Years 1551 – 1575: YEARS OF CONSOLIDATION AND EXPANSION
We had to coronate a new Monarch in 1551, Heinrich Von Galen, since the existing one had become mad and was declared unfit. Actually, it was because he gave an order for declaration of war against Russia and the entire council decided that he had gone mad. However, the Poles had no such compulsions and they declared war against the Russians on 2nd January 1551 and their allies Venice, Scotland and the Papal States followed suite. Only Georgia reneged. The Russian alliance had just ended and they were caught alone against the Polish alliance. In August, Russia entered into an alliance with the Danes and we were happy to note that the English were not included. The Russians however, put up a fierce fight as we watched the armies of our two giant enemies getting decimated not only by each other but also by the harsh cold winters. The Turks declared war on the Persians in October and the whole of Asia Minor and Middle East flared up into a big war with all the countries in that region joining in either side. In 1552, our colonial ambitions received a setback when the fledgling colony of Carolina revolted and we had to move an army from Chesapeake to crush the rebels. We now had just 29 souls in this colony. However, Delaware and Santee are growing at brisk rates.
In May 1552, we reached another milestone in our infrastructure development and we now can appoint Governors to oversea the growth of our provinces. (High Baroque 5). We appointed Governors in all our Home Provinces and our Inflation after the promotions was a very healthy 2%. In October we renewed our Royal Marriage with the Portuguese. (+41). In 1553, the War between Persia and the Turks was ended with the Turks imposing a harsh peace by getting 2 provinces and 250 ducats from the Persians. Within the year, the Turks declared war on Venice and thereby getting Poland, Scotland, Papal States and Georgia to declare war on her. Poland now had a two front war and we were obviously very happy. However, our armed might is still technologically inferior to the Poles and with Sigismund on our frontiers with a decent army we dropped all ideas for the moment. However, our army is now being strenuously prepared for a conflict with either the Russians or the Poles within the next decade.
The year 1554 began with the Spaniards suing for peace with Naples by offering Sicily and Rhodes and later in the year offering the Baleares to Genoa. In the meantime, all was not well in the southern steppes, when the Golden Horde declared war on Kazan. At the beginning of the year 1555, our treasury had a healthy balance of 611 d and in March we commenced the construction of a Naval Equipment Factory in East Prussia for a cost of 613 d. We had an eye on how the war between our neighbors was developing. Provinces changed with surprising frequency and armies were being wasted in the harsh winters. At this time the Russians had captured Vorones and Bogutjar whereas the Poles had captured Tula. The Poles were about to recapture the province of Welikia from the Russians. Whatever be the outcome of this war, we are confident that it will be to our benefit. The longer the war the more the fun. In 1556, a new trade center opened in Zacatacas in the midst of Spanish held Central America. The Spaniards themselves were busy fighting the French and we established a monopoly in the trade center. (227d). On 19th May 1556, our ally Savoy declared war on the puny Genoese and we immediately honored our pledge along with all our other valiant allies. We were surprised to find that this included a declaration on France and Naples also. However, having got into the war, we now have to wage it. The advantage for us this time was that we were now strong enough on land to take on any expeditionary force. We commissioned a couple of war ships in East Prussia. This is only to take on any transports that may wander near our shores. We are in no shape to take on the French fleet if it makes an appearance across our coasts. In the same month, the Poles sued for peace with Turkey on return to status quo. It was a bad news for us, since we hoped that both the Russians and the Turks will bleed the Poles. In August 1556, France having defeated the Spanish, sued for peace claiming Artois in return, so that they can now concentrate on their war with our allies and us. It was yet another disturbing news. However, our allies did not seem to be much worried and the war was being waged with full enthusiasm. We deeply regretted that we are in no position to help our allies. But, the fact remains that our fleet was too small to transport any troops into Europe for any action. In the midst of all these wars the electors of the HRE elected Ferdinand of Austria, as Emperor and we were very happy for our allies. In December 1556, the Spaniards vassalized Lorraine and we can confidently hope that soon Spain will compensated the loss of Artois by annexing Lorraine.
In 1557. We had our next monarch crowned as King. Wilhelm Von Furstenberg was a brave man and under his guidance the military soon entered a period of fast growth. We had a piece of bad news, when the new country of New Spain declared independence from Spain. This country included the rich trade center of Zacatacas. However, the independence of this Country diverted the trade away to Andalusia and the trade center was now worth absolutely nothing. The year saw our allies take and lose Milan twice. However, we all heaved a sigh of relief when on 20th December, Genoa sued for peace by paying 81 d to Savoy. Central Europe settled down to enjoy a period of peace. However, no such peace was visible on the Polish-Russian frontier were war has been going on for nearly 6 years without anybody the clear winner. However, we observed that the Poles had only a handful of men whereas the Russians still had something in the region of 20000+ moving towards the frontiers. They are just throwing young men into this war without any plan. In March 1558, the Spanish declared war on the Inca Empire about whom we have heard, but the location of which we do not know. Meanwhile our military technology was being improved (LL 7 – Metal Bullets) and our Army was trained to utilize this technology. In October, the Russians declared war on Persia yet again. The Persians this time were even more badly prepared than the last war and we have been informed by our ambassador in Persia that the war will be short and sweet for the Turks. The Russians got peace from the Papal States by paying them 66d and ended their participation on behalf of Poland.
Throughout 1559, the war between Russia and Poland was like a sea-saw battle with provinces getting traded between the two. However, there was no let up on either side with the countries diverting their entire resources for the war. We could not have been happier. We were made even happier, when some citizens raised money and constructed a bigger fort in Kurland (Event: Fortification Increase). A new nation of Netherlands declared independence from the Spanish empire and immediately declared war against them. All the Spanish allies except Lorraine dishonored the alliance. The Spanish who had met with a crushing defeat in the hands of the French were in no position to subjugate Netherlands and the war dragged on throughout the year. In May 1560, the Russians whose hands are already full with the Polish war, declared yet another war against Kazan. Our Generals were really surprised at this tactical error but we kept our fingers crossed. Orders had gone to our armies that in case of reliable information that the Russians had got bogged down in Kazan, and then we will have to move against the Russians. However, we did not get the chance and Kazan sued for peace with Russia in February 1561 by paying 26d as indemnities. Our General Staff had obtained credible information that it was more like a face saving gesture for the Russians rather than a defeat of Kazan. In April 1561, the French declared war on Netherlands along with their allies, while Persia which had just included the Netherlands into their alliance and who themselves were facing a massive onslaught from the Turks, joined the war in favor of Netherlands. The Netherlands government knowing fully well that they cannot handle both the Spanish and the French armies, immediately sued for peace with Spain by offering Zeeland, Flanders and 250d as indemnities. The Spanish should be very happy about the result of this war and ironically helped by their enemies the French. Our Scientists meanwhile scaled another height in Naval technology and our small fleet (currently 7 war ships in the Baltic) was immediately trained (Early Cartography).
1562 stared very badly with the Mughals banning us from Delhi. It was a lucrative center giving us good cash for our research. We now have a right to declare war on them; however, being sensible we bear with it. We will make them pay when the time comes. In June there was a minor revolt in Estonia, which we believe was fomented by the Swedes (Event: Turmoil in Estonia). However, we crushed the revolt and all was well within a few days. The war between the Turkish alliance and the Persians was turning out to be even more disastrous for the Persians. Persia had to sue for peace from the Hafsid Empire by handing over Tabriz and 168d. This should be the end of Persian dominance in the Middle East.
In January 1563, Lantrate was crowned King. He has plans for expansion into Russian land and we his ministers were only eager to help him achieve his aims. Our scientists helped us by raising our land technology level (Level 8 – Arquebus). In July 1563, the Mughals decided that the time was ripe to declare war on the Persians and they do so on 22nd July. With the Mughal armies knocking on the back doors the Persians decide that it is right time to submit to the Turks and sue for peace. They finally do so on 30th December by offering Persis, Basrah and Armenia and topped it off with a 48d indemnity. This did not stop the Mughal armies from pushing into Persia and the Persians having just fought a tiring war with the Turks were no match to the Mughal army and in December, 1564, the Persians sued for peace by offering Kalat and Indus to the Mughals. During the year 1564, the electors of the HRE elected Maximilan of Austria as Emperor and the grips of the Austrians on the prestigious throne was strengthened. We commissioned a fine arts academy in Livonia to entertain our Citizens, who had supported us for all these years.
In March 1565, we had yet another breakthrough in our Military technology (Level 9 – Arquebusiers), we are now catching up with the weaker powers in central Europe, even though the major powers are still ahead. A new trade center opened on Holland in the beginning of 1566 and in the Council of Trent it was decided that the Catholic nations should counter the reformation movement. Our Monarch declared that he should also abide by this resolution and we announced that henceforth we would be a Counter Reform Catholic Nation. The Catholic world was happy while the Protestants thought that we are mad, since all our provinces are protestant provinces. However, as our Monarch told us in confidence, this move was done so that at least a few of our citizens might want to move out of the country and thereby we could expand our colonies. (+1 Colonist). We still had our tolerance levels of Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox at approximately the same levels and did not foresee any problems inside our frontiers.
The Russians do not like peace. This statement was often heard in our Courts when the Russians declared war yet again on Kazan, supported by their allies the Danes. The Swedes, who had joined this alliance just a month ago, immediately dishonored this alliance, which made us heave a sigh of relief. The Russian army was now pouring south with all its major leaders busy with Kazan. The army of Kazan was already facing a war with Golden Horde and Astrakhan since 1562, did not stand a chance against the Russians. They did take steps to counter the Russians and the sued for peace with Golden Horde by paying 91d so that the army can now solely concentrate on Russia. It is no match but. We however, had our job in hand. We had the first of our citizens wanting to go out in search of lands and we gave them permission to go and settle down in Delaware our colony, which expanded in the month of July into a city by their inclusion and also because of the local native population (Population 1661). In March 1567, the Spaniards annexed Lorraine into their empire as expected. We promoted a Governor in Delaware and moved the bulk of our forces to Pskov on the border with Russia under cover of darkness. General Magnus an able leader headed this army and our army was supremely confident of victory under him. The uneasy Russians were informed about the details of our Spring Maneuver, which we hoped will calm them. We also raised 8000 men in Kurland and another 20 siege guns in Pskov to increase the siege power of our troops. Our Military alliance, which expired in the end of 1567, was immediately renewed (OST+126, BAV +200, SAV +131, COL +90). We followed it up by raising another 8000 men in Livonia in the beginning of 1568. We also appointed a Tax collector in Delaware to increase our revenues from this province. We watched the French clear a small province in the southern tip of India call Trivandrum. We sent our colonists to establish a trade post. However, we failed in this task and have to wait for a year more, hoping that the French will not beat us to it. In December 1568, the Russians overcame the resistance of Kazan and annexed them to their growing empire. We started 1569, with 590d in our treasury. We raised 4000 cavalry in Pskov and for all purposes our Military was in good shape to move. Our military technology also improved resulting in increased morale and fighting capabilities of our armies (LL 10 – Matchlock). This time we succeeded in establishing a trade post in Trivandrum and boosting the value of our trade center in Kurland by 21d per annum. We renewed our Royal marriage with Austria and the relations are a very healthy now (+141). The end of the year 1569 saw the Turks (HAF, OMA, ADE) going for war yet again with the Persians (NED, NUB, SWE). With the Swedes in a war with Turkey, we can hope that in case of any move made by our troops, the Swedes will remain neutral. We started the year 1570 by sending a colonist to expand Santee, which they failed to do so. We also raised 40 cannons in Livonia for our army there. The year 1571 started with us sending a colonist to Carolina and also raising 8000 men in Livonia. The expedition to Carolina failed and we had waste 2 colonists in two years not to say of the money involved. By the end of the year, we had 15800 men and 40 guns in Livonia. This army was moved to Estonia bordering Ingermanland, which was a level 4 colony of the Russians with just a minimal fort. We also raised a cavalry of 3000 in Livonia to be used just in case. The year 1571 came to a close with the Persians again accepting defeat at the hands of the Turks by surrendering Kirkuk, Hamad and 73d.
1572 was the year in which the plans for a Russian invasion was finalized. We had observed the Russian military movements and also the weather pattern for 2 years. We had assembled two army groups, one in the Pskov bordering Novgorod and the other in Estonia bordering Ingermanland. We now know that Novgorod will be covered with snow from November till the end of March, while Ingermanland will have the same climate upto end February. We decided to declare war in the middle of March 1573 so that by the time our troops land in Novgorod, the snow would have melted. In the year 1572, the Hanseatic League also joined the military alliance with Russia and Denmark. We had very little opinion about their army even though we had heard that they had a powerful navy. Our Navy had been issued strict orders not to leave port at the time of any conflict and we had no threat from a naval power, since our enemy stands across the borders and is reachable through land. Our Naval technology was also raised during 1572 to NL 8 (Galleass) and we raised a level 2 fort in Delaware. We watched happily as the War hungry Russians declared war on Golden Horde on 18th May, 1572 and we were even more happy to note that the Hanseatic League which had just joined the alliance dishonored it and we were even more happy to note that the allies of Golden Horde had an alliance with Poland, Crimea and Astrakhan who all joined the war against Russia. With the Russian army totally held in check by the Poles and their allies we could not have a better opportunity. We were just waiting for March 1573.
1573 began with all our preparation complete. The provinces of Novgorod and Ingermanland were covered with snow and our eager soldiers were held on a tight leash. But not for long. As planned, we declared war on the unsuspecting Russians on the 13th of March 1573. This was a day to be recorded as a glorious day in the history of the Teutons. Till this day we had followed a policy of strict neutrality with our giant neighbors. Our army groups smashed the borders of Russia and poured into Novgorod and Ingermanland. In both provinces the Russians resisted with a few thousand troops who were massacred to a man and our armies laid siege. The Danes who were part of the Russian alliance declared war on us, however, we were reasonably informed that there is no threat of any force landing on our soils from there. In June we raised 7000 men in Pskov to provide the vanguard for our besieging troops in Novgorod. The whole operation was so according to staff plan that we captured the province of Novgorod in August and Ingermanland in December. We had not faced the severity of the Russian winter and the army was relatively fresh to take on Moscow. By September the siege of Moscow had began, even though, Moscow was now facing winter. The supply lines to our army was maintained and we were not facing much loss there. The Russians had by this time raised a decent army and also moved some units from the south to the north. They started besieging Novgorod by February and our army, which was sieging in Moscow, was given directives to speed up the siege and to take the city soon. The Russians were also preparing to take us alone by offering peace to Astrakhan by surrendering Kazan to them. However, our brave men broke through the defenses of Moscow and the city fell to us on 29th July 1574, a glorious day for the Teutons. The same day the Russian Emperor (hah!) offered to lay down arms by surrendering Novgorod and Ingermanland. We had hoped to get just Ingermanland for which we had a legitimate claim, but now we had the rich Novgorod as well. Our King accepted the proposal of the Russians and we withdrew from Moscow while the Russians left their precious Novgorod in our hands. The same day the Russians also accepted peace with the Golden Horde by surrendering Sara tow to them. On the whole it has been a disastrous war for the Russians and for us it could not have been much better. The year ended with our country reaching the next level in infrastructure development and we can now build Goods Manufactories (IL 6 Late Baroque). We now sent one colonist to Ingermanland who succeeded in expanding it into a level 6 colony. Early 1575, we sent another colonist and Ingermanland is now full-fledged province of Reich. We also promoted a Governor in Novgorod to satisfy the local population. So far they have kept quiet and we are not facing any problem. However, we are being informed that the Russians, once they recover from the war will start to incite the population and even though the majority of the people are happy in coming out of the oppressive Russian rule, some 3% are still not so happy. In March 1575, the Turks (HAF, OMA, WAL) declared war on Venice (GEORGIA) and the whole of Southeast Europe and Asia Minor was thrown into war fever. In March 1575, we sent a colonist to establish a trade post in the province of Cochin in South India, which again the French had cleared for us. The French already had a trade post in Madurai and we had a tp in Trivandrum. However, our Cochin expedition failed and we now have to wait for another year to try for it again. Meanwhile, we promoted a Governor in Ingermanland and also we reached another trade level (TL 6 – Late Baroque). This will increase our earnings from our merchants. The year ended with the tragic demise of General Magnus, the hero of our victory over the Russians. However we are now strong enough to defend the Reich from external enemies. To end the year the Venetians got peace from Turkey by paying 250d.
We looked back over the last 25 years, and we were very happy about what we saw. We now had 3 trade centers inside our borders, in Chesapeake, Kurland and Novgorod and our territory had expanded. We had added 2 Russian provinces and also two fully developed colonies in Delaware and Chesapeake. We also had two small colonies in Carolina and Santee and a trade post in Trivandrum. We can now look forward for a few years of peace coupled with more research. However, from now we cannot deceive our neighbors by projecting our weakness, they now know that we are not as weak as we seem. This will mean that the army has to be kept in high alert and also in sufficient numbers to protect our frontiers. With clear planning and execution, we hope to reach the top soon.
