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Wow, that is one of the better vanilla Reformations—but then I haven't played a lot of DW lately, are they all like that, now?

Still not a big fan of the overextension, but if you think you can hack it, carry on... :D
 
Wow, that is one of the better vanilla Reformations—but then I haven't played a lot of DW lately, are they all like that, now?

Still not a big fan of the overextension, but if you think you can hack it, carry on... :D

I've never paid much attention to religion since I got DW, and I've only really finished one game, so your guess is as good as mine :)

Re: overextension, I'm just not sure at this point. Rebellions have been fairly mild, but I am in fear of losing stability. I might lay low for a brief period -- it would be nice to get some more PUs, so maybe I'll focus on that. I do still need to work on Savoy and Mantua, after all...
 
Finally! I can post!! Been following this AAR of yours since you were just Florence and 2 other provinces. I'd really like to create a character for this, but I'll just have to wait for one of your little contests to appear. Keep up the good work, and I'll keep on reading it
 
Finally! I can post!! Been following this AAR of yours since you were just Florence and 2 other provinces. I'd really like to create a character for this, but I'll just have to wait for one of your little contests to appear. Keep up the good work, and I'll keep on reading it

Thanks for the kind words! No updates for a while (since I'm out of town until next Monday), but I'm glad you'll be able to participate in the next contest, whenever that happens.
 
On overextension: Wiki on Overextension.

Maybe the best solution, at least short term, would be to Decentralize a step; I'm technically over the Centralization limit for Empire anyway (I'm at -4 instead of the max of -3). I counted 33 provinces (I could have double-counted -- I'm on my netbook and the screen is very small). Thus, I am over-extended now, but would not be if I decentralized. This would let me take an additional 6 or 7 provinces. What do you guys think? I'm concerned that if I stay at peace for 30 years, you'll all get bored :)
 
I think it'd be a good idea, if your numbers are correct.

Feel free to verify; I just counted the provinces in the 1550 update :) I'm positive about the -4 rating, and my ADM rating doesn't matter because over 50% of my provinces are uncored.
 
36 to mine. You might have missed the African province. I counted 3 times to make sure
 
You have 35 provinces, by my count.

36 to mine. You might have missed the African province. I counted 3 times to make sure

Is Malta its own province? If so, I didn't count it.

Yeah, it is

So, with 36 provinces, if I kick down a step of decentralized (hopefully via rebels -- I'd hate to waste a slider move), I could take three or four more provinces. I don't if OE kicks in when you break 40 provinces or when you have 40. Hmmm. I could take the Holy Land, but they'd be distant overseas for a while (until I can take the Balkans from Austria). Stupid Austria, always getting in my way.

I'm starting to regret leaving the HRE as early as I did. It made sense for RP purposes, but for strictly gameplay purposes, I miss CBs keeping the Emperor out :(
 
It's not worth it. Overextension isn't as bad as people make it sound. Just avoid stability hits like plague and you'll be good.
 
It's not worth it. Overextension isn't as bad as people make it sound. Just avoid stability hits like plague and you'll be good.

I know overextension isn't insurmountable -- I did fine with it in other games -- but I think I'm at a critical point in this game. It shouldn't be too much longer (he said, chuckling to himself) before I inherit Milan and form Italy, and when I do, it'll be core-hunting for a while.

So here's what I'm going to do. First thing, I'm cancelling the Aquelia mission. I just can't see doing a whole lot with that for the time being. Then, depending on the next mission I get, we'll go from there. I'll hold off on decentralizing.

I'll get back to KS tomorrow, but probably late. I will have an update by the end of the week, however, if all goes according to plan.
 
Chapter 23: Reappraisal

Note: I upgraded to the official 5.1 patch before resuming play.

6 January 1550, office of the Foreign Minister Daoud Selim Iskander

Minister Iskander carefully reviewed the document his spy had presented to him. It amazed him how easy it was to forge documents, and this was no different. The Emperor had finally given up on Aquelia; it had taken a long time and many unpleasant conversations, but in the end, Iskander had convinced Francis I that Austria simply could not be confronted yet. Austria was behaving, which meant that it stayed out of other wars, and without some kind of distraction, Austria was too much for one country to handle. A brief discussion with his counterparts in other countries got a flat refusal from Muscovy to assist.

Iskander still wanted to liberate the Holy Land, to make Jerusalem Christian once again. That meant dealing with Morocco, the current owners of Judea. That was the purpose of the forged document he now held. It was the "discovery" that Tuscany held an ancient claim on the province of Imereti, dating back to the Roman Empire. The Foreign Minister's plan was simple. Drawing the Emperor's attention back to the east might remind Francis of the near-destruction of the Ottoman Empire, and that would, in turn, lead to bigger and better things, such as a war with Morocco. Morocco abandoned the Turks earlier; they would (probably) not do so again.

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Chancellor Axel Gathenhielm had been in the office earlier that day; government funds were being diverted to stability. Ever since the overextension of the Imperial bureaucracy, revolts were frequent. Not large, but frequent. Many of the legionary commanders were irritated by this waste of their talents, but there was little to be done. This suited the Foreign Minister's purposes just fine; any improvement in internal stability would most likely end up funding law and order in the East, as the Italian peninsula was almost entirely silent, apart from a few minor uprisings by the few provinces that did not openly accept the teachings of Luther.

Iskander hadn't forgotten about his home of Alexandria; perhaps with the greater prestige that Jerusalem would bring to Tuscany, the Emperor would be able to build a coalition against Castille. He felt one brief pang of guilt. After all, Francis was his closest friend, and he was blatantly manipulating him. He shook his head, as if to clear the cobwebs, and told himself that his duty to his home and God was stronger than the bonds of friendship. All he needed was to present this document to Francis; after that, it was the Emperor's decision.
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24 July 1550, the camp of Legio IV 'Neapolis', Trebizond

Salvestro Pieroni, if the truth were known, really didn't care to be a General any longer. In fact, he'd tried several times to resign his commission and leave the army altogether to re-enter the family business as a merchant, but Marshal Alessandro del Moro simply refused to accept it. Generals were just too hard to come by. Wars were much less frequent, and that meant fewer opportunities for budding commanders to show their mettle.

He could at least take some solace that General Piombante was no better off. Piombante was growing irritated with Sir Andreas Germanicus, who continued to use outdated training methods and insisted on an unrealistic degree of personal authority, despite his extreme age. Piombante was Deputy Commandant in name only; even his suspicions of Germanicus' senility were ignored by everybody in power. Marshal del Moro sympathized, but Germanicus simply had too much cachet throughout the Empire, and unless Sir Andreas voluntarily retired, there was no way to politely force him out.

General Pieroni had just finished putting down a nationalist revolt in Trebizond a few months earlier. As usual, he'd stayed in his tent for most of the battle. No matter how much his men resented it, the fact was that he knew his own limitations. A brilliant strategist (at least in his own mind), his place was planning, a safe distance away from the field. Pieroni had spent his morning going over diplomatic dispatches. Foreign Minister Iskander was still repairing damage done from Tuscany's conversion to Protestantism. Modena, Ferrara, Milan, and Genoa were all officially made part of the Sphere of Influence of the Tuscan Empire. To General Pieroni's understanding, that meant that these nations synchronized their foreign policy with Tuscany, surrendering some of their sovereignty in exchange for the promise of protection.

He was about to eat breakfast when an adjutant burst into his tent. "General, the hordes of Qara Koyunlu are coming West again! The men are waiting your orders!"

At first, Pieroni thought about berating the man. Then he had second thoughts. The Emperor had made it known that, due to the special nature of Tuscany's interest in Imereti, any General that conquered it for the Empire would be made a Count and would be first in line for any new Duchies that might open up. For the first time in his life, Pieroni actually wanted to lead his men into battle, if only to make sure he got the glory.

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4 February 1551, the Castle St. Maso, Rome

Emperor Francis I had done everything he could to avoid this day. He'd originally asked the Legio V 'Graecia' to "accompany" the Fourth Legion, but unfortunately, a rebellion had sprung up in Adana and the legion had to be diverted. He'd even tried to give General Piombante command of the legion and finally give Pieroni what he wanted -- freedom from his obligation to command. But Piombante was seriously ill, and while he'd recovered fully, Pieroni was the man leading the column that occupied Imereti. Two groups of colonists later, and Imereti defected to the Empire of Tuscany.

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Francis currently had eight Senators. By avoiding controversial decisions and always letting everybody speak their minds, he'd been able to build a consensus and everything was almost always easily passed. Five Senators invariably voted with him -- Tiberius Graecus, Chancellor Gathenhielm, Primus Tullius Cicero, and Marius and Marcus Porcius Cato. Count di Campofregoso always abstained, as a man of God. Drusus Germanicus and Marshal del Moro were constantly butting heads; Germanicus, unlike his grandfather, was a committed pacifist and rarely voted for anything that benefited the legions, preferring Tuscany to grow through diplomacy and trade. Most votes were 6-1-1, which was enough to make everything simple.

His dilemma was that nobody really liked General Pieroni. Marshal del Moro detested him. Archduke Graecus liked him at the moment for adding more land to his Archduchy, but that was only temporary. The other Dukes looked down on him for being a mere Count; they didn't look down on Campofregoso only because of his chosen profession as a man of the cloth. However, Pieroni had a lot of wealth and influence, thanks to his father, and would insist on playing a role in politics. His natural divisive personality meant that there would be many fewer easy votes. However, Francis was a man of his word, and no matter how conflicted he was on the inside, on the outside he embraced Salvestro Pieroni as a brother.

General Pieroni was elated. He finally had the recognition he thought he deserved. The fact that del Moro was seething openly -- he did not have the politician's knack for concealing his feelings -- only made this moment all the sweeter. He was now a Count of the Empire and was surely going to be a Duke before too much longer. He had real power now and intended to use it. He needed, most of all, to gain allies in the Senate, and his plan was simple. Many of the Dukes were jealous of Tiberius' power as Archduke of Constantinople. Most of them simply found him greedy; Pieroni was no ascetic, but he could capitalize on this. All he needed to do was bide his time.
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25 February 1552, the palace of the Archduke of Constantinople

Tiberius Graecus had to admit it to himself: he was no longer young. He found himself less and less willing to leave the luxuries of Constantinople to travel abroad. Even new conquests didn't delight him as much as they used to. The incorporation of Imereti, which would have once been a gleeful moment, now just meant another Governor he had to find and appoint. Demosthenes, his eldest son, liked Rome but not Constantinople; Pericles, his youngest son, wanted nothing to do with politics or administration at all. Pericles fancied himself a poet. His poetry was awful, but he continued to write it, and since he was the son of the Archduke, everybody fawned on him.

It was a recipe for disaster. Tiberius knew that without a strong heir, he was vulnerable to attack from his many political opponents. Even his recent diplomatic triumph -- adding Byzantium to the Tuscan sphere of influence -- hadn't won him any friends in Rome. The one member of the Graecus family that was universally beloved was his daughter, the Dowager Empress Sofia, and she couldn't inherit because of the succession law. Demosthenes and Pericles had no children; Demosthenes had plenty of bastards, but had never married, and Pericles was too involved in his "art" to ever even talk to a woman. There was a real danger that his line might die out entirely.

Tiberius had very few options. Demosthenes would be a fine Senator, and technically he didn't have to live in Constantinople to be Archduke. However, Demosthenes refused to marry, and without an heir, he'd only be prolonging the inevitable decline of the family. Pericles was neither qualified nor interested in leadership. That meant that either Tiberius had to adopt a son and cut out his own sons from their inheritance or have another child, which would be no mean feat at his age. Maybe a talk with his sons would make a difference.

He put thoughts of the future aside, and considered his immediate problems -- revolts. The Turks were still unhappy about a lot of things, and were becoming increasingly problematic. Graecus had requested a legion to help him, and the Legio VII 'Asia' was due to arrive any moment now. That would give him four full Legions. He knew further reinforcements were unlikely. Drusus Germanicus had introduced a bill further embracing Mercantilism by the Empire of Tuscany, and had gotten the support of three other Senators -- General Pieroni, and the Catos. Marshal del Moro pushed for military reform in favor of Quality instead, and got the backing of Cicero, Gathenhielm, and initially Graecus. Since Campofregoso refused to vote, Graecus had tried to strengthen his position by currying favor with Drusus Germanicus and changing his vote.

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It had backfired, however. Nobody in Germanicus' camp respected him because he'd changed sides, and del Moro was furious for the same reason. That meant, barring a major war, he was stuck with 40,000 men to keep the peace in an area that probably deserved 50 or 60,000. Italy more or less protected itself, and the Archduchy of Constantinople was the largest in the Empire, even larger than the Italian peninsula. Yet, for political reasons, he took a gamble and lost.

He only hoped his people wouldn't pay for it.
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9 December 1554, the Castle St. Maso

1554 had been a very interesting year. The legions were radically modernized, thanks to General Piombante's new formation at the Legionary Academy. The cavalry now had firearms, and that would give it more potency in the modern world.

chapter23december1553.jpg


Sir Germanicus' senility was becoming too hard to conceal, and, mercifully, his authority was effectively neutered by the Emperor, who "promoted" him to the Military Advisory Board, an entirely fictitious organization that mostly consisted of Germanicus telling war stories to anyone who would listen. Although still technically "Deputy", it was General Piombante who ran the Academy now.

Istria and Sardinia were also legally core territories of Tuscany now. Chancellor Gathenhielm was particularly pleased, as Duke of Istria-Sardinia. The burdens of overextension were lifted from the Empire of Tuscany.

chapter23august1554.jpg


chapter23october1554.jpg


Francis I would have been perfectly pleased with events the way they were. His Foreign Minister wasn't, however. Iskander knew this was his chance to push for a new war. Iskander knew that the conquest of Edirne meant the Bosporus Sound Toll, which would be very beneficial for the Empire. The trick was making sure everybody knew the benefits. Marshal del Moro and Archduke Graecus were openly expansionist, which this war would fit nicely. General Pieroni's merchant connections would be thrilled to see Tuscany collect the Sound Toll. Even Drusus Germanicus might buy in, pacifist or not. Chancellor Gathenhielm had always unofficially been the Economics Minister as well, and he was not adverse to bloodshed when it was suitable. All Iskander needed was somebody to introduce the bill.

The obvious sponsor was Archduke Graecus, but he was still in Constantinople and Demosthenes hadn't returned to Rome yet. If Marshal del Moro were the sponsor, General Pieroni and Germanicus would vote against out of spite; likewise if either of them sponsored the bill. The Emperor didn't want to risk overextension again. That left one candidate: the Chancellor, Axel Gathenhielm. Iskander had approached him the week before, and the Chancellor agreed to sponsor the bill.

What Iskander hadn't expected was how enthusiastic everybody would be. It got a unanimous vote from everybody but Count di Campofregoso. He was certainly pleased, but this dissipated when the Emperor refused to sign the bill unless their allies were called. Iskander doubted anybody else would take the Holy Land if Morocco honored, but frankly, he didn't want to take the chance. However, this too passed unanimously, and Iskander had little choice but to accept it. Still, he had his war. It only remained to see if Morocco would come.

chapter23october15542.jpg

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25 January 1555, a village about 50 miles outside Constantinople

Roman Dursky had been angry for a long time. A Muscovite by birth, he'd traveled to Constantinople with his parents as a young boy. He entered an Orthodox seminary, as his father wanted, and quickly rose through the ranks. His zeal and unwavering faith had earned him the respect of many in the Orthodox hierarchy. Not yet 30, he was already being touted as a future Patriarch of the Orthodox Church.

That began to change in 1534. When the Empire of Tuscany formally became Protestant, Dursky was simply amused. The Italians were always a bit flighty, in his view, and Constantinople was a long way from Rome. When he met Luther in person, he was a little more doubtful, but still, his faith remained unshaken. No missionaries were sent to Constantinople.

Then came 1544. The now 40 year old priest was being harassed by a Protestant missionary. He'd tried to move churches four different times, but always the missionary showed up, interrupting his sermons and challenging his every move. He'd spoken with the Patriarch, but he could offer no guidance. Dursky lost a few more followers each week, and his advancement halted. No longer was he a future Patriarch; he was simply a man losing control of his flock.

The war with the Ottoman Empire was an opportunity he could not miss. With the help of some brave young men, he organized a resistance. Dursky was extremely charismatic and a brilliant orator, and thousands joined his self-styled army. With the entry of Morocco into the war, his favorite sermon topic was the capture of Jerusalem by the "heretical followers of Luther." He encouraged riots throughout the city, for which he was excommunicated, but he no longer cared about the church hierarchy. He was convinced they'd been swayed by an apostate, and only through Dursky's own actions could they be redeemed.

Now he led a column 17,000 strong. Dursky knew the Turks would not put up much of a fight. However, he also knew that the legions would focus on the Turks first. That meant he needed to seize the palace of the Archduke in order to control the city. This was no easy task, but he knew God was on his side. The Empire of Tuscany would burn, if need be, if that was what it took to drive out the abomination of Protestantism.

chapter23january1555.jpg

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31 March 1555, the Castle St. Maso

The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was being paraded through the streets of Rome while the citizens pelted him with rocks. Francis I did not approve, but did not dare interfere with the celebration. After all, he'd won an important victory, and the Ottoman Empire effectively ceased to exist as of early February.

chapter23february1555.jpg


His fleets had won a number of naval victories, picking off four or five ships at a time (mostly Moroccan), but there had been no real victory over Ottoman soldiers. The only army was four regiments -- not even half a legion -- and foolishly went on the offensive. A legion slipped behind the pitiful army, seized Edirne, and a second moved north and took Cherson. Francis didn't actually want Cherson; it gave the Empire a border with the Crimean horde. However, he had to take both provinces for the Sultan to surrender, and so he took them both. He knew this would overextend the Empire again, and didn't know if his new income would be enough to offset it.

chapter23march1555.jpg


As he thought about this, the Senators shouted at each other over what to do next. Morocco and the Holy Land were the dominant topic of conversation, and they'd been arguing for over a month. Drusus Germanicus wanted to end the war as quickly as possible, in fear of more revolts like the one in Constantinople. Archduke Graecus, who'd fled the city along with Demosthenes, agreed, and wanted the legions to focus on ending the rampage of Dursky. Marshal del Moro and General Pieroni wanted to reclaim the Holy Land; del Moro because he knew his troops could do it, and Pieroni because he wanted the Duchy. Count di Campofregoso even voted along with the two military men, a rare occasion to say the least. Cicero joined the Germanicus camp after he recognized the threat that Pieroni and del Moro posed if they could mobilize support from the biggest pacifist in the entire Empire, the Court Theologian.

To make the deadlock even worse, the Catos and Chancellor Gathenhielm took yet a third position -- ignore the Holy Land and go after Moroccan positions in North Africa. They feared Castille would take the land if Tuscany didn't, and Castille could be a threat in the future. They pointed out that taking Jerusalem meant war with the Timurid Empire, the one threatening Horde left.

Iskander looked at everybody and sighed. If he could vote, he'd break the deadlock, but he couldn't, since he wasn't a member of the Senate. Prince Leopoldo was too young to vote. That meant his only real chance was to convince somebody to change their mind, but unless he could get this meeting adjourned so he could talk to them in private, he couldn't do that either.

Things got even uglier. Graecus screamed about the streets of Constantinople running red with blood. Pieroni was appalled that nobody would listen to the obvious voice of God. Gathenhielm constantly pleaded with everyone to take Castille into account. Iskander tried to draw individual Senators away, but was always rebuffed. Francis couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed a loaded pistol from a guard, pointed it at the ceiling, and fired.

The room went deathly silent as everyone turned to look at the Emperor. Francis was bright red and obviously having a very difficult time controlling his rage. "What in the name of God is wrong with all of you? We have soldiers in the field with no orders. We have a full-fledged rebellion in our second largest city, and the Crimean hordes gather on our borders, and we're all arguing about Morocco, who hasn't landed a single soldier on Tuscan shores?

"I'll make it simple for you. I will not order my soldiers to take any more land until our internal situation is dealt with. Against my better judgment, we've overextended again. This cannot happen! When this war is over with, I am going to take a good hard look at our voting procedures. In the meantime, however, Foreign Minister Iskander will seek peace with the Moroccan government. Marshal del Moro, after you've dealt with the Khan of Crimea, I expect a plan to deal with Dursky's revolt. The rest of you, go to your duties. This session is over."

Everybody was stunned at the Emperor's outburst. He hardly ever raised his voice, but at the end of his speech, his voice was going shrill with rage. All of them meekly left. Not one of them noticed that the Emperor had just violated the Constitution, first by demanding they disperse -- he could not dissolve the Senate in the middle of a vote -- and second by threatening to change voting laws, which was illegal without the consent of the Senate. Not even Francis himself knew his error. He had a war to win, in his mind, and if they wanted to put petty politics above victory, he began to think perhaps they didn't deserve a voice in policy.

It was a very dangerous thought. Wholly unlike him, but for the first time, he began to wonder why he even needed a Senate at all.
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7 June 1555, Constantinople

General Giuliano Piombante often quietly reconnoitered enemy territory himself, in disguise, when he was a legionary commander. Even as Deputy Commandant of the Imperial Legionary Academy, he never stopped thinking about the men in the field, and had requested leave from Marshal del Moro. He'd told the Marshal he was going on vacation. With the threat from Crimea over for the time being, del Moro agreed. The Marshal was going to Cairo to negotiate peace with the Mamluks, and he agreed to take the General along. From Diamentia, he could go anywhere he liked.

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That had been 2 June. He'd just landed in Constantinople earlier that day, disguised as a simple teacher. He'd quietly inspected the fortifications of the enemy, aided and abetted by some patriots in the city. He blended in with the crowd seamlessly, never drawing attention to himself. His report completed, he had to find a way to get it out of the city. That's when he made his first and last mistake: he entrusted it to one of the missionaries.

He didn't know that Dursky had hired some of the less reputable members of Constantinople society to follow any and all Protestant priests. They were supposed to give Dursky warning just in case they decided to invade his sermons again. As one of them eavesdropped on Piombante's conversation, he quickly realized his opportunity, and motioned a few of his fellow criminals closer. The pack of thieves jumped Piombante, leaving the missionary to flee with the report. Piombante tried to fight back, but one of the thieves slit his throat in the tussle. What had originally been a simple kidnapping for ransom was now a murder, and the thieves scattered.

When the missionary got out of the city and into the camp outside the city, Marshal del Moro himself was waiting, and went pale at the news. One of his best Generals, dead. Pieroni was still in Rome -- del Moro had made him his Deputy to keep him out of trouble -- and that meant that the Marshal had to lead the fight himself. He had no idea that Piombante wanted to go to Constantinople; if he did, Piombante wouldn't have been given leave. In fact, del Moro had a week earlier sent word from Cairo to Malta, Piombante's supposed destination, that Piombante's leave was cancelled. del Moro hadn't led troops in the field in years. Still, his plan was sound, and he would trust in his commanders to get the job done. Putting his grief aside, he focused on the task at hand.

The V, VII, and VIII Legions would simultaneously advance into Thrace from Burgas, Edirne, and Bithynia; this was a shameless copying of Sir Andreas' plan a few years ago. The Muscovites had an additional 20,000 men; that would give him a total of 50,000 well trained and experienced men to take care of a mere 17,000 fanatics. He felt good about his chances.
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12 August 1555, the Emperor's private chambers, Rome

Francis I should have been filled with joy. After all, he'd gotten his peace with Morocco.

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Roman Dursky's head adorned a pike outside his window; a grim but necessary reminder of what Francis had allowed to happen.

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The last thing Francis felt was joy, however. At the Battle of Thrace, Dursky's troops had killed Marshal del Moro. Although the Tuscan legions had been victorious, Dursky's men had burned as much as they could behind them, destroying countless works of art, causing hundreds of thousands of ducats in damage, and had killed at least 200 people.

On 4 August 1555, troops from Oman beseiged Diamentia. The legion stationed there had advanced on Judea through Gaza. Iskander had managed to get permission for the legion to cross into Judea from Castille; he had actually ordered the assault, in the guise of the Emperor and left Diamentia totally undefended. To escape capture by the Omani troops, the Graecus family, who had been waiting for a chance to get back to Constantinople in Diamentia, tried to charter a ship to get away. Unfortunately for them, the only available charter was a newly-built boat that had never sailed, with a captain who'd only recently been promoted. The captain got exactly one mile away from the port before he hit a rock. The boat had been built on the cheap, and it sunk almost immediately, killing the captain, the entire crew, and all three living males of the Graecus line -- Pericles, Demosthenes, and Tiberius.

Diamentia fell on 11 August, but the Emperor had already entered negotiations for peace as soon as he heard of his losses. Francis I was mad with grief. He'd lost an Archduke, arguably the second most powerful man in the Empire, his Marshal, and his finest General. Many more died in Constantinople. All Francis could think about was how these tragedies could have been averted if he'd acted more swiftly. If only those damned politicians hadn't been jabbering at one another and wasting time!

Very quietly, as he grieved in his private chambers, he came to an unsettling decision. A profound one that would forever change the Empire of Tuscany.
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I've got enough material for two more updates; I'll probably have one more this week. I'm in 1590 now, so one will be pretty long and dull. Sorry about that in advance!
 
Finally that greedy Graecus is dead! What is the Emperor going to do with all the lands of the Archduchy?
 
well that was enjoyable (to read ....), your plans to settle things with Morocco being rather undermined by a major revolt, and a very high price to the Imperial nobility.

That and the Timurids; don't worry, though, I'm not done with Morocco yet :)

Finally that greedy Graecus is dead! What is the Emperor going to do with all the lands of the Archduchy?

Good question. I haven't entirely worked that out yet, but I will soon.
 
That was an interesting update. To bad for how Andreas Germanicus went out. sounds like the Senate might be about to bite the big one.