Bretons, Burgundians... the many enemies of the Ynglinga Rike blur in Ingrid's mind.
They're both OTL French so it would be completely natural for Ingrid to refer to the Bretons as Burgundians
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They're both OTL French so it would be completely natural for Ingrid to refer to the Bretons as Burgundians
A Comprehensive study of the Great Powers 1790
By Blayne Bradley
This is a comprehensive analysis of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the worlds “Great Powers”, this analysis will be done objectively utilizing the most advanced research methods and up to date economic figures. Now, what is the yard stick in which we will measure their strength? It is best that we consider the following; their economic strength in terms of income in ducats, their impact on trade, their total tonnage of merchant ships, and this all relative to their national size and the population of their country. Followed by the measure of their military strength in terms of their total army size, their yearly manpower in terms of those turning 18 and capable of being drafted en masse. As well as measuring their total naval power measured in their total number of warships, their capability to construct new ships and their current newest models of warships. With their military and economic measures properly measured relative to the other major powers all that is left to do is conclude by comparison, is the Great Powers military ability to project force matched by their economic ability to maintain it. The current European great powers are Norway, Britannia, Prussia, Germany, Finland, and to a geographical extant Georgia. The Great Asian powers on the Pacific Rim are Japan, China, Malacca, Georgia, Finland and the United States of Central America. In the Americas and the Atlantic Italy, Norway and Britannia dominate.
Japan of the Asian powers is in a sad state, they have the smallest of the world economies, manufacture the least of the great powers and have even have the least manpower of them all. They are politically and economically stable and possess a considerable navy and a decent land army but compared to the half a million man army the Japanese imperial army of only 200,000 men would be unable to cope with any of its neighbors’, instead relying on its diplomacy to befriend the Chinese, the Americans and the Malaccans to secure its sovereignty from the others, the Japanese have a decently sized population of 64 millions while only a fraction of China’s and about half of Malacca it could put it in a position to successfully compete with the Americans who are in comparison underpopulated having some 30 millions spread out over all of south, central and northwest America.
Finland, spreads over all of Eurasia and straddles eastern Europe easily the single largest or second largest empire in land area, while nominally called “finland” after the long lived and descended Finnish aristocrats from the Duchy of Finland back in the middle ages and later the controlling faction of the Principality of Novgorod until in The Long Night of Tsar Rurikovich saw the Passover of power of the Rurikovich royal family to the Novgorod-Finno branch. A population of 69 millions puts them on the edge on the Japanese but in poor straights in comparison to Prussia who nearly equals them man to man at less than half of Georgia’s population who share the longest border of any two powers followed by the Finland-Sino border for second followed by however a even worse population situation with the Chinese possessing over 400 millions having their long border with Finland, on the bright side Finland has easily double the population of Norway but once again, Finland is possible the least densely population nation considering their size, their economy is strong with Russians being an industrial people matching Norway’s economy through manufacturing what Norway has from trade. Militarily Finland is more of a medium weight, with 350,000 men, outnumbering its Japanese and Norwegian counterparts. Finland’s navy is barely worth mentioning as anything more than a coast guard with no ability to project force past the ports.
Prussia: Prussia still has a fairly bad geopolitical situation; they are surrounded on all sides by large and powerful nations but unlike earlier Prussia now possess one of the most elite militaries in the world with the size of it to boot to match it with 450,000 in size. Economically it is on par with Russia and Norway but has the advantage that by being more densely populated and more urbanized gives it a much large middle class to supplement future economic growth, naval wise Prussia is in the same situation as Finland too small to be noticed compared to Norway or America.
Malacca: Poor Malacca. While economically they are easily one of the richest and most prosperous pacific nations and is economically competitive even when compared with America and Georgia. Military it has the second largest navy in the world and is fully equipped with the most modern and up to date ship of the line warships and possesses a large transport fleet making Malacca possible the foremost nation capable of projecting force with Norway and Italy as close seconds. Malacca makes a huge amount of its income from trade in an export driven economy exporting rubbers, tropical woods, whale oils, opium, and various other trade goods like coffee and tea and acts as a mediator between China and the European consumers. Militarily Malacca through its large wealth is capable of fielding a large army in peacetime and wartime. Malacca’s problems stem from its somewhat large population of over a hundred millions being spread out over thousands of islands with the lions share being Indian and Burmese whom rarely view their Malaccan Muslim overlords with anything other than contempt at best and open revolt at worse. Even making that worse is Malacca’s disastrous foreign policy in east Asia, the Great Malaccan Crusade of Indian Liberation between Malacca and Georgia with Malacca allied with Britannia, Japan, and at the beginning China in an effort to reign in Georgian expansionism in India, Finnish intervention forced the Chinese to back out of the war raising the ire of their Malaccan and Britannian compatriots. But nonetheless this changed the strategic balance in the war considerably with Malacca unable to advance into India, and after a confused diplomatic clusterfuck later Finland and France pulled out from the war leaving once more Malacca alone with Britannia against Georgia with Prussia unwilling to intervene on Malacca’s behalf. After being pushed back Malacca regrouped and formed two large army groups in which to combat Georgia and after a partial successful offensive was crushed by a Georgian counter attack and pushed back deep into Burma where Malacca is attempting once more to regroup. The war doesn’t look good.
Georgia: Georgia is one of the largest empires spanning two continents with colonies in the pacific rim and a trading post in North America in Concord. They possess the worlds largest army with nearly a million soldiers and seem to have finally shaken loose the paper tiger reputation of years past when they’re military effectiveness was in doubt. They have a population of 125 millions, with a large manufacturing base and a large construction capability to produce new state of the art ships, but they’re large nation makes their large army reduced in effectiveness as the war spreads over three fronts, India, Africa and the Balkans. Diplomatically Georgia enjoys the diplomatic support of Finland, the cautious optimistic overtures of China and the seeming neutrality of nearly every other European power. They appear to be winning the war against Malacca, economically Georgia is possible the second or third largest thanks to a combination fo its large cross asian trade between Europe and Asia and its large population and agricultural base.
Britannia: Britannia is a large nation spanning the entirely of Africa and once possessed the Spanish peninsula but France defeated them in a series of wars seizing it. They have a large navy and a large capability to produce new ships and a large army but its population is not only somewhat on the medium to small axis of only 62 millions spread out over millions of kilometers and of that a large portion of its population resides in the African interior largely either unexplored or dominated by tribal nomads who only give lipservice to the Britannian Imperium. They are performing competently against the Georgian forces though it is uncertain how well they will proceed if Georgia turns its forces from Malacca to them. Economically they possess a decent manufacturing base and decent trade controlling the maritime routes from the atlantic to the pacific, they are comparable to Georgia and Malacca in economic output.
America: Originally the Italian Republic controlled the Italian peninsula and the majority of the Americas’ they are the most economically rich of the powers with a huge trade empire managing pan asian pan pacific trade and pan atlantic and European trade and possess a large manufacturing capability in Mexico and Peru, they lost the peninsula to Georgia. Becoming thoroughly colonial in its culture quickly over a couple generations seeing themselves as American rather than Italian, they have a medium sized army that is spread out on garrison duty over the Americas’ their navy is second to none. Problematically though their population is one of the smallest with only roughly 32 millions spread out over an area as large as Finland or Georgia as such though while they have a highly educated population its long term forecast for manufacturing growth vis a vis the others is grim.
Norway, basically see above, except compounded by not only bordering at least three major powers in Europe and America in North America. A navy even smaller in size and a smaller army and a smaller manpower base. However their land area is smaller so their density is better allowing for a better possibility for urbanization.
Germany: Germany is similar as Prussia in being surrounded by large land based powers but lacks a army as large as Prussia’s nor as proficient. However its economy is large and possesses a much larger urban population, a large middle class making its prospects for economic growth much better then Prussia’s. Its navy is largely nonexistence relatively speaking.
China: China has possibly the largest potential for Great Power status or a whole league above that but currently indefinable, with over 400 million people and a relatively medium sized nation compared to some of the other empires gives a large dense population with great potential for urbanization, however its literacy is on the low side with over tens of millions of people still illiterate. Its army is large with half a million but its navy is only really capable of coastal defence and is more of a brown water navy. Economically it is potent and capable but its large population hides its large manufacturing potential but nearly all of its output is aimed at meeting domestic demand with only leaving raw materials for export relying on Malacca as a go between. China’s alliance with Japan secures its sea zones from invasion. As such while having tremendous potential China ranks somewhat on the low side of Great Power politics internationally though is a serious consideration regionally.
France, right now is the foremost great power in Europe, with a large army and is currently the best led, best equipped of Europe. They have a population of nearly 100 million and with nearly off it in Europe and well urbanized gives them a large manufacturing capability and good trade relations with most regions of the world and they have a large capability to produce warships and merchant ships. They have proven time and again their ability to fight off several large armies at once.
Most powerful to least Powerful:
Georgia
France
Italy/America
Prussia
Malacca
Finland
Germany
China
Britanny
Norway
Japan
havent decided on reward.
By Blayne Bradley
This is a comprehensive analysis of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the worlds “Great Powers”, this analysis will be done objectively utilizing the most advanced research methods and up to date economic figures. Now, what is the yard stick in which we will measure their strength? It is best that we consider the following; their economic strength in terms of income in ducats, their impact on trade, their total tonnage of merchant ships, and this all relative to their national size and the population of their country. Followed by the measure of their military strength in terms of their total army size, their yearly manpower in terms of those turning 18 and capable of being drafted en masse. As well as measuring their total naval power measured in their total number of warships, their capability to construct new ships and their current newest models of warships. With their military and economic measures properly measured relative to the other major powers all that is left to do is conclude by comparison, is the Great Powers military ability to project force matched by their economic ability to maintain it. The current European great powers are Norway, Britannia, Prussia, Germany, Finland, and to a geographical extant Georgia. The Great Asian powers on the Pacific Rim are Japan, China, Malacca, Georgia, Finland and the United States of Central America. In the Americas and the Atlantic Italy, Norway and Britannia dominate.
Japan of the Asian powers is in a sad state, they have the smallest of the world economies, manufacture the least of the great powers and have even have the least manpower of them all. They are politically and economically stable and possess a considerable navy and a decent land army but compared to the half a million man army the Japanese imperial army of only 200,000 men would be unable to cope with any of its neighbors’, instead relying on its diplomacy to befriend the Chinese, the Americans and the Malaccans to secure its sovereignty from the others, the Japanese have a decently sized population of 64 millions while only a fraction of China’s and about half of Malacca it could put it in a position to successfully compete with the Americans who are in comparison underpopulated having some 30 millions spread out over all of south, central and northwest America.
Finland, spreads over all of Eurasia and straddles eastern Europe easily the single largest or second largest empire in land area, while nominally called “finland” after the long lived and descended Finnish aristocrats from the Duchy of Finland back in the middle ages and later the controlling faction of the Principality of Novgorod until in The Long Night of Tsar Rurikovich saw the Passover of power of the Rurikovich royal family to the Novgorod-Finno branch. A population of 69 millions puts them on the edge on the Japanese but in poor straights in comparison to Prussia who nearly equals them man to man at less than half of Georgia’s population who share the longest border of any two powers followed by the Finland-Sino border for second followed by however a even worse population situation with the Chinese possessing over 400 millions having their long border with Finland, on the bright side Finland has easily double the population of Norway but once again, Finland is possible the least densely population nation considering their size, their economy is strong with Russians being an industrial people matching Norway’s economy through manufacturing what Norway has from trade. Militarily Finland is more of a medium weight, with 350,000 men, outnumbering its Japanese and Norwegian counterparts. Finland’s navy is barely worth mentioning as anything more than a coast guard with no ability to project force past the ports.
Prussia: Prussia still has a fairly bad geopolitical situation; they are surrounded on all sides by large and powerful nations but unlike earlier Prussia now possess one of the most elite militaries in the world with the size of it to boot to match it with 450,000 in size. Economically it is on par with Russia and Norway but has the advantage that by being more densely populated and more urbanized gives it a much large middle class to supplement future economic growth, naval wise Prussia is in the same situation as Finland too small to be noticed compared to Norway or America.
Malacca: Poor Malacca. While economically they are easily one of the richest and most prosperous pacific nations and is economically competitive even when compared with America and Georgia. Military it has the second largest navy in the world and is fully equipped with the most modern and up to date ship of the line warships and possesses a large transport fleet making Malacca possible the foremost nation capable of projecting force with Norway and Italy as close seconds. Malacca makes a huge amount of its income from trade in an export driven economy exporting rubbers, tropical woods, whale oils, opium, and various other trade goods like coffee and tea and acts as a mediator between China and the European consumers. Militarily Malacca through its large wealth is capable of fielding a large army in peacetime and wartime. Malacca’s problems stem from its somewhat large population of over a hundred millions being spread out over thousands of islands with the lions share being Indian and Burmese whom rarely view their Malaccan Muslim overlords with anything other than contempt at best and open revolt at worse. Even making that worse is Malacca’s disastrous foreign policy in east Asia, the Great Malaccan Crusade of Indian Liberation between Malacca and Georgia with Malacca allied with Britannia, Japan, and at the beginning China in an effort to reign in Georgian expansionism in India, Finnish intervention forced the Chinese to back out of the war raising the ire of their Malaccan and Britannian compatriots. But nonetheless this changed the strategic balance in the war considerably with Malacca unable to advance into India, and after a confused diplomatic clusterfuck later Finland and France pulled out from the war leaving once more Malacca alone with Britannia against Georgia with Prussia unwilling to intervene on Malacca’s behalf. After being pushed back Malacca regrouped and formed two large army groups in which to combat Georgia and after a partial successful offensive was crushed by a Georgian counter attack and pushed back deep into Burma where Malacca is attempting once more to regroup. The war doesn’t look good.
Georgia: Georgia is one of the largest empires spanning two continents with colonies in the pacific rim and a trading post in North America in Concord. They possess the worlds largest army with nearly a million soldiers and seem to have finally shaken loose the paper tiger reputation of years past when they’re military effectiveness was in doubt. They have a population of 125 millions, with a large manufacturing base and a large construction capability to produce new state of the art ships, but they’re large nation makes their large army reduced in effectiveness as the war spreads over three fronts, India, Africa and the Balkans. Diplomatically Georgia enjoys the diplomatic support of Finland, the cautious optimistic overtures of China and the seeming neutrality of nearly every other European power. They appear to be winning the war against Malacca, economically Georgia is possible the second or third largest thanks to a combination fo its large cross asian trade between Europe and Asia and its large population and agricultural base.
Britannia: Britannia is a large nation spanning the entirely of Africa and once possessed the Spanish peninsula but France defeated them in a series of wars seizing it. They have a large navy and a large capability to produce new ships and a large army but its population is not only somewhat on the medium to small axis of only 62 millions spread out over millions of kilometers and of that a large portion of its population resides in the African interior largely either unexplored or dominated by tribal nomads who only give lipservice to the Britannian Imperium. They are performing competently against the Georgian forces though it is uncertain how well they will proceed if Georgia turns its forces from Malacca to them. Economically they possess a decent manufacturing base and decent trade controlling the maritime routes from the atlantic to the pacific, they are comparable to Georgia and Malacca in economic output.
America: Originally the Italian Republic controlled the Italian peninsula and the majority of the Americas’ they are the most economically rich of the powers with a huge trade empire managing pan asian pan pacific trade and pan atlantic and European trade and possess a large manufacturing capability in Mexico and Peru, they lost the peninsula to Georgia. Becoming thoroughly colonial in its culture quickly over a couple generations seeing themselves as American rather than Italian, they have a medium sized army that is spread out on garrison duty over the Americas’ their navy is second to none. Problematically though their population is one of the smallest with only roughly 32 millions spread out over an area as large as Finland or Georgia as such though while they have a highly educated population its long term forecast for manufacturing growth vis a vis the others is grim.
Norway, basically see above, except compounded by not only bordering at least three major powers in Europe and America in North America. A navy even smaller in size and a smaller army and a smaller manpower base. However their land area is smaller so their density is better allowing for a better possibility for urbanization.
Germany: Germany is similar as Prussia in being surrounded by large land based powers but lacks a army as large as Prussia’s nor as proficient. However its economy is large and possesses a much larger urban population, a large middle class making its prospects for economic growth much better then Prussia’s. Its navy is largely nonexistence relatively speaking.
China: China has possibly the largest potential for Great Power status or a whole league above that but currently indefinable, with over 400 million people and a relatively medium sized nation compared to some of the other empires gives a large dense population with great potential for urbanization, however its literacy is on the low side with over tens of millions of people still illiterate. Its army is large with half a million but its navy is only really capable of coastal defence and is more of a brown water navy. Economically it is potent and capable but its large population hides its large manufacturing potential but nearly all of its output is aimed at meeting domestic demand with only leaving raw materials for export relying on Malacca as a go between. China’s alliance with Japan secures its sea zones from invasion. As such while having tremendous potential China ranks somewhat on the low side of Great Power politics internationally though is a serious consideration regionally.
France, right now is the foremost great power in Europe, with a large army and is currently the best led, best equipped of Europe. They have a population of nearly 100 million and with nearly off it in Europe and well urbanized gives them a large manufacturing capability and good trade relations with most regions of the world and they have a large capability to produce warships and merchant ships. They have proven time and again their ability to fight off several large armies at once.
Most powerful to least Powerful:
Georgia
France
Italy/America
Prussia
Malacca
Finland
Germany
China
Britanny
Norway
Japan
havent decided on reward.
So is this comparison of the current situation how it would appear in ricky or purely EUIII strenghtwise thing? Becouse if it's the latter then it's bit odd in certain aspects...
I assume it's based mainly on info from Ricky but also some "general knowledge" of EU3.
Screenies were requested; here are some from the hard an unrelenting Narragansett campaign. First, note that there has already been six years of fighting here at this point, in which I learned the lesson that inf+art is deadly on defense at LT 59. Especially of course with a 4-6-2-1 leader. Conversely fasq learned not to venture out into scorched earth with big stacks. So it was a bit of a stalemate while I built artillery. Now, the counterattack:
I still get hammered by that deadly leader, but with liberal applications of sending in the next stack, I finally got them on the run:
Notice my manpower dropping to zero, though. Not a problem, really, since what remains is mopping up. Alas, it is at this point that France DOWs me and my armies run like scared little bunnies; there was no way for me to take on 80k fresh cavalry. Especially not with this leader:
This battle is being fought at a much later stage, when my stacks had recovered a bit and the 80k had split into multiple small sieging stacks. That, plus the entry of Italy, plus this battle, allowed me briefly to counterattack and punch the French back a bit. In the end however it proved impossible to kill his main stack, and his interior lines plus the slowness of art stacks - I should have split the art off once it became a cavalry campaign - allowed him to defeat Italy and me in detail. (That leader didn't do him any harm, to be sure.) Meanwhile the Georgian infantry was quite calmly assaulting one province after another:
and when my armies were destroyed - yet again - I surrendered on terms.
I still get hammered by that deadly leader, but with liberal applications of sending in the next stack, I finally got them on the run:
Notice my manpower dropping to zero, though. Not a problem, really, since what remains is mopping up. Alas, it is at this point that France DOWs me and my armies run like scared little bunnies; there was no way for me to take on 80k fresh cavalry. Especially not with this leader:
This battle is being fought at a much later stage, when my stacks had recovered a bit and the 80k had split into multiple small sieging stacks. That, plus the entry of Italy, plus this battle, allowed me briefly to counterattack and punch the French back a bit. In the end however it proved impossible to kill his main stack, and his interior lines plus the slowness of art stacks - I should have split the art off once it became a cavalry campaign - allowed him to defeat Italy and me in detail. (That leader didn't do him any harm, to be sure.) Meanwhile the Georgian infantry was quite calmly assaulting one province after another:
and when my armies were destroyed - yet again - I surrendered on terms.
It seems Anita, the uptimer, survived the siege of Carlisle and went on to fight in North America.
Great pics. Now we know what services France provided to Georgia in order to gain Italian territory.
Anita got out with the regiments evacuating to Ireland; it was Ingrid that stayed behind to fight to the end. I think the French services were actually a bit earlier than this - probably up against a wall in an alley. The peace was for 10k gold, which Italy very kindly paid for me, and I don't see fasq giving over a bunch of rich Italian land for that.
:wacko:
Sure you've speaking of our game?
Becouse in here, we have Manchu, but it came from Ming
And never had Russia, Only Novgorod which turned into Finland.
well in that case he should be known that Its great offence to call any area inside the epic "chinese historical borders" to be belonging to anything else than china
Brittany, 1791
A Journal of the Expedition to the Balkan Territories,
Containing
A True and Particular Account of the Transactions of the Fleet and Army, From the Time of Their Embarkation at Alexandria 'Til After the Surrender of Salaciq
by the Serjeant-Major of Gen. de Monfort's Grenadiers
Alexandria, February 1st, 1788.
We embarked on board the Transport Vigilant, bound on the Expedition to the Balkans...
The 5th day we set sail for Dalmatia, which we made on the 15th day. After a quick charge, Zadar fell to our troops and we rushed inside.
After taking a few days to rest ourselves, care for our horses and wounded, we marched onward down the Mediterranean coast. In short order we moved down through a number of towns. The towns might have been nice once. They certainly weren't when we left. They were, however, flying the Breton flag and swearing their undying loyalty to the Empire, and that was something.
All along the way we were watching our backs for any sign of the enemy. But every time we saw the Georgians (or the Romans, as they said in the East, or the bunch of murderous cocksuckers, as we generally said in the ranks) they were just a scouting party or two, retreating in good order on contact and staying just far enough to continually report our positions. So we knew there would be a day of reckoning.
That day of reckoning did not come before we reached the once-glorious city of Byzantium. While some may call it Gollenople after the Finnish conquest, the name means nothing to us. Nor does Byzantium, I suppose, except as a reminder that the East is always treacherous. Byzantium was bad and Georgia was worse.
I heard once somewhere that Byzantium had only been conquered three times as far as anyone could remember, all of them in the Partition of Byzantium.
I guess the walls must have been stronger then. Or maybe the cannons weren't as good as the modern stuff from the factories of Sus. Whatever the reason, between us and the Georgians, we conquered Byzantium another three times in the next couple of years.
We'd rush in, and send men over the top, and take her pretty fast. But shortly after taking Byzantium, we finally saw the Georgians that weren't really just here to fuck around. And it was ugly.
But let me back up a little. You know Georgia and Finland had always been friends, right? Well, there was this little strip of Finland right between Georgian territory the way we needed to go to get over to the Crimea. And the Finns were just sitting on the border and daring us to look at them funny. Not that we didn't know they hated us. So our generals told us it was time to load up on boats and ferry over to the Crimea.
That part was ok. What came next was bad. The Georgians brought up about a million men (I was busy, I don't really know, but it seemed that way. Later I heard it was more like one hundred thousand, but that's close enough to a million when they're running at you) and started pounding us. We had enough to stand up to them, but we were getting cut up something awful...so we decided to ferry back across to Silistria.
My God, I still wake up in a cold sweat thinking about the nightmare that was. Let me give you some advice. If you ever find yourself about to get on a leaky boat with fifty thousand of your closest mates and a hundred thousand Georgians on your ass...don't.
[AAR Reward - Army Tradition]
A Journal of the Expedition to the Balkan Territories,
Containing
A True and Particular Account of the Transactions of the Fleet and Army, From the Time of Their Embarkation at Alexandria 'Til After the Surrender of Salaciq
by the Serjeant-Major of Gen. de Monfort's Grenadiers
Alexandria, February 1st, 1788.
We embarked on board the Transport Vigilant, bound on the Expedition to the Balkans...
The 5th day we set sail for Dalmatia, which we made on the 15th day. After a quick charge, Zadar fell to our troops and we rushed inside.
After taking a few days to rest ourselves, care for our horses and wounded, we marched onward down the Mediterranean coast. In short order we moved down through a number of towns. The towns might have been nice once. They certainly weren't when we left. They were, however, flying the Breton flag and swearing their undying loyalty to the Empire, and that was something.
All along the way we were watching our backs for any sign of the enemy. But every time we saw the Georgians (or the Romans, as they said in the East, or the bunch of murderous cocksuckers, as we generally said in the ranks) they were just a scouting party or two, retreating in good order on contact and staying just far enough to continually report our positions. So we knew there would be a day of reckoning.
That day of reckoning did not come before we reached the once-glorious city of Byzantium. While some may call it Gollenople after the Finnish conquest, the name means nothing to us. Nor does Byzantium, I suppose, except as a reminder that the East is always treacherous. Byzantium was bad and Georgia was worse.
I heard once somewhere that Byzantium had only been conquered three times as far as anyone could remember, all of them in the Partition of Byzantium.
I guess the walls must have been stronger then. Or maybe the cannons weren't as good as the modern stuff from the factories of Sus. Whatever the reason, between us and the Georgians, we conquered Byzantium another three times in the next couple of years.
We'd rush in, and send men over the top, and take her pretty fast. But shortly after taking Byzantium, we finally saw the Georgians that weren't really just here to fuck around. And it was ugly.
But let me back up a little. You know Georgia and Finland had always been friends, right? Well, there was this little strip of Finland right between Georgian territory the way we needed to go to get over to the Crimea. And the Finns were just sitting on the border and daring us to look at them funny. Not that we didn't know they hated us. So our generals told us it was time to load up on boats and ferry over to the Crimea.
That part was ok. What came next was bad. The Georgians brought up about a million men (I was busy, I don't really know, but it seemed that way. Later I heard it was more like one hundred thousand, but that's close enough to a million when they're running at you) and started pounding us. We had enough to stand up to them, but we were getting cut up something awful...so we decided to ferry back across to Silistria.
My God, I still wake up in a cold sweat thinking about the nightmare that was. Let me give you some advice. If you ever find yourself about to get on a leaky boat with fifty thousand of your closest mates and a hundred thousand Georgians on your ass...don't.
[AAR Reward - Army Tradition]
To understand the politics of Norway at the end of the eighteenth century, it is necessary to look back at the preceding three hundred years, and in particular to consider three defining events: The First and Second Occupations with their attendant Diasporas, and the creation of the American Republic from the native statelets. The Republic was, from its beginning, designed to be subsumed within a larger entity. Its creator realised that there was no way to maintain the independence of a Native American state against the diseases the Europeans would bring and their higher level of economic output; but a sufficient resistance could be put up that the conquerors would find it expedient to permit a degree of local autonomy. Consequently, the settlers of the southern part of what became Norwegian America found themselves unable to claim vast estates, because tribal law forbade men to own what they could not work with their immediate family. Most of the settlers were not discontented with this, because they were largely from smallholding and tenant families in Norway, and had seen firsthand the abuses of rich farmers with more land than they could work. When local Tings were established, at first beside the tribal institutions, eventually absorbing them, the landholding laws were unbudgeable even in the face of concerted pressure from the wealthy families of Norway and England, who wanted to establish younger sons in estates from which they could run patron-client and owner-tenant relationships as they had done at home.
Since the south, with the best infrastructure - still very low by European standards, but not raw howling wilderness - was settled first and formed the base for Norwegian penetration into the hinterlands, this pattern of smallholdings was extended across most of the northern continent. This resulted in a very even distribution of wealth among landowners, who came to form a distinct class, and one which was not dominated by Ynglings - few of whom felt any economic need to emigrate to a single-family farm when there were developed lands for the taking in England, and wealth to be had in trade for those who had capital to invest.
The settlement of America was a long process. The First Diaspora accelerated it somewhat, but the wealthy and powerful settled in England, taking the centre of gravity of the Norwegian Empire with them; it would be a long time before the population of the colonies could match that of even a small part of Europe. The main effect was, therefore, that power changed hands from the military dynasties of Scandinavia, to the landowning dynasties of England, with their manors and tenants. These conservative squires maintained a quietly prosperous isolation for a hundred years. The disaster of the First French War quickly recalled them to power politics, and the interminable War of the Baltic League and intervention in the Mediterranean War, showed that Norway was still a power in Europe, if a minor one. Without this demonstration, the catastrophic Second Diaspora, brought about by Breton occupation of the Norselaw - not merely the southern half of England, as in the French War, but the Norse-settled area around Yorkshire - might have destroyed the Norwegian state through sheer demoralisation. Instead the Ynglings took heart from the example of their ancestors and their own recent successes in reclaiming Scandinavia, and swore revenge. And they found, when the dust had settled from the Ting's movement to the interior of the American continent, that the society in the colonies, which they had left to its own devices for four centuries, was very well suited to their aims.
The division of the land into small freeholds, which could not economically be divided, created a large (relative to the total population size) pool of 'surplus' second and third sons, which could - even after generous diversions into clearing new land and forming a cheap labour pool for the coastal cities - be absorbed into the military without straining either economy or sentiment. It was not that Norse settler families did not love their younger sons and brothers; but a man with no land had little prospect of marriage, and although labour was always welcome, one could not very well pay a kinsman the starvation wages afforded to itinerant workers. It therefore became widely accepted that the second son should go and seek his fortune in either army or navy if he did not apprentice to a craftsman. Norway therefore had a manpower pool which, although not large compared to those of other powers, was both a considerable percentage of its total population, and more easily expendable without economic distress.
Further, although the landowning population was not militaristic in a modern sense, they were well insulated by distance and seas from the effects of wars, and therefore quite patriotic in an indifferent sort of way. They supported the Ting in its wars as one might support a football team, cheering one's own when it wins but not too heartbroken when it loses. The merchants and craftsmen of the coastal cities, meanwhile - especially those close to the uneasy border with Narragansett - had their own reasons for supporting wars, as long as no conflict with a power capable of disputing Norwegian control of the Atlantic was contemplated. Against France, Germany, Brittany, and even Georgia, the Norwegian navy could expect to sweep enemy commerce from the seas, and thus leave them open for its own carrying trade. Only Italy, among powers close enough to quarrel with, could have reversed that equation; and Ting, landowners, and merchants united in very carefully not giving offense to that Power.
Norway-in-America finds, then, that it has an army which it can cheerfully expend on any cabinet war it may choose to engage in; a population which, shielded by oceans and a powerful navy, is sufficiently insulated from the adverse effects of wars to happily support them; and an economy which benefits from any fighting that closes the Atlantic to another power. It is, consequently, amorally and cheerfully aggressive, attacking wherever it sees opportunity. Since its survival as a power is never at issue, and no great popular cause is involved, it can switch alliances or seek terms in a purely Machiavellian fashion, paying no attention to public opinion of yesterday's enemy becoming today's ally - there is none.
The aims of the Ting in New Bergen (OTL Cincinnati) are many. Recover England south of the Thames; conquer Narragansett, that eternal thorn in the side of New England's traders; liberate the Norse populations of Finland and Skåne; destroy the Georgian empire. Their means are the stab in the back, the attack that tilts the balance of power in a close war, the long blockade that drains the lifeblood of an enemy. Their success remains to be seen.
Since the south, with the best infrastructure - still very low by European standards, but not raw howling wilderness - was settled first and formed the base for Norwegian penetration into the hinterlands, this pattern of smallholdings was extended across most of the northern continent. This resulted in a very even distribution of wealth among landowners, who came to form a distinct class, and one which was not dominated by Ynglings - few of whom felt any economic need to emigrate to a single-family farm when there were developed lands for the taking in England, and wealth to be had in trade for those who had capital to invest.
The settlement of America was a long process. The First Diaspora accelerated it somewhat, but the wealthy and powerful settled in England, taking the centre of gravity of the Norwegian Empire with them; it would be a long time before the population of the colonies could match that of even a small part of Europe. The main effect was, therefore, that power changed hands from the military dynasties of Scandinavia, to the landowning dynasties of England, with their manors and tenants. These conservative squires maintained a quietly prosperous isolation for a hundred years. The disaster of the First French War quickly recalled them to power politics, and the interminable War of the Baltic League and intervention in the Mediterranean War, showed that Norway was still a power in Europe, if a minor one. Without this demonstration, the catastrophic Second Diaspora, brought about by Breton occupation of the Norselaw - not merely the southern half of England, as in the French War, but the Norse-settled area around Yorkshire - might have destroyed the Norwegian state through sheer demoralisation. Instead the Ynglings took heart from the example of their ancestors and their own recent successes in reclaiming Scandinavia, and swore revenge. And they found, when the dust had settled from the Ting's movement to the interior of the American continent, that the society in the colonies, which they had left to its own devices for four centuries, was very well suited to their aims.
The division of the land into small freeholds, which could not economically be divided, created a large (relative to the total population size) pool of 'surplus' second and third sons, which could - even after generous diversions into clearing new land and forming a cheap labour pool for the coastal cities - be absorbed into the military without straining either economy or sentiment. It was not that Norse settler families did not love their younger sons and brothers; but a man with no land had little prospect of marriage, and although labour was always welcome, one could not very well pay a kinsman the starvation wages afforded to itinerant workers. It therefore became widely accepted that the second son should go and seek his fortune in either army or navy if he did not apprentice to a craftsman. Norway therefore had a manpower pool which, although not large compared to those of other powers, was both a considerable percentage of its total population, and more easily expendable without economic distress.
Further, although the landowning population was not militaristic in a modern sense, they were well insulated by distance and seas from the effects of wars, and therefore quite patriotic in an indifferent sort of way. They supported the Ting in its wars as one might support a football team, cheering one's own when it wins but not too heartbroken when it loses. The merchants and craftsmen of the coastal cities, meanwhile - especially those close to the uneasy border with Narragansett - had their own reasons for supporting wars, as long as no conflict with a power capable of disputing Norwegian control of the Atlantic was contemplated. Against France, Germany, Brittany, and even Georgia, the Norwegian navy could expect to sweep enemy commerce from the seas, and thus leave them open for its own carrying trade. Only Italy, among powers close enough to quarrel with, could have reversed that equation; and Ting, landowners, and merchants united in very carefully not giving offense to that Power.
Norway-in-America finds, then, that it has an army which it can cheerfully expend on any cabinet war it may choose to engage in; a population which, shielded by oceans and a powerful navy, is sufficiently insulated from the adverse effects of wars to happily support them; and an economy which benefits from any fighting that closes the Atlantic to another power. It is, consequently, amorally and cheerfully aggressive, attacking wherever it sees opportunity. Since its survival as a power is never at issue, and no great popular cause is involved, it can switch alliances or seek terms in a purely Machiavellian fashion, paying no attention to public opinion of yesterday's enemy becoming today's ally - there is none.
The aims of the Ting in New Bergen (OTL Cincinnati) are many. Recover England south of the Thames; conquer Narragansett, that eternal thorn in the side of New England's traders; liberate the Norse populations of Finland and Skåne; destroy the Georgian empire. Their means are the stab in the back, the attack that tilts the balance of power in a close war, the long blockade that drains the lifeblood of an enemy. Their success remains to be seen.
New map:
The great war has ended with Georgia gaining 2 provinces from Malacca. Though they have recovered by gaining territory in India from France Brittany seems to have decided that the middle east is not the best direction for expansion and has moved back to the Isles and a new war rages:
France vs Germany and Prussia
Ets see how this turns out.
The great war has ended with Georgia gaining 2 provinces from Malacca. Though they have recovered by gaining territory in India from France Brittany seems to have decided that the middle east is not the best direction for expansion and has moved back to the Isles and a new war rages:
France vs Germany and Prussia
Ets see how this turns out.
Republic of Finland condemns such talks and requires imidiate apology to finnish people of such threats of violence and demands that Norway regonizes the Finlands sovreignity to it's own lands. Othervice there will be consequenses.
Seal of the President of the Republic Eino Wilander