Trade and Empire: A Florentine MEIOU AAR

[Seelmeister]

Acciaiuoli has enjoyed a long reign, and has laid the foundations for a monarchy. Very interesting update, as it appears the the future direction of Florence is not certain. The continued relative decline of trade must certainly be worrying for those who want to preserve the republic however.

 

[loki100]

nicely done, nice indication of the consequences of Florence becoming more of a temporal than a trading power - ie needing high taxes to pay for the military to hold the ground you have taken against low taxes preferred by your merchants, &, indeed, those whose land you are holding. Neatly fused into a dispute with the Papacy. Florence is well on its way to alter the realities of territorial power in Italy but it will be interesting to see if Zaccheria restores at least the form of Republic or continues the creation of a de facto monarchy?

 

[Gukpa]

I voted in your AAR the AARland

 

[Corporal Cody]

Part 6, Continued

The Philosopher Doge, 1484-1495

Following Acciaiuoli's death, Zaccheria was taken to the Florentine parliament, where Acciaiuoli's advisors announced that he was chosen to become the next Doge Zaccheria recognized that he had no legitimacy as Doge, for he was unelected, but also knew that he was highly respected and popular with many of the Florentine elite. Thus, he announced that he fully intended on rising to become Doge, but that he would grant a number of concessions to the parliament if they accepted him into the office. He would select his advisors out of the leaderships of all the factions, and retain the advisors which Acciaiuoli had taken in. He made clear that, though he would not nullify Acciaiuoli's decree centralizing and expanding the powers of the Doge, he would listen closely to and heed the advice, ideas, and desires of the Florentine elite. Following his speech, the Florentine parliament recognized him as Doge, though hesitantly. Members of the military faction, which held significant influence in Florentine politics and in the parliament, had staged a walk out earlier. Only members of the mercantile faction and the various other groups represented in the parliament accepted his Dogeship.

One group which was enormously distraught by Zaccheria's rise as Doge was the Florentine religious and clergy. They had already been fearful of Zaccheria and his intentions, and now they felt that their days were limited under his government. Respected and popular leaders of Florence's clergy began preaching against Zaccheria and his government, urging the faithful to disobey the growing secularization of Florence. The unhappiness of the clergy contributed to early instability in Zaccheria's reign. Though he wanted to remain removed from the situation with the clergy, his advisors persuaded him to grant concessions to the Florentine religious establishment. They hoped that, if they could not win over Florence's religious leaders through ideas or compromise, they could at least do so with money. A number of monetary gifts and financial support were promised and given to Florence's churches and members of the clergy. In return, they promised to not oppose the Florentine government under Zaccheria, though they made clear that they would do nothing to support it, either.

Florence's clergy was deeply troubled by Zaccheria's Dogeship, and the Florentine government felt compelled to give the religious establishment monetary gifts and support to win legitimacy in their eyes.

Throughout the 1480s, the Florentine government under Zaccheria supported the expansion and development of the economy in order to bolster his legitimacy and to win the support and loyalty of the mercantile faction. A number of envoys were sent to states across Europe bearing gifts, guarantees, and promises in order to lure states into the Florentine League or, at the least, to secure more trade agreements. A large amount of funding was put into this endeavor, but the results paid off. Florence signed a number of trade agreements during the 1480s, restoring a significant amount of the Florentine trade. In 1489, after many gifts and much discussion between its envoys and those from Florence, the Kingdom of Hungary agreed to rejoin the Florentine League. Going into the 1490s, Florence's position as a trading power had again been expanded, and the volume of trade it dealt with was again highly profitable and sizable. Though Florence had a ways to go before it would reach the levels of trade it had possessed during its height, no longer was Florentine trade in the decline. Florence's merchants and traders were very pleased with Zaccheria's support for Florence's economy and trade, and they thus largely lent their support to his rule.

Zaccheria's support for mercantile expansion pleased many of Florence's merchants, who lent their support to his rule.

Zaccheria had secured his legitimacy as Doge in the eyes of the mercantilists, but there were still a number of groups and factions within Florence whose support he needed. Most important of these groups was the military faction and the military officers. The military was incredibly suspicious of Zaccheria, as he was put into his position because of Acciaiuoli's decrees; after all, the military had suffered under Acciaiuoli, and many of its top leadership were killed by his orders during the revolts and uprisings of the past decades. Zaccheria knew that, without the support of the military, his control over Florence would be weak. He could be toppled easily if elements within the military wanted to march on the capitol and overthrow him. Thus, Zaccheria decided that he needed to show the military that he supported it and that he was willing to make full use of it. He wanted to demonstrate to the military leadership that he was not a weak leader or afraid of war, hoping that doing so would win their loyalty and respect.

The Invasion of Venice, 1488-1490

The Republic of Venice in 1488 was a shadow of its former self. Its army was almost nonexistent, its navy was dwarfed by Florence's, its trade league was by far the weakest in Europe, and it had lost almost all of its overseas trading ports and colonies. However, it still controlled the city of Venice, which was a thriving center of trade and culture and was large in population compared to other Italian cities. Many in the Florentine leadership had done business in Venice sometime in their lives, and their envy of the great city was almost unanimous. They thought that it, under Florentine rule, it could be transformed into the greatest city that the world had ever seen. Now that Venice was so weakened, Zaccheria and his advisors figured that the time was right for Florence to take what they thought should be hers. Zaccheria also knew that war with Venice would likely be quick and easy, and thus he could have his war without facing the possibility of military disaster early in his reign.

Zaccheria, in a meeting with the military factions leadership and with his highest army officers, discussed the possibility of war with Venice and the payoffs that victory could bring. His arguments were persuasive; he argued that Florence could justify the war as a trade dispute, especially because Venice continued to dabble in Italian trade which rightfully belonged to Florence. If that wasn't enough, he argued, the capture and occupation of Venice could bring in enormous revenues for Florence. Aside from the city of Florence, Venice could serve as the Republic's center of trade and culture. After coming into agreement with the military leadership that war was the course of action to take, Zaccheria announced his intentions to the Florentine parliament. They too agreed with his arguments. Even most of the elites who had opposed war in the past supported the idea of war with Venice, as Venice was a long-hated rival and its capture could bring enormous gains for the Florentine economy.

A number of regiments were raised and the Florentine navy was given an overhaul and provided with a number of new vessels. Envoys were sent to Florence's allies requesting their support, though it was stated that help was not expected. The Florentine leadership expected Florence to perform well in the war, and thought that the Venetians were already so weak that a swift victory was essentially guaranteed. The invasion was launched in June of 1489, when the Florentine navy blockaded the Venetian harbor and began to destroy any vessels which tried to run the blockade. Within weeks, the Florentine army was landed in Venice, and the Venetian defenders were overwhelmed and quickly surrendered. The city of Venice fell within months.

As Florence was engaged in the war against Venice, word was received from the Papacy that it sought the return of the province of Umbria. There was strong international support, especially from the states with more religious zeal and from the allies of the Papacy, to have the Papal States restored to its original territory and to prevent its further dismantling. However, the Florentine parliament quickly rejected these demands, and Zaccheria issued a declaration stating that Umbria is, and will forever be, an integral part of Florence. The declaration angered the Papacy and its allies, and added tarnish to Florence's record and prestige. However, this hardly concerned many in Florence, who viewed their republic as superior to all other states in Europe. Hardly any feared the possible repercussions of rejecting the demands. Fortunately for them, there were none, though they found that Florence would struggle in the diplomatic arena for some time following.

The Papacy and its allies issued a demand seeking the return of Umbria, which was quickly rejected by the Florentine government.

The city of Venice was completely occupied and defeated; its navy was destroyed, its armies had been swept off the field. However, it still possessed valuable trading ports and colonies, especially the province of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia. Dubrovnik was one of Venice's centers of trade, and though it was not especially wealthy its capture would add another market for Florence to dominate and control. These trade provinces were invaded by Florentine forces and bombarded by the Florentine navy throughout 1489, until, in 1490, they finally surrendered. The territories of the Republic of Venice were now totally occupied. Venetian diplomats soon arrived in Florence seeking peace. The Florentine leadership quickly offered its demands: Florence sought complete war reparations and demanded that Venice annul all of its treaty obligations, thus rendering it isolated. However, most importantly, Florence demanded that Venice cede its valuable trading provinces and colonies along the Dalmatian coast. Most important of these was the center of trade in Dubrovnik, whose capture by Florence made it the second center of trade which Florence controlled. The Venetian diplomats, in no position to argue with these terms, agreed. The war was over, and as Zaccheria had hoped and predicted was a stunning success.

In return for peace, the Republic of Venice was forced to pay major war reparations and cede its valuable trading provinces along the Dalmatian coast.

Venice was devastated by its defeat in the war. The Venetian Republic was reduced to controlling only the city of Venice and small holdings near it. Florence, on the other hand, gained much in its victory. Florence didn't take control of the city of Venice as many had hoped for, but still it acquired some valuable trade provinces and established its first trade colonies. The military performed well in the war, and found much support from the government throughout it. The top leadership were persuaded to accept Zaccheria as Doge, though they still opposed Acciaiuoli's decrees and the changing powers of the Dogeship.

A New World, 1490-1500

The search for new trade routes and new lands had long prompted voyages of exploration by brave explorers. The development of larger and more capable ships in the 15th century enabled these explorers to travel further and further away from their ports of origin, and thus sparked the 'age of discovery'. The Kingdom of Portugal launched a number of expeditions throughout the 1470s and 1480s which explored down Africa, rounded it, and followed the Indian coast. During the 1480s, the Aragonese explorer Miguel de Zaporta set out on a voyage west into the unknown, searching for a new route to India. After months of sailing, he landed near the coast of Brazil. His discovery of the 'New World' prompted waves of more voyages seeking out rumored treasures and secrets.

In the early 1490s, the Florentine leadership decided that it would be highly beneficial for Florence to support these voyages of discovery. Many wanted to exploit the new lands by developing Florentine colonies and utilizing the resources and valuable trade goods located there. However, the Florentine navy, though large and powerful compared to its Mediterranean rivals, was not fit for ocean travel. Thus, a major shipbuilding program went underway during the early 1490s, and a number of 'caravel'-type vessels, capable of ocean travel, were built. A renowned Florentine explorer and merchant, Francesco Accrigelli, was commissioned by the Florentine government to set out west and discover and claim lands for Florence.

Accrigelli set out in 1495, and during a multiple-month long journey he discovered the Caribbean for Florence and traveled along the coast of South America. Upon his return to Florence he was honored in major celebrations, and the Florentine government began to outfit and commission extra expeditions of discovery. By 1500, an additional ten expeditions were sent out across the ocean to explore the coast of the new world and some down the coast of Africa to seek out areas where Florentine colonies could be established. The opportunities presented by these vast, unclaimed discoveries excited many in Florence, some of whom wanted to leave their homes behind and start a new life across the ocean.

Florentine discoveries by 1500 and Stefano Accrigelli's voyage of discovery in 1495.

By 1500, the Republic of Florence had undergone significant change and overcome large challenges. Its economic situation had improved under Zaccheria, though there was still a ways to go before it reach the economic power it had possessed before. Victory over the Republic of Venice had provided Florence with its first trade colonies and provinces and put it in control of another center of trade. The discovery of the new world provided an opportunity for colonization and the exploitation of trade resources, opportunity which Zaccheria and the Florentine leadership would surely take advantage of.

The function of the Republic changed greatly under Acciaiuoli, who centralized the powers of the Dogeship and, in his decrees, transformed it into a position of quasi-monarchical status. The appointment of Zaccheria as a successor was the first time power was transferred without an election, and Zaccheria needed to satisfy the wants of various groups within Florence in order to secure his legitimacy as ruler. However, by helping recover Florence's economic situation and by ordering and overseeing the enormously successful war, he won the loyalty of the two most important groups in Florence, the military and the merchants. Now, going into the 16th century, the Florentine people and leadership looked forward to expanding their realm and continuing to restore the economic and mercantile power it had once possessed.

The Republic of Florence and vassal states outlined in black, 1500

 

[Gukpa]

Exelent,now,convert to monarchy

 

[EU3NOOB]

exelent,now,convert to monarchy

nevah!

 

[blsteen]

Ah the Caribbean discovered and now for the next steps of colonization and consolidation

 

[PrawnStar]

The explorations look promising - what's in range and realistic or is it already being settled by the Iberians?

 

[loki100]

well that has more or less finished off Venice, well done on facing down the Pope ... can you spare the resources to enter the colonial game at this stage though?

 

[Gukpa]

nevah!

Why?

 

[SirkTheMonkey]

My apologies for not commenting again sooner. To be honest I kept forgetting but I was still reading.
Nice continuing progress in your quest for trade hegemony. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do in the colonial game (plus whether colonising works in your game) and how the slow progression to despotism goes or whether there will be a republican resurgence.

 

[Dovahkiing]

That border with the Papacy looks so flimsy

 

[Gukpa]

And Now,Start colonizing America,but ONLY one America,it's better to Colonize the Whole north america,of the Whole Central America,or the Whole South america,than slowy expand and fight with the other colonial empires.

 

[Seelmeister]

Good work claiming some more land from Venice, and I am glad that Zaccheria stodd firm in the face of Papal aggression.

Do you have any favoured areas to start colonising? Your voyages have discovered large amounts of the new world, and there are several options open to you. I suppose the most obvious would be to start colonising the Caribbean islands, and perhaps take a chunk of Mexico, as these provinces would soon devlop rich colonial goods which will hugely boost your centres of trade.

 

[Merrick Chance']

Secular already! My god, where do you go from here!

 

[Corporal Cody]

Ah the Caribbean discovered and now for the next steps of colonization and consolidation

Indeed! It was fun voyaging out into the unknown to discover the Americas. I lost a number of ships during my voyages, though; it seems as though my colonial distance and naval distance has not reached far enough for me to get to the American shore yet. I'm at a disadvantage to the Iberian nations already because I'm situated in the middle of the Mediterranean and need to cross it first before I get out into the ocean.

The explorations look promising - what's in range and realistic or is it already being settled by the Iberians?

Again, as of 1500 nothing is in range except for some African coastal provinces along West Africa. Portugal's already settled some of Africa, as can be seen in the exploration map I posted in the last update. Other than that, there has hardly been any European colonization so far.

well that has more or less finished off Venice, well done on facing down the Pope ... can you spare the resources to enter the colonial game at this stage though?

I'm not sure whether I can colonize soon or not. My incomes been dropping heavily over the past few years (for reasons I can't pin down, either. I just suddenly lost my monopoly on trade in a number of centers and all my merchants got competed out of business) so I likely won't be able to finance any large colonization undertaking any time soon.

My apologies for not commenting again sooner. To be honest I kept forgetting but I was still reading.
Nice continuing progress in your quest for trade hegemony. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do in the colonial game (plus whether colonising works in your game) and how the slow progression to despotism goes or whether there will be a republican resurgence.

We'll see what happens. Zaccheria is an enlightened individual, and the Republic has a better chance of surviving in some form of what it had been before under him than under Acciaiuoli.

Are you having problems colonizing in your games? I've found that past versions of MEIOU had the Europeans hold off on colonization until the late 16th and even into the early 17th centuries.

That border with the Papacy looks so flimsy

I'm a sucker for pretty borders, so the border with the Papacy does make me cringe sometimes. Perhaps a war of conquest could remedy that?

Good work claiming some more land from Venice, and I am glad that Zaccheria stodd firm in the face of Papal aggression.

Do you have any favoured areas to start colonising? Your voyages have discovered large amounts of the new world, and there are several options open to you. I suppose the most obvious would be to start colonising the Caribbean islands, and perhaps take a chunk of Mexico, as these provinces would soon devlop rich colonial goods which will hugely boost your centres of trade.

Haven't really thought about it much so far (as the discovery/colonization game has just begun) but I'm hoping to take some islands first. I need a launching point into the rest of the New World as I'm at a disadvantage compared to the other colonial powers because of Florence's farther distance from the New World.

Secular already! My god, where do you go from here!

Zaccheria is definitely a secular individual (at least in my mind), though I would hardly say all of Florence has suddenly forgotten about the powers of the Pope and their faith. The role of religion will play a more prominent role in Florence in the coming decades, especially as the reformation is (likely) to happen within the next chapter.

I hope everyones been enjoying the read so far! I haven't had much time to update, but hopefully I will get an update out within the next week.

 

[Corporal Cody]

also, be sure not to forget to read:

​

 

[Omen]

I just caught up. A great AAR and I'm interested to see where you go from here.

 

[SirkTheMonkey]

Are you having problems colonizing in your games? I've found that past versions of MEIOU had the Europeans hold off on colonization until the late 16th and even into the early 17th centuries.

I know Gigau's has taken steps to improve the AI's behaviour on that front. I haven't had a colonial game at all in the mod; I spend much more time modding and fixing than actually playing.
If you're having range problems, have you looked grabbing a Navigator or Astronomer? They give colonial range boosts but their effect may have been severely nerfed in recent patches. (EDIT) Correction, they have been severely nerfed because of a recent change.

 

[Corporal Cody]

I know Gigau's has taken steps to improve the AI's behaviour on that front. I haven't had a colonial game at all in the mod; I spend much more time modding and fixing than actually playing.
If you're having range problems, have you looked grabbing a Navigator or Astronomer? They give colonial range boosts but their effect may have been severely nerfed in recent patches. (EDIT) Correction, they have been severely nerfed because of a recent change.

Interesting. I haven't updated my mod to the latest version yet, would doing so provide me a different colonial game than plain 5.50?