EU3 Aragon AAR: Los Reyes de la Tierra, el Mar y el Mundo

EU3 Aragon AAR​

Los Reyes de la Tierra, el Mar y el Mundo​

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Modifications:

The Emperor gets a slight bonus to spies by merit of being Emperor. He also gets a little extra spies for the amount of members in the HRE.
War exhaustion decreases faster.
Badboy is a bit easier to get rid of.
Cores now appear after 30 years, coinciding with the demise of a province's nationalism. It takes 60 years to lose a core.
The Curia Controller has been strengthened like in my last AAR, with 1 prestige gained a year alongside the missionary, stability, and diplomat benefits. The prestige and missionaries gained by controlling Cardinals has increased a tad.
Naval tradition decays much slower(1/6 the rate of Land tradition), due to how it is harder to gain.


Settings:



I am playing In Nomine, v 3.2.



Given that this AAR will likely eventually become a Spanish AAR, I will be using my rudimentary knowledge of Español throughout the story for terms. Most of these will be translated on the spot, while I will also use more common ones. Here's a table of common words I will be using:

Enero - January
Febrero - February
Marzo - March
Abril - April
Mayo - May
Junio - June
Julio - July
Agosto - August
Septiembre - September
Octubre - October
Noviembre - November
Diciembre - December

Año - Year
Rey - King
España - Spain
Reina - Queen
Día - Day
Mes - Month

Countries, where possible, will be referred to by their Spanish name...

And, we may begin!



Capítulo I: La Isla de Cerdeña (Chapter I: The Island of Sardinia)



El Año 1399



El día fue Octubre 14, 1399. (The day was October 14, 1399)

As England celebrated the crowning of a new King, the humble Kingdom of Aragon's own Rey was planning what to do with his own kingdom. Living during the Western Schism, el rey de Aragón naturally had a tough time keeping the status quo strong. But thankfully, Aragón was poised for greatness. It already monopolised a large part of Eastern Iberia and colonised the Baleares. To the east, the country of Sicily - and it's territory of Malta - enjoyed friendly relations with el Rey Aragonés(Aragonese King).

But not all was good. In addition to the schism tearing Christianity apart, Iberia was a powder keg ready to explode. Portugal, Castilla(Castile) and the other Iberian states all had designs on the Muslim state of Grenada, the second in particular. Further north, the French King was beginning to centralise, and a powerful France would inherently be a threat to Aragón. To the east, la isla de Cerdeña defied the orders of el Rey Aragonés by refusing to surrender itself to the crown. And even further east, the Balkans and the rich trade routes of the East were under threat as the Byzantine Empire collapsed thanks to the treachery of the Italians and the onslaught of the Turks. What was el rey to do?

Octubre 15, the Rey's advisors decided it was imperative that the Reino - or Kingdom - vassalise Navarre to the northwest, so as to protect it from the rabid forces of Castilla and Francia.

By Octubre 16, two offers of alliances from Lorraine and England were rebuffed; the Rey did not want anything to do with France, saying that Aragon's interest in continental Europe ended where the Pyrenees began. As well, the Rey did not see any benefit to his plans in Iberia and the Western Mediterranean that could be gained from the two countries.

Octubre 27, Portugal and Aragón announced a formal alliance to the world. Once Castilla joined the pack through a series of mutual bilateral agreements, Iberia would be a fortress.

Noviembre, the Rey issued a declaration of war to the Cerdeñanos, who were guaranteed by the state of Aquileia in Italia.

Noviembre 21, both Portugal and Sicily dishonored their alliance with Aragón. As well, Aquileia chose to back up it's guarantee on Cerdeña. But the Rey cared not, for he would be willing to send his forces to invade other countries as well if he had to.

Diciembre 20, the forces of Cerdeña were wiped out, just as Milanese soldiers prepared to offload onto the island.



El Año 1400



Enero, the Reino's navy was positioned outside Cerdeña, patrolling the waters and blocking shipping where possible. It was hoped the Cerdeñanos would grace the Rey with their own naval forces.

Mayo, the alliance with Portugal was reinstated.

Octubre 30, the Cerdeñano forces were defeated again by the combined Milanese-Aragonese forces.

Noviember 4, the stability of the Reino increased to +1.



El Año 1401



Marzo 15, the siege of Cerdeña ended.

Then, the navy of the enemy was crushed. The island had no hope left for survival.

Desiring to expand his Reino there and then, the Rey annexed Cerdeña in Mayo:



Now that the island nation had been reabsorbed into it's rightful Aragonese owner, the Rey decided it was time to bring the fight to the state of Aquileia. Possessing two gold-rich provinces, the Rey knew capturing and conquering them would bring countless riches to Aragón.

First, the Rey compared the forces of the two Reinos. Aragón had 2,000 cavalrymen and 3,000 Halberd infantry, whereas Aquileia's army was composed of 3,000 cavalrymen and 3,000 Halberd infantry. Accordingly, the Rey ordered more troops to be trained before any major campaign would take place. To facilitate a stealthier approach, the Rey tried to acquire military access through the Italian peninsula, so that troops could move overland and catch the Aquileians off guard.

Mayo 13, the Venetians accepted to let Aragonese forces use their ports and lands.

Mayo 15, the Milanese agreed to the same terms... 3 cavalry regiments and 1 Halberd infantry regiment were commissioned in the home territories. Rey Martí was convinced by some of the elite to personally lead the assault on Aquileia, and so he took to the field as a semi-capable general.

By late Septiembre, 4,000 soldiers had arrived in Italia. They began an eastward march towards Aquileia, as vessels went to transport the other 5,000 soldiers of the Aragonese army.

Out of fear, Aquileia sent an emissary in Octubre. However, they made a fatal slipup and demanded that the Rey pay a large bounty in exchange for peace. The emissary's life was spared due to etiquette, but in vengeance for such a terrible offer, the "representative" of the ruler of Aquileia was dipped in the largest vat of vaca(cow) dung available.

Noviembre, the first half of the Aragonese army reached the Venetian border with Aquileia. Right across, Archbishop Antonio II's soldiers were positioned for combat. Numbering 7,000 strong, Aragón would only strike after it's own forces managed to number 9,000, under the Rey.

Diciembre 17, the full force of the two armies were on opposite sides of the border; Aragón with 9,000 soldiers - 5,000 cavalry - and Aquileia with 8,000 - 3,000 cavalry. Before riding into combat, the Rey issued a number of edicts in case he died in combat. Most notably, he mandated that the government take a less protectionist stance in the economy, and focus on fostering competition to fuel innovation and more wealth instead.



This upset the merchants greatly, and many chose to leave their fields. But the Rey's response in a letter was: "En el futuro, they will call this a 'market correction cycle.'" In other words, he didn't give a lumpy, peanut decorated piece of excrement that they left, as this meant the more innovative and adaptative merchants would take up the reins of commerce.



El Año 1402



Febrero, the stability of the Reino increased to +2 as the battle against the Aquileian Army raged.

The battle ended in Marzo, but it was too indecisive:



Abril 1, a better victory was won at Gorz, but only by a narrow margin. The Rey developed a strategy to keep pursuing the demoralised Aquileians until they were finished. At the same time, more forces would be transported from the homeland to fight in the war.

Junio 27, while Aragón had won many victories against the Aquileians, they were all indecisive and often cost far more than they gained. As a result, the Rey ordered his forces to retreat to Venetian territory until more troops could arrive. A massive force could then storm Aquileia and overwhelm them.

As the year went by, the Rey's troops recovered.



El Año 1403



En Enero, the Rey led a force of 12,000 soldiers into Aquileia. He outnumbered the 9,000 strong Aquileians, and he also wielded far more cavalry.

Febrero, the battle of Friuli resulted in a mild victory for Aragón. The Rey ordered his soldiers to pursue Archbishop Antonio II. There was a great victory at Gorz shortly after, and it was hoped the trend of Pyhrric victories had finally ended.

By late Marzo, another battle had begun in Gorz. The Aquileian Army was now in a sorry state, having less than 1,000 cavalry.

Abril, the stability of Aragón finally increased to +3.

By late Mayo, the Rey finally received the victory he had long awaited:



With the enemy army wiped off the face of the planet, Rey Martí had free reign over all of Aquileia. He ordered his troops to move quickly to cover every square inch of enemy territory.

Mayo 29, the Rey arrived in Gorz, only to find out that 2,000 more troops had been raised by the enemy... he immediately rode off to fight them while they were weak.

By mid-Julio, two enemy armies were destroyed. However, the Archbishop continued to raise mercenaries; only God knew how.

By early Agosto, the last units of the enemy were annihilated. But how long would it last?

In the last meses of the year, the army spent it's efforts covering Aquileia. The army personally led by the Rey naturally did the most damage.



El Año 1404



Enero, as the annual taxes flooded the treasury with more of a war cushion, the sieges in Aquileia continued.

Febrero, the province of Krain fell:



Mayo, the Rey arranged for a member of his family to be married to the ruler of Naples, thus merging Aragón's royal house with the Milanese, Austrians, Neopolitans, and Sicilians in and around Italia.

Junio de 1404, the province of Friuli fell to the victorious Aragonese military.

Septiembre 9, to increase the influence of Aragón in the Curia, the Cardinal de La Mancha was "influenced" to the Rey's side.

Mere days later, as if by divine favor, the province of Gorz fell to the Aragonese military. Only the province of Istria remained outside the hands of the Iberian invaders.



El Año 1405



Early Marzo, the Rey decided it was time to end the long, drawn-out battle. He led an assault against the last fortresses of Istria, and by Marzo 10, the last province of Aquileia had collapsed...



A few days after the fall of Istria, Aquileia accepted the humiliating peace terms imposed by Aragón.

By mid-Abril, ships were bound for the East to retrieve most of the forces deposited in the gold-rich territories acquired during the war. But where would Aragón go next...?

To whom it may concern, as a final note, know that my Venice EU3 AAR is finished. In Nomine overwrote the original files, meaning all the original saves - if I still have them - are worthless. I unfortunately will never be able to complete Italy or any New Roman Empire...

HOWEVER! I do have good news. In this game, Venice seems to be led by a shadow of Marius left over from my EU2 AAR. Showing ambition, the Venetians have already annexed Urbino. As I feel that's a somewhat-realistic conquest(as it would reinforce Venice's power in the Adriatic), I am going to give them a core on it now. Should make for turning Italy into a more neat game... besides, Milan is freaking huge, and Venice needs to be able to counter.

The next update will come soon!

... It seems the mod hates me.

I can't use my transports or engage in naval battles anymore for some reason(they worked fine before). I've been trying to invade Granada, but every time I try to transport forces or send my fleets into the seas around Granada, the game crashes. I may just have to restart this whole freaking story in normal In Nomine and hope it works then.

Annnd, the opening post has been fully edited. Give it a read. I'll be using normal In Nomine now. Expect a second update soon.

Capítulo II: La Reconquista de Iberia ( Chapter II: The Reconquest of Iberia)



The Rey observed that the new territories in the East were incredibly vulnerable. Aragón was highly dependent on the states of mainland Italy - especially Venice - in order to maintain supply lines to the region. It thus became readily apparent that the Reino needed new territories and strategic bases added if it was to safely supply the region, not to mention carry valuable gold back to the homeland.

Venice had the misfortune of having said strategic bases. Ruling over Crete and Corfu - valuable islands in the eastern Mediterranean, the latter blocking access to the Adriatic - it became apparent Venice would make an excellent appendage to the Aragonese Reino. As well, Venice had a grip on Athens and the surrounding regions, which Aragon's Catalan Company had ruled over for several decades before ceding it to Tuscany in the 1380s. The Rey desired to reclaim Aragón's lost possession...

However, a direct assault on Venice would be unwise; it would drag in Hungary, Switzerland, the Papal States and Genoa as allies. But Venice also had an extensive list of guarantees... the key to unravelling it's alliance.

But nearly all said guarantees were protected by all of the major Italian states, from Sicily to the Pope to Milan and finally to Venice. Clearly, picking off the Venetians would have to wait. There were other gems in the world.

Such as the Byzantine Empire. Crumbling under the pressure of the Turks, they only possessed their capital and tiny Morea. A quick war with the Byzantines would give Aragón Morea and vassalise the emperor. In addition, Byzantium's only ally was isolated Wallachia.

But before such a massive war could be undertaken, it was necessary that it be possible to overwhelm and swallow the enemy forces. Accordingly, the navy had to be enlarged. En Mayo, the Rey commissioned 2 carracks and 3 galleys. The carracks would represent the enlargement of the capabilities of the Aragonese fleet.

However, Byzantium was far off and it would be hard to keep forces there supplied. Seeing that opportunities in the east were limited, the Rey decided to change his strategy. The Islamic states of North Africa were divided, and Granada greatly weakened. Aragon's dominance of the Western Mediterranean could be assured through a series of quick, rapid wars against the Muslims. One of the early targets would be Algiers, which was under assault from Morocco and Tunisia, and allied to Tripolitania. The deserts of Libya and Algeria would both be absorbed by Aragón.



El Año 1406



Febrero, the Rey decided it was time to invade Granada. Commanding a massive force at the borders of the tiny Islamic state, he sent an emissary to Castilla to grant them military access - thus preventing Castilla from invading Aragón easily - and another to the ruler of Granada, saying Islam's time in Iberia was up.

Navarre backstabbed the Rey, though Portugal did not. The Rey gradually began to consider forcefully taking Navarre rather than waiting...

Febrero 19, at the cost of only 20 cavalrymen, the entire army of Granada was wiped out. Most of the cavalry retreated, and infantry moved in.

Mayo, thanks to courage gained by the infusion of several thousand Portuguese infantry, the Rey led an assault on the province, eventually capturing the last of it on Mayo 24:



Shortly after, in a courageous if foolish last stand, a Granadan Admiral led a force against the Aragonese fleet; 3 cogs, 1 carrack and 1 galley versus 15 galleys, respectively.

Julio 1406, the Portuguese fleet arrived, having 15 Carracks. Naturally, Granada's forces crumbled afterwards, and the country had no further resources to draw upon.



Granada was soon annexed by Aragón, despite the agreement that Castilla would be able to claim all of Granada. But alas, the Rey was opportunistic, and didn't want to pass up a chance to occupy the strategic territory. Overall, Granada was a great victory, as it had taken only a mere 6 months to defeat the heathens.

With Granada absorbed and the Aragonese royal family in union with several of the great families of Europe, Aragón was on it's way to greatness....

The Spanish distracts actually...

IronMan2055 said:

The Spanish distracts actually...

Click to expand...

Just takes a bit of memory and time to get used to, IronMan!

...And it could be much worse... I could type it all in Spanish! ...Though I'd have to provide an English translation for the whole thing due to the forum rules, however, and I'm too lazy to do both.

While I'm here, actually, IronMan, where do you think a good direction to go next would be? Since I've absorbed a set of Muslims into the empire, rather than complicate things further by invading Orthodox provinces further east, should I go for North Africa now? I'm kind of stuck. I'm friends/allies with the Iberian countries, France's countries are all allied, Italy is either protected by Bohemia or friendly, and most of the Eastern states are guaranteed independence by the Italians.

So all in all, would an attack on the North African states be the wisest here? Not necessarily for land, but maybe just for vassals? Algeria and Tripoli form one alliance, while Morroco and Tunisia form another. With naval superiority and the fact Algeria's already being hammered by the other alliance there, it should be a piece of cake to conquer both realms.

You pretty much just answered yourself there. =P

Very well then! Our soldados(soldiers) will move out immediately! All the Muslim - and later whole - world shall bow before us or face complete annihilation!

I'll be gone from Monday until the 14th btw, just so you know I haven't abandoned you XD

IronMan2055 said:

I'll be gone from Monday until the 14th btw, just so you know I haven't abandoned you XD

Click to expand...

Alrighty then! I'm sure the Rey can find a replacement advisor during that time. ...Even if there's a chance it could be a spy from the Muslim countries, Castilla, France, or Italy. <__< But this is why large-scale secret police are necessary to prevent infiltration. =D

Nice AAR, I want MOAR .

Time for random pwning war with Castille perhaps? =P

Now that I'm back from my own vacation, maybe! I think I need a little extra power though... and Portugal and/or France are musts at the moment if I want to have a chance of winning.

Capítulo III: Africa Norte (Chapter III: North Africa)

Agosto 3, 1406, the Rey managed to convince Sicily to join the Aragonese Alliance. Being hammered by the great Italian powers of Milan and Naples, it only made sense for Sicily to capitulate to the Aragonese.

Septiembre 26, Navarre followed suit, joining Aragón in military union. The Rey made plans to vassalise both his new allies, and greatly expand the Aragonese realm's capabilities.

Noviembre, the war between Naples and Sicily ended, resulting in Sicily being reduced to one province. They would - if they were wise - fall under Aragonese protection.

While all that went on, the Rey decided to invade Algiers. Reduced to a single province, Algiers would be an easy target and military base for the Aragonese Empire, while defeating Tunisia and Tripoli in battle would also have benefits.

Diciembre, with the war breaking out, Sicily and Portugal joined the Aragonese troops in combat, whereas Navarre demonstrated themselves as cowards. The Rey permanently wrote off Navarre as a diplomatic goal, shuffling them onto the military list.

Tripoli and Tunisia backed up Algiers, as expected, but the Rey was sure he would have victory. So sure, in fact, that he once more personally led his force of 7,000 soldiers - mostly cavalry - into Algiers.


El Año 1407


By Febrero, the Algerian Army had been completely exterminated with minimal losses, while Tunisia was content to sit back and not even try to aid it's allies. But the Rey saw troops gathering on the horizon, and he accordingly sent out raiding parties to kill off the Tunisian army.

While standard land battles and sieges raged throughout Algeria, the important battle of the Barbary Coast ended with a great Aragonese victory:



Just before New Year, a cardinal in the former territories of Aquileia was convinced to support the Aragonese Rey in the Curia. And immediately after, Cardinal Buckingham - a puppet of the English - also agreed to forward Aragonese interests. One more cardinal was all it would take to put Aragón ahead of England in the Curia.


El Año 1408


Marzo, the city of Algiers was captured by the victorious Aragonese-Sicilian forces. The Rey sent an emissary to the former Bey of Algiers, stating that his realm was now under Aragonese rule.



Now that Algiers - one of the better provinces in North Africa, which was generally quite poor - was under the Iberian Alliance's control, the time had come to reclaim Algier's former possessions in Tunisia.

By Julio, the province of Tlemcen had fallen. This meant that the Rey could focus his full attention on a giant push eastwards, through Tunisia and into Tripolitania.

Agosto, the remains of the Tunisian Army were wiped out. The Rey knew he had to take over as much land as possible before the New Year taxes, which would enable the Bey of Tunisia to recruit new soldiers.

Octubre, the city of Tunis itself fell to the Sicilian forces. Wishing to prevent Sicilian annexation, the Rey decided it was best that Sicily manage to acquire some North African provinces, and pulled his forces back. And ill-defended Gafsa fell shortly after, lacking a fortress to protect itself.


El Año 1409


Enero de 1409, the province of Biskra was captured by the Aragonese Empire. This left Tunisia with a mere 3 provinces under their effective control, all of whom were besieged.

Febrero saw the wedding of a member of Rey Martí's family to that of the King of Bohemia, the Holy Roman Emperor! The fact that the Imperial Family would marry into Aragón's own was an indication of just how great the Aragonese Empire was becoming.

Agosto de 1409, the province of Gabes collapsed into the Rey's hands. This meant all of Tunisia was under Aragón's control. Tripolitania itself only had one province remaining free, which was being besieged by Portugal.

And so, on Agosto 15...



Tripolitania agreed to become an Aragonese vassal, while it also agreed to cede 2 of it's 3 provinces to Portugal.

Two Muslim enemies were down, and only one remained standing. And that enemy, Tunisia, was completely occupied. The Rey sent an emissary to the Bey of Tunisia, to show just how bad things were...

And shortly later, the Bey accepted:



Aragón gained 4 provinces from the War, while it's allied gained 3. On top of all that, the Rey now had a vassal in Tripoli, and the presence of Aragón and it's allies was now firmly established in North Africa. Given time, the Reino de Aragón would invade Morocco to permanently secure it's position in Africa, but that's another story.

Agosto 25, probably fearing the growing power of Aragón, Castilla sent an insult to the Rey about his mother:



The Castellanos probably expected the Rey to attack them, but the Reino first needed to recover from it's previous wars. Furthermore, Castilla had a royal marriage with Aragón, and also had Portugal as an ally, so Aragón could not afford to be the aggressor in any intra-Iberian War.

Septiembre, the Castellanos once more insulted the Rey, this time insulting his sons, daughters, and the whole royal lineage.

The rest of the year passed with growing Aragonese-Castellano tensions, as the increasing number of troops along the border showed...

Capítulo IV: La Primera Guerra Ibérica (Chapter IV: The First Iberian War)

El Año 1410


Febrero, the Rey of Burgundy went to Aragón for an alliance. But not wishing to get involved with any of the wars in the "Channel Triangle" - England, Burgundy and Francia - Rey Martí declined.

Julio, the Duke of Bavaria was elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.


El Año 1411


Enero, Aragón's buildup continued, with three thousand infantry joining the ranks of the army.

Even later in Enero, the Milanese extended an offer of alliance to Aragón. The Rey naturally took the Milanese Duke up on his offer, wishing to expand in Italy.

Abril, Hungary also offerred an alliance to the Rey. The Rey accepted, so as to secure his possessions in the Adriatic. ...It was soon discovered that Milan's alliance with Aragón had somehow ended, however.


Agosto...

CASTILLA INVADED NAVARRE!

Honoring his guarantee to preserve Navarre's independence, the Rey ordered an invasion of Castilla. To make things better, Castilla and Portugal's alliance had already shattered when the Portuguese refused to back the Castellano invasion.

Castilla, however, had far more troops than Aragón and Navarre together. On the flipside, Aragón had far more cavalry, and this was to be the basis of any Aragonese victory.

By Septiembre, Castilla had occupied Navarre, while the Aragonese Army had managed to repel Castellanos. Rey Martí personally led the force against the Castellano Rey Felipe I, knowing that the battle of Aragón would play a large part in who was victorious in the war.

Octubre, Portugal managed to gain the upper hand in the Curia, and called for a crusade against TRIPOLI, our vassal. Fools.

Shortly later, Navarre was annexed completely by Castilla. It was a sad loss, but the Rey had other things to worry about. The Rey of Castilla was defeated shortly later.

Noviembre, Rey Martí defeated the Castellano ruler on the field of battle again, and he also wiped out an entire force of 3,000 Castellanos. The Rey continued to pursue the enemy with his large, all-cavalry force.

Christmas Eve, like an early present, the army of Rey Felipe I of Castilla was COMPLETELY annihilated:



Though Rey Felipe escaped, the destruction of his army left Castilla almost completely defenseless, as what few troops that Castilla still had were in bands of 1,000 or 2,000 soldiers, nearly all infantry. The fantastic victory enjoyed by Aragón was attributed to how Castilla's army had been largely infantry, whereas Aragón's own had been largely cavalry. As well, the defeated Navarrans had struck back from beyond the grave: the siege of their home province had sapped the morale of the main army of Rey Felipe, thus they more or less actually helped bring the Castellanos down.


El Año 1412


Enero arrived with the knowledge that the Castellanos would soon rebuild their forces with New Years taxation.

But to counter that, Enero also had a very useful military advisor appointed to Rey Martí's cabinet, making us much stronger:



Marzo de 1413 was a great month: the capital of Castilla, Toledo, was captured!

Abril, the province of Badajoz was captured, while the Castellanos also had two rebel uprisings in the north, forcing the Rey to order a retreat from Salamanca.

Mayo, Navarre was liberated. The Rey, however, did not desire to grant it independence, the price of the state being so stubborn to accept vassalisation.

Junio, the nationalists in Algiers were finally repelled. The Rey was not going to let a territory so recently acquired break away!

Septiembre, both Madrid and Castilla La Vieja fell to Aragón's armies.

Noviembre, the province of Caceres fell to Aragón, and to celebrate, the King of Burgundy sent an emissary, asking for a royal marriage with the Aragonese. The Rey accepted, bringing another country into the Aragonese sphere of influence.

Deciembre, Salamanca fell to the Castellano Rebels.


El Año 1413


Enero 27, Vizcaya fell to the Aragonese Army, and the troops there were given the task of invading Cantabria.

Late Febrero, La Manca was captured.

Marzo de 1414, Aragón finally acquired Government Technology 4, enabling a national idea and the construction of Temples.

Accordingly, the Rey first ordered a move towards Free Trade, prompting an excellent trader to become available as an advisor.

The Rey then declared that only Catholicism would be accepted as the true religion, thus alienating all Orthodoxists:



Mayo de 1414, the Rebel Army in Castilla was wiped out, thus enabling Aragón to focus it's full attention on capturing territories.

Junio, the last bit of Castilla's army was destroyed.

Julio 18, the province of Andalucia - with it's rich trade center - was occupied by Aragón. As the Castellanos had had the nerve to embargo Aragonese trade, the Rey decided Andalucia would be one of his key objectives.

Only a few days later in Julio, León fell to the Aragonese army personally led by Rey Martí.

Diciembre, Almeria and Murcia both fell to Aragón, sealing off the southeast of Castilla.

Diciembre was also the same mes(month) that the Rey engaged Tariq Ibn Hammud - a Granadan nationalist - in the province of Cordoba. Rather than disband on defeat, Tariq fled to Andalucia with the Rey in hot pursuit.


El Año 1414


Enero, Tariq's army was defeated, and Tariq himself was executed.

In the same mes, Asturias and Salamanca fell to the Aragonese military. Only a handful of Castilla's provinces remained free.

Febrero, Galicia in northwest Castilla was occupied.

Abril, Burgos fell, leaving Cantabria as the last free province in northern Castilla.

Julio, Cadiz fell to Aragón. Cordoba was re-captured by Rey Martí shortly after. On top of all that, a great battle between Castilla and Aragón in Gibraltar resulted in yet another Castellano force being exterminated.

Julio 25 de 1415, the First Intra-Iberian War ended:



The First Intra-Iberian War sealed Aragón's place as a major power. Three provinces, moderately wealthy and containing the trade center of Andalucia and the renowned University de Salamanca, were acquired by Aragón. The Castellano army was completely destroyed, while Aragón had managed to hold on to most of it's army. Castilla's treasury was greatly bitten into by the loss of such important provinces, and it's security greatly compromised thanks to being split into three sections.

Capítulo V: El Gran Rey de Granada y Africa Norte (Chapter V: The Great King of Granada and North Africa)


Octubre, the Rey's mailbox was mass-spammed by letters from monarchs all across Europe, desiring trade agreements with Aragón now that it ruled the wealthy trade center of Andalucia.

At the same time, troops were being deployed en masse to North Africa, where the ruler of Morocoo had had the nerve to WARN Aragón. Having dealt a deathblow to Castilla, it was decided to do the same to the greatest Islamic power in the region.

By Diciembre, a large part of the Aragonese military had arrived in North Africa, while a band of Granadan nationalists were defeated in Granada. The nationalists fled to Gibraltar, and it was hoped that the Granadans would manage to shatter Castilla further in time for the next war.


El Año 1415


Enero, a full force of 21,000 soldiers had been fully deployed to North Africa. Orders were given to march westwards and crush Morocco.

War was declared, and Tunisia and Hungary/Portugal rushed to their respective ally's side.

Junio, the province of Oran fell to Aragón's victorious armies.

Octubre, the city of Tunis fell to Aragón. The freed up force of 7,000 soldiers was sent southwards to drive Tunisia from Aragonese territory.

The last days of Noviembre saw the victory at the battle of Tlemcen, while the Moroccan King's personal army was wiped out by Rey Martí's own force.

Diciembre, due to the massive numbers of rebels in Southern Castilla, the Rey ordered all troops in Granada to retreat, if only temporarily.


El Año 1416


Febrero, the Bey of Tunisia was approached and offered peace, which they gladly accepted:



With Tunisia vassalised, the Eastern front was closed, and the Aragonese steamroller could focus it's full attention on defeating Morocco. As well, freed up forces could be released in the homeland to drive back the rabid Granadan Rebels.


El Año 1417


Julio, Andalucia fell to the Granadan Nationalists, and it was thus considered an integral part of Granada.

Agosto, Granada proper was purged of the nationalists, who retreated for Gibraltar. A large force was then ordered to take control of Andalucia.

Noviembre, the province of Andalucia was returned to Aragonese control thanks to a charitable act by the Portuguese. The Granadan Rebels no longer occupied Aragonese territory, though they did harass it. Castilla had fared much worse; it's own capital was in rebel hands.


El Año 1418


Marzo de 1418, the Granadans - complete with the provinces of Murcia, Almeria, Gibraltar and Cordoba - seceded from Castilla after it's government completely collapsed.

Abril, two of Morocco's provinces were occupied by the Aragonese Alliance, one by Aragón itself and another by Portugal.

Diciembre, a boundary dispute naturally erupted between Aragón and Castilla:




El Año 1419


Enero de 1419, the province of Ceuta fell to Aragón. This meant all but 2 minor provinces of Morocoo were occupied by foreigners. The ruler of Morocco was called to the table...



And naturally, he capitulated. 4 provinces were taken, 3 by Aragón and 1 by Portugal. The end result was Catholic hegemony over the entire northern Maghreb.

Over the course of 4 years, a second war in North Africa had cost the Moroccans dearly. Their Mediterranean coastline was completely absorbed by the Iberian invaders, and their army was completely destroyed. In addition, several provinces were under the control of rebel warlords, meaning Morocco was ready to devolve into anarchy at any moment.

While Morocco dealt with internal issues, the Rey was already planning his next move. He saw the patchwork of territories that made up the former Southern Castilla, and believed it was his divine mission to restore uniformity and order across the region. Unsheathing his sword shortly after the Moroccans had made him put it back in it's scabbard, he ordered all troops to return to Iberia, for a full-scale invasion of Granada.

Febrero, thanks to the efforts of Aragón and it's allies(but mainly the former), the Barbary Pirates were officially defeated:



Febrero also had the Morrocan Civil War escalate, with the northern half of the country breaking away as the country of Fez. This permanently secured Aragón's position in the region, as the Moroccans and Fezians would now fight amongst themselves rather than be a unified threat.

Febrero, a cardinal from Ansbach was convinced to support the Aragonese interests in the Holy See, thus giving Aragón a power boost:



Marzo, probably in reaction to the growing religious and commercial power of Aragón, France embargoed all the Reino's merchants.

Late Marzo, war was declared upon Granada.

Abril, the Granadan forces in Cordoba were wiped out, as the Granadan King was forced to route in Almeria.

By Abril's end, all of Granada's troops were gone, be it to desertion or battle.

By Diciembre, both Gibraltar and Cordoba were in Aragonese hands.


El Año 1420


Septiembre, the last city of Granada fell to Aragón. Just like it's first incarnation, Granada fell quickly, although it took 16 months rather than 6 to conquer Granada in the second invasion.

Granada of course agreed to part with quite a bit of land and money:



The rest of the year passed by uneventfully, although all Iberia cast a weary eye on Aragón, which increasingly was approaching hegemonic status within the peninsula.

Capítulo VI: La Segunda Guerra Ibérica (Chapter IV: The Second Iberian War)



El Año 1421



With Granada crushed and the truce from the first Intra-Iberian War expired, the Rey made plans for a second war of aggression against the Castellanos. Of course, he had to do this carefully, considering the fact Portugal was also allied with Castilla and might turn on Aragón. Given that Castilla didn't seem to have any armies and already had three territories under rebel control, however, it was obvious that the Portuguese would de facto stand alone if they chose to back up Castilla.

And when war came in Marzo de 1421, Portugal sure enough forsook it's ally, as did Hungary. Though alone, Rey Martí was confident he could smash both Portugal and Castilla. Even moreso as his army was fully deposited in Iberia, where the main fighting would take place. Once those areas were taken, the Portuguese and Castellano fleets would be powerless without ports.

By late Marzo, the Portuguese Army in Tangiers had been exterminated and the city of Tangiers besieged. Soldiers under the Rey himself invaded Portugal, hoping to knock the tiny coastal state out of the war and thus allow an easy takeover of Castilla.

Mayo saw all of Portugal proper covered by Aragonese patrols, and all it's major cities besieged.

Junio, the Castellano capital of Toledo was occupied by Aragón.

Julio, the French finally ended the embargo against Aragón.

Late Julio, the rebels of central Castilla were exterminated, thus allowing Aragón to do it's work. In the north of Castilla, rebels were occupying provinces left and right.

Octubre, the Portuguese province of Beira was occupied.

Rey Martí was not to see his great victory...



He died in late Octubre, and thus his son Ferran became King as Ferran I de Aragón. Even more lackluster than his father at a first glance, it was hoped that he would evolve into a great conqueror like Martí.

Noviembre 4, Ferran I celebrated his first victory, the conquest of the Portuguese province of Alantejo. Shortly later in the same month, the Portuguese province of Braganca was occupied.

And shortly after that, La Mancha in Central Castilla followed suit.



El Año 1422



New Year's Day, Badajoz was seized. Lisboa in Portugal and Caceres in Castilla followed shortly after. Some began to see the old Rey's death as a blessing, given the rapid string of conquests by his son.

Febrero, Madrid was captured, placing all of the capital region of Castilla under Aragonese control. This left the Cadiz and Northern regions of Castilla free, although Cadiz was under siege and the northern regions had the Navarre provinces occupied by rebels.

By Marzo, Porto and Tangiers were occupied by the Aragonese forces as well, leaving the Portuguese with only one free province if their Libyan territories were not included.

Cadiz in southern Castilla collapsed in the same mes.

Mayo, the last city in the Portuguese homeland was captured, placing the entire region firmly under Aragonese control.

Naturally, the Portuguese King surrendered to Aragón's generous peace terms:



Split into three regions, the Portuguese homeland was permanently weakened, and it was considered likely the overseas empire would dry up in the future. Among the jewels carried off by the Aragonese forces was the University of Beira.

Junio, desiring to prevent the collapse of the Castellano Monarchy for the time being(so as to preserve the stability and sanity of the entire peninsula), the Rey took the battlefield as a general, attack the Navarran independence movement.

In the months that followed, Aragón actually faced several DEFEATS. The ability of the Rey was questioned, although he did manage to escape his scrapes with death. Joining his cavalry force with a large infantry force, the Rey decided to renew his assault on the independence movement.



El Año 1423



Fate chose to not be kind to the Rey. While he gained a victory, Navarre broke away a month later. Since the threat to Aragón's steady takeover of Castilla had been eliminated, the Rey ordered his forces southwards to beat the Navarrans to any gains.

By Julio de 1423, the last of Castilla's provinces were occupied by Aragón's military, while the Navarrans had managed to seize one province.

Accordingly, the Rey de Castilla capitulated to Rey Ferran I:



Thanks to the war, Aragón had managed to break it's former ally and more or less permanently break Castilla. It carried off seven new provinces, and as a result, Iberia looked a lot like Germany due to the large patchwork of disconnected territories. Or even more accurately, Francia, with a solid core controlled by one country with a bunch of minor states within and outside it. Aragón's place as a power in the peninsula was forever secured.

Septiembre, Sunni rebels - sponsored by Morocco - rose up in the North African provinces, prompting a temporary retreat by Aragonese soldiers there. The Rey soon arrived in the flesh to command a force to beat back the rebels, and plans were made to attack Morocco again.

Capítulo VII: Rey Ferran I y Los Musulmanes(Chapter VII: King Ferran I and the Muslims)


El Año 1424


1424 was a very quiet year, with only one event of note.

Missionaries were dispatched to Granada, as the large Sunni population of Aragón was considered a threat to national security and stability.


El Año 1425


Agosto, the decision was made to attack the Muslims in North Africa once more. War was declared upon Fez, the breakaway state from Morocco. The Rey personally led the invasion force to take on the main Fezian army.

Hungary deserted the Aragonese alliance like before, and then attempted to renew it. Fed up with their treachery, the Rey refused to even consider the pact.

By Diciembre de 1425, the Rey finally exterminated the main Fezian force. Shortly later, as if to celebrate the victory, the stability of the realm was judged to have increased.



El Año 1426



By Julio de 1426, Rey Ferran I's campaign of aggression was going quite successfully. The provinces of Toubkhal and Fez had both been occupied by Aragón, and the Fezian Army was more or less gone. Once Fez was dealt with, Morocco would fulfill the role of dessert.



Julio, thanks to the programs of Advisor Franco, the people of the province of Aragón considered themselves fully Catalan rather than Castilian. A real pity the cultural shift did not happen further south or to the east, where it would be needed more.

By Diciembre, only the province of Atlas was not occupied by Aragón.

And on Diciembre 21, the beginning of winter, even that was no longer true. Fez had been defeated.



Just a few days before New Years, Fez officially surrendered to Rey Ferran I, with the ruler of Fez agreeing to become his servant.



El Año 1427



Enero, while the Rey invaded Morocco, the Roman Empire finally died out with the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks.

Marzo de 1427, the invasion of Morocco was made official, and troops begin to pour across the border to attack the four-province state.

Mid-Marzo celebrated victory at the Battle of Sus, which left Morocco defenseless:



By Agosto, both Marrakech and Ifni were occupied by the powerful Aragonese military.

New Year's Eve, the last city of Morocco was occupied.



El Año 1428



Emissaries were sent to the ruler of Morocco in Enero de 1428, and he surrendered:


The province of Sus, rich in gold, was annexed by Aragón as part of the treaty. The territory of Safi was also annexed, as it provided a seaport and also connected Sus to the other North African territories. The rest of Morocco remained under the Moroccan King, who became a vassal of Rey Ferran I.


But the Rey was not done yet. With the African Muslims beat back, tiny Granada was eyed next. As the Ottoman Alliance with Granada was no longer existent, the Rey struck like a venomous snake to reclaim the Granadan capital in Murcia, which was a Catholic province.

And by mid-Marzo, the entire Granadan Army was destroyed, and a force of 13,000 infantry - led by the Rey himself - ordered to assault the capital city.

While Granada's capital fell in Septiembre, the Rey decided to put off annexation to get a few shots in at the Granadan Navy, so as to train his admirals better.



El Año 1429



Granada was finally annexed - for the second time - by the Aragonese in early 1429:



The defeat of Granada yielded Catholic-dominated Murcia to the realm, and also allowed Aragón to completely surround the Castellano capital of Toledo. It was also a triumphant victory by Ferran I, who finished what his father had started a decade earlier(or even earlier than that, if the first incarnation of Granada is included).

Rey Ferran I's reign was off to a good start, and he seemed to be following in his father's footsteps nicely...