Foedere et Religione Tenemur - A Savoy AAR (Veritas Et Fortitudo)

Chapter I - A Crown for a King​

Diplomat and close friend to our Duke, Adriano Solaro, traveled to Avignon to finalize the last details of the coronation of Amedeo V di Savoia. The Pope suggested that the coronation ceremony should take place in Avignon. Solaro knew that this proposal was not acceptable for Amedeo and therefore he insisted that his Duke should be crowned in Rome. Innocentius finally gave in to Solaro's request.
The Duke arrived in Rome at the end of November and was only accompanied by his family, friends and closest advisors. Amedeo wanted a small and rather private ceremony. He was old but proud. Proud because on this day he became the first every King of Savoy and his grandson Carlo was about to come of age to rule Savoy.



After the coronation of Amedeo, Savoy was officialy considered a Major Italian Power.



Amedeo always felt that the Pope should reside in Rome and not in Avignon and thought that maybe the fastest way of moving the Pope's residence back to Rome was to take Avignon. Our spies came up with a plan to fabricate a claim on Avignon.
However, the Pope had powerful allies (France) and therefore we had to strengthen our own position first before taking on the Pope. We picked a weaker target: The excommunicated Count of Dauphine. The war goals were to take Gap, Bourg, Lucca and Oristiano. The vassalization of Florence was our second priority.



Dire news spread from Florence to Torino: General Gennaro d'Aragona was killed in battle - A Florentine crossbowman shot d'Aragona in the head! Without a general our forces demoralized abandoned the siege of Florence and retreated to Lucca.



The captains of the regiments held a meeting and elected one of their own as general. The King was in Torino - too far to make an impact on the decision. The only thing that mattered was winning this war! Aimone di Cardé was elected general by the four captains. He was trained by some of the best Italian siege engineers.



While General Cardé was leading the siege of Florence, King Amedeo's administrative skill proved to be once again most impressive. He ordered our people to focus on Government Ideas. He also reformed the administration of our provinces.



Only a few months later, Amedeo passed away. Carlo, the legitimate heir, was not ready to rule the country - he was only 14 years old so his uncle formed a regency council and ruled in his name. The members of the council argued a lot and the people of Savoy were unhappy with the incompetent rule of the regency council. Amedeo V was buried in in the di Savoia family grave in Torino.



Luckily, Carlo turned 15 on January 2nd 1325 and he asked to be crowned King of Savoy the very same day by the bishop of Torino. His first orders were to disband the regency council and to quickly make peace with Dauphine. Carlo was said to be a skill-full administrator and diplomat. Under his rule Savoy quickly recovered from the death of the old king. Vittoria Amedeo, Carlo's younger brother and a fierce militarist, was the new heir to the throne.



The war a success for for Savoy. Gap, Bourg, Lucca and Oristiano were incorporated into the Kingdom and the Republic of Florence swore their allegiance to us. Bourg was known for its strong aristocracy and one the most influential family members of the city published a treatise on military thought as a gift for his new King.



To be continued...

jrgen3 said:

Good idea. Save games will be broken hopefully by this Thursday.

Subbed

Click to expand...

If it upcoming version of VeF breaks the save game then I'll continue my AAR with the current one :ninja:

Chapter II - The Milanese Punitive War​

The Order of Saint John, a militant religious order of knights, sought to improve their relations with the House of Savoia and rebuilt the Grand Priory of Aix-en-Provence which was destroyed during the war with Naples. The Knights were always in need of money and weapons to fight off the Barbary Pirates. Unfortunately, Savoy still relied on imported iron. The plans to take Waldstätte had not been finalized yet. In a private meeting with the King, General Cardé and Silver Tongue Antonio Vico suggested that it would be better not to go to war for the next years. The soldiers were exhausted and the economy had to recover first.



King Carlo was informed that our latest conquests upset the French, Pisan and Modense. They canceled their respective alliances with us. A worrying development. On a snowy day in the January of 1327, the Viscontis declared war on Savoy but our allies came to our defense. The military council was optimistic that Milan was no threat. Tired of war, General Cardé only ordered a few regiments to lay siege on Montferrat and Waldstätte.



Just like his grandfather Amedeo V, Carlo di Savoia enjoyed good relations with the Pope even though he wished him to be replaced. Carlo sought an audience with the old man and asked him to excommunicate Carlo Visconti. He argued that declaring war on Savoy was a sin in God's eyes.



The cardinal college was of great political importance and when the Neapolitan cardinal of Liguria was tragically poisoned the cardinal seat became vacant. The King took the opportunity to put one of his loyal advisors on the empty seat. It didn't take much to convince the Holy Father that Renzo Pastori was the best choice to become cardinal of Liguria.



Aragon proved to be a useful ally and helped us occupying the Modense provinces. A peace treaty was signed and a family member was put on the throne of Modena. Francesco di Savoia, Carlo's cousin, became Count of Modena.



After 826 days the siege of Montferrat was finally over. An envoy was sent to Milano with the King's demands but the Viscontis did not want to negotiate. As a consequence General Cardé ordered to besiege Cremona and the town quickly fell.
The Merchant Guild of Liguria was still having occasional disagreements with the aristocracy and things escalated when the King signed a contract with the guild that granted the guild exclusive rights to export wine for 10 years. Savoyard wine was in high demands and no other country in the known world produced as much wine as we did. This long-term investment was very profitable.



Three and a half years after the outbreak of the Milanese-Savoyard Punitive War, Milan accepted our generous terms. Montferrat and Waldstätte were ceded to Savoy. All the rumors about Waldstätte's rich iron mines were true - our siege engineers and blacksmiths were more than exciting that no longer had to rely on iron imports anymore. New weapons were invented and existing ones improved. A glorious day for Savoy!



To be continued...

The Unification of Sardinia​

King Carlo I was not amused when he was informed that his army was recovering only slowly. Only the best men were allowed to serve in the royal army. Savoy's economy was thriving again thanks to our increasing exports and tariffs were put on all goods that arrived in La Spezia.
Our vassals Modena and Florence were doing well and a new regional governor was appointed to Florence - we were one step closer at integrating them into our beautiful realm.



Every thing was going well but suddenly something unexpected was sighted: A Comet was sighted over Saluzzo! The local peasantry went nuts: They kept shouting: "Oh God! It's an omen!" Carlo I tried to convince the peasants that comets are harmless but they just wouldn't listen.



The Liguria-based merchant guild was complaining that our cut of the Mediterranean trade was too low. The chief of the guild suggested that we make plans to conquer the Pisan-owned town Cagliari. Pisa was allied with the Castilian Crown and so the King sent diplomats to various nations in Western Europe to inquiry the possibility of forming a military alliance against Pisa/Castile.
Aragon, Bavaria and Venice immediately agreed to help us. Pope Innocentius VIII was not amused by the King's request and informed us that Papal troops would not be at his disposal. How insulting! The last envoy returned from London to Torino with good news: The Brits declared their interest to side with us against Castile.
Everything was set and war was declared in the spring of 1333. Siena refused to honor our call-to-arms and the alliance was dissolved.



General Cardé defeated the Pisan forces and everything was going according to plan. Castile hoped to turn the table by calling in Portugal and Naples. The young King was patiently waiting for news from the on-going war and when a messenger arrived in Torino, Carlo I was expecting to get a report of the latest battles. Surprisingly, the messenger was not returning from the front but from Lucca. An epidemic broke out that killed many. Carlo I was in shock and tired to come up with a plan to help the town but there was nothing he could do - the royal treasury was empty.



Roughy one year and a half after the Savoyard conquest of Cagliari began, Pisa was willing to give up the war goal. All of Sardinia was now unified and controlled by the House of Savoia. King Carlo I was pleased and dreamed of an even larger kingdom.



Some rulers preferred to not invest in a working cabinet. Lower taxes and corruption were in my cases the result. Savoy was different. In our realm the brightest minds worked together to maximize the government's efficiency.



To be continued...

DKM said:

Looks like everything is coming together. Do you plan on unifying Italy?

Click to expand...

Thanks for reading!
Currently my priority is to form Sardinia-Piedmont (forming S-P prevents France from taking the mission to annex Savoy). In order to do so I will need to complete the Government Ideas group, which will take some more years. On the long run, I plan to form either Italy or the Imperium Romanum. I haven't decided yet what the better option is.

Carnival is celebrated every year before lent. Sometimes the festivities are small and sometimes large but for the carnival of the year 1336, King Carlo I di Savoia had special plans: He wanted the carnival to become so special that the people will talk about it for years. Preparations began in early January.



The massive festivities lasted for days and turned out to be quite expensive. Everything was financed with ducats from the royal treasury: Bards played music, the people drank lots of wine and imported beer from Munich. Everybody ate as much of food as they could. Jugglers and oriental belly dancers entrained the crowd but the main attraction was Thamthon the Thadduthee Thtrangler - a Swedish man who claimed to be the strongest man on earth. Thamthon was challenged by two knights who didn't stand a chance against him. General Cardé suggested that Thamthon should be hired as the King's personal guard.



People gathered in one of the many market places of Torino and gambled with cards and dices. Gambling was strictly illegal but during carnival the city watch was ordered to look the other way when they caught people gambling. Some gamblers managed to make a fortune during carnival. Before the carnival was about to end, an archery contest was held. Surprisingly a foreign archer from Beloozerk - a country our king had never heard of before - won.




After the carnival ended everybody got back to work. Out of the blue, Bavaria declared war on Ansbach and asked us to honor their call-to-arms. Carlo I had no intention to lose men but he accepted to call-to-arms anyways. What the Bavarian Duke didn't know was that he instructed General Cardé to keep the army within the borders of the realm.



The King sought to hire a researcher and various candidates were invited to the court. The cabinet narrowed down the choices to two candidates. It was a difficult decision but Carlo I had a feeling that Vittorio Amedeo della Torre, an administrative researcher, was more competent. Della Torre was hired and moved from Lausanne to Torino the following month.



Savoy's treasury was once again pretty empty when one day one of the King's witty advisors had a brilliant idea: Selling off titles. For a little more than 50 ducats a few members of the Ligurian merchant guild were granted noble status.



Piero Rosselli, Princeps of Florence, requested that Savoy reconquered Pisa in the name of Florence. The Florentine Republic considered Pisa to be their core province. Carlo I and General Cardé made plans to attack Pisa which was backed by the Crown of Castile.



To be continued...

Scott1964 said:

This looks interesting

Click to expand...

Thank you for stopping by!
The next update is coming soon.

Chapter II - Pirates​

The Royal Army under the command of General Cardé quickly conquered Pisa and marched northwards. Meanwhile an English messenger arrived in Torino with reports on the situation in Iberia. He said he witnessed with his own eyes the progress that the combined forces of Portugal and England achieved.
A few days later a merchant ship brought rumors to Liguria that the Spanish armada was sunk! The news spread like a wildfire through the realm.



Morocco, a fierce rival of Portugal, sized the opportunity to take Sebath. Naturally we honored their defensive call-to-arms. King Carlo I was uneasy with being engaged in two wars but declining the CTA was not an option.


Cardé conquered Padua and Ferrara and our Venetian allies took Mantua. Separate peace treaties were signed. Mantua was given to Venice and Ferrara to Savoy. Padua remainder independent - for now. A diplomat from Ludwig IV von Wittelsbach (Bavaria) arrived in Torino with a complicated proposal. He said that his Duke was about to start a punitive war against Hungary and asked whether we were interested in joining the war. The diplomat knew that we were already engaged in two wars but the Hungarian blob was a serious problem. King Carlo I said to the diplomat: "Return to your Duke and inform him that the Royal Army of Savoy will march on Lika (owned by Croatia, Hungarian vassal) once a peace treaty with the Crown of Castile is signed.




On March 15th 1341, Pisa was annexed by Savoy. The Florentine ambassador to Savoy sought an audience with King Carlo I. "My majesty, do you intend to return Pisa to its rightful owners?" Carlo I replied: "Yes. Once we are not engaged in any wars the province of Pisa shall be give to the Republic of Florence".
Enrico Zen, Doge of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, heard of the Savoyard annexation of Ferrara. Venice had a strategic interest in the province and demanded that we give it up. Carlo I refused and the Doge cancelled the alliance. One of the King's advisors, suggested that an official warning should be sent to the Doge. Who knows what he might be up to.




The influence of the Ligurian merchant guild was immense. The rich became richer and poor poorer and the peasantry refused to work. They demanded a higher pay. The small council held an emergency meeting and King Carlo I passed reforms that aimed to improve the situation of the Ligurian peasants. It looked like the problems of Liguria were all solved.



Portugal was still fighting with Morocco over Sebath but the war was stalled. No site was making any progress. The Moroccan government signed an agreement with an influential Barbary Pirate captain. He asked him to hunt Savoyard merchant ships and on a fogy September morning a huge pirate fleet composed mostly of galleys was spotted on the horizon of Liguria. The inhabitants was scared and limited defenses were built. The walls were armed with archers who shot lighted arrows on the approaching fleet. Nevertheless, the pirates sunk one third of all ships stationed in the harbor of La Spezia. The merchant guild was furious and promised revenge.



General Cardé took Lika and instructed the Royal Army to built a camp outside of Zagreb. One night a Croatian spy poisoned the General's wine. Cardé died a painful death. While escaping, the spy was caught, interrogated and executed.
When the King heard about the tragic death of his close friend he left the capital and traveled to Zagreb. He decided to lead the army himself. The journey was long but eventually Carlo I arrived and ordered to keep besieging the Croatian capital.



To be continued...

Chapter II In God We Trust?​

Ludwig IV von Wittelsbach and the Hungarian King Charles I de Anjou met in Avignon where a peace treaty was signed that ended the war. Olomoucky Udel was ceded to Opole. The dragging Moroccan-Portoguese war was still gaining. King Carlo I di Savoia sent an envoy to Marrakesh to negotiate a separate white peace but the stubborn Sultan refused.
The aristocracy of Savoy complained that the grain prices were too low and demanded that they were increased. The grain price was regulated by the Ligurian merchant guild, which was responsible for importing any extra needed grain. The aristocrats refused to sell their grain to the guild and so Carlo I was forced to intervene. He sided with the merchants. Patrols were sent to the farms of the aristocrats to ensure that the grain was properly sold to the guild. The King wanted to ensure that even the poor peasantry was able to afford grain. Increasing the prices would surly have led to a famine.



Good news arrived from Florence. The Florentine army asked us to appoint a general who shall lead their army! This meant that the integration process was almost completed.



Carlo I asked the small council to suggest a new idea group. Soon it was decided that the country should focus on land warfare (Army Ideas group unlocked).



Four years after the Moroccan-Portoguese War started, Adriano Solaro managed to negotiate a separate peace treaty with the Sultan. Annoyed by this pointless war, Savoy conceded defeat. Joao I de Bourgogne, King ofPortugal was slightly upset when he heard about our separate peace treaty. Carlo I didn't care.



Now that the country was finally at peace, Pisa was returned to Florence. The King also ordered the small council to gather information about Venice. Restoring the Archbishopric of Aquileia would be nice. Antonio Vico fabricated a claim on Treviso and the Royal Army and Royal Navy were positioned in Ferrara and waited for further orders. The army was split, King Carlo I led the Royal Army and Filippo Emanuele Ferrero-Fiesco, a newly recruited general, was in charge of "Fiamma Torinese" - a small group of fearless elite warriors who was specialized in sacking cities.


1345 marked the beginning of the Black Death. The first dead were reported from Ferrara but the disease quickly spread through all of Savoy. King Carlo I sought advice from the small council but it seemed like there was nothing to be done to stop spreading of the disease and soon very city became infected. Thousands were killed. Savoy ran out of money and relied on loans with high interest rate. Was this God's punishment for the House of Savoia?



Tired and demeoralized soldiers by the Black Death, the Royal Army suffered many losses but managed to occupy Grosseto and Siena. Both cities were incorporated into Savoy through a separate peace treaty.

The Pope was furious and entered into a military coalition against us and excommunicated us twice. He probably thought: "Better safe than sorry."
King Carlo I couldn't believe that the old man in Avignon excommunicated him. His grandfather and predecessor, Amedeo V, always said that there was something fishy about the Papacy. The citizens of Savoy backed their rightful King and protests against the Holy Father broke out. "Demote the Pope! Demote the Pope!"



King Carlo I was tempted to demote the Pope indeed but the small council suggested to think this over. Bonaventura Benso, the newest member of the small council, asked him "My King, demoting the Pope would greatly upset our allies and foes alike. Are you sure you want to be final legal authority in all matters of religion?" Suddenly, Carlo I had doubt if this would be the right decision.

To be continued...

By mid-June most of Venice was occupied but the victory didn't feel like one. The Black Death killed many of our soldiers and King Carlo I urged his diplomats to work out an acceptable peace treaty with the Venetian delegation. After some heavies debates it was all settled: Venice ceded Treviso to Savoy and the Archbishopric of Aquileia was restored.



Tensions between Pope Innocentius VIII and the excommunicated King of Savoy escalated when he decided to tax the selling of indulgences. The money was immediately used to repay one of the many loans that were taken during the past war.



A Papal courier from Avignon arrived at one of Torino's city gates on a warm spring day. He said he wanted to discuss important matters with the King Carlo I himself. The city guard opened the gate and escorted him to royal chambers.
- "So what brings you to me? Are my excommunications lifted?" asked Carlo I.
- "I'm afraid not. But would you like to send your army on a crusade against some heathens in Egypt? Joining the crusade will make your peop.."
Suddenly there was a sword in the delegate's chest. "Send the Pope our best wishes when you see him in hell!" yelled the King at the dying man.



A few months later, the House of Capet (France) declared war on our English allies. Scotland sided with the French. The Holy Roman Empire with England. Savoy's was in financial troubles - The King feared that the war would be costly but he simply couldn't let his ally down. This might also be an opportunity to retake Asti and so the King gave orders to his general to gather all available soldiers at the Savoyard-French border.



The French army was making gains in the Low Lands but at the same time the Savoyard troops managed to occupy Marseille, Toulon and Asti and pushed towards Valence.
King Carlo I was studying the battle plans in the barracks of Torino when one Leopoldo Pallio, a military advisor, entered the room: "My King, for unexplainable reasons, the English decided to go on a crusade against the Mamluks. We are barely winning this war and the table might turn any day." Carlo I was greatly angered by the stupidity of the English king.

Scouts brought valuable information to the Savoyard military camp. "Sir, the French doomstack is moving closer. We should reposition immediately!" The demoralized Royal Army built some fortifications in the Alps near Asti but was outnumbered 3:1. Luck was on our side: The French suffered a heavy defeat and were forced to retreat. Long live Savoy!

To be continued...

DKM said:

There's one good thing about a war. If you're doing well enough to not have any major consequences, you can levy war taxes!

Click to expand...

Two of the side effects caused by Black Death are that Production Efficiency is reduced by -25% and the National Tax Modifier by -25%. I raised war taxes a couple of times but my ruler is only 4/4/2..

The next war update is going live later

After the victory at Asti, the Royal Army gained new confidence and strength. Lazzaro Valdo was recruited as an admiral. He was quite unexperienced (1/0/1) but he successfully blockaded the French ports at the Mediterranean Sea.
Once again the citizens of La Spezia were traumatized by pirate attacks. King Carlo I sent envoys to Tunis and Marrakesh to demand decompensation but the protests were ineffective.
Carlo I returned to Torino and attended a meeting with the small council to discuss military matters. The council suggested that establishing military courts would benefit the army. The King agreed and signed the suggestion into law. Leopoldo Pallio pointed out that the integration of newly acquired provinces would be much easier if the whole integration procedure was standardized. The King agreed and signed the suggestions into law.



In the September of 1353, Carlo I seized the opportunity to take reconquer Asti by signing a separate peace treaty with the Charles VII Capet. With the country at peace, a golden era for culture began. Poets, artists and musicians came to Savoy from abroad. The people in Savoy tried to forget the Black Death for a while. Everybody was in a slightly better mood.



In February a small council meeting was arranged in Torino. "My King, I wanted to inform you that France signed a white peace with England. They also left the coalition against us." said Bernardo Melzi, the new chief of the Silver Tongues. Another member informed the King that our researchers had discovered a more productive way of mining iron.



King Carlo I couldn't wait any longer for Pope Innocents VIII to die so plans were made to help the old man to go to hell. On July 20th 1355, war was declared without casus belli (I had to rely on a small exploit to prevent France from joining the war). The Pope was most confused that he was unable to call his French buddy into the war and quickly the combined forces of Savoy, Aragon, Bavaria, Florence and England occupied nearly the entire country. King Edward III Plantagenet joined the club of excommunicated rulers.



On November 4h 1356, a Scout with important information returned from Modena to the capital. "My King, the Count of Modena asks us to train their men for service in the administration." That's fantastic! I'll send a delegation to Modena right away! Modena will learn from the best - from us." replied the Carlo I.



The war against Innocentius VIII was going exceptionally well. King Carlo I led the siege of Avignon himself. When the city walls were breached he gave command to assault the city. The soldiers were enthusiastic that their King was an excellent general. Soldiers went house to house to find Innocentius VIII but he was missing. A spy said that the Pope had escaped the city through a secrete passage. The old man escaped death once again - he refused to die! (The Pope was 74 years old...)



On May 2nd 1359, the Papal States had no choice but to accept unconditional surrender (100% War Score). Venaissin, Ravenna and Urbino were ceded to Savoy. Perugia was returned to the Republic of Florence. Velletri became the new capital of the Papal States. Ravenna was immediately sold for the sum of 80 ducats to the Florentines.



King Carlo I was awaiting a famous cartographer in his private chambers. He presented the King with a newly drawn map that showed the political situation in Europe:


Map Legend:
Vassals: Modena, Republic of Florence
Allies: Portugal, Castile, Aragon, England, Bavaria, Brittany



To be continued...

The next one and a half years were peaceful, the Royal Army was expanded to 26000 soldiers. A dispute over the salt price between members of the Ligurian merchant guild and the Venice let King Carolo I no choice but to prepare the country for war.
Attacks from the Berber Pirates became an annoying problem and an envoy was sent to Triopoli. An agreement with the Tunisian government was reached to the their support for the Barbary Pirates.



On a snowy January night, Carlo I and General Ferrero-Fiesco led the armies into battle. Our army was slightly outnumbered and this promised to be a close war that required good leadership.



While the King was leading the Royal Army, the small council was put in charge of all administrative matters. Lorenzo Solaro joined the council as an administrative researcher and proposed to the other council members that town halls should be built in major cities (Administrative Technology Advances).



Some people noticed the absence of their king and requested more representation and the small council decided that giving the people more representation might upset the king a little but denying the people's request might have upset a great number of people. "A country at war does not need riots at home" said Solaro to his colleagues. They agreed



The war with Venice turned out to be a cake walk and was won relatively easily. First a separate peace treaty was signed with Milan. Ticino and Cremona were incorporated into the realm. Roughly half a year later, Venice ceded Venezia to Savoy and released Mantua as a sovereign state. The merchant guild was thanked the King for removing the Venetian competition from the Italian Peninsular and the military was pleased with the conquest of the Arsenal of Venezia.
Savoy was one step closer at uniting Italy.




At the end of August, a priory of the Order of Saint John reopened in Venezia. The Knights were in disagreement with Venice and had closed their priory in Venezia. The small council also reported to the King that the Silver Tongues improved their negation skill (Diplomatic Ideas I completed)



To be continued...

The citizens of Venezia were used to elect its government so they had to get used to go being ruled by a just King. Carlo I was informed about an issue in Venezia with the local aristocracy. The noble demanded that they should be allowed to appoint new judges. The merchants and peasantry asked for a free election. Carlo I felt it was best to let the people vote on who shall be appointed judge



Louis XI Capet, King of France, declared war on England in 1365. The English sent a courier to Torino an asked Carlo I to honor the alliance. By the time he arrived, the Royal Army of Savoy was already marching on Marseille.



Pope Innocentius VIII was finally sent to hell an the Italian Paulus II from House Odescalchi was elected Pope. Paulus II refused to lift the excommunication of Carlo I and so Carlo I naturally supported the Anti-Pope. The Anti-Pope asked Carlo I if he was allowed to reside in Avignon. Carlo I agreed. This day marked a deep division in the Catholic Church.



A Florentine envoy brought positive news to Torino: After decades the integration process of the Republic of Florence into Savoy has been completed!



King Carlo I fell in battle and his brother Vittorio Amedeo I di Savoia became his successor (4/4/5). Vittorio's son Aimone was his legitimate heir. The Royal Army kept occupying French provinces but the English somehow got stuck on their island and so the newly crowned King negotiated a separate peace with the French. Savoy was at peace again! The next few years were very quite - there was not much going on. New galleys were ordered to expand the Royal Navy.



In the October of 1370, The Republic of Florence was officially integrated. A proud day for Savoy! Furthermore preparations to strike against Croatia were made and war was declared in April of the following year. Milan, Naples and Pomerania sides with Croatia. Aragon, Bavaria and England honored the Savoyard call to arms. To support General Ferrero-Fiesco, a second general was recruited.



The Milanese forces tried to defend their provinces but by Mid-March of 1373 the entire country was occupied. Milan became a vassal of Savoy under the rule of Carlo II di Savoia.
General Ferrero-Fiesco died while leading the siege of Lika. This put Ludovico Borromeo in charge of the Royal Army which laid siege on Napoli.
Sigismondo I Aleramici, the ruler of Mantua, sent an insulting letter to the House of Savoia in which he complained about Savoy's recent vassalaztion of Milan. In order to not escalate the conflict, Vittorio Amedeo I eased the tension with Mantua by "apologizing" to Sigismondo I for vassalizing Milan.



On May 3rd 1374, Silver Tongue Adriano Solaro reported that the peace negotiations with the Neapolitan delegation were successful. Capua, Foggia and Salerno were integrated into Savoy. The following day, a treaty was signed with Croatia that gave Savoy the control of Dalmatia and Ragusa. At the next small council meeting a member pointed out that only a few more provinces were needed to form the Roman Empire. Those being: Tunis, Napoli and Roma. Another advisor suggested that uniting Italy was also possible if Roma would be taken from the Pope.



A might coalition was formed against Savoyard Kingdom that strechted from Flanders in the north to Trinacria in the South and from France in the west to Genoa in the east. Vittorio Amedeo I had a feeling that Savoy might be in danger.



To be continued...

(How do you like the style of this AAR so far? Am I using too many screenshots? Would you like more narrative? Feedback is appreciated!)

DKM said:

I like how the AAR is right now. I don't believe there can be too many screenshots. Also, you can make it more narrative or keep the same level. Either way, the AAR is still great.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the feedback
I try to keep my style then.