1523-1525 – An Unexpected Surprise
Tuscany had called for aid against the Papal State and Aragon answered. Army maintenance was ramped up to full and the main fleet taken out of the mothballs. Even as this was all going on, drastic changes were occurring for trade. Grandmaster Maxime de Saint-Pierre shifted the focus of Aragon’s trade resources into the eastern Mediterranean to siphon trade away from Venice. While no one doubted the man’s skills, some questioned his intentions. With the Crown focused on the eastern Mediterranean, the Trans-Pyrenean Trading Company would surely be free to dominate elsewhere.
Even with a war going on, the matter of the marriage of the King’s heir had to be dealt with. The Medici family in Florence had sent an offer to King Ferran III to marry the young Catherine de Medici ((not the historical one that married the king of France, but a made up one)) to Prince Alfons. While the idea of marrying a royal to someone who wasn’t even of noble blood was somewhat scandalous, the Medici family was influential in Tuscany and the marriage would strengthen ties with Aragon’s newest ally. The dowry that was included was an added bonus. The Court seemed to be mostly in favour of the match for various reasons. The marriage was thus arranged between Prince Alfons and Catherine de Medici.
The dowry from the heir’s marriage was soon put to good use. While the King could have hoarded the gold, he instead put it towards the betterment of the kingdom. He personally funded a shipyard in Sassari and marketplaces in Tarragona and Napoli. The kingdom would surely benefit from these.
With all those matters dealt with, there was a war to wage. King Ferran III waited until the next month to give his answer, wanting to give the army and navy time to prepare. The forts in Napoli, Girona, and Navarra were manned. Aragon was now at war.
Aragon soon found itself pressed early on in the war. The Papal army, instead of focusing on Tuscany, moved into Abruzzi first and then went on to Napoli. The army in Napoli was only half the size of the Papal one, so it was forced to retreat south or face defeat. Napoli was under siege and could not be liberated until men were shipped over from Iberia.
Over in Byzantium, the first Polish-Lithuanian troops appeared. The army in Athens was sent to aid the Greeks to help them fend off the invasion. The Polish and Lithuanians faced horrendous casualties, but Aragon did not have the manpower to spare. Every battle was going to hurt.
Over in Italy, Tuscany proved its worth as an ally by marching south and attacking the Papal army in Napoli. General Stefano von Thun coordinated with the Tuscans in a successful offensive against the Papal army, driving them from Naples. The army then marched on Rome and was later reinforced by a second army from Iberia.
Despite the victory in the Balkans, the Polish and Lithuanians had much more men to throw at their enemies. A Lithuanian army caught the Greek and Aragonese forces before they could retreat south. What followed was a humiliating retreat to Athens. It seemed that without reinforcements, Byzantium could not be defended. Victory in Italy would have to be achieved before the Greeks fell. In some good news, Genoa was attacked by Savoy, drawing some of their attention away from Tuscany’s war.
The discovery of the New World had been an exciting event. Explorers were bringing back maps and charts of new lands and people delighted at the oddities being brought back. However, when it came time to put their money where they mouth was, many failed to do so. Very few at court seemed eager to fund an expedition to this new continent, other than the elderly Andrés Iglesia y Maig y Niño who thought it was a good idea to claim land right in the middle of Castile’s colonial territory. Everyone seemed more interested in Africa, where the land could be easily reached, better defended, and there were fewer unknowns. The King decided to intercede this time. He personally called for an expedition to Alagoas, hoping that it would spark off a colonizing effort in the future.
Things in Italy were still quite turbulent. Even though Tuscany had managed to occupy all but Roma, the enemy kept on fighting. Genoa managed to sneak an army down south into Napoli. A Swiss army had made a go at Firenze, but the French had intervened. A Polish army was also in the area and went to Switzerland’s aid. The battle was much more heavily contested now. Fearing a French loss, which would greatly threaten the war effort in Italy, von Thun marched north with his army to provide aid. Losses on both sides were staggering, but the enemy was repelled for now.
It was clear by now that another army could not be dispatched to pacify Africa. The local garrison was instead instructed to take extra efforts to suppress any potential rebellions. The locals faced harsh treatment for some time, but at least they’d be kept in line.
A new trade route was developing due to a growing presence in the New World. Plantations were popping up in the Americas and slaves were needed to work those plantations. This in turn provided materials for Europe to manufacture into goods to sell to Africa, resulting in what was called the Triangle Trade.
The final army in Iberia was shipped over to Italy. An offensive against the Genoan army in Napoli was planned. The army heading over from Iberia led by General Francesc Gabriel Gerard Miquel Bernat de Loarre would launch a naval invasion just as General En Alfonso Narzis de Montcada attacked from Rome. General von Thun would be tasked with ensuring the siege of Rome continued on.
Two things soon arose to complicate matters. The Papal army tied up Tuscany’s forces, preventing reinforcements this time. The second was that the Papal navy made a suicidal attempt to block Aragon’s fleet. Both proved mere distractions at first, as the enemy was soundly defeated. Complications soon arose though as the army that was being transported over had landed in Palermo when the fleet was engaged, instead of waiting it out to land in Napoli. General de Montcada was not informed of this delay and launched the planned offensive. ((I don’t know why they landed in Palermo, but the game thought it was a good idea not to tell me even after I was committed to the attack.))
General de Montcada was outnumbered from the start. He held out, expecting reinforcements sooner rather than later, but they continued to not show. Eventually it dawned on him that the Aragonese reinforcements were not going to arrive on time. Fortunately for the general, the Tuscans had made quick work of the Papal forces and were marching south with the French. Their arrival tipped the tide of battle and saved the Aragonese army from defeat. Napoli was safe once again.
While this was all going on, the King’s colonization efforts had paid off. A small settlement was established in Alagoas, but it was far from self-sufficient. Regardless, Aragon had claimed its first piece of the New World. It even had one of its first experiences with the locals, other than the few times explorers had encountered people before. A few were spotted around the new colony. Following Explorer Alejandro Sancho’s example, they attempted to draw these strange beings in with pretty baubles. The natives seemed quite eager to trade for such things.
Attempts to transport the army that had landed in Palermo by sea met yet another setback as Genoa attempted to block it. This proved just as suicidal as the attempt by the Papal navy. The enemy naval force was all but devastated at this point.
Once that was dealt with, the army aboard the ship was shipped to Corsica. The French were already there taking the province, but it was hoped they would be willing to hand over control to Aragon if the Aragonese army was involved. This proved false, for the French decided to keep it for themselves. The army was then shipped over to Albenga.
Meanwhile, things in Byzantium seemed glum. More and more Polish and Lithuanian forces were pouring into the region. Fortunately, the Greeks had a string of three forts to keep the enemy from taking too much of the coastline and slowing them down.
May of 1524 brought a great victory as Roma fell to Aragon. King Ferran III, ever the pious one, ensured that the city was not sacked during the occupation. The Pope had fled long before, but any remaining cardinals were allowed to leave in peace or continue to reside in the city without persecution. The King also made sure that no men interfered with the Holy See itself. The cardinals were allowed to continue their holy work without interference, as long as they resided in a confined portion of the city. The Church would not be touched.
With Rome in Aragon’s hands, the rest of the army headed for Genoa. The enemy had a massive army in Firenze, but they were disorganized as they dealt with Tuscan noble rebels, which the Tuscans were surely grateful for. When Albenga fell, all three armies in the region converged on Genoa.
It was reported that in one part of the kingdom, farmers were producing more crops than elsewhere. The King ordered an investigation to find out the reason behind the increased production of crops. It turned out that the farmers in this region had adopted the use of scythes instead of sickles to harvest their crop. This discovery encouraged Steward Raffaelo Mòdena to start a program to encourage farmers across Aragon to adopt the scythe to boost production.
Even as the Aragonese armies tried to take Genoa, the Genoan army went for Rome. The navy was sent out to Athens with the intent of shipping the army there over to Genoa’s territory in Anatolia.
Across the ocean, new discoveries continued to be made. Explorer Alejandro Sanche encountered a friendly tribe in Coro that offered gifts to the exploration party they saw as “bearded gods”. There was clearly much wealth to be found in the region.
France attempted to expel the Polish from Romagna with Tuscany’s help, but the Papal army was next door. Not wanting their allies to lose, an army under General de Loarre’s command was dispatched from Genoa to intervene. The Genoans learned of such a plan and intercepted the army in Firenze. General de Montcada had to leave Genoa to intervene to ensure victory. His arrival turned out not to be necessary, for the French polished off the enemy army and then came to Aragon’s aid. Genoa would regret their decision to attack Aragon’s army now.
With the general region clear, armies returned to Genoa, although General de Montcada remained behind long enough to liberate Modena for Tuscany. Over to the east, things were looking just as grim. The Greeks had attempted to sneak into Moldavia and take Basarabia, but didn’t get far. Their defeat was inevitable. The enemy had also captured Edirne, but had abandoned the siege of Constantinople to stop the Greek army up north. At least two forts still held.
With the straits blockaded, the army shipped to Anatolia made quick work of the region. Province after province fell. A Genoan army was even encountered in Hamid and quickly dispatched.
An embarrassing story reached court of the Explorer Ferdinand Xaver Lübecker, who during his investigation of the province Candelaria, ended up indulging a bit too heavily in the local liquor. The resulting hangover was apparently quite amusing for the locals, but many back in Aragon thought it more of an embarrassment. Fortunately events that far away weren’t as damaging.
The King’s plan to convert the newly acquired African provinces started to pay off as the population of Trarza embraced the true faith. It was hoped this would quiet dissent for now.
At the start of May in 1525, some surprising news reached Aragon. The Pope had been leading the war effort and dealing with Church affairs in exile for quite some time, but most of the cardinals had remained in Rome. Thus it was a surprise to everyone when news of the Pope’s death arose. The cardinals were now tasked with picking a replacement. The election proved a contested one. The candidate from Romagna had been expected to be the next Pope before the war, but the occupation of Roma had changed things. There were many in Rome who wanted this war ended and believed that an attempt to appease Aragon would bring about a quick and fair peace. The fact that Aragon had held much influence over the Holy See before the war greatly affected the outcome. Thus, after much deliberation, the first Aragonese pope was chosen as head of the Church. Now all waited to see whether this would impact the war or not.
((Spam!))
Presenting His Majesty, Ferran III de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Protector of the Greeks.
This is a blessed day. For once, one of our countrymen leads the Holy Church. The fact that we are at war with the Papal State complicates matters. This should be a time for celebration. Perhaps now that the Pope hails from our kingdom, we can achieve that goal. We can only hope.
In another matter, I shall be assuming the role of Marshal for the moment. Our current Marshal has been too preoccupied at this time. ((I didn't get a plan the last 2-3 updates, so he's fired. Sorry.))
((Well this is an interesting situation, to say the least. We finally become papal controller and we’re at war with the Papal State. This also complicates things since we’ll now have a player as Pope.
@Morgan McCloud is next in line as Pope, so he gets the position. With a player pope, it seems somewhat silly that the war should continue as is. Thus I will hold a vote. We shall vote OOC on whether or not our player pope may settle a peace as the Papal State. We’ll also vote on a new mission. As for ministry plans, they can be presented during the vote, but they aren’t mandatory this time. The only minister-related thing I require is a rival from the Chancellor. The vote will last until
Friday at 9am PST and our new Pope will have until that time to respond. If he does not, he may be replaced with a more active player cardinal or I will interpret it as the cardinals having more power over the peace settlement than the Pope. Our player pope should hopefully express the peace he wants within reason (no giving all the Papal land away, etc). If everyone votes in favour of letting the player pope decide a peace, we will go with that, otherwise the war will continue as normal. Also, all exploration missions and colonisable provinces should be the same as last time, so refer to the last update for any relevant information. Start funding colonies, people! Anyway, here is the vote.
Pope settles peace?:
Yes/No/Abstain
Mission:
Naval Race/Improve Relations/Gharb/Abstain
FYI, Gharb is a Moroccan province and our relations with Portugal are at +4 with almost full improved relations.
Now for our pensioners:
@Artistove
@Qwerty7 (You never told me Giuseppe’s birth year, so I made it the same as Ferran II’s)
And the dying:
@NiniNunny))