This thread is for AAR's and diplomacy for the EU2 MP game, Friday Night VI: The Rebirth.
Game and General Discussion Thread is Here.
Stats are Here.
Game and General Discussion Thread is Here.
Stats are Here.
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King Carlos I of Spain makes the following pronouncements:
(1) Spain will support the status quo in its policy decisions. Martin Luther is an enemy of the state. Any state supporting his heresy will be considered an enemy of the state. Any enemy of protestantism will be considered a friend of Spain. We will support any government that sets out to bring the heretics and blasphemers back to the flock.
(2) Spain will vigorously defend the lands given to her by His Holiness, the Pope in the Treaty of Tordesillas. Any settlements in our rightful possessions will be destroyed without notice. We will respect the Treaty and refrain from colonizing outside of our boundaries. Spain is always open to negotiation for settlement rights on her possessions.
(3) Spain recognizes the independence of our Dutch brothers. Over time, if Dutch home rule proves successful and she is able to keep the faith, Spain is willing to enter into negotiations for transfer of the remaining provinces in the Spanish Netherlands to Holland.
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Public Speech of Fraese, the First Stadholder of Holland:
(delivered in Amsterdam, January 1st, 1520. Reported to the Spanish court by loyal spy Erasmus)
On recieving stewardship over the heartland of our people from the Spanish King, I rejoice with all of the freedom-loving citizens of the low countries at the first steps of the Dutch nation towards complete independence.
*wild applause*
This long-awaited first taste of freedom makes us hunger for more, but we must be patient. Through industry and fortitude, we will establish ourselves in commerce and the mercantile pursuits. With careful investment we will enrich our children. In time, the world will recognize that we, a peaceful and most practical people, have earned the privilege of freedom through our own hard work, and all our race will be independent.
*extended cheering*
For the moment, however, we must be brave. Our small country must stand tall above its stature, and stare down all who would deprive us of our freedom, or depredate our Dutch brethren...
*brief interruption - an intoxicated burgher became so outraged at the thought of foreigners trampling Dutch soil that he began cursing every King in Europe and had to be escorted to a comfortable holding cell*
...we must stand with Friesland and Gelre against the hidden enemies of the Dutch, whoever they may be, so that in time all the Dutch peoples might be united under a single, independent, Dutch stadholder. This is our dream, and the pledge of the good King of Spain. We need only stand with God and our Right, and all that we seek will be ours.
*much crossing and murmered prayer*
There are other tasks. You have all heard rumours of foreign lands across the seas. Wealth beyond our wildest dreams is said to await the bold adventurers who journey to the edge of the known world and beyond. Indeed, I know that these are not fables, but the just and right rewards of those qualities that set our people apart from other nations: industry and trade will yield wealth abroad. If our destiny lies beyond the seas, the same qualities that make the Dutch the wisest people on God's green earth will bring prosperity to all our ventures in foreign lands; however, we must be bold, and with the independent spirit of our forbears and our freedom in our grasp, we must expand our horizons and dare to take what is rightfully ours through pious industry...
------
At this point the speech devolved into pure rhetoric, with little of value to the ear of the King.
-Spy Erasmus
PS: My latest compensation was three doubloons short.
(delivered in Amsterdam, January 1st, 1520. Reported to the Spanish court by loyal spy Erasmus)
On recieving stewardship over the heartland of our people from the Spanish King, I rejoice with all of the freedom-loving citizens of the low countries at the first steps of the Dutch nation towards complete independence.
*wild applause*
This long-awaited first taste of freedom makes us hunger for more, but we must be patient. Through industry and fortitude, we will establish ourselves in commerce and the mercantile pursuits. With careful investment we will enrich our children. In time, the world will recognize that we, a peaceful and most practical people, have earned the privilege of freedom through our own hard work, and all our race will be independent.
*extended cheering*
For the moment, however, we must be brave. Our small country must stand tall above its stature, and stare down all who would deprive us of our freedom, or depredate our Dutch brethren...
*brief interruption - an intoxicated burgher became so outraged at the thought of foreigners trampling Dutch soil that he began cursing every King in Europe and had to be escorted to a comfortable holding cell*
...we must stand with Friesland and Gelre against the hidden enemies of the Dutch, whoever they may be, so that in time all the Dutch peoples might be united under a single, independent, Dutch stadholder. This is our dream, and the pledge of the good King of Spain. We need only stand with God and our Right, and all that we seek will be ours.
*much crossing and murmered prayer*
There are other tasks. You have all heard rumours of foreign lands across the seas. Wealth beyond our wildest dreams is said to await the bold adventurers who journey to the edge of the known world and beyond. Indeed, I know that these are not fables, but the just and right rewards of those qualities that set our people apart from other nations: industry and trade will yield wealth abroad. If our destiny lies beyond the seas, the same qualities that make the Dutch the wisest people on God's green earth will bring prosperity to all our ventures in foreign lands; however, we must be bold, and with the independent spirit of our forbears and our freedom in our grasp, we must expand our horizons and dare to take what is rightfully ours through pious industry...
------
At this point the speech devolved into pure rhetoric, with little of value to the ear of the King.
-Spy Erasmus
PS: My latest compensation was three doubloons short.
From the court of Tsar of all Russia
We wish to live in peace with all Christian nations. We do not care if they are Protestant or Catholic and will form alliances with all willing. Tsar issued a expansion policy which we proclaim to all in hope that it will prevent unnecessary wars.
1. All land from Moscow to Caucasus are considered Russian.
2. We have no claims on any land owned by Sweden and wish to keep good relations with it as long as possible.
3. We wish to have good relation with Poland but we claim all territories in its possession that has Russian population. We will defend our people and their faith.
4. Asian corridor is considered vital to Russia future and any nation colonizing it or preventing us from claiming it will be considered enemy.
5. We hope to create good working relationship with Ottomans to keep balance of power in central Europe in case western powers develop better technology. Our two great empires need stability and long peaceful borders with each other.
the Tsar.
We wish to live in peace with all Christian nations. We do not care if they are Protestant or Catholic and will form alliances with all willing. Tsar issued a expansion policy which we proclaim to all in hope that it will prevent unnecessary wars.
1. All land from Moscow to Caucasus are considered Russian.
2. We have no claims on any land owned by Sweden and wish to keep good relations with it as long as possible.
3. We wish to have good relation with Poland but we claim all territories in its possession that has Russian population. We will defend our people and their faith.
4. Asian corridor is considered vital to Russia future and any nation colonizing it or preventing us from claiming it will be considered enemy.
5. We hope to create good working relationship with Ottomans to keep balance of power in central Europe in case western powers develop better technology. Our two great empires need stability and long peaceful borders with each other.
the Tsar.
I, Zygmunt I Stary, King of Poland, hereby proclaim that first and foremost Poland is a Catholic nation. I look upon enemies of Catholicism as the enemies of Poland. They are one and the same.
Next, to my eastern neighbor, the Tsar… we do not recognize your claims on the sole province that contains Russians. That land is part of Poland and will be treated accordingly. Secondly, the Ruthenian peoples are considered peoples of Poland. The status quo is acceptable to us at the moment.
Lastly, I wish to reach out the hand of friendship to my fellow Catholic rulers: Francois I of France, Carlos I of Spain, Manuel I of Portugal, Leonardo Loredano of Venice, Henry VIII of England, Unionsrad of Sweden, Karl V of Austria and Fraese of Holland.
-Zygmunt I Stary
Next, to my eastern neighbor, the Tsar… we do not recognize your claims on the sole province that contains Russians. That land is part of Poland and will be treated accordingly. Secondly, the Ruthenian peoples are considered peoples of Poland. The status quo is acceptable to us at the moment.
Lastly, I wish to reach out the hand of friendship to my fellow Catholic rulers: Francois I of France, Carlos I of Spain, Manuel I of Portugal, Leonardo Loredano of Venice, Henry VIII of England, Unionsrad of Sweden, Karl V of Austria and Fraese of Holland.
-Zygmunt I Stary
Russia..
From the start of his rule Russian Tsar had his eyes set for Orthodox lands under the yoke of Astrakhan. He used the war between Kazan, Crimea vs Astrakhan and sent our great, glorious armies into the steps. Without any good general war did progress slowly but victory was secured. Under the international pressure from other European rulers Tsar agreed to take only 5 provs from Astrakhan including the gold rich Summara.
Next was Kazan. War was short and swift. Two Orthodox provs. Tambow and Volograd were incorporated into our Empire. During the war Teutonic Order DoW on Russia and sent their knights into Pskov. Tsar build more troops and sent them to punish German knights. Almost total destruction of TO army was followed by siege of forts in Latvia and Estonia. At that time Polish king used the TO weeknes to attack them and capture Riga. Eventually diplomatic treaty to divide TO between Russia and Poland was signed. Russia took 2 northern provs. and Poland took Kuruland.
After few years of peace Tsar decided to continue our push into the steppes to reach Caspian Sea. Astrakhan was attacked, defeated and occupied. It had to give up its control of all lands except its capitol. Right after our war Astrakhan was annexed by Persia which was attacked by Ottoman Sultan. Thru diplomatic pressure Russia discouraged OE from grabbing Astrakhan from Persia. Instead it give Russia military access so our troops could fight a war with Persia. War was costly and took long time because of long distance Russian army had to travel to reach Persian homeland. But we did won the war and took Astrakhan.
From the start of his rule Russian Tsar had his eyes set for Orthodox lands under the yoke of Astrakhan. He used the war between Kazan, Crimea vs Astrakhan and sent our great, glorious armies into the steps. Without any good general war did progress slowly but victory was secured. Under the international pressure from other European rulers Tsar agreed to take only 5 provs from Astrakhan including the gold rich Summara.
Next was Kazan. War was short and swift. Two Orthodox provs. Tambow and Volograd were incorporated into our Empire. During the war Teutonic Order DoW on Russia and sent their knights into Pskov. Tsar build more troops and sent them to punish German knights. Almost total destruction of TO army was followed by siege of forts in Latvia and Estonia. At that time Polish king used the TO weeknes to attack them and capture Riga. Eventually diplomatic treaty to divide TO between Russia and Poland was signed. Russia took 2 northern provs. and Poland took Kuruland.
After few years of peace Tsar decided to continue our push into the steppes to reach Caspian Sea. Astrakhan was attacked, defeated and occupied. It had to give up its control of all lands except its capitol. Right after our war Astrakhan was annexed by Persia which was attacked by Ottoman Sultan. Thru diplomatic pressure Russia discouraged OE from grabbing Astrakhan from Persia. Instead it give Russia military access so our troops could fight a war with Persia. War was costly and took long time because of long distance Russian army had to travel to reach Persian homeland. But we did won the war and took Astrakhan.
It was a period of great prosperity for the Kingdom of Spain. Rich new lands to the west had been discovered and hardy pioneers set out to colonize and bring God to the heathens. Brave conquistarods such as Hernan Cortes and Fransisco Pizzarro set out to conquer the vast gold mines of the Inca and Aztec Empires. In 1520, Cortes secured the surrender and incorporation of the Aztecs into New Spain. Missionaries were sent immediately to convert the thousands of pagan subjects ot the Christian faith. Soon thereafter, Cortes secured the conquest of the Mayans and other local tribes. Missionaries flocked ot the new lands in search of converts for the Holy Church. In 1533, war was declared on the Inca empire and Cortes and Pizzarro set out south at the head of 40,000 Spanish soldiers. By 1536, the Inca nation was subjegated and their vast wealth was incorporated into the Spanish Empire.
Brave explorers set out into the uncharted oceans in search for further lands and tribes to civilize. They made landfall in India and Indonesia in the early 1540, discovering vast trading empires desirous of Spanish goods. By 1544, the entirety of the Spanish Peru was on the verge of mass religious conversion. Catholic missionaries had embedded themselves in every province and were with 4 years of a complete conversion of the ehathen populace.
In Europe, a series of wars in Germany saw the virtual destruction of The Holy Roman Empire. This was no concern to us as all of the nations making territorial gains were loyal to the Pope. So long as these nations remain Catholic, Spain doesn't care who owns what lands. We are happy to see that religious conversions are being carried out in Lutheran Germany. Spain continues to offer its support to any country seeking to bring its people back to the Holy Mother Church.
We have struck a deal with the English King, Henry VIII on the future of England. Emmissaries at the English court learned that Henry was considering a move to protestantism to secure a divorce that the Holy Father was unwilling to grant. Through Spanish intervention and influence, the Pope granted Henry VIII a Papal dispensation and England remained true to the Church. In return, Spain filled the coffers of the English throne and has agreed to fund religious conversions in Scotland and Southern England.
A non-aggression pact was struck with France that was to last from 1530 until 1545. Spain seeks to renew that pact and extend it until 1560. We have had no quarrel with France and see no reason why France should be an enemy of Spain. In addition, Spain seeks to acquire the French province of Bearn on the Spanish border and is willing to cede our lands in Franche Comte in exchange. A normalization of borders is the best and most efficient way of preserving the peace.
We continue to support our friends in England and Holland in all their endeavors.
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Netherlands: 1520-1544
The newly autonomous Netherlands was involved in almost constant warfare during this period, as Stadholder Fraese expanded his realm with the help of the Spanish suzerain. The first war saw the annexation of Gelre and Friesen, Dutch peoples strangely reluctant to join the greater Dutch state. During this war of Dutch unification, the warmongering German nations of Oldenburg, Munster, and Kleves attacked the Netherlands, and the Dutch called for the help of their Catholic allies. Spain responded quickly, and the combined Dutch and Spanish forces subdued the Germans, who were vassalized to the Netherlands.
Having learned the warlike character of German minors from this war, the Stadholder determined to vassalize all the German states bordering the Netherlands. To this end, after a brief period of peace, the Stadholder turned his attention to Koln and Hessen, now bereft of allies. With good leadership and expanded manpower, the Stadholder was certain of victory; however, as soon as war was declared, the Germans called on their secret allies in the Hanseatic league for help. To make matters worse, communications with England and Spain were briefly interrupted due to severe winter storms, and the Stadholder's allies never recieved word of the peril of their Dutch brethren. The Netherlands fought a gruelling 4 year war with seven small countries before finally defeating the forces of Mecklemburg and Pommern and accepting a white peace with the Hansa and the Koln alliance.
To the Stadholder's dismay, the supposedly Catholic Archduke had siezed upon the vulnerability of the Netherlands to wage war and annex the Dutch vassal Münster, in violation of a previously agreed upon arrangement. Messengers have been sent to Austria to request an explanation, and the restoration of Münster to the Netherlands. We suggest that Austria take the example of their Habsburg cousins in Spain, our allies, and assist the Dutch rather than prey on their vassals.
The newly autonomous Netherlands was involved in almost constant warfare during this period, as Stadholder Fraese expanded his realm with the help of the Spanish suzerain. The first war saw the annexation of Gelre and Friesen, Dutch peoples strangely reluctant to join the greater Dutch state. During this war of Dutch unification, the warmongering German nations of Oldenburg, Munster, and Kleves attacked the Netherlands, and the Dutch called for the help of their Catholic allies. Spain responded quickly, and the combined Dutch and Spanish forces subdued the Germans, who were vassalized to the Netherlands.
Having learned the warlike character of German minors from this war, the Stadholder determined to vassalize all the German states bordering the Netherlands. To this end, after a brief period of peace, the Stadholder turned his attention to Koln and Hessen, now bereft of allies. With good leadership and expanded manpower, the Stadholder was certain of victory; however, as soon as war was declared, the Germans called on their secret allies in the Hanseatic league for help. To make matters worse, communications with England and Spain were briefly interrupted due to severe winter storms, and the Stadholder's allies never recieved word of the peril of their Dutch brethren. The Netherlands fought a gruelling 4 year war with seven small countries before finally defeating the forces of Mecklemburg and Pommern and accepting a white peace with the Hansa and the Koln alliance.
To the Stadholder's dismay, the supposedly Catholic Archduke had siezed upon the vulnerability of the Netherlands to wage war and annex the Dutch vassal Münster, in violation of a previously agreed upon arrangement. Messengers have been sent to Austria to request an explanation, and the restoration of Münster to the Netherlands. We suggest that Austria take the example of their Habsburg cousins in Spain, our allies, and assist the Dutch rather than prey on their vassals.
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Poland 1520-1544
I had hoped to start out my glourious Catholic nation on a path of peace, looking inwards towards developement and converting the regions of my lands that still clung to the wrong faiths.
However, this was not the case. Russia greatly expanded its borders to the south and east, greatly swelling its lands. The Protestant nations of northern Germany began to get involved in wars with the Dutch and the Austrians, both of whom the I, King of Poland, offered to help subdue. Thus I came to control the lands of former Brandenburg and brought Pommern under my vassalization.
It is again my hope, as King of Poland to bring stabilization and peace to my realm. War can be such an unfortunate thing that I hope I do not see it for the rest of my lifetime.
Zygmunt I Stary, King of Poland
Barca has been having trouble accessing the forums lately, so I am posting this AAR on his behalf.
Ottoman Empire 1520-1544
The Ottoman Empire had been expanding at an incredible rate ever since their defeat at Ankara over a century ago. Selim, not content with his conquests to date, attacked the Persians in August of 1520. The persians had a considerable army and when Selim died in September, few gave the new Sultan a chance. However, Süleymân I quickly silenced any doubters. Süleymân outmanouvered, then annihilated the main Persian army in 1521, and consequently Iraq and all of southwestern Persia fell into Ottoman hands. In 1522, while the Persian capital was being sieged by Süleymân, Persia agreed to cede the provinces of Basrah, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kurdistan and Kirkuk to Süleymân.
In 1527, an unlikely opportunity arose: Hungary had declared war on her long-time friend and supporter Austria. Austria, no doubt confused by this action, was not prepared to fight an offensive war in Hungary. Süleymân took advantage of the situation, invading Hungary in 1527. In a brilliant series of assaults Süleymân conquered the provinces of Banat, Transylvania, Ruthenia and Maros. The Hungarians were preparing to surrender the garrison of Magyar to Austria, which was unacceptable to Süleymân. He warned the Austrians to desist, or face Turkish steel. When the Austrians refused, they were routed. Realising Hungary was lost, the Austrians accepted peace, leaving Hungary to her fate. By summer 1530 Hungary was completely overrun, but due to some principle of international law the provinces of Carpathia and Presburg were given to Austria. Magyar, Maros, Pest, Banat and Croatia Süleymân would rule. Transylvania and Ruthenia would be ruled by János I Zápolya in Süleymân's name.
The second Persian war began in 1532, and cemented Ottoman power in the east for decades to come. Persian defenses were overcome by the summer of 1533, and Persia capitulated, surrendering Daghestan and the gold producing Armenia. The remainder of the period was for the most part spent converting the Balkans to Islam, and peaceful expansion (mostly). Tunisia was annexed peacefully in 1534, as was Algiers in 1537. Rhodes was annexed from the Knights in 1540, and Venice attacked in 1543 (still ongoing). Süleymân has tasked himself with with bringing the light of Islam to the west, a process already started in Hungary. To the leaders of the west, prepare your defenses, for a reckoning is at hand.
The Ottoman Empire had been expanding at an incredible rate ever since their defeat at Ankara over a century ago. Selim, not content with his conquests to date, attacked the Persians in August of 1520. The persians had a considerable army and when Selim died in September, few gave the new Sultan a chance. However, Süleymân I quickly silenced any doubters. Süleymân outmanouvered, then annihilated the main Persian army in 1521, and consequently Iraq and all of southwestern Persia fell into Ottoman hands. In 1522, while the Persian capital was being sieged by Süleymân, Persia agreed to cede the provinces of Basrah, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kurdistan and Kirkuk to Süleymân.
In 1527, an unlikely opportunity arose: Hungary had declared war on her long-time friend and supporter Austria. Austria, no doubt confused by this action, was not prepared to fight an offensive war in Hungary. Süleymân took advantage of the situation, invading Hungary in 1527. In a brilliant series of assaults Süleymân conquered the provinces of Banat, Transylvania, Ruthenia and Maros. The Hungarians were preparing to surrender the garrison of Magyar to Austria, which was unacceptable to Süleymân. He warned the Austrians to desist, or face Turkish steel. When the Austrians refused, they were routed. Realising Hungary was lost, the Austrians accepted peace, leaving Hungary to her fate. By summer 1530 Hungary was completely overrun, but due to some principle of international law the provinces of Carpathia and Presburg were given to Austria. Magyar, Maros, Pest, Banat and Croatia Süleymân would rule. Transylvania and Ruthenia would be ruled by János I Zápolya in Süleymân's name.
The second Persian war began in 1532, and cemented Ottoman power in the east for decades to come. Persian defenses were overcome by the summer of 1533, and Persia capitulated, surrendering Daghestan and the gold producing Armenia. The remainder of the period was for the most part spent converting the Balkans to Islam, and peaceful expansion (mostly). Tunisia was annexed peacefully in 1534, as was Algiers in 1537. Rhodes was annexed from the Knights in 1540, and Venice attacked in 1543 (still ongoing). Süleymân has tasked himself with with bringing the light of Islam to the west, a process already started in Hungary. To the leaders of the west, prepare your defenses, for a reckoning is at hand.
A time of great upheaval was about to sweep Europe. The Ottoman Turk was making aggressive noises in the east. A heretic called Jean Calvin was making noise in the lowlands. And war was erupted in Germany, engulfing the entirety of the Holy Roman Empire, or what was left of it.
Spain sat on the periphery, content to increase her strangelhold on the New World. Conversions of heathens in Peru finally finished in 1556 with the last of the Pagans converted to the Catholic faith. 5 days later, King Carlos I died in his sleep. He would forever more be known as Carlos the Inquisitor.
Colonies were built and ionfrastructure improved throughout the empire. A great navy was constructed in the Arsenal at Sevilla and Spain had never been more powerful.In 1549, the Turk began threatening our Austrian brothers. A great Christian alliance of Spain, Poland, and Austria was founded to resist the heretical Muslim hordes. Spanish troops numbering close to 120,000 were stationed in Austria to deter Ottoman aggression. Leading these forces was El Duque de Alva, the greatest military mind of his generation. On the batlefield, he had no equal. In February 1552, the Ottomans declared war on Austria. Due to poor communications, Spain was only able to declare war on the Ottomans in April, a full 2 months after the initial Ottoman armies crossed the border. This was a signal of the campaign to come. Poor commnuications and terrible coordination of Spanish and Austrian forces resulted in a resounding Ottoman victory. Alva fought hard and was successful at first, defeating 3 Ottoman armies, including their Emperor, Suleyman. However, the Ottoman navy was significantly stronger than intelligence indicated and our reinforcement efforts across the Mediterranean were the victim of constant interdiction and harrassment. Spain managed to land 100,000 more troops in Austria before Naval supremacy was lost, but bad weather, lack of supplies, and a fierce opponent with seemingly endless streams of reinforcements rendered the assistance futile. In 1555, Austria made peace, ceding two provinces to the Turk. Right as the war was ending, Alva fought his last battle. Outnumbered and outmanuevered, he fought against all odds, nearly winning in the end. However, a sniper brought down the great general and Spain wept as peace was made.
Fraese, first Stadholder of the Netherlands, was brooding. Affairs of state seemed to consume all of his time, and he wasn't getting any younger. His wife had been encouraging him to take some time off, but where would he go? What would he do? Politics was his life, and as long as he was in Europe, he would never be able to get away from it. He had to get away, he was sure his wife was right about that, but it had to be very far away from the intrigue and machinations of the European aristocracy.
"The new world!" he cried, and at once felt foolish for thinking it. The Dutch had no lands in the Caribbean, whose sandy beaches seemed unreachably far away. If he was to travel into the Spanish colonies, he would have to do it incognito, and would have to leave secretly.
Weeks later, the Stadholder found he couldn't stop fantasizing about an escape to the Caribbean. There was no doubt about it; he had to go. He'd take his wife, but nobody else could know where he was going or he would never be truly free of the cares and burdens of his position. He called his two sons into the room.
"My sons, I'm leaving for a while, and I entrust the care of my state to you. Our little country must keep the peace with its neighbors, build its economy, and pacify religious unrest to the best of our ability. Are you ready for this responsibility?"
His sons nodded their assent. The Stadholder smiled and embraced them, before leaving the palace in a black carriage, heading for the dockyards. They never saw him again.
The Stadholder's sons were ecstatic over their newfound freedom. 22 and 18, they had been pampered and molly-coddled throughout their useless lives, and were used to getting everything they wanted. Having listened to their father rage over the Austrian annexation of Münster, they decided that was what they wanted, and declared war on Austria. When informed that the Dutch army was unprepared for such a conflict, they were undeterred - "The Austrians will perish before the might of my fat fist" said Jan, and his younger brother Hans agreed: "The Austrians haven't a chance. No Austrian can match my bow-staff skills!"
Over the following years, the court gradually came to the realization that the sons of the Stadholder had little grasp of the realities of state, and worked to minimize their power. However, the overly influential bureaucracy alienated the people, who wanted a "real government" and not a bizarre puppet-show. Public discontent was manipulated by a group of militaristic revolutionaries, who finally ransacked the palace in January 1559, arrested the Stadholder's family, and declared the Netherlands a Republic.
Eliminating red tape and corruption in the bureaucracy ignited a stagnant economy, and Amsterdam was soon the busiest trading hub in the region, surpassing even the cloth markets of Flanders. The new Republic was clearly a different beast than the corrupt regime of the Fraese family, and the hearts of the Dutch people swelled with pride once again at the site of their tri-color flag.
Arch-Duchy of Austria: 1544 - 1559
Austria during the middle 1500's was a busy realm, if busy can be said to mean frantically raising armies, minting money to pay for the armies, and scrambling to send said armies around the realm to put down rebellions while fighting four or five wars simultaneously. During these few years, trade, upgrade of the taxation system, and even investments in a more stable realm took back seat to the simple need to raise and field expensive armies. Quiet, the land was not.
Austria's neighbors viewed uneasily the land-grabbing policies of the Habsburg Emperor during the first part of the Sixteenth Century. For many of the petty rulers, herzogs, grafs, archbishops and the like, it seemed only a matter of time until the Habsburg armies would make their way into the seat of government and dictate terms of a peace. Taking counsel, one by one the independent states of Central Europe began to co-ordinate an attack on the Austrian lands.
The first to initiate hostilities were Hannover and Bremen in May of 1543. By December, the Austrians had failed to move aggressively to crush the effort, and other countries lined up to take their shots. The Elector Palatine combined with the Archbishop of Cologne to declare war in December of 1543. The newly freed Netherlands, lead by the inept Fraese brothers, declared war January 7, 1544, but their English and Spanish allies steered clear of the conflict, leaving the Dutch on their own to face the eventual might of the Emperor. Their vassal, Kleves, declared war a day later. The Saxon duke, feeling emboldened, declared war on January 12. Last, but not least, the Duchy of Lorraine piled on with a war declaration May 12, 1544, joined by the Scots and the Genoese, though the house of Savoy intelligently refused to honor the call of the alliance to participate.
Austria, however, was not deterred. Diverting its regular income from investments in upgrading weapons and tactics, the Arch-Duke Maximillian, ruling in the name of his brother, Karl, poured money into army after army of men. These hardy souls, promised good pay and great reward from looting, marched off from the central lands of the Empire to attack the forces of the various invaders. Bremen fell to a siege in December, and the Arch-Duke made an example of the Bremeners by annexing them outright to the Arch-Duchy.
Further gains took time; there was much unhappiness among the people of the Austrian provinces as war continued. Rebellions sprang up from time to time all around the lands. Fortunately, Karl Habsburg recognized the threat of Austrian weakness and sent Spanish troops in to quell these disturbances. Austrian troops slowly but steadily beat back the invaders and besieged their capitals. One by one, they fell to the Austrians. Hannover was vassalized in June, 1546. Saxony was vassalized February, 1547. Cologne was vassalized in January of 1548. And Kleves, which stubbornly refused to end its subordination to the Netherland princes, was annexed to Austria May of 1547.
France, in a move to be repeated later on, almost caused a major escalation of the war in 1547. On July 1, the French king, Francois I, after secret negotiations, joined the Scottish Alliance, and entered the war on Austria. Austria had hoped to simply complete a siege of the cities in Lorraine and then conclude a peace with payment of indemnity, but the entrance of the French into the war had the potential to extend the conflict significantly. Fortunately, in August of the same year, envoys from Edinburgh realized that the effort was fruitless, and that Austria had the upper hand. Paying 200 ducats on behalf of the whole alliance, Scotland bought peace for its members. The French slunk back home, and brooded.
In February, Maximilian surveyed the damage and took stock. Promoting several new tax collectors in newly won provinces, the Habsburgs began the arduous process of re-organizing the economy. Meanwhile, knowing that an eventual war with the Ottoman Sultan would present itself, efforts were made to upgrade the quality of the arms used by the troops of the Arch-Duchy. A new type of gun, the musket, was already in use in some countries; it was hoped that Austrian troops could begin using them in the field before the Ottomans stole the technology and turned it upon the Faithful.
Austrian fears were realized in February of 1552. Despite the presence in Austria of over 100k of well-trained Austrian troops, despite the added presence of the Duque d'Alva with another 100k of Spanish troops, the Ottoman Sultan declared war and began an effort to swiftly reduce fortifications in border provinces. Fortunately for Austria, the Polish king agreed to join forces against the Sultan, and declared war to stand beside the Spanish and Austrian forces.
But it was not enough. In the course of a war of around three years duration, Suleyman the Magnificent simply pressed on and on and on. Seemingly able to reduce the best fortifications with an ease envied by the Austrian generals, provinces fell under his control: Odenburg, Pressburg, Krain, Moravia, eventually even Bohemia and the Ostmarch. Although the Duque d'Alva tried hard to combat the Turkish sultan, he was left unsupplied with sufficient replacement troops, and never could communicate to his Austrian and Polish allies where to concentrate their forces for maximum effectiveness. On more than one occasion, Suleyman slipped away at the last moment. Eventually, the good Duque was caught in Pressburg with too few troops. Ottoman forces poured onto the battlefield like locusts on a wheat field. The flower of Spanish chivalry died, and with it went any hope of a successful conclusion to the war for Austria.
Austria had added worries as well. The Holy Father, illy advised, declared war upon the Holy Roman Emperor while Maximilian was dealing with the Turks. Joining the Pope were Mecklemburg, Savoy (now wanting her missed opportunity from before), Venice, and Tuscany. Armies from the Alliance immediately began investing the Alsace, and Tirol. Maximilian bided his time, waiting for the end to the Turkish conflict, confident that Austrian armies would crush the weak forces of the Papacy.
Still, the combined effects of so much war began to take their toll. Again, rebellions broke out in province after province. Stability took several hits, especially when seemingly minor concessions were asked for by the Sultan to end the war, much less punitive than might have been suspected from the Moslem war leader. Eventually, faced with the possibility of the rape of Wien itself, Maximilian took the Sultan up on his offer; Krain and Odenburg to the Ottomans. The second Austro-Turkish conflict was over.
Austrian forces at once began to take war to the West. Papal troops were no match for the Austrian armies. Muskets were introduced shortly after the end of the Turkish war, to devastating effect. Tirol was won back, the siege of Mainz was relieved, and expeditionary forces began to press northward to recover Bremen (captured by the forces of Mecklemburg) and southward to reduce the Papacy to ineffectiveness.
But, as with all else during the mid-Sixteenth Century for Austria, nothing came as easily as imagined. No sooner had the Austrian forces begun to deal with the western attacks than Genoa declared war upon Austria. Scotland and The Elector Palatine both joined; France, seemingly indifferent, refused to participate. Then, the people of Münster declared independence and Austrian troops were sent to return the disobediant revolters to the proper authority.
Slowly, Austrian and Bavarian forces rolled back the onslaught and took the fight to the enemy. Tirol and Alsace were won back. Romagna, Firenze, Siena and even Roma fell to Austrian troops. Tuscany was vassalized, and the troops made their way to Mantua, intending to take the province for Austria itself as reparation for the Holy Father's ill-advised war declaration. Austrian troops invested the castle of the Elector Palatine, and pressed on to win back Bremen.
Again, into this mix jumped the French, without cause. Fearful that Austria would annex the county Palatine, France declared war and sent troops streaming in to relieve the Austrian siege. No diplomats were sent from the Valois to the Habsburgs beforehand, and it was only after the combined efforts of the several crowned heads of Europe made clear to Francois that it was the Habsburgs who had been wronged, that the French retreated to watch events from a distance. The siege was concluded, and the Elector Palatine paid a hefty sum in indemnity for the woes his efforts had brought to Austria.
And thus, as the period came to an end, Austria again stood ready to conclude peace with its several antagonists. It was to be hoped that, upon the successful reduction of the fortresses in Mantua, that the Papal Alliance could be brought to the negotiating table; the Scots and Genoese are likely to accept peace for little added effort, and all that remains is the slow but steady rebuilding of Austria, the reduction of remaining rebellions, and the return of life to a stable normality. Maximillian sat in Wien, counting the cost of his policies, and worried how to keep from falling further behind his fellow European rulers.
Austria during the middle 1500's was a busy realm, if busy can be said to mean frantically raising armies, minting money to pay for the armies, and scrambling to send said armies around the realm to put down rebellions while fighting four or five wars simultaneously. During these few years, trade, upgrade of the taxation system, and even investments in a more stable realm took back seat to the simple need to raise and field expensive armies. Quiet, the land was not.
Austria's neighbors viewed uneasily the land-grabbing policies of the Habsburg Emperor during the first part of the Sixteenth Century. For many of the petty rulers, herzogs, grafs, archbishops and the like, it seemed only a matter of time until the Habsburg armies would make their way into the seat of government and dictate terms of a peace. Taking counsel, one by one the independent states of Central Europe began to co-ordinate an attack on the Austrian lands.
The first to initiate hostilities were Hannover and Bremen in May of 1543. By December, the Austrians had failed to move aggressively to crush the effort, and other countries lined up to take their shots. The Elector Palatine combined with the Archbishop of Cologne to declare war in December of 1543. The newly freed Netherlands, lead by the inept Fraese brothers, declared war January 7, 1544, but their English and Spanish allies steered clear of the conflict, leaving the Dutch on their own to face the eventual might of the Emperor. Their vassal, Kleves, declared war a day later. The Saxon duke, feeling emboldened, declared war on January 12. Last, but not least, the Duchy of Lorraine piled on with a war declaration May 12, 1544, joined by the Scots and the Genoese, though the house of Savoy intelligently refused to honor the call of the alliance to participate.
Austria, however, was not deterred. Diverting its regular income from investments in upgrading weapons and tactics, the Arch-Duke Maximillian, ruling in the name of his brother, Karl, poured money into army after army of men. These hardy souls, promised good pay and great reward from looting, marched off from the central lands of the Empire to attack the forces of the various invaders. Bremen fell to a siege in December, and the Arch-Duke made an example of the Bremeners by annexing them outright to the Arch-Duchy.
Further gains took time; there was much unhappiness among the people of the Austrian provinces as war continued. Rebellions sprang up from time to time all around the lands. Fortunately, Karl Habsburg recognized the threat of Austrian weakness and sent Spanish troops in to quell these disturbances. Austrian troops slowly but steadily beat back the invaders and besieged their capitals. One by one, they fell to the Austrians. Hannover was vassalized in June, 1546. Saxony was vassalized February, 1547. Cologne was vassalized in January of 1548. And Kleves, which stubbornly refused to end its subordination to the Netherland princes, was annexed to Austria May of 1547.
France, in a move to be repeated later on, almost caused a major escalation of the war in 1547. On July 1, the French king, Francois I, after secret negotiations, joined the Scottish Alliance, and entered the war on Austria. Austria had hoped to simply complete a siege of the cities in Lorraine and then conclude a peace with payment of indemnity, but the entrance of the French into the war had the potential to extend the conflict significantly. Fortunately, in August of the same year, envoys from Edinburgh realized that the effort was fruitless, and that Austria had the upper hand. Paying 200 ducats on behalf of the whole alliance, Scotland bought peace for its members. The French slunk back home, and brooded.
In February, Maximilian surveyed the damage and took stock. Promoting several new tax collectors in newly won provinces, the Habsburgs began the arduous process of re-organizing the economy. Meanwhile, knowing that an eventual war with the Ottoman Sultan would present itself, efforts were made to upgrade the quality of the arms used by the troops of the Arch-Duchy. A new type of gun, the musket, was already in use in some countries; it was hoped that Austrian troops could begin using them in the field before the Ottomans stole the technology and turned it upon the Faithful.
Austrian fears were realized in February of 1552. Despite the presence in Austria of over 100k of well-trained Austrian troops, despite the added presence of the Duque d'Alva with another 100k of Spanish troops, the Ottoman Sultan declared war and began an effort to swiftly reduce fortifications in border provinces. Fortunately for Austria, the Polish king agreed to join forces against the Sultan, and declared war to stand beside the Spanish and Austrian forces.
But it was not enough. In the course of a war of around three years duration, Suleyman the Magnificent simply pressed on and on and on. Seemingly able to reduce the best fortifications with an ease envied by the Austrian generals, provinces fell under his control: Odenburg, Pressburg, Krain, Moravia, eventually even Bohemia and the Ostmarch. Although the Duque d'Alva tried hard to combat the Turkish sultan, he was left unsupplied with sufficient replacement troops, and never could communicate to his Austrian and Polish allies where to concentrate their forces for maximum effectiveness. On more than one occasion, Suleyman slipped away at the last moment. Eventually, the good Duque was caught in Pressburg with too few troops. Ottoman forces poured onto the battlefield like locusts on a wheat field. The flower of Spanish chivalry died, and with it went any hope of a successful conclusion to the war for Austria.
Austria had added worries as well. The Holy Father, illy advised, declared war upon the Holy Roman Emperor while Maximilian was dealing with the Turks. Joining the Pope were Mecklemburg, Savoy (now wanting her missed opportunity from before), Venice, and Tuscany. Armies from the Alliance immediately began investing the Alsace, and Tirol. Maximilian bided his time, waiting for the end to the Turkish conflict, confident that Austrian armies would crush the weak forces of the Papacy.
Still, the combined effects of so much war began to take their toll. Again, rebellions broke out in province after province. Stability took several hits, especially when seemingly minor concessions were asked for by the Sultan to end the war, much less punitive than might have been suspected from the Moslem war leader. Eventually, faced with the possibility of the rape of Wien itself, Maximilian took the Sultan up on his offer; Krain and Odenburg to the Ottomans. The second Austro-Turkish conflict was over.
Austrian forces at once began to take war to the West. Papal troops were no match for the Austrian armies. Muskets were introduced shortly after the end of the Turkish war, to devastating effect. Tirol was won back, the siege of Mainz was relieved, and expeditionary forces began to press northward to recover Bremen (captured by the forces of Mecklemburg) and southward to reduce the Papacy to ineffectiveness.
But, as with all else during the mid-Sixteenth Century for Austria, nothing came as easily as imagined. No sooner had the Austrian forces begun to deal with the western attacks than Genoa declared war upon Austria. Scotland and The Elector Palatine both joined; France, seemingly indifferent, refused to participate. Then, the people of Münster declared independence and Austrian troops were sent to return the disobediant revolters to the proper authority.
Slowly, Austrian and Bavarian forces rolled back the onslaught and took the fight to the enemy. Tirol and Alsace were won back. Romagna, Firenze, Siena and even Roma fell to Austrian troops. Tuscany was vassalized, and the troops made their way to Mantua, intending to take the province for Austria itself as reparation for the Holy Father's ill-advised war declaration. Austrian troops invested the castle of the Elector Palatine, and pressed on to win back Bremen.
Again, into this mix jumped the French, without cause. Fearful that Austria would annex the county Palatine, France declared war and sent troops streaming in to relieve the Austrian siege. No diplomats were sent from the Valois to the Habsburgs beforehand, and it was only after the combined efforts of the several crowned heads of Europe made clear to Francois that it was the Habsburgs who had been wronged, that the French retreated to watch events from a distance. The siege was concluded, and the Elector Palatine paid a hefty sum in indemnity for the woes his efforts had brought to Austria.
And thus, as the period came to an end, Austria again stood ready to conclude peace with its several antagonists. It was to be hoped that, upon the successful reduction of the fortresses in Mantua, that the Papal Alliance could be brought to the negotiating table; the Scots and Genoese are likely to accept peace for little added effort, and all that remains is the slow but steady rebuilding of Austria, the reduction of remaining rebellions, and the return of life to a stable normality. Maximillian sat in Wien, counting the cost of his policies, and worried how to keep from falling further behind his fellow European rulers.
France:1520-44
January 1 1520
Francois I de Valois, stalked his palace, with anger in his eyes.
“Mr Fibuli!” yelled Francois.
“Yes, my liege,” answered Mr Fibuli, Francois’ faithful steward, loyal to the Valois line.
“Prepare for war Mr Fibuli! We must capture our rightful claims in Italy!” roared Francois.
“Sir, as I’ve told you before, Spain has taken Naples, they are now ruled by the House of Habsburg, who controls the Holy Roman Empire. Your predecessors failed miserably in taking Italy. Spain and Austria have more men, better commanders and more gold. We would lose badly,” replied Mr Fibuli.
“Oh,” said Francois, somewhat crestfallen.
“Perhaps, instead of engaging in costly and pointless wars, we should invest in trade, equip our armies and expand colonially,” advised Mr Fibuli.
“You know Mr Fibuli, you are nothing compared to my intellect. Your plans for costly foreign wars would bring ruin to our nation. We should invest in trade, equip our armies and expand colonially,” replied Francois sternly.
“Excellent idea sir. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself. I’ll get right on it.” Said Mr Fibuli meekly, and in a somewhat pained manner.
And so, Mr Fibuli, I mean Francois, launched expeditions to the new world, led by some Italian guy which discovered strange lands and strange people, such as the Creek, who were so named because they smelt like one. Anyway, apart from a few problems, such as when natives destroyed the French colony in what was called Florida, and the Spanish capturing French trading posts on Santo Domingo, and the Italian guy dying horribly of “La Grippe”, everything went well. Until that is, politics reared it’s ugly head.
“Mr Fibuli! Savoy has declared War! What are we going to do about it!” roared Francois. As a matter of fact, Francois seldom did anything but roar. “Your idiotic foreign policy has failed!” At Francois’ request, Mr Fibuli had asked Savoy to join the alliance with France, Scotland and Genoa. Sadly, the Duke of Savoy was a war monger. He declared war upon Switzerland, and a bunch of other places.
“Well, sir, we could make peace with Switzerland taking one territory, and hope Savoy annexes Switzerland.”
Sadly, although French troops easily rescued one province from the corrupt Swiss oligarchy, and forced Switzerland to become France’s slave vassal, Savoy proved too stupid to actually capture the Swiss capital and the war ended in a white peace. France’s allies soon engaged the nation in pointless wars, as war was declared upon the evil war-mongering bastard nation of Austria, who had basically annexed virtually everyone in Germany. Fortunately, most of these were able to be brought to peace. Sadly, no sooner had peace been made than Savoy would declare war on someone else, normally Switzerland, which they would then fail to take.
Anyway, whilst the various allies did various silly thing, Mr Fibuli was able to get the Duke Franz Von Lotharingen to declare that he was really French and become a vassal to the French King. The English made some rather silly statements to Mr Fibuli about “France should not colonise in the currently existing United States”. Fortunately, the so called “United States” did not exist, being a figment of the English King’s diseased imagination. Portugal had established some thriving colonies in North America, which showed that England really didn’t care too much about “The United States”. In any case, with Spain taking all French trading posts in the Carribean (although they did pay us, which was nice), where else could France colonise?
Anyway, after hearing about the Creek, Francois found them thoroughly disagreeable, so he sent some men to rough them up. Then he found out about a tribe known as the Cherokee, who were, not to make too fine a point of it, evil. So he sent the boys around. Then a rather swarthy, sinister looking tribe called the Shawnee made nasty remarks about Francois’ wife, so he gave them a big stiff one on the chin. Then there was the Iroquois- they were bad, but we decided to let them go for good behaviour, after they ceded some lands. Sadly, these totally justified actions caused grave embarrassment back home, and stability plummeted. Fortunately, Mr Fibuli was able to send some missionaries to remind the Creek et al of God’s place in his kingdom of heaven for brutish savages, but it would be some time before France recovered.
It was then that Savoy declared war on Switzerland again, and Mr Fibuli made up Francois’ mind not to honour the alliance, as Francois had vassalised Switzerland, with the result that Scotland became the de jure leader of the alliance that Mr Fibuli had worked so hard to build. Savoy then failed to capture Switzerland, because the Duke of Savoy was an idiot. Which was bad, as the Evil Austrians were about to become even more evil.
That’s the first part, as I meant to post. Now I will respond to the Scandalous allegation of the Evil Austrians.
January 1 1520
Francois I de Valois, stalked his palace, with anger in his eyes.
“Mr Fibuli!” yelled Francois.
“Yes, my liege,” answered Mr Fibuli, Francois’ faithful steward, loyal to the Valois line.
“Prepare for war Mr Fibuli! We must capture our rightful claims in Italy!” roared Francois.
“Sir, as I’ve told you before, Spain has taken Naples, they are now ruled by the House of Habsburg, who controls the Holy Roman Empire. Your predecessors failed miserably in taking Italy. Spain and Austria have more men, better commanders and more gold. We would lose badly,” replied Mr Fibuli.
“Oh,” said Francois, somewhat crestfallen.
“Perhaps, instead of engaging in costly and pointless wars, we should invest in trade, equip our armies and expand colonially,” advised Mr Fibuli.
“You know Mr Fibuli, you are nothing compared to my intellect. Your plans for costly foreign wars would bring ruin to our nation. We should invest in trade, equip our armies and expand colonially,” replied Francois sternly.
“Excellent idea sir. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself. I’ll get right on it.” Said Mr Fibuli meekly, and in a somewhat pained manner.
And so, Mr Fibuli, I mean Francois, launched expeditions to the new world, led by some Italian guy which discovered strange lands and strange people, such as the Creek, who were so named because they smelt like one. Anyway, apart from a few problems, such as when natives destroyed the French colony in what was called Florida, and the Spanish capturing French trading posts on Santo Domingo, and the Italian guy dying horribly of “La Grippe”, everything went well. Until that is, politics reared it’s ugly head.
“Mr Fibuli! Savoy has declared War! What are we going to do about it!” roared Francois. As a matter of fact, Francois seldom did anything but roar. “Your idiotic foreign policy has failed!” At Francois’ request, Mr Fibuli had asked Savoy to join the alliance with France, Scotland and Genoa. Sadly, the Duke of Savoy was a war monger. He declared war upon Switzerland, and a bunch of other places.
“Well, sir, we could make peace with Switzerland taking one territory, and hope Savoy annexes Switzerland.”
Sadly, although French troops easily rescued one province from the corrupt Swiss oligarchy, and forced Switzerland to become France’s slave vassal, Savoy proved too stupid to actually capture the Swiss capital and the war ended in a white peace. France’s allies soon engaged the nation in pointless wars, as war was declared upon the evil war-mongering bastard nation of Austria, who had basically annexed virtually everyone in Germany. Fortunately, most of these were able to be brought to peace. Sadly, no sooner had peace been made than Savoy would declare war on someone else, normally Switzerland, which they would then fail to take.
Anyway, whilst the various allies did various silly thing, Mr Fibuli was able to get the Duke Franz Von Lotharingen to declare that he was really French and become a vassal to the French King. The English made some rather silly statements to Mr Fibuli about “France should not colonise in the currently existing United States”. Fortunately, the so called “United States” did not exist, being a figment of the English King’s diseased imagination. Portugal had established some thriving colonies in North America, which showed that England really didn’t care too much about “The United States”. In any case, with Spain taking all French trading posts in the Carribean (although they did pay us, which was nice), where else could France colonise?
Anyway, after hearing about the Creek, Francois found them thoroughly disagreeable, so he sent some men to rough them up. Then he found out about a tribe known as the Cherokee, who were, not to make too fine a point of it, evil. So he sent the boys around. Then a rather swarthy, sinister looking tribe called the Shawnee made nasty remarks about Francois’ wife, so he gave them a big stiff one on the chin. Then there was the Iroquois- they were bad, but we decided to let them go for good behaviour, after they ceded some lands. Sadly, these totally justified actions caused grave embarrassment back home, and stability plummeted. Fortunately, Mr Fibuli was able to send some missionaries to remind the Creek et al of God’s place in his kingdom of heaven for brutish savages, but it would be some time before France recovered.
It was then that Savoy declared war on Switzerland again, and Mr Fibuli made up Francois’ mind not to honour the alliance, as Francois had vassalised Switzerland, with the result that Scotland became the de jure leader of the alliance that Mr Fibuli had worked so hard to build. Savoy then failed to capture Switzerland, because the Duke of Savoy was an idiot. Which was bad, as the Evil Austrians were about to become even more evil.
That’s the first part, as I meant to post. Now I will respond to the Scandalous allegation of the Evil Austrians.
Kingdom of Sweden 1520 - 1559
The last four decades has been one of strife and blood for the Kingdom of Sweden, in it's battle for survivial against the former Kingdom of Denmark. The war ranged from the Northern wastes of Finnmark and Narvik to the Fjords of Skane and Jylland, and finally decided among the icy waters around Greenland and Iceland. The King of Sweden finally accepted the ultimate surrender of the King of Denmark, and took possession of all the ancestral lands of Denmark.
Foriegn relations have gone well for the Kingdom, as there has been no issues on either side of the border with their two biggest neighbors, Russia and Poland. Their close alliance with Holstein has been beneficial to both sides with an eye looking towards adding Mecklenburg to the Northern League.
The King of Sweden looks forward to establishing more friendly relations with all it's European neighbors regardless of relgious views.
The last four decades has been one of strife and blood for the Kingdom of Sweden, in it's battle for survivial against the former Kingdom of Denmark. The war ranged from the Northern wastes of Finnmark and Narvik to the Fjords of Skane and Jylland, and finally decided among the icy waters around Greenland and Iceland. The King of Sweden finally accepted the ultimate surrender of the King of Denmark, and took possession of all the ancestral lands of Denmark.
Foriegn relations have gone well for the Kingdom, as there has been no issues on either side of the border with their two biggest neighbors, Russia and Poland. Their close alliance with Holstein has been beneficial to both sides with an eye looking towards adding Mecklenburg to the Northern League.
The King of Sweden looks forward to establishing more friendly relations with all it's European neighbors regardless of relgious views.
Russia....
Tsar did well. He sent his army into Siberia to conquer pagan tribes and to colonize new rich territories. Sibir was annexed and 3 new colonies constructed. Tsar spend large amount of cash on conversions of new conquered lands to increase realm's stability. First conquistador was dispatched to Siberia to explore new provs and allow new land to be claimed. Sweden DoW on Denmark but Tsar refused to join the war. Our kingdom has good relations with Sweden and Tsar did not wish to destroy it. Instead we took on Crimea and took 2 provs from it. Alliance with Georgia was formed and we hope vasalize it in time which will secure our access to Black see.
the stability of the kingdom was suffering during that time (I think I had like -6 stab in events and -2 for war) which forced Tsar to spend cash on stability instead research. International situation is becoming interesting to say the least. Ottoman Empire is becoming very powerful and successfully stopped Austrian and Polish expansion into the Balkans. We will see if it can repeat this in the future. For now the Balkan conflict gives us some security as Poland and OE are involved in it and do not look to our land.
Tsar did well. He sent his army into Siberia to conquer pagan tribes and to colonize new rich territories. Sibir was annexed and 3 new colonies constructed. Tsar spend large amount of cash on conversions of new conquered lands to increase realm's stability. First conquistador was dispatched to Siberia to explore new provs and allow new land to be claimed. Sweden DoW on Denmark but Tsar refused to join the war. Our kingdom has good relations with Sweden and Tsar did not wish to destroy it. Instead we took on Crimea and took 2 provs from it. Alliance with Georgia was formed and we hope vasalize it in time which will secure our access to Black see.
the stability of the kingdom was suffering during that time (I think I had like -6 stab in events and -2 for war) which forced Tsar to spend cash on stability instead research. International situation is becoming interesting to say the least. Ottoman Empire is becoming very powerful and successfully stopped Austrian and Polish expansion into the Balkans. We will see if it can repeat this in the future. For now the Balkan conflict gives us some security as Poland and OE are involved in it and do not look to our land.
Again, due to Barca's forum connection problems, I am posting the Turkish AAR on his behalf.
Ottoman Empire 1544-1559
In 1544 the Ottoman Empire found itself at war with an alliance of Italian city-states, including Venice, Tuscany and the Pope. Since the pope was not directly threatened, the rest of Christianity didn't find cause to intervene. The Ottoman navy soon bested the Venetians and the islands of Cyprus, Corfu and Crete were taken. The Dalmatian coast was also over-run at this time, the Venetians having pulled back all of their forces to defend Venice itself. Now Süleymân moved in for the kill. Landing with 50,000 men he quickly defeated the Venetian field army. After a series of assaults failed, Süleymân settled in for a long siege. At this point the Venetians realised that resistance was futile and ceded all of their territory outside of Veneto itself (Cyprus, Corfu, Crete and their territory on the Dalmatian coast).
Süleymân then turned his eyes to the remainder of Hungary, currently under Habsburg domination. It would not be an easy task. Austria's armies were formidable and they were supported by a significantly sized army lead by the fearsome Duke of Alba. With nearly 200,000 men in the Habsburg army, this offensive would be no cakewalk like the previous war for Hungary. Poland could also be counted on to aid the Christian cause. Despite the odds stacked against him, Süleymân bravely marched across the border in 1552. Soon after Spain and Poland declared war. Poland launched an offensive into Carpathia, while Spain and Austria were content to defend what remaind of Hungary. After a few early victories, the provinces of Presburg and Odenburg were captured from Austria. The Spanish navy attempted to ferry new troops into Austria, but was continously harrassed by a larger Ottoman force, preventing any serious reinforcements from reaching Alba. In september of 1553 Süleymân decided to launch a major offensive into southern Bohemia. Alba moved to counter, but didn't have the manpower to contest the assault of Moravia. In Silesia Alba was again forced to retreat, this time into Poland with less than 6,000 men. With no army to oppose him Süleymân ransacked the northern Austrian territories of Silesia Bohmeia, and Ostmarch. Süleymân's army had taken terrible attrition from marching in Bohmeia, and was forced to retreat to Pest, where he met up with reinforcements. Now Süleymân marched to relieve the sieges of Odenburg and Krain, whose defenders had been besieged for nearly three years. With the defeat of the Habsburg sieging armies in Krain and Odenburg the road to Vienna lay wide open to Süleymân. As he began to march, the Habsburgs caved, giving Krain and Odenburg for peace.
Süleymân was very displeased with the Polish and Spanish interventions, and intends to punish them for it in the near future. While the conquest of two more Hungarian provinces is a welcome gain, the war could have netted many more provinces had dissidents not chosen this time to press their grievances (-5 stab throughout the war). The offenders were of course executed, but this betrayl does not bode well for the future of the Ottoman Empire...
In 1544 the Ottoman Empire found itself at war with an alliance of Italian city-states, including Venice, Tuscany and the Pope. Since the pope was not directly threatened, the rest of Christianity didn't find cause to intervene. The Ottoman navy soon bested the Venetians and the islands of Cyprus, Corfu and Crete were taken. The Dalmatian coast was also over-run at this time, the Venetians having pulled back all of their forces to defend Venice itself. Now Süleymân moved in for the kill. Landing with 50,000 men he quickly defeated the Venetian field army. After a series of assaults failed, Süleymân settled in for a long siege. At this point the Venetians realised that resistance was futile and ceded all of their territory outside of Veneto itself (Cyprus, Corfu, Crete and their territory on the Dalmatian coast).
Süleymân then turned his eyes to the remainder of Hungary, currently under Habsburg domination. It would not be an easy task. Austria's armies were formidable and they were supported by a significantly sized army lead by the fearsome Duke of Alba. With nearly 200,000 men in the Habsburg army, this offensive would be no cakewalk like the previous war for Hungary. Poland could also be counted on to aid the Christian cause. Despite the odds stacked against him, Süleymân bravely marched across the border in 1552. Soon after Spain and Poland declared war. Poland launched an offensive into Carpathia, while Spain and Austria were content to defend what remaind of Hungary. After a few early victories, the provinces of Presburg and Odenburg were captured from Austria. The Spanish navy attempted to ferry new troops into Austria, but was continously harrassed by a larger Ottoman force, preventing any serious reinforcements from reaching Alba. In september of 1553 Süleymân decided to launch a major offensive into southern Bohemia. Alba moved to counter, but didn't have the manpower to contest the assault of Moravia. In Silesia Alba was again forced to retreat, this time into Poland with less than 6,000 men. With no army to oppose him Süleymân ransacked the northern Austrian territories of Silesia Bohmeia, and Ostmarch. Süleymân's army had taken terrible attrition from marching in Bohmeia, and was forced to retreat to Pest, where he met up with reinforcements. Now Süleymân marched to relieve the sieges of Odenburg and Krain, whose defenders had been besieged for nearly three years. With the defeat of the Habsburg sieging armies in Krain and Odenburg the road to Vienna lay wide open to Süleymân. As he began to march, the Habsburgs caved, giving Krain and Odenburg for peace.
Süleymân was very displeased with the Polish and Spanish interventions, and intends to punish them for it in the near future. While the conquest of two more Hungarian provinces is a welcome gain, the war could have netted many more provinces had dissidents not chosen this time to press their grievances (-5 stab throughout the war). The offenders were of course executed, but this betrayl does not bode well for the future of the Ottoman Empire...
France 1559 - 1587
France, the foremost country of the world, spent the period making herself even more foremost. Her attention did not waver from her goal: ultimate domination of all lesser lifeforms (e.g.: Englishmen). Of course, life without challenge is meaningless, so the French made certain that they remained challenged by the results of their efforts.
Early on, the Pathetic snivelling whiners in the so called LowLands of Northern Europe came to the French monarch. François II, the king, sent them away with all the hauteur he could manage (admittedly, a 15-year-old boy has little hauteur). Undaunted, the pathetic whiners who sometimes were called Dutch (as they always wanted to pay for only their own dinners) came back the next year when François was dead (hauteur causes ear infections it seems!) and his brother, Charles IX, was on the throne. But age is no barrier to acting with great hauteur, and the 11-year-old Charles sent the whining Hollanders away with much comment upon their silly, wooden shoes. The Nederlanders are said to have simply wanted the assurance of an alliance with the Great French, but one does not pull the wool over the eyes of a Valois-Angoulême easily! So the kings understood that the real reason for the approach from the bottomlands dwellers was that they wanted to steal French wines and French women (after all, who does not?).
Pretty soon, the absurd Spanish emissaries came trotting up to the great palace of the kings of France. "Oh, Great French King!" they said to butter up the ruler, "we wish to have assurance that you do not intend to attack us in the next century or so! We have grand plans and designs and we do not like the snivelling Dutch, so we must be put at ease with your blessings and assurances!" The Great French King, who, but for some silly rules issued in something called a Golden Bull (it seemed a lot of bull, thought the French!!) would be called the Great French Emperor, was not fooled by the Spanish Emissaries. "Fools!" he thundered. "You but want French Wines and French Women! Nay, we shall grant no assurances as you ask! But, if your prissy monarch who can't even live with his wife because she prefers the somewhat less than balmy climate of England is content not to attack the Great Kingdom (should be Empire!) of France, we will not bother ourselves with any attacks on your puny realm!" And Charles IX sent the emissaries packing.
It should be noted that the slanderous Spanish have some different viewpoints on who asked for what and why in an attempt to distract less discerning minds of the true relationship that exists between the Great French King and his various lesser counterparts in the world. But Truth Will Out, some say (though they usually end up dead, it should be noted).
Next came the vile Austrians. For some time they had attacked the poor Pope and attempted to humiliate the Holy Father. Suddenly, it was noted that, without proper notice, or even so much as a polite question, they had annexed most of the Holy Father's lands and confiscated priceless treasures! The Great French King gnashed his teeth and cried for a holy Crusade to liberate the Pope's lands. However, when he talked to the silly Spanish King (who it must be admitted wears the most silly looking excuse for "pants" around!), the silly Spanish King whispered with trepedation into the ear of the Great French King, "Sire, if we beat up on the Austrians in Italy, it will only allow the Really Vile Turks to gain more lands." So the Great French King cancelled the Crusade, saying, "If we beat up on the vile Austrians, it will cause chaos and havoc in Christendom, and, really, the Pope doesn't need so much good (but not as good as French!) Italian wine." All who listened praised and applauded this sentiment.
But the French needed a challenge!! So, agents of Protestantism stirred up the peasants of the south of France and caused them to cry out for a change in religion. These people were doing the work of God, though they did not know it, for they forced the Very Great French King to choose and important role for France. "We must become the Most Catholic Nation in the world!" shouted Charles IX. And so, years before anyone else thought of the idea, the French became Counter Reformers, for which they obtained new warriors, extra fervor, and several revolts put swiftly down. Thus was God's plan made manifest, that France would be the True Catholic Nation of Nations. Greatness, after all, requires Bold Moves and Great Thinking!
So for twenty years the French industriously piled up riches, burned heretics, and built up colonies. One day, an explorer for the French King stumbled across a new batch of heathen pagans in the lands of North America. These natives lived in round huts with dirt floors, and followed a large kind of ox in very cold flat plains (making them not unlike Poles). The French King's response was predictable. "Off with their Heads! They are to become my serfs!" And so, in the space of just 18 months, the Dakota became good French Citizens, which was a good result, especially for the bureaucrats who processed applications from Dakota natives to move to sunnier, warmer climes in the French Empire.
Suddenly, the Great French King died, and had again no son (Italian women appear not to transmit too much in the way of procreative ability to their sons!). His Brother, the Quite Wonderful Henri III was made King. He had spent a year as King of Poland, but understandably fled that country when it was clear that it had no French Wine, no French Women, and lots of the same cold the Dakota had. To be King of France instead meant to be a Great Man!
Not long after, the Snivelling, whining, pathetic marsh-dwellers around Amsterdam came to Henri and asked for help again. But Henri was a man of his word, and besides the silly Spanish and their really ugly allies, the English, had not attacked the French in lo! these many years. So Henri III, with much the same hauteur as his brothers, sent the whining snivellers on their way to face their fate like men! After all, they insisted on being heretics of the worst kind! Also, they had no wine to offer, and their cheese stank. With some amusement, Henri watched as the Spanish spent numerous men attacking the Dutch, only to have Henri's own sometime allies, the Savoyards, steal all the sieges and win all the provinces. In the end, the Dutch were taught their lesson, and Henri had lost no French Men to silly fights best left to Spanish soldiers.
But then came the unthinkable!!!! The English, drunk on their success, decided to declare war upon the quite barbaric Scots, who, nevertheless, were the allies of the Great French!!! Nothing like this could be stood, so Henri immediately sent his response to the English monarch (a cold fish of a bitch, it was rumored, who couldn't even get laid). His response was, as French responses are, quite clever: a wool shirt dyed blue and decorated with lillies. Then, French soldiers immediately went into Calais and captured it, reducing the fort in a siege. At the same time, French soldiers repulsed an attack by the English in North America, and at once, French troops marched boldly into English colonies to claim them for the Great French King!
All the while, the silly Spanish King, quite wise despite wearing silly pants, refused to intervene on behalf of his ally, England. It might be said he was still having fun with Sweedish blondes (which, while not as good as French Women OR French Wines, are nonetheless quite satisfying!!).
Thus were spent the days of François II, Charles IX, and Henri III! Long live the Great Kings of France!!!!!!
Russia 1559-1587
Russia 1559-1587
These years where used for stability and peaceful expansion. Nations slowly began to generate sufficient amount of cash from taxes to support creation of new colonies in Siberia. Conquistadors traveled for years across Siberian tundra to eventually reach China and Pacific Ocean. Colonies where created in Urals all the way to Arctic's and with steady flow of new settlers turned into cities. Cash was spend to construct Tax collectors in new lands which in turn increased funds for more colonization.
Tsar was able to vassalize and then annex Georgia in peaceful way. Georgians joined our empire from fear of Ottoman Sultan that expands his kingdom in all directions. Immediately after annexation tax collectors where setup in all 5 Georgian provs. Tsar also spend substantial amount of cash on religious conversions in newly added territory.
All this change created social unrest and for large portion of the 20 years tsar had to finance stabilizing ventures. This slowed down our research into Infrastructure and Trade but Russia was able to keep military technology on par with Poland.
It is with great interest that we watch developments in the Balkans. On one hand we are worried by steady growth of Ottomans at the other hand they are fighting Poles and Austrians so we can have time for peaceful expansion. The military access that we have with Ottomans is also a small type of security against Turkish invasion of our lands. We are also very unhappy with Spanish aggression vs. our friend Sweden. We do not accept Spanish control over protestant lands in Denmark and we are considering giving support to Sweden if Spain continues to expand in that part of Europe.
Russia 1559-1587
These years where used for stability and peaceful expansion. Nations slowly began to generate sufficient amount of cash from taxes to support creation of new colonies in Siberia. Conquistadors traveled for years across Siberian tundra to eventually reach China and Pacific Ocean. Colonies where created in Urals all the way to Arctic's and with steady flow of new settlers turned into cities. Cash was spend to construct Tax collectors in new lands which in turn increased funds for more colonization.
Tsar was able to vassalize and then annex Georgia in peaceful way. Georgians joined our empire from fear of Ottoman Sultan that expands his kingdom in all directions. Immediately after annexation tax collectors where setup in all 5 Georgian provs. Tsar also spend substantial amount of cash on religious conversions in newly added territory.
All this change created social unrest and for large portion of the 20 years tsar had to finance stabilizing ventures. This slowed down our research into Infrastructure and Trade but Russia was able to keep military technology on par with Poland.
It is with great interest that we watch developments in the Balkans. On one hand we are worried by steady growth of Ottomans at the other hand they are fighting Poles and Austrians so we can have time for peaceful expansion. The military access that we have with Ottomans is also a small type of security against Turkish invasion of our lands. We are also very unhappy with Spanish aggression vs. our friend Sweden. We do not accept Spanish control over protestant lands in Denmark and we are considering giving support to Sweden if Spain continues to expand in that part of Europe.
The 30 years following the Ottoman War saw Spain grow and prosper. Colonies continued to be expanded, and new ones sprang up. Governors and legal consuls have started to assume their appointments, increasing economic growth at home and abroad. With so much positive growth in teh colonies it was only natural for Spain to refocus her efforts and attention on the continent.
Wars of religion erupted in France between the French Catholics and ther heretic followers of Jean Calvin. Spain offered monetary support for the conversion of a number of provinces and signed a series of non-aggression pacts with France that will last until 1590. Spain remains willing to extend this pact for another 15 years if that is agreeable with the French King. We also seek a resolution to the Bearn-Franche Comte negitiations.
We spent a fortune on soldiers to aid Holland in the supression of revolts caused by nearly 50 years of continuous warfare. We offered economic assistance, repaying the entirety of outstanding Dutch debt. In all, some 2000 ducats were transferred to Holland in direct economic aid. How was Spain repaid for her generosity and kindness? In 1582, Holland converted from the Catholic faith, left our alliance, and joined the heretics and blasphemers in Sweden in an unholy alliance.
While Spain despised the religious practices in Sweden, the vikings of the north had never caused Spain any problems and we were content to let them live in peace. However, when Spain launched a war against Holland to return them to the faith, Sweden joined their allies and sent thousands of armed soldiers against Spain.
In a despicable move, Holland began releasing vassals to prevent those properties from being occupied by Spanish forces. In a series of daring attacks General Farnese quickly dispatched the 150,000 Dutch and Swedish troops in the lowlands and began a methodical campaign of seiging provinces. One by one they fell, but do to the existence of War between Holland and Savoy, Holland took the dishonorable route and ceded those provinces to Savoy. Outraged at the dishonorable conduct of the war on Holland's part Farnese pledged to annex Holland before the end of the decade. In a terrible episode of legal drafting, when Holland signed the peace accord with Spain ceding Friesen to Spain, said province was immediately given back by the new Spanish governor. How and why this happened is unknown. But that governor was promptly hanged.
Farnese, outraged fuirther, took his war north to the Swedes, who had yet to agree to war reparations. Jutland and Copenhagen fell to Farnese as the Spanish navy led by Admiral Bazan erradicated the small but effective Swedish navy. Assisted by naval forces of our English ally, we were able to land 50,000 men in Skane at which time the Swedish King agreed to a reasonable peace. Copenhagen and Jutland were ceded to Spain in the Treaty of Stockholm.
Spain has no designs on Swedish territory and has no desire to fight further with the viking King. We have not yet decided what to do with these new possessions and are open to all suggestions. Regardless of the ultimate disposition of these two provinces, they will be converted back to the Catholic faith.