyunlu. On the 1st May recruitments from southern England is sent to siege Yorkshire. Just a month later Bristol falls and the troops there move on to besiege Midlands. In the end of August 1464 Aragon falls, Valencia is next. In October also Gerona falls, they move on towards Catalonia while our fleet is winning many battles versus the Aragonese. Same day we get a great reputation, yeah right “hated by the entire world”, which is the opposite of scandal at court. On the 1st December, Yorkshire is captured and a month later Midlands, one month later again Wales surrenders. On the 17th May, Navarra is captured and precisely one month later also Valencia and Lancashire falls to our troops. The same day when Catalonia falls (5th August 1465) we sign peace with Aragon gaining all the provinces, except their capital, we control: Gerona, Catalonia, Valencia and a trading post somewhere on the Arabic Peninsula (Damman). In October the 14th our cities demand old right, more decentralised or stability will lessen by 3. We agree to their filthy demands. Three days later, Northumberland is captured. Now we should finally have a 100% war score. No? What the heck?! Aha! We forgot Lincoln! Well our armies rush to get there and the siege is started in late December.
On the 1st March our stability increases and Saxony declares independence from Bohemia. Our first settlers reach Damman on the 12th same month and establish a colony there. We were lucky, though it’s desert the settlers seem to be happy and the population growth is positive. A state gift is sent to Eire, but a month later when our relations are at 199+ they still reject to become our vassals.
Well, on the 19th June 1466, they give us an offer that we can’t refuse: Meath to Eire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Bristol, Northumberland, Wales and Lincoln to France. Midlands is the only province England keeps, except for its capital in Anglia. In August colonization attempt in Damman fails, and the cost of some 100 ducats is too high for it to be worthy. A month later enthusiasm for the navy happens us once again. Five warships, built for free in the English Channel. A bit later, on the 25th February 1468 we adjust our policies slightly more to serfdom (lower stability cost, lower production efficiency, lower cost for recruiting infantry, lower land morale). In June our supreme commander Dunois (4/4/4/1) dies. He played a big role in the Castilian war. In August Moldavia is annexed by Ottoman Empire (military) and in October we enter a royal marriage with Aragon (after a state gift). And one too with Eire in June, the next year.
Würzburg, that was in a war versus Papal States got us a casus belli against them so on the 23d February 1469 we sent them a declaration of war. Hessen, Hannover and Würtemburg joined too.
After several battles and sieges we lose control over Mainz to the three province strong Würzburg, that is in September 1469. The first February, we capture Bern from, right, Würzburg. Next to fall is Baden, just the Würzburgian capital left, and Mainz, which they captured. In March 1470 many of our cities want their old rights back. This is war and we have no time for Spanish inquisition-tactics so we must agree to their demands. Just a few days after the cities’ demonstrations we capture Hessen, and now we only have Münster to capture and they will surrender. In August we re-capture Wessex from the darn rebel scum. In the end of year 1470 we celebrate Christmas with the glad news that Hannover has captured Pfalz
. Bavaria also accepted to become vassal of Austria.
In April 1471 Würzburg surrenders to our troops. We would have a 100% war score with them if they hadn’t control Mainz. Well, two months later, however, we capture Münster from Hessen and accept their peace offer of 31d and Münster. The war rages on and the next province to surrender holds out to August 1472, when our own Pfalz falls to our victorious armies. On the 5th March, Lithuania annexes (diplomatically!) Poland (later Poland would revolt, with Warsaw as the new city but Poland didn’t survive till the inherit-event until they got once again annexed). Four days later Bern is captured from Würzburg. I don’t know how we lost it, must have been those darn rebels.
In April 1473 we discover Baluchistan. Totally worthless for our court, no Centres of Trade, no luxury supplies, nothing but desert. Well, just the day after our scouts finally give us some good information. We capture Würtemberg and my nose start smelling some annexation. On the 21st April it’s a fact and they get absorbed in to our… empire! Against their will of course, but seriously, why should we care about their needs? In June we re-capture Navarra from rebel scum. Finally, in August we capture Hannover from Hannover and in November more glad news is brought to our court as we reach Land Tech 3. Most of our neighbours have Land Tech 4-5, but are they as big as us? Noooo! Have they the same, high inflation? Noooo! Bend under the Britt-Franco Empire!
In January the 2d 1474 we finally capture the second province of Hannover, namely Anhalt. We sign peace with them and gain Anhalt and some money, that allows us to also sign peace with the leader of this pathetic alliance; Würzburg. From them we gain Bern, Baden and some ducats, yes 800 (!).
In April Tangiers (Morocco) defects to Castile. Just a few years ago they defected to Morocco from Castile. In June a state gift is sent to Eire. Hopefully they will accept to become our vassals now, despite our BB points. In October we get their answer:
“Fuck you Gaelic wannabe’s, we won’t become your vassals! Screw you Brockhan, you traitor!”
Well, after this short message I planned a way to make it up to them, but this must wait. In the middle of year 1475 many wars break out in Europe, some of them weird, Castile in a war versus Aragon. I hope they know that the king of Aragon also sits on the Castilian throne. In June and July we abandon the plans of vassalising Eire and instead send a state and personal gift to England. Hopefully we’ll get a royal marriage with them. Why? You’ll find out later! First they rejected, but then after a month, they suddenly accepted. Way to go! Castile has changed name to Spain and we have claimed the English throne. CB on England for three years! In the month later we allow an uncooperative philosopher to remain free. Now we have a sweet stability on –2. The day after Aragon became Spanish vassals. And when our cities once again demand old rights we must accept. When our ships in the Mediterranean Sea has finished their loading and set sail for the Balears and Sardinia a Declaration of War is sent to England. The mentioned islands are immediately under siege as well as Anglia and the Midlands in England. Mantua, that also joins, can’t reach us. The Aragonian capital Saragosa is under Spanish control so we don’t have to worry about that. White peace is signed with Mantua. The month later we capture Midlands.
In 1479 our supreme diplomat makes a diplomatic move with England. We get better relations with a nation that is our archenemies and that we are at war with. Well, I blame our superb diplomats! In April we capture Anglia and it doesn’t take more than a month before we also have captured Sardinia. The army there is shipped over to Sicily to besiege Sicily, reinforcements from Provence is shipped over to Messina. In the end of the year our merchants get unhappy, are they having their periods, or what? Well, we lose freaking 200 ducats in our trade research.
The first May 1480 we discover the lands of Uzbek. Very interesting. However, we capture the Baleares in August. In November we get hit by corruption and with our inflation being at 40% we wish to eradicate the problems. It’s a long way to Infra 5 and I’ve researched stability at 85% in five years now. Our techs are not good, I can tell you! Well, Sicily is captured in November and in the end of the month ships ship over troops to besiege Malta. In the 15th January Eire declares war on Scotland, dragging US in to a war, which we don’t really need. Strassburg dishonours, and what’s strange is that we get a CB on Eire, but not on Strassburg. The CB on Eire can be explained by us being sole defenders of our faith (well, you gotta use all that treasury sometime).
In the 1st May 1481 Mecklenburg declares independence from Austria. YES! You wonder what my sadism is all about? When I was Brittany I had no other archenemies than England, but when becoming France I also got the Hapsburgs on my neck. In the 14th June we capture Messina. Now it’s just Malta left and then we can take what is left of England (but its capital) and the islands in the western Mediterranean Sea. On the 13th January, the lucky day, we finally capture Malta. The day later England accepts our peace offer including:
Midlands from England
The Baleares from Aragon
Sardinia from Aragon
Messina from Aragon
Sicily from Aragon
Malta from Aragon
In the next war against England we’ll be able to annex them and secure one of our goals (check my first post to see what the goals are like). I also have monopoly in the western Mediterranean Sea owning Catalonia, the French Riviera and all the islands in the area (not Corsica, but this island would be taken just a few years after this gain). Now we have a war against the Scottish to fight!
In February 1482 Austria once again annexes the rebellious province Mecklenburg. The same day Strathclyde and Lothian are under siege. In May 1483 the first of the two provinces, Lothian, falls. They move on to besiege the Highlands. Sweden rejects our offer of white peace and in the end of August we get a new King, Charles VIII. His skills are decent in diplomacy but really good in administrative and just excellent in military, nearly as good as mine (Kennedy Brockhan’s) in fact!
In the first day of year 1484 Modena declares independence from Aragon. Too bad! In February Poland follows Modena’s example and declares independence from Lithuania (!). In the end of March we decline to appoint an Italian engineer. We just don’t like Italians
. Two months later, in May, we finally capture Strathclyde. The Grampians are besieged. In January 1485 our monarch has a (temporary I hope) insanity. In the end of June we capture the Highlands, only the Grampians to go and then we’ll have a 100% war score. However, Scotland must have seen that their situation was in crisis and quickly gave us an offer that we couldn’t refuse. We got Strathclyde, The Grampians and The Highlands from them.
In September 1485 a state gift is sent to Spain (this is not the start of a throne-claiming, this is the time when I foresaw the Spanish Succession, as I know that we are going to win the war against Hapsburg, a French is going to be their king and maybe even our vassal, so that’s why I don’t want a war against our future vassal Spain, and maybe enter an alliance… oops! I happened to reveal a bit of the future… Sorry! By the way, this must be the longest parenthesis I’ve ever written. Yes it really is! And it gets longer by I typing more letters, cool, really cool! Just look how big it’s now! Let’s continue typing this paranthesis even longer! No! Let us instead go back to the AAR. That would be much wiser.). In the 9th October we discover the city Samarkand and its rich, relative to Europe’s yet poor ones, Centre of Trade.
After we have collected our census taxes another state gift is sent to Spain on the first day of the year 1486. Because of our good relations Spain also agrees to enter a royal marriage with us, in March the 3d the wedding takes place. A month later we ask them if we could enter their alliance. They say no. We say that we have spent over 500 ducats and the daughter to our king just to enter their alliance. They say that
Portugal is the leader of the alliance. Portugal? Fucking small Portugal? GOT DAMN IT!
Two state gifts and one daughter later, in July, we would leave Eire and join Portugal’s alliance. Well, in August we got a Boundary Dispute and of course we decided to press the issue, thus gaining a CB on Strassburg. In April 1487 the government of Timurid Empire fell, only one new state appeared, Persia. In May the declaration of war is sent to Strassburg. In August we gain an unexpected invention, namely a weapon manufactory in Berri. Woho! On the 10th of July Strassburg is captured and three days later annexed. In October the population, manpower and tax value rise in Morbihan.
OOC
The game has been far too easy, with no declarations of war against us. That’s why I after this point change the skill to “Very Hard”. Prepare for war!
November 1488
Brittany is in war with:
- Genoa
- Cologne
- Georgia (why?)
- Gelre
- The Kaliphate (why?)
- Saxony
- Eire (grmpff!!)
- Lithuania
- Cyprus
- Crimea (why?) and Ottoman Empire
We did not call up our allies Spain and Portugal as they would either steal my sieges or dishonour our alliance.
In the 22nd December The Kaliphate invade our Colony in Damman. I’m sure the poor bastards even besieged it. In February 1489 Venice annexed Cyprus (diplomatically). On the 7th November we capture Malta from the Rebel Scum and Sachsen from Saxony. They annexation is a fact on the 19th November. That’s the same day as we capture Lombardia from Genoa. On the first January 1490 we get three leaders. Foix in Lombardia (land), Bidoux on the Irish Sea (navy) and La Palice in Lancashire (land). In April we capture Gelre and they are annexed, only one dutch province left (Friesen). A siege in Liguria is set up. La Palice did not live long, he died on the 22th April, a life as officer in 3 months and 22 days. Offers of white peace are sent to Crimea and the Turks. They reject it of course. However, white peace is signed with Ottoman Empire in October.
Gaaahrr!!! End of a great feud happened to us and we must pay the damn feudal lords a gift of 50 ducats. Our treasury is 48 ducats big, it happened at the end of the month. If I was allowed to continue the month out I wouldn’t be forced to take a loan. Feel my frustration readers.
Well the day after, my rage is out as we capture Köln and annex Cologne. Our reputation sucks already, so I won’t get a worse reputation by not vassalising or demanding money.
Well here is how this instalment ends. Why? Because I forgot the darn save game at mum’s house and now I’m with dad. The next instalment will show you the end of the BB-wars, how war exhaustion combined with unhappiness among the peasantry AND stability at level -3 can make your life on this earth like hell.
Best Regards
Sir Kennedy Brockhan