Yahoo! Down with the Pope and up with the teachings of Jan Hus! Do you know which faction the French would be likely to convert to in this AAR?
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You mean out of the three factions? Well LaMaison des Francais is the French faction in game but I prefer to simply call them the French because LaMaison des Francais is too long and sound a bit strange to me.
I'm currently playing a little and I have tough decision to make: Exploration ideas to colonize the New World or Expansion ideas to conquer grow more rapidly..
I took a break to make up my mindExplore, explore, explore
Exploration will be more fun I believe.
No I meant the factions within the Hussites. There were two main factions that occurred after the death of Jan Hus. I know that the game doesn't make a difference so I was asking what you THINK France would convert to. Also, I recommend expansion ideas all the way!
I think my country is part of the Sirotci (Radical Hussites). The Sirotci burned down Catholic monasteries and fought against the Papal Sates in the Hussite Wars.
But I don't know that much about Hussitism and the Hussite Wars so I'm not 100% sure if France is part of the Sirotci or not..
I thought about taking Expansion but then I realised that I can only enact the good policies that Expansion unlocks if I also take Centralization (and I took Delegative ideas because of all my vassals). Expansion + Centralizaiton is probably the best combo but since this is my first VeF 1.2 game I didn't know that...
I think Expansion would be a good idea for countries that don't profit from colonising - The Angevin Union would definitely profit from colonisation if I take out the competition.
Chapter IV - The Angevin-Iberian War
The Union was quite tolerant towards Catholic heretics and religious rebellions were quite rare - Nobody felt discriminated and surprisingly Catholic citizens declared no religious civil. Meanwhile, the small council advised Louis XI to increase the government's efforts to develop a new type of ship that was suited to cross the ocean. Diplomatic advisor La Chapelle said that members of the English faction would appreciate this whereas the French action was against it.
In order to reduce the power of the French, Louis XI accepted the council's proposal and the first few carracks were built in Calais.
With Alexander de Richemond a competent master of mint joined the small council (lvl 2) who advised the King to eradicate the rats in the granary of Sussex. These rats were troubling the locals and had to be dealt with once and for all. The small council was also worried that the anti-Angevin coalition might size the opportunity and declare war on the Union given the fact that the Union practically ran out of manpower.
de Richemond also had positive news for Louis XI. The bureaucracy was expanded, which allowed the Union to focus on a fifth set of ideas. Louis XI was pleased and told de Richemond that he needed some time to make a final decision. He had narrowed it down to Expansion Ideas, which would allow the Union to grow rapidly, or Exploration Ideas, which would allow the Union to explore and colonize the New World.
Military advisor du Fournay tried to convince the the local aristocracy to offer their sets for conscription. Some aristocrats agreed and a total of 11.009 men became available for military service. An unusual alliance was formed with the Sultan Muhammad IV of Tunisia - Catholic countries disliked the Capets and so the Union had to look elsewhere for reliable alliance partners.
A spy mission successfully fabricated a claim on the last province of The Knights. A short war was declared on them and the province was incorporated into the Union. Additionally, all priories of the Order of St. John on Angevin territory were closed.
Angevin wine was popular among all of Europe and so a new vineyards were built just outside of Bordeaux which increased the local wine production by 100.0%. After converting Venaissain more Hussites came to live in the city.
Bohemia was the second country in Europe to convert to Hussitism and they feared getting crushed by Catholic neighbors. The Bohemian King and Louis XI met in mid-December if 1425 in Paris to discuss how to deal with the Catholic threat. In a first meeting all that was decided was that Bohemia became a subject of the Union.
Premysl Otkar IV stayed in Paris for another week and Louis XI agreed with him to declare war on Wroclaw to retake Vratislav. The defensive forces stood little chance and several separate peaces were made: Cologne released Cleves as sovereign state, the people of Aachen converted to Hussitism and accepted the Capets as their suzerain, and Bohemia annexed Wroclaw.
The small council informed Louis XI that a skilled inquisitor (lvl 3) had offered his service to the Union but he demanded an insanely high salary. After weighing the pros and cons, a courier was sent to Firenze to ask Florentine bankers for a loan of 410 ducats. They agreed to lend France the money with a 4% annual interest rate. They money was used to hire Inquisitor Firmin Button - he replaced de Richemond. Before de Richemond left the court, Louis XI thanked him for his service.
Button greatly increased the missionary strength and provinces were faster converted to the True Faith.
King Louis XI was turned 74 and was still in excellent health conditions. He gave orders to conquer the Baleares, a small island chain belonging to Majorca. He knew the Portuguese would jump in on the war and his real intensions were to conquer a few Portuguese provinces. In April of 1429 war was declared and Portugal assumed leadership. Weeks later, Portugal called in Castile and Aragon. This promised to be an interesting war!
Meanwhile Louis XI made up his mind regarding the fifth set of ideas. He decided exploring the New World would bring great wealth to the Union. Jean-Antoine de Saint Chamond was hired as an explorer and sent to discoed the unknown. He discovered the Azores and immediately some adventurous Angevins packed some supplies and emigrated to that tiny island chain.
The citizens of Leuven asked the King to build a University in their city. Loius XI accepted their request and a university was built in Brabant.
The Iberian coalition was on the losing side of the war: Cities were burnt to the ground, colonies were taken and trade fleets sunk. During combat heir Charles Capet died and a distant cousin called Louis (3/3/3) became the new heir to the Angevin throne.
More islands were discovered and colonized - everybody back home was enthusiastic and lots of Angevins left their hometowns to sail for colonies.
On August 19th 1433, four years after the beginning of the war, the Crown of Portugal accepted the Angevin terms for peace which stated that the Union received control and ownership of the provinces of Algarve, Alto Alentejo, Baixo Alentejo and Ribatejo. The islands of the Canarias and the Baleares were also gained in that war
After getting beaten, Castile and Aragon left the anti-Angevin coalition while other countries joined it. In November of the same year, a diplomat was sent to Liguria to complete the integration process of Genoa. Louis XI was with 78 years the oldest living monarch of Europe and according to a study by the small council, no previous monarch of the Capetian dynasty was older than him.
To be continued...
Books can be produced? :laugh: Brilliant! And a free university, too! So it seems that your goal now is world Hussite domination? After this is done, you should totally post this empire in the VeF Empire Thread.
After this is done, you should totally post this empire in the VeF Empire Thread.
Books are a special trade good. In order for a province to produce them you need to build a printing press there. You can only build universities in provinces that produce books. Books are a pretty worthless trade good. The current provide is 0.05 ducats.. You only want books in provinces in which you intend to build a university and you cannot have more than 5 universities.
Hussites will dominate the world :ninja:So it seems that your goal now is world Hussite domination?
Chapter IV - Land of Opportunity
After the Angevin-Portuguese War, the Union dedicated more resources to support its colonies. Rio de Oro was turned into a city and the Azores and Cape Verde were growing quickly. Especially Cape Verde was a popular destination for Angevin emigrants. Especially skilled woodcutters moved to Cap Verde to take advantage of the island's sheer endless amount of trees that scouts discovered. Upon their arrival, they built a small camp and began to produce timber. The timber was then shipped back to Europe where it was mainly used to produce ships. Members of the English factions were happy when they heard about the success of the colony but their influence over the Kingdom was so low that it barely mattered.
Even though Cape Verde was still just a colony, the production of timber was flourishing. More and more people emigrated to the colony and the production of timber was increased by 50.0%. Back in Europe, things were going well, too. Missionaries were making good progress converting the Catholic population. By February of 1434, 9 provinces had already been converted to Hussitism.
Cape Verde continued to be the center of attention. Merchants from Toulouse set up a colonial company on the island and arranged to bring some marriageable women to the colony, which was mostly populated by men. Soon the men married the women and families were started. Cape Verde's population was greatly increased. These prosperous times also led to a higher national stability.
The French faction was gaining more and more influence over the Unionist and pressured the King to conquer more of England. Louis XI wanted some advise from his small council meeting and so a meeting was arranged in Paris. Military advisor du Fournay pointed out that the safest way was to declare war on the Archbishopric of Münster. Münster was an ally of the English Crown and had recently left the anti-Angevin coalition.
Firmin Button disagreed with going to war. He was of the opinion that the primary focus should be on converting the provinces to the true faith first and the second priority should be building a Colonial Empire. Button's opinion was not popular among the small council and Louis fired him. Button was replaced by Bureaucrat Jean de Houtman. On February 28th 1435 it was decided to declare war on Münster The English jumped on board and the Holy Roman Emperor became the war leader.
Angevin troops laid siege on Somerset and another army was on their way to Baden. The defensive side was heavily outnumbered and a few weeks later, the leader of the Hanseatic trade league, Hamburg, honored the Angevin call to arms.
Rumors were spreading that a fleet of Barbary Pirates was on their way Nice. Limited defenses were built to reduce any potential damage. The Pirates sized the opportunity to attack the coastal town and managed to raid lots of goods.
Louis XI calmed the locals by telling them that the Barbary Pirates will be dealt with after the war.
After the attacks on Nice, one of the captains of the Barbary Pirates offered to work for the Angevin Union but Louis XI did not want to work with outlaws and declined his offer. The captain was, imprisoned, trailed and hanged. Piracy was neither tolerated by the King nor by the citizens of the Union.
Meanwhile the provincial administrations of Brunswick and Aachen were integrated into the realm.
Asti refused to convert to Hussitism and more and more Angevin Catholics moved to Asti. A positive side effect of this was that more people meant more taxes. The tax income from Koblenz was also increased but for different reason: New farming techniques led to a greater production of grain and the local administrator decided to raise the tax on grain.
King Louis XI died at the age of 80 on May 22nd 1436 in Paris. Louis XII (3/3/3) rose to the throne but everyone excepted him to die soon because he was already 60 years old. His 18-year old grand daughter Mary (3/4/5) became the new heir to the throne
Cape Verde was turned into a city and plans were made to establish an Angevin presence in Brazil. A group of settlers was sent to Pernambuco. Soon the colonists encountered natives and they debated what to do with them. Their chief decided that it was best to repel the savages. A few colonists examined the land and came to the conclusion that it was extremely fertile and that the climate favored the production of tobacco. Plantations were built and the tobacco was shipped back to Europe.
The Holy Roman Emperor admitted that he was defeated and accepted the Angevin terms for peace on October 23rd 1438. The Union demanded the control of eight English provinces as well as the control over Baden and Wallis. England also ceded the Ise of Man to Scotland. Everybody in Europe started hating on the Union for taking all that land but the problem really was the casus belli. The Union used a casus belli which foreign countries did not view as legitimate: Anti-Colation Casus Belli.
(Ok so I used the Anti-Coaltion CB against Müsnter for the following reasons: 40% province cost and war goal is show superiority. This means you can take lots of provinces from the enemy with this casus belli but this comes at a price: You get 200% more AE than you usually do for taking a province. My relations with England are decreased by -536 AE and I have between 200 AE and 350 AE with most of the HRE. But AE is not a problem really. You will see that I will find ways to avoid fighting the coalition. Be opportunistic and don't be afraid of AE.)
For a little over two years Louis XII ruled over the Angevin Union and Scotland. He was found dead in his bed on a cold November morning. The doctors said Louis XII died a natural death. His grand daughter Mary I was crowned Queen of the Union and Scotland. The coronation ceremony was held in mid-November in royal palace. After many male rulers the Angevin Union was finally ruled by a woman. Mary I chose her younger brother Louis as her legal heir who was trained to be a general.
The newly crowned Queen met with diplomatic advisor de La Chapelle in her royal chambers. She wanted to get an update on the political situation in Europe. "It looks bad" said diplomatic advisor de La Chapelle: "Half of Europe is in a coalition against us. 30 countries to be precise."
"30 countries? Ouch! My grandfather really went to far with that war against the English. Is there any way to reduce the damage he has done?"
"Short-term? No. Long-term? Unlikely. I advise you to lay low for now. We should focus on the New World."
"The New World? That sounds like a plan to me! Thanks for your advice. Anything else I should know?"
"Our administration is currently very busy integrating all those English provinces that we gained in the last war. Expanding further would be unwise at least until those provinces are fully integrated."
Mary I was pleased with the meeting went and de La Chapelle left her chambers.
To be continued...
Yes this is my first queen in this campaign. Competent female rulers are awesome because I am under the impression that they live on average longer than their male counterparts.
Chapter V - Call to Arms
After the war against the English, the Union experienced a golden age and the capital grew further. Paris was among the richest cities in Europe - only a few Italian ones were richer, namely Liguria and Lombardia. The golden age also inspired artists to work on beautiful pictures and impressive statues. Most of them were showcased in one of the Union's many art galleries and only a few were sold to Hanseatic trade league.
The settlers in Pernambuco reported that the nearby land in Rio de Oro was worth colonizing. In mid-February that report reached the small council in Paris. It claimed that the area was very rich and so the Queen was advised to send a few colonists to Rio de Oro. The focus on the New World motivated more people to emigrate to the colonies (Colonial Administration II researched: Global settler increase +10, Global tariffs +30%)
Interesting news from Hamburg spread through Europe like a wildfire. Hamburg, leader of the Hanseatic trade league, was having financial problems and sold a province to Brandenburg!
An unexpected call to arms from Sweden ended the peaceful times. Sweden had declared a rivalry war on Denmark, the Papal States and a bunch of other countries. The Union agreed to help Sweden by taking care of the Pope.
Pernambuco was turned into a city in the March of 1442 and in order to connect it with Rio Grande a ship with some settlers left Calais with course on Itamarca. Local settlers appreciated that because they feared that Portuguese colonists might settle near them. Queen Mary I was looking for a colony that produces sugar - sugar was extremely valuable. The land of Rio de Oro was extremely fertile and it was discovered that the land was well-suited for the production of sugar. Mary I was pleased and financed the construction of some plantations.
Angevin forces occupied Roma, Firenze, Forli, and Bologna and were marching on Perugia where they engaged the Papal army for one last time. The war against the Papal States was interrupted by a Venetian scout that arrived in Paris. He brought a letter signed by the Doge himself saying that the Austrians had declared war on the Most Serene Republic. Queen Mary I assumed leadership of the defensive forces and called in Tunisia and Hamburg despite having a numerical advantage. The odds favored the Union.
The small council pointed out that this war against Austria offered the Union the chance to finally reclaim some of the Czech lands that Austria was holding.
Before taking care of Austria, the Queen gave orders to occupy all remaining Papal provinces - fighting on two fronts was too risky. Louis Capet, heir to the throne and brother of Queen Mary I, was in charge of the Angevin army and instructed the troops to abandon the siege of Velletri and to march north towards Austria where Bohemian troops were being crushed by the enemy.
In June of 1444, reports reached the royal palace that the Azores grew large enough to become a city. To expand the Angevin control over Brazil, Ceara was colonized. When the Queen was informed a gem mine was found in Itamaraca she was speechless. It became clear that these expensive trade goods had to be protected from pirates and competitors and therefore she ordered the construction of additional carracks.
Swedish and Papal delegations met in Danzig where the Papal States accepted conditional surrender. Sweden was gentle and only forced the Pope to give the Union ownership of Firenze and Bologna. After the Treaty of Danzig, the full power of the Angevin army then hit Austria and its allies. Padua was force-converted to Hussitism and accepted the Union as overlord. Mary I installed a governorship in Padua and former ruler Vittorio Moscati was removed and replaced by Ottaviano Luoisi who was said to be a skilled administrator.
The Queen offered the Danish a white peace which was accepted. All that stood between peace and harmony were those nasty Austrians!
Louis Capet led the siege of Vienna and was the mastermind behind many glorious victories. His stature within the Union rose greatly.
The Habsburgs sent an envoy to Paris to negotiate a pece treaty. Diplomatic Advisor Beresford led the negotiations for the Union. The terms he proposed were acceptable for Austria. Four Czech provinces were returned to Bohemia and 75 ducats were paid as war compensation.
A skilled Byzantine cartographer was hired by the small council to draw a map of Western Europe because they felt that their current map was too outdated. For instance, the previously used map did not include the Angevin conquests in England and Italy.
To be continued...
The Angevins must get a foot in every part of the continent! :ninja:I'd love to diplo-vassalize Finnland to get a foothold in Scandinavia
Yes
I began colonizing South America in a previous chapter. (See Land of Opportunity)I heard the Angevins also plan on building a spaceship to invade the moon
Really great read delpiero1234, thanks especially for explaining some of the vagaries of the mod.
I downloaded it the other day and am really enjoying it, without knowing what I am doing. Now I have learned and learning is growing.
I downloaded it the other day and am really enjoying it, without knowing what I am doing. Now I have learned and learning is growing.