Bit of a toughie, this - most of the first fifty years is going to be biding my time and building up the economy and planting colonies.
I'm playing IGC, where the HL only starts with two provinces, Bremen and Mecklemburg.
Some of the years may look a bit skimpy, but honestly, nothing was happening... A lot of time spent just saving up money for that next Letter of Introduction...
Still, there's been a few disastrous wars to relieve the tedium, so here goes...
1492
1st January - On the day of my appointment I address the assembled Hansetag. The Europe we find ourselves in, I explain, is a dangerous place. The prosperity we have created throug peaceful trade, over the two and a half centuries since that first agreement between Lubeck and Hamburg, is a prize that we must keep from the rapacious claws of Denmark, Sweden or Poland. We have a responsibility to our citizens to invest in our infrastructure and to keep ourselves safe from harm. We will also await eagerly news from Columbus' expedition, and endeavour to avail ourselves of any new riches from the routes that he finds.
Our current alliance with Courland and Holstein will be important to us, but we may need to add to it before we can feel truly safe, especially as we may find ourselves sucked into a war with Denmark if it comes to blows with its unwilling vassal Holstein.
As my first act I provide Bremen and Mecklemburg with tax-collectors. The peasants seem strangely ungrateful for this great improvement in their nation's efficiency, but remain quiet.
6th February - The merchant that I sent to Mecklemburg reports that his trade is prospering. I immediately send another to try and gain a monopoly.
19th February - News of Spain's annexation of Tripoli only confirms me in my belief that small nations must band together against the large ones, or suffer a similar fate.
7th March - A monopoly is successfully established, though disappointingly it gains us only one more ducat.
3rd April - A war breaks out between England and Scotland. I offer England a loan but they refuse - however that annoying niece of mine is given in marriage to a flatulent, obese English nobleman - they deserve each other.
11th June - Scotland have besieged the Marches, and my niece reports to me that the English armies are in shreds. They'll be wanting that loan soon, after all..
18th August - France also declare war on England. England accept my offer of a loan of 30d at 4%. We need to make money any way we can.
12th November - Although their armies are undefeated, and the English can barely raise any sort of defence, Scotland makes peace paying 70d to England. I can only guess the war must have been unpopular amongst the Scottish court - in military terms the surrender is pure idiocy.
1493
13th January - The security of the realm is increased as Brandenburg enters our alliance. They have an army of 25,000 men - surely our combined strength will be enough make the Danes fear to attack us.
30th April - Our neighbours Hannover join the alliance.
27th May - I order work to be started increasing the fortifications of Mecklemburg.
15th July - The bonds of friendship amongst the nations of northern Germany are strengthened further, as I make a marriage with a minor noble of Hannover - my eleven-year-old daughter seemed less than keen, but a small child being removed from her home for a life of misery and abuse is a small price to pay for the greater good of the League.
1494
1st February - the state of Milan is no more, another noble city state sacrificed to the Moloch that is France.
8th March - An alarming assemblage of nations is emerging - England, Austria, Bohemia, Lorraine and Spain have all made common bond. Our small band of states would be no match for foes such as these.
14th July - Austria declares war on Hungary, and its allies join the fray. Hungary is friendless.
1495
17th January - Bohemia declines to join our alliance - perhaps just as well, since the danger of being sucked into a war with Austria would have been great.
24th January - WAR!!
The danger has come not, as we always feared, from Denmark, but from tiny Hessen. Some intractible dispute with Hannover has spilled over into conflict, and I decide that I must bring the alliance to the defence of our friend. Although the army of Hanse is small, the combined strength of the all the nations is more than enough to overwhelm Hessen, who has no allies.
To my delight, no member of the alliance deserts its responsibility, and all our armies march to the defence of the city of Hannover.
21st February - 43,486 infanty, 15,898 cavalry and ten cannon join battle with the 23,917 infantry and 10,984 cavalry of Hessen.
16th March - The forces of Hessen flee, and Hannover is safe. A greater prize awaits us - Hessen is undefended, and it would surely be only a short time before its two provinces, with their minimal fortresses, fell to our cannon. I order our troops onward.
4th - 8th April - We arrive in Hessen where we chance upon with the remnants of their army - just a thousand wretched souls, who offer only token resistance before fleeing into the neighbouring province of Munster.
The allies decide that the leadership of the siege should be given to the Hanseatic League. I order our combined forces to assault the capital city Kassel immediately.
17th April - I receive news that Hungary has been forced to cede Pest to Austria.
28th May - Our attempt to storm Kassel has failed, and our troops fall back demoralised. However, just a couple of thousand troops remain within the city walls now - surely our next assault will succeed.
19th June - A band of 6000 Hessen troops have laid siege to Hannover - however 10,000 men from Brandenburg are headed for that province, so I do not worry. I curse myself for allowing Hessen to recruit more troops, though - a band of cavalry should have been sent to Munster to dispatch the new recruits the minute they left the training ground.
22nd July - Worrying news from Denmark - Portugal has joined an alliance that also includes Denmark, Russia, Venice and the Netherlands. Immediately I arrange a royal marriage with Denmark and the Netherlands - I was surprised they accepted, since neither state is too keen on us. A good thing I did though - the Netherlands has over 100,000 troops. When I have found a suitable diplomat, I will try and arrange a marriage with Russia.
25th August - I order the construction of ten more cannon - men are dying in Hessen from disease and hunger, so this siege must be brought to a swift conclusion.
29th October - Austria, with its allies Spain, England and Navarra has embarked on a war with Turkey. While I hate the infidel as any Christian man should, I secretly hope that Austria will find this an exhausting and bloody combat, the better to stay away from us...
1496
1st January - Yet another assault on Kassel fails, 22,000 men becoming afraid of the few hundred souls who remain inside the city. I rail against the cowardice of our troops, but nothing will convince them to finish the job, so I resign myself to more months of siege.
22nd February - The Hannoverians have lost their minds! The men of Brandenburg have defeated the remains of the Hessen army, and yet Hannover surrenders, giving 66 ducats in the process!
Furious, I must leave Kassel just as the city is on the brink of surrender. I have no business to remain in a country we are now at peace with, so I lead the 6,000 men of Hanse who have survived back to Bremen, a glittering prize snatched from our hands by the fecklessness and cowardice of our allies.
The rest of the year is uneventful - we must replenish the funds we have spent on the war.
28th December - Denmark finds itself in a war with Turkey, brought in to defend Venice.
That'll do for now - bit time-consuming, this...
I'm playing IGC, where the HL only starts with two provinces, Bremen and Mecklemburg.
Some of the years may look a bit skimpy, but honestly, nothing was happening... A lot of time spent just saving up money for that next Letter of Introduction...
Still, there's been a few disastrous wars to relieve the tedium, so here goes...
1492
1st January - On the day of my appointment I address the assembled Hansetag. The Europe we find ourselves in, I explain, is a dangerous place. The prosperity we have created throug peaceful trade, over the two and a half centuries since that first agreement between Lubeck and Hamburg, is a prize that we must keep from the rapacious claws of Denmark, Sweden or Poland. We have a responsibility to our citizens to invest in our infrastructure and to keep ourselves safe from harm. We will also await eagerly news from Columbus' expedition, and endeavour to avail ourselves of any new riches from the routes that he finds.
Our current alliance with Courland and Holstein will be important to us, but we may need to add to it before we can feel truly safe, especially as we may find ourselves sucked into a war with Denmark if it comes to blows with its unwilling vassal Holstein.
As my first act I provide Bremen and Mecklemburg with tax-collectors. The peasants seem strangely ungrateful for this great improvement in their nation's efficiency, but remain quiet.
6th February - The merchant that I sent to Mecklemburg reports that his trade is prospering. I immediately send another to try and gain a monopoly.
19th February - News of Spain's annexation of Tripoli only confirms me in my belief that small nations must band together against the large ones, or suffer a similar fate.
7th March - A monopoly is successfully established, though disappointingly it gains us only one more ducat.
3rd April - A war breaks out between England and Scotland. I offer England a loan but they refuse - however that annoying niece of mine is given in marriage to a flatulent, obese English nobleman - they deserve each other.
11th June - Scotland have besieged the Marches, and my niece reports to me that the English armies are in shreds. They'll be wanting that loan soon, after all..
18th August - France also declare war on England. England accept my offer of a loan of 30d at 4%. We need to make money any way we can.
12th November - Although their armies are undefeated, and the English can barely raise any sort of defence, Scotland makes peace paying 70d to England. I can only guess the war must have been unpopular amongst the Scottish court - in military terms the surrender is pure idiocy.
1493
13th January - The security of the realm is increased as Brandenburg enters our alliance. They have an army of 25,000 men - surely our combined strength will be enough make the Danes fear to attack us.
30th April - Our neighbours Hannover join the alliance.
27th May - I order work to be started increasing the fortifications of Mecklemburg.
15th July - The bonds of friendship amongst the nations of northern Germany are strengthened further, as I make a marriage with a minor noble of Hannover - my eleven-year-old daughter seemed less than keen, but a small child being removed from her home for a life of misery and abuse is a small price to pay for the greater good of the League.
1494
1st February - the state of Milan is no more, another noble city state sacrificed to the Moloch that is France.
8th March - An alarming assemblage of nations is emerging - England, Austria, Bohemia, Lorraine and Spain have all made common bond. Our small band of states would be no match for foes such as these.
14th July - Austria declares war on Hungary, and its allies join the fray. Hungary is friendless.
1495
17th January - Bohemia declines to join our alliance - perhaps just as well, since the danger of being sucked into a war with Austria would have been great.
24th January - WAR!!
The danger has come not, as we always feared, from Denmark, but from tiny Hessen. Some intractible dispute with Hannover has spilled over into conflict, and I decide that I must bring the alliance to the defence of our friend. Although the army of Hanse is small, the combined strength of the all the nations is more than enough to overwhelm Hessen, who has no allies.
To my delight, no member of the alliance deserts its responsibility, and all our armies march to the defence of the city of Hannover.
21st February - 43,486 infanty, 15,898 cavalry and ten cannon join battle with the 23,917 infantry and 10,984 cavalry of Hessen.
16th March - The forces of Hessen flee, and Hannover is safe. A greater prize awaits us - Hessen is undefended, and it would surely be only a short time before its two provinces, with their minimal fortresses, fell to our cannon. I order our troops onward.
4th - 8th April - We arrive in Hessen where we chance upon with the remnants of their army - just a thousand wretched souls, who offer only token resistance before fleeing into the neighbouring province of Munster.
The allies decide that the leadership of the siege should be given to the Hanseatic League. I order our combined forces to assault the capital city Kassel immediately.
17th April - I receive news that Hungary has been forced to cede Pest to Austria.
28th May - Our attempt to storm Kassel has failed, and our troops fall back demoralised. However, just a couple of thousand troops remain within the city walls now - surely our next assault will succeed.
19th June - A band of 6000 Hessen troops have laid siege to Hannover - however 10,000 men from Brandenburg are headed for that province, so I do not worry. I curse myself for allowing Hessen to recruit more troops, though - a band of cavalry should have been sent to Munster to dispatch the new recruits the minute they left the training ground.
22nd July - Worrying news from Denmark - Portugal has joined an alliance that also includes Denmark, Russia, Venice and the Netherlands. Immediately I arrange a royal marriage with Denmark and the Netherlands - I was surprised they accepted, since neither state is too keen on us. A good thing I did though - the Netherlands has over 100,000 troops. When I have found a suitable diplomat, I will try and arrange a marriage with Russia.
25th August - I order the construction of ten more cannon - men are dying in Hessen from disease and hunger, so this siege must be brought to a swift conclusion.
29th October - Austria, with its allies Spain, England and Navarra has embarked on a war with Turkey. While I hate the infidel as any Christian man should, I secretly hope that Austria will find this an exhausting and bloody combat, the better to stay away from us...
1496
1st January - Yet another assault on Kassel fails, 22,000 men becoming afraid of the few hundred souls who remain inside the city. I rail against the cowardice of our troops, but nothing will convince them to finish the job, so I resign myself to more months of siege.
22nd February - The Hannoverians have lost their minds! The men of Brandenburg have defeated the remains of the Hessen army, and yet Hannover surrenders, giving 66 ducats in the process!
Furious, I must leave Kassel just as the city is on the brink of surrender. I have no business to remain in a country we are now at peace with, so I lead the 6,000 men of Hanse who have survived back to Bremen, a glittering prize snatched from our hands by the fecklessness and cowardice of our allies.
The rest of the year is uneventful - we must replenish the funds we have spent on the war.
28th December - Denmark finds itself in a war with Turkey, brought in to defend Venice.
That'll do for now - bit time-consuming, this...
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