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Chapter 19: The Dutch Miracle (1534-1537)
Chapter 19: The Dutch Miracle (1534-1537)
Two different nations had gone to war, with only one monarchy standing victorious. Spain was decisively defeated by the growing power of the Angevin Empire, further legitimizing herself as the hegemonic power of Western Europe. As the victorious power, the Angevin Empire was set to reap in the rewards that came with the price of victory. Emperor Louis I looked to further push the influence of his realm further into the European continent, engaging with continental politics, unknowingly laying the foundation of the next conflict...
While facing obstacles that left her mercantile ambitions being stunted, Angevin merchants would come to be outmaneuvered by the Genoese at every opportunity due to their stronghold upon regional trade. This would come to change following Genoa’s disastrous defeat in the Angevin-Spanish War, where their alliance with the Iberian monarchy would prove to be their downfall. Forced to suffer under harsh terms, the Genoese stronghold upon Mediterranean trade would be completely broken by Angevin Merchants, opening up a new Genoese Charter and new possibilities with the world.
With this expansion of economic interests, Marseille would come to see an expansion that would further open herself up. Being an important city for both trade and immigration, investment into the city would allow imperial influence to spread farther than ever before. Looking into its well-being, Marseille would see considerable growth during the reign of Louis I, becoming a major economic centre of the French Mediterreanan.
Despite being the master of the West, east of her borders were the petty lords of the Holy Roman Empire, united under the former imperial ally of the Angevins, the Archduchy of Austria. With a deep political split between the Angevins and Habsburgs, tensions remained tense due to the growing ambition of both imperial realms. The Angevin Empire would come to prove to their Habsburg enemies that despite their threats, they were weak and divided internally. None of them, not even their Habsburg Emperor, could match the strength and determination of the Angevin Empire.
Holding a significant presence around the Ivory Coast, the Angevin Empire was the only European power present around Guinea and along Western Africa, even if the presence remained small and limited to mercantile fleets. Regardless, the Ivory Coast held immense trade potential due to holding a significant amount of beasts, such as Elephants and Rhinoceroses.
Emperor Louis I would reform his government with the backing of the Imperial Parliament, taking his stance upon the religious matters around the Empire. Despite his Catholicism, the Emperor was pragmatic enough to remain realistic about the dangers of the Reformation. Within the Low Countries at the time of its declaration, the Declaration of Breda would come to have a significant impact upon the deliberative assembly of the nation. Despite its strong Catholic ties, religious toleration of non-Catholics were greatly increased in areas where the peace of the nation was not disrupted and the payment of pay arrears within members of the army .
With her holdings within the Gulf of Guinea acting as a springboard, the Angevin Empire would boldly sail to the edge of Africa itself. Angevin explorers and merchants would cross into the area nad its nearby sea, renaming the area as the ‘Cape of Good Hope’ due to the great optimism viewed by its sailors in opening a sea route to India and the East. Realising the immense strategic and economic value of the location, a colony was designated to be established immediately as a way-station for ships crossing between the oceans.
With a recent expedition into the northern wilderness of America, the Angevin Canadian colony would bring back tales of endless furs, worth their weight in gold of unparalleled quantity and quality. With such goods, the Angevin Empire was set to break the Russian monopoly on the important commodity. Colonists were informed and merchants were guided to the new colony, eager to settle in the new world or to find their fortune in the new fur trade. As a result, Canadian trade and the Price of Fur skyrocketed, much to the great benefit of the colony.
With the small colony of Quebec growing, it would take many years of settlement for the colony to slow grow into a small yet prominent city in the area. French colonists in particular would come to call the important settlement home, and while not opposing the idea, the French would come to lead the growth of a small but thriving city on the edge of the St. Laurence River.
With an expanding reach among the markets and trade among the world, Coffee would become a commodity sought after within Europe. While associated largely with the Muslim world in the past, Coffee had become more commonplace within Europe in an increasingly interconnected world. Obtaining coffee was no longer as difficult as it once was, and as a result, the exotic beans were in high demand. Spain in particular would begin the first coffee plantations in their exotic colony of New Granada, leaving them as the undisputed leaders among the European market.
Johan III d’Anjou of Holland, a distant cousin of the Emperor, would come to pass away without an heir to succeed him. As a result, due to dynastic ties and the relationship between the Angevin realms, Holland would swear complete allegiance to the Angevin Empire and allowed their realm to be ruled under a personal union. Being taken by complete surprise, the Empire would overnight gain a strong foothold in a region they had tried to extend their influence over for decades.
The Angevin Succession within Holland was immediately contested by the Habsburgs, who were furious that their great rival had entrenched itself within the Low Countries, which were under Imperial Authority. While not looking to challenge a lawful succession, Austria and her allies raised their guard up.
With the reformation in full-swing within the Low Countries, the region was a bastion for Protestant and Reformist faiths to emerge and immediately hold sway around the area. Loyal Catholics were rapidly diminishing in number, especially within Holland itself. Johan III led the conversion to a reformist-aligned faith despite half of Holland remaining staunchly Catholic. This was to be immediately corrected as Angevin-Dutch loyalists were to be supported within Holland’s government, and Catholicism was to be restored as the state religion.
With religious tensions deepening across the entire continent, the Papacy itself would see the reformation enter into Italy itself. Concerning the Church deeply, the Pope would task a commission of cardinals away with addressing the challenges posed by the Protestant Movement. Feeling that Italy itself was endangered and was a target, the Bishop of Rome and his senior cardinals would come to address their council from a secure location. That location would be Inverness, within the Scottish Highlands and deep within Angevin territory.
Many cardinals and representatives would come to attend what would become the Council of Inverness, with His Holiness himself leading the Council. In attendance was Emperor Louis I and his senior court. While the Catholic faith must not be compromised, the Pope and most of his cardinals admitted that some of the Protestant complaints were valid, and was ready to advise many changes to the administration of the Catholic Church. Reform was set to occur within the Catholic Church and the Catholic World, with several new monastic orders to be founded, and the start of a Counter-Reformation movement to root out heresy in the Catholic heartland.
As the Church’s largest supporter politically, the Angevin Empire would immediately reaffirm their loyalty to the church. Emperor Louis I would come to embrace the Counter-Reformation movement once the Council of Inverness had come to a close, and despite the intolerant nature of the Counter-Reformist movement, was pragmatic enough to cooperate with fellow Catholic lords in stamping out the heresy. Unbeknownst to the Emperor, despite his good intentions, his ambition would carry his judgement over. The Angevin-Habsburg rivalry was about to make a violent confrontation.
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Anything that can weaken the HRE is beneficial for me, but some areas are more important than others. Conquering all of Lorraine would cause insane AE penalties, so that is making me plan things far more carefully. For the timebeing, bringing as much of the Low Countries under my influence as possible is more important than bringing Lorraine into the fold.
Spain was underwhelming, but their connections to Austria is worrying. Austria is the real enemy, especially with their personal union with an absolutely gigantic Hungary
It's especially nice to bruise the inflated egos of the Habsburgs."Delusions of adequacy" - I love it
A Dutch-Anglo-French allegiance finally comes to union. Hope you will use the Dutch region to your advantage.
A lot going on in this update. Feels like the only way continues to be up for the Angevins. How long until the wheels come off, I wonder?
Chapter 20: Supremacy (1537-1541)
Chapter 20: Supremacy (1537-1541)
Europe was left in a dangerous situation, bracing herself for a titanic struggle between the hatred of two imperial nations who had let their ambition outgrow their once existing friendship. The Angevin-Habsburg Split would come to have dire consequences as the rivalry would carry more and more political weight, fueled by the determination that their respective empires were to emerge victorious at the end of their scheming plans. The Holy Roman Empire was pitted against the Angevin Empire, with the Low Countries stuck right in the middle of the conflict. Both realms knew the region would carry immense weight, for whoever held the Low Countries could control the destiny of an entire empire.
With her dynasty secured upon the throne of Holland, the loyal Dutch realm would swear absolute loyalty to their new Angevin caretakers, who promised to safeguard their freedom. Dutch Catholics especially supported the new personal union, seeing it as their best chance of survival while being surrounded by heretics. Motivated by expanding her influence into Europe, the Angevin Empire would make the first moves, looking to catch their imperial rival unprepared. Flanders, long existing as a nuisance to the Angevins, was the first area to be brought into the fold. The Angevin-Habsburg War would commence, with another major European war being fought once more.
Having secured their loyalty to the Angevins, Emperor Louis I would convince the Swiss to uphold their former favors to the Angevin crown and aid them in the conflict. In exchange, their independence would be protected from those who sought to destroy the Swiss Confederacy. While the Swiss were willing to aid their Angevin allies, in reality, Emperor Louis I seen them as nothing more than a distraction for the Imperials, while the Angevins were fighting upon the real battlefield.
Coming to their aid was the Duchy of Lorraine, ruled by the ‘treasonous’ French lords who willingly joined the Holy Roman Empire in-exchange for their safety. While not the focus of the war, Lorriane had emerged successful in recent decades through a personal union through Luxembourg. It would be around Lorraine where the war would be decided, not Flanders.
Despite holding diplomatic supremacy, the Habsburgs would come to call one of their allies to help assist the Holy Roman Empire in their war effort. The Grand Duchy of Moscow, an ally of the Habsburgs, would emerge aid the Austrians against the Angevins in exchange for a promise of having some of the war spoils. Suddenly, the tide of the war would suddenly turn away from the Angevins and towards the Habsburgs, narrowly giving them the advantage in numerical figures.
Two major victories would be secured by the Angevins, where both Lorraine and Luxembourg were both brought under submission. The ‘borderland’ territory was placed under Angevin submission, where the region would be a crucial area for the Habsburgs to punch through into France, lest it make the highly dangerous offensive to cross into a heavily fortified Switzerland. Angevin Commanders expected this, ordering a policy of scorched earth before retreating back to loyal territory, making sure that the Habsburgs and their allies suffered logistically before Angevin forces were able to punch a serious hole into their forces.
One such battle had almost decided the entire war. The Battle of Alsace would emerge as an Angevin victory under the leadership of Andrew d’Ambleteuse would narrowly seize victory against an equally matched Imperial force. It was the largest battle in almost forty years, where the combined might of Imperial and Angevin forces fought for supremacy over the region. It had also proven to be a brutal and bloody conflict, where many tens of thousands of men on both sides would perish in the fields. In the end, the Imperials suffered an immense defeat, failing to beat the Angevins on the land and retreating back into German lands to lick their wounds. No other attempt of that scale would occur for the rest of the war, allowing the Angevin Empire to individually defeat smaller armies and even raid into Germany itself.
Habsburg forces would quickly become exhausted, with the events at Alsace ending into a humiliation for them. While defeated, Austria refused to surrender and made the attempt to cross into Switzerland, which would become a logistical nightmare for the Imperials. While making some success into the mountains of the Alps, an Angevin effort to push them out of the region succeeded in forcing the Habsburgs to retreat, allowing the local Swiss to reclaim their towns once the Imperial threat was out of Switzerland entirely.
Lorraine would be brought into a separate peace, exhausted from the fighting taking place on her soil and having the life squeezed out of her by the Angevins. Lorraine would suffer greatly, being forced to end their dynastic union over Luxembourg, crippling her presence upon European politics. Faced with little to no other alternatives, Lorraine agreed, and the ‘traitor’s of Lorraine would keep their lands for the timebeing.
After several more months of fighting with little to no major conflicts taking place, the Angevins would secure another important victory within Europe, the first against their Habsburg enemy. After a terrible loss of life, the cause of it all had left a hollow but decisive victory for the Angevins. Flanders would be brought directly into the Angevin sphere, connecting the Angevin and Dutch lands together and giving the Angevin Empire a vast majority of the coastline of the Low Countries, with the exception of some independent lords in the interior. With such a heavy cost of life, it was unlikely that another war of that scale could be fought for several years.
Almost immediately, Emperor Louis I would come to appoint a relative of his upon the throne of Flanders. Placing a Dutch Angevin upon the throne, a dynastic supremacy of the imperial house would see Angevin influences greatly improved among the Low Countries, much to the fury of the Habsburgs who swore to protect the Low Countries.
With diplomatic success occurring following the war, Emperor Louis I would make the next step into the integration of the Four Lords of Ireland into the Imperial Crown itself. Justified in his belief that the Four Lords had served their purpose, along with a loss of autonomy over the last decade, Ireland was to be absorbed into the crown. In reality, little would change among the Four Lords, who still held their power and influence among Ireland and the Islands affairs. But in a political reality, Ireland was to be annexed into the crown, with the Four Lords continuing to answer to the Imperial Throne in London.
With the flourishing success of her mercantile fleet overseas, Emperor Louis I would come to establish a trade colony along the African Coastline, granting the merchants far more power and influence in their affairs rather than just granting lands to aristocrats. The Ivory Coast and the Gulf of Guinea had already seen significant Angevin investment, but the crown jewel of Africa was the emerging colony of the Cape, where its location served as the perfect meeting-point between East and West. Much like Quebec, the newly named Cape Town was thriving as colonists and merchants were flooding the area to build a new city, with the difference in that Cape Town would be founded by merchants rather than colonists themselves.
Within the Caribbean, a colonial rivalry would begin to emerge. Portugal, long having secured the extraordinarily wealthy archipelago for themselves, had established a Catholic presence within the Caribbean colony. Angevin Colonists, discovering a major island left untouched to the Iberian's, would come to settle among the large island. Immediately, Portugal and the Holy See, who had supported the Portuguese claim to the region, would protest against Angevin efforts to build their own colony within the region. Fewer colonists were willing to make a new life within the island out of fears of hostile involvement, but many more were introduced with the potential of their new homeland.
With a booming treasury, the Imperial Fleet was to be drastically expanded with a series of heavy ships as a means to greatly empower the offensive capabilities of the naval influence of the Empire. Serving as both a powerful offensive and defensive series of ships, the heavy fleet would double the capabilities of the Angevin Empire.
To the east, the Ottoman Empire would continue to suffer more both internally and externally. Bulgaria and Serbia would gain their independence, while a powerful Armenian Kingdom would begin expanding into the heart of Anatolia itself. The Turkish menace, once feared to be unstoppable over a century ago, was now unravelling at the seems.
Within the span of a few years, the Four Lords of Ireland and their territories were annexed directly into the Angevin Empire, bringing the British Isles completely under the rule of the Imperial Crown. Just like how Margaret the Great had brought Ireland into the fold, Emperor Louis would follow a similar model, ensuring the cultural independence of the Irish as long as they remained loyal to the Imperial Crown. The Four Lords accepted, already having the utmost loyalty for the House of Anjou, and continued to rule affairs inside Ireland.
With the development of better firearms, a change of tactics would occur within the army as firearms became more accessible within their ranks. Now equipped with these weapons, the hardy warriors would become trained with such weaponry, able to match any of their opponents within Europe.
Francis I d'Anjou, Emperor of the Angevin Empire. Nowhere near as gifted between his father and his own children, Francis I's personal charisma would come to allow his future reign to emerge successful within European diplomatic ventures.
Despite all of his accomplishments, the reign of Louis I would not become a permanent or long-lasting reign. The Emperor who had crushed Spain and brought the Angevin Empire into its next stage of its history would ultimately come to pass away on August 9th 1540 from a heart attack. His successor, his only surviving son, Francis I, was viewed as far less capable than his father was. A poor statesman and a man unwilling or even cowardly when it came to military affairs, Francis’s saving grace was that he was charismatic enough to charm the hearts and minds of the Imperial Court.
The Angevin Empire on the death of Emperor Louis I, c.1540
Within the reign of its former sovereign, the Dual Monarchy would come to see an extraordinary period of growth and dominance under the brash but proud Louis I. Time would come to tell where the future of the Angevin Empire would be carried, wherever her interests lie within the meddling of the affairs of the Low Countries and the Holy Roman Empire, or if colonial ambition would carry more weight among the empire.
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Bringing the Dutch and the rest of the Low Countries is my number one priority this century
Everything keeps going up, but that would make the downfall all the more spectacular should it happen
The Angevins are certainly doubling-down on their loyalty to the Catholic Church, much to the great benefit of the Latin world
"Supremacy" is a good chapter title, and well demonstrated in the course of events.
how is it blursed instead of blessed? that's mainly just land Armenia was once in before.
Chapter 20.5: In Memoriam/Louis I
Louis I d’Anjou
Lived: November 19th 1493 - August 9th 1540
Emperor of the Angevin Empire: 1529 - 1540
Portrait of Louis I, The Second Emperor, painted by Hans Hobein the Younger
Lived: November 19th 1493 - August 9th 1540
Emperor of the Angevin Empire: 1529 - 1540
Portrait of Louis I, The Second Emperor, painted by Hans Hobein the Younger
Always having been a proud and boisterous man, Louis I would become an unflinching and uncompromising man who would become famous for his hot temper and pragmatic mind. While his father would come to lay the foundation for the Angevin Empire, it would be Louis I who would assert its dominance within his reign. From humiliating his enemies to building upon the thriving aspects of her Imperial glory, Louis I would become remembered for his actions.
Louis I would be born in the Great Palace of London as the son of William III, who at the time of his birth was the Prince of Wales. Carrying the blood of the Angevins within his veins, Louis would set himself apart from his siblings whenever he could. He was a strong and tall child, standing a head taller than many of his relatives, and was exceptionally strong. This allowed the future Emperor to succeed in physical sports. Despite his sharp physique, Louis would come to be blessed with a bright mind just like his father and grandfather, often engaging in academic studies from private tutors. The only thing that set him apart was Louis’s own innate temper. He was easy to anger and quick to infuriate, making him far different to the more quiet minds of his grandfather, Edward IV.
Following the death of his father, Louis I would come to inherit the newly established Angevin Empire as its second monarch. Realizing the capabilities of his state and the political reality that surrounded the Dual Monarchy, he would immediately get to work in removing obstacles and starting a new era of ruthless imperial might. The Angevin-Spanish War, originally fought over border issues within the African territories, concluded with the Angevin Empire completely humiliating the Spanish in their own domain. Louis I would engage with diplomatic ventures and administrative reform, engaging with his pragmatic vision for politics through the Declaration of Breda and becoming a loyal supporter of the Counter-Reformation.
It was because of the Emperor’s reputation that the Angevin-Habsburg Split would occur, setting the stage for a rivalry that would last centuries. Through projecting her influence beyond her own borders, the two imperial powers would clash over the destiny of the Low Countries following an Angevin succession upon the Dutch throne. The Empire would achieve a decisive but pyrrhic victory, leaving her unable to engage in large-scale warfare for years to come. Despite the victory, an Angevin presence would be deeply solidified within the Low Countries following a Dutch sub-branch of the Angevin Dynasty being seated on the thrones of Holland and Flanders. Near the end of his reign, the Four Lords of Ireland would formally submit to London, finally granting the Angevin Empire complete and uncontested rule over the British Isles.
Under this reign, both the colonial and mercantile aspects of his domain would thrive. Within Canada, areas were being settled by adventurous settlers and encouraged a thriving fur and fish trade among merchants. Far to the south, the Caribbean would see a massive focus among Angevin colonists to settle the western islands, much to the fury of the Portuguese. With a heavy colonial presence among the Americas, the distant territories of Africa would entice Angevin Merchants to make a large presence among the coastline, with perhaps the most significant colony among Louis I’s reign occurring among the Cape of Good Hope, serving as a bridge between the East and West.
Despite a successful eleven years on the Imperial Throne, Louis’s reign was not bound to last forever. Louis I would unfortunately pass away from a heart attack on August 9th 1540, leaving his inexperienced and perhaps mediocre successor Francis I to succeed him. Louis I would be buried within the Imperial Crypt, next to his father. He would be succeeded by five children, three daughters and two sons.
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Louis will certainly be missed, not just as a man, but for what he had paved the foundation for.
Think that's Blessed? Wait til you see what's happened with Persia
Persia? Let me guess, Mazandaran united Persia?
Oh, and Blursed means "blessed" and "cursed". I usually am on Reddit, and there is a subreddit called r/blursed.
Oh, and Blursed means "blessed" and "cursed". I usually am on Reddit, and there is a subreddit called r/blursed.
Read this as “Mazdaznan” for a minute. Now that would be fun, a load of Bauhaus vegetarians running round 16th century Europe.
Shame to see Louis’s reign come to a premature end but, for all his apparent mediocrity, Francis doesn’t seem too terrible. And the purple is almost beginning to grow on me.
I understand what that word means I just don't see were the cursed bit is coming from for Armenia.
Chapter 21: The Cape of Good Hope (1541-1550)
Chapter 21: The Cape of Good Hope (1541-1550)
A difficult victory had been won as two giants would clash over the destiny of an entire region. Through bloodshed and toil, the Angevin Empire would just secure a victory against the overwhelming struggle when faced against the Habsburgs and their Germanic minions. The peace that had been fought for was not a light one, having expended both sides for the time being. For now, the Angevin Empire was more than content to revel in the spoils of her victory...
The Channel, already being overwhelmingly dominated by Anglo and French merchants seeking to build their fortunes and controlling a highly contested area of trade, would come to see the fortune greatly boosted as the Dutch and Flemish would now commit to the Angevin cause. Angevin influence dominated the coastlines of the Low Countries, and the Empire had virtually control of almost all trade within the region with a few notable exceptions.
Across the sea, Angevin interests among the archipelago would come to see the ancient alliance between Portugal and England finally dissolve. Portugal had claimed sovereignty of the entire archipelago, aided with the blessing of the Holy See. The Angevins would ignore such claims and expand into the region anyway, much to the fury of the Portuguese who had a thriving colony within Brazil. With the Eastern Caribbean belonging to Portugal, the West was claimed by the Angevin Empire, something that struck a nerve within the Iberian Kingdom.
Between Canada and the Caribbean, Angevin explorers had charted along the American seaboard in detail and made careful observations along the coastline and the native population there. The pioneers who would journey along the area would come to sail along the rivers but rarely ventured deep into the interior, deciding to map the eastern coastline. Despite being known to explorers for almost thirty years, it wouldn’t be until 1541 that a permanent European presence would finally be established within the vast region, with the founding of a fur trading settlement on an island located between Canada and the Caribbean. This settlement, later being named New Amsterdam due to the presence of a significant Dutch population, would become one of the most significant colonial cities established by the Angevin Empire.
While charting the Atlantic, Angevin Explorers would venture beyond the Cape and cross into the Indian Ocean, mapping the region and the known tribes or even kingdoms of the area. Zanzibar would come to be known to Angevin explorers and one of the most remote corners of the Islamic world. Fascinating many merchants who hoped to see their fortunes beyond the Cape, the bounty of the Indian Ocean was open. All that needed to be done was to establish a presence in the region.
While being claimed by both Spain and Portugal following its discovery, the island known as Jamaica would ultimately become settled by neither of the Iberian powers. With a persistent drive to settle among the untouched western portion of the archipelago, Angevin colonists and explorers would witness the natives dying in large numbers, either from introduces diseases upon which the natives had no immunity, or from contact with Angevin settlers who would slowly claim the island.
Following their defeat, the Holy Roman Empire would come to reorganize itself to better combat the growing threat of heresy within its borders and to better organised itself internally. New Electors would become established following the reorganization of the area, with areas like Silesia and Aachen gaining Electorship, while Saxony remained loyal to the Catholic Emperor and combated the reformation within their own borders.
With an expanding market that would see a heavier Angevin presence within the Low Countries, an unlikely growth of bookmaking would flourish within Southern France. Efforts to maximize trading profits within the area of Savoy had born fruit in the province of Lyonnais, where entrepreneurs had greatly increased the output of books and have now found new markets for books. Thanks to inventions like the Printing Press, the evolution of the Angevin Language would be published in books sold across Europe and beyond.
As the station between East and West, the Cape settlement would grow slowly in population but would quickly become highly important as the bridge between oceans and continents. Merchants would come to build a way-station for ships travelling between the Atlantic and Indian oceans, upon which slowly over the years, would become a major entrepot of trade as more merchants established themselves within the cape. The Empire would take notice and would found a trade company for the area with the intention of building a trade empire within South Africa for this purpose.
Rounding the bend of Africa itself, local residents within the cape would provide rest and refuge among travellers and merchants venturing among the seas. With the support of Parliament and the Emperor himself, the Cape and its surrounding region would be formally incorporated into the empire. The Cape and its settlement, quickly becoming named ‘Cape Town’ due to its simplicity, would become the platform for further ventures to the eastern seas and the alluring spices that drive merchants to make the long and perilous journey.
While the technology was still in its infancy, firearms were a deadly force upon any battlefield, but regular training and a steady supply of ammunition was needed to ensure efficiency. Emperor Francis I and the armed forces would work together in unison to modernize the army of the empire, and while not willing to change the entire army structure of the realm in one stroke, a core of highly trained salaried troops who specialize in these weapons would be established. It was believed that with the right training, every individual army in the empire was to become far more disciplined overtime, bringing them up to European standards.
As the Reformation was creating chaos within the Holy Roman Empire, the Angevin Empire would take a firm stance on its faith. Long having remained a Catholic nation, the reformation had provoked much discussion within court. Some within the court favored the Protestants, others defended the Catholic church. Despite tempting offers to abandon a thousand years of tradition for the sake of personal empowerment, it was highly possible that abandoning Catholicism could easily destroy the Dual Monarchy and the Catholic World as everyone knew it. Francis I firmly made his stance clear, the Angevin Empire was a Catholic nation, strong and proud, standing as the bulwark of the holy church against the Reformation.
After the peace imposed upon them following their choice to aid the Spanish, Genoa’s harsh treaty with the Angevin Empire would come to an end, allowing their merchants to return back to Genoa and no longer steer the small republic’s trade away to their rival. Meanwhile, the Habsburgs would double-down on their hated rivalry with their Angevin enemy, ensuring that any chance of reconciliation between both empires were permanently blocked.
Expansion would become necessary to ensure the defense of her colonial empire from possible contenders, where Angevin colonists would become to see an increasing benefit for settling among the New World. After a few years, New Amsterdam would become large enough to be self-sustaining. Merchants and Colonists were now able to cross along the half-way point among the journey across the North Atlantic, where New Amsterdam would meet them. The new city and its surrounding river would come to serve as the root for a new colony among the Americas.
With the ability to mass-produce the written word, the spread of information would be revolutionized and rapidly spread among society. Translated classics were becoming more widely available, while the Reformation would benefit greatly from the ability to spread critical publications and translations of the Holy Scripture. Now that Printing has matured as a technique and print shops were becoming more commonplace,among the lands of Europe, society was set to make a great change, for better or worse.
With her Caribbean colony flourishing, the Angevin Empire would come to see a new colonial nation making up the Western islands of the Archipelago. While the Portuguese would name the Archipelago as the Caribbean, named after the Carib people who were the island’s first inhabitants, the Angevin Empire would come to name their respective region as the Antilles. Antillia, being known as a mysterious land which figured upon medieval charts, was believed to have been located among the Archipelago. With a new colonial nation emerging, the expanding colonial realms would come to further grow among the New World. While the Iberians would come to hold control among the South American continent, it seemed that the North American lands were destined to end up within the Angevin Hegemony.
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Read this as “Mazdaznan” for a minute. Now that would be fun, a load of Bauhaus vegetarians running round 16th century Europe.
Greater Armenia is certainly looking nice. The entire Middle East is absolutely fascinating atm, i'll expand more upon that in future chapters.
Francis isn't too terrible, he's just mediocre by Angevin standardsShame to see Louis’s reign come to a premature end but, for all his apparent mediocrity, Francis doesn’t seem too terrible. And the purple is almost beginning to grow on me.
Any plans on Mediterranean influence, like taking Sicily or Greece? Or maybe getting the Gibraltar straits a go?
On the one hand this AAR is making me want to play EU4 again. On the other hand ... I either need to learn how to create more time or not need any sleep
Chapter 22: Careful Diplomacy (1550-1552)
Chapter 22: Careful Diplomacy (1550-1552)
With her colonial and diplomatic interests starting to converge within the New World, the Angevin Empire would project their influence into their side of the Antilles. With such success, recent political developments would turn back to the Low Countries and the ongoing rivalry between the Habsburgs and the Angevins. Feeling outmaneuvered politically, the Habsburgs would double-down upon their efforts to keep the Dutch and the Low Countries within the Holy Roman Empire.
Acting as the barrier between the Catholic and Protestant worlds, and at times serving as its shield, Emperor Francis I would claim the Angevin crown to become the Defender of the Catholic Faith. The title would come to further legitimize the Angevin Empire as a Catholic nation, all as the realm sought to enforce religious unity against a dangerous growth of protestants within her own borders.
With the growth of New Amsterdam exceeding the expectations, parliament would come to pass an act establishing charter colonies to aid the fledgling Angevin presence among the American east coast. Following the success that it had once in the past, a colonial wave would see New Amsterdam and the surrounding area flooded with eager colonial settlers and merchants. This would greatly disrupt relations with the natives within the region, while simultaneously, the region would see a heavier European presence.
The Low Countries had, in recent years, been divided among various powers. In particular, the Duchy of Brabant had made vast territorial acquisitions against the Archbishopric of Utrect. This had pushed some of their neighbors to look outside their realms to help, pushing them firmly into the Angevin or Habsburg sphere. Lords that had once been firmly against the Angevin domination were not getting desperate, looking to find a solution to preserve their realm’s legacy.
One of these lords was the County of Hainaut. Once a part of the Duchy of Burgundy, Hainaut had acted against the encroachment of Angevin rule in the past to preserve their independence. Culturally and linguistically French, the Hainaut were more open to seeking good terms with the Angevin than they were with cooperating with the neighboring Dutch and Flemish lords. Francis I would have one of his children marry into Hainaut’s royal family, with the benefit of extending an offer of alliance, the first step to a strong relationship that would ultimately begin to blossom into something more.
Outside of her borders, the Polish-Lithuanian Union would come to blossom and transform into an entirely new power. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth would be established between the union of the two realms, already proving to serve as an incredibly dominant power within Eastern Europe. Not only able to challenge both the Habsburgs and Rurikids, but their close alliance with the Commonwealth and the Angevin Empire would be enough to placate any neighboring power to think twice about war.
Francis I of the Angevin Empire and the newly crowned Albrecht VI of Austria. With the Angevin-Habsburg Rivalry dominating the politics of both nations, the newly crowned Holy Roman Empire was fiercely opposed to any Angevin ‘encroachment’ within the Low Countries.
Within Vienna, Ferdinand I had come to pass away from natural causes after battling from illness. His successor would be Albrecht VI, a young but brash successor who had inherited the Imperial Mantle. Due to his own personal animosity, the young sovereign of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor had a deep hatred for the House of Anjou and the servant that served under their crown. A rivalry would begin to flare up once more. Both sides knew that another colossal war would become inevitable.
County of Hainaut would see an incredible amount of Angevin influence entrench itself within the realm, ultimately coming to make its way into a supportive crown that was leaning further and further into the Angevin sphere. With the right amount of time and investment, Hainaut would fall directly under the wing of the Angevin Empire willingly. Rewarding them for their change in loyalty, Hainaut would retain their ruling family rather than having a member of the Dutch Angevins placed upon Hainaut’s throne.
Further to the north, the Archbishopric of Utrecht had come to exist as a political oddity among the Low Countries. They were a Catholic island surrounded by an ocean of Protestant and Reformists that sought to topple the church within the region. Not looking to see another catholic realm become toppled within the region, the Angevin Empire would come to extend an alliance of mutual benefit with largely religious undertones, largely aimed at defending the faith within the region.
With an alliance established between their realms, the Angevins would begin to investigate the debt the reasoning behind Utrecht’s decline within the region. Imposed with an extreme amount of financial struggle, the archbishopric would be left crippled and on the verge of bankruptcy. Emperor Francis I would look into the Archbishopric and task his diplomats and economic advisors to resolve the issue with their new Catholic ally. The solution was simple and beneficial for both sides, the extremely wealthy Angevin Empire would aid their small ally in their financial struggle and pay off their entire debt.
In a matter of months, the Angevin Empire would come to pay off the enormous debt that Utrecht had been imposed upon and had saved the archbishopric from the verge of bankruptcy and possible destruction at the hands of their political and religious enemies. Feeling completely indebted to the state, Utrecht immediately leapt at the offer for the Angevins to extend their reach into the Low Countries and became a subject of the Angevin crown for continued stability and safety, infuriating the Habsburgs to no end.
In retaliation to the Angevin ‘encroachment’ within the Low Countries, Albrecht VI and a vast amount of the Holy Roman Empire would come to enact a reform to further centralize the realm. Through reducing legislative independence, the Emperor was now the final legal authority within the Empire. Despite the intentions of the realm, the Habsburgs and the few loyal Catholic supporters that were left within the Holy Roman Empire were in jeopardy as more and more powers within the realm became affiliated with the Protestants. Catholic supremacy was no longer absolute within the Holy Roman Empire, setting the stage for religious violence that was set to rock the boat.
Through intricate and careful diplomacy, the Angevin Empire would extend her diplomatic reach across half of the Low Countries in just over two years. Stuck in the middle were those states that were split between their allegiance to an Emperor in Vienna who listened but didn’t seem to care, while another Emperor in London was extending promises of safety and stability to the peoples of the region. With another era of conquest and hostility set to be looming underway, the Angevin Empire was prepared to extend her reach once more over the Low Countries, launching another large conflict that would trigger a second Angevin-Habsburg War.
