In France, I spent the first ten years converting, with about 60 percent success rate. After the walls of paris event, policies shifted toward war though. I asked an undisclosed country to fund me 1000D, which it kindly did, with the promise that I'd pay it back after the war.
Spain was the target, because it was trying to convert Bearn, and because I had a free cb on it. The timing was best in 1592 with Farnese dying and the bankruptcy event hitting, so with Henri IV and a bunch of infantry, I DOW'd and charged into Bearn around the end of 1593. Austria joined Spain's call, and because the alternative was to end the session, they got to fight a 2v1 against France while my protestant and muslim allies stayed on the sidelines.
No problem. Austria made a rushed attempt to help Spain by sending a bunch of troops into my plains, only to be thrown back with heavy losses when my more cavalry heavy army arrived, both in Champagne and Milan.
Meanwhile, the infantry corps under Henri successfully assaulted Roussilon. Another infantry detachment was boarded and sent to assault Spain's minimal fort in Estramadura, which it did successfully. Not wanting to risk an offensive in the pyrenees while Austria was in the war, I moved Henri to the German border, where he assaulted through Alsace and Lorraine, and in junction with the Armee de Jura, beat the Austrians back from Luxenbourg across the Rhine. In the south, the last of the Italian expedition sent by Austria had been annhilated, so with the fall of Pfalz, the Emperor accepted my terms for peace, giving up Pfalz.
Thus freeing up enough troops to drive through the Pyrenees. The Estramadura campaign was a failure, the last men holding out in a doomed seige. The Spanish were also staging a massive seige of Bearn. Henri's army formed up near Bordeaux with 40k and broke into the province routing the 60k seige army in Bearn, and pursued them into Cantabria and then Aragon. Another army flanked them from the east, crushing 10k in Catalonia and moving on to Valencia where another army was defeated. With the fall of Aragon, Henri prepped his army of 30,000 for the attack on Madrid, but happily the Spanish monarch accepted peace so we could avoid another bloody battle. The reformists in Bearn were transfered to French jurisdiction, and 1000D indemnities paid to the French crown.
I'd been teching trade during most of the war, which soon paid off with the discovery of trade tech 5. Merchants were expanding their business all over, and revenues increased manifold. Budgeting was concentrated in infrastructure to help curb the steadily growing inflation. Also, the Genoese were taught a lesson and made to become French vassals. Ten years later, they were formerly annexed into the realm. They at first objected on account of France's state religion differing from theirs, but the king solved this dilemma by changin the religion for a month .
Stability was low, but the income so well established that it hardly suffered as a result. Business continued, until we recieved an insult from some Swedes. Knowing the value of this as a pretext for war, I invested in stab to get it to -2 quick enough to DOW, which I did three months later.
This was quite furtuitous because the Swedes just so happened to control many lands which were reformed. I didn't realize at the time, but I would've been helpless to actually force the issue with them had they not invited Brandeburg to the war. I had no way of getting to Sweden's more northerly territories adjacent to the Netherlands in Bremen and Oldenburg because they could block the strait from Holland to Frisian and I had no access through Hannovarian Geldre.
But Brand did join the war, so after pushing into Zeeland and Holland and then being repelled by Swedish ships, I moved back and invaded Brandenburg, gaining a bunch of warscore. The Brandenburgers put up a noble defense, but pitched battles were all in France's favor because of morale and Henri's command of the battlefield. I ended up soon having enough warscore to stabhit for Holland. I only chose Holland because Brand was the alliance leader. If Sweden were the leader, it would've been Zeeland, at least until I got enough ws to stabhit Brand seperately.
The Swedish army was more effective because of a better leader and higher morale, but failed when it repeatedly attacked across rivers into Zeelands swamps. All in all, Sweden and Brand fought harder than honor warranted, but in vain, as the war hadn't even begun to touch French manpower, and I only needed to mint intermitently to maintain the army in the field.
Holland brought income almost up to where it is now. With infra 5, which is only 100D away, it'll be even higher, and then France will be able to start a major refinery building project in a few years after governors are put in place, if the king so chooses.
France has probably angered a few of its neighbors by taking lands here and there, but with a solid defensive strategy, it should be able to hold onto everything until Turrene arrives. Morale is its strongest suite, but Spain's got an ace up its sleeve with Spinola, and Sweden soon has G2A.
King John...Regent of France
