1477-1482 - Vengeance
Going into 1477, King Alfons VI expected some peace and quiet for a few years, since he had no plans for any wars in the immediate future. The French spoiled that plan early on when they sent a call to arms to Aragon in a war against England. The island nation only had Savoy, Hungary, and an Irish vassal backing them, none of which were a threat to Aragon. Alfons accepted the call to arms, knowing that his kingdom’s contribution would be minimal. Men were sent to man the fort in Girona, since the northern border would not be as secure as it usually was.
With war declared, General Lino Adrià María de Agramunt led his army of 8,000 men north to Labourd and Admiral Ernst Wilhelm Lübecker sailed for Hungary’s coastline to keep them from trying to ship troops elsewhere in Europe. Alfons didn’t want them moving their armies over water in Aragonese land.
On the way to Hungary, Admiral Lübecker encountered Savoy’s fleet, which was severely outnumbered. Their entire navy was wiped out in a week and the admiral continued on his way as though the battle had been merely a distraction.
France reached Labourd first, and with over 17 regiments in the province, General de Agramunt decided to take care of Gascogne instead. It only took a month to occupy the province. Since the province rightfully belonged to France, control of the province was transferred to Aragon’s French ally. Speaking of provinces rightfully belonging to someone, the administration in Fez had finally been set up. Aragon was there to stay now.
News reached Aragon in May that Tuscany had joined the war alongside France, further setting the odds against England and Co. Despite this, Scotland was not doing so well. Their army was in disarray and an English army three times their size was besieging their capital. With the English navy undoubtedly patrolling the area, there would be no reinforcements coming their way.
The French were handling Labourd well enough, so Alfons decided it was best to aid France elsewhere. General de Agramunt and his army were ordered over to Savoy to help take them out of the war. It was also around this time that a Castilian spy was discovered in Granada attempting to fabricate claims on the province. Castile continued to poke and prod at Aragon, but had yet to make a move. Alfons was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Was Castile ever going to declare war?
In August of 1477, the Inquisition had one of its first major successes against the heathens. After laborious conversion efforts, and quite a few torture methods, the majority of Almeria had accepted the true faith. With the province back under the sway of the holy Church, the Inquisition turned its eyes to Granada, where its headquarters were stationed. Once they were converted, Iberia would be free of heathens at last. In recognition of the Inquisition’s success, the Pope issued a mandate to the Aragonese Crown. From now on the Pope fully endorsed all efforts made by the kingdom to bring heretics and heathens into the holy Church, even if that required war to do so. With permission to launch crusades on neighbouring heretics and heathens, Aragon could truly spread the true faith, and they would take any efforts they could to do so. Deus Vult!
Over in Savoy, de Agramunt dispatched a single Savoyard regiment, captured Montferrat, and then eliminated another two regiments in Wallis and captured the province, an accomplishment barely worth mentioning as part of his illustrious military career. Even his capture of Vaud was ignored, mostly because the provinces were reclaimed almost immediately after with the fort in Savoie still free. In fact, Alfons was ignoring most of what was going on in Savoy. Ignorance is bliss. ((This is now my least favourite event. How often does this god damn thing fire?)) Of more interest was the Hungarian army that had marched across northern Italy to reach France, only to be caught by the French army. Things did not end well for them.
With the success of the Inquisition and the zealous reputation of Aragon, many Catholic rulers requested that they pray with the king of such a holy kingdom. Frankly, Alfons VI was quite annoyed by all these requests to pray when he just wanted to get on with whatever negotiations they were supposed to be having. The King had nothing wrong with strong faith, but this was too much for him. When some unknown ruler from a tiny German state visited him and requested to pray with him, Alfons VI quite bluntly told him that he was not here to satisfy people’s piety. He wouldn’t tolerate this annoying behaviour any more.
With Fez now accepting Aragonese rule a bit more than before, Alfons arranged for a program to boost the productive output of the province. Valuable cloth was produced in Fez and trade from Africa came through the province. It paid to improve the region, especially since it was required as part of the Artisan Support Act anyway.
August of 1478 brought a surprise as word spread that a Hungarian army was marching straight through Aragon. It was feared that they would attack the capital, but Alfons refused to evacuate like his father had done before. It did not matter in the end as the army marched straight into Castile. It was clear that it was heading for Granada. But why there? Did they somehow know of the small force in the province? With the knowledge of the Hungarians on the way, the army in Granada was ordered to sneak away into Portugal.
Meanwhile, the army under General de Agramunt faced off against a Hungarian army that had sneaked into Nice. The Hungarians were no match for the general. After his successful battle in Savoyard territory, a peace was signed between France and Savoy. Savoy cut ties with England and paid an indemnity. With Savoy out of the war, de Agramunt could return home with his army and remove the Hungarians who were besieging Granada. The army that had been stationed in Granada was ordered through Castile from Portugal to meet up in Aragon proper with de Agramunt.
1478 brought a welcome surprise as Princess Helene was pregnant again. Like before, Prince Ferran shunned her at the news. Even when she finally gave birth, Ferran refused to be there. Only after he learned that the child was a boy did he start paying attention to his wife. He started lavishing her with gifts and spending his spare time with her. Oddly enough, he did not seem overly fond of the boy and did not spend much time with him. Whenever Helene was seen carrying the child around the palace, it was always Alfons at her side and not Ferran. No one openly questioned why.
Once the army had returned to Aragon, a plan was set in motion. The fleet was recalled so that it could transport General Sebastián de Loarre and his army in Fez over the strait. The two armies in Iberia were ordered down to Granada first to engage the enemy, with the forces in North Africa arriving later to provide further aid. At least that was the plan. Before they could arrive, the Hungarians made the odd choice of abandoning the siege and fleeing west. Once de Agramunt was in Granada, the Hungarian army turned back around for an attack. The Hungarians had abandoned a defensive position to launch a much weaker offensive. No one knew why. Once the enemy was committed, the reinforcements were sent. The second army arrived a few days later, and de Loarre arrived at the end in time to crush the enemy’s flank. General de Agramunt ordered a pursuit and crushed the enemy before they could escape any further. This was a major success, but did not help against England. Scotland took the brunt of their aggression and was forced to cede their southern provinces to England.
After constant wars throughout Europe and North Africa, the importance on military advancement had been stretched. Aragon had to ensure its men were outfitted with the best weapons available. 1479 brought a new development to warfare. Artillery, a type of large mobile gun, was developed to be used in battle. The initial models were fairly basic, but could be used to devastating effect in a siege or against enemies. Aragon didn’t have all the infrastructure in place to build any yet, but soon they could be put in every army. Copper production was already increasing as construction went underway of these new weapons. Perhaps they could be used against the heathens of North Africa in Tlemcen.
Plans were put in place to initiate the Centres of Drafting Act. Recruitment centres and other military establishments were first established in the capital. As the years progressed, similar efforts were taken in Alicante and Tarragona. Similar efforts were taken in Navarra to boost the province’s production in accordance with the Artisan’s Support Act. With it being the only port in the area, it was of prime importance.
A Venetian spy was caught in Athens in March of 1479. When interrogated, the spy revealed it was in retaliation for potential plans to take Negroponte. Alfons cursed that the plans had gotten out and spent an exceptionally long time torturing the spy as a result. The corpse was unrecognizable after he was done.
In September of 1479, the Aragonese navy sailed back to Hungary and was attacked by the Hungarians, a foolish mistake on their part. Many wondered why they had made such an aggressive move, only for it to be revealed that England had snuck their navy into the Mediterranean and was attempting a naval invasion of Naples. When Alfons received the news, he was stunned. No one had expected such a move. Either way, the Hungarian navy was sent to the bottom of the sea and the navy moved on to England’s navy next. Aragon had both the numbers and galleys, something England lacked. After a month-long battle, Admiral Ernst Wilhelm Lübecker pulled off a remarkable victory. The entire English navy was sunk in a single battle, with only eight Aragonese ships lost. Aragon’s naval dominance was supreme. The construction of the lost ships was immediately ordered back at home.
At this time, Italian artists were becoming quite prominent the world over. They were crafting amazing works of arts, and the patrons of these artists usually shared their prestige. Alfons VI wanted in on this. He offered a wealthy sum to a prominent Florentine artist to support his work. Scholars were also drawn to Aragon from Italy. Iovianus Pontanus was one of such scholars. He wrote many great works that would be known throughout Europe. He claimed that the Aragonese people inspired him, something that was a proud moment for the people of the kingdom.
Speaking of Italy, Lucca made a surprising victory against Milan. This brought attention to the Hungarian army in Tuscany. The army was just too big for any of the Aragonese armies to deal with. Tuscany would ideally handle it itself. Much to the surprise of almost everyone, once all of England’s continental provinces were captured, the French, Tuscan, and Neapolitan armies marched right past the Hungarian army in Tuscany and headed straight for Hungary. Apparently occupying the enemy land was more important than taking out their army. Alfons VI questioned that decision, but felt that Aragon didn’t need to get involved in that front.
Two surprising developments occurred in 1480. First was the birth of a daughter to Princess Helene. Unlike the boy born two years earlier, Ferran fawned over his daughter and gave her his full attention. No one was sure why he selectively paid attention to one child over the other. The second development was that a minor noble was discovered to have been collaborating with the Moroccans. Alfons had him promptly dragged off to the dungeon and tortured. After he had beaten everything he needed out of the man, he made a public example of him by having him executed for everyone to see. Treason would be met with death.
The choice to focus on sieges instead of attacking Hungary’s army proved a mistake as Tuscany left the war after paying an indemnity to England. On the bright side, the Inquisition achieved a momentous victory when they managed to convert Granada. The Reconquista was complete, and it was Aragon that achieved it. The focus now would be placed on the heretics in Athens. The Pope was not entirely pleased that the so-called end of the Schism had failed to convince the people of Greece to convert. That would take some time and effort.
With Tuscany out of the war, Hungary moved onto a new target: Naples. The Hungarian army marched through the PapalState and started besieging Napoli. This was something that could not be allowed. The navy had been set to blockade London, but was recalled home. A galley was lost on the way back due to dangerous waters of the Atlantic ((or rather me not realizing that I received naval attrition only one sea zone away from France’s coast)). Once the navy returned, it began shipping armies over to Naples. The armies stationed in Valencia, Granada, and Athens were called to Naples. General de Agramunt led the charge, despite the presence of General Luigi Castelozzi. In a valiant attempt to liberate the Neapolitan capital from siege, de Agramunt threw himself into the battle. He led a brutal offensive that crushed the Hungarian defence. Just when the enemy was about to break, he took a pike stab to the chest. He did not live to see the end of the battle, where General Castelozzi, despite the loss of his rival in battle, completed what de Agramunt had started and broke the Hungarians against the walls of Napoli. They would not be returning to Hungary. With the threat gone, General Castelozzi personally had de Agramunt’s body sent back to Alicante, where King Alfons VI arranged for an extravagant state funeral.
After the Battle of Napoli, it was discovered that the Knights were snooping around Athens, trying to find evidence that the holy order had rights to the province. This undoubtedly caused tensions to rise, just as when another Austrian Emperor was crowned.
Princess Helene gave birth to yet another son in 1482. Prince Ferran was present at the birth this time and joyously celebrated the birth of his son. Despite the joy at the birth of another child, he remained quite cold towards the first child. He was even colder towards Alfons. The two were not on speaking terms and avoided each other.
This was all outshined when tragedy struck in October of 1482. In the dark of night, a cloaked figure snuck into the palace and was able to get into the King’s chambers undetected. Before anyone detected him, it was already too late. King Alfons VI was no more, stabbed to death in his sleep. Despite his stealthy entrance, the murderer did not escape. Prince Ferran, or rather King Ferran II, personally tortured the assassin himself, putting even Alfons’s acts to shame. Soon he had an identity and motive. The assailant was Alfonso, Ferran the Bastard’s eldest son. His father had died under suspicious circumstances, which the man blamed on Alfons VI. Now he had killed the King, who he deemed responsible. Ferran, in anger at the sudden death of his brother, went too far with his torture and broke the poor man’s spine on the rack, killing him instantly. His brother had been avenged and now he was king. He would not make the same mistake as his brother and allow his rule to be threatened.
((Picture spam time! Ignore the heir, since I haven’t had a chance to edit him yet.))
Presenting His Majesty, Ferran II de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Naples, and Protector of the Greeks. ((Cynical, Humble, Cruel))
It is unfortunate that I must ascend to the throne under such dire circumstances. I never expected my brother to be murdered, but at least his murderer has been dealt with. I have also received word from Austria that they shall stop harbouring the family of Ferran the Bastard in light of recent events. I am thankful of that at least.
Regardless, we must continue on. The war with England is not over, but will surely finish soon with the English lacking a navy and the French winning handily. As for matters of state, I must decide upon a new council. I have heard word from the previous Marshal and Steward that they are indisposed for some time, so I will be assuming their roles for now. I shall give our Treasurer ((
@Keinwyn)) a second chance after his last plan failed. I also wish to offer Ernst Wilhelm Lübecker ((
@wzhang29)) either the position of Grandmaster or Grand Admiral if he will take either position. He deserves a position for his fantastic victories at sea. If anyone wishes to claim whatever position that our admiral does not want, they are free to do so. We also require another general, now that the Great de Agramunt has left this mortal coil. All other positions shall remain the same or fall under my jurisdiction for now. I thank you all for serving your kingdom and king so well.
((As you can see, we have a new king. I will give all ministers until
Monday at 12pm PST to propose a plan. Also I was wondering what to do with the national focus. It conveniently was able to change when our last king died, but not this time. I’m wondering if I should be able to change it whenever a king dies. What does everyone think about that? Consider it an unofficial vote.))
))
