17th century

[Rodion Romanovich]

Legio I would like to play as Prussia if no one has any complaints.

Ok, but remember that Prussia was built out of Brandenburg, so in case you wish to play as Prussia you start the game as Brandenburg. Soon you would inherit Prussia, but it is under Polish overpower. Historically Brandenburg managed to make Prussia independent and for various reasons the leader of Brandenburg wanted the title of king, however according to the rules of the Holy Roman Empire he couldn't be crowned king over Brandenburg or his other German possessions, so the only solution in order to get the title was for him to be crowned king of his possessions outside the HRE, i.e. Prussia. Thus Brandenburg became Prussia, though before that, Brandenburg was in many ways the core region and the name of it. So I assume you mean playing as Brandenburg. It would be ok unless any of the current players mind.

[Randarkmaan]

Public statement

His highness, Sultan Ahmad I, is most angered by the announcement the German Emperor.
The Ottoman Empire's intentions are not what you think. His intention is not to place more Christians under his ruler but rather to aid another Christian people, the Russians. The Poles have invaded their country to throw down the rightful ruler of Russia and replace him with a usurper.
In reality the German Emperor and the Polish kings are the true threat to the so-calleed Christian world, with their fiery fanaticism and insistence on being the soldiers of God they invoke the wrath and concern of those preoccuped with the safety of Europe and the world.
The Poles need not fear an invasion if they lay down their claim to the Russian throne and return what territory they have stolen, as well as halting the raids of the Zaporojhian Cossacks against the Principality of Moldavia.
The Ottoman Empire will then also put pressure on the Crimean Khan.
The German Emperor should not interfere, and if he does he is no better a man than King Sigismund and will be treated likewise, he should think twice before making such a rash decision driven only by his blind fanaticism, that, whatever your religion, is not true faith but a corrupted form of it.

Speaking on his highness's behalf, Fakih Hayreddin, imperial emissary.

[IrishArmenian]

Poland, will you send out a high-ranking citizen to go to the meeting as they are a Catholic city? I will give him a horse/carriage escort. You have to think of the religion. I will allow him to leave.

[Marshal Murat]

Irish Armenian, thank you, but I have already sent a diplomat
Proclomation to the Catholic Assembly
We in Poland are full within our rights to support our heir to the throne, as boyars seek his council and judgement, seeking his Orthodox rule over the incompetent Vasili.
We are fully within our rights to capture Smolensk and any Muscovite town, as we are at war with the rebel Vasili. His claim to the throne of Russian peoples is illegitimate and we are appalled that he could even claim to the title of czar.

[SwordsMaster]

His Royal Majesty the King of Spain has sent a message:

By this Royal decree, Spain will not enter the war on the side of the HRE and Poland and will not move troops against Muscovy and the Ottoman Empire. His Catholic Majesty King Philippe III begs his brother the Holy Roman Emperor Matthias to reconsider his situation and make peace with his neighbours in order to preserve the peace and order in Europe.

His Catholic Majesty condemns such rash actions and adopts a position of neutrality, while also asking of the rest of the nations in Europe to do the same for it is not long that the smoke of cannons has covered the battlefields in Europe and His Majesty desires to refrain from such abundant spillage of noble blood in the present time.

Trade with the countries envolved will not be interrupted, and any aggression on Spanish sovereign territory will be interpreted as a declaration of war.

In Roma, Catholic Council, September 1611

[Csargo]

Yes I would like to play as Brandenburg if no one has any objections. Sorry for messing things up I was looking at the map and saw Prussia and thought it would be fun to play as them. Got a little confused sorry.

[Kagemusha]

If its not too late i could join in as Netherlands.

[IrishArmenian]

Poland, I meant Smolensk itself because it has changed hands so frequently, and will soon be mine, once and forever.
Last Chance, Poland, leave Russia alone if not give me support in taking back the throne and you will be spared.
Any Polish soldiers who desert will be welcomed into the Turksih and Russian Armies. I will offer safe travel for you and your families. Smolensk is lost, for Poland. Leeve the town now, and you will be spared, and free from the bombardments, squalor and disease.
Edit: the Map Legio posted shows Prussia rather than Brandenburg, so which one is it?

[IrishArmenian]

Bopa, I need to send you 1 more PM.

[Csargo]

I'm having trouble finding information on Brandenburg

[IrishArmenian]

Look up a book at the library or bookstore.

[Incongruous]

The Holy Roman Emperor states:

The fortresses along Julich Kleve will no longer be kept open with Imperial troops for the sake of Spineless Spaniards. Unless attacked the Holy Roman Empreror will not invade France or the Netherlands.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Edit: the Map Legio posted shows Prussia rather than Brandenburg, so which one is it?

Brandenburg is far to the west of Prussia, a bit south of the coast. Prussia is "Duchy of Prussia", i.e. a duchy.

@Csar - here's some relevant info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Prussia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg#16th_century
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg-Prussia

[Rodion Romanovich]

If its not too late i could join in as Netherlands.

Ok! I'll send you all the diplomatic discussions etc. that have so far involved the Netherlands so you know what has happened so far.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Official declaration from the Holy Father:

These threats and declarations of war between Christian nations must come to an end! The meeting in Rome is to be hosted for the purpose of strengthening the cooperation against heathens and heretics, not to fuel hatred between ourselves! While the sons of the Holy Church fight each other, the Heathens only grow stronger to take advantage of your internal rivalry, and those who go the errands of the Heathens are sinners! Strengthening the Heathen so he can triumph over the sons of the Holy Church will not please Him, and salvation from the punishments that shall come will be hard and expensive to acquire.

[Kagemusha]

Ok! I'll send you all the diplomatic discussions etc. that have so far involved the Netherlands so you know what has happened so far.

Thanks Legio! Cant wait to get to play the Dutch.It should be a challenging experience.

[Orb]

Csar, your princess is my wife :P

[King Kurt]

Just to say, that I am off on another short holiday - I will be back online next tuesday. Legio has my moves etc.
Kage - good to see you on board - no doubt, there will be a bit of anglo - dutch chat in the near future!!

[Kagemusha]

Just to say, that I am off on another short holiday - I will be back online next tuesday. Legio has my moves etc.
Kage - good to see you on board - no doubt, there will be a bit of anglo - dutch chat in the near future!!

Thanks Kurt! Im looking forward to talk with you about our mutual intrests.

[SwordsMaster]

Does this mean the next chapter is almost ready?

[Rodion Romanovich]

Does this mean the next chapter is almost ready?

Nope unfortunately not. I'm still waiting for decisions from one more player, plus now with so many new players every chapter will take a bit longer (but hopefully not too much more time). But some parts of the next chapter are already written...

[Kagemusha]

Greetings friends!

Let me introduce myself. Im Maurice of Nassau, captain- General and the stadtholder of The Republic of the seven united provinces of The Netherlands. As im no Monarch,my heirs have nothing to do with affair of state of Netherlands.Here is a map of my beutifull country:


Constitution

The Dutch Republic was a federation of 7 provinces - Holland, Zeeland, Friesland, Groningen, Utrecht, Gelderland and Overijssel. The central institution was the parliament, called STATEN GENERAEL, to which the individual provinces sent deputations. The individual provinces had parliaments of their own, the estates (Staten), which had grown out of the old territorial estates, but had undergone changes during the Dutch Revolt. These estates were dominated by the cities' REGENTS and, of the inland provinces, by the countryside nobility which supported the House of Orange. The princes of the House of Orange, because of their personal contribution to the struggle of independence and their large property in the Dutch Republic, were regarded the only eligible candidates for the position of STADHOLDER.
The office of stadholder was a provincial one. During the revolt, William I. and his son Maurice were appointed stadholder of all 7 provinces - in 7 individual acts. The stadholder was the commander of the army. In order to pay his troops, however, the stadholder depended on the budget granted to him by the Staten Generael.

Political Situation

Our Political situation is that we have just entered Twelve Years' Truce, between the United Provinces and the Spain. This shows that we are reasonable people who love peace and our prime concern is to have a stabile Europe which will benefit us all by tradeprofits,which will make our Nations prosperous and our people happy.
We fought long and hard against Spanish to gain our independence and we value it above anything. Our military stands in guard of that independancy that i will assure you all.

Economics

First and foremost we see ourselves as traders. We are always ready to trade with willing partners so that it will benefit both sides.Here is a short description of our economical situation:

During a large part of the 17th century the Dutch, traditionally able seafarers and keen mapmakers, dominated world trade, a position which before to a lesser extent had been occupied by the Portuguese and Spaniards.

In 1602 the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) was founded. It was the first multinational ever. This company received a Dutch monopoly on Asian trade and would keep this for two centuries. It would become the world's largest commercial enterprise of the 17th century. Spices were imported in bulk and brought huge profits, due to the efforts and risks involved and seemingly insatiable demand. In 1609 the Amsterdam exchange bank was founded, a century before its English counterpart.

Religion

Calvinism was the predominant belief in the Low Countries. This does not imply that unity existed. The opposite seems true. In the beginning of the century bitter controversies between strict Calvinists and more permissive Protestants, known as Remonstrants, split the country. The Remonstrants denied predestination and championed freedom of conscience, while their more dogmatic adversaries (known as Contra-Remonstrants) gained a major victory at the Synod of Dordrecht. In the end the sheer number of reformist branches may well have worked as an antidote to intolerance.

Humanism, of which Desiderius Erasmus was an important advocate, if not the founder, had also gained a firm foothold and was partially responsible for a climate of tolerance.

This tolerance was not so easy to uphold towards Catholics, since religion played an important part in the Eighty Years War of independence against Spain (with political and economic freedom being other important motives). Hostile inclinations could however be overcome by money. Thus Catholics could buy the privilege to held ceremonies in a conventicle (a house doubling inconspicuously as a church), but public offices were out of the question. Catholics tended to keep to themselves in their own section of each town (for example, the Catholic painter Johannes Vermeer lived in the "Papist corner" of the town of Delft). The same applied to Anabaptists and Jews.

Overall, levels of tolerance were sufficiently high to attract religious refugees from other countries, notably Jewish merchants from Portugal who brought a lot of wealth with them. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in France in 1685 made a lot of French Huguenots, many of whom were shopkeepers or scientists. Still tolerance had its limits, as philosopher Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677) would find out.

Social Structure

In the Netherlands the social status in the 17th century was largely determined by income. Social classes existed but in a new way. Aristocracy, or nobility, had sold out most of its privileges to cities, where merchants and their money were dominant. The clergy did not have much worldly influence either: the Catholic Church had been more or less suppressed since the onset of the Eighty Years' War with Spain (1568–1648). The new Protestant movement was divided. This was different from neighbouring countries where social status was still largely determined by birth and would remain so until the French Revolution.

This is not to say that aristocrats were without social status. To the contrary, it meant rather that wealthy merchants bought themselves into nobility by becoming landowners and acquiring a coat of arms and a seal. Also aristocrats mixed with members from other classes in order to be able to support themselves as they saw fit. To this end they married their daughters to wealthy merchants, became traders themselves or took up public or military office to earn a salary. Merchants also started to value public office as a means to greater economic power and prestige. Universities became career pathways to such a public office. Rich merchants and aristocrats sent their sons on a so called Grand Tour ('Great journey') through Europe. Often accompanied by a private scholar, preferably a scientist himself, these young people visited universities in several European countries. This intermixing of patricians and aristocrats was most prominent in the second half of the century.

Next to aristocrats and patricians came the affluent middle class, consisting of Protestant ministers, lawyers, physicians, small merchants and industrialists, and clerks of large state institutions.

Lower status was attributed to small shop owners, specialized workers and craftsmen, administrators, and farmers.

Below that stood skilled labourers, house attendants and other service personnel.

At the bottom of the pyramid were 'paupers', what Karl Marx later would call the proletariat: impoverished peasants, many of whom tried their luck in a city as a beggar or day labourer.

Because of the importance of wealth in defining social status, divisions between classes were less sharply defined and social mobility was much greater than elsewhere. Calvinism, which preaches humility as an important virtue, also tended to diminish the importance of social differences. These tendencies have proved remarkably persistent: modern Dutch society, though much more secularized, is still by many considered to be remarkably egalitarian.

I hope this gives a good picture of our young Republic.

Yours sincerely M

[Csargo]

I'll have mine done in a little while for Brandenburg.

[IrishArmenian]

Csar, did you get my PM?

[Csargo]

Yes I did I was trying to find out more about Brandenburg before I answer. But I can't seem to find anything other than Leader and Religion nothing much about their military etc. But I will answer when I find more out.

[IrishArmenian]

Oh, got you.

[Franconicus]

Ambassadors of the Catholic countries!

I would like to thank the Holy Father for His intervention. He prevented an unholy war among Catholic countries. We all have to feel humbled.

Now that we have secured the peace among our countries, we should discuss another topic. How do we deal with people that call themselves Christian but do not accept the doctrines of the Holy Roman Church?

We all want to bring them back to the real faith. However, our means are different.

We, the King of France and his Royal Government, which I have the honor to represent today, believe that violence and swords are not adequate means to spread the word of our Lord. We believe in the power of His words, which are much more powerful than arms. Who could resist them?

What is your opinion about this issue?

Armand-Jean I. du Plessis de Richelieu, Epsicopal de Lucon
Ambassador of the French King

[Franconicus]

Legio,

now that we have so many players, could you please

- update the members list
- maybe setup a kind of schedule; I think we should have some discipline.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Legio,

now that we have so many players, could you please

1. - update the members list
2. - maybe setup a kind of schedule; I think we should have some discipline.

1. ok soon
2. schedule could be 2 weeks after last chapter posted you must have posted your decisions

[Rodion Romanovich]

CHAPTER 6 - August 1st, 1611 AD
...this chapter will affect the events from August 1st, 1611 AD to March 1st, 1612 AD

The damaged Spanish precious metal fleet is joined by several ships in port and immediately sets sail hunting after the English fleet. The chances of finding the English fleet are small, but the Spanish are lucky and manage to intercept them. In a short engagement, the English fleet damages 1 Spanish ship heavily and another 2 lightly, but takes light damage for 4 of their own ships. To escape from the Spanish hunters they are eventually forced to abandon the 2 damaged ships from the raid to save the other 18. The 2 ships are sunk after a short bombardment by the Spanish cannons. As the English fleet enters the western part of the English channel, it is met by more than 10 other English ships. Despite having now achieved superiority in numbers, the English avoid engagement due to their lack of ammunition, but the Spanish commander refuses to continue the pursuit due to the threat of the English retreat being a feint to lure the Spanish ships deeper into the channel. Losing much of the 21 Spanish ships fleet at this crucial time would be unacceptable.

The coming months see heavy English raiding of Spanish shipping through the English channel, and as a result the Spanish abort all operations in the channel after having lost 5 galleys and 3 merchants. The Dutch also confiscate 2 small merchant ships for contraband but don't attack any ships but officially decide to maintain the blockade, and Dutch authorities fail to keep Dutch pirates under control. At the beginning of the summer, the Spanish however respond to the English raids. On the 1st of June, the Spanish fleet lands 2 tercios in Cork in Ireland to support a local revolt against the English king. The Spanish provide troops, the local rebels provide supplies. The English garrison is however forewarned by spies several hours before the operation and the garrison manages to put up a much more fierce resistance than expected against the 2,000 Irish rebels in heavy street fighting within the city, while a notification is sent to the English king and fleet. When the Spanish forces arrive by noon on the 1st of June, much of the city is still in English hands, but the Spanish commander disobeys his direct orders from the Spanish king and despite the difficulties lands his troops within the city. Apart from some light damage inflicted by English shore battery fire and a dozen casualties for the infantry, the superior Spanish force quickly forces the English garrison to surrender. Most of the survivors from the English 300 man garrison are captured, and the Spanish forces quickly proceed with operations to establish strongpoints in the immediate vicinity of the city while the fleet quickly leaves the harbor to set sail back to Spain to avoid being intercepted by the English fleet. In the first two months, around 3,000 Irish levies join the Spanish force. The Spanish forces, having established a strongpoint of 300 Spanish and 400 Irish troops in Cork, send 1 tercio west to clear out southwest Ireland while another tercio along with most of the Irish forces march on Limerick where the English have a garrison of around 500 men.

The Anglo-Spanish war also rages in the colonies. In America, both Spanish and English ship aggressively assemble their reserves to achieve naval domination in the area. After an even engagement with 1 Spanish ship sunk, another 2 heavily damaged, and 1 English ship sunk and 2 lightly damaged, both sides retreat out of reach of each other. The Spanish send a naval raid towards the English Bermudas, but are repelled by English ships and shore batteries. In the Indian Ocean and the East Indies, Spanish-hired privateers start attacking English independent merchants. In response to this attack on independent merchants, the Dutch East India Company with it's 20 ships in the area launch attacks on Spanish positions in the Philippines, and are soon joined by English East India Company ships who establish several strongholds and trade colonies in the area. The English and Dutch East India Companies demand an end to these Spanish-sponsored raids. In France, the military captures some Spanish spies that are discovered on their way back to Spain from Marseilles. The Spanish East India Company finishes another ship for the Spanish crown. It is of much higher quality than the previous one, but has a rather simple interior. It wouldn't stand a chance to a boarding action but in return it requires a much smaller crew to man. However there are also bad news. Several key merchants of the company have left due to the threatening athmosphere from both the king and the war, reinforced by the rumors of Spanish sponsored attacks on English merchants. The EIC request the Spanish crown to give them excemption to not be forced to construct 2 warships a year with so many workers having left. They try to replace the lost workers by buying slaves to work in the factories, but these slaves aren't educated ship builders. Meanwhile, the Spanish ship building branch of the navy has however renovated some old shipyards and experimented with new ship building technology, and announce that they have a capability of producing 2 modern ships per year. As a result of the war and temporarily ended gold and silver transports to Europe, along with Spanish troop recruitment, the Spanish debt repaying ends and the debts instead increase a bit, around 29% of the debts are now payed off, however there's much silver and gold available in the colonies once a fleet is ready to pick it up and transport it to Europe or China etc. The unrest in Portugal hasn't ended but the locals don't dare to carry out any actions due to the large Spanish garrison there. Spanish authorities confiscate property of rebellious Spanish nobles, English authorities confiscate the property of rebellious English nobles in Britain. Spain pass a reform for a Royal Garrison force to garrison cities in the Iberian peninsula. It consists mostly of musketeers and is slightly cheaper than a tercio.

In France, a North Atlantic Trade Company is founded. The shares are popular and the NATC immediately begins operations in the Atlantic Ocean between Nouvelle France, Africa and France, among other places. The transports of refugees and others to Nouvelle France however isn't completely problem-free: the expansion has been more rapid than the agricultural expansion, and the harvest has been unexpectedly bad this year. Hunting has temporarily solved some of the problems but the large population can't be fed over the winter with this, and starvation is expected unless something is done. The French conflict over the church construction is quickly settled, the council for Edict of Nantes affairs is reshaped with new members to replace the old ones who didn't fulfil their tasks. In Marseilles, the Spanish returning Phillipines convoy unloads a shipment of silk industry equipment from China. As a result, the French silk trade will be able to expand heavily over the coming years. The French Marshal Sully also announces an ambitious reform for the French military, where a standing force of over 45,000 regulars will be supported by a National guard and auxiliaries of over 150,000 men. The fleet will also be reformed, replacing most of the old galleys with more modern warships and galleys. The fleet will expand to 25 warships in 5 years, the merchant fleet to 150 ships in the same amount of time. It doesn't seem like French shipyards have quite the capability required for the naval reform, however the French economy is doing well and is now capable of supporting an army and navy of this new strength, however with some more trouble than they supplied the previous army, however the expected upcoming economical expansion together with the previous economical expansion is likely to compensate this.

At Smolensk, the Russians assault the besieged city. The Polish troops put up a fierce resistance and kill over 2,000 Russians and nearly driving them back before losing key sections in the defenses and are eventually forced to surrender. The mostly infantry garrison is captured and at the end of the battle the Russians have lost 4,500 men. However instead of trying to hold the city, they begin a quick retreat towards Niznij Novgorod, taking as many of the cannons from the city as possible with them. The Polish main army arrives at the city shortly after the battle has ended, and quickly put a small garrison in the city while sending most troops on towards Moscow. The Russian main army stays out of their way and the around 17,000 Polish troops engage smaller Russian garrisons in cities between Smolensk and Moscow. In July, they enter through the gates of Moscow, and are greeted by the boyars. Much of the Russian garrison has deserted, however, and the Polish need to use their own troops to form a garrison. The Polish heir after a short ceremony converts to the Orthodox faith and is installed on the throne as Tsar, however not admitted as Tsar by many foreign countries. With the Russian army not yet committed to a crucial battle, and the Ottomans and perhaps also the Holy Roman Empire threatening to invade, the situation is more problematic than it seems. The Sejm also calls back the tax raise reform, reducing the taxes back to the previous normal levels. This means some of the Polish infantry mercenaries might need to be disbanded in a year or so from now. Sweden and Poland sign a peace treaty this year as a result of the crushing Polish victory outside Riga. The Swedish and Polish immediately withdraw troops from their garrisons in the area after the truce has been signed. Polish engineers also begin a program to improve roads and infrastructure in Livonia to strengthen their position in the area.

During the summer, Brandenburg inherits the Duchy of Prussia from the Polish after the death of the previous ruler. This region is very wealthy and is one of the most merchant-heavy regions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It has good ports, good infrastructure and a fairly high population. While the region is under Polish supreme control, Brandenburg has the direct control and income from the region. This strengthens the Protestant Union coalition further.

In Bohemia, Tilly and the Catholic League are reinforced by another 8,000 mercenaries and immediately begin marching on Prague, and put the city under siege. The Bohemian rebels for a long time try to avoid direct battle with Tilly's army, but concentrate on assaulting the garrisons of local Catholic forces, and raid Tilly's supply lines though to limited effect. Not until the end of the summer do they approach Tilly's army. The battle is short and inconclusive. Tilly's newly trained regiments are of higher quality than expected, but they still lack in discipline and morale and are nearly broken, however the Bohemian forces are numerally inferior and are eventually forced into a retreat by a flanking charge by Tilly's cavalry. The rebel forces in Prague are also pressured hard and their defenses damaged, their supplies running short. Rumours tell that the Catholic Rhineland-Palatine and Brandenburg have both supported the Bohemian rebels with mercenaries.

The Pope announces that he will host a meeting between the Catholic nations in Rome as suggested by the new Emperor. He invites representatives from France, the HRE, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Spain, and the Catholic League. Other nations may send representatives of their oppressed Catholic minorities to the meeting. The Holy Roman Emperor declares a war of religion against "the heathen Turk" and encourages others to assist him.

The war between Denmark and Sweden continues. The Danish forces resupply and are reinforced in Lund and begin another advance on Kalmar. They meet the Swedish army not far north of Lund, where a battle ensues. The Danish army has superiority in artillery and numbers, and begin cavalry manouvering towards the Swedish line, however the Swedish forces have received cavalry reinforcements since the last battle and manage to rout the Danish cavalry. The Swedish follow up the cavalry victory with advancing with their infantry. The Danish line holds out well and is capable of protecting it's left flank where it even gains some ground, but soon loses the battle for the left flank against the Swedish cavalry, and are forced into a rout. 1,900 Danish troops are killed in the battle and the retreat, the Swedish suffering 300 casualties. Meanwhile, 3 Swedish ships attempt to raid Danish transports in Oresund. They manage to sink 2 merchants and damage another, but are soon engaged by a much larger Danish fleet of over 10 ships. In the retreat, the Swedish ships lose 1 of the ships, the other 2 taking heavy damage but managing to escape. Still, the Swedish ships are lucky, as several Danish warships have been temporarily moved to Saaremaa and Riga before the Swedish ceasefire with Poland became official. Oresund was a lot more lightly guarded than otherwise. The Swedish also launch several military reforms to improve the quality of their troops.

The Ottomans in a treaty with France receive assistance for constructing a shipyard for modern ships and get their ship builders educated in this subject return for providing the French with 20 cannons and future treaties. The Ottomans also declare religious tolerance for any Christian lands they will need to conquer in the future in defense against aggression from such countries. In Moldavia the Ottomans get angered by Cossack raids. They are also annoyed by previous Spanish raids on the Ottoman coasts in the Mediterranean from the last year. The Ottoman Sultan has decided to take a more active stance against these hostilities.


BRANDENBURG

1. continue supporting the rebels in Bohemia with 2,000 mercenaries?
a. yes
b. yes, extend it to 5,000 men, if the Emperor is defeated or bogged down it'll increase the influence and independence of the local rulers in the HRE, for instance Brandenburg
c. no, abort it
d. no, abort it, but only on the condition that the Emperor after winning in Bohemia uses his forces to weaken Poland. Only with a weakened Poland can you make Prussia free of Polish rule

2. the Protestant Union. You are currently one of the leading figures in the Protestant Union. Is there anything you wish to suggest to the PU? Any official statement?

3. alliances and treaties for the future? Negotiate by PM, some highly interesting possible future allies are Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Russia, the Emperor, the Ottomans, France and the Netherlands.

4. stance in the Polish-Muscovite war?
a. admit the Polish heir as Tsar
b. admit Vasili IV as Tsar
c. do nothing

5. stance in the Swedish-Danish war?
a. support Denmark with troops/money. Denmark could be a useful strong ally against the Emperor or Poland
b. support Sweden with troops/money. This would weaken Denmark, a possible rival, and perhaps also weaken Poland
c. support neither at this time, instead suggest they both make peace. Offer to mediate in the conflict
d. do nothing


DENMARK

1. the war with Sweden? The Swedish can't hope to invade the Danish heartlands on Zealand with the superior Danish fleet in their way, but they have a strong ground army and may threaten Danish possessions in Scania, possibly also Norway in the long run. In return, Denmark can threaten Swedish islands, for example Hiiumaa, and keep them locked from the Atlantic coast.
a. negotiate a favorable peace (by PM). The Älvsborg fortress could be handed back to the Swedish in return for a tribute over the coming 5 years
b. remain defensive and wait for the Swedish to make a move
c. make another attempt at taking Kalmar. You have 10,500 infantry, 1,300 cavalry and 20 guns returning to Lund, with another 3,000 infantry in the city. You also have 5,000 infantry in garrisons all over Denmark, including Jutland and Zealand, and 2,000 in reserve. Some 2,000 infantry could be taken from the garrisons, and 2,000-5,000 additional mercenaries hired, then a capture of Kalmar would perhaps be possible

2. naval actions against Sweden
a. do nothing (if you negotiated peace above)
b. try to capture Hiiumaa, specify with how many troops and ships
c. try to capture Oland and bombard Kalmar by sea

3. the situation in the Holy Roman Empire
a. support the revolts in Bohemia by paying for 3,000 mercenaries to the Protestant side
b. support the revolts in Bohemia by paying for 3,000 mercenaries to the Emperor's side
c. do nothing

4. the Polish heir as Russian Tsar. Do you admit him or Vasili IV as Russian Tsar? Remember that the Polish broke their 10 year pact against Sweden with you by declaring separate peace with Sweden. This decision might affect future relations with both Poland and Russia.
a. admit Vasili IV as Tsar
b. admit the Polish heir as Tsar
c. don't make any statement


ENGLAND

For any naval operations please specify which paths should be taken to and from the targets

1. any more naval operations against the Spanish near Europe? It seems like you have the upper hand here, and most of your lightly damaged ships have already been put into action again. Specify how many ships to use for which action.
a. raid Spanish transports to Cork
b. raid Spanish ports in the Bay of Biscay (specify if you wish to insert land troops to help the raiding)
c. raid Spanish ports in Portugal (specify if you wish to insert land troops to help the raiding)
d. raid Spanish shipping in the English Channel
e. do nothing

2. naval operations in the Americas. Do you wish to send ships to support the current ships in the Americas so they can gain the upper hand in the even fighting? Do you wish to carry out any operations and if so with how many ships?
a. keep aggressively engaging the Spanish ships in the area
b. stay out of action if possible, but defend the supply routes between Virginia and the Bermudas

3. the probably upcoming siege of Limerick in the Irish revolt. The Spanish have taken Cork and most of south west Ireland, almost enough to grant them supplies for the winter with help from the local rebels. They're now marching on Limerick, which is another key city in the region. You currently have 700 men with 30 guns there, with some cavalry ready to raid south western Ireland, and another 1,200 men with 100 guns being spread over the rest of the island (in Dublin, Connaught, Northern Ireland etc.). How do you wish to move the troops? And what do you wish to do?
a. try to hold Limerick and wear down the Spanish forces in a siege to buy some more time
b. abandon Limerick to get the 700 troops to regroup with other forces. The Spanish are likely to stop their expansion over the winter after taking Limerick

4. reinforcing Ireland? You have your troops in the colonies and your troops in Britain. You can ship the reinforcements over to Ireland either covered by the fleet or with small merchant ships unescorted. How many do you wish to send?

5. try to convince some of the Irish to help you against the Spanish?
a. promise them something in return for help, specify what
b. threaten them unless they help
c. use terror and scorched earth in your military operations to try and force the Irish to change sides
d. take advantage of the internal rivalries in Ireland to get some Irish forces not yet taking part in the revolts to join your side

6. keep the treaty where England get 2 ships a year and France 1? Negotiate by PM.


FRANCE

1. interrogate the Spanish possible agents?
a. let them return to Spain unasked
b. interrogate them then return them to Spain on the condition that they never return to France
c. brutally interrogate them then return them to Spain on the condition that they never return to France
d. interrogate them and then kill them
e. brutally interrogate them and then kill them
f. kill them right away for spying

2. the cardinal Richelieu. This cardinal has distinguished himself as an interesting character. Maybe recruit him or try to stop his actions before he gets dangerous.
a. make sure the cardinal gets increased influence and try to assure yourself of his loyalty
b. try to limit his influence and end the danger he means
c. do nothing

3. the starvation situation in Nouvelle France? A large load of grain could be bought from Poland or Denmark (by PM) You could buy all from one of them or half from each for example.
a. use the French fleet to send grain
b. hire the services of the NATC to send this grain
c. try to make another country carry out the shipment, for example the Dutch (by PM), so your own fleet can be ready in the case of war
d. the English might have some food to provide from their colony in Virginia

4. the naval reforms are perhaps not possible to achieve in the desired time. The shipyard in Brest is capable of producing 3 warships or 6 merchants per year, the construction of the shipyard in La Rochelle has just begun. It's possible for your own shipyards to acquire up to 14 warships and 20 merchants or 0 warships and 48 merchants (or something in between) in the coming 5 years. If England still agrees to send 1 warship to France each year, you can thus get a total of 14 warships and 30 merchants, or 5 warships and 48 merchants in the coming 5 years. You also have a few smaller shipyards only capable of producing merchant ships, capable of producing a total of 20 merchants in the coming 5 years. First class warships might also be possible to buy from Venice (but it's expensive), maybe also from the Dutch. Merchant ships are fairly easy to come buy by buying them from abroad. How do you wish to use your shipyards, and how do you wish to use diplomacy (buying ships from abroad) to get as close as possible to carrying out the desired naval reforms?

5. how do you wish to distribute your warships and your troops in response to the political situation?

6. what suggestions do you wish to make at the Catholic meeting in Rome? Who would you like to send as your representative? You could also go yourself.


HRE and AUSTRIA

1. the siege of Prague?
a. assault now, it'll be an important early propaganda victory and might put an end to the revolt, at the very least it'll be a decisive blow to the rebels and might free up troops for use elsewhere
b. continue starving the city out, it might draw the enemy army to a battle more conclusive than the last one

2. the Protestant Union nations, among others Brandenburg. They have supported the revolt in Bohemia by paying mercenaries. Should they be punished? There is also another reason for going against the Protestant north - they block access to the sea and thereby prevents any Imperial fleet to speak of from being formed.
a. yes punish them by outlawing them
b. yes, and warn that any German local rulers who support the revolts will be invaded and be taken directly under the Emperor's control
c. no

3. the Ottoman empire?
a. ask them to stop plotting against Poland
b. support them against Poland
c. do nothing yet

4. your army
a. recruit 5,000 more mercenaries, this would be very expensive for your economy
b. recruit 10,000 more mercenaries, this would be extremely expensive for your economy
c. do nothing at this time

5. a Catholic called Wallenstein complains that you just left the Catholics in Bohemia to their fate instead of coordinating your actions with them - now many of them were defeated by Protestant forces. He also requests you to give him money equivalent to the equipping of 5,000 men, plus an additional cost equivalent to maintaining 1,000 mercenaries every coming year. In return he promises to form and maintain an army of 5,000 men at this much lower cost, which he will use against the growing Bohemian forces.
a. do as he wishes
b. respond to his accusations that you did what you thought was best for the Catholics, and give him the money on the condition that he fulfills his promise of fielding the 5,000 men within 1 year
c. don't support him

6. what suggestions do you wish to make at the Catholic meeting in Rome? Who would you like to send as your representative? You could also go yourself.

7. how react to the French support to the Ottomans? Support that also would provide the Ottomans with the one weapon they have so far been lacking - a fleet comparable to the modern western fleets.
a. try to make France stop the cooperation
b. do nothing


NETHERLANDS

1. the blockade of the English channel. Your fleet has currently got some 25 warships, and over 100 merchants, and also several merchant ships independent of your control, for example the Dutch East India Company. You are currently carrying out a program where your war fleet is intended to be expanded to some 30 warships.
a. maintain blockade
b. end it
c. support the Spanish side instead and go against the English

2. operations against the Spanish garrison in Southern Netherlands? The local population is tired to war but also tired to Spanish rule. However they have nowhere near the strength of the Spanish garrison. Some 2,000 locals perhaps possible to muster, together with northern Dutch forces of up to 3,000-5,000 men. Without foreign help the garrison can't be taken.

3. alliances and trade treaties for the future. Negotiate (by PM) with for example England, France, Spain, Denmark, HRE.

4. the merchant ship fights in the East India region
a. officially declare your support for the Dutch East India Company and the English merchants, the Spanish shouldn't attack independent merchants that aren't under direct control of the crown
b. officially declare your support for the Dutch East India Company and the English merchants, the Spanish shouldn't attack independent merchants that aren't under direct control of the crown, but also advice the EIC to seek peace with the Spanish and end the conflict as soon as possible
c. officially declare your support for the Spanish, and demand England to make peace with Spain
d. do nothing
e. take advantage of the situation and use Dutch warships directly controlled by you to attack Spain. Use the Spanish-supported attacks on merchants as an excuse for war

5. the Dutch pirates. Dutch pirates are apparently rewarded by the English king for carrying out raids on ships owned by the Spanish crown.
a. try to keep them under control
b. don't care about them, they're a matter between Spain and the pirates
c. actively support the pirates and encourage them to continue their actions against Spain


OTTOMAN EMPIRE

1. Your current armed forces:
- 95 000 Timariot forces, of which 20,000 are currently mobilized in the areas around Istanbul
- 47 000 jannissaries, of which 20,000 are in use in garrisons and on the eastern frontline in diffent places
- 14,800 standing army professional cavalry, of which 8,000 are in spread out and in use in garrisons etc.
- some 40,000 vassals, auxiliaries etc., none of which are called in for usage at the moment except as for garrisoning
How do you wish to move these troops? Remember that many of them need to remain in garrison to counter unrest, and the Persian frontline must be defended. The same goes for the European frontline. You can also mobilize more of the Timariots and different levy troops infantry. The current level of mobilization is acceptable to your economy (giving you a small surplus every year), but higher levels of mobilization are difficult to pay for. However your treasury is fairly large and you can keep higher levels of mobilization for shorter periods without problem.

2. you are currently engaged in low-intensity warfare in south of Hungary, Transylvania and Moldavia, but none of these are hot wars at the moment, apart from perhaps the Cossack raids into Moldavia. You have demanded (this turn) that the Polish stop these raids, however it's possible that some of these raids are from Don Cossacks and thus not from Polish-controlled Cossacks. Weakening Poland would strengthen Russia, which could be a bad thing. On the other hand Poland have been hostile and must perhaps be dealt with. The Holy Roman Emperor has also threatened the Ottoman Empire by suggesting a religious war against the Ottoman Empire.
a. wait one turn to give the Polish a last chance to stop the raids
b. mobilize 15,000 Janissaries, 35,000 Timariot cavalry, 1,200 standing army professional cavalry, 8,000 local levies and auxiliaries, and 50 cannons to prepare for an invasion
c. as b, but not just prepare the troops but also (this turn) attack northern Moldavia, and then advance north on Kiev
d. as c, but attack Transylvania instead, to weaken the Emperor. From Transylvania you would be able to advance on the Polish heartlands, while simultaneously keeping the pressure on Moldavia up to keep Polish troops tied up there while advancing on Lwow.
e. as c, but don't use the army for invasion, instead prepare it for defense against the Emperor's suggested religious war

3. if attacking the Polish, what excuse should mainly be used in your official statements?
a. the Cossack raids not being stopped
b. the Polish attempts to conquer Moldavia and attack Ottoman possessions

4. the Spanish have raided your coastline a few times lately. Their superior Mediterranean fleet has been weakened over the past few years due to economical debt and removal of some galleys from the Mediterranean sector, but they are on good terms with Venice and other Christians in the Mediterranean so they can still, together with them, if needed form a strong allied fleet against the Ottoman fleet. They have also carried out piracy actions against the Omani Arabs which are partly under Ottoman control.
a. demand their raids to stop of they'll face consequences
b. do nothing yet
c. support England or others that are hostile to Spain by sending them money (and gifts too to come on friendly terms with them)
d. support the Omani Arabs in their actions in East Africa. A peripheral strike on the Spanish will be devastating. Invade Spanish East Africa possessions by going through invading Ethiopia
e. support the Omani Arabs in their actions in East Africa. Try to transport an army over the sea to strike the Spanish colonies there. This avoids conflict with the Ethiopians, but means more difficult supply situation and meaning it's more difficult to extract the troops after the operations if the operations go wrong (unless the Spanish pull back ships from the colonies there)


POLAND

1. the threat of Ottoman invasion? You currently have 3,000 husaria and 3,000 lighter cavalry mercenary formations in Moldavia. They have been engaged in smaller skirmishes over the past few years, but now the Ottoman threaten to launch a larger-scale invasion. You could move troops from Moscow or from elsewhere here to support the 6,000 men.
a. try to meet the demands of the Ottomans by trying to stop the few raids. Also point out that most of the Cossacks who raid are not the Zaporozhian Cossacks under your control, but Don Cossacks under Russian control. If the Ottomans then still proceed to attack they will look bad diplomatically.
b. don't try to stop the raiding. If it comes to war, try to hold on to your possessions and avoid battle except striking isolated Ottoman formations until you can get more troops to the area
c. try (by PM) to get others to launch attacks on the Ottomans elsewhere, to keep the Ottomans busy

2. your heir being Tsar in Moscow. What to do about the situation? You have 18,000 men, mostly husaria and semi-irregular mercenary bands, in the area, plus an additional 3,000 formerly Russian forces of which most are infantry. Only 1,000 husaria and 500 infantry are left in Livonia. The reform has also granted you 5,000 infantry possible to call in for use in the coming years. Specify how many men to use for each operation. At least some will need to garrison Smolensk and some will need to garrison Moscow. Your forces here are commanded by Hetman Stanislaw Zokkiewski, one of your best generals. You could send him to another front if you wish to.
a. retreat home, the other foreign threats are too much. In the retreat you could take Russian military equipment such as cannons with you to at least gain something apart from Smolensk from the operation
b. just retreat
c. engage smaller Russian garrisons between Smolensk and Moscow that haven't yet submitted to your rule. Specify how many men to use
d. the Russian city of Tver, in Vasili's hands, is showing signs of unrest. Quickly send a force (specify how many) to put the city under siege and hopefully make it change sides. If it does, garrison it, if it doesn't, retreat with the siege force to Moscow
e. as d, but if it doesn't change sides before winter maintain the siege
f. carry out some raids north, using the semi-irregular mercenary bands
g. don't do anything now, wait until spring

3. the French shipping of grain. Thanks to your previous stockpiling of grain, you can probably provide this grain to the French faster than the Danish can.
a. try to negotiate (by PM) for France to buy the grain from Poland and not from elsewhere. Sell it at a higher price than usual because of the French shortage. This could be needed for financing your wars
b. try to negotiate (by PM) for France to buy the grain from Poland. Sell it at normal price
c. don't bother about the affair

4. the economical situation. Peace with or defeat of Vasili would open the path for rich trade with Russian cities. Building up a fleet would be benefitial for your trade in the Baltic sea and improve your capabilities of trading with the Russians, but also with the Northern Germans, the Danish and also countries outside the Baltic sea. A favorable trade agreement with Brandenburg, now owners of the Duchy of Prussia, could in the abscence of a strong Polish navy be a useful way of making sure the trade goes well. Inviting some Dutch or other merchants that aren't working directly for the nobles might also be a good idea. Gdánsk is one of the cities where the merchant class is strongest, perhaps build up trade from there? Your current fleet consists of 4 quite old warships and 15 merchant ships. Controlling Moldavia fully would allow you to construct a trade fleet and trade with the ottomans or other through the Black Sea. Which of these things would you wish to try to achieve first?

5. what suggestions do you wish to make at the Catholic meeting in Rome? Who would you like to send as your representative? You could also go yourself.


RUSSIA

1. what to do about the Swedish separate peace with Poland, which is perhaps to be considered a bit of backstabbing?
a. do nothing, further conflict would be of no use
b. attack Swedish weakened positions in Estonia and the Karelian Isthmus. They could be conquered in a few years if you use over 10,000 troops for it and the Swedish forces are tied down in the conflict with Denmark

2. what to do about the situation in Moscow? Many of the deserters from the Moscow garrison have joined your main army as a result of the Polish heir claiming the Tsar position. However the Polish army is, despite outnumbered, probably superior to your entire main army at this time. You have some 35,000 troops in total. 1,000 are in Pskov, 1,000 in Novgorod, 1,000 in Pskov, 32,000 in and around Nijnij Novgorod. Many of your garrisons also have a shortage of guns.
a. if the Polish army moves out of Moscow, engage it in battle one last time before the winter. The Polish probably won't be able to, if victorious, follow up the victory during the winter so there will be time to regroup and the Polish pursuit in this type of terrain won't be as effective as it could be elsewhere. However if you win the Polish will be in trouble
b. don't engage the Polish yet, just wait for them to come to you or split up to use their forces on other fronts

3. Your garrison in Tver is showing signs of unrest. They have only 1,000 troops and 50 guns to defend the city against Polish attacks, and could be in need of reinforcements quickly.
a. send none
b. send some, specify how many

4. the Polish prisoners?
a. kill all
b. ransom back all
c. let them go


SPAIN

For any naval operations please specify which paths should be taken to and from the targets

1. the conflict with the trade companies due to your sponsored raids on English merchants
a. deny your involvement in the raids on merchants, stop sponsoring such raids, then claim the trade companies to hand back the colonies they conquered
b. deny your involvement in the raids on merchants, stop sponsoring such raids, warn them that any further conquests of Spanish colonies will meet consequences
c. deny your involvement in the raids on merchants, but continue sponsoring them
d. admit your involvement and try to seek a peace agreement with the trade companies
e. admit your involvement and try to seek a peace agreement with the trade companies, preferably one that lowers their customs duty for going through Spanish waters if they carry out less trade that gives customs duty to England

2. Ireland. You need to control a large enough area to be able to supply your troops, on the other hand you don't want to split up your troops too much. You have 2 tercios with cavalry and cannon support, and an additional 3,000 Irish levies under your command. Some more Irish levies might join you during the coming months, especially if you win some important victories. If you choose to capture Limerick and succeed, what do you wish to do after the city is captured? Proceed north or consolidate your gains and try to recruit and train the Irish locals over the winter?
a. continue as it is - use 1 tercio to complete the cleaning of southwest Ireland to have a decent supply situation over the winter, while using the other tercio with most of the rebel levies to besiege Limerick. As soon as the 1st tercio is ready in about 1 month, it will join the siege.
b. abort the cleaning of southwest Ireland and send all troops to Limerick. Try to assault the city immediately. This might make the supply situation difficult but avoids splitting up your troops so much
c. use all troops to clean southwest Ireland, and ignore Limerick until the area is clear, then besiege Limerick

3. the disobendient Spanish commander in Ireland
a. his inobedience and short temper is dangerous, replace him
b. as a, but also demote him
c. he is just the right man for this type of mission, keep him
d. as b, but also promote him

4. what methods should be used to prevent remaining Irish people, currently neutral, from joining English forces?
a. promise them something in return for help, specify what
b. threaten them unless they help
c. use terror and scorched earth in your military operations to try and force the Irish to change sides
d. take advantage of the internal rivalries in Ireland to get some Irish forces not yet taking part in the revolts to join your side
e. let your commander in the area do what he thinks is best

5. it might also be time to negotiate with the Irish rebels what will happen when the English forces are defeated and Ireland has become free
a. make the free parts of Ireland a Spanish province
b. make the free parts of Ireland a Spanish protectorate
c. make the free parts of Ireland independent but claim the territories of all who didn't cooperate for the Spanish crown
d. make the free parts of Ireland independent but claim the territories of all who didn't cooperate for the regions that cooperated
e. make sure Spain gets full access to crucial naval and ground bases forever (this can be combined with c and d and is done automatically under a and b)
f. make sure Spain gets full access to crucial naval and ground bases until England has been defeated and the independence of Ireland has been secured (this can be combined with c and d)
g. make sure Spain gets full access to crucial naval and ground bases until Spain has forced England to make peace (this can be combined with c and d)

6. the captured agents in France?
a. negotiate with France to hand them back
b. let them be at the mercy of the French, agents know when recruited that they can expect death if captured
c. do nothing

7. the naval warfare in the Americas? Your heavily damaged ships will not be ready for use until a few months
a. send ships to the Americas to try and win the naval war there, specify how many. Be advised that the English too may be sending reinforcements there
b. don't send any

8. any naval operations in Europe? Cover Cork? Raid the Channel? Try to break the extremely strong channel blockade? Try to simply defend your positions in the Iberian peninsula? Try to attack English transports to reinforce Ireland? Try to reinforce Ireland? Try to extract the troops from Ireland? Your lightly damaged ships have all been repaired. The heavily damaged will take a few months later, but can then be put into use. You also have the new EIC ship to commission if you want to. You can also opt to decommission some of the galleys to save money and get sailors for the new ships. Also, should the military ship building branch put the old shipyards into action producing ships? The Spanish EIC now has the knowledge required and with their assistance, if the EIC comes under friendly terms with you, could provide the skills required for the ship building branch to carry out their work. You must also decide whether you can accept the EIC to deliver perhaps only 1 ship a year instead of 2 for the coming 2 years due to their loss of so many workers.

9. what suggestions do you wish to make at the Catholic meeting in Rome? Who would you like to send as your representative? You could also go yourself.

10. how react to the French support to the Ottomans? Support that also would provide the Ottomans with the one weapon they have so far been lacking - a fleet comparable to the modern western fleets.
a. try to make France stop the cooperation
b. do nothing


SWEDEN

1. the war with Denmark? You can't hope to invade the Danish heartlands on Zealand with the superior Danish fleet in your way, but you apparently have a strong ground army and may be able to threaten Danish possessions in Scania, possibly also Norway in the long run. In return, Denmark can threaten Swedish islands, for example Hiiumaa, and keep them locked from the Atlantic coast.
a. negotiate a favorable peace (by PM). The Älvsborg fortress could be handed back to you in return for a tribute over the coming 5 years
b. remain defensive between Kalmar and Lund and wait for the Danish to make a move
c. make an attempt at besieging Lund
d. retreat towards Stockholm and leave a garrison in Kalmar

2. naval actions against Denmark. You have 5 undamaged warships and 2 heavily damaged warships. Another ship that has been in production has also been completed this year, and you can commission it for use.
a. use the navy more passively, just to defend Oland and Kalmar against Danish actions
b. send a small force to try and invade Saaremaa, specify how many to send
c. send a small force, 1,000 men could be enough, to capture Gotland from the Danish. The old Hanseatic city of Visby would be useful to hold, and it would be a very useful diversion in the war with Denmark

3. the Polish heir as Russian Tsar. Do you admit him or Vasili IV as Russian Tsar? Remember that you in a way let Russia down by making separate peace with Poland. This decision might affect future relations with both Poland and Russia.
a. admit Vasili IV as Tsar
b. admit the Polish heir as Tsar
c. don't make any statement

4. how do you wish to replace recent losses? Choose one or more of these.
a. recruit 2,000 more of the Swedish local infantry
b. recruit 2,000 mercenaries
c. recruit 1,000 more of the high-quality Finnish cavalry
d. recruit 500 light cavalry