De Senill was lost after only four squares. Bad luck. One has to be very careful with low naval tech.
Good luck for your explorers!
Good luck for your explorers!
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Always enjoy a good naval/exploration story. Just discovered this AAR and i am looking forward to the next chapter.
Great work. Love the maps.
Great work. Love the maps.
Chapter 3: Reign of King Alfonso V: 1438 - 1481
Part 1: The Regent & Maturity
Part 1: The Regent & Maturity
The death of Duarte came as a great shock to the realm and his people. Yet, he was still able to forsee that plans had to be made to secure the rule of his son. On his death-bed Duarte made a will that said for his wife to be the regent of six year old Afonso.
However it was decided by the Cortes, the assembly of the Kingdom, that Afonso's uncle, Pedro Duke of Coimbra would instead be his regent. There was little trust for Afonso's mother since she was from Aragon.
Under the Duke of Coimbra, Portugal continued to prosper. Prosper it did, but to the disgruntlement of other nobles, as laws passed by the Duke were not favorable to them. This was to cause a problem at the end of the decade.
The Duke further allowed resources for Henry in Sagres, and this allowed Gil Eanes' to continue exploring. However due to the restrictions of tools accessible to him, he was unable to venture further southwards in the direction to pass Africa. Instead he made few ventures from the Azores into the Atlantic. Eanes had been sceptical of the accepted theory that the world was flat, and was keen to explore westwards. However, his journeys through the Atlantic oceans were long and mainly wasteful. He set off on his last journey in October 1447, but unfortunately he never returned. Whether he found land or the bottom of the sea, this will never be known.
During the regency reign of the Duke of Coimbra, Castille went to war with Navarra, May 1442. Pedro decided to honour the alliance, but he made it clear to his ally that his help would be minimal. His reason being he felt it would be wise not to make a haste decision in case it be harmful to Afonso's reign. However due to Navarra's recent successful war against Castille, others felt Pedro was acting with cowardice in case Navarra might in fact win.
In a long fought war, which Portugal had no part of, Castille won back all lands previously lost to Navarra and including Béarn. The peace of 1448 was to mark the end of Navarra's brief spell as an important country in the Iberian Peninsula.
Pedro also showed interest in expanding Portugal's realm elsewhere. The colony of Cape Verdes was allowed to attract further settler attempts and by 1448 it reached a population of 1,000. This in turn allowed the Governor of the island to have a say in the Cortes, which brought Cape Verdes greater power and wealth.
Portrait of Afonso V
In the same year, Afonso came of age and so Pedro was forced to surrender power to the rightful King. Afonso V was crowned King in June. A tremendous celebration was had and there was a fiesta in the city of Lisbon for 3 consecutive days. The grandeur of the coronation and festivities were overshadowed in the following few months by a conspiracy. It was conpsired that Pedro was about to rebel against the new King. However Afonso V did not believe such allegations and so put faith in his uncle by allowing him to stay in the court of the King. This angered the nobles of the country greatly and was to leave Afonso in a very precarious position for the next two decades.
The next decade brought very little success or expansion for Portugal. It was in fact a period of relative instability. However new technological improvements were made in navigation (Late Medieval (3) by 1449). An effort was made to establish a trading post on the Saharan Western coast of Africa in Louga. The first attempt was destroyed by natives, but after a trade was made with the natives, they became calm and by 1452 a level 6 Trading post was established.
The rest of the decade however was wasted by a war with Genoa. Castille had gone to war with Genoa mid-1450 and Portugal joined her ally. It was not until 1452 when Portugal properly came into the war. The Genoan navy sailed as far as the straits of Gibraltar, where it met a considerably smaller Portuguese fleet. The battle itself was won by the Genoans but no ships were sank. The significance of the battle was that it led to a greater effort from Portugal. Afonso V immediately decided to sail the Portuguese fleet in search of the enemy. No contact was made on it's first attempt, but the Portuguese were now fully mobilized in the Mediterranean sea. For the next few years several engagements were made in which the Portuguese were victorious. By 1458 Genoa accepted peace with Castille, conceding defeat and accepting to pay war indemnities to both Castille and Portugal. The war was undoubtedly a total waste, especially so for Portugal's naval ventures.
Europe 1460, torn apart
1460 saw the death of Henry the Navigator. This was a sad moment for the Portuguese people and for Afonso. Not only had his uncle died, but one of the most influential people in the Cortes.
By 1460 the map of Europe had also changed quite dramatically in such a small amount of time. Austria had almost dissapeared from the map while the likes of Poland, Venice and France had made considerable expansions. The government of England fell in 1460, as York, Lancashire and Wales declared independence. This brought some celebration to the Portuguese people. A bit of comedy...
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Sorry for such a long delay between the last post and now.
I was involved in a few Victoria mp games and fascinated by this I was unable to devote any time to this AAR.
Now that I am back again, I am almost fully caught up with the date I had reached, so I will only need one more update to be back on track.
Hope you enjoy this one.
I was involved in a few Victoria mp games and fascinated by this I was unable to devote any time to this AAR.
Now that I am back again, I am almost fully caught up with the date I had reached, so I will only need one more update to be back on track.
Hope you enjoy this one.
Thanks for reading rule_brittania and Burgundy.
I should have Part 2 of Chapter 3 up by tonight. Done the notes for it, just need to write it out and make some pictures. Once I get it done, I can go back to actually playing this AAR.
I should have Part 2 of Chapter 3 up by tonight. Done the notes for it, just need to write it out and make some pictures. Once I get it done, I can go back to actually playing this AAR.
Chapter 3: Reign of King Alfonso V: 1438 - 1481
Part 2: The Path to Power
Part 2: The Path to Power
The death of Henry the Navigator (Enric el Navegant) was a minor setback for Portuguese exploration. It was Henry who had held the strong view that the only way by sea to India was by sailing round Africa. He had strongly been able to argue his theory and defeat those who believed it was perhaps best to sail west. Henry was of the orthodox view that the world was flat, and that sailing west was suicidal.
After he had died, there was a split in the school of thought for further exploration. Those that supported the view included young seafarers Fernão do Pó and Diogo Cão. Even though Eanes had been lost at sea, sailing west, this was not to deter either man's belief that the world was round and that the continent of India could be reached westwards.
However, for now there was a brief spell of no exploring. Instead Afonso V was more interested in helping his ally Castile. Enrique IV of Castile and Afonso met in Léon in the Autumn of 1461. Enrique IV explained to Afonso that he was going to unify the peoples of Spain. In order to do so he would need to annex Navarra and also defeat Aragon. Enrique was asking for Afonso's help and in return was willing to war with Genoa to allow Portugal a monopoly of commerce and trade in the Western Mediterranean and to guarantee it for the next quarter of a century. A deal was made, and so the future of the Iberian peninsula was secured.
Castile declared war on Navarra in January 1462. The war was a simple affair. The Kingdom of Navarra had suffered badly in the last war only twenty years before, losing most of its land. As a result Castile were able to siege successfully the fortress of Pamplona within a year. By January 1463, Castile had annexed Navarra.
In the next few years, Afonso made a great effort to increase the colony in Fernando Po. By 1470 it reached a population of over 1,000 and it's governor was given a place at the Cortes. In 1466 Portuguese ship builders developed a new type of ship, called the caravel (level 4 naval tech). This newly designed ship was capable of sailing faster in shallow waters and in ocean waters. Afonso demanded a quick re-shipping of the Portuguese fleet in order for the older styled ships to be replaced by the new caravels. In 1468, the production of wine was greatly improved and now small level refineries began to spring up around the country (level 3 infrastructure tech). These and similar technological advances were made possible by private investment and also patronage from the monarchy.
The second part of Castile's plan for the Iberian peninsula began in 1466, when it declared war upon Aragon. Afonso did not let its ally down and came to the aid of Castile while Aragon's Italian allies Tuscany, Milan, Siena and Modena came to its aid. The war itself was very short and really only involved both the declarer and the declaree. Castile made relatively fast progress against the smaller armies of Aragon, and peace was made by 1468. Aragon agreed to allow Castile the right to choose the faith for the future of the Spanish peoples, as long as it's power was still respected. This was fabulous progress for the peoples of Castile and Aragon who wanted a united nation of Spain.
Castile then held its part of the bargain the following year when in January 1469 it declared war upon Genoa. We willingly joined, since it was our war to win. Afonso decided not to use any land forces in defeating Genoa, but instead to use his navy to defeat and destroy Genoa as a maritime power. As a result the war dragged on, slowly as the Genoa navy, outnumbered did not readily look for battle. Still the war swayed in favour of Portugal as it defeated the Genoan navy battle after battle. In the most notable battle in October 1471, when the Genoan navy attempted to land at Tangiers, it was repulsed and utterly destroyed back by Portuguese fleet. Many of the enemies ships were embarked and captured, and as a result Genoan cartography was stolen. This provided useful and detailed mapping of the black sea and other areas in the eastern Mediterranean.
Peace was made in 1476, after most of the Genoa navy had been destroyed or badly damaged. Now Portugal had complete control over trade and commerce.
Just as the war with Genoa began however, Afonso also gave a new patronage for Fernão do Pó. Fernão had, as was already mentioned, wanted to explore westwards. After many attempts, begging Afonso for support, he finally gave in and so Fernão set sail for Cape Verde in February 1469.
On reaching Cape Verde in April, he set sail again in May. The course was set for south south west and then at the end of August, the course was changed to due west. Land was spotted on October 20th 1469, as the expedition discovered what would later be called the Coast of Pernambuc. Fernão sailed further south for the next two months almost completely exhausting his supplies before returning to Cape Verde in April the next year.
The discovery of America
This great feat traveled fast to Lisbon and on hearing the news Afonso declared himself extremely pleased. Another commission was given to Fernão for a second expedition. This time he sailed as far as the Coast of Pernambuc, and then north, discovering the Coast of Recife along with landing. He then resumed his sail west around the Coast of Recife, and as far as the Coast of Brazil. Again however Fernão showed his incapabilities of managing his fleet and supplies, as he once again almost exhausted his supplies. A mutiny occurred but failed, as Fernão ruthlessly killed the main mutineer Nuno Aguiar in a stand-off. His return to Cape Verde in June 1472 was a hushed one this time. The events of this voyage led Afonso to lose faith in Fernão's skills. As a result he received no further commission. He died in 1481 a broken man.
Fernão do Pó's two expeditions
Elsewhere in Europe things remained topsy-turvy. In 1470 Austria was annexed as Vienna fell to Bohemia. This now left an uncertain time for Europe as the Ottoman Empire seems to keep growing. Both Poland and Bohemia however have grown substantially taking many German lands and adding them to their realm.
The following year after the Portuguese-Genoa war, Castile claimed the name Kingdom of Spain. Aragon became its vassal. This caused quite a bit of a stir, especially with France since Aragon owned a few French provinces. It looked as if war was on the horizon.
With the war over, Afonso decided to concentrate on acquiring a base for further exploration south of Africa. Luanda was chosen as the most suitable of places for such a supply point. A successful attempt was made in March 1477. Now Portugal had the port for a further expedition. All it needed was a new person prepared to explore. However Afonso was made to wait. In the mean time, new advances were made in military tactics (level 3 military tech) and in naval seafaring (level 5 naval tech). As a result of the latter, ships were now fitted with both Lateen-rigged and square-rigged, to allow for faster sailing.
Alas, Afonso's calls were answered when Diogo Cão finally decided to take up an expedition. He like Fernão wanted to explore westwards and discover more of this new continent to the west. But in the end he knew he would have to settle for what Afonso wanted. Diogo set sail in July 1480 for Luanda. On the way he discovered Gambia, another part of the jigsaw of West Africa. After arriving in November, Diogo res-supplied and set sail southwards. On the way he discovered Ovambo and spent a few days navigating its shores. He then continued south, for the next two months. Some time in March his ships got caught up in a storm which lasted many hours. The sight of land had been lost once the storm abaded. Diogo however released they had hardly been put off course. To his amazement he began sailing north again and eventually came across land once again. Diogo now realised he had reached the end of Africa and that it now stretched towards the east. Unfortunately for him, many supplies had been lost due to the storm, and so he could not venture very far before turning back. He arrived back in Luanda in May 1481 to the news the King was gravely ill.
Diogo Cão's expedition of Africa
The King had begun to lose strength early in 1481. The hard winter had left its mark on the aging Afonso, and soon he was unable to leave his quarters. It was expected he would die any day, but yet he kept living. He even lived long enough to hear the news of Spain's declaration of war on France. This would be his final order, as he decided to join the war and help his ally, as he had done ever since he took over his reign. Three weeks later he was dead. Under Afonso's reign, wars were often and exploration was few. However Afonso had strengthened Portugal's position and now it was without doubt the strongest and most advanced naval power in the world. He had left a powerful and worthy inheritance for his son João...
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good, explorations!
you covered very nicely a part usually left untouched in other AARs: exploration.
this is all very good and will keep reading and waiting for updates.
Good luck with your game!
you covered very nicely a part usually left untouched in other AARs: exploration.
this is all very good and will keep reading and waiting for updates.
Good luck with your game!
I appreciate your praise Fnuco and Lord Boreal.
I really do enjoy exploring and colonising in EU2 and as Portugal I believe one has the best opportunities to do so.
I have been taking a break and playing a Norway EU2 game recently, so I aim to write the next chapter of this AAR starting next week. I hope it won't dissapoint.
I really do enjoy exploring and colonising in EU2 and as Portugal I believe one has the best opportunities to do so.
I have been taking a break and playing a Norway EU2 game recently, so I aim to write the next chapter of this AAR starting next week. I hope it won't dissapoint.
Only just discovered this one. Portugal is always a fun one to play and you're doing a very good job. I particularly like how you have described the expeditions, and your usage of the maps is very well done.
Noddy,
I like the attention you have paid to the courses of exploration for your maps. It reminds me of the history-books I've read when they cover this age. I must admit to being a bit puzzled as to how you created them! They are too smoothly produced for me to imagine myself recreating them.
Good job!
Rensslaer
I like the attention you have paid to the courses of exploration for your maps. It reminds me of the history-books I've read when they cover this age. I must admit to being a bit puzzled as to how you created them! They are too smoothly produced for me to imagine myself recreating them.
Good job!
Rensslaer
As always, very interesting, and I love your maps. What's happening in Europe? Venice looks really interesting... Thanks for keeping this up!
Hehe, the best Portuguese AAR around.
Anyways, the game is going very very fast for the history. Brazil was only discovered in 1500. Still, if you wanna play Afonso V by history, you might want to try and conquer Morocco (That was his dream.) Since Afonso neglected the discoveries and focused more on his African dream, that's why his called "Afonso V, the African" Since he persued the conquest of Africa = Morocco on that time.
Anyways, the game is going very very fast for the history. Brazil was only discovered in 1500.
Still, if you wanna play Afonso V by history, you might want to try and conquer Morocco (That was his dream.) Since Afonso neglected the discoveries and focused more on his African dream, that's why his called "Afonso V, the African" Since he persued the conquest of Africa = Morocco on that time.
