Lucius Verus
Banned
Convergent Paths
"The sinews of war are infinite money"
-Marcus Tullius Cicero
1382: Louis I of Hungary dies without a male heir, leaving the kingdom to his senior daughter Mary who is suddenly the most wanted bachelorette in Europe. Prospective claimants and the local nobility prepare to vie for the succession.
1385: Excommunicated by Pope Urban VI for conspiring against his person Charles III of Naples leaves the war torn kingdom of Naples to assert his claim as the most senior Angevin male claimant. Meanwhile Mary is betrothed to Sigismund of Luxemburg
On the Saurian Fields in Albania, a small force of the self-titled Duke of Durazzo is crushed by Ottoman raiders. Self-serving and lacking unity most of the local Albanian and Serbian lords swear vassalage to Murad.
A later Hungarian portrait of the Carnation of the opportunist Charles III of Naples satirically depicted over a mourning Mary.
1386: A squadron of Venetian galleys sets anchor off the coast of Corfu, the tiny island situated at the mouth of the Adriatic Sea is of great value as a potential military and commercial base. The local aristocrats are given an "offer" of protection from the Venetian Senate, knowing full well that Venice is the most likely source of danger the local aristocrats accept the most "magnanimous" offer of protection. A construction of a local Arsenal for repairs starts immediately as well as stores for cargo. [1]
Later in the year, Charles III of Naples is assassinated by orders of Elizabeth of Bosnia, mother of dowager queen Mary. Despite Mary being the remaining candidate for the throne, local nobles in Hungary manage to imprison both Mary and her mother Elizabeth.
1387: Prince Lazar, the most powerful independent Serbian lord crushes a much smaller Ottoman army near the village of Pločnik in South Eastern Serbia. Suffering heavy losses Murad contemplates his Western ambitions. Encouraged by this victory Bulgaria renounces its vassalage to Murad. [2]
After making numerous concessions to the nobles of the Kingdom of Hungary Sigismund secures the release of his wife and is crowned king of Croatia and Hungary. The temporal powers of the crown are severely limited in Hungary as a result. To the Venetian senate, the coronation of Sigismund only reminds them of the loss of Dalmatia and their insecurity.
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, despot of Milan and the de facto ruler of the Duchy of Milan sign an agreement with Francesco da Carrara to divide the land of Verona in between them. Verona's ruling house of Scaliger is expelled and quickly fades to obscurity.
Yet as is the nature of diplomacy among Italians Visconti ignores the terms of the agreement and seizes the town of Vicenza, leaving Carrara deprived of conquest and in fear of imminent danger. Desperate, Carrara appeals to the Venetian Senate, arguing that Padua is better served as a buffer to the alternative of a Milanese Po valley.
Doge Tommaso Mocenigo is caught in a debacle, while a Milan Po Valley has is potentially a great danger to Venetian trade and security having the expansionist House of Carrara as a neighbour is equally as bad. Despite her weak finances and lack of manpower the Venetian Senate choose to join the treacherous game of Italian politics and ally with Milan against Padua. As usual with the ritualized condottiere warfare in Italy at the time, barely a person was harmed as the forces of Pauda disband in the face of superior enemies or are brought off.Through the use of shrewd diplomacy Venice has regained her mainland territories in Treviso.
As a show of spite for the destruction in Venice , 10 pigs are demanded of Padua with the names of Francesco and his ancestors painted on them. The 10 pigs are then presented by the Padua delegation, greased, and chased throughout the streets of Venice before being served in local restaurants. The pig named Francesco, is interned in a more comfortable cell beside Francesco de Carrara.
In control of the majority of the Po Valley, Gian Galeazzo Visconti is now the most powerful lord in Christendom. A calculating man by nature, Gian knows that lacking natural borders and populated by rebellious cities kingdoms on the Po valley must expand or die. Lacking a navy and nominally allied to the Venetian Republic Gian Galezzo turns his gaze south. To the Venetian republic, it seems that they traded the viper for a lion.
Meanwhile the exiled Francesco Novello Carrara son of Francesco da Carrara, under secret Venetian patronage is traveling the Italian courts, building support for a league.
A Map of Northern Italy by Norwich, Vicenza is highlighted for quick reference
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Very little deviation from OTL so far, but an update on the general state of things in Italy and the Balkans.
[1] With the Venetian navy unaffected as OTL, Corfu will be coerced by the Republic as OTL
[2] Historians differ on the exact date between 1386-1387, nonetheless a Serbian victory will not have the effect of scaring states into Venetian vassalage as later Ottoman victories would. On another vote Murad almost considered going east to consolidate his hold in Antonia instead of the Balkans because of this, of course it was no guarantee that successors would leave the Balkans alone.
"The sinews of war are infinite money"
-Marcus Tullius Cicero
1382: Louis I of Hungary dies without a male heir, leaving the kingdom to his senior daughter Mary who is suddenly the most wanted bachelorette in Europe. Prospective claimants and the local nobility prepare to vie for the succession.
1385: Excommunicated by Pope Urban VI for conspiring against his person Charles III of Naples leaves the war torn kingdom of Naples to assert his claim as the most senior Angevin male claimant. Meanwhile Mary is betrothed to Sigismund of Luxemburg
On the Saurian Fields in Albania, a small force of the self-titled Duke of Durazzo is crushed by Ottoman raiders. Self-serving and lacking unity most of the local Albanian and Serbian lords swear vassalage to Murad.
A later Hungarian portrait of the Carnation of the opportunist Charles III of Naples satirically depicted over a mourning Mary.
1386: A squadron of Venetian galleys sets anchor off the coast of Corfu, the tiny island situated at the mouth of the Adriatic Sea is of great value as a potential military and commercial base. The local aristocrats are given an "offer" of protection from the Venetian Senate, knowing full well that Venice is the most likely source of danger the local aristocrats accept the most "magnanimous" offer of protection. A construction of a local Arsenal for repairs starts immediately as well as stores for cargo. [1]
Later in the year, Charles III of Naples is assassinated by orders of Elizabeth of Bosnia, mother of dowager queen Mary. Despite Mary being the remaining candidate for the throne, local nobles in Hungary manage to imprison both Mary and her mother Elizabeth.
1387: Prince Lazar, the most powerful independent Serbian lord crushes a much smaller Ottoman army near the village of Pločnik in South Eastern Serbia. Suffering heavy losses Murad contemplates his Western ambitions. Encouraged by this victory Bulgaria renounces its vassalage to Murad. [2]
After making numerous concessions to the nobles of the Kingdom of Hungary Sigismund secures the release of his wife and is crowned king of Croatia and Hungary. The temporal powers of the crown are severely limited in Hungary as a result. To the Venetian senate, the coronation of Sigismund only reminds them of the loss of Dalmatia and their insecurity.
Gian Galeazzo Visconti, despot of Milan and the de facto ruler of the Duchy of Milan sign an agreement with Francesco da Carrara to divide the land of Verona in between them. Verona's ruling house of Scaliger is expelled and quickly fades to obscurity.
Yet as is the nature of diplomacy among Italians Visconti ignores the terms of the agreement and seizes the town of Vicenza, leaving Carrara deprived of conquest and in fear of imminent danger. Desperate, Carrara appeals to the Venetian Senate, arguing that Padua is better served as a buffer to the alternative of a Milanese Po valley.
Doge Tommaso Mocenigo is caught in a debacle, while a Milan Po Valley has is potentially a great danger to Venetian trade and security having the expansionist House of Carrara as a neighbour is equally as bad. Despite her weak finances and lack of manpower the Venetian Senate choose to join the treacherous game of Italian politics and ally with Milan against Padua. As usual with the ritualized condottiere warfare in Italy at the time, barely a person was harmed as the forces of Pauda disband in the face of superior enemies or are brought off.Through the use of shrewd diplomacy Venice has regained her mainland territories in Treviso.
As a show of spite for the destruction in Venice , 10 pigs are demanded of Padua with the names of Francesco and his ancestors painted on them. The 10 pigs are then presented by the Padua delegation, greased, and chased throughout the streets of Venice before being served in local restaurants. The pig named Francesco, is interned in a more comfortable cell beside Francesco de Carrara.
In control of the majority of the Po Valley, Gian Galeazzo Visconti is now the most powerful lord in Christendom. A calculating man by nature, Gian knows that lacking natural borders and populated by rebellious cities kingdoms on the Po valley must expand or die. Lacking a navy and nominally allied to the Venetian Republic Gian Galezzo turns his gaze south. To the Venetian republic, it seems that they traded the viper for a lion.
Meanwhile the exiled Francesco Novello Carrara son of Francesco da Carrara, under secret Venetian patronage is traveling the Italian courts, building support for a league.
A Map of Northern Italy by Norwich, Vicenza is highlighted for quick reference
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Very little deviation from OTL so far, but an update on the general state of things in Italy and the Balkans.
[1] With the Venetian navy unaffected as OTL, Corfu will be coerced by the Republic as OTL
[2] Historians differ on the exact date between 1386-1387, nonetheless a Serbian victory will not have the effect of scaring states into Venetian vassalage as later Ottoman victories would. On another vote Murad almost considered going east to consolidate his hold in Antonia instead of the Balkans because of this, of course it was no guarantee that successors would leave the Balkans alone.