1st place - EU III AAR challenge - now with pics
Congratulations to the winner of 1st place in the EU III AAR challenge!
* NOW WITH PICS INCLUDED
A Mercenary's Tale
In January of the year 1537 the Duke of Florence was assassinated. Surprisingly a 17 year old boy, not a member of the immediate family, was named Duke in his place. He warred for 30 years and expanded the territories of Florence. Finally he was granted the title Grand Duke of Tuscany, the first of his lineage. The title was given by Pope Pius V and unexpectedly affirmed by the Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V. He was the founder of a dynasty which would last for 200 years and become renowned across Europe. Many wonder how he became Duke. Many more wonder why the Emperor gave his support. His name, you ask, Cosimo I de Medici, the First Grand Duke of Tuscany, but this is not his story.
“ Wise men say, and not without reason, that whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past"
Niccoló Machiavelli, The Discourses. 1517
When the Duke of Milan died in 1447, without an heir, Milan descended into chaos. For 3 years this lasted until finally the Senate of Milan turned to Francesco Sforza, an Italian Condottiero, who became the new Duke. With that action the Sforza dynasty of Milan was founded. Sforza had an illegitimate daughter, Caterina. In 1473 she married Girolamo Riario, a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, and became countess of Forli. He was later murdered and she went on to secretly remarry. In 1496 she bore a son to her new husband. A son who grew into a man, a man who would later be called "the last condottiero", Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, Giovanni of the black bands.
Giovanni was a soldier born for war; he killed his first man at 12. At the age of 18 he won his first command fighting for Pope Leo X against the Duke of Urbino. At the age of 26 he commanded the forces of France and the Pope in the war of the league of Cognac. Machiavelli himself described him as the one man who might unite Italy. He was a commander who led from the front. In November 1526, during the battle of Governolo, he was wounded by a hand cannon, fired by a Landsknecht soldier. History would tell you that four days later Giovanni dalle Bande Nere died of septicemia, at the age of 28.
History is not always right.
It is true Giovanni almost died of that wound in 1526, almost. Left for dead on the battlefield, Georg von Frundsberg, commander of the Landsknecht knew who he held when his body was found. He recovered from his wounds but by then the war was over, that war at least.
1531 Conquest of Paradise
Giovanni was a Condottiero, a mercenary captain. When all is said and done one thing remained. He did not fight for honour, he did not fight for glory, he did not fight for God. He fought for one thing and one thing alone, gold.
"My son soon you shall be a man, it is almost your 13th name day as I write this. Our ship sails from these shores soon, as the sun breaks over the Andes, like surf on a reef. There are times when I look at our actions in the Americas and think to myself “God does not know me and I do not know God anymore”. It is too late now to think of the past what is done is done; let God decide on Judgement day. A man must find his own place in the world until that day comes.
Your mother may have told you, I sailed with the conquistador Francisco Pizarro in January of 1530. He held in his hand a document from the Castilian court of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, granting governorship of the New Castile. One condition this document laid on him, to raise a fighting force for the conquest of Peru, which is why I left our home. Some sailed with him to win him his lands, his brothers Hernando, Juan and Gonzalo, amongst others. The truth be told many of us sailed for nothing but the rumor of Gold”
“Letters Home, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere”
Pizarro marched south from Cauca in January 1531, to gain his lands. Giovanni moved east, chasing the legendary city’s of Gold. Pizarro soon found himself engaged in battle. Huascar, the brother of Atahualpa and rival for the Incan throne had stood in Quito with 10000 warriors. Rumor led Giovanni to Mariquita, outside the lands of the Inca. Failing to find what he sought he rejoined the conquest of Incan lands. Meeting no resistance city’s fell to him over the following months, as Pizarro fought in Quito. Caqueta, Quijos, Cuenca, Giovanni traveled ever South chasing rumor and myth. He reached Cuzco months before Pizarro; it was no city of gold. Time after time he heard stories of riches, just over the horizon, just out of grasp. Fuelled once more by fresh rumor he left Cuzco and marched east into the high Andes.
It took barely a year for the Conquistador forces of Pizarro to crush the Incan Empire. Huascar was defeated in April. Pizarro split his forces. He chased the retreating Incan troops. To his brothers he gave the task of pacifying the land to the South. In August Francisco Pizarro fought again, the famous battle of Cajamarca. History would tell you that Pizarro and 200 conquistadors faced 80,000 Incan warriors. As Giovanni climbed East into the lands of Moxos, Pizzarro and his brothers traveled ever south. Cuzco fell, then Puno and Chuquiabo. In February 1532, Chiquitos, the last redoubt of the Incan empire was conquered and Giovanni returned to Europe.
1536 War of the Great Houses
Giovanni was a Condottiero, a mercenary General. When all is said and done one thing remained, he always sold his soul to the highest bidder. While his military masters changed he did not. It should come as no surprise that in the few years before his reported death he fought for four different masters, in a single war. It was during the war of the league of Cognac that Giovanni fought for the Pope, Francois I of France, the Emperor Charles V and then France once more. Why would they hire such a turncoat you ask? In the war of the league of Cognac the difference between winning and losing was simple, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere.
In 1536 war broke out once more and Giovanni picked up his sword, for the last time. On the one side Francois I of the house of Valois, rulers of France since 1328. On the other Charles V, of the Hapsburg dynasty, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor. The war originated with the death of the Duke of Milan. Both royal houses laid claim to the Dukedom when only one could hold power. History would tell you of minor battles and skirmishes and peace with no lose or gain within a few short years.
History is not always right.
With the declaration of war the imperial forces marched from Wien. To the South Ferdinand I of Austria, younger brother of the Emperor, marched. 8 regiments of cavalry, 28 of infantry and 5 of cannon were at his command. To the North of the Alps went Giovanni dalle Bande Nere with 7 regiments of cavalry. Although he led the smaller force it would be true to say that Giovanni was the axle upon which the Emperors plans revolved. The 7th army, Giovanni’s men, hastened north through the winter months. It was not until April that they reached their destination, Champagne and then Vermandois.
Giovanni’s instructions were simple and clear. He was to fight and hold the French in the North whilst Ferdinand took the South. With half the Imperial army this would be difficult, with less than a quarter some would say impossible. Fight and hold he did though. Battle after battle occurred in Vermandois, throughout the spring and summer. Once in May; Twice in June and July; Thrice in August, the 7th were tested. The armies of France hurled themselves at the 7th, time and time again, gaining nothing but death. Finally in September the 7th retreated across the border to Artois. With his retreat the French forces moved to combat Ferdinand in the South. Two months passed in Artois and then like a viper Giovanni struck into Vermandois once more. The French had no chance and retreated. The 7th followed, sacking Il-de-France at the turn of the year followed by the ravaging of Picardie, Vermandois, Champagne and Othe.
As the 7th descended on Vermandois in April, Ferdinand marched into Piedmont. Initially outnumbering the French forces by 2 to 1 by late April the situation was reversed and Ferdinand retreated. On reaching Lombardia good and bad news was received. The good, all the armies of Austria were now poised on the French border. The bad, the French had just landed troops in the Adriatic port of Krain. After a 3 month march from Wien to Lombardia the 4th was ordered to retrace its steps to defend the homeland. In the South the war had not got off to an auspicious start.
Ferdinand was left with just his infantry and cannon, weakened by attrition as they had marched through the Alps in the height of winter. For the moment he only faced 15000 French, yet barely one months journey North besieging Breisgau lay 17000 soldiers under Francois I. Plans were formed and Ferdinand acted. The 2nd and 6th infantry marched through the high mountain passes from Schwyz to Bern. In June the 6th arrived in Franche Comte and the 2nd arrived in Savoi. Ferdinand took command of the 2nd and marched them to battle in Lyonnais. On the 12th of June the 5th and 1st infantry laid siege to Piedmont. Ferdinand had copied the tactics of Hannibal, marching his army where none thought he could pass. Descending into Lyonnaise without warning on the 5th of July, the French were caught unaware. They fled south to Dauphine, Ferdinand hot on their heels. Meanwhile the 1st infantry marched from Piedmont to Dauphine becoming the anvil for Ferdinand’s hammer.
The 6th infantry and 3rd cannon arrived in Lyonnaise, using the river as a natural line of defence they prepared for a French assault. Three regiments marched west; Limousin, Rouergue and Languedoc were besieged. The 1st and 2nd smashed together in Dauphine the French sandwiched between them. In just days Ferdinand and his army were marching south again. Herding the remnants of the French before them, like a Shepard with his flock. Giovanni’s retreat to Artois in August had allowed the French to regroup. By October they were ready to mount a two pronged assault into occupied lands. 10000 soldiers marched from Bourgogne and 3000 from Blois. The Austrians in Lyonnaise stood ready, they battled bravely but could not prevail, retreating to Dauphine. In the west the sieges of Languedoc and Limousin were abandoned to reinforce Rouergue, a gambit that failed. On the back-foot the armies retreated to Languedoc. December 1536 came, battle raged on all sides and Piedmont fell.
As the New Year dawned, the battles of Liguria, Provence and Languedoc were won. In mid January the garrison of Dauphine surrendered, to great cheer. With two city's fallen in quick succession Ferdinand moved west. He chased the French to Toulouse and then Gascoigne by February 1537. By March Ferdinand was fighting in Santonge, the provinces of Toulouse, Gascoigne, Perigord, Rouergue and Limousin besieged. The French counter offensive had been halted and then turned, in the West.
Congratulations to the winner of 1st place in the EU III AAR challenge!
* NOW WITH PICS INCLUDED
A Mercenary's Tale
In January of the year 1537 the Duke of Florence was assassinated. Surprisingly a 17 year old boy, not a member of the immediate family, was named Duke in his place. He warred for 30 years and expanded the territories of Florence. Finally he was granted the title Grand Duke of Tuscany, the first of his lineage. The title was given by Pope Pius V and unexpectedly affirmed by the Holy Roman Emperor. Charles V. He was the founder of a dynasty which would last for 200 years and become renowned across Europe. Many wonder how he became Duke. Many more wonder why the Emperor gave his support. His name, you ask, Cosimo I de Medici, the First Grand Duke of Tuscany, but this is not his story.
“ Wise men say, and not without reason, that whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past"
Niccoló Machiavelli, The Discourses. 1517
When the Duke of Milan died in 1447, without an heir, Milan descended into chaos. For 3 years this lasted until finally the Senate of Milan turned to Francesco Sforza, an Italian Condottiero, who became the new Duke. With that action the Sforza dynasty of Milan was founded. Sforza had an illegitimate daughter, Caterina. In 1473 she married Girolamo Riario, a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, and became countess of Forli. He was later murdered and she went on to secretly remarry. In 1496 she bore a son to her new husband. A son who grew into a man, a man who would later be called "the last condottiero", Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, Giovanni of the black bands.
Giovanni was a soldier born for war; he killed his first man at 12. At the age of 18 he won his first command fighting for Pope Leo X against the Duke of Urbino. At the age of 26 he commanded the forces of France and the Pope in the war of the league of Cognac. Machiavelli himself described him as the one man who might unite Italy. He was a commander who led from the front. In November 1526, during the battle of Governolo, he was wounded by a hand cannon, fired by a Landsknecht soldier. History would tell you that four days later Giovanni dalle Bande Nere died of septicemia, at the age of 28.
History is not always right.
It is true Giovanni almost died of that wound in 1526, almost. Left for dead on the battlefield, Georg von Frundsberg, commander of the Landsknecht knew who he held when his body was found. He recovered from his wounds but by then the war was over, that war at least.
1531 Conquest of Paradise
Giovanni was a Condottiero, a mercenary captain. When all is said and done one thing remained. He did not fight for honour, he did not fight for glory, he did not fight for God. He fought for one thing and one thing alone, gold.
"My son soon you shall be a man, it is almost your 13th name day as I write this. Our ship sails from these shores soon, as the sun breaks over the Andes, like surf on a reef. There are times when I look at our actions in the Americas and think to myself “God does not know me and I do not know God anymore”. It is too late now to think of the past what is done is done; let God decide on Judgement day. A man must find his own place in the world until that day comes.
Your mother may have told you, I sailed with the conquistador Francisco Pizarro in January of 1530. He held in his hand a document from the Castilian court of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, granting governorship of the New Castile. One condition this document laid on him, to raise a fighting force for the conquest of Peru, which is why I left our home. Some sailed with him to win him his lands, his brothers Hernando, Juan and Gonzalo, amongst others. The truth be told many of us sailed for nothing but the rumor of Gold”
“Letters Home, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere”
Pizarro marched south from Cauca in January 1531, to gain his lands. Giovanni moved east, chasing the legendary city’s of Gold. Pizarro soon found himself engaged in battle. Huascar, the brother of Atahualpa and rival for the Incan throne had stood in Quito with 10000 warriors. Rumor led Giovanni to Mariquita, outside the lands of the Inca. Failing to find what he sought he rejoined the conquest of Incan lands. Meeting no resistance city’s fell to him over the following months, as Pizarro fought in Quito. Caqueta, Quijos, Cuenca, Giovanni traveled ever South chasing rumor and myth. He reached Cuzco months before Pizarro; it was no city of gold. Time after time he heard stories of riches, just over the horizon, just out of grasp. Fuelled once more by fresh rumor he left Cuzco and marched east into the high Andes.
It took barely a year for the Conquistador forces of Pizarro to crush the Incan Empire. Huascar was defeated in April. Pizarro split his forces. He chased the retreating Incan troops. To his brothers he gave the task of pacifying the land to the South. In August Francisco Pizarro fought again, the famous battle of Cajamarca. History would tell you that Pizarro and 200 conquistadors faced 80,000 Incan warriors. As Giovanni climbed East into the lands of Moxos, Pizzarro and his brothers traveled ever south. Cuzco fell, then Puno and Chuquiabo. In February 1532, Chiquitos, the last redoubt of the Incan empire was conquered and Giovanni returned to Europe.
1536 War of the Great Houses
Giovanni was a Condottiero, a mercenary General. When all is said and done one thing remained, he always sold his soul to the highest bidder. While his military masters changed he did not. It should come as no surprise that in the few years before his reported death he fought for four different masters, in a single war. It was during the war of the league of Cognac that Giovanni fought for the Pope, Francois I of France, the Emperor Charles V and then France once more. Why would they hire such a turncoat you ask? In the war of the league of Cognac the difference between winning and losing was simple, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere.
In 1536 war broke out once more and Giovanni picked up his sword, for the last time. On the one side Francois I of the house of Valois, rulers of France since 1328. On the other Charles V, of the Hapsburg dynasty, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor. The war originated with the death of the Duke of Milan. Both royal houses laid claim to the Dukedom when only one could hold power. History would tell you of minor battles and skirmishes and peace with no lose or gain within a few short years.
History is not always right.
With the declaration of war the imperial forces marched from Wien. To the South Ferdinand I of Austria, younger brother of the Emperor, marched. 8 regiments of cavalry, 28 of infantry and 5 of cannon were at his command. To the North of the Alps went Giovanni dalle Bande Nere with 7 regiments of cavalry. Although he led the smaller force it would be true to say that Giovanni was the axle upon which the Emperors plans revolved. The 7th army, Giovanni’s men, hastened north through the winter months. It was not until April that they reached their destination, Champagne and then Vermandois.
Giovanni’s instructions were simple and clear. He was to fight and hold the French in the North whilst Ferdinand took the South. With half the Imperial army this would be difficult, with less than a quarter some would say impossible. Fight and hold he did though. Battle after battle occurred in Vermandois, throughout the spring and summer. Once in May; Twice in June and July; Thrice in August, the 7th were tested. The armies of France hurled themselves at the 7th, time and time again, gaining nothing but death. Finally in September the 7th retreated across the border to Artois. With his retreat the French forces moved to combat Ferdinand in the South. Two months passed in Artois and then like a viper Giovanni struck into Vermandois once more. The French had no chance and retreated. The 7th followed, sacking Il-de-France at the turn of the year followed by the ravaging of Picardie, Vermandois, Champagne and Othe.
As the 7th descended on Vermandois in April, Ferdinand marched into Piedmont. Initially outnumbering the French forces by 2 to 1 by late April the situation was reversed and Ferdinand retreated. On reaching Lombardia good and bad news was received. The good, all the armies of Austria were now poised on the French border. The bad, the French had just landed troops in the Adriatic port of Krain. After a 3 month march from Wien to Lombardia the 4th was ordered to retrace its steps to defend the homeland. In the South the war had not got off to an auspicious start.
Ferdinand was left with just his infantry and cannon, weakened by attrition as they had marched through the Alps in the height of winter. For the moment he only faced 15000 French, yet barely one months journey North besieging Breisgau lay 17000 soldiers under Francois I. Plans were formed and Ferdinand acted. The 2nd and 6th infantry marched through the high mountain passes from Schwyz to Bern. In June the 6th arrived in Franche Comte and the 2nd arrived in Savoi. Ferdinand took command of the 2nd and marched them to battle in Lyonnais. On the 12th of June the 5th and 1st infantry laid siege to Piedmont. Ferdinand had copied the tactics of Hannibal, marching his army where none thought he could pass. Descending into Lyonnaise without warning on the 5th of July, the French were caught unaware. They fled south to Dauphine, Ferdinand hot on their heels. Meanwhile the 1st infantry marched from Piedmont to Dauphine becoming the anvil for Ferdinand’s hammer.
The 6th infantry and 3rd cannon arrived in Lyonnaise, using the river as a natural line of defence they prepared for a French assault. Three regiments marched west; Limousin, Rouergue and Languedoc were besieged. The 1st and 2nd smashed together in Dauphine the French sandwiched between them. In just days Ferdinand and his army were marching south again. Herding the remnants of the French before them, like a Shepard with his flock. Giovanni’s retreat to Artois in August had allowed the French to regroup. By October they were ready to mount a two pronged assault into occupied lands. 10000 soldiers marched from Bourgogne and 3000 from Blois. The Austrians in Lyonnaise stood ready, they battled bravely but could not prevail, retreating to Dauphine. In the west the sieges of Languedoc and Limousin were abandoned to reinforce Rouergue, a gambit that failed. On the back-foot the armies retreated to Languedoc. December 1536 came, battle raged on all sides and Piedmont fell.
As the New Year dawned, the battles of Liguria, Provence and Languedoc were won. In mid January the garrison of Dauphine surrendered, to great cheer. With two city's fallen in quick succession Ferdinand moved west. He chased the French to Toulouse and then Gascoigne by February 1537. By March Ferdinand was fighting in Santonge, the provinces of Toulouse, Gascoigne, Perigord, Rouergue and Limousin besieged. The French counter offensive had been halted and then turned, in the West.
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