The Genghisid Imperial Family, A Golden Horde AAR [Divine Wind]

[scholar]

That really is an alarming amount of Habsburg turf!

(For the record, I didn't get any spyware warnings, but my Firefox is loaded with security devices - Adblock Plus, Flashblock, WOT, NoScript etc. - so I doubt I would see anything anyway!)

Same here, so I have no idea what's going on!

And that has to be on of the most peculiar things about this game. The von Habsburgs rarely do anything but get a random German minor every now and then after losing the Austrians. You never see them as far spread and as powerful as this, so I guess this is something my AAR has that no one else does. Habsburgs!

 

[scholar]

Noble Families
The Rise of the de Valois

The story of the de Valois is quite different from that of the Genghisids. There was no destruction and resurrection. Instead there was only steady expansion, and unlike the von Habsburgs, most who received a de Valois, never lost it by either conquest or infertility. The story of the de Valois is very much the story of France for much of it's early existence. After all, France was the only major power with a de Valois, with Naples being the only other power in existence to have one.

In their early existence, things were simple. The de Valois fought against the Lancasters, the von Luxembourgs, and the Trastámarans. Many of the de Valois vassals were incorporated into France's domain and France consistently beat back all it's neighbors, including the Trastámara of Spain and the Lancasters, eventually expelling them from the continent. Despite this early success, and the de Valois's unrivaled position as hegemon of Europe, they never were intent upon capturing everything in sight. With Burgundy being the Holy Roman Emperor and Castille being rather powerful, France contented itself with slow, but steady expansion.

This changed drastically following the arrival of the von Habsburgs in Luxembourg. At first they were not even worth reporting inside the courts, but once they took over the nation of England they became something of a worry. After Spain received a Habsburg France found itself utterly cornered. When Burgundy lost the title of Holy Roman Emperor, the de Valois rushed to take everything from them in order to increase their position and make them too large to be a target. This didn't work as Spain and England declared war upon France numerous times. This made the de Valois families de facto allies of the Genghisids who fought similar wars with the Habsburgs. The only difference was the de Valois lost.

Slowly, but steadily, the de Valois lost ground to Spain, who first kicked them out of Iberia, but later expanded into the southern and western coasts of France. Still an incredibly powerful force, when the cadet de Valois inside of Naples attempted to break away from France and align themselves towards the Habsburgs who had recently taken over Corsica and Hungary, France marched an army through the whole of Europe to beat down their rebellious cousins. The Naples branch was too large to be annexed, so for a time France simply subjugated them. This caused a divide between their only family during this time.

But soon luck would bless the de Valois, Bohemia, ruling over Ansbach, was left without an heir following the demise of the King and his two sons. His wife was a de Valois from France, immediately, France put a de Valois upon the throne of Bohemia and Ansbach. This blessing would rapidly lose it's glory for France. The de Valois of France attempted to expand into the Holy Roman Empire following the de Valois of Bohemia becoming the Holy Roman Emperor. This caused a sharp divide between the two powers. France was unwilling to stop it's expansion, and Bohemia's duty was to stop it. The two powers went to war, a war that France was ill equipped for.

Bohemia shattered France in two wars, and forced the release of dozens of nations, including many who would receive a de Valois such as Brabant, Hainut, and Alencon. The message was clear, France could not expand in the East. Naples had also reclaimed it's territories following the war of subjugation against France. As Bohemia solidified itself as the new Hegemon, it expanded the Holy Roman Empire into most of the territories inside of France and gained vassals there as well. All was not lost for France, however.

Shattered, but certainly not powerless, France was blessed with something that was not taken from him in all those wars with Spain, England, and Bohemia. The Azores Islands. Granted colonialism was already well under way when France made it clear it's intentions were to expand to the West, it was a welcomed sight by the de Valois to see France taking over Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Turk Islands, and even an Island on the Caribbean. As time went on France grew more bold, and Naples followed suit. France claimed all the lands between the Habsburgs and the Aztecs, colonizing the Gulf of Spain, also taking over a piece of Brazil and claiming vast swaths of Patagonia. France may no longer be the hegemon of Europe, but it is the second most powerful colonizer in the entirety of the world. As the de Valois expand inside the Holy Roman Empire and across the seas their future remains very bright.

The Protestant Kingdom of Brabant:

The Kingdom of Hainut:

The Kingdom of Alencon:

The Kingdom of Naples:

The Kingdom of France:

The United Kingdom of Bohemia and Ansbach:

 

[scholar]

I'll do the Holy Roman Empire next.

 

[scholar]

The Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire is one of the oldest and most powerful establishments inside of Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was established in 962 A.D. by Otto The Great as he was crowned Emperor by the Papacy. Since then the Holy Roman Empire has had high and low points, the lowest of these points culminated in the late 14th century when disunity was rampant and infighting prevailed far more often than standing united against external threats and the mere notion of expanding the Empire seemed alien as more and more land were lost to powerful neighbors picking away at the old establishment. All this started to change in the year 1407 when the Holy Roman Empire under the wing of Bohemia began to reform itself and show off a distinct presence out to the world. Up until 1470 A.D. the Bohemians under the von Luxembourgs were able to give the Empire definitive form and successfully defend it against it's enemies near and far. When the von Luxembourgs died out inside Bohemia, the throne of Holy Roman Emperor was narrowly passed on to Burgundy.

From Burgundy the for nearly sixty years the Empire was safe. France was beaten in several wars and all was "well" in the world for the Empire. There was notable expansion in Italy and alliances were drawn up with Spain in order to protect the interests of the Empire, but when the Burgundians lost the throne to the Austrians who claimed they were being too soft against the Empire's enemies, the Burgundians collapsed. Unable to field their massive army, France invaded and decisively crushed them. Spain and Austria was of no help to Burgundy who fled inland to the lands of Brandenburg where they would remain for decades. Austria, far from bringing the Empire to it's height, tore it down to the ground again. After two Emperors who ruled for barely a decade the Electors were desperate to return to Burdundian rule, but found them broken and unable to sustain them. After an intense debate over possible successors, the throne was given back to Bohemia under the de Valois.

Under the de Valois the HRE would reach it's highest point in centuries. Many electors preferred Bavaria to the de Valois, who they viewed as an unnatural French influence over the Germanic Empire. This was shattered following the decisive defeat and destruction of France's power on the continent and the creation of nearly a dozen small states that nearly always joined the Holy Roman Empire for it's protection and in turn strengthened the Empire. The de Valois also dismantled the Austrian Empire, which they viewed as a failed experiment that should never again rise to a position of dominance. The de Valois of Bohemia are nominal allies of the Genghisids inside the Golden Horde, but they would rather not lose the Hungarian and Prussian buffer states protecting the Empire from the largest and most powerful nation in the world. That said, Ludvik has shown that he is not enthusiastic about eradicating nations because they choose another faith and for that reason many plan to depose the de Valois with the Bavarians.

List of Holy Roman Emperors:

This is the land currently accepted to be a part of the Holy Roman Empire:

This is an overview of the Holy Roman Empire:

There are well over 100 territories under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire and exactly 67 nations that are a part of the Empire.

At the head of the Empire we have the Holy Roman Emperor which is currently Ludvik de Valois of Bohemia, he commands an army of 137,000 men making his army the fourth largest in the world behind only that of Spain, divided across entire continents, the Timurid Empire, and the Golden Horde, the strongest Empire in the World. Bohemia has direct control over 13 provinces and is a Feudal Monarchy, which is currently selecting itself to continue it's role as Holy Roman Emperor.

Next we have the Electors which hold say over the selection of the next Holy Roman Emperor. These Electors are Bohemia, Cologne, Mainz, Saxony, Tirol, Trier, and Pisa making a collection of seven states. At the head of Cologne we have Archbishop Gebhard II. Gebhard commands an army of 6000 men and rules over two territories. Currently, Gebhard is backing the Kingdom of Bavaria to succeed Ludvik de Valois when he passes.

The Archbishop of Mainz is Emmerich Joeseph. Currently Emmerich commands no army having no men to call his own. Emmerich Joseph has just one province to call his own, Mainz. Currently, Emmerich Joeseph is backing the Kingdom of Bavaria to succeed Ludvik when he meets his untimely demise.

The King of Saxony is Wolfgang II von Welf. Currently Wolfgang commands an army of 3000 men and is stationed in just one territory to call his own, and that would be Leipzig. The King of Saxony's government is an administrative Government. Also, the Kingdom of Saxony is backing the Kingdom of Bavara should Ludvik pass.

The Kingdom of Tirol is lead by Sigmund Franz von Wettin. Unlike the other electors, the Kingdom of Tirol is not Catholic, but Protestant. The fact that the Kingdom is a heretical nation rather than one of the true faith, and that it is an elector no less, is unsettling to the archbishops who think that Tirol should be exterminated or converted. Ludvik, so far, has been a kind and proven friend to Sigmund Franz von Wettin as well as his Kingdom in Tirol. Not to mention removing Tirol would mean going against the von Wettins which have a long history within the Empire. Currently Sigmund commands an admirable about of troops numbering 11,000 men. Tirol is an Administrative Monarchy and despite the kindness the de Valois have bestowed upon them, wishes to become the Holy Roman Emperor themselves following Ludvik's passing. Tirol controls only three provinces.

The Archbishop of Trier is commanded by archbishop Jakob. Jakob has a small army of 2000 men. He controls only one province, Trier. Like all archbishops, Jakob promotes the ascent of the Kingdom of Bavaria and the deposition of the friend of the heretics inside of Bohemia.

The Kingdom of Pisa is centered in Parma. The Kingdom is an administrative monarchy and is alone among the electors to be supporting a non-HRE nation to take on the title of Holy Roman Emperor in order to not only increase the size of the Empire, but also take an aggressive stance against the Genghisids, which the Kings of Pisa in Parma view as a threat to all of Christiandom and a threat that must be destroyed, or at least neutralized. Also, the elector from Parma is the only women to ever hold the position inside the entire history of the Empire. Currently, the Queen of Pisa is Gabrielle Maria II Viscounti and she controls an army of 3000 men.

After these seven there are the remaining sixty members of the Empire, they are divided into three groups: The Archbishoprics, The Republics, and The Monarchies

Kingdoms:
The [Feudal] Kingdom of Riga, Ruled by King Siegfried II Gediminai
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Poland, Ruled by King Henryk Premyslovci.
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Kurland, Ruled by King Ernest Johann Gediminai
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Alencon, Ruled by King Gaston II de Valois
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Burgundy, Ruled by King Philippe IV
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Corsica, Ruled by King Ericcu Ghjilormu III Paoli
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Nevers, Ruled by King Jean d'Escoubleau
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Normandy, Ruled by King Charles II de Anjou
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Orleans, Ruled by King Henri Alexandre de Penthievre
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Ansbach, Ruled by King Ludvik de Valois (under Bohemia)
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Bavaria, Ruled by King Theodor Askanier
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Brunswick, Ruled by King Karl II Wilhelm Askanier
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Austria, Ruled by King Franz Karl Garbade
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Hesse, Ruled by King Wilhelm V von Hessen
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Cleves, Ruled by King Adolf II van Lotharingen
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Saxe-Lauenberg Ruled by King Franz-Otto
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Lorraine, Ruled by King Charles III de Metz
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Messen, ruled by King Karl II Wilhelm Askanier (PU with Brunswick)
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Mecklenburg, Ruled by King Adolf Fredrick von Mecklenburg
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Oldenburg, Ruled by King Johann XV Friedrich Lammers
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Palatine, Ruled by King Christoph von Holstein-Gottorp
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Pomerania, Ruled by King Martin Strelows
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Silesia, Ruled by King Jan Krystian Hoppe
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Styria, Ruled by King Ernest III
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Thuringia, Ruled by King Frederich Wilhelm von Wettin
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Ulm, Ruled by King Gottfried II Shaluyn
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Wurttemberg, Ruled by King Ludwig IV von Wittelsbach
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Aquila, Ruled by King Pagano III Garbade
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Ferrara, Ruled by King Ippolito Montario
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Mantua, Ruled by King Rodolfo d'Este
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Milan, Ruled by King Francesco Paoli
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Modena, Ruled by King Alfonso Montecuccoli
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Parma, Ruled by King Philippo Sforza
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Urbino, Ruled by King Giovanni Maria de Montefeltro
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Brabant, Ruled by King Philippe IV de Valois
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Friesland, Ruled by King Ernest Casimir III van Henegouwen
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Luxembourg, Ruled by King Joachim Hoscheit
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Glere, Ruled by King Adolf Askanier
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Hainut, Ruled by King Jean III de Valois
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Holland, Ruled by King Adolf IV van Lotharingen
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Bar, Ruled by King Louis III Askanier
The [Administrative] Kingdom of Savoy, Ruled by Filibetro Luserno
The [Administrative] Duchy of Baden, Ruled by Duke Ludwig von Wittelsbach (vassal of Bohemia)
The [Administrative] Duchy of Berry, Ruled by Duke Francois de Montford (vassal of Bohemia)

The Republics
The [Administrative] Republic of Hansa, Ruled by Doge Oskar Franheim
The [Administrative] Republic of Aachen, Ruled by Syndac Gottschalk Zebnitsche
The [Administrative] Republic of Frankfurt, Ruled by Syndac Markus Eins
The [Administrative] Republic of Genoa, Ruled by Doge Camillo Senarega
The [Administrative] Republic of Switzerland, Ruled by Syndac Frederic Sporri
The [Administrative] Republic of Siena, Ruled by Doge Innocenzo Galilei
The Noble Republic of Tuscany, Ruled by Prince Salvestro Botta-Adorno

The Archbishoprics
The Archbishopric of Liege, Ruled by Archbishop Erard
The Archbishopric of Wurzburg, Ruled by Archbishop Johann Philippe
The Archbishopric of Luneburg, Ruled by Archbishop Otto III
The Archbishopric of Magdeburg, Ruled by Archbishop Ernest Ahrenkiel
The Archbishopric of Bremen, Ruled by Archbishop Gottfried III
The Archbishopric of Munster, Ruled by Archbishop Adolf II
The Archbishopric of Augsburg, ruled by Archbishop Baldwin
The Archbishopric of Alsace, Ruled by Archbishop Leopold
The Archbishopric of Utrecht, Ruled by Archbishop Filips

Most of the Holy Roman Empire is Catholic, but there are exceptions. Tirol, Bar, Cleves, Luneburg, and Brabant are Protestant. Brabant is the defender of the Portestant faith while Tirol is one of only seven out of sixty-seven nations within the Empire to be an elector. Luneburg serves as the premiere authority for the Protestant faith within the Empire, akin to the Papacy for the Catholic Church. Lorraine, Frankfurt, and Meissen are reformed states within the Empire. They answer to the Papacy inside of Avignon, who is also reformed but not part of the Empire itself. Savoy is the only state within the Empire to be Orthodox and commit itself to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Since the Patriarch has fled to Africa, this is a misnomer.

In addition to the 67 nations mentioned there are a few nations which have a minor say inside the affairs of the Holy Roman Empire. Venice, France, Spain, Hungary, Prussia, and the United Kingdom all control territory within the Empire without being a part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Also, over time, many names have become misnomers. Mantua is in Brescia, Ulm is in Wurttemberg, Burgundy is in Brandenburg, Parma is in Cremona, Pisa is in Parma, Wurttemberg is Konstanz, and other such nations have shifted over time.

 

[scholar]

For an AAR with this many views I'm very surprised that no one is really commenting. It would appear this incarnation is doomed to the same occurrence as the previous one. I have a legion of viewers but very few commentators. The next update will be about religion and after that will be colonization. Does anyone have an area they would like to see and be discussed before I actually start playing my game again?

 

[assalala]

What happen to france?

 

[Ringelnatz]

Maybe it's this; your updates are so thorough and extensive, nobody needs to ask anything!
Whether that's a good thing, hmmm..., I feel very well entertained.

 

[Nikolai]

Just found this, what a fun AAR to read! Good luck with your game, I hope the lack of comments won't stop you.

 

[BigBadBob]

I also finally caught up.

Really good writing. It makes me fear for my chances at first place.

 

[scholar]

Maybe it's this; your updates are so thorough and extensive, nobody needs to ask anything!
Whether that's a good thing, hmmm..., I feel very well entertained.

Thank you very much, and I'm glad you enjoyed the AAR.

I also finally caught up.

Really good writing. It makes me fear for my chances at first place.

Haha, you're WAY too kind. Thank you very much.

Just found this, what a fun AAR to read! Good luck with your game, I hope the lack of comments won't stop you.

Thanks, and it probably won't. I tend to finish my games!

assalala
What happen to france?

Spain, Bohemia, and Great Britain butchered it on the continent, but it's a strong colonial power. Would you be interested in seeing an update solely focused on France?

 

[scholar]

The Many Faces of God

The Faiths of the world:

The world is divided into two faiths, Christianity and Islam, as well as two philosophies, Confucianism and Shintoism, and finally one religious philosophy which can't make up it's mind which one it is, Buddhism. There are animists, shamanists, and some Hindus in the world, but they will never rise to prominence ever again unless God himself appears before the lands and says "worship many gods for I am one among many.", which, of course, is blasphemy. Can God Blaspheme? That is a question best left to philosophers and thinkers of another era. In any case, it is clear that Islam holds a dominant position among land and population.

Islam is divided into two groups, Sunni Islam, which believes that hell is temporary (for most), and other wonderful things. They currently control the vast super majority of the Muslim faith. They also hold the most powerful of voices inside the entire world. The Golden Horde and the Timurid Empire have the two largest armies inside the entire world. These armies are increasingly being pushed to a position of irrelevance. The Muslim hordes are lagging behind the Christian forces, though the numbers are superior, in another century that may be utterly irrelevant. The Golden Horde, however, has made recent attempts to bridge the gap between the Christian West and the Muslim East by modernizing the military to a function in which they are similar to that of the Greeks, Russians, and Lithuanians, all of which are incorporated into the Horde's Empire. The Timurids, however, instead of challenging the west, have focused on bullying the East which is even further behind.

The offshoot of Islam that remains is Shiite Islam. They believe Hell is eternal, that infidels should be crushed without mercy, and all that truly memorable stuff. They, however, despite their much harder take on even their own heretical kin, have proven near pacifist inside these past few centuries. The only Shiites that committed to wars on a regular basis were that of the Qara Koyunlu Khanate, which was annexed into the Golden Horde following their savage betrayal to the Genghisids. An act that was deemed too grave to even consider allowing them to remain independent. All Shiites under the independent flag, all two of them, enjoy strong relations and close marital ties to the Genghisids. In fact, Haasa is ruled by one. The most powerful of the two Shiite factions is by far the Sultanate of Oman, which has a tiny Colonial Empire. Because there are only two independent factions that are shiite, their future as an independent religion is in peril.

To the East we have the quadruple entente of Shintoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Islam is prevalent in the East as well, having completely taken over Indonesia and slowly encroaching upon southeast Asia. Hinduism was kicked out of India entirely, not only as an independent faith, but as a faith at all. There are only three nations that have Hinduism as their state religion. They are Khorasan; an OPM in Pakistan, Manipur; A recently independent revolter state from the Celestial Empire of Ming, and the Kingdom of Champa; the Ming court and dynasty in exile following their expulsion from Ming itself by the vile pretenders. The Ming/Champa forces are the strongest of the three, but not by much.

The Shintos are a divided yet single nation/Japan is a nation currently in civil war. The Shogunate in the Minamoto clan rules over much of the country while the Fujiwara retains control of the eastern most regions of Honshu. Both are Shinto states. The strongest, is obviously, the Shogunate. Shintoism contains Buddhism with other religions and ideologies. Currently the Shintos have neither lost nor gained a single territory to or from another faith.

Buddhism is a religion that once spread from Tibet down to southeast Asia. Not a very far reaching faith, it triumphed peace. The rulers who were using Buddhists declared war upon each other in unending conflict. At first it seemed as if the Buddhists destroy themselves, but as time went on this didn't occur, instead the Buddhists faced invasion from Muslims and Hindus. The Hindus were soundly defeated, but the Muslims tore apart Buddhist society, converting everything in their path. For a single brief moment the Celestial Empire of Ming became Buddhist, but quickly changed back. Now there are only five minor nations that are Buddhist and independent. The Khmer, Pegu, Shan, Lan Xiang, and Dai Viet all are Buddhist. The Khmer are the most powerful of the Buddhists and are the defender of the faith, however they do not stand much of a chance against the Sultanate of Delhi, their most prevalent enemy. The Buddhists do not appear to have a lot more time left on this world.

The Confucians, a philosophy preaching strict filial piety and servitude to one's superiors, are in the best position out of the four. The Japanese Shintos may have isolation, but the Confucians have power. The Celestial Empire of Ming is the strongest Confucian power, and has the 9th strongest army in the world. Despite it's current discord, the state is strong enough to go to war with most enemies. The only time it's failed is when Delhi and the Timurids team up to declare war against it together, which they are doing far more often. Otherwise the Celestial Empire of Ming has won, even against the Timurids where they secured the independence of Manchuria from an Empire that once spread from the Persian Gulf to the Pacific. But as the Confucians fall further behind in military strategy and organization they are ending down a path which will be difficult to avoid, total destruction. Toungoo, Manchuria, and Korea are more powerful than their counterparts in Hinduism and Buddhism, but whether or not they can survive should the Ming fall is an entirely different question.

Christians are perhaps the most divided faith in the world. There are four distinct entities born from the single belief, in Christ as the lord and savior of humanity. Catholics, which believe in the absolute temporal and religious authority of the Papacy, are the absolute majority of the population. Though Christiandom found itself on receding grounds in Europe, the Catholics have taken the faith to other continents where they have spread. Catholics have many extremely powerful nations. France, Spain, The United Kingdom, Bohemia, Hungary, Prussia, they are all very powerful. And yet, there are also states which are so tiny and irrelevant that conquering them would appear to be a waste of time and resources and only worth the trouble if they even out the borders of the nation that's doing the conquering. Catholics were once losing ground to the other faiths, but once the reformation started the Papacy enacted the counter reformation keeping much of the Christians on their side. In time, it will be the Catholics who eclipse the Muslims should the modernizing attempts of the Horde fail as the dominant faith on this planet.

After the Catholics there are the Reformed Catholics, Catholics who broke off at the end of the reformation who believed that the Catholic Church wasn't following the right guidelines and believing the right things. For the reformed Catholics they are the third most powerful Christians, but the second most influential of the sub divisions. There are several reformed states within the Holy Roman Empire [Lorraine, Frankfurt, and Meissen], in addition to those there are Avignon, Provence, and Sweden. Currently Sweden is the most powerful reformed state and is the only one capable of challenging the Catholics on a limited level. While it is no match for the great powers, it is more than capable of handling most Catholic states, as such Sweden is the defender of the Reformed Catholic Faith. Avignon currently is the Papacy of the Reformed Catholic Faith. Avignon had a history of being home to the Papacy under the French and now they are the Papacy to the Reformed Catholics.

After the reformed Catholics there are the Orthodox Christians. Once Orthodox Christians filled Russia, Anatolia, and nearly everywhere bordering the Catholic West to the Muslim East. The story of the Orthodox is perhaps a story of sorrow, or perhaps a story of resilience. The Orthodox Russians were all systematically wiped out except for a small enclave. The Merchant Republic of Kola, formerly the Merchant Republic of Novgorod, resides their. Finland had recently asserted it's independence and is also an Orthodox faith. Everything else is in the hands of the Sunnis, or more precise, the Horde. The Geogrians were crushed, The Wallacians, Bulgarians, and Moldovans were conquered and converted. Only Serbia and Armenia remain in those regions. In Greece and Anatolia there was once a proud Byzantine Empire, an Orthodox Paradigm. They conquered the African Coast and looked to expand everywhere. The Horde crushed them following their annexation of Tripoli and their regicide of the Genghisids. Currently the Byzantine Empire, heir to the Roman Empire, is independent in Africa. Expanding slowly in foreign lands. For an odd reason Savoy decided to convert to Orthodoxy. There are now six Orthodox nations left. Armenia and Kola being OPMs, Savoy, Serbia, and Finland being 2PMs, and the regional powerful Byzantines. The Byzantine Empire is home to the Patriarch of Constantinople, the Pope of the Orthodox Church if you will, and is the defender of the faith. Currently they are the only ones powerful enough to expand in such a way to allow the Orthodox Faith to remain strong and independent.

Last, and certainly least, is the Protestant faith. The Protestants, though the first to break away, have not had much success in gaining a truly powerful force to their side. Instead, there are just three regional powers with enough influence to ensure that at least one remains independent, and the premiere religious authority among the Protestants, the Bishops of Luneburg. Protestants have no wish for a Pope, but Luneburg is the only Bishop who was willing to join them and has since become akin to a Papacy. There are a few states which are Protestant. They include Champagne, Brabant, Luneburg, Tirol, Bar, Bourbonnais, and Cleves. Brabant is the defender of the Protestant faith, however, Brabant recently succumbed to catholic zealotry which now means that Brabant is not only a Protestant power without a single territory with a Protestant majority, but it is the defender of the protestant faith and still lacks a protestant majority anywhere. Tirol is the most powerful and influential of the Protestants, being an elector and having the strongest army. Champagne and Brabant are close behind. The Protestants futures are uncertain, but perhaps in time they will become strong.

 

[Nikolai]

Awesome update. But, Reformed Catholics? What is the world up to?

 

[scholar]

Awesome update. But, Reformed Catholics? What is the world up to?

Haha, it's something that I wanted to be a little different about, but I made sure to base it on real history such as the Old Catholic Church and the See of Utrecht, though they aren't quite the same, or even very similar, I based Reformed Catholics on it.

And thank you everyone for 4000 views!

 

[Arakhor]

You're very much welcome, Scholar. I really enjoyed the demographics.

 

[scholar]

You're very much welcome, Scholar. I really enjoyed the demographics.

I'm glad to hear it, the colonialism update should be up in a little while, if you care to give your opinion on it?

 

[scholar]

Colonialism in Africa

In Europe there has been a very limited amount of colonialism regarding the European powers that have descended upon the world. France, Milan, and Spain had divided up the lands colonized previously by the long forgotten nation of Portugal. Spain had, in one of it's many wars against Portugal, brought in Milan to help defeat the relatively minor nation. Spain sent in an army to seize the Canary islands. When Spain forced a hefty peace treaty against Portugal the islands were formally granted to Spain. The Portuguese soon found themselves rather unhappy with their overlords, but utterly powerless. As more and more colonists were brought in from Spain the Portuguese found themselves a minority within their own homes. By the time Portugal was inherited into Spain, the Canaries had already lost their identity.

Spain had also colonized many of the Andalusian lands not currently under it's most faithful vassal. In the beginning of the 15th century Andalusian Moors had found themselves losing their identity, both culturally and ethnically, with the Castillians. By the dawn of the 17th century only the territory of Andalusia itself remains Andalusian under the control of the Spanish. The Emirate of Granada has often brought up their complaints about the destruction of their culture and heritage within the Empire. The Emir of Granada remains the sole individual who is at least partially independent from the Emperor of Spain. With Aragon's throne conquered and Portugal's throne inherited along with Leon's, the Emirate is the only thing that has not been taken. Fortunately for the Emir, their long dedicated service to the Empire has allowed them to keep their token independence as well as allowed them to begin colonial venture of their own, in a severely limited capacity, of course.

With Milan, after the seizing of Madeira, fortune ran out. Many wars were fought, and lost, against nations who lacked a navy capable of reaching Madeira. As the territories of Milan fell to Tuscany, Mantua, and other nations hundreds of people fled the coasts upon their ships and took with them the tattered remnants of armies to seek refuge inside of Madeira. Cut off from the rump state of Milan, Madeira had developed independently, even under it's own Duke, but as communications with Milan opened up again it became clear that Milan had survived. Despite lacking a port hundreds more Lombards fled from north Italy to make their way to Madeira. The Portuguese culture merged with the Lombard culture to create a very distinctive property. While still almost completely independent from Milan, they still consider themselves part of Milan and wish for the rise to dominance as well as Milan to devout themselves to the colonial game and increase their own power.

The French Azores had a very similar history as Madeira and the Canaries in that originally the Islands did belong to Portugal and they were taken while still in the cradle from the fledgling Portuguese Colonial Empire. Here's where it's different, the Azores were captured from Portugal following a declaration of war from Portugal against France. France had attacked their ally, but it was the Portuguese who initiated first hostilities. Also, the Portuguese navy was nothing to speak of because of repeated defeats at the hands of the Spanish. The Portuguese had just sent a colonial mission to the island and thought it was protected do to France never having been a naval power. They were sadly mistaken. The Azores were captured and the French colonized it zealously. The Portuguese were actually shipped back to Portugal making it purely French. The Azores would be the stepping stone for colonial conquest following numerous defeats at the hands of Bohemia and Spain.

British Morocco and Byzantium have entirely different stories. Morocco was slowly taken over by the British government following three separate wars, two of which were from declarations of war from the British. The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, Flanders, Denmark, and Sweden and Byzantium currently enjoy an alliance. The third war was following a Moroccan declaration of war against them. Currently there has been only conquest, but distinct colonialism has occurred with the deposition of the Catholic faith on the natives of Africa.

Byzantium is a different story. Not only has it colonized two provinces in the center of Africa outright, it has also enacted three settlement policies, two of which have already born fruit. Byzantium's history inside of North Africa is long, following their recapture of Anatolia and Greece they set out to conquer Tunisia. After Tunisia was conquered and Algiers was mostly butchered, they shifted their attention to Tripoli. After several wars with them, Tripoli was annexed, this action lead to the Golden Horde leading to a crusade against the Byzantines which forced them out of their home. Since then the Algiers was fully annexed and Morocco was cut down to size. The Orthodox faith is practiced by the native population and two provinces which were previously Africa had joined the ranks of the new Greek nation. This was done so that all the thousands of Greeks who fled the Horde could be allowed to live in peace. With four Greek territories inside of North Africa, the Byzantines show no signs of stopping.

South West Europe:

In the East of Africa there are a few colonial powers as well, premiere among them would be the Mamluks. Though they should be called the conquerors, the Mamluks had defeated the Ethiopian Kings, The Adal Sultanate, the Yemen Sultanate, butchered the Swahili tribes, and now control vast swaths of territory. They had successfully converted the Yemen Sultanate, now Emirate, to Sunni Islam and converted the animists and orthodox Ethiopians to the true path of Islam. Despite all their success, they had lost a crucial war with the Habsburgs of the United Kingdom which has robbed them of the Tripoli coast and Alexandria, their sole center of trade. While the Mamluks once had the capability to colonize, without their CoT they lack that capability now. The British have converted Alexandria and Tripoli to Catholicism destroying the sense of religious kin.

The Sultanate of Oman remains the sole remaining other colonizer. They have colonized an Island off the coast of Arabia as well as a single province off of the coast of east Africa. Being the only shiite colonizer as well as having no where to colonize makes their avenues for expansion limited.

North East Africa:

Following the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands, Spain had colonized two regions in North West Africa, and those are Cape Verde and a small strip on the coast. In addition to those two there is a small Island named Ferdinand Po which was also colonized. Cape Verde and Ferdinand Po are completely colonized by Castillians. The Natives have long since died out or been sold into slavery. What remains are towns and farmlands very similar to those found within the heart of the Empire. Spanish Africa, or otherwise known as Spanish Sahara, is a very different story. Disease prevents significant penetration into the continent and the hostile climate further limits expansion. Castillians make up the aristocracy along the coast, while Mulattoes make up the middle class with the native population which numbers in the thousands.

The British also have a small region under their control. It is called British Africa, though some would call it British Mali. The territory was captured, not colonized, from the Mali Empire, which so far does not show signs of being very friendly towards their oppressors. While the regions have accepted Catholicism, the cultural kinship with the Mali is so strong that the only thing keeping the British Colonial Empire together is the 8000 of Britain's finest stationed there. There are currently about 500 British subjects inside the colony that are not soldiers making the entire prospect of making it a colony of the British Empire rather flimsy at best.

Directly to the southeast of the British colony is the Sardinian Colony and the Venetian colony of the Golden Coast. It is divided between Sardinian Africa and Venetian Golden Coast. Currently, these colonies have been brought about by Italian drive to capitalize on the new colonizing theme spreading across Europe. While Sardinia is small, it had enough resources and funds to support one minor colony until it became productive while the Venetians are greedily gobbling up everything they can in order to protect their status as "doorway to the East." Fearing Spain or another power will monopolize the trade before them, they've dumped most of their resources in their African colony as a stepping stone to take on more distant places. Both regions are dominated by merchants and aristocrats rather than colonists.

North West Africa:

Naples has not been left out of the colonial game either, they have claimed the lands North and on the Kongo. Following the establishment of colonies all across the globe, The King of Naples launched a campaign to start his colony. While it is called Neapolitan Africa, it is unofficially called Angola. So far the Kongo has not been disturbed inside the chase to take control of Africa, but Naples wants to change that. They want to make Naples into a subservient client King who will service Naples in their wars. Currently the colonies are still very young, but already there is a strong "Neapolitan" sense inside of the colony with the presence of civilians and bureaucrats inside the territory rather than just Aristocrats and their slaves.

Venetian South Africa was largely brought on by the establishment of Neapolitan Africa. Merchants, fearing for their trade, launched their own colonizing missions into the south of the continent. While they are still behind Spain, they will be damned if the Sicilian bumpkins get their hands on the trade before them. Little do they actually know that Naples has very little interest in actually reaching Asia, but rather is focusing on the prestige and power behind colonizing new lands.

The Papacy has a colony inside of Africa as well, St. Helena. This colony, however, was not their own to begin with. Originally it belonged to the British who were eagerly looking for a stepping stone to expand their power, the Papacy persuaded the British to hand over their fledgling colony to the Papacy who was eager to start it's own Colonial Empire. Despite their intentions, however, the colony was not exactly what they hoped and no they rely on random sporadic events that increase the base tax of the population inside St. Helena. Still, the Island is one of the more prestigious places in all of Africa and is run by a mixture of Catholic Clergy and Umbrian civilians.

The Spanish control probably the richest and most user friendly region in the South of Africa, dubbed Spanish South Africa. It is also known as Cape colony. It is by far the most productive and most heavily colonized region in all of Africa by a European power, apart from perhaps Byzantium in the far north. Being the closest thing in Africa to a true part of the Empire of Spain, it has it's own Viceroy.

South Africa:

 

[Derdiedas]

Papal Africa is not what you can normally see in your games.

 

[scholar]

Papal Africa is not what you can normally see in your games.

No, this game is proving to be quite unique.

 

[scholar]

Colonialism in the Americas

The Americas is a chaotic mixture of old meets new, with, perhaps, the most orderly colonizing taking place in the Northern continent. Spain is unquestionably dominant in the entire continent. Controlling the richest part of the continent as well as controlling more territory than anyone else, or even anyone else combined. The lands in the northern part of the mainland are so large that it lacks an official name, or unofficial name. It is simply called The Americas, with carrying territories from Florida to Las Manos Norte. The Spanish, so far, has been the only nation to actually go to war with the natives on a larger scale than on the local level. In fact, they have been going to war with some of the Native powers for over one hundred years. Originally there were four enemies that the Spanish fought against, the Creek, Shawnee, Cherokee, and Iroquois. Of all of them, the Iroquois nation is the absolute most powerful of the bunch actually having taken lands from the Spanish in the past. They are the only nation to still have their lands completely intact. The southern nations have had less luck with the Spanish. Though the Cherokee, Shawnee, and Creek nations were strong, they fought against each other creating openings which were easily exploitable. The Creek, the weakest of the nations, was conquered after forty years of conflict. Though they still rebel and have a significant presence, they are no longer a nation. The Cherokee and Shawnee have lost half of their lands, but have allied with one another to defeat the Spaniards who still go to war with them every five years.

After the Spaniards, the Prussians have the most significant presence on the northern continent. They are not quite occupying rich territory, but they make up for that in quantity. Further adding to the point, they are also powerful. They border the Swedes to the north, though there is no doubt that if the Von Habsburgs of Prussia wished to conquer those lands, they could do so. Currently the Prussians have an uneasy agreement with the Iroquois. Neither will interfere with the others affairs and there will be a region in which neither claim dominion inbetween them. The Prussians have no intention of keeping this treaty forever, but for now it is adhered to.

After the Von Habsburg Spaniards and Prussians there are the de Valois French. Originally they agreed to end their border at the advent of Cherokee territory, but as it appeared that the Cherokee lost more and more ground, this treaty became relatively meaningless. The de Valois, instead of attacking the Cherokee, instead drew up an agreement with the Spaniards that their colony's integrity would be maintained. Now the border is between Spain and France. The French colony stretches from the Spanish Coast all the way to the powerful Aztec Empire, which continues to show off force against any invaders. The colony, despite being officially referred to as French North America following the standards laid down since before their arrival, it is unofficially referred to as New France, or Nouvelle-France. France also maintains a presence in the Bahamas as well as Bermuda. The colony was established through island claiming allowing the French navy to secure a route straight to Nouvelle France.

After these three powers, there remains but two more colonizers. The Venetians and the Swedes. Both have relatively minor presences inside North America. The Venetians, eager to also control trade in the Americas attempted to establish a colony on the Island of Newfoundland as a means of having a corridor in the North Atlantic, while they were successful in establishing control on the eastern half of the Island, they were surprised to find that Sweden had claimed lands there as well. Sweden is currently the only colonizer in the entire world to be a reformed catholic. The Venetian colony is currently more so providing for the Swedes than it is Venice. The Swedish colony is dependent upon the Venetians, who control trade into the northern corridor of the Atlantic. The relationship between the Swedes and Venetians is symbiotic in nature at the moment in the North Atlantic, only time will tell if these two minor colonizers start getting active.

North America:

The Caribbean is a very much a monopoly of the Spanish, even more so than North America. Ever since the first voyages into the unknown, most of the islands have been claimed and colonized by the Spaniards. With the natives unaccustomed to Old World diseases, they found themselves quickly becoming a minority in the wake of ever increasing immigration. All of the larger islands have been converted into virtual replicas of provinces of the Spanish Empire, with growing Castillian Populations and towns of Spanish architecture, if you did not know you were on an island you could easily mistake yourself for being in Iberia. All this said, the Caribbean is not exclusively the property of Spain. The French in their journey to find themselves a place to build a colony and in order to get in on the sugar trade established a colony in Saint Lucia and the Turk Islands. Trinidad and Tobago were colonized by Venice in the usual merchantilistic fashion of their breed. With the sugar trade becoming apparently a lucrative business, Venice tried its best to make sure that it did not get left behind. Faced with the awesome might of the Spanish Armada and the resources and the massive Spanish Empire they could only secure two small islands inside of the Caribbean.

Colombia is divided up into three powers, two of which are plainly visible. The King of Naples was not one to limit his power and prestige to just the areas around the Kongo, he also extended it to South America, one of the only places on earth that the Spanish did not monopolize yet in the known world. considered untouched and pristine, the northern part of the continent was named after Christopher Colombus, the explorer who had found the continent. The Spanish control the majority of the Colombia territory, while Naples controls a sizable portion as well, but with Naples portion positioned where it is, it is apparent that Naples cannot expand it's colony, while the Spanish can.

Caribbean:

The South American continent is chaotic with conflicting and overlapping claims of territories with colonies tossed in rather crude patterns. There are currently five nations attempting to colonize the lands, and those are the Republic of Hansa, the Merchant Republic of Venice, The Kingdom of Naples, the Empire of France, and the Empire of Spain. Here, in the mess, there is no nation with a clear advantage over another, apart from perhaps France, which stands resolute with most of the southern tip of the continent under it's wing as French Patagonia, with a small part of Brazil also under it's wing. The French discovered the southern edge of the continent a few decades ago, and immediately began colonizing it to stem off the progression of the other powers into the region. The claim is on mostly barren lands, but there is enough of it to pose a threat if adequately utilized.

Next in terms of power is unclear between Spain and Naples. Neapolitan Colombia is comparable to Spanish Brazil, and Neapolitan Brazil is comparable to New Spain. Spain and Naples have continued to divide up most of the lands in South America between them as with Colombia, and as with Colombia Spain remains in the best position to expand their claims while Naples will ultimately find itself hemmed in, if not by Spain, than by it's lesser neighbors. Nonetheless, the rise of Italian Dominance inside South America was unpredictable, Venice had it's reasons for expanding to every corner of the world, but Naples seems just to colonize for the sake of colonizing. To increase their culture, their power, their prestige, and their faith.

The remaining two powers inside South America, not native to the region, are the Republic of Hansa and the Merchant Republic of Venice. Hansa was experiencing internal turmoil throughout the beginning of the colonizing race. Without their Doge to guide them they found themselves lagging behind in the world. With the United Kingdom controlling the northern corridor into Scandinavia, they have found themselves in a position of irrelevance. With one of their greatest rivals, Novgorod reduced to nothing but a shattered remnant clinging to Kola, they found themselves dying slowly as their prominence waned with each new decade. When Venice took to the sea for merchantile ventures, the Hansa was slow to respond. Finally, they were able to devote what was left of their powers into claiming a small strip of Brazil with the hopes that it will become profitable and they will be able to expand further in the world, hoping it is not to late for them, so far the Hansa is the only member of the Holy Roman Empire to colonize territory. Venice has continued pouring resources into finding new trade routes and new monopolies. they also control a large part of Colombia's territory as well as small chunk of Brazil bordering Hansa. Will these two rivals in trade continue their rise to power in colonial conquest?

South America:

 

[scholar]

Is there anywhere that someone would want me to look into with more detail? I know this AAR will never be as popular as some of the other AARs on this board, but I'm putting a lot of time and effort into it, and I am willing to listen, and do my best to provide for, the reader.