Italia (The Kalmar Union)

The Italian states are all technically subject to the Holy Roman Empire. However only Milan has an electoral vote and in practice the Italian seats at the Imperial diet are rarely completely filled (though they are very vocal when they feel aggrieved). The Venetian Republic has always rejected Imperial authority in its lands and is discussed elsewhere.

The medieval period was an extremely violent as the various states struggled for dominance over the peninsular, often in flagrant disregard for Imperial peace treaties. This was helped by the prevalence of army companies such as the Manx Company which allowed the states to field armies much larger than they would have been able to support naturally. This process was only halted in 1613 after the Peace of Lodi which brought most of the previously warring states into a defensive alliance, primarily aimed at Aragon which had been taking advantage of the Italian wars to expand eastwards and allowed them to campaign effectively on the Catholic side during during the Fifty Years War..

Most states use the Milanese Florin (MFL), though all sovereign states are allowed to mint their own designs.

All of the states speak a version of Italian, though the dialects vary. At the extreme end, the grades of difference between Milanese and Neapolitan mean they are not completely mutually intelligible.

Milan
The Grand Duchy of Milan, Milan, has long been the premier power of Italia, not only for its trade driven wealth but also its proximity to the rest of the Empire. It is also the largest Italian nation by population. The Visconti family bought the Dukedom from the Luxembourg Emperor Wenceslaus in 1395, but often found itself torn apart as various Visconti nobles and their descendants sought to impose their rule on the duchy. Apart from the civil wars it had soon descended into bitter wars with Tuscany, Venice and the Swiss Confederation over its territory. It was a firm Catholic power during the Fifty Years War.

It was incorporated into the Savonese Republic after the revolutionary armies of Hispania swept through the region. Milan held the peace negotiations to settle the war and the region quickly reverted to the rule of the Dukes.

Monaco
Ruled by the Grimaldi family off-and-on since 1217, the Principality of Monaco became a fully independent territory after they purchased the fortress and its dependent towns of Roquebrune and Menton from Aragon in 1419. After Aragon fully withdrew from the region it was encouraged to join the Holy Roman Empire by its northern neighbour, Arles, lest its previous rulers, Genoa, ever felt like retaking the tiny territory. Monaco was raised to a Principality in the midst of the Fifty Years War after Augustine II's inspired defense of Regensburg against Kalmar troops in 1639.

In 1932 Prince Joseph caused a scandal by marrying the 18 year old Svealandic theatre actress Ingrid Bergman. However, given Monaco's already risque reputation as a meeting ground of Europe's wealthy, and as a gambling resort, it only added to the glamorous and care-free attitude of the tiny nation.

Genoa
The Republic of Genoa, Genoa, is a republic situated along the Ligurian coast of Italia. Its wealth and power was built during the early medieval period on the back of a huge trading network. It has long been a staunch ally of Byzantium greatly assisting it in preventing the Caliphate from building a coherent fleet in the Mediterranean.

Genoa also governs the island of Corsica to which it gives considerable autonomy.

Doges are elected for two year terms during which they act as Head of State and as Head of Government. However they enjoyed far less freedom of movement than their equivalents in Venice. Therefore the Dogate Palace in Genoa is much less ostentatious and since 1800 the office has attracted pure politicians rather than the dynastic families coveting the office for their own ends as had long been the case. Since 1913 they have been elected by the people of the entire republic rather than just the Genoese city council.

Lucca
Previously a republic, Lucca was reconstructed as a principality after the Iberian Revolution and its incorporation into the Savonese Republic. A severe backlash against republicanism and in particular the perceived corruption of the old republic led to the promotion of the Montecatini family to elected Princes. Under their rule the government has, counter-intuitively, become much more democratic.

San Marino
The oldest continually independent state in Europe, the Republic of San Marino has been in existence since the 5th Century AD.

Rome
The seat of Papacy.

In recent years the clamour for democratic rule rather than the dictatorial rule of the Cardinal Council has been overwhelming and since 1998 the council, alongside various regional bodies, have been working slowly towards a fully functioning democratic parliament. However many of the regions would rather govern themselves in a federal system like Confederation of the Pyrenees. Rome's old rivals Tuscany and Naples have tended to be quite vocal in their support for the federalisation of Rome and regularly campaign at the Imperial Diet for the Emperor's intervention.

Sardinia & Sicily
The islands of Sardinia and Sicily form self-governing counties of Aragon