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#942
June 6th, 2012, 10:52 AM
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Impressive strategy Ferdinand, well played...but a shrewd commander would keep a backup army in case of war in the South...
...that is how they do it, right? 
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#944
June 6th, 2012, 01:17 PM
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#946
June 6th, 2012, 03:38 PM
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England(& Wales) Denmark Scotland Navarre Netherlands Last edited by naraht; June 6th, 2012 at 06:18 PM.. Reason: Forgot Navarre
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#947
June 6th, 2012, 03:58 PM
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Who has biggest fleet and/or most effective fleet of the Alliance? Hopefully the Republic can pull its weight on the seas.
__________________
"Leo told me, a healthy mind makes a healthy body. I told him that's not always the case. Look at Stephen Hawking." - Karl Pilkington
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#948
June 6th, 2012, 06:41 PM
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That's what's almost funny about Ferdinand's Naval preparations iTTL. The Spanish lost to the English in the Defeat of the Spanish Armada and as far as I can tell, there are *no* factors in the Naval Conflict that favor the Spanish over OTL (with the possible exception of Francis Drake wandering around the Caribbean rather than the area closer to England (though if he comes home he may get command of the entire English fleet)). In OTL, the Dutch and the French were both in the middle of internal "Wars of Religion" conflicts at the time of Spanish Armada. ITTL, the non-catholic side is in complete control in both. Even if the French fleet doesn't actively contribute, simply having Calais as a usable port by the English fleet could prove very useful. And the Dutch ships are, I believe close to English quality, they just don't have as many of them. If the Spanish Armada ever enters the Channel, they might never leave.
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#949
June 6th, 2012, 06:49 PM
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Add to this, despite its superior resources, the League's goals are ridiculously broad, and you have an alliance that is heading straight towards disaster.
__________________
"Now Blooms the Tudor Rose"--It's a boy!
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#950
June 6th, 2012, 08:53 PM
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I have to imagine the Ottoman Empire is going to take advantage of two of its major European opponents' distractions. Given the number of frontiers the OE has ITTL, opportunities like this to focus on one single thing can't be missed.
Though on the other hand, Poland is not distracted and seems to be developing a well-drilled professional army. Would it prefer to meddle in Russia or the Balkans I wonder?
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#951
June 7th, 2012, 01:36 AM
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Solution: Why not both?
The Ottomans are indeed looking to tango with Russia in the forseeable future, so the Poles could capitalize on either, or, or both if they wanted too...
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#953
June 7th, 2012, 07:16 PM
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While in OTL Poland chose Russia, the survival of Ivan Ivanevich (and his child?) and the success in the south means that in TTL Russia is NOT looking weak and sliding into a Time of Troubles. Pretty sure Poland won't be moving east - it might even be worried enough by its 800-pound neighbor to stay very cautious for a while.
Pretty sure Ferdinand has done a lot to close the gap in number of hulls in TTL, but he's deviled by the quality problem - the best ships would seem to be Dutch, with the Navarrese in second place, and England at third is still in all likelihood ahead of Spain's lumbering behemoths. Philip seems awfully withdrawn. While he's 61ish and handing the baton off to Prince Ferdinand is not a bad idea, it's hard to imagine him giving Ferdinand carte blanche to conduct a major war however he wants. Thank you again for an excellent read, Thespi. Oh, and if the magnates get a say in the Hungarian succession, did they pick Max, or someone else?
__________________
Mankind will occasionally stumble across the truth, but most times he will pick himself up and carry on. --Winston Churchill
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#954
June 8th, 2012, 05:14 AM
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Winter 1590 - 1591: Henri is in trouble; Ferdinand is using his control of the Pyrenees passes to move into the south of France one of the largest armies yet seen in Renaissance Europe--60,000 men and more being recruited all the time. Ferdinand is gambling everything on this throw; if he fails, he’ll utterly bankrupt the Spanish Crown.
Caught momentarily off-guard by the sudden invasion of Spaniards, Henri has to struggle to find his footing. Luckily, he’s developed a coterie of military-minded men around himself over the past ten years, and sends Francois de La Noue, that ever-loyal servant of the Crown, to raise the regiments Henri has spent the last decade carefully constructing. To hold off the Spanish until the French army is ready to fight, Henri sends two thousand men under Pierre d’Orleans, son of the Duke of Longueville, along with a company of engineers under Maximilien de Bethune, a talented master of siege warfare and fortifications. Their mission is to harass the Spanish and keep them penned up close to the Pyrenees. In London, talk is of war, but fashionable gossip also swirls around the recent return of Drake “the Mad”, and his small fleet of pirates. His ship Revenge laden with treasure taken by force from Spanish and Portuguese galleons and its prow hung with the rotting heads of his enemies, Drake is the sensation of the town, but he himself is surprised to learn that his country is at war (at least officially). Seeing a chance to gain official recognition for his campaign of vengeance against the Spanish, he petitions the Queen to receive letters of marque. Drake spreads around ample bribes, and by mid-February most of the court is lobbying on his behalf. Elizabeth, eager herself to sting Spain, grants the mad captain his letters, permitting him to take ships of Spain, Portugal, the Italies, and the Empire. Noting that the talk of war does not seem to touch the Queen, and that thus far Elizabeth has not made any moves to bring her kingdom onto a war footing, Nicolas de Harlay, the French ambassador to England, expresses skepticism that England will keep her end of the Treaty of Pamplona. With withering scorn, Elizabeth replies, “When your realm lies in her darkest hour, then, men of France, England shall be there.” Throughout the winter, Montmorency and Eggenberg trade weak blows across eastern Brabant. Their ability to wage war is hampered by snow and rain and mud, all of which conspire to make the Low Countries a hellish place for winter warfare. The mild hills of Brabant make marching exhausting in the chilly, damp weather. The two generals can do little more than slap at each other over the winter months, sending out small clusters of infantry in raids designed to nettle, not defeat, while the commanders wait for spring. In Denmark, the situation is worse. With much of the Baltic locked in ice, war against Sweden becomes impossible. And Sweden must be knocked out, before Frederick can turn his attention south, to strike the Holy Roman Empire from its vulnerable northern border. The King of the Danes can only wait, and bide his time, until spring comes and he can attack northward. Luckily, the Danish system of paid levies means that he doesn’t have to victual his men, because he hasn’t hired any men yet. When spring comes, though, he’ll be ready. All of these maneuvers are merely diversion in the winter. The real war is at sea, as, given carte blanche, Alliance navies and privateers take to the Channel and the Bay of Biscay, looking for the gold ring. Here they confront the fearsome Portuguese. Separated from the Continental action by their larger ally Spain, the Portuguese have used the last several years to beef up their fleet, and dozens of galleons head out into rough seas to do battle with the Navarrese, the English, and the Dutch. Off the mouth of the Dordogne, five Navarrese bayonettes wage savage war against three Portuguese galleons, only to be beaten back by the skill of the Portuguese commander in directing his small fleet’s superior fire. In January, a joint Anglo-Dutch raiding party sacks Avilés on the Spanish coast, burning a large portion of the town and sinking the ships at anchor. A similar raid on Lisbon by four French carracks meets disaster when the city’s harbor is ably defended by Portuguese ships, who sink two of the carracks. In the south of France, d’Orleans and Bethune work feverishly to delay the Spanish, but despite their best efforts, by the end of February, Ferdinand has a firm foothold south of Toulouse. It seems that once more that ancient city shall become the proving grounds for Spanish and French ambitions.
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#957
June 8th, 2012, 01:55 PM
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#959
June 8th, 2012, 02:10 PM
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Last edited by Kuld von Reyn; June 8th, 2012 at 02:23 PM..
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#960
June 8th, 2012, 02:25 PM
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