Chapter 3: The Lion Purred
6th November, 1176
Ancona, Kingdom of Italy (Este)
Glorious.
I have no other words to describe the last ten years. So much has happened, I hardly know where to begin.
I am Vincennes, House Karmanos, installed as court historian after my mother's move to Cologne. I know she hates it there, but truth be told she is safer there than any place I can think of. Zeeland may be having some minor troubles with traitors from Holland, but with the might of the German alliance behind him these Hollanders will certainly be brought to heel - and well before my stepfather even needs to raise a finger to help his neighbor.
No, if you want safety than the German Empire is the sole font these days. If you want action - well then, that brings us to Italy. Yes, here anyone can prosper. Warriors will find enough work to last a lifetime, and merchants no doubt appreciate the increasing sophistication of our cities. Priests merely have to step down to Rome to find their heart's desire.
Yes, the rest of the world has its charms I make no doubt, but here you know you're alive!
Italy:
There was still one outstanding conflict when I took over, and that was Germany's ongoing campaign against Alexander III, the Pope. Due to Milan and Mantua's refusal to allow German access through their lands, it fell on the good soldiers of Este - namely us - to carry the fight home. It took the better part of three years, and I was there as town after town fell before our mighty army. The few times we did suffer defeat - we came back. I remember when we finally spotted the seven hills of Rome - and its defenders, some fifteen thousand strong to our fourteen. God may have been on their side, but tactics and strategy was on ours. We formed a wedge down their middle, tearing them asunder, and...glorious. Rome surrendered on 18 April, 1170 and the Italian Kingdom was reborn.
But the rest of Italy was not quiet. Using the self-reliance that Italy is famous for, the other cities quietly evolved, grew and established their own trading relationships. Between 1170 and 1172 Genoa, Milan, Venice, Florence and Pisa all established trading republics, leaving Mantua and ourselves the only feudal states. Fear not, they will turn back soon enough. No republic has ever lasted - just look at the Greeks, or even Rome.
After a change in government in 1171, Sicily has come back as strong as ever. However, that very year Savoie conspired to anger Provence, triggering a war. Provence had Brittany, Toulouse, England and Brittany at their backs and invaded with 18,000 men. Savoie could barely muster 1,000. Needless to say by 1173 they ceased to be an issue.
1173 saw the rise of our new ruler, Obizzo. Obizzo has great plans, but to be honest he - and I - have been extremely busy these last years. The annexations of Papal territory have gone very badly, we're constantly fighting off revolt after revolt. That's why I'm in Ancona now rather than home - and my family now lives in Rome itself. Why Rome, you may ask, and not Pisa or Florence? Well, they're just not safe right now either.
On 27 January, 1174 Friedrich Barbarossa decided to put an end to the Lombard League once and for all, declaring war on Milan, Florence, the Papacy, Pisa, Mantua, and the Crab Nebula. By the time the alliances sorted themselves out, Germany was backed by Silesia, Saxony, Zeeland, Flandres and Bohemia. All the cities stood alone. The Church, however, called on Hungary, Poland and Croatia.
The war with the Papacy ended in 1175 with Germany paying a minor indemnity, which is just as well as they would have needed to go through us to get to them. Milan wasn't so lucky though. Oh, the Milanese put up a spirited defense - they even sacked and captured Bern for a time, but in the end the Germans routed them. At one point Lord von Zahringen had seventy-five thousand soldiers sieging Milan. On 5 October 1176, Milan fell - for the second time in a generation.
Elsewhere....
* 1169-72: All Italian cities 'evolve', improving their administrative structure. Most become republics.
* 1170: Papacy canonizes Thomas a'Becket, English martyr
* 1171: Roman Empire confiscates Venetian holdings, accusing them of crimes against the state.
* 1174: Este leaves the German alliance as they attack the Italian city states.
Western Europe:
Western Europe is by no means quiet, but it is stable. If there is a leading story, it appears to be the English wars to dominate their home island. As you'll recall, in 1167 England and its alliance was at war with the Scots. This ended in 1169 with a cession of land to both the Plantagenet line as well as Brittany.
Well, the very next year Scotland decided to launch a northern campaign. This was a serious error, as most of the English troops were still in position from the last war. By 1171 Scotland and her king, William, were both no more.
England's only other problem came when the sons of Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine tried unsuccessfully to rebel against their father. Nothing came of it though, the rebellion quickly fell apart under the hooves of English destriers.
Elsewhere:
* 1167: Connacht annexes Meath, bringing them one step from uniting Ireland
* 1168: Aquitaine attacks Navarre (to little effect) triggering an ongoing war with Leon
* 1170: Aragon seriously angers the Roman Empire by marrying the princess of Castille rather than the Comnena princess - who was already en route!
* 1170: Leon creates the Order of Santiago
* 1170: England (effectively) assassinates Thomas a' Becket
* 1170: Mainz declares independence from Germany
* 1171: Henry II of England announces his plans to take Ireland for himself. Nothing comes of it so far.
* 1172: Aragon inherits (annexes) Rosello
* 1175: England annexes Wales after a brief war and attacks Aquitaine.
* 1176: After splitting up, Zeeland (with the German Alliance) attack Holland
* 1176: Munster declares independence from Saxony.
Eastern Europe:
The greatest (harshest?) news in East Europe is the utter collapse of two powerful nations.
Following the death of King Boleslav, Poland agreed to grant more power to its individual principalities. They seem to be following in the steps of Germany and Italy, for where there was one reasonably central government there are now six - Poland of course, Wielkopolska, Silesia, Gdansk, Masovia and Sandomir. These all still answer to Poland except for Silesia, who was quickly recognized by the German emperor and so declared complete rights as a sovereign nation, breaking their vassalage. Poland was not really in a position to stop them.
Poland finally emerged from its eternal war with Denmark in 1174. Historians will no doubt be curious how Denmark has held on so long despite two overwhelming alliances - the German and the Polish/Papal coalitions - completely controlling its territory. The fact two alliances were involved seems to be the point. Completely unwilling to work together, Denmark was able to pit one against the other to force concessions at the peace table. (IE- neither one alone had the war score it wanted.)
Kiev: Kiev had grown well over the past twenty years, but abruptly they fell like a house of cards. They annexed Pinsk-Turov in 1169, but this only angered Pinsk's one ally - Polotsk, who overran Kiev by 1172 and forced the transfer of large amounts of land. This pretty much ended Kiev's ambitions. They immediately imploded, and Galich and Novgorod-Severeski freed themselves. Kiev managed one last victory, destroying Chernigov in 1173 - but they lost land to Ryazan that same year, and Vladimir two years later. They are now Vladmir vassals, their fate uncertain.
Elsewhere:
* 1167: Rum Seljuks declare war on the Crusader States, destroying Antioch and Tripoli within two years.
* 1170: Saladin becomes governor of Egypt, and the Ayubbids annex the Fatimids
* 1170: Rum Seljuks annex the Danishmends
* 1172: Vladimir declares itself a Grand Duchy
Asia and Africa:
The Naimans (Nestorian Christians) managed to slow the Mongols down. Though certainly on paper the Naimans lost, giving up land to the Mongol horde - they still exist. And the Mongols haven't been back. Indeed, perhaps the Mongols are beginning to peter out. They destroyed the Kyrgiz in 1171, but in 1173 they made the mistake of attacking the Uighurs ... and their Qara-Khitai allies! Perhaps the khan has finally overextended himself?
India continues to be a mess, notable only in that Bengal, Chola, the Kakatiyas, Kalachuris, Yadayva, the Hoysala kingdom and Kalingas all destroyed and Pandyas during the Madura rebellion from the Chola. Just to the west, it seems the Ghurids are preparing to make a run for glory, declaring their interest in unifying the entire subcontinent.
Elsewhere:
* 1169: Song China (and its four allies - Annam, Nan Chao, Tibet and the Pagan Kingdom) continue to attack Jin Empire
* 1175: Chandellas annexed by Malava, and Chauhans crippled after fighting off a Malava, Mewar, Gujuarat, Chalukya alliance.
* 1176: Yemen converts to Sunnitism.
* 1176: Ghurids devastate their former masters, capturing two-thirds of Seljuk Imperial territory.
