Dido probably laughed when she kept extorting my City-States for money. We were allies. OoOoh. She had a large navy that filled the entirety of the Mediterranean. OoOoh. But eventually, Sweden snapped when she was no longer required. I sent against her the full force of my army and defeated her without losing a single unit with my technological and military superiority. Battle-hardened from my battles with Attila the Hun, they were the elite forces of the world.
Then Sweden hungered. Down in the plains of Africa, the Inca were being pompous to poor old Switzerland. They took their capital by storm and called it a day. Though I was not an ally of the Orderly Swiss Queen, I flew my army in through my newly developed airports and launched a 50-Year Campaign to take the Continent. Only one unit was lost; and the Incan Army was decimated to the last man. Siam, the Shoshone, and the Swiss begin to fear me.
But Dido does not. So I developed Nuclear Weapons for the sheer purpose of showing her why you stop taking my City-States money. Two nukes are launched, armies decimated. Siam and America. The Swedes hunger for more FREEDOM. I launch another nuke at the American's Capital, while simultaneously killing off the bulk of Siam's army with the well-tempered death brigades and X-Com reinforcements.
In the year 2022, Sweden then proves once more to all the world it's superiority by launching a Space Ship into the sky for planets unknown. Earth was not enough. Earth will never be enough for the ambition of Sweden!
Civ 5. First time winning on the largest map. I don't think I'll try it again though. It took a very long time...