The year of our lord 1444
The young King Afonso V de Avis, ruler of the Portuguese Kingdom already at the age of 12.
In dispute with his closest advisors he had let the word in the land spread that the crown sought adventurers to the court.
The King put his trusted Uncle Henry, Duke of Viseu in charge of reviewing the adventurers.
The conclusion was to present three of them to his majesty himself.
The King explained what his advisors called "a sure way to drain the crowns wealth".
He wanted to explore the oceans, surely there would be more islands then just the azores or madeira that was already under portuguese control.
Of the three, the king decided to put his trust in only one. Namely Nuno Tristão.
Nuno Tristão was given the title of "Explorer of the crown" and the Magalhães Correia, the biggest ship in the Portuguese navy.
Meanwhile the royal council had recieved a messenger from the Kingdom of Castille
Apparently King Juan II of Castille wished for an iberian alliance. However the alliance had one condition. King Juan II wanted to have the young princess Rafaela's hand in marriage.
Why he wanted to marry his newlyborn daughter was beyond any reason but
after threat of beeing excommunicated by the holy father, the Pope he saw no other way then to reluctantly accept the offer.
Nuno Tristão returned around 1445 with news of aggressive natives all along the african west coast, but petitioned for a colony and a naval base to be founded on an island group to the south, just off the african coast. He named the Island Cap Verde.
King Afonso accepted and sent colonist but urged Nuno to increase his efforts in finding new lands.
Pushing himself and his ship harder Nuno found new lands to the west of the new colony, and this seemed like the natives was far less hostile and the continent huge, he spent months exploring the coasts further west.
Around the mid 1447 Nuno returned with glorious news, A real pagan nation had been found, known as the "Maya"
Still afraid of the holy father and his holy powers King Afonso quickly decided to send missionaries to convert these pagans and show his Pious way's to the world.
Sadly the missionaries was murdered brutally by the savages.
Furiously King Afonso declared war and sent 6000 men of the Portuguese army under the command of Afonso de Albuquerque, the earl of xxxxxxxx.
The General began to explore the pagan kingdom while Nuno sailed the transport fleet back to retrieve reinforcements of another 6000 soldiers.
The savages were clearly not blessed by god and lost quickly when they ran out of places to hide.
The province of Campeche was claimed as a base in these new lands while the rest of the pagan kingdom of the Mayans was proclaimed a Portuguese vassal.
Back on the Iberian peninsula Juan II of Castille found himself in trouble.
There had been a war over the small state of Navarre with the Aragonese.
With the army away in foreign new lands King Afonso dared not intervene in the war that went badly for Afonso's friendly neighbour, with most of their army annihilated. Peace was settled with Navarre becoming part of the Aragonese kingdom.
Another pagan kingdom called "Zapotec" was discovered within weeks from the Mayan war. Other then the name they called themselves, they seemed no different, war was declared as soon as King Afonso V de avis himself had arrived on this new continent to take personal command of the armies.
The Zapotec's armies couldnt stand up to the Portuguese might and the cunning of the King! A new better province "Tohancapan" was added to the Portuguese kingdom and the Zapotec was made a vassal state just as the Mayans.
Campeche served no further purpose and was sold back to the Mayans.
Discovery of a third, crueler and mightier pagan state was discovered. The Azetcs.
The Emirate of Granada and their Northafrican allies saw their chance with a weakened Castille and declared war, this time King Afonso stepped in to help defend the brave Castillians that just started to recruit a new army after the awful Aragonese war.
A small Portuguese army was conscripted and along with the newly trained Castillian army the Emirate was pushed back. The Iberian admirals patrolled frequently and ensured the Emirate god no reinforcement from the northafricans, a few naval battles was won easily.
The war ended in total victory for the iberians and the kingdom of Castille annexed the Emirate.
With the homefront secured, King Afonso established a colony called Ceara on his way back to the main Portuguese army and invade the Aztec empire.
Sadly King Afonso V de avis demise 2 october 1453 during the voyage brought a great sadness to the entire Portuguese people and was was postponed.
His heir and son Prince Durate only three years old made the nobles brave enough to step in and take command of the great kingdom.
King Henry VII Lancaster convinced the Portuguese royal council to join in war against the aggressive, expanding kingdom of Denmark, who brutally crushed the Swedish people in their quest for independence.
And in unison with the vast Lithuanian Kingdom invaded the expanding Muscovites and forced them in full retreat.
The Danes were not to be trifled with, with great experienced army's and generals, Norway and Sweden in Personal Unions and the small nortgerman state of Holstein as an vassal.
Their Armies marching back from their "East campaign" engaged the english troops that made sieges to the danish isles. Annihilating army after army, the Portuguese sent 6000 men up to Norway to join the english 10000 strong army in akershus.
The danes reacted quickly and forced a battle in the province of agder together with the norweigan army, they were beaten back temporarily, but shortly after the Portuguese Noble Luís Araújo who was leading the army called out in despair as a second danish army was about to arrive.
To give the english army time to retreat back to the ships or just out of ignorance, Luís Araújo decided to march north into norway, and was completly wiped out.
The Danes smelling another victory for their ever victorious army decided to invade the undefended Portuguese homeland. Landing a danish and a norweigian siege army of 3000 and 2000 men, the loyal Castillians reacted and marched their armies to meet the invaders.
The Portuguese nobility fearing loss of influence if not handling it themselves forbid the Castillian armies to do more then watch and instead raised a new noble army and wiped out the invaders.
- Session 1465
- AAR bonus: Diplomatic Power
- On-Time bonus: Gold
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