Your Wee Bit Hill and Glen – Reforging the Auld Alliance 1444 – 1458
Here are the six provinces which make up the realm of James II Stewart, King of Scotland. James is a decent (3/2/2) King and will at least ensure us a relatively steady flow of monarch points, although it is slightly concerning that he has no heir yet. We are, however, one of the poorer countries in the game, with base tax values ranging from just 1 to 7. This gives us an income of only 3.87, which is barely enough to hire a single advisor and support our military. Our geographic situation is hardly encouraging and offers little opportunity to capitalise on early game trade; the only node we have power in is the North Sea, worth a paltry 2 ducats, and for the first hundred years or so there will be little opportunity to encourage trade in this direction. This makes sense; at the start of the game Scotland lies on the periphery of the known world. We are not en route to very much at all, and therefore cannot expect to entice a large volume of trade in our direction. There are three nodes which flow into the North Sea; Chesapeake Bay, Hudson Bay and the White Sea, but all three are undiscovered at the start of the game.
We have two land borders in game terms; with the Norwegian Orkney Isles across the Pentland Firth and of course with England to the south. To our west, the isle of Ireland is divided, although England has already established its control over Dublin and the Pale. Unfortunately, none of the Irish provinces have a particularly high base tax either, so there is no 'get rich quick' scheme to be had there.
Our first priority is to hire an advisor; admin points are the most important and so we fill the slot with a level 1 . With our remaining cash a new barque will be built to improve our trade fleet.
Our small fleet of three barques are sent to protect our North Sea trade, our rivals Norway are competing there and wield greater trade power through their provinces, so we must combat this at sea. I leave one merchant collecting from the North Sea, but there is little point in assigning my second merchant anywhere just now; I have no trade power in London, or indeed anywhere else. Nevertheless, seeing1/2 next to the merchant icon annoys me, and so we send our man to transfer trade power upstream from London.
With our two diplomats, there are far more choices. Obviously, we want to maintain strong relations with France, with with our common enemy this will not be difficult. I will try to secure a royal marriage and alliance soon, but for the time being our first diplomat is sent to improve relations in England. This will ultimately succeed in only delaying any aggression; the AI has already selected a domineering attitude towards us so there is little chance of gaining even a royal marriage. I'd still like to keep relations relatively positive for the time being however.
Our second diplomat will be used to secure our first territorial expansion. Norway is part of the Danish led Kalmar Union, who can bring a far great navy and army to bear that we, and so it is to Ireland I turn my attention and begin forging a claim against Tyrone.
The three missions we can choose from are to improve our prestige, solidify our relations with the Papal State, or to Honour the Auld Alliance. The last is a Scottish mission which requires France to be at war with England, and nets us 1 stability and 30 army tradition if we declare war. While I have no intention of declaring war against England just yet, neither of the other two look particularly appetising and the +1 stability is especially useful, so I choose this mission.
With the initial decisions made, its time to get going. The first year of the game passes relatively uneventfully, and by the start of 1446 we have a claim on the province of Ulster. It's owner, Tyrone, has not formed any alliances, but just as we load our army onto out fleet in the Irish Sea a powerful revolt breaks out, routing the 3,000 strong Irish army and laying siege to the province. We would struggle against such a force, and so I opt to wait until the revolt has succeeded to launch my invasion.
The rest of 1446 passes with little to report. We slowly accumulate ducats which are used to expand our small trading fleet. At the turn of the year, a conflict emerges between the King and the Black Douglas, head of one of the more powerful Scottish noble factions. Historically, this occurred as James II attempted to consolidate his power in the realm, and our options are to either break the Douglas, destroying their castles and confiscating their lands, or to make peace with the family.
The first option would grant us a decent gold boost, a very tempting 50 admin points but at the cost of 12,000 rebels rising in our capital. The safe option, making peace, costs 5 prestige but brings a 1 stability boost.
As tempted as I am by the 50 admin points, the siege in Ulster is almost over and I don't want to delay my invasion any further. 12,000 rebels would require a significant expansion of the Royal Army, which numbers just 6,000 men, and so the monetary gains of taking on the Douglases would more than accounted for by the recruitment. I play it safe, and take the stability.
Finally, in June 1447, Ulster falls and the revolt is over. Although it has delayed me, the rebellion makes my invasion even simpler – there is no defending army to fight, and my troops land immediately meaning the garrison has not recovered to full strength. War is declared and my invasion begins disembarking.
With no opposition and a weakened defence, the siege of Ulster does not last long and by late 1449 the province is well on it's way to becoming a Scottish core. At just 4 base tax, it is not the wealthiest, but is still better than nothing. Apart from a small boost to income and manpower, this is the first province we control which lies in the London trade node. This means, rather than waste that second merchant, we can begin to collect a very small amount of trade from the second node. We will be hit with a pretty heavy negative modifier for collecting in a node which doesn't contain our capital, but it is still better than having the merchant contribute nothing.
At the end of 1449, after 5 years of gameplay, we finally get an heir. The (very anglicised) Charles will be our next King. As went enter the new decade, the first of what I hope will be many monopoly companies is formed. We opt to get the benefits gradually over time, which will increase our trade efficiency by 15% for ten years, and gives us a 50 diplomatic point boost. All in all, a very positive event. We continue to slowly increase our trade fleet, and Ulster becomes a core province in February.
As well as slowly increasing our economic base, it is worth looking at what options we have for further expansion. England is being beaten by France, and a revolt has broken out which has occupied much of Wales. However, now is not yet the time to strike, as the English situation will inevitably deteriorate further. Instead, I start to improve relations with Leinster, and secure an alliance with them. We are not the only ones expanding in Ireland however. Munster declare war against Connaught, and annex them in 1452.
By mid 1452, England are slowly losing more and more ground. It is time to make our first excursion over the border. We begin fabricating a claim on Cumbria in August. That same month, we increase our administrative technology, which allows the first idea choice. In our current geopolitical situation, a set of military ideas like quality would be very useful. However, it is a mistake to choose a military idea at the start. The first few levels of military technology come with significant improvements to morale and tactics. If you are using your military points to unlock ideas, you will fall behind in tech, and your 'high quality' army will be smashed.
In other circumstances I would quite often go with trade or expansion for my first choice, but the last thing I need right now are more merchants that I have nowhere to send. Instead, I choose exploration ideas.
A quick glance over the channel shows that although we enjoy a fairly positive relationship with France (+77), they are not inclined to sign an alliance with us. The distance between borders, our poor army strength and France's neutral attitude towards us mean we are 30 points short of securing their agreement. Our current relationship grants us just +19, so there is plenty of room to improve this, and a better relationship will hopefully encourage a friendly attitude which should make an alliance possible. This is, however, unlikely to have changed before the declaration of war; we will not have our French safety net yet.
By May of 1453, England's control of their land has deteriorated further with rebels active in East Anglia as well as nationalists in Wales. The English, clearly fearing a Scottish invasion to add to their troubles, decide to guarantee our independence in a bid to show that they pose no threat. I response by ordering 1000 infantry in Ayrshire. Finally, in November, we have finished our claim on Cumbria. England are only allied with Switzerland, and so we can assume that there will be no threat from overseas during this war. There are no English soldiers in Ireland, so I withdraw all my forces from Ulster to concentrate on the invasion. War is declared on the 26th November, and Leinster answer our call to arms, pledging their 3,000 men to attack Dublin. By going to war we also satisfy the conditions of our mission, giving me a bonus 1 stability and 30 army tradition. Our next mission is to forge a claim on Connaught, we hold off this for the time being.
With the revolts in full swing further south, we are free to begin a siege at Cumbria. Throughout the winter, there is no sign of either English or rebel armies, and the siege proceeds steadily. We soon have amassed enough monarch points to research level 4 military technology, which boosts tactics by 0.25, morale by 0.5 and infantry shock by 0.1. This is a far more significant boost to our army than the first quality idea would have given. Our war score at this point is -7%, but this is because we have not yet captured out war goal, and English fleets patrol the seas, blockading our ports.
With our trade fleets couped up in port and the increased armies requiring supplies, our balance has slipped and we are making a small loss each month. By March 1454 we are forced to take the first of what I expect will be several loans. With the interest being levied at 4%, each loan will make a further dent in our balance sheet. The longer the war goes on, the worse our condition will be at the other en.
During 1454 there is still no sign of any hostile forces, but it appears that much of the south coast has fallen into rebel hands. This is part of the risk we run invading at this time; the English rebels may number tens of thousands of men, and can be just as much of a threat as the English army. After a drawn out siege, Cumbria surrenders on the 27th December. At this point, we are still losing the war badly; -14% to be precise. This is entirely due to the comprehensive blockade that the English Royal Navy have set up around our coast. With just three large ships and ten barques, we stand no chance of lifting the blockade, and so our armies much capture enough cities to force our enemy to the negotiating table.
With Cumbria in our hands, we march south to see how the rebellion is proceeding. There are 12,000 rebels in Lincoln, and a further 10,000 heretics in Oxfordshire, effectively blocking our route to London. We withdraw north and begin a siege at Northumberland. With Yorkshire separating us from the rebellion, we can withdraw should the need arise.
Cumbria is, however, the war goal, and so the longer we hold the city, the greater our war score will be. By mid 1455 we have reduced the deficit to just -8%. The alliance have a total of exactly 14,000 men, but it is almost certain that all these men are the Swiss contingent; England’s rebel problems would not permit armies to be at full strength.
By October, we have had to take our forth loan. Total debts stand at around 75 ducats, which is not critical yet but is not ideal for such a poor nation. The defenders at Northumberland continue to hold against us, we are still many months from taking the city.
Finally, in March 1456 the city accept that no relief is coming and surrenders. Further south, 12,000 rebels have advanced to Yorkshire, while Dublin has surrendered to Leinster in Ireland. Our gains, combined with the effects of the ticking war score, mean we have 0% war score overall. We will need at least 10% to secure any real concessions from the AI, notwithstanding the high war exhaustion and ongoing rebellions, so we still have a lot of work to do.
With a large rebel stack deterring any advance into Yorkshire, we return to Edinburgh keeping our army intact. The province of Lancashire is currently rebel held, but does not contain any hostile forces, so we could potentially advance south along the west coast. In May, we complete our claim against the province of Connaught, and gain a conquest casus belli against Munster. As we have completed our mission, we also gain 5 prestige and 25 military power. The three missions available are to improve our prestige, become Papal controller, or to take Connaught. This third mission gives 25 admin power on completion, so I choose it.
While keeping the men in Edinburgh ensures we are not beaten in the field, we will need to increase our war score if we are to take anything from England. The army is ordered south to Lancashire, and we begin the siege of the rebel held city. By August, our armies have made little progress, but Yorkshire remains in English hands which at least ties down the 12,000 rebels. Our war score has reached +2 by this point, so finally our gains and the ticking war score outweigh the effects of the English blockade. Unsurprisingly, England would be very happy to sign a white peace with us at this stage, however, they will not countenance even the smallest of concessions.
In November, Yorkshire falls to the rebels, but they fortunately turn south allowing us to continue our siege of Lancashire. By early 1457, we have breached the city walls, and the garrison begin to tire. In the south, Cornish rebels finally declare their independence, and three provinces break away from England. This has a positive effect on my war score, as the provinces I hold are now worth slightly more to the diminished England. Without any other changes, my war score rises from +2 to +5. A large 16,000 strong heretic army have the Marches under siege to the south, and threaten my advance.
Finally, on the 25th April James II captures Lancashire. With a war score of 11%, a peace is possible. England would be willing to surrender Cumbria and pay 78 ducats. As tempted as I am, taking Cumbria from England will hardly close the gap between our countries, and so I opt to continue the war. James II and his 7,000 march east and begin the siege of Yorkshire. The rebel held city has a fully recovered garrison 2,000 strong, so I must hope that my forces can reduce the fort before any rebels show up.
By October, the heretics have captured the marches and on the 23rd they march north and begin the siege of Lancashire. James II has, however, created a breach at Yorkshire, and so we enter into a race against the rebels to take the city.
By January, Yorkshire is close to falling, and fortunately the heretics have made little progress against our garrison. Very interestingly, developments on the continent force the English to withdraw their fleet, and with the blockade lifted our war score jumps to +30%!
I sieze the opportunity to propose punitive terms; England will cede Cumbria and Northumberland, and will pay 60 ducats. This offer is worth 41%, but the war-weary English are happy to accept and reduce their foes. Had I held on and won the siege of Yorkshire, I could perhaps have taken a third province, but this would only work were the English fleet to remain abroad. On the 30th January 1458, peace is concluded and the Kingdom of Scotland pushes the border south with our ancient enemy. The ducats gained from England allow all but one loan to be replayed, and we are only a few ducats short of being able to clear it as well. The first war of Britain is over.
Reflections
Looking back on this, there were three key developments which I benefited from;
1) The revolts suffered by the English included a significant nationalist rising in Cornwall, which took three provinces and reduced the strength of the kingdom
2) When I had Lancashire under siege, the rebels captured Yorkshire but turned south. Had they come north it is unlikely I would have held them off – my siege would have been abandoned, I'd need at least two more loans to increase my army size enough to compete, and then would have been losing money even faster by paying the upkeep. This was a real turning point.
3) Finally, the English decision to withdraw the blockade opened that critical window where my war score was sufficient to take two provinces. Again, had they not done so I would have had to finish the siege at Yorkshire, and even then it is unlikely I would have been able to demand as much as I did.
All told then, luck played a major part in this war. Not only in its conduct, but also the fact I emerged totally unscathed; almost debt free and without losing men save to attrition. Indeed, I did not see a single English regiment, and I suspect for much of the war they had none. Any losses suffered would have cost manpower and ducats to replenish, and so this battle free war also reduced the debts I came out with.
Scotland has grown by two reasonable provinces, while England has actually lost five when you include the Cornish revolt. The balance of power still remains firmly with the English; despite their losses the wealth of the south east is more than a match for Scotland. However, while they remain so unstable the do not pose a threat.
