Well, the start of a new decade! I was cleared the bottles of Burgundy from the office party when Catherine de' Medici arrived with her female cohorts. "What's this" she screamed, waiving my expenses claim in her hand "It's outrageous". Given the successes of the last few years I felt it quite modest; Gouvernante de France, Sack, Grand Tour, Army Mutiny, City State Rebels, Witchcraft, Signal Fires and 5,000 in silver from the colony of Florida. "Why with this money I could invade England, loot London and shangahi England players for the French Football team". I demurred, we did not even contol the whole of France, and there were budding French artistes crying out for patronage. We could also send the great scientist and explorer le Testu to circumnavigate the world and Villegaignan to settle new colonies.
"And Charles IX is still unmarried" she added as her acne-infested son slunk in beind her, "What are you going to do about it?". There was also the widow of her elder (dead) son Francis II, Mary Queen of Scots to deal with. The could not marry each other, the Bible forbids it, look what happend to Henry VIII when married his brother's widow, trouble all over the place. I explained that there was a shortage of eligible princesses available, except Elizabeth I of England and she spent to much time around the stables with Leicester for my liking. Anyway, I dug old an old marriage agreement and blew off the dust, here we have an signed and sealed engagement between Queen Mary and William of Orange. "That heretic!" she screamed "I cannot let him get a foothold in Scotland". I explained that we had made the deal and would have to keep it even if William did stink of herring. I assured her that Scotland was still Catholic and firmly supported Mary. "It's as if she was the manager of their national football team, the follow her 110%" I explained. "Well, perhaps you know best, but I shall tolerate no failure" and with that she vanished into the night.
The problem about having so many goodies is that you are loathe to give them up. It's easy to offer someone a card if you have a bunch of one and twos, but not if they are fours and fives. Anyway a Witchcraft hunt looked good and Grand Tour allowed me to call peace whenever I liked.
The Ottomans remained too far away to negotiate with, we had nothing to offer each other.
Spain confirmed that an alliance would be made as previously agreed, a new era of Franco-Spanish co-operation :o)
England muscled in "Everyone wants me to invade, but if you give me a (short) engagement between Charles Valois and Elizabeth Tudor, marriage between Mary Stuart and Henry Darnley, Calais to me as wedding gift, tribute from French, chocolate bon-bons, the lastest dresses from Paris, a white pony, a crate of Burgundy and only then I may deign to make peace between our countries." I played my trump card, Grand Tour allows me to declare peace at any time so that Wiggo can ride in peace and quiet, and I cannot cede Calais anyway, that is so 1517. My counter-offer of marriage between Charles IX and Elizabeth I with a peace and tribute was turned down, though we kinda agreed to not play tricks on each other.
The Emperor sent 4,000 more mercenaries to defend Paris, part of the price for marrying Elisabeth de Valois. He also sent us an "Experiance Pilot", Klein Henszlein, the man who knew every shipwreck in the South Atlantic, having put most of them there himself. His only request was that we would pay him back when negotiating for the marriages of Anna and Elisabeth of Austria when they reached maturity.
With the Protestants I felt I could take a high hand as the French Army now had the means to crush the Huguenots. I requested a card to keep the status quo, they blustered in return demanding a card from France for tehm to keep the status quo. There was no meeting of minds, but he still wanted to continue the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to William of Orange and I was bound to agree. I told young Henri d'Anjou to prepare the army of 5,000 French Regulars and 7,000 German Mercenaries to march on the Huguenot bastion of la Rochelle.
"And Charles IX is still unmarried" she added as her acne-infested son slunk in beind her, "What are you going to do about it?". There was also the widow of her elder (dead) son Francis II, Mary Queen of Scots to deal with. The could not marry each other, the Bible forbids it, look what happend to Henry VIII when married his brother's widow, trouble all over the place. I explained that there was a shortage of eligible princesses available, except Elizabeth I of England and she spent to much time around the stables with Leicester for my liking. Anyway, I dug old an old marriage agreement and blew off the dust, here we have an signed and sealed engagement between Queen Mary and William of Orange. "That heretic!" she screamed "I cannot let him get a foothold in Scotland". I explained that we had made the deal and would have to keep it even if William did stink of herring. I assured her that Scotland was still Catholic and firmly supported Mary. "It's as if she was the manager of their national football team, the follow her 110%" I explained. "Well, perhaps you know best, but I shall tolerate no failure" and with that she vanished into the night.
The problem about having so many goodies is that you are loathe to give them up. It's easy to offer someone a card if you have a bunch of one and twos, but not if they are fours and fives. Anyway a Witchcraft hunt looked good and Grand Tour allowed me to call peace whenever I liked.
The Ottomans remained too far away to negotiate with, we had nothing to offer each other.
Spain confirmed that an alliance would be made as previously agreed, a new era of Franco-Spanish co-operation :o)
England muscled in "Everyone wants me to invade, but if you give me a (short) engagement between Charles Valois and Elizabeth Tudor, marriage between Mary Stuart and Henry Darnley, Calais to me as wedding gift, tribute from French, chocolate bon-bons, the lastest dresses from Paris, a white pony, a crate of Burgundy and only then I may deign to make peace between our countries." I played my trump card, Grand Tour allows me to declare peace at any time so that Wiggo can ride in peace and quiet, and I cannot cede Calais anyway, that is so 1517. My counter-offer of marriage between Charles IX and Elizabeth I with a peace and tribute was turned down, though we kinda agreed to not play tricks on each other.
The Emperor sent 4,000 more mercenaries to defend Paris, part of the price for marrying Elisabeth de Valois. He also sent us an "Experiance Pilot", Klein Henszlein, the man who knew every shipwreck in the South Atlantic, having put most of them there himself. His only request was that we would pay him back when negotiating for the marriages of Anna and Elisabeth of Austria when they reached maturity.
With the Protestants I felt I could take a high hand as the French Army now had the means to crush the Huguenots. I requested a card to keep the status quo, they blustered in return demanding a card from France for tehm to keep the status quo. There was no meeting of minds, but he still wanted to continue the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to William of Orange and I was bound to agree. I told young Henri d'Anjou to prepare the army of 5,000 French Regulars and 7,000 German Mercenaries to march on the Huguenot bastion of la Rochelle.