PUBLICA INFERIOR: A Republic of Etruria AAR

Thanks so much everyone for the positive feedback! Another update coming fairly soon. Considering the last one finished with 10 years of relative peace and security, I'm hoping this one will be a little more dramatic...

Wave said:

What's planned when you get Rome down? Take control of whole Italy or start Harassing Carthaginians or Greeks? Also could we have a picture of map to know what's going on around the world at the moment?

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Good questions. But first, here is the world map as requested:




As you can see, the none of the major Diadochi states in the east have come to dominate the others yet. Egypt has expanded a bit into Arabia. Seleucia (the slightly darker of the two yellow blobs above Arabia) has been bogged down fighting Maurya, the big light-blue northern Indian blob. So far their wars have been inconclusive. The Kingdom of Asia (the dark red blob where modern Turkey is) survived my game's version of the real-world Fourth Diadochi War against all the other Diadochi states and remains one of the superpowers of the east.

Closer to my theatre, Carthage has fought one war against its African neighbours beneath it and has taken a few territories from Numidia. I'm keeping a close eye on Spain - the Lusitani have conquered the other Spanish tribes but it remains to be seen whether they can resist the expansion of Carthage.

King50000 said:

He did say at the begining that he doesnt want to recreate a Roman Empire, so he will probably let someone else take over Rome and split the peninsula in half while he moves north.

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King50000 pretty much sums it up. I'd like to avoid conquering the whole of Italy - I like the idea of retaining my identity as an exclusively north-Italian state if possible.

At this point, my first priority is to take one or two major population zones to my immediate south from Rome and/or Picentis because currently my overall population is still really low. I have plenty of slaves since the 'Great Crisis' and a decent monetary income on the back of that, but comparatively few freemen and practically no citizens whatsoever. I try to avoid relying on mercenaries so I'm definitely looking to expand my own manpower.

Assuming I'm able to achieve this, then I'd eventually hope to use the extra manpower to expand into Gaul. My starting 'civilization value' was only 60% in my capital, so its taking a while for the trickle-down civilisation effect to work its way to the northern frontiers. As soon as I can, I'll start colonising again. And if I can colonise closer to the Gallic states then I'll look to conquer them as well.

If in the distant future I grow strong enough, then I'd eventually like to lead an Italian coalition against Carthage and 'reclaim' Corsica and Sardinia. But that's just a pipe-dream at the moment.


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Thanks for the continued interest in this AAR. If anyone else has any questions or requests (maps etc), please don't hesitate to comment and I'll try to answer as best as I can.

I'm hoping to upload the next chapter later today.

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The First Italian War​

291 BC.

It is now over 10 years since the Great Crisis, when the Republic of Etruria came perilously close to collapsing under relentless waves of barbarian invaders that swept down upon Italy. Shocked and awed beneath the shadow of the barbarians’ sheer brutality, the Republic’s citizens have since clung anxiously to a perpetual peace that yet lingers uneasily over the Italian peninsula.

But the climate of fear is lifting. A new generation of Etruscan citizens is rising; men and women who have grown up inspired by tales of the exploits of Mercator Audax, the great General who drove the barbarians back beyond the Alps and saved the Republic from annihilation. Whispers are abound of new glories to be won, new enemies to be conquered. The ripples of this changing outlook have reverberated to the Senate House itself.

The Republic finds itself standing at a crossroads. Since the emergence of the opposing political doctrines of Pax Etruria and Mars Imperito in the aftermath of the Great Crisis, the policy of Pax Etruria has dominated the political landscape of the Senate. For over 10 years this has resulted in a focus on peaceful internal development, the expansion of Etruscan settlements to the north and the civilising of native barbarians in-between.

In recent years, however, support for Mars Imperito has gained significant momentum – largely thanks to the influence of its most prominent advocate, the great General Mercator himself. Mercator has effectively become the informal leader of the ‘pro-war’ faction within the Senate, backed by key political allies such as Mamercus Ulpius Nasica and Tiberius Claudius Martialis. They call for the annexation of key cities to the south and the reconquest of Etruria’s ancient holdings.

And finally their time has come.
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In January 291 BC, the outgoing Consul Gorgonius is replaced by Senator Tertius Vitellius Vitalis, whose first Consulship oversaw the onset of the Great Crisis in 304 BC.


Vitellius gets a second term as Consul


Like Gorgonius, Vitellius has become a prominent supporter of the pro-war faction; Mars Imperito. Unlike Gorgonius, Vitellius holds significant influence within the Senate and intends to use this to push for war with Rome and her allies as soon as possible.

To rally support amongst the people for a new war, Vitellius’s first move is to hold a great Triumph for General Mercator in the streets of the capital to honour his continued defence of the Republic. The General and his troops had only recently returned from the northern frontier, where they had annihilated a raiding band of Lexovii tribesmen.




The centrepiece of this lavish celebration is a grand speech given in the city forum by Mercator himself, who boldly announces to the hushed crowds that the Republic has arrived at a critical junction. The time, he says, has come for Etruscans to cast off the shackles of Roman influence and to reclaim its ancient and rightful place as the masters of northern Italy. The people respond with mixed sentiments of fear and excitement as the prospect of a new war in Italy becomes seemingly inevitable.

In the aftermath of the Triumph, and with the public sparked by anticipation for a coming war, Consul Vitellius calls the Senate to assembly to make his own proposal for sending a delegation to Massilia with terms of an alliance. Proconsul Martialis’s similar proposal in 298 BC was met with derision in the Senate, but much has changed in those few short years. Mars Imperito is on the ascendancy and Vitellius himself is a powerful and influential politician with great authority in the Senate House. It is tacitly understood by all the Senators that the establishment of an alliance with Massilia is but a precursor to war against Rome, and thus significant opposition remains to this proposal. But nevertheless, Vitellius manages to successfully gather enough support to narrowly pass a motion to send the delegation to Massilia.

The shrewd political ‘donations’ enacted by Proconsul Martialis had already bought the Etruscans the support they needed within the Massilian Senate, and the alliance was quickly agreed upon.




The stage was now set for war.

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STRATEGIC SITUATION, 291 BC:

The Republic of Etruria has assembled a powerful alliance and can feel reasonably secure in going to war against Rome.

The Auxilia Etruria now stood at 9,000 men; over twice the number that the Republic had fielded during the last war and commanded by Mercator Audax, a proven and experienced battlefield commander. They could expect to be joined by the Samnites and their army of a further 9,000 men, still commanded by the adept General Brutus who won several key victories during the last war against Rome. The Lucani have grown stronger since the last war and now maintained their own army of 9,000, commanded by the talented General Mettius Antonius Cicero. Assuming the Massilians brought in their forces (which had recently swollen to a mighty 15,000 men) then the allied forces would total a colossal 42,000.


Etruria and its allies on the eve of war.


The Romans, in contrast, were in a weak position. They had struggled to fully recover from the catastrophic Sack of Rome (307 BC) and had since abandoned all attempts at military conquest. They currently only maintained a paltry 2,000 active soldiers as a city garrison. Doubtless they still possessed the manpower and the wealth to recruit significantly more in time, but nevertheless their current situation could only be described as vulnerable. Their allies in Picentis, meanwhile, maintained what had become the standard Italian army size of 9,000. Their forces were commanded by their capable General and new King, Domitius. With only 11,000 active soldiers at the start of the war, the Roman-Picenti position looked precarious. Picentis would effectively begin the war fighting by itself.


Domitius is woefully outnumbered.
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CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES:

The Republic of Etruria’s primary goal is to annex at least 1 major city from either Rome or Picentis.

Consul Vitellius and General Mercator agree that the initial strategy should be to invade the Kingdom of Picentis and attempt to quickly force the surrender of the city of Perugia in the northernmost Picenti province of Umbria. Rome is considered as a primary target but the Consul predicts that the stubborn Romans will never surrender their capital while their other city states in Sabini and Campania remain free of occupation. Perugia is considered a more viable target, as its conquest will hopefully force the Kingdom of Picentis to capitulate quickly, leaving Rome exposed to further conquest.

With the Senate’s consent, war is finally declared on the Kingdom of Picentis, 12th November 291 BC.

Etruria’s allies immediately follow the call to arms, with Rome standing by its ally Picentis.





The First Italian War had begun.
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DECEMBER 291 BC – MARCH 290 BC: DOMITIUS’S GAMBIT

Following the declaration of war, General Mercator marches across the Picenti border and advances towards Perugia. His aim is to lay the city to a successful siege and hopefully force Picentis’ capitulation while the war was yet in its infancy.

The first action of the war, however, occurs further south on 3rd December in a dramatic second showdown between Domitius of Picentis and the Samnite General Brutus. At the climax of the Second Samnite War 18 years earlier, the two had first met at the Battle of Samnium (309 BC); a crucial encounter from which Brutus emerged victorious. This time, Brutus has stolen the initiative from his adversary following the declaration of war and has quickly marched his army towards the Picenti capital at Ancona. There he encounters Domitius and the Picenti army deployed against him, and the two sides clash in the Battle of Ancona. Brutus launches a determined attack against Domitius’s position but the Picenti forces stand firm, repulsing the Samnites while inflicting severe casualties on them. Brutus and the remainder of his army are forced into an unruly retreat. The Samnite war effort had already been dealt a severe blow as Domitius gains revenge for his defeat 18 years ago.


First blood goes to Domitius.


Despite this setback, better news arrives a few days later as the cities of Magna Graecia, curiously encouraged by the Greek-ruled Kingdom of Thracia in the east, declare their support for their Greek brethren in Massilia and join the war against Rome. They immediately mobilise their powerful army of 12,000 and prepare to march against the Romans forthwith.


Despite his early victory, the odds are stacking up against Domitius.
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290 BC. Going into the new year, Domitius faces a serious dilemma. Despite having defeated Brutus at the Battle of Ancona, the forces arrayed against him and his Roman allies are on the verge of becoming overwhelming since Magna Graecia’s recent intervention in the conflict. Indeed, the Romans are still mustering their forces at their capital and have yet to engage any of their opponents.

In the face of insurmountable odds, Domitius gathers all of his initiative and cunning, resolving to gamble the entire fate of the Picenti war effort on a single audacious strategy. In an impressive display of military leadership, he cunningly feigns pursuit of the retreating Samnite army before abruptly turning his forces around and making a rapid forced-march in the opposite direction to the north-west, circumventing Mercator’s forces besieging Perugia and instead bearing down on Tarquinia itself.

The Etruscan capital is wholly unprepared for the arrival of the Picenti army. Reports from the front lines have placed Domitius’s forces far to the south, supposedly pursuing Brutus back to Samnium. Yet nevertheless, on the morning of 16th March, Tarquinia’s meagre city guard looks out in disbelief as 9,000 Picenti soldiers emerge over the horizon, charging down upon them. Caught completely by surprise, the men of the city garrison can offer little resistance to the rapid Picenti assault and the city is forced to surrender before the day is out. Fortunately, they buy just enough time for most of the Etruscan Senate to flee the city and reconstitute in Volaterrae, which becomes the de-facto capital while Tarquinia is occupied.


The allies are caught flat-footed and Domitius takes the Etruscan capital in an audacious move.


On hearing this news, the rest of the Republic stands in shock. Never before had the capital fallen to enemy hands. With General Mercator’s siege of Perugia yet to be concluded, the Kingdom of Picentis had struck an unlikely double-blow early in the war, occupying the Etruscan capital after crippling the Samnite army at Ancona the previous year. Crucially, despite the Massilians being formally at war alongside Etruria, they had made no attempt to march their army to the relief of Tarquinia. The Massilian city of Emporion had recently come under heavy barbarian assault and their forces were consequently required elsewhere.

Domitius now sends envoys to the provisional Etruscan government in Volaterrae, demanding the Republic’s immediate secession from the war on mild terms. He offers to return control of Tarquinia to the Senate if they recall General Mercator and pledge not to engage any further in the current conflict. This is the premise behind Domitius’s epic gambit – to knock Etruria out of the war and to give Rome and Picentis a solid footing against their remaining opponents to the south. Once again, the Senate finds itself embroiled in dispute as different groups argue the merits of surrender or defiance, respectively.

The conviction of the Mars Imperito movement now faced its trial by fire. Consul Vitellius and his fellow Mars Imperito advocates had demanded war, and now they had one. It had resulted in their ousting from their ancient and previously unspoiled capital of Tarquinia and the humiliation of their Samnite allies at the hands of the conquering Picenti King, Domitius. Unsurprisingly, many Senators begin making voluble demands for capitulation, arguing that Etruria had overreached itself in re-igniting the conflict with Picentis and Rome. But Consul Vitellius calls for courage, drawing comparisons between the current situation and that faced by the Republic during the dark days of the Great Crisis. With his Consular influence, and with the support of a few key allies such as Mamercus Ulpius Nasica (who led the argument against surrender during the Great Crisis), Vitellius is able to obstruct the demands for surrender for the time being.

But while the Senate argues amongst itself, events further south take the situation out of their control.
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APRIL – MAY 290 BC: THE LUCANI OFFENSIVE

While the war rages in the north, the Lucani in southern Italy have thus far adopted a similar strategy to the Romans – postponing their campaign while they bolster their forces. Now, with their army having grown to an impressive 14,000 men, the Lucani commander Cicero, a great tactician and formidable General, leads his forces northwards to invade the Picenti heartlands, which have been left exposed since Domitius’s aggressive campaign into Etruria.

While Domitius is frustrated in his attempts to force the stubborn Etruscan Senate to capitulate, Cicero launces a fierce assault on the Picenti capital of Ancona and successfully captures the city. Simultaneously, the army of Magna Graecia arrives in Roman Campania to lay the city of Capua under siege. The momentum building against him forces Domitius’s hand and he decides to abandon Tarquinia, leaving behind a token garrison to maintain control of the city. Domitius leads his army to the mountainous Roman border province of Sabini to join with the Roman forces gathering there, which by now have risen to 7,000. With his own forces swollen to 11,000, Domitius assumes overall command of the combined Picenti-Roman army; 18,000 men in total.

Meanwhile, upon hearing that Domitius has vacated Tarquinia, General Mercator leaves a small force to maintain the blockade of Perugia while he marches the bulk of his forces back to relieve the capital.


A complex situation, April 290 BC:
- Domitius marches the Picenti army to join with the Romans in Sabini
- The Lucani under Cicero have captured Ancona
- Mercator Audax marches to relieve Tarquinia after leaving a small force to maintain the siege of Perugia
- The army of Magna Graecia has Campania under siege
- The Samnites under Brutus are still recovering from their defeat at the Battle of Ancona

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The allies make a second breakthrough in early May when the army of Magna Graecia smashes through Capua and prepares to march on the city of Rome itself.

Cicero, meanwhile, has secured the occupation of Ancona and decides to take the initiative. He assembles his army and boldly marches against the combined Picenti-Roman force in Sabini, aiming to crush both his enemies in one fell swoop. This would be a risky move, since the 18,000 strong enemy forces outnumbered his own army of 14,000.

The epic Battle of Sabini takes place on 19th May 290 BC. In a chaotic encounter, Domitius is hindered by the untrained and fragmentary nature of the Roman forces and despite holding the numerical advantage his army is utterly routed by the concentrated power of Cicero’s attack.


Cicero wins a great victory over the combined Picenti-Roman force at Sabini.
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JUNE - JULY 290 BC: PICENTIS CAPITULATES

In the carnage that follows the battle, the fleeing Roman and Picenti forces become separated. Cicero pursues the Picenti remnants and annihilates them. The Romans manage to escape back to Picentis, preserving their army but leaving the city of Rome on the far coast vulnerable to the incoming Magna Graecian army approaching from Campania.

General Mercator then arrives at Tarquinia and retakes the capital with minimal resistance. He prepares to march south to continue the offensive, but is forced to abandon these plans when a new barbarian horde crosses the Alps to assault Bononia. Mercator marches the Auxilia north to deal with this new threat, reluctantly leaving the campaign in Italy in the hands of Cicero and the Greeks.

The Kingdom of Picentis was now at the mercy of the allies. Ancona is in the hands of the Lucani while Perugia is under blockade by Etruscan troops. With his army destroyed and all hope lost, Domitius is forced to accept allied demands for surrender. Acting on behalf of the allies, the Etruscan delegation imposes peace with Picentis on harsh terms: the city of Perugia will be annexed by Etruria while the remainder of Picentis will be subjugated under a hefty annual indemnity.


Picentis capitulates, finally ceding Perugia to the Republic of Etruria. Meanwhile, Mercator Audax marches north to defend Bononia from the latest barbarian threat.

The Kingdom of Picentis has now been defeated and most importantly, the Republic of Etruria has taken control of the major city of Perugia. The first objective of the war has been achieved!
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AUGUST – NOVEMBER 290 BC: ROME’S LAST STAND

Rome’s position was now desperate. Their army was intact but stranded in Picentis on the far side of the Italian peninsula. Following their conquest of Capua, the Greeks had invested the city of Rome to a protracted siege while the victorious Lucani hero Cicero was preparing to storm Sabini. Unfortunately however for Cicero, his assault on Sabini turns into a bloody mess as the defenders doggedly repulse the Lucani attempts at storming the walls. With his army weakened and the Roman forces relatively nearby, Cicero opts to return to Lucani and let the war take its own course.

In one final desperate manoeuvre, the Roman army takes advantage of the route cleared by Cicero’s departed forces and makes a dash back to the city of Rome to engage the army of Magna Graecia there. The final battle of the war takes place on 29th October. The Romans fight with desperation but their forces are in poor condition and are already demoralised after suffering the heavy defeat at Sabini earlier in the year. The Romans are unable to break the Greek position and after a protracted battle, are forced to withdraw.


Rome's attempts to stave off defeat are in vain.


The Roman attempt to relieve their capital was brave but overdue and in failing to defeat the Greeks, Rome decides to formally accept terms on 10th November. Rome is forced to cede the province of Sabini to Etruria and Campania to Magna Graecia; depriving them of the last of their exterior holdings.

After 2 years, the climactic and tumultuous Italian War was at an end.


The status quo at the end of the war.

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CONCLUSION

In the aftermath of the conflict, the Republic of Etruria had emerged as the dominant power of northern Italy, despite not participating in any of the major battles of the war. A policy of patiently maintaining protracted sieges had paid off as Etruria finally controlled the major city of Perugia on the north-western coast of Italy, as well as the central province of Sabini.

The city of Rome is now a shadow of its former self. Once the titan of Italy, it has now lost all its exterior posessions and is confined to within its own walls. Its stalwart ally, the Kingdom of Picentis, has been similarly debilitated with the loss of Perugia, and now retains only the city of Ancona.

Despite Massilia’s lack of engagement in the war, Greek influence on the Italian peninsula had been increased through Magna Graecia’s conquest of Campania, and the successful partnership between the Greeks and the Italian alliance had forged a bond of trust and co-operation that defied their cultural and religious differences.

Thus, Vitellius concluded a triumphal second term as Consul. The Republic was now on the cusp of becoming as powerful as it had been during the Etruscan golden age 300 years ago.

But elsewhere in the Mediterranean, a great and restless power was stirring. The Republic was about to face its greatest challenge yet…

King50000 said:

Sounds like Carthage is looking towards Italy. Good work with that war, are you satisfied with just Perugia or are you going to take Rome once the truce is over, gaining you the far south of the height of the Etruscan Golden Age?

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I'm starting to get missions asking me to conquer the last bastions of Rome and Picentis, so I think that's a definite possibility. But if I do, I won't be looking to expand any further south. I'll use the manpower from those cities to fuel my expansion elsewhere.

King50000 said:

I dont know if this would be better for the next update or not, but what is your current technological levels?

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At the moment I'm running slightly behind my Mediterranean neighbours on the tech front, and to be honest that'll only get worse in the near future because my number of citizens is so low. But I'm not too bothered about that - I don't think tech is that important in EU: Rome. The bonuses you get for going up in tech levels are pretty small.

King50000 said:

Im not very familiar with this mod, so could you explain a bit about whats going on in China?

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Sure. Basically, in the Magna Terra mod China starts off something like this. I've linked that pic from the Magna Terra info page.

In my game, and I'll refer to the world map I posted earlier here, China seems to be dominated by Chu (the big yellow blob near the coast), and Qin (the inland purple blob). Qi (the blue blob along the coast of Manchuria) is also fairly powerful. At the moment, the various Chinese powers have been growing at the expense of the minor Chinese states. Nom nom nom, etc...

There seems to be a powerful alliance chain forming between the Scythian/Sarmatian tribes of north and central Asia, a bit like an ancient-world tribal confederacy version of the Mongol empire. They've already had one war against Seleucia. I think China might end up at war with them too.


For more info on the Magna Terra mod, I'll refer you to Camara's (the mod creator) page on the forums:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?550-Magna-Terra

This is also a pretty good page to work out who is who on the world map:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?487662-Countries

Wave said:

YAYYY! Greenies from the South are coming?

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No, its the island of Rhodes! Abandon all hope! The Rhodesians are coming! Flee, flee for your lives!

OK, so maybe its not Rhodes

Wave said:

How dramatical civilization value hits your northern provinces have taken due barbarians? Those provinces up in Gallia should be pretty empty as all population there has marched south and tried to sack your provinces..

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Actually, I got lucky during the 'Great Crisis' in that the barbarians didn't actually capture any provinces - they just held them under siege for a long time and defeated my army in a few pitched battles. Mercator got back there just in time to save them at the water-shortage/defender-desert stage. So at this point the civ value in the new border provinces is getting close to 50% cos the barbarians didn't actually reduce it at all.

And your right about the population thing - I'm surprised Gaul has anybody left in it, considering how many have invaded recently! The most annoying thing is the timing of it - in both the wars I've fought in Italy, a horde has appeared just as I've been about to go on a new offensive. I could have taken Perugia back in chapter 1 if it wasn't for those damned Gauls. What I need is an Etruscan version of Julius Caesar to go in there and give them all a jolly good hiding. Hmm...

Mr. Santiago said:

After that war Rome wil never be the same, you could just end their missery by annexing them.

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Indeed. Its something I'm strongly considering. I don't want to expand TOO far south though.

Mr. Santiago said:

Also, could you include some single-post brief chronology?; that would help keeping track of the history

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That's a great idea, thanks. I'll write it up now and upload it before I do the next chapter.

Wave said:

Well, Roma is most populated province in the game so it would definitely be worth owning, also you get owner of Roma bonus to ruler popularity which isn't bad at all And conquering Rome isn't getting any easier than this.

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All good points there mate. Looks like I'd better get on with it then! But only after I deal with *ahem* 'Rhodes' first!

Wave said:

This sounds great, maybe I'll steal a bit of this idea to be used in my own AAR

And by the way, finally someone is actively writing an AAR so I can check it almost daily and see something else but my own blabbering

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Actually dude your AAR was one of a couple that I referenced to see 'how the big boys do it' before I started this one (this being my first attempt). So you could say I stole ideas off you first, haha! By the way, any progress with your computer problems? We're all awaiting the next Massilia chapter!