Weakened, but distinctly not out. Sure one must reclaim Russia for the Chosen People! 
Whilst making sure to glance over one's shoulder, of course. Only prudent.
Whilst making sure to glance over one's shoulder, of course. Only prudent.
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Chapter 12: The West (1629-1640)
While Eastern Europe erupted into war, the west prospered. The colonization of the New World was rapidly growing, especially in Aquitaine as they began importing slaves from their African territories to work in the colonies.
England’s outpost in the north had developed into several large colonies: Newfoundland was split between two islands and a large coast, and England had recently established a new colony on the more temperate southern coast.
Aquitaine had invaded the Inca, establishing a colony in Mexico, and they were now importing gold and spices from the land. They had also established a colony on the Gulf of Mexico, which was contested by Zaya (Misr occupied a small colony in the New World for 3 years before losing it to Zaya)
The islands of the Caribbean had been colonized by the Italians from Sicily and Ferrara.
Aquitaine’s original colony in Brazil was expanding quickly as well, and they also established a colony in Colombia. Zaya’s colony in Argentina was growing slowly as well.
Compared to Asia though, the European colonies were miniscule. China was still the richest country in the world, and their colonization of the west coast was extensive. They owned nearly the entire west coast of North America by 1630.
Over in Oceania, the Indian colonies had expanded greatly, but were proving very difficult to maintain. The continent of Australia had been colonized by Indians, but they were unable to maintain control, and the country declared independence. Several of the Indonesian colonies had also been captured by the locals, such as Malacca and Brunei, but many of the island colonies were still under Indian control. The very rich sultan of Oman had even colonized the area, although the land he claimed was rather poor in quality and didn’t contribute much to the country other than faraway naval bases.
While the state of Kiev did have some historical claim to the area, its land hadn’t been occupied by a single power for centuries. As all of its land was conquered from Catholic and Sunni states, so rebellion was quite common amongst the people, who doubted the legitimacy of a Kievan nation. Livonia kept an army stationed in the country to suppress the frequent rebellions, but they continued to cause issues.
After the war, the government made a strong push to improve the quality of its army – such ideas had become popular with the military after the war against Brabant, but after this war a formal plan was introduced. The first reform was a standardization of cannon ammunition, which would make production easier and increase reliability. A hierarchy of soldier-level ranks was also created, which would help both leadership and morale as the common soldier strived for the prestige and wages of the higher ranks.
Unfortunately, only a few years after the last war, Aquitaine was attacked by Bavaria, and asked Livonia to honor their defensive pact. The reserve manpower of the country was practically nonexistent, so while the king did agree to declare war, his assistance would be minor.
The Livonian armies tried to grab land in the east, which was mostly undefended, but they were pushed back by a powerful Bavarian army – after this defeat, they only defended Livonian territory, making no advances for the rest of the war.
For the next 5 years, the armies defended against probing attacks along the borders of Kiev and Kuyavia, but the war was mainly focused on the western front. In the end, Aquitaine lost, and was forced to give up several German claims.
Towards the end of the war, Vaisvilkas died, and the country was left in regency under his capable wife, Gaudimante. A minor battle was fought with a pretender to the throne, and the Kievan rebellions continued, but both were eventually extinguished.
In the meantime, the 1630s saw a great expansion of manufactories in Livonia, which proved to be very profitable as more refined goods were exported. The lands of Liivimaa possessed almost no valuable natural resources, other than those in the Swedish lands, so manufactories were an excellent way to refine its common resources into more valuable goods.
Only two years after losing their last war, Aquitaine declared an invasion of Brabant, which was being defended by Bavaria and Halsingland. The queen simply told the diplomat of Aquitaine that these wars were ridiculous and would destroy both countries, so the alliance was to be formally dissolved.
While it did save Livonia from almost-certain defeat, breaking the alliance left the country without a strong ally, which could be dangerous in the future.
While Eastern Europe erupted into war, the west prospered. The colonization of the New World was rapidly growing, especially in Aquitaine as they began importing slaves from their African territories to work in the colonies.
England’s outpost in the north had developed into several large colonies: Newfoundland was split between two islands and a large coast, and England had recently established a new colony on the more temperate southern coast.
Aquitaine had invaded the Inca, establishing a colony in Mexico, and they were now importing gold and spices from the land. They had also established a colony on the Gulf of Mexico, which was contested by Zaya (Misr occupied a small colony in the New World for 3 years before losing it to Zaya)
The islands of the Caribbean had been colonized by the Italians from Sicily and Ferrara.
Aquitaine’s original colony in Brazil was expanding quickly as well, and they also established a colony in Colombia. Zaya’s colony in Argentina was growing slowly as well.
Compared to Asia though, the European colonies were miniscule. China was still the richest country in the world, and their colonization of the west coast was extensive. They owned nearly the entire west coast of North America by 1630.
Over in Oceania, the Indian colonies had expanded greatly, but were proving very difficult to maintain. The continent of Australia had been colonized by Indians, but they were unable to maintain control, and the country declared independence. Several of the Indonesian colonies had also been captured by the locals, such as Malacca and Brunei, but many of the island colonies were still under Indian control. The very rich sultan of Oman had even colonized the area, although the land he claimed was rather poor in quality and didn’t contribute much to the country other than faraway naval bases.
While the state of Kiev did have some historical claim to the area, its land hadn’t been occupied by a single power for centuries. As all of its land was conquered from Catholic and Sunni states, so rebellion was quite common amongst the people, who doubted the legitimacy of a Kievan nation. Livonia kept an army stationed in the country to suppress the frequent rebellions, but they continued to cause issues.
After the war, the government made a strong push to improve the quality of its army – such ideas had become popular with the military after the war against Brabant, but after this war a formal plan was introduced. The first reform was a standardization of cannon ammunition, which would make production easier and increase reliability. A hierarchy of soldier-level ranks was also created, which would help both leadership and morale as the common soldier strived for the prestige and wages of the higher ranks.
Unfortunately, only a few years after the last war, Aquitaine was attacked by Bavaria, and asked Livonia to honor their defensive pact. The reserve manpower of the country was practically nonexistent, so while the king did agree to declare war, his assistance would be minor.
The Livonian armies tried to grab land in the east, which was mostly undefended, but they were pushed back by a powerful Bavarian army – after this defeat, they only defended Livonian territory, making no advances for the rest of the war.
For the next 5 years, the armies defended against probing attacks along the borders of Kiev and Kuyavia, but the war was mainly focused on the western front. In the end, Aquitaine lost, and was forced to give up several German claims.
Towards the end of the war, Vaisvilkas died, and the country was left in regency under his capable wife, Gaudimante. A minor battle was fought with a pretender to the throne, and the Kievan rebellions continued, but both were eventually extinguished.
In the meantime, the 1630s saw a great expansion of manufactories in Livonia, which proved to be very profitable as more refined goods were exported. The lands of Liivimaa possessed almost no valuable natural resources, other than those in the Swedish lands, so manufactories were an excellent way to refine its common resources into more valuable goods.
Only two years after losing their last war, Aquitaine declared an invasion of Brabant, which was being defended by Bavaria and Halsingland. The queen simply told the diplomat of Aquitaine that these wars were ridiculous and would destroy both countries, so the alliance was to be formally dissolved.
While it did save Livonia from almost-certain defeat, breaking the alliance left the country without a strong ally, which could be dangerous in the future.
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A delicate matter, the question of when to honour and break an alliance.
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Between Judaism thriving, Chinese America, Indian Australia, and mega Acquitaine, this is probably the most interesting megacampaign world in a while.
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Thanks! I put a lot of effort into cleaning things up around the time of game conversion to make sure the world wasn't a complete disaster like it usually is in CK2-EU4 games. It's turned out to be super fun and quite surprising at times.
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Chapter 13: Zero Sum (1640-1671)
As the Queen abandoned yet another alliance, the reaction both inside and out of the country was rather negative. Regardless, the Aquitaine alliance hasn’t particularly benefited Livonia for its short duration, and it certainly hadn’t helped Aquitaine.
While Livonia remained at peace, the navy was updated with more maneuverable ships, including the ships of its trade fleet.
The country of Al-Turkis was also involved in an invasion of their former overlords, which was a huge success and gave the country complete control over the Bosphorus Strait. Shortly after, Iraq and Al-Turkis went to war with the Uyunids.
North Aquitaine had been completely occupied by Brabant and Bavaria during the war, but due to some inconceivable feat of diplomacy, the country managed to end the war with a white peace.
In 1648, Halsingland launched a surprise invasion of Suomi and completely annexed the country. Despite several attempts by Livonia to keep that country alive over the centuries, it had finally disappeared for good.
Surprisingly, Aquitaine was able to invade Isbania about 5 years after their last war; the country was still doing quite well thanks to income from its colonies. Isbania was weakened after their invasion of Zaya, in which they had taken a fair amount of land in the Maghreb.
For 15 years, Livonia remained stable without warfare. Income was still rising thanks to the manufactories and trade, so more money was spent on fortifications in both Liivimaa and Kiev. Given the increasing need for manpower in these large invasions, several conscription centers and training camps were also built around the country.
In 1655, Livonia even began efforts to colonize Guyana in South America. The coffee boom and spice trade, coming primarily from Aquitaine, was proving to be very lucrative, and exports were expensive for foreigners. In addition, having an outpost in the New World would give traders and the navy a friendly port to dock in.
A year later, Livonia decided to capitalize on their advantage over the Uyunids and deny them the breathing room they desperately needed after so many defeats. The country needed to be permanently weakened so they would no longer be a constant threat to Livonia. Experienced in invading the country, Livonia was well-prepared this time and adopted a stop-and-go strategy: the armies would advance up until late autumn, and then settle down and defend the occupied territory until winter ended. The winters were brutal in the northern territories, so ideally this would prevent needless loss of life, while potentially encouraging the enemy to do so in a counterattack.
The early invasion was a huge success. In the first two years, nearly all of the Uyunids’ northern territory was captured. Most of the fighting was concentrated in the south, where Bulgaria, Kiev, and Kuyavia fought together. The advance was slow there, and both sides were about even in strength, but during the second winter, Livonia detached an army from their invasion force and defeated the Uyunids in a decisive battle.
During this war, flintlock rifles were imported and proven to be quite reliable compared to previous muskets. In addition, field cannons were developed for the battlefield, as opposed to siege warfare. They weren’t incredibly effective and friendly fire was an issue, but they did deal decent casualties before the enemy army was in range.
By the third year of the campaign, most of Uyunid territory was occupied. The armies, encouraged by their success, continued to move into Karenia.
Unlike the Uyunids, Karenia’s army was still at full strength. Over the next 2 years, the Livonians did advance, but at an excruciatingly slow pace. Several large battles took place, most of which did result in Livonian victory, but the casualties were climbing quickly while little progress was made. Karenia’s strategy of destroying their own food and water supplies as they retreated was taking a toll on the army as well, and several rebels were agitating in the occupied Uyunid territories.
Since the war had stalled and the main objective had already been achieved, a peace agreement was reached with the Uyunids. Kiev’s territory was expanded eastwards, while the remainder of the Jewish Mordvin region was annexed.
Aquitaine’s invasion of Isbania had also been a success, and they conquered a significant amount of land from their enemies. Unfortunately for them, Brabant decided to press their territorial claims that same year – it seemed Aquitaine was going to lose yet another war against its two eastern rivals.
In 1665, Vykantas Valk ascended to the throne. This new king had a unique philosophy on the countries armies should be managed, and immediately began restructuring them. Vykantas wanted to focus on helping the economy continue its rapid growth, so he proposed gutting the army in peacetime to cut costs, then hiring large amounts of mercenary infantrymen during wartime with the country’s cash reserves.
By 1666, the colony in Guyana had become stable, and began expanding to Cayenne.
Aquitaine’s most recent war against Brabant had been a disaster, and they lost valuable land.
To the delight of Vykantas, Iraq invaded the Uyunids that same year, which would distract the enemy (and ideally weaken them further). However, the expansion of Brabant was concerning, so Livonia and England joined a coalition alliance to defend against any further aggression.
The economic focus of Vykantas was working quite well, and the country experienced an economic boom as the demand for naval supplies began to rapidly increase – the increased need for boats to sail between continents [as well as navies to defend them] led to Livonia’s thickly-forested homeland becoming an excellent source of materiel. The manufactories which had already been producing naval supplies became increasingly profitable.
To make up for their losses to Aquitaine, Isbania invaded Zaya, taking over half of their homeland territory. Zaya’s colonial empire began to fracture now, as the colonies’ overlord was unable to protect them, and only seemed to drain money out of them.
The Caribbean islands were now completely occupied by Ferrara, which had conquered Cuba from Sicily thanks to Bavarian assistance. Aquitaine owned land from Colombia to southern Mexico, as well as a smaller outpost in the Gulf. Northern Mexico was in control of the Indian nation of Talakad, while Zaya’s colony Al Takama sat on the north coast.
England, isolated on their islands, focused on aggressively expanding their colonial empire, fighting both natives and weaker colonial powers like the Italians for control over North America.
The balance of power in Europe, which had remained relatively stable before, was unravelling. England and Aquitaine’s colonies were giving them an economic advantage, while Brabant and Bavaria continued to extend their boundaries. Finally, Livonia was able to focus more on the west as well, now that the east was secure.
As the Queen abandoned yet another alliance, the reaction both inside and out of the country was rather negative. Regardless, the Aquitaine alliance hasn’t particularly benefited Livonia for its short duration, and it certainly hadn’t helped Aquitaine.
While Livonia remained at peace, the navy was updated with more maneuverable ships, including the ships of its trade fleet.
The country of Al-Turkis was also involved in an invasion of their former overlords, which was a huge success and gave the country complete control over the Bosphorus Strait. Shortly after, Iraq and Al-Turkis went to war with the Uyunids.
North Aquitaine had been completely occupied by Brabant and Bavaria during the war, but due to some inconceivable feat of diplomacy, the country managed to end the war with a white peace.
In 1648, Halsingland launched a surprise invasion of Suomi and completely annexed the country. Despite several attempts by Livonia to keep that country alive over the centuries, it had finally disappeared for good.
Surprisingly, Aquitaine was able to invade Isbania about 5 years after their last war; the country was still doing quite well thanks to income from its colonies. Isbania was weakened after their invasion of Zaya, in which they had taken a fair amount of land in the Maghreb.
For 15 years, Livonia remained stable without warfare. Income was still rising thanks to the manufactories and trade, so more money was spent on fortifications in both Liivimaa and Kiev. Given the increasing need for manpower in these large invasions, several conscription centers and training camps were also built around the country.
In 1655, Livonia even began efforts to colonize Guyana in South America. The coffee boom and spice trade, coming primarily from Aquitaine, was proving to be very lucrative, and exports were expensive for foreigners. In addition, having an outpost in the New World would give traders and the navy a friendly port to dock in.
A year later, Livonia decided to capitalize on their advantage over the Uyunids and deny them the breathing room they desperately needed after so many defeats. The country needed to be permanently weakened so they would no longer be a constant threat to Livonia. Experienced in invading the country, Livonia was well-prepared this time and adopted a stop-and-go strategy: the armies would advance up until late autumn, and then settle down and defend the occupied territory until winter ended. The winters were brutal in the northern territories, so ideally this would prevent needless loss of life, while potentially encouraging the enemy to do so in a counterattack.
The early invasion was a huge success. In the first two years, nearly all of the Uyunids’ northern territory was captured. Most of the fighting was concentrated in the south, where Bulgaria, Kiev, and Kuyavia fought together. The advance was slow there, and both sides were about even in strength, but during the second winter, Livonia detached an army from their invasion force and defeated the Uyunids in a decisive battle.
During this war, flintlock rifles were imported and proven to be quite reliable compared to previous muskets. In addition, field cannons were developed for the battlefield, as opposed to siege warfare. They weren’t incredibly effective and friendly fire was an issue, but they did deal decent casualties before the enemy army was in range.
By the third year of the campaign, most of Uyunid territory was occupied. The armies, encouraged by their success, continued to move into Karenia.
Unlike the Uyunids, Karenia’s army was still at full strength. Over the next 2 years, the Livonians did advance, but at an excruciatingly slow pace. Several large battles took place, most of which did result in Livonian victory, but the casualties were climbing quickly while little progress was made. Karenia’s strategy of destroying their own food and water supplies as they retreated was taking a toll on the army as well, and several rebels were agitating in the occupied Uyunid territories.
Since the war had stalled and the main objective had already been achieved, a peace agreement was reached with the Uyunids. Kiev’s territory was expanded eastwards, while the remainder of the Jewish Mordvin region was annexed.
Aquitaine’s invasion of Isbania had also been a success, and they conquered a significant amount of land from their enemies. Unfortunately for them, Brabant decided to press their territorial claims that same year – it seemed Aquitaine was going to lose yet another war against its two eastern rivals.
In 1665, Vykantas Valk ascended to the throne. This new king had a unique philosophy on the countries armies should be managed, and immediately began restructuring them. Vykantas wanted to focus on helping the economy continue its rapid growth, so he proposed gutting the army in peacetime to cut costs, then hiring large amounts of mercenary infantrymen during wartime with the country’s cash reserves.
By 1666, the colony in Guyana had become stable, and began expanding to Cayenne.
Aquitaine’s most recent war against Brabant had been a disaster, and they lost valuable land.
To the delight of Vykantas, Iraq invaded the Uyunids that same year, which would distract the enemy (and ideally weaken them further). However, the expansion of Brabant was concerning, so Livonia and England joined a coalition alliance to defend against any further aggression.
The economic focus of Vykantas was working quite well, and the country experienced an economic boom as the demand for naval supplies began to rapidly increase – the increased need for boats to sail between continents [as well as navies to defend them] led to Livonia’s thickly-forested homeland becoming an excellent source of materiel. The manufactories which had already been producing naval supplies became increasingly profitable.
To make up for their losses to Aquitaine, Isbania invaded Zaya, taking over half of their homeland territory. Zaya’s colonial empire began to fracture now, as the colonies’ overlord was unable to protect them, and only seemed to drain money out of them.
The Caribbean islands were now completely occupied by Ferrara, which had conquered Cuba from Sicily thanks to Bavarian assistance. Aquitaine owned land from Colombia to southern Mexico, as well as a smaller outpost in the Gulf. Northern Mexico was in control of the Indian nation of Talakad, while Zaya’s colony Al Takama sat on the north coast.
England, isolated on their islands, focused on aggressively expanding their colonial empire, fighting both natives and weaker colonial powers like the Italians for control over North America.
The balance of power in Europe, which had remained relatively stable before, was unravelling. England and Aquitaine’s colonies were giving them an economic advantage, while Brabant and Bavaria continued to extend their boundaries. Finally, Livonia was able to focus more on the west as well, now that the east was secure.
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Yes, they should continue to work through the East, one reckons. Now that the Uyunids are slowly being pushed back one does not want to give them too long a chance to recover. With Brabant and Bavaria as they are one must avoid being caught in a Bavarian-Uyunid vice.
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Well, you'll see what happens; most of the initiative is currently held by the central and western europeans, as well as the Iraq alliance. Bavaria's a very Catholic state - allying with a heathen is out of the question for them.
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Chapter 14: Caught Off Guard (1671-1680)
For 12 years now after Vykantas Valk had ascended, he had avoided plunging Livonia into conflict, instead trying to strengthen it through prosperity. The country was surrounded by powerful enemies, but the military was stagnating due to the lack of funding. While the country was certainly becoming rich, the Military commanders were concerned by the lack of technological progress in a time where gunpowder warfare was rapidly advancing. On the other hand, the navy WAS well-funded and expanded by the king. Thanks to the inspiration taken from English designs, the quality of Livonia’s warships was excellent.
The colony in America was going well, but was now approaching the borders with Bresil and Ferrania (The Caribbean colony had been expanding into the region after colonizing all of their islands).
In late July of 1677, the navy was loaded up with soldiers to be sent off on a mission to conquer land from natives – at the same time, King Vykantas died, and the country was put under regency, as the heir was still a child.
As the navy sailed through Europe, Brabant launched their fleet and opened fire; likely hoping to destroy an unprepared Baltic Navy and the army onboard. The navy hadn’t been fully armed and wasn’t being supported by the trade fleet, so this was an ideal time to strike.
The war took the regency by complete surprise – Livonia was now at war with Brabant, Bavaria, and Germany, while being assisted by Bulgaria and England.
The Baltic Navy did manage to escape the ambush thanks to the maneuverability of its new ships, but 3/7 of the capital ships were destroyed covering the escape – the navy returned home and unloaded the troops, but it would need time to repair, and more heavy ships needed to be ordered.
The armies were filled with mercenary infantry, as had been the plan before Vykantas died. They were first moved south to defend the mountains of Bulgaria from invasion – this terrain would be easily defensible compared to that of Livonia, and the country’s capital was dangerously close to its borders.
The navy of Brabant blockaded the Danish Strait while Livonia’s navy was anchored, which prevented trade and supplies from leaving the Baltic Sea. This would prove to be damaging in the short-term, as Livonia’s access to the west was completely cut off on land and sea.
The first sign of trouble was at the Battle of Maros. Livonia had established a mountaintop defense, but Bavaria attacked anyways. Despite being equal in size, the battle was a disaster. Even with their significant defensive advantage, the Livonians took huge casualties. As was becoming clear, the country’s military technology was woefully outdated, and the mercenaries weren’t nearly as effective as disciplined soldiers. Certainly the greatest advantage held by Bavaria was their use of Line Infantry: wide, thin musket formations equipped with plug bayonets. Fighting against Livonia’s pike-and-shot formations, their firepower was overwhelming, and when the Livonian pikemen charged, those who survived still had to fight against a line of bayonets.
To make matters worse, as the armies retreated, another army which had come to reinforce was caught by surprise when Bavaria attacked them near the border; the entire army was either captured or killed.
While the Livonian armies were away, the nation of Germany attempted to invade the north, but the retreating forces were able to repel them – Germany’s infantry was rather outdated as well, so the superior numbers of the Livonians gave them a big advantage.
By mid-1678, the Navy had been repaired and set sail again under the excellent leadership of Admiral Virumaa. They sailed into the Danish Strait, trapping a German army in Sweden and forcing Brabant’s inferior navy to anchor themselves for the rest of the war.
At home, huge numbers of new mercenaries were hired – ideally, fighting on their own homeland with superior numbers would be enough to push back the enemy.
Shortly after, Brabant sent a very large, well-led army straight towards the Capital. The Livonians outnumbered them 8:5, but the battle was a slaughter. Brabant had the technology of Bavaria, but with better-disciplined troops and an excellent general. Livonia took nearly triple the casualties of their foe.
As the retreating armies regrouped, Brabant attacked again. This defense was set up better than the previous one, but Livonia still lost nearly half of their entire army in the battle.
As the remains of the army retreated farther, they were encircled by Brabant. Seeing no possible way to win this war, the regency voted to surrender and preserve what remained of its army. Brabant’s demands were extensive; they recaptured their Norwegian colonies, annexed a large chunk of southern Sweden, and took the island of Bornholm. Finally, Kuyavia was forced to return minor but valuable territory to Germany.
The coalition with England was disbanded, as they had basically contributed nothing to the war – they were caught up in their own conflicts over in North America during the war, and it was already ending by the time they would’ve been able to fully assist.
Hiring that many mercenaries was very expensive, and combined with the war reparations paid to Brabant, the country was caught in a large debt. Some of the newly-bolstered navy was even forced to disband, in order to cut costs.
The Navy was still in excellent shape though, so it was decided that the planned invasion attempted before the war would continue; the navy was loaded with Livonian soldiers and send to the coast of West Africa, where the invasion of Kaabu began.
The inferior technology of the military mattered little here. The country was quickly overwhelmed and large amounts of valuables were plundered – in addition, a trade post was ceded to Livonia. The money gained from this invasion did help to repay the debts, but one of the armies would be forced to remain in the captured land.
The invasion did help, but the situation at home was rapidly deteriorating.
For 12 years now after Vykantas Valk had ascended, he had avoided plunging Livonia into conflict, instead trying to strengthen it through prosperity. The country was surrounded by powerful enemies, but the military was stagnating due to the lack of funding. While the country was certainly becoming rich, the Military commanders were concerned by the lack of technological progress in a time where gunpowder warfare was rapidly advancing. On the other hand, the navy WAS well-funded and expanded by the king. Thanks to the inspiration taken from English designs, the quality of Livonia’s warships was excellent.
The colony in America was going well, but was now approaching the borders with Bresil and Ferrania (The Caribbean colony had been expanding into the region after colonizing all of their islands).
In late July of 1677, the navy was loaded up with soldiers to be sent off on a mission to conquer land from natives – at the same time, King Vykantas died, and the country was put under regency, as the heir was still a child.
As the navy sailed through Europe, Brabant launched their fleet and opened fire; likely hoping to destroy an unprepared Baltic Navy and the army onboard. The navy hadn’t been fully armed and wasn’t being supported by the trade fleet, so this was an ideal time to strike.
The war took the regency by complete surprise – Livonia was now at war with Brabant, Bavaria, and Germany, while being assisted by Bulgaria and England.
The Baltic Navy did manage to escape the ambush thanks to the maneuverability of its new ships, but 3/7 of the capital ships were destroyed covering the escape – the navy returned home and unloaded the troops, but it would need time to repair, and more heavy ships needed to be ordered.
The armies were filled with mercenary infantry, as had been the plan before Vykantas died. They were first moved south to defend the mountains of Bulgaria from invasion – this terrain would be easily defensible compared to that of Livonia, and the country’s capital was dangerously close to its borders.
The navy of Brabant blockaded the Danish Strait while Livonia’s navy was anchored, which prevented trade and supplies from leaving the Baltic Sea. This would prove to be damaging in the short-term, as Livonia’s access to the west was completely cut off on land and sea.
The first sign of trouble was at the Battle of Maros. Livonia had established a mountaintop defense, but Bavaria attacked anyways. Despite being equal in size, the battle was a disaster. Even with their significant defensive advantage, the Livonians took huge casualties. As was becoming clear, the country’s military technology was woefully outdated, and the mercenaries weren’t nearly as effective as disciplined soldiers. Certainly the greatest advantage held by Bavaria was their use of Line Infantry: wide, thin musket formations equipped with plug bayonets. Fighting against Livonia’s pike-and-shot formations, their firepower was overwhelming, and when the Livonian pikemen charged, those who survived still had to fight against a line of bayonets.
To make matters worse, as the armies retreated, another army which had come to reinforce was caught by surprise when Bavaria attacked them near the border; the entire army was either captured or killed.
While the Livonian armies were away, the nation of Germany attempted to invade the north, but the retreating forces were able to repel them – Germany’s infantry was rather outdated as well, so the superior numbers of the Livonians gave them a big advantage.
By mid-1678, the Navy had been repaired and set sail again under the excellent leadership of Admiral Virumaa. They sailed into the Danish Strait, trapping a German army in Sweden and forcing Brabant’s inferior navy to anchor themselves for the rest of the war.
At home, huge numbers of new mercenaries were hired – ideally, fighting on their own homeland with superior numbers would be enough to push back the enemy.
Shortly after, Brabant sent a very large, well-led army straight towards the Capital. The Livonians outnumbered them 8:5, but the battle was a slaughter. Brabant had the technology of Bavaria, but with better-disciplined troops and an excellent general. Livonia took nearly triple the casualties of their foe.
As the retreating armies regrouped, Brabant attacked again. This defense was set up better than the previous one, but Livonia still lost nearly half of their entire army in the battle.
As the remains of the army retreated farther, they were encircled by Brabant. Seeing no possible way to win this war, the regency voted to surrender and preserve what remained of its army. Brabant’s demands were extensive; they recaptured their Norwegian colonies, annexed a large chunk of southern Sweden, and took the island of Bornholm. Finally, Kuyavia was forced to return minor but valuable territory to Germany.
The coalition with England was disbanded, as they had basically contributed nothing to the war – they were caught up in their own conflicts over in North America during the war, and it was already ending by the time they would’ve been able to fully assist.
Hiring that many mercenaries was very expensive, and combined with the war reparations paid to Brabant, the country was caught in a large debt. Some of the newly-bolstered navy was even forced to disband, in order to cut costs.
The Navy was still in excellent shape though, so it was decided that the planned invasion attempted before the war would continue; the navy was loaded with Livonian soldiers and send to the coast of West Africa, where the invasion of Kaabu began.
The inferior technology of the military mattered little here. The country was quickly overwhelmed and large amounts of valuables were plundered – in addition, a trade post was ceded to Livonia. The money gained from this invasion did help to repay the debts, but one of the armies would be forced to remain in the captured land.
The invasion did help, but the situation at home was rapidly deteriorating.
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Chapter 15: Crackdown and Infighting (1680-1695)
The ending of that disastrous war marked the beginning of the 1680’s, during which Livonia would suffer debt, discontent, and rebellion. The new king Jaunutis began leading in 1681, during a merchant rebellion. The merchants were also going bankrupt, due to the lack of trade during the war, the seizure of assets in the land Brabant had conquered, and the decreased value of Livonian currency from the debt. The merchants blamed the state’s control over trade practices for making matters even worse, but after attempting to seize the trading ports, the rebels were subdued by the military.
The government was also losing influence over the estates. The landowners and merchants both held leverage against the government, given its financial position, and the government’s response outraged them. The country plunged further into debt trying to prevent bankruptcy of its manufactories.
Even 5 years after the war ended, the country was still repaying loans. Several members of the merchant class began to revolt and refuse paying taxes, so Jaunutis responded by completely seizing several major trade hubs and evicting the merchants. The army continued to battle against armed revolts, but as they lost land the merchants also lost influence. Trade income plummeted, and the country’s overall income was cut nearly in half.
Kiev was also in debt, following their investment in fortifications and the continuing separatist rebellions, so the King spent money paying of their debts before his own; the collapse of Kiev would be disastrous, and could even lead to potential revolt, argued Jaunutis.
The peace treaties with the west still stood, but there was fear that the Uyunids might take advantage of the debt and manpower deficit to recapture territory. The country of Iraq was still fierce rivals with both the Uyunids and Persia, so in a surprising move, they agreed to an alliance with Livonia. At this time, Iraq was perhaps one of the most powerful countries in the world [especially considering their long-standing alliance with Misr], so this alliance could very well save Livonia.
After threats of a huge peasant revolt, the government finally agreed to lower their taxes, which further decreased income.
After only 7 years King Jaunutis died suddenly, placing the country once again in regency, this time under his wife. His short rule consisted of crackdowns and debt, while doing little to solve the country’s problems.
In 1690, the merchant lands were returned; and income in the country began rising once again as discontent settled and the debts were finally repaid. The country also had room to breathe in regards to the Uyunid threat, as Al-Turkis expanded to the south and another Iraq-Uyunid war broke out (with no requests for Livonian assistance)
The new King Kurlemuse III, named after the King who had reunified Livonia and Lithuania, took the throne in 1692. Immediately, he went to work on an ambitious plan to completely reequip the military and undo the mistakes that had caused it to fall so far behind that of the western armies.
Huge investments were made in the military with the country’s revived economy – new technologies were developed and equipment was imported, including mortar-style artillery and cartridge rounds. Focus on academia was also encouraged, as new universities were constructed in the capital, Stockholm, and Warsaw.
Both of Livonia’s major rivals were embroiled in war, which gave the military time to retrain and reequip soldiers without having to worry about being disorganized in the event of an invasion. The Uyunids were still fighting Iraq, while Brabant and Bavaria were fighting in yet another war against Aquitaine.
Brabant’s constant warfare was taking a toll on its manpower and finances though; only a year after their invasion of Livonia ended, they conquered several territories from Brunswick as well. Between fighting separatist rebels in their new territory, Jewish rebels from the southern Swedish territories, and Aquitaine’s large, if inferior, armies, their army was stretched thin.
In 1694, the eastern wars ended with Al-Turkis making large gains and Iraq conquering the entire southern half of the Caucasus – in addition, several Russian rebels had captured Uyunid provinces during the war. Of course, these provinces had no chance of survival, but it did hamper the economy and distract the Uyunid armies.
Several new fortifications were built along Livonia’s western border, while several on the Uyunid border were deconstructed – while the 1600’s had been characterized by war in the east, it was clear the 1700’s would consist of conflict against the west.
Kiev and Kuyavia saw significant investment by The Crown during this time – the two countries weren’t as well-developed as their overlord and their armies were still rather small.
Aquitaine lost against their neighbors once again, this time ceding several Bavarian claims.
New military advisors from the west were hired to retrain the armies for modern tactics, and by 1695 the line infantry tactics of the west were well-established in the New Baltic Army. In addition, the artillery divisions were now split between siege cannons and close mortars – artillery was proving to be an effective weapon on the battlefield, and mortars would be able to fire over the line infantry during ranged combat.
Huge amounts of money had been spent on the modernization and training of the military in general - the previous policy hadn't worked in the long-term, since defeat in the war plunged Livonia into an economic slump anyways - the best way to retain prosperity wwas to ensure the country couldn't be taken by surprise again.
Perhaps Brabant and Bavaria had been surprised by how easily their victory came, but they made the mistake of leaving Livonia alone during its internal turmoil. Now, it had been given enough time to adapt, and the desire for revenge was strong.
The ending of that disastrous war marked the beginning of the 1680’s, during which Livonia would suffer debt, discontent, and rebellion. The new king Jaunutis began leading in 1681, during a merchant rebellion. The merchants were also going bankrupt, due to the lack of trade during the war, the seizure of assets in the land Brabant had conquered, and the decreased value of Livonian currency from the debt. The merchants blamed the state’s control over trade practices for making matters even worse, but after attempting to seize the trading ports, the rebels were subdued by the military.
The government was also losing influence over the estates. The landowners and merchants both held leverage against the government, given its financial position, and the government’s response outraged them. The country plunged further into debt trying to prevent bankruptcy of its manufactories.
Even 5 years after the war ended, the country was still repaying loans. Several members of the merchant class began to revolt and refuse paying taxes, so Jaunutis responded by completely seizing several major trade hubs and evicting the merchants. The army continued to battle against armed revolts, but as they lost land the merchants also lost influence. Trade income plummeted, and the country’s overall income was cut nearly in half.
Kiev was also in debt, following their investment in fortifications and the continuing separatist rebellions, so the King spent money paying of their debts before his own; the collapse of Kiev would be disastrous, and could even lead to potential revolt, argued Jaunutis.
The peace treaties with the west still stood, but there was fear that the Uyunids might take advantage of the debt and manpower deficit to recapture territory. The country of Iraq was still fierce rivals with both the Uyunids and Persia, so in a surprising move, they agreed to an alliance with Livonia. At this time, Iraq was perhaps one of the most powerful countries in the world [especially considering their long-standing alliance with Misr], so this alliance could very well save Livonia.
After threats of a huge peasant revolt, the government finally agreed to lower their taxes, which further decreased income.
After only 7 years King Jaunutis died suddenly, placing the country once again in regency, this time under his wife. His short rule consisted of crackdowns and debt, while doing little to solve the country’s problems.
In 1690, the merchant lands were returned; and income in the country began rising once again as discontent settled and the debts were finally repaid. The country also had room to breathe in regards to the Uyunid threat, as Al-Turkis expanded to the south and another Iraq-Uyunid war broke out (with no requests for Livonian assistance)
The new King Kurlemuse III, named after the King who had reunified Livonia and Lithuania, took the throne in 1692. Immediately, he went to work on an ambitious plan to completely reequip the military and undo the mistakes that had caused it to fall so far behind that of the western armies.
Huge investments were made in the military with the country’s revived economy – new technologies were developed and equipment was imported, including mortar-style artillery and cartridge rounds. Focus on academia was also encouraged, as new universities were constructed in the capital, Stockholm, and Warsaw.
Both of Livonia’s major rivals were embroiled in war, which gave the military time to retrain and reequip soldiers without having to worry about being disorganized in the event of an invasion. The Uyunids were still fighting Iraq, while Brabant and Bavaria were fighting in yet another war against Aquitaine.
Brabant’s constant warfare was taking a toll on its manpower and finances though; only a year after their invasion of Livonia ended, they conquered several territories from Brunswick as well. Between fighting separatist rebels in their new territory, Jewish rebels from the southern Swedish territories, and Aquitaine’s large, if inferior, armies, their army was stretched thin.
In 1694, the eastern wars ended with Al-Turkis making large gains and Iraq conquering the entire southern half of the Caucasus – in addition, several Russian rebels had captured Uyunid provinces during the war. Of course, these provinces had no chance of survival, but it did hamper the economy and distract the Uyunid armies.
Several new fortifications were built along Livonia’s western border, while several on the Uyunid border were deconstructed – while the 1600’s had been characterized by war in the east, it was clear the 1700’s would consist of conflict against the west.
Kiev and Kuyavia saw significant investment by The Crown during this time – the two countries weren’t as well-developed as their overlord and their armies were still rather small.
Aquitaine lost against their neighbors once again, this time ceding several Bavarian claims.
New military advisors from the west were hired to retrain the armies for modern tactics, and by 1695 the line infantry tactics of the west were well-established in the New Baltic Army. In addition, the artillery divisions were now split between siege cannons and close mortars – artillery was proving to be an effective weapon on the battlefield, and mortars would be able to fire over the line infantry during ranged combat.
Huge amounts of money had been spent on the modernization and training of the military in general - the previous policy hadn't worked in the long-term, since defeat in the war plunged Livonia into an economic slump anyways - the best way to retain prosperity wwas to ensure the country couldn't be taken by surprise again.
Perhaps Brabant and Bavaria had been surprised by how easily their victory came, but they made the mistake of leaving Livonia alone during its internal turmoil. Now, it had been given enough time to adapt, and the desire for revenge was strong.
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Thanks a lot! I've definitely gotten better at writing these since the CK2 chapters
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By the way, shoutout to Al-Turkis for consistently having beautiful borders.
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Chapter 16: Livonian Pushback (1695-1701)
Almost 20 years after its defeat, Livonia was prepared for revenge against Brabant. The country’s army was much smaller than normal, due to their lack of manpower and equipment reserves, so this was the best chance Livonia would get. War was declared on Halsingland, Brabant’s ally, in order to drag Brabant into war (and even if they had refused to join, this simply would have resulted in territorial gains for Livonia).
The Swedish Army was isolated from the rest of Europe, and hadn’t seen fighting in decades. Their last war had been against the barely-standing Suomi, almost 50 years ago. Their army was certainly large, but they made the mistake of stationing right on the border with Livonia, so when the invasion began, the enemy positions were already known.
In first attack, led by a hired foreign general, three combined armies encircled Halsingland’s forces – after a one-sided battle, the entire army was forced to surrender to Livonia. Only 1 week into the war, Halsingland’s entire army was gone.
Their fleet had tried to blockade the capital, but was trapped and destroyed.
Livonia’s army had always been a large one, and after the Swedish defeat Brabant had only a fraction of the soldiers to oppose it.
Most of Halsingland was quickly captured by the Livonian armies before the country had time to hire or recruit any more soldiers – meanwhile, Brabant decided to send an army to invade Liivimaa from the south. When they arrived, they found a series of new fortifications, delaying any meaningful invasion.
The Brabantian land which had been stolen two decades ago was invaded next, which was defended by the forts Livonia itself had constructed.
15 months after the war began, the entirety of Scandinavia was occupied. Brabant’s army spent nearly that entire time capturing forts in southern Liivimaa, and was now in the middle of the siege on Kuyavia’s capital.
The country of Germany had fought against Livonia during the last war, but since then they had fallen out of favor with their former allies. Immediately after that last war, Bavaria had invaded them and Brabant refused to assist; now, Brabant claimed several German territories. As a result, the Germans agreed to secretly allow Livonia military access. The Baltic armies were transported from Scandinavia to the mainland, while one was left to defend the coast. The armies stationed themselves around Kuyavia, and attacked from three different directions.
As it turned out, Kurlemuse’s army reforms had transformed Livonia’s army into a competitive force. Brabant was defeated in the battle - although their troops were still better disciplined and more experienced, they were only a fraction of the size. By the end, both sides had taken almost equal casualties, but Brabant was the one that retreated, and they didn’t have the reserves to replenish their army.
The Baltic armies continued moving through Germany into southern Denmark, where Lauenburg was besieged, while the remaining armies stationed nearby to defend.
The extensive set of forts in Denmark delayed any quick advance, but the blockade of the Danish Strait and the coastal defenses would ensure Brabant couldn’t launch any sort of counterinvasion.
The siege had already lasted 8 months, during which Brabant attempted to break it twice – the First and Second Battle of Luneburg both resulted in retreat and casualties for Brabant.
In February of the year 1700, the balance was shifted when Bavaria declared war on Bulgaria, with Brabant pledging assistance. This was clearly meant to take advantage of Livonia’s distraction, but Kurlemuse wasn’t going to allow another invasion of his ally – which now meant war with Bavaria.
In a last-ditch effort, Brabant attacked Lauenburg once again at the end of the year, but the defenses dug by Livonia proved very effective, and Brabant lost 2/3 of their infantrymen.
As the slow invasion of Denmark reached its third year, Bavaria attempted a surprise attack on the outer defense with a large army - the Livonians were quick to reinforce though, forcing a retreat.
Meanwhile, Bavaria sent another giant army to Kuyavia, while the retreating forces moved towards Bulgaria. A rather massive merchant revolt was taking place in Prussia as well, but this conveniently deterred the Bavarians from invading.
By mid-1701, all of the forts in Southern Denmark were occupied, although continuing the advance would be very difficult while Bavaria was a factor. Instead, peace was signed with Brabant, forcing them to return all of their stolen land (with the exception of Bornholm). In addition, some valuable land was conquered from Halsingland, including Falun, home of a massive and valuable copper mine.
There were already celebrations at home after the humbling of Brabant, especially given how badly Livonia was defeated only 20 years earlier. Still, the war against Bavaria continued, and defending against their huge forces in Bulgaria wouldn’t be easy.
Almost 20 years after its defeat, Livonia was prepared for revenge against Brabant. The country’s army was much smaller than normal, due to their lack of manpower and equipment reserves, so this was the best chance Livonia would get. War was declared on Halsingland, Brabant’s ally, in order to drag Brabant into war (and even if they had refused to join, this simply would have resulted in territorial gains for Livonia).
The Swedish Army was isolated from the rest of Europe, and hadn’t seen fighting in decades. Their last war had been against the barely-standing Suomi, almost 50 years ago. Their army was certainly large, but they made the mistake of stationing right on the border with Livonia, so when the invasion began, the enemy positions were already known.
In first attack, led by a hired foreign general, three combined armies encircled Halsingland’s forces – after a one-sided battle, the entire army was forced to surrender to Livonia. Only 1 week into the war, Halsingland’s entire army was gone.
Their fleet had tried to blockade the capital, but was trapped and destroyed.
Livonia’s army had always been a large one, and after the Swedish defeat Brabant had only a fraction of the soldiers to oppose it.
Most of Halsingland was quickly captured by the Livonian armies before the country had time to hire or recruit any more soldiers – meanwhile, Brabant decided to send an army to invade Liivimaa from the south. When they arrived, they found a series of new fortifications, delaying any meaningful invasion.
The Brabantian land which had been stolen two decades ago was invaded next, which was defended by the forts Livonia itself had constructed.
15 months after the war began, the entirety of Scandinavia was occupied. Brabant’s army spent nearly that entire time capturing forts in southern Liivimaa, and was now in the middle of the siege on Kuyavia’s capital.
The country of Germany had fought against Livonia during the last war, but since then they had fallen out of favor with their former allies. Immediately after that last war, Bavaria had invaded them and Brabant refused to assist; now, Brabant claimed several German territories. As a result, the Germans agreed to secretly allow Livonia military access. The Baltic armies were transported from Scandinavia to the mainland, while one was left to defend the coast. The armies stationed themselves around Kuyavia, and attacked from three different directions.
As it turned out, Kurlemuse’s army reforms had transformed Livonia’s army into a competitive force. Brabant was defeated in the battle - although their troops were still better disciplined and more experienced, they were only a fraction of the size. By the end, both sides had taken almost equal casualties, but Brabant was the one that retreated, and they didn’t have the reserves to replenish their army.
The Baltic armies continued moving through Germany into southern Denmark, where Lauenburg was besieged, while the remaining armies stationed nearby to defend.
The extensive set of forts in Denmark delayed any quick advance, but the blockade of the Danish Strait and the coastal defenses would ensure Brabant couldn’t launch any sort of counterinvasion.
The siege had already lasted 8 months, during which Brabant attempted to break it twice – the First and Second Battle of Luneburg both resulted in retreat and casualties for Brabant.
In February of the year 1700, the balance was shifted when Bavaria declared war on Bulgaria, with Brabant pledging assistance. This was clearly meant to take advantage of Livonia’s distraction, but Kurlemuse wasn’t going to allow another invasion of his ally – which now meant war with Bavaria.
In a last-ditch effort, Brabant attacked Lauenburg once again at the end of the year, but the defenses dug by Livonia proved very effective, and Brabant lost 2/3 of their infantrymen.
As the slow invasion of Denmark reached its third year, Bavaria attempted a surprise attack on the outer defense with a large army - the Livonians were quick to reinforce though, forcing a retreat.
Meanwhile, Bavaria sent another giant army to Kuyavia, while the retreating forces moved towards Bulgaria. A rather massive merchant revolt was taking place in Prussia as well, but this conveniently deterred the Bavarians from invading.
By mid-1701, all of the forts in Southern Denmark were occupied, although continuing the advance would be very difficult while Bavaria was a factor. Instead, peace was signed with Brabant, forcing them to return all of their stolen land (with the exception of Bornholm). In addition, some valuable land was conquered from Halsingland, including Falun, home of a massive and valuable copper mine.
There were already celebrations at home after the humbling of Brabant, especially given how badly Livonia was defeated only 20 years earlier. Still, the war against Bavaria continued, and defending against their huge forces in Bulgaria wouldn’t be easy.
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The Livonian time is now.
A most excellent turning of the tables against Brabant, though one will have to be wary of their efforts to return the favour.
Bohemia ... well Bohemia will be tough.
A most excellent turning of the tables against Brabant, though one will have to be wary of their efforts to return the favour.
Bohemia ... well Bohemia will be tough.
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