Deleted member 67076
Would it have been possible for Milan to unify Italy? If so, how would it be done and what effects would it have?
No real POD limit.
No real POD limit.
How come? Would the Papal states be too strong or something?We nearly unified northern Italy, and I think Milan could have actually done it. Central and southern Italy, though, it's almost ASB.
How come? Would the Papal states be too strong or something?
I think the Habsburgs in Naples might also have been a big issue. In the pre-modern era (and even including the 18th century) it was important to have a dynastic claim on anything you wanted to conquer, no matter how flimsy. On the other hand, I know almost nothing about Italian history, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
Cheers,
Ganesha
Um not the Habsburgs. Either the Valois-Anjous or the Trastámara dynasties were ruling Naples, depending on when. And I'm sure some ancient claim can be dug up.
Shows what I know. Okay, who were the Trastámaras? And would they have been a problem?
Cheers,
Ganesha
Gian Galeazzo Visconti actually came reasonably close to it until he died in 1402 and probably would have united Northern Italy if he'd survived.
You're off by a few months: Gian Galeazzo died on 3 September 1402, but gis troops had already entered Bologna on 30 June, after decisively defeating the Bolognese on 26 June.Gian Galeazzo Visconti not dying in 1402 and unifying northern and Central Italy would be the obvious possibility here. He virtually did it OTL.
Potential Problems:
1. Florence - Gian Galeazzo died while trying to subdue the Bolognese in 1402, but the Florentines would have been his next targets. They would have resisted, but quite likely are not strong enough on their own to defeat Gian Galeazzo.
Venice in the 1390s is not the same city, nor has the same ambitions that will erupt after the death of GG. The Stato di Terra is minimal (just Treviso, which btw was gained through an alliance withh GG against Novello della Scala. Padua (which anyway was regained by Novello della Scala in 1390) does not add anything to the defence of Venice, nor is a significant threat. Venice is protected on the landward side by a vast belt of marshes which are quite hard to negotiate for an army, and no successful siege can succeed if the seaward approaches to Venice are not blockaded. During the war of Chioggia, Genoa was able to blockade Venice and to occupy the Lido and Chioggia (the landward blockade was enforced by Veronese and Paduan troops): still it was not enough. Venice was still able to cut off the Genoese supply route and to gain a decisive victory.2. Venice - the Venetians are a tough nut to crack, and probably wealthier than Milan at this point. They aren't going to be particularly happy with Milanese rule in Padua, Vicenza, and other nearby towns, and they're going to be hard to conquer.
The HRE is in a very weakened position, and it is one of the big breaks GG cam enjoy: when Ruprecht tried an half-hearted invasion in 1401 (once again paid for by Florence) got mauled near Brescia, and went back immediately.3. The Emperor (or King of Germany) - maybe a problem, maybe not. Gian Galeazzo was made Duke of Milan by the German King Wenceslaus, who abided by the later Luxembourg dynasty's general disinterest in Italy. But the German Kings still maintain their claim on the Imperial title and on the Iron Crown, and at some point one of them is going to try to reassert those privileges. This could present complications, and will certainly create difficulties for any Visconti attempt to claim the Iron Crown.
Well, 2 popes open many more and more luscious opportunities than just one.4. The Pope - the Pope, like the Venetians, is not going to be happy with a single powerful ruler in control of all of northern Italy. This is perhaps of minimal importance in 1402, when there's two popes to choose from, but if that situation gets resolved, he's going to run into serious problems.
5. The King of Naples - Naples is not the center of Guelphic power in Italy the way it was for most of the 14th century, but it still remains the largest and most populous state on the peninsula, and, Valois-Durazzo civil wars aside, is going to be much more unified than the Visconti state. Every city under Visconti rule is just waiting for the opportunity to rebel and reassert its independence. Naples has been a single kingdom for a long time. King Ladislas in 1402 had recently expelled his Valois rival from the capital and, at 25, was just coming into his own. He'll be a tough rival. Furthermore, a Visconti upstart has no claim whatever and Naples. Gian Galeazzo could throw support to Louis of Anjou against Ladislaus if it proved necessary, but it'd be virtually impossible for him to claim the throne himself.