1488
France
In January the Parliament of Paris formally declared the Dukes of Orleans and Brittany to be rebels against the crown. This represents a gauntlet being thrown down by the regent, Anne de Beaju.
The Duke of Brittany responds to the crisis by attempting to raise more men and money. This fails as the Breton nobility, most of whom own lands in France, are not nearly as keen on independence as their duke.
He also continues to play games with the hand of his daughter Anne. In addition to her betrothal to Edward V, and the Duke’s attempts to get Louis of Orleans’s marriage annulled so that he might be given Anne’s hand, Francis writes a letter to Maximilian offering to betroth Anne to his eldest son Philip, if the Duke will only intervene to save him.
The campaign season begins in Spring. Louis la Trémoille leads a powerful French army of 15,000 men into Brittany. Their cannons make quick work of the Duchy's fortifications. Duke Francis decides he has no choice but to give battle, or else have his duchy shot out from under him.
The two forces meet at Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier. The battle is long and bloody, but the results are decisive. The Breton army is crushed. Duke Francis is slain leading a final doomed cavalry charge. Duke Louis of Orleans and Alain of Albret are taken prisoner. There is now nothing stopping the French army from conquering the whole of Brittany. La Tremoville formally declares the new Duchess Anne attendered, and announces the annexation of Brittany by the crown. News of Pierre de Beaju’s defeat interrupts their celebrations.
La Trémoille races back to Paris, just barely reaching the capital before Maximilian can assault the city. Together with the remnants of Pierre’s army, they outnumber Maximilian’s forces. Still, despite the urging of the regent, Louis is reluctant to give battle. Instead, his army stares down Maximilian’s force outside the city.
Anne receives an English ultimatum with trepidation. Her first instinct is to order Trémoille to engage Maximilain’s army and hope for a decisive outcome before the English intervene. However, the King himself overrules her. Anne blames the influence of Elizabeth of York and pleads for her brother to put her aside. Charles will have none of it. His sister will conclude a peace and maybe manage to salvage something from this disastrous war. In the dead of night, after she cried all the tears she could, an idea came to Duchess Anne. That next morning she embraced her sister-in-law Elizabeth, proclaiming her eternal friendship. She had found a way to make peace work for her.
England
The Parliament of Paris’s declaration of the Dukes of Orleans and Brittany as rebels draws concern in England. It is feared this will pave the way for the outright annexation of Brittany. Though England is ambivalent about the Burgundian-Breton goal of neutering the French crown, they are very much not in favor of the end of an independent Brittany, which would hand too much power to the French King, not to mention end Edward’s own hopes of acquiring the duchy via marriage to Duke Francis’s only daughter Anne.
The shattering defeat of the Duke of Brittany changes England's calculations considerably. Edward admits that his Uncle Richard was right and that England has been too cautious. Still, with several years of peace, enough money has accumulated in the treasury that an army can be funded. An ultimatum is sent to the French. Restore Breton independence or face war with England.
Burgundy
Maximilian is eager to accept Duke Francis's offer to wed Anne of Brittany to Philip, but Mary is more cautious. She remains committed to the English alliance. England, she argues, could provide security to Burgundy, whereas the Bretons are coming to them pleading for aid. In addition, acquiring Brittany would commit the Burgundian state to permanent conflict with France, while the current war was straining their finances.
And that is to say nothing of the fact that Maximilian will eventually have to head east to help his father against the Hungarians. Maximilian, as is often the case, sees the wisdom of his wife's arguments and concedes. The couple has further reasons for joy, Mary is pregnant again.
That spring Maximilian begins his campaign in Northern France. His goal is to sweep down and besiege Paris. With La Tremoville off campaigning in Brittany, Maximilian is confronted by a French army led by Anne de Beaju’s husband Pierre de Bourbon. Though a skilled politician and statesman, Pierre is no max for Maximilian in military affairs. His army is routed and the road to Paris is laid open. At the same time, Maximilian hears about the disaster that befell his Breton allies. Racing to Paris, he is confronted by the army of La Trémoille. As the campaign season comes to an end both armies eye one another outside the city.
Meanwhile in Burgundy Duchess Mary works tirelessly to support her husband’s war efforts, gathering funds from independent-minded estates and managing the recruitment of fresh soldiers. Despite their opposition to the war, many prominent Burghers and nobles sympathize with their Duchess. “Our poor lady is as exhausted as her state”, laments one commentator.
This exhaustion has its costs. While traveling the Duchess collapses from fatigue. Doctors fear for Mary’s life but she is able to recover. However, her unborn baby is not so lucky. The miscarried child was a boy. Grieving, Mary is comforted by her children. Young Philip in particular is very protective of his mother. A tired and grieving Mary writes to her husband and all but begs him to end the war, even if it means not getting everything they want. Both Burgundy and its ruling Lady have been bled white.
Spain.
In an attempt to calm tensions, Marguerite of Valois travels to Castile to meet with Ferdinand and Isabella.
The Catholic monarchs are furious at the King of Navarre’s marriage to Joanna la Beteljrana and say so. Ferdinand all but threatens to declare war and size the Kingdom. Despite her distaste for the woman Marguerite finds herself defending the marriage. Whatever else she may be Juanna is a former Queen of Portugal, and as a sovereign prince her son has the right to conduct marriage policy however he wishes. Her body language says “No matter how unwise that policy may be.” As a fellow mother Isabella has some sympathy for the Queen, though it will not overcome her distaste for her “niece”, nor her sense of political realism.
Magdalena suggests a trust-building measure. Young prince Gaston will be betrothed to Ferdinand and Isabella’s youngest daughter Catherine. In exchange, Francis will formally renounce any claim his wife may have on the Castilian throne.
Isabella and Ferdinand are divided on this question. Though she dislikes her niece and mistrusts the intentions of the Navareese, she does not want her plans for the reconquest of Grenada to be put off by a war with fellow Christians. Ferdinand wants to conquer Navarre, or at least the part below the Pyranise mountains if only to neutralize the threat of Joanna's claim.
Marguerite is sent back to Navarre without a firm answer. However, news of the French victory in Brittany, and the capture of Spain’s proxy Alain of Albret causes the Catholic monarchs to reevaluate their policy.
France is now capable of defending Navarre. The window for an invasion has passed, at least for now. The Catholic monarchs resolve to continue to focus on the war with Greanada and to rely on diplomacy to keep the peace with their Iberian neighbors.
Talks with Portugal confirmed Isabella the Younger’s marriage to Prince Alphonso, and King John’s interest in balance, instead of overthrowing Queen Isabella.
Meanwhile, Prince Juan’s betrothal to Catherine of York ensured an alliance with what was rapidly becoming the pivot state of Europe, this was despite Queen Isabella’s well-known distaste for the House of York.
With this in mind, Princess Catherine was betrothed to young Prince Gaston. All of their bases covered, the Catholic monarchs were able to turn fully to the task of driving the Moors from Iberia.
Magdalena was ecstatic. Joanna was furious. Her precious baby boy was to be bound to the daughter of her great enemy. Worse, her ambitions were to be put on hold, seemingly for good. This only furthers the rupture between husband and wife, with Joanna and Francis no longer even sleeping together. This greatly pleases Magdalena.