War of the Lateran Coalition (1711 - 1713)

[TLS]

Combatants

Bourbon Empire
-France
-Naples
-French East India Company
-Savoy
-Mantua
-England

Lateran Coalition
-The Papacy
-The Hapsburgs
-Genoa
-Tuscany
-Parma
-Modena
-Trier
-Mainz
-Munster
-Wurttemberg
-Wurzburg

The Yuletide Massacre

Christmas Eve, 1711

The fall passes in Europe with an uneasy period of quiet—too far removed from the colonial frontiers to know of the occurrences across the Seven Seas, and the Atlantic fleets of both the French and Dutch still licking their wounds from the Summer combat, neither the Bourbons nor the Dutch make extensive moves beyond the diplomatic. The French King, seeking to take advantage of the lull, decides to order his subordinates to deal with his vassals the Knights of Malta.

The entire Mediterranean Fleet under the Marquis de Châteaurenault (consisting of 3 HvBatRons, 7 BatRons, 2 CruRons) not already at Malta stops in Naples, picks up the Regent, and sails to Malta so that he can deliver a special Christmas Address to the Knights of Malta to thank them for their long hard service and warn them of a likely war with Morocco that is coming. The Grand Master of the Order, Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, receives a letter to that effect and is instructed to gather together as many officers of the Order as he can. While the Knights are spread around Europe, with Grand Priories across the Continent and even the new world, the core of the Order has been concentrated in Malta due to the current conflict.

The Order hurriedly prepares to receive the Regent, knowing that the French King is displeased with their unwillingness to disband and seeing this an opportunity to curry favor with the Monarch. The garrison, both Knights and Neapolitans, prepare themselves for the review.  

And then the betrayal is made known.

The deputy commander of one of the Neapolitan regiments, upon receiving his secret orders barely ahead of the Bourbon fleet, hurriedly seeks a meeting with the Grand Master to reveal that the arrival of the Regent is merely the pretext for an act of perfidy against the Church. A faithful son of Christ, he is unwilling to aid and abet the impending attack, and the Grand Master realizes that the King of France is attempting to replicate what his forefathers had done to the Knights Templar 500 years earlier.

Informed of the betrayal, the Knights move quickly to secure their fortress and to disarm the Neapolitan garrison. With the aid of the deputy commander they are able to sufficiently confuse the Neapolitan soldiers and throw them into disarray, while the ships in port are instructed to make for the ports of the Emperor with the news. The commander of the Neapolitans soon realize that their plan has been found out and move to lay siege to the Fortress like the Ottomans of old.

When the Regent, Leopold of Lorraine, arrives off Malta he is made aware of the failure of the subterfuge when his flagship comes under fire from the guns of the fortress. He runs the flag of parley, and attempts to coax the Knights into surrender: the French and Irish members of the order are offered pardon and exile to South Africa or Ireland, respectively, while the rest are offered free passage to Spain. The Grand Master, enraged at the impetuosity of the Regents demands, retorts that Malta had not fallen to the Ottomans and would refuse to surrender to the perfidious French King. Rather than abandon their order, the French and Irish Knights hold steadfastly to their posts. (OOC: The French King has spent the last 10 years attacking the Church and, unlike the French attack in 1798, this is not after the awakening of national consciousness due to the Revolution. The Knights view themselves primarily as soldiers of Christ, not Frenchmen or Irishmen.)

The Battle of Malta, December 24, 1711

Knights
1 Fortress
1 Militia Brigade

Bourbons
3 Hv BatRons
7 BatRons
2 CruRons
2 Infantry Brigades

The Bourbons are under order to attack the Fortress in the event of a refusal to surrender and open punishing fire on the fortress while the Neapolitan troops attempt to seize it. The Knights benefit from the fact that the French plan did not account for an attack on the fortress from without, and focus their fire on the Neapolitans who have been forced onto the beaches and below the bluffs of the fortress (1st turn: 2 Bourbon infantry brigades shattered in ground combat, Maltese fortress suffers 14 hits, still operational). The Navy attempts to bolster the land force by throwing the entire marine force ashore—the equivalent of 3 Infantry brigades, and the Maltese continue to hold strong against the attackers but the Fortress is reduced to essentially rubble (over 2nd and 3rd turns the Bourbons lose their 3 Marine brigades shattered while the Knights suffer the shattering of their Militia brigade and the destruction of the walls of their fortress.)

The Bourbon ground forces are forced from the island in disarray, but the Knights have effectively lost the use of their fortress’ defenses and weaponry. The Knights cling to the rubble while the French continue to bombard the island into Christmas Day itself. The Grand Master is killed when a French cannonball blasts through the ruined chapel in which the Knights attempt to observe the Feast of the Nativity. Reduced to fewer than 200 able-bodied defenders, the Knights are unable to put up more than a token resistance when Leopold comes ashore at the head of a second wave of attackers (1 militia battalion worth of sailors and able-bodied marines). The Knights are seized and Leopold, standing above a pile of rubble, proclaims the ultimate sovereignty of the Bourbon King.

Casualties of the Battle of Malta

Knights of Malta
1 Fortress
1 Militia Brigade

Bourbons
2 Neapolitan Infantry Brigades shattered, reformed into 1 occupying the island
3 Neapolitan Marine Battalions (the fleet has to spend 1 turn, 2 points to replenish the marines)

News of the French attack reaches Rome by the day after Christmas, hurriedly brought to the Pontiff himself by the fleeing emissaries of the Knights. The Pope is thus prepared when the French ambassador strolls into the See of St. Peter the following day (after news of the fall reaches Rome) to deliver a brusque ultimatum: that the Pope must accept the act, or else the Papal States will be partitioned by Genoa, Tuscany, Naples, and Savoy, he will be removed from the Chair of St. Peter, and an Irishman will be put on in his stead. The French ambassador is summarily ejected from Rome, but not before being told that his Master, the King of France, has been excommunicated for crimes against the Church. At the Pontiff’s side are the ambassadors of Genoa, Tuscany, and the Hapsburgs, while the Savoyard ambassador is clearly nowhere to be found.

Across Catholic Europe, the Priories of the Knights of St. John agitate, spreading the word of their martyred Grand Master, betrayed under the pretext of celebrating the Holy Nativity and killed attempting to venerate the Lord. Within weeks, trade in supposed relics of the martyred Grand Master begins to appear: pieces of his robe, locks of his curly ebony hair, vials containing perhaps even his own blood.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Knights throw themselves upon the Emperor: the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta was, in honor of the services rendered to Christendom, named a Prince of the Empire. This attack upon the Knights is not only an attack upon the Empire and the Emperor, but Christendom itself, and the Emperor is sworn to defend both Christ’s Church and the Lords of the Empire.

In the Hapsburg lands, the Archduke of Austria sees the opportunity to curry favor with both the Pope and the princes of the Empire and declares that, though now bearing no legal responsibility to defend the Knights, the Hapsburgs shall not let this attack on the Empire or Christendom stand. Emissaries and ambassadors across the Empire and Italy seek to leverage and coordinate with Papal emissaries to establish a Coalition to contain the heretical French ruler. Having spent years worrying about French expansion in both the Empire and Italy, and with more hesitant partners pushed off the fence by the sheer temerity of the French actions, a Coalition rapidly forms to oppose the Bourbons: led by the Papacy and the Hapsburgs, Genoa, Tuscany, Parma, Modena, Trier, Mainz, Munster, Wurzburg, and Wurttemberg have all declared against the French by early 1712.

At the Papal Lateran Palace, representatives of the powers formulate their aims for the war to come: in light of the Bourbon King’s demands and threats to dismantle the Papal Lands, he has shown he is a threat to the balance in Europe and Christendom at large. The members of the Coalition pledge to not end their struggle until the Bourbons have been ejected from the Italian Peninsula and the Knights of Malta are restored. Any state that throws in with the Bourbons in their current wars shall be treated as enemies of the Coalition and shall suffer the consequences. The desperate Dutch Republic, recognizing that this is its best way of securing its own victory, hurriedly reaches out to declare itself co-belligerent with the Coalition, though the complicated religious dynamics of the current conflict preclude an open alliance.

[Galveston Bay]

Upon the declaration of war, orders are sent for the French and Naples armies to act and the Minister of Police (ooc; yes France already has one since the 1600s) is ordereed to start making arrest of those of questionable loyalty.

(OOC specific orders will follow)

A book is released, demonstrating that the Albanian who is the Pope is actually a Turkish stooge, sent to throw Europe into disarray

All property belonging to the Knights of Malta is seized, all loans owed to banks in enemy territory are declared void and any assets owned by those banks is ordered seized when in French or Naples territory.

All Church property that is specifically not a place of worship (church or chapel) or is a monastery and nunnery (and up to 5 acres per actual Monk or Nun living there) is ordered forfeit. Exempt are those structures and institutions whose primary purpose is caring for orphans, widows, the elderly and infirm, the sick. Schools are exempt but must accept Crown oversight.

Avignon is given until the arrival of the army ordered to secure it to surrender

The University of Paris is declared to be a secular institution

All Jesuits are expelled unless they take an oath of to the French king.... they have 30 days to depart his lands

All bank accounts held by the Church in France and Naples are ordered forfeit to the crown (on pain of the bank being seized)

An official decree is issued in France declaring that all Protestants shall have freedom of worship as long as their church declares its loyalty to the Crown

Jews are officially allowed back in France (unofficially they have been there a while)

Church property that has been seized (specifically land and structures) is placed on the market beginning January 1712 for sale to the highest bidder.

[Galveston Bay]

Agents spread the news in the Austrian Netherlands that France would like to see a free and independent Flemish Republic based around Brussels and Antwerp and will do its best to support such.

Discussions are underway with various friendly Italian states as well as with the English, Irish, and Turks

[Galveston Bay]

In French territory, those that claim to have 'divine objects' from the Knights of Malta and similar nonsense are hauled into jail on charges of witchcraft and sorcery.   Women and men who are not members of orders are exiled to French Guyana. Men who are of holy orders are simply never heard from again.

[TLS]

Chafing at Papal and Hapsburg domination of the Italian peninsula, Savoy and Mantua both declare themselves in league with the King of France and Naples.

[Galveston Bay]

French situation end of year (both wars)
Gained: Malta, Walvis Bay, Diego Suarez (?)
lost: Martinique
Military unit losses: 1 HBatRon, 1 BatRon, 1 CruRon, 1 Fortress, 2 Naples Infantry Brigades (1 of which is now a battalion), 4 French infantry battalions
(1 BatRon, 1 CruRon damaged needing repair plus personnel losses aboard the Med Fleet needing replacement)

Economic losses: (combined Naples/France) gained + 1.5 points but lost 1.2 points= net gain + 3 (or .05 depending on what happened to Diego Suarez)

[Galveston Bay]

Deployment French Forces as of January 1, 1712 (ooc: mainly to make life easier for the referee, the Dutch and Coalition would not necessarily have these details)

Naval Forces as of January 1712
at Brest (Admiral Du Casse is commander)
BatRon Normand, CruRon Hermione (both under repair)
(lost at Battle of Brest were BatRon Invincible, CruRon Grammont)
5 PatRon, 3 merchant flotilla (available for military use)

en route home (in South Atlantic) (arriving Bordeaux January 1712)
South Atlantic Fleet (Admiral Duguay-Trouin)
2 CruRon (CruRon Volontarie, CruRon Doquesne) covering merchant shipping returning home from Indian Ocean
(lost at Capetown was HvBatRon Royal Louis)

at Capetown/Reunion (half the fleet on station blockading Capetown, rest rotating to and from Reunion for fresh food and water, with PatRon acting as couriers and charting the coast)
Indian Ocean Fleet (Admiral Coetlogon)
4 BatRon, 4 CruRon, 1 PatRon ( BatRon Intrepide, BatRon Frederic, BatRon Intrepide, BatRon Frederic, CruRon Jean Bart, CruRon Tourville, CruRon Consolante, CruRon Julon plus 1 PatRon)

Mediterranean Fleet (Marquis de Châteaurenault) at Naples as of January 1712
3 HvBatRons, 7 BatRons, 2 CruRons, plus 2 Naples Navy PatRons, 3 merchant flotillas (which are available for military use)

Merchant Marine at Sea (doing commerce)12 French (Lille, Marsailles, Bordeaux, Quebec)(3 French are in military service from Brest) 3 Naples (from Naples) w 2 captured Dutch, 1 Maltese seized (assume other got away) are in military service in the Med (based out of Malta for port purposes)

Land Forces
Overseas
South Africa (General Eugene of Savoy)(if he takes Capetown he gets promoted to Duc de Le Cap)
Capetown: 2 infantry battalions plus 1 Naples infantry battalion plus fleet support
Caronville: 1 fortress, 1 cavalry regiment, 1 infantry battalions
Walvis Bay: 1 Naples infantry brigade
Reunion: 1 fortress, 1 infantry battalion
Singapore: 1 fortress, 1 infantry battalion
Pondicherry: 1 depot, 3 colonial infantry battalions

Florida (Marquis de Beauharnois)
Florida Keys: Fortress Key West
South Florida: 2 infantry battalions (1 each Tampa, Miami)
East Florida: 2 infantry battalions (1 each Fort Carolin/Jacksonville, Potano/Gainesville)
West Florida: 1 infantry battalion (Tallahassee)
Pensacola: 1 fortress, 2 cavalry regiments

New France (includes Acadia, Quebec, Illinois, Hudson Bay) (Marquis de Vaudreuil)
Carentan (Halifax) 1 Fortress
Louisburg: 1 fortress
Quebec City: 1 fortress, 1 militia brigade
Port Royal: 1 militia brigade
Montreal: 1 infantry battalion
Fort Detroit: 1 infantry battalion
Montpelier (RL New Hampshire) 1 infantry battalion
Portland (RL Maine): 1 infantry battalion
St John (RL New Brunswick) 1 infantry battalion

Home Forces
English Channel Coast and border of Austrian Netherlands (Army de Marine)(Marshal de Villars)
Dunkirk: Fortress, 1 brigade (Calais and Dunkirk share a hex on the World in Flames map)
Calais: 1 infantry brigade
Lille: 2 Cavalry Brigades (patrolling border)
Soissons: 2 Cavalry Brigades (patrolling border)
Le Havre: 2 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade
Boulogne: 1 infantry brigade
Cherbourg: 1 infantry brigade
St Malo 1 infantry brigade
Brest: Fortress, 3 infantry brigades
Lorient: 1 infantry brigade
St Nazaire: 1 infantry brigade
La Rochelle: 1 infantry brigade
(11 infantry brigades, 4 cavalry brigades, 2 fortresses)

Eastern Border (Duc de Tallard)
Verdun: Fortress, 1 infantry brigade
Belfort: Fortress, 1 infantry brigade
Metz: 1 cavalry brigade (patrolling border)
Strasbourg: 1 cavalry brigade (patrolling border)
(2 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry brigades, 2 fortresses)

Southern Border (Comte de Marsin)
Toulon: Fortress
Marseilles: 2 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade
Toulouse: 3 infantry battalions
Bayonne: 3 infantry battalions
(1 fortress, 2 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade, 6 infantry battalions)

Strategic Reserve: Paris (Versailles, Paris and Rennes each have 1 infantry brigade), plus 5 battalions of infantry (raised in Winter 1712)

Southern Italy
Army:
security forces
1 fortress, 1 garrison brigade at Naples
1 depot, 1 garrison brigade at Taranto
1 infantry brigade at Malta
1 garrison brigade at Syracuse
1 garrison brigade at Palermo
garrison brigades function as a national police force

Mobile Army (Prince Leopold of Malta, newly promoted as formerly Leopold of Lorraine)
1 infantry brigade, 3 cavalry regiments (located at Naples as of the start of the year)

In January, 6 militia brigades are raised in France (and assigned 1 per fortress in France) while 2 Naples infantry brigades raised will be joining the Naples Mobile Army, later in the winter additional militia brigades are formed to defend Bayonne, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Marseilles, and Strasbourg (all of which are walled cities)

Field Armies are being organized in France to form in April once the winter rains end

[TLS]

After heavy lobbying, the Kingdom of Portugal declares itself in league with the Bourbon crown in its campaigns. Long frustrated with the Jesuit influence in Brazil, the Portuguese similarly expel that order, but otherwise make a note of publicly condemning the French king's actions against the Church--and note that the Portuguese crown will not move to unseat the Bishop of Rome from his See.

[Galveston Bay]

After heavy lobbying, the Kingdom of Portugal declares itself in league with the Bourbon crown in its campaigns. Long frustrated with the Jesuit influence in Brazil, the Portuguese similarly expel that order, but otherwise make a note of publicly condemning the French king's actions against the Church--and note that the Portuguese crown will not move to unseat the Bishop of Rome from his See.

The French Crown reaffirms its alliance to defend Portugal

[Hussam B.]

In the wake of the crisis following the sudden destruction of Malta, followed by extreme reactions by the French Crown, the Emperor calls an emergency Diet in Regensburg in which he emphasizes his commitment to defending the independence of the Imperial Princes, his main motivation for entering the war, as well as the maintaining his commitment to avoiding a return to the Thirty Years Wars of religion. He assures the Princes that this will be a war against the French Crown and not French Protestantism.

To this effect, the Lateran League are asked to make a declaration formalizing that the war is against the French Crown specifically and that any reciprocal reprisals against Protestant Civilian or Church persons or individuals be declared unchristian and forbidden. Such a declaration will be conditional to the Empire joining the Lateran League.

If this is acceded to, The Empire, the Wittlesbach Princes, and the Kingdom of Spain, all join the Lateran League and declare war on the French Crown and its allies for its aggression against a Prince of the Empire, the Knights of St. John.

[TLS]

In the wake of the crisis following the sudden destruction of Malta, followed by extreme reactions by the French Crown, the Emperor calls an emergency Diet in Regensburg in which he emphasizes his commitment to defending the independence of the Imperial Princes, his main motivation for entering the war, as well as the maintaining his commitment to avoiding a return to the Thirty Years Wars of religion. He assures the Princes that this will be a war against the French Crown and not French Protestantism.

To this effect, the Lateran League are asked to make a declaration formalizing that the war is against the French Crown specifically and that any reciprocal reprisals against Protestant Civilian or Church persons or individuals be declared unchristian and forbidden. Such a declaration will be conditional to the Empire joining the Lateran League.

If this is acceded to, The Empire, the Wittlesbach Princes, and the Kingdom of Spain, all join the Lateran League and declare war on the French Crown and its allies for its aggression against a Prince of the Empire, the Knights of St. John.

The leaders of the Lateran League, the Pope and the Archduke of Austria, agree to the Emperor's terms, but note that they will not stand for the oppression of the Catholic Church in Bourbon lands. The restoration of the Church of France is paramount in their goals, and while they will not seek to disenfranchise French protestants from the status quo ante they will be fighting to ensure that any lands taken from the Church and re-appropriated to Protestants or Jews by the excommunicated French king be reversed. Similarly, they want to clarify that by declaring war on the French Crown they are also declaring war on its dependents, allies, and cohorts, and re-iterate their goal of expelling the French King from the Italian Peninsula.

[Galveston Bay]

A note is delivered to the Emperor from the French Ambassador in Madrid (ooc: war hasn't been declared yet and he has been ordered out of the country), as well sent to leaders in Protestant Germany, Denmark and Ireland (and thus likely to spread from there). It is also ordered read aloud in all cities and major towns in France and printed as handbills and spread about that way.

"The Emperor and the Pope have an interesting view of history. When Charles V stormed Rome and arrested and imprisoned Pope Clement VII, who was pro French, and allowed him to die so that he could be replaced, we heard little from Bavaria or Spain about how the Church was threatened.

Indeed when entire portions of Papal territory were stripped away the Bishop of Utrecht as a result permanently to the Habsburgs there was no such outcry.

Indeed, when the Italians decided they wanted a Pope that wasn't French they created their own Pope at the behest of the Emperor of the time.

The Knights of Malta were not murdered at dinner. Indeed they were given fair warning, allowed the opportunity to surrender peacefully and return to their homes or elsewhere in the Catholic world by being repatriated through Spain, and chose to fight instead. They fought bravely, they fought well, and they fought until they could fight no more and killed or injured many of the troops sent to bring them to heal. But they were not murdered and those killed after the battle were killed under the customary usages of war in the treatment of a fortress that has fallen to storm.

They are not saints, but brave men, and thus to honor that bravery the King of France will rename the Pont Neuf Bridge in Paris the Pont des Hospitaliers Chevaliers.

The Crown of France remains in its rights to seize property from institutions that preach treason against their lawful lords."

[TLS]

Papal agents, and anti-Royalist partisans in France, note that the sack of Rome took place during the Reformation, that Charles was similarly pro-Protestant, and was ultimately forced to abdicated because of his gross mismanagement, incompetence, and anti-Christian actions. A curious idol for the French King to elevate.

Of course, even Charles V did not invite an order of Monks to a celebratory dinner in order to betray them, arrest them, and torture them.

The back and forth of agents of the Crown and agents of the Papacy, and especially the written pamphlets, are mainly ignored by the general public, who are illiterate and unfamiliar with the particulars of casus belli and dynastic struggles from 150 years prior.

[Galveston Bay]

Papal agents, and anti-Royalist partisans in France, note that the sack of Rome took place during the Reformation, that Charles was similarly pro-Protestant, and was ultimately forced to abdicated because of his gross mismanagement, incompetence, and anti-Christian actions. A curious idol for the French King to elevate.

Of course, even Charles V did not invite an order of Monks to a celebratory dinner in order to betray them, arrest them, and torture them.

The back and forth of agents of the Crown and agents of the Papacy, and especially the written pamphlets, are mainly ignored by the general public, who are illiterate and unfamiliar with the particulars of casus belli and dynastic struggles from 150 years prior.

ooc
Pro Protestant? Henry VIII and Martin Luther disagree. He did have Protestant troops though
Of course about 30% of the Male and 14% of the female population CAN read, so any little chip in the wall I can make is worth while, so muddying the waters further is worthwhile

The Parisians will however note that the Crown renamed the Bridge

Also, who is paying the maintenance on the Knights fleet?

IC
A new work honoring the Siege and Victory at Arras during the 1653 Spanish Invasion is released, with heavy emphasis of French bravery in the face of the Spanish and the Spanish Inquisition. Many Spanish outrages during the invasion (real and made up) are chronicled in graphic detail. The book is sold for less than the cost of printing.

[Kilani]

The entry of Spain into what was a conflict relegated to (from the Commonwealth's point of view) mostly Italy brings about a change in policy in London. There have been whispers behind closed doors and now Commonwealth diplomats once again come forth with thundering denunciations of Papist aggression against Protestants. As one prominent Parliamentarian puts it:

"The errors of Rome are rank idolatry, a subversion of all civil as well as religious liberty, and the utter disgrace of reason and of human nature."

The French King is now (somewhat) viewed as a friend against Papism and some (especially the Fifth Monarchy men) are quite open that they view this as another fight against Rome. In private, more secular minded officials have thoughta about colonies and overseas territories, as well as maintaining the Commonwealth's ability to trade at will. Regardless of the rhetoric (most of which horrifically distorts the Spanish crown"s reasons for entering the war) calls for the defense of free peoples everywhere from Spanish (and Papist) tyranny and to stop the cynical ploy by the servants of Rome to snuff out the flames of liberty on the continent. As such, Spain is informed that the Commonwealth considers there to be a state of war existing between the Commonwealth and the Imperial Crown.

They do, however, maintain neutrality in the Franco-Dutch War.

[Hussam B.]

Protests are made to London about the absolute vagueness and weakness of their justification for war but the change in diplomatic relations is acknowledged nonetheless.

Separately, news comes out from the Imperial Diet at Regensburg that the Emperor has heard out a petition by the Elector of Brandenburg noting that the Protestant states of the Empire are highly under-represented in the College of Electors, and that, furthermore, the last election was frustrated by the even number of Electors.

In order to avoid such a tumultuous process, the Elector requests that 1) the title of Dean of the Protestant Electors be given to Brandenburg and taken from Saxony, due to that state's Catholic monarch, and 2) the Duchy of Brunswick-Luneburg be elevated to Elector status.

After some discussions, Emperor Maximilian agrees to this petition and issues a number of Imperial decrees to that effect.

[TLS]

European Theater

Winter, 1712

While the colonial wars rage across the seas, Europe is more thoroughly frozen in place, either through actual freezing (basically the Alps North) or by the sad state of logistics due to winter rains. Some movement is able to take place in Italy, Southern France, and the Iberian Peninsula, while the seas remain an open avenue for conflict: however, as in the Caribbean the previous decade has done a number of the practice of piracy in the region. While a positive development from the perspective of the citizens of the coasts, it means that the attempts by certain nations to hire privateers falls mostly flat.

The main Bourbon fleet in the Mediterranean regroups at Marseille to regroup and repair, leaving sea lanes widely open for the Lateran Coalition to put their contingency plans into action. Recognizing that their lack of heavy ships is an impediment to their future operation, the Coalition partners in Italy elect to join their naval assets together, though squabbling prevents the fleets from entirely joining: the Genoese, in particular, are reticent to simply make their fleet an appendage of Austria's, and thus the "joint" fleet in fact splits in two. Meanwhile, the same states begin to amalgamate their armies in preparation for fighting in the South and in the Northwest. The two main players in this drama, the Wittelsbachs and Bourbons, meanwhile concentrate their forces along the frontiers. Neither imperial power seems particularly interested in the dynastic struggle that is unfolding in front of them, and thus mainly assemble in defensive positions.

Forces in Theater, end of Winter 1712

(Note: Because of the sheer number of components, some armies are arranged jointly, to reflect the integration of the Coalitions and to prevent overwhelming data being dumped. To reflect the time delay caused by winter, some units do not assemble until Mid-Spring)

Pro-Bourbon

Portugal

Fixed Installations
-2 Fortresses (Lisbon, Porto)

Lisbon
-3 Portuguese Infantry Brigades
-1 Portuguese Cavalry Brigade

Navy (Lisbon)
-3 Portuguese BatRon
-4 Portuguese CruRon
-4 Portuguese PatRon

France

Fixed Installations
-6 Fortresses (Brest, Dunkirk, Verdun, Belfort, Toulon, Soissons)
-11 Militia brigades (Brest, Dunkirk, Verdun, Belfort, Toulon, Soissons, Bayonne, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Marseilles, and Strasbourg)

Paris (Ready Mid-Spring)
-4 French infantry brigades
-1 French cavalry brigade

Verdun (Ready Mid-Spring)
-4 French Infantry Brigades
-3 French Cavalry Brigades

Lyon
-4 French Infantry Brigades
-1 French Cavalry Brigade

Toulouse
-2 French Cavalry Brigades
-6 French Infantry Battalions

Mediterranean Fleet (Marseille)
-3 French HvBatRons
-7 French BatRon
-2 French CruRon
-2 Neapolitan PatRons

Bordeaux
-2 French CruRon

Brest
-1 French CruRon
-1 Damaged French BatRon (ready Summer)

England

Fixed Positions
-9 Fortress (London, Dover, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Southampton)
-2 Garrison (Portsmouth, Edinburgh)
-8 Militia Brigades (London, Dover, 2 Plymouth, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh)
-1 Militia Cavalry Brigade (Dover)

New Model Army (London)
-2 English Infantry Brigades
-1 English Cavalry Brigade

Commonwealth Navy (Portsmouth)
-14 English BatRon
-8 English CruRon
-8 English PatRon

Italy

Fixed Positions
-3 Fortresses (Turin, Mantua, Naples)
-7 Garrisons (Savoy proper, Nice, Mantua, Taranto, Naples, Syracuse, Palermo)
-1 Infantry Brigade (Malta)

Turin
-3 Savoyard Infantry Brigades
-1 Savoyard Infantry Brigade (in training, ready Summer 1712)
-1 Savoyard Cavalry Brigade
-2 Savoyard Mercenary Infantry Brigades
-1 Savoyard Mercenary Cavalry Brigade

Mantua
-2 Mantuan Mercenary Infantry Brigades
-1 Mantuan Infantry Battalion (in training, ready Summer 1712)

Mobile Army (Naples)
-1 Neapolitan infantry brigade
-3 Neapolitan cavalry regiments
-2 Neapolitan Militia Brigades
-2 Neapolitan infantry brigades (ready Summer)

Lateran Coalition

Spain

Fixed Positions
-9 Fortress (Pamplona, Bilbao, Figueres, Barcelona, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Madrid, Valencia, Ferrol)
-14 Garrisons (2 Pamplona, 2 Bilbao, 2 Figueres, 2 Barcelona, Seville, Murcia, Badajoz, Ferrol, Valladolid, Zaragoza, Burgos)
-4 Militia Infantry brigades (Pamplona, Figueres, Cadiz, Gibraltar)
-3 Infantry Battalions (Sardinia, Cartagena, Mahon)

Army of Navarra (Bilbao)
-1 Spanish Infantry Brigade
-2 Bavarian Infantry Brigades
-1 Spanish Cavalry Brigades

Army of Aragon (Barcelona)
-5 Spanish Infantry Brigades
-1 Spanish Cavalry Brigades
-1 Spanish Cavalry regiment

Army of Castille (Badajoz)
- 6 Spanish Infantry Brigades
- 2 Spanish Cavalry Brigades

Fleet (Ferrol)
-7 BatRon
-20 CruRon
-7 PatRon (Ferrol, Cadiz, Seville, 2 Valencia, 2 Mahon)

France

Avignon
-1 Fortress

Germany and Low Countries

Fixed Positions
-22 Fortresses (Trier, Wurzburg, Munster, Stuttgart, Mainz, Munich, Dusseldorf, Heidelberg, Cologne, Prague, Brussels, Vienna, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Nijmegen, Breda, Tilburg, Schoonhoven, Maastricht, Groningen)
-20 Garrison (Trier, Mainz, Vienna, Innsbruck, Breslau, Prague, 13 Netherlands)
-18 Militia Infantry Brigades (5 Munich, 13 Netherlands)

Imperial Catholic Army (Wurttemberg) (Ready Mid-Spring)
- 4 Infantry Brigade (1 Wurttemberg, 2 Munster, 1 Wurzburg)
- 3 Cavalry Brigade (1 Wurttemberg, 1 Munster, 1 Wurzburg)

Wittlesbach Army (Brussels) (Ready Mid-Spring)
-7 Infantry Brigades (2 Cologne, 3 Palatinate, 2 Bavaria)
-2 Cavalry Brigades (1 Palatinate, 1 Bavaria)

Army of Austria (Vienna) (Ready Mid-Spring)
-3 Austrian Infantry Brigades
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade
-1 Engineer Brigade

United Army (Amsterdam) (Ready Mid-Spring)
-4 Dutch Infantry Brigades
-1 Dutch Cavalry Brigade

Austrian Navy (Antwerp)
-3 Austrian CruRon
-5 Austrian PatRon

Dutch Navy (Amsterdam)
-2 Heavy BatRons
-1 Heavy BatRon, heavily damaged (Ready Winter 1713)
-1 BatRon, damaged (Ready Summer)
-1 CruRon
-1 CruRon heavily damaged (Ready Fall)
-2 PatRons

Italy

Fixed Positions
-8 Fortresses (Rome, Urbino, Genoa, Florence, Modena, Parma, Milan, Venice)
-7 Garrisons (Lazio, Romagna, Genoa, Pisa, 2 Venice, Milan)

Papal Army (Rome)
-2 Papal Infantry Brigades
-1 Papal Cavalry Brigade
-2 Swiss Infantry Brigades
-1 Swiss Cavalry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Mercenary Infantry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Mercenary Cavalry Brigade


Army of Piedmont (Genoa)
-2 Genoese Mercenary Infantry Brigades
-1 Genoese Mercenary Cavalry Brigade
-1 Parmesan Infantry Brigade

Milan
-3 Austrian Infantry Brigades
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade

Army of the Po (Modena)
-3 Tuscan Infantry Brigades
-1 Tuscan Cavalry Brigade
-1 Modenese Infantry Brigade

Lateran Fleet (Rome)
-3 Austrian BatRon
-3 Austrian CruRon
-3 Genoese CruRon
-2 Knights of Malta CruRons
-1 Papal CruRon
-2 Austrian PatRons
-3 Papal PatRon
-2 Maltese PatRons
-6 Genoese PatRon

Venetian Fleet (Venice)
-2 Austrian BatRon
-4 Austrian CruRon
-3 Austrian PatRon

[Galveston Bay]

The French government accepts the offer by bankers in Ireland and Prussia to extend credit, and borrows 5 point from each.

[TLS]

Iberian Theater

Spring, 1712

The opening of a war between Portugal and Spain leaves neither country particularly prepared, or eager, to launch an extensive war against the other. Portugal is, for all her former glory, a greatly reduced power: though her colonial holdings are hardly unprofitable, over the previous century lost her most profitable holdings in the Indies and is at a great disadvantage in terms of manpower. Spain, meanwhile, is bounded on, it appears, all sides by enemies, and cannot focus her overwhelmingly larger army against the Portuguese.

In an attempt to tip the balance, and unwilling to commit forces further north for fear of being dragged into actually fighting the Dutch and stirring up great unrest at home, the English Commonwealth decides to ferry the core of its New Model Army to the Iberian Peninsula. Additionally, the English and Portuguese decide to coordinate efforts to try to seize control of the Northern Atlantic. Attempting to completely interdict and destroy Lateran fleets from moving hither and thither across the Ocean is nearly impossible, as even on the clearest day on the calmest ocean a ship’s sight cannot go past the horizon. However, by basing themselves out of the Azores, the English and Portuguese hope to be able to create enough of a nuisance to severely slow down trans-Atlantic shipping, catch the slow and the unlucky, and, crucially, deny the Spanish and Dutch the ability to consolidate their various CruRons and BatRons which are otherwise on escort duty. As the Anglo-Portuguese forces begin their sweeps, they benefit from the fact that the Spanish have apparently drafted some of their escort vessels for another venture, and are able to interdict and seize 1 Spanish and 1 Austrian commercial fleet, each. The English admiralty reports that their naval superiority in the North Sea is hampered by the presence of Dutch ships, and without being given orders to engage the Dutch they cannot fully engage in a campaign against Austrian shipping.

The English are able to, due to their naval superiority, successfully complete their disembarkation at Lisbon by the mid-to-late Spring and submit to overall Portuguese control. The joint force moves towards the Spanish border and camps in the city of Portalegre by mid-June. The Portuguese, for their part, take a wait and see attitude for the remainder of the season; unlike England, they cannot retreat to some safe island, and their army is small enough that a decisive defeat will likely render her defenseless. The Spanish Army of Castille, meanwhile, makes no substantive moves into Portuguese territory from Castille: cavalry screens go out into the borderlands to assess the situation, but neither army ventures far from their bases.

In the north, along the French frontier, the Spanish armies make their moves. The Army of Navarra moves east to secure the most advantageous defensive position, into the French province of Guipuscoa, and takes the undefended capital of Saint-Sebastien. One of the garrison brigades at Bilbao is moved into the re-christened San Sebastian to secure the city. Instead of crossing north of the Pyrenees, however, the army establishes defensive positions along the Bidasoa river, securing the riverfront through to the foothills of the mountains, while half of its forces are further diverting to reinforce the Army of Aragon.

It is along the Mediterranean coast that the Spanish make their gambit, amassing most of their forces for a push deeper into France’s Occitan territories. The French have left the city of Perpignan, only 40 years ago part of Spain, undefended, and thus the Spanish are able to re-establish their presence in the northern Catalan lands before plunging into France itself.

Forces in theater, end of Spring

Pro-Bourbon

Fixed Installations
-2 Fortresses (Lisbon, Porto)

Portalegre
-3 Portuguese Infantry Brigades
-1 Portuguese Cavalry Brigade
-2 English Infantry Brigades
-1 English Cavalry Brigade

Portuguese Squadron (Lisbon)
-2 Portuguese BatRon
-2 Portuguese CruRon
-2 Portuguese PatRon
-4 English BatRon
-2 English CruRon
-2 English PatRon

Azores Squadron (Azores)
-1 Portuguese BatRon
-2 Portuguese CruRon
-2 Portuguese PatRom
-4 English BatRon
-2 English CruRon
-2 English PatRon

Lateran Coalition

Fixed Positions
-9 Fortress (Pamplona, Bilbao, Figueres, Barcelona, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Madrid, Valencia, Ferrol)
-14 Garrisons (2 Pamplona, 2 Figueres, 2 Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville, Murcia, Badajoz, Ferrol, Valladolid, Zaragoza, Burgos, San Sebastian)
-4 Militia Infantry brigades (Pamplona, Figueres, Cadiz, Gibraltar)
-3 Infantry Battalions (Sardinia, Cartagena, Mahon)

Army of Navarra (Bidasoa River)
-2 Bavarian Infantry Brigades

Reinforcements for Army of Aragon (Training in Barcelona, ready Summer)
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Army of Castille (Badajoz)
- 5 Spanish Infantry Brigades
-2 Spanish Cavalry Brigades

Fleet (Ferrol) (predominantly on escort duty)
-2 BatRon
-15 CruRon
-7 PatRon (Ferrol, Cadiz, Seville, 2 Valencia, 2 Mahon)

[TLS]

French and Left-bank Rhine Theater

Spring, 1712

The Comte de Marsin has an unenviable task: guarding the Franco-Spanish border with one army when the Spanish have two, and two passes through which to invade his territory. He thus choses to move to secure the coast along the Bay of Biscay to slow down a potential attack on the The French army in the region, moving from Toulouse, is unable to cover the distance necessary to achieve its objective of positioning itself along the stretch between the Sea and the Pyrenees before the Spanish arrive. This would have proven potentially dire for the French walled city at Bayonne were it not for the Spanish army bearing different orders. The French army thus bases itself out of Bayonne as the commander plots his next move.

The Spanish Army of Aragon, moving north from Barcelona, is harassed by French cavalry as it pushes further towards Toulouse. The French are able to benefit from the two weeks the Spanish have to wait in Perpignan to join with the Navarrese soldiers, and do all they can to hamper the Spanish army further. The French cavalry is unable to score any noticeable hits on the Spanish, as they are under strict orders to retreat from any risk confrontations and the Spanish cavalry screen is larger than their force (2 Spanish cavalry brigades and 1 cavalry regiment against 1 French brigade). The Spanish are still able to make it to Toulouse by mid-May, even at their harassed pace, and move to take the city by force to gain a hold in southern France as quickly as possible. The French garrison at Toulouse (1 infantry battalion, 1 militia brigade) benefits from being entrenched in a fortified city (defensive roll bonus and FF) but the low hit value of the defenders combined with the overwhelming size of the Spanish army means that the defenses are quickly overwhelmed (no French hit rolls, the Spanish score more than 2 in first round so assault wins).

The other major French armies in the South are based at Lyon and Marseille. They are, however, destined for other fronts. The army at Marseille quickly shifts towards the Italian theater, either to the south by sea or to aid the Savoyards by land. The army at Lyon, meanwhile, similarly splits to attack France’s Italian enemies. The bulk of the army is sent to join with the Savoyard army at Turin for the expected pitched battles against the Hapsburgs and their allies, while a single brigade is sent to invest a siege of the Papal fortress at Avignon—an insufficient number to cow the defenders into surrender.

In the North, the French are aware that their enemies are consolidating across the border within Imperial lands. The polyglot Imperial armies, however, are slow to assemble across the border, giving the French time to arrange their armies. As in the South, the French face two potential Imperial armies, but without the impediment of the Pyrenees can consolidate their armies in such a way as to leave them placed within marching distance of any invasion route. As such the core of the French army is assembled at Soissons, under Marshal de Villars, while reinforcements are rushed to Verdun to try to secure the Eastern frontier.

Just across the border, in the Empire, the spring thaw allows for the Imperial armies to finally execute their plans to consolidate and merge. In the Low Countries, the Wittelsbach lands combine their armies around the Hapsburg fortress at Brussels, and by the end of the summer have amassed a large force of troops belonging to both houses. The distance traveled by the forces from Bavaria results in the army being unable to move from its base at Brussels before the end of the turn. Similarly, the other German states which perhaps hew closer to Austria amass another force at Stuttgart, reinforced by Austrian troops. The army at Stuttgart can assemble in time for further spring operations, and makes for the French city of Strasbourg. Strasbourg is lightly defended (1 militia brigade, FF and defensive roll bonus) and is unable to inflict meaningful casualties on the Imperials before they overrun the defenses and seize the city. The army holds in the city, which lays just across the Rhine within France, as the season ends.

Casualties from turn

France
-2 Militia Brigades
-1 Infantry Battalion

Forces in theater, end of Spring

Pro-Bourbon

Fixed Installations
-6 Fortresses (Brest, Dunkirk, Verdun, Belfort, Toulon, Soissons)
-9 Militia brigades (Brest, Dunkirk, Verdun, Belfort, Toulon, Soissons, Bayonne, Bordeaux, Marseilles)

Soissons
-7 French infantry brigades
-4 French cavalry brigades

Verdun
-1 French Infantry Brigades

Paris
-1 French infantry brigade

Dunkirk
-1 Prussian Mercenary Infantry Brigade
-1 Prussian Mercenary Cavalry Brigade

Avignon
-1 French Infantry Brigade

Bayonne
-2 French Cavalry Brigades
-4 French Infantry Battalions

Bordeaux
-1 French Infantry Battalion

Lateran Coalition

Fixed Installations
-8 Fortress (Brussels, Avignon, Cologne, Mainz, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Trier, Heidelberg)
-4 Garrisons (Brussels, Antwerp, Mainz, Trier)

Army of Aragon (Toulouse)
-7 Spanish Infantry Brigades
-2 Spanish Cavalry Brigades
-1 Spanish Cavalry regiment

Army of Wurttemberg (Strasbourg) (Under Austrian command)
-1 Wurttemberg Infantry Brigade
-2 Munster Infantry Brigades
-1 Wurzburg Infantry Brigade
-2 Austrian Infantry Brigade
-1 Wurttemberg Cavalry Brigade
-1 Munster Cavalry Brigade
-1 Wurzburg Cavalry Brigade

Army of Wittelsbach (Under Imperial command)
-2 Cologne Infantry Brigades
-3 Palatinate Infantry Brigades
-2 Bavarian Infantry Brigades
-2 Austrian Infantry Brigades
-1 Palatinate Cavalry Brigade
-1 Bavarian Cavalry Brigade
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade

[Galveston Bay]

As word of the fall of Strasbourg, Toulouse and Bayonne reaches Paris, wood cuts showing lurid details of Spanish and Imperial soldiers raping women, slaughtering children and burning churches are sent everywhere in France.  

(these were popular during the OTL French and Indian Wars to show massacres, real and made up  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodcut

an example



As the realm has been invaded by foreign armies, the Noblesse d'épée are formerly asked to defend the realm as is their sacred duty.  Those families that have at least one member in the Army or Navy (immediate family such as father, son, brother, 1st cousin or Uncle) are praised and receive official letters of thanks.  Those that do not, are asked to provide scutage (yes the French had this, just not for a while https://www.britannica.com/topic/scutage)

Wartime taxes are now imposed as invaders have invaded the realm.

(raise 1 militia brigade at the walled city of Metz)

[TLS]

Italian Theater

Spring, 1712

The Spring starts more aggressively, since the mild Mediterranean climate allowed for much of the preliminary sorting of troops to take place. In the North, the thawing of the passes of the Alps allow for the French to send crucial reinforcements across the mountains and into Savoy. Joining with the Duke of Savoy’s substantial army are 3 French brigades (2 infantry, and 1 cavalry) which, after joining forces, move to relieve their ally at Mantua, which is besieged by the combined armies of Tuscany and Modena in the opening weeks of March. Their path leads them close to Milan, and the Bourbons hope to draw out the Austrian army and put an end to the risk it poses.

The Lateran Coalition holds a superiority in numbers, but is riven with fractious politics. The Genoese have a substantial army of their own, but are concerned by moves by the French from Nice and are unwilling to divide their army in case the Savoyards make to join with the French and move south on their capital. The Genoese selfishness is rewarded in kind by their Parmesan allies who, seeing the Genoese inability to risk themselves for an ally, withdraw their Infantry brigade from Genoa to try to reinforce their suddenly at-risk capital. Meanwhile, the Tuscans and Modenans are pre-occupied with the Bourbon ally of Mantua to secure their rear lines. The Austrians are sending reinforcements from Vienna, but they are far enough away that they will not be relevant for the remainder of the Spring turn.

By the time the Bourbon army reaches Pavia, some 20 miles from Milan, there is no sign that the Austrians are making as it to leave their fortress. The French commander, the Duc de Tallard, advises the Savoyard Duke that their best gambit is to move to lay the Austrian fortress under siege—though drawing them into open battle was the optimal play, it is better to try to isolate the Austrians now that they are standing pat rather than pushing deeper into Lateran territory and risking being caught in a pincer by the combined Lateran armies. The Bourbons thus wheel north to put Milan under siege by mid-May, and the siege continues through the end of the turn.

Meanwhile, the assembled Lateran armies at Modena use the opening few weeks of the war to put Mantua under siege. The joint force is unable to force the Mantuans to surrender, and, in fact, finds itself suffering from an outbreak of camp fever by the time the June heat rolls around (1 Tuscan infantry brigade shattered by disease). Their cause is bolstered at the end of the season, however, when reinforcements arrive. Upon learning of the siege of Milan, the Austrian reinforcements from Vienna make for the allied army at Mantua, hoping to speed up that siege to then turn north and take on the invading Savoyards. They arrive too late to make a difference in the turn, but include a key asset: the Austrian Engineer brigade.

Further south, the Pope himself elects to lead the Papal army on its march south into Bourbon territory, against the exhortations of his Tuscan allies who encourage the Pontiff to instead keep a smaller force to guard the border and rush reinforcements north to put an end to the Savoyard threat first. The Pope is determined to inflict a shattering blow on the Bourbons at Naples as punishment for their insolence towards God. The Bourbon regent, the Duke of Lorraine, attempts to do all he can to secure the city: he is given explicit orders to expel all the “useless mouths” and depopulate the city of civilians, and to draft the naval yard as militia. After the aggression of the Bourbon monarchy towards the papacy, it is no difficulty to convince civilians to flee rather than die in the name of the Bourbon monarch. In fact, the aggressive campaign to depopulate the city is in fact too successful; in the ensuing chaos, many of the naval yard workers expected to stand pat and be drafted instead elect to melt into the crowds and slip out of the city (instead of scrambling for 4 emergency militia brigades, only 1 is constituted). However, for all his aggression, the Pope is unwilling to throw his armies against the walls of the Neapolitan fortress, and, likewise, choose to invest a siege of the Duke of Lorraine and his position.

Rather than directly reinforce the Neapolitan capital, the French use their naval superiority to carry out a series of complicated logistical maneuvers to create a redoubt from which to base a potential reconquest of the peninsula. The fleet from Marseille carries French units to Malta, and then carries the Neapolitan garrison on that island to garrison the Sicilian port of Messina. The main Bourbon fleet is able to proceed relatively unaccosted; the Lateran fleets are divided between protecting either the entrance to the Adriatic (and securing all trade therein) and guarding the Tyrrhenian coast. This gives the Bourbons generally free reign to implement their garrison switch.

The Bourbon battlefleet, under de Chateaurenault, actively decides to seek battle with the divided Lateran fleets. The main force of the Austrian battlefleet is bottled up in the Adriatic, and thus the Bourbons see an opportunity to strike at the Tyrrhenian coast, causing mayhem and confusion across the region. As the Bourbons approach the Roman port at Civitavecchia they see a motley assembly of mid-sized ships, and at a distance the chaos looks like a thriving port ready to be raided. Unlike on land, however, the Laterans have managed to stay fairly consolidated at sea. Though still not entirely consolidated, as some of the fleet is escorting commercial fleets, when the Bourbons arrive off Civitavecchia expecting easy pickings they instead run into a sizeable Lateran assembly.

Battle of Civitavecchia, June 4

Bourbons
-4 BatRons
-2 CruRons

Laterans
-3 Austrian BatRons
-3 Austrian CruRon
-2 Knights of Malta CruRons
-1 Papal CruRon
-2 Austrian PatRons
-3 Papal PatRon
-2 Maltese PatRons

It’s not all the pinnacle of coordination—the Genoese, as on land, have elected to prioritize escorting their shipping and assets rather than risking them in joint battle. However, de Chateaurenault soon finds that he has likely bitten off more than he can chew. At least as the battle begins, Laterans have the weather gage, preventing de Chateaurenault from withdrawing as soon as he discovers that he is in for a rude awakening.
Though outnumbered in terms of ships and raw tonnage, Chateaurenault’s superiority in cannons is made evident as soon as the broadsides begin. His gunners score an almost miraculous run, inflicting heavy damage on the Lateran heavy ships at barely any loses of his own (the Bourbons score 7 hits, including a critical, and thus the Laterans lose one of their BatRons sunk and one reduced to below half hits in the earliest round, while suffering 3x hits on one of their BatRons). The battle is more even-handed as the fleets continue their deadly dance, with a more equitable distribution of hits (Laterans score 4 hits, including one critical, disabling a Bourbon BatRon and a disabling Bourbon CruRon, while the Bourbons are able to disable 2 Lateran CruRons and sink a Lateran PatRon). It becomes evident that the Bourbon tactic is to, rather than concentrate fire and sink ships, inflict damage that will be expensive to repair.

De Chateaurenault’s orders include a fairly heavy loss tolerance as long as he is inflicting heavier damage on his enemies, and he thus keeps up the battle. He is able to damage another two Lateran CruRons, but has pushed his luck perhaps too far: another critical hit, this time Lateran, sinks another one of his BatRons and damages another of his CruRons. The Lateran fleet, tenuously cohesive in the best of circumstances, is at a near panic over the widespread losses, giving him the opportunity to make for the open sea and extricate himself from his mess. Though the Church quickly attempts to turn the battle into a sign of divine providence, as the nefarious Bourbon fleet was repulsed from its attack on the port of the Holy City and the Bourbons lost more heavy ships, the fact remains that this was but a side-show for the larger Bourbon naval arsenal.
Casualties of the Battle of Civitavecchia

France
-1 BatRon sunk
-1 BatRon heavily damaged [4 turns, 5 points]
-1 CruRon sunk
-1 CruRon damaged [2 turns, 1.5  points]

Laterans
-1 Austrian BatRon sunk
-1 Austrian BatRon damaged [2 turns, 3 points]
-1 Austrian BatRon lightly damaged [1 turn, 1 point]
-1 Maltese CruRon sunk
-1 Maltese CruRon heavily damaged [3 turns, 2.5 points]
-1 Papal CruRon damaged [2 turns, 1.5 points]
-1 Austrian CruRon heavily damaged [3 turns, 2.5 points]
-1 Papal PatRon sunk

Forces in Theater, end of Spring

Bourbons

Fixed Installations
-3 Fortresses (Turin, Mantua, Naples)
-7 Garrisons (Savoy proper, Nice, Mantua, Messina, Naples, Syracuse, Palermo)

Milan
-4 Savoyard Infantry Brigades
-2 French infantry brigades
-2 Savoyard Mercenary Infantry Brigades
-1 French cavalry brigade
-1 Savoyard Cavalry Brigade
-1 Savoyard Mercenary Cavalry Brigade

Nice
-1 French Cavalry brigade

Mantua
-2 Mantuan Mercenary Infantry Brigades
-1 Mantuan Infantry Battalion

Messina
-2 Neapolitan Infantry Brigades
-1 PatRon

Malta
-2 French Infantry Brigades

Naples
-2 Neapolitan infantry brigades
-3 Neapolitan Militia Brigades

Rural Naples
-3 Neapolitan cavalry regiments

Marseille
-2 Hv BatRon
-3 BatRon
-1 BatRon, heavily damaged
-1 CruRon, damaged

Malta
-1 Hv BatRon
-2 BatRon
-1 PatRon

Laterans

Fixed Positions
-8 Fortresses (Rome, Urbino, Genoa, Florence, Modena, Parma, Milan, Venice)
-7 Garrisons (Lazio, Romagna, Genoa, Pisa, 2 Venice, Milan)

Naples
-2 Papal Infantry Brigades
-1 Papal Cavalry Brigade
-2 Swiss Infantry Brigades
-1 Swiss Cavalry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Mercenary Infantry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Mercenary Cavalry Brigade


Genoa
-2 Genoese Mercenary Infantry Brigades
-1 Genoese Mercenary Cavalry Brigade

Parma
-1 Parmesan Infantry Brigade

Milan
-3 Austrian Infantry Brigades
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade

Mantua
-3 Tuscan Infantry Brigades
-1 Austrian Infantry Brigade
-1 Modenese Infantry Brigade
-1 Austrian Engineer Brigade
-1 Tuscan Cavalry Brigade
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade


Lateran Fleet (Rome)
-1 Austrian BatRon, damaged
-1 Austrian Batron, lightly damaged
-2 Austrian CruRon
-1 Austrian CruRon, heavily damaged
-1 Knights of Malta CruRon, heavily damaged
-1 Papal CruRon
-2 Austrian PatRons
-2 Papal PatRons
-2 Maltese PatRons

Genoa
-3 Genoese CruRon
-6 Genoese PatRon

Venice
-2 Austrian BatRon
-4 Austrian CruRon
-3 Austrian PatRon

[TLS]

Iberian Theater

Summer, 1712

There is very little in the way of movement in the Iberian theater over the Summer. The Spanish hold the line along the frontier with France, along the Bay of Biscay, while the army based out of Badajoz continues to monitor the combined English-Portuguese army to their west. The reinforcements which were being raised at Barcelona similarly head north to meet with the army based out of Toulouse. The most noticeable change is that the English set sail from the Azores as soon as weather permits for the Caribbean, seeking to beat the Hurricane season and arrive in the Caribbean before their ships are at the mercy of the sea. The removal of the English squadron from the Azores reduces interception rates; the Portuguese are able to capture 1 Dutch Commercial Fleet and one Dutch PatRon (which is scuttled), but at the cost of both their PatRons (both are sunk or scuttled) based out of the Azores.

Losses in theater

Dutch
-1 Commercial Fleet captured by Portugal
-1 PatRon sunk

Portugal
-2 PatRons sunk

Forces in theater, end of Spring

Pro-Bourbon

Fixed Installations
-2 Fortresses (Lisbon, Porto)

Portalegre
-3 Portuguese Infantry Brigades
-1 Portuguese Cavalry Brigade
-2 English Infantry Brigades
-1 English Cavalry Brigade

Portuguese Squadron (Lisbon)
-2 Portuguese BatRon
-2 Portuguese CruRon
-2 Portuguese PatRon
-4 English BatRon
-2 English CruRon
-2 English PatRon

Azores Squadron (Azores)
-1 Portuguese BatRon
-2 Portuguese CruRon

Lateran Coalition

Fixed Positions
-9 Fortress (Pamplona, Bilbao, Figueres, Barcelona, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Madrid, Valencia, Ferrol)
-14 Garrisons (2 Pamplona, 2 Figueres, 2 Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville, Murcia, Badajoz, Ferrol, Valladolid, Zaragoza, Burgos, San Sebastian)
-4 Militia Infantry brigades (Pamplona, Figueres, Cadiz, Gibraltar)
-3 Infantry Battalions (Sardinia, Cartagena, Mahon)

Army of Navarra (Bidasoa River)
-2 Bavarian Infantry Brigades


Army of Castille (Badajoz)
- 5 Spanish Infantry Brigades
-2 Spanish Cavalry Brigades

Fleet (Ferrol) (predominantly on escort duty)
-2 BatRon
-15 CruRon
-7 PatRon (Ferrol, Cadiz, Seville, 2 Valencia, 2 Mahon)

[TLS]

French and Left-bank Rhine, Theater

Summer, 1712

THE NORTH

With two armies in Northern France, the Lateran Coalition attempts to leverage their numerical superiority to decisively crush the French army in the field. The task is, however, easier said than done. The Army of Wittelsbach, based out of Brussels and under Imperial command, is considerably closer to the enemy at Soissons than their counterparts in Strasbourg, the Austrian-led Army of Wurttemberg. The Austrians, additionally, have to either circumvent or captured two large French installations en route: the city of Metz and the fortress at Verdun. Leaving either unaddressed threatens to leave the French with an avenue to march into the Empire. As such, the planned pincer movement is unfeasible for the current season, and the Austrian-led army elects to focus on clearing the frontier—though some note that the Austrian reticence to try a forced-march to aid the Wittelsbach Emperor could be motivated by other, slightly more petty, reasons…

The Army of Wittelsbach, commanded by the Kaiser himself, plunges south towards Soissons, seeking to engage and defeat the French. Leaving Brussels with a nominal defensive force (the Fortress, an Austrian infantry brigade, and the garrison brigade) the Imperial army makes for the frontier at Mons. Meanwhile, the French have dedicated their entire cavalry force (including the Brandenburger cavalry based at Dunkirk) to the frontier, trying to establish a tripwire system to ascertain the headwinds of the Imperial army. The Imperials attempt to screen their movements with their cavalry units, and are only moderately successful; the French have 5 cavalry brigades to the Imperial 3, which allows the French to determine that the Imperials are attempting to force their way through the forests along the frontier from Mons, rather than Charleroi.

The French action plan swings into motion, though hastily due to the rapid approach of the Imperial army. Part of the French army breaks off and heads north, to Lille, for a swing through the Austrian Netherlands and a push on Brussels itself. The main army, under the Duc de Villars, elects to meet the Imperial army

Battle of the Mormal Forest, July 16

France
-6 French Infantry Brigades
-2 French Cavalry Brigades

Imperials
-2 Cologne Infantry Brigades
-3 Palatinate Infantry Brigades
-2 Bavarian Infantry Brigades
-1 Austrian Infantry Brigades
-1 Palatinate Cavalry Brigade
-1 Bavarian Cavalry Brigade
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade

The French army, due to the rapidity of events, is unable to establish an invested defensive position. The Duc is not seeking a decisive battle to destroy the Imperial army, but the same cannot be said for the Kaiser: though the Duc is playing for time, the Kaiser seeks a crushing victory. (There are no defensive or GC roll bonuses, this is purely up to the normal dice. The French commander will choose to prioritize escape and the continuance of his army, and attempt to disengage if he feels the battle is not worth continuing, but the Imperial commander is dead-set on a decisive win, and will be more aggressive.)

This is the first time the French and Imperial juggernauts have met on opposing lines of battle in a meaningful sense in decades, with almost 50,000 men taking to the field. The French, though outnumbered, are not (at least on paper) massively at a disadvantage, with their 8 brigades versus 11 Imperial. The armies thus line up in the fields just at the outskirts of the Mormal Forrest, outside the town of Valenciennes, their lines running through meadows, mid-summer-high wheat fields, and a generally idyllic rural scene. With the sun high overhead, the Kaiser orders his army forward into the French lines, confident of victory.

The French army, resplendent in its grandeur, stands by as the glistening Imperial army—arrayed in a variety of uniforms, banners, and arms—marches quickly to meet them. The Duc’s forces are the first to fire on the advancing Imperials, as the Imperial cavalry seeks to pre-occupy and drive away their French counterparts. French fire is generally accurate and effective (French infantry roll 4 hits, French cavalry roll 1 hit, for a total of 5: 4 Imperial Infantry, and 1 Imperial cavalry, are shattered) and the Imperial army is bloodied by their advance. However, the Imperial leviathan is prepared to give as good as it gets and essentially crashes into the French lines. The gory maelstrom continues for a little over an hour, with the creaky war-machines of both powers being shocked back into the reality of combat. However, as the acrid smoke lifts, it becomes evident that the Imperials have returned more than they received from the French (7 hits rolled, hitting 5 French infantry and 2 French cavalry).

Without his cavalry screen, and surrounded on all sides, the Duc is unable to do anything more than try to fight his way back to friendly lines at Cambrai, but the Imperials are much too powerful. Though he is able to inflict another blow on the Imperial army, the withering fire from the Kaiser’s forces crush remaining French soldiers underfoot, and the Duc’s army is decisively defeated. The last stand of his remaining infantry brigade was able to buy some space for a part of the army to retreat, but a large portion is either annihilated or captured, though the Duc himself is able to escape with his cavalry. (French roll a hit, disrupt Imperial cavalry brigade. The Imperials roll 5 hits, shattering 1 French brigade and essentially destroying/guaranteeing the capture of 4 more. Austrian cavalry is able to disrupt retreat to ensure capture of another infantry brigade remnant; French cavalry and 1 infantry remnant able to escape to Cambrai.)

Casualties

France
-5 infantry brigades shattered, captured
-1 infantry brigade shattered, reduced to a remnant
-2 cavalry brigades shattered, reformed into 1

Imperials
-2 Cologne Infantry brigades shattered, reformed into 1
-2 Bavarian infantry brigades shattered, reformed into 1
-1 Palatinate cavalry brigade shattered, reformed into 1 w/ Bavarians
-1 Bavarian cavalry brigade shattered, reformed into 1 w/ Palatinate

The French army pours back in disarray to Cambrai, where they meet with the rearguard (1 infantry brigade, 1 cavalry brigade uncommitted to the lowlands campaign or the battle). With the Imperial army right on their tail, and in no position to effectively resist a siege, the Duc decides that discretion is the better form of valor. The French cavalry covers a retreat as the army retreats to the Channel Coast, to the fortress at Dunkirk, and the exhausted Imperials do not give chase, instead waltzing into Cambrai to recuperate and plan the next move. Meanwhile, however, the Kaiser learns of the French swing into his rear—threatening his supply lines.

Battle of Brussels, June 23

Austria
-1 Fortress
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Garrison Brigade

France
-1 French Infantry Brigade
-1 Brandenburger Infantry Brigade
-1 French Cavalry Brigade
-1 Brandenburger Cavalry Brigade


The French find roughly the garrison they expected to find, and, per their orders, make an attempt to force the fortress to surrender. The Austrians are, however, fighting from behind a fortress walls, and their moderate numerical disadvantage is largely ameliorated by the benefits of their defensive position (FF turn plus defensive roll bonus). The attacking army is thus largely routed before it can even begin firing upon the defensive positions (FF turn disrupts 2 infantry brigades, but actual MF turn still remains; cavalry are thus drawn into fray) and the forces which make it to the melee are ineffectually (no French hits, both cavalry shattered). This army, like its larger counterpart, is also forced to beat a retreat back to Dunkirk.

Casualties of the Battle of Brussels

France
-1 French Infantry brigade shattered, reduced to a remnant (merges with existing remnant at Dunkirk to form brigade)
-1 Brandenburger infantry brigade shattered, reduced to battalion
-1 French cavalry brigade shattered, merged with Brandenburgers
-1 Brandenburger cavalry brigade shattered, merged with French

THE EAST

Meanwhile, the Army of Wurttemberg, the Austrian-led army commanded by the Count Claudius Florimund de Mercy begins its campaign to whittle down the French fortifications preventing the Imperial forces from dominating the region. The Austrian army marches into France and finds that local militia have attempted to delay their progress by destroying bridges, fords, etc. The small size of the local French military elements means that only the lowest hanging fruit (generally low-quality bridges) are able to be accomplished in time, but it does add an element of frustration to the Austrian advance. The first target for the Austrians is the nearby city of Metz, which is garrisoned by a militia brigade. The garrison puts up a fierce resistance (managing to score a hit, 1 Munster infantry brigade shattered, reduced to battalion) but is otherwise overwhelmed by the much larger Austrian force.

Following the fall of Metz, the Austrians are faced with a decision: circumventing the fortress at Verdun, to either march through Chalons and on to Paris or to try to merge with the Imperial army, but de Mercy believes that Verdun is too salient an installation to leave unaddressed. Leaving the Munster infantry battalion behind to maintain order, the Austrians march deeper into French territory. The French have a half-trained cavalry brigade tasked with trying to ascertain the Austrian’s intention, but the much larger and better trained Austrian cavalry screen is able to keep the French in the dark about their intentions. As such, the French are forced to keep their garrisons at Chalons and Verdun in place, lest one be surprised by an attack. By the time it is clear that the Austrians are moving on Verdun, the French infantry brigade at Chalons is too far away to attempt to reinforce the fortress.

Battle of Verdun, August 9

France
-1 Fortress
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Militia Brigade

Austria
-1 Wurttemberg Infantry Brigade
-1 Munster Infantry Brigades
-1 Wurzburg Infantry Brigade
-2 Austrian Infantry Brigade
-1 Wurttemberg Cavalry Brigade
-1 Munster Cavalry Brigade
-1 Wurzburg Cavalry Brigade

De Mercy—in fact, a man of Lorraine himself, though loyal to the House of Hapsburgs since he was wounded in the terrible Disaster of Vienna—knows that the fortress of Verdun is as a dagger pointed straight into the Austrian Netherlands. From Verdun, the French could easily march an army on Liege and then into the Rhineland. By now he has also heard of the Imperial victory at the Mormal Forest, and knows that the Austrian cause will be served by its own glorious victory. He thus elects to try to force the French fortress to surrender by strength of arms, though knowing that the casualties will not be insubstantial (the French get an FF turn and a defensive roll bonus).

The Austrian approach to the fortress occurs under a hail of bullets which, though not entirely ineffectual, leaves the majority of the force unscathed (FF: 1 hit by defending fortress, 1 Wurzburg inf brigade shattered). As the Austrians begin to blow away at the French fortress and force their way in, however, the French defenders find a sudden burst of military acumen, and their determined stand inflicts heavy casualties on the attacking forces (MF turn: each French unit scores a hit, 2 Austrian Infantry brigades and 1 Wurttemberg Cavalry brigade shattered). The defenders are unable to resist the Austrian tide, however, and fall to the Austrian attack (MF turn: the Austrians roll 5 hits under normal conditions, but with defensive roll bonus only end up landing 3—still enough to capture the fortress.)

Casualties of the Battle of Verdun

France
-1 Fortress captured
-1 Infantry brigade shattered, captured
-1 Militia brigade shattered, captured

Austria
-1 Wurzburg Infantry Brigade shattered, reduced to battalion
-2 Austrian Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 brigade
-1 Wurttemberg Cavalry Brigade shattered, reduced to remnant

After having captured Verdun, de Mercy gives his troops a week’s rest and then sets on one final goal for the season: capturing Chalons, the last French garrison in between him and his two potential goals: Paris and Soissons. The French have a reserve force based in Versailles, but they consist of the King’s personal guard, with whom he has no intention of parting lest uppity nobles or peasants attempt to take his life. As such, when the Austrian army comes upon the gates of Chalons it finds only the Cavalry brigade in training (treated as militia) and the Infantry Brigade garrison. Both fight fiercely (1 Wurzburg cavalry brigade shattered, reduced to remnant) but eventually fall to the invaders (French lose 1 Inf brigade captured, 1 cavalry brigade in training captured). De Mercy then elects to remain in his position until the end of the season, waiting for word from either the Emperor or his Archduke on whether to advance on Paris itself or to take the fortress at Soissons. His force is much depleted after attempting to romp through Eastern France, however.

THE SOUTH

The Spanish army in Southern France, having entered the war for the express purpose of aiding His Holiness the Pope, makes its goal for the season the relief of the siege at Avignon before making a move south towards the Mediterranean coast. Leaving the defense of Toulouse up to the reinforcements from Barcelona, the army marches across the Central Massif towards Italy. The French army, based in Bordeaux, anticipates that the Spanish will move against them, and thus hunkers in place in the coastal fortress, receiving reinforcements by sea. However, no attack is forthcoming, and by season’s end the French have amassed a decently sized force along the Bay of Biscay.

The Spanish army reaches Avignon in early August, where they meet the lonely French infantry brigade holding the Papal palace under siege. The French brigade is not only driven off but decisively defeated and captured (the Spanish force is so much larger it scores a stupid number of hits, plus they have cavalry advantage, so it is captured). With Avignon thus relieved, the Spanish make a move south to the French port at Marseilles. They arrive in Mid-August to find that they massive port, generally the anchorage of much of the French fleet, is largely empty—the French fleet has been sent on a mission to Italy, and the city is largely defended only by militia. The commandant of the naval station takes command of the defense of the city, and sounds the alarm: the regular militia brigade, plus two brigades of impromptu militia from the naval yard, and a naval infantry brigade from the damaged ships in port, answer the call to defend the city.

Battle of Marseille, August 20

France
-3 Militia Brigades
-1 Infantry Brigade

Spain
-7 Spanish Infantry Brigades
-3 Spanish Cavalry Brigades

The French have the benefit of fighting from a walled city against an attacking enemy (FF turn, plus defensive roll bonus, but as there is no fort the walls only provide the bonus.) The French defenders, like their counterparts to the north, fight fiercely to defend their hearths and homes (no hits during FF turn—they are militia, after all, and only hit on 1—but 2 in the MF turn, shattering 1 Infantry and 1 Cavalry brigade) but eventually fall to the attacking Spaniards (Spain rolls four 1s in the MF turn, so defensive bonus doesn’t help).

Casualties of the Battle of Marseilles

France
-3 Militia brigades shattered, captured
-1 Naval infantry brigade shattered, captured

Spain
-1 Infantry Brigade shattered, reduced to battalion
-1 Cavalry brigade shattered, reduced to regiment

The Spanish have thus taken the port at Marseille, but the French retain the Fortress at Toulon, giving their Mediterranean fleet an anchorage and providing one last impediment between the Spanish Army and the Italian peninsula.

ACROSS FRANCE

The response to the French King’s call to arms is mixed across France. Particularly when combined with the rolling series of defeats, it is ample fodder for the Papal party in France to argue that the King has decisively lost God’s blessings by his attacks on the Church. However, the prospect of Imperial armies rampaging across France, and potentially into Paris itself, to restore Papal dominance provokes considerable fear among the Protestant population. Though the Kaiser has clearly foresworn religious imagery and motivations, the Austrians stoke religious tensions along their path by restoring deposed clerics and moving to eject (largely Protestant) new landowners from the Church’s lands. As such, the French army sees a number of impromptu military bands form in largely Protestant areas to cling to the King’s banner—though no such patriotic fervor is seen in Catholic regions, which either watch with disinterest or, at worst, active anticipation of the French king’s defeat.

GAME EFFECT:
France receives 6 new Militia Infantry brigades (2 Bordeaux, Limoges, La Rochelle, Paris, Nancy)

Forces in theater, end of Summer

Pro-Bourbon

Fixed Installations
-5 Fortresses (Brest, Dunkirk, Belfort, Toulon, Soissons)
-13 Militia brigades (Brest, Dunkirk, Belfort, Toulon, Soissons, Bayonne, 3 Bordeaux, Paris, Limoges, La Rochelle, Nancy)

Dunkirk
-2 French infantry brigades
-1 Brandenburger infantry battalion
-2 French cavalry brigades
-1 Franco-Brandenburger cavalry brigade

Versailles
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Bordeaux
-2 French Infantry Brigades
-1 French Infantry Battalion
-2 French Cavalry Brigades

Lateran Coalition

Fixed Installations
-8 Fortress (Brussels, Avignon, Cologne, Mainz, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Trier, Heidelberg)
-4 Garrisons (Brussels, Antwerp, Mainz, Trier)

Army of Aragon (Marseille)
-6 Spanish Infantry Brigades
-1 Spanish Infantry Battalion
-2 Spanish Cavalry Brigades
-1 Spanish Cavalry Regiment

Toulouse
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Metz
-1 Munster Infantry Battalion

Verdun
-1 Wurzburg Infantry Battalion

Army of Wurttemberg (Chalons) (Under Austrian command)
-1 Wurttemberg Infantry Brigade
-1 Munster Infantry Brigades
-1 Wurzburg Infantry Brigade
-1 Austrian Infantry Brigade
-1 Wurttemberg-Wurzburg Cavalry Brigade
-1 Munster Cavalry Brigade

Army of Wittelsbach (Cambrai) (Under Imperial command)
-1 Cologne Infantry Brigades
-3 Palatinate Infantry Brigades
-1 Bavarian Infantry Brigades
-2 Austrian Infantry Brigades
-1 Wittelsbach Cavalry Brigade
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade[/u]

[TLS]

Italian Theater

Summer, 1712

NORTHERN ITALY

At season’s start there are three major sieges taking place: one of Milan, one of Mantua, and one of Naples. The first to see any movement is the siege of Milan; the besieging army is reduced in strength as the Franco-Savoyard army splits to deal with the two threats. The Duke of Savoy remains in charge of the siege of Milan, with 3 infantry brigade and 1 cavalry brigade, while the French component and much of the Savoyard Mercenary component races to try to relieve the siege of Mantua. Passing through Bergamo and Brescia, the army makes its presence known in an attempt to entice the siege to meet in battle: the gambit is successful. Leaving behind a small force to keep the siege going (the Austrian engineer brigade, the Modenese infantry brigade, and the nearby Parmesan infantry brigade) the Laterans elect to meet the Franco-Savoyard force in the field.

Battle of Guidizzolo, July 23

Laterans
-3 Tuscan Infantry Brigades
-1 Austrian Infantry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Cavalry Brigade
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade

French
-1 Savoy infantry brigade
-2 Savoy mercenary infantry brigades
-2 French Infantry Brigades
-1 Savoy mercenary cavalry brigade
-1 French cavalry brigade

The two sides are equally matched numerically, and neither benefits from the presence of a great captain or any real geographic feature—the Po Valley, in which the conflict takes place, is not known for its harsh geography. The armies thus engage in a battle of wits and steel; the Franco-Savoyard force is ordered to exercise greater caution, and while the Laterans are fighting to defend “home turf”, they are currently fighting in Austrian land, and thus see an incentive for them to save the core of their forces if it looks like things will go the wrong way.

Crucially, the French order their cavalry to remain out of the fray to preserve their strength to cover a retreat or a potential pursuit, and thus the Lateran slight disadvantage in terms of brigades is negated. The French decision proves its merit, however, when the results of the brief battle make themselves known: the Laterans focus all of their fire on the French infantry, who return the same punishment in spite of their reduced numbers (each side scores 4 hits; the French suffer entirely infantry hits, while the Laterans see 2 Tuscan and 1 Austrian infantry brigade shattered, as well as 1 Tuscan cavalry brigade). The French thus elect to withdraw back to Milan to reinforce the siege there.

Casualties of the Battle of Guidizzolo

Laterans
-2 Tuscan Infantry Brigades shattered, reduced to 1 brigade
-1 Austrian infantry brigade shattered, reduced to regiment
-1 Tuscan infantry brigade shattered, reduced to regiment

French
-2 Savoy mercenary infantry brigades shattered, reduced to 1 brigade
-2 French infantry brigades shattered, reduced to 1 brigade

The armies return to their sieges, which continue apace. The siege of Mantua succeeds by early August; the effete and hedonistic Duke of Mantua, rather than face a bloodbath and deprivation to lose his holding in a violent sacking, surrenders once it becomes evident his position is untenable (Mantua rolled 4,5,5 for the turn; as the siege is in its second season, the fortress falls on a 5 or 6.) Up in Milan, the Austrian garrison continues to hold out for rescue, and though the situation is growing dire, the greater issues seem to afflict the besiegers, rather than the besieged, and 2 Savoyard infantry brigades are shattered, and combined into 1 (Milan rolls a 4,1,1—1 is a hit to the besiegers. Note that next season a 4 would result in the Fortress falling.)

The Lateran fanfare for having captured Mantua is short-lived, however, as news reaches Mantua that the French have landed an army in Tuscany. Relying on their massive naval domination in the region—the Lateran fleets have essentially withdrawn to defend their key installations and focused on maintain their fleets-in-being—the French land an army near Pisa. 2 French Infantry Brigades and 1 Neapolitan Infantry brigade force their way into the city, and though the local garrison fights strongly it is soon overwhelmed (French lose 1 Infantry brigade reduced to battalion, Pisa garrison destroyed and city is captured). The combined Bourbon army makes its ways to the gates of Florence itself and lay siege to the city, demanding that the Medicis surrender—if they do, they will be allowed to keep their lands as vassals of the Savoyard King-to-be.

The Lateran army thus faces a conundrum; it can either take the momentum to liberate Milan, or it can move to relieve the siege of Florence. Cognizant of the politics involved, the Austrians defer to their Italian allies and allow for the army to move south, though also moves some reserves to the city of Parma as a forward guard, as well as leaving the Austrian infantry battalion in Mantua as a garrison.

Battle of Florence, August 14

Laterans
-1 Fortress
-2 Tuscan Infantry Brigades
-1 Modenese Infantry Brigade
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Cavalry Regiment

Bourbons
-1 French Infantry Brigade
-1 Neapolitan Infantry Brigade

The French and Neapolitans have invested a siege against Florence, but their positions are facing towards the city, not outwards (the receive a defensive roll bonus against the fort, but not the attacking army). Their tenacity is not insubstantial; though heavily outnumbered, the French force is able to take advantage of the Italian disarray to score a number of hits before being overwhelmed (combat is 2 turns; first turn the Laterans score 1 hit, the French 1, 2nd turn the Laterans score 3, the Bourbons also score 1). The Bourbon threat to Florence is thus quashed.

Casualties of the Battle of Florence

Laterans
-1 Tuscan infantry brigade shattered, reduced to battalion
-1 Tuscan cavalry regiment shattered, destroyed

Bourbons
-1 French infantry brigade shattered, captured
-1 Neapolitan infantry brigade shattered, captured

The combined force then goes after the remaining French battalion in Pisa, which is quickly beaten into submission (Laterans are able to negate it without taking any hits). Though the French expedition does not result in the destruction or capture of Tuscany, it crucially distracts the Army of the Po for a number of weeks, whittles down the Tuscan military, and forces the Tuscans to withhold much of their army for defensive purposes. The Lateran cause in Italy is again bolstered by a German army coming south over the alps, this time a contingent from Bavaria arriving in Parma in mid-September. However, the situation in Milan is increasingly dire, and it is not altogether obvious that the Coalition will be able to rally in time to save the army trapped there.

SOUTHERN ITALY

The French high command, recognizing that their naval dominance gives them an opportunity to force an end to the siege of Naples, drafts orders to send a mighty fleet to relieve the city. Setting sail from the island of Malta, the fleet fights against currents and wind—harnessing the galley power common to many Mediterranean ships—to make it there in due time. As the fleet turns into the Gulf of Naples, however, they find that the Papal standard already flies from the bannisters of Naples—the relief has come too late. (Naples rolled a 5,2,4—meaning that the city fell at the beginning of July, as it was the 2nd season).

The French fleet does not arrive to no purpose, however, as the fall of Naples was only made possible by the presence of a Lateran blockade to help snuff out the merchant trade—and the remnants of said blockade remain in place. Unable to save their comrades in the fallen city—including the Duke of Lorraine, who has been captured by the Pope—the French navy does the next best thing: revenge.

Battle of the Gulf of Naples, July 10

Laterans
-2 Austrian CruRon
-1 Papal CruRon
-2 Austrian PatRons
-2 Papal PatRons
-2 Maltese PatRons

Bourbons
-1 Hv BatRon
-2 BatRon

The opening French salvo is a deafening blast heard across the Gulf—and it is deadly. Two of the Austrian CruRons are completely annihilated in the whirlwind of lead, shrapnel, and splinters, while the Papal CruRon takes a hit (The Bourbons land 3 hits, but 2 of them roll crits and instantly sink the Austrian ships). The Laterans actually manage to land more hits, but they are less effective (4 hits, no crits, each ship lightly damaged). The French continue their retribution, and in the process cripple the majority of the Lateran fleet (Papal CruRon disabled, plus 2 Austrian PatRons and 2 Maltese PatRons) and again taking minimal hits (1 hit against 1 BatRon). The French refuse to relent even when it has become apparent that they are clearly masters of these waters, and simply destroy every Lateran ship still in the Gulf (the French score like 7 hits against 2 PatRons and a bunch of disabled ships—it’s purely overkill at this point to guarantee that the ships all sink). Though the loss of Naples is substantial, the Laterans have lost the vast majority of their naval presence in the Tyrrhenian.

Casualties of the Battle of the Gulf of Naples

Laterans
-2 Austrian CruRon, sunk
-1 Papal CruRon, sunk
-2 Austrian PatRons, sunk
-2 Papal PatRons, sunk
-2 Maltese PatRons, sunk

Bourbons
-1 Hv BatRon lightly damaged, [1 turn, 1.5 point]
-2 BatRon lightly damaged, [1 turn, 1 point each]

The Pope is not present in the city to see the humiliating defeat, as he has already been forced to turn back north by his allies. They indulged his focus on Naples, but with the news from the North recognize that the critical mass of the Bourbon military force is in the Po Valley. The Pope thus splits his army in two; half is left in Naples to garrison, while the other half heads north to Rome and possibly beyond. All the while, the Neapolitan cavalry regiments continue to harass, delay, and undermine the Papal Army’s presence along the coastal region.

Forces in Theater, end of Summer

Bourbons

Fixed Installations
-1 Fortresses (Turin)
-5 Garrisons (Savoy proper, Nice, Messina, Syracuse, Palermo)

Milan
-4 Savoyard Infantry Brigades
-1 French infantry brigade
-1 Savoyard Mercenary Infantry Brigade
-1 French cavalry brigade
-1 Savoyard Cavalry Brigade
-1 Savoyard Mercenary Cavalry Brigade

Nice
-1 French Cavalry brigade

Messina
-1 Neapolitan Infantry Brigades
-1 PatRon

Rural Naples
-3 Neapolitan cavalry regiments

Toulon
-2 Hv BatRon
-3 BatRon
-1 CruRon, damaged

Malta
-1 Hv BatRon
-2 BatRon
-1 PatRon

Laterans

Fixed Positions
-8 Fortresses (Rome, Urbino, Genoa, Florence, Modena, Parma, Milan, Venice)
-7 Garrisons (Lazio, Romagna, Genoa, Pisa, 2 Venice, Milan)

Naples
-2 Papal Infantry Brigades
-1 Papal Cavalry Brigade

Rome
-2 Swiss Infantry Brigades
-1 Swiss Cavalry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Mercenary Infantry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Mercenary Cavalry Brigade

Genoa
-2 Genoese Mercenary Infantry Brigades
-1 Genoese Mercenary Cavalry Brigade

Parma
-3 Bavarian infantry brigades
-1 Parmesan Infantry Brigade
-1 Modenese Infantry Brigade
-1 Tuscan Infantry Brigade
-1 Bavarian Engineer Brigade
-1 Austrian Engineer Brigade
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade

Pisa
-1 Tuscan Infantry Battalion

Milan
-3 Austrian Infantry Brigades
-1 Austrian Cavalry Brigade

Mantua
-1 Austrian Infantry Battalion

Lateran Fleet (Rome)
-1 Austrian BatRon, damaged
-1 Austrian Batron, lightly damaged
-1 Austrian CruRon, heavily damaged
-1 Knights of Malta CruRon, heavily damaged

Genoa
-3 Genoese CruRon
-6 Genoese PatRon

Venice
-2 Austrian BatRon
-4 Austrian CruRon
-3 Austrian PatRon

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