The Rise of the House of Brandenburg: 1569-1590
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With the badboy wars finally over and done with, it was time to focus on other matters. For Brandenburg, the 4 most important things now to be prioritized where:
A) The reconstruction of Post Bavarian war Brandenburg
B) The Raising of a new standing army.
C) the expansion of German holdings in Kanada.
D) The reshuffling of Brandenburg's foreign policy to secure Brandenburg's infuence with Germany.
With the war exhaustion passing away it was relatively easy to rebuild the infastructure of Germany, minting new currency helped Brandenburg manage its debts as it borrowed heavily from English and Jewish bankers to pay for the various provincial improvements, and granted monopolies on the North American fur trade and encouraged colonization to speed up its returns from the colonial investment, rushes of colonists helped out.
Europe as of 1569.
Kanada was expanded, trees cleared, and forts built, nearly all of Neu Deutschland was firmly consolidated under Brandenburgian control.
Military reforms were enacted and considerable monies invested, rasing a whole new 250,000 man army considerably useful once the Final Austro-Brandenburg war broke out when they refused to pay war reparations of 1575, crushed once and for all and firmly vassalized to Berlin.
The Diplomatic front say some considerable changes as another Franco-Venetian-Spanish war broke out, with them losing Brandenburg broke its long standing good relations with Spain and sent an 70,000 Expeditionary force to Northern Italy, it marched for 50 miles through Italy and fought one minor battle before victory was declared and peace signed, coincidently when Venice surrendered.
France had 3 months prior also collapsed losing much of southern France to Spanish dominion, in a calculated move to preserve the balance of power, an alliance was signed between England, Brandenburg, and France in the agreement to defend each other from naked Spanish aggression. (Clothed aggression being another matter)
A rought idea of the borders.
The battlefield at the start of the war.
Now for an analysis of the war.
On November 22, 1585 Spain declared war upon England, England of course called n its allies, being France and Brandenburg with quiet support from Russia.
Did Spain expect his allies to honor they're agreement? Did the Spanish care? Well let us look at the facts.
The Coalition has a combined income of 7000, impressive but Spain has on its own,
six thousand income, income which it can direct at anyone one target while the coalition can only clumsily direct at Spain.
Spain also has a total available manpower of 225,000, Brandenburg has 190,000, england with 55,000, 166,000 France has.
A grand total of 411,000 manpower versus 225,000.
Comparitevly, while Spain lacks the manpower to effectively overwhelm the coalition, its sheer size, income, and the military genius of Farnese so far have given Spain a considerable advantage which they have used well.
On the other hand their is hope, Spain while having a considerable and daunting army of 500,000 men, the Coalition has with Brandenburg, France, and England: 160,000, 150,000, and 130,000 respectively a grand total of 440,000 men with Spain having to manage an eigth of the globe with that army the prospects while dim, isn't hopeless as Brandenburg has yet to throw its full economy into the war (being busy mopping up rebels and investing instability), the Ottoman Turks also look like they will re enter the war and with domination of the seas wrested from Spain England is safe, liberated and can safely transport its forces onto the continent to join forces with the Franco-German armies.
As we can see at the start of the war this "first phase" saw much fighting in France and a Spanish invasion of England, with France concentrating on Spain's holdings in France and sending its navy to engage the Spaniards along with the Royal Navy and the Token force provided by Brandenburg.
With open hostilities begun, Brandenburg send 60,000 men into the low lands to deal with French rebels in Calais and to prepare for the crossing of the English Channel. Another Army under Volyniak a good general commaded an army of 70,000 men and headed south to the province of Laundredoc.
The army commanded by kato with the coming of 150 cannons crossed the channel and stormed Spain besieged Edinburg, the move catching the Spanish forces off guard and were promptely routed.
The BREF (Brandenburg Expeditionary Force) chased the Spaniards from Northern England, got checked by Farnese in the battle of York but defeated his Leutenant in the 2nd battle of Coventry and proceeded with the British army chased the Spaniard down southern England to the coast of Dover where the Spanish reembarked for France leaving England to its own devices.
With England's hard won independence secured Kato set sail for Framce.
Mean while with these maneuvers happening at the same time, Volyniak's army marched south secured Landredoc, and south to distract the Spanish from its offensive north by striking at its supply lines, the Spanish were prepared for this and bush them out of Spain and with the return of Farnese chased the Germans northwards wiped out nearly the entire core of the French army in the Battle of Orleans, turned on the approching Brandenburgian reinforcements smashing them and sent them reeling towards Switzerland.
Farnese with most opposition destoryed laid siege to Paris, an attempt by King Johann to relieve the beleaguered fortress city failed with heavy casualties but the Brandenburg army is still intact and heavy fighting is still under way, the war for a while yet is not over.
Pahse 2 of the war with Volyniak's retreat in th south but Kato's successes in the north, and the beginning of English aid in normandy.
