Well how can I respond to this? I can try to outline my rationals as well as Spain´s position at the last session.
First of I´m sorry, Mats, as this obviously rather upset you...on a personal level. That was most certainly not my intention.
Nothing personal. Hence why I am saying "Spain" and not "Ampoliros".
In any case it was not something that was lightly done. There were many factors involved and I do believe some of them were the results of policies you choose to engage in:
1. Your expansion into southern France obviously to be used as a base versus Spain.
2. your unprovoked invasion of Spain.
3. The fact that we had napped everybody else (including Venice) effectively meaning that we would have not been able to gain any mt whatsoever.
1. Yes, initially. But when that programme was abandoned, by my standing down on the invasion, the provinces was only there since I already had them. As you may recall, Spain offered to buy the three, and I was reluctant to part with Gascogne alone. The other two I later agreed to sell to you, but then you had changed your mind.
2. Since my ally at the time was England, and England had ample reason to retaliate against your attempts to seize Ireland, the invasion was as an aid to England more than anything. On top of that, there is always reason to attack the richest nation.
3. That is a failure in your own diplomacy. And that is what I am criticising. But what does that matter? You could break the NAP with me; then you might as well sign NAPs with everyone and break them just as easily.
Add to that the fact that we signed this nap in a kind of an ad hoc fashion right after the session before last. As I knew I had agreed to it.....pro forma.....it is my bad. However I would stress that I openly told you, Mats, that I wasnt happy with NL in southern France - so you can´t really have been so surprised about this.
Indeed, and I did offer to sell you Armagnac and Toulouse. I knew about our conflict of interest in Gascogne, and if I were to acquire other ports elsewhere, it could have been settled. But demanding Malta on top of it? That just proves that your words were empty already when I stepped off from the invasion back in 1686.
