Home Trending Latest threads New posts Developer diaries

The Great European War

Jump to latest Follow Reply
  • We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Yet another rare nation makes an appearance. Did every single one form in your game? :p

Is there ever a war that doesn't end in annexation or conquered provinces in this AAR? ;)
 
Yes the Bishopric was odd but you wrote a good story for it
 
Westpalia looks like a lovely little blob, and with so much peace before 1750 they are probably rich enough to afford quite the military force. The showdown in northern Germany is going to be interesting to see.
 
Michaelangelo said:
Yet another rare nation makes an appearance. Did every single one form in your game? :p

Is there ever a war that doesn't end in annexation or conquered provinces in this AAR? ;)
Click to expand...

All these nations formed in my game though their creation isn't as glorious as I made them to be :p.

As for wars, I don't see the point if you aren't going to get stronger while weakening the enemy. It's a dog eat dog world out there. Don't worry, there will be an incident of peaceful expansion. Just one little incident I could think of right now.

Asantahene said:
Yes the Bishopric was odd but you wrote a good story for it
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'm not used to writing about a government other than monarchs and republics. So, it was a learning experience, especially when I try for a more peaceful stance.

sebas379 said:
Westpalia looks like a lovely little blob, and with so much peace before 1750 they are probably rich enough to afford quite the military force. The showdown in northern Germany is going to be interesting to see.
Click to expand...

Westphalia is quite lovely. They will be a interesting player indeed. Germany might have to watch out for this little bugger.
 
Great chapter blklizard! Just make sure you don't burn yourself out.
 
DKM said:
Great chapter blklizard! Just make sure you don't burn yourself out.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Don't worry about me burning out. Some histories, like the German one, just required a lot of work. I'm pacing it so I won't burn out anytime soon. Will have an update later today on a small unexpected nation. It won't participate directly in the war but this nation will be contributing quite a bit.
 
Iceland


yb5BbyV.png

Iceland (1649)​

History
Kingdom of Iceland (1649-)

Iceland was liberated from Norwegian occupation in 1649. The nation relied on fishing which made her very poor. Small scale trading did take place but it did little to help the nation's economy. In a desperate move, the first monarch of Iceland, Olav, made a series of reforms that saw the creation of Icelandic privateers. Much of the nation's wealth was invested in the privateers in hopes of capturing merchant ships which could bring more wealth into the nation. The privateers were to operate in the Caribbeans where the powerful European nations had their shipping routes. The problem was the first few Icelandic privateers were so poorly equipped that they posed little threat to merchant ships that could easily outrun them. For the first five years, it appeared as though the investment of Olav was a failure. However, all that changed when one man, by the name of Felix Rolfsson, did the seemingly impossible when he and his crew successfully captured a Castillian galleon. The galleon was returning from the New World to deliver a large cargo of silver but the great wealth headed to Iceland instead. The silver were put to good use to better equip the Icelandic privateers making them a greater threat to the shipping lanes. As a result, the privateers found greater success seeing more wealth flowing into the Icelandic treasury. They, however, attracted the wrong attention resulting in many European nations banding together to eliminate the privateers. The privateers were no more but Iceland had a massive treasury at its disposal. With the new found wealth, Olav created the Icelandic National Bank. The bank allowed Iceland to be very influential in European politics because many loans of major European nations originated from the bank itself. For several decades, Iceland made good income from the loan interests and, if any nation foolishly refused to pay, bank officials could convince other nations to declare war in exchange for further loan extension or lower interest rates. In 1750, Iceland was one of the wealthiest European nations and, surprisingly, no one could prove the nation had any connections with the privateers.
 
Yes, Iceland also exist. Like I said, they won't be fighting in the war. Yet, their wealth could really impact outcomes of some nations.
 
A good example of how to make do with meagre starting resources. Fascinating update
 
Haha that was a fun little update, I wonder which side they will be funding in the coming war. Maybe even both.... :p
 
Michaelangelo said:
Sounds like Iceland is the Switzerland of your world. And yay for Icelandic pirates! :D
Click to expand...

Well, Switzerland doesn't exist anymore so a nation had to take its place. Go, pirates! :)

Asantahene said:
A good example of how to make do with meagre starting resources. Fascinating update
Click to expand...

Iceland's independence happened to coincide with the age of privateers so I just used the idea. When trade fails, privateering seems like a good idea :p.

sebas379 said:
Haha that was a fun little update, I wonder which side they will be funding in the coming war. Maybe even both.... :p
Click to expand...

Who said there are only two sides...
 
Scandinavia


2UXyKHl.png

Denmark and Surrounding Nations (1356)​

History
Kingdom of Denmark (1356-1711)

Valdemar I rose to the Danish throne in 1355 but his reign wasn't well accepted by many in his realm. The sudden death of the previous monarch, Christian I, was rather suspicious and Valdemar I was believed to be behind the plot. According to succession laws, the son of Christian I, Christian II, should have taken the crown and, yet, the will of the old monarch put Valdemar I on the throne. This, naturally, didn't sit well with Christian II and many Danish nobles. Thus, the First Danish Civil War began in 1357 with Christian II determined to regain his rightful throne. Valdemar I might had fewer nobles supporting him but he used the Danish treasury to hire Norwegian mercenaries to fight for him. The First Danish Civil War dragged on for two decades before Christian II emerged victorious in the conflict. Order and stability should have been restored with Christian II on the throne but the peace wasn't meant to last. Days later, the new monarch was found stabbed to death in his bed and a noble, Hans, took the crown. Hans, worried the nobles loyal to Christian II might rebel against him, ordered their execution which earned him a few months of peace. A pretender raised an army in 1378 and attacked the Danish capital. The garrison managed to stave off the assaults resulting in the army moving to neighboring provinces to gather more supporters. Hans, worried his capital couldn't fend off another attack, offered a generous sum of ducats to anyone who could bring him the head of the pretender. One man, by the name of Ulrik, saw the sum of ducats as his chance to escape poverty. He rallied his countrymen and, in a decisive battle, crushed the pretender's army and slain the pretender himself. With the pretender's head, Ulrik returned to the Danish capital to claim his prize.

However, Hans had no intention of giving the ducats to Ulrik and actually told him to get lost. Ulrik, furious with the response, ordered an attack on the capital. The garrison, greatly reduced from the battle with the pretender earlier, was defeated and Hans was captured. Ulrik saw this as an opportunity for him to take the crown which could solve all his problems. Yet, the civil war had drained the nation's coffers to the point Denmark simply collapsed. For the next few decades, peasant revolts and noble uprisings were a norm with Ulrik struggling to put them down. Despite all the overwhelming odds against him, Ulrik managed to keep the realm intact until his death in 1415. Ulrik's death was an opportunity many waited patiently over the years. There were few that dared to openly oppose Ulrik while he was alive but, his death and lack of heir, made the subjects bold. Frederik was the next to take the throne but he faced fierce opposition that triggered the Second Danish Civil War. Frederik, unlike Valdemar I, lacked a treasury to gain funds. He had to rely on alliances and marriages with other nobles to counter the opposition. The Second Danish Civil War raged on until 1457 with the death of Frederik. Christian III, the supposed descendent of Christian II, was the new Danish monarch but, after several months of rule, he was overthrown by a man called Filip. Filip ruled with a iron fist and, for his first decade of reign, restored some resemblance of peace to Denmark. However, he couldn't escape the fate of being assassinated that saw a new pretender, Maximilian, as the new monarch.

Historians still couldn't explain why Denmark hadn't collapsed after the two civil wars but theories claimed that the decentralization of the nation, along with the unified identity, somehow managed to keep the nation intact. Maximilian just happened to be a monarch needed to push Denmark in the right direction. Maximilian might not have been a warrior but his stewardship made him the ideal candidate to fill up the coffers. Several reforms were passed over his long reign that ultimately ended 1529. Major infrastructure were built while trade flourished. During the conflicts, nations in Northern German region took advantage of their trade without worrying about the Sound Dues. However, the rise of Maximilian saw the Sound Dues return acquiring large wealth for the Danish treasury. Denmark was stronger and, in hopes of avoiding further conflict, Maximilian chose Charles IV of his successor. While no one was certain if Charles IV was related to Charles II or not, many respected the choice of Maximilian seeing them support the new monarch. Charles IV was, luckily for Denmark, a capable ruler that made reforms to the Danish military while, using his diplomacy capabilities, secured a nonaggression pact with Brunswick, the German nation south of Denmark. A few years into his reign, there were rumors about some nobles plotting to install a new ruler to the throne. The rumors created panic throughout the Danish court as many envisioned another civil war. Yet, the internal conflict was averted due to not those within the Danish court but, ironically, a foreign power that could have benefited by a Danish civil war.

Sweden had, over the last few decades, successfully annexed all of Norway. The nation became a major power as she sought to unify all of Scandinavia. To do so, she must conquer Denmark which, according to the rumors circulating in Europe, was too weak to fend off foreign invasion. The Swedish monarch, seeing this as his opportunity, attacked Denmark anticipating an easy victory. The war, however, saw Charles IV show his abilities as a general. Charles IV, using sound tactics and the best military technology due to his earlier reforms, halted the Swedish forces from gaining an inch into Danish territory. In the end, the invasion as thwarted and Denmark was victorious. Surprisingly, the war unified the Danish people seeing them giving up their petty conflicts for the greater good of their nation. To many at the time, Denmark might have avoided annexed this war but, once Charles IV passed away, the nation was once again vulnerable unless her people banded together. For the next century, Denmark grew stronger year after year as she became one of the wealthiest nations in Europe due to the Sound Dues and dominance in Baltic trades. The Danish military was constantly expanded while her fleet grew steadily as her naval presence in the Baltic was being felt. By 1649, Denmark was making preparations to take on the great empire to the north that was threatening her independence. A rare opportunity presented itself during a major rebellion in Swedish territory.


AfR5Go8.png

Denmark and Surrounding Nations (1649)​

While Sweden was busy expanding in the east, Swedish forces were too preoccupied to fight the uprising of Norwegian nationalists. The Danish monarch of the time, Maximilian II, funded the rebels to support their independence. To emphasize his support, Maximilian II married his daughter to the most powerful Norwegian rebel leader. At the time, many found such a marriage as a waste of a good bargaining piece. The rebels eventually earned their independence and Norway was free from Swedish independence. At least, they were free until the Swedes were ready to regain their territory in a future war. As luck had it, the rebel leader, also the son-in-law of Maximilian II, was selected as the Norwegian monarch. The marriage, in hindsight, was perfect for solidifying the alliance of the two nations. Fate dealt an interesting hand when the rebel leader died in a hunting accident without a proper heir. Under the influence of Maximilian II's daughter, the Norwegian crown was passed onward to the Danish monarch making Maximilian II the king of two realms. Upon his death in 1665, Maximilian made it possible for Norway to be integrated into Denmark strengthening the nation. The new strength also saw an alliance between Denmark and a naval superpower, Great Britain, which ultimately set the stage for the a renewed war against Sweden. Once an alliance with Kurland was formed, the Danish monarch at the time, Hans III, found the courage to declare war on Sweden in 1671.


9i59auP.png

Denmark and Surrounding Nations (1665)​

Kingdom of Scandinavia (1712-)

The war against Sweden eventually saw the Danish victorious against their rival. Much of the Swedish Scandinavian possessions were ceded to Denmark while a portion went to Finland. The Danish court naturally wanted to annex Finland to unify all the Scandinavians in Europe but the guarantees of Finland's neighbor made the Danish monarch, Charles V, hesitant to attack. With much of Scandinavia under his control, Charles V made the decision to form the Kingdom of Scandinavia. He had the intentions of one day unifying the region and the formation made it possible for even his descendents to have proper claims to Finnish territory. However, Scandinavia wasn't in a safe position either. Germany, soon after formation, was rumored to seek further expansion to the north. While the rumors weren't confirmed, Charles V did see some truth from such rumors and preferred to be safe than sorry. Thus, he began a series of reforms to improve infrastructure across the nation and the expansion of the Scandinavian navy. In addition, fortifications were being built or further strengthened in provinces bordering or near Germany as a precaution against further attacks. Finally, Charles V solidified the existing alliances with Great Britain and Livonia along with a new alliance with the nation of Belgium. When Russia declared war on Livonia, Scandinavia was pulled into the great conflict known as the Great European War by answering the defensive call to arms.


vDoD56h.png

Scandinavia (1712)​
 
Well, once united at least Scandinavia should be capable of fielding a decent army able to operate on the mainland. And supported by Great Britain, I suspect naval superiority in northwestern Europe belongs to that faction.

So, more than 2 factions eh, that's going to be even more interesting ^^ :p
 
Michaelangelo said:
That is one chaotic internal history. Sounds like the kings of Denmark played a lot of CKII. :p
Click to expand...

I blame it on me reading too much CK2 AARs :p.

sebas379 said:
Well, once united at least Scandinavia should be capable of fielding a decent army able to operate on the mainland. And supported by Great Britain, I suspect naval superiority in northwestern Europe belongs to that faction.

So, more than 2 factions eh, that's going to be even more interesting ^^ :p
Click to expand...

There will be interesting naval engagements considering how the naval superpowers are split up. I hope to do plenty of naval battles if possible. I made it more than two factions to make things more interesting (sort of like World War 2 with the Allies, Axis and Comintern).
 
Wow. Plucky Denmark eh? Nice update
 
Asantahene said:
Wow. Plucky Denmark eh? Nice update
Click to expand...

No pluckiness, no Scandinavia. Those internal strives put the Danish at a hefty disadvantage. The next update will be a short one though. Should be up soonish.
 
Netherlands


I3F7N8u.png

Holland and Surrounding Nations (1356)​

History
Kingdom of Holland (1356-1489)

Holland was leading a personal union over Hainaut since 1354 but it wasn't meant to last. In 1356, Burgundy declared war on Holland to acquire the territory controlled by Hainaut. Despite having many allies nearby like Brabant, Liege and Luxembourg, the small alliance still couldn't defeat Burgundy's more superior forces. Utrecht, a small kingdom east of Holland, joined forces with Burgundy seeing her play a role in the Holland's ultimate defeat. Because the alliance fought rather furiously, Holland only lost her personal union and no Holland territory was ceded to Burgundy. However, Burgundy remained a terrifying threat that Holland couldn't ignore. For the next few decades, Holland focused heavily on trade which yielded them lot of wealth. The wealth was invested in the economy which, in turn, helped the expansion of the military. The Holland government waited patiently for its chance to strike back at Utrecht for befriending Burgundy. The chance emerged when Utrecht was pulled into a war by Burgundy in 1382 for the province of Calais. Holland didn't immediately declare war but waited to see how the war developed. When Burgundy was defeated in 1390 by the English, Holland used the opportunity to declare war on Utrecht. As expected, Burgundy, having suffered terribly from her war with England, didn't answer the defensive call to arms. The war became Holland, Liege and Luxemburg fighting against Brabant and Utrecht. The entrance of Brabant was a huge setback that saw the war dragged on until 1413 when Holland came out victorious with the annexation of Utrecht. Brabant was forced to pay hefty reparations to Holland which helped the growing Dutch nation recover faster from war.


y7D46KH.png

Holland and Surrounding Nations (1413)​

Kingdom of Netherlands (1490-)

The Holland monarchs longed to unite the Netherlands region which also included Gelre and Friesland. The two small nations forged a powerful alliance which meant that attacking one also resulted in attacking the other. Holland waited patiently for her opportunity to attack and annex the two nations. When Friesland answered the defensive call to arms from Oldenburg against the Archbishopric of Münster in 1434, Holland declared war on Gelre with her forces advancing swiftly into Gelre territory. Friesland surprisingly joined the war against Holland despite lacking the proper forces to deal with her two wars. The Gelre army was soundly defeated and, while a small detachment was left to siege the Gelre capital, the main Holland army marched onwards to Friesland. After a rather bloody battle, the Holland army came out victorious and began the siege of the Friesland capital. The two nations were integrated into Holland by 1441 completing the dream. However, the people of former Gelre and Friesland weren't content with the rule of the Holland government seeing them rise up against their new overlord. The uprisings, along with a civil war, lasted for the next five decades that greatly drained the Holland treasury. Once the internal strife ended, Holland could finally become Netherlands. The Dutch people were united under one flag and a new chapter began for the region in 1490. Still, many at the time wondered if the cost of forming Netherlands was actually worth it.

The coffers of Netherlands were nearly empty which was a problem for the newly formed nation. Faced with further instability and possible bankruptcy, a few reforms were passed by the Dutch monarch to trade policies. The reforms didn't immediately bear fruit but, a year later, more ducats were flowing into the treasury solving the financial struggles temporarily. Three years after the formation of Netherlands, the Dutch learned that the Portuguese discovered a whole new continent in the west across the Atlantic. With no real expansion options available, Netherlands chose to fund a few expeditions herself in search of new riches. After a few trials and errors, the Dutch discovered North America in 1510 which provided them with a rare opportunity of more territory. With most of her neighbors growing stronger steadily, Netherlands required new land and wealth to remain a powerful nation in Europe. The first Dutch colony was established five years later in a province now known as Manhattan. This colony was the first of many Dutch colonies to form across much of North America. These colonies required the Dutch to dedicate most of their ducats which made them seen by many as an investment. Entering the eighteenth century, Netherlands was becoming a major colonial power that had influence in much of North America and her investment was paying off. Entering the eighteenth century, fur was in high demand and the colonies established by the Dutch happened to provide such a trading good in large quantities. Wealth entered the Netherlands treasury rapidly and, during her golden age, the nation was engulfed in the Great European War.


eSiPqpd.png

Netherlands (1490)​
 
Ahhh little Holland eh? Good country forming though
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back