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No heresies in 200 years? I know we don't want Europe to be static in EU4, but with the faith so powerful in this timeline, I'd argue the Protestant movement and others should have an extremely difficult time succeeding, if they pop up at all.

No heresies that I have noticed, but I believe that very, very, very few have popped up (if not none).

Dat Byzantium doe.

Makes it look like Europe has herpes or something.

That's why I plan on cleaning up their borders in EU4!

This next chapter is a doozy! Can't wait to post it!
 
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Chapter 39 - 1430 to 1441: The Britannic Civil War

15 years of easy living has altered Emperor Eadric from the charitable, ambitious youth of his early years, to a man inspired by greed.

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He has also become something of a perfectionist, hating anything out of place or order in his Empire, and it is this new habit that creates his hate for the ducal borders of Britannia. Determined to set them straight, he begins a radical series of revocations, grants, retractions, and transfers.

In April of 1431, King Stingrex de Gael of Denmark dies. He has no sons, so his daughter, 32 year old Wulfhild, inherits the Kingdom. Unfortunately, her children are of her husband's dynasty of Aba.

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By this time, Eadric's new campaign of reorganization has brought forth much of the anger that had dissipated from the 15 years of peace, and several powerful vassals begin banding together, specifically the dukes of Deheubarth and of Connacht, and the Duchess of Albany. When, in May, he revokes King BPM of Brittany's Duchy of Galloway, the King reluctantly accepts the loss of his Scottish holdings. Soon thereafter, King BPM passes away, leaving the Kingdom to son Æthelræd.

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Another year passes, and pressure continues to build like steam under a lid. On February 17, 1432, a lone figure adorn in a black robe with its hood covering its face slips unnoticed into the stairwell that leads to the upper floors of Castle Thetford. The foolish Eadric knows nothing about the extent of his vassals' anger and puts forth little in the way of security. The guards are in the courtyard drinking their way through the left over wine from the night's feast, and the hooded person creeps unopposed through the shadowy halls towards the bedchambers of the Emperor. With no one in his way, he quietly opens the door, approaches the Emperor and his sleeping wife, and swiftly slits his prey's throat. He leaves before the Empress awakes.

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At the age of 10, Saxon ascends to the throne of Britannia upon the murder of his father.

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Although it is unclear who was behind the assassination, the primary culprit is Duke Donn of Deheubarth, a bitter rival of the dead Emperor. The death of the greedy Eadric does nothing to ease the tension between vassals and Emperor, though.

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In June of 1432, the thing which all rulers dread arrives in the form of an ultimatum from the Duchess of Albany. She, along with 5 other dukes from around the Empire, demand their independence. Saxon, under the guidance of his regent Duke Arncytel of Iceland rejects the preposterous demands. Thus starts the Britannic Civil War.

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The rebels consist of mostly of counties gained during the past de Gael conquests of the islands: Most of Scotland, half of Ireland, and nearly all of Wales. Surprisingly the King of Brittany chooses to remain with the Empire.

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As many troops as can be mustered are sent to Norfolk to rally with the standing army. The situation does not bode well for Britannia; Saxon's military advisers estimate that the rebels could raise over 30 thousand troops, quite enough to challenge the loyalists.

Envoys are sent to all allies with pleas for assistance. No help arrives.

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The troops are fully organized into two armies of 16 thousand in August. In the rest of the Empire, over 10 thousand rebels enter loyal Scotland, and 22 thousand enter Ireland. Choosing to deal with the lesser of the two threats, the armies march north.

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Men sympathetic to the cause begin arriving in Norfolk from all over Europe, willing to fight for the Empire. There are 5 thousand new fighters total, and they are sent to Leicester to take the county.

The army of Duke Cynewulf of Hwicce arrives in Scotland in November and engages the 11 thousand rebels in Teviotdale. The southern army, led by Werestan of The Isles, is still several weeks away.

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Werestan and his men arrive just in time in December to prevent disaster. 14 thousand loyalist troops are dead or wounded and only 8 thousand rebels. Werestan's army pursues the remaining enemies into Lothian as Cynewulf licks his wounds.

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Hearing of the loss of so many men to the North, Regent Arncytel is outraged by Cynewulf's recklessness and removes him from leadership. In his stead is Eadmær, Bishop of St Albans, Bedford. Additionally, the 5 thousand volunteers are sent to join the shattered men under Eadmær.

Werestan's army is split into two, Werestan leading half to besiege Atholl while Earl Cedig of Northampton sets siege to the Rebel capital of Gowrie.

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In October of 1433, another rebel army, this time nearly 13 thousand strong, approaches Eadmær's army from the east. It is a close victory again, with 7 thousand more Brits out of action.

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In February of 1434, to take advantage of the chaos in the Empire, a coalition of vassals led by Cedig of Northampton demands a decrease of crown authority in England! Cedig threatens to join the Civil War with the Rebels if their demands are not met. With little choice, Saxon and Arncytel accept the conditions and crown authority lowers in England.

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Another large rebel army of 10 thousand mercenaries attack Atholl in June. This time it is an easy victory, and Duke Guthfrith of Gwynedd is captured.

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The rest of the mercenary army heads south and chases Eadmær's troops into York where they are defeated. The survivors flee to Derby, followed closely by the rebels. As they are defeated, Eadmær is captured.

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In Scotland, yet another band of mercenaries land to fight for the rebels. It appears the Duchess has been stockpiling gold for just this purpose. As the tide turns in the war and word of the defeat in York reaches Werestan, he orders his army to leave Scotland and head for Ireland, where the Rebels have made significant gains.

In June of 1435, Emperor Saxon reaches majority. Never before has an Emperor come to power in such turbulent and trying times.

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Despite the early victories, the massive losses have put Britannia at a disadvantage, and all that remains are 12 thousand loyalist troops against a rebel army of 17 thousand mercenaries. Saxon orders more levies raised, but very few are left.

During the rest of the year, the holdings lost in Ireland are retaken, and the army begins a trek through England to rally and recruit troops. By March of 1436, the army is back at 15 thousand men. Knowing that 15 thousand men would not be enough to subdue the rest of the rebels, Saxon hires a band of 10 thousand Breton mercenaries. They are sent to pacify Wales.

In the temporary lack of battles, Saxon marries Princess Agnes of the Holy Roman Empire. Although she is not the most desirable woman around, the marriage means an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor, who answers Saxon's call to arms. Although he sends no military aid, he provides enough gold for Saxon to hire another mercenary band of 14 thousand. They are sent Scotland.

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The Rebel army is spotted several days away from the 14 thousand mercenaries in March of 1436. The 10 thousand mercenaries in Wales are ordered to intercept, but they are too late. The 14 thousand are first defeated, then, as the survivors flee before the enemy, the 10 thousand mercenaries are defeated.

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With his mercenary armies in shambles, Saxon orders Werestan to take his 17 thousand troops to meet the remaining rebels in battle. They reach them in July, and it is the rebels' first crushing defeat.

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Werestan and his troops march to the enemy capital where they defeat the last of the rebel armies.

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The war continues for several more years as the rebels stubbornly resist. Finally, on January 25th, 1441, the rebels surrender. 9 years of bloody civil war nearly tore the Empire in two, and the living conditions throughout the lands has suffered; the economies in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland have all been decimated; and hundreds of thousands of men have lost their lives through battle, disease, or freezing weather.

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As the surviving troops return to their homes, and the 6 rebel dukes are transported to the dungeons of Norfolk, Emperor Saxon calls together all vassals of England for a special session of Council. He acknowledges his father's greed that caused the Civil War, but he says that is not the only thing to blame. For years the vassals have been slowly growing more discontent as each de Gael emperor took them more and more for granted, and the Council of Britannia became something only used to decide things which had little to do with the people of the Empire. The Council, says Saxon, is not enough for this sprawling nation, and he intends to expand it to include all sectors of the Empire. No longer will only the Emperor's Council and the 5 chosen be allowed Councilor status, but all landed men will be allowed to put forth propositions or state their people's grievances. In this, Saxon hopes to prevent any other buildup to disaster.

And so is born, on April 24th of 1441, the Parliament of Britannia.

NOTE:
-This is by far the longest chapter I've ever done, but I had a lot of fun with the war!
-I kinda wish the AI was a bit better; for the first year or so of the war, the 22K rebel army that could have done quite a bit of damaged stayed in one county despite horrific attrition until only 12K remained.
-Let me know if the build up, the actual war, and the outcome are realistic, I did try to make it so.
-Next chapter will be a short epilogue.
 
You did a fantastic job writing the civil war. It was a close ordeal, and the empire will need time to heal its wounds. It also works as a realistic reason for the Parliament to form.

Not going to lie, I'm happy Eadric was assassinated. Long live Emperor Saxon and his massive diplomacy stat. Upon conversion, he needs a 6 there.

Looking forward to the epilogue. I hope you'll include a cultural, religious, and economic map so we can have one last look at how things are before conversion. Of course, you've clearly got some borders to clean *cough HRE cough Byzantine cough*.
 
Hmm, did you by chance instigate the civil war on purpose in order to make things more interesting?
 
You did a fantastic job writing the civil war. It was a close ordeal, and the empire will need time to heal its wounds. It also works as a realistic reason for the Parliament to form.

Not going to lie, I'm happy Eadric was assassinated. Long live Emperor Saxon and his massive diplomacy stat. Upon conversion, he needs a 6 there.

Looking forward to the epilogue. I hope you'll include a cultural, religious, and economic map so we can have one last look at how things are before conversion. Of course, you've clearly got some borders to clean *cough HRE cough Byzantine cough*.

Thank you! Eadric, poor guy, was a bad egg...

I will be sure to include them.

Hmm, did you by chance instigate the civil war on purpose in order to make things more interesting?

Shhhhh... I didn't want the last 30 years of the AAR to be void of action! But I did take the most angry vassals (Gwynedd, Deheubarth, Albany, Connatch), who have hated the last 4 or 5 rulers, and had them be the instigators of the civil war. I would say I 'pressured' them to do something, they had the ability all along :)
 
A thrilling penultimate episode! Looking forward to the conclusion with the Epilogue before we convert to EU4. Loving the style, plenty of action, right amount of detail.

Good work silentsam5 -thumbs up-
 
Wow, it's just about EU4 time! And we're getting a parliament, too!
 
Well Saxon has turned out well with marvellous diplomacy skill. :) Hopefully he will do great things in the early years of EUIV.
 
Chapter 40 - 1441 to 1444: Epilogue

The world is not a static entity, and the last 400 years has changed Europe, Central Asia, and Africa beyond recognition. In some cases, such as that of Poland or Rus, the change has brought prosperity and growth. In others, the Holy Roman Empire or the Islamic world for instance, change has brought instability to the point where chaos rules. Still, few have held fast while the wave of change altered those around them. As the year fast approaches 1444, even those countries determined to ride to the storm will find themselves unable to ebb the flow of innovation.

Little of interest happens in Britannia from 1441 to 44. In 1443, Saxon and his wife Agnes have a son whom they name Scotty. He is the heir to the Empire.

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In November of 1444, Britannia has recovered from the bloody Civil War: the Britannic economy is better than ever, the army larger, and the vassals happier, especially since the institution of the Parliament. The Parliament sees plenty of domestic use, which, as planned, keeps the people of the Empire content with their lives.

Counties by Total Tax
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Religions by Size
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De Gaels by Realm Size
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Independent States by Realm Size
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Titles
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Much of the rest of the world is not as fortunate as Britannia.

In Europe, the most stable nations are Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, and the Teutonic Order. All 4 of them have either retained their original borders or grown since the start of the 15th century. The Holy Roman and the Byzantine Empires continue their century old feud for control of Italy, Greece, and South East Europe. France, which lost several counties to Aquitaine, which in turn lost many in the split with Galicia, has seen many years of civil war which ended only months previously. Galicia has flourished since its independence and has recently taken a county from neighboring Leon. Castille, which grew steadily for many years, has hit a stagnant point. Although it still controls all of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, its expansion in Iberia seems to have halted.

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The Middle East has become, if possible, even more chaotic as the Zaiaid Dynasty declines even further. The major change seen in the last few years is the Seljuk seizure of power in Persia. The Abbasid Dynasty by this point has replaced the Zaiaids as the dominant power in the region, though one of the consequences is much more costly trade along the silk road as taxes are raised higher and higher.

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Asia has become a patchwork of independent states. The Mongol Empire, once connecting the East to the West, has seen difficult times. A civil war for independence that saw several vassals free of the Empire led to civil strife and eventually to its near collapse. To the very far east, the Catholic Khanate of Khotan continues to thrive. Now led by a man named Hongji Taulia, the Christian people in the midst of so many Muslims has surprised all by its longevity.

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Religion-wise, Europe has been painted a single color. The final Orthodox ruler resides in Gdansk, an independent state by Pomerania. Strangely enough, the tribes of Lithuania and Finland have kept their Pagan religions despite the changing world around them.

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The world of Islam, meanwhile, has seen several outbreaks of heresies from West Africa to Persia. This is obviously caused by the lack of a dominating Islamic Sultanate. Islam is still split between the Shia and the Sunni.

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In Britannia and the rest of Europe, an odd mood settles, foretelling a new age of innovation and discovery. The old path to the east, now hindered by the tax-loving Abbasids and the chaos that is the former Mongol Empire, must be discarded. A new path must be charted.

Now starts the age of Invention, of Imperialism, and of Colonization!

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Extra

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Ca = Catholic
Or = Orthodox
Sh = Shia
Sn = Sunni
Ro = Romuva
Su = Suomenusko
Hn = Hindu
Bu = Buddhist

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PS. Due to what I had to do before conversion, I converted in the beginning of 1445. I believe Saxon actually only ruled for 12 years.

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The Next Steps


What I need to do now is convert, fix, and mod! Below is a list of the alterations or additions, so... if anyone has an objection, please make it heard before I commit too much!

Modifications to EUIV:
-Rebels are stronger and more numerous
-Colonization is slower
-Cores last longer
-Claims are more expensive
-Some alterations to colonial regions
-Colonial nations don't rebel quite as quickly
-New post-colonial nations

I will also be adding events and other stuff that I feel is necessary. And, of course, I will have to sift through the converted world to discover all the weird things out of place (the atrocious borders, western nations being Muslim Tech group, Indian nations being eastern, noculture, etc). Lastly, I will be adding all you subscribers' names to the list of rulers (and maybe the leaders as well), so each new heir will randomly be named after one of you!

Oh! And one more thing. Some cultures, Germanic especially, will be split into subcultures such as Swabian using a mod called Culture Breakdown!
 
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Scotty secures the line of succession. It was really nice seeing heirs be named after readers. I only ever had one princess named after me, but it was still very funny seeing how we turned out.

This legitimately might be the worst borders I've ever seen before conversion. You've got your work cut out for you. Will you be rewarding any nations with stronger tech or ideas? At the least, I think Hungary deserves Western Tech for having the best borders kept by the AI. :cool:

This was a fantastic start, and I look forward to the rise of America. The modifications you're planning all look good to me.
 
And so it ends onwards to EUIV. :)
 
Naturally the Densleys have been exiled to Iceland. I think I was spot on with the Black Adder comparisons… :p

Looking forward to the next stage!
 
This legitimately might be the worst borders I've ever seen before conversion. You've got your work cut out for you. Will you be rewarding any nations with stronger tech or ideas? At the least, I think Hungary deserves Western Tech for having the best borders kept by the AI. :cool:

This was a fantastic start, and I look forward to the rise of America. The modifications you're planning all look good to me.

I was planning on giving them western because they own Sicily.

And so it ends onwards to EUIV. :)
That was really good AAR. Please let us know when EU part is up.

Yes! The next great step! I will be sure to do a quick post in this thread when the EU4 one is up.

Naturally the Densleys have been exiled to Iceland. I think I was spot on with the Black Adder comparisons… :p

Looking forward to the next stage!

Haha! The Densleys may not have shown their true potential in this AAR, but the name could easily resurface in the next part.

Castille kept the Holy Land! Are you going to change Brittania's culture to English?

I think I will keep it as Anglo-Saxon, not entirely sure yet.
 
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If you don't mind, once you have a working EU4 mod, toss a save through the EU4 to Vic2 converter and let me know if there are any obvious problems (or features you would find really helpful) right away. The more lead time I have to fix things, the better.
 
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If you don't mind, once you have a working EU4 mod, toss a save through the EU4 to Vic2 converter and let me know if there are any obvious problems (or features you would find really helpful) right away. The more lead time I have to fix things, the better.

I had already planned on doing that! As soon as the major modifications are done, I will be sure to throw it in the converter and make sure everything is fine. Thanks!
 
Just caught up, in time for the EU4 conversion! Has been very enjoyable, from that first post in the general forum asking for interest until now when the first part is finished! :)

Will you mod any national ideas? Do keep in mind that EU4 will soon have a patch, you might want to wait for it/be aware in case something would break.
 
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