King and Country - Gameplay Thread

[Donerail]

I. The Sublime Ottoman State and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands hereby agree to in every way respect those merchants of the other party, to not unnecessarily delay or burden them in their travels, and in general to entrust them with those same rights afforded his own merchants.
II. Each signatory agrees to not level any fees or taxes on the docking of trading and commercial vessels in his harbors beyond those levied upon his own vessels.
III. Each signatory declares the other to be a favored nation for the purposes of trade, and shall levy tariffs on goods no higher than 5% below the existing tariff rate for any other great power.
IV. Each signatory swears to place an economic embargo on any realm that should launch an unprovoked attack on the other party.
IV. The Dutch Republic shall commit all necessary technical and engineering expertise, as well as up to one-half of the financial cost, to develop a canal between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean through the Isthmus of Suez, with the Ottoman Empire supplying up to one-half of the cost and the necessary manpower.

xJohan de Witt, Grand Pensionary of Holland

[Donerail]

1. Should any of their neighbors in Europe violate the peace that now prevails between the Kingdom of Spain and its neighbors, or between the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands and its neighbors, either by direct hostilities, or by hindering the commerce and navigation thereof, the Spanish Empire and the Dutch Republic shall find common cause and aid each other mutually in efforts against their common foe.
2. Each of the parties shall make all effort to ensure the independence of both.
3. Neither party shall conclude a truce or peace with any aggressor without the formal consent of the other.

xJohan de Witt, Councillor-Pensionary of Holland

[Donerail]

A DECLARATION
Unto the Nations of the World

That the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands hereby proclaims and guarantees the independence and freedom of the Sultanate of the Maldives, including the associated islands of Seychelles and Bassas de Chagos;
That any realm which declares war upon the Sultanate shall be considered to have declared war upon the United Provinces; and
That any efforts to manifest control by foreign powers in this realm, or to otherwise meddle in the internal politics of the Maldives, shall be considered an offense against the United Provinces.

[Donerail]

I. The Archduchy of Austria and the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (hereafter, the signatories) agree to in every way respect those merchants of the other party and to not unnecessarily delay or burden them in their travels.
II. Each signatory declares the other to be a favored nation for the purposes of trade, and shall, within one year of the agreement of this treaty, reduce tariffs placed upon goods imported from the other nation by one-half.
III. The Dutch Republic shall establish trading consulates in Trieste, Vienna, Prague, Pressburg, and Breslau, while the Habsburg Monarchy shall establish consulates in the Hague, Amsterdam, Arnhem, and Rotterdam.
IV. These consulates shall allow for merchants from that country to export and import products, and they shall only be assigned two-thirds of the established rate of tariff.
V. Austrian merchants shall be permitted to become shareholders in the United East India Company and the Chartered West India Company, so long as they conduct their operation through established trade consulates.

xJohan de Witt, Councillor-Pensionary of Holland

[Donerail]

I. Recognizing the importance of peace and concord between the realms of Europe, the Dutch Republic, the Electorate of Bavaria, the Twin Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, and the Electorate of Brandenburg agree that none of the parties shall engage in military action against one another.
II. The parties to this treaty shall, in addition, not provide support to any other realm that takes aggressive action against any other treaty party.
III. The parties agree to respect the merchants of all other parties, to entrust them with the rights afforded their own merchants, and to not level any fees or taxes on the docking of vessels in his harbors beyond those levied upon his own vessels.

xJohan de Witt, Councillor-Pensionary of Holland

[Donerail]

An Observation
From the desk of Johan de Witt, councillor-pensionary of Holland

The Sultanates of Ternate and Tidore, as well as the orang kaya of the Banda Islands, are military allies of the Seven United Netherlands. They are exclusive trading partners of the United East India Company for, among other goods, nutmeg, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon. Interruptions of other European nations into these relationships are unwelcome and inadvisable.

[Donerail]

Notes from the desk of Johan de Witt
As the councillor-pensionary of Holland, I am but a mere civil servant of the Republic. I am not a priest or scholar, and there is little reason to regard me an expert in theology. While I certainly hold to my particular beliefs, influenced by the theological writings of Holland's own Jakob Hermanszoon, I would not dream to assert my own faith as the sole permissible interpretation of the word of God; to do so would be to put myself dangerously close to naming myself his equal, when I am but one of his many humble servants. Theologians and scholars flock to the Netherlands precisely because of this reason—we respect the views of learned writers like Hermanszoon, Zwingli, and Calvin, even as we subject their words to the strictest scrutiny. It is through this process, many minds uncovering small pieces of a truth, that we might move along the path that God has set out before us, slowly yet inexorably drawn to the Truth of the Lord.

Which brings me now to the contentious conference held by the Anglican Church, and the issues that waylaid it from reaching a greater understanding between our churches. For does not First Epistle of John command us to "keep yourselves from idols"? This, it seems to me, to be a clear command that should guide our worship. And yet does not God Himself command the creation of the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant, and the images of the angels woven in the curtain of the Tabernacle? Such are the examples cited by our Anglican brethren.

This struggle has waylaid this conference—but this is no great matter. Smaller questions have befuddled theologans for centuries. God did not hand down the Bible to be read with ease by all men. The journey of faith requires contemplation and struggle, so that we might begin to comprehend the glory and awe of the Lord our God. It is this climate, bound by the rule of our Christian faith, but with the freedom of academic debate and continual questing toward the Truth of God, that God may smile upon these Netherlands, and lead us forward into the everlasting glory of His eternal light.

[Donerail]

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands does not acknowledge Safavid sovereignty over the Indian Ocean, rejects any suggestion that our fleets should pay taxes, and will fire upon any Persian ship that attempts to enforce these ludicrous decrees.