Chapter 26: Trade and Conquest (1605-14)
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Frisian National and Domestic Issues
Our last episode finished in June 1605. By December of that year, the recently appointed (for life) Potestaat Gerrit Wynja remained in power. The great project to upgrade the Dutch Polders in Amsterdam was well advanced on track for completion in less than three years. The recent alliance network remained in place, with the two larger self-governing colonies in America and Australia contributing their trade power to the homeland.
Friesland remained at peace in Europe and truces remained in place after the recent colonial wars in Australia.
Wynja only governed until May 1608, being replaced by the generally competent but already old Willem Stiensma. But a notable change in the government had occurred, with the growing budget surplus having been invested into improved ministerial appointees.
In the intervening years, Friesland had benefited from a temporary boost to government investment and another bout of colonial enthusiasm – just the thing for a burgeoning settlement program, principally in Australia and the East Indies at this time.
The Dutch Polders had been completed the year before, as planned. These now noteworthy works would do much to boost local defensive options but mainly to provide an enduring benefit to the production of goods and the loyalty of the Burghers in the Estates. But the great expense of upgrading again would be one for future generations to consider.
In the Frisian homeland, the recent
status quo prevailed on the religious front, while overseas modest efforts continued to bring the heathens to Christ as Jesuit priests fanned out, one missionary team currently converting Katapang, in far Borneo.
Diplomatic and military technology had also advanced recently, with a new class of merchantman becoming available for production and flintlock muskets making supply far easier.
Between 1605 and 1609, the loyalty of both Clergy and Burghers remained steady, as did their influence. For the clergy, the benefits of clerical advancement had been replaced by a focus on public schools, maintaining their shaky influence. The Burgher still ruled the roost, however.
The rule of Willem Stiensma did not even last three years, with the brilliant but even older Koenraad Halbertsma taking over. In April 1614 he was 75 years old and was dealing with the enmity of Scotland, Portugal and Granada while Friesland’s alliances remained steady.
The big news in government practice in recent years was the introduction of a committee system for the appointment of the key bureaucrats. It may be another 60 years or more before another major reform was possible.
This period also saw a reintroduction of the dormant ‘Frisianisation’ policy across the more recently acquired provinces of the homeland. The two subject colonies remained well under control.
Catholicism in Friesland now claimed 83% of the population and the country remained as the Defender of the Faith. All colonial provinces bar the recently gained Manado and Sampit had been converted, but he four ‘blue provinces’ of Cleve, Meppen, Geldern and Oversticht could still not be tackled by the missionaries.
The Leger had grown by six regiments between 1605 and 1614 as its sustainable capacity increased. Meanwhile, the Navy’s strength of 72 could now be supported effectively, helping with maintenance costs. The manpower reserves had increased significantly (by over 13,000 men to 48,686).
And as noted earlier, the upgrade from brig to merchantman would increase the strength and shock power of any ships that may have been converted or would be produced in the future.
The influence of the Clergy in the Estates remained the same, but that of the Burghers was suffering temporarily due to a decline of the merchant classes expected to last at least another 13 years.
Economy and Trade
Between 1605 and 1614, two major factors affected Friesland’s bottom line, with the net effect being an increase in the monthly surplus of ducats. First, as we observed above, by 1609 the Frisian government had drastically improved the calibre of its top advisors – which of course came at a cost – of around an extra 14 ducats per month in salaries.
But by April 1614, setting aside other minor fluctuations in both income and expenses, trade income had exploded, rising from around 51 ducats in 1605 and 54 in 1609, up to 70 in 1614! This more than compensated for the increased costs of the new advisors. Which were also partly offset (5%) by the recent introduction of the committee system for appointments.
A more detailed review of the Frisian trade setup in 1614 shows where the money was coming from: mainly (of course) the English Channel node, which Friesland continued to lead in. Plus Chesapeake Bay, where both Friesland and New Frisland had strong interests.
By this time, Frisian traders and merchants had become more familiar with and attuned to
some of the subtleties of trade flows. In the main hub of Europe, Lübeck (where the Frisian Navy also had a significant trade protection role, as well as in the Channel) now made a significant contribution to the English Channel, where Friesland commanded almost half the total trade power. The North Sea also made a modest contribution, as did other European and more distant inputs; not all directed by Friesland, with England and France also being leading beneficiaries of Channel trade.
In Chesapeake Bay, both Friesland (25%) and New Friesland (20%) wielded much of the trade power. And a good amount of the value was in turn being directed towards the English Channel node.
On a smaller scale, and with less Frisian influence, the Ivory Coast zone also transferred value to the Channel.
While in the East Indies, where the Frisian presence continued to grow quite rapidly around this time, its influence in the two main local trade zones was as yet minimal.
There was a little more trade power being exerted in Australia, through Frisian Australia, but it was modest and the overall value low.
The Wider World
The Danish Conquest of Olonets had ended in loss and humiliation for the Danes in October 1605, after four years of large scale and deadly fighting. The settlement actually had them worse off as a result of their attempt, losing a swathe of land to the east of Finland, stretching from Lake Ladoga up to the White Sea and Kola.
It was apparent that the Danish Army had suffered terribly, with their manpower pool only just beginning to rebuild from nothing after a few months. Meanwhile, Russian reserves were a little healthier, but their navy had been all but destroyed.
On the diplomatic front, in late 1605 the rivalry between Portugal and Friesland had deepened, with Portugal now applying an embargo and maintaining alliances with England, France and Aragon. Their colonial empire was of course huge and they held (but had so far not exercised)
casus belli on both Friesland and Frisian Australia.
France remained as powerful as ever, with a large army, navy and manpower reserve. They still shared one ally in common (Savoy) with Friesland and held both the Austrians and Ottomans and major rivals. Emperor Louis XV had no legal heir
[does that have much import in EU4?], but relations with Friesland were reasonable at that time, though their diplomatic warning remained in place.
Speaking of the Ottomans, they remained the dominant great power in the world. From their truce agreements, it could be seen that most of their recent activity had been focused to their south and east. They were almost on a par technologically with the leading European nations, had a huge army and navy and great international prestige.
Mehmed III’s empire had spread to occupy most of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf coastlines by 1605, also dominating the Libyan coast, Egypt and Mesopotamia, plus the Balkans and beyond to the south of Poland-Lithuania.
In December 1605, there were no major wars in Europe, a state of general relative peace that would be maintained for the next decade or so. At that time, Austria had joined the list of great powers (following its formal absorption of Hungary). The other rankings would fluctuate a little but the list remained largely stable throughout the period.
By April 1614, Friesland’s relative position to the other great powers had climbed somewhat as new additions were made and advances adopted. It was now sitting not that far out of this ‘league table’ metric. Naval, trade and economic power remained Friesland’s premier areas of strength. And it’s standing
[VPs] in the world had also begun to climb again, being seen in the leading 10 nations in administrative and diplomatic power rankings.
The Americas
By August 1609, the Hathawekela tribe had been dragged into defending the Huron Confederacy against a French conquest war. Fortunately, as the Opothleyholo I was only doing this as an ally of the Huron, Friesland (though an ally) was not dragged into the conflict.
The Huron were in some trouble by this stage, the Hathawekela less so – though Tatteroa had been taken by French allies Portuguese Brazil and handed over to French occupation on 3 July 1609.
The war ended in a ‘brutal’ loss for the Huron in May 1610, with French Canada being given control of two more Huron provinces. By January 1613 both were French Canadian cores. The Hathawekela were not forced to make any territorial concessions, though their small field army had been wiped out. And an indication of how far behind they were in technological advancement could also be seen
[about 6 levels behind Friesland in all three streams].
In a closer look at the west coast of South America, the encroachment of Portuguese colonisation just to the south of the Inca had been traced out. From Arequipa up to Nazca had been colonised between 1558-61. A first war between the Inca, apparently allied with Pacajes, had occurred in the from around 1558 to September 1660.
It looked like another had followed from about March 1578 to maybe January 1585. Despite some long periods of Inca occupation during those periods, it seemed Portugal had eventually won this war too and that peace may have reigned since.
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The East Indies
In December 1605, a modest Frisian army and supporting fleet was in Bengkulu, ready for a possible expansionist campaign in Sumatra. The likely target was the small West Sumatran Princedom of Indrapura. It had a small army with fair technology, though three levels behind that of the Frisians.
Probably of more concern was their alliances, with the small country of Palembang but the larger Sunda, a neighbouring kingdom controlling most of Java. The other neighbouring Sumatran Sultanate of Malacca was significantly larger – with an army almost as large as that of Sunda, with both of similar advancement to Indrapura.
The problem with them (if either were attacked directly) was their respective regional allinces with Bengal (Malacca) and Ayutthaya (Sunda). This put both of these neighbours currently off limits to a direct attack, while Sunda’s alliance with Indrapura could also cause problems in a campaign there.
Both Bengal and Ayutthaya were genuinely powerful regional players, the Bengali navy being quite large.
The Frisian Conquest of Muko-Muko had begun in 1607, ending on 9 May 1608. Few details are known now (including any side actions fought against either Palembang or Sunda), but the war was apparently effectively won with the defeat of Indrapura’s main army early on in the war.
Indrapura itself fell in February 1608 and Muko-Muko itself in early May, after which Indrapura capitulated and both were annexed by Friesland. By then Bengkulu was a full city and in June 1609 had been converted to Catholicism. The occupied provinces were well on the way to being made Frisian cores.
In the wider view of the East Indies, Katapang in Borneo had also become a full city in February 1609, with Manado (at the northern tip of Sulawesi) being colonised a few weeks later.
The colonisation of Sampit in Borneo followed in late 1612, while another colonial fleet was getting ready to settle Gorontalo, next to Manado, by April 1614.
Australia
Australia had remained fairly quiet from 1605-14. Colonial wars had been replaced once more by settler expeditions. Nukunu was settled in October 1605.
This was followed by Yuat, in the west of the continent, in December 1608.
] , had apparently dissolved into a number of opposing fragments after the earlier collapse of the Ming Dynasty.
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