Round XXVII (1575-1585): Peace to the world
Ray: GOOOOOOOOOOD Evening everyone and Welcome to "BIG RULER". I'm Ray Porter, and I am here with George I. Joe and B. Rene Daid to help you all follow that alternative history! This season, we are following
Savoy. Last time, Ascanio Maria I 'l'Orientale' was crowned, fought in India, the Philippines, Mali, Denmark, Indonesia and Persia, and passed the throne to his brother after only 11 years. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Ferdinando II de Savoie,
Re d'Italia, Rei d'Aragó, Magyarország Királya, König von Bayern, Erzherzog von Österreich, Duc de Lorraine, Graf von Hohenzollern.
Ferdinando: Good Evening Ray.
Ray: Ferdinando, Italy is the most powerful nation on Earth right now, but is on the verge to collapse. Italy has been continuously fighting for the last twenty years, sees a lot of protests from religious or nationalist minorities all over its realm... What a tough challenge for a young king....
Ferdinando: Well, you know my brother and I were not on the same page on ... well, anything. As kids, he was raised as the future king of Italy, receiving education on .... well, everything. He however was not able to be with a woman, but whatever... This is the only domain I beat him I guess...
Ray: This is sade... But what about your plans?
Ferdinando: He was all for war, I will be all for peace. We need to give our people some rest. We need to reinforce our relationships with our vassals. We need to make the senate understand that we do not need this center of trade on the Java island, since our Selangor center of trade is so strong. We need to reinforce ourselves against Hussites, as we cannot continue to declare Holy Wars on our neighbors while our own faith is threatened at our doors...
George: So can we expect wars in Europe?
Ferdinando: We will tolerate the Hussites. We will not attack them, unless they have an aggressive behavior. And if they do, we will teach them how to be good christian... with our swords.
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Ray: Ferdinando does not waste time and five months only into this round, he agrees for a peace with Mali.
George: Mali is pushed back. This should be good enough to hold them up for a few decades.
Ray: As soon as the peace is signed, Ferdinando convinces the senate that Surabaya is not needed. They agree to renounce on Surabaya but ask the Blue Horde to be fully conquered instead.
George: He agrees but I am not sure he will go to war with the Blue Horde... Even if there is very little left of it...
Ray: In April 1576, news reach Turin. Prussia, Munster, the Julich-Berg-Cleves commonwealth, and Italy own vassal Brabant are persecuting Catholics. They called for help to England, the defender of the Catholic faith, the emperor Bohemia and his Holiness the Pope for help. Bohemia has been the only one answering it, declaring war on Prussia, Trier, and several other Hussite nations....
George: As their screams also reach Italy, Ferdinando decides to go to war, against Munster. His allies Julich-Berg-Cleves and Burgundy supports them. But none of them can match Italy's power.
Ray: This is the first war in Europe in the XVIth century, while we are nearly out of it...
George: Except the minor wars in Denmark...
Ray: Exact. Anyway, a few months later, the Blue Horde declares war. And this time, they are at peace with Theodosia.
George: This is the opportunity Italy needs.
Ray: In September, a report from the Bishop of Turin brings great joy to Ferdinando. It says - I quote -, that "Without religious leadership, entire societies came to adopt the way of life of their conquerors".
George: What does it means?
Ray: That through the commonwealth, more and more heathens and heretics are converting to the true faith...
George: Then I guess this is good.
Ray: Yes. What is not good however is Ferdinando mental health. By January 1577 he needs the guidance of one of his administrative court members in his everyday life... He quickly forces him to sign peaces with the different Hussites states.
George: Peace is signed in March 1577 with the treaty of Osnabruck. Both of the three states will have to pay war reparations, and officially converts back to Catholicism. Burgundy will definitively renounces on the ownership of Dijon, while Munster will become a vassal.
Ray: These are strong terms, and this makes it a nice win for Italy.
George: It does. In August, Italy is at peace against, after the last nomadic province of Crimea is integrated to the Kingdom.The senate now asks back to the Sibir province of Ostyak.
Ray: Tough, as Sibir still is Moscow's vassal.
George: The Hussite war of 76-77 gave ideas to Ferdinando. With the pope blessings, he becomes Defender of the Faith in September 77, and attacks Trier in 78.
Ray: This is a nice initiative. Trier is already at war with Emperor Bohemia, and is the seventh elector.
George: The seventh?
Ray: Yes, the electors of the Holy Empire are seven: Italy vassals Saxoy, Pfalz and Saluzzo are supporting their Italian overlord. Brandenburg, Koln and Bohemia itself are supporting Bohemia. So when the next emperor will have to be chosen, the Hussite state of Trier will have to choose the Emperor...
George: I see. So vassalizing Trier will grant Italy the crown of Emperor...
Ray: If Trier is converted back to Catholic, yes. This might be too much to agree for Trier rulers though. Anyway in January Ferdinando creates a cabinet of diplomat to assist him and his successors improving relations with their neighbors.
George: February 78 is a bad month or Hussites. Bohemia forces Trier to convert to Catholicism, while Ferdinando refuses to negotiate with them. Around eighty thousand of them do revolt through Italy, but are no threat for Ferdinando.
Ray: No threat indeed. And in May, Trier capitulates, paying war reparations and becoming the fourth elector vassal of Ferdinando.
George: So Italy will become Emperor?
Ray: When Premysl Otakar IV dies, probably, yes. But they have other business to deal with. During Fall 1578, they negotiate with Hejaz the acquisition of the trading post of Muscat. For a total of 600 ducats, Muscat becomes Italian.
George: And while Italy celebrates, Premysl Otakar IV dies in December...
Ray: Giving Ferdinando a new crown... Nicely played.
George: Six months later, in May 1579, Sibir attacks Italy.
Ray: They are not Moscow vassals anymore?
George: They are not. I'm not sure if they revolted, or if Moscow released them as part of a peace treaty though.
Ray: Oh yes, Sibir is at war with Moscow, and Moscow has truces going on with Sweden, Poland, England, the Timurids and the White Horde.
George: This is a nice chance for Italy to give the Senate this province he asks for.
Ray: Indeed. The war takes long though, with nothing to notice. In July 1580 Boleslav V von Bohemia, who married Ferdinando's sister, dies suddenly at age 36. The Bohemian heralds look for a suitable heir, but Ferdinando seems to be the only legal one... Ferdinando is crowned České Králem.
George: The day of his crowning, the Free City of Frankfurt declares the Hus philosophy official religion of the City. Proud of his new crown, Ferdinando attacks, concerned to keep religious unity within the Empire.
Ray: In October, while Frankfurt is under siege, both Catholics and Hussites of the city gather to debates about religion, as it is the main concern in this war. Their conclusions are sent via pigeons through Europe, and what looks like a new schism quickly spreads through Europe...
George: This does not save the city from Ferdinando. In December, the city converts back and is vassalized.
Ray: And in February 1581, the Knights order of Malta is fully integrated into the Kingdom. Only few days later, the African state of Dahomey, and his n'Dongo ally, attack Italy.
George: This is why Italian rulers have been striking first for decades. The two most powerful West African nations are clearly targeting the undefended colonies of the commonwealth: Aragon's Benguela and half of their South African holdings, Connaught's Igbo and Doala, Pisa's Mpemba... and of course the entire Angevine Africa! Look, they already are seizing Anjou's colonies!
Ray: Spring 1581 is a succession of colonial loss for the commonwealth, as Italy and its allies are not prepared for an African invasion.
George: It takes time for Italy to prepare a counter-attack. This is finaly done in June 1581, and Dahomey army is quickly beaten down.
Ray: Will it be enough to conquer back the lost colonies?
George: I doubt so. Here is the situation in December 1581, with the war with Sibir still running. Italy progresses in Dahomey, taking back Anjou and Connaught lost colonies, but N'Dongo is progressing unchallenged, both North and South.
Ray: This is not really problematic, is it?
George: It is, as there is absolutely no Spanish troops in South Africa to defend their colonies.
Ray: But if Dahomey is down quickly, Italy can opens a second front North of N'Dongo?
George: Yes, but unless Aragon's colonies, Dahomey land is heavily fortified. Italy progresses very slowly. Here is the situation there in April 1582.
Ray: This might forces Ferdinando to concede defeat to n'Dongo...
George: He won't concede defeat, but will sign a truce, losing the colonies of Benguela, Khoisan, and Mpemba, but keeping most of South Africa safe.
Ray: The Senate obviously sympathizes, as a few days later, learning that Ostyak was colonized, they asked for Severniy Ural, the last of Sibir provinces, already strong of 800 Italian settlers, to be integrated.
George: This is also the time when the remaining of Dahomey troops are massacred at the battle of Kwararafa. 19,000 soldiers killed in only two days. This forces Dahomey to accept Italy's peace conditions.
Ray: This is nice. No one ever tries to bother Italy anymore, and the colonization of the last Sibir province is the only thing worth noticing in the next year. This province is finally integrated in February 1583. The senate now requires the Syrian province of Badiyat to be converted. Missionaries have been working in that area for years already...
George: So it won't change anything for Ferdinando.
Ray: It won't. Anyway, in October the Castillian court announces that a French philosopher, Jean Calvin, is preaching is own version of the Frankfurter's Lutherian reform. Meanwile, the Lutherian reform is in decline through Italy. With the Hussites still powerful but persecuted in Europe, this is not surprising.
George: I doubt anyone but Hussites will convert to these new doctrines... I can't imagine any catholic willing to be killed for something so stupid...
Ray: You are right. Anyway, after years of efforts, the population in Badiyat converts to Catholicism. The Senate... how...
George: What?
Ray: They ask for the Selangor center of Trade again!
George: I thought Ferdinando did convince them?
Ray: Not hard enough obviously....
George: He does nothing though...
Ray: No. And in December 1584 the Prince of Semien Dwait I Aswaf dies with no heir...
George: Don't tell me that Ferdinando becomes Prince of that small province of Damaro?
Ray: He doesn't. The province is directly integrated to the Italian realm, while European have started to colonize North America. France, Norway and Aragon are the most involved in the process, but Anjou, Portugal, England, Holland and Castille also grabbed some outposts in the new Land.
George: I bet you that England, Castille, and Portugal colonies will be gone before you realize it.
Ray: Yes... they came too late, expanded too slowly... At this stage, France or Norway strategy to "grab everything they can" is the only one worth anything... Anyway, a few days after this inheritance, Ferdinando declares war on Nassau, one of the last Hussite states. To support him, the pope nominates a third Italian cardinal, as the bishop of Jura becomes the cardinal Pico.
George: Ten years ago Italy had no representative in the Curia, and now they are they control 20% of it, more than any other nation.
Ray: This is very good to convince the other nations that Italy is a respectable partner. And this is important as all these new vassals are not really legal based on international laws.
George: speaking of that, Nassau is converted and vassalized in January.
Ray: True... Just before Ferdinando passes away, leaving the throne and the imperial crown to his son, Ferdinando III.
George: Here is a map of his realm
Ray: I see that you considered the wasteland enclaves of Amazonia and Papua as Italian...
George: We did. Italy progressed a lot in Amazonia and Africa, but the major gain of this round was Bohemia.
Ray: So what do you think Ferdinando III will be up to?
George: The new King looks brilliant, except in the war zone, so I guess he will continues his father policy, to focus on colonies, secure alliances and royal marriages, and defend the faith.
Ray: What would you do?
George: Where to start... Connect the Muscat and Semien holdings to the African one, keep the job going in India, Indonesia and Mali... Kick Castille and England out of Africa and America...
Ray: Well.... I guess we will see soon which path Ferdinando chooses. Then make sure not to miss the next episode of BIG RULER!
