The City of Water:A Venetian TL (Discontinued: See V2 in Industrial Progress: A Story Of Venetian..)

[Lucius Verus]

The Patricians

"Born to rule" Outdated Patrician saying.

The new Patricians is the name given to the Venetian Partisans post 1379. In order to understand the changes within Venetian politics one must first establish the state of the Patricians before 1379. Prior to the destruction of the old Patricians in 1379 the Venetian state was the was roughly a mirror of the modern police state, the Patrician was an enclosed elite that kept strict controls upon most aspects of public life; the degree of state penetration into the private lives of its citizens was only possible due to the small size of the city as well as its relative wealth. In terms of citizenship the qualification of Patricians is similar to the aristocracy of Europe at the time, entry was either by blood or special provisions by the state but unlike the majority of nobles of Europe who were prohibited from commerce the Patricians of Venice were instead prohibited from military positions for the fear of tyrants. Much like their aristocratic kin which derive their power through the domination of the key economic resource of the early modern period : Land- The old Venetian Patricians derived their power from their monopoly over international trade. A side effect of the monopoly on international trade was the stagnation of the Venetian state as the very institutions that encouraged competition and commercial focus of the state was slowly corroded over time by the Patricians' efforts to horde wealth and power.

In contrast to the old Patricians the new class of Patricians that emerged post-1379 were diverse in background, most of whom did not make their living by occupying a privileged trade position within the government. The main changes with the new Patricians is an increased security focus as a direct result of the traumatic Genoese invasion of the city , a reduced notion of the "nobility" of the Patricians due to the commoner background, and a competitive mindset common within the working citizens of Venice. The second wave of new Patricians for Venice occurred during its various wars on the mainland, while usually suspicious of non-Venetians the perceived threat to the city from the mainland overcame Patrician reservations and expanded the senate to include powerful figures from the Venetian mainland. An unique aspect of the new Venetian Patrician is the non-inheritance of the new Patricians partially as a result of the resentment of citizens being excluded from governance with the old Patricians . Many Venetian offices unlike much of Europe at the time required the citizen to pay for the expenses of the office, formerly an attempt to restrict the poorer Patricians pre-1379 it was retained post 1379 as a means to raise desperately needed revenue but retained due to the nearly non-stop state of war in Northern Italy at the time. The cost of many offices in addition to the Venetian bureaucratic tendency of assigning at least two officials to an office of the same function had the effect of limiting nepotism. The third wave of new Patricians occurred during the Veronese Crisis when the mainland territories, resentful of Venetian trade privileges revolted in...

Excerpt from Venetian History Vol VI.


Note: this is to give a bit more on the problems that plagued the Venetian Patricians in OTL, I should have done this earlier in the story but more research went into the symptoms of political stagnation than the causes .

 

[Lucius Verus]

Upcoming Royal Marriages

The following are heirs of some of the relevant kingdoms of Europe, many of whom are reaching age of marriage within the decade. The first name on the left hand side is the reigning monarch, the second on the right is the heir apparent.

Listed below are ITTL heirs

Joanna of Naples: 1423 Charles IV (illegitimate)
Fredrick Aurore Aragon: 1424 Itri (Berber name for Star)

Listed below are OTL heirs

Henry V of England: 1421 Henry VI
Charles VI of France: 1422 Charles VII
Sigismund of Hungary: 1409 Elizabeth Luxembourg wed to Albert the 5th of Austria
Albert the IV of Austria: 1397 Albert the 5th of Austria wed to Elizabeth Luxembourg
Provence: 1403 Louis III (claim to Aragon and Naples. Invested as king of Sciliy by the Pope, failed in 1419). Wed to Margaret of Savoy
John II of Castile: 1425 Henry IV
John I of Portugal: 1432 Alfonso V
Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland: 1424 Władysław III

Royal marriages and dynastic politics aren't my forte but there does seem to be a lot of interesting possibilities here, I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Lucius Verus]

1432

Henry the V, while an average administrator and diplomat was a decent strategist and commander. Upon his return to France he is able to regain the imitative by advancing from the Loire valley and affirming the allegiance of Brittany and Burgundy. Despite all his efforts Henry is face with the legacy of a kingdom at war against an opponent four times as populous for over a century- one that started with the Black Plague wiping out a third of England and a quarter of France. For Henry every man lost is one less in a limited pool of manpower. Throughout the reign of Henry the V the towns and lords are ever more reluctant or unable to fulfill levees even despite the aristocratic designs upon French territory. Not all however is uncertain for Henry as the birth of a fourth son in addition to his two surviving sons becomes a guarantee for the continuation of his bloodline.

Map of Europe in 1432​

Maintaining an army is expensive even in camp; they have to be fed, the soldiers themselves are absent from their fields, camp followers have to be paid and supplied, and disease always a risk. The alternatives to making camp is to either send an army home or to garrison cities and villages and lacking fields to return to the Swiss decided to garrison the cities and villages in the Po Valley. Sporadic cases of evictions, confiscations, and harassments contribute to a growing feeling of resentment for the citizens of the Po Valley .Unlike the various conquers before that had the goal of conquest or enforcing some result the Swiss have the dual goals of the control of the Po Valley and the extraction of wealth, a direct result of which is increasing amounts of rebellions and banditry. The highly aggressive, mass-dependent, and formation-depend Swiss style of pike warfare is poorly suited for policing actions.

A few costly and futile excursions are made by Fredrick deep into Hafsid territory-but like a sea the deserts and mountains of North Africa are vast and its nomadic tribes like fish slippery to the touch. Every attempt to establish strongholds to exert control which was the basis of European warfare have simply been met by the caravans and nomads retreating further into the arid land. Furthermore garrisons established in the land usually suffer sporadic harassment. For the next year the best course of action to Fredrick seems to be seizing the more sedentary coastal towns and villages.

The island of Elba off the coast of Pisa comes under the control of Pisa, formerly controlled by Florence the negligence of war left the island relatively independent. A major source of ores, the mines on Elba are a great asset to the city of Pisa and its ruling holy order. For now Leonardo de Piro settles down to consolidate his conquests and to indulge in his own poison as a patron of the arts.

Anne de Lusignan last of the House of Lusignan​

Anne de Lusignan, orphan daughter of the late King Janus of Cyprus comes of age and as the heiress to the Lusignan line she is considered one of the most desirable bachelorettes in Venice. The Lusignan family dates back to the 9th century consisting of crusaders, great knights, and over time lords of over 50 titles throughout the Mediterranean-or in short extremely prestigious. As the last surviving member of the house of Lusignan she is considered a ward of the Venetian church making a pious pastor named Antonio*da Ferrara the "patriarch" in her "family". For the Venetian Patriarch the only condition attached to her wedding was that she renounce her claims to Cyprus or face prosecution. And so the courtship begins ranging from expensive gifts, jewellery, donations to the church, and at one point a floating drama all to no avail as the pastor refused all offers of courtship. Eventually the courtship was won by a glassmaker named Romeo de Murano who unlike the other suitors took a more devious route; he weakened the wooden planks on the route the pastor took every morning creating a situation where the pastor was trapped and Romeo can be the hero-rescuer. Romeo was given permission to wed Anne and little of note seems to be recorded of them after, perhaps it just didn't seem important to the people of Venice after she was wed.[2]

1433

The final herald of the councillor movement dies with a whimper as the Papacy crushes the local Roman nobility which allied with the councillors. Catholicism is once again has true unity within its ranks. The councillor movement which initiated the Western Schism back in 1378 Pope Eugene IV crushes and subjugates the majority of the local princes within the Papal States. It is however without sacrifice as the Pope is forced to seek support from the princes of Europe in exchange for concessions. [3]

As the lords of Achea prove themselves to be more corrupt and decadent than their new masters, the despot of Achea comes under the control of the Byzantine Empire through a mix of intimidation and simple inability on part of the local elite. While news of this is of great interest in the Ottoman courts-it matters not for the Venetians which have little interests in the region asides from trade and the reduction of piracy.[4]

The tropical Portuguese island of Madeira switches to sugar cane production after the commercial failure of grain. Further west a chain of islands are named Azores and claimed in the name of the Portuguese crown. A hefty cut in the profits of Venetian sugar in Lisbon will be experienced by Venetian captains in the near future.[5]

The Kingdom of England suffers a major setback as an army of 12,000 is defeated near the town of Bourges. While initially the battle mirrored the developments at Agincourt where the French forces were forced by barricades into a bottleneck while the archers inflicted ruinous causalities the simple occurrence of heavy rain hampered the English longbows while the more experienced French army managed to manoeuvre past the barricades. In a head on battle French numerical superiority carried the day and the English army routed. French celebrations are dampened by news that the Rose of Poitiers was wounded and had to be carried form the field.

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[1]In OTL Burgundy-English relations deteriorated until the Treaty of Arras in 1435, where Burgundy was officially declared independent, at peace with France, and no longer allied with the English. ITTL due to the survival of Henry who was one of the key supporters of the alliance with Burgundy relations are still maintained.
[2]In OTL Janus of Cyprus had 5 children but ITTL he never lived long enough to father the remaining two. ITTL his eldest son died at the hands of the Mamluks, his second son and third child were orphaned in Venice, but his second son died of undefined illness as OTL making Anne the sole surviving member of the house of Lusignan.
[3]Just as OTL.
[4]Similar to OTL but a bit late.
[5]Just as OTL.

 

[Lucius Verus]

1434

Wounded , bedridden, and ill the Rose of Poutiers is forced to retire in the village of Montmorillon at the behest of lord Etienne de Vignolles. Known as boisterous, crude and quick to anger the influence of Jeanne Romée seems to have mellowed his attitude and even persuaded him to pray and go to confession. With little to do Jeanne sends for a scholar and spends most of her time learning Latin with the intention of reading the bible.

In an attempt to mediate between Portugal and Castile over the disputed Canary Islands Pope Eugene issues the "Creator Omnium" a Papal bull giving Portugal the rights to all "overseas islands" conquered from pagans. Provisions are made within the bull for the protection of existing Christians as well as new converts punishable by excommunication. The particular lack of a defined domain for the bull is interpreted by Portuguese theologians as applying to all pagan lands which refuses to convert. Furthermore by only addressing the enslavement of newly converted Christians and existing Christians it was once again interpreted that enslavement of pagans was a boon to Christianity. While a matter of legalistic convenience in its time it will eventually become a key cornerstone of Portuguese colonial policy .

The horsemen of pestilence, famine, and death wrecks havoc in the Middle Kingdom; commerce and agriculture breaks down in the land replaced by banditry and hording. To the Venetians the increase in risk is offset by numerous new opportunities within the Middle Kingdom. One of the dangers of trade is the transmission of dangerous cargo such as the Bubonic Plague the Genoese traders brought to Europe a century earlier, again merchants return from the orient with something far more infectious and dangerous: ideas.

A diplomatic incident occurs where wealthy exiles of the Bishopric of Trent living in Venice are found to have aided in the assassination of the Bishop of Trent in addition to alleged ties to crime, prostitution, and other subversive activities. Delegates from the Bishopric approached the Venetian senate requesting the arrest and extradition of the guilty party. To the Venetian Senate while this assortment of exiles from Trent are distasteful to say the least some of them bore Venetian born children and the act of deporting them unthinkable. Efforts to enlist the assistance of the Papacy by the Bishopric of Trent are fruitless as the recently elected pope is embroiled in another power struggle against the council that elected him. In the end when all's said and done, there was more said than done.

In what is referred to by historians as the pig's rebellion a simple act of confiscation of a pig called "Nino" by the Swiss garrison in Milan escalates into a riot unintentionally forcing the hands of the local nobility into rebellion. While unrelated to the seizure of the pig the plotting nobles of Milan took up arms fearing discovery if the garrison were to inspect further in response to the riot. News of the rebellion spurred further rebellion across the Po Valley many of whom were fellow conspirators that assumed Milan's revolt was the signal to proceed. Amidst the chaos the rebels of Milan found it expedient to simply claim the series of events as their design instead of admitting to panicking. Still the accelerated nature of the revolt means that most of the secret negotiations for foreign aid are incomplete with only a few merchant houses of Venice and the Duke of Savoy responding.

After a decade of internal strife resulting from his failures against the Hussites of Sigismund is once again resurgent at the head of a coalition of nobles. As the fragmentation and exhaustion of the Ottomans has left Hungary the only major power left within the Balkans war is declared upon Bosnia, a weak neighbour without powerful allies. Victory is expected within a dozen or so months and few except for the Venetians, Ragusans, and the Bosnians themselves show any inclination to intervene. The move is seen as threatening by the city of Ragusa as their nominal ruler will eventually border Ragusa and may attempt to impose its authority whereas the Venetians fear the loss of markets to the Hungarian vassal of Ragusa and the growing power of Hungary. The thorny issue of the Bohemian crown is still festering as Sigismund and the Hussites show little signs of compromise.

1435

Early in the year as the flowers of spring blossom, the birds return from yonder, and the Alpine streams wash the Po Valley of blood. The Swiss Cantons army face off against the rebellious lords of the Po Valley; given their modus operandi the Swiss army formed into columns and rushed the defending rebels relying on the sheer mass of their pikes to win the day. However unlike the previous Lombard armies the rebels had learned by harsh mistakes in the years past to fight the Swiss method of warfare, much like the English at Agincourt the Lombard rebels made extensive use of field works while archers, firearms, and cannons extracting a murderous toll upon the lightly armoured Swiss pikemen. Still the impressive discipline of the Swiss pikemen and their mobility relative to knights against fieldworks carry the day and the battered columns of pikemen overruns the rebels. By the end of the year the north-western half of the Po valley is restored to Swiss rule while the cities of Milan, Lodi, and Pavla are besieged. Desperate and frustrated by the perceived lack of Venetian support and the eventual Swiss triumph the cities of Cremona and Asola located in the Eastern part of Lombardy offers to open their gates to the Venetian Rector of Mantua (appointed governor) who accepts in the spirit of personal greed . Amidst all this chaos the vassalage of Cremona and Asola comes as a surprise to both the Swiss Cantons and the Venetian Senate neither of which were seeking war. The year ends with urgent correspondences between the Swiss and the Venetians.

Joanna II of Naples dies in her sleep and the crown of Naples is left in contention. As the last of the senior line of the house of Anjou the best claims are those of her two illegitimate teenage sons both of whom are locked away by scheming nobles even before the death of Joanna was confirmed. While many of the most ambitious nobles have been sidelined or killed by the late King Ladislaus it has been two decades since his passing, enough for youthful and ambitious nobles to rise. The succession crisis provides Pope Eugene an opportunity against a domineering neighbour and coin slowly trickles into the Kingdom of Naples.

After a series of diplomatic exchanges Princess Amara of Aragon 2nd in line to the throne of Aragon is betrothed to Henry the 5th crown prince of England. News of the betrothal fills the French court with an atmosphere of morbid determination as they are surrounded on all sides by hostile forces except for the neutral Duchy of Savoy. Seizing the opportunity the house of Foix swiftly deposes Charles VII along with crown prince Louis XI citing hereditary madness. Despite the relative ease of the coup, the house of Foix was far from in control of France as various nobles refused to recognize their authority-especially their old enemies the house of Armagnac. Nonetheless, both houses have claims on lands of Aragon and it was agreed that old scores can be settled later once their power is secure; an uneasy détente forms between two of the prominent houses of France. [1]

A man coming from the far east begins peaching of an return to the true founding ideals of Christianity, claiming to have been guided by St Mary Magdalene; a discipline of Jesus and witness of Jesus' resurrection . His message of modern decadence and corruption along with his ideals of "pure Christianity" in a return to the founding ideals of the bible falls on deaf ears of the materialistic and catholic Venetians. Nonetheless, several tenant of the preacher's gospel such as the rejection of non-biblical church ritual, his radiant asceticism, and his purity in non-violence attracts pious admirers. One particularly unique aspect of his preaching is the concept of multiple lives that is the journey of cleansing that one's soul must endure in cycles of rebirth until they reach heaven, therefore every soul is equal regardless of gender and that the consumption of meat is strictly forbidden. While his creed is anti-hierarchical with little difference between preachers and the faithful the increased opportunity for participation among the pious womenfolk compared to the Catholic Church draws in the curious and pious.
The tenant of rebirth seemingly deduced from the Buddhist concept of rebirth some theologians would note that the actual application of it is suspiciously similar to the now-extinct Cathar heresy from the 12th-14th century. While the Venetian church is quite tolerant of outside faith, especially if they have silver, it stills takes care to minimize the amount of proselytizing-especially heresy. Measures are made to include his preaching from the popular areas along with restrictions intent on reducing his audience; all things considered he is just one among the sea of heathens and heretics within Venice and is given no more effort than necessary. As a note of minor importance, some well-travelled acquaintances of the man would note that his Venetian accent was rather similar to the Ladin language from the Alpine mountains as opposed to any oriental tongue. [2]

In a pleasant turn of events occurs for the Byzantine Empire as the city of Constinople yields growth in its revenues for the fifth year in a row despite declining agriculture and intense corruption. The main source of the increased revenue is the tolls from the booming slave trade from the Black Seas. Christians and fellow Tartars are enslaved amidst the chaos of civil war within the Golden Horde and taken by great caravans to the annual fairs of at Vosporo within the Most Serene Republic of Gazara. Located at the Eastern-most end of the Crimean peninsula the city of Vosporo is a natural economic and military fort. From here the slaves are purchased by Venetian and Aragonese merchants in exchange for textiles, jewelry, pottery, and weapons. The fate of the slaves is either hard labour in the mines and plantations of the Christian Mediterranean or as slave warriors of the Mamluk Sultanate. Within the mercantile nobility of Gazara various plots are carried out in an attempt to access the timber supplies of Muscovy and Novgorod without which the Republic cannot compete meaningfully with the Aragonese and Venetian merchant fleets. So far efforts to negotiate trade routes to Muscovy and Novgorod are frustrated by the constant hostilities between the claimants in the Golden Horde's civil war.

The great Middle Kingdom, weary of naval expenses isolates itself from maritime trade. In the wake of the Imperial Navy, an emerging power vacuum invites all types of pirates. Signs of concern emerge within the courts of Cairo and Venice as pilgrims and traders alike are increasingly molested in the Indian Ocean.

The first Venetian Faber bibles are printed five years after the first Latin Faber bibles, the delay was due to the speed of the translation but rather the theological "accuracy" of the translation. Nonetheless due to the difference in grammatical structure and culture between early Latin and modern Venetian some minor differences such as different pro-nouns, adjectives, and sentence structure are present.

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The Faber bibles were extremely influential in the formation of the formal Venetian language , for the first time there was an universal standard for the Venetian vernacular which was previously spelled phonetically and inconsistent in grammar even within the small confines of a city. Faber Press Company Statement.

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[1]The house of Foix was quite the opportunists during the Hundred Years war IOTL switching sides between the English and French several times, still despite their apparent loyalty their relations with Aragon was always filled with enmity. One thing unknown to the conspirators is that Charles, Duke of Orléans 3rd in line to the throne and presumed dead at Agincourt is still alive in English captivity as OTL.

[2]Some of the last adherents of Catharism survived in the Italian alps until the 14th century in OTL, while it is an argument from silence as there are no records of Cathars in the 15th century ideals are much harder to destroy compared to people.

 

[MorningDew]

Is the capital of Eprius ionnia or dyrrachium?

 

[Lucius Verus]

Is the capital of Eprius ionnia or dyrrachium?

The capital is based on the fortified city of Ioannina, while small by European standards it is the most populous and wealthy city within the Despotate and its local financial and cultural center.

 

[luis_sparks]

1434

The Faber bibles were extremely influential in the formation of the formal Venetian language , for the first time there was an universal standard for the Venetian vernacular which was previously spelled phonetically and inconsistent in grammar even within the small confines of a city. Faber Press Company Statement.

That will create a separate Venetian identity, and that will help to create a separation between the identity of the citizens of Venice and the other Italian states, wouldn't it?

About the Most Serene Republic of Gazara, They are what remains of genoa? Or are they independent?

 

[Lucius Verus]

That will create a separate Venetian identity, and that will help to create a separation between the identity of the citizens of Venice and the other Italian states, wouldn't it?

About the Most Serene Republic of Gazara, They are what remains of genoa? Or are they independent?

The Venetians themselves always considered themselves special, as with human nature. The Venetian language is a Romance language that had little in common with the neighboring Gallo-Italic Language group and retains a lot of the old vowel breaking instead of the vowel rounding one gets from Tuscan Italian aka modern Italian. With regards to Venetian identity even to this day you can still find old men in Venice that don't know a single word of Italian , this is due to its history and the historical perceptions of themselves as something more Roman than Italians as well as something more than their Roman ancestors as well.

I would argue that before the advent of modern education and nationalism you had numerous different languages reinforced by the factionalism of Italy as seen in the modern ligustic map above, many of the languages were distinct and required bridges such as Latin. In OTL the language spoken by the upper class of Tuscany had the fortune to be used in what is roughly the middle of Italy, by the Papacy, and in a trade and cultural hub. ITTL most of Central and Northern Italy has suffered having been at war for half a century and the advent of mass education is a long long way off so who knows? (Except the author of course )

The Republic of Genoa itself is a shadow of its former self with a few hundred exiles in Corsica ruling over , once it's naval presence was destroyed in the War of Venice in 1379 it's colonies were essentially left on their own. The Genoese Colonies have always been run by the local head honcho, this decentralization it was why they were so commercially successful . Of course at the same time as OTL showed this had it's drawbacks in the constant infighting within the Republic of Genoa that led to its eventual downfall. Only the colonies that were left without neighboring military pressure like Gazara due to the Golden Horde's civil war kept their independence.

 

[MorningDew]

How did Ionnia surpass dyrrachium? it doesn't really make sense, as dyrrachium is a better port, and more historic. Did something happen to it? I suspect its still the prime city of eprius (i can see ionnia becoming the capital if it's more fortified, but dyrrachium was the best port of the lower Adriatic)

 

[MorningDew]

on the map it says eprius is an independent state.

Also, does no Venetian influence mean that Dalmatian survives? i can see it surviving in Zadar, Splato, and Ragusa with the right rule at this point. can (or will) Ragusa take more of the dalmatian coast? (maybe a kingdom of Dalmatia if they can do some conquering)

 

[Lucius Verus]

How did Ionnia surpass dyrrachium? it doesn't really make sense, as dyrrachium is a better port, and more historic. Did something happen to it? I suspect its still the prime city of eprius (i can see ionnia becoming the capital if it's more fortified, but dyrrachium was the best port of the lower Adriatic)

The thing is, the city of Dyrrachium called by the Venetians as Durazzo is under Venetian control. It happened in OTL in 1392 and naval-wise the Venetians haven't changed much from OTL ITTL. It just didn't seem big enough of a deal to post, mind you I'm trying to have an inclusive view of all of the Mediterranean and there are things that I either miss in research or decide are less important to me that get omitted. But hey it seems like you are much more interested and knowledgeable than me about the region of Epirus and I wouldn't mind referring/deferring to you if you want to flesh it out.

 

[Lucius Verus]

on the map it says eprius is an independent state.

Also, does no Venetian influence mean that Dalmatian survives? i can see it surviving in Zadar, Splato, and Ragusa with the right rule at this point. can (or will) Ragusa take more of the dalmatian coast? (maybe a kingdom of Dalmatia if they can do some conquering)

Well in the most recent update, it points out that Hungary was the strongest kingdom by far in the Balkans after the Ottomans. Without strong Ottomans and if it plays its cards right with Austria and Poland then we're likely to see a Hungarian empire. Historically the noble houses of Austria and Hungary tended to prefer an union while relations with Poland was more strained due to their pro-Hussite pro-Bohemian opinions.

And yes Epirus is independent, Venetian colonialism IOTL was informal focused on controlling the peace and securing trade for economic extraction without the cost of occupations. Ports, trade-hubs and other vital economical regions were subject to Venetian control if possible, the downside was the lack of native manpower and tax revenue.

Another thing to keep in mind is that with the Venetian Navy supreme within the Adriatic, islands and fortified coastal locations become cheap and easy to defend due to the ease of transportation.

 

[MorningDew]

I didn't realize that dyrrachium was under Venetian occupation, that part on the map is too far up.

Could ragusa survive as a European Singapore (with or without the dalmatian language)?

 

[Lucius Verus]

I didn't realize that dyrrachium was under Venetian occupation, that part on the map is too far up.

Could ragusa survive as a European Singapore (with or without the dalmatian language)?

Hard to say, IOTL Ragusa always had the advantage being neighbors of the powerful Hungarians and Ottomans, both of whom lacked interest within Adriatic trade and were never able to fully exert their presences with in the Bosnian region for a long time so they enjoyed autonomy and protection. ITTL, it seems more likely that the Hungarians would secure the region, whether they decide to reign in the city or not is up to politics. For the Venetians Ragusa has never been as fortified like the Venetian lagoon and a direct competitor hence why it was occupied in the 13th century. There is definite the Venetian desire and means to occupy/burn the city, the best case scenario would be Ragsan diplomacy pitting the Hungarians and Venetians against each other.

 

[MorningDew]

Maybe a giant city wall would help, like the Theodosian or Aurelian walls. the overall rockiness of Dalmatia helps too. i would suggest making the wall big enough for the city to be able to expand (isn't the population of Ragusa about 70,000 at this time?)

 

[Lucius Verus]

Maybe a giant city wall would help, like the Theodosian or Aurelian walls. the overall rockiness of Dalmatia helps too. i would suggest making the wall big enough for the city to be able to expand (isn't the population of Ragusa about 70,000 at this time?)

Medieval populations are restricted by their hinterlands and sanitation. Ragusa does not have a particularly rich hinterland nor does it rival the sanitation the Venetian Lagoon provides. Generally speaking, it needs to be very successful in trade to bring in that many people past what the local region could support.

 

[Lucius Verus]

1436

It is a harsh year for the people of Western Lombard valley, weary after 50 years of war and weakened by poor harvests the plague finds fertile hosts and spreads like wildfire. Conditions are the worst north of the Po River as Swiss sieges exacerbates conditions within the Lombard cities. What remains of the crops are confiscated by the Swiss armies and as the chill of winter descend down the Alps and the coffers of the Po Valley sits empty, the Swiss ask themselves why they are in such a desolated land. Meanwhile in the Venetian Lagoon the discussion of a monumental endeavour is underway, the process is open and almost all stake holders of the Venetian Republic are invited to voice their concerns-if only due to need for everyone to contribute to the endeavour .

Despite being embroiled with infighting within the Papacy the audacity of a bible translated into the Vernacular is seen as a seriously insult and mild schismatic threat by the Catholic Church, theologians are quick to point out translations made which preserving the intent of the bible but are translated differently as potentially heretical . For many however, the Venetian offers a more legible and less taxing read than the dated Latin grammar of the original bible and even more so due to their relative availability . A censure against the Venetians is threatened but diplomatic efforts on the part of the Venetian Senate succeed in placating the Papacy, suspiciously foundations for a grand new cathedral is commissioned shortly after the crisis by Pope Eugene IV. The mitigating factor would simply be the precedence of numerous instances of the bible translated into the Vernacular.

The Sultanate of Aydin, while showing some promise with its merchant navy is forced by military necessity to abandon its economic development efforts in the face of Hamid aggression. While the Ottoman economic model is extremely efficient at supporting war it is deficient at promoting economic development and more focused on the efficiency of collection instead. Sensing an opportunity a group of Venetian merchants have managed to establish themselves as major traders within the Sultanate, a particular loop-hole is exploited where the various tolls and the Jizya poll tax are only paid by men and thus this group of merchants are mostly women of means. Despite evidence to the contrary the elite of Aydin refuses to acknowledge the economic reality preferring to believe the men are using their wives for a legalistic loophole and continues to tax their husbands' income on the assumption that women should not manage trade.[1]

After a gruelling five year campaign in North Africa, Fredrick is crowned King of Tunis in addition to the crowns of Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Arborea , and Sicily . Despite the initial success in securing the city of Tunis Fredrick's subsequent campaign were of marginal effect, still against the weaker Hafsids the Kingdom of Aragon was simply able to leverage its economic and manpower to exhaust their opponents. The peace is concluded with the re-emergence of the formerly subservient Zayyanid Sultanate , in some parts Hafsid power simply disintegrated , others were annexed as fiefs to the nobles of Valencia and Catalonia, while the city of Tunis itself is given to the Cortes of Catalonia with a quarter reserved for the Sardinians. In the absence of five years Fredrick returns to find queen Aurore involved in most functions of the crown much to his convenience as he would rather spend time in tournaments, feasts, and church. Much like the court of Burgundy whose wealth and extravagance created a flourishing chivalry-Christian art scene a similar artistic environment is blooming in the Aragonese court at Catalonia.

Peace returns to France despite relative English success as the constant fighting over the last two decades has drained England of manpower. While Henry the 5th would not admit it, the country of England would need twenty years and another generation to recover from the expense of the dynastic wars. Nonetheless the conquest of French lands has helped Henry consolidate his rule as nobles are eager to support him in exchange for French fiefs. Within the remaining French lands old enmities return as the feuding houses of Foix and Armagnac retreat to their strongholds to recover, the result is that the kingdom is segregated between the houses while officially ruled by the house of Foix.

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[1]Doesn't help that certain geographic resource endowments are generally poor for the region.

 

[MorningDew]

Is "Italian" ttl going to be Ligurian, Lombard, Central, Tuscan, Neapolitan, or Sicilian (I count coriscian as part of Tuscan, and Sardinian is another language entirely).

(normally I would think it would be Venetian but you seem to be setting things up for Venetian to be a separate identity. Or there might be a north Italian and a south Italian, probably Lombard [or Venetian] and Neapolitan)

Hopefully Tunis hasn't got a lot of damage! what is its population now? Is there any thought of renaming it Carthage? (or rebuilding Carthage's ruins?)

Do you have plans for the Maghreb to be under christian rule for a long time? How much of a chance does the area have of re-latinizing (as in assimilating the Maghrebi identity with European settlers) at this point?

 

[Lucius Verus]

Is "Italian" ttl going to be Ligurian, Lombard, Central, Tuscan, Neapolitan, or Sicilian (I count coriscian as part of Tuscan, and Sardinian is another language entirely).(normally I would think it would be Venetian but you seem to be setting things up for Venetian to be a separate identity. Or there might be a north Italian and a south Italian, probably Lombard [or Venetian] and Neapolitan)

I do have something planned, but if inspiration strikes along the way... Also languages really only start melding with mass education or a really long hegemony. Either way the end of book one is in sight and it won't get anywhere near that age by then. Anyways who knows, there might be Italian and Venetian or so on...

Hopefully Tunis hasn't got a lot of damage! what is its population now? Is there any thought of renaming it Carthage? (or rebuilding Carthage's ruins?)

From a pre-war high of 100,000 roughly around 15,000 remain Prince Fredrick decided to put the inhabitants of the city to the sword as the risk of revolt was too great. Most of the current inhabitants either hid, fled and came back, or are a part of the small minority that immigrated after. With the conquest complete the caravans will start returning to Tunis, but with regards to the name Carthage; a pagan and non-ancestral name is just not popular with Aragonese Catholics.

Do you have plans for the Maghreb to be under christian rule for a long time? How much of a chance does the area have of re-latinizing (as in assimilating the Maghrebi identity with European settlers) at this point?

Depends on the internal dynamics of Aragon more than anything, but the Eastern Mediterranean is an Aragonese lake right now so things would need to change drastically. North Africa just isn't the main focus of this tl, I may write about it later but I wish to flesh out Venetian society first.

 

[MorningDew]

I do have something planned, but if inspiration strikes along the way... Also languages really only start melding with mass education or a really long hegemony. Either way the end of book one is in sight and it won't get anywhere near that age by then. Anyways who knows, there might be Italian and Venetian or so on...
Your call on this one, though i personally think there should be a north Italian (Lombard, or Venetian but i think Lombard is more likely), a south Italian (Neapolitan), and an east Italian (ACTUALLY Venetian [because even with Dalmatia being taken from them they can regain it, and it should have largely replaced actual dalmatian by this time among the romance speakers.], called dalmatian because it would be only spoken there.)


From a pre-war high of 100,000 roughly around 15,000 remain Prince Fredrick decided to put the inhabitants of the city to the sword as the risk of revolt was too great. Most of the current inhabitants either hid, fled and came back, or are a part of the small minority that immigrated after. With the conquest complete the caravans will start returning to Tunis, but with regards to the name Carthage; a pagan and non-ancestral name is just not popular with Aragonese Catholics.
So are most of the inhabitants now Catalan settlers or returning Maghrebi? There actually was a historic Bishop of Carthage, which was almost on the level with the ones in Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria, so there is definitely christian basis. Tunis was actually was a Berber suburb-village of Carthage originally. Hopefully the Maghreb can be re-christianized ittl, i haven't seen ONE tl on this site that did this (so could you please make it happen?). If it was re-christianized, would its main language be a reverse (otl) Maltese (Catalan base, with a lot of Arabic and possibly Castillian loan words)?


Depends on the internal dynamics of Aragon more than anything, but the Eastern Mediterranean is an Aragonese lake right now so things would need to change drastically. North Africa just isn't the main focus of this tl, I may write about it later but I wish to flesh out Venetian society first.
And you may do so. Sorry about speaking too much about north Africa, but what are the populations of its biggest cities at this time (including European controlled ones like ceuta and now Tunis)

we be rootin 4 u.