Welcome! Waiting on it, very curious as to how you'll take it. There are various minor leads and opportunities scattered around.
Introduction to the Alternative History
As is well known, Italy is a land of waste, not only in an artistic and architectural sense, but also on a historical level, in fact there have been many badly exploited opportunities or that have slipped from hand, such as the colonial history of Italy.
Therefore, this first exercise in alternative history concerns the history - or rather - the History of as many as nine colonies or former colonies that in this timeline belonged to the Belpaese.
Therefore, this first exercise in alternative history concerns the history - or rather - the History of as many as nine colonies or former colonies that in this timeline belonged to the Belpaese.
the beginning of the heyday of the Dominante: Genoese Morocco. Part One.
towards the end of the eleventh century, precisely in the year of lord 1099, in the city of Genoa, several Genoese traders gave life to the Compagnia Communis, formally declaring the independence of Liguria from the Holy Roman Empire of Germany,
this small town in the middle of Liguria will soon begin to make itself felt
assert itself as a maritime power with the famous battle of Meloria against the republic of Pisa, and expanded into every corner of the Mediterranean, thus giving life to an innate rivalry against the Most Serene Republic of Venice for control of the Mare Nostro.
Following the loss by Genoa of St. John of Acre in the Middle East, the Dogado of Genoa soon realized that to get the refined and expensive spices he had to take them himself, and this meant that he had to circumnavigate Africa to reach the Indie, so the doge then entrusted the two brothers Ugo and Vadino Vivaldi with the command of the expedition of the same name aimed at circumnavigating the whole of Africa and then reaching the Indies.
in 1291 the two brothers, captains of two galleys and commanders of a crew of about 600 men (300 men per prison) thus left the port of Genoa to go towards the impetuous Atlantic ocean, however the purpose of the mission soon turned out to be a partial failure and the two brothers set foot in the Canary Islands, taking possession of a small island for the Compagna Communis named “Vadina” by its homonymous discoverer, vadino; they were unaware of having landed in the Canary archipelago.
Towards the end of 1200, the two brothers returned to their homeland, telling the doge that he had discovered islands "in the middle of the Atlantic" and Ugo suggested to the Doge to claim possession of these islands on behalf of the companion communis, using in fact the Canary Islands as a starting point for a second expedition to the Indies by the Genoese (which will never happen)
this small town in the middle of Liguria will soon begin to make itself felt
assert itself as a maritime power with the famous battle of Meloria against the republic of Pisa, and expanded into every corner of the Mediterranean, thus giving life to an innate rivalry against the Most Serene Republic of Venice for control of the Mare Nostro.
Following the loss by Genoa of St. John of Acre in the Middle East, the Dogado of Genoa soon realized that to get the refined and expensive spices he had to take them himself, and this meant that he had to circumnavigate Africa to reach the Indie, so the doge then entrusted the two brothers Ugo and Vadino Vivaldi with the command of the expedition of the same name aimed at circumnavigating the whole of Africa and then reaching the Indies.
in 1291 the two brothers, captains of two galleys and commanders of a crew of about 600 men (300 men per prison) thus left the port of Genoa to go towards the impetuous Atlantic ocean, however the purpose of the mission soon turned out to be a partial failure and the two brothers set foot in the Canary Islands, taking possession of a small island for the Compagna Communis named “Vadina” by its homonymous discoverer, vadino; they were unaware of having landed in the Canary archipelago.
Towards the end of 1200, the two brothers returned to their homeland, telling the doge that he had discovered islands "in the middle of the Atlantic" and Ugo suggested to the Doge to claim possession of these islands on behalf of the companion communis, using in fact the Canary Islands as a starting point for a second expedition to the Indies by the Genoese (which will never happen)
the beginning of the heyday of the Dominante: Genoese Morocco. Part Two
Since the first years of the discovery of the canary islands, genoa invested enough in it to be able to say that Vadina already had a small port, but it was not the most suitable port for great adventures beyond Mauritania.
Over time, other explorers arrived in these isles, in fact in 1312 Malocello Lanzerotto discovered another island just above Vadina, which he will baptize Lanzerotto, from his own surname.
Also Jean de Bethencourt also explored the rest of the archipelago almost a century after Malocello Lanzerotto (1402), discovering Teneriffa, Gran Canaria, Isola delle Palme, Isola d'Oria for the republic of Genoa.
the native islanders, at the sight of the first merchants and the first European settlements on this semi-remote archipelago (for the time), fled with terror and looked at the Genoese newcomers with distrust, but over time they began to trust the Europeans, at first trading with the latter, to then give life to a new Italian-indigenous ethnic group that over the centuries will integrate more and more on a cultural and linguistic level in Genoa.
in the second half of the fifteenth century the Genoese snatched the two very important cities of ceuta and melilla from the Moroccans in order to improve communications with the Canaries.
Over time, other explorers arrived in these isles, in fact in 1312 Malocello Lanzerotto discovered another island just above Vadina, which he will baptize Lanzerotto, from his own surname.
Also Jean de Bethencourt also explored the rest of the archipelago almost a century after Malocello Lanzerotto (1402), discovering Teneriffa, Gran Canaria, Isola delle Palme, Isola d'Oria for the republic of Genoa.
the native islanders, at the sight of the first merchants and the first European settlements on this semi-remote archipelago (for the time), fled with terror and looked at the Genoese newcomers with distrust, but over time they began to trust the Europeans, at first trading with the latter, to then give life to a new Italian-indigenous ethnic group that over the centuries will integrate more and more on a cultural and linguistic level in Genoa.
in the second half of the fifteenth century the Genoese snatched the two very important cities of ceuta and melilla from the Moroccans in order to improve communications with the Canaries.
Attachments
the beginning and the heyday of the Dominante: the era of discoveries - part one
In the fifteenth century Genoa was among the richest and most prosperous Italian cities in Europe, close ally with the Spaniards, one of the most fierce Italian city-states in the fight against Muslim invaders, especially when Mehmed II, called the conqueror, destroyed Constantinople, causing the end of the Roman Empire (of the East), trade with the Genoese Crimea was lost and not only, but their possessions such as Chios and Candia were also threatened by both the Ottomans and the Venetians, who in the meantime under their protectorate the despotate of morea.
In Genoa in those days following the capitulation of the millennial Byzantine Empire nothing else was talked about, and there was actually fear that their commercial affairs, and the doge of the republic Pietro Fragoso called a meeting with the most illustrious families of the republic on what to do for the future, whether to want to protect Genoese interests in the Aegean at all costs or whether to move more and more to an increasingly "Atlanticist" and less and less "Mediterranean" trade.
the Council was immediately divided into two camps; the Atlanticists, or those rich merchants who believed in constantly strengthening and renewing the Genoese navy to ensure a renewed power in the maritime field to be able to reach the Indies and take all its riches, while the supporters of Mediterranean traditionalism were against spending money for long and expensive journeys to reach the indies by sea, and argued that consolidating the colonies in the Aegean was much more useful in order to have a bridgehead to be able to return to trade with the indies indirectly.
the Atlanticist faction was chaired by the D'Oria (whose previous interest in the colonization of the Canaries is included), while the Mediterranean faction was chaired by the Lords of Chios, the Giustiniani family.
the great turning point was with Christopher Columbus, who in 1492 proposed to the Doge of Genoa Agostino Adorno to support his expedition to the Indies by crossing the Atlantic, however he received a disdainful refusal, but the Dorias, and in general the "atlanticists", interested in Columbus' project, supported him economically and with three caravels Columbus left the port of Ajaccio in August 1492.
In Genoa in those days following the capitulation of the millennial Byzantine Empire nothing else was talked about, and there was actually fear that their commercial affairs, and the doge of the republic Pietro Fragoso called a meeting with the most illustrious families of the republic on what to do for the future, whether to want to protect Genoese interests in the Aegean at all costs or whether to move more and more to an increasingly "Atlanticist" and less and less "Mediterranean" trade.
the Council was immediately divided into two camps; the Atlanticists, or those rich merchants who believed in constantly strengthening and renewing the Genoese navy to ensure a renewed power in the maritime field to be able to reach the Indies and take all its riches, while the supporters of Mediterranean traditionalism were against spending money for long and expensive journeys to reach the indies by sea, and argued that consolidating the colonies in the Aegean was much more useful in order to have a bridgehead to be able to return to trade with the indies indirectly.
the Atlanticist faction was chaired by the D'Oria (whose previous interest in the colonization of the Canaries is included), while the Mediterranean faction was chaired by the Lords of Chios, the Giustiniani family.
the great turning point was with Christopher Columbus, who in 1492 proposed to the Doge of Genoa Agostino Adorno to support his expedition to the Indies by crossing the Atlantic, however he received a disdainful refusal, but the Dorias, and in general the "atlanticists", interested in Columbus' project, supported him economically and with three caravels Columbus left the port of Ajaccio in August 1492.
the beginning and the heyday of the Dominante: the era of discoveries - part two
Columbus therefore left for Gibraltar, which had recently been declared Capitanato Genovese as compensation for the decisive support of Genoa in the final stages of the Reconquista of Iberia against the infidel of Al-Andalus.
in any case, Columbus first touched the island of Lanzerotto, the northernmost island of the Canary Islands, and then threw himself towards the Azores islands as the last territory known until now by the Europeans and then reached the deep and unknown Atlantic Ocean.
Columbus thus arrived in the Caribbean islands precisely in the nowadays known as Bahama archipelago (OTL Bahamas), unaware of knowing it and when he landed on land he pronounced the phrase in Italian that went down in history: "io prenderò possesso de' queste isole a nome della Signoria de 'Magnifici" (transl: I will take this Island in the name of the Lordship of Magnificient).
Columbus stayed to explore this group of archipelago for at least another year before returning to Genoa, and discovered several south of the territories he had just taken over.
in any case, Columbus first touched the island of Lanzerotto, the northernmost island of the Canary Islands, and then threw himself towards the Azores islands as the last territory known until now by the Europeans and then reached the deep and unknown Atlantic Ocean.
Columbus thus arrived in the Caribbean islands precisely in the nowadays known as Bahama archipelago (OTL Bahamas), unaware of knowing it and when he landed on land he pronounced the phrase in Italian that went down in history: "io prenderò possesso de' queste isole a nome della Signoria de 'Magnifici" (transl: I will take this Island in the name of the Lordship of Magnificient).
Columbus stayed to explore this group of archipelago for at least another year before returning to Genoa, and discovered several south of the territories he had just taken over.