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Very good! Not so good Austria's dominated Bohemia so early. Be careful they don't start diplo-rampaging through YOUR Empire!
Chapter 6: The War of the Rhine
2nd Hannover Revolution - Peace of Mainz
Nov 1 1449 - Oct 5 1459
------------
The Bohemian peace of 1449 brought a lengthy period of peace to Franconia. Gottfried I, king of Franconia immediately got to work upgrading his new provinces with tax collectors and started saving up his cash for a Fine Arts Academy for his capital. This Fine Arts academy would require about $800 which was far and above any amount ever seen in the treasury previously. Gottfried calculated it would take about 15 years to save that much money. Gottfried saw this as a chance to launch an inquiry as to why trade became so unprofitable in the 1420s, specifically why was his trade efficiency about 12% belows other nations with the technology. The inquiry did some research (including searching certain forums for an economy FAQ
) and came back with their conclusion in the new year of 1450. They found that the trade agreement set up in the 1420s to protect trade in Venice were actually lowering the trade efficiency by 3% each. Gottfried immediately cancelled his 4 trade agreements and, having seen a rapid increase from 23% to 35% in his trade efficiency, sent his hoard of merchants to raid the Venice markets. Trade was finally back on Franconia's agenda after of 30 years absence.
Time passed by and soon it was June 1453, exactly 10 years after Bavaria had been vassalized. There were some in Gottfried's court who thought they could make a claim on annexation at this time due to Franconia's much larger land size and economy but Gottfried did not agree. It had not been long enough since Franconia was their vassals and with their greatly diplomatic leaders they were friends with everybody and had no incentive to become annexed. Gottfried decided it would be best to wait about 30 years, an entire generation since the vassalage.
In June 1454, Gottfried had had enough of peace, he had not amounted enough money for a Fine Arts academy but he knew that would be a long term objective. Meanwhile Gottfried wanted to do what both his father and brother could not, capture Mainz, the 3rd of 4 core provinces. England were now in a relatively weak alliance and with Mainz being completely cut off from the rest of England the prize looked there for the taking. War was declared but Gottfried was cautious, after seeing the Austria had blitzed through Bohemia the last thing he wanted was Austria taking Mainz, he decided not to bring his alliance into the war and go it alone to prevent an Austrian expansion. There were 3 fronts to the war as England called upon her allies; Pommern in the north, Mainz in the west and Helvetia in the south whilst Eire had no means to participate.
Gottfried had done his reconnaissance well, predicting the Pommeranians to attack first with their 12000 odd force. They were beaten off and then the Ansbach Army was able to turn towards Mainz. The English had been on an offensive too laying siege to Wurzburg but the Ansbach Army overpowered the English army and completed destroyed them upon reaching Mainz and laying siege. Leaving a regiment in Mainz, the Ansbach Army now moved north again towards Pommern who now found themself in another war against Brandenburg. Gottfried used this to his advantage and as Pommern and Brandenburg killed each other the Ansbach Army snuck in a laid siege to Vorpommern in December. That was to be Gottfried's last action as he died in March 1455 and was succeeded by his son Johann III (634).
The two sieges dragged on until a revolt in Magdeburg forced the Ansbach Army to leave Vorpommern, and using two atttempts, defeating the rebels. By October Mainz was Johann's, but when he tried to make peace with England he had the same trouble as his predecessors, the war percentage was not high enough and their were no more English provinces within reach. It was then that the War of the Rhine really took hold as Baden then declared war on Franconia. Ignoring his allies, Johann regathered his armies and headed up the Rhine, entering Baden in May 1456. It was a tough battle as the Baden armies had been idle since 1419 and were ready to fight. Initially victorious Johann then had to send a division to follow their retreat as the Badeners first besieged Wurzburg then Sachsen and Madgeburg and after defeating their followers attempted to lift the siege on Baden in a last ditch effort. It was unsuccessful and in December 1456 Baden was under Franconian control and Johann had a tough choice. Had he the option he would have vassaled Baden but it was already an Austrian vassal, he could either annex them destroying Franconia's reputation or let them off with a white peace. He chose annexation which saw Franconia's Badboy reach 16.
Johann now sent his armies in 2 directions. The Ansbach Army moved south towards Helvetia whilst a smaller division moved north towards Vorpommern. The Helvetian Army was as strong as one of the Swiss alps themselves as the mere 6000 men defeated the Ansbach Army of about 10000 men and presented themselves with 'strong' morale, which was a new sight for the Ansbach Army who regrouped in Baden and retrained. Meanwhile up north it was quiet, the war between Brandenburg and Pommern had all but destroyed both sides armies and siege was laid in March 1457. In July a 2nd attempt was made on Bern now with more than twice the force and a higher infantry concentration for mountanious combat. The Helvetian army was completely defeated and it would only be a matter of time before Bern opened its walls to Johann. Both sieges were however interrupted by a rebel outbreak in Anhalt in November which required a full retreat to combat the large force. Victory was achieved as 3 armies converged in Anhalt arriving 1 after the other to boost morale. The sieges were restarted and by June 1458 Helvetia was captured. Johann decided not to annex this time and put Helvetia under vassalage in what he hoped might block the Austrians from expanding west. With its conquest, new maps were also gained.
The strange new sea
Finally in September 1458, Vorpommern fell but at the same time Anhalt revolted again. This time the rebellion was stronger and three attempts to restore order were completely shattered, the army was left in ruins as 1459 approached. The English still would not yield Mainz despite Johann's ownerhip of Vorpommern resulting in a 10% war score surplus. Ignoring the riot for a moment Johann sent some troops into Hinterpommern and defeated the 1000 man guard tipping the war score over the edge. Another diplomat was sent to England but despite an irresistable war score, the English chose to accept a stability hit rather than give up Mainz. Johann's armies were finally regrouped and within 3 months of losing Anhalt to the rebels a battle was finally successful and the rebels defeated in May. It would be until October 1459 that England would finally accept peace after having no more stability to lose, they did have the war of the roses going on afterall. Mainz was finally Franconian and the War of the Rhine was won.
However another war had already begun earlier in the year, and this one would be far more brutal...
The State of Europe at the conclusion of the war Oct 1459
----------
Meanwhile around the neighbourhood...
2nd Hannover Revolution - Peace of Mainz
Nov 1 1449 - Oct 5 1459
------------
The Bohemian peace of 1449 brought a lengthy period of peace to Franconia. Gottfried I, king of Franconia immediately got to work upgrading his new provinces with tax collectors and started saving up his cash for a Fine Arts Academy for his capital. This Fine Arts academy would require about $800 which was far and above any amount ever seen in the treasury previously. Gottfried calculated it would take about 15 years to save that much money. Gottfried saw this as a chance to launch an inquiry as to why trade became so unprofitable in the 1420s, specifically why was his trade efficiency about 12% belows other nations with the technology. The inquiry did some research (including searching certain forums for an economy FAQ
) and came back with their conclusion in the new year of 1450. They found that the trade agreement set up in the 1420s to protect trade in Venice were actually lowering the trade efficiency by 3% each. Gottfried immediately cancelled his 4 trade agreements and, having seen a rapid increase from 23% to 35% in his trade efficiency, sent his hoard of merchants to raid the Venice markets. Trade was finally back on Franconia's agenda after of 30 years absence.Time passed by and soon it was June 1453, exactly 10 years after Bavaria had been vassalized. There were some in Gottfried's court who thought they could make a claim on annexation at this time due to Franconia's much larger land size and economy but Gottfried did not agree. It had not been long enough since Franconia was their vassals and with their greatly diplomatic leaders they were friends with everybody and had no incentive to become annexed. Gottfried decided it would be best to wait about 30 years, an entire generation since the vassalage.
In June 1454, Gottfried had had enough of peace, he had not amounted enough money for a Fine Arts academy but he knew that would be a long term objective. Meanwhile Gottfried wanted to do what both his father and brother could not, capture Mainz, the 3rd of 4 core provinces. England were now in a relatively weak alliance and with Mainz being completely cut off from the rest of England the prize looked there for the taking. War was declared but Gottfried was cautious, after seeing the Austria had blitzed through Bohemia the last thing he wanted was Austria taking Mainz, he decided not to bring his alliance into the war and go it alone to prevent an Austrian expansion. There were 3 fronts to the war as England called upon her allies; Pommern in the north, Mainz in the west and Helvetia in the south whilst Eire had no means to participate.
Gottfried had done his reconnaissance well, predicting the Pommeranians to attack first with their 12000 odd force. They were beaten off and then the Ansbach Army was able to turn towards Mainz. The English had been on an offensive too laying siege to Wurzburg but the Ansbach Army overpowered the English army and completed destroyed them upon reaching Mainz and laying siege. Leaving a regiment in Mainz, the Ansbach Army now moved north again towards Pommern who now found themself in another war against Brandenburg. Gottfried used this to his advantage and as Pommern and Brandenburg killed each other the Ansbach Army snuck in a laid siege to Vorpommern in December. That was to be Gottfried's last action as he died in March 1455 and was succeeded by his son Johann III (634).
The two sieges dragged on until a revolt in Magdeburg forced the Ansbach Army to leave Vorpommern, and using two atttempts, defeating the rebels. By October Mainz was Johann's, but when he tried to make peace with England he had the same trouble as his predecessors, the war percentage was not high enough and their were no more English provinces within reach. It was then that the War of the Rhine really took hold as Baden then declared war on Franconia. Ignoring his allies, Johann regathered his armies and headed up the Rhine, entering Baden in May 1456. It was a tough battle as the Baden armies had been idle since 1419 and were ready to fight. Initially victorious Johann then had to send a division to follow their retreat as the Badeners first besieged Wurzburg then Sachsen and Madgeburg and after defeating their followers attempted to lift the siege on Baden in a last ditch effort. It was unsuccessful and in December 1456 Baden was under Franconian control and Johann had a tough choice. Had he the option he would have vassaled Baden but it was already an Austrian vassal, he could either annex them destroying Franconia's reputation or let them off with a white peace. He chose annexation which saw Franconia's Badboy reach 16.
Johann now sent his armies in 2 directions. The Ansbach Army moved south towards Helvetia whilst a smaller division moved north towards Vorpommern. The Helvetian Army was as strong as one of the Swiss alps themselves as the mere 6000 men defeated the Ansbach Army of about 10000 men and presented themselves with 'strong' morale, which was a new sight for the Ansbach Army who regrouped in Baden and retrained. Meanwhile up north it was quiet, the war between Brandenburg and Pommern had all but destroyed both sides armies and siege was laid in March 1457. In July a 2nd attempt was made on Bern now with more than twice the force and a higher infantry concentration for mountanious combat. The Helvetian army was completely defeated and it would only be a matter of time before Bern opened its walls to Johann. Both sieges were however interrupted by a rebel outbreak in Anhalt in November which required a full retreat to combat the large force. Victory was achieved as 3 armies converged in Anhalt arriving 1 after the other to boost morale. The sieges were restarted and by June 1458 Helvetia was captured. Johann decided not to annex this time and put Helvetia under vassalage in what he hoped might block the Austrians from expanding west. With its conquest, new maps were also gained.
The strange new sea
Finally in September 1458, Vorpommern fell but at the same time Anhalt revolted again. This time the rebellion was stronger and three attempts to restore order were completely shattered, the army was left in ruins as 1459 approached. The English still would not yield Mainz despite Johann's ownerhip of Vorpommern resulting in a 10% war score surplus. Ignoring the riot for a moment Johann sent some troops into Hinterpommern and defeated the 1000 man guard tipping the war score over the edge. Another diplomat was sent to England but despite an irresistable war score, the English chose to accept a stability hit rather than give up Mainz. Johann's armies were finally regrouped and within 3 months of losing Anhalt to the rebels a battle was finally successful and the rebels defeated in May. It would be until October 1459 that England would finally accept peace after having no more stability to lose, they did have the war of the roses going on afterall. Mainz was finally Franconian and the War of the Rhine was won.
However another war had already begun earlier in the year, and this one would be far more brutal...
The State of Europe at the conclusion of the war Oct 1459
----------
Meanwhile around the neighbourhood...
- 1453 Helvetia declares independence from Hungary
- 1457 Wurtemburg cancels austrian vassalisation
- 1457 Austria diploannexes Modena
- 1458 Mecklemburg declares independence of Sweden
- 1459 Mecklemburg annexed by Denmark
- 1450 Albania annexed by Ottoman Empire
- 1450 Novgorod annexed by Muscovy
- 1451 France annexed Provence via event
- 1451 Brittany loses Armor to France
- 1452 Kurland center of trade closes, Danzig opens
- 1452 Siena annexed by France
- 1453 England capture Ulster, The Grampians and The Highlands from Scotland
- 1456 Ragusa annexed by Serbia
- 1456 Government of Eire falls, Leinster becomes indepedent
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Also, just something i noticed. In the game, Mainz is the capital of Mainz and is on the eastern side of the Rhine and Heidelburg is the capital Pfalz and is on the western side of the Rhine. But in reality Heidelburg is on the eastern side and Mainz is of the western side
The rivers have to run between province borders, so I guess it was a bit difficult to make it as it is in real life.
Who hasn't heard of Franconia now? It's great!
Who hasn't heard of Franconia now? It's great!
Chapter 7: The Eternal War
Hannover declaration - Peace of Munich
Apr 28 1459 - Aug 24 1473
------------
This chapter includes references to bug #312 in the EU2 Bug list. Please read the accompanying threads (1 ,2 ) to better understand the issue.
As the war with England was drawing to a close, Johann faced a new adversity. Hannover felt threatened (and rightly so) as a new German minor and didn't want to fall into the same fate as Baden and Helvetia so they took the initiative and launched a pre-emptive strike using the support of their powerful allies Burgundy, The Palatinat and Gelre. Johann knew that he would not be able to take this alliance on alone unlike the English especially with the rising war exhaustion so he activated his alliance bringing Bavaria, Austria, Wurtemburg and Modena into the war.
Before Johann could act against the new enemy he first had to defeat a new rebellion in Anhalt and this gave time for the Austrians to arrive on the scene with their welcome armies. The Ansbach Army then marched into Hessen whilst another regiment moved on Hannover but was not large enough to lay siege. By the time peace was signed with England, the Ansbach Army had been beaten out of Hessen and the Austrians had arrived. In November, a siege on Hannover was finally enforced and by early 1460 Burgundy was besieging Wurzburg whilst the Ansbach Army was besieging Hessen. It was an old fashion siege race. In May, Hannover fell and Johann made them become vassals and in Feb 1461 Wurzburg and Hessen had swapped hands. After an unsuccessful attempt to force the Burgundian army from Wurzburg, Johann got a lucky break in June: Bremen declared independence, declaring war on Burgundy which removed some of the Burgundian forces to that new front. This allowed the Ansbach Army to defeat the Burgundian army and lay siege back on Wurzburg. After repelling the enemy again, Wurzburg was claimed back in March 1462 afterwhich Burgundy offered peace for $18 and Johann took it. It was not a war that Johann wanted nor needed anyway, his country was war exhausted after continuous fighting for 8 years. Little did he know this move would come back to haunt him.
Meanwhile, Johann's allies had not been at all idle (except the ever idle Wurtemburg), Bavaria had made short work of The Palatinat and Austria had continued the Hannover siege where Franconia had let off. The Palatinat was fully annexed by Bavaria in April 1462 whilst Austria made peace with Burgundy after fully annexing Hannover despite it being a Franconian vassal. Johann was not pleased but was sure that as long as Hannover remained isolated from Austria it would soon rebel.
There were not much more for the war now with Austria and Franconia out of the picture it was just a matter of time before Bavaria made peace with Burgundy and Gelre. However this was not so simple. All of Bavaria's forces were in Bavaria and since Franconia had made peace they had no rights to cross Franconia to get to the frontlines. Therefore it was only a matter of time before Burgundy, effortlessly waltzed into Pfalz and captured it. This left the war in a state that has been described in bug #312, neither side able to reach each other resulting in no peace being made by the two AIs.
At first Johann didn't realise the predictament but after his war exhaustion had died down and his nation was restored and he noticed the war was still waging he knew. This war was destroying Franconia's long term plans: Bavaria was Franconia's vassal and as long as the war raged he would never be able to diploannex it. He asked his diplomats whether he could give Bavaria military access to allow them to reach the enemy but was told that Bavaria would have to ask for it first, which wasn't happening. Johann III died in January 1466 and was succeeded by his son Rudolf II (554) who was the first Franconian king to have the least of military understanding. After 5 long years of the eternal war waging Rudolf decided he could do something about it. His truce had run out with Burgundy so he decided to rejoin the war. The Ansbach Army was once again reinforced as Rudolf considered his options. He had no Casus Belli on Burgundy so it would cost him 3 stability to declare war, on the other hand he had the option to leave the Holy Roman Alliance and rejoin it a few days later, resulting in joining Bavaria's war, losing just 1 stability. He chose the later and was lucky the Bavaria let him back in to the alliance, it was now November 1467.
Burgundy were quick out the block invading Anhalt before the month was out meanwhile after defeating an invading force in Mainz the Ansbach Army met the cavalry storming from Anhalt in Wurzburg using weight of number in both battles. Moving on Hessen, as the enemy retreated, the siege was begun in February. In March a separate force had routed the remnants of a Burgundy army in Pfalz and laid siege there also on behalf of Bavaria. A real shock came when Hessen revolted as Rudolf laid siege in July but they were defeated and by October 1468 Hessen had fallen. Burgundy struck back defeating the Ansbach Army in Hessen and forcing them back to Mainz as Pfalz was returned to Bavarian control in January 1469. By mid year the Ansbach Army was back in Hessen with Burgundy having been pushed back once again.
The war took an unexpected twist in June 1469 as and old foe Pommern declared war bringing with it Kleves and alliance leader and Emperor, Cologne. Rudolf immediately tried to arrange peace with the Emperor to no avail so war was on but Rudolf had no time. For the next nine months the Ansbach Army was on patrol between Hessen and Pfalz ensuring the larger Burgundy armies did not get too close. In April 1470 another offensive war launched, this time into Münster. After defeating the Gelre army Rudolf laid siege. In September, after a year in which no conflict had been fought, Rudolf was able to sign a white peace with the Emperor just as Pommern was eying off Madgeburg. With the Burgundian armies now diminished the Ansbach Army was able capture Münster by December 1470 and it was about this time that Wurtemburg, the isolationists they are, finally sent an army north. The Ansbach Armywent on patrol again over a now 3 province front whilst Wurtemburg marched straight in a started besieging Geldre.
In January 1472 however, the newly indepedent Lorraine allied with Burgundy and joined the war. This was crucial because now the huge armies from Southern Burgundy could now met up with the northern provinces where the fighting was occuring. The odds were now turning in Burgundy's favour. In July 1472 Wurtemburg finished their siege and annexed Geldre. In September, the new enemy forces arrived and defeated the Ansbach Army in Pfalz and laid siege. In May 1473 another large army besieged Münster and the Ansbach Army was lucky to repel them when they arrived in July.
It was now obvious that if war continued Franconia just didn't have the economy of Burgundy who were backed by the Flanders Market to support the armies neccesary to win. Rudolf could easily make peace with Burgundy, his armies had thrashed Burgundy and he now had a war score of 70+ however a separate peace was what started this eternal war to begin with. Bavaria had for the last 15 years led its alliance into an eternal war. They hadn't participated themselves in the war for over a decade and it was clear that rejoining the war and giving Bavaria access to the enemy had not fixed bug #312. There was only one thing for it, divine intervention. The heavenly being known as The Swert saved the game and loaded it up from Bavaria's perspective. Bavaria had a war score even larger than Franconia's it was in the 80s. The Swert negotiated a generous peace which resulted in Hessen and Münster to become Franconian and Pfalz remain Bavarian. He saved the game once more and loaded from Franconia point of view. Rudolf was relieved, the eternal war was over.
----------
Meanwhile around the neighbourhood...
Coming soon... Chapter 8: The Imperial Civil War
Hannover declaration - Peace of Munich
Apr 28 1459 - Aug 24 1473
------------
This chapter includes references to bug #312 in the EU2 Bug list. Please read the accompanying threads (1 ,2 ) to better understand the issue.
As the war with England was drawing to a close, Johann faced a new adversity. Hannover felt threatened (and rightly so) as a new German minor and didn't want to fall into the same fate as Baden and Helvetia so they took the initiative and launched a pre-emptive strike using the support of their powerful allies Burgundy, The Palatinat and Gelre. Johann knew that he would not be able to take this alliance on alone unlike the English especially with the rising war exhaustion so he activated his alliance bringing Bavaria, Austria, Wurtemburg and Modena into the war.
Before Johann could act against the new enemy he first had to defeat a new rebellion in Anhalt and this gave time for the Austrians to arrive on the scene with their welcome armies. The Ansbach Army then marched into Hessen whilst another regiment moved on Hannover but was not large enough to lay siege. By the time peace was signed with England, the Ansbach Army had been beaten out of Hessen and the Austrians had arrived. In November, a siege on Hannover was finally enforced and by early 1460 Burgundy was besieging Wurzburg whilst the Ansbach Army was besieging Hessen. It was an old fashion siege race. In May, Hannover fell and Johann made them become vassals and in Feb 1461 Wurzburg and Hessen had swapped hands. After an unsuccessful attempt to force the Burgundian army from Wurzburg, Johann got a lucky break in June: Bremen declared independence, declaring war on Burgundy which removed some of the Burgundian forces to that new front. This allowed the Ansbach Army to defeat the Burgundian army and lay siege back on Wurzburg. After repelling the enemy again, Wurzburg was claimed back in March 1462 afterwhich Burgundy offered peace for $18 and Johann took it. It was not a war that Johann wanted nor needed anyway, his country was war exhausted after continuous fighting for 8 years. Little did he know this move would come back to haunt him.
Meanwhile, Johann's allies had not been at all idle (except the ever idle Wurtemburg), Bavaria had made short work of The Palatinat and Austria had continued the Hannover siege where Franconia had let off. The Palatinat was fully annexed by Bavaria in April 1462 whilst Austria made peace with Burgundy after fully annexing Hannover despite it being a Franconian vassal. Johann was not pleased but was sure that as long as Hannover remained isolated from Austria it would soon rebel.
There were not much more for the war now with Austria and Franconia out of the picture it was just a matter of time before Bavaria made peace with Burgundy and Gelre. However this was not so simple. All of Bavaria's forces were in Bavaria and since Franconia had made peace they had no rights to cross Franconia to get to the frontlines. Therefore it was only a matter of time before Burgundy, effortlessly waltzed into Pfalz and captured it. This left the war in a state that has been described in bug #312, neither side able to reach each other resulting in no peace being made by the two AIs.
At first Johann didn't realise the predictament but after his war exhaustion had died down and his nation was restored and he noticed the war was still waging he knew. This war was destroying Franconia's long term plans: Bavaria was Franconia's vassal and as long as the war raged he would never be able to diploannex it. He asked his diplomats whether he could give Bavaria military access to allow them to reach the enemy but was told that Bavaria would have to ask for it first, which wasn't happening. Johann III died in January 1466 and was succeeded by his son Rudolf II (554) who was the first Franconian king to have the least of military understanding. After 5 long years of the eternal war waging Rudolf decided he could do something about it. His truce had run out with Burgundy so he decided to rejoin the war. The Ansbach Army was once again reinforced as Rudolf considered his options. He had no Casus Belli on Burgundy so it would cost him 3 stability to declare war, on the other hand he had the option to leave the Holy Roman Alliance and rejoin it a few days later, resulting in joining Bavaria's war, losing just 1 stability. He chose the later and was lucky the Bavaria let him back in to the alliance, it was now November 1467.
Burgundy were quick out the block invading Anhalt before the month was out meanwhile after defeating an invading force in Mainz the Ansbach Army met the cavalry storming from Anhalt in Wurzburg using weight of number in both battles. Moving on Hessen, as the enemy retreated, the siege was begun in February. In March a separate force had routed the remnants of a Burgundy army in Pfalz and laid siege there also on behalf of Bavaria. A real shock came when Hessen revolted as Rudolf laid siege in July but they were defeated and by October 1468 Hessen had fallen. Burgundy struck back defeating the Ansbach Army in Hessen and forcing them back to Mainz as Pfalz was returned to Bavarian control in January 1469. By mid year the Ansbach Army was back in Hessen with Burgundy having been pushed back once again.
The war took an unexpected twist in June 1469 as and old foe Pommern declared war bringing with it Kleves and alliance leader and Emperor, Cologne. Rudolf immediately tried to arrange peace with the Emperor to no avail so war was on but Rudolf had no time. For the next nine months the Ansbach Army was on patrol between Hessen and Pfalz ensuring the larger Burgundy armies did not get too close. In April 1470 another offensive war launched, this time into Münster. After defeating the Gelre army Rudolf laid siege. In September, after a year in which no conflict had been fought, Rudolf was able to sign a white peace with the Emperor just as Pommern was eying off Madgeburg. With the Burgundian armies now diminished the Ansbach Army was able capture Münster by December 1470 and it was about this time that Wurtemburg, the isolationists they are, finally sent an army north. The Ansbach Armywent on patrol again over a now 3 province front whilst Wurtemburg marched straight in a started besieging Geldre.
In January 1472 however, the newly indepedent Lorraine allied with Burgundy and joined the war. This was crucial because now the huge armies from Southern Burgundy could now met up with the northern provinces where the fighting was occuring. The odds were now turning in Burgundy's favour. In July 1472 Wurtemburg finished their siege and annexed Geldre. In September, the new enemy forces arrived and defeated the Ansbach Army in Pfalz and laid siege. In May 1473 another large army besieged Münster and the Ansbach Army was lucky to repel them when they arrived in July.
It was now obvious that if war continued Franconia just didn't have the economy of Burgundy who were backed by the Flanders Market to support the armies neccesary to win. Rudolf could easily make peace with Burgundy, his armies had thrashed Burgundy and he now had a war score of 70+ however a separate peace was what started this eternal war to begin with. Bavaria had for the last 15 years led its alliance into an eternal war. They hadn't participated themselves in the war for over a decade and it was clear that rejoining the war and giving Bavaria access to the enemy had not fixed bug #312. There was only one thing for it, divine intervention. The heavenly being known as The Swert saved the game and loaded it up from Bavaria's perspective. Bavaria had a war score even larger than Franconia's it was in the 80s. The Swert negotiated a generous peace which resulted in Hessen and Münster to become Franconian and Pfalz remain Bavarian. He saved the game once more and loaded from Franconia point of view. Rudolf was relieved, the eternal war was over.
----------
Meanwhile around the neighbourhood...
- 1461 Bremen declares independence from Burgundy
- 1466 Bremen annexed by Burgundy
- 1470 Lorraine declares independence from England
- 1460 Brittany annexed by France
- 1461 Gotland declares independence from Denmark
- 1461 Normandy declares independence from England. War of the Roses soon involves France, Genoa, Scotland and the Pope.
- 1464 Denmark annexes Norway by event
- 1464 Calais rebels defect from England to Burgundy
- 1465 Auvergne annexed by Burgundy
- 1465 Government of Leinster falls, Eire becomes independent
- 1465-7 Lancaster then York declare independence of England
- 1466 Croatia annexed by Serbia
- 1467 Hungary captures Croatia
- 1469 Aragon captures Aures from Algiers
- 1470 York annexed by Genoa
- 1472 Castile captures Orania from Algiers
- 1473 Papal States capture Caux from Normandy. Normandy becomes papal vassal
- 1473 Venice captures Apulia from Ottoman Empire
- 1473 Golden Horde lose Tambow to Muscovy & Kazan to Suzdal
Coming soon... Chapter 8: The Imperial Civil War
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Interlude 1: 50 Year Report
Jan 1 1419 - Jan 30 1469
------------
With the milestone of 50 years of the game passing i feel it is time to take a step out of the game to give u a progress report on the first 50 years.
The first 50 years were the foundation years for Franconia. From a meager beginning, Franconia has gone from 1 province vassal to 7 provinces and 2 vassals of its own. Franconia has survived through 5 Monarchs inclusive with an average rating of 3.8 per skill, rather poor monarchs.
Here are some pictures to help help portray the situation after 50 years including the customary 10-yearly political map.
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- 
- 
- 
The Neighbourhood --------- The Diplomatic situation - The Political Map ---- The Victory Points ----- The Trade situation
showing Domestic Settings
Technology is not so easy to show but Franconia is at level 2 in all but Naval having used an even strategy.
Of the major nations:
Infrastructure: Franconia leads Austria leads France leads Castile = OE = Poland leads England leads China
Trade Level: France leads Franconia leads Austria leads Castile = Poland leads OE leads England leads China
Land Tech: Austria leads Castile leads France = OE leads Franconia = England leads Poland leads China
Naval Tech: OE leads Castile leads France leads England leads Austria leads Poland leads Franconia leads China
and thats the ways things are after 50 years...
Jan 1 1419 - Jan 30 1469
------------
With the milestone of 50 years of the game passing i feel it is time to take a step out of the game to give u a progress report on the first 50 years.
The first 50 years were the foundation years for Franconia. From a meager beginning, Franconia has gone from 1 province vassal to 7 provinces and 2 vassals of its own. Franconia has survived through 5 Monarchs inclusive with an average rating of 3.8 per skill, rather poor monarchs.
Here are some pictures to help help portray the situation after 50 years including the customary 10-yearly political map.
----- 
- 
- 
- 
The Neighbourhood --------- The Diplomatic situation - The Political Map ---- The Victory Points ----- The Trade situation
showing Domestic Settings
Technology is not so easy to show but Franconia is at level 2 in all but Naval having used an even strategy.
Of the major nations:
Infrastructure: Franconia leads Austria leads France leads Castile = OE = Poland leads England leads China
Trade Level: France leads Franconia leads Austria leads Castile = Poland leads OE leads England leads China
Land Tech: Austria leads Castile leads France = OE leads Franconia = England leads Poland leads China
Naval Tech: OE leads Castile leads France leads England leads Austria leads Poland leads Franconia leads China
and thats the ways things are after 50 years...
The real shocker in all this is the survival of the Roman Empire in the form of an unimportant city-state. But then again, I have a soft spot for the ERE, so it's a pleasant shock.
One question - what the hell did you do to earn such poor relations with most of the known world?
One question - what the hell did you do to earn such poor relations with most of the known world?
EightDeer said:
Well its been a long gradual decline. I started with +125 with all catholic states as usual but it think when i cancelled my vassalisation that dropped a bit, then ofcourse i force-annexed Wurzburg and Baden which made a lot of enemies. Being a central european nation also i've had to declare war on a large number of different nations and their alliances compared to say the hundred years war where England has just France as an enemy. My badboy's been between 10 and 16 for the last twenty odd years which has made it difficult to gain friends and moving my religious slider fully towards Catholic ruled out any friendly relationships with Eastern Europe of the Middle East. But it hasn't all been my side, France and England keep force-annexing the states that rebel from them whilst Sweden, Burgundy and Lithuania all have a badboy worse than mine.
But don't worry things get even worse in the years to come
Atleast i've been able to keep a close network of friends around me to this stage (most crucially Austria).
Poor relations are hard to avoid for an active player, and as Franconia you need to be active or DIE.
The eternal war bug is annoying. Personally I think it's more than 'normal' severity, because it can completely foul up the AI....and you if you get in a war with them after they've built 100K troops for the war they can't get out of.
The eternal war bug is annoying. Personally I think it's more than 'normal' severity, because it can completely foul up the AI....and you if you get in a war with them after they've built 100K troops for the war they can't get out of.
Chapter 8: The Imperial Civil War
Fall of Gelre - Truce of Cologne
Apr 2 1475 - Apr 8 1482
------------
Two years had passed since the end of the Eternal War. Things had returned to normal in the central european kingdom of Franconia and its neighbours. The Peace of Munich had brought about peace for its entire alliance except for one, Wurtemburg. Wurtemburg had annexed Gelre and in doing so had created a separate war to its allies vs Burgundy on its own. This meant that when the Eternal War ended, they kept fighting. However Wurtemburg, simililarly to Bavaria some ten years earlier, could not reach the front and protect its new land of Geldre. This meant that Burgundy was able to capture it and this time, instead of bug #312 kicking in, Wurtemburg accepted peace and lost Gelre to Burgundy in April 1475. Finally the whole alliance was at peace.
The peace would not last long as in the next month Modena declared war on Genoa. Franconia, Bavaria and Austria were brought out of their slumber and Wurtemburg who had barely had a break joined the war also. It was very much a false war however for Franconia because its path to the front was blocked by the Pope-owned Lombardia, only Austria had permission to cross and help out Modena. Soon enough however, the war expanded into something much more real.
Since the beginning of the game, the title of Holy Roman Emperor had fallen to either a Bavarian or an Austrian but in 1463 the King of Cologne was declared Emperor in a narrow vote. This caused friction between the Bavarian alliance and Cologne and as the new Bavarian King, Albrecht the Wise, came to the throne and showed his candidacy, the friction started to boil over. The eruption of the volcano came in November 1475 when Kleves declared war on Franconia, neither candidate were game enough to directly declare war on one another. The alliances were activated, Albrecht the Wise led Bavaria, Wurtemburg, Austria, Franconia and Modena whilst the Emperor led Cologne, Kleves, Burgundy, Bohemia and Pommern. The Imperial Civil War was on. As news of the war spread in Jan 1476, Denmark and Helvetia sided with the Emperor and Helvetia cancelled its franconian vassalage to enter the war.
Immediately Burgundy invaded Münster defeated the Ansbach Army and laid siege, they had planned in gaining back its lost German provinces. Throughout 1476, Rudolf split his men and focused them on Kleves and Vorpommern. In September Kleves was captured and that regiment moved on the Koln whilst the majority of the enemies forces were besieging Münster. Münster fell in October. By the end of the year the Emperor had also captured Hannover from Austria and Burgundian forces started besieging Magdeburg in March 1477. Austria gave up to the Emperor in May for $127 leaving Franconia as the only frontline nation. In June Burgundy began a siege in Hessen as Rudolf used a 3 pronged pincer to lift the Magdeburg siege. In September Köln fell to the Ansbach Army but when they tried to lift the siege on Bavarian Pfalz they failed to Kleves and Pommern. Meanwhile the other army was following the routing Burgundians from Magdeburg through Sachsen and Wurzburg. In December Kleves captured back Kleves whilst the Ansbach Army battered its way into Pfalz but it had already fallen so it lay siege to return it to Bavarian control.
At the turn of 1478, Brandenburg entered the scene, declaring war on Pommern but the Emperor's alliance abandoned Pommern dishonouring the alliance forcing Pommern to recall from the Franconia front. At the same time Cologne was trying to recapture Köln but the Ansbach Army were on the scene and after quashing that attempt headed for the coast in Zeeland. Zeeland was deep behind enemy lines and poorly defended but they were forced to retreat as more troops headed towards Köln. Success agaisnt Burgundy in Köln in April allowed the Ansbach Army to lay siege to Pfalz again. Cologne then besieged Hessen whilst Burgundy had another go at Köln meanwhile all of Rudolf men rendezvoused in Pfalz to counter heavy Burgundian resistance. In July 1478, Rudolf had had enough, with Köln in his possession it was easy for him to make peace. Using total victory, he made Cologne become a vassal. This a dangerous move that was reminiscent of the Eternal War but this time since Franconia was still at war, Bavaria was not cut-off from her enemy.
With that front now secure, Rudolf now moved his men south towards the pompous vassal over Helvetia. Although as his father discovered, the Swiss mountains make for a very defensible position. It would take 4 attempts over more than a year and almost 3 times the force to remove the Helvetians from their perch. During this time a white peace had been established with Genoa since their had been no fighting for 3 years. With Bern now under siege, a noble feud in Hessen caused a rebellion and after subduing that Rudolf moved his men to yet another front in the north. Austria had already captured Mecklemburg from Denmark so the troops moved further north to Holstein and laid siege in April 1480.
Political Map of Europe, Jan 1480 (1 month late)
In July 1480 success of the Imperial Civil War was affirmed when Albrecht the Wise of Bavaria was crowned Emperor upon the death of the Cologne candidate but the fighting would continue between the parties until 1482. It was February 1481 when Holstein fell and a month after that before Bern fell. The men in the north continued into Danish territory as they laid siege to Jylland whilst Helvetia accepted peace in March and once again became a vassal. In October, Jylland was captured and Denmark no longer had any lands on mainland Europe.
The Imperial Civil War drew to a close on April 8 1482 as Cologne made peace with Bavaria for $6. Although no provinces had changed hands, the war was proof that even without much help from Austria, the Bavarian Alliance, or rather Franconia, could match the forces of the lower Rhine. The Empire was once again ruled by a Bavarian by either way Rudolf couldn't be too fussed for he now had both Cologne and Bavaria under vassalage and could aspire to one day annexing the Emperor whichever he came from.
----------
Meanwhile around the neighbourhood...
Fall of Gelre - Truce of Cologne
Apr 2 1475 - Apr 8 1482
------------
Two years had passed since the end of the Eternal War. Things had returned to normal in the central european kingdom of Franconia and its neighbours. The Peace of Munich had brought about peace for its entire alliance except for one, Wurtemburg. Wurtemburg had annexed Gelre and in doing so had created a separate war to its allies vs Burgundy on its own. This meant that when the Eternal War ended, they kept fighting. However Wurtemburg, simililarly to Bavaria some ten years earlier, could not reach the front and protect its new land of Geldre. This meant that Burgundy was able to capture it and this time, instead of bug #312 kicking in, Wurtemburg accepted peace and lost Gelre to Burgundy in April 1475. Finally the whole alliance was at peace.
The peace would not last long as in the next month Modena declared war on Genoa. Franconia, Bavaria and Austria were brought out of their slumber and Wurtemburg who had barely had a break joined the war also. It was very much a false war however for Franconia because its path to the front was blocked by the Pope-owned Lombardia, only Austria had permission to cross and help out Modena. Soon enough however, the war expanded into something much more real.
Since the beginning of the game, the title of Holy Roman Emperor had fallen to either a Bavarian or an Austrian but in 1463 the King of Cologne was declared Emperor in a narrow vote. This caused friction between the Bavarian alliance and Cologne and as the new Bavarian King, Albrecht the Wise, came to the throne and showed his candidacy, the friction started to boil over. The eruption of the volcano came in November 1475 when Kleves declared war on Franconia, neither candidate were game enough to directly declare war on one another. The alliances were activated, Albrecht the Wise led Bavaria, Wurtemburg, Austria, Franconia and Modena whilst the Emperor led Cologne, Kleves, Burgundy, Bohemia and Pommern. The Imperial Civil War was on. As news of the war spread in Jan 1476, Denmark and Helvetia sided with the Emperor and Helvetia cancelled its franconian vassalage to enter the war.
Immediately Burgundy invaded Münster defeated the Ansbach Army and laid siege, they had planned in gaining back its lost German provinces. Throughout 1476, Rudolf split his men and focused them on Kleves and Vorpommern. In September Kleves was captured and that regiment moved on the Koln whilst the majority of the enemies forces were besieging Münster. Münster fell in October. By the end of the year the Emperor had also captured Hannover from Austria and Burgundian forces started besieging Magdeburg in March 1477. Austria gave up to the Emperor in May for $127 leaving Franconia as the only frontline nation. In June Burgundy began a siege in Hessen as Rudolf used a 3 pronged pincer to lift the Magdeburg siege. In September Köln fell to the Ansbach Army but when they tried to lift the siege on Bavarian Pfalz they failed to Kleves and Pommern. Meanwhile the other army was following the routing Burgundians from Magdeburg through Sachsen and Wurzburg. In December Kleves captured back Kleves whilst the Ansbach Army battered its way into Pfalz but it had already fallen so it lay siege to return it to Bavarian control.
At the turn of 1478, Brandenburg entered the scene, declaring war on Pommern but the Emperor's alliance abandoned Pommern dishonouring the alliance forcing Pommern to recall from the Franconia front. At the same time Cologne was trying to recapture Köln but the Ansbach Army were on the scene and after quashing that attempt headed for the coast in Zeeland. Zeeland was deep behind enemy lines and poorly defended but they were forced to retreat as more troops headed towards Köln. Success agaisnt Burgundy in Köln in April allowed the Ansbach Army to lay siege to Pfalz again. Cologne then besieged Hessen whilst Burgundy had another go at Köln meanwhile all of Rudolf men rendezvoused in Pfalz to counter heavy Burgundian resistance. In July 1478, Rudolf had had enough, with Köln in his possession it was easy for him to make peace. Using total victory, he made Cologne become a vassal. This a dangerous move that was reminiscent of the Eternal War but this time since Franconia was still at war, Bavaria was not cut-off from her enemy.
With that front now secure, Rudolf now moved his men south towards the pompous vassal over Helvetia. Although as his father discovered, the Swiss mountains make for a very defensible position. It would take 4 attempts over more than a year and almost 3 times the force to remove the Helvetians from their perch. During this time a white peace had been established with Genoa since their had been no fighting for 3 years. With Bern now under siege, a noble feud in Hessen caused a rebellion and after subduing that Rudolf moved his men to yet another front in the north. Austria had already captured Mecklemburg from Denmark so the troops moved further north to Holstein and laid siege in April 1480.
Political Map of Europe, Jan 1480 (1 month late
)In July 1480 success of the Imperial Civil War was affirmed when Albrecht the Wise of Bavaria was crowned Emperor upon the death of the Cologne candidate but the fighting would continue between the parties until 1482. It was February 1481 when Holstein fell and a month after that before Bern fell. The men in the north continued into Danish territory as they laid siege to Jylland whilst Helvetia accepted peace in March and once again became a vassal. In October, Jylland was captured and Denmark no longer had any lands on mainland Europe.
The Imperial Civil War drew to a close on April 8 1482 as Cologne made peace with Bavaria for $6. Although no provinces had changed hands, the war was proof that even without much help from Austria, the Bavarian Alliance, or rather Franconia, could match the forces of the lower Rhine. The Empire was once again ruled by a Bavarian by either way Rudolf couldn't be too fussed for he now had both Cologne and Bavaria under vassalage and could aspire to one day annexing the Emperor whichever he came from.
----------
Meanwhile around the neighbourhood...
- 1473 Bremen declares independence from Burgundy for the second time
- 1473-4 Ragusa declares independence from Serbia then is annexed by Serbia
- 1474 Lithuania capture Livland from Sweden
- 1474 Cyprus becomes vassal of Venice by event
- 1475 Georgia loses Sochi to Ak Koyunlu
- 1475 Ottoman Empire annexes Byzantium: new CoT opens in Thrace
- 1476-7 Castile becomes Spain and unites with Aragon: Aragon becomes spanish vassal by event
- 1477 York declares independence of Genoa
- 1478 Georgia lose Kouban to Ottoman Empire and become vassals
- 1478 Apulia declare independence of Venice
- 1480 Muscovy captures Lugansk, Ufa and Saratow from Golden Horde
- 1482 Apulia annexed by Cyprus
You're carving out quite the Empie yourself. Perhaps a time for diplomatic reconciliation is at hand to claim the Imperial title for yourself?
Chapter 9: Oh how he was wrong
Truce of Cologne - 2nd Vassalisation of Wurtemburg
Apr 8 1482 - Nov 30 1489
------------
The Imperial Civil War had played havoc with the the diplomatic face of Europe. At the beginning of the war it, the Empire was split between 2 great alliances: Cologne, Kleves, Pommern, Bohemia and Burgundy versus Bavaria, Wurtemburg, Franconia, Austria and Modena. However whilst the war raged Brandenburg declared war on Pommern which led to Kleves, Burgundy and Bohemia dishonouring and leaving the Cologne alliance. When Cologne fell in 1478, Pommern was able to re-establish an alliance with Bohemia and Kleves but Burgundy had gone its own way. In Aug 1478, Burgundy allied with York which wasn't such a good idea as York fell to Genoa in Jan 1483. Burgundy then tried to enter an alliance with Lorraine and France in Apr 1483 but that only lasted a month as France went to war with the Papal States and Burgundy dishonoured. By May 1483 Burgundy had nowhere else to go, it was forced to do a backflip and ally with the very alliance it was fighting against just a year previous; Burgundy joined the Bavarian alliance.
The result was the largest and most powerful alliance in Europe since the Foreign Invaders of the 1430s and this time Franconia was a part of it.
The Grand Alliance
During this time the alliance was still at war. The Imperial Civil war had finished but a stalemate of a war was still raging with Denmark. All the danish mainland provinces had been captured but Denmark's supremacy in the sea prevented troops from crossing the straits to Copenhagen. It was at this time that Kleves declared war once more on Franconia and were joined by Bohemia. They had not wasted any time either for it had been barely 5 years after Cologne fell and the truce with Kleves was established meaning the truce had just run out. The Kleves army headed for Münster whilst the Ansbach Army was quickly on the scene and defeated the small garrison at Kleves. By early 1484 the Kleven army was marching from Münster to Hessen and back to Münster daring the outnumbered Ansbach Army to try their worst. But by May new troops were finished in Würzburg and the numbers game was now in Rudolf's favour. The first battle took place in Münster and was a resounding victory for Rudolf but the majority of the enemy were allowed to flee and were heading for Hessen. It was soon an all too familiar scenario as Rudolf's troops followed the fleeing enemy through Hessen and Anhalt before finishing them off in Madgeburg. The only thing left to do was capture the now unguarded Kleves and vassalise them, which was achieved by the turn of the new year 1485.
In what seemed like Rudolf's curse there was still another enemy with he had to defeat, Bohemia, the trapped island was at war with Franconia but couldn't reach them and instead were just mounting forces. Rudolf moved the Ansbach Army across from West to East and in Mar 1485 launched an assault. The Bohemians were well dug in however and used their mountaineous terrain to defensive perfection and were able to repel the Ansbach Army not once but four times over 1485. It would require Rudolf to mount a force almost four times the size of the Bohemians to defeat which he was finally able to do in June 1486. However whilst that battle raged disaster struck when Austria made a separate peace with Denmark which removed Franconia's military access through Austria. The Ansbach Army was marooned on the desert island of Bohemia.
There was an upside though, Mecklemburg had returned to Denmark's hands and Rudolf was able to beat his allies there to lay siege with the only force he had that wasn't stuck in Bohemia. But luck turned against Rudolf as the Wurtemburg king himself came wandering up to steal the siege for himself in Nov 1487. By Dec 1487 Bohemia finally fell to the stranded Ansbach Army and Bohemia became the 5th Franconian vassal state.
The recapture of Mecklemburg had reopened negotiations between Bavaria and Denmark in what was still a stalemate war. Finally 12 years after Denmark joined the Imperial Civil war, peace was negotiated in May 1488 with Mecklemburg going to Wurtemburg and Franconia returning Holstein and Jylland to Denmark. This marked the first time since 1475 that Franconia and much of its alliance was at peace. War exhaustion, whilst the stalemate of the danish war had kept it controllable, was now falling restoring stability to Rudolf's kingdom.
With peace finally at hand, Rudolf was reminded that Bavaria had now been a vassal for 45 years and with Franconia now having 9:2 territorial ratio, he should now be able to annex it. One personal gift later and Bavaria was incorporated into Franconia. Rudolf reflected on this milestone event as he opened the history books not long after welcoming his new citizens in Munich. Less than 70 years ago, Franconia was just a minority group in Bavaria's northern province of Ansbach. Rebellion turned to revolution but the Bavarian duke at the time Ernst remained optimistic. He had been recorded as saying that he expected that Franconia, after realising how hard self-governance is, would come crawling back to his feet. Rudolf lifted his head out of the book and looked around him: Franconia now stretched from the Lake Constance to the Elbe, from the Bavarian Alps to the lower Rhine and everywhere between these borders the people loved their king. Furthermore, Bavaria, Ernst's land itself had now succumbed to Franconia, the circle of life was complete. Rudolf smiled and thought to himself, oh how he was wrong.
Political Map of Europe, Mar 1489
----------
Meanwhile around the neighbourhood...
Truce of Cologne - 2nd Vassalisation of Wurtemburg
Apr 8 1482 - Nov 30 1489
------------
The Imperial Civil War had played havoc with the the diplomatic face of Europe. At the beginning of the war it, the Empire was split between 2 great alliances: Cologne, Kleves, Pommern, Bohemia and Burgundy versus Bavaria, Wurtemburg, Franconia, Austria and Modena. However whilst the war raged Brandenburg declared war on Pommern which led to Kleves, Burgundy and Bohemia dishonouring and leaving the Cologne alliance. When Cologne fell in 1478, Pommern was able to re-establish an alliance with Bohemia and Kleves but Burgundy had gone its own way. In Aug 1478, Burgundy allied with York which wasn't such a good idea as York fell to Genoa in Jan 1483. Burgundy then tried to enter an alliance with Lorraine and France in Apr 1483 but that only lasted a month as France went to war with the Papal States and Burgundy dishonoured. By May 1483 Burgundy had nowhere else to go, it was forced to do a backflip and ally with the very alliance it was fighting against just a year previous; Burgundy joined the Bavarian alliance.
The result was the largest and most powerful alliance in Europe since the Foreign Invaders of the 1430s and this time Franconia was a part of it.
The Grand Alliance
During this time the alliance was still at war. The Imperial Civil war had finished but a stalemate of a war was still raging with Denmark. All the danish mainland provinces had been captured but Denmark's supremacy in the sea prevented troops from crossing the straits to Copenhagen. It was at this time that Kleves declared war once more on Franconia and were joined by Bohemia. They had not wasted any time either for it had been barely 5 years after Cologne fell and the truce with Kleves was established meaning the truce had just run out. The Kleves army headed for Münster whilst the Ansbach Army was quickly on the scene and defeated the small garrison at Kleves. By early 1484 the Kleven army was marching from Münster to Hessen and back to Münster daring the outnumbered Ansbach Army to try their worst. But by May new troops were finished in Würzburg and the numbers game was now in Rudolf's favour. The first battle took place in Münster and was a resounding victory for Rudolf but the majority of the enemy were allowed to flee and were heading for Hessen. It was soon an all too familiar scenario as Rudolf's troops followed the fleeing enemy through Hessen and Anhalt before finishing them off in Madgeburg. The only thing left to do was capture the now unguarded Kleves and vassalise them, which was achieved by the turn of the new year 1485.
In what seemed like Rudolf's curse there was still another enemy with he had to defeat, Bohemia, the trapped island was at war with Franconia but couldn't reach them and instead were just mounting forces. Rudolf moved the Ansbach Army across from West to East and in Mar 1485 launched an assault. The Bohemians were well dug in however and used their mountaineous terrain to defensive perfection and were able to repel the Ansbach Army not once but four times over 1485. It would require Rudolf to mount a force almost four times the size of the Bohemians to defeat which he was finally able to do in June 1486. However whilst that battle raged disaster struck when Austria made a separate peace with Denmark which removed Franconia's military access through Austria. The Ansbach Army was marooned on the desert island of Bohemia.
There was an upside though, Mecklemburg had returned to Denmark's hands and Rudolf was able to beat his allies there to lay siege with the only force he had that wasn't stuck in Bohemia. But luck turned against Rudolf as the Wurtemburg king himself came wandering up to steal the siege for himself in Nov 1487. By Dec 1487 Bohemia finally fell to the stranded Ansbach Army and Bohemia became the 5th Franconian vassal state.
The recapture of Mecklemburg had reopened negotiations between Bavaria and Denmark in what was still a stalemate war. Finally 12 years after Denmark joined the Imperial Civil war, peace was negotiated in May 1488 with Mecklemburg going to Wurtemburg and Franconia returning Holstein and Jylland to Denmark. This marked the first time since 1475 that Franconia and much of its alliance was at peace. War exhaustion, whilst the stalemate of the danish war had kept it controllable, was now falling restoring stability to Rudolf's kingdom.
With peace finally at hand, Rudolf was reminded that Bavaria had now been a vassal for 45 years and with Franconia now having 9:2 territorial ratio, he should now be able to annex it. One personal gift later and Bavaria was incorporated into Franconia. Rudolf reflected on this milestone event as he opened the history books not long after welcoming his new citizens in Munich. Less than 70 years ago, Franconia was just a minority group in Bavaria's northern province of Ansbach. Rebellion turned to revolution but the Bavarian duke at the time Ernst remained optimistic. He had been recorded as saying that he expected that Franconia, after realising how hard self-governance is, would come crawling back to his feet. Rudolf lifted his head out of the book and looked around him: Franconia now stretched from the Lake Constance to the Elbe, from the Bavarian Alps to the lower Rhine and everywhere between these borders the people loved their king. Furthermore, Bavaria, Ernst's land itself had now succumbed to Franconia, the circle of life was complete. Rudolf smiled and thought to himself, oh how he was wrong.
Political Map of Europe, Mar 1489
----------
Meanwhile around the neighbourhood...
- 1483 Bremen annexed by Ottoman Empire
- 1489 Pommern captures Küstrin from Brandenburg
- 1489 Wurtemburg become Austrian vassals
- 1482 Normandy annexed by France
- 1483 York reannexed by Genoa
- 1484 Karaman annexed by The Knights
- 1485 Norway and Gotland declare independence of Denmark
- 1486 Georgia annexed by Ak Koyunlu
- 1487 Norway annexed by Sweden
- 1487 Government of The Kaliphate falls, Mesopotamia declares independence
- 1488 Arkhangelsk defects from Denmark to Muscovy
- 1488 Spain captures Guyenne from France
- 1488 Golden Horde captures Kouban from Ottoman Empire
- 1489 Venice annexes Cyprus by event
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A grand war! You've finally annexed your creators.
I have a habit of watching the Ottoman Empire and I have to say: Bremen? What did they deserve to reach that fate?The Swert said:
Franconia has come full circle. With most of modern-day Germany under your command, imho it's time to get to the coast.
I was surprised to see Ottoman troops in Bremen as much as u were.SirruShan said:
Historical research has found that when Crimea declared war on Georgia in 1475, England, Eire, the Pope and Bremen were allied with Georgia and the OE with Crimea. In 1481 peace was made between with Crimea but the war with the OE carried on. Somehow the OE must have got some ships around the mediterranean and landed because they sure didn't come overland. Even after Bremen fell, the war between OE and England would continue until 1495 and only end after England captured Bremen and peace was made for $103.
I had always made getting some coast an objective. It has several advantages: option for colonization, troop transportation, overseas merchants, makes naval technology relevant etc. With my geographical position it was always going to be a while before i had some coast but it does finally happen in the next chapterGrundius said:
A massive war, but you got through it in high style. Congrats!
It's good to see you've taken out Bavaria. That army marooned behind Austrian lines is going to be problematic though. I thought letting them have so much of Bohemia would be trouble. Are your relations good enough you can get MA?
The Burgundy inheritance event can't happen unless they're at peace. Did you make it past the end date, or are we about to see a huge France? If so they might wonder if your Empire would make a tasty snack...
It's good to see you've taken out Bavaria. That army marooned behind Austrian lines is going to be problematic though. I thought letting them have so much of Bohemia would be trouble. Are your relations good enough you can get MA?
The Burgundy inheritance event can't happen unless they're at peace. Did you make it past the end date, or are we about to see a huge France? If so they might wonder if your Empire would make a tasty snack...
Just found this. I can only say go Franconia!
Oh and I like the concept of "around the neighbourhood..." logs... I would never have the attention nor the patience to write that!
As soon as you break free from the alliance capture your capital's adjacent provinces, it's way too dangerous to leave yourself at the fickle von Habsburg mercy!!!!
Oh and I like the concept of "around the neighbourhood..." logs... I would never have the attention nor the patience to write that!
As soon as you break free from the alliance capture your capital's adjacent provinces, it's way too dangerous to leave yourself at the fickle von Habsburg mercy!!!!
I tried as soon as i realised the army was trapped to get MA with Austria but to no avail. My relation with them was about +65 at the time but not enough.CatKnight said:
It seems the end date has passed, 1484 I believe. Burgundy is quite large so i doubt they wanted to become a part of France and chose independence instead.
Would be nice but thats easier said than done. Austria still have a much larger army than me and the diplomacy to get somebody else to help them when they need it. They're also more advanced in land tech and have better monarchs. But the time will come when the showdown will have to occur, Central Europe is only big enough for one major power.AmbassadeBelgie said:
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