A Tuscan Adventure

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Imperial Blood


”Seven times will the city fall, seven hills of ancient Rome,
Saints shall perform miracles, Two kingdoms become one,
As Valois shall Fall, So Empire shall rise.
His time has come, Prophesy fulfilled”

Unknown Prophesy of Nostradamus, June 1524​

Ippolito Barberini, born a boy, grew into a man became a soldier and promoted himself to General. General Barberini a name he was known by for much of his life. A gambler by nature in June of 1524 Barberini rolled the dice once more. In many ways it is ironic that a son of the old enemy should be the one who brought the Merchant Republic of Tuscany to an end.

The Republic of Tuscany Founded by Doge Cosimo was no more. Rome had its Caesar and Tuscany had Barberini. He had gathered political power for so long and eventually he put it to use. King Ippolito Barberini of Tuscany, first of his line. The people of Tuscany did not know what to think. The stability of the realm balanced on a knife edge, one wrong move and Tuscany could descend into anarchy and chaos. Two major powers sat on the doorstep of Tuscany ready to take advantage if the new King should falter. It was fortunate for King Barberini that in August of 1524 the two great nations of France and Austria chose to war amongst themselves.

The year of 1525 was one of major events and miracles as the new King attempted to bring stability to the Nation. Although Barberini had usurped the rights of the ancient Houses he did not do it alone. Many within the merchant dynasties supported his actions in the hope he would bring Tuscany greater glory. In March Massimiliano Rospigliosi was given the task of reforming the tax system which he did adequately.
In May peasants flocked to Pisa wild rumours of miracles in the air improving the stability of the country. By the end of the first year of the Kings rule the stability of the realm had risen substantially. It improved still further in August when the King chose to give the people more power over their affairs; he saw no need to rule with an iron fist. Implementing national institutions decentralised power but won favour with town and country folk across the realm improving stability again.

While the situation within the Kingdom of Tuscany improved the position of its neighbours did not. In October 1525 the palatinate fell yet further losing Mainz to Burgundy leaving the once powerful nation with only three provinces. In January of the following year France and Austria signed the accord of Lothringen. France ceding its far eastern holdings of Galicien and Grodno in exchange for peace. In the new world Portugal battled the native Cherokee and lost Conoy and Unami.

These though were minor compared with events within Tuscany. King Barberini was of the opinion that only through strength could Tuscany hold her place in the world. In October Sicily was annexed and the two kingdoms became one. Barberini was certainly one of the most accomplished men of his age and this was recognised far and wide. In December of 1526 the King of Castile, the Holy Roman Emperor died. King Barberini ruler of Tuscany for only two short years was elected in his place.

Within months of peace France was at war again with the Iberian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon as well as Burgundy. It would seem Barberini’s snowflake had turned into an avalanche. As the power of the house of Valois, rulers of France waned that of the Hapsburg Empire in Austria grew. In May of 1527 there was violent upheaval in Saxony. The Kings only son had died 15 years earlier in a hunting accident, it was claimed. Now the King and his closest advisors were found dead and the throne of Saxony had no heir. It was not long after that a document came to light. Apparently the Kings last will and testimony handing the throne of Saxony to Austria. Even Austria’s own allies questioned the validity of this document and within weeks Austria found itself in a war of succession against its own allies Mecklenburg and Pommerania. The war was short lived the power of Austria to strong. In June Pommerania was annexed by Austria and in August Mecklenburg ceded Bohemia for peace.

Meanwhile King Barberini had continued to expand his realm through more peaceful means. A royal marriage with Savoy soon led to core claims on the provinces of Piedmont and Bern. If it wasn’t for the events in Saxony perhaps the reign of the First King of Tuscany would be remembered as a time of Celebration and rebirth. Instead the events of the following years would see many look back at the rule of Evangelista Benciveni the last Doge of the Republic and weep at what they had lost. Many of the king’s opponents claimed Barberini had engineered the deaths of Fillipo Soderini, General Lorenzo del Moro and Doge Constantino Buti to aid him in his rise to power. The events within Saxony showed to strong a resemblance to that infamous night of knives and gave lie to this belief. As Austria denied any malevolent deeds King Barberini secretly prepared for war.

As the King planned the world did not stand still. As 1428 came the Pope in Rome still followed where Tuscany led. Some nations were not happy with this state of affairs England foremost among them. In January Cardinal Ludovisi announced his support for the English monarch. Barberini was not happy with this and dispatched a number of his aides who helped the Cardinal to reconsider his beliefs. Later the same month England tried to bribe Cardinal Cercignani, this time there was no need for the Kings friends to intervene.

Military access with Austria allowed King Barberini to dispatch cavalry to scout the Austrian lands and Judge the strength of the Hapsburg armies. Unfortunately the same did not hold true for Austria’s allies, Saxony and Mecklenburg whose military strength remained a mystery. With the return of his scouts the King planned his next step. He issued instructions to improve the defences of Franche Comte, Brescia, Nassau and Lippe a cost of 400 Ducats but hopefully money well spent.

January 1529 saw the completion of the new defences. Now the King waited for the right time. As summer approached apocalypse was unleashed in Europe.
France and her allies descended into war again and on the 1st of June Tuscany followed suite. Almost every Christian nation in Europe fought, on one side or another. War ruled from the furthest reaches of Western Europe to the Eastern steppes. War on a scale never seen before. Famine, Plague and pestilence killing those who did not fight. For many Judgment day had come, the book of revelations come true.

Ippolito Barberini: Born in 1478; General at the age of 29; King at the age of 44; Holy Roman Emperor at 48. What future awaited him and Europe itself? For as the Christian nations of Europe descended into a hell of their own making the Muslim caliphate watched​

 

[Duke of Wellington]

War with Austria. This is a big development and I look forward to seeing how it may turn out.

 

[stnylan]

You do appear to have a talent to picking wars with powerful nations.

 

[ZachMayo]

To tell you the truth, I'm completely content now that Tuscany has filled in most of the Italian boot. That was my own subconscious goal for this AAR .

Kick those Austrians back to Vienna.

 

[Graymane]

Wow, great AAR, full of suspense and a lot of action. Really a good read, thanks a lot =)

 

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Apperently giving yourself forced deadlines helps you get things done so after close to 3 weeks of not posting an update i'm setting myself a deadline of tonight to have the next update done. If i don't as bart simpson famously put it i'll eat my shorts, lets see if it works

The reason for this drastic measure is simple. As some may know i came first in the AAR challenge a couple of weeks ago I took a short break from writing and decided to play the game for a few days as a reward. A few days which turned into a week and then of course the new patch came out so i had to play with that a bit and another week passed. now every time i sit down to write an update i end up playing the game instead


Graymane: Glad you like it and i hope you continue to do so

Zachmayo: Most of the boot but not all, yet.

stnylan: well you know if the AI is going to go around killing off my best generals i need to get a bit of revenge

Duke: Hope you'll enjoy the update, assuming i meet my goal. BTW i saw you've updated the AAR library great work.

 

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”Nor can there be great difficulty where there is great willingness”
Niccoló Machiavelli, The Prince. 1537.​

History describes the Tuscan - Austria war as a clash of mighty powers. Extensive analysis of historical records shows that at the start of the war the forces of the two sides were about equal. Austria and her allies held a slight advantage in the north Tuscany and hers in the south. The combined military figures: On the Austrian side 18 regiments of cavalry, 24 of infantry and 1 regiment of cannon; For The Tuscan alliance 15 of cavalry, 30 of infantry and 6 of cannon. As the war progressed these figures rose. Austria turned to mercenary power and Tuscany to the sons of this fair land.

What is often forgotten in this talk of numbers is that even the smallest of nations had its part to play.

HAMBURG​

The first action of the war came from humble Hamburg, our vassals of almost 75 years. On the 11th of June 1530 the armies of that single province state marched into the trading capital of Mecklenburg, Lubeck. Konrad Nanne of Hamburg threw his entire forces into the fray and yet was still vastly outnumbered. The nation of Tuscany could not let this brave ally stand alone. Tuscan soldiers force marched from Osnabruck to Lubeck arriving just in time and turning the tide of battle in Hamburg’s favour. The first battle of Lubeck was won by the end of July.

Unfortunately a matter of months later the combined forces of Hamburg and Tuscany were driven from Lubeck. Our retreating force were harried into Hamburg but then turned and stood there ground. The forces of Johann Albrecht II, King of Mecklenburg, were put on the back foot. The spring of 1531 saw Konrad Nanne and his few regiments advance into Lubeck again. He won the second battle of Lubeck and more importantly in the grand scheme of things he tied the forces of Mecklenburg to the Baltic coast. In June of 1531 King Joseph I of Austria sought peace and paid Hamburg 3 ducats. The citizens of Hamburg would play no further part in this war but there courage and valour earned them this place in history.

1: July 1530 2: September 1530 3: June 1531


SAXONY​

At the outbreak of war Maximilian Schonfeld, the King of Saxony, was in Hesse with a single regiment of infantry. With no military access treaty King Barberini had been unable to assess the size of Saxony’s military forces, likewise with Mecklenburg. He had confidence though that whatever their strength Tuscany and her brave allies could overcome it.

5 regiments of cavalry and 4 regiments of Tuscan infantry waited the call to war in Osnabruck. With King Barberini’s intentions announced they marched initially for Saxony. It is said that even the best laid plans cannot stand the charge of battle. The plans of Tuscany changed before battle was even met. First Munster declined the invitation to war forcing 2 regiments of cavalry and 2 of infantry north to aid Hamburg. Then King Maximilian with his single regiment of infantry decided to invade Tuscany’s Germanic holdings.

Maximilian’s early march on Nassau was quickly countered and he was driven back to Hesse. From there he was forced to Erfurt where 4000 infantry waited his command. A small force was left to besiege Nassau and the majority of the Tuscan 8th army marched on Erfurt. Battle was met and after three short days of fighting Maximilian retreated again. Throughout the summer and autumn Maximilian tried to dislodge the Tuscan bridgehead in Erfurt but failed.

As spring 1531 came the siege of Hesse was won and Erfurt followed. The Saxon province of Ansbach had been besieged in November by troops from the Austrian campaign. The winning of sieges freed up further forces and by midsummer Wurzburg and Bamberg were surrounded. In June of 1531 Hamburg and Austria came to peace and the Hamburg relief force marched south to western Saxony. Unfortunately it also freed up the forces of Mecklenburg. These amounted to 6 regiments of cavalry and 5 of infantry that King Barberini was aware of. The Dauphine of France upset at his defeat by Tuscan forces a few years earlier granted Mecklenburg military access through his northern lands. Over the summer minor skirmishes occurred in Osnabruck and Lippe but Johann Albrecht II, King of Mecklenburg, seemed to be conserving his main forces.

The defenders of Dresden woke one foggy August morning to find the armies of Tuscany surrounding their city. Only 2000 men but the surprise of this attack was almost enough to force surrender but somehow they got word north to King Maximilian. Tuscan scouts reported the King marching for Dresden with 8000 men forcing a quick retreat before battle could be engaged.

The King of Saxony marches from Meissen​

Scouts kept close watch on Dresden, days passed and then weeks with no sign of Maximilian. The forces of Tuscany waited with baited breath wondering where the King would strike. In October the 3000 defenders of Erfurt found the answer to that. Garrisons in Wurzburg, Bamberg and Ansbach were stripped as Tuscan soldiers rushed to the defence of Erfurt a battle that would decide the fate of Western Saxony.

NAVAL WAR​

Austria was not a naval power but Saxony and Mecklenburg combined did have some small power. King Barberini decided this threat needed to be met and put his old friend in charge of the fleet once more. Admiral Rodolfo D’asburgo sailed from Liguria in June and after sinking the Austrian navy’s rowing boat in the Adriatic he turned his attentions north. Brief skirmishes occurred on his journey to the Baltic. 3 cogs sunk and a galley captured in Cape Bon during August and 2 cogs sunk off Cadiz in September, all belonging to Mecklenburg. In November Admiral Rodolfo reached Oresund and the Baltic. The following six months saw repeated attempts to drive the Tuscan fleet from that sea. The only result was the sinking of 12 enemy ships and the capture of the galley Furst Nikolaus. The Baltic ports of Mecklenburg, Saxony and Austria were blockaded; King Barberini’s commands had been met. It was as if the completion of his mission lifted a burden from the admirals soul, he died soon after in his sleep in November 1531.

AUSTRIA​

The campaigns of Hamburg and Western Saxony were vicious and hard fought. Men lived and men died in their thousands. In comparison with the main campaign these battles paled into insignificance. In southern Europe the armies numbered not in their thousands but their tens of thousands. More significantly in southern Europe a new devastating weapon was unleashed on the field of battle, Cannon.

From the start of the southern campaign the Forces of Austria were forced on the defensive. Venetian troops advanced from Salzburg into Munchen and from Istria to Krain. Pasquale Lessi moved north from Brescia to Trent. The aim was to divide West and East Austria along a line through Salzburg. In FC the 1st and FC marched north to Lothringen and then turned east. King Joseph I of Austria appeared to be no fool. He withdrew his forces from Western Austria before they could be cut off. Venice won out in Munchen at the start of July but in Krain it was a different story forced to retreat to Friuli by the middle of the month. General Lessi initially did not have much more luck choosing to retreat at the end of June. Two weeks later though he marched back to Trent and this time drove the Austrians before him to Tirol, while the artillery in Verona moved north to lay siege. By mid august Tirol was besieged

At the start of the war the Swiss troops wandered around not quite sure what to do, having never invaded a foreign power before. In the end the Swiss only became a part of the war when Austria invaded Schwyz in late July. It took the Swiss time to get their house in order and drive the Austrian’s from their lands. Having started though the Swiss didn’t know when to stop. Soon their forces were pouring east outpacing the forces of both Tuscany and Venice, reminiscent of the Sicily campaign. Konstanz was soon besieged by the Swiss and their troops marched east winning the battle of Friuli in September and besieging Krain in the same month. General Oskar Amman of Switzerland seemed to have decided for himself that the purpose of the war was to see who could reach Zagreb first.

There were minor setbacks in the West Austrian campaign. Tuscan forces were forced to retreat from Schwaben in September, Austria laid siege to Salzburg and tried to drive our forces from Ansbach. Overall though good news followed good news. At the turn of the year the city garrisons of West Austria were almost ready to surrender. As the spring came Tirol had already surrendered to General Lessi. Lothringen, Elsass, Breisgau, Baden, Wurttemberg, Schwaben and Trent were besieged by Tuscan forces and all would come to Tuscan control by the end of summer. Venice had captured Karnten and would also gain Munchen in the spring and Niederbayern in the autumn. In Krain though the Swiss suffered defeat, then the Venetians lost the battle of Steiermark and their armies were chased west. Austria briefly recaptured Karnten in February. It was not long though before the mad General Oskar Amman of Switzerland had regrouped and sent his men eastward. Karnten switched hands again, this time to the control of Switzerland. The Venetians regrouped and Austria was forced from Salzburg.

As March ended the Austrian forces had been driven east of the Venetian divide were they prepared a counter attack. 4000 Austrians stood in Steiermark, 6000 waited in Krain and upwards of 10000 in the Balkan regions of Istria and Croatia. Four fresh regiments of Tuscan cavalry, raised in January marched to Tirol to support the battle weary alliance troops in the coming offensive. The Assault and capture of Istria in April 1531 saw the start of the long awaited Austrian initiative. Austrian forces besieged Salzburg and then marched into Munchen were they were defeated after a month of fighting. In the South “Mad” Oskar rallied the Swiss once more and threw his regiments into the fray in Karnten and Krain, to blunt the Austrian initiative but was eventually forced to retreat.

July saw a fresh attempt by a Venetian army to relieve the Swiss garrison in Karnten, 2000 Venetians fought 12000 Austrians, they lost and Karnten was lost too. On the 4th of October reports arrived that almost 11000 Austrian soldiers led by General Johann Karl Buseck were marching on Tirol. The Tuscan General Pasquale Butteri awaited them with 2000 infantry and 2000 cavalry.

The first clashes of the battle of Tirol occurred on the 23rd of October. Fortunately for Tuscany General Buseck was a cautious man. Even with numerical advantage he pushed forward slowly allowing time for Tuscany and Venice to send reinforcements. These reinforcements trickled in over the following days and the balance of power slowly shifted. By mid November the Austrian forces were equalled, 10000 men aside, and at the end of November General Butteri claimed victory in the battle of Tirol.

The General did not waste time with parades and triumphs, Salzburg was under attack. He quickly sent 7000 men to relieve the city. January 1532 saw victory in Salzburg and then amazed King Barberini watched as Venice bowed out of the war for 79 pieces of silver. Munchen and Niederbayern returned to Austrian hands. The Venetian divide was breached and the balance of power in the Austrian campaign shifted drastically.

3000 cavalry and 3000 infantry were all that was left of Tuscany’s southern armies; 1000 cavalry and 3000 thousand infantry were ready to fight for Mad Oskar and 1000 cavalry stood for the Pope. They faced at least 6000 Austrian cavalry and 15000 infantry. Tuscany held only one advantage the Austrians had Landsknecht infantry, Tuscany’s soldiers had just been retrained that month to shoot freely. Time would tell if that was enough.

Increase in land Tech let me select Free shooter Infantry​

 

[stnylan]

That is a truly comprehensive victory over Switzerland. Very successful war.

 

[Duke of Wellington]

Wow. Austria is being smashed. I truly expected to see the war a lot harder than that.

 

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In the north King Maximilian had gambled his eastern realm in the battle of Erfurt, he lost the bet. The defeat of his forces left the defences of Western Saxony open for the taking. Over the following 6 months Maximilian tried to regain the initiative committing to battles in Leipzig, Dresden, Anhalt and Meissen but he failed. The cities of western Saxony fell one by one to our forces and Tuscan troops moved east. The final pitched battle of the Western Saxon campaign occurred in Meissen. Maximilian was reinforced by regiments from Mecklenburg but he was driven to the east and with it King Maximilian’s last hope of holding Western Saxony was lost.

In the South the events of spring 1532 are hard to understand, even in hindsight. The withdrawal of Venice from the alliance gave Austria a numerical advantage. Barberini’s battle plans were left in tatters. It is incomprehensible why Franz I of Austria did not take advantage of this fact. The facts stand in front of us though, rather than taking the fight to Tuscany and reclaiming his western provinces Franz I retreated east. This gave the Tuscan forces under the leadership of Butteri a reprieve. A chance to restore moral and retrain in the new free shooting tactics. Butteri, at the command of King, also quickly laid siege to the provinces of Niederbayern and Munchen before the garrisons could be reinforced. The final month of the short peace, as it is sometimes called, saw minor skirmishes in Tirol and Plsen and the Swiss capturing Linz.

Mad Oscar does his stuff again


AUSTRIA May 32 – October 32​

The following month saw Swiss forces under Mad Oscar advance into Wien. Franz of Austria countered this move by laying siege to both Linz and Friuli in the hope of drawing mad Oscar’s attention away. Like a crazed terrier General Oscar refused to let go of his prize and the Austrians realising their plan had failed lunched an attack into Wien. The crazed General was forced to withdraw but the line was held in Friuli and Linz. Late July and early August saw the good news of the recapture of Niederbayern and Munchen by Tuscan troops. September saw the fall of Plsen in the north and the advance of troops to Bohemia. There are few benefits to having a mad man fight on your side, you never know what he will do next. On the upside neither does your enemy.

Linz was recaptured from the Swiss in September but Mad Oscar didn’t care. He was to busy wreaking havoc in Croatia after leading his men into a suicidal charge on the Austrian armies there.

SAXONY May 32 – October 32​

The battle of Meissen was won and with it the lands of Western Saxony secured. Attention now turned to Mecklenburg as Maximilian retreated to Eastern Saxony and his Baltic holdings. 10000 Tuscan soldiers marched into Brandenburg, dividing the forces of Mecklenburg in two. One army based around Lubeck in the north and the other Lodz in the South east. Brandenburg was quickly besieged and the army split, Giuseppe Boncompagni marched north with 5000 to Hinterpommern chasing King Maximilian. The remaining army split in two. Half besieged Brandenburg and the other moved to Lausitz in the South. Spring turned to Summer, Summer to Autumn and the remaining western saxon cities of Bamberg, Leipzig and Meissen came under Tuscan control. The troops freed moved east advancing further into Mecklenburg lands. Skirmishes occurred, hit and run attacks in the night, small battles here and there. It all seemed to easy.

Under the glacial skies of late October the combined forces of the enemy launched their counter offensive. General Heinrich marched south from Eastern Saxony with 5000 troops. Johann Leopold Alvintzky marched north from Ratibor with an Austrian force of 5000 and a further 2000 moved from Lublin.

The Tuscan armies in Mecklenburg stood at 12000 men spread over half a dozen provinces. The sieges of Lodz and Poznan were abandoned the soldiers ordered to reinforce Breslau. The siege of Hinterpommern was also cut short and soldiers from there and Meissen marched to Brandenburg. The battle of Brandenburg was a short affair, Tuscan troops chased north through the winter snows to Mecklenburg and then Lubeck. To the South the Austrian armies were not yet finished. The 16th under Alvintzky was fighting in Breslau, 2 months battle raged before Alvintzky was driven back.

The 10th Austrian army under Franz I marched into Linz in November; 5000 cavalry and 5000 infantry. Further south yet Otto van herring commanding 2000 cavalry and 2000 infantry laid siege to the Tirol. General Pasquale Butteri commanded the Tuscan 6th army, 5500 cavalry and 3500 infantry. He was charged by King Barberini to hold the southern line, which he did. He met Franz I in Linz, victory was swift the Austrian King and his men retreating within a week. Desiring to break the siege of Tirol before the turn of the year Butteri ordered an immediate assault against the walls of Linz. A further week saw Linz in Tuscan hands and Butteri marching south to the Tirol.

In the meantime Mad Oscar was back to his old tricks, having returned from Croatia he know led his army to besiege Karnten, oblivious to the Austrian force which besieged his province of Friuli.

On the 29th of December 1532 the Palatinate declared war, an act of madness, a herald of things to come and a warning that was ignored. The palatinate was a 3 province state with an army of 1000 men what harm could they do? They were a nuisance, armies had to peel off and move back West to deal with the annoyance and the Eastern advance slowed. Other than that the campaign of 1533 seemed to be going to plan, a slower advance than hoped for but no unforeseen difficulties. The siege of Bohemia was won in March and the forces there advanced east to Ratibor. The Austrian forces seemed to be broken as did their counterparts in the North; little meaningful resistance was met.

In early May advance scouts for the forces in Ratibor reported a sighting of Austrian troops in Krakow. The news was unexpected, Franz I had managed to gather the 9th army of almost 15000 men under him in Krakow. King Barberini knew this could be a serious problem, if true. Unwilling to act on one unconfirmed report further scouts were sent. The discovery of the 9th had been a shock it was nothing compared to the reaction when the scouts returned in late May. A second army had arrived in Krakow commanded by Johann Karl Buseck, the 5th with 12000 men.

The Austrian war gets interesting​

It would seem the entry into the war of the Palatinate was not an act of madness. The delay in the Tuscan advance had given Franz I the time he needed to gather his armies and reconstitute his forces. As the summer solstice grew close the balance of power in the war took a shocking turn. The calculations were simple

Tuscan/allied regiments : Austrian/allied regiments
7 cavalry vs 21 cavalry
16 infantry vs 36 infantry
4 cannon vs 2 cannon

The Tuscan advantage in military technology no longer seemed so large.​

 

[unmerged(64837)]

well another fortnight gone time flies when your having fun as they say. I made the mistake of buying Final Fantasy 12 two weeks ago, its kept me kind of busy

Stnylan: I hope its not Switzerland i beat

Duke: Things were easier than i expected but this discovery of almost 30,000 new austrian troops kept me on my toes

 

[Graymane]

Heh, I forgot all about this AAR thought it was dead =) Looks like a major world war going on.

 

[Duke of Wellington]

Hmmm, that Austrian discovery really does make you sit back and think. All in all though a great war, it looks most impressive with you controlling so much of Germany, the advance was well co-ordinated.

 

[stnylan]

A wee bit on the outnumbered side aren't you?

 

[unmerged(64837)]

”Hold the line, stand firm, take what we can from Saxony and Mecklenburg to break there power forever and then peace with Austria on our terms”

Tales of the founding father, A history of Ippolito Barberini ​

The shocking discovery of so many men under arms necessitated a rethink in Emperor Barberini’s plans. Tuscan moral was high but the troop reserve was low and the thought of bringing another 20,000 men to arms was too much to contemplate. The only alternative solution was to seek peace with Austria’s allies, and try and reduce the size of the opponents force.

Prior to war the Emperor desired to humiliate Austria and her allies. He had a secondary aim though to bring freedom and self rule back to the old Germanic states which had been absorbed over the years. It was numbers that made the Holy Roman Empire strong and gave the emperor his power. So with heavy heart the Emperor sent the command. On the 30th of May 1533 Saxony accepted peace in exchange for half of western Saxony.

For decades Tuscany had not hesitated when our allies Munster pleaded for help. Gelre declared war Tuscany was there; the Palatinate declared war Tuscany was there; Burgundy sought advantage Tuscany stood by her allies. Even the might of the house of Valois and France did not lead to a hesitation in Tuscany’s duty. Yet when King Barberini called Munster hid. To say the Emperor was furious when he heard would be an understatement

“Shoot not the messenger or the horse he rode on; shoot the man who caused the problem. Remove his head and the corpse withers”

Tales of the founding father, A history of Ippolito Barberini​

With his hands tied in war Emperor Barberini had to find another method to punish the traitors. In September of 1532 Burgundy declared war on Munster and Barberini found his tool for revenge. The King of Munster assumed he was safe, his lands enveloped within Tuscan holdings. He remembered the Burgundian war of years earlier and knew the hatred Burgundy felt towards Tuscany. He could see no way that the Burgundian King would bend knee and beg for access to attack him. He could also see no way that Burgundy would march Soldiers through Tuscan lands without permission.

He was right and wrong; Burgundy would not march through Tuscan lands without permission and would not ask for permission. That did not prevent Emperor Barberini from dispatching a messenger to the Court of Burgundy and offering access. Now Munster stood alone a betrayer betrayed in turn.

The new world was a rich lure for many of the European powers Austria and her allies were no exception. On the 3rd of September 1530 the Firenzen 6th Horse started out on what would be a 3 year campaign to capture the colonial assets of Austria and Mecklenburg. Setting off from Grao Para on the northern coast of the southern continent they marched to Esquibo, which fell with barely a shot fired. Resistance was met in Cumana a single regiment of infantry, the 21st Austrian reserve. A brief battle ensued before they were driven off, into the jungle, never to be heard from again. With the assimilation of Esquibo and Cumana the Austrian tarnish was removed form the new world.

Mecklenburg held three colonies. Choco on the southern continent was left defenceless and soon overrun. In the North they also held Narranganset and Pennaco. Two regiments of infantry held these fur trading lands. After a tough battle the Firenze 6th managed to take control of Narranganset. Pennaco would remain in the hands of Mecklenburg until the end of the war.

The months stretched as the emperor waited for news of the new Austrian force. There were rumours of troubles in the Austrian eastern territories; Rumours that the King was a coward afraid of battle; Perhaps though he simply waited while his army was re-equipped and adapted to new technology.

At the start of June Croatia fell to Mad Oscar and his armies moved on Slavonia. Finally in early August Franz put in an appearance heading south with 14000 men through Ersekujavar, aiming for the Adriatic coast and General Oscar Amman. Try as they might from this point on the Tuscan advance east stalled. Winter approached, those terrible Eastern winters. Moral was low, manpower as well, the Tuscan force seemed worn out, the Austrian army though seemed fresh for war. The tide of war was about to change, by the turn of the year Bohemia was besieged and battle was met in Tirol and Linz. Step by step Tuscany and her allies were forced back in the Austrian campaign.

The removal of Saxony from the war opened new opportunities in the North and General Giuseppe Boncompagni made sure to take advantage of this. The siege of Brandenburg was quickly won and Lausitz fell before the Tuscan guns less than a month later. The most audacious move of General Boncompagni was the battle of Mecklenburg, Johann Albrecht II King of Mecklenburg waited there with 10000 men. His armies though were heavily demoralised by the news of the Saxon peace. When Boncompagni descended on him with half that number Albrecht’s men soon turned tail and fled for safety in Lubeck. Summer progressed into Autumn Neumark fell and then Mecklenburg itself.

The Austrians were on the offensive in the south and Boncompagni received new orders from the emperor to reach a peace as soon as possible and bring his men south. King Albrecht knowing the news in the South hoped to hold to what little of his county was still in his hands and pray the Southern campaign would drag Boncompagni away.

Peace deals were offered and refused. In December Poznan fell peace was offered and refused. January saw Hinterpommern in Tuscan hands but still no peace deal. Finally in February King Albrecht, worried for his own survival, surrendered. Neumark and Lausitz placed into Tuscan control.

Austria most certainly benefited from the Palatinates declaration of war, the Palatinate did not. They started well recapturing Elsass and returning it to Austrian control but that was their acme in the war of deception. Barely 18 months after the declaration of war the Palatinate had been stripped of her provinces and forced to the peace table.

It was in the year 1520 that the first war of the Palatinate had occurred. King Philipp Wilhelm I, protestant to the bone trying to spread his heretical faith. He failed then and he failed once again. Barberini saw himself as the defender of the catholic faith in principle, if not fact, yet. The Palatinate was one of five countries which had converted to the false faith and was responsible for spreading the plague of religious falsehoods across Europe. Some of Tuscany’s own allies, Genoa and Switzerland had also converted to the false teachings of Luther. Even provinces within Greater Tuscany herself had greater concentrations of Protestants than followers of the true faith represented by Holy Rome.

So Emperor Barberini made his demands at the peace table. Franken must be gifted before it was contaminated by the false faith. Trier and Pfalz would remain in the hands of the Palatinate but King Philipp Wilhelm I must renounce his heretical faith and return to the fold of the true faith. In addition it was demanded that he pay for missionary work to save the souls of his populace. On the 12th of June 1534 the treaty was signed and the Palatinate turned back to Holy Mother Rome. On the 16th of June 1534, 4 days later, the treaty was renounced and the people of the Palatinate turned their back on the Pope and God once more.

King Franz of Austria has been sighted with a vast host marching on Slavonia, he had General Oscar Omann heavily outnumbered, more than 3 soldiers for every 1 the Swiss could field. Surely Mad Oscar must have known what size force he faced and yet it bothered him not. He stood in the face of that vast host and it must be said actually managed to hold his ground for a few weeks before he and his few men were forced back step by step from the province of Slavonia. Eventually he admitted defeat and led his men west to the Adriatic ports in Croatia where he boarded ship and returned home.

With the success of his brief campaign in the Slavic lands King Franz took heart and turned his host north marching through Croatia and Krain. In the meantime the second large Austrian force commanded by General Buseck had arrived in Friuli he was met by the armies of the Pope but outnumbering them 4 to 1 he easily won the battle and laid siege. Friuli fell in early May a few days later Franz arrived and led his forces to Verona now numbering 16000.

General Butteri had managed to gather 6000 men to his banners in the Tirol and swiftly moved into Friuli overwhelming the small Austrian garrison left behind but things were looking desperate. The Emperor Barberini tried to seek peace with the Austrian King but Franz knew he held the upper hand in men if not land. Time and again the diplomats of the Emperor were rebuffed. The keystone and stumbling block in the negotiations, the port of Hinterpommern on the Baltic coast. Friuli was won back but soon Verona had fallen to Austrian troops. Franz divided his forces half to Mantua and half to recapture Trent. Each half of his army outnumbered the entire Tuscan force under Butteri. Butteri moved in to recapture Verona as Emperor Barberini sought peace again.

Once again the whims of fate intervened, Fran initially seemed tempted by peace proposal but then he received news that his troops had recaptured Linz. This gave him the opportunity to break through the Venetian divide north of Salzburg and so he refused.

Verona was recaptured just days later but by then Trent was under siege. By the end of the month Austrian troops had moved into Bohemia and Niederbayern and then in July the Tirol. Land which had taken years of hard fighting to win was being swamped in the rising red tide of King Franz’s armies. Again in July Austria refused peace and the Emperor finally accepted that Hinterpommern would not be his. In August Franz offered a peace and it was accepted. Perhaps not all the Emperor Barberini had hoped for but there was no doubt that Austria had been punished for its part in the infamous night of knives so many years before.

The First Austrian war was not a war of land, although much land did change hands, it was a war of principles and values. The Austrian royal house had sought to extend its rule through subterfuge and assassination. Too many good men had died at their hands to allow them to continue in this vein. As Emperor, Ippolito Barberini had a responsibility to all the people within the Holy Roman Empire.

But Barberini felt more than this. Rome had subjugated herself to Tuscany decades before. The Emperor recognised the authority of the Pope on all matters spiritual. In the war of religious words the Pope stood supreme. However in the realms of the physical, in the war of swords and blood, the defence of his realm and his religion was in his hands. He would defend the faith in every way he knew how; he would be put to the test.

In the new world the Cherokee nation rose and Catholics died in their hundreds. In the old world Catholics had slaughtered each other in their thousands.

1: Trouble for the Portuguese, beaten by Cherokee. 2: Castile moves into France


Europe had descended into hell and fought its way out again. But it was a changed world now and Emperor Barberini recognised this. Doge Cosimo de Medici had a vision of a world changed by trade. The time of the dreaming merchant princes had come to an end. Emperor Barberini saw a world changed by war; he saw a future where peace was won with a sword.​

 

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Graymane: Not quite dead, just a bit distracted

Duke: I still don't have a clue why austria had all those soldiers hiding in the East, the AI definetley got it wrong there. Though in the end i was forced to take peace before i wanted to as i was starting to be overwhelmed. very fun war though.


Stynlan: lol, just slightly If i'd faced all of those troops at the start it would have been more difficult, and more fun

 

[Duke of Wellington]

Impressive gains there. I look forward to the time when all you lands are connected and you are quite a juggernaut. A ruthless move there of revenge upon Munster.