I'd intended to do a broad summary, but got caught up in it and wrote a bit more. We'll see if I have the time to finish it. Comments of any stripe welcome, as always. Enjoy!
The End of Tyranny, turn 1.
(With apologies for notes cribbed and impossibly perverted from the history of the French revolution)
'M'Lord it's another riot. The fifth one this week. Rheims has suffered seven, and even Anger has had trouble with the peasantry from the surrounding farms. Rennes, Bordeaux, and Dijon have taken advantage of the situation in the core of the country and no longer acknowledge you as King. All of France is inflamed by this abbot and his notions of peasant power. Most of our armed forces are currently drawn from militias, which have little motivation to disrupt their fellows from their will to cause trouble. If I may be blunt, my King?'
'Speak as you will. I need truth, not pleasantries, if France is to remain a nation.' (Note the King is intelligent and chivalrous)
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
'Very well, the abbot is named Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes, and he holds equal sway with your own noble self in our nation. He was educated by the Church and is said to have a mind like a knife, sharp and hard and unable to resist cutting apart everything it comes into contact with. His falling out with the upper orders of the Church came rapidly after he reached adulthood, of course, but he had consolidated enough influence that he avoided excommunication and still has a reputation as a pious man among the people. He now turns his will to utterly undermining the historical privelege of the nobility. At first he was a highly useful tool, you will recall the ease with which we disposed of the Comte d'Artois who was stealing war funds meant for Toulouse?'
'Move along to this latest treatise he is pushing.'
'Very well m'Lord. About three weeks ago he made another speech outside the east gate. It was evidently titled 'Tyranny's End.' As it's subject was his assertion that all the wealth, all the power, all the majesty and might of a nation has as it's source the collective work of the so called Third Estate, the peasants. Ergo all that power and wealth should devolve back to those same peasants in some form, rather than supporting the armies that oppress them and the opulent luxury of the nobility. The commoners are understandably elated with this idea.'
'Indeed,' King Philip replied with an arch tone, 'As would be any powerless person suddenly promised wealth and glory. And so now they riot, and the word spreads across the face of France while to the north the English gather their armies. I wonder what Sieyes will have to say when an English mercenary cuts his throat. My own soldiers have reservations about slaughtering rioting peasants, but those northern dogs will have no such scruples.'
For a moment King Philip's gaze rose to the beautifully painted ceiling of his audience chamber as he turned his intellect to the problem at hand. Only a moment, before he said, 'Bring him to me. No guards, no soldiers, and invite him to bring a few select individuals from his retinue if he so desires.'
'For the English, this is the time for appeasement. Send my daughter to them to seek an alliance. I have heard their young prince is a comely man, and unwed. They should be eager for peace, given the trouble the Scots are promising.'
Consolidation, turns 2-5.
Negotiations with Sieyes' faction were lengthy and slow, but gradually the abbot and King Philip grew to be friends through the adversarial debates. The King's own intelligence and chivalrous nature combined well with the abbot's genius and implacable will to improve the lot of the peasant. Additionally the demonstrable fact that Sieyes did not control or rule the regions of France which had rebelled, but instead let them go their own way lent credence to his theories. The opulence and decadence of the nobility had rankled King Philip since his childhood, and through Sieyes he found a clear method to bring them to heel. Slowly, gradually, the men were developing a new concept of national identity and power. The King issued two proclamations towards the goal of bringing an end to tyranny; first the Rights and Responsibilities of the Third Estate, empowering peasants with the right to life, justice, and freedom from oppression alongside the responsibility to secure such rights for all, and second the Right to Freedom of Belief, which, to the astonishment of the Papacy, guaranteed Frenchmen and free peoples under French protection the right to hold any, all, or no religious beliefs they so desired.
A golden age of philosophy and invention immediately unfurled in France, and especially Paris, as thinkers of all stripes immigrated, desperate to escape from under the thumbs of the despots and petty dictators who had ruled their lives and limited their investigations. Abbot Sieyes declared this period the French Revolution, though he acknowledged the necessity of preserving the current power structure to accomplish the larger goals of the Revolution.
Meanwhile, though, the unruly provinces of France had to be brought back into the fold to advance the cause. King Philip swore to Sieyes that he would leave Bordeaux to the rebels, as a sanctuary for their kind within the borders of greater France, but if the two men's new ideas were to have any chance of survival and trial on the world stage it would require a base of power and a safe haven. Dijon was the first to be occupied, but the city was treated well and after the battle the handover of power (And about 180 florins) proceeded easily.
At Rennes the siege lasted longer, and rams had to be brought up to open holes in the walls, but ultimately the city was occupied peacefully (202 florins). An English army which had been in the region turned back and set camp around the English castle at Caen.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Trade rights were exchanged with the Milanese, however our diplomat sensed an undercurrent of aggression from them. King Philip realized that without some reinforcement the eastern stretch of France was highly vulnerable, so with the accedance of Sieyes he proceeded with the siege of Bern, capturing that castle (And 145 florins) from a rebel commander who had been secretly negotiating with the Doge of Milan.
Meanwhile Prince Louis' expedition to bring word of the developing revolution into Ibera met with the growing imperialism of Portugal as they lay siege to the free people of Zaragosa, who had sworn to stand aside from the petty conflicts between the Kings of Spain and Portugal. Though his own King had been, of necessity, consolidating power within his own Kingdom this struck the King as an injustice, and he ordered Prince Louis to intercede on the behalf of the rebels.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
One of Sieyes' closest companions, a young nobleman named Arthur de Plaisians was riding with the Prince, and begged his permission to ride to Zaragosa and teach the Portugese a lesson. The Prince agreed, and the young man rode forth chivalrously with only his guardsmen to face many times his number and launch the first war for freedom!
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The enemy was disorganized by the sudden attack from Sir Arthur, and their jinettes very nearly ran over their own archers attempting to flee when de Plaisians began his charge.
Guardsmen gave their lives to drag down the Portugese captain who was intent on following through his King's imperial aims.
After smashing aside the jinettes and archers easily, Arthur de Plaisians' men formed up for one last charge, and destroyed the enemy spearmen.
In the very first battle of the foreign wars of the French Revolution an heroic victory was accomplished by a champion of the new cause.
The King of Portugal was invited to ransom his captured soldiers, and agreed to pay a small sum (216 florins). Northwest of Zaragosa Prince Louis attacked the noble directly responsible for ordering the siege of Zaragosa, a man named Johao, outside of Pamplona, earning another clear victory for the Revolution and again ransoming the Portugese who had been captured (1884 florins because the general was captured). Those men returned to Pamplona, which might otherwise have been free from it's overlords, but the Prince could not bring himself to execute a man who had surrendered to him.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Negotiations are entered with the Spanish, who trade maps with us and offer trade rights. We warn them that the free people of Zaragosa are under our protection, but the Spanish diplomat does not seem to quite understand this concept.
Iberia aflame, turns 6-10.
The Pope has the termerity to warn us against further aggression towards Portugal under threat of excommunication. The real issue, of course, is our declaration of religious freedom in France, but we accede to his terms of a ten year halt despite this knowledge and hold the siege of Pamplona rather than assault.
The very next year the Spainish, in full view of Arthur de Plaisians, guardian of Zaragosa, lay siege to the city. Arthur sends a messenger for orders as to whether or not he should launch a second war in defense of the city.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
King Philip and Abbot Sieyes have issued a third and fourth proclamation from Paris, the Right of Defense, which states that all free people are entitled to arm themselves as necessary to defend their holdings, and to organize such armies and militias as are necessary to that purpose, effectively putting free cities and castles on the same footing as larger, organized nations with respect to rights. Alongside that right is the Right to Succession; any unit of free people must, by definition, have the right at any time to secede from the larger group of which they are nominally a part and form their own, new group with it's own respective rights.
These rights form the core idea of the end of tyranny, for if every group of people, no matter how small or strange, have the respected right to defend themselves and their holdings while also having the right to section themselves ever smaller then the basic idea of the French Revolution, which is the elemental power of the Third Estate, can come to fruition. No one group can control or coerce another, their only method for mutual advancement is cooperation.
To further the spread of these ideas King Philip opens trade rights and exchanges maps with the Holy Roman Empire. Additionally to secure a trading partner to fund the more militant arm of the Revolution King Philip signs an alliance with the Danes, who themselves are a single region power, and marries his son to their princess. With northern trading alliances secured, the Iberian offensive can continue safely and remove the oppressive Kings of Portugal and Spain, barring Papal interference.
With this goal in mind, King Philip moves to take control of the city of Bruges. Before the ideas of the French revolution began to spread among them, both the English and the Danes had aggressive, imperial aims for Bruges and Antwerp, but as our ideas took hold the English lifted their siege, and soon the Danes will lift the siege of Antwerp and leave the city to the eventual control of the Revolution. For now the captain of the Bruges guard sallies against our King to attempt to drive him off. With a heavy heart, King Philip takes the field.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The King withdraws his men from the walls and attempts to negotiate with Captain Yves, but the man is intent on battle. As the King's spearmen and archers withdraw farther back Yves pushes his men to seek contact. The King sees how to exploit this to his advantage, and strikes for the crossbowmen to the rear, scattering and slaughtering both companies.
Yves is no fool, he realizes he is surrounded and the majority of his army routs and attempts to flee through the King's Guard. King Philip chases them back to the town square, where he exults amidst his men, one citizen among others serving the greater cause of the Revolution. As one the men raise the cheer, Viva La Revolution! Two hundred and twenty four florins are taken as the city is peacefully occupied.
Word reaches Arthur de Plaisians that he is to do whatever is necessary to secure the rights of the free men of Zaragosa. With this in mind, he launches an attack against the army of Spain which holds siege over Zaragosa. Outnumbered more than thirteen to one his guardsmen nonetheless ride into battle behind his heroic leadership.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Alas, at a pivotal moment in the battle the enemy jinettes, who had routed early in the battle, rally and return to throw one volley of javelins. Arthur is pierced many times over, and falls to the dirt. Fighting with redoubled vigor, his citizen guardsmen butcher the Spanish soldiers and pursue them to the very ends of the earth seeking vengeance. (The battle took place on the low plains, but the enemy routed straight up the mountainside)
There is mourning throughout the free territories of France as the news spreads, but his unequalled heroism in service to the cause of the Revolution inspires many to take up arms.
Near Bordeaux a second Spanish army is driven off, and with this total defeat of their imperial aims the Spanish beg for peace, and offer us tribute in exchange. The King, desperate for the funds to advance the Revolution, signs the ceasefire with only the further proviso that the King of Spain acknowledge the right of the free peoples to exist and govern themselves.
After inking the ceasefire King Philip secures the city of Antwerp for the Revolution, turning back a valiant sally by their Captain Baldwin, taking two hundred and sixty one florins after occuping the city.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
At this latest conquest a fiery debate breaks out in a very public forum between the King and Abbot Sieyes. The Abbot argues that any King, no matter how enlightened, who gathers to himself too much power will inherently become corrupted, and even if not corrupt in himself the mere size and complication of the government necessary to manage a large empire will become corrupt and ineffecient. Ultimately the King finds himself swayed by these arguments, especially after an investigation into the nation's finances discovers a massive embezzlement effort via remilled florins. These matters lead directly to the fifth and sixth proclamations of intent on the part of the Revolution; the Right of Good Governance which states that political structures larger than a set limit of ten regions or provinces become too ineffecient to best serve the interests of their people and the Right of Limited Burden, which states that tax revenue cannot exceed a tenth part of the resources produced by any given region or group. These measures result in a halt to the expansion of the core territories of the French Revolution, and a great lessening of the tax burden of the people to the lowest taxes in living memory nationwide.
That matter being settled in so peaceful and righteous a manner the King of France became widely known as King Philip the Honorable.
Immediately a test of the King's new proclamations developed as one of his generals threw down his colors and declared himself independent of France. King Philip dispatched a messenger to the man with a sworn affidavit that his affairs would not be interfered with so long as he refrained from harassing the locals or preying on merchantry in the region. As proof of his noble intent, King Philip instructed that the nearby fort at Anger be torn down and converted to a village more useful to the peasantry there.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Additionally our diplomatic mission at least reached Rome, and after a few suitable bribes our reputation with the Papacy rose to perfect and an alliance was signed into being between our peoples, conditional on the Pope rejecting expansionism. So ends the first twenty years of the Revolution!
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