Bashira Sawa A deadly disciple of the Immortal Tieguai
"Exactly one year from now will be the anniversary of your rebirth."
Bashira Sawa is the last remaining member of a firebending sect that worshiped the Immortal Tieguai. The sect was housed on the island of Hing Wa and claimed a lineage dating back to the time of Fire Lord Zoryu. They had a tenuous relationship with the powers that be, and it was not uncommon for waves of oppression to fall upon them. The last under Ozai was particularly effective. Bashira survived because she was young enough to be insignificant.
Rebuilding the sect's lost knowledge, she says that self-cultivation requires the elimination of those who hurt the people. And there is no limit to how high or low the standard can be. It can be compared to the exorcism of fiendish entities through talismans and herbal medicines. The translation from the incorporeal stance to a physical one is violent. She studies the martial arts of the Fire Island, the bugei jūhappan, with relish.
Given the dangers of her profession, she operates in the shadows with a strong sense of paranoia. The Fire Lord's spies hold an omnipresent place in her mind. Bashira's targets so far have been petty tyrants scattered throughout the Fire Islands. She has taken pains to conceal herself. Most do not notice the peddler and her package until it is too late.
She is completely ruthless in her beliefs. Combining the confidence of Shoken and the dispassion of Laghima, the idea of a hierarchical society is heretical to her. The creations of humanity like a lord or a state only hinder their connection to the Dao. A survey of the spirit world would reveal the absence of such artificial trappings. Following this idea to its extreme conclusion, emancipation lay in their complete destruction.
Bashira has not taken sides in the civil war. As she meditates on the issue, both sides are reprehensible in their own way, perpetuating the system of exploitation and misery. All participants are then judged individually for their actions. Outside of her worldly pursuits, she is invested in becoming a saint.
Chan started his storied naval career in the Southern Raiders with the mission being the total neutralization of the Southern Water Tribe water benders. Under his commander Yon Rha leadership Chan flourished learned much in the ways of command and war to the despair of the southern water tribe. So successful were the Southern Raiders in their mission given by Fire Lord Azulon they were shifted to the war effort against the Earth Kingdom breaking the morale of the locals working to achieve final victory.
Eventually Chan using his successful record with the Southern Raiders would seek his own command and obtaining it using the methods he learned to great effect. He would begin a rivalry with a fellow young officer Zhao with the two of them competing for glory and promotion much to the delight of their superior officers.
Zhao would emerge victorious however obtaining the promotion of Admiral much to Chan's fury and rage. Zhao ever spiteful would see to it that Chan would not obtain any glory during the invasion of the North Pole citing the need for Chan to stay at the home islands to secure the shipping lanes against southern water tribe raiders. This petty act would save Chan however with him becoming one of the higher ranked naval officers after Avatar Aang wiped out of the invasion force. A realignment of the high command would occur after Zhao's demise with Fire Lord Ozai making a point of promoting rivals of the dead admiral furious about the defeat.
Everything was looking up for Chan with him finally able to eclipse his rival in influence and stature. Then the war ended with Ozai defeated and Zuko the brat taking the throne. Receiving word from Yon Rha that Zuko himself arrived to assist a water bender witch in a vendetta for his actions with the Southern Raiders Chan realized how dangerous his position was. Zuko considered through his actions that Chan's heroic actions in the South Pole as crimes of some nature, ridiclous! Chan would delay his return to the home islands staying on the edges of the Fire Nation hoping that a popular revolt against Zuko would emerge. The Fire Lord however seemed to maintain control much to Chan's annoyance and ordered the return of the admiral. The spirits however have cut off the home islands shortly after Chan's arrival with at last an opportunity. Quick communication with like minded individuals a plot to liberate Azula to declare her as Fire Lord was performed. Now the hope of Chan is that this will encourage the new Fire Lord to forgive his family for his son's stupidity in insulting her, why else would she destroy his summer estate?
Name: Akane Hachi-Salai, Mistress, Hereditary Princess of Aoshin and Kuku, Sister Number 7 of the Fire Nation White Lotus, Duchess of Jing, Duchess of Haku, Duchess of Baluo, Marchioness of Shito, Marchioness of Kasho, Marchioness of Saigo... Pronouns: Your Serene High Grace Archetype: Noble/Scholar Politics: Zuko/Harmonism/Clannic Rule/Sage Rule Stats:
Earth: 2
Fire: 2
Air: 1
Water: 3 Bender: Yes Starting Location: TBD Bio: When Avatar Kyoshi--if she was in fact truly the Avatar, which Akane believes the historical record raises several legitimate questions about--intervened in the 295 BG succession crisis to elevate Zoryu, the descendent of a fishmonger turned warlord, over the rightful Fire Lord Chaejin, she was warned that her decision to spit upon the laws and traditions of the Fire Nation would spell no end of disaster for the country and the world. But she persisted nonetheless, and the result of this folly were greater than she or anyone else could possibly imagine--an unimaginable tyranny upon the polity, the uprooting of the natural order, and soon enough the whole world plunged into flames, just as the Fire Sages warned.
The rule of Zoryu's dynasty, whose envious and covetous nature was written into their blood, has from the beginning had as its aim the destruction of the deep nation, the creation of a soulless nation of brutes and mechanics which Ozai saw to its logical conclusion. In him we find all the virtues of the unman of our age--a mind of lists and arithmetic, a heart closed to beauty and higher virtue, a bending-soul forged only as a weapon. He has ruled by defiling the nation with smokestacks and sludge, and by appointing sparkless lowborns, their brutish nature manifest, to the highest military positions, all to feed the all-encompassing task of war. But it is as the sages wrote--an unrighteous man and an unrighteous cause can never prevail. And in our deepest hour of need, the Avatar has returned and cast judgement upon the fishmonger line!
We who are the true soul of the fire nation, the children of the Sun, have long awaited this righteous day. Now is the time when all the gentlemen who retreated to their estates to protest the abomination that the modern Fire Nation has become can reemerge proud once again, and set themselves on the task of restoring the natural order and reclaiming the nation, with the Avatar's sanction. The Calderan tyranny will be dismantled, the serfs will be returned to their villages, the Sages will be elevated once again to the temples, and all shall be right with the world.
Akane Hachi-Salai, heiress of the Hachi Clan and descendent of the Avatar Salai, knows this better than anyone. As one of the oldest clans of the Fire Nation, dating back to its very founding, she claims an august lineage--a lineage which has, over the last 300 years since Zoryu's reign, brought her and the other high nobles into frequent conflict with the Phoenix Throne, one which they have consistently been losing. Finding the new Fire Nation to be an abomination--The estates trampled upon to feed the factories and the mines! Merchants and craftsmen holding themselves equal to the Sunborn! The sparkless in the high offices!--many such high nobles retreated to their estates, pursuing art and cultivation and waiting for the day when the unjust order would be overturned. Akane's father was among them.
Akane had higher ambitions once--hoping for a way to reconcile her clan with modernity, and to gain a position that would suit her rightful status--but they were dashed by a 15-year career in the army that saw her largely languishing in anti-partisan duties in the west, relegated from commands of actual consequence because of her politically undesirable status and an army which valued brutality and instrumentalism over excellence (and certainly not because she was a poor officer!). Coming to accept the truth of her father's views, she returned to her family estates and spent the next several years cultivating herself and enjoying her rather large harem (all women, of course, as was the traditional manner that Sozin overturned), and most certainly not stewing and wasting her life.
But now, like a bolt from heaven, the Avatar has returned, and has swept away the robber line of Zoryu! Of course, the little prince Zuko remains on the throne for now--but that is nothing next to the opportunity to sweep away the whole rotten edifice around Caldera, which Akane is ready to seize. The new Fire Lord will need resources, legitimacy, and support from the army to keep his power from the upstarts who wish to do evil in Ozai's name--and who better to grant them to him than the children of the sun...?
Before the fall of Ozai, before the Day of Black Sun, before Omashu fell, before the Ashwalkers were formed- The Dragonfire Legion were the tip of the Fire Nation's spear. As the war with the Earth Kingdom proved to be a protracted conflict, Azulon gathered veterans from across the Fire Nation's army into an elite army, and sent them into the teeth of the foe- and they proved to be viciously effective, cutting through the Earth Nation's armies again and again.
But they never able to truly force a breakthrough to the greatest city of the Earth Kingdom. The enemy were too many, and the Legion could only kill so many so quickly. Then Crown Prince Iroh took command, and Prince Lu Ten entered the Legion's ranks as a senior officer. The Legion were a close-knit group, with traditions and bonds of camaraderie that crossed the lines of noble and commoner, and so there was some discontent as to outsiders taking charge over a unit that had served loyally since the early decades of the Invasion- and if Iroh and Lu Ten were lesser men, that would have been the sum of it.
But the Royals treated the Legion like family. They fought alongside the Legion's men in the same ranks and shared their food and drink. Always first into the fray and among the last to withdraw. What else could the Dragonfire Legion do but embrace them in turn? Tadashi had been a nameless fourth son of minor nobility, sent to train with Piandao before his talent in bladework saw him being thrown into the Legion. And to his eyes, the way Iroh treated him more like a son than his father ever had, the way Lu Ten embraced him as a brother- It earned Tadashi's loyalty unto death. And the rest of the Legion shared the same sentiment.
Tadashi's growing mastery with the sword and flame saw him rise in the ranks of the Legion until he was serving as Lu Ten's adjutant. Under Iroh and Lu Ten's watchful gaze, Tadashi learns to firebend in ways that he did not think possible, though he never would know the true origin of the dances and arts he was taught. He was one of a select few, for the number the Princes trusted with the art was few, and those who had the aptitude, the understanding to learn, were even fewer. Under the command of the Dragon of the West, Tadashi and the Legion fought their way to the walls of Ba Sing Se itself, and entered the worst fighting the war had seen since the Genocides.
The world called it the Siege of Ba Sing Se. For those who fought there, it was the Hell of Dust.
The dust got everywhere. Into everything. The mouths of corpses. The tea. The rice. The great trenches both armies built on that plain, the bursts of fire, the thrown earth- it all sent up enough dust that a blue sky was a distant memory. There was only a terrible dirt-smoke haze, and the cries of the dying. And through it all, Iroh and Lu Ten were there- sharing muddy tea and walking those damned dusty trenches. The Dragon cracking jokes that felt a little more hollow with each dawn where the Sun was shut away behind the dust-clouds. Charge. Fight. Die. Retreat. Again and again and again- a slaughter nearly without end. They creep forward in what feels like an eternity of inches.
They break through the outer wall. Even Iroh does not speak of celebration. There is only more dust.
Lu Ten dies covering the retreat of the Legion from a compromised position- A block of stone caves in his rib cage. He's gone before he hits the ground, his banner still raised into the air. Two platoons throw themselves into the enemy and die to the last, just to give the Legion a fighting chance to bring the body home. The Prince mourns his son, and the army mourns with him. 600 days of dust, smoke, and blood were borne without complaint- but finally, now, the Legion cannot hold back its tears.
When Iroh calls the retreat from Ba Sing Se, there are no protests. The Legion marches home with bowed heads.
Iroh's birthright is stolen from him, and the Prince is too broken-hearted to fight it. The Legion would have marched had he said the word- but he did not. And Ozai- Ozai preens in his new place as Fire Lord. But he is also, though he would never admit it, terrified. He thinks he is stronger than his brother, that he would not fail in an Agni Kai- But he is not sure. He cannot be sure. His brother's bending was always strange after he returned from slaying the Last Dragon, complete in a way Ozai's bending never was. And Iroh had still many supporters. This fear would not let Ozai rest.
The Legion was split up, platoon by platoon, and stretched across the Fire Nation's fronts. To the North Pole, to the South Pole, to the Earth Kingdom, to the tiny garrisons watching the empty Air Temples for signs of an Avatar's birth. He sends them to die. Expended in ambushed patrols, whittled away on bloody fronts, stationed where disease killed as surely as a blade or bender. And Ozai almost feels safe. Safe enough he burns the face of Iroh's favorite nephew in front of him. A mocking taunt. Look what I do to my own son, where you broke for yours. Tadashi can do nothing. He is fighting in the approach to Omashu, and after Omashu falls, he is ordered to march on Gaoling. There is no rest.
Ozai falls. Zuko takes the throne, and he does so with his uncle's blessing. The Legion is called home, and for the first time in years, the Legion reassembles. There are many empty places in the ranks. But they are still the Dragonfire Legion, deadlier than ever- and with Ozai's final deserved fall, they are proud and satisfied. There was finally justice for them. There was finally justice for the Dragon.
But there is a seed of doubt. Is Zuko a worthy Firelord? They have all heard of the Agni Kai and its result, and Iroh is at Zuko's back always. But they have all heard the many rumors swirl around possible interference. Zuko's reforms are radical, and even for the most steadfastly loyal there is uncertainty.
In Zuko's first Agni Kai, he bends in a style the Legion has only seen in nine men. Of them, two still live- and now they can add a third.
There is no more doubt.
Now, the Legion is called upon again, for another war. Azula has escaped, and the dregs of the Fire Nation flock to her. The storm means that Iroh will not lead them again, not for this war- But it matters not. The Dragonfire Legion will not fail.
When Cadia broke a psychic scream tore from the Eye of Terror and struck a great scar across the Galaxy. Beyond the Great Rift the light of the Astronomicon is obscured in darkest night. Travel between the stars has become dangerous and long, entire oversectors of the Imperium left beyond the authority of the Golden Throne. The forces of the Imperium of Man battle constantly throughout the Dark Imperium against traitors, heretics, and xenos forces rising on every side. Vast expenditures of ships, men, and munitions are spent to hold open the Nachmund Gauntlet, the only safe path between the Dark Imperium and the Imperium Sanctus beyond the Great Rift.
In this era of war, chaos, and the contraction of Imperial power, it is no wonder that there will be many who feel that the time of the Imperium is over. In the Termina Sector a great coalition has formed to break free from Imperial Rule following the attempt by a company of the Blood Angels chapter of Astartes to enforce the Imperial tithe in the Sector. On [Insert capital world] the planetary governor has convened a Parliament of representatives of all the planets of the Termina Sector and declared the independence of the Termina Republic. Roughly half of the sector has followed in secession.
The reasons for rebellion are as varied as any man, but there lurks in the shadows of the sector a more insidious force: the Slaves to Darkness, the followers of the Gods of Chaos. The forces of the Great Enemy are many and varied, from cultists and witches working within the realms of Men to great warbands of heretics and corrupt Astartes. All of them work for the glory and worship of the Four or whichever Power they have dedicated themselves to utterly.
In this tumult of mankind's troubles it is easy to forget that this galaxy does not belong to humanity alone, for in the Termina Sector there are also forces of alien origin: Aeldari Corsairs, Drukhari raiders, and Ork Warbands to name but a few of the threats to humanity's mastery of these stars.
Welcome to Dark Imperium: The Termina Crusade, a GSRP set in Warhammer 40,000. Players will take on the role of commanders of their own warband of Imperials, Secessionists, Chaos Worshippers, and Xenos. Players must apply as original characters. Each application will have to be approved by me, but the only blanket restriction by faction are no Tyranid or Genestealer characters due to the difficulties of having characters in the Hive Mind. However, to represent the balance of forces I will be limiting players for each of the four major factions, for lack of a better word, as so:
Imperium of Man: 8 Players
Termina Republic: 6 Players
Hosts of Chaos: 4 Players
Xenos: 6 Players
Example Character Concepts: A Space Marine Captain, an Imperial Navy Admiral, a Bishop or Cannoness, a secessionist Imperial Guard General, a former officer turned mutineer and Admiral in the Termina Fleet, a heretic Astartes Chaos Lord, a leader of a shadowy cult, an Aeldari Farseer, a Drukhari Archon, an Ork Warboss.
Escorts: Escorts are the smallest craft in use but come in the largest numbers, providing support in defense of larger ships. The most common duties of Escort-class vessels are patrol, reconnaissance, convoy protection, raiding, and picketing. In combat Escorts have a short life expediency but will swarm larger vessels. Light Cruisers: Light Cruisers are the smallest class of Cruiser, designed for patrols and raids. In fleet actions Light Cruisers are mainly used to drive off and defend the larger warships from Escort ships conducting torpedo attacks on the larger and slower main battle line ships. Cruisers: Cruisers are medium-size warships smaller than Battleships but larger than Escorts. They are the workhorses of any fleet. Cruisers are the standard class of Cruiser-class vessels, designed for fleet support, long patrols, raiding, and blockades. Imperial Cruisers are typically 4km to 6km in length. Battlecruisers: Battlecruisers are faster warships, designed to deliver the firepower of a Battleship with the size and maneuverability of a Cruiser-class vessel. They replaced the older Grand Cruiser-class vessel. Battleships: Battleships are the largest fighting vessels in space, gigantic ships capable of absorbing a huge amount of damage, and with vast amounts of firepower, capable of laying waste to entire continents. They also contain landing bays for Attack craft and are commonly used as the capital ships in fleets due to the greater protection offered by their defenses. They are usually accompanied by Cruisers and Escorts, as they are so large and slow that they prove ponderous to maneuver.
Unit Types:
Imperium of Man:
Militia: The Imperium of Man's greatest strength is the limitless supply of its teeming population. In times of war the Imperium can produce prodigious quantities of poorly armed militia with little to no training. They are nearly useless on the assault, but can be relied upon to hold their positions unless faced with a powerful attack. Frateris Militia: Over the long millenia the Ecclesiarchy has channeled the faith of the people in the God-Emperor of Mankind into a violent zealotry. While the laws that govern the Imperium ban the Ecclesiarchy from maintaining permanent men-under-arms, in the Wars of Faith the Ecclesiarchy will raise up vast hosts of the faithful. These Frateris are just as poorly armed and commanded as regular militia but make up for this deficiency with fanaticism and a zeal for martyrdom. They are nearly useless in defense, but their fanatic assaults in the face of certain death have produced many victories in the name of the Master of Mankind. Voidsmen-at-Arms: While the Imperial Navy maintains no marine force or planetary assault capabilities of their own, the realities of void war and travel among the stars means that a force of soldiers is necessary. The duties of the Voidsmen-at-Arms include both the maintenance of order and quelling of rebellion among the crews as well as the defense against and prosecution of boarding actions in void war. They are armed similarly to the standard Guardsmen but tend to prefer shotguns and autoguns to the standard lasgun. Planetary Defense Force: Each world of the Imperium maintains a standing army that is theoretically equipped and trained to the standards of that planet's Imperial Guard regiments. The regiments of the PDF are typically excellently supplied and made up of brave soldiers defending their homes, but they are not veterans of true war and cannot be relied upon to maintain morale in the face of carnage. Imperial Guard: Of all the many elite forces that the Imperium can deploy, it is the humble regiments of the Imperial Guard that form the first and last defense of the Emperor's vast realm. The inexhaustible armies of Mankind march forward with lasgun in hand and with blistering firepower at their backs, massed ranks of tanks and artillery obliterating the defenses of the foe and blunting their assaults. The Guard are veterans of many battles and form the main component of the Imperium's armies. Tempestus Scions: Raised for war from childhood, the Tempestus Scions, or Stormtroopers, of the Imperial Guard are all made up of graduates of the Schola Progenium. These orphans are devout and exquisitely trained, armed with some of the best armor and weapons available to the Imperial Guard. They specialize in insertion and infiltration tactics. Skitarii: The armies of the Adeptus Mechanicus consist of the cybernetic warriors of the Skitarii Legions. These humans have long since been transformed in the image of the Omnissiah and no longer have care for the human realities of biological limitations. They march inexorably and their machine bodies bear them through radiation and desert and frost. Their weapons are some of the most advanced in the Imperium, operating radium weapons and long range galvanic rifles as well as supremely advanced plasma weapons on their tanks and mechs. Sisters of Battle: The Orders Militant of the Ecclesiarchy are the greatest fighting force in the Imperium besides the transhuman forces of the Adeptus Astartes and Adeptus Custodes. They are equipped with power armor and faith, wielding the bolter, the flamer, and the melta for the eradication of the heretic in cleansing fire. They are to a woman zealots and ready for martyrdom, extremely adept in the assault and strong in defense (though they are loath to remain in place while there are heretics to slay). Space Marines: The transhuman warriors of the Adeptus Astartes are the finest warriors in the Imperium, transformed by the geneseed of the Primarchs into paragons of war. The Angels of Death are few but their might cannot be matched. They wear the finest power armor and the bear bolters and specialized weaponry of immense quality. Each are veterans of decades of war across the stars and bear nothing but contempt in the face of the foe. Knights: The great mechs of the Knight Houses of the Imperium march forth in great pillars of steel, hatred, and chivalry. Smaller than Titans, but towering over most of their foes, the Knights provide immense quantities of firepower to any Imperial Force. Titans: Operated by the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Collegia Titanica commands the greatest of Mankind's weapons of war, aside from the mightiest of voidships. These great walking fortresses bristle with enormous cannons and weaponry and are so armored that only the mightiest of enemy assaults can even dent their holy and ancient hide. A single titan is enough to swing the tide of any battle.
Termina Republic:
Militia: The Termina Sector is heavily populated and industrialized. In times of war the planets of the Termina Republic can arm great regiments of its citizens, though they are poorly equipped and have little to no training. They are nearly useless on the assault, but can be relied upon to hold their positions and homes unless faced with a powerful attack. Voidsmen-at-Arms: While the Imperial Navy maintains no marine force or planetary assault capabilities of their own, the realities of void war and travel among the stars means that a force of soldiers is necessary. The duties of the Voidsmen-at-Arms include both the maintenance of order and quelling of rebellion among the crews as well as the defense against and prosecution of boarding actions in void war. They are armed similarly to the standard Guardsmen but tend to prefer shotguns and autoguns to the standard lasgun. Those ships that have joined the Republic have brought over their Voidsmen to the secessionist cause. Planetary Defense Force: Each world of the Imperium maintains a standing army that is theoretically equipped and trained to the standards of that planet's Imperial Guard regiments. The regiments of the PDF are typically excellently supplied and made up of brave soldiers defending their homes, but they are not veterans of true war and cannot be relied upon to maintain morale in the face of carnage. Termina Guard: Many regiments of the Imperial Guard have rallied to the flag of the Republic for many reasons. Some are idealists, some are following orders, and a great many others wish to avoid being deployed to the hellish wars consuming the Dark Imperium. They are the core of the Republic's might and are an equal to the Imperial Guard in valor, training, and equipment. Knights: The great mechs of the Knight Houses of the Imperium march forth in great pillars of steel, hatred, and chivalry. Some of these honorable warriors have joined the cause of the Republic. Smaller than Titans, but towering over most of their foes, the Knights provide immense quantities of firepower to any Termina Force.
Hosts of Chaos:
Chaos Cultists: The Lost and the Damned, the Slaves to Darkness, the Followers of the Four. The Dark Gods of Primordial Chaos are worshiped by many both in secret and in open. The cultists of the Four tend to be poorly armed and armored but make up for this in ferocity and a propensity to employ warpcraft in their wars. Cultists dedicated to a specific Chaos God will typically specialize in a type of warfare befitting the beliefs and nature of their Lord. Khornates will specialize in melee, devotees of Slaanesh in speed, disciples of Tzeentch in ranged war and sorcery, and the children of Nurgle in plague and defense. Traitor Guard: Many regiments of the Imperial Guard have fallen into the service of the Dark Gods through corruption, conversion, warp madness, and a thousand other stories of individual damnation. They are great warriors, veterans and well-equipped soldiers enhanced by the blessings and devotions of the Primordial Gods. Regiments dedicated to a specific Chaos God will typically specialize in a type of warfare befitting the beliefs and nature of their Lord. Khornates will specialize in melee, devotees of Slaanesh in speed, disciples of Tzeentch in ranged war and sorcery, and the children of Nurgle in plague and defense. Lesser Daemons: The Neverborn are psychic beings of the Warp, manifestations of the will and the million personalities of each of the Great Gods of Chaos. The Lesser Daemons are mighty warriors and servants of the Dark Powers and when summoned into the material plane are maddening and dangerous beyond mortal imagination. Daemons of each God will fight in a manner befitting the beliefs and nature of their Lord. Bloodletters are adept in melee, Daemonettes are excellent in speed and melee, Horrors and Flamers wield sorcerous fire from range, and the Plaguebearers spread disease as they march implacably forward. Chaos Space Marines: The greatest of the mortal servants of the Dark Gods, the Chaos Space Marines are those Space Marines who fell into the worship of the Chaos Gods during the Horus Heresy or in the millenia spanning Long War since the fall of Horus. The Chaos Space Marines typically form Warbands under a Chaos Lord or Daemon Prince and lead the greater mass of Chaos Cultists and Traitor Guard into war and pillaging. Marines dedicated to a specific Chaos God will typically specialize in a type of warfare befitting the beliefs and nature of their Lord. Khornates will specialize in melee, devotees of Slaanesh in speed and sonic weaponry, disciples of Tzeentch in ranged war and sorcery, and the children of Nurgle in plague and defense. Greater Daemons: The Lords of the Neverborn, the Greater Daemons are beings of incredible power, intelligence, and malevolence. Bloodletters, Keepers of Secrets, Lords of Change, and Great Unclean Ones are the greatest servants of their Gods and the summoning of one into reality is a threat to all that does not bow to the Four. Chaos Knights: Over the course of the Long War many Knight Houses or individual Knights have fallen into the service of the Dark Gods for as many reasons as there are Knights. They are virtually the same as their Imperial cousins but tend to favor melee over ranged warfare.
Xenos:
Aeldari:
Guardians: The Aeldari as a species are fast, long-lived, and extremely skilled at any task that they set their mind to. This means that even the normal population of a Craftworld are excellent warriors when pressed into service. They maintain good armor and powerful weaponry as well as discipline and skill that would rival veteran formations of Humanity. The Guardians are loath to conduct offensive operations far from their Craftworld however and only will do so under the commands of respected Farseers or Autarchs. Rangers: For some young Eldar the stringent discipline of Craftworld life and the strict delineation of the Paths proves intolerable. These men and women leave the Craftworld and follow the Path of the Outcast. Most become Rangers, scouts and snipers serving the Aeldari Craftworlds or the many Aeldari Corsairs among the stars as forward scouts and spies. Corsairs: For some young Eldar the stringent discipline of Craftworld life and the strict delineation of the Paths proves intolerable. These men and women leave the Craftworld and follow the Path of the Outcast. Some become Corsairs, pirates and free souls, carving their riches and destiny among the stars. Corsairs come from all walks of Eldar life: born into it, escaping Craftworld discipline, and Drukhari fleeing death in Comorragh. Aspect Warriors: When an Eldar sets out on the Path of the Warrior they become an Aspect Warrior, joining a Temple specializing in an Aspect of Kaela Mensha Khaine, the Aeldari God of War. Each Aspect fights in its own specialized way of war. The most widely known aspects are the Dire Avengers, the Howling Banshees, the Striking Scorpions, the Fire Dragons, the Swooping Hawks, the Dark Reapers, the Crimson Hunters, the Shining Spears, and the Warp Spiders. Wraithguard: Some great Aeldari warriors who have fallen and whose souls have been saved in Spirit Stones are called forth from rest once more to wage battle in the name of their living kin. These are the Wraithguard, great constructs of wraithbone powered by the souls of fallen Aeldari. They are mighty in formations of ranged or close combat warriors and are led by massive Wraithlords wielding great firepower and speed. Wraithknights: Much like their smaller cousins the massive Wraithknights are powered through the souls of the Aeldari dead, but the Wraithknights are so massive that it requires the piloting of a living Aeldari warrior. These massive wraithbone constructs are more than capable of facing and defeating an Imperial Knight and can even in numbers oppose a Titan.
Drukhari:
Kabalite Warriors: The cornerstone of Commorite society are the Kabals. These massive organizations defy easy categorization being semi-noble houses, semi-economic cartels, semi-violent street gangs, semi-military organizations, and semi-pirate fleets. The Warriors of the Kabals are the best fighters of the normal population of Commoragh, armed and armored in expertly crafted material and weaponry of sadistic genius. They are the primary military of the Drukhari and make their greatest wealth by pillaging Real Space for slaves. They are led by Archons. Wyches: The Wych Cults of Commoragh are gladiators and performers, entertaining the masses of the Drukhari and the elite alike. Each Cult maintains their own arena in the Dark City and specializes in a unique way of fighting and murdering. The Succubuses of the Wych Cults will at times lead their wyches in Real Space raids to hone their fighting abilities for the arena, supplement their income by assisting a Kabal, or capture specific slaves for a desired performance. Wracks: The twisted servants of the Haemonculus Covens of the Dark City, Wracks and their Grotesque cousins command the terrifying engines of and creations of the shattered genius of the Drukhari Haemonculi. They are the personal armies of a particular Haemonculus and only go to war when one of those dread scientists emerge from their lair in the bowels of Commoragh and enter Real Space for some sinister design. Incubi: The Incubi are the only warriors of the Drukhari race who regularly display something approaching martial virtue and honor, though they are in truth just as wicked, craven, and sadistic as the rest of the denizens of the Dark City. The Incubi shrines are a dark mirror to the Aspect Temples of their Craftworld Kin and the Incubi warriors are the greatest blademasters among the Drukhari, rivaling the Howling Banshees of the Craftworlds. They are often seen at war hired as bodyguards for Archons or as shock troops for a Kabal as the Incubi are not subject to the ever shifting games of intrigue and murder within the many Kabals of Commoragh.
Orks:
Gretchin: The diminutive race of grots are the smallest of the greenskin species. They are often food or servants of their much larger ork masters. They are typically craven, mean, and vicious, as well as kleptomaniacs. They are not worth much in a fight but can be driven by Ork grotherds in vast waves into enemy positions to soak up ammunition or provide a screen for advancing boyz. Boyz: The green tide of the ork boyz is a seemingly never ending wave of frenzied combatants. The Orks bring to bear much firepower though it is extremely inaccurate if not for their great numbers. What the orks lose in ranged efficiency they make up for in melee power. Ork boyz are vicious and devastating melee combatants, being extremely strong and durable. Kommandos: The strangest of orks, the kommandos attempt to conduct warfare using stealth and infiltration tactics, striking against weaker targets rather than fortified hard points. This way of war is totally antithetical to most orks and warbosses who fight for the joy and challenge of war not for any abstract notions of victory. Therefore it is a unique warboss indeed who can make the best use of these slightly aberrant greenskin warriors. Meganobz: The Nob is a great ork, a veteran of many fights, and thus of massive size and prodigious strength. They typically lead a great mob of boyz into battle but occasionally they will group together and don massive scraped together suits of power armor becoming meganobz. These elite units of heavily armored orks are extremely difficult to deal with and form the speartip of any great Warboss's assault. Stompa: Great constructs of the Mekboys, the Stompas are as large as an Imperial Titan and their massive frame bristles with dakka. They make up for incredibly poor speed and maneuverability with sheer killing power and armor. Absent other titans or knights it is extremely difficult for enemies to deal with Ork Stompas.
Tau Empire:
Auxiliaries: Members-in-arms of the dozen or so federated species serving the Tau Empire, auxiliaries vary wildly in capability, equipment, and role, but all serve the same purpose: lightly-armed, lightly-armored soldiers who can augment the Tau military. This can take the form of Kroot irregulars, human Gue'vasa riflemen, Vespid mobile infantry, among others. Generally considered to be more expendable than mainline troops. Pathfinders: Whether wearing Recon Armor or the more advanced Stealth Battlesuit, Tau Pathfinders are highly adept scout troops equipped with a variety of specialized weapons and tools, including beacons that can serve as targeting aids for ground or orbital artillery, as well as troop and supply drops. Typically backed by troop carriers and fire-support gunships. Fire Warriors: The archetypal long riflemen of the Tau Empire, the Fire Warriors are highly disciplined marksmen who fight using squad and combined-arms tactics. They are generally accompanied by support drones, troop carriers, gunships, artillery support, and/or heavy armor. Battlesuits: Extremely mobile and heavily armored humanoid weapons equipped with jetpacks, the Battlesuits (usually deployed in trios) can serve as either rapid response or fire support, depending on their loadout. Each unit is generally accompanied by multiple support drones. Ballistic Suits: The final word in Tau military technology, the Ballistic Suit is a larger, less maneuverable, more powerful variant of the Battlesuit designed as a response to the Imperial Titan and similarly massive units. Their sheer size makes them unsuitable for standard hit-and-run Battlesuit tactics, and they instead serve as superheavy weapons platforms.
Name: Casimir Gallevath Rank/Title: General, Chairman of the FTA Warband/Command Name: Free Termina Alliance Faction: Termina Rebels Age: 137 Species: Human Homeworld: Termina Secundus Biography: General Casimir Gallevath is a pillar of the Termina System's Imperial Guard, and has now brashly forced his way into insurrection. A scion of the immensely influential corpo-nobility of Termina's industrialized worlds, Casimir had long served as a dependable hand within the sector's PDF, holding his troops to a high standard and also using his family's wealth to lavishly outfit them at personal expense. This eventually earned him a promotion into the Imperial Guard "proper", where he earned some distinction as a stubbornly intractable soldier fighting far afield. It was these honors that allowed him to return home in order to engage in a round of recruitment to aid the embattled Imperium, his superiors reckoning that a local hero would make an easier sell of things.
Instead, Casimir turned his back on the Imperium, dragging his entire command with him under the banner of the newly formed "Free Termina Alliance" and lending his full support to the upstart Termina Republic. There are many possible motives for this betrayal. Perhaps it is spiritual-the General is a member of a heterodox take on the Imperial Creed that posits that the Emperor, as an ascended supreme God, has already left this realm, and what remains on the Golden Throne is merely empty remains. The Emperor has no need of anything physical-instead what matters is that one fights for the faith and works to follow his example as a wise ruler. The Imperium is separate from the Emperor-and the Imperium has clearly failed him. Perhaps it is political-he has already formed his own separate political and paramilitary force within the nascent Termina Republic, and doubtless stands poised to gain a great deal if this rebellion succeeds. Perhaps it is cowardice-better to stay within the sector and chance at a safe refuge than return to an eternity of war.
Whatever his motives, Casimir commands a powerful military force and has already started to cultivate political inroads as well, promising an eclectic mix of spiritual and economic reforms in the guise of a well-ordered enlightened autocracy that cares for its subjects and heeds their voice.
Name: Rahu
Rank/Title: Dark Apostle
Warband/Command Name: Eye of Truth
Faction: Chaos, Word Bearers
Age: ???
Species: Astartes
Homeworld: Clochis
Biography:
Truth is everything.
He had been deceived once, when he was young and freshly inducted into the legion. He had learned, like the rest, when the Emperor made them kneel for daring to believe in him. Rahu, like the rest of his legion, had been illuminated when they first discovered the Eye of Terror. Ever since, he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into the worship of the gods. No matter how brutal, no matter how painful—they were the simple truth of the universe. No more, no less. He conducted himself competently through the Horus Heresy, though just barely surviving the Siege of Terra. He has coasted along through the years, rising to the rank of Dark Apostle through a mix of luck, skill, and his own political machinations. While loyal to Lorgar and the Word Bearers, he has grown somewhat disillusioned with the constant bickering between Erebus and Kor Phaeron.
Charming, as one needs to be in his position, and surpisingly affable, Rahu has acquired enough of a following to strike out, away from the bickering of the Lord Primarchs so-called advisors, and bring great change to the universe now that the Imperiums countless armies have been broken and seperated. In the wake of the Great Rift he, like many of those who have survived the Long War, has pounced on the opportunity that lies before them. As the corpse-god's grand empire buckles under the weight of its sins, Rahu prepares to strike out in the name of the Dark Gods. His Holy Crusade will sweep through the Termina Sector, illuminating all who dwell within to the base truth of the universe.
Name: Grohrbluzak
Rank/Title: Da Waaarghmasta of da Slepsis Kroosade, Smasha of Da Skiez, Stompa of da Stunties, Basha of Beakies, Bringer of da Gitzkrieg, Maddest of Mekboyz, Big-Mek
Warband/Command Name: WAAAGH! Grohrbluzak
Faction: Orks
Age: Big numbers
Species: Ork
Homeworld: Unknown
Biography:
An Ork is never lost. They are always heading towards the best fighting. Sometimes however they may end up at a different fight to the one they intended. Grohrbluzak has grown testy as of late. A dangerous state of mind for a Greenskin warlord. His last few conquests have been utter disappointments. Either the gitz he battled blew themselves up or were so weak he forgot if he even won. But now, riding Gorks Grin, he sees the opportunity to loot enough to rebuild his Maggun Orkus!
Canoness Preceptor Ophelia Marie of the Order of the Sacred Rose
Name: Ophelia Marie Rank/Title: Canoness Preceptor Warband/Command Name: Preceptory of St Dominica's Fall, of the Order of the Sacred Rose Faction: Imperial Age: 37 Species: Human Homeworld: St Dominica's Fall Biography: After the Great Rift tore the Imperium asunder, the Shrine World of St Dominica's Fall was cut off from the Emperor's light, deep in the Imperium Nihilius. The Sisters of the Order of the Sacred Rose who made their home on this world, in remembrance of the death of Sister Dominica in battle here, scarcely had the time to prepare themselves before they were beset on every front. Sister Ophelia Marie was not the Canoness Preceptor before the Rift, being merely the Third Palatine of the Preceptory, but when they were finally successful in stabilising the immediacy of their domain, she was the most senior remaining Battle-Sister, and was given no choice but to assume command.
Young and filled with fervour only a little tempered by her responsibilities, Canoness Preceptor Ophelia announced and launched an offensive Crusade against the darkness filling the Imperium Nihilius, pushing to cleanse it with bolt, blade and flame. Even in their assault, however, the tenets of the Matriarch Arabella remain everpresent - discipline and faith will win what ferocity might squander.
When the Termina Sector declared its intention to abandon the light of the Emperor and leave His Children to grope in the darkness beyond his Aegis, the Sisters of the Order of the Sacred Heart of the Preceptory of St Dominica's Fall could by no means refuse to serve, nor had they any intention of doing so. To turn against the Imperium in this time of great need was to defy the Emperor himself, and thus was heresy and apostasy. The Canoness Preceptor put out the word herself - this was to be a War of Faith.
Name: Adalberth
Rank/Title: Lord of the 4th Warhost
Warband/Command Name: 4th Warhost
Faction: Adeptus Astartes
Age: 250 standard years
Species: Transhuman
Homeworld: Nemeton
Biography:
Called "Kavalei" by his battle-brothers, Adalberth was born to the Clan of Kings on the rainy Feral World of Nemeton and given the geas of "strike first, strike hard". His demeanor is that of a savage warrior-king, rewarding those that serve him well, striking down all those who oppose him, and brooking dissent only from his most senior comrades. He has ranged far from his home in the region of Elara's Veil, seeking to proactively thwart threats that could join the Exilarchy, taker of slaves, burners of worlds. This journey has carried him to Termina.
Surprisingly for one so fierce and eager to fight, Adalberth takes no especial pleasure in putting down the Termina revolt. He regards the Canoness Ophelia as an Emperor-deifying fanatic of the Ecclesiarchy, blinded to the realities of the Dark Imperium by her unremitting faith. He recognizes that had circumstances been different, the Emperor's Spears would've been able to call upon Termina's aid in their grinding struggle. Rather, he seeks to do his grim duty and then wash his hands of this bloodletting. After all, if Termina is not removed as a threat, then surely the fallen Star Scorpions and their slaves will turn their eyes to it and try to enlist it as an ally.
Under Adalberth's command are the hardened fighters of the 4th Warhost, a Company-sized formation of around eighty warriors. With the cry of "Skovakarah Uhl Zarun" (lit. "Redden the Earth!"), they plunge headlong into the melee as a unit, fighting as brothers. Their numbers contain many Close Support squads, for the unit and its commander long to get to grips with their foes.
NUELAINE SATH Your understanding of the Destroyer's art is so rudimentary. As would be expected of a Mon-keigh. Repent through the majesty of your ruin.
Rank/Title: Voidreaver Felarch. Warband/Command Name: The Twilight Jewel. Faction: Xenos.
Age: Wouldn't you like to know, Mon-keigh? Species: Aeldari. Homeworld: Aboard the Pearl. Biography:
The Aeldari have always struggled with a sense of wanderlust. Hints of it have brought them closer to decadence and the Fall which accompanied it. Or so the traditional Aeldari would have it. The Craftworlds were forged in the fires of focus and discipline. Lives spent only in the pursuit of personal glory and selfish desire were tossed out of the system. However, there are those who could not endure such rigidity. The need to roam the stars broke even the strictest of restraints. Before Nuelaine Sath walked the Path of the Outcast, she trained as a Dark Reaper in Biel-Tan. The elders there spoke to the youth of their imperial glory. They clattered about how they would rebuild the old empire. A bitter people, the Biel-Tan practiced the art of Death more than any other Asuryani.
Endless battles for the world-ship tired Nuelaine. She thought it was hopeless after the Biel-Tan's infinity circuit fractured. A chance encounter with a Rogue Trader led her to sever her ties with the Aspect Shrines. She abandoned her duties to live freely as a Corsair, taking the stratagem of the Swordwind with her. The principles of power, speed, and precision guide her martial talents. When an enemy puts up the most resistance, she enters a killing trance with a tempest launcher.
Termina Sector was a hunting ground for Nuelaine's warband. The Twilight Jewel feasted on the treasures of the primitives. Striking before their bulky fleets could reach her, she became a nuisance. The chance to become something more arrived with the Termina Republic. There was so much to do with the Carrion Lord so far away and the sector in utter disarray.
Name: Shas'o Dal'yth Sayira Shi'var (O'Sayira; Shattermoon) Rank: Commander Command Name: Fifth Sphere Army Faction: Tau Empire Age: 31 Species: Tau Homeworld: Dal'yth Biography: Protege of Commander Shadowsun, Shattermoon is both victim and beneficiary of the Tau philosophy of the Greater Good. When the Fifth Sphere Expansion stalled out in the face of pyrrhic victories over determined Chaos and Ork resistance forces, Shadowsun was recalled to the home sept to assume command over the Empire's forces and begin preparing for the Sixth Sphere. She initially planned to leave the Fifth Sphere Army in the hands of a lesser Tau Commander, one who could serve a custodian's role while awaiting the next Sphere. Instead, Shattermoon stepped up and requested the position, dooming her own future advancement prospects while offering the Fifth Sphere Army the possibility of a commander that might actually lead them somewhere. This choice has proven especially prescient since the rise of the Imperium Nihilus.
Shattermoon is a gifted practitioner of Kauyon ambush tactics as well as the lesser Tau doctrines, particularly the Rip'yka (Thousand Daggers) method of attritional and asymmetrical warfare. This has proved to be essential to the Fifth Sphere Army's latest maneuvers; while the incident which gained Shattermoon her first deed name (detonating a moon's promethium reserves with an entire Ork Waaagh! stranded on the surface) was an example of classic Kauyon tactics, it has been her brilliant unorthodox strategy since assuming command that has seen her acclaimed Victory of the Knife.
Tau Empire:
Auxiliaries: Members-in-arms of the dozen or so federated species serving the Tau Empire, auxiliaries vary wildly in capability, equipment, and role, but all serve the same purpose: lightly-armed, lightly-armored soldiers who can augment the Tau military. This can take the form of Kroot irregulars, human Gue'vasa riflemen, Vespid mobile infantry, among others. Generally considered to be more expendable than mainline troops.
Pathfinders: Whether wearing Recon Armor or the more advanced Stealth Battlesuit, Tau Pathfinders are highly adept scout troops equipped with a variety of specialized weapons and tools, including beacons that can serve as targeting aids for ground or orbital artillery, as well as troop and supply drops. Typically backed by troop carriers and fire-support gunships.
Fire Warriors: The archetypal long riflemen of the Tau Empire, the Fire Warriors are highly disciplined marksmen who fight using squad and combined-arms tactics. They are generally accompanied by support drones, troop carriers, gunships, artillery support, and/or heavy armor.
Battlesuits: Extremely mobile and heavily armored humanoid weapons equipped with jetpacks, the Battlesuits (usually deployed in trios) can serve as either rapid response or fire support, depending on their loadout. Each unit is generally accompanied by multiple support drones.
Ballistic Suits: The final word in Tau military technology, the Ballistic Suit is a larger, less maneuverable, more powerful variant of the Battlesuit designed as a response to the Imperial Titan and similarly massive units. Their sheer size makes them unsuitable for standard hit-and-run Battlesuit tactics, and they instead serve as superheavy weapons platforms.
Title: The Midnight Sun, King of the Dawn, Daemon Prince of Cults Warband Name: Cult of the Midnight Sun Faction: Hosts of Chaos (Tzeentch) Age: ??? Species: Daemon Homeworld: ??? Biography: Of dubious origins, Malkam has claimed to have once been a cardinal within the Ecclesiarchy before his service to the Chaos God Tzeentch, but likewise has claimed to be a prophet in an era older than the Empire itself. Such is the way of one in service to the Great Conspirator. The truth is somewhere in the middle - in his mortality, Malkam was a confessor of the Imperial Cult. Entrusted with ministering to the obscure feudal world of Zalakiel, Malkam abused his influence and spread heresy to his own benefit. Proclaiming himself a prophet, Malkam led the native population to execute its Imperial governor and usher in a brief period of isolation. When the Imperial Guard returned to restore order, the cult was bloodily dismantled, but Malkam had vanished. His followers claimed he had ascended and for three generations after still held that he would return to save the world from the false Emperor of Mankind.
In truth, Malkam was plucked from his destruction to serve the Lord of Change. Raised as a daemon prince, Malkam virtually disappeared from Imperial knowledge for thousands of years, save for a whisper here or there. His role is that of the tempter and corrupter, the occultic hierophant for countless cults smothered in the cradle by the Empire. But for some time, here he has nestled, in sweet Termina. The Changer of Ways foresaw the coming secession of the Termina Republic, and as such, seeded Malkam to form a new cult long ago in preparation.
Known as the Cult of the Midnight Sun, this heretical sect evolved over many, many years from simple heresy claiming a new aspect of the Emperor, to outright idolatry for Malkam the Midnight Sun, a supposed deity of enlightenment, warmth, and protection. Presented as innocuous, the cult holds that Malkam is a loving god, one who shines the light of divinity even in the darkest night, and for that he is also known as King of the Dawn. Having spread across the Termina system, it has largely infiltrated the Hive World of Krimen in a substantial way. Malkam has given divine blessing to the secession movement and thus the cult has acted as an instigator of anti-Imperial rhetoric, maintaining the masquerade of benevolence while in the shadows, a more sinister, violent faction grows to enact the true will of Tzeentch.
They To Whom All Under The Sea Is Owed House Greyjoy
105 A.C.
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House: Greyjoy of Pyke Head of House: Toron Greyjoy, the Lord Reaper of Pyke
Ancestral Seat: Pyke Holdings:
Pyke (A Fortress Falling into the Sea)
All the Oceans and Rivers of the World (Claim Disputed)
Current State of the House:
Lord Toron Greyjoy, the Black Kraken - Born 86 A.C. on Pyke
His First Saltwife, a Victim of his Raid to the Stepstones, Myrna of the Stepstones - Born 81 A.C. in Essos
No Children as of Yet
His Second and Favourite Saltwife, Raised from Galley Slave to Saltwifedom at the Lord's Whim, Visenya of Lys - Born 84 A.C. in Lys
No Children as of Yet due to a Critical Skill Issue
His Brother, Balon Greyjoy - Born 91 A.C. to a Saltwife on Pyke
His Brother, Rodrik Greyjoy - Born 91 A.C. on Pyke
Various Sisters the Lord Reaper Does Not Acknowledge
His Uncle, {Theon Greyjoy} - Born 64 A.C. to a Saltwife on Pyke and Died 103 A.C. in the Stepstones
His Bastard Son, {Toron Pyke} - Born 87 A.C. on Pyke and Died 103 A.C. in the Stepstones
His Bastard Son, {Toron Pyke}, the Other Other Toron - Born 89 A.C. on Pyke and Died 103 A.C. in the Stepstones
His Uncle, Vickon Greyjoy - Born 67 A.C. on Pyke
His Son, Balon Greyjoy - Born 101 A.C. on Pyke
His Uncle, Euron Greyjoy - Born 69 A.C. to a Saltwife at Lordsport
His Uncle, {Dagon Greyjoy} - Born 70 A.C. to a Saltwife on Pyke and Died 103 A.C. in the Stepstones
His Son, {Harlon Greyjoy} - Born 93 A.C. on Pyke and Died 103 A.C. on Pyke Under Suspicious Circumstances
His Uncle, Dalton Greyjoy - Born 74 A.C. to a Saltwife on Pyke
His Son, Alton Greyjoy - Born 95 A.C. on Pyke
His Son, Regnar Greyjoy - Born 96 A.C. to a Saltwife in the Narrow Sea
His Son, Vickon Greyjoy - Born 99 A.C. to a Saltwife on Pyke
His Son, Maron Greyjoy - Born 100 A.C. on Pyke
His Son, Toron Greyjoy - Born 104 A.C. on Pyke
His Son, Veron Greyjoy - Born 104 A.C. to a Saltwife on Pyke
Retainers of House Greyjoy
Maester Wyllard
Steward Theomore Botley
Castellan Dunstan Pyke
Master-at-Arms and Captain of the Violent Delights, Qarl the Blue
Captain of the Guard, Big Baelor
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The Lord Reaper of Pyke
and
Captain of the Unspoken Command
It acts upon EARTH to make COAL. It acts upon WATER to make STEAM. And through the power of coal and steam, its children marched forth to unite all under heaven!
The people of the flame are the spark for all the lands of the earth. Our place in history is clear as the sun--to burn the Old Order away, and build the NEW ORDER upon its ashes! One hundred years ago, SOZIN THE GREAT led us to war not merely against the Earth Kingdom, but against the cold and the dark of the ancient tyranny. His foe was not merely the King Hou, but the wicked masters of every nation who taught subjugation and backwardness and lies in the name of WHITE LOTUS. His goal was not merely conquest, but to free all the peoples of the world!
Comrades, under the Red Banner you rose up from your farms and your villages to answer Lord Sozin's call. You brought the torch of progress and civilization to the highest peaks and the lowest valleys, to the barren wastes and the teeming cities, to the freezing south and the sweltering desert. You became the greatest heroes the histories have ever recorded. You were victorious on every front. But you were betrayed!
Our elders grew indiligent in their devotion to Sozin's will. And through that indiligence, the wicked masters of the old order gathered in their tea halls and their estates under the White Lotus banner to scheme against the people once again. Cloaked in the shadows, they established themselves once again in Court and the Peerage, the temples and the monestaries, the guild halls and the banks. They rebuilt their old power in the hidden hand of conspiracy. And in the inky darkness, they engineered a vile plot against the people of the Fire Nation.
For decades, they carefully prepared their scheme. They enlisted to aid them the shirkers of every class, the ones too greedy or cowardly or unpatriotic to make the sacrifices our country asked of us. They swelled their ranks with the profiteer, the robber baron, the tax dodger, the deserter, and the pacifist. And when the opportunity finally came, they struck.
No, comrades, we were not defeated in the field. Under Phoenix Queen Azula's leadership, we marched triumphantly into Omashu and Ba Sing Se, and brought all of our foes to their knees. Nor were they defeated by the airbender boy. Though he could fight one man, he would yet have trembled helplessly before the full might of our armies. Our defeat came from within. It came when the masters of the White Lotus, led by the nine-times-damned national traitor GRANDMASTER IROH, used Lord Ozai's death to seize control of our country. They seized the throne for their traitor puppet Zuko, and threw the Court and the General Staff and the banks behind him. They stabbed our nation in the back, for the sake of their own wealth and power.
The true face of the White Lotus is the SHIRKER. The force they lead is a grand coalition of all the parasitical classes. The "gentry" landlords, who have traded their sword and armor for quills and silks. The usurious banksters and merchants, who would sell their country for gold without a second's hesitation. The shamans and the monks, who take rent and tithe and preach backwardness and the lies of the "Spirits" who so hate us. The guildsmasters, who would cripple our industries such that they might keep their fortunes. The criminals and the vagrants, who prefer theft and anarchy to honest work.
Each and every one of these useless eaters takes from our people and gives nothing in return. And the War was offensive to them, because the war asked that all people do their part to sacrifice in the name of the country. Its needs demanded that our nation be transformed on every level to fulfill them. It elevated the producing classes over the parasites--raised merit over privilege, industry over idiocy, science over superstition, officers over "gentlemen", labor over leisure and idleness. And for that, the war had to die.
This is the character of the cause of Zuko! Look behind him, and you will see all these worthless classes united together to steal from those who work and those who fight. The stinking reactionary Jian Shou, whom he has appointed Governor of Susong. The crusted old army grandees Shinu Lastname and Tadashi Kenji, who sat gormlessly for two decades and fled from decisive battle, and captured less territory in twenty years then Azula did in twenty weeks. The outlander nobles Peng Liu and Hiroshi Zan, who plot to bring Earth Kingdom feudalism and DaiLiism to our free soil. The profiteer Shiho Arai, whom he enfeoffed and allowed to form her own private armies. The idle gentlemen Han Shinwoo and Lei Yamashita, who have rose through no merit but their birth and have shown loyalty to no one but themselves. The peasant anarchists, who delight in chaos and banditry in the name of the "spirits". The superstitionist Meng Taori, who betrayed his nation for fear of a wave!
Yes, this is the character of the so-high-and-righteous "Fire Lord" Zuko! Theft and usury. Backwardness and superstition. Idleness and idiocy. Treachery and cowardice. PARASITISM and SHIRK.
Our nation can no longer tolerate the designs of such worthless people. The Shirker, who is the greatest criminal of all, who betrays his people and his nation and his world, is the vilest manner of creature upon the name of the earth. He must be driven out of every hole, every crevice, every inch of our nation! Every parasite must be taught that the wages of shirk is DEATH!
Comrades, we were defeated only from within! And thus, we may rise again if only we find once more our force of will! A great historical responsibility is laid out before us--we must ensure that Sozin the Great's cause remains alive, and that the millions who shed their blood and tears before us did not die in vain. We must bring together a bloc of all the productive classes, united in common cause to drive out the shirkers and the White Lotus! And we must form a Mobilized State, which will fully devote every soul, every resource, every factory, every inch of land to the name of progress and victory!
Countrymen, in one hundred years you have transformed hamlets into sprawling cities, dusty plains into rich fields, craft houses into towering factories! You have lined the lands of the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom with roads and mills and mines and dams. You have built the mightiest armies and fleets in the history of mankind, and wrested mastery of the land from the Earth Kingdom, mastery of the ocean from the Water Tribes, and mastery of the sky from the Air Nomads with your great curtain of steel! You have transformed the face of every inch of the world, and remade it in the name of the Fire Nation and of progress! Comrades, can you not see that there is nothing that we cannot accomplish, if we are united and fully dedicated to the cause? Can you not dream of the great feats that we will do once the traitor parasites are cast out from our midst?
The cause of fire has been the cause of progress, ever since the day when the first men lit the first flame and thereby conquered the cold and the dark. It is the cause of the stove, of the forge, of the airship, of the engine. It is the cause of the liberation of all the world from backwardness and tyranny and superstition. And it is a cause that, with all our people mobilized and empowered behind it, we must and shall fulfill!
To this end, we patriotic and comradely brotherhoods of the Fire Nation--the United People's League, the Reform League, the Progressive People's Party, the Workers' League, the Society of Patriots, the Reddogādo, the Fraternal Order of Front Fighters, and the National Labor Front--hereby announce our decision to unite into the NEW ORDER SOCIETY FOR UNITY AND PROGRESS. We dedicate ourselves wholely to the great task of forming a fully mobilized state, which shall unite all people and all resources together for the cause of victory! We shall work tirelessly to assist Phoenix Queen Azula and the people, to achieve the following causes for the advancement of our nation:
Institution of a Land Tax of 100 taels per hectare, increased to 300 Tales for any possessed hectares above five and 1000 Taels for any possessed hectares above fifty.
Taxes on excessive consumption and luxury goods.
Full enforcement of all tax obligations
Elimination of commodity taxes on common goods such as those on salt, tea, etc.
Institution of a national minimum wage.
Price controls for essential goods.
Full organization of all industrial workers under the auspices of the National Labor Front, which shall be empowered to negotiate labor relations in their name.
Allocation of funding to the National Labor Front to provide for workers' entertainment, education, and physical and moral improvement.
State funding of internal improvements and infrastructure, cultivation of new land, and establishment of new mines and factories
Seizure all uncultivated privately-held lands.
Nationalization of idle or underperforming factories.
Nationalization of key war industries.
Development of modern and scientific methods of industrial organization and management.
Formation of an Industrial Board to direct and manage industrial activity.
Liquidation of monestaries and temples and seizure of assocated trust lands, save those dedicated solely to Agni.
A full review of all enfeoffed titles and benefices for inadequete contribution to the war effort violating ancestral duties, to be punished by revocation and seizure.
Redistribution of state-seized lands to yeoman ownership.
Nationalization of all banks.
Ban on profiteering.
Establishment of a Society for the Promotion of Science and Technology, with the full support and funding of the state.
Establishment of a national network of trade, industrial, agricultural, and mining schools.
Full guarantee of public education up to 16 years of age.
Abolition of all commercial monopoly privileges.
Abolition of all internal trade barriers.
Full meritocracy in the military and government, abolition of all hereditary or class qualifications.
Abolition of all hereditary or class exemptions to conscription.
Reform and rationalization of the bureaucracy and legal system.
Guarantee of all veteran pensions, including lands for settlement allocated in the liberated territories.
Severe punishments for shirk, profiteering, and workshyness.
Establishment of youth organizations to encourage physical and mental readiness.
Ban on all anarchist and anarchist-influenced organizations.
Ban on all pacifist and pacifist-influenced organization.
Ban on unpatriotic organizing or propaganda.
Execution of all members of the White Lotus and any other organizations influenced by Air Khanate spiritual corruption.
Establishment of a Special Police Service to identify and arrest all White Lotus members.
Declaration that all territory of the Fire Nation is One and Indivisible, from which not an inch may be detached.
Long live the people of the Fire Nation! Long Live Her Majesty the Phoenix Queen!
Greetings and welcome to The Red Flag, a game set in an alternate-history Germany, wherein the Weimar Republic is toppled by a left-wing revolution. Through a series of small divergences, the historical Kapp Putsch ultimately led to a German civil war, followed by the triumph of a broad force of revolutionaries. It is now October 23, 1920 and the institutions of the state and the history of the world must be decided.
It is up to you, Comrade, to staff the constitutional convention, build this new German nation, and chart its course through a world in turmoil.
Rules and Procedures
The foundation of this game will be on voting, whether through direct electoral means or through indirect channels of influence and coercion. This is of course where you - the player - comes in. You will fill the role of a notable in this period, making an original character who you shall direct through the foundations of a new Germany and whatever follows. Given the inherent chaos of this setting, we'll have to see just how Germany turns out and I'll adapt accordingly to its unique government or lack thereof.
As I plan it, a "normal" flow of events will begin with a Crisis Phase wherein I levy a specific issue to the player base, which you may tackle in whatever harebrained ways you wish. This is precisely how our game will begin, the crisis being the convocation of a constitutional convention, but further Crises will be unscripted and dependent on how the game progresses. Following the Crisis Phase, I will then have two half-year General Updates, detailing the happenings both within Germany and abroad if notable, with the possibility of further Crises between them.
You may ask yourself, "But what do I do during these General Updates?" Good question. During each half-year turn, players will have two major actions they can take:
Firstly, legislate. These are times when you should be debating, attacking and proposing legislation within the government.
Secondly, orders. Each half-year, I will allow all players to send one order which I will determine the results of by GM magicks. As a rule of thumb, realistic and sensible orders that are backed by fellow players will tend to do well, while crazy schemes conducted solo will likely incur great risks and the potential for character death.
Character Creation
"So how may I sign up?" you may ask, all giddy with Brandlers and Baaders dancing through your head. Here's how this will go down. I am forbidding historical characters, so all characters must be original. No, you may not reskin a historical character and call them original.
I strongly encourage all players to be a member of the constitutional convention, the Reichsrätekongress, however, given the broad nature of the revolutionary forces, there are many opportunities to participate. Additionally, non-governmental characters can have some form of impact via orders. I will not tailor the game to those outside the government system, but I will allow you some degree of autonomy so long as it doesn't annoy me.
With regards to how prominent your character may be, I say this: no one may start as an uncontested head of a major faction (see below for more details). Though I expect this to quickly change, this begins as a story of your rise. As far as your character's involvement in historical governments, use your best judgements. A former DNVP mayor of Sproggenworf is not a good candidate to go very far here. If in doubt, ask me. As a rule of thumb, make something fun but not something that can be considered overpowered or setting yourself up to dominate others because of your experience.
Without further adieu, here is the sign-up.
Wolfgang Teiler
Birthplace: Bremen, German Empire Birth Date: January 9, 1894 Position: Delegate to the Reichsrätekongress Affiliation: Independent, Council Communist Biography: The poor son of dockworkers, Teiler had little ambition in life other than survival. This was made all the more serious following his conscription during the Great War. Suffering physical and mental trauma, it was only through sheer luck that he escaped the horror of war alive.
Thoroughly radicalized by the war, Teiler returned home as an avowed socialist. Joining the wave of mutinous soldiers, he was among those that declared Bremen a council republic, only to be brutally repressed by freikorps militiamen, those he had just served alongside. Believing the revolution squandered, Teiler fled Germany and lived for some years in the Netherlands. Returning in 1920 to aid the new revolution, Teiler faced his fears of soldiering to at last defeat the forces of capital.
Acclaimed to the Reichsrätekongress by a soldier council, Teiler has unexpectedly been foisted into the center of a new era of German history.
The Reichsrätekongress and the German Government
During the Revolution, a seven-member Zentralkomitee has monopolized power, equal-parts economic manager and high command. But following the long march of Erich Ludendorff and the remaining freikorps to East Prussia, the Zentralkomitee has existed on borrowed time, elements from within and without demanding a proper government.
Thus, The Red Flag begins at the onset of the Reichsrätekongress, a constitutional convention tasked with formalizing a government. In game terms, that means our game will open with special rounds of voting that will allow you to help design the state you'll govern.
Until the conclusion of the Reichsrätekongress, we don't know for certain how this new Germany will function…
Political Factions
With the revolutionary origins of the new German state and the ad-hoc convention of the Reichsrätekongress, factionalism is heavy throughout the body politic. While reactionary and many bourgeois elements of society have been removed from the light, the various, oft-splintered shades of leftism provide a surprisingly diverse cast of factions and parties.
Listed below are a handful of established political tendencies. However, I will allow players the ability to make their own named factions as long as they have one fellow player-backer, and factions within existing tendencies without restriction (within reason).
Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) - Largely synonymous with the Spartacus League, Rosa Luxemburg, and Karl Liebknecht, the KPD is the most organized revolutionary force among the far-left.
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) - One of the most prominent forces in the German left, the SPD was largely parliamentarian prior to the Revolution, its leadership bordering on complicity with elements of the right-wing. The murder of President Ebert and White Terror at last forced the SPD to align with the far-left, its political power and ties with the common soldier proving instrumental in advancing the Revolution.
Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (USPD) - A splinter faction formed from the SPD in 1917, the USPD originated as an anti-war faction. However, in time it united much of the more left-wing and principled membership of the SPD under one banner. The USPD was instrumental in legitimizing the KPD, pushing the SPD left-ward, and facilitating unity during the Revolution.
Kommunistische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands (KAPD) - Council-communists to the left of even Luxemburg and most Spartacists, KAPD split from the KPD amidst the Revolution over concerns that it cooperated too much with less revolutionary forces.
Freie Arbeiter Union Deutschlands (FAUD) - An anarcho-syndicalist trade union largely propelled to the national stage by its involvement in the Red Ruhr Army. Largely federalist in structure, FAUD stands mostly as an amalgamated movement of unions as its affiliation expands across Germany.
Deutsche Demokratische Partei (DDP) - Born out of a left-liberal tradition during the Empire's fall, the DDP was the most ardent defender of Weimar democracy. For this reason, they were among the few non-revolutionary forces to openly defy the Reichswehr and the Kapp Putsch. Their support for the Revolution was decidedly forced, but they joined nonetheless, its rank-and-file seeking to enshrine democracy and moderation into this new Germany.
Independent - Due in large part to the chaos of the Revolution, a great many delegates claim little to no party affiliation. From prominent officers elected by the soldier councils, to moderates fearful of openly claiming allegiance to the now-defunct parties of Weimar, independents fill the spectrum from to the center to the far-left. A number of more regional or minority interests also fall within this sphere.
Timeline
With the alternate-history aspect of this game, I wanted to give a quick run-down of our new timeline. What lies below is a general, abbreviated list of certain changes or key events which nudged our Revolution into existence.
1918
December 24, 1918: Ebert-Groener Pact weakens, as Ebert concedes to the Volksmarinedivision for back pay. The USPD remains in coalition with the SPD and much bloodshed is averted.
1919
January 19, 1919: National Assembly Elections see the rise of the Weimar Coalition of the SPD, USPD, and elements of Zentrum. The KPD is excluded.
February 11, 1919: SPD's Ebert is elected first Reichspräsident.
November 7, 1919: USPD chair Huge Haase is shot but survives. He exposes connections between prominent freikorps officers and the government, with Noske replaced by USPD's Wilhelm Dittmann as defense minister. Right-wingers allege Bolshevik plot. 1920
March 12, 1920: With fears of increased votes for the USPD and KPD, the right-wing twists itself into fury. The Kapp Putsch, largely supported by the Reichswehr, marches on Berlin. Zentrum ministers remain to negotiate, but are taken into custody. President Ebert is captured in Berlin by Ehrhardt's Freikorps, tortured and killed.
March 13, 1920: The central government, having fled to Dresden, issues a general strike. Millions respond in the streets. Notable Spartacists declare this the moment for revolution, encouraging uprisings across Germany. The Red Ruhr Army emerges as the most prominent Red Army.
March 15, 1920: Elements of the far-right, "democratic" and otherwise declare for the Kapp government in fear of communist insurrection. The DNVP becomes the primary engine of support, working with the civil service and Reichswehr to prop up the government. The DVP gives tacit support, which begins bleeding moderates.
April 4, 1920: The massacre of dissidents in Dortmund, as part of the Reichswehr's suppression of the Red Ruhr Army, sparks open mutiny. Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord famously orders the arrest of colleague Oskar von Watter and declares for the central government.
April - May, 1920: A central committee forms around Luxemburg, Liebknecht, Wels, Scheidemann, Dittmann, Haase, and von Hammerstein-Equord. Although difficult and decentralized, revolutionary forces begin a process of coordination.
April 12, 1920: Wolfgang Kapp's government is effectively sidelined, as the Reichswehr takes a more direct hand and pushes for political reorganization. DNVP party leader Oskar Hergt is declared chancellor and assumes extraordinary powers with the vacancy of the presidency. Many decrees effectively strip away rights of dissidence.
May, 1920: Fighting escalates between an increasingly formalized Red Volksarmee and the Reichswehr. Terror abounds on both sides.
May 3, 1920: French forces under General Mangin occupy the Ruhr, leading to a severe blow to revolutionary forces and immense tension between all factions. The Red Ruhr Army claims the French are spearheading a white terror campaign.
May 5, 1920: Silesian insurgent forces rise up and claim key positions. Germans across the political spectrum allege coordination with the French and Polish.
May 10, 1920: Continued in-fighting and paralysis from the general strike pushes the Hergt Government to its effective dissolution. Mutinies intensify among the Reichswehr, while numerous radical Freikorps are formally empowered with extralegal power.
May 11, 1920: Erich Ludendorff declares himself Fuhrer of the German Reich, with muted support from his Reichswehr colleagues. Dictatorial and alienating, Ludendorff withers remaining sympathy for the White Movement, with its supporters increasingly found in the rural east and Bavaria.
May 15: Bavarian Crown Prince Rupprecht is named Staatskommissar and given dictatorial powers in Bavaria, cementing its position as a self-professed "cell of order".
May 17: Staatskommisar Rupprecht and a cabal of right-wing politicians are captured and killed by the Red Bavarian Army. A Bavarian Council Republic is declared.
May 23, 1920: Ludendorff leads a long march of white forces to East Prussia, effectively establishing a rump state.
June 2, 1920: The Zentralkomitee announces its intent to reform the Republic, with a constitutional congress much akin to the one held a mere year prior.
July - October: With difficulty, the myriad of proclaimed council republics, soldiers and workers councils, and insurgent bodies are coordinated to staff delegates to a Reichsrätekongress, to be held on October 23.
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (Spanish: Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro,[1]German: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) - Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 by Duke Philip of Burgundy.
Members:
Prince Eugene of Savoy, since 1687
Charles-Louis de Hennin de Boussu, Prince of Chimay, since 1694,
Giuseppe Mattei Orsini, 3rd Duke of Paganica, since 1694,
Jean-Philippe-Eugène, Comte de Mérode, Marquis of Westerloo, since 1694
Cesar, Marquis of Vidoni, since 1695
Aloys Thomas Raimund, Count of Harrach, since 1695
Guillaume de Mélun, Marquis de Richebourg, Grandee of Spain, since 1700, (His daughter, Maria-Lydie-Albertine de Mélun, b. c. 1695, Marquise de Richebourg and Grandee 1st Class, unmarried).
Leopold Philippe of Arenberg, 4th Duke of Arenberg, 10th Duke of Aarschot, since 1700,
James FitzJames, Duke of Liria and Xérica, since 1704,
Mercurio Antonio López Pacheco y Portugal Acuña Manrique Silva Girón y Portocarrero, twice Grandee of Spain, 9th Duke of Escalona, 9th Marquis of Villena, 15th Count of Castañeda, 11th Count of San Esteban de Gormaz and 9th Count of Xiquena, Mayordomo Mayor del Rey
Fernando de Silva y Álvarez de Toledo, 12th Duke of Alba
Pedro de Alcántara Alonso Pérez de Guzmán y Lopez-Pacheco, 14th Duke of Medina Sidonia
Regardless of rank or station, the death of a loved one can cause profound impact in any given person. From a mere peasant and seasonal worker in the Sienese Maremma to someone as high and sublime as the King of the Tuscans, it is an universal and irresistible truth from which there can be no easy escape. Indeed, such was the case when Violante Beatrice of Wittelsbach passed away after a prolonged illness in November 1738. La Dama Bavarese was mourned in all of the country, but none mourned her more than her precious only child, the Most Serene King himself. The death of his mother provoked heartfelt change in Cosimo IV Ferdinando. Since his early days, he had been an introverted youth, burdened by the immense heritage of the House of Medici and a deep sense of duty towards that legacy that was otherwise uncommon among his peers. Of course, the King had other interests beyond matters of state. He had studied philosophy and neohumanism under Averanus in Pisa, he was passionate for the musical arts (and certain musical muses, such as the soprano Anna Maria Strada), and he had taken quite an eccentric delight in the emerging practice of archaeology and antiquarian studies, taking the Accademia Etrusca of Cortona under his patronage and assembling a vast collection of relics from another time, from the Winged Horses of Tarquinia to ancient artifacts unearthed from the ruins of Carthage. But these were only fleeting pastimes when compared to his suffocating duties in Florence, at the head of not only a royal administration, but also of the conduction of an overseas war in Tunisia and of foreign affairs in the complex web of European diplomacy, which threatened to engulf Tuscany in crisis after crisis if not managed properly.
The truth was that Cosimo was tired. Unlike many of the men of his age, the Bavariocracy and the thinkers and statesmen of the Tuscan Enlightenment had bred him for duty. For all his life, the Last of the Medici had burdened himself with his inheritance, a self-imposed weight on his shoulders that he came to resent in the years following the Dowager Queen's passing. Should he not live a life of his own too? The King, of course, was in pain. He had channeled part of his grief away from destructive thoughts and into the creation of beauty and art, leading to the aptly-named Flowering of Florence. Perhaps Cosimo's grand construction and ambitious urban reform projects hid a deeper meaning that even the King himself failed to acknowledge. A desire, perhaps, to escape Florence, by transforming the very landscape of the city. An ingrained and unrecognized wish to break out of his gilded cage, founded on a curiosity for the outer world that had mostly been denied to him by his overprotective guardians in his childhood. The death of his mother elicited a subconscious reaction in the Most Serene King; one that claimed that he was now an adult and the master of his own fate. The stressful demands of government, combined with the pressures exacted by the Hofburg Crisis in the European web of alliances, and by Abderrahmane El-Mokrani, the New Hannibal, in his new kingdom of Africa, pushed the still-grieving king to the edge.
In short, he needed a break.
Fortunately for the thirty-four year old monarch, the victorious aftermath of the Hofburg Crisis presented an excellent excuse to escape his suffocating court. The King's reputation was at an all-time high in Europe, by whose efforts war between the great powers of the continent had been kept at bay, following his crucial intercession both in the Maddalenas incident and in the aforementioned Austrian affair. Indeed, some had even begun calling him Il Pacificatore, a moniker that the peace-loving and enlightened monarch preferred over allusions to his purported crusading spirit. The King's critical support for the Planet Emperor in the Hofburg Crisis had even won him the betrothal of his eldest daughter, Princess Violante Francesca Diana, to the Infante Felipe, who was expected to be enthroned in Vienna as Archduke of Austria and King of Hungary in short notice. It would be the wedding of his daughter in Vienna that presented the perfect excuse for Cosimo to quit the royal court and embark on a tour. Originally intending only to accompany Don Carlos' retinue beyond the Alps, the King's excitement for the trip soon turned it into a general Italian tour. Cosimo Ferdinando had rarely been away from Tuscany over his life, having traveled only twice to Rome and once to Cosmopoli across the sea, to greet and welcome Dom João V and his Portuguese troops. He would not waste the opportunity afforded to him by the wedding of his daughter.
REPUBBLICA DI LUCCA
THE FIRST DESTINATION OF THE COSMIC TOUR
The party that left the city of Pisa was fit for a royal of Cosimo's station. Although introverted, none could accuse the Medici King of undue modesty. He was still, after all, the only son of Ferdinando III de' Medici, a monarch who had been famous and infamous all throughout Europe for his decadence, lust and his love of extravagance. Although Cosimo Ferdinando could not claim even a tenth of his father's decadence (nor his personal skills with musical instruments), he was not a man who held a disdain for extravagance. On the contrary, he had been raised to be a patron of arts, a godfather of the new Renaissance the Bavariocracy had promoted in Tuscany. The Grand Tour of Italy and the Triple Wedding in Vienna were opportunities not only of individual improvement for the Most Serene King, but also for the display of Florentine culture, art and sophistication. As such, Georg Friedrich Händel and several of his fellow composers and musical talents of the Royal School of Pratolino would join the entourage, both to entertain the Medici in their travels and to offer true spectacles to whoever had the honor of hosting them. Along with the Pratolines came representatives of the literary circles, from both Florence and Siena, poets and playwrights of the Crusca, the Intronati and other academies, as well as a gaggle of painters, engravers and sketchers in the search for inspiration, of both spiritual and monetary kinds. Cosimo IV would also be joined by his family in his tour, at least initially; his wife Luigia Isabella of Orléans and two of their sons, the princes Filippo Ferdinando and Giuliano Gastone, with each having a role to play in the growing pageant (whereas the Grand Prince, Cosimo Ottaviano, was preoccupied by serving Dom João V as an aide-de-camp in Tunisia).
The first destination of the royal tour, which did not take long to receive the judicious nickname of "the Cosmic Tour", would, perhaps surprisingly, be the city of Lucca. Just across the border from Pisa, the Republic of Lucca had long struggled to maintain its autonomy in the face of Florentine expansionism. The two cities, alongside Pisa, had been locked in a deadly rivalry in the late Middle Ages. Whereas the latter had fallen to the Florentines in the fifteenth century, Lucca had been able to preserve its autonomy and self-rule. When Cosimo arrived, one of the reasons for Lucchese success soon became apparent: a formidable set of walls that enclosed the city. Although the fortifications of Lucca had never been put to the test, as the city had not been besieged after their completion, the strength of Lucca's defenses impressed even the King himself, who remarked in his diary that he would have to send "a sketch to signore Galilei". Once inside the fortress-city, Cosimo received a festive, if cautious, reception. Lucca and Florence had never been at war since the establishment of the Medicean Grand Duchy, but relations had often varied from cordial to tense over border disputes and (sometimes legitimate) Lucchese fears of Tuscan encroachment.
It was a fraught relationship, defined equally by moments of rivalry and friendship, that Cosimo IV sought to mend. The King may have embarked on his tour to seek distance from work, but work had a way of finding him, for he too was a restless soul. Perhaps Il Pacificatore had gotten carried away in his own legend as a peacemaker and wished to continue his exploits in promoting rapprochement with the small neighboring republic. Or perhaps the King had grown envious of the formidable reputation of his foreign minister, the Cardinal Corsini, and sought to prove for himself and to the world that he could achieve foreign successes without having to rely on his red eminence, who had remained in Florence to govern. Whatever the case, Cosimo put away the introverted man and wore his kingly face as he dealt with the Lucchese aristocracy, even as Tuscan flag-throwers from Florence, Siena, Pisa, Volterra, Cortona and Pistoia competed with the local offerings in a friendly spectacle in the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro.
The government of the republic laid with the minor and greater councils, on the one hand, and the Council of Elders, the Anziani, headed by a Gonfalonier, on the other. It was with the Anziani that Cosimo sought to negotiate, as representatives of the all-powerful Consiglio Generale, an assembly composed of three hundred citizens whose families had been Lucchese for several generations, two hundred of them landowners and the rest members of the local bourgeoisie. The outcome of the negotiations was the Treaty of Amity. The parties pledged not to make war on one another and to treat with each other cordially, to consult each other before taking decisions pertaining to shared interests, to facilitate trade and the mutual enforcement of the rule of law, and to promote cultural and artistic exchange between the Tuscan and the Lucchese academies. Of particular note, related to more practical matters, was the agreement concerning the drainage of Lake Bientina. Located at the border with the neighboring republic, the Lago di Bientina was the largest lake of Tuscany. It was particularly prone to flooding, endangering both the Arno river and the Lucchese countryside, up to the very gates of Lucca itself after strong rains. Medicean and Lucchese joint endeavors had attempted to construct a draining canal in the sixteenth century, but the system had grown inefficient with time. The Treaty of Amity negotiated by Cosimo Ferdinando contained provisions to continue joint drainage efforts, to combat the flooding and reclaim farmland for the growing population of the country. Although the Most Serene King was unable to persuade the Consiglio Generale to approve of a customs union with Tuscany, he succeeded in convincing them to establish a treaty of friendship and amity, as an important first step in Tuscan-Lucchese rapprochement.
The Treaty of Amity to dissuade fears of Tuscan encroachment was indeed well-timed, for the Cosmic Tour next took the Most Serene King north into the Lunigiana, and into the palace of the greatest of the local potentates, the Duchy of Massa-Carrara.
MAP OF THE LUNIGIANA
Naturally, Cosimo took the scenic route, even though the business of government awaited him at his destination. His letters to his former tutor and minister, the economist and cardinal Sallustio Bandini, reveal that Cosimo took a romantic liking to the lands of Cinque Terre, quaint medieval port towns squeezed against the Lunigiana's immense and awe-inspiring coastal mountains, entire villages frozen in time and hidden amidst a kind of natural beauty that the King had never seen in his lifetime. The wars had blessedly not touched this part of the Lunigiana, shielded as it was from the greed of the Bank of St. George by the larger and more powerful landmass that was neighboring Massa-Carrara. The statelet had been created in 1473, when Jacopo Malaspina, the Marquis of Massa and a scion of the Malaspinas of Fosdinovo, purchased the Lordship of Carrara for himself. His line ended with his granddaughter, Ricciarda, who accepted as her husband the Genoese aristocrat Lorenzo Cybo, of illustrious lineage, as a grandson of both Pope Innocent VIII and Lorenzo the Magnificent. Indeed, the marriage had been arranged by Cybo's uncle, the Medici Pope Leo X. The House of Cybo-Malaspina originated from Ricciarda and Lorenzo, and prospered due to the high demand for marble. Carrara marble, after all, was highly sought out by the courts of the Renaissance, much to the benefit of the local rulers. Carrara had been elevated to the rank of marquisate in 1558, while Massa was raised to a principality ten years later. In 1664, Emperor Leopold I ultimately confirmed Alberico II Cybo-Malaspina and his line as Dukes of Massa and Princes of Carrara.
After a brief but blissful retreat in Porto Venere, in which the King was only accompanied by his wife and a select few courtiers, Cosimo decided to make his way inland to the town of Massa, where the reigning duchess, Maria Teresa Francesca Cybo-Malaspina, had already generously received the rest of his party. The seventeen year old was the eldest daughter of the late Duke Alderano II and his wife, Ricciarda Gonzaga, who now ruled as regent in the young duchess' name. The Dowager had been a friend of the Medici in recent times, seeking closer ties to His Most Serene Majesty to shield her state from Genoese ambition. Indeed, she had contracted two thousand mercenaries for the Duke of Berwick's troop in the War of Bavarian Succession, and more recently had contributed men to the war in Tunisia. The family was well connected in the Curia too, where Maria Teresa's uncle, Cardinal Camilo Cybo-Malaspina, had previously served as Latin Patriarch of Constantinople and Grand Prior of the Order of Malta in Rome, as an important, if rather aloof, ally of the Secretary of State, the Cardinal-Duke de' Medici. "The road to Massa is lined with deposits of the purest white marble awaiting transportation to the sea, sent from the town of Carrara, which lies further inland in a valley nestled in the mountains," the King wrote in admiration to his friend, councilor and minister, Pompeo Neri. "The mountains are scarred here, with deep white gashes that are as if gaping wounds in the fabric of nature. Mountains of marble, all exposed to the Sun. How can so many objects of beauty emerge from such destruction? These mountains must be where Prometheus was imprisoned by Zeus, for Prometheus was wounded in the same way for giving mankind its greatest gift. This is the place where all beauty originates, and it is scarred for it."
The Most Serene King had evident practical reasons for visiting the ducal court of Massa. The Florentine state had long held strategic interests in the Lunigiana, as it commanded important passes in the Apennines on the approach to the city. The republic had acquired territorial exclaves in the region, which the Medici had later expanded: the Captaincy of Pietrasanta, lodged within Lucchese territory; the Commissariat of Pontremoli, acquired in 1650 by Grand Duke Ferdinando II; and the Governorate of Fivizzano, seat of the Governorate of Lunigiana, from which the other Medici possessions in the region were administered. The Corsini family also independently held the nearby Marquisate of Tresana, a title which conferred to them the status of sovereign princes and a testament to the prevalence and interest of the Florentine aristocracy in the Lunigiana. These were all towns and exclaves that Cosimo would visit on his way to Genoa, becoming the first Medici monarch in quite a while to set foot there, but for now the Most Serene King's eyes were set on the ducal court of Massa, the key to all of the Lunigiana, and the young noblewoman who wore the ducal coronet.
MARIA TERESA FRANCESCA CYBO-MALASPINA
DUCHESS OF MASSA AND PRINCESS OF CARRARA
Regional interests and politics aside, Cosimo IV had two other reasons for being drawn to the Cybo-Malaspina court. First and foremost, the King and his court were hungry for the pristine white marble from Carrara, in a time when Carrara marble was indeed in high demand throughout all of Europe. Cosimo was a dreamer and a visionary, and he had had a vision of a beautiful and modern city befitting of a king. That ambitious vision had led to the Flowering of Florence, but the new flowerbed could only thrive while it was carefully tended to. Left unattended and neglected, it would whither, and in time be relegated to distant memory. Florence did not need water and fertilizer to thrive, but marble. A cheap and secure source of marble of the highest quality, to be precise. The close proximity of Carrara, combined with the historically close relationship between the House of Medici and the Cybo-Malaspinas, made it the obvious supplier. Secondly, the Most Serene King sought to arrange an advantageous marriage for his second son, the Prince Filippo Ferdinando, whom he had brought alongside him on his tour for this precise reason.
The joint hunger for marble and for a dynastic match thus found a happy combination in the person of the Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara, Maria Teresa Francesca. As a ruling noblewoman in her own right, the Duchess came highly recommended. Massa-Carrara may be a small state, but it was still the first among the small states of Italy. Indeed, her title and territory afforded the Duchess a formidable station among the unpledged women of her age. As a matter of fact, Maria Teresa Francesca had seriously been considered as a bride for the Grand Prince of Tuscany himself, Cosimo Ottaviano de' Medici, but his parents had eventually discarded her for their firstborn, preferring to pursue a royal match for a future king instead. But for a second son as Filippo Ferdinando, Maria Teresa was a fairly advantageous bride. Cosimo Ottaviano was destined to inherit the Medicean crowns in due time, and before that he would eventually be endowed with the Dukedom of Urbino in his own right. The King's third son, Prince Giuliano Gastone, was marked for a church career. Filippo Ferdinando, however, was the spare. At most, he might have contented himself with the position of Governor of Siena (then occupied in name by Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, the Dowager Electress Palatine), as many of the younger Medici sons before him. But the governorship of Siena was not an inheritable title, nor did it provide a fully independent household and source of sustenance.
Therefore, the marriage of Prince Filippo Ferdinando and Duchess Maria Teresa Francesca presented itself as a natural solution to the conundrum faced by Cosimo IV. Not only would such a match provide for his second son and his lineage indefinitely, it would also guarantee a secure source of marble for the Flowering in Florence. In a time when marble was in high demand, Massa-Carrara could even expect a significant increase in export revenues, as every European noble from London to St. Petersburg seemed intent on building themselves palaces of every sort. As if that wasn't enough, the marriage of Prince Filippo to the Duchess Maria Teresa would secure, once and for all, the state of Massa-Carrara for the House of Medici. Although the state was expected to remain sovereign and autonomous, and not be integrated into the Crown of Etruria proper, a Medici cadet line would be installed in the duchy, consolidating Tuscan influence and strategic interests in the Lunigiana, and reinforcing the land bridge to the Tuscan exclaves of Pontremoli and Fivizzano. For Massa-Carrara, the benefits were evident. The duchess Maria Teresa Francesca would be granted a royal match to a prince, and would by extension become the sister-in-law of the future monarchs of France, Portugal and Austria-Hungary. Furthermore, the independence and integrity of her state would be assured, in a time when the Lunigiana was likely to suffer from increased mediatization.
LA SUPERBA, GENOA
Thus, the betrothal of Prince Filippo Ferdinando de' Medici of Tuscany and Maria Teresa Francesca Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa and Princess of Carrara, was concluded. Happy and invigorated by another foreign success, King Cosimo IV was in a good mood when he departed the city of Massa for Genoa, making sure to visit Tresana and his exclaves of Fivizzano and Pontremoli on the way. Regardless of his enjoyment of his peaceful time in the Lunigiana, the King was delighted to return to more urban dwellings, and particularly excited to see the city of Genoa with his own eyes. After all, the alliance between the Medici and the Most Serene Republic of Genoa was legendary. They had led the crusade in Africa, rescued the Order of Santo Stefano from obscurity, suppressed the piracy of the Barbary states, and established a permanent Catholic and Italian presence in the Algerian and Tunisian coastlines. Cosimo was keenly aware of the fact that the rebirth of Tuscany had only been possible due to the sincere alliance with the neighboring republic, which had facilitated access to credit in the Bank of St. George and had allowed the Conquest of Tunis, whose wealth, port revenues and tariffs had done much to refill the Tuscan treasury over time.
For that much, Cosimo was happy to come to La Superba. His visit was a grand occasion and a celebration of their victorious alliance. Cosimo was welcomed at the city gates by the elderly Marquis of Baselice, Carlo Andrea Rinuccini, who had been serving on and off as the Tuscan ambassador to Genoa since the signing of the treaty of alliance in 1716, when not preoccupied in Cosimo's Council of State or in undercover missions to Constantinople. The powerful Doge, Gio Filippo Spinola, offered a reception in the Palazzo Ducale, and further entertainments of every sort on every night the King spent in Genoa. In return, Cosimo graced the opera houses of the city with performances carried out by the School of Pratolino. The scholars of the Crusca and the Intronati paid lively visits to the Genoese literary academies themselves, reinvigorating the spirit of state-sponsored intellectual exchange first established in the Treaty of 1716. If there was any resentment for the policy of Tuscan neutrality during the War of the Algerias (although one pending towards the Genoese side), or of His Most Serene Majesty's recent exploits in the Lunigiana, they remained well hidden for the duration of the royal visit.
The rest of the tour went on in a flurry. Having devoted perhaps too much time for his stays in Lucca, Genoa and the Lunigiana, Cosimo hurried across Italy to keep on schedule. From Genoa, he went to Parma, where he was welcomed by his cousin the Duchess Elisabeth Farnese, who had once stood to inherit Tuscany if the male line of the Medici had failed. Her infamous husband, Philip of Anjou, was away in Dalmatia, but the King of Candia had nevertheless made his presence known in the great palace that he had raised in Parma, nearly enveloping the entire city. "A testament to the glory of the House of France and the disappearance of the House of Farnese," Cosimo sullenly wrote to Cardinal Bandini back home, adding that the sheer size of the Angevin home impressed him far beyond what was necessary. "We must respond," he penned in a letter to the architect Alessandro Galilei, "if not in size and absurdity, then in elegance and grace. It is clear to me now that we have outgrown the Pitti, and that the Imperial Vicar of Italy and royal heir to Matilda of Canossa cannot be undone by the Duke of Parma".
From Parma, the King visited the Este court in Modena, where he paid his respects at the site of the death of his grandsire, Cosimo III, before eventually making his way to Ferrara and Bologna, where he visited the university and wrote an affable letter to the Pope about the many qualities of his home city. He next visited Ravenna, where he marveled at the legacy of the Romans and the monuments commissioned by Justinian the Great, though he was annoyed to come across the grave of the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri, "the father of the Renaissance, who should by all accounts be resting with all laurels in Florence by the side of Michelangelo and Galileo." The King's stubborn insistence on purchasing Dante's remains and having them transferred back to his home city caused a minor diplomatic incident in the city, forcing him to move on, frustrated. In the end, it didn't matter. The final destination of the Italian Circuit was upon them. Hidden behind the morning mist, Venice sat just across its lagoon.
Elisabeth Farnese, Cosimo IV's third cousin and host at Parma
THE COSMIC TOUR Part II: La Serenissima
Cosimo IV de' Medici, King of the Tuscans, King of Africa, Perpetual Vicar of the Holy Roman Empire in Italy, disembarked in Venice to great splendor and fanfare on a surprisingly clear morning. The daybreak mist had swiftly dissipated, and the Sun and the blue sky had pushed away all clouds as if to herald the Most Serene King's arrival. The barge he had taken from the mainland port of Mestre across the Lagoon was coated in goldleaf and intricately gilded with sculptures and ornaments of cherubins and winged horses. It was one of the last works of the famed sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini, commissioned by the Regency in 1724 for the Grand Wedding two years later. The magnificent river barge, exuberant in the style of the late Baroque, had helped reintroduce the reborn House of Medici to the modern world. Now, nearly two decades later, it bridged the gap that had grown between the Medici and La Serenissima in the recent past. Although designed for navigating the Arno as a pleasure barge, it had been transported aboard the frigate Etruria to the port of Mestre, and from thence Foggini's gilded masterpiece had gently slid across the calm waters of the Lagoon, carrying the Most Serene King, the Queen and the princes to the Doge's harbor in front of the Palazzo Ducale.
The occasion was one that demanded grand gestures, after all. The friendship between the Most Serene Republic and the House of Medici was nearly as old as the Florentine family itself. In the early days, back when the Medici were bankers and had yet to rise to the rule of Florence, Venice had been central for the family fortune. The floating city had not only hosted one of the main and most prosperous branches of the Medici Bank, but had also been a safe harbor for the Medici themselves when, in 1433, Cosimo the Elder and his family were exiled from Florence by the machinations of the Albizzi. The Medici patriarch had taken refuge in Venice, settling down in the island monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, which he endowed with a great library in deep gratitude to the Venetian people when he triumphantly returned to Florence the year after. While relations had not always been peaceful in the years, decades and centuries that followed, Florence and Venice had never grown into detested rivals. Indeed, as late as the 1690's the Medici-led Order of Santo Stefano was providing military assistance to the Venetians in Crete and the Aegean Sea in their war against the Ottomans. It was said that the future Medici monarch Ferdinando III, then Grand Prince, used to spend more time in Venice than in Tuscany itself, a testament to the strong friendship that had evolved between La Bella Firenze and the Lion of St. Mark.
Alas, everything had spectacularly changed over the course of the reign of Cosimo IV de' Medici. A previously stellar relationship, even containing military implications, had given way to cool cordiality and, by 1740, outright and open hostility. Two main factors contributed to the regrettable collapse. The first was a diplomatic incident in 1726, the year of Cosimo IV's coming of age and memorable wedding, when the Venetian chancellery informed its Tuscan counterpart of an imminent Savoyard invasion of the newborn kingdom. The invasion, however, never materialized, which led to certain unofficial elements in the Tuscan court questioning the trustworthiness and intentions of the Most Serene Republic, which had been building up military infrastructure in the Terraferma over the preceding years. It was a misunderstanding to which the Venetian authorities responded sternly, opting for distancing themselves from Tuscany and the perceived malice of the Florentine court.
CARLO RUZZINI
113th Doge of Venice and not a fan of Cosimo IV
The second and much graver incident had come only in 1739, in the aftermath of the outbreak of the War of the Algerias. The Algerian crisis pitted the republics of Venice and Genoa against each other in a bitter colonial conflict, chiefly for the possession of the port of Algiers and control of the Algerian hinterland in Kabylia. The mere existence of the conflict itself might have been enough to cause further disagreement and hostility between Florence and Venice, as the former was a close ally of the Genoese in Africa and headed the increasingly prestigious and powerful Order of Santo Stefano, a transnational military order that counted with significant Genoese participation in North Africa. Indeed, there was a general understanding that if the Order became involved in the conflict, the Venetian Doge would declare war on His Most Serene Majesty, who led the knights of Santo Stefano as their hereditary Grand Master. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on the point of view), further escalation into an outright war was avoided when the Order's gaze was turned towards Tunisia, following the rise of the New Hannibal, Abderrahmane El-Mokrani, in Kairouan. For a fleeting moment, Cosimo IV and his foreign minister, the Cardinal Neri Maria Corsini, hoped that the emergence of the Shanqit menace, which by then had sacked Bizerte and Sfax and were laying siege to Tunis, might convince the warring parties to establish an armistice. Cosimo IV personally offered himself as a mediator of the Kabylian War, but his offer was categorically rejected and shut down by Venice, which was determined to end the war on their own terms rather than trust in a shaky, if Medici-guaranteed, ceasefire.
The heightened tensions provided a fertile ground for further dissent and escalation, which, of course, eventually came to pass in that same year, following the Maddalenas Incident. In short, French vessels, which had been indirectly assisting the Genoese in the Kabylian War, briefly occupied a string of islands in the Maddalenas, an archipelago situated between the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, but which had been nevertheless traditionally considered a constituent part of the Spanish-held Kingdom of Sardinia. The unannounced French occupation of some of the Maddalena islands provoked the harshest of responses from the Doge's court, which denounced it as the first step of a French invasion of mainland Italy. Unfortunately for the Medici, timing was not on their side, as His Most Serene Majesty had just concluded a treaty of alliance with the Most Christian King in the context of the Tunisian War. As was common, Medicean diplomacy rapidly positioned itself to mediate the affair. The negotiations presided by the Cardinal Corsini in the Medicean Villa of Castello (where the then Daupin and Don Carlos had personally met in 1726 to determine areas of influence), involving the conflicting parties and Genoa, successfully concluded with the Second Treaty of Castello, which ended French occupation of the Maddalenas and definitively awarded the archipelago to the Crown of Sardinia, held by Carlos III, with the provision that Corsican shepherds retained grazing rights in the islands.
Woefully, the swift and decisive Medici mediation of the Maddalenas affair did not prevent a heated exchange from simultaneously occurring in sessions of the Consiglio Generale of the Italian League. There, in those august halls, the Venetian envoy, speaking in the Doge's name, went on an infamous tirade not only against the Tuscan court, but against His Most Serene Majesty the King himself. The annals of diplomacy have since immortalized the controversial statements made by the Venetian delegation; how they accused Cosimo IV Ferdinando of personally and willingly facilitating a French invasion of Italy; how they demanded him (a King!) to "bow his head" and issue a formal apology; and how they denounced the Most Serene King himself, for the lack of a more sophisticated expression, as a "crook". Those were unprecedented insults of the highest magnitude against a crowned and anointed head of Europe, and a severe blow to the kind of prestige diplomacy that Cardinal Corsini had been brilliantly employing to expand the writ of Tuscany over the continent since he had first become foreign minister in 1720, if left unanswered. Under normal circumstances, the attacks on the honor and the dignity of the Most Serene King would have certainly led to a declaration of war. Alas, Tunis was besieged by the Shanqit, and so calmer heads prevailed. Cosimo Ignazio Ridolfi, the Marquis of Montescudaio and Tuscan ambassador to Venice, was recalled to Florence in protest and awarded the rank of knight in the Order of Canossa. The Tuscan embassy in Venice was stripped of its rank and relegated to the status of a mere legation, while Cosimo IV withdrew his offer of mediation in Algeria. These were half-measures that encapsulated a lamentably weak response, though the Most Serene King would be avenged in due time, when the Venetians took matters into their own hands and overthrew Carlo Ruzzini and his radical group of reformists, shortly after Ruzzini himself had made a public apology for his earlier statements.
FRANCESCO LOREDAN
114th Doge of Venice
All in all, Cosimo IV de' Medici was understandably a sort of international celebrity when he disembarked in post-Ruzzinite Venice in 1742, second only to their Angevin Captain-General, who was on campaign abroad when the Most Serene King made his visit. The insults professed in the midst of the Consiglio Generale of the Italian League had catapulted the Medici monarch to the unenviable condition of a public and outspoken enemy of Carlo Ruzzini, whether he liked it or not. Of course, Ruzzini did not have a shortage of foreign enemies, chief of them his Genoese counterpart Gio Filippo Spinola, but Cosimo IV had the benefit of not being Genoese, and thus not being a natural rival of the Venetians. His controversial defamation in the halls of the Italian League had come to be regarded as one of the greatest blunders of Venetian diplomacy under the Ruzzini regime (though the Congress of Adrianople would later take the prize). Predictably, the popularity of the young Medici had inevitably risen in the political and intellectual circles that opposed former Doge, as the slanderous treatment he had received at the hands of Ruzzini had become a symbol of the latter's perceived inadequacy for the role he occupied as leader of the Venetian Republic. Francesco Loredan, the local nobleman and magnate who had been elected the 114th Doge of Venice to succeed the deposed and exiled Ruzzini, was only too well aware of that fact. The prompt visit of a crowned head could be invaluable in adding to the legitimacy of the new regime, which had, in the end, been installed by violent means. That the crowned head who would be visiting was Cosimo de' Medici, the public enemy number one of Carlo Ruzzini, was of the greatest convenience to the consolidation of the new regime in post-Ruzzini Venice. The previous Doge had infamously humiliated the well-liked King of Tuscany. The new Doge would honor him. Thus, both he and the marchese Ridolfi, recently returned from Florence, were there to greet the monarch as he disembarked from his golden barge before the columns of San Marco and San Todaro.
Of course, the Most Serene King had his own reasons for adding Venice to his tour of Italy. First of all, there was the obvious and rather self-indulgent satisfaction in seeing Carlo Ruzzini and his cabal of agitators and Turk-lovers undone. Cosimo was not a naturally vengeful man, but he would be lying if he claimed he did not resent the humiliation the former Doge had put him through in a moment of weakness. Secondly, the King was curious to see Venice for himself, for the very first time. The reputation of the city, though damaged by Ruzzini's extreme frugality and moralism, still preceded it. Venice still was a cultural center known for a vibrant civic life that Cosimo was eager to experience himself, though in more moderation when compared to others. Thirdly, though perhaps most importantly, the visit was intended to show the Venetians that they could find a friend in Cosimo de' Medici. The truth was that there had been great discomfort in the Tuscan court in the aftermath of Ruzzini's overthrow. Philip of Anjou had consistently been a destabilizing agent in Italy and Christian Europe at large, though he was not necessarily an enemy of the Medici, as his contributions to the War of Bavarian Succession proved. Still, his rapid and decisive advance over Venice had caught most of the courts of Europe off-guard, and his elevation to the station of Captain-General and royal rank was troubling. The balance of power in Italy had to be maintained. If the Duke of Parma sought to force himself as a tyrant on the Venetian people, Cosimo IV and his Cardinal Corsini wished them to know that they had a reliable friend to call upon in Florence to guarantee their freedom and independence. Such was never stated during or after the visit, though the implication was clear for the astute observer.
To his credit, politics was not in the mind of the Most Serene King during his visit. Cosimo found Venice to be very agreeable. The City of Canals was vibrant and teeming with life, after having endured many years under the disciplinarian moralism of the Ruzzinite reformists and, lately, the duress of war, which had directly impacted their government's capacity to continuously fund public life. "The marchese Capponi is reminded of the free spirit that overtook Florence when my late father ascended the throne," the Most Serene King wrote home, after a conversation with his aged Councilor of State, the Marquis of Magliano. Scipione Maria Capponi had been a young man when Ferdinando III de' Medici had succeeded his father as Grand Duke in 1708. The new monarch had been radically opposed to the extreme religious and disciplinarian moralism enforced top down by his late father, Cosimo III, and had done away with his inquisitors and his Office of Public Decency. Ferdinando III had ushered in L'Apertura ("the Opening"), the first and perhaps most important of the Fernandine reforms. L'Apertura was the zeitgeist of the new age, the movement which valued the sciences, the arts, pleasure, civic and court life, and above all the freedoms of mind, body and spirit, the fertile ground upon which the Tuscan Enlightenment would be built upon. Cosimo IV was one of the children of L'Apertura, though he had been far too young to witness it. He was thus exhilarated to be in Venice at that time, to experience a kind of Apertura that was not a second coming of the Fernandine Revolution (for none could accuse Carlo Ruzzini of having been a religious zealot, as Cosimo III), but which was close enough in spirit and in meaning to stoke the fires of his imagination.
The three weeks Cosimo IV Ferdinando and his large entourage spent in Venice were far from idle. At first, the Doge Francesco Loredan seemed eager to monopolize the King's time. Receptions and masquerade balls were offered in his honor in the Palazzo Ducale, during which Cosimo could not fail to notice the recent Rococo additions to the palace, their lavish extravagance contrasting starkly with the former regime's austerity. "It seems that this Francesco Loredan wishes to leave his personal mark on Venezia," he wrote to his friend and minister Pompeo Neri, "and that I seem to be a conduit through which he means to present his new regime." It was not a role that Cosimo was fundamentally opposed to, though he did find Loredan lacking in refinement in some instances. The burning of Carlo Ruzzini and his cronies in effigy in a grand festival held in the Piazza San Marco proved particularly distasteful to the humanist sensibilities of the Medici monarch, though he soldiered through it with a smile. By the end of the first week, Cosimo had become thoroughly unimpressed with the new Doge. "Signor Loredan lacks all interest in culture beyond frivolity; all interest in literature beyond superficiality; all interest in music beyond balls; all interest in government beyond his personal estate," he penned in a letter to his councilor and former teacher, the mathematician Luigi Guido Grandi. "He seems an empty shell, indecisive and uninspired in all matters of rule and patronage, whose sole notion of the public good relies on the common and shared hatred of Carlo Ruzzini among the Venetians." For a cultured and educated ruler as Cosimo de' Medici, Francesco Loredan, a philistine aristocrat, possessed only little appeal.
Luckily, Cosimo's official engagements with Loredan diminished once the novelty of his visit wore off. Unburdened thus, the King was able to move about Venice with more freedom, caught up in the carnivalesque culture of exuberance that dominated the local social circles in 1742. For a popular but introverted monarch, navigating Francesco Loredan's Venice could be a challenge. Indeed, that was especially the case when it was Cosimo's late father, Ferdinando III, who was perceived as the role model for the House of Medici among the inhabitants of the city. The Orpheus of Princes had been dead for over two decades, but his shadow haunted his only son with every step that he took in Venice. Ferdinando de' Medici had loved the city, and the Venetians had loved him back. He had been a frequent and assiduous guest in the Venetian carnivals of his time, and as Grand Prince he had come to regard Venice as more of a home to him than oppressive Tuscany. After he had succeeded his father, Ferdinando III had traded Venice for his decadent lifestyle in the Medicean villas of Poggio a Caiano and Pratolino, where opera and sex were equally queens and he was their prince and consort. Of course, the first Medici king still visited Venice, if less frequently than before, and even away, Venice was never far. Among his numerous mistresses and lovers, the Venetians were always favorites of his, chief of them the castrato Cecchino. Many of his Venetian favorites had returned to their home city rich and well endowed, perpetuating the legend of Ferdinando III's largess and decadence until well after his death.
The Venetians could therefore be forgiven for assuming that Ferdinando III's only son would live up to his father's reputation. Carlos III's very recent dalliances with Venetian singers could also not be ignored. However, they could not be further away from the truth. Cosimo IV had indeed inherited his father's taste for culture and music, but none of his brilliant skill with musical instruments, nor his uninhibited and lascivious personality. The Most Serene King had had mistresses before, such as Händel's muse the soprano Anna Maria Strada, whose grace and talent had enchanted Cosimo in his youth, but he had always handled his affairs with quiet discretion. Unfortunately for the King, discretion was not a word in the dictionary of Loredan's Venice. Taking into account the carnivalesque quintessence of the city, combined with the legendary Medici reputation for decadence, Cosimo would suffer several misadventures during his Venetian adventure. "The women here are some of the most promiscuous I have ever come across," he wrote, aghast, to his mentor Cardinal Bandini, whom he also maintained as his confessor. "They fling themselves at me, trying to lure me with their feminine wiles, leaving me always at a loss for words. I am not safe from corruption in the palaces any more than in the street, for it seems that every host, male or female, married or unmarried, is convinced that I seek the pleasures of the flesh rather than the pleasures of the mind. Pray for my soul, cardinal, so that I may resist these foul impulses."
VITTORIA TARQUINI La Bombace in her prime
One of the most memorable of these episodes came in a reception offered by Vittoria Tarquini in her luxurious palazzo by the Rialto. In her youth, Tarquini had been a famous soprano singer known as La Bombace, considered one of the best, if not the greatest, tragic opera singers of her day. At age seventy-two, she was well past her physical prime, but her wealth remained unaltered, as did her patronage of the carnivalesque. After all, she had had quite a bombastic career in her time. It was her intimate personal history with the House of Medici and the opera school of Pratolino that made her invitation impossible to reject. She had first met Ferdinando de' Medici when she was eighteen, when the Grand Prince of Tuscany had come over to Venice to watch her performance as Giulia in the premiere of the opera Orazio in January 1688. The Medici heir was a frequent guest of Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, who owned the theater where Tarquini performed. Already at that time, the music-loving prince became smitten by La Bombace, showering her with expensive gifts and even accompanying Tarquini himself at a private concert on harpsichord. The next year, however, Vittoria married Jean-Baptiste Farinelli, kapellmeister to Ernest Augustus of Hanover, and moved with him to the Elector's court. Her stay in Germany was short-lived, however, for she left her husband soon after becoming pregnant and returned to her homeland to give birth to a child. La Bombace continued singing, and she became reacquainted with the Grand Prince of Tuscany in the Carnivale of 1696. This time, Ferdinando did not let her slip from his fingers and took her with him back to Tuscany, much to his father's fury.
La Bombace had already been a prodigious singer in Venice and Hanover, but it was in the Medicean court that her career truly blossomed. She quickly became the muse of not only Prince Ferdinando, but also of his friend and court composer, Georg-Friedrich Händel. She sang in Händel's operas Rodrigo (Florence, 1707) and Agrippina (Venice, 1709), consolidating her position as the lead soprano and tragic singer in the Medici-sponsored School of Pratolino. Much to the consternation of his wife, Violante Beatrice of Bavaria, Ferdinando III kept La Bombace as his favorite mistress for many years, although later in life the King preferred the company of his castrati. Even so, with Violante away in Siena, preoccupied with the business of ruling, La Bombace became some sort of standard-setter in the Florentine court, shaping Fernandine fashion and even influencing literary circles. Among the Pratolini, La Bombace remained their leading muse, guaranteeing her place in the history of Italian opera despite her increasing age. It was said that she was very friendly with Cardinal Francesco Maria de' Medici (who would later become Pope Innocent XIII) in that time, and it is all but certain that her relationship with Händel developed beyond platonic affection and glorification into a more passionate and carnal, if brief, form of love, in spite of her station as Ferdinando III's chief mistress. By the time of Ferdinando's death, she was fifty years old and no longer sang. No longer thinking it convenient to remain in Tuscany in the imminence of Queen Violante's installation as regent, she made her goodbyes to Pratolino and retired to Venice, taking with her the immense wealth the late king had bestowed upon her in incomes, jewels and dresses.
Vittoria Tarquini had become a titan of the entertainment industry and a leading figure in the social circles of Venice by 1742. Despite Cosimo IV's personal disapproval of her relationship with his father, there was no refusing her invitation. La Bombace was a living embodiment of the Tuscan School of Pratolino, a retired singer like few others... and, Cosimo had to admit, he was curious to meet the legendary Bombace, as a music-loving prince himself. The evening started easily enough, with a customary reception followed by a masquerade ball. But as the evening went on, the festivities took a stranger turn. Amidst dishes of oysters and aspargus, exotic dancers from the East spinned and whirled to alluring tunes, masks were cast off and jugglers performed in the naked, and La Bombace raised a toast in honor of Ferdinando III de' Medici, King of Tuscany, the Orpheus of Princes. Nobody could quite tell when and how the reception devolved into an alcohol-fueled orgy, which their hostess spun as a homage to the late Ferdinando and a show of gratitude to his son's visit. "Words cannot define what I saw before me," Cosimo de' Medici wrote to Bandini, "and I could not decide whether la Bombace meant to mock me or honor me, though she seemed honest and genuine in this city succumbed to degeneracy, lunacy and sin. If this is what l'Apertura truly looked like, make sure to tell the censors to keep it off the books." The King, absolutely mortified and stunned to silence, immediately took his leave and never looked back.
After the incident in Madam Tarquini's villa, later extensively described as an eye witness account by Giacomo Casanova in his Histoire de ma vie, the Venetian high society seemed to take the cue that they were not dealing with an ordinary Medici, even though he was the son of Ferdinando III. Cosimo, for his part, decided to refrain from partaking in night-time receptions in the future, instead settling down in the splendid Rococo apartments the Doge Loredan had made available for his use in the Piazza San Marco. Cosimo would instead keep himself busy with frequent visits to the local opera houses and literary academies, which offered a more sophisticated and cultured type of entertainment that the Most Serene King plainly enjoyed more than the carnivalesque. Interestingly, it was there that Cosimo amassed his larger followings. The intellectual circles of Venice had seen many struggles and changes over the years, with the conflict between the radical reformist party of the Ruzzinist intellectual elite, on the one hand, and the fierce conservative opposition, on the other. The moderates, who were neither convinced by Ruzzini's ambitious platform, nor denied the necessity for change, had been left sidelined and neglected over the years. Ruzzini had been very careful with his expenditures, while Loredan had never been a great patron (or reformist) himself, both before and after he had become Doge. The visit of the enlightened monarch of Tuscany presented opportunities of employment for the Venetian moderates, and Cosimo was quick to harvest talent when he spotted it (as London would later find out). It was in this way that the King made the acquaintance of Gian Rinaldo Carli, a young and promising economist who was also an antiquarian like himself. It did not take long for Cosimo to take the young Istrian under his wing; Carli would join his entourage, see the world and complete his studies in Pisa, before receiving a commission in the Tuscan government.
Of course, King Cosimo's participation in intellectual circles did not take long to attract the attention of those who wished to make money at his expense. Ruzzinite Venice had enjoyed intimate relations with the Sublime Porte, which often used the gift of ancient artifacts to strengthen the bonds with the Ruzzinite elites. The Ruzzinites had been exiled with their leader, however, and the new Venetian regime had confiscated much of their property. Now, their ancient artifacts now often found themselves being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Whether legally or illegally, it did not matter to Cosimo; he was a passionate antiquarian, with a burning desire for Eastern artifacts, which had been kept out of his reach due to the hostility between the Porte and the Tuscan court. Whether in splendid auction halls by the Grand Canal or in the Venetian underworld, Medici representatives worked hard to gobble up as many genuine artifacts as they could, to add to their King's growing collection in Florence.
Naturally, charlatans also emerged from the shadows to try and make quick cash. At a reception offered by the Venetian senator Alvise Malipiero (where Cosimo, despite his known preferences, had to flee from the seduction attempts by the soprano Teresa Imer, who desired to become the new Bombace), the Most Serene King once again came across the senator's ward, the young Giacomo Casanova. Cosimo did not remember Casanova from La Bombace's party, but Casanova remembered him, and how the King of Tuscany had seemed befuddled and simple when the temperature in the room had risen. Knowing of Cosimo's interest in antiques, and trusting in his own skills as a salesman, Casanova was confident he could squeeze golden florins from the Tuscan King's pockets. Arms interlocked with the actress Teresa Imer, who purred seductively at the King while her partner in crime made his pitch, Casanova presented a beautiful and convincing winged horse from the Peloponnese, trusting in the King's known affinity for pegasuses and his discomfort at Imer's advances to make a quick and favorable deal. Alas, the pegasus was a forgery. A very convincing forgery, for Casanova was not an amateur, one that other crowned heads in Europe might have readily accepted. But Casanova had underestimated Cosimo de' Medici. Easily blocking out Teresa Imer's temptation when faced by an object of true desire, the expert antiquarian king swiftly ruled the pegasus to be a forgery. That could have been the end of Giacomo Casanova there and then. Being caught red-handed swindling the King of Tuscany could not be beneficial to anyone's career. Then again, Casanova was a charmer, and Cosimo was in a forgiving mood. He had, for all his life, been sheltered, spoiled and treated as a sublime entity in his court. Having a random foreigner trying to cheat him to his face was a nice change of pace, which earned Casanova a breathtaking laugh from the Most Serene King. Appreciating the sheer courage and confidence of the charlatan, Cosimo handed the pegasus back to him, and invited him and Teresa Imer to join his entourage to Vienna. Thus began the infamous adventures of Giacomo Casanova.
By the time he was ready to move on and continue his tour, Cosimo de' Medici still was not quite sure what to make of Venice. He had not taken to the city as he had imagined. The freedoms and the culture of exuberance he had experienced in Venice had been inspiring and liberating, but the carnivalesque debauchery that had followed him to every corner had been a frightening prospect. The Doge, Francesco Loredan, had failed to impress him whatsoever. "At least Ruzzini was a man of conviction, whereas Loredan lacks every conviction," he wrote to Pompeo Neri. But, all in all, the Most Serene King had enjoyed his time in Venice, and he would depart the city with good memories of Venetian opera, academies and their grand sights. Cosimo, of course, would leave parting gifts to the Most Serene Republic. For one, he made a generous donation to the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, which had been the home of Cosimo the Elder in the fifteenth century. Pater Patriae had endowed the monastery with a library, which had since burned down. Cosimo IV would donate to the monastery to establish a new library, and promised to also open an printshop of the Royal Press in the city. But his most generous gift was beyond a doubt the announcement that he would fund the construction of the Teatro Cosmico, an opera house under Medici patronage to partake in the vibrant cultural life of La Serenissima. With new followers as diverse as Gian Rinaldo Carli and Giacomo Casanova in tow, Cosimo IV left the city of Venice. He would first make his way to Padova, to worship at the Basilica of St. Anthony, before continuing to the ancient city of Verona, where Don Carlos awaited.
THE BRIGANTINE HOUSE The Dukes of Braganza and the Parallel State in Portugal
Born from the august loins of Dom João I, Master of Avis and King of Portugal and the Algarve, the Dukes of Braganza have become, over the centuries, by far the greatest and foremost of the noble houses of Portugal, unparalleled in land, wealth and pedigree. Claiming descent from the male line of the Royal Capetian House of France, albeit twice springing forth from natural lines, the first Duke of Braganza was Dom Afonso of Portugal, the eldest illegitimate son of D. João I de Avis, ennobled first with the County of Barcelos and then the Dukedom of Braganza in old age. He was the third duke to be created in Portugal; the previous ducal lines died out in the following years, leaving the Braganzas as the oldest and most preeminent of the Lusitanian dukes.
By the dawn of the seventeenth century, Dom Teodósio II was the 7th Duke of Braganza, though his domains had been much enlarged since the times of the Master of Avis. From his splendid palace and court in Vila Viçosa, the Duke ruled over the Marquisate of the namesake town, as well as the counties of Arraiolos, Ourém, Neiva and Penafiel, the lordships of Monforte, Montalegre and Vila do Conde, and eighteen alcaidarias-móres. These possessions, when combined, afforded the House of Braganza the direct control of 9.4% of the entire Portuguese population, as well as 9.5% of the kingdom's territory, though contemporaries to the dukes often exaggerated that number to as much as one third, so sublime was their prestige and reputation amongst their peers. After all, the Braganzas accounted not only for a tenth of the kingdom's territory and population on their own; they could also boast of having the largest income in the country, and the fourth largest in all of the Iberian peninsula.
Fairly unique among their peers, the Braganzas benefited from a close and special relationship with the Crown. It was not always so. The third duke, Dom Fernando II, earned the enmity of the King, D. João II, who had him executed for treason and confiscated his lands in 1483. D. João's injustice was corrected fifteen years later by his successor, King D. Manuel I, who had the late duke's son recalled from Castile and reinvested with all the former titles, privileges and possessions of his house. D. Jaime, therefore, saw the House of Braganza not only restored to their rightful place, but raised to new heights entirely. As the child of D. Isabel of Viseu, he was the King's nephew. Lacking for sons, Dom Manuel raised D. Jaime de Bragança to the condition of heir presumptive to Portugal, which would have lasting effects for the house even after new heirs had been born to the House of Avis, not in the least in their heraldry. Dom Manuel had not only needed a proper heir, but he had also acknowledged a basic fact: that the governance of the Portuguese Crown over its own territory relied on the political, administrative and judiciary apparatus of the Brigantine dukes.
Dom Jaime, fourth Duke of Braganza
The arms granted to D. Jaime de Bragança as Hereditary Prince of Portugal and passed down to his heirs and successors
D. Jaime was thus the restorer of the House of Braganza, by the grace of his uncle the King Manuel, consolidating once and for all their place as the second family of Portugal. Further marriages would take place between the Dukes and the Avis. Jaime's daughter, D. Isabel, married her cousin the Infante D. Duarte, bringing the Duchy of Guimarães as her pricey dowry. Their daughter, the Infanta D. Catarina of Portugal, would go on to marry her cousin, D. João de Bragança, the sixth duke. The dynastic relations between the Braganzas and the Avis formed a solid foundation for the relationship between the Crown and the Dukes, to the benefit of both.
D. Jaime himself became so wealthy and powerful that he not only built the splendid ducal palace in Vila Viçosa, but also, in repentance for the murder of his wife, single-handedly funded and sponsored the expedition that took the Moroccan port city of Azemmour. At the head of a massive fleet of five hundred ships and fifteen thousand soldiers (although some estimated as many as 44,000), D. Jaime de Bragança personally led the expedition, and the conquest of Azemmour was immortalized in a fresco by the grand staircase of the ducal palace in Vila Viçosa for all eternity, for the glory of the House of Braganza was also the glory of Portugal.
The Braganzas ran, in effect, a parallel state within Portugal, one that was crucial for the Crown exercising power itself. It was a support state (known then as the Estado Sereníssimo, the Most Serene State), intimately bound to the Crown through dynastic links and personal interests. Wielding exceptional influence and vast amounts of resources, the Dukes of Braganza maintained the administration of justice in their dominions, supporting courts and employing judges, solicitors and men of the law; they kept representatives both in the councils of Lisbon and in the royal courts of Europe; they sponsored charities, fraternities, hospitals, churches, monasteries and other religious institutions; and they provided for an immense network of clients and clientele, bound to the ducal court in Vila Viçosa just as much, if not more, as to the Crown.
The Conquest of Azemmour by D. Jaime I de Bragança (1513)
Naturally, the Braganzas accumulated a wide array of privileges over the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which are still honored and upheld to this day. These have guaranteed not only the long-term wealth and affluence of the family, but also their position of unquestioned preeminence in the ranks of Portuguese nobility. They are too many to enumerate, but amongst them rank:
The right to adopt the court ceremonial of the Royal House, unique among the Portuguese nobility, in the ducal court of Vila Viçosa, famed for its opulence and the social quality of the 500-800 courtiers which attend to it.
The exemption from the Lei Mental, guaranteeing the indivisibility and male-line primogeniture of the Braganza titles, lands and estate.
The equation of ducal charters, decrees and orders to the same legal quality and category as royal decrees, assuring their enforcement throughout the entire Portuguese territory ("que seus alvarás valham como cartas régias," since 1474).
The right to the Indian trade, with the Dukes of Braganza allowed to annually send a trade vessel to India as part of the spice trade, exempted from all taxation. The dukes also enjoyed permits to appoint their agents and representatives in the Indian markets of Goa and Kochi, which could be licensed to a third party for monetary compensation at the duke's will.
The right of ennoblement, with the Dukes of Braganza allowed to grant noble status (fidalguia) to any person at their discretion. The nobles created by the Duke of Braganza would enjoy the same benefits, incomes and status as the nobles of the Royal House (fidalgos da Casa Real) and would be able to transit freely between both courts, within their own category, with no obstacles.
The right to the padroado over two ecclesiastical collegiates, the chapel of the dean-bishop of Vila Viçosa, and countless churches, convents and other religious establishments, the incomes of which which could be transferred in the form of ducal grants of Order of Christ commendations.
The right to call upon the military nobility within their jurisdiction to raise armies and restore public order.
The right to, ever since the reign of Dom Sebastião, equal treatment in style and precedence to a Portuguese Infante.
The right of hospitality, mandating that all Portuguese subjects were obligated to provide accommodation and sustenance to the Dukes of Braganza when requested.
The right of creating, within their domains, free fairs, slaughterhouses, smithies, soap-works and coutos de homízio, territorial jurisdictions in which convicted criminals could take refuge and be granted immunity, except for the crimes of treason, heresy, sodomy, murder and public theft.
The exemption to the payment of all sorts of taxes and fees to Brigantine goods traveling across the country, guaranteeing their free transit.
The right to take over all justice processes, within their territorial jurisdiction, and to issue sentences.
The right to the use of the King's hunting woods and the right to preserve theirs, with legal immunity from fines and punishments.
The right to organizing the election of magistrates and members of the city councils within their domains whenever deemed suitable (since 1546).
The right to keeping the profits of ducal-sponsored corsairs in royally-sanctioned corsair activities against the Moors.
D. Catarina de Guimarães
Infanta of Portugal and Duchess of Braganza
The special relationship between the House of Braganza and the Portuguese Crown was put to the test in 1580, when the Cardinal-King Dom Henrique I passed away childless, bringing a tragic end to the legitimate male line of the House of Avis. The Duke of Braganza was then D. João II, the grandson of D. Jaime and son and successor of D. Teodósio I, who had been famed for his patronage of the arts in Vila Viçosa. The Duke was married to his first cousin, the Infanta D. Catarina of Portugal, daughter to the late Duke of Guimarães and granddaughter of King Dom Manuel. Three claimants to the Portuguese throne arose in the immediate aftermath of the Cardinal-King's death. Philip II of Spain was quick to claim his rights, as the grandson of Dom Manuel, albeit through the female line. He was opposed by Dom Antônio, Prior of Crato, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Beja and, therefore, male-line grandson of Dom Manuel, though born on the wrong side of the sheets.
The Duchess of Braganza was, of course, the legitimate heiress to Portugal by the principle of primogeniture. As the legitimate child of a Portuguese infante and male-line grandchild of the late King, her claim could be considered superior to Philip II's (a female-line grandchild), and certainly was superior to the Prior of Crato's. She certainly believed so. Unfortunately for the Infanta, Philip II did not, and made no effort to hide it. It was clear that the King of Spain had the upper hand. Dona Catarina's husband, D. João de Bragança, was ill and would die soon. Their eldest son, Dom Teodósio, a survivor of the Battle of Alcácer-Quibir, was a "guest" of the Duke of Medina-Sidónia in Spain, having been seized on Philip II's orders on his return journey to Portugal, once freed from Moroccan captivity.
As it was, D. Catarina was forced to give in to her Spanish cousin, though she would never renounce her succession rights, not for herself nor for her children. Yet when Philip II swore to uphold the traditional rights and autonomy of the Kingdom of Portugal and its subjects in the Cortes of Tomar, the Duke of Braganza bent the knee. He did so in exchange for certain honors and privileges, though most of D. Catarina's demands, for it was the Duchess who ruled the House of Braganza then, were rejected, as the Spanish monarch felt he owed nothing to his cousin, thinking his claim superior (his later offer of marriage to D. Catarina notwithstanding). Nevertheless, the new holders of the Crown and the House of Braganza would maintain a cordial relationship over the years, with the Estado Sereníssimo continuing to act as a support state to the Portuguese Crown, even if the Braganzas remained in splendid isolation in Vila Viçosa. The death of D. Catarina, in November 1614, would bring about changes, however, in the policy of the Brigantine House to Spanish hegemony.
James Francis Edward Stuart, former King of Morocco, and Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. Their OTL marriages didn't happen here and the marriage makes his switch to Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel more realistic. OTL she (a Lutheran) also married a Catholic.
Charles Emmanuel of Savoy didn't inherit OTL (older brother survived and is mentioned multiple times). Kept first wife the same as OTL. Second wife unavailable (married in France). Married him to Augusta of Baden-Baden, suitable age, rank and religion, whose OTL husband is also unavailable (Duke d'Orléans married in France too).
Benedetta Ernesta d'Este marries Antonio Ferrante Gonzaga and, after his childless death, his heir Giuseppe Maria Gonzaga, both Dukes of Guastalla. Gustalla was a Spanish ally, close to Modena and the marriage would be both a reward-renewal of ties between them and Spain.
Francesco Maria d'Este marries his OTL wife Charlotte Agláe d'Orléans, after her brief marriage in Scandinavia. Something of a retcon, since the Spanish would have opposed the marriage and it is never mentioned in French family trees, but oh well. [Subject to French player's permission]
Gian Federico d'Este marries Charlotte Katharina of Pfalz-Gelnhausen, a cousin of Don Carlos III. In return for rich rewards and in keeping with Spanish-Modenan pact of 1724.
Christian III of Pfalz-Zweibrucken and Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga of Guastalla. OTL she married Francesco Maria de Medici, who became Pope Innocent ITTL. She was said to be very beautiful and is the right age for Christian.
Vittorio Francesco of Savoy ran away from home (ITTL) c. 1725. Marries here Sophia of Pfalz-Gelnhausen, a cousin of Don Carlos III, and becomes Duke of San Martín in Spanish peerage.
Frederick Ludwig of Hanover - Prussia
Bonnie Prince Charlie - Prussia
Tseravena Anna - Gottorp 1 and 2
POSSIBLE MARRIAGE PARTNERS LEFT OVER:
Don Manuel Luis d'Orléans y Watteville (1677-1740), Duke of Castellamare, Grandee of Spain, knight of Santiago, Captain General of Aragon, etc. m. Doña Francisca de Zea y Austria (1701-). 30 1731. 50 1723.
Simplified Roll
d100 - 1-30 success, 31-100 failure (Conception) - Odd male, even female -
d100 - 1-30 failure, 31-100 success (Preg. Success) - Crit roll of 100 infertility for woman
Something Went Wrong:
1-2 Mother and child die in child birth
3-4 Simple
5-6 Deaf
7-8 Blind
9-10 Stunted or mishapen
11-25 Weak but survives
26-50 Stillbirth
51-100 Miscarriage
Modifiers: -1 men over 50, women over 30
Anna Mons, start 1704: 32(+2), 2(+3), 99(+4), 12(+5), 89(+6), 78(+7), 77(+8),23(+9), 6(+10), 54, 70, 81
1705 - A healthy girl
1707 - A healthy girl - stillborn
1711 - modified away
1712 - A healthy girl
1734 - Son (P.S. 10) - Weak but survives
1735 - daughter (P. S. 49) - Fine
1737 - daughter (P.S. 38) - Fine
1738 - daughter (P.S. 65) - Fine
1743 - daughter (P.S. 43) - Fine
1745 - son (P.S.47 - 1 mother's age modifier ) - Fine
1716 - son by fiat (so story makes sense),
1723 - a daughter (PS 41)
1727 - a daughter (PS 46)
1728 - a daughter (PS 25=failure 64): Miscarried girl.
1729 - a daughter (PS 87)
1732 - a daughter (-2 modifier) (PS 24-2=failure 23): Weak, but survives.
1707: A daughter (PS 1) (W: 44). Stillborn.
1709: +2 age modifier butterflies away daughter.
1714: +6 age modifier butterflies away son
1715: A son (17+8=25). (PS 62)
1717: +10 age modifier butterflies away son.
1718: A son (9+11=20) (PS 23)
1720: A son (5+13=18) (PS 73)
1722: A son (1+15=16) (PS 57) (W.75) Miscarriage.
Augusta of Baden-Baden, b. 1704, m. 1724, mod. 1734 onward.
90. 48. 10. 23. 69. 76. 15. 24. 51. 6. 96. 53.
[1736] 2. 35. 31. 24. 34. 52. 78. 40 55.
1731: A son (27+1) (PS: 70)
1732: A son (15+2) (PS: 74)
1741: A daughter (2+14) (PS: 14) (W: 10-14) mother and child die in childbirth. 1742: A daughter (8+15) (PS: 9) (W: 91-14)
Maria Magdalena of Austria dos Puentes:
b. 1689, modifier 1719, start 1726
16. 10. 29. 79. 18. 23. 43. 18. 72. 78. 36. 100.
1726: - A daughter (16+7=23) (PS: 98)
1727: - A daughter (10+8=18) (PS: 100) 1728: - A son (29+9=38) butterflied away by age modifier
1730: - A daughter (18+11=29) (PS: 21) (W: 49-11=38). Stillborn. 1732: - A daughter (18+13=31) butterfield away by age modifier
1706: A daughter (PS: 57)
1708: A son (PS: 69)
1711: A son (1) (PS: 86)
1715: A daughter (PS: 66)
Charlotte Aglae Modena (changed to Carolina of Pfalz-Zweibrucken, b. 1706) b. 1700, start 1726, modifier 1730 / b. 1706, start 1726, mod. 1736
77. 81. 55. 63. 79. 23. 69. 17. 13. 72. 1. 26. 94. 11. 80. 100.
1731 - a son (23) (PS: 75)
1733 - a son (17) (PS: 37)
1734 - a son (13) (PS: 32-4=28), mentally impaired,
1736 - a son (1+6=7) (PS: 40-6=34) (W:8), blind.
Twins: male and female. (PS: 23, 66-10=56). W: 8 (maintaining above roll). Mentally and physically disabled.
1737 - a daughter (26+1) (PS: 47)
1739 - a son (11+3) (PS: 47-3=44)
Charlotte Gelnhausen Frederico Este
b. 1699, start 1726, modifier 1729
80. 63. 34. 90. 57. 25. 20. 50. 61. 79. 68. 1. 71. 38. 66. 19.
1731 - a son (25+2=27) (PS: 19) (W: 87) - miscarriage
1732 - a daughter (20+3=23) (PS: 92)
1737 - a son (1+8=9) (PS: 11) (W: 68) - miscarriage 1741 - a son (19+12=31) butterflied away by age modifier.
1728 - A son (PS: 26) (W: 76) - miscarriage 1730 - A daughter (PS: 35)
1735 - A daughter (PS: 10) (W: 100) - miscarriage
1741 - A son (15+7=22) (PS: 6) (W: 83) - miscarriage
1742 - A son butterflied away by age. (27+8=35)
1743 - A son (9+9=18) (PS: 22) (W: 48 - 9 = 39) - stillborn
1746 - A daughter butterflied away by age (28+12)
1748 - A son (3+14=17) (PS: 32) (W: 15-14=1) Mother and child die in childbirth.
1749 - A son butterflied away by age and death (19+15=).
If Anna remarried, 1742
b. 1705, start 1740, modifier 1735
[1740] 71. 84. 26. 19. 1. 56. 4. 66. 68. 24.
1742 - A daughter (26+7) butterflied away
1743 - A son (19+8=27)
1744 - A son (1+9=10)
1746 - A daughter (4+11=15)
PS: 73. 97. 83. 76 - Everybody healthy.
Louisa Ulrika x Frederick Ludwig
B. 1720, start 1738
[1738] 30. 60. 42. 75. 36. 84. 4. 31. 6. 44. 24. 45.
[1750] 27. 14. 63.
1738 - A daughter (PS: 12) (W: 5), deaf,
1744 - A daughter (PS: 98)
1746 - A daughter (PS: 69)
1748 - A daughter (PS: 43)
1750 - A son (PS: 26) (W: 25), weak but survives
1751 - A daughter (PS: 86)
Malus: -1 for every year after 30 (women), after 50 (men)
Malus: -10 if twins
Something Went Wrong:
1-2 Simple
3-4 Blind
5-6 Deaf
7-8 Stunted or mishapen
9-10 Mad
11-25 Weak but survives
26-50 Stillbirth
51-98 Miscarriage
99-100 Mother and child die in childbirth
Johanna Wurt. - 1731 - a son (17+21=38) - Nada.
Henrietta - PS Rolls: Son - 1 (W: 61) - Miscarriage / Daughter - 88
1737 - A daughter (PS: 83)
1738 - A son (9+1) (PS: 11) (W: 12), weak but survives.
1741 - A daughter (16+4=20) (PS: 80)
1747 - a daughter (4+10=14) (PS: 47)
1748 - A son (3+11=14) (PS; 54)
1749 - A son (17+12=29) (PS: 80)
Charlotte Rákóczi (1706 -, a. 39), Baden-Durlach
Start 1724
35. 45. 50. 10. 56. 59. 23. 64. 17. 88.
1727 - A daughter (PS: 78)
1730 - A son (PS: 66)
1732 - A son (PS: 9) (W: 96) - Miscarriage.
Maria Amalia of Hesse Kassel b. 1721, start 1740
89. 31. 88. 45. 11. 88. 81. 91. 77. 40. 5. 54.
1744 - A son - PS: 91 (W: 99 - mother and child both die) 1750 - A son - PS: 84
1732 - Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana de Bragança; (PS: 63)
1734 - A son (PS: 11) - A miscarriage.
1736 - A son (PS: 91)
1739 - A daughter (PS: 90)
1741 - A son (PS: 43)
1742 - A daughter (PS: 96)
1745 - A son (PS: 84)
Charlotte Rákóczi
1706 - 1735 - 1736
44. 66. 56. 15. 61. 57. 36. 94. 3. 94.
1738 - A son (15+3=18) (PS: 98+3) - Mother and child die. 1743 - A son (3+7) (PS: 100) - Mother and child die.
A player is able to put this 85 MP into 2 things, Regiments or Ships of the line.
Regiments and Ships of the line each consume 1 MP.
A theoretical state might decide its priority is dedicated to land based affairs - thus is puts 75 MP into regiments and 10 MP into Ships of the line.
This provides it the force that the state may use. The key is that for the next 5 turns this is the force structure locked in. Even more importantly, if any regiments or ships of the line are lost in that time period they will only be 'renewed' at the end of the 5 turns when you can rearrange your force structure.
This comes with a beautiful piece of rationalisation.
Quality.
Land forces: Good
Naval forces: Excellent
...What a vague meaning, in what way are they excellent, how are they good? Well now we have a little more clarity to this. This essentially tracks the retained skill and knowledge of the armed forces, an Excellent Naval force has very well trained officers and crew because of generational knowledge handed down. But how is this achieved?
Well in this system, Quality is gained by the maintaining of a certain force structure for multiple 'reset' periods. When you change it resets by 2 levels. You'd go from Excellent down to just average.
A player is able to put this 85 MP into 2 things, Regiments or Ships of the line.
Regiments and Ships of the line each consume 1 MP.
A theoretical state might decide its priority is dedicated to land based affairs - thus is puts 75 MP into regiments and 10 MP into Ships of the line.
This provides it the force that the state may use. The key is that for the next 5 turns this is the force structure locked in. Even more importantly, if any regiments or ships of the line are lost in that time period they will only be 'renewed' at the end of the 5 turns when you can rearrange your force structure.
This comes with a beautiful piece of rationalisation.
Quality.
Land forces: Good
Naval forces: Excellent
...What a vague meaning, in what way are they excellent, how are they good? Well now we have a little more clarity to this. This essentially tracks the retained skill and knowledge of the armed forces, an Excellent Naval force has very well trained officers and crew because of generational knowledge handed down. But how is this achieved?
Well in this system, Quality is gained by the maintaining of a certain force structure for multiple 'reset' periods. When you change it resets by 2 levels. You'd go from Excellent down to just average.
I'm going to take my own shot at this because I'm not vibing with this one. If we really want to have a "unit count" for this game...
New Stat Line
Stability: This does not affect military power directly. However, fighting in home territory, or losing ground, can decrease stability, whereas winning great victories without major losses can increase stability. I'd strongly consider rolling "war weariness" into Stability by making it a reason for Stability to trend down rather than making it a separate stat.
Manpower: Replace hard numbers with a "reserve manpower" descriptive stat, which indicates generally how well you can replace losses. Rises slowly over time, decreases while at war, decreases sharply when a new Field Army or Squadron is ordered. Also worth a parenthetical note on how "reserves" are organized.
War-weariness: see Stability
Economic Conditions: Forms a cap on how many field armies/squadrons can be form. If over this soft cap, Economic Conditions start deteriorating. Not sure on exact numbers, which should probably vary by country anyway (a regimental system can support more standing armies than a tribal one, etc.)
Field Armies: New stat. The number of Strategic-level combat units you have and therefore the number of theaters you can be involved in, or amount of force you can concentrate on one theater. Most powers will have 0-2 unless they are actively at war. Additional ones can be raised by Orders at a cost of Reserve Manpower.
Naval Squadrons: New stat. The above but for ships. Again, most powers will have 0-2 unless they are fighting a war or actively maintaining security of an overseas empire. Additional ones can be raised by Orders at a cost of Reserve Manpower - probably a lesser one than Field Armies unless you're using galleys or something.
Land Forces Quality: Spitballing on the name tbh. An amalgam of training, equipment, and elan. Can be raised with orders, decreases when new Field Armies are built or losses are taken in war. Drops globally when a new strategic paradigm/technology becomes relevant. This is also where notes on doctrine and specialty go.
Naval Forces Quality: Same idea, as above.
So, for example:
The Omani Empire
Regional Power
Stability: +3
Reserve Manpower: Low
Economic Conditions: Great (spitballed numbers: 4 Field Army cap, 4 Squadron cap)
Field Armies: 1
Naval Squadrons: 4
Land Forces Quality: Mediocre (Mercenary core plus tribal levels)
Naval Forces Quality: Good (50-60 gun focus)
Note: I am not actually looking up what Cloud's adjective list is right now.
Might want to either make the armies into regiments or squadrons into fleets but tbh most of those are pretty vague sizes in this time period.
1745 The Almanach: The Crowned Heads of the North
Romanov Russia
Dynastic Overview: The reign of Peter the Great ushered in many changes - amongst them, his son's marriage to a foreign princess from the oldest and proudest of west European royalty opened the doors for greater intermarriage between the instinctively introspective Romanovs and the créme de la créme of the west. The Empress Yelisaveta might privately mourn Versailles, but she did her duty and gave the Romanovs blue-blooded heirs to rule the Russias. Now her son comes of age and a new Empress must be found.
Meanwhile the Tsar's sisters, the Tseravenas, were also married abroad and produced additional heirs to shore up the family line.
The family, as of 1745:
Pyotr Alekseyevich Romanov (1672-1732), PETER THE GREAT, Emperor and Tsar of All Russia, m1. Eudoxia Lopukhina (divorced and exiled to monastery), m2. Anna Ivanovna (1672-), born Anna Mons, a Dutchwoman of mercantile origins, now Dowager Empress of Russia,
[1m] ALEXEI II PETROVICH (1690-, a. 55), Emperor and Tsar of All Russia, m. 1723 Yelisaveta Petrovna (1695-, a.50), born Maria Louise Elisabeth d'Orléans, a French princesse du sang,
Tsesarevich Ivan Alekseyevich(1724-, a. 21), m. Maria Vittoria of Savoy,
Tsarevna Maria Alekseyevna (1732-, a. 13), weak, but survived,
Stillborn son (1734),
Stillborn daughter (1735),
Tsarevich Constantine Alekseyevich (1736-, a. 9), the hoped-for spare,
[2m] Tsarevna Anna Petrovna (1705-, a. 40), m1. Charles Frederick (1700-1737), Duke of Holstein-Gottorp-Lauenburg, m2. Duke Adolf Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp-Eutin, with issue from both marriages.
[2m] Tsarevna Natalya Petrovna (1712-1748) m. Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, by whom she has a daughter.
Scandinavia (Oldenburger Kalmar Union)
Dynastic Overview: The Kalmar Union was forged anew by marriage in 1729. Prince Georg became King Christian VII in 1723 and patiently waited for Queen Christina to come of age. His heir presumptive was his nephew, Philip Ludwig, a posthumous baby passed over in the succession with universal support (everyone wanting the union with Sweden). This unfortunate boy was demoted at the age of ten, when Queen Christina produced a son. Four daughters followed. As the crown prince (heir apparent) was not of perfect health, Philip Ludwig was still relevant as a possible husband for his cousins, to guarantee Danish-Swedish succession would continue together. Only when the King and Queen had a second, perfectly healthy son in 1745 did it become clear Philip Ludwig was now an inconvenience, a problem not a solution. There are suggestions to imprison him (so he dies childless), push him into the Catholic church (so he dies childless) or marry him to an Orthodox princess (so he renounces all succession rights and leaves forever).
As of 1745, the family is:
Frederick IV (1671-1723), King of Denmark and Norway, m. Louise of Mecklenburg-Gustrow,
Christian VI (1699-1723), King of Denmark, died of the Johor Flea, b. Christina of Sweden,
Frederick Karl (1701-1723), died of the Johor Flea, m. Charlotte Agláe d'Orléans, s Roman Catholic,
Philipp Ludwig (1724-), Philippe Louis "the Orphan Boy", Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway 1724-1734, still relevant as a spare until Prince Gustav's birth in 1745 made him superfluous,
CHRISTIAN VII OF OLDENBURG (1703-, a. 42), born Georg, King of Denmark and Norway, m. 1729 CHRISTINA II of Pfalz-Zweibrucken (1714-, a. 31), Queen of Sweden, Duchess of Bremen and Verden, etc.
Karl Frederick Christian Gustav (1734-, a. 11), weak but survived (mentally unbalanced), Hereditary Prince from birth,
Frederike Charlotte (1735-, a. 10), named for her grandfathers,
Georgina Christina (1737-, a. 8), named for her parents,
Hedwig Sophia Louisa (1738 - , a. 7), named for her grandmothers,
Ulrika Katharina Amalia (1743-, a. 2),
Erik Gustav (1745-, a. 0), of perfect health.
Charlotte Amalia (1706-), m. Edward of Orange-Nassau, Duke of York and Albany, with issue.
Holstein-Gottorp [Scandinavian] and -Lauenburg [NGF]
Dynastic Overview: The Holstein-Gottorps were influential courtiers and candidates in Scandinavian politics, with strong blood ties to Denmark and Sweden. Their power was broken by King Christian VII, with Holstein being detached from the Holy Roman Empire and absorbed into Denmark. By his mercy, the family later recovered some estates.
Possession of the Duchy of Lauenburg, under the North German Federation, technically preserved the family's standing as Reichsfurst.
Lacking sons of his own, Duke Charles Frederick intended to marry his daughter to his cousin and agnatic heir Adolf Frederick. With the Duke's premature death in 1737, Adolf Frederick instead married Anna Petrovna, the illustrious widow of Gottorp. It was marriage of both passion and practicaly. The new Duke got an Imperial wife of proven fertility, the Dowager got to keep her position and the family, her dowry. Meanwhile the Saxe-Lauenburg lands in the North German Federation passed to Adolf's brother, Georg, who was betrothed to the daughter of the dead Duke, thus organizing the family into two closely-related branches: one Danish, one German.
As of 1745, the family is:
Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, m. Frederica Amalia of Denmark, daughter of King Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Luneburg. Their children:
Sophie Amalie (1670-1710) m. Prince Augustus William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, a homosexual, without issue.
Frederick IV of Holstein-Gottorp-Lauenburg (1671- after 1717), called "the Gottorp Fury", Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg 1707, Lord of Hadeln, m. Hedwig Sophia of Sweden,
Charles Frederick (1700-1737), Duke of Holstein-Lauenburg, Heir of Sweden 1700-1714, and again 1723-1734, m. Tsarevna Anna Petrovna of Russia,
Anna Christina of Holstein-Gottorp-Lauenburg (1732-, a.13), b. Georg Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp-Eutin, a cousin.
Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp-Eutin (1673-[1726?]), m. Albertina Frederica of Baden-Durlach, of Swedish royal blood,
Hedwig Sophie Auguste (1705-, a. 40), Abbess of Herford,
Charles Augustus (1706-1727), without issue.
Frederica Amalia (1708 - , a. 37), a nun at Quedlinburg,
Anne (1709-, a. 36), m. Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1701-1771), without issue.
Adolf Frederick (1710- , a. 35), Duke of Holstein-Gottorp-Eutin, m. Tsarevna Anna Petrovna of Russia, Dowager of Lauenburg,
Karl Peter Ulrich (1743 - , a. 2),
Johann Peter (1744 - , a. 1)
Anna Elizabeth (1746 -,),
Frederick August (1711-, a. 34), Bishop of Lubeck,
Johanna Elisabeth (1712-), m. Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, a Prussian (NGF) general.
Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (1729 - , a. 16),
Frederick Augustus (1734 - , a. 11).
Georg Ludwig (1719-, a. 26), Duke of Holstein-Lauenburg, b. Anna Christina of Holstein-Gottorp-Lauenburg.
Marie Elisabeth (1678 - , a. 67), Abbess of Quedlinburg.
Hanover (Welfs of Brunswick-Luneburg) [NGF]
Dynastic Overview: Elector Georg II spent his life dreaming of crowns: Great Britain, Sweden, Morocco. All evaded him. He also lost Saxe-Lauenburg, Bremen and Verden, and wasted money buying out his Brunswick-Bevern relatives so he could swap Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel with the Stuarts. His greatest success is in becoming father-in-law, as well as uncle, of the Reichspresident of the North German Federation. By the grace of God, he managed to produce a son, preventing Hanover's complete absorption into the Hohenzollern state.
As of 1745, the family is:
Georg I Ludwig (1660-1727) Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, "King of Morocco" 1724 m. Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Celle, by whom:
GEORG II August (1683-, a. 62), Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, m. 1704/1705 Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden (1688 - , a. 57), an aunt of Queen Christina II of Sweden,
Amelia Sophia Eleonora (1711-, a. 34) m. Frederick II of Prussia, with issue.
Frederick Ludwig (1712-, a. 33), m. Louisa Ulrika of Prussia (1720- , a. 25),
Sophia Dorothea (1738 - , a. 7), a deaf girl,
Ulrika Eleonora (1744 -, a. 1),
Wilhelmina Frederike (1746 - ),
Sophia Maria (1748 - ),
Georg Ludwig (1750 - ),
Georgina Maria (1751 - ),
Louisa (1722-, a. 23), simple of mind,
Elizabeth Sophia (1724-, a. 21),
A stillborn son (1726).
Sophia Dorothea (1687-), m. Frederick William I of Prussia, with issue.
Brunswick (Stuarts of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel) [NGF] and Este of Naples
Dynastic Overview: James Francis Edward Stuart grew up as a pretender in exile, with support from Catholic princes. His reign as King of the Rif and then Morocco proved to be short-lived. He exchanged Morocco with Hanover and retired to Germany, where he promised to leave England alone and was invested as Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. He married the eldest daughter of the previous ruler and thereafter lived a quiet life in service to the North German Federation. His wife's Lutheran religion made coexistence with the German Protestants easier, but naturally increased British suspicion of the family and their activities (it was better for the Orange-Nassau if the Jacobites remained Catholic, at least outwardly).
The obstinate deism of his son, Bonnie Prince Charlie, led to his discrete expulsion from the Hofburg Military Academy c. 1743. His son Henry, nevertheless, is considered a likely future Cardinal. A sign there is still some affection for the family among old friends in Spain, Modena and the Catholic world at large.
Duke Jakob' sister Louisa also got a happy ending. During his brief reign in Morocco he married her to a filthy rich cousin, a Marquis from Naples. Louisa was thus spared the cold northern climates and got to spend the rest of her life enjoying the familiar delights of Spain and Italy.
As of 1745, the family is:
King James III Stuart, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, m2. Maria Beatrice Eleonora Anna Margherita Isabella d'Este (1658-1718), known as Mary of Modena, and fathered on her:
JAMES FRANCIS EDWARD STUART (1688 - , a. 57), called the Old Pretender, King of the Rif 1721, later King of Morocco, then Duke Jakob Franz of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1724, now Jacques François, Comté de Neuchatel 1747, m. Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel (1691-, a. 54), a Lutheran, eldest daughter of previous Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel.
Charles Edward Stuart (1725 - , a. 20), Karl, the Young Pretender, otherwise 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', discretely expelled from the Hofburg Military Academy, m. Anna Amelia of Prussia (1723 - , a.22),
Henry Benedict Stuart (1730 -, a. 15), Heinrich, destined for the Church.
Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart (1692 -, a. 53 ) m. 1723 Borso Luigi d'Este (1700-, a. 45), Marquis of Scandiano, Montecchio and Castelnuovo, Grandee of Spain, owner of the Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano in Naples, commander of note in Morocco.
Francesco Odoardo d'Este (1726-, a. 19), otherwise Don Francisco Eduardo de Este y Stuart, a student of the Hofburg Military Academy,
Beatrice Maria Teresa d'Este (1727-, a. 18),
Isabella Luigia d'Este (1728 - , a. 17),
Enrichetta Angela d'Este (1731 - , a. 14),
Benedetta d'Este (1734 - , a. 11), born blind.
Julich-Kleve-Berg (Vaudémont) [NGF]
The House of Vaudémont-Lorraine has had it rough for several generations. A cruel peace saw the family lose its ancestral homeland - the Duchies of Lorraine and Bar - and be compensated with new lands nearby. The Triple Duchies of Julich, Kleve and Berg are not far from "home", and well situated between the Netherlands, Rhineland and north Germany. They're not Lorraine, however, and never will be.
Nevertheless, Duke Leopold accepted his fate with grace and the family has loyally served the North German Federation ever since.
Duke Leopold was survived by 5 children. The eldest and youngest daughters hold (formerly?) prestigious - and influential - positions as Sovereign Princesses of Imperial Abbeys. The middle daughter, Elisabeth, will one day be Queen of France. Through her, the family will one day rule over Lorraine and Bar again. The elder son, Francis Stephen, has ruled quietly and proudly as Duke. His brother shows himself a worthy deputy. Both brothers married Roman Catholic noblewomen (their famously anti-Protestant mother insisted upon it!) with strong ties to north German nobility, and the family continues through them.
As of 1745, the family is:
Charles V (1643-1690), born Charles Leopold Nicholas Sixtus, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, a Hapsburg general, m. Archduchess Eleanora Maria Josepha of Austria (1653-1697), Dowager Queen of Poland. During their years of exile, the family resided in exile in Vienna. He fathered by her:
Leopold (1679-1729), born Leopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, later Duke of Julich-Kleve-Berg 1724, a Hapsburg general, m. Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans (1676-1744), a famous enemy of Protestants and Jews,
Élisabeth Charlotte Gabrièle (1700 - , a. 45), Abbess of Remiremont,
Leopold Clement Charles (1707-1723), Hereditary Prince, died prematurely,
FRANCIS STEPHEN (1708-, a. 37), Duke of Julich-Kleve-Berg, m. Theodora of Hesse-Darmstadt (1706-, a. 39), a Catholic cousin of the Empress Frederike, her father was also an important Hapsburg general,
Francis Stephen (1727 - , a. 18),
Élisabeth Leopoldina (1732 -, a. 13),
Élisabeth Theodora (1733-, a. 12),
Stillborn son (1736),
Charles Nicholas Hyacinth (1741-, a. 4),
Élisabeth Josepha (1742 -, a. 3),
Philip Alexander (1745-, a. 0),
Elisabeth Therese (1711 - , a. 34), m. Louis Philippe, Dauphin of France, with issue.
Charles Alexander Emmanuel (1712 -, a 33), a general and administrator, m. Anna Maria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1707-, a. 38), of the Catholic Hohenzollerns,
Charlotte Élisabeth (1737-, a. 8),
Maximilian Meinrad (1738-, a. 7), weak, but survived,
Nicolette Gabrielle (1741-, a. 4),
Catherine Renata (1747 - ),
Charles Maximilian (1748 - ),
Joseph Alexander (1749 - ),
Anne Charlotte (1714-), Abbess at Essen.
Charles (1680-1715), born Charles Joseph John Anthony Ignatius Felix, Archbishop-Elector of Trier, Prince-Bishop of Osnabruck, Bishop of Olomouc.
The Wurttembergers and Baden-Durlach were the two chief Lutheran families of south Germany. The death of Duke Eberhard Ludwig in 1733, however, resulted in the succession of his Catholic cousin, Charles Alexander, according to Salic Law. This was rather fortuitous considering Wurttembeg's position as part of the Harmonious Union, lead by a Catholic Emperor and his Jesuit councillors. Recently the young Duke Charles Eugene showed enough force to show himself a man full grown, anticipating the end of his mother's Regency and marry his cousin Luise (old Eberhard's granddaughter), thus keeping her money in the family.
The Baden-Durlach siblings fast approach maturity and are expected to make good marriages thanks to their good looks, royal background and far-ranging family connections. Raised Lutheran (typical for Baden-Durlach), their proximity to Nuremberg and their mother's Catholic relatives in Hungary makes conversion an easy prospect.
As of 1745, the family is:
William Louis (1647-1677), Duke of Wurttemberg, m. Magdalena Sybilla of Hesse-Darmstadt, by whom:
Eberhard Ludwig (1676-1733), Duke of Wurttemberg, m. Johanna Elisabeth of Baden-Durlach (1680-1757),
Frederick Ludwig (1698-1731), Hereditary Prince of Wurttemberg, m. 1716 Henrietta Maria of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1702-),
Luise Friedrike (1722-, a.23), m. Duke Charles Eugene, her cousin, and entered the Roman Catholic church.
Magdalena Wilhelmine (1677-1742), m. Charles III William (d. 1738), Margrave of Baden-Durlach,
Frederick (1703-1732), Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach, m. Princess Charlotte Rákóczi (1706-1738),
Jacoba Magdalena (1727-, a. 18),
Francis William (1730- a. 15), Margrave of Baden-Durlach.
William's brother Frederick Charles (1652-1697), Duke of Wurttemberg-Winnental, m. Eleonora Juliana of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1663-1724), by whom:
Charles Alexander (1684-1737), Duke of Wurttemberg, a convert to Roman Catholicism, m. Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (1706 -, a. 39), Dowager and Regent of Wurttemberg,
CHARLES EUGENE (1728 - , a. 17), Duke of Wurttemberg, m. Luise Friederike of Wurttemberg (1722 - , a. 23), his cousin.
Louis Eugene (1731-, a. 14),
Frederick II Eugene (1732-, a. 13),
Augusta Elisabeth (1734-, a. 11),
Henry Frederick (1687-1734), a soldier for the Dutch until 1713, without issue.
Maximilian Emanuel (1689-1709), "best and truest" friend of Karl XII of Sweden, without issue.
Frederick Louis (1690-1734), a soldier for hire, m. Ursula Katharina von Altenbockum, for money, without issue.
Christiane Charlotte (1694-1729), m. William Frederick (d. 1723), Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach,
Charles William Frederick (1712-, a. 33), Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, m. Maria Amalia of Hesse-Kassel (d. in childbirth 1744). b. Frederica Caroline of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1735-, a. 10),
Hesse-Kassel (HU)
The Hesse family is large and boasts several branches. Traditionally, the Hesse-Kassel were staunch Protestants (Calvinists), but in the recent generation the male heir (a nephew) has converted to Roman Catholicism. The tension over this is marked by both Fredericks, uncle and nephew, fighting an arm's race on the marriage bed: who can father boys for Hesse-Kassel? The old Landgrave is old and is fated to fail - his wife will die in childbirth, with the dreamt-of son, in 1748. All he can hope for now is seeing his precious daughter making a grand royal marriage before his time is up. Meanwhile his nephew married the "man-eater from Rotenburg" and accomplished what his uncle could not do: guarantee Hesse-Kassel with healthy baby boys.
As of 1745, the family is:
Wilhelm VI (1629-1663), "the Just", Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, m. Hedwig Sophie of Brandenburg (1623-1683), by whom:
Charlotte Amalie (1650-1714), m. Christian V of Denmark, with issue,
William VII (1651-670), Landgraf 1663-1670,
Charles (1654-1730), Landgraf 1670-1730, m. Maria Amalia of Courland,
FREDERICK (1676 - , a. 69), "the Old", Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, a general, m. Tsarevna Natalya Petrovna (d. 1748 in childbirth),
Hedwig Maria Eudoxia of Hesse-Kassel (1730-, a. 15),
Multiple miscarriages and stillbirths.
Sophie Charlotte (1678-1749), m. Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. 1713), no issue.
William VIII (1682 -, a. 63), Imperial general, m. Dorothea Wilhelmina of Saxe-Dietz (1691-1743),
Frederick (1720- , a. 25), converted to Roman Catholicism, m. Eleonora Philippina of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (1712-, a. 33), widowed 1733 and again 1738,
William Frederick (1740 - , a. 5),
Charles Frederick (1744-, a. 1),
Eleonora Frederica (1745-, a. 0),
Maria Amalia (1721-1744), m. Charles, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, without lasting issue.
Marie Louise (1688-1765),
Maximilian (1689 -, a. 56), Lord of Jesberg and Richerode, Imperial general, m. 1732 Henrietta Maria of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1702-), a Dowager of Wurttemberg,
Henrietta Maria of Hesse-Kassel-Jesberg (1735 - , a. 10),
George Charles (1691 - , a. 54), Lord of Volkerhausen, Imperial general, m. Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrucken (1704-, a. 41), two miscarriages but no living children.
Wilhelmine Charlotte (1695-1722),
Others, died young.
Philipp (1655-1721), Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal, m. Katharina Amalia of Solms-Laubach,
Charles I (1682-, a. 63), Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal, m. Caroline Christine of Saxe-Eisenach,
William (1726-, a. 19),
Caroline (1728 -, a. 17),
Frederick (1729-, a. 16),
Charlotte Amalie (1730 -, a. 15),
Philippine (1731-, a. 14)
Philip (1686-1717), m. Maria von Limburg, and had issue,
William (1692-, a. 53), Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, m. and had issue.
Elisabeth Henriette (1661-1683), m. Frederick I of Prusia.
Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (HU) & Pfalz-Sulzbach (Pfalz) & Rákóczi (A-H)
Ernest of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (1623-1693), converted to Roman Catholicism, m. Maria Eleonore of Solms-Lich,
William I (1648-1725), "the Elder", Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, m. Maria Anna von Lowenstein-Wertheim,
Maria Eleonore (1675-), m. Theodor Eustach, Count Palatine of Sulzbach, with issue.
Amalia Augusta Maria Ana (1693-, a. 52),
Joseph Charles (1694-1729), Count Palatine of Sulzbach, m. Elisabeth Auguste Sophie of Pfalz-Neuburg (d. 1728),
Elisabeth Auguste (1721-, a. 24),
Maria Anna (1722-, a. 23)
Maria Franziska (1724, a. 21),
Francisca Christina (1696-, a. 49), Abbess of Essen,
Ernestine Elizabeth Johanna (1697-, a. 48), m. William II, Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Wanfried (d. 1731), below.
John Christian (1700-1733), m. Maria Henriette de la Tour d'Auvergne, m2. Eleonora Philippina of Rotenburg, below.
[1m] Charles Theodore (1724-, a. 21), Count Palatine of Sulzbach,
Anne Christine (1704-1723), m. Charles Emmanuel of Savoy.
Ernst II Leopold (1684-1749), Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg, m. Eleonore Maria Anna von Lowenstein-Wertheim.
Joseph (1705-1744) m. Christine of Salm-Neufville,
Anna Viktoria Maria Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg (1728 - , a. 27), m. Leopold of Hesse-Darmstadt,
Polyxena Christina Johannetta (1706-[1735?]), m. Charles de Bourbon, duc de Berry, with issue.
Alexander (1710-), Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, a soldier, m. Maria Antonina Hedwige of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenborg (1721-, a. 24), a Roman Catholic Oldenburg,
Heinrich (1739 -, a. 6),
William (1740 - , a. 5),
Aloysius (1741 - , a. 4),
Eleonora Philippina (1712-, a. 33), Countess Palatine, Princess and Landgravine, m1. Pfalzgraf Johann Christian zu Sulzbach (d. 1733), without issue. m2. Prince Joseph Rákóczi (d. 1738), m3. Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, with issue by [2m] and [3m].
Caroline (1714-1741), m. Louis IV Henri de Condé (To Be Confirmed ITTL),
Constantine (1716 - ), Landgrave of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, unmarried,
Christine (1717-1778), m. Ludwig Viktor of Savoy-Carignano (1721), with issue.
Charles (1649-1711), m1. Sophie Magdalene of Salm-Reifferscheidt, m2. Alexandrine Juliane of Leiningen-Dagsburg, by whom:
[1m] Wilhelm (II) (1671-1731), the Younger, Landgrave of Hesse-Wanfried, m. Ernestine of Pfalz-Sulzbach (1697-), without issue.
[2m] Charlotte Amalie (1679-1722), m. Francis Rákóczi (1676-1735), King of Serbia,
Joseph Rákóczi (1700-1738), Hereditary Prince of Serbia, Marchese di San Carlo, a Hungarian nobleman, m. Eleonora Philippina of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (1712-, a. 33), widowed 1733 and again 1738,
Leopold (Lipólt) Rákóczi (1734-, a. 11), Marchese di San Carlo,
George Rákóczi (1701-1756), Marchese di Santa Elisabetta, unmarried,
Charlotte Rákóczi (1706-1738) m. Hereditary Prince of Baden-Durlach, with issue, m2. Leopold of Hesse-Darmstadt.
[2m] 5 other daughters, m. nobility of lesser note.
[2m] Christian (1689 - , a. 56), Landgrave of Hesse-Eschwege, m. Maria Eleonora Katharina of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenborg (1715-, a. 30), from a Roman Catholic branch of the Oldenburgs.
Katharina Polyxena of Hesse-Eschewege (1738-, a. 7).
Hesse-Darmstadt (HU)
Ernest Louis (1667-1739), Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, m. Dorothea Charlotte of Brandenburg-Ansbach, by whom:
Dorothea Sophie (1689-1723), m. Count John Frederick of Hohenlohe-Öhringen (1683–1765)
LOUIS VIII (1691 - , a. 54), Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, m. Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1700-1726), Countess of Lichtenberg,
Louis IX (1719-, a. 26), m. Hedwig of Nassau-Usingen (1714-),
Louis Henry (1739-, a. 6),
George Leopold (1741-, a. 4),
Meinhard (1743-, a. 2), born mad (stark, raving mad),
Charles Leopold (1746 - ),
George William (1722-, a. 23), his father's favourite, a Prussian soldier,
Caroline Louise (1723-, a. 22), learned and industrious, business-minded,
Charles William (1693-[1707?]), a soldier,
Francis Ernest (1695-[1716?]), a soldier,
Friederike Charlotte (1698 - , a. 47), m. Heinrich VII, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia and Duke of Bavaria, with issue.
Ernest's brother Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt (1671-1736), an Imperial Field Marshal, converted to Roman Catholicism in order to m. Princess Marie Ernestine of Croÿ (1673–1714), by whom:
Joseph (1699 - ), Prince-Bishop of Augsburg,
Theodora (1706 - ), m. Francis Stephen, Duke of Julich-Kleve-Berg, with issue,
Leopold (1708 - , a. 37), Imperial Field Marshal, m. Princess Charlotte Rákóczi (1706-d. in childbirth 1738), m2. Anna Viktoria Maria Christina of Hesse-Rotenburg (1728 - , a. 27),
Maria Christina Viktoria of Hesse-Darmstadt (1741, a. 4).
Wittelsbach Belgium (Formerly Bavaria)
Dom Pedro II (1648-1706), King of Portugal, m. Maria Sophia of Pfalz-Neuburg (1666-1699), by whom:
Dom João V (1689 -, a. 56), King of Portugal, born João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo, m.
Dona Maria Bárbara (1711-, a. 34), born Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa,
Dom José (1714-, a. 31), born José Francisco António Inácio Norberto Agostinho, m. 1731 Philippine Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans (1715-, a. 30),
Dona Maria Francisca (1732 - , a. 13), born Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana de Bragança, b. Cosimo Ottaviano de' Medici, Prince of Tuscany,
Dom Pedro (1736 -, a. 9), born Pedro de Alcântara Francisco António João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael de Bragança,
Dona Maria Ana (1739 -, a. 6), born Maria Ana Francisca Josefa Rita Joana,
Dom João José (1741 -, a. 4),
Dona Maria Doroteia (1742 -), born Maria Francisca Doroteia Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana Efigénia,
Dom Francisco Xavier (1745-, a. 0),
Dom Carlos (1716-1736), born Carlos João Manuel Alexandre de Bragança, sickly.
Dom Pedro (1717-, a. 38), Grand Prior of Castro, Lord of the Infantado,
[Illeg.] Dom António (1704-, a. 41), raised for religion,
[Illeg.] Dom Gaspar (1716-, a. 29), raised for religion,
[Illeg.] Dom José (1720-, a. 25), raised for religion.
Dom Francisco (1691 - 1742), Duke of Beja, Grand Prior of Crato, Lord of the Infantado, born Francisco Xavier José António Bento Urbano,
[Illeg.] Dom João da Bemposta (1725-, a. 20), a navy man and courtier,
Dom António (1695 -, a. 50), born António Francisco Xavier Benedito Teodósio Leopoldo Henrique,
Dom Manuel (1697 -, a. 48), Count of Ourém, born Manuel José Francisco António Caetano Estêvão Bartolomeu, an adventurer,
Dom Francisca Josefa Maria Xaviera (1699-[1736?], a. 46)
[Illeg.] Dona Luísa de Braganza (1679-1732), m1. Luís Ambrósio de Melo, Duke of Cadaval, m2. Jaime Álvares Pereira de Melo, Duke of Cadaval.
[Illeg.] Dom Miguel de Braganza (1699-1724) m. Dona Luísa Casimira de Sousa Nassau e Ligne, Duchess of Lafões, Countess of Miranda do Corvo, Lady of Sousa, with issue.
[Illeg.] Dom José Carlos de Braganza (1703-, a. 42), Archbishop of Braga.
Savoy-Piemonte
Dynastic Overview: Amidst a lot of turbulence and upheaval, Victor Amadeus II was succeeded by his eldest son, Victor Amadeus III. He married Emperor Heinrich's sister and has five children with her. He briefly abdicated in favour of his son and heir under allegations of incapacity, before being restored at bayonet point.
His wilely brother Carlo Emmanuele has been married twice and fathered a large brood of children who died young, stillborn or miscarried. Recently widowed for a second time, he is left with two young daughters. This unhappy family life only makes him more restless and ambitious. His brother is counselled to keep him out of trouble, either finding him a new wife or sponsoring him as a clergyman/Cardinal for Savoy. The Libyan campaign will give him some release for now.
The runaway half-brother, Vittorio Francesco, established himself in permanent exile in Naples and entered Spanish service, marrying a couin of Don Carlos III and becoming a Grandee-Duke.
As of 1745, the family is:
Victor Amadeus II (1666-1732), born Vittorio Amedeo Francesco, duke of Savoy, prince of Piedmont, marquis of Saluzzo and count of Aosta, Maurienne and Nice, King of Savoy (disputed), Grand Duke of Savoy (disputed), Imperial Vicar of Italy (renounced, disputed), went mad, m. Anne Marie d'Orléans (irregular divorce by Bishop of Saluzzo 1723), m2. (bigamously) Anna Canalis di Cumiana, his mistress, who later fled Savoy with her step-son V. Francesco.
[1m] Maria Adelaide (1685-[1712?]), m. Louis, Duke of Burgundy, later Louis XVI of France, with issue.
[1m] Maria Luisa Gabriella (1688-1714), m. Philippe, Duc d'Anjou, later Duke of Parma.
[1m] VICTOR AMADEUS III (1699-, a. 46), Duke of Savoy, King of the Piemontese 1744, abdicated, later restored as Duke at bayonet point, m. Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria (1699-), sister of the Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich,
Charles Emmanuel (1716 -, a. 29), briefly replaced his father c. 1725,
Maria Vittoria (1723 - , a. 22),
Maria Felicitá (1727-, a. 18),
Maria Pietá (1729 -, a. 16)
Maria Leopoldina (1732 -, a. 13), weak, but survived.
[1m] Charles Emmanuel (1701 -, a. 44), Duke of Aosta, m. Anna Christine of Pfalz-Sulzbach (d. 1723), m2. Augusta Maria Johanna of Baden-Baden (1704-1740), daughter of the famous general Turkenlouis,
[1m] Vittorio Amedeo Teodor (1723-1725),
[2m] Stillborn daughter (1726),
[2m] Miscarried son (1727),
[2m] Miscarried son (1730),
[2m] Stillborn daughter (1731),
[2m] Stillborn daughter (1733),
[2m] Vittoria Augusta (1736 -, a. 9), weak, but survives,
[2m] Charlotte Emmanuel (1739 -, a. 6), of perfect health.
[Illeg.] Maria Vittoria Francesca (1690 -, a. 55), legitimized 1703, m. Victor Amadeus I, Prince of Carignano, a cousin.
Anna Theresa of Savoy (1717 -, a. 28), m. Louis-Charles de Bourbon, duc de Touraine, son of Louis XVI,
Louis Victor of Savoy (1721 -, a. 23), m. Christine of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (1717-1778), with issue,
[Illeg.] Don Vittorio Francesco (1694 -, a. 51), legitimized 1703, declared heir 1723, Marquis of Susa, fled abroad 1723. Duke of San Martín 1726, m. Sophia of Pfalz-Gelnhausen, a cousin of Don Carlos III, by whom:
Don Carlos Manoel (1728 - , a. 17),
Don Juan Victor Gabriel (1730 - , a. 15), deaf,
Doña Sofia Victoria (1735 - , a. 10).
Possible Cardinals
Carlo Gonzaga of Mantua, born 1692, aged 53, a prelate in Rome, canon of St. Peter, governor of the Papal States in Todi (1729), Sabina (1730), Fabriano (1731), Camerino (1737), Ancona (1743), Citavecchia (1744), etc. etc.
Carlo Emmanuele of Savoy, born 1701, aged 44, a general, twice-widowed, restless, with a large, unhappy family.
Philipp Ludwig of Denmark, born 1724, son of a Catholic mother, potentially raised Catholic, connected via his Orléans mother with France, Tuscany, Modena and Poland.
Heinrich Stuart of Brunswick, born 1730, aged 15, son of a proud Catholic family, now in service to the NGF but well connected with southern Catholic elites,
Louis Eugene of Wurttemberg, born 1731, aged 14, son of a notable Catholic convert, brother to the "reigning" duke of Wurttemberg,
The Infante Dom Pedro of Portugal, born 1717, aged 38, Grand Prior of Castro and Lord of the Infantado.
Good Matches Available:
Philipp Ludwig of Denmark (b. 1724, aged 21) - the Orphaned Boy [Prot, Scandi]
Karl Frederick of Denmark and Sweden (b. 1734, aged 11) - the Crown Prince [Prot, Scandi]
Leopold Romulus of Austria-Bayern (1734, age 11) [Catholic, HU]
Frederick George Augustus of Saxe-Poland-Lithuania (1731, age 14) [Catholic, PLC]
Francis Stephen the Younger (b. 1727, aged 18) - the Hereditary Prince of Julich-Kleve-Berg [Catholic, NGF] Francis William (1730, aged 15), Margrave of Baden-Durlach [Lutheran/Catholic, HU]
Constantine of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg (1716-, a. 29) [Catholic, HU]
Charles Theodore of Pfalz-Sulzbach (1724-, a. 21) [Catholic, Pfalz]
***
Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (b. 1729, aged 16) - OTL Catherine the Great [Prot, NGF]
Elizabeth Sophia of Hanover (1724-, a. 21) [Prot, NGF]
Hedwig Maria Eudoxia of Hesse-Kassel (b. 1730, aged 15) - the Tsar's niece [Prot, HU]
Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1723, a. 22) [Prot, HU]
Maria Antonia Walpurgis Symphorosa of Belgium (1724, aged 21) [Catholic]
Jacoba Magdalena of Baden-Durlach (1727, aged 18) [Lutheran/Catholic, HU]
Caroline Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt (1723, age 22) [Lutheran, HU]
An orphaned child headed for his long overdue homecoming. That was the sentiment that overwhelmed Cosimo IV de' Medici to his very core as he made the crossing of the Alps. The King of Tuscany had laid eyes on the majesty of the mountains before, when he had enjoyed the blessings of Lake Como in one of his visits to Milan. To actually cross the mountain range was an entirely different experience altogether. The hardships of the journey, though mitigated by the extensive logistics that supported the imperial retinue as they made their way from the ancient city of Verona to Innsbruck on the other side of the Alps, were nothing in comparison to the destination. Beyond those august mountains laid the homeland of his late mother, Violante Beatrix of Wittelsbach, a fact which filled the Most Serene King with great joy, but also often put him in a deep state of melancholy. In many ways, Cosimo Ferdinando had been raised in the culture and traditions of Bavaria, with some even whispering that he had learned the language of Munich before he had mastered the tongue of Petrarch and Machiavelli. It was the home of his ancestors, the warm bosom of his childhood, the land which had once called to him as their king, savior and sovereign. "Das Mutterland," the monarch described it in a letter to his former tutor and minister, Cardinal Bandini, in Siena. Tuscany was unquestionably the Most Serene King's fatherland and patria. He regarded Bavaria, on the other hand, as his motherland, in more ways than one.
The motherland would have to wait, however, as duty called to him in Vienna. Cosimo IV had not embarked on a transalpine voyage only due to personal satisfaction, soul-searching or another variation of sentimentality. He had come at the invitation of the Holy Roman Emperor, Don Carlos of Austria, the second coming of Charles V with whom the Tuscan monarch would share grandchildren one day. The relationship between Cosimo IV and Carlos III was a complicated one. During the former's minority, the Regency of Tuscany had resisted the establishment of Spanish hegemony over Italy to the very last. As an adult monarch, Cosimo had been more welcoming of Don Carlos as a partner and ally, especially when the War of the Bavarian Succession broke out in 1731. The Most Serene King had pledged significant military support to His Catholic Majesty in Austria and Germany at large; in exchange, he had expected to be recognized as the King and Elector of Bavaria, following Cosimo's elevation at the hands of the Graf von Arco and part of the Bavarian Estates. Carlos, however, had reneged on this settlement, and, excluding the Medici from the negotiations of the family pact, had all but forced the purported Kosmas-Ferdinand to renounce his elevation to the Bavarian throne. In exchange, the Medici had been recognized as legitimate dynasts of Bavaria, counting with the right to the style and title of "Duke in Bavaria" and to the use of the Wittelsbach arms, and had received the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg as a secundogeniture for their house in perpetuity. Those had been rich consolation prizes, but consolation prizes nonetheless. What mattered the most to Cosimo was that the usurper Heinrich now ruled in Bavaria while Munich was in ruins, all with Carlos III's blessing.
It had been a heavy blow in an otherwise harmonious relationship. The following years had been a challenging time for the relations between the courts of Madrid and Florence. The former recognized in the Medici the key to the peaceable governance of Italy, but often refrained from seeing them as equal partners (as exemplified by the dynastic policy of the Spanish Habsburgs, which prioritized marital ties to the House of Este and the House of Bourbon-Farnese over the descendants of a banking clan, having refused an Infanta for Cosimo IV's eldest son, much to his chagrin). Florence, on the other hand, viewed Don Carlos' exaggerated interest in Italy with concern, deeming it a threat to the sovereignty of the Medici, particularly in light of his antiquated insistence on the language of vassalage that did not correspond with reality. Under the guidance of the Cardinal Corsini, they always strove to maintain an equidistant position between Madrid and Paris, careful not to anger the Spanish behemoth while continuously nourishing ties with Versailles. It paid off when the French (and later the Portuguese) dispatched an expeditionary relief force to Medici Tunisia, while Don Carlos, preoccupied with Morocco and other fronts, refused to intervene. The Planet Emperor's African policy, especially during the War of the Algerias, was a point of contention between both courts, though one greatly alleviated by the Catholic King's renouncement of any right the Crown of Sicily might have had over the Kingdom of Africa, formally separating the titles and acknowledging Cosimo IV's exclusive right to the style and title of King of Africa (before Carlos' intervention, the Medici curial faction had been working towards the title of Rex Africae Carthaginensis, with the additional geographic denominator). The divergences did not mean that the Medici did not benefit from friendly relations with the Spanish court. Cosimo IV had become Perpetual Vicar of Italy by Don Carlos' grant, and he personally owned vast estates in the Spanish-held Kingdom of Naples that had come to him as a family inheritance. Elsewhere, in accordance with the Treaty of Siena, the Spanish supplied naval instructors for the Order of St. Stefano's Accademia del Mare in Livorno (a port which they had assigned as the main trading port for Spanish subjects in Italy), provided the people of Tuscany with reliable access to credit through the Bank of St. George and the moneylenders of Barcelona, and promoted free trade between both countries, to the benefit of exports of Tuscan grain, textiles, porcelain and timber. It was an odd mixture of converging and diverging interests that ruled the relations between both courts.
VIEW OF VIENNA BY CANALETTO
As the party proceeded to the imperial city of Vienna for the Triple Weddings, the foremost reason for the convergence of interests soon became evident. The lands of the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg laid on the approach to the Austrian heartland, whether one came from the south by way of Innsbruck... or from Upper Bavaria, Munich and Nuremberg from the west. The geopolitics of Salzburg, perhaps more than any other element, provided the strongest foundation for the alliance between the Medici and the Spanish Habsburgs. The rich and strategically-positioned Salzburger state had been won for the House of Medici in the political order that installed itself in the aftermath of the Bruderkrieg. It was an order that was grounded on the continued permanence of the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg in Vienna, with Heinrich and his coalition of mystics and imperialists restricted to the court of Nuremberg. The Medici were an important pillar of support for Don Carlos' Italian ambitions, and they did reap their rewards in the form of patronage and favor when interests converged, but it was a support guided by the ancient Medicean principle of festina lente, where caution and prudence ruled over hasty and impulsive action. North of the Alps, however, none of the Medici reservations applied. Support was given freely and enthusiastically, for it was perceived that the continued Medici rule over Salzburg was conditioned on the continued rule of the senior Habsburgs over Vienna. This distinction was not lost to Don Carlos, who once aptly commented that the Medici seemed to be more willing allies in Germany rather than in Italy.
He was not wrong. When the loyalty of Medicean Salzburg was called upon in the height of the Hofburg crisis, it stood to the test. It was only through the timely intervention of the Medici that the young archduke Leopold Remus, Emperor Heinrich's son, was prevented from reaching Vienna in time to be used as a pawn and figurehead in Eugene of Savoy's conspiracy against Don Carlos' rule. The ancient imperial general had had a falling out with Carlos III over the autonomy of Austria, and had approached Heinrich in Nuremberg to send forth his younger son to refound the junior line in Vienna under his tutelage. With Salzburg lying on the road between Bavaria and Vienna, it had fallen to the Medici to spontaneously delay Leopold Remus' coming, with what the Medici did best: a wide array of celebrations, festivities and pageants offered in the name of the young archduke, ones which befitted his station as an imperial prince. When the infant's party had finally been able to push through the overbearing Salzburger hospitality, Eugene of Savoy and his coalition had already reached an understanding with the Spanish. When he arrived, Leopold Remus was no longer welcome in Vienna, and was made to return to Nuremberg with haste. In other words, it had only been the Medici's timely intervention which prevented the Spanish Habsburgs from losing Austria-Hungary to Heinrich's line.
For his role in preventing the outbreak of a general European war, both for his actions during the Hofburg crisis and his capable mediation of the Maddalenas incident, Cosimo IV was hailed in some circles as il Pacificatore. Most importantly, a new degree of trust had emerged between the courts of Florence and Madrid, in a relative inversion of their respective places. It was no longer Florence that depended on Madrid for favor and advancement; rather the opposite, Madrid had been the one who had depended on Florence to avoid a resurgent Heinrich. The reward came shortly thereafter: the long-awaited betrothal between Princess Violante Francesca Diana de' Medici, Cosimo IV's daughter, and the Archduke-Infante Felipe Fernando of Austria. It was a match that answered Florence's old request for prestigious dynastic ties to the House of Habsburg and that solidified the friendship between Florence, Vienna and Madrid. It was not the first match between a Medici princess and an Austrian archduke, but it was the first time the former banking clan infiltrated the direct line of the House of Habsburg, for Violante Diana's betrothed was expected to succeed as Archduke of Austria and Apostolic King of Hungary in due time. It was a fitting reward for the family that had ensured his future rule in those lands.
VIOLANTE DIANA DE' MEDICI Principessa of Tuscany and Archduchess of Austria
The bride to be had been baptized as Violante Francesca Diana Beatrice Vittoria Maria Maddalena de' Medici, bearing a long line of illustrious names all related to illustrious forebears, except one, which she came to favor. In childhood, she had been known by her two first names, which she had received in honor of her grandmothers, Violante of Bavaria and the legitimée Françoise Marie de Bourbon. As she grew up, the princess came to prefer the style of Violante Diana, or even just Diana, which she had received in honor of her aunt, Louise-Diane d'Orléans. Unlike her sisters, Louise-Diane had not made a stellar royal match and lived at the margin of the House of Orléans. For the young and ambitious Violante Francesca, her claim to the name of Diana represented a claim to a personality and a legacy of her own. Louise Élisabeth, her mother, had never seen the value in the education of girls, so it had been at her father's insistence that Diana had received a liberal and scientific education under Cardinal Bandini and Luigi Guido Grandi. She had been taught French and German, as all of Cosimo IV's children, from an early age, and it did not take her long to pick up Spanish and Latin, the latter so that she could better understand mass.
Diana was, after all, a pious child, perhaps the most pious of her siblings (it was no coincidence that she had been the one most exposed to the influence of the religious Bavarian Dowager in her upbringing). Her personal piety had led to her being involved in the charities of the Order of Canossa from childhood, which earned her the love of the commoners and the kind moniker of La Principessa del Popolo. Cultured, refined and devout, it would still take a few years for the young People's Princess to mature into the literary and philanthropic patron she would become, let alone the faithful exponent and sponsor of the policies of the School of Siena in the Viennese court. Still, she had an easy charm to her that quickly won her the adoration of her new subjects (perhaps to the jealousy of her much older sister-in-law La Farnesina, who had not had as easy a life experience in comparison).
The groom, five years her senior, was Don Felipe Fernando of Spain, lately known as Philipp Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria. The Duke of Segovia, as he had been known back home, stood for a promising future of the Austrian Habsburgs, one unbeholden to both the court in Madrid, aside from filial obedience and brotherly fraternity, and the byzantine mysticism of Heinrich's Nuremberg. As an Infante, he had fought the Shanqit in Morocco, leading the Spanish armies to a string of significant victories before the front collapsed in his absence (in this, Segovia could find some common ground with his future brother-in-law, Prince Cosimo Ottaviano, who had likewise fought the Shanqit in Tunisia, albeit as an aide-de-camp to Dom João V). A man of unimpeachable military reputation and illustrious lineage, he was considered smarter, taller and better looking than his older brother, the Prince of Asturias, and counted with membership in the knightly orders of Calatrava, Santiago and Alcántara. The other two grooms, Don Carlos Felix and the Count of Monza, were less distinguished than El Alemán (as were their brides, in Cosimo's private opinion, for Diana was the apple of his eye). All in all, the Most Serene King could hardly have asked for a more fitting son-in-law.
The arms of Archduchess Diana de Medicis
"Vienna welcomed us with great enthusiasm," Cosimo wrote home when they arrived. "The Queen was taken ill as we crossed the Alps. She remains convalescent in Salzburg for a time, but will join us for the wedding, or so the doctors claim. The mountain air was disagreeable, and it seems that a mother's nervousness for a first child's marriage may have contributed to unbalancing her humors." The King then wrote of the pageantry of Carlos' entry to Vienna, expressing something that bordered on admiration; high praise indeed, coming from the masters of pageantry. "I am reminded of my own wedding to Luigia. It has been long, but those days were unforgettable. I have long believed that our wedding could not be surpassed in terms of grandeur, splendor and attendees. Nothing short of the extraordinary will shatter this truth, though I have to confess that these Viennese weddings came close. They may have fewer crowned heads attending as guests, and naturally no naumachia in sight, but they have thrice the courses, thrice the banquets, and thrice the balls, for in truth it is three weddings in one."
Of course, the Most Serene King also contributed to the festivities, bringing in his entourage the musical talents of the Reale Accademia Ferdinando III, also known as the School of Pratolino, to bless the Viennese circles with the best of Italian opera. Händel's Annibale, a historical epic telling the story of the Punic Wars and the conflict between Hannibal and Scipio Africanus, in a not so subtle retelling of the Tunisian War, proved particularly popular. It was a testament to the strength and glory of Violante Diana's lineage, and to their commitment to the defense and advancement of the Catholic Church. It put Cosimo in a good mood. La Farnesina would, in time, outrank his Diana, as she was the one who would inherit the imperial consort's crown, much to his annoyance, as he had hoped to make his daughter the Empress (the Spanish prioritizing the progeny of Philip of Anjou once again causing the King upset). However, in the Viennese court, Diana, who would be their Archduchess and Queen, took center stage. Witty, charming and confident, she was everything her father was not. La Principessa del Popolo, it seemed, would not lack for friends in her new home.
SCHÖNNBRUNN PALACE
Philipp Ferdinand's wedding gift to Diana de Medicis, for life
