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Milan - An Adventure in Italian Politics (1450 start)

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Derahan said:
Rule the empire from Milan
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That would be fun...going to have to see how it goes though. First I need to get Italy, and before that try taking most of the Lombard Northern Italy lands. So it will be a long way till we get to that point, but definitely may try for an Imperial Milan.

Another update should be up tomorrow probably.
 
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Chapter XII – Renaissance Prince

Chapter XII – Renaissance Prince​



The Spring of 1468 brought the news that the Habsburg child was now old enough to assume his duties as ruler of the once large and aggressive nation. Finally coming of age and assuming his duties as Archduke would see him try to rebuild the nation after the disastrous defeats it had seen during the Regency Council. Ferdinand Habsburg would have his work cut out for him, especially with a resurgent Bavaria in his backyard. Also at that time news from further North in the Duchy of Brunswick would come word that Christian von Welf had assumed the title as Duke.

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The National Bank of Milan would also announce that they had begun making more money and were buying back shares, giving the Milanese treasury a much needed boost of ducats. That money would in turn be turned towards the Milanese Army, as Francesco was trying to increase the amount of regiments at Milan’s disposal to match that of the Venetian Doge. A few months after the windfall from the National Bank the Milanese Army would swell to some 16,000 troops, and therefore equal to that of Venice.

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With peace and tranquility seeming to rein supreme in the Duchy a Golden Era of Culture began to flourish in Milan. Artists began painting happier scenes, poets began telling happier poems of love and happiness, and musicians even began to compose more. All the while the Sforza family mostly under the auspices of Bianca Maria Visconti continually patronized these creators of art, music and poetry. It was her wish, and that of Francesco’s to make Milan the center of culture; to make the city a wonder of the world where everyone would come to pay homage to great men of the arts.

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As Milan’s culture began to flourish through this era of peace, Francesco and his councilors were fretting over alliances. Austria even with Ferdinand taking over the Duchy was still slightly unfriendly to them. The Duchy of Milan was in need of powerful friends outside of Italy since none of the Principalities could truly help much should another war erupt. And fearing the possible southern incursion of Austria, it was decided that Francesco should look to the Habsburg’s rivals of Bavaria and Bohemia.

With the decision made Francesco ordered a Royal Marriage to be negotiated with the King of Bohemia and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Jiri z Podebrad. The Emperor accepted this petition and joined a cousin of his house with that of Sforza, and with the marriage ceremony complete requested an alliance with Milan as well. It was obvious that the Bohemians were just as concerned about the Archduke Ferdinand as well, for with an alliance with Milan they just about had Habsburg Austria surrounded by allies.

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With Melzi’s successful mission to Bohemia complete he went to Munich to petition the same from the von Wittelsbach Duke of Bavaria. To which the Bavarians also agreed as they were allied with Bohemia and were still at war with the Habsburgs. After the marriage there Bavaria would do the same as Bohemia and offer Francesco a military alliance as well. Sforza seeing that he had enough leverage against any possible Austrian aggression was finally able to breathe a little easier.

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What made the alliance with Bavaria even better, was the fact that recently the von Wittelsbachs had entered into a Personal Union with Hungary, which would help Milan even more should he decide to go to war with Venice for the County of Verona. This Personal Union between Bavaria and Hungary would further isolate and surround Austria, making the young Duke’s mission to reclaim his nation’s former glory that much more difficult.

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Two weeks after the alliance with Bavaria was signed, Ferrara seeing their neighbors of Florence, Milan, and Urbino rising to power in Italy decided it was time to increase their lands. The d’Este Duke of Ferrara would annex their vassal Modena. This annexation of that small duchy would eventually lead to a war between Florence and Ferrara three years later.

The year 1469 would then begin, with the discovery of Madeira, as well as several more new ideas being announced by the University of Parma. They would institute a National Bank (even though one supposedly existed already) as well them claiming that Francesco Sforza was truly a Renaissance Prince and patron of the arts. Peace would continue through most of that year with little of note until the fall, when the University of Parma would also introduce the idea of creating Embassies in far off nations to create a permanent diplomatic presence.

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1469 would conclude with the dissolution of Milan’s alliance with the d’Este’s in Ferrara. Francesco ended the alliance solely to try and pacify the new Prince of Florence. With the dissolution of the Alliance with Ferrara, it was only a matter of time before Florence pounced, for they no longer had to worry about what side Milan would take in the war. It was this decision that would lead Francesco to being reduced to a pawn in d’Asburgo’s quest to unify Central Italy under one flag.
 
Hey lookie lookie! It's a Welf in Brunswick. Let's hope his branch of the family will survive like in OTL :).

It's a little bit sad, he is no Welf (von) Welf.
 
Unifying central Italy under one flag? Please be Florence please be Florence please be Florence... ;)

Enjoyable update, as ever, and looking forward to more.
 
@Richards840: Haha, when I was playing and I saw the Welfs were in control of Brunswick it made me smile a little. And since my CKII AAR is about them I had to share that little inheritance of Brunswick on here ;)

@DensleyBlair: Florence will definitely make an attempt at just that.
 
Derahan said:
Well Austria is toast, make a schnitzel out of them! Perhaps a skiing vacation is soon to be done? :)
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A skiing vacation for Francesco perhaps, but I don't know if he's quite ready to dance on any Habsburg graves just yet. That family has a thing for coming back from the grave...but it surely doesn't look good for them at the moment.
 
tnick0225 said:
A skiing vacation for Francesco perhaps, but I don't know if he's quite ready to dance on any Habsburg graves just yet. That family has a thing for coming back from the grave...but it surely doesn't look good for them at the moment.
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Just remember: "Take that von habsburg!", It's not all over yet, you can still get rid of them :)
 
Chapter XIII – The Purge of 1470

@Derahan: Perhaps, if we ever get knock off some of these Principalities we can engage the Austrian Habsburgs ;) But that may be a little while yet. Still much to do in our beloved Italy. But I will admit it is pretty awesome seeing the Habsburgs on the ropes and the Bavarians on the rise. A Bavarian-Hungary Kingdom has a nice alt history ring to it.

Speaking of which here is a map of our little part of the world:

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Chapter XIII – The Purge of 1470​



1470 began with Francesco Sforza making an attempt to further improve the relationship between Milan and Mantua by guaranteeing their independence. The Gonzagas of Mantua were happy about this proclamation, but still were uneasy about the growing power of Milan. Sforza’s councilors kept claiming that should Milan continue to court the Duke of Mantua, the man may one day pledge fealty to the Duchy of Milan. This goal however, would never truly be realized for the Gonzaga family was a proud bunch and secretly hated the Sforza’s for their role in exiling the Pope from the Vatican.

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With the slow steady decline of Austrian power the new Emperor Jiri of Bohemia, would see it time to strip the Habsburg’s of their power as a Prince-Elector. In Austria’s place Emperor Jiri would raise the Duke of Augsburg to that prestigious position further enhancing the likelihood that Bohemia would hold onto the Imperial Throne for at least one more generation.

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Sforza, though seeming to be secure in his position after securing alliances with the growing powers of Bavaria and Bohemia, was still not at all happy. The treachery of Austria’s Regency Council by breaking their alliance with him sowed a deep distrust for any German promises. Thus, he ordered his most trusted diplomat Demetrio Melzi to ride for Paris and to try his best to improve the relationship between France and Milan.

With Melzi on his way to Paris to try and build up French support of Milan, Sforza would have to deal with a slightly more dangerous issue regarding his men.

“Your grace,” a Milanese Captain said bowing before Francesco. “It seems that our men have grown complacent during these years of peace and are not hardened by the bravery of war.”

“What of it?” Sforza inquired.

“Many men are deserting, afraid of fighting for you, even more don’t even know how to swing a blade.”

The Duke of Milan nodded, thinking, “Anyone who deserts or is heard whispering of desertion should be executed as traitors. Those that are unskilled or simply do not wish to swing a blade shall be sent back to their farms or offered positions as clerks and stable-hands for the true men.”

The Captain blinked unsure if his Duke realized the numbers. “Sire there’s literally thousands that have deserted and refused already.”

Francesco didn’t even flinch at this number. “We have plenty of men to fill their shoes. There are many many veterans of the Brescia Campaign that would gladly put their armor back on for me. So, Captain, purge those poor souls who would feel their personal safety is of more import than that of their homeland.”

With that the Purge of 1470 would commence. When it was all said and done 4,060 men were affected, 1,500 would be hung for threatening desertion 2,000 more would return to their families in shame, and the 560 would take up positions offered to them as clerks and stable-hands. It was a bloody couple of months; trees seemed to grow dead men as they hung in the summer breeze like rotten fruit. The streets of Milan would even run red as the ring-leaders of various groups of traitorous men were beheaded on what would seem like a daily basis. By the Fall of that year however it would seem the Milanese Army had been freed of all cowards and was once more on the path to becoming one of the greatest military forces on the Italian Peninsula.

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With the Purge ended in the Fall it was found that the newly reformed Swiss Republic was attempting to fabricate claims upon Brescia. This would aggravate Francesco, but he would ultimately ignore it as Switzerland was still recovering from a decade of Austrian occupation and still trying to reform itself after being freed by the French.

As December dawned upon Milan, Demetrio Melzi sent word that his time in Paris had proven fruitful. He had not only improved the relationship with the de Valois King of France, but had even negotiated a Royal Marriage with the King’s cousin. Sforza was overjoyed with this news, in fact it was rumored that it was one of his happiest moments as Duke. No longer would he have to rely upon any Germans to help protect his Duchy from more powerful neighbors. Instead it would seem he was close to being able to rely upon French Arms, which would be highly useful should he claim Cuneo from Savoy.

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The beginning of 1471, would open up with trouble in Central Italy. For the new Prince of Florence had designs upon Modena, and sought to acquire it from the d’Este Duke of Ferrara. With the war declared, Florence would request Milanese Arms in their cause for taking Modena to which Francesco would pledge his support and begin his march at the head of his fifteen thousand men Army.

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Sforza would engage Duke Leonello d’Este’s smaller 4,000 man Army outside of Ferrara, and completely and totally annihilate the Ferrarans. Subsequently he would surround the capital and lay siege.

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While sieging Ferrara the Duke of Milan would receive word that Louis XI de Valois King of France had died, and that his son King Charles VIII de Valois had risen to thrown. This was great news, as Charles VIII was thus far unmarried and had no legitimate heir. Sforza began to dream that perhaps one day one of his descendants may by chance rise to the throne in that powerful nation. A dream that had potential to awaken the Italian states to the rise of Milan.

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Once more Switzerland was caught trying to fabricate claims upon Brescia. They were not the only ones however, for Savoy was also caught trying to get claims on Parma. Sforza began to see that his attempt at slowly and peacefully consolidating power in Northern Italy was becoming untenable. And during the siege of Ferrara he slowly began to plot and plan out his next moves, in hopes of punishing those nations that dared to lay claim to Milanese territory.

In September of 1471, after two hundred nine days Ferrara surrendered their capital. Francesco and his men would turn their armies West to join up with the Florentine forces in Modena to help in laying siege there. As the year came to a close and Modena offering the surrender of its city, Duke Leonello d’Este of Ferrara would surrender to the Florentine Prince, ceding the County of Modena into Florentine hands. Leonello’s surrender would spell the end of his Dynasty in Ferrara. They would rule for a while longer, but it was only a matter of time before the Florentines would come calling once more.

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Derahan said:
Avanta Italia! Seriously, Firenze and Urbino is going to be serious opponents, let's not hope they ally their swords with venice :)
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Yeah if Florence and Urbino joined up with any of the major powers or even themselves things could get interesting rather fast. Speaking of which with Florence conquest hungry, Urbino will start looking to the south soon. The shape of Italy will change quite a bit over the next decade or two ;)
 
tnick0225 said:
Yeah if Florence and Urbino joined up with any of the major powers or even themselves things could get interesting rather fast. Speaking of which with Florence conquest hungry, Urbino will start looking to the south soon. The shape of Italy will change quite a bit over the next decade or two ;)
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You might face some kind of Austria vs Prussia in the 1800s it seems to me
 
Firenze is occupied! How could Sforza let this happen? What about the equilibrium? ;)

Interesting that Bavaria have got the Hungary PU. That'll lead to fun developments, I'm sure.
 
@Derahan: Yeah could, there's a lot of interesting developments on the Italian Peninsula, that we will be seeing soon. Although my political policy in the game thus far seems to be creating a future stand-off between a North and South Italy which will be rather fun to see if it comes to that.

@DensleyBlair: Yeah Florence got occupied...no idea why or who did that I guess it was Urbino. They were probably allied with Ferrara. But with the surrender of Ferrara Florence is once more free and happy. And the Balance of Power is in full effect so far. Although that will come to an end after Francesco dies :) The PU between Bavaria and Hungary is an interesting development but the Hungarian Nationalists aren't all that pleased about their new German overlords. I think the Hungarian Nationalists were probably funded by the Habsburgs. But regardless watching Bavaria and Austria struggle against one another has been fun during dull moments in the game!
 
Congratulations!!! For your wonderful writing you have been named Best Character Writer of the Week. Enjoy your week of glory and continue the story of the Sforza family.
 
Chapter XIV - Francesco's Final Years

@EtzelHoveri: Thank you for that and the nomination...you posted that just as I was writing a new update!!! Glad I caught it before posting though!



Chapter XIV – Francesco’s Final Years​



"My Lord," the ambassador from Urbino said bowing. Francesco had just arrived back in Milan after campaigning for the Florentine Prince in their war to acquire Modena from the Ferrarans.

"Yes," Francesco replied. During the war the alliance between Milan and Urbino had been dissolved due to the Montefeltros siding with the Ferrarans. Such allegiance to the weak d'Este family had annoyed Francesco, but he was happy to entertain an ambassador from his old comrade's nation once again.

"My lord, Duke Montefeltro, your friend for years, seeks to once again join our two nations together in alliance. There is no reason why our nations should fight each other. Florence is becoming more and more aggressive and its only a matter of time that they devour all of Central Italy and begin looking either North or South. It would be wise for us to join in common cause against such a future."

Sforza nodded. He felt the same if truth be told. But he also knew that if Italy was to stay independent and free of foreign powers large states would need to be carved out. The days of minor principalities was seeing its end. "I agree with your lord, ambassador. And I would like to see our alliance once again rekindled. But, I will warn you that I will continue in my support of the Florentine Princes. Our three nations bear the future of our peninsula, and if we stand united we can repel any would be invader."

The ambassador was not at all happy about that, "But your grace, Florence is a threat to us both!"

"No, they are a threat to Ferrara and the Papal State of Bologna. To us they are no threat."

"I wish we saw it that way, your grace, but my lord Duke Montefeltro feels Florence is getting much too ambitious."

"So we see things differently for the time being. This should not impact our friendship, though, so let us renew our alliance, and work diligently to repel the Aragonese out of Naples."

The ambassador from Urbino actually smiled for the first time during his audience with the Duke of Milan. “I think my lord, Duke Montefeltro, would be pleased at that idea your grace.”

With that the alliance was renewed and the ambassador made his way back to Urbino to inform his lord of the success he had in Milan.

After the exchange some time would pass and the University of Parma would announce learning of the Lumbar, and the creation of what would become Milan’s first artillery pieces.

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Demetrio Melzi would then return to Milan with the news that France had agreed to Francesco’s request for an alliance as well. This brought Milan one step closer to be able to declare war against Savoy. Yet, Francesco waited, for he was beginning to suffer from gout and as the days and weeks passed began having trouble rising from bed on his own accord.

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A jousting tournament would take place in Milan at the beginning of the summer of 1472. Unfortunately Francesco wouldn’t attend not feeling up to sitting in the sun that day, and already sick with fever. It would be brought to his attention that some unknown commoner that had been supplied with equipment from some local merchant family, had won the tournament. Sforza was unhappy about this, so much so that he ordered the commoner imprisoned and tightened the rules on any future tournaments to be had. In fact, he would even bar entry to anyone of non-noble blood.

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Towards the end of 1472 Sforza would begin feeling a bit better but would stress due to the collapse of the newly founded National Bank of Milan would send him back to his sick bed as he began to stress about the future of his dynasty. He decided to bail the bank out with his own coin, which sent his reserves into the negative so much so that he had to request a loan just to be able to maintain his and Bianca Maria’s household staff.

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1473 would see Sforza showing signs of recovery even though he now walked with the help of a cane. And much to his pleasure word from Austria came in announcing that once more the House of Habsburg had fallen into a Regency, this time it would not be an ineffective Council though. Instead a Wittelsbach would take over as Regent over the young Habsburg Prince. And rumors began to circulate that the Regent would never ever hand control of Austria back over.

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That summer Florence would sign a peace Treaty with the Pope. The reason for the war between Florence and the Papal States was unknown, and in fact Sforza hadn’t even been aware of the war until he received that communique. It was at that point that he realized that perhaps his old friend in Urbino had been right. As if seeing the future, a year later in the summer of 1474, Florence was caught attempting to fabricate claims upon Parma, therefore dissolving the alliance between Milan and Florence once and for all.

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In August of that year, Bosnia would declare independence from Ragusa and begin a fight between Hungary and Venice for dominion of that small upstart nation.

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The rest of the year would end up passing by slowly and peacefully. Sforza wouldn’t enact anymore laws nor sign anymore marital contracts or alliances. He felt secure with the land he had created and saved from the turbulent ways of the Ambrosian Republic. He was slightly concerned about what his son Galeazzo would do with the Duchy of Milan, but that worry was for the living.

Francesco spent his final winter in bed unable to muster the strength to rise, and took comfort in the always loving embrace of his wife, Bianca Maria Visconti. When on the morning of February 14, 1475, the Duke of Milan Francesco Sforza would breathe his last breath as the Bishop of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Bianca Maria, and his brother Alessandro Sforza all watched as their beloved Duke of Milan passed from the world of the living.

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Ah, the duke is dead. Long live the duke!

That said, now we're on Galeazzo Maria, I assume we'll be seeing some more action on the home front. Florence won't stay subdued forever! ;)
 
@Derahan: Yeah...hopefully Galeazzo is capable. I'm a little worried about his diplomacy...that could lead to some rough situations.

@DensleyBlair: I guess you could say there will be more action. Let's just say Galeazzo is not a very friendly man. And Florence isn't subdued yet...they are still on the rise.
 
Finally had a chance to sit down and read this -- great AAR! Keep it up!
 
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