I hesitated putting this up, seeing as Sidney is also trying to expand the Hohenzollern realm but mine seems sufficiently different so I'll give it a try. Difficulty is Normal/Normal, Ver 1.08. A few notes - I refer to default leaders as Generals, I just don't like the term Colonel. A historical General I'll refer to as Marshal or Field Marshall (or Feldmarschall if the German urge strikes me) Also I give ducats in thousands - these are kingdoms, after all. 
Brandenburg II AAR - The War of Bohemian Succession 1492-1496
January, 1492. I am Lord Vader (pronounced Vah-der, not to be confused with a certain black-clad gentleman ) and I am the Lord Counselor to His Royal Majesty King Johan Cicero, ruler of Brandenburg. His Majesty has commanded me to formulate a long-term strategy through which he may unite the quarreling German states and eventually transform them into a Great Power, with Berlin as the capital, of course.
Poring over the maps of Central Europe in my study for the inital phases of the grand plan it is quite clear that the sooner we strike militarily, the better. We are by no means prepared for a protracted war, but our enemies to the south, especially Bohemia, are as equally unprepared.
With the blessings of His Majesty, I embark on a whirlwind diplomatic tour. By the end of 1492 I am able to secure pledges of alliance from the rulers of Thuringen, Hessen, and the Hanseatic League. His Majesty suggested sending out feelers to Cologne and the Palatinat, but I had no intention of dealing with Feldmarschall von Sickingen of Pfalz at the peace table, and without the Palatinates in the alliance Cologne would be extraneous. My strategy was vindicated when a herald announced that Spain and her allies Naples and Milan declared war on Cologne based on fabricated territorial claims. Cologne would fall to the Spaniards in July, 1494.
After much discussion, the decision is made to declare war on Bohemia during the Spring of 1494. Our intelligence tells us that the Bohemian army numbers only 9000 men. Between ourselves and our allies, victory should be assured, but peace treaties are unpredictable. His majesty is uncomfortable with simply declaring war without reason, fearful of a loss of status on the international stage. To placate his majesty, towards the end of 1493 I dispatch a long memorandum to the Bohemian crown, outlining our concerns towards the legitimacy of King Vladyslav’s reign. Couched in flowery diplomatic language, the memorandum nonetheless is clear that we have reservations as to Vladyslav’s heritage and that unless proper documentations are produced, we will have no choice but to claim the throne of Bohemia and grant it to Joachim Nestor, the son of His Majesty and cousin of Vladyslav. The claim was sheer nonsense but it had the desired effect of angering the Bohemian court greatly. We had a slim hope that perhaps the Bohemians would declare war pre-emptively but no such luck. Meanwhile preparations continued apace for the invasion of Bohemia.
Troops were raised in Brandenburg and by early 1494 we had a fair sized army, though we had not the reserves I would have liked. Our forces were split into two army groups. General Halle would command a force of 12,000 troops, (2,000/10,000/0) and proceed southeast into Silesia, where to our knowledge the only active Bohemian force was garrisoned. General Stuttgart would command a force of 10,000 troops (8,000, 2000,10) and drive south into the mountains of Erz. A small force of 5000 infantry would be our only reserves. Our objective was to take both provinces and demand Silesia for peace. We gave the Bohemian crown until April 1, 1494 to respond to our memorandum concerning the Bohemian royal lineage. When that day arrived and no Bohemian herald had come, we declared war. Hessen, Thuringen and Hansa followed suit. Repercussions were almost instantaneous, as many of our nobles and merchants were taken by surprise with the war, given our flimsy excuse and the speed with which we have acted. Our good relations with the Church should help to keep any revolts from occurring, however.
The first battle of the War of Bohemian Succession occurred on April 24, 1494. General Halle’s force engaged the entire Bohemian army, a force of 9000 under General Plzen on the windswept plains outside of Breslau. Halle had a huge advantage in horse but not enough infantry, for the Bohemian footmen attacked stronger than he had anticipated, and our footmen broke. Taking heavy losses Halle swung the cavalry around and risked everything for an all-out charge. The Bohemians were routed and their army dissolved, but at the cost of all 2000 of Halle’s infantrymen and 150 horsemen. Still, Breslau was besieged. To the west Stuttgart drove into Erz unopposed and laid siege. Meanwhile a force of 10,000 Thuringian troops under Halberstadt besieged Pilsen in Sudeten.
The Bohemian crown must have been in chaos, for no troop movements were detected for several months. Finally in August a force in Moravia had been raised, but held its ground. A 34,000 strong Hessian force under Weimar drove across northern Bohemia and joined Halle’s siege of Breslau, along with another 10,000 from Hansa. To Halle’s dismay none of them thought to bring any cannon. Supplies were low and valuable horse and men were dying, but Halle had no alternative but to stay. Inexplicably a message from Bohemia offered peace for the sum of 13,000 ducats. or the exact number in our treasury. Seeing as we had three Bohemian provinces under siege, we refused.
Our “sitzkrieg” continued until Erz surrendered to Stuttgart on Dec 8, 1494. Achieving his objective, Stuttgart had given the order to withdraw back to Brandenburg when the Bohemian army in Moravia was spotted advancing toward Erz. Stuttgart wheeled around and dug in for the battle. I considered dispatching our reserves to Erz, but felt that Stuttgart should be able to handle the defense in the mountainous terrain. On Jan. 6, 1495 9000 Bohemian infantry under General Zatec engaged Stuttgart’s 12000 troops. The tenacity of the Bohemian troops was incredible. Skilled at mountain fighting, the Bohemians harassed Stuttgart at every turn. Stuttgart’s 2000 cavalrymen were useless in the harsh terrain and the Bohemian footmen were proving superior. In order to preserve his force Stuttgart withdrew his army back across the border to Brandenburg, losing 4000 infantry and all his remaining cannon, and Zatec began a siege at Erz. Just after Stuttgart’s return to Berlin on Feb. 16, we learn that Silesia has fallen. Overjoyed at the news, we hastily send a herald to request peace in exchange for Silesia. The Bohemians reject our proposal, and the war continues.
The remnants of Halle’s force at Silesia are quickly retrieved, while the combined Hansan/Hessian army advances south to Moravia. With fresh reserves and Halle’s remnants Stuttgart now has an army of 16,000 troops, 10,000 infantry. Scraping the bottom of the barrel of the treasury (His majesty refuses to take out a bank loan), we raise another 4000 infantry reserves while Stuttgart drives south to engage Zatec a second time. On July 16, 1495 Stuttgart and Zatec meet again, with even worse results. Zatec’s ferocious counterattacks drive Stuttgart back to Berlin like a badly beaten Dalmatian. Despite the defeat, Stuttgart has done his job, as Zatec’s force no longer is large enough to continue the siege. Undaunted, Zatec drives his force west to the Sudeten, and mauls Halberstadt’s 8,000 troops at Pilsen, breaking the siege. Zatec now holds Sudeten with barely 2000 men.
Returning again to Berlin, Stuttgart is given new orders. He is to advance directly to Prague and end the war. It is now October, 1495 and with the last of our reserves and the stern warning that there will be no more, Stuttgart sets off for Prague with 13,000 infantry, 5000 cavalry. Shockingly, the Bohemians offer no resistance. Left to hang in Sudeten, General Zatec’s force is annihilated by Halberstadt, who returns with a force of 24,000. Zatec is taken into custody, but in a chivalrous display by Halberstadt is permitted to keep his sword for gallantry in battle.
April 1496, Moravia falls to Hessen, and Bohemia cedes Moravia to the Hessians along with 250,000 ducats in reparations.
Sept 3, 1496 Prague surrenders to Stuttgart, and Halberstadt retakes Sudeten a week later. There is discussion of complete annexation of Bohemia but His Majesty is adamant, there will be no annexation. We are all too aware of Poland-Lithuania’s displeasure at the turn of events, and an annexation might be enough to propel us into another war. The Treaty of Prague is signed on Sept. 23, 1496. Bohemia cedes Sudeten to Thuringen, Erz and Silesia to Brandenburg, and pays us a measly 49,000 ducats in reparations. A very successful beginning indeed. Still His Majesty is not totally happy with my work thus far. He shows me to the royal vaults, where there is a distressingly large amount of empty space. It seems my next task is clear. To be continued...
Brandenburg II AAR - The War of Bohemian Succession 1492-1496
January, 1492. I am Lord Vader (pronounced Vah-der, not to be confused with a certain black-clad gentleman
) and I am the Lord Counselor to His Royal Majesty King Johan Cicero, ruler of Brandenburg. His Majesty has commanded me to formulate a long-term strategy through which he may unite the quarreling German states and eventually transform them into a Great Power, with Berlin as the capital, of course.Poring over the maps of Central Europe in my study for the inital phases of the grand plan it is quite clear that the sooner we strike militarily, the better. We are by no means prepared for a protracted war, but our enemies to the south, especially Bohemia, are as equally unprepared.
With the blessings of His Majesty, I embark on a whirlwind diplomatic tour. By the end of 1492 I am able to secure pledges of alliance from the rulers of Thuringen, Hessen, and the Hanseatic League. His Majesty suggested sending out feelers to Cologne and the Palatinat, but I had no intention of dealing with Feldmarschall von Sickingen of Pfalz at the peace table, and without the Palatinates in the alliance Cologne would be extraneous. My strategy was vindicated when a herald announced that Spain and her allies Naples and Milan declared war on Cologne based on fabricated territorial claims. Cologne would fall to the Spaniards in July, 1494.
After much discussion, the decision is made to declare war on Bohemia during the Spring of 1494. Our intelligence tells us that the Bohemian army numbers only 9000 men. Between ourselves and our allies, victory should be assured, but peace treaties are unpredictable. His majesty is uncomfortable with simply declaring war without reason, fearful of a loss of status on the international stage. To placate his majesty, towards the end of 1493 I dispatch a long memorandum to the Bohemian crown, outlining our concerns towards the legitimacy of King Vladyslav’s reign. Couched in flowery diplomatic language, the memorandum nonetheless is clear that we have reservations as to Vladyslav’s heritage and that unless proper documentations are produced, we will have no choice but to claim the throne of Bohemia and grant it to Joachim Nestor, the son of His Majesty and cousin of Vladyslav. The claim was sheer nonsense but it had the desired effect of angering the Bohemian court greatly. We had a slim hope that perhaps the Bohemians would declare war pre-emptively but no such luck. Meanwhile preparations continued apace for the invasion of Bohemia.
Troops were raised in Brandenburg and by early 1494 we had a fair sized army, though we had not the reserves I would have liked. Our forces were split into two army groups. General Halle would command a force of 12,000 troops, (2,000/10,000/0) and proceed southeast into Silesia, where to our knowledge the only active Bohemian force was garrisoned. General Stuttgart would command a force of 10,000 troops (8,000, 2000,10) and drive south into the mountains of Erz. A small force of 5000 infantry would be our only reserves. Our objective was to take both provinces and demand Silesia for peace. We gave the Bohemian crown until April 1, 1494 to respond to our memorandum concerning the Bohemian royal lineage. When that day arrived and no Bohemian herald had come, we declared war. Hessen, Thuringen and Hansa followed suit. Repercussions were almost instantaneous, as many of our nobles and merchants were taken by surprise with the war, given our flimsy excuse and the speed with which we have acted. Our good relations with the Church should help to keep any revolts from occurring, however.
The first battle of the War of Bohemian Succession occurred on April 24, 1494. General Halle’s force engaged the entire Bohemian army, a force of 9000 under General Plzen on the windswept plains outside of Breslau. Halle had a huge advantage in horse but not enough infantry, for the Bohemian footmen attacked stronger than he had anticipated, and our footmen broke. Taking heavy losses Halle swung the cavalry around and risked everything for an all-out charge. The Bohemians were routed and their army dissolved, but at the cost of all 2000 of Halle’s infantrymen and 150 horsemen. Still, Breslau was besieged. To the west Stuttgart drove into Erz unopposed and laid siege. Meanwhile a force of 10,000 Thuringian troops under Halberstadt besieged Pilsen in Sudeten.
The Bohemian crown must have been in chaos, for no troop movements were detected for several months. Finally in August a force in Moravia had been raised, but held its ground. A 34,000 strong Hessian force under Weimar drove across northern Bohemia and joined Halle’s siege of Breslau, along with another 10,000 from Hansa. To Halle’s dismay none of them thought to bring any cannon. Supplies were low and valuable horse and men were dying, but Halle had no alternative but to stay. Inexplicably a message from Bohemia offered peace for the sum of 13,000 ducats. or the exact number in our treasury. Seeing as we had three Bohemian provinces under siege, we refused.
Our “sitzkrieg” continued until Erz surrendered to Stuttgart on Dec 8, 1494. Achieving his objective, Stuttgart had given the order to withdraw back to Brandenburg when the Bohemian army in Moravia was spotted advancing toward Erz. Stuttgart wheeled around and dug in for the battle. I considered dispatching our reserves to Erz, but felt that Stuttgart should be able to handle the defense in the mountainous terrain. On Jan. 6, 1495 9000 Bohemian infantry under General Zatec engaged Stuttgart’s 12000 troops. The tenacity of the Bohemian troops was incredible. Skilled at mountain fighting, the Bohemians harassed Stuttgart at every turn. Stuttgart’s 2000 cavalrymen were useless in the harsh terrain and the Bohemian footmen were proving superior. In order to preserve his force Stuttgart withdrew his army back across the border to Brandenburg, losing 4000 infantry and all his remaining cannon, and Zatec began a siege at Erz. Just after Stuttgart’s return to Berlin on Feb. 16, we learn that Silesia has fallen. Overjoyed at the news, we hastily send a herald to request peace in exchange for Silesia. The Bohemians reject our proposal, and the war continues.
The remnants of Halle’s force at Silesia are quickly retrieved, while the combined Hansan/Hessian army advances south to Moravia. With fresh reserves and Halle’s remnants Stuttgart now has an army of 16,000 troops, 10,000 infantry. Scraping the bottom of the barrel of the treasury (His majesty refuses to take out a bank loan), we raise another 4000 infantry reserves while Stuttgart drives south to engage Zatec a second time. On July 16, 1495 Stuttgart and Zatec meet again, with even worse results. Zatec’s ferocious counterattacks drive Stuttgart back to Berlin like a badly beaten Dalmatian. Despite the defeat, Stuttgart has done his job, as Zatec’s force no longer is large enough to continue the siege. Undaunted, Zatec drives his force west to the Sudeten, and mauls Halberstadt’s 8,000 troops at Pilsen, breaking the siege. Zatec now holds Sudeten with barely 2000 men.
Returning again to Berlin, Stuttgart is given new orders. He is to advance directly to Prague and end the war. It is now October, 1495 and with the last of our reserves and the stern warning that there will be no more, Stuttgart sets off for Prague with 13,000 infantry, 5000 cavalry. Shockingly, the Bohemians offer no resistance. Left to hang in Sudeten, General Zatec’s force is annihilated by Halberstadt, who returns with a force of 24,000. Zatec is taken into custody, but in a chivalrous display by Halberstadt is permitted to keep his sword for gallantry in battle.
April 1496, Moravia falls to Hessen, and Bohemia cedes Moravia to the Hessians along with 250,000 ducats in reparations.
Sept 3, 1496 Prague surrenders to Stuttgart, and Halberstadt retakes Sudeten a week later. There is discussion of complete annexation of Bohemia but His Majesty is adamant, there will be no annexation. We are all too aware of Poland-Lithuania’s displeasure at the turn of events, and an annexation might be enough to propel us into another war. The Treaty of Prague is signed on Sept. 23, 1496. Bohemia cedes Sudeten to Thuringen, Erz and Silesia to Brandenburg, and pays us a measly 49,000 ducats in reparations. A very successful beginning indeed. Still His Majesty is not totally happy with my work thus far. He shows me to the royal vaults, where there is a distressingly large amount of empty space. It seems my next task is clear. To be continued...
