In the Name of the Most Serene Empire; a EU3 IN Venice AAR

1399​

Accordingly, Doge Veniero sent two messengers out on October 14, 1399. One was sent to Montenegro to declare war, while another was sent out to Naxos to demand their annexation.



October 15, as soldiers sailed to Montenegro, Naxos, the Duchy of the Archipelago established by Venice during the Crusades, agreed to annexation.

(The Suppress All Resistance! Option is supposed to trigger a revolt in non-core territories, but as all of Venice's current territories are cores, I merely took the slight prestige bonus that it - and all other options - gives.)

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With the strategic territory of Naxos finally annexed by Venice, it was now a question of annexing Montenegro.

In October, the Doge - in his failing health - managed to pass a law that held regular elections every four years; these elections would have the purpose of recalling the Doge and replacing him if he had not been satisfactory. This idea appealed to both the people and the merchant interests, and so the reform passed with little debate.

While all that went on, Wallachia extended an offer of alliance, which we declined. We sent an alliance offer to Corfu, seeking to solidify the Venetian position there. Corfu immediately accepted the offer to be in an alliance with it's suzerain.

Halloween, the Tirolean Habsburgs decided to trick-or-treat in Venice, extending an offer of alliance to the Republic, which the Doge accepted, believing the defense of Venice's home territories a matter of utmost importance.

November 2nd, as the Hungarian Civil War raged between Sigismund and Ladislas of Naples, the people of Hungary could not choose who to put their loyalties with, resulting in a stability drop. (The Hungarian Civil War event weakens Hungary enormously, as it causes a -6 stability drop)

November 4, the Venetian army headed towards Montenegro, where the Montenegrins had assembled a 1,000 man force under a run-of-the-mill general.

November 8, offers of alliance from Aquileia and the Papal States were accepted, greatly propelling Venice forward in Italian affairs. The question was, would the alliances hold? Aquileia in particular was an interesting question, as Venice and Aquileia had overlapping claims on Istria, with Venice controlling the coastline and Aquileia the interior.

November 12, the forces of Venice and Montenegro engaged eachother in combat.

In the first days of December, the Battle of Zeta was won, wiping out the Army of Montenegro as a long siege began, with the province of Zeta to be the prize.

1400​

New Years Day, Doge Veniero passed away, and it fell to Michele Steno to continue the war.

Using his newly-acquired funds, the new Doge marked his inauguration by hiring a large diplomatic corps, which would lower Venice's bad reputation by .2 a year.

In the last days of April, the region of Zeta was fully conquered despite the efforts of local militias. Venice immediately demanded the annexation of the region.

...After the Montenegrin Navy was completely annihilated, of course.



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And with that, Venice had seized two provinces in the course of a single year. Full efforts could now be focused on stabilising the newly-expanded realm.

October, the stability of the Venetian Republic increased to +2. War could now be safely declared on most enemies anew.

Mid-October, the Aquileians had the Istrian revolt occur, where 6,000 peasants rose up against the 4,000-man Aquileian Army. The Doge was content to let Venice's troops sit and watch the carnage, in the hope that maybe Istria would defect to Venice in the future.

1401​

With fresh revenues collected, the Doge dispatched missionaries to Athens, to establish Catholicism in the area. While Venice generally did not care for religion, religion's impact on stability could not be ignored.

Soldiers accordingly were dispatched to suppress any religious rebellions.

May, stability rose to +3, allowing more flexibility in decision-making. The choice was made to centralise.

June, the Doge managed to get legislation passed that put more emphasis on offensive doctrines in the Republic...



As a result, several [cats] ran off, not wanting to die in any offensive wars.

The Istrian Rebels also repelled an attack by the Aquileians, which the Doge secretely celebrated, as a weaker Aquileia was in Venice's interests.

September, a reunified Aquileian Army destroyed the Istrian Rebels.

October, the Timurids sent the Ottomans packing, seizing one of the Turks' frontier provinces.



November, as a result of their declaration of war upon tiny Achaea, the Byzantines found themselves at war with most of Italy. In a twist of sweet irony, the Romans found themselves fighting against their homeland...

1402​

In early 1402, the Milanese Duke, tired of having to maintain so many possessions, sold the city of Pisa and it's surrounding areas to Florence, letting him consolidate his realm more. The Milanese Empire was on the decline...

February 1402, the Ottoman ruler Bayezid I died in Timurid captivity. This triggered the Ottoman Interregnum, and in the resulting chaos, Aydin broke free, the Turkish empire was greatly destabilised, and finally the Byzantines occupied Macedonia.

March, the failing health of Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti in Milan triggered instability.



Later in March, generals raised concerns to the Doge and the legislature, believing that emphasis on defense was robbing Venice of it's potential. Accordingly, the Doge managed to pass more legislation that strengthened Venice's offensive capabilities.



In December, the city of Thessalonica, after it's brief Byzantine occupation, fell to the large Italian coalition's armies. However, to spite the Italians, the Byzantine Governor, on orders from the Emperor, turned the city and the surrounding region over to the one Italian great power that had not raped them in the war - Venice. The Doge eagerly accepted this gift, as it split the Ottomans further.

(The Fall of Thessalonica is supposed to recreate the historical scenario where the Byzantines took it and promptly turned it over to the Venetians when Turkish pressure became too strong... this event was designed without the idea Italy might dogpile the Byzantines)

1403​

New funds poured into the Venetian treasury, and the Doge promptly ordered that, so as to protect the growing Venetian commercial empire, more ships be constructed. This was also to serve as a protection against the growing Turkish fleet. This competition was an example of a pre-modern arms race.

January, the decision was made to attack the struggling independent beyliks in Aydin. With only 1,000 soldiers, the Doge was eager to expand into the region and thus have a means of flanking the Turks. Furthermore, despite the greater threat of the Turks, the minor Beyliks continued to fight amongst themselves, preventing the formation of any one single leadership to guide the new Anatolian state.

February, Aquileia refused to join the war effort on Aydin, the fools. All other allies loyally supported Venice's struggle.

March, the 1,000 man Aydin army was completely obliterated. Aydin was left defenseless, and plans were made to assault the fortresses of the Islamic state and bring the whole region into the Venetian sphere of influence.



Later in March, there was a boundary dispute over the province of Zeta, which both Venice and Serbia claimed was theirs. The Doge pressed the issue, resulting in Venice having legitimate claims to parts of Serbia proper...



April, the Serbian culture of Zeta was proclaimed just as Venetian as the culture of Venice.

It came to the Doge's attention that the Byzantine-Italian War had ended with no transfers of land, sans the transfer of Macedonia to Venice.

August, Antalya was seized, allowing all Coalition forces to converge on the capital of Aydin.

October, a nasty reform of Doge Veniero's came into effect: regular recall elections. The electorate and merchants, however, sated with Michele Steno, both agreed to keep him in office.

1404​

January, in the midst of the current chaos plaguing Milan following Gian Galeazzo Visconti's death, the people of Siena broke away, electing a new leader to represent them. Milan continued to press claims to Siena, but now it's presence around Rome and Tuscany had evaporated, limiting Milan's empire to a single contiguous territory in the North, stretching from Parma and Lombardia to Verona... but even the people of Verona were not content with Milanese rule.

Speaking of Milan, during 1404 it was fighting an enormous war against the Papal States, Tuscany, Urbino, Sicily and Naples. Fortunately, Modena-Ferrara separated the Milanese Empire from the rampaging Italian forces.

March, the last fortresses of Aydin were captured, and the numerous Beys of the region were brought to the table...



They were all vassalised and bowed before the Doge and the numerous councils of Venice. They became Venice's agents in the East, and plans were made for a formal alliance to strengthen ties. Aydin would serve as the "soft underbelly" of the Ottoman Empire.

April, Aydin entered a formal alliance with Venice, all the divided Beyliks now looking to the Venetian Doge for guidance and support.

Missionaries were soon sent to Zeta, to spread Catholicism further down the Adriatic coast.

1405​

In 1405, Timur's death far to the East threatened to destroy his empire.



Just as Timur's empire was threatened, so was the late Duke of Milan's. The people of Verona rose up in open revolt, turning control over the city to Venice. The Duke of Milan still pressed claims, but now Venice's territory in terraferma was growing larger...

Later in January's Timur's death prompted large parts of Persia to fall into the hands of Qara Koyunlu...

(The Timurids get a separate “Death of Timur” event besides their succession crisis, which creates a huge stability hit and turns part of Persia over to the Qara Koyunlu)

June, a small band of 3,000 rebels openly besieged most of Albania. In a twist of fate, the future Albanian rebel Skanderbeg was born that same year.

Late October, Venice's market share in the trading center of Antwerp - the second most valuable trade center after Venice - increased to 20% thanks to a massive merchant invasion.

Also important, the Hungarians had the ruler of Aquileia excommunicated; quite ironic considering Aquileia was a bishopric! The Doge made plans to invade the excommunicated region, seeking to claim Friuli and Istria.



Christmas Day, the Doge created the "Stato de Mar" with help from the legislature. The Stato de Mar would have greater autonomy from Venice proper, overseeing the colonial regions in the Mediterranean. This would allow Venice's local government to focus it's full attention on interests in the Terraferma. The Stato De Mar thus greatly increased Venice's trading efficiency, with trade profits increasing by 10 percent!

1406​

By February, Venice was ready for war, even though the possibility of a war with Bohemia, the Holy Roman Emperor, loomed overhead. Venice knew that it could defeat Aquileia one-on-one, it was merely a question of getting rid of it's allies.

Sure enough, the Bohemian Emperor agreed that his duties as Emperor outweighed his duties as a Catholic, and he agreed to support the excommunicated Aquileian leadership. This move surprised the Doge, but thankfully, Venice had full pockets, while it's allies in Tyrol, Corfu, and Aydin all supported it's ambitions.



By April, the first battle of the war was fought over the Aquileian capital. The Venetians carried away the battle despite narrow odds skewed in favor of the Aquileians; the Doge had left the army low maintenance right until the day of the war.

May, a second victory over the Aquileians prompted the Doge to hire a new general to oversee Venice's efforts. The general was lackluster, adding only 1 shock to his army's value. However, he also had a keen knowledge of siege equipment, making him more valuable than one would assume.

June, a lone Venetian band was wiped out, as a result of being ambushed by the Aquileians. The Doge sent his apologies to the families of all who died.

By October, the 13,000-man strong Bohemian Army had arrived to aid the Aquileians. Fortunately, 3,000 of them were already dead or incapacitated, while they were also leaderless...

1407​

With the Imperial Army hot on Venice's tail, the Doge ordered a risky assault on the Aquileian capital. This was enough to push them over the edge, and they agreed to cede Istria:



While some were concerned it would entangle Venice too far inland, an alliance offer from Bavaria was accepted. The Doge believed it couldn't hurt to get back at the Czechs at some point in the future...

May, with the morale of their army depleted thanks to a failed assault, the Bohemian Army was defeated in Treviso. While only 13,000 - i.e. less than half - of the massive Bohemian invasion force, their weak morale made them an easy target, and so the Doge planned to eliminate them all.



August, the Great Battle of Ferrara raged, ending with a Venetian victory over the larger Bohemian army. The Bohemian general likely was killed, as he was not seen in subsequent battles.

Istria fell to the Bohemian Army later in August.

October of 1407...

Despite concerns that he had brought the godly Bohemians down upon the Republic, the people once more elected Michele Steno back into the Ducal palace.

1408​

February, by merit of a military access treaty with the Milanese Duchy, General Razzini was able to pursue the Bohemian Army all the way to Lombardy, where he wiped out all 13 regiments, stinging the pride of Bohemia. The 13,000 regiments in Istria seemed content to stay where they were, so the task switched to liberating Tyrol from Bohemia's smaller forces.

By May 1408, the Battle of Tirol ended with another 3,000-strong force being eliminated. This left Venice free to liberate Tirol's territories from the Bohemian yoke.

In the meantime, Corfu was besieging Istria, which would give Venice a free hand to strike at Bohemia's heart. Perhaps vassals weren't so worthless after all.

August, the Austrian provinces of Aquileia were so effectively under rebel control that they defected to Styria, doubling it's size and giving it a coastline.

December, Tyrol finally surrendered, paying a large indemnity of 173 ducats to the Holy Roman Emperor. The Doge decided that the war had outlived it's usefulness, and sent a peace offering of 25 ducats.

Of course, the bumbling Emperor did not accept it.

1409​

January, Ladislas of Naples abandoned his claims to the Hungarian throne, selling the rights to Dalmatia to Venice. This would be quite useful later on...



Late January, as the Doge envisioned an age where Venice was the trading hegemon of the world, he agreed to strengthen the mercantilist faction so as to ensure dominance of internal trade routes.

February, Venice won a devestating victory over Bohemia at the Battle of Verona:



May, another battle was won against the Bohemians, while Aydin and Corfu used their tiny armies to try to retake Istria.



June, the Battle of Tyrol ended with another Bohemian Army being wiped out. All troops were ordered eastwards to liberate Istria.

July, on the death of his son, the King of Aragon inherited Sicily, giving the Iberian kingdom a foothold in Italy.



August, the Doge boldly claimed all of Dalmatia to be rightfully Venetian, harming relations with Ragusa. Ragusa was a former vassal of the Venetian Republic anyways, and so the Doge intended to return them to this status.

October, another Bohemian Army was obliterated, allowing the Venetian army to focus fully on Istria.

December, Bohemia's infamous "Istrian Guard" - the band of regiments that would harass any liberation efforts - was finally crushed in Styrian Krain. All infantry were assigned to retake Istria, while all cavalry were ordered west to destroy any incoming Bohemian forces that might attack Venice proper.

1410​

January, a 2,000-strong Bohemian Army was wiped out. Census taxes were devoted to training new troops.



March, the Doge agreed to give the heathen Turks military access, knowing this could prevent them from attacking Venice in the future.

April, Istria fell to our excellent general and coalition forces. Bohemia was called to the peace table, in the hopes of ending a conflict that would prove fruitless, as Venice had no desire in Bohemia proper's lands.

All 10,000 of Venice's mainland troops were ordered to converge on Bohemia when the Emperor refused Venice's generous offer of a white peace.



July, as a Bohemian army of about 2,000 soldiers attempted to retake Istria and thus ran right into General Razzini's 10,000-man force, a band of nobles and merchants came together and gave a gift to the war effort.

The Bohemians soon sent another 7,000-man force in October, which was defeated and retreated towards Tirol with Venetians in hot pursuit.

Also in October, Greek nationalists attacked Macedonia, and it was hoped the Turks would clear them out.

February, another Aquileian War broke out:





As a consequence, much of Italy exercised it's guarantees, seeking to check growing Venetian power while it was still fighting the Emperor...

Thanks to a chain reaction, the First Italian War had erupted. It pitted Venice, Corfu, Aydin and Bavaria against Bohemia, Milan, Genoa, Naples, Aquileia and the Papal States.

Faced with a war that engulfed much of the Italian peninsula, the Doge agreed to swallow his pride and offer a solid 9 ducats to the Emperor as reparations for the (first) War on Aquileia, right as he was fighting the second.



The Emperor licked it up, leaving Venice to fight the Italian powers one by one.

The Aquileian Army was destroyed by March, and 11,000 soldiers were sent west to fight the Milanese's own 11,000 man army.

In celebration of Aquileia's defeat, new missionaries were sent to Macedonia to prop up the Catholic Church in the region.

Late March, Aquileia's treaties went into effect, prompting Bohemia to declare war upon Venice again, with Salzburg joining the party as well...



The Battle of Verona's end on March 24 showed the world that Venice wasn't going to go down without a fight. Milan's population immediately hated the choice to go to war when Venice rebuffed the "invincible" invasion force and invaded Milanese territory. Better yet, Milan actually suffered war exhaustion, unlike the seemingly-invincible Emperor.

September, Friuli was occupied by Venice...

October 1411, as he had managed to stave off ruin, Michele Steno was once more re-elected Doge.



And the people chose wisely, as in November, Aquileia lost it's independence, forever.

As a result, the mission to conquer Friuli was accomplished, netting Venice more prestige and renown on the world stage.






March, Venice, tired of being harassed by constant Bohemian raids - the Bohemians usually sent forces in numbers of 1 to 2,000, their official armies having been wiped out in the last war - offered a white peace to Bohemia.



...THEY ACCEPTED! WHAT IN GOD'S NAME MADE THEM DO THAT?!

The Doge was of course happy, as Bohemia had been pretty reluctant to make peace last war.

While Bohemia dropped out of the war, Razzini was ordered East to recover. While he still had 13,000 regiments that could beat the larger Milanese forces thanks to his leadership, only about 3,000 of his men still were able to fight. A retreat to Venetian territory would let him recharge his forces.

May, Government technology level 4 was reached, allowing stability-improving temples to be constructed.



July, the Milanese Verona offensive was a flop, leaving them incredibly vulnerable. General Razzini was ordered to pursue the Milanese back into their territory while new regiments were raised in Veneto.

August, the Doge held a meeting with the Legislature, and talked about the requirement for better trained soldiers if the Republic was to protect itself against another two-pronged assault by the German and Italian powers. Venice had lucked out because the Czechs were willing to cave in; what if they were not?



Accordingly, the Venetian Military Drill was adopted.






April, the region of Brescia fell to Venice.

July, with the Genoese and Milanese armies crumbling at last in the face of increasing amounts of Venetian troops, the Ottomans annexed Dulkadir, expanding their domains.

September, to aid the conversion efforts in Greece, a state theologian was hired.

Later in September, the Doge passed reforms that centralised the Republic's powers, and this in turn caused Agostino Mocenigo to claim to be the legitimate Doge, as he had run against the Doge previously. He rose up in Zeta, being popular among the Orthodox Christians as he preached greater tolerance. Unfortunately, his forces only totalled 2,000 men, and Venice was scrapping together enough men to take him down.

What made it worse was the fact the Turks agreed to let Venetian troops through their territory... surprisingly.

October, one missionary raised concerns that Venice's efforts in Zeta weren't good enough, hence why the Pretender was able to rise to power. The Doge and his council of advisors agreed, causing some missionaries to leave state service. Alas, what could one do?

November, Burgundy embargoed Venice! Trade incomes were hit accordingly, with merchants being sent to Lübeck to offset the loss of income.

...This bit them in the butt, however, as soon, a pretender rose up in Burgundy. The Doge cheered this pretender on as he worked on killing his own pretender in Zeta.

December of 1413, Agostino Mocenigo's movement died, as did he himself. Venice was now able to focus it's full attention on the war front.






January 1414...



Doge Steno finally died. He was succeeded by Tomasso Mocenigo, who promised to crush the Milanese and secure Northern Italy.






March, Naples dropped out of the war with a white peace. This would make penetration of central Italy that much easier.



More importantly, the Milanese Army was FINALLY wiped out. Genoa and Milan would now be powerless.

May, half the Genoese Army was wiped out in Savoyard Nice. Meanwhile, half the Genoese Army was milling about in Switzerland for some odd reason.

June, an ill-fated attempt by the Genoese to liberate Liguria ended in disaster.

October 15, the people of Zeta were at long last converted to Catholicism.

Tomasso Mocenigo also faced the election of 1415, which resulted in his re-election.

December, Lombardia fell in an assault, and all forces went for Parma.






February, Parma, the last free fortress of the Duchy of Milan, was occupied by the troops of the Serenissima. The Duke of Milan was captured and placed under arrest...



He was forced to cede Brescia, Parma, and abandon his claims to foreign territory.

Brescia was retained, as it had vital importance to defending Venice's positions in the Terraferma. However, the "Parmese question" was soon asked by politicians everywhere. While Parma was valuable, it simply was too much of a liability, and was all the way on the other side of the peninsula. Against Genovese and Aragonese ships, Venice's navy would be worthless there. So the decision was made to get rid of Parma. The protest of several Italian states helped in this regard.

That of course, would wait until the end of the war, meaning Genoa and the Pope had to be subdued first. This was to prevent Parma from becoming an Achilles' heel in the Venetian war effort.



Later in February, Athens was converted.

May was both a good month and bad month for the Genovese.

First, they acquired a senior cardinal in the Curia.

However, their capital was also occupied by their hated enemy, the Venetians.



In the ensuing treaty, the city paid 25 ducats to Venice, while it also transferred control over Corsica to local authorities, who immediately aligned with Venice.

September, the 5,000-man Papal Army in Romagna was wiped out. A small force was left to take the region, while the rest advanced on Rome itself.

The 1,000 man army defending Rome disbanded the moment it saw the Venetian battle standard coming into view. Rome was left at the mercy of the Serenissima!

1417​

May, the city of Rome itself was captured, and the Pope temporarily deposed from his secular duties.

June, as a result of Venice's clout in the headquarters of the Church, a cardinal was "persuaded" to forward Venetian interests in the Curia:



August, to celebrate Venice's prosperity despite the desperate circumstances the war originally possessed, the Doge commissioned a cathedral to be built in Venice, with the hopes of reducing people's anxiety and therefore making Venice more stable.

November, Romagna fell...

The Pope was immediately called to the table, thought he was treated with the utmost respect on his journey to Venice.

After being given a scenic tour of the city's waterways in a specially-built prison boat, the Pope entered the Ducal Palace. Being greeted humbly by the Doge, the Pope was presented with Venice's demands...



...Which the wise Pope, in all his divine wisdom, accepted.

November 3rd, the First Italian War(1411-1417) officially came to an end. What had begun as a small skirmish over Aquileia had evolved into a 6-year struggle, which had been preceded by an earlier campaign against Aquileia and Bohemia in 1406-1411. But now, despite all odds and having faced armies from all over Italy and the Holy Roman Empire, the Serenissima lived. The Pope and Milan had both been humbled, the people of Corsica served as a fortress for the Venetians, and Venice's road to dominance of northern Italy was paved.

As a reward for being a good dog and surrendering his suzerainty to Venice, the Doge granted Parma to the Pope, rather than Corsica or Ferrara, the original candidates.



By early December, Parma was granted to the Pope, and in exchange the Doge and all the people of Venice were absolved of all their sins, as well as forgiven for attacking the Papacy.

And with that, the year 1417 ended, with Venice soaring high into the heavens.

1418 began with the Doge already planning new campaigns of expansion. While Venice had triumphed and had established hegemony over Northern Italy, it still needed to secure it's trading empire - the basis of all it's power. With claims on the vast Dalmatian coast, the Hungarian Kingdom was naturally a target for all these campaigns.

1418 surprised the Doge as the Pope refused a military alliance. Alas, the Doge had tried.

Planning an invasion of Ragusa would be risky. Ragusa was allied with Styria and Bohemia, while it's independence was guaranteed by Hungary and Wallachia. If Venice went to war with Ragusa, it would be fighting a large chunk of central Europe.

But the Doge was confident, telling his advisors to wait a little bit longer until the memories of the last war with Bohemia were erased.

September, a new Cardinal was claimed by Venetian interests.

October, Tuscany annexed Urbino, wedging themselves between Romagna and the Papal States. The Doge made a note to attack Tuscany and reclaim Urbino at some point.

December, General Razzini led a force through Modena-Ferrara, destroying a local pretender in the process. His target was Parma, which had fallen under the control of rebels sympathetic to Milan. Not wanting Milan to grow in size, the General was ordered to massacre them.






January, the rebel army in Parma was eliminated, and Razzini began his campaign to retake Parma for the Pope.

January also brought good news and bad news. Bad news for Catholics, good news for the enemies of Bohemia:



The followers of Jan Hus openly revolted against the crown, taking control of much of Bohemia proper, while the Romanists loyal to the Pope took control of Silesia. (The Hussite Wars event makes Bohemia itself Reformist, while Silesia is freed and represents the Romanists; it also triggers a war between Bohemia and Silesia, with Hungary and Austria attacking Bohemia)

The alliances racked up accordingly. The Romanists were supported by Austria, Hungary, and Brandenburg, with the Hussites being backed by Poland and Lithuania. It was predicted that the Hussite Wars would greatly destabilise Bohemia, and the Doge knew this gave him a free hand where that was concerned.

With anarchy reigning in Bohemia as armies were on the march, the Doge asked for a declaration of war against Ragusa, citing it's aid to the Hussite cause. People rallied behind the Doge immediately, as Ragusa no longer had the protection of Hungary or the Emperor. It now had Wallachia and Styria as potential allies.

All of Venice's allies deserted her, even the ungrateful Corsicans. However, Corfu and Aydin proved reliable as always, as a 4,000-man force was dispatched to occupy Ragusa, while another was sent to attack Styria.

February, the King of France ordered Venice be embargoed. Good thing the Venetians had no interest in French centers of trade.

March, as the Styrians assaulted the Istrian cities, a new general, Marco Rovigo, was hired. Possessing incredible talent with shock, he was ordered to lead a large 10,000 man force from Romagna to Istria.



June, as a 1,000 man band of Styrian troops was wiped out, a salt crisis hit Venice, harming it's economy.

July, a third Cardinal joined Venice's cause in the Curia.

August 1419, the Holy Roman Empire elected the Duke of the Palatinate as the new Emperor. Bohemia was at last removed from the equation of future wars in the empire.

September 9, 1419, Ragusa was occupied by the Republic of Venice.



The Doge demanded their full annexation, seeking to expand the territories centered on Montenegro. The leading councils of Ragusa agreed on September 11 to turn their sovereignity over to the Serenissima.

September 13, the Pope agreed to become an ally of Venice.

September 18, Parma was fully re-occupied by Papal forces thanks to Venice. General Razzini was ordered to march eastwards to Styria to subdue the Germans.

November, Venice lost 2,000 soldiers, when they were ambushed by sneaky Styrians.






January, Aragon conquered Sardinia. (The Aragonese inherit Sardinia in 1420, the historical year they conquered it)

January 11, Steiermark, the capital province of Styria, was occupied by Venice.

February, the Battle of Karnten wiped out the last divisions of the Styrian Army. Venetian soldiers now were fighting against unorganised militias for control of the whole country.

Later in February, Karnten itself fell to the Venetian military.

Gorz fell in March, leaving only Krain free from Venetian occupation.



In April, powerful Poland offered an alliance to Venice. While they were a great regional power, Venice could not afford an alliance with a country that was not only distant but also tangled up in land affairs.



May, Wolfgang Potetz, a court diplomat, was formally honored by the Doge at a state dinner.



June 1420, Corfu begged for assistance against the Mamluk Sultanate, which declared war upon them. The Doge honored his alliance, willing to protect his vassal from harm.

July, the Mamluks threw their best at Venice....

...An embargo.

August, the Czechs offered an alliance. The Doge said no, for the same reasons as Poland.

More importantly, August brought the fall of Krain. The ruler of Styria was arrested and forced to the peace table.



August 15, the Styrians surrendered 3/4 of their kingdom, 25 ducats, and renounced their claims on Istria.

The merchants and conservatives of Venice were angered by the Doge's move to claim Krain and Karnten. They more or less commanded him to discard the two provinces, as Venice's interest lay with the sea, not the land.

The Doge concurred, and agreed to give the territories to Salzburg, the smallest of the Austrian powers.

...At the war's end, at least. Until then, the rich gold mines of Krain would pour their material wealth into the Venetian coffers.

In the meantime, citizens celebrated throughout the Republic, as Venice now controlled the head of the Adriatic.

While civilians paraded, however, soldiers marched off to war. The rich trade center of Alexandria and the Catholic province of Lebanon yearned for liberation. The Doge was eager to bring those two regions under the Venetian sphere of influence.



The odds were against Venice and Corfu so far as sheer numbers were concerned. But with a moderately-stronger navy and a smart use of resources, Venice would prevail over the Egyptians.

The battle plan was to deposit troops in Syria first. From there, they would push south until entering Egypt proper, where the Mamluk armies would be vanquished.

December, the first battle against the Mamluks was won. The plan had changed to depositing troops in Egypt itself, as a large Mamluk Army was protecting the Levant.

1421​

January, as new money flowed into the treasury, the Mamluks suffered a tribal succession crisis as a result of their size. The Venetian public was overjoyed at the news.



Mid-January, the Golden Horde offered a white peace, which was accepted.



Suddenly, the situation didn't look so bad for Venice. Troops were on the way to Egypt, and they were led by Razzini, while the force already in Egypt - all cavalry - was headed by Rovigo.



February, the Battle of Diamentia wiped out 5 enemy regiments.

May, the main Mamluk Army - 8 regiments strong - descended on Cairo. Infantry and cavalry clashed in the battle for domination of Egypt.

They were defeated, and the months afterwards were a mess as the Venetian High Command tried to keep the Egyptians divided.

1422​

July, the jewel of the Mamluk Sultanate - Alexandria - finally fell to Venice.



Later in July, Macedonia was finally converted to Catholicism.

1423​

January, Milan's Duke was appointed Guardian of the young heir of the Ordelaffi family of Romagna. Visconti used this as an excuse to invade Romagna, prompting a Papal-Venetian response...

(The Guardianship over Ordelaffi event is based off the historical incident of the same name. Venice is not supposed to intervene until 1425, but the vassalage of the Papal States has changed that)

Some were concerned about the decision to aid the Pope against Milan, considering Milan's position in the Holy Roman Empire, and the fact no troops were left in the Venetian homeland. New regiments were raised, however. Furthermore, Styria and Milan together had only 2,000 men, and the Papal States already had an army of 3,000 men ready to take on Milan.

However, Styria abandoned Milan's grandiose ambitions, while the Emperor ruled that since Milan had been the initiator of the war, it was not entitled to Imperial protection. Milan had sealed it's own fate.

Soldiers from the Savoyard Duchy were reported in Milan, indicating that Milan had gone to war with Savoy at some point. Alas, the Visconti line was doomed.



April of 1423, Francesco Foscarini became acting Doge on the death of Tomasso Mocenigo, assuring the people that he would destroy the foes of the Republic. Foscarini was "acting Doge" under reforms from the late 1300s, which established the position in case the Doge ever fell ill or died. As part of the reforms, Foscarini's ability to become an actual Doge would be tested in the election of 1423.

April 10, Savoy backed off of Milan, in exchange for some ducats. This left the Pope to do as he wished with it.

April 11, Pisa, a state that's independence was guaranteed by the Serenissima, called for an alliance against Tuscany, who's armies had invaded the territory of the Pisan Republic. Despite the fact Tuscany was allied with Aragon, Doge Foscarini agreed to support Pisa.

As a result of guarantees, Savoy, Genoa, Naples, and the Palatinate all joined in the war against Tuscany, in the name of preserving Pisa's right to independence.

May 20, Delta fell.



May 23, the Mamluks caved in in the face of complete military defeat and rebel uprisings countrywide. They departed with the valuable city of Alexandria, which was integrated into the Serenissima. All troops were ordered home to take down the "Florentine Dragon."

October 14, Foscarini was elected Doge, being officially coronated.

November 18, Tuscany annexed Pisa. With that, Doge Foscarini announced his plans of full-scale attack on Tuscany in order to "liberate" Pisa.

1424​

June, the city of Pisa was occupied by coalition forces.

July 28, Ancona was occupied in an assault. This left Tuscany completely under the occupation of coalition forces.

1425​

The Doge changed his priorities in 1425, saying that the war on Visconti was not only to curtail Milanese hegemony, but also to secure Brescia as part of the Serenissima. (The Milanese War obviously represents the war Venice fought in 1425. It causes a declaration of war and gives a core on Brescia should Venice choose the historical option)



Only when Visconti agreed to recognise Venetian suzerainty was a peace treaty signed. He had no real choice but to accept, as his duchy had been occupied for nearly two years by the Venetians and their allies while Venice tried to figure what to do with the region. Visconti was immediately dethroned and the Ambrosian Republic established in the Ducal throne's place.

...However, as a side effect of publishing these priorities, Switzerland and Ferrara, guaranteeing and now allied to Milan, went against Venice. Though Milan had been eliminated from the war effort, the technicalities stood strong, and Venice was now against Ferrara and Switzerland.

It is for this reason, that the period of 1423-1425 is called the Second Italian War, as Venice was at war with Milan, Tuscany, and Modena-Ferrara simultaneously, with nearly all the Italian powers having a role in the conflict, with outside powers such as Switzerland and the Palatinate also intervening.

March, Modena was occupied by the combined forces of Aydin and Venice.

May of 1425, an alliance offer from the King of Aragon was accepted.

June, all 3,000 soldiers of the Swiss Invasion force were repelled. General Rovigo was ordered to attack Switzerland itself, with the intention of bringing Switzerland into the fold as one of the Serenissima's vassals.

June 30, the Pope annexed Milan, apparently still at war with them.



July, both Modena and Tuscany surrendered to Venice's might. Like Milan before, Modena forced it's Duke to abdicate, with a new Republic being installed.

At long last, the Serenissima was at peace. It had vanquished Milan, Florence, and Modena.

But that would not last. Foscarini said that the Aragonese "allies" were already plotting against Venice. The reasoning was that through it's expansions, Venice threatened Aragon's Italian ambitions as well as it's hegemony in the Western Mediterranean.

Karnten was then granted to Salzburg, while Krain was also given to Salzburg in August.

Late August, an agent managed to fabricate claims to the Kingdom of Naples, or at least it's eastern coast.



War was declared immediately after Krain was ceded to Salzburg.



And so... the war for control of Southern Italy and the Western Mediterranean began... better known as the Third Italian War.

August, the combined forces of the two sides showed a slight tilt in Venice's favor.

September, 3 Aragonese Cogs - and a small group of troops onboard, who tried to disembark onto Corsica mid-battle - were sunk.

September 29, the Neopolitan invasion force in Rome was repelled in the Battle of Roma. General Razzini was ordered to invade Neopolitan territory.

November, ducats were spent out of the state treasury to commission a new Cathedral in Athens, to solidify the Catholic faith in the area.



December 23, the Battle of Naples saw the complete obliteration of the Neopolitan Army, as a result of General Rovigo's excellent use of cavalry, who were supplemented by infantry.

1426​

By January, 4 months after the declaration of war upon Naples, Naples was completely besieged by the Venetians and their allies, while the Neopolitan Army was gone. Aragon stood alone against Venice, and ships were already en route to destroy an isolated part of their fleet, 10 ships strong.



Late January, a centralisation move on the part of the Doge prompted Bestucci Zustiniani to rise up in Modena. He was joined by 4,000 people, all hoping to curtail the increasing amounts of influence from the Ducal Palace in local affairs.

March, Apulia was occupied by Venice while a naval battle with Aragon off the coast of Sardinian continued to rage.

April, General Rovigo managed to defeat the Pretender rebellion, and they headed towards Romagna instead.

Later in April, the Papal forces were used as meat shields, resulting in Abruzzi falling. Naples itself was the only remaining region free from Venetian occupation.

August, the Pretender Rebels were crushed and Zustiniani was dead.

Meanwhile, Venice continued to battle with Aragon's fleet. Venice had lost all 6 galleys it had in the battle, with 6 Carracks taking up the slack against Aragon's 10 galleys. Luckily, the Pope's fleet soon arrived with 5 galleys, tilting the balance in Venice's favor.



Late August, the Battle of the Western Mediterranean was won thanks to the Pope's intervention.

The Doge, seeing the destruction of all but one of Venice's main galleys, ordered the hiring of a new Admiral to make the Venetian navy more efficient.

October, Venice's stability increased.

1427​

In the last days of January, Naples was captured. Queen Giovanna II was arrested, and ordered to surrender to the Venetian Republic.

January 28, the Neopolitan Kingdom surrendered:



While she escaped vassalage, Queen Giovanna had to pay an indemnity, cede all of Eastern Naples to Venice, and finally renounce claims to numerous territories.

---

Naples' defeat allowed Venice to control the entire Western Adriatic coast, via outright ownership or vassalisation(in the case of Modena). Now, Venice would take on Aragon alone, and would hopefully be able to crush them and ensure Venice's interest in the Western Mediterranean remained solid.

February, Marco Rovigo marched a force of 8,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry against an Aragonese force of 2,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry.

April, a group of Greek Nationalists took control of Athens.

Better yet in April, the battle of Calabria was won, driving the Aragonese across the straits of Messina into Sicily. Rovigo gave chase.

Starting in May, the Sicilian Campaign sought to destroy the Aragonese Army in Italy. 11,000 regiments were constantly harassed and chased around the island, with General Rovigo winning victory after victory for Venice.

September, thanks to the Pope's large, amassed army, Calabria fell, driving Aragonese governors into exile across the straits.

October, Venice's land technology greatly improved. Military strategists talked about a new type of infantry called the "Men at Arms", and plans were made to adopt the new soldiers after the Sicilian Campaign.

October, Foscarini was re-elected to office, with the people of Venice fully having faith in his power.

1428​

January, with another Venetian victory, the Aragonese proposed a white peace, with the Doge rebuffed.



Mid-January, the Sicilian Campaign finally ended. The Aragonese Army was obliterated, and the Doge passed legislation that said all foot soldiers were to pass Men-at-Arms training or they would be fired. This naturally had some negative effects on morale, as new soldiers joined to replace those discharged.

April, the Greek nationalists were crushed in Athens, having been weakened by allied military forces in Corfu's province of Janina. Now, Venice just had to claim the province with it's Men-At-Arms.

Sure enough, by May, the Men-At-Arms managed to penetrate the rebel garrison and retake Athens. The Corfuite Army had a role in this, having played the usual role of "vassal meatshield."

May 1426, with the truce expired, the Mamluks declared war upon Venice, seeking to reclaim their center of trade.

By August, General Razzini was on his way to Alexandria, which the Mamluks had yet to attack.



September 1428, the First Battle of Alexandria was won.

October 10, a force of 8,000 Mamluk Infantry attacked the 4,000-man force protecting Alexandria. Fortunately, General Razzini arrived mid-battle with 7,000 cavalrymen.



Late October, the Second Battle of Alexandria was a flop, with the Mamluks being sent packing. General Razzini ordered his troops to pursue the Mamluk armies, to crush them yet again.

November 1428, Palermo was occupied by the Pope's army, and they promptly turned the city over to Venice.



November was a great victory, when 8 Mamluk regiments were wiped out in the Battle of Diamentia. Razzini was endowed with new estates as a reward.



The spectacular battle prompted the Golden Horde and the Jalayirids to offer white peaces immediately.

As a result, the Mamluks were reported as having less than 5,000 men. It became imperative to locate and destroy the last Egyptian forces. Lebanon, still Catholic, was a priority.

1429​

January, a minor band of 1,000 Mamluk soldiers was eliminated in Cairo.

February, upon hearing the Pope was fighting a hopeless naval battle against the Aragonese off the coast of Africa, Cristoforo Zustiniani - a relative of the traitor of the same last name - agreed to take up his post as Chief Admiral of the Venetian Fleet, leading 6 Carracks and 6 galleys - the old fleet had been reconstructed - to the warzone to aid the Pope.

March, the Aragonese were attacked off the coast of Valencia. It was hoped that the new admiral could use his knowledge of fire and ammunition to make the Carracks more useful.

Mid-battle, it was discovered that Cristoforo had actually been put in charge of a unit of cogs. This meant he was further away than he needed to be. The cogs were ordered west.

April, Cristoforo arrived in his luxury Cog, ready to take charge of the fleet.

June, Cairo, capital of the Mamluk Sultanate, was occupied by Venice.

Late June, the Byzantines declared war upon Venice, as part of their grandiose ambitions of re-establishing their empire. Thanks to this, the conflicts against the Byzantines, Aragonese, and Mamluks are sometimes grouped into the "Mediterranean War", where Venice had to fight battles all over said sea and travel from one end to the other to fight it.

August, General Rovigo was ordered to move up the Levant and take Lebanon, so that Venice could exit the Mamluk War with it's other primary objective attained.

September, the Battle of Asyut wiped out the main Mamluk army, while Rovigo was occupied fighting them in Gaza.

October, the island of Malta was occupied by Venice, while the Aragonese fleet continued to crumble in the battle of the Valencian Gulf.



November, the Battle of the Valencian Gulf ended with a Coalition victory. Aragon's fleet was in ruins, with only 3 galleys and 1 cog making it up. It was a costly victory, however, as Venice had lost all it's galleys anew.

December, the Nile Delta was occupied. The historical breadbasket of Egypt was now under foreign control. This is why the Venetians were called "Italian Hyksos" by Egyptians.

1430​

March, the demoralised Mamluk Army was defeated at the Battle of Aleppo.



April, another Mamluk force was wiped out, with much of the Near East engulfed in flames as Venice besieged it.

July, Gaza was occupied. By this time, the entire Mamluk Army had been wiped out, thanks to a battle in Syria.

Late in July, Beirut was taken. The Catholics of Lebanon were liberated as a result. The Doge convened a council to determine whether to exit the war at that moment or to carry it on.

The advisors said that the Sultanate's aggression could not go unpunished. Furthermore, the Serenissima had to develop it's assets along the Mediterranean coast if it was to fortify Alexandria better.

The decision was made to strip the Mamluks of as much coastline as possible. This would prevent naval competition as well as cut enormously into their tax income.

July 27, the long siege of Libya ended, giving Venice yet more land to control.



October, Venice had managed to hold onto Thessaloniki for seven years, and the Doge declared that despite Ottoman and Byzantine objections, Venice would hold onto it for as long as it could.

Later in October, the Holy Land of Judea was occupied. Nearly all of the Mamluk coast was under Venetian influence.

1431​

February, Hawran in the Near East was occupied by Venice.



Mid-February, the Battle of Janina was won, preventing a Byzantine invasion of Corfu proper, after they seized Janina.



February 27, Zaparozhie - a Catholic state that had emerged from the Golden Horde's crumbling realm - offered Venice an alliance. The Doge, believing this would allow Venice to more easily expand in the Black Sea at Turkish and Genovese expense, agreed to the alliance.

Shortly after, Ottoman forces were seen heading towards Morea. The Turks had decided to trim the Byzantines down a bit... that explained why they were trying to obtain a white peace with Venice so often.

May, Asyut fell to the Venetian armies.

Later in May, Sinai was occupied. 2,000 cavalry divisions, freed up from the Levant and Sinai, were ordered to Alexandria for extraction to Athens, to better defeat any Byzantine offensive.

June, Al Karak was seized from the Mamluks. Sardinia was taken from Aragon in an assault shortly afterwards.



A peace treaty was signed with Aragon at long last. They ceded Calabria and half of Sicily. All forces were recalled from the front lines, so as to fight the Romans. The other Italians under Aragonese administration would be liberated at a later date.

The indemnity was taken out of the treasury as soon as it went in; missionaries were sent to Naxos and Crete.

June 17, the Advancement of the True Religion Act was passed by the Doge. While Venetian rulers generally didn't care about religion, they understood it's importance in national stability and politics. And so, it was reasoned that other faiths would have to at least de jure be eliminated from the Republic. The Act itself prompted many more missionaries to enter state service, reducing their cost and increasing their effectiveness.

October 1431, Francesco Foscarini survived the recall election.

December, Aleppo fell as a new Mamluk province was discovered.

1432​

February, Damascus was occupied by the Serenissima.

April, Ibrim was discovered. The entire Mamluk realm was mapped out. As well, the province of Nile was captured.

Seeing that two provinces in the region were under rebel control, it was easy to tell that the Sultanate was collapsing.



Peace was made soon after, with the Mamluk coastline falling under Venetian domination. The Mamluk realm was also split in two, with the only connection between the Eastern and Western halves being the ports of Libya and Syria.



May 1432, Christians celebrated at hearing the news that the Holy Land was in Christian hands again, after the failure of the Crusades.



August, General Rovigo was ordered to lead the 7,000-man strong Athenian Army against the Byzantine forces. As a result, the Battle of Achaea destroyed the Byzantine Army.

A quick siege against the demoralised Achaeans gave Venice control of the city. Now, it was a game to wait for the Turks and their allies to carve pieces off, as they controlled the other two provinces of the Byzantine Empire.

November, the Turks accepted peace with the Byzantines despite the fact they controlled two provinces. They demanded 7 ducats.

1433​

January, the whole of Morea was occupied by Venice. It now fell to General Sabastiano Razzini to occupy Constantinople itself.

March of 1433, Castile followed the trend and embargoed Venice's merchants.



May, tensions flared between Tuscany and Venice, with the latter pressing claims to more and more Florentine territory.

June 1433, the demoralised Byzantine capital's garrison was wiped out in an assault.



With the Byzantines completely occupied, the Doge sent an ultimatum to surrender all of Morea. The Byzantines accepted, and also gave up nearly all their European claims.

And so, the Roman Empire was reduced to a city-state centered on Constantinople. Venice now dominated the Eastern Mediterranean, with much of the Levant, Egypt and Greece under it's hegemony.

1433 passed by uneventfully, with the Doge making plans to invade Tuscany and secure central Italy for the Republic.




...Well, uneventfully, except for the Doge commissioning state composers. Composed former rebels on death row, the Doge pardoned all three of the composers in exchange for entering state service free of charge. The group took the name, "The Underground."






In their opening concert in the town square, they first introduced themselves.


Link to video.

The term ROBOTNIK used in the song being an acronym for "Royalty, Oligarchy, Big-blue-blob, Ottomans, Treachery, Nationalism, Interdependency, Kaiser(the Holy Roman Emperor)." SONIC by contrast meaning, "Serenissima's Order of Nanist Immortal Composers"

Then they celebrated the Venetian victory despite the odds, with their opening song being called, "Learn to Overcome":


Link to video.

A motivational song for future wars where Venice appeared screwed.

They then gave an emotional song with a guest singer:


Link to video.

The song was on the topic of the fact that Venice's treasury almost always neared insolvency, year after year.

The populace enjoyed this performance. They loved the intro, the motivation to fight despite the odds, and finally they licked up the emotional/moral propoganda that money wasn't everything.