Kind of a strange mechanic, as it seems that just allowing the Emperor to have the province almost guarantees to catapult you to favorite to be elected to Emperorship. And furthermore comment ends abruptly
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anonymous4401 said:
Perhaps but I was already a favourite (on paper) with three other states supporting my election were the Emperor to die. I had worked hard with gifts, marriages, etc to improve those relations long before I gave back Anhalt. The large boost in HRE relations is logical considering that you have bowed to the wishes of the Empire, thus upholding its integrity. At any rate, the electors are a fickle lot and you have to keep them happy with your state or they may change their pick.
A good choice on handing back the province and in invading Bosnia, there's nothing like prestige wars 
Chapter Two: The End of the Beginning
February 1475: Gilles Binchois is my name. I am old and my bones hurt. I have been an artist for most of my life and for some years have been in the employ of King Friedrich August as Court Artist and close advisor on domestic stability. Luca Pitti was my good friend and colleague on the Council that advises our illustrious King. Long before his untimely death, he entrusted to me both the location of his secret journal and the cipher to decode its contents. It was his wish that I continue the journal should he die, which I shall do though I fear that I myself may not be long for this world. I will confide this now: Signor Pitti’s death was not due to illness nor was it an accident. Although we publicly announced that his death was caused by influenza, my good friend was in fact murdered, his throat slit as he sat at his writing desk.
We also have discovered who ordered his slaying. The assassin was hired by the Ottoman Empire. Clearly, the Ottomans fear the growing might of Saxony and were greatly unsettled by our successful attack upon Bosnia. They could not penetrate the King’s security but they managed to kill his closest advisor. I fear that we have a traitor in our court. Friedrich has been warned of these dire developments and even now, plans revenge upon the Ottomans. But I am a busy man and must end this entry.
March: Rumours that the Black Death is spreading through several provinces in neighbouring Brandenburg. So far, it has spared us its horror within Saxony, may God be praised.
1477: A generous donor offered us 100 ducats as a ‘Gift to the State’ which allowed us to begin constructing a workshop in Erfurt, our most productive province. Late in the year, we reached a new level in Land Technology and our forces now boast Men At Arms.
November 1478: Our truce has expired with Montenegro and we are ready to move on its sole province of Zeta with 5,000 men.
15 July 1479: Montenegro’s province of Zeta is annexed and Luca Pitti’s dream of gaining a seaport for Saxony is realised, although the Adriatic was not the sea that he was thinking of. And local resentment in Zeta will make building any ships there impossible for many years to come (it takes 75 years to gain a core on a province in Magna Mundi).
Also, our reputation has taken a nosedive thanks to our military actions (Bboy of 6.49) but this is not yet a major concern.
25 October 1479: Truly a black day for Saxony. King Friedrich August I is dead, may God preserve his immortal soul for eternity. The King complained of a blinding pain in his head, lost his vision and then collapsed. Our doctors could do nothing for him. He ruled for 21 years, a reign that sadly never fully delivered on its potential. His great dream of becoming Emperor was unfulfilled, as was his plan to expand our country’s borders north to the Baltic. Those dreams await his successors.
Saxony’s new ruler – a half-brother of Friedrich chosen from Anhalt’s royal house - has been crowned Moritz I. Forgive me for saying so but I found him to be something of an arrogant fool. He fancies himself a military genius and craves action on the battlefield. I suppose we shall see.
Like his predecessor, Moritz hated the Ottomans. He sought to punish them while gaining new coastal territory for Saxony (and glory for himself). His plan was to attack Albania while the Ottoman Empire was busy fending off attacks from Austria, Bohemia, Lorraine and a number of other Catholic states. Moritz also insisted on leading his troops himself.
In the meantime, the King noted that I was not getting any younger. With few talented advisors available these days, I recommended to Mortiz that he retain Gerhard Erlmayr, an artist even more famous than myself, who is also a dear friend of mine. Gerhard is a younger man and would be able to step into my shoes on my passing. Together, we could contribute greatly to Saxony’s stability. And so it was done. I will also entrust Gerhard with the continuation of this journal upon my death.
When Saxony declared war on the Ottomans on 25 June 1481, all of our allies followed suit, including Bosnia.
Moritz moved his 5,000-strong incursion force towards Albania but found it already under siege by Austria. In August, he moved on Salonica, easily winning a skirmish against its defenders, before placing its fortress under siege.
By March 1482, Salonica’s defenders were nearly out of food and water. Their surrender was imminent and Mortiz only needed to wait. Instead, to satisfy his overwhelming pride, he ordered an assault on the fortress through a breach in its walls. The result was catastrophe. Saxony’s foolish king managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory……
Bruised and battered, the King’s army managed to limp back to Hum, fending off – with the help of Austria - a savage counter-attack by the Ottomans. It would be in no shape for battle for a long time. By the end of the year, even Moritz knew the game was up. He managed to secure a White Peace with the Ottomans, coinciding with the discovery of an Ottoman spy who managed to penetrate our security.
In response, we sent our own spy against the Ottomans who succeeded in infiltrating one of their networks. The ‘quiet war’ would continue over the next few years.
On the home front, things were quiet although our prestige after the White Peace with the Ottomans was again on the decline. In 1485, we welcomed the Carmelite Order to Erfurt, allowing them the peace and isolation that they sought.
In November of that year, we also came out in support of the Hanseatic League, although its status was rapidly declining. This resulted in better relations with many HRE states (but –2 stability).
July 1486: Our merchants in Vlaanderen began losing their places to competition after a suspected ‘whispering campaign’ on the part of the Ottomans. By February of the following year, all our merchants had been ejected.
However, Saxony’s relationship with other HRE states was positively brilliant.
I remember thinking in September of 1487 that if the Emperor had to die, this would be a good time to do it. A month later, he did!
Nice job on the elections! I almost got elected as England but tons of gifts later they swtiched the Electors!
Great job!! keep up the good work, and smash the infidel Ottomans. are your first priority still to unite Germany??
Hasforth9 said:
Yes, uniting Germany remains a key priority. But becoming Emperor is crucial to that aim as it allows much more leeway for expansion within the HRE.
Allright, for you it is crucial that you remain emperor when you expand in Germany, the HRE Events in Magna Mundi are indeed nice, bur they can also ruin your whole game if you dont know how to treat them
I assume you are going to keep diplo-annexing in the HRE and outright expansion outside the HRE by war? Interesting you moved toward the Ottomans when you expanded. Takes a lot of confidence (or is that foolishness ) to face them this early in your game. Good work.
Joe
) to face them this early in your game. Good work. Joe
Ah those fools, handing over emperorship to a player-controlled country! Do they not know what perils such bring?
Hasforth9 - Yes, since this is my first full game played under Magna Mundi 3, (now updated to 1.5) I am preparing for a complicated existence as Emperor with some difficult choices to make. But I guess that's half the fun!
Storey - Yes, I will try to diplo-annex both Anhalt (rightfully mine anyway!!) and Brandenburg but if they keep refusing...well.... the Emperor may have to use less subtle means. Re the Ottomans, I felt it was pretty safe to try for a spoiling raid as they were already under attack by a host of powerful European states, including Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Venice, Cyprus etc. I will say though that they have mounted what appears to be a pretty effective espionage campaign against me, including trade subversion, admiralty infilitration and piracy. The bastids!
Fulcrumvale - Thank you. The Emperor accepts your salutations. Try to bow a bit lower next time though. The top of your skull should brush your shoes....
Anonymous4401 - Yes, fools they be. Aarrrgh. My advisors have also told me of a funny little place called Tibet which appears to have many strange animals called yaks. I believe that Saxony should try to find this place........
Storey - Yes, I will try to diplo-annex both Anhalt (rightfully mine anyway!!) and Brandenburg but if they keep refusing...well.... the Emperor may have to use less subtle means. Re the Ottomans, I felt it was pretty safe to try for a spoiling raid as they were already under attack by a host of powerful European states, including Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Venice, Cyprus etc. I will say though that they have mounted what appears to be a pretty effective espionage campaign against me, including trade subversion, admiralty infilitration and piracy. The bastids!
Fulcrumvale - Thank you. The Emperor accepts your salutations. Try to bow a bit lower next time though. The top of your skull should brush your shoes....
Anonymous4401 - Yes, fools they be. Aarrrgh. My advisors have also told me of a funny little place called Tibet which appears to have many strange animals called yaks. I believe that Saxony should try to find this place........
I agree that it's an interesting choice locating your port next to the Ottomans. You will likely find trade difficult as you'll be at war quite a lot, and will have a healthy number of spies in your court at any time.
But I'm interested to see how the new Emperorship affects things. If you've got to keep the Turks at bay, it certainly makes things easier!
Good luck
BTW, I've just started a Bohemian MM AAR, so I'm interested in comparisons... I'm going for a much more militaristic venture. Between us, we should give the HRE a pretty good test-drive!
EDIT: If you can, you might keep an eye on spies. Ubik may want to change their effects and frequency for the post EU1.3 patch. If you find yourself overwhelmed, please do say so on the MM forums. Thanks!
But I'm interested to see how the new Emperorship affects things. If you've got to keep the Turks at bay, it certainly makes things easier!
Good luck
BTW, I've just started a Bohemian MM AAR, so I'm interested in comparisons... I'm going for a much more militaristic venture. Between us, we should give the HRE a pretty good test-drive!
EDIT: If you can, you might keep an eye on spies. Ubik may want to change their effects and frequency for the post EU1.3 patch. If you find yourself overwhelmed, please do say so on the MM forums. Thanks!
isca said:I agree that it's an interesting choice locating your port next to the Ottomans. You will likely find trade difficult as you'll be at war quite a lot, and will have a healthy number of spies in your court at any time.
But I'm interested to see how the new Emperorship affects things. If you've got to keep the Turks at bay, it certainly makes things easier!
Good luck
BTW, I've just started a Bohemian MM AAR, so I'm interested in comparisons... I'm going for a much more militaristic venture. Between us, we should give the HRE a pretty good test-drive!
EDIT: If you can, you might keep an eye on spies. Ubik may want to change their effects and frequency for the post EU1.3 patch. If you find yourself overwhelmed, please do say so on the MM forums. Thanks!
Isca, I will indeed monitor the impact and frequency of enemy spies and keep the MM thread up to date where relevant. Which brings me to a quandry.... choosing my next NI when it comes due (not for some time). I was going to choose 'Nat Trade Policy' which would align well with my current NI, Shrewd Commerce. But perhaps I should choose 'Espionage' to bolster my counter-spy efficiency. Thoughts?
I've started to play the next section of the game and - oddly enough - found myself attacking the Turks again. This was partly because I needed a prestige boost to convince both Anhalt and Brandenburg to let me diplo-annex them. (I still haven't requested it). So I seem to be going more militaristic myself. The Turks in my game are now well and truly on the back foot, as you will see when I post my next update. Thus, my military opportunism. I have grabbed both Albania and Janina from them as part of a peace settlement and they appear to be losing ground rapidly. Hungary is also encroaching on their lands. So we will see.
I'm also interested to discover the various implications of being Emperor-Elect. (I'm currently trying to improve rels with the Pope so I can be crowned True Emperor with its additional perks). I'll keep a close eye on your AAR and will be quite interested to see how your Bohemian adventure plays out.
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Chapter Three – The Second Saxon-Ottoman War
Our King, now the Emperor-Elect, wasted little time in sending an emissary to the Pope, bearing ducats. Moritz wished more than anything else to be crowned King of the Romans by the Pontiff, so that he could be known as true Emperor. But relations with the Papal States remained delicate. It would take many more ducats before this dream would come to pass.
In contrast, our relations with Anhalt and Brandenburg remained at maximum harmony but I advised the King to defer requesting these vassels to become part of Greater Saxony. Our country’s prestige was still poor and refusal was likely, which would further impair our international standing. We decided that another war with the Ottoman Empire was needed to improve Saxony’s prestige (and in the process, acquire more territory). And so we waited, for surely conflict would again break out between the Ottomans and their European enemies.
We did not have to wait long. September 1488 found the Turks again at war with Wallachia, Genoa, Venezia and Tuscany. It was time to strike. Again, all of our allies supported our righteous military action against the hated Ottomans. Moritz led 5,000 of his now-veteran troops into Albania, sending an Ottoman force headed by Tunc Gazi scurrying back into neighbouring Janina.
With Albania under siege, several thousand more Saxon troops invaded Serbia and met little resistance. One of the vast advantages of becoming Emperor-Elect was that our King could now easily call for additional military forces if required. We now enjoyed a theoretical manpower ceiling of more than 40,000 troops!
In the midst of this second campaign against the Turks, our new arrived advisor, Gerhard Erlmayer, was found dead in one of the inner courtyards of his residential complex. He had been stabbed once in the heart. We feared the worst. It appeared that the Ottomans had stepped up their war of espionage and murder. There was no other advisor available so we would have to make do with myself and Naval Reformer Magnus Hamann. I would have to find someone else to take up this journal upon my own death…………
The Ottomans, meanwhile, had grown so desperate that they were commissioning privateers at sea in an effort to erode our economic base…
By April 1489, we had won the siege of Albania. Moritz immediately took the bulk of his force, nearly 1900 men - against neighbouring Janina. On the 22 May, in a bloody contest, our valiant troops defeated 1600 Ottomans led by King Ibrahim I himself. The Ottomans’ ruler barely managed to escape with some of his men to Athens.
In September, after a 221-day siege, the Ottomans’ fortress in Serbia fell. Two months later, it was Janina’s turn.
By January 1490, we had taken another step forward in Government Research (Level 4) and our Land Technology effort was also progressing (Level 3), although we still needed to make further efforts to keep our trade advantage and improve our production.
In May, Ibrahim’s army gambled on a desperate counter-attack, returning to besiege its old fortress in Janina. But Mortiz, who was now besieging Salonica, split his force there and with 6,000 men, fell upon Ibrahim like a wolf upon the fold. Ibrahim’s troops were savagely defeated and again retreated to Athens, this time pursued by Saxon cavalry.
In June, however, our depleted force besieging Salonica was bested by several thousand Ottomans and our entire army was on the verge of exhaustion. We sued for peace. Ibrahim at once acceded to our magnanimous terms.
The aims of the Second Saxon-Ottoman War had been largely realised. Our prestige had greatly improved (finally in positive territory), we had acquired two new coastal provinces, Albania and Janina, and the Ottomans had been further stymied in their evil dreams of empire.
Celebrations throughout Saxony resounded for days. And even I will admit that doddering Moritz – for all his vainglory – had achieved great things for his country in his brief reign so far.
On the domestic front, while Moritz was preoccupied with warfare, religious tensions had been building in Saxony. We enacted a policy of religious tolerance in an effort to ease the situation.
We also had to deal with a thorny diplomatic issue during this period. Burgundy wished to be free of its servile relationship with powerful France. We faced a difficult decision in how to act – but chose to support Burgundy’s push towards autonomy, which sadly detracted from our positive relations with France.
By October, as the Ottomans lay nursing their wounds, an ascendant Hungary was leading a coalition which included Bohemia and Cleves against Wallachia. The Hungarians would need watching as they continued to carve out large chunks of territory.
Our own forces were kept busy putting down revolts in Zeta and Albania, provinces which clearly still failed to realise the benefits of our enlightened rule. In 1491, we were forced to side with one noble family in Albania against another. The resultant uprising was bloody and our forces there actually suffered an initial defeat before the revolt was brutally suppressed.
Meanwhile, the Turks still kept sending out spies against us, who were succeeding too often in causing mischief.
They were also on the move militarily. In April 1492, our coast-watchers in Albania sighted an Ottoman fleet heading toward the Cyrpiot province of Ragusa. We then learnt that an Ottoman force had landed in Ragusa, placing it under siege. Privately, we were not displeased. This could work to Saxony’s advantage. If ownership of Ragusa were to be transferred to the Turks, we would be able to invade the province with little diplomatic penalty. Time would tell.
Looks good so far! I wish Saxony had fought the Ottomans this well in my game.... *subscribes*
Are you sure that all of those poor wrong culture wrong religion Balkan provinces are worth the cost of their own defense?
Fulcrumvale said:
Guess their are valuable provinces if he wants to smash the Ottomans, btw if he has enough money, he could convert them.. btw good update