G7 - The War of the English Succession & the breaking of the Pirate Brotherhood

So, hands up if you have a lot of galleys in the Red Sea...

....not so fast France...

I think Russia can recall its Maritime advisors to the French Navy . Mission appears to have been a success.

J Flower wrote:I think Russia can recall its Maritime advisors to the French Navy . Mission appears to have been  a success.

Does this mean that the Shah of Persia is now in naval control of the Red Sea having liberated Muslim Pilgrim routes from the French threat? Making himself a hero to muslims everywhere and making the the Russians least favourite Organ Grinder and his Monkey look really bad at the same time?

Meanwhile a lot of French ships which could have been really handy in shallow Dutch waters are now at the bottom of the Red Sea and lots of French Ships with 16 foot drafts are trying to work out how to sail in 12 foot of water.

Clearly a case of Russian Maritime advise at it best:nap2:

The April 1713 issue of Gloire du Roi has shown up and for non G7 players who enjoy smelling salts, a attack of the vapours and a good tut about a game so unlike their beloved G9, G10 etc or just want to take notes for when G10 kicks off here are the low lights:

1) The expected invasion of the UDP by Louis XIV has not happened.  In reply to the positive Dutch answer concerning his objection to their terms Louis who is de-facto head of the French Church as well as King spent the month giving out alms and celebrating Easter.  While his Minister the Marquis de Torcy merely said the Dutch needed to come up with something better (Than Louis XIV original terms - which the Dutch accepted abet late) only he did not say what.

- Many are now wondering a) If the very elderly French King does not have clue and the French Dog is being wagged by the Jacobite tail - common view in Scotland and the UDP or b) The experienced and cunning French King and his Military does not trust slippery characters like Godolphin, Harley, etc not to turn their coats yet again and are happy to watch the English, Dutch & Scots slaughter each other while they keep their Powder dry..........backers of this view point out that that the Hydra that is the House of Austria has not moved east as the French may have hoped.  The Brute may be quite and licking its wounds but it is not something you turn your back on to get your powder wet in some flooded Dutch Trench.

2) James Stuarts who's "Diplomatic" style can best be called a "Iron Fist in an Iron Glove" reply to the Dutch offer was shown in deeds not words when his forces attacked Ayr, Macassar, Malacca and Batavia.

- The unfortified town of Ayr was the subject of a brutal bombardment by 7 Field Batteries, 10 batteries of small pierrier mortars and 20 batteries of rocket batteries.  General van Egmont forces avoided the bombardment by pulling back into the centre of town but civilians and buildings on the outskirts were ruined by the Jacobite terror weapons.  The Jacobite commanders - The English Jacobite Thomas Fairfax and the Swiss or German? Merc - Hans William Bentinck did not follow up their terror attack on this Scots town by ordering an attack by their 25 Battalions of foot and 16 squadrons of horse.

- In Malacca and Macassar the English Navy cut out some 30 Dutch Merchantmen and bombarded defences which offered no return cannon fire.  But Marine landings in both Ports were bloodily repulsed.

- Commodore Lord Forbes lead 15 English Ships of the Line and 7 Cruisers in a attack on the headquarters of the VOIC in Batavia trying to use the cover of driving rain to surprise the defenders.  In the event 7 Dutch Lineships failed to respond to the English but three Dutch Line ships and 7 smaller craft plus the harbour side bastions put up a savage defence of Batavia which killed Lord Forbes and sunk the three large lineships in the English Van.  At which point the following English ships pulled back into the shelter of the rain.  Interestingly the battle report stressed the of Dutch weight of shot.  My guess is that the Dutch Fortress Guns were 42 pounders or the like........think use of such heavy fortress guns offers no advantage against land forces were a standard 18 pounder is cheaper, uses less powder and is quicker too load.  But such heavy guns are "Ship Killers" so are worth consideration for Port defences if you are feeling rich.

3) James III and his pet theologian Dr Crane continued to lecture the English Bishops on the benefits of having a Church which is Catholic in doctrine and practice but under the control of the King rather than the Pope in Rome.  Oddly Dr Crane seemed to compare the Church of England to Nineveh a city which was destroyed by a large alliance of people its Kings had really annoyed.

- Reply to James III religious reforms remains a stunned silence, perhaps because many Protestant leaders from the three Kingdoms have been killed by the Jacobites, or are already fighting with the "Dutch" against the Franco-Jacobite alliance or like the Whig leader Godolphin and the Tory Leader Harley have been sent out of the Country in a form of honourable exile.

- In the American colonies which could some day return to James if he comes up with £27m to repay the Russians Puritans showed their strength by threatening to rise the Sons of Liberty Banner and riot due to the openning of a Whore House in New York City.  Which probably baffled many of  the Original Sons of Liberty who were in general all in favour of whores and whore houses and spent a great deal of the loot of Havanna in such establishments.

4) Following a mix of escapes or being let out of goal with a strong hint to get out of the Country if you value your neck.  Alfred Hamilton former Spanish Commissioner for POWs in London has sailed for Oran looking for sun and freedom.  Constantine Farnese the former Spanish Ambassador to Scotland has made it back to Madrid with the help of no less a person than Lady Emma Murray neice of the Catholic Prime Minister of Scotland who died beside King William and Prince Eugine of Savoy.  While Luis Pedro Figuerio the former Flanders envoy to Scotland who the Jacobites claim to have set free has been enobled in Flanders but no one now seems to know were he is.

- Can the Hapsburgs find and save one of their loyal servants tortured and thrown out into the street in the middle of a war zone?  Or is the new Count of Oetingen so outraged by his treatment that he has joined the Count of Gerona in standing by ones pledged honour and not abandoning ones allies mid fight?

5) Prince Karl of Hesse-Kassel has passed away.

6) The Swedish Riksdag seem upset...........oddly not about the surrender of the Swedish Empire to the Russians but due to being called into session early.  They are demanding an apology.

7) Russian envoys in Johore very busy saying sorry..........nothing says sorry like a box of diamonds, rubies etc

6) Spanish Envoys in Genoa, Bavaria and Syria also seem very busy with the envoy in Genoa sorting out a Royal visit while the envoy in Syria seems bothered by the state of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  As with most things the Spanish seem to think the neglect of the Holy Sepulchre is down to the Ottoman Grand Vizier trying to upset them and probably the Russians.

7) While the French war with the UDP seems to be being left to the Jacobites such a policy seems to have come a bit unstuck in the East.

- In a sweep of the Red Sea the Persian 6th fleet sent no less than 63 French Galleys to the bottom.  The Galleys seem to have been widely dispersed to block Persian merchant shipping heading for the Holy Cities, Egypt and the west coast Red Sea ports and in such order were easily picked off by 38 Persian Cruisers.

- Meanwhile Pondicherry is now under land and sea blockade but the French Gunners firing heated shot have kept Persian Navy out of cannon shot of the Port.

- The question now is will Louis XIV send relief from France or will he call upon the support of his Jacobite allies in the East?  Which could cause it to spread.

Turn has appeared, & once again a succesful turn for the Russian navy, another month without loosing a single ship. Russia can also now build Ships of the Line so the Maritime powers will have to be prepared to pick up survivours at some point.

Seems as if there was a special offer on wedding outfits at Agema this month with a number of weddings taking place or being planned.

Dutch troops in the British Isles may soon be in trouble maybe this year will see them finally removed from the Island kingdoms, will they make it back to Holland before the French invade? Made a change to see the English Foot standing upto the Dutch for a change, could this be the beginning of the end.

Question is how long will it take from the end of the Treaty of Scotland & a declaration of war by one of the signatories, both sides are ready for the other to attack, but who will blink first.

May 1713 edition of Gloire du Roi has shown up and with the Spring young (and some not so young) mens thoughts turn to war and other matters.  So for non G7 players here are the highlights:

a) English cutters have managed to overwhelm Spanish Frigates on merchant protection duty in Flanders waters and capture 20 Spanish Merchant ships.  Since the last time anyone looked Flanders shared its ruler with Spain and was covered by the Treaty of Scotland the seizing of Spanish merchants in their own waters would seem to be either a) Piracy or b) An act of War in total violation of the Treaty of Scotland.

b) The above action would make relations between wedding guests just a little bit touchy in Milan.  In the major social event of year so far the Elector of Bavaria is due to marry Maria Valdez Comtessa di Salerno who is the Queen of Spain's youngest sister.  Wedding invites have gone out to all members of the League of St George, the Swiss and all the Catholic States of the Holy Roman Empire.

Then in a fit of good nature the bride groom also sent an invite to King James III of England.  Since his Majesties favourite Uncle Martel is a member of the League of St George the ushers may have their work cut out!

c) The Spanish Royal Wedding Party made it to Genoa this month escorted by 70 Spanish Lineships and were welcomed by cheering crowds, flowers and Church Choirs.  While the Spanish Navy no doubt prefers sailing in the Med and attending banquets and showing off before the fair maidens of Genoa and the Spanish court you have to wonder if they would not be better employed protecting honest merchants from English Piracy.

d) In the British Isles General Nicolaas van Egmont and his Orange order brigade cut their way out of Ayr in a night action but has not got totally away from English Dragoons.  If he was thinking of making for Berwick and back to the UDP he will probably have to review his plans as Berwickits now blockaded by 101 French Line Ships, 48 Battalions of French foot & 80 Squadrons of Horse.

e) In London the Jacobites had a ball, seem to have decided that the Dutch East Indies will need to be ceded to them to help break  Dutch control of the Spice Trade and have declared that everyone now supports the restoration of a Catholic Church lead by King James rather than the Pope.  Which rather leads you to what is in this war for France?

f) At Versailles Louis XIV celebrated that he was now the equal of a former Shah of Persia and had not caught scurvy.

g) Swedish Army of 39 Battalions of foot and 46 Squadrons of Horse and 6 Batteries of Artillery invaded the Imperial Free City of Brenen of French Merchant ships.........one wonders what the Emperor will think?!  Is Sweden now so bankrupt and honourless that the once proud Swedish Army is being hired out to the French as mercenaries to fight their fellow Protestants?

h) Russians spent month ringing bells and getting drunk to celebrate their diplomatic triumph over Sweden which has seen the Swedish Baltic Empire surrendered without a shot fired.

I) Further celebrations this time in Madrid saw Constantine Farnese Duke of Parma (Ex Spanish Envoy to Scotland) marry the Lady Emma Murray who helped him escape from the Jacobites who murdered the Austrian Envoy and kidnapped and tortured the Envoy from Flanders.  Lady Emma is a Scots Catholic but does not wish to attend services in a Church lead by King James and also objects to the conquest of Scotland by the English (with help from Russia and France) and their murder of her uncle Lord Murray.  

J) Spain offered Syria a treaty very like its trade and non aggression pact with Algiers and Morocco while the Russians are in private talks with the Princes of Wallachia and Moldavia.  The Prince of Moldavia while in theory is a Ottoman subject is already related to the Russian Royal Family by marriage.

- Seems to me that the border Lords of the Ottoman Empire have lost all faith in the Grand Vizier and are dealing with the neigbours on their own terms.

K) Persian siege of Pondicherry is slowly being pushed forward under heavy French fire from rifles and heavy fortress cannon.  It was not until the 28 of the month that the Persian Siege Guns established a breach in the West wall.  Meanwhile a minor outbreak of sickness has been reported in the Persian Camp.

L) In the Far East English Line Ships pounder Dutch Fort Stockades at Malacca and Maccassar to no effect (probably because its still raining) but have sailed away from Batavia the defenders of the VOIC headquarters being too tough a nut to crack.

J Flower wrote:Turn has appeared, & once again a succesful turn for the Russian navy,  another month without loosing a single ship.  Russia can also now build Ships of the Line so the Maritime powers will have to be prepared to pick up survivours at some point.

Seems as if there was a special offer on wedding outfits at Agema this month with a number of weddings taking place or being planned.

Dutch troops in the British Isles may soon be in trouble maybe this year will see them finally removed from the Island kingdoms, will they make it back to Holland before the French invade? Made a change to see the English Foot standing upto the Dutch for a change, could this be the beginning of the end.

Question is how long will it take from the end of the Treaty of Scotland  & a declaration of war by one of the signatories, both sides are ready for the other to attack, but who will blink first.

Special offer! ........you should see the bill for the Wedding in Milan! I have seen cheaper wars!!

Think at Ayr it was actually one lot of British Troops standing up to another lot of British-American Troops rather than Dutch Troops. Rather oddly it seems that both sides had Dutch Commanders.

May be some mix up here but the attacks on Spanish Ships in Flanders waters by English Cutters rather looks like a declaration of war to me.......or is it a raid on Low Countries (Dutch) Coastal shipping gone really wrong? After its losses to the Dutch are the English so short of sailors that the press gangs have even brought in Russian Navigators? With Russian Navigators sailing for Dutch waters and hitting Flanders probably counts as a success. Its a miracle Normandy was not hit as well.

Stuart Bailey wrote:

J Flower wrote:Turn has appeared, & once again a succesful turn for the Russian navy,  another month without loosing a single ship.  Russia can also now build Ships of the Line so the Maritime powers will have to be prepared to pick up survivours at some point.

Seems as if there was a special offer on wedding outfits at Agema this month with a number of weddings taking place or being planned.

Dutch troops in the British Isles may soon be in trouble maybe this year will see them finally removed from the Island kingdoms, will they make it back to Holland before the French invade? Made a change to see the English Foot standing upto the Dutch for a change, could this be the beginning of the end.

Question is how long will it take from the end of the Treaty of Scotland  & a declaration of war by one of the signatories, both sides are ready for the other to attack, but who will blink first.

Special offer! ........you should see the bill for the Wedding in Milan!  I have seen cheaper wars!!

Think at Ayr it was actually one lot of British Troops standing up to another lot of British-American Troops rather than Dutch Troops.  Rather oddly it seems that both sides had Dutch Commanders.

May be some mix up here but the attacks on Spanish Ships in Flanders waters by English Cutters rather looks like a declaration of war to me.......or is it a raid on Low Countries (Dutch) Coastal shipping gone really wrong?  After its losses to the Dutch are the English so short of sailors that the press gangs have even brought in Russian Navigators?  With Russian Navigators sailing for Dutch waters and hitting Flanders probably counts as a success.  Its a miracle Normandy was not hit as well.  

Oh Stuart, what price for true love?

On Flanders waters, I wonder if it is just a case of the English just getting a bit confused, I mean everything "over there" is all a bit "Johnny Foreigner"-Flanders, UDP, Denmark, Spain, what's the difference? I mean they're all "not English"...it's just lucky the RN didn't go into default setting and attack Calais!
Mind you, I suppose I should be grateful that the RN does seem to have worked out that Malacca and Nevyansk are not one and the same

Its probably all my own fault:

Try and gain an economic advantage for the Hapsburg lands by:

Pointing out to the GM that all my major trade rivals are knocking the hell out of each other while in contrast in Spain, Italy and the Empire its all Spring Weddings, Sweetness & light:D

I still think it was a valid pitch but just in case I was getting too comfortable what does the GM fire back?

- The English have raided your shipping

- The Swedes have invaded the Empire

Do you think Richard is worried that with all of these wars going on he does not want Spain feeling bored and left out or me going all soft and fluffy on him. After all he is already having to cope in Scabble with the kind, fluffy, loveable HEIC

It is G7, I don't think soft and fluffy fits that game

The Russian Bear is nice & cuddly , Russia also won't attack anyone elses shipping due to getting geographically embaressed outside of the Gulf of Finland.


But surely the Treaty of Scotland will hold for a few more months, weeks, days, hours...?

But so far the ToS has withstood various calls against it, both sides claiming the other side has broken it, but all were willing to forgive & forget,in th ename of love & peace

Once it all breaks down & the fighting starts it leaves only sweet little Russia East & Cuddly Mother Russia not at war with anyone, maybe we will have to organise our own civil war so we don't feel left out.

Jason wrote:It is G7, I don't think soft and fluffy fits that game

Would like to point out that in G7 Spain has breed the improved Marino Sheep with improved wool yield.  You can not get much more soft and fluffy that that!

Also after the treaty of Scotland was signed my character was all set to take wife & daughters to visit La Scala Opera and her home town followed by a tour of Italy and a pilgrimage to Rome to visit the Pope.  Which is clearly way out on the soft and fluffy scale.

Pity he just about got stage one done before he got stabbed in the back by English pirates raiding Flanders which is not soft and not fluffy at all!

J Flower wrote:The Russian Bear is nice & cuddly , Russia also won't attack anyone elses shipping due to getting geographically embaressed outside of the Gulf of Finland.


But surely the Treaty of Scotland will hold for a few more months, weeks, days, hours...?

But so far the ToS has withstood various calls against it, both sides claiming the other side has broken it, but all were  willing to forgive & forget,in th ename of love & peace

Once it all breaks down & the fighting starts it leaves only sweet little Russia East & Cuddly Mother Russia not at war with anyone, maybe we will have to organise our own civil war so we don't feel left out.

Russia East is so cute and cuddly, it should be making teddy bears

Stuart Bailey wrote:

Jason wrote:It is G7, I don't think soft and fluffy fits that game

Would like to point out that in G7 Spain has breed the improved Marino Sheep with improved wool yield.  You can not get much more soft and fluffy that that!

True but Spanish red wine offsets this by being harsh and rough...don't get me wrong, that's how I like my red wine

J Flower wrote:The Russian Bear is nice & cuddly , Russia also won't attack anyone elses shipping due to getting geographically embaressed outside of the Gulf of Finland.


But surely the Treaty of Scotland will hold for a few more months, weeks, days, hours...?

But so far the ToS has withstood various calls against it, both sides claiming the other side has broken it, but all were  willing to forgive & forget,in th ename of love & peace

Once it all breaks down & the fighting starts it leaves only sweet little Russia East & Cuddly Mother Russia not at war with anyone, maybe we will have to organise our own civil war so we don't feel left out.

Oh my God.........Scabble and its happy hymn singing Cossacks is starting to feed back into G7.

Fairly sure the Russians in Scabble also organised a civil war.........just not one in Russia.

At the rate its going people are going to start commenting that Czar Alexander in scrabble is just like his great, great, great Grandfather.

Wonder if the the G7 prequil to Scabble will show why in Scabble the Rossian Navy seems to spend all its time in the Black, Yellow and South China sea's rather than the Baltic.  Clearly having at some stage decided that ice and ice burgs are bad.

Tsar Peter was reknowned in Russia for going to Church & singing his heart out. So this is obviously where the Cossacks in Scabble have their musical tradtions from. Orthodox services have no musical instruments to accompany them, there is no man with a big Organ.

In Scrabble Russian naval traditions seem to be taken seriously ships that are suposed to sink & then resurface, just don't fit into the Russsian ideology , ships sink & stay sunk.

Turn has arrived in Sunny Sennelager,

Once more Russia has the same number of ships at the end of the month as it did at the start. Maybe get adventerous & let some actually sail ou tof port in the coming turn, just round the bouy & back.

UDP seems worried about being ovrerrun with Russian tourists, which came as a surprise, maybe the effects of Tsars Great embassy has encouraged a boost in the local economy of the Netherlands.

Will the Treaty of Scotland manage to hold back the hounds of war, is it holding the record for the most court cases brought by signatories against one another with regards the treaty.

June 1713 Gloire du Roi has shown up and or non players in G7 here are the highlights

- In the British Isles the UDPs American/English troops surrendered their arms at Ayr and were allowed to go home by the Earl of Portland with the Commander Nicholas van Egmont being free passage to the UDP after a shareing a bottle of wine with the English Generals. In Berwick the UDP's Swiss troops also surrendered to the French and Lt General d'Alegre agreed to take their porale and ship them off to the UDP. Meanwhile the UDP's Spanish troops showed up outside of London.......also looking to share a nice bottle of wine and arrange a boat home?????

All this civilized wine drinking and manners between the professionals raises two questions 1) Were have all the actual Dutch gone? & 2) What will King James have to say about all the free passes back to the UDP being handed?

- French & other Dredgers have now cleared the ruins of the Royal Navy from Dumbarton and also cleared Newport Glasgow of wrecks. With some very happy Dredger Crews finding 163,794 ducats on the wreck of the good ship Firebrand!

- Back in the UDP some Republican deputies have voiced an opinion that the Swedish military intervention in the Empire may be welcome and even that the King of Sweden should be offered the position of Stadtholder. Not sure how said deputies missed the small point that said Swedish Troop's were landed by French Ships!

- Meanwhile in Bremen Lt General Horn was busy making apologies to the City Fathers for his "invasion" of their Imperial Free City and blaming the tour operators for landing him in the wrong place.......did he use the same Baltic Travel Agency who landed the Russian Army in Scotland rather than North America? Seems that all the Swedes want to do is is send Anders Leijonstedt to the UDP with an ultimatium to accept King James or else what? And they did not actually mean to invade a Free City of the Holy Roman Empire.

- In Flanders they seem to have got a bit flustered about the Swedish Invasion and English Piracy in Flanders waters. But sadly for the Viceroy and he Government the Imperial Diet is being very slow, the French and English are totally ignoring Belgian concerns and Charles von Hapsburg the Duke of Flanders (AKA the King of Spain etc) also seems a bit busy with other matters. About the only good news or Flanders was that their frigates managed to chase off English pirate cutters and stop any more prizes being taken.

- The Duke actually spent the month in Milan at the Wedding of the Elector-Prince of Bavaria to his the youngest sister of his wife....Maria Valdez Comtessa di Salerno. It may have cost the National Income of a small country but the three daughters of the Captain-General of Milan have now wed the King of Spain, the Greatest non Imperial Prince in Germany and the uncrowned King of Sicily. No wonder the Milanese are busy claiming their City is the economic, social and artistic capital of Italy.......plus they had a vintage year for wine.

Basically one part of the Spanish Empire is really happy, another part is really pissed off......guess thats about even?

- In the Ottoman Empire the Spanish agreed a treaty with the Bey of Syria, while the Hopsdar of Moldavia and the the Prince of Wallachia are in talks with the Russians. Oddly in Constantinople while the Russian Envoy seems happy to talk someone seems to have gagged the Grand Vizier and the Grand Mufti..........perhaps the Sultan has noticed that when ever this pair says something it upsets the neighbours and about a third to a half of his Empire.

- In Russia they have taken up banking (or usury to some) plus as a change from trying to drown himself the Czar tried to blow himself ......surely he has flunkies and German bodyguards for firework lighting duty?

- Meanwhile Russian colonial authorities seem to have got very keen on law and order promising not to murder the Sultan of Johore, arresting 55 Hanoverians for highway robbery in Pennsylvania and ordering a investigation into the trading practices of the Portobello Company. Most people see this as a continuation of a decade long feud and a split in the Brotherhood - when Spain elected to go for free trade half the brotherhood went legit and formed the Portobello Company they others followed Blackbeard into first the sons of liberty and then colonial admin for the Czar.

- In India the Persian Siege of Pondicherry is currently in a state of "Rain delayd Siege", Russian recruiting parties have been arrested by the Maharatan authorities and Bombay is now under blockade by the Dutch Navy.

- In the far East English Marines tried to land in Malacca and Macassar and got shot to bits by the Dutch. Meanwhile Commodore Green has shown up in Nevyansk with 10 Ships of the Line and 60 Corvettes and demanded supplies.........oddly no mention of a "please can we have some supplies" or mention of payment. While the Russian Navy may be a bit of a joke in G7 one is normally very polite when sat under Russian Artillery.

- Good harvests France, UDP, Prussia, Persia and North America while Spain, Papal States and Sweden has had poor harvests. Spains poor harvest merely reduces its huge grain surplus by a small amount with most of its harvest grain harvest now used for animal feed and beer rather than bread or pasta. The Papal States will just import from Sicily/Naples but Sweden may be a sign that the surrender of most of its best farm land to Russia may have crippled Sweden's agriculture and why the Baltic States are so important.

July 1713 Gloire du Roi has shown up and by special request this report is going to be written from a Russian viewpoint......not easy when heading of thread is "The War of the English Succession and the breaking of the Pirate Brotherhood" and the main objectives of the current Russian Government include having nothing to do with the War of the English Succession and as little to do with water as possible!

Anywhy from the viewpoint of that famous Russian Fur Trader "Alexander Michel Bailevic" here are the highlights of July 1713:

1) Sweden has finally returned the key fortress city of Velikye Luki to Russia..........for people without a wide interest in Western Russia and Baltic Trade routes, Velikye Luki controls the main trade route from Riga (now the main Russian Port on the Baltic) inland to Moscow and central Russia. While the Swedes retained Velikye Luki not only could they continue to levy tax on a lot of trade from Russia and the Ukraine but the Swedish Generals had a powerful base/magazine half way to Moscow. The handing over of St Petersburg and Velikye Luki is final proof that Sweden has abandoned any hope of matching Russia in the Baltic.

2) After abandoning Swedens Baltic Empire, its best farmland, best horses and a huge chunk of its tax base to the Czar the Government in Stockholm seems to be trying to find a new world role as a Champion of Protestantism and is offering its good services as a Protestant Champion to the Dutch who are currently at war with Catholic France and Anglo-Catholic? (Schismatic Catholic - what do you call a Catholic Church of England with the King as its head rather than the Pope?)England but only if this does not mean fighting the French! Which is a bit like Sweden offering to enter the 30 Years War but not fight the Hapsburgs. To say the Dutch and Russian Governments are baffled by Sweden is probably an understatement.

3) In Constantinople the Grand Vizier tried his hand at diplomacy again and asked Russia to draw up a treaty........why can the GV not pick up a pen and draft one himself? But while taking one diplomatic step forward the Organ Grinder has he is known in Russia also managed to threaten Spain with war and demand that Russia stop having meetings with its neighbours and the in-laws of the Russian Royal Family in Moldavia. Hopefully our beloved Czar will continue to enjoy good relations with fellow Orthodox Rulers and ignore the Organ Grinder and his Monkey.

4) Talking about annoying diplomatic approaches.........Russian Department East finally got rid of Commodore Greene but relations between Greene and our beloved Prince Golitsyn remain toxic. Department East is believed to have provided enough supplies for Greene fleet to sail to Macassar in a monsoon were Greene joined other English Warships off this Dutch port.

5) In other news from Department East a) King Narai II of Saim meet the Department East Envoy - Dmitry Glinka. b) The Dutch Fleet bombarded Bombay but did not do much damage c) The Persians are holding celebrations in Ormuz to mark their Naval Victory over the French and d) Under pressure from the hostile Persians the King of France has decided to abandon the French position in India and has given Pondicherry, Chandernagore and Jamaica to England.

In the Taverns of Nevyansk the hope is now that Commodore Greene will now proceed to annoy the Persians as much as he has annoyed Department East and go the same way as the French Indian Fleets.

6) In the Russian Protectorate of the America's the locals are demanding that the Protectorate continue to protect free trade in the colonies. Of course depending on who you speak too answers concerning who is the danger to free trade in the American colonies can vary a great deal..... possible dangers may include a) King James b) The French c) The Spanish d) The HWIC/Portobello Company e) Indians f) The Sons of Liberty/Blackbeards faction.

The basic problem for the Czar is that if he uses Russian officials they do not have a clue about the factions in the colonies or what is going on. But if he uses locals they all seem to deeply aligned and allied with ex or not so ex Pirates, Smugglers, Sons of Liberty etc, etc

In other news of little interest to Russia:

- Dutch mercenary forces commanded by a Spanish Count stormed Oxford
- English revenue cutters continued efforts to "tax" shipping in Flanders Waters.......the locals objected to paying taxation to King James/English Piracy (depending on your viewpoint) and at least ten of the cutters have been sunk by frigates on anti Piracy duty.
- Austria has condemned English aggression in Flanders waters as a breach of the Imperial peace.
- Both the English and the French seem upset about the number of "Hapsburg" and other troops in Dutch service. While they were aware that the majority of the "Dutch" armed forces are not Dutch the belief was that the Dutch Treasury would not be able to fund these troops. Recent confirmation that Spain had given Austria £8m and the UDP another £8m to fund the defence of the low counties after the Austrian defeat in France but before the French offered terms puts the view that the Dutch are in financial problems and unable to fund the war in doubt.
- Thousands of English troops are reported to have massed in London ready to invade the UDP (or Flanders?). The Czar will no doubt be very sad if manu happy memories of his "Great Tour" go up in flames.
- The King & Queen of Spain went to the Opera in Milan while their ministers moved lots of grain around in Spain and the Papal States.
- Bremen City Council expressed relief that the Swedish Army in this Imperial City are only site seeing and its not an invasion.

All is not as it seems in the Europe of Game Seven, adding to the Russian take on things so kindly drafted by Mister Bailey.

Another month of success for the Imperial Russian Navy, in that no ships were lost. So may think this is a minor point, but for Moscow this is seen as a major step forward.

Question being asked around so quarters of Europe is whether the much abused Treaty of Scotland , (you know the treaty that stopped England & Spain (& a few hangers on on both sides) from fighting each other.) May well just hhave thrown itself to the hounds of war to be torn ot pieces. Reason being.

English Tax & Customs officials & Spanish Tax gathers now seem to have taken an enlightened view to tax collection of each others subjects, in that either you pay or you end up swimming to shore to find your tax returns. Some people may see this as an incentive to getting your paperwork in order, others may see it as an armed conflict. Guess it all depends on perspective.

Hapsburg troops are still fighting in England despite the Treaty saying they all have a note from their Mum to come home & stop mucking about. Admitted they are supposed to be under Dutch control so maybe it is just the bad influences of Dutch Cheese that is giving them trouble. Even the Spanish commander who now has captured Oxford seems to be a bit unsure who he is actually fighting for. Is he fighting for the heretic Calvanist Dutch to destroy a Catholic restoration in England? Or is he fighting for Catholic Spain to prevent a Catholic Restoration in England? Or is he just fighting because he has an army & that is what armies are supposed to do?

After so many cases being brought before the courts for breaches of it may well be that the treaty is now null & void because everyone has simply decided ot ignore it anyway.

As to the problems in the Americas the simple solution may well be sought by Russian officials, it may involve a serious lot of firewood

J Flower wrote:

As to the problems in the Americas the simple  solution may well be sought by Russian officials, it may involve a serious lot of firewood

Does this mean that Russia now has a problem with Witchcraft in the America's? Or following all those Hungarians being allowed to settle in the Russian America's does it now have a vampire problem? Damn I missed out on this along with the non sinking of the Russian Navy.

Ref the Treaty of Paris its actually done its main job of making peace between the three main Roman Catholic Powers of France, Spain and Austria and these powers are no longer getting huge amounts of grief from Rome and the Vicar-General. Plus by getting Austrian POWs back it restored the Austrian Army to fighting strength which calms fears that the Ottomans are about to march up the Danube and reclaim Hungary.......which I guess could be of some interest to a Russian based account of G7????

Think schismatic English Pirates raiding Spanish ports, waters and shipping and Spain being insulted by the Grand Vizier is basically so normal for G7 as to be berely worth a mention in a Russian based account. Esp since the English attackers with driven away with losses so low that if suffered by the Russian Navy it would probably only have showm up in the small adds "Wanted 10 lost cutters last seen sailing South East? East? round in circules???.......carefull owner worried that they may be lost and wind is getting up to at least force 3!"

Problem for Russia in the American Protectorate is basically all the factions/ fighting/ hair pulling / eye gouging / hand bags at dawn stuff happened before the Russian government took over. So trying to untangle this knoty enigma wrapped problem is probably beyond them.

Hanging or burning the lot may well be an option, problem then is it may lead to a major de-population of the Protectorate.

The Russian Navy has in fact this month begun Swimming lessons for all sailors( yes both of them) in the Navy. This may help reduce losses once their canoe has been finished & launched, the Tsar will be there for the launch next turn.

J Flower wrote:Problem for Russia in the American Protectorate is basically all the factions/ fighting/ hair pulling / eye gouging / hand bags at dawn stuff happened before the Russian government took over. So trying to untangle this knoty enigma wrapped problem is probably beyond them.

Hanging or burning the lot may well be an option, problem then is it may lead to a major de-population of the Protectorate.

The Russian Navy has in fact this month begun Swimming lessons for all sailors( yes both of them) in the Navy. This may help reduce losses once their canoe has been finished & launched, the Tsar will be there for the launch next turn.

Think its fair to say if you get rid of all of the ex-Pirates, ex-Smugglers and ex-fences the American Colonies have hardly any traders left.

Rest of population would then be made up of ex British rebels, ex Convicts, ex French rebels, ex Hungarian rebels plus some religious fanatics slaves and native Indians.

In order that they fit in perhaps Russia should only send old believers, cossacks and tarters to the colonies?

Could result in a perfectly balanced colonial Army......cossack on left, hussars on the right and a chip on both shoulders.

Does the Russian government still think £27M and use of an Army is a bargain price for the American colonies?

August 1713 Gloire du Roi has shown up and for non players in G7 here are the highlights:

Firstly a story three sieges:

- At the second siege of Pondicherry after getting very wet in the Monson the Persians have ended the siege and withdrawn to their Base at Fort Sadras........stories that the Persian Commander spent the rest of the month with his head over bowl of steaming water while Slave Girls peeled his grapes and prepared dry clothes can not be confirmed. Neither can accounts that he raised his head so say "Third time lucky.....cough, cough, cough".

- Oxford was also a bit of a non event with the Jacobites electing to go in for a passive blockade of the Dutch/English Republican force (which seems to be mostly Spanish & Scots merc troops in Dutch service) defending the place. The Jacobites are probably waiting for French support and a French Fleet of 101 Line Ships and 44 Cruisers have escorted 60 merchant ships to Bristol who landed 50 French Infantry Battalions, 86 Cavalry Squadrons and 57 Artillery batteries.

- The major military event of the month however is the start of the Siege of Antwerp by the le Armee des Flandres commanded by the Marquis de Villars who has under command 70 Battalions of foot, 58 Squadrons of Cavalry, 51 Field batteries and a siege train of six siege and six mortar batteries plus various support troops. Villars has currently dug approach trenches while under artillery fire from the extensive defences of the city. Quite how a force of this size sailed to the UDP and landed without being engaged by the Dutch Navy remains a bit of a mystery.

In other news:

- The Spanish and Jacobites continue their diplomatic bickering. Following the clashes last month which sent ten Jacobite revenue/pirate cutters (depending on your viewpoint) to the bottom and others badly damaged many others at least this month no one got shot but Sir Sidney Godolphin the Jacobite Envoy to France responded to a Spanish writ demanding the return of 20 seized Spanish/Flanders merchant ships by using it to light his Pipe. He also offered the Countess of Hainault a place of exile in Wales if the "humiliation" of acting for the Hapsburgs ever gets too much.

- The King of France tried to ignore the diplomatic bickering at his court and the general moaning about giving away to the English various French colonies in Indea etc which have cost so many French lives to defend by going to mass and ordering a new statue of the Virgin Mary plus an orphange in Glasgow. In his old age is King Louis starting to worry about the number of lives lost in wars which originate from his invasion of England and replacement of King William by a Stuart Monarchy?

- In the Hague and Rotterdam some Dutch Republican deputies responded to news of the latest French attack by saying the UDP needed help from Sweden and Protestant allies and that the House of Hapsburg was a broken reed.

- Following the French parole of Spanish & Swiss troops in Dutch Service from the Berwick Garrison. The Spanish envoy to the UDP asked if these troops roll in the war had now finished in which case their loan for the duration of the war was over and they should return to Spain or were the Dutch going to exchange them for Jacobite-French POWs held by the UDP. Oddly the Dutch denied having any POWs they could exchange which lead's many to wonder what happened to the 50,000 plus English-Jacobites taken at Dumbarton?!!! Have all of them expired due to their wounds or entered Dutch service? Apart from saying they had no POW's to exchange the issue of the paroled Spanish-Swiss troops remains in Limbo.

- The Swedes closed the doors of the Stockholm Hospital for reasons unknown but have not said anything about marching to save their fellow Protestants from Louis XIV. Is the broken reed not the House of Hapsburg but the Kingdom of Sweden following the loss of its Baltic Empire to the Russians?

- In England King James has decided that Parliament will meet from September in the open air in Westminster Park. Is this a cunning ploy by King James to purge the Church of England of Protestant Bishops? Forcing elderly Bishops to stand in the rain in Westminster Park in the hope that they catch a chill and die so he can then replace them with Jacobite loyalists?

- In St Petersburg, the Czar hosted another ball to celebrate the Russian take over of the Swedish Baltic Empire. He also said how fond he was of the UDP following his Grand Tour of Western Europe and said the Jacobites and Spanish should just stop bickering and resolve their differences like men with a proper war.

- Minor officials in Vienna have confirmed to the envoy of the Holy Roman Emperors 2nd son (The King of Spain) that the Austrian Economy and Military still needs help to recover from the last war and if Austria is to continue to act as the shield of Europe against the ungodly Turk can son number two please continue with the subsidies. The good news from Hapsburg lands is that repairs to Fiume have now been completed so its not all doom and gloom.

- Hapsburg son no 2 and his Queen spent month visiting the University of Pavia.

- Also in Italy, authorities in the Papal States have ordered fasting to help avoid famine following a poor harvest. However after delays due to lack of wind grain supplies from Sicily and the South now seem to be getting to Rome and the parts of central Italy with a shortage.

- In the Ottoman Empire, the Bey of Syria has reduced tarrifs on everyone to 5% perhaps hoping to get more Pilgrims to visit Jerusalem and spend money in his lands. The English have offered the Grand Vizier a defensive treaty against Spain........clearly King James as head of the English Church no longer cares what the Pope thinks. While Russia has offered the Grand Vizier a Trade Treaty but informed him in polite terms that if the Tsarina wants to have a private family conversation with her parents in Moldavia or relations in Wallachia its none of the Grand Viziers business! With Russian-Moldavians to his North and West and allies and vassels of the Shah to his east the Khan of the Crimean Khanate is starting to look a little pit isolated.

- Finally in the Far East the English have kept up and even reinforced their blockades of Macassar and Malacca. Meanwhile a attack by 9 Lineships of the Dutch Navy on Bombay was driven back by fire from fortress cannon and 30 frigates under the command of Commodore Kempthorne. The only bad news for the English this month was that the Russians have closed down their shipyard on Changi.

"The only bad news for the English this month was that the Russians have closed down their shipyard on Changi."

In all fairness, we didn't close their shipyard, they closed it of their own free will...admittedly after the Governor of the Russian Far East appeared just outside it and was so offended by its presence he declared "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries"