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Hopefully you can also grab what is left of the unclaimed territory of South America before Castile. I find that much of Castile's strength tends to come from its colonies.
If it is possible, can you create a Family Tree once the AAR is finished so I can see how the monarchs are related. Once you finish it would be cool to see.
Great update and great imperial wars. 
Though how did your India fleet make it to India from Genoa in a month?
Though how did your India fleet make it to India from Genoa in a month?
Ernst III, the Old
Lived: 1561-1642
Head of House of Habsburg: 1610-1642
Holy Roman Emperor: 1610-1642
Archduke of Austria: 1610-1642
King of Bohemia, Peru and Mexico: 1610-1642
King of Poland 1626-1642
Duke of Lombardy: 1610-1642
Ernst III ruled between the ages of 49 and 81. His age meant that he left most of the affairs of state to be handled by a small cabal of talented advisors. As it had for so many leaders of the past this tactic proved a relative success. During his reign Austria’s colonial possessions in the Western Hemisphere were significantly expanded, the process of the Germanic conquest of India sped up and the Habsburg realm fought and won a semi-religious war for the throne of Protestant Poland.
The 1610s was a time of crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean. Firstly the once powerful Aydin Empire completely collapsed. In the East the Tribe of Dulkadir took power, in Western Anatolia the once powerful Osmali Turks returned to prominence, in the North of Anatolia and in Edirne the Candar Tribe of Turks came to power, in Silistra a new Protestant Bulgar state was formered. Most interesting of all of the Aydin successor states was the Greek Islamic Republic. The Muslim Greek citizens of Constantinople took the city from the dying Aydin Empire in 1618 and the following year the other main pockets of Islamic Greek (in Pontus and on Rhodes) joined the Republic. Meanwhile during the late 1610s the Papacy invaded Egypt under the premise of attempting to take Jerusalem for Christendom. After several years of devastating combat on the Delta the Papacy was granted the city of Alexandria. The wealthiest port in the Eastern Mediterranean and a Patriarchal seat the city was a tremendous prize for his Holiness.
The main focus of Austrian colonial vigour during the reign of Ernst III was the newly founded colony of Kalifornia. The rich and temperate land was first established as Austrian between 1614 and 1616 when a wave of government sponsored pioneers took control of the shoreline. Later during Ernst’s rule more marginal lands were expanded into but the first wave of migrants established the core of the colony. Although very remote (goods either had to sail all the way around Cape Horn or be hauled over Mexico) Kalifornia was prosperous and an attractive destination for migrants. Meanwhile in 1624 the Austrian West India Company took control of the Bahamas, the last native controlled islands in the Caribbean were in European hands.
Parallel to the foundation of Kalifornia, came expansion in South America. The Incan Empire had once expanded into lands South of what Gutenberg annexed in 1594 it was in these comparatively prosperous provinces that the new territory of Chile was formed. Meanwhile in 1642 another small colony was set up to the North of Silber Fluss – Paraguay.
For all the events elsewhere the main focal point of Austria’s attentions was the Indian subcontinent. In the Bengali War (1612-1617) a huge realm was cut out from the lands of the Indian Princes of Bengal and Orissa whilst the Hindustani Empire was humbled yet again. Austria’s well drilled and well equipped soldiers completely outmatched the Indians in every battle. The Medieval armies of the Indians were simply no match for the modern German forces.
Following the Bengali War relative peace descended on German India as Habsburg influence was slowly expanded. In the Hindustani Empire each defeat caused yet more insurrection as Civil War fraught the Empire. Much more important than the territorial expansion during this period was the actions of German traders. After the capture of Bihar as part of the Bengali War Austria held the centres of trade for all but the southernmost India lands (some lands in the South traded through Malay lands). During the 1620s and 1630s Austria established monopolies for their traders in Kutch and Bihar and with that guaranteed huge profits from the subcontinent.
In 1626 the Habsburg realm was thrust into a large scale European religious conflict for the first time since the 3 Years War 4 decades before. Poland had been the birth place of the Reformation ever since then it had remained a staunchly Ossolinskite land. The Ossolinskite faith was the original Protestant religion and was closely related to Austrian Lutheranism. Meanwhile ever since the start of the 17th century Poland had been routinely invaded by Lithuania (a behemoth that stretched from Tartary to the Carpathians and Prussia). In 1625 the King of Poland Alexander Jagiellon was killed in battle with Lithuanian forces. Shortly afterwards the conflict ended as another slice of Polish land was ceded to Lithuania. However the young King Alexander had just one son – a babe named Jan. Within a year Jan was killed by a bout of pneumonia leaving Poland without a viable Ossolinskite heir. According to the traditional laws of succession the Polish crown should have passed to Karl XIV Vasa – the Catholic King of Sweden, Denmark and Norway (the Kingship of Norway was disputed with the British Monarchy). The Protestant nobility refused to accept Catholic overlord ship and decided to elect Ernst III of Habsburg as their next Monarch – reverting back to the old system of elective Monarchy. Ernst – despite having a tenuous link to the Polish crown (he was the son of King Alexander’s aunt) - was the Protestant ruler in the world who could stand up to Karl XIV and protect Poland from Catholicism. When Ernst was declared King of Poland Karl responded by declaring war on the Habsburg realm, he was joined in his quest to bring the Pope’s word back to Poland by Castile and Mecklenburg (the only major Catholic state in Northern Germany).
At the ripe old age of 65 Ernst donned his armour for the last time in 1626 as he partook in his only real passion for the first and last time during his reign – leading an army to war. Shortly after the arrival of his armies on the Baltic Ernst sacked Lubeck and forced the Republic of Mecklenburg to become his vassal. In exchange for nominal independence Mecklenburg was forced to place a small tax on all trade within Lubeck (one of Europe’s largest trading centres) which was to be paid to Vienna. The most crucial benefit of defeating Mecklenburg was its fleet. Attempts to send Habsburg vessels to the Kattegat all ended in abject failure as the Castilian fleet blocked the way. However Mecklenburg possessed a fleet even larger than Sweden’s and as such could keep the way between Jutland and Skane open for Ernst’s army.
With his army in Skane Ernst felt confident of victory, it was at this time that the Swedish army moved to meet him in battle for the first time. Karl XIV commanded the Swedish army himself, the Swedes had no guns but twice as many cavalry and infantry and their forces were much fresher. Ernst, realising his clear disadvantage, attempted to keep the Swedes away from his army through a heavy bombardment from his impressive artillery arsenal yet the Swedish cavalry managed to break through despite heavy casualties. Quickly after facing a direct cavalry charge the Habsburg army began to break. Soon this was turned into a rout.
All that had saved Ernst and his army from utter oblivion was the timely rescue provided by the Mecklenburgian fleet. Over the course of the next few months Ernst recouped his losses with reinforcements from Austria, at the same time he was forced into performing a defensive campaign to maintain control over the Danish islands. Then in the Summer of 1628 he returned to Sweden. This time the Swedes were able to assemble and even larger army but this time it was the Swedes who were outnumbered.
The second battle of Skane ended the war. Karl XIV and 2/3 of the entire Swedish military were killed. The new Swedish government quickly abandoned claims to Poland and accepted Ernst as the realm’s new King. Victory belonged to Austria.
By the end of Ernst III’s reign The Habsburg Empire stretched from the Pacific to the Bay of Bengal, no other nation on earth held such power over such a broad area.
Lived: 1561-1642
Head of House of Habsburg: 1610-1642
Holy Roman Emperor: 1610-1642
Archduke of Austria: 1610-1642
King of Bohemia, Peru and Mexico: 1610-1642
King of Poland 1626-1642
Duke of Lombardy: 1610-1642
Ernst III ruled between the ages of 49 and 81. His age meant that he left most of the affairs of state to be handled by a small cabal of talented advisors. As it had for so many leaders of the past this tactic proved a relative success. During his reign Austria’s colonial possessions in the Western Hemisphere were significantly expanded, the process of the Germanic conquest of India sped up and the Habsburg realm fought and won a semi-religious war for the throne of Protestant Poland.
The 1610s was a time of crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean. Firstly the once powerful Aydin Empire completely collapsed. In the East the Tribe of Dulkadir took power, in Western Anatolia the once powerful Osmali Turks returned to prominence, in the North of Anatolia and in Edirne the Candar Tribe of Turks came to power, in Silistra a new Protestant Bulgar state was formered. Most interesting of all of the Aydin successor states was the Greek Islamic Republic. The Muslim Greek citizens of Constantinople took the city from the dying Aydin Empire in 1618 and the following year the other main pockets of Islamic Greek (in Pontus and on Rhodes) joined the Republic. Meanwhile during the late 1610s the Papacy invaded Egypt under the premise of attempting to take Jerusalem for Christendom. After several years of devastating combat on the Delta the Papacy was granted the city of Alexandria. The wealthiest port in the Eastern Mediterranean and a Patriarchal seat the city was a tremendous prize for his Holiness.
The main focus of Austrian colonial vigour during the reign of Ernst III was the newly founded colony of Kalifornia. The rich and temperate land was first established as Austrian between 1614 and 1616 when a wave of government sponsored pioneers took control of the shoreline. Later during Ernst’s rule more marginal lands were expanded into but the first wave of migrants established the core of the colony. Although very remote (goods either had to sail all the way around Cape Horn or be hauled over Mexico) Kalifornia was prosperous and an attractive destination for migrants. Meanwhile in 1624 the Austrian West India Company took control of the Bahamas, the last native controlled islands in the Caribbean were in European hands.
Parallel to the foundation of Kalifornia, came expansion in South America. The Incan Empire had once expanded into lands South of what Gutenberg annexed in 1594 it was in these comparatively prosperous provinces that the new territory of Chile was formed. Meanwhile in 1642 another small colony was set up to the North of Silber Fluss – Paraguay.
For all the events elsewhere the main focal point of Austria’s attentions was the Indian subcontinent. In the Bengali War (1612-1617) a huge realm was cut out from the lands of the Indian Princes of Bengal and Orissa whilst the Hindustani Empire was humbled yet again. Austria’s well drilled and well equipped soldiers completely outmatched the Indians in every battle. The Medieval armies of the Indians were simply no match for the modern German forces.
Following the Bengali War relative peace descended on German India as Habsburg influence was slowly expanded. In the Hindustani Empire each defeat caused yet more insurrection as Civil War fraught the Empire. Much more important than the territorial expansion during this period was the actions of German traders. After the capture of Bihar as part of the Bengali War Austria held the centres of trade for all but the southernmost India lands (some lands in the South traded through Malay lands). During the 1620s and 1630s Austria established monopolies for their traders in Kutch and Bihar and with that guaranteed huge profits from the subcontinent.
In 1626 the Habsburg realm was thrust into a large scale European religious conflict for the first time since the 3 Years War 4 decades before. Poland had been the birth place of the Reformation ever since then it had remained a staunchly Ossolinskite land. The Ossolinskite faith was the original Protestant religion and was closely related to Austrian Lutheranism. Meanwhile ever since the start of the 17th century Poland had been routinely invaded by Lithuania (a behemoth that stretched from Tartary to the Carpathians and Prussia). In 1625 the King of Poland Alexander Jagiellon was killed in battle with Lithuanian forces. Shortly afterwards the conflict ended as another slice of Polish land was ceded to Lithuania. However the young King Alexander had just one son – a babe named Jan. Within a year Jan was killed by a bout of pneumonia leaving Poland without a viable Ossolinskite heir. According to the traditional laws of succession the Polish crown should have passed to Karl XIV Vasa – the Catholic King of Sweden, Denmark and Norway (the Kingship of Norway was disputed with the British Monarchy). The Protestant nobility refused to accept Catholic overlord ship and decided to elect Ernst III of Habsburg as their next Monarch – reverting back to the old system of elective Monarchy. Ernst – despite having a tenuous link to the Polish crown (he was the son of King Alexander’s aunt) - was the Protestant ruler in the world who could stand up to Karl XIV and protect Poland from Catholicism. When Ernst was declared King of Poland Karl responded by declaring war on the Habsburg realm, he was joined in his quest to bring the Pope’s word back to Poland by Castile and Mecklenburg (the only major Catholic state in Northern Germany).
At the ripe old age of 65 Ernst donned his armour for the last time in 1626 as he partook in his only real passion for the first and last time during his reign – leading an army to war. Shortly after the arrival of his armies on the Baltic Ernst sacked Lubeck and forced the Republic of Mecklenburg to become his vassal. In exchange for nominal independence Mecklenburg was forced to place a small tax on all trade within Lubeck (one of Europe’s largest trading centres) which was to be paid to Vienna. The most crucial benefit of defeating Mecklenburg was its fleet. Attempts to send Habsburg vessels to the Kattegat all ended in abject failure as the Castilian fleet blocked the way. However Mecklenburg possessed a fleet even larger than Sweden’s and as such could keep the way between Jutland and Skane open for Ernst’s army.
With his army in Skane Ernst felt confident of victory, it was at this time that the Swedish army moved to meet him in battle for the first time. Karl XIV commanded the Swedish army himself, the Swedes had no guns but twice as many cavalry and infantry and their forces were much fresher. Ernst, realising his clear disadvantage, attempted to keep the Swedes away from his army through a heavy bombardment from his impressive artillery arsenal yet the Swedish cavalry managed to break through despite heavy casualties. Quickly after facing a direct cavalry charge the Habsburg army began to break. Soon this was turned into a rout.
All that had saved Ernst and his army from utter oblivion was the timely rescue provided by the Mecklenburgian fleet. Over the course of the next few months Ernst recouped his losses with reinforcements from Austria, at the same time he was forced into performing a defensive campaign to maintain control over the Danish islands. Then in the Summer of 1628 he returned to Sweden. This time the Swedes were able to assemble and even larger army but this time it was the Swedes who were outnumbered.
The second battle of Skane ended the war. Karl XIV and 2/3 of the entire Swedish military were killed. The new Swedish government quickly abandoned claims to Poland and accepted Ernst as the realm’s new King. Victory belonged to Austria.
By the end of Ernst III’s reign The Habsburg Empire stretched from the Pacific to the Bay of Bengal, no other nation on earth held such power over such a broad area.
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Maybe you ought to conquer lands around Suez, one day you could even build a canal there?
Enewald: I plan on doing a bit of an epilogue into the Victorian era (thinking of having an Emperor called Victor ruling in roughly 1837-1901) but in that time I think the Papacy will probably be the colonial power in Egypt.
JDMS: It took one year to get to India
mad general: I was thinking of doing one any so ok. I shall make a family tree that shall list all the children of each ruler but only continue down the ruling line.
History_Buff: The scramble for America is basically over by this point. In the next reign I'd say it comes to an end although small scale expansion continues. The next target for colonists is Asia - the Spice Islands and India are very wealthy ....
Arya V.: The two seem to be almost constantly at war and are in the midst of an epic struggle for Steppe supremacy. At times I worry Lithuania may spill over into Asia and at others I fear for the safety of Europe from another Mongol invasion.
JDMS: It took one year to get to India
mad general: I was thinking of doing one any so ok. I shall make a family tree that shall list all the children of each ruler but only continue down the ruling line.
History_Buff: The scramble for America is basically over by this point. In the next reign I'd say it comes to an end although small scale expansion continues. The next target for colonists is Asia - the Spice Islands and India are very wealthy ....
Arya V.: The two seem to be almost constantly at war and are in the midst of an epic struggle for Steppe supremacy. At times I worry Lithuania may spill over into Asia and at others I fear for the safety of Europe from another Mongol invasion.
what I was talking about was for you to claim enough land to create a connection between Peru and the Silbur Fluss. Then, since the other nations are blocked, you can take the southern part of South America for Austria.
Quick question about viceroys:
In the next update I institute viceroys and will take the opportunity to mention it in the AAR. Should I have seperate viceroys for Kalifornia, Mexico, Peru and Silber Fluss or should I have 2 viceroys one for North America (Mexico) and one for South America (Peru)?
In the next update I institute viceroys and will take the opportunity to mention it in the AAR. Should I have seperate viceroys for Kalifornia, Mexico, Peru and Silber Fluss or should I have 2 viceroys one for North America (Mexico) and one for South America (Peru)?
separate viceroy's for each. They are each separate colonies and, with the possible eventual exception of Silbur Fluss and Peru and Mexico and Kaliifornia, not connected. That is therefore what would most likely happen.
One for each continent- soon, their lands will be connected. Also- why the hell is Hungary ORTHODOX! They're Catholic normally!
Karl I
Lived: 1587-1676
Head of House of Habsburg: 1642-1676
Holy Roman Emperor: 1642-1676
Archduke of Austria: 1642-1676
King of Bohemia, Poland, Peru and Mexico: 1642-1676
Duke of Lombardy: 1642-1676
Karl, like his father before him, lived an extremely long life (89 years) and ruled during his seniority. Ascending to the throne as a tiring 55 year old Karl followed the example of Ernst III and left the affairs of state largely in the hands of a small collective of talented advisors. This left the eye of Vienna firmly fixed abroad. Karl’s rule was a period of expansion and reform for the vast colonial Empire of the Habsburg dynasty.
Barely a few months into Karl’s reign Austria faced war in India. The Hindustani Empire had been in sharp decline ever since the arrival of the Austrians in India at the start of the 17th century. Before the spectacular introduction of German arms and traders into Indian politics the Hindu Empire had exerted almost total control over the minor Princes around the fringes of the Empire. However after the loss of its military might and economic clout to the Germans the Hindustani Empire was thrown into Civil War from the mid 1620s. At the start of the following decade Dharma Raja emerged as the most powerful leader engaged in the battle and by 1637 he had reunited the Empire under his banner. For the next few years he consolidated his position and brought some stability back to the Empire whilst rebuilding her armed forces. In 1642 Dharma Raj’s cousin - the Prince of Rajpurtana – died and left his powerful realm to the Hindu Emperor in his will. However the state’s nobility was severely divided on the issue with large factions for and against Dharma’s ascension. Rajpurtana quickly erupted into civil war and Dharma moved to intervene. When the Head of the Austrian East India Company (based in the trading city of Kutch) was asked for help by the anti-Dharma nobles of Rajpurtana he quickly organised Austria’s intervention in the conflict. By the end of the year the Habsburg realm was once more at war with the Hindu Empire.
The Rajput war quickly spread from its origin to the Ganges Valley where a mixture of Habsburg troops and Habsburg supported rebels quickly seized the wealthiest part of Dharma’s Empire. The Emperor himself was trapped in Rajput fighting a much smaller but considerably superior Austrian army. As many as 5 times Dharma led his army into battle against the Austrians and every time he faced terrible defeats. Losing the war abroad and facing serious discontent at home Dharma managed to secure peace in the blistering summer of 1644.
In many ways Dharma was lucky to gain the peace treaty he got. By mid 1644 his army had been virtually wiped out whilst German casualties were comparatively minor. However a mixture of a lack of desire for further bloodshed and a fortuitous outbreak of dysentery in the ranks of the Habsburg army made the Austrians willing to sign a peace deal. Austria gained a small stretch of wealthy land along the Ganges whilst around 2/3 of Rajpurtana came under indirect Austrian rule, Dharma also had to abandon claims to the remaining territory. However much worse was to come as following defeat to the Europeans Dharma’s pitiful army was badly mauled by the Ganges rebels who gain independence in 1646 and formed several smaller states.
After more than a century of Habsburg rule in the New World Austria’s colonies in the Americas had simply become too large to rule directly from Vienna. So in the year 1650 3 Viceroys were established. In the South the oldest and most thoroughly German colony of Sliber Fluss became the centre of the Viceroyalty of Silber Fluss which also contained the colonies of Piranti and Paraguay. In the West the mountainous lands that were once ruled by the Inca became the Viceroyalty of Peru. The two non-contiguous colonies in North America – wealthy Mexico and relatively barren Kalifornia were united as the Viceroyalty of Mexico. Meanwhile the Vienna government, alongside private individuals and companies, maintained effective control over the Caribbean islands. Meanwhile things developed differently in Africa. The original 15th century West African colonies had always been ruled by local Dukes since their foundation and thus had no need of a local Viceroy whilst the Afrikaners of the Cape had always maintained a significant degree of self governance.
In 1651 the colony of Kalifornia was expanded for what was believed to be the last time as the island of Nooka (later renamed Vancouver) and a small stretch of land in the South were annexed. With the arrival of the Spanish to the North of the colony and on the Easter shore of the Bay of Kalifornia future expansion seemed impossible. Meanwhile between the 1650s and 1670s the Viceroyalty of Silber Fluss was expanded Westward to meet with the borders of is Peruvian counterpart. These lands were relatively wealthy but in truth the move was simply a way of checking the expansion of the Castilians in Southern Chile and the British in Patagonia.
Throughout the 17th century the importance of the India Ocean to the Habsburgs grew immensely. The increased naval traffic around the Cape increased the regions wealth and as a direct result increased the already high level of immigration. This led to the steady advancement of the colony up the Eastern shore of Southern Africa all the way to the border of Swahili Zimbabwe. Meanwhile during the 1660s and the start of the 1670s the islands of the Indian Ocean became targets for Habsburg colonial companies. Firstly the isalnds were ideal for anti-piracy bases and way points for traders. But more importantly for their colonisation was that their climate proved very similar to that of the Caribbean. This allowed settlers to grow similar products to the wealthy Caribbean in an area in which land was significantly cheaper.
A ten year period of frequent warfare in India led to the final takeover of the position of regional hegemon by Austria. In 1648 the governor of Bengal (Georg Augustus von Habsburg) took it upon himself to take firm control of the Ganges by launching a quick campaign again the newly independent Muslim Prince of Delhi (Delhi was India’s only majority Muslim city). By the end of the short war all the Prince ruled was his capital itself. 5 years later the same governor began another campaign of expansion as first he forced a minor Prince to accept German overlord ship and then he conquered Delhi itself. Finally in 1657 a short war broke out between Austria and an Indian coalition led by Emperor Dharma Raj. The Hindu Empire was still far from ready for war and could offer no meaningful resistance, indeed it was the Princes rather than the Emperor that offered the greatest defence against the Europeans. At the end of the war Austria gained one province from Punjab, established total control over the Rajput, made itself the main power in Southern India and took control of another Hindustani city in Orissa.
In Europe the 1660s was a tumultuous period for the Rhineland. The Count of Mainz, Germany’s only Reformed state, had always been an ally of Catholic France. In a world in which the French had no other allies Mainz always stood by the mighty French nation and helped to support French interests in the Holy Roman Empire. However in 1662 Ludwig von Goethe became Count. Ludwig had been his father’s second son and had previously filled the role as Mainz’ ambassador to the Imperial court in Vienna. Whilst there he had built very friendly relations with the Emperor Karl and had been instilled with a strong sense of German Nationalism. After becoming Count in 1662 he started making moves that would allow Mainz to break free from the influence of the French. However these moves proved very unpopular with the urban aristocracy of Mainz and in 1665 he was overthrown in a short coup that was funded by the French. Ludwig was able to escape and fled to Vienna to beg for support from the Emperor. The following year Ludwig returned to Mainz with a large army of mercenaries, paid for by Vienna, and retook control of his realm – shortly later he accepted Vienna as his true overlord. This was simply unacceptable for the French and war was quickly declared upon Mainz, in response to this Austria declared war upon France and began the Rhenish War.
The French army sent to retake Mainz was far too small to oppose the 60,000 Austrian soldiers that were sent to the French Rhineland. The entire Austrian army was quickly mustered around the French fortress of Nassau, the only French fortress of the Eastern bank of the Rhine outside of the Low Countries, after a short assault Nassau fell. However the French army had a vast numerical advantage over Austria (Austria’s entire army in Europe was around 60,000 whilst the French had as many as 300,000 soldiers in Europe) and benefited from superior military technology. The French attacked the Austrians at Nassau with around 120,000 men and quickly forced them into retreat back towards Wurttemberg.
By this stage it was late Autumn in 1666 and the French decided to attempt to drive home their advantage by crossing the Rhine to the South of the main battlefields. Two armies of around 40,000 French crossed the Rhine with one crossing at Baden and the other through the Swiss Confederation. The Habsburg army quickly rallied to rebel both invading forces. Both sides then settled down for the Winter.
Between 1667 and 1668 the French made a major breakthrough as a large army crossed the Rhine and started to overwhelm Austrian defences. The decision was taken to withdraw Eastward until losses could be recouped. For reasons that to this day remain unknown the French did not support their initial invasion force with their hefty reserves and instead left it to fight alone in Western Austria.
In May 1668 Karl’s only son, Albrecht von Habsburg, moved to confront the French invaders at Salzburg. Here his much smaller army won a stunning victory over the French as he put his superior cavalry and artillery assets to good use. This allowed for a quick counterattack against the French invasion, in less than a year the entire invasion force had been wiped out and the French rid from Habsburg soil. Albrecht then decided to lead his jubilant army in a second invasion of the French Rhineland. This time the Austrians were able to beat back French attacks and not just take Nassau but also Koblenz and Trier (both of which la on the West bank). However in early 1670, in a battle for the province of Luxembourg, Albrecht – heir to an Empire – was cut down and his army beaten. Shortly after the battle a peace deal was agreed.
In war in which combined casualties (including civilians) stretched as far as 2 million dead very little changed. The County of Mainz moved from being a French ally to a Habsburg vassal. Europe’s two great sprawling land Empires continued to face each other across the Rhine, Austria was not knocked from her perch but the French army remained more powerful.
Between 1672 and 1674 yet another war was fought against the Hindu Empire. In this conflict another province was annexed and two new states (Mysore and the Maldives) given independence from the Hindustani Empire.
Lived: 1587-1676
Head of House of Habsburg: 1642-1676
Holy Roman Emperor: 1642-1676
Archduke of Austria: 1642-1676
King of Bohemia, Poland, Peru and Mexico: 1642-1676
Duke of Lombardy: 1642-1676
Karl, like his father before him, lived an extremely long life (89 years) and ruled during his seniority. Ascending to the throne as a tiring 55 year old Karl followed the example of Ernst III and left the affairs of state largely in the hands of a small collective of talented advisors. This left the eye of Vienna firmly fixed abroad. Karl’s rule was a period of expansion and reform for the vast colonial Empire of the Habsburg dynasty.
Barely a few months into Karl’s reign Austria faced war in India. The Hindustani Empire had been in sharp decline ever since the arrival of the Austrians in India at the start of the 17th century. Before the spectacular introduction of German arms and traders into Indian politics the Hindu Empire had exerted almost total control over the minor Princes around the fringes of the Empire. However after the loss of its military might and economic clout to the Germans the Hindustani Empire was thrown into Civil War from the mid 1620s. At the start of the following decade Dharma Raja emerged as the most powerful leader engaged in the battle and by 1637 he had reunited the Empire under his banner. For the next few years he consolidated his position and brought some stability back to the Empire whilst rebuilding her armed forces. In 1642 Dharma Raj’s cousin - the Prince of Rajpurtana – died and left his powerful realm to the Hindu Emperor in his will. However the state’s nobility was severely divided on the issue with large factions for and against Dharma’s ascension. Rajpurtana quickly erupted into civil war and Dharma moved to intervene. When the Head of the Austrian East India Company (based in the trading city of Kutch) was asked for help by the anti-Dharma nobles of Rajpurtana he quickly organised Austria’s intervention in the conflict. By the end of the year the Habsburg realm was once more at war with the Hindu Empire.
The Rajput war quickly spread from its origin to the Ganges Valley where a mixture of Habsburg troops and Habsburg supported rebels quickly seized the wealthiest part of Dharma’s Empire. The Emperor himself was trapped in Rajput fighting a much smaller but considerably superior Austrian army. As many as 5 times Dharma led his army into battle against the Austrians and every time he faced terrible defeats. Losing the war abroad and facing serious discontent at home Dharma managed to secure peace in the blistering summer of 1644.
In many ways Dharma was lucky to gain the peace treaty he got. By mid 1644 his army had been virtually wiped out whilst German casualties were comparatively minor. However a mixture of a lack of desire for further bloodshed and a fortuitous outbreak of dysentery in the ranks of the Habsburg army made the Austrians willing to sign a peace deal. Austria gained a small stretch of wealthy land along the Ganges whilst around 2/3 of Rajpurtana came under indirect Austrian rule, Dharma also had to abandon claims to the remaining territory. However much worse was to come as following defeat to the Europeans Dharma’s pitiful army was badly mauled by the Ganges rebels who gain independence in 1646 and formed several smaller states.
After more than a century of Habsburg rule in the New World Austria’s colonies in the Americas had simply become too large to rule directly from Vienna. So in the year 1650 3 Viceroys were established. In the South the oldest and most thoroughly German colony of Sliber Fluss became the centre of the Viceroyalty of Silber Fluss which also contained the colonies of Piranti and Paraguay. In the West the mountainous lands that were once ruled by the Inca became the Viceroyalty of Peru. The two non-contiguous colonies in North America – wealthy Mexico and relatively barren Kalifornia were united as the Viceroyalty of Mexico. Meanwhile the Vienna government, alongside private individuals and companies, maintained effective control over the Caribbean islands. Meanwhile things developed differently in Africa. The original 15th century West African colonies had always been ruled by local Dukes since their foundation and thus had no need of a local Viceroy whilst the Afrikaners of the Cape had always maintained a significant degree of self governance.
In 1651 the colony of Kalifornia was expanded for what was believed to be the last time as the island of Nooka (later renamed Vancouver) and a small stretch of land in the South were annexed. With the arrival of the Spanish to the North of the colony and on the Easter shore of the Bay of Kalifornia future expansion seemed impossible. Meanwhile between the 1650s and 1670s the Viceroyalty of Silber Fluss was expanded Westward to meet with the borders of is Peruvian counterpart. These lands were relatively wealthy but in truth the move was simply a way of checking the expansion of the Castilians in Southern Chile and the British in Patagonia.
Throughout the 17th century the importance of the India Ocean to the Habsburgs grew immensely. The increased naval traffic around the Cape increased the regions wealth and as a direct result increased the already high level of immigration. This led to the steady advancement of the colony up the Eastern shore of Southern Africa all the way to the border of Swahili Zimbabwe. Meanwhile during the 1660s and the start of the 1670s the islands of the Indian Ocean became targets for Habsburg colonial companies. Firstly the isalnds were ideal for anti-piracy bases and way points for traders. But more importantly for their colonisation was that their climate proved very similar to that of the Caribbean. This allowed settlers to grow similar products to the wealthy Caribbean in an area in which land was significantly cheaper.
A ten year period of frequent warfare in India led to the final takeover of the position of regional hegemon by Austria. In 1648 the governor of Bengal (Georg Augustus von Habsburg) took it upon himself to take firm control of the Ganges by launching a quick campaign again the newly independent Muslim Prince of Delhi (Delhi was India’s only majority Muslim city). By the end of the short war all the Prince ruled was his capital itself. 5 years later the same governor began another campaign of expansion as first he forced a minor Prince to accept German overlord ship and then he conquered Delhi itself. Finally in 1657 a short war broke out between Austria and an Indian coalition led by Emperor Dharma Raj. The Hindu Empire was still far from ready for war and could offer no meaningful resistance, indeed it was the Princes rather than the Emperor that offered the greatest defence against the Europeans. At the end of the war Austria gained one province from Punjab, established total control over the Rajput, made itself the main power in Southern India and took control of another Hindustani city in Orissa.
In Europe the 1660s was a tumultuous period for the Rhineland. The Count of Mainz, Germany’s only Reformed state, had always been an ally of Catholic France. In a world in which the French had no other allies Mainz always stood by the mighty French nation and helped to support French interests in the Holy Roman Empire. However in 1662 Ludwig von Goethe became Count. Ludwig had been his father’s second son and had previously filled the role as Mainz’ ambassador to the Imperial court in Vienna. Whilst there he had built very friendly relations with the Emperor Karl and had been instilled with a strong sense of German Nationalism. After becoming Count in 1662 he started making moves that would allow Mainz to break free from the influence of the French. However these moves proved very unpopular with the urban aristocracy of Mainz and in 1665 he was overthrown in a short coup that was funded by the French. Ludwig was able to escape and fled to Vienna to beg for support from the Emperor. The following year Ludwig returned to Mainz with a large army of mercenaries, paid for by Vienna, and retook control of his realm – shortly later he accepted Vienna as his true overlord. This was simply unacceptable for the French and war was quickly declared upon Mainz, in response to this Austria declared war upon France and began the Rhenish War.
The French army sent to retake Mainz was far too small to oppose the 60,000 Austrian soldiers that were sent to the French Rhineland. The entire Austrian army was quickly mustered around the French fortress of Nassau, the only French fortress of the Eastern bank of the Rhine outside of the Low Countries, after a short assault Nassau fell. However the French army had a vast numerical advantage over Austria (Austria’s entire army in Europe was around 60,000 whilst the French had as many as 300,000 soldiers in Europe) and benefited from superior military technology. The French attacked the Austrians at Nassau with around 120,000 men and quickly forced them into retreat back towards Wurttemberg.
By this stage it was late Autumn in 1666 and the French decided to attempt to drive home their advantage by crossing the Rhine to the South of the main battlefields. Two armies of around 40,000 French crossed the Rhine with one crossing at Baden and the other through the Swiss Confederation. The Habsburg army quickly rallied to rebel both invading forces. Both sides then settled down for the Winter.
Between 1667 and 1668 the French made a major breakthrough as a large army crossed the Rhine and started to overwhelm Austrian defences. The decision was taken to withdraw Eastward until losses could be recouped. For reasons that to this day remain unknown the French did not support their initial invasion force with their hefty reserves and instead left it to fight alone in Western Austria.
In May 1668 Karl’s only son, Albrecht von Habsburg, moved to confront the French invaders at Salzburg. Here his much smaller army won a stunning victory over the French as he put his superior cavalry and artillery assets to good use. This allowed for a quick counterattack against the French invasion, in less than a year the entire invasion force had been wiped out and the French rid from Habsburg soil. Albrecht then decided to lead his jubilant army in a second invasion of the French Rhineland. This time the Austrians were able to beat back French attacks and not just take Nassau but also Koblenz and Trier (both of which la on the West bank). However in early 1670, in a battle for the province of Luxembourg, Albrecht – heir to an Empire – was cut down and his army beaten. Shortly after the battle a peace deal was agreed.
In war in which combined casualties (including civilians) stretched as far as 2 million dead very little changed. The County of Mainz moved from being a French ally to a Habsburg vassal. Europe’s two great sprawling land Empires continued to face each other across the Rhine, Austria was not knocked from her perch but the French army remained more powerful.
Between 1672 and 1674 yet another war was fought against the Hindu Empire. In this conflict another province was annexed and two new states (Mysore and the Maldives) given independence from the Hindustani Empire.
Well, soon with wars over in India, you can focus on the European theatre and reclaim the Rheinland from the Frankish oppressors.
Hannibal X: Hungary originally had a large Empire covering almost the entire Balkans. When this Empire imploded Orthodox religious rebels somehow took over Hungary and it changed to Orthodox.
FrostPegasus: We shall have the spice soon
JDMS: the French tried and failed to get a slice of India (sending 1,000 men at a time didn't work out for them). However the British do manage to get themselves a slice in the next update. By this stage West Africa is pretty much fully colonised (on the coast) and the best bits of America are gone.
Enewald: The French are alot stronger than me but I'll give it a go.
FrostPegasus: We shall have the spice soon
JDMS: the French tried and failed to get a slice of India (sending 1,000 men at a time didn't work out for them
). However the British do manage to get themselves a slice in the next update. By this stage West Africa is pretty much fully colonised (on the coast) and the best bits of America are gone.Enewald: The French are alot stronger than me but I'll give it a go.
