Chapter 44: The Emperor takes a new bride
17 November 1687, Germanicus Academy, Florence
Another new Field Marshal saluted as the old one was lowered into the grave. Field Marshal Alessandre Tullius Cicero was one of the youngest to hold that post in the history of the Empire of Italy. Officially named to his new post shortly after the death of Vittorio di Medici, he was the most skilled combat general in the Imperial legions, as his victories in the latest round of wars had shown, particularly against Austria.
Many people began to think the post cursed. di Medici's death was still quite mysterious to most insiders, and Cicero's death while on a routine inspection -- "accidental discharge" was the official ruling -- was particularly troublesome. Rather than accept the post, Romeo Doria-Landi had chosen to serve as President of the Van Dijk College of War. The 'other' Sforza Maria -- the Commandant, di Farnese -- was considered too important to serve in the field. And so, a previously unknown officer was forced to take one of the most prestigious posts in the Empire of Italy.
While the Ciceros and Catos continued to serve in various roles around the Empire, the Germanicus family had stayed in the
provincia of Aegyptus. They continued to pass Latin names on to their children, although many had also taken official Italian names as well. Sforza Maria -- Marius, as he was usually known -- had first earned his stripes, so to speak, during a rebellion in Cairo, sparked as a result of the war on Savoy. As the third son of the Proconsul, Titus Germanicus, he really hadn't had much hope of doing much in government, so he joined the military at a young age. A Commander at 22, his legion's success against the Cairo rebellion -- and brutal repression of the traitors, so much so that their names were lost to history -- had caught the eye of the Emperor, who promoted him to Colonel on the spot and attached him to Cicero's staff. Something of a relic of a bygone age, Marius still preferred the cavalry to the infantry or artillery. However, he understood the value of firepower, and even already introduced some new infantry weapons with the assistance of Chief of the General Staff de Ruyter.
Marius Germanicus knew that he ought to be worried, but instead he was excited. Marius hoped to return his family to prominence, to show the world that the martial spirit that once consumed all Italians still existed. While he waited for a chance to earn glory on the battlefield, he constructed several forts, ordered by the Emperor.
Speaking of returning to prominence, Marius decided to walk over to the Chancellor, Napoleone di Farnese, currently deep in conversation with David O'Connor.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen. A shame to see such a marvelous soldier fall to such a simple accident."
The Chancellor was the first respond. "It's Marius, right? I understand you're our new Field Marshal. I do not envy you that assignment."
Marius had the good grace to chuckle. "I do not believe in curses, Chancellor. Who in this modern era does?"
Napoleone nodded appreciatively. "Very true, Marshal Germanicus. Have you met David O'Connor, the Deputy Chancellor?"
Marius and David shook hands. "I understand you've been made a Count, David. Congratulations!"
David smiled. "Thank you very much, Marshal."
The Chancellor nudged his deputy. "Bah, you're too modest, David. Did you know he's responsible for the Emperor's latest decree, the so-called Popery Act?"
"I did not, Chancellor. That was a wise move; our Empire will be much more secure with more good Lutherans, and the reduction in finances should be relatively modest."
"My thinking exactly, Marshal. More than offset by our acquisition of Arnor. David is also the man who convinced me to focus on the border with Castille; it would be nice to trigger some sort of conflict."
As the three chatted, two other men were seated on chairs just off to their right.
Peter I turned to his Foreign Minister, Lan Zhu. "You say she's quite the beauty?"
The Manchurian bowed his head in agreement. "Indeed, Emperor. Charlotte de Bourgogne is among the loveliest women in all the world. I've also heard an interesting rumor. Her father, Philippe IV, is quite ill and has no heir."
Peter pondered that for a moment. "That would give me a legitimate claim on the throne of Burgundy. She is his only daughter?"
"Correct, your Imperial Majesty."
"Why isn't she in line for the throne?"
"Rumor has it she and her father are not very close. Her tastes seem to be... wild."
Peter grinned. "Wild, eh? I do enjoy a challenge. Set up a meeting, my lord Duke. I'm interested to meet this charming creature."
"It shall be done."
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9 February 1689, Palazzo di Farnese, outskirts of Rome
Peter was intoxicated. He'd been married for less than a year -- the wedding had been in July of 1688 -- but he was already completely in love with his new bride. She'd convinced him to stop drinking so much wine, and he felt his former zest for life returning. Even better, his darling Charlotte was positively thrilled about his plans to overthrow her ungrateful father. She even showed a decidedly un-lady like interest in all things military, which made her doubly attractive to her husband.
The Emperor couldn't help compare her to his once beloved Dominique. To his amazement, he actually found his old wife wanting in comparison. Charlotte was even an excellent mother to the soon to be 26 year old Francesco, encouraging the lad to spend less time gambling and drinking in pubs and more time learning how to govern. Charlotte was incapable of having children, which meant that the Emperor need not worry about any future distractions or claims to his throne.
While he thought of his Empress, a herald announced the entrance of his younger brother.
"Napoleone! How is your darling Yelena?"
Napoleone beamed. "Wonderful. Peter, she is pregnant! I will finally be a father!"
Peter clapped his brother on the back. "That's most excellent news, brother! We shall have to celebrate."
"Indeed. But first there is business. I announced your new citizenship law in Al-Karak, our newest core, earlier this week; I just returned."
"Do you think it will prevent another uprising like the Cairo debacle?"
Napoleone nodded. "I think it will, without question."
"Very good. Anything else for today?"
"No, sir. Oh! I wanted to ask you about that curious Frenchman that accompanied Charlotte to the palace."
"Jean-Louis? He has no connection to my Charlotte that I know of. I think he just hitched a ride as a caravan guard. He and I share a common enemy. Well, a former enemy."
All of a sudden, Napoleone remembered. "That's right! He's the son of the Comte d'Auvergne. The one that took up arms against the King of France."
"That's him. He's going by the last name Lafayette now. His family fled France during our war with them and drifted around Europe. His father and mother died penniless; Jean-Louis grew up an orphan and apprenticed to a military company at the age of 16."
"So what are we to do with him?"
Peter considered that. "That's a fair question. We need to find him a job of some kind. Could we put him in the legions?"
Napoleone shrugged. "You'd have to ask Jacopo. I could probably find a place for him in the Chancellery, or Lan Zhu can always use more translators."
"I'll ask him next time I see him. I see good things from him."
"Of course." Now, with the small talk out of the way, the Chancellor took a deep breath. "Can I convince you not to attack Burgundy?"
Peter's mood darkened a bit. "Napoleone, we've discussed this. If Francesco inherits France and Burgundy, we'll only really have Castille as a major opponent to bother ourselves with. Lan Zhu even insists that the rest of Europe would understand."
Napoleone thought very carefully about his response. "That's your prerogative as Emperor, of course. I merely wanted to make sure you were certain."
Peter was still irritated, but a little less so. "I'm glad you approve,
brother. Is there anything else?"
The Chancellor shook his head. "No, Emperor. I'm off to spend a few days with Yelena; can you manage with David at the Chancellery until I get back from my vacation?"
Peter smiled, most of his earlier anger gone at the genuine happiness he felt for his brother. "I'll be fine. Send Yelena my love."
Napoleone's smile was a mirror image for his older brother's. "I will."
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A few days later, under Rome
The Elder nodded at the new Four, who returned the gesture.
The death of Field Marshal Cicero -- formerly Number Two -- had taken them by surprise. The Society found itself increasingly hunted; whether Emperor Peter suspected anything was unclear, but Sforza Maria di Farnese was enthusiastically acting in his capacity as Interior Minister. Even Peter didn't know that Sforza, his cousin, had been behind the assassination. The Society had only uncovered the truth very covertly, and with the invaluable assistance of Lan Zhu.
The perfect plan had backfired; the marriage made in heaven had turned out to be a marriage made in hell, for their purposes. Charlotte didn't calm Peter's bloodlust; in fact, she encouraged him. Worse still, Sforza had uncovered the drugged wine cache and had the steward executed. The steward's contact with the society had been Cicero. If not for the infamous rule #1, the entire Society might have unraveled. With only four members, one of them brand new, the Society was vulnerable.
The Elder cleared his throat. "Brothers, we must face an unfortunate truth. We've lost one Brother already and one is still a seven year old child. We cannot act openly any longer. I know Three has been quite eager to deal with the Minister of the Interior; I must firmly discourage this course. What if the Emperor decides that Cicero's death was no accident, but finds the wrong culprit? We gravely underestimated Sforza; we cannot do that again."
Two nodded. "That seems wise, Elder. Might I recommend finding a new meeting location? I don't know even know if Rome is safe any longer."
Four spoke up. "Extensive travel might be difficult. It must be somewhere close."
The Elder agreed. "Very true, Four. Why not Florence? The old palace is lousy with catacombs."
The vote was unanimous.
Three added another fine idea. "We should break contact with the Manchurian. I do not question his loyalty, but I think we should not rely on outside agents if it can be avoided. Number Four has unrivaled contacts within the Palace, or so I am told."
After a confirmation from Four, another vote passed.
The Elder dismissed the meeting, after giving a brief thought to The Child Who Would Be Five. The Assassin -- who called himself the Auditor or something, he couldn't remember -- was of course unable to speak, and the Nurse was supposedly safe in Malta. He got regular letters from her. He said a prayer for the soldiers and returned to his home.
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29 March 1689, Lienz, Austria
Jean-Louis Lafayette was only a Lieutenant in the Italian legions, but he felt certain that he was due a promotion for this grand victory.
The war had actually begun very badly. General de Ruyter had done an excellent job of drawing up a fine plan to invade Austria, appointing General Leopoldo Visconti to lead the advance, while Field Marshal Germanicus coordinated assaults with the French forces to take care of Burgundy.
The Viscontis were a very old Milanese family; so old, in fact, that they were actually related to the last King of Milan, Filippo Maria I. It had been over two hundred years since the Battle of Modena, and the Viscontis had largely accepted the realities of life in the Empire of Italy. Leopoldo had been a staff officer almost from the day he graduated from the Germanicus Academy. He prized horsemanship above all else, and was a master at getting his troops where they needed to be very quickly. The irony of being associated with Romeo Doria-Landi -- his instructor at the Academy and another high-ranking officer from a "traitorous" family -- was not lost on the General. [1] His two younger brothers, Matteo and Benedetto, also chose a path in the army. Matteo was a Colonel in the Imperial Engineering Corps, while Benedetto was a Captain in the field, specializing in quick, daring raids. Leopoldo's own credentials were impeccable, and he'd been a Colonel on General de Ruyter's staff almost from the moment the General was given his post. With a shortage of field officers, Leopoldo was engaged in combat for the first time in his career.
The first battle of the war was fought in Burgundy, near the town of Valenciennes, but with Marshal Germanicus coordinating from Paris, an overzealous Commander got an entire legion captured. His punishment had particularly gruesome; thankfully, no records of what exactly happened were ever recovered, except for fragments like "anthill" and "honey."
General Visconti's men had more success, but the casualties were considerable in the first few battles.
From most other Generals, these would have been perfectly acceptable casualties, but General Visconti was much more concerned about his men than the average General. The Commanders in each battle were severely reprimanded; not as severely as the poor Martyr of Valenciennes, but they would probably find their careers considerably shortened without improvement. The Second Battle of Valenciennes was a bloodbath; Field Marshal Germanicus was running ragged and had left the field just as the battle began, a consequence of the insufficient quantity of generals.
Lieutenant Lafayette, on the other hand, had taken a small scouting party to the hills outside Lienz, found an untended path around the enemy rear, and notified his Commander. Within minutes, the entire Austrian army had been captured without a single friendly casualty.
His Commander, unfortunately, was an old salt and refused to give any credit to anybody not Italian born, but Jean-Louis was confident that his relationship with the Emperor and Empress would eventually see his work rewarded if he kept up the good work. He'd already gotten one surprising honor -- a dinner with General Visconti, who proved an exceptional gourmand. After years of fighting for every meal, Jean-Louis found himself with a feast worthy of his hated enemy, the late King of France.
Lafayette smiled. He'd made the right choice.
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5 July 1689, Charolais, Burgundy
While one Visconti continued to succeed in the East, a new Visconti was given command of the reconstituted Legio XXII 'van Dijk' -- Matteo Visconti. Matteo had hoped for one of the new legions -- either the XXIX 'Danubia' or XXX 'Nova Italia' -- but the honor of carrying a fallen Legion's eagle was considerable. While his legion marched from Rome, Matteo had sailed to Paris, and from there to the battlefield. He found Field Marshal Germanicus behind a mountain of paper; the French did like their bureaucracy, it seemed, and no matter how much the Emperor screamed from Rome, the people of Paris moved only at their own pace and no other.
He'd heard from a runner that two more provinces had become core -- Al Jawf and Badiyat Ash Sham. He silently praised God for not placing him in the unbearable heat of Anatolia or Jerusalem
provincia. His elder brother had won a victory at Transylvania, but it wasn't nearly as bloodless as his first few had been. Knowing Leopoldo well, he knew that some poor Colonel was probably getting his head torn off.
Heh, it's a good thing the Emperor isn't there. It probably literally would be torn off. Even though his joke had been silent, he couldn't help but look furtively about for one of Minister di Farnese's infamous secret police.
Meanwhile, the younger Visconti found himself in his own hot water. Third Valenciennes had proven just as bloody as the first and second battle.
Despite the fact that Matteo hadn't personally commanded either Third Valenciennes, Field Marshal Germanicus was furious that Matteo hadn't even made to the battlefield. Worse, when there was finally a significant victory in Burgundy -- at Charolais -- Matteo was inspecting legions in Paris.
Ah, the irony. Matteo the field general was stuck with paperwork and administration. Visconti the staff officer had to personally lead legions into battle more often than not.
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16 April 1690, Palazzo di Farnese, Rome
Matteo needn't have worried. In fact, he'd fight and win the most important battle of the entire war -- the Battle of Brabant, in which King Philippe IV was captured and Burgundy was forced to surrender.
The first ally to leave the war was Scotland, who'd lost their entire army at the Battle of Cumbria; Brutus Contadino had been the Commander in that battle, proving to be his father's equal in battle.
The next ally to treat for peace Austria. Peter had gone to Vienna personally to make his demands -- an ancestral core of the Italian Empire and the forced conversion of all Austrians to the Protestant Faith.
Austria was no longer a real threat to Italy, if indeed it ever had been, and with the conversion to Protestant, Peter had virtually ensured that a new Damned German Emperor would be chosen when the current one died. Peter I had planned to kill him personally, but like a coward, he'd fled to Bohemia.
Philippe IV had not been so lucky.
After his Imperial triumph, Peter I had the former King of Burgundy brought before him.
"Philippe, you have personally slaughtered the valiant soldiers of Italy. You probably know something of my reputation towards captured monarchs. However, I am in a generous mood. Although you are guilty of treason, I shall show you mercy. I will not be your executioner."
A shot rang out. Then another, and another, and another. As Philippe slumped to the ground, dead, the shooter put down their musket.
As Charlotte, Empress of Italy, looked at her target, she smiled sweetly. "I, my father, am not so merciful."
As the Imperial couple laughed, four men began preparing their individual excuses to travel to Florence. The Empire of Italy could not be led by these maniacs any longer.
The dawn of the 18th century had to signal a change, in either this Emperor or the next.
Didn't it?
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[1] Thanks very much to
History_Buff for pointing this out!
One more update, State of the Empire for 1700, and then I actually have to play again
It seems like it's been forever!
