1661-1667 – At War with Religion
After the funeral of Ferran V and the coronation of Alfons VIII, the two most important dignitaries left in highs spirits. The ruler of Cusco returned overseas to his home with news that his people were now citizens of Hispania, receiving equal rights to the neighbouring European settlers. With the integration of Cusco into the empire, borders had to be rearranged. The nearby colonies sponsored by the Montségur family were merged with the new colonial nation. The northernmost provinces had a large population of settlers from Nueva Granada and were granted to that colonial nation instead. In a sign of good faith, the southernmost provinces were given to Nuevo Leon, despite the fact they could not reach them yet. Regardless, Cusco lived on now as part of Hispania. Also, since the people of Cusco had not been Christians beforehand and had not been too heavily influenced by Catholicism as the other colonial nations had, Cusco was the first colonial nation of Hispania’s to embrace the Church of Jesus Christ. Despite Christianity being a new faith to the people of Cusco, they found the tolerant nature of this new church quite welcoming.
Emperor Ioannes of Byzantium returned to Constantinople with hope as well. While he had not received official recognition of Catholicism as the state religion, Hispanian court had agreed to not change their state religion. They both essentially ended in the same result. However, the nobles were not pleased, for they knew that while Hispania had agreed not to force a change of religion, they would certainly put pressure on Byzantium to follow their example. Hispania was taking the subtler approach this time. Ioannes found quite a cold reception when he got home.
With the Church of Jesus Christ finally starting to take hold in Iberia, it now had the power to persuade the various Christian faiths to take certain directions, or in some cases encourage those differences. The idea of each faith having its own individual creed was something the Church embraced, for it helped bring in people of all kinds under its wing to share ideas.
As for the plans to vassalize the Papal State, those had to be held off for later. Due to the earlier war against them alongside France, a truce had been signed until 1665. Emperor Alfons refused to pursue any military action against the Papal State until the truce was gone. The chancellery instead focused on severing ties with Persia.
Funds from the treasury were put to use to pay for the construction of 19 merchantmen, to be put to use in the transport fleet. Grand Admiral Dietrich Vinzent Lübecker wanted two transport fleets now to ferry troops around the Mediterranean and beyond. Naval expansion continued once more funds were acquired, expanding the main fleet to 25 heavy ships and 50 galleys.
Events overseas took a turn as Bahmanis’s position in southern India was compromised. Not only did they lose several provinces to the growing Malwa, but the nations of Venad and Ceylon were set free. With such tiny nations vulnerable to attack with no allies, perhaps it was time for Hispania to establish a presence in India.
Conversion efforts by the Church of Jesus Christ continued in Iberia, although the emperor was hesitant to push for activity in the lands of the more prominent nobility, he made an exception for his prime minister. Count Petros Mandromenos had spoken up against the continued attempts by the Catholic clergy in Athens to resort to violence. The emperor felt establishing the Church of Jesus Christ within the province would weaken their influence and end religious tensions. Hopefully he would prove right.
Efforts to bolster trade continued into East Africa, as trade depots were set up near Zanzibar.
In March of 1662, Hungary annexed Croatia, removing the buffer state originally put in place to weaken Hungary. This was even more worrisome now that Serbia had become a Polish puppet. A single regiment rose up in revolt to win their freedom.
Italian affairs heated up as Lucca declared war on Ferrara, attempting to strengthen their position in the region.
On 13 June 1662 in the colony of Miwok, also known as San Francisco, the colonists and natives met together in a grand feast, perhaps what would be known as the first Hispanian Thanksgiving.
Without the intervention of the mother country, Nova Hispania successfully completed its war with Itza, conquering all their western provinces and greatly expanding the colonial nation’s presence in Mexico. It was a moment to be proud of. Shortly after, Xiu pounced on the weakened Itza.
Bickering amongst the lower nobility had weakened the power of the nobles at court.
Following in Nova Hispania’s example, Nuevo Leon declared war on the small native tribe of Guarani, who they had gained a border with after the integration of Cusco.
At the end of the year, word got out of Hispania’s plans to instigate a war with the Papal State. Despite the plan being devised by the chancellor at the time, most of the blame from the Catholic world fell on the emperor. Alfons was not completely adamant about the proposed war, but he did support his court. He did not deny Hispania’s intentions, even if it made the rest of the Catholic world think him a ruthless powermonger.
In January of 1663, abandoned by their traditional French allies, Mainz found themselves dismantled by their neighbours. Four separate states received provinces, and a further two were granted independence. Mainz itself was reduced to a single province, a shell of its former self.
Drama in the HRE only picked up after the defeat of Mainz. The ruler of Nuremburg passed away without an heir, passing his crown to Cleves. Bavaria disputed this, starting a succession war. The two sides on their own were laughable in size, but Cleves ultimately had allies like Brandenburg to back it up. It seemed likely that Bavaria would make a fool of itself pushing its claim to Nuremburg.
In April, Miwok became self-sufficient, officially renaming the province San Francisco as requested by the Leon family. The colonist made his way to Antofagasta at the request of the Crown, who wanted Nuevo Leon’s landlocked provinces given access to the sea. This also brought to attention that Nuevo Leon was losing its war with Guarani, for its troops could not reach the native nation without wandering through treacherous lands, which they seemed unwilling to do. Ultimately, the emperor felt it was his duty to defend his colonial empire. An ultimatum was sent to Guarani: remove themselves from Nuevo Leon or face the wrath of Hispania. They chose the latter. While the emperor did not intend to commit any troops, this declaration brought the entire might of Hispania’s colonial empire to bear on this tiny native tribe.
With a rising population, efforts were made to produce more productive farmland for more food. Clearing woodlands for use of farms was an increasingly used practice.
In July, Austria ended its war with Venice, seizing the renowned city and securing themselves a significant portion of the Italian coastline. Venice had been reduced to a tiny province in Milan. The increasing expansion of both France and Austria into Italy was quite worrisome and might require attention in the near future.
As expected, the empire rallied to Nuevo Leon’s cause. 18k men from Cusco arrived in the region to save their colonial brethren. The timing was good, for a French colony appeared right next-door to Guarani, so this war needed to be won before the French got any ideas.
In August, Persia took a province from Georgia, allowing Gazikumukh to polish them off once and for all.
The first governor of Cusco, a former Cuscoan, made a state visit to Hispania. After meeting with members of the chancellery and friends in the Montségur family, he and Emperor Alfons decided to spend some time together in prayer. The governor wished to show his people’s commitment to the new church and Alfons was more than happy to oblige.
February of 1664 saw Xiu expanding its presence in the Yucatan peninsula at the expense of Itza. Their power plays were pathetic compared to the power that could be brought down upon them by Hispania or other Europeans.
As 1665 approached, and since the plans against the Papal State had already been revealed, troops started to be moved in place. The Exercit Castilla La Vieja under General Gaston Jacques de Saint-Pierre marched for Lucca, where it could intervene in Savoy if they joined the war. The Exercits Valencia and Granada landed in Siena to surround Rome, with General Louis François de Montségur tasked with taking Urbino first. The Exercit Africa was to be shipped to Greece to move with the Exercit Athens under General Demetrios Madromenos to take out Hungary if they joined.
The colonial coalition against Guarani was a major success. With the native tribe crushed by them, the province was secured for Nuevo Leon. The growth of the colonies, and improved control of trade in Africa, had greatly improved the merchants’ ranks in Hispania. ((We gained three merchants this update from East Africa, Cusco, and Nuevo Leon. I sent them to Mexico, Brazil, and Zanzibar, but the Grandmaster is free to move them elsewhere.))
Alsace annexed Baden, clearly a major victory for all Europeans everywhere, that is if France or Austria didn’t get hungry.
The grand succession war plaguing the HRE ended as expected, but the peace was unusual. Bavaria lost, but was forced to hand over a province to Austria, who was not in the war. Why the Protestant powers of the HRE would give land to the largest Catholic nation was beyond anyone’s understanding. Perhaps even more amusing was that three months after the end of the war, Nuremburg got fed up with being ruled from Cleves and declared an independence war, dragging in nearly all of Cleves’s neighbours against them. The HRE truly was a joke.
The Church of Jesus Christ had met grand success in Iberia, although not in the lands of the major nobles, but had yet to expand too far beyond. The emperor thus endorsed setting it up in Naples as the next focus.
With the changes in farming being developed at the time, agricultural production grew. This also meant more taxes to collect.
The court philosopher, Francesco di Medici, passed away. He was replaced by a more money-focused man from Tlemcen, one Sakhr Benzine, who had ideas on how to boost tax income. This was the second advisor to be hired from North Africa at court.
The recent expansion by Nova Hispania worried some that the local natives were being abused in the process. When it was pointed out that these same natives practiced human sacrifices, the objections were withdrawn. This did not please the native neighbours, but who cared above them.
In June, the final war preparations were made. Both Savoy and Mainz backed out of aiding the Papal State, too far in debt to even consider going up against Hispania, although Hungary was quick to back His Holiness. Both France and Austria made it clear that while they would be willing to uphold their alliance with Hispania, they did not want any part with this war. Emperor Alfons did not test their friendship, choosing to exclude them from the war. Thus the war to vassalize the Papal State began.
Armies in Italy immediately moved for Roma and Urbino, while those in Byzantium headed north. Admiral Dietrich Vinzent Lübecker set up a blockade of Rome. The Papal army soon found itself beset from all sides. While Hispania had no clear general leading the charge until General Saint-Pierre arrived near the end, it was a clear victory for Hispania, with the Papal army decimated outside Rome.
Over in Hungary, General Demetrios Madromenos was attacked by the Hungarian army, who had 10k more men than him. The Exercit Africa had marched north in the west and was unable to circle around to aid him. The general had to either save himself or hope for the Greeks to arrive in time. The latter did not happen, but the former certainly did. Despite the poor odds, the general fought back the Hungarians, inflicting over twice as many casualties on them despite having less numbers. The Hungarians could not hold and retreated north, securing a major victory for Hispania.
With Italy secured for now, the Exercits Castilla La Vieja and Granada sailed across the Adriatic to aid the war effort in Hungary. General Montségur followed shortly after with the Exercit Valencia. It was thus General Marti de Leon who was tasked with the all-important task of besieging Rome, with both the Exercits Provence and Napoli at his disposal.
A tiny Papal trade fleet had the misfortune of encountering Hispania’s trade fleet. They did not survive the encounter.
Once all the Iberian armies were in Hungary, they spread out to take as many forts as possible. Montségur headed straight for the isolated fort within Serbia, while Saint-Pierre focused on Slavonia. Mandromenos was tasked with taking out the fort in Hunyad, although his earlier losses prevented him from having the manpower to take it on his own.
The vastness of the Hispanian empire often required the need of allowing locals to have some say in their own governance. This method of indirect rule not only made the empire run more smoothly, but helped ease separatist sentiment.
Emperor Ioannes IX, despite his weak constitution, was not afraid to lead his men into battle. With a capable mind for military tactics, he led the Byzantine charge at Pest, later backed up by the Exercit Africa. Pushing the Hungarians from their capital was not easy, but they could not hold against such overwhelming numbers.
While Hispania was focused elsewhere, the Mamluks decided to use the independence of Djerid to expand their domain to make up for losses in Anatolia. Persia also secured a victory against Najd, gaining a foothold in Arabia.
At the start of 1666, both Rome and Slavonia fell. The centre of the Catholic world was now in Hispania’s hands. Nations around the world waited with baited breath, fearing the worst. Cardinals of the Holy See pointed to the year’s number as a sign that Satan was at work, with Hispania as his instrument of evil. Despite the worries, General Leon’s occupation of the city was civil and he restrained his men well. Shortly after the occupation of the city, he withdrew most of his army back to Provence and kept the Exercit Napoli as a garrison force next door so as to not antagonize the people of Rome any further. Many applauded General Leon for keeping such a dangerous situation from escalating further.
With the occupation of the city, the Papal navy tried to make a run for it. Admiral Lübecker was having none of that. The Papal navy did not make it far before facing not only the main fleet, but a passing trade fleet that intervened. Over 100 ships amassed against the Papal navy, sealing their fate.
Over in Hungary, General Saint-Pierre targeted the Hungarian army before it could recover fully. The Exercit Granada was close by, and together the two forced the Hungarians on the run. With that done, the Exercit Granada was told to march over to General Mandromenos to provide him with the manpower needed to take Hunyan, removing a minor Hungarian army in the process.
In February, Visoki fell to Montségur’s army. Coordinating efforts with Saint-Pierre, he intended to encircle the Hungarian army and eliminate it once enough men were gathered. When the capital of Pest fell a few months later, those forces were now available. All three armies converged on the Hungarian army’s location. Montségur and Saint-Pierre arrived together, launching the initial attack. The Exercit Africa was delayed though and did not arrive in time, but they were not needed. The Hungarians were on the run again, and this time the generals pursued. Emperor Ioannes accompanied their charge, giving them enough men to easily overwhelm the enemy this time. With the Hungarian army all but gone, Montségur set out for the last Hungarian fort not under siege while Saint-Pierre focused on capturing the countryside.
It seemed likely that Nuremburg would win their freedom as Brandenburg, Cleves’s ally, was forced out of the war. It seems that Austria had gotten involved in a separate war against Brandenburg and most likely considerably weakened them for Nuremburg and co.
In August, Tuscany decided to take advantage of the war between Lucca and Ferrara by declaring war on the latter. They clearly intended to regain their former territory.
As October came near an end, nearly the entire Hungarian countryside had been taken, with only two forts still standing. Armies were starting to withdraw back home, with Saint-Pierre given permission to take the Exercit Castilla La Vieja back to Iberia. The Exercit Africa was close behind. When Hunyad finally fell, General Mandromenos was able to finish off Hungary, moving on the shattered remains of its army hiding in the east.
Around this time, Switzerland made a move on Savoy, trying to reclaim lost lands. It seemed that Italy was on ablaze with war.
War didn’t seem to have any effect on trade in Africa. The TATC had expanded its presence in East Africa and was flourishing.
Up in the north, Pomerania secured the city of Hamburg from Munster.
At the end of January, the last Hungarian stronghold felt. The remaining Hispanian armies were recalled home, and now the fate of Hungary had to be decided. The war was ultimately against the Papal State, but it seemed that these clashes kept happening against Hungary. Attempts to weaken Hungary were suggested around the chancellery, particularly the revival of Croatia as a border state. It was ultimately the emperor who overrode this. Croatia might serve as a decent buffer state for a time, but as before it was likely that Hungary would just reconquer them again. Instead he stated that the Croatian lands should be granted to Byzantium, strengthening the Greeks while simultaneously weakening Hungary and encircling Serbia. While the Austrians were not too happy with this outcome, especially since Hungary was forced to end their alliance, the Greeks were certainly pleased. Many speculated that the emperor used this as a means to appease the Greeks after the recent religious dispute.
The fate of the Papal State was still a conflicting one. No one could decide on a final peace. The original plan had been to vassalize them, but what did that mean for the Catholic Church. The chancellery debated over the issue for three months before going ahead with the initial plan. The province of Urbino was claimed for Hispania and the Papal State was to give up their claims in Italy, as well as paying for the war costs for the Italian campaign. As for the matter of vassalization, it was kept purposely vague in the peace treaty to avoid conflict over the matter. Instead the confusion over the state of the Catholic Church only caused further concern. The people of Rome did not like being forced under Hispanian rule. However, it was the major Catholic nations of the world who were most concerned.
After the peace agreement was announced, the Catholic countries of Europe demanded that a council be held in Rome to decide the fate of the Papal State and the Catholic Church. If Hispania was to make the Papal State a vassal, what would this mean for the Catholic Church? Was only the secular state a vassal, while the Church remained independent, or were both now under Hispanian influence? Was the Pope to remain in charge of the Papal State or only serve as the head of the Church? Would the Pope be considered a subject of the Hispanian empero,r and thus the Church as well? Would Hispania start meddling in Church affairs? Or better yet, could Hispania be convinced to give up this folly and let the Papal State remain free? These were all questions that needed to be answered. Not wanting to earn the ire of every Catholic state in Europe, Emperor Alfons VIII agreed to this council. Ambassadors from all over Europe converged on Rome, although Hungary refused to attend after their recent humiliation. The larger states made the grandest entrances and it was clear from the start that they would be deciding the outcome, not the minor states. France, Austria, Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden took up leadership of the Council of Rome and directed the emperor of Hispania and his court to provide an explanation of the future of the Papal State and Catholic Church that would satisfy them. If they were not pleased by the result, things were sure to get grim.
Presenting His Imperial Highness, Alfons VIII de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, and Protector of the Greeks.
It seems that our recent war with the Papal State has drawn the attention of the rest of the Catholic world, not that I am surprised since we have made it subservient to Hispania. It was a daring plan, one fuelled by the constant antagonism spurred by the Papacy, but now we must justify our decision and placate the rest of Europe. We must tread carefully here, because we cannot have half of Europe turn against us. I thus encourage everyone at court to accompany me to Rome to attend this council. I trust that Chancellor Almaden Hashem and the diplomats at his disposal will help devise a solution that will satisfy all parties. I hope that you all are willing to aid this effort for Hispania’s sake.
While discussing matters of religion, I beseech those nobles at court to consider encouraging the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ within their own lands. We cannot truly have the tolerance that you all desire unless we allow this religious body to operate freely throughout Hispania. We should also consider how best shape this church to suit our needs. Advice is always welcome.
Now I’m afraid that I must depart. My ship for Rome is waiting in the harbour and I must not let half of Europe wait on me.
((I’ll start with the small things first. We can pick two more church aspects, so feel free to suggest any that are listed in the spam picture, or even make up your own that I can add to the game. You can be as creative as you want when devising these, just as long as they are approximately as beneficial as the existing ones. I’m going to add the list of available church aspects to the spam screenshot from now on. I also would like confirmation that the nobles are willing to allow the Church of Jesus Christ in their lands. I know I’ve had at least one person say no for political reasons and another who was against the Catholic Church’s actions in their lands, but I need to know for the rest. I’ll just continue converting the remaining provinces until then.
Now for the big thing. If it’s not clear, this Council of Rome shall be our event. The Catholic world is not happy with our vassalization of the Papal State and they want an explanation or outcome that will satisfy them all. It is the goal of all of you to come up with a declaration or resolution to present at the council detailing what this vassalization actually means. I’m going to put the chancellor and diplomats in charge, although the emperor will be involved too. Now when coming up with a resolution, you need to consider what everyone wants. The key issue to focus on is how this vassalization will effect the Catholic Church and Papacy. The easy solution is to end the vassalization, but if we want them as a vassal we need a reasonable explanation, such as a clear division between the secular and spiritual. While all Catholic states will be present, excluding Hungary, only five of them will be deciding the outcome: France, Austria, Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden. The more of these five we can win over to our side, the better the outcome will be. Their ambassadors will be present and you can address questions to them if you wish by directing letters, etc to “French Ambassador” for example. Keep in mind that while they will all of course favour the freedom of the Papal State for reasons of faith, some are more willing to accept compromise, while others will go against us for political reasons. For example, France and Austria as trusted allies would be more willing to accept a minor compromise than say Lithuania, who is our rival. Each of these five states also has interests beyond the spiritual that can be used to win their favour. Just think of each state’s current circumstances and past actions and what Hispania can give in turn to win them over. Promises and concessions can be made. Try feeling out the ambassadors for possible desires of each nation, but try not to be too blunt or you might antagonize them instead. Also, Emperor Ioannes of Byzantium will be present, but due to Byzantium’s status as our vassal, they will not be involved in deciding the outcome. They can be used to influence the outcome if someone wants to take that path. Also bear with me when it comes to responding as the ambassadors. Managing that many countries at once will be tricky, but I’ll try my best. Sorry for the giant text block, but the event needed to be fully explained.
If you survived reading that, let it be known that ministers have until
Monday at 12PM PST to post their plans. Players may also propose laws during that time, and possible church aspects should be posted before that deadline. The declaration or resolution for this event does not need to be completed until later, probably Thursday when the vote will most likely end. Also, seeing as one of our Cortz members is about to die, any landed noble is free to nominate themselves for the position.
@hirahammad, I know you said you can’t access the save file, so if you need help coming up with a chancellor’s plan, feel free to send me a PM with any questions or information you need. I can also point out some opportunities or possible paths we can take if you want me too.
Pensioners:
@Mau da Cic
@Dadarian
Dying:
@xXNorwegianSniperXx
@Von Habsburg))
))
