Novum Romanum Imperium -- A Tuscany DW AAR

[loki100]

somehow Von Brecht reminded me of Cromwell ... not sure if that was deliberate or not?

& an interesting way to arrange the sucession ... fascinating to see how this works out

[kepler]

Good update!

I would go for Imperialism instead of Holy War.

[BootOnFace]

I say neither. Just get unam sanctum and become an absolute monarchy to get the imperialism cb. Changing to an absolute monarchy doesn't mean you have to change the Emperor's title to King in the AAR. But you could change the localization for the Absolute Monarchy to Emperor.

[Enewald]

I tell you, make a new Casus Belli, or edit Imperialism.
Open the log files and find it somewhere there.
Rename the Casus Belli 'Justice'. Conquer everyone.

[Avindian]

I think that you shouldn't extend the limit of the Holy War CB. Historically, the limit makes sense and I feel it would be cheating to make it available after 1650. As for the Imperialism CB, I think you should definitely make it available for empires. Since it was empires that followed imperialism, it would be logical to mod in the CB for empires.

Thanks for the feedback!

I am in favor of giving yourself the Imperialism CB but not extending the holy war CB. If you have the Imperialism CB, you really do not need the Holy War CB. Also, I am glad that Von Brecht finally bought it. It sucks that Andreas lost his duchy. Hopefully he will get a new one.

Don't worry -- I have plans for Andreas.

somehow Von Brecht reminded me of Cromwell ... not sure if that was deliberate or not?

& an interesting way to arrange the sucession ... fascinating to see how this works out

I was actually thinking Richelieu -- the whole priest wanting political power -- but I can see where you'd get Cromwell.

Good update!

I would go for Imperialism instead of Holy War.

I say neither. Just get unam sanctum and become an absolute monarchy to get the imperialism cb. Changing to an absolute monarchy doesn't mean you have to change the Emperor's title to King in the AAR. But you could change the localization for the Absolute Monarchy to Emperor.

Interesting suggestions, all.

I tell you, make a new Casus Belli, or edit Imperialism.
Open the log files and find it somewhere there.
Rename the Casus Belli 'Justice'. Conquer everyone.

Heh. As if just adding Imperialism or Holy War wasn't gamey enough...

So, thanks to History_Buff, who PMed me some code, I think I'll take the add Imperialism to Empire track; it always kind of bothered me that it didn't include it. I'm going to work on the last update now as well; could be done shortly, could take a while. You'll have to wait and see!

[Avindian]

Chapter 21: The end of the House of Datti

29 November 1541, the Castle St. Maso

The chambers of the Imperial Senate were alive with activity. Each Senator had a list of five or six families, and this debate promised to be a lively one. They were just waiting for Emperor John II to arrive. Everybody could hear an argument from the Emperor's chambers, but nobody could quite make out what was going on. Primus Tullius Cicero, having picked up a bit of his late father's penchant for curiosity, pressed his ear to the door. However, unfortunately him, the door flung open at that moment, and the argument was now plain to hear.

"Emperor, you must slow down and stop working so hard! Think of your illness!"

"What the hell difference does it make, Doctor? You say I have five years to live, I might as well enjoy myself and get as much done as possible."

John II became painfully aware, all of a sudden, that the chamber was not empty, as he had hoped, and that in fact all nine Senators had gotten there before he had. He sighed.

"Ah, Senators. No use mincing with words; what you just heard is absolutely true. It seems that the same disease which makes me as sterile as a gelding is also killing me -- imagine that."

Everybody present could detect the extreme sarcasm and bitterness in that statement. All the Senators muttered some form of apology, but John II waved them aside.

"Don't waste your time with meaningless pity; I certainly don't have any to waste. This does, however, put a wrinkle in things. We need to choose a successor who has a son that could be ready to inherit in five years; infants are right out. We don't want another Regency Council."

The Senators all looked at each other. Everybody had been focusing on wealth and youth; this put a definite kink into their plans. As the Chancellor, Axel Gathenhielm took it upon himself to ask the obvious question. "What kind of Emperor should we pursue?"

"A good question, Chancellor. With such a large Empire, I think Administrative genius is the most important. Our foreign relations are in tatters with the conversion to the Protestant Faith, but I think I can repair most of that. Few armies can match the Legions of the Empire of Tuscany, and I have some plans to help with that as well. No, administration needs to be our focus."

Sir Andreas Germanicus rose. "It stands to reason, Emperor, that we should look at our bureaucratic families, then."

John II nodded. "An excellent suggestion, Sir Germanicus. Who do we have?"

The resulting discussion lasted for four hours. Divorce was still unseemly, even though the Emperor, as head of the Church, could easily perform the necessary ceremony. That left widows or single mothers. Since there was unlikely to be any romantic attachment, the only thing that really mattered was the intelligence of the son. That meant a university education, and that was still quite rare, even in a land as well educated as Tuscany. This eliminated most of the contenders.

It came down to three families. The Gori family had served the Empire for decades; a General and the Court Philosopher both belonged to that family, and better still, they were not hereditary nobility. Alessandro Gori, the General in Asia, would be a perfect candidate, and his mother was recently widowed. However, Gori was already quite elderly, in his late 60s, and some were worried he might die even before the Emperor did.

A second possibility was to make a Cicero the new Emperor; there were certainly a lot of them, so that if one renounced the Duchy, there would be no question of running out of Ciceros to eventually inherit. When put to a vote, it was defeated 8 votes to 1 -- only Primus Tullius Cicero voted for it. Most of the others still considered this unsavory.

That left only one option. The Farnese family. They were lifelong bureaucrats; in fact, legend had it that the first member of the Farnese family had actually been one of the clerks to Maso I before the foundation of the Empire! The Farnese best suited to take command was an 18 year old lad by the name of Francesco. His mother, Maria, had lost her husband in the first Timurid war. A very bookish lad, he'd graduated from the University of Florence just the past year, at the top of his class, and had recently accepted a post in Istria as a clerk in the Tuscan Embassy there.

There was a small catch, however. Maria Farnese categorically refused to remarry. She'd promised her husband, Antonio, that she would not remarry in the event of his death. It was the only way that he would accept leaving her to fight in a war that she believed in. There was something noble about bringing civilization to the Timurids, in her eyes, although Antonio did not agree.

The solution to the problem was simple and elegant. John II would not legally proclaim Francesco his heir; he could not do so without either adopting him or marrying his mother. However, on his deathbed, he would claim that a "vision from God" had seen Francesco as the next Emperor of Tuscany. This would satisfy the leaders of Europe; after all, they all saw themselves as elected by God, so this was just a little more direct method of election.

With that settled, John II had one more piece of business. "Gentlemen, on the advice of Marshal del Moro, I would like a vote on the Militia Act. This act would ensure that all males, 16 or older, will spend at least one month a year in training. This will ensure easier training if they are called into the legions. What say you?"

It was unanimous -- it made good sense, and 9-0, it passed. After that, John II dismissed them all; a very long but productive session.


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12 October 1542, the office of the Marshal of the Empire

Alessandro del Moro, the Duke of Sicily and Marshal of the Empire, was very pleased with the performance of the legions. The province of Smyrna had defected to Tuscany, leaving only one final Timurid province -- Adana. Once that was taken, the threat by the Timurids would end, once and for all.

Even better, with the conversion of Rome to the Protestant Faith, the religious turmoil that plagued the Emperor had finally come to an end; Malta had also spontaneously converted to Protestantism.



Unfortunately, the General responsible for the great successes against the Timurids was not there to enjoy it. Alessandro Gori had died of dysentery in the field; one of the oldest soldier's diseases, it still claimed more lives than any combat. This left him without a General in Asia Minor; by his agreement, Adriano Orsini was not allowed to leave Italy. At the moment, there was really no need. The only campaigning yet to come in Asia was the retaking of the Holy Land, but that was not to occur for sometime. Orsini would have to do.

For now.
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27 October 1543, Karaman

Nobody anticipated the quick war that followed the fall of Adana, the last Timurid province.



Emperor John II had discovered that Karaman was still formally considered a possession from the old Roman Empire, thanks to the work of Francesco Farnese, who had been transferred back to Rome. He did not know of his mother's arrangement, and she had sworn not to tell him. Again, it had to look like a spontaneous vision from God, and that meant that only the Senators and the Emperor could know.

His chief contribution was his companion, an Egyptian from Alexandria named Daoud Selim Iskander. Daoud, chafing under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, sought the religious freedom for Christians that prevailed in Tuscany since the end of the religious turmoil. The Ottoman Empire had issued a formal note against the "asylum" of Iskander, citing alleged acts of "terrorism" that included, but was not limited to, an attempt on the Sultan's life. Francesco didn't believe the lies, a conclusion which Daoud was more than willing to promote. The two had become close friends during Francesco's time in Thrace, and he also appreciated Daoud's skill in the tongues of Muslims. It was Daoud who had spotted the document in the Thracian archives and brought it to Francesco's attention.

War was declared in June of 1543, shortly after the end of the Timurid threat.



The victory, just wrapped up earlier that day, resulted in Karaman and Trebizond being added to the Empire of Tuscany (and, of course, the Archduchy of Constantinople). Attempts to find a similar document proclaiming Trebizond part of the Roman Empire had failed, unfortunately.

Daoud was pleased; the Empire had acted, and decisively so, once it was given an opportunity. Perhaps someday, his homeland in Egypt and the Holy Land would be liberated as well. It had taken some skill to forge the claims to Karaman, but nonetheless he had succeeded. He would do whatever it took to make sure that Tuscany stayed focused on the Middle East.

No matter the cost.
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24 November 1544, the Castle St. Maso

The last year of John II's reign -- and indeed, his life -- was a largely peaceful one. After many gifts and agreeing to participate in a war against Malacca -- which his cartographers couldn't even find a map -- the alliance with Muscovy had been reestablished. Sweden was not interested, and to be honest, he was not terribly shocked. Sweden had been nearly useless during their near century-long alliance, drawing them into a bunch of pointless wars.

The court Theologian, Carlo di Campofregoso, had come to young Francesco Farnese, still at work in the old archives of the Vatican, and delivered the deathbed proclamation of John I.

Francesco,

Over the years, you and I have become friends. I admire your dedication to scholarship, but it is not out of friendship or your considerable scholarly talents that I called you to Rome. I know you were happy in Thrace -- you even got along with Archduke Graecus, a not inconsiderable feat.

The truth is, God came to me in a vision a few days ago. As you know, I have no Heir to the Throne. I've been praying for guidance these last few months, but only recently has He responded. I know now what I must do, and who I must make the new Emperor.

You.

I trust completely in your judgment, and I know you will not do anything reckless. I would love to see Aquelia become part of Tuscany some day; I do not know whether or not you or your successor will achieve this, but nonetheless I hope you do. I charge you with defending the Empire of Tuscany. The Senators will do everything in their power to make life as easy as possible for you.

You've had no preparations to be a ruler some day, let alone one of the most powerful men in Europe. I wish I'd only received this vision sooner, but God does not often give us the grace of knowing His mind when we might wish it. Lean, particularly, on your Chancellor, Axel Gathenhielm, and Sir Andreas Germanicus. They are the two wisest men in the Empire.

I have two requests. The first I have already mentioned; if you can, vassalize Aquelia. Second, please find a Duchy for Andreas Germanicus. I still feel guilty about sticking with that idiot priest's decision, but I had no choice. If you must conquer territory, so be it.

I realize this is a heavy burden. You certainly do not have to accept. I can only hope and pray you do.

Sincerely,

Gian Gastone Datti, Emperor of Tuscany, King of Milan, Overlord of Ferrara, Modena, Parma, Byzantium, Genoa, and Morea, last member of the House of Datti

Francesco looked up at Count di Campofregoso with tears in his eyes. He nodded once. The Count motioned to a herald, who stepped out of the room, and began spreading the word.

"The Emperor is dead! Long live Emperor Francis I!"




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Kind of short, I know, but what are you gonna do? Daoud is Koniggratz's character; I hope I've done him some justice

I've got to play a little more until I get to 1550, which is when I'll stop next (unless Francis I kicks the bucket, which I really hope he won't).

Any particular requests for stuff in 1550? I'll definitely include a religious map of Europe. Anything you didn't particularly care for in the previous ones you'd like me to leave out?

[loki100]

I must admit I read that expecting some twist such as one of the older senators, perchance with control over the legions in Italy, was going to come up with their version of 'gods will'

Nice to see the idea of 'adoptive' emperors coming back into favour after 1400 years though

[Enewald]

Btw, about the name Germanicus. Have you defeated the German tribes, or just like the name?
Turkomanicus?

[Avindian]

I must admit I read that expecting some twist such as one of the older senators, perchance with control over the legions in Italy, was going to come up with their version of 'gods will'

Nice to see the idea of 'adoptive' emperors coming back into favour after 1400 years though

Glad you liked it!

Btw, about the name Germanicus. Have you defeated the German tribes, or just like the name?
Turkomanicus?

I do like the name, but I'm using Germanicus because the guy is, in fact, German (Mecklenburg). This was History_Buff's character, so that's why I went with what I did. Turkomanicus does have a nice, if awkward, ring to it -- I may have to use that!

I played up until 1550 (not all that long, in truth), so you should get a couple of updates in the next day or three.

[Konnigratz]

Shame, John seemed like he would've been one of the greats.

Glad to see my character mentioned. Hopefully he can push Tuscany towards some Asian expansion.

[esemesas]

Turkomanicus

Can't wait to see how the new emperor works out narrative-wise

[Michaelangelo]

Ah, the Farnese family. Maybe it will turn out that Francesco's mother was actually the Pope's mistress and that he is the son of the Pope.

[Seek75]

In Protestant Tuscany (or should I say Protestant Rome? ), that would likely would not end well. At all.

[Chris Taylor]

I do like the name, but I'm using Germanicus because the guy is, in fact, German (Mecklenburg). This was History_Buff's character, so that's why I went with what I did. Turkomanicus does have a nice, if awkward, ring to it -- I may have to use that!

Ottomanicus, maybe? Same idea, maybe less awkward?

[Seek75]

Maybe even Osmanicus...that's where "Ottoman" came from, after all.

[Boris ze Spider]

Nice update, i ssume you play ahead.

[blsteen]

Ozmandius???
Anyways, too bad about the Datti's, long live the King. I too was surprised that the pack of politicians in the Senate
went along and one or more did not...attempt to massage things in his favour.

[Avindian]

Shame, John seemed like he would've been one of the greats.

Glad to see my character mentioned. Hopefully he can push Tuscany towards some Asian expansion.

It's certainly on the list!

Turkomanicus

Can't wait to see how the new emperor works out narrative-wise

Glad I've captured your interest!

Ah, the Farnese family. Maybe it will turn out that Francesco's mother was actually the Pope's mistress and that he is the son of the Pope.

In Protestant Tuscany (or should I say Protestant Rome? ), that would likely would not end well. At all.

No true son of Tuscany would ever agree to be Pope! (The only reason I even know what you're talking about it is because I Wiki'd the Farnese family )

Ottomanicus, maybe? Same idea, maybe less awkward?

Maybe even Osmanicus...that's where "Ottoman" came from, after all.

Not bad. Not bad at all!

Nice update, i ssume you play ahead.

Yeah; I'm in 1550 now.

Ozmandius???
Anyways, too bad about the Datti's, long live the King. I too was surprised that the pack of politicians in the Senate
went along and one or more did not...attempt to massage things in his favour.

You're probably right; I almost feel like I've cheated you by not including more corruption. I wasn't thrilled to see the Datti line end either; worse, I still haven't inherited Milan!

You know, a thought occurs to me (an unpleasant one at that) -- if I inherit Milan, will they insta-core? On a related subject, the two Milanese provinces would automatically leave the Empire (as in the Damned German Empire), once I inherit/integrate?

[Fireaxe888]

I'm really enjoying this AAR, but I couldn't help but note a few discrepancies.

Firstly, your fleet could only be named "Byzantia" after the old name for Constantinople. Byzantium only began to be called by its current name by historians in the 18th century - is contemporaries always called it the Roman Empire.

Secondly, I'm afraid that the Empire is showing a bit too much disregard for religion to be plausible. True, Renaissance kings weren't as religious as Medieval ones, but Christianity was a very important part of their lives.

[Omen]

I've been following for a while, and I have no idea why I haven't commented! In any case, this is a great update, and I love the way you weave the game play elements into the story.