The Hegemony of Brandenburg - MMG AAR

[CountArach]

Hey guys, this is going to be my first EUIII AAR, though I have done some very popular ones for Rome Total War in the past, so I am not entirely new to the genre.

I'll be playing Brandenburg in Magna Mundi Gold. For those of you who are not aware of the way the Empire is played out in this mod, it makes everything more stable. Most of the provinces that are annexed are returned to their original owners unless the conqueror had a core on them. This leads to a lot of vassalisations.

Normal Difficulty, no cheating at all. Any questions at all shall be answered as soon as I get a chance.

The AAR will be mostly text based, with pictures only acting as a supplement or a way of explaining things. Each ruler will begin a new book of History, with each chapter in that book covering anywhere from a month to a year.

So without further ado...

Book I - King Friedrich II (September 1440 - 23rd April 1457)
Preface - Diplomatic Negotiations
17th May - 1453
Chapter 1 - Coming to Terms
31st May - 1453
Chapter 2 - Internal Issues
6th December - 1453
Chapter 3 - News from the South
30th August - 1454
Chapter 4 - Whispers in the Courts
19th December - 1454
Chapter 5 - Peace at Last
29th August - 1456
Chapter 6 - Knocking on Death's Door
23rd April - 1457

Book II - King Joachim I (24th April 1457 - ?)
Chapter 1 - The Call to War
22nd June - 1457
Chapter 2 - First Blood
15th January - 1458

 

[CountArach]

Book I - Preface

Book 1 – King Friedrich II

Preface – Diplomatic Negotiations
17th May 1453

King Friedrich II, ruler of the Kingdom of Brandenburg, looked around his meeting chamber and sighed. Were these truly the greatest minds that his money could buy? ‘Nothing but sycophants and yes-men,’ Friedrich thought with a strong note of disdain. If these truly were the greatest minds in his Kingdom, the star of the north, Brandenburg, would not be burning so bright in the near future.

“My King,” one of the myriad of statesmen said – Friedrich could not even remember his name, but he did not look as familiar as most of the other men who filled the chamber – “I fear we have a real problem on our hands,” he paused dramatically for a second before continuing. “Brandenburg is surrounded by those who would see us destroyed.”

Friedrich’s ears perked up. Here perhaps was someone who was willing to tell him what was wrong with his Kingdom. Friedrich inclined his head at the man, indicating that he may continue. The suitor seemed relieved. Perhaps he was not so confident in telling his King what was wrong.

“Thank you, your majesty. As I was saying, Brandenburg is without a friend amongst those who surround us.” Several of the other men in the room opened their mouths as if to correct him, but they were silenced when the man raised his hand and continued, “Yes, yes. As I am sure everyone in here is thinking, we do indeed have friends. There is Pommerania to our North, Saxony to our south and several of the smaller states to our west who would wish us no harm. However, what I indeed refer to is that we have no allies of which to speak in this world. There are none out there who would come to our aid in a time of war. There are none out there who are interested in furthering our interests as well as theirs.”

Friedrich looked down and nodded slowly to himself. This man spoke the truth. Most of the Diplomatic skill that Friedrich possessed involved settling disputes between the minor nobility in his own Kingdom.

“I see that Your Majesty hears well the words which I speak. Would Your Majesty care to hear the proposal which I have spent the last few months concocting?” He stopped and awaited an answer. Several nobles muttered to each other. Few men would dare ask a direct question to a King, or even a noble of greater rank. The number of Kings who would answer such a question was fewer still. Those nobles were going to be in for a shock.

“Aye I would care to hear the words you would speak, but first I have but one request of you. I would have you tell me your name.” It was always better to be direct.

“My name My Lord? I am Christian von Hohenlohe. My grandfather served your father as an advisor, and if you would wish it, I would most gladly take such a position myself. I am at your service,” this last statement was made with a low bow and a small flourish.

“We shall see. Just such a position would require a man to speak wise words. I would hear your proposal now.” So this lad was the grandson of von Hohenlohe? The name was familiar, most probably overheard during Friedrich’s own youth all of those years ago.

“Thank you kindly My Lord. What I would propose is that you send out all of your messengers and your greatest diplomats to the neighbouring Kingdoms and offer those peoples an alliance or, if you would so wish it, an offer of marriage with one of your close relatives. Your son’s claim would be strong enough on the throne for there to be no danger in doing this,” 'Damn right,' Friedrich thought, 'there is no purer blood in the entire Holy Roman Empire.'

“More specifically, sir,” Christian continued, “I would suggest sending the Diplomats out to Mecklenburg, for they sit in such a place as to have great wealth from tolls. I would suggest sending one to Pommerania, for they could protect our northern front and allow us access to ports. I would suggest Saxony as well; for they are a large neighbour that I think would be able to effectively double the size of our forces.” Friedrich nodded to himself again. So far the man had spoken sense.

“My liege, I would also suggest that we look elsewhere for our alliances. We need strong friends in this world. What stronger are there than…” Christian paused and seemed to brace himself against an unseen barrage, “…Poland?”

The room exploded into outraged shouts. Nobles got up and all at once started shouting this madman down? More than one insult could be heard over the din. “POLAND!? YOU MIGHT AS WELL SUGGEST WE OPEN OUR BORDERS TO THE ENEMY NOW!” and the occasional, “BRANDENBURG WILL STAND STRONG ALONE!” from the more conservative members of the group of nobles.

Friedrich just looked on to his room. ‘These are my men.’ He started to shake his head. Those nobles nearest the King took it as a sign of him disagreeing with Christian. They turned back around and started pointing out the King’s reaction. It was at this point that many of them remembered who they were in front of. They began to resume their seats, still occasionally shouting at Christian, who by now was in the middle of the room, spinning around as if to make sure no one had unsheathed their swords. Of course they had not; such an action in the vicinity of the King was punishable by death.

As the room descended once more into silence, the King paused. Never before had Brandenburg looked outside the Empire for friends. Yet… the man spoke sense. Brandenburg could not stand strong on its own, not when beset from all fronts as it was. Still, tradition was tradition…

Taking a breath, the King made his pronouncement.

“We do as this man says.”

 

[comagoosie]

Poland! POLAND!

*faint*

very nice chapter and AAR, I will be reading.

 

[unmerged(87757)]

Ah, so MMG lets you make alliances with more than 2 powers at once? Very nice. I'll be watching this.

 

[Capibara]

We'll see how this turns out, I'll watch this, good luck!

 

[coz1]

Interesting. An alliance with Poland will drag you into plenty of wars early on, no doubt.

Welcome and good luck!

 

[CountArach]

Book I - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Coming to Terms
31st May 1453

Friedrich awoke with a startled gasp. He raised his head off of his desk and looked around his study. The books on the wall had cost him much, yet they were most certainly worth their money. Still half asleep, he faintly perceived a knocking at the door. ‘Who could that be?’, Friedrich wondered sleepily, ‘and what could they want?’

“Come in,” Friedrich commanded, sitting up in his chair. ‘I might as well act regal, even if I do not feel it right now.’

The door opened tentatively. It was his chief servant, Sigismund. He bowed deeply for several seconds, then raised himself back up and averted his gaze. He was a good servant, he knew his place.

“My Lord, I bring a request for your presence in the Chamber of Nobles.” He waited, his gaze still averted. That said, Friedrich could still feel his servant’s gaze on him out of the corner of his eye. It was well known just how much Friedrich hated this Chamber.

“Tell them I will be there at my earliest convenience, Sigismund.” Earliest convenience clearly meant once he had bathed and changed his clothes. ‘In the name of all that is good and holy, did I really fall asleep in what I was wearing yesterday?’

An hour later, Friedrich walked into the Chamber of Nobles, the noblemen all raising as they were supposed to. Friedrich walked to his throne and sat, indicating that all of the nobles could do so as well.

Christian walked into the centre of the room and bowed. Over the past two weeks, Friedrich had come to learn much about this man and was respecting him more every day.

“News has come from the surrounding Kingdom’s,” Christian began, no longer waiting for the King’s permission.

Brandenburg and the surrounding Kingdoms

“My King, I regret to inform you that Mecklenburg, Pommerania, Saxony and Poland have all rejected our overtures to achieve an alliance, or to marry into your family.”

Silence reigned in the room. The same unspoken question was on running through everyone’s mind, ‘What could they possibly be planning?’

“That said,” Christian continued, “It would appear that the King of Pommerania is interested in marrying his nephew off to your first niece, thus binding our two Kingdom’s together in the future.” Friedrich nodded his approval. She had not been born a good-looking child, yet it would appear that she would still be a useful tool in his plans.

The King rose from his throne. “Very well then, tell me at the very first moment you know more.” For all of his outward calm, he was worried. He did not know if Pommerania alone would be enough to stave off an attack.

Suddenly, the doors leading into the chamber burst open and two men came running into the room. Friedrich vaguely recognised one of them as a Diplomat he had sent forth. He did not recognise the other man.

“My Lord!” They both began, each trying to get his information out before the other. The King resumed his seat and nodded to the man on his left – the Diplomat he had sent forth. One at a time was always easier to hear.

The Diplomat looked grateful. “Thank you My Lord. I bring news form the South. The King of Bohemia wishes to inform you that he is now at war with the people of Poland.”

Stunned silence again reigned.

“Yes, that is right Sir, war on our very border,” the Diplomat looked somewhat flustered. He had probably been riding for days without rest. Friedrich indicated to Sigismund to get the man some wine. The Diplomat smiled gracefully and continued, “Apparently the King of Poland is looking to enforce his claim on the Lausitz area. As you know, this will drag the King of Silesia into the war,” some of the nobles chuckled. Silesia was hardly a Kingdom by anyone’s standards. The Diplomat took a step back indicating he had delivered his message. He awaited a reply.

The King pondered for a moment. Bohemia would be a useful ally; however Poland would be an enemy he would rather not make. Finally, he reached a decision. “Go back to the King of Bohemia with an offer. We shall form into a military alliance, if this would not drag us into a war with Poland. We shall watch his Western and Northern borders to ensure that he is not treacherously betrayed by any of his fellow member states of the Holy Roman Empire.”

Brandenburg and Bohemia form into a military alliance

The Diplomat nodded, and, draining the cup of wine, ran out of the great Chamber. The other Diplomat stepped forward and spoke his piece. It was only when he began talking that the King realised that this man was not his. He had the distinct accent that marked the man as one of the people from the Kingdom of Saxony, “My Lord, I am thankful to say that my news is much more joyous than that of my colleague. I come from the King of Saxony with a request. He would have us enter into a military alliance to protect our region of the Empire. There are those to our East and West who would see us destabilised. It was only after thinking through your proposal much more carefully that he realised how much merit your idea had.”

Brandenburg and Saxony form into a military alliance

The room exploded into applause. Finally, with these two allies the people of Brandenburg could sleep well, safe in the knowledge that their friends were looking over them.

Immediately, ideas started circulating in the King’s mind.

What if we don’t just want to defend?

 

[CountArach]

Answers

@ comagoosie - YES! POLAND!, thanks for the kind words.

@ Cordoban Inca - Yes, but as you saw, it doesn't always work out how you plan.

@ Capibara - Thank you.

@ coz1 - Yeah, Poland would have been interesting in that regard. A war against the Teutonic Order and their vassals the Livonian Order would have been good. Most of their stuff is outside of the Empire, so it is no worry for me to grab them. As we saw however, Poland had very different ideas.

 

[aHuman(oid)]

I saw this on the MM forums. It looks good. Also good is that I can read it on the MM forums if the Paradox forum is busy.

Edit: Congratulations! (But to who? You or me?) Your AAR now contains my 100th post.

 

[comagoosie]

very realistic. I like it!

And it looks like Brandenburg will be on the offensive soon.

 

[CountArach]

Book I - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Internal Issues
6th December 1453

“Damn them!” Friedrich bellowed, smashing open the hulking oak door to his study, “They can’t think about anything but their scriptures!” He had just come form a meeting with the upper clergy. They had demanded that he expel all of the Jewish heretics from his realm.

Friedrich shook his head vigorously, the anger still seething through his blood. He had already made concessions back in August that meant that he would segregate the Jewish peoples, but not persecute them wholly. Personally, Friedrich could not care what the Jews did, as long as they continued to finance his programs. As it was, some of the largest Jewish bankers had moved to neighbouring Kingdoms and had withdrawn all funds from the country. ’And these clergymen want more?’ None of them had any idea about how to run a Kingdom.

As a concession to the church, Friedrich chose to segregate the Jews.

Slowly but surely, Friedrich calmed down. Meetings with the clergy often infuriated him. He had exchanged many harsh words with various cardinals over the years in regards to giving up his powers to Rome. Yet a ruler could not rule effectively without giving in to their demands sometimes.

August had been a strange month, Friedrich reflected. He still remembered the day that the Austrian diplomat had entered his chambers, so full of pomp and clearly a strong believer in his own superiority over others. Even Kings, apparently. The diplomat told Friedrich that Austria was willing to guarantee his nation’s independence. Many of the nobles had laughed openly. What could possibly threaten the three allied Kingdoms of Brandenburg, Saxony and Bohemia?

Austria thought it necessary to guarantee Brandenburg’s independence.

Just several weeks ago something else strange had happened. It appeared that some of the Baltic nations wished to expand the Hanseatic League. This League had always been exclusively for the trading nations of the north. Brandenburg was anything but a trading nation. Yet to refuse would be to receive the ire of those who surrounded him. He could not afford so many wars now. So he had accepted, and many of his merchants thanked him for it. Already they were gaining power.

Brandenburg was invited to join the Hanseatic League.

The merchants in Brandenburg enjoyed much power at this point in time.

But none of that might matter in the future. Poland’s war against Bohemia was going well. Already they had most of the East under siege, including Silesia. Not all was lost however. Silesia had successfully counter-attacked and was laying siege to part of northern Poland. It was only a matter of time before their manpower ran out, and then what? There would be a stronger Poland to Bohemia’s East and South.

For this reason, Friedrich had considered it necessary to expand his army to a size where he felt it would be capable of defending Brandenburg’s borders. If need be, he thought his army should be able to counter-attack as well.

There was a knocking at the door, breaking Friedrich out of his reverie. It was Sigismund. He bowed deeply and rose up, “My Lord, Adolf Linkendorf has arrived at court. He is that most fabulous painter that you requested. He is ready to start to commission that new artwork of you. Shall I oil up your suit of armour?”

Friedrich nodded. Good, perhaps this would cheer him up after the meeting with the church.

 

[Sindicolo]

I ofently play HRE states in MMG. I will follow your AAR.

 

[CountArach]

@ aHuman(oid) - Thanks. I do like the idea of having a mirror of sorts off-site. Congratulations as well.

@ comagoosie - Yeah, I'm aiming for a slow, more detailed and realistic game.

@ Sindicolo - Me too. The HRE module is great.

 

[CountArach]

Chapter 3 – News from the South
30th August 1454

‘Money, there’s never enough money,’ Friedrich thought wistfully. More money would mean more men, which would mean more wars, which would mean more glory for the Kingdom of Brandenburg. Money had always been a problem for Brandenburg. There was no way it could compete with the other northern states, all of whom had access to sea travel and there was no way that their lands themselves would ever be as rich and fertile as those of Italy. Brandenburg was just stuck between the two.

Just today he had been forced to cancel the plans that were had for the so-called Feast of the Pheasant. Each Kingdom was supposed to pledge support for yet another crusade to free the city of Constantinople. For all the disdain that Friedrich had for the clergy, he was still a good Catholic and he believed that the great city needed to again be free, or else the Ottomans would be knocking on Brandenburg’s door, preaching their Islamic teachings. Such a thing could not come to pass.

But Brandenburg could not afford this feast. This had disappointed many in the clergy and indeed in Rome itself. Yet, what could Friedrich do? Brandenburg had only 8000 ducats to its name and the feast itself would likely have cost 25000 ducats. There was never enough money.

Brandenburg cannot afford the Feast of the Pheasant and as such is left with no choice but to ignore church policy.

The past year had been good to Brandenburg though. The war in the south had looked like becoming a stalemate for a long time, with Poland not successful in completing a siege on Lausitz. They were however able to occupy Silesia and most of their land. Poland had also taken most of the East of Bohemia. Yet Bohemia held up the Polish at their capital. That had been in May. Very little had changed since then, though there were rumours of a renewed Polish attack gathering.

The situation in early May 1454

The war had one good outcome for Brandenburg out of the war though. Friedrich had commissioned many diplomats to go to the south and report back to him regularly on the goings-on of the war. This had introduced him to Pavol Praha, who Christian von Hohenlohe had told him was beyond merely competent. He had apparently helped to negotiate a one day truce between Poland and Bohemia during one of the major battles, so that the dead could be collected and given proper Catholic funerals. When Christian had brought this to Friedrich’s attention, Friedrich had known that there was always going to be a place in his court for Pavol.

The King’s court in June 1454*

Since his recruitment, Pavol had been the King’s favourite Diplomat, who was crucial in concluding several royal marriages with bordering Kingdom’s, most notably with the rich trading states. Pavol had also introduced him to another man who he knew. A mercenary who now lived a peaceful life on a farm within the borders of Brandenburg. He said that his name was Ulrich Diefendorf.

Ulrich had a revolutionary idea about the army of Brandenburg, one which Friedrich found quite compelling. He claimed that, because Brandenburg could never build a large army, even with the compulsory conscription that Friedrich had introduced earlier on in his reign, Brandenburg should concentrate on its military discipline. Ulrich said that he was willing to write up a manual that proposed a new training regime. All he asked for was to be ennobled with the title of Baron. Friedrich was all too happy to oblige.

And that brought him up to now. Ulrich was still writing, at least Friedirch hoped he was.




*Actually there was also another Diplomat on offer that was twice as good, but he was far too expensive. Plus I do my best to not make it to such a high BadBoy that I feel that I need a Diplomat to save me.

 

[unmerged(514)]

Excellent writing!


Will keep a look on this one!

 

[comagoosie]

That is good, build up the discipline, then the Brandenburgian army will be unstoppable!

It looks like Friedrich is preparing for war, this is going to interesting.

 

[coz1]

Linkendorf is quite the painter. Nice find. And probably just as well you went with Saxony and Bohemia over Poland. You will still likely be busy in the early going with wars. I'm interested to see when and if you decide to go against the Emperor and keep territory they want you to return. Those are some fun wars.

 

[Bingo Brett]

Nice job. I'll be following this one as well.

 

[CountArach]

@ Ubik - Couldn't have done it without your hard work. Thanks.

@ comagoosie - Let's just say that he has plans...

@ coz1 - Yeah that was a great find. I also have Cabinet, so I get him much cheaper.

@ Bingo Brett - Thank you.

 

[CountArach]

Book I - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Whispers in the Courts
19th December 1454

Friedrich looked over the training grounds and smiled with satisfaction. A mere month ago these men had been conscripted into the army. Now they were the very cream of the army’s fighting crop. Baron Diefendorf had done his work well. Friedrich weighed up the manual in his hands and opened to a random page:

…the duty of the soldier to obey all commands from his superiors, lest he find himself before a military tribunal. Such order taking is the natural way of the world and it should be obvious to even the lowliest corporal that an army without one man giving orders is nothing.

Finally, it should be remembered that a soldier who does not follow the orders to the letter compromises the integrity of the regiment he is part of. His mistake could cost him not only his life, but that of his comrades-in-arms. It is important to consistently remind the soldier of this, for fear of reprisal from his fellows and fear of causing their death is oftentimes enough to scare a man into submitting to authority.

When it comes to the matter of disciplining the men, it is often a good idea to use the cane, administered from one of the soldiers of equivalent rank. This leads to…

Ulrich’s new handbook greatly improves the discipline of our army.

Friedrich heard someone calling out for their Liege from the other side of the practise field, and saw Pavol Praha running around towards him. Friedrich’s smile widened. Pavol wasn’t really of the right shape or build for such a thing. By the time he reached Friedrich he was gasping for breath.

“My… King...” he panted, trying to get some air in while getting his message out. “I bring news from… the… other electors… At least the King… of Saxony would… willingly support you… if you… were to take the throne… from the Emperor…” with that he fell into a nearby chair, still panting.

Friedrich was stunned. How could Brandenburg expect to seize the throne now? Friedrich did not like the current Emperor much, few of the Electors did. Yet, they had all voted for him unanimously. There was no other choice. It was a matter of survival.

Looking out at the training field he wondered – could I send these men to fight a war we would lose for no other reason than my own vanity? ‘Bah! I am growing weaker by the day.’ he thought. ‘Of course I could send these men to die for me. That is why they are alive.’

And yet – what of his own life? A war with Austria would not stand a large chance of being successful. It would likely end up with his own execution, not to mention that of his family. Brandenburg could spend many years recovering from the war. All of his work, and the work of his father would be undone.

“Pavol,” the King whispered. His quiet voice surprised even himself. Gathering himself together he raised his chin and put on a commanding voice, “Pavol. Return to the King of Saxony and tell him that I have no wish for the throne of the Emperor.”

Brandenburg is offered the chance to claim the Emperor’s throne, but refuses.