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Your royalty is dropping like flies! Luckily you got a good heir in the end, although you're stuck with regency council for now. :)
 
And thus comes an end to the rule of Francis III. A 12 year long regency council of quite bad news in this stage of the game.
I'd be pissed off.
Not least if I were amongst the dead royals.
 
And thus comes an end to the rule of Francis III. A 12 year long regency council of quite bad news in this stage of the game.
I'd be pissed off.

Your royalty is dropping like flies! Luckily you got a good heir in the end, although you're stuck with regency council for now. :)

Not least if I were amongst the dead royals.

Well...long regency...at least you got a great heir instead of some stupid moron...
so, will we have another superb emperor? :D

if the Emperor makes it to be Emperor...

Like Sethanon said, I was kind of perturbed that I got a regency council now; the only silver lining is that I'll burn off almost all of my infamy before John III is Emperor. Still, he is a pretty great Emperor, and I think you'll enjoy seeing his conquests.
 
I'm glad Giuseppe's dead(is that bad of me to say) at least we're going to have an excellent emperor! By the way what was the ranking of the heir right after Giuseppe, was he good? I can't wait for you to get a 9/9/9 emperor!
 
I'm glad Giuseppe's dead(is that bad of me to say) at least we're going to have an excellent emperor! By the way what was the ranking of the heir right after Giuseppe, was he good? I can't wait for you to get a 9/9/9 emperor!
For anything Roman, the final emperors may be geniuses (is that even a word?) but most of them must be crappy.
 
I'm glad Giuseppe's dead(is that bad of me to say) at least we're going to have an excellent emperor! By the way what was the ranking of the heir right after Giuseppe, was he good? I can't wait for you to get a 9/9/9 emperor!

He was 5/8/3. Nothing to write home about.

For anything Roman, the final emperors may be geniuses (is that even a word?) but most of them must be crappy.

I wish I could say you're wrong, but I can't. John III will be the best Emperor since Peter, although possibly less crazy. I don't think I've had an Emperor with a 9 in anything.
 
I wish I could say you're wrong, but I can't. John III will be the best Emperor since Peter, although possibly less crazy. I don't think I've had an Emperor with a 9 in anything.

Monarchies have a limit : the best possible heir (that isn't generated by a event) is a 8/8/8...

Yes, a stupid and non-sensical limit that gives even another advantage to republics...
 
Monarchies have a limit : the best possible heir (that isn't generated by a event) is a 8/8/8...

Yes, a stupid and non-sensical limit that gives even another advantage to republics...

Huh. I can't even have a nine in one stat? That's kind of lame.
 
does seem as if your rulers are trying to rival fruit flies (or is it fruit bats) for longevity ... time to restore the Republic?

At this stage in the game, I think switching to Republic would feel too much like cheating :)
 
At this stage in the game, I think switching to Republic would feel too much like cheating :)
Hmmm....
"I feel like becoming chief senator"
"nah, that's cheating"
 
must be weird for any revolutionary rebels:
"For A REPUBLIC!"
"... nah, that's cheating"
"er... then what"
"let's keep the king and stuff, so we can still rebel!"
 
must be weird for any revolutionary rebels:
"For A REPUBLIC!"
"... nah, that's cheating"
"er... then what"
"let's keep the king and stuff, so we can still rebel!"

I've only had one revolutionary rebellion so far, and it was pretty small. Most are nationalists or particularists.
 
Chapter 54: The challenges of regency

16 November 1733, Suakin, Funj

Field Marshal Jean-Louis de Lafayette didn't have the most glamorous job for his first war, but he did win, which was the most important part of his position. The Pretender to the Throne, who'd risen in Sirt, was easily defeated after having gone no farther. Russia had requested Italian intervention in their war with Pattani, which Jean-Louis couldn't even find on a map, let alone recommend a force deployment. In any event, there was little he could do, as two wars happened much closer to home.

54warethiopia.jpg


54funj.jpg


Lafayette laughed to himself. Why attack us, when we have a dedicated legion on your border? For whatever reason, the King of Funj was particularly aggressive, and paid the price for his transgressions.

54funjdead.jpg


Although the Regent did not have the imperium to start wars, he certainly had it for ending them. Jean-Louis knew Antonio di Farnese very well, and was privately worried about his state of mind. Still, perhaps even this small victory would restore Antonio's faith in the system.
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6 March 1736, Rome

Antonio di Farnese's hand trembled as he drank his wine. Despite one of the smoothest two year periods in Imperial history, Antonio still felt himself cracking under the pressure. Constantijn de Ruyter, the Marshal of the Empire, tried to help as much as he could, and the Foreign Ministry was particularly well stocked with talent, but his own cupboard was somewhat bare. He didn't even have a capable deputy in the Chancellery, and so he effectively held two of the most important jobs at the same time. Even for a man at the peak of health, that would be challenging, but Antonio's nerves increasingly weakened. Even the guilty pleasure of seeing Austria collapse was no real antidote to his problems.

54austriacollapse.jpg


Perhaps worst of all, Gian Galeazzo was ill. The doctors insisted it was nothing life threatening, but Antonio knew better. His family had been cursed ever since Uncle Peter. There was only one solution: to purge all those infected with Peter's taint. God would take care of his young son. Antonio, with his last bit of sanity, penned a note to the man he would name as his successor.

Constantijn,

You've been one of my closest friends and one of the finest men in the Empire. It eases my heart that somebody like you will take care of this Empire and my son. I am officially naming you Regent of the Empire; find somebody to take over the Chancellery and make sure you've got a good man as Field Marshal while you run the Empire. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Send my love to Melissa.

I'm sorry.

Antonio​

As he the ink dried on the last word he'd ever write, he shouted for the guard as soon as he'd strung the rope over the nearest crossbeam. He wanted to make sure he'd be dead as the guard arrived so that business could continue as normally as possible after he was gone.

The last thing he thought of as his neck snapped was that he was leaving his son without a father; he even tried to change his mind, but he simply had no time left. His lifeless body plummeted to the floor just as the guard entered and discovered the note.

54chancellordead.jpg

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10 August 1736, Chancellor's office, Rome

Jean-Baptiste de Neuchâtel grumbled about the paperwork. He'd been so happy as Proconsul of Transdanubia, but the unexpected passing of Regent di Farnese caused a major shakeup in the Empire's bureaucracy. Constantijn needed a reliable and devious man, or so he'd said, to take over the Chancellery, and so Jean-Baptiste was chosen. To make sure he had the best possible leadership, Regent de Ruyter hired a talented young man named Ferdinando Pallivicini. Pallivicini hailed from Jerusalem and was actually of common origin. His father had owned a tavern outside the Holy City, making quite a name for himself (and a fair amount of money) selling beverages to thirsty travelers. His son took advantage of those passing through, picking up a number of languages and other skills. By the time Ferdinando was 16, he'd already graduated from the University of Constantinople with a doctorate in languages and another one in political administration. Dr. Pallivicini entered the Foreign Ministry, and was responsible for finally convincing Tirolian nobles to agree to integrate with the Empire of Italy.

54tirolgone.jpg


Pallivicini was so brilliant that he was named Deputy Chancellor and actually given a seat in the Imperial Cabinet. Although Constantijn had explained why Jean-Baptiste would not receive the spot -- his criminal past bothered a lot of Italian nobles -- the Swiss man was still displeased. It seemed like the Marshal was more interested in his new cannons than anything else.

54newarty.jpg


Jean-Baptiste supposed he was just jealous of the younger man's tremendous success, and the fact that Ferdinando was so nice and polite just made things worse. While his Deputy roamed the Empire on special missions, Jean-Baptiste was stuck at home signing orders for a new Fortress at Cuneo. The Regent even had the guts to call the new fort "God's will."

Mostly to himself, the Swiss scoffed. "What do we need forts for? Who could possibly attack us?"

The Chancellor and the rest of the Empire would soon find out.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
5 April 1738, Marshal's office, Florence

Jean-Louis de Lafayette and his Chief of the General Staff, Brutus Contadino, were both running ragged. Brutus was normally among the most cheerful men in the entire Empire, in stark contrast to his twin Maurizio, who complained incessantly about everything he possibly could as Proconsul of Italy. But these rebellions were just insane.

54revolt.jpg


Instead of just agreeing to lower taxes, which seemed sensible to both military men, Regent de Ruyter ignored them, and further revolts spread throughout the Empire. Girona and Antalya both rose up in rebellion, and the Field Marshal in particular knew they had to be coordinated.

"What do you think, Brutus? Where are they based?"

Brutus tried to crack a joke, but couldn't. "Marshal, I have no idea. I've gotten so many conflicting reports I'm not sure I could find my own head right now. Some even insist the real base is in Nova Italia, if you can believe that! I've got legions ready to act, but these are so far apart that it might take a while."

"We need more manpower. I've authorized two new legions -- the XXXVIII 'Russia' and the XXXIX 'Sanctam' -- but I'm starting to think we need a third. We have too much ground and too few men."

Brutus shook his head in amazement. "Listen to us, Jean-Louis. Forty legions might just barely be enough?!"

The Field Marshal couldn't help but laugh. "I know, no army in the world can match us, particularly with our Russian friends at our side. But we aren't fighting armies, and that's the problem. I think we need a new field commander; with Constantijn running the show in Rome, he can't properly be Marshal anyway."

Brutus nodded and chuckled ruefully. "I can't believe we actually miss that idiot Vico. Did you hear how many people showed up to his funeral last year?"

Jean-Louis grinned mischievously. "I have no idea; I couldn't make it. I was, uh, polishing my rifle."

Brutus gaped in mock horror. "Marshal! What you do in the privacy of your own home is your own business."

After the laughter subsided, Brutus pointed at one particular name.

54newgeneralandlegion.jpg


He handed a dossier to Field Marshal de Lafayette.

Name: Contarini, Raniero.
DOB: 31 October 1698
Birthplace: Genoa, Italia provincia
Enlistment date: 1 June 1730
Rank: Colonel
Position: Head of Engineering Corps

Jean-Louis looked skeptical. "Am I reading this right? He was 32 when he enlisted?!"

Brutus nodded. "He was a civilian engineer."

"Oh, so he was part of that officer program we had. He passed through the Germanicus Academy?"

"He did. We gave him a commission as Captain, initially. He was on my staff from 1735 on as my Artillery Chief."

"Is he good?"

Brutus grinned. "If you want a dramatic charge or brilliant tactical maneuver? He's about as useful as black powder at the bottom of the sea. But he's solid, the troops like him, and they don't come any better for designing defensive deployments."

Jean-Louis thought for about a minute, then signed the order. "I hope he's good, Brutus."

"I do have one other plan, but I want to investigate before I share it with you."

"Mysterious, eh? All right, I trust you."
-------------------------------------------------------------
1 December 1741, Liguria

Constantijn de Ruyter embraced the rare moment of peace as he watched the patchwork "Garrison Fleet" sail from Liguria's harbor. The Empire's first "three decker", the Freiburg, would accompany the small fleet to Chipewyan. On board were 5000 infantry, designed to garrison the province and prevent further uprisings. He admired the handling of the fleet's commander as he deftly maneuvered his flagship towards the western Mediterranean. As he watched, he thought of the surprisingly findings of Chancellor de Neuchâtel, who proved to have brilliant information as always.

The source for all of the recent results had been Atacama, the South American province Italy had inherited from Great Britain. Constantijn was so surprised that he ordered the creation of a new legion and even chose an unusual commander he personally selected.

54newgeneralandlegion.jpg


Niccolo di Medici, Ettore's youngest brother, had already overcome a great deal of adversity to get as far as he had. Niccolo had been given precisely zero meaningful assignments for most of his career, often getting stuck with garrison duty. He was promoted mostly due to seniority: this was no knock on di Medici, but instead on his commanders, who invariably gave him bad reports. If not for a chance meeting with Field Marshal de Lafayette at a College of War lecture, he might have stayed a Lieutenant for his entire career. The speaker was an old Colonel who insisted that "gunpowder would never last" and that "cold steel was the only way to win." Only Lieutenant di Medici had the guts to question the elderly Colonel's ideas, and ended up turning an opponent into a proponent. That Colonel was now one of the most popular and innovative teachers at the College. The Lieutenant was promoted to Captain on the spot.

That was in 1730. Over the next 11 years, Niccolo taught at the Germanicus Academy, steadily moving from Captain to Colonel. He'd never really been in the field, but was eager to restore his family's honor. The appointment to head the XL legion was not a popular one anyway, as the trip was very long and he would be expected to stay in South America for the rest of his career. Niccolo was the only volunteer, and so was given the dangerous assignment originally envision by Marshal de Lafayette. The results were positive; the ringleaders of the Imperial resistance were arrested and executed for treason. Rebellions dropped considerably at that point. di Medici had even found the time to send a colonial expedition to Chichas, discovering valuable copper deposits.

Before he mounted his horse to return to Florence, he gave some thought to the soon-to-be John III. Constantijn and his wife raised him as their own son, since they'd only had two daughters to this point, both given good English names from the Regent's wife -- Elizabeth and Sandra. John was a sweet kid, very popular with every nurse he'd ever had. He was incredibly good looking, bright, strong and charismatic. He had the potential to be one of the greatest Emperors the Empire had ever seen. His 14th birthday was approaching rapidly, and Constantijn knew he'd take over as soon as he turned 14. The question was, what would happen to the Empire?
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19 October 1744, coronation of John III

John III, Emperor of Italy, looked adoringly at his wife. She was not very popular among the nobles. John had actually created a serious scandal when he announced his marriage to Ulrike von Württemburg, who was twice his age and the daughter of the King of Württemburg. She knew she would never inherit the throne as a girl, although her brothers were lazy and stupid. So she did the next best thing -- married somebody with the power to forcibly give her what she wanted.

54newmission.jpg


Ulrike was an incredibly aggressive woman, which made her even less appealing to many who had their own ambitions for the Emperor of Italy. Despite all of John III's strengths, he had one very important weakness: he was very suggestible and lacked self-confidence. Given that his father had committed suicide when he was very young, that was not entirely unsurprising. However, it led him to make foolish choices, including legally adopting Ulrike's own infant son, Ludwig, although his name was italicized to Lodovico.

54newemperor.jpg


Many Senators, in particular, were horrified at the prospect of a foreign-born Emperor, something that had never happened ever since Maso I seized the Imperial throne in 1399. Even the Marshal and Chancellor were uncomfortable at the thought of strong female leadership.

The next few years were bound to be interesting, that was certain, as her first move would prove to be a surprising one.

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After three more updates, we'll be totally caught up, and I'll need to play some more. Since it seems unlikely we'll have a female Emperor, I thought this was the best way to get one in, from an RP perspective. Next update might be this weekend, if everything goes well.

I think we need a new contest: the prize, as always, is a new character. This might be the last contest -- we'll have to see how things go -- so anybody can answer this question, even if you've already made a character:

Who is Ulrike/John III pursuing the PU with?
 
You have THREE different AARs at the same time??!! That's insane!

Nice read though. But....

TUSCANY??!!! A SUPERPOWER??!!! Blasphemy!

I'm almost positive you've already commented on this one, but even if you have, I'm glad you're enjoying it! :D