The Pax Aeterna and the Thirteen Regions of the Republic
Part 3 of 4
The Lombardi Region
The History, Geography, and Politics of the Lombardi Region
Named after the Longobards that ruled the region for over two centuries the Lombardi region. Originally a swampy land with broken river passages it took three centuries of labour and ingenuity from the 12th-15th century to transform the region into prime farmland and to make its rivers navigable. Dominated by the Visconti family the Duchy of Milan was exhausted during the Italian Wars (1350-1437) and brought to the brink of starvation as the waterworks and infrastructure that fed the region was damaged and neglected. Annexed by the Compact of Bergamo (1437) the region almost managed to regain its former wealth and influence before the French invasion during the Holy League of Pope Mark II (1480). Given over a century of peace after Pope Mark's Holy League the region has finally gotten back on its feet and has taken its traditional role as a regional influence.
Like much of Western Terra Firma the region's senate has considerable control over economic and religious policy but, it doesn't have the military control Old Terra Firma has. Furthermore considerable portions of Western Terra Firma was snatched up at starvation sale prices in the wake of the Compact of Bergamo, a fact reflected in large numbers of Venetian owned estates and businesses in the region today. Located in Milan the regional senate is split between landowners, urban guilds, the Faber Family, and the Venetian trade houses that jumps from ship to ship seeking the best deal.
The Economy and Infrastructure of the Lombardi Region
The Lombardi region is a major producer of silk, foodstuffs, textiles, leatherworks, and by sheer population and industry a lot of everything else. Originally a land of marshes extensive aqua civilian infrastructure spans the rich and populous region while the home base of the Sons of Mars ensures extensive military facilities.
The Language of the Lombardi Region
The language in the region is dominated by a Lombard majority with sprinkles of Venetian, Emiliano, Piedmontese, Occitan, and Provencal from the surrounding regions. In a surprising turn of events classical Latin is making a return with a heavy Lombardi influence due to the romantic fascination with classical culture.[1]
The Milano Renaissance
Traditionally, the cities of the Po Valley gave half-hearted lip service to their Roman roots with claims to roman glory backed by little but words. Prior to the 16th century most Roman artefacts & ruins were sold for a pittance, recycled, or simply discarded but the Fabers and factions of the Cooperators have revived demand for relics of the past with soaring monetary rewards. Celebrating the ideals of order, patience, endurance, honor, prudence, and above all logic a stoic Milano counter-culture was born against the backdrop of Venetian values with a romantic longing for the past. Contrary to Venetian stereotypes a substantial Venetian community has grown within Milan repulsed by what they perceive as Venetian decadence.
Socially the Milano Renaissance has also come with strict enforcement of social classes dividing people by birth, class, and wealth into numerous categories and sub-categories each with duties and specific codes of conduct.
Roman architecture has also made a comeback within the region characterized by symmetry, proportion, and geometry. Unlike the gothic architecture further North the Milano Renaissance emphasized the horizontal instead of the vertical with massive solid arches and dooms supported by thick sturdy columns that instilled a sense of awe, presence, and power.
Unintentionally, the Milano Renaissance also paved the way for military innovations (or rediscoveries depending on perspective) in the form of a standardized military. Organization tables, field hospitals, professional officers and more were torn from the history books and transplanted to the Sons of Mars. This combined with a do-or-die culture within the Sons of Mars has led to a black and white Aristotelian logic with little room for ambiguity as well as an obsession with homosexuality and dominance.[2]
The Food of the Lombardi Region
If there's anything to say about the Lombardi palate it is that they are heavy eaters, heavy on meat, heavy on dairy, and heavy on desert. Unlike the rest of the Republic the Lombardi aren't predisposed to vegetables seeing them as compliments and sides to a main dish. In fact the Lombardi are such fans of dairy that they have a strategic cheese reserve as well as cheese banks that finances cheese-makers while storing the cheese as collateral.[3]
The Emiliano Region
The History, Geography, and Politics of the Emiliano Region
The most fertile lands of the Republic the Emiliano region has long been defined by the road that has shaped the region. Running along its length the ancient Roman road "Via Aemilia" connects with six of the eight major cities along its length and gave the region its namesake. For the longest time the region's borders were undefined until the Este dynasty managed to unite the region for over 150 years. It is during this time of stability that the region gained a common culture and sense of identity under the Este family.
Emiliano is unique as the only Terra Firma region without a regional senate, instead the descendants of the Este dynasty rules as vassals of the Republic as agreed to in the Compact of Bergamo. In place of a regional senate the Este court serves as a venue for everyday requests and complaints. In the last few decades the Este family has been increasingly delegating responsibility to handpicked ministers in response to great workloads. Considered decent administrators the Este family are allowed considerable leeway and the right to levee special lancieri (policemen) that are not labeled military troops. Fervent patrons of art and music the Este family are also the first patrons of an earthquake observatory in the aftermath of the earthquake of 1570; a particularly destructive earthquake that leveled more than half the city. Nonetheless the Este Family was able to restore the city of Ferrara and even expand its own domains.
Connected to the Republic of Ancona region by proximity and the Via Aemilia roadway the region was also the only region of Terra Firma to expand during the 15th century. Like the mythical Phoenix the Republic of Ancona rose from the fall of the Papal States to the Kingdom of Naples. Unknown to Venice the Este family took advantage of its existing contacts in neighbouring Ancona inciting a "revolt" that it prompted "crushed" to "restore order". Much to the displeasure of the invading Neapolitans, the Venetian senate was more concerned with greed than the potential of war with a weaker kingdom. In the end this blatant land grab secured the Republic of Ancona as a vassal of the Este Family and indirectly an indirect client of the Venetian Republic but it also cemented Neapolitan attitudes towards Venice and began the ageless bitter North-South rivalry on the peninsula. [4]
The Economy and Infrastructure of the Emiliano Region
Blessed with rich soils and spared from most of the French invasion during the Holy League of Pope Mark II (1480) the Emilano region is vibrantly wealthy. Well diversified in almost every industry the region's industries are uniformly distributed in rural villas and urban centers. The Emiliano region is known as a hub for artists, actors, and poets as the rich, led by the Este family spend fortunes to distinguish themselves. Unlike the rest of Terra Firma the Emilian region does not have significant rivers and instead relies on an extensive system of roads that span the region like spider webs.[5]
The Language of the Emiliano Region
The center of the Emilian language the region is also host to minorities of Romagnolo, Venetian, Piedmontese, and Occitan. The Emilian language was the second language after Venetian to be codified and while Venetian Printing Houses set the standards in Emilano the Este royal court was the defining factor in setting standards.
The Food of the Emilano Region
The Emilano Region is known for the saying "bread and butter" for those are the two favorite staples of the region, in fact they are so common that the phrase itself came to mean "the essential basic". The Emilanos are known for liking it salty and it comes without surprise that their favorite dish is fired and salty eels; a dish that is often used to tease Lombardis that are unaccustomed to picking out eel bones. This practice of teasing Lombardis has over the ages unintentionally led to the deaths of two Lombardi senators due to choking.
The Bergamo-Mantua Region
The History, Culture, and Politics of the Bergamo-Mantua Region
Originally created to limit the influence of a regional Milano senate the region of Bergamo-Mantua is in many ways the chimera of the Republic. Situated in the middle of the Po Valley between the economic and cultural centers of Milan, Venice, and Parma. While the political center is located at Bergamo due to historic choices the cultural and economic focus of the region is concentrated in the city of Mantua. Borrowing the idea of allocated seats from Old Terra Firma the regional senate is allocated by class with nobles retaining 1/2 of the seats, clergy 1/2, and the rich 1/2 which combined with the Venetian practice of random draw meant that only a few dozen of the 150% of seats are every involved in a decision through random draw. Much like Lombardi the region has been enthralled in Romantic culture, but unlike Lombardi who are enamoured with the Romans and the Greeks the Bergami are fascinated with the ancient culture of the Cantons. Philosophies of "Confucio and Laozi" are debated from a Christian perspective in Bergami barbershops while artists try to imitate Cantonese styles and potters frustrate themselves trying to duplicate the porcelain process.[6]
The Food of the Bergamo-Mantua Region
If there was one thing that was always in style in the Bergamo-Mantua Region it would be novelty, unlike Venice's fascination with the East the Bergamo-Mantua Region treats all foods foreign with naive excitement. Of course the food of the common person is limited to bread and vegetables supplemented by cheese and meat the richer members of the region pursues foreign palates with gusto. The current flavor of the year is the "xigânte dodo", a massive & flightless bird obtained by Venetian poachers on the island of "Ìxola Socrate" off the East African Coast.
The Economy and Infrastructure of the Bergamo-Mantua Region
Having escaped a good deal of the destruction of the Italian wars and of the Holy League of Pope Mark the region was briefly hurt by a two decade recession as the Portuguese dominated Indian trade early 1500s but recovered swiftly afterwards as trade reoriented towards France and the Polish-Lithuanian Union. The region hosts productive farms, a thriving aqua-cultural scene, and
The Language of the Bergamo-Mantua Region
Dominated by a large Lombard majority in the plains alongside a sizable Venetian minority the Northern regions are also home to small populations of Ladin and German speakers.[7]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]IOTL 16th century Milan was heavily French influenced, something only exaggerated ITTL by the Franco-Venetian Alliance. IOTL most of the European nations had loads of regional languages, unfortunately lost over the centuries.
[2]Very similar to OTL's palate.
[3]IOTL a lot of Roman organizational techniques were re-introduced by the Dutch, ITTL it was slightly beat by nostalgic romantics in Lombardi.
[4]IOTL a combination of Papal intrigue and destruction by the earthquake destroyed Ferrara's economy, reputation, and left the city to obscurity and mediocrity till the 19th century. ITTL the Este family has a lot more resources to recover from.
[5]One of the truly landlocked regions of the Republic IOTL and ITTL that does not have the Alpines rivers to provide transport.
[6]IOTL the Ming Empire experienced something similar to the renaissance, in contrast to a millennia of innovation the eunuchs, nobles, and scholar bureaucrats of the empire became romantically enamoured and hostile to change and closed to new ideas.
[7]Similar to OTL