Aragon

Primary culture

Aragonese (Iberian)

Capital province

València (220)

Government

Feudal Monarchy

State religion

Catholic

Technology group

Western

Aragonese ideas

Traditions:

+10% Trade efficiency

+20% Galley combat ability

Mercenary Princes

−15% Mercenary maintenance

Protection of the Coastlines

+25% National sailors modifier

+10% Naval force limit modifier

Mediterranean Trade

+20% Trade steering

Consolidation of the Estates

−10% Stability cost modifier

Chartered Merchant Companies

+20% Global trade power

Reforming the Administration

−0.05 Monthly autonomy change

Protect the Little Folk

+10% Morale of armies

Ambition:

+1 Artillery fire

For the area, see Aragon (area).

The Crown of Aragon emerged as a major power from humble origins as a mere County in the Pyrenees. After winning its independence from the now much reduced Kingdom of

Navarra, Aragon entered into a union with the County of

Barcelona. Its monarchs were eager participants in the Reconquista, the campaign of conquest against the Muslim states of Iberia, which saw Aragon expand to its current southerly extent and add the Kingdom of

Valencia to the composite Crown.

The fates of Aragon and Navarra are once again tied together; the King of Navarra is also the heir to the Aragonese throne. Should King Joan manage to survive his father Alfons V while preserving the independence of Navarra, the two nations will be joined in a personal union under one monarch.

On the subject of dynastic unions, the Kingdom of Naples in southern Italy is also subject to the Crown of Aragon. Aragon rules Sicily directly, but Naples has yet to be fully integrated into the Crown following King Afonso’s conquest of the kingdom in 1442. The former King of Naples, René of Anjou, has fled to Provence where he continues to insist upon his claim not only on Naples but also on Aragon itself as well as Jerusalem.

Aragon’s relationship with its powerful neighbour Castile is difficult to pin down. Though these nations share a dynasty, the feuding House of Trastámara is rarely at peace with itself. At times it seems as though peace may be possible and that the two Crowns could be united into one, while at other times it seems that the kingdoms are destined to struggle against one another for eternity as bitter rivals.

Beyond dynastic matters, Aragon is a nation deeply concerned with dominating trade in the Mediterranean. Aragon’s Consulate of the Sea aims to regulate and administrate all trade in the region, while Catalan and Valencian merchants struggle against merchants from Genoa and Tuscany to control the flow of profit. Aragon also has designs upon the elusive silk trade. Silk has traditionally seen almost no production in Europe; its secrets are closely guarded but now seem to be within reach.

Aragon is a Catholic country that lies along the Iberian shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and owns the islands of the western Mediterranean. It borders Castile, Navarra and France and has a personal union over Naples. It, with Castile, Portugal, and Navarra can form Spain. Their primary culture is Aragonese (Iberian). Historically it combined with Castile through marriage.

Missions[edit]

Main article: Aragonese missions

Aragon's missions mostly center around holding onto their Mediterranean holdings, but also include some interesting quests that might amuse a Lord of the Rings fan.

Events[edit]

Main article: Aragonese events

Aragon's events focus on various significant moments in their history.

Iberian Wedding[edit]

This event can only happen if Aragon is controlled by a human player and Castile is controlled by the AI. In the event that Aragon is not human controlled, the slightly different original Iberian Wedding event may fire instead.

Between 1450 and 1530, if neither Castile nor Aragon are vassals and the monarch of one of them is male and the monarch of the other is female (or one of them has a regency), then there is a high chance of this event happening. After it fires Castile will enter into a personal union led by Aragon with a -50% liberty desire reduction.

Decisions[edit]

Notice that forming Spain with Catalan or Aragonese culture does not change missions.

Form Spanish Nation Militarily

Global expansion in newly discovered areas and the establishment of colonies is transforming Spain into one of the most powerful and wealthiest nations of our time. Spanish explorers are constantly moving into new lands and extending our borders. Immense amounts of gold and silver are being brought back to our motherland, filling the coffers of our state Treasury.


Potential requirements Is not Spain, The Papal State, Holy Roman Empire, France, The Knights or Andalusia Is not in the Muslim religion group Is not a colonial nation Is in the Iberian culture group Does not have country flag “formed_spain_flag” set Is not custom nation If controlled by the AI: Is not former colonial nation Is not Portugal Has at least 3 cities Both Castile and Aragon are AI controlled	Allow Spain does not exist. Has an administrative technology of at least level 10. Is not a subject nation. Is not at war. Is not a nomad nation. A Muslim nation does not own a province in Iberia region. Owns the core provinces: Barcelona (213), Zaragoza (214), Valladolid (215), Salamanca (216), Sevilla (224), Toledo (219), València (220) and Granada (223).

Effects Change country to Spain. If duchy, set government rank to Kingdom. If a member of the HRE and not an elector / emperor, all own provinces are removed from the HRE. Gain a permanent claim on all not owned provinces of Iberia region, except the areas of: Alentejo, Beira, Macaronesia. Gain 25 prestige Set country flag “formed_spain_flag” Gain “Increased Centralization” modifier for 20 years: −0.05 Monthly autonomy change +1 National unrest

Form Spanish Nation Diplomatically

Global expansion in newly discovered areas and the establishment of colonies is transforming Spain into one of the most powerful and wealthiest nations of our time. Spanish explorers are constantly moving into new lands and extending our borders. Immense amounts of gold and silver are being brought back to our motherland, filling the coffers of our state treasury.


Potential requirements Is Castile or Aragon Capital is in the Iberia region Does not have country flag “formed_spain_flag” set Is not custom nation If controlled by the AI: Any of the following is true: All of the following is true: Is Castile. Aragon is a vassal of Castile or the junior partner of a personal union with Castile. Aragon has less than 32 cities. All of the following is true: Is Aragon. Castile is a vassal of Aragon or the junior partner of a personal union with Aragon. Castile has less than 37 cities.	Allow Has an administrative technology of at least level 10. Is not a subject nation. Is not at war. Is not a nomad nation. Has a legitimacy of 100. A Muslim nation does not own a province in Iberia. Any of the following is true: All of the following is true: Is Castile. Aragon is a vassal of Castile or the junior partner of a personal union with Castile. Aragon has less than 32 cities. All of the following is true: Is Aragon. Castile is a vassal of Aragon or the junior partner of a personal union with Aragon. Castile has less than 40 cities.

Effects If country is Castile and Aragon is controlled by the AI, inherit Aragon If country is Aragon and Castile is controlled by the AI, inherit Castile Change country to Spain. If duchy, set government rank to Kingdom. If a member of the HRE and not an elector / emperor, all own provinces are removed from the HRE. Gain a permanent claim on all not owned provinces of Iberia region, except the areas of: Alentejo, Beira, Macaronesia. Set country flag “formed_spain_flag”

Strategy[edit]

Aragon is an interesting choice, and an uncommon one as the Iberian choices of Castile and Portugal are usually heavily favoured. Castile is Aragon's main threat, Spanish ambitions have them working to absorb Aragon into a common Spanish state. France is warmongering to the north and the Berber countries are waiting to strike in the south. France is very hard to defeat while the Berber countries are very big nuisance as the player deals with affairs in the Iberian Peninsula. Castile cannot form a Personal Union over Aragon via the Iberian wedding if Aragon is controlled by a human player. Instead, Aragon may have its own version of the event fire, making Castile a junior partner in a Personal Union under Aragon, essentially reversing the original event to be in Aragon's favor.

French alliance or French Aggression[edit]

An alliance with France is desirable for any player playing Aragon, as it allows the player to expand into Iberia with relative ease due to the strength of the French military. The alliance will also prevent France from expanding into Aragon's lands making Aragon's situation much more hopeful. In addition to these benefits, Aragon will be able to call France into offensive war fairly often due to the favours mechanic which allows the player to help France in their offensive wars which in turn will allow them to help Aragon in the player's offensive wars.

Alternatively, the player may declare war on France after subjugating Navarra. Aragon has a very defensible position on the Pyrenees Mountains, which will give high attrition to the French in the winter, have low supply limit, and weight battles there toward the defender. When France is in a crippling war, the player may decide to declare their own war on France. It would be beneficial to ally England, Portugal, and/or France's rivals. England has many cores on France in the 1444 start date, so Aragon can promise them land, give them some of their cores, and keep the rest for the Aragonese Empire. Portugal may help if Castile decides to take advantage of Aragon's situation, for they are much less likely to declare war on Aragon and have one of their own allies join.

Expansion[edit]

The player has many options for expansion. The most challenging yet perhaps the most fruitful is expanding in the Iberian Peninsula. The weakest country of which is Navarra; a one province minor located in northern Iberia. Aragon has a unique mission to subjugate Navarra, allowing Aragon to attack them before they get any major allies. After Navarra and France are dealt with the player has the option to expand into Castile. This would allow Aragon to grow quite large in size and to become the dominant Iberian and perhaps colonial power. In general it is advised to attack Castile while they are in the Castillian civil war which will allow Aragon to conquer a lot of land.

In addition to conquest in Iberia the player may chose to colonize. Once they have reached a certain technological level they will have the opportunity to expand into the new world and, perhaps easier for Aragon, the African continent. In both places the player will have vast opportunities for wealth and glory. With the new native policy mechanics it is easier to maintain colonies without committing large forces needed elsewhere. When low on manpower, mercenaries are a very good choice for Aragon. Aragon's first national idea is -25% mercenary cost.

With control of the islands of Sicily and Sardinia the player also has the advantage of being able to fabricate claims on most locations in the Mediterranean. This allows Aragon to expand into Italy, with the help of Naples, or into North Africa with the support of Portugal or another friendly power.

Trade[edit]

Aragon has an advantage in that they are located in the rich Genoa trade node. The player may decide to focus on trade instead of colonizing, as the major powers' trade power might just float straight to Aragon, with the help of merchants. With this strategy, the exploration and expansion idea groups may not be obtained in exchange for the trade and/or economic ideas. It would be very beneficial to annex provinces with desirable trade goods and trade power to dominate the Genoa trade node. It is advisable to cut down the colonial powers' size, but not completely destroy them so that those countries can still colonize.

Mid/late game[edit]

As Aragon's path is not well defined, the player can choose Aragon's own destiny. If Aragon conquers the parts of the Iberia Peninsula needed for Spain and forms Spain, get ready to colonize. If Aragon gets in Europe the player may enjoy the advanced politics. A trade empire will want to be involved with the Crimea and the Alexandria trade node. The player should try to plan ahead with Aragon's idea groups.

Ideas[edit]

Aragon can be a major naval and colonial power, yet they should not forget their military or economy.

Economic ideas is a powerful idea group allowing the player to build a strong economy in preparation of the future.
Exploration ideas is a very strong idea group allowing the player to colonize the new world and become a colonial power.
Trade ideas are very powerful if the player desires to create a trade empire.
Innovative may be desired for a further mercenary cost reduction and cheaper technology.
If Aragon decides to create a vast mercenary army, Administrative ideas would be a very good choice for its mercenary benefits. If the player is very aggressive, the core-creation cost reduction will also be beneficial.