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Eber said:
Wow, good update. Your colonial holdings are spreading fast. Are you going to make a beeline for North America or stay more into South America and the Caribbean?

I'm not surprised that the Pope lost his position of power. Not with the strength of France. Heck, the Pope didn't even have the same power per se when Napoleon was Emperor...so it makes sense. :)
North America is covered with War... Portugal controls stuff south of the Mason-Dixion line, Castile and England fight over stuff above. Ironically this creates a Quebec of sorts, only it is English/Spanish and not English/French.
 
Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

Chapter Seven
The Expansion of Imperial France

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Emperor Louis XIII Jagello reigned for five years after the end of the Second French-Papal War. In 1569 a highly competent and forceful Emperor assumed the throne on France, Emperor Charles VII Jagello. Charles began his reign quietly enough, biding his time in and building up the French fleet from its aging position. The newly expanded fleet would have an easier time enforcing French law across the sea, as well as protecting France from the local powers. The Imperial Army had a small increase in troops in order to guard the South American colonies from natives and pirates.
The expanding colonies brought in tremendous amounts of wealth to France, which Charles VII put into expanding roads and infrastructure. France’s cities grew to tremendous sizes; by 1600 at least 5 French cities had more than 1,000,000 inhabitants (Brugge, Bordeaux, Paris, Prague, and Frankfurt). People in countries such as Denmark, Austria and Aragon left their homes to immigrate into France. In the meantime, a slow diffusion had begun between the German and French cultures as France pushed deeper into the Holy Roman Empire. A new language began to grow from the fusion of French and German, sometimes referred to as Luxembourgian (due to its resemblance to the medieval language) but usually dubbed Imperial.
Initially, the Emperors of France and the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire looked down on the Imperial language, but it quickly gained acceptance as a unifier and way of people of the Empire to communicate with one another. Gallican Mass was still given in Gascon (much like Catholic Mass was in Latin) and many of the Imperial Decrees were still in Gascon, but they were not truly meant for the people to understand.
With French control over the Holy Roman Empire guaranteed through French alliances with the Electors, the words “Germany”, “France”, and “Holy Roman Empire” became largely synonymous. Most members of the Holy Roman Empire were fine with the hereditary status of the Imperial seat. Out of the 7 Electors, 3 were vassals of France, 2 were allies of France and the last 2 were the sole resistance to complete French control over the Empire.

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Languages of the Holy Roman Empire and their area of usage. Languages surrounded in the same color are generall considered part of the same linguistic group.

The First Imperial War
France deals with enemies within the Holy Roman Empire

Ansbach and the Rhine Palatine remained in staunch resistance to French control over the Holy Roman Empire. The two nations we both lead by the same man, which angered many German states. Wielding his two votes as powerfully as he could, Elector-Elector Johannes von Ansbach believed himself to be in a rather powerful position. Emperor Charles VII grew very tired of the egotistical Elector, and acting on the demands of other German states, invaded the two nations and their ally, the Imperial City of Frankfurt.
The Rhine Palatine was bordered by two Imperial Army Garrisons: the Saarbrucken Garrison and the Darmstadt Garrison. Also brought to bear against the unruly elector were the Army of Holland, the Army of Bourgogne, and the Army of Paris. In 1574 the armies of France quickly moved in and occupied the major portion of the Rhine Palatine. Frankfurt was also quickly occupied; its tiny army, which worked mostly as a police force, was scattered and captured. In January of 1575 it was annexed into the Imperial Domain of France. Ansbach acted as a buffer from France and the Oberfranken lands of the Rhine Palatine. Imperial troops marched straight for the two remaining territories, occupying them both before August of 1575. Elector-Elector Johannes was forced to give up much of the Rhine-Palatine’s land mass, as well as recognizing French authority over all of the Holy Roman Empire.
The quick war proved a serious point to much of Europe. That point was that France was in control of the Holy Roman Empire. Nations that tried to say otherwise would be crushed and proven wrong. The First Imperial War marks a turning point for France and the Holy Roman Empire. From this point on, France would make casual snaps at Germany, pulling more and more territory into their direct control. The war also worsened relations with the Papal State, who was still coming to terms with a Holy Roman Empire beyond their control, and an Italy that was submissive to the Emperor first, and the Pope last.

The Bohemian Issue
The Extermination of a Kingdom

Between 1490 and 1580 Poland and Bohemia waged a series of wars with each other over control of Brandenburg as well as Silesia and eventually Bohemia itself. By 1580, Bohemia was losing the wars with Poland, but had expanded into Bavaria and Wurttemberg. In 1581 the Bohemian King moved his capital from Prague to Munchen. In doing so, he sparked a debate between the Electors and Poland. The King of Poland demanded that the title King of Bohemia be turned over to him and with it the Electorship. The King of Bohemia protested, saying that land and title were separate, and that no Elector could lose his position without interference from the Emperor.
France, which had been expanding its holdings in South America and South Africa, was now brought into the debate. Emperor Charles VII saw room for expansion. He declared that the title ‘King’ of Bohemia was to go to Poland, but the ‘Duke’ of Bohemia and ‘Elector’ of Bohemia were to remain with their current holders. Poland was unhappy with the move, but lived with it. In November of 1581, Bohemia was made a vassal of Imperial France, extending the rule of the Emperors deep into the proper whole of the Empire.
Eventually, after much maneuvering, in 1595 Bohemia was annexed to Imperial France, ending the Electorship of the nation, but France remained in total control over the Empire and the majority of the Electors. Slowly and steadily, a single united Empire was taking shape and France was at its head.

Question of Legitimacy
Family Ties to the throne of France

Despite them being strong Emperors and heirs to the Empire of France, other families within France during the late 1500’s and early 1600’s were unhappy with the rule of the Jagello dynasty. Many claimed they were foreign, many claimed that it tied France too deeply with the wrong countries. Nobles from France proper were unhappy with ‘barbaric’ Germans and Poles taking such high positions within the Empire. So there were several families and dynasties that claimed the French throne for their selves.

Dynasty Notes
Gloucester English styling of the de Lorraine dynasty, ruling as Dukes of Gloucester
d’Albret Nearly extinct branch of the original monarchy, married into lower nobility
de Bourgogne The Duke of Burgundy, landless from previous reforms
d’Albret-Holland Cadet branch of the d’Albret line that ruled in Holland
de Bourbon Former Dukes of Bourbonnais, living in Aragon
Trastámara Rumors of a love child between Louis XI and Juana gave legitimacy to the claim

Even with the existence of pretenders, the Jagello dynasty remained supremely popular amongst the entire French population. Any idea of their removal was unheard of, as their hold on Europe was inextinguishable.

Colonial Ventures
Colonial Expansionalism and the founding of Plateau Colony

Emperor Charles VII competed heavily with other European nations for control over South America, which was quickly proving to be a much more valuable location than Africa and North America combined. North America’s economy was run off the fur trade, but that was based mostly off of the current fashion of the time. Africa was run mostly off of slaves, but slaves could simply be purchased from coastal tribes without the expenditure of people and labor to set up a colony. Only South Africa proved fruitful in the long-run with its supply of gems and diamonds. Portuguese America thrived off the tobacco industry, and English Mexico thrived off of gold. But competing in either of these theaters would prove a wasteful expenditure of resources, as neither country was willing to let anyone take a share of their trade.
So, Charles VII created his own North America in an uncolonized part of South America known as the Plateau. The massive Plateau Colony was founded in 1582 with the founding of several small port cities that began trading with the local natives. The colony quickly exploded with people. Its similarities to Germany allowed for little change in life style, and soon it was settled with Imperial peoples and covered with seas of grain. Local people were quickly integrated into the new system often serving as guides, militias and farmers. Like previous Emperors, Charles VII extended peace and prosperity to natives who cooperated with the French, and extermination to those who attacked and resisted. Though seen as a travesty today, this thinking was highly liberal and tolerant for the time period.
French colonies were known as bastions of freedom to slaves in surrounding colonies such as English Grand Mexico. Slaves who could escape and reach French colonies were free men. France, with its massive supply of labor from the Holy Roman Empire saw little use for slaves when free men could easily accomplish the work. The slavery system thrived in Portuguese territory where labor was limited to due to the small population of both Mother Portugal and the colonies. Despite seeming liberal, the eventual illegalization of slavery in French colonies was driven by the need for wealth for the crown. The income of a freeman could be taxed, but a slave did not generate income (nor was considered a citizen), and thus could not be taxed.

PlateauColony.jpg

The growth of Plateau Colony:
Red - Existed before 1582
Dark Blue - Founded in 1582
Blue - Expansion by 1590
Light Cyan - Expansion by 1600
Dark Cyan - Expansion by 1610
Grey-Green - Claims


SouthAmerica1605.jpg

South America in 1605, coloured regions show claims as well as ownership. Thus the map shows area of influences as well as actual colonialisation.
Red - New Aragon (Aragon)
Gold - Spanish Brazil, Puerto Rico and New Asturias (Castile)
Purple - Grand Mexico, Grand Inca (England)
Green - Haiti (Portugal)
Blue - Brazil, Xamacia, New Normandy, Amazonias, Plateau Colony, Puaraguay, Inca (France)
*Claims on Inca were agreed upin by England and France in 1605 and were for future reference as the Incan Empire still existed in 1605.

The Eastern War
The Triple Alliance

The Triple Alliance played a very important role in the survival of the Holy Roman Empire. The Alliance was made to guard the Eastern edge of the Empire from Russia and the Ottoman Empire. It consisted of France, Poland and Lithuania; and served with great success against the Ottoman Empire. But losses in Livonia to Russia proved that the belligerent nation was looking to expand west and not east. Eventually the beats had to be tamed, so in 1588 the Triple Alliance went to war with Russia over border disputes in Crimea. Emperor Charles VII pledged some 30,000 troops to the Alliance and shipped them over while also pledging the Imperial Navy.
The war had two main fronts, the Northern front between Russia and Lithuania, and the Southern Front between Russia and Poland. French troops were mostly active in the Northern Front, where Lithuania proved ill prepared to fight a force like Russia. French troops initially had to push back the tides of Russian soldiers. Landing troops in Ingermanland, French and Polish troops quickly seized the region and marched on Novgorod. Russia then pushed for a white peace in 1589 which France accepted in order to return its attentions to South America.

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Northern Front circa January 1589, French troops arrive to help turn the tides of war.

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Southern Front circa January 1589, Polish troops drive Russians northwards with minimal losses.

Death of Emperor Charles VII
Rise of Louis XIV Jagello

In 1592 Emperor Charles VII Jagello died leaving his son Louis Jagello as Emperor. Charles VII left a legacy that many Emperors would draw from. His son especially, saw that a single, united Holy Roman Empire was not only possible but a necessary move to secure the power of both his family as well as to secure the protection Central Europe from outsiders such as the Papacy, Russia, Sweden and the Ottoman Empire. It was the legacy of Charles VII that led Louis XIV to annex Bohemia in 1595 and to expand the Imperial army to 320,000 people by 1596. The single-minded push for the dominance of Central Europe would lead to many wars in the future, but in the minds of the architects of its bringing about the ends justified the means.
 
Haven't really been following this one, but after reading through, I think it's quite good. Keep going.
 
Oh well, too bad you couldn't get anything out of the war with Russia. At least it wasn't an outright defeat though.
 
Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

Chapter Eight
The Three Reigns

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Starting in 1598 France underwent major changes under the reigns of three of the greatest and most different series of Emperors. Emperors Louis XV, Charles VIII and François II each brought a new series of territorial gains and reforms to France. Louis XV was the master administrator. Charles VIII was the master tactician. François II was the master diplomat. Each one had characteristics that made him a highly successful ruler. In 1598, Emperor Louis XIV died leaving his uncle to take the throne. Louis XV quickly began tax reforms that brought far more money into the Imperial coffers.
In 1600 Louis XV, acting as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, attached the Duchy of Austria to the Empire of France. No Elector challenged the move; by 1600 most Electors realized that they existed purely to crown the next Emperor of France Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The people of Austria also had no issue with the move. France had proven to be the most tolerant of all the European nations. With her numerous European peoples and native populations, France could not afford intolerance from the rulers or the government. But the move did prompt a reaction from the Papacy. In 1601, the Papacy attempted to embargo France. When no country supported the embargo, the Pope lifted the block. In 1602, the Papacy renewed their demand for military access to the Romagna Provinces of the Papal State, and Louis XV rejected the demand.
The state of relations between the two nations degraded quickly once again. And as history had shown, the Papal State put upwards of 30% of its income into prompting revolts and instability within the Empire. By 1607 Emperor Louis XV had put up with enough from the Pope. Time and time again France tried to ignore the Pope, but a particular uprising in the Plateau Colony set Louis XV on a war path. The death of some 600 Imperial Colonists and 1000 loyal natives in France’s breadbasket sent the Imperial troops into Rome.
As in the past, the war was over quickly. Within a few months the Kingdom of Naples and the Empire of France had quickly crushed and scattered the Papal Army. By 1608 the Romagna provinces had been annexed to France and a peace deal struck. As Louis XV was quoted, “Now the Pope doesn’t need military access.”
Despite the reforms, and the attempts to bring France into a new era of economic growth and success, Louis XV is remembered mostly for continuing the wars with the Papacy. Even so, his reign saw the creation of the great breadbasket of the world. Plateau Colony ended most of the hunger and starvation that had plagued Europe for much of its post-Roman history.

The Treaty of Madrid
The Division of the Incan Empire

In 1605 the three major contenders in South America came together in Madrid to discuss the existence of the Incan Empire in the region. The massive Incan Empire had existed in South America for several hundred years without issue. In 1603 England unsuccessfully attempted to invade and occupy the Incan Empire. In 1604 Castile tried a similar invasion from the south. So after the two failures, Emperor Louis XV called a meeting, hosted in Madrid, to discuss the issue with the two other monarchs. The plan was to invade the Incan Empire together and then split the earnings fairly. The Incan Empire was divided into three separate colonies: Peru (England), Bolivia (France), and Chile (Castile). Initially the war was meant to take place in 1606, but with the Papal War, France was forced to post-pone the conflict. In 1608, it was clear that Louis XV was not in great health, and the French military had not put efforts into creating the forces required to invade Bolivia. In 1610 Emperor Louis XV died, leaving Dauphin Charles Jagello duc de Malta as Emperor Charles VIII Jagello and uniting France to its long-time partner Malta.

IncanClaims.jpg

Claims on the Incan Empire in 1605

The Great South American War
End of the Incan Empire and the Papal State

Despite taking the throne in 1610, Emperor Charles VIII set the date for the invasion of the Inca until later, as to deal with revolts in Swabia and Tyrol. His date was 1615, he believed that would give plenty of time to secure his hold on France and then move the required number of troops to Plateau Colony. The English demanded a sooner time, and thus Charles VIII was forced to concede some time, and he and some 15,000 troops arrived in Plateau Colony in 1614. The Emperor arrived to great cheering and parades. He was the first European monarch to step foot on American soil.
When Emperor Charles VIII and the French Army arrived in Bolivia England was already invading the northern territories of the Incan Empire. Castile and France then declared war and marched into their respective territories. The Incan troops, convinced with their superiority from the Anglo-Incan war where 10,000 Incans barely triumphed over 800 English soldiers. The Incan army was startled to find 15,000 French, 10,000 England and 5,000 Castilian soldiers moving quickly into their territory. French and English cavalry spooked the Incans with their horses and French cannons left Incans in awe of the God-like might of the French military.
The spoils of war were quickly mopped up and the whole of the Incan Empire swallowed whole by European forces in a few months. After the armies stationed themselves in the occupied territory, Catholic and Gallican missionaries arrived and began converting the masses. In French Bolivia, the missionaries had great success converting the population, and regions decimated by war were repopulated with Imperial immigrants.
What surprised much of Europe, was the Papal State’s interference with the war, and the declaration of War against France and Castile for ignoring the declaration that the Western Hemisphere belonged to Portugal. The tiny Papal State shocked the entire catholic world with their absolutism. They were quickly occupied by France and Naples. The western territory was granted to the Kingdom of Naples and Rome itself sacked by the French. The Papal State was made a vassal of Imperial France. The Pope would then act as head of the Catholic faith in the stead of the French Emperor. In 1615 France controlled two religions: the Gallican and Catholic faiths.

Colonial Expansion
France’s Expedition into Nova Scotia

In 1613, while England was busy with the Incan issues, Scotland had claimed a large area of land, which they called Nova Scotia. The huge region spanned two continents, and though thick with furs and fish, it was a hostile place with cold, long winters that saw no sun light. The Scottish tried desperately to cling to the entirety of the massive claim, but it proved impossible. By 1629 only the Asian half of the colony had been successfully colonized. So, Scotland began discussions with France about French settlement of the American half of the claim. Scotland was afraid that if England claimed the region it would lead to expensive and costly colonial conflicts, which Scotland could not afford to risk. Charles VIII gladly accepted the offer, and within a few months, French settlement of the region began.
The colony proved to be expensive, but it was far more doable than colonies in Africa. With South America covered with European colonization, the new region proved useful for France, which was looking for a new colonial region to build up and deal with overpopulation in parts of the Empire. Emperor Charles VIII declared the region ‘Alaska’ after the native word for the region. Initially a backwards region of the Empire, in coming centuries it would prove very useful to France.

NovaScotia.jpg

Nova Scotia: In Orange Scotish Colony, in Blue French Colony

The Brief Reign of François II
Four years to Change the face of Europe

In 1631 Duke Franz von Bamberg duc de Kulmbach Jagello rose to the throne of France. He was the uncle of Charles VIII, who died heirless and without even taking a consort. The Duke of Saxony was unhappy with the choice of Emperor. The Duke of Saxony, Joseph duc de Sachsen d’Albret-Bourgogne Jagello also claimed the throne of France. The French Order of Blood, a group of nobles who tracked the French bloodline and chose the heir, strongly insisted to the nobility and people of France that Duke Franz was the true heir to the throne. Duke Franz quickly moved his base of operations to Bordeaux and assumed the name François II and became Emperor of France. The Duke of Saxony invaded and occupied the Duchy of Kulmbach in an attempt the over-throw François II.
The attempt failed dismally, and led to Saxony being occupied and then vassalized by Imperial France and the city of Anhalt being annexed to the Imperial domain. Duke Joseph was hanged for treason and France quickly recovered from the brief three-month conflict. Emperor François also had a very important connection, his wife Maria Theresa was the Duchess of Austria. He declared the two realms not in union, but rather as a single entity. In 1632 France occupied its new Imperial Territory of Austria. Between 1632 and his death in 1635 François only maintained the status quo. As a master diplomat he spread France’s name throughout the world, and worked to keep France in good terms with most nations throughout the world.

Francein1632.jpg

France and the Holy Roman Empire at the end of the reign of Emperor François II
 
My post didn't show up for the last update :(

Anyways, what a chapter, you certainly gained a lot of land and vassals, including the pope himself.

" “Now the Pope doesn’t need military access.” " - Classic :D

It seems there isn't a nation on earth that can face you now.
 
comagoosie said:
My post didn't show up for the last update :(

Anyways, what a chapter, you certainly gained a lot of land and vassals, including the pope himself.

" “Now the Pope doesn’t need military access.” " - Classic :D

It seems there isn't a nation on earth that can face you now.
No, there really isn't, which means the next 200 years will be spent controlling myself. There is only one major territorial gain left, and it was done mostly through role-play and save-file modding.

I will probably manage a double update this week, so stay altert. ^_^
 
It's interesting that the French king used an in-game term (the military access quote :p) ...

But it's probably for the better that the pope lost his states, that way he can become the head of the church more fully, instead of ruler of the papal states. Kind of like what the unification of Italy accomplished, only two hundred years earlier.
 
rcduggan said:
It's interesting that the French king used an in-game term (the military access quote :p) ...

But it's probably for the better that the pope lost his states, that way he can become the head of the church more fully, instead of ruler of the papal states. Kind of like what the unification of Italy accomplished, only two hundred years earlier.
As for the quote: :p

As for the Pope, yeah... but without his freedom...
 
Flower of the Lilly
A Comprehensive look at the Creation of Modern France

Chapter Nine
One Empire, One Emperor

FlagofFrance1512.jpg

With the death of Emperor François II von Bamberg Jagello his son Heinrich von Bamberg Jagello took the throne of France in 1635 as Emperor Henri III. With few competitors, Henri III stands as the single greatest Emperor of the French Empire. Assuming the throne at a young age, he was immediately recognized for not only his beauty, but also his diplomatic and administrative abilities. Born Heinrich Otto Franz von Bamberg-Habsburg duc de Kulmbach d’Albret-Bourgogne Jagello to the then Duke Franz of Kulmbach and Duchess Maria Theresa, the small boy was raised in Bamberg by his father. He maintained a strong relationship with both of his parents, who made up much of his world as a small child. As a small boy he was sick and small, and thus spent much of his time inside, and away from the sunlight. Many modern sources indicate that young Heinrich suffered from porphyria, thus forcing him to remain inside except at night or on cloudy days. The disease would linger in the French blood-line striking from time to time, and in the royal houses of the other European nations.
At the age of 14, young Heinrich was upset by his move from Bamberg to Bordeaux. Moved quickly, and concealed by heavy canvas tarps from the sun, the royal family moved into the French Imperial Capital to avoid the armies of Saxony and their allies. After arriving in the capital, Heinrich became very popular with the local nobility. Hugely intelligent, handsome and talented at music he was often found at Imperial parties playing piano and mingling with other nobles and discussing the current state of affairs. He once told a group of nobles that, “the reason my father doesn’t simply unite the Empire now is that Poland is too stubborn. But they can enjoy their stubbornness for now, I will deal with them come my age.” The crowd laughed, but his words would later be very prophetic.
At the age of 16, two years before rising to the rank of Emperor, Heinrich became the Duke of Kulmbach, as well the Dauphin of France. He was wed to the daughter of the Duke of Brittany, Princess Anne Montfort who was 14 at the time. The two had been friends since the royal family had arrived in Bordeaux, but their marriage was arranged by their parents, especially the Duke of Brittany, who had no heir, and thus feared his title would be usurped by an up-and-rising noble.
In 1635, Emperor François II was dead, and his son was the new Emperor. As was the style, he was crowned Emperor of France in Bordeaux and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in Köln. He was known to be lively, especially at night, and was a great entertainer at parties. He was vastly popular amongst the Electors and the Counts and Dukes of the Empire. Specifically he was good friends with King Fryderyk II, who had been reigning as King of Poland since 1618. The older King replaced Emperor François II for Emperor Henri III, and often gave Henri II guidance when he sought it. It was this relationship that made Emperor Henri II’s most ambitious plan possible.

The Act of Total Union
Uniting the Holy Roman Empire

In January 1, 1637 gave way to the grandest reformation of the Holy Roman Empire since its creation. Drafted between King Fryderyk II and Emperor Henri III throughout 1636 and most of 1635 the reform would drastically alter the face of Europe permanently. Henri II was forced to find a way to compromise with the aging King without compromising his vision of a single Holy Roman Empire. When he delivered the Act to the Electors and read it aloud, the dignitaries of the Empire were in shock and awe.
“I foresee a Holy Roman Empire no longer plagued by inefficiencies due to the decentralized nature of the system. So, I am immediately enacting the following reforms. First, no member of the Holy Roman Empire will hold a title greater than King. Any member of the Holy Roman Empire claiming a title greater than King must do one of the following: they could surrender the title and accept the title Archduke and accept submission to the Emperor, they could surrender all territory within the Holy Roman Empire and maintain the title of King, or they could confront the Imperial Armies on the field of battle, and lose everything. Second, all members of the Holy Roman Empire are directly subservient to the Emperor. As Emperor, I am the master of all people within the Empire, and thusly I will be treated as a master and not a figure head. Third, the territories of Italy and France are to be added as Imperial territories of the Holy Roman Empire. Fourth, the Livonian Order is hereby dishonorably disbanded, their land impounded and all territories of the Order removed from the Holy Roman Empire. Lastly, the Imperial line will become hereditary and shared with the Empire of France. The Empires are no longer considered simply in Union, rather are now a single functioning state.”
Emperor Henri III stood by his Act, confiscating all Polish lands within the Holy Roman Empire, as per his agreements with Fryderyk II before the announcement. As compensation for his losses Henri II granted his friend all the territories of the Livonian Order, allowed Lithuanian territory to be added to the Crown Lands of Poland, recognized Fryderyk II as King of Hungary, recognized Fryderyk II as King of Constantinople, and guaranteed the Lithuanian throne to the Polish.
The only resistance to the Act came from the Livonian Order, who refused to recognize Polish rule over Livonia, and went to Russia seeking funding and support. In June of 1637 the Order converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and revolted in Estland, Ösel, and Riga. The revolts, however, were quickly exterminated by Polish forces, which no longer had to occupy unruly portions of Germany, specifically Bohemia, Salzburg and Brandenburg. Some top members of the Order fled from Europe and landed in the Order’s colony in North America.

Changesin1637.jpg

Orange - Territories officially added to the Holy Roman Empire
Dark Blue - Territories confiscated from Poland and added to France
Blue - Other territories of the Holy Roman Empire
Dark Green - Territories confiscated from the Livonian Order and added to Poland
Green - Territories attached to Crown Poland from Lithuania


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The Livonian Order in exile in North America

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The Empire Flag, adopted by France in 1638

East and West
Two Powers

In 1640 King Fryderyk II died, leaving his son Zygmunt III as King of Poland. King Zygmunt III immediately took Emperor Henri III up on his offer, and merged Poland and Lithuania. The two massive nations stood toe to toe with eat other, Defender of the West and Defender of the East. The two nations never had issues with one another though much of their history, but the issue arose that now nations had to pick from their favorite and their sides. Poland ruled Eastern Europe and was favored by nations such as Sweden. France ruled Western Europe, and was favored by nations such as England and Castile. Some nations could not find protection with either such as Aragon and Hungary. A polar Europe created some rifts amongst the people. Westerners were progressive, irreligious and tended to be wealthier. Easterners tended to be traditional, devout and relied more heavily on agriculture for income.
But beyond the cultures differences began to arise between the nobility in the two countries. Imperial nobles often competed with merchants and wealthy craftsmen, store owners and Jewish bankers for rank. Styles were simplistic, but still highly expensive. Emperor Henri III did not wear the fake military badges as did his Eastern counterpart. As the Empire modernized and globalized, only the Emperor seemed to maintain a position of blood-linked authority. Western Nobles did not wear the fancy clothing because their wealth was real, and they did not need to pretend otherwise.
In the East the styles favored extravagance. It is reported than once at a Polish ball that Emperor Henri III was asked to fetch a glass by a Polish noblewoman who mistook him for a servant. Nobles in Poland were protected from, and separated from, the wealthiest merchants and bankers. But in many ways it was all faked. Polish nobles were not even as wealthy as the second-tier nobles and merchants of France. It was claimed, once, that the Emperor of France personally wielded more wealth than all of Poland. There was some legitimacy to the claim. When Poland’s western territory was removed, Emperor Henri III also compensated them with $75,000 (now worth several trillion dollars), which was more than Poland generated in the remainder of the century.
But when you look deep into the two countries, you can see where many of these differences came from. France ruled its portion of Europe with very limited resistance. France’s will was done, and no one objected. In Poland, raids from Russia and the steppe Turks left a culture and government very oriented toward war. Poland had adopted very Russian styled military tactics, using horsemen to circle groups of soldiers and hit and run tactics. Meanwhile, France’s army used pure numbers and might to crush its enemies. Counties would be invaded by armies larger than the entire population of that country. France spared nothing in crushing their enemies utterly, while Poland wished to preserve their wealth while still accomplishing their aims.

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Emperor Henri III of France and the Holy Roman Empire

ZygmuntIII.jpg

King Zygmunt III of Poland-Lithuania and Constantinople

Unification
The First War of Unification

1642 saw the first resistances to Henri III’s single Empire vision of the Holy Roman Emperor. Several of the Imperial Cities in the north experienced revolts of Anti-Imperial citizens and merchants who wished for a return to the decentralized Empire. Governments were toppled and legitimate Dukes and Princes forced to flee into France. The most ardent of the nay-sayers was the Republic of Switzerland. Switzerland picked up the Papacy’s place in constantly being a torn in France’s side. So when France invaded two of the Imperial Cities in an attempt to return French authority to the region, Switzerland invaded France from the south.
In 1643 the First War of Unification had begun. Emperor Henri III’s generals fielded France’s armies into the Imperial Cities, and through the mountains and valleys of Switzerland. In the north, the armies of the Imperial Cities were quickly crushed and the cities rapidly crushed. Princes and Mayors who had assumed that their cities would be returned to them were very wrong, and Imperial France expanded. In the south, Switzerland made the mistake of splitting their army in half in a futile attempt to protect more of the nation. Weakened by this move, neither half of the Swiss Army proved able to hold off the French onslaught; which forced the Swiss army to retreat into neutral Venice. Switzerland was quickly occupied and much of its northern territories annexed to the Imperial Realm.

OccupationofSwitzerland.png

The Imperial Army occupies Switzerland

Colonial Expansion by Force
The Xhosa War and Oranje Atrocities

After a period of peace between 1644 and 1650, France was moving to war again, but in a fashion that European nations had never really done before. France was going to war for colonial territory in Africa. The Colonies of Namibia, Cape Colony and Natal Colony made up the Commonwealth of Southern Africa. Since the founding of the Commonwealth, France had laid claims on surrounding territories and tribes, looking to expand their hold on the Gem and Diamond trade in the region. The interior region had been colonized by a local tribal power called Xhosa. For much of a century, the two powers dealt with each other quite well simply by ignoring each other. But in 1650, Imperial settlers began probing the Xhosa border, looking for ways to settle the region and basically usurp it from the local chieftains.
Xhosa responded by slaughtering any Imperial settlers within their territories. Though unhappy with this, there was little Emperor Henri III could do because they were no longer in the Commonwealth’s territory. In early 1651, Xhosa raiders crossed into the Commonwealth and burned several villages down. Local militias responded by slaughtering any native with Xhosa ties or heritage. Natal colony was hit the hardest, losing some 3,000 settlers and native Zulus. Emperor Henri III responded by having 10,000 men organized into 2 colonial armies in the Commonwealth. He then also sent another 10,000 from France to back up the colonial army.
The Imperial and colonial armies started in the west and moved east, slaughtering some 5,000 Xhosa outright in the combat. Poorly armed and poorly armored the Xhosa soldiers were cannon fodder. Even so, after a year of conflict, the Xhosa maintained hit and run tactics, keeping their civilians safe as they migrated northward. In the regions bordering Natal, some 10,000 Xhosa women and children were forcibly marched out of the region, and another 3,000 killed in conflict and as a reaction to the original raids that started the conflict. The forced migrations and deaths of Xhosa civilians were dubbed the Oranje Atrocities, in reference to the perpetrators being Dutch and German settlers. The region seized by German settlers became the Oranje River Colony and the region seized by Dutch settlers became the Transvaal Colony.
In 1654 the war had advanced so that the Xhosa had mostly been forced out of their previous territories. Those allowed to remain in their homelands were under constant watch from the local militias and often captured and moved anyways by tribes allied to the French such as the Bantu and Zulu. The state of things worsened until the point in 1655 when Emperor Henri III stepped in, ended the wars and declared that the entire Commonwealth was under Imperial martial law until stability was returned. In the after math of the war, some 2,000 Imperial and colonial officers were tried and hanged for the Oranje Atrocities and general ‘Crimes against Humanity.’ The martial law would last several decades after the death of Emperor Henri III.

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The Commonwealth of South Africa in 1651

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The Commonwealth of South Africa in 1655

End of the Era
One Empire, One Emperor

Emperor Henri III d’Albret-Bourgogne Jagello died in August of 1656 at the young age of 39. His battles with porphyria had caught up with him and left him weak and sick. Between the years of 1654 and his death, Henri III stopped appearing at Imperial conventions. Instead his son Henri IV acted as a sort of Regent but usually more as a middle man between the Empire and the Emperor. With his health failing, Emperor Henri III stepped down in favor of his son in June, and retired quietly to a palace in the Bavarian Alps with his wife Anne. When he died two months later, it was said all people of Europe mourned the loss of the greatest monarch who would ever grace the planet. His son, Emperor Henri IV, would add on to his father’s legacy with a series of wars in Europe to complete his father’s vision.

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Imperial territory in 1656

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South American territory in 1656

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North American territory in 1656

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African territory in 1656
 
Switzerland didn't seem to put up much of a fight... are you going to conquer Sion / the Valais or leave them independent?
 
Okey, the map looks a bit victorian, but I like the aar anyways. :)
I haven't yet really managed to read it all completely, but I like it anyways.
France seems to be a... a bit huge? :p
 
Enewald said:
Okey, the map looks a bit victorian, but I like the aar anyways. :)
I haven't yet really managed to read it all completely, but I like it anyways.
France seems to be a... a bit huge? :p
I am only accomplishing in 300 years what Napoleon did in 12.