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The Great Italian Wars. (1515)

The Great Italian Wars

The year is 1515. Italy has been embroiled in a continuous struggle since Charles VIII of France tried to claim the crown of Naples in 1494. What started as a succession crisis bled out into an epic struggle between the house of Valois and the house of Habsburg fought out in the fields, hills and cities of the Italian peninsula. At the start the Italian states, fearing the influence of France, banded together to drive the French out. But soon, rivalries and lust for power drove a wedge between the states and caused them to fight each other. France and the Habsburgs would exploit these divisions to further their own ambitions. After a few bloody wars Venice seemed to have the upper hand in the Romagna. In response the pope, Julius II, called upon all the christian nations to form a Holy League against the aggression of the Serenissima. This league, called the league of Cambrai, existed of the former enemies France and Spain and some mayor Italian states. Venice, now outnumbered and surrounded, managed to defend its territory well with the help of hired professional condottiero armies and tried to exploit the leagues traditional rivalries. Louis XI had invaded Milan and annexed it on the basis of his Visconti heritage. Julius however didnt want the powerful Italian state in the hands of his enemy and hired a large army of Swiss mercenaries who installed Maximilian Sforza as the new duke. This broke up the Papal French alliance, which had been under pressure since the start, and drove France into the hands of Venice. In 1515 Francis I managed to beat the Swiss and Milanese forces at the battle of Marignano and assumed control of the duchy once more. This battle would be the start of the second part of the war of the Holy League and would lead directly to the 4 years war of 1521-1526. While the French and the Pope were at each others throats, Ferdinand of Aragon used his influence to get a stable foothold in the south of Italy. He, still committed to his alliance with the Papal state, was seeking ways to dislodge the French foothold in Lombardy and put himself in the role of dominant monarch in the peninsula. He would soon be followed up by his grandson, the ambitious Charles V, who would unite Austria and Spain under Habsburg rule. Meanwhile some other smaller states had their eye closely on the events unfolding in Italy. The Duchy of Ferrara under house Este, founded by a condottiero, was in 1500 a beacon of the Renaissance. Its rulers were well educated in diplomacy and tactics and were aching to expand their influence in the power vacuum that existed in the rich and prosperous Po valley. In the Alps bordering France a powerful lord guarded the passes that gave the French access to Italy. The dukes of Savoy had for long been French satellites but in more recent years, as they saw their importance grew, they dreamed of a principality of their own. And last but not least, the Duchy of Tuscany. Tuscany was dominated by the wealthy city of Florence. During the previous years Florence had managed to subdue its powerful neighbours like Pisa, Lucca and Siena. But with the downfall of the Di Medici family they had lost a lot of their influence. But with the re-emergence of Lorenzo II Di Medici the once powerful city was ready to take back its position of hegemony in the centre of Tuscan politics.

The stage was set for a conflict that would last another 35 years and would define the future of Italy and the power balance in the whole of Europe.

FACTIONS:

1: KINGDOM OF FRANCE (Franks)
2: THE MOST SERENE REPUBLIC OF VENICE (Italians)
3: THE DUCHY OF FERRARA (Italians)
4: THE KINGDOM OF CASTILE AND ARAGON (Spanish)
5: THE PAPAL STATE OF ROMAGNA (Italians)
6: THE DUCHY OF MILAN (Franks)
7: THE DUCHY OF SAVOY (Teutons)
8: THE DUCHY OF FLORENCE (Italians)

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS:

Resources: High
Map: Explored
Population: 200
Game Speed: Fast (2.0)
Teams Unlocked

NOTE:

Read HINTS and SCOUTS for VICTORY CONDITIONS and INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR FACTION
You can rebuild any existing castle by building one of your own inside the city walls. Each faction has 2 main castles that can be rebuild and 1 minor town with a tower of flies.
To capture a city you just have to build a castle inside the walls. To destroy a city you just have to destroy the main tower or the main castle.
Castles are placed free over the map but only those inside city walls give revenue every 15min. Remember that stone is a scarce commodity on this map.
All factions can recruit mercenaries and they should for the core of your armies. Make sure you recruit them regularly and don't lose them early on in a fight as they have the most HP and firepower.
Also this map takes place in the 'pike and shot' era. The map is build on that basis. Gunpowder units, pikemen and damage absorbing units will be highly efficient on this map. Because of this increased firepower the map plays at a fast pace. Beware not to get steamrolled by mercenary units.

I hope that all of you enjoy my scenario. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to write me down below or in a private message.
If you want to get invited to the lobbies you can always add me on steam.

Good Luck

-Cove.