Merveilles du Monde (Map Game)

After a long trek through Asia spanning two decades, Venetian explorer Marco Polo published the compiled journal of his travels in 1295. He described in great detail the Near East, with its many castles and fortresses held by many mighty empires. He entered the Gate of Iron, through which Alexander crossed into the east millennia ago. He toured the eight kingdoms of Persia and witnessed scores of miracles and wonders, many of which he dared not publish for he felt his audiences would not believe what he wrote. He described in great detail the exploits of the great Kublai Khan, the intrigue in the Emperor's court, the sprawling landscape of Yuan China, and the massive battles that took place during his stay.

Polo named his work Livre des Merveilles du Monde - Book of the Marvels of the World. In publishing these journals, he brought knowledge of the eastern world back to Europe and vice versa. Just like that, the world got a little bit smaller. The Holy Roman Empire - locked in a state of interregnum with no end in sight - became aware of the wars of Kublai Khan. The faltering Byzantine Empire and its breakaway state of Trebizond became the subject of discussion from Lisbon to Kathmandu. The wealthy Abu Bakr II of Mali would seek to follow in Polo's footsteps, paving the way for the rise of Mansa Musa. The Kamakura Shogunate of Japan defeated wave after wave of Mongol forces while, an ocean over, Mesoamerica was still reeling from the fall of the Toltec Empire.

Merveilles du Monde is a spiritual successor to the Principia Moderni franchise. It sets the clock back to the year 1295, in the Late Middle Ages - in other words, an era of great change and great suffering - an era in which nations rose and fell - an era in which power was cemented ...

Moderators

 * Death: Curmudgeonly yours - Crim 01:38, October 14, 2019 (UTC)
 * Famine: User:Nathan1123
 * Pestilence: Feudy McPlagueface (talk)
 * War: User:Tullin

Important Pages

 * Rules and Algorithm (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Religion (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Holy Roman Empire (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Feudal Dynasty (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * College of Cardinals (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Nations (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
 * Flags (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)

1360
''' Around the world, the falling temperatures caused by the sudden population drop since the Black Death reaches a steady minimum, as it will last for a very long time. In North America, this causes the Nordic settlements currently held by Iceland and Vinland to face increasing difficulty in sustaining populations and agriculture. The Thule culture paritcularly capitalizes on the recent Icelandic Civil War to begin expanding their migration into the region. Further south, the League of Mayapan suffers from bouts of famines as well with the dropping temperatures, as does the remnants of the Cahokie civilization. '''

''' The Jarldom of Vinland, the last remnant of the Nordic feudal state of Greenland, competely abandons all settlements and becomes a tribal confederacy on the island of Newfoundland, having severed all contact with their Greenlandic home and Iceland. They intermingle with the now-diminished Beothuk population, forming a new Nordic-American rural culture with limited iron metalurgy. '''

'''Many developments take place in South Africa roughly around this era. The Kraal of Oyengweni, located at the mouth of the Komati River, becomes a quickly growing town within the Nguni nation. The town becomes an exporter of ivory and other goods, taking advantage of the relative instability in Zimbabwe to attract merchants. A migration of approximately thirty clans is led into the coastal region south of the town, where the Nguni use their expansive army and experience in the northern war to pacify the region. The chieftains in the north of the nation in particular continue to pursue adoption of iron weaponry and other military technology, should Zimbabwe threaten the nation once more.'''

'''King John of France signs a peace agreement with Edward III of England in London, bringing a temporary truce to the Anglo-French war while they continue to be attacked from the Holy Roman Empire and Ireland. Seeing the King of France capitulate to English demands, many French nobles begin to wane their support for the House of Valois and pursue support instead for the remnant of direct Capetians.'''

King Valdemar IV, despite suffering unrest in Holstein and Zeeland, proceeds to invade Sweden in order to regain control over Scania.

'''At this point, block printing is commonplace across all of mainland Europe. At this point, the Byzantine historian Nicephorus Gregoras completed his work Byzantine History, covering the eras from 1204 to the present day.'''

'''The Lord of Forli is decisively defeated in his attempts by local defenses, and retreats back to Venezia. The Count of Urbino agrees to stop attacking Venice, but still secretly gives supplies and support to the rebels.'''


 * Mali Empire: Historical accounts reference that Baraq's campaign met a harsh resistance when subjugating the kingdom of Wydah (OTL Ghana), and this also seems to be supported by the archaeology. The "Shamzian Wall" uncovered in southern Bononam in the mid 19th century reveals the extent of defensive fortifications that demarcated the border between Mali and Wydah, with heavy amounts of casualties noted on both sides. The archaeology is clear that this was a defense maintained by the southerners specifically, which managed to put up a strong resistance to the empire for quite a few years. Ultimately, it would be up to the growing Atlantic navy at the ports of Dakar and Koya to helped turn the tide of victory.  Manding secret societies are also used to fully integrate people groups in the empire, as well as the tributary system of Nigeria. This also creates an avenue of Islamic scholars to begin spreading the faith to the African pagans. However, at this point the Mandike Islamic theology of Abu Yunus spreads much faster across the newer territories of the empire than traditional Sunni Islam, as many of its aspects are much more appealing to native African animism than traditional Islam. This further aggravates the Sunni scholars of the Maghdan clans, who insist that Abu Yunus is a heretic and a traitor. So Abu Yunus was for the second time summoned before the court of Mansa Ayyob in Niani, this time appearing before the entire Gbara. This theologic debate, similar to the previous two debates in Yunus' life, are greatly romanticized in his hagiography, although this last one is much less likely to have actually taken place. Reportedly, Abu Sufyan picked up an egg before the Gbara, and declared that if God is speaking through Abu Yunus, then the egg will not be broken. This erupted into a lengthy discussion on the nature of miracles and divine providence, until they eventually settled on a final test: if the same divine will of Muhammad is present also in the body of Abu Yunus, then the egg will not break. Then Abu Sufyan threw the egg on the ground, and miraculously it remained a whole. Astonished at this act, the Magdan clans decided to fully accept Abu Yunus as a true prophet of God, the actual successor of Muhammad. Mansa Ayyob fully and officially adopted Mandike Islam as the new theology and jurisprudence of the Mali Empire, and fully rejects the Taymiyyah sect as heretical and unlawful. Furthermore, Mali renounces all affiliation with the Abbasid Caliphate, and accepts Abu Yunus as the true Prophet. The Magdan Clans, being the leaders of education, fully switches over to teaching the Mandike sect of theology instead of traditional Sunni across the religious schools of the empire. This does prevent local Sunni populations from rising up in violence against the new religion, of course, and the disciples of Abu Yunus continued to suffer localized persecutions even after this act.
 * Iceland: An expedition is sent with two Lübeckian ships to try to find Vinland. (Mod Response needed). The Prince of Iceland becomes very sick and his father says that a man will come to say prayers with him and orders him to say the prayers and then he will see his Grandpa, a mysterious man enters the room and says the prayers with Domnhall then he touches his forehead then leaves, when the actual priest arrives Domnhall tells him about the man and is asked to describe the man, the man matches Blessed Ari and two days later Domnhall is cured, the Papacy is contacted (Papal Response Needed). The Thule immigrants are welcomed to the Icelandic Civilisation. A marriage proposal is sent to Portugal for the hand of Princess Beatric in a traditional marriage for Prince Domnhall (Portugal response needed).
 * Haven't found it yet, but they think they find some miscelaneous coastline.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Innocent VI sends a commission to investigate the miracle.
 * Kingdom of Dai Viet: In light of the recently formed alliance with the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Emperor Chinh proposes a marriage between him and the eldest daughter of Raja Uthong to secure an alliance between the two kingdoms (Mod Response). With the acceptance of the marriage proposal, the Emperor has decided to have the marriage ceremony performed next year to signify the bond between the two kingdoms. Dai Viet traders have begun to set up a village on the outskirts of the capitol from which they can use to trade and live in. The blacksmiths have completed the royal order for weapons/equipment and have begun to turn their attention back to producing farming implements for the farmers of the Kingdom. Raiding into Lan Xang continues providing a steady line of supplies, slaves, and wealth for the Kingdom of Dai Viet as raiding parties continuously raid the outskirts of the Kingdom. The slaves and laborers have been tasked with continuing construction on the roads as well as expanding the ports along the ports on the South China Sea. The Emperor’s reformation of the Imperial Examination system has been continued once more and test across the Kingdom have brought in a sizeable amount more children who are shipped to schools to learn alongside the children of nobles. Gunpowder tech is still expected to be acquired by the year 1373 according to the scholars assigned to it. In an attempt to gain access to more markets, diplomatic envoys baring gifts of jade and silk have been dispatched to the Khmer Empire requesting trade and military access with the Khmer Empire (Mod Response). Diplomatic envoys have also been dispatched toward the Kingdom of Sukhothai, a vassal of Ayutthaya, offering trade and an military alliance due to its vassalage to Ayuttahya (Mod Response). To further expand trade, the ports have been opened up to foreign trade bringing in increased trade through the ports. The Imperial government in light of the recent war have decided to provide patronage to physicians within the Kingdom researching cures and medicines. Efforts have also been made to reform the overall governments with villages being required to elect village councils to attend to matters of local government (public works, etc.) and administrators overseeing administrative areas, the lowest of which was local administrator who oversaw a couple of villages. Then there is the middle administrator who is charged with overseeing the local administrators who in turn reported to regional administrators. Regional administrators report directly to the Emperor and are often under the watch of the imperial guard, the Scarlet Dragons. With this system of governance in place, Emperor Chinh has ordered levy forces to assist wherever they can and also has begun patronizing entertainment acts making his patronage of the acts very clear to win the love and support of the people who are now ruled from afar by him. Storage depot administration has been relinquished to village councils who are required to maintain and keep these depots stocked with food for any potential emergencies on a national or local scale. The Emperor has also assigned a commission of trusted, handpicked administrators to look into the economic situation caused by the war and to offer potential reforms that can be conducted to alleviate the government’s burden. In addition, education across the Kingdom has been ordered to accommodate for learning writing/reading, mathematics, and agriculture alongside Confucian text. The Scarlet Dragons continue their training for the second year in a row and have slowly been given increased authority to gather intelligence outside the Minister of Intelligence’s purview and have also been given the authority to safeguard the royal palace. The gladiator tournaments still remain as the influx of slaves are committed to infrastructure building. Ship production this year has turned out nine ships which raises the existing fleet to 35 ships. The Emperor has also begun to draft a new series of laws to accommodate his many reforms in place. In an effort to decisively end the war, the Emperor has committed 2,000 troops from patrolling the roads and 5,000 troops from the forces fending off reinforcements to the siege bringing a total of 7,000 men to assist the 7,950 men besieging the capitol with the troops totaling 14,950 troops to bare against the Capitol. Orders have been given to the siege force to launch dead animal corpses as well as boulders into the capitol using siege engines. Sappers continue to sap the cities walls for the continuing siege. (Mod Response/Algorithm Required). Orders are distributed to siege forces to take notes and record the problems and tactics employed by the Siege force so that they can be examined and reviewed for future sieges. The expedition of Kiều Sơn Hà's continues to travel through China studying at villages they pass through and eventually make their way to the monasteries where Kiều Sơn Hà has decided to spend a year living and studying with the monks. After this year is over, they plan to make their way to the city of Guangzhou to travel and establish contact with the mysterious land they are trading with. With the allied victory over the Kingdom of Champa, Che Mo is installed as the ruler with Emperor Chinh's blessings. The levy is demobilised with the exception of 3,000 men who are kept in Champa to ensure a stable transition of power to the new ruler. Tra Hoa is transported North to Dai Viet to be held as a captive within the confines of his room in the palace under the careful eye of the Scarlet Dragons and Emperor Chinh in case he should ever prove useful to the Kingdom. The newfound territory acquired by Dai Viet is left in the hands of administrators and 1,000 of the remaining levy to parcel out into administrative districts and regions. Villages in the newly acquired territory are ordered to elect councils to deal with local matters of governance. The ajarwood groves in the newly acquired territory are placed under imperial supervision and control to ensure that the profits are for the Kingdom itself. Furthermore, hearing news of potential gold mines at the furthest tip of acquired territory, the Emperor orders administrators and a small detachment of Scarlet dragons to observe and supervise the construction of the mines for the gold. Orders are given to the Officers and Minister of War to draft up battle plans for a defensive and offensive war against the neighboring Kingdom of Lan Xang that has expanded at worrying rates for the Emperor.
 * Ayutthaya agrees to the marriage.
 * Sukhothai agrees to an alliance.
 * Khmer is a rival of Thailand and denies access.
 * Hungary: King Geza III dies as the northern armies reach Moldova. 5,000 troops are left to guard the province as 25,000 Hungarian troops invade Wallachia to sack and loot its capital and punish them for attempting to destroy Hungary. King Stephan VI is crowned and travels south to observe and command his armies for the invasion of Wallachia. Before leaving for the front, though, Stephan declares Buda to be the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and Croatia along the banks of the Danube River.
 * Voidevodeship of Wallachia: Prince Nicholas uses 34,000 army to push it off the Hungarian with herd to push it a down on the main's south declare war on it and observe his army on the Danube River. Anyway, culture and local religion keep developing Vlachs people in greatest distance to fascinating the Christianity environment the local church Vlachs announce some new trade from Europe we look that we have steak for healthy and other production in building, we ask if Swiss could help us. Anyway, so we developed a new built and many of orthodox Vlachs are being built by the council and House of Bassarab and literature and new written Romanian are being writing as well toward dialect.
 * Papal States: With the Lord of Forli retreating to Venetian territory, Pope Innocent VI removes his excommunication. However, due to the instability in the Italian Peninsula new troops continue to be trained for the Papal Army and the military shipyards of Ostia and Civitavecchia continue building ships. All those military improvements of the Papal States are oversee by Cardinal General Commissary Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz. The pope is the father of all Christians, but Innocent VI is also a French and seeing the situation of his homeland, he comes to the conclusion that he needs to act. (Secret) The pope sends letters through Cardinal Pierre de Aubefort to the nobles of France. In the letters, he say that the Valois are weak and they will give France to the English. The pope urges the nobles to depose the Valois and place the Capetians in the throne. The pontiff says that he is supporting the Capets (End Secret) [MOD response needed, please]. The pope receives the block printed Bible that was sent to him by the Latin Emperor. The Bible is placed in the Sistine Library and causes great admiration in the scholars of Saint Augustine's University. The Holy Father creates as cardinals Niccolò de’ Vetuli (Papal States) and Johann II von Munsingen (Basel/Switzerland). Elena Cimorelli and the Workers of Charity continue to help the poor people of Ostia by giving food and clothes. Is common to see them working with the Mercedines. Sometimes, Elena and her fellow beguines are accompanied by a young man named Giorgio Cassani. Giorgio parents died recently and leaved to him a great fortunate and lands were grapes are cultivated. After he heard about Elena and her visions and saw the Workers of Charity, he felt inclined to mimic their actions. Now he uses his money to help those in need.
 * Tian China:With Taiwan continuing to be integrated into the realm and now established as a full province within the emperor, the development of urban ports along the coastline continues. Although the older and more developed former Chinese colony cities on the western and northern coasts continue to be the largest on the island and continue to grow as entry points for settlers and trade from the mainland and our Japanese allies, many wealth seeking people are beginning to fund the construction and expansion of existing ports on the eastern and southern coasts which were the first cities of the native kingdoms, in the hopes of using them as closer trade ports to Indochina. However, one particularly ambitious group of merchants, led by the native born Taiwanese Zhu Huo (native name Uliw Qualitsangal) and the Chinese merchant Luo Yan, begin making trips down to the Philippines, which China has had some contact and trade with for many years but mostly indirectly, and bringing back many exotic goods for sale in the mainland. This quickly ends up making them extremely rich, and encourages many other ambitious traders to begin attempting similar trips of their own, in the hopes of gaining similar amounts of wealth and prestige. Although many will become victims of piracy or other perils in the course of these journeys, many others will return successfully and tell others of the wealth to be earned in the trade of exotic goods and spices from the area, thus encouraging many more to try the same. This results in a large increase in the size of the ports in Southern Taiwan and particularly the former lands of the Paiwan Kingdom, well also establishing the beginnings of a steady trade route into the area (even if their is no direct trade with the government since they aren’t tributaries), and also results in Taiwan beginning to become a stoping off point for exotic goods and spices traveling into the mainland, resulting in the wealth and prosperity of the province beginning to increase. In other news, efforts to repopulate the areas harmed by the plague continue, and this year becomes the beginning of a new initiative on the part of the government to encourage poor families from regions which were not effected by the plague to move into those regions which had previously been devastated, encouraging them with promises of greater wealth and prosperity and more safety from banditry and other evils within the core regions of the empire than in the more distant but still mostly Chinese provinces such as Yunnan or Sichuan, as well as the opportunity to become close to the center of the celestial empire and the son of heaven himself. This initiative, although started relatively late in the year, begins to see some amount of success, as many people are encouraged to move by the governments promises (and in some cases demands), with a few thousand people moving from the areas not effected by the plauge into the formerly suffering core regions in Henan and along the Yangtze. Although this is a very small number of people in comparison to the vast population of China overall and these provinces, the fact that the governments efforts are seeing any effectiveness at all this early is encouraging, and thus efforts are planned to be increased even more next year. We also begin to drop efforts to settle the frontier regions outside of Taiwan, as depopulating the core regions is seen as far more important, and they are the primary source of the empire’s wealth, not the expendable frontier. This will later lead to some major linguistic shifts in Luoyang dialect Chinese due to the influx of people from the more mountainous and isolated provinces which were less likely to be effected by the plague, which usually spoke different regional dialects of Chinese compared to the dominant forms in Henan and around the Yangzte, although these effects will not be seen for quite awhile due to the small numbers of people immigrating for now, and the fact that these government programs will take many years to take full effect.
 * Swiss Confederacy: With the truce between Poland-Lithuania and Hungary, the 3,000 Swiss mercenaries offered to help Poland-Lithuania are recalled. However, Hungary invaded Wallachia immediately afterward, and the Central Council of the Swiss Confederacy finds sympathy for the Wallachians whose plight against Hungary is similar to the historical plight of the Swiss states against the Habsburgs, and furthermore they are still interested in limiting potential Hungarian aggression from Tyrol. Hence, an envoy is sent to Wallachia, offering them the use of the aforementioned 3,000 Swiss mercenaries against the Hungarian invasion. (Wallachian response) Wallachia accepted The Swiss mercenaries who were searching for Ibrahim Osman in Anatolia are recalled to Switzerland, not having found Osman but not having been discovered. Still wanting to capture Ibrahim Osman before he can reorganise Ottoman forces, the Central Council sends an envoy to Padinia, asking if they have any mercenaries or assassins who could try to locate and capture Osman in Anatolia. (Padinia response) The Cantons of Aargau and Basel send an envoy to the Prince-Bishopric of Basel (which is adjacent to but does not include the city of the same name, which is in the Canton of Basel), suggesting that they join the Confederacy as the Canton of Basel-Bishopric (the current Canton of Basel would then be renamed as the Canton of Basel-City) so that the Confederacy could help them with reconstruction of towns damaged by the 1356 earthquake and recovery from the earlier devastation of the Black Death. As with the other ecclesiastic cantons such as Engelberg, the bishopric would retain power over domestic affairs and get a seat on the Central Council. (Mod response) Construction of the Bern Library continues, while the Zürich Library acquires a block printing press that will allow them to print books. Domestically, the government works on improving road infrastructure in the Cantons of Unterwalden, Uri, Schwyz and Glarus. The joint military of the Confederacy focuses on fortifying the southeastern border of the nation in the Cantons of Chur, Glarus and Uri.
 * Basel would agree if the Pope does
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Innocent VI allows the Prince-Bishopric of Basel to enter in the Confederacy.
 * Wallachia accepted  the help of swiss confederacy
 * Kingdom of lotharingia: "Were Di": The day has come for Al-ismak to leave his native Brabant once more. As he is forced to leave the Holy Roman Empire, So the 760 men strong expedition get on their ships, a total of five minor vessels. The planned route being from Antwerp to Coruna, then to Rabat, after which, Hendrickus and the explorers will find a spot that is good for trade and more. His plan being to found a trade post where money can be made in numbers never seen before, as they believe they would be able use their position as a middle men to great benefit. Middle men is something the Lotharingians are not used to, as they have always been the Clients and receivers of Indian and African goods. As Indian curry and Malian gold are very much liked in Lotharingia mostly by the Merchants and Nobility. Other traders and peasants who are fighting are the Lotharingian army in England, Colchester even being captured by the 6,000 strong force. This being a great Morale booster for the Lotharingian forces, which is good as many troops begin to doubt the war. Their low morale coming from the fact that the Lotharingian and Horne army haven't scored to many victories. The prince of Wales now openly calling on the Welsh to join the Cause against the Anglification of the Gealic lands. Edmond Mortimer telling about what the English have done, killed him without reason for trying to keep the Peasants free and fed. Thus King Charles sends sprouts, repair kits and some specialists to help the troops with their struggles. The German army in England deciding for logistical reasons to set up suply posts in Dedham and Manningtree, as these towns are able to get shipment back from Lotharingia and much more. One of these things is fresh fish and and water for non consumption use, Fish and sprouts being a food that is not popular but eaten a lot by the Lotharingian soldiers. The House of Valois has once more shown weaknes, as Jean du Valois has signed peace with the English. By doing so King Charles fully switches support from the House of Valois to the Capetian dynasty of France. Charles even wanting to help Victor Capet in getting back the Crown of France from the Caputured French king. Although these are promises Charles cannot do much more then that due to the Situation in England which devides the Soldiers of the Kingdom into two camps
 * Sweden-Norway: In response to the Danish invasion, King Magnus orders all jarls and knights to bring with them levies south to meet the invading army. The army races south, split in two, in hope of halting the Danes before they can establish themselves further. (algo?)
 * Kingdom of Padinia: Finally eliminating the entirety of the rebel forces, the rebel republican nations grudgingly swear loyalty to Cassono. In an attempt to assist in the recovery of the nation Cassono says that for the time being there will only be garrisons for nations and that it is time for rest and recovery and a uniting in these new times. He also states his dreams of a unified Italy under one Kingdom as one nation against outside threats. His wife becomes a major name among the peasants and lower class citizens of Milan and throughout Padinia due to her work in giving to beggars and the poor as well as providing medical help to them when they have critical diseases and issues with proportional charge paid for by the crown. Late in 1360 she becomes pregnant with her first child. In Florence and Genoa and Sienna regional governors are appointed from the former merchant families survivors in Florence the Medici gain large amounts of power again though nothing like there power of old. They rule the economical sphere of most of Padinia but politically there power is lacking and where it exists it’s extremely reliant on Cassono. The economy of Padinia attempts to recover from the civil war as the banks return to business as normal and everyone returns to there places of work. Secret: The Venetian actions against Urbino are viewed with great disdain by Cassono and he begins to work to assist in “Unofficial ways.” End Secret.
 * Latin Empire of Romania: Emperor William continues his reign over the Empire, now in the 29th year of his rule. With peace having been restored to the region, the Plague having been abated - seemingly for good - and the treasury sitting on new piles of wealth from the spoils of Bursa, William is presiding over a period of great prosperity. Even reports of cooler climates do not pose as much of a threat given the Mediterranean climate in which the Latin Empire finds itself. This year, much focus is restored to trade and production. Trade takes place by coastal routes - notably in Thessalonica and Piraeus (outside of Athens) - and by the Via Egnatia, which terminates in the Venetian-held port of Durazzo. Notable goods produced include grains, oils, silk, porcelain enamel, and perfumes, among others. Indeed, Romania is known for being a center of high-value products - and more and more Latin Romanians are beginning to capitalize on trade in the Mediterranean themselves. The knights in the military continue to be drilled and trained, and Count Andrjez of Caria begins to prepare his forces in particular with an eye toward the Turkish states to the north. Diplomatically, Thomas Pichon is sent to Neopatria, where the young Catalan duke is offered the hand of the cousin of Emperor William. In exchange, he will become a vassal of the Latin Emperor, with special privileges for Neopatria and the Catalan settlers in the region (Mod Response).
 * Duke Frederick of Neopatria is willing to marry the Emperor's cousin, but does not feel necessary to become a vassal at this time
 * Nyazwe: As part of his ongoing reforms to the military of the nation, Chatunga appoints loyalist Munesu as the new Minister of War for Nyazwe, directing him to oversee the removal of traitors within the ranks of the Vakadanwa. Batirai, for his part, is given command of the field armies that will be tasked with prosecuting the war against the Mutape in the south. Leading an army of 7,500 infantry and cavalry, Ishe Batirai departs from Lusvingo to relieve the besieged city of Mapumgubwe, and separate the Mutape forces in half. Arriving in force at Mapumgubwe, Batirai's army confronts the Mutape force of 2,600 warriors outside of the city, led by the rebel Ishe Itai, a former companion of Chatunga during his role as Marshal of the North. The rebels have already fortified their lines ahead of the loyalists arrival, and rush to form a battle line before contact is made with the enemy. The two armies clash outside of the city walls, establishing relief of Mapumgubwe as the first true battle of the civil war. Batirai bravely leads his men into battle at the head of his cavalry units, crashing into the enemy lines and killing several hundred men. While well-fortified, the rebels lacked the numbers to man their defenses properly, and are overrun by Batirai's forces. Grossly outnumbering the enemy nearly three to one, the battle is decided before the end of the day, with more than half of the traitors slay and no more than five hundred loyalists killed. Having lost the battle, Itai retreats with his army to another location. However, rather than link up with the main Mutape army in the east, Itai instead heads south to Lose, where he hopes to drag loyalist forces away from Malumba and toward the south near the Nguni, where the loyalist army will waste time pursuing the defeated forces of Itai. Well aware of the choice he now faces, Batirai decides to split his forces in half, sending 2,600 troops to pursue Itai into the south, while taking the rest of his army to march east. Before doing so, Batirai leaves a third of his cavalry and two misasa of infantry at Mapumgubwe as a garrison to secure the river crossing at the Limpopo and protect it from another Mutape attack. Batirai then takes the remaining 2,600 troops to liberate the city of Toutswe in the west to help prevent Itai from escaping into the western frontier by blocking his only path of escape. Upon hearing news of this defeat, Wataida is furious, blaming the loss on the refusal of the Mutape elders to more fully commit themselves to the war effort. Viewing them as old and incapable of change, Wataida orders them all to appear before him and his generals to explain their reservations to supporting him more fully. The two parties meet in the city of Manyikeni to discuss the matter outside of the city walls before a gathering of the inhabitants who wish to view the event. There, Wataida angrily denounces the elders ineptitude in supplying his forces with weapons, manpower, and funding, denying him the resources for a victory required to allow them to even keep their positions as leaders. The elders for their part explain that while they have welcomed him into their arms as their military leader, they do not support him in becoming their leader, viewing him as no different than his brother or father. Furious, Wataida states that he is royalty, and that his role as leader shall be recognized. His generals grab their weapons, and proceed to kill all of the elders where they stand before the assembled crowds from the city, who watch in horror as their local chiefs are killed to a man. Standing before the crowds still soaked in the blood of the elders, Wataida demands that all of the inhabitants bow and acknowledge his title as Mambo of the Mutape, to which all of the people and his generals do without hesitation. Moving throughout the city without haste, Wataida proceeds to personally drafted every able-bodied man in Manyikeni into his army, obtaining an additional 4,000 men for the war effort. All of the women are pressed into service to support the armies of the Mutape, while the children capable of gathering crops are put to work in the fields with their elder family members. Every forge in the district is pressed harder for more weaponry, while the traders are stripped of their goods and treasures to help fund the army.
 * Empire of Ethiopia: Having won a victory of the Sultanate of Dhaklan, the Emperor annexes the city of Massawa and the surrounding lands. An Imperial Governor is appointed to oversee the newly conquered lands from the newly conquered port city of Massawa. The army returns victorious to Barari, laden with slaves and treasures. With three ports now under Imperial control, trade revenue to the crown increases steadily as the Ministry of Trade’s agents continue to impose tariffs and taxes on incoming merchants and traders. Trade between India, Ethiopia and Mali returns to its pre-plague status, and the excellent road networks in Ethiopia and its vassals allows merchants and traders to transport goods throughout Christian East Africa with ease. At Barari Emperor Newaya Krestos is informed that the vassal King of Alodia has died peacefully in his sleep. The Emperor claims the throne of Axum through his sister, who was married to the former King. The Emperor integrates Alodia into the Empire and adds its nobles to the nobility of the Empire, making the mall Ras.  By now the Christianization of the people of Axum has succeeded, and due to the similar religions of Axum and Ethiopia, the road network linking the two nations, and the fact that the Axumite nobility studied at the University at Barari, the integration of Axum into Ethiopia should go very smoothly. In
 * Empire of Hispania: with the fall of the armed Muslim rebels in Granada, the recovery of stability in the region begins as Cordoba's infrastructure and Valencia's infrastructure become main priorities of economic investments as fortifications begin being rebuilt and upgraded. The Lighthouse of Gibraltar nears completion following the restarting of new construction efforts and renovations in portions of the already enormous structure. The murderers who may have fled to Hispania from Portugal are located somewhere near Galicia and are sent back by humble requests made by the king of Portugal as we honor our bond of friendship. Disorder in Andalusia is quickly dealt with as the forces of the crown in combination with the support of christian lords and the police's support. Los Decretos de La Cruz result in mass expulsion but also large numbers of christian conversions as well which are accepted although suspicions remain. The Clergy establish an Ecclesial Tribunal in Toledo as fears of potential corruption in the church may hinder the crowns efforts to restoring happiness and prosperity after the past decades run of instability. In Naples, Spanish Merchants begin to increase profits as trade slowly increases as the Empire's recovery from internal conflict permit steady economic recovery as well with disorder in the Italian Peninsula permitting an advantageous market which proves to aid the Empire's lead for this time over the other Italian rivals in the Peninsula as they deal with issues of their own.

1361
''' As soon as King John of France returns to Paris, he is arrested by the nobles there who have him imprisoned. Victor Capet is summoned by the French nobles to come to Paris and be crowned as King Victor of France, being the paternal grandson of King Philip IV. '''

''' The Emirate of Samarkhand falls apart into civil conflict, where the previous government is exiled to the region of Khwarizm. The rest of Samarkhand falls under the control of a young, ambitious military leader, called Timur "the lame". '''

''' In the Deccan parts of India, the Islamic governor Zephar Khan revolts against the Delhi Sultanate and establishes his own independent Muslim state, known as the Bahmani Sultanate. '''

''' Sweden manages to defeat King Valdemar's attempted invasion. '''

''' The White Horde in Kazakhstan and central Asia falls into complete anarchy, and the region becomes home for 20 different khans. '''

''' In Iceland, King Olaf III walks along the coast to inspect their growing naval capacity, when suddenly he spots a woman drowing in the water. The King immediately dives into the frigid water to save her life, which he succeeds at, but in the process he catches pneumonia. He dies from this illness 30 days later. '''

''' Many English soldiers, having engaged the German troops sponsored by Lothraingia, refers to the people of the lowlands as "sprouts" as a derogatory term. Meanwhile, the Emperor and his wife, Anna von Schweidnitz, have a son this year. '''

''' Florentine engineers develop the first black-and-white musical keyboard. In France, Philippe de Vitry becomes widely known as the most successful musician of his day, even complemented by Petrarch. '''

''' In Lorraine, Dominican friar John Tauler peaches his Neo-Platonic philosophy based on his mystic experiences, being a disciple of the earlier philosopher Meister Eckhart. He preaches that Christ's suffering attoned for all the sins of the world, and as such all people will ultimately be redeemed in heaven, both Christians and non Christians. John van Ruysbroeck, a doctor of theology in Brussels, concurs with this idea. '''


 * Hanseatic League: With Denmark on a weakened position, the Hanseatic League takes this opportunity to strike. Lübeck, Hamburg, Bremen, Holstein-Kiel, and Rostock all issue formal declarations of war on Denmark, citing the Danish king's flagrant attacks on Hanseatic interests, mishandling of Danish vassals, and warmongering in the Baltic. The Hanseatic League employs naval captains on commercial ships with the understanding that the crew may be drafted should war be declared. With regular drills on combat, these well-seasoned sailors are fit for war. Now that war is upon the Baltic, orders are sent to 50 captains and their ships to make ready for war. These 50 are joined by 70 more warships designed in Rostock. Of these, 40 will assault Danish ships outside of Copenhagen while 40 more will assault Lolland. The remaining 40 will push the southern Danish fleet against the shores of Jutland. Naval Algo needed, 120 ships in total for this front. The Hanseatic League's central Confederacy fields roughly 15,000 men, with money buying an additional 15,000 mercenaries. Jutland and Holstein are offered aid in their rebellion against the Danes. Assuming they accept, the 30,000 men push north into Loyalist Skagen and Aalborg, hoping to secure the northern coast of Jutland. However, if these cities, which were historically Hanseatic cities, declare independence from Denmark, they will be spared the horrors of war. (Mod response for Skagen and Aalborg, algo if not). In the meantime, merchant ships in the North Sea are hired to establish supply depots and aid the Holy Roman Emperor against England. The Hanseatic trade post in London does what it can to disrupt internal trade in England, though no formal declaration of war happens. UPDATE 7:00 PM EST: With the failure of Skagen and Aalborg to see reason, the Hanseatic League sends 30,000 men to the border of Schleswig and prepare siege engines. A Tagfahrt is held in Hamburg and Lübeck to determine a plan of attack and how this situation should be approached. The Tagfahrts declare that the title of Kingdom of Denmark is held by an illegitimate power and the Hanseatic League must act in order to restore order to the Baltic and find a suitable king of Dennark. The Tagfahrt of 1361 formally declares a state of war between Denmark and the Hanseatic League as a whole. Another request for troops is sent to the Hanseatic League states, especially those along the Rhine and the Baltic, to send mercenaries or troops to aid. (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED FOR HOW MANY TROOPS ARE SENT) On a completely unrelated note, the Black Death that claimed so many lives left behind a plethora of toys with no owners. These toys are oftentimes given away en masse at markets. While many are broken down for various parts, others find their ways into the hands of a new generation of children, bringing joy across the Hanseatic League. However, after a number of toy-related injuries, the Bürgermeister of Lübeck bans the sale of toys from public market.
 * Mod Response: They said no.


 * Hungary: King Stephan demands the Wallachian's cede part of their northeast, accept responsibility for the war, and pay tribute for three years or face the utter destruction of their capital and the pillaging of their land. To back this up 5,000 troops are sent to reinforce Stephan's army after the losses of the first battle (Wallachian Response Needed). Meanwhile, Stephan encourages Hungarians to settle in the east of the country, notably Moldova, the Black Sea Coast, and the Eastern Hungarian Plain. It is encouraged that Hungarian musicians adopt the new keyboard in France to spread new music in church. Croatian trade with the Papal States and Italy is encouraged from Dalmatia. However, the fact that Venetia has several enclaves on the coast of Hungary, is a thorn in the Kingdoms side and is noted to the King and other nobles. The troops return home from a successful campaign in Wallachia. The Treaty of Pest is to be made to hash out what is to come between Wallachia and Hungary (Leo surrendered through discord). 
 * Iceland: After that mysterious coastline was discovered 25 men and 25 women are sent there with the same ships and crews as last time(Mod Response needed). The population rises to 30,000 and the country continues to celebrate the end of the Cold War. The sad death of King Ólaf III strikes the country, many are seen openly weeping at his funeral, due to the circumstances of his death he is known as King Ólaf The Brave, the Upper Council decides to allow Domnhall to be crowned but his regent becomes the late king's father; King Ólaf The Great. Since King Domnhall is half Scottish an alliance is proposed to Scotland (Scottish Response Needed).
 * Kingdom of Scotland: King David II gladly agrees to establish friendly ties and to the alliance and offers to establish a sea trade route linking Edinburgh with Reykjavik as soon as the war with England is over.
 * Icelandic Dip: The Trade offer is accepted.
 * Mod: Thats gonna be a no from me dawg
 * Voidevodeship of Wallachia: Nicholas and army the council, allow him across the Danube River with his army of 37,000 soldiers. Anyway, culture has been advancing by the House of Bassarab and the Vlachs people who ever developing so far in the region and succeeding the area literature and trade continue to evolved into in a multi-culture and ethnicity regional peoples now that war is upon of Hungary and Stephan IV and Nicholas's army we developed some new production across to Danube of such kind of trade and food language is in under evolution in this year men push it south Prince Nicholas afford that he would gladly send 37,000 mens and ships cannon fire from that war which is ongoing well. Wallachia is demanding peace with the kingdom of Hungary and sign a treaty peace for it. (Player response/Mod response needed)
 * Mali Empire: General Baraq continues to work at subjugating the coastal regions near the Wydah Kingdom, and similar tribal nations surrounding OTL Ghana. The navy also continues to be developed and upgraded by the ships in Dakar, and now in Koya as well. The Mandike sect of Islam is being fully adopted across the urban centers of Mali, while traditional Sunni holds out in the more rural parts of the nation. Abu Yunus is believed to have continued his ministry in Njimi about this time, but this latter part of his life is not well documented. Manding secret societies continue to help integrate people in the more recent western territories, as well as those in Kanem and Nigeria. The tributary system of Nigeria continues to spread Mandike Islam into the pagan regions of Africa. By this point, the architectural styles adopted from Andalusian Spain really takes off to transform the landscape of Malian architecture, referred to by later art historians as "Sahelian Gothic". The spires atop of each mineret was particularly tall and stylized, which flows into the alternating columns of the outer courtyard. In Timbuktu, the influx of foreign knowledge and education has helped to open up some of Mali's first native sculpting workshops. These sculptures are often influenced heavily by Mandike Islam, and began adding depictions of actual animals or children. Mansa Ayyob, having his own thirst for knowledge, reaches out to our trading partners in the Mediterranean, such as Milan and Rome. He asks if they could donate specific works of philosophy and mathematics that were made in recent years, spanning from Leonardo of Pisa to Petrarch (Milan and Papacy RESPONSE)
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Innocent VI sends some works of philosophy and mathematics to the Mali Empire.
 * Papal States: With the prison of John of Valois, Pope Innocent VI sends Cardinal Pierre de Beaufort as papal legate to crown Victor Capet as king of France. Meanwhile, troops continue to be trained and new ships are built in the Papal shipyards of Civitavecchia and Ostia. The pontiff starts a program to improve the roads and streets of the Papal States. Due to the Black Death, Guy de Chauliac completely abandoned his studies of astronomy and focused in medicine. He is writing a lengthy treatise on surgery. The commission that analyzed the miracle attributed to Blessed Ari Guðmundsson comes to the conclusion that it was true. Then, Innocente declare Ari as Saint. The pontiff also declares William of Ockham as Venerable. Hearing about Philippe de Vitry, the pope writes to him asking the composition of a music in honor of Our Lady of Victory [MOD response needed, please]. This year, October 7th is celebrated with a procession and solemn mass in Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore that attract pilgrins from across the Papal States. Innocent orders the construction of a Basilica in honor of Our Lady of Victory. The Holy Father creates as cardinal Thomas (III) Telegdi (Hungary).  Elena Cimorelli and her fellow beguines of the Workers of Charity continue to offer help to those need. Elena continue to receive visions and she writes about them in her diary. When asked by one of her fellow beguines about what are the visions, Elena says that they are about the Passion of Christ. Influenced by Elena, Giorgio Cassani creates a male community of Workers of Charity in his house. Soon other lay men arrive to live there. They pray and help the poor in the streets.
 * Philippe does this.
 * Kingdom of Scotland: King Edward Balliol, now old and infirm, looked upon by the vast majority of Scotsman as illegitimate, passed away without an heir while running for his life from the Scotsmen's vengeance. David II of Scotland, son of the late Robert I "the Bruce", acting as Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland, having united into a coalition the Scottish lords who endured the prolonged English occupation, as well as the common people, enjoys unprecedented popular support for the fractious nature of Scotland as of late, augmented by a streak of victories over the English. Now further bolstered by the Lothraingians assault of the English coast, he crowns himself King after popular demand, the commoners blocking his path and his troops refusing to leave the city, pressuring him to accept the honor of Kingship, as both soldiers and citizens, both commoners and lords alike rejoicing with his crowning, overtaking the streets of Edinburgh as a jubilant wave. King David II farewells his family, his wife Isabella Wallace and his 11 year old son Robert, named after his grandfather and promptly leaves the capital at the head of the detachment of his army, till he reunites with the main host, leading them into the fray against the resurgent Englishmen. He proceeds to block the English army from crossing River Tweed, laying some hasty fortifications, located somewhat close to the fortress of Edinburgh, where he could safely retreat if things go sour. The Englishmen attempt to cross the river and are repulsed suffering heavy casualties. The final engagement takes place near York where 7,000 Scotsman descend on the English camp during the night against the winded English army of 10,000, caught off guard, struggling to hold their ground against the reinvigorated Scotsman, proceeding to massacre their sleepy enemies. As the dust settles in and the sun arises the result is clear, a tremendous Scottish victory, as the bewildered Englishman experience the gruesome reprisals of the Scotsman, only the captured lords of value are spared for ransom. The triumphant Scottish army marches southward proceeding to occupy northern England and if possible link up with the Irish army operating against the English in Wales. As a result of this battle King David II reasserts the centuries old Scottish claims over Northern England.
 * Iréchecua Tzintzuntzáni: As the war has finally concluded, the time of major reconstruction and re-enforcement of defensive lines begins, expecting to be completed by 1370. Literature and culture continues to develop at a priority degree, sparking the formation of market places and a prospering and economically powerful trade route being set up along the roads of the city-states in the Toltec Alliance.
 * Kingdom of Dai Viet: With the acquisition of northern Champa or what is now southern Dai Viet, the Imperial government has begun to face problems with administrators from Dai Viet assigned to the region facing problems with the local cultures. The Emperor has dispatched a diplomatic envoy to request trade and an alliance with the newly installed King Che Mo in the Kingdom of Champa (Mod Response). In an effort to stem any hostilities and ease tensions, nobles from across the region are ordered to swear oaths of fealty to the new throne as well as to send at least one educated son to take the Imperial Examination exams being conducted in the southern city of Hue. Furthermore, the Test for Peasant Education has been ordered administered across the region to provide children who will grow up to be administrators for the region to be selected for training with the parents provided monetary compensation in exchange for their children. The Imperial government has also started to encourage native Vietnamese to begin migrating toward Southern Dai Viet to land purchased from nobles and peasants by the Imperial government and given to migrants moving south. The construction of gold mines under the supervision of trusted officials and Scarlet Dragons in the south has continued steadily with the occasional interference from local nobles who wish to exploit the mines. The agarwood groves have been harvested for this year with orders being given by the imperial government to plant more groves for future use. With the growing threat from Lan Xang to the east, General Kiều Sơn Hà and most of his expedition being ordered to return to Dai Viet to plan its defense with the diplomatic portions being ordered to request the use of Chinese trade routes with the Philippines (China Response). The peacekeeping forces kept in Champa by Dai Viet have been withdrawn and released from service after a year of ensuring a smooth transition in power. The Emperor has also taken an interest in an ambitious officer by the name of Hồ Quý Ly who had proven himself as a capable strategist and warrior in the Champa Civil War. General Kiều Sơn Hà has been ordered by the Emperor to take Hồ Quý Ly and Huỳnh Ðức Cường on as his proteges to ensure that there is not one person who is being groomed for leadership of the military and the Emperor has rodered the scarlet Dragons to maintain a careful eye on Hồ Quý Ly for any treasonous actions as his ambition could cause him to turn against the Emperor. Kiều Sơn Hà in his planning, has ordered the establishment of fortifcations along the Lan Xang-Dai Viet border to the South to prevent Lan Xang from being able to swiftly cut Dai Viet in half. The labourers and slaves have been turned to the task of improving/expanding the road network, constructing fortifications, and expanding the shipyards all across the Kingdom. The shipyards have managed to complete their order of 50 ships for the royal navy with no further orders coming from the imperial government to produce more ships as the Kingdom's resources are focused on Lan Xang. Raids into Lan Xang continue and under Kiều Sơn Hà have been increased in an attempt to deprive vital supplies to Lan Xang but as well as to probe and test Lan Xang's defenses. At the request of the Emperor of China, Dai Viet has begun to act against the fleeing Nestorians by enslaving their populations and contributing them to labor across the Kingdom from farming to construction. The Emperor of Dai Viet, however, has decreed a set of laws that all must abide by in regards to the slave population known as the Slave Codes which stated that children were not required to work extremely ardous jobs (farming, construction, etc.), children could not be separated from their families under the age of 18, and that slaves were free to practice whichever religion they pleased so long as it did not preach against the government, citizens, or state religions. The Emperor has travelled to Ayutthaya, the capitol of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, for his marriage to Raja Uthong's daughter, Sujin. During his visit, the Emperor request that the Kingdom of Ayutthaya provides the gunpowder formula and knowledge of building cannons and hand cannons to Dai Viet in exchange for agarwood, silk, and compensation. He comments on how providing him with weapons would allow him to better fend off the growing threat of Lan Xang and to help fight them if the Kingdom of Ayutthaya should enter conflict with them (Mod Response). Emperor Chinh has also started to cultivate a friendship between him and the heir apparent, Prince Naresuan, the King of Lavo. With the acquisition of cannons from Ayutthaya, the scholars assigned to develop gunpowder have been ordered carefully examine and dismantle a few of the cannons to see how they work but to also figure out a way to improve them utilizing the small supply of gunpowder available to test them. The remainder of the cannons are distributed to forts currently under constructions at Dai Viet's thinnest portion and the royal palace at Hanoi.
 * Che Mo accepts alliance as Dai Viet's puppet.
 * Ayutthaya agrees to sell a few cannons, but they don't have many in excess, and they don't have the exact formula for gunpowder.
 * Kingdom of Portugal: With the assassins of Queen Inez, finally brought before the king, the king says that as they have crushed his heart he shall crush theirs as well. The king rips out their hearts with his bare hands and throws their bodies to the dogs. After this, he gets the nickname the just due to his good work on justice.
 * Tian China: With the efforts to encourage migration into the central regions of China harmed by the plague having proven themselves to be slightly successful over the course of last year, the Emperor decides to order their continuation for the next seven years at least, in order to determine if they are truly proving successful in this endevour. Thus, thousands more people are encouraged to move into Henan and the Yangzte regions from the Mountainous western provinces and populous northern provinces (that aren't the frontier) such as the area, and this proves largely successful in attracting large amounts of people into these regions. This will also latter result in a much larger amount of opprotunites and mobility for the lower classes of Chinese society, as these large amounts of population shifts are going to have major effects latter. We also begin encouraging large amounts of Chinese people who had fled from the regions during the famine and plague to move back into the region now that they are no longer at threat in the region, offering free and vacant lands and large amounts of livestock and money to get them started in order to encourage them to move back and in order to compensate them for their losses. The continuing small amounts of migration into Taiwan also continues, but begins to majorly slow down this year, as the empire is now far more focused on ensuring the succesfull recovery of the core regions and is focusing far less on the frontier regions, and it belives enough people have moved into the region to ensure their is a large Chinese population to monitor the natives and ensure continuing control over the island from the mainland. We also begin once more starting to refocus on hunting down the remaining Chinese Christains, as the Emperor and many members of the court and administration believe them to be at least partially responsible for the plague by bringing heavens disfavor upon the Celestial Empire, and they are an easily usable scapegoat to blame large portions of the disasters on, and the emperor is personally disgusted by them and desires their extermination for perosonal reasons and due to his upbringing to hate them and view them as vermin, which has continued to effect the way he views society and the things he belives even all of these many years latter. He also receives the request of access to Chinese trade routes into the Liusung Archipeligo (The Chinese name for Luzon, which I will be using to refer to the Philipines from now on, since calling them by their European name is anarchroistic) from the Kingdom of Dai Viet, our tributary, and heavily considers this request. Although he is largely favourable toward such a thing personally, and belives it will help to increase the profitability of China's own trade in the region, he also belives that he needs to provide at least some kind of cost for it to occur, both to test Dai Viet and ensure they are still loyal to the empire as a tributary state and to ensure that people do not believe that he is weak or favouring the lesser brothers of China to an extent greater than he should be. Thus, he decides to use this request as a way to extend his persecution of the Christains even further outside of china's own borders, and requests that in exchange for the granting of access to these territories and trade routes, the Vietnamese do something to deal with the large amount of Christians who have fled into their territory over the years since China began to persecute them, and that if they agree to do so, that these trade routes will indeed be opened up to Vietnamese access, but only if the terms are fuffiled (VIETNAMESE RESPONSE NEEDED).
 * Dai Viet: Dai Viet agrees and has begun to enslave the Christians
 * Republic of Venice: When Doge Mastino enters his home city of Verona, he meets his brother Alboino who is promptly arrested (but treated very well), and every separatist minister is hanged as well, except for those who are known for extraordinary competence. The Forlian army finally comes to aid and increases the number of Venetian troops to an overall 25,000 professional soldiers. Together with Veronese forces who surrendered in small numbers, enforcing the cavalry to an overall 800. The retreating forces are pushed toward the Lake Garda, where they are met near the town of Torri del Benaco, where they are locked between the shore of the lake and a narrow pass from where the Venetian army is attacking. While the Romagnian army retreats, they are harassed by the cavalry, preventing them to rest and wearing down their morale. Artillery in form of cannons are positioned at a higher elevation and causing the Romagnian formations to be way more loose and  less organized. These would hammer while neither side goes into the offensive, and then narrowly packed men, around 13,000 would charge into the enemy lines, led by the heavy cavalry. The army prepares for an annihilation of the enemy. (ALGO NEEDED). Lord Ordelaffi, the Lord of Forli, meanwhile, proves to be a worthy military leader, who will raise an army of another 10,000 men from previously conquered territory will march toward Ferarra, with around 3,000 men who are spared from Crete. The battle of Ferarra, however, is taking place after the Battle of the Garda Lake. Similar tactics, like cavalry flanking and extensive artillery are used, but this time, the battle will take place near a small forest, not close enough to hide support there, but very useful for another trick. While the Rebel army is on its way along the forest toward the planned battlefield, 3,000 men attack the enemy army from the bushes with hidden cannons and archers, mowing them down from the side. While this small group is holding on led by the most competent officers, the other 8,000 will arrive as quickly as the shots are heard and will support the troops (ALGO, PLEASE)  The army also takes smaller villages along the roads to Bologna, cutting off the communication to Bologna itself. With the army being largely split and the majority locked in the north. The already captured territory is continued to be rebuild and in some cases modernized, trade and textile production return to normal. However, much of the grain and the labour of the blacksmiths are dedicated to the war effort. SECRET Once again Florentine assassins are hired to kill the separatist leadership, this time with more careful planning, options and Plan Bs than before (MOD RESPONSE PLEASE) SECRET END
 * Kingdom of lotharingia: "Were Di": Al-ismak Finaly leaves the Holy Roman empire for the second and last time, as he is forced to leave the Empire. As he is a Muslim in the pious empire of Christ, an empire who's not friendly to islam since it took Jerusalem. The emperor founding out Pisacus had converted to Islam while in the Mali empire, as he found Allah while in the cold deserts of Mali. Al-ismak and his explorers docking in the city of Coruna after being one a ship for three weeks, where they buy new suplies, food, sails and most importantly books and arms. Although some report that Hendrickus did not leave the ships all that time due to the fact that his faith could get him tortured and even killed if it was known by the Autorities. While in England the war is still going on the 6,000 strong Lotharingian force getting better suplies then they have had in a while, this helping morale of the troops as it has fell bit by bit recently. The Lotharingian forces even trying to recruit Parliamentarians and Peasantry to fight agains the might of the English king, as Charles promises more Power to the lower classes of english Society. Some nobles mostly in Kent and Wessex joining the cause, these being lords and other such lesser nobles mostly. As for the higher nobility switching is riskier then for the lesser nobility, as the higher nobility could possibly lose all their land to the king. As part of the Englo-Lotharingian tensions is France, where the Valois' had to sign a shamefull peace. So Jean was after going back to France arrested for the highest possible treason and replaced by a Capet. Charles Congratulating Victor Capet on his crowning as king of France, Charles directly also recognising Victor as the Rightful king of France.
 * Sweden-Norway: Seizing upon the opportunity of the Danish defeat, King Magnus commands all Swedish forces, fresh from repelling the Danes, to take Scania and Halland. All across the kingdom, jarls, knights and petty lords are called south. The first part of the army, composed of several battalions, marches on Halland, with the second army marching along the eastern Baltic coast toward Scania, hoping to trap the Danish forces  there in a pincer movement. A small fleet of warships carrying remaining soldiers and knights, sails toward the Scanian coast, with the aim being to land and establish themselves (modern day Ystad) to trap the forces there between three armies. Magnus will personally lead the attack on Halland. These numbers total 12,000. (Algo)?
 * Swiss Confederacy: The Central Council of the Confederacy celebrates Victor Capet becoming King of France; Ulrich VI von Lenzburg attends his coronation, along with envoys from the Cantons of Zürich, Basel-Bishopric and Sion. With the war in Wallachia continuing as Hungary refuses Wallachia's peace treaty, 3,000 Swiss mercenaries continue to fight on behalf of Wallachia. Bishop of Sion Guichard Tavelli condemns the violence of Hungary in Wallachia, and sends a letter to Pope Innocent VI urging him to make a statement about this as well. (Papal response) With Padinia unresponsive, the Central Council sends an envoy directly to the Byzantine Emperor, urging him to sends some soldiers to look for Ibrahim Osman and capture him before he is able to re-organise Ottoman forces. (Mod response) The Canton of Chur sends an envoy to the Count of Werdenberg-Sargans, suggesting that he join the Swiss Confederacy for economic benefit from increased trade and financial support (as it is rumoured the Werdenbergs are in financial debt) and for defensive benefit against the Habsburgs (who are rumoured to have their eyes on Werdenberg territory); like Toggenburg the Count would remain governor of his territory and represent it in the Central Council as the Canton of Sargans (which would comprise Sargans proper, Pfäfers, Vaduz, Sonnenberg and Blumenegg). (Mod response) The construction of the Bern Library is completed, and soon after its opening this library acquires block printing like the Zürich Library. In the Cantons of Basel-City and Basel-Bishopric, workmen and mercenaries continue repairing damages from the 1356 earthquake and building new houses. In particular, repair work starts on the Basel Cathedral. Domestically, the government works on recruiting more soldiers to the military given its high level of activity in the past decade. The joint military of the Swiss Confederacy works on fortifying the city of Zürich.
 * Wurdenburg declines.
 * Kingdom of Eiru: Signing the Treaty of Caernarfon the war ends and the Irish troops return home while the Lorthinginain troops are thanked and asked to return home. Irish merchants travel south to Mali to explore new places to sell whisky and wool and the merchants of Mali offer them a small number of slaves in return which they bring home and sell into the small Irish slave market.
 * Nyazwe: In the midst of the civil war, news of the developments from the Nguni-dominated south begin to filter into the capital of Lusvingo, with knowledge of their attempts to catch up to Nyazwe reaching the ears of Chatunga. Concerned with these developments, Chatunga calls upon the services of the former finance minister Munashe, who he tasks with negotiating with the Swahili come to favorable trading terms with them, and attracting trade back to the loyalist ports of Nyazwe. As part of a delegation to the Swahili city-states and the Arab states to the far north, Munashe leverages his numerous contacts from across the Indian Ocean to help sway the hearts and minds of the various trade houses in the region. He convinces them that the backward and underdeveloped lands of the Nguni cannot compare to the vast wealth of Nyazwe, and that the war is far from the ports of both warring factions, who have taken heed to avoid harming their trading capacity in the ocean. So as to prove the willingness of both parties to avoid damaging the existing trading networks, Munashe embarks upon a dangerous mission to obtain a sworn statement and signature of Wataida, along with that of Chatunga's. Though Wataida threatens to put Munashe to death for his service to his brother, Munashe calms the relatively young ruler, proclaiming that he has only come in the best interests of the Shona people, and that the Nguni he fought in his youth have come to threaten the tenuous balance of power in the region. For the benefit of all his fellow countrymen, Munashe has arrived not as a representative of Chatunga and the late Akashinga, but as an elder statesman and merchant in service to the Shona people themselves. Upon the consultation of his generals and councilors, Wataida cautiously signs the document carried by Munashe and sends him on his way, though mindful to keep this information out of the hands of his Nguni allies. On the war front, the entrapment of the Mutape army of Ishe Itai at Lose forces Wataida to mobilize an army to rescue his forces from loyalist Ishe Batirai, who at this point has completed his liberation of Toutswe, and has marched south to combine his two field armies north of Lose. Fearing the lose of yet more warriors in a war where his manpower is still scarce, Wataida breaks camp at Manyikeni and rushes to Thulamela, where he raises additional troops to march on to Lose. Requesting access to the lands south of the Limpopo River, the Nguni agree to allow Wataida passage to Lose, where he and his army of 6,300 troops finally arrive to meet upon with Itai and his beleaguered forces within the city walls. At this point in time, the Mutape forces have reached 8,000 men in size, while Batirai's force numbers approximately 5,240 men strong. Believing he has the upper-hand over his enemy, Wataida dismisses Itai from command, and personally marches out to meet Batirai in battle. The resulting battle ends with a pyrrhic victory for Wataida, who ignored the weariness of his men whom he force marched several hundred miles from Thulamela, and then out to face Batirai without allowing them to rest. As a consequence of his impatience, Wataida's army loses some 2,000 men at the Battle of Thulamela, more men than he would have lost had he left Itai's forces to be captured by the loyalists. However, Batirai's forces lose approximately 1,200 men, while Batirai is slain in battle by Wataida himself, a perfectly-acceptable reward for the men lost in battle. Batirai's death shocks Chatunga, his brother having robbed him of a valuable field commander. To Chatunga, Lose was not worth the lose of a senior warrior, and directly leads to Chatunga's decision to begin leading his own men into battle, something he wished to avoid to focus on the cleansing of his government of spies and traitors. In his stead, the Maziso Ake are left to continue purging disloyal elements from Nyazwe's government and economy, capturing, interrogating, and putting to death any credibly proven to have been responsible for the division of the country. In the cultural sphere, propaganda from Nyazwe's loyalist elements begins to overtake that of the rebel Mutape, with the former ceasing upon Wataida's slaughter of the Mutape elders to prove the ruler's instability and proclivity toward violence when events unfold outside of his control. Members of the Maziso Ake secretly enter into the cities and bomas of the Mutape, and nail leaflets with the names of the slay elders and number of civilians killed by Wataida and his generals to the walls of several homes and buildings. The Mutape warriors for their part attempt to remove these leaflets from their cities before the break of dawn, hoping to prevent news of the massacre from reaching the ears of the citizens.
 * Empire of Ethiopia: With the nearby muslim states subjugated and conquered, the Empire enters a period of domestic focus. The Empire focuses on its infrastructure, working to maintain and improve its roads, as well as building more rest stops along harsh routes to accommodate travelers and traders. Additionally, the cities and towns which appeared along the roads are given charters to formalize their status as cities in the Empire. The University at Barari continues to teach the children of the nobility, with many scholars and philosophers finding steady employment there as the Emperor patronizes the University and its staff. The Ethiopian ports are also maintained and expanded to accommodate further trade ships and to allow construction of a larger Ethiopian naval presence. Ethiopian traders continue to ply the seas, with Ethiopian ships becoming common sights in ports along the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and in the Swahili city states south of the Horn. To encourage conversion to Christianity, the Emperor decrees that Muslim and pagan traders will have to pay an additional tax when attempting to use Ethiopia’s trade network and access Ethiopian trade markets. This tax is not imposed, of course, on merchants coming from India and Egypt, and only applies to East African Muslims. The Empire also receives news that the Mamelukes have managed to secure Egypt against the fanatically zealous Taymiyyahs. An Ethiopian delegation is sent to Egypt, consisting of nobles, clergymen, and crown agents. The Empire requests that the Mamelukes allow the Patriarch of Alexandria to return there from his exile in Ethiopia, and to allow Christians to practice in Egypt. They also request that Ethiopia be allowed to establish trade offices in Alexandria and Cairo to regulate and promote Ethiopian trade there. In addition, Ethiopia offers the Mamelukes a defensive pact against the Taymiyyahs [MOD RESPONSE NEEDED]. 
 * Egypt agrees to this.
 * Latin Empire of Romania: Emperor William, although disappointed at the rejection by the young Duke Frederick of Neopatria, still sends his cousin to marry into the ducal family. The empire, while active in the local trade scene of the Eastern Mediterranean, does not do much else of note this year, aside from the construction of some new naval ships at the port of Piraeus. Toward the end of the year, William meets with his son-in-law, the Polish prince Andrzej, to discuss the situation in Anatolia. While Andrzej was eager to begin an expansion of Latin Romania, William demurs - for this year, at least.
 * Poland-Lithuania: Administrative reforms continue. as does the sales of lands considered unneeded to fro crown functions. The Polish cavalry continues to adapt taking the successes against the Mongols, the Rus, and the Turks. Now being styled as the Pancerny (companions) of the crown, drawing inreasingly from the lower and middle nobility, as well as from the free land owning peasants. A lighter calvary is also promoted out of the autonomous frontier communities to help improve reserves. The building of Roads in Galicia, and Lithuania continues, specially from Vilnius going west, and along the Transcarpathian trade routes. The young Wladyslaw's education is exapnded upon to include learning Polish, Lithuanian, Ruthenian, as well as German, alongside learning history an expansion of his religious learning and history.  His martial training also begins with horseback riding and swordsmanship being the primary focus. Amongst his teachers a Polish Mercedine by the name of Gregory Kowalski gains prominance due to his quick wit and care for the boy which endears him to Stanislovas. He and his wife have another child a girl named Ada. Construction of a university in Vilnius begins, alongside this the town square is expanded to permit for a bigger market place, and construction of the Cathedral of our Lady of Victory also begins construction to commemorate the great victory over the Ottomans as well as the key role played by the Lithuanians further enhanching the rpestige of the catholic faith within Lithuania. The rate of conversion to catholicism amongst the Lithuanians continues to grow with about 40% of the Lithuanians now attending masses headed by mercedine priests, primarily amongst the nobility and city populations, though a growing number of free peasants also begin to convert do to the ability to purchase land for catholics. Husbandry continues to grow as an important economic activity due to the growing demands for horses for both trade and warfare. A local priest in Krakow claims that a boy who was dying has been cured while praying at the Mauseleum of the now venerated Wenceslaus III.

1362
'''Pope Innocent VI dies of natural causes. A new conclave is held to elect the next pope.'''

'''The Great Saint Marcellus Flood strikes across Lothraingia, Denmark, Frisia and England throughout the year. Several ports are destroyed along the Duchy of Schleswig and in Kent, while the Frisian island chain near Lothraingia is broken in two. Over 36,000 people are drowned, mostly in Lorhaingia and northern Germany. This becomes known as the first great massacre in the Ocean's war against the Dutch.'''

''' 31 Nordic explorers from the Jarldom of Vinland make an expedition west to explore the American continent. They manage to reach as far as Lake Michigan, before being attacked by local Dakota tribes. After losing ten warriors in the ensuing battle, they manage to return home to Newfoundland, leaving behind only a single monument stone in Nordic runes. '''

Haakon Magnusson revolts against his father, and proclaims himself king of Sweden, attempting to seize his birthright while his father is still alive.

A fire breaks out in Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, destroying much of the church.

'''The explorations of the King of Iceland have found some coastline, but there is no sign of any recent settlements or anyone with knowledge of Vinland. Instead, they've found a lot of large, flat rocks that are big enough for people to lay on. Meanwhile, the Öræfajökull Volcano erupts, destroying much of Litlahérað.'''

The Kingdom of Sukhothai, vassal of Ayutthaya declares war on the growing kingdom of Lang Xang, seeing them as a greater threat.

''' Empress Anna von Schweidnitz of Germany dies, leaving Emperor Charles IV unmarried. '''

''' Louis Capet, the Dauphin of France has a son named Louis by his wife Agnes Wittelsbach. King Victor names him Count of  Boulogne, and his newborn son is named Count of Ponthieu '''

''' Edward III's parliament makes English the court language for the first time. '''


 * Mali Empire: Wydah and surrounding tribal kingdoms of OTL Ghana continue to be annexed by Baraq. The navy that conitnues to provide supplies from Dakar and Koya has constructed a new port in the region locally at this point, known as Medinah Nkan "City of Ants". According to local legend, the land of Wydah was originally ruled over by a kingdom of ants in ancient times, before the god Olorun turned them into people to populate the land. Manding secret societies also help to integrate people gorups of Jabal Asada, Waalo, Kanem, and Nigeria, along with the Nigerian Tributary system where Islamic missions are sent. It was also this year that tragedy struck for the Prophet Yunus, who had greatly impacted the life and culture of the Mali Empire. He was crossing on caravan from Njimi to Gao, when suddenly a group of bandits dragged him off his camel and proceeded to take rocks to have him stoned. Abu Yunus prayed earnestly, to which the bandits mocked and laughed that he asks mercy from God, when they had been employed to have him killed. Yunus explained that he was not praying for his own saftey, for he knew his time had come, but rather he was praying for God's mercy on them. According to apocryphal legends, after they had killed him then vultures came down and tore out their eyes. He was buried by his sons in a private grave, which has never been found to this day. His personal wealth was inheirted by his designated successor, Idris As-Segu, who was also appointed as leader of the Manding religion by the Mansa. From that point forward, the sect of Mandike Islam was now known as "Yuniyyah Islam" or "Yuni Islam". Great mosuqes continue to be build along the Sahelian-Gothic style, including a mosque in Timbuktu named the Nabi Yunus Mosque.
 * Kingdom of Dai Viet: Recognizing the opportunity presented to Dai Viet by Sukhothai's war against Lan Xang and honorbound by his alliance, Emperor Chinh orders all the levy's to mobilize providing a force 19,450 strong to fight for Dai Viet against the forces of Lan Xang. Emperor Chinh makes a request to Champa for the use of their troops as a part of the Dai Viet levy (Mod Response, pls provide Champa force size). Troops numbering at 2,000 strong along with half the cannons provided by Ayutthaya are ordered to defend Mụ Giạ Pass in southern portion of Dai Viet utilizing the Annamite mountain range as a natural defense from any invasion forces there and also sending scouts to probe Lan Xang in the area for any sign of an attack. They are encamped within the largest fort in the Pass under the command of Huỳnh Ðức Cường, one of Kiều Sơn Hà's proteges. The remaining 21,450 troops and other half of the Ayutthaya furnished cannons under General Kiều Sơn Hà and his other protege Hồ Quý Ly are ordered to move through northern Laos/Vietnam where raiding parties had been consistently probing and mapping the region. The army marches relatively unopposed to their destination due to the fact that Lan Xang had marshalled its forces to fight alongside the Chinese against Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, and the Kingdom of Lavo. They eventually reach the Lan Xang capitol of Luang Prabang and begin to lay siege with siege engines, trenches, cannons, and sappers deployed utilizing knowledge gathered from the Siege of Vijaya against Luang Prabang while deploying scouts to keep an eye out for hostile forces (Mod Response/Algorithm, Siege of Luang Prabang). The Dai Viet navy is ordered to remained docked due to the need for resources to fight in the West. As the war began the officials gathered from the Champa aristocracy are put to work as administrators across Southern Dai Viet with the children from testing continuing their training. Efforts to construct gold mines are put on hold as the Scarlet Dragon detachment is ordered back to defend Hanoi. Laborers and slaves (captured Lan Xang, Nestorians, etc.) are put to work improving the roads and erecting/reinforcing fortifications in this time of crisis for the Kingdom. An emergency tax is implemented across Dai Viet to provide money and supplies for the war effort. Blacksmiths from across the Kingdom are ordered to begin producing arms and armor to be supplied to the troops on the front lines as equipment. Dai Viet places an order for gunpowder shipments from China to increase to the minimal supply of gunpowder at their disposal provided by Ayutthaya. The Scarlet Dragons (200 men) make preparations to defend the capital of Hanoi should the armies on the front falter. During this time, Empress Sujin has become pregnant with a child that is expected to arrive next year by court physicians. For the duration of this war, entertainment troupes and gladiator tournaments are put on hod to ensure that the people's attention is devoted toward producing goods and equipment.
 * Champa provides an additional 4,000 troops for the campaign
 * Kingdom of Scotland: King David II is forced to sign the treaty of Treaty of Caernarfon, unable to overcome the English forces, superior in numbers and technology. Initially he spends a week lamenting over the abandonent of our Welsh allies, indeed what a lost opportunity to liberate our brethren. But alas it shall not come to pass, not yet at least. He finds some consolation to the fact that both Scotland and Ireland now stand liberated, free to determine their own fates once again. Economic, diplomatic and any kind of other assistance required, other than resumption of hostilities, such as helping them escape persecution from the English authorities into our domain, all this support is freely given to our Welsh kindred, nobility and commoners alike, in part to compensate for their abandonment in the treaty, hoping to keep the flame of the cause of independence alive, if not yet openly hostile, but vigilant for when the time comes. Same assistance is given freely to the Cornish people [Welsh/Cornish Response] The English nobility in Northern England is also approached, attempting to elicit pledges of allegiance, not to the Scottish King himself, but to purpose of the restoration of the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria as an independent realm, where the Northern nobles would be able to elect their own King. of  some to our cause and create some instability in the region. We funnel the flames of separatism in Northern England, promising to help them militarily gain and retain their independence, completely separate from Scotland, other than allied, as under no circumstances do we intend to breech their trust and envelop them, stripping them from their independence, we simply wish to see them completely free to determine their own future, all this can be achieved shall they rise against the tyrannical administation in London when the time is right. [Northern English Nobility Response] The army marches home victorious, applauded by lords and commoners alike, in a huge celebration as they come back to their families. King David's wife Isabella gives birth to a healthy girl, baptised as Alison. Cheerfull and greatfull with the birth of his daughter, the King calls for a double celebration, inviting all the nobles in his realm to a feast. The mood in Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland is jubiliant and now that the war is over, King David II can focus on recovery and reformation of his nation for nothing is secure as long as England stands on its feet, lurking and bidding its time to consume Scotland once again. Preparedness is of the utmost importance. A series of fortifications, fortresses and outposts are constructed along the Anglo-Scottish border, blocking passage to every major route and utilizing every strategic location, adapting to the terrain and making use of every natural boundary such as hills, mountains, canyons, etc. Now that the war with the England is over, King David II honors his promise and oversees the establishment of a sea trade route linking Edinburgh with Reykjavik, with a few daring merchants making the first trip, bringing back goods such as ivory, which is introduced into the Scottish market for the first time. The surplus is forwarded to Ireland, England and continental Europe, giving our merchants a sizable profit margin. King David II decides to imitate the desicion of the English parliament to designate the language of the commoners as the court language, seeing advantages into rallying the Scottish people and fostering a greater sense of shared identity to them by designating Gaelic Scottish as the official court language. Taking into consideration the current political outset, England remains the greatest threat to our existance and to that end, Ireland, a crucial ally in the previous war with England and a nation we would consider to be kindred, can serve as an indispensable ally in that end, for we are both threatened by the possibility of an English reemergence, aspiring to dismantle everything we fought for. As such an offer of renewing our alliance is send to Ireland, along with establishing sea trade routes between our capitals and major cities, offering to set in motion the Edinburgh-Dublin sea route. Also an offer of betrothal is made, the King David's firstborn son and heir, Robert, aged 12 years old, is looking for a suitable bride, in order to ensure and further strengthen future ties with Ireland. [Irish Player Response]
 * English nobility are not interested.
 * Papal States: With the death of Pope Innocent VI, his Fisher's ring is destroyed by Cardinal-Secretary Andrew Corsin. A mass is celebrated for the soul of the deceased pope and his body is buried in the Basilica of Saint Peter. After hearing about the floods that are affecting Northern Europe, Cardinal Corsini sends physicians and priests of the Army of Mercy to Lothraingia, Denmark, Frisia and England. They will bring supplies and will help those suffering by the flood. Help is also sent to Iceland, due to the volcanic eruption that happened there. A commission is sent to Poland-Lithuania to investigate the miracle attributed to Venerable Wenceslaus III. Cardinal Corsini begins to organize the Conclave and the security will be done by the Swiss Guard. While the cardinals start the Conclave, once again the people pray for the future of Christendom. Due to their time in exile, the Coptic community living in the Papal States start to adopt some characteristics of the Latin-rite.
 * Hungary: As the troops return home King Stephan VI sets up the Treaty of Pest to appropriate the spoils of victory. King Stephan also sets his eyes on Ragusa, citing to the nobles and his advisors that the important port of Split as key access to the Mediterranean. Stephan puts a goal to this conquest at 1365. Further Hungarian settlement into West Transylvania and Moldova continues in the hopes of "Magyarizing" the territories.
 * Iceland: The population rises to 30.210 and with no recorded casualties from the eruption it’s called a small bump in the road. With the Uprising in Sweden Iceland proclaims neutrality. Regent Ólaf thanks the Papacy for their supplies which are equally distributed throughout the Country. A marriage is proposed to Hispania for King Domnhall.​​​​​​(Spanish response needed). The Treaty of Akranes is proposed to Sweden (Swedish response Needed)
 * Republic of Venice: After thousands of rebels are killed in Ferarra and Lake Garda are killed, and Ravenna at the knees of Ordelaffi, when their indecisive Lord officially declares to be loyal to Venice after he fears that the Lord of Forli will march into his land. With the Ravennese lands, men and the massive arsenale the war effort gets a massive boost. The Doge-General, meanwhile, asks the Lord of Mantua to allow the Venetian army to march through his lands, in order to defeat the Separatists holding out in Bologna. Even without the shorter way through Mantua the Venetian army reaches. The last major battle of the war is fought in August near Bologna, with 18,000 Venetians against Romagna. Ambush and flanking tactics are used, while a portion of the army is shot with a rain of burning arrows. (ALGO, PLEASE).
 * Iréchecua Tzintzuntzáni: As the war has finally concluded, the time of major reconstruction and re-enforcement of defensive lines begins, expecting to be completed by 1370. Literature and culture continues to develop at a priority degree, sparking the formation of market places and a prospering and economically powerful trade route being set up along the roads of the city-states in the Toltec Alliance.
 * Sweden-Norway: Early in the year, King Magnus signs the Treaty of Arkanes with the King of Iceland, ceding the Faroes, Shetland, and Orkney to Iceland, in return for further trade, and Icelandic ports being open to Swedish ships. Sweden gains control of Scania after the Battle of Halland, defeating the Danes. After returning to Stockholm, King Magnus is faced with a revolt by his son and heir Haakon, who claims the Swedish throne. He attacks the returning army with the support of several nobles unhappy with the reign of his father. The battle ends with Haakon's fresh army almost decimating the war-worn troops of Magnus. Haakon wins control of Stockholm and Uppsala, and also vast parts of Norway, while Magnus is forced to flee to Jonkoping. The year ends with Sweden and Norway divided, with no clear winner.
 * Swiss Confederacy: After discussions between the Confederacy's bishops and other cardinals, the 3,000 Swiss mercenaries in Wallachia are withdrawn to Switzerland, and the Central Council sends an envoy to the King of Wallachia, saying that the Confederacy can only continue to support Wallachia if the King converts to Catholicism. (Wallachia response) The Central Council is not pleased with the Count of Werdenberg-Sargans declining to join the Confederacy, as they are worried the Count's financial incompetence will allow the Habsburgs to gain power in the region. Hence, anticipating potential future conflicts on the eastern border of the Confederacy, the Central Council orders the joint military of the Confederacy to focus on fortifying the eastern cantons of Toggenburg, Glarus and Chur; Rapperswil Castle in the Canton of Toggenburg is used as a sort of base of operations for these eastern military activities. Scholars of the new Bern Library sends an envoy to the Manesse family asking to create a new copy of the Codex Manesse; however, the guild of Zürich, wishing to keep the Zürich Library's copy more exclusive, urges the family to deny this request. (Mod response for Manesse family) The Canton of Toggenburg sends an envoy to the Prince-Abbacy of St. Gall, suggesting the Prince-Abbot's territory should join the Swiss Confederacy as the Canton of St. Gallen (which would extend northwest to Wil, northeast to Rorschach on Lake Constance and south to Appenzell) for defensive benefit against potential Habsburg or Hungarian aggression, for trade benefit and to increase cooperation with the bishoprics of Basel, Chur and Sion in the Confederacy; like Engelberg, the Prince-Abbot would remain as governor of his domestic territory and represent it in the Central Council. (Mod or papal response) At Lake Lucerne, some new boats are built to carry people between Lucerne, Gersau and Schwyz. Domestically, the government works on building a new hospital in Unterwalden alongside the Western Church there to allow a more effective physician response in the event of a new outbreak of the Black Death. Ida von Lenzburg and Louis of Anjou, King of Arles have a third child, a son named John (b. 1362).
 * St. Gall would join with the Pope's permission.
 * The urges of Zurich is ignored, and the family requests some scribes from the Monastery of Saint Bernard to come copy the book for Bern.
 * Wallachian Diplomacy: Nicholas accept to change into Catholicism.
 * Swiss Diplomacy: The Central Council of the Confederacy is pleased with King Nicholas's conversion and the 3,000 Swiss mercenaries are sent to support Wallachia again.
 * You aren't converting to Catholicism.
 * Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di": After years of indeciviseness, the Parliament of Mechelen finally adds Commoner and Nobles seats for Frisia and Lorraine. Both states gaining nobility seats, and Lorainne gaining two seats for the Capital of Nanzig. While the emperor officially changes back the name of the Duchy of Lorraine to Mossele her original name of the Duchy, as to avoid possible confusion. This being due to the Fact Lorraine was both a part of Lotharingia and her French name, the full Irench name being Royaume de Lorraine. This all combined with the now enhanced power of all feudal states of the Parliament, begins to show the power and might of Constitutional Monarchy. The lands of the crown being father small and those the king has being used for farming, and court mostly only small bits being for royal joy. The peace with england Creating meaning the Creation of new Royal land, the crownlands of the Channel islands. Lotharingian merchants also gaining trade and docking rights in Norwich, Colchest and Great Yarmouth, this all helping trade. Trade that has been damaged due to The Great Saint Marcellus Flood striking, the war against Poseidon. As 36,000 men have been killed by the floods, the Emperor asking the empire and the pope for aid in helping those affected (Pope Response) (Mod Response). While in the Berghuische Charles Finaly anounces the name of the heir that has been born a couple of years, His name being Feinsin of Luxembourg-reginarid. Another Reginarid who is moving a lot is Hendrickus Pisacus Reginar,  as they have reached the Morrocan City of Rabat. A city where he can openly follow his faith without any issue's. Al-Ismak buying new goods once more, writing more and more on his books and being himself a good old pair of Berber clothing he loves so much. Hendrickus telling his explorrers and converts more about Islam the Quran and trade, Mostly focussing on Trade with the explorrers. Although he does talk much about Islam with his 43 converts and even some Marocans who join Pisacus سيدي  إرميا الهلشتية in the Trade mision. Pisacus trying to make his voyage look more and more like a local tribal voyage, Pisacus calling himself. Thus he does show his slight ambitions from being a peasant to his own Count, in the land that adopted him. Pisacus even asking him followers to come up with a vexiloid to represent themself with.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Cardinal-Secretary Andrew Corsini sends physicians and priests of the Army of Mercy with supplies to help.
 * Voidevodeship of Wallachia: At this time, we're in charge of Catholic establishment literature and cuture are being developed so far many of enviroment as changed well and the main language after month ago, some of people the Vlachs got a trade from the byzantium's place at constaninpole they trade so much and continue activity in main right of production men and women are in good safety of that current development Prince Nicholas and his council write some new dialect generation to the future era of a day of the state of Wallachia.


 * Tian China: Although the empire has not gone to war fully for quite a few years (apart from the brief invasion of Taiwan), this year marks the end of this long period of peace, as the Emperor hears news of the ayyathutan invasion of one of our tributaries. Although China would normally not intervene in such a dispute, La Xang is a tributary, and thus the Emperor is enraged by the upstart invasion of a Chinese trading partner. Although he decides not to do anything toward Vietnam, since they are an ally of the empire, the emperor Explicitly warns them that he is very displeased by their actions in coordinating against a fellow tributary with an enemy of the empire, and warned against further such actions in the future. The Emperor also declares war against Ayutthaya, in defense of our tributary, and sends an army of 25,000 soldiers led by his son, Tian Xuanye (An experienced commander from years fighting against the Manchus) to battle against Ayutthayan forces in coordination with La Xang's forces (ALGORITHM NEEDED) As an extra incentive to make the soldiers fight harder, they are promised vacant lands along the Yagzte for their service once the war is over. The Emperor also continues to encourage the movement of large groups of migrants from the eastern and northern provinces into the Henan and Yangzte river regions, in order to repopulate them, as a continuation of the efforts which have been ongoing for the last two years. Also, in order to accomadate the growing population of the city, a new section of Nanjing begins to be built and its port expanded, in order to accomodate its role as one of southern china's greatest trade ports and its new status as one of the world's largest cities. We also begin to undergo similar efforts in Luoyang, which has seen a massive population boom in recent years due to the influx of new migrants into Henan and the prestige of being the capital once more, and the emperor's infestructure projects, which have drawn many peasants to move into the city from the countryside. The persecution of Christains also continues, with many of those hunting them down seeing an opportunity in the decision of Dai Viet to begin enslaving them, and with the emperors permission begin to start profiting off the sale of Christian slaves to Vietnam, both getting them out of china and making money for the empire in turn.
 * Latin Empire of Romania: This year, Emperor William de la Roche gives permission to Prince Andrzej, the Count of Caria and his son-in-law, to declare war on the Beylik of Hamid. The Emperor sends 10,000 men, many of whom are experienced veterans of the Crusade of the Holy League, and therefore aware of the Turkish tactics, to join a smaller contingent of 2,000 men raised from Caria alone. All of these men are at the command of Prince Andrzej, who leads a surprise assault against the outnumbered Turkish forces at Isparta (formerly known as Baris). The old Byzantine fortress had not been kept up since the city fell to the Seljuk Turks nearly a century ago, and the battle is widely anticipated to be a Latin Roman victory (ALGO, please). Meanwhile, toward the end of the year, another force of 8,000 men is raised under the command of Pascal de Renoud, who trains the men before they are sent to Caria in December. Religiously, Patriarch Gaspar of Thesslaonica arrives in Rome and casts his ballot in the Papal Conclave, to replace Pope Innocent VI. The Patriarch was quite close with the Pope - given their mutual interest in the recent crusade, and is extremely sorrowful at the Pope's passing.
 * Hanseatic League: The army attacking Aalborg is reinforced by 8,000 more mercenaries. Another attack begins once winter is over, this time approaching from the south and pinning the Danish army against the Limfjord, away from Aalborg. Assuming the Danish army is beaten, the Hanseatic army again makes an attack on Aalborg. Supply lines are established, both by the blockade and the incoming mercenaries. The economy of the Hanseatic League absolutely booms this year, as member states buy war supplies from Hanseatic vendors. (MORE TO COME. AM SICK AND JUST TOOK SOME NYQUIL. ALGO NEEDED.)
 * Poland-Lithuania: Administrative reforms continue. Extension of roads continues adding tothe project connecting Polotsk to Vilnius, and to connect Lublin to Lwow. In Krakow an expansion of the Market place begins as is the construction of paved roads (There are still italian engineers uner the employment of the crown), The Jewish merchants form their first guild leader is named Isaac Goren whose father had passed away leaving him a small financing enterprise. The fortifications at Polotsk undergo an upgrade with new outer walls, and ramparts being commissioned along with an expansion of living quarters for the garrison. In Silesia the city of Wroclaw begins to regain some of its old alure as the mines in Silesia begin to operate at an optimal level again and as the now restored market place reconnecting Polish trade with the interior of the HRE. The education of Prince Wladyslaw Jagiello continues as does his martial training He takes to horse riding enjoying it a great deal. Hearing the stories of his father and his maternal grandfather the venerated Wenceslaus III and their battles against the Mongols and the people of the steppes. He also proves adept for catography taking a great interest in the geography of his father's realms. Military reforms continue.
 * Empire of Ethiopia: The Emperor celebrates his new defensive alliance with Egypt. With Egypt now allowing Christians to practice once more in their territory, Newaya Krestos is celebrated and praised by all Coptics in Egypt and East Africa. The Pope of Alexandria prepares to leave his exile in Ethiopia to return, and the Emperor arranges for a grand procession for the Pope as he leaves Ethiopia. Before leaving, the Pope agrees to grant Ethiopia a Bishop, and appoints a local priest as the new Bishop of Ethiopia. Thousands of peasants flock the streets of Barari as the Pope makes his departure. The Pope boards a ship at Beri that is protected and escorted by the Ethiopian fleet back to Egypt, where he makes a triumphant return to Alexandria. Agents of the Ethiopian Ministry of Trade accompany the Pope to Alexandria, where they establish a trade office to help promote Ethiopian trade to Egypt. Another contingent of agents travel to Cairo where they establish a trade office there as well. A delegation of Ethiopian clergymen and Imperial agents also travels with the Pope, but with the intent of finding the Pope in Rome Pisacus informed the Empire about before his exile. This delegation arranges transportation to Rome via European trade ships and presents gifts of khat, spices, and a two chests of gold to the Roman Pontiff [PAPAL RESPONSE]. With trade with Egypt open, barges full of Ethiopian and Indian goods begin to travel down the Nile, trading with the Nile communities there. Ethiopia continues to improve its domestic infrastructure, with the Emperor attempting to improve Ethiopia’s naval tradition. With three ports under Imperial control, construction of larger Ethiopian ships becomes the main project for the Empire, in order to develop ships more powerful than the dhow.
 * Nyazwe: Chatunga mobilizes the household army in Lusvingo in preparation for his grand campaign into the Mutape territories, and to bring his brother Wataida to justice for his crimes against the state. More than 16,000 warriors are marshaled outside the city walls of Lusvingo, with two-thirds being infantry and the other third comprised of cavalry. War Minister Munesu is tasked with overseeing preparations for a pacification of the liberated lands in the wake of Chatunga's campaign, as well as the trial and imprisonment of all enemy warriors captured by the loyalist forces. News of this massive army's departure from the loyalist capital horrifies the Mutape generals, who have only recently managed to organize enough manpower to secure recent gains in the areas of Malumba and Thulamela. Wataida for his part acknowledges that it was only a matter of time before his brother brought to bear the full force of Nyazwe against him, and lashes out in anger at his generals for failing to appropriately divide Chatunga's attention to various locations around the heartland of Nyazwe. Seeking to draw Chatunga's attention away from Thulamela where he is stationed, Wataida sends Ishe Sibonakaliso, and Nguni-descended warrior from the city of Akashinga, north to capture Muromo Weshiri from the loyalists. This is in direct violation to the terms agreed upon with Munashe, who brokered a deal with the foreign city-states of the Swahili and Arabs to secure the trade routes to the country, and angers many of the Arab merchants residing in the southern port of Muromo Wenyika. Fearing that Wataida's rash decision to prevent a defeat at the hands of Chatunga by attacking the northern port city will ultimately see the wrath of the loyalists visited upon Muromo Wenyika, the merchants of the city send a large delegation to Sibonakaliso in Kusvika, where they offer him a large sum of money in exchange for his abandoning the campaign to the north. Though he sided with Wataida out of his alliance with the Nguni in the south, Sibonakaliso is skeptical that dividing the Mutape army will be successful, and meets with his fellow generals to discuss their course of action. After some deliberation, Sibonakaliso declines the offer of money from the merchants, but agrees to abort the campaign to Muromo Weshiri. So as to avoid any further loss of life to his men or the civilians in the land, Sibonakaliso defects with his army of 2,500 men to the loyalists, having read the writing on the wall that Wataida's rebellion is lost. The western outposts of the Nyazwe continue to grow despite the civil war in the east, with their survival due largely in part to the institutions established there prior to the conflict. News of Sibonakaliso's betrayal of the Mutape cause causes Wataida to begin behaving irrationally, believing that just like his father he himself is now surrounded by enemies and traitors. Assuming the end is near, Wataida ignores the advice of his generals, and abandons his position at Lose, moving back to Thulamela where he amasses his entire eastern army to the city to face his brother's army coming from the north. His generals urge him to reconsider, and retreat from the city to buy time for his army to rest and prepare for the loyalist offensive. Instead, Wataida gathers all 17,500 of his warriors to Thulamela, hoping to end the civil war at Malumba. Having abandoned the west, Wataida's impatience allows the remaining loyalist forces to move to Lusvingo, and increase Chatunga's forces to some 23,700 warriors, bringing them to parity with the rebels. Both sides gather at Malumba for what they assume will be the final great battle of the civil war, though no one can decide what the future will hold, or if the hatred between the two brothers will continue to fuel their war against the other for more years to come. The western settlements Maun, Gantsi, and Nzou Inogara are granted a five-year reprieve from delivering their quotas to Lusvingo, and are instead allowed a measure of freedoms for this brief period of time to ensure their productivity outside of the civil war's reach. Maun's farmlands within the Okavango Delta are cultivated extensively as an alternative source of grain, helping bolster food supplies to the core regions following the succession of the south from Nyazwe. Katima Mulilo expands over a period of time as a center of population, as many war refugees from the southeast arrive seeking safety at the relatively young town, which has begin touted as the "gateway to the west" by the government. To ensure their security, Chatunga authorizes the stationing of a single misasa to each of the four settlements in the west, decreasing his forces by about two thousand warriors, but securing the future of the land his brother wrote off as "useless" prior to his rebellion.
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: 1352: Even though Khizr Khan has been following his father’s policy of not awarding land grants as payments and instead paying his armies in cash, he still feels that the powerful Shiqdars (district officers) who are a part of the military may revolt. So, he decides to separate the civil administration from the military. For this, the Kotwali system is separated from the military and the Kotwali system is formalised and rules are laid out for the functioning of the Kotwali system (proto-police). The Kotwali is responsible for enforcing the laws, protecting men of religion and traders from bandits and punishing law-breakers. The Sultan orders the Judicial Department to come up with a criminal code. Following the tradition of the Indian Muslim rulers, it is decided that Muslim personal law will not be enforced on the non-Muslims. With the new succession laws, it is now the ability to rule and qualities of leadership that will decide the successor of the Sultan, and scholars and chroniclers have found legal justification for accomplished facts. Hence, the Sultan nominates Fateh Shah, his second eldest son as his successor. Fateh Shah’s nomination is supported by the majority of the nobles of the Chalisa and Mohammed Asaduddin. The Sultan’s eldest son Feroze Khan, though reluctantly, accepts the nomination. More garrison towns are established in Munger, Lakhnaur and Devkot (Bangarh). The construction of the Gulbarga fort is completed. 1356: The Punjab irrigation project is completed further boosting revenue in Punjab. Punjab has now become one of the wealthiest regions in the Sultanate. The wind pump begins spreading across India. The criminal code is completed and a copy is sent to each Kotwali across all the Shiqs of the Sultanate. 1357: The central administration is reorganised. Another province is created with its capital at Dhar, Malwa. Now, there are three posts in the Chalisa which can be filled by people nominated by the Sultan. A separate building for the meetings of the Chalisa begins construction. 1358: The Chalisa building is completed in the Siri Fort Complex, called the Darbar-i-Chalisa. 1359: The Sultanate’s control over the Deccan is dependent on the control of the three Deccan fortresses, namely Alaipur, Gulbarga and Sultanpur and also on the loyalty of its southern vassals. 1361: Zephar Khan Bahman, Governor of the Gulbarga fortress, revolts, agitated by the reforms and the shake-up in the administration. He is joined by many nobles, similarly angered by the reforms. An expedition sent by the ageing Sultan against him fails and Zephar Khan Bahman starts besieging the Fort of Sultanpur. ||| The previous decade occupied the Sultanate in a flurry of reforms led by the Sultan and his three eldest sons. The Sultan introduced many reforms and worked with his bureaucrats and nobles and the Chalisa to properly implement them. The Sultanate established state-regulated bazaars in all the major cities and towns and regulations stipulated by the Bayt-ul-Mal were enforced on these bazaars. Several rules were laid down for the conduct of the state officials and local administration. 1362: The Sultan sends a force of ten tumen under Feroze Khan, his eldest son to attack Zephar Khan Bahman’s forces at Sultanpur. The army links up with a tumen of troops from the Belur Sultanate, led by the Belur Sultan. (ALGO NEEDED, Z.K. Bahman would have around 50,000 troops, cause I have made it as a reaction to the reforms).

1363
''' Habemus Papam! The renowned Bishop Andrew Corsini is elected Pope, taking on the papal name Pope Nicholas V. A signfiicant move on his part, as Pope Nicholas IV was known for his diplomacy to the Mongol Empire and helped secure the Franco-Mongol Alliance in previous crusades. '''

''' Scandinavia begins to fall into crisis as a result of the civil wars in both Sweden-Norway and Denmark. Sweden has fallen under the de-facto control of Haakon Magnusson, but struggles to maintain order as pro-Magnus forces remain. In Norway, the nobles are very belligerant against King Magnus, believing he has betrayed the nation by signing the recent treaty with Iceland. This is because: 1) trade already exists in Iceland, so it doesn't need to be enforced by treaty, and 2) the Shetland and Orkney islands are the key positions to secure trade in the North Sea. Without them it nullifies any gain given by Iceland granting free trading access. '''

''' Some individual nobles in Sweden or Norway reach out to the Hanseatic League for help, seeing their great success in fighting against King Valdemar of Denmark. Valdemar, meanwhile, seeks to gain support of Haakon against their mutual enemies, and offers marriage to his daughter, Margaret. King Magnus' own wife, Blanche of Namur, also dies this year. '''

''' A minor revolt occurs in Bosnia against the Serbian Empire. '''

''' A peasant uprising of Greeks occurs in Crete against Venetian rule, as a result of their ongoing civil war. '''

''' Sultan Al-Afdal of Yemen composes one of the worlds first multilingual dictionaries. '''

''' French Philosopher Jean Buridan publishes a theory of "impetus", suggesting that objects only move if a steady force continues to be applied to it. '''

''' Philip the Bold succeeds his father, John the Good, as Duke of Burgundy. '''
 * Mali Empire: The port city of Nkran along the coastal kingdom of Wydah (Ghana) continues to be slowly expanded, as navies from Koya and Dakar help supply resources and infrastructure. Neighboring tribal kingdoms to this region are also being subjugated as well, as Manding secret societies help to integrate African people groups from Waalo, Ghana, Kanem, and Nigeria. Philosophy made a great transformation in Mali around this time period, right after the death of the Prophet Abu Yunus. The "Imperial Caliph" Idris succeeded who succeeded him, taking a purely ecclessiastical post in Segu, became well known as a great philosopher in his own right. He wrote extensively on the life of the prophet, expounding on his earlier teachings and anecdotes as a way of fully codifying the Mandike religion into a cohesive narrative. He took much attention to the death of the prophet particularly, and his work On Death has often been used as a textbook on coping with grief. But to his contemporaries, On Death serves primarily as a new theologic stance on the suffering of Prophets. For Idris, persecution has always been a prerequisite of being a prophet of God, and all the great prophets of history have suffered persecution to one degree or another. The Prophets in Sunni Islam generally skirt around such persecution, especially in cases like Moses, Jonah and Jesus. These stories were not divine inspiration, but actually later fabrications as a way to hide the persecutions being conducted by the "evil" Abbasid Caliphate. In addition, the works of Latin philosophy handed down by the libraries from Rome have also helped to jumpstart innovations of epistomology in Timbuktu and other cities. This was mostly eaten up by the rising class of Yunni clerics, who were already well known as innovators. The traditional Sunni clerics that remained, however, began to take a far more reactionary appraoch and forbade modern literature altogether. Mansa Ayyob continuse to seek out new wives for his two sons Mustafa and Idris.
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: The Sultan and the Chalisa compile a book of the reforms, laws and policies of the Sultanate (much like the Arthashastra of the Maurya Empire) to act as a proper guide and give a direction to the successors, a problem which the Sultan had himself faced in the initial years of his rule after a devastating civil war. The town of Ajodhan in Punjab is renamed Faridabad after the Sufi saint Baba Farid whose shrine is in the town. The Great Sultan, Sultan Khizr Khan Khilji dies. While the Chalisa is supportive of his nominee, his second eldest Fateh Shah, there are concerns that Feroze Khan, leading his victorious army back to Delhi might proclaim himself as the Sultan. Fateh Shah waits for the return of his elder brother. Feroze Khan returns and declares his loyalty to Fateh Shah, keeping his father’s wish. Sultan-i-Hindustan Fateh Shah Khilji accedes to the throne in the Siri Fort in Delhi. He nominates Feroze Khan Khilji, his elder brother as his successor and also as the leader of the army. He makes Mohammed Asaduddin, his younger brother, the Wazir. The new Sultan seeks to continue his father’s reforms, guided by the new proto-constitution (the Dustur), the Sultan establishes a School in the Madrassa of Delhi to teach the sons of the Khilji dynasty and the sons of other Noble families in the art of administration, speech, and the Dustur and its principles, the school also teaches the children the value of loyalty to the Sultanate, and hence to the Sultan. This is to ensure that the Governors are trained in the art of administration and to make them loyal to the Sultanate and prevent them from revolting. The Sultanate reopens trade with the Mamluks and seeks to reestablish the old alliance. A permanent embassy is sent to the Mamluk capital (MOD RESPONSE). The Sultan, having visited Ethiopia and having interacted with many Ethiopians, seeks to increase relations with the Ethiopian Empire, a permanent embassy is sent to the Ethiopian capital of Barari (ATL Addis Ababa).The new Sultan was also responsible for the establishment of the naval force and is somewhat of a seafarer, he appoints his close merchant friend, Wajh-ul-Mulk, a Muslim trader who lived in Beri in Ethiopia for a few years and now lives in Khambhat as the Governor of Gujarat. The Sultan, on the advice of his elder brother and leader of the army Feroze Khan, orders the preparation of a contingent for an expedition to the East.
 * Mamluks accept an alliance.
 * Ethiopia Dip: Ethiopia accepts the embassy sent by the Sultan and grants them an office and rooms in the royal palace. 


 * Kingdom of Georgia: The Black Death resulted in the deaths of over 40% of all Georgian subjects, causing the population to decrease from 6.6 million in 1345 to 3.7 million in 1350. Queen Rusudan was a victim of the plague, succumbing to it in 1348; King Anastasios has since then largely sequestered himself in the confines of the Royal Palace until his death in 1363. In 1351, Tamar III (known popularly as "Aaliyah") married Zekariya – the son of a minor Turkish lord of partial Persian and Armenian ancestry. Aaliyah, however, has trouble bearing a child. Aaliyah succeeded to the throne without much contestation following the death of her father, with her early popularity buoyed by the successes of her predecessors and a popular belief that she will be another "Tamar the Great". Upon succeeding to the throne, Aaliyah repairs the damaged bureaucracy, thus enforcing the collection of tax after a period of mismanagement and lower than normal revenue. Aaliyah uses this revenue to continue funding medieval universities and monastic/cathedral schools and to fulfill the financial needs of the state ministries. Aaliyah also increases the base pay of the members of the Queen's Servants (a more literal translation of the Monaspa; which could also be known as the "Royal Guard") and grants new members more land. With the plague relieving pressure on lands, Aaliyah strengthens property laws and mandates that property would be given to the eldest son (if there is no son to bequeath the property to, the eldest daughter) after one's death unless stated otherwise by a will. Aaliyah also encourages the consolidation of lands for financial purposes. In the wealthiest and most densely-populated areas (Georgia proper and Shirvani), serfdom has suffered a massive blow; the tenant–landlord relationship becomes more equal and contractual in nature as the former demands higher wages and more mobility, and the latter needs more of their labor. However, elsewhere, the opposite occurs – serfdom intensifies. Silver is mined in Imereti, while copper is mined in Kartli; the influx of these metals underpin a thriving economy. Commerce increases. The main export good is cotton cloth; wine, felt, and enamel is also exported but in lesser quantities. Sanctioned foreign trade commences on a large scale once again.
 * Kingdom of Scotland: The Black Death combined with the hardships suffered in the Scottish war of independence resulted in the deaths of over 35% of all Scottish subjects, causing the population to decline from 650,000 people in 1350 to 420,000 people in 1360. Fortifications continue to be erected along the Anglo-Scottish border. Infrastructure linking the Anglo-Scottish border cities such as Roxburgh, South Berwick and Dunbar with Edinburgh, a second one starting from Edinburgh following the coast linking the capital with the major east coast cities such as Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen all the way to Iverness and finally a third one starting from Edinburgh crossing the countryside and Stirling, Glasgow and reaching the coast following it linking the west coast cities such as Ayr, Dumfries all the way to South Berwick again. They are improved as better, wider stone roads are paved, replacing existing dirt roads. Mints established during the reign of David I in the major towns of Roxburgh, Berwick, Edinburgh and Perth are reopened and circulation of Scottish coins is restarted. Trade with Reykjavik continues and intensifies as ivory trade proves quite lucrative, the excess is forwarded in Ireland, England and continental Europe. King David II enforces his desicion to designate Gaelic Scottish as the official court language, penalizing the non-conforming nobility. This marks the beginning of an era of centralization of authority in the kingdom as various other royal decrees are passed, including the vassal external wars act, disallowing internal wars inside Scotland and the title revocation act, enabling the King to revoke titles from unlawful subjects. Another act greatly relaxed forest laws, enabling and promoting their exploitation. Taking into consideration the current political outset, England remains the greatest threat to our existance and to that end, Ireland, a crucial ally in the previous war with England and a nation we would consider to be kindred, can serve as an indispensable ally in that end, for we are both threatened by the possibility of an English reemergence, aspiring to dismantle everything we fought for. As such, an offer of renewing our alliance is send to Ireland, along with establishing sea trade routes between our capitals and major cities, offering to set in motion the Edinburgh-Dublin sea route. Also an offer of betrothal is made, the King David's firstborn son and heir, Robert, aged 13, is looking for a suitable bride, in order to ensure and further strengthen future ties with Ireland. [Irish Player Response]
 * Voidevodeship of Wallachia: At this point, the Moldavian revolt is resulting in a civil war actless which is getting worse. The council sent aroung 31,000 soldiers at the border across in Moldavia Prince Nicholas would let me know it. Most of council has developed new merchandist ships battle to intervene in main territory of Moldovia. An offer is made by the noblemen of Nicholas Alexander of Wallachia. Literature and culture are the same in progress far away for now major cities are protected civil right. the revolt causes trouble in Wallachia. They are improving a new border fortress - a village on the border of Wallachia-Moldavian. A lettermens goes in the senate of the voidevode to asking help to end this civil war so they're in the Danube River with some 31,000 soldiers across Moldavia at Giugiulesti so we ask if we can help them as possible we can (mod reponse)


 * Iceland: With the new Islands the population reaches 30.800, the Duchy of the Isles is created along with the Archbishopric of the Isles. Gúri Petersen is made the Gúri I of the Isles while the Archbishop of the Isles is Sveinn Patriksson. King Regent Ólaf issues that any unmarried women older than 25 is a self governing member of society, and widows with land now get voting rights. The daughter of Duchess Gúri, Elísbet is betrothed to King Domnhall
 * Papal States: With the end of the Conclave, Cardinal Andrew Corsini is choose as the new pope. He is reluctant to accept, but Cardinal Ari Arason from Iceland was able to persuade him by saying that it was God's choice and if by refusing, he is refusing God. Resigned, Andrew accept the burden that God have give to him, then he is crowned as Pope Nicholas V. His first act as pope is choose to the position of Cardinal-Secretary, Ari Arason. The position of head of the Army of Mercy is given to Cardinal Rinaldo Orsini. Nicholas welcome the commitive from the Emperor of Ethiopia and accept the presents. He sends to the Emperor a letter asking to establish contact with the Ethiopians. The pope also sends three Mercedine monks to work as papal legates with the Ethiopian Emperor. Their names are Ulderico Sabbatini, Berardo Cappellino and Giancarlo Contino. A golden cross and an icon of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria are sent as gifts to the Emperor [Ethiopia response needed, please]. The gifts given by Ethiopia are pawned and the money is used to help in the Church's works of charity. This year, Guy de Chauliac publishes his treatise on surgery, which named the Chirurgia Magna. The original book is placed in the Sistine Library, but monks start to work in copies to be distributed across Europe. By suggestion of Chauliac, the pope allows that medicine and astronomy be taught in Saint Augustine's Library.  After having analysed the miracle attributed to king Wenceslaus III and finding many other cases of inexplicable cures also attributed to the king across Poland, a revision of his live is done. After seeing that he had a virtuous life, Pope Nicholas V declares king Wenceslaus III as a Saint. Even with the persecution of Christians having ended in Egypt, the Coptic refugees decide to continue to live in the Papal States, having stablished themselves in the province of the March of Ancona. The Holy Father creates as cardinal Walter Wardlaw (Scotland) and Sveinn Patriksson (Iceland). As requested last year, the pontiff allows that St. Gall joins the Swiss Confederacy. Nicholas send a letter to the Orthodox patriarch of Bulgaria, asking for the establishment of diplomatic relations [MOD response needed, please]. Elena Cimorelli continues to have her visions about the Passio of Christ. All that she sees is write in her diary. the Workers of Charity, both males and females, continue to help the poor. The community of Giorgio Cassani continues to attract men wanting to help those in need. With the blessings of the pope and of Elena Cimorelli, some female Workers of Charity led by Loretta Marinacci sends a letter to the Central Council asking to be allowed to create a convent/beguinage in Swiss territory [Swiss Comfederacy response needed, please].
 * Swiss Diplomacy: The Central Council approves the beguines' request and offers them some land on the outskirts of the city of Lucerne to create a beguinage.
 * Patriarch Theodosius II agrees to extend diplomatic relations
 * Ethiopian Dip: The Empire graciously accepts the generous gifts and monks sent by the Roman Pontiff
 * Republic of Venice: After the city of Bologna is captured, the last of the mighty Romagnan cities falls to Venice, ending the last organized headquarter of the revolt and annexing the former Federation. The war was costly and hard fought but in the end the good and legitimate powers have won. The heads of the revolt, Andrea Gritti and Filippo Colleoni are arrested, executed and their heads are paraded in the streets of Venice and Bologna respectively, their ministers, meanwhile, are castrated and have their eyes gorged out, those who are specialists and/or run their ministries the most effective. These traitors to the republic are left to be beggars on the street, not even being worthy of death. However, the Doge can be a very mild and loving ruler on the other side. Concerned about the situation in Crete, the peasants are asked for concrete demands, so that a solution can be found (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED). Lord Ordelaffi, meanwhile, is honored for his daring bravery and intelligence as a general for Venice, and is promoted as Chief General of the Venetian army. When the Ethiopian traders turn up in Europe and the Egyptians lift their trading ban, teh Senate reaches out to the Ethiopian Emperor, to sort out a trade agreement for the spice trade (ETHIOPIA AND EGYPT RESPONSE, PLEASE). The trade would be done via Rhodes and Crete in particular, lowering the risk of piracy compared to direct trade to the western Mediterranean.
 * Crete demands that recent taxes imposed on them since the start of the civil war should be revoked, and that the people responsible for enforcing the taxes namely Luchino del Verme and  Marco Gradenigo should be removed and prosecuted. These demands, posted by a council at the church of Saint Titus, is known as the St. Titus Articles
 * Egypt agrees to trade with Venice exclusively
 * Ethiopian Dip: Ethiopia agrees to establish trade relations with Venice
 * Kingdom of Portugal: This year is a sad year for the king and the kingdom with Heir apparent Ferdinand dies as a result of wounds he sustained during accident earlier this year.This means that next in line for the throne is King peters and Queen inez eldest son,Prince John which is broght home to the capital to began preparing for his inevitable task as king.The king nonetheless continues the annual royal tour visiting many important shipyards and is recived with joy and celebrations everywhere.
 * Sweden-Norway: The year begins with civil war still raging in the country, as villages are set afire, forts stormed, and peasants slaughtered. More and more jarls start pledging their allegiance to Haakon, recognising him as the true King of Sweden and Norway. Battles are fought regularly throughout the country, with some amounting to thousands of dead. Meanwhile, Magnus is holed up in Jonkoping, virtually surrounded on almost all sides, mourning the death of his wife Blanche, who remained in Stockholm. He had taken along himself several of—what he thought were his loyal nobles—to Jonkoping, however, with the tide rapidly turning in favor of Haakon, which many of the nobles, many of them Norwegian, think would be a much better king. They conspire to overthrow Magnus, their reasons being his grievous economical and political mishandling, and the Treaty of Akranes  On the evening of 30 August, the pro-Haakon nobles stage a coup during a dinner, killing Magnus IV & VII, his guards, advisors, and his most loyal jarls, and surrende the town of Jonkoping. A messenger brings these news to Haakon, who mourns the death of his father, who he never meant to kill. He realises that he must act quickly, however. Haakon orders that messengers spread the news. Realising that Sweden and Norway are in a precarious situation, he ultimately agrees to his supposed former enemy King Valdemar's offer regarding a future marriage with his daughter Margaret, although he would want to hear what more conditions Valdemar has, and also proposes a mass marriage of the sons and daughters of prominent Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish lords with each other in order to solidify any alliance (that is to say, the son of a Swedish jarl would marry the daughter of a Norwegian jarl, and a Danish daughter would marry the son of a Norwegian jarl, and vice versa and so on) (mod response). However, even with Magnus dead, several jarls opposed to Haakon remain, mostly spread around southern Sweden.
 * King Valdemar IV holds the condition that Sweden-Norway should join in the current war against the Hanseatic League on his side, to defend Jutland and Zeeland from current German aggression. Also, he requests the borders of Scania should return to status quo antebellum
 * Swiss Confederacy: With Pope Nicholas V's approval, the new Canton of St. Gallen joins the Confederacy as its seventeenth canton and is given a seat on the Central Council represented by Prince-Abbot Georg of Wildenstein, expanding the Central Council's size to twenty. As the Central Council still sees a potential for military conflict on the eastern border, the joint military immediately begins to fortify the Canton of St. Gallen, particularly the central Abbey of Saint Gall, and continues to use Rapperswil Castle in the Canton of Toggenburg as a base of operations. Furthermore, the Cantons of Toggenburg and St. Gallen send a group of envoys to the County of Montfort (which currently controls a territory just to the east of the Canton of St. Gallen extending from Feldkirch in the south to Tettnang in the north, including the city of Bregenz and surrounding but not including the independent city of Lindau), suggesting that Montfort join the Confederacy for defensive benefit against the Habsburgs (who might use the incompetent Count of Werdenberg-Sargans to attack Montfort) and for trade benefit. (Mod response) In the town of Rorscach in the Canton of St. Gallen, located on the shore of Lake Constance, boats are built to allow communication and trade with cities across the lake; Zürich and Lucerne boatbuilders are consulted to make the construction more efficient. As the King of Wallachia did not convert to Catholicism, the Swiss Confederacy will not supply any more mercenaries to them and the 3,000 mercenaries who had fought in Wallachia are stationed to protect the cities of Zürich and Schwyz. The Western Patriarch Loren Velásquez (1280-1363) dies of natural causes and Mikel Mendoza (b. 1297), head priest of Unterwalden since 1343, is selected to replace him as Western Patriarch. With Mendoza thus moving to the Western Church's see in Tudela, Martin Etcheverry (b. 1311), a Basque priest originally from Bayonne in Gascony who moved to Unterwalden in the 1340s, replaces him as head priest in Unterwalden. The Central Council sends an envoy to Pope Nicholas V, asking him to create the new Western Patriarch Mikel Mendoza as cardinal. (Papal response) With the Manesse family's approval and to the annoyance of the guild of Zürich, scholars from the Bern Library work on creating a fourth copy of the Codex Manesse for their collection. In the Cantons of Basel-City and Basel-Bishopric, repairs of the Basel Cathedral are completed but general rebuilding efforts continue. Domestically, the government works on funding boatbuilding in Rorschach and expanding the lumber industry which said boatbuilding depends on.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Nicholas V creates as cardinal patriarch Mikel Mendoza.
 * The Count of Montfort has peaceful relations with Austria and denies this request.
 * Kingdom of Eiru: With the end of war trade resumes as wool and whisky are sold overseas again. One merchant extracts and dries peat and sails to France and then Iberia to sell it as a fuel. Copper mines begin to open up to extract copper ore. The various Irish Kings begin to go their own way and central authority remains weak without the Kingdom of England involved. With the troops returned home there is enough manpower for farms King Tighearnach forms the Parliament of Ireland which contains representatives of the various lesser Kings of Ireland and gives it the right to raise tribute. The lesser Kings of Ireland are reluctant to give much in the way of funds. King Cormac Mac Carthaigh of Desmond allows a number of former Welsh soldiers who fled after the treaty and impoverished Irish soliders led by the Welsh Óengus Feidlimid, landless Irish Dubhghall Aengus and Norse-Gaelic Sigsteinn Alfarr to reside in his Kingdom and they turn to piracy as a new line of work using small longboats until they grab a few ships and return them for ransom allowing them to build a galley and begin raiding shipping in the Celtic Sea bringing small success. The Kingdom of Eiru accepts the Scottish marriage offer giving Naomh O Neill who is 12 as a bride.
 * Kingdom of lotharingia: "Were Di": Hendrickus and his explorers find land they see as good trading posts able to keep their trading missions alive and well. This spot being a small peninsula with golden beaches inbetween Morocco and the Mali empire, where allmost no people live. So Hendrick pisacus sets camp in the Desert Bay, thus founding semi-officialy a new Sidinate. This camp being for the moment rather basic with one dock, couple of bakeries and armouries and some christian butchers who are allowed to make Harram food and a couple of Islamic butchers which are not allowed to even touch Harram meats on Duty. سيدي  إرميا الهلشتية sending some of his converts to the locals to tell them about the New sidi of the land and that he will protect nomadic traditions culture and life. The Crown lands of the Channel islands get their first soldiers those being under command of Edmond Mortimer who is given as duty to protect these islands. While this not being a paid command he's allowed to keep a small precentage of the Taxation and tolls of the islands. The Garison he puts on the islands to replace the English garison, being 2,000 soldiers his troops from wales and Ireland. While the other 1,000 troops under his command are send back to the Lordship of Horne. Charles trusting in the abilities of the Prince of Wales to protect these islands from any english agresion, as he and his father fought the english many times before. In Malines Jan van Osy begins to gain more and more in recognision due to his works on the Saint Rombouts Church, this being a great example of Brabantine Gothic building style.
 * Tian China: With the battle of Luang-Prabang successfully won we manage to repel Ayutthayan and Vietnamese forces from the area and break the siege of the city for our allies. From their, Prince Xuanye splits the army into two groups, one, the larger one, pursues the fleeing Ayutthayan and Champan forces to the border alongside the majority of the vengeful La Xang army, and forces them into a battle pinning them to a river so that they are forced to confront our forces and are unable to escape, in the hopes of capturing the leader of the Ayutthayan forces and destroying their army here, in order to force them to leave the war. The majority of our forces go with this group, meaning we continue to heavily outnumber the Thai forces facing us in this battle. This battle is personally led by the Prince, who is a skilled and experienced tactitian, in order to ensure its success personally. The rest of our forces pursue the Vietnamese armies to the border with the country, but stop their, and request to meet with a representitve of the Vietnamese emperor to make peace terms, as the Zhiyěmán Emperor desires to maintain the status quo with Vietnam, and is willing to forgive their transgressions if they agree to withdraw from the war and sign a ten year non aggression pact with both La Xang and The Celestial Empire (VIETNAM RESPONSE NEEDED). The migration of Han people from the eastern provinces and north into the depopulated regions of Henan and the Yangzte continues throughout this year. The emperor also begins looking for a wife for his favourite son and probable successor, Prince Shang, he most likely is going to go for a Chinese noble, but would be willing to consider offers from our allies if they are made (MOD OR PLAYER RESPONSE).
 * Dai Viet: Dai Viet agrees to the non-aggression pact for ten years.
 * Japanese Dip: The new emperor Yoshishege offers his younger sister Miyuki of the direct imperial line of the Yamato clan. Rulers of the land of the rising sun to be the wife to the Chinese empror. He cites her tutelage in administration and her stellar performance in the extremely complicated goings on of the Japanese court life.
 * Tian Dip: The Emperor accepts this, and the wedding of Miyuki and Prince Shang is arranged to take place early next year.


 * Hungary-Croatia: King Stephan VI, angered after the signing of the Treaty of Pest gathers an army of 25,000 to counter the new Wallachian army crossing into Moldova. Combined with the troops pacifying the region and extra 5,000 is added to the army to make the 30,000 troops defy to idiotic actions of the Wallachians. King Stephan VI demands the Wallachians return home or a state of war will once again exist between Hungary-Croatia and Wallachia (Wallach Response). Meanwhile, settlement in Moldova by ethnic Hungarians continues to be encouraged along with those of the nobility.


 * Iréchecua Tzintzuntzáni: As the war has finally concluded, the time of major reconstruction and re-enforcement of defensive lines begins, expecting to be completed by 1370. Literature and culture continues to develop at a priority degree, sparking the formation of market places and a prospering and economically powerful trade route being set up along the roads of the city-states in the Toltec Alliance. Having purged the followers of Izel and killed his first born, Cazonci Nalhen is visisted by the ever seductive Auicamine. Auicamine ponders whether Nalhen's existence, as a whole, is worth continuation, citing his lack of following up the terms of putting Tarasca into a state of perpetual expansion through war and violence. Nalhen begs Auicamine to give him time to foster the forces needed, to which Auicamine agrees on the grounds that her vision is parelled to the war diety Cuitzeo's, of which is to expand and perfect the Empire in hopes of further straying away from Curicaveri and Cuerauáperi's envision, albiet she wishes to see the entire state itself fall into nothingness. Auicamine finally accepts Nalhen's moment for breathe in the tumultuous, geo-political status of the state and its governing territory. However, she states that upon her return to Nalhen, war will be initiated out of his power if he wishes to compell her advances. Nalhen agrees, and Auicamine disappears in the forrest from which she came. As re-construction continues within the recently conquered territories, urbanization resumes for the time being. A southern Chichimecan warlord known as Yaluk meets with the followers of Izel, speaking with the Council of Huit'xi directly. It is at this point, according to the Text of Izel, that Yaluk would find solace in their religion, becoming a follower himself. With the Council of Huit'xi and the number of remaining followers noe having a warlord as a follower, Warlord Yaluk would allow their company within his tribal territory. It is at this point that the Text of Izel ends, and the beginning of the Text of Tepeu would begin, being named after the Council Buku, Tepeu, whom had been the primarily preacher to Yaluk. Although that reputation was important for the survival of Izel's faith at the time, Tepeu would also go on to develop the religion from its non-material origins to a way of life: the way for living within society, what morals and ethics would should use in critical situations, and a new method of worship that would become essential to the religion's later popularity. His ideas and theories in the religion would be stored through oral history, being transcribed in later decades. At the moment, however, the Council of Huit'xi would continue their preaching and spread their religion throughout the Chichimecan peoples, unknown to Cazonci Nalhen.
 * Japanese Empire: The empire this year sees a slowdown in growth as war profiteering has not exactly taken to Japanese merchants who were more looking to sell more "civil" goods. This slowdown in civilian trade leads a small trade fleet to accompany a some small Chinese trade vessels which arrive in Luzon this year taking port and trading with the local kingdom. Information about the islands is paid for handsomely and the Japanese traders make clear effort to acquire maps as well hoping to get an extremely clear picture of the islands and its current political landscape. The expansion of settlements in Manchuria has also begun to take hold a little more prolifically with more farms and small towns beginning to dot the landscape running from Aimoi toward the north following a usual tribal route of travel which becomes known locally as the "great road." This does some good in securing and locking down more control over Japanese held Manchuria as the farms and towns have dotted up along this road. Aimoi also in the last few years has seen relatively high growth expanding to nearly 3,000 people and a bustling port as much trade runs through here to reach north-central and northern Japan in earnest with Trade guilds attempting to outcompete each other for the trade routes. Yet another trade route begins to open up in a more codified sense in the north as the influx of furs from the mainland of Siberia and Island of Sakhalin becomes a lucrative frontier prompting the Emperor to dispatch more capable garrison troops to lock down and develop the capabilities of the islands. The kurils also sees heavier settlement as the closer islands now boast about 300-500 people a piece and the further islands have established a permanent civilian presence. Emperor Katsumoto this year in a solemn but honorable ceremony turns over control of the Empire and the Chrysanthemum throne to his son Yoshishege. Yoshishege immediately continues many of his father's policies and assumed leadership in a relatively seamless transition as many administrative duties had already been turned over to him in years prior. The shortage of gold specifically puts a strain on the currency of Japan which effectively causes high value in the gold Koban and the gold Ichububan. This is good in terms of trade abroad and some purchases but it induces an unwanted gold crunch on the economy which slows it down by a relatively decent amount forcing the previously lessened gold items tax to be harshened in an attempt to make up for the shortfalls. The only other catharsis for this, however, comes from the arrival of the small trade fleet returning from Luzon having trading with the Filipino kingdoms and secured a relatively high amount of gold from them. This prompts the new emperor to personally finance a large trade expedition to the Luzon kingdoms next year laden with high value trade goods specifically to attempt to secure a large influx of gold bullion from the kingdoms in order to try to end the gold crunch afflicting the nations currency system. He specifically avoids debasing the currency and decreasing the gold amount within the Koban coins hoping to find a decisive solution for this issue. The Kensei order having made a series of very public and very well approved moves now has a national following. In the decade since its founding The Order has managed to take unruly ronin out of the streets and bring them in touch with a spiritual peace and peace of mind not many look to achieve. Their outright superior swordsmanship coming from the Kensei Grandmaster have taken over the swordstyles of Japan with the relatively new Sapporo School of northern swordsmanship, the Niryu school of the Niryu clan, and the School of Susanoo taking its name from the Storm god. These styles and their sub-schools have begun to overtake the Ronin of Japan specifically of the Kensei orders and those unaffiliated with the official schools of the nobility of Japan. Their number now stands at nearly 1,000 and growing further as some cities opt to hire them specifically as deterrents to crime with their mere presence being enough to deter crime in entire towns and cities. Meanwhile, in Oda, a fateful prospector finds gold.. keeping its closely guarded secret as he trades in the gold at a local currency office for Koban.. He begins using his small fortune to set up a mine in secret only telling close friends and family offering to allow them to share in the wealth if only they keep the secret. Only time will tell how profitable the Iwami-Ginzan mine will become but this man believes his find could be significant.
 * Nyazwe: The loyalist and rebel forces of the region under Chatunga and Wataida gather near the city of Malumba, where Wataida has spent significant time preparing for an expected return of loyalist forces to the region several years before. The city itself closes its gates to both sides, politely declining to allow its land to be used by either side out of concern for the civilians within, an act which is begrudgingly accepted by the opposing forces. Viewing the coming battle as the one to end the war, Chatunga and Wataida allow their men to rest for a few days ahead of the battle itself, while both take some time for themselves to plan out their tactics ahead of the battle. While surveying the terrain with his commanders to determine the best locations to station his men, Wataida finds Chatunga with his own commanders doing the same. Fearing that this may be the last time he sees his brother, with whom he spent so many years fighting alongside, an unarmed Wataida surprises his brother in the field to speak with him in person, a gesture which is returned by Chatunga. The two embrace the other and put aside their hatred for one another, and spend a few hours alone discussing the past and future events. The details of their discussion remain unknown as the two ordered their men to move away and give them privacy. Returning to their respective camps, the brothers rally their men for the battle. In what has now become the single-largest battle of the war, 23,700 loyalist troops confront 17,500 rebel troops outside of Malumba, and fall upon the other with every manner of brutality and barbarism known to the Shona people. Discipline among the ranks of both sides is barely maintained by their commanders, who have to drag some of their warriors back to their ranks to maintain the battle-lines of their units. Chatunga's numerical superiority is blunted by the larger number of cavalry boasted by Wataida, though the overall lack of manpower on the part of the latter prevents him from pushing forth with an outstanding victory. Ultimately, the day is decided by the charge of some four guruva of loyalist cavalry into the rear of the rebel lines, after the cavalry of the latter was pulled away by their attempt to break through the lines where Chatunga was located. The rebel lines are rolled up by the loyalists, whose numbers have finally begun to impact the flow of the battle, forcing the rebels' resolve the collapse and force them to retreat. The unfamiliarity both sides in using such vast numbers of men in a single pitched battle causes some of them to miscalculate the actual weight of numbers on their lines, and when the rebels begin to retreat, they find themselves trapped between two forces more than a dozen ranks deep on both ends. The defeated warriors panic and begin to force one another out of the way, climbing over other warriors and crushing one another in a terrified flight away from the victorious spears of the loyalists. Hundreds of rebel warriors are trampled to death by hardened loyalists and inexperienced rebel forces who had been drafted into the ranks by Wataida, and had no knowledge of a proper withdrawal from battle, leading to countless deaths in a wild retreat from the fight. Wataida for his part flees with the remains of his army to the Limpopo River, where he attempts to retreat across the river to the Nguni lands to the south, hoping to obtain refuge in the arms of his allies. However, many of his men still fearful of being slain at the hands of the loyalists closely pursuing them, jump into the river and attempt to swim across, rather than crossing over the shallow sections of the river. Several hundred more warriors perish under the strong currents of the river, and delay Wataida's crossing to the point where he can no longer evade the loyalist forces. In what becomes the true final battle of the war, Chatunga's forces surround and destroy the remaining rebel forces along the Limpopo River, which are at this point demoralized and shattered as a fighting force. Wataida is captured by a group of warriors as he attempts to escape to the south himself, and is brought before his brother in the aftermath of the battle. Showing him an undeserved degree of mercy and forgiveness, Chatunga does not have his brother executed for treason against the state, and instead has him stripped of all titles and privileges afford to his previous station within Nyazwe. His sentence is to be tried in Lusvingo and given his punishment by the body of the Hamadzese. At his trial, Wataida's crimes laid bare before the Hamadzese and the people in a public fashion, with witnesses and warriors giving their testimonies before the governing body. The warriors who had captured Wataida give their testimonies before the Hamadzese, revealing that they had captured him as he attempted to flee across the Limpopo by himself, abandoning his warriors as the battle still raged on. Wataida's cowardice disgusts the Hamadzese as well as the civilians watching the trial. Not only had Wataida abandoned his father on his deathbed, blaming him for the rebellion Wataida failed to prevent, but he sided with the Mutape clans, slaughtered their leaders, installed himself as their leader after posing as their ally, abandoned the men who pledged themselves to his cause, and then attempted to flee into the arms of the historical foes of the Shona people, the Nguni. With this knowledge revealed to the crowds, the rebel generals and the loyalists assembled begin to shout for Wataida's death, a punishment agreed upon unanimously by the Hamadzese. Chatunga, who had silently allowed this trial to proceed without interruption, declares that he will carry out the punishment personally. Taking his spear, Chatunga impales his brother with it before the people, and declares that the war between brothers is over.
 * Latin Empire of Romania: Our troops - from the Hamidid beylik and amassed in Caria - march into Aydin, after the Emperor officially continues the holy war against them (ALGO, Please). The first battle is slated to be fought at Birgi, the Aydinid capital. Led by reinforcements who came prepared with siege equipment, who are in turn led by Pascal de Renoud, we attack the city's walls and prepared to burst into the city. Then, Prince Andrzej will lead a charge into the city proper. Domestically, trade and production continue to be major drivers of the Latin Romanian economy.
 * Kingdom of Dai Viet: Dai Viet outside the city of Luang Prabang are ordered to stand down and withdraw considering China's involvement in the war (Dai Viet is a tributary). With China's intervention preventing Dai Viet's expansion in the North, Dai Viet's remaining forces are released from service. The assimilation of southern Dai Viet still faces problems from unhappy locals over culture and governance. The situation starts to become less tense as the first adminstrators/officials native to the region are beginning to be put into postions across the region.To lighten up the burden on his officials in Southern Dai Viet, Emperor Chinh orders the emergency tax in the region to be lessened so as to not seem overbearing and cruel to the local populace. To speed along Southern Dai Viet's integration the Imperial government has started to encourage noble families from north and south to marry their children to one another in exchange for monetary compensation Emperor Chinh has the blacksmiths stop manufacturing arms for Dai Viet as an unsteady status quo settles into place. The laborers and slaves continue to work on expanding/improving the roads across Dai Viet by beginning to expand their size and utilize better buiilding materials. In an effort to improve communications across the Kingdom, the Emperor has decreed the establishment of the Imperial Courier Service which serves the nobles and imperial government exclusively. The Service utilizes multiple stops along a road with fresh horses and messengers at each stop in a bucket brigade sort of fashion as messages are passed off quickly at each stop. As the year continues, the Empress gives birth to a healthy baby boy by the name of Quan who is declared healthy by the physicians and named the Crown Prince for Dai Viet. The diplomats in the Kingdom of Champa are ordered to request that King Che Mo becomes tributary to Dai Viet (Mod Response).  Emperor Chinh reaches out to the King of Ayutthaya and request for him to withdraw from Lan Xang and negotiatate a peace with China and Lan Xang considering the size of the army China is capable of fielding (Mod Response). The Empress gives birth to a healthy, baby boy by the name of Quan with the Imperial government giving tax breaks to the nobles and organize celebrations across the Kingdom in small towns to cities.
 * Champa agrees to be a tributary of Dai Viet.
 * Empire of Ethiopia: Ethiopian settlement of the conquered areas continues to cement Ethiopian dominance over the region. The regions of Axum, northern Somalia and the lands of the Shewa are heavily populated by members of the Chewa caste. The presence of the Chewa, as well as the burgeoning markets forming at the Chewa fortresses, draws many Ethiopian civilians to settle in the area as well. These markets, full of exotic goods, are closed to any non-Christians. Those who convert are allowed to visit the market. The roads in the conquered areas, being developed for some year now, are tentatively established. However, native Muslims traveling on the road are charged a toll for using them. Additionally, Monks of the Order of St. Anthony continue to spread through the conquered lands to establish monasteries and parishes, providing religious services for the locals there and helping to convert the muslims. The Ministry of Trade agents based in Cairo and Alexandria as well as Ethiopian merchants in Egypt begin to relay reports of Christians trading in Egypt. These Christians are part of the lands known as Europe which the traveler Hendrickus Pisacus informed the Empire about. Hearing of these new Christians, the Emperor forms a massive diplomatic delegation, consisting of Imperial agents, military generals, and clergymen. This delegation intends to travel the lands of Europe and learn about the new Christian Kingdoms there.

1364
''' The situation in Scandinavia gradually improves as Haakon II and VI regains full control over Sweden-Norway. King Valdemar IV, by his marriage alliance with Haakon, urges him to help stop the ongoing invasion of the Hanseatic League. Bridget of Sweden empathizes with Margaret, sill a child, being used as a pawn in the political situation. She writes a letter to the Pope, describing the marriage as "children playing with toys". '''

''' Some of the nobles in Norway who helped depose Magnus, however, instead want to enact revenge against Iceland, not only taking back the islands of Orkney and Shetland, but pushing further to re-subjugate the former Norwegian colonies. '''

''' As the Turkic Beyliks fall into further disorder by the ongoing Holy Wars of the Latin Empire, the Byzantine Empire seizes the opportunity to expand further as well. The general Alexios Apokaukos proves to be a supremely effective commander, and begins to quickly subjugate parts of Saruhan, while the Latin Empire invades Aydin from the south. '''

''' Ottokar of Bohemia enters a prolonged illness, leading to a dispute between his two sons. The younger brother, Henry, plots to unseat his father and seize his inheritance over his older brother. In Prague, supporters of Henry proceed to purge out the supporters of Wenceslaus, and Prince Wenceslaus himself flees the city to Poland upon the advice of his father. Despite securing Prague, much of the military leadership refuse to accept the coup of Henry and flock to the support of Wenceslaus. '''

''' John of Valois, the former king of France dies in prison. His son, Count Charles of Valois, pursues his claim to be king instead of Victor. This is generally not supported, as Victor scores a decisive victory in securing the French claimant over the throne of Brittany, Charles of Blois. '''

'''Many tribal states in central Burma unite together into a single kingdom, known as the Ava Dynasty. They immediately become a regional rival to the power of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The Thailand dynasty reaches out to negotiate a peace deal with Lan Xang.'''
 * Kingdom of Dai Viet:  With the conflict with Lan Xang in the past, the Emperor has decided to turn his attention to matters at home starting with the violation of the slave codes where children are forced to work arduous jobs and slaves are treated inhumanely. To crackdown on this abuse of power which could potentially lead to a slave revolt, the Emperor has mandated that any agent of the government, official or otherwise, is bound by law to stop and apprehend the violator. The slaves who were victims of the violations would be given a small amount of money from the owner a means of apologies. Furthermore, there have been further additions to the Slave Codes with owners now required to feed the slaves to levels deemed appropriate to the slaves' age as well as allow slaves to go worship on every seventh day. The few remaining free, educated Nestorians and their families are brought into the Imperial Court on the orders of the Emperor to prevent the nobles from coming to view the Nestorian religion as inferior. The Emperor has ordered that laborers and slaves in the employ of the Imperial government to focus on roadbuilding or to offer a helping hand to villagers/farmers wherever they should see fit during the roadbuilding. The Emperor has also decided to offer wages to the Nestorian slaves to allow them to buy their freedom although the wages they receive pales in comparison to the pay for laborers. Furthermore, the Emperor has commissioned Buddhist temples in major cities across Dai Viet along with a few smaller and far less expensive ones for Nestorians to safely worship. The young prince Quan continues to grow at a healthy rate according to the Court Physicians and is carefully watched after by Buddhist monks to teach him humility at a young age. As the Kingdom recovers from the recent war, gladiator pits are opened up across the Kingdom as the soldiers return from war with fighting experience under their belt and fight in the pits for extra money. Furthermore, with the reopening of the pits, slaves are made to fight by their masters but this is quickly prevented by an Imperial order preventing slaves from entering the pits to fight without a special writ issued by a regional administrator. In southern Dai Viet, gold mines are placed under construction once more with the construction moving along quite nicely. Efforts are made by officials there, on the orders of the Emperor, to learn local culture to ensure that they can show respect and adhere to it. The Scarlet Dragons begin to takeover crucial spying jobs once entrusted to the Intelligence Minister due to the nature of the work. Shipbuilders are once more commissioned to produce and additional 50 ships (15 transport ships, five horse ships, 20 Fuchuan ships, five water tankers, five supply ships) which are expected to take up to five to six years with the use of Champa shipbuilders within Dai Viet and its new tributary of Champa (50 Fuchuan ships in current navy). To show his thanks for Che Mo's obedience, the Emperor dispatches gifts of incense, silk, and gold to Che Mo. The Emperor also orders the Minister of Intelligence to maintain a spy network in Champa so that any possible threats to Dai Viet can be monitored and documented. The combined navy of Dai Viet and Champa is ordered to be stocked with supplies and weapons in case their use should be needed against the large army in the East. Diplomatic envoys are ordered to contact the Khmer Empire and request military access to Khmer territory to be able to move troops through to Ayutthaya as news of a massive army begins to trickle in from the west  (Mod Response) . Traders/merchants in China are ordered to purchase gunpowder and gunpowder weapons from China for use by Dai Viet  (China Response) . Emperor Chinh begins to orders crackdowns on the administrators/officials across the Kingdom to root out corruption that has only grown rampant as the Kingdom's efforts have been focused elsewhere over the past few years. The Minister of Intelligence, Minister of Internal Security, and the Scarlet Dragons are given the authorization to launch a campaign arresting corrupt officials from across the Kingdom on charges of treason so long as they can provide evidence of the official/administrators corruption. The first batch of children from the Imperial Examination reforms by this point has reached the age of 11 years old and although suffering minor harassment from nobles, they remain safe under the Emperor's protection for the time being. To improve life around the Kingdom, the Emperor has ordered the Imperial government to begin sponsoring entertainment troupes, artists, sculptors, and architects to improve and spread Dai Viet's culture around the Kingdom. A scouting party is launched to observe and gather knowledge on the massive army that is moving toward Ayutthaya at an alarming pace.
 * Khmer would only provide such access if the western invaders become more of an immediate threat.
 * Empire of Ethiopia: As part of Ethiopia’s focus on its internal domestic issues, the Emperor Newaya Krestos decides to further improve upon the Imperial bureaucracy his father created. The Ethiopian Empire borrows administrative practices from the Rasulid Sultanate, and the Emperor implements some Yemeni practices. In order to improve the Ministry of War, the Emperor ends the practice of allowing the Minister of War to appoint low-level commanders, which has led to accusations of corruption and bribery. Instead the current Minister of War is removed from his position and a new one is appointed. The Emperor implements a system by which for every 1,000 Chewa families a sub-commander will be appointed, usually a soldier from the Chewa ranks themselves. The Emperor thus reserves the right to appoint an overall commander of the army as well as lower ranking commanders. The Minister of War’s role is restricted to arranging and organizing payment, supplies, and proper conscription. A member of the Ministry of War is sent to each Chewa fort to ensure the implementation of Imperial laws and to help organize the Chewa when the time comes to muster the troops. The administration of the Imperial cities is also reorganized. Each Imperial City will be appointed two members of the Ministry of Trade as well as two members of the Ministry of the Treasury. These five Imperial officials will form a smaller “Ruling Council” to administer each city and ensure the proper collection of taxes and tariffs. By now, the number of Imperial cities has grown to five, with their taxes and revenue under the exclusive control of the Emperor. Additionally, the Emperor uses the crown’s wealth to begin building magnificent Churches in each Imperial city as a sign of the monarchy’s devotion to Christ. The Empire also expands its mining operations, as well as digging irrigation ditches to help aid agriculture in the more arid regions. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian delegation to Europe reaches Egypt, carrying gifts of spices, ivory, gold, and a copy of the Kebra Nagast, a piece of literature which details the spiritual,  religious and political history of Ethiopia in 117 chapters. The delegation attempts to arrange transport with Venetian traders to reach Europe. [VENETIAN RESPONSE NEEDED].
 * Sultanate of Hindustan: The Sultan orders the expansion of the Navy mainly to protect merchants. The fleet is expanded to 60 small dhows (~100 ton) and 20 kotiyas (~250 ton). The reconstruction of the Ghazni fortress is started. The Eastern expedition begins with four tumen of light armored cavalry led by Feroze Khan thundering into the Arakan region overpowering the Arakan state, the cavalry is followed by two tumen of infantry and further move to siege Hanthawaddy, sacking all the cities that come in the way. (Hanthawaddy is the capital of Hanthawaddy Pegu). The armies use the Turkman style of warfare using cavalry heavy approach and there is also a limited use of firearms called the top-o-tufak (ALGO NEEDED). Meanwhile, to better ensure the uniformity of the administration, the Sultan upgrades the status of all feudatories as Iqtadars, and copper plate inscriptions are made describing the territories and revenue obligations of each iqtadar. However, this also changes the institution of the Iqta. The Iqta has now become hereditary. However, new Iqtas have not been awarded since the time of Alauddin Khilji, a practice that is now written into the Dustur. The Iqtadars also have to maintain a small army (the size of which is mentioned in the Copper plate inscription) which can be called up by the Sultan. The Indian mercantile community has grown spectacularly over the years specifically because of the peace and stability provided by the Sultanate, the postal services and the secure trade routes with its many serais. The Indian mercantile community has grown into several powerful guilds and many have developed into big companies in Gujarat and Sindh aided by the spread of Islamic capitalist concepts.
 * Voidevodeship of Wallachia: As Nicholas Alexander in a issues development, Prince Nicholas Alexander decide to found a organization which is would developing in a way organize to payment to improve on the voidevode the council has a point of accusation which is bad the council implement some production from Byzantine we establish a office on Dobruj. Meanwhile, the Vlachs research a delegation to participate in a trade adventure the council has developed carrying food and such other heatlh stuff to survive it outsided of Balkan some Vlachs explorer start to trade with other nation and such route aswell most of army accros the kingdom developed cannon boat and the Vlachs write a piece of literature storie we head radu write or not the diploma andreanum so we reach some route that we can get contact in other nation to trade which is reponsing wallachia into a central role or something else the order send a expansion of boat to guide on that journey local sent by The Council of Bassarab.
 * Nyazwe: Reviewing the aftermath of the civil war's impact, Chatunga embarks upon a period of extensive reforms from the top to the bottom of Nyazwe's government, military, economy, and society, hoping to prevent another massive conflict in the country for as long as he and his successors are able. During his time isolated from his men to help him focus on the events that would take place after the war, Chatunga wrote up a series of laws and edicts that would be used as the basis of giving the government its legitimacy and establishing which powers were assigned to which ministers within the government. Requests for local autonomy by the governors and the demands of the wealthy chieftains all influenced the decisions of Chatunga, who has determined that now is the time to reforge the state and deal with the old guard standing in the way of Nyazwe's future as a nation. These laws are collected into a single text known as the Mutemo, which provides in extensive detail the administrative organization of Nyazwe, as well as all of the political and clerical offices within the government. A guide on the salaries for all state positions and those of warriors based on rank and unit, are also provided within, along with a list of judicial punishments and crimes as outlined by Chatunga in painstaking detail. A body of judges is established to help interpret these laws, consisting of men thoroughly familiar with the ideals of Faraism, and committed to its promotion in Nyazwe. The laws themselves will be enforced by a body of former warriors known as the Mapurisa, marshals aside to all districts to keep an eye on governors and their fellow politicians, and bring them to justice should they overstep their station. Utilizing the voter requirements from the reign of Akashinga, all members of the electorate shall consist of all male citizens who either own at least fifty head of cattle, have personal wealth of one thousand fedha, or own more than a hundred square kilometers of arable land. All elections shall take place twice a decade, with all positions of power subjected to them. A two-tier administrative system is established, with the nation divided into districts (singular dunhu), which are then divided into municipalities (singular nharaunda). Local communities surrounding guta (urban centers) and bomas (rural kraals) will be governed by a chief elected by the same male property owners in line with the new laws passed by Chatunga. These chiefs will elect a mukuru who will preside over their municipality and be responsible for enacting the local policies of their governor across a specific number of settlements alloted to them by the state. All of the district governments are reorganized to provide a degree of local autonomy within the existing structure of the national government in Lusvingo. While all district governors will continue to be appointed by the Zvakane with the approval of the Hamadzese, their power will be restricted to executive functions. Copying the structure of the Hamadzese, every district will have a legislative and advisory body known as a gungano (or "assembly"), comprised of men of repute elected from their communities to help manage the needs of their area and voice their neighbors' concerns to the governor. The district's gungano will elect from among its numbers a kumeso, who speaks on behave of the body to the directly-appointed governor. Both men will work together to appoint a murevereri, or mediator, who works to balance out the concerns of the state and the district, as well as report on their actions to the Judiciary. Finally, the Hamadzese itself will continue to be elected by the various local communities of Nyazwe as the primary representative body to the Zvakane, and a check on his powers. In a major shift in the traditions of his people, and as a move to prevent another war such as the one that just ended, Chatunga announces that the Zvakane shall be appointed by the Hamadzese itself from among its ranks. Having lost his only brother, and his sons seeking to avoid the seat of power, Chatunga states that the state of his household prevents him from appointing an heir. The non-hereditary post of Zvakane shall change hands every five years, ensuring that no one man can hold absolute power for extended periods of time. Chatunga states that he will continue to serve in the position until death, but that once his time has passed, his successor will be subjected to the new laws agreed upon by the Hamadzese, finally bringing the post into compliance with Faraic principles. Chatunga places his law book before the Hamadzese for a vote, and - war-weary and ready for any change that will bring their homeland peace - unanimously vote to adopt the Mutemo as the basis of law throughout all of Nyazwe. With this vote, all of the hereditary positions of power have been upended by the slaughter of the chieftains by Wataida, and the reforms of Kutonga, Akashinga, and now Chatunga. If anything, the only hereditary roles left within Nyazwe are those remaining in the private lives of the people. As far as the state is now concerned, Nyazwe has no kings or princes, and with the destruction of its ruling dynasty, hopefully never will again.
 * Papal States: Pope Nicholas V welcomes the representatives of Patriarch Theodosius II of Bulgaria. A building in Rome is give to them as an embassy. A Carmelite, Nicholas lives as a monk rather than a pope, doing fasts, mortifications and using his Carmelite habit. He is also seem in praying constantly. After having received the letter of Bridget of Sweden, the pope writes a letter to Margaret, saying that the Christ and His Holy Mother will confort her. The pontiff also asks a visit of Margaret to Rome, maybe she can find confort to her life by praying in the Basilicas of Rome [MOD response needed, please]. Due to the trainning offered by the military centers of the Papal States, the army now have 15,000 men. The Papal navy also increased with the ships produced in the shipyards of Civitavecchia and Ostia, now there is 12 Papal ships. The plans for the construction of the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory continues, the pope sends a letters to architects from Lotharingia, Flanders and Liege to come to Rome and build the Basilica in Brabantine gothic [MOD and Lotharingia response needed, please]. Saint Augustine's University now have in its curriculum medicine and astronomy. The Hospital of Rome offer the pratical part, while the University offer the theorical part. The Holy Father creates as cardinals Andrea della Torre (Padania) and John of Arkel (Liege). Cardinal-Secretary Ari Arason incentives the blockprinting in the Papal States. Elena Cimorelli and the beguines of Workers of Charity are able to buy a building in Ostia where they plan to make an orphanage. Her visions continue to happen and she continues to write them in her diary. The Coptic community living in the March of Ancona start to organize themselves. In their liturgy they continue to use the Coptic-rite, but it starts to show similarities with the Roman-rite. One of those is the chants, that are starting to have resemblance to the monophonic Gregorian chant. The leader of the Coptic priests is Youhanna Daoud. He and Pope Nicholas meet after the mass of the Day of Our Lady of Victory. There start a friendship between the two. The pope gives to the Coptics an abandoned church in Camerino, which is re-consecrated with the name of Church of Saint Mark.
 * Margaret visits Rome for three months, accompanied by her friends Ingeborg and Catherine, immediately following her wedding to King Haakon


 * Tian China:With the agreement of Vietnam too pull out of the war and sign a non-aggression pact with us amen La Xang, the status quo in that region is restored. This allows us to bring the rest of the split army to meet up with the rest of the army on the Ayattuhayan border, where General Xuanye is prepared too push the attack into Attayuhaya itself if they don’t agree too peace. However, the goal of this war has always been a defensive one, and thus Xuanye, who has been given permission to negotiate with Ayattuhaya to end the war by his father the emperor, is willing to be relatively light in his terms, offering peace in the Treaty of Chiang-Mai. In happier news, back in Luoyang, the wedding of Crown Prince Shang and Princess Miyuki of the Japanese Empire takes place in September of this year, sealing the alliance with Japan and ensuring closer ties with the island nation in the coming years, especially once Shang eventully becomes emperor. The princess announces she is pregnant two months latter, and thus their first child will be born next year. The migration of people from the more impoverished eastern and northern provinces into the formerly plague ravaged Henan and Yangzte regions also continues this year, as a baby boom in the area finally begins to show itself and speed up population growth too hopefully allow China to recover faster.
 * Republic of Venice: Even though the Doge della Scala has presented himself as a harsh and brutal leader toward those who oppose him, he shows sympathy for the Cretan peasantry and cancels the extra war taxes, calls the criticised Signiori back to Venice and installs more measured men. A council will be called with three Venetian administrators and representatives of the Greek nobility and Church as ministers to administer the Island. This is the proposed new government of Crete. However, in return, the administration can conscript the Cretans for labour tasks (taxes would be cut for the conscript). (MOD RESPONSE, PLEASE). Ethiopian delegates, meanwhile, are welcomed with open arms in Chania on Crete, from where they are are travelling to Venice proper. News of the exotic travellers spreads like wildfire. They are even welcomed as high guests in the palace of the Doge, seeing the finest corners of the most serene of cities. The route Alexandria-Chania-Venice is proposed under joint Egyptian-Venetian protection, and the direct spice trade with Ethiopia is proposed to go over this route, from where Venice would distribute the goods to all of Europe (ETHIOPIA RESPONSE, PLEASE). Economic rebuilding is still undergoing in Northern Italy, while the army keeps to be in good shape to crack down on any possible separatist threat. As elite troops, the Corsican men have made themselves a name, to be effective especially in situations of sieging a city. Their ruthlessness has made them infamous, as well as their daring ambush tactics and skilled combat. But also the domestic soldiers and officers gained a lot of experience. The textile industry, glass and salt production and ship building gain a massive boost after political stability is restored and conscripts return home. Venice is also interested in rejoining the Turkish wars, and is waiting to help in Anatolia. (PAPACY/LATIN EMPIRE RESPONSE, PLEASE)
 * Papal diplomacy: Pope Nicholas V allows Venice to fight the Turkish if the Latin Empire also agree.
 * The leaders of the Greek nobility at Saint Titus agree with Venice, although some minor unrest from peasants still remain.
 * Kingdom of Scotland: King David II celebrates the marriage of his 14 year old son, Robert with the lovely maiden Naomh O Neill, aged 13 years old in a lavish banquet as the nobility of the entire nation is invited in the wedding in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. People cheer in the streets around the Cathedral as the heir emerges from the church with his new wife. Fortifications continue to be erected along the Anglo-Scottish border. The construction of the new wider stone paved roads network last year, linking major towns around the nation results in tangible gains providing a surge in economic activity and trade all across the country. The circulation of Scottish coins increases as new coins are minted at the royal mints in Roxburgh, Berwick, Edinburgh and Perth. Trade with Reykjavik continues and intensifies as ivory trade proves quite lucrative, the excess continues to be forwarded in Ireland, England and continental Europe. King David II enforces his desicion to designate Gaelic Scottish as the official court language, penalizing the non-conforming nobility. Hunters increasingly roam the forests, leading to overhunting in some regions, while this also lead to some positive outcomes such as further economic growth. Lumberjacks create some deforestation especially in the lowlands, leaving newly reclaimed arable land unused. King David II steps in and enacts a royal decree preferring Scots over foreigners as tenants for the allocation of those farmlands on the occasion that they do not use this land for grazing, as its strictly prohibited and penalized harshly, tenancy is voided, fined harshly and all their belongings are confiscated. An offer is made to the Crown of Aragon and Castile, the Hanseatic League, Sweden-Norway and France to facilitate trade between our nations. France is also requested to renew the Auld Alliance, while an alliance is also requested from Aragon-Castile. [Players Response]
 * Sweden-Norway: King Haakon agrees to facilitate trade with Scotland
 * Sweden-Norway: King Haakon attempts to soothe the nobles wishing to invade Iceland, telling him that more pressing matters must be dealt with. In secrecy, he admits he has no wish to invade the island. Haakon acquiesces to King Valdemar's call for an invasion of the Hanseatic League. Combined and undivided, the Danish-Swedish-Norwegian forces number 20,400 in total. The Swedish and Norwegian portions of the army cross the Oresund and Skagerrak, and join up with the Danes in Jutland, where they march south toward the border with the Hanseatic League, waiting for a potential invasion. 85 ships are sent out to harrass and raid Hanseatic shipping, in an attempt to bring the League to heel, before any more blood can be spilled, All Hanseatic merchants are expelled, and outposts closed. Access to the North Sea from the Baltic is also blockaded for Hanseatic ships.
 * Swiss Confederacy: The Central Council of the Confederacy pays close attention to the succession crisis in Bohemia, wondering what the Habsburgs will do given their earlier claims to the thrones of Bohemia and Poland. In the meantime, the military build-up in the eastern part of the nation continues, with aside from the base of operations Rapperswil the cities of St. Gallen, Lichtensteig and Glarus also being fortified. The government also focuses on sending envoys to rural towns to recruit peasants to be soldiers in the joint military of the Confederacy or mercenaries, as the chance of a war occurring to the east of the Confederacy seems high. Boatbuilding in Rorschach in the Canton of St. Gallen continues, with boats visiting the various cities along the shore of Lake Constance. One thing this venture discovers is that Frederick Capet (b. 1313), the brother of King Victor of France who withdrew to become a Cistercian monk after accidentally killing his father and ended up in Salem, has now become the Abbot of Salem. This piques the interest of Ulrich VI von Lenzburg, and he sends out some envoys of the House of Lenzburg along with the Abbot of Salem Georg of Wildenstein via Rorschach to the Abbey of Salem, suggesting that the abbey join the Swiss Confederacy as the Canton of Salem (with domestic autonomy similar to Engelberg and St. Gallen) for the benefit of greater interaction with the Confederacy’s bishoprics and abbeys and the joint defence of the Confederacy. (Mod or papal response) The Head Priest of the Western Church in Unterwalden, Martin Etcheverry, writes a letter to Pope Nicholas V asking him to investigate an apparent miracle that occurred in Unterwalden where a blind Basque immigrant regained his vision after praying for the mediation of Federico Goikoetxea. (Papal response) The Bern Library completes their copy of the Codex Manesse, the fourth instance of this manuscript. In Chur, some town guards and local traders complain of getting less funding than usual from the Bishop of Chur Peter Gelyto, raising the attention of Bishop of Sion Guichard Tavelli. Ulrich VI von Lenzburg sends an envoy to Count Amadeus III of Geneva, proposing a marriage between Amadeus III’s son Peter (b. ~1340) and Ulrich VI’s daughter Johanna (b. 1347). (Mod response) In Lenzburg Castle, Gottfried von Lenzburg and Margaret Capet have a daughter named Anna (b. 1364), their first child after their son Wilhelm II (1357-1359) tragically died. Later in the year, Wilhelm I von Lenzburg (1316-1364), brother of Ulrich VI and father of Ida and Gottfried, dies from a wound infection; Ulrich VI builds a tomb for him at Lenzburg Castle.
 * The Count agrees.
 * Papal diplomacy: Pope Nicholas V sends a commission to investigate the miracle.
 * Iceland: Lúðvík Tristansson is made Archbishop of Iceland. Trade is more encouraged internally.
 * Poland-Lithuania: Angered by the disloyalty of Henry toward his father and toward his elder brother and the heir to Bohemia. Stanislaw I privately makes it clear to his advisors and the Sejm preserving the close ties with Bohemian throne is key to ensuring Political and economic stability. He calls on the levies of Poland and Lithuania along with mustering his Pancerny which will be split into two forces one to assist Wenceslaus in securing Prague next year while the other force will remain on the eastern frontier to prevent any possible Rus' incursions. Siege equipment is prepared. Trade in the Trans-Carpathian region continues to grow steadily recovering with Krakow at its core, efforts to improve roads connecting Krakow-Lwow, and Lubin continous as does connecting Polotsk to Vilnius then to Warsawa. The port of Gdansk begins recieiving larger funding to expand to improve the flow of goods from the vistula into the Baltic.