1492-1495 – A Bloodless War
One of the first things King Ferran II did after consulting his court was attempt to normalize relations with England. He stopped declaring them a rival, although they still felt the same. Instead focus was placed on Venice. The former allies were clashing over Greece. Both wanted the others holdings there. Conflict was inevitable.
For the first time in decades, every fort in Aragon was abandoned and left unmanned, even the one in the capital. Marshal Stefano von Thun felt they were an unnecessary expense when the threat of attack did not seem imminent. If Castile wanted to make a move, they would have by now.
The kingdom was in mourning as Jofré Llançol de Borja passed away. The man was over a hundred years old and his death was not unexpected. What was unexpected was that the man had outlived most of his heirs. If he had any children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren to claim his title, they were not forthcoming. The county of Urgell was left vacant for now. ((Sorry
@Attalus, had to kill you off.))
Provence signed a peace with Brittany a few days later. Taking advantage of the weakened state France helped put Brittany in, Provence was able to annex them entirely and even take a province from Burgundy. Provence now held land in three separate areas along France’s border. Ferran worried that this would mean an inevitable conflict between France and Provence.
In March, the Mamluks declared war on the Ottomans. This was music to Ferran’s ears. With the heathens fighting each other, the Ottomans would be an easier target than thought. The construction of the first five galleys of the Grand Admiral’s plan was put underway in preparation for war. The army under General Luigi Castelozzi in Valencia began the trip across the Mediterranean to Greece.
A foreign drill instructor arrived in Aragon and offered his services training the army. He knew of tactics unknown in Aragon before and Ferran wanted the army to have any advantage. The one problem was that the drill instructor charged an exorbitant fee. A loan had to be taken out just to pay his wages. Ferran argued that it was worth it if the army performed better under his guidance. The loan also allowed for the construction of the final five galleys.
With the passing of the Act of Union, it was decided that Naples would be formally integrated into Aragon. Such a process would not be easy. Naples was quite large and it would take time to turn over the administration entirely to Aragon. Some estimated it would not be complete until at least 1510.
As the Mamluks moved into Anatolia, the Ottomans started signing peaces with their other enemies. They pilfered what money they could from Theodoro and annexed Trebizond. Ferran ordered full funding for the army as Generals Castellozi, de Loarre, and von Thun moved into place in Byzantium in preparation for an attack on the Ottoman Balkan provinces. The navy was ordered to the straits, even though the Mamluks had already taken the initiative to blockade them already. The Ottomans were expected to have over 30k men, but at least 20k of those was spotted in northern Anatolia by the Greeks. The invasion was almost ready.
In a surprise move, the Electors of the Holy Roman Empire decided to replace Austria with Bohemia, after Italy slipped from their grasp. Perhaps that would open up opportunities in Italy with Austria unable to wield the resources of the Empire.
Once the army and navy were in place, Aragon was ready for war. A declaration of war was sent to the Ottomans and the armies marched north over the border. The Ottomans would be kicked out of the Balkans at all costs. Fortunately for Aragon, a good third of Anatolia was already under Mamluk occupation. This war would be an easy one.
Sofya and Kirkkilise fell within a month, shortly followed by Nigbolu. Silistre and Vidin fell the next month. All of the Ottoman Balkans was occupied already. With that clear, the armies were then ordered across the strait. The Ottomans had two forts there, one of which was their capital. 15k men went for the capital, while another 10k went for the other fort but had the aid of the Greek army.
Next door in Kutahya, the Ottoman army, quite large and daunting, attacked a small Mamluk army. With the Mamluk defeat, it was feared that the Ottomans would try to liberate their capital. General Sebastián de Loarre braced his men for attack, but it never came. A few days after the Ottoman victory, an even larger Mamluk army swooped down upon them. This time it was the Ottomans who faced defeat. As long as the heathens kept killing each other and left the Aragonese free to siege Ottoman land, the King was happy.
Hudavendigar, the Ottoman capital, fell in January of 1494. This good news was met with some less pleasant ones at home. Rumours were circulating around court of an Aragon ruled by the nobles, a republic where the nobles made all the decisions and the king was merely a figurehead. King Ferran tried to track down the source of these ideas, but failed. Instead he decided it was best to distract the court with new plans for Aragon. Perhaps Aragon could focus on new military efforts or its navy. There was also talk of attempting to find a route to India by travelling west.
Part of the Ottoman navy had been stationed at their capital and was forced to sea when the province was taken. With the Mamluk and Aragonese navies sitting in the straits, the Ottoman ships were doomed from the start. The straits soon were completely controlled by Aragon when Kocaeli fell in February.
The Ottoman army attempted to make a stand against the Mamluks in Bozok as the Aragonese army moved into Ankara to take another Ottoman fort. The Mamluks had the numbers though. The Ottomans were sent running again, not that the Mamluks didn’t face huge casualties too. No one in Aragon seemed upset by this prospect. Keep letting the heathens dies in the thousands.
In western Anatolia, General Castelozzi moved unimpeded through Ottoman land. In a few months he had taken Saruhan, Sugla, Mentese, and Teke.
While Aragon focused east, Castile made a move on Africa. They declared war on Tlemcen in the hopes of claiming their own peace of North Africa. King Ferran was furious with this. He didn’t want the Castilians meddling in his own backyard.
The Mamluks made another move on the vulnerable Ottomans and attacked their army in Trabzon. As expected, the Ottomans faced another loss and the Aragonese didn’t have to do anything to achieve that.
In July of 1494, a group of nobles petitioned the king for increased pensions in exchange for increased powers for the King. Ferran was not one to be pressured by others and he certainly wasn’t going to let it happen now. He bluntly told these nobles that he would not fund their greed with state funds. Instead he spent the funds in the treasury in paying of Aragon’s only loan.
Ankara fell in September of 1494, giving Aragon, or rather Byzantium as they were put in charge of occupation, control of all of western Anatolia and three forts. Sinop and Canik fell soon after on the north coast. The armies were ordered west to Greece after this, for only one province remained open and it was under siege by the Mamluks.
Denmark’s attempt to bring Sweden back under its control ended in failure as Denmark was forced to pay a war indemnity. The union would not be restored yet.
In May, spies reported the bulk of the Castilian army in Tlemcen. Of Castile’s reported 26 regiments, 19 were in North Africa. That meant Castile itself was mostly undefended, an interesting situation. Not only that, but the entire Castilian navy was sitting out in the Mediterranean with only a single galley in its ranks. It was such a tempting target.
With the Ottomans almost entirely occupied, they could do nothing but accept their fate. As planned, King Ferran demanded that the Ottoman Sultan had over all land in the Balkans to the Greeks. They were also forced to renounce any claim on their former capital in Edirne. A hefty war indemnity was demanded as well. Now Byzantium dominated the Balkans and the treasury was flush with ducats.
With that done, the armies were slowly shipped back to their usual spots. A temple was even constructed in Sassari using the funds taken from the Ottomans. There was also the royal family to consider. Both Alfons and Ferran (the child, not the King) had reached a suitable age for marriage. After the war with the Ottomans had ended, the French royal family paid a visit to Valencia, although the French king stayed behind in Paris as expected. The French Queen herself presented her young daughter Marie to the Aragonese court and in private suggested a match with Prince Alfons. King Ferran, much to everyone’s surprise, instead recommended that Marie be married to Prince Ferran. While Marie and Ferran were the same age, 13, Prince Ferran was the younger son. With Alfons as the heir, it seemed an insult to force the French princess to marry the younger son. Then King Ferran announced something that shocked everyone at court. Dashing aside the tradition of primogeniture, King Ferran designated Prince Ferran as his chosen heir, not Alfons. Prince Alfons was a bit miffed at the change in succession, but did nothing about it. If Ferran was the King’s choice for heir, what could he do about it? It would take time to see the consequences of this choice.
Ferran hadn’t turned his eye away from Castile yet. The claim on Gibraltar had expired, so a spy was sent to forge another one. It was so tempting to attack them while they were weak. With most of their army in Africa, not even the assistance of Portugal could save them in Iberia, especially with France’s help. Castile’s alliance with England was not a worry, for England still did not possess a navy capable of threatening Aragon. Their alliance with the Pope was another matter. Ferran did not like that the Hungarian Pope felt a need to ally the Castilians, but there was nothing he could do about it. If he wanted to take down Castile, now was the time. Such a major decision would require the advice of the court.
((Spam in a can!))
Presenting His Majesty, Ferran II de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Naples, and Protector of the Greeks.
We have been victorious once more. Greece is secure now that our friends rule the land and the Ottomans have been pushed from the region. Let us celebrate our success. And to think that not a single battle was fought with them. The Mamluks did most of our work for us while we took the land we pleased. I do not know if an easier war has been fought with the heathens of the east than the last one.
I am sure that some of you may question my decision to make my son Ferran heir to the throne. I have my reasons and believe he would be best for the kingdom. Know that I did not make this decision lightly.
Now I wish to discuss something of the greatest importance. We have a prime opportunity to strike at Castile. Most of their army is in Africa and we have the naval capabilities to keep them trapped there. With the help of the French, we could easily occupy most of Iberia, since our two kingdoms are the strongest in Europe. Let the Castilians pay for what they did to my uncle, King Alfons V. I will let you think over what I have said and consult you more on the matter later.
((All ministers have until
Sunday at 12pm PST to post their plans. We, of course, will be voting on a new idea group once the plans are in, as well as other things. Keep in mind that we cannot pick an administrative idea, so only diplomatic and military ones are available.
Time to announce who will be collecting pensions. All these people’s characters are over 80 and should consider permanent retirement.
@VenetianRyan
@LatinKaiser
@ThetrueColt
@Tzuf23
@TJDS
I’ve also made it so that clergy can now serve as our in-game missionaries if they want and I’m planning to add in ducal titles soon. We’ll see how that works out.
There are a lot of positions like diplomat open, so if someone wants one for that extra vote, you should ask.
))