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Doge Day Afternoon – by the “A Team”

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Field Marshal
Dec 10, 2001
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Greetings one and all to the forum’s the latest collaborative effort. Many have you have laughed (and cried) along with Denmark: Fellowship of the Kings, and I am thrilled at the number of writers who responded to my latest “call for writers”…a full 32 people (and more, really) have expressed interest in participating in this latest venture: Venice.

To accommodate all of the interest and give everyone a fair turn, I’ve decided to run two simultaneous threads and split the writers into two teams. Somehow the terms “The A Team” and “The B Team” seem to have sprung up, but the division was done by sheer happenstance…I did an alphabetical sort of everyone’s names and then alternated between teams as I went down the list of names. Presto…two teams!

Each participant will be writing about the reign of a Doge during the 400-year Grand Campaign game. They will play for as long as the Doge is alive, then save the file and pass it on to the next Doge, and then post an installment or two (or three…) about what happened during their reign. This should make for some pretty interesting game play as you never know what your successor might do…or your predecessor for that matter. Unlike the Denmark collaborative effort, however, each player will play several Doges during Venice’s alternate history, rather than one, since there are a full 52 Doges who will chart the course of the nation through the turbulent times ahead.

I encourage everyone (both participants and interested readers) to check out both threads on an ongoing basis. It will be interesting to see what direction the individual players happen to take the nation, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see to radically different countries emerge at the end of the game.

I should also point out the obvious…that although the two threads bear my name, I am only a very small cog in a very big wheel and every author is an equal participant and is due equal credit for the success of the project. (Of course if it fails for some ungodly reason then I’ll take all of the blame…it won’t happen though!).

If you like what you’re reading then please feel welcome to post replies/comments/etc. in thread, but I’d appreciate it if we could limit the amount of OT as much as possible since it would be a daunting task to also maintain independent “text only” threads as I have been for the Denmark AAR.

Both games are being played using EU II version 1.05 with normal/normal settings and dynamic missions turned off. Players are advised that no cheats or custom leaders/monarchs/mods are to be used, and that only in the event of a CTD should they reload a game. Other than a certain degree of “fair play”, players may do as they like during their reign. The object of the game isn’t necessarily to conquer the world, but to provide some highly entertaining reading for everyone. Failure may be just as sweet as victory…

There is also supposed to be no “us against them” mentality between the two threads (though we’ll see how long our respective psychologies hold out on that one ;)) so if the two realms progress at different speeds and in different directions, that’s fine…in fact, it’s preferable so there will be more variety between the two.

Lastly, each author is completely free to choose whatever writing style happens to tickle his fancy, and is completely free to decide on the degree of accurate historical flavor (or lack thereof) that they employ. I expect that it will be quite a rollercoaster-ride as we progress.

So without further ado, we present (as soon as 1.05 is available):

Doge Day Afternoon

Note: you can find the sister thread Every Doge Has his Day right here

The “Cast”

1 Jan. 1419 - Tommaso Mocenigo - Rath Jones
4 Apr. 1423 - Francesco Foscarini - MrT
23 Oct. 1457 - Pasquale Malipiero - Shawng1
12 May 1462 - Cristoforo Moro - Timmy
2 Nov. 1471 - Nicolò Tron - Warspite (for Avocado Aguila)
28 July 1473 - Nicolò Marcello - Shawng1
1 Dec. 1474 - Pietro Mocenigo - Rath Jones
23 Feb.1476 - Andrea Vendamin - Thames
6 May 1478 - Giovanni Mocenigo - Kurtbrian
14 Nov. 1485 - Marco Barbango - Daniel McCollum
14 Aug.1486 - Agostino Barbango - Faeelin
20 Sept. 1501 - Leonardo Loredano - Carligula
22 June 1521 - Antonio Grimani - Timmy
7 May 1523 - Andrea Gritti - Daniel McCollum
29 Dec. 1539 - Pietro Lando - Alwin von Arlt
11 Nov. 1545 - Franco Donato - Prufrock451 (for Lord Joseph)
23 May 1553 - Francesco Venier - Faeelin
2 June 1556 - Laurenti Priuli - Kurtbrian
17 Aug.1559 - Girolamo Priuli - Daniel McCollum
4 Nov. 1567 - Pietro Loredan - Carligula
5 May 1570 - Alvise Mocenigo I - Rath Jones
4 June 1577 - Sebastiano Venier - Carligula
3 Mar. 1578 - Niccoló da Ponte - MacRaith
30 July 1585 - Pasquale Cicogna - Alwin von Arlt
4 Apr. 1595 - Marino Grimani - Shawng1
25 Dec. 1605 - Leonardo Loredano II - Secret Master
16 July 1612 - Marco Memo - (Lord Joseph)
31 Oct. 1615 - Giovanni Bembo - Vandelay
16 Mar. 1618 - Niccoló Donato - MrT
9 May 1618 - Antonio Priulo - Timmy
12 Aug.1623 - Franco Centurioni - (Lord Joseph)
6 Dec. 1624 - Giovanni Cornari I - Vandelay
23 Dec. 1629 - Niccoló Centurioni - MacRaith
2 Apr. 1631 - Franco Erizzo - (Lord Joseph)
3 Jan. 1646 - Franco Molino - Thames
27 Feb.1655 - Carlo Contarini - Kurtbrian
1 May 1656 - Franco Cornello - MrT
5 June 1656 - Bertuccio Valiero - Alwin von Arlt
29 Mar. 1658 - Giovanni Pesaro - Secret Master
30 Sept. 1659 - Domenic Contarini - Thames
26 Jan. 1675 - Niccoló Sagredo - Barkdreg
14 Aug.1676 - Alvise Contarini - Faeelin
15 Jan. 1684 - Marco Giustiniani - MacRaith
23 Mar. 1688 - Franco Morosini - Avocado Aguila
6 Jan. 1694 - Sylvester Valiero - Secret Master
7 July 1700 - Alvise Mocenigo II - Vandelay
6 May 1709 - Giovanni Cornari II - MacRaith
12 Aug.1722 - Alvise Mocenigo III - Avocado Aguila
21 May 1732 - Carlo Ruzzini - Faeelin
5 Jan. 1735 - Alvise Pisani - Barkdreg
17 June 1741 - Pietro Grimani - Rath Jones
7 Mar. 1752 - Franco Loredano - Barkdreg
19 May 1762 - Marco Foscari - Daniel McCollum
31 Mar. 1763 - Alvise Mocenigo IV - Kurtbrian
31 Dec. 1778 - Paulo Rainiero - Secret Master
18 Feb.1789 - Luigi Manin - Carligula
12 May 1789 - Mystery Doge - MrT
 
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It begins...

The day I was elected Doge was a turning point in the history of the great republic. For, though no one knew it yet, I was to be the one who would lead Venice into its golden age. I write this now for posterity, that they may understand what happened during the early days of my reign, before I took the throne as monarch of the greatest city in the world. The realm I began with was thus: We leaned slightly towards the aristocracy, and were even more decentralized. We were narrow-minded rather than innovative, and we were without question a mercantile nation. Our military was very focused, both defensively, and with the navy as a priority. The freedom of the peasantry was no more or less than any other country, and our financial state was very good. Our treasury stood at 500,000 ducats, we had many merchants ready to bring money back to their money city, even a few souls willing to colonize great distances for us, and a small, but efficient diplomatic corps. The army was divided into two groups. The 1st army, under the command of Argenta, and consisting of 8000 infantry, and 4000 cavalry was the primary fighting arm. The smaller support army, under the name of a colonel who escapes me now, had 2000 infantry assigned to it, 1000 cavalry, and the priceless siege cannons, unfortunately only 3 in number. We were stable as well, though not as stable as possible, the Venetian people obviously had faith in our nation even given the current state of war.

I inherited from my successor, a war with the nations of Hungary and Croatia, with the latter nominal leader of the alliance. I knew that it would not be long before their combined armies swept over the border, however I was not especially concerned over the provinces of Dalmatia and Istria, as both were well fortified and supplied. And given that both were landlocked nations, our possessions in the Mediterranean Sea were quite safe. As you can see, the state of Venice was ripe for my plans. I had visions then, by God did I have them. I would be the unifier; I would bring the entire Italian peninsula under our banner, under my banner. Then I would be king. Not just of Venice, but of Italy itself.

The early part of the year was eventful, though not as eventful as some of the later years would be. It began with my steps to centralize the government; I was not going to rule a country that would not heed my authority. And on February fifth, I began it. I began the great Italian unification with my declaration of war on Mantua. By the twenty-first of that month, the city of Mantua itself was under siege. The pitiful fools didn’t even bother to raise a field army, they knew it was pointless to resist us, to resist me. Shortly thereafter the support army moved in to reinforce the small siege force left behind by the 1st army as it returned to Venice. It was necessary to split the army, because I knew that their experience would be necessary to train the new recruits I had commissioned. Two thousand infantry and eight thousand cavalry aren’t just trained on their own. Later that year, Early April, I commissioned a few more recruits, about two thousand more infantry, and one thousand more cavalry.

However the majority of these young men began training knowing that they would be part of a victorious army. For in late July of 1419, Mantua surrendered to our forces, and we annexed their lands, adding them to Venice proper.

The reason for these recruitment drives was twofold. There was the more pressing issue of the Hungarian and Croatian armies laying waste too our provinces to the southeast, and the more farsighted view that these men would form the core of our Italian expeditionary force. Insofar as the invading armies are concerned, our lack of appearance on the battlefield just showed our spinelessness, and hordes of enemy troops poured over the border besieging Istria, and then later Dalmatia. What the enemy commanders failed to account for was that the land around the cities had been stripped of food, and the large allied army around Trieste would suffer massive casualties due to hunger and disease. Over the course of the sieges over twenty-three thousand Hungarian and Croatian troops would die, not a single on in combat. It was these losses which eventually forced the Croatian government to sue for peace in November, and when we agreed to a return to the status quo, the took their Hungarian Allies with them.

I would not be Venetian if I did not mention the economy during this period. I had, throughout the year, encouraged the merchant houses of Venice to both secure our own domestic trade, and make impressions in other markets as well. However, not all had gone as I planned. Although we made impressions in the markets of both Tago and Genoa, we were unable to hold a monopoly position within our own city. Despite repeated efforts, their seemed to be an almost concerted effort by the various foreign merchants to keep us in check. Also on the economic front, I saw to the commissioning of tax collecting agencies in Venice, Crete, and Mantua after its decision to join our great republic.

Up until this point, I believed everything to be going according to plan. The first of the Italian states had bowed before me, and I was eyeing the peninsula for another ripe conquest. However, on the morning of the first of December, there was a great commotion down on the docks. One I could hear from even my residence. Irritated, but curious, I rose and ordered a servant to find out what was going on. Little did I know, that this would change the fate of Venice…

From the memoirs of Doge Tommaso Mocenigo, written in 1421 (unfinished).
 
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Yes! Yes!

At last!!!

*Eagerly awating the continued story of the A-team* :D
 
Yipee. Smart move (if I do say so myself ;)) ignore the vast Hungarian and small Croatian armies pouring over the border and...DOW Mantua! Classic. It's fun watching them all starve and I love it when a plan comes together.

Damn, I hope that the B-Team doesn't read about your brilliant strategy before Rictus has lost his entire army fighting Hungarians. :D

Now what's all this about a commotion down by the docks?
 
Now what's all this about a commotion down by the docks?
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Some hotlookin´ slave-girls fresh off the Galleys of Kaffa???

Wow! It took us a few months to get our first annexation - wonder what our BB will be by the time of Giovanni Bembo??

Excellent start RJ - Mocenigo crushes the Gonzagas of Mantua!!!

/Vandelay
 
thames,

I could almost see the ever-cryptic Ambassador Kosh Veranek of the Vorlon Empire rounding the corner and saying "And so it begins" with your post.

Kosh was always good for lines you didn't understand until 20 episodes later.

Man I miss Babylon 5, the best TV show ever written, period. Definitely the best written sci-fi.
 
I can just see the White bearded old pope saying to his advisors:
"They are coming" followed by the roll of Venetian drums (in the deep):p
 
Damn, I hope that the B-Team doesn't read about your brilliant strategy before Rictus has lost his entire army fighting Hungarians.
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Psssst!! Rictus! I think you should leave the Hungarians to get on with it mate. Try going after Mantua or something first...

Oh, hang on, I'm in the wrong bloody thread! Sorry, must have taken a wrong turn somewhere...

ahem

Shuffles off, whistling innocently. Spying? who, me?

;)
 
HAH! They fell for it! :D:D:D

Okay RJ. Now you can post the real first instalment where you beat back the Hungarians and Croations, vassalizing them both in the first 12 months...
 
Confusion and Distrust

March 6th, 1420

We finally arrived in Crete today, by God that was a long voyage, and it will not be the last. I have given orders that once all the men are offloaded, they will be given five days before the invasion army once again tromps aboard the transports and galleys. All told we will be setting sail with the entire Venetian fleet five warships, 25 galleys, and five transports, all under the command of the illustrious admiral. We will be setting sail to a corner of the Mediterranean that is in a very precarious position, and needs the strong hand of Venice to make certain it is not lost. Cyprus is a beautiful Island, as beautiful as this one, which I look at the rolling hills of, as I write this journal. How beautiful will it be, once my army descends on it, to make war, and spill the blood of their men. But that is beyond me, I have my orders, to fail them risks my very soul. There must be a shield, a shield only we can provide.

I wonder what Mocenigo thinks of all this, I imagine there will be droves of ships countermanding my actions, and attempts to relieve me of my command. But the Doge is a fool, we soldiers know the truth of the matter. We know that death is certain, and what comes after is most important. If his works are going as planned, then the first of several state gifts should have made its way to the Austrian Court, for all the good it will do him. The Germans have never understood us, that is why it falls to ask to do this task. I imagine he is still having screaming fits about the “conspiracy” as he calls it to keep Venetian merchants from regaining the monopoly of our domestic trade, despite the money and people he keeps throwing at the problem.

I will probably be known as a traitor one day, but what are the words of men.

June 8th, 1420

We won a great victory yesterday, with very little loss. For reasons I can’t determine, the defenders waited until we had completely disembarked from the ships before taking the field against us. I assume there must have been a reason, but it didn’t matter, they were outnumbered four to one. The bulk of our infantry was held in the center all eleven thousand, and I personally commanded that. Each wing consisted of around six thousand four hundred cavalry. The battle raged only a single afternoon, but the carnage was incredible.

When they finally took the field against us we realized with shock, that we were to be butchers this day. The enemy had only five thousand infantry, and a thousand cavalry. I ordered the center to advance slowly, while the cavalry on the wings was to move around to ensure there would be no escape. If there was one thing enemy was not, it was cautious. They advanced directly into our center, as if hoping to cut through in a single charge. Spirit they had, but not equal numbers or skill. The ground ran with blood, as our center simply absorbed their charge, and acted as the anvil, for the hammering of the cavalry. After a time, I forced myself to look away from the battle, for it was simply a slaughter now. Their army died to a man, we had relatively little casualties.

Today I set about planning the siege. As per standing doctrine, I will leave a smaller siege army here, and then once the main army is transported back to Crete, Ill have the support army shipped over to add their mighty cannons to the siege. The sooner this is over the better, I don’t want to string of Venetian armies all over the eastern Mediterranean. I wonder how great Venice fairs. For surely by now some word has gone out against that we make war against Cyprus, their allies will most likely follow them into battle. Though, the knights of Rhodes are the only ones that concern me, since Serbia has no conceivable way of reaching any Venetian holding.

December 5th, 1420

I am once again back on that beautiful Island, once again in that perfect meadow. I await the dispatches from the garrison commanders of the various cities of the republic. Since the Doge is no longer providing me with accurate information, I need to know where our enemies are. I am sure my next battle will be against the knights of Rhodes, there have been naval skirmishes with them over the past months, always our victory, but never a decisive one. It is worrisome, being handicapped like this.

I can only imagine what the Doge is doing. He is probably working very hard to convince everyone that this war is all his doing, some masterstroke of intelligent warfare. No one will be fooled, the Doge probably continues his little diplomatic games, trying to befriend Austria, as if they care. Or screaming at the merchants because they can't hold the monopoly in Venice, poor leadership abilites make you blind to many things. Thank God for those who see clearly, some are looking out for the Republic.

Diary of general Luciano Argenta, selected entries.
 
Originally posted by shawng1
thames,

I could almost see the ever-cryptic Ambassador Kosh Veranek of the Vorlon Empire rounding the corner and saying "And so it begins" with your post.

Kosh was always good for lines you didn't understand until 20 episodes later.

Man I miss Babylon 5, the best TV show ever written, period. Definitely the best written sci-fi.
Click to expand...
This is horribly OT, but yes, I miss B5 as well…
 
An army on the march

Dear sister,

It has been so long since I last wrote to you. Much has happened in my own life, it is a life that seems more and more bound with the fate of Argenta, commander of the Venetian army. I was part of his honor guard during the battle; no I will not call it battle. I was part of his honor guard during the slaughter of Cyprus, and since then he has shown me favor, and I have been given positions of responsibility and honor. When we boarded the ships for a second time in February, no one but the ship captains, and a few officers knew our destination. We knew only that wherever we went, it would be to lay low the enemies of Venice. Over the course of the voyage, there was several naval actions that I was witness to, not that the Rhodesians pitiful fleet could match ours. All told, they lost perhaps 8 galleys, while we lost but one. Their efforts failed to hinder us, and it became evident in late April that our destination was Ionia, where a Rhodesian army was encamped and laying waste to the region.

We landed on May 12th, and were harassed by the Knights forces from the outset. Over the next week we engaged the enemy in 4 major battles, and perhaps a dozen skirmishes. We had the advantage from the beginning though. As our army consisted of ten times as much cavalry as the Rhodesians, so once again, mobility was our card. As a lieutenant in charge of coordinating the various attacks, I can assure you, that the way it ended up was inevitable. Think of our cavalry as a foil, which darts in and out, touching and humiliating your opponent into fury, which causes him to make the mistake that turns the duel in your favor. That was exactly the strategy we used, our cavalry hounded and pursued them until they had no choice but to stand and face our army on the field of battle. As with Cyprus, these men never had a chance. Our main infantry body outnumbered their entire army. I will not speak of what happened there, only to say that perhaps the flag of Venice is stained with too much blood.

What happened next seemed logical at the time, but looking back I wonder if we were all possessed with certain madness. On the eve of our victory over the Rhodesians, it was announced that we would be marching into the Ducky of Athens, to bring war to the enemies of the Republic. Needless to say there was a great deal of grumbling that night, but no ones questioned it. We had grown to trust our leaders. This army was veteran, and it showed. Being a bit more educated than those around me I wondered what this might mean for Venice. The Duchy of Athens was a vassal of Tuscany, and the two of them were part of an alliance that included Siena and Ragusa. Surely that last state had something to do with it. The politicians have always felt Ragusa should be brought under Venetian rule, and now they were starting a war to make it so. Convinced of this, but aware of my duty, I went to bed.

On June 9th we met the brave Athenians in battle, and that day I learned of Greek prowess. Though outnumbered three to one, they fought as hard as the ancient hoplites must have. But it was to no avail, not even the naturally mountainous terrain of the homeland could help them. Early in the day they kept themselves in a defensive posture, making it hard for us to even determine the size of their army. They successfully managed to route the right wing under Latisina, and the army was forced to fall back. However, they grew overconfident and attempted to capitalize on our retreat. It was then our cavalry struck; seven thousand horse simply destroyed the brave Athenians. Thank goodness that commander Argenta had held back the cavalry knowing that it would be useless in the hill fighting, this was where it excelled. The enemy was strung out, and mostly infantry. The funeral pyres were bright that night.

You should have seen how shocked I was when I was promoted yesterday. I have been jumped to colonel, and am now in command of the siege force surrounding Athens. Apparently Latisina was supposed to take command, but he died during the retreat from his position. I am so proud of my men, the city looks formidable, but there is a division of engineers here, and I am confident we can take the city quickly. The rest of the army is on the march again. Commander Argenta is taking the ten thousand strong “core” army and heading to lay siege to Ragusa, via Ionia, and the Venetian fleet. I have given this letter to an aide of commander Argenta’s, he has assured me that he will see it delivered. Be well, and know I am safe.

Your brother,
Lorenzo

This letter is dated as having been written in june 1421, by the commander of the Venetian army at the siege of Athens. Historically this siege lasted from early June to mid-November. The fate of the army that sailed to Ragusa under the auspicous Argenta, and the events that followed are stil open to historical debate. It is an accepted fact that the siege of Ragusa began in mid august, after the brutal defeat of the Ragusan navy just off the coast. It's what happened during the siege, and the following months that has created one of history's controversies...

"The Mocenigo Question." By Franklin George, London intitute of history, published 1973, care of Mr T. Publishing, the letter is a copy of one held in the Venetian museum of history, and was used with full permission by the museums board.
 
A quick question for you. Are you creating vassals or just annexing the countries your conquering? Great start.

Joe
 
shhh, don't make them think about it Storey. ;) The only nation we went to war with and annexed so far is Mantua, the rest are still...pending. It'll all be wrapped up in the last post, which barring my head exploding...tommorow.

RJ
 
To accurately speak of the events surrounding the death of Doge Tommaso Mocenigo, you have to understand the state of the Venetian nation both during, and in the months before the event in question. Since May of 1421, we had been engaged in a war against one of the Italian Alliances. This Alliance consisted of Tuscany, Siena, The Duchy of Athens, and Ragusa. The reasons for the beginning of this war were unclear, save that it had begun, and our army was soon laying siege to the city of Athens itself. Within half a year, the Venetian Army, and Diplomatic Corps had thinned out the enemies of our state incredibly. We reached Status Quo agreements with Tuscany and Siena during the same month that the greater portion of our field army, consisting some nine thousand men, began to lay siege un-apposed, to the capital of the small state of Ragusa.

We received word then a few months later that Athens had fallen, and the Duchy territory itself was under our complete control. The next year or so was uneventful, save that the two sieges continued, that is correct, two. For although this fact is conveniently forgotten by many historians, the island of Cyprus had been under siege by a portion of the Venetian army since early June of 1420, this made the achievements of the army all the more amazing. This was also the reason for the continued naval conflicts between the Knights of Rhodes and our own fleet, which although irritating, affected our sea traffic only minimally.

Also during this period small groups of Ragusan patriots were responsible for disruptions and acts of destruction all throughout the continental Republic, this was only ended after the fall of their province. However, it is in Dalmatia that our story begins, for that is where after the late December fall of Ragusa to the formidable commander Argenta, that the Venetian army crushed the remaining Ragusan survivors. For it was on the border of our province of Dalmatia and their soon to be former nation that they signed over their country to our enlightened rule.

However, it is important to note, that all of the Ragusan delegates will agree that Commander Argenta was not present at the signing, nor was he in the Venetian encampment at all. All across the Republic things were things were improving. The money paid by the Ragusan government in tribute was, when combined with the treasury gain from a sale of offices, enough to fund tax collectors of a higher caliber in all remaining provinces of the Republic. It should also be known, that just prior to the vasselization of the small state, that its former ally, the Duchy of Athens, had been dissolved, and added directly to great Venice. Why did the doge choose only vassalize one and not the other? Finance I imagine. In the government it all comes down to finance. And the astronomical 400,000+ Ducats offered by the Ragusan government for their autonomy was probably enough to send the Doge’s head spinning. There was one question though in all of this. Where was the great commander? Was he back to see the never-ending siege of Cyprus? Was he returning at the head of his army? Was he dead? All these are questions that I personally know the truth of, despite those who would say I lie.

Perhaps I should explain just who I am, that will lend some credence to my explanation of the events. I am, or rather I was, personal secretary to the Doge himself. And I have during these years of his reign, learned much about him insofar as his personality, and his view of the world. The Doge has never been, so to speak, in a normal frame of mind. He has, many times, called Venice his own. He has also taken to calling it his Kingdom, and Venice his personal fief. His growing instability has been worrying me, but nothing more than the paranoia and the eccentricity. His paranoia has grown more and more sever, he now sees an alliance of nations headed by the pope as being set against him in his campaign to rule Italy. This paranoia has not been succored by the fact that commander Argenta has continually ignored the missives sent by the Doge ordering his army back to Venice. In fact, the commander has often just sent us messages of what he is doing, and the Doge has had to scramble to make it look like his will. Doge Mocenigo is certain that Argenta is taking orders from the Pope. Why else did we enter the Ragusan war? The Pope was obviously trying to maintain a stranglehold on Italy, a stranglehold that our Doge believes only he had the right to. Then there is his growing eccentricity. It has manifested itself in the way he dresses, the way he conducts himself, and the way he speaks. He has taken to wearing a jeweled crown, treating the senate as his personal court, and he has begun to use a royal “we”.

All this came to a head in early April of 1423, on the third of the month; a day that was the last Doge Mocenigo would reign, or live. The residence was strangely empty today, and I awakened naturally as opposed to being wakened by a servant knocking with my breakfast. This was a curious thing, so I began to explore the halls, to see what might be amiss. I searched for perhaps an hour in the servant’s quarters and the main areas before it hit me. There was no one here, not a single soul. Instantly I knew I had to ascertain whether the Doge knew about this problem. I headed towards the bedroom he was currently using, when I heard voices from one of the large balconies on the third floor. I crept as close as I could, first hearing the voices, then seeing what was going on. I saw two men, both standing a few feet from the railing, opposite each other, the tension obvious from the way they stood. I nearly gasped, one was his lordship the Doge, the other was, Commander Argenta. I began to focus on what they were saying, knowing it was important.

“…Gives you no right to disobey my orders. I care not what oath you swore to that papist dog. You swore an oath to Venice!” The Doge was livid, he was almost spitting his words.

“That is true.” The Commander said, not bothering to justify anything, nor clarify.

“What were you thinking? You idiot! The island of Cyprus is still under siege, you’ve aided our greatest enemies on the peninsula, and you’ve killed thousands of Venetian men.” The Doge stalked forward, and with each word came closer and closer to the military leader.”

“I do as I am ordered my lord.” Argenta said, still in that even monotone.

“Your majesty! You forget yourself, I am King of Venice!” The Doge’s eyes had become a little wild.

“No my lord you are not. In fact you are no longer even Doge.” Commander Argenta did not seem unhappy about that fact.

“What!” It finally seemed to sink in to the Doge. “You weren’t taking orders from the Pope.” He said weakly.

The Commander just blinked once or twice, for the first time he seemed surprised. “The Pope?” He muttered. Then his voice grew in strength. “By acclamation, you are no longer Doge of Venice, Tommaso Mocenigo. You will leave this residence immediately.”

“I will not!” The Doge, who had seemed to calm somewhat jumped back from the Commander, dangerously close to the railing of the balcony. “I know who it was who did this.” He hissed, it was that bastard Foscarini and his party!”

“Who it was is not the issue.” Argenta said, stepping forward.

“No, I am King of Venice!” The Doge screamed, tears streaming down his face now. “No one can vote me out!”

I watched in horror, not making a sound. Somehow I knew what was going to happen, I could feel it, yet I felt compelled to keep watching.

Commander Argenta stepped forward again, this time reaching out his hand. “Come on Tommaso, it is time to go.”

“No! Guards!” The Doge screamed turning to run. Unfortunately there was nowhere left to go. The violent energy of his turn, and force with which he propelled himself forward made stopping himself impossible. And I watched, helpless as the former Doge, and self-styled King of Venice topple over the railing and hit the stone below with a sickening crunch.

From my hidden place, I saw the Commander turn, and go leave. He stopped and looked into the shadows where I hid. “I obey the senate." He said. “They are the true voice of Venice, not the man elected to be their puppet.” Then he swiftly walked out of site. I huddled there for a long time. How long I don’t know, but after some time had passed, I realized that I had to go, and further, that this must be recorded so all know the truth.

Unknown author, written in 1426, questionable veracity. Translated by Randall Houston.

This Doge's day has passed, I await the next.
 
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