1544-1545 – Piety
Change had come to Europe. People in Germany were denouncing the Church and the word was spreading. The people seemed on the outside not to be too concerned, but matters were different at court. Support for recognition of this new faith had grown almost overnight. King Ferran III, ever the pious man, was appalled by this sympathy for heresy and refused to hear anything of it. An attempt to officially recognize Protestantism was tossed aside by the king. Instead he backed the Conventicle Act, banning all religious gatherings not authorized by the Church. Heresy would not find root in Aragon.
The Inquisition, with the full support of the Crown, started a series of investigations into heretical activity. Most of those investigated were nobodies, but the first suspect of note was Ferdinant II de Almeria. The initial investigation found nothing linked to heresy, although a few unsavoury habits of the man were discovered. Cardinal Cassano Velazquez, heading the Inquisition’s efforts, locked up the head of the Atlantic Trading Company, much to the surprise of many at court. The king allowed this effort, more fearful of possible heresy than the legality of the action.
There was also the issue of Epirus. Representative to Byzantium Alexandros Kostopoulos returned from Constantinople expressing a concern by Emperor Andronikos that tensions would rise unless a solution was found. The court was more in favour of handing over the province to the Greeks. After the recent debacle in the province, perhaps Greek rule would better handle affairs there.
Other than religious matters, affairs back in Iberia were quite tame. A small army of 3,000 men were recruited and sent to Barcelona under the order of Marshal Cassano Velazquez. Chancellor Jaume Limmona carried through with his plan to break ties with Bohemia, a faraway nation whose royal ties had been sundered years ago when the Habsburgs took over. Instead an alliance was formed with Galicia. There had been conflict between the two kingdoms long ago, but now Galicia was on its own again. There were rumours that the Galician duke, Garcia II de Alba, had merely accepted the alliance to avoid being conquered by Aragon. Regardless, ties were made as King Ferran III arranged the marriage of his son Marti to the duke’s daughter. Ties to Galicia seemed more pressing as Portugal was caught fabricating a claim on Granada.
Over in the New World, Conquistador Mathieu Valeyron went missing yet again. The expedition waited for his return, since he had wandered off on his own several times. Inevitably he did return a week later, only to inform his expedition that he had been kidnapped by a native band and had been forced to escape on his own. Perhaps the expedition would keep a closer eye on him this time.
A group of nobles complained that new production techniques were not working and that the kingdom should revert back to the old methods. King Ferran III politely turned them away, with more pressing matters on his hands.
Conquistador Miguel de Leon encountered more trouble with whiskey thieves. His men never learned. The men had been wandering the wilderness for a long time though, so he was more willing to let it slide this time.
Even though the Chancellor may have intended to bring Galicia into the fold peacefully, peasants and others who learned of peaceful relations with a nation that should be conquered by Aragon did not sit well with them. The Chancellor had to spend time calming the people and making his plan seem like a good idea.
The colony in the Falklands finally reached fruition, even if its backer was gone. It could now serve as a valuable stopping points for ventures further west. In the meantime, Colonist Miguel Villanova set off for Montevideo to found a colony for the Lübecker family.
The king had spent the last few months strengthening the faith through cooperation with the Church and Inquisition. Heresy had to be rooted out at all costs. This created a reputation for piety internationally for Aragon. The world was recognizing the kingdom’s strong faith.
As funds became available, Steward Armand Antonio Sastre began work on the construction of several barracks in northern Aragon. Manpower had always been an issue for the kingdom, so a proper training and recruitment effort could work wonders.
Conquistador Mathieu Valeyron fell for the old mistake of believing quartz was diamonds. A humiliating discovery, but all too common. However, this was meaningless compared to what was to come. An encounter with a warlike tribe went wrong when the hostile natives brutally murdered the conquistador. Aragon had lost yet another honourable man to the natives of the New World. ((Sorry
@alscon but your character was killed off… again. EUIV is relentless with our conquistadors. I’m tempted to ignore these events entirely.))
Provence was spiralling downwards, losing now to Alsace of all nations. They would not be a problem in the future.
The Reformation was growing in northern Germany. Both Brunswick and Saxony had embraced this new heresy, with the latter being an elector. This heresy had not spread to Aragon yet, but it could not be ignored.
It became clear to Conquistador Leon that all natives of the New World undoubtedly separated their tribes based on sex. Those that didn’t were clearly the odd ones out. ((I can only conclude based on how many times this event fires that it was a common practice to make the women live separate. I can’t say no to free monarch points though.
))
The Trans-Pyrenean Trading Company approached the king in August of 1545, demanding that efforts be made to take Brakna from Jolof. King Ferran III did not see any need to start a war over greed and thus declined. He had not forgotten that the head of the TPTC, Philippe de Saint-Pierre, had been the one to call for the recognition of the new heresy.
Conquistador Leon spent winter in the presence of the people of Quito, building up good relations with the locals.
The events of August 12 shocked everyone. King Ferran III, quite a spritely man for someone in his 60s, passed away without warning. The night before the king had complained of a stomach ache and went to bed, never to wake again. Some suspected poison, although proof could not be found. Rumours spread that this was the work of the heretics, trying to remove the one man standing in their way. Others pointed to the recent denied request by the TPTC to expand further in Africa. Still others suspected some of the nobles, displeased with the king granting more and more power to the Inquisition over them. Either way, the king was dead and a new one would reign.
Presenting His Majesty, Alfons VII de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Protector of the Greeks. ((Greedy, Paranoid, Just))
The sudden passing of my father has distressed me greatly. I had spoken to him but the day before and he had seemed in perfect health. If there is indeed foul play at work here, I want it found. All those responsible must be hunted down and made to pay for their crimes!
Queen Catherine whispers something in the king’s ear. He nods in understanding and clears his throat.
What
we meant was that we do not wish our father’s death to be in vain. He had a great vision for this kingdom, one that relied on a strong dedication to the Church and the true faith. We must ensure his vision is carried out as best as we can. Now we must leave, for we must mourn our beloved father properly.
((Well that was a short update. Anyway, all ministers have until
Thursday at 9am PST to post their plans, although due to the shortness of the update I expect most plans to stay the same. You may also present laws and proposals in that time. Just a reminder to our clergy that the Inquisition may not perform an investigation this turn. Also, with the king’s death, perhaps some of you want the national focus changed from admin to something else. You’ll have to request it before the deadline if you want it changed. I’ll also be editing the colonial provinces list since we can reach the west coast of South America now.
Pensioners:
@Italianajt
Dying:
@Artistove))