The Icy Star Ascendant

[Norgesvenn]

Dear SecretMaster!
Thank you for a truly enjoyable read! Screenshots aren't even necessary with such imaginative and eloquent writing. By the way, Christian IV is still regarded as a great administrator here in Norway, based on his contribution to elevate this country from poverty to relative prosperity compared to the Danish mainland. His wars were, however, catastrophic to the monarchy, losing Jämtland and not managing to regain Skåne.

Anyway, great piece of writing!

 

[unmerged(2540)]

Christian cannot believe it, and slinks his army home to Meckelberg...

LOL, don't that beat all. One of the reasons I always try to get leadership of any alliance I am in is simply because of that. the "allies " decide to cut their losses even if you have all the country under you. I admit, a few times, I actually took major stab hits when i declared war on supposed "allies", simply because they decided that taking one province and 5d was better than allowing me to take 3 and 250d So, I simply added the ungrateful outs into my nation. I would not suggest that witht eh Ruskies, as that would be foolish, but maybe, after 5 years, DoW Poland yourself? And then, tkae what you want, and make damn sure the Ruskies get screwed over

Good AAR, And I agree, who needs screenies when you are so eloquent in describing everything

 

[unmerged(2826)]

Where actually is Manado??? I don't know what the location of it is!!!

 

[unmerged(2540)]

Originally posted by emperor dennis
Where actually is Manado??? I don't know what the location of it is!!!

in Pacific, near Philipines area? Going on memory here, and as i have alzheimers, well, it's a 20/80 shot i get it right

 

[unmerged(2826)]

Why not say 1/4??? It could be, I'm not that good on non-european provinces

 

[Secret Master]

About that lovely Dutch island, and other sundries....

I keep forgetting that, since all of you are not leaders of the glorious Union of Kalmar, the geography of certain things may be a bit mysterious. I have a set of maps for a later period which show clearly where Manado is, along with the entire empire of the Union, but that would reveal too much of the future to you, removing the suspense of a future war. I provide this link of an older screen shot, with the following commentary.

old screen shot link of south pacific

If you look on the map, you will see Union controlled Sulawesi. You will notice terra incognita to the north part of the island. That would be Manado. It is a spice producing province with a decent population. That would be what made it more vauable than taking Magdeburg from the Netherlands; I wanted the spices. In a later part of the AAR, you will know just how important those spices become to the economic power of the Union.

In response to you, Honour_Shogun, the Union's foreign policy will be changing as a direct result of the Russian Intervention. As you can no doubt tell, an alliance with Russia is becoming less and less profitable by the year. And since the Russians are an equal partner in the alliance, not a tiny little buffer state with no will of its own, the Union's monarchs may choose to let relations with them dwindle. Perhaps not to the point of emnity, but the time of the Alliance of the Northern Wind is soon to pass. And that is as it should be.

 

[Secret Master]

Here's how you do it, Wildwolf

You are very correct, Wildwolf, that I edited the scneario at its beginning. The standard Union of Kalmar option does not provide CB shields on Union provinces, only Danish ones. Also, it uses the DAN tag and the Danish flags for itself. The KAL tag, which was originally intended for the Union of Kalmar, but never used, was used by the IGC fathers and mothers to create another country. Here's how to make your ICG scenario be like mine.

First, you will need to know how to edit the save game files. If you do not, look in the scenario forum and they can help you (takes too long to explain here). What you do is set up the ICG for the Union of Kalmar option and start the game, saving right away on day 1.

Then, you edit the save game file, and copy all province numbers from the owned block of the DAN tag to the national block of the DAN tag. This gives you CB shields on all owned provinces at the start. Also, I advise deleting all province numbers in the naitonal provinces block before doing so, to prevnt it from messing up. This will give you CB shields on all owned provinces, and take away a CB shield in Estonia, which the Union does not really need (though it is nice to have).

Once you have done that, you have a Union of Kalmar with proper CB shields that uses Danish flags. That will probably be just fine for you, but if you want, you can have the proper flags for the Union itself, not just the Danish flags. If you want, I can send them to you and tell you where to place them (its a real pain in the arse to grab them off the CD, so I can save you the trouble).

Email me here Secret Master's current email

Make sure and put who you are in the subject line, or my spam filters might make your email go away. Look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for all the support, fellow arm-chair emperors!

 

[Xanadu]

To put this simply...

A great read! Good work.

 

[Secret Master]

The most glorious and efficient central government of the King

By August, Christian has crushed the rebels in Mecklemburg.

January, 1671: Christian has successfully reorganized his government in to a central government. The nobility are involved in the running of his government, administering colonies, naval facilities, and army garrisons. They have embraced the change, mainly because of his personal charisma. He also sends a letter of insult to the Scots, demanding that they enter into a royal marriage.

In March, a royal marriage is conducted with the Scots.

By May, the heretics in Tavastland have been converted back to the true faith.

January, 1672: Christian hosts a conference with the Union's allies. He presents personal gifts to the Czar, Brandenburg, and Saxony, cementing their friendships. Money pours into the colonies.

In May, Spain declares war on France. France's allies rally to her cause, but Spain stands alone. Christian wonders aloud at court as to the sanity of Spain's rulers.

January, 1673: Money is flowing in from trade through the Union's colonies. Investment continues in the overseas possessions of the Union. At home, fortresses continue to be expanded.

In March, a royal marriage is arranged with England.

January. 1674: Fortification building continues at home, while colonial possessions are expanded in India and the South Pacific.

In February, Spain settles its war with France, taking Nivernais and Sault.

January, 1675: Fortresses continue to be built at home. Christian estimates it will take until the next century to achieve the maximum level of fortifications possible in his lands. Abroad, trading posts continue to be set up in any place with chinaware or spices. Money also flows into merchants, keeping the Union on top of the spice trade coming from the south Pacific.

In August, a royal marriage is arranged with Helvetia.

January, 1676: The fortress project continues. Soon, the colonial possessions of the Union will be upgraded to the highest level of infrastructure, thus increasing their revenue.

January, 1677: The fortress project continues, as well as the building of trading posts. The big news, however, concerns the Turks. The Turks have seized Apulia from Naples and annexed Modena. Christian feels that soon Austria will settle their war with Spain, and pursue the Turks. As far as the Union is concerned, there is nothing to worry about.

In November, a royal marriage is conducted with Aragon, once again for the sole purpose of insulting Spain.

January, 1678: Christian confers with his foreign policy ministers and his economic advisors. They tell him that the Poles do not hold much competition in the Union's centers of trade. But, if Christian wants to force them into a war, he can embargo them and they will surely respond, as all of their trade goes through Union centers of trade. Christian carefully considers this.

In February, Christian adds Poland-Lithuania and Austria to the Unfriendly Powers Edict, thus placing them under trade embargo. The nobility are concerned at this, but not overly so.

January, 1679: there is no reaction from the Poles or Austria yet. They are still at war with Spain, so a declaration of war will not be forthcoming in the near future. Still, they cannot trade at the Union's centers of trade, hurting them financially somewhat. The fortification project continues.

In May, France declares war on Spain. Spain's allies desert her.

January, 1680: Wars continue to rage across Europe, though none of them are related to the interests of the Union. Christian continues the fortification project, while keeping an eye on available territories that produce spices or chinaware. His goal is to eventually out-produce all other European nations in those products and to control the trade of all others. The trade through Sulaweisi is generating a fortune in revenue.

Also in January, the Poles and Spain settle a white peace, thus the Poles abandon their ally in Austria.

In February, news reaches court that the Turks have annexed Ethiopia. Despite their defeats at the hands of European powers, they seem to be able to push other smaller powers around.

In May, Christian renews the Alliance of the Northern Wind between Russia, Brandenburg, Saxony, Helvetia, and the Union.

Also, Christian sends letters of introduction to Hess and the Palatinate.

In December, Spain and France end their war, with Spain ceding Nivernais to France.

 

[unmerged(2826)]

Hmmmm!! Your own COT in the South Pacific, with all the spices there money will be flowing in!!!!!!

 

[Secret Master]

And with all that money flowing in, guess who will end up with the best military in the world?

It would seem a sound fiscal policy is the precursor to building an empire... Now, just wait until I send in the results of actions early in the 1700s.

 

[Sharur]

How, exactly, in game terms did the current Christian centralize the monarchy?

Good job, but you still haven't annexed the Netherlands

 

[Secret Master]

Christian's government and those Dutch folks

Well, in all honesty, Christian centralized his government in the game by devoting extra budget funds to infrastructure research. In 1671, the Union reached the tech level of "Central Government", thus I stated in the AAR that he had reorganized his government into a central government. The stuff about the nobility is just writer's fluff.

Now, about those silly Dutch people... I do not state it in the AAR, as it would be out of character, but there is one province of the Netherlands that at this point in history I cannot reach without declaring war on 2 countries: Hess and the Netherlands. The province in question was Cologne, as you can see in the map in the next post. Suffice to say, it would not be possible to annex the Netherlands without doing the Union of Kalmar equivalent of invading all of the Low Countries, France, and parts of the HRE. This is because of the way alliances are structured at this time. My monarchs do not want an early WW I, so that option is out. In later years, you will see France cobble up the the provinces in Europe I would have a hard time getting access to with my troops. When they do so, and most of Europe is busy with other wars, then the time will be right to crush the Netherlands. The question is this: Can I annex all of them, even with their nice colonial empire? Or will a coalition band together to save the Netherlands and stop the Union of Kalmar and her allies? You will have to wait until later in the AAR to find out (Im already to the 1730s in the game, so I already know).

 

[Secret Master]

The Acts and Edicts of Intergration, triumph of the King's reign

On January 1st, 1681, Christian surprises the world with the Act of Integration, directed towards Saxony. With this act, Christian unites Saxony with Union of Kalmar, making Saxon nobles equal to Danish and Norwegian nobility. The territory of Saxony becomes one with the Union. Brandenburg, Russia, and Helvetia are troubled by this, but Christian sends them assurances.

In September, peasants in Saxony rise in revolt, opposing the Act of Integration. The Army of Bremen is dispatched to fight them.

By October, the are wiped out.

In November, they rise again, but the Army of Bremen, already in Saxony, disperses them.

January, 1682: The fortification effort continues. Austria and Spain continue to hammer at each other in the HRE.

In October, Crimea secedes from the Ottoman Empire. Turkey's allies desert her for the war. The Ottoman Empire is becoming a very broken and fragmented entity.

January, 1683: The fortification effort continues. Christian also sends personal gifts to Russia and Brandenburg to help them come to terms with the Act of Integration. He also sends a letter of introduction to Austria, hinting that he may help them some more in their war with Spain in exchange for assistance against Polish expansionism.

In February, Christian gives another indication of support to Austria, and he removes Austria from the Unfriendly Powers Edict, thus allowing them to trade at Union centers of trade. The Austrian government still loathes the Union, but Christian sees a future alliance in the works.

In May, Christian completes a reformation of the army, thus improving its effectiveness.

January, 1684: Christian sends personal gifts to Brandenburg and Russia, bringing them back into the diplomatic bosom of the Union. Also, the fortification project is now complete. Christian orders a reorganization of field armies. The Army of Bremen is to be renamed the Army of Saxony, and be based in Saxony. The Army of Kurland will remain itself. A new army, the Army of Jylland, will be formed and operate on the border with the Netherlands.

In March, the Ottomans forcefully annex Crimea back into their empire.

In August, Austria wins their war with Spain, taking Thurnigen from Spain.

January, 1685: Christian begins secret negotiations with Frederick Wilhelm of Brandenburg. Christian makes it clear that the time has come to make Brandenburg a full part of the Union, along with Norway, and Saxony. There are positive indications from Frederick, but the negotiations continue. A conscription center is built in Copenhagen. Also, Christian sends the Russians and Helvetia personal gifts, making them very happy.

In April, Spain declares war on Aragon. This is a big surprise at court, as the Spanish had been becoming friendly with Aragon. If Spain annexes them again, a general war could break out.

January, 1686: Christian is monitoring the war between Spain and Aragon closely. He sends a huge state gift to Aragon, with plans for another should they need it. Christian was quoted as saying, "Though the Aragonese are Catholics, they have the full right of self-determination without Spanish interference."

In February, another state gift is sent to Aragon. Aragon has become a close friend of the Union.

In April, the peasants in Narvick have increased the fortifications there. They are now the best fortifications in the world. Christian is most pleased.

In May, Aragon ends their war with Spain. They pay large war indemnities, which were financed with Union ducats, but they remain intact. Christian is pleased to have thwarted Spain.

January, 1687: The Army of Jylland is still being formed. Christian, as part of his negotiations with Frederick Wilhelm of Brandenburg, sends a personal gift.

In March, Christian signs a new agreement with Aragon, Brandenburg, Helvetia, and Russia. Aragon will now be a part of the alliance, but with the changing times, the name of the alliance will change as well. It is now the Concordat of Berlin, in honor of the meeting place between the allies.

On January 2nd, 1688. Christian signs the Edict of Integration with Frederick Wilhelm of Brandenburg, unifying them into the Union of Kalmar. Personal gifts are sent to Aragon and Russia to reassure them of the Union's sincerity towards them. Ships are being built in the Pacific ocean, as well as more troops. Christian is certain war cannot be far away.

With the unification of Brandenburg into the Union, there are no more Lutheran Protestant countries in existence besides the Union.

In November, Baden becomes a vassal of Austria.

January, 1689: Christian offers Aragon and Helvetia status as vassals, but they both refuse, damaging relations. Trading posts continue to be put up around the Pacific in provinces with spices and chinaware. The trade in Sulwiesi is still monopolized by the Union, generating obscene profits.

In April, the peasants in Kustrin rise in revolt against the Edict of Integration. The Army of Saxony deploys to fight them.

In August, the nobility are concerned when Christian begins acting very erratic. His mind seems to have caught a temporary insanity. There are calls for a member of the clergy to dispel the evil influence. While the crisis occurs, the government suffers.

January, 1690: Christian has recovered from his strange affliction. When he recovers, he issues the Edict of Visby. With this edict, he allows religious toleration to Catholics and Calvinists. The edict spells out that Lutheranism is still the state religion, and taxes go to the clergy. All other Christians can practice as they will, but receive no state support. Islam is still regarded as the worst of heresies. This edict changes the century old practice of Orthodox subjects receiving the same treatment as Lutherans, but Catholics were hunted like dogs. Now, they are all treated with equal ambivalence. The Union still only has Protestant provinces, so this is largely a foreign policy instrument.

In February, the ungrateful peasants in Mecklemburg rise in revolt. The Army of Saxony deploys to destroy them.

In March, Genoa becomes a vassal of France.

In May, the Concordat of Berlin expires. Christian does not have enough diplomats to form the alliance once again, so he sends one to Helvetia to begin it again. As he gets more, he hopes to re-induct Russia and Aragon into the alliance.

In November, Christian receives news that the Russian Czar has signed an alliance with the Ottoman sultan. He is not pleased, but can understand their problem of not being able to restart the Concordat of Berlin. Aragon is invited back into it, and they accept.

 

[unmerged(2826)]

When are you gonna annex Netherlands now, huh???

 

[unmerged(5736)]

oooooo.... changing times indeed ! just a thought though i thought u could only get countries to be your vassels if u shared a common border with them ? is this true ????
ps. go Union !!!!!

 

[Magraev]

Great read

Very nice AAR - keep up the good work.

I tried with the Kalmar once, but gave up bqz of the rebellions in the beginning.

I want to see France or England on it's knees. Hos is Poland-L. doing ??

 

[Secret Master]

Vassals and annexing

Azrael,

You do not have to have a contiguous border to vassalize anyone in the game. However, in these cases I did. Pommerania gave me a border with Brandenburg, and Hanover gave me a border with Saxony. I had them as vassals for years before diplomatically annexing them to the Union.

Now, as far as annexing them diplomatically, yes, you MUST share a land border with them OR have certain sea provinces between the two of you to do it. For example, in an older game, I vassalized Scotland as France, then diploannexed them under England's nose, even though we didn't technically share a land border. On the other hand, playing as the Union, if I vassalized the Palatinate, then I cant diploannex as they are not on the ocean.

For some more fun with vassalizing, read my next AAR post... all I have to say is that, damn, my prime minister was good!

 

[Secret Master]

Those Poles and English

Magarev,

Well, the Poles are doing fairly well, actually. As one of my earlier monarchs complained, "Every time we take lands from them, they just take lands from someone else. How are we to humble them?" It seems the Poles have remained one of the Big Eight. (The top 8 powers in the game.) However, as time has gone on, and with the Russians allied with the Turks now, The Poles have left the Union alone. Seems they got tired of losing to the Union, and prefer to attack towards the south and into Austria. The Union has no real desire to take their lousy provinces, so the Union refuses to go after them in war with great effort.

As far as England goes, they have been doing very poorly. The Scots own the Marches, Lancanshire, and Yorkshire. Their North American Empire is small, but with some good cities that have no fortresses. Their trade centers are dominated by the Union's merchants. As such, they are weak and couldnt hope to defeat the Union in a war. Poor fools...

 

[Secret Master]

The final insult to Spain

January, 1691: Christian continues to revitalize the army and navy with small amounts of reinforcements. He is still waiting for the Poles to decide to go to war.

In June, the peasants in Anhault rise in revolt. The Army of Saxony is sent to crush them.

By July, they do so.

January, 1692: Royal marriages are conducted with Hess and the Palatinate. A conscription center is built in Smaland. A new center of trade has opened in the Union's colony of Oahu. When Christian hears the a trading post has been established in gold producing Monterey, he orders colonists be sent at once, to add the gold to the Union.

In March, Christian creates the "Temporary Trade Realignment Edict" which temporarily embargos the entire world without diplomatic penalty. The Edict will last for 51 months.

In June, a royal marriage is conducted with the Czar.

January, 1693: Settlers are now pouring into gold producing provinces such as Wewak and Monterey. Christian hopes to Christianize the natives in Monterey so they can add to the economy. He is also saving money for goods manufactories.

In March, the peasants in Kustrin rise in revolt, but are crushed quickly.

In August, Portugal declares war on Spain. Hess deserts her ally in Spain. Christian considers offering Hess a place in the Concordat of Berlin.

In September, France drags her allies into the general war against Spain. Christian grows concerned about the balance of power.

January, 1694: Settlers are still being sent to Wewak and Monterey to take advantage of gold there.

In September, a royal marriage is arranged with Austria.

In October, peasants rise in revolt in Anhault and Kustrin. The Army of Saxony deploys to Kustrin, and the Army of Jylland deploys to Anhault.

January, 1695: The Army of Jylland has sieged Anhault. The revolt in Kustrin has been crushed.

Also, a goods manufactory is under construction in Hanover.

In March, Spain cedes Lima to the Netherlands, and Franche-comte to France.

In May, Christian sends a letter of introduction to Helvetia. Also, the revolt in Anhault is crushed.

January, 1696: Christian continues to fund settlers to Wewak and Monterey, but it is slow going. He also sends personal gifts to the Czar and to the Scots. This is part of a new foreign policy initiative. France is incredibly powerful, even in diplomacy. Christian wants to begin breaking apart France's alliances. Bringing the Scots into orbit around the Union will be the first part.

In March, he sends another personal gift to the Scots. They consider the Union their friends now. The peasants in Kustrin seize the garrison, and the Army of Saxony lays siege.

In April, the Netherlands and the Ottoman sultan finally end their decades long war with the sultan paying war damages.

In May, a royal marriage is arranged with Scotland.

January 1697: Christian is still heavily financing settlers to gold producing provinces. He sends a state gift to the Scots, but they receive it with indifference.

In May, Brandenburg rises in revolt. The Army of Saxony crushes them.

January, 1698: The colonies at Wewak and Monterey are not taking well, but Christian orders ducats poured into them. He also orders a new army to be built at Jylland. His goal is to complete it and prepare for war against Eire. Christian has a strong desire to convert the Irish to Lutheranism by force. This would also weaken France's power, as the Irish are allied with France.

In April, Christian sends a letter of insult to England, warning them to accept a royal marriage.

In May, they do so.

In June, Christian appoints Rosensoren as prime minister to the king. The monarchy now has a skilled administrator at the helm.

In October, a native attack damages the settlement in Monterey. Also, Saxony rises in revolt.

January, 1699: Rosensoren concludes the Aragonese Protection Pact with Aragon. Similar to the Protestant Pacts with Brandenburg and Saxony, the Aragonese protection Pact stipulates that the Union will shield Aragon like it is part of the Union, in exchange for a nominal yearly fee. Thus, Catholic Aragon is now a vassal to the kings of the Union of Kalmar. The king is most pleased. He also sends a state gift to the Scots, which turn them into one of the closest friends of the Union. Helvetia receives a letter of introduction.

On August 23rd, King Christian V, the Unifier, dies in his sleep. His reign has been a diplomatic success, bringing all Lutheran governments under the protection of the Union, and even vassalizing a Catholic country. The vassalization of Aragon is the "final" insult to Spain, as nothing else could be more isulting than this act. Also, the vassalization of Aragon demonstrates that a new era of "realpolitk" is upon Europe. The nobility hope his successors can do as well. His son, Frederick IV, succeeds him.