The Age of Enlightenment. Game 9.

Look we don't talk about Saturday nights in Aberdeen...what happens on Union Street, stays on Union Street...esp after 10pm...

And think of it as a precursor to Aberdeen's involvement in the wealth of the oil and gas industry

It has to be said, I am impressed by Prince Yea...I think Lord Fong has been too soft on the barbarians...why did I not think of a "Correction Centre"!

Do "Correction Centers" Deal with just bad spelling or do they do maths as well?

I think they also help teach people to swim given the water equipment being added

Got to say this line in today's turn's newspaper made me laugh out loud for real and not just in social media

The English make war like they make love, a fumbling build up and then a clumsy denouement.

Sep 1706. All eyes turn Eastward,

1.  The Middle Kingdom is a hive of activity with the Lords Fong and Yea vying with each other to gain the favour of the Manchu Emperor.  Fong's henchman Dr Fu Manchu begs the holder of the Mandate of Heavens permission to allow the hated barbarians to trade in the newly acquired territory of Singapore.  What will the Dutch do now?
 
2. Lord Yea appears to be setting the 33 Austrian Missionaries on the road to martyrdom with their imprisonment in the board of punishment.  Yea's diplomats travel to Korea to gain naval technology and remind the King he is the Emperors vassal, whilst his officials prostate themselves before the Emperor in Peking.  The isolationist Manchu Empire appears to be turning a new page.

3.  Dacca has spilt from the Moghul Empire and is now an independent state, the extent of the new nation is unknown.

4.  The Grand-Vizier ruminates with his Master the Sultan on the trustworthiness of the Christian unbelievers in the west, Lord Fong however is seen as a honourable man who would make a worthy ally.  Rumelia will supply the necessary Christian children for the Sultan's slave army.  The renewal of Christian recruitment has not went down well with the recently recruited Turkish Muslim Janissaries of Rumelia, rebellion has been mentioned.

5.  The Tsar has also become active again, the rebels of Poltava has returned to fold and the Cossack rebels wish to make terms.

6.  King Charles XII continues to press for Courland to be passed to his rules and he wishes to propose to Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg.  Despite their differences on other matters the Bavarian and Spanish governments voice their support for the Polish Government position on the matter.

7.  The Emperor and the Elector of Bavaria have met in Munich, the meeting appears to have gone well with both parties expressing their wish to return to an amicable relationship.  The Elector urges the Emperor to move his troops to the southern border, whilst the Emperor invites the Elector to Vienna,

8.  70,000 Reich and Austrian troops have paraded in Cologne before Prince Eugene, the Hanoverian General Du Luc and the young Dessauer.  The Emperor's diplomats remind the Grand Duke of Tuscany that he is the Emperor's Vassal and the Duke of Savoy that Savoy is a member of the Upper Rhenish circle of the HRE.

9.  Somewhat confusingly there are now 3 parties lodging cases claiming Flanders with the Imperial Court in Wetzlar.  The French, the Spanish and the Austrians, the court appears to be supportive of the Spanish claim, but will formally rule later in the year.

10.  French troops appear to have completely withdrawn from Flanders, French diplomats and churchmen however vigorously proclaim the Dauphin right to the Spanish throne in Madrid and Rome.  The repudiation of the clause in King Louis XIV marriage contract removing his heirs from the Spanish line of succession could invalidate the entire marriage.

11.  The James Stuart and the Jacobite court has relocated to Madrid, much to the glee of the Spanish Government, which has afforded them a most gracious welcome.  The anti-Williamite rhetoric continues as usual, but there is a marked change of tone towards the French, King Louis XIV has been misled by Williamite agents and propaganda.  The war aside the Spanish Government has been active in the legal, diplomatic and financial spheres as well.

12.  The Infanta has returned to Madrid whilst her mother the Dowager-Queen has retreated to a Nunnery in Rome.  The Cardinal-General has left Rome with the Spanish delegation, but not before delivering one of his rhetorical flourishes, as in Madrid the anti-French theme of his past statements have been notably toned down.

13.  The active war continues, Cadiz is still under Anglo-Dutch blockade and the English Siege of Havana slowly grinds on.

14.  A Jacobite mob riot in York, which results in the murder of the Anglican Archbishop.  

15.  An outbreak of Hessian Fly appears on the Franco-Spanish borders and in England.

A brilliant summary Goldstar, thank you

Goldstar wrote:Sep 1706. All eyes turn Eastward,

1.  The Middle Kingdom is a hive of activity with the Lords Fong and Yea vying with each other to gain the favour of the Manchu Emperor.  Fong's henchman Dr Fu Manchu begs the holder of the Mandate of Heavens permission to allow the hated barbarians to trade in the newly acquired territory of Singapore.  What will the Dutch do now?

I'm about to open a fast-food Chinese home delivery service, based in Singapore...I am sure the Dutch will prove good customers


 

Goldstar wrote:
2. Lord Yea appears to be setting the 33 Austrian Missionaries on the road to martyrdom with their imprisonment in the board of punishment.  Yea's diplomats travel to Korea to gain naval technology and remind the King he is the Emperors vassal, whilst his officials prostate themselves before the Emperor in Peking.  The isolationist Manchu Empire appears to be turning a new page.

I told you, Lord Fong is soft and cuddly really


 

Goldstar wrote:
4.  The Grand-Vizier ruminates with his Master the Sultan on the trustworthiness of the Christian unbelievers in the west, Lord Fong however is seen as a honourable man who would make a worthy ally.

Clearly the Ottomans are great judges of character

Agree with Jason, the line "The English make war like they make love, a fumbling build up and then a clumsy denouement" was a corker.

I know me and Kerensky are at odds in this game, but his style and contribution are very good....I just dont like being on the receiving end (thankfully not in this case)

Thanks Chaps. I must admit, I quite enjoyed drafting that turn. I have a few amusing outlines for October’s submission. Now I have a General ‘Dirty’ Vegas ‘in game’, anything is possible...

Another good summary from Goldstar, although one minor correction. I believe one of the two speeches in support of the Polish was from the Elector of Liege-Cologne, not me. I would hate to claim credit for that short, yet eloquent, piece of prose.

I fear the Cardinal-General may be deeply troubled by the death of a fellow churchman in York. I fear that the Jacobites seem to be gaining a surprising momentum... I will prepare an appropriate service.

Quite pleased to be called out for being ‘well versed among the People of the Book’, by the Grand Vizier.

If the Grand Vizier and new Bey of Rumelia are not members of the Umma themselves, I would recommend ‘Misquoting Muhammad’, by Jonathan Brown. He is a convert like myself, although with Magna Cum Laude in History from Georgetown, which aids his prose.

It is an accessible, yet deep, introduction. I even learnt a few things myself on Islamic beliefs and law. He is Sunni, and follows Hanbali school of jurisprudence (I have my heart with Hanbali, although I practice a lot of Shafi’i, which is prevalent in South East Asia).

& remember guys, your Janissaries are often Sufi’s, while you are Sunni. You will need to navigate that one carefully.

I have been a bit surprised at the seeming rapid advance of the Jacobites in England, maybe another Jacobite Restoration is on the cards?

Jason2 wrote:I have been a bit surprised at the seeming rapid advance of the Jacobites in England, maybe another Jacobite Restoration is on the cards?

England is an enigma, King William III appears to be a hard and uncompromising man who is more than ready to die in a ditch as he once promised to do before Amsterdam rather than back down. Despite this and the strange miracle birth of Prince George, I think the Jacobite revival owns more to Spanish gold and the dark hand of the Cardinal-General rather than a genuine enthusiasm for the House of Stuart. The Highland Clans have not risen and King Charles XII appears ready to play the role of protestant champion and land Swedish troops if the Papist try to restore James Stuart.

I have been reliably informed these the Cardinal-General remains fervently hopeful, of a peaceful settlement in the British Isles, between the Williamite & Jacobite factions.

He informs me that he has allowed the Jacobites to run a few small fund raising ventures, including a jumble sale, two sponsored afternoon tea’s (with tombola), and a ‘best damson jam’ competition. All of these have been independently organised by the Jacobite W.I., under the guiding hand of Lady Seeona Epiphany Dillon.

Spanish Gold remains firmly under lock & key, although there was ‘a bit of a whip round’ after the last cabinet meeting ,to pay for young Jaime III’s new digs @ the El Pardo palace.

The Cardinal-General remains a man committed to faith, peace & a unified Spain.

In one game (G2) the King Philip of Spain married one of James II of Englands daughters.

Sadly the Queen passed away in child birth but her younger son went on to become the King of France. After a revolution in Franch killed most of the Royal Family the French had to borrow a legitimate Bourbon from Spain (lucky they had a spare!).

Note......no messing around with miracle babies or trying to crown cedet menbers of the Bourbon family. But this may have had something to do with the one armed warlord from Madrid marching on Paris with 150,000 Bourbon Troops and offering a nice simple option of me, my son or I start taking heads.

King Philip elder son became the Infante of Spain & in a move which really, really wound up the English he was also made Prince of Wales and the Jacobite heir to the Crowns of England, Ireland and Scotland. Not sure what happened to James Stuart but think he may have joined the Church as a Cardinal and abdicated his claim in favour of his sisters eldest son. With backing from both Spain and France their was a theory that at some stage James Stuart might even be made Pope. To say the London Government was upset is a major understatement!!

Now in G10 I think the Cardinals-General's policy can be seen in the light of finding a suitable Consort for the miracle baby Queen of Spain. Basically with all the questions and doubts about her birth and true father no respectable Catholic Royal Family will touch her with a barge pole so when she is old enough the Cardinal intends to marry he to James Stuart. Who is a suitable Catholic Royal and perhaps desperate enough to take rich but rather soiled goods.

LONG LIVE QUEEN CHRISTINA QUEEN OF SPAIN, ENGLAND, IRELAND & SCOTLAND .......same titles as Mary Tudor would have held if only she had lived a bit longer. Some how I think that this could lead to trouble

The Cardinal-General took a long, slow pull on his Havana cigar. The end glowed, bright in the gloom of the Roman evening. The quiet hum of cicadas drifted onto the veranda.

He poured final glasses of Patron, for him and his last guest, the ‘other’ Cardinal Portocarrero.

In the spare armchair, his white cat began to purr gently.

‘We depart for El Escorial in the morning. I will miss the Roman nightfalls. I have enjoyed our conversations...’

The white cat purred on into the timeless Roman night

Are you just preparing the next Apollo speech for the Grand Wizzy Wizzard? Are they about to appear in G9 as well ? Now that would be a real conspiracy story.....

Breaking News!

Are Grand Wizzy Wizzard & the Sock Puppeteers preparing to join G9?
When approached for comment, the (not so) shadowy Wizzy replied:
‘B*gger Off, I’m incognito.’

Now, back to JFlowers in the newsroom for our next in depth analysis, ‘Punt, Shunt and Hunt: Legal Legends or Absolute Clowns?’

Hi all,

i'm very happy to say that since de last couple of years the arrival of new players in this game has brought up the enjoyability level! Special mention for Kerensky, with many of you seems to already know. I have to admit that i need to take my time to read the Spanish part of the Journal, but it is worth every moment. Unfortunately sometimes is too difficult to translate, but really great!

So i think i'm going for a big thanks everybody!!!

(and of course thanks Goldstar, nice to be mentioned again )

@ Nexus. Thank You, that is very kind of your to say. I am glad you enjoy it.

I do mix up the idiom & linguistic cadence for effect, so it will complicate translation. I am always happy to aid in translation (& convert passages to more idiomatically correct English).

Just drop me a PM with any passages you would like a hand with converting, and I will turn it round in a few days.

Not so sure Im enjoying reading of the pro-French "love-in" for Kerensky (Spain). I fear some wizardry magic at play here and he has us under a spell !

Spanish Govt in G7 is starting to feel really boring and unloved compared to the G9 Spanish Government and its gleaming 1st rate propaganda machine and the thrilling flying by the seat of the pants G10 Government of Spain and the Spanish/French/Austrian/Papal Viceroy of Naples.

To date in G7 the Cardinal has had zero charges of High Treason, Usurping the throne or Necomancy and only the odd charge of funding civil wars in the British Isles.

The Queen is a married mother of four from Milan, all by her husband who no one has a bad word to say about apart from lovers of traditional art....she likes modern for 1700 Art.

And the Viceroy of Naples is the ex Dowager Queen of Spain (wife of Carlos II) and the worst said about her is that she likes to unload Tourist tat plates on visitors to Naples. Since this was said by a Jacobite it naturally does not count.

Proposals to make help G7 Spain catch up with other Spanish Governments anyone?

You have overlooked the outstanding success of G9's Spain that all others have failed to achieve...

In G9 the Spanish have managed to make a friend of Lord Fong, who we all know is the most enlightened, civilised and honourable man in each game, and he treats the Spanish with as much respect and decency that a man as great as he can show to a barbarian nation...

...so Stuart, just make friends with Lord Fong in G7...simples

Jason2 wrote:You have overlooked the outstanding success of G9's Spain that all others have failed to achieve...

In G9 the Spanish have managed to make a friend of Lord Fong, who we all know is the most enlightened, civilised and honourable man in each game, and he treats the Spanish with as much respect and decency that a man as great as he can show to a barbarian nation...

...so Stuart, just make friends with Lord Fong in G7...simples

Made friends with Lord Yea of the Shantung Province of the Heavenly Celestial Manchu Empire does that count? Or has it got to be Lord Fong?

Very large chunk of G7 World trade now involves the Hongs export of Silks, Tea and Porcelain and other goods to the America's in exchange for the Gold, Silver and Copper needed for them to pay their taxes to Manchu Lords like Lord Fong. Which in turn pays the Manchu Cavalry.

At one stage it was agreed that the whole basis of world trade is female and horse fashion's in the America's and China. How many silk dresses does one woman need?

Well clearly Lord Fong is THE man but if you only have access to a Lord/Prince (delete as appropriate) Yea...

Kerensky wrote:Thanks Chaps. I must admit, I quite enjoyed drafting that turn. I have a few amusing outlines for October’s submission. Now I have a General ‘Dirty’ Vegas ‘in game’, anything is possible...

Another good summary from Goldstar, although one minor correction. I believe one of the two speeches in support of the Polish was from the Elector of Liege-Cologne, not me. I would hate to claim credit for that short, yet eloquent, piece of prose.

I fear the Cardinal-General may be deeply troubled by the death of a fellow churchman in York. I fear that the Jacobites seem to be gaining a surprising momentum... I will prepare an appropriate service.

Quite pleased to be called out for being ‘well versed among the People of the Book’, by the Grand Vizier.

If the Grand Vizier and new Bey of Rumelia are not members of the Umma themselves, I would recommend ‘Misquoting Muhammad’, by Jonathan Brown. He is a convert like myself, although with Magna Cum Laude in History from Georgetown, which aids his prose.

It is an accessible, yet deep, introduction. I even learnt a few things myself on Islamic beliefs and law. He is Sunni, and follows Hanbali school of jurisprudence (I have my heart with Hanbali, although I practice a lot of Shafi’i, which is prevalent in South East Asia).

& remember guys, your Janissaries are often Sufi’s, while you are Sunni. You will need to navigate that one carefully.

Being the type of Christain who knows the Chapel he does not attend when playing Rumelia in G2 had to look up Ottoman religious belief. Partly to check why I was getting so much grief from the Grand Mufti over wine, tobacco, being nice to non Papist Christians (major part of population in Rumelia) and just about every damn thing.

Found out that the Ottomans like all other Turkish States were hanafites. Of the four schools of sunni Islam, the hanafite give the greatest scope to icma - consensus of opinion - as a basis for legal inferernces and are thus the most tolerant and flexible of the schools.
In game terms decided that "consensus of opinion" is what my Govt expressed through the Seyhulislam of Rumelia thinks. So being a hanafite was ok and did not need alteration.

Also found out that the Ottomans were greatly influenced by the mystical beliefs found in the writings of al-Ghazali & Ibn al-Arabi and in the treachings and traditions of sects which had mostly grown up on the frontiers of the expanding Empire.

One such Sect is the Bektasi Order which is the sect of dervishers which are strongly linked to the Janissary Corp from its foundation.
So if you think you want to play an ultra pious muslim Ottoman its a bit of a shock to find out your elite troops/guards are a bunch of heretics who drink and follow many quasi-Christian traditions from the Balkans. Was even more shocked to read about sects which had grown up amongst the eastern Turkoman and Turkoman of Rumelia which had lead to the Kizilbas movement - a deadly weapon of Safavid Iran against the Ottomans (The Shah being basically one of them!).

Decided as an Albanian I believed that a bit of mystism is good for the soul and if a chap wants to play music and dance round in circles trying to obtain insight into the divine - good for him. But start meeting with members of the Shah's secret service and spreading Shia propaganda and you were a danger to public order. Basically if it was good enough for Mehmed the Conqueror and his Seyh it was good enough for me.

Thus I was in middle position between the Sects and the more fanantical members of the Ottoman ulema like Mehmed of Birgi and the Fakis who followed him in adopting the strict traditions of the hanbalites school. Resulting in them being against anything which could be considered a "innovation" and those who practised them as unbelievers - so no tobacco, coffee, military changes, music, dancing, payment for religious instructors, etc, etc, etc.

Rapidly decided that if you follow the what the Fakis wanted - A Classic Arab Calphate (basically - Islamic State 1700) Serbia and Greece would be in a race with eastern Anatolia and the Janissary Corp to explode into revolt and the Grand Mufti was a senile old goat stuck in 7th century Arabia and should be ignored at all costs.

Richard then decided to throw a real curve ball in the the Janissary Corp and the Grand Mufti allied to stab the Grand Vizier (me!) in the back repeatedly with he was waging Jihad against both Venice and Austria. Bang went all the reading! It was like playing England and finding the New Model Army allied with the Pope against your moderate Anglican Govt.

To my own satisfaction if no one elses (wonder what some players who actually joined in middle made of it) proved that what the very mixed up Religious opposition were saying was "Shirk" and the only explanation for what the Aga of the Janissary Corp and the Grand Mufti was doing and saying was that they were both Persian Agents. I then did my best copy of Salim the Grim and went in for a purge of extreme elements of the Ulema so only my hand picked men of wisdom, moderation and good character were left and promised an Albanian blood feud and fire and sword against any who supportted the Shah and his agents.

I was up for a simple fight between my "Army of the Will of God" and the backers of the Grand Mufti who oddly included his polar opporites in the "Janissary Corp"......... concerning if I was going to be allowed to flay the Grand Mufti alive and send his head to his master the Shah of Persia as a drinking cup prior to carrying on with the moderate hanafite and mystic traditions of the Ottomans or were we going to be dragged kicking and screaming either down either the hanbalites path to strict Sunni Islam or into Shia Islam......the opposition never really made that clear which they wanted.

But it was just remarkable just how many many elements who you would have expected to stay neatral in a religious fight between a moderate hanafite govt staying true to its traditions and ? & decided would like to die for a extreme ? and got thrown in front of the Jannissary Corp as I tried to get them inc the mostly Greek Anatolian Navy and the Mamlukes who as Northern Turks etc should be even more Sufi than me.

Eventually the moderates won but it seemed to have not much in common with the historic multi sided religious debate and all attempts to play off one extreme faction against the other failed. Basically like most AGEMA NPC's the only things which seem to work was gold and steel. And paying this bunch is about as much use as paying Danegold to the Vikings.

Other players did help in that a rather shocked new Shah rapidly decided that he wanted nothing at all to do with a religious war in the Ottoman Empire and signed a non aggression pact in which he disowned the former Persian agents the Grand Mufti and the Aga. The problem was players who raised new Janissary formations without any consideration and then dropped out of the game, the Bey of Egypt as well as being a backer of Pirates was a greater raiser of Janissary formations. Not sure which caused more trouble.

@ Stuart. Very interesting & well researched on your part. And spot on with (what I also believe) is the greatest religious challenge for an Ottoman player. You & your court are Hanafi, while you primary force (Janissaries) are Sufi Mystics/ Whirling Dervishes.
My advice to all Ottoman players is to sponsor all four schools (Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki & Sha’Fie), in terms of jurisprudence (not necessarily religious practice). Islam allows all of the faithful to ‘use their reason and free will’ to choose legal solutions from all of the schools. It allows for a tremendous amount of flexibility (within the broad codes). Sharia is actually inherently very flexible, as to Stuart’s point, if you face a situation where you wish to flex, you can seek ‘consensus of opinion’ (essentially a collective religious judgement call). Of course, flexibility has its limits (e.g. you could not get a consensus of opinion that all Christian’s are really practicing Muslims), but you could get an opinion that all Christian’s are People’s of the Books, and are therefore due additional respect and levels of courtesy.
What Stuart faced was a real curve ball, as the Sufi/ Dervish Janissaries, while on the absolute edge of Sunni Islam, would see the Shia as effectively heretics.
That said, heresy has a different meaning in Islam, and while there are massive differences between Sunni & Shia, both recognise each other as Muslim, as both follow the fundamental tenets (five pillars of faith).
Unfortunately, important parts of the legal and religious framework I just wrote about ended with the demise of the Ottoman Empire (and the last Caliph).

I think what happened in G2 was that I assumed all the starting NPC's I was given were minister's inc the Patriarch of Athens and various other Christains. Then I gave the Grand Vizier a back story which had him limping out of Hungary in 1683 helped by a protestant female in a "I'll be back moment" while a his son married a Orthodox Moldavian.

Result was that Rumelia in G2 was strongly pro Greek Othodox & pro Protestant in its foreign policy......basically it wanted a free Protestant Hungary and loathed Papists esp Venetian Art thiefs, 1204 and the sack of Constantinople was still a live issue!

This gave Richard very little to work with in terms of internal Christains opposition so he decided to use Fakis like the Grand Mufti to attack my character for being too pro-Christain and since my Character had already fallen out with the Janissary Corp over their sack of Adrianople etc he lumped them in with the Fakis. Which seemed a bit dodgy to me on Religious grounds.

Think what almost shocked Richard was the reaction - a declaration of blood feud and repeated attacks on the Janissary corp with very little attempt to patch things up. Fact that the Janissary Corp in Rumelia was only 7,000 strong and 3,500 sided with the Grand Vizier against the rest of the Corp resulted in the feud never doing much damage to the Rumelian Military. Which went back to its frontier roots at a rate of knots and was perfectly happy fighting to protect its mountains and for plunder, loot and to smash Popery.

Basically as I played it the Govt of Rumelia had gone "native" and followed its native Holy men only inc both Muslim Mystic's and Greek Othodox Patriarch's and attempts to impose either Popery or a Classic Arab Calphate were going to get nailed to a gate - upside down.

Actually think this approach may have caused more problems for other Ottomans both PC & NPC who's armed forces included a larger percentage of Janissary, since at various times the Corp declined to go on campaign fearing attack or betrayal.

Think that how Richard plays the Religous opposition and the Janissary Corp in the Ottoman Empire is less as two seperate problems but more as one large one equal to a Parliament in other states. He therefore expects diplomacy and pampering and less its a mutiney....crush it.

Some how in G2 the Shia got dragged in on the side of the Grand Mufti & the extreme sunni. Which I considered odd but perhaps in other games esp if you have an active Shah they could play a very different roll.

Thus if you are playing as an Ottoman you would seem to have two main options. Do you try an fight the religious corner of your bit of the Empire or do you try for a balanced approach to try and keep a bit of harmoney & unity? But its certainly not a case of Ottoman = Classic Sunni Muslim. Ok you can do it that way but its a bit like trying to run England as an absolute Monarchy