Prologue: The beginning of an Empire
10th of November 1444 02:00, Berlin.
Prince-Elector Friedrich woke up terrified while falling out of his bed on the cold floor of his room. He just had a horrifying dream of how his little duchy Brandenburg along with all of Germany got swallowed and destroyed by fire. For him, this vision was a clear sign: if all Germans wouldn’t unite under one banner, they will be subdued by greater powers and suffer. But of course not a single German nation would listen to this nonsense, so he knew what he and his successors had to do: unite Germany by themselves and therefore by force. It would become the main goal of the Brandenburg and later Prussian nation.
The next day, he immediately arranged for two political marriages: one with the Polish, to have a powerful neighbour as friend and as ally in his endeavours as well as with Austria, the current Holy Roman Emperor. A marriage and possible alliance with the Emperor will allow him to begin his expansion by reducing the influence of the Emperor on his conquests.
Besides those royal marriages, Friedrich signed an alliance with the Prince-Elector of Saxony, to counter a rivalling Bohemia. Friedrich also realised his rule over Brandenburg was weak: his family only got the March of Brandenburg in 1411, only 33 years ago and was very loosely governed before his family. If Germany was to be united under the Hohenzollern and Brandenburg rule, we must build our own government institutions to gain firm control over our lands.
Despite our best intents, Austria quickly broke of the promise of marriage without giving a single reason. Our spies and diplomats in Wien reported that the reason probably was because they had “too many diplomatic relations”, whatever that might be. An alliance with Austria was out of the question now.
On a more positive note, together with the royal marriage and improved relations of our diplomat we were successful in establishing a Brandenburg-Polish alliance. This will provide Brandenburg with the military backing and support needed to wage its first wars in the HRE. The situation got even better when half a year later the Polish king gained a personal union with Lithuania, adding in the weight of them into the alliance.
Now having his first two alliances, Friedrich decided to choose his rivals, and announced the Teutonic Order, Pomerania and Bohemia as Brandenburg’s rivals. Despite this rivalry with the Teutons, the Prince-Elector was able to buy Neumark (in possession of the Holy Order) for 100 ducats. This created a short deficit as Brandenburg’s treasury only contained 73 ducats but Friedrich found the province worth the cost. It would provide a more direct border with the Polish and would also allow Brandenburg to create claims on the provinces of Stettin, Kolberg and Stolp. Especially the latest province was of importance because it would provide a border with the Teutons, which have some important provinces of strategic interest.
On the international front, the English faced a civil war between the Yorks, which dynasty provided the current English monarch, and the Lancasters who contested the rule of the York dynasty. On the other hand was Crimea, which sought Ottoman protection and became their march.
While all of this was happening, Friedrich had sent his diplomats to fabricate a claim on Lüneburg and was ready to declare war. It would be the first war for Brandenburg, with many yet to come.
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So this introduction came faster than I had planned: it is a bit smaller though than I anticipated but I feel this would be a good introduction to the early diplomatic playfield Brandenburg is playing in. I still have the goal to release the now second chapter in the coming weekend though so you won't have to wait too long for the continuation of the first war.
! It will be Germans and Germans alone! Besides I love the Imperial borders, don't know why but just look at that gorgeous shape:
