I recently started to play the game on hard difficulty with low aggression which has changed the game for me as the larger nations tend to survive longer. So when France not only survived but consolidated I was not surprised but rather delighted.
As Holland I got a lucky break with getting a 8/9/8 Queen who garnered me a "Claims on Our Rivals" and easy conquest of Friesland and Utrecht with the delightful bonus of vassalizing Munster and Brunswick. Burgundy survived in its origional form, only expanding into Bar and Gelre and vassalizing Brabant and Liege.
Forming the Netherlands I got my cores on Burgundy and Brabant, another core on the province of Brabant itself came with a border dispute thanks again to the Queen herself. I decided to start war with Burgundy to get my cores and free Brabant for annexation. Burgundy had the HRE as an ally but so what?
The war to destroy Burgundy wasn't too difficult thanks to an alliance offer from a mighty France. I took Antwerp, Ghent and all of Brabant. My Vassals managed to take the now annexed Liege and France took the rest. Bohemia did come to Burgundy's aid and invaded the Eastern Netherlands taking Friesland and liberating Gelre. My armies however counter-attacked and destroyed the invaders. Time for peace I thought but that would not be as easy as I thought.
Burgundy did not expand much for a very good reason. They were in a personal union with Bohemia which also explains why the HRE became involved in the first place. This was, of course, nothing but an oversight on my part and not an engine issue at all. The fact I had to now wage a costly and exhaustive war with Bohemia that would take another six years before I could get a peace deal is also not my issue. What do take issue with however is the ridiculous cost of peace I had to pay. I demanded Gelre and Antwerp in a peace deal, both provinces I had a core on and although Antwerp is wealthy province Gelre is not and these two provinces alone cost me 70% war score to claim. In a direct war with Burgundy I could get Gelre, Antwerp, Breda, Limburg, Brabant, Vlaanderen and Ghent for that and have room to spare te demand the release of a vassal or the liberation of Hainaut or something.
Even wierder still, having made peace with Bohemia on these terms I was still at war with Burgundy itself and I could now demand Ghent and the release of Brabant in another peace deal.
I enjoyed having to fight the war as it was hard fought and demanding and it's not like I can't live with having to fight yet another to get Vlaanderen as well but I do find this all very weird and I don't understand why thing happened like this.
As Holland I got a lucky break with getting a 8/9/8 Queen who garnered me a "Claims on Our Rivals" and easy conquest of Friesland and Utrecht with the delightful bonus of vassalizing Munster and Brunswick. Burgundy survived in its origional form, only expanding into Bar and Gelre and vassalizing Brabant and Liege.
Forming the Netherlands I got my cores on Burgundy and Brabant, another core on the province of Brabant itself came with a border dispute thanks again to the Queen herself. I decided to start war with Burgundy to get my cores and free Brabant for annexation. Burgundy had the HRE as an ally but so what?
The war to destroy Burgundy wasn't too difficult thanks to an alliance offer from a mighty France. I took Antwerp, Ghent and all of Brabant. My Vassals managed to take the now annexed Liege and France took the rest. Bohemia did come to Burgundy's aid and invaded the Eastern Netherlands taking Friesland and liberating Gelre. My armies however counter-attacked and destroyed the invaders. Time for peace I thought but that would not be as easy as I thought.
Burgundy did not expand much for a very good reason. They were in a personal union with Bohemia which also explains why the HRE became involved in the first place. This was, of course, nothing but an oversight on my part and not an engine issue at all. The fact I had to now wage a costly and exhaustive war with Bohemia that would take another six years before I could get a peace deal is also not my issue. What do take issue with however is the ridiculous cost of peace I had to pay. I demanded Gelre and Antwerp in a peace deal, both provinces I had a core on and although Antwerp is wealthy province Gelre is not and these two provinces alone cost me 70% war score to claim. In a direct war with Burgundy I could get Gelre, Antwerp, Breda, Limburg, Brabant, Vlaanderen and Ghent for that and have room to spare te demand the release of a vassal or the liberation of Hainaut or something.
Even wierder still, having made peace with Bohemia on these terms I was still at war with Burgundy itself and I could now demand Ghent and the release of Brabant in another peace deal.
I enjoyed having to fight the war as it was hard fought and demanding and it's not like I can't live with having to fight yet another to get Vlaanderen as well but I do find this all very weird and I don't understand why thing happened like this.
