My first AAR: Swiss Awakening or Legion of Ice | 1.07

[Blade!]

Blade!’s 1rst AAR


Eu 1.07
Aggression: Normal
Difficulty: Easy


Well, I like readin’ em, and I love EU2, so I thought I would try. I just played as Moldavia, and got myself into a losing situation for the first time in a while I can remember… it was rather annoying; I like 1.07 Aggression is on normal, because I find normal quite aggressive in 1.07, and on easiest to assuage my poor ego after building Moldova into a monster, just to crash.

Anyways, I normally never play in Europe but I have kinda played out most of the other parts of the world at the moment. I picked Helvetica, as it sounded challenging and squished between France and Austria (IIRC.. I’ll find out in a sec). I made a geocities site, and will try that .txt trick. Also, Eurohistory is not my strongpoint, so consider this an ALTERNATE history (emphasis on alternate).….

The Official Scroll of Helvetican History

…and so for 256 years the brave Swiss defended their snowy mountain passes, living in isolation from the world, except for those envoys of the Pope that made it through the treacherous passes. Frequently, the armies of the Hapsburgs or the Burgundians would assault the high passes, looking for Swiss Iron… purer than Castelleon, or even that imported from beyond the lands of the Moorish heathens. Every time, however, valiant Swiss defenders had kept their lands intact… with a little help, or so it is thought: deadly avalanches had a way of wiping away large armies. Many old traditions began to arise again; beliefs in ancient ice spirits that acted as guardians of the Swiss peoples. Beliefs that were kept secret whenever the Pope’s envoys came… beliefs that for the most part were isolated to those military types that ever saw the borders, and the massive storms that would destroy invaders.

A new period had begun… Lord Protector Karlsruhe, a devout Catholic, had taken on the mantle of the Swiss Commune’s leadership, and soon afterwards… the Hapsburgs, intent on conquest, raised the largest army Christendom had ever seen. The army was massive; it was well trained, and well supplied. It was, however, no match for what many said was the work of the icy guardians of the Swiss. An avalanche of unprecedented proportions cascaded down into the valleys leading to Tirol causing the army to disappear. This event had a great impact… military officers began to speak of throwing off the yoke of the Papacy. This disturbed Lord Karlsruhe greatly. He declared that the Swiss must re-enter the world of Europe, lest they fall in to paganacy. He was not so bold as to say it outright like that, for many of his deputies were nearly pagans themselves… *end of scroll*

As the political system of the surrounds lays in 1419, when the first foreign traders are allowed into Heltevica:

The Ice Demon was not pleased. Not pleased at all. HE had gone to all that trouble of finally removing those pesky roman infiltrators, when the clerics from the south showed up with their crosses. Bah. If I can't beat em', join em'. Now.... how can I help my beloved Swiss, the finest humans on earth? Ah ha! By making them safe.... hmmmm... how can I do this? Let's see.. I'm immortal, virtually omnicient regarding any part of the world... as long as a member of the Swiss Noblity is there, oh... I got it! The Ice Demon quickly shed his old form, and became that of a tiny wisp of a thought.... If I can't throw avalanches... I will try somthing more subtle... I will whisper thoughts in the ears of power.. and thus will I drive the Swiss outwards...so that they may properly rule the weaker peoples of the lowlands.

(You never hear from Mr. Icy again, he is now part of a collective consciousness hiding in the minds of the Swiss Nobility. By the way, his name was "Twinkie," if you cared. )

 

[Syt]

Ohhhh, always nice to see forum veterans trying their hands on their first AARs finally.

 

[TheArchduke]

I will follow that one. And sometime in the future I might finally give Austria a try in the AAR field.

 

[Gaijin de Moscu]

Excellent, Blade!

Great to see you here; and a very nicely written beginning. I liked Twinkie who dissolved into the people's conssiousness (I re-wrote this word three times and still it somehow does not seem right ).

 

[Languish]

I find it odd that you have never done an AAR prior to this, great stuff and good luck!

 

[Blade!]

OOC: Thanks! I am not pleased with the concept in my head, but I will consider this my practice AAR (learning to record my game properly and load pics, etc. )

------------------------------
January 3, 1419

The Swiss knew one thing, they were unprepared to deal with the wily outsider merchants, and so took up the task of setting up a cadre of men to act as tax collectors, taxing the merchants who now brought much valued goods to the icy nation. Also, from what was learned by initial reports, Genoa would be the easiest large market to access. The council decided that as soon as they could get one of the young lads to speak Italian to some degree, they would try to negotiate some kind of mercantile agreement.

The biggest problem, however, was that while Swiss warriors were incredibly brave, their renown made them much demanded throughout Europe... and they were eager to leave. Only by granting them special privileges and rich land holdings could they be expected to stay around ( supportable limit: 3.5k Army size: 21k) . The council debated this for much time ( Centralization: 1 ) …. And eventually they somehow decided it would be most just if the weak Lombardians with their fine lands (manpower: 2.5) were to come under the protection of the Swiss people.

On the 2nd of May, the Swiss informed the Lombardians of their new status. Much to the shock of the unworldly Swiss, the Lombardians did not accept this new status, nor did their armies disband. Annoyed, they prepared to march to the south. On the 26th of May, the armies did meet and over 10,000 Swiss men and women were cut down. At the end of the week the Lombardians were fleeing to the hills, but the Swiss were shocked by their losses. It must be the lack of mountains… the ice spirits cannot help us! grumbled some of the soldiers. In reality, the Swiss were indeed not used to fighting against mounted cavalry and were quite devastated.

Amazingly the Lombardians still did not give up! They walled themselves up in their cities, hoping that the rag-tag group of Lombardian cavalry that fled towards Heltevica (foolishly, thought some) would resuce them. The siege drug on….

In August, there was a panic. IT was learned that Genoese troops were on the march… oh god, please not let it be to the side of the Lombardians.. we wished the Genoese to be our friends… they are a powerful folk, with colonies in far off Crimea. In fact, it was not the Lombardians they were coming to aid, and in fact on August 7th, Genoa asked for a treaty of cooperation. The Pact of Lombardia was signed, guaranteeing friendship between the Helteican and the Genoese. The Genoese would not take offense at our future annexation of Lombardia, and we would allow their troops to pass freely through our dangerous passes.

On August 27th… the Lombardians tried to break the siege, but were easily dispatched now that they were outmanned and without infantry; they once again fled into the icy clutches of the Swiss passes. News of the battle lifted the spirits of the Swiss people (Stab +1) Meanwhile, in the rest of Europe, Bohemia embraced what Lord Karlsruhe had feared for his own nation: a pagan faith of some sort, outraging the Christian world. He was quick to condemn the Bohemian traitors.

The year drug on… New Year came and went with no sign of the siege making any progress. The men and women of the Swiss Guard began to grumble. Seeking to assuage their minds, Lord Karlsruhe asked the Genoese if the Heltetican nation could join their friend in their alliance. He was devastated when the Genoese said You Swiss are not ready… you cannot even conduct a proper siege. Finally, as March rolled onto the calendar a great deal of Lombardian peasants fled their walled cities… it would only be a matter of time. The Lombardians, however, seemed to think the opposite and demanded the lordly sum of 75 ducats! “Do they know something that I do not? thought Karlsruhe.. he began to be worried about his non-isolationist policies... perhaps we were not ready for this mad world. Hw was somewhat mollified when in April the Alliance of Genoa and Savoy had their annual meeting, and both agreed to an agreement of trading rights with Heltevica.

In the end, the siege was ended in August when the great city of Milan surrendered. Still, Lombardia was not formally annexed until November, as all the dignitaries had traveled to seal a wedding in Savoy the same month the city fell. Celebrations rang out throughout Heltevica, but something was amiss. Letters poured in from all across Europe… Lord Karlsruhe was dismayed to discover that he was the most hated man in all Europe! Apparently, all the nations viewed the Swiss as dangerous lunatics, and for no apparent reason the English considered us their mortal enemies (relations = -198 ?!? ). Lord Karlsruhe began to toss and turn at night... he knew the Swiss needed some friends…. How could he win over Genoa & Savoy?

 

[Norgesvenn]

Blade! with an AAR?

I like it a lot. Switzerland is always a challenge, and you tell a good story, mate.

 

[unmerged(1057)]

Blade! ..what a pleasant surprise..

 

[Storey]

Good luck Blade, Helvetia is a challenge. You haven't seen the last of the Austrians.

Joe

 

[unmerged(9509)]

Good luck, Blade!

 

[Nikolai II]

Switzerland seems to regularly end up with Piemonte, but I guess you should get a CB first, or you will become the target of some nasty BB-wars very soon..

Oh, and good luck

 

[Wyvern]

Great to see a new aar. Very entertaining so far.

 

[unmerged(1706)]

A really nice start. I'll be reading this.

 

[Amric]

Interesting choice. I look forward to seeing how it all works out.

 

[Kurek]

Im enjoying this, Nice writing style.
Keep it up.

 

[LordLeto]

Ive tried several times playing a swiss game, though it never got very far as I soon got bord with it. Good luck.

 

[Gytis]

Maybe you could finally take those popes bodyguards into the good use (just recall them from Papal States back to you ). Good work!

 

[Blade!]

Originally posted by Gytis
Maybe you could finally take those popes bodyguards into the good use (just recall them from Papal States back to you ). Good work!

Interesting you should mention that. I have actually played out the next chapter, and the Swiss seem to be getting themselves into a bit of a pickle involving the pope.

(Just need to make time to write it, probably Tuesday night)

 

[Blade!]

[size=small]The Swiss War of Sin[/size]

January 1421
Things in the immediate region grew worse, rapidly. The Genoese seemed to have rethought their position regarding our annexation of Lombardia, and canceled our Treaty of Friendship that gave them access rights. Lord Karlsruhe slept even less. He needed a solution, and looking down from his tower in Bern... his eye fell upon a solution.

While his niece was the paragon of Swiss beauty... she was a but troublesome... with a prediliction for debauchery... Lord Karlsruhe did have a personal life, with family issues. He would rather his niece was married off before she became even less virtuous than suspected.
Her Ladyship, Suzzane Karlsruhe:

It was quickly settled; once she was paraded before the Merchant Prince of Genoa, the man could barely control his anticipation. The marriage was held in May, forever binding Genoese and the Swiss people together.... at least that was hoped to be the case.

Lord Karlsruhe was quite pleased, and thought about all the other unmarried nieces he had. Indeed, when Mainz and Naples joined the re-named Compact of Genoa Alliance, Karlsruhe saw to it that the nobles of those lands had the chances to strengthen their lines with Swiss blood.... hopefully, it would keep that alliance from acting against Swiss interests. It was at this time that the hardline papists within the Swiss churches led the people in the streets, demanding a pogrom against the Pagans; it seems they felt that the marriages would give them more backing from royal catholic families. In the end, however, the chaos they caused had to be put down by the Swiss guard (Stab -1 rather than innovativeness -1 )

It is upon the question of Mainz, that there is some interest. The sole German member, surrounded by enemies and isolated. Unconnected by land or sea to the rest of the alliance, bringing about questions regarding the actual future operations for that alliance. In examining the map, it can be noted that both Strausburg, Baden, and Wurtemburg lay between Helvetica and Mainz. Lord Karlsruhe tried to tell the Compact of Genoa that Heltevitca would get them an operational springboard, but they replied with...Um, maybe next year...

Upon noting this same geographical advantage, and its value to the Compact of Genoa, the Swiss Defense Council noted that Baden, and Wurtemburg were in an allinace... (Somewhat worrisome whenever 2 neighbors might be coluding) and furthermore they were alos allied with another Swiss neighbor... Bavaria (Highly worrisome, seeing that all the neighbors to the North were in a pact).... no, no.. it was worse... all 3 nations to our north were in thrall to the Swiss hating Austrians! Terrible! How had the political situation arisen so?

Wait... no problem.. we have the famed Swiss Guard, our mountain passes, and our insurmountable forts. The Swiss Guard of course, now only number at 10,000... which is what is barely maintainable affordably. Okay... we are tough.. no problem... thought Lord Karlsruhe. I will worry about this later...

Peace reigned for some time, Lord Karlsruhe set to making agreements of commerce with his neighbors, and generally currying the favor of his fellow rulers, hoping that they would be allowed into the Genoese alliance. In fact, after the promised year, the nation of Heltevica was indeed allowed into the alliance. Lord Karlsruhe finally felt a little tension dissipate. The Lombardians, however, were outrages that the Swiss were being accepted by the outside world, and staged a large revolt that took some time to put down. Putting it down with efficiancy though, showed the region that the Swiss were there to stay, and Venice soon asked for a Treaty of Friendship and Access.

January 1428
The next few years were productive, with its allies in hand Heltevica prospered raising funds and sending merchants to participate in the great bazaar of Genoa. In celebration of wealth and prosperity, Lord Karlsruhe commisioned an improvement of the fortifications in Lombardia for the pricely sum of 286 ducats. It was that year that the Pagan Bohemians sent to the Swiss a decapitated horse... a grave pagan insult that upset the Swiss population. Fortunately, we were able to welcome the Bohemians back to decency as in November their Pgan King was dethroned, and his Papist daughter was enthroned. Lord Karlsruhe was pleased, he did not want the Swiss Pagans to have ideas of a Pagan Rulership being valid. In fact, Lord Karlsruhe invited them to the opening of the new fortifications in Lombardia; showing off the most modern aspects of wall & moat technology.

It was in preperation for the fort opening, that the Swiss Defense Council brought up the problem of the Austrian menace, and its thralls. 17,000 Austrian Imperial Guard had ammassed in Tirol… additionally, 29,000 Bavarians, 17,000 Wurtemburgans were strolling along the border, and in the background the Bavarians had 34,000 men armed and ready for action... we Helveticans, ever since the Lombardian revolt, had been at a strength of 9,000. In a mad panic, Lord Karlsruhe canceled the Fortress exhibition, as he did not want its secrets to be known to anyone. The Bohemians took this poorly and decided to cancel a trading agreement that had been in the works.

1430
This year was critical in European politics, across Europe wars broke out, and in the Helvetican corner of the world things were no different....

It was percipitated by the Papal States in their annexation of Modena, a neighbor of Genoa. The Merchants of Genoa were quite disturbed, and wished to go to war, but the German nation of Mainz was much opposed, knowing that a declaration of war against the Papacy itself would leave it isolated and at risk. For this reason, Hessen was asked to join the Compact of Genoa. Now Hessen and Mainz formed a northern wing of the alliance. Mainz then gave its blessing and Genoa declared war on the papacy and its allies, Tuscany and the Dutchy of Athens.

Lord Karlsruhe was quite vexed, as he did not wish to anger the Pope, yet he could not see how he could back out of the alliance without jepordizing the security of the Swiss people, nor checking the power of the Papal States on his southern border. In the end it was one General Zod who advocated the Romanga Doctrine (Mission accepted to annex Romagna) in which the Swiss would try to castarate the Papacy's secualr power by splitting theri nation and cutting off the Italian peninsula from Venetian or Austrian advances. This general was also a known Ice Worshiper, which brough intesne contraversy upon Swiss society.

The decision for war was made in March, and by May Romanga was placed under seige, and 1,000 Papist recruits were executed in their barracks by brutal Swiss blades; an event that was not taken warmly in the rest of Europe. It was a quick seige, the brutality of the Swiss caused the city to surrender by February of 1431. The Swiss pressed their advantage, and marched on Marche. The Papists in the meantime had been fighting in Modena with the Tuscans against the Genoese and Savoy elements of the army. Similarly, on the southern front, NAples had been repulsed from Rome several times.. eventually Modena and Tuscany both came under seige and the Papal forces holed up in Rome. This was still the case when Marche was fully under Swiss control in December.

It was at this time that the northern wing of the alliance decided to go to war against some pipsquek nation known as the Palintat, or somesuch. Apparently a Prince of the Palintat made fun of their neighbors across the river for being allied with those fighiting the Papal States. Lord Karlsruhe was mightily annoyed by this, and within 2 weeks of signing on to the war, signed a white peace with the Palintat, stating Let the Germans take care of their own problems. It must be remembered, that Lord Karlsruhe, and indeed the Helvetica itself, was very naieve in terms of political consequences.

In any case, the war in Italia was at a stalemate, General Zod was not going to assualt the 20,000 strong Papal Guard with his 9,000 strong army, and the Papal Forces seemed happy sitting in Rome. Zod, however, was shamed, when on March 15th a Genoese army marched through Marche towards Rome... at a strength of only 8k? They will be slaughtered! What are they doing? Nevertheless, honor beofre shame... on March 22nd... Swiss forces marched, hoping to catch up… We were unbale to catch up and save the Genoese who were slaughtered, but on April 17th we defeatd the victorious Papasits, sending them scattering towards Tuscany…

General Zod, however, took many losses, and did not have enough forces to secure all the towns of the area, no siege could begin... Fortuneatly, the Genoese had a few hundred men returning on April 30th from their retreat to Marche, and it was just enough enough… Unfortuneatly, on June 17th, both armies were slaughtered by returning Papal forces, and new recruits marching from Lombardia halted in Romanga. In September,however, Naples sacked Rome. The Papists fled towards Marche, so the Swiss Recruits marched on Marche..attacked.. and chased the battered Papists to Romanga.. defeated them again and chased them over enemy territory to Frienze… slaying them all…

This disheartened Rome greatly and on the beginning of the new year, 1433, the Pope turned over Romanga to Swiss Protection, ending the Helvetican role in the 1rst Papal War.

Helvetica circa 1433, building a wall against Austrian expansion:

Peace, however, was not quite around the corner...

 

[Blade!]

Dangit'! I don't know why I can't get the pic to work this time. The .txt trick doesn't seem to be working on this pic for some reason, any ideas?

http://www.geocities.com/rmajumda/