1525-1530 – A Whole New World
The cardinals in Rome deliberated for days over who to appoint as the new pope. Aragon’s control of Roma impacted the choice dramatically and swayed many of the cardinals to favour an Aragonese candidate to encourage peace talks. Cardinal Carlo Angelo Abate seemed a good choice as the senior cardinal from Aragon, but many saw him as unconcerned with papal politics. Many instead favoured Cardinal Juan de Soneta, for the man was both pious and an involved member of the Holy See. Thus the decision was made that Cardinal Soneta would become Pope Stephen X.
The new pope’s first act was to attempt to settle a peace. First he approached his own countrymen and proposed offering war reparations to make up for the lives lost. King Ferran III, who had never been too enthusiastic to fight the Papal State in the first place, eagerly accepted the offer, although he felt somewhat guilty that Aragon would be taking money from the Church. What he hoped for most was that this would lead to a repairing of relations with the Church and perhaps encourage Tuscany to settle a peace too. Pope Stephen X sent an offer to Tuscany, agreeing to hand over Romagna and pay war reparations. The Tuscans, however, had grown greedy and confident. They refused the offer, demanding that the Papal State hand over Umbria and Ancona as well, even though the war had been started over Romagna. Not even the Pope could agree to such a thing, especially as long as the Polish continued to fight. At the news, King Ferran III was quite irate. The Tuscans were overreaching.
With the war over with, Chancellor Jaume Limmona started a campaign against the Hungarians. Their expansion had not gone unnoticed and they threatened the Greeks to the south. Just like Venice, Aragon would have to keep an eye on Hungary.
Speaking of Venice, Grand Admiral En Alfonso Narzis de Montcada made a call for the Aragonese navy to expand to a point where it outnumbered the Venetian navy, something greatly supported by the rest of court. Shortly after this plan was made, the Venetians in turn downsized their navy. The Aragonese embargo must have been wrecking havoc on their trade and affording such an extensive fleet was not manageable. It seemed that the navy did not even need to be expanded to outnumber the Venetians now. Despite that, five galleys were placed under construction, since Venice still had more of those than Aragon did. ((Not sure what happened here. I can only assume Venice disbanded ships shortly after we took the mission. Weird.))
With the acquisition of Vizcaya from Castile years ago, Aragon now had a greater trade presence on its north coast. The duke of Navarra, Tomas II Maria Arias Etxeto, benefited the most from the trade, since he controlled the key port in the region. It was thus to his benefit to encourage increased trade through neighbouring Vizcaya as well to draw trade in from the north.
In other trade-related news, marketplaces were set up in Toledo and Palermo, encouraging trade through these key locations.
The Crown’s attempt to colonize a piece of the New World was given much focus and King Ferran dedicated himself to ensuring the growing colony in Alagoas remained a success. If it could become self-sufficient, more expansion in the area could be pursued.
Conversion efforts in Africa paid off again as the Inquisition brought the true faith to Cayor. Farther south in Karou, the Crown contemplated the idea of establishing a penal colony. Attempts to settle the region were going slowly, but if prisoners were shipped there and forced to build up the region, it might grow faster.
In July of 1525, Explorer Alejandro Sancho returned from the New World having charted a region known as the Caribbean. It featured an extensive chain of islands that were ripe for colonization. Of particular interest was a stretch of land that seemed to expand far off into the distance. The King was quite intrigued by this news and requested that the Explorer continue on north to chart the coast of this mysterious landmass. The King also made arrangements with some mercenary companies for plans to send them to the New World to explore farther inland, but it would take time to outfit such expeditions.
Portugal had remained bitter after their defeat in the last Castilian war and had never gotten over it. Attempts to repair relations had not been forthcoming and eventually things deteriorated to a point where the two kingdoms were openly competing. Portugal would only see Aragon as a rival from now on.
The colony in Alagoas reported that the local wood was of a variety never before seen in Europe and could be used for many different purposes. It could be a valuable resource to trade in the markets of Europe.
Genoa, after their occupation by Aragon during Tuscany’s ongoing war, had never recovered. The people were furious, especially in their Anatolian territories. The state was unstable and facing internal conflicts. Having to pay war reparations to Tuscany and cutting ties with Austria surely didn’t help.
Explorer Ferdinand Xaver Lübecker returned from exploring the southern reaches of the new continent. He had successfully made his way around the landmass, proving that it did not go on forever. His attempts to continue up the western coast to get around it proved fruitless, as he ran out of supplies before he could find a way around. He was forced to return back to Aragon first. As he set out again, he decided that perhaps it would be easier sailing around the northern side of this continent.
By the end of 1525, preparations were finally complete for an expedition to the New World. Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon, along with 3,000 mercenaries, set sail for Alagoas, where they would then set out on a long expedition to explore the wonders of this mysterious continent. Some of the natives encountered had heard rumours of cities made of gold. Perhaps this expedition would encounter one. For the most part, they just ran into a lot of hostile natives. ((I won’t even bother to include all the battles fought in the New World while exploring. They are too numerous and one-sided.))
Even though Aragon was at peace, the Tuscan-Papal war continued on without it. A battle between the French and Polish in Verona proved quite bloody and showed that the war was not going to end any time soon.
Things were not always cheery at home. With the kingdom free of heathens, the Inquisition had resorted to rooting out heretics instead. Some thought this barbaric process of interrogation to root out heresy was a bit much.
The trek through the New World was proving quite the challenge for Juan Ponce de Leon. In one region of jungle, he encountered all kinds of poisonous plants that caused the death of nine horses and a few men. The place seemed cursed and the conquistador was only too glad to be gone from the region.
Efforts to improve trade continued on as marketplaces were constructed in both Barcelona and Zaragoza. A new type of market involved the sale of humans, mainly slaves from Africa. Karou had proven a good province for the slave trade.
A new exploration effort was also being undertaken in Africa. Conquistador Denis Philippe de Montségur was given command of 5,000 men and told to attempt to explore the African interior. Perhaps there were valuable trade goods farther inland.
In August of 1526, a monk visited Valencia spreading heretical ideas that there was no purgatory and praying for the dead served no purpose. The King personally requested an audience with this monk and argued over religious doctrine for hours before accepting that the man could not be swayed. King Ferran brought this man and his ideas to Pope Stephen X, who promptly excommunicated the monk. The monk disappeared a few days later. Some suspected the Inquisition had disposed of him, but nothing could be proven.
While exploring the coasts of the northern continent, Explorer Alejandro Sancho encountered yet another tribe fascinated with his men’s beards. They gladly offered food and gold to the bearded men. Why these natives were so fascinated with facial hair was beyond anyone.
Switzerland signed a white peace with Tuscany in December, leaving the Papal State and Poland-Lithuania left to fight on. The Papal State was completely occupied now and dependent on Polish assistance.
Explorer Ferdinand Xaver Lübecker returned from charting the region now known as Panama. He had not found a way around the continent, but he did encounter a Portuguese colony and the settlers there revealed that another ocean lay on the other side. It seemed this area was a narrow point and perhaps could prove to be the end of the continent. He would need to head out once again and head further northwest to find a way through from the north.
With the kingdom at peace, the main fleet was ordered mothballed, with the exception of transports that remained in Africa to assist with Montségur’s exploration of Africa.
Sancho returned in March of 1527 with not only maps of even more of the northern continent, but with news that the English had established a colony on the small island of Bermuda. Competition for these new lands was growing. As for the Explorer, he set out to explore further north.
Conquistador Leon made a startling discovery when some natives he encountered revealed that a member of his expedition was actually a woman. No one but the naturalist had been aware of this. Some wanted her send away, but the decision was made to let her stay since sending her back while in the middle of the wilderness was not exactly possible anyway. She had carried her weight and then some up until that point, which was probably why no one realized she was a woman. As long as she kept up, there was no reason to send her back. Having her around also boosted the men’s morale, perhaps for less scrupulous reasons.
The plan to make church attendance mandatory had been implemented years ago, but its application was spotty at best. There were some communities that simply didn’t even bother, even when it was the law. This required a different approach. Emphasis was placed on the community aspect of Mass, where everyone in a town would gather together and share in the ceremony. If people saw it more as a communal event, they might respond better to it. In general, people seemed to react more favourably to this approach.
Montségur’s exploration of Africa had proven fruitless so far. All attempts to head further inland faced failure as he encountered hostile African tribes that saw his exploration attempts as an intrusion into their lands. Perhaps he would have better luck further south.
August of 1527 brought the first good news for Leon’s expedition. A monk had encountered some natives who spoke of Cibola, a city made of gold. The Conquistador immediately enlisted the help of the monk in tracking down this golden city. Its riches belonged to Aragon.
Another mass recruitment effort occurred across the kingdom as attempts to raise manpower were conducted in Cagliari, La Mancha, Urgell, and Pirineo. It was not only hoped that these men might serve the army, but they could be used for building projects in the region. ((I was trying to raise some provinces in development to unlock another building slot.)) A marketplace was constructed in Messina as well.
Savoy’s attempt to take down Genoa while they were focused on Tuscany failed as a white peace was signed. Austria and Hungary must have bailed Genoa out, but Genoa’s own problems must have kept them from taking anything for themselves. Genoa seemed weaker now though. They were no longer capable of competing with Aragon and the embargo on Genoa was costing more than it was worth. Rivalry no longer suited the two. The embargo was called off. Hungary, however, could more easily be embargoed. Cutting them off from goods travelling through Greece or the Adriatic was all too easy and also served to weaken Venetian trade, a win-win situation.
After more failed attempts to break into the interior of Africa, Conquistador Montségur arranged to be transported overseas to Alagoas. Perhaps he would do better following in the footsteps of Leon and find something worthwhile in the New World.
The Tuscan war took a turn as France attempted an assault on Poland to knock them out of the war with a bold strike. They did manage an initial victory and perhaps could push in further from then on.
With the mass exploration of the New World, there was so much more lands open for colonization. Unfortunately many people weren’t that enthused about leaving their home behind for some strange land. Attempts were made to encourage people to make these trips and settle far from Europe. The kingdom would benefit with their presence in the New World and the claim on the land that came with it.
Of course such a venture required ships to transport and supply these colonies. These ships would inevitably draw away from expenses needed for the navy. If Aragon wanted to manage both, they’d have to build up their naval infrastructure and plan ahead to support a vast increase in the navy. Such a thing shouldn’t be too difficult with such a heavy naval focus in Aragon.
February of 1528 brought worrisome news. A peace between Tuscany and the Papal State had been signed. After years of occupation, the Papal State was completely at the mercy of Tuscany. King Ferran had hoped that Tuscany would merely press its claim on Romagna. Instead it laid claim to Ancona and Umbria as well, reducing the Papal State to just Roma. The King was aghast at this decision. How could any good Catholic nation so greatly harm the Church? The decision to aid the Tuscans to begin with greatly plagued his mind after this. How could he trust Tuscany after what they had done to the Papal State?
As one war ended, another began. Provence intended to expand its domain into Burgundy.
The continued effort to boost trade in the kingdom led to the construction of a marketplace in Syracuse.
Lübecker returned from exploring with no evidence that there was a way around this new continent from the north. The King, wanting to see some progress in finding a way to India, instead requested that the explorer trying going around Africa to see if that would be easier. Thus Lübecker set out for the Cape of Good Hope.
In June of 1528, English troops marched through northern Aragon using a recently signed agreement with Trier for military access, who was an enemy of theirs, as a reason to do so. This breech of sovereignty was not appreciated. Nevertheless, a weaker Castile benefited Aragon greatly. This war involved some strong nations and could prove to weaken many of them.
Montségur, during his exploration, sent off some men to investigate some rumours of a gold mine. They were brutally massacred by natives and Montségur sent his men out for revenge, and partially to see if gold could still be found. The hostile natives were dealt with, but the rumoured gold mind had been destroyed.
Aragon’s control of the Papacy and the continuing decline of Castile were starting to make an impact. One cardinal in Madrid privately tested the waters to see if Aragon would welcome another cardinal. A chance to weaken Castile’s influence in the Holy See and gain another cardinal could not be passed up. An offer of gold was sent to the cardinal and he relocated into Aragon. It was fortunate that this cardinal actually went through with the agreement this time.
Some peasants in Lucania were discontent with current tax levels. Apparently they saw that as an excuse to rise up in rebellion. That did not end well for them and they were forced into hiding. Open rebellion could not be tolerated.
A turbulent encounter with the natives led to an increase in hostility as Explorer Sancho was forced to order his men to shoot the natives on sight if they approached his ship. A similar experience happened a few weeks later with another tribe of natives. The northern natives were much more hostile than the ones encountered further south.
Things weren’t going so well farther south. Conquistador Leon, after months of travel, reached the supposed city of Cibola, only to find out that the monk had lied to him. The city was not built with gold, but with mud and sticks. It was a great disappointment for all involved, and the monk was lucky to get out of there alive. After that, Leon encountered Montségur and the two decided to combine their efforts. ((Both conquistadors ended up in the same province and are now following the same exploration path. I tried separating them, but they kept trying to go to the same places. Teamwork for the win?))
Sancho returned from exploring the north, having found a large river basin and another island. This northern continent seemed as expansive as the southern one. Next he was off to explore the waters of the North Sea, after refurbishing his ships. That trip didn’t take too long and the King suggested that the explorer try seeing what was near the White Sea, although most at court were perplexed why he’d want anyone to explore the waters near Muscovy. As expected, not much was found, but at least Aragon knew what was there now.
The Provence-Burgundy war raged on and King Ferran was delighted to learn that Provence had completely occupied Castile. Their neighbour was a mere shadow of its former self.
In some more positive news, the rebellion expected in Africa seemed as though it would never be. Reinforcements from Greece had kept the provinces in line and now things had calmed down. A rebellion was unlikely now.
Great news reached the court in October of 1529. Alagaos had become a small city and the first successful colony in the New World. It was hoped that many more would be created in the coming years. For the meantime though, the court still wanted some expansion in Africa. After much deliberation, Andrés Iglesia y Maig y Niño’s offer to fund a colonial venture to St. Helena was accepted. There were similar suggestions to colonize the Gold Coast, but the native population was quite large and hostile. With St. Helena having no locals, colonizing it was a safer bet.
((We also have a lot more land we can colonize. I think I might just make a separate post for all the exploration screenshots and link to it in the table of contents so people can easily find it. For now, here are the exploration missions for our explorers and possible rivals for the Chancellor.))
Presenting His Majesty, Ferran III de Trastámara, King of Aragon and Protector of the Greeks.
The peace settled between Tuscany and the Papal State disturbs me greatly. We may well have to reassess our relations with Tuscany, or perhaps extend a hand of friendship to the Papal State for their own protection. We have also heard word that the people of Gabu have embraced the true faith, even though the heathen Mali rules over them. Perhaps we will have to intervene to save our brothers in faith. Then again, our army is still drained and it will take some time to recover. Perhaps some more time of peace is what we need. ((We have a new mission to pick and these represent the three. I’ll post them with the vote later.))
((Okay, time for the usual routine. All ministers have until
12pm PST on Monday to propose new plans. Some of you haven’t presented any so far, so you may be replaced if you miss this round too. I shall post the list of ministers just in case some of you forgot. You may also propose new laws and such in this time. I won't require new mission choices from my explorers or colonies people want to back until the end of the vote.
Chancellor - Jaume Limmona –
AvatarOfKhaine
Steward - Raffaelo Mòdena -
Von Habsburg
Treasurer - King Ferran III de Trastámara
Grandmaster - Maxime de Saint-Pierre –
05060403
Marshal - King Ferran III de Trastámara
Grand Admiral - En Alfonso Narzis de Montcada –
Marschalk
Court Chaplain - Carlo Angelo Abate -
Morgan McCloud
Representative to Byzantium - Armand Antonio Sastre –
Keinwyn
Spymaster - Secret
Pensions anyone?
@ManderTea
@SirAlucard
And the dying:
@MastahCheef117))