How likely do you think it would be that the Most Serene Republic of Venice would conquer the smaller nations in Italy, and/or colonize the New World, making an Italian Empire in the 1500s/1600s?
Before the 1800s, almost certainly. Kurland managed to be a colonial power for some time without access to the Atlantic Ocean / North Sea, but it wasn't profitable to depend on the benevolence of the Swedes and Danes who controlled the access to the Atlantic (and tended to demand outrageou fees). Any Italian power would have a problem with Spanish controlling the Gibraltar, and thus able to literary pillage all Italian ships going to the New World.I'm wondering... but generally the control of an Atlantic port must be an essential condition for a Mediterrean state to colonial expansion?
so... oh god i must be insane... is the solution to all this an italian invasion of and holding of gibraltar?
Well, Venice is not really a good candidate, since she had no need for expansion in central Italy, and wasn't in need of colonial goods. Try unify Italy under the Sforzas instead, they had a decent chance.It will be awesome
But for being doable it's need at least the unification of North Italy under a same monarch or Venice in this case she first try an expansion in inner Italy (Romagna and Milan)
Well, Venice was a Republic, so unification through marriage was not possible. Milan had a decent chance to conquer much of Northern Italy under the Sforzas though. Boost them by having them inherit Savoie or something.maybe milan. weren't they the strongman in n. italy? if they invaded venice, or united through marriage or something
Well, Venice was a Republic, so unification through marriage was not possible. Milan had a decent chance to conquer much of Northern Italy under the Sforzas though. Boost them by having them inherit Savoie or something.
Milan had a decent chance to conquer much of Northern Italy under the Sforzas though. Boost them by having them inherit Savoie or something.
Well, Venice was a Republic, so unification through marriage was not possible. Milan had a decent chance to conquer much of Northern Italy under the Sforzas though. Boost them by having them inherit Savoie or something.
But are they interested?Maybe, if the Venetian won at Agnadello and smashed the Cambrai league... the road to conquest most of North Italy could be open.
But are they interested?
No they aren't, or at least not enthusiastic about it; the Terra Firma was a pain in the ass to run and mostly cost them money: it was mainly a way to defend themselves.
Actually Milan was much closer to unify Northern Italy under the Visconti. The Sforzas took the power after the Peace of Lodi when a block of all the other Italian powers had more or less coalesced to stop them led by Venice and Florence.
You still need a reason for Venice to be interested in Africa, America and Asia. The Venetian merchants got what they needed from the Mediterranean. And as long as they consider it a Venetian State, they won't care what the other Italians want or need, since they're not Venetians and should shut up and do what the Republic tell them to do.I'm only using this timeline for an Age of Empires III campaign I'm making, so it doesn't have to be very logical, just enough that it doesn't stretch the willing suspension of disbelief.
Here's currently what I've thought up.
The First Italian War is kicked off with Venice uniting most of Italy against the French and Papal States, in the process conquering Milan and northern Papal States. Naples gets the southern Papal States, and Ferdinand II becomes Pope.
The Second Italian War is another invasion by Catholic France and the Holy Roman Empire. Once again, the Italian nations hold off an invasion, though at greater price. Venice begins conquering more of Central and Northern Italy. I'm not sure why; maybe an OC (original character) becomes ruler of Venice?
A campaign results in Mantua, Modena, Ferrara, and Lucca becoming Venetian possessions by 1517. I'm not sure who Savoy, Montferrat, and Trent were friendly with, but I have a feeling they were more sympathetic to the French and Holy Romans. I'll have to do more research on them.
The goal of my timeline is basically to have these things happen:
- Venice takes control of all of Italy, Naples and Aragon being optional.
- Now that you've pointed it out, Venice takes control of the Straits of Gibraltar.
- Venice becomes a major power in Europe.
- Venice builds a colonial empire in America OR Asia. I'm not sure if I can represent Africa with Age of Empires III's scenario editor, though I could still have that in the timeline.
For those of you who don't know, Age of Empires III is a computer game where you lead a colonial nation.