Nobunaga’s Ambition Realized: Dawn of a New Rising Sun
- Thread starter Ambassador Huntsman
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So what are the actual borders or realms that these military positions command? I understand that the Chinjufu shogun would control Hokkaido and northern Honshu, but what about the others? Do they roughly align with modern regions of Japan?
Chinjufu shogun: Mutsu, Dewa, Ezo
Eastern shogun: Kanto region, Chubu region except for Owari and Mino provinces
Western shogun: Chugoku region, Kyushu, Shikoku, Tsushima (Kyushu and Shikoku Tandais are deputy positions and exist because they’re island regions).
The Sei-i-taishogun/Daijo Daijin directly oversees the Kinki region plus Mino and Owari.
Chapter 70: Dutch Sovereignty At Last
Chapter 70: Dutch Sovereignty At Last
The Spanish Empire in the mid and late 1630s was in deep trouble. It had lost a portion of the Philippines to the Japanese along with access to Ming goods and 10% of the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade revenue. In Europe, it was in a stalemate with the French and Dutch over control of the Low Countries. Then, in 1635, the Duke of Braganza declared himself the new king of Portugal as John IV amidst Portuguese discontent over Madrid’s failure to protect their overseas possessions and interference in domestic affairs. This forced Spain to dedicate men towards retaking Portugal, draining resources from efforts against France and the Netherlands, only for the campaign to spiral into a stalemate of skirmishes on the border. Even worse, the mutiny and defection of the Portuguese regiments in the Army of Flanders disrupted Spanish defenses, enabling France to take over the province of Artois after their victory after the Battle of Arras in 1637. The turn of events would even encourage the Dutch to resume funding for offensive campaigns against the Spanish, with the forts of Venlo and Roermond taken by the Dutch once again.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t over for the Habsburg hegemon. The Army of Flanders had recovered from the chaos of the Portuguese mutiny and it still possessed their talented general, the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand. Despite the loss of Artois, the Spanish would remind their enemies of the lethal effectiveness and professionalism of their tercios when a large Dutch army led by Count William of Nassau-Siegen marched deep into Spanish territory and clashed with Ferdinand near the village of Neerwinden on April 22nd, 1638. Ferdinand led an army of 13,000 towards the advancing Dutch, accompanied by the Marquis of Lede, the governor of Limburg, and artillery commander Andrea Cantelmo. Although the Dutch army was a larger 20,000, half of it lagged behind due to bad weather and only 10,000 were nearby under the direct command of Count William. After learning this, the Spanish took advantage of this and Lede led a swift charge of German and Italian tercios on the army’s right wing against the Dutch, quickly joined by the center. Count William’s men were taken by surprise and were pushed back, although the commander quickly rallied his men and steadied the frontline. After a few hours, both sides were suffering high casualties. It looked like the Spanish would lose again as soon as the Dutch reinforcements, led by Count Henry of Nassau-Siegen, arrived and tipped the balance. In this critical moment, some of Cantelmo’s tercios as well as his cuirassiers broke through the Dutch and overran the States’ army’s artillery position. While his tercios began to encircle the Dutch, Cantelmo rotated the captured artillery in the direction of the reinforcements, who had begun to emerge from the horizon, and unleashed a barrage of cannonfire. This spooked the unsuspecting reinforcements and Count Henry of Nassau-Siegen, unaware his brother desperately needed him, halted while sending a cavalry contingent to aid and examine the situation. Henry’s inaction sealed Count William’s fate as his surrounded army fell man by man. The general himself would be killed, the surviving men surrendering shortly afterwards with only his son Maurice Frederick [1] and his companions escaping. Henry would learn of the Dutch defeat in detail from Maurice Frederick and would retreat out of the area. While the Dutch had lost nearly half of their army, the Army of Flanders had suffered 1,500 casualties. This victory would dent the Franco-Dutch momentum and bought the Spanish more time and options in the Low Countries.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t over for the Habsburg hegemon. The Army of Flanders had recovered from the chaos of the Portuguese mutiny and it still possessed their talented general, the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand. Despite the loss of Artois, the Spanish would remind their enemies of the lethal effectiveness and professionalism of their tercios when a large Dutch army led by Count William of Nassau-Siegen marched deep into Spanish territory and clashed with Ferdinand near the village of Neerwinden on April 22nd, 1638. Ferdinand led an army of 13,000 towards the advancing Dutch, accompanied by the Marquis of Lede, the governor of Limburg, and artillery commander Andrea Cantelmo. Although the Dutch army was a larger 20,000, half of it lagged behind due to bad weather and only 10,000 were nearby under the direct command of Count William. After learning this, the Spanish took advantage of this and Lede led a swift charge of German and Italian tercios on the army’s right wing against the Dutch, quickly joined by the center. Count William’s men were taken by surprise and were pushed back, although the commander quickly rallied his men and steadied the frontline. After a few hours, both sides were suffering high casualties. It looked like the Spanish would lose again as soon as the Dutch reinforcements, led by Count Henry of Nassau-Siegen, arrived and tipped the balance. In this critical moment, some of Cantelmo’s tercios as well as his cuirassiers broke through the Dutch and overran the States’ army’s artillery position. While his tercios began to encircle the Dutch, Cantelmo rotated the captured artillery in the direction of the reinforcements, who had begun to emerge from the horizon, and unleashed a barrage of cannonfire. This spooked the unsuspecting reinforcements and Count Henry of Nassau-Siegen, unaware his brother desperately needed him, halted while sending a cavalry contingent to aid and examine the situation. Henry’s inaction sealed Count William’s fate as his surrounded army fell man by man. The general himself would be killed, the surviving men surrendering shortly afterwards with only his son Maurice Frederick [1] and his companions escaping. Henry would learn of the Dutch defeat in detail from Maurice Frederick and would retreat out of the area. While the Dutch had lost nearly half of their army, the Army of Flanders had suffered 1,500 casualties. This victory would dent the Franco-Dutch momentum and bought the Spanish more time and options in the Low Countries.
Depiction of the Battle of Neerwinden
In fact, the next few years saw the frontlines stabilize as the Dutch and French were boxed out of further offensives, although Ferdinand failed to rollback territorial losses in Artois and Limburg and the Spanish navy’s attempts at retaking control of the English Channel on the Flemish coast, notably at the Battle of the Downs in 1639. Nor did the situation alter significantly against Portugal on the Iberia Peninsula. Nevertheless, a few developments promised future success. First, the French-allied Savoyard duchy became embroiled in a civil war over the regency of Charles Emmanuel II between the duke’s mother, Christine de Bourbon, and the Savoyard princes Maurice and Thomas Francis. Spain was also able to knock the Duchy of Parma and its sovereign, Odoardo Farnese, out of the war after the latter's army was defeated by the forces of Francesco I d'Este in 1637. Then, in 1639, King Philip IV signed the Treaty of Naples with King Wladyslaw IV of Poland-Lithuania, who had recently signed a Family Pact with the Austrian Habsburgs through his marriage with Cecilia Renata of Austria, where a Polish army of 13,000 [2] including a few thousand winged hussars would be paid by Spain and sent to aid the Army of Flanders. These developments, however, concealed Spanish financial difficulties, affected both by the costs of its wars and the income loss in the Philippines, as well as internal dissent exacerbated by the failures of the crown and the forced implementation of the Union of Arms in 1631 upon the constituent realms. These undercurrents would rear their heads with the official beginning of the Catalan Revolt in 1640, caused by heavy taxation, conscription of Catalan men against the Portuguese, and the presence of Spanish royal troops in the region to guard against the French. Already, Catalonia was ridden with scattered local rebellions by peasants forced to quarter Spanish soldiers, but it wouldn’t be until the assassination of the Count of St. Coloma, the viceroy of Catalonia, in the streets of Barcelona by an angry mob when it truly began. Pau Claris, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, would subsequently engage in diplomacy with the French and call a general court in September to establish revolutionary measures in preparation against Madrid. Secession was official by the end of the year, and in January 1641 Louis XIII of France was declared the count of Barcelona, opening up another front in the war and straining the resources of the Spanish Crown even more.
Portrait of Pau Claris, President of the Generalitat of Catalonia
Even worse, however, was the death of the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand in 1641 from war fatigue and illness. The talented general and brother of the king was the main factor that ensured the success and survival of the Army of Flanders, whose men adored their leader. With his passing ended unity in the Spanish Netherlands, for the Austrian and Spanish Habsburgs began to dispute Ferdinand’s successor in the former’s capacity as the governor of the Spanish Netherlands between the Emperor’s brother Archduke Leopold Wilhelm and John Joseph, the illegitimate son of King Philip IV. Amidst the chaos, the main Dutch army, which had begun besieging Breda again, was able to break through and capture the city, this time for good. Leopold Wilhelm eventually emerged as the new governor of the Spanish Netherlands on the agreement that Austria would contribute men to the struggling effort against the French and Dutch [3]. Andrea Cantelmo took over command of the Army of Flanders in the Archduke’s absence and would attain a victory at the Battle of La Marfee inside the Principality of Sedan against the French with the defection of the anti-Richelieu princes, the Comte de Soissons and Duc de Bouillon in March 6th, 1642 [4]. However, the Spanish were unable to follow up on this victory and soon, the approach of the Army of Champagne from French-occupied Artois forced a retreat. This, along with the absence of a unifying figure as significant and talented as the Cardinal-Infante would give credence to the idea that ultimate Habsburg victory was impossible and that an acceptable end to the war could be salvaged but only through sacrifices.
Upon his arrival in Brussels in 1642, Archduke Leopold Wilhelm concluded that recognizing the independence of the Netherlands, already a functional regional power and maritime empire, would be the sacrifice. This conclusion came to be accepted in Madrid after rumors of the Dutch attempting to negotiate the resumption of war in the East between Spain and Japan circulated the royal court. Whispers of rebellion in southern Brabant and Flanders proved to be the final nail in the coffin, and in that year the Spanish would begin negotiations with the Dutch, who themselves were eager for peace talks as the war had proved expensive for the republic. This would conclude with the Peace of Antwerp in 1644, where the Spanish formally recognized the independence of the Netherlands and ceded Upper Guelders, Brabant north of the Scheldt, Rupel, and Dyle Rivers, and northern Flanders north of Ghent. In accordance with the wishes of Emperor Ferdinand III, however, the Netherlands would remain a part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Low Countries after the Peace of Antwerp, 1644
The Peace of Antwerp ended the Dutch War of Independence [5], leaving France, Portugal, and Catalonia against the Spanish Crown with indirect Austrian intervention. Events seemed to suggest that a state of stalemate would solidify and a Habsburg reversal looking even possible, especially with the passing of Cardinal Richelieu in 1642 and King Louis XIII in 1643. However, a new conflict on the other side of Europe was on the horizon and when it arrived, it would shake up the balance of power in western Europe once again.
[1]: ITTL, Maurice Frederick does not die in battle like he did in 1638 at the Battle of Kallo IOTL.
[2]: The OTL treaty called for 17,000 men, with a renegotiated treaty reducing that number to 13,000. ITTL, Spain is in more dire financial straits so can’t afford as much.
[3]: IOTL, John Joseph was favored but his inauguration was delayed and eventually canceled, with Francisco de Melo becoming the interim governor.
[4]: Took place on July 6th, 1641 IOTL.
[5]: The Eighty Years’ War is just called the Dutch War of Independence ITTL.
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The Russo-Polish War of 1654 I take it?
Christ, Europe seemed to go to war at the drop of a hat in the 1600s...
Good chapter and it's nice seeing the Dutch getting their independence, hopefully France will get their own major victory too as well as Portugal being able to become independent again, time to end Habsburg supremacy on western Europe
Hello,
This is an offbeat suggestion. Within Japan and its territories, are there substantial numbers of ronin still wandering about? And, could there be a few with a sense of adventure and a curiosity about what things are like in Europe?
The Imperial Liberties’ War (Thirty Years’ War) ended a lot sooner, sparing Central Europe of much death and suffering, but there’s still a lot to go!!
There are many from the Furuwatari War especially in the Oshu and Kanto regions, most of the ones from before left for either Bireitou, Ayutthaya, or Luson. Honestly though Europe is probably too far away and Azuchi already made it illegal to be a mercenary in 1622 because of the siege of Macau. The Honjo clan at this point aren’t even mercenaries but full on nobility/vassals of the Siamese king so they don’t really count anymore.
I'm all for an end of Habsburg's supremacy in western Europe but I'd like to see them become more centralize, reform and mainly focus on Central, South and maybe Eastern Europe as it'll help limit the growing French power and to keep Russia from encroaching into Eastern Europe.
Also I'm glad that the Dutch kept it's freedom and gained some territories but I do hope they stay a republic though.
Also I'm glad that the Dutch kept it's freedom and gained some territories but I do hope they stay a republic though.
I very much hope the habsburgs can get their act together and focus on the territories you say.
But i also hope the dutch become a proud kingdom.
Love the new update. But what of Jolly Ole England? Is that isle still on the Road to Regicide ITTL?
The War of the Roses was over a century ago - Henry VII and his son are currently fertilizing Westminster.
His ghost must be very popular with the ladies, eh?
Oh not that kind of fertilising-
Hello,
I think this guy is in charge and it's probable the other monarch is now fertilizer, unless butterflies did otherwise...
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So the Netherlands are now a kingdom within the holy roman empire? Is this OTL or a change? If it's a change I suspect that this could greatly alter the power dynamics of the modern period with the Netherlands having a much bigger hinterland in shape of the HRE which could boost their colonial ventures significantly.
It's a change from OTL where they went off independent. It's a very big change actually.
Alright, in that case I agree, that is a MASSIVE change that can make or break the HRE much sooner than happened IOTL. I'm hoping the inclusion of the Netherlands in the HRE will allow the HRE to organically grow into a federal, pluricentric empire. However, the opposite can happen, too, where the inclusion of the Netherlands means too much diffusion of power resulting in an earlier downfall of the HRE. I'm eager to see where this will go. I've got a lot of respect for Ambassador's ability to spin a global tale where changes in the far east lead to realistic changes in the occident.