England: The Age of Mercantilism (1617-1792)
AI aggressive, difficulty normal
The focus of the scenario is the globalization of European conflict in the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation. European diplomacy in the early 17th century revolved around the powerful axis of Habsburg Spain and Austria. For France, England, and the Netherlands, the only practical way to compete with the Habsburgs was to expand overseas. Sweden and its vassal the Hansa are a rising power in the Baltic, and Russia is only just recovering from the Time of Troubles. Italy is divided between Spanish vassals and a French-backed alliance of independent states. Turkey is arguably at the height of its power, controlling all of the Balkans including Hungary.
In England, the House of Stuart has restored a measure of internal stability and made peace with the French by means of a royal marriage. I am allied to the Dutch and claim Scotland as my vassal. The economy has much potential, producing textiles in the east, iron in the west and fish and grain in the south. The army is weak, but the English fleet is more than a match for any adversary. Meanwhile, the sun sets rather often on the British empire. I have one colony in the Chesapeake, a trading post in India, a colony in Borneo, a colony in the Antilles and trading post in Canada.
Almost immediately, my Dutch allies call on me for assistance against the Spanish. The Portuguese immediately drop out of the Habsburg alliance, and I assemble the British armada under Admiral Howe to prevent seaborne reinforcement of the lowlands. The war is a huge success. The Dutch get off with a manageable indemnity in 1620, and the English fleet succeeds in destroying nearly 90 Spanish warships with minimal losses. It will take decades for the Spanish to build up a navy capable of challenging us on the high seas. The way is open for France, England and the Netherlands to expand their empires.
My first order of business is to stake a claim in North America and to build up an army capable of defending it. I also note that war brings considerable unrest in Ireland and England, so I invest heavily in infrastructure at home. By 1623, I have a city in Chesapeake and have claimed the coast from Delaware to Georgia. To my irritation, the center of trade for North America opens in Dutch Manhattan rather than on my territory, which will enable the Dutch to siphon off much of the profits from my trading posts.
The rivalry in North America causes the Dutch to abandon our alliance in favor of a pact with the Swedes. In 1626, Sweden had annexed a piece of Norway and the Hansa had conquered all of the Danish mainland. This decision proves costly when the Netherlands' neighbors take advantage of Holland's relative isolation. France defeats the Dutch and Swedish in 1629 for an indemnity, and Spain is able to conquer the Dutch province of Zeeland in 1632. The Dutch see the error of their ways, and in 1638, I agree to join the Swedish-Dutch alliance.
By 1640, my commercial strategy is failing to get much traction. I am sinking some 450 ducats per year into my trading companies, but the merchants are producing just 300 ducats of income in the hotly contested trade centers. I make the controversial decision to cease investment in my trading companies until I have consolidated my position overseas. I have trading posts claiming territory in New England and inland New York, and the construction of a city in Borneo allows me to build three trading posts in China. By 1651, I have claimed huge tracts of land along the Mississippi to the Great Lakes.
In 1646, Sweden draws me into a war with Denmark and Russia. The war goes exceptionally well, and Sweden eventually gains one province from Russia and two more Norwegian provinces from Denmark. I dispatch Prince Rupert to lead an expeditionary force in Norway, and my efforts are rewarded with the conquest of Denmark's most valuable Norwegian province, Ostlandet. Spain enters the war against the Netherlands independently in 1647, and Swedish and English forces come to our ally's aid. By 1651, my people are becoming restless and war-weary, so I squeeze the Spanish for a 250 ducat indemnity and leave the war. Unfortunately, the Dutch cannot hold their own and surrender Holland itself in 1653. A similar war occurs in 1654, in which Sweden takes Iceland and Skane and I gain another Norwegian province. I have to put down major revolts in Ireland during the war, and I respond by forcefully converting the Irish to Protestantism (by sending English colonists to Ireland). Muhahaha!
By the middle of the century, Poland is losing the power struggle in eastern Europe badly. The Russians have captured four provinces and Turkey has mobilized its vast network of vassals and Muslim allies to take two. Turkey is generally on the rise, and in 1655, it is also able to defeat the Austrians, albeit without gaining any territory.
Spain had annexed the Swiss in an earlier war and had been occupying several French-speaking territories. Calls for a war of liberation reach a fevered pitch in Paris, and a major showdown takes place between France and Spain in 1651. The bloodshed is staggering, but France eventually takes Switzerland and Artois.
Despite my burning desire to annex the commercial center in Manhattan, I had been reluctant in the past to attack the Netherlands because they were providing a useful distraction for the French and Spanish. When the Dutch drove out the merchants from my three tobacco-producing cities on the mid-Atlantic coast, I finally lost patience. A war with the Portuguese in 1663 had crippled the Dutch fleet and my preparations were soon complete for a land war in North America. When I declared war in 1673, I was able to occupy Manhattan, but I was not able to penetrate the Dutch fortifications on Borneo, so I could not force them to hand over the CoT. I eventually had to settle for the well-developed Dutch trading post on Taiwan.
By this point, the Russians had drawn the Portuguese into their alliance with the Danes. They declared war on Sweden in 1682, and it immediately became clear that the balance of power had shifted. The Swedes quickly cede two Finnish provinces and the Hansa loses East Pommern to the Russians as well. While my fleet is delivering troops to assist the Swedes, the Portuguese manage to land invading armies in Ireland and Wales. They pay dearly for this insult. Portugal loses most of its navy as well as its colony in Macao. The Russians attack again in 1692, taking two more Swedish provinces.
Spain gets its second wind in the 1690s. A quick war against Portugal gives Spain Oporto and Algarve in 1693, leaving Portugal with only one province in Europe. Spain then turns against France in 1695, recovering Switzerland and capturing Luxembourg. This gives Spain an unbroken string of conquered or vassalized provinces from the boot of Italy to the English channel. Genoa has been vassalized, and the Papal States and Milan have been fully annexed. By the end of the century, Spain is by far the wealthiest European power. In addition to its lucrative gold mines, it dominates world output of tobacco and sugar, the prices of which have become quite high thanks to the burgeoning demand from European elites for cigars and rum.
Turkey continues to expand at an impressive clip. Poland loses an additional four provinces to the Turks in the second half of the century. Venice loses its ports on the Adriatic Sea. More impressively, Turkey gains two provinces from Austria in 1695, bringing its territory all the way to the gates of Vienna. Fortunately, Austria's gold mines in Styria remain intact. In the Muslim world, Turkey has annexed Georgia and Iraq, has gained the upper hand against Persia and has vassalized most of the minor Arabian and North African states. Turkey is now the world's leading producer of textiles, iron and grain.
Russia is the other emerging superpower. In addition to its gains against the Swedes, Russia has gained another three provinces from Poland. The Russian empires stretches to the Pacific Ocean. In fact, it is not a paper-thin sprawl of trading posts but a thoroughly colonized network of cities. By the turn of the century, Russia is the world's leading producer of furs and lumber.
Portugal, France and the Netherlands have missed a chance to emerge from the shadow of the Habsburgs by expanding quickly enough overseas. Still, what they have will at least allow them to survive. France controls about half of India and some of Canada, while the Dutch still have a strong position in Indonesia. Portugal has roughly the other half of India as well as its traditional stakes in Brazil and Indonesia.
I enter the 18th century with Europe's strongest army and navy and its second largest economy. I have built up my empire in China, Borneo, Vietnam and North America with several cities. My investments in manufacturing and infrastructure are paying off in terms of non-trade revenue, but I lead the world only in cotton production, which is not very profitable. British trading companies are once again in a position of strength, dominating trade in Persia, the Far East, the Antilles and the American Southeast. On the diplomatic front, Sweden and I are backing a potent alliance of states in Germany and the Baltic to act as a counterweight to Austria, Spain and Russia. Brandenburg, the Hansa, Prussia, and my new vassal Hanover have a total of 14 provinces and respectable standing armies. Now that Spain and Austria have formed separate alliances with their German satellite states, I feel confident that my allies can hold their own.
AI aggressive, difficulty normal
The focus of the scenario is the globalization of European conflict in the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation. European diplomacy in the early 17th century revolved around the powerful axis of Habsburg Spain and Austria. For France, England, and the Netherlands, the only practical way to compete with the Habsburgs was to expand overseas. Sweden and its vassal the Hansa are a rising power in the Baltic, and Russia is only just recovering from the Time of Troubles. Italy is divided between Spanish vassals and a French-backed alliance of independent states. Turkey is arguably at the height of its power, controlling all of the Balkans including Hungary.
In England, the House of Stuart has restored a measure of internal stability and made peace with the French by means of a royal marriage. I am allied to the Dutch and claim Scotland as my vassal. The economy has much potential, producing textiles in the east, iron in the west and fish and grain in the south. The army is weak, but the English fleet is more than a match for any adversary. Meanwhile, the sun sets rather often on the British empire. I have one colony in the Chesapeake, a trading post in India, a colony in Borneo, a colony in the Antilles and trading post in Canada.
Almost immediately, my Dutch allies call on me for assistance against the Spanish. The Portuguese immediately drop out of the Habsburg alliance, and I assemble the British armada under Admiral Howe to prevent seaborne reinforcement of the lowlands. The war is a huge success. The Dutch get off with a manageable indemnity in 1620, and the English fleet succeeds in destroying nearly 90 Spanish warships with minimal losses. It will take decades for the Spanish to build up a navy capable of challenging us on the high seas. The way is open for France, England and the Netherlands to expand their empires.
My first order of business is to stake a claim in North America and to build up an army capable of defending it. I also note that war brings considerable unrest in Ireland and England, so I invest heavily in infrastructure at home. By 1623, I have a city in Chesapeake and have claimed the coast from Delaware to Georgia. To my irritation, the center of trade for North America opens in Dutch Manhattan rather than on my territory, which will enable the Dutch to siphon off much of the profits from my trading posts.
The rivalry in North America causes the Dutch to abandon our alliance in favor of a pact with the Swedes. In 1626, Sweden had annexed a piece of Norway and the Hansa had conquered all of the Danish mainland. This decision proves costly when the Netherlands' neighbors take advantage of Holland's relative isolation. France defeats the Dutch and Swedish in 1629 for an indemnity, and Spain is able to conquer the Dutch province of Zeeland in 1632. The Dutch see the error of their ways, and in 1638, I agree to join the Swedish-Dutch alliance.
By 1640, my commercial strategy is failing to get much traction. I am sinking some 450 ducats per year into my trading companies, but the merchants are producing just 300 ducats of income in the hotly contested trade centers. I make the controversial decision to cease investment in my trading companies until I have consolidated my position overseas. I have trading posts claiming territory in New England and inland New York, and the construction of a city in Borneo allows me to build three trading posts in China. By 1651, I have claimed huge tracts of land along the Mississippi to the Great Lakes.
In 1646, Sweden draws me into a war with Denmark and Russia. The war goes exceptionally well, and Sweden eventually gains one province from Russia and two more Norwegian provinces from Denmark. I dispatch Prince Rupert to lead an expeditionary force in Norway, and my efforts are rewarded with the conquest of Denmark's most valuable Norwegian province, Ostlandet. Spain enters the war against the Netherlands independently in 1647, and Swedish and English forces come to our ally's aid. By 1651, my people are becoming restless and war-weary, so I squeeze the Spanish for a 250 ducat indemnity and leave the war. Unfortunately, the Dutch cannot hold their own and surrender Holland itself in 1653. A similar war occurs in 1654, in which Sweden takes Iceland and Skane and I gain another Norwegian province. I have to put down major revolts in Ireland during the war, and I respond by forcefully converting the Irish to Protestantism (by sending English colonists to Ireland). Muhahaha!
By the middle of the century, Poland is losing the power struggle in eastern Europe badly. The Russians have captured four provinces and Turkey has mobilized its vast network of vassals and Muslim allies to take two. Turkey is generally on the rise, and in 1655, it is also able to defeat the Austrians, albeit without gaining any territory.
Spain had annexed the Swiss in an earlier war and had been occupying several French-speaking territories. Calls for a war of liberation reach a fevered pitch in Paris, and a major showdown takes place between France and Spain in 1651. The bloodshed is staggering, but France eventually takes Switzerland and Artois.
Despite my burning desire to annex the commercial center in Manhattan, I had been reluctant in the past to attack the Netherlands because they were providing a useful distraction for the French and Spanish. When the Dutch drove out the merchants from my three tobacco-producing cities on the mid-Atlantic coast, I finally lost patience. A war with the Portuguese in 1663 had crippled the Dutch fleet and my preparations were soon complete for a land war in North America. When I declared war in 1673, I was able to occupy Manhattan, but I was not able to penetrate the Dutch fortifications on Borneo, so I could not force them to hand over the CoT. I eventually had to settle for the well-developed Dutch trading post on Taiwan.
By this point, the Russians had drawn the Portuguese into their alliance with the Danes. They declared war on Sweden in 1682, and it immediately became clear that the balance of power had shifted. The Swedes quickly cede two Finnish provinces and the Hansa loses East Pommern to the Russians as well. While my fleet is delivering troops to assist the Swedes, the Portuguese manage to land invading armies in Ireland and Wales. They pay dearly for this insult. Portugal loses most of its navy as well as its colony in Macao. The Russians attack again in 1692, taking two more Swedish provinces.
Spain gets its second wind in the 1690s. A quick war against Portugal gives Spain Oporto and Algarve in 1693, leaving Portugal with only one province in Europe. Spain then turns against France in 1695, recovering Switzerland and capturing Luxembourg. This gives Spain an unbroken string of conquered or vassalized provinces from the boot of Italy to the English channel. Genoa has been vassalized, and the Papal States and Milan have been fully annexed. By the end of the century, Spain is by far the wealthiest European power. In addition to its lucrative gold mines, it dominates world output of tobacco and sugar, the prices of which have become quite high thanks to the burgeoning demand from European elites for cigars and rum.
Turkey continues to expand at an impressive clip. Poland loses an additional four provinces to the Turks in the second half of the century. Venice loses its ports on the Adriatic Sea. More impressively, Turkey gains two provinces from Austria in 1695, bringing its territory all the way to the gates of Vienna. Fortunately, Austria's gold mines in Styria remain intact. In the Muslim world, Turkey has annexed Georgia and Iraq, has gained the upper hand against Persia and has vassalized most of the minor Arabian and North African states. Turkey is now the world's leading producer of textiles, iron and grain.
Russia is the other emerging superpower. In addition to its gains against the Swedes, Russia has gained another three provinces from Poland. The Russian empires stretches to the Pacific Ocean. In fact, it is not a paper-thin sprawl of trading posts but a thoroughly colonized network of cities. By the turn of the century, Russia is the world's leading producer of furs and lumber.
Portugal, France and the Netherlands have missed a chance to emerge from the shadow of the Habsburgs by expanding quickly enough overseas. Still, what they have will at least allow them to survive. France controls about half of India and some of Canada, while the Dutch still have a strong position in Indonesia. Portugal has roughly the other half of India as well as its traditional stakes in Brazil and Indonesia.
I enter the 18th century with Europe's strongest army and navy and its second largest economy. I have built up my empire in China, Borneo, Vietnam and North America with several cities. My investments in manufacturing and infrastructure are paying off in terms of non-trade revenue, but I lead the world only in cotton production, which is not very profitable. British trading companies are once again in a position of strength, dominating trade in Persia, the Far East, the Antilles and the American Southeast. On the diplomatic front, Sweden and I are backing a potent alliance of states in Germany and the Baltic to act as a counterweight to Austria, Spain and Russia. Brandenburg, the Hansa, Prussia, and my new vassal Hanover have a total of 14 provinces and respectable standing armies. Now that Spain and Austria have formed separate alliances with their German satellite states, I feel confident that my allies can hold their own.
