Quitting Smoking with France (custom hard, 5.2)

[Adam Rinkleff]

The Third Burgundian War (3.1531-8.1535)
Total casualties: 250k

Near the end of his reign, Charles-VIII began settling colonists in the New World, upon the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. After his death in 1529, Henri-II proclaimed a new direction for French policy, speaking of peaceful expansion, promising to avoid war and focus solely upon colonial expansion. However, the Burgundians saw this as a sign of weakness, and they began an incessant campaign of civil disobedience, denouncing French authority and demanding access to the sea. Refusing to pay French taxes, smugglers plied their wares in the ports of Antwerp and Calais. Meanwhile, farmers would secretly move their fences during the night, encroaching upon the borders which had been established in 1514. Finally, in 1531, this border friction forced the peaceful Henri to mobilize the army, and disperse the belligerent Burgundian mobs. Although Henri desired no new conquests, he died in 1532 and was succeeded by the emperor Jacques. After the burning of Antwerp, which Jacques blamed upon the Burgundians (although several sources state that the fire was accidentally caused by drunken French troops), Jacques embarked upon a war of conquest. Ultimately, he annexed most of northern Burgundia (including Liege), and liberated Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Castille was unsuccessful in their renewed conquest of Anatolia, and the Moors (loyal to France) regained control of Morocco. Subsequently, satirists would write of the "western horde" which was gradually consuming the old empire. English children were taught that the map of France showed a horned beast, preparing to swallow the rest of Burgundia.

 

[1anrs]

Good progress, although I probably wouldn't have bothered with the colonialisation. Next step, annex Burgundy and I would also try to annex Bar if at all possible. Looks like you are getting a good grip on Africa as well.

How are you getting on with the smoking cessation?

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

How are you getting on with the smoking cessation?

One today.

 

[1anrs]

One today.

Fantastic - keep up the good work

Look forward to the next installment

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

I probably wouldn't have bothered with the colonialisation

Why? I have more money that I know what to do with.

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The Savoyard War (6.1542-3.1545)
Total casualties: 167k

After the Third Burgundian War, the populace of Savoy began to demand that they be allowed to join the French empire, before their foolish leaders provoked an unnecessary war. Unfortunately, King Amadeo-XI was too stubborn to accept the rights of self-determination, and Emperor Jacques was left with no moral choice but to once again mobilize his army, liberating Piedmont from Amadeo's incompetent tyranny. The war was prolonged unnecessarily, by the interference of Prussia and Venice, until Jacques bought peace by generously granting his enemies a substantial portion of French wealth. Afterward, Jacques embraced the vision of his father, Henri-II, seeking peaceful expansion in the Caribbean and West Africa. He would often remark that war was too expensive, costing more than the eventual fruits of victory were worth. Nevertheless, he wisely anticipated future conflict, expanding the army and embracing new technology, replacing the axemen of Charles-VIII with musketeers. Meanwhile, he established the great armories of Moulins and Bergarac. Upon his death in 1557, the French military mustered a hundred and ten thousand troops. However, with nearly three-quarters of a million conscripts enlisted by Austria, Castille, England, and Venice, there was no little doubt that am unprecedented struggle was inevitable. The only question, was whether France would face Castille or England... or both at once.

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Any idea what would cause this when military maintenance is at full?

 

[1anrs]

Why? I have more money that I know what to do with.

Probably just me but colonialisation isn't really my favourite thing. I find it a bit of a hassle and tend to ignore it completely or just pay lip-service if I am a larger country who is able to expand in their own back yard such as Scandinavia or France, partly also because it takes more concentration to expand against entities like the HRE. I also dislike the extra maintenance, extra stability cost and the fact that it can slow you down in the tech race. Also, you need so many more magistrates to build churches, forts, etc. I do colonise a lot more if I am a country with limited expansion opportunities like Portugal.

Having said that though, as Burgundy I formed France and then the HRE and did some very limited expansion around Cuba and Haiti, like you have. I then inherited Spain and Portugal with their enormous colonial empire and therefore accidentally became the largest colonial empire on earth :rofl:

...the Third Burgundian War...

Next step annexation

Any idea what would cause this when military maintenance is at full?

No idea, looks almost like a bug to me?

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

The Swiss Intervention (3.1563-7.1566)
The Spanish War (11.1565-3.1567)
The Algerian Revolution (12.1565-12.1569)
The Second Algerian War (6.1580-8.1587)

Total Casualties: 278k
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During 1562, the dysfunctional Swiss republic began arbitrarily enforcing martial law, brutally executing tens of thousands for "crimes against administration". Subsequently, in 1563, the Austrians marched west, and they were joined by France, Savoy, Baden, and Wurttemberg. Afterward, the republic was partitioned, and most of its provinces were annexed by adjacent powers. The remainder was governed under a constitution which was jointly written by the emperors, Ernst-II and Henri-III. Meanwhile, with Venice distracted by the Egyptians, Portugal invaded Spain. Eager to assure his place in history, Henri exploited this situation by annexing Barcelona and central Aragon. Unfortunately, with support from Venice, the Algerians were able to successfully revolt against France, achieving formal independence in 1569. For the time being, with his army exhausted, Henri could do little more than expand his colonial possessions. Nevertheless, twenty years later, French armies regained much of northwest Africa. During his final years, Henri was reportedly considering an invasion of the Netherlands, but he died suddenly in October of 1591.

At this time, England was ruled by Richard of Gryff, who has confused countless students by assuming the name of Richard-III, two centuries after Richard-III of York (who was now regarded as a mere pretender). With the support of Parliament, the Gryffs had seized power from the regency council which ruled during the 1560s. As Polish aristocracy, the Gryffs were less hostile toward France, and relations between the two empires became surprisingly amicable. Nevertheless, both Henri and Richard spent sleepless nights, worrying about the fate of Rennes, which had been under English control since 1460. However, Henri frequently remarked that the annexation of this single city was not worth a global conflict. According to Pascal de Rochemaure, whenever Henri's advisors would mention Rennes, the emperor replied that Amsterdam appeared more appetizing. Nevertheless, Richard remained suspicious, observing in 1591 that the shape of France resembled an imp dancing upon the corpse of Aragon, with arms stretched around Rennes, and a tail lashing viciously across Switzerland and Savoy.

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Will forts surrender quicker if I have more troops in the province? These level 2 forts are proving troublesome.

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

Go Venice!

Its grotesque, and hates France. I can't decide if they are trying to swallow Austria, or if they've decided to take on the burden of shielding Europe from the eastern hordes.

 

[1anrs]

...Will forts surrender quicker if I have more troops in the province? These level 2 forts are proving troublesome.

Forts do get more and more troublesome as you go on. An idea I picked up from someone else in the forum was to have a "nutcracker" unit. 4 infantry and 16 siege weapons. That does seem to speed up the process, even if just a little bit. Once it has cracked that province, you can move it to the next one.

More troops can be a bit random in my experience, but more infantry (say more than 25,000) does mean you can assault forts with broken walls and actually have some, but not guaranteed, hope of success.

Its grotesque, and hates France. I can't decide if they are trying to swallow Austria, or if they've decided to take on the burden of shielding Europe from the eastern hordes.

That looks like a true clash of the titans when you look at Venice and Austria together. Lithuania looks like it is becoming a monster as well

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

Lithuania looks like it is becoming a monster as well

 

[1anrs]

Wow! Lithuania looks like it has a mouth just waiting to gobble up Zaphozhie

Your game seems to have something for huge empires, Sweden and Kazakh as well :laugh:

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

Your game seems to have something for huge empires

Yah, I edited the difficulty settings so they can blob.

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The Dutch War (7.1597-11.1598)
The Third Algerian War (2.1605-1.1609)

Total casualties: 141k

By 1591, when Henri-IV became emperor, France had developed an infamous reputation as the most aggressive European state. Pope Pius-II once remarked that the greatest threat to Christendom was not in the east, but rather in the west, where a "blue horde" was steadily eroding the holy empire. Of course, Henri inherited his father's advisers, who had been spent the past decade urging an attack upon Amsterdam. Henri-III had wisely avoided this challenge, recognizing that the Bohemians would almost certainly march west with a quarter million troops. However, by 1594, the Prussians had conquered the golden cities of Inca, which only amplified their lust for conquest. Subsequently, in June of 1597, the Prussians attacked Bohemia, claiming somewhat disingenuously that the Bohemians were supporting Sweden. Although the armies of Friedrich-Albrecht were humiliated, losing much of their Baltic territory, this was the moment which Henri-IV had been waiting for. Within a month, the French were besieging Amsterdam, and Henri's victory was assured by Prussia's folly. Seven years later, Henri turned south, where the Algerians continued to hold a few isolated coastal fortresses. Once again, the French overwhelmed their enemy. Afterward, until his tragic death in 1615, Henri contented himself with the expansion of France's overseas colonies, most notably in southeast Africa. Recognizing their strategic vulnerability, he courted England's King Richard, and together they formed a secret triple alliance with Portugal's Joao-III. Historians emphasize this as a "diplomatic revolution," which firmly reversed the ancient animosity between England and France, leaving Spain encircled by its former allies.

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

The Spanish War (3.1617-3.1620)
The War of Redemption (7.1623-11.1626)
The Coffee War (1.1632-10.1632)

Total casualties: 263k

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In 1615, Gaston became emperor. declaring war on Spain in 1617. With assistance from England and Portgual, victory was assured. However, the Burgundians had not known of the secret alliance created by Henri-IV, and so they unwisely declared war upon France, in a vain attempt to assist Spain. Enraged, the emperor wiped Burgundia from history, and the chroniclers recorded scenes of bloody carnage during the sacking of Dijon. This shocked Pope Damiano, who excommunicated Gaston in 1620.

The emperor had begun his war, with the assurance that he would be forgiven for the slaughter of innocents, as a reward for blind faith. Suddenly, tormented by thoughts of eternal damnation, Gaston sank into a dark depression. He quickly arranged a truce with the Spanish, although France retained a strategic corridor which sliced into the mountains north of Madrid. Meanwhile, the emperor became increasingly fixated upon the loss of several coffee plantations in South America, which had been seized by Norwegian refugees who were desperately fleeing Swedish tyranny. Overwhelmed by his regret, the emperor effectively abdicated for several months, refusing to see his advisers or issue any orders to his army. Outside the walls of Navarre, the French army fell into virtual anarchy, and tens of thousands died from pestilence.

However, in 1623, Gaston had regained his senses, and developed a plan to earn the pope's blessing. A French army landed in the Levant, seizing Jerusalem and Damascus in the name of Christ. Unfortunately, this did not impress Damiano, who noted that Gaston's occupation of Alexandria suggested a less pious motivation. Afterward, the chastened emperor resigned himself to less historic exploits, expanding his African empire at the expense of Mali and the Kongo. Finally, near the end of his life, French troops regained the lost coffee plantations in South America. His final act of conquest was to seize the Norwegian sugar plantations of Bourbon, located upon an island east of Madgascar. This is why a coffee with bourbon and sugar is referred to as "a la Gaston".

The mad emperor died in 1633, believing that his soul was bound for hell.

 

[1anrs]

Hard to id the countries but Savoy, Elsass and Brabant (I think) look ripe for swallowing there, just to make your mainland territory more whole

Your South American colonies look like the ones I usually try to get, except that I try to get Cuba as well, their provinces always have very good resources. I like to put the national focus on Barahonas and build a CoT there. If it is done early enough it becomes worth more than 2,000 and even late game, I have found it worth a good 1,100. It also encourages population growth on that island.

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

I like to put the national focus on Barahonas and build a CoT there. If it is done early enough it becomes worth more than 2,000...

I didn't want to move the national focus, but I guess Paris is maxed out on population at 999'999. I went ahead and built a CoT, it started out at 3000. Right now I'm the only one with merchants there, heh, it feels a little like cheating. I'm not sure the AI knows how to build CoTs. I wonder what happens if two are built near each other.

Savoy, Elsass and Brabant

Yah, yah, unfortunately Austria, Venice, and Bohemia are not very friendly.

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

The Second Spanish War (8.1642 - 6.1644)
The Asiatic War (4.1655 - 8.1677)
The Second Egyptian War (8.1672 - 2.1675)
The Third Spanish War (12.1677-1.1680)
The War of Excommunication (4.1681 - 3.1685)

Total casualties: 884k

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Charles-IX reigned for 57 years. Inheriting the throne as a mere child, he was already history's most powerful monarch. His early history is peaceful, as his policies were guided by a regency council which eventually became known as the imperial council. Upon reaching adulthood, Charles declared himself to be an "absolute emperor", claiming authority over all other nations, at least in spirit if not in substance. Determined to prove his worth, Charles declared war on Spain in 1642, with support from his father's allies in England and Portugal. After the capitulation of Navarre, he earned the fate of Gaston, as he was likewise excommunicated by Pope Paulus-III. For a time, this appeared to temper his aggression, although his spirit appears to have been untroubled. Subsequently, with the Portuguese, Charles waged a decades long struggle in India and Vietnam, establishing naval bases at Goa and Hue. In 1672, he expanded his position in Egypt, and five years later was prepared to once again invade Spain. This time, the Spanish empire was permanently shattered, surrendering Andalusia and the Levant. For the first time, the French obtained a position in North America, annexing the colony of Mobile. Finally, in 1681, Charles denounced the papacy, waging a punitive war in retaliation for his excommunication. French troops occupied the Vatican, parading Pope Innocentius-III through the streets of Rome, as a hostile crowd threw rotten fruit at the hapless vicar. Wary of Austria, Charles refrained from an outright annexation of Rome, satisfying himself with the church's treasury which he claimed as reparations.

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

Prussia has been hiding down here (they moved their capital). Unfortunately for them, they are surrounded by France and Naples.

 

[1anrs]

...he was likewise excommunicated by Pope Paulus-III.

Can you not just gift money to the Vatican at the beginning of the game to get relations to 200 and then keep an eye on that for the rest of the game? That is what I tend to do in order to avoid being excommunicated.

Finally, in 1681, Charles denounced the papacy, waging a punitive war in retaliation for his excommunication. French troops occupied the Vatican, parading Pope Innocentius-III through the streets of Rome, as a hostile crowd threw rotten fruit at the hapless vicar. Wary of Austria, Charles refrained from an outright annexation of Rome, satisfying himself with the church's treasury which he claimed as reparations.

Did you make him a vassal? That way you can call the Pope into war against your enemies and they then either have to keep spending money to keep their relations high or risk excommunication themselves, it is very handy :laugh:

 

[Adam Rinkleff]

Can you not just gift money to the Vatican at the beginning of the game to get relations to 200 and then keep an eye on that for the rest of the game? That is what I tend to do in order to avoid being excommunicated.

Probably what I should have done. I wish I knew how to convert France to Hinduism.

Did you make him a vassal?

Next time. For some reason, when I answer a call to arms, it doesn't let me annex.

 

[1anrs]

Probably what I should have done. I wish I knew how to convert France to Hinduism...

Converting to Protestantism or Reformed will have the same effect