A Genoese AAR
Some time has passed since i completed my last AAR, Who let the dogs out? A Nogai AAR. Now I decided to start another AAR, and while discussing possible countries with my brother we found that Genoa might be interesting. For a very brief time I considered having Antonio, everyones best friend
, tell the AAR, but since I don't think I could do that and keep it enjoying more then 1 page, at most, I decided not to. And doing it like my Nogai AAR would result in some rather short and repetitive updates, due to the relatively vast amount of short-lived monarchs in the Genoan monarch file...
Now some short information about this game.
DIFFICULTY
Normal/Normal
SCENARIO
Standard GC
TIME
Hopefully all the way to 1819
GOALS (more or less in order of importance)
- Keep all starting territories
- Make sure to conquer strategic provinces so that ships may travel between Genoa and Crimean possessions rather freely
- Squash Venice
- Take Tangiers (and possibly Gibraltar) and establish presence in the New World
- Take Alexandria (and Delta)
- Take Nile (and Cataract to keep route to Alexandria) and become the Big Boss in Indian Ocean
- If possible unite Italy under the great Genoan Republic
STATUS OF GENOA AT START
Techs (L/N/I/T) 1/2/2/3
Province with cores: Liguria (cap & CoT) and Corsica
Other provinces: Kaffa and Kerch
Doge: Tommaso de Campofregoso (since 1415)
Army: Army of Genoa (9000/1000)
Navy: Fleet of Genoa (5/25/5)
Let us now start the AAR, okay?
A Republic in Liguria. A Genoa AAR
It was the year 1419 AD. Genoa was allready wealthy but Doge Tommaso de Campofregoso decided that the wealth should be used to increase the efficiency of the tax collection in Liguria and Corsica. Since Genoa stood without allies the alliance of Tuscany, Athens, Siena, Modena and Papal States was joined in March. As we saw that Byzantium was at war with the Turks we gave them some monetary aid.
As we saw the distances between Crimea and Genoa we decided we needed some good ports on the way, and so we sent our army and our navy towards Sicily to wrest the island from the control of the wretched Aragonese. In March 1420 war was declared and our army began to besiege Palermo. Frightened by the Aragonese and their allies in Castile, Siena decided not to join the war. As our army was taking the cities of Sicily our navy engaged a large Aragonese fleet in the gulf of Cagliari, and the naval battle in November was a great victory.
The war progressed and in March 1421 after some additional naval battles the Aragonian fleet was sent to the bottom of the Ligurian Sea. Five months later Palermo fell to our troops. But Doge Tommaso de Campofregoso would not see the end of the war as he died in October and in the 26th day of that month Francesco Maria Sforza was elevated to the title of Doge. In that years last month a monopoly company was formed, but a few days later the Ottoman Turks took Morea.
The war progressed and we won many naval battles so the Aragonese brought in the Portuguese, but were dissapointed as a large Portuguese fleet was defeated in the Gulf of Cagliari in November 1422. In the 28th of November, a week after the victory over the Portuguese fleet Messina fell in our hand. The Aragonese now saw that they couldn't hope to win the war due to our naval superiority, so they offered peace. On the second day of December 1422 a peace treaty was signed where the Aragones gave up the island of Sicily and paid a modest tribute.
Genoan losses in the war were negligible, two galleys in the naval battles and some infantry and a few cavalrymen due to attrition. The two lost galleys were of course replaced and the tax collecting system on Sicily was improved. The following year was one of peace for most of Italy. In december Milan gained Piemonte from Savoy in peace, which was not a development we were especially fond of.
But the Duke of Athens grew tired of peace and declared war on Albania in March 1424, and we honoured our alliance and joined the war against Albania and Naples. While our army went to besiege the cities of Apulia and our navy went to show the Napolitan fleet the way to the bottom of the Mediterranean, we recieved word that the Georgians had declared war on us. Since we decided this matter could be handled by ourselves our alliance were not requested to go to war against the Georgians. To provide defense for the Crimean provinces a mercenary company of 5000 men was hired to defend Kaffa, as the terrain around Kerch didn't gave the advantage our forces needed against the considerably larger Georgian army. As such we were not surpriced to hear in December that Kerch had fallen, and we hoped the army there could repel the Georgians while we focused on more immediate matters.
In February 1425 Naples had had enough and paid tribute to the alliance, but it was not until May next year we gained a similar peace with Albania. Unfortunately had Athens by then fallen to the Albanians who had annexed the Duchy, but Siena reentered the alliance and replaced them. In June the defenders of Kaffa repelled yet another attack made by the Georgian army which numbered almost 20,000 men. They repelled many additional attacks but since we could not bring enough reinforcements they fell in December 1428 after repelling 13th attempts by the Georgians to lay siege to Kaffa.
Although we gained the service of Grand Admiral Biagio Assereto in 1429, not even he could bring the troops needed to Kaffa so in May we found ourselves forced to pay off the Georgians so we could keep Kaffa and Kerch. Nevertheless that year proved to be an exceptional year economicallly. Once again we were at peace but those who thought the peace would last were mistaken as the Pope in February 1430 declared war on Mantua. We joined our allies as Austria joined Mantua.
In July our army met an Austrian army in Modena and together with the Modenan army we annihilated the Austrians. In October Mantua fell and was annexed by Tuscany, and since the Austrians didn't want to fight the war alone the convinced Milan to join them, and a vast Austrian and Milanese army besieged Modena. Our army went north and in May 1431 we captured the city of Milan and the Austrians and Milanese panicked and moved most of their forces away from Mantua. Unfortunately the troops remaining in Mantua were still powerful enough to threaten the city but after a fierce battle, that although lost had decimated their numbers, the city where safe. The last of the besiegers were soon driven away, and as the Austrians and Milanese saw that they were losing control of the situation they begged for peace.
In November 1432 Constantinople fell to the Turks, who by some reason choose to remain in their old capital. In February the following year a center of trade had been created in Thrace and many merchants went there to trade. In april the temptation became to big and we accepted the grand tribute offered to us by the Austrians and a few months later Austria paid the rest of the alliance what remained in their coffers. Tuscany was still at war though but they controlled Tyrol and had begun a siege of Milan, while Croatians had invaded Austria from the east.
Some time has passed since i completed my last AAR, Who let the dogs out? A Nogai AAR. Now I decided to start another AAR, and while discussing possible countries with my brother we found that Genoa might be interesting. For a very brief time I considered having Antonio, everyones best friend
, tell the AAR, but since I don't think I could do that and keep it enjoying more then 1 page, at most, I decided not to. And doing it like my Nogai AAR would result in some rather short and repetitive updates, due to the relatively vast amount of short-lived monarchs in the Genoan monarch file...Now some short information about this game.
DIFFICULTY
Normal/Normal
SCENARIO
Standard GC
TIME
Hopefully all the way to 1819
GOALS (more or less in order of importance)
- Keep all starting territories
- Make sure to conquer strategic provinces so that ships may travel between Genoa and Crimean possessions rather freely
- Squash Venice
- Take Tangiers (and possibly Gibraltar) and establish presence in the New World
- Take Alexandria (and Delta)
- Take Nile (and Cataract to keep route to Alexandria) and become the Big Boss in Indian Ocean
- If possible unite Italy under the great Genoan Republic
STATUS OF GENOA AT START
Techs (L/N/I/T) 1/2/2/3
Province with cores: Liguria (cap & CoT) and Corsica
Other provinces: Kaffa and Kerch
Doge: Tommaso de Campofregoso (since 1415)
Army: Army of Genoa (9000/1000)
Navy: Fleet of Genoa (5/25/5)
Let us now start the AAR, okay?
A Republic in Liguria. A Genoa AAR
It was the year 1419 AD. Genoa was allready wealthy but Doge Tommaso de Campofregoso decided that the wealth should be used to increase the efficiency of the tax collection in Liguria and Corsica. Since Genoa stood without allies the alliance of Tuscany, Athens, Siena, Modena and Papal States was joined in March. As we saw that Byzantium was at war with the Turks we gave them some monetary aid.
As we saw the distances between Crimea and Genoa we decided we needed some good ports on the way, and so we sent our army and our navy towards Sicily to wrest the island from the control of the wretched Aragonese. In March 1420 war was declared and our army began to besiege Palermo. Frightened by the Aragonese and their allies in Castile, Siena decided not to join the war. As our army was taking the cities of Sicily our navy engaged a large Aragonese fleet in the gulf of Cagliari, and the naval battle in November was a great victory.
The war progressed and in March 1421 after some additional naval battles the Aragonian fleet was sent to the bottom of the Ligurian Sea. Five months later Palermo fell to our troops. But Doge Tommaso de Campofregoso would not see the end of the war as he died in October and in the 26th day of that month Francesco Maria Sforza was elevated to the title of Doge. In that years last month a monopoly company was formed, but a few days later the Ottoman Turks took Morea.
The war progressed and we won many naval battles so the Aragonese brought in the Portuguese, but were dissapointed as a large Portuguese fleet was defeated in the Gulf of Cagliari in November 1422. In the 28th of November, a week after the victory over the Portuguese fleet Messina fell in our hand. The Aragonese now saw that they couldn't hope to win the war due to our naval superiority, so they offered peace. On the second day of December 1422 a peace treaty was signed where the Aragones gave up the island of Sicily and paid a modest tribute.
Genoan losses in the war were negligible, two galleys in the naval battles and some infantry and a few cavalrymen due to attrition. The two lost galleys were of course replaced and the tax collecting system on Sicily was improved. The following year was one of peace for most of Italy. In december Milan gained Piemonte from Savoy in peace, which was not a development we were especially fond of.
But the Duke of Athens grew tired of peace and declared war on Albania in March 1424, and we honoured our alliance and joined the war against Albania and Naples. While our army went to besiege the cities of Apulia and our navy went to show the Napolitan fleet the way to the bottom of the Mediterranean, we recieved word that the Georgians had declared war on us. Since we decided this matter could be handled by ourselves our alliance were not requested to go to war against the Georgians. To provide defense for the Crimean provinces a mercenary company of 5000 men was hired to defend Kaffa, as the terrain around Kerch didn't gave the advantage our forces needed against the considerably larger Georgian army. As such we were not surpriced to hear in December that Kerch had fallen, and we hoped the army there could repel the Georgians while we focused on more immediate matters.
In February 1425 Naples had had enough and paid tribute to the alliance, but it was not until May next year we gained a similar peace with Albania. Unfortunately had Athens by then fallen to the Albanians who had annexed the Duchy, but Siena reentered the alliance and replaced them. In June the defenders of Kaffa repelled yet another attack made by the Georgian army which numbered almost 20,000 men. They repelled many additional attacks but since we could not bring enough reinforcements they fell in December 1428 after repelling 13th attempts by the Georgians to lay siege to Kaffa.
Although we gained the service of Grand Admiral Biagio Assereto in 1429, not even he could bring the troops needed to Kaffa so in May we found ourselves forced to pay off the Georgians so we could keep Kaffa and Kerch. Nevertheless that year proved to be an exceptional year economicallly. Once again we were at peace but those who thought the peace would last were mistaken as the Pope in February 1430 declared war on Mantua. We joined our allies as Austria joined Mantua.
In July our army met an Austrian army in Modena and together with the Modenan army we annihilated the Austrians. In October Mantua fell and was annexed by Tuscany, and since the Austrians didn't want to fight the war alone the convinced Milan to join them, and a vast Austrian and Milanese army besieged Modena. Our army went north and in May 1431 we captured the city of Milan and the Austrians and Milanese panicked and moved most of their forces away from Mantua. Unfortunately the troops remaining in Mantua were still powerful enough to threaten the city but after a fierce battle, that although lost had decimated their numbers, the city where safe. The last of the besiegers were soon driven away, and as the Austrians and Milanese saw that they were losing control of the situation they begged for peace.
In November 1432 Constantinople fell to the Turks, who by some reason choose to remain in their old capital. In February the following year a center of trade had been created in Thrace and many merchants went there to trade. In april the temptation became to big and we accepted the grand tribute offered to us by the Austrians and a few months later Austria paid the rest of the alliance what remained in their coffers. Tuscany was still at war though but they controlled Tyrol and had begun a siege of Milan, while Croatians had invaded Austria from the east.
