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Pius III
25 May 1481 – 30 January 1942
UNAM SANCTAM


Sede Vacante

The sudden death of Hadrianus VI coincided with the illness of Henri II de Valois. The childless French king’s heritage was bound to be rivalled by his two great-cousins, from the houses of Armagnac and Orleans. This, along with the lack of a strong, distinctive pro-French papabile to support threw the French diplomacy into confusion. The immediate context of the election were the unfinished questions of war with the Porte and the Union of Churches. The unprecedented influence of not only cardinal-nephews but also crown cardinals however brought up Italian rivalries to the fore. In the course of election a new dividing factor resurfaced, namely the resentment over the domination of The Holy See-Venice-Genoa alliance over the Peninsula, the involvement of Naples into this bond and the fear of the Venetian influence. Soon this seemingly local contention became the major division between the cardinals; with Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja becoming the champion of the anti-Venetian faction and Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere advocating preserving the status quo. These factions were roughly aligned with the Orsini and Colonna families respectively. (Henri II of Frane died in June 1481 and soon France went to war with and annexed Armagnac, later it diplo-annexed Orleans; Louis XII is the new king of France)

Because of an intense dispute between the Colonna and Orsini, the city of Rome was marked by far more civil unrest during the 1480-81 sede vacante (the period of ‘interregnum’ in the Holy See) than it was to be expected historically; as a result, the first round of voting had to be abandoned and many Cardinals sought refuge outside the city. The French diplomats grew restless, the Neapolitan forces entered the City ostensibly to bring peace and quell riots. There was fear of possible confrontation with the weaker French regiments and of an attempt to impose an anti-Venetian candidate. Cardinal Marco Barbo managed to negotiate, or in fact bribe, the withdrawal of foreign troops from Rome and the voting was resumed. (there was no rebellion at the time, but still I got -1 stab hit due to ‘deadlock conclave’; the thing is Rome did rebel some time later and to my never-ceasing astonishment Naples sent troops and dealt with the rebels, I mean we’re not even allied, I know we’re fighting the same enemy but still, this EUIII mechanics is beyond me, not that I’m complaining: Rome spawns largish rebel stacks and I need my soldiers somewhere else)

In view of these events the two dominant factions got weakened and a compromise candidate was sought for. The French advocated the Portuguese Cardinal Jorge da Costa, being in his seventies and ailing he seemed to be an ideal temporary Pope. The anti-Venetians shifted their support from Cardinal de Borja to Cardinal Giovanni Cibo. And della Rovere, himself too young to become a serious papabile, recommended Cardinal Marco Barbo, a Venetian and a nephew of Paul II. There was also the candidature of Cardinal Carafa put forward by neutral and indecisive cardinals. When Cardinal Barbo, popular with the Romans after bringing back peace to the city, almost won one voting, de Borja blocked the procedure of accessus. It took several more weeks of shifting alliances, and the French finally consenting to his candidature, before Marco Barbo eventually won the election and became Pius III. (it has been the longest sede vacante so far, meanwhile I got an event worsening the relationships with France; I also got ‘Loyal Jewish subjects’, which lowered my war exhaustion a bit; soon after the election France lost its Pope Controller status in favour of Castille, than came Denmark, then Castille, Sweden, Austria again Castille and then , just before Pius III's death, Scotland)

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Plenitudo Potestatis

Marco Barbo, in his sixties when elected to become Pius III, was the Cardinal-patron of the Knights of Rhodes, had served as legate in Germany, Poland and Hungary and thus had gained an extensive expertise in diplomacy. Unlike most other fellow Cardinals he was a pious man, generous and charitable; with the wealth he had accumulated he furthered the cause of the Church rather than his own interests. And unlike his relative the late Paul II he was not averse to humanism, nevertheless he made it very clear he was an unswerving adherent of Papal spiritual supremacy.

Invoking the wisdom of Boniface VIII’s bull Unam Sanctam, Pius III issued a new one Ineffabilis Amor, which declared that the Church must be united and that the Pope was the sole and absolute head of the Church, and any secular power responded to the Pope as the representative of God. This assertion over the temporal might have been seen as hollow and misguided in the times of Boniface VIII, but now with the Holy Land in Christian hands and the Turks ground to a stalemate (all this achieved largely owing to the Papal authority and activity), it was accepted semi-favourably in most courts of Europe. Where it was not, like in France, its hostile reception was not backed by any military or diplomatic effort. Pius III excelled at perfect timing; neither the Armagnac Valois nor the Orlean ones, the rival royal houses of France, would risk losing the Pope’s blessing to advance their claims. (Unam Sanctam NI is ok, currently helps with war exhaustion, actually the bonuses now even out the penalties, and fits here for role-play reasons: the Papacy has been rather effective and is fighting the OE; I’d prefer a naval NI at the moment though, as micromanagement caused by my abysmal naval attrition has been driving me crazy; the ‘formalised…’ is a HttT thing, tweaked by MM, I’ll vent my irritation with some HttT features here: national focus – what is it there for to represent?, population census – do you remember to enact it every time it expires? these seem to be nice new elements but imo they add very little to strategic choices a player has to make)

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Cyprus

The island of Cyprus had been an Ottoman possession since 1463 but it was re-conquered for Christianity in 1477 by the joint Papal and Neapolitan forces. As soon as the war entered its stalemate phase, Callistus III got round to re-introducing the old administration, but the Turkish threat was still looming there and none of the numerous claimants to the title of Kingdom of Cyprus wanted to risk a seemingly too hasty and hazardous action, so as not to weaken their position. To sort this complicated legal matter out Pius III assumed the de facto rule over the island until the peace with the Ottomans was reached.

This apparent land-grab was met with hostile reactions throughout Europe. The Holy See, having taken the role of the protector of the island, queue-jumped a number of pretender-kings of Cyprus: de Lusignan bastards, the house of Savoy backed by the Emperor and Giuseppe I Montoro of Naples whose uncle himself had overseen the liberation of Cyprus; even the Republic of Venice, the birthplace of Pius III, claimed its rights to the island. The islanders themselves were divided over the issue and in consecutive revolts supported different claimants; effectively Cyprus entered a turbulent period of uncertain suzerainty and frequent commotions. Pius III appointed his relative, Rafaello Rovigo, a Knight Chaplain of Saint John, the governor of the island; this did not quiet things down as many perceived it as the first step in an effort to grant the island to the Knights of Rhodes. (long-waiting, but you’ve probably expected this; I really don’t know what to do about the island, I do want to convert it, have Unam Sanctam after all, but should I keep it? don’t feel like it, I need it for the time being, makes managing my fleet and blockading much easier but than again who should I give it to: Savoy, Naples, Venice, KoSJ or release as a vassal? irritatingly, the island rebelled in 1482, 1487 and 1489, the last revolt wiped off 1k of my pikemen)

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The Delusion of Union

The foundation for the Union of Churches laid by the Council of Florence and then extended by Callistus III was frail and the ongoing war, leading to strain and deprivation, shook it violently. The news of the acquisition of Cyprus did not help here either. The stance of most Orthodox Churches shifted from the early, optimistic unifying trends to the hard-line, orthodox dis-unifying ones. The lack of Callistus III’s authority was undoubtedly an important factor. Pius III’s unrelenting demand to accept his Papal sovereignty and submit to Rome alienated many former unionists and hardened the Union opponents. The two pieces of cloth barely sewn together started falling apart, irrevocably. (I have no idea what the ‘doomsday preaching’ Venice’s event is about, but it sounds nasty; the Orthodox uprisings were a nuisance, especially for Genoa with so many soldiers on Lesbos, how did they provide for themselves I ask again? I didn’t have to help my allies here but still over this decade I kept sending troops to Delta, Levant, Genoese Black Sea colonies or even Dalmatia to help them deal with revolts)

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The Congress of Limousin (August 1486)

By 1485 the situation in France finally stabilised and Louis XII from the Armagnac line of Valois asserted his claim to the throne. Pius III had avoided getting involved in the conflict but now saw it opportune to ask clemency on behalf of the defeated rival, the Duke of Orleans. Louis XII for the sake of strengthening his legitimacy arranged a lavish assembly of European dynastic houses and agreed to hear out the Pope. This in fact, for Pius III, was a secondary objective for the Congress of Limousin; the primary one being warming the hearts of the princes of Christian Europe to the design of a crusade, again. (Ok, France dowed Armagnac, and that’s why it’s at war with England now, but lets have a story here; anyway France is growing: Armagnac annexed, Lorraine vassalised and soon Orleans annexed too)

The Congress was attended by the delegations of almost all European powers, England, in yet another war with France, notably absent. Louis XII annulled the forfeiture of his Orleans cousin’s lands. Out of other matters resolved at the convention two are worth mentioning. Pius III found a Salomon solution to the problem of the northern Low Lands held in the Imperial demesne. Emperor Franz I returned Gerle and Friesland to Duke Eustache I de Lannoy, now the legitimately recognised Duke of Burgundy; the Emperor’s brother married the Duke’s daughter in return. Louis XII on his part signed a defensive alliance with Eustache I. It was believed this would stabilise this area of Europe. (I fear to think what happened to Philippe IV of Burgogne, 9 years old when deposed by Eustache I)

Pius III helped to secure the southern borders of France as well by recognising the de Avis Portugal’s and the de Trastámara Castille’s ambitions in the New World and thus turning the Iberian kingdoms’ attention away from Europe, and France in particular. The Pope hoped the peace in western continental Europe secured, the kings and dukes will be more willing to lend a helping hand to fight the Turk. However, the Burgundian attack on Hainaut, merely months after the conclusion of the Congress, cast a dim, inauspicious light on his dreams. The question of Cyprus is reported to have undermined Pius III’s efforts too. (the division of the New World reflects the treaty of Tordesillas; the other event is a PU-related one, it’s tough really, once it happened to me when I was playing France PUed with Brittany, I thought it would cost me Calais, but it took away from me all the English cores (sic!); still it’s good PUs get more life than in vanilla; soon Burgundy dowed Hainaut, opening French-Imperial war; the funny thing was Hainaut was the only other realm ruled by de Lannoys)

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Privateers

Pius III realised that for the Papal States and especially for his allies, the merchant republics of Genoa and Venice, the war had been dragging for too long. The commerce crippled, the fur-flung provinces rebellious, the populace restless, the allies could ill afford financing this war any longer. The dominance over the seas was costly and there were a few cracks in this wooden wall as a few times the Turkish forays managed to threaten Korfu. Pius III was fully aware there was not much more to win from this war, and considering Cyprus had been regained for Christianity, the white peace would feel like a victory. (there were a few more sea battles over the Aegean as OE keeps constructing new ships, they don’t seem to know what money shortage is; and yes, they managed to reach and siege Korfu, too much micromanaging)

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Little won in Limousin, the Pontiff turned to an unlikely ally. Cyprus turned out to be the ideal base for operations and the old links with the Berber piracy as well as his patronage over and friendship with the Knights of Rhodes, secured by the Rovigo’s advancement, enabled getting through to the right people. The money discretely invested into launching the venture was Pius III’s own. The names of the privateers were never revealed yet their actions were very effective at disrupting the enemy and filling up the Papal coffers. (I enacted the ‘Berber pirates support’ again but had no related events; the ‘Commission privateers’ though turned out very profitable and hopefully hit the OE by some unseen events or modifiers too, it seemed risky and I didn’t like the prestige penalty but I’m happy I went for it after all)

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Church Council (1 October1487 – December 1489)

It is odd how seemingly insignificant events can bring about a great change. The ever- resentful Archbishop Adolf of Cologne, angry at Hadrian VI’s ruling over Padeborn, voiced the need of a Church Council, this initiative was taken up quickly by other prominent Church officials. The pressure on Pius III was too big to postpone the thing ad infinitum. His Ineffabilis Amor bull did not ease the tension, quite the opposite many pointed out the unsolved problems of the Church witch had to be addressed and there were a few who challenged the Pope’s infallibility and authority.

The proclamation of the Compacta of Prague null and void was a smug political move on Pius III’s part: Jan II Vitek of Bohemia did not cave in but his Vitek relatives in Poland-Lithuania and Wurttenberg, dreading excommunication, proclaimed the renunciation of the Compacta. This would show the Popes power in due course: when in 1490 Pius III successfully supported a devout Catholic to the vacant throne of Bohemia, installing a new Flacky dynasty there despite the stronger claims of Viteks. But for the time being there was little gain save demonstrating stringency, so the demands for a council were not silenced. (yes, odd but by 1490s the Viteks rule Pol-Lith and Wurttemberg, but no longer Bohemia)

The Council was eventually convoked in October 1487 but Pius III did not try to disguise his want to keep it brief, invoking much graver issues to be attended, namely the Crusade against the Porte. The debates were limited to the minor question of calculating the degree of consanguinity. This legally and canonically complex matter discussed and resolved, Pius III promptly adjourned the council. (I know all this is part of Dei Gratia by dharper, still I might have missed some parts of the puzzle here, such as where the council took place :), many countries got sth like ‘we’ll attend’ event in the period before the council started; I had little to say here as it is the Papal Controller, France in this case, who decides on the options)

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New Hope

What prompted Emperor Franz I will probably remain a secret for ever. Was it his interest in the age of chivalry, the contact with Tasso’s masterpieces, the outrage caused by Turkish occupation of Korfu, or voices he heard in his head; what matters is that on receiving a hundredth Papal letter urging him to take the cross the Austrian Emperor actually did it and brought his numerous allies along. His Holiness and the Curia were probably as taken aback as happy, still the masses extolling Franz I’s virtues were ordered throughout the Christendom. (I was really startled; although the game sees it as a war of aggression I checked the save and it seems I must have called a crusade, there’s a ‘crusade_called’ thing under my TAG, there are also other lines in the save like: ‘crusade_goal’, ‘crusade_hub’ (that's Moravian Serbia prov both), ‘crusade_support/sponsor/refused’; I suspect it is Helius’s or dharpers ‘hidden’ crusade, we shall see how this will play out)

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Welcome Peace

The Emperor’s proclamation of Crusade against the Ottomans invigorated the war. Korfu regained and the naval blockade tightened with the arrival of Austrian and Swedish fleets, the Christians attacked on land from multiple sides. The Poles and Serbians marched into Wallachia and Bulgaria; the Emperor’s armies joined the Italian alliance operations in the lost Serbian territories and a small Papal party was even dropped in Asia Minor. A hamlet in Macedonia was the site of a great battle between the Crusaders and Infidels and despite the loss there in other places the Christians slowly gnawed on the body of the exhausted Ottoman Empire. (ok, this changed everything, as you can see the initial impetus of the Crusaders is shocking; me and Naples take advantage of the situation, BUT AI is hopeless at understanding attrition, just look at the battle of Macedonia, I sense the initiative will be soon lost)

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The Christian crusaders were exhilarated with the early success. Wallachia completely overrun the northern Balkans liberated, Franz I was determined to march on Constantinople itself. The Italian alliance, weary of the almost fifteen-year-long war, warned the Emperor this was not the smartest of actions. But there was no talking to the ambitious, fame-hungry Emperor. The Doge of Venice Nicoló Labia explained to the envoys of Venice’s allies there would not be a more opportune moment for Italy to wiggle out of the conflict. With Pius III’s blessing the treaty was signed in December 1490. The Porte lost Cyprus and relinquished its claims to the Venice-held Mediterranean islands. The Italians celebrated, they had managed to beat the beast. (I’m happy it’s over, you can see the extend of Christians’ advance; of course I’d prefer slightly better peace terms, like either more money (should Venice wait till January?) or OE renouncing its claims to Lesbos and Cyprus too; but that’s how alliance leader works for you (my pet hate); also notice that while my allies’ war exhaustion was increasing the OE’ one was actually decreasing, pretty fast at that, how come? OE has only one land NI - hidden bonuses? anyway, now I realise I should have used the gamey trick with offering OE peace conditions they wouldn’t accept and thus bringing their stability to -3, bah, to late)

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Twilight

Pius III had second thoughts about abandoning the Emperor in his war effort but truly the Papal States had no means to persevere with the conflict; the allies were in an even more precarious situation. War over, there were revolts to put down, trade to be resumed, finances to be balanced. The heart-rending news about Emperor Franz I’s death in battle awoke remorse in the Pope's heart; the whole Christendom went grieving, shaken by the tragedy, unsure what would happen to the crusade now. Franz I’s brother, the energetic Philipp I of Austria was hastily, and unanimously, elected the new Emperor and he promised to continue the crusade. Philipp I, a zealous Christian too, was more pragmatic than his late brother and abandoned the folly of a head-on march on Constantinople. (I fear whether the Christians can pull it through, Muscovy, sensing weaknes, attacked Sweden, Denmark dowed Holstein, Castille without war absorbed Granada’s last prov (MM thing, don't think i like it, even less so with Navarre and Novgorod); the HRE has introduced only one reform so far: the Imperial Chamber Court, the Imperial Authority is 11%)

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Pius III, having blessed Philipp I and his endeavours, suffered from the excess of free time; a kind of feeling of completeness came over him, which made him believe his end was near. There of course were things to attend, like convincing Louis XII to join the crusaders, negotiating compromise in northern Germany. There were unfinished businesses of Union or Cyprus, of mutinous Levant and Greek possessions of Papal allies. There was the question of Neapolitan inheritance, as Giuseppe I Montoro, who had fallen ill, was still childless and the Aragonese Trastámaras as well as cadet branches of Valois eyed the throne. But somehow Pius III could not fully focus on these, he passed his last months in some stupor, surprising everyone with his unusual inactivity. He surprised them even more when he expired quietly in January 1492. The surprise turned into astonishment when it was revealed that in his last will Pius III distributed all his personal wealth to the poor of Rome. (it was a pope with good stats, and so far the longest pontificate; the 4-star MoM is God-sent, thanks to him I managed to break even in wartime; innovation – tradition slider is now at 0, strange, don’t know why, pbly Church Council affected it, I didn’t touch it; I also enacted road network decisions: another micromanagement HttT pain and oddly I can’t build them in Avignon)

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Pius III​

Treasury / yearly income: 728d / 35.04
Merchants: 5 in Venezia; 93.42/915.67
Fleet: 17: 12 galleys, 5 cogs (naval force limit: 16)
Army: 4k pikemen; 2k chevauchée
Manpower / discipline: 9.066 / 119.00%
Army / navy tradition: 48.80% / 30.40%
Prestige: 99
Stability: +3
Infamy: 0.00/21
War exhaustion: 5.14/11
 
I can't stop laughing at the names of Bohemian dynasties! Also, the Austrians have stupidly scripted army names - Armee von Böhmen...
 
I like the National Focus, it abstracts that extra push in bureaucracy and resources that some monarchs put in parts of their empires, although it makes more sense in larger nations. For yours I guess you should leave it in Rome 99% of the time, unless you obtain some holy land later on.

Re road networks, how are they different from other MM province decisions?

The dynastic system is there to add some flavour, don't expect it to be realistic beyond the initial historical settings
 
tuore: Indeed. Saccessfully at that! I think plundering and looting could be given still more reperesentation in the game/mod.

Athalcor:
I can't stop laughing at the names of Bohemian dynasties!
True. :) Anyway, any idea how to bring about Hussite Bohemia with the 1453 start?

loki100: Thanks! Franz I's stats somehow played into my story.

aldriq: I admit I must have sounded a bit uncompromising. No such intention. Yet...

I like the National Focus, it abstracts that extra push in bureaucracy and resources that some monarchs put in parts of their empires, although it makes more sense in larger nations. For yours I guess you should leave it in Rome 99% of the time, unless you obtain some holy land later on.
A question of taste then? I don't like this way of abstracting that axtra push in bureaucracy and recources as much as you, rightly, don't like the way private enterprises in commerce are abstracted by CoT game mechanics. NF may also be too easily exploited: it was all too fast and risk-free in my Oman game to establish my first colony thanx to the 100, instead of 50, colony growth.

Re road networks, how are they different from other MM province decisions?
I do like road networks but they're not about strategy, they're a no-brainer as they bring only bonuses, so you want to have them everywhere as soon as they're possible. I have four provs now so there's not that much micromanagement but in big empires... Imo this should be somehow 'automated'. MM prov decisions are different. 1) They're strategic choices as they offer bonuses and penalties. 2) You may want to prioritise some provs, the obvious example is the capital for tax collector chain 3) MM team had to mod into prov decisions what in DW appears to be the advanced building system.

The dynastic system is there to add some flavour, don't expect it to be realistic beyond the initial historical settings
I know and it's a pity. I try to rationalise it a bit while telling my story. Sadly, it seems the MM team won't devote too much love to this aspect of the game in the MMtG. Shame, as from how I understand history of the era, at least in Europe most contentions -> windows of opportunity -> diplomatic pressures -> (failed/successful) mediations -> conflicts -> PUs/dynasty/border changes were based on dynastic claims. (even Venice, a republic(!), to justify its claims to Cyprus used dynastic means, sth that resembled legitimicy through royal blood (last queen of Cyprus).
 
Athalcor: True. :) Anyway, any idea how to bring about Hussite Bohemia with the 1453 start?

I do not have EU3 but I asked in MMtG forum about forming Hussite Bohemia in 1453 and Zolotaya replied that it is not possible.
 
I do not have EU3 but I asked in MMtG forum about forming Hussite Bohemia in 1453 and Zolotaya replied that it is not possible.
This is sad. I did hope there's some however gamey way to make Bohemia the nice pale blue. I'm a big MM fan but I regret seeing things like the possiblility of the Hussite Bohemia or the forming of Sardinia-Piedmont go.
 
This is sad. I did hope there's some however gamey way to make Bohemia the nice pale blue. I'm a big MM fan but I regret seeing things like the possiblility of the Hussite Bohemia or the forming of Sardinia-Piedmont go.

Forming Sardinia-Piedmont is quite strange IMHO. Savoy just claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Then there should be Sardinia-Tuscany, Rheinland Pfalz-Bohemia etc.:). MMtG could replace SAR with generic decision of claiming upper title if you have cores on territory of some better-tier country but I am not sure if it is possible.
 
This is sad. I did hope there's some however gamey way to make Bohemia the nice pale blue. I'm a big MM fan but I regret seeing things like the possiblility of the Hussite Bohemia or the forming of Sardinia-Piedmont go.
You can just start in 1399 if you want to play around with the Hussites :)
 
Gregorius XIII

14 September 1492 – 10 September 1493

DOMINI CANES



Kingdom of Naples

In the conclave of 1492 the squabbling between the two major opposing parties, these of Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja (who had dropped his anti-Venetian stance) and Cardinal Guiliano della Rovere, fuelled mainly by the personal enmity of the leaders, paled in view of the recent developments. What was the driving force was not so much the gratitude towards the Empire as the thinly veiled growing influence of Philipp I of Austria over the Curia. Consequently the pressure was so hard that the conclave ended up with what might be called an Imperial appointment rather than election. Philipp I, himself blessed by the late Pius III, now exalted Cardinal Oliviero Carafa to the See of the Bishop of Rome. (Scotland lost the Papal Controller in favour of Austria)

Cardinal Carafa, whose name had already been discussed as a possible successor in the conclave of 1481, was known for his moral stringency, which did not stop him however from displaying the lavish and conspicuous standard of living that was expected of a prince of the Church. On becoming Pope Georgius XIII, he ceded his former lucrative position of Archbishop of Naples to his brother; the first but one of many examples of nepotism during his short reign.

A number of important international matters had been brought up in the period of the sede vacante, which the new Pontiff had to address. A few minor ones like the peasants’ war in the Bishopric of Magdeburg, the Ragusa’s slipping away from the Papal sphere of influence, or the Swedish victory over Muscovy leading to subsequent protection-subjugation of the Novgorodian commerce hub were dealt with a short missive or a dispatch of a legate. Not much could be done about Louis XII de Valois aggressively advancing his rights to the Duchy of Brittany. The war, called the rough wooing, started when the houses of de Trastámara and de Savoia supported Claudine de Dreaux, the sole heiress of the Duchy, and her rejection of Louis XII’s marriage proposal. The French king acted swiftly: invaded Brittany, kidnapped Claudine and force-married her. The conflict simmered for some time but France emerged victorious, vassalising Savoy. (I don’t know if this Peasants’ War is part of Helius’s design for wars of religion or a vanilla thing, the latter presumably as it’s too early; SoI: I’m toying with this new HttT element but I can’t quite grasp it, how big armies do I need to hold on my SoI? what is SoI good for? Muscovy got punished for sneakily attacking Sweden while it was crusading; later Sweden absorbed opm Novgorod – clever AI!, France is on the rise, during the war Castile got the MM ‘against the French’ fresh troops, these might have saved it)

But there was one international issue very close to the heart of Gregorius XIII. Born in Naples, former Archbishop of Naples and long-time papal diplomat-resident in the Kingdom, the Pope was the first person the widowed Isabela of Naples turned to for help and protection. Giuseppe I Montoro had died of mysterious illness, some suspected poisoning, leaving her expecting, in the eighth month, vulnerable and feable in an attempt to secure the throne for her child. The powerful claimants: Louis XII of France on behalf of his de Anjou cousin (luckily for Isabela busy with his Brittany affair) and Isabel’s own brother and ally King of Aragon voiced their claims. To stave them off Gregorius XIII immediately promised Isabela his protection and when she gave birth to a healthy son, Carlo, the Pontiff promptly crowned the infant the King of Naples in a ceremonious celebration. Isabela was declared the regent, unfortunately she suffered from severe postnatal depression, which made the court of Naples ripe with rivalling nobles and scheming spies. Gregorius XIII made every effort possible to ensure young Carlo’s safety and pleaded Isabela to let the child be brought up in Rome, the negotiations on the topic inconclusive at the time of the Ponitff’s death. (now for such situations a more complex dynastic system would be a blast: a 0 year old king with 3-3-3 regency: wouldn’t half of Europe, even those with scantiest claims try to if not grab the throne at least become the power behind it? either winning the mother’s trust, threatening with war, or using diplomatic pressure? even internally this should be a hard time for the king; I know what I’d like to see is more like, and in fact goes beyond the scope of, CK but still in cases like this the dynastic issues just beg to be addressed)

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Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare

Gregorius XIII, when just Cardinal Carafa was appointed protector of the teaching order of the Dominicans in 1473, and he was a friend with the Master of the Order of Preachers. As the Dominicans were trained to preach in the vernacular languages and they were supposed to survive by begging, ‘selling’ themselves through persuasive preaching rather than earning their living on vast farms as other monasteries did, they seemed ideal to make the Union of Churches a reality rather than a dream. But the concept of Union had been questioned and thoroughly redefined since the visionary ideals of Bessarion (Callistus III). Now it was required from the Greek and other Orthodox Churches to unconditionally submit; not only to recognise the Pope’s authority but also to abandon their old erroneous rites and traditions. Cyprus was designed to become the example for other disobedient Orthodox communities. Gregorius XIII saw to the establishing of a Dominican monastery on Cyprus with the aim of making the local populace accept the terms of Union, which came down to converting, in fact. With the moderate financial and firm spiritual support of the Pope the monks, battling heresy part of their apostolate, promptly got down to work. (I did employ these two advisors, the oblate monk fished out of the pool, the theologian gained through culture tradition - on it later; missionary chance went up to 7.7%)

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Capella Maggiore

Capella Maggiore is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace. Callistus III had it restored between 1477 and 1480. During this period a team of painters that included Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio created a series of frescoed panels depicting the life of Moses and the life of Christ, offset by papal portraits above and trompe l’oeil drapery below. These paintings were completed after Callistus III’s and Hadrianus VI’s deaths in 1482, and on August 15, 1483 Pius III consecrated the first mass in honor of Our Lady of the Assumption. Since the time of Pius III, the chapel has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. It has also become the site of the Papal conclave.

The triumph over the Porte in December 1490 begged to be commemorated and to this end Pius III put by a special fund to decorate Capella Maggiore. His death however delayed the project until 1492 when Gregorius XIII employed a renown painter, Joanot Martorell, who under the Papal patronage started covering the12,000 square feet of the chapel ceiling with frescoes. The artist resented the commission, and believed his work only served the Pope's need for grandeur. However, today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgement, is widely believed to be his crowning achievement in painting. (ok, I spotted this 4-star artist in the pool, see I need him to enact this +0.5 permanent prestige decision, and I went for it; costly but I want to be around 100 prestige most of the time; the ct points got spent on the 2-star theologian)

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Ottoman Advance

By March 1493 almost all the advantage the crusaders had obtained was lost and the Ottoman armies were advancing North, threatening Hungary. Philipp I needed time to regroup and gain more support; but as always other monarchs of Europe were busy pursuing their own interests. Gregorius XIII stood firmly by the Emperor and Papal ambassadors did not tire probing the sentiments in Genoa and Venice; yet the republics were still too weary and recovering after the previous long war to re-join the crusade. And sadly, the crusader zeal and fervour were fading, Serbia and Brandenburg signed separate peaces with the Ottoman Empire. (note this time OE is suicidally marching its huge stack into foreign territory, to have it whittled by attrition)

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Nepotism and the Fig-Leaf Campaign

Gregorius XIII, himself owing his elevation to Imperial influence and protection, turned out to be notoriously nepotistic. Apart from advancing his brother to the See of Naples, he also appointed one of his nephews a cardinal and gave the See of Chieti to another, one Giovanni Pietro Carafa. He also successfully advanced female members of his family marrying his nieces into the Ducal houses of Urbino, Ferrara and Modena; all this just within one year of his pontificate. It was even rumoured that he eyed baby Carlo of Naples as a potential future bridegroom for one of his kin.

His blatant nepotism earned him many new enemies; as if he was not unpopular enough being the Emperor’s pet. Gregorius XIII’s nepotism and worldliness strangely went along with his severe moral stringency. When he was visiting rebellious Cesena in the province of Romagna, he is said to have been greatly shocked by seeing the early master Martorell’s paintings, full of completely naked figures. The confirmation that in his cartons for Capella Maggiore the painter depicted the biblical characters, God including, in nude provoked His Holiness to oppose the artist’s concept. Gregorius XIII addressed his concerns in the mass given in the Cesena Cathedral, he condemned the nudity as such in visual arts as immoral and obscene, preaching,

‘it wass mostly disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have been depicted all those nude figures, exposing themselves so shamefully, and that it was no work for a papal chapel but rather for the public baths and taverns’

The Pope’s outrage and his rigid moral grounds opened a bitter dispute over the freedom of art with His Holiness launching a censorship campaign which became to be known as the fig-leaf campaign, which came down to the dictate of covering the genitals with robes or fig-leaves. This explains first the arrival and then the notoriety of one of the most mysterious objects in Western art: the oversize fig leaf placed to protect our modesty.

Had it been just the fig-leaf campaign and had it been any other town in the Papal States, Gregorius XIII's life might not have been cut so short. The Pope went further in his zeal and ordered the instant closure of all brothels, baths and other places of ill-repute (many lay schools including). Ill-advised, he started in very Cesena and ordered a prompt arrest of every ‘prostitute, vagabond, travelling artist and other scum of the Christendom’. The local authorities were slow at unwillingly executing the order and the riots broke out. There were a few deaths, many wounded, hellish commotion and things got out of control; the enraged mob, shouting, ‘butcher of Cesena’, stormed the Papal residence. The gruesome details of Gregorius XIII’s death are unknown. Cesena took its, one-hundred years overdue, revenge for the Cesena Bloodbath when under the command of Cardinal of Geneva (later antipope Clement VII), acting as the legate of Pope Gregory XI, the savage murder of around 4,000 civilians was committed, an atrocity even at those times and even by the laws of war. (the Pope didn’t die in battle, I didn’t make him a general but I wanted a story; I did get three or four ‘papal relations’ with him, which seems a lot for such a short pontificate; what do they do btw?)

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Treasury / yearly income: 81d / 34.86
Merchants: 5 in Venezia; 100.29/903.03
Fleet: 17: 12 galleys, 5 cogs (naval force limit: 16)
Army: 4k pikemen; 2k chevauchée
Manpower / discipline: 9.110 / 114.80%
Army / navy tradition: 49.10% / 26.10%
Prestige: 98
Stability: +3
Infamy: 0.00/21
War exhaustion: 2.70/11
 
pity that your artist had to die for his art ... but I'm sure it was worth it for everyone else

quite appropriate that the Pope is fussing about figleaves while the Ottomans grab significant chunks of land (& let significant parts of their own army starve to death)
 
Fiddling with the fig leaf while Romagna burns... and the long-short-long-short pattern of pontificates continues, most peculiar.

A question of taste then? I don't like this way of abstracting that axtra push in bureaucracy and recources as much as you, rightly, don't like the way private enterprises in commerce are abstracted by CoT game mechanics. NF may also be too easily exploited: it was all too fast and risk-free in my Oman game to establish my first colony thanx to the 100, instead of 50, colony growth.

Fair enough, it is a bit overpowered (I take it's not possible to mod if the MMU team didn't lower the boni?). I agree with you on that, in fact Manchu in Mamma Mia! wouldn't have been able to complete half of its Siberian colonies without the NF boost. I still like the concept though, even if it could be toned down.

MM prov decisions are different. 1) They're strategic choices as they offer bonuses and penalties. 2) You may want to prioritise some provs, the obvious example is the capital for tax collector chain 3) MM team had to mod into prov decisions what in DW appears to be the advanced building system.

Well, maybe they should be more expensive then, to make the decision more strategic. Roads are roads, they are invariably a good thing to have, you can't just make up bad effects to keep them in line with MM's choice philosophy (which I like, but it can get a bit too dogmatic if it has to happen in every single piece of infrastructure).

I know and it's a pity. I try to rationalise it a bit while telling my story. Sadly, it seems the MM team won't devote too much love to this aspect of the game in the MMtG. Shame, as from how I understand history of the era, at least in Europe most contentions -> windows of opportunity -> diplomatic pressures -> (failed/successful) mediations -> conflicts -> PUs/dynasty/border changes were based on dynastic claims. (even Venice, a republic(!), to justify its claims to Cyprus used dynastic means, sth that resembled legitimicy through royal blood (last queen of Cyprus).

The system could be infinitely more complex, at the moment it's just a weak feature thrown in to satisfy 'dynastic' gamers while not alienating those who want EU clean of CK 'doll-houses' :rolleyes:

gabor said:
SoI: I’m toying with this new HttT element but I can’t quite grasp it, how big armies do I need to hold on my SoI? what is SoI good for?

Not quite sure how it works internally to keep track of relatives sizes, but the SoI is a tighter, more localised, more overbearing version of a guarantee; it will give you a CB on any country who dares perform any diplomatic action in your sphere.
 
Athalcor:
Forming Sardinia-Piedmont is quite strange IMHO. Savoy just claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
I take your argument but I think it should have been retained in the mod. For gameplay. It gave a player a mid-game objective, and some flavour (and it wasn't overpowered). Maybe all other Italian states could form some kind of 'Sardinia-...' kingdom?

Then there should be (...) generic decision of claiming upper title if you have cores on territory of some better-tier country but I am not sure if it is possible.
Interesting concept. But wouldn't everyone than try to inherit Navarre? :)

Rabid:
You can just start in 1399 if you want to play around with the Hussites :)
I know but the game is not balanced for 1399 start. The latest MM has even no bookmark for it.

loki100:
pity that your artist had to die for his art ...
MM mechanics, the devs deemed CT overpowered.

quite appropriate that the Pope is fussing about figleaves while the Ottomans grab significant chunks of land
Yeah, odd priorities you might say.

aldriq:
in fact Manchu in Mamma Mia! wouldn't have been able to complete half of its Siberian colonies without the NF boost.
Oh my! You reminded me of this masterpiece of yours. Are you going to continue? pretty please :D

Roads are roads, they are invariably a good thing to have, you can't just make up bad effects to keep them in line with MM's choice philosophy.
That's not what I argued. I wanted roads to be automatised; they bring only positive effects and rightly so, but implementing them in every prov is simply micromanagement. Wouldn't it be simpler to get a national midifier when you meet the requirements? Or if they're there to balance your magistrates pool, a pop-up reminder asking whether to build them or not (although this would clatter the screen pbly). Often when I conquer some land I forget about roads because I'm busy with other concerns.
Unless there's something more to roads, like them being prerequisites to some other decision, I don't know why have them as decisions.

the SoI is a tighter, more localised, more overbearing version of a guarantee; it will give you a CB on any country who dares perform any diplomatic action in your sphere.
I see. Thought there was sth more to it (10 prestige cost!). The CB I got while having Ragusa in my SoI was on my ally Venice... :(

at the moment it's just a weak feature thrown in to satisfy 'dynastic' gamers .
Pity. :( Especially as the expansion's title is Heir to the Throne.

and the long-short-long-short pattern of pontificates continues, most peculiar.
And here comes another longer pontificate... :confused:;)

To deaar readaars:
I am a bit worried my encyclopaedia format has turned out a bit dry. Don't you find it that way too? I might just limit the text to gameplay notes. What do you think?

I was thinking of splitting the Pius IV rule in two as there were so many things to report, but finally decided against it. I fear when reformation starts I might have to do so though; and thus break my one pope = one post rule. As for Pius IV, be prepared for a longish and picture-heavy post. Remember, if you feel like 'flicking through' it, you can just go over the yellow gmaeplay comments. :)
 
Pius IV
14 February 1494 – 23 March 1504
LUX SIT



Secularly-minded Princes

Despite Gregorius XIII’s efforts, or maybe owing to his example, at the end of the 15th century most of the cardinals were secularly-minded princes largely unconcerned with the spiritual life of either the Latin Church or its members. The most glaring example was Cardinal Rodrigo Borja, who at the conclave of 1494 tried to buy the votes of the electors, promising them lucrative appointments and other material gifts. Such simony was nothing new, yet the blatant effrontery of Cardinal Borja appalled even the most corrupt ones. Despite the efforts of his opposition, led by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, Borja had almost managed to control the conclave; but there emerged a third party: the crown-cardinals, most of whom represented the waning but still felt, influence of the Emperor.

Due to his pressure the conclave, held in Capella Maggiore, was delayed to await the slow arrival of the crown-cardinals and the aged Cardinal Gherardo, Patriarch of Venice. According to the account of the Imperial ambassador, at least seven cardinals considered themselves papabile, having dismantled the furnishings of their palaces as a precaution against the traditional pillaging of the pope-elect's residence by the Roman populace.

After a few inconclusive ballots Cardinal Borja managed to bribe 14 cardinals and he needed just one more vote to obtain the required majority. To get the deciding vote he started pestering the ninety-six year old Cardinal Gherardo, Patriarch of Venice. Fearful of the outcome, della Rovere resigned from his ambitions and sought alliance with the crown-cardinals. The two parties drew up an anti-Borja plan, but instead of voting for the Emperor’s crown-cardinal they agreed to support the eighty-eight year old Cardinal Jorge da Costa, the crown-cardinal of Portugal. The compromise candidate, whose pontificate was expected to be rather short, was elected and took the name Pius IV. Cardinal Borja, feeling insecure, left Rome for hic Valencian possessions to never come back to Rome. Jorge da Costa proved to be in good health and very active despite his age, he died almost a centenarian. (Austria is sill the Papal Controller, no Borjas in this timeline, below I also post the income ledger; as earning money in MM is realistically hard, especially early on, I’m absent from the top 13, but so is Austria, pbly due to the ongoing crusade, OE is doing notably better here; note how high my allies score: have the possessions in Levant made them so rich? in OT da Costa lived even longer, till 1508)

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The very start of Pius IV’s reign was marked by a strict administration of justice and an orderly method of government, as well as, mostly futile, attempts at restricting the great outward splendour of the Holy See. Da Costa, a tried diplomat and former advisor of the Portuguese kings, scored one important success in the first months of his pontificate. Taking advantage of King of Aragon, Carlos I de Trastámara’s assault on Navarre, he reopened talks with his sister Isabela of Naples. Forced by her regency council to stay away from the Aragonese aggression, she needed help and protection. That is what the Papal States provided and finally Pius IV persuaded the queen to send her son Carlo to be brought up in Rome. Effectively, the Kingdom of Naples, for over a decade, became something between a papal ally and a papal protectorate. (this happened during the MM conclave in fact; lovely: Aragon attacks Navarre, Naples bails out and is allied only to Venice, I’ve just lost Austria as an ally (to get it back with the election of Pius IV) so it said ‘likely’ in the alliance offer to Naples and they agreed!)

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Protect our Brethren (2 September 1495 – 19 September 1497)

In June 1495 grave news reached the Apostolic Palace; the Mameluk Sultanate started an official campaign of Christian-hunt, forcing Christians to either convert or flee. Aggressive mobs attacked Coptic and Orthodox churches and monasteries in Damascus and Alexandria. The cities of Levant swelled with the influx of refugees. The Papal allies, Genoa and Venice, pleaded Pius IV to take action. His Holiness, invoking the commitments of the Union and the memory of the Greek Pope Callistus III, proclaimed a Holy War to protect the persecuted brethren in faith. (you see, I needed to try once again, any excuse is good enough, my aim is Alexandria obviously; I admit I dowed Adal and not directly the Mameluks; maybe gamey but I did not want Genoa to get bogged in the fight with Crimea, which is allied with the Mameluks and I’ve seen AI do this as well e.g. France dowing Armagnac to get the English enclave; this decision keeps Naples and Austria out of the war too; Orthodox uprising is an interesting concept (and effect of a – a bit imbalanced - religious decision I believe) but the revolters’ forces are a joke: 1k!, the Mameluks have 0/6/0 force – split in two – in the West and 3/4/0 in the East, no leaders; Venice has 4/6/0 in Beirut, Genoa 2/5/0 in Judea and I 1/4/0 in Delta, all allies’ armies have leaders)

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By spring 1495 the Christian alliance had gained a significant advantage. Pietro Agno, the veteran of former wars, secured the western part of the Sultanate and, having split his forces, started the sieges of Alexandria and Cairo. Meanwhile in the East the Christians’ campaign was a mix of success and failure. The Genoese advanced successfully in Al Karak and Orthodox rebels took control of Sinai, thus the Mameluk supply lines got severed. However, the Venetians were repeatedly beaten, and Beirut was under siege; the besiegers led by the Sultan himself. Venetians had even more problems when their province of Delta rose up in revolt. (I wanted and managed to obliterate the western Mameluk force, hoping my allies would keep the eastern one busy; which they did: Venetians attack in Beirut suicidally, till they get wiped out, so much for smart AI)

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In October 1495 it seemed the Christian victory was complete. Alexandria fell, the Venetians, who had failed to lift the siege of, still holding out, Beirut, landed fresh regiments in Libya and the Genoese successfully marched further into the eastern Mameluk territory. The negotiations with the Sultan Tûmân Bay I Burji brought nothing though as he did not want to part with the city of Alexandria. (pity my allies do not cooperate with the Christian rebels; white peace offered: no! siege race starts: we – Cairo, they - Beirut)

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But as the triumph seemed certain a rain of calamities befell the allied forces. First, Pietro Agno died of some illness contracted during the campaign. Pius IV, having provided for his family, promoted Edigio Barilla to become the new commander of the Papal Army. Then, no doubt supported by the Ottoman Sultan, who himself was unable to join the conflict due to his engagement against the Emperor, Turkish pirates started ravaging Levant and Cyprus. The rebellions which broke out in Alexandria and Cyprus might also have been instigated by Turkish money. Finally, in June Beirut fell and it seemed the war might only turn for the worse. The Papal diplomacy worked at its earnest to obtain favourable terms. (waiting game, very edgy, I know Cairo needs to fall so that I can get what I want)

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In August the Christians entered Cairo, the capital of the Sultanate, and forced the peace terms on Tûmân Bay I Burji. It was even a bit surprising why the Sultan agreed on the harsh conditions so readily. Later it transpired he had already been involved in yet another war, with Hedjaz and Ethiopia, and losing. In the end his anti-Christians policies would cost him one more province and his throne and would lead to the total collapse of the Sultanate. Alexandria was secured for Christianity; yet Pius IV’s plans for the city were far cry from those of the Coptic Pope of Alexandria or the Coptic and Orthodox minorities living in the city. (Mameluks sent the offer almost as soon as Hedjaz attacked, a well-known mechanics; I accepted even though I would like a province or two for my allies, but none of these actually occupied, Damascus, Diamientia or even Libya would be ok; still the cost of Alexandria is so big I would pbly have got not much else anyway and I didn’t want this conflict to drag on; oddly the peasant rebels left Alexandria for Cairo, which speeded up the Mameluk collapse later)

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Alexandria

The City of Alexandria at the time of its Latin conquest, depopulated and impoverished, was a shadow of the ancient trade hub founded by Alexander the Great and brought to its greatness by thy Ptolemaic dynasty. Pius IV saw its acquisition as the first step to reintroducing Christianity to North Africa as his predecessors were at least partly successful with the same vision for Levant. He tried to win the inhabitants over and privileged them with the exemption of taxes. Nevertheless, he favoured the sparse Latin Christian population heavily, the relations with the Coptic and Orthodox Churches may be described as hostile politeness, the Jews were forced to leave. The Muslims, now facing prosecution, more often than not chose to move out to Cairo or other Mameluk cities, the trend which was encouraged by the new administration. The abandoned synagogues and mosques were adapted to churches.

Pius IV, who as the former advisor to de Avis kings had witnessed the nascent of the overseas Portuguese empire, realised how important the safety of sea travel was for trade. Bearing this in mind, he ordered the restoration of the famous Lighthouse on Pharos. The splendid building, which took over five years to build, was a symbol of the Papal power over the city and served as a shelter for the city Latin Christians garrison and civilians in times of numerous revolts.

‘Let its light guide a stray sailor to the safe haven as the Light of the Holy Writ guides our souls to the Lord.’​

Pius IV was famed to utter these words during his only visit to Alexandria when he addressed the people on the day of the official opening of the Lighthouse. (low tax and extensive defences – first and only I built - cost me 35d (peace deal money btw) and made the 11 base-tax city earn 0 in tax and its population decreasing -2% (my intolerance is 5.5%!); I still hope that any province with a CoT is profitable (I earn trade tariffs) and will grow more so in due time; the temple event lets me destroy the temple for 40d or keep it intact, which I did; I made the Jews leave to limit the high revolt risk, still Alexandria rebelled (10k stacks) in 1495, 1496, 1499 – successfully, the rebels took the city – 1501 and 1502; once Venice helped sending troops from Delta; the rr at the death of Pius IV: 16.7!)

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Neither King nor Emperor

To understand the Papal involvement in the War of French Succession the dynastic entanglements of the French and the English ruling houses would have to be explained in detail. It is enough to say that the rapprochement with France was at the same time a step away from the Emperor. While still under the nominal Emperor’s protection and not wanting to put at risk his friendship with Philipp I, Pius IV strived to pursue a more independent policy. The trouble in France was an opportunity as good as any other. The successive deaths of the Valois dauphine in 1494 and king in 1495 opened up a can of warms. Claudine de Dreaux, Queen-widow fled, first to the remnants of her Duchy in Vandée, than to Castille as both Castillian and Aragonese de Trastámaras supported her efforts to have her Duchy restored. The throne of France itself was contested by the d’Anjou-Orleans cadet line of de Valois and the English King, Henry VII Lancaster. Pius IV backed up Joachim I d’Anjou, who in return relinquished his claims to the Kingdom of Naples and promised to protect the Papal States were they to be attacked by any foreign power, thus Pius IV joined the conflict. (I got into war due to having – out of fear - guaranteed France, more on the war later, the change of the French dynasty fits the story; what triggered the English dow was pbly high French w.e. as even though Brittany and Savoy had been dealt with, Castille didn’t stop fighting France, I doubt France will retain its DoF)

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Phillip I Wittelsbach, crusading in Hungary and the Balkans, stayed out of the conflict but supported d’Anjou diplomatically, among other things writing missives to Pius IV encouraging him to excommunicate Henry VII, which his Holiness eventually did. Soon the Emperor scored a great prize for his policy. Eustache I de Lannoy, the usurper Duke of Burgundy had died in 1493, leaving his barely one-year-old only son Louis-Henry I as the next duke under the care and official regency of his much older half-sister, Mary. This Mary in turn was the wife of the Emperor. Joachim I d’Anjou to protect his flank signed an agreement with the Imperial envoys, in which he recognised Mary’s rights to Burgundian lands as far South and West as Picardie, Cambray and Valenciennes, should the young Duke die not growing up to maturity. Some claim it was like signing the death warrant; in 1500, when France was at the high point of the war, the boy indeed died in mysterious circumstances at the tender age of eight. Mary became the Duchess of Burgundy, which effectively became part of the Wittelsbach Emperor’s domain. With the Crusade regaining its impetus and turning successful again, no doubt thanks to the money extorted from over taxation in Burgundy, Philipp I was considered one of the mightiest and most prestigious rulers in Europe. (there’s some irony in the game that de Lannoy dynasty lasted just one ruler: the usurper; and his minor probably shared the fate of his dethroned de Bourgogne peer; I was surprised to see Austria get all those lands all the way down to very Paris)

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War of French Succession
(the Papal involvement: 22 January 1499 – 26 December 1500)

Pius IV wanted to avoid the war; he considered his vocal support for Joachim I d’Anjou enough of an engagement. In 1495, prompted by the Emperor, the Pope agreed to excommunicate Henry VII of England, and for a few years managed to keep away from the actual participating in the conflict. But, as by 1499 the loyalist had not managed to gain an advantage, and France in turmoil in fact attracted more vultures, like Switzerland, but also a couple of disobedient Prince-Bishops, Pius IV decided to act. The conflict proved to be a phoney war, but the Papal prestige and influence could not be underrated and Joachim I d’Anjou was largely indebted to Pius IV because his intervention brought about and upturn in his situation. First, with their relationships with the Papacy already strained over the issue of Naples and now under the threat of excommunication the family of the minor Ferran III of Aragon, itself endangered by the greedy regent, hurriedly caved in. (France is still at war with Castille, England attacks, soon Switzerland attacks – this means France must be in a bad shape; I join, what I feared were the Aragonese and English fleets, but as you see Aragon is swiftly out of the picture; still this war caught me unprepared, my troops are besieging Genoese Kaffa, yes I’m still helping them out and Alexandria naturally rebelled)

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The war was limited to a few naval encounters with small English squadrons. This lasted throughout two years with mixed results. The Papal fleet had an experienced commander, Aldo Pontebba, numerical advantage and the knowledge of the waters; but the English surpassed it in quality. It all petered out after a few half-hearted attempts at blockading Rome or Alexandria. Had the English sent the bulk of their navy to the Mediterranean things might have turned messy though. (note the nameless English ship, a submarine? well my galleys proved too weak for their 4-ship squadrons, I won two or three battles sinking a few ships, true, I also lost two or three battles, but not losing a boat; had England played it out better, I would have hurt me more, e.g. cutting me off the rebel-taken Alexandria; I need a naval NI, England has four)

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By the end of 1500 His Holiness had had enough; Henry VII’s excommunication still in effect, the Pope felt he had met his obligations towards the House of Anjou and the truce with England was signed. It was one of a few at the time, which gave France a bit more breathing space and hope for surviving the calamity of the succession crisis. (I’m shocked seeing how badly France is doing – Switzerland can beat it! but I find Switzerland’s peace terms even odder, it was after all at war with Bourbonnais too, why not release another vassal?)

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Firm Hand

Taking advantage of the confusion in Europe, as with the Danish aggression on Holstein and invasions Poland-Lithuania was fighting off, every European power was at war, in January 1498 Pius IV took a bold step; he centralised his control over the papal administration and pushed the Papal States towards a more independent political course. This considerably cooled the amity with the Emperor. But Phillip I was away and now Pius IV found himself in a position enabling him to introduce some reforms within the Church. However, as an unyielding opponent of conciliarism, he was determined to go about it single-handedly. (a nice decision which makes me the Papal Controller; Denmark is in its typical vicious circle: war over Holstein with Wurttemberg the alliance leader, grrr…; it will vassalise Holstein and decisively beat TO (who imo should be the leader) just to long-wait lose Oldenburg to Műnster and de-vassalise Holstein in the final peace with Wurtemberg, sigh; of course it’ll dow Bremen before Pius IV expires: Wurttemberg is the leader again; Muscovy and TO attacked war exhausted crusading Pol-Lith)

The most far-reaching consequence of this action was the reorganization of the Inquisition. With two provinces not adhering to the true faith under his rule and the unfinished question of the Union, Pius IV established the Congregation of the Holy Office as a permanent body staffed with cardinals and other officials. It had the tasks of maintaining and defending the integrity of the faith and of examining and proscribing errors and false doctrines, it thus became the supervisory body of local Inquisitions. Penances might consist of a pilgrimage, a public scourging, a fine, or the wearing of a cross. The penalties in serious cases were confiscation of property or imprisonment. The most severe penalty the inquisitors could themselves impose was life imprisonment, as His Holiness taught, ‘heresy needs to be punished severely to deter but not too severely so as not to create martyrs’. A system of tribunals was developed by the Holy See during the next two decades, responsible for prosecuting individuals accused of a wide array of crimes related to heresy, including sorcery, immorality, blasphemy, Judaizing and witchcraft. (I enacted inquisition out of curiosity (and to get back to +3 stability), then there was a choice to state-fund it or let it pay for itself, I’m the Papacy after all so state support it is and here I am, surprised how punitive it is when it comes to taxes, tech cost and tolerance, well lack of it; I’m going to keep it that way though for role-play reasons and just to see what it will bring; I might start building courthouses to role-play the tribunals, but I always put this off, are they worth it?)

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In April of the same year 1498 Pius IV, issued a papal bull, Sublimus Dei, which forbade the enslavement of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. This example of Papal advocacy of Indian rights went against the wishes of Iberian colonists and conquistadors, and even against the expectations of the Iberian ruling houses. The bull effectively annulled Nicolaus V’s Dum diversas (1452) and Romanus Pontifex (1455), in which the right of taking pagans as perpetual slaves was granted to Christians, as now Pius IV declared automatic excommunication for anyone who failed to abide by his new ruling.

The enemy of the human race (…) inspired his satellites who, to please him, have not hesitated to publish abroad that the Indians (…) should be treated as dumb brutes created for our service, pretending that they are incapable of receiving the Catholic Faith. We, who, though unworthy, exercise on earth the power of our Lord and seek with all our might to bring those sheep of His flock who are outside into the fold committed to our charge, consider, however, that the Indians are truly men and that they are not only capable of understanding the Catholic Faith but, according to our information, they desire exceedingly to receive it. Desiring to provide ample remedy for these evils, We define and declare by these Our letters (…) the said Indians and all other people who may later be discovered by Christians, are by no means to be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, even though they be outside the faith of Jesus Christ (…) nor should they be in any way enslaved.​

Sublimus Dei, called for the evangelization of the natives though, and pleaded any good Christians to support the work to this effect by missionary orders and travelling monks. Some believe the bull was a way to even out scores with the King of Portugal, who as they did not see eye to eye, in the late 1470s forced Cardinal da Costa to exile. (part of Dei Gratia I presume, I’ve no idea what the hidden effects are, sth to do with colonization? the other option would push my slider towards tradition, no thank you; I wonder where my Dei Gratia decisions will take me, love the concept and its mechanics: full of suspense and intuitive unpredictability)

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Pius IV proved he can act independently and oppose powerful monarchs when the fate of Church and its evangelical mission were at stake. However, when in his late nineties, he grew a bit authoritarian at the end of his pontificate. He did sponsor work on a new translation of the Scripture, from the original languages, but he supervised the progress so meticulously it was more like censorship. Also, he saw no need for a new council despite urges from many corners of Christendom. Finally, he did not shun from excommunicating prominent people, ruling monarchs including, at a flimsiest of pretexts. He did not lift his excommunication of Henry VII, despite his engagement in the war being long over and despite the appeals of the Emperor. In 1503 he even called a tribunal, which judged the Stuart King of Sweden and declared him excommunicated on the insubstantial, circumstantial evidence. (‘New translation’ is another Dei Gratia event with unknown to me effects, I didn’t call the council as it costs stability and gives penalties, will I regret later? ‘tribunal’ decision: I wanted to toy with it, I could also excommunicate France (I role-play support), Poland (fighting Russian and Moldavian heretics), Genoa (ally) and Switzerland (former enemy but insignificant); or no one - but that would feel ‘empty’; apparently despite me having taken the role of Papal Controller, Austria hasn’t lost all its PC prerogatives as it got ‘A case comes before Papal Court’ event)

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Cypriot Question

On Cyprus, a decade after being installed by Gregorius XIII, Dominicans could boast a relative success in spreading the true faith. Pius IV encouraged them not to falter in their efforts and by the end of his pontificate Latin Christianity became dominant in more regions of the East Mediterranean, such as Euboea and, the greatest joy, Judea. But the question of Cyprus troubled the Pope. The Papal states had no legal right to the ownership of the island, yet Pius IV saw more drawbacks than advantages in the idea of relinquishing its possession. (‘Bonfire of Vanities’ is related to Dominicans, it seems I got it along with the regular conversion, turbo converting Cyprus as a result; my allies have done some converting too: Jerusalem is Catholic!)

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The Orthodox Cypriots felt their rights and freedoms were endangered by the aggressive missionary policies of the Papacy; the moderates petitioned for the rightful rule to be restored, the extremists rebelled. Interestingly, Pius IV’s handwritten scribbles on the question of Cyprus survive, on which he points out the pluses and minuses of handing the island over to possible claimants. The loss of an important base for naval operations was what worried the Pope most. He saw Savoy too weak and too dependant on France, Venice in his view has already been generously rewarded and could be bought with promises of other future acquisitions. The loyalty of Naples was still uncertain. The Knights, allied with Genoa, would requite Papal protection, and the restoration of the Kingdom of Cyprus would be like offering an easy target which would attract the Turks or Arabs sooner or later. In the end, Pius IV continued the policy of putting off any binding decisions and appointed a Knight of Saint John, one Callistus Dolfin the governor of the island. (revolt in Cyprus; I’m more and more leaning towards keeping the island, together with Alexandria it enables me to sail the Eastern Med relatively attrition-free; below I put the ledger, you can compare with the beginning of the pontificate and the pic of my assets; interestingly it was during Pius IV’s reign when I completed my 1st mission, which I’d completely forgotten about)

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Pius IV, a Pope with a mission​


Treasury / yearly income: 503d / 25.22
Merchants: 5 in Venezia; 61.48/968.99 (trade is crippled by piracy)
Fleet: 17: 12 galleys, 5 cogs (flyte is available)
Army: 5k pikemen; 2k chevauchée
Manpower / discipline: 10.648 / 115.00%
Army / navy tradition: 60.90% / 00.00%
Prestige: 100
Stability: +3
Infamy: 0.00/21
War exhaustion: 0.00 /12
 
To deaar readaars:
I am a bit worried my encyclopaedia format has turned out a bit dry. Don't you find it that way too? I might just limit the text to gameplay notes. What do you think?

I am loving this AAR and its encyclopaedia/history-book approach (plus gameplay notes!), but ultimately you have to go with whatever style you feel most comfortable with. I wouldn't necessarily think about a style switch unless you find one type of content is voluminously outweighing the other (which doesn't really seem to be the case here) or again, unless you find it easier and more enjoyable to write in another style.
 
Also, excommunication—Boooo! Though I understand, due to proximity any Italian minor should be reticent to give France a kick in the pants.

I am suitably astounded at how your alliance has managed to hold on to the neo-Crusader territories in the Levant, though. Would have thought a grand alliance of Muslims would eventually heave them out. I guess that's how the Mameluks ended up with Swahili; Ottomans and Hedjaz were busy washing their hair?
 
having dismantled the furnishings of their palaces as a precaution against the traditional pillaging of the pope-elect's residence by the Roman populace.

its little bits like this, amongst all the well reported diplomacy and religious activity that I really enjoy. I also appreciate the links back to the game events as I've not played EU3 since IN and never with the MM mod.