Yes... they lose a core on the EXACT start of the game for some reason...
Allow me to explain.
I'll go into say, Constantinople's file in the history/provinces folder. I will make it so a core is added on 1399.1.1 for the Turks, and I'll put "add_core = TUR" in the top section of the file to guarantee they have the core.
However, as soon as I start a game with these modifications, I notice the Turks don't have a core on Constantinople... I exit EU3, look at the savefile, and find that for some weird reason, the history file for Constantinople says that the core was removed the day the game began on October 14... Any idea why that is?
(The way I understand it, the upper part of the province history file says which countries can FORM from that province(such as say, the Greeks from Thessalonica), and the lower part, the 'history' part of the province file, says which countries have a core on it at game start... but cannot form from it. So, say, the Turks and Greeks both could have a core on Thessalonica, but while Greece could from there, the Turks could not. Is that correct?
Even if it is... it still doesn't explain why the game is auto-removing cores... )
add_core = TUR just means at game startup ottomans will have a core on the province. Doesn't have to do with what countries can be formed from the province. That information is in the countries file in the History folder.
Try removing the add core in the History part and see what that does. (and if that doesn't work, try vice versa with removing the add_core = TUR and keeping the add core in the History)
Are you editing the province after you saved a game? Because if you are, I don't think it will effect your save file, you have to edit it manually.
I don't know why they are losing the core on that date. Although 1399.1.1 isn't a date for EU3 unless you edited another file to start on that date. You have to switch it to Oct. 14 1399. That might be what is causing the problem.
January, to increase Venice's prestige around the world, the Doge authorised the inclusion of Languedoc and all of Italy to the Straits of Messina into the Holy Roman Empire.
September, Gorz was acknowledged as a legitimate territory of Venice by the international community.
1471
January, the Levant's entire coastline was Catholicised with the conversion of Aleppo.
It was also noticed that rebels had besieged one of Burgundy's fortresses along the border, while Burgundy was also at war with England and Portugal. Confident this would stretch their homeland defenses, the Doge sponsored a rebellion in the Nationalist region Pfalz.
Burgundy was already strained. In addition to the war, rebels controlled Lyonnais, with Nevers, Elsass and Zeeland also being besieged according to rumors. It was hoped the Burgundian realm would collapse. The fact their stability was at 0 didn't help things much either.
February, with Burgundy's rebels still going strong, the Doge sent the Burgundians a "present" - a stability hit.
The reduction of incomes and increased anarchy would help make the large Kingdom crumble.
May of 1471, Venice retook it's near-hereditary position as Papal Controller when the Teutonic Order lost one of their cardinals.
November 1471, Nicolo Tron took control of the Republic's executive functions. After being confirmed by elections, Doge Tron said he would take a strong approach to the likes of Burgundy and the Turks, the two greatest threats to the Republic's stability.
1472
January, a major workshop was commissioned in Florence to increase regular revenues.
More importantly, Doge Tron sent an offer to the Papal States, offering to leave the Pope supreme in spiritual matters in exchange for the cession of all secular authority to the Republic. Despite advisors warning the Doge this would be "unlikely" to work and more likely to anger the Papacy and all strong Catholics, the Pope accepted. Milan, Parma and Rome were all formally unified with Venice after so long. Italy was nearly one.
After electing to pay off potential leaders and members of any resistance movement, the Doge decided to not attack Burgundy with more stability hits. Instead, with the Pope's secular interests no longer in conflict with religious authority...
Burgundy crumbled. First, Venice was sure to give Burgundy's seat in the Curia - their cardinal dying days after the annexation from "mysterious" causes - to the minor power of Riga. Then Venice served the Burgundian King an excommunication notice.
February, Novgorod tried to align with Venice, but the Doge turned them down.
Late February, lobbyists who desired to recreate the Papal State were turned down. As a result, the Papacy - those opposed to the Venetian yoke - moved to Cologne. The resulting repurcussions of 2 Popes harmed relations with Venice's neighbors as well as caused a slight stability loss throughout the Republic.
Of course, Doge Tron was ready to assert Venice's place in Europe and the wider world, and set off a chain of events soon known as the...
Venetian Revolution of 1472
Shortly after the absorption of the wealthy Papal States into the Venetian Republic in January of 1472, the world petitioned Venice to release the Pope again, if only with Romagna and Rome instead of it's makeup prior to annexation. Venice, desiring to control Rome itself and not wanting to surrender it's rightful territories in Romagna, refused, citing that the Pope's secular authority was not vital to his spiritual authority.
This prompted domestic and foreign turmoil. Venice's relations with her neighbors - even her allied vassal states - declined as a result of her "un-Catholic" decision. Religious chaos spread across the Republic and to some extent the rest of Europe, as the Pope in Cologne and the Pope in Rome both claimed legitimacy. (It was incidents like this that would later strengthen the cause of Luther and others during the Reformation several decades later) Popular revolts were increasingly frequent in Italy as all troops in Europe moved eastwards for a potential war with the Turks.
But despite his lackluster appearance, Doge Nicolo Tron was not a fool. He saw opportunity in the anarchy, as did just about every special interest group. As the people distracted themselves with religion and other groups distracted themselves with shameless self-interest, Nicolo Tron did as well. Doges had been steadily increasing their power over the decades since Venice began her constant expansion in 1399.
Citing the chaos, the Doge used his authority as commander-in-chief to steadily disband rebellious groups across the country, promising his troops estates despite not having any authority to do this unanimously. To obtain these estates, Tron soon arrested the entire Council of Ten on various charges such as conspiracy and treason, and many plutocrats in Venice itself were also arrested. Many of these individuals were executed or exiled, while nearly all of them were stripped or most or all of their lands to pay for the redistribution program.
With the support of the military and crippling of the elites, Doge Tron made a bold, risky move.
...He declared himself King of Venice, as well as of numerous other lands, calling himself Emperor of the Venetian Empire. Citing the inability of the Republic to protect the realm's stability, he believed a stronger government was in order. Using emotion, demagoguery and firm rhetoric, his move was "legalised" by the popular consent of the population, even if the backing of the military offered him enough of a power base to act upon. To further strengthen his ability to become King, Tron strengthened several local notables in exchange for their support. He promised not to put too much power in the hands of the King and to share it with them. (He of course, would do his best to undo this promise)
Venice had transformed into an imperial monarchy, and the Republic had finally died out. Despite this, Venice often still claimed to be a republic or at the very least a liberal regime. While some of Venice's benevolent ideals such as religious tolerance generally remained strong, it's political liberalism was extinguished as time went on. It was on the road to what later thinkers could term Enlightened Despotism...
---
Now at a stability of -1, Venice found herself stretched almost as bad as Burgundy. But with control of the Curia and a more flexible form of government, it was certain she would prevail.
May, as a sign of coming prosperity, Damascus was converted to Catholicism.
July, the Sunni zealots of Bulgaria were defeated by Venice's military under Casanova. The Sunni revolt in Bulgaria was the excuse Venice used to place it's troops in the region. However, Emperor Tron - now known as "Nicolo I" - desired to slay the Turkish dragon. But for the time being, effort was focused on driving out the Sunni zealots, who had force-converted half of Bulgaria to the Sunni faith. They were also in the Turks' pocket.
November, rebels rose up in the province of Nile, but failed to dislodge the large local Venetian garrison.
Late November, a new Cardinal from Rome was appointed to the Curia. This helped Venice retain her dominant position.
1473
January, the Battle of Edirne finally exterminated the Sunni Zealots of Bulgaria.
March, Venice's stability to increased to 0. The risk of revolts was significantly reduced as the anarchy of the Revolution began to fade away.
Also in March, Emperor Nicolo I pressed for reforms of the military, with more emphasis on the army than the navy. This prompted some naval officers to retire due to a lack of opportunities for advancement.
June of 1473, the city of Alexandria and it's surroundings were acknowledged as a rightful territory of Venice. This greatly improved Venice's revenues from the region thanks to more confidence from the locals.
To earn further favor, the Emperor soon issued a statement saying that Al Misr Arabic would be respected as a culture of the Empire. Venice's hold on the Levant and Egypt was strengthened as a result.
August, shortly after his extension of friendship to the Arabs of the realm, Emperor Nicolo I was poisoned. This caused his named successor, Nicolo II of Marcello to rise to the throne. Nicolo II was more incompetent than his predecessor, a trend that would continue for several rulers.
September, Sinai was converted, nearly doubling the revenues of the area.
Also in September, a new Cardinal was appointed that was favorable to Venice, and the realm's stability increased to +1. The worst part of the Revolutionary Shockwave was over.
Late November, with revenues stable and troops in position, war was declared upon Tunisia, the controller of Asyut. Control of Asyut would enable Venice's 20,000+ men trapped in Southern Egypt to finally reach northern Egypt.
As a result, Morocco, the Mamluks, the Turks, Oman and Iraq all declared war upon Venice. The Empire was now at war with much of the Islamic world. Despite the quantity of nations, they had few troops altogether, most of which would probably never reach the front lines. In addition, most of the countries had some level of war exhaustion, having been fighting countless other conflicts in the background.
December, the Battles of Kosovo and Alexandria wiped out 1,000 Turkish and 1,000 Mamluk troops. While forces besieged Albania, the military was ordered to spread out to steadily destroy the enemy legions.
January, devestated by the loss of Asyut to Venice, the Tunisians agreed to part with it. They also acknowledged Venice as their suzerain. Emperor Nicolo II promised to reward their wise decision, saying he would make Tunisia the strongest country in the Maghreb.
At the same time, Caterina Cornero, a Venetian noblewoman, was able to make herself Queen of Cyprus.
February, an agricultural revolution in Edirne prompted the raising of taxes and collecting of fees in the region.
March, Venice's stability increased to +2, while her land technology increased to 9.
Late March, Anatolia was captured.
Late March also had the disastrous Battle of Kaffa, where the sneaky Ottomans managed to slay 2 regiments of Venetian infantry.
April, Albania was occupied thanks to an assault.
May, Cairo was occupied. All troops in the area were directed to invade the Levant and repel Omani and Iraqi forces.
July, the Battle of Massawa wiped out the Mamluk Army.
September, Venice's stability increased to +3. The anarchy had finally ended.
October, the Turkish capital of Angora was occupied by the Venetian-led forces, which now expanded to include Salzburger, Ferrarese, Savoyard, and Aydinese troops.
November, the Battle of Sivas ended with a Venetian victory. General Casanova had managed to defeat the Sultan's large cavalry-based army.
December, Suakin was occupied.
Like his predecessor, Emperor Nicolo II was found dead shortly into his rule(he had reigned 1 year and 4 months). His replacement was Emperor Pietro I of the House of Mocenigo.
Late December, Gaza was occupied by Oman.
However, centralisation policies had yielded benefits, increasing tax revenues.
Late December, rather than risk their independence and overall well-being, the Iraqis wisely accepted a white peace offer from Venice. The Empire would now focus it's full efforts on Oman in the Levant.
1475
January, Libya was occupied, freeing up more troops to combat the Omani invasion of the Levantine provinces.
March, the last provinces of the Mamluk regime were occupied.
March 16, the Mamluk Sultanate de facto and de jure collapsed. Their last Mediterranean port was seized by the Venetian Empire, as was the long coastal territory of Suakin.
June, the Mamluk Sultan formally converted to Christianity, and in the Great Purge of Cairo, used intimidation and various other tactics to strengthen the Catholic base of the city.
August 4, the international community acknowledged Pisa, Modena and Ancona as legitimate parts of Venice.
September, the Coalition Army seized Sinope and turned it over to Venice, while Umbrian was accepted as a culture.
November, the Sunni zealots that rose up to oppose the Catholic regime in Cairo were crushed in Massawa. All troops could focus on Oman now.
December, Cornwall declared independence from Burgundy. Most of the Burgundian provinces around the English Channel had been blockaded by unseen forces, while Burgundy was at war with several Dutch states, France, and the Holy Roman Emperor.
1476
February, 16,000 Venetian troops - and 23,000 allied troops - all marched on Adana, where Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and his personal force of 2,000 soldiers were headed.
Late February, the trend of short-lived Emperors continued, with Andrea Vendamin taking the throne upon Emperor Pietro I's death. Pietro had reigned only 1 year and 2 months.
March, after countless incidents of "ping ponging", the Turkish military was finally destroyed.
1477
January, the death of Charles the Bold allowed his daughter Mary of Burgundy to come to the throne.
February, Apulia and Abruzzi were recognised as legal territories of Venice.
March, the Crusade against Morocco formally ended decades after it was called. One was immediately called for against the Turks.
July 6, Venice made a formal alliance with the Cypriots. Plans were made to vassalise the island kingdom.
September, Asyut was converted to Catholicism.
Late September, Mary of Burgundy announced that she had chosen a spouse. She revealed that her chosen spouse was Maximilan of Austria. In anger, the French seized parts of the Burgundian realm. As a result of her personal inability to hold together her father's hastily-assembled empire, the people of Lorraine managed to declare independence.
While separated in numerous pieces stretching from the beaches of Normandy and Southern England to the outskirts of Brandenburg, Burgundy still remained solid, and soon, Mary would unify her realms with Maximilan's.
November, an uprising in Beirut was foiled, with troops pursuing the rebels into Aleppo.
1478
January, with Venice's war exhaustion high and her purse filled with stolen Ottoman census taxes, peace was made with the Turks. Their country was split in half, many of their claims renounced, and much of their coastline occupied by the Empire. The Sultan was so quick to make peace - having been deprived of all luxuries until he agreed to sign one - that he did not see that Venice had specifically ignored Albania in the treaty. Venice would be able to use the province to continuously declare a "just" war upon the Turks.
The fall of the Turks in a long-overdue war with Venice left only Morocco and Oman in the "Great Crusade."
They caved in days after the Turks, ceding Tabouk, several ducats, and naturally renouncing claims to some territories.
---
Venice had emerged triumphant. What had begun as a minor conflict over access rights through the Nile had transformed into a war against much of the Islamic world. Venice had crushed the Turks, the Mamluks, and greatly harmed Oman, Morocco and Iraq. Tunisia and the Mamluks were carried off as vassals, while great swaths of land and hundreds of ducats were carried off as the spoils of war.
January 13, Cyprus strangely broke it's alliance with Venice.
February, the Emperor noticed that even with control of the Curia and the Church Attendance Duty, stability costs in the Empire had risen to 1,000+ per level. This was attributed to the 13 or so Sunni provinces, all of which added +20 to the costs, for 260 total. As well, a lack of new temples hurt things.
Of course, it was discovered that only 5 provinces did not have Temples. Alas, this was still an unnecessary tack on to the stability costs. Temples were commissioned in all of the applicable provinces accordingly.
With places of religion able to reduce stability costs, it was religion itself that had to be targeted to really drive costs downwards. Accordingly, missionaries were sent to convert several provinces.
Late February, as rebels rose up in Kargah, the Battle of Aleppo against Arabic patriots ended with Venetian victory and the extermination of the rebels.
March, the rebels of Kargah were dealt with. Venice's territory was rebel-free for the time being, and military spending cut accordingly.
April, Maximilian of Austria and Mary of Burgundy had a formal marriage ceremony. They would rule their Kingdoms together from that point on. While Burgundy had lost it's territory of Potsdam in the years preceding the formal union, the addition of the lands to Austria would certainly make the Austrians a potent foe for any European power. Thankfully, much of the territories considered legitimately Austrian had fallen out of Burgundian hands with Charles' death... rendering territories like Normandy and Southern England worthless. Many of the legitimate claims of Charles, as well, had also vanished and not passed on to Maximilian.
While the appearance of Austria in the Lowlands, along the Rhine and north of Venetian Languedoc was a bit alarming, the Emperor paid it no mind. He was more focused on increasing his relations with the Pope in the event his control of the Curia evaporated. As well, he wanted the heathens of the Empire converted to Christianity.
Wanting to save money, the Emperor reduced the military maintenance to about 75%, saving 60 ducats per year.
May, the Emperor passed away, with Giovanni I of Mocenigo succeeding him. Giovanni's reign would be stable and effective, unlike his predecessors'.
June, Emperor Giovanni I expressed support for mass printing programs, despite claims from religious conservatives that the printing press was the work of Satan. As a result, stability became a bit harder to maintain, though the industry soon boomed, as did the Venetian economy. (This decision makes stability 5% more costly, but adds +15 ducats to Production research monthly. To give an idea, it would have taken 8 years to reach the next production level without it, and 5 with it)
1478 came to an end with Venice still solvent and prospering under Emperor Giovanni I.
Chapter XIX: The Crusade of the Two Emperors (1479 - 1482)
Spoiler:
1479
January, the province of Berber in the Sudan was discovered. As well, rebels rose up in Al Karak, 2,000 of them. Mose Casanova was ordered to lead 6,000 troops against the rebels, with reinforcements arriving from the south. It was hoped that Venice's low military maintenance wouldn't make the revolt too much of a threat.
By late January, the attempt by Arabs to reunify with other Arab states had ended in failure.
January 29, a Salzburger Cardinal passed away, and his seat was passed to the Venetians, giving Venice six out of ten Cardinals.
To start off the year, 3 new bands of soldiers were commissioned in Southern Italy to help deter nationalist activities there, while also to resume enlargement of the Venetian military.
Hawran was converted in February. As well, 5,000 rebel soldiers were seen to have taken control of the Algerian provinces south of Venetian Egypt. Casanova and all divisions in the area were ordered to destroy these regiments before they harmed the Venetian Empire's hold on the region.
May, the death of a Cardinal gave Venice SEVEN out of ten seats in the Curia. At the same time, the Battle of Kargah intensely raged, with the odds being Venice's control of Egypt.
June, the Battle of Kargah, wiped out 2/5 of the enemy military thanks to Casanova's skills, however, the rebels retreated to friendly territory in Algeria.
In the meantime, Tunisia converted to the faith of it's suzerain in July, becoming a Catholic Maghreb state.
June, another Cardinal passed away, giving Venice eight of the ten seats in the Curia. Some accused Emperor Giovanni of using witchcraft to selectively fill the Curia.
December, a Venetian Cardinal died, only to be replaced by one from Rome.
Mid-December, the rebels that had risen up in Algeria's colonies along the Nile were finally exterminated.
1480
January, the Turks claimed the title of Kayzer-i Rum, as a result declaring war upon Venice, who owned the city of Rome itself. (This event is supposed to simulate the Turks' attack upon Italy after the fall of Constantinople, with the Sultan claiming the title of Emperor of Rome... Obviously I'll need to edit it to make them own Constantinople and actually be a threat to Christendom. The event, as part of it's actions, makes the Turks declare war upon whoever owns Rome while also giving them cores on all of Southern and Central Italy)
This move surprised the Emperor, but he was glad to have another chance at destroying the Turks. The Western Ottoman Empire was falling to countless rebellious peasants, while the East had a petty amount of units. The Turks brought Morocco, Syria, Iraq, Nogai and Oman into the war, but Venice brought her usual string of vassals along for the party.
As well, the attack on Venice constituted an attack on the (Holy Roman, not Venetian) Empire, prompting the Holy Roman Emperor to bring his Germany-wide alliance against the Turks.
The Sultan's jihad would turn into the Dual Emperors' Crusade.
March, Hungary annexed Wallachia, making up for the two provinces it had lost to Poland in a recent war.
Later in March, the Battle of Damascus destroyed the 2,000-man Syrian military, with forces moving against Syria proper as a result.
Having lost control of Al Jawf to Venice and fearing what would happen after Syria was demolished, the Iraqis appealed to the Emperor for mercy. Their plea was denied. They had gotten off easy in the last war, and so Venice intended to bring down it's full fury against the Iraqis.
March 22, Sinope was converted to Catholicism.
April 1480, the reputation of Mario Commachio spread beyond Venice's borders.
September, Morocco accepted a white peace.
October, Syria's capital was seized. They were annexed immediately to prevent Syrian patriots from rising up. At the same time they were annexed, however, Kastamon converted to Catholicism, and many of the religious members of society deemed this a sign of divine approval.
New Year's Eve, Mus in Southeastern Turkey was seized.
1481
January, the Omani province of Najd was seized. But Emperor Giovanni did not want Najd, being the patch of desert it was. He desired something far more valuable than Jerusalem, something that would mark him on the map forever:
Control of Mecca.
Late January, Albania was seized with the help of the Bavarian/Imperial Army.
February, Medina was seized from the Iraqis. The Emperor let the Iraqis off gently, saying that Medina was all he needed for peace. Of course, they quickly accepted, ceding the city, their Red Sea coastline, and above all their strategic position as the divider of the Arabic peninsula.
With Medina taken, it was reasoned that Mecca had to be seized.
Late February, Angora was taken from the Turkish rebels, who had been purged earlier in the war thanks to Venice and it's allies by convenience.
July, Calabria and Messina joined the list of provinces that the world acknowledged as a legal part of the Venetian Empire.
Late July, Apulia - which had been captured by the Turks in their surprise attack - was finally retaken by Venice. The Turks no longer had any soldiers or provinces under their control...
But rather than press for peace at the moment, the Emperor believed it was wiser to sign peace after the Crusader spirit had maximised revenues and military potential.
October, the siege of Mecca ended in a Venetian victory thanks to the efforts of Casanova.
By November, the Venetian presence in Oman's territory had caused them to be reduced to only 3400+ soldiers on active duty.
Christmas Day, the people of Dayr Az Zor, former capital of Syria, rose up in songs praising Jesus Christ and God. The province had been fully converted to Catholicism.
1482
January, with tax revenues boosted thanks to the Turks' generous donations, peace was finally declared between the Venetian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish coastline became an oxymoron at last.
February, a new missionary being added to the list of advisors - all three of them missionaries - resulted in the total bonus of advisors adding up to 13% missionary chances. As one would be able to tell, it was a top priority of the Empire to eliminate the vocal - and dangerous - religious minorities.
February 23, a battle along the Red Sea Coast in Asir destroyed the remnants of the Omani Army. The Arab peninsula was Venice's for the taking. Troops occupied themselves exploring the Omani realm.
March, the province of Nile was converted to Catholicism.
May, Delta, Gaza, Diamentia, Judea and Beirut all acknowledged the Venetians as their political as well as religious overlords. A strong message was sent to all countries regardless of culture or religion: Venice was not going to be leaving the Near East for quite some time.
By August, all provinces but one of the Omani Empire were under Venetian control. It was time to bring the infidels to the peace table.
At the table, the Sultan of Oman agreed to a humiliating peace. He ceded an enormous chunk of coastline, including the Holy City of Mecca, while the desert interior was transformed into the country of Najd. What was left of his empire was three disconnected cities. The Muslim world had lost one potential leader, with Najd's place as the supreme Shi'ite power being taken by Persia and the Turks' place as the Sunni leader being taken by Morocco.
Days after independence, Najd broke it's alliance with Venice. Of course, the Emperor was not too angered; this would help simplify politics in the Arabic peninsula.
And so, the year 1482 came to a close. The Omani and Ottoman rulers had been completely toppled, the Curia had been monopolised, the Catholic faith had spread far and wide, and above all, Venice now controlled both Mecca and Medina. While Muslims Shi'ite and Sunni alike called for jihads against the infidel Venetians to remove them from Mecca, no Muslim power besides Persia(As rumors stated that Persia was extremely powerful) could hold a candle to Venetian might. Venice's hegemony had spread so massively in the "Crusade of the Two Emperors" that a rhyme would say, "In 1482, General Casanova spread the Venetian Blue."
For a preview of the next chapter, expect the most epic war ever.
The Emperor was doing his duty as a good Catholic by attacking the excommunicated Austrian Archduke's territory( it was totally NOT Venice that excommunicated them... it was the Pope! ), but the darn Bavarian Emperor, of course, decided to intervene. We call this the War of the Two Empires for a reason.
Personally, I feel Bavarians can't be of sound mind with such funny dresses, so it only makes sense they'd want to go to war with us. No matter. We're near the end of the First Phase of the War, as Austria proper and Bavaria are pretty much defenseless against our newest uber-general.
...Not all was good, however. We did lose control of Treviso and Friuli to the Bavarians, while we also had several regiments get wiped out in the Lowlands thanks to the Austrian SUPER-DUPER-UBER-KING. This should be fun.
(Historical rulers have been turned off in the wake of history going out the window. Historical events remain on, however, and this should prove interesting. )
January 1, Emperor Giovanni I rechristened himself Mose I, taking his given name from his friend and great general of the Republic, Mose Casanova.
Mose ordered the first expansion of the Venetian navy in years, commissioning two new carracks in Greece. He began sponsoring missionary efforts in the newly-acquired territories, such as Mecca.
February, seeing opportunity, the Archduke of Austria asked Venice for an alliance. Emperor Mose accepted the offer immediately. While it was likely the Austrians would ditch Venice at the first chance, aligning with them would certainly pay dividends in furthering Venice's imperial ambitions; Venice had two votes for the Holy Roman Emperorship, as did Brandenburg, and finally so did Bavaria.
Later in the year, Austria broke it's alliance. Of course.
1484
January, Adana was converted to Catholicism.
February, Tabouk was converted to Catholicism, and a review of the budget was performed to determine if Venice could afford to sponsor and maintain more missionaries throughout the empire.
May, Venice entered a royal marriage with Cyprus.
July was a joyous occassion for Christians everywhere, Reformist, Catholic or Orthodox. The region around Mecca, the religious center of the Muslims, had been converted to Catholicism. However, wanting important revenue, the Emperor continued to allow Muslims to perform their religiously-required Hajj - pilgrimage - to the city. He even respected the Islamic religion to a degree, as no non-Muslims - except those with strict approval from the Emperor with the "advice and consent" of a Muslim cleric council - were allowed inside the specific holy structures or locations of Mecca.
Regardless, the conversion of Mecca added another antagonism to Muslims everywhere, if the fact Catholics politically controlled it wasn't enough, the Catholics had gained social and religious control of the area as well. Plans were made to Christianise Medina, another sacred region of Islam.
By October of 1484, the majority of the people in the province of Libya had finally, after countless years, accepted Jesus Christ as their lord and savior.
December, troops under Casanova were ordered to invade Serbian territory and destroy the peasant rebellion that had caused the loss of Kosovo.
1485
February, Casanova had destroyed the enemy forces in Serbia, retreating to the Hungarian border for further orders.
Those orders were to invade Hungary at a later date. The Hungarians were allied with the Austrians and would serve as a way around the Bavarian Emperor's duty to protect the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs had recently had a stalemate in a war with Bavaria, annexing the Alsace-Palatinate while losing the province of Franken to Bavaria.
To enhance this idea, the Emperor sent a sign of goodwill to the Habsburg ruler in the form of an excommunication from both the Pope in Westfalen and the "Anti-Pope" in Rome.
April, Hedjaz Nationalists rose up in Medina while Siena was finally acknowledged as a key Venetian territory.
By May, the Hedjaz Nationalists had been slaughtered in Tabouk.
December, with a great census tax ripe for collection and the army enlarged, war was declared upon Austria(Hungary had abandoned Austria prior to the declaration). All troops were ordered to rapidly occupy the Austrian possessions.
The Holy Roman Emperor saw the potential collapse of Austria as a threat that could not be ignored. Despite his close ties with the Venetians, he agreed to go to war with Venice, siding with the excommunicated Habsburgs.
Thankfully, the Venetians and their allies had an advantage in numbers at the beginning of the war. However, the vast resources of the Emperor and the wealth of the Lowlands could easily change this. It would be necessary to get one of the two out of the war as soon as possible.
January, the Battle of Vienna ended with an incredible Venetian victory, with the aging Casanova managing to win a victory over the Austrian Archduke.
Late January, the stress of fighting his close friends killed the Bavarian Emperor, only for another Bavarian Duke to be elected Holy Roman Emperor.
June, a 3-star theologian was sacked in exchange for a 6-star one.
June, Treviso was occupied by Bavaria.
August, in the midst of the chaos in Southern Germany and Northern Italy, Medina was converted to Catholicism. Troops were ordered to leave the Near East and head to Italy to provide support.
October, as the Austrians were ejected from Gorz, the people of Genoa finally acknowledged the Venetians as their rightful overlords. These claims were supported by the international community.
At the same time, Emperor Mose I took up arms and led the force from Gorz to attack the Austrians in the Tirolese province of Lienz. As a sign of divine approval, Lyonnais was captured days later.
October 21, the Battle of Lienz ended with a Venetian victory, prompting the Austrian army to flee to Treviso, where it would be safe amongst the ranks of an Austro-Bavarian horde. October 22, Limousin was occupied, leaving two of Austria's three French provinces under Venetian control.
At the same time, the Battle of Linz in northwestern Austria had destroyed the main Austrian force, killing off nearly twenty regiments. General Casanova was ordered to invade Bavaria to get the Emperor out of the war.
November, Nice was acknowledged as a legitimate Venetian province.
Late November, Auvergne was occupied by Venice, while Friuli fell to the Bavarians. Troops from Auvergne were ordered to invade the Lowlands to strike at the soft underbelly of the Austrian Empire.
1487
January, the 4-star theologian was sacked for another 6-star one. This meant all theologians together gave 18% to all conversion chances.
With new tax revenue, a new general, Marco Antonio Pesaro, was recruited. Fairly-skilled in the arts of war, he led a force from Mantua against the Austrians in Verona.
February, 7,000 cavalry in Asian Minor boarded transports headed for Europe. They would serve to destroy the Austro-Bavarian alliance.
March, the Battle of Verona ended at last, with General Pesaro earning his place next to Casanova as a main general of the Venetian military.
May, Emperor Mose I rode triumphantly into Friuli. The Austrian Army was also defeated in Lombardia, prompting it's leader to split it in half, one half heading for Brescia and the other for Liguria. General Pesaro followed the one headed for Genoa...
...With disastrous results(for the Austrians). He immediately turned around and headed for Brescia.
June, the Battle of Valenciennes was lost, and 3 regiments of infantry perished as a result. The Emperor was furious at the news, treating it like when Augustus lost his legions in the forests of Germany. Luckily, it would be easier to replace these "legions."
Late June, the Austrians in Brescia were wiped out, and no soldiers were spared as retribution for Valenciennes. General Pesaro took command of a large 16,000-man force, half-cavalry, half-infantry, in Friuli, and marched on Treviso. By that time, Salzburg had retaken it's capital, and was marching on Southern Bavaria. The game was up for the Holy Roman Emperor.
The Battle of Treviso was inconclusive, with Bavaria and Venice both suffering minor casualties. However, the Bavarians were followed as they retreated to Tirol. Destruction of the Bavarian Army there would end their role in the war. They were defeated in Tirol but retreated to Munich, where a 6,000-man Salzburger Army was present. General Pesaro gave chase anyways.
July, Venice's curia control had significantly weakened anew, as it had been reduced to a mere 3 cardinals.
August, at long last, the demoralised Bavarian military was destroyed in another Battle at Tirol. Pesaro was ordered to leave for the Lowlands to make sure the skilled Austrian King wasn't too much of a nuisance there.
By late August, (helped along by Sonic(guitarist of the Underground)'s famous speed, of course) Pesaro was leading a Savoyard-Venetian force in Champagne, Austria, where the two allies together made up 7,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry, with all but 1,000 of each category being provided by Venice. Pesaro was ordered to separate from the force and destroy the small 2-3,000 man Austrian forces north of his position.
There was a negative side effect to this move by Pesaro, of course. Sonic's siblings and the other two members of the Underground, Manic and Sonia, left behind, donned proto-emo gear and mannerisms, performing a song to embody their envy of their brother's speed:
September, Champagne was occupied by Venice. The Savoyard forces retreated into Lorraine, probably to go besiege the Austrian territories along the Rhine. Pesaro finally executed his duties and moved north.
The Battle of Vermandois in late September saw Pesaro destroy 2,000 Austrian troops.
October, the Siege of Neiderbayern was won by Venice. One source of the annoying Bavarian mercenary hordes had been taken out of business. Mose Casanova was ordered to move on other parts of Bavaria.
November, Venice occupied Linz. Only Ostmarch escaped foreign occupation in Austria proper.
November, Venice had avenged the loss of several regiments in the Battle of Valenciennes, winning a victory over 1800+ men in the region and crushing all of them.
December, 2,000 Austrians were wiped out in Luxemburg and 1500 Bavarians suffered the same fate in Franken. The province of Schwaben in Bavaria was also occupied by Venice, bringing the Emperor that much closer to leaving the war...
The total force of the enemy had been reduced to about 6500 men, concentrated in the Lowlands. Pesaro was ordered to seek these forces out and destroy them while they were weak.
December 23, while besieging Luxemburg, Pesaro sent a report to the Emperor that the forces of Cleves and Münster were besieging the province of Koln. Confident that part of the Lowlands would be secure with an enemy invasion of Brabant, Cleves and Münster, Pesaro departed for the English Channel to wreak havoc on the rich trading centers of the coastline.
1488
Early January, General Mose Casanova finally passed away, after decades of service. The Emperor ordered a state funeral for the war hero.
February, Pesaro had arrived in the Lowlands to find Zeeland under foreign occupation with two other provinces besieged. The Austrian Archduke cowardly hid with a medium-sized force in Calais. Pesaro was ordered to drive the Austrians into the sea, before attacking Antwerp.
February, the Venetian Emperor passed centralisation reforms, using the war as an excuse. However, some disgruntled members of society rose up in revolt in Macedonia and Kastamon.
Later in February, Pesaro's victory at Flanders destroyed the Austrian Archduke's military, and Pesaro set off to occupy Flanders for Venice.
April, Al Karak's citizenry had been converted to Catholicism. At the same time, Oberpfalz in Bavaria was occupied, reducing Bavaria to one province, Franken.
May, the Austrians accepted peace with Brabant, releasing Luxemburg and Hainaut as independent states.
July, the Candari nationalists were crushed in Anatolia. The army under Emperor Mose I advanced towards Macedonia to dislodge more enemy forces.
Ostmarch fell in the same month, bringing Austria proper under Venetian control.
August, Bavaria was entirely occupied, while the rebels of Macedonia were crushed under the might of Venetian arms.
August 31, the Holy Roman Emperor conceded defeat, ceding half his country to Venice. However, the war with Austria continued unabated.
October, Castile used the power of it's position as Papal Controller to exommunicate the ruler of Granada.
Later in October, Antwerp was seized, bringing the valuable trade center under Venetian administration.
1489
January, the ruler of Cyprus abdicated. Said ruler was clearly insane, believing the Turks to be a threat to Cyprus, but they did nonetheless abdicate in favor of the Venetian Empire, which had had designs on the island way back when Venice was still a Republic.
February, the abdication was formalised when Emperor Mose I sent a governor to administer Cyprus.
March, God's divine sense of humor was displayed as the Orthodoxists of Kaffa finally converted to Christianity. They would have been the last Orthodoxists in the empire if not for the Cypriots.
April, Venice was reduced to only 1 Cardinal as it took Brabant.
July, a boundary dispute occurred with Ferrara, harming relations between the vassal and her suzerain. However, Venice now had the means of annexing Ferrara that much easier.
November, it was reported that Venice had produced wool of great quality in the recent time period, earning Venice 25 ducats.
This money was spent on missionaries to Konya. The people of Konya were converted to Catholicism days later, a very rare occurance.
December, Flanders was seized.
Late December, one of Lithuania's Cardinals died, being replaced by a Venetian. It was hoped that Venice could reassert itself as the monopoliser of the Curia.
New Year's Eve, with the Emperor's best advisors saying the war had reached it's maximum profitability, it was decided to sign peace with the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs ceded the trade center of Antwerp, Brabant(the site of a grand university), Auvergne, and Steiermark. The Austrian Lowlands had been split in half by the Venetian Lowlands, while the same fate happened to Austrian France thanks to the cession of Auvergne. Styria was re-unified under Venetian domination, separating the Habsburg branch in Tirol from the Austrian Habsburgs. To add salt to the wounds, a small indemnity and a renunciation of claims on Artois was also included in the treaty.
While it had been long and costly, Emperor Mose I's gamble had paid off. Both Austria and Bavaria were humiliated, and Venice was on it's way to making sure there was only one Emperor in all of Europe.
Chapter XXII: Unifying the Empires, Again(1490 - 1493)
Spoiler:
1490
January, Anatolia was convered to Catholicism. Missionaries were sent to convert the last Turkish provinces under Venetian control. As these were defined as European provinces, they were eligible for participation in His Holiness' Curia selections.
February, Hungary's war with Poland ended in disaster. What had begun as an attempt to retake Ruthenia and Slovakia had resulted in Transylvania and Wallachia becoming independent. The Emperor was quick to aim his bow and arrow at the Hungarian Kingdom.
April, Trebizon was converted to Catholicism. Christianity had been re-introduced, but was now of a different flavor.
Starting in early May, pirates flourished all over the known world, stretching from the seas off the coast of Aden all the way to the coast of Valencia.
By July, rebels hostile to the new Catholic regime of Serbia had been wiped out in the Battle of Macedonia.
Mid-July, grateful for the numerous favors the Venetians had given them, the Serbians accepted annexation to the Empire. Venice's territories in Greece and the Balkans now were connected, while Venice's claims on Serbia proper had finally been realised after nearly a century. Serbia's annexation also gave Venice two more Catholic provinces and thus increased it's chances of acquiring power in the Curia.
August, 2 pirate vessels were sunk off the coast of Alexandria.
Late August, Venice pressed claims to the Sudetenland, citing the oppressed German and Catholic majorities of the region. Emperor Mose I's German ambitions quickly became apparent... as well, Venice was ready to exact revenge upon the state that nearly destroyed Venice's growing power decades ago at the turn of the century. This would be easy to do, as the Romanists in Silesia were guaranteed by the Hussites in Bohemia. The former Bohemian Kingdom would fall in one fell swoop.
1491
Venice became the Papal Controller anew in January of 1491. Plans were made to excommunicate the Romanists, therefore allowing an easy invasion of Bohemia-Silesia.
October, the Mamluks managed to slip in a Cardinal from Cairo into the Curia.
More importantly, Venice used it's power over the dual Papacies to excommunicate the Silesian ruler.
By November, Silesia had lost it's Mecklenburger and Meissenese allies. However, Hungary, Bohemia and Bavaria all remained tied to the Romanists. These ties would be tested with a declaration of war upon Silesia.
The resulting war was between Hungary, Bohemia, Silesia, Bavaria and the standard Venetian coalition. It was expected the war would be easy; altogether, Venice and her allies outnumbered the enemy forces three to one. As well, the small Bavarian forces would be wiped out quickly as troops marched under Pesaro to attack the main Hungarian force. This would leave Bohemia and Silesia alone.
December, the Battle of Munich destroyed the Bavarian Army. Forces were cleared to head East against Bohemia.
Mid-December, the Hungarian military was humbled in Osijek, and General Pesaro pursued them back to their capital.
1492
January, the Bohemians were repelled from Oberpfalz, and Emperor Mose - having narrowly won the battle - retired from active duty in the area by giving power to Niccolo Commachio. Niccolo's first order was to invade the Sudetenland and crush the Bohemians in the area.
The Battle of Szolnok later in January destroyed the entire Hungarian Army. Regiments were ordered to spread throughout the land and occupy all of Hungary.
February, Venice's victory in the Sudetenland put the Bohemian Army on the retreat. As they fled towards Prague, General Commachio pursued them. If the Czechs could be humbled in their very capital, Venice's victory was certain.
March, the Bavarian province of Schwaben was occupied by Venice. All units freed from the siege were ordered to invade Bohemia to assist the war effort there.
April, the province of Mocha in Arabia was converted to Catholicism.
May, Venetian soldiers rode victoriously into Munich. The Bavarian Emperor was forced to pay an indemnity and cede Schwaben.
July, the Battle of Oberlausitz destroyed much of the main Bohemian Army, prompting it to split up and head towards Erz and Bohemia in separate sections. This would make General Commachio's work that much easier.
August, France warned Venice.
September, Asir was deemed converted to Catholicism.
Late September, Hungary ceded much of it's Western territories to Venice. These territories were called the "German Artery" of the Venetian provinces, as they allowed the Venice much easier access to the Holy Roman Empire's interior.
All troops freed from the Hungarian campaign were to donate their efforts to subduing the Silesians.
October, the Battle of Schwaben destroyed the Silesian Army that had been trying to occupy the Bavarian territories.
Christmas Day, Erz fell, and along with Bohemia, was one of the territories of Bohemia occupied by Venice.
1493
January, Austria inherited Tirol after it's leader abdicated.
March, all of Bohemia was occupied. Troops were ordered to seize the cities of Silesia and end the war.
May, the last cities of Silesia were occupied. The Romanist faction surrendered 2/3 of it's lands to Venice.
The peace signed with Hussite Bohemia was enormously significant to Venice's rise to power. A massive bounty was carried off, as was much of the realms formerly under Hussite domination. The Catholics of Bohemia were liberated, and the old Bohemian Kingdom was re-unified more or less under Venetian rule.
June, the French embargoed Venice. It was expected that war would come soon, and so the funds from the Bohemian War were poured into troops just as much as workshops and temples.
October, Erserum was converted, leaving only one non-Catholic province in Venetian Turkey.
November, Venice entered a royal marriage with the newly-independent state of Guyenne, which had seceded from Austrian France. The Austrians had three other provinces under rebel control, all of which aimed to join the French kingdom.
Chapter XXIII: The Second Franco-Venetian War(1494-1496)
Spoiler:
1494
January, advancements in government techniques allowed Venice to build courthouses. The Emperor ordered that the most rebellious provinces be given these courthouses as "gifts."
Late January, the Emperor's court was overjoyed to hear that two of the three Austrian provinces that had previously been under pro-French rebel control had finally reverted back to the Austrians. While the French would still acquire Lyonnais, they would fail in their ambitions to reclaim the Lowlands.
To reinforce the Austrians - as much as it pained him to do so - the Emperor ordered a small gift be sent to the Habsburgs. This would help them build up their army and act as a counterweight to the powerful French menace.
February, Bursa and Larissa were considered by most nations(of stature, anyways) to be integral provinces of the Venetian Empire.
June, the conversion of Sivas eliminated Sunni Islam from Venice's Turkish-cultured provinces.
October, the Emperor, fed up with constant embargoes from France, excommunicated the French King.
Afterwards, the King suffered a scandal at the Court, as some vocal opponents - later executed - alleged that the King was using his "undue influence" over the Pope to excommunicate personal political enemies, and not those who were actually acting heretically. This had some stability issues, but the Emperor didn't go out of his way to confirm or deny the claims.
November 5, the Emperor reformed all of the Empire's Men-At-Arms into Galloglaigh Infantry, who were much more effective on the defense(offensives were generally handled by Cavalry).
December, the heretics of Cyprus were converted. It also came to the Emperor's attention that France was now at war with Austria and several German allies. Since Bavaria had sided with Austria, the French were moving through Venetian territory, saying they had the "right" to as those lands were ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. When France refused to yield to Venice's demands that Venetian neutrality be respected, the Emperor made plans for war, and all troops were ordered to move West.
1495
February, with General Pesaro commanding 13,000 cavalrymen in the province of Savoie, war was declared upon France. Pesaro was to invade the French Kingdom and humiliate their troops.
Venice and her allies enjoyed a slight advantage in numbers. It was hoped that the Habsburgs and Bavarians would do a good deal of damage to the French before withdrawing from the conflict.
April, Venice managed to win a battle over Paris, however, the French retreated to Austrian Normandy. A large amount of French troops were concentrated there, but technicalities - such as the fact entering it would constitute an invasion of Austria - prevented General Pesaro from giving chase. He was ordered to move further south and make that his theater of operations.
May, 8,000 cavalry and 2,000 infantry under a French general invaded the province of Auvergne. Pesaro was ordered to take some infantry along with his main force and deal the general a blow.
June, days before the Battle of Auvergne, a suicidal force of several hundred Salzburgers gave their lives to soften up the French forces.
By late June, the Battle had ended with a Venetian victory.
In the last days of June, a large force of 11,000+ infantry captured Bourgogne. They were ordered to take Nevers next.
August, Nevers was seized.
September, the Battle of Perigord repelled a large French force, with huge losses on both sides.
Late September, the province of Bourbon was taken.
October, the people of Romagna were more or less Lombard-cultured.
October 1 had the legacy of Burgundy and Austria in Southern France end. Lyonnais defected to the French, and was promptly besieged by a Savoyard-Bavarian force.
Mid-October, the Battles of Blois and Languedoc claimed 4,000 French troops' lives.
October 26, the day-long Battle of Rouergue wiped out nearly 6,000 French soldiers.
November, the Battle of Anjou claimed another 2,000 French lives. Niccolo Commachio was ordered to take over the Breton provinces of France.
December, Anselmo Modegliano was recruited as a general, ordered to lead a Lowland force against the French army, which was trying to invade Brabant.
While Modegliano arrived only after the Battle had ended, Venice had won it at heavy casualties. Military access was soon gained from Hainaut to allow General Modegliano to lead his 9 regiments into Northern France.
1496
February, Maine was occupied by Venice.
Late February, Austria accepted peace with France, taking Cambray. This separated parts of Northern France from the capital, which was good by Venice's terms.
March, Perigord was occupied.
Late March, Austria annexed Wurtemburg, connecting Tirol to Rhenish Austria.
June, Finistere was occupied, leaving all of Northwestern France under Venetian administration.
August, Kargah was converted to Catholicism.
September, the Battle of Lyonnais destroyed the last soldiers of France proper. All of France's soldiers were now holed up in the French Lowlands, which were cut off from the rest of France by Austria and Hainaut.
General Modegliano attacked the French King's forces there, and after winning a few battles retreated to the Venetian Lowlands to resupply. Just like before, the French King was able to turn Venice's victories in the region Pyhrric.
1497
Mid-January, the city of Paris itself was occupied by Salzburger troops.
Late January, with most of his country occupied, his capital sacked and his army on the verge of mutiny, the King of France, Louis XII, accepted peace. The resulting peace offer created a large swath of Venetian territory snaking through central and Southern France, splitting the country into three sections(five if the French Lowlands and French Iberia were included), and granting the Venetians an Atlantic coastline.
France had been split in half before by Burgundy-released Orleans, and had managed to retake southern Orleans, but now had been split into five segments thanks to the war of the late 1490s. Like the Habsburgs, the Valois Capetians of France had been crushed underneath Italian boots.
And that is the most up-to-date post so far. Now for some more coursework...
For my next war, I think I'll go against the Austrians again, show them that the Italians rule over the Germans, not the other way around! (I'd prefer to get my German wars over with before I'm elected Emperor. Currently, I have 3 votes for Emperor to Bavaria's 2, which means I get to become Emperor eventually)
September of 1497, claims were fabricated to Orleans... but what was the Emperor planning? Other than an obvious invasion of Orleans, of course. The fools refused to grant Venice military access - which could be used against Austria - and thus had to pay the price.
November, war was declared upon Orleans. Their allies in Bohemia deserted them, but Britanny did not. France and Lorraine exercised their guarantees of Orleans' independence, exactly what Emperor Mose had planned all along.
Less than a year after the previous Franco-Venetian War's end, another had erupted, although by "accident." Mose I had used diplomatic technicalities to send shockwaves through the European alliance system.
By December, 2,000 of the enemy's troops had been wiped out. The military of Orleanais had been destroyed, most importantly.
1498
February, Orleanais was captured by Venice, eliminating one of the four allies from the war. Troops were sent to destroy the 4,000-man Lorrainer military.
Within a week, Lorraine lost 4,000 soldiers in the Battle of Blois, unable to withstand General Pesaro's 16,000 cavalrymen. The cavalry were ordered to roam and pillage the countryside, and crush any petty armies that dared to defy Venetian authority.
March 1498, Orleans was inherited by France, and the territory's people managed to throw out the Venetians, if only temporarily.
Late March, all of Lorraine's army was wiped out by Pesaro, as Orleans was once more retaken by Venice.
April had a boundary dispute with the Salzburgers over Krain, which Venice claimed was rightfully hers.
September, Karaman, Kaffa, Bithynia and Edirne were all considered cores of the Empire.
Late September, rather than annex the one-province state, the Emperor signed a peace with Britanny for a mere 25 ducats. They were to remain a thorn in the French Kingdom's side. France would be the one to deal the deathblow to Britanny.
October, Turkish was given respected status.
November, Janina became an integral province of the Empire.
1499
January, missionaries were dispatched to the Caucasus, Egypt, and Arabia.
A few days after New Years, Mose I personally led an assault on Paris, and captured the city.
April, the entire French Army was wiped out in Artois.
May, Toulouse and Nevers were occupied, leaving France with no provinces except the Lowland territories, both of which were heavily besieged.
September, Venice's technology had increased to a sufficient level to allow the development of better artillery weapons. The Emperor ordered the construction of several powerful cannons to better serve military ambitions.
November, all of Lorraine was occupied by Venice.
Later in November, Georgia was converted to Catholicism, while the Bavarians, faced with the sickness of their King, granted more power to the local governors and mayors of Bavaria. This epitomised the decline of Bavaria as a major power in Europe.
1500
1500 would be the turn of the century and a brand new age (of Venetian domination) for Europe.
January, Venice finally agreed to accept the regular offer of alliance from Novgorod. Novgorod was a very sportsmanlike country, having always stuck to free trade principles rather than embargo the Empire or it's Republican predecessor. As well, Novgorod was incredibly mighty, with tens of thousands of troops, and they would be instrumental to trimming the Polish-Lithuanian Union's size.
July, Imereti was converted to Catholicism as a massive naval battle was waged between the Venetian and French fleets off the coast of Languedoc.
September, Portugal and Aragon made peace with France, finally allowing Venice to take on France's remaining provinces in Iberia.
October, the French fleet was finally beaten and humiliated.
November, the Bavarian Emperor died, but...
...He was replaced with another Bavarian! An investigation revealed that Mainz had been captured by the Austrians and annexed to their realm, preventing Venice from becoming Emperor. Enraged, Emperor Mose I planned to make the Bavarians know what a real Emperor looked like.
By late December, the French fleet had been sunk in the Gulf of Almeria. One Carrack had been captured, and this would replace the Carrack Venice had lost in it's war on France.
1501
January, new army techniques prompted the Emperor to pass military reforms, replacing the Galloglaigh infantry with Landsknechten Infantry. These Germanic soldiers would be the new standard unit of the Venetian Army.
Late January, Aragon's quick war with Castile ended in defeat, with Aragon ceding Valencia and Alicante to the Castilians. Only Girona and Barcelona remained under Aragonese control...
February, France's lost province, in Aragón, fell to Venice.
Accordingly, Venice gained 5 new provinces, 3 from France and 2 from Lorraine. France's donation was significant, as the French capital was isolated from the rest of the country, while the cession of Bourgogne served to split France into even more segments. France was now composed of SEVEN regions, some of which couldn't even reach another via the sea lanes. Soon, it would be Austria and the whole of Germany that would experience a similar fate.
So ladies(if they exist) and gents, what should my next objective be?
I think one of my mini-objectives should be devoting money to supporting a revolt in Nevers. In the hopes that peasants - rather than nationalists - rise up. If peasants rise up, they will be able to take the city and eventually defect to Venice, if my logic is right. If nationalists rise up... however... I'll have one more ugly one province minor on the screen.
The only countries that seem to have a snowball's chance in Hell(okay, maybe not that desperate) of a fair fight against me are:
Castile: It is increasingly more like Spain, ruling most of Northwest Africa, colonising(As I can tell from their constant "Resource x" event), and above all eating their surroundings. Their army seemed rather large as well, so they've become a New France. However, I could probably wage a Cold War against them thanks to their numerous Muslim provinces.
We'll likely butt heads with these guys after they devour Aragon, undoubtedly after they form Spain. They might also go after Tunisia, my vassal, eventually. I will have to protect the Tunisians. My main strategy would be to liberate the Aragonese coastline as well as take Tangiers and Gibraltar, as well as their center of trade. I am sick of being embargoed by these guys; I have an on/off casus belli on Castile simply because of their anti-free trade policy of embargoing me.
Sweden: Having conquered most of Norway, pushing into Denmark, and occupying Finland and increasingly the Baltic states, Sweden's shaping up historically, but also creating it's own Kalmar Union. I don't know the specifics for forming Scandinavia, but these guys look like they're close. Thanks to their blue coloring, I shall dub them the Neo-Big Blue Blob, since France probably won't recover now that "all dere base r belong to us."
I have no real plan of action with these guys, as they're too far away. In the SPQR's opinion on far away countries in Rome: Total War: "The Senate has no established position on this nation. However, as our empire expands towards them, this will undoubtedly change. However, in the interests of the Senate and People of Rome, good relations should be established."
Poland-Lithuania: Self-explanatory. TheLastOne gets the last laugh here, I'd say. Poland-Lithuania has devoured Northern Hungary(likely due to Pan-Slavism originating in Poland rather than Russia) and vassalised Brandenburg. Thanks to my ambitions to conquer the HRE as well as become Emperor, Poland will naturally be a threat. Furthermore, events I designed made it so that Poland and Lithuania get an instant relation boost should they get too low, until either a) an inheritance occurs or b) The Union of Lublin event - which more or less guarantees a fusion of the two - occurs. Thankfully, Poland - despite dominating Central and Eastern Europe - has a nasty green neighbor next door - Novgorod. Novgorod is to Russia as Castile is to Spain at this point, with cores on much of the future Russia, very large, and with a core on Lithuanian territory. As I have allied with Novgorod, I will be more than happy to do my part in the partitions of Poland should they ever occur(not likely, since most AI countries like to break alliances like a week after proposing them to me, and abandon me during my wars). Regardless, the Venetian-Novgorodian Alliance should do as good a job of containing the Poles as the Franco-Turkish alliance did the Habsburgs.
My main tactic here would be to embezzle provinces from the war effort for myself, as I do not want to see a Russia form in the East. I'd operate on occupying their lands bordering the Empire, as well as freeing/taking Brandenburg depending on whether it's annexed by the time of the inevitable Venetian-Polish War.
Persia: Persia, now a neighbor, could reprise it's role as the bane of an Italian Empire; it was the Persians who were a pain in the late Roman Empire's ass, after all. Persia's armies are large and grouped into doom stacks as per the norm. Disadvantages are it seems to be at odds with all of it's Sunni neighbors(the enemy of my enemy is my friend), while it also will not find many other Shi'ite provinces outside it's borders. It is, however, a large state; while taking world maps, I have noticed they control most of the East African coast by accident. These guys will be an interesting rival.
My strategy here would be to take their Shi'ite provinces from them if possible(after all, make their realm more religiously unstable), as well as seize the Caucasus to form a more stable border. These guys aren't really in our crosshairs yet as they're occupied with other countries, but chances are we will wage war upon eachother eventually.
Austria: This is the obvious one. The Big White Blob has devoured much of Germany and the Lowlands and is a handful of provinces away from stretching all the way from the English Channel to the Adriatic Sea. Fortunately, that Adriatic Part won't be possible thanks to Venice's actions. As well, Austria's army probably isn't as large as France's yet, though they may have rebuilt their power in the years I've been busy raping France(whatever happened to my policy of balancing the two out? ).
I will clash with them over control of the Empire. I owe them a vendetta for annexing Mainz as well, otherwise I would have become Emperor for sure. My plan against them would be to invade and occupy their central territories. To get a free war against them, I should warn them, or guarantee Lorraine(which they have a core on and is now a one-province minor, ripe for the picking by any Habsburg desiring to unite the Austrian Lowlands with Austria proper). At the very least, Austria's chances of inheriting Bohemia and Hungary are dead, as neither can happen if Hungary doesn't collapse under the weight of the Turks.
And those are Venice's biggest rivals at the moment. Who do you think I should aim for? My personal vote is for Austria.
Also, I forgot, which one is stability-hit free: the warning or the guarantee?
Lurker's comment: You are epic. I'm playing Venezia myself, it's 1530 and I'm not doing half as well as you are. I've got Italy, Greece and bits of Anatolia, and that's all. (And I'm just on Normal.)
I'd suggest you go after Austria as well, since that would certainly forward your ambitions in the empire as well as not get you spread out to far.
And AFAIK you get a -1 on both warning and guarantee for same religion group, they just both take off the no-casus-belli -2.
Thank you, T_F! (Besides playing the same country, we also share the same initials... )
I imagine you're probably a more cautious player than me(I'm playing on Normal difficulty as well). I gambled a lot in my early wars, as I could have been destroyed with the slightest era(this was truest when fighting Bohemia early on). Furthermore, despite being a bloodthirsty warmonger, I've never really built up a huge army. I only have about 60-70,000 troops now despite having a support limit twice as high as that. It sounds to me like you're a more cautious warmonger, i.e. you don't run into a battle until your nation can't support anymore troops(a wise approach, though, nothing deters an enemy like a huge army).
If you want some tips on fast expansion, here are a few(you've probably heard these) that I use:
1) The first tip is economical, rather than militaristic. The sinews of war are infinite money, as the saying goes. Besides the obvious benefits of taking cores in your first battles, you should also spend your early days trying to develop a trade network, while adopting something like the National Trade Policy will boost your income(especially if you play a country like Venice) greatly. Ducats are just as valuable as territories in some cases, so if you can steal hundreds of ducats from a foe(I've noticed the AI is MADE of money), you can invest that in workshops and such for more money.
2) After you've got a stable enough economy to raise an army from hell, you need to know how to use your "demons" from hell well enough. Early on, cavalry will be your wisest investment, and while they are more expensive than infantry, they are faster and more durable, and will be what shall win your battles. I myself divide my early army into offensive cavalry stacks and infantry stacks meant for assaults. This enables you to rapidly blitzkrieg, as your cavalry will destroy the enemy army while your infantry capture cities. You should always try to get a leader to command your troops, even a bad one is better than none. If you're playing ahistorical and don't mind some risks, using your monarch is a good last resort to lead your troops(real conquerors fight from a horse and not from the throne, after all. )
Furthermore, you should adopt the National Idea of Military Drill to make your soldiers demi-gods on the battlefield. I see no real purpose in using the ideas that increase your manpower/support limit, as once you're large enough, neither of these will be an issue. It's better to avoid them in the first place then have to pay the stability hit to change them later on.
3) War is good, but so is peace. Judging by what you tell me of your progress, you probably know this one well. Constant warfare can rack up your war exhaustion pretty easily if it's not done carefully, while provinces will likely be looted and lose income and population during war. During peacetime, keep your maintenance sliders all the way down to avoid minting(and the evil inflation that comes with it) and so you can actually spend your money. With low maintenance, it doesn't seem as if your ability to fight rebels is really impacted(it only seems to factor in when you have to fight a foreign foe, which makes some sense I suppose).
With all that spare money, you'll be going on a spending spree, and this is why it's always good to take as many ducats as possible(if only a mere 25) from each war. Spend money on building Temples(that -5 stabilty cost really adds up across all the provinces), workshops(that +2 tax really helps over time), and courthouses(-2 revolt risk in every province? That's a godsend if you're at war). Each of these costs about 50 ducats if I recall right, so for a mere 150 ducats over the course of several years(not that much in reality), you can improve a province to cost less, be more wealthy, and also be less likely to produce bastards trying to overthrow you.
As well, you'll want to raise extra troops here and there during peacetime, to defend new possessions or better protect old ones. A larger army can be expensive to maintain, but that's why it's wise to keep wars(where you need the troops at full maintenance) short and sweet.
4) Stability. The bane of every proto-Napoleon.
First there's religion. Oh, this is such a fun thing to factor in, as it impacts oh so many things in the game. As you know, you have less stability hits for fighting a non-related religion. This is compensated for by the fact that if you have too many of those wrong-religion provinces, stability skyrockets. Take the fact that Sunni provinces cost +20 stability for me, across tons of Sunni provinces. Why waste so many ducats on these upstarts when you could spend it on better research? Missionaries should be a top priority, both the actual units and the advisors. As soon as one of these boys pops up, you should hire him if you have/will have wrong religion provinces. They've been falling out like candy in my AAR lately(I have 3 6-star missionaries; now that's luck), but they usually seem to be very rare. Also do whatever it takes to increase your convert chance so you can waste less money on conversion.
Besides the Temples, you will also want to adopt the idea of Church Attendance Duty. That massive -33% cost is awesome, as is the -20% cost associated with control of the Pope. If you have these and get all your provinces to be the right religion, you can maintain an empire as large as mine for only about 700-800 or so ducats per stability level.
5) Badboy. The last one. This can be quite interesting. We all know that you get no stability hit for attacking foreign religions, excommunicated Catholics, or same religious groups with Unam Sanctam. However, I did not know until recently that you get 2 Badboy if you declare war on any of these three if you don't have a casus belli, just as you normally would. A rather neat fact the game seems to hide from you. Accordingly, seek a casus belli against anybody. Whether it be through fabricated claims, or hopefully they'll embargo you or you'll get a core on them. That casus belli will allow you to have 50% less badboy over time, which allows far more evil things on your part.
A neat exploit here is to set certain centers of trade to high priority. When you flood the trade center, most powers will embargo you; Castile, Portugal, France, and Burgundy(and a few others) all did this to me in my game. The best part is this gives you a free casus belli, so if you can excommunicate their ruler(tip: DESTROY the original Pope as soon as possible. Everyone seems to be loved by him from my experience if you vassalise him, but as soon as you destroy him, a new Pope will rise, and he'll likely be far more POed at Europe if my current game is any hint)you can attack them for no stability hits as well as minimal badboy. Keep in mind not all AI powers are protectionist bastards, though, and so not all of them will embargo you.
But of course, the ones that do usually are great powers, allowing you a cheap war against both them and their likely network of allies/vassals. You can get several wars taken care of with a single shot.
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That concludes my tips on how to be like me in my conquests. I hope you learned something useful from all of that.
Let's pray they don't end up like Britain in the Civ 3 AoI mod(rebuilding their empire no matter how many times you destroy them, unless you take all their options yourself), otherwise I'll be temped to do a "Ah'll be bahk." reference...
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Any idea why that is?
You have to switch it to Oct. 14 1399. That might be what is causing the problem.
), but the darn Bavarian Emperor, of course, decided to intervene. We call this the War of the Two Empires for a reason. 
)
). 
