Round I (1356-1366): Base our strength on our fleet
Ray: GOOOOOOOOOOD Evening everyone and Welcome to this Season Premiere of "BIG RULER". I'm Ray Porter, and I am here with George I. Joe to help you all follow that alternative history! This season, we will follow Aragon, starting January 10, 1356 with Rei Pere IV d'Aragó.
George: Good Evening Ray.
Ray: George, Aragon initial situation is strong, moreover with its Sicily vassal, who has holdings in Greece. It has a large navy, and a center of trade, so it is in a very nice starting position. But with Castille and France as neighbors, its expansion is limited...
George: You forgot the "coastal provinces" rule... Aragon has a powerful navy, and in the early rounds, between the reconquista in South of Spain, and the offensive of the Ottomans in Europe, Aragon will have the opportunities to do more than just recovering its cores in Sardinia, Corsica and Provence. With Pere IV being a "tough leader", I am sure we will see a lot of action in these early rounds.
Ray: I am sure. And with France stuck in the 100 years war, doesn't it offer a possibility of expansion North?
George: If France looses, yes. Otherwise there will be plenty of time to expand in France...
Ray: Let's see if you are right. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Pere IV d'Aragó!
Pere: Good Evening Ray.
Ray: Pere... A lot of opportunities for you for this round... Which line would you follow? Try to unite Spain, invade France, recover your cores, fight holy wars... ?
Pere: Well... The senate asked me to get involved in a royal marriage with Portugal. I think the early years of this round, I'll have to keep quiet, forge alliances, royal marriages. There are a lot of dynasties with a lack of heir, and if we can be recognized as potential heir, this is a nice way to reinforce our strength. We have to be seen as legitimate and peaceful, so I don't plan anything else than recovering our cores. If we follow this strategy, smaller nations might want to become our vassals...
Ray: This is... not what we thought you would do. Aren't you interested in pushing the Muslims away from Europe?
Pere: I am. May it be Granada or the Ottomans. But to face the Ottomans, we would need a stronger military. We need time, both to build armies and fleets, and to secure alliances and vassals to fight them. But as soon as we are strong enough, they will pay for their crimes.
Ray: Well, Thanks Pere. And Good Luck.
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George: I am not sure about his strategy... As we saw in season 1, the infamy is the main problem. But it is not in round I, as everyone is supposed to be nice and all... And the most infamy you burn in the early rounds, the less you'll have to burn later!
Ray: But it might make sense... Imagine that thanks to this policy, Aragon inherits France, England, Portugal or Naples in the first rounds, as Pere seems to wish... It will boost Aragon's power, at nearly no infamy cost.
George: This is the only reason why I am not screaming everywhere that this guy is doomed !
Ray: ... well ... let's play. In the first weeks of 1356, Castille offers Aragon an alliance, and Portugal accepts the Aragonese offer for a royal marriage. The senate asks for a new mission: to recover Sardinia, which Aragon already controls, if we except the Aristanis area.
George: Well, Castille is quickly calling for help against Granada, and with the large peasants revolts that occurred in Aragon when Pere ordered more centralization, I am not sure Sardinia will be attacked soon.
Ray: War is declared in August, but should not last long.
George: Sardinia will not last long. The war, I am not sure. Quickly, Naples support Sardinia. Then Provence, Poland, Halych-Volhyna, and Plock... Here is the situation in October. Even if most enemies are landlocked, this might be tricky.
Ray: This is why Pere negotiates with France, so its troops can reach Provence quickly.
George: This will open a second front, while Sardinia is annexed in April 1357. The senate now asks Pere to annex Sicily, its own vassal.
Ray: Not sure Pere will want to do that. He'll have to defend Sicily with his own troops, which is not good. meanwhile, in summer, Provence is entirely occupied and a second front is open at the Naples-Pope border, while relations with the pope are growing, and Milan joins the Aragonese alliance.
George: With Sicilian resistance, and the new front North, Naples is forced to a peace in November, simply renouncing to a few Southern cores
Ray: As soon as the peace is signed between Castille and Grenada in April 1358, Pere declares a new war on Genoa, as he wants Corsica to be reunified with Aragon. Ottomans-occupied Roman Empire, distant Georgia, and Switzerland join the war.
George: Switzerland is the only one with tough troops. Genoa and Georgia are engaged on the Black Sea against the Hordes, then the Switzerland-Milan front will decide the fate of this war, while the Aragonese navy is having its first engagements.
Ray: Other battles will follow, with Genes losing a total of 14 ships. During the first six months of 1360, Switzerland ang Georgia withdraw from the war. And a few days before the Roman Empire is annexed by the Ottomans, Aragon win another battle against Genoa, destroying its fleet and landing troops on Genoa holdings in Greece.
George: This basically dooms Genoa, and they know it. They buy Milan out of the war in August, but in December, there is little chance for Genoa to win. Their holdings in the black sea are under siege, may it be by rebels, or the Aragonese alliance.
Ray: In these conditions, Pere terms are hard, and you will be pleased with them, George. In addition to Corsica, Genoa will renounce to its Sardinian cores, and give away its Greek islands, and half its Italian land.
George: Genoa now is made of Genoa itself, plus some Ottomans and Hordes baits around the Black Sea... This will be hard for them to recover.
Ray: Moreover, the prestige Aragon got from this war now places it in an ideal position to peacefully grab some vassals. 1361 is the year for that: Achaia, leading the union with Arbanon, goes first, in January. Albania in march, Hum in July. Meanwhile, in June, Karl VIII of Sweden dies with no heir... Pere IV is recognized by the Swedish senate as their new king.
George: This is probably the only vassals Pere will be able to grab, as in January 1362, the Ottomans are going to war against the Knights. Aragon, as a protector of the Knights, takes the lead of the defensive alliance. Big boys like Venice, Castille, England, Epirus, Genoa and of course Sicily and Sweden also join.
Ray: The Ottomans only have the Tunisian Hafsids on their side...
George: Something that Pere will exploit. He takes 15,000 men with him and land in Tripoli
Ray: What about the navy?
George: After destroying a small 7-ships enemy fleet, the Aragonese navy will occupy the sea of Maramara, destroying another 10 ships on its way.
Ray: The Ottomans navy is slightly smaller, this is why they don't attack?
George: The two navies were about the same size, but with 17 lost ships in the Sicilian straits or in the Aegean sea, now the Aragonese fleet is slightly larger. This is enough to block the straits, and with all the Greek nations in the alliance, the Ottomans armies in Europe are if not pushed back, at least slowed down.
Ray: But it will take a lot of time before the Ottomans actually suffer a loss?
George: Yes of course. Which is not the case of Hafsid. Here is the situation in August 1362.
Ray: This goes slowly indeed, and with the Ottomans armies finally kicked out of Europe, time is on the European side. On September 63 Hafsid then the Ottomans are given peace terms by Pere, leading to new coastal conquests by Aragon.
George: Yes. This will build Pere a bad reputation, but he can afford it. In October 63, Castille attacks Grenada again. Fez joins the defense, and Aragon si called in November. Pere anticipated though and already had his armies moved to the Grenada borders, or embarked on ships to land in Algeria.
Ray: A few small Granada fleets are caught by the Aragon fleet, losing 18, while a troop lands on Algiers.
George: And after the fall of Almeria after a year of siege, Pere IV crosses the straits to land on Sabta, where the Swedish army is fighting Fez
Ray: 1365 looks like a bad year for the muslim fleet.
George: Indeed. 12 ships sunked in March, 4 other in June, 2 more in October... this makes a total of 36 sunk ships in two years. But the army is also making good progresses, pushing the enemy back in Algiers and el Rif.
Ray: In December 65, tired by two years of fight and affraid of the Aragon army, Tlemcen and Tuareg leaders sign white peaces with Castille.
George: Tuaregs are not that tired. They now attack Fez. With its army now in a terrible shape, Castille, Aragon, Sweden, Achaea, Albania, Hum and Sicily are now joined by Mali, the Canaries, Tuaregs, Hejaz, Tripoli, Norway and Bremen against the Moroccan sultanate.
Ray: This looks hard for Fez indeed. I am sure they will try to opt out of this war as soon as they can.
George: Indeed. This is why Pere prefers negotiate its own treaty first, even if its vassals and Sweden stay engaged besides Castille. The treaty of Algiers is signed in February 1366, ending this round.
Ray: Aragon captures new coastal lands, both sides of the Gulf of Almeria. But isn't it too much infamy-wise?
George: It might. But lately Aragon gained cheap holy war casus belli against Granada, Fez, the Ottomans, Hafsid and Tripoli. This might be the key for future, cheap and fast expansion against the Muslims.
Ray: We will see George... And this is why you should not miss the next episode of BIG RULER!
