Italy Megacampaign: Part 12: 1574-1586: Diplomatic New World Order Breaks Down

Success of diplomacy at Great Ecumenical Council of Jerusalem, and Diet of Frankfurt resulted in brief surge of optimism that perhaps now diplomacy and not war can be used to resolve international conflict. Predictably, that did not last long.

In informal talks, emperor Charles of Burgundy promised emperor me some help in resolving the issue of Italian-inhabited South Tirol, currently an Austrian exclave. It would be traded for some adequate monetary compensation, and thus Southern borders of the HRE would be settled just like its Western borders were settled with France.

Archduke Albrecht of Austria refused to even consider that, and Charles of Burgundy decided to bury his previous rivalry with Austria, and sided with them.

I backed down from this confrontation, but to avoid losing face before the Senate, I decided to deal with Genoa and Naples instead. That meant conflict with France.

Shockingly my navy - underinvested for generations due to lack of serious enemies - suffered two major defeats against much more modern French navy. First defeat seemed like just bad luck, but then in second one the French even managed to sink our flagship, as well as flagship captured from the Mamluks.

That needed to be avenged, so I sacked Paris, then forced that PU over Provence to end.

Then I was getting tired of Tlemcen's constant breaking of trade power transfer, so I vassalized Fezzan which broke away from the Mamluks and gave them half of Tlemcen's lands. I might release them later, since it's all basically worthless except for one gold mine still in Tlemcen.

After that Spain and Commonwealth attacked France in plain land grab. Spain lost this war and one border province.

The new diplomatic order was falling apart elsewhere too. Queen Margaret of Britain inherited throne of Liege, and Charles of Burgundy challenged that. In the end Britain's lack of continental allies was its doom, and Burgundy outright annexed Liege.

The diplomatic new world order collapsed completely when Reformed Sweden declared its independence against Protestant Denmark, bringing the half of Europe not busy fighting over Liege or Aquitaine to war. The most significant country which avoided wars in 5 years following it was probably Bulgaria. Which lasted 8 years before getting attacked by the Commonwealth.

My fleet got new flagship Santa Margherita, but it was at half it previous strength, with major ship building only started. So I didn't challenge Danish fleet and stay away from Baltic - landing in mainland Denmark and then in Norway, and walking from there.

I only sailed my new fleet late in the war, and we managed to sink Danish fleet including their flagship. Sweden got its independence.

Colonial race is finally starting. I have 3 CNs and 5 trade companies. Spain has 2 CNs and 5 trade companies. France has 1 CN and 1 trade company. Norway started settling Newfoundland. Russia is settling Siberia. So far there's abundant space for everyone.

Meanwhile Portugal, one of few remaining Catholic countries, converted to Protestantism.

 League Wars were avoided, but Swedish War of Independence (pictured here), War of Liege Succession, Spanish-French War over Aquitaine, Holy War For Napoli, and so many other wars added together added to just as much bloodshed

France also supported Swedish independence but since Commonwealth was on opposite side of Spanish-French War, it couldn't join

After embarrassing performance against France, I landed in Jutland and Norway to unsiege Sweden.

The other half of my armies fought Hungary, Thuringia, Brunswick, and then joined.

I had to go as far as sieging down Novgorod before this war ended.