1501
6/12 - England and France return to a status quo. Thank God, as a large French fleet was looming off the Lusitanian coast.....
1502
King Manuel is curious about the status of our overseas possessions. We have begun to establish trading posts in South America, founded by Corte Real the Elder. Corte Real Junior has made it to India, and with perseverance, we found colonies in the Ciskei and the east coast of India....
Our funds are beginning to peter out, but we have managed to upgrade the navy and army; infrastructure and and trade are a long way from improving....
1503
We have managed to promote almost every official from baliff to tax collector; we have also improved our forts in Tago and Tangiers. The navy is down somewhat, but we have transferred all of our armed forces back to Tangiers, and it stands at 43k (26 infantry/15 cavalry/20 cannon) under our new Colonel Dos Santos....
1504
5/1 - King Manuel has been issuing threats against the Moroccan Sultan since the beginning of the year, and in April, has begun sending diplomats to Fez in order to claim the Moroccan throne. This does not go over well....
It is noted that the Sultan currently has no allies, while we still maintain freindly relations with the Spanish (we have been cultivating this for several years), and an alliance with the English, Hansa, Venetians and Teutonic Knights....
5/28 - We take advantage of our temporary Casus Belli vs. the Moroccan Sultan (may the fleas of a thousand camels infest his armpits), and declare war. I advise Manuel that we may need the funds for troops, and begin to take out three loans in successsion...Dos Santos waits for instructions from Lisbon, and is told to go on the defensive. We feel that it is to our advantage to let the desert kill off the infidels before we do....
7/5 - The Moroccan army (40k after attrition) meets Dos Santos outside the gates of Tangiers. After a week's worth of heavy fighting, the Moroccans are sent reeling back towards Fez; Dos Santos is hot on their heels...
8/23 - Dos Santos catches up with the demoralized Moors, and they are utterly destroyed. We begin to siege Morocco.
10/18 - The Moroccan Sultan is desperate and sends 12k of infantry from Marrakech in an effort to relieve Fez. It is easily sent packing.
12/21 - Another 12k of infantry is sent back across the sands, although heavy fighting and attrition is taking its toll on the Portuguese army (11k infantry/7k cavalry/15 cannon)
1505
5/20 - Our siege continues; the English and Hansa have dropped troops off in Toubkal and suffered a stinging defeat at the hands of the Sultan. The Venetians are currently assisting us in the siege of Fez....
6/22 - Venice drops out of the fighting, and takes its 22k army with it...
7/13 - We defeat a cheeky relief force from Toubkal (22k), along with the remnants of the English and Hansa. The Teutonic Knights have brought in 8k of infantry to assist in the siege...
8/13 - A revolt in the Ciskei breaks out, but is savagely put down by our conquistador, Camoens...
11/12 - The Sultan is desparate, and makes a last ditch effort to save Fez with 11k of infantry. It is routed...
11/14 - Spies inform us another relief force from Marrakech is on the way; Dos Santos is ordered to assault Fez, and succeeds in captuing the city...
1506
3/19 - The Moroccans send another army (18k)to Fez before we ahve the opportunity to send one to Marrakech. The assault catches Dos Santos by surprise, and he retreats towards Tangiers...
6/23 - Dos Santos regroups with another 8k in reinforcements (all infantry, because our country is friggin' BROKE!!), and manages to narrowly avert disaster. He follows the Morrocans immediately to Fez with the English, Knights and Hansa, and winters in Fez...
The Sultan spends the rest of the year offering a white peace, cash, ANYTHING to get us off what he feels is rightfully his. Manuel, however, is hearing none of it, however. He wants his foothold (and moment of glory) in North Africa...
1507
2/15 - Dos Santos arrives in Toubkal, and lays down a siege.
3/7 - Troops from the Sahara (22k)are brought in to relieve beleaguered Marrakech. They are routed by allied troops..
4/1 - 15,000 Morrocans are slain outside the gates of Marrakech....
7/19 - The Moroccans finally break the siege with an army of 27,000 men. Dos Santos retreats to Fez...
9/2 - The Moroccans attempt to follow up on their victory against Dos Santos in the heart of Morocco, but the Teutonic Knights have added another 10k to our army, and the Moors are routed...
1508
1/19 - We follow up our success, and Dos Santos' allied army smashes the Morrocans outside of Marrakech, which is promptly besieged....
9/14 - Marrakech falls after a lengthy siege...Dos Santos has the patience of a saint, it seems...
9/15 - Morocco buys off the Teutonic Knights for 250 ducats. At least they got more than Judas did...
11/12 - England agrees to a Status Quo with Morocco...
1509
7/13 - Dos Santos is down to 4,000 men; a Moroccan relief force of 10k (raw recruits, it seems) is utterly annihilated.
12/30 - News of other events reaches our ears. France and her allies (Poland-Lithuania, Lorraine, Tunisia, Savoy and the Papal States) declares war against Spain and her allies (Scotland, Naples, Wurttemburg and the Palantinate)
1510
We build troops to finish the job Manuel started; we are maxed out on loans, and hope to give the Sultan a death blow before we have to declare what looks like an inevitable bankruptcy....
3/28 - Savoy drops out of its war, paying Spain 173 ducats..
1511
2/25 - The inevitable finallly occurs; Dos Santos and his army of 12k finally captures the last Moroccan fortress in the Sahara..
3/14 - The Sultan offers the Sahara and Toubkal for peace; Manuel offers the opportunity to take a permanent vacation in exile to any other Arab country. The Sultan accepts Manuel's generous offer, and Morocco is annexed to Portugal.
7/26 - Lorraine and the Palatinate agree to a Status Quo.
8/11 - Lorraine pays Spain 94 ducats.
11/25 - Russia, Denmark and Pskov declare war against Kazan.
1512
3/19 - The war in Kazan is over. Russia forks over 190 ducats...
4/25 - In an unusual move, Naples makes peace with the Poles, paying 125 ducats and ceding Polish held Apulia to the Commonwealth...
5/24 - France pays Wittemberg 245 ducats....
11/15 - Day of reckoning for Manuel; he leaves me holding the bag as I tell our bankers that we are unable to repay our loans...stability drops a point, the troops lose morale, and we seek to avoid any other confrontations until we balance things out on the home front....
1513
12/16 - France and Spain make peace, with France paying the Spanish 175 ducats....
1514
10/22 - A revolt is crushed in Morocco..
11/29 - Spain and Poland make a separate peace with the Poles getting Sardinia....
Let me know if you want to hear more, folks. This is my first AAR, and can always use some feedback...
Ciao,
Paul
