With what the Duelist had considered would be the hard part of the war over, the expugnation of Rome was a turning point for the King of Naples' strategy. The first thing he asked Boniface, now confirmed as Pope by most of the Roman cardinals, was to have Bernabò excommunicated once again and officially proclaim him protector fidei, as to legitimize him in the immediate campaign that was to follow; several nobles, discontented with the change of rulership and aiming to obtain independence, had declared themselves autonomous from the Pope's rule and now threatened Gian Galeazzo's way north. Visconti set out to quell the rebellious Papal subjects in Umbria, where he obtained a great victory against Perugia and a small league of principalities in the battle of Lake Corvara, in the Marche, where many cities conceded themselves to him after dethroning their ruler, including among these Fabriano, Fermo and Urbino, and in Romagna, where his forces encountered a Venetian army camp in the Comacchio valley, decimating the unprepared troops and capturing Ravenna, - militarily occupied by Venice a month prior - which he granted back to the da Polenta family in exchange for suzerainty.
Having obtained passage from the Este counts of Ferrara, who hastily recognized the new Pope Boniface, Gian Galeazzo finally entered Venetian territory in October of 1383, ravaging Treviso and Chioggia until Contarini agreed to meet him to discuss the terms for peace. Not intimidated by the Sicilian navy or by the Genoese fleet, both of which Contarini was likely right in assuming Venice could easily beat, the Serenissima only agreed to rather mild terms of peace:
- recognition of Pope Boniface IX as the only Pope;
- concession of the signoria in Belluno to Gian Galeazzo;
- acceptance of the Genoese military occupation of Cyprus, for which the war with Genoa had started.
After concluding peace with Venice, Gian Galeazzo turned his eyes back on the ultimate prize - Milan; Bernabò was hoping that the Serenissima could hold his nephew a little longer, but without fluvial hinderance, the count of Montferrat was able to capture Alessandria after a hard-fought and costly battle, which the Lord of Lombardy saw as the first sign of defeat.
On November 9th 1383 the king of Naples and the conjoint armies of Savoy, Genoa and Montferrat finally expunged Milan. The war was over.
By December 1st, Gian Galeazzo was lord of Lombardy. He sent letter after letter to the King of Germany, Wenceslaus, requesting recognition of his conquests, but the Duelist was well aware that such a thing could not happen - even if the would-be emperor was willing to accept Visconti hegemony over Italy, as with his conquests he'd carved out a realm that went from the tip of Calabria to the Alpine slopes, the Empire was embroiled in a succession war that had gone on for many decades, which Italy had been mostly left out of. Even if an imperial descent into Italy was likely to come, Gian Galeazzo was willing to bet it wouldn't be with terms for peace.
In the meantime, under threats of excommunication and invasion, peace was also made with Peter of Aragon - the king was forced to abandon his claims in Sicily and Sardinia, confirming the Mediterranean islands as independent entities.
Switzerland, who'd remained hostile, after attempting more assaults past the Alps, simply abandoned Savoy's territories and retreated back into its mountains.
For the moment, peace was in Italy.
It was now time for Gian Galeazzo to reshape the borders of Italy. Of his many conquests, he kept only Lombardy, his birthright, as a direct domain. Bernabò, who disappears from history after this war, was likely kept in prison until his death sometime in 1391, as discernible on his gravestone. Still, even in chains or dead the old snake presented a threat in the form of his many daughters, whose illustrious husbands were all ready to avenge him, from the king of Cyprus to all three dukes of Bavaria, and many more.
He granted his son and heir Azzone the lands between Orvieto and Terni, obtaining from the Pope the title of duke of Umbria for him; he made his lieutenant Alberico count of Cotignola, near Ravenna, and lord of Rimini and Bibbiena, creating what would become the duchy of Romagna; then he summoned a council of representatives from the primary Marquisan cities - Ancona, Fermo, Urbino, Senigallia and Camerino - and, after obtaining fealty from all five, he reunited them under a state which he gave to the count of Urbino, Antonio II, who was also one of his generals, and had him invested as marquis.
Finally, he confirmed Chiaramonte's investiture as viceroy of Sardinia on his account, completing the circle.
With all this, aside from the Visconti state itself Italy was now split into a weak Papacy, which many still considered just a puppet of Visconti, a series of polities who swore suzerainty to him and a small collection of allies on the borderlands - of which two, Genoa and Montferrat, were already ready to swear fealty to him if he were to ask.
Independent from the Duelist's grasp remained only the Tuscan cities, who'd been left alone by his many conquests, and the isolated Serene Republic of Venice, whose power appeared that of a paper tiger with every step their new powerful neighbor took.
Days after his return to Naples, Visconti invited his wife Maria to rule from there, which the queen was reluctant to agree to, but she decided to comply. Gian Galeazzo had hired an architect, Andrea da Faenza, already well-known in the field, to finish up for him the great palace, near Naples, for him and his family to live in. The Angevin Keep, or Castel Nuovo, still damaged since the assault of the Hungarian King Louis I, would in the span of twenty years become the Viscontean Manor, expanded over the water and superseding the gulf of Naples like a shepherd his sheep.
In 1384, the house of Visconti had its youngest scion in Felice Visconti, born from the union between Maria and Gian Galeazzo. The child, invested with the titular principality of Messina, stood to inherit Sicily after his mother's passing, safeguarding succession. In the same year, more notably, the Pope had proclaimed a new crusade against the Ottoman Sultanate, after the fall of Philadelphia, the last Christian outpost in Anatolia, shook the Catholic world.
A factor that has thus far been ignored in this recollection of events is the Greek front, due to its scarce importance up to this point. After the conquest of Naples had been ultimated, Joanna was - as mentioned - exiled to the principality of Achaia. Weeks after Avezzano, with a punitive expedition, Nerio Acciaioli led his troops from Sicily's holdings in Athens into the Peloponnese, forcing Joanna into a further exile, this time to Cyprus. This gave the Visconti control and influence over most of Greece, for which the Duelist awarded Acciaioli with the title of duke in Achaia and invested him with the lands he'd conquered. Now, after the fall of Philadelphia, the despot of Morea was offered vassalage under Naples, but he'd refused. Turkish incursions into Attica and the Peloponnese were a plague on land trade, which favored Venice, which disfavored Gian Galeazzo's plans in the east. For that reason primarily he departed from Lecce at the helm of ten thousand men towards Greece, the Turks and glory.
Among others to adhere to Boniface's cause, notable was the intervention of Hungary and Poland, as well as the promise of 'complete naval support' from Peter of Cyprus and, of course, the contributions of the Roman Empire. The first encounter with the Turks happened at Abdera on July 3rd, 1384, where the Christian forces were victorious and managed to repel the Ottomans, then only a week later Murad I defeated the crusaders at Maronea, but the decisive battle was fought in the plains of Xavala.
In the heat of battle, the Duelist had eyes only for the ultimate prize. Protected by his retinue, he was eventually face to face with the Ottoman sultan, and challenged him to a duel to the death. It is unclear if the sultan refused and was killed then or if the duel was remarkably brief, but regardless, the impact on the troops' morale was felt. When they realized they were being backed into a corner, the Turks eventually broke their lines and fled the camp, leaving free reign for the crusader army to race for Edirne, capital of the sultanate.
Bayezid I, crowned as hastily as possible, attempted a desperate defense of the city, but it was too little too late; the newly coronated Sultan left the capital to its own devices on July 20th and by August all of Greece was suddenly back in Christian hands. Satisfied, Visconti was ready to turn back, but the many of the crusaders weren't quite as pleased. A crack formed between two factions, one accepting to turn back and the other deciding to cross into Anatolia to take the undefended Ottoman territories. In this second group figured the Queen of Hungary Maria and the Roman Emperor, who traversed the Dardanelle strait and occupied Nicomedia in September 1384. However, they failed to account for other opportunistic Turkish beys and their desire to take on the Ottomans, and this crusader army was defeated at Barcin by a coalition of beyliks led by Suleyman of Germiyan, then forced to flee Anatolia and abandon their gains there.
This expedition became known as the Malcontented Crusade, because while its primary goals had been accomplished, many felt as though their true purpose had been unfulfilled. These same people considered Gian Galeazzo a traitor for not crossing into Anatolia, while moderates saw him as a wise king and strategist. Nevertheless, from this point onward the Duelist is referred to as Azáruló, which means 'The Traitor', in Eastern European historiography.
It was agreed before the war that most of the land conquered in the crusade would go to the Roman Empire; however, Genoa requested and received Gallipoli and the island of Taso. The purely nominal investiture of Queen in Anatolia was given to the Queen of Hungary, angered about the war's abrupt and tragical end. On the other hand, John V Palaiologos was equally irritated, but he'd been placated by the expulsion of the Turkish menace from Europe and the territories gained.
The Duelist, content with being remembered as a crusader king, arrived in Naples again on November 3rd 1384, being met with the pleasant surprise of a new two-month old spawn, a little girl he named Costanza.
'Nary a second can a bird stop flying, or he'll fall; nary a second can a king stop fighting, or he'll fall the same way'
