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Yes! New updates!
If he wasn't, it would be a very short story.It seems like the writer is somewhat very biased towards the Roman cause...
Time to reclaim some lost treasures that adorn the city of Venice no?
Well, perhaps, or perhaps not. Boxing was a big sport back in the early 1900s, the same time that I'm attempting to reflect this "AAR as having been written" by my alter ego. However, you bring up a very observant point with the Venetian navy. Sadly, I just have notes that say that all their ships were lost in the battle with me. I might gather they had a lot of trade ships and transports however, and fewer heavy ships and galleys, just because I do faintly remember this part of the game play, even if the write-up is nearly 7 months behind when I played through this segment of the game! :closedeyes:
A wonderful update as always.
Tobruk as you described seems to have been win by attrition- I also like that the biggest and baddest ship was called Hades. Did the game give you that? (I'm also taking Latin at school.
Now it remains to see whether John can enter Venice, or, as the Venetian ambassador says, his army will die at the gates of the Republic.
The game designated the first carrack I built as "Hades." I found it to be humorous and ironic, all things considered. I actually often re-name ships when I play in game, because I'm like that, but no, the computer gave it its name.
Yes, Erravi can be translated as "Wanderer." (Peregrinus would be more proper) However, Erravi can also be, and more properly be translated as "Going astray", referring in the first person to oneself. Thus, I'm playfully saying that "I am going astray" by using the word, also implying that I have no fixed location!
The final blow against Venice, hopefully. Still have the pesky BBB to contend with too however! :ninja:
It seems like the writer is somewhat very biased towards the Roman cause...
You might be not be saying that when you read the final monologue from our esteemed author. I think, since I've written this, and may have thus far been a bit more negative in some remarks concerning the Byzantines, our author just happens to actually really, really, really like John. But that's about it. Then again, who wouldn't? Young 15/16 year old emperor comes to the throne, fights off the Turks, begins a centralization program, campaigns in Mesopotamia and Persia, then marches on Venice and Italy! Then... well, we'll see what happens to our dandy emperor eventually.
Yes! New updates!
If he wasn't, it would be a very short story.
Yeah, I could easily write just a few more updates to complete the entire narration to its eventual ending, but then again, I'd like to turn an entire 2 or 3 update chapter, some 3,000+ words, in reflection to the fact that I chose an artist as an adviser, thereby setting the stage for the "Greek Renaissance" I have alluded to, and have promised to write on! It's actually not much fun taking a single decision and adviser and trying to write an entire chapter with no notes or material as per wars or building stuff. :rofl:
No problem. I just want your historically accurate AAR to be as accurate as it can be. And this looked like a possible oversight (I know, it sounds like blasphemy!) on your part. But as you say, if you sunk their merchant navy then everything would be a-ok.
I guess most readers didn't notice that part anyway.
Yeah, I'd encourage such reader-author interaction, frankly, because it's more engaging than the usual "good update, etc." comments (not that any author of course, doesn't mind that) but it's nice to foster interconnected dialogue from time to time. It certainly was an oversight on my part, but then again, my notes are necessarily that sufficiently detailed other than I have listed dates, numbers, events, and results, etc. (in this case, my notes just listed the admirals, fleet sizes, and date(s) of battle, and losses without being specific as to ship type and number. Seeing that I already spend so much time writing and lecturing on Roman history, I naturally sometimes just write from memory, but no one's memory is perfect, and Enewald has already fixed some slip ups on my part, so please, if you see something that might be a bit sketchy, do speak up!
Seeing that this is more than just an AAR, more like, 20% game and 80% trying to reflect what history was actually like during this time period, trying to be as historically accurate as possible, whether it be in off-hand remarks about Byzantine society, theology, religion, lifestyles, artwork, economy, etc., is the main mantra for all my AARs. All hopefully convey the realization that I just use AARs as fronts to promote the study of history!
Chapter XX
The destruction of the Venetian fleet in the waters of the Adriatic was a momentous blow for the Venetian war effort. While German* and French soldiers were locked in a deadly struggle along the embankments of the Upper Rhine River, but with the Habsburg forces facing pressure from a joint Franco-Venetian assault from their encampments in Northern Italy—the entry of the Roman army under Emperor John was a pleasant and much needed sight for the forces of the Holy Roman Empire. The realization of the loss of the Venetian fleet caused panic to sweep the most serene city of canals.
The French army of Italy, over 30,000 strong, camped in Milan, was too far away to come to the immediate rescue of the city. The Venetian garrison, upwards of 10,000 soldiers, were the final rock protecting the great city on the water from being overrun by a vengeful army of Romans. A fitting irony concerning the events that had transpired in 1204 A.D. When the Roman fleet, anchored off of Lido Island, appeared, a brief struggle for the important forward post, so to speak, broke out between an advanced party of Roman marines and Venetian soldiers protecting the island. With the capture of Lido, John began to build a fortress on the island to serve as his main headquarters and barracks for the siege, the fortress that would primarily house his land artillery.
As men who are unable to forgive, the drive and determination is of the upmost resolve. Seeking revenge for the Latin Crusade of 1204, the Roman soldiers worked tirelessly, under fire, and returning fire, to construct the fortress of conquest, death, pestilence, and famine that would crush the Venetian capitol under the weight of the shells of war. The Roman army positioned about 8,000 soldiers on the island to create the mighty fortress that rapidly ascended into the air like the Tower of Babel. The stone came from the ruined fortresses at Ragusa. The timber, from fallen trees brought with the Romans from their trek up the Adriatic coastline and destroyed Venetian ships. Even a handful of captured cannons, once the pride of the Venetian Republic, would soon be turned against the city.
The constant struggle, however, for Murano was where the foundation for the invasion of Venice would be paved. Some twenty Roman ships and 5,000 soldiers assaulted the small island just about a mile north of main city—and the Venetians, ever aware of the importance of this northerly community, had prepared for the assault with some of their finest soldiers. The fighting was particularly brutal when the island was bombarded for nearly a day, non-stop, from the Roman ships and artillery. When the Roman army assaulted the island, fierce hand-to-combat erupted between the two parties, men butchering each other in the streets as the pavement ran red with the spilled blood of the deceased. At the height of the battle, with the tide turning against them, Venetian soldiers set fire to the glassmaking factories. Soon, the entire island was engulfed in a terrible fire that would not expire for next 8 days. A plume of black smoke covered Venice and Lido, and the Romans were deprived of their hard won victory.
Nevertheless, the Venetians were now fully cut-off. With Venice surrounded by the Roman navy, the only hope was to hold out long enough for the French armies to ride to their rescue, which, for the French at least, was not a top priority as was breaking the stalemate along the Upper Rhine. On 2 February 1524, the after 2 months of being besieged, the Romans moved in for the final strike. Landing on the south side of Venice, the Romans forced the Venetians to commit a majority of their forces to defend the southernmost points of the city that were the sight of the first Roman assault. This diversion was successful, and 10,000 Romans, led by the emperor himself, left Lido Fortress and assaulted up the canals of the central part of the city destined for the Cathedral of Saint Mark. As the Romans rushed the city, constant fire from the Roman navy and fortress and Lido brought forth absolute ruination and destruction upon the city.
A painting depicting, "The Burning of Venice."
As Venice began to burn, the emperor and his Imperial Guard assaulted the Cathedral of Saint Mark. The Romans latched ropes around the Triumphal Quadriga, the “Horses of Saint Mark” that had been pillaged by the Venetians during the assault on Constantinople in 1204. The Romans also displaced the Statue of the Tetrarchs that lined the side of the cathedral. The horses were toppled from their donning emplacement at the top of the cathedral. The statue of the Tetrarchs, likewise, was uprooted from its premature foundations at the great Venetian cathedral. This was the greatest moment of the siege, as John recalled, “The moment when the Triumphal Quadriga that had donned the Old Hippodrome came crashing down to the ground as the Cathedral of Saint Mark burned, that instance I knew that we had delivered the most decisive blow against the Italians.”
Sadly, John and his Guard were unable to move this great marble statues onto Roman ships and restore them to their rightful place in Constantinople. Instead, he continued his utter pillage of the city and the great monuments. Like the Crusaders over 300 years ago, the Romans were hell-bent on nothing less than the complete rapture of the city and its inhabitants. The great libraries and museums, the churches, and notable landmarks, statues—all toppled, put to the torch, chipped and broken so as to remind the Venetians who had broken into Venice and laid waste to their city.
Indeed, for the next 3 days, the looting and destruction of Venice can only be described as a scene from hell. Unspeakable actions were committed, and here, the citizens of the city suffered the worse, especially the Venetian women. Finally, as the once majestic city of canals was burning to crisp, as if Venice was now hell on earth, John wept at the destruction that he witnessed. At the end of the customary 3 day looting, he immediately began fighting to control the burning of the city. By the beginning of March, the burning of Venice was contained. The beautiful and majestic city on the water was now black and charred. The Triumphal Quadriga, still sitting in the middle of the streets of Venice, was broken and tattered, two of the horses with their heads irreplaceable broken.[1] The pillage of Venice had ended, and now, the rest of the Roman army crossed into mainland Italy.
A Greek Renaissance painting of the "Triumph of Emperor John X"
Indeed, the "Saving of Rome" by Pope Pius III was commemorated by many Renaissance era artists and painters. While the High Renaissance in Italy would inevitably restore the city of Venice to its former splendor and glory, even if it took over a century to rebuild and restore the great city of canals, many artists and historians were quick and immediate to relate the saving of Rome by Pius III to the saving of Rome by Pope Gregory, who had ventured out to meet with Attila the Hun to procure the salvation of the city from the hands of the Barbarians. Of course, there was also a bitter irony in this propaganda effort by the Italians, who, in correlating the two events, were condemning the Greeks as pseudo-civilized Barbarians with no attachment of the laurels of Augustus Caesar. As the Italian Wars entered into their final, and most brutal year, the Siege of Venice and "capture" of Rome sent a shockwave and panic throughout the whole of the Western World not seen since the days of Attila.
A painting depicting Pope Pius III (at left), meeting with the "Greek" (Roman) delegation to hand over the keys of the city of Rome under the contract to prevent it from being destroyed. It remains unknown if General Doukas had any intentions of entering the city anyway.
*German, here, reflects the Austrian, and German princes aligned with Austria in the Holy Roman Empire, also involved in the wider war.
[1] After the siege, the Venetians would undertake a massive restoration project to the “Horses of Saint Mark” and eventually restore it, to the best of their ability, to the Cathedral in 1711. The Statue of the Tetrarchs was also restored and placed on the cornerstone of the Cathedral in 1688.
The Siege of Venice
The destruction of the Venetian fleet in the waters of the Adriatic was a momentous blow for the Venetian war effort. While German* and French soldiers were locked in a deadly struggle along the embankments of the Upper Rhine River, but with the Habsburg forces facing pressure from a joint Franco-Venetian assault from their encampments in Northern Italy—the entry of the Roman army under Emperor John was a pleasant and much needed sight for the forces of the Holy Roman Empire. The realization of the loss of the Venetian fleet caused panic to sweep the most serene city of canals.
The French army of Italy, over 30,000 strong, camped in Milan, was too far away to come to the immediate rescue of the city. The Venetian garrison, upwards of 10,000 soldiers, were the final rock protecting the great city on the water from being overrun by a vengeful army of Romans. A fitting irony concerning the events that had transpired in 1204 A.D. When the Roman fleet, anchored off of Lido Island, appeared, a brief struggle for the important forward post, so to speak, broke out between an advanced party of Roman marines and Venetian soldiers protecting the island. With the capture of Lido, John began to build a fortress on the island to serve as his main headquarters and barracks for the siege, the fortress that would primarily house his land artillery.
As men who are unable to forgive, the drive and determination is of the upmost resolve. Seeking revenge for the Latin Crusade of 1204, the Roman soldiers worked tirelessly, under fire, and returning fire, to construct the fortress of conquest, death, pestilence, and famine that would crush the Venetian capitol under the weight of the shells of war. The Roman army positioned about 8,000 soldiers on the island to create the mighty fortress that rapidly ascended into the air like the Tower of Babel. The stone came from the ruined fortresses at Ragusa. The timber, from fallen trees brought with the Romans from their trek up the Adriatic coastline and destroyed Venetian ships. Even a handful of captured cannons, once the pride of the Venetian Republic, would soon be turned against the city.
The constant struggle, however, for Murano was where the foundation for the invasion of Venice would be paved. Some twenty Roman ships and 5,000 soldiers assaulted the small island just about a mile north of main city—and the Venetians, ever aware of the importance of this northerly community, had prepared for the assault with some of their finest soldiers. The fighting was particularly brutal when the island was bombarded for nearly a day, non-stop, from the Roman ships and artillery. When the Roman army assaulted the island, fierce hand-to-combat erupted between the two parties, men butchering each other in the streets as the pavement ran red with the spilled blood of the deceased. At the height of the battle, with the tide turning against them, Venetian soldiers set fire to the glassmaking factories. Soon, the entire island was engulfed in a terrible fire that would not expire for next 8 days. A plume of black smoke covered Venice and Lido, and the Romans were deprived of their hard won victory.
Nevertheless, the Venetians were now fully cut-off. With Venice surrounded by the Roman navy, the only hope was to hold out long enough for the French armies to ride to their rescue, which, for the French at least, was not a top priority as was breaking the stalemate along the Upper Rhine. On 2 February 1524, the after 2 months of being besieged, the Romans moved in for the final strike. Landing on the south side of Venice, the Romans forced the Venetians to commit a majority of their forces to defend the southernmost points of the city that were the sight of the first Roman assault. This diversion was successful, and 10,000 Romans, led by the emperor himself, left Lido Fortress and assaulted up the canals of the central part of the city destined for the Cathedral of Saint Mark. As the Romans rushed the city, constant fire from the Roman navy and fortress and Lido brought forth absolute ruination and destruction upon the city.
A painting depicting, "The Burning of Venice."
The Burning of Venice
The Venetians were, by now, in a complete rump and panic. Men had deserted their posts. Citizens were clamoring for refuge and mercy. Others took up arms against the Roman invaders. In one incident, a Venetian woman opted to greet a small Roman ship moving up the canals as if she was to extoll them as liberators, only to fire a hand-cannon into the party of Roman soldiers. In other instances, swarms of Venetian citizens and soldiers, like locust, descended upon the crowded Roman ships sailing up the canals and the most horrendous fighting broke out on small raiding ships—thousands drowned in the ensuing panic. As Venice began to burn, the emperor and his Imperial Guard assaulted the Cathedral of Saint Mark. The Romans latched ropes around the Triumphal Quadriga, the “Horses of Saint Mark” that had been pillaged by the Venetians during the assault on Constantinople in 1204. The Romans also displaced the Statue of the Tetrarchs that lined the side of the cathedral. The horses were toppled from their donning emplacement at the top of the cathedral. The statue of the Tetrarchs, likewise, was uprooted from its premature foundations at the great Venetian cathedral. This was the greatest moment of the siege, as John recalled, “The moment when the Triumphal Quadriga that had donned the Old Hippodrome came crashing down to the ground as the Cathedral of Saint Mark burned, that instance I knew that we had delivered the most decisive blow against the Italians.”
Sadly, John and his Guard were unable to move this great marble statues onto Roman ships and restore them to their rightful place in Constantinople. Instead, he continued his utter pillage of the city and the great monuments. Like the Crusaders over 300 years ago, the Romans were hell-bent on nothing less than the complete rapture of the city and its inhabitants. The great libraries and museums, the churches, and notable landmarks, statues—all toppled, put to the torch, chipped and broken so as to remind the Venetians who had broken into Venice and laid waste to their city.
Indeed, for the next 3 days, the looting and destruction of Venice can only be described as a scene from hell. Unspeakable actions were committed, and here, the citizens of the city suffered the worse, especially the Venetian women. Finally, as the once majestic city of canals was burning to crisp, as if Venice was now hell on earth, John wept at the destruction that he witnessed. At the end of the customary 3 day looting, he immediately began fighting to control the burning of the city. By the beginning of March, the burning of Venice was contained. The beautiful and majestic city on the water was now black and charred. The Triumphal Quadriga, still sitting in the middle of the streets of Venice, was broken and tattered, two of the horses with their heads irreplaceable broken.[1] The pillage of Venice had ended, and now, the rest of the Roman army crossed into mainland Italy.
A Greek Renaissance painting of the "Triumph of Emperor John X"
Thomas Doukas Marches on Rome
John, in victory, divided his army into two columns. The first, led by himself, 20,000 strong, would drive to Milan in a coordinated assault with the Austrians to dislodge the French from Northern Italy. A second column, led by his general Thomas Doukas, would drive south—with the intention of reclaiming Roman Italy that had been captured in the earlier moments of the war. However, as Doukas marched south with 10,000 soldiers, mostly mercenaries, and as they neared Rome, Pope Pius III panicked and fled the eternal city of Rome as the Roman forces neared. Indeed, Pius, believing the Greeks would punish the great city as they did Venice, fled to meet with Doukas and hand over the keys to the city under the contract to not destroy Saint Peter’s Basilica or any of the important monuments. Doukas, a man of honor, abided and simply used Rome as a place of recovery before his final attack on Bari.Indeed, the "Saving of Rome" by Pope Pius III was commemorated by many Renaissance era artists and painters. While the High Renaissance in Italy would inevitably restore the city of Venice to its former splendor and glory, even if it took over a century to rebuild and restore the great city of canals, many artists and historians were quick and immediate to relate the saving of Rome by Pius III to the saving of Rome by Pope Gregory, who had ventured out to meet with Attila the Hun to procure the salvation of the city from the hands of the Barbarians. Of course, there was also a bitter irony in this propaganda effort by the Italians, who, in correlating the two events, were condemning the Greeks as pseudo-civilized Barbarians with no attachment of the laurels of Augustus Caesar. As the Italian Wars entered into their final, and most brutal year, the Siege of Venice and "capture" of Rome sent a shockwave and panic throughout the whole of the Western World not seen since the days of Attila.
A painting depicting Pope Pius III (at left), meeting with the "Greek" (Roman) delegation to hand over the keys of the city of Rome under the contract to prevent it from being destroyed. It remains unknown if General Doukas had any intentions of entering the city anyway.
*German, here, reflects the Austrian, and German princes aligned with Austria in the Holy Roman Empire, also involved in the wider war.
[1] After the siege, the Venetians would undertake a massive restoration project to the “Horses of Saint Mark” and eventually restore it, to the best of their ability, to the Cathedral in 1711. The Statue of the Tetrarchs was also restored and placed on the cornerstone of the Cathedral in 1688.
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Wow. What about the Venetian government? Did they capitulate after that or did they fight on?
Your style is unique, as always. Although there are some typos here and there - something that is very rare of you - it is a superb update.
There is one thing I would clarify if I were you: Even if the Eastern Roman troops bombarded the city "a full day" it is not like they were able to fire more than a few shots per cannon per hour - or else the cannons would overheat. So the readers shouldn't imagine a WWI bombardment. Even if the cannons would have been able to fire more often, Logistics wouldn't have been able to send them/produce that many projectiles.
There is one thing I would clarify if I were you: Even if the Eastern Roman troops bombarded the city "a full day" it is not like they were able to fire more than a few shots per cannon per hour - or else the cannons would overheat. So the readers shouldn't imagine a WWI bombardment. Even if the cannons would have been able to fire more often, Logistics wouldn't have been able to send them/produce that many projectiles.
Worthy revenge for 1204! Too bad the four horses could not be brought back to Constantinople. But the Venetians and the Romans have learned a lesson, and hopefully the French will learn one soon, with the help of the Austrians.
The seed that was sown bears fruits that return home. Venetian DNA returns back to where it came...
Empire of the Romans occupying Rome? What a traumatic event for the Roman citizens.
Empire of the Romans occupying Rome? What a traumatic event for the Roman citizens.
Damn! You just destroyed Venice! hmy:
The Fortress of Conquest, Death, Pestilence, and Famine!* Now there's a vacation destination for the whole family!
*I just love the way you phrased that, volksmarschall.
hmy:The Fortress of Conquest, Death, Pestilence, and Famine!* Now there's a vacation destination for the whole family!
*I just love the way you phrased that, volksmarschall.
Great update! I always love seeing the reactions from the conquered and their propaganda methods to show the barbaric nature of the victors (in this case you ).
).
Greeks as the new Barbarians, the irony in that...
The war is/was still ongoing. Although they (Venice) were effectively sidelined, i needed some good scores against France to tilt the warscore in my favor to gain some of the delicious islands the Venetians own along the Greek coast. Oh warscore, and the larger ally gaining the dictating rights :glare:
I'm not sure I picked up the typos, I spellcheck and write in advance, even for an AAR, to try to avoid that (good habits, even if writing an AAR keeps up good regular writing habits per my more important writings). Although, it could always be the case of author confusion since we see what we want to see.
Well, I would hope the other readers are like you, noting that 16th century warfare isn't akin to modern warfare. I'd otherwise be bored out of my mind trying to explain that which should already be taken as a given. Although, I've had editors write me in political philosophy saying that I should, in fact, explain things than simply state and assume!
France just needs to be defeated a few times so I can benefit with the warscore and gain what I wanted to begin with!
The seed that was sown bears fruits that return home. Venetian DNA returns back to where it came...
Empire of the Romans occupying Rome? What a traumatic event for the Roman citizens.
The irony in the Greeks, who are the Romans in political evolution, fighting in Italy, and marching on Rome, only to have the Roman Pope 'save' the city of Rome itself! :wacko:
Damn! You just destroyed Venice!
The Fortress of Conquest, Death, Pestilence, and Famine!* Now there's a vacation destination for the whole family!
*I just love the way you phrased that, volksmarschall.
Although that serves also as a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, I really had Grantland Rice's commentary on the 1924 Notre Dame-Army game! (the sports nerd that I am)
Great update! I always love seeing the reactions from the conquered and their propaganda methods to show the barbaric nature of the victors (in this case you
Thanks for the kind words Eber! Propaganda, I'm sure Machiavelli's writings per TTL would be quite a joy to read!
Chapter XX
The siege of Venice and the frightening of Rome were important turning points in the Italian Wars. Until then, the Franco-Italian alliance had largely been advancing through northern Italy as the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire was preoccupied with the deadly fighting along the Upper Rhine and into Roman Italy. Now, however, the Roman armies were moving south and west with the promise of an additional Habsburg army in Italy to meet with the emperor and defeat the principal French army outside of Milan.
On the same accord, Doukas led the smaller portion of the Roman army to retake Bari from the Franco-Venetian forces. Panic had gripped the Catholic forces upon hearing the news of his march on Rome, some had been woefully misinformed that he and the barbarous Romans had torched the city and forced the Pope to flee to Avignon under the protection of the French fleet. The arrival of the Roman army in Southern Italy caused one of the greatest flights in European military history. The 12,000 French and Italian soldiers largely abandoned their posts upon the sight of the Roman banners and the first sounds of battle. The Battle of Bari was merely, as my colleague J.B. Bury[1] has claimed, “The Flight at Bari.” Within a few hours of only minor fighting the Franco-Italian army had disintegrated and the road to Bari was open. This small excursion, was, however, a mere shadow to the fighting at Milan.
A depiction of what many historians consider to be the Battle of Bari, or possibly an earlier engagement of the war.
In July, the French armies had gathered outside the city that had been so crucial to Habsburg dominance in the region. A former ally that had now been occupied by the invading French, the new focus of the war with the fall of Venice and Bari was for the Habsburg-Roman armies to drive the French out of Northern Italy as the back and forth struggle along the Upper Rhine left both sides without a clear winner.
The French forces, led by King Louis, had gathered a sizeable and powerful force of about 31,000 French and 9,000 allied Italians. With him was an artillery armament of some 70 guns that would decimate anyone on the battlefield. The 40,000 man army was opposed by a ragtag but veteran force of Romans and Germans, about 21,000 Romans and 20,000 Germans who slightly outnumbered their Franco-Italian foes, but possessed with them less than 40 cannons for the battle. Furthermore, the two forces were disunited, with the Habsburg column marching south from the Alps and the Romans marching west from Venice. Careful planning on part of the French could have easily swept aside this last attempt by the two claimants of the Roman legacy and reverse the recent setbacks with John’s destruction of Venice. However, French and Italian intelligence, if you can use that word for the early sixteenth century, was lackluster at best. Therefore, the French made no moves to divide and conquer their foes. Instead, the French and Italian forces dug in and positioned themselves in a strong defensive position hoping to lure the two Roman emperors into a trap and decisively defeat both on the fields of Erbatico, east of Milan and east of the Fiume Adda River.
The first of the allied forces to arrive were the Romans under Emperor John, who arrived at Gamello and situated themselves in the adjacent forest. From there, the Roman army waited for the arrival of the Habsburg column marching south. In the meantime, both sides began small skirmishes with their artillery arms and there was minor cavalry clashing to the north as the Romans were hoping to find signs of the Habsburg army. In the two to three hours of fighting, the Habsburg forces could hear the modest cannonade that was filling the air. The Habsburg forces eventually solidified themselves north of Erbatico at Adda, and from there, the two-pronged assault on the Franco-Italian defenses commenced.
What followed was one of the most gruesome battles of the high renaissance. Advancing in open fields, the French artillery would have their way against the allied armies if not silenced immediately. In a heroic gambit, the German horse valiantly charged the northern guns and, while some of the men were bogged down by the countercharge of the French gendarmes, those that were able to escape the vicious melee directed their horses at the French artillery positions. Suffering heavy casualties, they managed to force the retreat of 24 French guns in the opening moments of combat, but were otherwise unable to play any other role for the rest of the battle.
The fighting intensified in the south with the advance of the Roman infantry. The French artillery peppered the advancing columns as the French infantry advanced to give battle in front of the town. Men cut and slashed at one another. Others simply devolved into the lowest and most sinful expositions of humanity—choking each other with their hands and fighting and clawing at each other with anything from branches to rocks. The Roman forces managed to break the French center and pushed straight for the French camp. The ensuing panic engulfed the Franco-Italian lines, many of whom threw down their arms and fled to Fiume Adda River. Here, the French and Italians realized their great strategic blunder in placing their backs to the waterway—in their haste to save themselves, hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers, drowned trying to cross the river.
Entering the French camp, Emperor John saw a dignified but humiliated King Louis surrendered himself to the victors. The Battle of Milan was over. Some 15,000 French and Italian men were dead or missing, another 12,000 or so German and Roman forces strewn the field with their bodies and blood. The victory at Milan and the capture of King Louis brought an end to the Italian Wars before further damages to French prestige could be inflicted. Venice was no longer a major power, and would never regain her major power status in the world of the Renaissance and beyond. Naxos and Corfu were ceded back to the authority of Constantinople, and Habsburg Austria retained dominance over Italy for the next 50 years. As for John, his showing in the Italian Wars sent shockwaves through the heart of Europe, and filled its palaces with talks of a Greek revival that would have to be contained by the powers of the Latin West.
A Greek painting of the Battle of Milan showing the moment of victory.
[1] J.B. Bury was a real Anglo-Irish historian during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. A professor of history at Cambridge University. He is most famous for his four volume work on the “Later Roman Empire:” History of the Later Roman Empire from Arcadius to Irene (in 2 volumes) and the History of the Later Roman Empire from the death of Theodosius to Justinian (in 2 volumes). I own his great works, and Mr. Bury has been an important figure in the shaping of my own writings of the “Late Roman Empire,” “Roman Empire in the West,” and Byzantine Empire (the 2 phrases in quotes I take from him). Outside of Edward Gibbon, he is the most famous English-speaking historian on the Roman Empire until the new wave of modern scholarship starting in the in 1970s with Peter Brown and the onset of Late Antiquity. Almost all contemporary Roman historians reference Bury in their works. This reference is in homage to him.
The Battle of Milan
The siege of Venice and the frightening of Rome were important turning points in the Italian Wars. Until then, the Franco-Italian alliance had largely been advancing through northern Italy as the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire was preoccupied with the deadly fighting along the Upper Rhine and into Roman Italy. Now, however, the Roman armies were moving south and west with the promise of an additional Habsburg army in Italy to meet with the emperor and defeat the principal French army outside of Milan.
On the same accord, Doukas led the smaller portion of the Roman army to retake Bari from the Franco-Venetian forces. Panic had gripped the Catholic forces upon hearing the news of his march on Rome, some had been woefully misinformed that he and the barbarous Romans had torched the city and forced the Pope to flee to Avignon under the protection of the French fleet. The arrival of the Roman army in Southern Italy caused one of the greatest flights in European military history. The 12,000 French and Italian soldiers largely abandoned their posts upon the sight of the Roman banners and the first sounds of battle. The Battle of Bari was merely, as my colleague J.B. Bury[1] has claimed, “The Flight at Bari.” Within a few hours of only minor fighting the Franco-Italian army had disintegrated and the road to Bari was open. This small excursion, was, however, a mere shadow to the fighting at Milan.
A depiction of what many historians consider to be the Battle of Bari, or possibly an earlier engagement of the war.
In July, the French armies had gathered outside the city that had been so crucial to Habsburg dominance in the region. A former ally that had now been occupied by the invading French, the new focus of the war with the fall of Venice and Bari was for the Habsburg-Roman armies to drive the French out of Northern Italy as the back and forth struggle along the Upper Rhine left both sides without a clear winner.
The French forces, led by King Louis, had gathered a sizeable and powerful force of about 31,000 French and 9,000 allied Italians. With him was an artillery armament of some 70 guns that would decimate anyone on the battlefield. The 40,000 man army was opposed by a ragtag but veteran force of Romans and Germans, about 21,000 Romans and 20,000 Germans who slightly outnumbered their Franco-Italian foes, but possessed with them less than 40 cannons for the battle. Furthermore, the two forces were disunited, with the Habsburg column marching south from the Alps and the Romans marching west from Venice. Careful planning on part of the French could have easily swept aside this last attempt by the two claimants of the Roman legacy and reverse the recent setbacks with John’s destruction of Venice. However, French and Italian intelligence, if you can use that word for the early sixteenth century, was lackluster at best. Therefore, the French made no moves to divide and conquer their foes. Instead, the French and Italian forces dug in and positioned themselves in a strong defensive position hoping to lure the two Roman emperors into a trap and decisively defeat both on the fields of Erbatico, east of Milan and east of the Fiume Adda River.
The first of the allied forces to arrive were the Romans under Emperor John, who arrived at Gamello and situated themselves in the adjacent forest. From there, the Roman army waited for the arrival of the Habsburg column marching south. In the meantime, both sides began small skirmishes with their artillery arms and there was minor cavalry clashing to the north as the Romans were hoping to find signs of the Habsburg army. In the two to three hours of fighting, the Habsburg forces could hear the modest cannonade that was filling the air. The Habsburg forces eventually solidified themselves north of Erbatico at Adda, and from there, the two-pronged assault on the Franco-Italian defenses commenced.
What followed was one of the most gruesome battles of the high renaissance. Advancing in open fields, the French artillery would have their way against the allied armies if not silenced immediately. In a heroic gambit, the German horse valiantly charged the northern guns and, while some of the men were bogged down by the countercharge of the French gendarmes, those that were able to escape the vicious melee directed their horses at the French artillery positions. Suffering heavy casualties, they managed to force the retreat of 24 French guns in the opening moments of combat, but were otherwise unable to play any other role for the rest of the battle.
The fighting intensified in the south with the advance of the Roman infantry. The French artillery peppered the advancing columns as the French infantry advanced to give battle in front of the town. Men cut and slashed at one another. Others simply devolved into the lowest and most sinful expositions of humanity—choking each other with their hands and fighting and clawing at each other with anything from branches to rocks. The Roman forces managed to break the French center and pushed straight for the French camp. The ensuing panic engulfed the Franco-Italian lines, many of whom threw down their arms and fled to Fiume Adda River. Here, the French and Italians realized their great strategic blunder in placing their backs to the waterway—in their haste to save themselves, hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers, drowned trying to cross the river.
Entering the French camp, Emperor John saw a dignified but humiliated King Louis surrendered himself to the victors. The Battle of Milan was over. Some 15,000 French and Italian men were dead or missing, another 12,000 or so German and Roman forces strewn the field with their bodies and blood. The victory at Milan and the capture of King Louis brought an end to the Italian Wars before further damages to French prestige could be inflicted. Venice was no longer a major power, and would never regain her major power status in the world of the Renaissance and beyond. Naxos and Corfu were ceded back to the authority of Constantinople, and Habsburg Austria retained dominance over Italy for the next 50 years. As for John, his showing in the Italian Wars sent shockwaves through the heart of Europe, and filled its palaces with talks of a Greek revival that would have to be contained by the powers of the Latin West.
A Greek painting of the Battle of Milan showing the moment of victory.
[1] J.B. Bury was a real Anglo-Irish historian during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. A professor of history at Cambridge University. He is most famous for his four volume work on the “Later Roman Empire:” History of the Later Roman Empire from Arcadius to Irene (in 2 volumes) and the History of the Later Roman Empire from the death of Theodosius to Justinian (in 2 volumes). I own his great works, and Mr. Bury has been an important figure in the shaping of my own writings of the “Late Roman Empire,” “Roman Empire in the West,” and Byzantine Empire (the 2 phrases in quotes I take from him). Outside of Edward Gibbon, he is the most famous English-speaking historian on the Roman Empire until the new wave of modern scholarship starting in the in 1970s with Peter Brown and the onset of Late Antiquity. Almost all contemporary Roman historians reference Bury in their works. This reference is in homage to him.
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I'd say that was glorious, but it's too brutal for that kind of a word.
Also, sounds like you've got a coalition forming against you.
Also, sounds like you've got a coalition forming against you.
Then I will say it for you! GLORIOUS!
The Italian Wars are won, eh? Quite a good war for the Romans, and that battle was evocatively described.
Did you emerge with Naxos and Corfu? (That's the impression I got.)I have never heard of JB Bury, definitely looking him up now.
Relevant
[video=youtube;ez2vqbNRPSs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez2vqbNRPSs[/video]
[video=youtube;ez2vqbNRPSs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez2vqbNRPSs[/video]
It's been a while. Nice to see you again!
While I would have fleshed out the peace deal a little bit more I think that this is, once again, a great update. And I didn't find anything strange this time!
While I would have fleshed out the peace deal a little bit more I think that this is, once again, a great update. And I didn't find anything strange this time!
The pretenders have sided with the true Empire? What a strange world.
Rome is free now yes? Time to mend the Schism, or at least reduce the funny hats powers.
Rome is free now yes? Time to mend the Schism, or at least reduce the funny hats powers.