1482-1487 – Peace & Quiet?
The murder of Alfons VI was a shock to the kingdom, although perhaps not as much as it should be to some as talks of a feast spread through the kingdom while the body was still warm. Ferran, now King Ferran II, had not gotten on well with his brother at times, but Alfons did not deserve such a fate. He didn’t let it distract him from his duties though. One of his first acts as king was to order the construction of four regiments worth of artillery to be added to the army, as well as the beginning of replacing the mercenaries in the army. Extra infantry were recruited as well to bolster the army in Africa. Much to the King’s annoyance, he had to go over his Marshal’s head just to get it done. Marshal Carlos de Leon was stuck in his ways and believed that the army as it had been formed decades ago could still work. After a few choice words between the two, Ferran fired the Marshal and took up the position himself. ((Sorry about that
@zenphoenix, but since you’re going away for a while and didn’t update the plan, I had to take action.))
At the end of November of 1482, the Inquisitor that had been hired by the Crown died under mysterious circumstances. With his loss, the Inquisition took a hard hit. He had been instrumental in converting heretics and heathens, and without him it seemed an impossible task. Not wanting to waste money throwing it away for nothing, Ferran cancelled all funding to the Inquisition’s efforts in Athens until such a time as any real results could be accomplished.
As per Treasurer Manuel de Vivar y Sastre’s plan, a theologian was found to take his place. His replacement, a pious man known as Zaydan Sellami, took a strict approach to religion. He believed that matters of faith should be handled solely by the clergy and nobles, while the lower class be forbidden to read the bible. Ferran did his best not to voice his opinion on the matter, although it was clear that the King did not approve of the man or his ideas.
Yet another Castilian spy was caught at the end of the year, this time in Barcelona. It was clear that the Castilians wanted a conflict, but yet they refused to act.
In April of 1483, Hungary finally caved and accepted a peace with France, cutting all ties with England and paying a hefty indemnity. This wonderful news was met with the unfortunate one of England signing an alliance with Castile. It seemed that both had decided that they could work together against their mutual enemies. The beast that was Castile loomed overhead, patiently growing and waiting. Knowing that Aragon would need every man it could get for the army, Ferran increased recruitment efforts in Tarragona, Barcelona, and Teruel.
With the diplomatic scene quite quiet at the moment, Ferran granted Diplomat Marcin Bażyński permission to return to Poland and campaign for Ferran’s distant cousin, Henryk de Trastámara, to be the next king of Poland. The elective monarchy of Poland seemed a strange system, but if it put a Trastámara on the throne, how could the King complain?
A year dragged on without much in the way of major events. Then finally in April of 1484, England settled a peace. France took most of England’s continental provinces and forced it to give up its Irish vassal. Of most importance to Aragon was the French’s insistence that the alliance with Castile be broken. That surely benefited Aragon in the long run.
The Greeks sent yet another marriage proposal in May of 1484, this time to Ferran’s cousin Henryk. They must have learned of the Crown’s efforts to make him king of Poland and pounced on the opportunity. Ferran was skeptical of the constant attempts by the Greeks to tie themselves into the Trastámara line, but he still allowed the marriage to go ahead.
A new trend started to take place in Aragon. Guilds had traditionally controlled various trades throughout the kingdom, monopolizing the production of specific goods. Now individuals, in an attempt to bypass these restrictions, were opening their own workshops and producing goods independent of the guilds. This was already paying off as production of wool-based goods skyrocketed.
It was well known that King Ferran did not care for religious affairs. Despite this, he always listened to sage advice of Cardinal Fernando de Vascona. The man was practically an institution within himself, having served Aragon for almost four decades. While always advocating for a strong Church presence throughout Aragon, he also took efforts to strengthen the king’s power. He rightly saw that the king was most capable of carrying out religious policies in the kingdom, with the Church having limited scope outside the Papal State. Despite Ferran’s somewhat cynical view on religion, the Cardinal still pushed for greater power for the king. This antagonized some of the nobles, especially the minor ones who lived in counties controlled by King Ferran. They banded together and rose up to stop this centralization effort. King Ferran crushed the rebellions without mercy. The traitors were stretched on the rack and then hanged in a public execution to show what happened to those who disobeyed the King or his trusted advisors.
With the focus on naval strength and the navy at its height, shipyards were being built across the kingdom. Despite this, the King ordered the main fleet be mothballed until war seemed imminent. The kingdom had to recover its finances for a time. Perhaps one day it would do as well as Lucca, who had just managed to conquer Mantua.
This soon proved impossible as it was discovered that Orthodox rebels had risen up in Greece and had already taken Macedonia and Edirne, and were in the process of besieging Constantinople. Ferran, feeling that it was his duty as Protector of the Greeks to aid Byzantium, ordered the fleet to be taken out of the mothballs and the armies in Valencia and Fez to be shipped to Greece.
In July of 1485, the combined forces of the Valencian and Athenian armies banded together under General Luigi Castelozzi’s command. Some Orthodox rebels had split off and gone after Skopje. With superior numbers, the Aragonese troops had no problem dispatching the rebels. Skopje was quickly reclaimed and the armies moved into Macedonia and Edirne. General Castelozzi focused on reclaiming Macedonia, while General Stefano von Thun led the siege on Edirne until General Sebastián de Loarre arrived from Africa to take over. Macedonia fell first and the three armies combined in Edirne.
It was a race to see who could take their province first. The Aragonese army did their best to reclaim Edirne, but Constantinople could not hold out. It fell to the rebels, but at least now the rebels had nowhere to go but back to Edirne or to stay in Constantinople. The rebels, fearing the inevitable Aragonese attack and wanting to return the Greeks to the Orthodox faith, chose the former. They launched an attack on Edirne, a dangerous attack. This gave the Aragonese the opportunity to test out their new artillery. Entire waves of infantry were plowed down by artillery fire. With the enemy eliminated, the armies split to liberate Constantinople and Edirne.
With the great success of artillery, Ferran recruited one Didac Gil de Biedma, a supposed expert of the new weapons. He spent plenty of time training troops in their use, greatly boosting their morale as they learned to use these newfangled cannons.
A woman who dubbed herself Catherine of Aragon presented herself at court as a potential diplomat for the Crown. Admittedly, Ferran was not bothered that she was a woman, although many at court thought it scandalous that a woman was doing men’s work. Ferran was more off-put by the woman’s proposed pay and that her resume was composed entirely of diplomatic efforts made with the hated English. The King demanded she leave court, not wanting an English-lover working for him at court, no matter their gender.
Edirne was liberated in late 1486 and the army under the command of General Castelozzi was ordered back to Valencia. Constantinople had yet to fall. Then a French envoy arrived at court. He brought word that France had started a war with Brittany and requested Aragon’s help. Burgundy and Savoy had already come to Brittany’s aid. With Savoy plagued by rebels, it seemed unlikely that either Brittany or Burgundy could prove a threat. Nevertheless, Ferran decided it was best to consult his court on the matter. Everyone was so tired of war and deserved a say.
((Here comes the spam!))
Presenting His Majesty, Ferran II de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Naples, and Protector of the Greeks.
I had hoped that the last few years would be peaceful, and perhaps they have been in part. The remaining Orthodox holdouts in Greece have been quite the pain, but it is our duty to look out for our Greek brethren, for we would be pathetic protectors if we let them succumb to rebels. Now we have the French asking us to join another war. I suspect this one to be even easier than the English one, since France can reach all its opponents. I suggest we aid them, if only minimally. I shall consult you all later on that. Our new theologian has also presented me with some religious laws he wants enforced, but those will have to be debated amongst us as well. I’m not sure of their use, but I’m not the religious expert. For now, let us enjoy each other’s company. Perhaps now would be a good time for a feast.
((Okay, same drill as always. All the ministers have until
Wednesday at 9am PST to post their plans or state that they’re keeping them the same. I know that we have some votes to conduct, but those shall wait until after that deadline. Feel free to propose any legislation before the deadline too.
Also, I’m going to start warning people once their characters hit 80 that they might want to consider moving onto a new character, otherwise I will have to intervene and kill them myself at 100. At the moment only
@Attalus and
@Tzuf23 have characters over 80, but there are a few in their 70s. Remember to keep your character’s age in mind.))