Novum Romanum Imperium -- A Tuscany DW AAR

[Avindian]

For the sake of the story I'm on your side with annexing those pesky unions and vassals. That's their point eitherway.

Good update! I like the rivalry in the senate! Although I really do not like the chancellor, he reminds me too much of the dude from Star Wars.

I get a similar feeling too, although it's entirely coincidental.

I really like this shift of tone and style, and its good to see the Empire indulging in internal disputes as the external threat (about from a few pesky German barbarians) fades.

Would have been fascinating to learn just what Scotland threatened you with ... given the disaster of its last war

I'm not sure what you're referring to; I didn't mention Scotland in my last update (or did I?)

Thank goodness, it continues into Vicky II I was worried, as this has been one of the best AARs I have read!

Also it will seem that de Neuchâtel is still doing his job brilliantly as always

Vicky 2 isn't confirmed, but it's looking likely. Of course, I'm getting Crusader Kings II as a Valentine's Day present...

Why the rolling eyes? I've done my best to make Neuchâtel look as good as possible.

I'm not usually much for narrative AARs but I'm liking this a lot Keep up the good work.

Thanks very much!

Finally, Castille has fallen! You've gotten me very interested by all this political intrigue.

Surely you must control almost all of the old Roman Empire by now, either directly or indirectly. I can't wait to see what it looks like after you annexed all the PU partners and vassals.

It's pretty close; when you see the final map it'll be a lot clearer.

If I'm really energetic, I'll update again tonight, but you're more likely looking at next week.

[blsteen]

A different style of allowing the final years to unfold but a good move nontheless. Nice to see Castille bow before the mighty reborn Roman Empire.

[Avindian]

A different style of allowing the final years to unfold but a good move nontheless. Nice to see Castille bow before the mighty reborn Roman Empire.

Thanks very much!

[Vrael_1492]

Why the rolling eyes? I've done my best to make Neuchâtel look as good as possible.

Dont worry, he is awesome! Rolleyes for him being mine

[Duke of Britain]

Hah! Take that stupid chancellor!

Anyway, i would love to see the Romans leading the industrial revolution...also...Will you use the Italian tag for Vicky 2 or maybe...Some other country?

[Avindian]

Dont worry, he is awesome! Rolleyes for him being mine

Ah, very good

Hah! Take that stupid chancellor!

Anyway, i would love to see the Romans leading the industrial revolution...also...Will you use the Italian tag for Vicky 2 or maybe...Some other country?

The converter tends to "reuse" a lot of old tags because EU 3 has many more countries than Vicky 2; for example, some cheeky country in Germany has the gall to use the TUS tag for Tuscany! If your suggestion is for Byzantium, that's a possibility.

The next two updates (or should I say, last two updates ) are going to include substantial portions of story that have nothing to do, whatsoever, with the game in EU3. There will probably be comparatively few screenshots in the very last one. If you're not a fan of walls of text (and if you aren't, how have you stuck with me so long? ), the last update, in particular, may be somewhat frustrating. All I can say is, I'm sorry.

When will the Vicky 2 AAR start, I hear you all asking? Definitely not until the 2.2 beta for AHD is released; if that requires a tweak to the converter I've been using, that will delay things a bit farther. I also need to make sure the game is playable with the converter. I'll try not keep you waiting for too long

[Vrael_1492]

The converter tends to "reuse" a lot of old tags because EU 3 has many more countries than Vicky 2

I saw once Kurland with the Danzig tag, and Lan Xang (S-E Asia) getting the Madagascar tag

[Avindian]

I saw once Kurland with the Danzig tag, and Lan Xang (S-E Asia) getting the Madagascar tag

You should check out my abandoned Republic of Russia AAR -- THAT was a wild map

Update incoming!

[Avindian]

Chapter 57, part 3: The power of dissent

1 September 1777, Floor of the Imperial Senate, Rome

I just finished testifying before the Senate; I would rather face a thousand Austrian than one of those panels again! Rumor has that one of the cabinet officials has been taking bribes; I spoke out for my good friend Cosimo Germanicus.



I suppose it could be the new Minister of Finance; I just don't know Minister Doria-Landi well enough to say for certain. It would be fantastic if it turned out to be the Chancellor, but even a man with his questionable political attitude has never once been anything but the picture of integrity. He prefers to violate the spirit, not the letter of the law. The Senate continues to split; some politicians have been identifying themselves with factions. General Vorenus has the Militares; Chancellor Pallavicini has the Optimates. As near as I can tell, the Militares advocate the independence of the army and the direct rule of the Emperor; the Optimates want to see the military brought under civilian control and increase the power of the Senate. Both factions are of roughly equal power, and votes on even the simplest of issues tend to be split along factional divides. All I can say is thank God that the Emperor keeps himself above such filthy political discourse. The Emperor is personally overseeing the investigation into the corruption charges.

With Alexander in school, Julia and I often find ourselves alone at home. Kathleen is visiting her grandparents back in London; I can't wait until she gets back in a couple of weeks. She truly is the light of our lives.
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1 July 1778, Germanicus Academy, Florence

Now that I'm Chief of the General Staff and not a deputy any longer, I've finally been able to impose the reforms I've always wanted on our legions: a mix of offensive and defensive power, based on the model I personally observed in Austria. I'll be in Florence for the next month personally seeing to the adaptation of the new standards.



This emphasis on drill should increase our marksmanship and make our legions even more formidable. Complacency is our greatest fear with the Emperor's decision not to go to war; a wise one, in my opinion. We need to consolidate our current gains instead of worrying about expansion; over-expansion killed the first Roman Empire and I do not want it to kill ours. General dalla Rosa died a few weeks ago; the funeral was sad, and it's always hard to lose a friend, but at least he died in peace time. I'm more concerned about the Optimates blocking a new general to take his place. The Chancellor knows I'll have a lot of influence in any selection; rather than allow me my due, he's chosen to impose a moratorium on new generals. The Militares simply aren't strong enough. Lucius Vorenus has been bothering me to retire and join his faction with a spot due to come up soon; I've given it a lot of thought, but my place is in the army. I'm not sure what will happen now, if the balance is upset.
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19 August 1778, Palazzo di Farnese, Rome

Politics has radically shifted in the capital. I can't help but feel a little sorry for Chancellor Pallivicini; his death was so sudden that even his own faction was completely unaware. The Emperor has decreed a week of mourning and has asked the Senate not to meet until the week is up. I think this is just, and although the Chancellor and I were enemies politically, personally I respect his contributions to the Empire. Not all of his decisions were bad.



The Senate appointed another financial wizard to take his place in the Cabinet; Galeazzo Maria Casanova. He's a political unknown right now; I think he was an Optimate but I can't be certain. He does have experience in merchant dealings, and has been given the prestigious post of Minister of Commerce.



Although we grieve for the loss of a true Roman citizen, I cannot help but be delighted that my old friend, Cosimo Germanicus, is the new Chancellor! Hopefully, he'll put an end to this foolishness of factionalism, which will only divide our Empire. Maybe we'll even get some of the worse laws repealed.
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1 July 1784, Office of the Field Marshal, Rome

These last few years have been very busy; I completely neglected my old journal even though things have changed dramatically. The world, particularly across the Atlantic, is dotted with new nations. Haiti, La Plata, the USA, the UPCA, and Paraguay have all arisen out of the ashes of the former colonies of Castille. Chancellor Germanicus was indispensable in making sure that our men weren't wasted overseas to defend territory that was never ours to begin with. The Castillian Kings let their Empire grow bloated and indefensible. We have avoided willy-nilly expansion, I am happy to say. We also settled our first colony in the Pacific, in the province of Pomo; this is a symbolic gesture to show that our power is unmatched from sea to sea.

Although I definitely approve of our Chancellor's foreign policy, I am less pleased with his political agenda in Rome. Instead of dissolving the Optimates, he actually formalized the two factions! He is always telling me that political competition will always be for the best, and it will make the Empire all the stronger because every idea will be tested. I don't mistrust my old friend, but I do think he is greatly overestimating the sense of civic duty his fellow factionists have.

As you've no doubt noticed from my headline, I am the new Field Marshal! I've had the position since General Alberto Cybo, the old Field Marshal, died in August of 1781. The new Chief of the General Staff is Bartolomeo de Ruyter, Constantijn's grandson. He's only 24, but he's at least twice as smart as I was at that age. A lot of the old generals are gone; they're being replaced mostly by staff officers, like young de Ruyter, although I could retire a happy man if they were all as bright as he is. With war almost a curse word these days, I suppose I can't blame them. General de Ruyter has already engaged in another reform of the infantry and cavalry; I think he's a little too worried about something foolish, but it is gratifying to see the lad think for himself, and I've signed off on this experiment.



Alexander is 12 and Kathleen 11; both have excellent marks in school. Alexander seems to be very good with numbers, and has already told me he wants to attend the University of Rome when he turns 16. Kathleen is much more creative; I have a feeling she'll make a fine writer someday. I'm very proud of both of them. Unfortunately, not everything is perfect. A small rebellion has sprung up in Naxos, claiming to restore the Roman Republic. Have you heard such nonsense? The Republic has been dead for over a thousand years; let it rest in peace! I have no doubt my men will crush this revolution in its infancy, but it worries me. There are dark rumors of a third faction forming in the Senate, the Populares, who want free elections to the Senate.

I hope republicanism dies with this misguided rebellion; I fear it will not.
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19 October 1788, Imperial Senate, Rome

There are very dark storm clouds gathering around this Empire. Although Marius keeps us stable, everything in my soul screams out that we are going to be in for a very rough 19th century. I blame a lot on the newest member of the Imperial Cabinet, the philosopher Matteo Sfondrati.



I am no intellectual, but my son has read his drivel at the University of Rome; he's one of the Populares, this Sfondrati is. With the death of Lucius Vorenus last year, the Militares are not united behind a single leader, and only the kindness of my old friend and brother-in-law keeps the faction going. I think if he were ever to step down as Chancellor, the Militares would almost certainly be dissolved. The Populares have become even more loud, demanding a freely elected Senate and, if you can believe their cheek, a restoration of the office of tribune to check the Emperor! I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my entire life. If I were Marius, I would have the lot of them executed. Even the Optimates are concerned about the growing strength of this new faction; some have begun to propose a union between Optimates and Militares, which makes good political sense in my opinion.

What didn't make good political sense, as far as I'm concerned, was abolishing the office of the Field Marshal after Marshal de Lafayette retired. I'm Marshal of the Empire now, but now there is no link between myself and General de Ruyter. I find myself more and more concerned with Rome these days, and he's running the legions almost by himself in Florence. I visit as often as I can, but I'm so tied into politics now that I can barely think straight. I almost wish Marius would descend into the fray, to take some pressure off of me, but I know he won't. I commend him for not fighting wars we could win now but lose later; I almost think we should start a war to keep our Empire together.
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30 May 1789, Palazzo di Farnese, Rome

I went back and looked through my diary again, and can't believe I've never mentioned the Emperor's sons until now. Although Marius seems to be the picture of health, it's still important to talk about his successors for when the inevitable occurs. Gian Gastone is the elder of the two boys and the Prince of Constantinople. He's said to have a great deal of sympathy for the Populares, but his ability at administration borders on inhuman. He's already revitalized Constantinople's art and architecture, making it nearly the peer of Rome herself, and doing all of this while saving money is particularly impressive.

His younger son, Rodolfo, has military ambitions. He's currently the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and General de Ruyter sings his praises. Once again, we're reforming the cavalry and infantry, hopefully for the last time, although I'm very intrigued by Rodolfo's ideas.





I'm only mentioning his sons now for a very important reason; Gian Gastone is proving to be a little more sickly than we'd all anticipated. This time, the doctor saved his life, but who knows what might happen next time?



Rodolfo, in most circumstances, would probably be an insignificant political figure, but now, he's extremely important. I've tried to ask Cosimo to suggest to the Emperor naming Rodolfo the Prince; he seems to be made of stronger stuff. I'm also terrified of what Gian Gastone might do with the Senate if he becomes Emperor. I'm now praying three times daily that Marius outlives me, so that my children can be the ones to deal with this crisis and not me. I'm already 54, and I'm older than the Emperor by a couple of years.

May he live a hundred more.
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10 May 1793, Rome

I... I can't believe it. I'm still pinching myself. I knew the Populares wanted action, but I never expected them to act so directly! All of this mess properly belongs to 1792, when the Emperor ordered a strengthening of our defensive policy. In protest, a number of nobles (mostly Optimates but at least a quarter of them Populares) resigned their commissions.



Seeing their chance, the Populares tried to push through a bill that would automatically make any officer who resigned his commission a Senator, even if it expanded the Senate past 100 members. The Optimates and Militares easily defeated this bill, but Sfondrati decided to take his case to the citizens of our Empire. As a Senator and member of the Cabinet, he was immune to arrest, and abused this by stirring up trouble among disaffected army officers. As Marshal, I tried to speak to those who'd resigned, convincing them to return to the army. I emphasized that the army was no less important, even with an emphasis on the Defensive. I promised to let them back in with their old ranks, and even offered to raise the pay of all officers with the Emperor's approval. That quelled this little rebellion, as all but five or ten reenlisted that same day.

Sfondrati, no fool, then started speaking out against me, saying that I was bribing our Empire's finest officers to keep their mouths shut. He urged the citizens of the Empire to march on the city to show their solidarity with their protectors. I, as you can guess, was furious. Nobody has done less for any soldiers than Sfondrati, and yet, his propaganda is turning my own men against me. My son Alexander, not knowing any better, even visited me while he worked on his research into new methods of transportation, begging me not to execute the officers. Once I told him I was doing no such thing, he even wrote a formal protest to Senator Sfondrati.

Inciting a riot is nothing less than treason, and the Emperor agreed. In January of this year, he published a decree saying that the Populares were disbanded and that Senator Sfondrati was to be arrested. The Senator, coward that he is, immediately fled to the New World, where he could continue spreading lies out of sight of the Emperor. Unfortunately for the Emperor, a small group of Populares did not follow the Senator's example; one of their number killed the Emperor in the Palace in Rome. The rest of them stirred up a revolt in Serbia, claiming that Gian Gastone and Rodolfo were bastards and that their own leader was the true eldest son of Marius I.





The new Emperor, John IV, has already announced that the Populares will be reinstated and that the Senate shall be dissolved and reinstituted after a series of elections throughout the Empire. Senator Sfondrati has already returned to lead his faction. Chancellor Germanicus knows that, if the Populares can successfully bribe the people by promising them more land, or food, or horror of horrors, an end to nobility, the Optimates will be swept out of office. The Militares have joined the Optimates, but I don't think that republicanism will surrender even if it is defeated.

No, I think they shall have to be taught a very harsh lesson, and I fear that nobody has the courage to be the professor.

Who will save the Empire if it commits suicide?
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The final story update will probably be tomorrow or Wednesday, with the State of the Empire (and sweet, sweet maps) being posted this weekend.

[Duke of Awesome]

Sounds like the Militares are going to become increasingly militant towards the Populares if they gain more power. Hopefully there won't be anymore bloodshed in the empire. Also, How could Gian reinstitute the Populares after they murdered his father?!

[Avindian]

Sounds like the Militares are going to become increasingly militant towards the Populares if they gain more power. Hopefully there won't be anymore bloodshed in the empire. Also, How could Gian reinstitute the Populares after they murdered his father?!

I probably should have made that clearer (and will do so in the next update!) -- John IV is something of a coward and gives in because he thinks the Populares will leave him alone.

[Sethanon]

Isn't he called Gian Gastone III or is that just me being confused?

Really do not like this wave of popularism either, but I guess it's quite fitting for the time period we're in.

[loki100]

do like the increasing focus on domestic politics .... and yes it makes sense to have some sort of kickback against authoritarian rule and a nice echo of the first Rome

[Avindian]

Isn't he called Gian Gastone III or is that just me being confused?

Really do not like this wave of popularism either, but I guess it's quite fitting for the time period we're in.

His name, in-game, is indeed Gian Gastone III; however, his name, in AAR, is John IV. It might make more sense once you see the State of the Empire update

do like the increasing focus on domestic politics .... and yes it makes sense to have some sort of kickback against authoritarian rule and a nice echo of the first Rome

I'm glad you like it thus far!

[arosenberger14]

Interesting updates. Personally I dislike narrative updates but yours are very well done. Is it just me or are Roman politics starting to resemble early 19th century German politics? Anyway, excellent updates and I look forwards to seeing the end results!

[Vrael_1492]

You should check out my abandoned Republic of Russia AAR -- THAT was a wild map

I checked it out and ended up thinking Castille > Lippe-Detmold WTF!!

Also, another great update! Looking forward to the last update and eventually Vicky II

[Avindian]

Interesting updates. Personally I dislike narrative updates but yours are very well done. Is it just me or are Roman politics starting to resemble early 19th century German politics? Anyway, excellent updates and I look forwards to seeing the end results!

It's just you I tried to loosely base it off of the original "political parties" Rome had as a Republic -- Optimates and Populares -- but ended up adding a third faction for independence for the military. If I remember right, Prussia's voting was even weaker than Rome's in this AAR until post WWI, with the whole three class election law. The Rome I've created here has little voting for the top positions, true, but virtually everything at a local level is elective.

I checked it out and ended up thinking Castille > Lippe-Detmold WTF!!

Also, another great update! Looking forward to the last update and eventually Vicky II

Thanks very much!

[Jos Ballenbak]

The struggle between the Optimates and Populares was the prologue for the various civil wars that destroyed the Republic and gave birth to an Empire.

[Avindian]

The struggle between the Optimates and Populares was the prologue for the various civil wars that destroyed the Republic and gave birth to an Empire.

Exactly right; who's to say how this battle will turn out?
....
....
Oh, right, me

Update incoming! State of the Empire will have to wait until tomorrow, most likely.

[EU3NOOB]

My God! The Roman Revolution!