Let's eat Pizza Napolitana! A Naples MEIOU (HttT) interactive AAR

[gigau]

B. We need to trade in order to strengthen our economy on the long run...

[Caewil]

C. Secularisation makes sense, especially given the fact that religious reasons would suggest returning the land to the pope.

[Malurous]

C, seems fitting considering the way you treated the Pope. And getting those efficiencies up won't hurt either.

Interesting game with a great mod obviously, will follow for sure.

[IliciMan]

go narrowminded

[Omen]

I vote A. You will probably pick up a COT or two along the way, and you'll need the merchant protection if you want to become huge.

[YF-23]

go narrowminded

WELP NARROWMINDED IT IS

Next vote's tiebreaker (between Cent. and Sec.) unless gigau changes from Free Trade to another of the two.

[randakar]

I think I will vote for secularism. I've never really liked religion much

Also, can we perhaps have a vote on some of these wars as well? When I saw the shot of Aragon asking for a call to arms I was wondering if there'd be a vote ..
On the other hand, anything that keeps the update speed high is good

[YF-23]

Well voting's over, secularism it is. Mind you, that doesn't mean religion will get phased out, but rather that Naples will be more open to peoples of other religions.

Voting on wars and so is tricky, because it means I need to have to the game on and paused while waiting for the votes; not that I'm not prepared to do something like this, but I'd rather avoid it if it's not something terribly important; there's a couple interesting events that I think we'll see that I will pause the game for, but other than that responses to CtAs will probably not be included. Of course if I see something major enough I guess I'll have a vote on it.

[YF-23]

The mission RNG hates me.

Chapter 4


Already in distress over the annexation of Papal lands, the clergy is sent to panic by the Council's decision. That goes down to the general populace, and the next few months will have to be spent reassuring the peasants that their kingdom is not going to be overrun by refugees from the Greek regions.

To further curb down religious instability, Joan shelves the assault plans for Epirus and instead diverts funding to the remnants of the Papal State, "as an apology for the damage caused by the war". Perhaps one day Naples and Epirus can be a bridge between the two Romes.

johan that's not what cordial means

To aid in that, Giovanni Carapresa, an ambassador by trade and well-versed in diplomatic relations is permanently installed in the court at Napoli.

Efforts to restore relations to above pre-war levels begin immediately.

At the same time, the pledges made in the Second Council are not forgotten, and Joan pledges her entire country to the defence of the remains of the once-great Roman Empire should she ever be attacked again.

As had been expected since a long time ago, the count of Nice if forced to pledge his full allegiance to Joan as the duchess of Provence and the city of Nice and the surrounding land formally becomes part of the Duchy. Should Provence ever become part of Naples proper Nice will come along with it.

The Provençal are aware of this however, and are not particularly looking forward losing their autonomy to a foreign ruler leading a yet more foreign kingdom that only a decade ago was eliminating such local privileges. The Pope would have to wait for now...

...or at least he would have, had he not died. Joan once again sends a representative, and can only hope the new Pope is as lenient as the last.

And at long last, Naples' membership in the Venetian League starts to bear fruit. Seeing a hefty surplus in the treasury as well, she begins to sponsor traders to go to the City of Canals and trade for goods and profit.

On the 21st of April of 1368, news arrive from the Holy Roman Empire. Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and architect of the Golden Bull has died, and in his place the elector-princes have voted the archduke of Austria, Joseph I von Habsburg. It appeared that the Bohemian king had lost the trust of the other imperial member-states and tarnished his reputation by annexing Saxony in a war 5 years prior.

Almost a year after the previous Pope's death, white smoke rises. Luckily for Joan, the new Pope is as friendly as the last and relations improve further.

While monetary gifts are diverted to the lords of Provence, Joan finds other ways to improve relations with the Pope. She has an embassy opened outside Rome at Lazio, to speed up diplomatic exchanges between Rome and Napoli. That embassy finds immediate use as the Pope needed to free up some troops left in the city to send as aid to a conflict they are taking part in.

To the east, the Roman Empire would appear to be having a resurgence. Slowly but surely, it reacquires Greek lands. It's still definitely a long way from becoming a regional power, however.

The clergy, finally satisfied with the improvement in relations with Rome, grew bolder. Thinking Joan ready to fulfil their demands, they started putting significant pressure on her to send missionaries to convert the Greek island of Kerkyra from their orthodox beliefs. Not about to go against the pledges she made against the persecution of heretics only a few years ago, but also unable to quiet the clergy down, she opted to make fake promises and wait it out. Sooner or later, they'd forget. If they didn't, they'd simply have to learn to cope with the situation.

Perhaps encouraged by the council, many in Naples also started reading greek books and manuscripts from the east...

...bringing with them many innovative ideas, that the clergy and Rome were not necessarily happy about. It became obvious that concerns over Papal relations were not without justification.

Fortunately these concerns were heeded and the damage caused by this was minimised.

Meanwhile, relations with the City had increased enough for the Roman Emperor to agree to marry his line to that Joan, though not without reservations.

As the clergy's demands grew bolder, in an attempt to placate them Joan agreed to the founding of a monastery of the Carmelite Order in Campania. Such a move would smooth the relations loss suffered between Naples and the Pope, while at the same time the Napolitan cultural heritage grows richer.

In December of 1373, the was on Iberia ends. Aragon takes Murcia and Cartagena from Castille, expanding further down the coastline, and asserting itself as the dominant power on the peninsula.

[GrossMurpel]

johan that's not what cordial means

Welp, can't wait for this thread to be deleted. I enjoyed the AAR while it lasted, though.

[Boris ze Spider]

That was very good, what are the current relations with the Pope looking like?

[YF-23]

That was very good, what are the current relations with the Pope looking like?

Relations are at 105 with no yearly change, "they trust us to uphold our bargains". I still have 2bb left from when I took these three provinces. Edit: Fun fact: The Papal States have moved their capital to Avignon! I think they do that every time Lazio is occupied, and return once it's safe again. Since it's in our hands now they'll probably stay there though. Rome makes more sense from a narrative sense though so I'm uncertain on whether to include the move in the narrative or not.

Speaking of numbers...

Chapter 4 BONUS
Stats no-one cares about!




Sorted by income (we are about a page lower at 283.7 ducats)

[Omen]

I noticed that the Papal States moved their capital in a recent MEIOU game I played as Naples. I hadn't known they did that and took Rome. That was a nice addition to the war, though I paid for it in BB.

[YF-23]

Chapter 5

Castille, with revolts erupting all over the south after the damage it took in the war with Aragon, presents an easy target for the moors, eager to step back in Iberia.

Back in Italy, the churches in Umbria are in disrepair. With the treasury just barely sufficing for diplomatic endeavours of the past few years, Joan refuses to lend aid to the church, and the grander of the constructions are, unfortunately, lost.

After many decades, the French and the English finally sign a peace treaty. Tens of thousands of lives lost, all for nothing. The only change is that England's influence on the Breton peninsula dwindled, and other than a small enclave the local lords pledge allegiance to Antoine Phillipe of the house of Blois, who in turn is loyal to the French crown.

The French immediately take advantage of the peace and switch their focus to administrative matters. The King forces the count of Anjou to give up much of the authority he has, and Anjou is placed entirely under the rule of Jean II. The only thing different from the rest of the land of the French crown is support for the king, which has completely evaporated after all the wars.

Epirus, having lost the province of Thessalia to the Roman Empire a couple of years ago, looks to make up for its losses by declaring war on the once-mighty Serbian Empire, now a mere principality, as it is embroiled in war with its other neighbours. This brings it in conflict with the Napolitan ally, the duchy of Neopatria.

Not about to watch her ally be annexed like that, Joan declares war on Epirus in support of Neopatria.

Fortunately most of the states who respond in defence to Epirus cannot quite reach it.

Seven regiments land on Magnesia, already under siege by Epirote forces, and drive them away. Pushing them to the northern border, they eventually succeed in dispersing them and the Epirote army is no more.

It could have ended as simply as that, but the Romans are quick to take advantage of the situation, and declare war on the duchy, still rebuilding their Empire. Grudgingly, Joan finds her kingdom in war with the Romans.

Fortunately the main bulk of the Roman army is in Serbia, and the force sent to lay siege to Magnesia is small. The other half of the Napolitan army is mobilised and easily defeats the besiegers.

The Roman fleet engages the small Neopatrian and Albanian fleets in the Aegean Sea, but the Napolitan ships in the Magnesian ports rush to the aid of their allies and combined manage to land a small but not insignificant blow to the Roman naval effort.

Serbia manages to get Epirus to cede its northern strip of land in exchange for an end to hostilities, but Naples stays in the war.

Andronikos, Roman Emperor and a brilliant mind, sees that the war is pointless and will only lead to disaster, and agrees to step out of it returning to pre-war conditions.

The war experience and innovations leaking in through the borders lead to significant advances in army tactics and equipment. Though all the real fighting is over by now, even without testing it is obvious that the new regiments are much more effective.

Finally, Epirus concedes to the Napolitan demands. To ensure peace and stability in the region, the monarch, queen Helene, who is still underage, swears loyal to the Napolitan crown. They also give up their claim to Thessalia, which so becomes indisputably Roman.

The events of the past year have shown to the Neopatrian populace that in its situation they cannot defend themselves, so when Joan offers his duchy protection in exchange for his loyalty, Nero II is quick to accept.

On the other side of the Mediterranean, Castille is in a hopeless situation. In a constant state of rebellion, and with Moorish armies landing on its shores, even Granada manages to win a peace much towards their favour. The reconquista is far from over after all.

Joan is ecstatic. Things are going overwhelmingly in her favour. Filled with enthusiasm, she calls on her advisors to assemble in her office. It is time for the Third Council of Naples.

A. The first option Joan puts on the table is, just like in the previous Council, further centralisation of the state, which will generally improve the economy.



B. Also returning from the Second Council is the rescinding of the more mercantile laws of Naples. Only trading in Venice right now, it is imperative to let go of some restrictions, if Napolitan merchants are to trade outside the Venetian league.



C. Finally, Joan proposes to restructure the military and end the slight favouring of the navy over the land army. The latter has seen much more action than the former, and it is a shame that the more important part of the Napolitan military is the one where inefficient spending is concentrated.



The advisors cast their votes.

[Avindian]

A. I will vote for Centralization and only Centralization until you are totally Centralized!

[Boris ze Spider]

I vote C., since you now have to protect lands all across the mediteranean.

[Omen]

C. Land. There will not be an end to land wars and expansion through war. Thus there must be a balance between the fleets and the army.

[GrossMurpel]

I also vote C. Get that forcelimit up!

[MannheimCouncil]

B. Naples shouldn't neglect trade.

[Boris ze Spider]

I vote A, since i misread.