14
Deleted member 67076
This took way, way longer than expected.
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For the time being it looked as if victory was in sight for the Anti Venetian coalition. The battlefield between the powers was increasingly swinging from the Aegean to the Adriatic and the stresses of war had been taking its toll on their enemies. Venetian ships were spotted less and less, and assaults had become mere raids. Pisa’s navy had been utterly smashed by Genoa as the easing of the Aegean front allowed for more forces to be diverted west. And Aragon still seemed to be mostly disinterested in the whole affair, mainly just loaning ships and arms to its allies in the conflict. It must have seen as if Venice and her allies were trying to delay the inevitable loss in order to exhaust the two, perhaps in hopes of obtaining a more favorable peace? Whatever the case, the writing was on the wall and Rome and Genoa were eager to finish the fight. Eager, and blinded by victory.
What Genoa and Romania hadn’t noticed was that Venice was regrouping and conducting diplomatic negotiations of their own. The war had taken an immense strain and they were well aware the Aegean was lost- most of the raids were designed to slow the inevitable, not reverse them. Instead what had been occurring throughout this time was for the Venetian state was to try to use whatever diplomatic leverage it had to try to tip the scales in the war and back out as much as it can. Emissaries were sent out to to attempt to convince Aragon to put in its full naval strength in this matter. Until this point (approximately spring-summer 1343) the crown of Aragon had been engaged in a limited manner, mostly throwing privateers, a couple squadrons of ships and coin against Genoa, despite the initial enthusiasm espoused by the state. But the merchant republic managed to convince them that this was more dire than they had realized. Athens had fallen, Pisa had been rendered a moot point after a decisive defeat, and Venice had been pushed back to the Aegean with Genoa in striking zone of Sardinia, potentially destroying any thoughts of expanding into the island of Sicily. Aragon was no longer a distant combatant with much to gain and nothing to lose, instead it had the potential to lose some serious prestige and strategic territories. With such pressing matters in mind, the crown scrambled its assets and began to throw her full weight into the war.
Additionally, diplomats were sent out to other potential states that could be sent out to attack either Genoa or Romania. Prospects for this were, less fortunate however. Milan was immediately out of the picture, their strict neutrality in the matters between Italian states was something both parties agreed must remain, lest the Milanese decide to destroy the balance of power in Italy to the detriment of both. The Papal state was calling for an end to the war so that’s not an option. Hungary? Exhausted from its recent wars in keeping the nobility in line and cementing royal power. Naples? Too busy invading Sicily. Bulgaria? Allied to the imperials. Etc, etc. However, there was one major diplomatic success: Serbia. The northeastern neighbor of the imperials had always had designs on its southern neighbor, driven by the latter’s history of wealth and prestige. The recent successes under the great king Stefan V Dusan have both strengthened, enlarged and emboldened the kingdom- but it is not enough: the kingdom is eager for more glories. Stefan, always the astute opportunist, quickly recognized the potential opening and agreed to intervene. The imperials have been bloodied and weakened over the years, and her forces are small. With the right timed attack, there could be massive gains to be made. And so Serbia began to mobilize.
We then resume the narrative with Genoa and Eastern Rome having begun preparations for their boldest strike yet: seizing Crete. The two forces begin to amass the largest single fleet of the war. Easing the pressure from both the Aegean front and the Western one to recruit the largest possible amount of ships available, the swollen armada launched from Romania intent on seizing its prey. Crete, the crown jewel of Venice was to be the greatest victory in the war- a decisive blow that would force the enemy to come to its knees, before the hammer would land on the lagoon-something like that. Back in the real world, Crete would be a decisive victory- a decisively pyrrhic victory.
Why? Overconfidence, bad luck, successful baiting by enemy forces, good command by the Aragonese admiral- take your pick. Point is, that ‘decisive’ attack on Crete ends up with much (perhaps a good 60% or so) of the Roman-Genoese fleet being destroyed, captured or damaged beyond repair. Crete is indeed liberated- and Venice and her allies are unable to recapture from the Cretans- but the alliance is forced into a quick retreat to lick their wounds. It gets better: following this is a well equipped Serbian army advancing southwards into Macedonia without much opposition, pushing (although not as easily as anticipated) through the undermanned and somewhat neglected army of Rome. In a wonderful few weeks, the anti-Genoese coalition ges from teetering on the edge of defeat, to renewing the offensive.
And perhaps in an equally cruel twist of fate, that ‘renewed offensive’ loses steam pretty quickly. Constantinople and Thessalonica are really close by, and their arsenals are up and ready. The wounds are licked, the forces regrouped and the battle lines restabilized. Even Serbia’s advance slows down once it comes to face with armed militia groups and akritoi border guards picking at supply lines and waging guerilla warfare from the mountains. This is then followed up with reserve units from Thrace coming to provide backup and actually managing to score a few victories against the Serbs. (The irony of Dusan being in the same situation Charles I of Hungary during his invasion of Serbia was not lost to him)
And so, the stalemate returns. Or so one would think. You see, while the lines do seem rather static for a couple months afterward, there’s this one event happens to shatter that fragile balance: In Alfonso’s Castile, King Alfonso XI has died, leaving no legitimate issue, but a host of bastards. It is the final straw in an increasingly unstable period in the kingdom. For Castile, this is a time of terror and woe- but for Aragon, this is opportunity. It is a matter far, far more pressing and just too good to ignore than crippling Genoa to make sure Aragon’s trade volume increases and its pirate’s aren’t harassed. While Aragon never officially removes itself from the conflict, the volume of men, arms and ships coming to aid the war front trickles to a fraction of its volume after the capture of Crete.
Aragon’s unofficial withdrawal seals Venice’s fate. In the absence of that much needed, er, everything, the republic simply isn’t able to keep up. By early 1356 the Venetian lagoon itself in a blockade intent and its navy has been shattered. Even additional aid from Serbia isn’t enough to divert the pressure as the imperials had managed to mount a successful resistance, driving the Serbs more than once back onto their territory. This was not helped by Serbia being smart enough to quit while it was ahead in exchange for status quo antebellum.
Anyways, everyone knows Venice had lost by this point. While there were a few warhawks who would push for a final last stand, cooler heads (and food riots) prevailed. Venice agreed to surrender in exchange for the city itself to be unharmed. Surprisingly, the enemy combatants agreed to this matter, although this was more of a case of ‘invading and subduing the city state would be extremely expensive and bloody and both combatants were pretty exhausted at this point’ rather than a love of their common man and a desire to avoid wartime atrocities. That does not mean, in any way Venice got off lightly.
Negotiated by Petrarch and the Milanese government (in the hopes that a ‘neutral’ third party might make negotiations smoother), the terms of the treaty would be a magnitude harsher than what they were in previous trade conflicts.
In summation, the treaty’s terms would be as followed:
-Venice would be barred from trading the Black Sea in its totality (this did not bar Venetians from trading, mind. Only the state owned Venetian trading company.)
-Venice would have to resume paying commercial dues to Romania they had ‘neglected’ to pay since the days of the Komnenoi.
-The Duchy of Candia (Crete) would receive its independence from the Venetian state. Venetian colonists would be expelled from the island and resettled whereon Genoa and Romania would see fit.
-Euboea was to be recognized as sovereign territory of the republic of Genoa.
-Limits would be imposed on the amount of active wartime vessels Venice would have.
-Romania would be confirmed in her annexation the territories of the duchy of Athens and the Ionian isles. The same with Genoa and Corfu.
-Naxos would be confirmed as territory of the beylik of Aydin.
-Reparations would be imposed to both states, including the transfer of objects looted from Constantinople from the Fourth Crusade.
And there you have it. The conclusion to a very brutal, but formative war in the newest phase of the Roman Empire.
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The Third Genoese-Venetian War: Part III
For the time being it looked as if victory was in sight for the Anti Venetian coalition. The battlefield between the powers was increasingly swinging from the Aegean to the Adriatic and the stresses of war had been taking its toll on their enemies. Venetian ships were spotted less and less, and assaults had become mere raids. Pisa’s navy had been utterly smashed by Genoa as the easing of the Aegean front allowed for more forces to be diverted west. And Aragon still seemed to be mostly disinterested in the whole affair, mainly just loaning ships and arms to its allies in the conflict. It must have seen as if Venice and her allies were trying to delay the inevitable loss in order to exhaust the two, perhaps in hopes of obtaining a more favorable peace? Whatever the case, the writing was on the wall and Rome and Genoa were eager to finish the fight. Eager, and blinded by victory.
What Genoa and Romania hadn’t noticed was that Venice was regrouping and conducting diplomatic negotiations of their own. The war had taken an immense strain and they were well aware the Aegean was lost- most of the raids were designed to slow the inevitable, not reverse them. Instead what had been occurring throughout this time was for the Venetian state was to try to use whatever diplomatic leverage it had to try to tip the scales in the war and back out as much as it can. Emissaries were sent out to to attempt to convince Aragon to put in its full naval strength in this matter. Until this point (approximately spring-summer 1343) the crown of Aragon had been engaged in a limited manner, mostly throwing privateers, a couple squadrons of ships and coin against Genoa, despite the initial enthusiasm espoused by the state. But the merchant republic managed to convince them that this was more dire than they had realized. Athens had fallen, Pisa had been rendered a moot point after a decisive defeat, and Venice had been pushed back to the Aegean with Genoa in striking zone of Sardinia, potentially destroying any thoughts of expanding into the island of Sicily. Aragon was no longer a distant combatant with much to gain and nothing to lose, instead it had the potential to lose some serious prestige and strategic territories. With such pressing matters in mind, the crown scrambled its assets and began to throw her full weight into the war.
Additionally, diplomats were sent out to other potential states that could be sent out to attack either Genoa or Romania. Prospects for this were, less fortunate however. Milan was immediately out of the picture, their strict neutrality in the matters between Italian states was something both parties agreed must remain, lest the Milanese decide to destroy the balance of power in Italy to the detriment of both. The Papal state was calling for an end to the war so that’s not an option. Hungary? Exhausted from its recent wars in keeping the nobility in line and cementing royal power. Naples? Too busy invading Sicily. Bulgaria? Allied to the imperials. Etc, etc. However, there was one major diplomatic success: Serbia. The northeastern neighbor of the imperials had always had designs on its southern neighbor, driven by the latter’s history of wealth and prestige. The recent successes under the great king Stefan V Dusan have both strengthened, enlarged and emboldened the kingdom- but it is not enough: the kingdom is eager for more glories. Stefan, always the astute opportunist, quickly recognized the potential opening and agreed to intervene. The imperials have been bloodied and weakened over the years, and her forces are small. With the right timed attack, there could be massive gains to be made. And so Serbia began to mobilize.
We then resume the narrative with Genoa and Eastern Rome having begun preparations for their boldest strike yet: seizing Crete. The two forces begin to amass the largest single fleet of the war. Easing the pressure from both the Aegean front and the Western one to recruit the largest possible amount of ships available, the swollen armada launched from Romania intent on seizing its prey. Crete, the crown jewel of Venice was to be the greatest victory in the war- a decisive blow that would force the enemy to come to its knees, before the hammer would land on the lagoon-something like that. Back in the real world, Crete would be a decisive victory- a decisively pyrrhic victory.
Why? Overconfidence, bad luck, successful baiting by enemy forces, good command by the Aragonese admiral- take your pick. Point is, that ‘decisive’ attack on Crete ends up with much (perhaps a good 60% or so) of the Roman-Genoese fleet being destroyed, captured or damaged beyond repair. Crete is indeed liberated- and Venice and her allies are unable to recapture from the Cretans- but the alliance is forced into a quick retreat to lick their wounds. It gets better: following this is a well equipped Serbian army advancing southwards into Macedonia without much opposition, pushing (although not as easily as anticipated) through the undermanned and somewhat neglected army of Rome. In a wonderful few weeks, the anti-Genoese coalition ges from teetering on the edge of defeat, to renewing the offensive.
And perhaps in an equally cruel twist of fate, that ‘renewed offensive’ loses steam pretty quickly. Constantinople and Thessalonica are really close by, and their arsenals are up and ready. The wounds are licked, the forces regrouped and the battle lines restabilized. Even Serbia’s advance slows down once it comes to face with armed militia groups and akritoi border guards picking at supply lines and waging guerilla warfare from the mountains. This is then followed up with reserve units from Thrace coming to provide backup and actually managing to score a few victories against the Serbs. (The irony of Dusan being in the same situation Charles I of Hungary during his invasion of Serbia was not lost to him)
And so, the stalemate returns. Or so one would think. You see, while the lines do seem rather static for a couple months afterward, there’s this one event happens to shatter that fragile balance: In Alfonso’s Castile, King Alfonso XI has died, leaving no legitimate issue, but a host of bastards. It is the final straw in an increasingly unstable period in the kingdom. For Castile, this is a time of terror and woe- but for Aragon, this is opportunity. It is a matter far, far more pressing and just too good to ignore than crippling Genoa to make sure Aragon’s trade volume increases and its pirate’s aren’t harassed. While Aragon never officially removes itself from the conflict, the volume of men, arms and ships coming to aid the war front trickles to a fraction of its volume after the capture of Crete.
Aragon’s unofficial withdrawal seals Venice’s fate. In the absence of that much needed, er, everything, the republic simply isn’t able to keep up. By early 1356 the Venetian lagoon itself in a blockade intent and its navy has been shattered. Even additional aid from Serbia isn’t enough to divert the pressure as the imperials had managed to mount a successful resistance, driving the Serbs more than once back onto their territory. This was not helped by Serbia being smart enough to quit while it was ahead in exchange for status quo antebellum.
Anyways, everyone knows Venice had lost by this point. While there were a few warhawks who would push for a final last stand, cooler heads (and food riots) prevailed. Venice agreed to surrender in exchange for the city itself to be unharmed. Surprisingly, the enemy combatants agreed to this matter, although this was more of a case of ‘invading and subduing the city state would be extremely expensive and bloody and both combatants were pretty exhausted at this point’ rather than a love of their common man and a desire to avoid wartime atrocities. That does not mean, in any way Venice got off lightly.
Negotiated by Petrarch and the Milanese government (in the hopes that a ‘neutral’ third party might make negotiations smoother), the terms of the treaty would be a magnitude harsher than what they were in previous trade conflicts.
In summation, the treaty’s terms would be as followed:
-Venice would be barred from trading the Black Sea in its totality (this did not bar Venetians from trading, mind. Only the state owned Venetian trading company.)
-Venice would have to resume paying commercial dues to Romania they had ‘neglected’ to pay since the days of the Komnenoi.
-The Duchy of Candia (Crete) would receive its independence from the Venetian state. Venetian colonists would be expelled from the island and resettled whereon Genoa and Romania would see fit.
-Euboea was to be recognized as sovereign territory of the republic of Genoa.
-Limits would be imposed on the amount of active wartime vessels Venice would have.
-Romania would be confirmed in her annexation the territories of the duchy of Athens and the Ionian isles. The same with Genoa and Corfu.
-Naxos would be confirmed as territory of the beylik of Aydin.
-Reparations would be imposed to both states, including the transfer of objects looted from Constantinople from the Fourth Crusade.
And there you have it. The conclusion to a very brutal, but formative war in the newest phase of the Roman Empire.
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