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A hard fought war. I only hope that gain is actually worthwhile in the long run.
 
@stnyln: Yeah, I think it will be though, with the extra income.
And thank you everyone who's been reading my AAR!

Now for the next section.

Deus Vult!
After the Austrian war was finally over, Spain committed herself to a time of peace and prosperity, staying out of European affairs. After going through the war, María Eugenia did not want to get involved in wars in Europe. She instead would focus her reign on improving the colonies and the internal affairs of the country.

Starting in 1562, Spain went into a time of great prosperity. Colonies were expanded in Puerto Rico and Panama and new lands were settled on the copper-rich Pacific coast of La Plata. Missionaries were sent to Tunis, the last remaining Muslim province in all of Spain, as well as to the viceroyalty of Nueva Castilla to convert the local populace. Additionally, three caravels were constructed in the Canaries to explore the Indian Ocean and the Spice Islands, and military access was gained through Milan to allow the ships to dock near the Cape of Good Hope.

Conversion_Yucatan_1562.jpg

Spanish missionaries begin the process of converting the province of Yucatan.

Despite the policy of non-involvement in Europe, María Eugenia was not afraid to expand in other regions of the world. Maps of the known world brought back to Spain by numerous explorers had shown Asia and Africa to be full of heathen non-Catholic states that needed to be conquered. Spain adopted a policy of conquest in the name of Catholicism, allowing her to freely declare war on any Muslim or pagan state without repercussions in Europe. In early 1563, Spain hired Claudio Colón, grandson of Cristopher Columbus to pilot the fleet exploring the Indian Ocean. The caravels were finally completed in March of 1564, and the army in Ifni was loaded onto the fleet.

In late 1563, two of the Spanish cardinals died and were replaced with Portuguese ones, giving control of the Papacy to Portugal. María did not react right away because she was losing interest in the Papacy after the war against Austria. The Spanish monarchy also felt that controlling the Pope was not necessary at that time because Spain was not getting involved in Europe. However, to keep the Pope happy, Spain kept their alliance with the Papal States and continued to pursue the policy of expanding Catholicism.

Curia_1563.jpg

The cardinals in the Papal Curia. Portugal recently replaced Spain as the controller of the Curia, with three cardinals.

In February 1564, the population of Tunis began to riot and attack the Spanish army stationed there after murdering the Catholic missionaries. A band of 1000 men attacked the Spanish force of 2000 cavalry and 2000 infantry. The Tunisian rebels fought bravely at first, ambushing the unprepared Spaniards. However, less than a week later, the Spanish army routed the rebels and peace returned to Tunis.
 
DEUS VULT !!! I'm glad to hear that Spain is not forgetting to honour her Catholic heritage through spreading the faith ^^ ! I hope your conversions work out !
 
Keeping hold of the Papacy can be a drain to be sure, and if you don't have need of the bonuses worthwhile to let lapse for a time.
 
Fighting a Losing Battle
The caravels were completed in March of 1564 and headed south along the West African coast with the 4000-man army from Ifni on board. They arrived in the Gulf of Nigeria on the 15 of June. Three days later, war was declared on Hausa and the army marched into the capital city of Bonny with no resistance. On August 2, the Spanish annexed Hausa, making the region of Bonny their first possession in sub-Saharan Africa. Queen María Eugenia immediately authorized construction of a courthouse in Bonny, to diminish the possibility of disputes starting a general revolt by the population.

Bonny_1566.jpg

The city of Bonny, conquered by Spain in 1564.

During the war against the Hausa, on July 3, the Republic of Utrecht asked the Spanish to enter an alliance with them. The Spanish agreed, because although they could not identify with the Pope’s reasons for attacking Austria in Italy, they did resent Austrian control over the Low Countries. The alliance would protect the last remaining independent state in the Low Countries, and help the Spanish expand their reach in the region. It would also help Utrecht grow to become much more than a mere city-state.

Utrecht would need the Spanish protection in mid-December, 1564, when Austria declared war on the republic after a naval dispute erupted in the Zuider Zee. Spain, in support of their new ally, honored the call and declared war on Austria once again. Now at war with the Papal States, Venice, Spain, Munster, and Utrecht, the Austrians were in for a hard time with so many enemies. Although they were winning against the Papal States and Venice on land in Italy, their coastal cities in the Adriatic had all been blockaded, cutting off supplies to the Low Countries. Munster went on the offensive quickly, initiating sieges in Berg, Gelre, and Lippe. Utrecht began a siege of Osnabruck while Spain aimed for Austria’s prize possession in the Low Countries, the bustling trade city of Antwerp.

Initial advances in the Low Countries were going well when on January 8, 1565, news arrived in Madrid that the city of Abruzzi was under siege by the Austrian army. Led by King Anton I Habsburg himself, the 13000-man army had broken through the Papal States and had set up camp outside the city. With only 4000 men in Spanish Italy, divisions of Tercios were hastily trained in Napoli, Calabria, and all of Sicily. Reinforcements were transported over from Barcelona to ready Italy for the Austrian onslaught. Three days after the siege of Abruzzi had begun, the Austrians attacked the Spanish position in Zeeland. Luckily, the army marching down to Antwerp was still in the region, and together with the garrison in Zeeland, routed the Austrians in three days. Antwerp was reached by the Spanish army and was besieged on January 20, 1565.

Although the situation was going well in the Low Countries, the situation in Italy looked grim. Sicily had declared independence from the Papal States in Apulia, and on January 27, Rome had fallen to the Austrians. Just as Austrian armies began to cross over into Spanish territory in Napoli, Ramiro de Alarcón, Spain’s defense minister who had integrated the Tercio into the Spanish army, presented a young Frenchman capable enough to lead the Spanish armies in Italy. His name was Guillermo de Borbón, and was appointed control of the army already stationed in Calabria. As Spain prepared for the Austrian invasion of Italy, bad news came from the Low Countries. Utrecht and Munster were losing ground to the Austrians fast, and it would not be long before both capitulated. In July 1565, Munster was annexed into Austria and a month later, Utrecht was forced to cede the region of Friesland. This meant that the full weight of the Austrian army in the Low Countries would now be focused on the Spanish possessions. Worse news came when the Pope made peace with Austria ceding all Papal land except for Rome, followed by the capture of Abruzzi by Austria.

Spanish_Generals_1566.jpg

The Spanish leaders as of 1566. All the generals are leading armies in the war against Austria, while Claudio Colón sits in the port of Bonny while the war drages on.

Now Spain was the only country left at war with Austria, and the war continued to go downhill for them. On September 6, the army in Zeeland was routed and embarked onto the navy blockading Antwerp. Three days later, the army in Italy, now 13000 strong, desperately attempted to relieve the siege of Napoli. Almost two months later, on October 21, Guillermo de Borbón and the 4000 men left in the Spanish forces retreated from Napoli. The troops arrived in Calabria a week later, demoralized and tired. The siege of Antwerp continued until December 2, 1565, when the army was run back to the ships by the Austrian advancement. The only Spanish gain in the whole year was the capture of the sole Austrian colony, in Santee. Although Spain maintained a naval dominance in the North Sea, the war seemed lost for the Spaniards on both the Dutch and the Italian fronts.

Austrian_Utrecht_War_1566.jpg

The war situation as of early January 1566. Despite early victories in the Low Countries, Spain has been pushed out and is losing ground in Italy.
 
Uh oh , the situation looks a bit grim ! Very intense mood in this chapter of your history , wilcox , excellently done !
 
The problem of having to (effectively) fight land wars overseas.
 
Finally had a chance to play after a massive amount of homework lately. Here's a special birthday update for everyone, to celebrate my birthday, April 13. :D

Fighting on Three Fronts
With the Spanish lands in the Netherlands occupied by the Austrians, and no friendly ports nearby, the Spanish armada blockading Antwerp was forced to retreat back to the Iberian Peninsula. While transporting the troops that were stationed in Zeeland through the Bay of Biscay, a heavy storm swept through the area and two of the ships were sunk. The army finally reached the port in Bilbao in mid-April of 1566. It was then that it was decided that the Spanish possessions in the Low Countries were truly lost. Peace negotiations began with Austria’s King Anton I, while Spain’s army continued to fight the Austrians in Italy.

The war against Austria in Italy, however, was faring just as badly. The fortress at Napoli fell in early April as well, and the Austrians were sending small bands of men to attack the Spaniards in Calabria. These bands were being repulsed easily, but it was only a matter of time before the full brunt of the Austrian military force advanced into Calabria. Spain struggled to gather troops in Italy with the only substantial source of manpower nearby being Sicily, which was already training troops as fast as possible. On May 4, 1566, María Eugenia offered the Austrians a ceasefire with Spain ceding the province of Zeeland, but King Anton of Austria flatly rejected the offer. In response, Spanish troops stormed the fort at Santee and proclaimed the colony to be under the rule of the Spanish crown.

The fighting in Italy continued with Spanish armies holding the defence at Calabria, but was interrupted when on May 18, 1566, the Kingdom of Morocco declared war on Spain. Spain’s ally, Utrecht, and Morocco’s ally, Algiers, were brought into the war on their respective sides. The involvement of Morocco and Algiers meant Spain would have to face hostile navies in the Mediterranean while transporting troops to Italy. Luckily, the people of Austrian-owned northern Italy were getting tired of the war and Austrian rule in general, and were deciding to revolt. This eased the pressure on the Spanish hold in Italy, allowing them to spare forces against Morocco and Algiers.

SpanishMoroccanWar_1566.jpg

The territories at the beginning of the Moroccan-Spanish war. Upon the Moroccan declaration of war, Spain had a few outposts in North Africa, and was already at war with Austria.

Forces were quickly raised in the Spanish Sahara and southern Iberia, to guard the fortress at Tangiers. The army stationed in Tunis moved south to the region of Gabes, which did not have a fort, and was taken easily. Additionally, the army that had disembarked in Bilbao was now being transported to Tangiers to defend the city. Morocco sent a small army of 1000 men to siege Tangiers, which arrived at the city on June 6, 1566.

One day later, the Austrians overran the army in Calabria and they began their retreat across the Strait of Messina to Sicily. Sicily was Spain’s last stronghold on the Italian peninsula, so further defenses were constructed on the island to protect against an Austrian attack. Troops continued to be trained on the island, to prepare for an all-out attack, as well as prepare for an attack on Algiers in case the Austrians offered and acceptable peace. So far, the only Austrian offer of peace had been for Holland, Zeeland, and Abruzzi, which Spain could not afford to give up.

The army from Bilbao arrived in the port of Tangiers on June 8, 1566, after two minor altercations with Moroccan and Algerian transport fleets. The army disembarked and immediately engaged the camping Moroccan forces, and within a day the Moroccan army was routed. The army in Tunisia had taken Gabes and headed to Constantine to attack the small Algerian force of 2000 men. The Tunisian army was led by Jorge Portocarrero, who had been transferred to the division after the retreat to Sicily.

On July 24, 1566, Austrian forces breached the walls of Reggio di Calabria and the city was taken, giving them control of all Spanish Italy. The Spanish army in Sicily was nowhere near ready to face the Austrians again, and something had to be done. In desperation, a peace agreement was offered to the Austrians ceding Zeeland and Holland back to Austria on July 28. Before July even ended, Austria responded accepting the terms of the peace treaty, known as the Peace of Messina, and the territories were handed over. The war would be seen as a devastating Spanish loss, as Austria was able to overcome the Spaniards on two fronts despite fierce Spanish defending of the respective provinces.

Spain_Austria_Peace_Offer_1566.jpg

Spain's peace offer to Austria in July 1566, which Austria accepted. The treaty would be known as the Peace of Messina, for the town in which the two parties met to discuss the peace terms.
 
Oh my ! Hope you recover from this one !
 
I don't think this is so bad really. The Netherland provinces were hard to defend, being so far away from your centre. In the next war (presuming there is one) however Austria's Italian provinces look like sutiable compensation. ;)
 
@ canonized: I hope so too :D

@ stnylan: Yeah, although I did want them so I could release the Dutch. I'm planning on not aggravating Austria any time soon, but in the future, Italy does look like a god target to take from Austria.
 
Finally had more time to play the game. :D Here’s the next update.

The Second Barbary War
Now that the war with Austria was over, Spain was free to turn her attention toward Morocco and Algiers. The army in Tunisia successfully advanced west to Constantine and besieged the city. On August 1, 1566, a Moroccan force of almost 8000 men led by Sultan Abu Merwan I attacked the meager Spanish army defending Tangiers. The battle lasted three days until the Spanish forces retreated across the Strait of Gibraltar. After a month of sitting outside the city, Abu Merwan became impatient and ordered an assault on the city. Bolstered by reinforcements, the army assaulted the fortress in Tangiers, and took it with over 1000 losses. The Spanish army, led by Luís Campomanes, retreated back to Gibraltar where the newly built Tercios and Charge Cavalry joined the army.

Gibraltar_Tangier_armies_1567.jpg

Spain's army in Gibraltar, now expanded to 11000 men and led by Luís Campomanes.

Spain maintained its naval advantage through the war, winning naval battles all along the Barbary Coast. The army and navy in Bonny were also brought up to Ifni to assist in the Spanish attack on Safi. The navy also was used to transport the 2000 men on Crete to the Algerian possessions in Libya. Benghazi, without any fortifications, was easily taken and the army moved on to attack Sirt. Meanwhile, Utrecht sent a small army to Algiers and managed to defeat the remaining Algerian forces in the area. The army settled in to a siege of Kabylia.

On January 26, Constantine surrendered to the Spanish. The Spanish army then moved on past Kabylia to the Algerian capital of Al-Djazir. After a long battle with the defending troops, the Spaniards led by Jorge Portocarrero defeated the Algerian army led by King Said II. Further troops from Sicily were sent to assist the siege in Sirt, after an assault on the city failed. After 4000 Tercios arrived in Sirt, the walls were finally breached and an assault began. The city fell on July 9, 1567. Spain then declared war on the Emirate of Tripoli, to gain full access between the Libyan provinces and Tunisia. The army moved into Tripoli meeting no armed resistance and began to besiege the capital.

Meanwhile, Utrecht had managed to take Kabylia and the army in Gibraltar had swelled to contain 11000 men. The Spanish army in Gibraltar was soon transported across the Strait, arriving in the vicinity of Tangiers on July 30, 1567. Supported by a naval blockade of the city, Spanish forces clashed with the Moroccan army. The battle commenced and despite the superiority in numbers, the Spanish army appeared to be on equal terms with the Moroccans. A week after the start of the battle, a small Moroccan fleet arrived and attacked the Spanish fleet. The fleet was rebuffed, and another small Moroccan fleet was sunk three days later. After two and a half weeks of fighting, both sides were tired and the battle could still go either way. Suddenly, on August 17, Sultan Abu Merwan was hit by a lance during a Spanish cavalry charge and fell dead on the field. The Moroccan troops were demoralized but still fought on for five days before they finally were routed. The battle was an important victory for Spain, as it clinched the victory against Morocco. Jorge Portocarrero marched the army into the city of Tangiers after a brief assault and became a great military hero in the eyes of the Tangerine people, as well as all of Catholic Spain.

Battle_of_Tangiers_1567.jpg

The beginning of the Battle of Tangiers. Both sides are evenly matched despite Spain being ahead in numbers.

Battle_of_Tangiers_1567_end.jpg

The end of the Battle of Tangiers. Although Spain took heavy losses, their victory in the battle was the turning point in the war.

On August 30, the castle at Safi quickly surrendered to Spain after hearing the news of Tangiers. Twenty days later, Spanish forces entered the city of Al-Djazir, taking the Algerian capital. On December 14 of 1567, the Moroccan army led by their new Sultan al-Mustadi I defeated the weakened troops in Tangiers. At this point Spain wanted a quick peace and began peace negotiations with Morocco. The two leaders, al-Mustadi and María Eugenia, met in Tangiers and six days later, the Moroccans and the Spanish signed the Treaty of Tangiers ceding the Algerian lands east and south of Tunisia to Spain as well as ceding the Moroccan city of Toubkhal to Spain. Spain was finally relatively at peace, although the siege of Tripoli was still going on. The siege would be completed on March 3, 1568 and was annexed into Spain a week after.
 
Congratulations on expanding the Reconquista ! I hope it won't be long until the home of St. Augustine is in Christian hands once more !
 
An excellent conclusion. Hopefully the Moors will trouble you no more.
 
Hey everyone. Sorry about not updating, I've been getting a ton of homework lately as I approach final exams. I'll try to get an update in this weekend.
 
No Rest for the Weary
Although Spain had now annexed Tripoli, they were not out of war yet. The nation of Swahili, whom the Spanish had heard of from Portuguese explorers on the coasts of East Africa, had been allied with Tripoli and was still hostile to Spain. Seeing no value in pursuing a war with the Swahili, Spain quickly sent diplomats to sign a peace with the African trading nation. Peace was signed on March 12, 1568, and Queen María Eugenia thought she could finally reign over her kingdom without warfare. However, merely two days after peace had been signed with Swahili, Portugal declared war against Spain and brought in their ally England.

The surprise attack by Portugal left the Spanish unprepared for the war. A large army of eleven thousand men led by the Portuguese king João IV swarmed across the unprotected border of northern Portugal into Galicia and León. The two regions were quickly overrun and by June of 1560 they were controlled by the Portuguese. María Eugenia, not wanting to resort to hiring mercenary forces, sent a Spanish force of 3000 men in six divisions to besiege the city of Faro, in southern Portugal. The army finally entered Portuguese territory in late May and began to set up camp outside the city. Meanwhile, Spanish troops from Sicily were being loaded up on ships to be sent to the new front.

Iberia_June_1568.jpg

The Iberian Peninsula, June 1568. Portuguse advances into northwestern Spain are shown.

In the Americas, the war between the Portuguese and the Spanish had extended to the two powers’ colonies. Spain began recruiting local troops in Barahonas to be sent to attack the Portuguese owned portion of the island. In the viceroyalty of Nueva Castilla, the border with the Portuguese territory was as poorly defended as the Portuguese border in mainland Spain. Six thousand troops were sent from the Yucatán Peninsula to attack the Portuguese in February, but the roads in the colonies were so poor that the army didn’t get to Tenochtitlán until July. By that time, the Portuguese had taken the Spanish mission at Sinaloa and had occupied the unfortified colonial cities of Huichol, Zacatecas, and Tarasco. The small Portuguese contingent now threatened the city of Sayultecas, which was protected by a small fortress. The capture of Zacatecas hurt the Spanish the most, because it was the center of trade for all of their North American colonies.

Mexico_June_1568.jpg

The Portuguese advances in the colonial theatre.

María Eugenia, not being of a military mind, delegated the strategic planning of the war to her most trusted military advisor, Ramón de Alarcón. He ordered five regiments of cavalry be recruited in and around Madrid to protect the capital city in case of attack. By the time the units were finally ready for battle, the Portuguese had moved on to besiege Salamanca. The army was sent around the siege to attack the rear Portuguese army in León. On the way there, the caballeros encountered a Portuguese army in the region of Castilla la Vieja. A skirmish ensued, in which the Spanish troops won with minimal casualties on either side. The cavalry army reached León and the rear guard of the Portuguese army in late July. However, the Spanish cavalry were severely demoralized and retreated after only a few days of fighting, on July 31. The caballeros began retreating north, toward Asturias, the only Spanish-held region in northwestern Spain.

Meanwhile, the war in Nueva Castilla fared better for the Spaniards. A revolt by the populace of Tarasco against the Portuguese occupation returned the region to Spain and the Spanish army finally arrived there from the Yucatán. The Spanish army arrived at Sayultecas on November 8th, 1568 and quickly defeated the 1000 men besieging the city.

Spain also made gains elsewhere in the war. In the naval theatre, Admiral Francisco de Mendoza, chief Spanish naval advisor who rose through the ranks during Spain’s involvement in the Papal-Venetian War, sent the Spanish fleet, now holding the army from Sicily, along the North African coast toward the Atlantic. The fleet sunk a few English ships while sailing past the Algerian port of Oran and reached the Strait of Gibraltar by August 1568, intending to blockade the port at Faro. However, Mendoza sent the fleet past Faro to the Lusitanian Sea and unloaded the army just north of Lisbon. However, shortly after the army landed and began to fight the Portuguese force in Lisbon, the Portuguese navy began to bombard the Spanish fleet.
 
Time for another update. School's finally winding down.

Many Gains, Many Losses
After a long battle between Portuguese and Spanish forces just north of Lisbon, the Spanish army, led by Guillermo de Borbón, finally defeated the Portuguese on November 4, 1568. The Spanish army proceeded to besiege the Portuguese capital, while occasional naval battles occurred a ways off the coast. The Spanish cavalry unit that had run away from the army led by João IV also found victory when they defeated a small force in Asturias. To add to the slew of victories that came in the winter, the army in Nueva Castilla also managed to defeat the army in Sayultecas and continued to pursue it northward toward the Portuguese colonies, capturing the valuable trade center Zacatecas on December 8. These small successes were not enough to defeat Portugal however, and Spain still had very few armies in Iberia.

The new year ushered in more victories for the Spanish in the European and African theaters. The victory over the Portuguese in Asturias saw a new general rise to lead the cavalry army. This general was José Cabeza de Vaca, and with the cavalry now being led by him, they headed southeast toward Castilla la Vieja. The region was in desperate need of help, as the Portuguese were besieging the main city in the area, Valladolid, and the walls had already been breached. Cabeza de Vaca arrived just in time and defeated the Portuguese army there, and continued moving south to Madrid, which had been surrounded by the Portuguese on November 5, 1568. To assist with lifting the siege of Madrid, over 3000 men were brought over from Tunis who disembarked in Valencia and marched west toward the capital.

Jose_Cabeza_de_Vaca.jpg

Jose Cabeza de Vaca, the leader of a Spanish cavalry army.

José Cabeza de Vaca was slightly impulsive, however, and he attacked João IV’s army as soon as he could without waiting for the reinforcements to arrive from Valencia. The cavalry army charged but was routed easily within days and retreated south to Toledo without many losses. This set back the full attack on Madrid by months, giving João the time to complete the siege of the city. The Portuguese took Madrid on April 16, 1569, causing further distress for María Eugenia. However, with two armies near the city, João IV moving on to siege another city, and the siege of Lisboa continuing unopposed, María Eugenia did not worry too much.

However, Spain had much to worry about, for João IV was sending his army of 11000 men to attack the cavalry army stationed in Toledo. After a long series of cavalry charges on both sides, the Spanish army retreated to Badajoz. Throughout the next six months, there were many back and forth battle in and around Madrid, with the city changing hands three times in that period. Spain also achieved many victories during that time. They pushed the English back from Infi and Rio de Oro and advanced into the English possessions in Morocco. The Spanish armies also successfully besieged Lisboa and Faro, securing the areas. Spain also took back Sinaloa in Nueva Castilla and occupied the Portuguese colonial cities of Tehuapan and Concho. By the end of November, the war had shifted slightly toward a Spanish victory, but there was still much that needed to be done to secure it.

Iberia_November_1569.jpg

Iberian theater, November 1569. Spain has captured Lisboa and kept control of Madrid, but has lost Toledo and other important regions.

Mexico_November_1569.jpg

The colonial theater, November 1569. Spain has made great progress here, destroying the Portuguese colonial guards and pushing far into Portuguese territory in the New World.