The Destiny of Bar - An EU3 Dynasty - Done, Sigh.

[Abe Sargent]

In 959, the territory of Bar became an independent dependency of the Holy Roman Empire. Centuries passed, and 1399 sees it lay beside the nations and vassals of France, and adjacent to the provinces of Burgundy, this free Duchy with no allegiance to any crown save the Holy Roman Empire banner. In 1431, the Duchy of Bar was bequeathed to Rene I, The King of Naples and Duke of Lorraine, Bar, Anjou and Count of Provence due to dynastic marriages. Within two more monarchs, it would cease to exist and simply become an extension of Lorraine after the death of Rene II.

Bar would have some value. Edward III, Duke of Bar, would hold the Boulonnais against the English in 1406 for the French, rally the Burgundian forces after the French King was assassinated, and finally killed in 1415 at the Battle of Agincourt.

As a result of Edward III’s death, the Duchy passes to his bishop brother Louis I of Bar, who successfully defends his claim against the Lorraine nobility, but Louis I has to marry one of Edward’s sons to Lorraine in order to stop complete war. This would result in Rene I taking the throne after Louis I dies in 1430, and the beginning of the end of the Duke of Bar as an independent entity.

Had Bar not been a shill for the French crown, and helped them in several times including Agincourt, the young Edward III would not have died, and perhaps he would have been able to solidify a more stable successor line. With the ability to stave off dynastic and political advances from Lorraine, what would have happened then?


However, suppose that in 1399, seeing a new century dawn, a mystically inclined Sir Robert of Bar, Duke, an ambitious but older gentlemen who saw his County of Bar become a Duchy during his reign, appoints a relative unknown to position of Chancellor. Was it fate? Was it destiny? Perhaps it was a chance to try and make of Bar something other than what it was and would be forever. Without someone new, someone with vision, Bar would fade away as another French vassal or worse, annexed into the state entirely. Perhaps later Sir Robert of Bar would regret his decision, or perhaps he would be secretly proud, because his state would begin to slip from the grip of France into a new destiny.

[Abe Sargent]

Today is October 14, 1399. Archard Beauchamp has been appointed as the new Chancellor of Bar, and in the Duke’s elderly days, Archard has the ability to influence the realm in many ways.

An introduction to the province of Barrois:

The capital and national focus of Bar has 10,008 Catholic Burgundian people here, largely working the cloth trade. The taxbase is 5 ducats, and between the bonuses we get for trade, taxes and capital and national focus, Barrois makes 14.06 ducats annually. It has a Temple. Burgundy has a claim on our province.


Our single province of Barrois sits next to four powers. To our direct east are the two provinces of Lorraine – Metz and Lothringen. To our direct north is the single province of the King of Luxembourg. To our north and south is the dangerous Kingdom of Burgundy. Burgundy has several provinces to the north and to the south, and no land to connect them – but we do. We are adjacent to their provinces of Franche-Compte and their capital of Bourgogne in the south, and Valeciennes in the north. Finally, a single French province, Champagne, sits to or immediate west. That means we are adjacent to two major powers in Burgundy and France, and Burgundy especially must eye our similar culture and land bridge for their provinces and a Casus Belli to attack me and take it (and thus take me).

Thus, I immediately send a diplomat to Burgundy offering military access through my country. If they accept, then we are safe for the time being, because they can march through our land, and no self respecting power would launch an attack when they have military access, so they would have to cancel it first to attack us.


Bar:

We have 1000 Latin Medieval Infantry in Barrois. I jack down the maintenance to 50%. We have 49 gold, +1 stability, 3 merchants, 1 settler, and 3 more diplomats.

We have a strong heir, 22 year old Edward III, mentioned above. Our current guy has just a 4/4/6 ADM, and Edward II has 5/6/5.

I move us 1 on our sliders towards quality. We have very free subjects, virtually completely free.

I massage our sliders a bit. No sense investing in Naval tech right now, for example. I send Robert to the fields to rearm himself and do some training exercises as a new general, leading our 1000 troops in Barrois, if needed.

Castille currently controls the Curia, and we have just a 15.1% influence with the Holy See.

Bohemia currently has the Holy Roman Emperor.


Alright, let’s out diplomats. I offer royals marriages to The Palatinate, Saxony, and Brabant.

[Abe Sargent]

October 16, Everybody accepts our RM offers. We get a mission from the nobles wanting us to ally with Burgundy. If I do, we gain some prestige. If we do not, they will keep haranguing me about it until I lose some prestige by forcing them to choose something else to do.

Oct 18 – Burgundy and Brittany declare war on Brabant.


Nov 5, 1399 – The pope calls for a crusade vs Morocco.

Nov 24 – Lorraine guarantees our independence.

Dec 1 – Stability increase


Jan 7, 1400 – France accepts a Royal Marriage offer.

Mar 1, 1400 – Stability increases to max

April 4, 1400 – We announce having joined the The Hanseatic Trade League.

April 17, - I use our Magistrate to Conduct a Population Census in Barrois. The following happen:

For 5 years, +50% local tax, manpower and +10% population growth. We also lost 1000 in the province.

Aug 7 – Burgundian has captured the province of Brabant from Brabant.

Sept 9 – RM with Bohemia

Sept 10 – France and her minors and the HRE Bohemia are now at war.

Oct 1, We have been added to the Burgundian Sphere of Influence.

Oct 14 – I take a look through the great men and see if any advisors tweak my interest. None do.

Nov 12 – RM with Pommerania

Dec 4 – Bohemia captured Champagne in their war with France etc.

Feb 6, 1401 –RM with Lorraine.

Apr 15 – Peace between Bohemia and France, no land exchanged.

[Abe Sargent]

Jul 28, Ansbach RM>

Sept 15 – I order 1000 Latin Knights to be built in our province.

Nov 11, we get a Improve the Capital event. I choose to use the military to do it, and we lost a bit of temporary manpower, and gained 5 prestige.

Jan 13, 1402 – Alsace rejects an alliance proposal.

Mar 3, 1402 – One province Liege accepts our alliance proposal. I am hoping to make a small alliance out of some of us tiny powers, and then wage war on another tiny power.

Mar 14, 1402 – After additional consideration, Alsace joins my alliance. Now it’s me and two one province bishoprics.

May 5 – We convince the two province archbishopric Utrecht to join us They absorbed Gelre a few months ago in a war.

May 6 –Because we have a maximum number of allies, our mission to ally with Burgundy failed. They demand a Royal Marriage with Luxembourg, but I was looking at it as a possible direction for expansion. Hmm. The prize is meaningless – lose an infamy.

Aug 11 – Lux rejects our RM offer.



Sept 10 – Burgundy DOW’s us, citing Reconquest as the goal. Liege breaks our alliance, but Alsace, Lorraine and Utrecht uphold their ends (Lorraine had guaranteed our independence.)

I expect to die, btw.

Jack up maintenance, call for war taxes, and order three units of mercs assembled.

Sept 29 – More than 13000 Burgundy troops from both directions kill my forces and annihilate them.

Oct 10 – They failed to assault us.

Nov 29 – Burgundy relieves the siege of Franche-Compte by Alsace and Lorraine.

March 15, 1403 – Our capital falls and we are absorbed and lost the game. Hmph.

[Abe Sargent]

Well, shit. Failure to get that military access probably screwed me over.

[MrBug708]

I played a game with Lorraine. Bar was quickly scooped up by France, I allied with France, but Austria came a calling in the area. I allign with Baden, who is attacked and I join in hoping France comes to my aid and I can pull Brescia.

France stayed out of the war

[Alan T]

Ouch, this is kind of like the time I decided to try to play as Hainaut.