1490-1499 (Principia Moderni IV Map Game)

1490
 Events will be posted tonight on the 1491 turn -Tsar Feudis McPlagueov 
 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. Influence of the Mu'tazila School of Thought rapidly grew amongst intellectuals residing primarily in Isfahan, Baghdad, Samarkand and Herat. Strict adherants to the faith actively engaged in the the printing and subsequent distribution of scientific texts from various Observatories and Libraries across the Sultanate, hoping to initiate a cultural revolution. Some scholars even visited the University of Agra in the Delhi Sultanate and the Library of Alexandria in the Abbasid Caliphate in an attempt to enrich themselves with knowledge which they would later share amongst their countrymen. Meanwhile, exports related to spices, silk, carpets and pearls generated massive revenues for the Sultanate, much of which was directed towards production of gunpowder weaponry, construction of educational Madrassahs, maintainence of the trade roads and development of the cities. In particular, the state initiated the process of developing a massive canal system around the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers for the purpose of conveying drinking water and for irrigation; with the canal system including the entirety of Gurkani Mespotamia, Eastern Anatolia and Western parts of Persia. About around the same time, work on Gwadar had largely been completed with Gwadar acting as a functional port, ready to be incorporated into the Sultanates trade network. Meanwhile, the Sultanate continued to patronize Farsi and promoted Persian traditions and culture throughout its Empire with Mesopotamia being the sole exception. In particular, Persian was favoured over the Caspian languages with the state having initiated a process of Persianification to integrate the Gilak and Mazanderani people.
 * South Australian Civilization: The city-states near the Murray River basin continue to grow their economy and traditions of culture. The other major city-states of the region, outside of Ngarrindjeri, all have appointed Bakans of their own, thus centralizing the government of each state around its local monarch. The cities that don't appoint Bakans quickly begin to be swallowed up as tributaries or vassals of the major ones, mostly the three states of Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna, and Nukunu. Even the far western state of Noongar elects its own Bakan, more as a tyrannical warlord in his practice. The state of Noongar quickly dominates the trade of ochre and honey over its region, as the Western Australian honey bee is first domesticated there. Meahwhile, fishing canoes spreading around the coast now make regular visits to the shore of Kangaroo Island for more fish. By now, the population has reached almost 500,000.
 * Why do you insist on trying to do things so quickly? These are huge social changes, which take time. Callumthered (talk) 13:04, October 17, 2016 (UTC)
 * United Crown of Great Iberia
 * The King is overjoyed that such a quick response to his offer was made, and eagerly invites Senor Ferrera to Lisbon to inspect his ships, construction of which have now started after many years of research. The lead ship is named the Santa Maria, and will be the largest in the fleet, capable of carrying many of the supplies needed for the long, dangerous trip. Three of the ships are under construction in Lisbon, while the remaining seven are being built in other ports all over the Union, including in Genoa and Barcelona.
 * Aragon continues to recover from the end of the war; integration of the new territories is progressing smoothly. It is estimated that about 63% of the population in Sardinia, Liguria and Malta now speak Spanish as their first language; the Italian and Ligurian languages and cultures are to be phased out entirely by the middle of the next century, and supplanted by Iberian culture.
 * As someone that tried this the last PM game i got maybe 30% in Southern italy in a time period of nearly 200 years. Im not giving you a strike but those things take time and people do not willy nilly abandon their culture and languages. Nuff said -Feud
 * Papal Diplomacy: The Papal Nuncio to Iberia requests that the expedition be equipped with a full complement of clergy in order to minister to the crews, and to evangelise any heathens as may be found; as they did to the inhabitants of the various islands of the Atlantic discovered earlier this century.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: The King agrees to this as it is an excellent idea. It is crucial for any expedition to bring enlightenment and the Truth of the Holy Gospel to all corners of this earth.


 * Swahili: The nation's income continues to grow, both from increased tariffs and from the Royal Trade Fleet. Our manufacturers expand and make more money. With out border reaching Sofala, we begin to expand more in the hinderlands of Mombasa and Malindi. . Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. Scythes and ploughs are developed by the Madrassa of Mogadishu and out farmers are encouraged to adopt these tools. Some business minded merchants begin buying land in the interior and slaves, building plantations that farm spices, cotton, tea and other labor-intensive cash crops. We prepare our military for the conquest of the Kingdom of Mutapa, which we cite to strengthen our control over the region and its trading goods, especially after the conquest of Sofala. We request Bahmanid support for the war.
 * I don't mean to offend, but Mupata and the Swahili Sultanate are nowhere near each other, and the Swahili have no direct access to the land-locked kingdom. ~Viva
 * The map hadn't updated yet, but I gained access to Mutapa, either now or at most two years later.-Fallacyman (talk)
 * The Bahmani crown sends 150 ships carrying 70,000 men to assist . ~Guardian
 * Way too many troops for much to long a distance. -Feud
 * Okay, retcon to 30k? ~Guardian
 * Papal States: Since Pope Leo made an example of the lax Bohemian Abbott last year, the monastic discipline of the abbeys throughout the States and broader Christendom miraculously begins to improve. His Holiness sends a short letter to all Bishops, asking them to conduct a Visitation to all the monasteries in their diocese to ensure that monastic discipline is being upheld. Work begins on the Fortebracci Chapel, with some of Europe's finest painters, sculptors and builders working on the small building.
 * Chinese Empire: The Empire beings building four new naval bases on the  Kuril, Urano, Ulleungdo, and Jejudo islands. Two squadrons are sent to each island or island group, and troops stationed there to defend the new possessions. The Kuril islands gain there first Chinese settlers, as does Jejudo. Islam continues to spread along the rivers and coasts of the Empire. We leave troops in southern Manchuria to guard the border with Korea, but withdraw half of our forces from Manchuria, leaving 50,000 stationed on the Manchurian-Korean border, and 20,000 stationed in the Manchurian capital. Four squadrons are stationed along the Manchurian coast in order to protect them. We continue to send teachers into Manchuria in order to educate them.
 * Benin: The Oba continues to provide patronage to the arts and sciences in his capital city and elsewhere in the empire, seeking to provide support to the intellectual communities of Benin by financing them. The oluko approach the Oba with their latest findings on the ill-fated voyage of Mansa Abu Bakr II. They have conclusively deduced the existence of a major ocean and wind current flowing toward the west of Africa, namely around the port city of Dakar and south of the port city of Eko. The priests inform the Oba that their vessels are capable of holding enough food for a voyage out into the uncharted regions of the sea for at least a month, allowing for enough food for a return trip should nothing be found. The growth of the economy of Benin continues as the development of agricultural lands in the nation continue. More and more Bini continue to migrate into the western regions of Benin continue, and now officially sponsored by the imperial government, who see the benefit of encouraging this trend. In light of the aggressive posturing by the Swahili, the Iyase orders the bolstering of the naval grouping in Sofala from 100 ships to 200 ships, and increases the army garrison to 15,000 soldiers to protect its citizens. Diplomats from Benin are sent to Mogadishu to inform the leadership there that the only method for invading Mupata would involve the capture of Sofala to reach the landlocked kingdom. The fear of having a strong Muslim power on its borders has convinced the Bini to provide their support for the Mupata kingdom in the event of an invasion as is its role as the leading Kuzir power. Sofala is expanded by 1,000 square kilometers (20 px total), as the need for more farmland becomes apparent for the city's population. The colony of Ireti is expanded by 500 square kilometers (10 px total). TBD...
 * How about this way? I just have to expand a 10-20 px corridor in the next turn. Invasion path.png
 * More power to ya. ~Viva
 * I have missed up on PMIV due to my health and general disinterest and university and work, but after a mod consensus, the invasion of Sofala is RETCONNED and you have wasted your PROBATION, Viva. You are officially banned. ~Wolvesmod
 * I didn't even do anything. And no one even told me about the issue with Sofala until just now. I didn't invade any far-flung nations, I didn't crop any non-native crops, and I didn't try to invade Europe. I followed all of the rules Edge set out for me. Exactly what the heck did I do? ~Viva
 * Sofala is the issue at hand. ~Wolves
 * No, it isn't. Sofala was under Bini control days before my probation terms were set by Edge. He stated very clearly that I was not to invade any overseas nations. I am perfectly within my right to protect my overseas possessions. ~Viva
 * Bulgarian Empire: The renaissance in Bulgaria continues to spread in earnest with the arts, philosophies, and new technologies continuing to spread throughout the empire. Another Printing press is set up in Sofiya under the local cities governor. The Tsar while previously distraught by the death of his son has twins this year, a girl named Aleksandra, and a son named, Boris who was named after a traveling Russian nobleman who spent a good month with Tsar Simeon as a friend. The mainline nobility of Bulgaria remains relatively powerless and marginalized as the Tsar has outright established his authority over them and is able to bypass them with his beraucracy and his own agents with relative ease. With the death of the Greek King Jacob, with no heir and the apparent even lack of attention for the Tsars sister the throne consequently passes to Greek Arvantis family which has agreed to the full integration of Greece into the Empire as a province. with the Kingdom of Greece being abolished in favor of a principality stature under the Empire. The Tsar is forced to crush a small noble revolt in Thrace as the Nobility in the area manages to curry nearly 2000 men together. The Tsar leads them himself and crushes them in short order taking no prisoners and publically impaling the revolting noble leadership of the rebelling to set an example. With the integration of Greece Bulgarias proper populaton stands at roughly 4.612 million and birth rate adds roughly 12,000 people this month with settlement procedure and open land plus more available food making this a possibility. In a sad day for the Empire, Tsar Simeon along with his loyal nobles and friends, and his fathers friends say goodbye to former Tsar Vasili-Kaloyan Dracultesti who is put to rest in Vasiligrad, his namesake city in what is known as the Mauseleum of the Tsars which is declared to be the tombs of all future Tsars. It is a magnificent building based off os new renaissance styles and some borrowed Byzantine concepts which mesh well with the city and its architectures. Bulgaria officially offers its support to the Russo-Polish alliance/union in hopes of establishing an alliance of Eastern Slavs (mod). In regards to this the Bulgarian in all due haste break their alliances with both Castile and Austria due to the Italian threat having been ended, and amiable relations remaining. In an attempt to quell not only doubts of the new young Tsar but resentment as well, he unveils to a crowd of people in Vasiligrad the reclaimed artifacts of the Byzantines to the cities populous, great works, adornments, artifacts of centuries passed. The Cultural heirlooms of a once proud empire. Tsar Simeon brings these artifacts to their rightful places in the city. The Four Horses are returned rightfully to the Hippodrome and many other works are returned to the area along the golden horn known as the Grand Palace of the Tsars which is named the imperial palace of Vasiligrad.
 * Principality of Albania: Albania remains a relatively low population area, but the Bulgarians specifically some of the merchant classes invest into improving the small cities in Albania for the very interest of making the area a good place for trade on the Adriatic intending on rivaling some of the Greek ports.
 * Principality of Moldavia: The Moldavian principality remains an important buffer for the Bulgarian empire and now with the burning of southern poland and refugee issues with them fleeing across the border, the local prince of the Basarab family gives them refuge and lands to settle on. The Principality does levee nearly 5000 troops to watch the border for other issues such as Cossacks among others.
 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * Brandenburg-Luxembourg: Having secured the title of King of Germany. Otto goes to Rome to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope. Otto based on his experience in Bulgaria begins carrying out with vigor many of his father's efforts to bring the nobility fully under his control. He finally finishes his works the Red Legacy which is split into three parts. the First is his thoughts on political authority and the needs for a sovereign to adjust to new situations to fully secure his goals, the second part talks about how a ruler's authority and legitimacy rest in his ability to rule and to command the respect and obedience of his subjects though he believes that a ruler is born with the right to rule as long as he can enforce that right. The third and final part is a series of thoughts on warfare and the growing importance of maintaining a strong military force loyal to the sovereign and not to the nobility. The nobility react with mixed responses to this piece fearing somewhat a lose of their power and influence however Otto retains the loyalty of the Hussite/reformed nobles of which make up a large part of his military officers and with the army itself being made up largely of reformed Catholics the roman catholic nobles remain quiet. Increasing numbers of commoners adopt the Hussite rite as the word of the lord is preached in German making it easier to understand and for them to feel and believe in the word of the lord as a opposed to Latin which they do not understand. Theology, philosophy, and other areas of Renaissance thought grow in the University of Berlin. Otto himself becomes a major patron of the arts and of culture inviting Italian, German, and Bulgarian artists, scientists, engineers, and philosophers to his Court in Berlin. Berlin's population continues to grow reaching 29,000 people. The city while small in population is made up of a rather wealthy mix of nobles, merchants, artisans, clergy and soldiers making it the thriving centre of power for the Brandenburg domains. The population of the Brandenburg domains is at present 2.8 million people. Military reforms continue as the Landsknecht units are developed further along with firearms tactics are expanded upon. The mechanical arts (engineering, metallurgy, smithing etc, etc) are further developed in the universities of Luxembourg and Breslau with mining and developing of smithing growing in importance for the economies of these areas. the Merchant and artisans grow in importance in these areas .Lorraine, Luxembourg, and Silesia become the main centres of industry for the Brandenburg Domains and efforts to further integrate these regions into the main power structure of the Brandenburg family. Otto the younger moves with his new wife to Marienburg as the new Duke of Prussia following the Teutonic Orders agreement to the secularization of the lands. He immediately begins an effort to secure the support of the local German nobility by extending to them the rights and responsibilities demanded of Brandenburgian Nobles.Otto pushes for for greater cooperation in the Imperial Diet but states that he will not tolerate the HRE members trying to impose on the autonomy of the other Princes, and as Emperor promises to protect the autonomy of the princes, and oppose foriegn interference in the Empire. 
 * Bulgarian Dip: In a letter of personal correspondence, Tsar Simeon Asen-Dracultesti invites his mentor and friend and his family to Bulgaria to pay respects to Former Tsar Vasili as his personal friend in the city of Vasiligrad, and tour the restored glory of the city. Otto is invited not only to stay for the duration of the year in the Empire, but is also offered to go on a private hunt in the Balkan mountains with the Tsar.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Pope Leo X crowns Otto Emperor in an elaborate ceremony in Rome. The following day, the pontiff celebrates a public mass in the Reformed Northern Rite for the benefit of the Imperial delegation. Whilst Leo's German is atrocious, the message is clear: the Northern church, so long as it is in communion with Rome, has the continued support of the Holy See.
 * Brandenburg Diplo: Otto agrees to the Pope's request. He also after being coranated in Rome goes to Vasiligrad and agrees to Simeon's generous offer. 
 * Sweden: We ask Norway for peaceful relations with the Englishmen and ask them to join the New Northern Catholic Church of Hussite Rite.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Brittany: The clan war in Scotland is still ignored by the English crown since nothing to bad is occuring. Meanwhile in England everything remains relatively calm.
 * Bahmani Sultanate: Some troops and ships are sent to help the Swahilis. At home, some dissatisfied nobles in Andhra stage a revolt, but are defeated easily, thanks to a lack of support. With the navy at a strong 475 ships, the ambitious naval construction program is brought to a halt, and the resources are put into increasing trade, especially from Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
 * Burma: Binnya Kyal inspects the navy, now 223 ships. After seven more are built for next year, Burma's naval construction program will also give way to civilian affairs.
 * Maldives: Now, the Divehini navy stands at 60 ships.
 * Hungary_1490_PMIV.pngIn case I don't have time to do anything else, this is the current situation in Hungary.
 * In the Kingdom of France, Louis XII continues to reign over his people in an increasingly centralized state. The Edict of Angers continues to reduce the power of the vassals, who are now ordered to make the trip to Paris at the same time in order to conduct a meeting of the Second Estate. Louis XII considers extending the taile to nobility in an effort to raise the power of the French state, and the efforts to develop a single French language, spearheaded by the Academie française continues to develop. Arts and sciences continue to develop as part of la Renaissance, or rebirth.
 * Delhi Sultanate: Our expedition returns; we receive word of islands west of the Chagos, and we have discovered the northern tip of a potential continent to the east of Africa (this "continent" is OTL Madagascar). Meanwhile, the port of Puri is busy as usual with trade and shipbuilding; Puri has long overtaken Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as the main city in Orissa, thanks to being the only Delhavi major city on the coast. In Delhi City, the Sultan welcomes Marwar and Mewar into the Delhavi realm.
 * Himalaya: Nothing of note.
 * Ladakh: An observatory is built on a mountain overlooking the city of Leh. A few Gunturists attempt to escape to the Kashmir valley, but they are quickly caught and given the five-option plan (however, the option to return to Ladakh is excluded).
 * Marwar and Mewar: The Delhavi have kept their word, allowing us to keep our culture. Of course, eager Delhavi settlers, Hindus and Muslims alike, bring their culture to our lands, but that is beyond our power. We build roads to connect our kingdoms to the rest of Delhi. We seek closer relations with Delhi and their two friends: Bahmani and Bengal. We begin to crack down on Gunturists in our lands on Delhi's advice, warning us that "the Gunturists are a dangerous threat posed to all of India, inferior to all of our cultures, including yours." They are given the five-option plan that the Delhavi have used when they hunt down Gunturists.

1491
''' Al Hamad travels to the Ottoman Empire where he meets with Sultan Bayezid III. There, they form a pact wherein Al Hamad and his forces will serve Bayezid for a few years until Bayezid returns the favor. '''

''' A Croatian Renaissance mathematician, and astronomer Niko Zagar enters the university of Krakow in Poland and begins major works and publications in regards to math as well as some theological and philosophical debates. '''

''' The Chimu Empire after having consolidated power and established itself significantly begins looking to the south at some of the smaller existing peoples and cities down into Chile. Word gets out and many of these cities begin to convene to discuss the potential of a Southern expedition of the Chimu Empire. '''

''' Bahamanid control in Burma begins to falter as a disease outbreak in the territories center wipes out the areas leading nobility and governors driving the region into chaos as rampant raiding, pillaging, and even a low level revolt begin to brew in the countryside. '''

''' A Daimyo revolt breaks out in Japan over the succession of territories through two southern families. While a member of the Shimazu clan claims to have been promised the Otomo lands by their former lord, the heir to the Otomo family refuses to concede and marshalls a force of nearly 13,000 facing off against the Greater Shimazu Force. While the Shimazu stand at nearly 25,000 in strength, the Otomo forces have better terrain, positioning, and unbeknownst to the Shimazu, a local force of the Shogun nearby which was sent to put the Shimazu back in order. '''

''' A peasant revolt breaks out in Ireland due to the lords attempting to collect more taxes. It is unexpectedly successful at beating two armies raised by local nobles and the Irish numbers begin to swell. Also unexpectedly the Irish revolters send a letter to the king of England hoping to have their taxes and higher than normal obligation to their nobles reduced. The Nobility in Ireland now mobilized also sends a letter, requesting in an embarassing fashion that a proper English army be sent to put down the revolting peasants. The King of England is left with a choice between the two as it looks as if the revolt will continue well into the next year and many will die without his intervention. '''


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. Followers of the Mu'tazila ideology continued to grow with scholars and intellecuals comprising of themy. By now, the cities of Iskenderun, Baghdad, Isfahan, Qazvin, Samarkand, Bukhara and Herat had become cultural capitals of the Mu'tazila movement, and whilst Mu'tazila adherants were minority, adherants rapidly increased. Nonetheless, with numerous wealthy nobles adhering to the Mu'tazila faith, they began to establish educational Madrassahs throughout the Sultanate with Observatories established at Baghdad, Tabriz and Erzurum. In particular, printing press was introduced to the Northern cities of Baku, Tabriz and Qazvin. Meanwhile, work continued on the construction of the canal which included the Gurkani provinces of Çukorova, Jazira, Basra, Baghdad, Armani'yya and Fars. Simultaneously, Arab and Baloch tribes continued to migrate to Gwadar with the city being extended to create room for the migrants.
 * Gurkani - Ottoman Diplomacy: Sultan Suleiman of the Gurkani Sultanate requests Sultan Bayezid III of the Ottoman Empire to hand over the fugitive, Idris ibn Al Hamad. The Ottoman are reminded that the Gurkani are militarily, technologically and economically superior to Hamad, and as such, it would not be wise to pick a criminal such as Hamad over the Gurkani. The Ottoman Sultan is also reminded that harbouring Hamad would strain relations between the two nations, weakening the Ottoman-Gurkani Defensive Pact which has existed since the time of Bayezid I and Shahrukh Mirza. The Ottoman Sultan is also informed that the Gurkani have always remained steadfast to the Defensive Pact, intervening when Bulgaria threatened to invade Anatolia and later when the Knights Hospitaller raided Anatolian coastline and that it was in fact Hamad who prevented the Gurkani from conquering Rhodes. As such, it would be in the best interests of both parties for Hamad and his followers to be handed over, and executed. [Mod Response]
 * The Ottomans respond that Hamad is only a mere mercenary and they will rely on him to defeat the enemies of Islam (Christians). Furthermore, he has not committed any crimes against the Ottoman people and as such is not a criminal to them. -scraw
 * Cologne: Archbishop Emmerich’s plan for the education of wider Cologne, dubbed the “Neuss Plan” in honour of the first town to support the plan, starts to get into action. Plans for three new schools – one in Kolschberg and two in Westphalen – go ahead immediately, with the money from Cologne’s normal trade budget going towards the slow but steady construction of these schools, and the money from the printing press being kept in the coffers at the moment. Meanwhile, the militia continues to grow and the nobles begin to wonder how they can reconcile military pursuits with education pursuits. Vicar General Wikbold III continues to convince dissenting nobles.
 * Essen: Returning canonesses continue to bring Renaissance thought to the University of Essen, and the canonesses at the school in Essen begin to develop a set of curricula to be used to teach basic literacy and numeracy throughout the Archbishopric. The infirmary is given a few updates so that it is easier to cater to more people, and a more diverse range of people.
 * Papal States: In the States, there is a growing number of institutions known as monte de pieta, small not-for-profit institutional pawnbroker moneylenders. The system is viewed by many as a more acceptable alternative to the usurious loans of the Jewish moneylenders; especially for the poor. In the University of Bologna, mathematics and natural philosophy become more popular, and some compelling debates take place. Work on the Fortebracci Chapel continues.
 * Kingdom of Tondo: Arnis Masid, Diyang Kalangitan's chief naval officer, is tasked to bring a group of 250 men and ten ships to explore the known world. He will personally be the peace envoy with Japan, as the convoy shall reach the Japanese Islands first. After Japan, the envoy shall reach Korea, and then the Chinese cities of Beijing and Nanjing. Following that, visits to Vietnam, the Khmer,  the Strait of Malacca, Burma, and the Indian states. Victory against Butuan is celebrated as the troops march in the Cagayan. Diyang Kalangitan, now married to Sugbo of Cebu, formalize their marriage in Mactan, Cebu. As Sugbo's father drowned in a fishing accident, Sugbo is widely seen as Cebu's next monarch due to his uncle being the Rajah, who is currently without wife and without child. At the same time, rumors of the Rajah's infertility circulate around the kingdoms, though no officials have confirmed nor denied. With the recent passing of the beloved monarch, Rajah Gambang, the nation mourns. Diyang Kalangitan assumes the throne, and takes no man to be her husband. Instead, she declares that on the eve of her death, the nobility of Tondo, Ma-I, and Pangasinan shall have an electorate regarding the successor of the united realms of Tondo. Kalangitan further consolidates her poweriscreetely assigning political opponents to far-flung provinces of Tondo or to Tondo's vassals of Ma-I and Pangasinan, or to colonization attempts in Palawan, Busuang and Samar. The government of Tondo can be roughly described as a Federal Monarchy, with each province ruled by a council with members proportionate to the province's population. Diyang Kalangitan invites the Huang of Pangasinan, his daughter and Ma-I's regency council, and officials from every province to draft something akin to an OTL constitution, namely, the Saligang Batas ng Tondo at Nasasakupan Nito (Constitution of the sovereign Kingdom of Tondo and all its holdings and possessions). As Maynila is one of the richest cities in South East Asia, it is now high-time to create a lasting legacy for it. A series of bridges and canals connecting the Pasig and Tagik (OTL Taguig) Rivers and all their tributaries to provide acquatic transportation, ease movement of goods, and simply build bridges above the waterways to ease the transportation of people in the Greater Tondo Province (OTL Metro Manila). To prevent problems of income inequality and unequal development, selected families in the capital are given incentives of food and gold to relocate to developing towns and cities in Cavite, Romblon and Samar. A road network has already connected Tondo Province to Cavite, and a series of roads from southeastern and southern Luzon to Pangasinan has already began construction. Tondo metallurgical capabilities increase as blast furnaces and ironforges are built all around the state. The port of Maynila is further expanded, with the navy increasing by 25 small ships and seven war junks. Trade with nearby states continue. Tondo continues expansion in Samae, Palawan and Busuanga. 2000 additional soldiers are trained. Kalangitan orders 400 ships to move to patrol the Visayas archipelago, mainly  to protect the trade routes, and secretly to intimidate Cebu. Expansion into Palawan, Samar, and Negros continue.
 * Huangdom of Ma-I: With Tondo's grace, Ma-I settles the western part of Busuanga Island, and dedicates 100 citizens there. Li Han thrives as a cultural and financial capital of Ma-I, while Beigang immediately becomes the second port of Tondo, and conducts trade regularly with nearby nations.
 * Huangdom of Pangasinan: With Tondo's grace, Pangasinan expands into Central and Northern Luzon, attempting to assimilate the mountain and Igorot tribes located nearby to access the massive agricultural treasure in the Banaue Rice Terraces and the farmlands of Central Luzon. The administrative capital city, Pangasinan, begins construction of a road connecting it to Maynila. Blast furnace construction continues, and a small defense fleet of 15 ships is allotted by Tondo to Pangasinan. Pangasinense traders report sightings of small islands west of Luzon, and scouts are sent by Pangasinan to verify their claims. Pangasinan claims these islands west of Mainland Luzon, now named as the Gambang Islands in honor of Rajah Gambang  (OTL Scarborough Shoal)
 * Swahili: The nation's income continues to grow, both from increased tariffs and from the Royal Trade Fleet. Our manufacturers expand and make more money. With out border reaching Sofala, we begin to expand more in the hinderlands of Mombasa and Malindi. Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. Some shrewd plantation owner developed the triple field rotation system, which as able to boost production. After a few conquistadors establishing and claiming a passageway to Mutapa, we declare war on the Kingdom of Mutapa ith 30,000 soldiers and 30,000 support from the Bahmanis.  We patrol the Mozambique Channel with our fleet to prevent foreign aid going to the Kingdom of Mutapa.
 * Bahamanid cant project 30,000 men to mutapa... not a chance. -Feud.
 * On another note ill allow 30,000 troops but your control of the coasts here is dubious at best and there is no way you have an available port down there to support 30,000 troops reliably. You just established some of these places as colonies and their population would be well below another for nearly 85% of that stretch. -Feud
 * United Crown of Great Iberia
 * As integration of Sardinia and Liguria continues, branches of the Royal Bank of Barcelona open in Genoa, Cagliari and Ajaccio. Construction of our transatlantic fleet is progressing on schedule, and the ships are due to depart under the captaincy of Senor Ferrera in two years time.
 * Norway petitions Denmark and Sweden for invasion of Scotland.
 * Scandinavian Imperial Diplomacy: Lay down your claims to war or you will face war from both Denmark and Sweden. 
 * Bulgarian Empire: Under the rennaissance the unexpected explosion of religious literature, music, and art has taken on almost a mind of its own. With not only the rebuilding of the great churches of Vasiligrad and the restoration of many of the Byzatine artifacts as well in the Churches of Vasiligrad, the Patriarch begins to grow bold and somewhat separate from the Catholic church again seeking to restore the independence and primacy of the Patriarchate in Vasiligrad. While initially against breaking with the ties with Catholic Europe on the basis that it would greatly strain relations between the Bulgarians and practically 75% of Europe. However with a massive outpouring of support by the Greeks, Bulgarians, Wallachians, and other minor orthodox ethnicities, the Tsar concedes to the Ecumenical Patriarch and allows him to go about his buisiness unwilling to bring in troops to quell what could be considered a beneficial religious revival of Christianity's original doctrine which has been until recently had been in decline for centuries. Tsar Simeon sends correspondence to the Pope requesting advice on the religious issue of the potential for a new Orthodox-Catholicism split and with the religious revival his hands are tied unless he begins enacted brutal and drastic measures which the Tsar is unwilling to do. While the dubious situation of religion in the empire is accepted by the Tsar he is by no means happy with it and maintains an aloof attitude on his sponsorship of the revival. Outside of this the Bulgarian economy continues to build up moderately as the Tsar shows great interest in expanding the economic and infrastructural parts of his empire. The Tsar commissions 12 engineers and gives them a large fund to draw from in the order of turning Bulgarias road network into a legitimate highway. With old Roman roads being used as the base for this (having been already surveyed) the Tsar tells these men to embark on building the network of roads through the Empire to emulate the Romans. Having gotten much of this information from surviving books and materials in the library of Vasiligrad, rebuilt and refilled with surviving books the Tsar attempts to apply many of the learned concepts. The population of the Empire grows by roughly 10,000 people this year bringing it to 4.62 million. The Tsar thanks the Holy Roman Emperor and personal friend Otto for his visit and time and sends him on his way with five wolf pups, A Personal Sword of Simeons, and a copied book known as "The German" written by the Tsar himself being an epic of the many tales, trainings, and great times Otto, Vasili, and Simeon had together. 
 * Principality of Albania: Albania remains a relatively low population area, but the Bulgarians specifically some of the merchant classes invest into improving the small cities in Albania for the very interest of making the area a good place for trade on the Adriatic intenting on rivaling some of the Greek ports.
 * Principality of Moldavia: The Moldavian principality remains an important Buffer for the Bulgarian empire and now with the burning of southern poland and refugee issues with them fleeing across the border, the local prince of the Basarab family gives them refuge and lands to settle on. The Principality does levee nearly 5000 troops to watch the border for other issues such as cossacks among others.
 * Papal Diplomacy: His Holiness Leo X writes an encyclical letter addressed to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the Patriarch of Vasiligrad, all the Bishops of the Bulgarian Empire, and to Tsar Simeon, who has done so much in the past to protect not only the borders of Christendom, but its unity as well. His letter begins by calling to mind his predecessor Callixtus IV's 1465 voyage to Bulgaria, where he publicly embraced the Ecumenical Patriarch and co-celebrated the thoroughly Byzantine 'Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom'. He then goes on to recall the Lord's words in John 10:16, "there shall be one flock and one shepherd," as well as the Lord's prayer to the Father that all will be one. The Pope writes that by removing themselves from Communion with the rest of Christendom, the pro-schism party are directly opposing the Lord's word. Furthermore, he writes how, since the reunification of the Church in the 1420s, the ancient, distinct, and venerable rites and traditions of the Eastern Churches, as well as their effective independence from the West, have been not only accepted but encouraged. He also points to the fact that the Bulgarian Empire has three Cardinals in the College (in addition to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople acting as moderator). Keeping these in mind, His Holiness simply cannot comprehend why his brother-Patriarchs and brother-bishops would wilfully attempt to destroy the unity which all our predecessors worked so hard to achieve for the Glory of the triune God. In closing, he exhorts the addressees to retain communion with the rest of Christendom: a communion which will not in any way be of detriment to the distinctive rites, and effective independence, of the Eastern Churches. (OOC Note: I think it's utterly absurd that, apropos of nothing, the Bulgarians would suddenly decide to schism after sixty-odd years of unity.)
 * OOC: It's more of a flavor thing, but id think with the effective rebuild of eastern orthodox, as well as the Tsars relative dislike of the current events, its less a government issue and more a power issue for the Ecumenical patriarch. Its an event chain i will be going through in my country, but just saying its even more absurd to believe that the very forced way in which the church was brought into communion would not be seen in a positive lite by my Greek rite membership. Considering i do have to juggle the two rites and the Greek rite historically had issue with the pope I think a religious civil issue is something perfectly plausible
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: With an outbreak of serious violence in Ireland the King grows concerned and sends his chancellor Lord Warwick to Ireland with an army of 10,000 English, Welsh and Scottish troops and goes to meet up with Irish lords and insist the Irish lords provide another 5000 troops themselves to marshal into a single army while the Lord Chancellor makes a series of proclamations, the new taxes are rescinded and the Parliament of Ireland which will now be selected by all reasonable landowners will be the only ones with the right to raise or lower taxes and all other financial bills in nature. Chancellor Warwick declares the peasants involved in the rebels and states that even with the rescinding of the taxes all those involved should still have rather petitioned the King rather than rebelling so they are subject to death. The new Anglo- Irish army well supplied and equipped attacks the currently revolting peasants army in a conventional battle if they can and if they could not be brought to fore then the troops are told to conduct mass burning of crops and buildings in known rebel areas. The fighting will end once all peasants have returned to their villages while known rebel leaders have been captured and executed. With the threat of Norwegian invasion we ignore it for now as we are busy in Ireland but we move 10,000 men to Scotland to defend against invasion.
 * France offers England an offer of alliance after years of both parties improving relations.
 * England: We accept this alliance.
 * Bahmani Sultanate: Some hot-headed nobles ask for a mobilization of the army, but Muhammad Shah instead sends advisors, money, and a few of the most competent nobles to help Binnya Kyal put his kingdom back in order.
 * Burma: Things seem bleak, as the terrible plague has struck a blow at the heart of the developing kingdom. Binnya Kyal acts swiftly: those lesser nobles, army chiefs, and local leaders who have shown the most competence are immediately promoted, (though if any fail or show signs of it, they will be returned to their lowly posts), and each is given a detachment of troops to defeat the banditti and rebels, and bring the countryside back into order. Nonetheless, he makes it absolutely clear that cruelty will not be tolerated. The governors must attempt to negotiate with the rebels, showing clemency and mercy, and concentrate on restoring the lives of the populace, not subjugating them. Both Ava and Taungoo are asked for aid. In other news, Binnya Kyal's two grandsons, the elder Bayinnaung, and the younger Dhammazedi (Great General, with Scraw's approval) reach the age of 2.
 * Maldives: Nothing of note.
 * Austria Continues to recover from the War in Italy. Although Archduke Frederick is notably absent, his brother Maximilian does a bang-up job at managing things in his stead. More money is invested into imrpoving roads, which, just as the romans did, are being built by the soldiers of the realm, most notably the Guardsmen, who, now at peace, have little else to do(other than training). "Idle hands are the devil's playthings", the proclamation went as the Guardsmen were ordered to expand the Road network, built upon the works of the romans. This is also used to drive recuritment across the realm, preaching that service in HM Guards is not only a military service, but a civic one as well. In the meanwhile, A formal decree is passed outlawing the practice of serfdom. While the practice had declined dramatically since the black plague, it was still de jure legal. As such, the Serfdom Proclamation officialy turns all remaining serfs in Austrian, Bavarian and Venetian lands into freemen. Seeing the worsening situation in Hungary, Maximilian, after confering with Herrobercommandant Lord Ludvig von Lienz, mobilizes a small group of ten thousand troops to the hungarian border, and declares it a militarized border for a year, sending a letter to Frederick to ask if he needs reinforcements. Frederick replies, rejecting aid, saying that "even if I am now outnumbered, the throne of Hungary cannot be captured by an outland Army, as was done by my father, for this will in turn lead to the same outcome upon my death, nay, I must persevere and defeat Corvinus with the forces I can muster within Hungarian Lands, although the army needs arquebuses, and the people care not where they come from". And with those words received, the army is demobilized and returned to peace, although a small contingent remains in the case that Corvinus' armies reach the borderr, while as many weaponsmiths as possible are recurited, and the Austrian guard sends even some of their firearms and cannons to the conflict in Hungary to fight for Frederick.,
 * Unlike last year, which resulted in immense losses for Frederick, this year sees a sort of strategic stalemate, with both sidesHungary_1491_PMIV.png making small gains, while the remaining strategic offensives ending in failure. While Corvinus is able to carve out a small bit of territory in the north, Frederick gains ground in the south. The small pocket of land loyal to Frederick in the south is mostly ingored, allowing them modest gains as they increase their numbers. In October, Corvinus tries to launch an advance to Budapest, the capital, but is caught in an ambush laid out by Rudolph, the Duke of Hungary and the late King Ferdinand's brother, losing ten thousnad men in an envelopment maneuver. However, unfortunately, in the chaos, Rudolph is gravely injured, and so the Army is unable to capitalize on Corvinus failure. West Hungary mourns as Rudolph dies of a grievous infenction soon after, leaving Frederick with no trusted military advisors left. Despite this, recruitment continues as weapons are imported from Austria to bolster the situation. It has become clear that the war has become one of attrition, as Corvinus increases his recruitment as well. Only next year will tell who will emerge victorious. Serbia, Despoite calls form both sides, remains non-commital, impressing both sides with vague promises.
 * No chance you have ended serfdom yet -Feud
 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * Chinese Empire: The new naval bases continue to be expanded, with additional squadrons sent to each one. An increase in trade with the Khmer allows for more Islamic missionaries to make there way to the coastal regions of China, allowing the spread of Islam to continue. With the annexation of the new islands from the recent conflict, the Chinese navy increases patrols in the region, with ships sailing both ways every two days in order to keep the region patrolled and safe for Chinese interests. Some naval strategists bring up the possibility of a great fleet of exploration to sail eastwards, into the unknown oceans. While scoffed at initially, the navy suggests sailing west instead, making contact directly with the Indian states and whatever lies beyond.. The plan is talked over, and after receiving the Emperors blessing, a fleet begins assembling off the coast. The fleet is under the command of Admiral Zheng He the Second, son of OTL Zheng He, born in 1459. He is one of the greatest Admirals in Chinese history.
 * South Australian Civilization: In this year, a prominent Dreamspeaker came to the court of Djalu Bakan, and related a powerful vision he had received that night. In his dream, the first one named Lord Kallum-Zered was warning the people of Adeleid Valley to not change their way of life too quickly, or else suffer wrath of the gods. Djalu initially scoffed at this notion, but ultimately conceeded the gods are most wise. The walls of the city-states continued to be expanded, in spite of frequent raiding from Noongar and similar enemies. Regiments of farmers are summoned by the Bakan to defend the walls while they are expanded, armed with the latest spears, boomerangs, and bows. Meanwhile, the city of Kaurna was terrorized by an evil spirit in the form of a koala bear. Known as the terrible "Drop-Bear", this demon would hide in trees and drop down to latch on the back of a hapless traveler, insisting that he answer his riddle. If the traveler, failed to answer (as all of them did), the Drop-Bear would slice his neck and eat his remains. The people of Kaurna became terrified to travel at night, which began harming their economy which still lacks a central government.
 * Your under a Ban -Feud
 * In the Kingdom of France, consolidation of the realm continues. King Louis XII and his wife, Juliette, have a son who they name Charles. Meanwhile, the vassals continue to travel to Paris. Overall there is much peace in the Kingdom, and Louis XII is seen as a popular ruler. He begins to prepare legal reforms based upon a civil code, and also oversees the development of a standard French tongue.

1492
''' While a good chunk of the Irish Rebels go home having achieved their goal, the remainder refuse to go home fighting to the last man with nearly 10,000 dead at the end of the day, 2000 soldiers of the kingdom, and 8000 peasants. The Casualty counts are shocking in retrospect, but the ferocity with which the Irish fought were considered abnormal and their unusual organization prompted a much more pitched battle than intended. Nevertheless the Revolt stands quelled. '''

''' The Shimazu force is absolutely crushed as the Otomo and Ashikaga forces sandwhich the army between them and kill nearly half before Lord Shimazu commits suicide following his surrender. '''

''' The leading revolters, multiple nobles from the countryside, set their demands, increased autonomy from the Indian Bahmani's and non-interference in their internal politics. With a relatively large force of nearly 20,000 between them, the Bahmani would be hard pressed to fight them in the mountains of Burma. '''

''' The Swahili Invasion force suffers greatly as their supplies to the south are unable to reach the army effectively delaying any major offensive by a year. The lack of an established infrastructure system this far south, or a friendly port of sufficient size to bring it supplies greatly reduces the strategic mobility of the Swahili forces. '''

''' The Cape of Good Hope colony loses contact with the homeland. Its 3000 inhabitants attempt to wall up their major settlements and hope for word from the homeland. '''

''' The Chimu Empire marshalls a force of 15,000 and sets off to the south into Chila only to meet the united force of nearly 25,000 which face off with the Chimu forces near the coastal desert. The Chimu return north to report their findings having not prepared to face organized resistance. The Qulla Confederation is officially made known to the Chimu. '''

''' The Qulla Confederation, a collection of cities and tribesmen, makes its emergence in the Southern Andes opposite the Chimu empire extending as far south as the Mapuche lands. The Mapuche, Purumaucas and their Antalli, Pincu, and Cauqui allies abstain from the confederation but do give a vague offer of help in the event of an aggressive expansion south. As a result of some of the northern centralization some groups of the Mapuche establish more permanent residencies. '''

The Chimu were renamed the Runorqo 40 years ago -Nova

No, they werent, they are no longer your nation, and there is not enough information on their language for you to be making those changes. -Feud

'''Since my fellow mods did not see fit to do so, the New World will be discovered in 1500 by a power yet to be decided. Any attempts made to launch a sucessful voyage before than will result in a strike. That is all. ~Edge'''


 * Mate, I asked about this on the Google doc months ago. ~Cal


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to spread throughout the Sultanate, initiating a "cultural revolution" that patronised farsi, promoted educational enlightenment and philosophical reform. The Mu'tazila generally admired Muslim Persians and Arab who had contributed to the Islamic Golden Age, idolizing them for their discoveries and inventions and venerated them. The Mu'tazila adherants had by now realized that the significance of science in the society had decreased since the Abbasid Golden Age and hoping to invoke the resurgence of Science, the Mu'tazila began to uplift the popularity of their fellow scentists and in particular reverred the former Gurkani Sultan, Ulugh Beg who was an astronomer and a mathematician. Contrary to popular view that saw him as weak and incompetent, the Mu'tazila hoped to depict him as a wise and an educated King. Meanwhile, in a symbolic move to represent the victory of enlightment over tyranny, the Mu'tazila established the Grand Baghdad Madrassah at the site of the former House of Wisdom which had been destroyed by Hulagu Khan. Meanwhile, work continued on the construction of the canal which included the Gurkani provinces of Çukorova, Jazira, Basra, Baghdad, Armani'yya and Fars. The Sultanate began to massively expand the capitals of every Wilayet, Khedivate and Eyalet to cater for the ever-growing population and the internal inflow migrants settling in the cities.
 * United Crown of Great Iberia
 * As our transatlantic ships near completion, we begin assembling a crew to pilot them toward the unknown. The crews are mainly composed of volunteers from the various navies of the Union, but a small minority are petty convicts who were promised pardons if they agreed to join the voyage and remain obedient throughout it. Commanding officers are appointed for each ship, who are all experienced Armada captains (no member of the Admiralty is appointed though, for fear that we may lose our best men). The crews begin training exercises, to maximise their chances of survival. Clergymen join the crews too, as previously chosen by the Papal authorities in Iberia. The chief commander of the fleet, Senor Esteban Ferrera, pledges that he will maintain order in the fleet, serve the Crown, and, to the best of his ability, bring the ships home safely after reaching the other end of the Atlantic. Bishops and ministers bless all who will be involved in this treacherous journey. The fleet, led by the Santa Maria, is due to depart in a year's time.
 * Burgundian Dip: In light of the French declaration of war against Burgundy, the Iberian alliance is invoked, and Iberia is asked to send forces to assist Burgundy.
 * Iberian Secret Diplomacy: We publicly decline to assist. However, this is for strategic purposes, as the King wishes to launch a more unexpected assault on France. Our transatlantic program is temporarily halted as resources are quietly moved to military positions, and our navy is mobilised, ostensibly in preparation for the transatlantic voyage. The King sends a private letter to Burgundy via Liguria and Germany that Iberia in truth will be coming to Burgundy's defence shortly. The Burgundian government is asked to play along with the ruse in order to improve its authenticity.


 * Swahili: With out border reaching Sofala, we begin to expand more in the hinderlands of Mombasa and Malindi. Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. We patrol the Mozambique Channel with our fleet to prevent foreign aid going to the Kingdom of Mutapa. Our armies begin to construct a major port on the delta of the Chinde River to deliver supplies during the war. After supply lines are secured, the allied armies march towards Chimolo, a border pass of the Kingdom of Mutapa. The city of Chimolo is captured and our armies rest and plan for an operation to capture the Mutapan capital next year. We incentivize merchants to send cheap food and other supplies in exchange for a share of the spoils, highlighting the gold production in Mutapa. The Royal Trade Fleet is also tasked with sending food and supplies from the Indian Ocean and other parts of Swahili to the port of Chinde.
 * Bulgarian Empire: The Ecumenical Patriarch is revealed to have the previous year and much of the religious issues come from his protoge, a Greek who defies the Tsar yet again. The self proclaimed patriarch with support from the Greek segments of the Orthodox church attempts to seize control of Vasiligrad rallying nearly 12,000 people almost all Greeks to his cause in Vasiligrad. The Tsar coincidentally having been in the city at the time for education on the banking systems is caught in the middle as the City Guard and the Religious particularlists clash. The Tsar leaves one of his most trusted generals to command the rather lackluster city garrison which remains roughly outnumbered and fortifies the government district. The Tsar on the other hand managed to exit the city and rides to Tarnovo raising the full force of his personal army, unwilling to tolerate the empires greatest city to remain under siege by a religious revolt. Bringing nearly 40,000 troops the Tsar is let in by a small force of the city garrison which seize a gate and open it to the army. The religious army is absolutely wiped out or melt away into the city as they are unwilling to face punishment for religious revolt. The Greek self-proclaimed Patriarch Alexandros, Paleologos a member of the former Byzantine royal family is revealed to be behind the plot having wishing to take the city and start a mass Greek revolt to rebirth the Roman Empire. Tsar Simeon personally handles the Paleologai family member and outright kills him. The Tsar having ousted the final member with a claim to Rome seizes the title for himself claiming the title of "The Third Rome". The Head of the religious usurper is sent to Rome.  Outside of this the Bulgarian economy continues to build up moderately as the Tsar shows great interest in expanding the economic and infrastructural parts of his empire. The Tsar commissions 12 engineers and gives them a large fund to draw from in the order of turning Bulgarias road network into a legitimate highway. With old Roman roads being used as the base for this (having been already surveyed) the Tsar tells these men to embark on building the network of roads through the Empire to emulate the Romans. Having gotten much of this information from surviving books and materials in the library of Vasiligrad, rebuilt and refilled with surviving books the Tsar attempts to apply many of the learned concepts. The population of the Empire grows by roughly 10,000 people this year bringing it to 4.63 million. Tsar Simeon begins considering an expedition into Hungary and Serbia to end the situation in the Austrian realms decisively.
 * Principality of Albania: Albania remains a relatively low population area, but the Bulgarians specifically some of the merchant classes invest into improving the small cities in Albania for the very interest of making the area a good place for trade on the Adriatic intenting on rivaling some of the Greek ports.
 * Principality of Moldavia: The Moldavian principality remains an important Buffer for the Bulgarian empire and now with the burning of southern poland and refugee issues with them fleeing across the border, the local prince of the Basarab family gives them refuge and lands to settle on. The Principality does levee nearly 5000 troops to watch the border for other issues such as cossacks among others.
 * Brandenburg-Luxembourg: Otto appreciates the gifts giving to him by Simeon and sends over a a lavish crown of Gold made by the finest of Luxembourg's smithies. Otto the younger and his wife Anastasiya have a male child finally securing the new line of succession. The young boy is named Friedrich and is baptised as Freidrich von Preußen-Brannenborg as Otto the younger style's his heir as the future leader of a united Brandenburg Dominion. The yound Freidrich is gifted one of the five wolf pups his grand father brought back and the child is recognized as the greatest joy of Otto the Older. Consolidation of the Prussian nobility into the greater Brandeburg domains continue. Levies on the duchy are placed augmenting the potential size of the Brandenburg forces. Now capable of amassing a force of 43,000 troops military reforms continue as more Landsknecht and arqubusier units are formed. Otto conitnues to oppose any efforts by other powers to shake the balance of Power that currently stands in the HRE and to this end vows to ensure the autonomy of all princes and further grants the Teutonic Order the title of Imperial Protectors as the Order now without a secular state of its own is granted the right to recruit members from Across the HRE and is answerable only to the Emperor and to be called in times of war in the defense of the empire. Mining and urbanization continue to grow in Lorraine, Luxembourg and Silesia while Pomerania and Brandenburg continue to grow in importance as areas that trade and commerce go through. Berlin continues to grow as the city gains more specialized labour in the form of merchants, artisans, painters, and aristocracy flock to the city. Otto's patronage of the arts and sciences continues to promote a strong cultural centre for the German Rennasaince. Brandenburg authors, Philosophers and painters start to gain prominence within the HRE. Agricluture in Prussia, Brandenburg, and Silesia continute to expand as larger noble families loyal to the house of Brandenburg secure loans from the royal house and buy out smaller less well to do estates giving rise to a new era of manoralism in the Eastern Brandenburg Domains. More people change to the Reformed Catholic Church of the Hussite Rite as the facilities established by the new rite allow for greater understanding this also helps cement the close connection between the new church and the German people living within the Brandenburg Estates. Otto begins suggesting that other German States embrace Reformed Rite as it is still in union with the Papacy.
 * Norway agrees with the peace treaty with the English that Sweden proposed.
 * Bahmani Sultante: Muhammad Shah considers sending the army to Burma, but realizes that such a huge force of rebels (OOC: More than the whole country can sustain according to the war algo, but I guess these rebels put women in the ranks, too or something.) must be negotiated with. He sends his younger son, Nehal Shah, to assist Binnya Kyal in negociations.
 * Kingdom of Burma: Binnya Kyal always believed that his vassalship to the the Bahmanis helped his kingdom, and he now fears these rebel scum. Nonetheless, he does not want a civil war, and is glad when Nehal Shah comes to assist in negociations. Together, they propose a counteroffer: Though the Kingdom of Burma will remain sovereign internally, the Bahmani crown may still send advisors to the king, but it is his choice to follow them or not. In war, the Kingdom of Burma will still be tied to the Bahmani crown, but in trade and other such matters, they may choose independently, (as long as they don't act friendly w/an enemy of Gulbarga). The economic assistance from Gulbarga will be increased substantially if they agree.  (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED ON REBEL ACCEPTANCE) (Note: If they reject, I will make another offer, more favorable to them).
 * Maldives: People are shocked at the treasonous Burmese, and many meetings are held reaffirming that the Maldives will never commit such a vile act.
 * Denmark - I construct a large fleet of light trade ships to assert Kalmar trade power in the Baltic and talk with the Norweigan and Swedish nobility about bolstering our army with new recruits and equipment.
 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 ships are built. The Sultan sees the happenings in Burma as worrying. The Sultan supports the Bahmanid offer of negotiations.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: The Avans wish to negotiate with the Burmese rebels, as discussed in the post for Burma.
 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * Chinese Empire: The new naval bases continue to be expanded, with additional squadrons sent to each one. Islam continues to spread slowly. Admiral Zheng He the Second, son of OTL Zheng He, launches his voyage, consisting of dozens upon dozens of ships, and sails southwards torwards the Khmer Empire and the Indonesian islands.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Brittany: With the defeat of the Irish revolt the King of England is reassured but he is still concnered by the growing unrest in Ireland and potentially Brittany.
 * French Diplomacy: We invite England to join in our invasion of Burgundy.
 * English Dip: As per our alliance with France and fearing a joint Burgundian and Breton attempt to seize the English throne as Blanche has some claim to the throne, we support our French allies by sending 3000 soldiers to support their invasion of Burgundy and be under French command while sending another 12,000 to Brittany to occupy major cities and in the event of a rebellion in rural areas to simply burn crops in rebel strongholds while keeping the defences for the cities of Brittany open against revolt. In England we raise another 10,000 men and move them into midlands of England to combat any other revolts swiftly. We do not depose Blanche and leave her in place and not have any Breton troops accompany the offensive into Burgundy while we assure foreign nations we are just honouring our alliance.
 * In the Kingdom of France, we declare war upon Burgundy and send 100,000 men to seize Burgundian land. We focus on a major battle at Brussels, which we beseige and take. More to come.
 * Ethiopian Empire: With the population growing rapidly the now aging Emperor Baeda sets to subsidize more farms for the expanding cities. Nile trade has became a great form of income and is taken over by the Empire. Excess funds are put back into the Empire to keep the people happy and the Empire moving forward. The settlers continue to move south of the empires borders to look for another connection to the worlds waters.
 * Austria has recovered somewhat from the war in Italy, but not yet fully. However, after hearing of the invasion of Burgundy by France, and the siege of Brussels, the Austrian Herrkanzler Maximillian and Herroberkommandant Ludvig von Lienz both decide that a relief force must be sent to their ally. and so, seeing the invasion of the Holy Roman Empire by the French forces, officialy declare its support for the Burgundian side, using the Red Lion Pact as justification. as such, Ten thousand guardsmen currently situated in the county of Habsburg-Wurttemberg are mobilized and sent as an immediate relief force to help lift the siege of Brussels by the assaulting french forces. A letter is sent to Frederick in Hungary, notifying him of the Plenopotentiaries' actions. He approves greatly, and gives his approval to name the border with Burgundy as a "militarized border" in preperation should the worst come to pass. In the meanwhile, many more guardsmen are raised and moved to the Western portions of the Austrian crown. Hungary is left out of this as Hungary is dealing with its own problems at this point (map coming). While Veneto may not be involved in the physical fighting part of the war, they are instrumental behind the scenes, giving Austria accest the the Adriatic and Mediterranian trade networks, supplies and other economic boons from the area. As such, thye must not be discouted fully, even if not venetian forces are as of yet participating. being satisfied with the situation in brussels, Maximillian decides to go on the offensive against France to deterr further developments in the war, and gain bargaining chips in the negociations. After six months, enough men are assembled in  As such, the Provence campaign begins, as an austrian Army fourty five thousand strong marches towards the city of Lyon (or other city if Burgundy/other owns it, and ), passing through Burgundian territory, intending to take the french by surprise, which it succesfuly does...(if succesful) After the fall of Lyon, various French cities, such as Grenoble and valence, along with much of that region of France, is occupied as Austrians prepare for the next year's offensive, however the offer the french a chance at surrender and peace negociations.
 * Hungary map will come in case I can't post a detailed assesement, don't remember if stuff in Serbia occurs yet, however I do Hungary_1492_PMIV.png to ask permission to possibly post late to explain what happened in Serbia (this will not affect anything, simply clarify the map of "sitation in hungary" that I will post). some battles happen, if serbia is involved, serbia stuff happens, but net gains for Corvinus this year I believe... Anyway, Gains are made in that pocket in the south, while mainly, Corvinus does a large push to the Austrian border.
 * Burgundian Dip: Austria is thanked for its assistance (how many ye sending, Lx?)
 * I'm sending 10k to brussels, maybe more later if needed 45k im sending for a counter-offensive in south France.
 * Papal States: The popularity of monte de pieta continues to rise. Some of the most conservative clergymen, however, view such innovations as a form of usury, and some even go so far as to preach publicly against them. They are opposed in this by more morderate clerics, who not only preach in favour of the charitable institutions, but actually run some of them. Work continues on the Fortebracci Chapel, which obervers claim is the most beautiful thing they have ever laid eyes on, far surpassing St Peter's in Rome in its architectural and artistic beauty. The Pope watches on as the events in Bulgaria unfold, and receives with gratitude the head of the usurper. His Holiness hopes that the churches will continue communion with each other. His Holiness writes to the Emperor Otto, congratulating him on the birth of a son. The letter also welcomes the growth of the Northern Church in the Brandenburg realms, but also paternally suggests that the individual princes of the Empire decide which rite their subjects should adopt, under a principle he terms cuius regio, eius culto.
 * Japan: With the Battle of Otomo and the Shimazu Daimyo pacified, the Ashikaga Shogunate focuses its efforts on ending the Otomo revolt. The heirs of Otomo, like all heirs of the daimyo, are kept in Kyoto. With the rebellion of Shimazu and Otomo, the heirs of both daimyo are slain. Their heads are sent to Shimazu and Otomo. Since the leader of the Shimazu daimyo committed seppuku, one problem is already done. The leader of the Otomo clan, however, is very much alive when he receives the severed heads of all of his sons and daughters. The Shogun hopes that the leader will commit seppuku out of despair and dishonor, though the Shinobi - already a very powerful force in Kyushu island - are sent to kill the leader of the Otomo just in case. Of course, the army is sent just in case both fail to kill him. mod rng or response plox
 * ​The Shinobi finish the job. -scraw

1493
''' Bayezid III of the Ottoman Empire declares that the time has come to restore the powers of Islam and declares war on Bulgaria to secure back "his" lands. Al-Hamad joins him as per their contract. '''

''' The Chimu marshall a new army of nearly 50,000 to march south smashing through the Qulla Confederations Frontiers. The Leading city of Tiwanaku is seized following a bloody battle which sees the Qulla Confederations lesser army of 30,000 smashed and forced back south. The Army is split in two and the two halves attempt to hold out as the Chimu forces push south into Chile seizing many cities along the way. '''

''' The Mapuche and their allies are left alone by the Chimu following a border skirmish in which all Chimu scouts were brutally killed and left at the entrance to the Chimu army camp. The General of this task force refuses to march further south and takes up residence in a new city. '''

''' The King of Poland dies and the a new ruler, Sigismund Jagiellion, of old nobility is elected. Immediately following the election he forces the Sejm into session and in an unprecedented move mostly due to strongarm tactics from the extremely wealthy and powerful Jagiellion family and their lands, amend the rights of the Sejm, as the recent killing on many of the old guard of Polands Nobility has led to a noticeable shift from maintaining nobility rights, to maintaining a powerful king to salvage the Polish state. '''

''' With the death of the Polish King, the Russians boyars elect Vladimir Romanov, an extremely mysterious and shadowy noble from Moscow who has a good eye for diplomacy. In his lands it is known his favored form of Punishment is Impaling having read about the punishment in books coming out of the Balkans. Newly crowned Tsar Vladimir re-confirms his alliance and the previous agreement with King Sigismund of Poland and they agree to stand firm in the face of the eastern Hordes. '''

more later

The new algorithm will take effect this turn.

'''Unless something has changed, the Fench war has been retconned. Players, please change your turns to adjust.'''


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: it is announced that King Charles I, widely called "the Great", has died at the age of sixty. His nineteen year old son ascends to the throne as King Robert III, continuing the use of basing regnal numbers off those used by the Capetian House of Burgundy. Due to his Brandenburgian mother, and the German tutors she hired to educate him as he aged, Robert is multilingual, using French in administrative functions and dealing with the French nobility, and using German in private and as an intermediary with Dutch nobility and merchant cartels while he learns Dutch. Robert continues his fathers policy of promoting lower tariffs and cultivating domestic alliances with the Dutch merchants. David Slykes proposed westward expedition continues to be prepared for. Hearing of similar preparations being made in Iberia, Robert remarks "then we shall have a race." In light of the newly called crusade against the ottomans, Burgundys Genoa-based Mediterranean fleet, supported by Burgundys new large carracks such as the recently commissioned Saint Thomas, is dispatched to aid in obtaining naval superiority and preventing the crossing of the Hellespont.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to spread throughout the Sultanate, initiating a "cultural revolution" that patronised farsi, promoted educational enlightenment and philosophical reform. The Mu'tazila generally admired Muslim Persians and Arab who had contributed to the Islamic Golden Age, idolizing them for their discoveries and inventions and venerated them. The Mu'tazila adherants had by now realized that the significance of science in the society had decreased since the Abbasid Golden Age and hoping to invoke the resurgence of Science, the Mu'tazila continued to uplift the popularity of their fellow scentists. Meanwhile, the Mu'tazila successfully lobbied the Sultan to move Sultan Ulugh Begs body to the Gur e Amir to be buried alongside his grandfather Timur Beg Mirza, his father Shahrukh Mirza and his son Zeeshan Beg Mirza. Meanwhile, work continued on the construction of the canal which included the Gurkani provinces of Çukorova, Jazira, Basra, Baghdad, Armani'yya and Fars. The Sultanate began to massively expand the capitals of every Wilayet, Khedivate and Eyalet to cater for the ever-growing population and the internal inflow migrants settling in the cities. About around the same time, the Sultan silently observed the situation in the Balkans and issued a declaration that the Gurkani would intervene if Anatolia was attacked. Acting accordingly, 10,000 men were deployed at Erzurum to reinforce the forces already present there whilst an additional 10,000 were also sent to Adana
 * We in the United Crown are alarmed by the Ottoman invasion of Bulgaria, and begin strengthening our defences in Athens. A fleet of 100 ships and a garrison of 10,000 men are sent to relieve the current military deployments in Athens. We remain on our guard, watching our enemies closely. We temporarily cease preparations for our transatlantic voyage as it appears tensions in Europe are once again on the rise. Esteban Ferrera is instructed to continue training his crews for the dangerous journey, but that the government is currently prioritising domestic security.
 * Papal Diplomacy: The Pope asks that the Aragonese troops participate in the newly-called Crusade assisting the Bulgarians against the Ottomans.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: Iberia accepts the call to arms, and dispatches another 15,000 men to repel the Ottoman invasion. However, at this time, these soldiers will only serve to defend the Balkan peninsula from the infidels. Most of our military remains on guard for a possible attack by the Caliphate in response to our military action.


 * Brandenburg-Luxembourg: The young boy is named Friedrich and is baptised as Freidrich von Preußen-Brannenborg as Otto the younger style's his heir as the future leader of a united Brandenburg Dominion. The yound Freidrich is gifted one of the five wolf pups his grand father brought back and the child is recognized as the greatest joy of Otto the Older. Consolidation of the Prussian nobility into the greater Brandeburg domains continue. Levies on the duchy are placed augmenting the potential size of the Brandenburg forces. Now capable of amassing a force of 43,000 troops military reforms continue as more Landsknecht and arqubusier units are formed. Otto conitnues to oppose any efforts by other powers to shake the balance of Power that currently stands in the HRE and to this end vows to ensure the autonomy of all princes and further grants the Teutonic Order the title of Imperial Protectors as the Order now without a secular state of its own is granted the right to recruit members from Across the HRE and is answerable only to the Emperor and to be called in times of war in the defense of the empire. Mining and urbanization continue to grow in Lorraine, Luxembourg and Silesia while Pomerania and Brandenburg continue to grow in importance as areas that trade and commerce go through. Berlin continues to grow as the city gains more specialized labour in the form of merchants, artisans, painters, and aristocracy flock to the city. Otto's patronage of the arts and sciences continues to promote a strong cultural centre for the German Rennasaince. Brandenburg authors, Philosophers and painters start to gain prominence within the HRE. Agricluture in Prussia, Brandenburg, and Silesia continute to expand as larger noble families loyal to the house of Brandenburg secure loans from the royal house and buy out smaller less well to do estates giving rise to a new era of manoralism in the Eastern Brandenburg Domains. More people change to the Reformed Catholic Church of the Hussite Rite as the facilities established by the new rite allow for greater understanding this also helps cement the close connection between the new church and the German people living within the Brandenburg Estates. Otto begins suggesting that other German States embrace Reformed Rite as it is still in union with the Papacy.  Under the orders of Otto the Older, Otto the younger assumes command of a 30,000 which march to Bulgaria to assist Emperor Simeon against the Muslim Threat, in honor of the request of the Papacy, and to honor the long standing friendship between the two emperors.
 * Papal Diplomacy: The pope beseeches the Emperor to come to the aid of Bulgaria and participate in the Crusade against the invading infidel Ottomans.
 * Japan: With the death of the leader of the Otomo rebellion, the civil war in Japan is over. The Ashikaga shogunate, rather than give the lands to another feudal lord, annexes both Otomo and Shimazu completely. A victory parade in Kyoto is cut short when the Shogun is found dead in his bedchambers after a night with one too many geishas. He died with a smile on his face; his country was secure and he was enjoying himself. His son, Ashikaga Yoshinami, becomes the shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate. With his royal marriage to Hatakeyama, their lands fall under direct control of the Ashikaga Shogunate now. They begin expanding their Pacific expeditions further in order to discover new lands to circumvent the northbound current in the South China Sea. They discover the island of Saipan this year, news of the discovery still fresh in Kyoto by the end of this year.
 * Cologne: The three schools continue to be built with Cologne’s trade revenue, and the militia continues to grow. Vicar General Wikbold III is particularly active this year in convincing dissenting nobles. The hospital gets quite full this year, so Archbishop Emmerich heavily considers making further improvements to it in the future.
 * Essen: Returning canonesses continue to bring Renaissance thought to the University of Essen, and the resident canonesses continue to develop the basic literacy and numeracy curricula.
 * Khmer Empire: After Emperor Sutka's death, Sutkan continues his rule of Khmer, which currently has about 12.5 million people. After many years of Gunturist slavery, the remaining 100,000 free Guntruists are declared slaves by Sutkan, and quickly rounded up by the Khmer military. Half of these slaves will work directly for the government, while the other half will be sold off to the public. However, if a private citizen buys slaves, the government is entitled to any children the slave might have, thought the owner will have an opportunity to “buy” them at a reduced price. Meanwhile, Sutkan follows in his father’s lead, and begins to style himself as an Emperor sent by God to rule Khmer. This leads him to begin construction of a new palace in Angkor Wat. This Palace will be even larger than the current structures, and will be primarily constructed Guntruist slaves, and should be completed within 30 years, hopefully within Sutkan’s lifetime. It has yet to be given a name, and Sutkan announces he will wait for a sign from Buddha to name it. After the successful conquest of Laos, Sutkan decides to switch the military focus of Khmer from the Army to the Navy. This will help protect our rapidly growing trade, and defend against our main enemy, Majapahit. With the new influx of resources dedicated to naval power, the amount of ships being made skyrockets. All new ships will be equipped with cannons, and the few existing ships that don't will be retrofitted. Guntruist slaves will play a central role in the creation, though all will be closely watched by Khmer soldiers and paid workers. The Navy begins construction of three major naval ports: in Kedah, Chaiya, and Vijaya. Additionally, a much larger base is built in Oc Eo - a city well on its way to becoming the naval capital of Khmer. In order to increase the practical size of the navy even faster, Sutkan continues his program for civilians to build ships for the military. Under this program, if a trader is willing to build their ships to be usable in a battle, and are willing to give them up in times of need, the government will subsidize their creation. This is extremely effective, as it not only allows Khmer to commander many trading ships if need be, many trading ships are now better protected from pirates or other threats. Hand in hand with our renewed focus on Naval output, we dramatically increase our sponsorship of piracy against Majapahit. We hope to hurt their economy badly, and recent signs have shown that that is already the case. We also begin to put bounties on Majaphit naval ships, making them attractive, if difficult, targets for pirates. Currently, around 300 pirate ships are actively raiding Majaphit, tearing their trade and coastal cities to shreds. Meanwhile, the army also increases in size, and currently hovers around 130.000 men due to our renewed focus on the navy. After seeing the effect of guns in the successful conquest of Laos, Guns are heavily invested in improving. Many units of the Khmer military currently have access to guns in some form, though overall it is still very much a melee force. Trade continues to be enormously profitable for Khmer, with the Indian States, China, Korea, and Tondo all major trading partners. Increase on trade has been dramatic over recent years, to the benefit of all involved nations. Sutkan thanks Swahili for opening trade, and hopes that Both nations will benefit from it. In terms of culture, Sutkan once again continues his father's policy, and works to make the city of U Thong a bastion of Khmer and Asian culture. The influx of slaves helps construction oriented projects, and to increase the cultural output, Sutkan sets up a guild in the city to sponsor talented artisans of all kinds. The city continues to attract artistic talent from all corners of Khmer, and also sees high population growth, just like the empire as a whole. The investment in culture begins to pay off, as Khmer begins to experience a cultural explosion, mostly in the city of U Thong, but reaching to Ayyuthaya, Angkor Wat, and even as far as Kedah.
 * Hungary Stuff...Oh yes, Corvinus, convinced of his eventual victory by the retreat of Frederick's forces due to his successes, and Hungary_1493_PMIV.png irritated by Serbia's noncommittal nature, orders them to provide twenty thousand fighting men as his underling. when they "refuse", or rather say they can;t logistically do it in his deadline, he assumes that they are on Frederick's side, and sends a large army to invade Serbia and besiege Belgrade, in the process slicing a bit of the Austrian gains in the south. While his army makes great gains in Serbia, the diversion of forces allows Frederick to recover some of last year's lost land. The forces in the south join the siege of Belgrade, but on Serbia's side, lifting the siege and obtaining Despot Aleksandar's loyalty, effectively, he declares for Frederick publicly. With some well-needed Serbain re-inforcements, a plan is hatched...
 * Bulgarian Empire: With war upon the Bulgarian Empire Tsar Simeon rallies his troops, and his navy, 46,000 troops are raised and 95 warships are brought to heel immediately. The troops are put on the recently constructed roads along the coast and are heavily prepared to meet any and all Ottoman landings along the coast. In a surprising new development the first usage of the Bulgarian Wolf skirmishers are put to use with bows, arrows, and most importantly a well trained wolf acting as a partner to the skirmisher which scouts ahead, and eliminates enemy scouts and terrorizes enemy troops. The people of the Empire are warned far and wide that a widely feared day has come, the Ottomans have returned to exact not only their revenge but retake the Balkans from the Bulgarians. While only having Croatia as an ally, the Bulgarian Tsar sends an envoy to Croatia to request their assistance in this war (MOD plz).  In another note the Tsar sends another envoy to the previously courted Poland for them to partake in their holy duty to defend Europe from the heathens and extends a hand to potentially join the Alliance with Poland and Russia, and also gain help in the coming war (MOD again plz) Whilst the war takes up much of the thoughts of the Empire, the Cities while preparing for potential sieges and the like continue to produce this time at an expanded rate as armor, weapons, munitions, and food are widely built, harvested, and brought together in order to prepare for potentially a long war. The Bulgarian Vassal states are levied as well with the Bulgarians calling on 11,000 Moldavian, and 1000 Albanian troops to join into the war. The Tsar calls on the Papacy to send its troops in order to solidify not only the Christian union, but also prevent heathens from once again crossing into Europe.
 * Principality of Albania: The Albanian population literally ceases to grow as the draw on manpower brings 1000 men into the Bulgarian service for the invasion of the continent by Muslims
 * Principality of Moldavia: Not wishing to see Muslims on either side of it the Moldavian mobilize their 11,000 troops to cned King Richardombat the Ottoman invasion and join the Bulgarians in posting up along the Coast. Their ships are also added to the Bulgarian fleet patrolling the straits to prevent a crossing.
 * Croatia accepts and joins. ~Wolvesmod
 * Poland accepts to aid the Bulgarians ~Wolvesmod


 * Swahili: With out border reaching Sofala, we begin to expand more in the hinderlands of Mombasa and Malindi. Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. We patrol the Mozambique Channel with our fleet to prevent foreign aid going to the Kingdom of Mutapa. Our armies face problems from disease and supply problems, so we retreat back to the coast, effectively unilateraly ending the war. However, we continue developing the ports in the region, as well as sending our army to construct basic infrastructure in the area before disbanding, to aid colonization efforts in the area.
 * Sultanate of Bengal: 20 more ships are built this year.
 * Ahom Kingdom: Nothing of note.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.
 * Papal States: His Holiness Pope Leo X, hearing with great distress the news of the Ottoman invasion of his beloved Bulgaria, heeds the Tsar's request and calls a Crusade against the Ottomans. The usual plenary indulgence for those who take part (assuming they fulfil the other reuirements of sacramental confession and partaking in mass) is promised. 10,000 Papal troops are sent to assist the Bulgarians. Work on the Fortebracci Chapel is almost complete, with even more reports reaching Rome of the unspeakable beauty of the building.
 * Denmark - I accept the Papal request of a crusade against the Ottomans and send 15,000 troops to assist the cause. I also order an expedition to West Africa to discover new trade for Denmark.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: King Edward dies this year and his son Edward is crowned King Edward V of Engalnd and he marries Margret, the daughter of the powerful English and Welsh landowner Salisbury, they have a daughter together called Anne. We offer Brandenburg a trade agreement. The nobility within England are shocked by the organised Irish revolt but things contuine much as they are. In an attempt to modernise some of the older English vessels another ten new vessels are commissioned this year.
 * Bahmani Sultanate: Negociations with the rebels continue in Burma.
 * Kingdom of Burma: Special Ambassador Nehal Shah and Binnya Kyal make the following offer: Though the Kingdom of Burma will remain sovereign internally, the Bahmani crown may still send advisors to the king, but it is his choice to follow them or not. In war, the Kingdom of Burma will still be tied to the Bahmani crown, but in trade and other such matters, they may choose independently, (as long as they don't act friendly w/an enemy of Gulbarga). The economic assistance from Gulbarga will be increased substantially if they agree. The king will have to consult with a council of the nine most powerful nobles before making any major internal decisions. Finally, as a conciliatory gesture, the Kingdom of Burma will return to its old name, Pegu. (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED ON REBEL ACCEPTANCE) (Note: If they reject, I will make another offer, more favorable to them). 
 * They refuse. -scraw
 * The Bahmani crown then has no choice but to accept the rebel's original offer: Burma (now Pegu) gets full internal autonomy, and is free in all foreign policy except the military.
 * They accept. -scraw
 * Maldives: The economy continues to increase.
 * Delhi Sultanate: The usual militarization, economics, and infrastructure construction occurs. We endorse the Bahmanids' peace offer in Burma.
 * Himalaya: Nothing of note.
 * Ladakh: Nothing of note.
 * Marwar and Mewar: A minor resistance movement occurs in Jodhpur, but the rebels were quickly subdued. Since a great level of autonomy is still maintained and our culture remains unique, the citizens are quite content with the current situation. Hunting down Gunterists continues, assuring the citizens that Gunterism is not part of Rajput culture, but rather a threat to it.
 * In the Kingdom of France, King Louis XII continues his popular reign. He continues to consolidate control from local nobles on French royal land, and the system begins to look less and less feudal as time passes. The economy continues to stand strong from a continued period of peace (with the recent conquest of Savoy being only a minor conflict). We attempt to reaffirm our alliance with Milan and also reach out to Two Sicilies for an alliance. (MOD RESPONSES) Finally, the Académie française continues to develop a centralized French language as the arts and sciences from the Renaissance take off.
 * Two Sicilies says no since the French did not accept their offer of the throne. On the other hand, Milan accepts. -scraw

1494
''' The Ottomans continue their war against the Bulgarians. Sultan Bayezid's half brother Osman leads a naval landing attempt at Thrace. '''

As per the Algo the Naval invasion was repulsed by a Bulgaro-Moldavian fleet off the coast of Thrace.

''' The Chimu invasion of the Qulla Confederacy is stopped cold as a massive force of nearly 50,000 consisting of the Mapuche tribals and their allies march north and seize multiple cities from the Chimu and allow the two Qulla armies to link up and begin regrouping. '''

''' Due to the Civil war and damage caused, a Famine breaks out in Hungary which begins to kill quite a fair bit of people. '''

''' Cossacks under the orthodox religion begin to conduct major raids against Astrakhan killing hundreds. The New Cossack state in Ruthenia/Ukraine is noted to be the promoter of the Cossack raids. '''

'''Note new algo is in effect but is not properly formatted for wikia yet, if you have an issue and wish to wage a war the mods will handle it until we get the formatting correct on the wiki for us. A Region map will be coming in tandem with this -Feud'''


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to spread throughout the Sultanate, initiating a "cultural revolution" that patronised farsi, promoted educational enlightenment and philosophical reform. This included the construction of Madrassahs throughout the Sultanate which propagated the Mu'tazila ideology. Meanwhile, work continued on the construction of the canal which included the Gurkani provinces of Çukorova, Jazira, Basra, Baghdad, Armani'yya and Fars. The Sultanate began to massively expand the capitals of every Wilayet, Khedivate and Eyalet to cater for the ever-growing population and the internal inflow migrants settling in the cities. About around the same time, the plans for developing the Gwadar port were scrapped and the state began funding the construction of a port at Ormara. Meanwhile, Persians continued to settle in Gilan and Mazandaran.


 * The Kingdom of Two Sicilies: The Kingdom remains a largely war-torn, but still optimistic realm. Urbanization continues are peasants and serfs continue to move into the cities, especially Naples, Palermo, and Syracuse. In the country, wine production and agriculture continue to rise. Politically, the realm is in turmoil. Alessandro Miossi, the Regent-General, is murdered on the tenth year of his rule. His son and heir, Giancarlo Luitpolo, died in 1490 and left no children. The Council of Nobles now rule Sicilia without a King, so they send invitations to many nobles around Europe. They send a highly decorated and priority invitation to the Bulgarian Empire, asserting that a Bulgarian minor noble will be very welcome to rule Sicilia in gratitude for their help in breaking Sicily away from northern Milanese domination. In other news, the Duke of Calabria becomes the de-facto head of the nobles council and detests the Bulgarian invitation, wanting to consolidate rule for himself and abolish the council. Fortunately, his attempts at consolidation are regularly foiled over the Spring and Summer. The rest of the council looks forward to a new Bulgarian leader.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: In the event that the Bulgarians do not respond or decline the invitation, the King of Great Iberia nominates his younger brother, Prince Henry, to lead the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Henry is an intelligent young man with many admirable and enviable qualities, including honour, kindness and courage. The Iberian government reassures that of Sicilia that Great Iberia has no designs on the former's territories, and only makes this offering in good faith.
 * Sicilian Dip: We are very humbled at the Iberian's kind offer. If the Bulgarians do respond and affirm our offer, we would be happy to place Henry of Iberia as the Duke of Calabria, considering that the current duke is without a male heir and very ill, widely expected to die within the decade. Henry would of course have to learn Italian and immerse himself in the culture of Southern Italy.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: We thank the Sicilians for their quick reply and thoughtful consideration. Prince Henry has agreed to take on the Dukedom of Calabria should the Bulgarians accept their throne. Henry begins work immediately on learning the Italian language.
 * Bulgarian Dip: A Bulgarian noble from the Velitchkov family will take up the Sicilian offer.
 * Sicilian Dip: We accept the Velitchkov noble and will be happy to welcome him to Sicily. Meanwhile, the aging Duke of Calabria consents via his will to pass his ducal throne to Henry of Iberia.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: To solidify the newly emerging friendship between the United Crown and Sicilia, we invite a marriage between the Duke of Calabria and a daughter of the King of Sicilia.


 * The forces of the United Crown stationed in Athens and Greece continue to defend the peninsula against the infidel Ottoman invaders. In the meantime, improvements are made to the transatlantic fleet, whose voyage has been delayed until 1500. These modifications are hoped to increase the chances of the fleet's survival and the success of the journey. We strengthen our presence in the Mediterranean, hoping to ward off any chance of an attack on Europe by the Caliphate.


 * Austria and Bavaria prepare for further union as Maximilian does things ... anyway, he heads off to Hungary after receiving a letter from his brother to reach a deal with the Urban populations of Hungary from his brother. He leaves the Lord High Commander, Ludvig von Lienz, in his position until he returns. In the meanwhile, Ludvig works on continuing the integration of the legal systems of Austria and Bavaria, further recovering from all previous conflicts and spreading the word of South German unity. Furthermore, renaissance ideas continue to spread across Austria, as a larger economy and ties with venice, one of the most enlightened cities in the HRE, spread and share their knowledge with the Venetians. even better, new sources of silver and gold are struck in the mountains, and new mines commisioned by the mint and the Austrian Bank.
 * Hungary_1494_PMIV.png Hungary, Habsburg loyalist Forces take a gamble. With Serbia secured to their side, they decide to push through the center of Hungary, and cut the territory Corvinus controls in half. This will require Serbia's unbridaled support, their absilute support, as a pincer tactic will be executed. The loyalists put all their forces into this maneuver, losing some territory both in serbia and in Hungary to Corvinus in the process. However by the time the pretender hears of the maneuver, it is already too late, and he has to stop his second advance to Budapest in order to try and regain a path to his capital, which is left now nearly undefended, and behind enemy lines. However, despite this, not all is well in this war-torn nation. The cities and towns, who had to put up with increased taxation, begin to show cracks. In essence, they are on the verge of rebellion. As such, Frederick calls Maximilian from Austria to deal with the problem, as he remains to fight corvinus. This occurs in Mid-May. The offensive, the letters, the arrival of Maximilian to Budapest. Three months later, Corvinus' counter-offensive ends in tactical failure, but with the fatal wounding of Frederick von Habsburg, as an arrow strikes him in the eye. This, miraculously, does not kill him., and he requests the presance of Maximilian as he fades in and out of conciousness. Surgery begins when Maximilian arrives at the camp, having temporarily brokered a truce with the city-dwellers of Hungary. Frederick, unfortunately, does not survive, leaving Maximilian in command of the loyalist forces. Maximilian, knowing that Corvinus is also running low on manpower, calls a peace conference to and end this conflict once and for all, inviting representatives of both corvinus and the city-folk to consult. When the cold winter winds settle in, a final peace agreement is reached. Corvinus gives up the crown, and primogeniture is accepted as the law of the land for the succession to the throne of Hungary, Maximilian proclained as King and amnesty is declared for all parties. However, in exchange certain powers of the Crown are limited, including the right to levy taxes, which must be done with the consent of the Diet of Hungary, which gains new powers after this year. Indeed, the Great Charter of Hungary is hereby in effect.


 * Denmark - We pursue closer diplomatic realations with: England, Teutonic Order, Brandenburg, Poland-Lithuania,Sweden and Norway. Our soldiers maintain post at Bosphorus and Greece to prevent Ottoman advance. We attempt to further modernize our education system and obtain religious and academic texts.


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. We patrol the Mozambique Channel with our fleet to prevent foreign aid going to the Kingdom of Mutapa. Our army builds basic defences and outposts in the South while we send settlers, including poor nobles, peasants and slaves to the area to populate it and expand our territory to connect with our mainland.


 * Bulgarian Empire: With the war continuing in earnest the Bulgarian Tsar this year outright resists the Ottoman naval landing in Thrace. In a sound defeat the Ottoman fleet is forced back to Asia Minor. The Bulgarians ask that the soldiers of the crusade stay for just another year in case of some sort of reprisal or other movement from the other muslim powers but with the repulsion of the Ottoman navy the Tsar and his generals and boyars agree that threat is mostly over and that the Bulgarians can mostly ignore ottomans threats for the time being. In this event the Bulgarian army is left in a state of semi readiness alone the Bulgarian coast and multiple fortifications are established as forts. The fort of Gallipoli is designated a Strategic Fortress and its improvement begins with the fort designed to cover the majority of Thrace and the Bosphorus crossings. The Bulgarian economy begins to speed up again as many people return to their fields and daily lives with only the army remaining on a stand by for another invasion. Borislav Velitchkov rises as one of the Tsars greatest Generals and is confirmed as the one who repulsed the Ottoman Invasion. ( Scraw confirmed him as a Great General ). With the defeat of the only other claimant to the Roman Imperial Title, Bulgarias status as the Third Rome is solidified and Tsar Simeon adopts the Title of Tsar of the Romans alongside his other titles. After multiple decades of intermixing in Wallachia, some mixed couples have begun to spring up of Wallacho-Bulgarian heritage which drastically alters the demographics of Wallachia with the first generation of mixed Vlach-Bulgaro children. Interestingly enough the Bulgarian settlers in these areas have adopted some elements of the Romanian languages which slowly begin to spread through the Empire with a noticeable uptick in Romanian language bases appearing with the Bulgarian language. This is confirmed by two scholars at a university in Sofiya that some intermixing of the languages has begun to occur. Settlement of Greece continues as well with Thrace and Thrake becomming majority Bulgarian after nearly 30 years of active promoted settlement. The only area with a plurality remains Vasiligrad which houses almost half of the areas Greek population.
 * Principality of Albania: The Principality is demobilized and traders return to begin more work on the nations port cities with extreme want to bring them up to a modern standard.
 * Principality of Moldavia: The Moldavian service next to Bulgaria is confirmed as one of their greatest accomplishments and the nation celebrates, demobilizing its forces and going back to patrolling the borders.
 * Edge and I have decided that, while Velitchkov can be a central general to the Tsar's realm, he will not be deemed a "Great General" for algo purposes. -Rexmod
 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.


 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: The new King settles into power while his young daughter survives and grows. The economy remains stable, and no foreign wars. A travelling merchant from somewhere south visits the court of the King and presents him with an Arqebus as a gift the King being impressed by their ease of use and the fact they frighten calvalry and soliders who have yet to encounter them orders 200 to be held by the King and issued to an army if it is assembled. The King also purchases five new siege cannons from the merchant.
 * Danish Diplomacy: We would like to obtain the new weapon and ask if you can possibly send us a shipment.


 * Cologne: Archbishop Emmerich of Cologne hears the call of His Holiness to send warriors to the Crusade against the Ottomans in Bulgaria and dispatches 1000 militia men and 15 knights to assist. The vast majority of these have recently returned from the previous Hospitallers crusade, having apparently arrived too late for the previous battle. The “Neuss Plan” continues, with the Church schools becoming more established as such. Improvements are made upon the hospitals in both main Cologne and Westphalen.
 * Essen: Returning canonesses continue to bring Renaissance thought to the University of Essen, and this year Abbess Sophia sends a few canonesses to Denmark to learn from the University there. The canonesses continue to develop basic literacy and numeracy curricula, although they are very aware that several church schools will teach these things however they want and that the main Church can only encourage the teachings of particular things.


 * Bahmani Sultanate: Many nobles see the deal of 1494, as cowardly, even traitorous, but none dare challenge Muhammad Shah. As per agreement, all non-military economic assistance to Pegu is cut.
 * Pegu (Formerly Burma): Binnya Kyal's seat on the throne feels more uneasy. Though the rebel army has been disbanded, the government remains in chaos. Now, the end of Bahmani aid places the economy in a crisis, too. Binnya Kyal exploits this to weaken the rebel noble's support.
 * Maldives: With a good port and and fertile soil, Addu, the southernmost island of the Maldivian archipelago is finally settled.
 * Chinese Empire: Zheng He the Second makes port in Bahamani, after nearly two years of exploring the Indonesian islands and southeast Asia. We ask the Bahamni government to restock our supplie, offering them the best of Chinese silk. The naval bases on the formerly Korean islands are expanded, and we send more ships there to reinforce them. Islam continues to spread.

1495

 * Kingdom of Burgundy: in preparation for his westward voyage, explorer David Slyke moves the small fleet of ships to the Sint Michael's.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish in the Sultanate, constantly growing in popularity. In particular, Mu'tazila Madrassahs not only enlightened the adherants of the ideology but also served as shelter places for the homeless with the Mu'tazila even establishing langars to feed the poor. Simultaneously, they continued their efforts of promoting science and education, constructing the largest Madrassah in the city of Tabriz, naming it the Suleiman Shah Madrassah to honour the Sultan. The construction of the Madrassah had been partially funded by the Amir Ilham Aliyev but was nonetheless recognized as yet another contribution by the Mu'tazila, further surging their fame. Meanwhile, Yagana Mihrabanid gave birth to identical triplets, two sons and one daughter who were named Abbas Shah Mirza, Tahmasp Shah Mirza and Maham Shah Mirza. About around the same time, work on the Grand Canal system was completed, securing the supply of water to Çukorova, Jazira, Basra, Baghdad, Armani'yya and Fars from the Tigris and Euphrate Rivers. This ensured that those respective provinces would essentially become agricultural powerhouses for the Sultanate. Simultaneously, work continued on the construction of the Ormara port with Baloch tribes settling in and around the area in hopes of generating profits from the revenue collected.


 * Cologne: Archbishop Emmerich’s “Neuss Plan” continues, with the Church schools becoming more established. Improvements are made upon the hospitals in main Cologne and Westphalen. The hospital in Kolschberg is finally complete. Militia in Cologne are incensed by the fight against the Ottomans and come together more obviously.
 * Essen: Returning canonesses continue to bring Renaissance thought to the University of Essen, and this year Abbess Sophia sends a few canonesses to England to study its approach to commerce. The basic curricula are finished and added to Church archives, and the leaders of different pre-existing Church schools in Essen and Cologne are sent a printed copy and encouraged to teach like this. Meanwhile, with the University of Essen now teaching Theology (with the Rome-Essen Vulgate and the Essisches Bibel), Mathematics, Literacy, Printing Studies, Physical Sciences, Biology and Chemistry, Abbess Sophia is able to proudly give speeches on how far this university has come with the help of her attempts to share knowledge with other nations. She writes up a list of all nations that assisted with this increase in knowledge, and thanks them all with a commemorative plaque in the main hall of the University.


 * The Caliphate continues to support the ancient Islamic school of Mu'tazila, once popular throughout the Islamic world during the earlier days of the Abbasid Caliphate. This school of Islam preaches rational thought and has differing thoughts to the Qu'ran than traditional explimations. Jews and Christians alike are accepted throughout the Caliphate as People of the Book, and are encouraged to become scholars just as Muslims are. The Caliphate reforms taxing, returning to the ancient way. Zakat, the 2.5% tax only Muslims pay, are spent directly to charity. This tax provides a number of services such as shelter, food, water, and other services to devout Muslims who are undertaking the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. In our capital, Cairo, it provides chairty services to the needy, widows, and orphans. The second tax, the Jizya is a tax paid by non-Muslims used to sustain the Caliphate itself, and all of its structures. It excludes the poor, women, the elderly, and children. In the deserts of Egypt, the Caliphate attempts to colonize oasis such as Faiyum or Siwa. In addition to this, the Caliph encoruages Muslims in Europe to escape the intolerant rulers present there, and to settle in the vast, safe, large cities of the Caliphate instead. The Caliph also continues to implement a standing military: in return for joining the armies of the Caliph, an induvidual will gain money, land, place in society, and honor bestowed upon them. These men are stationed on the frontair of the Caliphate, on the border with Iberian-controlled lands in the Meghreb, below Nubia, we station troops on the border with Ethiopia, and in the east, we station troops on our border with the heretic Gurkani, albeit less.


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. We patrol the Mozambique Channel with our fleet to prevent foreign aid going to the Kingdom of Mutapa. We continue to develop our colonies in the South and build ports for supply purposes.


 * Denmark: We ask the English if they could supply us with a shipment of the new Arqebus. We prepare a fleet for exploration of West Africa. We also try to further our diplomacy with nearby nations and send an envoy to England and Brandenburg.


 * Japan: The new shogun, Ashikaga Yoshinami, tours Japan this year, affirming the loyalties of all daimyo under the banner of Imperial Japan. The fortifications in Kyoto see renovations and restorations, new construction and structural reinforcement techniques being used. An octopus is found washed up along the shores of southern Honshu. Citizens are ambivalent to its existence. Said one villager, "I mean, it stinks and I kind of wish we didn't have a rotting octopus carcass in our backyard, but it keeps teenagers from stealing our gardening tools so they can make their meat shrines every week. What can I say? The rotting octopus carcass has its uses." The military sees upgrades as well. In addition, Japan claims the island of Saipan, placing a trading base in the area for use as a terminus for eastward trade. While a ship is en route to Saipan, they accidentally sail past the island and discover Guam.


 * Augsburg: In the year of our Lord fourteen-ninety-five the economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. Jakob Fugger seeing the importance of the European textile industry begins the execution of his secret plan known as Operation Blue Lily. Operation Blue Lily involves the expansion of the Fugger hold on the textile industry while also stockpiling textiles for a period of ten years. After the textiles are stockpiled they will eventually hit the market causing severe inflation and the collapse of the textile industry. Jakob Fugger using his profits from other industries will attempt to buy up smaller textile companies in the period. The Fugger monopoly on mining in Tyrol continues. Ulrich and Jakob Fugger propose to buy the mining rights in Slovakia from Poland in order to improve the finances of the Polish government recently involved in a major war (Mod Response). In other news the Wesler family continues to make their mark on the European trade with its trading posts in Seville and Antwerp trading with Benin and India. Both of these prominent families request to be the primary banker of many European countries.


 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: The new King settles into power while his young daughter survives and grows. The economy remains stable, and no foreign wars. At the Danish request we sell them some Arqebus'. 


 * Bahmani Sultanate: Despite our earlier war, Muhammad Shah asks Oman if they would like to resume normal diplomatic and trade relations, though without the special privileges they enjoyed before. (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED) . The Chinese admiral Zheng He is welcomed as his father was decades ago. Wowed by the amazing technology the Chinese possess, Muhammad Shah orders that a special sub-branch of the University of Gulbarga be opened, specializing in research into new technology. Many benefits are offered to scholars who will join this new enterprise. Funds start to be diverted away from the army. (Note: This translates to a slow move from army concentration to navy over the next decade or so. More about this in upcoming posts.)
 * Pegu: With the economic crisis continuing, Binnya Kyal cuts the navy's funding. His grandsons are now five years old.
 * Maldives: The colonization of Addu continues.
 * Oman accepts. -scraw


 * With peace having returned to the United Crown once more, emphasis is once more placed on our transatlantic project, as we aim to become the first nation in the world to cross the vast ocean and secure a new route to Asia for Iberia. The fleet of ships is expanded to 20, still led by the Santa Maria under Captain Esteban Ferrera. The fleet is due to depart in about six to seven years. In the meantime, the crew continues its training, and new recruits and volunteers are also brought in to begin theirs. The crews are taught extensive maritime survival skills by Armada officers, and are also trained in the art of combat in the event that they should encounter enemies along the way who would wish to stop them. The King issues an order that a naval escort will accompany the fleet for the first quarter of the journey.
 * Papal States: The papal troops continue assisting the Bulgarians in the crusade against the Ottomans. The Fortebracci family Chapel is completed, with the local Bishop consecrating it. The Bishop later writes to the Pope, informing His Holiness of the beauty of the building.
 * Frederick of Austria is dead, and the people mourn him not, for in his short tenure as Archduke, he spent that time, almost entirely, in Hungary, fighting a war and dieing in it. His death came at a momentary shock, but in the end went out with a wimper, as Maximilian, Frederick's brother, becomes the new ruler of Austria. When he returns from Hungary, a wave of patriotism and love for their new Archduke sweeps across both Austria and Bavaria. After being crowned in Budapest as King of Hungary, and returning to be crowned in Salzburg as Archduke of Austria, he quickly begins to plan for the future, and that future is a united Austria and Bavaria. Using his past efforts, the ones that he pushed since he was appointed Herrkanzler and Plenopotentiary, In this year, one thousand four hundred and ninety five, The Act of Union of the Archduchy of Austria and the Duchy of All Bavaria is signed into law, declaring the "perfect union" of all aspects of both into the new Archduchy of Austria-Bavaria. Work begins immediately to integrate the economies at a much larger form that previously, with Austrian laws declared to be applied in Bavaria.
 * Hungary begins to recover from its civil war. Ernst von Habsburg-Wittelsbach, the son of Rudolph, is declared the new Duke of Hungary and plenopotentiary of HM the King, Funding towards certain things is increased, and the first Diet is called in order to figure out and approve a code of taxation. King Maximillian is crowned by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest in a grand ceremony with all attending.
 * Despot Aleksandar of Serbia akgnowledges King Maximillian as his overlord in a ceremony at Budapest.
 * The Archbishop of Salzburg crowns Maximillian as Archduke of Austria-Bavaria and Duke of Veneto.
 * Veneto akgnowledges Maximilian as the new Duke, and begins minting coins accordingly.
 * In the Kingdom of France, King Louis XII's reign continues to be prosperous and productive. He works to fortify major cities while decommissioning local rulers' castles.
 * Kingdom of the Two Sicilies: Nikifor Velitchkov is anointed and crowned as the new Regent-General of the Two Sicilies. Upon being crowned, he makes attempts to weaken all political opposition to his rule, including demoting many counts on the Noble Council. Simultaneously, Henry of Iberia moves into Calabria and marries Alessandra de Visconti-Este, attempting to solidify his standing in southern Italy, The old Duke of Calabria edges closer and closer to death, and provides only a weak opposition to Nikifor Velitchkov. By year end, most of the country and Noble Council accepts Velitchkov's rule. In economic news, urbanization slows while wine production begins a small rebound.

1496
''' After nearly two years of buildup the Qulla and Mapuche forces enter Chimu territory and reach Cuzco only to find it under control of Quechua forces under control of the proclaimed "king of Cuzco" Viracocha. The allied forces treat with this new king and ally themselves to him looking to press directly north into Chimu core territories. '''

 More to come 


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: Preparations for David Slykes westward voyage continue in the St. Michael Islands. The Cape Charles (Cape of good hope) layover and supply port continues to grow in size, and is now called Kaapstad by its predominantly Dutch inhabitants. Burgundian vessels also continue to sail into the Indian Ocean, mapping the waters, and looking for new places to trade with. Back home, the construction of newer and larger carrack, many being armed with upwards of twenty to thirty cannons, also continues, with the new fleet flagship, the 32-gun Philip the Bold, being commissioned this year.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with the Persians. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish in the Sultanate, constantly growing in popularity. The Mu'tazila adherants introduced printing press to numerous major cities of the Sultanate including Iskenderun, Baghdad, Isfahan, Sheraz, Qazvin, Herat and Samarkand; a feat for which they received much praise from the Sultan. This essentially allowed for the printing and production of numerous books and eased the availability of texts for Madrassahs. Meanwhile, keen on educating her children, Yagana Mihrabanid assigned Mu'tazila teachers to teach Abbas, Tahmasp and Maham. Yagana had been illiterate throughout her life and hoped that her children would be different. Her decision to introduce Mu'tazila teachers was generally disliked by some nobles who felt that the children might end up becoming similar to Ulugh Beg and Salman Beg, nevertheless they conceded to the decision. About around the same time, continuous flow of irrigational water from the Grand Canal system ensured a prosperous and major harvest which not only aided the efforts to combat hunger but also ensured the cheap supply of wheat.. Meanwhile, work continued on the development of the Ormara port. Baloch tribes had already settled around the region surrounding Ormara and established fishing villages but it would be a while before the port itself becomes properly developed.


 * Wanting to defend Christendom, Maximillian of Austria sends 10k troops to Bulgaria in their crusade (if it is still on, that is). More stuff later
 * Hungary just fought a war, so sorry, no troops.
 * Serbia wants to remove kebab, and only really joined the war for the last year or so of real fighting, so five thousand men are sent to the crusade(if its still happening).


 * Sicily: Regent-General Nikifor Veletchkov begins fashioning himself as Regent Nikifor I. At a courtly affair, Nikifor I makes it known his disdain for the name "Two Sicilies". It is only one Sicily, not two, and I will refer to it as such he says. Many nobles on the council dislike this new verbage, as the whole country essentially sees both the island and mainland as two Sicilies. In the Summer, Nikifor responds to these protests, and states that since the island and mainland are once more united under the same crown, there is no need to refer to it in a plural form. Henry Trastamara, Duke of Calabria since early January, protests to this new name and advocates for the return of the "Two Sicilies". In other news, Nikifor I marries Giana-Carlotta de Alarico and the two have a son, whom they name Nicophoro. Simultaneously, Henry's wife Alessandra gives birth to a daughter, named Mary (not Maria). Nikifor spends money and manpower building up the navy.
 * Sicilian Diplomacy: We offer an alliance to Bulgaria. A trade pact is offered to Austria.
 * Bulgarian Dip: We agree to the alliance with Sicily.
 * Sicilian Dip OOC: Yas, gawd.


 * The United Crown of Great Iberia opens the year with an alliance overture to Sicily, offering a mutual defence pact as well as a favoured trade agreement. Iberia also continues preparations for the transatlantic voyage. We also improve Athenian fortifications. The King and Queen announce the birth of their first child, who is to be the heir to the Iberian throne. The baby's name is Henry, and his birth is a subject of much celebration in Iberia. We invite foreign dignitaries from friendly nations across the continent, including Sicily, England, Burgundy, Sweden, Austria and Bulgaria to attend the christening ceremony in Zaragoza.
 * Sicilian Dip: Due to the very welcome governmental presence of Henry of Calabria, we find it appropriate to enter an alliance with Iberia, as well as a prized trade pact.
 * Please note: As you already have three alliances/mutual defence pacts, one of them must lapse in order to establish the new alliance with Sicily. Please indicate so below and update the Alliances page. Thanks, -Rexmod
 * Iberian Diplomacy: As the Iberian alliance with Bulgaria has served its purpose, we decide to dissolve it. However, we hope to maintain warm relations with Bulgaria and her government is more than welcome to propose a renewed alliance in the future.
 * Iberian Secret Diplomacy to the GURKANI SULTANATE: Given the mutual tense atmosphere in relations between us and the Caliphate, we attempt to form a secret agreement to in the near future launch a pre-emptive strike on two fronts, invading the Caliphate and scattering their forces in two opposite directions, allowing us to subdue the Caliphate before it has a chance to attack us in full strength.
 * Gurkani Secret Diplomacy to the GREAT IBERIA: Sultan Suleiman has expressed his interest in the plan given that relations with the Abbasids have been hostile since the times of Al Najm. The Sultan however has also stated that he would appreciate if the plan is delayed as his subjects have seen much war and would prefer to enjoy the peace. As such, whilst the Gurkani Sultanate will not be engaging any aggressive manuevers for now, we will keep this proposal in mind.
 * European powers aligning with Islamic powers is kind of ridiculous in 1496. Just keep that in mind before you commit to anything. -scraw
 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * Chinese Empire: Islam continues to spread, starting to seep further inland from the coasts after it encourages several travelling traders to convert.The Empire, now having several bases both in the south and north, has secured its access to the seas of the world, stops naval expansion, being strong enough as is.The Navy, instead of being increased, begins being shifted around more evenly to where it is needed, cutting costs and allowing the Empire to focus funds on other important projects. We send an envoy to Tibet, asking if they wish to become a vassal state of the Empire. (MOD RNG PLEASE)
 * Tibet says no thanks. -scraw


 * Papal States: The Papal troops continue doing their part in defending Christendom. The vocal minority of clerics who oppose the monte de pieta write to the Pope asking him to condemn the practice as usurious. His Holiness, after much consulation and deliberation, issues a bull Apologia pro caritatis, in which he supports the monte di pieta as honourable charitable institutions, and dismisses the claims against them.
 * The Caliphate continues to support the ancient Islamic school of Mu'tazila, once popular throughout the Islamic world during the earlier days of the Abbasid Caliphate. This school of Islam preaches rational thought and has differing thoughts to the Qu'ran than traditional explimations. Jews and Christians alike are accepted throughout the Caliphate as People of the Book, and are encouraged to become scholars just as Muslims are. The Caliphate reforms taxing, returning to the ancient way. Zakat, the 2.5% tax only Muslims pay, are spent directly to charity. This tax provides a number of services such as shelter, food, water, and other services to devout Muslims who are undertaking the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. In our capital, Cairo, it provides chairty services to the needy, widows, and orphans. The second tax, the Jizya is a tax paid by non-Muslims used to sustain the Caliphate itself, and all of its structures. It excludes the poor, women, the elderly, and children. In the deserts of Egypt, the Caliphate attempts to colonize oasis such as Faiyum or Siwa. In the Arabian peninsula, we do the same, incoporating the Bedouin tribes of the vast Arabians deserts into the Caliphates as faithful followers of the Caliph. In addition to this, the Caliph encoruages Muslims in Europe to escape the intolerant rulers present there, and to settle in the vast, safe, large cities of the Caliphate instead. The Caliph also continues to implement a standing military: in return for joining the armies of the Caliph, an induvidual will gain money, land, place in society, and honor bestowed upon them. These men are stationed on the corners of the Caliphate, on the border with Iberian-controlled lands in the Meghreb, below Nubia, we station troops on the border with Ethiopia, and in the east, we station troops on our border with the heretic Gurkani, albeit much less. We finally fase out the centuries-old practice of Iqta in the Caliphate, as the old order has been restored.
 * Sweden: stuff
 * Delhi Sultanate: We continue the usual militarization, economic growth, and infrastructure buillding.
 * Himalaya: Nothing of note.
 * Ladakh: Nothing of note.
 * Marwar and Mewar: Despite the eager Delhavi settlers coming into our lands, bringing their culture with them, Marwari and Mewari culture remains unique. The hunt for Gunterists continues, and those caught are given the five-option plan.
 * Augsburg: In the year of our Lord fourteen-ninety-six the economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. The stockpiling of textiles continues for Operation Blue Lily. Markus Fugger, brother of Jakob and Ulrich is named Bishop of Augsburg. In order to facilitate the expansion of the Fugger empire Markus begins contacting his contacts throughout the church and managing their assets. The Fuggers request that Markus Fugger is created Cardinal (DA POPEMAN PLS) . The Fuggers begin offering loans on small scales to small business’ with the lack of payment back as collateral. This approach proves to be fruitful in many different industries throughout southern Germany. Ulrich and Jakob Fugger propose to buy the mining rights in Slovakia from Poland in order to improve the finances of the Polish government recently involved in a major war (Mod Response). In other news the Wesler family continues to make their mark on the European trade with its trading posts in Seville and Antwerp trading with Benin and India. Currently the trading posts for both families include Seville, Antwerp, Lisbon, Venice, and Lyons with Rome and Genoa only for the Fuggers. Both of these prominent families request to be the primary banker of many European countries (Mod Response NPCs).
 * English dip: We agree for the Fugger's to be our primary bankers and that they open up a trading post in London and York.
 * Augsburg Dip: The Fugger's set up a trading post in London.
 * Poland says no thanks. The other countries will have to respond for their own as I can't think of any major NPCs. -scraw
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: The new King settles into power while his young daughter survives and grows. The economy remains stable, and no foreign wars.
 * Bahmani Sultanate: Celebrates restoration of relationships with Oman.
 * Pegu: Economy begins to stabilize.
 * Maldives: Nothing of note. (And sorry for the awful post).


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. We patrol the Mozambique Channel with our fleet to prevent foreign aid going to the Kingdom of Mutapa. We continue to develop our colonies in the South and build ports for supply purposes.



1497

 * Kingdom of Burgundy: David Lauwens, having changed his name, continues his preparations for his westward voyage. Explorations into the Indian Ocean also continues, using the layover port at Kaapstad (OTL Mossel Bay) as a staging point. Back home the Burgundian policy of removing trade barriers continues to attract trade from across Europe, as merchants look for the cheapest way to transport their goods. Meanwhile, King Robert III commissions the new large carrack Sovereign of the Seas, which, while no more powerful than preceding large carracks like Saint Sigismund at thirty guns strong, is the first ship fitted with copper sheathing. That fact is kept a secret until its effectiveness on warships is determined.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with the Persians. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish in the Sultanate, constantly growing in popularity. By now, hundreds of thousands scholars and scientists adhered to the faith while millions other admired it. Meanwhile, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent finally completed his work on the Sultanates legislature, reforming it and introducing an entirely new legislature; establishing the Shura e Sultanate and the Shura e Amur Mazhab. It also included the revision of positions such as Amir, Amil, Dewan and Qazi. Most importantly, the post of Grand Vizier was created with Muhammad Mu'min Khan being granted the position. The Sultan received much praise for the changes in the legislature, further increasing his popularity. Meanwhile, work continued on the Ormara port and the expansion of the Kerch Fortress. The same year, the Council of Religious Affairs passed a decision condemning and placing a ban upon usury.


 * Sicily: We take steps to build new ships and modernize the vassal navies. In political news, Nikifor I Velitchkov writes a treatise supporting the abolition of the Regency-General and return of hereditary rulers. In this treatise, which doubles as an edict, he proclaims Prince Nicophoro his heir. The Noble Council reacts harshly to this, and refuses to pass his edict into royal law. Nikifor I overrules their disobedience and proclaims the Regency-General abolished on April 21. On May 1, he locks the Nobles out of their courtly meeting place, counting on them to return home and accept his rule. However, on May 5, Nikifor I is attacked by a few guardsmen bribed by the Duke of Basilicata. He is not killed, fortunately, but injured and confined in bed. While he is bedridden, the nobles force him to rescind his edicts, which he does begrudgingly. The Regency-General is proclaimed as having never been abolished; its continuity maintained. Nikifor I is kept on as Regent-General, but in his stead, Duke Anthony of Abruzzo rules as de-facto leader. In other news, we celebrate our alliances with Great Iberia and Bulgaria.  Our vassals begin replenishing manpower reserves, as small as they are. Our population rests at about 7.4 million.
 * Population from what rex did the numbers awhile back was a full 1.2 million short of that. -Feud
 * ​Population in 1465 was seven million.


 * South Australian Civilization (Scraw has given my parole): During the gap in history of almost ten years, the city-states of Australia developed to the level originally planned ten years ago. The city walls are now staples of urbanization across the land. The pictographic written language of Murray Script is a fully-developed language, but understood only by the clergy and nobility of cities in the Adeleid Valley. Leather starts to be developed around this time by drying out kangaroo skins. Djalu, the Bakan of Ngarrindjeri, takes the beautiful and aluring Allira as wife. Meanwhile, the cleaver warrior Colebee managed to out-wit the deamonic Drop-Bear of Kaurna, solving its riddle. The Drop-Bear was so outraged by being thus defeated, it pludged itself into the sea. And so, Colebee was proclaimed the first Bakan of Kaurna. Meanwhile, Waku of Nukunu proved himself a prominent figure as well in his native city of Nukunu, by diverting resources to help survive an impending famine.


 * The United Crown continues making preparations for our first transatlantic voyage under the captaincy of Senor Esteban Ferrera. After a 28-year reign, Peter I of Portugal passes away peacefully in his home in Portugal. As he died without an heir, the crown of Portugal is ceded to the King of Great Iberia, who is crowned Ferdinand I of Portugal in a lavish ceremony in Lisbon. With all Iberian lands now having been brought under one ruler at last, Ferdinand initiates nation-wide reforms, including the reorganisation of the education system. All major universities and colleges in the country are placed under the Royal University system. Each capital will have a Royal University, including Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Leon, Lisbon, Granada, Gibraltar, Valencia, Genoa, Cagliari and Athens. We also begin making improvements to our cities, and initiate a huge overhaul. We begin with coastal cities, erecting walls and rebuilding them in stages in a grid formation much like how Barcelona was reconstructed following the Great Fire. However, this process will be more gradual. Construction work is due to be complete by around 1550. We become increasingly threatened by the Fugger family's growing influence in Europe. Determined to ensure Great Iberia's economic independence, and that Augsburg can have no say in the workings of our government, the government places protections on our mines and other natural reserves, and order the closure of the Fugger bank in Genoa. All of the latter's assets, staff and facilities are to be immediately transferred to the Royal Bank of Barcelona, without compensation.
 * Papal Diplomacy: The Papal Nuncio to the UC congratulates Ferdinand on his accession to the Portuguese crown. He does, however, raise the Pope's sincere concern that the reorganisation of the Hispanic universities may adversely affect the universities' rights, and the rights of their students, which the Pope personally guarantees (masters and students are under the Pope's protection).
 * Iberian Diplomacy: We reassure the Papal Nuncio and the Holy Father that all involved with the Royal Universities will have their rights upheld and protected; this reorganisation only serves as a standardisation of university administration.
 * Ausburg Dip: Jakob Fugger immeditaly responds with ingeniusly angering the Genovese patricarical families hoping to bring them to revolt beacuse the unlawful siezure of property can apply to anyone.


 * Cologne: Archbishop Emmerich’s “Neuss Plan” continues, and the improvements on hospitals in main Cologne and Westphlaen are finished. Militia in Cologne continue to fight against the Ottomans as requested.
 * Essen: Returning canonesses continue to bring Renaissance thought to the University of Essen, and the plan put in place by Abbess Sophia can now well and truly operate without her – and just as well, because she is growing old. In her old age, she spends her days in the University of Essen she dedicated her life to, and eventually passes away in her sleep. The University commemorates her patronage of the University with a statute of the young Sophia, a symbol ready to inspire the youth of wider Cologne, especially young women becoming canonesses or nuns. In the next few months, the canonesses come together to choose a new abbess and, by Advent, Meina von Daun-Oberstein is elected. She is one of Sophia’s distant cousins, and remains incredibly dedicated to the Adelphinian Reforms like her predecessors, but is keenly aware of growing tensions and promises to secure prosperity for Christendom above all.
 * Papal Diplomacy: The Holy Father sends his congratulations to Abbess Meina, sending her a crozier as a symbol of her office. That she receives one from the Pope directly is a sign of the great affection which the Abbey of Essen is held in Rome for having been the birthplace of the revival in discipline which has reinvigorated the universal Church.


 * Papal States: War continues (?) . With the proclamation of Apologia pro caritatis last year, the charitable pawnshops become ever more popular. The request of the Augsburg Fugger family is granted, and Bishop Markus of Augsburg is made a cardinal on the Feast of the Assumption. Corruption and lavish living in the monasteries continues to be rooted out by Papal inquisitors throughout Europe, acting in conjunction with the local clergy.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: The Iberian Religious Ambassador to the Papal States expresses the Catholic Church in Iberia's concern at the appointment of Markus Fugger to the College of Cardinals. With all due respect to Senor Fugger, it is an unavoidable truth that he is of a banking family – a family whose main goal is to gain wealth and power, which conflicts with the Pope's desire to root out corruption in the ranks of the priesthood. We ask the Holy Father to reconsider the appointment of such an individual to a holy office as influential and prestigious as that of a Cardinal in light of these facts.
 * Papal Diplomacy: Having been made aware of these facts, His Holiness thanks the Iberian ambassador, and says that although he cannot now de-cardinalify Fugger, he will take steps to ensure that not only is a Fugger influence over the Church avoided, but that the new cardinal himself learns simplicity and humility.
 * OOC: The Bulgarian Defensive crusade claimed victory in the Aegean, Ottoman troops never landed, and the war is for all intents, over. -Feud


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. We continue to develop our colonies in the South and build ports for supply purposes.


 * Bulgarian Empire: With no further response from the Ottomans, the Bulgarian empire calls for the end of the Crusade, dismissing their allies, and friends as well as standing down its own military forces. The Economy is noticeably increasing as the fervor from claiming a religious victory but also preventing reconquest by the ottomans puts many people at ease with Bulgarias Cores, and its conquests. The Economic output in Wallachia and Thrace especially Wallachia begins to increase in population as the exploitation of Gold mining in particular in Wallachia becomes a major driver of immigration to the Area. Being within a few days journey or less from Tirgoviste, many people move to this city expanding it to a city of nearly 20,000 and growing. The various other minerals in Wallachia also see exploitation. The Empires population grows to 4.67 million. The Renaissance continues to advance in earnest now on its own as it is now becomming much more integral to the Empire and its culture. Tsar Simeon expands the banking systems in Bulgaria further allowing the opening of three more banks in Thrakiya, Tirgoviste, and Constanta. The mixing of languages in what is becomming known as Bulgaro-Romania continues and also continues to spread as the Wallachian influence on the Bulgarian nobility and even the Tsar and his family together are becomming known. The Tsar makes it a paramount right to not only uphold his partly Vlach heritage, but make sure his Bulgaro-Vlach Heritage remains a combined part of his life and he promotes it heavily with his children and friendly nobles specifically taking up on this. The Thracian Gallipoli fortress is continued with an estimated six more years until its completion.
 * Principality of Albania: The Albanian principality continues to try and come to terms and expand its population and also expand its economy. Its trade value does increase some amount.
 * Principality of Moldavia: The Moldavians continue to expand a decent amount their population growing to roughly 720,000 and its borders becoming continually more fortified.


 * Augsburg: In the year of our Lord fourteen-ninety-seven the economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. The stockpiling of textiles continues for Operation Blue Lily. Recent entrance into the English market proves to be fruitful with many new clients gained in small scale lending. Many companies that proved unable to pay their debts are brought into the Fugger firm and then flipped and sold for a higher price. This practice begins being known as business evictions. The monopoly on mining in Tyrol continues and is extremely fruitful with prices for copper being set and excess copper being stockpiled in order to keep the price high. Ulrich and Jakob Fugger propose to buy the mining rights in Slovakia from Poland in order to improve the finances of the Polish government recently involved in a major war with a portion of the profits going to the pocket of the King of Poland (Mod Response). In other news the Wesler family continues to make their mark on the European trade with its trading posts in Seville and Antwerp trading with Benin and India. Currently the trading posts for both families include Seville, Antwerp, Lisbon, Venice and Hamburg with Rome, Genoa, and London only for the Fuggers. Both of these prominent families request to be the primary banker of many European countries.
 * The King of Poland, after careful consideration, approves the buying. ~Wolves


 * Didn't Poland reject just last turn? -Guy
 * They did. as per me. -scraw
 * I changed the request for poland offering a bigger share to the King. According to the rules you need a mod majority to retcoon that. ~Oct


 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: We offer Jakob Fugger the rights to construct a well made road from London to Edinburgh and charge tolls on passage. They would use similar techniques to that of the Romans almost a millennium ago to construct the road. Meanwhile everything remains stable and the King as another daughter, Mary. While everything else remains stable.
 * Ausburg Dip: Jakob Fugger agrees.


 * Chinese Empire: The Empire continues to expand the colonies, though Luzon is limited by the mountains on the island. We send an envoy to the Bahamani, asking if they would allow us to rent or buy a port to restock our vessels in the region. Zheng He continues his voyage, docking in southern Gurkani Sultanate (Persia), offering pleasentries and gifts on behalf of China. Islam continues to spread.
 * Bahmani Dip: The Chinese Empire may have the use (but not the ownership or any control over the facilities) of the port of Kolon-thota (OTL Colombo) with the following conditions: 1. No more than five warships may be docked there at any time. 2. The Chinese may have a part in the (previously Swahili-only [OOC: Fallacy and I already discussed this.]) spice trade, but it will be regulated by Bahmani authorities. 3. If the port (but only the port) is attacked, any Chinese warships at it will be expected to contribute to the defense, if so requested. 4. A small fee will have to be paid annually for the port's use. 5. If any Chinese vessel gets into a mishap, the Bahmani fleet will assist in finding it/its wreckage/body recoverage. 6. If in distress or in need of supplies, Chinese vessels may enter any port of the Bahmanis, Maldives, or Pegu. (For a markup on that year's port fee, of course).
 * Bahmani OOC: I would be willing to take the occasional tech transfer instead of money for article 4. I am willling to negotiate on this treaty.


 * Bahmani Sultanate: More money is funneled to the navy, and the technical university at Gulbarga opens.
 * Pegu: The Bahmani University at Pegu now closes, with the last of its studetns graduated. The aristocracy now start sending some of their sons to Bahmani territory to learn.
 * Maldives: A second wave of colonists arrives on Addu.
 * Japan: The erotic art produced in Japan in the past yields a newfound interest in Kabuki theater. This staple of Japanese theater arts sees the addition of gems such as Mijikai Doresu O Motsu Shōjo and Ai No Dōjō (The Girl With the Short Dress and The Love Dojo respectively). Both become incredibly popular. A theatre is proposed in Edo for the artist Haruo Yariofurimasu. As of December, construction has not yet begun. The military of Japan sees vast improvements; the Shogun's military are all outfitted with better weapons while their formerly top-of-the-line equipment are handed down to the daimyo militaries. The navy of Japan improves as well, Japan purchasing old ships from various nations. In the meantime, Japan claims the island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands. Trouble between Buddhists and Taoists becomes noted this year.

1498
''' Al Hamad abandons his warring nature and hits the road preaching unity between Muslims* as a travelling ulama. '''

''' The Sultan of Delhi dies. '''

''' Vladimir Romanov under heavy preassure from some of the Russian noble merchant families begins to finance and organize the companies to exploit the fur trade in Sibera. Many cossacks and russian fur trappers line up at the border as the potential richness to be offered beyond Russias current borders draws in thousands. '''

''' King Sigusmund of Poland after calling the Sejm openly dissolves it. A large portion of the Polish nobility outright attempts to revolt in the convene Sejm in Warsaw only for King Sigusmund and his alliance with two of Polands most prominent noble families to trap many nobles and execute them. The Remainder which refuse to support the Polish King, most notably the Ogiński family which rallies an army of nearly 25,000 to their cause of restoring true elective monarchy to Poland. The Polish King Sigusmund assembles an impressive force of nearly 40,000 and the nation falls into civil war. '''

''' The Kingdom of Cuzco and the Qulla confederation split off from the Mapuche as they march towards the Chimu core territories, and the Mapuche march to liberate more cities. The Chimu begin to fortify in the mountain passes leading to their core territories. '''

''' The settlers from the Cape of Good hope colony flee the cape settlement setting up on territory more inland. '''

''' An Aspiring warlord in Central asia begins to rally men to his banner as he plans to establish his own Khanate. The Young man Tsetseg begins organizing a broader chain of support as many are unhappy with the lack of movement or raiding within the area. '''


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: the modernization of the navy continues, with several large carracks entering commission. One engineer in the navy contemplates the advantages of further enlongating the hull of the carrack, and lowering the forecastle. David Lauwens makes what is hoped to be his final year of preparations. Meanwhile, Burgundian explorer Antoni Ramaaker sails from Amsterdam, setting course for the layover port of Kaapstad, hoping to finally find the sea route to India.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph and Muhammad Mu'min Khan as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with the Persians. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish, constantly growing in popularity and influence. In particular, the Mu'tazila even privately received funding from the numerous government officials that included Viziers, Amir and in some cases, the Grand Qazi. Aside from the officials, wealthy merchants were noted to have had also funded the Mu'tazila in hopes that they would influence the Sultan to reduce tariffs in order to generate greater trade. Meanwhile, with the effective establishment of the Shura e Sultanate, concerns pertaining to legal affairs of the Sultanate were practically transferred over to the Grand Vizier. Nevertheless, still keen on keeping himself up to date with the affairs of the state, the Sultan continued to attend Council Meetings albeit not regularly. About around the same time, work continued on the development of the Ormara port with major shipyards being constructed to facilitate the docking of merchant vessels. Similarly, efforts to further expand and fortify the Kerch Fortress continued with the bridge connecting the Kerch Straits enlarged to ensure the movement of artillery pieces such as the Great Gurkani Bombard (otl Dardenelles Gun). Simultaneously as these matters were dealt with, a letter was delivered to Delhi by Suleiman to express his sorrow at the Sultans death. Finally, the Chinese envoys who had visited were treated with care and respect, and then sent off their way.
 * Sultanate of Bengal: Like always, 20 ships are built this year. The Sultan also asks the Chinese if any trade deals were made when Jalaluddin Fateh Shah visited the Chinese Empire. (OOC: Sorry for not posting lately.)
 * Ahom Kingdom: Suhenphaa succeeds Susenphaa after he dies in 1497.
 * Kingdom of Ava: Nothing of note.
 * Chinese Empire: We may talk of trade deals soon (I'm in Philadelphia til Thursday so my pc access is limited).


 * The United Crown continues to make preparations for our first transatlantic voyage. The fleet now consists of 25 advanced ships, led by the BSM Santa Maria. The fleet is due to set sail in four years' time. By secret order of HM The King, all mail and communications incoming to Liguria is checked and inspected by Ligurian officials, and anything found to have originated in Augsburg is turned back and prevented from entering Liguria. Military outfits in Liguria are alerted of Augsburg's political manoeuvring, and watch for any signs of unrest as a result of it. In Genoa, we attempt to appease complaints from the nobility regarding the Fugger Bank's closure, reassuring them that this only applies to the Fugger Bank, as we wish to avoid foreign powers gaining such massive influence in our economy, and that the whole purpose of the action was to protect local businesses which may be owned by the nobles themselves. We continue to strengthen our ties and alliance with Sicily, and suggest the possibility of future joint military exercises.
 * Gurkani Diplomacy: As per the Imperial Edict drafted by the Grand Vizier and subsequently approved by the Council of Religious Affairs, usury is henceforth forbidden in the Sultanate. Therefore, the Iberian authorities are informed that the branch of their Bank in Iskenderun should refrain from charging any interest or its officials will be subject to the death penalty.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: Gurkani laws will be respected by our employees, and we instruct them to abide by the new anti-usury legislation.


 * Mayapan: Trade continues with the Mexica. Royal engineers continue experimenting making larger fishing vessels. Construction on the new school in the capital continues. Expansion continues along the southern border. Integration of the southern city-states into the League is continued by the High Council. Each new state is expected to supply men to train and serve in the national army. The council seeks to improve commerce and communication between the many settlements of the Yucatan by constructing and maintaining roads between them. Work continues to renovate and update existing buildings and roads, and to create plans for future upkeep and renovations.
 * South Australian Civilization: Allira bears forth two children for her husband, Bakan Djalu, one son and one daughter. The son is named Djalu after his father, while the daughter is named Guwinga. In Kaurna, Bakan Colebee worked to organize some structure in the city, hoping to bring it as advanced as the neighboring state of Ngarrindjeri. Primarily, Colebee erects a couple of trilithons to comemorate the destruction of the Drop-bear. He also institutes distinctive fashion and styles to distinquish the levels of authority in the city [I'll be developing forms of early fashion in the next several years]. Meanwhile, Waku is elected the first Bakan [custodian, Duke] of Nukunu by general acclamation, and takes a wife among the wealthiest in the city [wealth measured by livestock owned].


 * The Caliphate continues to support the ancient Islamic school of Mu'tazila, once popular throughout the Islamic world during the earlier days of the Abbasid Caliphate. This school of Islam preaches rational thought and has differing thoughts to the Qu'ran than traditional explimations. Jews and Christians alike are accepted throughout the Caliphate as People of the Book, and are encouraged to become scholars just as Muslims are. The Caliphate reforms taxing, returning to the ancient way. Zakat, the 2.5% tax only Muslims pay, are spent directly to charity. This tax provides a number of services such as shelter, food, water, and other services to devout Muslims who are undertaking the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. In our capital, Cairo, it provides chairty services to the needy, widows, and orphans. The second tax, the Jizya is a tax paid by non-Muslims used to sustain the Caliphate itself, and all of its structures. It excludes the poor, women, the elderly, and children. In the deserts of Egypt, the Caliphate attempts to colonize oasis such as Faiyum or Siwa. In the Arabian peninsula, we do the same, incoporating the Bedouin tribes of the vast Arabians deserts into the Caliphates as faithful followers of the Caliph. In addition to this, the Caliph encoruages Muslims in Europe to escape the intolerant rulers present there, and to settle in the vast, safe, large cities of the Caliphate instead. The Caliph also continues to implement a standing military: in return for joining the armies of the Caliph, an induvidual will gain money, land, place in society, and honor bestowed upon them. These men are stationed on the corners of the Caliphate, on the border with Iberian-controlled lands in the Meghreb, below Nubia, we station troops on the border with Ethiopia, and in the east, we station troops on our border with the heretic Gurkani, albeit much less. We finally fase out the centuries-old practice of Iqta in the Caliphate, as the old order has been restored.


 * Japan: The printed works of Yariofurimasu Haruo are sent to Ming China and the Khmer Empire. Though Haruo has yet to find actors in China/Khmer willing to act in his controversial plays, he does find some success in Japan. Chikyū Theatre is erected in Edo this year. This massive, column-shaped building quickly sees many people  cum  come to Edo to see this mighty  penis-shaped  building. Yariofurimasu Haruo produces Zubon no Hebi (Serpent of the Trousers) as his latest play. Later this year, a cloud passes over Kyoto, scaring a local child and a family of small dogs. Their barking causes an elderly woman much distress for over two minutes. Her husband, who has been deaf for several years, had the following to say about the incident: "What?" In military news, the upgrades to the Shogun's military continue to roll through the lands. The former Shiba clans see new equipment, though the former lands of Shimazu have yet to see a single new sword as of December. According to the general, these swords have been on back-order for some time and it may be 1499 before anyone there sees a single sword. However, the soldiers believe it is punishment for their Daimyo's decision to revolt earlier this decade. In naval news, Japanese piracy in Indonesia increases intensely. Japan believes that Majapahit does not belong in power and is therefore fair game to molest intensely. Speaking of molestation, Japan's pornographic trade expands to the Indian subcontinent this year. They hope to spread their  legs  works to Gurkani by 1500. The island of Rota is also claimed by Japan, with plans to add a trading post by 1505 well underway.
 * Legit made my day thank you crim XD -Feud


 * Bulgarian Empire:


 * Sicily: We have a population of 7.3 million (and yes, Rex wrote on the Naples, now Sicily, nation page that the 1465 population was around seven million). We build ten ships this year. Vassals look for able-bodied men to train in the future. Politically, Nikifor I remains infirm and slowly deteriorating despite constant medical attention. If his pleurisy clears up by the onset of next year, it is likely he will survive and go back to government. Instead, Duke Anthony continues to lead the government. We celebrate our alliance with Bulgaria and Iberia. We consider sending an alliance offer to Austria, but we are keeping other options on the table.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: We have been observing the crisis unfolding in Sicily for some time. While it is not in our place to do so, we suggest that perhaps it is time to elect a new Regent-General due to Nikifor's infirmity. In the event that Sicily agrees, we believe that the Duke of Calabria would be a possible replacement.
 * Chinese Empire: We accept the Bahamanis offer and we send the cousin of the Emperor to sign the treaty with the Bahamani government. The Emperors son yearns to visit the lands of Japan, and we ask the Japanese Emperor if they would have the Princess in his palace for a year to learn of Japanese cultures and customs. Zheng Hes voyage departs from its current birth, sailing south along Omans coast and then along the horn of Africa, taking the time to map out the coast as they go. I am in Philadelphia til Thursday evening, my posts may be scarce or not up on time until then, -Nova
 * Kingdom of Tondo: Arnis Masid, Diyang Kalangitan's chief naval officer, is tasked to bring a group of 250 men and ten ships to explore the known world. He will personally be the peace envoy with Japan, as the convoy shall reach the Japanese Islands first. After Japan, the envoy shall reach Korea, and then the Chinese cities of Beijing and Nanjing. Following that, visits to Vietnam, the Khmer, the Strait of Malacca, Burma, and the Indian states. Victory against Butuan is celebrated as the troops march in the Cagayan. Diyang Kalangitan, now married to Sugbo of Cebu, formalize their marriage in Mactan, Cebu. As Sugbo's father drowned in a fishing accident, Sugbo is widely seen as Cebu's next monarch due to his uncle being the Rajah, who is currently without wife and without child. At the same time, rumors of the Rajah's infertility circulate around the kingdoms, though no officials have confirmed nor denied. With the recent passing of the beloved monarch, Rajah Gambang, the nation mourns. Diyang Kalangitan assumes the throne, and takes no man to be her husband. Instead, she declares that on the eve of her death, the nobility of Tondo, Ma-I, and Pangasinan shall have an electorate regarding the successor of the united realms of Tondo. Kalangitan further consolidates her poweriscreetely assigning political opponents to far-flung provinces of Tondo or to Tondo's vassals of Ma-I and Pangasinan, or to colonization attempts in Palawan, Busuang and Samar. The government of Tondo can be roughly described as a Federal Monarchy, with each province ruled by a council with members proportionate to the province's population. Diyang Kalangitan invites the Huang of Pangasinan, his daughter and Ma-I's regency council, and officials from every province to draft something akin to an OTL constitution, namely, the Saligang Batas ng Tondo at Nasasakupan Nito (Constitution of the sovereign Kingdom of Tondo and all its holdings and possessions). As Maynila is one of the richest cities in South East Asia, it is now high-time to create a lasting legacy for it. A series of bridges and canals connecting the Pasig and Tagik (OTL Taguig) Rivers and all their tributaries to provide acquatic transportation, ease movement of goods, and simply build bridges above the waterways to ease the transportation of people in the Greater Tondo Province (OTL Metro Manila). To prevent problems of income inequality and unequal development, selected families in the capital are given incentives of food and gold to relocate to developing towns and cities in Cavite, Romblon and Samar. A road network has already connected Tondo Province to Cavite, and a series of roads from southeastern and southern Luzon to Pangasinan has already began construction. Tondo metallurgical capabilities increase as blast furnaces and ironforges are built all around the state. The port of Maynila is further expanded, with the navy increasing by 25 small ships and seven war junks. Trade with nearby states continue. Tondo continues expansion in Samae, Palawan and Busuanga. 2000 additional soldiers are trained. Kalangitan orders 400 ships to move to patrol the Visayas archipelago, mainly to protect the trade routes, and secretly to intimidate Cebu. Expansion into Palawan, Samar, and Negros continue.
 * Huangdom of Ma-I: With Tondo's grace, Ma-I settles the western part of Busuanga Island, and dedicates 100 citizens there. Li Han thrives as a cultural and financial capital of Ma-I, while Beigang immediately becomes the second port of Tondo, and conducts trade regularly with nearby nations.


 * Huangdom of Pangasinan: With Tondo's grace, Pangasinan expands into Central and Northern Luzon, attempting to assimilate the mountain and Igorot tribes located nearby to access the massive agricultural treasure in the Banaue Rice Terraces and the farmlands of Central Luzon. The administrative capital city, Pangasinan, begins construction of a road connecting it to Maynila. Blast furnace construction continues, and a small defense fleet of 15 ships is allotted by Tondo to Pangasinan. Pangasinense traders report sightings of small islands west of Luzon, and scouts are sent by Pangasinan to verify their claims. Pangasinan claims these islands west of Mainland Luzon, now named as the Gambang Islands in honor of Rajah Gambang (OTL Scarborough Shoal)


 * Swahili: Tens of thousands of local tribesman, foreign settlers and children born became citizens of our nation last year due to our policies of land reclamation and immigration attraction. We continue our agriculture policies. The royal guards continue capturing slaves. In the heartland of Mogadishu, the Bank of Mogadishu begin cooperation with landlords to construct hydraulic devices such as canals and irrigation projects to boost food production. Agriculture production has risen dramatically in Somalia. We continue to develop our colonies in the South and build ports for supply purposes.


 * Papal States: Delighted at Bulgaria's request that the crusade be officially brought to an end, Pope Leo X writes a short encyclical letter entitled Per Gloriam Tuam, giving thanks to God for having brought the crusaders victory against the infidels. The Papal soldiers who had helped the Bulgarians return home, many to a hero's welcome. The officer who led the Papal troops is raised to the nobility. In other news, Cardinal Markus Fugger is transferred from his position as bishop of Augsburg to a new posting as Auxilary to Stefan Jonsson, bishop of Skálholt in Iceland. His Holiness hopes that a decade or so serving in the frozen outskirts of Christendom will do the worldly Markus some good. The Nuncio to Iberia is completely satisfied with the government's explanation of the reorganisation of the universities. Speaking of universities. Bologna continues to be a shining beacon of learning, with the science of optics becoming surprisingly popular, with scholars drawing on the works of Bishop Grosseteste, and the two famous English Fransiscans, Roger Bacon and John Peckham, who made great contributions to the science in centuries past.
 * Augsburg: In the year of our Lord fourteen-ninety-seven the economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. The stockpiling of textiles continues for Operation Blue Lily. Business evictions continue. Markus Fugger now in his second year in the college of cardinals is startled by the finances of the Papal States Papacy notices the constant embezzlement and loosage of papal finances. (OOC: I’m going off Borgia and OTL here). He considers that the downfall of the Papacy and offers to involve his family firm in controlling the finances. He offers the papacy a institution of Fugger banking techniques (DOUBLE LEDGER) as well as Fugger controlled economic transfers using its vast branch system (ELIMINATING THE RISK OF ROBBERY). In exchange a small fee of 3% will be charged (a la OTL). In mining the Fugger mines of Tyrol and Slovakia continue to produce large yields, a copper monopoly, and 80% of the European gold market. With copper being necessary for trade with India and the manufacture of weapons the Fugger firm experiences vast profits. The Fugger firm begins stockpiling the excess of metals in order to keep the copper and gold prices high while keeping the excess metals. Fugger requests to buy the Iron mining rights of Elba from the lords of Piombino as well as giving them a share of the profits, thus enhancing their standing as a Italian state. The firm in Genoa is restored in the same place because of the Iberian ignorance of keeping the employees in the firm, with the majority of them being a Fugger or from Augsburg. The firm is fortified to prevent any other invasion of it by Iberia. In other news the Wesler family continues to make their mark on the European trade with its trading posts in Seville and Antwerp trading with Benin and India. Currently the trading posts for both families include Seville, Antwerp, Lisbon, Venice and Hamburg with Rome, Genoa, and London only for the Fuggers. Both of these prominent families request to be the primary banker of many European countries. 
 * ​You do not have 80% of the european gold market, not by a long shot buddy. On my own as Bulgaria i can contest that number. Not to mention your like first or second post your claiming this when were significantly into ATL which would change things -Feud
 * Iberian Diplomacy: Reports of a re-established Fugger Bank reach local authorities from various sources, including the citizenry and inspection authorities. We are outraged that Augsburg has chosen to completely ignore the laws of the United Crown and immediately orders a military raid of the Bank for the sake of protecting local businesses from foreign invaders, taking all of its assets and arresting its personnel for disobeying direct orders from the government. The Governor General of Liguria sends a letter to the leader of Augsburg, expressing his furor with that government's actions, and threatening further action should the Fuggers continue to defy the glorious United Crown.
 * Iberian OOC: By the way, my friend, you do not have a monopoly over every single natural resource in Europe. Iberia has its very own copper, gold and iron resources (among others), and you definitely do not have control over these.


 * Bahmani Sultanate: Military reorganization continues. The first Chinese ship enters Kolon-thota. Another reform will be made in the nobility: now their governance will be reviewed every year, and promotions or demotions based on that. The range of possible promotions and demotions is expanded. A group of strange eastern foreigners arrive with stranger statues. They are politely led back to their ships. Condolences are also given to our Delhavi brothers.
 * Pegu: Both the nobles and Binnya Kyal find themselves in precarious positions. Binnya Kyal still remains in an uneasy standoff with them, but now with the economy significantly hurt, and order still not fully restored, the nobles also find their strength bleeding. It remains to be seen who will break first ...
 * Maldives: Settlement of Addu continues.
 * OOC Note: Please spell my nation name correctly, not as Bahamani. Since I usually use the find in page function to see if I got any diplomacy or anything like that, misspelling my nation's name means that I probably won't see your diplo offers.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: We continue with the construction of a road from London to Edinburgh which we hope to be completed by 1499 financed and owned by the Fuggers. The King's two children continue to grow healthy. An astronomer Henry Camone at Oxford University creates the theory of an equal earth, he hypothesis if the earth is round then for the earth to be balanced with north and south poles and in consideration of its size, the weight of the Eurasian continent must be balanced out by an equally large continent to the western seas. This theory is taken with reasonable amounts of seriousness by the various astronomers and starts a great debate.
 * Whilst Camone can certainly promote this theory, he's hardly its creator: Aristotle and Ptolemy wrote about a Terra Australia Incognita which would act as a counterweight to the Northern continents. ~Cal
 * Ok, he isn't entirely the creator but this is 15th century England, not too advanced. Maybe he might know it, maybe he doesn't. Anyway, this is about a counterweight western continent which is a similiar idea but different results. 
 * With Polish unrest so near to the Austro-Bavarian state, the Polish Border is declared militarized, and ten thousand men sent to it to "watch for spillover". Maximillian must consider this situation carefuly, as this is easily the very moment to restore some part of hungary to the nation. Considering things with his advisors, including Ludvig von Lienz, the head of his army, Maximillian secretly sends a letter both the the Diet of Hungary and the Nobles council in poland,proposing to exchange his aid in the war, to the tune of 20 000-25 000 men, in exchange for ceding Slovakia to Hungary (i.e. the gains in the treaty of cologne vs hungary). In his letter, he notes the outnumbered nature of the nobles' army, and the ability of Austria, now decently recovered and with the economic boon of Veneto, may come to their aid and help get rid of a Tyrant.  MOD RESPONSE, PLEASE  Meanwhile, the trade pact with Sicily is acccepted and put into force, improving the economic potential of both nations. IN any case, more efforts are made to increasingly integrate Austria and Bavaria, the first to do with administrative affairs, as Bavaria is eased into Austrian legal tradition. A law school and university is established by Archducal charter in Munich, to help integrate the south german society. more roads are built connecting the two nations, and more are planned, some even to be built by the guardsmen.
 * In Hungary, the Diet is convened by Duke Ernst, as he needs to levy some more taxes to put his infrastructure modernization plan (i.e. expanding the old Roman road system) into practice. The Nobility is relatively ambivelant to the project, but with some prodding, and promises to church leaders that the road system will make it easier for the more impoverished to reach churches on sundays, thus increasing cheritable donations, the eclesiastical members of the Diet are able to gather enough support for tax increases. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, The Polish border is ordered to be re-enforced as a precaution against a spillover from the conflict. Many members of the Diet have called for the Hungarians to invade, regain its lost glory. However, the overwhelming concensus is that Hungary cannot sustain another external war, especially after seven years of civil war. IN any event, the royal guards are put on high alert. Duke Ernst secretly sends out letters earching for mercenary regiments after receiving Maximillian's letter, stating his intentions of reclaiming Slovakia if the Polish nobility wishing to restore the monarchy accept his offer, not wanting to diminish Hungary's role in regaining its lost land.
 * Serbia does some things I guess, oh yes, it increases its trade and builts up a navy, maybe some more stuff if I have time...
 * Delhi: The Sultanate enters a state of mourning for one of our greatest sultans to rule the land. The Sultan's son, Harshal, ascends to fill in the shoes of his great father. He orders a monument constructed in his honor in Delhi City. Nonetheless, Delhi moves on. Harshal decides to keep many of his father's policies, from militarization to the importance of working with our neighbors. He decides to extend the latter policy and begins to improve relations with Tibet.
 * Himalaya: Delhi's efforts to improve relations with Tibet are expected to benefit us greatly.
 * Ladakh: Nothing of note.
 * Marwar and Mewar: The Marwari and Mewari are at first quite uncertain about Sultan Harshal, though they are reassured when there is no real change in the governance of their land. The hunt for Gunterists continues, and those caught are given the five options.

1499
''' In the Chimu Empire, the Quechua forces united behind the Qulla Confederation and the Kingdom of Cuzco force a decisive battle breaking into the Chimu heartlands. The Remainder of the Chimu army numbering 24,000 prepares to make a final stand at its capital. '''

''' Polish King Sigismund engages in a pitched battle outside of Lublin with the Noble Rebels. The 40,000 strong Royalist army led under Sigismund slams headlong into the forces of the Oginski Family. The Decisive defeat drives the remainng 17,000 forces from the Noble rebels into Slovakia where they regroup and recoup their losses putting their effective strength at 27,000. With the opening battle over King Sigismund begins to corner the remaining rebels in Slovakia bringing up nearly 60,000 troops. As a result of this civil war many peasants and other forces have gotten involved providing more troops for the slaughter. The Polish king readies himself to call in allies in the case of an expanded civil war with interventions. '''

''' The Russian expeditions into Siberia continue to remain in the planning stages however it looks to be the beginnings of a great success. '''

''' Khan Tsetseg marches through central asia beginning in establishing his own Khanate as he fights his way through the smaller and more moderate sized nomadic groups in his area rallying more men. '''

''' Benin suffers unrest as multiple revolts break out in Mali regarding unfair taxation, which is prodded by the remainder of their old aristocratic families. This direct form of rebellion also seems to be grounded in a major religious sense as traditional islamic theology is known to be practiced in the revolting territories. '''


 * Kingdom of Burgundy: Burgundian explorer Antoni Ramaaker sails from the Kaapstad layover port on an eastward expedition. Ramaaker arrives at the Bahmani port of Calicut in August, with supplies running low, and introduces himself to the Bahmani authorities. While word of Ramaaker's voyage has yet to reach home, David Lauwens finally sets sail from the St. Michael Islands this year on his westward expedition, his ship ladened with supplies, although it is not expected he'll return home until next year at the earliest.


 * The Gurkani Sultanate: Sultan Suleiman Shah Mirza continued his rule over the Sultanate, with Al Mu'ayyad Muhammad as the Caliph and Muhammad Mu'min Khan as the Grand Vizier. The Gurkani population rose to about 36 million with the people flocking to cities like Herat, Isfahan, Gamrun, Qazvin, Bukhara, Tabriz and Iskenderun; primarily due to their strategic position in the spice trade. In regards to religion, the Sultanate promoted Shia Islam, and advocated conversion to the Zaidi sect from other Islamic sects, often engaging in forced conversions. In particular, the Sultanate also promoted Persian emigration to Gilan and Mazadaran with the Gilaki and Mazanderani people being forced to assimilate with them and adopt Persian culture and Farsi. This restrictions also included the persecution of those that freely promoted Gilaki/Mazanderani culture. The military was primarily composed of medium-to-heavy cavalry, composite bow, lance, mace, and sword. Heavy cavalrymen wore plated chain mail or metal lamellar armor, with their horses also wearing leather or metal lamellar barding. The infantry was equipped with daggers and swords to be utilised in close combat against the enemy and elephants as well as carts were used for the transportation of supplies. In some cases, a special unit also existed that specialized primarily in the use of hand cannons and rocket launchers. Cannons were constructed to serve as siege weaponry whilst gunpowder weaponry were increasively developed. Naval bases were established at Iskenderun, Kerch and Gamrun to establish the presence of the Gurkani fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the Persian Gulf respectively, keen on controlling any piracy. The Gurkani Navy developed galleys and carracks to augment the smaller patrol fleets. Agriculture and commerce were at the Sultanate's forepoint, with wheat, rice and barley being amongst the largest produced crops. To prevent the Sultanate from ever getting hit by a major famine, the individual Amirs also engaged in the storage of food supplies, which would be utilized in case of famine or otherwise exported. Fishery was promoted as well as it helped in sustaining the fishery villages that were present along the coast, as well as the major port cities of Iskenderun, Basra, Gamrun, Kerch and Baku. Importance was also given on the development of proper roads for the merchants utilizing the trade routes through the Sultanate, with all caravans being armed and protected with a small detachment of guards. Meanwhile, the construction of educational madrassahs continued throughout the Empire, with the Sultan keen on spreading education and knowledge amongst the populace of the Sultanate. The Sultan sought to replicate the Islamic Golden Age that existed during the period of the Abbasids prior to the Mongol Invasion, and accordingly funded the teaching of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, with Algebra, Geometry, Astronomy, Anatomy and Medicine being of prime importance. The Sultanate continued to expand its territories into the Caucasus. The Mu'tazila Movement continued to flourish, constantly growing in popularity and influence. In particular, the Mu'tazila even privately received funding from the numerous government officials that included Viziers, Amir and in some cases, the Grand Qazi. Aside from the officials, wealthy merchants were noted to have had also funded the Mu'tazila in hopes that they would influence the Sultan to reduce tariffs in order to generate greater trade. Meanwhile, with the effective establishment of the Shura e Sultanate, concerns pertaining to legal affairs of the Sultanate were practically transferred over to the Grand Vizier. Nevertheless, still keen on keeping himself up to date with the affairs of the state, the Sultan continued to attend Council Meetings albeit not regularly. About around the same time, work continued on the development of the Ormara port with major shipyards being constructed to facilitate the docking of merchant vessels. Similarly, efforts to further expand and fortify the Kerch Fortress continued with the bridge connecting the Kerch Straits enlarged to ensure the movement of artillery pieces such as the Great Gurkani Bombard (otl Dardenelles Gun).
 * Authorities of the United Crown continue to closely and carefully watch for Augsburgite activity in Genoa, and actively seek out and shut down any signs of a regrouping Fugger or other Augsburgite organisation in Iberia. All senior personnel of the new bank that was raided and shut down last year are executed for disobeying the Governor General's directives, and the remainder are sentenced to life imprisonment. All assets of the Fugger bank are once again transferred to the Royal Bank of Barcelona, including all accounts. The same occurs in Lisbon and Seville; authorities raid the Fugger and Wesler branches in these areas, closing them and transferring all assets to the local branches of the Royal Bank. The Fugger and Wesler companies are indefinitely banned from entering Iberian territory. All accounts in the Royal Bank are now given a higher rate of interest (save the branch in Iskenderun to comply with Gurkani law) to maintain the trust (or gain it as the case may be) of customers. Meanwhile, the target date for the beginning of our first transatlantic voyage under Captain Esteban Ferrera is drawing ever closer, and our shipyards are wrapping up preparations for the fleet. Our military is placed on standby as tensions with Augsburg continue to rise over their repeated attempts to interfere with our economy as well as their empty, but infuriating threats. We continue to strengthen ties with our friends and allies, including Sicily, England and Burgundy.
 * Iberian Secret Diplomacy to ENGLAND: The King of Great Iberia sends a letter to his English counterpart, advising his friend to watch his step when dealing with the treacherous Fuggers and the other Augsburgite families, and warns him that they are not to be trusted, because they are willing to break any laws that stand in their way of domination over the economies of Europe.
 * English secret dip: Don't worry, I think we can handle some jumped up Bavarian peasant if he does try anything.
 * Iberian Secret Diplomacy to BULGARIA: The King of Great Iberia sends a letter to his Bulgarian counterpart, advising his friend to watch his step when dealing with the treacherous Weslers and the other Augsburgite families, and warns him that they are not to be trusted, because they are willing to break any laws that stand in their way of domination over the economies of Europe.
 * Iberian Secret Diplomacy to SICILY: The King of Great Iberia sends a letter to the Sicilian legislature, advising them to watch their steps when dealing with the treacherous Fuggers and the other Augsburgite families, and warns them that they are not to be trusted, because they are willing to break any laws that stand in their way of domination over the economies of Europe.
 * Iberian Secret Diplomacy to AUSTRIA: The King of Great Iberia sends a letter to his Austrian counterpart, advising his friend to watch his step when dealing with the treacherous Fuggers and the other Augsburgite families, and warns him that they are not to be trusted, because they are willing to break any laws that stand in their way of domination over the economies of Europe.
 * Iberian Secret Diplomacy to the PAPAL STATES: The King of Great Iberia sends a letter to the Holy Father, advising him to watch his step when dealing with the treacherous Fuggers and the other Augsburgite families, and warns him that they are not to be trusted, because they are willing to break any laws that stand in their way of domination over the economies of Europe.
 * South Australian Civilization: The city of Kaurna continues to build up its economy and government to catch up with Ngarrindjeri. Wattle acid, made by grounding up Acacia plants, is used in Kaurna to prepare dried kangaroo hides, making it stronger and more flexible [early stage of leather]. Diomands also begin to be mined and sold across multiple cities, but in Kaurna they start to be used as a form of ceremonial decoration on family homes and burials [as a sign of immense wealth]. Meanwhile, many smaller villages break out in a plague of horrifying skin disease, mutated from a disease in the domesticated kangaroo [OTL Leishmaniasis, whose strains are often found in new world animals like kangaroo]. The people in Ngarrindjeri ask the Dreamspeakers to intepret this sign, and they reported that the god Lord Ngintaka is upset that the cannibalism still persists in the land.
 * Cologne: The people of Cologne celebrate the small victory of Christendom in Bulgaria. Archbishop Emmerich writes, prints and personally signs a letter to every returning soldier, or every deceased soldier’s family, commending them for their involvement in protecting their fellow Christians. Meanwhile, Archbishop Emmerich hears of the schemes of Cardinal Markus Fugger and commends His Holiness’s method of dealing with him. All forms of corruption, in accordance with the Adelphinian Reforms, should be dealt with as a scourge on the conscience of all Catholics. Accordingly, Emmerich notices the United Crown’s strong stance against the Fuggers and offers to assist if necessary. Meanwhile, the “Neuss Plan” reaches its final stages and the three Church schools finally take their first pupils. The Archbishop hopes to have its first graduates in the new century.
 * Essen: Abbess Meina is incredibly grateful to the Holy Father for the crozier as a symbol of office – in fact, she is inspired by the Pope's belief in her and vows to continue the revival in discipline into the new century. Under her rule, she promises that this reform will gain further longevity. One of her first acts is to restart the giving of lectures. These are initially in the same vein as St Adelphina’s lectures, and reiterate the principles of Adelphinian Reforms. More specifically, Meina orders that all canonesses stick to a stricter horarium (communal timetable) and emphasises the importance of doing manual labour and field work, to increase devotion to the Lord. All people in Essen are encouraged to do this as well, as their religious communities lead by example.
 * Iberian Diplomacy: We welcome Cologne's support in this most pressing economic matter. We suggest enforcing stricter border policies, blocking Augsburgites from passing through Cologne or Essen territory, in an effort to restrict their movement.
 * Papal States: Upon hearing complaints about the closing of the Fugger bank in Genoa and the acquisitiont of its assets without compensation, Pope Leo writes to to the king of the United Crown of Iberia, sternly reminding him that taking goods without compensation is theft, contrary to God's commandments and beneath the dignity of a Christian monarch such as himself. His Holiness does not comment on the policy or strategy underlying the acquisition, merely condemning the lack of compensation. In other news, Pope Leo makes a visit to the Fortebracci family chapel, and is amazed by the beauty of its interior. Periodic visitations of monasteries by Papal representatives has helped maintain the renewed strict monastic discipline.
 * Iberian Secret Diplomacy: We apologise to the Holy See for our oversight of that particular Commandment, and inform the Church that this has been done purely in the interest of protecting our people and their affairs. The Fuggers and Weslers were ignoring instructions and orders from our government to leave Iberia, and so we had to take drastic action. The King asks for forgiveness from the Holy Father, and promises to meditate on the matter to find a more religiously appropriate solution should a similar problem arise in the future. We also repeat our advice to the Papacy to take care when dealing with the Augsburgites, and to ensure that the Church's finances remains independent of their money-grubbing banking families.
 * Brandenburg-Luxembourg: Tragety hits the house of Brandenburg when Karl the younger brother of Otto passes away without an heir, his rule of the duchy of Lorraine passes onto Otto as line of succession leading to the Duchy becoming a part of the hereditary lands of the ruling house of Brandenburg. Otto continues to streamline his military reforms developing the landsknecht and arqubusier formations. Development of the Manorial system continues to expand leading to the weakening of the feudal system as the expansion of the manors and landed estates are in the hands of houses who receive the patronage of the house of Brandenburg. Amongst them the rising house of Wrangel along with the traditionally powerful house of Havel. More nobles and subsequently their serfs convert to the Reformed Catholic church. Otto looks at the growing conflict in Poland with worry as it might spill over into the HRE. Otto explores the idea of negotiating with the different sides to determine who to support being more inclined ot support the King. Naval expansion begins. Otto agrees to England's offer of a trade arrangement and also requests a royal betrothal between his Grandson Freidrich who is now 9 to the daughter of England's ruler. Expansion of mining and craftsmen activities continue throughout the territory. Otto the younger has another male son who is baptised Johann. 'Cultural and scientific patronage continues in the courts of Otto the older. A trend of revisiting old Germanic history begins particularly to the pre-christian era of the germanic tribes and to the early days of the frankish empire and early christianity. 'Massive expansion of foundries and metal smithiy workshops begins arising in Lorraine, Luxembourg and Silesia supported by the subsedies giving by the royla house to support these activties. 
 * English dip: We agree to Brandenburg's marriage offer.
 * Bulgarian Empire: With the death of the ruling Prince of Albania with no heirs, the Bulgarian Emperor acquires control of the territory personally and integrates it into the Empire. All looks into integrate Moldavia remains barred as the need for a buffer state drumpfs all other needs. The Bulgarian renaissance continues with numerous artworks and other powerful acts of culture are diffused through the empire. Tsar Simeon begins the education of Prince Boris, in order to bring him up to standards as a future bulgarian Tsar. The explosion of Poland into a Civil war prompts the Tsar to ready his armies to be raised and looks to assist Polish King Sigismund in the civil war readying itself at the border. This prompts a force of nearly 20,000 led by Boril Velitchkov to march across the border, overtly signaling the Polish King Sigismund that he is joining as a support of him. The Bulgarian economy continues to show improvement as the new terrace farming methods, and other farms and mining resources begins to give the Bulgarian economy some solid foundations to sit on besides trade and agriculture. The Tsar begins making some serious considerations of moving the Bulgarian administrative Capital to Vasiligrad with all the major things located here it has become almost the premier center of the Empire. The Empires road network noticeably expands as roads from Tarnovo to Sifya and to Constantinople have been completed, with tertiary road networks in these areas available. The Next area to be given roads is Maceconia and thrace, looking to connect many of the Greek possessions and cities with their bulgarian motherland. At the same time limited actions are taken in the Bulgar valley in order to connect the largest parts of well developed bulgarian farmland with the empires largest cities. The Gallipoli fortress remains under construction with cannons expected to be mounted on its battlements. Vasiligrad also sees large scale renovation of its defensive considerations with cannons being added into the defensive factors of the city. The Population of the city is estimated to be reaching nearly 165,000.
 * Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland and Duchy of Brittany: We continue with the construction of a road from London to Edinburgh which we hope to be completed by 1499 financed and owned by the Fuggers. The King's two children continue to grow healthy. With Camone's theory gaining some support, Bishop Thomas Devon ,a copyist and scholar on English tales, then writes aware that the King believes in King Arthur that based on Camone's work and knowledge of Vinland and Hy- Brasil there is a great western continent some distance away though he advocates that it is some considerable distance and due to poor winds probably unreachable. This theory is met with some discussion with some arguing no such continent exists and others that it can be reached given the right path.
 * Benin: The growth of local industries in western Benin continue as more and more Bini relocate to the region. As more lands are opened up to the subjects of Benin, the possibility of gaining much individual wealth becomes more realistic, and private enterprise begins to thrive. The cities of Ominira and Enu have both surpassed populations of 50,000 each, and are both thriving industrial centers in the region. In order to further connect this region of his nation, Nosagie begins to invest much more in infrastructure. These projects include more substantial upkeep of existing roads, as well as many new ones making it possible to get to any major city in a reasonable amount of time. This infrastructure growth will be particularly focused on the rapidly growing west, were almost a third of all Bini now live. Nosagie hopes the west will soon be on par with the east. Because of this new infrastructure program, transportation costs fall even further, resulting in general economic prosperity across the nation. Construction of additional naval vessels for the navy of Benin slows this year, as the Oba believes that the nation has more or less reached its capacity. However, construction continues at a slower rate, this time to replace the oldest in service ships, and retrofit others with cannons. This is part of a plant to ensure that all of Benin’s ships are equipped with cannons, in order to completely outmatch any naval opponent. 400 ships already have varying amounts of cannons, with plans to increase that number by as much as 100 every year. Gold-mining is greatly expanded in the Oro province, where additional sources of gold have been found. Adding to the wealth of the empire are the diamond mines in Ibukun province, recently discovered just over a decade ago by Bini settlers. This year, Nosagie issues a decree declaring all remaining free Dafombi slaves, and has certain elements of the army capture and enslave the few that remain. These new slaves will be sold off to Europeans or other buyers outside of the empire. The dari studying the remaining non-Bini population in West Africa have found that there is very little left to study almost all native have been either assimilated into Benin, or simply died off in the face of both Bini colonization and competition between each other. The printing press continues to have major effect on Benin’s development, and allows literature to flourish in many cities, and provide an easy way to spread orders from the Oba. the population of Benin is also rapidly increasing, with a standing population of 48,000,000 and a growth rate of around 5-8% per decade. Because of this rapid growth, undeveloped land is is quickly developed, in turn making it possible for the population to continue growing. Meanwhile, the Oba decides to reestablish contact with the colony of Ireti. The warriors sent to the region round up most of the fleeing colonists, and inform them that Benin has not only established a direct link to the colony, but will now have a permanent garrison (of 1,500 troops) to defend it. Meanwhile, in order to deal with the rebellions in Mali, the Oba lowers the flat tax from 10% of income to 8.5%. This cools most economically motivated unrest, and because the the government was operating on a surplus beforehand, no programs will have to be cut to allow this. However, the religiously motivated revolts are another matter, and Bini troops are deployed to stop any Muslims, and convert them to Kuzirian, or if necessary, kill them. This wipes out the last bastions of the Muslim aristocracy ensuring that they will never threaten Benin again. The largely Kuzir population support the government in stopping the Muslim attackers.
 * Norway: In this year of our lord the long reigning King Mikkael I dies of old age. Great mourning occurs in Norway in memory of his 57 long years of reign and his victory over the fiendish Danish who attempted to destroy Norway's independence. His son Jonathan Gyldenløve ascends to the Throne as Jonathan II of Norway.However he is sickly himself and ill-equipped to reign as such a regency takes place. His heir apparent is the beautiful and unmarried 17 year old Diana Gyldenløve. Under the regency council the need for a greater range of trade is seen. Plans for an African expedition, including planning and financing for the expedition are in stage 1 and most ideas seem far fetched mostly focusing on crossing the cape of good hope and reaching the fabled lands of India however these ideas are ridiculed as ridiculous. Merchants operating in sweden's wärmland begin to gain a hold over local industries to a minor extent due to the free exchange of goods passing through this area. Norway proposes to Sweden to begin building infrastructure through wärmland from both countries to increase trade and our economy. In other trade related news Norway offers to Burgundy a trade deal which specifically allows certain privileges regarding Norwegian lumber (which is among the best ship building lumber in Europe) in exchange for designs of Burgundian ships (I.e carracks and such)
 * Burgundian dip: the deal is agreed to.
 * Khmer: Khmer people do Khmer stuff.
 * Augsburg: In the year of our Lord fourteen-ninety-seven the economy of Augsburg continues to expand. The powerful Fugger family continues to make its mark on the European economy. The stockpiling of textiles continues for Operation Blue Lily. The copper Business evictions continue. Jakob Fugger feeling as if the world has given all to him feels that he must do the same back. He decides to open a public housing complex known as the Fuggerei In Augsburg for the less fortunate of Augsburg. He offers to open a similar complex in Cologne. A prominent young theologian in the university of Augsburg by the name of Bartholomeus Zink writes a theological thesis about how Markus Fugger was not exiled from the college of cardinals not because of his family but because of the corruption and bias in the papacy. The current Pope and a majority of the cardinals were born of noble birth while Markus Fugger was the grandson of a peasant and the son of weaver. He also brings into the theological debate with the majority of Iberia's cardinals and the pope being of noble birth and the Bank of Barcelona being owned by the crown that extreme bias is shown in this scenario. This is because of the allowance of extreme usury in the Bank of Barcelona and that at least one of Iberia's cardinals has a account, prominent writer Dante had a special place in hell for usurious. The payment to him in the form of usury is direct corruption, one that the pope has tried to root out. By the majority also being nobility it shows that they have the direct chance to profit from the expulsion of one of the opposing business people from the papacy. He also remarks on Fugger’s piety and humbleness while serving as Bishop of Augsburg, as well as his willingness to provide for the poor, and humbly refusing to live in the bishop's residence. He attempts to stop this elitism in the papacy. Fugger and his good friend Markus Wesler share a laugh of the seizing of the non existent Fugger and Welser banks although they do become more cautious in Iberia such as creating escape routes and masking the business as well as bribes for local feudal in Lisbon and Seville. Fugger changes his firm's name to the Fucker firm, the original spelling of his families name. Lastly Fugger installs all of his liquid stockpiled assets in a castle, similar to the US gold in Fort Knox.
 * Bahmani Sultanate: At first, Muhammad Shah cannot believe that Christians have landed in Kozhikode, (OOC: The English gave it the name Calicut), but once he has confirmed the reports, sends his second son, the famed diplomat Nehal Shah, to talk to this 'Antoni Ramaaker' from the mysterious land of 'Burgundy.' They seem rather suspicious, but nonetheless, they are granted the supplies requested. (OOC:IATG, I might post something about our future relationship on your talk page tomorrow, I'm pressed for time right now).
 * Pegu: The Noble crisis passes, as most people, tired of the standoff, choose to side with Binnya Kyal.
 * Maldives: Nothing of note.
 * Japan: Last year's earthquake utterly devastated Japan. With Japan damaged, a new fervor to fan out to newly-settled Japanese areas sweeps the nation. The island of Hokkaido sees a population growth of up to 15% this year. This population, which has already been steadily increasing since the Japanese colonization, is seeing rapid assimilation of the Ainu. The Marianas Islands also see population growth; entrepreneurs and fishermen alike travel to these islands in search of a better life. Or, at least, a house that wasn't destroyed by two gigantic tectonic plates. Unfortunately, the  dong-shaped theater in Edo is destroyed by the earthquake. The architect commits suicide, in addition to the janitor. "That goddamn  phallus building was the only thing that kept me going. Now I have nothing to  masturbate to work for."