1468-1477 – Restoration of an Empire
The Succession War left Aragon in chaos for months. Despite Alfons being backed by most of the Aragonese nobility and clergy, Ferran had gotten away and was still a threat to the King’s rule. Many feared that the King would resort to drastic actions to deal with that situation, but nothing came of it at first. Instead, the King delved head-on into religious matters. He channeled his hatred towards Ferran towards the heretics and heathens of the world. Using Cardinal Fernando de Vascona as a go-between with the Pope, King Alfons received permission to revive the Inquisition, which would be run by the Crown but with Papal supervision. The Cardinal spent many months helping set-up the organization, a distraction from his duties as cardinal. Some saw this as hurting his chances at claiming the Papacy.
Cagliari had been hit the hardest by the Succession War, with a large part of the province in disrepair. Alfons immediately commissioned the construction of a marketplace in the province, hoping that it would revive the economy in the region. If Cagliari could start bringing in more money, then it could start to rebuild.
Over in the east, Steward Felipé de Alvaro ordered the army to search several dozen homes in Athens, all home to suspected separatists. The endeavour did produce results with several separatists arrested before they could stir up a revolt. However, it was believed that there was more out there and they would present a threat.
Later in the year, the Greeks approached Alfons with a marriage offer. Prince Ferran had already been married off to Princess Helene of Byzantium, but the Greeks wanted to strengthen ties. Some at court speculated it was an attempt to convince the people that Byzantium was an equal to Aragon. A marriage was proposed between one of the Emperor’s sons and Alfons’s half-sister Joana, who had recently turned 14. Alfons saw no reason to decline and accepted the marriage agreement.
With Genoa now in Iberia, Alfons worked with his spies to arrange plans to take Gibraltar away from the Italians. A diplomat was sent into the province on an unofficial mission, while secretly he was garnering the support of the local population for a potential Aragonese invasion.
In October, Milan found itself a victim of aggressive neighbours as it was forced to set Modena free. The former Modenan duke, Giuliano Marco D'Este, was quite ecstatic at this news and he made many trips to and from the duchy.
By the end of the year, most of the work had been completed on the Inquisition. The order was up and running, ready to deal with heretics and heathens within the realm. The Pope was said to have expressed his personal appreciation of the efforts Aragon had taken for the faith. The rest of the Catholic world would have to follow its example.
The following year of 1469 was fairly quiet, at least for most of the kingdom. Back in the palace things were a bit hectic. With the passing of King Joan II and his second wife Juana within the same year, Alfons was suddenly stuck with two infant half-siblings that needed to be cared for. His 7-year-old half-sister Caterina constantly followed him around the palace whenever her nursemaid wasn’t attentive enough. The nursemaid received a few lashes for her neglect. Of more concern was Alfons’s 4-year-old half-brother, Joan. The boy was rather sickly and spent most of his time in his quarters. Queen Catherine, who had not yet bore a child of her own, took to the boy and spent most of her time caring for him. Alfons let her care for the child without complaint. One less problem to deal with.
By September of 1469, the last vestiges of the Granada Sultanate had been run out of Iberia. The province of Granada was firmly under Aragon’s control. This proved a great boon to the stability of the realm. Even so, Alfons was not content. He was already eyeing up the Muslims across the sea. He knew they wanted Melilla back, but that could not be allowed to happen. Maybe if the Moroccan capital, Fez, was taken, they’d back off. Yes, that was a reasonable solution.
Despite the King’s fixation on the heathens, members of his court continued to point out the benefit of Provence to the kingdom. If the region could be taken, it would be a great boon to trade. Alfons allowed for plans to be drafted up for a potential attack, but remained noncommittal. Alfons was more interested in the new weapons that had become all the rage across Europe. These arquebuses, as they were called, were believed to be a great improvement on the bow, requiring less skill to use and being much more effective against armoured opponents. Many screams were heard from the dungeons after one merchant presented such a weapon to the King as a gift.
The treasury had been running a deficit well into 1470, although Alfons had been hoping the economy would turn around. Even after lowering the army’s budget, the kingdom was still losing money. Needing to find funds somewhere, the King decided to cut an advisor loose. The diplomatic advisor Pau Destorrent, who charged an exorbitant amount for his services, was fired. The diplomatic corps of Aragon suffered from his loss, but the treasury certainly didn’t. With the treasury afloat again, Alfons invested some ducats into building up the fleet with five more galleys.
In April of 1470, the plans to invade Provence were discovered. Alfons tried to distance himself from the conflict, but without success. Despite caring little for the plan, he would take most of the blame.
In May, Venice made a move against Serbia around the same time as Castile attacked Genoa. Alfons was outraged when he heard about Castile. They were undoubtedly making a move on Gibraltar. He cursed that he was going to miss the opportunity to claim the province first. At least he knew that it meant Castile would be preoccupied for a while, especially with Austria in the war against Castile.
Alfons rants and ravings about invading Morocco for Fez eventually reached the Sultan’s ears. It was an understatement to say that the Sultan was not pleased.
A potential conflict arose regarding the operation of the Inquisition. The clergy sent by the Pope to oversee it had been mostly ignored while Crown officials worked unimpeded. When word reached the Pope that Aragon was not honouring its agreement, he was not pleased. The King, realizing the he needed the Pope’s support for the Inquisition to truly be successful, ordered his officials to defer to the clergy as they were meant to. This pleased the Pope, but was humiliating for Alfons.
1470 also brought a joyous occasion. Alfons had been pressuring Prince Ferran to consummate his marriage and produce an heir, since Queen Catherine had been unable to bear a child as of yet. With no heir of his own, he had to rely on his brother for his succession. While Princess Helene was beautiful and kind, Ferran was just not interested in her. Rumour had it that his tastes lay outside the norm. He seemed to spend most of his time in Cagliari with Giuseppe Cubell d'Ambrosio instead of at court with his wife. What those two were up to was anyone’s guess. However, after much harassment from Alfons, Ferran finally agreed to fulfill his husbandly duties. Nine months later and Princess Helene bore a son. The boy was frail and sickly, which worried Alfons greatly. Ferran, while showing great affection for his son, was not that interested in his husbandly duties. After his son was born, he stopped visiting his wife’s chambers yet again. Alfons then took up the habit of spending time with Princess Helene in his spare time to comfort the poor woman, who was growing more and more upset that her husband did not love her. Admittedly Alfons was not one to care for a woman’s feelings, but he’d suck it up for the woman that could be the potential mother of a future king of Aragon.
In July the Ottomans signed a peace with Genoa. It was a minor peace, but it also meant the Ottoman land was no longer occupied by hostile forces and was open to siege again. Spies reported that while the Ottoman navy was still large and on the rise, their army was in tatters. General Lino Adrià María de Agramunt was immediately ordered on a ship by the King with the entire Aragonese army in Aragon proper to head for Greece. Some questioned this decision, since it put Aragon at risk to Castilian invasion, but with Castile preoccupied with Genoa, he felt that wasn’t going to happen. Castilian troops, using the Portuguese military access agreement as an excuse, even marched troops through Valencia on its way to Italy. The King was outraged at this display, but there was little he could do with a massive Castilian army marching through his lands. The Ottomans must have sensed the threat coming their way, since the King received a threatening letter declaring the kingdom their rival, not that Alfons cared what heathens thought.
Knowing that Morocco may get involved in a war against the Ottomans, Alfons had plans drafted up for a potential conquest of Gharb, which bordered Fez. He also ordered a crackdown in Granada against potential separatists that may present themselves. This helped ensure stability at home. With Granada pacified, the army there was shipped over to Melilla. It was also around this time that the Castilians discovered the forged documents Diplomat Joseph von Thun had created. When a Castilian diplomat confronted him on the matter, he merely grinned wickedly before sending the man away.
After nearly three years since the Succession War, Cagliari had finally recovered, the new marketplace had brought wealth to the region, which paid for the reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure. With the province back in shape due to the improvements paid for by the King, Cagliari was much wealthier than before.
With the kingdom in good shape, it was ready for war again. The armies in Greece were moved over to Macedonia in preparation for an attack on Edirne. On September 5, war was declared. Alfons would see the Byzantine Empire revived at the expense of the heathens.
The first engagement occurred at sea. The Ottoman trade fleet sailed straight into the Aragonese fleet stationed in the Aegean Sea. The fleet had been ordered there by Admiral Ernst Wilhelm Lübecker to trap the main Ottoman fleet in port at Edirne. Strangely enough, the main enemy fleet remained in port as their trade fleet was decimated. During the battle Captain Jean Charles de Fidèlle, who had been permitted command of a single ship by the King, boarded and captured an Ottoman light ship in a one-on-one fire fight. Admiral Lübecker even complimented the man on his risky yet successful manoeuvre.
On land, two battles raged far from each other. General Sebastián de Loarre led the army in Melilla against the Moroccan forces stationed in Fez. Despite attacking a fortified position, he inflicted twice the casualties on the enemy and forced them to flee their capital. Meanwhile General Luigi Castelozzi led the charge on Edirne. The headstrong general had gotten into a shouting match with General de Agramunt on who would command the main attack. The older man backed down first. Ultimately the younger man took the day, although losses were quite high, something de Agramunt did not fail to notice.
The successful battles against the heathens were ruined by events closer to home. Castile had ended its war with Genoa and Gibraltar now lay in its hands. Alfons was certainly not pleased that his chief rival held a province he coveted.
With the army in Greece weak after the last battle, Admiral Lübecker wanted to ensure no reinforcements crossed the straits from Anatolia. As he moved to prepare a blockade, the main Ottoman fleet finally made a move. They launched a poorly planned offensive, one where they lacked the numbers and a proficient leader. The Admiral mopped the floor with them. In a show of skill that put even the late Admiral Leonardo de Abruzzi to shame, Admiral Lübecker sank twenty Ottoman ships without losing a single Aragonese ship. When word reached Alfons at home, he was said to have commented that he did not think a foreigner could accomplish anything that significant.
Things turned more in Aragon’s favour at the end of 1471 when the Mamluks declared war on the Ottomans. With the straits blockaded, Aragon had free reign in the Balkans if they took out the Ottoman army there first. The Mamluks thus could do what they pleased in Anatolia.
General de Agramunt led the chase against the Ottoman army, attempting to attack it while it was still demoralized. Unfortunately Ottoman fortifications were in the way and delayed pursuit. In an attempt to bypass the obstacles, General Castelozzi got separated from de Agramunt. General de Agramunt arrived a week earlier than Castelozzi and was forced to launch the attack alone. The sudden arrival of General Castelozzi tipped the odds in an outnumbered battle and sent the enemy on the run. The two chased down the enemy, but while in pursuit General Castelozzi was shot with an arrow and injured. He would be out of commission for quite some time. General de Agramunt finished the job and in an amazing display of skill routed the Ottoman army of over 10,000 men in a single day. ((You’re lucky
@alscon. I thought your general had died in battle, but apparently he hadn’t reached the battle yet when he died, thus he survived. If you want him added back in, just tell me.))
At the same time that headway was being made against the Ottomans, the faithfulness of the Aragonese people was recognized with the ascension of Bishop Adriano Juan de Valencia to the rank of cardinal.
Despite their setback against Castile, Genoa made a major breakthrough in their war with Crimea and forced the heathen nation to accept them as their overlord. King Alfons was disgusted by this measure. Why any good Catholic would want to lord over a bunch of heathens was beyond him. They should have just conquered the Crimeans outright and forced them to accept the true faith. Allowing them some semblance of self-government was cowardice at its best.
The start of 1471 also brought changes to the Holy Roman Empire. The Austrian Emperor had put forth a reform to centralize the Empire. No one in Aragon was quite sure what the consequences would be for such a decision. Elsewhere in Europe, attitudes were changing. Hungary finally realized that Aragon was not a threat to it and thus stopped calling it a rival.
At some point since the start of the year, the Byzantines had been able to capture Sofya, while the Portuguese had taken Gharb from Morocco. This would surely help the war effort. In matters of faith, Alfons commissioned a temple to be built in Granada, the site for a future bishopric and the headquarters for the Inquisition as they dealt with the heathens.
Morocco attempted to launch a sneak attack into Tangiers, but the intervention of General de Loarre helped the Portuguese push the heathens out.
Tragedy struck the capital as the young son of Prince Ferran and Princess Helene passed away at the age of two. He had never overcome the illness that plagued him since birth. Prince Ferran was especially cold after this incident and avoided his wife more than usual. The Princess, distraught at the loss of her only child, cried for days on end. Queen Catherine did her best to console to the poor woman, while Alfons berated his brother for his behaviour. Alfons ended up spending more time with Helene than Ferran ever did just to keep the Greek woman from threatening to run home to Byzantium.
Diplomat Joseph von Thun, who had been sent to Murcia to forge yet another claim, was caught in the act again. Alfons didn’t even try to hide it. So what if he wanted Murcia? The Castilians hadn’t acted on it the first time, so why act now?
Ever since the Succession War, King Alfons had maintained a deep grudge against the foreigners at his court. He favoured the nobles greatly, much to the annoyance of his courtiers. They tried to pry their way into positions of power, either by directly addressing the king or attempting to form ties with noble families. Neither way worked, since Alfons was unwilling to change his opinion. The courtiers had not backed him against Ferran the Bastard, so why would they have his best interests at heart now?
Venice continued its expansion into the Balkans by taking Ragusa from Serbia. As long as they stayed out of Greece, Alfons didn’t care. It was not like he needed them for trade. The Consulate of the Sea that his father had created was paying off. It served as the basis for financial institutions that could be used to better trade.
September of 1472 presented a new problem. Orthodox rebels rose up in the Ottoman Balkans territory. They outnumbered the Aragonese forces, which was a problem if the kingdom was going to claim the region for the Byzantines. Things grew more complicated when the rebel army in Filibe marched south to attack Edirne. It was a foolish move which saw the rebel army decimated and scattered. However, the Aragonese army was losing men and had to rely on the Neapolitans and Greeks for assistance. By 1473, the northern provinces had fallen to the rebels.
In February, the Pope passed away, with the Hungarian Clemens VII taking his place.
Edirne, the Ottoman capital, fell in April, opening the Balkans to occupation. Of course, the rebels had to be dealt with first. Some Orthodox Greeks took the example from their brethren in Ottoman territory and rose up in rebellion in Macedonia and Constantinople. They resented Aragon forcing Catholicism upon them, but they’d have to face the Aragonese army if they wanted to achieve religious freedom. A combined Neapolitan-Aragonese effort drove the rebels out of Macedonia. With that out of the way, the two depleted armies were sent to Tirhala and Kirkkilise, the only two provinces that weren’t occupied by rebels or Aragon already. Both provinces fell in June.
With half the Ottoman land in the Balkans under Aragon’s control, the rebels could be dealt with. The larger Aragonese army under General de Agramunt marched on Constantinople. With the assistance of Naples, the Byzantine capital was freed of the rebel threat. Of course that didn’t mean that everything was safe. The Ottoman Orthodox rebels number over 20,000 men and had moved into Filibe. General de Agramunt ordered the army to avoid them and focus on claiming the rebel provinces left open. Silistre and Nigbolu were taken before the rebels could intervene, although at the loss of Filibe. In a desperate bid to repel the rebels, an attack was ordered on the rebel army. General de Agramunt led the charge, but a miscommunication caused problems. The nearby Neapolitan army took nearly a month to intervene. As thing went downhill, the Greeks moved in to help. The combined forces faced a devastating loss, even when they were so close to victory. The rebels were still a threat.
Over in Morocco, Fez fell after over two years of siege. With the Moroccan capital taken, the army split and marched south to Dukkala and Meknes. Once those provinces were occupied, they continued to work southwards towards the second Moroccan fort.
Not wanting to let the Orthodox rebels ruin the war effort, mercenaries were gathered in the Balkans to combat the threat. Four regiments of infantry were hired in the occupied provinces. The heretics would not win. Despite the losses against them, the people were firm in their faith. People from all over the kingdom voiced their support for the efforts against the heretics and heathens. The people of Aragon were united in their faith.
King Alfons made a tough decision as the defeated army retreated to Achaea. The army that had been stationed in Athens had been reduced to a mere 150 men, down from 6,000. Replenishing its ranks seemed impossible. He ordered the entire army be disbanded, to be replaced with mercenaries as the war progressed. Meanwhile, de Agramunt ordered the remaining army to march to Edirne. The Ottoman capital could not be allowed to fall to the rebels.
As Abda and Tadla fell in Morocco, the Aragonese army made a final push for Marrakech, the last remaining Moroccan fort. The Moroccan army stationed there was weak, even if the Aragonese one was in poor shape as well. Despite facing significant losses, General de Loarre took the day, opening up Marrakech for siege.
Back in the east, small regiments were moving around the Balkans taking rebel-controlled provinces while the rebel army sat in Filibe. All but Sofya and Uskup had been reclaimed, but then half of the rebel army decided to make the expected move on Edirne. General de Agramunt was waiting for them. All remaining regiments were ordered to aid the army in Edirne, and three more mercenary regiments were offered a contract to join the battle. The second army went north to Nigbolu, which reduced it as a threat. Despite the odds, the General kept the rebels from taking Edirne. The fact that Nigbolu fell was insignificant. Only one rebel army remained now.
Back at home, England was raising a stink over the fact that Aragon had annexed Navarra, despite the fact that it had happened years ago. They claimed Aragon did not have the right to decide the fate of the small nation. King Alfons merely laughed at their claims. He certainly didn’t laugh when word reached him that English spies had been caught trying to find evidence that the Navarran-English border had not always been the way it currently was. If the English were foolish enough to claim that Navarra was theirs, they’d face Aragonese steel soon enough.
Despite the victory in Morocco, it was decided that a continued war effort was wasting resources better spent elsewhere. It was time to take what they could and get out of there. King Alfons forced the Moroccan Sultan to pay war reparations for the pain they had caused his kingdom and demanded they hand over their capital of Fez. The King greatly desired the province, not just as a symbol of Christian power by claiming the enemy capital, but because it held a fort that could be used to protect Melilla. Now Aragon could better protect its holdings in North Africa.
With the threat removed at Edirne, the Aragonese army was spread out over all rebel provinces. Soon Uskup and Filibe belonged to Aragon, but not much more could be taken before the final rebel army made a move on Filibe. The Aragonese army was waiting under command of General de Agramunt. Soon the Neapolitans arrived to help, tipping the odds against the rebels. The last threat had been removed, at least so it seemed. Byzantine separatists had risen up in Tirhala, despite the fact that the Ottoman province had been handed over to the Greeks to manage. They’d need to be dealt with at some point.
The nobles attempted to use their influence with the King to encourage him to avoid certain production methods that were being developed that hurt their traditional source of income. King Alfons was not one to take orders from anyone. He ignored the demand of his nobles and kept on with what was planned. Whatever benefitted the kingdom the most had to be done.
In August of 1474, a Genoan spy was caught in Sassari trying to forge documents claiming that the northern half of Sardinia belonged to them. Alfons personally attended to the spy in the dungeon, getting some good use out of his favourite arquebus. He then ordered a spy of his own to forge claims on Corsica. Two could play that game.
A surprising turn of events occurred in October. A cardinal in Castile had been impressed by Aragon’s efforts for the true faith. He offered to move from Sevilla to Granada, the home of the Inquisition, and offer his services to Aragon in the Holy See, for a price of course. Alfons eagerly paid the cardinal to have him come to Aragon, since any blow against Castile was welcome. Unfortunately it turned out to be a trick. While the cardinal did indeed abandon Castile, he never reached Granada. It was suspected that the holy man had run off with the money given to him by the Aragonese Crown. Either that, or Castile had learned of this treachery and eliminated the cardinal before he could reach Aragon. Either was a possibility. ((Castile did indeed lose a cardinal, but we failed to get one as stated. I suspect it may be because Granada is still Sunni, but I’m not sure.))
In other religious matters, the missionary effort in Epirus had proved fruitful. After years of trying to convince the people to follow the true faith, they had finally thrown aside their heresy and embraced the Church. Epirus was Catholic at last. With that done, the funds that had been acquisitioned for the conversion effort were diverted to Almeria, where the Inquisition was attempting to convert the heathens. It was expected that with the new funding, they could accomplish the effort in under four years.
A disaster struck in Epirus shortly after as the Byzantine separatists, angry at the conversion of Epirus, marched on the province. A miscommunication between General de Agramunt and the mercenaries saw the general leading his depleted army up against a superior force without reinforcements. His men were slaughtered, and it was only with the eventual arrival of the mercenaries and Neapolitans that he got out of there alive. With the Aragonese army in disarray, King Alfons started a recruitment effort at home to replace those regiments lost, starting with some cavalry.
The Greeks, against better judgement, crossed the straits and attempted to take Koeaeli. A massive Ottoman army moved upon them, wiping out their entire force. Byzantium no longer had an army.
Back in Valencia, Princess Helene became pregnant with a second child. After hearing that his wife was pregnant, Prince Ferran acted quite shocked and refused to go anywhere near his wife. The Prince left court shortly after, refusing to return even after the child was born. Instead King Alfons attended to the Princess and was present at the birth. When Helene bore a sickly daughter, Alfons stormed out of the chambers and left the women to fawn over the little girl.
By September of 1475, all Ottoman land on the Greek side of the straits was in Aragonese hands. With no way to reach the land, the Ottomans were at Aragon’s mercy regarding a peace. King Alfons made sure they paid dearly. Four provinces were given to the Greeks, two of which were rightful lands of Byzantium and two which were claimed by them. A small indemnity was required, although with Anatolia still free more could not be taken. Either way, Byzantium had been restored, its lands reconnected. Aragon had accomplished its goal, at least the first part. Alfons would not be happy until the heathens were driven from the Balkans.
With the kingdom finally at peace, Aragon could finally focus on what it was good at: trade. King Alfons hired an Aragonese merchant from Valencia to serve as a liaison between the Crown and the Consulate, hopefully boosting the efficiency of Aragon’s trade. His first successful achievement was managing to bring in a large shipment of high-quality wool to Valencia.
King Alfons was surprised to learn that after the recent war with the Ottomans, Venice had changed its mind regarding Aragon. They finally realized that the kingdom wanted to achieve something truly noble and stopped hating them for it. Perhaps relations could be repaired sometime in the future.
Now that the war was over, armies could be shipped back home. Six regiments of mercenary were sent to Aragon to aid in its defence, with four remaining behind in Athens. One army in North Africa was then returned to Granada, while General de Loarre remained behind in Fez.
The new Pope, despite being Hungarian, took a liking to Aragon. He greatly approved of the fact that a cardinal served as Court Chaplain. Clearly Aragon, and thus Alfons VI, took religious matters seriously.
1476 also brought poor tidings as Princess Helene’s sickly daughter passed away. It was only after the funeral that Prince Ferran returned to court, although relations with his wife remained cold. He acted even more hostile towards King Alfons, the two engaging in shouting matches whenever they were in the same room, although no one knew why.
The Ottomans were dealt another serious blow as the Mamluks took a piece out of them. While Alfons enjoyed that the Ottomans were growing weaker, the Mamluks were proving to be a potential threat in the future. Apparently the Mamluks felt the same way, since they sent a letter to the King advising him to keep out of their part of the Mediterranean. A new threat lay on the horizon, but the question was whether Aragon would decide to deal with it now or later.
A threat also brewed at home. With the Greeks having regained some semblance of their former glory, some began to question whether Aragon’s protection was truly needed. There was still resentment that they were being treated as vassals. It had not gone unnoticed that the Representative to Byzantium had even suggested that the Empire be annexed. Despite the refusal by most Aragonese subjects to do any such thing, the fact that it had been raised caused concern. The Greeks were wary and they would not hand over their Empire so easily.
((Random info spam!))
Presenting His Majesty, Alfons VI de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Naples, and Protector of the Greeks.
It has been a long decade, one filled with tragedy and triumphs. The Greeks grow strong again thanks to our help, as the heathens of this world fall to the blade of the true faith. Now we must take time to recover, to grow strong so that we may strike again. We thank all of you that have remained strong with us. Now we must take our leave of you, for we have duties to attend to. Surely all of you have something important to do. Perhaps some of you would wish to serve us on the Council, for we have maintained half the positions for so long. It would also appear that several counties lack a lord, to which we wish to rectify. We also require a governor for the newly acquired province of Fez.
((Ministers have until
12pm PST on Tuesday to present their plans. Also, we need to pick a new mission, which we’ll do once the plans are in. Feel free to suggest any laws or proposals over the next day or two.))