Roberto's English AAR

[Roberto]

This is the first part of an AAR playing England in the GC patched to 1.07e and on normal difficulty (well, it was my first serious campaign). I couldn't decide whether to do it as a game commentry or as an alternative history; it turned out to be a bit of both.

There's a few newbie mistakes. Not all the Royal Marriages had a long term strategic value.

I've tried to write it from a roughly fifteenth-century viewpoint. No disrespect is intended to those who are not English, or not Christian.

IN THE BEGINNING

In 1492, England is a weak country, with a powerful semi-friend in Spain and a powerful enemy in France. There is a Royal Marriage with Spain (a pre-betrothal of Catherine of Aragon?), one good military leader, Norfolk (Man 3, Fire 3 and Shock 4) and a King who is average at administration, good at military matters and good at diplomacy. [The last is interestingly semi-historical; Henry VII set great store by foreign intelligence and diplomacy but, although he had won the throne at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 after spending his early life in exile and must have had great physical courage, he never aspired to be a great military leader as King. Also, most of his advisors were low-born and chosen for their skills in administration - or what passed for it at the time.]

1492 dawns in Western Europe on two great alliances. One is led by Spain, with England, Milan, Naples and Lorraine (and of course the Spanish Netherlands), in force until November 1503. The other is led by France, with Savoy, the Papal States and Poland-Lithuania, declared to be irrevocable until June 1528. And England is vunerable on two fronts. Her only possession on the mainland, Calais, could not survive a determind assault from France. And on her northern border are the Scots. She cannot raise an army strong enough to fight both at once, nor can she rely on Spain to protect Calais.

The King's Council is divided. Some argue for peace with all neighbours. Others argue that war will come anyway and we should choose the time, even though the country is weak.

In the first month of the new year, news comes that Granada has fallen to Spain. Church bells are rung and Te Deum sung at the fall of the pagan Moors.

The King tries diplomacy with the Scots. He offers them a Royal Marriage. [Another pre-betrothal - Henry's daughter Margaret did marry the Scottish King ten years later but in 1492 she was but a child]. They refuse - with contempt. Arguments break out again. The Scots have no alliances - should we not strike at them now, before they find any? The King allows himself to be persuaded. It may have been his idea all along. The Treasury is poured into raising infantrymen in the Marches, to reinforce Norfolk's army, and the Royal Army from Kent also marches north in support.

Merchants are sent to Flanders. By the end of 1492, England has 25% of the trade there.

A messenger arrives from Hannover, proposing a Royal marriage. We accept. They are to the north of the Spanish Netherlands, with a coastline. We don't want to turn away possible future friends. Another distant cousin of the King are married into the Royal House of Denmark.

There is news of wars in the distant East. The Teutonic Order fights Pskov, and the heathen Turks declare war on the equally heathen Mameluks. May they all slaughter each other!

At this point, the King confides to his most trusted advisor a hankering wish to retake Acquitaine in general, and Gascony in particular. The advisor is hard put to hide his dismay. This is not realistic [nor historical, although it was tried early in the reign of Henry VIII and was a complete disaster]. The advisor pledges to retain Calais while the Scots are dealt with. That will be hard enough.

THE SCOTTISH WAR: 1493-1494.

War is declared in June. Norfolk's army marches into Strathclyde, defeats the Scottish army there easily and settles down to a siege.

The Scottish army from Lothian marches into the Marches and lays siege there. Our hastily raised troops are beaten back into Yorkshire, where they wait to link up with the Royal Army.

Norfolk assaults the castle in Strathclyde. It crumbles. He moves on to Grampian. A makeshift Scottish army is soon dispatched, and Aberdeen stormed. Then Norfolk turns south, to the capital. In response, the main Scottish army raises the siege of the Marches and pulls back to retake Strathclyde. Norfolk assaults Lothian in November 1493. It falls on November 13th. The army winters in Edinburgh.

The Scots offer to give up Grampian for peace. We refuse. What use would it be on its own, isolated from England?

The Court are distracted by another Royal Marriage on 14th November, with Austria (to reinforce links with the Hapsburgs generally).

The Scottish army passes through ravaged Strathclyde and begins a siege of Grampian on 9th December. 14,399 men, with James IV at their head.

1494 begins with letters to Hannover (up to +173) and to Spain (up to -117; perhaps we shouldn't have married that Austrian after all).

There is a report that Pskov has been annexed by the Teutonic Order.

The Royal Army and the Marches levies join Norfolk in Lothian. In February he advances into Grampian to raise the siege, with 18,072 infantry and 6,418 cavalry, against 14,000-odd Scots.

While the Court waits for news, they hear of another war. Poland-Lithuania attacks the Hanseatic League and is supported by her allies France, Savoy, Helvetia and the Papal States.

The campaign in Grampian is a stunning success. The Scots lose a great battle on 8th March. James IV flees into the Highlands with no more than 2,305 troops and Norfolk persues, with 14,551 infantry and 5,714 cavalry.

The Scots offer to give up Grampian for peace. We refuse - again. What do they take us for?

James IV's tattered cavalry force faces us in the Highlands, and on 14th April, we are driven back! [Effective cavalry in a mountain region? Does that count as a bug? Perhaps they found a flat spot to fight on].

On 8th June comes news that the Mamelukes have paid Turkey 118 ducats and ceded the province of Nuyssaybin in return for peace. This may have given the Scots ideas, for on 25th August they offer Grampian and Strathclyde. We refuse. Norfolk is ordered to finish them before winter. He advances into the Highlands at the beginning of September. Of James IV there is no sign, only a small garrison at Inverness, which is stormed on 2nd October. All of Scotland is occupied.

The victory is tarnished - a little - by a sea battle off the Highlands on 24th October when a small Scots fleet beat off the Home Fleet, which had sailed up to mark the victory. Was this James IV escaping to a foreign friend? Who can say?

Church bells rign, Te Deum is sung - and the Council argues again. There are loud voices for annexing Scotland once and for all. Others argue this will turn all the world against us. James IV will find supporters in exile and return to challenge us again. Or others will raise rebellion, claiming to be him.

The King supports the latter view (as well he might - it's the story of his life, though nobody dares to say so). Peace is made on 4th December 1494. Lothian is restored to Scotland. England take the Highlands, Grampian and Strathclyde. Proirity is given to reinforcing the castles in Grampian, Strathclyde and the Marches. If the Scots will have James IV back, he will be walled in with a rign of stone.

English casualties for the war are:

Infantry: 7816 from combat, 7073 from attrition.
Cavalry: 2974 from combat, 1561 from attrition.

[And at the end of 1494 England has 57 VP, 11 from battles and 43 from peace. Badboy rating is 4]

[Historically, Hanry VII never made war on Scotland, nor did Scotland attack England during his reign. In game turms, this could only have been achieved by using Norfolk's shock value to storm the castles, before Scotland had a chance to develop artillery.]

PEACE FOR A TIME 1495-1497

During the Scottish War, funds have been devoted to the military. Stability fell (not too far, for there was no war taxation - baliffs were appointed tax collectors in Anglia and Lancashire) to zero and rose to +1 with our victory. The budget is devoted to stability and solvency, instead of research, and stability rises to +2 in October 1495.

Letters are sent to Spain (up to -102, not bad for a sworn ally!) and to Hannover (up to +184).

Three merchants are sent to Holstein.

At the beginning of 1496, orders are given to strengthen the fortress in Anglia and a baliff is appointed tax collector in Bristol.

Three more merchants go to Holstein. By June 1496 we have 25% of the trade there as well as in Flanders.

Hannover share their discoveries with us. Like us, they know nothing of the world outside Europe.

New discoveries are made in Naval Military Tech in May [level 2] and on 16th June there is news of peace in Europe. The Hanseatic League bought peace from Poland-Lithuania, at the price of Eastern and Western Pommerania.

At the beginning of October new artillery pieces are demonstrated to an impressed Court [Field Artillery 3]. Orders are given to build some - just in case.

In January 1497, John Cabot comes to the Council. We all know that the Spanish and the Portuguese set out to find the riches of the Indes by sailing east and found - something else. John Cabot has a plan to find the Indes by sailing North. He came asking for funds but he went away with a good third of the Fleet. If we do not give him enough ships to come back, those we do send might as well be sunk in home port.

Six merchants go to Andalusia. By the year's end we have 25% of the trade in each of Andalusia, Flanders and Holstein.

In March there is news of more wars among the heathens. Persia and their allies the Mamelukes against Iraq and their (distant) allies Algiers.

Then, on 11th December, the Palatinate declares war on Lorraine. Kleves and Cologne join the Platenate. Lorraine calls on its allies for support: Spain, Naples, Milan - and England. All answer the call. We don't intend to do any fighting, but the alliance is too valuable not to honour. Norfolk is ordered to force march his troops down from the Marches to Kent and the Home Fleet is prepared to transport them to Calais. If that deters the French from fighting, so much the better ...

 

[Octavian]

More please

 

[Roberto]

Just wanted to check that a doc prepared in MS Word could be cut and pasted into this message board.

AAR Part II to follow!

 

[Roberto]

Someone asked for more - so here it is.

The Great War of 1498-99

1498 dawns with England resolved to take a wholly passive role in the war between the Spanish Alliance (Spain, Naples, Milan , England and Lorraine) and the Rhineland trio of Kleves, Cologne and the Palatinat. This resolution does not survive a fortnight. On 10th January, France declares war on Lorraine. France is joined by her allies Savoy, Helvetia, Navarre, the Papal States and Poland-Lithuania (the last of whom played no active role I could discern). Lorraine calls on her allies. Naples, despite being a vassal of Spain, refuses. The others honour the alliance: Spain, Milan - and England.

Norfolk, the conqueror of Scotland, had already marched his army to Kent and they are embarked for Calais. The Home Fleet encounters a larger French fleet in the Channel and the French would claim a victory, but the ships, and Norfolk’s army, reach Calais at the end of February.

During March the nation achieves a level of development which subsequent historians would identify as the High Renaissance. There is also news that the heathens of Iraq have paid off their equally heathen invaders from Persia.

On 9th April the crown of France passes to Louis XII.

There being no sign of a French attack on Calais, Norfolk resolves to take the offensive. His army advances along the coast. A siege of Picardie begins on 21 June. There being no sign of French troops in Caux either, Norfolk splits his forces. Part of the army moves along the coast and begins a siege of Caux on 19 July.

The King is persuaded, much against his wishes, to take out a war loan at the beginning of August. A new army begins training in Calais. The nation’s merchants are persuaded to redouble their efforts for the duration, and beyond [Trade to High Renaissance 2]. Also at the beginning of August, the absence of the French army is explained. They are in Helvetia and Northern Italy, where the war is going badly for Milan. Milan drains its coffers and buys peace from the Papal States for #226, and drains its reserves of goodwill to persuade Helvetia and Savoy to sign status quo peaces. But this still leaves the main French army at their door. Foix leads a combined force of 78,000 through Savoy into Nice. Milan is overwhelmed, and annexed by France on 2 September.

These events fragment the wars into:

Spain, England, Lorraine, and Naples v Cologne, Kleves and the Palatinat (in which England plays no active role)

Spain, England and Lorraine v France, Savoy, Helvetia, Navarre and Poland-Lithuania

Papal States v Spain, England and Lorraine (this last would come to have some significance, as you will see)

Meanwhile, on 12 August, far to the east, Russia (joined by its ally Denmark) declared war on Kazan.

And if this were not enough, on 14 August Venice declares war on Poland-Lithuania. Venice is joined by her allies the Teutonic Order, Brandenburg and the Hanseatic League, while the French Alliance declares for Poland-Lithuania.

The progress of these distant wars concerns the Court not at all, save for cynical speculation as to which of her allies put Venice up to it and which of them will gain the most.

Nearer to home, a French relief force is beaten back from Caux on 9 August, Spain and Savoy fight a battle in Dauphine and forces from Spain and Lorraine siege Helvetia. Lorraine is occupied by the Palatinat in September. A combined Rhineland force of some 64,000 men storms Alsace in October, and Lorraine is annexed by the Palatenat on 15 October.

At the end of October, John Cabot returns to Wales, with his only two surviving ships. He tells tales of a sea of ice, of a great bay, of wooded shores, of natives who trade in beads and furs, and of sea monsters. Dreaming of wealth, a group of adventurers set out to found a trading post at a place called Delaware.

Nothing is ever heard of them again.

Some wealthy merchants contribute ships, and he sails west again. The King is heard to wish the ships could have been made available in the Channel.

At the beginning of 1499, more troops are raised in Anglia and Calais. The sieges continue. Picardie falls in March and Caux in April. In a memorable battle, Norfolk beats off a French army led by Foix in Caux. But his army suffers heavy losses, to add to attrition during the winter. The seasoned forces from Calais march to Picardie, where Norfolk takes command of a combined army.

Meanwhile, the Palatinat buy peace from Spain for #250 in reparations.

Armies from distant lands approach the Channel coast, ravaging France as they pass through. In July, an army from Navarre arrives at Calais. The new year’s untried English troops drive them off, but are themselves no match for a band of mercenary brigands flying the flag of the Papal States under the command of Caesare Borgia. Norfolk’s main army is based at Caux, where a French force is beaten off in August and a Helvetian force in November - but while they are thus occupied Calais falls to Borgia’s brigands at the end of October.

The news in September that Kazan ceded Vorones to Russia and paid #250 for peace may have struck the King as a good example. In any case, he orders secret negotiations with France. On 7 November, England drops out of the war against France and her allies in return for Picardie.

The Spanish Ambassador demands an audience. The King arranges for this audience to be interrupted by the former ambassador of Milan, who no longer has a country to represent. The point is made. Catherine of Aragon takes to her bed. With a headache. For a month.

The treaty with France did not bind Borgia’s brigands, nor bind England from action against them. Norfolk advances on Calais. The brigands flee into Spanish territory, leaving a garrison behind. It falls rapidly.

Also in November, England signs a white peace with the Rhineland Alliance.

Keeping out of War 1500-1508

The King’s priority is to be able to pay off the war loan on time. He will not allow any talk of further war. His most trusted advisor is appointed a Viscount in May 1500, probably to stop his mouth on the subject. Six merchants are sent to Tago.

These peaceful intentions still have to contend with Borgia’s brigands. In August 1500 they attack Picardie and are driven off by Norfolk. The Papal States offer peace and #159 as reparations. We accept.

England’s role in the war is over. Only historians can decide whether Picardie was worth the lives lost.

Picardie rebels in September 1500. Norfolk’s army suppresses the rebellion within a month.

War-weariness spreads across Europe. There is news in June 1500 that Poland-Lithuania has made peace with the Teutonic Order by ceding Tula, and in October their war with Brandenberg ends when they receive #250 reparations. Spain accepts #250 in reparations for peace with Navarre, and makes the same arrangement with Helvetia in January 1501. In June, Savoy settles for #79 reparations from Venice.

Contradicting this trend, Denmark declares war on their old enemy the Hanse in July 1501. Denmark is joined by her ally Russia, and the Hanse by her allies Venice, Brandenberg and the Teutonic Order.

Soon afterwards, war is declared by Austria (joined by her allies Hungary and Wurttemberg) on Venice (joined by her allies the Hanse and the Teutonic Order, neither of whom will see much of the fighting).

The remians of Cabot’s expedition returns in June. We learn that Cabot died the previous November, with his dream of a northern route to the Indies unrealized. But his last expedition found attractive land and friendly natives around a bay called Cheasapeake and a cape called Hatteras. These travellers’ tales attract more adventurers. By the year’s end, news reaches London that a small colony has been established at Manhattan.

Looking around Europe at the end of 1501, in addition to the wars declared that year, there are still unresolved issues from the Great War, including:

Spain v France, Savoy and Poland-Lithuania

Spain v the Papal States (Borgia’s brigands)

Venice and the Hanse v France, the Papal States, Navarra and Poland-Lithuania

Borgia’s brigands have split. Some of them have taken refuge in Artois, where they are under siege by Spain. Others are sieging Luxembourg. Savoy control France-Comte. The French control Rousillon and have a force (too small to besiege) in Gerona.

Almost everyone in authority in England feels the nation is well out of all this. At the end of 1501 a Royal Marriage is made with the Palatinat. Now they have taken over Lorraine, they are worth cultivating, and they have no more love for France than does England.

1502 is a year of consolidation at home, with tax collectors appointed in Strathclyde, the Marches, Yorkshire and Lancashire, but a year of fire and the sword across the Channel. Luxembourg is taken by Borgia’s brigands (with support from Savoy) in January and recaptured by Spain in April. Spanish forces move on to siege Paris in May, whereupon Borgia’s brigands take Artois and advance to Luxembourg again, putting it under siege in August. The Spanish army at Paris fails in an attempt to storm the city in Spetember but another army captures Champagne in October. The Spanish lift the siege of Paris and the two armies join in Artois, taking it at the end of November. The combined Spanish army, under Cordoba’s command then moves back to Paris and Borgia’s brigands lift the siege of Luxembourg and march back to Artois.

News from further away makes little impact. Turkey and Persia make a white peace in May. Austria makes peace with Venice in July, paying #148 reparations. The Hanse make peace with Poland-Lithuania in August, accepting as little as #9 in reparations.

There is a rebellion in Alsace in April. The fortress falls in November. Looks like the Palatinat cannot hold onto their gains.

In January 1503 there is news that Brandenberg have extracted Jylland and #174 in reparations from Denmark. Nearer to home, Savoy pay Spain #159 reparations. Their troops in Artois march away towards Hainault, and we hear no more news of them.

Cordoba’s Spanish army are still besieging Paris. The French hastily raise an army of 9,000 in Caux. It marches to Paris - and is slaughtered to a man. Cordoba’s army then storms the city, which falls on 25 February.

Spain and France agree a peace treaty on 25 May. France cedes Champagne to Spain (and Paris returns to France, with Gerona and Rousillon returning to Spain). The King hosts a banquet in celebration, at which the Spanish Ambassador desperately tries to avoid the former Ambassador of Milan.

Meanwhile, the rebel forces from Alsace reached Lorraine in April and began another siege.

There are revolts in Picardie in March (for two weeks) and June (for one week).

The war loan is repaid in August, on time and in full.

Peace comes to the Baltic by the year’s end. The Hanse accept #177 reparations from Denmark in September. Poland-Lithuania and Denmark sign a white peace in November.

At the start of 1504 the only residue of the Great War is a continuing conflict between Spain and the Papal States. This drags on until December 1507, when Spain takes Romanga in return for peace.

The King extends tax collectors throughout the realm They are appointed in Wales, Wessex, Kent and Picardie in 1504, Cornwall and Leinster in 1505 and Ulster in 1506.

Rebel forces take Lorraine in March 1504 and declare themselves a nation reborn. The Palatinat sends forces to (rebel-held) Alsace in October and the Rebels respond by marching on the Pfalz. Alsace falls in March 1505 and the Palatinat accepts Lorraine as an independent country (but confined to one province).

There is a rebellion against Spain in Champagne in September 1505, which is not put down until fresh forces arrive in January 1506.

Significant improvements are made to the navy in May 1507 [Naval Technology 3].

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[I read somewhere there is a limit of 10,000 characters per post so I’d better break off here].

 

[unmerged(1057)]

More!

 

[Roberto]

[Narrative resumes in 1507]

The King has aged significantly in the past year, and in September 1507 he passes sweeping powers to a new minister, Montague [Random Event]. This excites some envy among other members of the Privy Council, but none can deny Montague’s gifts for administration and diplomacy - though he will not have long to exercise them, as you will hear.

The first fruits of Montague’s administration are seen in a spate of Marriages of State [see note 1] with Brandenburg, Hessen and Portugal in 1508. All prove to be excellent sources of information, though none of them prepare the Privy Council for the shock of the Spanish Ambassador’s announcement that Scotland has joined the Spanish Alliance.

Sebastian Cabot appears at Court and pleads for resources to pursue his brother’s [?] dream of finding a northern passage to the Indies. He receives a more sympathetic hearing from the merchants of London and Bristol. A small fleet of ships and adventurers is pulled together and they sail west. By September there is news that the adventurers have settled in Nova Scotia. Cabot discovers another land barrier to the west, which the natives there call Kebec.

[Game Note: I based S Cabot in the Manhattan colony and he never returned to England; this instant knowledge of the world is one glaringly unhistorical part of the game but there’s no way round it.]

There is distant news of a war declared by Algiers on Morocco, swiftly followed by news that Algiers paid Morocco #95 reparations for peace.

At the beginning of 1509, resources allow the strengthening of the fortress in Cornwall. Another rebellion is noted against Spanish rule in Champagne.

Then, on 10 March, Western Europe is again plunged into war.

The French War 1509-1510

Spain declares war on France on 10 March 1509. France is supported by her allies Savoy, Navarra, Helvetia, the Papal States and distant Poland-Lithuania (and the resources of Milan, annexed by France in the previous war). Spain is supported by her allies Naples, Hannover, Hessen, Scotland - and England.

Norfolk’s army had remained in Picardie, in case of further rebellion, and marches on Caux, beginning a seige on 20 April which lasts all year. Five days later, the Home Fleet is the main part of an Anglo-Spanish fleet which drives the French out of the Channel.

Huge armies of Spanish, Hessen and Hanoverian troops are seen marching through Flanders in May and June, towards Helvetia which they besiege in July. A French-Helvetian army lays siege to France-Comte in May and are joined by forces of Navarra in July. Allied forces go there also, and battles reputed to involve up to 80,000 men take place during August.

But the narrative is running ahead of itself. On 26 June, Henry VII dies. His reign will be remembered as one of success abroad and peace at home; or alternatively one of grasping taxation at home and grasping ambition abroad. He is succeeded by his only remaining son, as Henry VIII. This new Henry takes more after his grandfather than his father, he is tall, wide, auburn haired and lustful (though discreet) [see note 3]. His administrative and diplomatic skills are but average, but his military skill is very good. He is his own man - one of his first actions is to dismiss Minister Montague, followed rapidly by his attainder and execution [see note 2]. This causes panic in the Privy Council but its main effect in the country is to prompt a rush of investment into trade and infrastructure [Random Event 'Good Government Policies': +100 to trade and infrastructure]. Perhaps the merchants feel free to spend now that the Royal tax collectors have been curbed. Or perhaps they too are afraid of their new master.

With all this going on, news of a war declared by Persia (supported by the Mameluks and Georgia) on Iraq (supported by Algiers) in June, is ignored.

In December, rebel scum take over Champagne.

Helvetia buys peace with Naples for #250 in reparations in December 1509, and with Spain for #198 in February 1510. That mountainous land is easy to loot but hard to conquer.

Norfolk is joined in Caux by a newly raised Royal Expeditionary Force, with additional cannon. Caux falls in January 1510 and the combined armies march to Paris (with 34 cannon). The city is undefended, and falls on 12 May.

Debate rages in the Privy Council about where the army should strike next - or rather, it begins but ends abruptly. The King makes it clear he will not allow the squabbling of his father’s time. He knows his own mind, and will have his way. The armies are ordered to remain in Paris, while secret negotiations begin with the French for a separate peace. Three times that summer they offer Caux for peace. The King will not hear of it.

Refugees flee to Paris for sanctuary all summer. The rebel scum from Champagne seize Luxembourg in April, while forces led by Navarra take France-Comte. In June, France win two battles against Spain in Nivernais, and in July combined forces from France and Navarra win a battle against Spain in Champagne and begin a siege of the rebels, who are overcome in September. With support from Hanoverian and Hessen troops, Norfolk beats off two French attacks on Paris in October. The Hessens move south and in December defeat a French army in Nivernais.

Meanwhile, Sebastian Cabot discovers Semiole in June and Roanaoke in September.

On 1 January 1511, on the King’s express orders, Norfolk makes peace in Paris with the French Alliance. England receive Caux - and reparations of #290, a whole year’s taxes. The Spanish Ambassador protests that, again, England has sold out the Alliance. The King receives him before the Court, and shouts that this realm of England will not dance to the tune of another, nor spill its hearts’ blood for the gain of another. The Queen’s face is a picture [see note 4]. But this turns out to be an elaborate pantomime, mainly for the benefit of the French. The Spanish Ambassador is received before the Privy Council, promised a generous personal gift from the reparations [which increased relations from +65 to +130] and reminded that the French have no income this year with which to build new armies. The King judges, quite correctly, that the unstable Regency in Spain has no stomach for a conflict with England [Spanish stability is at 0 at this point].

The remainder of this peace dividend goes to recruit a small army in Ireland (which is cheaper than building fortresses) and a Home Army in England. The armies in France are reorganized into a fighting army of infantry and cavalry under Norfolk in Picardie (still named the Marches Garrison, to honour their role in the conquest of Scotland), and a siege army of infantry and artillery in Calais (named the Royal Expeditionary Force, though it was entirely raised in France). Norfolk is declared Earl Marshall, and in February the King promotes his most trusted advisor to the rank of Count.

[Game info at this point:

Points (ignoring missions): Spain 408
England 219
Portugal149
China 102
Russia 81

Badboys: England +3
France +2
Austria +1
Portugal-2
Spain +2
Russia 0
Poland 0]

Peace and Defence: 1511-1514

For all his military skill, and his words of fire, it becomes plain that the King is resolved upon a course of peace. This knack of shouting very loudly, while doing the opposite, should have been a warning to the Privy Council, but they consistently underestimated him, misled by his love of hunting, hawking and more discreet pleasures.

Further advances in military knowledge were made in February 1511 [Land Tech 4].

The war continues. Rebel scum take full control of Luxembourg in February and begin a siege of Hainault in June; it falls under their control in February 1512. Spanish troops, under Hessen command, take over Navarra in June 1511. The previous month, 15,000 French troops begin a siege of the fortress at Artois. By July their numbers have increased to 29,000, with a contingent from Savoy, and they attempt, unsuccessfully, to storm the fortress. Their failure leaves them weak, and they are defeated and driven away by 7,000 Hessens in September. A combined Hessen and Hanoverian force of 28,000 men moves to a second siege of Paris in October, joined the following month by a Spanish contingent who must have marched the length of France, looting as they came. Paris fall again, technically to Hessen, at the end of November, and they promptly take #214 reparations from France to drop out of the war. Remaining Spanish forces begin a third siege. Freshly raised French armies are routed by Spain in Orleanais (6,000 defeated 18,000) and by Hannover in Artois (6,000 defeated 12,000). With Paris about to fall for the third time in February 1512, Spain and France agreed peace on the basis of the status quo.

The only country to have gained territory from the war was England, which had gained it by negotiation for itself - a point not lost on either the King nor the Privy Council.

At the beginning of 1512, Brandon takes over the siege army in Calais. Far away, Cabot discovers the Everglades, a miserable swamp-filled place with particularly fierce natives.

The King ordered a sequence of fortress improvements around the country: Yorkshire and Lancashire in 1512, Wales and Lincoln in 1513, Wessex and Kent in 1514 and Bristol in 1516 (remember, the Marches, Strathclyde and Grampian had been strengthened after the Scottish War).

The aftermath of the war in the Spanish Netherlands rumbled on for most of 1512. Rebel scum take Hauiault in February. A Spanish army storms Luxembourg in April, but the Rebels in Hainault beat off newly raised Spanish armies in May and August before falling to superior force in September. Spain spends 1513 upgrading the fortresses in The Hague, Friesen and Hainault and 1514 upgrading those in Artois, Champagne and Luxembourg.

Sebastian Cabot dies on 6 December 1512, still convinced there is a north-west passage to the Indies.

1514 is a year of rebellions. Brandon puts down one in Caux in March and Spain puts down one in Champagne in April. But when Milan rebels against France in May, the lack of a common border makes it impossible for troops to be sent. The Milanese declare themselves independent in July. Notionally they are at war with France, but without a common border there can be no hostilities and France eventually acknowledges the independence of Milan in May 1517.

There is news of distant wars among the heathens. The Hejaz declares war on the Mamelukes in March 1513, only to find their enemies joined by their ally Persia. By October 1514 they are thoroughly beaten, ceding Jordan and Arabia to Persia. And in July 1514, Turkey, supported by her allies Crimea and Tunisia, declares war on the Mamelukes, who are supported by Persia. This war drags on until July 1520, when the Mamelukes cede Syria, Sameria and the Nile to Turkey.

[Historical Notes:

1. There aren’t enough members of the Royal Family for Montague’s Royal Marriages; historically Henry VII had all his wife’s (potentially disloyal Yorkist) sisters married off in England to his loyal supporters. Hence 'Marriages of State'.

2. One of Henry VIII’s first actions was to have two of his father’s least popular ministers executed on trumped-up charges. Attainder is a sentence of death by Act of Parliament, without trial.

3. Henry VIII was the grandson of Edward IV (on his mother’s side), who was also grossly oversexed and ran to fat in middle age (but only ever had one wife).

4. Henry VIII’s wife, at this stage, was of course Spanish.]

 

[Roberto]

(Story continues from 1515, the sixth year of the reign of His Majesty King Henry VIII)

Early in 1515, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the church door at Wittenburg [note 1]. His heresy had all Europe in a ferment, and his followers became widespread in 7 of the 22 provinces of King Henry’s realm: Cornwall, Wessex, Bristol, Wales, the Midlands, Lincoln and Anglia. Although a minority, these included the capital. It was simply not possible to allow unrest in such important areas, and the King ordered full toleration of the variant faith - in private. There was no public acknowledgment of this - indeed, the King wrote a book denouncing the heresy, which so delighted the Holy Father that he awarded the King the title Defender of the Faith [note 2].

Tax collectors were appointed in The Highlands (of Scotland), Connaught, Meath and Munster.

The accursed citizens of Caux rebelled in November and again in February 1516. Both rebellions were ruthlessly repressed by Earl Marshall Norfolk’s army, now permanently deployed there in view of the military prowess of the new King of France, Francois I.

In September 1516 Poland-Lithuania declared war on Courland. Her allies France, Lorraine, Helvetia and Savoy joined in but they need not have concerned themselves; the rudimentary defences of Courland fell on 27th November and the country was absorbed under the rule of the King of Poland.

In December, the King visited the amazing new fortifications of Lincoln Castle, like which there are no others in the realm [random event - fortress upgrade to Medium].

1517 was a quiet year. Just the usual round of Royal hunting, hawking and discreet pleasures - and the re-consecration of State Marriages with Hannover and Denmark. 1518 also began quietly, with a Royal commission for the construction of a refinery in Wessex. But in September came the disturbing news that Poland-Lithuania had been struck by civil war. The King was enraged to hear of a sermon claiming this was their punishment for taking Courland which was not theirs, in view of the past twenty years’ gains in France. His anger quite distracted him when the State Marriage with Austria expired in November, and it was left to lie. Some thought this was unwise when at the beginning of 1519, Karl V of Austria was elected Holy Roman Emperor, but all had learned not to challenge the King’s will.

The winter in 1519 was hard, and the people of Spanish France took it hardly. Rebels took control of Champagne in February, and moved on to siege Luxembourg in March. In May the infection spread to Caux, where there was another rebellion, the first for three years. It was put down within a week.

The Six Months’ War

On 13th June 1519, France declared war on England, supported by her allies Lorraine, Savoy, Helvetia and Poland-Lithuania (who was in no position to take any active part). England was supported by her allies Spain, Naples, Hannover and Hessen but not by Scotland, who dishonoured the alliance (to no great surprise in London). With a French army of 26,000 in the Isle de France, the armies in English France prepared for battle.

Battle did not come. To the commanders’ astonishment; the French army marched east, in the general direction of France-Comte [note 3]. Instead, the first action was at sea, where Lord Admiral Howard’s Home Fleet (plus a few Spanish ships …) routed a French fleet off the coast of Brittany. There was public rejoicing in London, with ringing of church bells, but even more joy in private - for the fleet had captured an extensive set of maps. Now could be seen the full extent of what Columbus had discovered in place of the Indies with news of strange savage communities called the Aztecs and the Incas, as well as many areas east of the Holy Land where none but Crusaders had ventured in living memory.

A new strategy was hastily devised. Brandon’s siege army, now with 40 cannon, was ordered to Paris. To its left were the lands of our Spanish allies and to its right Norfolk’s battle army advanced into Orleonais, both arriving before the end of September. With command of the Channel assured, the Home Army was transported to Normandie, arriving in mid-October. Of opposition from France, there was no sign.

The King told the Privy Council that the object was peace through strength, not conquest. He would not spill English blood to rule over French soil, nor beggar the realm to rule everlasting French rebels (a reference, all knew, to Caux). None dared to challenge him.

The plans worked better than any had hoped. Paris fell on 2 January 1520. Immediately, commissioners offered peace in return for 750 in reparations (a nice round sum, taking account of the year-end taxes). The French could not pay over their treasury fast enough - and with the proceeds shared out among the allies everyone seemed satisfied.

Nobody could have known, then, that this was the last war in which England would fight during King Henry’s lifetime, nor that it was the start of more than twenty years of peace in western Europe.

The Long Peace Begins

With peace in prospect for a while, military upkeep was minimized and the armies redeployed back to home soil. The King’s interests - when he could spare the time from his personal interests - reflected those of his father - collection of taxes and the stability of the realm. In February 1521, Parliament passed an Act allowing the appointment of Chief Judges [Infrastructure 4: Late Renaissance]. They were appointed first in the leading Protestant areas: Anglia, Lincoln, Bristol, Wessex, Cornwall and the Midlands. Appointments followed in Lancashire and Yorkshire in 1522, Calais and Picardie in 1523, Caux and Kent in 1524 and Wales, the Marches and Strathclyde in 1525. Overseas, Rebel forces seized Jylland from Brandenburg in January 1521 and, with no means of moving troops against them, remained in power for many years. Spain recovered Champagne from their rebels in May 1521 and promptly set about strengthening the fortress there.

The big news of 1522 was the accession of Scotland to the French alliance. Old men muttered that this was a result of the old King’s caution and would come back to haunt the realm [note 4].

Then in November 1522 the King fell ill [random event]. It was four months before he was fit to preside over the Privy Council. Some say he never fully recovered [note 5]; whatever the truth of that it was from this time that he began seriously to worry about the succession. The only surviving child of King Henry and Queen Catharine was a daughter, Mary. The only precedent for a ruling Queen of England was of twenty years of civil war [note 6]. If she married into an English family, the problems of the King’s grandfather would recur [note 7]. Worse, if she married any foreigner other than a Spanish prince, it would be a mortal insult to Spain - yet if she did, a royal house while already ruled (in one person) over Spain, Austria and the Netherlands would supply the King of England.

To be sure, there was another option. Everyone know about the King’s appetites. There was one page in the Royal household who looked so like him that everyone who saw him was sure he was the King’s natural son. There were probably others. If one of them was acknowledged, and Mary shut away in a convent, there would be a male heir - and an even more mortal insult to Spain. No, that was not an option. Only a Prince would do. The King and the Queen did their best, but as the years passed, it became obvious that the Queen would not bear any more healthy children. And so the unthinkable began to be thought.

But our narrative moves too far ahead.

Back in 1523, Wurttemburg became the first realm to change its state religion to Protestant.

In September of that year, the merchants recommended new methods of trading [trade tech 4: monopolies]; six were sent to Flanders and by April of 1524 they had established a monopoly.

In October 1523 new weapons were introduced to the Navy [naval tech 4: metal cannon balls].

Earl Marshall Norfolk, conqueror of Scotland more than twenty years before and steadfast guardian of the Pas de Calais, died on 23 December 1524, and Lord Admiral Howard died on 15 February 1525. In case the French sought to take advantage, the King restored military spending to full strength.

Historical and Game Notes

1. Two years ahead of schedule. Wonder how the trigger works?
2. This part is true. The Kings and Queens of England have used the title ever since; it is usually thought of as part of their role as Head of the Church of England.
3. This is the notorious bug about armies not defending the capital province.
4. Previous readers (are unspeakably sad, but nevertheless …) will recall that England crushed the Scots in 1494 but only took the three non-capital provinces.
5. There’s a rumour that monarchs never recover from random sickness events, but I’m not sure that’s right.
6. Matilda in the twelfth century. As she lost the war, some historians don’t count her as a ruler.
7. Edward IV married for love, but his wife’s family were a greedy lot and the conflict between them and his supporters led directly to another round in the Wars of the Roses.

Game Analysis January 1525:

Victory Points (ignoring Missions):

Spain 584
England 289
Portugal 275
China 202
Persia 169
Austria 156
Turkey 149

Badboyz:

England: 2
France: 2
Austria: 0
Portugal: -3
Russia -1
Spain: 1
Turkey 1
Poland 7

 

[unmerged(1996)]

Absolutely fantastic, m8. Good narrative style, plenty of background detail. Keep it up.

 

[Roberto]

With a comment like that, I'd better go on!

I've made notes through to about 1557 and I'll post more later this week.

Then there may be a delay; with the point about famous leaders' random event seeds not surviving save and reload, I want to play through the reign of Good Queen Bess at one sitting. Which will take half a day - or a night <g>.

 

[Dark Knight]

About the sickness bug: I don't think Paradox has fixed it yet, but I also think that it only happens sometimes, not always. So when this event occurs, your monarch may recover from the illness in the time stated, or he may be ill until he dies.