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Chapter IV: A Requiem for the Habsburgs
1442-1458
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Italian factionalism had died with the end of the Neapolitan War; in a few short years, the course of Italian history had changed irrevocably. With control of Italy divided between two powers, it seemed to be only a matter of when, not if, the situation would escalate; for beneath our cordial relations with the Habsburgs there lay a festering hostility, brought on by conflicting claims over Northern Italy.

For the meantime, though, such a terrible conflict would be set aside. Neither Austria or Venice could survive such a war, and so we continued aiding each other. However, the aid we gave seemed to be determined solely by a race for control of Italy. This sentiment is clearly shown by the war that is known as the First War of Italian Unification.


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Diplomacy of the First War of Italian Unification.

Though the belligerents in the war, we were motivated by the protection of the now fragmented states; they would not be safe unless annexed into the Republic. Among these states were the Patriarchate of Aquileia as well as the Kingdoms of Sicily, Savoy and Naples, but most importantly, the Papacy itself. This war represented the final break with the Papacy and dealt a huge blow to the Pope's power; with the Pope in exile, he would have little sway over Catholic affairs any longer.

As expected, there was little resistance from the states and they all soon fell. Unsurprisingly, the strongest resistance came from the Papal States, but it was futile all the same. The dream of a unified Italy came one step closer with the annexation of Naples, Aquileia and the Papal States as well as the seizure of Savoy's coast. We allowed the Kingdom of Sicily to become a vassal to the Republic, rather then overextend our resources and face more revolts in an area that had always been troublesome.


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Not very favorable to our international reputation.

With Southern Italy firmly in Venetian hands, it seemed that any further expansion in the north would require a direct confrontation with Austria. Such a war would ruin our already shaky economic situation, and so no plans were made for an attack. Instead, our plan was to stabilize the economy and the country. In addition, we would try to regain some of our international prestige and reputation.


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Inflation should be dealt with.

Nothing would be new for the Republic, however, and we never had that chance at stabilization. Instead, all of Italy would brought into turmoil by the disastrous War of the Alps. Named so for the invasions over the Alps into Austria and Venice, this war saw the end of an empire.

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The coalition against Austria.

This war had been planned for several years, but ended up being a total failure in execution. Austria had underestimated the power of the German minors, and thought that the states of the Holy Roman Empire would be easily subdued and brought under the wing of the Habsburgs. The first signs of disaster came as Bavaria's army, near equal in size to the Austrian, marched into Austria unchecked and bypassing the Alps.

The true call to arms for the Republic came as German armies invaded over the Alps into Venetian territory unopposed. All our forces were brought from Southern Italy and barely held off the invasion as nationalists in the south began an open revolt. We knew that the war had to end as quickly as possible, or we would fall along with the Habsburgs. Austrian diplomats came to us, begging for aid as more countries declared war on Austria. Though initially we upheld the alliance and fought against Milan, when we received word that Burgundy, Aragon, Savoy, Lorraine and Hainaut had joined the war, there was no choice but to sever ties and abandon our former ally. As Austria crumbled from invasion on nearly all fronts, we were able to force the Germans out of Venice and sue for peace.

We could only watch as Austria made concessions to the German invaders, only to have the Bohemians completely occupy the country in their place. Our attention was soon turned from Austria, though, as matters grew worse in Venice. Nationalists ran freely throughout Southern Italy, and for a brief period set up an independent government. Fortunately for us, we had been mostly able to hold the Germans at the Po, and we were able to deal with any rebellion - unlike the Habsburgs, who had for a time lost all control over their territory.


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March 22, 1449. This is near the beginning of the war.

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August 22, 1452. For Venice, the war has finally ended.

Our fears of a terrible confrontation with Austria would appear to be unfounded. The Habsburgs were finished, and we were set back years - the next decade would be spent dealing with rebellions brought on by the War of the Alps.

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Religion in 1458. The east is unstable as ever.

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Europe in 1458.

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The world in 1458. England has discovered a new land to the west.



 
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Chapter 1: The fight over the supremacy of The Netherlands
A Brabant/Dutch AAR
Special: 1st Ducal Decree

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OOC: Since the lack of updates, I decided to put a little preview of the part that will be posted after Sunday's session.

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Ducal decree of the 15th of June, 1465
New-Netherlands claimed by Brabant!


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Brabant's claim to the New-World

During the begining of Spring , 1465, the first expedition to the New-World, the Zeeland Expedition, led by Admiral Orland Albers, has found a new land which he claimed in the name of the Duke of Brabant. This land will be known has the New-Netherlands. The Duke of Brabant is looking for experienced leaders, bureaucrat, and more, to provide help to the Duke with Colonizing theses new lands. In other words, he is looking for:
-Experienced Military and Civilian leaders-
-Experienced Bureacrates-
-Experienced Traders-
Those interested must be able to attend at the Ducal Palace in 's-Hertogenbosch before the 1st of July, 1465.
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Sorryfor all the inactivity but we only got 14 years done last Sunday. Yesterday we had a catch-up session to try and reach the year 1500 before the session on Sunday the 17th. That session was a fiasco, so we are waiting to play Sundays game before posting any AARs. Thanks for your patience :wacko:
 
Chronicles of the Saxon People
1470-1497: The Time of Lost History​

Fourteen Seventy:
At the beginning of the new decade, war was declared on the Teutonic Knights who were allied with Bohemia. According to our King, expansion of our Kingdom was needed, to still prove we have a legitimate claim to the Holy Roman Empire's throne.

Fourteen Seventy-One:
Brabant, our faithful ally, declared war on the Netherlands. Although we should protect our Germanic minors, our king felt obligated to help the Duchy of Brabant. However, we would not be in this war for long, as they quickly annexed them.
Our war with the Teutonic Knights and Bohemia ended as well, forcing Bohemia to cede the province of Breslau. However, during our occupation of Warmia, several peasants spoke of how they wanted to be away from the monastic state. Upon meeting with advisors, our King declared that we shall take those people under our wing and bring Warmia to the kingdom of Brandenburg. Several of our Noblemen believe that this is a step in the opposite direction of previous kings whose goals it was to unite the Saxons.

Fourteen Seventy-Two:
Due to recent Polish Aggression, our King ordered more troops to be conscripted. Although only an additional four thousand troops were summoned, this set a precedent that could have implications later on in our kingdom. I am worried that our King is becoming too warmongering and not looking after his people.

Fourteen Seventy-Three:
Barely a year after our army was increased, our King declared war on Kurland, an ally of the Polish. Our troops and allies fought valiantly and were able to take Warmia, which had fallen under their control after a brief Polish-Teuton war. However, our quest for lands to the north would not stop there. Our King, at the same table where he decreed that Warmia should be ours, commanded our spies and advisors to see what must be done to obtain the Teutons capital. I have read this before. Upon going back into the chronicles, Friedrich of Brandenburg wrote that our nobles were torn about which direction to go in--should they unite the Saxons or should they leave the Empire whom, at the time, approved Brandenburgian suppression. It is curious that now, when we ourselves control the Empire, that we have opted for this later movement.
Although this war was brief, it was clear that Poland had a formidable army. King Janos the First of Hungary sent diplomats to our court offering us an alliance. Our two nations could defend Western Europe from the Polish onslaught. Though our King accepted this offer, it is unclear as to whether or not he will uphold his bargain. For months he, along with the King from Russia and the Doge from Italy, have been discussing similar alliances, though nothing has come of it yet.

Fourteen Seventy-Five:
It is clear our navy is weak. Pirates have been spotted off of our northern shores. Friedrich II met with several admirals and ship builders to discuss the construction of a new navy. Sadly, before he would be able to put his plan in action, Friedrich II became ill and passed. With no proper heir, his son, Wilhelm Friedrich I, not old enough to claim the throne, a council of Nobles took charge.

-OOC- At this point, my game crashed and was unable to join for the next 21 years! (1497). Thus, what follows is not a chronicle...but...
-In character-

Doctor Sir William Livingston Chesterfield the Third; Historian, Scholar, Above Average Cricket Player, reporting to you on the years between 1475 and 1497 in the Brandenburgian Kingdom!
It is of great sorrow that we have found few written records during this time period, it is a strange gap in the chronicles which, up until this point, have been so meticulously kept. Many historians believe that Alfred Adlam, the chronicler during this time period, was captured by the Polish military. However this would seem to be preposterous. Though he held a place in the Kings court, what good would he be to the Polish? Not to mention that one year following the war was, in fact, chronicled. It would appear the my colleagues have not done their proper history <gufaw>.

What we do know about this time period comes from small scraps of writing found along with some records from the Teutonic Knights, who, by all accounts, were quite the record keepers. Between 1479 and 1486, Wilhelm Friedrich I, not to be confused with King Friedrich Wilhelm I, ruled the Kingdom. A remarkably inept man, it was surprising that the Saxons even made it out of this period of history. Alliances broke down, talks between the newly formed Russia and Venice deteriorated. The only thing that appears to have happened in this period was the Annexation of Meissen and Saxony, two of the four vassals that Brandenburg owned during the time period. Additionally, based on later chronicles from the Saxon's (which picked up again after 1497, again, inexplicably), it has been determined that Anhalt broke free of their Brandenburgian overlords and became independent once more.

Perhaps the only good thing about King Wilhelm the Inept was the fact that he, like his father, was short lived. Although, unlike his father, King Wilhelm the Inept died in battle. However, it is unclear as to whether it was his own troops or the enemy that killed him <gufaw>. Because of his premature death and no true heir (the Kingdom would fall to his Nephew), a Regenscaftsrot, or Regency Council, once again took control of the realm. During this three year period from 1486 to 1489, the Council appears to have not only increased the military in size (according to several texts, they increased the military from twenty thousand, to around forty-four thousand troops), the Schuztstaffle was disbanded once again. Additionally, relations with Brabant deteriorated and that alliance was broken. However, Denmark, perhaps in fear of the Swedes to the North or the fact that Brandenburg was pushing West, formed an alliance with Brandenburg.

In 1489, Joachim I Siegmund, who would later be known as Joachim the Sword, took the throne. Several wars occurred during the beginning of his reign. At least one war with the Teutonic Knights and Bohemia occurred, with provinces being taken on each side. According to outsiders, the Brandenburg Kingdom suffered from sever unrest during this period with rebels popping up all over the place. Nationalist, Patriots, Peasants, anyone who saw weakness revolted. However, in the coming years, as you will see in the later chronicles (picked up by Adolf Brock), these rebels were swiftly dealt with. Furthermore, dating on a copy of the Saxon Bill of Rights has placed it to have been written sometime between 1488 and 1493, which shows that perhaps Joachim the Sword knew he had to watch after his people.

I hope this has been a wonderful read for you, signing off I am Doctor Sir William Livingston Chesterfield the Third; GO Northamptonshire Cricket Club!
-1943

OOC--Due to my limited play time (and limited pictures) no images will be posted with this...however I think I might try something extra for you loyal followers of my chronicle...stay tuned!​
 

Chronicles of France​

Chapter 5: Birth Of An Empire


After the Burgundian Wars, revolution overtook France. Driven by the thirst for knowledge and exploration, the French funded several overseas expeditions across the world. Jean-Pierre De Montague, Captain of the ship "Le Téméraire" set-out along the African coast in search of new lands. On the 5th of December 1458, the explorer had discovered the rich lands of India. Shortly thereafter, the "Sainte-Marie", captained by Louis-de-Richelieu discover the much vaunted English colony of Newfoundland. After intense negociations with local leaders, the French managed to aquire the city of Goa and it's surrounding territories.

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These explorations were put on hold however, as King Jacques I launched a massive campaign against Brittany conquering the provinces of Armor, Finistère and Morbihan. French nationalism, fueled by recent victories and it's entry in the colonial scene, ran high during those days. From the lowest of serfs to the highest of nobles, France was no longer just a Kingdom in their eyes, but an Empire ! On October 31st 1469, Jacques I was declared Emperor of France.

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The "Drapeau Impérial" was adopted on the 5th of November of the same year. A tricolor flag donning a shield donning a red & blue "Fleur De Lys" inter crossed by two sword.

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Extract from the diaries of Emperor Jacques I of France:
The "Drapeau Impérial" represents well our struggle as Frenchmen, to see our Empire restored, to that of the Franks before us. The Tricolor represents our past, the Swords and the shield our present, and the red & blue Fleur De Lys our future. The blue of the tricolor represents a united France, white represents freedom from foreign oppressors and the red represents the blood of our ancestors. The Swords and the Shield represents our struggle to restore our Empire to it's former glory, like the Frankish Empire of old. And the red & blue Fleur De Lys reprensents glorious France unified (the Blue) by the blood, sweat and tears of the noble Frenchmen who fought and died, but ultimately triumphed over foreign oppressors to restore France to greatness (the Red)!


The restoration of France however, would have to wait, as Aragon, Brittany, Great Britain, Portugal, Provence and Burgundy formed a coalition to destroy France. The first war ended in the Aragonese taking Languedoc. The second war took France by surprise, as the Emperor Xavier I was in the middle of reorganizing the Army. The war was very costly for France, and nearly resulted in it's destruction. Ultimately, Brittany and Provence would be subdued. Portugal and Great Britain left the war after the Emperor offered them 280 and 340 ducat settlements respectively There was only Aragon and Burgundy left...

OOC- How do you guys like the new flag ?
 
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I like the flag, but the "tricolore" before the revolution? :p

Without the Fleur de Lys, I'd say it was a republic, but with it, The flag represents the Monarchy, or in this case, Empire! :D

And a coalition against France?! :eek: So early! :p