The Corona Classic Ep. 3: The Empire Strikes Back | A nebulous Europa Universalis Game

[Goopy]

poland

no army
literally no army

 

[A_cRaZeD_hObO]

no one cared who i was until i put on the emperorship

 

[Dallas]

The Book of Serenity: Part One

THE SERENE REPUBLIC OF VENICE
1474

La Dominante
1444 - 1474

The Venetian Republic erupted from the chaos of the Hussite Crusade - defeating the Ottoman Navy and aiding the forces of Christendom against the heretics and their Islamic allies.

Ultimately, Venice would sue for peace, one of the final nations to do so, losing the provinces of Dalmatia to the Turks.

While this loss was devastating, the pride of the Republic, its navy, had not been defeated and was able to conduct military operations to bounce back after this loss of Adriatic territory to appease the growing discontent in the Senato.

The Republic quickly turned its attention to the weakened protection of Genoa, the largest trade rival of Venice in the Mediterranean.

Victory against Genoa and the Kingdom of Aragon strengthened the Republic's island territories, and brought the city of Genova itself into the orbit of Venice.

Venice now seeks to escape the Adriatic and the Mediterranean, and project its wealth and power into the distant lands known only to the Portuguese.

Disillusioned by the failure of the western coalition to halt the Ottoman Empire, Venice now seeks profit above all else - the only reliable thing in this world.

✠

​

 

[A_cRaZeD_hObO]

wish someone had the army losses for that war. me and ottomans had the highest losses iirc

 

[Goopy]

hey all i'm saying is
if ya'll didn't back out
burgandy would be a world power rn and one step closer to forming prussia

still worth though

 

[Oxy[Morons]]

wish someone had the army losses for that war. me and ottomans had the highest losses iirc

​

 

[A_cRaZeD_hObO]

​

Fucking hell. Probably half a million deaths on both sides overall, maybe more

 

[the last man]

me looking at the black sea and the future of russia, neighbouring an all-powerful ottoman empire with one of the most veteran players of the session at the helm, now too big and too engrained to fight successfully

 

[Oxy[Morons]]

Then Prince Jindrich I z Podebrad overlooking the position of Catholic Crusaders in Berlin, mentally preparing himself for battle.
​

​

My Father, JirÍ z Podebrad. I wish you could have seen the end of the Sixth Crusade that had struck its tendrils deep within our lands, and into the halls of Praha itself. You toiled awake in your bed night for many months after having taken the throne, only to be met with a betrayal by the Venetians soon thereafter. You took the advice of your advisors who saw the threat the pope, as well as the Emperor, represented mutually to our two nations. They hoped for a strong, prosperous alliance between our two nations.

In the end, you were right. You can never trust a Catholic. Not only did they betray our treaties you negotiated, but in the end, they themselves would join the Sixth Crusade against our faith. You can never trust a Catholic. Let the history books know that the forces of the Pope, Austria, Poland-Lithuania, Venice, Brandenburg, The Palatinate were crushed under the might of the Hussite Faith and their Muslim allies in the Ottoman Empire. Rest easy in your early grave, father. No longer will the halls of Praha mock you for your decision to seek out treaties with a Muslim.

I will lead the men and women of our faith according to the image you had always imagined. No longer will the bureaucratic courts of Praha hold this nation back. Our great victory has reinvigorated a great sense of fervor back into our people, and all trust the crown with their lives. The great stresses of this war took your heart to our lord above, but now I can feel the strength each of you give me, as you all lead me forward against our enemies in the name of our faith.

​

 

[Mute]

Kingdom of Burgundy, 1474

conquérir et prospérer

Le Passé
After the purchase of Luxembourg in 1441 the future of the Duchy of Burgundy remained uncertain.

Split between two powers, the Holy Roman Empire to the east, and the French Crown under the west
it has been victim of many revolts and demands for change.

In 1444, shortly after dissolving their brisk alliance with the Kingdom of England,
Charles VII of France offered a pact where Burgundy would remain a sovereign state
but vow to aid the French if they were to call for them.

Phillip the Good obliged and the Crown of Burgundy and France have remained great allies.

Le Présent
In the following decades Europe erupted in a great war between many nations,
during this time western Europe went largely unaffected.

Phillip the Good saw an opportunity to establish themselves as a trustworthy ally
and as a great power in Europe and began his conquests
while the Holy Roman Emperor was occupied with the war to the east.

The War of the Provencial Excommunication
Shortly after the Duke of Provence was exposed as a homosexual by an anonymous source
the Pope excommunicated him.

Seeing an opportunity both Austria and Burgundy invaded Provence under the guise of
excommunication.

Burgundy seized three counties while the Emperor seized one,
as an ally Switzerland was ordered by the Emperor to release Geneva.

The Wars of the Low Countries and Savoy
With the Emperor being occupied to the east, both the French and Burgundian crown
saw an opportunity.

Burgundy had seized this opportunity to invade Holland, a duchy that had broken free
from the Kingdom half a decade ago.

The Duke of Holland agreed to come under the influence of Burgundy under the condition
that Utrecht was returned to Holland.

Charles the Bold obliged and attacked Utrecht, seizing the city from the HRE and granting it to Holland,
placating his brother, David of Burgundy as a bishop in the city.

-

Shortly after a message was dispatched by the French Crown, they required help
in their wars against Brittany and Castile.

Charles the Bold honoured their agreement and joined, after defeating Utrecht, an ally of Brittany
once more he moved his army through the south of France, reaching Castile.

He participated in the siege of Toledo and seized the city,
due to their help the Crown of France gave Charles five thousand Francs made of pure gold.

-

As the war in the East raged on Charles sent a message to the French King,
seeing that they have similar interests he persuaded the French King to aid in the war
against Geneva and Savoy.

The war was a decisive Burgundian victory,
a city was granted to the French king while Charles the Bold seized two cities from Geneva.

The rise of Mary
Due to an injury Charles had sustained in his siege of Toledo he had become infertile.

He had a daughter yet yearned for a mail heir to the throne,
with no heir his country was doomed to fall to the French Crown.

Disrespecting his grandfathers wishes and the wishes of his ancestors,
he announced that his daughter, Mary of Burgundy would be his heir.

L'avenir

The future of Burgundy remains uncertain.

Charles the Bold had ambitions to once again re-unite Lotharingia,
cementing their status as an independent nation and great power in Europe,
one to rival Austria and France in power.
​

 

[Mendel]

THE SIXTH HUSSITE CRUSADE

 

[Oxy[Morons]]

 

[Deleted member 305]

In Hoc Signo Vinces

ALFONSO V
-
'THE YOUNG'

​

Hammers echo through the port of Lisboa. Hard-forged nails are constantly being driven into wooden plank after wooden plank, holding together large contraptions; larger than mayhaps anywhere in the world. Authoritative foremen call out orders to the workers with voices booming through the columns of workers marching to their designated shipyards.

Alfonso V, the 'young King' as he was called in his realm, is observing the proceedings with a pensive gaze from the front balcony of the Portuguese palace, which has the unique privilege to look down upon the bustling port city from a considerable elevation. It has been a mere three years after his ascension to the throne, an ascension which he fought for dearly. In these three years, he has set the foundation for a grand fleet, albeit one that was not meant for combat. Instead, his vision is to grasp the unharvested knowledge of the world that lies beyond the conventional European cartas.

"The English have been trustworthy and valuable allies, your highness." Adriano Barboza, one of the King's most trusted generals and closest friends within' the Portuguese nobility, utters as he slowly slides himself into position near the ruler on the large balcony.

"Indeed.. we sailed our fleet to their seas, and they proved to be as capable sailors as we. I aspire to be like them." the youth admits and cocks his chin up, sucking in his bottom lip.

"In what way?" the ginger bearded nobleman asked, bringing his hands together behind his back.

"They have enough ships to rule the seas. Soon, I'll have a fleet as well. My ambitions lie there."

"Well said.. an alliance to rule the world, mayhaps?" he jests with a chuckle, gazing into the Atlantic.

"I don't want to rule this world.. I want to rule that world," he responds almost instantly, extending his hand to point toward the sea. The nobleman nods with a knowing smile, yet he doesn't utter a single word more.

​

The sister of the King of Portugal, Maria, is married to the brother of the English King Henry, bringing the two nations together. The two monarchs discuss over dinner before the festivities commence.

​

"Rumor has it that the Muscovites have thrown themselves in the fray." the Portuguese man says whilst absentmindedly staring down at his dish, using some crudely made cutlery to cut his meal in pieces. Pork sausages, beef meat, turkey, and bread fresh from the harvest, he couldn't really complain about the quantity nor the quality of the food.

"Bah! The Muscovites. What place do the Orthodox have in a crusade anyway?" the English monarch replied, gulping down heaps from his wine goblet, sticking it out to the left for his servants to refill. "The whole thing is nothing but funny. To Hell with that war; and to Hell with the Muscovites. If they thought I or anyone of my allies would get involved, they were gravely mistaken. They threw themselves in a war they could not win."

"They want your ships." the young man added, plopping a piece of sausage in his mouth.

"They've wood, they've hammers, they've men. I'm sure they can build their own."

"My merchants have spread all across the world, New and Old. We have managed to convert some natives in the far south to the one true faith."

Though they come back to tell me tales of Venetian banners flying over Konstantiniyye. Can it be true?"

"Even if it is-.. do you think they can hold it?" the Anglo monarch stops, taking a sip from the golden goblet again. Alfonso shakes his head nonchalantly.

"They may have the ships, but they lack the leadership. Their ambitions are set on the wrong lands. We have discovered many things that men would never dare imagine. The emporium in Europe is sterile.."

"The trade in the New World, however.. that is ours to claim."

​

"Domine Iesu Christe, Filli Dei, misere mei pecatoris.." the young monarch utters, knelt before a statue of the Virgin Mary, his hands brought together in prayer. He bows his head before Her majesty and closes his eyes, the golden crucifix hanging over his prestigious black attire.

Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
​

"Come in." he utters solemnly, crossing himself before going to his feet, pivoting around to face the Cardinal who has just entered. "Have we won?"

"Tangiers is yours, my liege. His Holy Father sends congratulations."

"The Morrocans put on a tough fight. This will only help us secure ourselves further from any further Infidel advances. Thank you, Father. You have brought me great relief this day." he sighs, running a hand through his grown facial hair. The Cardinal takes a bow and leaves all the while the King turns to face the statue again.

"Bestow upon me your blessing, Holy Mother, and I'll make sure your name is uttered from the start until the end of the earth."

"I swear it by God and Man."

✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠

​

 

[A_cRaZeD_hObO]

me looking at the black sea and the future of russia, neighbouring an all-powerful ottoman empire with one of the most veteran players of the session at the helm, now too big and too engrained to fight successfully

ottomans level off heavily, near the end their units are fairly poo and get a few maluses. Game's far from over if ottomans are coalitioned or stopped with some strong alliances

 

[Mendel]

THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
1474

City of the World's Desire
1444 - 1449
"That city, placed at the junction of two seas and two continents, seemed like a diamond set between two sapphires and two emeralds, to form the most precious stone in a ring of universal empires."
- Osman's Dream of Constantinople, 1280​

Ascending to the throne at the age of twelve, Mehmed II inherited the rapidly growing Ottoman domain. Originating in Anatolia and expanding throughout the region and into Europe, the Osmanoglu dynasty had carved itself a humble beginning as an empire. The next step, one which the young Mehmed wished to mount himself, was the conquest of the Byzantine Empire - the last remaining symbol of the Roman Empire. This goal, with the city of Constantinople as its prize, would propel the Ottomans into relevance in the European and Asian theaters alike.

Constantine XI and his fading Byzantine Empire held the city; the only remaining heartbeat of the once sprawling Roman Empire. Unleashing his Guns of Urban on the walled city, Mehmed II's forces tore through the once impregnable fortress. A defense to the death was waged, although ultimately unsuccessful. Twenty-three armies had come before, trying to take the legendary city; all had failed. At only seventeen years of age, Mehmed II Fatih, the Conqueror, had captured Constantinople at last. With the Fall of Constantinople and the Battle of Varna years prior, the Ottoman Empire stood unchallenged - for now- in the East.

Following the conquest, Mehmed II declares himself the Qayser-i Rûm - the Caseaer of Rome. With the backing of a reformed Patriarchate in the city, now known as Kostantiniye, he sought to succeed Rome in becoming the undisputed ruler of the Mediterranean.

The Ottomans now looked to thrust their influence into Europe, but would be smart- biding their time and preparing. Mehmed II expanded the army with both the Great Army Reform and extended conscription of the Janissaries, highly trained converted Orthodox soldiers that then formed the backbone of the Ottoman army.

The Western Expeditions
1449 - 1456​

Devoting efforts to cleaning up the remains of the already shattered Byzantine Empire, Mehmed II dispatched troops to southern Greece and into Anatolia to complete his earlier planned conquests. Annexing the Sultanate of Candar and preventing Karaman rebels from garnering support in the countryside, the Sultan turned his attention towards improving the empire's institutions, allowing his armies to recover from his early conquests.

The period between conflicts marked a large development of Ottoman culture, borrowing inspiration in part from the blooming Renaissance occurring in Italy. Mehmed II passed laws denouncing sect practices, enforcing unity against heretics, and passing religious building regulations for the Orthodox population. The military saw great developments, including the Great Army Reform and the establishment of the Devshirme system. The Iberian completion of the Reconquista saw the mass welcoming of Moorish refugees, many of which successful integrated into Ottoman culture.

The Great Crusade
1456 - 1468​

The fall of one empire gave way to the rise of another- by the middle of the fifteen century, the Ottoman Empire stood at the gates of Europe, with its foot already in the door. The rise of the former nomadic tribes was not well received throughout Europe, so much so that calls for a revival of the crusades were carried throughout the Christian lands. The Pope, however, had problems deeper in Europe to deal with - the rise of the Hussite faith, followers of the revolutionary Jan Hus, in Bohemia. Having propelled five crusades prior, the Bohemians reached out beyond their former Catholic brethren to the Muslim Turks. While harboring sentiments against any form of Christianity, the Sultan accepted the offer, forging an alliance with the Bohemian Hussites.

This pact would bear fruits immediately, when, during the Ottoman Conquest of Epirus, a crusade was called against the Hussite heretics. The Pope garnered support from a wide array of European states, with a total of six nations that would see their armies face off against the defenders- Austria, Poland-Lithuania, Brandenburg, the Papal State, Venice, andThe Palatinate. The conflict saw its heaviest action in the lands of Bohemia, where an initial surprise strike thrust deep into the Hussite lands, reaching the gates of Prague. Although being defeated in the first Battle of Praha, the Siege of Praha would eventually be defeated, as a troop of joint Ottoman and Bohemian soldiers would arrive to relieve it, pushing back the crusaders temporarily.

The defenders used this borrowed time to begin the Siege of Berlin, leading to the total of seven battles for the city. The bloodiest would be the fifth Battle of Berlin, where a one-hundred thousand strong crusader force would see conflict with an eighty thousand strong Ottoman and Bohemian defense. The defenders would see victory, scattering the crusader armies - the turning point of the war. This victory led to continued Bohemian occupation of Brandenburg, and the Ottoman Siege of Vienna, which went unopposed.

During the war, the Khanate of Crimea pledged allegiance to the Sultan, entering the war and beginning a front in the East. This would draw the eye of Muscovy, who eventually entered the war and began an occupation of Crimea. Meanwhile, in Anatolia, Venetian marines had landed in Sugla, successfully sieging the coastal fortress and taking it for the crusaders. They then marched to Gelibolu, just outside the city of Kostantiniye. Mehmed II, then leading the Siege of Tyrol, received word of this, and personally marched an army down to deal with the Venetian sailors, trapping them in the Straits of Marmara, slaughtering every one of them. Mehmed returned to Austria, where he finished the siege with little resistance, save sparse attempts to reoccupy Vienna in the north, which were battled off successfully by the joint Ottoman and Bohemian forces.

By now, the Muscovite armies had punched deep behind the Ottoman lines, into Anatolia, where they set their eyes on the provincial capital of Ankara. However, upon arriving, the Muscovite armies were greeted with fourty thousand Ottoman troops, recently raised in the imperial capital. The Muscovite expedition was quickly routed, ending their hope for securing the Crimean Khanate.

In the West, the Austrians were finally persuaded to peace- leaving a gaping hole in the coalition. Immediately after, the Poland-Lithuania, now reduced to Poland after a national revolt in Lithuania, left the war, leaving its ally Brandenburg to fend for itself. The Papal State, Palatinate, Venice, and Muscovy all followed suit- leaving only Brandenburg to be subjugated under the crown of Bohemia.

The war ended with the Treaty of Praha, giving minor territorial concessions to the Ottomans and Bohemians, but casting a dark shadow on Catholicism. The fields of Eastern Europe had run red, and it would be some time before anybody involved would recover totally- centuries would come, and the effects would still be felt from the terrible war.

The Spoils of War
1468 - 1474​

Mehmed II returned to Kostantiniye after twelve years of war, where he had led his armies directly. He used this time to recover lost opportunities, finishing his conquests in Southern Greece, around the Black Sea, and the Balkans. Taking advantage of the Polish weaknesses to lead an expedition into Lithuania, Mehmed secured the Black Sea exclusively for the Ottoman Empire, warding off Polish and Muscovite wishes for a port. The Ottomans received a hefty sum of money from the coalition, namely Austria, for their aggressions against the Hussite and Sunni faiths.

With the Ottomans emerging victorious from the first Great War, they now have their eyes set on more lucrative prizes, many belonging to their fellow Muslims.

 

[the last man]

VELIKOYE KNYAZHESTVO
MOSKOVSKOYE
The Third Rome

Vasilij Vasilijovich Rjúrikoviči
Vasily II
Grand Duke of the Muscovite Principality
Patron of the Orthodox Church

Vasily the Second, after years of hardship facing the tyrannies of the old khanate hordes, finally reclaiming the sovereign right of the russian people. In 1444, the muscovite army is bolstered and stages off the northern border, joined by the lesser principalities who have sworn fealty to the Duke of Moscow. Novgorod is all but secured, only calling the Lithuanian principality and the Odoyev state as their allies.

A year before invasion begins, as troops are mustering, news reach Vasilij of Poland securing and claiming the Lithuanian throne, rendering the Lithuanian horde toothless and Novgorod without a prominent ally. The invasion is swift, and the most heavily populated regions of lower Novgorod and Neva are liberated and secured under the true banner of the russian peoples.

Before his death, Vasily II makes short work of Tver and Ryazan, claiming them for the Muscovite throne, and continuing in his momentum obliterates the scattered forces of the hordes of Crimea and the Golden Horde, claiming additional Cossack lands for the Moscow flag.

Ivan Vasilijovich Rjúrikoviči
Ivan III
Grand Duke of the Muscovite Principaity
Patron of the Orthodox Church

The reign of Ivan the Third is riddled with concessions and victories across both steppes and fields, but is ultimately overshadowed by a black defeat at the hands of the unwashed Ottoman horde. As war rages in Europe and the First Great Crusade is called by the Pope in Rome, Ivan recognizes the opportunity to resecure a part of the Black Sea from the Crimea-horde invaders, sending the Patriarch of the church to Rome to discuss the details of participation in the crusade, despite the late arrival to the great war plaguing central and eastern Europe.

Declaring a Holy War on the Ottoman Empire after staging his thirty-thousand strong army on the border of Crimea, Ivan enters and conquers the entirety of the horde without a single battle, ultimately occupying the entirety of the territory as he negotiates rights of passage through the Black-Sea-states of the Caucasus.

In 146X, the Muscovite armies enter Anatolia, sieging the fort of Sinop as eastern anatolia is trudgingly occupied by the twenty-thousand-strong army, weakened by the large defensive detachment left to defend occupied Crimea. As Sinop falls, the forward detachments of only five thousand men encounter the fourty-thousand horde of a bolstered Ottoman army, fresh out from the european states who had been coerced and persuaded into signing declarations of surrender and defeat, leaving the Ottoman focus entirely on its war with Muscovy.

As three thousand men perish in a brutal skirmish with the approaching Ottoman horde, the remaining anatolian expedition fall back out of the Ottoman heartland, burning farms, towns and civilian turks en-masse as they exit.

As the army falls back to defend, news reaches Ivan III of an aggressive coalition of Novgorodians, Kazanites and Lithuanians who have all now made aggressive invasions on the one true state of the russians, prompting Ivan to quickly seek a peace treaty with the Ottomans staged to invade, conceding horde lands conquered by his father, Vasily II many years prior.

With Russian faith in Europeans shaken to its core and with a taste of bitter defeat, Ivan's armies turn from Crimea and make their way into Novgorod, Lithuania and the Kazan Hordelands, wrestling their collected forces into a humiliating defeat, laying claim to areas of the horde steppe, the Lithuanian east and even more of the Novgorodian coast.

_______

As the World enters the post-great-crusade age, it seems increasingly clear that the great schism between the Catholic and Orthodox church has no intention of healing as the growing bear of the Russian people loses both faith and interest in the affairs of Europeans.​

 

[Mute]

the stars have aligned

 

[afric]

EXCERPT FROM SHAKESPEARE'S "ELIZABETH", A DRAMA SET WITHIN THE COURT LIFE OF EUROPE'S MOST POWERFUL WOMEN

MAGELLAN​

The Solution to the Ottoman problem, Noble Highness?

ELIZABETH
Yes, Lord. Speak, what of the tariffs?
​

MAGELLAN

Yes, the solution is simple yet alludes Iberian Minds.​

ELIZABETH
Then out with it, so we may rid ourselves of the Turk.

MAGELLAN
To round the cape and horn, and seize what is yours. By Dieu et ta Droite.

 

[Mute]

just a reminder that the games tomorrow

 

[Mute]

France - @GhostKripp

England - @afric

Ottomans - @Mendel

Castile - @liew

Muscovy - @Shrike

Poland - @Dalekfodder

Austria - @A_cRaZeD_hObO™

Denmark - @ein

Burgundy - @Mute

Sweden - @cns

Portugal - @whiskers

Bohemia - @Oxy[Morons]

Venice - @Dallas

Milan - @friendly

The Papal State - @uncle kev

Brandenburg - @Goopy

Switzerland - @char

Hesse - @Poopship McGee

game time