Wank Bologna

So, I’m in Venice at the moment, but my husband and I just left Bologna the day before yesterday. Besides me vehemently disagreeing with the politics there, I think it’s my favorite city in Italy so far (granted, I’ve only seen a few). So, with a POD after 1100 AD, how can we make it the most powerful and prestigious city in Italy?
 
I have no idea about that unless...
Make Cesare Borgia a succesful Duke of Romagna with Bologna as his capital and then him (or his son/grandson) annexing more lands until Bologna became the capital of a state who include most if not all of the Italy north of Lazio)
 
i know its off topic a bit but when ever i see "bologna" I always think to myself Buh-log-na? is that Russian? it sounds like it.
 
A proper condition for this scenario would be not masturbating on your food. :winkytongue:

Jokes aside, i'll agree that a more successful Cesare Borgia could create the basis of a small empire centered in the city and Emilia. But Borgia will have to keep his realm comparatively small if he wants Bologna's hegemonic status to continue -- controlling an unified Italy could shift the base of power to more important cities such as Milan, Naples or Florence.
 
Hard to think of anything that would make it dominant during the city-state phase before 1350.

After the start of Papal rule, perhaps have the Holy League lose the Battle of Lepanto, then the Ottomans overrunning Southern Italy and taking over Rome. This would force the Papal Court to move to Bologna until the reconquest of Rome a century or two later.

It's a tall order, but that's the best I can come up with at the moment.

Alternatively, have a factory churn out tonnes and tonnes of canned or frozen tagliatelle al ragu and conquer the culinary world.
 
A proper condition for this scenario would be not masturbating on your food. :winkytongue:

Jokes aside, i'll agree that a more successful Cesare Borgia could create the basis of a small empire centered in the city and Emilia. But Borgia will have to keep his realm comparatively small if he wants Bologna's hegemonic status to continue -- controlling an unified Italy could shift the base of power to more important cities such as Milan, Naples or Florence.
Naples and Rome will be outside of this Kingdom and if Bologna is already established as main seat of the dynasty (with everything who that implied in that era (late 1400/early 1500) I can not see Florence as more important city (as is pretty likely who Bologna will quickly surpass it in importance - we are well after Lorenzo the Medici’s rule and well before the Grand Duchy of Tuscany) and is possible who also Milan will be surpassed by Bologna in importance before being annexed to the Borgia’s lands...
The importance of a city in itself and in confront to others in the period about we are talking is relative and things can change very quickly.

Cesare Borgia can not go to conquer Mantua, Ferrara, Florence, Milan, Venice, Genoa or Turin during his lifetime so that would be works for his heirs and in the time needed for completing the conquest Bologn Weill be already established as a very important city, much bigger and richer than OTL as seat of a very powerful family/reign
 
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