Hi guys,
 
the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire convened for an
extraordinary session in the imperial city of Frankfurt to elect a new King of
the Romans and future Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation following the
death of Kaiser Ferdinand III of Habsburg. The Margrave of Brandenburg backed a
Protestant contender. The Habsburg candidate only won the vote of the Dukes of
Bavaria and Saxony, next to the one vote he himself was able to cast in his
capacity as King of Bohemia. Yet it was the Bourbon bid for the imperial
crown won the day as all three Archbishops and the Count-Palatine
ended up casting their vote for His Most Christian Majesty.
 
The Louis XIV, the Sun-King, may now style himself "Louis V, by the
grace of God elected Holy Roman Emperor, forever August, King in Germany, Most
Christian King of France and Navarre, Coprince of Andorra, Count of Provence,
Forcalquier and the lands adjacent; Dauphin of Viennois, Count of Valentinois
and of Diois etc." I guess Cardinal Mazarin will regard that as the
crowning achievement of lifetime and probably will pass away happily (died
in 1661).
 
The archchancellory of the realm has already drawn up a new imperial coat
of arms (well, I guess it would have in reality also featured
Navarre's arms, but I didn't find a suitable template to superimpose on the
imperial double-eagle):
 
 
Congrats, Nigs, for being the first player to wrest away the Imperial Crown
from the House of Austria. Eternal bragging rights come piece and parcel with
this crown and sceptre!
 
Strictly speaking though, the actual coronation ceremony will only take
place this winter. So for now, to be quite pedantic (and I enjoy being quite
pedantic!) Louis merely is the new King of the Romans (rex romanorum) and
Emperor-Elect.
 
Now turning to other matters, it has to be said that this season has also
been quite momentous in a number of other respects. Copenhagen, the United
Provinces, Tuscany and Venice are now controlled by new masters! Does this
mark a new era in European affairs...?
 
There are quite a few adjustments now in store for us and the deadline for
Winter 1656 shall follow NLT 16 April, 6 PM CET.
 
Liebe Grüsse,
 
Charles
 
----------
PLAYERS:
    AUSTRIA: Mike Hoffman <mrh(at)panix.com>
    DENMARK-NORWAY: Marc
Ellinger <mellinger(at)blitzbardgett.com> (eliminated Winter
1653)
    ENGLAND: Harvey Morris <hmtucaz(at)gmail.com>
    FRANCE: Nigel Phillips <nephilli99(at)hotmail.com>
    POLAND-LITHUANIA: Jorge
Saralegui <jmsaralegui(at)gmail.com>
    RUSSIA: Mikael Johansson <m_don_j(at)hotmail.com> (eliminated Winter 1650)
    SPAIN: Dirk Knemeyer <dirk(at)knemeyer.com>
    SWEDEN: Matthew Kelly
<kelly058(at)verizon.net> (joined Winter 1652)
    TURKEY: Aidan
Slattery <AiSlattery(at)aol.com>

PROCLAMATIONS:
    o ELECTORAL COLLEGE BESTOWS IMPERIAL CROWN ON
SUN-KING
    o THE ARCHDUKE (SON OF THE DECEASED EMPEROR) CONSOLES
HIMSELF WITH THE CONQUEST OF VENICE
    o ENGLISH TROOPS SHALL WINTER IN NOVGOROD
    o FRENCH OFFENSIVE ON NUMEROUS FRONTS YIELDS NEW
GAINS
    o THE POLISH REPUBLIC SEIZES INGRIA
    o ARMY OF FLANDERS SUFFERS HUMILIATING DEFEAT
    o JANISSARIES LET LOOSE ON POLISH COUNTRYSIDE

PRESS: None.
 
ORDERS:
 
Austria:
A Bavaria Supports A Tyrolia
A Prague Supports A
Saxony
A Saxony Supports A Silesia - Brandenburg (*Void*)
A Trieste -
Venice
A Tyrolia Supports A Trieste - Venice
 
England:
F Arctic Ocean - Norwegian Sea
F Gulf of Bothnia Supports A
Ingria (*Cut*)
A Ingria Hold (*Dislodged*)
F Lake Ladoga Supports F
Novgorod(nc)
F Novgorod(nc) Hold
A Permia Supports F Novgorod(nc)
A
Siberia - Turkestan (*Fails*)
A Stockholm - Lapland
 
France:
A Hesse Supports A Lorraine - Swabia
F Holstein(wc) Supports
F Skagerrak - Copenhagen
A Lombardy Supports A Savoy - Tuscany
A Lorraine
- Swabia
A Lower Saxony Supports A Brandenburg - Saxony
A Paris -
Gascony
A Rhineland-Westphalia - United Provinces
A Savoy - Tuscany
F
Skagerrak - Copenhagen
A Switzerland Supports A Lorraine - Swabia
A Venice
Supports A Savoy - Tuscany (*Disbanded*)
 
Poland-Lithuania:
F Courland - Gulf of Bothnia (*Fails*)
A Cracow
Supports A Warsaw - Greater Poland
A Moscow Supports A Persia -
Turkestan
A Polotsk - Riga
A Prussia Supports A Warsaw - Greater
Poland
A Pskov Supports A Riga - Ingria
A Riga - Ingria
A Samogitia -
Courland (*Fails*)
A Smolensk - Novgorod (*Fails*)
 
Spain:
A Algiers Supports F Tunis
A Copenhagen Hold
(*Dislodged*)
F Naples Supports F Papal States(ec) (*Cut*)
F Papal
States(ec) Supports F Naples
F Sardinia Supports F Tyrrhenian Sea
A
Seville - Aragon
F Tunis Supports F Tyrrhenian Sea
A Tuscany Supports A
Venice (*Disbanded*)
F Tyrrhenian Sea Supports F Naples
 
Sweden:
A Brandenburg - Saxony (*Fails*)
F Greater Poland - Prussia
(*Dislodged*)
A Mecklenburg - Brandenburg (*Fails*)
 
Turkey:
F Adriatic Sea Supports F Ionian Sea - Naples
F Aegean Sea
Supports F Eastern Mediterranean - Ionian Sea (*Fails*)
A Croatia Supports A
Trieste (*Ordered to Move*)
F Eastern Mediterranean - Ionian Sea
(*Fails*)
F Egypt Supports F Eastern Mediterranean - Ionian Sea
(*Fails*)
F Illyria Supports F Adriatic Sea
F Ionian Sea - Naples
(*Fails*)
A Persia - Turkestan
F Sicily Supports F Ionian Sea -
Naples
A Silesia Supports A Saxony
A Warsaw - Greater Poland
 
PENDING RETREATS:
 
Spanish A Copenhagen can retreat to Scania or
OTB.
Swedish F Greater Poland can retreat to Baltic Sea ot OTB.
English A
Ingria can retreat to Abo or OTB.
 
PENDING ADJUSTMENTS:
 
Austria:
Build
 
England:
Build?
 
France:
Build
Build
Build
Build
 
Poland-Lithuania:
Remove
 
Spain:
Build?
 
Sweden:
Build?
 
SUPPLY CENTER OWNERSHIP
(Winter 1656):



 
Austria(6): Bavaria, Prague, Saxony, Trieste, Venice,
Vienna.
England(: Abo, Bristol, Christiania, Ireland, London,
Novgorod, Scotland, Stockholm.
France(14): Brest, Copenhagen, Flanders,
Holstein, Lorraine, Lower Saxony, Marseilles, Paris, Rhineland-Westphalia,
Savoy, Swabia, Switzerland, United Provinces, Tuscany.
Poland-Lithuania(:
Courland, Cracow, Moscow, Prussia, Riga, Vilna, Voronezh,
Warsaw.
Spain(: Algiers, Madrid, Morocco, Naples, Papal States,
Portugal, Seville, Tunis.
Sweden(3): Brandenburg, Mecklenburg,
Stettin.
Turkey(11): Belgrade, Candia, Constantinople, Crimea, Damascus,
Moldavia, Persia, Transylvania, Turkestan, Ukraine, Wallachia.

DEADLINE
SCHEDULE: (all orders are due NLT 6PM CET (i.e. GMT+1)...not local
time)
    o Winter 1656 Retreats/Adjustments: 16 April
 
ORDERS MAP:
 
RESULTS MAP: