EU IV Portugal AAR Part 17 - 1570-1575

1570-1575 King Felipe I, Part 3 – Dismantling the Big Blue Blob

So, this is interesting.... France has declared war on my on-off ally, Austria. They are fighting over succession rights in Aragon, and the wargoal is to take Valencia. This is an excellent chance for us to dismantle the Big Blue Blob, so I happily join in.

The first big battle of the war takes place in Koblenz in 1571, between 50,000 Frenchies and 52,000 allies, led by a Brandenburg General.... note the 22,000 Austrians marching toward the sound of the guns from the East...

Midway through the battle, Austria pulls off a Blucher and gets their 22,000 reinforcements involved and the French are defeated

Having reinforced our Iberian army, then transported 20,000 troops to Southern France, we engage the French on the Massif Central, leading a combined Portugal/Aragon/Cologne army

Other, smaller allied forces are busily laying siege to French holdings, while we win the battle. Interestingly, the French General is their King Francois I von Habsburg.... looks like the Habsburgs have taken the French throne as well as ours!

We continue to pursue the French around the country, allowing the other allied forces to carry on with their sieges, winning another battle in Artois

However, by November 1572, our force is ambushed by a reinforced French force near Bordeaux. It would have been nice if the 6,000 Aragonese to the north and 13,000 Cologne army to the north east would have piled in to help, but I guess they were too busy with their sieges...

And I am given rather a large kicking!

In January 1573, our battle fleet is also suitably chastised by the French, and we lose 6 Carracks. However annoying these defeats are to me personally, the war is going well, with a current warscore of over 50%. At this point I retire my land forces back to the Iberian peninsula, to recover and guard against French incursion into Aragon

Meanwhile, we are still expanding in South America, and have nearly completed our boxing in of the Castilians

And we also start a colony in one of the Pacific Islands, specifically Nauru, a few hundred miles East of Indonesia

By November 1573, with the warscore at over 60%, the French ally Bohemia is forced to the peace table

Meanwhile, with the aid of blockading colonial fleets, we have occupied a French holding in Trindad, and the warscore goes to 85%. It won’t be long before France capitulates

And by November 1574, they realise that resistance is futile and give in, releasing two new nations to the world. Even better, Iberia now has two buffer states between it and France!

By way of celebration, in 1575 we convert our recently acquired African provinces, and achieve religious unity!

And also take military tech 14, gaining better cavalrymen

This brings us entirely up to date with the game. I can't give any hints as to what is going to happen next, as I won't find out until I fire up the savegame this evening!