1513-1516 – Quest for the New World
There were a few months of chaos just after the integration of Naples. Suddenly the kingdom had several more regiments and ships and no clear chain of command for them. The cost for these forces soon strained the treasury and it was clear that some regiments had to be disbanded or else the kingdom would go bankrupt. However, most of the Neapolitan regiments were in Africa and thus disbanding them immediately was not an option. The Neapolitan fleet was also ordered to the Mediterranean in the hopes that it could be sold off to the Greeks. For now, the only regiments that were disbanded were two mercenary regiments in Aragon proper. The rest would have to come later.
The recent loss of the French king was causing havoc at French court. The new king, only 18 years old, had no heir. Due to the intermarrying of the Valois and Trastámara families, it was rumoured that his successor may be more of a Trastámara than a Valois. The French court had not finessed who exactly would succeed, but the fact was that Aragon had strong influence in France now. This was also shown by the new king declaring that he would not contest King Ferran II’s claim to the Castilian throne. This was welcome news, although the English expressed dissatisfaction at this. It was likely they would intervene if the Castilian throne was threatened.
Down in Africa, things were going quite well. A small army was eliminated in Brakna and Tekrur was captured.
Attempts to trim down the military went fairly slowly at first. It was decided that the armies in Aragon would be cut down in size and then later reinforced by forces returning from Africa. Six infantry regiments in total were disbanded, severely cutting down military expenses for the moment. Two mercenary regiments down in Africa were disbanded once they reached Beafada.
In a surprise move, Hungary decided to take advantage of the situation in Italy and attacked Urbino. They clearly intended to claim the province before the Pope could reclaim it.
The capital of Wolof was finally captured in July, allowing a peace to be settled. Aragon took the coastal province of Siine and forced Jolof to pay war reparations. A trade arrangement was made, but was ended shortly after it became clear it was not worth the administrative headache. ((It wasted a diplo slot.)) The Trans-Pyrenean Trading Company, as part of their agreement with King Ferran II, was granted sole rights to trade in the new province. The region wasn’t rich in resources, but the Jolof locals had participated in a slave trade and the system was still in place. If the TPTC so pleased, it could take over and continue trading in slaves.
Plans to sell off excess ships soon went downhill. The Greeks did not want so many ships and they were already in debt as is. Even when offered the ships for free, they adamantly refused. The French were soon made an offer, but they had no use for more ships. Tuscany also refused. With no one willing to buy the ships, King Ferran offered them as a gift to the Trans-Pyrenean Trading Company. Only one ship was designed for trade, but the galleys could be used to defend the company’s trade routes and the cogs for the transportation of slaves.
Speaking of Tuscany, the King made good on his plans and arranged an alliance with the Italian state. With mutual friends and no past conflicts, it was an easy arrangement to make. Such a thing seemed timely as Hungary annexed Urbino, threatening Tuscany’s position in Italy.
In November, the Mamluks made yet another attack on the Ottomans. It seemed only a matter of time until the Ottomans ceased to exist.
With the war over, regiments were being moved around to organize the army. A cavalry unit was disbanded and the army in Fez was transported to Athens to be added to that one. The Greek theatre was becoming more important again. The number of times the army had to intervene in Byzantium against rebels demanded more troops for the region, while Africa could easily be reinforced from Aragon proper. Hungary’s expansionism was also a worry, for now they were going after Serbia.
The King’s conflict with the lesser nobility was quite well known by now. Attempts to curb their power to keep them from committing treason was a continuous effort. The latest efforts involved ensuring that the extraordinary courts, created almost three decades ago, were able to act without interference from the local nobility. The court system was cleaned up to ensure a lack of corruption.
Changes to the court system weren’t the only major changes. In May of 1514, King Ferran II publically announced that the Crown would be willing to fund exploration missions outside of Europe, whether to the unknown lands to the west or down the coast of Africa. Those with sailing experience and the desire to explore the unknown were encouraged to present their ideas for exploration before the King so he could choose whether to fund them or not.
Even as Aragon turned its gaze westwards, there were growing threats in the east. The Mamluks successfully reduced the Ottomans to a minor state and were encroaching on Greece. The Mamluks were growing at the expense of the weakened Ottomans. Who knew what threat they would present to Aragon in the future. A careful eye had to be kept on them.
The Pope, in an attempt to smooth over relations, declared yet another ancestor of Ferran’s to be a saint. The Papal State was feeling the pressure with Hungary now in Italy. They still felt threatened by Aragon, but the hostility was gone.
The French court was abuzz with rumours when King Louis XIV produced an heir. The reason for the rumours was the fact that the Queen was not the mother. Some minor noblewoman had been knocked up by the king and had given him his only son. The child was supposed to be legitimized if another heir was not born by the Queen, but the bastard’s claim was weak for now.
The final plans for the army were put in place when four artillery regiments were recruited for the army. They would replace some infantry that had been kept around to keep the army up to size. The army would be stronger than ever, which was all that more important with growing threats elsewhere. Hungary had expanded into Serbia now and threatened Greece from the north.
In some positive news, conversion efforts in Melilla finally paid off. Catholics throughout the kingdom rejoiced as the majority of people in the province accepted the true faith at last. This was a momentous occasion. It was clear that all of Africa was bound to see the truth in time.
Portugal, even without Aragon’s help, managed to pull off a victory against Jolof. They took Trarza on the coast, since Siine had been claimed already. The Iberian presence in West Africa was growing.
The Holy Roman Empire achieved a massive victory as Pomerania crushed the Danes, expanding the Empire’s presence into Scandinavia. This success allowed the Bohemian Emperor to pass a reform with the consent of the Princes.
Concerns at home focused more on Castile. In February of 1516, the truce finally came to an end. The King spent several days before the date reading spy reports of their and their allies’ forces. Castile’s forces were only 17k strong, which happened to be the size of the army on Aragon’s border, meaning their entire army was right there. Burgundy was a much lower 14k, while Portugal had somehow managed to have their army knocked down to 6k men. Clearly the war against Jolof had been more of a struggle than first thought after Aragon left. The Castilian fleet only had 16 ships, while Portugal had 28, not that they mattered with no galleys between them. The King was busy writing up plans for days. With Aragon having a larger army than Castile and all its allies combined, now was the perfect time to strike. Diplomat Llorenç Alfons María de Agramunt had even returned from Castile a year or two earlier, having completed his mission. Aragon had claims to over a third of Castile. Yes, everything was perfect for another war. King Ferran only hoped he lived long enough to see such a war to its completion.
((Look at all that spam!))
((I’ve also realized you guys probably haven’t seen a picture of Europe in its entirety yet, so here you go.))
Presenting His Majesty, Ferran II de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Protector of the Greeks.
The world as we know it is changing. Where once the waters to the west seemed impassible and were believed to be the edge of the world, now we know there are lands to be explored there. We have heard as much from the Portuguese. Now it is time that we claim our piece of these lands. Let us send out those brave enough to seek the unknown. I will gladly hear the propositions of these daring explorers and offer the appropriate funding and ships for such expeditions.
Even as we consider what is beyond the ocean, we must also look closer to home. Castile is vulnerable and we still have unfinished business. I want them crushed. As long as they exist, they threaten us with their presence. The day that the Castilian crown sits upon my head will be a joyous one. I hope that day will be soon.
((Okay, first things first. Our ministers have until
Wednesday at 9am PST to present their plans, and anyone else may present new laws within that time. We actually have two decisions we can now pass, so I will include a screenshot for them and anyone is free to present them as a law.
As for explorers, anyone who wants to be one should offer to now and I will add you to the game. I don’t have a hard limit on the number of them, but the more we have, the longer it will take for everyone to get to their missions. I’ll include a screenshot of our available missions below. I recommend putting the actual in-game missions in OOC when requesting them, since it makes no sense for anyone to want to explore the waters of Brazil, since we have no idea where that is. Everyone who wants to explore should just offer their service and petition the king for a fleet and funds to explore their area of choice. Hopefully that all makes sense.
We mustn’t forget our pensioners. There seems to be none this time, although we have one man ready to die. A few died off this update already. Here he is:
@JCan
))
I'll add you in then. Just a note for the future, archbishops don't really have heirs since the Pope picks the replacements, but in reality everyone is pretty much guaranteed to keep their archbishopric with their characters.))
