The Silver Age: A Spain AAR

[Caudillo]

The Silver Age is in a sense a revival of Spain from the decline of imperial power that began at the end of the Spanish Golden Age. I do not have a lot of experience in AARs but I would still love suggestions in how to improve. I will post my first update soon.

I want to complete somewhat realistic goals of the time such as reunite the Iberian Peninsula and make Spain a more self-sustaining Empire but also when I can turn Ibero-America into sattelite states. These are just a few things I am looking into. My goals are very relative so anything can happen. I am playing with the latest VIP. I was going to wait till the new patch comes out but I did not feel like waiting

[kingmbutu]

Sounds interesting... I don't think I've read a Spain AAR - good luck

[Caudillo]

The Silver Age: A Spain AAR

Queen Isabella II of Spain

I. 1839

The spectacular year of 1839 was coming to a close. The First Carlist War was a victory for the liberals and moderate conservatives. Military leaders Baldomero Espartero and Francisco Serrano became champions of reform and of the Estatuto Real (Constitution drafted in 1834). Spain once again became, or is in the process of becoming, a renewed symbol of imperial power after conquering Morocco. But the shadows of war followed Spain in its moments of peace. Emancipation of the Slaves proved to be more costly than previously thought and continued unrest in the colonies and even in the mainland. But the Righteous Reforms, as Queen Isabella II named them, became a moral obligation to be carried out. She was the victor of the Civil War, and Spaniards stood with her.



Serrano returns from his conquest in Tangiers to present the situation of occupation and pacification of Morocco in front of the Cortes and Senate of Spain.

Tarancón made a last puff with his Habana Cigar after reading the military report Serrano had given to him. He put on his glasses and looked down at Serrano from the high seat of Senate Vice-president as if to begin questioning. The Conquest of Morocco was a great strategy to compensate for the loss of Imperial power early in the century. He began with the man’s long and honourable title, “Brigadier General Francisco Serrano y Domínguez, Duque de la Torre, Count de San Antonio, and Second-in-Command of the Guardia Real in Morocco”, and continued on from there:

“In less than a year your forces and those of Espartero overran Fez and Rabat and took total control of Morocco and sustained a total of eleven-thousand casualties. The colonial province has not been pacified leaving the thousands of Spanish migrants to the province extremely vulnerable. Is this correct?”

“That is true”

“Tell me, what is the current state of the Guardia Real…” he motions to the military report with his eyes, the one he had read earlier, a report that was probably written by some weasel secretary “…in your own words and point of view?”

The pleasing fumes of the cigar led a thin stream of smoke across the seemingly endless space of the senate floor.

“Fourteen-thousand strong and inspired men. The experience gained by them will be invaluable for Spain, her Queen, and her people. . I can safely say that we can continue our patrol in Morocco until Pacification is complete without any additional reinforcement. All I request is a continuing flow of new military improvement, technology, but despite that, under my command. through battles against the Carlistas, the Berbers, and Arabs, and even with the thought that it will be years till most of my troops return to Madrid, the Guardia Real has held its ground in every standoff and frontier. The latest revolts have been quelled by Espartero, as they all seem to occur in the area under his jurisdiction. This, of course, does not mean that I will stop keeping my eyes open. I personally am disturbed at the government’s order to disband numerous of military divisions, an order specifically given by this Senate, this Cortes I fought four just a year ago in Civil War.” He turned to Ezpleta waiting for his response.

“Castilians in The Colonial state of Morocco consists approximately 5% of its population, but Pacification of the barbarian tribes is needed for any progression of this state to a higher level”, argued Ezpleta, the second Vice-president. "That demand is not being met.”

Finally, the President of the Senate, José María Moscoso de Altamira, cleared his throat to shut up the Vice-presidents and took over the questioning: “We all congratulate you on the victorious Morocco Campaign and I hope what you have said today can also apply to the rest of the military, but the severe economic condition has kept our hands busy. The order was, yes, given by me, the President of the Senate, but when you have a debt of over 20 000 pounds on the back of our motherland certain actions must be taken. Take every order from the Cortes with the highest respect, General, and based on this military report, you have better return to your base at Tangiers as soon as possible.”

Serrano rose from his seat at the centre of the floor giving an inaudible sigh and nodded at Moscoco: “Of course”.

“Well then…go! What is next on the list?”

Tarancón rose with the Senate Schedule and spoke loudly for all the senators “A flat tax demanded by the lower class, signed ‘The People of Lerida’.” He sat and began puffing his cigar once again, looking at the light that entered through the opening Senate doors as Serrano left while the senators discussed amongst themselves of the hearing.

“Ah, how the lowest of class beg.”

[Maximilliano]

looks interesting... i'll be watching this one.

[Caudillo]

First Railroad Construction

II. 1845

The economic recovery continued at a fast pace, clearing the national debt allowing the Queen and Cortes to finally abolish the War-Time Taxes and even abandon a long time Monopoly tradition: high tariffs. All this helped prevent Spaniards from migrating to the new world that was for about 35 years now in the hands of Mulattos, Indios, and Spanish Aristocrats. Many great artists made themselves famous around this time, only making literature even richer; artists such as Espronceda, Rivas, and Bécquer. Indeed the Post-Romanticism and Realism eras arrived, but rich in culture was not equivalent to rich in capital.

It was necessary to invest in industrialization for any nation to be shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of Europe, thus it was decided to set a fund specifically for railroads and factories. To be more specific: cement, liquor, furniture, wine, lumber, machine parts, and clothing factories. This would hamper migration to the colonies of Spain, but in the long run increasing funds allowing the government to spend more on healthcare other social programs, thus increasing the standard of living. Most importantly though, it would give the funds necessary to maintain a large military. The Industrial revolution began, for the most part, in the northern lands with Joaquín del Oviedo, one of the railroad contractors.

Joaquín visits Madrid as part of a Senate hearing on his progress and, well, complaints.

Ezpleta, still Second Vice-President, felt uneasy working with his new superiors. Protocol has changed, he barely said anything now. The President of the Senate, Manuel Pando y Fernández-Pinedo, Marqués de Miraflores, was a micromanager and what some would call a control freak. Nonetheless, Ezpleta could at the most begin senate sessions: “Senators! Joaquín del Oviedo, rail contractor by the order of the Cortes and her Queen, Isabella II; he speaks!”

“You may speak” said President Pando, in an annoyed type of voice, as if Ezpleta’s opening statement was not good enough.

“Machine parts! English Machine parts!”, Jaoquín quickly blurted out in a quick excited voice. “They are so few but sorely needed. I beg of you to set your prejudices of the Anglos aside, for we may end up as dead as the east! Railroads are now widely popular in Galicia, Barcelona, and Madrid. Every senator here has experienced the advantages of one, but with out the machinery it will be but a dream for most!”

“It is not that we share hatred toward the United Kingdom, but that they simply will not export any.”, replied the new First Vice President, Mauricio Álvarez Bohorques.

“What?! What do you mean?! Please explain!” demanded the engineer.

Ezpleta, about to elaborate on Bohorques’s statement, was interrupted by Pando, again. He put his cigar deep in his mouth and began angrily chewing on the end of it with smoke coming out of his red ears as well.

Engineer Joaquín de Oviedo

“Well, that is not exactly correct”, he began. “It is not that the United Kingdom will not export Spain any but that, because of their own Industrial Revolution, they can barely sell anyone any materials such as machinery, steel, and coal. For the time being, Spain will have to rely on its own research and education, which the entire Cortes has agreed to keep maximum funding on. Though a much slower progress, it is all we can possibly do.

“But we need them! We…we need them, now!”

“Silence already!”

“What? Or you will replace me? Oh yes, there are just lines of engineers in Spain waiting to be hired!”

A few senators laughed, the fact that Spain did not contribute many engineers to the world was quite obvious.

“The money of all classes of society pours into our coffers, but more accurately, into your wallets! What good is wealth if you do not spend it?” The engineer continued ranting. The senators actually found it enjoyable; humour barely ever got passed the gates and the guards. Ezpleta smiled at Pando’s humiliation even though what Joaquín said insulted the nation as a whole.

“Hmph, I think this brief hearing is over, but I can assure that under different circumstances, challenging the Senate in this way would not go unpunished!”

“Yes, I do apologize. I shall take my leave, as everything that needs to be said has been”, he made his exit to the large Senate doors despite not being formally dismissed by Pando, mumbling his true feelings about these cheap thieves that are government officials."

The huge chamber was silent, but then noise slowly erupted with senators snickering.

Pando’s face turned as red as the face of Ezpleta just moments before, “I dare you, I dare you to laugh!” The senators looked down and tried holding their laughter. “I thought so.”

[Caudillo]

The First Factory in Galicia Opens

III. 1852

As predicted, Spain would have to rely on the ingenuity of her own people to obtain what she needed for an industrial revolution since machinery producing nations had their own high demands. This finally occurred successfully when, because of high funding on education and technology, the government received machinery from a recent research of mechanical production. Factories in Aragón, Navarra, Galicia, and Andalusia opened and thousands of unemployed craftsmen from all around the country migrated to find work. Production was not very high, but soon it would skyrocket as people became more accustomed to city life rather than country.

The country took this chance, because of the increasing Gross National Income, to once again put high funding for the standing army and defence budget. The entire land force began to experience reform, especially the Ejército de Tierra. No longer would the army be full of 17 year old conscripts but rather professional ‘Regulars’ soldiers. The Spanish Arms Industry was small, thus reform began with replacing what were considered obsolete units before expansion. But the nation’s military manpower was enormous, over a hundred-thousand men fit for duty, not including the about fifty-thousand already serving.

Another bright note for the military was the complete Pacification of Morocco. All forces withdrew to Spain and soldiers reunited with their families for the first time in many years. Some soldiers, such as a Private regular in second infantry division ‘Aragón’ José Mariano Gómez, soon returned to duty as they were transferred from their old now-disbanded infantry divisions to the new regular battalions. Others were lucky to be relieved of their service and either worked back in the fields or on the new factories.

Gómez writes to his cousin back home in Zaragoza from camp in Sevilla.

Dearest Cousin,

Without forewarning I was ordered to Sevilla and told that I was to transfer to a new position. I only hope you can forgive, I was not able to contact you in any way. If only you could understand how tight and strict things can be here, then maybe I could live without regret as I hope you do. Keep me out of your thoughts, it will only depress you. There are thousands like me here and in all parts of the world but if you must, then comfort yourself in the thought that I am being led by such a great leader. He has never lost, not once! Espartero treats us like brothers. I have only seen him a few times though and, as I imagine many men here, want to know him better. In war you seem to get to know people, their dreams and their nightmares even, but this does not mean I want to relive those miserable years in Morocco. The only thing I like more than being home is peace.

Well, enough of my thoughts. What of the family? Did your brother find a job yet? I heard of the liquor factory that just opened in Huesca. If he runs there in time he will be eternally happy with his wife and at work! Well, maybe not with his wife. I find something wrong with her, she seems to complain about everything. Oh and have you decided if you will send Nicolás to school? I strongly suggest that you do, no one wants to see him working in the fields when there is a market for literate people. The younger the better.

You know, he kind of reminds me of the altar boy at a church near the camp. He tries really hard to stay awake for mass as if he is really interested, but sometimes he just cannot take it and falls asleep. Everyone was laughing but the priest. Then another time he drank the symbolic wine and almost spitted it out behind the priest! In fact, he did a little. I am not surprised, remember when I was one? It tasted like rotten grapes.

But yes, we take most things seriously, but humour is healthy for any life, especially mine. Anything can happen to me. I can die by the enemy tomorrow or simply fall dead of homesickness. Thus, it is good to keep our mind off these things with laughter. Maybe not your life, maybe you do not have to. You a husband, a son, and a home, so you do not have to blind yourself from the evil. I envy that. I on the other hand am constantly on the move. By the time you read this I may be in Cuba or even the Philippines. I can only hope that this is a permanent base so in my leaves of absence I can travel north to you thus not putting my precious vacations to waste...and again I apologize, for what happened earlier and for making this letter so brief.

And do not forget, I want that boy of yours to learn how to read and then write me a letter. The country needs intelligent little boys!

With all my love,

José

[Rensslaer]

Caudillo,

This is a very well written and entertaining story!

And it occurs to me that we haven't had a Spanish Vicky tale in quite some time. At least I think not. This is a good selection of countries, I think. And for this waning power to be re-energized, I'm sure we will be sitting through many more interesting updates!

Keep it up!

Rensslaer

[rule_brittania]

Will definitely be watching.

[VILenin]

Looks good! A Spanish AAR with the goal of restoring Spain's glory sounds very interesting to me.

[Caudillo]

Originally Posted by Rensslaer

Caudillo,

This is a very well written and entertaining story!

And it occurs to me that we haven't had a Spanish Vicky tale in quite some time. At least I think not. This is a good selection of countries, I think. And for this waning power to be re-energized, I'm sure we will be sitting through many more interesting updates!

Keep it up!

Rensslaer

Originally Posted by rule_brittania

Will definitely be watching.

Originally Posted by VILenin

Looks good! A Spanish AAR with the goal of restoring Spain's glory sounds very interesting to me.

Thank you, I noticed there were barely any completed Spain AARs and no recent ones

[prussiablue]

This looks like a very promising AAR. Spain a country I always wanted to play.

Will be reading..

[Garuda]

Originally Posted by Caudillo

Thank you, I noticed there were barely any completed Spain AARs and no recent ones

Spain is one of my two favourite nations to play as (Japan the other). I'll definately be following, excellent start.

[Caudillo]

Ríos’s Charge

IV. 1859

Industrial growth made way for military and territorial expansion. The Army grew to about 50 000 men, not including the Philippines Colonial Army nor the Guardia Real, but numbers were one thing, leadership was another. The legend Espartero had died of old age and Serrano was an old man who could join Espartero any day. Thus there was no respected noble that currently led the Ejército de Tierra, but that did not stop them from performing well. Beginning of 1859 Spain expanded its transport flotilla and declared war against Atjeh, a muslim sultanate in Indonesia, in attempt to revive Spanish Colonialism in Asia. This conquest entered Spain into the tea and exotic dye market and drew the borders of the Netherland’s Colonial Empire, a people who gained independence from Spain hundreds of years ago.

The Sultan’s Army was composed of only a couple thousand of barbarous natives and, even with the supposed blessing of their God, could not withstand an attack by Ríos, the current commanding officer of the Ejército de Tierra, but they were guarded by the rough Indonesian mountains and rainforests that struck soldiers pale with disease by the hundreds. The Spanish Mobilized in two columns: one south in occupied Tarumon and the other in the occupied northern coast and they marched to the capital and decisively surrounded the Sultan’s army on all sides. Atjeh’s fall was inevitable and their conquest came at the cost of about 6 000 Spanish troops; less than half died of actual combat (disease, wild life, etc).

The one defining moment of the Invasion of Atjeh was ‘Ríos’s Charge’. The northern column arrived and engaged the Muslims before the arrival of the southern column from where Ríos’s commanded. Ríos, personally leading the 1st Cavalry Cuirassiers, finally arrived and led a charge against the rear of the Sultan taking him completely by surprise. Thus, it could be said that this strategic move was done by accident, but that did not steal Ríos's honour. However, his honour could soon be stolen by furious Malayans revolting against their occupiers.



Ríos in his tent just before the revolt.

A young messenger entered the tent of his commander with reports from the northern column but he hesitated to advance any further. Ríos ignored him as he rubbed the olive oil moist cloth on his sword, cleaning off the dried blood. The boy cleared his throat and Ríos slowly turned to him in a frustrating matter and spoke.

“What now?”

“I-I…” the sorry messenger stuttered.

Ríos sighed and stopped rubbing. “Just give me the letter.”

The boy, shaking, gave him the letter and quickly ran out. It was from commander Aguilera of the 3rd Infantry Division. Aguilera, as ordered by Ríos, finished securing the Capital of the now conquered Sultanate, Acheen, and preserved an area for his residence. Ríos threw the letter aside and walked outside his tent and yelled out.

“I need a messenger!”

An officer held the arm of the stuttering boy in the air, “Here’s one!”

“Oh God! No, I need a messenger that can verbally relay a message!” He looked around and spotted one near the stables and walked towards him “Ah, here is a young man worthy of sending one of my messages.”

The boy looked up and replied “Yes, señor?”

“Take a horse and ride to Acheen and tell Aguilera that I have seen what disgusting dwellings these people live in and would rather dwell in my tent.”

The boy nodded and soon rode away to the city. He returned to the camp in a much different condition though. He was not on his horse, the horse was gone, and so were much of his clothes that seemed to have been ripped apart by, if part of a children’s story, some sort of hideous creature. He fell and soldiers rushed to his aid and found under what was left of his clothes blood and stab wounds. Ríos heard all the commotion from his tent and curiously walked over to the crowed of soldiers. He saw what he had least expected, his message spitted back in his face. The boy could barely speak and Ríos knelt down closer. “They killed me…go save them!”

Taunku Ibrahim, the last Sultan of Atjeh

Ríos interpreted the boy’s last words correctly: The Malays were revolting and according to intelligence from scouts, they were being led by Tuanku Ibrahim, the deposed Sultan. If it was not crushed in the city soon it could escalate to guerrilla warfare in the forests, thus Ríos’s division was quickly mobilized. Since the risks were so great, Ríos and Aguilera coordinate their efforts very carefully and vowed to even burn down the city if it was needed. The rebels eventually were pushed out of the city by Aguilera and took their fight to the rainforest. Practically, they were no match for the skilled ‘Regulares’, but when exposed to such an environment, the rebels proved to be great defenders of the Sultan.

But just like their nation, the rebel cause was crushed – forever.

Within weeks the new governor of Atjeh arrived from Cádiz and met with Ríos and the other commanders at Achee. The military relinquished their jurisdiction of the province to the governor and thus began the history of the Colonial Province of Atjeh. Like Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and others, Atjeh would remain as property of Spain for a very, very long time.

[prussiablue]

Great job on Acheh. But you do know you are putting Spain in direct competition with Netherlands and UK in the region. To be a colonial power, you need to have a strong navy as well. One more thing, what is the prestige hit for DOW Acheh?

[Caudillo]

Originally Posted by prussiablue

Great job on Acheh. But you do know you are putting Spain in direct competition with Netherlands and UK in the region. To be a colonial power, you need to have a strong navy as well. One more thing, what is the prestige hit for DOW Acheh?

You are correct. Once I get a better income (a Liberal party just won elections so it has lowered it a lot) I an going to to a second large expansion of the land forces and then reform my Navy away from sail ships. For now. I am trying to contain the Netherland's empire before thei get the chance to conquer the uncivilized nations there. Also, Spain's empire in Asia has been very weak in this time of History, especially with the Philippine revolts, so I will need a lot more control in that part of the world. As for the UK, I might ask for their help in the Spanish American War, so relations with them must be on the positive, yes...

There are a couple of other reasons why I conquered it that will tie to future events and wars I will make also

[weychun]

It's Tuanku not Taunku. Taun in Malay is diarrhea. And ku, as in aku, means me, my etc etc. Tuan means master, as in Tuanku goes on to be "My Master" The picture in there is called Maharaja Sir Sultan Abu Bakar ibni Almarhum Temeggung Ibrahim. Yes, I reckon he is knighted by the Queen or something, that I don't know but what I know is, he literraly civlized Johor (or Johore as the Brits called it) No hard feelings , just want to clarify stuff you know, as a Malaysian, don't want a Sultan of Johor with turning into the Sultan of Atjeh (Acheh) any day. Great AAR, and keep it up!

[Director]

I'm enjoying your story very much. I tried Spain as one of my first Vicky games and got my head handed to me in a hurry, so I'm impressed with your achievements.

Any word on what's happening in the rest of the world?

[VILenin]

A good first step towards rebuilding an colonial empire. 50,000 doesn't sound like a whole lot of troops to hold down colonies spanning around the globe, however. I hope the army gets some attention too in the future. Good update, btw.

[Walter Model]

That's odd, there are two Galicias. Galizien (und Lodomerien) in Austrian Poland, and that other Galicia in the south-west of spain.

[Caudillo]

Originally Posted by weychun

It's Tuanku not Taunku. Taun in Malay is diarrhea. And ku, as in aku, means me, my etc etc. Tuan means master, as in Tuanku goes on to be "My Master" The picture in there is called Maharaja Sir Sultan Abu Bakar ibni Almarhum Temeggung Ibrahim. Yes, I reckon he is knighted by the Queen or something, that I don't know but what I know is, he literraly civlized Johor (or Johore as the Brits called it) No hard feelings , just want to clarify stuff you know, as a Malaysian, don't want a Sultan of Johor with turning into the Sultan of Atjeh (Acheh) any day. Great AAR, and keep it up!

Thank you for clarifying.

I'm enjoying your story very much. I tried Spain as one of my first Vicky games and got my head handed to me in a hurry, so I'm impressed with your achievements.

Yes, the UK actually invaded the US and almost conquered it! They signed a treaty and the US had succeed part of New York and Maine. Italy formed in the 50s and the Paritani (?) Republic and the United States of Central America survived. In the future, there might be war between Spain and Italy but it is too early to tell (the relations are bad and I want some provinces near Ethiopia both for resources like cotton that I do not have, and its strategic importance)...

A good first step towards rebuilding an colonial empire. 50,000 doesn't sound like a whole lot of troops to hold down colonies spanning around the globe, however. I hope the army gets some attention too in the future. Good update, btw.

Spain starts with very ltitle machine parts and unprofiting factories, but managed to kind of "upgrade" my military entirely to a more professional level and made native armies, but it is still small (24 000 Royal Guard, around 50 000 Army, 20 000 Native armies) but as you will see in my next update I have just made a nice comfortable income and made more factories and railroads so now that I can afford some more, expect military expansion!

That's odd, there are two Galicias. Galizien (und Lodomerien) in Austrian Poland, and that other Galicia in the south-west of spain.

The Galicia in Spain is the north west of the peninsula. Maybe there is a connection with the names? That would be interesting, but I doubt there is...