Unam Sanctam: A Papal States AAR

[XhePablo]

Unam Sanctam
A Papal States AAR


Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim,
we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation
that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff."
~ Pope Boniface VIII, in his Papal bull Unam Sanctam​

Welcome to my first AAR, which will focus on the Papal States beginning in 1454. Here you'll see my AAR writing will be very much influenced by the excellent RossN style, as I really enjoy reading his AARs and his current Aragon one is superb. I suggest everyone read it, it's called Strange Shores: An Aragonese AAR. Oh, and as a little note, my friend Archbishop 10K, the author of the blog in my sig, will be basically be an advisor to me in writing this AAR, due to his excellent knowledge of all things Catholic.


Specs on my EUIII for this AAR:
EUIII v1.1
ToT Map Mod v1.0
New National Ideas Mod v1.1

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

Good luck with your first AAR

 

[unmerged(61606)]

welcome to the forums. good luck, I'll be watching...

 

[canonized]

Hi there ! Good luck as well with your AAR ! I'm very interested to see where this goes !

 

[Nikolai]

Good luck from me too. RossN is no bad choice to imitate, I think this can become a very good aar.

 

[Duke of Wellington]

A fine nation to choose, good luck.

 

[ZachMayo]

You know what they say: "Why fight for the Pope when you can fight as the Pope?"

"They," in this particular saying, meaning "me."

 

[stnylan]

Welcome to the wonderful world of AAR writing. Should be fun.

 

[XhePablo]

The Papacy of Nicholas V

His Holiness Pope Nicholas V​

1) Nicholas V (1397-1464)

Born in Liguria in the times of mercantilism and humanism, Tomaso Parentucelli was raised by his physician father in his early years and taught to always keep an humble and rational mind, so as to never fall prey to the double sins of ignorance and pride. However, after his father's death at the young age of 10, Tomaso was taken to Florence, where he was educated in the ways of the world by the powerful Strozzi and Albizzi families, which is where he picked up his love for mercantile matters and furthered his obsession with learning, always doing his best to speak to whatever scholars were passing through the city at any given time.

After studying in Bologna, Tomaso gained a degree in Theology, thereafter the local bishop, Nicholas Albergati, was so much in awe with his intelligence that he ordained him into the priesthood and sent him off to increase his learning further, by sending him to different centers of learning throughout Germany, France and England. After the death of his mentor, Tomaso took over as Bishop of Bologna and after distinguishing himself at the Council of Florence, Pope Eugene IV sent him to Frankfurt to solidify ties and increase relations with the Holy Roman Empire. Here, he met his life-long friend and diplomatic adviser Baron Ulrich von Eyczing, who was part of the diplomatic delegation for the Holy Roman Empire in the discussions.

Upon his successful return, Tomaso was immediately named a Cardinal Priest and after the death of His Holiness Pope Eugene IV, Cardinal Tomaso Parentucelli was elected by the Holy Conclave to be the next pope and in honor of his early mentor, he took the name Nicholas V. His early papacy saw relations improve even further with the Holy Roman Empire and the end of the Western Schism, whereupon he proclaimed a jubilee in Rome and the pilgrims who came to celebrate inspired His Holiness Pope Nicholas V to make this the most cultured and celebrated papacy to date.

The Papal Court​

The Papal Court and the Birth of the Renaissance

To begin on such a task, Nicholas V called to his side an artist, an architect, and a diplomat, which some cardinals would quip were "the greatest of their times". They were put to work almost as soon as they arrived and work they did, giving birth to the Renaissance.

Leon Battista Alberti was a Genoan who exemplified the Renaissance ideal of the "universal man". A writer, poet, artist and much more, he admired Nicholas V and was overjoyed upon receiving news that he was called to the Papal Court. For all his talents, Alberti was to be the vessel through which Nicholas V was to make his dream of rebuilding Rome to its former glory a reality. Almost immediately, he was set to work on building churches, fountains, repairing the aqueducts, and the such. Little by little, he was singlehandedly turning Rome into the Eternal City once more.

Ulrich von Eyczing, his old friend from his time in Frankfurt, was already in Rome as part of a diplomatic delegation to congratulate the Pope on ending the Western Schism. However, while the delegation returned, Ulrich stayed and pledged his loyalty to Nicholas V. Immediately, he was sent off by Pope Nicholas V back to the Imperial Court, where he made sure that the Emperor remembered that his authority was only temporal and that his soul rested in the hands of the Vicar of Christ. He effectively kept the Holy Roman Empire in line and kept relations between the Emperors and Pope Nicholas V at an all-time high.

On Fra Giovanni Angelico, His Holiness loved to say that he was a "living saint, an angel who deemed us worthy to witness his masterpieces". Upon hearing of the Tuscan monk's grandiose ability to create the divine out of mere paints and canvasses, Nicholas V called him to his court and immediately commissioned many paintings and other works, including the famous Saint Lawrence receives the treasures of the Church (see below), in which in tribute of his benefactor, Fra Angelico used Nicholas V's face as that of Pope St. Sixtus II, which of course delighted the Pope to no end.

Saint Lawrence receives the treasures of the Church
by Fra Angelico​

Together, these men worked tirelessly for the greater glory of His Holiness and for the Papal States. Later historians would credits them as the fathers of the Renaissance, for without their many contributions and without the funding and support from Pope Nicholas V, the Italian Peninsula would've not been the epicenter of learning and culture as it is considered today.

Domestic Policies

During the Pontificate of Pope Nicholas V, the Papal States saw the birth of what Ulrich von Eyczing liked to joke was a "merchant papacy". With the rebirth of Rome well under way, merchants migrated to the Eternal City, attracted by the many promising ventures and seeking employment by the Papacy. Of course, Pope Nicholas V did indeed take advantage of the many merchants in Rome and sent them off to the trading centers of his native Liguria and to the thriving Venezia, where they succeeded beyond compare. Historians will quip on how some of the more religious merchants were afraid to compete against the Papal ones, due to the peculiar fear that it might be a sin to do so. Whatever the reason, the Pontificate of Pope Nicholas V saw the rise of the Papal States as a merchant powerhouse, even conducting trade missions to Ile-de-France and Andalusia, both which became unsuccessful as time passed due to the relative distance.

Pope Nicholas V also drastically increased the size of the Papal Army and Navy, going as far as to call the raising of the Avignon Guard from the local pious French villagers and nobles. The Papal Navy almost doubled in size with the addition of a new galley and 4 new cogs. Taxes were being efficiently (and sometimes ruthlessly) raised, but the subjects of the Vicar of Christ never complained or groaned at any new tax increases, as the quality of life in the Papal States was superior to most of the other nations on the Italian Peninsula, even for peasants. Much of the income going to the Papal Treasury never reached it, being spent instead on the many artistic commissions made by Pope Nicholas V, the training of new army regiments, and the funding of humanists and merchants and whatever research they were carrying out.

Foreign Policies

The Fall of Constantinople in 1453 hit Pope Nicholas hard. His Holiness would many times comment that it was a "double blow" to Christendom and to Greek letters and began preaching a crusade against any and all forces that were "seeking the active destruction of Christendom", as he mentioned in his Papal bull Dum Diversas, where he made clear that it was the duty of all Christian rulers to "not cooperate with any heathen chief and reduce any Saracens and pagans and any other unbelievers not in communion with One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ to perpetual slavery." Along with this, Pope Nicholas V began preaching the ancient ideal of "Deus Vult" whenever he could, so as to further emphasize the duty of all Christians in this dire time. Inspired by the Holy Father's words, the Christian kingdoms bordering the Ottoman Empire held steadfast in their defense against a "Saracen invasion" of Central Europe and did so effectively.

The Pontificate of Pope Nicholas V saw the authority of the Pope become stronger and more respected, especially when it came to relations with the Holy Roman Empire. Ulrich von Eyczing had made it clear to the Electors and the Emperors-Elect that if they did not travel to Rome to be blessed and crowned by His Holiness The Pope, their empire would be cursed by God the Father and would wither away to nothing. As such, with the fear of God drilled into their hearts, Pope Nicholas V was able to continue the tradition of Imperial coronations done in Rome, first with Emperor Joseph I from Austria in 1457 and Emperor Joachim I Hector from Bradenburg in 1462 after Emperor Joseph's death in battle against Venice.

Emperors Joseph I and Joachim I Hector​

The Papal Crusade Against Crete

While still having the ear of the rulers of Christendom, Nicholas V was still not able to convince them to accept Papal authority and the gravity of his Papal bull Dum Diversas. However, he was finally able to have a chance to put his words into action with the rebellion of Crete against Venetian control and the coronation of an Orthodox king, Zaccaria I, who set forth arresting clergymen and converting Latin churches into Orthodox ones. Upon receiving news of the activities on Crete, legend has it that Pope Nicholas V offered a private mass with his court to give thanks to the Heavenly Father for letting him "prove the majesty of God's Church".

Immediately donning his armor and sending diplomats to call for aid from his allies in his native Genoa, Pope Nicholas V set sail himself with the whole of the Papal Army to Crete, numbering three infantry regiments and three regiments of knights on horseback. Upon arriving, Nicholas V marched to Candia with his Venetian and Genoan allies and immediately ordered the Papal Army to attack the forces of King Zaccaria I, who was himself leading a charge against the Papal, Venetian and Genoan armies. The battle was long and bloody, with most of the Genoan force being decimated and having to retreat back to Genoa and both the Venetian and Papal armies suffering heavy casualties. However, the day was won when Zaccaria was captured and arrested by Papal infantrymen and forced to surrender the rest of his forces that did not flee into Candia. Those that did make it into the city had a siege laid upon them until the gates were swung open by a mob of angry and hungry townspeople and the defending forces were massacered. The crusade was over, a great victory won, and in honor of the help provided by Pope Nicholas V, the Republic of Venice allowed the island of Crete to be held under Papal control and so, Crete was annexed to the Papal States and Zaccaria arrested and thrown in a prison near Candia.

The Papal Flag, now flying over Candia​

Upon returning to Rome, great celebrations took place in the Eternal City and Pope Nicholas V was immediately greeted by diplomats of foreign kingdoms sending their congratulations. Even King Carlos I of Castille had come himself, both to congratulate His Holiness and to ask for a blessing, seeing as how he planned to drive out the Moors from Iberia, having been inspired by the Pope's previous sermons and his "Dum Diversas in action" in Crete. Of course, Pope Nicholas V did indeed bless King Carlos and it was only three years later IN 1463 that the Reconquista was finally completed and the Moors were gone from Western Europe after near 500 years of endless crusade. Nicholas V immediately called for a two month celebration in honor of the end of the Reconquista and King Carlos I arrived in Rome with his wife, whereupon His Holiness granted him and his wife a full indulgence, which was recorded by Fra Angelico in a quick and hurried painting as one of his final works.

The Granting of Indulgence to King Carlos I
by Fra Angelico​

The End of the "Merchant Papacy"

With the deaths of Fra Angelico and Leon Battista Alberti, a depression took hold of Pope Nicholas V, seeing his dream of ancient Rome reborn unrealized. Ulrich von Eyczing, still his closest friend, would console him and remind him that he had built a new Rome, one that would be remembered throughout history and that one day would surpass the Rome of the Ceasars. Though Nicholas V liked to respond with a simple "time will tell", he would not let the fact that he would not be here when it happens go and it weighed down on him. To replace the vacancies in his court, Pope Nicholas V had Raniero Ruga of Palermo and Luca Pitti of Modena, both skilled merchants, brought in to increase the success of the Papal merchant companies in Liguria and Venezia and as time passed, those in St. Peter's noticed His Holiness began delegating more and more duties to his cardinals, spending entire days looking at the unfinished masterpieces of Fra Angelico and the architectural sketches of Leon Battista Alberti that never came to be.

And so, on October 1464 after giving vespers on the eve before All Saint's Day, Tomaso Parentucelli, that shrewd merchant and scholar from Genoa known to the world as Pope Nicholas V, collapsed on the way back to his bed and passed into the Heavenly Kingdom, where he would no doubt be rewarded for the great things he had done for God's Holy Church.

 

[XhePablo]

Veldmaarschalk, rcduggan, canonized, Duke of Wellington, stnylan: Thank you for your wishes of good luck! I hope they weren't posted in vain.

Nikolai: Thank you, and yes, RossN is an excellent AAR writer, so I picked up a few writing techniques from his AARs and whatnot.

ZachMayo: Truly, wise words.

 

[unmerged(36003)]

I really like this. Good stuff.

 

[Eber]

Excellent update. I have definitely enjoyed this AAR. A very nice AAR style to have.

Sad to see the Pope go, but I hope the next Pope is more of a warmonger!

 

[Graymane]

Good luck, nice writing style.

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

Very nice chapter, I also like the format, it reminds me of something

 

[stnylan]

Excellent first chapter. Quite an interesting start.

 

[XhePablo]

The Papacy of Urban VII

His Holiness Pope Urban VII​

2) Urban VII (1397-1473)

Alfonso Vásquez de Ayllón was born in the Spanish royal capital of Toledo to a noble family of high standing and was raised in an atmosphere of high nobility and power. Diligent in his studies, he went on to become a professor of law at the University of Salamanca and then became a diplomat in service of the Kings of Castille. While on a mission in Rome, Alfonso was deeply in awe of the Papacy of Nicholas V and received the sacrament of Holy Orders before he returned to Toledo, much to the admiration of King Carlos I, who was rumored to say "if there is someone who reminds me of the Lord's power and glory, it is Alfonso and to him I am glad for it". Still continuing in the diplomatic service while still a priest, Alfonso was credited as being the one who convinced King Carlos I to travel towards Rome and ask for a blessing from Pope Nicholas V before finishing the Reconquista. For this, Alfonso was recognized and elevated to the of position of Cardinal priest for strengthening the ties between the Crown of Castille and the Chair of St. Peter and for preaching the supremacy of the Pope above all earthly kings.

After the death of His Holiness Pope Nicholas V, a conclave was called together and the general consensus was that due to the magnitude of the previous papacy, the next pope would have to be one who could provide a smooth transition towards the next grand papacy and keep order in the Papal States. As such, on November 1464, they elected Cardinal Alfonso Vásquez de Ayllón as Pope and surprised them in his choice of naming himself Urban VII, in honor of Urban II, the first pope to call for a crusade. As such, the Papacy of Urban VII began with a surprise, but it did not end there, for from the very beginning it was clear that His Holiness Pope Urban VII did not intend to be a mere transitionary pope.

The Papal Fleet encounters a harsh storm near Morea​

The Escape of Zacarria and the Invasion of Morea

On February 1465, word had reached Pope Urban VII of the situation in Morea and even worse, of the escape of Zacarria from his prison on Crete. Apparently, some Cretan rebels dressed as Orthodox monks were able to dupe the Papal guards at the prison and flawlessly sneaked Zacarria out of the prison under one of the monks' robes, from where they set sail to Morea. Urban VII, not wanting this event to stain his predecessor's legacy, sent an emissary to the court of Despot Andreas Palaiologos asking that Zacarria be transferred into Papal custody. Despot Andreas, who was in a war with the Catholic Duchy of Athens, took this as an opportunity to strengthen the will of his men against "Latin aggressors" and denied the request, further adding the insult that "the Bishop of Rome has no authority in Morea and never will."

Of course, Urban VII was not only angered, but saw this as a holy command to end the reign of Despot Andreas and take Morea for the greater glory of God. The Papal Navy set sail immediately and just like his predecessor, Urban VII took command of the Papal Army himself, which brought great hope a relief to the Papal Army, whose officers believed that they might have to fight under a non-clerical command. The Papal Navy set sail, but encountered a rough and treacherous storm which sunk many galleys before the Papal Army was able to land. Giorgino Materelli, an officer in the Papal Army, later wrote that watching that storm destroy the rest of the Papal Navy was "as if Poseidon was desperately trying to keep Greece away from the true Word of God." Cardinal Bandicelli, who was in charge of the administration of the Papal States while Pope Urban VII was in Greece, ordered all the available shipwrights to begin construction on as many cogs and galleys as possible in order to rebuild the Papal Navy and transport His Holiness back to Rome when the war was over.

Despot Andreas had left the defense of Morea to Zacarria, who was easily defeated in a battle near Nafplio and once more taken prisoner. He revealed that at the moment, Athens was under siege and that Duke Francesco I was close to surrendering the city due to lack of supplies and an inability to lift the siege. Placing a regiment of knights to keep Morea in order, Pope Urban VII marched with the Papal Army and after a devastating victory, the Siege of Athens was lifted and Despot Andreas forced to retreat back into Morea, where he took refuge in the Morean capital of Nafplio. In gratitude for lifting the siege, Duke Francesco quickly raised an infantry regiment to aid in the Siege of Nafplio and the capture of Despot Andreas, which arrived just before the surrender of the city on January 1466, almost a year after Pope Urban VII had first set foot in Morea.

Upon the surrender of Nafplio, Despot Andreas was taken captive and ceremoniously uncrowned by His Holiness Pope Urban VII, where the Holy Father handed Andreas a globus cruciger and scepter, then snatching them out of his hands declaring he was unfit to rule under the Eyes of God. Then the crown was placed on his head and immediately snatched off, along with his vestments and robes, declaring that he was now only a commoner and no longer was to even be considered to have been the Despot of Morea. Furthermore, using his own sword, Pope Urban VII scraped his forehead a few times to rid Andreas of the holy oil he was blessed with at his coronation, declaring once more that he was even unworthy of a blessing. Urban VII then proceeded to place the crown on the head of the Duke of Athens, who in a shocking turn took the crown into his hands and gave it back to the pope, famously stating that "this is Christ's victory, not mine". As such, Pope Urban VII accepted Morea into the Papal States and ordered the execution of both Andreas and Zacarrias on charges of heresy and rebellion after a quick trial had found them guilty and as such, they were burned at the stake in the presence of the Vicar of Christ, the ultimate testimony to the world that the Chair of St. Peter and its authority is not to be insulted in such a manner ever again.

The Auto de Fe of Zacarria and Andreas​

Domestic Policies

After the return of Pope Urban VII after the crushing of some minor Orthodox insurrections, the rebuilt Papal Navy finally arrived and His Holiness returned to Rome on March 1468, much to the joy and celebration of his subjects and foreign emissaries. To celebrate his victory, Urban VII lowered taxes all throughout the Papal States, unknowingly cutting research to scholars conducting important research, but they did not complain, finding other means to continue their studies. A Morean Guard was raised in order to protect against further insurrections, further draining the Papal funds.

Mercantile policies were a continuation of the "merchant papacy" of Nicholas V, save for an incident of corruption in the Ligurian markets involving Raniero Ruga, one of the merchants in the Papal Court. In a few dealings with Ligurian merchants, it seemed he had pocketed much of the money gained and when it was discovered by Genoan authorities, Papal merchants were immediately driven out of Liguria and the mercantile ventures of the Papal States were ruined. Of course, Pope Urban VII had Ruga thrown into a jail in Romagna and called upon the services of Francisco de Guimaraes, a shrewd Portuguese merchant who immediately was able to reinstate trust in the Ligurian markets in Papal goods and traders and once against established the supremacy of Papal merchants in Liguria.

Foreign Policies

The Papacy of Urban VII saw relations with Castille increase drastically, of course, with any new children born in the Castillian royal family baptized by Urban VII himself and talks of the canonization of King Carlos I making the rounds in Rome. Relations with Genoa and Athens also improved, with His Holiness declaring Genoa's wars against the Crimean moslems a "most holy crusade to regain all lands for Christ", even though they did not suceed but did bring back much wealth to Rome and Liguria through the various peace treaties negotiated by Ulrich von Eyczing, who was progressively showing his age physically and through his attitude. Some priests who worked with him in the Papal delegations claimed he had gotten more bitter since the death of his old friend Nicholas V and a few even swear they heard him say multiple times that he did his job only "so that the Lord would let him rejoice with Tomaso in the heavenly kingdom."

The Death of Ulrich von Eyczing​

In 1471, however, the old Bavarian got his wish and died of a severe fever on the way back to Rome after making peace with the Crimeans on behalf on Genoa. It is rumored that his last words were "Empire....God...Tomaso" and so he passed into God's grace. To fill such a vital and now empty position in his Papal Court, Urban VII called upon one of the greatest theologians of the era, a humble monk from Saxony named Christian Franz Schutze. Christian was different from other theologians of his time in that he considered the theology of conciliarism a heresy and the "worst of all blasphemies", arguing instead that councils were unnecessary and the Successor of St. Peter was blessed by God to rule over the church and did not need to give in to the demands of the common folk unless the pope himself called a council into order. Of course, such thinking was most welcome in the Papal Court along with the fact that he was confessor to the Holy Roman Emperors, thereby not only gaining a strong voice in the religious world, but also reminding the temporal authorities that the only ring they have kiss is the one of a fisherman.

With the election of Fryderyk II from Silesia after the death of Emperor Joachim I Hector, the Imperial Crown regained a sense of piety as the Emperor demanded that all wars cease between Imperial territories and made it mandatory that all subjects of the Holy Roman Empire send a percentage of their earnings to the Holy See, which was received in the form of a diplomatic gift from Imperial delegates hailing from Silesia. Emperor Fryderyk II travelled to Rome as was customary of all Emperors-Elect to be crowned by Pope Urban VII and received confession from Christian Franz Schutze, from which he came immediately to the Holy Father pledging his loyalty and excellent relations between Silesia, The Holy Roman Empire, and the Papal States. Pope Urban VII blessed him and his reign, sending him back to rule over his empire.

Emperor Fryderyk II​

The Savoyard Inquisition

On August 1469, Doge Pietro de Campofregoso of Genoa, on a visit to Rome, had some grave news for Pope Urban VII. According to his sources inside the Duchy of Savoy, a sect preaching many heretical doctrines was growing in Savoy under the protection of Duke Carlo Emaneule I and that his attempts of convincing Duke Carlo to arrest the heretics had been unsucessful. Upon some deliberation on this dire news after the departure of Doge Pietro, Pope Urban VII called upon the Savoyard ambassador, who claimed the entirety of the Doge's words were fabricated and that there was no heresy under the protection of the Duke. However, in only a few weeks, Savoy declared war against Genoa and news quickly reached Rome that a priest had been mudered in Savoy and his body left to rot in the streets, with passerbys even daring to spit on his corpse.

Pope Urban VII immediately declared that it was time for a Papal Inquisition in Savoy and as such sent the Papal Army to aid Genoa against Savoy, though this time under the command of Cardinal Materelli, who was to be Chief Inquisitor of the Savoyard Inquisition. The Inquisition indeed did find evidence of heresy after the forces under Duke Carlo's command were forced to surrender and declared that a high penance must be imposed on the entire Duchy of Savoy which the Duke must bear full responsibility for. After conferring with Pope Urban VII, Cardinal Materelli declared that the Duchy of Savoy must cede the Province of Nice to the Papal States and that Duke Carlo Emaneule I was to declare a public oath of loyalty to the Papacy, thereby forcing Savoy to basically become a vassalised territory of the Papal States.

The Results of the Savoyard Inquisition​

The End of the "Surprise Papacy"

As was mentioned, the Papacy of Urban VII was an unexpected one and much to the surprise of those in the College of Cardinals who expected him to be nothing more than a filler between two great men. However, true to his nature and God's calling, he had proved them wrong and in his own right had become a pope to remember, even if he did mostly follow the policies of his predecessor. The influence of the Papal States had indeed spread during His Holiness Urban VII's Papacy and its authority had been proven once more in the battlefields of Greece. Towards the end of his life, he lamented to his closest friends on how the low taxes he had promised to the people prevented him from funding proper missionary expeditions to Morea and Crete and that the grand legacy of converting "those lands which such great men as Aristotle and St. Paul had graced" and how that legacy would be left to his successor.

On May 1473, after hosting a public theological debate in Rome, he returned to the Apostolic Palace, ate a full meal, and retreated to his chambers for the night. However, he awoke the next day in the glory of the beatific vision and left the Chair of St. Peter unoccupied once more, ready to be glorified by whatever plans the Lord God had in store for it and the Papal States.

 

[XhePablo]

HoldFast, Graymane, stnylan: Thanks! Hopefully it'll keep getting better as we go.

Eber: It seems you slightly got your wish!

Veldmaarschalk: hehehe, I wonder what...

 

[stnylan]

A very much more militant Pope. Militant and hardline. That sort of behaviour may have its limits, however.

 

[canonized]

I have to say that the writing is well done and flows well . I am , honestly , cautious yet optimistic about the portrayal of the Papacy at this point . Although I am enjoying the vital task of maintaining order , stability , and religious orthodoxy , I always feel a bit uneasy when portrayals of ruthless political force is used by ecclesials (despite some historical basis for it) . I suppose I lean moreso towards the Dante interepretation of one supreme religious authority and one seperate but faithful secular authority , but that's just me . Otherwise it's quite a nice flow and at times very poetic such as the death of Urban at the end of the last update .

 

[RossN]

Wow, very impressive. I'm delighted (and surprised ) I helped influence your style.

The detail is great - especially in the background of the Popes and the coronation of the Emperors. Keep it up!

Poor Morea never seems to have much luck...