1684-1689 – The Second Italian Wars
With the start of 1684, the issue plaguing the Exercit Colonial was rectified. 10k artillery were replaced with infantry and soon the army was to be sent back to East Africa, perhaps in future preparation for a war with Sunda if Hispania decided to take Makassar as planned.
The Church of Jesus Christ also set up Sunday Schools designed to educate the poor, as well as teach religious and moral values for the various sects.
The navy received some attention. Funds were set aside to expand the transport fleets, adding five new ships to each of the two fleets, making them large enough to transport any of the Hispanian armies.
There was also pressure put onto Emperor Joan by some of the nobles for him to hand out titles, something that had been neglected by past emperors. When even the Prime Minister started asking for something, the emperor finally caved. He promised to hand out more titles in the next few years.
A major improvement in relations with the Catholic Church came in February when the Pope decided to draw back up some of the old treaties that had been torn up by a previous pope. The Pope recognized Hispania’s claims to Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil, a major step towards reconciliation. The hostility towards the Church of Jesus Christ was disappearing. While this was a good step forward, it also detracted from the fact that Papal recognition had already been given to France for the Caribbean and La Plata, where Hispania had a much larger presence. At least France had revoked all claims to Hispanian Caribbean colonies, despite the Pope’s decision. ((I have no idea why these treaties triggered despite us not being Catholic anymore. I can only assume it has to do with the colonies there being Catholic and our relations with the Papal State are finally positive. Also France no longer wants our Caribbean provinces and I have no idea why they suddenly changed their minds. Maybe they just knew about our IC treaty.
))
As the year continued, Austria made a move against Switzerland, who was without allies and an easy target. The planning for the war wasn’t the best though, for Austria sent in too few men at first and had their army defeated by the Swiss.
Crown resources were set aside to bolster the production in Granada, Asturias, and Roussillon.
The navy expansion continued, with the addition of five heavy ships and galleys. The excess funds in the treasury then went towards the expansion of forts within Iberia as part of the National Defense Act.
The second battle between Austria and Switzerland went a bit more in favour of Hispania’s ally.
As the year neared an end, preparations were made for a war on Tuscany. The Exercits Valencia and Athens were moved to northern Italy to meet up with the Exercits Provence and Napoli. Tuscany was allied with Lucca and Bohemia, so plans had to be drawn up for dealing with those two. The war though met a potential delay when dissent grew throughout Italy. Plans had gotten out and many of the Italian people were not to pleased with Hispania’s conquest in the region. The threat of revolt meant that action had to be taken. Joan III made it quite clear that he would not tolerate any rebellion against the Crown, something made all that much stronger by the presence of the entire Hispanian army in northern Italy. However, he also favoured the rule of law and the fair treatment of his subjects. He was thus willing to grant his Italian subjects greater autonomy, although he made it clear that if they wanted to be treated well as Hispanians, they should act like lawful Hispanians.
Britain’s hold on the east coast of North America increased with the annexation of Pequot.
After the threat of revolt was gone, war was finally declared on Tuscany. With Bohemia willing to come to Tuscany’s defence, assistance would be needed to ensure minimal losses. The emperor felt this was time to test out the strength of Hispania’s alliance bloc that had formed in Europe. When Hispanian had allied Sweden, that had completed an interconnecting alliance web of four of the most powerful nations in Europe. Hispania, France, Austria, and Sweden were all allied with each other. Now this unstoppable alliance would be put to the test. ((We should totally name this alliance bloc something epic, so feel free to suggest some names.
))
The armies marched into Tuscany and Lucca right after the declaration of war, with General Louis de Soneta attacking the Tuscan army in Firenze. A similar battle against Lucca occurred, although General Marti de Leon did not arrive with his force until near the end of the battle. Both battles were massive victories for Hispania, with both nation’s armies eliminated in their entirety.
At sea, a Tuscan trade fleet had the misfortune of running into the Hispanian trade fleet operating out of Genoa. The tiny fleet was sunk, with a single ship claimed for Hispania. It was also around this time that it was discovered that Alsace had joined the war for Lucca, only to get rolled over by France. Within a month or two, Ancona, Parma, and Romagna had all fallen. Cremona and Arezzo followed soon after, leaving just the capitals of both Tuscany and Lucca in Italy.
As was prone to happen, funds for the war were squeezed out of the colonies. Tariffs on fish were raised in Cusco to acquire the extra funds.
The capture of Romagna forced the Tuscan fleet to sea, where the Hispanian fleet was waiting. Greatly outnumbered, they were sunk in less than a day.
Thwarted too many times in Anatolia, the Mamluks turned their gaze west for the moment. They had managed to coerce Djerid into accepting vassalization, and now they had agreed to formally become part of their nation. With plans for a future war against Tunis, it seemed likely the two enemies would go head to head in the future.
Austria’s attention was still mostly on Switzerland, Byzantium had pushed into Bohemia, and France was on its way east. The latter proved a problem as Duke Joseph de Pellefort and his family in France took the opportunity to rise up against their bastard emperor in the French heartland. Over 150k men had answered the call of the Pelleforts, with most of them ready to besiege Paris. Henri II was spirited out of the city, fleeing to the port at Caux. He spent the next while moving around the outskirts of France, avoiding the rebels and trying to garner support. This rebellion also happened to coincide with Princess Isabel de Trastámara’s visit to France on her tour of Europe. She ended up joining the young emperor in his escape, accompanying him for some time, although her Aunt Marta de Trastámara, widow of Crown Prince Louis de Valois, was not so fortunate. She died during the early stages of the siege, creating a personal vendetta for the Trastámara family against these French pretender rebels. Isabel was present two months later when Henri reached the age of majority and the regency was formally dismantled.
The distraction of Switzerland was removed for Austria and they reduced the nation to a single province. Austria had swallowed up the vast majority of the nation, extending its border with France and pushing a bit further into Italy.
The first French army returned to France to face off against the army of Jean-Philippe Pellefort. The armies were fairly evenly matched, although General Francois de Galard was relentless with his artillery barrages. The enemy cavalry was hurt badly in particular, securing a victory against the rebels.
Unencumbered by petty continental affairs, Great Britain had the freedom of movement to annex another native tribe in the Americas, this time Cherokee.
General Galard soon found himself beset by more rebels. Gui Pellefort proved as unsuccessful as his relative, facing defeat at the hands of the French general. The Swedes even made an appearance in France, assisting their ally on the way to Bohemia. They attacked the weakened force of Jean-Philippe Pellefort, keeping him on the run. This whole effort though was a mere distraction, for Joseph de Pellefort managed to capture the city of Paris.
Over in Bohemia, Byzantium made a push on Prague, but Bohemia was not willing to let their capital fall so easily. They struck against Emperor Ioannes Palaiologos, and despite smaller numbers were able to save their capital.
General Galard was not willing to let the rebel force escape so easily this time. He hunted them down into Franche-Comte, crushing their morale and sending them fleeing further south. Sweden was not so lucky, with Joseph de Pellefort charging down against their much smaller army and shattering their ranks.
The continued freedom of religion for Christians caused some issues with those deviating from the Church of Jesus Christ. This was ignored as usual, for complaints from various nobles over production methods used by the Crown was drawing away attention, even though the emperor chose to ignore those too.
With the Greeks kicked out of Bohemia and most of the French army heading back home to crush the rebellion, the force left in the east was unable to fend off the Bohemian assault on their position. They had no choice but to retreat. At least they had much more success back home. Galard was able to best Joseph de Pellefort with inferior numbers, opening the way to Paris. This created an opportunity. When Mantua fell in February of 1686, Emperor Joan sent word to General Marti de Leon to march on Paris and liberate the city. He could not allow the death of his aunt to go unavenged, or to allow his ally to be overthrown.
Austria made its contribution to the French by attacking a rebel force in Savoie. With Sweden’s assistance, they managed to eliminate the force in a second battle. France had another victory soon after, with Austria moving on the other rebel army in Nevers.
A dispute amongst the von Wettin family boiled over in March, with Poland declaring war on Saxony. This also brought to attention that Serbia and Poland had gone their separate ways, with Serbia having its own von Wettin on the throne. The personal union that had threatened Byzantium’s security was gone.
Firenze fell in April, securing Tuscany for Hispania. General Louis de Soneta and his two armies marched up to Bohemia to knock them out of the war.
Joseph de Pellefort and his rebellion faced an end when the Austrians crushed his army in May. Paris still held out, the rebel forces holding steadfast, although General Leon was busy besieging the rebel stronghold.
On his way north, General Soneta diverted to Landshut to push the Bohemian army out of Austria. With the aid of the Greeks, he had little difficult doing just that.
On July 9, the city of Paris was liberated and the rebellion officially brought to an end. General Leon was paraded through the city as a hero, the liberator of both Rome and now Paris. Emperor Henri de Valois bestowed numerous honours upon the general and Emperor Joan promised him a reward upon his return to Hispania. Now he was to march to Bohemia.
General Soneta faced off against the Bohemian’s in Breslau, where he held his own quite well, even with the Exercit Athens preoccupied near Prague.
Brandenburg was just a shell of their former self. Luneburg had taken advantage of their weakness, claiming their northern provinces.
Agitation for reform, more specifically for a constitution, continued throughout Hispania. Publications were being circulated claiming the government was autocratic and reform was needed. Joan made vague promises of reform, for he was willing to institute such changes, but only with the guidance of his court.
The first peace of the war was signed in October of 1686, with Alsace given a relatively light peace. Both France and Austria desired their land, but Alsace was also one of the few Catholic electors in the HRE. They were only forced to pay the victors a tidy sum and cut ties with their allies, but their territory was left untouched. Lucca received similar treatment shortly after, with them forced to relinquish claims on surrounding land and pay war reparations. It was argued that no land should be claimed since Austria had its eyes on Mantua, Parma could still be considered part of the dismantled Savoy and thus fall under the agreement with the French, and taking such land without claims could overextend Hispania.
Cusco had started expanding south as Nuevo Leon pushed north, sparking conflict. The two butted heads over land disputes, but the Crown kept out of it for now.
Poland settled a peace with Saxony at the end of the year, taking two of Saxony’s northern provinces and pushing further into the HRE. This also happened to coincide with Lithuania’s declaration of war on Kazan. This might seem like a common occurrence, but ushered in a new era. In the past, nations had claimed provinces from their neighbours in petty border disputes or for religious reasons. Lithuania did not follow this path, instead claiming that as a stronger power it was their right to expand their borders and take what land they pleased in the pursuit of empire. Thus imperialism was born.
This idea did not take long to spread to Hispania. Coinciding with the creation of improved light ships, Hispanians started to gain a newfound pride in their nation, a pride that demanded that their nation was superior to all others and that Hispania’s needs and desires came first. This also extended to culture, where those with a shared identify felt a need to join together. This brought particular attention to Labourd, a French Basque province north of Navarra that shared more in common with their Hispanian neighbours than their French overlords.
As the people of Hispania looked at themselves differently, so did they at the land. Every piece of land, every resource, every person could be used for the betterment of the empire, if used properly. All it took was finding the right place for everything.
With a sizeable surplus in the treasury, the trade fleets were upgraded to the latest model.
Breslau fell in February of 1687, the timing perfect to assist the Greeks with tackling the Bohemian army. The arrival of the Hispanian armies, as well as the Austrian archduke, broke the Bohemian ranks, their general perishing during the battle.
The colony of Chumash reached completion with the aid of the Lübecker family. Resources were shifted across the Pacific to Bundjalung in Australia at the behest of the Montségur family.
The fort at Eger fell to Leon by June, securing southern Bohemia. Around the same time, the Bohemians were assaulted at Glogau to finish off their army once and for all. They managed a retreat to Overlausitz, but it was only a temporary respite before they had no choice by to surrender.
An influx of timber from the New World created an oversupply, driving down the price and making it much easier to acquire lumber for ships.
The Church’s presence at court had been minimal ever since the creation of the Church of Jesus Christ. A new leader was being appointed to serve the emperor at court, and some nudged the emperor to intervene to influence the choice. He felt that whoever took the position mattered little and thus decided not to get involved.
The French continued to experience rebel problems as particularlists rose up demanding greater freedom for the provinces. The French army had little trouble dispatching the main force.
Over in Mexico, the nation of Xiu managed to steal enough technology from neighbouring Nova Hispania to mimic western ways.
The use of light cavalry was becoming more common as cavalry found better use as scouts, with heavy armour proving too cumbersome against armies using muskets.
Leon faced off against the remaining Bohemian army in Wittenburg after Byzantium captured the fort at Dresden. The help of the Greeks proved a great boon, securing victory. By then, only a single fort held out.
Before the complaint had been against various methods of production. Now people were complaining about the army reforms. Emperor Joan did his best to drown them out.
With little left to do in Bohemia, Leon and the Exercits Valencia and Provence were recalled. On the way home, they managed to help Austria remove some pesky Swiss Separatists, with French help.
It was decided that the waiting for the final fort to fall would take too long, especially when so many men had already given their lives for this war. Seeing as Austria had already taken several provinces from Switzerland, including some in the HRE, it was decided that it was best not to let them gain from Bohemia as well to maintain a balance. Instead, Bohemia was forced to return several cores to Saxony, who was on pleasant terms with Hispania, with Joan’s brother Pere married to a distant cousin of their duke.
A colonial assembly formed in Cusco, partly as a result of them having to resolve their dispute with Nuevo Leon on their own. The Cuscoan people had been autonomous for long before then, so why not continue so?
The final peace with Tuscany was not an unexpected one. All their land was claimed for Hispania, as well as forced the Tuscan people to relinquish claims to nearby land to prevent future uprisings. This also provided Hispania with a new fort at Firenze, perfectly situated to protect Central Italy. The fort in Siena was now overshadowed and it was briefly considered to move it slightly south to Umbria to guard the chokepoint, but that was a matter for another day.
Presenting His Imperial Highness, Joan III de Trastámara, Emperor of Hispania, Caesar of Rome, and Protector of the Greeks.
We have taken one step closer to securing Italy for Hispania, ensuring our position in the region will not be threatened by outside powers. It is becoming quite clear that one day Hispania, France, and Austria will dominate Italy. Perhaps it is time our three nations split the remainder amongst ourselves, or for Hispania to take its place in the world as Rome reborn. Today we can stand proud as Hispanians.
I am also glad to see that the Pope has decided to look past old disputes and grant recognition to some of our colonies, a sign of reconciliation to be sure. Admittedly he has not restored all our treaties, but it is a start.
I know there has been some call for a distribution of titles. I shall be considering such a matter over the next few days. It has been delayed for some time, for such a process must be done cautiously. We must avoid disputes between claimants. Mustn’t forget bureaucracy and administrative issues. Border conflicts too. What a bother; what a bother….
((Blame it on Joan’s greediness for not wanting to part with titles so easily. Totally nothing to do with a lazy GM.
As for official business, ministers have until
Monday at 12PM PST to post their plans. Players may propose laws, reforms, or constitutions within that time period too. I’ve included an image of policies in the spam screenshot so people can see those now, keeping in mind we already have two enacted.
I also want people to know that I might not be as active this weekend since I will be attending a wedding and spending time with family. I’ll probably still check the forum, but most likely won’t appear on IRC unless I find time.
Pensioners:
@Raboude
Dying:
@Mau da Cic))