Will Alexander modernize his phalanx of Hoplites before the Norvegians or Danes aim their guns toward the empire ?
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All Byz needs to do now is start annexing vassals and getting rid of those rebel breakaways.
Little details like that always amuse me. Completely unfair and sexist, but it definitely gives the impression that it's a real history written by a well-read but imperfect historian.
On another note, I've noted that everyone's so focused on the (long predicted) Pax Byzantium that they're missing the glory that is Imperial German Siberia!
Seriously, that last bit catches my weirdness fancy a lot more than the reborn Byzantium, although that's certainly interesting. Also, unless the game's naming conventions are weirdly off, I'm getting the impression that Mongol culture rubbed off on the HRE a bit more than it appears. At the very least, it looks as though the Imperial family has taken to adopting Mongolian names for its members (!).
WRONG
BYZ needs to not annex if it wants to survive. Once an AI blog gets too big it breaks up, vassals help out heaps in preventing an AI blob from self destructing.
Nice update. I'm eager to see where this goes. Looking forward to reading about discovery of the Americas by Europe, as well as the next global update.
Unfortunately, unlike CK2, ruler names in EU3 are tied to the country tag not the ruler's culture, so any ruler of Sibir will have Mongol names. Though it certainly seems likely that there would be some sort of German-Mongol cultural fusion going on out there. Sounds like a rather militant mix. I didn't see the rise of Sibir coming but I suppose I should have realized a latin tech country out there would do very well.
And here is the state of the world in 1581:
The Cultural map of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia:
The Religious map of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia:
And some shots from the ledger:
As to the HRE:
The Cultural map of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia:
The Religious map of Europe, North Africa and Western Asia:
And some shots from the ledger:
As to the HRE:
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My god, Sibirs army is massive! The could probably fight Norway to a draw (and possibly better) if it ever came to that.
1) The Shawnee and Aztecs both look large enough to present a significant (but hardly insurmountable) challenge to European colonists. I predict we'll see a slower conquest of the Americas but that it will still eventually happen. Out of curiosity does EU3 have any way to represent disease, per chance? That might have an important effect on the Shawnee/Aztecs' ability to resist, although technology is probably just as important (and why I think they'll lose regardless).
2) The Manchus look like they want to become the next great Central Asian Empire (instead of say the next Chinese dynasty). I imagine they'll find Sibir and Byzantium better prepared to resist them than the Mongols found the Seljuks and Russians though.
4) I'm surprised how little progress after two centuries (IIRC) the Danes have made on Iberia. It looks like the cultural affectations of the Iberians haven't changed remotely since the start of CK2. Well, except for the Basque in the east absorbing Catalonia and Aragon. My guess is that implies the Danes might have issues with staying power in the peninsula, although their economic and military power suggests otherwise.
5) On the other hand, Russian and Persian culture appear to be headed the way of the dodo. I wouldn't be surprised if they're completely absent from your next world update.
6) So Orthodox Christianity is the new Islam, Catholicism is the new (Russian) Orthodoxy, and Protestantism has been wildly successful in western and central Europe. And Islam is basically relegated to pockets in Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and (not on the map) Indochina. Definitely different from OTL.
7) I wonder if Catholicism will be greatly affected by its move eastward. My guess is not, because the game engine probably isn't that sophisticated, but in 16th century terms there's a pretty big distance between Sibir (one of the more prominent Catholic nation-states) and Rome, so I could see the pope's power becoming greatly reduced and the Siberians heading towards de facto clerical independence. But again, I doubt EU3 is sophisticated enough to represent that and in any case that kind of ended up happening anyway in the real world as a consequence of the Reformation.
8) An interesting question will be to see who ends up colonizing the New World, because that could heavily impact on which brand of Christianity (and it's almost certainly going to be a Christian power) ends up pulling ahead. If it's Norway or England (which are both pretty likely) we could see Protestantism confined to Europe (which would be interesting). But if Navarre ends up colonizing the New World (or perhaps one of the French states) then Catholicism could become even further relegated to Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
It's probably very messy at this point. And completely non-contiguous. I'd imagine that with the scattered nature of Central Europe and the odd geography Eastern Europe is assuming that the Holy Roman Empire is even less holy, Roman, or imperial at this point than it was in OTL. Most of what would be our HRE is controlled by Frankfurt and the Imperial throne is held (for now anyway) by Sibir. At this point it seems like the Empire exists only in theory.
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What's the story with Connacht? I don't even know where they are, but they're somehow 7th in income - and with 0 inflation!!??
Also, greek culture is everywhere! Very impressive.
Finally, I want to make a prediction: in the next 40-60 years, a big Denmark-England war.
Also, greek culture is everywhere! Very impressive.
Finally, I want to make a prediction: in the next 40-60 years, a big Denmark-England war.
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Nivenus, colonial map propably will be some sort of puzzle... like always in eu3.
Hamtastic, I guess Connacht is getting their income from trade.
And thx for great update.
Hamtastic, I guess Connacht is getting their income from trade.
And thx for great update.
Sibir is AWESOME 
They probably have to mint quite a bit to afford that huge army though, I am afraid...?
They probably have to mint quite a bit to afford that huge army though, I am afraid...?
Connacht is an OPM in Ireland that has a monopoly on Sjaelland and five merchants in Amisos, Chernigov, Genoa and Venezia.
Oddly enough Sibir doesn't have too much inflation at the moment (15%). Grand army, national conscripts and being Emperor are probably helping with the army costs. And it has no navy, so that helps a bit too.
Oddly enough Sibir doesn't have too much inflation at the moment (15%). Grand army, national conscripts and being Emperor are probably helping with the army costs. And it has no navy, so that helps a bit too.
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THE VOYAGES OF GODOFREDO DE YANGUAS AND THE NEW WORLD, 1574-1591
In his declining years, Francisco III Febo de Sens of Navarra lamented his nation’s location on the periphery of world trade. Oh, its wine market at Tudela rivaled any in the world to be sure, but wine was not where the greatest profits were made. It did not bring the vast wealth that trade with Africa, India and China did. The real money was in ivory and sugar in Tangier, coffee and spices in Alexandria, tea in Amisos. If such goods made it to Navarra at all, they did so at exorbitant prices.
Francisco wished that there were some way to obtain these goods without their passing through the grubby hands of the Danes and Greeks. One of his advisors, a Bohemian scholar named Ondrej Boleslav, came to him with a plan. He had obtained a copy of an ancient Greek text—was it Herodotus?—that reported that the Phoenicians sailing all the way around Africa for an Egyptian pharaoh. If such a thing could be done then, it could be done again. Even if the distance proved too great for profitable trade with India, they could at least circumvent Mali and the markets of Tangier and Alexandria and trade directly for ivory.
Francisco died in 1574, before his plan could come to fruition. He died childless and the senior nobility of the kingdom formed a regency council, for the best heir that could be found was the infant son of Francisco’s cousin Alaia, the Kondesa of Barcelona. But Ondrej persuaded Alaia—and she persuaded the council—that the idea of sailing around Africa was one worth pursuing.
It would take years of preparation, however. Alaia gave Ondrej Monreal Tower to set up as an observatory to take measurements of the position of the sun and other celestial objects used in navigation. It was judged too dangerous to sail close to shore around Mali, so they would need to be able to navigate on the open sea. The data he collected in the coming years would improve the ability of properly trained navigators to use an astrolabe at sea. The regency council also encouraged the founding of a small colony on the island of Arguin off the coast of West Africa. The plan was that it would serve as a supply center for ships heading south around the African coast. After a decade of preparation, all that was needed was an intrepid captain who would dare to sail into uncharted waters.
In early summer of 1584, Godofredo de Yanguas took the helm of the largest of eight ships to set sail for the south from Arguin. But he had not traveled far when he and his men were caught in a terrible storm, the likes of which they had never seen. It was miraculous that six of the ships managed to survive the storm. But they had been blown far off course, well west of the coast of Guinea, west of any known lands.
And when the storm winds died, they found themselves with no wind at all, becalmed for days afterward. Worse, they were caught in an ocean current that carried them steadily further west. Godofredo was an educated man and knew there was no danger of falling off the edge of the world; the astrolabe worked because the world was round. But watching his dwindling supplies of fresh water he suspected they had drifted too far to make it back to the African coast. Some mariners had argued that one could sail west and reach Asia, but if the calculations of Eratosthenes were correct, there was no way they could reach the Indies alive. He could only pray that they would find land somewhere soon.
After days of prayer his heart quickened when he spotted a line of billowy white clouds in the west. He knew that clouds might be a sign that God had answered him and land was nigh. When a beautiful green island appeared in view, he hurriedly gathered a landing party. He kissed the sand while his men devoured the sweet, dark red berries of the trees that grew abundantly along the shoreline. He named the island Barbatis, latin for bearded after the appearance of these fruit trees.
When they had recovered from the rigors of their journey and foraged for enough food and water, his men were eager to return to the African coast. But Godofredo knew that islands often came in clusters and ordered them to explore the area. His instincts proved correct and they found several more islands within a few days sail of Barbatis. His excitement began to grow as he considered that the hot climate and abundant rainfall would make these islands suitable for cultivating many of the crops that grew in the Indies and Africa. The islands were not so far away from Europe and the inhabitants were primitive and would pose little threat. It was clear that they had never seen any one like the Navarrans and they were frightened by their horses. They understood not a word of Basque, Danish, Castillian or Latin, and it seemed likely that no European had ever set foot on these islands before. He told the captains of two of the ships to sail back to Navarra and bring word of this amazing discovery. He was determined that he and the other four ships would remain behind and investigate this region further.
That winter he followed the chain of islands to the north, discovering the much larger islands of the Greater Antilles. Still following the island chain to the west, he landed on the shores of what was not a mere island, but part of a large land mass. It dawned on him that he had discovered a whole new world that might prove as large as Europe, and that was rich in possibilities. He also found the only stone cities he had seen in the west and a people who—while still very primitive and having no guns or metal armor—were fierce and proved dangerous in numbers. He hastily set sail back to the islands after an altercation with some of the natives took place after his boisterous men took liberties with a local woman.
He spent most of 1585 sailing northward along the coast of this continent, which was proving far larger than he had dreamed. By the time he had reached a great sandy cape where the fishing was excellent, the weather was growing colder and he chose to turn south again. The following year he found a densely forested land mass in the south that rivaled the one in the north in size, with huge rivers flowing out of it. Nowhere did he find any sign that other Europeans had been there before him.
Godofredo’s Map of the New World, 1587:
Sadly, Godofredo took ill with a fever and died the following year, but the news of the vast, undeveloped territory in the west reached home with his men. Some were initially skeptical of the reports and old Ondrej Boleslav grumbled that they were making excuses for coming back after three years without circumnavigating Africa. The tales of this strange and exotic new land caught the imagination of the young King Francisco IV, however, and soon more explorers were sent out, and settlements planned.
Over the next few years Navarran sailors explored around the west coast of the southern continent and up the east coast of the northern continent, discovering the abandoned Norwegian colony in Greenland. And though they did not sail all the way around Africa, they did explore its entire Atlantic coast. Colonists landed on the islands of Jamaica, Martinique and Antigua. Though the colonists suffered ill health and struggled to survive, Godofredo’s idea that crops that grew poorly in Europe might thrive in the New World proved true. Sugar plantations in Antigua were successful, and the “African” sugarcane the merchants brought to market—for King Francisco IV had warned that any mention of its true source would be viewed as treason—delighted the merchants at home.
Navarra sought a foothold on the main continent but the hostility of the Shawnee tribe was a major obstacle to settlement. In 1591, Francisco IV declared war on the Shawnee. The Shawnee were dealt a devastating blow at the battle of Catawba and in 1593 forced to sign a humiliating peace. They surrendered all their coastal provinces to Navarra, and released the Cherokee tribes from their bondage. The Navarrans, realizing that it might be difficult to maintain a large enough garrison to keep the coastal areas safe, sought an alliance with Cherokee. High Elder Agi it Waya eagerly agreed to ally with their benefactors from across the sea, who had freed them from subjugation by the hated Shawnee.
And so Navarra had a solid foothold on the continent. Enterprising Navarrans put the natives to work planting and harvesting cotton, which was snapped up by merchants in Navarra and sold to the Norman and French weavers. While the rest of Europe squabbled over tiny tracts of land, Francisco IV ruled a kingdom that spanned the Atlantic and his advisors wondered how best to develop this vast new land.
The Navarran Colonies in 1596:
In his declining years, Francisco III Febo de Sens of Navarra lamented his nation’s location on the periphery of world trade. Oh, its wine market at Tudela rivaled any in the world to be sure, but wine was not where the greatest profits were made. It did not bring the vast wealth that trade with Africa, India and China did. The real money was in ivory and sugar in Tangier, coffee and spices in Alexandria, tea in Amisos. If such goods made it to Navarra at all, they did so at exorbitant prices.
Francisco wished that there were some way to obtain these goods without their passing through the grubby hands of the Danes and Greeks. One of his advisors, a Bohemian scholar named Ondrej Boleslav, came to him with a plan. He had obtained a copy of an ancient Greek text—was it Herodotus?—that reported that the Phoenicians sailing all the way around Africa for an Egyptian pharaoh. If such a thing could be done then, it could be done again. Even if the distance proved too great for profitable trade with India, they could at least circumvent Mali and the markets of Tangier and Alexandria and trade directly for ivory.
Francisco died in 1574, before his plan could come to fruition. He died childless and the senior nobility of the kingdom formed a regency council, for the best heir that could be found was the infant son of Francisco’s cousin Alaia, the Kondesa of Barcelona. But Ondrej persuaded Alaia—and she persuaded the council—that the idea of sailing around Africa was one worth pursuing.
It would take years of preparation, however. Alaia gave Ondrej Monreal Tower to set up as an observatory to take measurements of the position of the sun and other celestial objects used in navigation. It was judged too dangerous to sail close to shore around Mali, so they would need to be able to navigate on the open sea. The data he collected in the coming years would improve the ability of properly trained navigators to use an astrolabe at sea. The regency council also encouraged the founding of a small colony on the island of Arguin off the coast of West Africa. The plan was that it would serve as a supply center for ships heading south around the African coast. After a decade of preparation, all that was needed was an intrepid captain who would dare to sail into uncharted waters.
In early summer of 1584, Godofredo de Yanguas took the helm of the largest of eight ships to set sail for the south from Arguin. But he had not traveled far when he and his men were caught in a terrible storm, the likes of which they had never seen. It was miraculous that six of the ships managed to survive the storm. But they had been blown far off course, well west of the coast of Guinea, west of any known lands.
And when the storm winds died, they found themselves with no wind at all, becalmed for days afterward. Worse, they were caught in an ocean current that carried them steadily further west. Godofredo was an educated man and knew there was no danger of falling off the edge of the world; the astrolabe worked because the world was round. But watching his dwindling supplies of fresh water he suspected they had drifted too far to make it back to the African coast. Some mariners had argued that one could sail west and reach Asia, but if the calculations of Eratosthenes were correct, there was no way they could reach the Indies alive. He could only pray that they would find land somewhere soon.
After days of prayer his heart quickened when he spotted a line of billowy white clouds in the west. He knew that clouds might be a sign that God had answered him and land was nigh. When a beautiful green island appeared in view, he hurriedly gathered a landing party. He kissed the sand while his men devoured the sweet, dark red berries of the trees that grew abundantly along the shoreline. He named the island Barbatis, latin for bearded after the appearance of these fruit trees.
When they had recovered from the rigors of their journey and foraged for enough food and water, his men were eager to return to the African coast. But Godofredo knew that islands often came in clusters and ordered them to explore the area. His instincts proved correct and they found several more islands within a few days sail of Barbatis. His excitement began to grow as he considered that the hot climate and abundant rainfall would make these islands suitable for cultivating many of the crops that grew in the Indies and Africa. The islands were not so far away from Europe and the inhabitants were primitive and would pose little threat. It was clear that they had never seen any one like the Navarrans and they were frightened by their horses. They understood not a word of Basque, Danish, Castillian or Latin, and it seemed likely that no European had ever set foot on these islands before. He told the captains of two of the ships to sail back to Navarra and bring word of this amazing discovery. He was determined that he and the other four ships would remain behind and investigate this region further.
That winter he followed the chain of islands to the north, discovering the much larger islands of the Greater Antilles. Still following the island chain to the west, he landed on the shores of what was not a mere island, but part of a large land mass. It dawned on him that he had discovered a whole new world that might prove as large as Europe, and that was rich in possibilities. He also found the only stone cities he had seen in the west and a people who—while still very primitive and having no guns or metal armor—were fierce and proved dangerous in numbers. He hastily set sail back to the islands after an altercation with some of the natives took place after his boisterous men took liberties with a local woman.
He spent most of 1585 sailing northward along the coast of this continent, which was proving far larger than he had dreamed. By the time he had reached a great sandy cape where the fishing was excellent, the weather was growing colder and he chose to turn south again. The following year he found a densely forested land mass in the south that rivaled the one in the north in size, with huge rivers flowing out of it. Nowhere did he find any sign that other Europeans had been there before him.
Godofredo’s Map of the New World, 1587:
Sadly, Godofredo took ill with a fever and died the following year, but the news of the vast, undeveloped territory in the west reached home with his men. Some were initially skeptical of the reports and old Ondrej Boleslav grumbled that they were making excuses for coming back after three years without circumnavigating Africa. The tales of this strange and exotic new land caught the imagination of the young King Francisco IV, however, and soon more explorers were sent out, and settlements planned.
Over the next few years Navarran sailors explored around the west coast of the southern continent and up the east coast of the northern continent, discovering the abandoned Norwegian colony in Greenland. And though they did not sail all the way around Africa, they did explore its entire Atlantic coast. Colonists landed on the islands of Jamaica, Martinique and Antigua. Though the colonists suffered ill health and struggled to survive, Godofredo’s idea that crops that grew poorly in Europe might thrive in the New World proved true. Sugar plantations in Antigua were successful, and the “African” sugarcane the merchants brought to market—for King Francisco IV had warned that any mention of its true source would be viewed as treason—delighted the merchants at home.
Navarra sought a foothold on the main continent but the hostility of the Shawnee tribe was a major obstacle to settlement. In 1591, Francisco IV declared war on the Shawnee. The Shawnee were dealt a devastating blow at the battle of Catawba and in 1593 forced to sign a humiliating peace. They surrendered all their coastal provinces to Navarra, and released the Cherokee tribes from their bondage. The Navarrans, realizing that it might be difficult to maintain a large enough garrison to keep the coastal areas safe, sought an alliance with Cherokee. High Elder Agi it Waya eagerly agreed to ally with their benefactors from across the sea, who had freed them from subjugation by the hated Shawnee.
And so Navarra had a solid foothold on the continent. Enterprising Navarrans put the natives to work planting and harvesting cotton, which was snapped up by merchants in Navarra and sold to the Norman and French weavers. While the rest of Europe squabbled over tiny tracts of land, Francisco IV ruled a kingdom that spanned the Atlantic and his advisors wondered how best to develop this vast new land.
The Navarran Colonies in 1596:
I wonder how long it takes before some enterprising sailor steals a bunch of charts and visits the Danes.
Awesome, we might see a Basque-dominated New World yet!
I just hope the English & Danes don't get any ideas too soon...
Also, anyone else rooting for Sibir to reach Alaska?
I just hope the English & Danes don't get any ideas too soon...
Also, anyone else rooting for Sibir to reach Alaska?
Sibir will almost certainly discover Alaska - it's just a matter of when.
Glad to see that it was Navarre who discovered the New World; as much as I like the mighty Danish Empire, I was hoping that it would be the Iberian underdog who found the New World. It probably helps that they hold Granada and so can access the Atlantic without having to pass through the Pillars of Hercules (which if I'm not mistaken are controlled by someone else).
So what's the New World going to be called anyhow? Godefrida (fem. Latin for Godfrey / Godofredo)? Or perhaps Francisca (for the king that sponsored its discovery and colonization)?
Glad to see that it was Navarre who discovered the New World; as much as I like the mighty Danish Empire, I was hoping that it would be the Iberian underdog who found the New World. It probably helps that they hold Granada and so can access the Atlantic without having to pass through the Pillars of Hercules (which if I'm not mistaken are controlled by someone else).
So what's the New World going to be called anyhow? Godefrida (fem. Latin for Godfrey / Godofredo)? Or perhaps Francisca (for the king that sponsored its discovery and colonization)?
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