*Phew* - just played for two hours....lots to update
1509
A dark cloud is gathering over Europe....Turkish hordes have poured into Hungary and are threatening to destroy the entire country. Sultan Suleyman the Magnificant is demanding the complete annexation of Hungary, which would place forces of the infidel right next to Wien. To defend her interests, Austria has called upon the Alliance to defend Christianity from the invading infidels.
"General Maria - what is the status of the war in Austria?"
"My Lord we could not have asked for a better fight out of the Austrians and Spanish. As you know, our troops have remained in Mantua in reserve, ready to pounce on the Turk whenever necessary. Austrian troops, however, have taken Wurzburg, Presburg, Istria, Croatia and Carpathia from the Hungarian-Turkish alliance. It will not be long now before they seek peace with our grand alliance, my Lord."
As much as he was excited to hear about the Austrian victories, King Galeazzo was unnerved to hear about how easily the Austrians had rolled over the combined forces of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, one of the strongest alliances in all of Europe. For the time being, he was simply happy to know that Austria was his ally and not his enemy. However, it was something that he would have to never forget...
1511
The War of Hungarian Succession (1509-1511) was a crushing defeat for the Ottomans. Although they were able to gain some territory at the expense of Hungary, the Austrians decimated their armies and destroyed what remained of Hungary. Turkish armies, which had such an easy time destroying the Balkans and Venice, know now what it means to fight a real enemy. Hopefully this victory will keep the Ottoman Empire in its place for a while, although the Alliance will always be ready to strike at them whenever necessary.
1513
King Francesco Maria summons his war council to discuss the possibility of going to war with France again....
"My Lord, now is a perfect time to strike against the French - they are weak from numerous wars and internal strife. Even Denmark recently beat them! We will never get a time like this again to re-claim what is rightfully ours in the province of Piedmont."
"The Navy is prepared and ready to go, my Lord. Just give us the signal and we will defeat the French Navy at Marseilles and support an invasion of southern France."
"Then it is settled. We will attack France when the allies are ready. Inform the Spanish that we will send 60.000 troops to assist in their invasion of southern France. Send 20.000 troops north to aid the Austrians in their conquest of Germany and the defense of Tirol. The Papal States should be able to defend our homeland from attack. Any questions? No? Then may God bless our invasion of France."
General Raffaello set out at the head of 60.000 Italian soldiers to lead the attack on Piedmont. Although the garrison is well prepared and the city is heavily defended, he is confident that they will be able to win the day.
After three assaults on the city, the Italians finally overwhelm the French defenders and claim the city for the glory of Italy. News has also reached General Raffaello that the Austrians have captured Wittemburg and the Spanish have conquered several provinces in southern France. A smile crossed his face as he thought to himself, France will be destroyed.....
King Maria had different goals in mind, however. The Italians, already receiving a negative reputation throughout Europe, settled on simply taking the province of Piedmont from France. Although the Second Piedmont War (1513-1517) was a total victory for Italy, King Maria did not want to see France be destroyed and simply replaced by a much stronger Spain and Austria. Now that England has also entered the war against France, it was time for Italy to withdraw.
1521
King Carlos I has come to the throne in Spain, Burgundy and Naples. Such a growth in Spanish power threatens to de-stabilize the region and presents Italy with the uncomfortable position of having Spain annex Naples.
On the other hand, Naples is a vassal of the Papal States and so Italy cannot just declare war on Naples....or can they?
King Francesco Maria came up with a plan that might just be crazy enough to work. Declare war on Naples, make sure that the Papal States annexes them, then use that as a casus belli to declare war on the Papal States and unify Italy. It was time for him to put his plan in motion....
"My dearest allies - it pains me to see the Papal States fight so hard in our recent wars yet not be rewarded with anything. I hereby suggest that Italy declares war on Naples and allows the Papal States to annex them," King Maria said, as he addressed Spanish, Austrian and Papal diplomats.
"A wonderful idea - Papal forces can be in Naples within a few days," Pope Alexander VI replied.
"Well then it is settled. Spain and Austria will provide verbal support while Italian and Papal forces destroy the Kingdom of Naples and allow the Pope to increase his prestige in Europe."
The Spanish, upset over losing their territory, were in return rewarded with papal support in their dispute with Portugal over colonies in South America.
With that, Italian and Papal armies marched to Napoli to remove King Carlos from Italy and unify Italy under Italian and Papal authority. But King Maria had other things in mind...he ordered his troops to aid in the assault on the city and to completely sack and ravage the city - but most importantly to murder the Spanish prince, who was regent for Napoli in his father's name.
So far everything had gone according to plan. Napoli fell to the combined Italian/Papal force and Italian agents murdered the Spanish prince after the Italian army had withdrawn. The Spanish immediately blamed the Pope for the destruction of Naples and the murder of Prince Juan. King Maria of Italy was only too happy to aid the Spanish in getting back at the Pope....
1522
At the request of the Spanish, Italian forces invaded Rome, Marche, Napoli and Apulia. Because it would take the Spanish months to get to Italy, King Maria informed General Rafaello that he had to capture all four provinces within a year, or else Spain would come to claim their territory.
The war could not have ended up better for the Italians - within months, General Rafaello led 80.000 Italian troops to capture all of Italy, except for Rome, which the Spanish ended up taking. King Maria was able to convince Spain that Italy deserved to take all of the provinces, while Spain was granted a huge indemnity from the Pope with the promise that Italy would never annex Rome.
1530
After a few years of peace in Europe, the Ottomans and their Hungarian allies have once again decided to try and destroy the Austrians. King Maria kept General Raffaello and his army of 80.000 men in reserve as he watched combined Austrian and Spanish forces once again destroy the Turks.
It was at this time that he decided to once and for all destroy the Papal States and return Rome to Italian rule. While Spanish forces were distracted in the depths of the Balkans, King Maria used this opportunity to claim that the pope and his 30.000 man army were threatening to invade Napoli. With Spain, Austria, Hungary, the Turks and France (who was in a war with England, Brittany and Denmark) all distracted, there would be no one to oppose the will of the Italians.
General Raffaello left Mantua at the head of 70.000 men, with the intention of destroying the pope once and for all. The Italians had equipped their army with a new invention - called the musket - while the pope was still largely relying on Swiss pikemen mercenaries.
General Raffaello barely took any time forming up his men. The Papal forces, who had no way of hitting the Italians at that distance, had no choice but to charge. Italian muskets mowed down the Papal lines and several thousand died before they even reached the Italian lines.
General Raffaello relied on the tried-and-true hammer-and-anvil approach that was heavily favored by Alexander the Great in his conquest of Persia. Once the Papal forces were engaged with the Italian infantry, the general personally led a cavalary charge that was able to get around the tiny Papal flanks and completely collapse their line. Within minutes, the Papal forces were engaged on all sides and they quickly surrendered. Within a few minutes, General Raffaello had added 20.000 men to his army.
The fall of Rome was an anti-climatic affair as many of the people in the city wanted to join Italy and the garrison was completely de-moralized. Once the Pope learned of the generous terms that Italy was offering him (he could remain as Holy Father and keep several thousand acres of land in Rome itself), he surrendered and agreed to join the Kingdom of Italy.
Now all that was left was Sicily, Sardinia and Venezia...
1549
The French, eternally angry over the "theft" of Piedmont by the Italians, declared war on the Alliance while they were in the middle of a war with Venice, Sicily and the Order of St. John. However, King Charles III le bon and his general, Fernando Gonzaga, would quickly teach the French a lesson that they would not soon forget in the Third Piedmont War (1549-1551)
After a lenghty siege, Venice fell to the Alliance and General Gonzaga was able to capture and annex Messina, while the Spanish got Palermo. Only three more provinces left....
General Gonzaga took control of the 80.000 men waiting for him in Milano and proceeded to invade southern France. Combined with 150.000 Spanish troops, and 100.000 Austrian troops, France quickly fell apart. General Gonzaga and the Italian army were able to capture Marseilles, Savoy and Lyon, while the Spanish captured nearly all of southern France and Austria got several German provinces.
But once again, King Charles III knew that an extremely powerful Austria and Spain was not beneficial to Italy. After destroying the forces of France, the Kingdom of Italy settled for a huge indemnity from France and the Spanish annexation of the province of Languedoc. King Charles knew that he wouldn't be able to contain his allies much longer, however, and so he decided that in his next war with France, he would stop at nothing short than the forced vassalization of France under Italian hegemony.
