Industrial Progress: A Story Of Venetian Suffrage (Haitus)

[Lucius Verus]

65. Landed Values

The Old Colonial Regions Of Cyprus, Dalmatia, And Dubrovnik
1380-1450

When the process of land consolidation began in the 1380s and spread to the other colonies it was heralded as the end of the ancient communes and the beginning of slavery and impoverishment by wide segments of colonial society. Despite the appearance of a total social breakdown the ancestral ties between kin, tribe, and village survived its divorce from the lands that sustained its ancestors. After the initial Patrician buyout/confiscation, many stayed to work for their new landlords, some sought their fortunes on the sea, some moved to the cities, and finally a few fought the doomed struggle against land consolidation. Many freeholders, while landless still retained their tools, skills, draft animals, made up a substantial proportion of the local workforce and were able to leverage those advantages into decent contracts with their new landlords. Of course some simply gambled, drank, and squandered their way into destitution as countless cautionary tales would attest to and joined the ranks of the day labourers they used to spit and sneer at. In the end most villages of Dalmatia were able to keep their traditions alive by uniting through communal bonds and all was well, or at least so it seemed... [1]

By carving out a comfortable niche within the new Venetian system the former freeholders failed to realized that the new system carried its own inherent cultural values. Similar to residents of the Venetian lagoon the lack of land for purchase in the colonies meant that land ownership was no longer the prerequisite for starting a family as new families sought out silver for tools, training, connections, and most recently stocks. Perhaps an indication of the Venetian system's efficiency as the conquered was now actively funding the conqueror through shares in Sconvòlgers, manufactures that supplied them, among other ventures. Land, to the common Dalmatian was no longer seen as the defining factor of social status and wealth. The sentiment carried up into the ranks of the urban Adriatic cities where wealth and status relied on skill, work, and the ability to borrow-in contrast to land ownership and wealth on hand. This sentiment was carried further up still in the evicted nobility of Dalmatian society as they found wealth and prestige in commerce, management, and conquest having being barred from owning land and high office. However not everyone drank from the rising Venetian tide as evident in the colonial artists and clergy. The colonial clergy, former owner of nearly half the land was an active opponent of anything Venetian having no defined place within the State church or the new economy. With their former noble protectors slaughtered and thoroughly cowed the colonial churches were helpless militarily while their pleas were ignored by a splintered Papacy. The Dalmatian artists; former nobles and their retainers followed the Florentine culture of chivalry, eloquence, and romantic ideals of land-ownership invented by Tuscan artists and for artists such as themselves. [2][3]

Unlike Venice, where rising women's income led to rising ages for marriage and decreased fertility Dalmatia was undergoing a demographic boom. As Dalmatian and Ragusan family values demanded that daughters stayed to support the family in dire economic times the rising wages of sons and fathers meant that daughters left home earlier, married younger, and carried more children. It was a gradual process as wealth began to trickle down during the first decade of the 15th century while the effects of the rising fertility wouldn't show until the early 1410s as children began to work at the tender age of six. By the 1430s as economic investment reached saturation in the old-colonial regions and migration for work became common-place as the population swelled compared to local employment. For different reasons, the sedentary colonial farmer would come to join the stereotypical Venetian boy in his coming of age pilgrimage into distant lands. [4] [5]

But what of the colonial vagabonds? The landless masses without wealth, land, citizenship, or status grinding for mere sustenance? Unlike their social betters there was no one to advocate or campaign for those to have the misfortune of being born poor and nameless for even the poorest Venetian resident had access to credit, education, charity, and are called up for the occasional Patrician consult. Asides from the odd Sconvòlger recruiter there was little hope for those unable to save enough to pull themselves out of poverty. The introduction of the grain-subsidies post-conquest was a welcome relief but when given to vagabonds without organized bargaining often resulted in wage cuts and little change in real income, in this regard the grain subsidy served better as a wage subsidy for the merchant-investor than paternalist redistribution. Unlike the higher echelons of society, there was no aristocratic plan waiting to help them unintentionally like the women of Venice or the servi-citizens of the colonies. From these depths of deprivation came cries of anguish and prayers for a savior; little did they know their savior dealt in a different form of salvation and he was bringing the apocalypse with him.



[1] A common thing that occurred with land consolidation in OTL England was that the former farmers organized village unions that presented a collective bargaining front with landowners. While a temporary measure that would erode over generations against aggressive landlords it provided continuity and showed that land consolidation was a gradual process.
[2] IOTL the catholic church was a massive land owner within Europe and its management varied from mediocre and negligent on average to the innovative and productive Cistercian Order.
[3] IOTL an important aspect of industrialization was a society's avenues for social advancement. IOTL many successful entrepreneurs (such as the silk industrialists of Lyon) made their money, brought land, abandoned their productive pursuits, and joined the ranks of the nobles as it as the sole avenue of social advancement outside of the clergy. IOTL as Venice conquered the mainland its Patricians became exposed to and enamored with feudal values which combined with the decline of trade in the 16th century and manufacturing in the 17th century crowded out innovative pursuits and directed economic activity towards the zero-sum game of land-ownership.
[4] Just goes to show the importance of culture for industrial development as rising income leads to diametric demographic effects in Venice and its colonies.
[5] IOTL six was considered the average age that children started working, 11-14 was when the boys began earnest education and the girls began saving for their dowry, 17-21 was when the men became certified skilled workers and the women brides; gender differentiation began early and was ingrained by a decade of work and selective treatment.

 

[Lucius Verus]

66. True Patriots

1399
Venetian Arsenalè

Some things you never knew you wanted until you tried. For Cosma this would be the immaculately trimmed beard he was now sporting. Admiring his own reflection the old man came to the realization that stroking the beard not only made him seem wiser and more regal but actually made him wiser and more regal.

Yes… He could get used to this.

Yet, the satisfying stroking would have to wait for the rapid banging at the door demanded his attention. Discovering his breathless accountant on the other side of the door Cosma ushered him in and offered him while waiting for the man to recover his breath.

"They know, or rather they will soon. I caught word that because of the problems in Hungary senator Matheo d'Artusio is secretly coming tonight to inspect us."

With a voice on the verge of panic himself Cosma asked about the inquisition. Surely they can do something right?

"I've tried, they're silent on this."

Stating the obvious Cosma grimaced. Knowing that their deception about the Arsenalè's militia would be discovered and all that he had gained would become undone for corruption in the Arsenalè was not only cheating the government but could be considered treason for military unpreparedness.

Oblivious to Sirus' panic ramblings Cosma retreated inwards, dreading the consequences of their deception; he would be exiled or killed while, his sons would live on in shame, their family evicted from their ancestral dwelling ,his daughters forced to scrap out a living tending stable boys and their mounts.

Wait-That's it! My youth at war has finally paid off!

Snapping his fingers Cosma voiced his idea of "a cavalry screen" and without waiting for Sirus continued on, his mind filling in the blanks two steps ahead of his lips.

"We still have enough men to form a screen to hide the women behind, all we need are helmets, stuffed shirts, heels, and body hair. When Matheo comes at night he'll be hard pressed to make out the details, this could work." [1]

Joining his boss with knowing look Sirus grinned in agreement and offered his financial expertise in the suggestion of mercenaries to conceal the manpower shortage once they've had enough time to prepare.

Spurred on by the sweet relief of hope both men sprang into action as Cosma told Sirus to offer pay bonuses for the men to shave their body hair while Cosma rounded up the women and picked out the best dressed ones for the evening's deception, boyishly shaking their hands in delight the two went about their latest bit of deception. After all, what can go wrong?





[1] IOTL heels were in common use for women at the time as the streets were often covered in mud, garbage, and horseshit. Venice was better off thanks to the canals and lack of horses but there were still plenty of dirty streets and alleys.

 

[Lucius Verus]

On a personal note I'd like to say thank you to everyone that nominated and voted for me in the turtledove. It's the first time I've been nominated for a hobby and its quite flattering, makes me wanna write

 

[Mike Louis]

Spurred on by the sweet relief of hope both men sprang into action as Cosma told Sirus to offer pay bonuses for the men to shave their body hair while Cosma rounded up the women and picked out the best dressed ones for the evening's deception, boyishly shaking their hands in delight the two went about their latest bit of deception. After all, what can go wrong

Seems that Cosma isn’t familiar with Murphy’s Law. Based on the surprise inspection of the Arsenalè, looks like stuff is about to hit the fan and the Venetian government won’t be too happy when when the Arsenalè militia is a wee bit short in manpower.

 

[Pempelune]

You're quite deserving of a Turtledove! In particular, I love how you focus on the economics. It's not something we see often here

 

[Dain]

66. True Patriots
[...]
After all, what can go wrong?

Lol. This snippet deserves a price of its own, I think.

 

[Lucius Verus]

67. National Army

Venetian Republic
1399-1400s

The concept of a national army was a notion that was universally known but little understood. Disregarding the semantics of a "Venetian Army" that was mostly Greek, German, Italians from Romagna, and Othrodox Balkans the Venetian admiralty was nonetheless quizzically in charge of administrating one. In a sense weapons were universal, but the military culture of the men was "national" amd as many imitators of the vaulted Swiss pikeman discovered it was easy to manufacture the famous Swiss pikes but much harder to manufacture men for those pikes. In an age of ad-hoc armies assembled and disbanded on short notice the retention of skilled warriors was impossible outside of the feudal nobility. For most men war was a temporary matter and never seen as a career except for a few exceptions such as the Swiss. Due to the impoverished soils of the Cantons every year the Swiss produced thousands of strong and enthusiastic young men with a military cohesion that only shared childhoods could provide; this was a requirement for any army that wished to conduct complex tactics and formations.[1]

Twenty years ago the Venetians were in many ways the anti-thesis of the militant Swiss being a realm where men avoided war except in self-defense. Unlike the romantic image of two armies clashing on the field it was well known that most military causalities came from desertion, disease, starvation and along with catholic pacifism kept good men away from war. Adding to the disdain was the rampant and institutionalized corruption by military recruiters which made their profits by skimming from funds meant for their men and collecting the wages of "ghost soldiers". On the administrative side local magistrates/rulers were often reluctant to send their best and most productive men that would cut into their revenue for distant wars, yet the obligations imposed from higher authority meant that they still had to produce armed men. While the threat of death was used at times it was uncommon due to the difficulty of enforcement, the often incomplete and inaccurate records of the time, the ease at which men filtered past borders, and magistrates preferred to instead pressure/entice those lower on the social ladder. Those with connections/wealth were able to buy/excuse themselves from service leaving the socially marginalized making up most of the recruits, in this regard feudal lords had it easier with written tenant-contracts specifying military service. [2][3][4][5]

Yet some still went to war for a myriad of reasons with the most common ones being plunder, rape, and freedom. Money-wise as military service being seen as a duty owed to the sovereign as opposed to a career military wages were below subsidence levels after accounting for equipment deductions men still went for the sweet allure of plunder and ransoms or for just enough food to survive. Rape-wise the countless religious sermons and horror tales of men which left no daughter a virgin, no wife safe, and no nun unsullied had a perverse and unintended allure of its own. For others it was the freedom from sumptuary laws evident with those wearing their beards as long as they wished, sporting gigantic codpieces, and the most flamboyant costumes. Yet amidst all was the professional warrior that made war to acquire experience as the traditional squire-knight training method required noble connections. Money-wise soldiers took on civilian jobs/looting to supplement their below-subsidence wages and while there wasn't a clear path for promotion it was still possible to be noticed by a commander/noble and this drove countless men into a uncertain career.[6]

For many in the Venetian Admiralty their mentalities were still set in the era of ad hoc armies and it showed with poor morale. While the prospects of religious freedom and steady pay was attractive the Admiralty administered Serene Department of Defense didn't offer the same wages or opportunity for promotion that the Department of Peace did. Money-wise in the Ministry of peace a capable man could rise to the status of captain through merit, eventually gain enough wealth and prestige to finance or command a flotilla, and retire in an estate something which was impossible in the Serene Department's existing hierarchy. Unwilling to spend money, the NCO ranks within the department never recovered from the last Hungarian war preferring numbers over quality.[7][8]

All these problems, invisible to those that only see the Serene Department as numbers and statistics provided ample ammunition to the Doge's critics in the senate as the supposedly reformed and better army teeters unsteadily in Hungary pillaging, behind schedule, and tainted by the occasional defeat. Were the Hungarians not reeling from their losses and exertions in the catastrophic Crusade of Nicopolis 3 years prior the Venetian expedition would've been on the retreat, still regardless of Venetian weakness the Hungarians had it worse and the enterprise limped on. The sacking of the city of Pest was in particular an embarrassing mess for the Serene Department's shameful behaviour, the fact that it was promised unharmed to Queen Mary, the full 10 days it took to restore order to the army, all in contrast to the impeccable safety and order of the neighbourhood occupied by the well-paid and drilled combat engineers.[9]

On the brighter side, the Pest debacle was the wake-up call needed for the Admiralty high command but with the senate engaged in a political feud with the doge little was heard and less was done short of a crushing defeat. After-all, they were winning slowly right?



[1] IOTL armies of the era was always strapped for manpower and the Swiss were among the most famous and most valued of them all. It was not unusual for up to 50% of an army of the time to be manned by mercenaries due to the difficulty of raising men or the understandable aversion to training and arming one's malcontents/civic rivals.
[2] IOTL it was an era where starvation was just a bad harvest away and the emergence of bureaucracy as a novelty armies were rarely well feed and disease preyed upon the vulnerable at 2% a year making a military career a chancy thing for the common man. It was a typical 3 % average but the I've adjusted the attrition to disease and starvation downwards to 2% for Italy which was relatively developed with lots of farms and villages to loot/shelter in.
[3] IOTL the general notion was to push the cost of raising armies onto recruiters which passed it on to soldiers, for governments that was struggling to collect taxes in the first place it was a cheap and often the only solution. This thrift came at the cost of military quality.
[4] IOTL despite notable contradictions with warrior popes and such the general clergy was leaning towards pacifism and those at the local levels tended to preach for pacifism.
[5] IOTL desertion was endemic and anywhere between a seventh to a third of an army would never see the battlefield due to desertion.
[6] IOTL the 14th-17th century was a time of transition between feudal squires to military academies.
[7] IOTL, the lack of promotion for the common foot soldier was a massive disincentive; after-all why tolerate the constant disease, starvation pay, and death for uncertain possibility of loot, promotion, rape, and recognition? In this regard even if the odds are worked out people tend to be risk-adverse and the uncertain itself becomes a disincentive.
[8] IOTL loot and ransom tended to be dis-proportionally given to commanders, kings, and leaders. While men could and often did hide their loot noble ransoms required negotiators and it could take years for the prisoners to collect or borrow the funds necessary.
[9] IOTL most commanders tried to work with the locals as they were the ones that sheltered and fed their men and sacks were often by mobs of the common soldier giving orders to their commanders than purposefully by commanders.

 

[Mike Louis]

@Irene It seems that the primary cause of the Venetian Army’s mediocre performance is that it was ran by naval officials instead of experienced army generals. The Venetian Republic in TTL should consider forming official training camps for enlisted personnel and academies for training officers and NCOs (I would recommend a two year minimum enlisted requirement for promotion to the NCO ranks and a four year minimum enlisted for admittance to the officer academy and thus commissioning). I would also recommend raising the soldiers’ pay and improving their living conditions. From my 7 1/2 years experience in the Army, soldiers are a lot more willing to endure battlefield conditions if they see that the state and their commanders are taking care of them.

 

[Lucius Verus]

snip

All good points, my update is to show the mindset of the time with a traditional institution like the Admiralty as a contrast for changes later. Some people, like the me of the past included had the conception that a professional army was just paying people to stick around and train full-time.

 

[victor vazquez]

So since the topic of army came up, I always thought that a Venetian army would revolve around a core of manly marine troops that local reserves could coalesce around in the rare instances that the army needed to go inland. I could also see Venice getting a early head in arming troops with muskets and cannon units and creating a army version of the ansernal if the city decides to really invest in acquiring land positions.

 

[Lucius Verus]

So since the topic of army came up, I always thought that a Venetian army would revolve around a core of manly marine troops that local reserves could coalesce around in the rare instances that the army needed to go inland. I could also see Venice getting a early head in arming troops with muskets and cannon units and creating a army version of the ansernal if the city decides to really invest in acquiring land positions.

I'd like to answer if my next post(s) didn't address just that
Have patience.

 

[Rakhasa]

I'd like to answer if my next post(s) didn't address just that
Have patience.

Given the tiny little accouting problem at the Arsenale, I suspect the manly marines may be slightly lacking in manliness...

 

[Halocon]

Given the tiny little accouting problem at the Arsenale, I suspect the manly marines may be slightly lacking in manliness...

“Commandant, are these women?”
“Women? No, of course not! They’re men, manly men!”
“Men... in tights?”
“TIGHT tights!”
“And what is it they’re doing now?”
“Roaming around the Lagoon looking for fights!”

 

[BootOnFace]

hose and tunic is the manliest garb

 

[iopgod]

[2] IOTL despite being at the forefront of banking certain aspects of Venetian finance stagnated. Insurance and corporate organization failed to develop beyond the basic contract of 1/3 cost borne by the captain and 2/3 by the investor which dissolved at the end of a journey which made long-term cooperation impossible. ITTL without the state subsidizing the individual patrician and increased costs from

Is there a missing end to the sentence in the above footnote? (Post 63)

Good stuff. I enjoyed your previous Venetian effort as well: didn't realise there was a new version until I saw it in the Turtledoves. I enjoy the economics and social changes, and how most of them seem to be coming about not due to any particular design or desire, but as unintended consequences.

 

[Lucius Verus]

Is there a missing end to the sentence in the above footnote? (Post 63)

Just poorly done, fixed. Thank you for pointing that out

Good stuff. I enjoyed your previous Venetian effort as well: didn't realise there was a new version until I saw it in the Turtledoves. I enjoy the economics and social changes, and how most of them seem to be coming about not due to any particular design or desire, but as unintended consequences.

Thanks, I wanted to do something different. In the City Of Water I was very interventionist with a lot of PODs and upon reflection judged it to be too forced, I'm glad that the tone is more subtle here.

 

[Lucius Verus]

68. The Impact Of War

Kingdom Of Hungary And Venetian Republic
1393-?

Depending on the historical account, the Hungarian civil war was either the Luxemburg or the Dowager revolt. To some it was the rightful restoration of the proper royal line, to others an excuse to settle old feuds, but to the majority of nobles it was to combat the fear; the mutual fear of the "others" reprisals should they win. Regardless of their proclaimed intentions the realm of Hungary suffered. Already weakened by the heavy taxes and drafts of the failed Crusade of Nicopolis and the Venetian-Hungarian war of 1393-1395 the struggle over the crown has brought the war home.

It was a gradual process that built momentum in the empty bellies of peasants invisible to the well-fed scholars and aristocrats but nearly a decade of war taxes and drafts has left the countryside short of labour, animals, and disrupted trade. In an ever deteriorating pattern animals were removed from farms by nobles depriving the farm of animal power and manure; the only source of fertilizer leading to poor harvests that required more effort next year by villages that found themselves short of the seasonal vagabonds that worked the harvest and spring. While most free holders, clergy, and people of ability/wealth were exempt or able to buy their way out of going to war which rarely reached them the disruption of trade increased the cost of living for the poor in both Venice and Hungary alike leading to malnutrition or starvation. The poor of the Venetian Republic was arguably better off without feudal duties yet economic & social conditions ensured that a good deal of the poor volunteered to fight anyways while the poorest were buffered by grain subsidies. [1]

For trade the subjects of Hungary were arguably better off, unlike the Venetian Republic that was mostly coastal and took great pains to connect its inland colonies the Hungarian economy was based on regional noble estates which were more insulated from disruptions in trade but, made local disasters worse. A disruption in salt supplies in the Republic and war embargoes meant that the tradition salt caravans to Istria was disrupted and many Hungarians lacked salt to store food for winter and risked starvation. At the same time as trade networks faltered and purchasing power declined taxation increased as well, for most Hungarians it was in the form of in-kind taxes and corvee labour (labour tax) that threatened the food supplies of the poorest, for most Venetians it meant increased cost of living from tariffs and more personal & state debt to be paid off in a few years. [2]

Much like their Venetian counterparts just a decade prior hundreds and thousands of Hungarian peasants were drafted to build fortifications and provide labour for armies on the march, away from shelter and paid a pittance many nonetheless stayed convinced that the fortifications would come to protect them in the future; little did they know it wouldn't for most of them. With bombard manufacturing still in its infancy and the Sconvòlger focus on smaller more mobile bombards sieges proceeded in the twilight zone of warfare as ancient castles with thin vertical walls were either knocked down with ease or replaced at enormous cost and labour with thicker sloped walls that devolved into prolonged sieges. As per tradition the defenders in a siege were given lenient terms at the start which grew gradually worse the longer a siege went on and as the sacking of Pest showed surrenders were dependent on the besieger's mercy. Every commoner was expected to do their part in a siege and both men and women participated in menial tasks such as gathering arrows, building ancillary ditches and walls behind breaches, and so on. In such cramped and unsanitary conditions made worse by the swell of refugees from the countryside disease was an ever-present risk and despite all of their efforts and sacrifice the peasants were the first to be driven out of the walls when foodstuffs dwindled. Given no quarter by the besieging forces those driven out were left exposed to the elements in the no-mans land between the walls and the siege camp, the men that are strong enough could often flee, while the attractive ladies could find "patrons" among the besiegers most of the expelled mass of humanity were left to die. [3]

Most commander wanted friendly relations with the locals that supplied them but military necessity and the common underpaid soldiers complicated matters. Armed with little training and makeshift weapons peasants were generally helpless against requisitions of food, looting, use of shelter, and more often led to the impoverishment and sometimes displacement of villages. Sometimes, peasants were given weapons and the status of militia which while ineffective against soldiers gave them the chance to exact revenge upon stragglers both foreign and that of their overlord. While the death rate was low the masses of displaced peasants contributed to deteriorating economic conditions and were fertile hosts for disease. Post conflict when the populace returned to the countryside recovery was often complicated by the looting and destruction of agricultural capital.[4]

On a macro-level the effects of the civil war was varied, in an age of everyday violence where the common man armed and protected himself the sale of bulk and aesthetic arms and armour was commonplace and war only increased demand marginally. Yet with the mass adoption of gunpowder weapons and long-shafted pikes ill-suited to personal violence the Venetians were left with a system of highly skilled, highly specialized, and highly taxing manufacturers. Despite efforts to stabilize annual demand during peace Venetian manufacturers exported their wares frequently and sometimes prioritized foreign buyers before the state all to the detriment of security. While the new military manufacturers only employed thousands within a Republic of 2 million the indirect effect upon the regions of Kosovo, Ragusa, and Cyprus was immense as the manufacturers indirectly employed nearly a hundred thousand for ancillary workshops, transport, fuel production, foodstuffs, among countless other supporting professions. For economic reasons war and the Sconvòlgers are becoming popular in arms manufacturing regions.[5] [6]

Whether the Patricians have realized it or not the professionalization of war and the grain subsides has made war tolerable, if not desirable for the common man and woman of the Republic.



[1] Just as IOTL
[2] IOTl the Danube river was a major impediment to trade for unlike the Thames or Po rivers that facilitated trade and communication the Danube was only navigable by large vessels up to the Iron Gates (roughly from the Black Seas to Wallachia) after which the river was too shallow and wide for large vessels, then too rough with cataracts, then too marshy and swampy, and navigable only by small vessels and local guides. The river was only made navigable in the 19th century with modern engineering, then again one wonders how things might of developed differently had Hungary not been at the war-ravaged frontier between the Hapsburgs and Ottomans.
[3] Just as IOTL, war sucks for the poor.
[4] Just as IOTL the worldview for peasants was really local and loathed soldiers that took from them "friendly" or not.
[5] IOTL the Venetian budget was around 1-1.4 million ducats, 20% went to the Arsenale, 30% went to administration, and most of the remainder went to discretionary affairs or the military when the Patricians felt threatened. ITTL a much expanded republic with a higher indirect tax rate is running on a larger budget of 3 million ducats with 10% to the Arsenale due to increased efficiency and the removal of Patrician privileges, 50% to the expanding administration and grain subsidy, and 20% to military expenditure. Given the relatively lower proportion of discretionary spending in the budget but also the greater volume of income there was little difference in how the Venetians funded their wars through debts and Patrician donations.
[6] IOTL the advent of guns, cannons, and adoption of military tactics made war a specialized thing requiring a bureaucracy to implement effectively.

 

[Sceonn]

Interesting, the Venetians seem to be on a path of conquest similar to their Roman ancestors.

 

[Lucius Verus]

Interesting, the Venetians seem to be on a path of conquest similar to their Roman ancestors.

The Castellani of Venice would likely take that as an insult, although the military isn't the main focus of this tl there's no denying the need for a decent military for a state like the Venetian Republic.

 

[Tuna-Fish]

Just binged through this, and I have to say congratulations for such an interesting, well-researched and well-written timeline. Will be following this one for sure.