LordKalvan said:Nitpickings:
Glad to have them. Since you are the only one responding you are allowed to nitpick as much as you want.
LordKalvan said:- it would be the Duchy of Lombardy (there is already a Margravate of Lombardy, with the Margrave "governing" from Milan). If you look at the names of the Duchies in this age, they are all named after regions, and not cities. Now there are a couple of points worth considering: the current margrave of Milan is Albert Azzo II Welf [as an aside, the guy surprisingly lived up to the ripe age of 101 years, dieing in 1097. At this moment, he is already with a foot in his grave].
Ah well then no sense in letting this venerable guy die at that ripe old age...a spry fellow like him has got to die defending his lands. A middle ages version of Count Dooku.
LordKalvan said:Got the family name? His eldest son is Welf IV, duke of Bavaria and Carniola (the father of Welf V the Fat), and from him the German Welf-Este will descend.; his second son Hugh inherited the County of Maine, in France (the dowry of his mother), but left no issue and sold the county; the youngest son, Fulc, is the founder of the italian branch of the family, the Fulc-Este (from the castle of Este, near Padua, built by Albert Azzo II). We are again mixed up with the usual nice family issues. The Welf family supports the pope and the Canossas against the empire. It would not do to offend them.
No it wouldn't...I shall use your recommendation.
LordKalvan said:Milan is more and more unruly, and is becoming a big city (population doubled up in these years, from 45,000 to 90,000, which is a lot in this time and age). There is again the need to find an accommodation between the free cities and the aristocracy if Mathilda's dream has to be fulfilled. My proposal is: the margravate of Lombardy will cease with the deat of the margrave, and will be replaced by the Duchy of Lombardy, with capital seat in Pavia (Pavia is smaller, less unruly than Milan - even if in 1024 rebelled against Henry II and burned down the imperial palace - and was traditionally the seat of the kings of Italy); the Duchy of Lombardy (which brings also the title of Count Palatine of Italy) will be given to Boniface (and Pavia is a fine seat, since it is close to the Po river, and the traditional Canossa fiefs in Piacenza and Guastalla);
Done.
LordKalvan said:the house of Este is compensated by being invested as margraves of Veneto, with their seat in Este. Conrad will not have a fixed seat, but will travel Italy and Germany as needed. Milan will be rebuilt [now the problem is this: Milan will be likely to become the major power in Lombardy in any TL, given its population basis and geographical position. OTL, Milan ascendancy begun in the late 11th century and went on progressively until the late 15th century and the Italian wars.
Mathilda's task (and a very difficult one) will be to hammer out a charter for the free cities, detailing both their rights and their obligations, toward their sovereign as well as toward other free cities or feudal lords. OTL, this did not happen: the free cities in Italy got their rights with the sword and with the flame (and with their deep coffers). OTOH, the situation was very unstable, with leagues and alliances forming and collapsing, cities destroyed and civil unrest. Ultimately, all the cities had to accept a lord which was strong enough to guarantee the peace. It would be great if this were to be the true Mathildan legacy: a charter of rights (the Magna Charta is not very far away, in any case. And the jurists are already established at the university of Bologna).
Ah good to see that we are thinking along the same lines. Got any suggestions on what would be good to go in this Charter of Rights? (I've got some ideas but a good fleshing out would be nice.)
LordKalvan said:- OTL Mathilda concentrated too much on her northern fiefs, to the detriment of the traditional Canossa holding in Tuscany. Besides the intermittent war with Pisa (which is at the top of her power in these years), also Lucca revolted against her. Florence only stayed loyal. In TTL, Mathilda can probably have more time and leisure to confront and solve these issues too.
Yes she and her family will have much to keep themselves busy with for a while. But with support from the Pope, the heir to the Empire (Conrad), and in a better situation overall a conclusions to these issues can be found.
LordKalvan said:- the pope (as sovereign lord of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica) grants feudal right to Pisa (and not a supremacy which Pisa had already got) over Corsica and Sardinia (the same thing he did with Robert Guiscard, when he was invested Count of Sicily).
Quite so. I was not planning on striping Pisa of her possessions however who would the Pope back Pisa or Canossa if Pisa did refuse to come to the table over a Charter and decided they like the situation as it is? (I think I know what the answer would be, but just want to confirm it.)
In 1077 Henry IV gave Pisa rights to basically rule themselves (actually they already had it but this just made it formal), and as he campaigned in Italy against Matilda he promised such things to a few other cities (such as Ferrara). With the peace treaty he recinds these rights thus allowing Matilda to be the one to offer such things (outside interference could ruin any plans she has) or not as she sees fit. Ferrara is the first on her list to rectify...whether they want to or not.
[Rewrite]
He agreed to the following:
Recognize Conrad as King of Germany and King of Italy.
Boniface is granted the newly created Duchy of Lombardy (and thus Count Palatine of Italy), capital in Pavia (Since the elderly Margrave Albert Azzo II Welf died defending Milan, an inspiration to all people approaching a century of life)
The House of Este is invested as Margraves of Veneto, capital Este
Henry, from his personal estates, will have to ‘donate’ some hard currency to help rebuild Milan
Disband the large army currently occupying Milan and return them to Germany
The House of Canossa is granted a formalization of the Vice-Regal status within the Kingdom of Italy
Agrees to recognize Matilda’s and Boniface’s rights in the Lorraine duchies
All the Imperial titles he stripped from Matilda are returned
Several other minor lands are exchanged in compensation for the destruction wrought on the House of Canossa’s land during Henry’s campaigns in Italy
Henry is to recant several promises he made towards several cities within Italy (Pisa being the most prominent among those named)
Denounce Clement III and Henry must go to Rome and ‘discuss’ things with Pope Urban II
[/Rewrite]