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GreatUberGeek

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Aug 8, 2013
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Hello everyone! It's GüG here with another EU4 AAR! As my HOI3 AAR (look at my signature) is winding down, I've decided to start a new one. Following friend volksmarschall's (;)) newest AAR, I've started thinking of an AAR with the United Provinces somewhat late game. So for this, I will be playing as the Netherlands in the 1579 Eighty Years War bookmark, to see how I fare against the Spaniards!
The title is taken from an old Dutch prayer around this time:
"Lord protect us from sea, Spaniard, and the devil."

8m33zdd.jpg

Enjoy! A preliminary update will be ups soon-ish.
 
It's great to see I have such influence on these forums and not the academic world that I am employed in! :p

And in case you ever want a fun GC (and maybe an AAR too, although I won't be doing that for this game I'm playing), form the Netherlands with Gelre starting in 1444! It is my most enjoyable GC game I am playing, minus that one that is the basis for a certain Roman AAR of mine of course! :closedeyes:

Glory to the House of Orange!
 
It's great to see I have such influence on these forums and not the academic world that I am employed in! :p

And in case you ever want a fun GC (and maybe an AAR too, although I won't be doing that for this game I'm playing), form the Netherlands with Gelre starting in 1444! It is my most enjoyable GC game I am playing, minus that one that is the basis for a certain Roman AAR of mine of course! :closedeyes:

Glory to the House of Orange!
Of course you have a lot of influence. :D Hmmm....I've tried Friesland but no Gelre. Maybe I should, they are like the only monarchy at start.
Glory indeed! I may move up the start date a bit, to make it easier. :eek:o
Anyone have any good resources on the Dutch Revolt? I need them for my first couple of updates. :nods:
 
Anyone have any good resources on the Dutch Revolt? I need them for my first couple of updates.

Although it is not necessarily a book about the Dutch Revolt, (time to give a shout-out to my vast collection of works!) Geoffrey Parker's "The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road" includes some very interesting and deep analysis of the logistics, morale, and supply for the famous Spanish Army of the Flanders, and thereby commentary on the Dutch Revolution begins about half-way through the book if memory serves me correct, although this is not really a "popular" history in the sense of it being accessible and understandable to the lay reader. Nevertheless, a great work! I now I must confess, I really don't own anything on the Dutch Revolt proper.

When in doubt, a couple of online encyclopedias are very well done (although I have had long discussions with former professors of mine about the viability of wikipedia or encyclopedia britannica to which we generally arrived at the same conclusion: for introductory material, pretty good. For any serious research, please avoid! But please don't call yourself "an expert" because you read wikipedia! :glare: )

Happy Hunting! :) And good luck to you GuG when you begin the game!
 
Count me in.
 
Although it is not necessarily a book about the Dutch Revolt, (time to give a shout-out to my vast collection of works!) Geoffrey Parker's "The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road" includes some very interesting and deep analysis of the logistics, morale, and supply for the famous Spanish Army of the Flanders, and thereby commentary on the Dutch Revolution begins about half-way through the book if memory serves me correct, although this is not really a "popular" history in the sense of it being accessible and understandable to the lay reader. Nevertheless, a great work! I now I must confess, I really don't own anything on the Dutch Revolt proper.

When in doubt, a couple of online encyclopedias are very well done (although I have had long discussions with former professors of mine about the viability of wikipedia or encyclopedia britannica to which we generally arrived at the same conclusion: for introductory material, pretty good. For any serious research, please avoid! But please don't call yourself "an expert" because you read wikipedia! :glare: )

Happy Hunting! :) And good luck to you GuG when you begin the game!
Thanks for the info! I'm looking those up. My EU4 (and all other Steam games) have been crashing on me. :(
Count me in.
Welcome, Range! Good to see you here.
Working on update right now.
 
The Beginning of the Revolt

Beginning of Tensions

YR9Pm42l.png

The Spanish Netherlands, 1566
The root of the Dutch revolt was planted deep in the dynastic politics of the 15th and early 16th centuries. The Netherlands were seen as occupying several distinct spaces. The first is modern-day Holland, the United Provinces. The next is Flanders and finally Wallonia, which together compromise modern-day Belgium. The purple in the map above is the Prince-Bishopric of Liege, unimportant to this study. The history of the Revolt begins with Austria inheriting the Netherlands in the late 1400s. The Habsburg dynasty was keen to use their charm, not their weapons, and the policies paid off. They inherited the lands of Burgundy, which covered the Netherlands and parts of western France. Lower Burgundy was not as profitable or large as the Netherlands, thus they do not feature largely in any history.

h2EL8pU.jpg

Charles V

Austria managed to spread their dynasty throughout Europe. The most wide-reaching achievement was the Habsburg king of Spain. The two polities, Spain and Austria, first became united under Charles I of Spain and V of Germany. He ruled over a huge part of the world. His holdings stretched from Peru to Madrid to even the Phillipines. His dominance would usher in the Dutch Revolt.


Sorry for the short update guys! :(
 
Sorry for the short update guys! :(

Never feel rushed to produce an update unless you feel satisfied with it! :)

I would know, I condense my work sometimes when I feel unsatisfied or that it is not up to par with my previous work!
 
Updates are never short if they fully tell the reader what's is happening, what's already happen, or give hints of what's about to happen. I think you hit all three targets dead center.
 
Never feel rushed to produce an update unless you feel satisfied with it! :)

I would know, I condense my work sometimes when I feel unsatisfied or that it is not up to par with my previous work!
Thanks, volksmarschall! :)
Updates are never short if they fully tell the reader what's is happening, what's already happen, or give hints of what's about to happen. I think you hit all three targets dead center.
Very wise words, Range! Thanks!
Oooh looking forward to this!
Welcome, Jape! The Dutch Revolt is a very interesting time...;)

Working on the update, up either later today or tomorrow.
 
Dutch AAR, therefore obligatory sub. I must say though, I felt that your introduction was far too brief and didn't really convey what I felt you intended it to convey, namely the roots of the Dutch rebellion. Sure, you mention the Hapsburgs and the fact they had lots of land, and that's all well and good, but you didn't really elaborate on why they were such a threat, why the Dutch hated them so, and why, ultimately, they were such a threat and such an object of ire to their Dutch subjects that said subjects decided to rise up against them. The common man doesn't just take up arms and risk their very lives because some Hapsburg inherits some land. You say that it was Charles' dominance which would usher in the revolt, but you didn't do enough IMO to convey that sense of dominance. I don't as yet fear for the Dutch people or sympathise with their plight - I don't even know that there is a plight - all I know as a reader is that the Hapsburgs have lots of land.

Now granted there is plenty of time left to build up all of that tension in the AAR should you as a writer so choose, but frankly, given the size of that update why are you waiting to do so? :)
 
Very interesting starting period and location to choose! Looking forward to seeing the future of the Netherlands.
 
Dutch AAR, therefore obligatory sub. I must say though, I felt that your introduction was far too brief and didn't really convey what I felt you intended it to convey, namely the roots of the Dutch rebellion. Sure, you mention the Hapsburgs and the fact they had lots of land, and that's all well and good, but you didn't really elaborate on why they were such a threat, why the Dutch hated them so, and why, ultimately, they were such a threat and such an object of ire to their Dutch subjects that said subjects decided to rise up against them. The common man doesn't just take up arms and risk their very lives because some Hapsburg inherits some land. You say that it was Charles' dominance which would usher in the revolt, but you didn't do enough IMO to convey that sense of dominance. I don't as yet fear for the Dutch people or sympathise with their plight - I don't even know that there is a plight - all I know as a reader is that the Hapsburgs have lots of land.

Now granted there is plenty of time left to build up all of that tension in the AAR should you as a writer so choose, but frankly, given the size of that update why are you waiting to do so? :)
Thanks for the feedback, Tanzhang. I'll try to keep this in mind as I write. :)
Very interesting starting period and location to choose! Looking forward to seeing the future of the Netherlands.
The Dutch and their revolt are a very interesting time period for me. Their future may be in doubt.
Eager to see another update soon. Eu3 Holland games were always my favourite. Feel like I have seen the stylistic flourishes somewhere before though. Count me in!
Welcome, WGPower! Stylistic flourishes? :p Whatever would you mean?
 
The Dutch Revolt

SPAIN AND THE DUTCH

The Dutch were a rather special case. After Luther nailed his theses on the door in Württemberg, the Dutch had mainly been fervent followers. When the French reformer Calvin formed his own religion, the Dutch were one of the few to convert, along with the Swiss and the Palatine. Meanwhile, Spain was perhaps the most devout Catholic state. The two people were diametrically opposed. The Spanish Inquisition was in full swing at the time. The Dutch felt opressed and downtrodden by the king in Madrid. One of the only reasons they did not revolt during Charles' reign was that the king was himself Flemish, and thus a 'man of his people'. The majority in the north were Calvinist, though in the south they were mainly Catholic. This would later play an important role in the Dutch Revolt itself.

The troubles started mainly with the abdication of Charles V. The pious king stepped down to dedicate his life to prayer. His son, Philip (or Felipe), was an ultra-Catholic-and a Spaniard, no less! He viewed the rising strength of Calvinism with alarm. His reign over the Netherlands basically sparked the Revolt in three main ways: religious, economic, and political.

2XoGUmq.jpg
Philip II​

His first act in the Netherlands was to appoint a new minister. The man, Cardinal Granvelle, was extremely unpopular. He basically imported the Inquisition to Holland. Even the Catholic nobles disliked him and his harsh measures. Philip's own half-sister, Margaret of Parma, was sympathetic to the Dutch. They clamored Philip to fire Granvelle and let the Dutch live in peace. But the King would have nothing of that. He simply replaced Granvelle with the even harsher Duke of Alba. It was clear that Philip cared not for the Dutch and their own religion.

7vB9slu.png

The Cardinal Granvelle

Economically, the Dutch had some of the richer cities and people. They were used to being financially sound. But war costs money, as they quickly learned. The final Italian war of 1551-1559 pushed Spain to the very limits against their French competitors. There was huge numbers of Spanish troops stationed in Flanders, Holland, and the Rhine as well. Their upkeep cost the state quite a bit in money. Even with the gold bullion flowing from the Americas, Spain was hard-pressed. They had to resort to heavy taxation of the Dutch people. Thus emerged a pattern later seen in American rebellions. The Dutch ferociously resisted attempts to tax them one bit. Despite the fact that Spain itself was harder taxed than the Dutch, they refused to be swayed. This set on them on a direct confrontation with Philip, even when the war ended.

Politically, Spanish Netherlands was unstable. The Calvinist majority despised the king for oppressing them, and the Catholic aristocracy felt distanced and unwelcome. It was not a good combination. With either of those two on their side, the Spanish might have been able to continue ruling over the Dutch; might. But Philip was too strong-headed for that. Likewise, the Dutch refused to budge. It was a tense atmosphere in 1566 when it all exploded, into the largest revolt in Europe up to that point.


Longer update today! Hope you like it!
 
Ah Phillip II, too bad Spain's overseas wealth brought them a false sense of security, and ultimately billions of gold ironically bankrupted Spain! (Glad to see EUIV did incorporate this if you are unlucky enough to have that event hit you). So many you will get lucky? Or perhaps you will end the 80 years' war a bit, or a lot, sooner than normal! ;)
 
Thanks, BR! :)
Ah Phillip II, too bad Spain's overseas wealth brought them a false sense of security, and ultimately billions of gold ironically bankrupted Spain! (Glad to see EUIV did incorporate this if you are unlucky enough to have that event hit you). So many you will get lucky? Or perhaps you will end the 80 years' war a bit, or a lot, sooner than normal! ;)
Philip II, that old bastard. :D
I'll be starting out in 1581, since you get the Dutch Republic government type then, until 1581 it's actually a monarchy.
 
I'll be starting out in 1581, since you get the Dutch Republic government type then, until 1581 it's actually a monarchy.

The special republican government of the Dutch in which the Stadtholder rules for life! :cool: Unless your in a Stadtholder-less period...(historically)...it's still a de facto monarchy! I never really played a campaign as the Dutch with the Netherlands properly formed via a chosen scenario, always found trying to form them as a Dutch Minor to be more challenging and rewarding - although I figure you will have you hands full going up against the mighty Spanish Army of the Flanders early on!

Hmm, a youtube channel - now we can all hear your voice! :p Just don't go down the Video AAR path now? ;)