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The Great European War

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Jay the Netherlands formed! And they took Manhattan, hurray :)
I wonder if they'll make it to the East Indies... Pinned between France and that mess in Germany might not be the best situation for her.
 
Are you going to show us images of the New World at some point so we can see the colonies of some of the European powers involved in this war? :)

Now I'm curious to see how Belgium formed, since they should be right next door.
 
Asantahene said:
Ahhh little Holland eh? Good country forming though
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Yes, our little Holland is growing up so quickly :p. Burgundy isn't too friendly towards them, especially when they have casus belli to annex the little guy.

sebas379 said:
Jay the Netherlands formed! And they took Manhattan, hurray :)
I wonder if they'll make it to the East Indies... Pinned between France and that mess in Germany might not be the best situation for her.
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East Indies have some European presence but Netherlands didn't bother there. She was too busy in North America.

Michaelangelo said:
Are you going to show us images of the New World at some point so we can see the colonies of some of the European powers involved in this war? :)

Now I'm curious to see how Belgium formed, since they should be right next door.
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Don't worry, Belgium is next on the list (maybe today). I'm not sure how I will deal with the colonies since this war focuses on Europe. It's already a huge scope so I might give "bonuses" to nations with colonies elsewhere :p. As for the map of the New World, I guess it doesn't hurt to show you the 1750 New World map.

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Netherlands got the Thirteen Colonies. Green is Portugal while the majority of yellow of Castille (yes, they still exist). Spain (lighter shade of yellow) got tip of South America while Lotharingia got much of Eastern Canada. The blue is Sweden so she still exists.
 
Nice.

Although several questions

1: Can we see some of the in-game maps of this era please?

2: Can we see some of the religion/culture stuff?

3: I thought the Jagiellonians took Prussia?

4: Why did you, as Great Britain, not colonise?

5: How will all the powers spoken involve themselves in the conflict? The Netherlands (and also Iceland) isn't mentioned in the description.

6: If Spainvarra and France cut ties in the 18th century then why is Spain aiding France in war of conquest only a few decades later?

7: Did France really go from nothing back to where it was?

8: How much CK II did the AI play before this game?

9: How much influence did you have in world events?
 
RepublicanIV said:
Nice.

Although several questions

1: Can we see some of the in-game maps of this era please?

2: Can we see some of the religion/culture stuff?

3: I thought the Jagiellonians took Prussia?

4: Why did you, as Great Britain, not colonise?

5: How will all the powers spoken involve themselves in the conflict? The Netherlands (and also Iceland) isn't mentioned in the description.

6: If Spainvarra and France cut ties in the 18th century then why is Spain aiding France in war of conquest only a few decades later?

7: Did France really go from nothing back to where it was?

8: How much CK II did the AI play before this game?

9: How much influence did you have in world events?
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1. All the in-game maps will be given once I finish the histories. I don't want to give away the few remaining nations or the extent of their territories.

2. See above.

3. Prussia was technically split between Livonia, Germany, Jagiellon and Russia. Prussia was literally dismantled in their wars.

4. I will reveal that after the histories. It was due to what I tried to accomplish in the game so I didn't bother colonizing (too much micromanagement :p).

5. The main description won't be updated for awhile. It will be fully updated before we get to the battles.

6. France was going through a revolution that, at the time, saw all their diplomatic relations severed. Once Revolutionary France was stabilized, the two nation restored their alliance so they could deter major conflicts. We all know how effective that was for World War I :p.

7. It was entirely made up. All the histories are made up with some truth in them, except for Great Britain where much of their history is the truth. So their comeback wasn't as glorious as I made it but it was more fun to read and write.

8. See above.

9. I had more influence than you think. However, I will reveal all once the histories are done.

Welcome! I hope you are enjoying the histories which will be over soon. We will get to the battle soonish after a few things I'd like to do when I planned this AAR. I hope I answered all your questions and feel free to ask anything else that was unclear. Thank you!
 
Ah, so nothing too unusual besides the presence of the Netherlands and Lotharingia in North America. Did no one colonize Florida?
 
What's going on with GB Not colonising??
 
Belgium


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Flanders and Surrounding Nations (1390)​

History
Kingdom of Flanders (1390-1441)

Flanders was liberated from Burgundian control in 1390 following the war between Burgundy and England. As an act of good will, the English gifted the province of Calais which was a core of Flanders. A strong bond formed between the two nations from that day onwards. However, the Flanders monarch still wanted to expand his domain. It didn't help that Burgundy still had many of Flander's cores that must be reconquered. Flanders, with a few loans from England, built up her army and, in 1395, declared war on Burgundy. Normally, attacking such a powerful nation was seen as a suicidal move but, in this case, the Flemish monarch was well informed. Apparently, the recent defeat at the hands of England gave the neighbors of Burgundy some backbone. The military access Burgundy forced out of her neighbors were all cancelled isolating Burgundian's northern possessions to attacks with little resistance. In addition, the English promised to join the war if things go downhill for Flanders. The war went smoothly and, by 1397, a war weary Burgundian monarch agreed to cede all his northern provinces, except Picardie, to Flanders without England participating. The province of Picardie had, during the war, defected to one of the French states but rebels had been constantly occupying it for the next few decades. For Flanders, the newly acquired territory put her at a very strong position in the region. The Flemish monarch had ambitions but he was also a cautious men unwilling to take unnecessary risks. With webs of alliances in the east, a poorly declared war could easily spell disaster for the newly independent nation. England was a valuable ally which the monarch hoped to call upon only in emergencies.


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Flanders and Surrounding Nations (1397)​

The Flemish monarch sought Brabant territory since his rise to the throne. Brabant controlled many rich provinces that could greatly strengthen Flanders. However, Brabant's alliance with the nearby nations like Holland, Liege and Luxembourg made her an untouchable target until 1413. The Brabant monarch, choosing a guarantee over her alliances, saw her at war with her former allies. The Flemish monarch waited patiently for the war to conclude which saw Brabant lose her alliances with Holland, Liege and Luxembourg. The loss of alliances, combined with her nearly empty coffers and low manpower, made her very vulnerable. The Flemish monarch didn't waste any time mobilizing his forces and declared war on the lonesome Brabant in 1413. Despite the valiant efforts of her generals and few soldiers, Brabant was defeated in 1415 with her annexation. The annexation of Brabant not only put Flanders at a dominating position in the region but also gave England a stronger ally she could call upon in the future. Her aggressions, however, did see a small coalition formed by Liege and Luxembourg against Flanders. The two nations were uneasy with the constantly expanding Flanders that happened to share or was near their borders. The rulers of the two nations also hoped that their alliances with Holland could deter Flanders from further aggression. The Flemish monarch had actually been secretly negotiating with the Dutch where Holland was free to conquer Gelre and Friesland without intervention of Flanders as long as she allowed Flanders to annex Liege and Luxembourg.


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Flanders and Surrounding Nations (1415)​

Kingdom of Belgium (1442-)

The Flemish nation spent the next two decades building up her economy along with a larger trade fleet. Spies were also sent into Liege and Luxembourg territory to acquire necessary intelligence for the upcoming war. Flanders was growing stronger with each passing year while her neighbors dared not to attack her fearing the wrath of the English. By 1435, Holland was already engaged in her war against Gelre and Utrecht so the Flemish monarch chose to declared war in 1436 against Liege which brought in Luxembourg. As agreed upon, Holland didn't answer the defensive call from Liege which made the coalition members less confident about their chances of winning the war. Miscommunication between the coalition members then saw the main Liege army isolated and annihilated. The main Luxembourg army followed suit seeing the Flemish soldiers split up to siege all the main cities and towns. Liege was annexed into Flanders in 1441 and Luxembourg experienced the same fate a year later. The annexation of the two nations were vitally important to the Flemish monarch who had already prepared the necessary documents to form the nation of Belgium. Belgium became the undisputed power in the region but, for the next three centuries, she invested much of her resources and men aiding the English in her conquests in the southeast. Because Belgium wasn't given further opportunities to continue her expansion in the region, the Belgian rulers enacted several decisions that benefited a medium power like Belgium.

The most notable decision to pass for Belgium was the creation of a mercenary company called the Belgian Elites. These were veteran soldiers that were slowly replacing the Swiss mercenaries and were in very high demands throughout Europe. The many campaigns with the English saw many Belgian officers gaining valuable experience on the battlefield. These officers learned that they could earn a lot more in foreign territory which saw a considerable number of them becoming mercenaries abroad. The Belgian government funded the basic armaments of these mercenaries and provided basic training inside Belgium. The mercenaries were then assigned to a mercenary general where he, or she in a few cases, began the life of a mercenary. The majority of these mercenaries participated in the campaigns with the English who were given a small discount for their fees. Considering that the English played a role in both the independence and formation of Belgium, the Belgian mercenaries didn't mind earning slightly less. Other Belgian Elites served as bodyguards for foreign Royal Courts where, as long as they were paid, their loyalty remained with the foreigners, even if a war occurred between the nation and Belgium. The main purpose of the mercenary company was that it allowed Belgium to participate in foreign wars without being an actual belligerent. They could provide aid to England while enjoying peace and prosperity in her region. Once the mercenaries retired, they would, upon agreement, give up a small portion of their wealth as payment to the nation in exchange for the basic armaments and training as the start of their careers.


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Belgium (1442)​
 
Michaelangelo said:
Ah, so nothing too unusual besides the presence of the Netherlands and Lotharingia in North America. Did no one colonize Florida?
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Netherlands is like England while Lotharingia is like France. As for Florida, these are AIs colonizing so I don't understand their logic.

Asantahene said:
What's going on with GB Not colonising??
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I played GB and I had a different agenda. You will learn why soon enough :).
 
blklizard said:
Netherlands is like England while Lotharingia is like France. As for Florida, these are AIs colonizing so I don't understand their logic.
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Maybe they left it empty so all the rulers of defeated nations could retire there. :p

I'm curious to see what role these Belgian mercenaries play in the European war.
 
Interesting stuff with those Belgium mercs...can't really understand why the Kingdom would allow its own troops to participate in wars against it...that said how could they stop it?
 
Very interesting story about Belgium, looking forward to the next part. With the French collapse south of her and then her resurgence, as well as the Netherlands and that Munster business around, they live in a dangerous place I would say.
 
Michaelangelo said:
Maybe they left it empty so all the rulers of defeated nations could retire there. :p

I'm curious to see what role these Belgian mercenaries play in the European war.
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Sure, let's exile all the defeated rulers and their family there. We'll call it the province of shame. It will get good tourism though with the inhabitants telling stories of their fallen nations :p.

The Belgians will be playing a major role, I assure you. In what way, we will have to wait until I get the random number generator going.

Asantahene said:
Interesting stuff with those Belgium mercs...can't really understand why the Kingdom would allow its own troops to participate in wars against it...that said how could they stop it?
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One of the qualities of the mercenaries is loyalty so this is what makes them in high demand. As long as they're paid, they will fight for you. Such loyalty can be hard to get sometimes with one's own officers and soldiers.

sebas379 said:
Very interesting story about Belgium, looking forward to the next part. With the French collapse south of her and then her resurgence, as well as the Netherlands and that Munster business around, they live in a dangerous place I would say.
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Once I give the complete Europe map with all the factions, you might notice things getting interesting. What nation goes to what faction was all determined by a random number generator so I had no control over it. Though, I really like the results.
 
blklizard said:
1. All the in-game maps will be given once I finish the histories. I don't want to give away the few remaining nations or the extent of their territories.

2. See above.

3. Prussia was technically split between Livonia, Germany, Jagiellon and Russia. Prussia was literally dismantled in their wars.

4. I will reveal that after the histories. It was due to what I tried to accomplish in the game so I didn't bother colonizing (too much micromanagement :p).

5. The main description won't be updated for awhile. It will be fully updated before we get to the battles.

6. France was going through a revolution that, at the time, saw all their diplomatic relations severed. Once Revolutionary France was stabilized, the two nation restored their alliance so they could deter major conflicts. We all know how effective that was for World War I :p.

7. It was entirely made up. All the histories are made up with some truth in them, except for Great Britain where much of their history is the truth. So their comeback wasn't as glorious as I made it but it was more fun to read and write.

8. See above.

9. I had more influence than you think. However, I will reveal all once the histories are done.

Welcome! I hope you are enjoying the histories which will be over soon. We will get to the battle soonish after a few things I'd like to do when I planned this AAR. I hope I answered all your questions and feel free to ask anything else that was unclear. Thank you!
Click to expand...

So how will this work?

This AAR idea I mean. Is it interactive or not?
 
RepublicanIV said:
So how will this work?

This AAR idea I mean. Is it interactive or not?
Click to expand...

This won't be interactive since it was never supposed to be in the first place and I didn't get permission from the mods.

There are several stages to this AAR so bear with me as I try to give an overview of it.

1. Histories of the involved European powers to explain certain rivalries (important in the war) while introducing the nations themselves.

2. A few things that still have kinks I need to iron out. General ideas involve introducing the weapons available to the different sides, the number of men and ships of the different nations and a few other goodies.

3. We will get into the key battles that happened in different parts of Europe. Where the battles occur, the belligerents and outcomes of battles will all be determined by a random number generator. Most of these will happen behind the scene and the readers will only be reading about what happened in the battles and, eventually, the outcome.

4. The aftermath of the Great European War where some empires might be dismantled, others gain more territory, etc.

I won't be focusing too far into the future (points 2-4) while I'm still working on the histories. Like I mentioned at the start, it will take awhile before everything comes together. School will start for me soon so the updates might slow down. Feel free to ask more questions if something is still puzzling. For the most part, I have a rough idea but I still lack the details to share with anyone at this point.
 
blklizard said:
This won't be interactive since it was never supposed to be in the first place and I didn't get permission from the mods.

There are several stages to this AAR so bear with me as I try to give an overview of it.

1. Histories of the involved European powers to explain certain rivalries (important in the war) while introducing the nations themselves.

2. A few things that still have kinks I need to iron out. General ideas involve introducing the weapons available to the different sides, the number of men and ships of the different nations and a few other goodies.

3. We will get into the key battles that happened in different parts of Europe. Where the battles occur, the belligerents and outcomes of battles will all be determined by a random number generator. Most of these will happen behind the scene and the readers will only be reading about what happened in the battles and, eventually, the outcome.

4. The aftermath of the Great European War where some empires might be dismantled, others gain more territory, etc.

I won't be focusing too far into the future (points 2-4) while I'm still working on the histories. Like I mentioned at the start, it will take awhile before everything comes together. School will start for me soon so the updates might slow down. Feel free to ask more questions if something is still puzzling. For the most part, I have a rough idea but I still lack the details to share with anyone at this point.
Click to expand...

So will the battles actually happen or will they be scripted?
 
RepublicanIV said:
So will the battles actually happen or will they be scripted?
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All scripted with the help of a random number generator. Not that different from my EU IV AAR (the Total War one).
 
Austria-Hungary


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Austria and Surrounding Nations (1356)​

History
Kingdom of Austria (1356-1666)

Entering mid fourteenth century, Austria was a medium power in the HRE. She had a vassal of Tirol along with two provinces that were fairly distant from her capital. Like many other rulers in the HRE, the Austrian monarch, Albert II, longed to become the emperor which ensured power and prestige above all. To become emperor, Austria needed to become powerful which meant expansion within the HRE. Albert II turned his sights on the small Archbishopric of Salzburg. The nation was weak and had no allies that could pose a threat towards the Austrians. Albert II declared war in 1356 and, two year later, the small Archbishopric was annexed into his realm. There were some discontent amongst the populace of former Salzburg but Albert II brutally crushed all rebels that dared to oppose him. In 1364, Albert II ordered the integration of Tirol into his realm. Tirol had been a vassal for more than a decade under the Austrians with her people longing to become part of Austria. Albert II didn't turn down an option for peaceful expansion that saw two more provinces added to Austria. However, the annexation of Salzburg and the integration of Tirol made the Hungarian and Bohemian monarchs nervous. As a result, Hungary and Bohemia warned Austria about further aggressions with the intention of intervention in wars. Albert II knew the limits of his nation so he wisely spent the remainder of his reign building a stronger economy for his descendents. Albert II wanted his descendents to one day accomplish what he failed to achieve in his lifetime.


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Austria and Surrounding Nations (1364)​

Rudolf IV was the Austrian monarch who rose to power in 1445. He longed to expand his realm after learning that Hungary was facing internal struggles so she could no longer pose a threat to Austria. While planning out his best way for further expansion, Rudolf IV learned that two distant provinces defected to Alsace in 1449 through rebels that were reported to be funded by the Alsace monarch. Rudolf IV demanded Alsace to return the provinces at once but the Alsace monarch refused. Knowing that staying passive at this point could turn Austria into a laughing stock within the HRE, Rudolf IV declared war on Alsace with the intent of retaking her rightful territories. To get to Alsace, Austrian forces had to fight the allies of Alsace, Wurttemberg, Ulm and Bavaria. Faced against these oppositions, Austrian forces had little trouble winning battles. However, Rudolf IV learned that, while his men were fighting Alsace's allies, Lorraine used the opportunity to annex Alsace in 1452. Rudolf IV demanded Lorraine to return Austrian territory to which Jeav V, the Lorraine monarch, refused on the grounds that Austria was incapable of defending her own territories. To say Rudolf IV was furious was an understatement as he declared the War of Austrian Aggression in 1453 on Lorraine. If he hadn't lost his cool and listened to his subjects, Rudolf would have noticed the Lorraine was allied with Bohemia, the HRE emperor. To declare war meant Bohemia entered the war alongside Lorraine and brought in her allies. Austria had just began a war she couldn't hope to win.


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Austria and Surrounding Nations (1453)​

The War of Austrian Aggression turned downhill for Austria almost immediately. Fighting Bohemia was already a difficult task and, with Bohemia's allies joining the battles, Austrian forces lost battle after battle. The Austrian capital, Vienna, was the last city to hold out against the enemies but even it fell into enemy hands in 1546. The Austrian monarch at the time, Georg, was captured by Bohemian forces and, days later, had to sign a shameful peace treaty that effectively dismantled Austria turning it into a minor power in the region. Bohemia took some Austrian territories to insert more influence in the south while Austria had to release the nations Tirol and Styria. Austria only controlled two provinces after several decades with at least four times that number. For Georg, signing the peace deal was too much for him to handle. He felt that he failed his nation and, during his depression, committed suicide as a way of escaping his guilt. To many, the death of Georg was a tragedy that should have avoided for the monarch did one task that ultimately saved his nation from annexation to one of her neighbors. In 1540, Georg, in an interesting decision, married off his daughter to the king of Hungary. The Hungarian monarch's marriages had failed to result in a male heir and, given that the succession laws within Hungary didn't allow a female ruler, such development threatened to plunge the nation into turmoil. Georg's daughter gave birth to a healthy boy in 1545 who automatically became the heir to the throne of Hungary. As so happened, Georg changed his will before his death that saw his crown transferred over to his grandson who became the ruler of Hungary months later.


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Austria and Surrounding Nations (1546)​

The sudden death of the Hungarian monarch was suspicious but no one within the Hungarian court could find the culprit. Following the succession laws, Georg's grandson, Ferdinand III, became the ruler of Hungary months after his ascension to the Austrian throne. Hungary was suddenly in a personal union under Austria, though some argued the vice versa in this situation. Such a development was vital to the survival of Austria given how devastating the last peace treaty was for her. Ferdinand III finally came to age in 1561 and began his rule over both realms. Ferdinand III was a charismatic man who was very capable in all departments. Both Austrian nobles and Hungarian nobles loved him and he was particularly popular with the ladies. One of his important marriages involved the daughter of the Bavarian monarch. The Bavarian monarch fought in a war against Ansbach to defend his allies and died in battle which, given no heir, saw the Bavarian throne transferred over to Ferdinand III in 1562 who began ruling over three realms. In 1568, Bohemia was recently defeated by the coalition of Brunswick and Mazovia. Before she could recover, Ferdinand III declared war to reclaim former Austrian territories. The sieges dragged on until 1575 when Ferdinand reclaimed all of Austria provinces under Bohemian control. 1575 was a very good year for Austria seeing her reclaiming a good portion of her territory along with the personal unions over Hungary and Bavaria. Great things awaited the nation that had grown so powerful against overwhelming odds.


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Austria and Surrounding Nations (1575)​

Ferdinand III accomplished much in his ninety years of reign. No one knew what kept him going but the Austrian monarch proved to be rather resilient to aging. His reign was already very promising with the Hungarian and Bavarian throne under his control. Ferdinand III knew that, one day, the three realms would be merged into one and worked hard to ease the transition. He organized the Austrian court so nobles of all three realms had a say in matters. He also worked with the nobles to create a series of laws that bound the people of all three nations so there was a sense of equality between the people. Military reforms were made so that the armies of the three nations often trained together just as they would in future conflicts. Economic reforms were passed to bring more ducats into the treasury that were reinvested back into the society to create more wealth. Ferdinand III was also especially careful about his personal life. Since his marriage with the Bavarian princess, he refused to marry anyone else fearing the birth of another pretender to his throne. With the Bavarian princess, Ferdinand III had a son and, since then, he no longer participated in anymore sex life. With all of his preparations completed, Ferdinand III finally passed away peacefully in his sleep in 1635. The crown was passed peaceful to his son, Ferdinand IV, and both Hungary and Bavaria were inherited by the new monarch. The many reforms Ferdinand III implemented proved successful as the integration seemed almost natural with no opposition against Ferdinand IV's reign.


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Austria and Surrounding Nations (1635)​

Kingdom of Austria-Hungary (1667-)

Ferdinand IV was already seventy one years old when he took over the throne. Two years later, he passed away leaving the throne to his grandson, Ferdinand V, as he hoped to leave the throne to a young man who could accomplish much. The decision saw literally no opposition so Ferdinand V took the crown without any bloodshed. Ferdinand V was an ambitious young man wishing to reclaim all of Austria's former territories. Thus, he declared war in 1640 on Styria with the initial goal of simply reclaiming Austrian cores. However, the war dragged on and Ferdinand V's ambitions grew larger with each passing year until he decided that he wanted to annex all of Styria. The war finally ended in 1667 with all of Styria annexed into Austria. Ferdinand V understood that there were tensions with the Hungarians who weren't too happy about being seen as subjects of Austria. Thus, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1667 was established resulting in the formation of Austria-Hungary. Both nations, Austria and Hungary, were seen as equals which, in the eyes of the citizens, made sense. Austria grew powerful with the aid of Hungary but she was quite capable herself once she reclaimed her cores. The compromise made everyone content avoiding a bloody revolution inside the nation. As a new superpower in the region, Ferdinand V began negotiating with other European nations in hopes of forming strong alliances. By the time of his death in 1709, Ferdinand V solidified alliances with Sicily, Russia and Illyria.


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Austria and Surrounding Nations (1667)​
 
Austria-Hungary is in an interesting position in central Europe, with the various nations we have already seen develop around them.
Is Belgian history done now? Cause that means they had a very long period of peace I wonder how that will affect them. I'm curious to see wether the stability improved their economic position (and thus perhaps a large mercenary army) or wether it made the military department complacent...
 
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