-
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.
I got the pictures now.
I generally use Mozilla. After rightclicking on an oops picture I get a windows where I can click the menu point 'properties'. Then I get the URL but it is already linked. I can not mark it, only left- or rightclicking. Both take me to the 'bad referrer'. Clicking Reload brings me always to the 'bad refferer'. The same happens with Netscape. But with Explorer the URL is not linked and I can simply mark it with the mouse cursor and copy it with Ctrl C. Then I open a new Explorer window paste the copied URL into the address line with Ctrl V. Now the picture is loaded.
I generally use Mozilla. After rightclicking on an oops picture I get a windows where I can click the menu point 'properties'. Then I get the URL but it is already linked. I can not mark it, only left- or rightclicking. Both take me to the 'bad referrer'. Clicking Reload brings me always to the 'bad refferer'. The same happens with Netscape. But with Explorer the URL is not linked and I can simply mark it with the mouse cursor and copy it with Ctrl C. Then I open a new Explorer window paste the copied URL into the address line with Ctrl V. Now the picture is loaded.
Could you please post a diplomatical map? After reading your last post, I guess Europe must now diplomatically be divided in darkgreen and darkred.
1533-1539: German unity and unrest
The first attempt to restart the coalition was made only 6 months after the end of the war, but would not succeed. Moldavia, that had expected other nations to jump in as it declared war instead found itself alone against the Austrians, and willingly accepted annexation 3 months later. The Ottoman Empire would attempt to start another crusade in December and while their heroic charge seemed initially futile, as Austria had already occupied Morea and Anatolia by June 1434, it would succeed in rallying two alliances: Suzdal and England, as well as Hannover, Magdeburg and the Knights. Armies were rapidly dispatched on Geldre, Hinterpommern and Magdeburg, while the Austrians tried to finish their conflict with the Turks. Another army, meanwhile, landed in England and began to besiege the capital of England. These damned English would stop meddling in Austrian affairs!
But Poland and its ally Cyprus joined in the war again, as the conflict seemed to want to return to full scale again. An army advanced on Bern to take the province from Poland, as the Emperor raised wartaxes in anticipation that the conflict would broaden. Likewise, an army moved onto Hannover, to take over the small german state. With the beginning of the new years, those funds were allocated to massively recruit soldiers accross the Empire, as well as to continue the conversion of the muslims and protestants of the empire, which had resulted in the conversion of Rumelia to Catholicism the precedent year. Bern was quickly taken, and in March, the conflict broadened again, with the entrance of the French-Danish alliance. The army in Bern proceeded onto Franchecomté as the northern front was awaiting reiforcement to attack the Danish. And in April, it was again the small island of Corsica which pretended to be part of the anti-austrian coalition, though it had an history of sitting back and watching the others get killed.
The first state to fall was Magdeburg, which was annexed in May. Another inactive warmonger, Crimea entered the war against Austria immediately after the fall of Magdeburg. The conversion program would pay off, resulting in the conversion of Sudeten and Transylvania over the year. Hannover was occupied, and the army moved north to begin the preparation of the invasion of Denmark, as Bremen was already being besieged. Likewise, with the fall of Hinterpommern to Austria, their army moved south onto Poznan. In September, an army was set in motion to begin the invasion of Northern France, starting with Artois, as they had just counterattacked in Franchecomté and broken the siege. With the fall of London at the beginning of October, the English maps were stolen and reports of their trip to India by passing south of the Americas was learned, as well as the details of their colony in North America, the Caraibs, South America and Indonesia.
By the end of the year, wartaxes were raised again, and Hannover formally annexed. Just as Hannover fell, negociations with its ally, the Knights, was successful to end the war. In November, Scotland and its allies Eire, Cologne, Brabant and Sweden joined the war against Austria. The next month, the Teutonic Order and its allies Lithuania and Genoa also declared war, immediately followed into this by Prussia; then Aragon and its Iberian allies and then Ak Koyunlu and the Golden Horde. The coalition had been revived. From Bern, the Austria moved north to Alsace against Lithuania. England began to negociate its defeat by offering numerous trading posts in the New World, but the Emperor had no interest in colonies: Too much was at stake in Europe without having to bother about the other continents. With the capture of Jylland, the Austrians pursued their operations in Scandinavia and moved against the Danish capital.
With the ressources granted by the yearly surpluses, Karl ordered massive armies raised arround Austria, and when he could raise no more, ordered the rest of his ressources invested to get rid of the symbol of Habsburg resistance in his lands: The protestant of northern Germany. The English successfully destroyed his armies in England, but the capital was still firmly in Austrian control. From their base in Kerch and with the help of English soldiers, the Genoese managed to destroy the Austrian garrison in Kaffa and began to siege the province. With the capture of Artois, the Austrian armies moved back against Brabant, while another moved onto Koln, besieging both provinces. Peace with Denmark was achieved in May 1536, gaining both Bremen and Jylland for Austria.
It is strange to note, how the Austrian armies, acting independently seemed to regularly win on all fronts, though occasional setbacks were reported. Now, armies were moving into Poland from the south. Poznan had been occupied and Galizien and Wielkopolska were being sieged. And no coordination seemed to be found in the anti-Habsburg coalition. Indeed, the Iberian and the French seemed content to simply engage Savoy, Siena and the Pope, which acted as perfect buffer states to prevent direct attacks on Austria. At this rate, the enemies of Austria would continue to suffer defeat, one by one, until Austria owned all of Europe. Already, in the last ten years, Austria had conquered nearly all of the german nations, against which the brunt of its armies were brought. With the fall of Geldre in late June, England accepted to hand over both Geldre and Hinterpommern, two territories that had been disputed with Austria since the Burgundian inheritance, over half a century ago.
Likewise, Alsace was taken in July, and immediately, the armies that had been involved in the sieges of Alsace, geldre, bremen and Sjaelland began moving inward to crush all the german rebels that had raised up in arms before likely, going in an outward motion again. It was at this point that Karl decided to cancel the military access given to Saxony and which garanteed Austria peace. It was a public defiance to Saxony to enter the war against Austria if it dared, because it would soon be submerged as had been all surrounding german territories. And in August, it indeed replied to the provocation by declaring war. As the Austrians were moving on Saxony to destroy them, the siege in Wielkopolska was broken by polish armies.
In November, the proud Savoy was submerged by France and finally annexed, after having lost both Piemonte and Franchecomté in the past wars. This destruction prompted Tuscany to join the alliance, as it hoped to reap the fruits of conquering the two other Austrian vassals. Koln was taken, and the local army moved on Zeeland, which had been captured by Brabant, to retake it, as another army was moving westward, engaging the army of Cologne in Mainz and being driven back after inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy army. With the start of the new year, troops were raised accross the country, and missionaries were dispatched to convert the muslims in Bulgaria. Galizien was taken, and so was Brabant, and while the first army moved back to round up new soldiers, the second moved to Luxembourg, besieging it. Saxony somehow still held on despite our repeated attacks on the territory, and Poland took control of Silesia. And by May 1537, Spain landed on Crete and took control of the island. This could prove troublesome. Negociations with different states began, and Suzdal and Corsica both moved out of the war. Soon after, Genoa would do the same. With Zeeland retaken by the end of the year, Brabant would be annexed.
The war was beginning to be very dangerous to Austria however, the revolts everywhere severely crippled its ability to wage war effectively. Prussia had taken Pommern just recently, and France and Spain were beginning to flex their muscles. While Austria had been able to greatly strenghten his military by spending over 1000 ducats raising armies on January 1538, the number of battles it had to wage was insane and unbearable. Austria wanted peace, despite the many fruits of conquest. Also, it had by now accumulated some 1000 ducats in debts, and the interests were rising. They could not be paid back as long as the war went on without crippling Austria. With Brittany joining the conflict again in March, this could be one hell of a long war.
With the fall of Luxembourg, Cologne had to cede the province and become Austria's vassal. Not that Karl really expected them to remain it, but still, if it brought in a few more ducats, it could be useful. Peace with Scotland and its allies Eire and Sweden was then concluded. Likewise, Crimea rapidly moved out of the war. Saxony was annexed in October, and peace with the Iberian alliance was signed as well. An army was sent to besiege Podolia and try to get some concessions out of Poland, while France was becoming increasingly annoying in the west, taking Pfalz and Luxembourg in a matter of months. Continuing to negociate, Karl got Ak Koyunlu and its ally Golden Horde out of the month by the end of the year. Still, even as Austria was slowly getting out of the war, its current enemies: France, Poland, Lithuania, Prussia, the Teutonic Order, Cyprus, Brittany and Tuscany were still threatening the stability of the very tumultuous state.
Both Prussia and Tuscany were negociated out of the war in March, as massive armies were being raised in the Netherlands to stand up to the French, who were now besieging Flandern. As well, peace with Poland and its ally Cyprus were signed in April, with Austria once again letting Poland keep Bern for peace. As the French took Flanders, and more and more armies seemed to pour through the borders, Karl decided to negociate a truce with France, giving them Calais in exchange for peace. This had been the first time a foreign power had inflicted a military defeat on Austria, though it was admittedly of a relatively small scale. In July, Brittany agreed to make peace, leaving only the Teutonic Order and its ally Lithuania in the war. Soon Austria would have peace. The Stability of the state was compromised by its nobles, and Austria needed peace if it was to stay in one piece, as rebellions were happening everywhere. With Lithuania stubbornly hanging onto Alsace despite its occupations and the dozens of battles waged over its control, Karl had no choice but to sign a white peace with the Teutonic Order, ending the war at the end of 1539.
The first attempt to restart the coalition was made only 6 months after the end of the war, but would not succeed. Moldavia, that had expected other nations to jump in as it declared war instead found itself alone against the Austrians, and willingly accepted annexation 3 months later. The Ottoman Empire would attempt to start another crusade in December and while their heroic charge seemed initially futile, as Austria had already occupied Morea and Anatolia by June 1434, it would succeed in rallying two alliances: Suzdal and England, as well as Hannover, Magdeburg and the Knights. Armies were rapidly dispatched on Geldre, Hinterpommern and Magdeburg, while the Austrians tried to finish their conflict with the Turks. Another army, meanwhile, landed in England and began to besiege the capital of England. These damned English would stop meddling in Austrian affairs!
But Poland and its ally Cyprus joined in the war again, as the conflict seemed to want to return to full scale again. An army advanced on Bern to take the province from Poland, as the Emperor raised wartaxes in anticipation that the conflict would broaden. Likewise, an army moved onto Hannover, to take over the small german state. With the beginning of the new years, those funds were allocated to massively recruit soldiers accross the Empire, as well as to continue the conversion of the muslims and protestants of the empire, which had resulted in the conversion of Rumelia to Catholicism the precedent year. Bern was quickly taken, and in March, the conflict broadened again, with the entrance of the French-Danish alliance. The army in Bern proceeded onto Franchecomté as the northern front was awaiting reiforcement to attack the Danish. And in April, it was again the small island of Corsica which pretended to be part of the anti-austrian coalition, though it had an history of sitting back and watching the others get killed.
The first state to fall was Magdeburg, which was annexed in May. Another inactive warmonger, Crimea entered the war against Austria immediately after the fall of Magdeburg. The conversion program would pay off, resulting in the conversion of Sudeten and Transylvania over the year. Hannover was occupied, and the army moved north to begin the preparation of the invasion of Denmark, as Bremen was already being besieged. Likewise, with the fall of Hinterpommern to Austria, their army moved south onto Poznan. In September, an army was set in motion to begin the invasion of Northern France, starting with Artois, as they had just counterattacked in Franchecomté and broken the siege. With the fall of London at the beginning of October, the English maps were stolen and reports of their trip to India by passing south of the Americas was learned, as well as the details of their colony in North America, the Caraibs, South America and Indonesia.
By the end of the year, wartaxes were raised again, and Hannover formally annexed. Just as Hannover fell, negociations with its ally, the Knights, was successful to end the war. In November, Scotland and its allies Eire, Cologne, Brabant and Sweden joined the war against Austria. The next month, the Teutonic Order and its allies Lithuania and Genoa also declared war, immediately followed into this by Prussia; then Aragon and its Iberian allies and then Ak Koyunlu and the Golden Horde. The coalition had been revived. From Bern, the Austria moved north to Alsace against Lithuania. England began to negociate its defeat by offering numerous trading posts in the New World, but the Emperor had no interest in colonies: Too much was at stake in Europe without having to bother about the other continents. With the capture of Jylland, the Austrians pursued their operations in Scandinavia and moved against the Danish capital.
With the ressources granted by the yearly surpluses, Karl ordered massive armies raised arround Austria, and when he could raise no more, ordered the rest of his ressources invested to get rid of the symbol of Habsburg resistance in his lands: The protestant of northern Germany. The English successfully destroyed his armies in England, but the capital was still firmly in Austrian control. From their base in Kerch and with the help of English soldiers, the Genoese managed to destroy the Austrian garrison in Kaffa and began to siege the province. With the capture of Artois, the Austrian armies moved back against Brabant, while another moved onto Koln, besieging both provinces. Peace with Denmark was achieved in May 1536, gaining both Bremen and Jylland for Austria.
It is strange to note, how the Austrian armies, acting independently seemed to regularly win on all fronts, though occasional setbacks were reported. Now, armies were moving into Poland from the south. Poznan had been occupied and Galizien and Wielkopolska were being sieged. And no coordination seemed to be found in the anti-Habsburg coalition. Indeed, the Iberian and the French seemed content to simply engage Savoy, Siena and the Pope, which acted as perfect buffer states to prevent direct attacks on Austria. At this rate, the enemies of Austria would continue to suffer defeat, one by one, until Austria owned all of Europe. Already, in the last ten years, Austria had conquered nearly all of the german nations, against which the brunt of its armies were brought. With the fall of Geldre in late June, England accepted to hand over both Geldre and Hinterpommern, two territories that had been disputed with Austria since the Burgundian inheritance, over half a century ago.
Likewise, Alsace was taken in July, and immediately, the armies that had been involved in the sieges of Alsace, geldre, bremen and Sjaelland began moving inward to crush all the german rebels that had raised up in arms before likely, going in an outward motion again. It was at this point that Karl decided to cancel the military access given to Saxony and which garanteed Austria peace. It was a public defiance to Saxony to enter the war against Austria if it dared, because it would soon be submerged as had been all surrounding german territories. And in August, it indeed replied to the provocation by declaring war. As the Austrians were moving on Saxony to destroy them, the siege in Wielkopolska was broken by polish armies.
In November, the proud Savoy was submerged by France and finally annexed, after having lost both Piemonte and Franchecomté in the past wars. This destruction prompted Tuscany to join the alliance, as it hoped to reap the fruits of conquering the two other Austrian vassals. Koln was taken, and the local army moved on Zeeland, which had been captured by Brabant, to retake it, as another army was moving westward, engaging the army of Cologne in Mainz and being driven back after inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy army. With the start of the new year, troops were raised accross the country, and missionaries were dispatched to convert the muslims in Bulgaria. Galizien was taken, and so was Brabant, and while the first army moved back to round up new soldiers, the second moved to Luxembourg, besieging it. Saxony somehow still held on despite our repeated attacks on the territory, and Poland took control of Silesia. And by May 1537, Spain landed on Crete and took control of the island. This could prove troublesome. Negociations with different states began, and Suzdal and Corsica both moved out of the war. Soon after, Genoa would do the same. With Zeeland retaken by the end of the year, Brabant would be annexed.
The war was beginning to be very dangerous to Austria however, the revolts everywhere severely crippled its ability to wage war effectively. Prussia had taken Pommern just recently, and France and Spain were beginning to flex their muscles. While Austria had been able to greatly strenghten his military by spending over 1000 ducats raising armies on January 1538, the number of battles it had to wage was insane and unbearable. Austria wanted peace, despite the many fruits of conquest. Also, it had by now accumulated some 1000 ducats in debts, and the interests were rising. They could not be paid back as long as the war went on without crippling Austria. With Brittany joining the conflict again in March, this could be one hell of a long war.
With the fall of Luxembourg, Cologne had to cede the province and become Austria's vassal. Not that Karl really expected them to remain it, but still, if it brought in a few more ducats, it could be useful. Peace with Scotland and its allies Eire and Sweden was then concluded. Likewise, Crimea rapidly moved out of the war. Saxony was annexed in October, and peace with the Iberian alliance was signed as well. An army was sent to besiege Podolia and try to get some concessions out of Poland, while France was becoming increasingly annoying in the west, taking Pfalz and Luxembourg in a matter of months. Continuing to negociate, Karl got Ak Koyunlu and its ally Golden Horde out of the month by the end of the year. Still, even as Austria was slowly getting out of the war, its current enemies: France, Poland, Lithuania, Prussia, the Teutonic Order, Cyprus, Brittany and Tuscany were still threatening the stability of the very tumultuous state.
Both Prussia and Tuscany were negociated out of the war in March, as massive armies were being raised in the Netherlands to stand up to the French, who were now besieging Flandern. As well, peace with Poland and its ally Cyprus were signed in April, with Austria once again letting Poland keep Bern for peace. As the French took Flanders, and more and more armies seemed to pour through the borders, Karl decided to negociate a truce with France, giving them Calais in exchange for peace. This had been the first time a foreign power had inflicted a military defeat on Austria, though it was admittedly of a relatively small scale. In July, Brittany agreed to make peace, leaving only the Teutonic Order and its ally Lithuania in the war. Soon Austria would have peace. The Stability of the state was compromised by its nobles, and Austria needed peace if it was to stay in one piece, as rebellions were happening everywhere. With Lithuania stubbornly hanging onto Alsace despite its occupations and the dozens of battles waged over its control, Karl had no choice but to sign a white peace with the Teutonic Order, ending the war at the end of 1539.
Details
Note that these figures are from 1557, where I am currently at in the game(and the end date of the next update).
Domestic Policies:
Aristocracy 10
Centralization 1(Ouch... that went down didn't it...)
Innovativeness 0
Mercantilism 7
Offensive 9
Land 10
Quality 10
Serfdom 10
With Quality 10, I have a manpower of 74.
Religious Tolerance: Reformed is at about 55%, Protestant arround 60, Orthodox arround 65, Catholic arround 75, Muslims 0.
Tech level in 1557:
Land 13, halfway to 14. Comparatively France has 15 and most western European powers are at 11-12, while the Eastern powers(including Poland, Ottomans and Muscowy) are between 4 and 6.
Naval 4, will have 5 by the end of the year. Comparatively, France has 6, Portugal 8, England 9....
Trade level 2, getting 3 by mid-1557. Comparatively most powers have 3 by now, France has 4.
Infrastructure 4, most powers have 3.
Inflation at 33%.
Budget:
Tax Income 90.3
Good Productions 35.8
Trade Income 20.1(wow, I used to have between 1 and 4 during the whole game. Guess having three trade centers help a bit
)
Gold Mines 4.5
I have a total of 30 Warships, 12 Galleys and 9 Transports. Crappy navy, rarely if ever used anyway.
The standing army is of roughly 90000 Infantry, 105000 Cavalry, 110 Artillery.
Diplomatic Relations:
Majors:
Spain -150
England -176
France -200
Ottoman -200
Minors:
Papal States +197
Siena +126
Cologne -24
Helvetia -63
Genoa -145
Denmark -200
All others -200 except a few newly discovered Far East and American nations which are between -25 and -150.
Victory Point 3486; missions not used.
Note that these figures are from 1557, where I am currently at in the game(and the end date of the next update).
Domestic Policies:
Aristocracy 10
Centralization 1(Ouch... that went down didn't it...)
Innovativeness 0
Mercantilism 7
Offensive 9
Land 10
Quality 10
Serfdom 10
With Quality 10, I have a manpower of 74.
Religious Tolerance: Reformed is at about 55%, Protestant arround 60, Orthodox arround 65, Catholic arround 75, Muslims 0.
Tech level in 1557:
Land 13, halfway to 14. Comparatively France has 15 and most western European powers are at 11-12, while the Eastern powers(including Poland, Ottomans and Muscowy) are between 4 and 6.
Naval 4, will have 5 by the end of the year. Comparatively, France has 6, Portugal 8, England 9....
Trade level 2, getting 3 by mid-1557. Comparatively most powers have 3 by now, France has 4.
Infrastructure 4, most powers have 3.
Inflation at 33%.
Budget:
Tax Income 90.3
Good Productions 35.8
Trade Income 20.1(wow, I used to have between 1 and 4 during the whole game. Guess having three trade centers help a bit
)Gold Mines 4.5
I have a total of 30 Warships, 12 Galleys and 9 Transports. Crappy navy, rarely if ever used anyway.
The standing army is of roughly 90000 Infantry, 105000 Cavalry, 110 Artillery.
Diplomatic Relations:
Majors:
Spain -150
England -176
France -200
Ottoman -200
Minors:
Papal States +197
Siena +126
Cologne -24
Helvetia -63
Genoa -145
Denmark -200
All others -200 except a few newly discovered Far East and American nations which are between -25 and -150.
Victory Point 3486; missions not used.
1540-1556: The concessions of Karl V
In 1540, the Ottoman took advantage of a nasty situation in the Balkans, where almost all the territories there were under rebel occupation or under rebellion, a situation caused by Austria's great instability in the latest part of the war. While the stability of the Empire was recovering quickly, this war threatened to plunge Austria into another decade of bloodshed which it could not afford. Indeed, Austria need time to pacify its empire before it broke apart: Its armies spent their time chasing rebels in the newly acquired german territories, in the north of Italy and in the balkans, and this prevented the Austrians from keeping a consistent border guard to deter attacks. However after two heated battles, it was accepted that Austria would give the Ottomans 50 ducats in exchange for renewed peace, as it busied itself stabilizing the Balkans. At which point the Knights decided to join in. And in June, it was Denmark's turn to join in. Unless Karl acted rapidly, he was about to plunge into another long, messy war.
The Knight's capital was quickly besieged, as troops were raised in Holstein to besiege the Danish capital. As the garrison defending the Danish capital was beaten, they signed for peace quickly, and that war was over. Only the Knights to deal with. With Rhodes captured from the Knights, peace was achieved by annexing them by the end of the year 1541. In June 1542, it was Corsica's turn to declare war again, darned Corsica. A fleet was sent on its way there, as the realm was pretty much all but stabilized and the rebels routed out. Slowly, the government infrastructure of the realm was being brought in line with what was expected in Vienna, and heretics were slowly converted back to the true faith, all the while the armies along the border were restored to a decent level, and the loans were being paid back. And in September, it was Genoa's turn to join the war again with its Lithuanian and Teuton allies. The war with Corsica would prove to be relatively short: Sinking its fleet and attempting a naval landing on the island convinced them to accept peace for a few ducats. Genoa was harder to convince however and so was it decided to launch a full scale invasion of Lithuania and Genoa. The fullscale invasion would not be needed though: After the Genoese garrison had been destroyed, they gave in to a white peace.
The peace now seemed relatively established. To combat the authority of the Habsburg, warfare seemed not to hold the first priority anymore, it was rather religion. In 1544, the Reformed Christian Church began spreading accross Britain, France, the Netherlands and the westernmost territory of Austria, as well as some territories in Hungary. It was at this time that Karl V decided the Habsburg should stop pressing their claims to European hegemony, so that Austria could recover and strife would stop. And it seemed to buy him peace, at least for now. Karl still had a loan to repay, and he could then focus on converting and developping the government infrastructure. And just as the loan was repaid that the nobility decided to make demands of Karl, which plunged the state into a temporary instability as Karl refused to take another loan to make the nobles happy.
To consolidate the peace, during the Imperial meeting at Augsburg, Karl went middle-ground and attempted to close the bridges that had been practically destroyed by the Habsburg claims of catholic superiority. This act angered the pope, but allowed Austria a longer period of peace it cruelly needed to unite the realm. Despite these public acts of tolerance, Karl no less continued to sponsor missionaries throughout Austria for the purpose of converting the protestants back and uniting the church again. It would take years to achieve, but it was a worthy investment. Using all those years of peace to reform his military, Karl established better training faculties throughout Austria for his conscripts and hired professional officers to teach his armies(Offensive +1, Quality +2).
Germany was rapidly being converted to Catholicism, though this resulted in several revolts caused by those who wouldn't be converted. At the peace of Augsburg in 1555, Karl V turned arround and proclaimed that within the borders of Austria there would be only Catholicism, though he would not interfere in the religious policies of the exterior. This would create some turmoil within Austria, but no less kept Austria at peace as they refused to interfere with foreign religious policies. The following year, the flexible frontier strategy was adopted, which resulted in making the Austrian armies the best in Europe and the most adaptable as well. By the end of September, to create a religious peace within the Empire, Karl V abdicated the tumultuous Netherlands over to Filip of Spain. And the next day, Ferdinand I rose to the throne of Austria.
In 1540, the Ottoman took advantage of a nasty situation in the Balkans, where almost all the territories there were under rebel occupation or under rebellion, a situation caused by Austria's great instability in the latest part of the war. While the stability of the Empire was recovering quickly, this war threatened to plunge Austria into another decade of bloodshed which it could not afford. Indeed, Austria need time to pacify its empire before it broke apart: Its armies spent their time chasing rebels in the newly acquired german territories, in the north of Italy and in the balkans, and this prevented the Austrians from keeping a consistent border guard to deter attacks. However after two heated battles, it was accepted that Austria would give the Ottomans 50 ducats in exchange for renewed peace, as it busied itself stabilizing the Balkans. At which point the Knights decided to join in. And in June, it was Denmark's turn to join in. Unless Karl acted rapidly, he was about to plunge into another long, messy war.
The Knight's capital was quickly besieged, as troops were raised in Holstein to besiege the Danish capital. As the garrison defending the Danish capital was beaten, they signed for peace quickly, and that war was over. Only the Knights to deal with. With Rhodes captured from the Knights, peace was achieved by annexing them by the end of the year 1541. In June 1542, it was Corsica's turn to declare war again, darned Corsica. A fleet was sent on its way there, as the realm was pretty much all but stabilized and the rebels routed out. Slowly, the government infrastructure of the realm was being brought in line with what was expected in Vienna, and heretics were slowly converted back to the true faith, all the while the armies along the border were restored to a decent level, and the loans were being paid back. And in September, it was Genoa's turn to join the war again with its Lithuanian and Teuton allies. The war with Corsica would prove to be relatively short: Sinking its fleet and attempting a naval landing on the island convinced them to accept peace for a few ducats. Genoa was harder to convince however and so was it decided to launch a full scale invasion of Lithuania and Genoa. The fullscale invasion would not be needed though: After the Genoese garrison had been destroyed, they gave in to a white peace.
The peace now seemed relatively established. To combat the authority of the Habsburg, warfare seemed not to hold the first priority anymore, it was rather religion. In 1544, the Reformed Christian Church began spreading accross Britain, France, the Netherlands and the westernmost territory of Austria, as well as some territories in Hungary. It was at this time that Karl V decided the Habsburg should stop pressing their claims to European hegemony, so that Austria could recover and strife would stop. And it seemed to buy him peace, at least for now. Karl still had a loan to repay, and he could then focus on converting and developping the government infrastructure. And just as the loan was repaid that the nobility decided to make demands of Karl, which plunged the state into a temporary instability as Karl refused to take another loan to make the nobles happy.
To consolidate the peace, during the Imperial meeting at Augsburg, Karl went middle-ground and attempted to close the bridges that had been practically destroyed by the Habsburg claims of catholic superiority. This act angered the pope, but allowed Austria a longer period of peace it cruelly needed to unite the realm. Despite these public acts of tolerance, Karl no less continued to sponsor missionaries throughout Austria for the purpose of converting the protestants back and uniting the church again. It would take years to achieve, but it was a worthy investment. Using all those years of peace to reform his military, Karl established better training faculties throughout Austria for his conscripts and hired professional officers to teach his armies(Offensive +1, Quality +2).
Germany was rapidly being converted to Catholicism, though this resulted in several revolts caused by those who wouldn't be converted. At the peace of Augsburg in 1555, Karl V turned arround and proclaimed that within the borders of Austria there would be only Catholicism, though he would not interfere in the religious policies of the exterior. This would create some turmoil within Austria, but no less kept Austria at peace as they refused to interfere with foreign religious policies. The following year, the flexible frontier strategy was adopted, which resulted in making the Austrian armies the best in Europe and the most adaptable as well. By the end of September, to create a religious peace within the Empire, Karl V abdicated the tumultuous Netherlands over to Filip of Spain. And the next day, Ferdinand I rose to the throne of Austria.
Last edited:
I've just had a very pleasant read through your most recent series of posts.
Boy, you certainly had a nasty round of badboy wars in there, though you seemed to come out of it in pretty good shape and certainly ahead of where you were when it all started. That, I must say, was very well played indeed.
Your decision to remain a continental power - rather than take those English colonial possessions that they were offering - also strikes me as a good idea.
It will be interesting to see just what the next round of wars throws at you and how you fare.
Boy, you certainly had a nasty round of badboy wars in there, though you seemed to come out of it in pretty good shape and certainly ahead of where you were when it all started. That, I must say, was very well played indeed.
It will be interesting to see just what the next round of wars throws at you and how you fare.
I had the same problem using an image from a web site. Change your file type . Instead of .jpg or .bmp use .txt. It works!
1556-1565: The end of a peaceful era
Ferdinand's ascension to the throne of Austria was surprisingly rather eventless, and Europe thought that, perhaps, the Habsburg had finally settled their dynasty. But unlike his predecessor, Ferdinand had no intention to abdicate to avoid warfare. King Charles IX of France would later say of him: "Like a snake, Ferdinand rose to the throne crawling. Europe, blinded by the Habsburg's proclamation of non-interference and later retreat from the Netherlands, did not see the true intentions of Ferdinand, as he rebuilt the Habsburg military to a position of pre-eminence. Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, we foolishly took the Serpent's advice. Now it is too late to stop the snake poised to attack, we shall all pay the price of our folly." And how right he was, for Ferdinand was just bidding his time, trying to repair the mistakes of his father, whom had abandoned the Habsburg's claims for supremacy in exchange for peace during his reign. It would take him 18 months to get ready.
18 months spent courting Cologne and bringing them into their alliance, rebuilding the armies arround the Empire, particularly the weak garrisons guarding Kaffa and the islands, monopolizing the trade in Venice to fund his next war(Trade level to 3), designing better transport ships(Naval tech to 4) and working against the protestant and reformed churches. But Europe was to awaken from its slumber, following a letter from Ferdinand to Felipe II of Spain.
"Despite the great differents existing between Spain and Austria since the last war, we are family and united under one same goal: Converting the heretics and heathens of the world. I have heard great stories of your success in the new world in bringing it under the one true faith, and believe that it is time we set aside our different to unite for this same goal. Join me, and let us split the world between us."
The offer was rather generous, but Felipe II feared his uncle for good reasons: A man who dreams of an empire spawning the entire globe would never allow someone else to share it with him. Felipe reacted quickly, and within a week, had rallied Europe once again, with the clear intent of inflicting a defeat on Austria that would force it to stop its dreams of world conquest. But Ferdinand was not caught unprepared: He had been ready for this reaction from his nephew, and had sufficient troops to counter his. Rapidly troops were deployed to invade Piemonte, the Netherlands, Alsace, Sjaelland, Prussia and most of Poland. The main Austrian armies were, paradoxally, moving eastward: Since Western Europe was the most advanced opponents, Ferdinand had established the strategy of moving to crush all of Eastern Europe first, allowing him to eventually be able to fight off the West and Scandinavia without being attacked from the rear.
In many locations, his armies kept advancing, and resistance was mostly futile. However, it would be incorrect to say the war was one-sided. At the very onset of the war, Sweden made a masterful drop on Jylland, seizing the province. Likewise, the French under Montmorency and the well-equipped Prussian armies managed to stop the advances of the Austrian armies and send them fleeing for their lives. In particular however, despite their massive numbers, the Polish and Lithuanians seemed ripe for conquest. Provinces were occupied one after the other, despite their opposition. Only winter would stop his advance there.
A internal crisis hitting Austria with its nobles would severely damage the stability of the state, forcing Ferdinand to devote large ressources meant to be used for the military toward quelling the unrest. And while the Austrian armies were powerless to stop the advances of the French, who had occupied Pfalz after a year of siege, great advances were made no less, notably with the occupation of Piemonte and Sjaelland. In Eastern Europe, Austria was largely unstoppable, so much that Poland had to agree to a partition of its territory, ceding both Podolia and Galizien in exchange for peace. Ferdinand was pleased with the settlement: Both provinces would provide excellent grain ressources to feed his armies as they kept advancing East. But the Western powers began to meddle in the Austrian conquest of the East. Scotland notably, who began landing troops just behind the front in Lithuania, and successfully occupied Jedisan in an attempt to cut the supplies to the armies in Lithuania. Likewise, Spain and Portugal had succeeded coordinated landings on Kaffa and Rhodes.
A major battle was waged against the Scandinavian powers in Jylland on midyear 1559. On their side, the Swedish were led by Hans E. Fleming and supported by a small contingent of Danish troops, a combined army totalling some 27500 mens. The Austrians were led by Colonel Boroevitch, an average officer of career, but one who had many victories on his side. He had roughly 31000 soldiers, among which a good number of cavalry and some artillery pieces. The battle of Aalborg was characterized by a series of undecisive engagement which dragged on for over a month resulting in massive casualties from both side. Colonel Boroevitch was finally forced to retreat from the battlefield in June, as the last charge had failed to break the Swedish lines, and the artilleries used by the Swedish armies was panicking the horses of his remaining cavalries. He still fled from the battlefield with an army totalling over 18000 riders, an army large enough to keep the Swedish in a stalemate and possibly defeat them in the next engagement.
The French's advance was finally stopped by October 1559, as the army under Montmorency was met by a large Austrain army of some 36000 soldiers that managed to practically destroy the whole French army. The French weren't broken nor beaten, but the threat was stopped, at least for the time being. With this victory assured, another peace treaty was signed with an Eastern power: Lithuania had been broken and accepted to concede Alsace, a territory long disputed with the Habsburg, and Ukraine which would not only provide Austria with more grain for its armies, but also a province on the other side of the Dniepr river, a major obstacle in the invasion of Eastern Europe. The armies used in the Lithuanian campaign began to reassemble, to prepare a counterattack on the Scottish troops occupying Jedisan, and further east against the Golden Horde and the remaining Genoese colony - Kerch.
The French would not give up however, and soon enough, massive armies began pouring through the French borders again, to secure the occupied territory and press Austria in a bad position. But the Austrian armies in the West stood strong, keeping united to prevent the French from exploiting individual armies and bringing down their defenses. To oversea the progress in the East, the Archduke Franz-Josef was deployed in Jedisan. A highly skilled leader, he would surely give nightmares to his enemies and bring Austria great conquest in the region. To limit his adversaries, Ferdinand used the same tactic used by his predecessors: Divide and conquer. And so it was that in April 1560, he managed to convince Eire, Scotland, Sweden and Brittany to return to status quo. Immediately, he began a bold move that would start the invasion of Scandinavia: A small army was to move at the northern tip of Denmark. Narvik was noted for a lack of fortification and one of the few remaining Catholic provinces in Scandinavia. With the occupation of the Danish capital, he was sure the Danish King would be willing to cede him the province, gaining Austria a landing bridge in Scandinavia. The problem was to actually get the navy there though...
Meanwhile, the siege on Danzig was broken and seeing how the Austrian armies would not be able to break the Prussian's back without major conscription, a peace was signed. Likewise, the reformed had been kicked out of Austria, and the only protestants remaining were in Mecklemburg and Bremen. Austria managed to land its army in Narvik, but the winter caused heavy attrition to the army: In the end, the invasion would be a failure; Denmark would take the province back and status quo retained. Likewise, the armies of France and Spain on the border kept Austria occupied and all the troops sent to fight against them seemed to not be enough to break their defenses. Whenever a province was taken back, another fell to the French. In the East, peace was signed with the Ottomans, as Austria had no interest in mustering enough troops to gain another muslim province.
With both peace signed, the training for the Austrian armies were completed, and they were now much more efficient on the field of battle(Offensive +1: to 10 thus my armies are 2/3/3). By the end of June 1561, the first victory against the Western powers is signed: Portugal is forced to hand over Emilia. Slowly, the tide against France was turning; its armies were kicked out of Austria and the three territories they occupied were now under siege. Through the papal states, his armies poured to attack Castilian and Tuscan territories in Southern Italy and peace was signed with Cyprus(Gotta keep you alive for a while Bismarck). In 1562, all provinces occupied by France were retaken, and the invasion of France itself began. Soon, peace was signed with Spain, in exchange for the province of Piemonte; leaving only a few countries to fight Ferdinand. With the peace with Ak Koyunlu in August 1563, the conflict in the east came to an end, with the exception of Kaffa, still under siege. The war was about to die: Tuscany was annexed a week later and only France, and the alliance of Aragon, Genoa and Corsica remained against him. By November, France had enough of the war and conceded Lorraine.
But the end of the war was not to be: Genoa and Aragon were making things difficult for Austria, and by June, Poland and Eire joined back in the war against Austria. And immediately as they did, France took the opportunity to break the truce by joining the Polish alliance. Within a week of the broken truce, Ferdinand of Austria died, assassinated. His assassin was never found, though it is suspected that the assassin had been sent by his Western neighbor, King Charles IX of France. The duty to finish this war would thus fall upon Maximillian II, and he would not have an easy job ahead of him: Despite an early victory during his reign against Genoa, forcing it to become a vassal and cede Kerch, slowly the European powers began to rally against him again. Slowly, Sweden, Scotland, Prussia, England and Helvetia allowed themselves to join back in the war. Even with the seperate white peace signed with Poland, Austria would have quite a challenge ahead of itself, as unrest was brewing accross the Empire.
Ferdinand's ascension to the throne of Austria was surprisingly rather eventless, and Europe thought that, perhaps, the Habsburg had finally settled their dynasty. But unlike his predecessor, Ferdinand had no intention to abdicate to avoid warfare. King Charles IX of France would later say of him: "Like a snake, Ferdinand rose to the throne crawling. Europe, blinded by the Habsburg's proclamation of non-interference and later retreat from the Netherlands, did not see the true intentions of Ferdinand, as he rebuilt the Habsburg military to a position of pre-eminence. Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, we foolishly took the Serpent's advice. Now it is too late to stop the snake poised to attack, we shall all pay the price of our folly." And how right he was, for Ferdinand was just bidding his time, trying to repair the mistakes of his father, whom had abandoned the Habsburg's claims for supremacy in exchange for peace during his reign. It would take him 18 months to get ready.
18 months spent courting Cologne and bringing them into their alliance, rebuilding the armies arround the Empire, particularly the weak garrisons guarding Kaffa and the islands, monopolizing the trade in Venice to fund his next war(Trade level to 3), designing better transport ships(Naval tech to 4) and working against the protestant and reformed churches. But Europe was to awaken from its slumber, following a letter from Ferdinand to Felipe II of Spain.
"Despite the great differents existing between Spain and Austria since the last war, we are family and united under one same goal: Converting the heretics and heathens of the world. I have heard great stories of your success in the new world in bringing it under the one true faith, and believe that it is time we set aside our different to unite for this same goal. Join me, and let us split the world between us."
The offer was rather generous, but Felipe II feared his uncle for good reasons: A man who dreams of an empire spawning the entire globe would never allow someone else to share it with him. Felipe reacted quickly, and within a week, had rallied Europe once again, with the clear intent of inflicting a defeat on Austria that would force it to stop its dreams of world conquest. But Ferdinand was not caught unprepared: He had been ready for this reaction from his nephew, and had sufficient troops to counter his. Rapidly troops were deployed to invade Piemonte, the Netherlands, Alsace, Sjaelland, Prussia and most of Poland. The main Austrian armies were, paradoxally, moving eastward: Since Western Europe was the most advanced opponents, Ferdinand had established the strategy of moving to crush all of Eastern Europe first, allowing him to eventually be able to fight off the West and Scandinavia without being attacked from the rear.
In many locations, his armies kept advancing, and resistance was mostly futile. However, it would be incorrect to say the war was one-sided. At the very onset of the war, Sweden made a masterful drop on Jylland, seizing the province. Likewise, the French under Montmorency and the well-equipped Prussian armies managed to stop the advances of the Austrian armies and send them fleeing for their lives. In particular however, despite their massive numbers, the Polish and Lithuanians seemed ripe for conquest. Provinces were occupied one after the other, despite their opposition. Only winter would stop his advance there.
A internal crisis hitting Austria with its nobles would severely damage the stability of the state, forcing Ferdinand to devote large ressources meant to be used for the military toward quelling the unrest. And while the Austrian armies were powerless to stop the advances of the French, who had occupied Pfalz after a year of siege, great advances were made no less, notably with the occupation of Piemonte and Sjaelland. In Eastern Europe, Austria was largely unstoppable, so much that Poland had to agree to a partition of its territory, ceding both Podolia and Galizien in exchange for peace. Ferdinand was pleased with the settlement: Both provinces would provide excellent grain ressources to feed his armies as they kept advancing East. But the Western powers began to meddle in the Austrian conquest of the East. Scotland notably, who began landing troops just behind the front in Lithuania, and successfully occupied Jedisan in an attempt to cut the supplies to the armies in Lithuania. Likewise, Spain and Portugal had succeeded coordinated landings on Kaffa and Rhodes.
A major battle was waged against the Scandinavian powers in Jylland on midyear 1559. On their side, the Swedish were led by Hans E. Fleming and supported by a small contingent of Danish troops, a combined army totalling some 27500 mens. The Austrians were led by Colonel Boroevitch, an average officer of career, but one who had many victories on his side. He had roughly 31000 soldiers, among which a good number of cavalry and some artillery pieces. The battle of Aalborg was characterized by a series of undecisive engagement which dragged on for over a month resulting in massive casualties from both side. Colonel Boroevitch was finally forced to retreat from the battlefield in June, as the last charge had failed to break the Swedish lines, and the artilleries used by the Swedish armies was panicking the horses of his remaining cavalries. He still fled from the battlefield with an army totalling over 18000 riders, an army large enough to keep the Swedish in a stalemate and possibly defeat them in the next engagement.
The French's advance was finally stopped by October 1559, as the army under Montmorency was met by a large Austrain army of some 36000 soldiers that managed to practically destroy the whole French army. The French weren't broken nor beaten, but the threat was stopped, at least for the time being. With this victory assured, another peace treaty was signed with an Eastern power: Lithuania had been broken and accepted to concede Alsace, a territory long disputed with the Habsburg, and Ukraine which would not only provide Austria with more grain for its armies, but also a province on the other side of the Dniepr river, a major obstacle in the invasion of Eastern Europe. The armies used in the Lithuanian campaign began to reassemble, to prepare a counterattack on the Scottish troops occupying Jedisan, and further east against the Golden Horde and the remaining Genoese colony - Kerch.
The French would not give up however, and soon enough, massive armies began pouring through the French borders again, to secure the occupied territory and press Austria in a bad position. But the Austrian armies in the West stood strong, keeping united to prevent the French from exploiting individual armies and bringing down their defenses. To oversea the progress in the East, the Archduke Franz-Josef was deployed in Jedisan. A highly skilled leader, he would surely give nightmares to his enemies and bring Austria great conquest in the region. To limit his adversaries, Ferdinand used the same tactic used by his predecessors: Divide and conquer. And so it was that in April 1560, he managed to convince Eire, Scotland, Sweden and Brittany to return to status quo. Immediately, he began a bold move that would start the invasion of Scandinavia: A small army was to move at the northern tip of Denmark. Narvik was noted for a lack of fortification and one of the few remaining Catholic provinces in Scandinavia. With the occupation of the Danish capital, he was sure the Danish King would be willing to cede him the province, gaining Austria a landing bridge in Scandinavia. The problem was to actually get the navy there though...
Meanwhile, the siege on Danzig was broken and seeing how the Austrian armies would not be able to break the Prussian's back without major conscription, a peace was signed. Likewise, the reformed had been kicked out of Austria, and the only protestants remaining were in Mecklemburg and Bremen. Austria managed to land its army in Narvik, but the winter caused heavy attrition to the army: In the end, the invasion would be a failure; Denmark would take the province back and status quo retained. Likewise, the armies of France and Spain on the border kept Austria occupied and all the troops sent to fight against them seemed to not be enough to break their defenses. Whenever a province was taken back, another fell to the French. In the East, peace was signed with the Ottomans, as Austria had no interest in mustering enough troops to gain another muslim province.
With both peace signed, the training for the Austrian armies were completed, and they were now much more efficient on the field of battle(Offensive +1: to 10 thus my armies are 2/3/3). By the end of June 1561, the first victory against the Western powers is signed: Portugal is forced to hand over Emilia. Slowly, the tide against France was turning; its armies were kicked out of Austria and the three territories they occupied were now under siege. Through the papal states, his armies poured to attack Castilian and Tuscan territories in Southern Italy and peace was signed with Cyprus(Gotta keep you alive for a while Bismarck). In 1562, all provinces occupied by France were retaken, and the invasion of France itself began. Soon, peace was signed with Spain, in exchange for the province of Piemonte; leaving only a few countries to fight Ferdinand. With the peace with Ak Koyunlu in August 1563, the conflict in the east came to an end, with the exception of Kaffa, still under siege. The war was about to die: Tuscany was annexed a week later and only France, and the alliance of Aragon, Genoa and Corsica remained against him. By November, France had enough of the war and conceded Lorraine.
But the end of the war was not to be: Genoa and Aragon were making things difficult for Austria, and by June, Poland and Eire joined back in the war against Austria. And immediately as they did, France took the opportunity to break the truce by joining the Polish alliance. Within a week of the broken truce, Ferdinand of Austria died, assassinated. His assassin was never found, though it is suspected that the assassin had been sent by his Western neighbor, King Charles IX of France. The duty to finish this war would thus fall upon Maximillian II, and he would not have an easy job ahead of him: Despite an early victory during his reign against Genoa, forcing it to become a vassal and cede Kerch, slowly the European powers began to rally against him again. Slowly, Sweden, Scotland, Prussia, England and Helvetia allowed themselves to join back in the war. Even with the seperate white peace signed with Poland, Austria would have quite a challenge ahead of itself, as unrest was brewing accross the Empire.
Last edited:
Now you can finally annex Helvetia. But I think you let Poland get away too easy. An advantage with the high BB rating and the permanent BB-wars is that other countries deliver you permanently with new provinces at a low BB-rating, because you always get them as the defender, of course only if you are able to fight them. On the other hand, which warmonger cares of low BB's and how could he use them?
I regret that especially the Habsburgs became warmongers. They were not famous for that. But I know, the peaceful, diplomatic way is just indicated but not really supported by the game. I myself started at first time of course an Austria GC. Austria really invites to go the way of peace with all this high relations. With some efforts I managed to vassalize Bayern and Würtemberg. But then I was stuck. Others refused permanently to join my alliance, and when I annexed Bayern the vassalage was of course canceled but Bayern was not annexed. So I have no idea what the annex button is for. After wasting so much time for nothing I started an Englang GC. This was more fun. The real point of EU2, as I understand it now, is warmongering.
I regret that especially the Habsburgs became warmongers. They were not famous for that. But I know, the peaceful, diplomatic way is just indicated but not really supported by the game. I myself started at first time of course an Austria GC. Austria really invites to go the way of peace with all this high relations. With some efforts I managed to vassalize Bayern and Würtemberg. But then I was stuck. Others refused permanently to join my alliance, and when I annexed Bayern the vassalage was of course canceled but Bayern was not annexed. So I have no idea what the annex button is for. After wasting so much time for nothing I started an Englang GC. This was more fun. The real point of EU2, as I understand it now, is warmongering.
MrT: Yep, very nasty series of badboy wars. I have to admit that I hate them... perpetual and uncontrollable warfare is not my favorite; it would not be as bad if there weren't revoltees however. And, arg! Its really a nightmare fighting a war against a France with tech 16 while you have only tech 12-13. I just wish there was a way to avoid them for a little while, short of not reloading
Rex Francorum: Thanks, I'll give it a try...
Truchses: Nope, I'm not planning to annex Helvetia anytime soon. Why? Because I managed to eradicated the Reformed out of Austria and Helvetia is exactly that, reformed! And considering my wars wage on for years at a time, I need my religious tolerance for the three other religions I have(mostly Catholicism and Orthodox, along with 2 Protestant provinces left). Once the protestants are eradicated however.... I'll probably roll over Helvetia. As far as becoming warmongers, well I must say I wish I didn't, but when you have this much badboy, there's really no way to turn back short of releasing your whole country back as a vassal. And do I really want to do that? ....
On another note, my reason to end my war with Poland was that there was no point in waging it. Allright, I was besieging their capital, but all my other armies were fighting the French, the rebels, or in Italy. And I did not have the ressources to start up the Eastern front again. Considering Poland had considerable armies and a few leaders; even with their crappy tech I had to sign peace while I could get a white one.
PS: Actually, a diplomatic game is possible, and yes diplomatic annexation does work. There are a few tricks toward that end however, that I figured out:
*You need a similar religion to annex
*Ideally, let the relations be at +200 for a while before attempting to annex
*Don't annex the first time you get the chance if you can help it, time helps the annexation
*Move and muster troops on the border of your wannabe annexed nation before attempting to annex it
*Make sure its in your alliance too
*Make sure your monarch has a good diplomatic ability, and if you can help it, max aristocracy as well.
You don't need all of those(though some are requirements, like a catholic cannot annex a muslim iirc), but that definitely helps.
Rex Francorum: Thanks, I'll give it a try...
Truchses: Nope, I'm not planning to annex Helvetia anytime soon. Why? Because I managed to eradicated the Reformed out of Austria and Helvetia is exactly that, reformed! And considering my wars wage on for years at a time, I need my religious tolerance for the three other religions I have(mostly Catholicism and Orthodox, along with 2 Protestant provinces left). Once the protestants are eradicated however.... I'll probably roll over Helvetia. As far as becoming warmongers, well I must say I wish I didn't, but when you have this much badboy, there's really no way to turn back short of releasing your whole country back as a vassal. And do I really want to do that? ....
On another note, my reason to end my war with Poland was that there was no point in waging it. Allright, I was besieging their capital, but all my other armies were fighting the French, the rebels, or in Italy. And I did not have the ressources to start up the Eastern front again. Considering Poland had considerable armies and a few leaders; even with their crappy tech I had to sign peace while I could get a white one.
PS: Actually, a diplomatic game is possible, and yes diplomatic annexation does work. There are a few tricks toward that end however, that I figured out:
*You need a similar religion to annex
*Ideally, let the relations be at +200 for a while before attempting to annex
*Don't annex the first time you get the chance if you can help it, time helps the annexation
*Move and muster troops on the border of your wannabe annexed nation before attempting to annex it
*Make sure its in your alliance too
*Make sure your monarch has a good diplomatic ability, and if you can help it, max aristocracy as well.
You don't need all of those(though some are requirements, like a catholic cannot annex a muslim iirc), but that definitely helps.
Next update will have to wait a couple days, since I had to hand over the CD to a friend(who happens to own that CD, lol, oh well). I'm ordering one, that or having my friend lend it back to me again and then I'll continue. stay tuned!
and then I'll continue. stay tuned!
Well, thanks for keeping my country alive for a bit longer Tem_Probe....
Maybe you can go to Strategy First and pick up a copy of it... hehehehe... its worth a shot...
M
Maybe you can go to Strategy First and pick up a copy of it... hehehehe... its worth a shot...
M
Yeah, it won't do to always have to ask your friend for the game. Once the EUmania has gotten you, you need your daily dose.
Great AAR, I've lurked around now for some time, but you finally drew me out...
Great AAR, I've lurked around now for some time, but you finally drew me out...
A few AAR's to check
Bismarck: Yeah, I was probably gonna buy a copy at some point. Just didn't see the use until now since my friend(who's a bit crazy for things like that) bought the game a year ago without having a computer of his own. Been playing it since then, rofl. Well he has one now, which means its my turn to buy a copy of the game
Sorcerer: Glad to see one of my lurkers get out. And you're right, I wish I could play right now, arg!
In the meantime, let me point out to a few AARs I read and that are worth checking in particular, sorted by author's name:
By Bismarck:
Cyprus- The Last Crusade
A Cyprus AAR. The writing is simply excellent, the style unique and it features about 150 years of gameplay. If you haven't looked it up, you're missing something.
By Craig Ahsley:
A Pawn No Longer - A History of Prussia
An AAR of Prussia described through the point of view(and story) of various characters and a narrator.
and
From the Pope's Basement (An Ottoman AAR)
An AAR of the Ottoman Empire written from the rather interesting perspective of the diary of a Demon in the court of Constantinople, a modern Encyclopedia and occasionally the view point of a priest who just discovered that journal(now written by guest writer Lord Durham).
Both are excellent AARs that are definitely worth checking, have started in 1419 and feature about 15 years' worth of gameplay.
By Faeelin:
Why Texas is a Fundamentalist Christian state, and other tales from Al-Andalus
Originally a 1419 Granada AAR, it has moved to a new country... Not to give any punch, but this story is written from the perspective of a radical islamic time traveler trying to change the timestream... Worth a read and very funny at times
By Sorcerer:
The AARt of War: Prussia vs. Napoleon
A new AAR of Prussia within the Napoleon's ambition scenario that started less than a week ago and which I just found about(Thanks to you, Bismarck). Definitely worth the time of reading it so far
Bismarck: Yeah, I was probably gonna buy a copy at some point. Just didn't see the use until now since my friend(who's a bit crazy for things like that) bought the game a year ago without having a computer of his own. Been playing it since then, rofl. Well he has one now, which means its my turn to buy a copy of the game
Sorcerer: Glad to see one of my lurkers get out. And you're right, I wish I could play right now, arg!
In the meantime, let me point out to a few AARs I read and that are worth checking in particular, sorted by author's name:
By Bismarck:
Cyprus- The Last Crusade
A Cyprus AAR. The writing is simply excellent, the style unique and it features about 150 years of gameplay. If you haven't looked it up, you're missing something.
By Craig Ahsley:
A Pawn No Longer - A History of Prussia
An AAR of Prussia described through the point of view(and story) of various characters and a narrator.
and
From the Pope's Basement (An Ottoman AAR)
An AAR of the Ottoman Empire written from the rather interesting perspective of the diary of a Demon in the court of Constantinople, a modern Encyclopedia and occasionally the view point of a priest who just discovered that journal(now written by guest writer Lord Durham).
Both are excellent AARs that are definitely worth checking, have started in 1419 and feature about 15 years' worth of gameplay.
By Faeelin:
Why Texas is a Fundamentalist Christian state, and other tales from Al-Andalus
Originally a 1419 Granada AAR, it has moved to a new country... Not to give any punch, but this story is written from the perspective of a radical islamic time traveler trying to change the timestream... Worth a read and very funny at times
By Sorcerer:
The AARt of War: Prussia vs. Napoleon
A new AAR of Prussia within the Napoleon's ambition scenario that started less than a week ago and which I just found about(Thanks to you, Bismarck). Definitely worth the time of reading it so far