1498-1501 - Revenge (Part II)
With the consent of most of the court, King Ferran II dedicated the full power of Aragon to crushing the Castilians. With such a large enemy army in the north, Ferran’s first order of business was hiring 5000 mercenaries to bolster the army. He hoped that the slight increase in numbers would give Aragon the advantage. Also, with enough funds in the treasury, construction of barracks was put underway in Valencia to provide a housing and training area for the army.
As expected, the French army was unable to hold ground in Vizcaya, although they still inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. As the French army fled home, the Castilian army started moving south. General Sebastián de Loarre, currently besieging Castilla La Viega, made the decision to abandon the siege and retreat south to Toledo. The Castilian army was too large and he’d have to wait for reinforcements. He sent correspondence to Generals Luigi Castelozzi and Jean Charles de Fidèlle, requesting they march north to aid in a possible defence. Both generals obliged and abandoned the siege of Cadiz to ensure Castile did not break through. After a Portuguese force retook Caceres and the other main army took Vicaya, the Castilians marched all the way to Madrid. By then nearly the entire Aragonese army was in Toledo. Instead of engaging, the Castilians abandoned Madrid and marched north. Castile didn’t dare to test Aragon’s army.
It turned out later that the Castilians were responding to another threat instead. The other French army had arrived in Vizcaya and was attacking the smaller English force there. Knowing that Castile was undoubtedly heading to reinforce, the entire Aragonese army was ordered up to Vizcaya. A small Portuguese army sacrificed itself to stall the march. Despite that, France did manage to defeat the English before the main Castilian army arrived. At least that gave the French a few days to prepare a defensive for when they arrived.
And arrive they did. The Castilians marched into Vizcaya with superior forces. The Aragonese army tried to intervene, but the Portuguese had slowed them down too much. They did not arrive in time to save the French, but they did catch the weakened Castilian army before it could flee. Low on morale and with lower numbers, the Castilians faced defeat. With the Castilian force fleeing far south, the Aragonese army moved to siege. General de Loarre returned to Castilla La Viega, General de Fidèlle moved onto Madrid, the mercenaries were stationed in Soria, and General Castelozzi headed for Caceres to ensure the Castilians didn’t break back north. A French army of over 12k men was in the area too, so they had to be ready to reinforce if Castile made a move. The Castilians did manage to retake Sevilla, so they could start heading north soon, although a large contingent was satisfied to stay in Cadiz.
A minor setback occurred back at home when a comet streaked across the sky of Aragon. The peasants thought it a sign that the war would be lost and starting stirring up trouble. King Ferran could only curse and wish he lived in more enlightened times.
Soria was the first province to fall, followed by Madrid. Castile did send its army in Cadiz after the French, but the French outran them, joining up with Aragonese forces in central Castile. Castile instead settled for sieging Toledo, while the mercenaries and army under General de Fidèlle moved north to take Vizcaya and Burgos. Once Caceres fell, General Castelozzi joined up with de Loarre in Castilla La Vieja to ensure the Castilians didn’t overrun the position.
In the summer of 1498, the army reformer Aragon had hired to improve troop morale passed away. Needing a replacement to ensure the army was in top condition, one Mamert Delpuech was hired from Roussillon. Originally a Frenchman, he was known for being a master of ensuring supply chains were maintained during war and that the army always had what it needed. This was crucial for the success of the army’s efforts.
Some welcome news came in the form of Burgundy declaring war on England. Ferran wasn’t sure how they would be able to hurt the English with Calais occupied and England’s navy preventing an invasion of the British Isles. Hopefully they could at least provide a distraction. When Burgundy later requested military access, Ferran was glad to oblige.
With the navy of such supreme importance, actions were taken to build up infrastructure for the navy, as well as the many ships that traded in Aragonese ports. This, along with the strain of the army on finances, forced Aragon to take out a loan.
In September, the Castilian army in Sevilla started moving north. They moved on Madrid, taunting the siege army in Castilla La Vieja, before moving to Soria. In the meantime, Vizcaya fell, followed by Burgos. Portugal did finally make a move in Africa and take Melilla, but it did not have the forces available for an attack on Fez.
Castile retook Soria and scouts reported they were planning an attack on the armies in Castilla La Vieja. However, word must have reached them of possible French reinforcements, since they abandoned that attack and moved to Madrid, reclaiming the province. As they then marched west, General de Fidèlle was ordered to take back Soria. However, this was interrupted as reports revealing that the Castilians were trying to march around the army in Castilla La Vieja to get at a smaller French army in Leon. That could not be allowed. Instead of heading for Soria, de Fidèlle and the mercenaries marched west to reinforce the French. They arrived in time to keep the French from collapsing, but things weren’t looking good. They’d lose unless more troops arrived. General Castelozzi marched to help, leaving de Loarre to siege alone. Even then, the Castilians had better morale and discipline. Defeat seemed imminent. Then the massive French army that had been aiding de Loarre moved to intervene. That tipped the odds and brought about victory, but at a heavy cost. Castile may have lost half their men, but Aragon and France had paid heavily in blood for that victory. On the positive side, Castilla La Vieja finally succumbed.
With that success, the armies spread out to siege. Forces were ordered to Galicia, Asturias, and Braganca. Another 5k mercenaries were hired to ensure the front did not break, thanks to the earlier loan. They were moved to Cantabria. However, a new threat presented itself as the English retook Toledo for Castile and moved north. They attacked a French army in Leon and it was feared they would soon start picking off the divided Aragonese armies. Even as Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia, and Braganca all fell, King Ferran II sent an offer of peace to England. He requested that the two sides agree to a white peace to end hostilities. Fortunately a reply reached Aragon before the English army could attack the army in Asturias. England had accepted the offer. They were out of the war, and thus so was the 20k English men still in Iberia.
With the bulk of the enemy force out of the war, Aragon moved its armies south. General de Loarre engaged the Portuguese army Porto. With the assistance of some mercenaries and General de Fidèlle, he easily crushed them. Elsewhere, General Castelozzi went after Madrid, while some mercenaries coordinated with the French to take Soria back. The French also managed to take Salamanca for Aragon.
In May, Castile sent its first offer of peace. They were willing to give up Murcia and Gibraltar, as well as pay war reparations and a hefty sum. Ferran laughed in the emissary’s face. It wasn’t about money. Aragon would get revenge by taking as much land as they could. Castile would pay.
Even as Castile begged for peace, the French were moving in on the last Castilian army in Cadiz. General de Loarre rushed south to aid their effort, while General de Fidèlle remained in Portugal. He arrive quite late in the battle, but just in time to inflict serious damage on the enemy. The Castilians fled to Algarve in Portugal, where Aragon could not reach. General de Loarre was content to retake Sevilla while waiting for them to make a move. Elsewhere, General Castelozzi focused on retaking Toledo, with mercenaries working on La Mancha.
Even as the war raged on, conflict existed in other forms. Documents had been found revealing that parts of Ceuta had originally belonged with Melilla or Fez. This presented Aragon with a claim on the province, although Ferran was not eager to press it. He accepted the documents as genuine, but stated that the focus was on taking down Castile this war, not antagonizing the Portuguese through land grabs. To ease the minds of the Portuguese, the King sent them a peace offer. He was willing to end hostilities with Portugal if they renounced their alliance with Castile and paid a small sum to make up for the inconvenience they had caused. Portugal was more than willing to oblige with Aragonese troops outside Lisboa. Now Castile was alone in Iberia, with only the Pope at his side, although he just sat around in Abruzzi.
As La Mancha fell, word arrived from Byzantium that Bulgarian Separatists had risen up in the provinces conquered from the Ottomans last time. The King was incredibly irate that the Greeks could not keep their people under control. He promised to send aid when some men were available, but for now Byzantium would have to handle it alone. Ferran wondered if the Swedes were having similar problems with their recently conquered lands.
As Sevilla fell, the French made a move on the Castilian army hiding in Algarve. General de Loarre moved to intervene. With his aid, the Castilian army was eliminated. With no more forces, Castile was wide open. Armies were moved into all available provinces, which included Cadiz and Toledo, after Jaen was reclaimed. A mercenary army of 5k men was placed on ships and set sail for Byzantium. King Ferran would not let the Greeks succumb to rebels.
With the Aragonese navy now busy near Greece, the Papal State made a move. They attacked a French navy in the Gulf of Almeria. The navy sailed back to intervene, but the Papal navy snuck up through the northern Mediterranean before Admiral Ernst Wilhelm Lübecker could catch them. Instead of going back to port, they made the mistake of attacking the Neapolitans and then trying to head into the Adriatic. This time Admiral Lübecker caught them. Not a single Papal ship escaped. They would not be harassing Aragon’s allies now.
Matters in Byzantium were not going that well. Silistria had been retaken and the Greeks ordered an attack on one of the rebel armies. The mercenaries were ordered to aid the effort. However, the other rebel army intervened. Outnumbered, the Greeks stood no chance. They fled to Athens to recover.
Back in Iberia, Toledo was retaken, leaving only Cadiz left. Perhaps the imminent defeat of Castile, or the loss of their navy, finally convinced the Papal State to consider peace. All ties with Castile were forcefully cut and a small “gift” was requested to make up for all the lives lost. To show that he intended to earnestly use it for the people, King Ferran ordered the lowering of taxes for the next 5 years to let families recover.
With the Papal State out of the war, the army in Naples was sent back to Greece. Despite seeing no conflict the entire war, General Stefano von Thun was given an important role. It was his duty to aid the Greeks in any way he could to rid them of the rebel scum. When the Greeks were able to corner one of the rebel armies alone, he marched to intervene. His aid was crucial in eliminating the threat. Now only one rebel army remained.
Genoa was now stirring things up. They had managed to annex their vassal Crimea, strengthening their position in the east. However, Ottoman Separatists were threatening their provinces in Anatolia, not that King Ferran complained. It’d be much easier to take the land from the Ottomans than the Genoans if a move was ever made.
After Tarnova was captured in Greece, the combined forces of the Greeks and General von Thun’s army moved on the final rebel force. The threat was finally eliminated, removing Byzantium’s rebel problem for now. Who knew when more would show up? For now General von Thun could return to Athens and wait for the end of the war.
Over in the west, the remaining mercenary army was sent to take Oran, Castile’s recently claimed African province. The other mercenary force, after its loss in Greece, had been disbanded to cut down on costs. It did not take long to occupy the province.
In January of 1501, Cadiz finally fell, leaving all of Castile’s Iberian provinces under Aragonese control. Not wanting to prolong the war by going after Castile’s territory in the Atlantic, King Ferran enforced a peace. As promised, he took plenty of land. In total, Murcia, Sevilla, Cordoba, Gibraltar, Jaen, Cadiz, and La Mancha were all claimed. Castile was also required to pay war reparations and a sum of ducats. After much hardship, revenge had been achieved. It seemed unlikely that Castile would be a serious threat ever again.
The Aragonese administration was seriously taxed trying to administer these newly conquered lands. Serious administration could only truly be put in place in five of the eight conquered provinces, and it would take some more time to get to the rest. Forts in Girona and Roussillon were mothballed, although the ones in Valencia and Granada were not to prevent rebel problems, as well as Fez since an army was not present. Now Aragon had two new forts in Cadiz and Murcia, although the one in Cadiz was mothballed due to overlapping with Granada’s protective efforts.
Despite the fact that the Chancellor’s plan had been disputed, when Portugal took the initiative to ask for an alliance, King Ferran accepted. He suspected most of his subjects were not against his idea already, and now with Portugal cutting ties with Castile, they were more useful. The loan taken out earlier was also repaid using funds taken from Castile, emptying the treasury.
Relations with the Papal State also had to be repaired. Diplomat Llorenç Alfons María de Agramunt was sent to meet with the Pope and hopefully smooth things over. The last thing Aragon needed was a conflict with the Papacy.
With manpower so low, King Ferran ordered an effort to bolster recruitment efforts across Aragon. Manpower was raised in Teruel, Tarragona, and Barcelona. Now the realm just had to recover. It would take time.
((Have some delicious spam.))
Presenting His Majesty, Ferran II de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Naples, and Protector of the Greeks.
We have done it. After our failure half a century ago, we have bested the Castilians and crippled them. This will be put down in history as one of our greatest accomplishments. I personally wish to thank all our generals, who assured us victory over the Castilian scum. Our position in Iberia is secure thanks to all of you. Now we can rejoice in our success and enjoy the spoils of war.
But first, we must also handle the many issues that follow a war. While the new provinces will be a burden to administer for some time, I have made note of another problem involving the fortifications. There is currently a fort in Cadiz, one that serves almost no purpose. Our fortifications in Granada defend all provinces that the one in Cadiz can reach. It serves no purpose other than to waste our money. Perhaps we should consider dismantling it. At least the fort in Murcia keeps La Mancha safe, with its precious gold mines. There has also been talk of dismantling other forts before. The one in Messina serves little purpose, since with our massive navy, Sicily has never truly been threatened. Even if someone were to land there, would keeping them occupied with sieges serve much purpose? Perhaps the funds would be better spent elsewhere. Then there is Roussillon. The fort in Girona protects us just as much, while the one in Roussillon wastes our money. It is not as though the French are about to invade. If anything, we need a fort in Navarra or Pirineo to keep armies from marching past. We have had too many enemies use that gap against us. At a later date, after we have given some time for things to settle down, I will officially put the issue before the court, but for now just keep it in mind.
I do have some joyous news to announce. My brother Joan is to remarry after the loss of his wife five years ago. We have found a suitable match in the young Germaine de Foix, a distant cousin of ours. May their union be happy and prosperous. ((She historically married Ferdinand II of Aragon, aka Ferran II, so it makes sense to marry her back into the family.))
Oh, I almost forgot. It would seem that Prince Alfons now has a baby boy, who he has wisely named Ferran. Congratulations to him. Now excuse me while I go taste some of the wine down in the cellar.
((This update is a little different, since we already have plans so there’s nothing to really vote on, other than the extended vote for the Byzantium plan. I’m just going to go ahead and play some time in the next few days. As for the forts, I’ll deal with that after the next update. I’ll try to write something up for the investigation of Luigi Castelozzi, but I have plans later in the afternoon that might keep me preoccupied for most of the day. We also have two more cardinals, stolen from Castile, so I'll get around to announcing who is appointed. For now I shall list those collecting pensions:
@TrueProd
@EmperorBasilius
@Tzuf23, your character is over 100 and will die the next update. Feel free to create a new character if you’re still around.))