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LordTempest

Starmtrooper for hire
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May 14, 2009
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Table of Contents:

Prologue:


Dreams of our Forefathers
Foaming With Much Blood
The Die is Cast
The Triumvirate
Forged In Iron and Blood

The Times of the Triumvirate:

Chapter I: The Phoenix Rises

Chapter II: A Pontiff Falls
Chapter III: If You Wish for Peace...
Chapter IV: ...Then Prepare for War
Chapter V: "History Will Not Forgive Us!"
Chapter VI: Back From the Brink
Chapter VII: Triumph
Chapter VIII: Valour
Chapter IX: Hubris
Chapter X: Nemesis
Chapter XI: The Ides of March

The Age of Albizzi:

Chapter XII: The Aftermath
Chapter XIII: The Last Crusade
Chapter XIV: It's Always Brightest Before Dusk
Chapter XV: Pitch Black

The Hundred Days:

Chapter XVI: Ambitious Young Men

Chapter XVII: The Battle for Rome
Chapter XVIII: The Red Banner
Chapter XIX: In Pursuit of Parma

 
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The year is 1144, and in the heart of medieval Italy all is not well. It is the height of the High Middle Ages and all Christendom is chaffing under the oppressive power of both the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Emperor in Aachen. In the Eternal city, the Pope rules his subjects with an iron fist. Once the centre of the largest and most powerful empire the world had yet seen, modern Rome is but a shadow of its former glory: Its great monuments have fallen into disrepair, its once-mighty legions defeated long ago, its wealthy taxed into oblivion, its people broken and overworked. Death is commonplace and religion and prayer provide the only solace for most. Once a centre for art, culture, learning and commerce, the citizens of Rome live a better life than most, though their meagre existence pales in comparison to the glorious lives lived and led by their illustrious forefathers. To be born Roman is to be great, to be glorious, to have won first prize in the great celestial lottery of life, but such glories were denied to those born after the fall of the empire by those tyrants in ornate robes who oppressed them. For several prominent citizens of Rome however, enough was enough. Their fellow citizens needed to be reminded on what it means to be great, what it means to be free, indeed what it meant to be a Roman, said they. Their numbers grew and grew and the discontent of the people began to grow with theirs, the ulcer that was Rome began to fester, and indeed it became too much for the people to bear. Led by the well-to-do middle classes, the people threw off the shackles of Papal oppression and raised the standard of rebellion. The first Roman Republic since the days of Cicero and Pompey was born.

Immediately upon hearing news of its foundation, no less a man than Pope Lucius II himself led an army to try to recapture the rebellious city-state. He tried to do what he felt was God's work, and for his efforts he was not merely rebuffed, but thanks to a stray rock thrown by a plebeian which hit him square on the forehead, was taken early from this earthly realm to another where he was to meet his maker. The reconquest failed and further hastened attempts to bring the nascent republic back into the Papal fold were halted for the time being. I suppose then in that sense he succeeded in doing God's work after all... This brief reprieve was however not to last for very long, and soon its senators sought to curl the young state up next to the bosom of the mighty German Eagle, who of course possessed the ironic title of Holy Roman Emperor. Suffice it to say, it was akin to a newly-born wolf cub seeking refuge with a pack of starving lions who hadn't feasted in days. Its eventual fate was obvious.

This Roman republic, or Commune as it is known to historians, would last for a further fifty-five years in a state of quasi-independence. Half a sovereign republic with its own laws and customs, half a satellite of Aachen or Nassau, an extension of the German Emperor's will, nay, a mere pawn in his all-mighty game of chess against the Holy Father. Such a fate was no less befitting true Roman stock than the status quo ante – in fact it was even worse: at least then Rome was ruled by a Roman tyrant instead of a German one. Subservience to foreigners is not a trait which exists in the Roman character, and its citizens soon tired of this tyranny-dressed-as-liberty that their beloved exercise in self-assertion had become. In the year 1193 AD, the senators people had had enough of this tragic farce and reluctantly welcomed the Pope back into the Eternal city. The dream of a new Roman Republic to rival the glories of the old had died, or so it had seemed...

Some three centuries later however, the pronouncements of the strange death of Roman Republicanism were to be pronounced premature: true, it would not be for another hundred or so years after that that the Third Roman Republic[1] would be forged in iron or blood, but were it not for the actions of a brave few, who in the mid-to-late 1300's were prepared to stand against the current's mighty flow and defy the both the barbaric autocrats and the accepted conventions of their day, then it is not imprudent to assume that the seed of liberty which grew into the great republic which ripened subsequently would not have been sown, and that this epic tale would have never been told...


Notes:

[1] Naturally there had been a few other short-lived Roman republics founded in between the reign of Augustus and the Commune of Rome, but for the sake of simplicity we shall only count these three: The First, the Commune and the Third, which of course is the one we shall be exploring in this AAR.

 
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So this is your 'new project'? Interesting.

It goes without saying that I'll be following this one. Here's to prestidigitation and election coverage! ;)

Oh, and isn't it phoenix?
 
So this is your 'new project'? Interesting.

It goes without saying that I'll be following this one. Here's to prestidigitation and election coverage! ;)

Oh, and isn't it phoenix?

Oh no, don't tell me I've done it again! AARGH! I'll fix that once I'm done with the prologue!

Hoho! Second! I sub!

Great to have you on board, he who has shown us all the way! :)
 
hello i usually only post in the victoria 2 forums and just lurk around the other ones looking at the AAR's but cos im getting EU4 i thought i would post that ill be watching, good luck.
 
Looks like another AAR to follow...
 
Thanks to everyone who has expressed interest so far, the first prologue is now up! :)

I intend to write another two prologues before we get underway. The next one will deal with the fomenting of republican sentiment in the city of Rome during the 1300's which sets the scene for the next prologue which details how the Republic came to exist in EUIV's timeline. Because i'll be playing a fictional nation, I also would like to post a few short updates here and there detailing how the republic works: on politics and governance, its military, diplomatic relations, everyday life and so forth. As always I will delve into detail about my AAR and gameplay goals once we are almost underway, as I feel that that is always the most sensible course of action. I hope you all enjoy. :)
 
Ha, you know, I actually have a bit of familial investment in this AAR. Some of my ancestors were the Crescentii (now Crescenzi) who during the period of 974-1012, played a rather large role on Papal and Roman politics (though not Republican politics, so I guess that investment only goes so far. Damn republicans.)
 
I'm glad to see that this will be a Roman Republic, rather than Empire. As interesting as Rome is, an empire of those proportions never really do it for me in anachronistic settings. I am therefore looking forward to what will undoubtedly be a refreshing view of Rome in an anachronistic setting.

I do like the idea of a nascent Rome asking the HRE for protection. The irony is cruelly delicious – though the senators who made the decision wouldn't have been too popular with me.

My interest is piqued, and I'm excited for the rest of this.
 
The sun rises over the horizon. Subbed.
 
Because Tanzhang is an awesome baller, I will be subbing.

Also despite playing EU3 so much I simply can't wrap my head around EU4, so maybe following all the AARs ever will help.
 
I only just checked the EUIV forums and was surprised to see just how many AARs have already been put up. This looks like its going to be one of the best! Really looking forward to what you do with the Roman Republic in the EU timeline.