Foedere et Religione Tenemur - A Savoy AAR (Veritas Et Fortitudo)

[delpiero1234]

Chapter III - A New Kingdom​

Now that Savoy was at peace again, the time for a proper coronation ceremony for King Vittorio Amedeo I had come. The finest Savoyard wine was served and a Bavarian brewmaster sent some lager beer to Torino. Fresh fish was served in a variety of styles followed by delicious pecorino cheese from Sardinia. Jugglers entrained the King and the crowd alike.
Once the festivities were over, Vittorio Amedeo I met with his military advisor Giovanni Ludovico di Saluzzo and General Borromeo to discuss the possibilities to raid Tunisia and its Muslim allies. The citizens of La Spezia, especially the merchants, were demanding a punitive raid for recent Barbary Pirates attacks on the city.
Diplomats from Castile, England, Portugal and Aragon informed the King that their respective countries would be interesting in supporting a possible raid.
Before declaring war on Tunisia, Borromeo suggested that we should expand our navy because Tunisia's navy outnumbered our but Vittorio Amedeo I felt that this was not necessary and declined his advisor's proposal (the Savoyard Royal Navy consists of 13 galleys, 9 transports and 1 light ship)

War was declared in the first days of the year 1375. News arrived from Napoli that Filippo I de Anjou had been crowned King of Naples. A few days later, Pope Leo X Odescalchi saw it fit to excommunicate the ruler of Naples. It soon became a custom in the Papal States to excommunicate every Neapolitan king.

The Royal Navy lead by Admiral Umberto di Cadoval transported the Savoyard Army to the coast of Cape Bon. Siege was laid on Bizerte and Annaba. Vittorio Amedeo's son and heir to the Savoyard throne, Aimone di Savoia, graduated from the generals' college at the age of 16. The siege engineers praised him for above average siege skill and Vittorio Amedeo I sent his son to Tunisia to support General Borromeo. Admiral Cadoval died in a victorious naval battle with the Tunisian navy.

At home the people shouted Aimone's name when they heard of his contributions to the latest victories over the Tunisian army. The citizens loved the heir and awaited his arrival in the harbor of La Spezia. In December of 1368, Savoyard military researchers invented a new melee weapon which they named pike (military technology advances to lvl 7. The pike was mostly used by calvary regiments and by a few city guards.

Vittorio Amedeo I was not a fan of the Pope and decided that it was best to demote the Pope. From this day on, the King of Savy was the final legal authority in all matters of religion. The People of Savoy felt that this was long overdue. Ever since the Pope first excommunicated King Amedeo V di Savoia the people of Savoy demanded the demotion of the Pope.

The King hired Giacomo Ludovico Cisa Asinari, a renowned architect, as administrative advisor. Asinari's job was it to modernize the country. After several minor projects, he began constructing a palace for the King in Liguria. Once the palace was built, it soon became the Royal Family's favorite summer residence. Every year they spent the finest months of the year in Liguria.

In the spring of 1379, Tunisia accepted the Savoyard demands to cede four provinces to Savoy and two provinces to England. Vittorio I thought that giving England provinces in North Africa might increase tensions between them and the Iberian powers.

On July 9th 1379, the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont was officially proclaimed to the world by King Vittorio Amedeo I. Savoy was no more.

To be continued...

 

[grandadmiralbob]

I've read them all, and you are doing an outstanding job at entertaining me during my work breaks. Thank you very much.

 

[delpiero1234]

I've read them all, and you are doing an outstanding job at entertaining me during my work breaks. Thank you very much.

I'm glad to hear that you find my AAR entertaining Thanks for reading!

 

[delpiero1234]

Chapter III - Heir to the Throne​

Vittorio Amedeo I had more plans on how to reform the country, which became Sardinia-Piedmont not long ago. He decided that it was best to rule the realm as an absolute monarch. No more annoying aristocrats that intervened with the realm's politics.
(I have no idea why this event fired but this is really awesome. I was already over my province capacity. Absolute Monarchy is one of the best government forms in Veritas et Fortitudo with a much higher province capacity than Feudal Monarchy.)

In the October of 1379 the small council advised the King to modernize the capital. "My King, I have some ideas how we could make our capital more modern and even more beautiful. Torino should become a leading Renaissance city." said architect Asinari. Vittorio Amedeo I liked the architect's proposal a lot and agreed to modernize the capital for the sum of roughly 450 ducats. (The decision Renaissance style for Torino was enacted
Planing began immediately and soon it was clear that lots of men were needed for all the upcoming constructions.

Now that Sardinia-Piedmont was an Absolute Monarchy, governing a large number of provinces was much easier. Therefore King Vittorio Amedeo I decided that Modena should officially become a part of the kingdom.
A spy informed the Liguria-based merchant guild very that he had proof that Tripoli was supporting the Barbary Pirates and asked the guild what should be done about this. Since La Spezia had been raided many, many times by Barbary Piraites, Vittorio Amedeo I decided to leave the decision about what should be done to the chief of the merchant guild. One option would be to black-mail Tripoli for 15 ducats. Another option would be to organize a punitive raid against the pirates. The chief of the merchant guild decided that a punitive raid should be launched immediately.

The Royal Navy sailed to the location of the pirate hideout. The Barbary Pirates stood no chance. The Lots of spices from Arabia, gold and silverware was raided. "Hopefully this will teach them a lesson", said the chief of the merchant guild after the return of the fleet. Another member of the guild replied "I don't think that the pirates will stop raiding our cities. They will probably regroup somewhere else and then increase their attacks."

The Savoyard spy network discovered that several coalition members have thought about declaring war on Savoy. King Vittorio Amedeo I was visiting Parma when he was informed about this discovery. He decided to give a memorable speech in front of the Palazzo del Governatore in Parma. The Palazzo del Governatore was built in the 13th century and located in the heart of the city center. It was the perfect place to address the people of Sardinia-Piedmont.
The citizens of Parma felt inspired by the King's speech and the realm's stability increased.
"Citizens of Parma, While I am speaking to you our neighbors are conspiring against us. Our spies have discovered that enemy forces are marching towards our borders. They might outnumber us but they will never, ever, break our spirit. We are a proud people. Our army is one of the best-trained in the know-world and led by one of the most successful generals in history. But we shall not become overconfident. I order every man who is older than 16 years old to report to the city's barracks for military training. The Parmesi City Watch is looking for crossbowmen to arm the walls and towers of Parma. . . ."

Architect Asinari was getting old and retired but the capital modernization was not completed yet. The King had a vision that this would lead to problems in the future. With Asinari's retirement a seat in the small council became vacant. It was soon taken by administrator Davide Micca.
(An administrator reduces core creation cost by -25%. This makes the administrator one of my favorite advisors)
On January 1st 1381, the integration of Modena was completed.
The aristocracy of Sardinia-Piedmont still didn't fully understand that they had nothing to say anymore. Vittorio Amedeo I decided to reduce the aristocratic power further when the nobles families of Venezia began arguing over silly things they had no influence over.

On May 5th of the same year there was a general strike in Torino. The workers refused to continue their work in the capital. Vittorio Amedeo I's vision came true. The retired architect promised them a higher salary months ago. The King was on vacation in his summer residence in Liguria and put the small council in charge of all minor administrative matters. Davide Micca pointed out that "Without workers willing to work it will take much longer to complete the modernization of the capital" The council decided it was best to raise the workers' salaries.

Bad news spread through the narrow streets of the capital when Aimone fell ill. He had a high fever and the best doctors of the kingdom where ordered to save Aimone's life but before they arrived the young heir died.
Vittorio Amedeo's second son Carlo Felice di Savoia (5/5/6) became the new heir to the throne. Aimone's body was buried in Firenze. The dead heir was always fascinated by the city that was once ruled by the Medici.

In the February of 1384, the King asked the small council for its advice. He had to make an important decision. He was unsure what the best idea group for the kingdom was. "Thank you for coming, I need your advice on this important matter. I think we should focus on either Bureaucracy Ideas or on Imperial Ambition. We need a better bureaucracy to increase the realm's efficiency but since I want Sardinia-Piedmont to become a great empire we also need Imperial Ambitions. Because I cannot decide I will let you vote on this decision" said Vittorio Amedeo I to the council members.

"I am voting for Imperial Ambition. Creating an empire should be our #1 priority" argued military researcher Giulio di Cardé. Davide Micca, the realm's administrator, disagreed with Cardé. "We should need a better bureaucracy first. A better bureaucracy gives us more money to spend on war." It call came down to the vote of diplomatic researcher Cosimo Taparelli. "My gentlemen, I vote for Imperial Ambition. Sardinia-Piedmont is destined to become an empire!"
In order to create an empire, claims were fabricated on various provinces and soon war was declared on Croatia the excommunicated ruler casus belli.
The war with the Croatians was over after less than a year and complete annexation was demanded. Immediately after the formalities of the anenxationt ready were signed, war was declared on Serbia with the conquest casus belli.

The war against the Serbians forces proved too be a little bit more challenging than the war against the Croatians. Once again the Pope saw it fit to excommunicate the King of our magnificent realm. The people protested against this but actually they didn't care about the Pope that much anymore. After all King Vittorio Amedeo I was the highest religious legal authority in Sardinia-Piemont.
The Bavarian Duke sent an envoy to Torino that asked Vittorio Amedeo I to honor the alliance by joining the forces of Ferdinand I von Wittelsbach in the Bavarian Conquest of Linz against the stinky Austrians and Pope. Naturally he accepted the call to arms. Being at war with the Pope felt good.

After a few years an acceptable peace treaty was signed with a Serbian delegation and the Royal Army began besieging the Papal States. Instead of giving Savoy one or two Papal provinces, the Duke of Bavaria made a white peace with the Papal States. Vittorio Amedeo I was deeply offended by Ferdiand I von Wittelsbach for not receiving any province so he decided to make a separate peace with the Austrians. Graz and Marburg were incorporated into Sardinia-Piedmont.

To be continued...

 

[DKM]

For some reason, I can't see any of the pictures.

 

[delpiero1234]

For some reason, I can't see any of the pictures.

None? I double checked with my other computer and I see all pictures fine.. Maybe refreshing your browser window and/or clearing the forum cookies solves the issue?

 

[Scott1964]

I might have to play Savoy next time around :ninja:

 

[DKM]

None? I double checked with my other computer and I see all pictures fine.. Maybe refreshing your browser window and/or clearing the forum cookies solves the issue?

I can see them now. My laptop is weird sometimes. Anyways, how far up is the reform desire by now?

 

[metalinvader665]

I've never played the VeT mod (always been more of a M&T fan as a holdover from EU3 MEIOU), but it certainly looks interesting (I love the pretty event pictures!).

Indulge in your inner Mussolini and recreate the Roman Empire as Italy!

I think you automatically turned into an absolute monarchy as part of an event from Serenissima Italia (which is also in M&T), where if you have a certain number of provinces as an Italian power you get that event.

 

[delpiero1234]

I might have to play Savoy next time around :ninja:

Savoy is a fun country and with the right idea groups you can conquer a lot. +25% BROT as part of the Savoyard traditions is very helpful early game

Anyways, how far up is the reform desire by now?

National reform desire is currently 33. I think the reformation wouldn't start/spread to Sardinia-Piedmont until national reform desire reaches 50 (I could be wrong about this though).

Indulge in your inner Mussolini and recreate the Roman Empire as Italy!

Currently my plans are to form the Roman Empire first. This would switch my government form to Imperium Romanum. Once I am the Roman Empire I would like to form Italy to get better national ideas.

 

[delpiero1234]

Chapter III - Iberian Adventures ​

The small council informed King Vittorio Amedeo I that spies have successfully created three claims on Tunsia and a fourth claim was being fabricated at this very moment. "Very good, we shall strike against Tunisia in a couple of years." said the King.
He was about to leave the council chambers when Cosimo Taparelli interrupted him: "My King, before you leave I would like to suggest that we vassalize Trinacria and annex Epirus. Both are easy targets." As a good King, Vittorio Amedeo I listened often to the advice of the small council. War was declared on both countries and soon both accepted the Savoyard demands.
Wars in general tend to cost many lives so military advisor Giulio di Cardé started a program to increase recruitment for the Royal Army. Soon several thousand young men declared their willingness to serve the kingdom. The army was looking mostly for siege engineers but extra infantry units were also needed.

32000 soldiers were transported to North Africa in June and in July of 1391 war was declared on Tunisa and its allies with the conquest casus belli. England and Aragon honor our call to arms but the fools in Bavaria refused to join the noble war against the infidels. General Borromeo ordered the troops to lay siege on Sfax and Qabis. The Bavarian Duke asked us to join his crusade against the Mamluks. Vittorio Amedeo I decided not to honor the call-to-arms and the alliance was dissolved.

A messenger from Paris reported that Alexander Capet rose to the throne in France. He was said to be an incompetent yet bloodthirsty ruler (0/3/6). The war with Tunisia was painful because the Royal Army was not used to fight in the desserts of North Africa. Furthermore, the high temperatures demoralized the troops.
News arrived from Toledo that King Fernando V de Bourgogne died without a heir. The citizens of Castile decided that it was best to be ruled by King Vittorio Amedeo I di Savoia and as a consequence a personal union was formed with Castile. So far so good but the evil French King decided to challenge Sardinia-Piedmont for the personal union over Castile.

Aragon, Brittany, England and Portugal honored the Savoyard call to arms but the Holy Roman Emperor from the Palatinate declined our request to defend us. What a weak Emperor he was!
Next to all its vassals, France called in Aquileia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Carinthia, Dauphine, Hungary, Mantua, Naples and Switzerland. Vittorio Amedeo I was not sure if he should be happy about the personal union or not. Immediately the Royal Army was ordered to abandon all sieges in Tunisia and to return home. A few weeks later, Scotland and Thomand also joined the Capets in their unjust war.

The war was not going well and the Savoyard Royal Army suffered many heavy defeats. To solely concentrate on the French threat, a peace treaty was signed with Tunisia. Sfax was incorporated into the kingdom. War taxes were raised to support the crumbling economy.

"My King, all of Iberia is under siege! What shall we do? We cannot let the French occupy the war goal." asked military advisor Giulido di Cardé his King after he red the latest reports. "We can't do much to improve the situation in Iberia right now. We are outnumbered. It is better to besiege the French allies right now. Let's hope Toledeo's walls will hold them off."

Thing started looking better when the combined forces of Brittany, Castile, Portugal and Milan crushed the French invaders in Iberia.
Soon the French offered Sardinia-Piedmont a white peace but Vittorio Amedeo I thought that now that France was on the losing side this war was the perfect opportunity to conquer Napoli and maybe some French cities.
An envoy was sent to Cork, the capital of Thomand, to finalize a peace treaty. Thomand was forced to become a vassal of Sardinia-Piedmont. Vittorio Amedeo I thought that having a presence in the fart north could be useful in the future. The small council advised the King to put a family member on the throne of Thomand.

Vittorio Amedeo I was sure that the French by now regretted going to war against the mighty Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont. On Christmas Eve 1397, France accepted the Savoyard peace offered. "King Vittorio Amedeo I demands that you give us control over Napoli and Valence that you return Catania to our vassal Trinacria. If you do not accept our generous peace offer now we will march on Paris immediately and burn your capital to the ground." said that the Savoyard diplomat to the French delegation. What a glorious victory!

To be continued...

 

[DKM]

Huh, what do you think the chances are that the Union will stay stable enough to inherit or integrate Castille?

 

[Morkazar]

It's going to be awesome if you inherit Castille.

 

[delpiero1234]

Huh, what do you think the chances are that the Union will stay stable enough to inherit or integrate Castille?

Well it is difficult to predict the future. But I have some doubts that Castile will try to break free. If the union stays stable then I could let Castile colonize the Americas for me but since a lot of things can happen in 50 years, I haven't really thought about that yet. Most of my current plans are either short-term or medium-term.

It's going to be awesome if you inherit Castille.

Yea I would love to inherit Castile
In 50 years I will have a tough choice to make: Integrate Castile or keep them to colonize the New World faster..

 

[delpiero1234]

Chapter IV - The Siege of Rome ​

After the succession war came to an end, Vittorio Amedeo I di Savoia traveled to Toledo in March where he was crowned king of Castile. The King was getting old - he turned 72 only a few months ago. So his son and heir to the throne, Carlo Felice, addressed the inhabitants of Toledo. Even though he knew some basic Castilian, he decided to address the people in his native tongue: "This is a proud day for the House di Savoia. Let us bind our two people together. My House will be just towards you as long as you pay your taxes and do your duties." On his way back to Torino Vittorio Amedeo I became ill. A high fever troubled the king and the doctors could only reduce his suffering. The King was too weak and after a few days he passed away. Carlo Felice I di Savoia became king of Sardinia-Piedmont and Castile at the age of 21. Carlo Felice's cousin, Amedeo di Savoia, was his heir.

The small council met with for the first time with their new King at the end of July of 1398. The state of the kingdom was discussed as well as potential threats. Sardinia-Piedmont had 3 outstanding loans that were taken during the Castilian Succession War. "Since our last war against Tunisia was interrupted by the French, I am of the opinion that we should launch a new campaign again Tunisia." suggested military advisor Maurizio Cisa Asinari. Asinari was the newest member of the small council and an expert in the field of military research. Another member of the council disagreed with Asinari: "Our country needs to recover some more. War exhausation is too high!" The young King agreed that it was best to recover first but he ordered the Royal Army to be transported to North Africa. One can never prepare for war too early. Carlo Felice I also ordered that the integration of Milan should be finalized.
In the November of the same year, Carlo Felice I gave orders to assault Tunisia. The Royal Army immediately moved on Tunis.

A messenger from London arrived in Torino informing the King about a Welsh uprising. Sardinia-Piedmont was asked to honor the alliance. Without hesitation Carlo Felice I agreed to help his English allies out.

On July 1st 1400 the integration of Milan into Sardinia-Piedmont was completed and in August England made peace with Wales. Austrian rebels tried to size the opportunity to occupy Marburg but a Carlo Felice I left a full army at home to take care of rebel problems. Busy months in Sardinia-Piedmont!

Western Schism came to an end when the Anti-Pope was excommunicated after the Council of CostanCarlo Felice I didn't really care about the Pope anyways. Just like his predecessor, he believed that the King should be the highest legal authority in all matters of religion.
It took a few more years before the Savoyard delegation returned to Torino with an acceptable peace treaty - Tunis, Quabis, Qafsa and Tripoli became part of the kingdom. Meanwhile the Swiss were making jokes about the citizens of Wallis at their carnival. The locals were not amused.

Carlo Felice I really wanted to cut the Papal States down in size but they were in a coalition against his kingdom so he couldn't declare war on them. The King asked his small council for advice: "How can we prevent the coalition to support the Papal States?"
- "I have an idea." said Asinari. "Let's declare a war of aggression (No CB war) on Transylvania. Transylvania is an ally of the Pope and they are not part of the coalition. Transylavania is also allied to Mantua and the Archbishopric of Aquileia. We should annex them all to solve the issue of fighting them in a coalition war."
- "This sounds like a good plan!" You are a genius, Maurizio! Let's declare war immediately." replied the King.

The Savoary Army laid siege of Rome which displeased other Catholic countries.

Sweden and Hungary both declared an unjust war on Sardinia-Piedmont. The Holy Roman Empire once again refused to come to our defense. "Someday we will teach him a lesson!" yelled the King when he heard about this. Meanwhile the war against Transylvania was very succesful. Mantua was the first city that fell and full annexation was demanded immediately. The Royal Army was now on its way to Friuli to take care of Aquileia.

To be continued...

 

[DKM]

Weird, I've never gotten that Siege of Rome event.

 

[delpiero1234]

Weird, I've never gotten that Siege of Rome event.

I don't rember in which version it was added but now every time you lay siege on Rome this event fires. It's supposed to protect the Pope.

 

[delpiero1234]

Chapter IV - Uniting the Kingdom​

Sweden never bothered to sail its navy into the Mediterranean and the war was stalled. Hungary on the other side proved to be a though nut to crack with high losses on both sides. Carlo Felice I was much more pleased with the progress the Royal Army achieved against the Papal States and Aquileia. The Archibishopric was almost completely occupied.
Diplomatic researcher and member of the small council Cosimo Taparelli came up with some new negoations techniques that he thought the Silver Tongues. (Foreign Relations I was researched)

Aquileia lost province after province and by the end of June the entire country was occupied by troops loyal to Sardinia-Piedmont. The King was advices to demand full annexation but it turned out that the country had not enough diplomatic points so no peace treaty was signed. Marburg fell to the Hungarians and the Royal Army was ordered to retake the city. Castilian and Aragonese troops suffered a deadly defeat at the battle of Ravenna and the siege of Marburg had to be abandoned after Austrian troops defeated the sieging party. The war against Hungary wasn't going well at all but by March 1406 the entire Papal States were occupied. Only the lack of diplomatic points prevent Sardinia-Piedmont from making peace (Lesson learned: Never tech up diplomatic technology when at war..).

One of the Kingdom's most experienced Silver Tongues discussed a possible peace treaty with Pope Clemens VII Odescalchi. The Pope agreed or better said was forced to give up most of its territory. Carlo Felice I was so happy about the victory over the Pope that he promised to organize a beautiful carnival once the kingdom was at peace. The King informed the inhabitants of Torino about the latest victory and said about the carnival the following:"I strongly believe that we will be at peace by the end of the year and that we will have a magnificent carnival in 1407."

In Sardinia-Piedmont it was a tradition that members of the House of Savoy regularly were appointed as generals. Carlo Felice I didn't have a high opinion of his cousin Amedeo di Savoia who also happened to be the heir to the throne so he asked him to undergo military education. After graduating from the military college, Amedeo was put in charge of the Adriatic Army. Amedeo moved on Zeta to push back the Serbian and Hungarian forces. Meanwhile, General Pallavinci laid siege on the Hungarian capital. Pope Clemens VII was in trouble when peasants laid siege on Rome so he asked fellow Catholic to come protect him from a "mighty" army of peasants. King Carlo Felice I was very amused by this and refused to aid the Pope who couldn't control his rebellious population.

All three wars were still going in the Janaruy of 1407 and the country was far from being at peace so the carnival was post-poned. The small council met with Carlo Felice I in February and informed him about the latest technology progresses. "Very good, very good. I'm am pleased by our superior administrative technology but can you explain to me why we are so behind in the military field?" asked the King his advisors. "My King, you ordered us to focused on military ideas and not on military technology. We will catch up in a few years. I'm positive about that." answered military researcher Maurizio Cisa Asinari. Carlo Felice I also wanted to know about how the situation with Aquileia was going and the small council informed him the that entire country was still occupied. However, a lack of diplomatic points prevented the Savoyard delegation from demanding full-annexation once again.

The Kingdom's treasury was empty and in order to pay the wages of the troops two loans were taken at unfavorable conditions. Recruiters tried to hire more man for the army but they found none. In the December of 1407 a white peace was negated with Sweden. Carlo Felice I met with the small council to discuss the possibilities of forming either Italy or the Roman Empire
"My gentlemen, all we need is Rome in order to form a new country. We can become either Italy or the Imperium Romanum. I found out that we cannot form the Roman Empire first and then Italy afterwards. So we have make a decision: Do we want to be the Romans or do we want to be the Italian in the future? I want you to think about this issue. In a few weeks we will meet again and then you can share your suggestions with me." said Carlo Felice I.

Manpower reached a new low the following year and the national decision emergency conscription was activated. It came at a high price of an additional 161 ducats loan.
In the spring of 1408 a peace treaty was signed with Transylvania. Aquileia was incorporated into Sardinia-Piedmont and the two parts of the Kingdom were united through a direct land connection.
The Royal Army sacked the city walls of Pest and on August 15h peace was made with Hungary in exchange for the province of Verona. Everybody in Torino was relieved that the Kingdom was not at war anymore. This also meant that in 1408 there was going to be a carnival! Gambling, dancing and a glorious banquet laid ahead.

To be continued...

 

[volksmarschall]

Time to start fearing the new blue blob! Not only is Italy fearing your thumb, the whole of Europe, as evidenced by your victory over Hungary should have Europe trembling in fear!

Good work yet again!

 

[DKM]

What's required for the Roman Empire?

Also, good job so far!