Emma, Duchess of Brabant - An Austro-Burgundian TL
Interlude III: The Papacy (I)
please be kind it is my first writing published by myself, I am terrified by this, in case of errors or inconsistencies do not be scrupulous and let me notice them ok
Year 1477
Rome early June
the first months of government of the new pope are putting a strain on the calm and mental health of the cardinals, due to a sudden authoritarian drift of the new pontiff who immediately decides to clean up a large part of the old administration and the papal curia while getting rid of his opponents who are investigated and locked up for the strangest reasons in the most terrifying and ancient prison in Rome : the marmettino (already used in the imperial era to house the conspirators and dissidents including many Christians over the centuries) instead that in Castel Sant'Angelo which is currently not accessible, given the expansion works wanted by Mark of the defensive fortress around it.
In addition to the physical damage, the poor defendants also suffer the insult that their properties are confiscated by the pope (who gives them to the people as public places once they are reconverted, even in the centuries to come a legend will form which says that the pontiff before starting the works gave his permission to the citizens of the city to plunder the homes and palaces of the prelates without any brakes especially during the carnival celebrations, and that the valuables could be kept to then become coins for common use ( 1 ) the only those who are saved from these barbarities are the people who allowed his election to the throne of Peter (among whom we find an old acquaintance of ours, Cardinal Borgia who wisely sensing the wind blowing gave his resignation as chancellor, for the moment His Holiness Mark wants Rodrigo to carry out a heavy and particularly important task outside Rome, but it has not yet been clarified to Rodrigo what it is about)
1477
Romagna near Ravenna
the pope's army led by the gonfaloniere Giuliano della Rovere, after numerous forced marches and prolonged sieges, manages to reach one of the first and among the most important cities in the region, which for at least 40 years have been in open rebellion against Rome (only this time they will not have Venetian support) given that the Serenissima succeeded for the first time in placing one of its sons on the Petrine throne and therefore gave full military support to the papacy for its campaign of reconquest. The only ones who formally oppose this alliance are for now the Duke of Milan (who does not look favorably on this Rome - Venice axis and fears for the possessions of his niece Caterina, Duchess of Forlì and Imola as well as a great supporter of the anti-papal revolts) especially now that in Rome there is a pope who is more interested in material matters and above all Naples, which didn't like the interference in its foreign policy by the previous pope and indeed now they are even more suspicious than a Venetian pope (they open adversaries in the fight for Greece) moreover with military aspirations (the Neapolitans rightly fear for their safety, as they suspect possible dangerous moves from Rome) but in case of danger the Neapolitan king has discovered that he has many friends eager for revenge and intends use them
1477 September
although not adoring the humanist culture of the period, His Holiness decides that it would be a serious mistake not to support it any longer and therefore continues with the patronage of philosophers and artists from all over the world (many of them come from nearby Florence) and also has impressive monumental fountains built throughout the city, he creates a large city hospital near the lateran so as to be ready in the event of an epidemic, as well as encouraging the foundation of a banking system in the city, by involving the Medici family (for at least 50 years bankers of the papacy) with proto-capitalist organizations of the Serenissima to reorganize the state tax system. he starts the construction of a second fortress in Rome between the Martino bridge (Otl Ponte Sisto) and Trastevere, with the function of defending the remaining part of the city (or, as his opponents say, himself) from a possible attack from several sides. meanwhile, although listening to the news of an increase in tensions in the Iberian peninsula, he does not give us much weight (to general astonishment, given the alliance made known by the bishop of Carthage between Morocco and Granada against the Iberian kingdoms) what worries him more is the Greek front (where the return of the Ottomans creates a lot of apprehension especially after their annexation of Serbia) with these tensions rising, the pope decides without listening to his government that he wants to travel to Greece to meet the royal couple and take the pulse of those who disagree at the church meeting, without even wanting to consider the risks to his person (he also believes that it would be a move that will block Neapolitan maneuvers in the region forever) in the end many of his advisers step aside (they want nothing to do in case something bad should happen to the pope) in the end Marco is forced to call Rodrigo back to organize this trip (by removing him from the role of head of the Holy Office for the Bohemian question)
January of 1478
the pope leaves for Venice where the doge has specially prepared a squadron of ships from the arsenal that will follow and take his holiness to the Morea, before the journey Marco decides to stay for a week in his old hometown (he is welcomed by a flood of people barely enter the territories of the republic, the crowd once they reach San Marco is immense and jubilant to make their way into the basilica it takes almost 30 minutes, at the two functions he celebrates it is discovered from a census made for the occasion by the doge that at least 70 thousand people participated, among those present in the church, those in the square and in the nearby houses, for the pontiff this welcome must have been a panacea given the very cold one he had in the cities along the route outside Rome (including a Ravenna under martial law).
the journey was very long but in the end the pope lands in Corfu, the first place of his journey, the reception is surprisingly good compared to the initial expectations, but the news that welcomes him is not, in fact it is very bad (the Ottomans have declared war to the despotate) and they are marching on Athens (pivotal place to be able to control access to the isthmus of Corinth (the gate to enter the Morea) for the occasion, the pope wants to get to Mistra as soon as possible to see the situation with his own eyes, but his Swiss guards and accompanying collaborators do everything to avert a tragedy (they know that the news of the pope's landing will spread quickly among the population and above all it will reach the Ottomans and this would be too tempting an occasion for them to capture the head of Christianity as well as the first protector of free Greece)
January 25 Greece
the papal entourage is on its way to the capital of the despotate when they are attacked by an armed band, at first it is thought to be an advance guard of the Ottoman army, causing severe panic in the group, the enemies immediately focus on the figure of the pontiff with guns leveled shouting in Greek "death to the tyrant bishop of Rome, murderer of the Rhomanois, son of the bastard Dandolo" but between the armed band and the pope the Swiss guards immediately stand in the way, courageously being in the minority (many have been sent forward to check the area, believing that a large escort would have been easier to identify than to strike so to avoid this it would have been useful to travel as far as possible incognito at least as far as Mystras) the ensuing clash was very animated and many guards were wounded and at least 5 unfortunately they died but none of the assailants survived.
Rome same day
a swarm of cardinals meets in a secluded place to discuss what to do with this tyrant they have villainously elected, there are many plans but everyone fears being easily discovered by the security police created by Mark led by one of his loyalists who takes his place in his absence, making life in Rome a nightmare for anyone in the curia who is not a supporter of the new pope. it seems that the meeting has reached a dead end when Cardinal Colonna suggests finding external help..... and he already has one ready to act at the first opportunity very willingly
February 1478
Mystras
Basiless Theodora anxiously awaits good news both from the front where her husband is fighting against the Ottomans, and from the pontifical delegation which has not communicated for at least seven days (the worst is feared above all knowing that many in the region have taken up arms to support the Ottomans when they learned of the papal arrival, because they were convinced that it would have been the end of the orthodox church (as Mehmed II's propaganda made it clear by word of mouth and the diffusion of tabloid pamphlets on the subject)
Romagna
Giuliano della Rovere during the siege of Faenza is engaged in the field by an army commanded by Caterina Sforza and other local nobles, both sides have 30,000 soldiers each with as many cannons. Giuliano finds himself trapped between the enemy bombardment behind him (the defenders of Faenza) and the army in front, in consultation with some of his soldiers he decides that it is necessary to break the main support for the revolt in the region (he decides to give battle to Caterina and her allies), the battle was very bloody and many men died in the clash at least 1/5 of the total participants, but in the end it was the papal army that prevailed due to the flight of Catherine's allies (in the end the only army not defeated and destroyed was his who withdrew with the honors of arms , because it was the only one to represent a real threat to the army led by Giuliano) but the victory cannot be exploited because worrying news arrives from Rome, it is said that the pope is dead and an angry mob is attacking the Vatican instigated by an unspecified enemy army
Rome 1478
the crowd instigated by the anti - Mark faction is out of control and starts looting the nearby buildings (chosen by the leaders of the conspiracy as a dress rehearsal for what they intend to do later, because they know that unfortunately the pope is not dead, but being wounded and not present on site can use the opportunity to strike his government in a fatal way) the papal army will not arrive for at least a week so they have a time limit to strike and they will exploit it, but the majority of citizens do not agree with that that they consider a coup d'état in full measure and therefore an all-out guerrilla warfare begins in the city between the two factions, the only one who in this situation manages to act with a clear mind is Rodrigo who, with the support of some knights of the city militia, succeeds to make his way to the Borgo (the main district of the city because it is close to St. Peter's, as well as the most populous together with Trastevere) where, anticipating everyone, the pope's representative (much hated by the cardinals, because he was one of the most ardent supporters of the policy of confiscation and abuses of Mark ) and bringing together the rest of the government remained in Rome communicates the letter that the pope is alive and is currently in Mistra for at least 3 days, these actions dampen the revolt for the moment (and force the cardinals (those discovered) who are part of it to plea bargain with him on pain of death, many accept others instead flee to Naples or even France
1478 Mystras
the second part of the war in Greece continues, with the entry of Naples into the conflict, sure that with the chaos that is happening in Rome, created by their allies, they will have a free hand to implement their plans in Hellenic land, but first they must coordinate with the despotate to still have something to gain, the joint military operations do not have the desired outcome (they only succeed in slowing down the Ottomans initially) and the bad relations between the two armies do not help the situation, in all of this Teodora is taking care of the pontiff even in the terrible situation in which he finds himself, Mark will therefore describe it in his memoirs as a celestial vision, too pure and honest to be of this world (and therefore very fragile to the misfortunes of Life), the pope would like to speak to the people of the place so as to convince that the Latins are not traitors (he was traumatized by the aggression, above all by the threats they told him before stabbing him) and that he and the papacy in general have nothing to do with the enormous disaster that was the 4th crusade. while the discussions continue in the palace, he and the young empress organize places of care for the wounded of the two armies and to pay the ransoms of the Christian prisoners in Ottoman hands (winning the affection of the families involved). even from the mouths of the Neapolitan wounded some disturbing speeches: that their commander had the order to negotiate with the Turkish if the clash lasted for a long time, perhaps allowing Mehmet to capture Albania (thus ceasing to support the heroic Skanderbeg) in exchange for their territorial recognition in Greece (which it must be said that the simple Neapolitan soldiers were enormously disgusted just thinking about it, but everyone was convinced that their sovereign had nothing to do with it, in fact their general was the traitor of Christianity) but the while the pope indulged in the ravings of these wounded, he was not exactly sure of the good faith of the king of Naples
March 1478
the pope's apostolic journey did not go as he had hoped, indeed it can be considered today that it was a great fiasco from almost all points of view (since he was almost killed, relations with Naples worsened due to their maneuvers in Rome and that the pope had heard from their soldiers in Greece, was not present to deal with a serious coup d'état against him in the city) the only useful thing was that I showed the inhabitants of Mystras the papacy's full support for their struggle both with the creation of places to treat the wounded and sick, welcome and feed the orphans and its elevation of many Greek soldiers / rhomanoi to the rank of knights of christ in the public square going to increase the number of premises in the ranks of the hospitaller order
Rome
April/ May 1478
once back in Rome he was informed of what had happened
first triggering panic and then ending up in an angry state due to his suspicions about Naples in all this, but both Rodrigo and Giuliano della Rovere managed to reason with him and unleash a retaliatory action when the city was calmed down with great effort and with the use of the army to separate the warring factions, after he calmed down he wanted all the details of what happened in his absence, finally instead of punishing Rodrigo for his pseudo coup (in which he deposed his deputy) I confirm him in the role of Chancellor who had "usurped in his absence" thanking him for his ability to react and for having calmed the waters in such a delicate moment, instead I inquired with Giuliano how the campaign in Romagna was proceeding, remaining very happy with the news that the Gonfalonier told him
June 1478
an imperial delegation arrives in Rome to continue the church reform projects started by Martin , Mark not knowing what it was about asked for an audience with his new chancellor, who told him and handed him the late pope's plans for the church in the HRE ( Mark decided that this idea took priority over almost everything, except the situation in Greece and the increasingly disturbing diplomatic cables from the main Italian courts ) I approve of the continued control of ecclesiastical territories and their eventual suppression or union into larger entities, he wanted to increase the education of the German clergy, but one thing in particular struck him (like being run over by a truck) the creation of territory directly under papal control in the empire (particularly in Germany) he asked when this could be discussed with the emperor (he wanted to go there himself, but the situation in Rome and his last trip and the trauma associated with it made him desist from it) therefore he instructed Rodrigo to prepare to leave for Vienna as soon as possible ( only after having had the positive response from the imperial court for the meeting )
1479
the tension in all of Italy is skyrocketing, there is a storm in the air throughout the peninsula, many voices are murmuring of a possible, indeed almost certain, war between the powers (these speeches are supported by the increase in diplomatic activity between the states, with the drafting of defensive alliances, the main ones for now are those between Naples and Siena and the one directly opposed to them between Milan and Florence (which has just captured Pisa (taken by the Pazzi family) in a punitive campaign to put down a revolt against the power of Medici family (with Lorenzo the Magnificent who placed his brother in charge of the Florentine army, not trusting others) for now we know that Genoa is actively seeking both an alliance with Naples and Milan (to avert a Franco-Savoyard attack against it ) instead Rome and Venice continue their alliance, trying to remain neutral and to lower tensions between the other Italian courts
April 1479
tensions have skyrocketed in Rome, especially after the discovery that Naples refused to support Skanderbeg in his fight against Mehmet II, instead agreeing with Constantinople with the confirmation of the peace treaty of the year before in Greece (they also secured the city of Durres and its countryside, a fundamental place because it defends the eastern coast of the Neapolitan kingdom from possible Turkish incursions, can choke Venetian trade and is naturally a safe haven for then marching on to Greece) this move sends Mark into a rage who first puts the entire city of Naples under an interdict (causing panic in the citizens) but this does not stop the Neapolitan Sovereign who orders his clergy to continue working as if nothing had happened (in open defiance of the pope) so Mark uses the threatens to support an invasion by a pretender to the throne (which angers the Sovereign who gives an immediate order to place his army on the border with the state of the church, to be precise in the duchy of Spoleto (the place where the Neapolitan kingdom is a direct vassal of the pope) this aggressive maneuver triggers the excommunication of Mark on the king (it is the beginning of a possible war)
HRE April 1479
in the same period Rodrigo crosses the Alps, passing through Trento in the direction of Vienna, here he is hosted by the local bishop , where he is informed that the reforms started by Martino have not been appreciated by all, on the contrary, for some years in various parts of Germany form small revolts led by prelates which are easily put down by the princes (but which every time they reappear they obtain more support among the population and in some cases from princes who see some of their main sources of income disappear (i.e. when they are put to control and manage ecclesiastical territories without being clerics, going against canon law because they blocked the passage of a vacant post to the successor bishop) he doesn't like this news at all, but he is happy when once he arrives in the Austrian territories he is welcomed by the young archduke and his wife to accompany him to Vienna, the three immediately get along very well, especially when Rodrigo lets it slip that the old Pontiff was extremely impressed by the archduke's stupidity (at least that's what Rodrigo told him, because outspoken, I explain to Max that only a madman would have responded to a pope in that way, and that he must have considered himself lucky to have met a strangely peaceful holy father) the archduke tries to respond in kind to defend himself against this (with little result) between the general amusement of the wife and the cardinal, in the end Rodrigo asked what they seriously thought of the reforms (if they were right or bad for the church) I listened to them very carefully and you have to think again about the archduke's mental abilities (so it was not just smoke but had a solid basis for his arguments) he was pleasantly impressed by his wife Emma (this is his name) who always answered precisely, he is never in a hurry, Rodrigo I think that with his ability to think and the character and ideas of the husband they would have been great rulers if God wills it.
Vienna
April 1479
Cardinal Borgia and his sudden escort arrive at the gates of Vienna (which pleasantly strikes Rodrigo for his appearance, he too can fall victim to stereotypes, in fact he thought he was visiting a city, albeit large for Germany, rather inconspicuous compared to those in he was used to) instead it seemed to him that he had never crossed the Alps, due to the few but beautiful monuments that gave him the sensation of being in an Italian town, Max and Emma told him that his mother Eleonora (and then they) had supported the creation of these works of art (including the enlargement of the main church of Vienna, the creation of a new wing of the local university, an open market and finally many public fountains) because he wanted to leave in his new house an atmosphere/ memory of that old house of his and of Italy (which Eleonore visited on my honeymoon around 1452) once they had passed the cathedral they approached a building site under construction, which as Emma explained was nothing but the imperial palace of the Habsburg located in the heart of the city
new imperial palace Vienna april 1479
After three days of rest, Rodrigo can finally officially meet the emperor (they had already met days before when he had arrived together with the archdukes, he had also been invited to eat with them during meals) and this is where the conversation begins, which can change the imperial church forever, Max and Emma also participate in the discussion, and are questioned on some points because of their travels in the empire (and therefore they are the ones most informed about how the reforms have been received, because they may have seen the reactions from the I live ) in the end he reaches a compromise, the place will contribute to the papacy but will be under imperial control as the emperor's right arm in the control of the church (moreover the place will be elective, the role will be given to those who have distinguished themselves for skills and virtues and have made an impeccable career within the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the HRE) the pre-established place is also agreed, ie the current bishopric of Augsburg (due to its proximity to the Burgundian territory, the 3 electors and the archducal possessions) moreover, the norms were established for the future creation of new ecclesiastical states in the empire
Vienna end of April 1479
the entire archducal family greets Cardinal Borgia, who after chatting for (what he thought was) one last time with Max and Emma, sets off for Bohemia where he has to check on behalf of the pontiff how the situation of the inquisitorial mission is going , passes through Salzburg where he is shocked by the archbishop's manners (he compares him to his worst colleagues in Rome) once he arrives in Monaco he learns that the archduke Max (having learned of the cardinal's itinerary) wants to accompany him to be able to escort him (and discuss privately) the two meet again in the Sudetenland, where they spend 10 days supervising and controlling the situation, believing that for once there is good news from Bohemia (the Sudeten region is temporarily safe, the Teutonic knights succeed always chasing back the sorties of the Hussites and two cities on the border are returning to the mother church) Max in the meantime also manages to be part of a knights' expedition (with much effort and a pinch of threats) against a Hussite incursion, so he sees with his eyes the fearsome formation of the Hussite battle chariots, but by now the knights are used to this and are able to put their opponents to flight by suffering losses but inflicting double losses on the enemies, after the battle in which Max stood out for his courage as a bait which was used to allow the knights to get behind the wagons and strike with a pincer maneuver
end of April 1479
Bohemia
Max and the cardinal say goodbye, the two must separate, one must return to Vienna the other must go to England on behalf of the pope (taking his place) the two promise each other that their discussion will be resumed when Max arrives in Italy or else if Rodrigo were to come back here again
while in Rome
the situation in the eternal city is very tense, especially as regards Naples (there are border clashes between the two armies, mainly the Neapolitan one which raids the papal territories and then returns to the border as soon as the papal army is glimpsed) but unfortunately the Pope cannot have his entire army available to respond to Naples due to new tensions in Northern Italy (it is rumored that France has bad intentions in the peninsula) especially in Romagna where Catherine has gathered another army of 20,000 men and is ready to give battle to the papal forces since Giuliano cannot be deployed on that front (the pope has put him to guard the front with Naples)
pontifical academy on the same day
the young Cosimo de Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent's nephew) during the lesson starts talking to his current classmate, the scion of the Sforza family ( 3 )
meanwhile a clearly frightened Romolo Borgia of just 4 years, begins his first school training at the academy (in the class for young Roman and non-Roman children, in this case only young nobles or wealthy Italian bourgeois heirs )
England May 1479
after a tremendous trip up the sleeve, Rodrigo finally arrives in Albion, (thanking god he got out alive from that tub they called a boat) his first leg of the journey is Canterbury, where he is made aware of the English situation by the archbishop, considering it very better than in other parts of Europe (here he feels that there is a certain bishop of York who is very smart in the future, Rodrigo, intrigued by this, asks who he is, once he came to know his identity, he smiled and said that he was eager to be able to talk to the young man again) leaving the archbishop amazed because he did not know that they had already met. four days later he begins his journey to London where the entire royal family awaits him and the celebration together with the archbishop of Canterbury of a special mass for the same city, once he arrives on the banks of the Thames he is struck by the city that branches out around to it, full of color, lively quite large compared to how he had imagined it.
Once he arrives at the royal palace he is welcomed by Queen Margaret and her daughters (who do him the honors of the guest) meanwhile the king apologizes for not being able to be present (he is talking to the parliament for a marriage proposal for one of his daughters ) but he instructed his sons to take his place (among them we see the young Riccardo who discreetly greets the cardinal), Rodrigo will then describe in his memoirs that the reception was fantastic (only in the future will he have superior receptions) at the dinner the king and his whole family also participated, the journey and the differences between Rome / Spain and England were discussed, here Riccardo was also involved (since he had visited Italy a couple of years earlier) then the discussion moves on to the apparitions that affect Rodrigo a lot (especially the part of the terrible catastrophe, the golden period and the announcement to Riccardo that he would be at the top of the church in the future) here Rodrigo jokes saying "then you must return to Rome so don't you think?", the young man in everyone's gaze waited a moment to answer and finally said "yes!, but I should go there a lot sooner to learn, don't you think? " the cardinal smiled at the answer
Part 2
England 1479
in the end mass was celebrated in Westminster Abbey in front of a flood of people coming from all over the world (even from Ireland and Scotland) the first part was officiated by the archbishop and then passed on to the cardinal who read a specially prepared letter from the pope for this moment, in which the theme of the apparitions was addressed (confirming that Rome considered them 100% true) and the union of peoples (resuming Martin's Calais speech) the letter caused a lot of clamor in a positive sense especially when it was claimed that the land of Richard the Lionheart, the special daughter of mother church had been blessed by the Virgin, is that he the humble pastor successor of Peter needed their help to stop the Turkish/Arab menace, at the end of the journey Rodrigo asked the king if he could take the young bishop of York with him (if he wanted it) to Rome where he would have enrolled him in a special course at the pontifical academy and made him train in the Roman curia to facilitate the arduous task to the boy that the blessed virgin prophesied to him
Italy 1479
June /August / September
the war in Romagna is raging, Caterina has managed to gather 20,000 soldiers under her control (which she obtained by overthrowing the lords of the cities who had previously betrayed her) and heads against the city of Cesena (to cut the region in two, isolating Ravenna and in particular Bologna, the second most important city of the papal state) for the occasion she is sure of her chances of victory, she knows that her uncle is ready to wage war, moreover she has anticipated that a great power is on their side part. To face this threat is the second general of the papal army, Pier Luigi Farnese who can only count on 12,000 men.
Rome
His Holiness Pope Mark feels increasingly isolated, no one trusts him, surrounded from the north by Catherine's army and from the south by Neapolitan troops who have just conquered Spoleto and are marching towards the Eternal City, while his best general was badly wounded in battle (when part of the papal army betrayed him to join the Neapolitans)
Siena
the city is in full mobilization, they have just had confirmation that Florence has put the cities of Volterra and Prato to fire and sword, and many think that now it's their turn (Florence wants to settle the score on who is in charge in Tuscany once and for all ) meanwhile Cardinal Borgia and a young Englishman in his entourage have arrived in the city as guests (who is very amused and fascinated as he watches the celebrations of the Palio and a match of Florentine football between the various districts of the city )
Rome
a conspiracy against the pope is brought to light, by now Mark sees ghosts everywhere, the persecutions at the beginning of his pontificate are nothing in comparison, even ordinary citizens who are usually pro - venetian pope fear for their safety, the pontiff starts pushing for the construction of another fortified tower in the city, especially when the news that Catherine's army has completely annihilated the papal army albeit losing many men in the process (by now the citizens are hoping for a miracle) the news from the South is not less so with the Neapolitans sighted beyond Viterbo (Rome risks being surrounded) meanwhile the rumors of yet another rebellion in Germany commanded by priests disturb the holy see, above all given that the rioters want to cross the Alps and go down to Rome to set up a real pope ( since they accuse Mark of having poisoned Martin )
Siena
in all this chaos Rodrigo manages to find the crux of the situation again, convincing 4 bands of condottieri (about 5,000 soldiers) to follow him to relieve Rome from the threat of Caterina Sforza, Riccardo in all this follows the fate of the eternal city with apprehension and fears a little for his life, but Rodrigo to shake him reminds him that he is a descendant and also bears the name of Richard the Lionheart, moreover, if this scares him then Roman politics will not do for him (this collects him, but also brings out Rodrigo's political acumen and cynicism when the situation calls for it, which will become his trademark in the future)
Rome
in one of the palaces of the city, a soldier of the papal army is seen arriving in a hurry, he is none other than the first son of Cardinal Borgia, the young Pedro Louis Borgia as well as a
one of the very few commanders of a certain prestige who remained faithful to the pope, he and the young Aurelio Cattaneo are summoned by the former's girlfriend (Graziella Farnese, daughter of the second in command of the papal army) who welcomes them into the house all worried together with her little brother Alessandro , because the latter's father managed to survive the clash with Caterina and to be transported to Rome in secret to give the pontiff the names of the conspirators among the Roman nobles who sided with the Sforza
Tivoli
Giuliano della Rovere manages to recover from his wounds and asks for permission to return to the head of the army to stop the Neapolitan advance at the gates of Rome and take revenge for the injuries suffered, the permission is given to him only 3 days later , given the serious crisis situation that threatens the papacy, he at the head of 12 thousand soldiers goes on the trail of the Neapolitans to cut them off
meanwhile the 5,000 soldiers enlisted by Rodrigo leave Siena in the direction of Lazio to arrive before Caterina and do battle on the passes of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines,
at the same time in Rome an improvised defense is organization by headed Pedro who manages to gather 6,000 volunteers, with whom he decides to march against Caterina knowing that his commander Giuliano is defending the southern front (the news of his recovery rekindles the souls of the Romans, torchlight processions and parties are organized in his name)
September 1479
near Perugia
it is here that the clash takes place between Caterina's armies and the gnawed papal defenses (including the armies found by the Borgias) with the city of Perugia in the background we see the two armies take sides on their respective sides, but the certainty that Caterina showed in the past days seems strangely attenuated (due to the sight of another papal army in front of her, she was sure that at least up to the vicinity of Rome she would not have found any, also the difficulty of bringing the artillery worries her since with the rains the Apennine roads were covered with mud which caused the loss of many of its heavy cannons) on the other side the papal army is harangued by the cardinal who in a speech reminds the soldiers that this is the last hope for Rome, if they collapse the holy city is lost!, there will no longer be anyone to stop the looting of the invaders in front of them, is that Caterina will be able to occupy Castel Sant'Angelo and bombard the eternal city at her single whim (as she had done to the city of Faenza which had dared to declare war on them 2 years ago) this speech motivates the soldiers a lot who, even though they know they are facing the Milanese lioness, will not retreat even an inch, thwarting the hopes of Caterina (who suffered her second absolute defeat here, not as drastic as the one against Giuliano but more humiliating because she was superior but was cheated by her pride)
Rome
Richard and Rodrigo enter the city following the victorious army, they are welcomed by the entire population in celebration and with all the bells ringing in celebration (creating a harmony of noises and sounds strangely catchy and relaxing for Richard ) here they are summoned by the saint father who seems terribly aged prematurely, but his mind is lucid, and he recriminates himself for his wrong policy (to which the chancellor replies that his only mistake was with Naples, the rest were problems left unresolved by his popes predecessors, who had more interest in spiritual than earthly affairs (which benefited the rebels, allowing them to take root in their positions at the expense of state control) Richard intervenes saying that perhaps trying to compromise would be an excellent idea, sure that in a moment of crisis like this they would have forgiven his disrespect for momentary etiquette (but here is the pope that the cardinal explain calmly and fatherly to him that it would be a very wrong move because it reveals Rome's weakness, and by now the rebels and Naples want unconditional surrender, that's the minimum for them now ) meanwhile news arrives from the southern front, with the army of Naples which has been blocked by the troops commanded by Giuliano, breaking these good news is the news that the French army is mobilizing (many whisper that perhaps it will be marched in Italy, but everyone hopes that this is not the case )
5 days after the victorious army entered the city
Richard's first days in Rome begin with Rodrigo who takes him under his wing, and takes him around the city making them visit and learn the streets and places that will be his home for the next few months, among the many stops three in particular are to be mentioned, the first is the academy where Richard will attend the university level, the others are instead two palaces: one belonging to the Borgia family (where the young man resides) the other is the Farnese palace, where they are invited at banquets where humanistic, war and religious discourses are dealt with, in these Richard will make the acquaintance of the young Alessandro Farnese (3 years younger than him, but of great talent, so as to be considered for the role of bishop of Ravenna, but due to war postponed ) with whom he immediately formed a strong relationship, the two will also be found in half of the classes at the academy, still cementing the knowledge between them, (so much so that in the months they spend together, one tries to teach the other a few words of his own language with discrete results, more from Richard, however , because Alexander , although excelling in the humanities, will have a hard time getting used to the difference between written and spoken English )
end of part 1, part 2 will come later
Year 1477
Rome early June
the first months of government of the new pope are putting a strain on the calm and mental health of the cardinals, due to a sudden authoritarian drift of the new pontiff who immediately decides to clean up a large part of the old administration and the papal curia while getting rid of his opponents who are investigated and locked up for the strangest reasons in the most terrifying and ancient prison in Rome : the marmettino (already used in the imperial era to house the conspirators and dissidents including many Christians over the centuries) instead that in Castel Sant'Angelo which is currently not accessible, given the expansion works wanted by Mark of the defensive fortress around it.
In addition to the physical damage, the poor defendants also suffer the insult that their properties are confiscated by the pope (who gives them to the people as public places once they are reconverted, even in the centuries to come a legend will form which says that the pontiff before starting the works gave his permission to the citizens of the city to plunder the homes and palaces of the prelates without any brakes especially during the carnival celebrations, and that the valuables could be kept to then become coins for common use ( 1 ) the only those who are saved from these barbarities are the people who allowed his election to the throne of Peter (among whom we find an old acquaintance of ours, Cardinal Borgia who wisely sensing the wind blowing gave his resignation as chancellor, for the moment His Holiness Mark wants Rodrigo to carry out a heavy and particularly important task outside Rome, but it has not yet been clarified to Rodrigo what it is about)
1477
Romagna near Ravenna
the pope's army led by the gonfaloniere Giuliano della Rovere, after numerous forced marches and prolonged sieges, manages to reach one of the first and among the most important cities in the region, which for at least 40 years have been in open rebellion against Rome (only this time they will not have Venetian support) given that the Serenissima succeeded for the first time in placing one of its sons on the Petrine throne and therefore gave full military support to the papacy for its campaign of reconquest. The only ones who formally oppose this alliance are for now the Duke of Milan (who does not look favorably on this Rome - Venice axis and fears for the possessions of his niece Caterina, Duchess of Forlì and Imola as well as a great supporter of the anti-papal revolts) especially now that in Rome there is a pope who is more interested in material matters and above all Naples, which didn't like the interference in its foreign policy by the previous pope and indeed now they are even more suspicious than a Venetian pope (they open adversaries in the fight for Greece) moreover with military aspirations (the Neapolitans rightly fear for their safety, as they suspect possible dangerous moves from Rome) but in case of danger the Neapolitan king has discovered that he has many friends eager for revenge and intends use them
1477 September
although not adoring the humanist culture of the period, His Holiness decides that it would be a serious mistake not to support it any longer and therefore continues with the patronage of philosophers and artists from all over the world (many of them come from nearby Florence) and also has impressive monumental fountains built throughout the city, he creates a large city hospital near the lateran so as to be ready in the event of an epidemic, as well as encouraging the foundation of a banking system in the city, by involving the Medici family (for at least 50 years bankers of the papacy) with proto-capitalist organizations of the Serenissima to reorganize the state tax system. he starts the construction of a second fortress in Rome between the Martino bridge (Otl Ponte Sisto) and Trastevere, with the function of defending the remaining part of the city (or, as his opponents say, himself) from a possible attack from several sides. meanwhile, although listening to the news of an increase in tensions in the Iberian peninsula, he does not give us much weight (to general astonishment, given the alliance made known by the bishop of Carthage between Morocco and Granada against the Iberian kingdoms) what worries him more is the Greek front (where the return of the Ottomans creates a lot of apprehension especially after their annexation of Serbia) with these tensions rising, the pope decides without listening to his government that he wants to travel to Greece to meet the royal couple and take the pulse of those who disagree at the church meeting, without even wanting to consider the risks to his person (he also believes that it would be a move that will block Neapolitan maneuvers in the region forever) in the end many of his advisers step aside (they want nothing to do in case something bad should happen to the pope) in the end Marco is forced to call Rodrigo back to organize this trip (by removing him from the role of head of the Holy Office for the Bohemian question)
January of 1478
the pope leaves for Venice where the doge has specially prepared a squadron of ships from the arsenal that will follow and take his holiness to the Morea, before the journey Marco decides to stay for a week in his old hometown (he is welcomed by a flood of people barely enter the territories of the republic, the crowd once they reach San Marco is immense and jubilant to make their way into the basilica it takes almost 30 minutes, at the two functions he celebrates it is discovered from a census made for the occasion by the doge that at least 70 thousand people participated, among those present in the church, those in the square and in the nearby houses, for the pontiff this welcome must have been a panacea given the very cold one he had in the cities along the route outside Rome (including a Ravenna under martial law).
the journey was very long but in the end the pope lands in Corfu, the first place of his journey, the reception is surprisingly good compared to the initial expectations, but the news that welcomes him is not, in fact it is very bad (the Ottomans have declared war to the despotate) and they are marching on Athens (pivotal place to be able to control access to the isthmus of Corinth (the gate to enter the Morea) for the occasion, the pope wants to get to Mistra as soon as possible to see the situation with his own eyes, but his Swiss guards and accompanying collaborators do everything to avert a tragedy (they know that the news of the pope's landing will spread quickly among the population and above all it will reach the Ottomans and this would be too tempting an occasion for them to capture the head of Christianity as well as the first protector of free Greece)
January 25 Greece
the papal entourage is on its way to the capital of the despotate when they are attacked by an armed band, at first it is thought to be an advance guard of the Ottoman army, causing severe panic in the group, the enemies immediately focus on the figure of the pontiff with guns leveled shouting in Greek "death to the tyrant bishop of Rome, murderer of the Rhomanois, son of the bastard Dandolo" but between the armed band and the pope the Swiss guards immediately stand in the way, courageously being in the minority (many have been sent forward to check the area, believing that a large escort would have been easier to identify than to strike so to avoid this it would have been useful to travel as far as possible incognito at least as far as Mystras) the ensuing clash was very animated and many guards were wounded and at least 5 unfortunately they died but none of the assailants survived.
Rome same day
a swarm of cardinals meets in a secluded place to discuss what to do with this tyrant they have villainously elected, there are many plans but everyone fears being easily discovered by the security police created by Mark led by one of his loyalists who takes his place in his absence, making life in Rome a nightmare for anyone in the curia who is not a supporter of the new pope. it seems that the meeting has reached a dead end when Cardinal Colonna suggests finding external help..... and he already has one ready to act at the first opportunity very willingly
February 1478
Mystras
Basiless Theodora anxiously awaits good news both from the front where her husband is fighting against the Ottomans, and from the pontifical delegation which has not communicated for at least seven days (the worst is feared above all knowing that many in the region have taken up arms to support the Ottomans when they learned of the papal arrival, because they were convinced that it would have been the end of the orthodox church (as Mehmed II's propaganda made it clear by word of mouth and the diffusion of tabloid pamphlets on the subject)
Romagna
Giuliano della Rovere during the siege of Faenza is engaged in the field by an army commanded by Caterina Sforza and other local nobles, both sides have 30,000 soldiers each with as many cannons. Giuliano finds himself trapped between the enemy bombardment behind him (the defenders of Faenza) and the army in front, in consultation with some of his soldiers he decides that it is necessary to break the main support for the revolt in the region (he decides to give battle to Caterina and her allies), the battle was very bloody and many men died in the clash at least 1/5 of the total participants, but in the end it was the papal army that prevailed due to the flight of Catherine's allies (in the end the only army not defeated and destroyed was his who withdrew with the honors of arms , because it was the only one to represent a real threat to the army led by Giuliano) but the victory cannot be exploited because worrying news arrives from Rome, it is said that the pope is dead and an angry mob is attacking the Vatican instigated by an unspecified enemy army
Rome 1478
the crowd instigated by the anti - Mark faction is out of control and starts looting the nearby buildings (chosen by the leaders of the conspiracy as a dress rehearsal for what they intend to do later, because they know that unfortunately the pope is not dead, but being wounded and not present on site can use the opportunity to strike his government in a fatal way) the papal army will not arrive for at least a week so they have a time limit to strike and they will exploit it, but the majority of citizens do not agree with that that they consider a coup d'état in full measure and therefore an all-out guerrilla warfare begins in the city between the two factions, the only one who in this situation manages to act with a clear mind is Rodrigo who, with the support of some knights of the city militia, succeeds to make his way to the Borgo (the main district of the city because it is close to St. Peter's, as well as the most populous together with Trastevere) where, anticipating everyone, the pope's representative (much hated by the cardinals, because he was one of the most ardent supporters of the policy of confiscation and abuses of Mark ) and bringing together the rest of the government remained in Rome communicates the letter that the pope is alive and is currently in Mistra for at least 3 days, these actions dampen the revolt for the moment (and force the cardinals (those discovered) who are part of it to plea bargain with him on pain of death, many accept others instead flee to Naples or even France
1478 Mystras
the second part of the war in Greece continues, with the entry of Naples into the conflict, sure that with the chaos that is happening in Rome, created by their allies, they will have a free hand to implement their plans in Hellenic land, but first they must coordinate with the despotate to still have something to gain, the joint military operations do not have the desired outcome (they only succeed in slowing down the Ottomans initially) and the bad relations between the two armies do not help the situation, in all of this Teodora is taking care of the pontiff even in the terrible situation in which he finds himself, Mark will therefore describe it in his memoirs as a celestial vision, too pure and honest to be of this world (and therefore very fragile to the misfortunes of Life), the pope would like to speak to the people of the place so as to convince that the Latins are not traitors (he was traumatized by the aggression, above all by the threats they told him before stabbing him) and that he and the papacy in general have nothing to do with the enormous disaster that was the 4th crusade. while the discussions continue in the palace, he and the young empress organize places of care for the wounded of the two armies and to pay the ransoms of the Christian prisoners in Ottoman hands (winning the affection of the families involved). even from the mouths of the Neapolitan wounded some disturbing speeches: that their commander had the order to negotiate with the Turkish if the clash lasted for a long time, perhaps allowing Mehmet to capture Albania (thus ceasing to support the heroic Skanderbeg) in exchange for their territorial recognition in Greece (which it must be said that the simple Neapolitan soldiers were enormously disgusted just thinking about it, but everyone was convinced that their sovereign had nothing to do with it, in fact their general was the traitor of Christianity) but the while the pope indulged in the ravings of these wounded, he was not exactly sure of the good faith of the king of Naples
March 1478
the pope's apostolic journey did not go as he had hoped, indeed it can be considered today that it was a great fiasco from almost all points of view (since he was almost killed, relations with Naples worsened due to their maneuvers in Rome and that the pope had heard from their soldiers in Greece, was not present to deal with a serious coup d'état against him in the city) the only useful thing was that I showed the inhabitants of Mystras the papacy's full support for their struggle both with the creation of places to treat the wounded and sick, welcome and feed the orphans and its elevation of many Greek soldiers / rhomanoi to the rank of knights of christ in the public square going to increase the number of premises in the ranks of the hospitaller order
Rome
April/ May 1478
once back in Rome he was informed of what had happened
first triggering panic and then ending up in an angry state due to his suspicions about Naples in all this, but both Rodrigo and Giuliano della Rovere managed to reason with him and unleash a retaliatory action when the city was calmed down with great effort and with the use of the army to separate the warring factions, after he calmed down he wanted all the details of what happened in his absence, finally instead of punishing Rodrigo for his pseudo coup (in which he deposed his deputy) I confirm him in the role of Chancellor who had "usurped in his absence" thanking him for his ability to react and for having calmed the waters in such a delicate moment, instead I inquired with Giuliano how the campaign in Romagna was proceeding, remaining very happy with the news that the Gonfalonier told him
June 1478
an imperial delegation arrives in Rome to continue the church reform projects started by Martin , Mark not knowing what it was about asked for an audience with his new chancellor, who told him and handed him the late pope's plans for the church in the HRE ( Mark decided that this idea took priority over almost everything, except the situation in Greece and the increasingly disturbing diplomatic cables from the main Italian courts ) I approve of the continued control of ecclesiastical territories and their eventual suppression or union into larger entities, he wanted to increase the education of the German clergy, but one thing in particular struck him (like being run over by a truck) the creation of territory directly under papal control in the empire (particularly in Germany) he asked when this could be discussed with the emperor (he wanted to go there himself, but the situation in Rome and his last trip and the trauma associated with it made him desist from it) therefore he instructed Rodrigo to prepare to leave for Vienna as soon as possible ( only after having had the positive response from the imperial court for the meeting )
1479
the tension in all of Italy is skyrocketing, there is a storm in the air throughout the peninsula, many voices are murmuring of a possible, indeed almost certain, war between the powers (these speeches are supported by the increase in diplomatic activity between the states, with the drafting of defensive alliances, the main ones for now are those between Naples and Siena and the one directly opposed to them between Milan and Florence (which has just captured Pisa (taken by the Pazzi family) in a punitive campaign to put down a revolt against the power of Medici family (with Lorenzo the Magnificent who placed his brother in charge of the Florentine army, not trusting others) for now we know that Genoa is actively seeking both an alliance with Naples and Milan (to avert a Franco-Savoyard attack against it ) instead Rome and Venice continue their alliance, trying to remain neutral and to lower tensions between the other Italian courts
April 1479
tensions have skyrocketed in Rome, especially after the discovery that Naples refused to support Skanderbeg in his fight against Mehmet II, instead agreeing with Constantinople with the confirmation of the peace treaty of the year before in Greece (they also secured the city of Durres and its countryside, a fundamental place because it defends the eastern coast of the Neapolitan kingdom from possible Turkish incursions, can choke Venetian trade and is naturally a safe haven for then marching on to Greece) this move sends Mark into a rage who first puts the entire city of Naples under an interdict (causing panic in the citizens) but this does not stop the Neapolitan Sovereign who orders his clergy to continue working as if nothing had happened (in open defiance of the pope) so Mark uses the threatens to support an invasion by a pretender to the throne (which angers the Sovereign who gives an immediate order to place his army on the border with the state of the church, to be precise in the duchy of Spoleto (the place where the Neapolitan kingdom is a direct vassal of the pope) this aggressive maneuver triggers the excommunication of Mark on the king (it is the beginning of a possible war)
HRE April 1479
in the same period Rodrigo crosses the Alps, passing through Trento in the direction of Vienna, here he is hosted by the local bishop , where he is informed that the reforms started by Martino have not been appreciated by all, on the contrary, for some years in various parts of Germany form small revolts led by prelates which are easily put down by the princes (but which every time they reappear they obtain more support among the population and in some cases from princes who see some of their main sources of income disappear (i.e. when they are put to control and manage ecclesiastical territories without being clerics, going against canon law because they blocked the passage of a vacant post to the successor bishop) he doesn't like this news at all, but he is happy when once he arrives in the Austrian territories he is welcomed by the young archduke and his wife to accompany him to Vienna, the three immediately get along very well, especially when Rodrigo lets it slip that the old Pontiff was extremely impressed by the archduke's stupidity (at least that's what Rodrigo told him, because outspoken, I explain to Max that only a madman would have responded to a pope in that way, and that he must have considered himself lucky to have met a strangely peaceful holy father) the archduke tries to respond in kind to defend himself against this (with little result) between the general amusement of the wife and the cardinal, in the end Rodrigo asked what they seriously thought of the reforms (if they were right or bad for the church) I listened to them very carefully and you have to think again about the archduke's mental abilities (so it was not just smoke but had a solid basis for his arguments) he was pleasantly impressed by his wife Emma (this is his name) who always answered precisely, he is never in a hurry, Rodrigo I think that with his ability to think and the character and ideas of the husband they would have been great rulers if God wills it.
Vienna
April 1479
Cardinal Borgia and his sudden escort arrive at the gates of Vienna (which pleasantly strikes Rodrigo for his appearance, he too can fall victim to stereotypes, in fact he thought he was visiting a city, albeit large for Germany, rather inconspicuous compared to those in he was used to) instead it seemed to him that he had never crossed the Alps, due to the few but beautiful monuments that gave him the sensation of being in an Italian town, Max and Emma told him that his mother Eleonora (and then they) had supported the creation of these works of art (including the enlargement of the main church of Vienna, the creation of a new wing of the local university, an open market and finally many public fountains) because he wanted to leave in his new house an atmosphere/ memory of that old house of his and of Italy (which Eleonore visited on my honeymoon around 1452) once they had passed the cathedral they approached a building site under construction, which as Emma explained was nothing but the imperial palace of the Habsburg located in the heart of the city
new imperial palace Vienna april 1479
After three days of rest, Rodrigo can finally officially meet the emperor (they had already met days before when he had arrived together with the archdukes, he had also been invited to eat with them during meals) and this is where the conversation begins, which can change the imperial church forever, Max and Emma also participate in the discussion, and are questioned on some points because of their travels in the empire (and therefore they are the ones most informed about how the reforms have been received, because they may have seen the reactions from the I live ) in the end he reaches a compromise, the place will contribute to the papacy but will be under imperial control as the emperor's right arm in the control of the church (moreover the place will be elective, the role will be given to those who have distinguished themselves for skills and virtues and have made an impeccable career within the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the HRE) the pre-established place is also agreed, ie the current bishopric of Augsburg (due to its proximity to the Burgundian territory, the 3 electors and the archducal possessions) moreover, the norms were established for the future creation of new ecclesiastical states in the empire
Vienna end of April 1479
the entire archducal family greets Cardinal Borgia, who after chatting for (what he thought was) one last time with Max and Emma, sets off for Bohemia where he has to check on behalf of the pontiff how the situation of the inquisitorial mission is going , passes through Salzburg where he is shocked by the archbishop's manners (he compares him to his worst colleagues in Rome) once he arrives in Monaco he learns that the archduke Max (having learned of the cardinal's itinerary) wants to accompany him to be able to escort him (and discuss privately) the two meet again in the Sudetenland, where they spend 10 days supervising and controlling the situation, believing that for once there is good news from Bohemia (the Sudeten region is temporarily safe, the Teutonic knights succeed always chasing back the sorties of the Hussites and two cities on the border are returning to the mother church) Max in the meantime also manages to be part of a knights' expedition (with much effort and a pinch of threats) against a Hussite incursion, so he sees with his eyes the fearsome formation of the Hussite battle chariots, but by now the knights are used to this and are able to put their opponents to flight by suffering losses but inflicting double losses on the enemies, after the battle in which Max stood out for his courage as a bait which was used to allow the knights to get behind the wagons and strike with a pincer maneuver
end of April 1479
Bohemia
Max and the cardinal say goodbye, the two must separate, one must return to Vienna the other must go to England on behalf of the pope (taking his place) the two promise each other that their discussion will be resumed when Max arrives in Italy or else if Rodrigo were to come back here again
while in Rome
the situation in the eternal city is very tense, especially as regards Naples (there are border clashes between the two armies, mainly the Neapolitan one which raids the papal territories and then returns to the border as soon as the papal army is glimpsed) but unfortunately the Pope cannot have his entire army available to respond to Naples due to new tensions in Northern Italy (it is rumored that France has bad intentions in the peninsula) especially in Romagna where Catherine has gathered another army of 20,000 men and is ready to give battle to the papal forces since Giuliano cannot be deployed on that front (the pope has put him to guard the front with Naples)
pontifical academy on the same day
the young Cosimo de Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent's nephew) during the lesson starts talking to his current classmate, the scion of the Sforza family ( 3 )
meanwhile a clearly frightened Romolo Borgia of just 4 years, begins his first school training at the academy (in the class for young Roman and non-Roman children, in this case only young nobles or wealthy Italian bourgeois heirs )
England May 1479
after a tremendous trip up the sleeve, Rodrigo finally arrives in Albion, (thanking god he got out alive from that tub they called a boat) his first leg of the journey is Canterbury, where he is made aware of the English situation by the archbishop, considering it very better than in other parts of Europe (here he feels that there is a certain bishop of York who is very smart in the future, Rodrigo, intrigued by this, asks who he is, once he came to know his identity, he smiled and said that he was eager to be able to talk to the young man again) leaving the archbishop amazed because he did not know that they had already met. four days later he begins his journey to London where the entire royal family awaits him and the celebration together with the archbishop of Canterbury of a special mass for the same city, once he arrives on the banks of the Thames he is struck by the city that branches out around to it, full of color, lively quite large compared to how he had imagined it.
Once he arrives at the royal palace he is welcomed by Queen Margaret and her daughters (who do him the honors of the guest) meanwhile the king apologizes for not being able to be present (he is talking to the parliament for a marriage proposal for one of his daughters ) but he instructed his sons to take his place (among them we see the young Riccardo who discreetly greets the cardinal), Rodrigo will then describe in his memoirs that the reception was fantastic (only in the future will he have superior receptions) at the dinner the king and his whole family also participated, the journey and the differences between Rome / Spain and England were discussed, here Riccardo was also involved (since he had visited Italy a couple of years earlier) then the discussion moves on to the apparitions that affect Rodrigo a lot (especially the part of the terrible catastrophe, the golden period and the announcement to Riccardo that he would be at the top of the church in the future) here Rodrigo jokes saying "then you must return to Rome so don't you think?", the young man in everyone's gaze waited a moment to answer and finally said "yes!, but I should go there a lot sooner to learn, don't you think? " the cardinal smiled at the answer
Part 2
England 1479
in the end mass was celebrated in Westminster Abbey in front of a flood of people coming from all over the world (even from Ireland and Scotland) the first part was officiated by the archbishop and then passed on to the cardinal who read a specially prepared letter from the pope for this moment, in which the theme of the apparitions was addressed (confirming that Rome considered them 100% true) and the union of peoples (resuming Martin's Calais speech) the letter caused a lot of clamor in a positive sense especially when it was claimed that the land of Richard the Lionheart, the special daughter of mother church had been blessed by the Virgin, is that he the humble pastor successor of Peter needed their help to stop the Turkish/Arab menace, at the end of the journey Rodrigo asked the king if he could take the young bishop of York with him (if he wanted it) to Rome where he would have enrolled him in a special course at the pontifical academy and made him train in the Roman curia to facilitate the arduous task to the boy that the blessed virgin prophesied to him
Italy 1479
June /August / September
the war in Romagna is raging, Caterina has managed to gather 20,000 soldiers under her control (which she obtained by overthrowing the lords of the cities who had previously betrayed her) and heads against the city of Cesena (to cut the region in two, isolating Ravenna and in particular Bologna, the second most important city of the papal state) for the occasion she is sure of her chances of victory, she knows that her uncle is ready to wage war, moreover she has anticipated that a great power is on their side part. To face this threat is the second general of the papal army, Pier Luigi Farnese who can only count on 12,000 men.
Rome
His Holiness Pope Mark feels increasingly isolated, no one trusts him, surrounded from the north by Catherine's army and from the south by Neapolitan troops who have just conquered Spoleto and are marching towards the Eternal City, while his best general was badly wounded in battle (when part of the papal army betrayed him to join the Neapolitans)
Siena
the city is in full mobilization, they have just had confirmation that Florence has put the cities of Volterra and Prato to fire and sword, and many think that now it's their turn (Florence wants to settle the score on who is in charge in Tuscany once and for all ) meanwhile Cardinal Borgia and a young Englishman in his entourage have arrived in the city as guests (who is very amused and fascinated as he watches the celebrations of the Palio and a match of Florentine football between the various districts of the city )
Rome
a conspiracy against the pope is brought to light, by now Mark sees ghosts everywhere, the persecutions at the beginning of his pontificate are nothing in comparison, even ordinary citizens who are usually pro - venetian pope fear for their safety, the pontiff starts pushing for the construction of another fortified tower in the city, especially when the news that Catherine's army has completely annihilated the papal army albeit losing many men in the process (by now the citizens are hoping for a miracle) the news from the South is not less so with the Neapolitans sighted beyond Viterbo (Rome risks being surrounded) meanwhile the rumors of yet another rebellion in Germany commanded by priests disturb the holy see, above all given that the rioters want to cross the Alps and go down to Rome to set up a real pope ( since they accuse Mark of having poisoned Martin )
Siena
in all this chaos Rodrigo manages to find the crux of the situation again, convincing 4 bands of condottieri (about 5,000 soldiers) to follow him to relieve Rome from the threat of Caterina Sforza, Riccardo in all this follows the fate of the eternal city with apprehension and fears a little for his life, but Rodrigo to shake him reminds him that he is a descendant and also bears the name of Richard the Lionheart, moreover, if this scares him then Roman politics will not do for him (this collects him, but also brings out Rodrigo's political acumen and cynicism when the situation calls for it, which will become his trademark in the future)
Rome
in one of the palaces of the city, a soldier of the papal army is seen arriving in a hurry, he is none other than the first son of Cardinal Borgia, the young Pedro Louis Borgia as well as a
one of the very few commanders of a certain prestige who remained faithful to the pope, he and the young Aurelio Cattaneo are summoned by the former's girlfriend (Graziella Farnese, daughter of the second in command of the papal army) who welcomes them into the house all worried together with her little brother Alessandro , because the latter's father managed to survive the clash with Caterina and to be transported to Rome in secret to give the pontiff the names of the conspirators among the Roman nobles who sided with the Sforza
Tivoli
Giuliano della Rovere manages to recover from his wounds and asks for permission to return to the head of the army to stop the Neapolitan advance at the gates of Rome and take revenge for the injuries suffered, the permission is given to him only 3 days later , given the serious crisis situation that threatens the papacy, he at the head of 12 thousand soldiers goes on the trail of the Neapolitans to cut them off
meanwhile the 5,000 soldiers enlisted by Rodrigo leave Siena in the direction of Lazio to arrive before Caterina and do battle on the passes of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines,
at the same time in Rome an improvised defense is organization by headed Pedro who manages to gather 6,000 volunteers, with whom he decides to march against Caterina knowing that his commander Giuliano is defending the southern front (the news of his recovery rekindles the souls of the Romans, torchlight processions and parties are organized in his name)
September 1479
near Perugia
it is here that the clash takes place between Caterina's armies and the gnawed papal defenses (including the armies found by the Borgias) with the city of Perugia in the background we see the two armies take sides on their respective sides, but the certainty that Caterina showed in the past days seems strangely attenuated (due to the sight of another papal army in front of her, she was sure that at least up to the vicinity of Rome she would not have found any, also the difficulty of bringing the artillery worries her since with the rains the Apennine roads were covered with mud which caused the loss of many of its heavy cannons) on the other side the papal army is harangued by the cardinal who in a speech reminds the soldiers that this is the last hope for Rome, if they collapse the holy city is lost!, there will no longer be anyone to stop the looting of the invaders in front of them, is that Caterina will be able to occupy Castel Sant'Angelo and bombard the eternal city at her single whim (as she had done to the city of Faenza which had dared to declare war on them 2 years ago) this speech motivates the soldiers a lot who, even though they know they are facing the Milanese lioness, will not retreat even an inch, thwarting the hopes of Caterina (who suffered her second absolute defeat here, not as drastic as the one against Giuliano but more humiliating because she was superior but was cheated by her pride)
Rome
Richard and Rodrigo enter the city following the victorious army, they are welcomed by the entire population in celebration and with all the bells ringing in celebration (creating a harmony of noises and sounds strangely catchy and relaxing for Richard ) here they are summoned by the saint father who seems terribly aged prematurely, but his mind is lucid, and he recriminates himself for his wrong policy (to which the chancellor replies that his only mistake was with Naples, the rest were problems left unresolved by his popes predecessors, who had more interest in spiritual than earthly affairs (which benefited the rebels, allowing them to take root in their positions at the expense of state control) Richard intervenes saying that perhaps trying to compromise would be an excellent idea, sure that in a moment of crisis like this they would have forgiven his disrespect for momentary etiquette (but here is the pope that the cardinal explain calmly and fatherly to him that it would be a very wrong move because it reveals Rome's weakness, and by now the rebels and Naples want unconditional surrender, that's the minimum for them now ) meanwhile news arrives from the southern front, with the army of Naples which has been blocked by the troops commanded by Giuliano, breaking these good news is the news that the French army is mobilizing (many whisper that perhaps it will be marched in Italy, but everyone hopes that this is not the case )
5 days after the victorious army entered the city
Richard's first days in Rome begin with Rodrigo who takes him under his wing, and takes him around the city making them visit and learn the streets and places that will be his home for the next few months, among the many stops three in particular are to be mentioned, the first is the academy where Richard will attend the university level, the others are instead two palaces: one belonging to the Borgia family (where the young man resides) the other is the Farnese palace, where they are invited at banquets where humanistic, war and religious discourses are dealt with, in these Richard will make the acquaintance of the young Alessandro Farnese (3 years younger than him, but of great talent, so as to be considered for the role of bishop of Ravenna, but due to war postponed ) with whom he immediately formed a strong relationship, the two will also be found in half of the classes at the academy, still cementing the knowledge between them, (so much so that in the months they spend together, one tries to teach the other a few words of his own language with discrete results, more from Richard, however , because Alexander , although excelling in the humanities, will have a hard time getting used to the difference between written and spoken English )
end of part 1, part 2 will come later
Last edited:
I advise you to re-read the last chapters, I managed to put some pieces of part 2 here
Interlude IV: The Papacy (II)
Here's part two of the interlude, sorry for the wait
Rome part 2
lessons aside Richard will immediately be welcomed with extreme kindness in the Borgia house, above all by the cardinal's wife (which foolish the young man, who did not think that his mentor could be such a defender of Catholic orthodoxy but have a lover / wife) but in the end he got used to it, thanks also to the kind character of Vanozza (this is his name) and to the unstoppable curiosity of the little Romulus and his little sister Isabella (from the queen of Aragon) who came to consider the young plantagenet as their older cousin
December 1479
Germany
in the small towns taken the bishopric of Bremen, a revolt is raised against the suppression of the bishopric deemed not to comply with the new regulations due to being under total control and nepotism of the neighboring princely dynasties, this makes the princes in question very angry who subsidize the revolt clandestinely with weapons and soldiers (mainly criminals with the excuse that if they participate in this and win their crimes will be removed) the revolt gains enormous support among the peasants incited by the recently deposed local bishop, until it grows to a number of 20 thousand people with the The objective of marching to Bremen to put the priest back in his rightful place is then to aim at the newly created papal territory (already called by evil tongues the German Avignon) to force the papal delegate to ratify the change in case of a negative outcome. ready to march on Rome (these revolts, historians have discovered that in part they were also supported by France to create an important distraction for the emperor so as not to be able to intervene immediately against it)
Rome
Trastevere district
pontifical academy
the theology lesson has just ended, so Richard, after listening to old Diether talk about the nature of God, decides to try to practice his Italian with some of his classmates while waiting for the next church history lesson ( 2 ) (his is a very international class, with 16 pupils including 9 Italians, 1 German, 2 French, 2 Iberians and a Croatian) who are not Alexander (who is reading the writings of Niccolò Cusano, previous rector of the academy, to carry on with his studies (following your philosophy : the sooner you do it, the sooner you can have fun )
January 1480
Rome
we see the holy father very busy reading documents, at first we think they are dispatches from the front (perhaps Romagna and Spoleto, even news from Greece where Prince Federico does not give up on following his father's plans for the conquest of the Morea) we decide to approach more and we immediately notice that yes, they are news from Mystras, but not the umpteenth appeals for help, rather a singular request, the Empress Theodora recalls from her stay in Rome that both her mentor (as well as second father) and Cardinal Borgia they had said that in the Iberian kingdoms there is a special clause given by the pope, which allows the royals to be able to earn half of the total income from the local churches, the young queen knowing this asks Pope Mark if the same privilege can also be granted to his domains , given the role they play in the first line of defense against the Turks ( similar to Iberia with the Moors ) the pope is reflecting on it carefully because he does not want to cause more conflicts especially after Albania fell into the hands of Mehmet II ( with the many Catholic refugees who have sought asylum in Theodora and in Rome itself), the pope suspects as usual of a Neapolitan double game but does not want to warm up spirits any more, especially now that he has learned that the king of France has said he is available to intervene in support of Greece against the Turkish and Neapolitan abuses, quickly both by sea and by land (which causes more than a bad shiver of fear in the pontiff) to help him this time there is not his chancellor, but a group made up of several prelates including della Rovere and the papal legates of France, Milan and Venice (to see if they are hiding
anything about French intentions)
Villa Borgia
we find the family gathered for lunch, including Rodrigo (who has been suffering from a terrible fever in recent days) we see little Romulus, begin to tell what he did today at the academy of beauty, amid the general amusement of all present at his exploits epics, then the child fed up with always being interrupted by laughter decides to ask Riccardo, what were he and the Farinese (so called by Romulus jokingly) up to in the canteen today, almost drowning the poor boy at the mention of this the young plantagenet, after recovering from choking on food, first turned red in the face then began to stammer a mixture of whispered curses and "why always me" in a language similar to Roman dialect (Rodrigo watches the whole scene in front of him , with growing interest and a raised eyebrow after hearing what sounded to him like " un mortacci tua Ale " ( 3 )
flashback
day before Borgo district
two young men make their way back from the lessons they have just finished together, we get closer to follow them, before they get lost in the crowd, we finally understand who they are: I am an Alexander who is oozing joy from every pore, while he says that he is about to become not only an uncle but also a godfather (since his sister is pregnant with Rodrigo's first nephew) the second is our Richard who is listening to his friend with a smile on his face, suddenly the two stop because Alexander has the brilliant idea of going to a tavern in the area to celebrate the happy news, whereupon he turns towards his friend and with an almost dystopian attitude he says "so since I'm offering for once, you don't have to protest as usual, do we understand each other?" once he has received the answer he likes, he decides to make his way towards the place chosen for the occasion: the two sit down at a table and order food and drink, when at a certain point a beautiful girl with blond hair arrives to serve them, who immediately strikes the young Richard with his kindness and sympathy (so much as to make him unable to speak) the two continue to eat between a chat and a tease to the detriment of Richard (who can't stop blushing when Lucia this the name of the girl, speaks to him or looks at him) in the end, before leaving the club, the two boys offer to help her fix up the place (on Richard's initiative) once she has finished tidying up Lucia thanks the two by giving each one a kiss on the cheek and greeting Alexander (whom she already knew) making Richard almost faint, who after this literally runs out of the club (making Alexander die laughing for his reaction)
the next morning during the break between lessons in the canteen
Alexander doesn't stop making fun of his poor friend, indeed to make matters worse he even coined him a new nickname "from the Lionheart to the cowardly heart" the step according to him is short, all this makes Richard angry and blush from afar he is seen by little Romulus
once the family has learned the whole story behind this, Richard seems very distraught and disappointed with himself, and waiting to be scolded, but Rodrigo instead gets up and approaches him, starts talking about his youth and of how he had chosen this path knowing that he could not marry the woman he was madly in love with as a young man if he continued on this path, all of which attracts the gaze of others ( including Richard ), once he realizes that he has had everyone's attention those present the cardinal explains how his seminary teacher had explained to him that these feelings are human ( it is nature that we cannot control, it is God who tests us on our convictions ) this seems to reassure the young man, who affirms that he will not fall more into temptation ( with poor Rodrigo who tells him that he is exaggerating like this ) and that the next time he would take his revenge on that subspecies of friend he finds himself
March 1480
the city is in full turmoil, both for the positive news arriving from the fronts (especially in Romagna, where Prince Frederick Felix and Giuliano are gradually eroding the fortresses built by Caterina in the area, while from Naples everything is strangely calm , the gossips think that it is because the Neapolitans have just had a collective heart attack knowing of the marriage negotiations between Bassilisa Teodora and a younger brother of the king of France ) and because of the arrival of the happy news that the crusade undertaken by the Hospitaller Knights in North Africa , was successful managing to liberal Tunis (although many knights, including the Grand Master died in the attempt) now there are many who hope or aim high (some say Constantinople, others Granada, others Jerusalem, finally there are those who they say because not all of them are three at the same time !)
we see Cardinal Borgia passing through some monuments that tell the millennial and grandiose history of the city (we see in sequence the Pantheon, the imperial forum, the triumphal arches of Constantine, Titus, the Trajan column and finally the Colosseum (which in this period at the inside it houses both houses and a church)
we note only now that Rodrigo is with Richard, is that the two are heading towards the basilica of San Pietro (where one is in an audience with the pontiff, the other has the task assigned to him by the Academy, i.e. helping to manage a conflict between the Irish, English and Scottish monks arose from having to live together under the same roof (due to renovations in their monasteries, as well as the fact that they are unable to elect a temporary head among themselves)
once the guard post of the Swiss pikemen has passed, the two walk into the new colonnade which overlooks a huge square in front of the basilica (similar to Otl) we notice that St. Peter's is still under construction and seems to get bigger every day than planned native to
June 1480
Vienna
we see a young man being calmed down by two people, we try to figure out who they are but unfortunately we can't figure it out (we only know that they are a man and a woman, they tell the boy that they will be there and not to worry) in the meantime we move around the room main hall of the imperial court, where everyone wonders why the imperial couple has not yet shown up, after a few moments we see the door open with the entire Habsburg family entering the room, at the command of the group we see Max and Frederick move one next to each other, the emperor asks his chamberlain what is on the agenda (who replies that there are updates from the Bremen revolt, then there is the administrative and judicial reform plans drafted by Max to discuss and Emma for Austria and in the future for the whole empire, finally we have the ceremony of creating the new knights) at the mention of this we see Max, Emma, Eleonora and finally Frederick exchanging an enigmatic look between them, the emperor decides to start with the latter
a few hours later
we witness the presentation of the new knights to the population of Vienna before being blessed by the local archbishop in the cathedral, among them we see one in particular wearing a red, white, gold color scheme with black trim and a small eagle drawn on his chest , which as many commoners notice looks a bit like the imperial family
January 15, 1481
dies suddenly due to a heart attack after hearing the news of the entry into the war of Milan, Savoy and above all France in the peninsula, Pope Mark I (by many of the time considered partisan and autocratic, expansionist and corrupt, but who historians in the future judged a pope too stubborn with his policy, a little pro-Venetian outwardly (increasing suspicions and evil tongues on this) too quick in wanting to reassert the state authority of Rome over a region still in open revolt and with little time at his disposal to see where his state apparatus reform policies could go in the long term) once again a conclave is convened but many do not believe that with the war in progress it is a good idea to do so (they fear possible foreign interference in the decisions among the cardinals, almost anticipating and predicting what will hit the city in 2 months)
Richard is frightened by the sound of death knells coming from all corners of the city, immediately going down the stairs he asks Vanozza what is happening, she informs him that the holy father has left this world and therefore the conclave must be convened furthermore it is feared that the anti Mark faction can regain control of the city is to try to plunder the rivals' properties without control (which actually happens in the days to come) so Richard , knowing this, rushes to St. Peter's to look for his master and ask what to do ( meanwhile he gives the order to have all the foreign non-French cardinals and the Martinians summoned to the Borgia house to discuss what to do from now on) in the meantime he promises Vanozza to go personally to recover Romulus from the lessons (because they fear he might be taken hostage )
Rome Borgia palace
the prelates had gathered to discuss what to do while they waited for the landlord, meanwhile they were talking about the latest news including the candidacies of the favorites for the conclave: many were not sure that electing an Italian was a wise move (because there was the risk of putting Rome as a possible target of an enemy attack in case the future pope is not in favor of the advantage faction, moreover the danger of France burdened in everyone's thoughts (no one knows what intentions King Louis has, nor what want, some say Naples, others Milan, still others Rome itself while the more pessimistic say the whole of Italy) all this thinking only worsened spirits especially if combined with news from Spain and Germany, in short, the conclave was not not even started that everyone was sure it would be the most delicate for ages.
Saint Peter
all the members of the government decide how to proceed, Rodrigo takes the floor: "
we have two choices gentlemen, either we elect a pro-French pope thus avoiding a possible attack and making Rome fall under the yoke of Paris or we challenge fate and France will come and show us who is in charge, without forgetting that we are still at war with Naples! , so the choice is yours : do we submit or do we resist or do we find a way to kill two birds with one stone ? " to which the others present asked for explanations and he enigmatic said "everything in due time, don't worry"
Martin bridge (connection between Borgo and Trastevere)
Richard was running like crazy in the crowd, meanwhile the screams of the first looting and clashes began to reach his ears, all this spurred him to run more towards his half, almost reached the 'academy suddenly slow down, because in front of he find pro-French militiamen ( remember the old favorite at the conclave of 1477 true ) who controlled the area to prevent anyone from overstepping their position ( they occupied one of the fortresses built by Mark ) Richard meanwhile was thinking how to get around the block, when a hand from behind pulled him towards an alley, his first instinct was to shout but he stopped in time before doing so, recognizing a friendly face, Alexander had had the same idea as him and had run to retrieve some his relatives in the area, so the two managed to cross the block and take little Romulus ( obviously frightened by the intrusion of the soldiers in his classroom, but luckily they didn't recognize him )
January 17th
safe at Villa Borgia, the cardinals began to discuss even more animatedly, because the news only made it worse, especially those concerning France, meanwhile dispatches were arriving from Naples to ask for a truce to expel the French barbarians from the peninsula, meanwhile word had reached that Louis had blocked the cardinals he had found along the way in order to be able to check Rome (doing pass only those French or those supported by him) there was also discussion of a rumor that he had made an agreement with the new queen of Castile to isolate Aragon and help him in his enterprise of conquest and dominion, among the cardinals he saw in all what a long premeditated plan there were also the two English prelates John Morton and Thomas Bourchier (former Archbishop of Canterbury) who said that Louis was only waiting for the pretext to usurp the emperor's throne is that this was only the first step to this, Richard listened to all this to one side, not knowing what to understand (every argument, even the most delirious at first, seemed instead to analyze it with a firm, well-considered mind) he was greatly struck by the two English cardinals (who spoke to him after each meal, to see what idea he had of the situation) in the meantime Rodrigo, fearing for the safety of his pupil decided it was time for him to leave (he had organized a transport to Civitavecchia which would take him first to Venice then along the empire up to the his homeland) but the boy was stubborn and repeatedly postponed the trip
January 26th
Rome San Pietro
Rodrigo is about to close himself in the conclave together with 40 of his colleagues, he greets acquaintances and family members for the last time, unaware that a French army is headed towards the city after Catherine has convinced the commander commissioned by Louis to lead his army, Charles of Berry, with very interesting arguments of
to sabotage the conclave (the king accepts immediately the idea, historians have discovered from his codified papers, that he had matured this idea as soon as he had information from internal sources in the City and he certainly did not want a pope to oppose him) the Sforzesco - French - Savoyard army marched into the papal territories without initially finding initial resistance, only once they arrived 100 km from Rome
who found a Neapolitan papal army waiting for them with reinforcements from Siena (the fruit of diplomacy between Borgia, Giuliano della Rovere, Siena and some Neapolitan commanders) the clash was one-way unfortunately, of the 30,000 soldiers of the Italian coalition, only 7,000 were saved (those commanded by della Rovere, that you have to witness the death of many of his acquaintances and old opponents, including the young Pedro Louis (future father in a few months, who however will never see the daughter he had)
January 30th
Giuliano della Rovere returns to Rome with the few survivors, orders the preparation of the city's defenses, has the villas of the traitors (defeated by the militiamen in his absence) prepared as hospitals and refuges for any refugees, meanwhile spirits are very tense in the conclave. after 6 votes each favorite was blocked by the French king representative with his veto (no one could understand how he knew what was happening) some cardinals opposed to France ended up supporting the pro-Louisian cardinals (as they were later called) Rodrigo waited and watched to understand, something didn't add up to him, in the meantime he had managed to get a communication out to his family in which he asked for news on the situation and to look into the lives of these cardinals he listed if there were any obscure points to block their candidacy , Richard and Alexander acted as intermediaries whenever possible when they weren't looking for the requested information (but knowing they were only postponing the inevitable, the barbarian army was arriving (as Farnese said) and the curia didn't know what policy to take, in the end, however, five days later when Rome was now at risk of being under fire from the cannons and the French army, which marched into the city headed by the king (unfortunately without taking control of it for the dispacere of Charles and Catherine, given that Castel Sant'Angelo (from where the whole of Rome can be controlled and kept under fire was firmly in the hands of Giuliano who had fortified himself inside) the general of his majesty wanted the conclave to be interrupted immediately, and that it should start again with him to control it (so as to able to take the cardinals hostage, who peremptorily refused) in the end the question was resolved after a very delicate negotiation in which Rome allowed the conquest of Naples and promised the king the election of a pro-French pope (Rodrigo had managed to get Richard to be delivered to the french camp, false letters of oath , so as to put problems in the coordination of information between the king, Charles and their representative in the conclave, also making them use the veto to block his last candidate with deception) at that point convinced of this and supplied with all the provisions to continue his campaign in the peninsula Louis armies leaves Rome after a very heavy week for the city, only knowing later that he had been cheated when he learns that Rodrigo Borgia with his approval has become pontifex maximus of the Roman church, the new pope has almost impossible tasks ahead of him in the immediate future, the first being to appease an enraged king of France who feels cheated by his election, save the papacy from becoming a puppet of the warring powers, continue to reform the church and deal with the storm that has arisen in Germany. The first task is maintained by sending letters confirming the pacts with France on the question of Naples on the condition that Louis wants to put one of his candidates on the throne (who is not him) in the meantime secret talks begin with the other Italian powers and with Vienna in prediction of a worrying scenario of total French domination (there is also an attempt to contact Aragon, promising it gains in the peninsula, but for the moment, King Ferdinand declares himself neutral, even if he confirms that in the event of a new French march on the city, it will be more who is ready to intervene ) meanwhile in a worried but numerous St. Peter's Rodrigo is proclaimed as Pope Augustine (in honor of the last vote that allowed him to become pope, namely that of the representative of the church of Africa)
a few days later Richard separates from his teacher who has now become pope with the hope of seeing each other again in the future and from his other Roman acquaintances on his way home ( much to the displeasure of little Romulus who remained very fond of the young "elder cousin" who greeted him in tears, to calm him down Richard promised him that he would write him letters every now and then, a promise also kept with his class friend (telling him before parting ways to try and keep out of trouble, because his name or school prowess couldn't always help him out of trouble, Alexander looked at him and smiled at that)
Rome ( Apostolic palace )
February / March 1481
we are witnessing the formation of the new papal government, which as its first task will have to assist and calm the Roman population who have suffered with anxiety and great fear the French occupation of the city (with a lot of damage to the buildings especially near Castel Sant'Angelo, in due to the clashes between poorly armed civilians (to try to drive out the invaders) and French men of arms, the other question is obviously the war (which has now moved further south) in fact news arrives that Luigi's troops have made a massacre of Neapolitan soldiers sent against them both in Spoleto (where the French completely annihilated 20,000 men without too many differences) and in the Caserta area where the city of the same name was taken and occupied after a 3-day battle in which only 7,000 survived Neapolitans (to hear this, many in Italy and above all in Rome wonder if the French are really beasts?, but few, including the new Pope, have
truly understood the abysmal difference between the Italian and Gallic war preparations ( name back in vogue (among their opponents) as a derogatory of the French especially after the events in Rome)
North Italy
meanwhile on the northern front of the war (the one fought in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany) the clashes do not want to cease in intensity, we are witnessing the construction of enormous fortresses in the region (garrisoned by Gallic or pro-French troops) among which Pinerolo, Saluzzo , Alessandria and we see the advance of a minor army of the alliance in Liguria which has the final objective of taking and capitulating the republic, to achieve this they place the fortresses that defend its capital under siege : Genoa
near Montaperti
as if it were a twist of fate the fates of the two Tuscan cities collide again in the vicinity of their most famous and bloody historical battle (which took place twice on the same site first in 1260 and then in 1284) narrated by Dante in the comedy, it is in fact like if it were an infernal circle, the clash leaves many fallen on the field on both sides (from the sources of the time we know that 15,000 have fallen, of which 1/3 are Florentines) for the proud city of the Palio it goes badly, but the march Medici towards the destruction of the hated rival city is miraculously stopped two weeks later in Montepulciano by the arrival on the field of the papal exercise in aid of the brave Sienese
Urbino ( papal state, pontifical legation )
April 1481
now with the invasion of France, everyone is in direct danger and no one is safe anymore, many taking advantage of this create havoc for personal gains, one of the most fitting examples is the figure of Ottavio Montefeltro who, taking advantage of the chaos in Rome, declares himself duke of the rich city of Urbino, in full affront to the papacy (also refusing his prestigious position in the government and in particular in the army as second in command of the gonfaloniere) also the other nobles follow his example, by now Agostino finds himself surrounded by enemies (only Lazio and the lands occupied by Julian's troops have remained faithful to them) the only ones who seem to gain a lot from this are the numerous mercenary bands formed recently (among which stands out that of the nephew of the same name of the English leader John Hawkwood (Italianised Giovanni Acuto) who in his first month of birth had already fought in several battles, distinguishing for grit and ruthlessness (subjugating several cities for the French)
Rome April 15th
a papal delegation in great secrecy is sent to cross the Alps without being discovered, towards Vienna (to ask the emperor for help) unfortunately they did not get the hoped-for answer (the emperor and the major princes had their hands tied with the revolt of the priests who from Bremen had managed to expand up to Cologne in the West and Magdeburg in the East, attracting new followers in their ranks (reaching about 45,000 men in open revolt against the imperial church) the young archduke Max (who is leaving with some princes following him to face the rebels) offers to go to Italy himself, but both his father and his wife convince him that it is not the right time, in exchange the court allows the lesser princes of the empire (with their men) who want to to help Rome cross the Alps (in the end more than 120 minor princes were recruited in search of glory and military victories, with at least 19,000 lansquenets following them) but France's suspicions are calmed by specifying by an immediate papal mission near Caserta (headed by an old acquaintance of ours, a certain young Farnese)
that this army recruited by the pontiff, is only precautionary and not directed against them in any way, but to be used against the noble rebels of the church state , to which the commander in chief and official delegate of the King Louis asks in return to demonstrate the pope's kindness towards him that the papal troops present in the duchy of Spoleto pass under the total control of the king and that they are used against the last pockets of the Neapolitan resistance, before being able to besiege and take Naples, to which the delegation does not know what to answer so the sovereign offers him his hospitality until the return of the answer from his Holiness Augustine , which Alexander accepts (although suspecting everything, as his tutor, now his master, had explained to him temporal and spiritual head)
May Rome
the eternal city, unique in the peninsula not to see conflicts in its surroundings or invading armies that threaten to besiege it (for now) begins to attract many refugees from conflict zones (not only from Italy) Castilians are seen arriving hostile to their new sovereign , many displaced from the regions of Tuscany, Emilia and the Po Valley, as well as many fleeing the French from the kingdom of Naples, the city witnesses a tripling of its population which before the war had reached 55,000 inhabitants, but by now has largely exceeded 110,000 (Agostino starts the city expansion works to accommodate all these new "Roman" citizens, attracting artists from everywhere to the city, among whom a 30-year-old boy from Tuscany stands out for his talent and his multifaceted being, who made a name in Florence under Lorenzo (who sent it to Rome as a sign of no conflict between Florence and Rome, so as to maintain his family's profitable business and banking connections in the city)
Avignon May 1481
in the papal territories of France, many would like to help the holy see but feel torn by a tremendous doubt ( they answering to the pope as their sovereign they betray their "French" cousins if they go to war against them ? ) in the end it is Martin's living memory convinced them (since the works requested by him to help the citizens were completed) and about 3,000 men offered to take the papal insignia and march in Italy to help the pope
Augsburg papal territory HRE
for now the seat is still vacant, but the government of Rome is already working with the old archbishop (who manages the post until the appointment of the post) to resolve the Bremen question, as it is defined, given that the first imperial army sent to him against a bad end (they sinned with pride and were decimated by the crowd, which also has professional soldiers in its ranks) many princes have fallen, almost entire dynasties have been swept away, now only the arrival of the future king is awaited of the Romans to resolve the situation in battle
Forli
June
Caterina cannot lead her troops into battle unfortunately, she was read by her doctors due to her health conditions ...... nothing serious she is pregnant with her third child, meanwhile her government is going to solidify in the cities conquered by her that now border the Medici Florence up to the Serenissima, only the three remaining papal cities of Bologna and Ravenna and the fortified citadel of Cesena dare to resist, is starting to plan expansion plans against the Este family (holders of the cities of Modena, Parma, Reggio and Ferrara)
summer 1481
war rages throughout the peninsula, only Venice seems immune to it, we see terrible clashes between enemy armies, in which the French alliance almost always wins, only a victory in a small skirmish can relieve the very low morale of Sienese , Neapolitans and Genoese (the latter in particular, given that the Franco-Savoy troops managed to conquer the city, the republic is without government, the upper echelons who managed to escape went to Corsica and Sardinia (mainly Castelsardo and Valledoria , personal estates of the Doria family and also in Carloforte, a possession shared between the Genoese and Aragonese for defensive purposes against Saracen pirates)
papal legations
the army of the new duke of Urbino routs his rivals in the field and heads towards Pesaro and Ancona to submit them to his control, meanwhile Rieti passes under direct French control (together with Spoleto) to facilitate the communication routes between the allies and the Southern Italy
Rome
September 1481
while his state disintegrates, Pope Borgia does not remain in hand as his opponents think, on the contrary he carries out a vigorous action of state centralization which strengthens Roman control in the whole of Lazio (something never seen before in this entity and scope) simplifies and cut the cumbersome red tape, and reforms the tax authorities and expand the health (so as to have greater support from the population, which has already been widely and for years on its side) it is with regard to his detractors and political opponents that he implements a pincer maneuver using the manners of his predecessor pontiffs (those who manage to get them back to his side he rewards them ( Martin ) the tenacious and ready for anything opponents he replies in a strong and harsh manner ( Mark ) showing his cynicism and what he learned in his years in papal government ("how clemency can create loyal allies but that sometimes you need a hard fist if they betray you, but you are always ready to forgive where possible" so he would later say to his future students, who will have important positions under his pontificate)
1482 January
HRE papal county
the decisive confrontation between the rebels and the imperial army ( to which archbishop Ruprecht of Cologne, strangely shocking everyone present, also joined ) takes place near the free city of Regensburg, the two sides take up positions and then towards at noon the battle begins, during the fight a young knight following the archduke, named George ( whom many mistaken for his lord, due to a certain resemblance ) managed with an evasive move to break the compact formation of rebel pikes so as to allow the success of a lethal cavalry charge for them, which allowed the HRE troops led by Archduke Max prevail against the rebels, but many lose their lives in the battle, among the illustrious deaths of both sides in the battle are: Archbishop Ruprecht and many princes of the empire including the heirs of Reuss, Lippe, Anahlt, and the duchies of Brunswick and Wurttemberg, the latter in particular are serious losses for the empire, but emperor Frederick sees a possibility in all this to strengthen his dynasty especially in Swabia, and he also seems to ask for a lot of information both on the health of his son and of the young knight George, without particularly wanting to give explanations on this, causing a lot of confusion in the courtiers about his strange behavior, which instead made the empress die of laughter
Rome
Augustine having come to know a rear from Florentine sources, of the assembly held in Milan in which the Italian princes forced Louis to recognize his brother as king of Naples instead of himself, Rodrigo rejoices at this knowledge, albeit not current, and orders the immediate recognition of Charles du Berry as the new king of Naples ( in conjunction with the opening of the gates of the Neapolitan city upon the french army arrival ) furthermore he proposes himself as mediator between the two warring parties ( omitting the Sforzas on purpose from the negotiating table ) furthermore he would be happy to propitiate the marriage of the queen of Greece with the Duke of Neumors ( provided he does not intervene in support of Catherine in Romagna ) but while continuing to maintain a constant correspondence with Vienna ( in his last letter he congratulates the archduke on his great victory obtained in the name of defending the faith )
December 1481 / early 1482
the first year of Rodrigo's pontificate promised to be very heavy and the one to come promises to be equal or worse than the present time, but all in all Rome has not collapsed under the weight of the war and the French threat, certainly the danger is still enormous and located just 150 km south of the Eternal City, but what is life without risk?
the troops obtained from the HRE are behaving well against the rebels (the young prince Frederick Felix of Hohenzollern Sigmarigen is distinguishing himself for his courage and skill) so much that he is now working in tandem with the pope's standard bearer
1) inspired by an event that actually happened in Rome every time a pope died (especially if he was unpopular) or when a cardinal ascended the papal throne (his houses were attacked, and the furnishings inside were taken by the population as relics, it was a sort of rite of expropriation of the earthly goods of the future pope by the citizens of the city
2) was preparing a thesis on the history of heresies in the church, in particular the Cathars and Lollards
3) mortacci tua, is a colloquial curse / mockery of the Roman dialect which means that the person is cursing your family ( including the dead ) for a wrong suffered
of course you are free to inform me if there are errors or inconsistencies ( except for the part with France, I am aware of that, but I cannot change it for reasons of having no alternatives, for remedy this discrepancy, you are free to choose which of the two versions ( between this and Reyne's, no offense dear there's no with you understood 😉😇 ) you prefer of the encounter between the French and the papacy )
Rome part 2
lessons aside Richard will immediately be welcomed with extreme kindness in the Borgia house, above all by the cardinal's wife (which foolish the young man, who did not think that his mentor could be such a defender of Catholic orthodoxy but have a lover / wife) but in the end he got used to it, thanks also to the kind character of Vanozza (this is his name) and to the unstoppable curiosity of the little Romulus and his little sister Isabella (from the queen of Aragon) who came to consider the young plantagenet as their older cousin
December 1479
Germany
in the small towns taken the bishopric of Bremen, a revolt is raised against the suppression of the bishopric deemed not to comply with the new regulations due to being under total control and nepotism of the neighboring princely dynasties, this makes the princes in question very angry who subsidize the revolt clandestinely with weapons and soldiers (mainly criminals with the excuse that if they participate in this and win their crimes will be removed) the revolt gains enormous support among the peasants incited by the recently deposed local bishop, until it grows to a number of 20 thousand people with the The objective of marching to Bremen to put the priest back in his rightful place is then to aim at the newly created papal territory (already called by evil tongues the German Avignon) to force the papal delegate to ratify the change in case of a negative outcome. ready to march on Rome (these revolts, historians have discovered that in part they were also supported by France to create an important distraction for the emperor so as not to be able to intervene immediately against it)
Rome
Trastevere district
pontifical academy
the theology lesson has just ended, so Richard, after listening to old Diether talk about the nature of God, decides to try to practice his Italian with some of his classmates while waiting for the next church history lesson ( 2 ) (his is a very international class, with 16 pupils including 9 Italians, 1 German, 2 French, 2 Iberians and a Croatian) who are not Alexander (who is reading the writings of Niccolò Cusano, previous rector of the academy, to carry on with his studies (following your philosophy : the sooner you do it, the sooner you can have fun )
January 1480
Rome
we see the holy father very busy reading documents, at first we think they are dispatches from the front (perhaps Romagna and Spoleto, even news from Greece where Prince Federico does not give up on following his father's plans for the conquest of the Morea) we decide to approach more and we immediately notice that yes, they are news from Mystras, but not the umpteenth appeals for help, rather a singular request, the Empress Theodora recalls from her stay in Rome that both her mentor (as well as second father) and Cardinal Borgia they had said that in the Iberian kingdoms there is a special clause given by the pope, which allows the royals to be able to earn half of the total income from the local churches, the young queen knowing this asks Pope Mark if the same privilege can also be granted to his domains , given the role they play in the first line of defense against the Turks ( similar to Iberia with the Moors ) the pope is reflecting on it carefully because he does not want to cause more conflicts especially after Albania fell into the hands of Mehmet II ( with the many Catholic refugees who have sought asylum in Theodora and in Rome itself), the pope suspects as usual of a Neapolitan double game but does not want to warm up spirits any more, especially now that he has learned that the king of France has said he is available to intervene in support of Greece against the Turkish and Neapolitan abuses, quickly both by sea and by land (which causes more than a bad shiver of fear in the pontiff) to help him this time there is not his chancellor, but a group made up of several prelates including della Rovere and the papal legates of France, Milan and Venice (to see if they are hiding
anything about French intentions)
Villa Borgia
we find the family gathered for lunch, including Rodrigo (who has been suffering from a terrible fever in recent days) we see little Romulus, begin to tell what he did today at the academy of beauty, amid the general amusement of all present at his exploits epics, then the child fed up with always being interrupted by laughter decides to ask Riccardo, what were he and the Farinese (so called by Romulus jokingly) up to in the canteen today, almost drowning the poor boy at the mention of this the young plantagenet, after recovering from choking on food, first turned red in the face then began to stammer a mixture of whispered curses and "why always me" in a language similar to Roman dialect (Rodrigo watches the whole scene in front of him , with growing interest and a raised eyebrow after hearing what sounded to him like " un mortacci tua Ale " ( 3 )
flashback
day before Borgo district
two young men make their way back from the lessons they have just finished together, we get closer to follow them, before they get lost in the crowd, we finally understand who they are: I am an Alexander who is oozing joy from every pore, while he says that he is about to become not only an uncle but also a godfather (since his sister is pregnant with Rodrigo's first nephew) the second is our Richard who is listening to his friend with a smile on his face, suddenly the two stop because Alexander has the brilliant idea of going to a tavern in the area to celebrate the happy news, whereupon he turns towards his friend and with an almost dystopian attitude he says "so since I'm offering for once, you don't have to protest as usual, do we understand each other?" once he has received the answer he likes, he decides to make his way towards the place chosen for the occasion: the two sit down at a table and order food and drink, when at a certain point a beautiful girl with blond hair arrives to serve them, who immediately strikes the young Richard with his kindness and sympathy (so much as to make him unable to speak) the two continue to eat between a chat and a tease to the detriment of Richard (who can't stop blushing when Lucia this the name of the girl, speaks to him or looks at him) in the end, before leaving the club, the two boys offer to help her fix up the place (on Richard's initiative) once she has finished tidying up Lucia thanks the two by giving each one a kiss on the cheek and greeting Alexander (whom she already knew) making Richard almost faint, who after this literally runs out of the club (making Alexander die laughing for his reaction)
the next morning during the break between lessons in the canteen
Alexander doesn't stop making fun of his poor friend, indeed to make matters worse he even coined him a new nickname "from the Lionheart to the cowardly heart" the step according to him is short, all this makes Richard angry and blush from afar he is seen by little Romulus
once the family has learned the whole story behind this, Richard seems very distraught and disappointed with himself, and waiting to be scolded, but Rodrigo instead gets up and approaches him, starts talking about his youth and of how he had chosen this path knowing that he could not marry the woman he was madly in love with as a young man if he continued on this path, all of which attracts the gaze of others ( including Richard ), once he realizes that he has had everyone's attention those present the cardinal explains how his seminary teacher had explained to him that these feelings are human ( it is nature that we cannot control, it is God who tests us on our convictions ) this seems to reassure the young man, who affirms that he will not fall more into temptation ( with poor Rodrigo who tells him that he is exaggerating like this ) and that the next time he would take his revenge on that subspecies of friend he finds himself
March 1480
the city is in full turmoil, both for the positive news arriving from the fronts (especially in Romagna, where Prince Frederick Felix and Giuliano are gradually eroding the fortresses built by Caterina in the area, while from Naples everything is strangely calm , the gossips think that it is because the Neapolitans have just had a collective heart attack knowing of the marriage negotiations between Bassilisa Teodora and a younger brother of the king of France ) and because of the arrival of the happy news that the crusade undertaken by the Hospitaller Knights in North Africa , was successful managing to liberal Tunis (although many knights, including the Grand Master died in the attempt) now there are many who hope or aim high (some say Constantinople, others Granada, others Jerusalem, finally there are those who they say because not all of them are three at the same time !)
we see Cardinal Borgia passing through some monuments that tell the millennial and grandiose history of the city (we see in sequence the Pantheon, the imperial forum, the triumphal arches of Constantine, Titus, the Trajan column and finally the Colosseum (which in this period at the inside it houses both houses and a church)
we note only now that Rodrigo is with Richard, is that the two are heading towards the basilica of San Pietro (where one is in an audience with the pontiff, the other has the task assigned to him by the Academy, i.e. helping to manage a conflict between the Irish, English and Scottish monks arose from having to live together under the same roof (due to renovations in their monasteries, as well as the fact that they are unable to elect a temporary head among themselves)
once the guard post of the Swiss pikemen has passed, the two walk into the new colonnade which overlooks a huge square in front of the basilica (similar to Otl) we notice that St. Peter's is still under construction and seems to get bigger every day than planned native to
June 1480
Vienna
we see a young man being calmed down by two people, we try to figure out who they are but unfortunately we can't figure it out (we only know that they are a man and a woman, they tell the boy that they will be there and not to worry) in the meantime we move around the room main hall of the imperial court, where everyone wonders why the imperial couple has not yet shown up, after a few moments we see the door open with the entire Habsburg family entering the room, at the command of the group we see Max and Frederick move one next to each other, the emperor asks his chamberlain what is on the agenda (who replies that there are updates from the Bremen revolt, then there is the administrative and judicial reform plans drafted by Max to discuss and Emma for Austria and in the future for the whole empire, finally we have the ceremony of creating the new knights) at the mention of this we see Max, Emma, Eleonora and finally Frederick exchanging an enigmatic look between them, the emperor decides to start with the latter
a few hours later
we witness the presentation of the new knights to the population of Vienna before being blessed by the local archbishop in the cathedral, among them we see one in particular wearing a red, white, gold color scheme with black trim and a small eagle drawn on his chest , which as many commoners notice looks a bit like the imperial family
January 15, 1481
dies suddenly due to a heart attack after hearing the news of the entry into the war of Milan, Savoy and above all France in the peninsula, Pope Mark I (by many of the time considered partisan and autocratic, expansionist and corrupt, but who historians in the future judged a pope too stubborn with his policy, a little pro-Venetian outwardly (increasing suspicions and evil tongues on this) too quick in wanting to reassert the state authority of Rome over a region still in open revolt and with little time at his disposal to see where his state apparatus reform policies could go in the long term) once again a conclave is convened but many do not believe that with the war in progress it is a good idea to do so (they fear possible foreign interference in the decisions among the cardinals, almost anticipating and predicting what will hit the city in 2 months)
Richard is frightened by the sound of death knells coming from all corners of the city, immediately going down the stairs he asks Vanozza what is happening, she informs him that the holy father has left this world and therefore the conclave must be convened furthermore it is feared that the anti Mark faction can regain control of the city is to try to plunder the rivals' properties without control (which actually happens in the days to come) so Richard , knowing this, rushes to St. Peter's to look for his master and ask what to do ( meanwhile he gives the order to have all the foreign non-French cardinals and the Martinians summoned to the Borgia house to discuss what to do from now on) in the meantime he promises Vanozza to go personally to recover Romulus from the lessons (because they fear he might be taken hostage )
Rome Borgia palace
the prelates had gathered to discuss what to do while they waited for the landlord, meanwhile they were talking about the latest news including the candidacies of the favorites for the conclave: many were not sure that electing an Italian was a wise move (because there was the risk of putting Rome as a possible target of an enemy attack in case the future pope is not in favor of the advantage faction, moreover the danger of France burdened in everyone's thoughts (no one knows what intentions King Louis has, nor what want, some say Naples, others Milan, still others Rome itself while the more pessimistic say the whole of Italy) all this thinking only worsened spirits especially if combined with news from Spain and Germany, in short, the conclave was not not even started that everyone was sure it would be the most delicate for ages.
Saint Peter
all the members of the government decide how to proceed, Rodrigo takes the floor: "
we have two choices gentlemen, either we elect a pro-French pope thus avoiding a possible attack and making Rome fall under the yoke of Paris or we challenge fate and France will come and show us who is in charge, without forgetting that we are still at war with Naples! , so the choice is yours : do we submit or do we resist or do we find a way to kill two birds with one stone ? " to which the others present asked for explanations and he enigmatic said "everything in due time, don't worry"
Martin bridge (connection between Borgo and Trastevere)
Richard was running like crazy in the crowd, meanwhile the screams of the first looting and clashes began to reach his ears, all this spurred him to run more towards his half, almost reached the 'academy suddenly slow down, because in front of he find pro-French militiamen ( remember the old favorite at the conclave of 1477 true ) who controlled the area to prevent anyone from overstepping their position ( they occupied one of the fortresses built by Mark ) Richard meanwhile was thinking how to get around the block, when a hand from behind pulled him towards an alley, his first instinct was to shout but he stopped in time before doing so, recognizing a friendly face, Alexander had had the same idea as him and had run to retrieve some his relatives in the area, so the two managed to cross the block and take little Romulus ( obviously frightened by the intrusion of the soldiers in his classroom, but luckily they didn't recognize him )
January 17th
safe at Villa Borgia, the cardinals began to discuss even more animatedly, because the news only made it worse, especially those concerning France, meanwhile dispatches were arriving from Naples to ask for a truce to expel the French barbarians from the peninsula, meanwhile word had reached that Louis had blocked the cardinals he had found along the way in order to be able to check Rome (doing pass only those French or those supported by him) there was also discussion of a rumor that he had made an agreement with the new queen of Castile to isolate Aragon and help him in his enterprise of conquest and dominion, among the cardinals he saw in all what a long premeditated plan there were also the two English prelates John Morton and Thomas Bourchier (former Archbishop of Canterbury) who said that Louis was only waiting for the pretext to usurp the emperor's throne is that this was only the first step to this, Richard listened to all this to one side, not knowing what to understand (every argument, even the most delirious at first, seemed instead to analyze it with a firm, well-considered mind) he was greatly struck by the two English cardinals (who spoke to him after each meal, to see what idea he had of the situation) in the meantime Rodrigo, fearing for the safety of his pupil decided it was time for him to leave (he had organized a transport to Civitavecchia which would take him first to Venice then along the empire up to the his homeland) but the boy was stubborn and repeatedly postponed the trip
January 26th
Rome San Pietro
Rodrigo is about to close himself in the conclave together with 40 of his colleagues, he greets acquaintances and family members for the last time, unaware that a French army is headed towards the city after Catherine has convinced the commander commissioned by Louis to lead his army, Charles of Berry, with very interesting arguments of
to sabotage the conclave (the king accepts immediately the idea, historians have discovered from his codified papers, that he had matured this idea as soon as he had information from internal sources in the City and he certainly did not want a pope to oppose him) the Sforzesco - French - Savoyard army marched into the papal territories without initially finding initial resistance, only once they arrived 100 km from Rome
who found a Neapolitan papal army waiting for them with reinforcements from Siena (the fruit of diplomacy between Borgia, Giuliano della Rovere, Siena and some Neapolitan commanders) the clash was one-way unfortunately, of the 30,000 soldiers of the Italian coalition, only 7,000 were saved (those commanded by della Rovere, that you have to witness the death of many of his acquaintances and old opponents, including the young Pedro Louis (future father in a few months, who however will never see the daughter he had)
January 30th
Giuliano della Rovere returns to Rome with the few survivors, orders the preparation of the city's defenses, has the villas of the traitors (defeated by the militiamen in his absence) prepared as hospitals and refuges for any refugees, meanwhile spirits are very tense in the conclave. after 6 votes each favorite was blocked by the French king representative with his veto (no one could understand how he knew what was happening) some cardinals opposed to France ended up supporting the pro-Louisian cardinals (as they were later called) Rodrigo waited and watched to understand, something didn't add up to him, in the meantime he had managed to get a communication out to his family in which he asked for news on the situation and to look into the lives of these cardinals he listed if there were any obscure points to block their candidacy , Richard and Alexander acted as intermediaries whenever possible when they weren't looking for the requested information (but knowing they were only postponing the inevitable, the barbarian army was arriving (as Farnese said) and the curia didn't know what policy to take, in the end, however, five days later when Rome was now at risk of being under fire from the cannons and the French army, which marched into the city headed by the king (unfortunately without taking control of it for the dispacere of Charles and Catherine, given that Castel Sant'Angelo (from where the whole of Rome can be controlled and kept under fire was firmly in the hands of Giuliano who had fortified himself inside) the general of his majesty wanted the conclave to be interrupted immediately, and that it should start again with him to control it (so as to able to take the cardinals hostage, who peremptorily refused) in the end the question was resolved after a very delicate negotiation in which Rome allowed the conquest of Naples and promised the king the election of a pro-French pope (Rodrigo had managed to get Richard to be delivered to the french camp, false letters of oath , so as to put problems in the coordination of information between the king, Charles and their representative in the conclave, also making them use the veto to block his last candidate with deception) at that point convinced of this and supplied with all the provisions to continue his campaign in the peninsula Louis armies leaves Rome after a very heavy week for the city, only knowing later that he had been cheated when he learns that Rodrigo Borgia with his approval has become pontifex maximus of the Roman church, the new pope has almost impossible tasks ahead of him in the immediate future, the first being to appease an enraged king of France who feels cheated by his election, save the papacy from becoming a puppet of the warring powers, continue to reform the church and deal with the storm that has arisen in Germany. The first task is maintained by sending letters confirming the pacts with France on the question of Naples on the condition that Louis wants to put one of his candidates on the throne (who is not him) in the meantime secret talks begin with the other Italian powers and with Vienna in prediction of a worrying scenario of total French domination (there is also an attempt to contact Aragon, promising it gains in the peninsula, but for the moment, King Ferdinand declares himself neutral, even if he confirms that in the event of a new French march on the city, it will be more who is ready to intervene ) meanwhile in a worried but numerous St. Peter's Rodrigo is proclaimed as Pope Augustine (in honor of the last vote that allowed him to become pope, namely that of the representative of the church of Africa)
a few days later Richard separates from his teacher who has now become pope with the hope of seeing each other again in the future and from his other Roman acquaintances on his way home ( much to the displeasure of little Romulus who remained very fond of the young "elder cousin" who greeted him in tears, to calm him down Richard promised him that he would write him letters every now and then, a promise also kept with his class friend (telling him before parting ways to try and keep out of trouble, because his name or school prowess couldn't always help him out of trouble, Alexander looked at him and smiled at that)
Rome ( Apostolic palace )
February / March 1481
we are witnessing the formation of the new papal government, which as its first task will have to assist and calm the Roman population who have suffered with anxiety and great fear the French occupation of the city (with a lot of damage to the buildings especially near Castel Sant'Angelo, in due to the clashes between poorly armed civilians (to try to drive out the invaders) and French men of arms, the other question is obviously the war (which has now moved further south) in fact news arrives that Luigi's troops have made a massacre of Neapolitan soldiers sent against them both in Spoleto (where the French completely annihilated 20,000 men without too many differences) and in the Caserta area where the city of the same name was taken and occupied after a 3-day battle in which only 7,000 survived Neapolitans (to hear this, many in Italy and above all in Rome wonder if the French are really beasts?, but few, including the new Pope, have
truly understood the abysmal difference between the Italian and Gallic war preparations ( name back in vogue (among their opponents) as a derogatory of the French especially after the events in Rome)
North Italy
meanwhile on the northern front of the war (the one fought in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany) the clashes do not want to cease in intensity, we are witnessing the construction of enormous fortresses in the region (garrisoned by Gallic or pro-French troops) among which Pinerolo, Saluzzo , Alessandria and we see the advance of a minor army of the alliance in Liguria which has the final objective of taking and capitulating the republic, to achieve this they place the fortresses that defend its capital under siege : Genoa
near Montaperti
as if it were a twist of fate the fates of the two Tuscan cities collide again in the vicinity of their most famous and bloody historical battle (which took place twice on the same site first in 1260 and then in 1284) narrated by Dante in the comedy, it is in fact like if it were an infernal circle, the clash leaves many fallen on the field on both sides (from the sources of the time we know that 15,000 have fallen, of which 1/3 are Florentines) for the proud city of the Palio it goes badly, but the march Medici towards the destruction of the hated rival city is miraculously stopped two weeks later in Montepulciano by the arrival on the field of the papal exercise in aid of the brave Sienese
Urbino ( papal state, pontifical legation )
April 1481
now with the invasion of France, everyone is in direct danger and no one is safe anymore, many taking advantage of this create havoc for personal gains, one of the most fitting examples is the figure of Ottavio Montefeltro who, taking advantage of the chaos in Rome, declares himself duke of the rich city of Urbino, in full affront to the papacy (also refusing his prestigious position in the government and in particular in the army as second in command of the gonfaloniere) also the other nobles follow his example, by now Agostino finds himself surrounded by enemies (only Lazio and the lands occupied by Julian's troops have remained faithful to them) the only ones who seem to gain a lot from this are the numerous mercenary bands formed recently (among which stands out that of the nephew of the same name of the English leader John Hawkwood (Italianised Giovanni Acuto) who in his first month of birth had already fought in several battles, distinguishing for grit and ruthlessness (subjugating several cities for the French)
Rome April 15th
a papal delegation in great secrecy is sent to cross the Alps without being discovered, towards Vienna (to ask the emperor for help) unfortunately they did not get the hoped-for answer (the emperor and the major princes had their hands tied with the revolt of the priests who from Bremen had managed to expand up to Cologne in the West and Magdeburg in the East, attracting new followers in their ranks (reaching about 45,000 men in open revolt against the imperial church) the young archduke Max (who is leaving with some princes following him to face the rebels) offers to go to Italy himself, but both his father and his wife convince him that it is not the right time, in exchange the court allows the lesser princes of the empire (with their men) who want to to help Rome cross the Alps (in the end more than 120 minor princes were recruited in search of glory and military victories, with at least 19,000 lansquenets following them) but France's suspicions are calmed by specifying by an immediate papal mission near Caserta (headed by an old acquaintance of ours, a certain young Farnese)
that this army recruited by the pontiff, is only precautionary and not directed against them in any way, but to be used against the noble rebels of the church state , to which the commander in chief and official delegate of the King Louis asks in return to demonstrate the pope's kindness towards him that the papal troops present in the duchy of Spoleto pass under the total control of the king and that they are used against the last pockets of the Neapolitan resistance, before being able to besiege and take Naples, to which the delegation does not know what to answer so the sovereign offers him his hospitality until the return of the answer from his Holiness Augustine , which Alexander accepts (although suspecting everything, as his tutor, now his master, had explained to him temporal and spiritual head)
May Rome
the eternal city, unique in the peninsula not to see conflicts in its surroundings or invading armies that threaten to besiege it (for now) begins to attract many refugees from conflict zones (not only from Italy) Castilians are seen arriving hostile to their new sovereign , many displaced from the regions of Tuscany, Emilia and the Po Valley, as well as many fleeing the French from the kingdom of Naples, the city witnesses a tripling of its population which before the war had reached 55,000 inhabitants, but by now has largely exceeded 110,000 (Agostino starts the city expansion works to accommodate all these new "Roman" citizens, attracting artists from everywhere to the city, among whom a 30-year-old boy from Tuscany stands out for his talent and his multifaceted being, who made a name in Florence under Lorenzo (who sent it to Rome as a sign of no conflict between Florence and Rome, so as to maintain his family's profitable business and banking connections in the city)
Avignon May 1481
in the papal territories of France, many would like to help the holy see but feel torn by a tremendous doubt ( they answering to the pope as their sovereign they betray their "French" cousins if they go to war against them ? ) in the end it is Martin's living memory convinced them (since the works requested by him to help the citizens were completed) and about 3,000 men offered to take the papal insignia and march in Italy to help the pope
Augsburg papal territory HRE
for now the seat is still vacant, but the government of Rome is already working with the old archbishop (who manages the post until the appointment of the post) to resolve the Bremen question, as it is defined, given that the first imperial army sent to him against a bad end (they sinned with pride and were decimated by the crowd, which also has professional soldiers in its ranks) many princes have fallen, almost entire dynasties have been swept away, now only the arrival of the future king is awaited of the Romans to resolve the situation in battle
Forli
June
Caterina cannot lead her troops into battle unfortunately, she was read by her doctors due to her health conditions ...... nothing serious she is pregnant with her third child, meanwhile her government is going to solidify in the cities conquered by her that now border the Medici Florence up to the Serenissima, only the three remaining papal cities of Bologna and Ravenna and the fortified citadel of Cesena dare to resist, is starting to plan expansion plans against the Este family (holders of the cities of Modena, Parma, Reggio and Ferrara)
summer 1481
war rages throughout the peninsula, only Venice seems immune to it, we see terrible clashes between enemy armies, in which the French alliance almost always wins, only a victory in a small skirmish can relieve the very low morale of Sienese , Neapolitans and Genoese (the latter in particular, given that the Franco-Savoy troops managed to conquer the city, the republic is without government, the upper echelons who managed to escape went to Corsica and Sardinia (mainly Castelsardo and Valledoria , personal estates of the Doria family and also in Carloforte, a possession shared between the Genoese and Aragonese for defensive purposes against Saracen pirates)
papal legations
the army of the new duke of Urbino routs his rivals in the field and heads towards Pesaro and Ancona to submit them to his control, meanwhile Rieti passes under direct French control (together with Spoleto) to facilitate the communication routes between the allies and the Southern Italy
Rome
September 1481
while his state disintegrates, Pope Borgia does not remain in hand as his opponents think, on the contrary he carries out a vigorous action of state centralization which strengthens Roman control in the whole of Lazio (something never seen before in this entity and scope) simplifies and cut the cumbersome red tape, and reforms the tax authorities and expand the health (so as to have greater support from the population, which has already been widely and for years on its side) it is with regard to his detractors and political opponents that he implements a pincer maneuver using the manners of his predecessor pontiffs (those who manage to get them back to his side he rewards them ( Martin ) the tenacious and ready for anything opponents he replies in a strong and harsh manner ( Mark ) showing his cynicism and what he learned in his years in papal government ("how clemency can create loyal allies but that sometimes you need a hard fist if they betray you, but you are always ready to forgive where possible" so he would later say to his future students, who will have important positions under his pontificate)
1482 January
HRE papal county
the decisive confrontation between the rebels and the imperial army ( to which archbishop Ruprecht of Cologne, strangely shocking everyone present, also joined ) takes place near the free city of Regensburg, the two sides take up positions and then towards at noon the battle begins, during the fight a young knight following the archduke, named George ( whom many mistaken for his lord, due to a certain resemblance ) managed with an evasive move to break the compact formation of rebel pikes so as to allow the success of a lethal cavalry charge for them, which allowed the HRE troops led by Archduke Max prevail against the rebels, but many lose their lives in the battle, among the illustrious deaths of both sides in the battle are: Archbishop Ruprecht and many princes of the empire including the heirs of Reuss, Lippe, Anahlt, and the duchies of Brunswick and Wurttemberg, the latter in particular are serious losses for the empire, but emperor Frederick sees a possibility in all this to strengthen his dynasty especially in Swabia, and he also seems to ask for a lot of information both on the health of his son and of the young knight George, without particularly wanting to give explanations on this, causing a lot of confusion in the courtiers about his strange behavior, which instead made the empress die of laughter
Rome
Augustine having come to know a rear from Florentine sources, of the assembly held in Milan in which the Italian princes forced Louis to recognize his brother as king of Naples instead of himself, Rodrigo rejoices at this knowledge, albeit not current, and orders the immediate recognition of Charles du Berry as the new king of Naples ( in conjunction with the opening of the gates of the Neapolitan city upon the french army arrival ) furthermore he proposes himself as mediator between the two warring parties ( omitting the Sforzas on purpose from the negotiating table ) furthermore he would be happy to propitiate the marriage of the queen of Greece with the Duke of Neumors ( provided he does not intervene in support of Catherine in Romagna ) but while continuing to maintain a constant correspondence with Vienna ( in his last letter he congratulates the archduke on his great victory obtained in the name of defending the faith )
December 1481 / early 1482
the first year of Rodrigo's pontificate promised to be very heavy and the one to come promises to be equal or worse than the present time, but all in all Rome has not collapsed under the weight of the war and the French threat, certainly the danger is still enormous and located just 150 km south of the Eternal City, but what is life without risk?
the troops obtained from the HRE are behaving well against the rebels (the young prince Frederick Felix of Hohenzollern Sigmarigen is distinguishing himself for his courage and skill) so much that he is now working in tandem with the pope's standard bearer
1) inspired by an event that actually happened in Rome every time a pope died (especially if he was unpopular) or when a cardinal ascended the papal throne (his houses were attacked, and the furnishings inside were taken by the population as relics, it was a sort of rite of expropriation of the earthly goods of the future pope by the citizens of the city
2) was preparing a thesis on the history of heresies in the church, in particular the Cathars and Lollards
3) mortacci tua, is a colloquial curse / mockery of the Roman dialect which means that the person is cursing your family ( including the dead ) for a wrong suffered
of course you are free to inform me if there are errors or inconsistencies ( except for the part with France, I am aware of that, but I cannot change it for reasons of having no alternatives, for remedy this discrepancy, you are free to choose which of the two versions ( between this and Reyne's, no offense dear there's no with you understood 😉😇 ) you prefer of the encounter between the French and the papacy )
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Chapter 39: The British Isles
Ludlow, July 1491: The Princess of Wales gives birth to a second son on the 25th of the month. Named James for the Saint Day he was born on, the second son of William and Radegonde will be bestowed the title Duke of Cambridge by his royal grandsire. King Edward and Queen Margaret are overjoyed to see their son and heir’s family growing. Queen Margaret often writes to her daughter-in-law offering advice and help with the trials of marriage.
Copenhagen, November 1491: As Queen Cecily of Denmark is recovering from a miscarriage, she comes up with the idea of an order that will include her female relatives. Calling it the “Princesses of the White Rose”, she writes to her mother, Queen Margaret, who will arrange the Order. The debutant ladies will be Dowager Queen Cecily, Queen Margaret, Duchess Anne of Brittany, Dowager Queen Elizabeth of France, Dowager Duchess Margaret of Burgundy, the Dowager Countess of Warwick (Cecily), the Abbess Joan, Queen Elizabeth of Poland, Duchess Jacquetta of Milan, Dauphine Margaret of France, Queen Cecily of Denmark, and the Princesses Blanche, Philippa, and Constance. Queen Mary of Scotland (wife of King George), much beloved and remembered, is included posthumously.
Krakow, June 1492: King Casimir IV of Poland dies, leaving his son, now Casimir V, as King of Poland. Already much adored by the people (alongside his wife), Elizabeth, the two will be coronated later that year. But in the same month of her ascension, Queen Elizabeth gives birth to a second son named Casimir.
Worcester, December 1492: The recently orphaned heiress, Margaret Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, marries Charles Somerset, Earl of Worcester. The marriage is not well recorded, but the two did have one son: William Somerset, born in 1496.
Milan, May 1493: After much anticipation, Jacquetta of England bears an heir for Milan. Baby Francesco may be healthy, but his grandfather isn’t. Duke Ludovico of Milan is relatively young, but a sudden violent fever, coupled with convulsions and dysentery, take him down quickly. By the end of 1493, Francesco and Jacquetta are Duke and Duchess of Milan.
While the court is distracted with mourning the old Duke, Humphrey of Somerset causes a scandal. The young man has been traveling through Europe since 1487, officially on “diplomatic” missions, but really gambling and wasting away all his money on clothes, wine, and women. While visiting his cousin Jacquetta, he meets the d’Este family. Falling in love with young Beatrice d’Este, the two elope. No one expected this, and the Duke of Ferrara is furious. However, there’s very little he can do and Humphrey is given the title Earl of Richmond by his uncle Edward.
Copenhagen, August 1494: Queen Cecily of Denmark gives birth to a third son. Naming this child after her father, Edward, she can finally relax. The Norwegian and Swedish rebels have been subdued, and she has three healthy sons. Her husband worships the very ground she walks upon and she never hears a bad word about herself from the nobility or common people.
Windsor, November 1494: As King Edward IV is being nursed through yet another illness, his daughter-in-law Radegonde gives birth to a second daughter. This daughter is named Blanche for her aunt, set to soon be Holy Roman Empress, who will be her godmother. The Soldier King’s health seems to improve after hearing the news. The English court also receives news of the birth of Ludovico of Milan in January 1495.
Edinburgh, May 1495: King George of Scotland marries Catherine of Burgundy. A lovely, sensible soul, Catherine finds Scotland very different compared to her native land of Burgundy. Despite this, she does not repeat the mistakes of her cousin and predecessor and actively tries to integrate herself within the court. One area where Catherine does struggle with is her relationship with her stepson. Edward, the Duke of Rothesay is slow to learn and quick to anger. Catherine privately blames her husband for neglecting the boy, but his illiteracy and violent tendencies are highlighting a deeper problem, the hereditary mental illness that skipped George but affected his mother and sister.
Copenhagen, November 1491: As Queen Cecily of Denmark is recovering from a miscarriage, she comes up with the idea of an order that will include her female relatives. Calling it the “Princesses of the White Rose”, she writes to her mother, Queen Margaret, who will arrange the Order. The debutant ladies will be Dowager Queen Cecily, Queen Margaret, Duchess Anne of Brittany, Dowager Queen Elizabeth of France, Dowager Duchess Margaret of Burgundy, the Dowager Countess of Warwick (Cecily), the Abbess Joan, Queen Elizabeth of Poland, Duchess Jacquetta of Milan, Dauphine Margaret of France, Queen Cecily of Denmark, and the Princesses Blanche, Philippa, and Constance. Queen Mary of Scotland (wife of King George), much beloved and remembered, is included posthumously.
Krakow, June 1492: King Casimir IV of Poland dies, leaving his son, now Casimir V, as King of Poland. Already much adored by the people (alongside his wife), Elizabeth, the two will be coronated later that year. But in the same month of her ascension, Queen Elizabeth gives birth to a second son named Casimir.
Worcester, December 1492: The recently orphaned heiress, Margaret Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, marries Charles Somerset, Earl of Worcester. The marriage is not well recorded, but the two did have one son: William Somerset, born in 1496.
Milan, May 1493: After much anticipation, Jacquetta of England bears an heir for Milan. Baby Francesco may be healthy, but his grandfather isn’t. Duke Ludovico of Milan is relatively young, but a sudden violent fever, coupled with convulsions and dysentery, take him down quickly. By the end of 1493, Francesco and Jacquetta are Duke and Duchess of Milan.
While the court is distracted with mourning the old Duke, Humphrey of Somerset causes a scandal. The young man has been traveling through Europe since 1487, officially on “diplomatic” missions, but really gambling and wasting away all his money on clothes, wine, and women. While visiting his cousin Jacquetta, he meets the d’Este family. Falling in love with young Beatrice d’Este, the two elope. No one expected this, and the Duke of Ferrara is furious. However, there’s very little he can do and Humphrey is given the title Earl of Richmond by his uncle Edward.
Copenhagen, August 1494: Queen Cecily of Denmark gives birth to a third son. Naming this child after her father, Edward, she can finally relax. The Norwegian and Swedish rebels have been subdued, and she has three healthy sons. Her husband worships the very ground she walks upon and she never hears a bad word about herself from the nobility or common people.
Windsor, November 1494: As King Edward IV is being nursed through yet another illness, his daughter-in-law Radegonde gives birth to a second daughter. This daughter is named Blanche for her aunt, set to soon be Holy Roman Empress, who will be her godmother. The Soldier King’s health seems to improve after hearing the news. The English court also receives news of the birth of Ludovico of Milan in January 1495.
Edinburgh, May 1495: King George of Scotland marries Catherine of Burgundy. A lovely, sensible soul, Catherine finds Scotland very different compared to her native land of Burgundy. Despite this, she does not repeat the mistakes of her cousin and predecessor and actively tries to integrate herself within the court. One area where Catherine does struggle with is her relationship with her stepson. Edward, the Duke of Rothesay is slow to learn and quick to anger. Catherine privately blames her husband for neglecting the boy, but his illiteracy and violent tendencies are highlighting a deeper problem, the hereditary mental illness that skipped George but affected his mother and sister.
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Thank you! I loved it so I just had to.
And that’s why I shouldn’t fall asleep while writing. Edited.