Baltic Lightning: a Grand Campaign AAR [EU4 Branch]

[Centurial]

Chapter 6: Projection [1528-1536]



For nearly a year, the military had been developing a plan to invade Brabant. They controlled access in and out of the Baltic Sea, which was a great threat to trade. Brabant expanded in a similar way to Liivimaa, taking control of four different coasts. Their steady conquests had increased their influence on trade significantly, and weakening them would help open up Liivimaa to the outside world.

The Baltic Navy had been expanded to nearly double its previous size, thanks in part to the large amount of trade income and significant naval infrastructure that Livonia had developed in recent years.

When the war was declared in 1529, many Europeans were surprised to hear that the Pope called a “crusade” against Livonia to defend Brabant - the age of crusades had already ended in most peoples’ minds, and Christianity was already in a weak position against the Muslims as it was. Regardless, Christian fervor led to a large amount of volunteers and donations to Brabant, as well as the assistance of armies from Aquitaine and Germany.

During its period of peace, the Livonian armies had been reformed and improved by the new administration. The size of the army had increased to almost double what it was during the Uyunid War, and artillery siege tactics were improved thanks to the writings of Vykintas, whose experience as a general during the Uyunid War advanced the tactics of using cannons for quick fortress assaults.

This invasion was well-planned: the idea was to quickly conquer all of Denmark and force a peace upon Brabant before any outside powers had time to intervene – this became even more important now that the Crusade had drawn foreign support.

Minor armies quickly hopped from island to island, while the main force was landed on the fort at Fyn, where they would be victorious very quickly thanks to their large amounts of cannons and their improved siege tactics. The large Baltic Navy completely controlled the strait, making troop transport very easy while denying the enemies any ability to move by ocean. The other army attacked allied Westrogothia’s capital fort.

The siege of Fyn was finished far quicker than Brabant expected. After taking the province, the army surprised Brabant by rushing straight to Vestjylland and attacking their army directly before reinforcements had arrived. Despite the superior discipline of Brabant’s army, they were severely outnumbered and had very little artillery, which led to their army being completely crushed in the ensuing battle.

Westrogothia was completely occupied by this point and agreed to a separate peace [handing over their south coast], so both armies rushed to occupy the entire Danish peninsula. The King then sent a fairly generous peace offer to Brabant, which was intended to end the war quickly (preventing the supporting nations from having time to assemble their armies for a counterattack). The Norwegian colonies were transferred to Livonia, while it was agreed that Brabant would break its defensive alliances with Aquitaine and Bavaria. The entire affair was over after only 9 months.

The rebels across Liivimaa and the foreign territories were still gathering and increasing in strength, so the army was put on standby to deal with them. The newly-captured Norwegian land didn’t have a very large population, and as it was transferred from one conqueror to another, there wasn’t too much concern about them rebelling.

In order to help deal with the burden of Livonia’s extensive land, the county of Nyland was sold to Suomi for a rather large sum of money. It was very sparsely populated, and given the recent invasions, extra coastline wasn’t as strategically vital as it was when Nyland was first occupied.

The southern Scandinavian provinces had been converted to a Jewish majority by this point in the state of Aland, but the remaining citizens were allowed to remain their Catholic faith if they desired, as per the overseas territory policy.

Culturally, Livonia was mostly split between the Latvian ruling class and the Lithuanian peoples in the south, who had assimilated with most of the conquered territories from the last century.

While the army was defending against rebels, more troops were recruited at home and large sums of money were saved, in preparation for a potential large-scale war. Bohemia and Bavaria’s relations had soured in recent years, so the Livonians were watching carefully for a potential weakness in the southern power.

In 1533, the Badyah Empire attacked Bohemia in an effort to reclaim its land – they were surprisingly successful in making gains by 1534, which provoked the Livonians to declare their own war. The main purpose of this war wasn’t conquest; it was simply to weaken Bohemia into a manageable neighbor. Bohemia was joined by Germany, but their ally Sicily decided not to join this war.

As the Baltic army entered Bohemia, they were surprised when a large force attacked the easternmost army, managing to force a retreat before reinforcements had time to arrive. Using their large cash reserves, Livonia hired several mercenaries for their army, while also requesting the support of its vassals and Mordvinia.

The front line of the war shifted over to Kuyavia, as Germany began to advance with their army and the Baltics moved in to stop them. The Livonian army attempted to destroy the German army, but large amounts of bohemian reinforcements stopped that. A huge battle ensued, with the Bohemians eventually winning despite their inferior numbers thanks to their terrain advantage.

Bohemia was certainly not in a good position, despite their victory. Their focus on the northern battles gave the Muslims room to advance, as they began to move towards the capital.

After winter, the Baltic armies rushed back into Germany, hoping to knock them out of the war quickly.

Prussia began to siege Posen, the German exclave within Kuvayia, and were attacked by a German army. As Livonian reinforcements moved in, some of them were cut off by the Bohemians, launching two battles. In the north, the Germans were completely outnumbered and lost quickly, while the Bohemians managed to wound the army they had ambushed.

The southern defense was unable to hold, but they had delayed long enough that the remaining armies could move in and encircle the Bohemians.

There were a lot of concerns about rebel uprisings during the war, as the army was distracted. Already a large rebellion had captured Stockholm, but they were defeated earlier by Mordvinia. Now, there were concerns of rebellion in Skane, Norway, and Lithuania. The manpower reserves of the Kingdom were quite low, although the mercenaries kept the army strong.

After the battles in Kuyavia, the Baltics began to advance into Germany, while the Bohemian army disappeared, presumably to fight the Muslim forces that were approaching their capital. Meanwhile, Halsingland and Sapmi took advantage of Livonia’s distraction to invade Suomi.

By June, Germany had agreed to a separate peace, while also returning the exclave of Posen to Kuyavia.

On the eastern front, Livonia was making gains as Bohemia focused their armies on pushing back the Muslims and retaking their capital.

Just before the Livonians arrived, Bohemia had retaken Pest, only to be defeated and captured by Livonia. By this point, Bohemia was soundly defeated, and the armies continued to advance through the undefended territory.

After taking Pest, Livonia forced Bohemia to release the independent Kingdom of Kiev, as well as the three dukes of Meissen, Nitra, and Ostrihom. Bohemia had been weakened, and these new states would be easy to influence.

 

[stnylan]

Excellent wars, but one must always be aware of the threat to the East.

 

[Centurial]

Excellent wars, but one must always be aware of the threat to the East.

you ain't seen nothing yet ;_;

 

[Centurial]

Chapter 7: Shifting Tides [1536-1555]

After the Bohemian surrender to Livonia, Bohemia (and Sicily) managed to regroup their armies and make a remarkable counterattack against Badyah. After recapturing most of their occupied land, they managed to reach a peace agreement, only paying war reparations and a small sum of cash to Badyah without any exchange in territory.

The king of Livonia began meeting with the newly released dukes to negotiate protection and potential vassalization. In the meantime the Uyunids invaded Bohemia to reclaim the land they had lost during their last religious war.

Kiev agreed to become a vassal of Livonia, as well as the count of Nitra. The other released states couldn’t come to an agreement in time and were invaded by Bavaria shortly after, to the disdain of the Livonians.

Pruthenia began to demand concessions; they were upset with the 1450 trade agreement which allowed Livonian merchants complete control over their trade – trade was now far more lucrative than it had been when the deal was originally signed, and Pruthenian trade was now as valuable as the rest of Livonia’s trade combined. For the moment, they refused to assist in any more wars until their grievances were addressed.

The rebellions that had been kindling during the war finally exploded, with armies popping up in Norway, Stockholm, and the recently conquered province in Aland. The manpower of the country was very low, and there weren’t nearly enough men to outfit the large Baltic Army. Mercenary armies played a large role in the Bohemian war, but the Kingdom didn’t have the finances to hire so many forces for a peacetime rebellion. The remaining armies were combined and sent to fight the rebels, which led to even more casualties.

Partially in response to the debate over Pruthenia’s trade, the King and his council drafted an economic reform plan in 1540, hoping to invest their trade currency in infrastructure, taxing institutions, and local production. The idea was to decrease the government’s reliance on trade, as well as increase income overall and boost production.

Suomi had been crushed in their war against the northerners, and Sapmi was still in the process of taking more land for themselves.

During this peacetime, the military invested in new, better cast iron cannons based on their experience from the 30’s, taking inspiration from German designs. In addition, some of the mercenary armies’ techniques were reproduced: several cavalry divisions were equipped with pistols, which could both be fired before drawing their swords for a devastating charge.

In 1541, the focus on overseas expansion by Western European powers was ramping up, with land claimed throughout the Atlantic:

Aquitaine was focused on the resources of African trade, taking several Atlantic islands and establishing coastal outposts. Zaya, the Muslim nation in Morocco, responded with outposts of their own, grabbing a coast in southwest Africa.

England focused on the new untapped continent of America, investing in the colony of Newfoundland.

The powers of India were also competing for overseas territory with each other. Each of the powerful Indian nations tried to get an upper hand on the other by expanding through Oceania. Australia’s east coast was being colonized, while several of the Indonesian islands were claimed by each of the Indian powers.

Ming China, perhaps the most powerful country in the word, was slowly exploring the Pacific, establishing outposts in Siberia, and even landing on the coast of California.

Moving on; the vassal of Karenia had been mostly converted to Jewish since being forced when they were initially freed by Livonia, but there had been a constant string of separatists and Catholic rebels that the army had to deal with which hampered the country.

The first step of the Liivimaa Economic Reforms was to implement a set of rules for sailors, while more tax bureaucracy was established in villages and overseas to ensure taxes were being properly collected in the outskirts of the country.

In Norway and the rest of Scandinavia, a series of defensive castles were built to discourage rebellion and foreign invasion.

The declining Badyah Empire was crippled as the Al-Turkis Greeks declared a second war of independence, being assisted by both of Badyah’s major middle-east rivals.

The matchlock musket was imported and produced for the army beginning in the late 40’s, which was quicker to load and more reliable than the arquebus. While these weapons still only made up a small portion of the army, the new muskets would become more commonly used as they improved.

By 1547, the country had recovered from the last decade of warfare, and was becoming quite rich off trade and the increased income from the economic reforms. The army was able to replenish and reequip itself during the long peace as well, especially as the new fortifications successfully discouraged rebellion.

In the meantime, the rest of the world was still spinning. Brabant had regained a huge amount of their historical territory in the Low Countries.

Bohemia had lost their war against the Uyunids, and Bavaria had invaded as well. By 1550, the country was a small fraction of its former self (mirroring their history almost exactly 100 years ago), as Uyunids reclaimed their lands, Bavaria expanded, and Bulgaria regained its independence and expanded in the Balkans.

As the empire collapsed, the Duchy of Kiev decided to press their de jure claims against Bohemia, with Livonia providing significant financial assistance and equipment.

After some border skirmishes against Liivimaa, the Baltic Army moved in and issued an ultimatum, forcing Bohemia to give Kiev all of their claimed land, while Livonia annexed the border province of Vidin.

Part of the government’s new investment program was focused on Textile manufactories in the Lithuanian provinces, which proved to be very lucrative. One of the richest production hubs in the country was the outer province of Warsaw, the hub of textile manufacturing in East Europe.

As the Balkan states became independent and reclaimed their territory, a new sect of Christianity began to develop. Unlike Catholicism, which had been stagnant and declining for centuries, this new sect was focused on fanatical reconquest and the expulsion of all heathen religions from Europe. This movement would spread throughout Europe in the coming decades as more people demanded revenge and reforms within the church. Combined with the large Orthodox influence in Sicily (which even owned Rome itself), Catholic influence was at the lowest it had ever been.

While many Catholics resisted the demands of internal reform, the ideas of reconquest were popular with all Christians, and soon Aquitaine began moving to reconquer Hispania in response.

 

[stnylan]

The idea of a Protestant Reformation seeking war with the infidels is an interesting one, and one I can readily believe.

In other news that long peace seems to have been a most welcome respite.

 

[Centurial]

The idea of a Protestant Reformation seeking war with the infidels is an interesting one, and one I can readily believe.

In other news that long peace seems to have been a most welcome respite.

Indeed, after the constant warfare, it is definitely peace for our time

...

 

[Centurial]

Chapter 8: Return [1555-1572]



Things were going quote well for the Livonians, but the Uyunid threat still loomed over them. In November of 1558, the Uyunids invaded the Caucasus nation of Kartli to finalize their domination of the region. Kartli was under the Badyah’s protection, but they weren’t a threat to the Uyunids.

By 1559, the Jewish Alliance of Liivimaa, its subjects, and Mordvinia decided to once again declare war on the Uyunids. The goal of this war was to reclaim land both nations had lost, and in the best-case scenario, to expand Kiev as well. The advancements of Livonia’s economy and military technology gave the military confidence that they could succeed this time; there was very little change in the Uyunid government, and Persia/Karenia were even more stuck in their ways.

In order to prepare for what would certainly be a huge war, Livonia hired some neighboring armies to assist, and war taxes were collected from local churches to help fight the Muslim threat and save the Jewish citizens whose land was being occupied. While the northern Jews weren’t generally known for their zeal, the threat of the Uyunids and the stories of religious oppression in the occupied territories was enough to garner widespread support for the war.

Similar to the last invasion, the Jewish armies were able to make rapid advances in the first months of the war. The advance was halted at the battle of Kursk, in which the Livonian armies scrambled to reinforce an attack on Mordvinia’s army but were unable to succeed before retreating.

As the armies regrouped, the Council hired a new minister of war. This man was a studied expert in army formations and would train the generals to more effectively position their armies.

The armies returned to Uyunid territory, which was undefended as the enemy armies had moved north to deal with Mordvinia. After hearing news of the attack, two Muslim armies moved south to attack the Livonians in Oka, but they were overwhelmed and took massive casualties.

During the Battle of Oka, another large enemy army had attempted to flank the reinforcements in Bryansk, but the Livonian reinforcements were quick to arrive and force a retreat. The majority of their army was killed in the battle – especially their melee cavalry, which was crushed by the Baltic pike-and-shot formations.

In the next year, the Jewish forces continued to advance. In January of 1561, the Battle of Yelets took place, in which the Livonians were forced to retreat due to the superior Persian numbers, however, the Persian cavalry took huge casualties during the battle.

Over the last year, most of the enemy focus had been on Mordvinia, where scattered battles were fought on a regular basis. Despite the apparent success of Muslim forces, they had been routed by this point, thanks in large part to the deadly winter which did huge damage to the Uyunid and Persian forces which were ill-prepared for such an environment.

The Livonian army continued to regroup and hire several mercenaries, making more gains in the process. Several minor battles were fought during the advance, most of them victories. In 1562, the Livonians had advanced all the way to the Black Sea, while the enemies concentrated their forces in a northern push through Mordvinia (in an attempt to knock them out of the war), but once again the severe winter would halt their advance. Mordvinia was very sparsely developed, so occupying their land was time-consuming and did relatively little harm to the country, while the invaders were hampered by attrition.

Reacting to their inability to quickly defeat Mordvinia, several Muslim armies attempted to break through Mordvinia and attack Liivimaa’s capital directly. The forces they sent were scattered, and Pruthenia was able to defeat them.

As the year progressed, the Baltic armies advanced quickly through the remaining, mostly unfortified land. Crimea was captured by the Pruthenians, while the main forces advanced into the Caucasus region. Mordvinia was slowly being invaded by neighboring Karenia, but still held strong.

At the end of the year, the majority of Uyunid land had been taken, but the manpower of the Baltics were once again devastated, and the army budget mainly relied on loans. The other two powerful allies were still untouched, beyond their army losses. The Baltics continued to fight several smaller battles during their advance, in which several enemy armies were decimated.

In April of 1563, a peace deal was signed. Unfortunately, the enemy was unwilling to negotiate beyond basic concessions, as the Uyunids’ powerful allies assured them they were still prepared to fight as long as necessary against the shrinking Baltic armies. In the end, the previously-occupied Livonian territories were returned, but that was all.

Still, this was a defeat for the Uyunids and was widely celebrated back at home. Mordvinia was somewhat upset about not being able to reclaim land, but lengthening the war would have certainly damaged them.

Once again, the country was left without the manpower to fill its armies, but it was safe. The one true threat had been defeated for the time being, and the country would at least be able to replenish before another war could occur. Livonia’s prestige in the world also increased, as they were able to stand up against the vast eastern sultans after a previous defeat. This time, there weren’t huge concerns about rebellion as the Scandinavian rebels were pacified for the moment, and the only land that was captured was Liivimaa’s own.

Indeed, it seemed that the later 1500s was becoming an era of increased religious fervor in Europe, between the new ideas and movements in the Balkans, the reconquest against Muslims in both Aquitaine and Livonia, and the colonialism in the West.

Following the war, effort was made to improve the administration of the country. Large amounts of money were spent to hire inspectors for local officials, in an attempt to counter corruption. The vassal of Nitra was released as independent, with their protections revoked, as they were proving to be useless as a vassal. The main benefit, however, was to avoid contention with Bavaria, which coveted the land after their integration of the other two ex-bohemian dukes.

Finally, the government declared a series of “Guaranteed Freedoms” to all citizens within the country, including territorial possessions. These were essentially a set of rights and laws protecting people against government abuse, which would help to decrease both corruption and potential rebellions.

Following their independence, Al-Turkis formed an alliance with the rising power Misr, and both began to expand their influence over the Middle East.

In 1569, King Vytautas passed away of old age. Under his rule, the country had modernized and become quite rich, and was now left in a very good position. His successor would be his son, King Vingoldas. His rule began roughly, as he was only 14 years old at the time of his ascension and struggled to manage the entire country.

The country of Bohemia was in full collapse by the end of the decade. After a dual invasion by Bulgaria and Bavaria, they were left with a tiny core country, as well as three disconnected exclaves. Things had gotten so bad that they were now losing a war against the newly-independent province of Nitra.

Aquitaine decided to directly integrate their vassal Lorraine, which extended their borders all the way into the Low Countries. Brabant still held a powerful presence in the area, but they wouldn’t dare invade Aquitaine directly. Aquitaine had also succeeded in capturing Basque territory from Isbania, and England took control of Calais.

Hostiles erupted between Mordvinia and the Uyunids over Faravid territory; which both countries claimed. The Russian king asked for Livonia’s assistance, which the new king was urged to accept by his advisors, given the potential to weaken the Uyunids even further. Surprisingly, the Uyunids decided not to risk another war against Livonia and backed off.

The invasion was very quick, with Livonia handling the small Faravid army while Mordvinia moved to grab all of the land. Faravid territory was very valuable, containing large amounts of Iron and more buffer territory against Karenia. By the end of 1571, half of their land was taken by Mordvinia, and both countries were beginning to feel quite confident.

 

[Centurial]

A few OOC notes:

• The fall of the Badyah Empire has been quite interesting; especially with the others flooding in to fill the power void.
• Uyunids are essentially a hellspawn of the Ottomans and Russia.
• Bulgaria has been able to rise quite well as Bohemia and the Badyah collapsed.
• Bavaria is scary.
• The fact that Brabant has been able to thrive off an oceanically-connected empire is quite impressive.
• The colonization of Indonesia by India's princes is pretty interesting, as well as Ming China. It'll be really interesting to see how that turns out when they clash with the Europeans [especially in Vic2, if they're still around by then]
• The actual state of "Germany" has somehow managed to rebound from certain-destruction several times. I was originally going to rename them as they shrunk, since their claim on the old German Kingdom would have become somewhat of a joke, but somehow they keep coming back.

 

[stnylan]

Great to see the Uyunids humbled! And their lands so damaged. Hopefully next time they shall be weakened further.

I can understand the nerves regarding Bavaria.

 

[Centurial]

Great to see the Uyunids humbled! And their lands so damaged. Hopefully next time they shall be weakened further.

Sadly they didn't lose much territory; felt like a Vicky 2 war

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

It's a rapidly changing world. The Uyunids appear to be incredibly troublesome. What sort of national ideas do they have?

 

[Centurial]

It's a rapidly changing world. The Uyunids appear to be incredibly troublesome. What sort of national ideas do they have?

As of now; the ideas you'd expect of a scary ex-horde. Traditions were Morale +10 and Forcelimit +15; and their first 3 unlocked NI's have been Missionary Strength, Manpower, and Cav Ability.

Those were all done by the converter as well, despite being pretty much perfect for what the Uyunids are.

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

As of now; the ideas you'd expect of a scary ex-horde. Traditions were Morale +10 and Forcelimit +15; and their first 3 unlocked NI's have been Missionary Strength, Manpower, and Cav Ability.

Those were all done by the converter as well, despite being pretty much perfect for what the Uyunids are.

The converter seems to do a decent job of assigning national ideas. It beats the generic ones for sure.

 

[Centurial]

Chapter 9: King Vingoldas (1574-1602)



Once Vingoldas became an adult and gained true control over the country, his rule was strict. Foreigners under the Livonian rule would be treated poorly as the king attempted to homogenize the lands under Baltic culture and ideas, and expel any separatists or non-Jewish peoples.

In 1574, the Uyunids and their allies declared another invasion of Mordvinia, only months after the peace treaty had ended. After a great argument with his council, Vingoldas declared he would not be assisting Mordvinia, citing Livonia’s mediocre reserve of both manpower and cash, as well as a strong desire not to lose land to the Muslims once again.

As the old Jewish Alliance was broken and the Uyunids were allowed to invade Mordvinia, Livonia’s prestige evaporated. Their previous victory brought glory and fear, but backing out of this war crushed any concept of Livonian power projection in the east.

As the war raged on the borders, Vingoldas focused on internal affairs. Following decades [and in reality, centuries] of discontent, Pruthenia’s march status was revoked, and they were turned into a direct tributary vassal. The King wished (in the long term) to revoke their autonomy completely and integrate Pruthenia into Liivimaa directly; giving the country full control over one of its most powerful territories.

The army introduced military police in order to enforce discipline amongst the soldiers and prevent excessive looting.

The Uyunid invasion was over in just 2 years. Their territorial expansion was primarily in the western half of Mordvinia – and to the horror of Livonia, they had conquered nearly the entire border between Liivimaa and Mordvinia.

In response, several new castles and fortifications were built along the border, strengthening existing defenses and extending the line of fortresses all the way north to Pskov. Beyond that, Livonia continued to stay at peace and strengthen the army and economy further.

After several years without war with Livonia, which the Muslim forces had been expecting, Persia (as well as the Uyunids and Karenia) went to war with an equally massive alliance in the middle east; which included Misr, the rapidly-expanding Iraq, and Abyssinia. This massive war would take place mostly in the mountains of the Caucasus and the Iraq-Persia border, distracting the Muslim countries for the time being.

During the war, there was a huge Russian rebellion in Uyunid territory – while initially successful, the Uyunids sent an army to crack down on the dissidents. Even though the revolt was a failure, it did help distract their armies from the Iraq front.

Vingoldas maintained the peace in Livonia, despite the distraction of his enemies. Instead, he focused on centralization of the country. He wished for Livonia to take full advantage of its Swedish territories and their valuable resources, as well as working to end the nonstop revolts. The previous policy of allowing the Swedish to maintain their religion and culture without any Livonian interference in exchange for a special tax was scrapped; conversion and government expansion began immediately after.

Six years later, the Middle-eastern alliance had won, with Iraq conquering small but valuable lands along the Caucasus and Persian border. It proved that the Uyunids weren’t unstoppable, and they wouldn’t be able to expand anymore without serious resistance.

The economic reforms of previous decades proved successful, as income from taxation began to rise. Trade was still the primary source of income (despite being lower at the moment due to arguments with Pruthenia), but the state’s income was a bit more diverse now. The government was also spending far less on the army and fortifications during this extended peacetime, which cut costs as well.

In Scandinavia, a new religious movement was sweeping the Catholic population of the continent - a significantly reformed Christianity began to spread, which disavowed the Pope as well as several of the restrictive rules and corrupt practices that had plagued Catholics for centuries. Scandinavia had always been disconnected from the rest of the Catholic world, as the religion spread through Germanic conquest before the Norse took over the continent and isolated themselves from the rest of Europe. This new movement would actually help Livonia’s conversion efforts, as several of its catholic citizens were alienated by the reformation. In addition, religious conflict and revolts would weaken Halsingland, which remained Catholic at the moment.

In 1586, Stockholm was officially made a full state of Livonia. The population was booming in the Livonian heartland as construction continued and agriculture expanded.

Beginning in the mid-1580’s, Brabant launched a series of conquests against the German state of Brunswick. By the end, they had conquered vast [albeit disconnected] territory and managed to connect their Danish possessions with the Low Countries, and cut the country of Brunswick in half. The country of Pomerania had shrunk as well due to German and Brabantian conquest.

In 1592, another invasion of Mordvinia was launched. This time, the Uyunids invaded alone, but their power was more than enough. Livonia’s alliance had already been broken, but one army was rented out to Mordvinia for a fee. It wasn’t enough to stop the Uyunids though, and after a few years they lost even more land.

By 1595, Aquitaine had shifted from overseas trade outposts to a full colonization, establishing two colonies in Brazil. The Zaya had also colonized farther south on the continent.

In a rather surprising move, the King signed a Defensive Pact with Aquitaine in 1596. Despite their religious differences and distance, both nations were powerful and wished to counter the rising Bavarian influence on Central Europe.

At the end of the century, most of Mordvinia’s lost territory had been converted to Sunni as the former citizens were converted, expelled, or killed by the Uyunids. The majority of Swedish citizens had embraced the Reformation, and a civil war broke out against the government which still resisted the changes.

Running out of room to hide, Mordvinia looked towards Finland...

A coup in Pruthenia transformed the country from a republic to a hereditary duchy which was loyal to the Livonian Crown. It seemed likely that Vingoldas had a hand in the coup; now, the new Duke began integrating Pruthenia into the country.

The King’s legitimacy and prestige were in question by 1602, given his abandonment of Mordvinia, reversal of the Scandinavian citizen policy, and subterfuge in Pruthenia. The police forces around the country were constantly on watch for rebel agitators and Uyunid spies, and the people were tense as the decades-long peace seemed to be coming to an end…

 

[Centurial]

I'll be getting back into things now; expect more updates soon.

 

[stnylan]

I can understand why he stuck out of the war, but there is no doubt this looks bad. Cowardly even.

 

[volksmarschall]

Returning for the ride, the ride never ends!

 

[Centurial]

Chapter 10: Unsatisfying Victory (1602-1620)

The peace was at its end. Vingoldas continued to surprise as he declared war not on the Uyunids, but on Halsingland. Despite the constant issues with rebellion, the King assumed his new conversions and crackdowns would be successful, so he decided to claim the valuable Swedish inland provinces for Livonia. Ideally, this land would help tip the balance of power in Livonia’s favor.

Halsingland itself had just recovered from a nasty civil war and lacked manpower reserves, but they did have a large and experienced army. In addition, they were allied to Westrogothia (of southern Scandinavia), and Brabant.

The enemy positions were already known to Livonia when war was declared, so instantly the Swedish army was defeated in battle by the larger Baltic forces that attacked from both directions, while a third army moved into Westrogothia and the last army defended the southern coast against a potential invasion from Denmark.

The Baltic Navy focused on blockading Halsingland’s capital, hoping to quickly occupy the country so the war could be concentrated to one front. Pruthenia’s smaller navy defended the Danish Strait from smaller enemy navies, although Brabant’s navy didn’t attempt to enter.

With the help of Livonia’s vassals, the entire country was occupied in just 15 months. Brabant had not risked crossing the strait, so the Baltic armies were unhindered in their advance and now looked towards Denmark.

As the Baltic Navy moved to occupy the Strait, they finally encountered Brabant’s navy. The battle that ensued resulted in the destruction of most of the enemy ships, although Livonia lost both of its capital ships in the process while Brabant held on to two of theirs.

The invasion of Denmark began immediately afterwards. The armies were able to advance all the way to Holstein, while the Navy fought another battle with Halsingland’s main fleet, which had been stationed on the Norwegian coast at the start of the war.

A large sum of the war chest was dedicated to reconstruction the navy, and 6 heavy ships were ordered. The Baltic Navy hadn’t been updated in quite some time, as Brabant’s navy was much smaller in previous wars and Halsingland was hardly a threat. Now, with more funds to spare, a more powerful force would be assembled to dominate the Baltic Sea. In the meantime, the remaining navy continued to blockade Denmark.

Brabant had been waiting for the Livonian armies when they entered Holstein. A large army caught them by surprise, and the Battle of Holstein would end poorly. Brabant’s army was the most well-disciplined and advanced in all of Europe – their tactics were more advanced, and their discipline was impressive. While the Livonians had outnumbered them 5:3, they were unable to hold out against Brabant.

While the Generals suggested that the King sue for peace, Vingoldas was fully committed to crippling Brabant. In the meantime, the Duchy of Westrogothia was completely annexed.

Brabant managed to push the Livonians off the peninsula, but they once again were weary of crossing a strait into the pikes of Livonia. Instead, they pulled back, manning the forts as they left, and moved all the way through Europe to Kuyavia.

The army began moving to retake Denmark, but it was split as several forces were transported back to Liivimaa to push back the invaders.

Despite a rapid advance early on, Brabant wasn’t able to defend against the Livonian counterattack in Kuyavia, and retreated towards Denmark once again.

During the siege of Slesvig, a rented Bavarian attempted to break the siege, but was destroyed instead. Shortly after, the entire army of Brabant marched into Denmark, which at this point outnumbered the Baltics. Not wanting to lose his entire army, Vingoldas finally decided to negotiate peace. All of the inner Swedish provinces he claimed were annexed (and Suomi land was returned), but Brabant was left alone. Despite failing to weaken their rival, Livonia’s invasion was still a success.

As the armies moved in to occupy the new lands, the navy began to reassemble as the new ships were completed. Several of the old ships were refitted with new cannons and sails as well; the Baltic Navy would not be challenged again.

Conversion of the new people began in mid-1607, a few months after the war ended. The army was still in good shape and did a good job of suppressing dissent. The tactics and technology of Brabant were studied and mimicked; the loss in Denmark wasn’t entirely in vain.

Continuing the theme of Christian expansionism, Bavaria led an invasion against the Orthodox Sicily in the following years, taking control of the northern half of the country, including Rome.

Mordvinia had conquered Sapmi at the start of the century, but now that land was all that remained of the country. The Uyunids occupied all of Russia.

The Jewish religion was being spread in Scandinavia, but eradicated in Russia. Halsingland had embraced Reformed Christianity after their earlier civil war.

In 1617, King Vingoldas died, leaving the crown to Vaisvilkas, his son who had previously been in charge of the economic reforms during his father’s reign. Vingoldas’ rule was certainly controversial, but it was hard to argue that the country hadn’t prospered under his rule.

After about 20 years of preparation, the Decree of Pruthenian Integration was issued in 1618; formally abolishing its self-rule and integrating it as a Livonian state. Income began to soar as the new, valuable lands were directly administered by the Crown. In addition, a trade agreement was signed with what was left of Pomerania.

Pruthenian culture was distinct from that of Liivimaa, but was generally compatible. Instead of trying to force them to adopt Livonian customs, it was instead decided to homogenize the former country’s counties into a single Prussian system and identity (This was primarily not the case in the westernmost provinces which had been conquered from Pomerania back in the 1450’s)

After meeting with the King of Bulgaria, an alliance was formed; the two countries were both religious outsiders who wanted to see the Uyunids crushed.

A series of new forts were funded in Kuyavia, in response to their complaints of always being invaded. In addition, several were built in Kiev to protect against the next inevitable war with the Uyunids.

 

[stnylan]

Yes. One must do something about the Uyunids. Hopefully this war will have put you in as good a position as possible for the coming clash. The future of the People of Abraham in Europe depends on it!

 

[Centurial]

Chapter 11: Containment (1620-1629)



The Uyunids were very powerful, but they had made several enemies. Livonia was their oldest rival, of course, but they were also hostile to Bulgaria. They had recently made enemies with the middle-eastern powers, and Bavaria’s military was itching to push them out of Europe (and expand their own influence in the east).

The dominos fell in 1621. Persia invaded Iraq (who was joined by Misr), and the Uyunids declared their own war shortly after to regain lost territory. Only a few months later, Bavaria invaded the Uyunids.

Vaisvilkas couldn’t ignore this opportunity, but he wasn’t going to rush into it. The army took an entire year to assemble and prepare, and in 1622 Livonia and Bulgaria declared war on the Uyunids. Bulgaria had agreed to join on the condition they gain land, which was questionable as Bavaria currently occupied their claims, but that was an issue for another day.

Persia was fully committed to its war against Iraq and Misr, so it did not join the war in Europe. Instead, they fought several battles along the border with Iraq, but no notable gains were made by either side.

The Europeans advanced rapidly. The Uyunids were all concentrated in the south against the Bavarian push, as well as Iraq, so Livonia was able to quickly invade Russia. Minor battles were fought during the next year, mainly against Karenia, but the majority of the fighting was in the Caucasus, where the armies of Bavaria, Kuyavia, and Kiev were focused.

As the Uyunids were cut off in the Caucasus, their armies were crushed by Iraq. The northern front had advanced all the way to the border of Karenia, whose armies were still in good shape. A large battle broke out on the border near Kazan, which Livonia won.

As winter came and the armies were deep in enemy territory, a huge rebel army was raised in Scandinavia, which began quickly capturing territory. For now, there was nothing the army could do.

In spring, Bavaria exited the war with territorial gains and huge war reparations from the Uyunids. Fortunately, the Uyunid land bordering the Black Sea was left alone, which could be taken by Bulgaria later.

As the Baltic forces attempted to invade Karenia, they were hampered by attrition and several large counterattacks. As the advance stalled and casualties continued, one of the Generals decided to rush straight for Karenia’s capital, hoping to knock them out of the war separately.

When the Jewish armies had marched into Russia, they were cheered on by the remaining Jewish citizens. After 4 years of Livonian control, the province of Ladoga was eager to be integrated into Livonia, despite no formal plans to expand eastwards by the King beforehand.

Several more battles were fought around Uyunid territory as the Baltic armies moved in to capture the land that had been previously occupied by Bavaria. The Scandinavian rebels had completely occupied the region and now rushed overseas to take the capital itself, hoping to force independence. Unfortunately for them, the war was winding down and two armies were marched west to deal with the rebels.

After capturing Karenia’s capital, a separate peace was signed. Finally, in August of 1627, peace was reached. Persia had lost more land to Iraq in their war, but the real blow was dealt to the Uyunids.

The promised Bulgarian territory was delivered. Kiev grabbed vast amounts of Uyunid territory, and Livonia claimed the northern Jewish territories that were eager to escape Muslim oppression.

While one idea of the peace had been to return the land to Mordvinia, this turned out to be impractical. Even at their greatest extent, Mordvinia was too weak to defend themselves, and now they were basically extinct – instead, the opportunity to integrate the Jewish lands directly into the country was more tempting, as expanding Kiev would help make the country a powerful buffer in the south against both the Uyunids and Bavaria, while reducing the administrative strain of occupation [which was already proving to be overwhelming in Scandinavia].

After the war, the exhausted Baltic Army had one final task: retake Scandinavia. The rebel armies had already been defeated, so the armies mainly had to recapture the territory and crack down on rebel leadership. The rebellion had been quite damaging, especially as Swedish nationalism was revived and strengthened, but the land was still retained by Livonia, for now.

Livonia wasn’t the only country with rebels. The Uyunids were being crushed by internal conflict, Russian separatism, and financial problems, but they managed to recover after a few years. Bulgaria wasn’t so lucky; despite gaining land in the war, they had lost the territory of Vidin to separatists. It seemed likely they would try to reinvade soon, unless Vidin formed an alliance.

The Uyunids were weakened, for now. Unfortunately, they were now only one of the three threats to Livonia, and the other two showed no sign of decline.