Merveilles du Monde (Map Game)

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

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

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

Map

Moderators

• Death: Curmudgeonly yours Crim 01:38, October 14, 2019 (UTC)
• Famine: User:Nathan1123
• Pestilence: Feudy McPlagueface (talk)
• War: User:Tullin
• Providence: Solace (talk)
• Catastrophe: Dren

Important Pages

• Rules and Algorithm (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
• Religion (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
• Holy Roman Empire (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
• College of Cardinals (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
• Nations (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
• Flags (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
• Treaties (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
• Wars (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)
• List of monarchs (Merveilles du Monde Map Game)

The Game

1490

Christopher Columbus travels to northern Germany, and seeks financial support from Aldarman John Burkhart for his voyage to Asia. Columbus explains that as the Earth is round, then the shortest path to Asia must be the western direction across the Atlantic Ocean. He also claims that earlier sightings of land across the Atlantic, most recently the settlements of Vinland by the Norse, must be the same landmass as the far eastern coast of the Tartary. Therefore, he asks for a substantial loan, ships and supplies from the Hanseatic League to support his voyage westward.

Meanwhile, across said Ocean, the Muisica tribes in the northern Amazon jungle centralize into a powerful Confederation.

Overland sources of silk from the far east are increasingly becoming difficult to support, in light of ongoing events. With the revolt of Bedoin mercenaries now laying siege to Cairo, the Mamluk Sultanate completely collapses in chaos and anarchy, allowing the Syrian lands from the Tigris River as far as Palmyra to fall under Georgian control. The last Sultan of the Muslimid dynasty is now a prisoner of the Hafsid Grand Vizier, causing further panic at the imminent destruction of the Sultanate.

Still attempting to make use of the overland silk trade, however, Pêro da Covilhã arrives in the court of the Emperor of Ethiopia, having journeyed this far from Portugal.

The Epidemic Typhus outbreak in Verona spreads to the surrounding cities of Italy, with the disease spreading to Milan and Mantua before the end of the year. Trade is severely affected in the region, as is production of many goods throughout Northern Italy.

A peasant revolt erupts in the Basque region of southern France, led by Carlos de Pamplona, which proceed to march on Bordeaux. In Aragon, the peasants were dissatisfied with the obligations imposed on by the Sentencia de Guadelope. This causes instability in the region to flare up again, affecting Spain's supply lines in the war against France.

Having researched and debated on the validity of the visions in the Revelations of the Thin White Duke, the Monks in Cologne have concluded these writings to be similar to anceint works of Gnosticism. These observations are written in a memoire by the Archbishop of Cologne.

As the nobles in the aftermath of Berry's rebellion have been a lot more quiet in order to evade the wrath of King William II, then Duke John VII of Brittany reaches out for protection of his autonomy from the Celtic Confederacy, and offers a marriage alliance.

A large meteor shower occurs over Chingyang in central China, killing hundreds of people by falling rocks.

The Duchy of Austria proposes the creation of a regular postal service across the Holy Roman Empire, connecting between the cities of Mechelen and Innsbruck.

Leonardo da Vinci writes about capillary action of water in bone tubes.

In Spain, the Chivalric proto-novel Tirant lo Blanch is published in the Catalan language.

• Kingdom of Bohemia: The Emperor notes the proposal from Austria, stating that he already created an official post service for the empire a while ago, but seeing as it could be improved considering the man hadn’t even noticed it, the Emperor decides to overhaul the system. The Emperor appreciates the Archbishop of Mainz’ interest in the project as well, although he vetoes the appointment of Edmund Alwin since the man already has a position in the cabinet, and instead appoints the Austrian reformer and Chief Master of the Postal Service, Jeannetto de Tassis, to the empire-wide position of postmaster. The Imperial army takes Aachen and takes up defensive positions in Julich, with the Emperor offering to negotiate an end to hostilities with Lotharingia, if they agree to release Aachen (in its entirety) and Julich as independent states; the latter being as a consequence of Aachen’s position, as the city is completely surrounded by the greater territory. Additionally the Emperor promises to have the territory in Overmaas that previously belonged to other states, especially the Archbishop of Cologne, returned to them. The Emperor temporarily breaks off trade with northern Italy and orders quarantine measures be put in place for people passing into Germany/the rest of the Empire from northern Italy. Noting the political developments in Florence, the Emperor makes clear he does not care what government type the Florentine people choose to be, and so would be fine with Florence being a duchy. A delegation is sent to Paris to take part in peace negotiations. Until then the Emperor orders Imperial forces to take up defensive positions all across Aachen and Julich, and secure that region. Reinforcements are also raised and dispatched.
• Thuringia: The Thin White Duke coins the term “Meta”, from the philosophical concept of metaphysics, to describe the nearly omniscient nature of how figures like the Pope are able to read his mind to “uncover” things. He wonders if the Pope is actually using supernatural and unholy means to acquire thoughts from his head. This is because the Thin White Duke never published or publicly stated any of his “revelations”, and he is confused how the Pope alleges to have obtained the ideas. He replies to the Pope saying he never meant any harm, he simply wrote a letter to the Pope to warn him about the dangerous criminal who was sighted in the Papal States, which was a helpful tip for the Pope. The Thin White Duke is confused why he could possibly be excommunicated or deemed a “heretic” despite the fact that he is a noted very pious Catholic. He also points out that nothing he wrote is gnostic in nature whatsoever, and invites the Cologne person or the Pope (perhaps over discord) to have a theological debate with him, so that he may teach them their inaccuracies. It is clear that now that Lenzburg has the ear of the Pope, he is simply puppeting him, puppeting him in meat form, and compelling him to do the things he commands. Having made this realization, the Duke urges all virtuous Catholics to continue the hunt for harmful, dangerous criminals, and to remain loyal to their “moral compass” as prescribed by the bible, rather than the baseless claims that church officials make for political gain. The Duke realizes, and perhaps his critics will even label this, too, as a “revelation” that something is coming, something that will purify the church and remove this corruption. If the Pope continues down this path of moral depravity, political scheming, and blindness to the scripture, he will surely soon be punished, in this world or the next. The ruler of Cologne is asked politely to remove all mention of this anti-Thin White Duke talk, considering the Thin White Duke is currently brokering to give Cologne new territory. The Thin White Duke also finds it random and humorous that the Pope excommunicates the French ruler for “meeting with the Taborites” despite there is no mention of that in any news or historical records, and despite it being common sense that meeting with an enemy does not make you guilty as well: Hannibal and Scipio met before Zama, Pope Leo met with Attilla the Hun, and even recent Popes or church figures have met with Taborites. Ironically, it is pointed out that the real person with connection to the Taborites, if anyone, would be the Lotharingian king, as it is noted that the Taborites are centered in Lotharingia, and they seemingly continue to grow in number; what is up with that? The nation continues to recover and expand its institutions using the captured wealth from the war, alleviating the poor and supporting the peasants. The military is raised and an army is sent to defend the Emperor against Lotharingia. Also, the Thin White Duke goes into hiding and lets his son govern for a time as regent, and the Duke travels to Hesse in the meantime to personally seduce the ruler of Hesse.
• Archbishopric of Mainz: Grand Marshal of Hanns von Wulfestorff is extremely pleased with how his army is developing. He continues his program of modernization and standardization in weapons and training. He listens to the report from his observers, recently returned, and begins implementing the same military reform as Wurtenburg over the Army of the Holy Roman Empire. He mobilizes the Imperial Army to retake Aachen from Lotharingia, and begins assembling his forces to move against Aachen. Adelbert continues to support the Inquisition and the Assembly of Preachers. He continues his policies to raise education in his Diocese. He continues the patronizing of printing releases from the Pontifical Roman Press, and other great works for the Library of Mainz, including the book The Novel Continent, which sparks his interest as a scholar. Adelbert, on behalf of the Emperor, confirms Edmund Alwin as the Imperial Postmaster. He also offers his personal support in helping Saxony to recover from the war in any way possible. The Archbishop, hearing of the letter sent by Thuringia to the Pope, quickly drafts his own letter and dispatches it as fast as possible to Rome. It is far more concilitory, stating that the opions of the High Stewert are inflamed with passion, and that he and the Emperor support a far more moderate position. He trust to the Pope’s wisdom and honesty, and sees him as the greatest potential force for peace and enlightenment in Europe, and would like to see the Papal States and the Holy Roman Empire pursue this goal together. The accusation of Thuringia of Papal corruption, the suggestions he has made as to the legitimacy of the Pope, do not represent in any way the opinion of the Emperor, and should be dismissed. As for the Duke of Lenzburg, now that the war is over he and the Emperor would like to see normalcy restored. He guarantees that if the Pope will agree to negotiate to end hostilities with Switzerland, the Archchancellor guarantees that there will be no savage or barbaric terms, no extreme punishments of any kind leveid on the exiled Duke, only what is agreed to be fair and appropriate by all parties. He would even recommend that the charges and the case be reviewed by a Papal Legate, to ensure they are fair. (Papal Response). Von Roggendorf continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high. Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and continues to establish regular contracts with that region to supply the Army of the Holy Roman Empire with the latest in weapons, such as matchlocks. Adelbert, hearing of Colombus’ visit to Germany, sends a message to him, offering to bypass the Treasurer and sponsor the voyage himself.
  • Saxony: Saxony is very grateful for the Archbishop's support.
  • Columbus refuses stating that the Hanseatic League has provided all the funding he requires. -Drenegan.

• Rossiya: With a decade past since the final reunification of the Kieven Rus' under one banner reconstruction and reorganization of the Rus' has been ongoing, with the debate of the ultimate power between the Grand Kniaz Mikhail III who has now started using the title of Tsar, and the local city governments who take their queue from the Duma of Novgorod which holds much of the economic power and sway over the cities. In the midst of this the Boyars are divided in their loyalties between those who support a return to the decentralized rule of the Kniaz's and those who have economic and political ties to either the cities or to the Grand Kniaz as his direct vassal as is largely the case in the lands formerly controlled by the Muscovy and Ryazan which were annexed to Tver making them the personal lands of the Grand Kniaz himself. Despite growing tensions Mikhail III has continued to avoid direct confrontation as he sees the need to build and consolidate rather then weaken his position, and ultimately that of all Rossiya. Furthermore he realizes that to continue to retain military dominance and expand political influence over the Steppes and indeed in Eastern Europe a steady supply of western weapons and ideas is needed. As such he continues to rely heavily on his ties with the Hanseatic league  He also continues to try to foster a cooperative attitude by promoting the settlement of the frontier region, though raiding against the Kazan is starting to grow with the ever growing number of Freeholder settlements in the frontier mainly by Kozak groups made up of formerly displaced nobles and peasants who settle along the Volga River and Don Rivers. Mikhail III has continued to promote the growth of the freeholders as a means of countering the influence of the Boyars and the Merchants of the cities by having them swear direct fealty to him in exchange for the land providing him with manpower and over time hopefully break his dependency on the power of the Boyars and the Merchants of the cities for manpower. All freeholder households are required to have a spear or lance, a sword, an arqubuses and to have horses, with the herding of horses being promoted. Efforts to build roads in between thessian cities continue to improve both supply lines and trade within the state. More calvurians are purchased and gun smithies begin to grow in number in Tver. Fur trapping and trade in the Ural region continues to grow, and many of these trading posts steadily turn into small towns as more people settle into the region. Military reforms continue. An increased focus on flexibility, speed and shock while emphasizing the need to build and hold forts to exert better control over territories and prevent incursions into the Russian Core. Mikhail continues to promote his court as one of the arts and of science inviting scholars, artisans, and engineers from all over the Baltic region to come to his court. He also continues to promote the growth of trade h the Greeks through Moldovian territory though he makes an inquiry with Stefan to purchase the mouth of the land along the don River from Moldovia offer his ally a fair price for the land noting that it would be hard for Stefan to settle that region and offering to continue to trade along the Dnieper.
  • Stefan agrees to cede the northern part of the Don River for the trade deal.
• Poland-Lithuania: Alexander ier is proud that is army is being developed and fully charge at this moment is taked a week to finish it in somewhat day the Polish government take some member, for security and to follow the program which was added it continues its modernizations and the development which increased some salary one of the armor was built and finally to establish the population begins to estimated to continue to be active since, in the areas they expanding on the Lithuanian territories and the north a combination of trade and recruitment is estimated 2,000 for the trade activity requested by Alexander ier and secured with cannon and such ships more government is seizing them they are affirmed one of the member must be one of the office to regain trusty and laws it was bought some boats are taken and gives the king Alexander ier wrote a discussion that is basically of his view ''Our people is becoming a man that had no fear and strong and encourage the other who had go in the right route!'' mostly the route continue positively continue some school is being run by the governments Latin is establish edin library for religious texts and thing is indeed for Catholic in Poland Alexander ier continue his policy and develop more art across the commonwealth so far no matter what Alexander ier is furious against of the emperor and that the event has been heard in Europe for some week Alexander ier is sending 11,000 (fully charge with cavalry, soldiers, archers) for a military action to help the Catholic nation so Alexander ier could agree an idea that we can save them and encourage the Catholics to fight against the heresy to send in Silesia 
• Jabal Asada: Our emir is 25 years old now, he have so far applied to the Moroccan approval for trading, as now be acquire a good number of salt, will be used to preserve a good source of water during the dry times in the African savannah, By acquiring the taxes of several citizens and the writers coming handy to us, our population are estimated over 800,000 recently, this shall grant us to maintain a good working force, we shall acquire 30,000 hunters that will be paid à cheap labor to hunt the Elephants as separate groups to acquire the number of Ivory for European trade, as the building of an outpost and a few settlements in the Banana Islands, the emir announces the building of a shipyard in an island out of the islands 2,000 forced labors shall take action at building it, as this happens, the emir shall invest in livestock reproduction, giving the opportunity to build barns to get another source of food, the farmers shall be Requested or forced to give ten percent of their harvest to the government so if a bad harvest season occurs in Jabal Asada they would be some food to preserve and give, After all this was effectuated the emir desires to make the pilgrimage to Médina and Mecca, 500 of his bodyguards and a ceremonial group of 1,000 servants of his and a line of 500 camels bringing up the supplies and preservations for the whole pilgrimage, the emir shall request from the Mamlukian sultan à safe passage to Mecca and Medina (MAMLUK RESPONSE), we shall leave our must trusted bodyguard, AbuBakr Azerni to take up the matters of the kingdom to his own when the emir shall be away.
• Papal States: News about the monks of Cologne considering the Revelations of the Thin White Duke similar to works of Gnosticism reaches Rome. After the Inquisition studies this writing, it’s declared as heresy and blasphemy. The White Thin Duke is declared a heretic and excommunicated. His absurd letter to the pope is also used to justify this action. Who he think that he is to talk this way with the Vicar of Christ. Pope Innocent VII ask all the Catholics of Europe to think if an Emperor, who High Steward is a heretic deserves to continue as ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. The pontiff also ask the nobles if they want the return of the Cathars Gnostics to cause chaos in Europe. The Papal Army continues to support Spain in their military operations. Evidence that King William II of France meet with Taborites and have a deranged life are given to the pope, due to this the Leviathan of France is once again excommunicated. Pope Innocent VII gives his support to Carlos de Pamplona and sends weapons to the rebels and 3,000 mercenaries [MOD response needed, please].  Eberhard, Duke in Exile of Lenzburg arrived in Rome last year, along with a group of guards and various family members, including Engelbert, Count ''jure uxoris'' of Württemberg, his wife Maria the Countess of Württemberg and Peter III of Geneva-Lenzburg, who still has with him the shoes of Saint Germanus. Engelbert's four children and the Swiss-Basque group of monks and clergy had already arrived there several years prior. While Eberhard's group fled the Swiss Confederacy through Savoy, Eberhard reflected sadly on the state of the country he had administered, now overrun by the heretics of France and the traitors of Bohemia and Bavaria. He vows that one day the House of Lenzburg will return to the Alps and liberate them from these heretics and traitors, but sadly that cannot be today. However, it is decided that the Papal States isn’t safe for the family anymore. Then the Lenzburg Family is sent to Naples, seeking protection of Queen Katherine I of Spain. The Company of Saint Leopold is organized by Francesco and Carlos of Habsburg in Monte San Giovanni Campano. Pedro Luiz de Borja organizes the Company of Saint James in Osimo. Soon the two mercenary companies become rivals.
  • Republic of Ancona: The Anconian navy and mercenaries continue to support Spain.
  • The rebels accept the help dispatched by the Pope and are extremely grateful for his assistance in their time of need. -Drenegan.
• Hanseatic League: The Office of African Guilds is in a rears. With war erupting all over Europe, shipping lanes have become dangerous on the way to Africa. As Lotharingia claims more of the African coastline and Spain rounds the Cape of Good Hope, trade in Africa is becoming increasingly difficult. The registrar reports decreased earnings as the waters get more dangerous. Last year, he proposed going west would inevitably place a sailor in India and he was nearly laughed out of the assembly of Aldermen. Early this year, a cartographer named Nicholas Sommer out of Rostock reasons that there are indeed lands on the other side of the Atlantic, which has been known since the time of the Vikings. He reasons, then, that Vinland must exist in a cold climate while the Tartars would be to the south, with China existing in a warmer, arid climate and India being located halfway between China and the Cape of Good hope. Braun's maps of the Baltic and North Sea are famous among 15th-century German sailors; his maps hand in the Ratthaus of the Lübeck. With an expert on geography - quite a feat at the time - claiming that a westward route to India is theoretically possible, opinions began to shift. He approaches the Aldermen once more during the Tagfahrt of 1490, which seems to be a less chaotic affair than the previous year's meeting. Things got even more serious when the Genoan Kristoffer Kolumbus is received by the Aldermen. The League grants Kolumbus and Sommer permission to hire men for the voyage as well as a hefty loan for the two explorers. Die Kinder, Der Gefleckte, and the Sanktmaria are announced as she ships the two explorers would use. What Kolumbus brought to the table was his knowledge of trade winds. Because he is more confident in how the trade winds act closer to Southern Europe, Columbus orders that the ships sail south along Europe before using the trade winds by the Canaries to propel the ship westward, hoping to reach India. Mod response needed. In the meantime, life continues in the Hanseatic League. As said before, the Tagfahrt of 1490 is not as chaotic as the prior year's. The trading floor, however, is an absolute nightmare, as the news of the Kolumbus-Sommer voyage leads to a rise in the cost of goods from the South Atlantic. Many fortunes are made while others are broken in the cutthroat economics of a Hanseatic Rat. The voyage didn't kick up this wave of 'ballistic economics,' but it certainly was not helping. The meetings of the Society of the Compass are much more calm as well. The Syndics and their friends talked freely about everything under the sun, each being in good spirits this year. As the war in Switzerland is over, the revenue the League receives from selling weapons tapers off. Most of the metal materials being built are nails and tools meant to rebuild Saxony and Switzerland, not swords and spears. However, Lotharingia has allowed itself to be dragged into the hell of war. Recognizing a possible crisis, the Hanseatic League sends loans at a reduced rate to the Kingdom of Bohemia as well. The League stands as a bulwark against foreign invasion of the Holy Roman Empire. It has stood against the Scandinavians and the Slavs, it will stand against any enemy foolhardy enough to test the meddle of the Holy Roman Empire. The Kontors in Bergen and Edinburgh report average earnings, the Kontors in Iceland and Wales report a good year for whalers and bankers, the Kontors in England and Russia post above-average earnings in luxury items, and the Arles Kontor continues to establish itself as a presence within southern Germany. The actions taken by Lotharingia are condemned, with Lotharingia being embargoed as well as France. 10,000 forces are sent to the Imperial fronts (not to be used in wars) to prevent attacks from Poland and the like. In fact, some Syndics discuss war on Lotharingia, yet it determines that setting the border between Lotharingia and the Hanseatic states may be what is needed.
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di" The Koninklyke armee Lotharingië seeing the heavy casualties is allowed by the king to continue resistance at the Somme. As it is belived that France manpower is allmost fully exhausted, thus just defending will decrease their numbers enough as to make the offense possible. The King Now begining to plan a Purge of some generals and nobles after their unauthorised attack fo france, this not to be carried out until peace has been reached. As the King needs a strong united front against the French King, and the king of Germany. The Lotharingian army being split into two fronts the Lotharingian army having a total of 34,000 soldiers, As John Leonard accepts the Welsh volunteers. As John Leonardo has accepted the soldiers who where returning from switserland as the welsh desire to continue their fight against the French and the Germans. Thus 21,000 soldiers are on the Franco-some Border while 13,000 soldiers on the German border, the German defence including Dulle Griet one of the biggest Cannons in Europe. The Lotharingians having out cannons on the highest ground of the city facing the lower lying hills, the punaseurs being put mostly in buildings of the Urban landscape. The Lotharingian army Building back parts of the walls and dirth mouths as to protect the city from Invasion, the Pikes and Cannons being the most important bit of the defence of the city. The King even sending a letter personally to the English King Edward VI as to ask for aid (English response), the king hoping on new blood to regain all of the Lotharingian land lost to the war. Such land that needs to be defended being French Somme, the Soldiers fortifying the Terrain heavily and even allowing the land south of the river to flood. Flooding making the terrain impossible for the French soldiers to go to the Lotharingian defences, A general called Brus van Yper being in Charge. The general having fought in the Previous Franco-Lotharingian war as a very young boy, who helped the artillery load their shells. Now The old Man is in charge of not just artillery shells but a 21,000 big army force, with Juliaen Petit being in charge of the Royal navy. A navy which defending the English Channel and Jersey the name sake for the Lotharingian ships, The Navy being used even when in need of repair. The war coming between Lotharingia and the naval reforms that were desired, Messenkempher Compagnie only being to forge guns and cannons that are in need by the army and navy at this moment. Experimentation being to expensive and time taking, the company just making the tried and tested guns and cannons.
  • England Diplomacy: King Edward VI of England agrees to aid the King of Lotharingia against England's long-term rival, and starts to prepare troops for this.
• Hesse: The war ends against the Swiss to much celebration. Hohenzollern is developed with the castle being expanded into a formidable and profitable location. Luckily the nation was not heavily involved in the war with the Swiss, and so 8,000 men are able to be sent west to help defend the Empire against the attack from Lotharingia. Likewise the Duchess is motivated to potentially liberate parts of the Rhineland to Hesse. Mark is united under the Duchess of Hesse, and she implements policies to aid the impoverished there. It is known that Mark was heavily damaged in the war by the actions of Otto the Terrible and also by the general devastating pillaging on both sides, and so tries to temporarily lift taxes for the poor, and uses money collected from the war to help rebuild and repair. For now Agnes rejects the advances of the Thin White Duke, at least in terms of marriage. She befriends a local noble and veteran of the war against the Swiss named Sir Frederick of Hohenzollern and decides to appoint him as regent in the south. Frederick learns that the Duchess’ childhood friend and loyal knight, Sir Dolphus Thurn, infiltrated the Lenzburgers. A few years ago he became the trusted bodyguard of Peter III of Geneva-Lenzburg after he saved Peter’s life. Thus he infiltrated the inner Lenzburg circle and helped them fight in the war against Bohemia, all the while a double agent, and even was one of Lenzburg’s bodyguards who aided him in fleeing to the Papal States. Frederick conceives of a scheme, independent of the Duchess, to impress her by having Thurn assassinate the Lenzburgs. He secretly orders Thurn to arrange for the death of the young ones Ulrich VIII and Burkhard, and if that succeeds, their father Engelbert as well. All this is to be done secretly and methodically with planning being done over the course of the year to find an opportunity. As Thurn is a trusted bodyguard and practically family of the Lenzburgs, it is estimated he will able to easily arrange for the death of these targets, but if he is discovered or suspected, he is ordered to flee north, and a number of agents are also placed in the Papal States and Switzerland to aid him in his escape. All of this is ordered by Frederick through careful agents, so that even if Thurn were interrogated, he would not be able to tell who sent him, and it would certainly not lead back to Hesse, given that the Duchess isn’t even aware that Frederick is doing this. (Mod Response needed).
  • RNG result: It failed. 
  • Mod Response: The assassins trail the Lenzburgs until reaching Milan. Men are stationed near the roads to prevent looting, accompanied by a beak-masked doctor's. The Lenzburgs, having been expected, pass through for a night's respite. Their pursuers are stopped and arrested. After some particularly grizzly torture, the men that survive leak the plot and the man who hired them. Before long, news of Hesse's attempts at murder are widely known. 
• Vinland: The population boom ends but the island still sees the birth of new children. There now live 5,715 people on Vinland. An extra 150 live in Esgigeland and Unamaland. Hjalfar sees the completion of the new forge in Dogajavick and immediately puts it to work crafting strong new weaponry for his warriors. The work continues to expand trade routes to Skogrfjalland. Trade is remarkable this year with Mi'kmaq and Tvennufolk merchants exchanging fish, furs, and timber. Rumors persist that Herleif is a Christian sympathizers even though he claims otherwise at the 1490 Thing, where it is brought up. 
  • Esgigeland: Esgigeland expands deeper into Unamaland. The population hits 150. 
• Hafsid Caliphate: "The Age of Rebellion is upon us", the final words of Hafsid dissident, the historian Akbar Akram, before he is slashed into pieces at the hand of Bedouin garrisons sent to 'clean out house.' The primary Bedouin army in Cairo continues to siege it down while Grand Vizier Al-Najm II forces the Mamluk Sultan to order the royal armies of the Mamluks attacking the Bedouin forces in Cairo to surrender. [Mod Response/Algo Needed]. Meanwhile, the Mamluk Sultan is forced into signing a treaty to 'end' the Mamluk Sultanate and acknowledge the reign of the Hafsid dynasty over Egypt, Hejaz, and the Levant. The Abbasid Caliph and his immediate family are captured by mercenaries and shuffled into the royal palace of the Sultan, where they are imprisoned and put under house arrest. The bedoin forces in Tobruk march onward to Benghazi, where they fight a demoralized army while surrounding them, cutting off grain supplies and re-routing any grain shipments to Libya as a means of starving the forces and utilizing captured light infrastructure while feeding the masses and pressing ignorance into their beliefs. [Algo Needed]. Meanwhile, in a desert far, far away, a council of wise and scholarly Ibadi and Sunni elders are brought together by the elder Amr' Uthman and his student, the young Ibrahim al-Jan. Together, they form the ummah, writing a series of laws known as دستور جديد (lit. New Constitution), for which a new Imamate will be established from the ashes of the Empire of Ifriqiya.  
• Kingdom of Scotland: With the establishment of the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach, and the establishment of the port of Afanc in West Africa, we begin seeking trade opportunities in the region. This leads to visitations to several minor African states in the region, including the Emir of Asada. Well there, the Irish artillery man and Explorer Brián Ó Midhir demonstrates the power of Celtic Ribauldequin Cannons in a demonstration in a designated area. Deeply impressed by this, The Emir inquires about the possibility of buying some of these for his own, a bargain that is eagerly accepted. This leads to negotiations for several weeks, before eventually bargaining to sell 20 of these cannons, in exchange for 15 kg of ivory. (I discussed this with the Asada player in DM’s so this was already agreed upon). Several Celtic ships carrying this ivory soon return to Europe with their hulls full of ivory, which we soon begin selling throughout European Markets, bringing in a great amount of profit and sparking a great interest in the African colony among the Celtic confederacy, allowing us to recruit 300 more colonists for Afanc, 200 Scottish and 100 Irish. In other news, we receive the request of the Duke of Brittany for an alliance and protection from French centralization, and gladly accept, offering King Roberts second Daughter, Princess Sérlait, in marriage to the Dukes son to seal the alliance. We also encourage them to declare independence from France, or at the very least withdraw any troops contributing to the war, as they are massively depleted of manpower, and have now been EXCOMMUNICATED, hence meaning their vow to be their vassals has been rendered null and void, and promising to support them if they do (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED FOR BOTH). This year also marks the continuation of our looking outside after years subduing Ireland, as Robert Campbell, the third son of the head of that house, organizes and leads an expedition, in order to open contact with the mythical land of Vinland to the West of ourselves. Using Icelandic maps from their previous contacts with the nation (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED FOR SUCESS). We also continue to distribute copies of “a history of the Gaelic people’s” and other pro Bruce and pro Gaelic unity propaganda, well intermarriage continues to occur en mass between the Irish and Scottish nobility. Finally, in negotiations with Arles and Hispania, we purchase Hispania's claim to the Cape of Good Hope for ourselves, and the city of Lirviti from our Arlesian allies and dynastic relatives, in order to establish clear supply lines to Afanc, which is far from Scotland, in the Treaty of Lirviti.
  • The expedition to Vinland is started but encounters problems along the way. En route they quickly discover a serial killer had joined their ranks and started killing people without being seen somehow. The crew of the ship start a witch hunt that ends up with the wrong people being killed as the murders continue. Eventually, in a scuffle to capture the real culprit they set their gunpowder stores ablaze and burn the ship down. On the other ship, rumors begin to circulate about how god is warning them of the perils they will see resulting in the more devout members protesting the trip. Robert Campbell chooses to turn the remaining ships around before any more ill-fated situations occur. -Drenegan.
  • Duke John VII of Brittany will accept the marriage offer to Princess Sérlait of Scotland. In the interest of protecting his autonomy he will withdraws 2,000 troops from the current war as a preservation measure. (Note: This is subject to change if deemed so.) -Drenegan.
• Republic of Florence: With the war over our people are happy to be safe and go back to their normal lives in the nation. Lorenzo signs the treaty of Florence in his home nation with the Spanish and the Pope there. As of starting next year the nation will become a Duchy with Lorenzo being the first Duke of Florence. With this the guilds of the nobles will be demolished and ended this year. This was granted by the Pope and the Spanish from our treaty. The nation reconstructs our ports and our cities to make them even better then before. We reconstruct more ships in our ship yards for trade and navy purposes. Since the treaty of Paris is made nobody as of yet as signed it yet due to terms not being made, we but the part about our nation looks good on our end so we sign it. The economy begins to flourish as trading is becoming more popular again as people dont have to fear about being attacked due to war. The population increase since our troops are not fighting anymore and returned to their homes to make love with their wives. Agriculture flourishes as we have an increase of crops this years since we dont have to shell out extra food to the fighting troops. 
• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: Efforts to subdue the piracy occurring along trade routes have resulted in a decline in pirates although those more successful at the job continue with their efforts causing quite a hassle and forcing more ships to be devoted to patrols to locate them. In an attempt to supplement the Navy's presence, efforts have begun to recruit the services of the pirates to use their skills to help protect trade. Recovery in northeastern Ayutthaya has finally reached an end following the revolt with the troops from the Capital Defense Corps being withdrawn to their original postings leaving the area in the hands of local garrions and officials. The new nobles who had been given the titles of those who had rebelled are or were deemed incompetent have begun to adjust themselves to their new roles leaving the area in better hands than before. Dhammazedi continues to assist where he can in his capacity as the religious advisor of Ramathibodi II having helped to cement the foundations of Buddhism across Ayutthaya's current territories. Tun Perak as regent has decided to provide funds to establish more wats across Ayutthaya as well as renovate those that had become dilapidated as a means of securing public support for Ramathibodi II. Rumors have begun to circulate around the court that Tun Perak has advised Rama Ramathibodi II to consider Sunan Kudus as his replacement should something happen to him due to the recurring meetings between the two. In response, a faction has risen in the court concerned about Sunan Kudus' being a Muslim and gaining such a prestigious position. The faction has undertaken efforts to stir up commoners in protest to prevent Sunan Kudus from receiving this position. Trusted officials in the court have been assigned along with a portion of Palace Guard and Capital Defense Corps troops to rooting out and identifying the nobles. The Capital Defense Corps and village inspections have revealed some inadequacies in meeting the standards expected resulting in trainers being dispatched to ensure that the troops/levies meet the standards expected of them. An envoy is dispatched to Terengganu, Pasai, and Pahang requesting that they submit themslves as vassals to Ayutthaya. (Mod Response). The government continues to do all it can to draw in skilled blacksmiths and craftsman to acquire their assortment of skills and to increase businesses and industries in Ayutthaya. Efforts are also devoted to cultivating and developing untoughed land for agricultural and mining purposes.
  • Seeing the subjugation Ayutthaya imposes on their other vassals, they do not accept this.
• Kingdom of England: King Edward VI's signing of the Treaty of Mann is somewhat controversial in England. Some nobles are happy to finally have that Celtic conflict over with, but others think that Edward VI conceded too much to Welsh and Scottish, who they see as occupying rightfully English territory anyway. The treaty alienates some nobles to the Lancastrian side, but Edward VI's brother Richard of Gloucester also uses it to gather nobles around him, promoting a more aggressive stance toward the Celtic nations. After receiving the King of Lotharingia's letter calling for help against England's long-term rivals France, Edward VI decides to have 5,000 Yorkist troops sent across the Channel to aid Lotharingia. This also proves controversial, as many nobles support the actions against the French who conquered the English troops, but others see it as reckless to participate in the continental conflicts. The troops are sent from the ports of Dover and Sandwich, and the Yorkist military subsequently spends time improving the fortifications of these port towns. The Lancastrians led by Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset and Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Warwick and 15th Earl of Devon, remain mostly confined to the southwest of England, the city of Lancaster and some of the Neville territories, but gain some allies this year due to the controversies over King Edward VI's actions. The English Parliament this year works on expanding and improving some coal mines in England; domestically coal is only commonly being used as a fuel at this time in the towns where it is being mined and some coastal towns, but the Parliament also views it is a useful good for international trade. Henry of York (b. 1484), the third son of King Edward VI, is betrothed to Anne Stafford (b. 1483), the sister of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (not to be confused with the 2nd Earl of Wiltshire, a relative with the same name). John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (b. 1442), whose previous wife died before giving him children (his OTL wife and children do not exist in MdM), marries Godfrey Courtenay's daughter Cecily Courtenay (b. 1473). Henry Beaufort and Blanche Courtenay have their fifth child, a daughter named Mary (b. 1490). Godfrey Courtenay's mother Anna of Hesse (1425-1490) dies of natural causes in Warwick. King Edward VI passes his title of Duke of York to his eldest son Edward, creates his third son Henry as Duke of Clarence and his fourth son Thomas as Earl of Hereford. Edward VI's second son John is not given a title at this time, as Edward VI considers having him act as a body double for his identical twin brother Edward, the King's heir apparent.
  • French Diplomacy: William II responds to the English that he has no quarrel with them, and that he has promoted peace between these two states. He states to the English that he believes the Celtic Confederacy, which now dominates the British Isles, is a greater threat to the English than the French across the Channel, and he states that since Wales seeks to be an enemy of France, France and England find themselves with mutual enemies. Therefore he proposes that England and France work together, as they both seek to gain by keeping the Celts in check, not by further strengthening our mutual enemies. He proposes an alliance with England, or at least the removal of English soldiers, and a marriage between England and France, now that William's wife has died.
• The Spanish Empire: Bordeaux, the flag of rebellion waves as the city is besieged by the Rebel Army and to no surprise, The Spanish Army arrives in support with the Basqueland Army of 15,000 men and the Papal Mercenaries of 3,000. The city is cut off from supply as the mouth of the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers are blockaded. Siege-Craft arrive and the Naval Blockade has ships ready to evacuate the army if need be by ship and by retreat if worse comes to worse. Well made supply lines are made for the armies of Carlos. With the war ending at Florence, remaining forces are brought to defend the Languedoc with Montpellier's forces numbering around 20,000. Commander Jacques uses fear tactics to his advantage by tarping the dead skins over the walls and leaving a line of stakes setting apart the French and Montpellier while the earth remains scorched and flooded spewing a muddy mess for the French to charge the city from. The Treaty of Livitri paves the way for Britannia to assist us in this time of need. The cannons ready to fire at the french, the walls of the fortress will hold. City Residents who choose to stay and defend have been given the order to construct defenses and use the massive stockpiles of weaponry in the Spanish's favor as residential areas will become battlefields too if need be. The rest are evacuated by ship to Perpignan by the Mediterranean Fleet. The order is given to burn everything if the French seize the city and for the cannons to fire at the Fortress itself to destroy it from the inside so France would gain nothing. Nearby Carcassonne's fortress holds as the Spanish if the French fail at Montpellier, are ready to cut off the surviving army in its entirety. Seeing how Britanny wishes to break away, the Lords and Nobles of Occitanie and the Public Weal are granted funding if they were to join against the King of France who threaten their rights and domains as France falls into chaos on all of her borders and within. No better time has arrived for a staged rebellion than now. This message is given with the seal of the pope as both factions remain on the same side of the war. Meanwhile, along the way, the rebel peasants at Zaragoza are met by an army of roughly 5,000 Spaniard Soldiers who relieve the area and stop the rebels at their tracks.

• Dai Viet: At this point, the complete atlas of Hong Duc is completed. The atlas comprises of the maps of three countries in Southeast Asia - Dai Viet, Lan Xang and Khmer, as well as the island of Belitung in the far south. However, due to restrictions of Ayutthayan officials regarding the map of Khmer, Dai Viet's geographers were unable to draw a complete map of the Khmer kingdom. Regardless, the map of the neighboring Lan Xang kingdom gives Dai Viet a knowledge about trade routes there, connecting from Lan Xang and reaching as far as Tibet. The silk farming has been a major agricultural activity in Quang Nam, as landlords have been owning a plentiful of mulberry crops and silkworms for use, to produce valuable silk to trade in the bustling market of Hoi An. The silk were so abundance that not only the people there has enough silk for themselves to use but also enough to trade in Hoi An to foreign and domestic merchants, or go to the capital to trade. The royal court have been getting their hands on the fine silk of the region. Knowing the trade route in Lan Xang, Lao merchants are allow to cross the border to reach Hoi An for commercial purposes. Valuable local products from the lands of Palembang and Borneo are brought to Hoi An by Majapahit merchants, which further boosts the riches and abundances of goods in Hoi An. Swiftlets' nests are also exploited which attracts a high amount of foreign guests hoping to try this delicacy. This further helps the economy of the South to grow despite the not so fertile land as the North. Seeing the increase of economy and the rise of population, as well as the completion of the atlas, the Emperor had a population census (Census: 5,207,500e^[(1490-1408)0.0025] = 6,392,336). Any communes that has more than 600 household shall be divided into two small communes. The Emperor, hoping to prevent getting assassinated, orders the enlargement of the Imperial Palace, multiplied by the system of the Ly-Tran dynasties. The Palace is made to be eight dặm longer (3,555.52 meters). Exotic animals are brought to the court in which the Emperor orders the opening of Thượng Uyển garden, a zoo-like garden to keep these animals. An offer is made to Majapahit to cede the island of Bangka to Dai Viet. (Mod Response). The army went through a new recruitment which saw the army reaching its maximum.
  • Majapahit doesn't want to cede more islands completely but wil permit the island to come under the protection of Dai Viet's military
• Roman Empire: The dwindling of the silk trade is a double-edged sword for the empire. Raw silk can still be imported from Georgia and domestic products benefit, but for many merchants silk played a key economic role. The result is a period of economic turbulence as domestic and Georgian silk production expands to fill the void as best it can. This has the added result of shifting the ratio of silk-weaving in favor of the empire, undercutting silk-weavers in Italy and France as domestic weavers can handle a larger percent of incoming supplies earlier in the supply chain. Furthermore, the capture of Cyprus and huge disruption in Egypt drives the trade value of sugar through the roof and exports from the island take-off as the enslaved Muslims are put to use in the fields. The result is a shift of imperial trade to Cyprus and the Aegean coast of Asia Minor as major hubs of production. In the capital Kaisar Andronikos IV consolidates his rule. He brings Strategos Doukas and the Tagmata home, installing an imperial administration in their place. He orders a fortified compound be built adjacent to the harbor of Ammochostos in the developing bastion style. With Egypt in total chaos Kaisar Andronikos orders a more substantial raiding policy. Otherwise the empire continues to stabilize and grow into its size. In Taurica the Kozakos expand west along the Kuban River. The Kozakos, largely Greeks, Taurican Goths, Circassians, and Moldavians blended into a Greek-speaking, orthodox mix undermine the local Tartar rule. Their use of ankistróploi, horse-archery, and lances grants them the capacity to fight informal engagements against the Kuban Horde, pushing them east where possible to carve out a polity of their own.
• Saxony: Edmund Alwin travels from Bohemia back to Thuringia to collect his wife, and then back to Saxony, for the first time in years, with his wife, to be declared Duke, after pledging everlasting allegience to the Emperor. Rather alarmed at the devastation in Saxony that still clearly remains from the Lenzburg-Premyslid War, Edmund Alwin immediately begins to revamp the economy, making the most of financial help from the Hanseatic League and the Archbishopric of Mainz. Upon hearing of the Thin White Duke of Thuringia's exocommunication, Edmund Alwin declares it an outrage, and accuses the Pope of being a Swiss puppet and every other name under the sun. He is quickly calmed down by his Saxon noblemen and other members of the de la Marck family, who quickly cover up Edmund Alwin's outburst, and write a friendly but warning letter to the Pope, stating that the Duke of Saxony is somewhat opposed to action taken against the Thin White Duke, and they inform the Pope that the War is currently over, and that he should not build resentment against old wartime enemies. One of them warns the Pope that his actions could spark a potential war, and that if he continues on this road the Thin White Duke might end up becoming some kind of antipope, and none of them want that. Meanwhile, however, a tiny sect does develop somewhere in Saxony who believe the Thin White Duke is the son of Jesus, and a reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. On a less dire note, Edmund Alwin has started reading The Novel Continent (whose popularity has surged in recent years), and is greatly interested. He sends a message to Christopher Columbus, residing nearby Saxony, asking to "invest" a small amount of money in the expedition, in return for which Columbus will claim a small amount of land for him. (response?)
  • Columbus refuses Saxony's offer to fund his expedition stating that the Hanseatic League has given him all the funding he requires. -Drenegan.
• Grand Duchy of All Bavaria: Pleased with the result of the war, Albert IV declares a holiday to celebrate the coalition's victory over the Swiss. the territory ceded to All Bavaria during the war is annexed back into Bavaria, uniting the Bavarian people. Albert IV continues his efforts to make the reunification of Bavaria as smooth as possible. The former Landshut household has been fully incorporated into the royal household in Munich, and is now primarily responsible for administering the Kingdom. With more administrative power at his disposal, Albert IV continues his tax reform. So far, rates have remained the same, but taxes are not directly collected by the royal household in some areas of the Empire. This makes the system more efficient and reduces fraud across all levels, raising royal revenues even after local nobles receive their share, though at this point the total effect on the Duchy's treasury is limited. As it stands, the new system is most entrenched in and around the cities of Munich and Regensburg, but as the system continues to grow, Albert IV continues its expansion to parts of the countryside, planning to put 50 percent of the Bavarian population under the new tax system by 1495. Worried about the economy after the war with Switzerland, Albert IV grants a temporary tax holiday to some workers, especially farmers in the areas most affected by the war, and to families with soldiers in the war. Tax collectors are instructed to grant this exemtion liberally, and tax revenues decrease slightly for the year, but agriculture and trade begins to stabilize. Albert IV continues to purchase cheap weapons for the Bavarian military, especially investing in firearms and cannons. However, in the long term, Albert IV hopes to offset the need to purchase foreign weapons by building them in Munich, and he continues his initiatives to fund and subsidize weapons manufacturers around the region. Hoping to make Munich central to European weapons production, he announce that any foreign manufacturers are eligible to receive subsidies if they move operations in Munich, though he puts a cap on how much money he will hand out, and conditions this on them selling their weapons first to Bavarians. Right now, the Duchy has a standing army of roughly 8,000, with the potential to raise a total of 60,000 if needed. The treasury also sets aside funding to pay mercenaries, should they ever be needed. Trade continues to grow, especially with Poland-Lithuania, and Albert IV starts to use his small standing army to patrol the highways of Bavaria to keep them safe for merchants, offering merchants from any nation access to Bavaria's safe roads in exchange for a small fee, though the fee is waived for the Duke's close allies.
  • Principality of Nassau: After his Marriage to Agnes, Albert IV assumes status as regent of the Principality. He begins to implement the Bavarian tax system in Nassau.
• Kingdom of France: The King is numb to the fact that the Pope has excommunicated him twice now for some reason, apparently this time for meeting a Taborite, despite him not actually sure what that is or what that means. Okay then. Regardless, the King speaks to the nation and to his nobles, stating that he has increased their autonomy and lessened the burdens placed upon them, and has been nothing but loyal to France and to God. He states that he has tried his best to be their king and has worked hard to defend them, having dedicated the last few years of his life in service to their defense against foreign invasion. He urges his nobles to stay strong and by his side now as the war is concluding, promising to always be a just and fair king, no matter what the Pope claims, and to reward them with many concessions once the war is over. Not to mention the nobles will soon reap the rewards of victory over the Spanish. According to one story, a disgruntled noble and his levies attempt to turn back and rebel, and William II rides up in front of their path, unarmed and by himself, and shouts, “Here I am. Kill your King, if you wish.” Instead the soldiers respond “Long live the King” and arrest their rebel lord instead. There is an army near the border of Lotharingia and in Normandy dedicated to garrisoning the fortresses there and defending against invasion. In the Basque region, the King states to the peasants that they have no reason to continue taking up arms; the king sympathizes with their concerns, but wishes them to stay at home and not cause further bloodshed. He states that he will alleviate the poverty in the Basque region with the spoils of war and with any surplus he has at the moment, and will donate food to the region if he can, and he promises to grant the region greater autonomy and lower taxes for quite some time. As many mercenaries that the nation can afford are raised, and these mercenaries are used to fill the ranks. Most other projects throughout the nation are put on hold to further dedicate the nation’s budget toward the wartime effort. If Montpelier and the south is retaken, then the French army will garrison those fortresses and secure the region north of the Pyrennees, and take up defensive positions to prevent a Spanish counterattack. The nation urges Spain and others to sign the Treaty of Paris, which the nation deems to be quite fair given the circumstances. The Spanish have essentially no manpower remaining and are quite depleted, and although France is also low on manpower, it is clear that France has won the war by capturing Spanish territory and defending itself on all other fronts. Thus France believes it to be in everyone’s best interest to accept peace. The army effectively becomes split between the northern coast/border, and the Pyrenees region.
• Kingdom of Wales: Reconstruction continues as we leave the War of the Three Realms and the War of the Roses finally behind us. Crown Prince Lionel of York-Wales continues to work side by side with Admiral (Duke) Cadfael ap Alisdair (Bruce) of Gwynedd for the benefit and expansion of the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach (C.C.C.), using the Welsh fleet [8 caravels] in its entirety to supply our new colony, town of Afnac (OTL Abidjan), as well as to expand our trade and influence over Africa, finally enjoying all these adventures that he could only dream about when he was younger. With the arrival of the provisions and other critical supplies for the colony's construction, the entire process is accelerated, a lot of construction work is conducted by the combined efforts of our sailors and our colonists to ensure that the newly established vital colony of the C.C.C., the town of Afnac (OTL Abidjan) has all the proper foundations not just to be able to stay afloat, but also to prosper. Our 500 colonists have settled in what later becames known as the Welsh quarter of Afnac (OTL Abidjan). The two newly established printing shops in Cardiff and Caernarfon have proven to be commercial successes, continue circulating best sellers like the Welsh language version of the Bible, "Sinclar's Adventures" by none other than the great explorer Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, "King Arthur, the Progenitor of Wales" by reknowned Welsh author Lewys Glyn Cothi, "A history of the Gaelic peoples" by the Scottish author Micheal MacGille and other already popular books, now rendering them affordable even for the lower nobility, the merchant class and the commoners. The construction of new caravels and ships for our navy is restarted once again to pre-war production, as the construction of an additional two Caravels is finished. However, King Edmund of Wales orders the construction of an additional two caravels, to further boolster the Welsh fleet. Our total fleet stands at eight caravels, with an additional two under construction. With the War of the Roses & the Celtic Confederacy succession crisis behind us, the unifying theme of the worship of Saint Owain (Lawgoch) perseveres, providing a sense of national unity to the Celtic Confederacy, bolstering our efforts to consolidate our realm, to strengthen it sufficiently to be able to withstanding the test of time against the adversity of bordering the vile Kingdom of England. King Edmund continues to promote the reconciliation of his realm, divided into two similar yet starkly different halves, the Pura Walia region, dominanated by the independent minded Welsh nobility and the Marchia Walliae region, dominanated by the Anglo-Norman nobility, by encouraging the adoption of Welsh customs and traditions by the Anglo-Norman part of his nobility, furthermore encouraging marriages between the Anglo-Normans and Welsh noble families, with a bit more success thus far, as a few more Yorkist and Lancasterian supporters alike, but loyalist to the Welsh crown above all, Anglo-Norman noble families that have good relations with King Edmund of Wales following suit by adopting even more Welsh customs and traditions and/or intermarrying with the Welsh nobility for the time being. Finally, in negotiations with Arles and Hispania, the Celtic Confederacy purchases Hispania's claim to the Cape of Good Hope for ourselves, and the city of Lirviti from our Arlesian allies and dynastic relatives, in order to establish clear supply lines to Afanc, which is far from Scotland, Ireland and Wales, in the Treaty of Lirviti.

1491

The Atlantic Voyage of the Hanseatic League reaches a large island known OTL as Trinidad. The expedition sails north to document several islands of the adjacent archipeligo, interacting with the native Carib people, before returning back to Europe. They report that these muse be islands off the coast of India.

Pope Innocent VII dies, having been a very turbulant administration with a number of controversies and external struggle. A new conclave is held to elect the new Pope. The politically-motivated excommunications against France and Thuringia have left some debate among the Cardinals, but the faction still favorable to the Lenzburgs puts forward an Electoral Capitulation, to maintain both of thes excommunications into the next adminisrtaiton. The second faction of the Cardinals are moreso concerned of the growing influence of Spain in Italy, as is the case for most Italian states.

In the Second Occitania Conflict, both Spain and France have suffered greatly from the ongoing struggle that has depleted much of their manpower. In Spain, the nobles are growing greatly dissatisfied seeing as they are dragged in a conflict that without as much to gain as previously promised. At this point, the city of Montpelier has returned to French hands that was lost since the First Occitania Conflict, while a second French army is marching through Roussilon toward Perpignan.

In France, the legal reforms to grant more autonomy and less taxes is generally well-received by the Occitanian population. However, Carlos de Pamplona and his rebel army proceeds to support the Spanish invasion into Bordeaux. The crippling economic situation of France as a result of financing this war and ongoing Spanish embargo, has allowed Pamplona a sturdy base to continue his operations.

I'm nixing this until further review. SMH. If Spain had to fight his rebels, so did France. Approved by Feud and Dren. -Feud

Event was reworded with Feud's approval. -Nate

The states of Northern Italy are put in a unique position with respect to the ongoing wars across France and Germany. Generally, the Italian states have long since been at peace with the Lenzburgs, and did not feel a need to raise arms against either the Emperor or Pope. This was further reinforced with the exposure of Thurn's plot against the Lenzburgs, which becomes a well-known scandal in Modena.

However, the Italic League does see an imminent threat with the invasion of Tuscany by Spain, having shown their long ambition of dominating Italy since the days of King James the Great. As such, they have allowed support for the intervention of the Imperial Army to defend the city of Florence from the Spanish aggression.

Dissatisfaction in the economic situation also causes rumors among the peasants in Holland.

King Olaf III of the Orebro Union dies, and his son-in-law Henry de la Marck becomes the new monarch of Denmark. He immediately appoints a regency over the Kingdom of Sweden to rule that nation in his absence while he sets up his residence in Copenhagen.

Ayoub El Edha goes on an epic journey to reach is pilgrimage to Mecca. When he arrives in Egypt, a local Sheikh named Ahmad explains to him that the whole nation has fallen into chaos, being overrun by Berber invaders and the Ahl Al-Kitab, and there is no law or order anywhere. But, said the Senegalese Emir, he wants to visit Mecca. So being moved with compassion, Ahmad rounds up hundreds of bedoin soldiers across Upper Egypt, and fights across the anarchy in Egypt and Palestine until he can finally reach the Holy City of Mecca.

In La Guardia, Spain, a group of Jews are arrested under the accusation of kidnapping and murdering a child. They are found guilty under torture and setnenced to death. Although no evidence is published as to what happened to the child or whether he even existed, the infant is proclaimed to be a saint colloquially known as "The Holy Child of La Guardia".

A fire suddenly breaks out in the city of Dresden in the Margrivate of Meissen.

• Hesse: Frederick is confused when he hears the news regarding the Lenzburgs, as that was not what he asked for at all. He concludes that Sir Thurn in his brilliance had first tried to hire different assassins to trail them and try to assassinate the three targets. As that has failed, Frederick writes another letter to Sir Thurn (who is Lenzburg’s alleged friend and bodyguard), saying this time he should discreetly do the deeds himself. (Mod response needed). All of this is orchestrated by Frederick of Hohenzollern, again, the leader of Hesse doesn’t even know this is going on. Meanwhile, Hesse withdraws its small army sent to Aachen, but proposes that the Empire ensure that a fortress is built there with imperial soldiers guarding it. Hesse was not that involved in the recent wars, but nonetheless needs to recover some, and it uses the spoils of war to repay debts and alleviate the problems the nation had accumulated during the war’s duration. The ruler of Hesse requests to the Emperor that she rule the territory in eastern Burgundy (Bohemia response). 
• Poland: Alexander dies after a short battle with pneumonia and a new Royal election is held for the King of the Commonwealth, the Clergy supports the house of Habsburgs, the Royals want a Polish king and the military would like a German king. So an offer needs to be made from the Habsburgs, Poles and Germans. (Candidates needed). Meanwhile, some improvements are made with the military, making it stronger. The Duchy of Danzig is demanding to be allowed to have representation in Poland and their home. We also pull our troops back from Silesia but to appease the commanders they get an honor.
  • Saxony: Shadrach de la Marck (b.1465) is interested in standing as a candidate, and travels to Poland to meet with Polish generals who support a German king.
  • Imperial Diplomacy: The Emperor relies to the Polish that he would like to preserve their historic alliance and the marriage ties between Poland and Bohemia, and so proposes that one of his sons (who is low in the line of succession so it won't create a personal union) be selected as ruler of Poland. He proposes that the Polish choose Jaromir "the Bear", a hero of the war, a noted mercenary commander and natural leader, and one of the Empire's Imperial Guards. Alternatively he also offers Conrad "One-eye", another noted commander and Imperial Guard, or Marek "Ironside".
  • Please speak with Nkbreeching on how he set up Poland before doing any of this please -Feud
• Empire of Japan: As the years wear on Empress Suiko runs into a clear issues in governing large groups of samurai, tradesman, and aristocrats that think too highly of their positions. To a surprising degree though, Empress Suiko notices that she is feared greatly by the Diet and many of the Daimyo. However, with a distinctly unique loyalty of the Kyoto Guards Regiments, as well as immensely overt support from the various Kensei Chapters. The direct loyalty of these two groups effectly keeps her above the clouds but the loyalty of the most feared and elite troops of the entire country, does not govern an empire like Japan. The involvement of the empress in proceedings, acting as part of the decision making process rather than presiding over it. This goes a long way in endearing her to many of the daimyo in the Diet seeing almost immediately in a more positive light than her grandfather Ryoichi who was seen cleanly as a powerful tyrant. Being more pragmatic than her grandfather he involvement in the politics is welcome by many, but hated by some having cemented their own power bases within the Diet. While these issues do not bubble over yet, they latch onto her possible legitimacy in directly ruling as an Empress having happened very few times in Japanese history. (More coming later).
• Kingdom of Morocco (Saadi): Moroccan government continues to enforce more men, tradeport is being active and more developing in urban areas some cities are establish and modernizing they sizing some cities to gain activity. Ahmad al-Mansur, continues to develop a program idea for Morocco to develop the population and have more powersome port becomes built and ships, one of the scholar becomes after the Arabic language on the influence of the kingdom trans-Africans becomes part of Morocco and insists on encouraging participation in promoting economics with the reign of Mansur some areas is being Islamized and fully upgraded possibly some improvement are made with army and support the reign to continue developed and gain more money with this program is showcasing some progress and little serious effort is up indeed they started to make an agricultural since it is common in Fez and Rabat for developed and gives cultural interest some army is being upraded and fully being paid by the Moroccans which Mansur is proud that the army is well developed and ordering they're making decisions to make more progress some plan for the nobles Moroccans currently developing some ideology movement for a part that people can vote with the government and almost immediately Mansur would think about it. Hearing the news about Egypt, Mansur is sending 5,000 Berber pirate troops in Cairo to help Tunisia and this war in Africa which is ongoing in some weeks of what Morocco has heard so far Mansur is shocked that this war is encountering in Africa of many people told of what's going on so they sent in Cairo to stop the Egyptians. (Hasfids Reponse).
• Duchy of Florence: Rinaldo Orsini our cardinal votes for himself to try to become the next pope. Lorenzo makes a speech in the town square about how we are going into a new time. Since we officially became a Duchy as of this year. Citizens are looking forward to the new times as the nation is prospering after the war with the economy and trade increasing dramatically. Around the nation work has picked up as unemployment is decreasing rapidly. The first daughter of Lorenzo, Lucrezia Maria Romola de' Medici marries Ottokar Premyslid of Bohemia. This strengthens our alliance even more with Bohemia. All repairs to our naval fleet is completed, we have around 35 ships in our docks. The population increases slowly each year due to the good times of happiness. Our nation is put in a unique position with respect to the ongoing wars across France and Germany. Since we have been at peace with the Lenzburgs, that's why after a year we pulled our army out of their lands back in the war times. We heard of Thurn's plot against the Lenzburgs, which becomes a well-known scandal in Modena. Since we boarder Modena to the north our people are outraged with our Italian brother state in the north and we show disgust at them. A few of our people go into Modena to talk to the citizens to see what is going on and gain more information. Also they try to help the citizens of Modena set up riots to appose the leader.
• Roman Empire: To solidify his rule, Kaisar Autokrator Andronikos V looks west. He witnesses a burning landscape of shattered countries torn by war and their offspring, invaders on his doorstep. He calls up four themes and the tagmata, a total of 31,000 men, and marchest west to the Neopatrian border where he issues orders to uproot the heretic invaders who have for too long stood on the true soil of the empire, claiming it as their own. Thus, on the 6th of April 1491, Kaisar Andronikos V leads his army over the low mountains separating Neopatria from the empire. He promptly divides his force, sending two Themes, 12,000 men, to initiate the encirclement and bombardment of Lamia and the remaining 19,000 west to seize the Duke of Neopatria in his fortress at Neopatras (Ypati now). The Lamian force is commanded by Strategos Doukas, who expediently establishes a siege perimeter and outposts to warn of an approaching Latin force.
  • [Algo, Please]: The army launched toward Neopatras is comprised of 8,000 Themic pike and shot infantry, 3,000 light cavalry, and 8,000 heavy cavalry. The infantry travel behind the cavalry columns, dragging with them wheeled light cannons for use in demolishing the fortifications at Neopatras. Andronikos hopes to catch the Neopatrians off-guard and capture the duke before he can raise his forces in an organized manner or hire outside mercenaries.
  • [Mod Response, Please]: Seeing the past failures of his predecessors, Andronikos approaches Venice. He offers them peace, neutrality, and respect for their commercial holdings in both Attica and Neopatria if they do not intervene.
  • Venice declines
• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: The pirate activity that has occurred along trade routes safeguarded by Ayutthaya has begun to die down once more thanks to the efforts of Hang Tuah leading to peace, profitable trade once more across the region. Rama Ramthibodi II with the approval of Tun Perak begins to take over the administrative and courtly duties expected of him as a means of preparing him for the burden he will bear soon enough but whie he has experienced advisors to assist him. Despite the refusal of Terengganu and Pahang to become vassal to Ayutthaya, their still remains an interest in building closer with relations with the tributaries so an offer of marriage is made to Terengganu requesting a princess to be the wife of Ramathibodi II. (Mod Response). An offer of marriage is made to Pahang requesting that the young prince, Mansur Shah I, marries Atula Dewi to tighten the bonds between Ayutthaya and Pahang. (Mod Response). Concerns about Dai Viet's growing influence in Majapahit and Sumatra in general have led the nobles of Ayutthaya to believe that action must be taken to prevent it. Rumors have made their way to the ears of Ayutthaya through the Temenggung's spy network after much probing of a man trusted by the royal family as their top military officer and one who commands the respect of much of Majapahit's army, Udara. (Secret) Spies are dispatched to make contact with Udara and offer him the support of Ayutthaya should he try to take the throne in exchange for Majapahit's Sumatra territories being yielded to Ayutthaya to make vassals and tributaries out of (Mod Response, note: OTL person who organized a successful coup) (End Secret). The court remains divided on the circulating rumors regarding Sunan Kudus' being considered a candidate for the position of Bedahara with the conservative faction undertaking efforts to look for a more suitable candidate for them to promote for the position. Despite, the disapproval from the conservative faction in regards to Sunan Kudus, the majority of the court whether they be Muslims or Buddhist remain neutral on the issue due to most of them valueing merit far more than religion as most have gained ther positions by merit due to the sakdina system. Land development and cultivation remains a priority for Ayutthaya to better martial and utilize the resources that remain unused with officials of the Orang Besar overseeing the efforts to do so. Dhammazedi remains at the side of his Rama offering wise counsel along with Tun Perak on matters of governance to Ramathibodi II. Inspections of the Capital Defense Corps and villages continue to ensure the standards expected of them are met. Scholars continue to receive patronage from the government to benefit the Civil and War Colleges from the research and studies they conduct. Seeking to develop ties with Hindustan, gifts of gold, silk, and spices are sent to Hindustan. (Mod Response).
  • Marriages accepted.
  • He accepts to stage this coup.
  • Trade accepted.
• Emirate of Jabal Asada: Our emir Ayoub El Edha is now in Mecca making the pilgrimage, he would show his gratefulness to the Egyptian local ruler by offering him ten Mithqals of gold, he would be also granted trade and financial support, the emir and his ceremonial group after four months in Mecca will head out to the Ethiopian empire, there we would meet the Ethiopian emperor which a gift of a bag of gold coins (one kg of gold) will be given to the emperor, then the emir shall discuss and ask if the emperor is intrested in any futher relationships or trade (Ethiopian response) and also he would request a safe passage escorted by the Ethiopian army when the emir wish to come back, he would also request for a replenishment for his ceremonial group, after two months another visit will be made by the emir to the Ethiopian emperor, the visit will conclude a gift of ten golden crosses (over 700 grams for each cross) in the size of a hand, but after the visit will be made he would fulfill his duty when he reaches the rural areas neighboring Mecca and Medina to donate and give "Sadaka" to the local beggars, arround 200 Mithqals of gold would be donated by the emir, and the rest of the year will see the emir staying in Mecca to tour the kaâba and toss rocks at the cursed wall of Iblis. While this happens the matters of the state will come to the military trusted General Abu Bakr, he would strengthen his trade with the Scottish African company as a deal of 20 Celtic seige cannons will be bought in exchange of 15 kg of ivory, the ivory shall be delivered in the port outpost of Banana Islands, the ship building will continue as we build eight other Malian style ships adding up the number of our ships that we own, the general will have the honor to name the two purchased Dutch carracks, the first will be named "Al-Mudamira" or the crusher as it was purchased 40 cannons will be found in her three-deck fancy design, the other one shall be called "Al-aâsifa" or the Storm. As much as the general is intrested into a strong maritime emirate he would also be interested into having a capable army for any potential invasion from the enemy, a peasant levie of 5,000 soldiers shall be raised and intensively trained as reserves that shall be used for any potential invasion again, the Dutch musket trainers and men at arms trainers shall be Requested by the governor of KWAC to train a total group of 400 Asada men at arms for a crew of 20 for each seige gun, the levies be armed with spears and sowrds with a light mail chain armour will be taught how to fight in open location battles and high ground battle locations, Abu Bakr will request a purchase of 5,000 trained war horses. (Ethiopian response).
• Kingdom of Portugal: After many years of deliberation, the queen of Portugal finaLly decides to choose a side in the ongoing war between Spain and France. The queen decides to enter it on Spain's side in exchange for various concession with Spain. The queen orders the entire army of 25,000 troops mobilized and beginning to march to where they are needed most. The queen officially leads the army. In the enclave of Gordes, the 1,000 strong garrison closes the gate and prepares for a long siege. However, as Gordes is valuable to the Portuguese crown, the stockpiles of food and weapons should last for a while. 15,000 troops are sent to help the Spanish troops in Perpignan. Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, Portuguese explorer Pero sends a detailed report on the clover and black pepper trade in India and urges the queen to find a way there. This sees Vasco de Gama's expedition to receive vastly more amount of funding, which sees him hiring some of Portuguese best explorers including Dias. In the possibilty that Gordes should fall and be annexed by France, the queen writes her abdication speech as a precaution. The nobility sees this action as a great way to mend the detoriating relations between Spain and Portugal.
• Saxony: Duke/Elector Edmund Alwin I, as he is now known, continues to help reboost the economy of his Duchy of Saxony. He taxes the citizens, and uses these taxes to create new jobs, which ultimately results in the citizens profiting. Edmund Alwin sends his congratulations to his cousin Henry de la Marck, who this year has become King Henry I of Denmark. Henry has a third child - his second son, Andres Heinrich. On Henry's accession, his son Olaf becomes Crown Prince, and he creates his daughter Henriette Ingeborg Duchess of Lolland and gives his newborn son the title Duke of Halland. Meanwhile, Shadrach de la Marck travels to Poland, and declares himself a candidate for the throne of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He gathers support, though his support base is strongest in the military, who apparently want a German king. Meanwhile, Edmund Alwin is excited to hear of the successful Hanseatic-Columbian expedition to Asia, and he sends a message to Emperor Henry of Bohemia, suggesting the Holy Roman Empire take a more active interest in the discovery of this never-before-seen continent. (Bohemia Response). A second, new, revised edition of The Novel Continent is published, becoming more popular by the minute. It proposes the name Marryboreala for a certain part of the new land (corrupted from Latin Northern Land of Mary, referring to the Virgin Mary). Edmund Alwin has a second child: a daughter, named Clementia de la Marck (b.1491). Maria de la Marck (b.1465) gives birth to a daughter named Ottoline. Edward de la Marck (b. 1453) marries Mary Lily Bonne of Wasaborg (b.1452).
  • With the exception of a few states, those in the HRE cannot colonize. Not to mention nearly everyone lacks the funds to support colonization because of the HRE-Swiss and Spain-France War. -Drenegan.
  • Crossed due to the support in the polish military coming out of nowhere and the current player of Poland's lack of knowledge on how Poland was developed and operated under NK. -Feud
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di" With the English accepting to send 5,000 soldiers to aid Lotharingia, the Lotharingian king even allowing the remilitarisation of the trade posts the Lotharingian merchants were able to trade in these towns. As there is no reason why English soldiers cannot enter their own towns, as even with soldiers in the towns trade is Safe in the towns. The Belgic kings even wanting to rekindle the Old friendships with the English, The Rotteramsche Handels Compagnie trading a lot of wool and fabrics in England. The Newly arived soldiers who were send to Gulik via the Muese river and then marching up to the town, the city port and walls which were re-inforced by the remaining Lotharingian army of Germany. The King even sending 5,000 of his 21,000 soldiers of France to Gulik as to plug the gap in soldiers with the King recruiting the last 3,000 soldiers in reserve. This being done just to prevent a fall of Lotharingia, This having worked as after long discussions Lotharingian a treaty with the emperor. Lotharingia Losing the Former Duchy of Gulik and the City of Aachen back to the empire, this being a bitter defeat but one to be accepted. The King still being furious at his army and what they did In both france and in Aachen, As they attacked both without permission. The King being happy with the Status Quo as Neither the Army Nor the French are worthy of any land. The King wanting to restore prosperity and peace in the whole Ryk, The army being mostly demobilise as to spare the economy as to be able to pay for the Treaty of Kales. Thus kingdom of Lotharingia still growing in Kales while shrinking in Gulik, The king finaly able to rest in Heyst once more.
• Kingdom of Wales: Reconstruction continues as we continue to recover from the War of the Three Realms and the War of the Roses. Crown Prince Lionel of York-Wales continues to work side by side with Admiral (Duke) Cadfael ap Alisdair (Bruce) of Gwynedd for the benefit and expansion of the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach (C.C.C.), using the Welsh fleet [8 caravels] in its entirety to supply our new colony, town of Afnac (OTL Abidjan), as well as to expand our trade and influence over Africa, finally enjoying all these adventures that he could only dream about when he was younger. With the constant supply of provisions and other critical supplies for the colony's construction, the entire process is accelerated, construction work continues to be carried out by the combined efforts of our colonists and even our sailors help with the work, when they are staying on the shore, to ensure that the newly established vital colony of the C.C.C., the town of Afnac (OTL Abidjan) has all the proper foundations not just to be able to stay afloat, but also to prosper. Another 100 settlers are dispatched to further bolster the existing 500 colonists that have settled in what later becames known as the Welsh quarter of Afnac (OTL Abidjan), which grows to a total of 600 Welsh colonists. The two newly established printing shops in Cardiff and Caernarfon have proven to be commercial successes, continue circulating best sellers like the Welsh language version of the Bible, "Sinclar's Adventures" by none other than the great explorer Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, "King Arthur, the Progenitor of Wales" by reknowned Welsh author Lewys Glyn Cothi, "A history of the Gaelic peoples" by the Scottish author Micheal MacGille and other already popular books, now rendering them affordable even for the lower nobility, the merchant class and the commoners. The construction of an additional two Caravels continues. Our total fleet stands at eight caravels, with an additional two under construction. With the War of the Roses & the Celtic Confederacy succession crisis behind us, the unifying theme of the worship of Saint Owain (Lawgoch) perseveres, providing a sense of national unity to the Celtic Confederacy, bolstering our efforts to consolidate our realm, to strengthen it sufficiently to be able to withstanding the test of time against the adversity of bordering the vile Kingdom of England. King Edmund continues to promote the reconciliation of his realm, divided into two similar yet starkly different halves, the Pura Walia region, dominanated by the independent minded Welsh nobility and the Marchia Walliae region, dominanated by the Anglo-Norman nobility, by encouraging the adoption of Welsh customs and traditions by the Anglo-Norman part of his nobility, furthermore encouraging marriages between the Anglo-Normans and Welsh noble families, with a bit more success thus far, as a few more Yorkist and Lancasterian supporters alike, but loyalist to the Welsh crown above all, Anglo-Norman noble families that have good relations with King Edmund of Wales following suit by adopting even more Welsh customs and traditions and/or intermarrying with the Welsh nobility for the time being.

• Georgia: Georgia: Georgia annexes the entirety of Syria, as well as northern Lebanon (however, the city of Beirut has not been conquered). Alexander returns to Tabriz, though appoints one of his kinsmen to govern Syria. Alexander's twin children, Tinatin and Bagrat, begin their studies. In time, they will be sent to the Gelati University - one of the two medieval universities in Georgia, and one of the major centers of learning of the Orthodox World. Meanwhile, Nikita patronizes the arts: the painting of frescoes, the creation of mosaics and diptychs, as well as manuscript-binding; Persian arts such as miniature and ceramics also flourish, though have fallen out of favor due to a reorientation to the rest of Europe. Nikita also patronizes court dance and pageantry, which due to the influence of Latin merchants in Batumi and Trebizond, as well as Tbilisi, are converging to French and Italian proto-ballet tradition. Alexander reforms the military. To underpin the expansion of the arquebusier and artillery corps, he constructs a foundry in the capital, as well as Tbilisi; he also constructs arsenals in other major cities of the empire to help supply their garrisons of high-quality weapons. A match-lock trigger mechanism is added onto the arquebus - thus completing the transition to a true firearm.
• Archbishopric of Mainz: With the conclusion of the war with Lotharingia and the signing of the Treaty of Spa, Grand Marshal of Hanns von Wulfestorff returns his army to a peacetime footing. He continues his program of modernization and standardization in weapons and training. He continues implementing the same military reform as Wurtenburg over the Army of the Holy Roman Empire. Adelbert continues to support the Inquisition and the Assembly of Preachers. He continues his policies to raise education in his Diocese. He continues the patronizing of printing releases from the Pontifical Roman Press, and other great works for the Library of Mainz (such as the sequel to The Novel Continent), and the University of Darmstadt (which opens up new classes on navigation and cartography). Adelbert applauds the Emperor’s choice of Postmaster, and hopes that Jeannetto de Tassis will energeticlly persue the reform and expansion of the Empire’s postal system, just as he was doing in Austria. Adelbert suppots Shadrach de la Marck’s claim to be the new King of the Polish Commonwealth (Saxony Response). He also sends congradulations to Henry de la Marck, the new King of Denmark, and a diamond ring to celebrate his coronation. Imperial Treasurer Kaspar von Roggendorf sends an offer to expand trade with Denmark. (Player Response)? Von Roggendorf continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high. Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and continues to establish regular contracts with that region to supply the Army of the Holy Roman Empire with the latest in weapons, such as matchlocks. Excited by the reports of the successful voyage across the Atlantic to India, von Roggendorf immediately begins equipping a new expedition in Hamburg, to follow the same rout pioneered by Colombus and open their own trade with the indies. He is determined that the merchant fleets of the Emperor must not lag behind the Hanseatic League. He responds to the Duke of Saxony to say that any support Saxony is willing to offer the Empire in exploring the new world is welcome. (Saxony Response).

• • With the exception of a few states, those in the HRE cannot colonize. Not to mention nearly everyone lacks the funds to support colonization because of the HRE-Swiss and Spain-France War. Poland player needs more info and experience before outside states can do this as well. -Drenegan.
    • I agree about the finacial resriction caused by the war, but Bremen, Hamburg and Lubeck are all Imperial Free Cities, and under the direct rule of the Emperor. WHich mean we can send expeditions and support a navy.
    • The mods have already reached a consensus about who and when people will be exploring the Americas so player action without approval in regards to it will be crossed out. Also, the HRE as a whole doesn't have the motivation to colonize the Americas. -Drenegan.
  • Saxon Diplomacy: The Duke of Saxony, Edmund Alwin would like to give the Empire his full support on this issue, but lacks funds due to the recent war. However, Edmund Alwin does agree that the Holy Roman Empire should, as he said before, take a more active interest in the New World.
  • Denmark accepts trade with Mainz (There is no Denmark player). -Drenegan
• Kingdom of England: After Lotharingia signs the Treaty of Paris, King Edward VI withdraws the 5,000 English troops in Lotharingia back to England via the ports of Dover and Sandwich, saying they are no longer needed. Most of the English Parliament agrees with this decision, though some nobles thought England should continue to pursue the conflict to recover the English territories that were lost to France a few decades ago. A few weeks after the return of the troops, King Edward VI (1464-1491) is found dead in his quarters from unclear causes, possibly poisoning. His eldest son Edward, Duke of York (b. 1481) is crowned King Edward VII of England. However, because of Edward VII's young age, a regent is required until he reaches the age of majority. The Yorkist nobles refuse to approve Edward VII's mother Elizabeth as regent due to her Beaufort descent, fearing that she would be too sympathetic to the Lancastrians; instead, with approval of the English Parliament, Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester, Edward VI's brother, is made Edward VII's regent. Richard immediately accuses Edward VI's death of having been an assassination on the part of Lancastrians, and starts to mobilise sections of the Yorkist military to patrol/attack locations thought of as Lancastrian strongholds, such as the southwest of England or Lancaster itself. Other nobles, however, suspect Richard of having arranged the murder to gain more power for himself, given his ambitious nature and his public disagreement with his brother over the Treaty of Mann. Richard continues to voice his discontent with the treaty as regent, leading nobles to predict he may try to attack the Celtic nations before his regency ends. Richard's actions and his possible involvement with his brother's death create discontent amongst the Yorkists, as some of their number consider Richard unsuitable to be the regent. George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, a Yorkist relative of Edward VII's grandmother Eleanor Talbot, privately fears that Richard of Gloucester may try to have Edward VII and his siblings killed to gain the throne for himself, and he devotes himself to protecting Edward VII, effectively becoming the young king's warden while Richard focuses on the administrative duties and military powers of the kinghood. Richard's military actions in the southwest of England and the city of Lancaster aggravate residents of those regions, causing the Lancastrian leaders Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset and Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Devon and 15th Earl of Warwick to gain more supporters. Richard of Gloucester and Isabel Courtenay have their first child, a son named Edward of Gloucester (b. 1491, he was first mentioned in a 1486 mod event but it was then acknowledged his mother would have been too young to have him then). Later in the year, Cecily Courtenay and John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk have their first child, a son named John (b. 1491) after his father; and Henry Beaufort and Blanche Courtenay have their sixth child, a son named William (b. 1491). In Europe, Peter IV, Duke of Savoy (1427-1491), a distant relative of the Plantagenets via the Lenzburgs, dies of a diseases and is succeeded as Duke by his son Amadeus VIII (b. 1460).
• Kingdom of France: The Treaty of Paris (and others) are signed to officially end the war after many years of fighting. There is much celebration across the nation, with many levies returning home, and territory being rejoined with France. But William II is unable to hesitate, as he makes it his mission to rebuild the nation and make sure it recovers strongly. Firstly, he marches with 4,000 professional soldiers to join the 1,500-man garrison at Bordeaux, and together this army is to crush the peasant uprising. First he again offers the peasants peace, stating that if they surrender and go back home no one will be harmed. He notes that the war is over, and he promises to lower taxes for that region back to normal levels, grant the region more autonomy, and generally begin to rebuild that region now that the war is over. Now that the war is over, he believes there is no reason to keep fighting. (Mod response, and algo needed if they decline). If the rebels do not accept then he plans to engage the peasants by scattering them between his army and the fortress at Bordeaux. The nation has taken on loans and has entered a poor state of finances. William II decides to personally cut back on royal expenses by simplifying courtlife, and also sells some his personal properties. He cuts all unneeded spending, temporarily putting on hold major projects and other costly endeavors, and instead dedicating any surplus in the French treasury toward rebuilding and recovering. Military spending and expansion is temporarily reduced and will remain so for some time. In the coming years the professional army will be only trained to only be 20,000 men, mostly infantry, until further notice, and any army remaining after the war is ordered to garrison the north of the nation in Brittany and Normandy to help ensure the defense of the nation. William II also plans to rebuild all the infrastructure and fortresses in the captured territories over time. For now he begins upgrading a fortress outside Montpelier on the eastern bank of the river where the new border is. He allows numerous nobles and veterans of the army to settle this land and reap the rewards, if they can aid in turning the region profitable. Mercantile industry in the new southern ports is heavily developed by these nobles and merchants. As promised, the King does not have plans to take away the autonomy of the vassals, in fact he grants the most loyal and most formidable nobles of the war most of the newly acquired territory. The King issues a statement to England saying that, in light of Parliament seemingly not being fond of an alliance with France at this time, the King instead offers simply a marriage proposal between the two nations, not forming an alliance, but at least repairing the relations between the two nations to some degree. (England response) Seeing the need for defense in the future, and noting that Arles could potentially threaten them in the future, France also sends an alliance proposal to Savoy to renew their alliance, noting that the King was married to a Savoy princess. (Mod response)
  • The rebels agree to return to their homes so long as the King of France grants them pardons for their actions and agrees not to exact punishments or retribution from them. -Drenegan.
  • Savoy notes that France has made quite a few enemies and agrees to a defensive alliance but will not do a military alliance to safeguard them from any wars of aggression France may do. -Drenegan.
  • That last war left you near or at bankruptcy, you can't afford a 20,000 professional army. You can't afford an army anywhere near that size in the near future either. -Drenegan.
  • If you read what was written it doesn't say France has a standing army of 20,000, it says that over the coming years as the nation recovers it will slowly train soldiers, but even once recovered it will only reach 20,000 instead of the higher amount it had planned to be. - France
• Hafsid Caliphate: The fall of Cairo proved almost too easy to orchestrate, as Caliph Ahmad III let out a sidious laugh inside of his palace in Tunis. The moment has arrived when the Hafsid dynasty has controlled all of Northern Africa, having grown out from the ashes of the Libyan Crusade to the second stage of the Pirate Wars. While centralizing their control over the territories of the Caliphate, the forces of the Wattasid are accepted, being sent to begin attacks against the remaining Mamluk armies in Hejaz. Meanwhile, Al-Najm II and his royal guards arrive at the city of Damascus, in order to sign a treaty with the Empire of Georgia to officially end their incursion on the former Sultanate of Egypt. The remaining forces in Egypt now secure the territories via garrisons marching through every major town and city in the region. Caliph Ahmad III moves the capital from Tunis to Cairo. Pirate companies, mostly in Algiers and Tlemcen, begin raiding the coasts of Spain and France, taking advantage of their situation war-wise to profit off of it as well as to establish new wealth among the nobility of Africa after the siezing of power by Caliph Ahmad III, who's transfer to Cairo has allowed for less garrisons to be established. This allows for the rise of the Shehata dynasty in Oran and the Yacoub dynasty in Algiers, both pirate-based. A palace in Jerusalem is dedicated to Grand Vizier Al-Najm II, who himself has collapsed inward once more, although still loyal to Caliph Ahmad III. A muslim historian known as Riyad Abdoo canonizes the latest stage in the Pirate Wars while translating literary works from Rome and Spain, being mostly texts that were pirated. The inherited navy of the Mamluks is mostly docked, although trade lines begin being re-opened in the Red Sea as well as the Mediterranean. The Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mutawakkil II, remains imprisoned with much of his immediate dynasty. Knowing all too well that the Abbasids are the key to the Hafsid dynasty reaching legitimacy in the eyes of Islam, Caliph Ahmad III confiscates the relics of Muhammad and forces marriage between his eldest son and the daughter of Caliph Al-Mutawakkil II, as a means of having a proper successor in place upon his long-awaited death, although doesn't kill the rightful successor to the Caliph just yet.  

• Vinland: The population rises to 5,760. Hjalfar formally denounces Christianity as a false faith and orders practitioners to no longer worship at their shrine. The Christians are outraged by this order but are not powerful enough to effectively oppose it. Hjalfar orders the construction of a smith in Shamyeby and Vargrberg. In trade news, the route connecting Elufsker, Shamyeby, and Dogajavick is completed, along with a maritime route to Keathutberga and the rest of Esgigeland. Work to expand to route to cities like Hallrberga, Issvik, and Vargrberg are underway. Hjalfar gets very sick this year. He recovers, but many of his clan are worried for his health. Herleif and Ingrid welcome a boy to the family, whom they name Eric Kuis.
  • Esgigeland and Unamaland: Tvennufolk push deeper into the Unamaland mainland, as well as erect a new outpost on the northern tip which they call Unamberg. The population of Keathutberga reaches 290.
• Hanseatic League: Columbus and Sommer fight almost the entire way over. Spending weeks together made the caravel they sailed on entirely too small and cramped. Yet, despite the hostility, they triumphed. It was a nameless deckhand who saw a massive flock of birds first. His name is lost to history. The trio of ships followed the birds, landing on a large island. There, the two send parties and spend weeks observing the natives. The island is named Dreieinigkeit, or Trinity, by the two explorers. The Germans spend time mapping the coastline, though vicious storms rock the island during the voyage. Sommer himself writes in his journal, "I feared for the ships in this dreadful storm. We were inundated with storms for days on end. This beautiful island turned into a verdant prison during these days." Though Die Kinder was damaged by the storms, all ships were seaworthy. The explorers responsible for recording what they saw on the southern islands failed to see a much larger landmass to the south. Meanwhile, Columbus attempts to interact with the natives of the island. The keyword here, of course, is attempts. During his time in Dreieinigkeit, he makes lewd comments about the natives. His attempts at communication are interrupted by frustration or lust. This is the Carib people's first introduction to the Europeans, and it was a rather poor first impression. Though Sommer is not impressed with Columbus' antics, he does little to stop it. After weeks of making Dreieinigkeit their personal playground, the two establish Weihnachten on Christmas Day, 1490. Afterward, they explore north, to OTL Tobago, which they name St. Boniface, after the Apostle of Germany. Afterward, they sail through the Antilles, coming into contact with the Taino peoples. They explore the Antilles all the way to OTL Antigua and Barbuda, which they name "Altland and Bärtig" - ancient and bearded in German. They return to the Hanseatic League in early 1491 and report their findings. The news excites the Syndics and Aldermen of the Hansa and the two are present in the Tagfahrt of 1491. There, they explain the multitude of resources and spices. Columbus brings a few natives to Germany, which do not last too long. The Syndics of the League offer more funds to explore. This time, Columbus and Sommer leave in September and arrive once again in the Antilles on November 18th and intend to follow the trade wind north and east. They name it Haiti after the native word for the regions. The Syndics sent them instructions to treat the natives with love and compassion, which Kolumbus is simply not doing. Angered that the foreigner is flaunting the rules set by their German leaders, the German crewmen and Sommer become infuriated with Kolumbus' behavior. We'll check in with these two lovebirds later. The Hanseatic League does what it can to avoid escalating the conflict with Lotharingia. With peace being sought by both, the Hansa celebrates both Bohemia and Lotharingia for ending the conflict so soon. Support is sent to the Lotharingians to aid war-torn communities. The Hanseatic League looks forward to guiding Europe into a new era of peace. Though granted charters some time ago, the League officially incorporates a Kontor near Monaco. As it is just being constructed now, little trade takes place. Likewise, the Kontors in Switzerland are largely re-instated, though rebuilding is slow as a lot of the materials are needed for Switzerland's recovery effort. Until then, the Kontors act as offices directing Hanseatic traders where to go and where to avoid. As a result, trade into Milan is diverted greatly in order to avoid the plague. Traders are instead pointed toward Arles. In northern Germany, the Hanseatic guilds continue to buy out guilds in smaller cities and towns that may not be associated with the Hanseatic League. This extends into Thuringia; the cities (or duchy itself) that allies with the Hansa are promised unadulterated access to the largest trading network in northern Europe, if not Europe itself. The discovery of the to-be-named Americas, which is still believed to be India, prompts the formation of several new trading companies meant to represent colonial trade. In 1491, a revolt by the Slavs is violently put down without much commotion afterward. Those that are captured, including the families of many of these ringleaders, are put on ships to be sold to Mali or Benin's slave markets. To facilitate easier trade with Africa, the Hanseatic League establishes Elfenbein at OTL Adibjan.
• Kingdom of Bohemia: The Emperor hears of the voyage of Columbus for the Hansa and asks to see Columbus as soon as he is not busy on his voyages, so that the Emperor may bestow honors upon him and grant him (and the Hansa) a title to lands he manages to claim, assuming Columbus produces some evidence that the rumors of reaching the Indies is true, and the Emperor arranges to visit the Hansa to meet him there alongside the Hansa government. (Columbus response) The Emperor also begins to pen Imperial legislation regarding the matter. The treaties regarding the French wars are signed and those wars end. The nation begins to recall its levies, the 5,000 that had been raised, while the Imperial Army is withdrawn and garrisoned in a few key areas of the empire, such as Aachen, overseeing and aiding in the repair of any damages there. To celebrate, the Emperor increases the rewards for next year’s imperial football tournament, even wagering a vote in the next Imperial Election to the state that wins. The spoils of the war are used to help alleviate the peasantry and the impoverished in the nation, and to pay off debts and help rebuild. The Emperor promises to grant Brandenburg to a different person than his heir, so upon his death they will no longer be in personal union, but rather Brandenburg will be deemed a vassal of the King of Bohemia.
  • Hanseatic Diplomacy: The League eagerly grants the Emperor a stay at a palatial manor along the Travemünde. During the stay, all Syndics and Aldermen, along with many in the Ratssendeboten meet the Emperor in Lübeck, where Kolumbus and Sommer both meet the Emperor.
• Dai Viet: The Emperor orders the construction of the Quảng Văn Commune Temple just outside the Dai Hung gate. Regional officials are tasked to maintain irrigation across their area of governance. As the army has been raised and Majapahit's allowance for Dai Viet to protect the island of Bangka, 5,000 men are sent to station in Bangka. A fortress is ordered to be built there as well. The army is tasked to heavily supervise the actions happening in the archipelago to quickly report it back to the Imperial court.
• Grand Duchy of All Bavaria: Pleased with the result of the war, Albert IV declares a holiday to celebrate the coalition's victory over the Swiss. the territory ceded to All Bavaria during the war is annexed back into Bavaria, uniting the Bavarian people. Albert IV continues his efforts to make the reunification of Bavaria as smooth as possible. The former Landshut household has been fully incorporated into the royal household in Munich, and is now primarily responsible for administering the Kingdom. With more administrative power at his disposal, Albert IV continues his tax reform. So far, rates have remained the same, but taxes are not directly collected by the royal household in some areas of the Empire. This makes the system more efficient and reduces fraud across all levels, raising royal revenues even after local nobles receive their share, though at this point the total effect on the Duchy's treasury is limited. As it stands, the new system is most entrenched in and around the cities of Munich and Regensburg, but as the system continues to grow, Albert IV continues its expansion to parts of the countryside, planning to put 50 percent of the Bavarian population under the new tax system by 1495. Worried about the economy after the war with Switzerland, Albert IV grants a temporary tax holiday to some workers, especially farmers in the areas most affected by the war, and to families with soldiers in the war. Tax collectors are instructed to grant this exemtion liberally, and tax revenues decrease slightly for the year, but agriculture and trade begins to stabilize. Albert IV continues to purchase cheap weapons for the Bavarian military, especially investing in firearms and cannons. However, in the long term, Albert IV hopes to offset the need to purchase foreign weapons by building them in Munich, and he continues his initiatives to fund and subsidize weapons manufacturers around the region. Hoping to make Munich central to European weapons production, he announce that any foreign manufacturers are eligible to receive subsidies if they move operations in Munich, though he puts a cap on how much money he will hand out, and conditions this on them selling their weapons first to Bavarians. Right now, the Duchy has a standing army of roughly 8,000, with the potential to raise a total of 60,000 if needed. The treasury also sets aside funding to pay mercenaries, should they ever be needed. Trade continues to grow, especially with Poland-Lithuania, and Albert IV starts to use his small standing army to patrol the highways of Bavaria to keep them safe for merchants, offering merchants from any nation access to Bavaria's safe roads in exchange for a small fee, though the fee is waived for the Duke's close allies.
  • Principality of Nassau: After his Marriage to Agnes, Albert IV assumes status as regent of the Principality. He begins to implement the Bavarian tax system in Nassau.
  • Hanseatic diplomacy: The League offers to establish a Kontor within Munich so that its guilds may take advantage of this opportunity and establish a presence within Bavaria.
  • Bavarias population can't support a 60,000 man army nor can you support a standing army beyond 500-1,000. The Bavarian economy can't handle the strain of a standing army. -Feud
• The Spanish Empire: Prince Juan Leonardo II publishes alongside Scholar Victor Campos de Napoli and Jacques de Lanquedoc "The War of The Fools", a chronicalisation of the conflict in Western Europe linked back to the defense of the Swiss Confederation. The Spanish West African Co. takes up in helping the Spanish Economy recover as the treasury received large gifts of Gold by Danielo II de Orango. Prince Elvin after reaching out to Danielo implores to be seated in the Expedition Committee of the West African Co. which Danielo accepts though with hesitation but during an expedition to Cape Good Hope, Elvin proves his navigational skills with limited experience saving the crew and himself aboard the ship, Rosa de Mao, from beaching itself by the rocky shore though he couldn't say the same for the Santa Cynthia. This begun a legendary tale of survival for those who made it ashore as they would use the wood of the wreck ship to build a temporary base of operations. It was Elvin's duty to keep the crew alive and return with supplies. Louis Gara de Chompa takes charge in the efforts of survival and Elvin returns with supplies and ways for them to return. They leave behind their settlement but plan to return. Montpellier begins to see reconstruction efforts begin as support from the Royal Bank lead the way for reconstruction as residents return home. Orlando de Galicia of the House of Figueroa also joins the expedition committee and befriends Prince Elvin alongside Victor Roman and Kevin Rodriguez. The three promise to head to India in search of the trade that they have dreamed of gaining. Meanwhile, Prince Willibrord falls in love with the church. Coming nearly every day to the Cathedral. Alvin on the other hand, the youngest of his siblings stays close to his mother and brother Elvin though they share a rivalry of their own. The Sisters invite friends of the court to have drinks and talk about their lives as they seem to have nothing better to spend their time on except Valerie who turns to reading as her pastime. The Hispanic Assembly see to it that they move ahead with a swift plan of economic recovery.

1492

Habemus Papum! Archbishop Bartholomew Fanti of Mantua is elected the new Pope, taking on the papal name Pope Telesphorus II. He is elected as a neuteral candidate to appease both the Pro-Lenzburg and Italic factions of the College of Cardinals, who is generally regarded as living an ascetic life up to this point.

Amerigo Vespucci, a brilliant navigator and merchant from Florence, immigrates to Spain and takes on his own naval career there. At this point, many intellecutals in Spain have heard about the recent discovery of the New Islands found across the Atlantic, which may be off the coast of Asia. At the same time, however, other people pressure the Queen to reconsider the recnet expedition of Alonso Niño, which may be a more direct passage to India around Africa.

In the aftermath of the ongoing inquisition in Spain, a report to the Queen claims that there are only 70,000 Jews remaining in the nation. What is most alarming, however, is that their numbers continue to grow nontheless, including at least one Catholic who confessed to having converted to Judaism.

Florence erupts into a revolt as thousands of citizens demand a return to republican government. In the aftermath of the devastation caused by the Spanish occupation of Tuscany, much of the Florentine population is left destitute. More fringe ideologies and movements begin to appear, some of which inspired from the Hussite movements in Lotharingia.

In Poland, Simeon Zbaraski becomes widely popular among the Sejm, and is considered the best candidate for the succession of the Polish throne. This is also favored by the Poles in an attempt to avoid further control from German nobility.

The Shia sects in Iran become united in a coalition under the Imam of the Safavi Order, working in a movement to bring more stability to the region outside of the Shah's control.

Eric Thot is made the new Regent of Sweden by King Henry of Denmark. However, Sweden begins to fall into further unrest after the end of the House of Bjelbo, as the elective monarchy system in Stockholm did not approve of the incumbent House of Mark.

A meteorite lands in fields outside of Ensisheim, in the Alsace region of France. This is noted by the satirical poet Sebastrian Brant.

Piero della Francesca publishes numerous paintings throughout his career, including The Baptism of Christ, the Montefeltro Altarpiece, and The History of the True Cross.

Antoine Brusnois leads the Burgundian school of music composition after the death of Jerome Dufay.

One of the world's oldest arboretums is constructed in Dubronvik by the Kingdom of Hungary.

• Roman Empire: Having smashed Neopatria into submission, including the deaths of a large percent of its Catholic nobility in the battle at Neopatras, Kaisar Andronikos V continues his invasion of Greece. With Lamia surrendering the full force of 24,000 men march on Athens, intent on ending the Latin occupation once and for all. Reinforced by Thema Cappadoccia to 30,000 men Andronikos plans to divide and conquer. He estimates that the Latins can raise perhaps 10,000 men total concentrated on Athens and Corinth. Rather than face the combined force he once more divides his army under the command of Strategos Doukas who marches on Athens with 14,000 men to begin bombarding the city to force its surrender. The other 16,000 men march to cut off the Latins at Corinth, erecting earthworks and bastions around the city from which to bombard it into submission. The last few years of war have totally changed Imperial armaments. Soldiers now carry increasingly narrow-bladed straight swords featuring finger-guards, knucklebows, side-rings, and quillions. To accompany these advances professional swordsmen have also begun creating a fencing tradition to accompany the arms. Known as the “Epidexiótita,” the tradition develops around the ideas of reason, geometry, and is tied to intellectual, philosophical, and moral ideals. The tradition incorporates aspects of a well-rounded Renaissance humanist education, with a special focus on the writings of classical authors such as Pythagoras, Aristotle, Euclid, and Plato.
  • [Mod Response, Please]:In other news, Andronikos attempts to pacify the empire’s substantial Turkish minority. He approaches several Turkish leaders, offering them lands and titles if they and their retinues agree to convert to any form of Christianity.
  • [Algo, Please]: The army sent to Athens, comprised of two themes and a section of the tagmata. In total 8,000 heavy infantry, 4,000 heavy cavalry, and 2,000 light cavalry march on the city. The force brings with it a host of siege guns, ranging from small field cannons to large bombards. Strategos Doukas hopes to engage the Attican portion of the Latin Army in the field as it marches toward Corinth before it can rendezvous with the Corinthian portion.
  • [Algo, Please]: The main host under Andronikos and Manuel Tagaris of Cappadocia consists of the remains of three themes, the remainder of the Tagmata, and the Cappadocian Theme. In total the force includes 10,000 heavy pike and shot infantry, 4,000 heavy cavalry, and 2,000 light cavalry. The force brings with it a host of siege guns, ranging from small field cannons to large bombards. Kaisar Andronikos hopes to trap the Corinthian portion of the Latin army in Corinth and prevent them from joining with their Attican vassals.
• Kingdom of Portugal: The queen and the army is welcomed home in a big parade in Lisboa with people chanting the queen's name. Portugal may not have gained land in this war, but it gained an alliance with Spain. This is welcomed by the Portuguese nobility as they have always been afraid of Spain and now hope that this will put their mind at ease. In Santo Andre six ships begins to be built by Portugal's foremost ship builders in preparation for Vasco de Gama's expedition in 1495. The Portuguese queen requests that the deal with spain be honored and asks to join their alliance. (SPANISH RESPONSE NEEDED). With the war over, the forces in Gordes are demobilized and the gate is reopned to foreign travel. In the colonies, Santo Andre continues expanding outward the coast establishing more trade posts to increase trade with the natives and Mali.
• Hindustan: Shamsher Singh is widely credited for ushering in a new era in Indian history, concurrent with the Age of Exploration, by changing the very nature of the medieval Indian state. Under Shamsher Singh and his wide ranging reforms and policy changes, the State adopted a Paternalistic attitude toward the subjects somewhat similar to the Guardian of the weak status that the Kings of ancient Indian states were accorded with. With this major change, the State adopted an attitude aiming for the welfare of all its subjects. The Diwan-i-Risalat (Department of Religious Affairs and Charities) was now tasked with the maintenance and construction of public works for welfare as the scope of the Waqf-institution expanded so that any person, irrespective of religion, who is interested in philanthropic work could become a Waqif (trustee of a Waqf organisation). The Waqf continued to be funded by the Zakat tax now applied to all rich people, irrespective of their religion. At this point of time, every major city, port and large towns consisted of several Waqfs which were responsible for maintaining several schools, hospitals (Bimaristan), pharmacies, wells, tanks, baths, public kitchens and were responsible for maintenance of religious structures such as Khanqahs (which are now the main religious centres of the Sufi-Bhakti movement which is now called the Ekeeshwar movement (One God Movement)), Temples, Churches (several Coptic churches existed along the Indian Western Coast to cater to the Coptic community) and Mosques. Usually a Waqf is attached to a religious structure and its other institutions are attached to this religious structure. One example is the Grand Bimaristan of Surat maintained by a Coptic Waqf hence it is also known as the Qibtiya Bimaristan. (Coptic Hospital). The Ekeeshwar Movement maintains that God is One and he is called by different names by different people. Pluralism, tolerance, monotheism and asceticism have emerged as some of the most important pillars of this movement. With most ascetics wandering around, discussing philosophies with each other and preaching. While sects exist, they are not very organised and are mostly informal. Several sects had also begun preaching the quasi-divinity of the King as the Divya Prakash or Farr-i-izidi (Divine Light). Looking at other Indian concepts of divinity as mentioned in several ancient texts, Shamsher Singh adopted the title of Devanampriya (“Beloved of the Gods”) extending his regnal title to Devanampriya Maharaja Shamsher Singh Hindustani. While the Zakat tax is distributed among all Waqfs irrespective of religion, a part of the state treasury is used to fund these Ekeeshwar sects who promote the Divine Light of the King. It was also around this time that the portraits of the Maharaja of Hindustan came to be painted with a Halo around the head to emphasise the divinity of the King. Several public welfare measures are taken by the state each year apart from the Waqf system and these are mostly related to establishing roads (for trade) and Sarais (rest houses at regular intervals on roads). This was also included in keeping up the system of protecting trade convoys. The Banjara community and Jats were recruited en masse to provide their services for convoy protection along the trade routes across Hindustan. Shamsher Singh also established a proper feudal tradition by formalizing the Iqtadari system (mentioned in a previous turn) in several regions mostly in the Western part of the country with the Rajput Rajas and Nayaks of South India and some other feudal estates spread across in patches. The Nayak feudatories of South India are Kalahasti, Chitradurga, Vellore, Channapatna, Rayadurg, Keladi, Shorapur, Orugallu and Gingee. Several small feudal estates also exist in Bihar. The vast majority of the country is still controlled by the Hindustani bureaucracy facilitated by an efficient postal and land trade system. While the new State under Shamsher Singh has not interfered with the village and clan councils, concerning themselves with revenue collection in the rural areas, the State has doubled up its efforts at setting up State-regulated Bazaars in the towns and cities. The Chalisa retained its position and has emerged as a strong group of advisors and administrators which are responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the State.
• Hanseatic League: Kolumbus and Sommer spend the winter in Haiti, interacting with the Taino on the island. Once again, Kolumbus' camp and Sommer's camp have radically different ideas of what "treat the people living on the island with love and compassion." For what it is worth, Sommer makes incredible strides in interacting with the natives. They make a wooden fort on Haiti at the northern coast of the island, leaving in April. They then explore the coast of Cuba and Jamaica for the better part of a month before heading back home. During the voyage, the fleet runs into a bad storm off the coast of Iberia (OTL storm). The ship Kolumbus and Sommer are on - the Bruno Warendorp catches heavy winds and suffers damage, along with much of the fleet. The battered fleet pulls into Kiel without Kolumbus. The Captain's log states that he "fell during the storms and did not wake up." The League reports this to the Emperor, promoting Sommer as a hero of the people. Hanseatic markets erupt with revenue as news of Sommer's voyages spreads across Europe. The Hanseatic League claims a myriad of gold and spices seen in the Indies and enacts a legal monopoly to commercial rights in the Indies. The Emperor is sent a draft of Sommer's map: it is the most complete world map to date. Hanse Waffenfirma (Hanseatic Firearm Company) is founded this year. An artisanal hackenbüsche (arquebus) adorned with gold, iron, and red palmwood found in the New World and carver in an intricate design is sent as a gift to the Emperor. This is merely a byproduct of a larger artisan revolution in the Hanseatic League. The recent and monumentous milestones the League has reached marks this decade as the beginning of the Baltic Renaissance. This period will change the landscape of northern Germany. Grand brick buildings are constructed around Lübeck, spearheaded by a dramatic effort by the younger Bürgermeister of the city, Georg Burkhart. This represents a growing importance in the cities of the Empire, becoming increasingly populated by the year. The rise in the price of properties pushes out a fair amount of poor citizens, especially in Danzig. Slavic ghettos seem to grow in number. They will, in time, shrink down until the land is overtaken by urban expansion. It is around this time that the Syndics of the League recognize the need for a renovated Ratthaus in Lübeck. Architects from all over the league send their designs to be considered. Some are humble, sticking to the small roots of the League. Others send in opulent designs, grand undertakings, and palatial fortresses. A decision has not yet been made by the end of the year. With the Decree of 1492, the Hanseatic League offers to lease Heligoland as a base of operations for the Imperial Navy. It has, in the past, acted as a fortress against pirates in the North Sea.

• Mali Empire: The Mansa Mustafa II ascended the throne at a relatively young age, and allowed much of the administration to be organized by a panel of advisers and philosophers. This was the early stages of the rise of humanist Yunni philosophy in the Empire, which had some presence from the translation movement of the late 14th century, but still had not seen its apex yet. With stagnation in the culture and technology otherwise in the empire, the artistic styles of the major cities and public buildings remained fixated in the Sahelian Gothic style, with some elements as antiquated as Muslim rule in Spain. Local feudal lords, especially in the states of Waalo, takes note of the increasing European interest in Atlantic trade, which are now making trade deals with states under Mali's influence in Jabal Asada and Nigeria. As a result, Mustafa further increases emphasis on the expansion of ships and naval presence in the Atlantic. At the same time, the Hindu-African trade that secured Mali's silk road access is becoming less frequently used, purely due to the government shift of resources toward the west. Regular trade and contact is made with the vassalized Kingdom of Zayiyr in the south, while the fortifications and ships at the Gorgades (Cape Verde) are also upgraded. As the Emir Ayoub El Edha is unmarried and a good healthy age, the Mansa Mustafa offers his younger daughter Aisha as a bride to the young Emir. If accepted, an embassy of 500 camels, 200 donkeys, 16 kg of salt, and 200 Mithqals of gold are sent to officiate the dowry. In this same embassy, Mali affirms its friendly relations to Jabal Asada, as well as their tributary status to the empire. (JABAL ASADA RESPONSE). With Scottish ships in the area to begin trading in West Africa, Mansa Mustafa offers a trade deal to the CCC: He will provide for them a substantial quantity of ivory at a fraction of the market price, in exchange for their more advanced cannon technology. (SCOTLAND/WALES RESPONSE). In aid of our tributary, in promise of early payment, 3,000 troops are loaned to the Emir of Jabal Asada for his campaigns against the Kafirs.
  • Kingdom of Zayiyr: Wtih the Mali empire giving increased attention to the Atlantic trade and colonies, the Kingdom greatly benefits from further subsidies allowing their infrastructure to expand. Yunni Islam spreads very quickly in the nation at this point, as temples and high places of the pagan African religion are gradually torn down by force. Yakub considers his previous defeat against Dongo to be a signfiicant setback, but is not deterred against his future plans of expansion. An envoy of the surviving expedition against Dongo, named Muhammad Mamadou, writes a report on the tactics, people and customs of the region south of the Kongo River (OTL Northern Angola). The military is restored back to its strength of 5,000 troops, in preparation of a future invasion of the Angola Kingdom.
• Iceland: As news reaches the King of this new way to India he asks the Hanseatic League if the king can co-sponsor the next Columbus expedition and possibly be on it. (Hansa Response, please). More is claimed of Arnarsland. An expedition is sent to Louiseland to check if there are any other people. (Mod response needed). Any female is requested to marry the King’s heir Domnhall. (Any requests please)?
  • Mod Response: Columbus is dead. Some Mi'kmaq trading outposts and a small village are found before a storm sends the party back.
• Duchy of Florence: To try to stop the revolts in our city, Lorenzo makes a speech in the city's square about how because of the treaty of Paris and the war that they became a Duchy. Also that our previous leader kinda ruined our nation as a Republic and drove it to the ground destroying the government. Thus leading to a change in government. Florence's ruling commission, to draw up a new constitution, which formally created a hereditary monarchy. It abolished the age-old signoria (elective government) and the office of gonfaloniere and replaced it with three institutions. the consigliere, a four-man council elected for a four-year term, headed by the "Duke of the Florentine Republic". The Senate, composed of forty-eight men, chosen by the Balía, was vested with the prerogative of determining Florence's financial, security, and foreign policies. Additionally, the senate appointed the commissions of war and public security. The Council of Two Hundred was a petitions court; membership was for life. Federico Guerrero starts to give speeches throughout the nation about ideologies on Proto-Protestantism, some of which inspired from the Hussite movements in Lotharingia. He goes on to talk about the First Epistle of John and on the Book of Revelation. Drawing such large crowds that he eventually moved to the Cathedral. Without mentioning names, he made pointed allusions to tyrants who usurped the freedom of the people, and he excoriated their allies, the rich and powerful who neglected and exploited the poor. Complaining of the evil lives of a corrupt clergy, he now called for repentance and renewal before the arrival of a divine scourge. Scoffers dismissed him as an over-excited zealot and "preacher of the desperate" and sneered at his growing band of followers as Piagnoni — "Weepers" or "Wailers", an epithet they adopted. Federico warned of "the Sword of the Lord over the earth quickly and soon" and envisioned terrible tribulations to Rome. He began to prophesy that a New Cyrus was coming over the mountains to begin the renewal of the Church. Now declared that by answering his call to penitence, the Florentines had begun to build a new Ark of Noah which had saved them from the waters of the divine flood. I announce this good news to the city, that Florence will be more glorious, richer, more powerful than she has ever been; First, glorious in the sight of God as well as of men: and you, O Florence will be the reformation of all Italy, and from here the renewal will begin and spread everywhere, because this is the navel of Italy. Your counsels will reform all by the light and grace that God will give you. Second, O Florence, you will have innumerable riches, and God will multiply all things for you. Third, you will spread your empire, and thus you will have power temporal and spiritual. This astounding guarantee may have been an allusion to the traditional patriotic myth of Florence as the new Rome.  In any case, it encompassed both temporal power and spiritual leadership. People in the streets were now chanting Christian renewal throughout the lands. Papers were going around town detailing doctrinal and practical abuses of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the selling of indulgences. The theses debated and criticized many aspects of the Church and the papacy, including the practice of purgatory, particular judgment, and the authority of the pope. Federico wrote a book explaining against the Catholic devotion to Virgin Mary, the intercession of and devotion to the saints, mandatory clerical celibacy, monasticism, the authority of the pope, the ecclesiastical law, censure and excommunication, the role of secular rulers in religious matters, the relationship between Christianity and the law, good works, and the sacraments. He read most of it out to the public. With the printing press his book is made in large quantities and sold to the public. As for the rest of the nation the economy is increasing slowly due to the increase of trade. More ships are being made bringing us up to an even 40 now. Employment as increased with unemployment going down to about two percent. The city itself is looking beautiful now that its fully restored back to its original form from pre-war days.

• • Your economy is still in shambles from the war, no way unemployment is down to two percent and the city completely rebuilt. -Drenegan.
• Papal States: With the end of the conclave, Cardinal Bartolomeo Fanti is elected as the new Pope and takes the papal name Telesphorus II and is crowned in a ceremony in the Basilica of Saint Peter. With a new pontiff, come changes in the Curia. Cardinal Raffaele Riario becomes the new Cardinal-Secretary, Cardinal Filiasio Roverella becomes the General Commissary of the Church, Cardinal Thomas Rotherham becomes the new head of the Association of Missionaries and Preachers, Cardinal becomes the new head of the Pontifical Roman Press, Cardinal Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini continues as the head of the Institute of Works of Charity, Cardinal Pedro VI Gonzalez de Mendoza continues as the prefect of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, Cardinal Jorge da Costa is the new Dean of the College of Cardinals and Cardinal Prospero Caffarelli is the new Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church. With the end of the war, a long recovery process begins. Pope Telesphorus II announces that all unnecessary expenses are suspended until the Papal States recover from the war. The expenses of the Roman curia are also decreased, with the pope himself continuing to live as a simple Carmelite friar. The Holy Father creates as cardinals Semaan el-Hadathi (Maronite) and John of Hornes (Liège). Augusto Della Rovere returns from Forlì and reunite with his adoptive father, Giuliano Della Rovere, and the rest of the Della Rovere Family in Viterbo. He arrives with a squire named Petronio, who Augusto met in Forlì and they soon became friends. Petronio is son of decadent nobles from the Latin Empire that fled from there during the invasion of the Byzantines.  After knowing that his cousins Francesco and Carlos of Habsburg organized a mercenary company, Augusto decides to join it. The rivalry between the Company of Saint Leopold and the Company of Saint James grows. This happens due to the Della Rovere and Habsburg (founders of the Saint Leopold) and the Borgia (founders of Saint James) being rivals.  Giulia Farnese and Rodrigo Borgia continue being lovers. Due to Rodigo’s help, Alessandro Farnese (Giulia’s brother) starts to study Theology in Saint Augustine’s University. Giulia gives birth to a baby girl who is named Laura. It is not clear if Laura's father is Orsino Orsini (Giulia’s husband) or Rodrigo. However, Rodrigo’s enemies spread the idea that Laura is Rodrigo’s daughter. Carlos of Habsburg and Blanche of Montferrat had a son named Philip. Filippa Colonna, wife of Lord Maximilian of Habsburg, dies this year and is buried in the Church of San Pietro in Monte San Giovanni Campano. This church was reformed by the Habsburg after they assumed the lordship of Monte San Giovanni Campano. Giovanni Della Rovere and his wife Maria Colonna have a son named.  News of the spreading of ideas related to the Taborites arrives in Rome. To stop it, Telesphorus II write letters to the Inquisitions of Europe, ordering to double their efforts against this heresy. With the situation in Florence, the pope excommunicate all the heretics and place a papal embargo and interdict over the Florentines. Telesphorus also calls a Crusade against these heretics and call all faithful Catholics and Military Orders to figth against this heresy before it destroy the Catholic Faith. [MOD and players response needed, please].
  • Republic of Ancona: The election of Pope Telesphorus II is celebrated by the people of the Republic. With the end of the war, starts the slowly process of recovering.
    • Scottish Diplomacy: We declare our support for the Crusade and pledge to help the Scottish and Irish Templars transport themselves to Italy.
• Majapahit: Our nation has came into a decline thats why is good to restor as we be china tributary we is good for beeing a good trading partner fusta ships will be built in 12 light fusta ships beeing built for now we will end our decline by daring the newly broken kingdoms of Blambangan and Demak and we is asking china for equipment for war we raose our 36,000 levies and prepare abd build as much as we is can for seige equipments and we go for an invasion of Pink islands kingdom will be put into effect.
• Empire of Ethiopia: With the Empire again in an era of prosperity and peace, the Empire continues funding the modernization of the Imperial military. The core of the Ethiopian military, 5,000 arquebusiers, continues to drill with European and Indian firearms to hone in its skill as a deadly gunpowder force. The arrival of Indian cannons to the Empire also leads to the further modernization of Ethiopia, as Indian cannoneers begin training the Ethiopian military in artillery warfare. The Emperor creates a burgeoning artillery corps to begin incorporating gunpowder artillery into the Ethiopian military. Chewa warriors who make their required appearances at their local fortresses for training now find themselves being trained in firearms as well as the sword and spear, signifying the arquebuses growing role in the Ethiopian military and the rise of gunpowder in Ethiopia. The Emperor also makes good on his plan to expand the standing army, recruiting an additional 5,000 men from the Imperial cities and lands directly owned by the monarchy. These men also begin drilling with arquebuses, being trained by experienced Chewa warriors who gained valuable experience in the recent war with Yemen. The Prince Amda Seyon falls gravely ill while overseeing the training of the new recruits in Somalia, and is visited by his nephew the Emperor on his death bed. As a thanks to his uncle for his valuable services in modernizing the Imperial military, the Emperor grants his uncle and his heirs the title of Prince of Somalia. The Prince Amda Seyon passes away in his bed, living a historic and storied life, being raised in the Byzantine Empire, fighting as a mercenary in France, Greece and Turkey and returning to Ethiopia to modernize its military. His son, Adalfredo, takes over his title as Prince of Somalia and, having been trained extensively in the military by his father and being good friends with the Emperor, is made the Minister of War. Prince Adalfredo continues to oversee the expansion of gunpowder weapons in the Ethiopian military and begins planning to construct a formal military academy in northern Somalia to educate Chewa warriors and other generals on military tactics and strategy. 
• Kingdom of Morocco: The population becomes positives, on the reign of Mansur the kingdom continues to funding mrdernizations with its army in general and continues to develop for weeks Empire continues to be built in the eye of the great Mansur they're making some construct built base in some territory and plan to gain more territorial and have more trains of its soldiers naturally and respectively so far Mansur continue to expand his reign and more recruiting soldier that the Moroccans can sizing the scholar officially took Quran for religions practice in the name of the law and practice of every cemerony among the berber population who oever see encourage them to work and trade together especially with the Africans and Mansur had great plan to develop more the relation with the malians is doing well peacefully and work together Mansur continue his position in the kingdom, some territorial gain tradepost and gain actively a high office is establish in some vassal mansur continue to control the governments in a hierachy way to continue develop and establish law codes the governments create class for agricole who can experience with it and develop the population and encourage them some cities is being well constructed and fully stable Mansur is fully establish that amazight is being an official language for scholar and have been approved by the Moroccans governments the city is doing well just like Casablanca and some the military Moroccans plan to construct some academy in Southern Morocco and lesser to educate cavalry and such for strategy. 
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di" The Koniglyke Lotharingische zeevloot now that the war is over begins to re-evaluate her quality and her ships. As the ships due to war have been getting old a few select ships being allmost half a century old, these being mostly the greatships of their era. Which due to their at the time great innovation and size are still somewhat viable for large transportships and what the Senate calls Fortress ships, as the mobility is quite slow compared to the newer more refined Jerseys. The Lotharingian Navy looking into speed, shot and quantity, the Lotharingians wanting due to the Distance speed above all. Thus the sails and ships are adapted to the longer distances and speeds, the sails becoming bigger and the shape becoming tapered. This helping with speed and to direct the wind more for speed of the ship, which is greatly needed in the Turbulent North Sea and Atlantic. The Purchase of Land from the Kings of Arles covering the City of Calais and Bonen aan kust, this making trade and shipping for Lotharingian Merchants Such as the KWAC easier. The Amstelse Handels Unie being more concerned about the trade with England, and Norway, the Unie being mostly a producer of goods instead of a trader. The Union being allmost like a proof of quality for those outside and inside Lotharingia, the RHC and the KWAC trading with the Company. Although Messenkempher en Familie has a harsh and bitter rivalry with the unie, as they often make simmilar goods in the same market.
• Hafsid Caliphate: Having signed the treaty last year, Caliph Ahmad III begins annexation of the territories of the former Sultanate of Egypt. As such, the territories of Upper Egypt continue to be incorporated as Bedouin forces continue to supress any remnants of the Mamluk army there. New armies are founded in the occupied territories of Lower Egypt while remnants of the Mamluk army from the Levant are incorporated into the grander army, although discontent begins to brew in secret by former Mamluk superiors, who've been demoted based on their failure in the Georgian-Mamluk conflict. Meanwhile, the ummah of the desert has been gradually brewing, collecting resources and organizing with the forces of the Shehata dynasty of Oran and the Yacoub dynasty of Algiers, formulating an open rebellion as a sign of humiliation in the eyes of the dominant Hafsid dynasty, while remnants of the Zirid, Hammadid, and Ifranid dynasties join together collectively to finally end the dreaded pirate wars and return peace to a subcontinent that has been in perpetual conflict since the end of the Barbary Crusade. A certain pirate from the Shehata, known as Unsama Munfarid, joins the arms as well, having become known for being in debt with the Hafsids while also owning the fastest ship in the Mediterranean. Collectively, they agree attacking while the iron is hot is the best method, understanding that the Hafsids are still recovering from their last conflict against the Mamluks. Led by Amr' Uthman, an army of 5,000 bedoins is raised from what remains after the Hafsid mass-recruitments, and carry out a siege on Tunis, the former capital of the Hafsid dynasty. Due to the movement of garrisons out of this region, the army of Amr' Uthman and the Ummah are able to capture Tunis within a few weeks, with the Ummah declaring the Imamate of Ifriqiya. Princess Leiah is freed from prison, with Amr' Uthman himself telling her that she is the long-lost sister of Ibrahim al-Jan, being adopted after the "death" of Muhammad al-Janann. She says that she already knew, but is told by Amr' Uthman to keep it a secret from Ibrahim, of which she accepts. Ibrahim al-Jan, meanwhile, continues to learn under Amr' Uthman. However, his learning stops upon the alarms ring on the arrival of Grand Vizier Al-Najm II and his army of mercenaries intending to reconquer Ifriqiya. His arrival marks a hasty and sloppy retreat by the rebellion while Amr' Uthman and Ibrahim al-Jan confront Grand Vizier Al-Najm II at the battleground. In a duel that had been prophesied since the end of the Hafsid Civil War, an elderly Amr' Uthman fought the monster that is Grand Vizier Al-Najm II. All too quickly, however, the fight was decided, with Amr' looking at Ibrahim once more with a smile of inner peace before being stabbed to death by the Grand Vizier. Ibrahim al-Jan, fueled by his hatred to seek revenge, attacks the Grand Vizier Al-Najm II viciously, only to be outsmarted by his lack of experience and his inability to predict the movements of Grand Vizier. Al-Najm II makes the final slash against Ibrahim's face, scarring his eye and forcing him to collapse to his knees in pain. Al-Najm II asks who Ibrahim was, and Ibrahim gives him his name, while also spitting at the feet of the Vizier, stating that Al-Najm II killed his father. Staring at him with a great darkness, Al-Najm II states to Ibrahim, "No Ibrahim, I am your father!". Ibrahim's emotions soon began to pour, stating that he was lying, only to be corrected by Al-Najm II. With his sword, Al-Najm II holds it to Ibrahim's throat, getting arrested by the Grand Vizier's royal guard before finally reclaiming the city for the Hafsids. By the fall of night, the Imamate had been pushed back to Bejaia, with a stalemate being established between all forces. While Ibrahim was being escorted through the desert by bedoin soldiers back to Cairo, a ghostly figure appears, being a younger Amr' Uthman, who quickly defeats the bedoin guards escorting Ibrahim. Speaking to Ibrahim, Amr' Uthman tells the now freed Ibrahim al-Jan to seek the wisedom and training of Djiata Agadezi in the Mali Empire, the only other remaining member of the long-defunct 'Aman Council. 
• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: Rama Ramathibodi II continues to adjust to his position of Rama of Ayutthaya and has begun to prove himself capable of holding court and handling administrative duties that are expected of him. This year, two marriages are held with Ramathibodi II marrying a princess of Terengganu and the young prince of Pahang marrying Atula Dewi of Ayutthaya strengthening the bonds between Ayutthaya and its tributaries. The Temenggung has been given the autonomy conduct preparations for supporting Udara's coup in whatever way is expected of him to better ensure that Udara succeeds. To better ensure that the Ayutthayan court is more receptive to Sunan Kudus' should he be chosen as Tun Perak's replacement, news is circulated of the efforts of Sunan in keeping the unruly territories of the Malay peninsula in line helpng to improve his reputation and standing in the court. The Conservative faction continues to look for a suitable solution to allowing a Muslim serve as Bendahara for Ayutthaya to no avail. Hang Tuah has begun to groom his son, Hang Nadim, a warrior of some repute by the name of Khoja Hassan to replace him and serve as the great warriors of Ayutthaya. The Ayutthayan Navy continues to receive increased funds as trade prospers in the region to better ensure they're able to carry out their objective of protecting trade far more successfully. The great monk by the name of Dhammazedi has died as of this year leading to widespread sorrow at his passing. He will be remembered as the man who turned all of Ayutthaya north of Ligor into a bastion of Theravada Buddhism as well as the man whose wisdom guided Rama Trailokanat throughout his reign. The establishment of more wats across Ayutthaya continues despite the death of Dhammazedi to better ensure that his legacy remains. Sunan Kudus continues to show his skill as a leader of men in all aspects by keeping the Buddhist and Muslim populations in the Malay peninsula pacified garnering the support of nobles and officials of the most profitable region of Ayutthaya behind him. Tun Perak despite being in his waning years has begun to directly oversee efforts to develop and cultivate unused land across Ayutthaya to ensure that Ayutthaya's resources are used to the fullest. Hearing of Majapahit's actions against Bali, concerns are raised over its aggressive actions against Bali which has been long independent since the start of the situation. The tributaries of Jambi, Pahang, Terengganu, Bengkulu, and Pasai are asked if they would contribute troops as required of them as tributaries (Southeast Asian model requires troops to be contributed in the event of war) should Ayutthaya enter the war. (Mod Response, note: troop numbers). Envoys are sent to Bali offering Ayutthayan military assistance against Majapahit's expansion. (Mod Response). Another group of diplomats are sent to the Khmer Kingdom requesting that they contribute their troops as a vassal of Ayutthaya (Mod Response, note: troop numbers). The last round of diplomats are sent to Lan Na to request their assistance against Dai Viet should they choose to intervene. (Mod response, note: Reaffirming alliance). 
• Duchy of Thuringia: When it is learned that John III, Count of Ziegenhain has died, the Thin White Duke asks to marry his daughter, Countess Elisabeth. (Mod response needed). He also sends a request to marry his daughter to Frederick VI, Margrave of Meissen, and requests to marry another daughter to Wolfgang of Anhalt. (Mod response needed). It is observed in Thuringia and the area around it, by no doing of the Thin White Duke of the government, that many have become fed up with the corruption in the Catholic Church, due to the unjust actions of the “Pope”. The Duke notes that the church brought this upon themselves. Among the dissenters are the Neo-Adamites, who preach that mankind should return to the purity of life at the time of Adam and Eve, and so they adopt social and religious nudity, embrace free love, and reject marriage and private property. The Thin White Duke travels to some such churches and partakes in their practices just to observe how they work, finding them quite enjoyable. Likewise there are many with contrary views, such as that the sacraments are of little importance, when one can live like Christ and perfect the soul through other means. Of course the Thin White Duke and all the nobles of Thuringia are, or at least on paper are, good Catholics who continue to follow all church laws. Secretly the Thin White Duke begins to believe a simple message; that a renewal of Christianity is needed and is coming, and that clerical corruption, the Papal despotism, and the exploitation of the poor will be stopped. He envisions himself a new ruler who will emerge after the “flood” wipes out the old church, and he will create a New Jerusalem where the true aspects of Christianity are to be practiced. Many of these messages are secretly compiled into pamphlets and books, written under a pseudonym, and copied en masse using printing presses, eventually being distributed across the nation and the empire. Meanwhile, the nation continues to recover from recent wars, with the nation using its revenue and the loot from the war to upgrade and alleviate the impoverished. The Thin White Duke takes a renewed interest in football and this year’s competition, deciding that sports and victory can help unify the nation. He invests funding in preparing a professional team, and also orders the creation of a new stadium near Erfurt.
  • Countess Elizabeth von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg accepts the marriage.
  • Wolfgang is only a baby, but Prince Valdemar VI of Anhault is willing to arrange a betrothal instead.
• Archbishopric of Mainz; Grand Marshal of Hanns von Wulfestorff continues his program of modernization and standardization in weapons and training, expanding the military of the empire to the size decreed by the Emperor in the Edict of 1492, and rotating division to different Imperial Circles to promote a sense of unity not tied to birthplace. He continues implementing the same military reform as Wurtenburg over the Army of the Holy Roman Empire. He orders the creation of stronger fortifications near Aachen, which this recent war showed to be needed. Adelbert continues to support the Inquisition (redoubling against the Taborites) and the Assembly of Preachers. He continues his policies to raise education in his Diocese. He condems as heresy the paphlets being spread out of Thuringia, and orders counter arguments, emphasizing the advantages to the holy church holding authority over corrupt governmetns, published and disseminated to the people. He orders the Archbishop of Cologne, who is Minister of Justice, to begin investigating the source of this heresy at once, so it can be annihilated. (Mod Response). He continues the patronizing of printing releases from the Pontifical Roman Press, and other great works for the Library of Mainz, and the University of Darmstadt. Adelbert supports Jeannetto de Tassis to reform and expand the Empire’s postal system. Adelbert suppots the implimentation of a german king in Poland to ensure peace on all of the Imperial borders, but understands that there is much confusion in Poland at present, and the decision of who inherits will take time. Von Roggendorf continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high. He takes advantage of the peace descending on Europe after a time of war to expand foreign trade, investing heavily in companies exploring the new world, particularly in the Hanseatic League. He offers all possible support to the Hanseatic League, after seeing their report and their gifts to the Emperor, and hopes that the Empire can benefit in particular from the new trade routes. (Hanseatic Response). Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and also patronizes the Emperor’s initiative to establish an munitions industry in Prague, following the same incentive program as Bavaria. In accordance with the decree of 1492, the Imperial Treasurer requests that the Hanseatic League support the Empire’s attempts to build a larger navy, currently based mostly in the three Free Imperial Cities which are members of the League, and to grant these ships free passage through their ports. (Hanseatic Response) The Archchancellor requests that any of other Imperial states bordering the Baltic sea consider donating port facilities to the project of building a fleet for the Empire, in return for reasonable compensation (Mod Response).  Construction is begun on a new port city called Heinrichshaven, on the south of the Jade Bay. It is expected to take at least 35 years to complete the port, and the planned naval build-ups, without overstraining the budget.
  • A few of the states are willing to donate their ports for the purpose of building the Imperial Navy so long as proper compensation is provided. -Drenegan.
  • The investigation has led to all evidence pointing to the Duke of Thuringia. -Drenegan.
• Kingdom of France: The policies enacted by king William II continue, in which the nation is slowly rebuilt after the events of the previous war. With the war over William returns to Paris once more, and there he renews his interest in the arts. He spends a portion of the year putting on a production of the play All the King's Men by the late Ermanaric of Nassau, who is beginning to increase in notoriety after his untimely death. The King plays the star role in the play, and receives a glowing review from critics. Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici (1472) is wed to a relative of the King. An elaborate ballet dance entertainment is arranged for the celebration by the Italian dance master Bergonzio di Botta. The dances are linked by a slim narrative concerning Jason and the Argonauts, with each corresponding to a different course for the dinner. Tristano Calco of Milan writes about the event, and it is considered so impressive that many similar spectacles are organized elsewhere. Philip Capet unfortunately passed away the previous year, and it seems that his brother Victor was never able to recover from the event. At the end of the year Victor dies a sad alcoholic, and his brother Louis becomes the Duke of Berry. The King continues to offer marriage proposals to the nations around him. He has not received a response from the English and they do not appear to be open to a marriage, despite the fact that William’s mother was an English princess. The king builds himself a small ship and finds some solace learning to fish with the salt of the earth in Normandy. He meets a young man named Michel Villiers that he develops a close relationship with. Villiers is eventually knighted by the king and becomes elevated to that of Duke of Touraine, later moving into a nearby room in one of the king’s manors. A diary entry written by the king and discovered after his death would read, “I, William, am neither a god nor an angel, but a man like any other. Therefore I act like a man and confess to loving those dear to me more than other men. You may be sure that I love the Duke of Touraine more than anyone else, and more than you who are here, assembled. I wish to speak in my own behalf and not to have it thought to be a defect, for Jesus Christ did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had John, and I have Michel.”
  • Bohemian Diplomacy: The Emperor offers to wed his grandson Jaromir to Joan Capet-Berry.
  • French Diplomacy: William II accepts the offer.
• Vinland: The population rises to 5,800. Trade flourishes between Norse, Tvennufolk, and Beothuk peoples. Hjalfar becomes very sick in November, and his illness persists through December. Herleif is declared lawspeaker of Dogajavick and effectively becomes regent. 
  • Esgigeland and Unamaland: The commonwealth pushes deeper into Unamaland and along the northern coasts. 

• Empire of Japan: With the development of Suikos reputation with the Imperial Diet, the newest issue comes the need for an heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Refusing to take a husband yet the topic of her marriage is brought up and they are cleanly dismissed. Having spent her first few years rectifying issues caused by her grandfather she officially has it put on record that Ryoichi should be listed as Ryoichi the insane or Ryoichi the terrible. Having always hated her grandfather, there remains an element of him with her. Being immune from punishment as part of the Imperial family gave her much time to see the treatment of the various classes. It almost feels like to her that much of the people within the Imperial diet seem cornered at all times, like rabid dogs defending their territory and being unwilling to work with eachother or outsiders on but the rarest of occasions. It seems the body is truly not as dangerous as her grandfather once though, given enough acumen to navigate smartly. As the country begins to run smoothly the troops from Manzhuguo are withdrawn with the notable exception of the local garrison forces, and the Kensei order. these men strike north finding a perfect location for their shrine at the mouth of the Amur river. With their prestige far and wide as ones who bring great prosperity to a province, the unclear land claims near the mouth of the river as given directly to the Kensei order. They establish their Shrine to Raijin and begin building lodgings for themselves. As the roadways going through the country have had fair travel, it is seen as fair to establish blocking points and chokepoints to help ensure proper transport safety and maintain steady stream with internal trade. A series of road tolls are enacted directly by local daimyo and and city governors as the Roadway network looks to be totally turned over to the provinces of Japan with the Diet itself having wanted to delegate it to a lower chorus of government.
• Kingdom of England: Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester remains the regent of England for the young King Edward VII, his nephew. A few English nobles are open to reconciliation with France, but the majority of the English Parliament as well as the regent Richard still view France negatively due to the relatively recent war and the loss of English territories on the continent, so the diplomatic requests sent by France are largely ignored by the English government at this time. The mysterious death of King Edward VI the previous year remains a major point of discussion amongst the nobility and Parliament; this year, the regent Richard accuses Edward VI's widow Elizabeth of having murdered her husband to aid her Lancastrian family, the House of Beaufort. Elizabeth Beaufort (1459-1492) is then arrested and soon after executed by a jury largely convened and controlled by Richard. This series of events severely agitates the internal politics of England. Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset vows revenge for the unjust execution of his sister Elizabeth for a murder he accuses Richard of Gloucester of having committed himself. Henry Beaufort, with the aid of Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Warwick and 15th Earl of Devon, begins gathering soldiers to militarily carry out his revenge in the southwest of England, Warwickshire and to a lesser degree Lancashire. Henry and Godfrey also incite popular uprisings against Richard's authority in several cities in these areas, including Lancaster in the northwest and Plymouth, Exeter and Taunton in the southwest, though these are mostly localised revolts at this point. In response to this unrest, the Duke of Gloucester sends groups of the Yorkist military into these regions to try to keep public order and suppress Lancastrian influence, though these troops do not enter into outright conflict with those of the Beauforts and Courtenays yet and fewer than a thousand Yorkist troops are used in these operations. However, it is clear that the Beaufort-York tensions that had decreased following the military conflicts during the reign of King Henry VI have now been re-ignited. The Yorkist George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, whose territory includes most of the Cinque Ports, takes an interest in the news heard about maritime explorations conducted by the Hanseatic League and, with the cooperation of the English Parliament, increases boatbuilding in the Cinque Ports of Dover, Sandwich and New Romney and the more northerly Kentish port of Gravesend, in the hopes of eventually being able to replicate such expeditions. Edward Beaufort (b. 1476), son of Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset is married to Anne Neville (b. ~1475), daughter of Ralph Neville, 3rd Earl of Westmorland, a fellow opponent of the Yorkists through his familial relation to the late Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. Beatrice Beaufort (b. 1481), daughter of the Duke of Somerset, is betrothed to Thomas Grey (b. 1477), son of Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, who is also frustrated with Richard of Gloucester's military actions in the southwest of England. John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (1442-1492) dies of a disease and his infant son of the same name becomes the 3rd Duke of Suffolk; the young John's mother Cecily Courtenay becomes his ward and effectively functions as the regent of the Dukedom of Suffolk. Edmund Courtenay and Anne of Bruce-Auvergne have their first child, a daughter named Elizabeth (b. 1492) in honour of the executed Queen. Later in the year, Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Isabel Courtenay have their second child, a daughter named Eleanor (b. 1492). In Europe, Blanche de la Marck (1445-1492), a distant relative of the Plantagenets through the Lenzburgs and an unmarried sister of former Holy Roman Emperor Wenceslaus, dies of a disease; and Eberhard, the Duke in Exile of Lenzburg (1424-1492) dies of natural causes in Rome, with his son Engelbert (b. 1448) succeeding him as Duke in Exile.
• Dai Viet: The Emperor, seeing Majapahit's willingness of aggression and war across the archipelago, unpublically condemns the actions but seeing that his daughter is married into the Majapahit royal house and the hospitality of Majapahit to Dai Viet in the past, the Emperor decides that actions won't be made just yet regarding the actions of Majapahit and whatever forces they are dealing with. For now though, storages storing gunpower and weaponry produced more by factories managed by the Cục Bách are installed next to the plantations, located in strategic points across the country, including the islands of Bangka and Belitung. Next to the Hải Trì lake, the Emperor orders the construction of another bank storing the government budget. Surrounding the bank is the Thượng Lâm Pagoda, with guards protecting it. The Dai Viet navy continues to receive increased funds as trade prospers in the region to better ensure they're able to carry out their objective of protecting trade far more successfully. Roads and general infrastructure are renovated and maintained for the best of the domestic trade across the country. New law regarding the arrival of merchants is that they are allowed to reside in major ports of Vân Đồn, Hội An or Cam Ranh, but are strictly prohibited of entering the capital city of Thăng Long or any strategic points that can be seen as sensitive with high amount of security, to conceal our national secrets from any potential spies supervising the situation of Dai Viet.
• The Spanish Empire: as recovery efforts are focused on restoring Montpellier and the Fortress line, Spain weathers the path to economic bounce which should inevitably arrive. In the meantime, The Spanish Inquisition cracks down on the Jewish People within Spain causing many to convert or move to Morocco. The tolerance by crown, clergy, and people seem to be at their own limit. Dr. Gregorio Ramono de Napoli, an italian surgeon, after hearing from his brother in the Municipal Courts of Hispania speaking of rumors of the French King wishing to have a surgery performed, his team of doctors see about making a move to see the lead of the Crown of France. Gregorio Ramono is ready to prove in the name of science alongside his colleagues and whatever physicians France may have to help along to see about a "Royal Surgery" as he cheerfully calls it. This sees approval by the academy who raises funds for the venture and don't have any reason to see why things may fail given their record performance. As a result, Gregorio makes the once in a lifetime offer to the King of France to have the surgery he had wished for. (France Response). Pablo Ramono hears of his brother's plans and believes if it goes well, it would be a scientific miracle and prestigious for the doctors of Napoli. Unfortunately during this time, he loses his position in the Spanish Municipal Courts to a rival, Axel German. Feeling sore about his loss, he moves to Basque Bayonne in lower France hoping that if his brother succeeds, maybe he too may gain a reward. Prince Elvin, Orlando de Figueroa, Kevin Rodriguez and Victor Roman head back to South Africa on a voyage led by Amerigo Vespucci as an expedition to document the area and see about establishing a long term settlement based on the makeshift one created. Prince Juan visits Lisboa and wishes to see Queen Ciri on a family visit with his wife as the alliance is officially fulfilled between Spain and Portugal (Portugal Response).
• Kingdom of Bohemia: The Emperor receives the message of Kolumbus’ untimely passing and sends his condolences to his family. Sommer is honored with similar titles to Kolumbus and extended the same arrangement that Kolumbus had. The Emperor decides to frame the wonderful map that Sommer has sent him, and it is displayed in the “Oval Office” of the Frankfurt Reichstag. The Hanse Waffenfirma is also greatly thanked for the hackenbüsche. The Emperor attempts to use it one day while hunting with Premier Falconer Edmund Alwin, despite some protests from his companions that it’s more of a decorative piece. The bullet misses its intended target but causes a splinter of wood to fly up and strike down a bird, causing the Emperor to dub it the miracle gun. After a great year of football the final empire-wide tournament begins to much fanfare. The games are scheduled to take place in Frankfurt, and the Emperor has a proper field constructed prior to the games. When the games finally begin the final four are the teams from Rostock (the Hansa), Thuringia, Metz United, and Hohenzollern. To everyone’s surprise the ragtag team from the small town of Hohenzollern manage to defeat the professional team from Thuringia 4-3, and the game is dubbed the Miracle on Grass. The Emperor issues a statement to Peter III of Geneva-Lenzburg, urging him to come home, as he was previously pardoned, and the Emperor additionally issues a letter of safe conduct, stating that Peter may not be harmed. Likewise, the Emperor hears rumors of recent attempted assassinations, and he urges all to put aside their foolish feuds and make amends, condemning any further acts of violence. The offer to lease Heligoland is accepted, and ambitious plans for the small island are conceived of, consisting of new fortifications and drydocks for basic shipbuilding, to be built over the next few years. The Emperor travels to the island himself hoping the salty air will be good for him, and has a brief summer vacation there. When it finally comes time to leave, a rain sets in and the Emperor develops a bit of a cough. He ends up drinking late into the night with Sir Greyhands and Sir Ernest Frederick. He opens up about his life and his failures. He admits that every night he has a nightmare of the day he had to bury his son, but in the dream he’s no longer strong enough to carry the casket. He says he wishes it had been him to die on that day. The discussion causes the Emperor to think about his life and his legacy. Wondering how much longer he has left on this earth, he begins writing memoirs and a will regarding his succession. Above all else he wonders if at the end of the day he had been a good man.
• Grand Duchy of All Bavaria: Pleased with the result of the war, Albert IV declares a holiday to celebrate the coalition's victory over the Swiss. the territory ceded to All Bavaria during the war is annexed back into Bavaria, uniting the Bavarian people. Albert IV continues his efforts to make the reunification of Bavaria as smooth as possible. The former Landshut household has been fully incorporated into the royal household in Munich, and is now primarily responsible for administering the Kingdom. With more administrative power at his disposal, Albert IV continues his tax reform. So far, rates have remained the same, but taxes are not directly collected by the royal household in some areas of the Empire. This makes the system more efficient and reduces fraud across all levels, raising royal revenues even after local nobles receive their share, though at this point the total effect on the Duchy's treasury is limited. As it stands, the new system is most entrenched in and around the cities of Munich and Regensburg, but as the system continues to grow, Albert IV continues its expansion to parts of the countryside, planning to put 50 percent of the Bavarian population under the new tax system by 1495. Worried about the economy after the war with Switzerland, Albert IV grants a temporary tax holiday to some workers, especially farmers in the areas most affected by the war, and to families with soldiers in the war. Tax collectors are instructed to grant this exemtion liberally, and tax revenues decrease slightly for the year, but agriculture and trade begins to stabilize. Albert IV continues to purchase cheap weapons for the Bavarian military, especially investing in firearms and cannons. However, in the long term, Albert IV hopes to offset the need to purchase foreign weapons by building them in Munich, and he continues his initiatives to fund and subsidize weapons manufacturers around the region. Hoping to make Munich central to European weapons production, he announce that any foreign manufacturers are eligible to receive subsidies if they move operations in Munich, though he puts a cap on how much money he will hand out, and conditions this on them selling their weapons first to Bavarians. Right now, the Duchy has a standing army of roughly 8,000, with the potential to raise a total of 60,000 if needed. The treasury also sets aside funding to pay mercenaries, should they ever be needed. Trade continues to grow, especially with Poland-Lithuania, and Albert IV starts to use his small standing army to patrol the highways of Bavaria to keep them safe for merchants, offering merchants from any nation access to Bavaria's safe roads in exchange for a small fee, though the fee is waived for the Duke's close allies.
  • Principality of Nassau: After his Marriage to Agnes, Albert IV assumes status as regent of the Principality. He begins to implement the Bavarian tax system in Nassau.

• Kingdom of Arles: The war is over! Lucas I cries from the city square in Marseilles, to the cheers of the people of Arles. This unnecessary war is over, and the country prospers once again. We lost minimal casualties, allowing the country to recover in less time. As only border towns are seriously affected, more money is put there. Hoping to capitalize on the blooming of Trade routes, a small expedition led by admiral Mesatpo Verastipas travels south, trying to move around Cape of Africa, before moving east. He discovers a large island, in which he calls Mesatponia. He travels back to Arles to ask for some settlers. Lucas the younger has his first child, a son called Marconé. Fleur, sister of Queen Aline, marries the son of Philippe Lowen II, Philippe Lowen III. the Arlean group of Generals are happy that we were able to hold the French.
  • Pisa: The war is over. However, Pisa is severely damaged. Pisa begins rebuilding, while the Lowen Fort is only slightly damaged. Philippe Lowen II travels around the kingdom helping and talking to locals.
  • I'm assuming that Mesatponia is Madagascar which is not currently available to anyone but those that have been given approval via mod events to round the Cape of Good Hope. Also your economy isn't going to recover that quickly. -Drenegan.

1493

The voyage of Amerigo Vespucci becomes the first European to successfully round the Cape of Africa, and discover several islands in the South Indian Ocean up to the strait of Mozambique. He lands at the cities of Malindi and Mobasa, establishing diplomatic contact with the Mambo (Emperor) of Zimbabwe. As Spain and the Hansa are becoming two nations with the largest presence in the Atlantic Ocean, disputes arise between merchants over which trade routes are dominated by which nation.

The Byzantine invasion of the Latin Empire once again raises alarm in the Catholic world, particularly the Italic League and the surviving Crusader states. Venice rushes thier military to relieve the siege of Athens, and blockades the Saronic Gulf leading to the city. The Italian merchant republics likewise plan an assault against Cyprus with 10,000 troops.

The political reforms in Florence are generally well accepted by the common people, but the ongoing unrest and economic turmoil continues. Niccolo Machiavelli benefits the most from these reforms, and quickly rises in prominence as a major figure in Florentine politics. The Crusade called by Pope Telesphorus sees 8,000 troops assembled in Rome contributed from a variety of Italian states, fully prepared for invading wherever he needs.

However, other heretical groups are being active as well. Anarchist in the form of neo-Adamites have begun revolting in Thuringia and its neighboring territories. They accuse the church and feudal lords of being power hungry and corrupt leading them into wars for their benefit and using their power for their own gain. They claim that private property and monogamous marriage are constructs of the government and church created to control the lives of the people. They wish for a return to the time where people had purity of life and no oversight from the church and government.

Sweden revolts from Denmark, and the nobles crown Eric Thot as King Eric XIV in Stockholm. This places them immedaitely at war with King Henry of Denmark, who still claims the Swedish throne.

At the encouragement of Hesse, Thurn has attempted to directy kill the Lenzburgs but was caught in the process due to the heightened security in the wake of the latest assassination attempts. After being questioned personally by the Pope, he confesses to his sins and reveals Hesse's involvement in the affair revealing the letter as proof. Nations from across Europe and in the HRE are outraged at the vindictive behavior exhibited by Hesse and its repeated attempts to kill someone under Papal protection with some calling for punishment to be given to Hesse.

Simeon Zbaraski is crowned as King Simeon of the Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth, replacing the previous House of Ogheirid.

The growth of unconventional communities in South Eastern Europe brings about the rise of a mixed group of Russians, Khazars, Ukrainians, and Tartars known as the cossacks. Their presence in the courts of many nobles and both Poland and the Rus states noticeably increases.

In Novgorod, the boyars complain that the Grand Prince's current residence is far too old and unfit for such a powerful ruler, and he should have a bunch larger palace to live in.

Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned by the Duke of Modena to design a vareity of war machines, including tanks and submarines. Da Vinci is willing to take this commission, but quickly finds the project much more impractical than it is on paper.

In Korea, the poet Kim Si-seup publishes the first novel in the Chinese language.

The current Sapa Inca dies and is suceeded by Huayana Capac.

Ermolao Barbaro publishes a translation of Pliny's Natural History. 

In Scotland, Isabel Williamson becomes the wealthiest unmarried woman in the kingdom for her textile merchant business.

• Empire of Ethiopia: Merchants from Mali and Zimbabwe bear strange news of an increase of white-skinned foreigners reaching these lands. In the west, Ethiopian merchants in Mali relay news of an increased presence of Europeans in Mali, having set up official trade offices as well as settlements in the Mali Empire. In the south rumors spread of explorers encountering Swahili merchants in the far south of Africa. This combined with the recent arrival of a Portuguese explorer convinces the Emperor that Europeans are moving to Africa from Europe. Excited by the prospect of fellow Christians in Africa, the Emperor sends a delegation of merchants, nobles and mekwanint bureaucrats along the Trans-African Silk Road westward, hoping to try contact some of the Europeans in Mali and invite them back to Ethiopia. [MOD RESPONSE / SPAIN RESPONSE (?)] The Empire continues to focus on military modernization, with most of the Empire’s funds directed toward increasing the amount of gunpowder weapons in the Imperial armories. Ethiopian artillerymen continue to train with cannons while the standing army continues to drill with arquebuses. With the Empire sinking so much of its funding into the military, however, Imperial-funded construction largely comes to a halt, with private merchants and nobles largely funding any construction projects for personal gain. This leads to large housing rackets in Imperial cities, as wealthy merchants and nobles fund housing improvements but in doing so essentially take over the housing market. A healthy arms trade emerges between India and Ethiopia, as merchants now begin running guns to the Ethiopian Empire. The Emperor Tewodros III adds his uncle’s statue to the Hall of Champions despite his uncle not being an Emperor, justifying his inclusion in the memorial by saying that an Ethiopian prince who fought in Greece, France, Turkey and Yemen deserves a place amongst Ethiopia’s greatest warriors. 
• Archbishopric of Mainz: Grand Marshal of Hanns von Wulfestorff continues his program of modernization and standardization in weapons and training, expanding the military of the empire to the size decreed by the Emperor in the Military Edict of 1492, and rotating division to different Imperial Circles to promote a sense of unity not tied to birthplace. He continues implementing the same military reform as Wurtenburg over the Army of the Holy Roman Empire. He continues the creation of stronger fortifications near Aachen, which this recent war showed to be needed. Adelbert continues to support the Assembly of Preachers. He continues his policies to raise education in his Diocese. Cardinal Adelbert sends a message to the Landgrave of Hesse, urging him to cease pursuing the Lenzburgs and bringing incurring more of the Pope’s wrath against the Empire. He suggests that the Landgrave make a pilgrimage to Rome and repent of his sin before the Pope. If he does, the cardinal will intercede and try to get the matter smoothed over. (Hesse Response). He continues the patronizing of printing releases from the Pontifical Roman Press, and other great works for the Library of Mainz, and the University of Darmstadt. The Cardinal calls for the Inquisition to be redoubled in strength against the Neo-Adamites. He commands the Dioceses which include Thuringia to root out and destroy these heretics, and requests that the Duke of Thuringia give military support to them in this. He reminds the Duke that he is not in the best graces of the church right now, and ending this heresy which is promoting chaos in the Empire will strengthen the HRA, Thuringia, and improve his relations with Rome. He also points out that failing to suppress this heresy will create further unrest and weaken the empire’s foreign relations, and might give some people the impression that the duke supports the neo-Adamites, which could have serious consequences. (Thuringia Response). Von Roggendorf continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high. He takes advantage of the peace descending on Europe after a time of war to expand foreign trade, investing heavily in companies exploring the new world, particularly in the Hanseatic League. He offers all possible support to the Hanseatic League, after seeing their report and their gifts to the Emperor, and hopes that the Empire can benefit in particular from the new trade routes. (Hanseatic Response). Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and also patronizes the Emperor’s initiative to establish an Arms industry in Prague, following the same incentive program as Bavaria. In accordance with the decree of 1492, the Imperial Treasurer requests that the Hanseatic League support the Empire’s attempts to build a larger navy, currently based mostly in the three Free Imperial Cities which are members of the League, and to grant these ships free passage through their ports. (Hanseatic Response). Construction continues on a new port city called Heinrichshaven, on the south of the Jade Bay. It is expected to take at least 35 years to complete the port, and the planned naval build-ups, without overstraining the budget.
  • A response has been given to your investigation in 1492. -Drenegan.

• Hindustan: The Metal Movable Type and Woodblock printing reaches India from China with a few workshops being established in Tis Hazari, in Arakan which is now known as Purvanchal Subah (Eastern Province).  The Judicial System was also reorganized by the Maharaja, while justice in the rural areas is dispensed by the village Panchayats and Caste/Clan councils, in the cities and towns it is mostly dispensed by Guru, Saints, Qadis and Pandits. However, a new law code was created as the Dawabit (State Law) for dispensing justice in inter-religious disputes and important matters by a state-appointed system of Qadis for each town and city, which were under the Chief Qadi at the Court of the Subah. The Maharaja was at the apex of the State Law system and dispensed Justice at a daily court in matters important enough to be brought to the notice of the Maharaja. The new Law Code that was created was based on contemporary Ekeeshwar law itself based on Muslim and Hindu law. The new Tax Code (Ain-i-dahsala), the new Law Code (Dawabit), the Succession Law, details of the Government administrative structure and duties of the Departments of the Government, rules regarding recruitment of officials, and a Code of Conduct for officers are the parts which compose the new Dustur. The administration of the Old Garrison towns has been handed over to the Civil Administration. The Nayak feudatories stand as strong allies to the Maharaja. The feudal system allows the Feudal lords to administer in the way they feel correct, the feudal lords usually sponsor the construction of religious and cultural architecture and promote local traditions. The feudal lords are supposed to collect revenue and submit it to the Wali (Governor) of the Subah (Province). The feudal lords are also to contribute forces to the State when called upon to do so based on the rankings. While the new formal feudal system had strengthened Shamsher Singh, it became a strong counterweight against the whims of his successors. With the reestablishment of Peace in the Dajla-Farat Region (Tigris-Euphrates Region), trade through this region increases. While Indian trading communities have existed in the Middle East and Ethiopia for centuries, many traders have begun travelling to states that lie beyond the Near West (the Levant), namely the Roman Empire, through overland trade routes and this has led to an influx of artifacts and products from that area and Indian traders have begun settling in the cities of the Roman Empire. The era of Shamsher Singh also marked the increased use of Persian as a state language, while Shamsher Singh and his state had shifted away markedly from those of his ancestors, he himself became fascinated by Persian culture somewhat due to the rise of the long-settled Persian nobility and Persian scholars of Punjab in the Government sphere. A significant Persian community exists in Punjab, the result of years of migration from the war-torn and unstable region of Persia.
  • Hindustani Diplomacy to Ayutthaya: Hindustan offers a Buddhist Waqf associated with the Mahabodhi Temple with the Ayutthayan envoy as the Waqif. 
  • Ayutthaya Dip: After hearing of this generous proposal, Rama Ramathibodi II has decided to accept the offer generous from Hindustan. 
• Roman Empire: With the Latin’s Capital, Corinth, in the hands of the empire, the reconquest of Greece can finally end. Athens is put to siege by the entire Imperial Army in Greece. The war does slow the economy, harming trade with Italy. The Roman Fleet goes on the offensive having heard news of the Venetian blockade of the Saronic Gulf. A full 200 ships, including 75 dedicated warships are used to trap the Venetian fleet and army within the gulf, the hope being that the Roman Fleet might destroy this portion of the Venetian fleet while it occupies such a tactically weak position. Additionally, news comes from our relatives in Montferrat of a hastily assembled army setting out for Cyprus. In an effort to spare the island from destruction, a fleet is assembled to intercept the army in transit. In total, 150 ships race south to engage the combined Sienese-Pisan force before it can reach Cyprus. Domestically, the Epidexiótita continues to grow in popularity among the elites and urbanites of the empire. Swordsmanship in the Epidexiótita style comes to be a central part of life and a requirement for up and coming young men. The humanist educational tenets of Epidexiótita cause even greater demand for printed materials, leading to a minor boom in private printers in and around major cities. The sport grows in popularity due in large part to the militarization of society that has accompanied the last 40 years.
  • [Algo, Please]: The overall force laying siege to Athens numbers 21,000 soldiers. These men, rather than risk assaulting the city employ great siege bombards to destroy the defenders from safety. Earthworks with cannons are built between the port of Piraeus and the city center to cut the Latins off from their Venetian allies as the city is fully enveloped in earthworks. No major assault occurs this year and men are rotated in and out to keep morale and health high.
  • [Naval Algo, Please]: The Battle of the Saronic Gulf should include 200 Roman ships against the Venetian navy which is attempting to blockade the gulf. The Roman Forces, under the command of Philip Doukas, will press the Venetians close to the coast, reducing their maneuvering capability and preventing them from getting their guns to bear on the longer Roman lines. Additionally, the adoption of more advanced elevation and ranging systems will give the Roman fleet the advantage in the initial long-range engagement.
  • [Naval Algo, Please]: The Battle off Karpathos should include 150 Roman ships, largely standardized, armed merchant vessels with modern equipment. The ships will attempt to intercept the transport convoy to Cyprus and sink as many troop carriers as possible.

• Georgia: 10,000 troops are sent to Greece to help the Byzantine cause. The main exports are raw silk and cotton cloth. The government monopoly on the sale of silk is enforced in Syria. Other centers of silk production are Cilicia, Gilan, and Mazandaran. Dyes are used (especially cochineal, and indigo - from India), to enhance the competitiveness of Georgian-made cloth in the textile market. The arts flourish. Most Georgian art - frescoes, mosaics, triptychs, and polyphonic singing - are religious in nature. However, secular art such as poetry, dance, and court pageantry also flourish. Persian arts such as embroidery, miniature, and ceramics also flourish. Alexander continues to head military reforms. He expands the artillery and arquebusier corps, and arms the latter with matchlocks. He constructs arsenals in the major cities of the empire.
• Iceland: The king hears of the Swedish revolt and decides to throw his support behind it by Declaring war on Denmark; our navy starts to make a blockade at Orkney and the Faroe Islands. Whilst our army tries to make a landing in Ringkobing. (Algo needed). We also request a Bruce lass for our heir Domnhall. We ask to be let once more into the CC and be a shareholder in the CCC. (Celtic response needed).
• Hanseatic League: The radically-changing skyline of Hamburg will always be dominated by the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. No matter how brick-rich the city gets, no matter how many opulent manors and ostentatious walls dominated by cannons the city constructed, the church would remain untested as the true face of Hamburg. Yet, the bustling construction around the city certainly caught the eye. Ironically, attempts at beatifying the city were making it very ugly. Scaffolding went up one spring, neighbors would expect the scaffolding to be down, three springs later it's now just a part of the building the eye doesn't even register. Scenes like this were happening all over the Hanseatic League. The wealthy parts of the cities were expanding, pushing the poor into their respective districts, if not past the city walls completely. In Lübeck, plans for the expansion of the Ratthaus are approved. The town hall is not one uniform architectural style, and the age in which the additions were built is always reflected in its architecture. Part of the roof in one wing is to be removed and that wing to be expanded upward, containing offices for the Aldermen. An adjacent building is also constructed, to be owned by the city itself but not attached to the town hall physically. Construction seems to be happening in all corners of the Hanseatic League. Roads across the legal cities are still being re-paved and the new kontors in Arles and Switzerland are now operational. The Switzerland Kontor is a rarity in that it is one of the only Kontors to be located on rivers rather than an ocean. This allows the League to project its trade further inland. Mainz is offered special privileges and banking rights in the Hansa, as its investments seem to be making both the Hansa and Mainz a lot of money. In addition, they are offered a civic alliance and membership as an associate state of the Hanseatic League (the OTL kind). In Rostock, a port is donated to the Imperial Navy, with many people employed under construction guilds being offered jobs to help renovate the fortress. The same thing is happening at Bremerhaven, which is seeing the renovation of the fortress there in preparation for this Imperial fleet. Hanseatic officers are expected to make up the bulk of this Imperial Navy's officer corp. To reflect what the Holy Roman Empire is doing with its army, the Hanseatic League intends to bring its military up to snuff. Currently, if the Hanseatic League wishes to engage a target, member states donate members of their militias or mercenaries are hired. Naturally, these are mercenaries approved by the Hanseatic League, making the mercenary corps of the Hanseatic League nationalized. The League does maintain an official military presence along its roads, typically to prevent crimes or peasant rebellions. Starting this year, the military contract is rewritten, making the offer of service more enticing. However, given how infrequently the League allows itself to be at war, this pay increase for the military does only so much to encourage people to join the Hanseatic armies. However, the news of the Indies becomes more exciting by the year, which results in the Hanseatic navy swelling. 15 ships arrive in the Caribbean to scout it out even further, giving German names to many of the islands and landmarks throughout the region. Sommer himself returns this year to check on the status of the wood fortress he built in Haiti and then the settlement he built on Dreieinigkeit. Weihnachten stands, yet it appears the wooden fort has been overrun. Sailors, determining which settlement was responsible for this massacre, armed an allied settlement and exterminated the offending settlement. The community of Heinrichshafen (Heinrich's Harbor) is established on Haiti. During the expedition to Dreieinigkeit, land is spotted to the south. The area is surveyed. This massive expanse of land (South America) is charted and mapped. It is, as of the end of this year, unnamed.
• Rossiya: Grand Kniaz Mikhail III gives consideration to the disgruntled Boyars and upon due consideration and partly influenced by the thoughts of his wife decides to build and expand not only The his Residential Palace but also to greatly expand the cities of  Novgorod and Tver as well alloting more land to the cities. In the case of Tver he also commissions the expansion of the Fortress to better deal with cannons and artillery overall. A request is made to Rome to hire Greek Architects, as many are already working in Kiev. Freeholder peasant communities continue to be promoted by the Grand Kniaz to resettle the Russian countryside, however, lots are also sold and granted to a new generation of lower nobles who are directly sworn to the Grand Kniaz. The lands of the Upper Don region and along the Volga are the main areas of settlement. Increasing raids into the Kazan frontier steadily grow in organization as Boyars, and freeholders organize into larger and more coordinated hosts. One such host of some 5,000 men carry out a large scale raid into Kazani lands while levies along the frontier are steadily built up and prepared positions are made using wagons and dugins with stakes as prepared positions for artillery and for russian arqubusers. (algo request). Russian arquebuses known as prischal are increasingly widespread.
• Duchy of Florence: We help Pope Telesphorus by sending troops out to take care of the heretics that are going around throughout the Italian states. Within our nation we imprison and kill all people that are heretics. Lorenzo makes Niccolò Machiavelli is second in command. Machiavelli shows repeatedly that he saw religion as man-made, and that the value of religion lies in its contribution to social order and the rules of morality must be dispensed with if security requires it. In The Prince, the Discourses, and in the Life of Castruccio Castracani, he describes "prophets", as he calls them, like Moses, Romulus, Cyrus the Great, and Theseus (he treated pagan and Christian patriarchs in the same way) as the greatest of new princes, the glorious and brutal founders of the most novel innovations in politics, and men whom Machiavelli assures us have always used a large amount of armed force and murder against their own people. He estimated that these sects last from 1,666 to 3,000 years each time, which, as pointed out by Leo Strauss, would mean that Christianity became due to start finishing about 150 years after Machiavelli.^[66] Machiavelli's concern with Christianity as a sect was that it makes men weak and inactive, delivering politics into the hands of cruel and wicked men without a fight. While fear of God can be replaced by fear of the prince, if there is a strong enough prince, Machiavelli felt that having a religion is in any case especially essential to keeping a republic in order. For Machiavelli, a truly great prince can never be conventionally religious himself, but he should make his people religious if he can. He was not the first person to ever explain religion in this way, but his description of religion was novel because of the way he integrated this into his general account of princes. Machiavelli's judgment that governments need religion for practical political reasons was widespread. This therefore represents a point of disagreement between himself and late modernity. Machiavelli felt that his early schooling along the lines of a traditional classical education was essentially useless for the purpose of understanding politics. Nevertheless, he advocated intensive study of the past, particularly regarding the founding of a city, which he felt was a key to understanding its later development. Moreover, he studied the way people lived and aimed to inform leaders how they should rule and even how they themselves should live. Machiavelli denies the classical opinion that living virtuously always leads to happiness. For example, Machiavelli viewed misery as "one of the vices that enables a prince to rule. Machiavelli stated that "it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved." In much of Machiavelli's work, he often states that the ruler must adopt unsavory policies for the sake of the continuance of his regime. A related and more controversial proposal often made is that he described how to do things in politics in a way which seemed neutral concerning who used the advice—tyrants or good rulers. That Machiavelli strove for realism is not doubted, but for four centuries scholars have debated how best to describe his morality. The Prince made the word Machiavellian a byword for deceit, despotism, and political manipulation. Leo Strauss declared himself inclined toward the traditional view that Machiavelli was self-consciously a "teacher of evil," since he counsels the princes to avoid the values of justice, mercy, temperance, wisdom, and love of their people in preference to the use of cruelty, violence, fear, and deception. Strauss takes up this opinion because he asserted that failure to accept the traditional opinion misses the "intrepidity of his thought" and "the graceful subtlety of his speech." Niccolò Machiavelli writes the books The Prince and Discourses on Livy. We slowly rebuild up our nation by paying people more money to remake old buildings that were destroyed. We build another five ships in our ports to increase our fleet. The economy slowly ticks upward each year. Unemployment decreases slowly with more works getting jobs as builders to fix the city up.
• Kingdom of Scotland: With the large scale success of the C.C.C, and the port city of Afanc now firmly established and growing, we decide to take the first step to majorly establish the C.C.C’s presence in Africa as a diplomatic power. Having already had some contact with a major African power, we decide to contact THE most powerful country in the region. In other words, an expedition is organized to Mali, to establish official diplomatic contact with the (to the Celts) near mythical Empire and open trade relations between them and the C.C.C, led by the Welsh Owain Ab Cadfell (MALI RESPONSE NEEDED). This year also marks a joyous occasion, as the marriage between Isabella of Habsburg and Prince Robert Bruce, heir to Scotland and Ireland, taking place in Rome itself, on the invitation of the Pope. This is also what gets the Scottish Templar’s directly involved in the war, with 1,000 of them offering their swords to the pope to enforce his will, with the full blessing of the Amerauder. In addition to this, back home, the request of Iceland is received, and gladly. However, we have to inform them there are currently no Bruce daughters left, as they have been married off. We tell them that we are happy to accept them back into the Celtic Confederacy, the C.C.C will have to hold a vote of its shareholders to let them in.
• Kingdom of Morocco: The governments Moroccans continue to support al-mansur and its rule in respectively he face up his regardless with the eye of the great Mansur The Moroccans continue to contribute with the governments the population growup some development are made, in some states determining some tribes are settling here and adopting Islam some areas is recovering pretty sure most of them is construct a port is being constructed in the Western territorial and the berber continue among organize to contributing and takes some positions well Mansur is taking some yet strategy and plan thus would rather that Morocco will do some SERIOUS effort that the Europeans would see regard with his view and plan in a honest way a law is establish for criminal and school to protect the population key continue to mondernize such many improvement this year they establish a principality of teutuan to gain islam and gain territorial limit for continue to support the religion of Allah itself some of river is being annexed in the central and establish tradepost for trans-African actively some weapons are being purchased and being improved in an agreement to continue to develop the Moroccan army and most of scholar continue being hired some people encourage berber and each nations to work in agricole so far thus Morocco will lead into a seriously movement and some of territorial is being builted christianity is rarely pratice some of christians coexist with the muslims and well continue contribute to work and together so far they modernizing and more stuff is added.
• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: Envoys are sent to the Kingdom of Bali once more offering Ayutthayan assistance against Majapahit's attempted expansion into their territory. (Mod Response). Ayutthaya local garrisons and fortifications along the Mekong River are placed on alert as a precaution should Ayutthaya's actions lead it into conflict with Dai Viet. Rama Ramathibodi II has demonstrated his ability to hold court and govern in the manner expected of him having managed to hold court peacefully for the most part. Khoja Hassan and Hang Nadim continue their training under the tutelage of Hang Jebat and Hang Tuah who have ended up residing in the city of Malacca for the time being due to Hang Tuah's job as Laksamana which requires him to maintain a presence near a key naval center. The efforts of the Conservative faction of the Ayutthayan court to remove the presence of Muslims from their ranks as nobles and officials has forced the court to use the Capital Defense Corps of Ayutthaya in a policing capacity to prevent them from openly striking at the Muslims. The actions of the Conservative faction are frowned upon by the majoirty of the court who view merit as a far more important than religion. Improvements upon the arquebus have resulted in the expandsion of the size of the arquebusiers in the Capital Defense Corps by 800 troops leaving its standing numbers at 2,000 men. The construction of wats continues but, at the insistence of Tun Perak, funds have been allocated to the construction of mosque in Muslim concentrated areas as well to satisfy members of both religion. The cultivation of undeveloped land continues under the direction of Tun Perak who has made it a priority. The protection of ongoing trade continues in light of the actions of Majapahit militarily with concerns made about the threat it poses to the flow of trade. Inspectors continue to travel the Kingdom to ensure that standards for training from villages are met. Sunan Kudus has devoted his focus to the development of foritications and garrisons on both sides of the Straits of Ayutthaya to better ensure that pirates are eliminated and to ensure that Ayutthayan control is absolute.
  • Bali accepts Siamese support.
• Nyazwe: Zvakane Mata Akashinga is elected by the Hamadzese. His first order is expanding the port at the newly named Tunga (OTL Maputo) and increasing mining to finance such a project. Roads are initiated in Lusvingo. While education is 'compulsory' a lack of literacy hold back the nation. The royal capital is encouraged as a place of learning with the finest Faraist scholars and philosophers. Mata ask people to join the school is Lusvingo and Manyikeni so we can help the youth move the nation forward. Mata is deeply intrested in the Mata faith and proposes the slow calming movements be added to keep on active, and grounded.
  • Nyazwe doesn't exist anymore. Check this out.  
• Kingdom of Portugal: Due to the brief war with France, the queen's 30 year jubilee was delayed until 1493. The jubilee was held all over Portugal and in her colonies as well, with famous people calling the queen an heir due to the new alliance with Spain. The work on de Gama's expedition continues steadily with the ships nearing completion. Gordes asks for permission to create a coat of arms for Gordes which the queen approves, the new coat of arms for Gordes is a mix of the Portuguese and the French flags. With the queen having ruled for more then 30 years, she gets the nickname the prosperous from the people.
• Papal States: News that the Florentine government is dealing with the heretics reach the Roman curia. However, Pope Telesphorus II decides to wait before dismissing the Crusaders, fearing that as soon as the army disbands, the heretics will return. With rumors that the writing of Machiavelli can be heresy, the pope sends a group of Inquisitors to Florence to investigate if he is involved in heresy. [MOD response for the success of the investigation, please]. If is proved that Machiavelli is a heretic, or he is punished by the Inquisition or the Crusaders will attack Florence. With the Neo-Adamites spreading across the Holy Roman Empire, the pope writes to the Inquisitors of the Empire asking them to double their efforts against the heretics. The pontiff also asks the help of the Emperor and German princes to inforce the Inquisition in their domains. [MOD and players response needed, please]. With Thuringia being the place from where the Neo-Adamites are spreading, Telesphorus II writes to the Duke saying that he must support the Inquisition against these heretics. [Thuringia response needed, please]. Pope Telesphorus II becomes outraged after hearing the confession of Thurn about the assassination attempt to the Lenzburg being encouraged by Hesse. The pontiff excommunicates the Landgrave of Hesse and announces that as punishment for attempting to kill a family under Papal protection, the Landgrave must come to Rome by foot and clothed as a beggar as penance for his sin [Hesse response needed, please]. Pope Telesphorus II celebrates the marriage of the Isabella of Habsburg and Prince Robert Bruce in the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory. The pontiff gives to the King of Scotland the Lordship of Ireland. Telesphorus II also crowns the Scottish king as Ameraundur of the Celts. The Della Rovere and Borgia Families continue with their rivalry. Fights between the supporters of each family become common. One day, Carlos of Habsburg and Augusto Della Rovere have a fight at a tavern with Juan Borgia and Orsino Orsini.
  • Republic of Ancona: The trade of the Republic continues to slowly recover due to the loss of ships during the last war.
  • The inquisitors fail to discover anything of note in regards to their investigation on Machiavelli. -Drenegan.
  • Many of the princes have already permitted the Inquisition into their domains. Those that are Hussite however, refuse to permit the Inquisiton into their lands and their are also a few Catholics who do not trust the intentions of the pope so they refuse. -Drenegan.
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di:" Calais and Bonen are Lotharingian, and so is trade in the English channel. As with the new peace trade that slowed down in the english channel once more begins to pick up the slack. This happening gradualy as some have to make money or ships first to be able to trade and send voyages. As it does take money to repair ships buy food, hire sailors and get the goods ready. Thus the size of the voyage begin small or are done by the ultra rich guilds, the higher value trade mostly being done by companies. One of these companies being the Rotterdamsche Handels Compagnie which is one of the main merchant companies in the Wool trade, the company mainly buying English and Welsh wool, Norse Fish and sometimes Icelandic whalefat. This fat being used as a form of waterproof coat on ships as without it ships will be more prone to leaking and less aquadynamic, this making it so the ship is slower. Slowing ship speed meaning the voyage will take longer and there has to be more food to acomidate it, making the voyages more expensive. Food Being the Most important for the "Koninglyke West Afrikaansche Compagnie" as there are regular voyages from Ports like Antwerp, Bruges and Kales to Samla, Dakar, Hoekbaai and Hendrico and Uurwald. Sebastiaan Beyaert son of Adriaen Beyeart the Governor of Hendrico, being taught the specifics of the Sailor and Merchant trade. Sebastiaan being trained to be an exlorer and Merchant of the world markets, Sebastian being born on Hendrico island even.

• Vinland: The population rises to 5,895. Trade flourishes between Vinland and the Mi'kmaq. Hjalfar dies this year in January and is succeeded by his son, Herleif. Herleif is proclaimed Chief of all Vinland and invested as lawspeaker. Raising eyebrows, he immediately orders for the revocation of anti-Christian laws and orders the Christian Shrine outside of Elufsker to be protected from vandalism. In his first year as chieftain, Herleif invites mystics and Christians from across the island to provide entertainment and services at his court. One mystic, an elderly man of near 90 years, tells him of the mystical lands to the east. He tells the chieftain of the land of the Angles, the land of the Celts, the land of the Danes, and the land of the Goths. He tells further stories of a great Christian shrine to Saint James south of the land of the Angles. It is a land known as Jacobsland. After hearing these stories, Herleif orders an expedition to the lands of the east, wanting to visit Angleland, Celtic lands, and the land of the Danes. He orders the longboat expeditions to travel along the northern coasts and petition Iceland to allow them to use their ports and havens. The longboats embark in May and carry several bands of Norse, Tvennufolk, Beothuk, and even some Christian travellers. (Icelandic response) (MOD Response).
  • Esgigeland and Unamaland: The commonwealth pushes deeper into Unamaland.
• Kingdom of France: The policies enacted by king William II continue, in which the nation is slowly rebuilt after the events of the previous war. As previously stated, the nation has taken on loans and has entered a poor state of finances. William II is still continuing to personally cut back on royal expenses by simplifying courtlife, and also sells some more of his personal properties. He cuts all unneeded spending, temporarily putting on hold major projects and other costly endeavors, and instead dedicating any surplus in the French treasury toward rebuilding and recovering. Although he had a brief wedding ceremony last year, and produced a play out of his own pocket, it should still not be misconstrued that he is spending lavishly, especially not with the treasury. The King of France has quite literally lived the most simple life of any French king before him, causing some to even fear he converted to a heresy, apparently. I mean last turn he literally spent most of the year on a homemade wooden boat. He’s giving away all his money yet some people still incorrectly think the opposite. Military spending and expansion is temporarily reduced and will remain so for some time. Like previously stated the nation is planning to slowly expand the military to 20,000; the King doesn’t know why someone would consider that “implausible”, considering it’s not happening immediately, but just a long term goal to eventually reach when the nation is recovered enough. Should William II make that more clear? He hears your concerns loud and clear, dear nobles, and writes that the army isn’t literally at 20,000 strong, just that he reduced the target the nation was trying to hit, to that amount, so that when they someday hit it, the army is smaller. He notes that some people are complaining that there are Italian dance masters in France. Ignoring the fact that they were invited to France prior to the war, William III isn’t exactly paying them with the French treasury, he’s just conversing with people who live in France from Italy. Seeing the need to protect France after it was just invaded by most of its neighbors, William II continues to seek out allies. Since he is not allowed to ally or marry the English or the German powers, he seeks out alternatives. He decides he might as well send an alliance proposal to Denmark, from the process of elimination. (Mod response needed). William also sends an alliance request to the Hansa, hoping that due to their mutual need to protect against nations like Lotharingia it will be allowed. (Hansa response needed). At this point William II is still unmarried and the dynasty seems close to dying out. Ah whatever, let it die out, says William while spending time with his mistress Michel, secretly, so not to be excommunicated for like the fourth time. With little else to do Sir Pierre makes another guess at the coin jar, and the king is so bored he makes one too. The king decides to take up gardening, and plants a tree, which hopefully is not too expensive. Also he continues fishing, and donates any caught fish to the needy, which hopefully doesn’t cause problems. At this point William II doesn’t fear hell, since he’s probably already there, he writes in his diary.
  • Denmark is willing to establish friendly relations with France but feels it is far too early to be making alliances with them. -Drenegan.
• Kingdom of England: In response to the popular revolts incited by the Beauforts and Courtenays in Lancashire and the southwest of England, Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester, acting as regent for the young King Edward VII, declares that the "peace in the nation" has been disrupted by the Beauforts and announces the resumption of war between the Yorkist and Lancastrian factions. Richard leads Yorkist troops to attack the city of Warwick, held by Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Warwick and 15th Earl of Devon, in order to once and for all assert his authority over the territories that had once belonged to Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, which had already partially passed to Richard of York via his marriage to Isabel Courtenay. The forces commanded by Richard include the battalions of Gloucestershire (via his position as Duke of Gloucester) and Herefordshire (via him acting as ward for his young nephew, Thomas of York, Earl of Hereford). The Lancastrian forces in the city of Warwick are outnumbered as the levy of Warwickshire is split between the factions, but they manage to hold out in the city's fortifications. As the Yorkist forces of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire besiege Warwick, John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, who had previously been quiet with regards to the tensions in England, announces his support for the Lancastrian faction and leads the military forces of Oxfordshire to try to relieve the siege of Warwick. The military situation in Warwick remains a stalemate at the end of 1493, with the siege continuing. While Godfrey Courtenay leads the Lancastrian defence of Warwick, Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset gathers forces in the southwest of England for a counterattack against Richard of York, with the support of Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire and Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, who both have marriage ties to the Beauforts. Henry Beaufort also writes to King Edmund of Wales, who had sided with the Beauforts in the previous Lancaster-York conflict, asking him if Wales can spare any troops to aid the Lancastrians against Richard of York, who he calls a vile murderer and also, given his aggressive foreign policy, a potential future threat against Wales. (Wales response). Some members of the English Parliament propose that England should aid the Swedish rebels in order to increase England's opportunities for maritime trade with Scandinavia as well as future benefit with colonisation; while generally getting a favourable response, the outbreak of conflict between the regent Richard and the Lancastrians causes the government's focus to shift and no intervention in Sweden takes place for the time being. Henrietta Beaufort and Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire have their first child, a son also named Edward (b. 1493). Catherine Beaufort (1428-1493), aunt of Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset and widow of Wenceslaus, Holy Roman Emperor, dies of natural causes. In Europe, Altisli "Sharparm" of Anjou-Lenzburg (1443-1493), brother of Co-King Lucas of Arles and a relative of the Plantagenets through the Lenzburgs, dies of an infection of a wound from the recent European war that Arles was involved in.
• Duchy of Thuringia: The Thin White Duke receives the letter from the Papal States, saying “ that he must support the Inquisition against these heretics”. ‘Why would I need to do that considering you unfairly labeled me a heretic myself and excommunicated me?’ he thinks to himself. He does not say this outloud, but it is known that the “heretics” are simply people protesting the illogical and straight up unchristian acts of the “Pope”, so the Thin White Duke finds it ironic that the Unholy Father is still trying to meddle in politics in Germany. That beast, which has turned the apostolic palace into a den of scum and villainy, where criminals are allowed to walk free and be supported, and where the Gregorian Chapel is a brothel. Shame upon the Defiler of Saint Peter, who continues to critique the Christians and “throw the first stone” despite having a den of sin under his own roof. In fact, until the “Pope” humbles himself and seeks reconciliation and atonement, it is in fact the “Pope” that is “excommunicated” and unholy. That thing, appearing in the form of a human, which feasts on innocent souls, he must give up the criminal known as L*nzburg (we dare not say his name), who is guilty of murder of the first and second degree. It is also sickening that the “Pope” and the Evil One have conspired to attempt to frame good knights like Sir Thurn. Anyway, the Thin White Duke finally replies to the Papal States, writing that “I’m doing everything I can to try to combat the heretics!”. He sends his letter, and then decides to go visit the Neo-Adamites again, taking off his clothes. The Thin White Duke later goes back into hiding, with no one able to find him, and his grandson Henry becomes the regent and is also a count within the Duchy, and he becomes an influential figure indeed. Henry is quite old and mature looking for his age, as he is very physically imposing and a charismatic leader. Wolfgang decides to go on another adventure after many years in the north, and sets out with his good friends Edmund Alwin, Bernard “Twice-Died”, Sir Julius, and Ottokar the Squire, and Wolfgang proudly is there when Ottokar is finally knighted fully. The group stops in Tirol and makes one last guess in the coin jar contest, before departing. A long adventure happens that is really interesting, but unfortunately the first person account of the epic journey was accidentally destroyed in the Riot of the Petitioners, but in conclusion it went like this: The gang was traveling in the depths of Switzerland when suddenly they were surrounded by armed guards. The evil noble Kilian from Chapter Four appeared, and delivered an evil villain monologue about how “you underestimated me” and how “you fell right into my trap.” He reveals that he made a secret alliance with Lenzburg long ago and they had been carefully planning their revenge for years. And then basically there is a big battle which I’m sure would have been interesting, but regardless Wolfgang has a moment of victory where he like saves Edmund Alwin’s life while looking toward the viewer, but then suddenly a sword pierces through his chest and everyone is like “oh no!”, and it totally catches the reader by surprise, because, like the main character just died in a big twist, and then like Edmund Alwin with his broken shoulder suddenly has the strength to pick up Wolfgang’s fallen sword, and he’s like duel wielding at this point and he’s fighting for his life and shouting, and he manages to kill Kilian, but then collapses himself since he’s out of breath, and he’s holding Wolfgang in his arms as he dies, and Wolfgang said something clever, probably something like, “not bad for the falconer.” Or no no, maybe, “you never got to try the cheese,” in reference to Chapter Five of the story. Anyway, sorry, I didn’t hear his last words. This is Bernard, by the way. I am not as good as a writer as Wolfgang but I’m trying to record our story. Anyway, Wolfgang died. The End(?)
• Saxony: The Duke of Saxony decides to support his cousin King Henry of Denmark in the War with Sweden. He cannot contribute much support, however, as he is still recovering from the Swiss-Bohemian War from a few years earlier. Edmund Alwin remains enthusiastic about naval exploration of the New World, but lacks funds, and his Duchy of Saxony is landlocked. Nevertheless, he converses with the Emperor Henry of Bohemia about it, saying that should the HRE ever attempt to colonize, Saxony would like to be part of it. He also talks with Hanseatic diplomats about possibly sending some Saxon noblemen over to the Indies on a Hanseatic voyage in the long-term future. Edmund Alwin then departs to go travelling with his friend Wolfgang of Thuringia. During this trip Wolfgang apparently dies after saving Edmund Alwin's life (see Thuringian turn). Shadrach de la Marck decides to try his luck at becoming the King of Switzerland in the competition, guessing 50,000 coins in the jar? (Bohemia Response?) Edward de la Marck and Maria Bonne of Wasaborg have a child: a son, named Peter Edward. Edmund Alwin de la Marck and Clementia of Thuringia have twin children - two sons, named Edmund and Alwin. Edmund Alwin the inherits the minor county of Lindow-Ruppin, tracing his ancestry from Agnes of Lindow-Ruppin, mother of Wenceslaus I of Saxe-Wittenberg. Shadrach de la Marck then decides to try the challenge of the Great Game - whoever can beat the Swiss football team in Ulster, Switzerland and discover their secret will gain a point and be one more step closer toward winning the King of Switzerland Contest. Shadrach de la Marck takes an unexpected approach to this: he travels to Ulster and challenges the team to a game of football. However, prior to this, he sends Saxon soldiers to brutally assault various players on the team, rendering them incapable of playing. This would usually result in a forfeit of the match by the Ulster team, but they valiantly accept the challenge. However, partway through the game, Saxon soldiers storm the field, disrupting the game and attacking the players. Shadrach's team denies they had any part in this, even though the result is that they manage to score the highest number of points. However, when the Ulster team complains to the referee (who was installed as referee by Shadrach following an accident that tragically befell the previous referee), who declares Shadrach's team the winner. Will Shadrach claim a point in the King of Switzerland Contest, or will he be disqualified for foul play? (Bohemia Response?)
  • Another team has attempted to simply attack the Swiss team. After the incident with the Iceland wrestlers, the Swiss town has invested in a large number of guards with the spoils of their victorious football team, so when the Saxons attempt to attack the footballers, they are all counterattacked and arrested before they can do much damage. Just like with the Icelanders, the referee disqualifies the Saxons and has Shadrach and his group arrested, and they are placed in jail along the Icelanders, who still rot in the dungeon.
  • Saxony: Edmund Alwin pays Shadrach's bail, and admonishes his cousin for his foolhardiness. Contrary to the rules of bail, Shadrach then immediately leaves town, journeying to Kontstanz, determined to solve the murders of 1479. Believing whoever committed the murders to be a professional, due to the various misleading clues left lying around the scene, Shadrach advertises discreetly for assassins in the town. However, when they turn up, and if they are of a certain age, he immediately has his guards arrest them, and they are then brutally interrogated to see whether they committed the murders all those years ago. After accumulating a number of assassins who have confessed under torture to committing the crimes, Shadrach is satisfied, and decides to present these people as the murderers the next year and perhaps gain a point if he is correct. 
• The Spanish Empire: Axel German continues to chronicle "Hesperia", a court document project cataloging and documenting court life within the Crown and decisions of guidance. His son Axel German II finds himself becoming friends with Alexander de Zayas. The two of them end up joining alongside Angel Perez who all are commissioned with the task of a grand voyage of a lifetime captained by no other than Prince Elvin "The Navigator". Captain Orlando de Figueroa, and several other close crewmates join along the funded voyage by the West African Co. who depart from A Coruna and head south to Palma where the Crew and their six vessels dock for one time before heading west. Elvin convinced Danielo to fund the voyage after telling him of the potential to find two routes to India seeing what the Alemania was capable of. In reality, it was to beat Vespucci to India as Elvin received no credit for rounding the Cape of Good Hope even though if not for him, the mission would have been likely much more difficult. Rivalry never hurt, anyhow. Victor Roman and Kevin Rodriguez end up falling in love with the Canarian Sisters Rosa and Leticia. They promise to them that on their return, they will offer something precious. The two weeks leading up to the voyage result in Elvin marrying the daughter of a noble, Marzia who she unknowingly becomes pregnant. Onward to the voyage the fine men go and at their departure, a small crowd sends them off. West they go, not knowing what they may exactly find but hopes in beating Vespucci, Elvin's new rival by reaching India. (MOD RESPONSE). Meanwhile, the economic recovery goes fairly well when it comes to the harvesting of wool from our prized sheep. The fact that trade had not been cut off and the battlefield had been isolated only strengthened this steady recovery further. At this point, all the dead from the war had been put to rest. It all comes down to trade and taxes to restabilizing the economy into one of fine health though after a review from the Department of Royal Banking, this may take much more time before the losses can be put behind the nation.
• Hesse: The ruler of Hesse is confused about the accusations that she was behind some kind of assassination, and she vehemently denies that (Note: She is legitimately unaware of the assassination as it was done by Hohenzollern, but the mod event linked it to Hesse mistakenly). In Hohenzollern, Frederick panics but hopes this will all blow over. Agnes of Hesse replies to the Pope saying, first of all, that she is in fact a woman, and also not a landgrave, so in general the Pope is very confused it seems. Agnes reports that she has quite literally been excommunicated for no reason, as she is innocent of any wrongdoing, and she privately wonders if the Pope is starting to go senile. Agnes also sends a letter to the Pope’s crony, the Archbishop of Mainz, stating to him as well that he is unfortunately mistaken and also ignorant to Agnes’ gender. The incompetence of the church turns Agnes curious toward the secret movements arising around her nation. She decides to break her decade-long isolation and proposes a betrothal to Jezrahiah of Nassau. (Bavaria/mod response needed). She also does research into the Thin White Duke’s predicament and the religious movement. Meanwhile, Frederick of Hohenzollern begins to panic, but hopes this will blow over as the assassination was blamed on Agnes.
• Kingdom of Bohemia: As news of the New World reaches Germany, many others are swept up in fascination. The Emperor finds the news curious, saying how back in his day they reached India the good old fashioned way, and that the kids have it too easy these days. Although, he wishes he had gotten a chance to see such a place, while reading the accounts of the supposed grandeur and paradise, but resigns to the fact that he’ll never get the chance. The Imperial Diet decides to commission the famous painter Hans Dürer to commemorate the anniversary of the Empire’s founding this year with a series of life-size paintings in the halls of the Reichstag of Frankfurt. On one such wall Henry VIII is depicted signing into law decrees during the height of the war with the Swiss, surrounded by all the most famous figures of the Empire. According to the account of the Emperor’s son Ottokar, Dürer eagerly said, “I present to you this great work for your delectation, and may I dare to hope ... your approval.” The Emperor sighed and put on a pair of spectacles, coming close to the canvas to inspect it. The paint version of him towered over him, and he was surrounded by the Thin White Duke back when he was a little less white and thin, and Diether von Isenburg in one corner, and Lorenzo de Medici in another. Jan V of Lotharingia and Kaspar von Roggendorf surrounded him, followed by Simon Burkhart and Johnann the Philosopher, and finally Wolfgang and his son Henry in the far back. There was a long pause as he looked it over. “All dead…” he muttered. “Sir?” “All dead, the whole lot of them. Except for me.” Dürer nodded. “Yes sir. Does the painting do you justice?” “I am informed that one of the greatest talents of a painter is being able to present a large space. The Italian masters such as Giotto, whose paintings I greatly admired when I was in Rome, were experts in this.“ The painter smiled. “But you are no Giotto.” He scoffed, “My lord, I do not claim to be a Giotto. I would remind you that Giotto never painted such a uniquely German experience.” The Emperor turned away from the scene. “As to the painting’s singularity I can offer no opinion, but I will say this. It is very bad history.” “The likenesses have been very carefully researched-” “No scene like you portray here ever took place. There was not one moment or one day when all the cabinet gathered to share such a moment.” “This is a matter of detail, my lord.” “May I remind you that we were already at war. Contrary to your tranquil scene, your subjects were scurrying in and out of Frankfurt all summer long. Affixing their signatures on whatever documents they could.” “You would not deny the artist a certain liberty…” “Do not let our posterity be diluted with fictions under the guise of poetical or graphical licenses. It is a very common notion in Italy that nothing is so false as modern Italian history. I would wager that nothing is worse than modern Italian history than modern German history.” He paused. “In plain German, I consider the true history ... as lost. Forever.” That would be the last time the Emperor looked over such a painting, as he hardly walked through that hall. He thanks the Hansa for their cooperation in helping to create the Imperial Navy system. The first ship of the navy, a small unarmed ship for diplomatic missions, is completed in Rostock, which the Emperor christens Simon, after his late friend Simon Burkhart. Toward the end of the year, the Emperor decides to take his ship out to the sea and he travels once more to Heligoland. He finds the town there bustling with construction, and the small vacation town seems to fade away like a passing memory. It reminds him of his old brother Jan, and how they used to play back before the responsibilities had arisen. Late one night the Emperor had begun to sail back. That night the rains began, and the seas grew rougher. “We had best go below, where it’s dry,” Jaanai said to him, but the old man only smiled, and said, “The rain feels good against my face. It feels like tears. Let me stay a while longer, I pray you. It has been a long time since last I wept.” If the Emperor meant to stay on deck, old and frail as he was, Jaanai had no choice but to do the same. He stayed beside the old man for nigh unto an hour, huddled in his cloak as a soft, steady rain soaked him to his skin. Henry hardly seemed to feel it. He sighed and closed his eyes, and Jaanai moved closer to him, to shield him from the worst of the wind. He heard the Emperor muttering. “I've ... seen things you wouldn't believe ... stars on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched my ancestors glitter in the dark near the gates of Konstanz. All those ... moments ... will be lost in time, like tears ... in ... rain.” Jaanai had hoped he would ask to be helped back inside soon. He must. But he never did, and finally thunder began to rumble in the distance, off to the east. “We have to get below,” Jaanai said, shivering. The Emperor did not reply. It was only then that Jaanai realized the old man had gone to sleep. “My lord,” he said, shaking him gently by one shoulder. “My lord, wake up.” Henry’s half-blind eyes came open. “Jan?” he said, as the rain streamed down his cheeks. “Jan, I dreamed that I was old.” Those would be his last words.
• Grand Duchy of All Bavaria: Pleased with the result of the war, Albert IV declares a holiday to celebrate the coalition's victory over the Swiss. the territory ceded to All Bavaria during the war is annexed back into Bavaria, uniting the Bavarian people. Albert IV continues his efforts to make the reunification of Bavaria as smooth as possible. The former Landshut household has been fully incorporated into the royal household in Munich, and is now primarily responsible for administering the Kingdom. With more administrative power at his disposal, Albert IV continues his tax reform. So far, rates have remained the same, but taxes are not directly collected by the royal household in some areas of the Empire. This makes the system more efficient and reduces fraud across all levels, raising royal revenues even after local nobles receive their share, though at this point the total effect on the Duchy's treasury is limited. As it stands, the new system is most entrenched in and around the cities of Munich and Regensburg, but as the system continues to grow, Albert IV continues its expansion to parts of the countryside, planning to put 50 percent of the Bavarian population under the new tax system by 1495. Worried about the economy after the war with Switzerland, Albert IV grants a temporary tax holiday to some workers, especially farmers in the areas most affected by the war, and to families with soldiers in the war. Tax collectors are instructed to grant this exemtion liberally, and tax revenues decrease slightly for the year, but agriculture and trade begins to stabilize. Albert IV continues to purchase cheap weapons for the Bavarian military, especially investing in firearms and cannons. However, in the long term, Albert IV hopes to offset the need to purchase foreign weapons by building them in Munich, and he continues his initiatives to fund and subsidize weapons manufacturers around the region. Hoping to make Munich central to European weapons production, he announce that any foreign manufacturers are eligible to receive subsidies if they move operations in Munich, though he puts a cap on how much money he will hand out, and conditions this on them selling their weapons first to Bavarians. Right now, the Duchy has a standing army of roughly 8,000, with the potential to raise a total of 60,000 if needed. The treasury also sets aside funding to pay mercenaries, should they ever be needed. Trade continues to grow, especially with Poland-Lithuania, and Albert IV starts to use his small standing army to patrol the highways of Bavaria to keep them safe for merchants, offering merchants from any nation access to Bavaria's safe roads in exchange for a small fee, though the fee is waived for the Duke's close allies.
  • Principality of Nassau: After his Marriage to Agnes, Albert IV assumes status as regent of the Principality. He begins to implement the Bavarian tax system in Nassau.

• Dai Viet: On the 16th of March, we reaffirm rules regarding the attendance of mandarins to the court. Mandarins who have been working for longer time or hold higher positions shall stand in front of those who have been working for shorter times or are at lower positions. The Quang Van commune temple has finished being built. Due to the long borderline of the sea, fishing in Dai Viet has been increasing, as the fishermen weigh yields of fish from the East Sea, as well as diving down the sea to search for valuable products like coral, pearls, etc. Those are brought for commerce purposes in markets like Hoi An. Hoi An itself received valuable products from the southern islands of Majapahit which stimulates the Vietnamese merchants an interest in that region. Due to the abundance of seafood, the production of fish sauce is also increased as they are not only used for the Vietnamese people but are also sold in markets for foreign people too. Concerns in the Majapahit region are raised due to them being a good trading partner but have recently expressed militarial activities in the region as the Emperor fears it will distrupt the flow of trade. Dai Viet control over Bangka and Belitung are more tightened as the Dai Viet army stationed there happens to maintain security and suggest forgein merchants to direct to mainland Dai Viet after their businesses in the islands. The Emperor is still hearing the situation of his daughter and the Majapahit court through words and letters from his daughter, to give Thang Long general infomation about what's going on in Majapahit. The army and navy continues to be tasked with maintaining security and cautious about potential threats or orders.

1494

Emperor Henry VIII has died, whose reign is remembered as among the most dynamic and successful emperors of his era. Chronicles testify that, in the wake of his political reforms and military victories, all the princes of the empire pay homage to the mighty House of Premyslid. The Imperial Electors (players Mainz, Bavaria, Bremen, Bohemia, and Saxony) assemble at Aachen to elect the new King of Germany. At home, however, the nobles of Brandenburg demand a gavelkind succession upon the death of Henry, so they can return to independent rule.

Amerigo Vespucci manages to chart out the entire East African coast, as far as the Empire of Ethiopia. In the west, the Spanish explorers Roman and Rodriguez first arrives at the islands known OTL as the Bahamas, before landing at the northern coast of Cuba. However, at home the natives of Terenfe in the Canary Islands stages a revolt against the Spanish influence, which had been exceedingly light up to this point. This revolt has a total of 3,300 supporters.

In Portugal, João Fernandes Lavrador proposes that their nation should also make sure to not fall behind the voyages capitalizing on the westward route to Asia. He asks for funding of his own expedition to exploe the New Islands, and chart a northern way around them to reach China.

The first hurricane recorded by Europeans appears, devastating the settlements of the Hanseatic League in the West Indies.

The light taxes for nobility and clergy from the tax system has forced the third estate, the commoners, to shoulder the burden of taxes to pay for the economic recovery of France. To make up for inadequacies financially, the Crown has taken massive loans from a variety of banks in Italy and from the Hanseatic League leaving them in heavy debt to foreign banks. The people have begun to rise up in riots to protest the injustice they face and to to demand the Crown do something to alleviate the famine they face due to the manpower shortage caused by the last war.

Due to the actions of the Thin White Duke who has run off to join the neo-Adamites, they have managed to run rampant across Thuringia and have spilt into nearby territories prompting nearby states to send for aid from the Emperor.

In Florence, the inquisition of Duke Lorenzo and Pope Telesphorus succeeds at slaughtering over 1,000 heretics. The Friar Federico Guerrero gains further popularity for his charisma and prophetic claims, becoming a symbol of hope among the desparate and poor across the city outside the control of the merchant guilds.

The Swedish revolt starts to turn badly for King Henry of Denmark, who calls on support from his German benefactors to be directly involved in the conflict, namely Saxony and the Hanseatic League. In light of the recent diplomacy from France, King Henry also reaches out to ask for his help in the conflict, after which he may owe King William a favor.

Further west, Iceland is expulsed from the Faroe Islands by Danish reinforcements, who proceed to open a second front to bring the conflict to the Icelandic Kingdom directly. The lost colony of Vineland succeeds at contacting some embassies of Iceland along the coasts of Baffin island, but for the most part Iceland has pulled back from the west in order to focus on the current conflict.

The increasing arrival of Greeks to the central Anatolian area forces many turks off their land due to harassment and potentially even illegal land seizures which are creatively ignored by local administrators. Some of the Turkish groups begin to band together to try to prevent further issues with this, although currently remain non-violent with their proceedings.

Some resemblance of peace has returned to the Middle East and East Africa after the end of the Manlukes, and as such, prices of Asian and African trade through the West African route has become more expensive then those directly aquired from the Egyptian-Abasynian route for those in the Mediteranian.

Leonardo da Vinci draws the first known draft of the helicopter. It, in fact, does not helicopt.

The Tarascan Empire sacks the city of Mitla.

Melozza di Forli paints a mural on the Nine Muses. Hans Memling publishes his painting on The Last Judgment in Brussles.

Friar John Cor records the first known batch of Scotch whisky, which is mostly sold to the angry people of Scotland to help blow off steam in these troubling times.

• Thuringia: Angered that his grandson decided to run for Emperor against his wishes, the Thin White Duke endorses Edmund Alwin for Emperor. The Thin White Duke states that if you want a "normal" candidate vote for Henry, but if you side with Edmund Alwin and the Thin White Duke, he can show you a world of intense carnal pleasure, that the church might consider, unnatural ... Duchy of Thuringia: Henry IX becomes the next Holy Roman Emperor and is to be crowned by the Archbishop of Mainz in the city of Aachen, if he accepts the honor. (Mainz response). Henry IX does not share the same sympathies for heresy that his grandfather, the Thin white Duke, allegedly has, and so he tells the Archbishop of Mainz to stand down, as military attacks on the government will not be necessary. Instead Henry IX allows inquisitors into the nation, although he states to them they are not allowed to kill anyone, as Henry IX is not a supporter of violence of war, especially after his father was slain by such a needless act of violence. The “revolution” thus far is relatively non-violent, owing to the fact that the Neo-Adamites are by design mostly pacifists, who are instead interested in free love and nature, although there is a smaller, more militant sect that is supposedly “anarchists” who seek to depose the government. Henry IX attempts to negotiate a peace, inviting hundreds of inquisitors and Catholic leaders to a meeting in a church with some of the heretics, but the roof suddenly caves in killing all inside. It was discovered that one of the lead inquisitors had done the deed to assassinate the heretic leaders, causing many to become angered at the inquisition and hate their presence in the country. (Although 30 years later new evidence would eventually surface that brought up the idea it might have been a false flag attack.) Elsewhere the Thin White Duke remains in hiding and in exile, growing resentful toward his grandson. The absence of the Thin White Duke starts to show cracks in the House of Jenagotha, as his unwavering presence, and his devotion to all members of his family, allowed the house to coexist in the capital freely. Henry IX tries to balance this by appeasing the Duke. He orders the upgrade of fortifications in Erfurt: the key crossing across the Elbe is guarded by twin towers on either bank, with a fortified bridge, and the Emperor grants the Thin White Duke the rare privilege of operating a toll bridge and a river toll at the fortress. The Thin White Duke becomes named the Lord of the Crossing and the ruler of “The Twins”. Many factions within the family emerge, with some questioning if Henry IX means to make himself the ruler of Thuringia fully.
  • Mainz: If the Pope grants him permission, then Adelbert is willing to perform the coronation on behalf of the Pope, as the Primate of Germany. He cannot agree to stand down the military, however, until he has proof that the "radical" elements of the neo-adamites have been suppressed, though he guarantees that nobody except anarchists convicted in a fair court (run by the Imperial Ministry of Justice) will die. He hopes that Henry will agree to this, and to support the Army of the HRE in arresting the Thin White Duke, who must be tried for his crime of heresy in an ecclesiastical court. The former ruler of Thuringia has too much influence to be allowed to roam free.
  • Imperial Response to Mainz: The Emperor decides against traveling to Mainz, instead asking the Archbishop of Cologne to crown him instead.
• Saxony: Edmund Alwin thanks the Thin White Duke admiringly for his support in the Imperial Election. He then travels to Hesse, where he meets personally with Agnes of Hesse (or her representatives) assuring her that he has her best interests at heart, and will allow her to marry Jezrahiah of Nassau when he's Emperor. He will help track down Alexander Suslin for her, and will make a stand against the senile old Pope who attempted to excommunicate with her and incorrectly assumed her gender. He then travels to the prince-bishop-electors, such as the Archbishop of Mainz. He tells them that he has many interesting new ideas regarding the Empire: he plans to continue Emperor Henry of Bohemia's magnificent reforms of the military and the state. He will moderate any apparent heresy that has crept into the Empire, and if the prince-bishops are concerned about the Thin White Duke and the neo-adamites, Edmund Alwin privately promises not to let them get out control (at least not for now, he thinks). To all the other electors, including the Duke of Bavaria, Edmund Alwin promises a time of peace, prosperity, and enlightenment that is sure to come with his election at the turn of the 16th century, and also promises to award any who vote for him with lands and titles for their unwavering loyalty to his cause. Edmund Alwin's father was Wenceslaus, whose reign as Emperor was cruelly cut short, but Edmund Alwin refrained from standing until after the death of Henry of Bohemia and his older brother, Engelbert. However, after careful consideration and analysis of the situation, Edmund Alwin suspends his campaign. He decides the odds are too great, with Henry von Jenagthoa already having won five votes. In addition, he also offers to betroth his daughter Clementia de la Marck to the young Prince Amadeus of Portugal. (Portugese Response). Meanwhile, Shadrach de la Marck continues to take part in the King of Switzerland Competition/Contest. He presents the 17 professional assassins he captured last year in Konstanz who all confessed under torture to committing the murders of 1479, to the moderators of the Contest (or Competition), hoping to gain a point. (Bohemia Response?) He then decides that next, he will track down Alexander Suslin to complete the next task. Initially he formulates a daring plan to abduct Agnes of Hesse and force her to marry him, and then become Landgrave of Hesse and decree that everyone with hair shall be killed (Suslin has hair), but his cousin Edmund Alwin stops him from doing this, fearing it will hurt his election campaign. Shadrach therefore decides to try his luck at finding the lost shoes of St. Germanus. He sends his trusty valet Alsham to do research in the University of Basel on the location and whereabouts of the shoes. Meanwhile, hearing a rumour a large number of contestants have travelled to Luxueil Abbey in Burgundy, he decides to go there himself to see what he can find. (Bohemia Response). Hoping to honour the memory of Emperor Henry "the Great" VIII of Bohemia, he asks the other nobles and princes of the Empire to contribute funds to a project consisting of building the largest statue in Germany, of Henry, in his honour and in his memory (Bohemia, Hesse, Thuringia, Mainz, Bavari Response, etc.). Edmund Alwin continues to send as many troops as he possibly can spare to his cousin King Henry of Denmark for the War against the accursed Swedish peoples. Although technically Henry von Jenagotha has won over the majority of the electors already, Edmund Alwin offers to vote for him and stand by him in exchange for the Principality of Querfurt and the County of Wernigerode (Thuringia Response). Edmund Alwin has another son, this year, this time named Henry after the late Emperor of Bohemia.
  • Mainz: The Electorate of Mainz Makes a donation, though not a great one, as our finances are still recovering. Adelbert greatly misses the late Emperor Henry, whom he loved and respected as a comrade.
  • After talking with Bohemia: It turns out the tasks Shadrach de la Marck is attempting to complete have already been completed. His valiant effort does not go in vain, though, as he is rewarded with a large sum of money after turning in the wanted criminals, and allowed to go free from bail and jail. He uses this money to hire for himself a large number of mercenaries, the size of a small army. How he intends to make use of them is unclear, but it worries his cousin Edmund Alwin.
  • Grand Duchy of All Bavaria: Albert makes a modest donation toward the statue project, and also orders a special mass held in honor of Henry.
• Emirate of Jabal Asada: The emir has returned from his holy pilgrimage, his four-year stay in Mecca let him see the chaos that have opened his mind, the stabilization of his emirate is needed, as now he would hire more tax counters and writers and scholars to count our population, after calculations of the total sum, the population is estimated to be over 801,340 with some people die and new born comes to live, our general Abu Bakr will be rewarded with a rank to lead our army as a chief-of-staff, he would lead an army of 5,000 men that will be taught how to use the new Malian cavalry that was gifted by our respected and friendly Mansa, we would declare the standing army of 5,000 cavalry, the recently recruited levies of 5,000 are now a strong standing army, finest armor are given to them, with lancers and sowrds, the Malian support of 3,000 men will be put in a good use, the 400 artillery men crew of 20 Celtic seige cannons will be used well, we shall manage go recruit 10,000 men from the expert ivory hunters to serve our army temporarily, as now a total army of 18,400 men is in our command, the emir will give the word for his trusted and respected general Abu Bakr to start the invasion lf the infidele Futta Jalon, our cavalry maneuvers the enemy army by attacking their flanks to cause a disorder in their army, our infantry and Malian infantry will attack the front to get them busy with the infantry so our cavalry will strike at the ranks and defeat them, as will as seige cannons be used to destroy their mud made fortresses as our archers will lunch their bone elephant tipped arrows toward the Garrisoned soldiers in their forts, we target the capitulation of their most important forts and cities and starve thep out in the harsh savana.
  • And after the marriage with Aicha, to provide a successor to the emir, Aicha will have a baby named Ayoub II, he would be beloved in his first year to live, as the emir is 31 years old, he would provide his love as a regular beloved father rather  than an aggressive expansionist emir, he will treat his wife as best as he could, he would assign 2,000 servants for her, as well as a lot of gifts will be given to her.
  • We will keep maintaining our trade with the Dutch and the Celtics in Banana Islands and Hokebaai, as the Banana islands shipyard is built we build a port called Edha port as a forced labor of 10,000 workers will be held for the job, the port will be called Ehda port, as our trade is growing, no ships will be made. 
• Hindustan: Having consolidated control over his Empire, Shamsher Singh started looking beyond his border seeking to conquer new realms and he set his sights on the remaining States to the South, namely the Kingdom of the Cheras and the severely Kingdom of the Pandyas. Two forces are organised under General Narendra ud-Daula and General Sikander Bakht. General Sikander Bakht commands a force of six tumen of Imperial Cavalry and four tumen of Feudal Levies (Infantry armed with Arquebuses) supported by several smaller cannons and eight Large Bombards, this force is tasked with the mission to capture the remains of the Kingdom of the Pandyas. The force of General Narendra ud-Daula consists of three tumen of Imperial Cavalry and two tumen of Imperial Infantry (armed with better Arquebuses) will invade the Kingdom of the Cheras through the North. (ALGO REQUIRED.) Trade with Oman and Japan has increased significantly in the past few years and now Indian merchants regularly travel to East African cities such as Mombasa and Malindi and to East Asian cities as far as Kyoto to conduct regular trade. The Coptic community of the Indian Western Coast has grown manifold and now constitutes ~3,000 people concentrated in the trading cities, most of them being traders from Ethiopia and some of them being local converts. Following his promotion and acceptance of the idea of the Divine King, Shamsher Singh seeks to construct a Throne fit for his title. He is presented with samples of Jade and Ivory from Japan. Greatly impressed he orders the construction of an Ivory throne studded with Gold & Ebony from Africa. The Qila Mubarak in Tabarhinda, the capital of the Punjab Subah is expanded. A large cannon workshop is constructed at Tabarhinda. The organisation of the Government in Delhi and at the Subah level underwent a reorganisation. The Departments of the government had remained unchanged since the time of the Great Khilji Sultans, more than a century ago. The departments were reorganised. The Bayt-ul-Mal (House of Money) became the most important Government Department headed by the Wazir (Chief Minister) who was also the second most powerful and important man in the Chalisa. The Bayt-ul-Mal also consisted of other high ranking government officials such as the Mushrif-i-Mamalik (Accountant General) and the Mustaufi-i-Mamalik (Auditor General). The Bayt-ul-Mal was responsible for acting as the Treasury, for the collection of revenue and for the distribution of Zakat between the Waqf organisations. The heads of the other Departments came to be called Mantri/s (Ministers). The other Departments were the Department of the Military, the Department of the State Law, the Department of Religious Affairs, the Department of Intelligence, the Department of Foreign Correspondence, the Department of Government Works and a newly established Department of Personnel. The Department of Agriculture was abolished. The Department of Religious Affairs was reduced severely in terms of power having previously been responsible for collection of Zakat and its distribution. The Department of Religious Affairs is now mainly responsible for sponsoring the Ekeeshwar movement and supporting pious men.  
• Mali Empire: Humanist Yunni philosophy continues to become more significant in the Mali Empire and the University of Timbuktu. The Mansa Mustafa commissions Abd Al-Rahman Maoro to create a new history of the Mali Empire. Maoro's chronicle differs significantly from previous generations of epic hagiographies known to the 14th and early 15th centuries. Rather than perpetuating the same epic traditions and "treasured myths" of Mali, Maoro gave a more critical analysis of the empire's history, discarding information he felt was unsubstantiated or fantastic. The Mansa himself creates an official court at the imperial palace consisting of a panel of eminent philosophers, known as the Council of Appeals. The Mansa continues from here to make more extensive reforms to the administration of the empire, augmenting the feudal society with a stronger bureaucracy of governors known as Farins. Originally, this system was largely used only in the direct territory of the Emperor, but now Mustafa begins to extend this to replace unincorporated tribal regions and lower ranked vassals. Atlantic trade continues further, as the merchant fleet of Mali has established its own regular port on the Gorgades Islands, adjacent to the Kontor established by the Hanseatic League. Ships from these islands push farther out into the Atlantic Ocean, taking advantage of the trade routes being utilized by the Portuguese and Spanish at this point. As promised, the Emirate of Jabal Asada is given 5,000 horses and 3,000 infantry during their war against the Kafir in Futa Jallon, led by the commander Khalid Musa. The Welsh explorer Owain ab Cadfel is invited to a local imperial court in Waalo to meet with the Mansa. This succeeds to establish permanent diplomatic relations and finalize their mutual trade deal. Specifically, Mustafa offers to sell the Celts exclusive deals on ivory and salt in exchange for the more advanced cannons of the British Isles.
  • Kingdom of Zayiyr: Muhammad Mamadou completes his reports on the African culture and society, which is now an invaluable piece of literature for the Mande perception of Kongolese people. The original manuscripts of this report are held in the Royal Museum of Timbuktu to this day. Yakub continues to integrate the society in the institutions borrowed from the Empire, but it's clear that a general social hierarchy had been formed: Administrative elites of Zayiyr are dominated by the Mande people, with farmlands and artisans taken up by Fulani immigrants, and finally the Kongolese are reduced to the peasent class. This system further facilitated the slave trade, which profits tremendously from the influence of Spain and Portugal in the region. Yakub sends a new expedition of 4,500 troops and 700 cavalry with two cannons to attempt at subjugating the coastal southern kingdom, or at least annexing some territory. Three ships are used to facilitate logistics along the coast for continuing this conquest. (Algo requested).

• Rossiya: The young Prince Dimitri now 13 begins his formal education in state craft being taught geography, economics, German, horsemenship, history, with a special focus on military history. With the successful raid into Kazan territory a more organized offesive is planned with Mikhail III raising the Tver levies with some 15,000 troops.  An effort by the Grand Kniaz is also made to contract a few of the Cossacks in the region to assist with the conquest of the Kazani Khanate. (Mod response required).
  • You get 6,000 cossacks.
• Kingdom of Mutapa: Mata hears of great land to the West of Tunga boosting great land. 200 initial settlers are sent to the highveld. Most of them moderately skilled. A scout force is set up of 500 men. Four of the ten groups of 50 are sent south past the Velds, and ordered to start away from the Kalahari. For this new great land MAta orders horses and cattle from India to bring more diversity to his supplies. Mata learns of Yoga from a few indian merchants in the capitol and realizes the movement he seeks in Fara could be based off Yoga. Mata ask the indian merchants to bring him back a philosopher and many scripts. New metal working techniques are learned to strengthen the craftsmanship in the nation. Faraist teachers are sent to live with the frontier tribes to educate and bring them into the fold. Mata also beings to use Indian dress. Faraist open a libaray in Lusvingo with many of their best works, if not all of them. Mata also takes a slight interest in the natural world a funds a book to describe most animals and planet life in the Kingdom. The first part would be animals in and around the capital domesticated or not.
• Kingdom of Morocco: Ahmad is educating his army to develop, and read protections they complete their stuff and succesfully establish some serious stuff trade are continue to be positives and well and bit some improvement some territory are controlled by Mansur and its own Moroccans more office is establish in the desert and run by the goverments Moroccans Ahmad continue to be an important guy across the kingdom in the beyond of the desertic lands and water they boost more lands and sent in the south they establish cities and bring to purchase a tradepost for activety with Africans and such tribes a libraby is open the agricole continue to be developed and continue to modernizing Morocco ahmad also order to sent soldier to construct more territorial and being controlled so far thus some new expeditions of 1,000 troopers is made to annex some territorial across in Morocco and establish province to gain more population christians are still working and postivetly together with the muslims more bring relation is up which is good indeed across the territory they establish base and some ship for the port to gain merchants and trade Ahmad continue to expand his nation' beyond the eye of him the cities being to encourage people to work and being taught economy such like the other system of Rabat and Casablanca and its province states new stuff is being working for the military to upgrade it and making new technique in train, so far Morocco is doing well which is good! the goverments moroccans sieze the territory and settle here to gain intereset with other nation they sent some mens to educate tribes and agree to work and developing and helps those thus with had a good focus from the Moroccans Nation itself.
• Kingdom of Portugal: With most of the gmas expedition finished and ready to go next year, he begins to look for the best crew an exploration misson has ever seen. The queen funds Joao Lavrador and he and his expedition sets sail for new lands. (mod response needed). The queen sends an envoy to Thuringia to discuss a marriage between John and Constance. (THURINGIAN RESPONSE NEEDED). With the marriage accepted, the crown prince marries Constance in a ceromony in Porto, where many of the nobles attend seing the future king getting married. The queen visits the tomb of her old Friend Amalia where she plants a flower to remember her old friend. King Consort Amadeus begins to develop a nasty cough and his health steadily declines.
  • Thuringia: The offer is accepted.
• Archbishopric of Mainz: Seeing that the Thin White Duke has clearly gone insane, given his recent ranting, and now public support of the Neo-Adamite heresey and rejection of Christendom, Archchancellor Cardinal Adelbert of Saxony feels that he no longer has a choice, but to take violent action. He in the absence of an Emperor he declares, as Archchancellor, that the High Stewart is hereby stripped of his title and office. At his command, the Army of the Holy Roman Empire is mobilized by Grand Marshal Hanns von Wulfestorff, to march on Thuringia, depose the Duke from power, and eradicate the heretics by any means nessessary. The Archchancellor calls on all the nations of the Holy Roman Empire to join him in ending the chaos and restoring order and peace to the Empire, and harmony between the nations of Christendom (Bohemia, Hanseatic League, Saxony, Bavaria, and Hesse Response). He calls apon the Pope to send the forces he has amassed north to support this Holy War, and to call on all true Christian nations to send support to the Holy Roman Empire in reuniting Thuringia with the church. (Papal Response). He casts his vote for Henry von Jenagotha, and guarantees his patrimony as Duke of Thuringia if he supports crushing the Neo-Adamites. Adelbert continues to support the Assembly of Preachers. He continues his policies to raise education in his Diocese. He continues the patronizing of printing releases from the Pontifical Roman Press, and other great works for the Library of Mainz, and the University of Darmstadt. The Archchancellor sends a contrite letter to Agnes of Hesse, apologizing for the false intelligence he was clearly receiving, and promising to investigate more carefully the source of the assassination and to see to it that she suffers no further grievences from the Church. He also sends a golden crucifix necklace, as a form of apology for his hasty accusation. Von Roggendorf continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high, and to invest in foreign trade. The Emperor’s naval reforms and expansions continue to slowly roll forward. The Archchancellor decides to show his gratitude to the Hanseatic League by adding to the plans the creation of an official naval academy, based in Rostock. Mainz accepts special privileges and banking rights, as well as a civic alliance from the Hanseatic League. He also accepts with gratitude the port facilities they have donated. Construction continues on new port city called Heinrichshaven. Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and also patronizes the Emperor’s initiative to establish an arms industry in Prague, following the same incentive program as Bavaria.
  • Saxony: Edmund Alwin urges Mainz not to attack the Thin White Duke of Thuringia, as he is high Steward and therefore effectively Acting Emperor, and thus such an attack would be considered treason. The Thin White Duke, Edmund Alwin believes, is unconnected to the various heretical activities that have infected Germany. He hopes there will be a peaceful resolution to this conflict, and encourages other electors to feel the same way, get on with the election, and worry about minor religious disputes later.
  • Mainz: The Archchancellor is the highest office of the Empire, and the Thin White Duke is an excommunicant, and has no right to the title of High Stewert, so the office is vacant. Further, the Cardinal has ample proof of the Duke's involvement in the heresy, collected over the last two years by the Archbishop of Cologne, who is the Minister of Justice. This religious dispute has become far from minor, if it ever was, advocating the abolition of the sacred mother church. Under the circumstances, it is his duty, as Archchancellor and as Primate of Germany, to oppose heresy and maintain Christendom and the integrity of the Empire by seizing temporary power. He is certain the Pope will support him fully.
  • Imperial Response to Mainz: The Emperor informs the Archbishop that he is no longer the Archchancellor, and that his actions to use military force against the government or the Emperor's own family is not acceptable. The Emperor announces that if Mainz does not immediately stand down, he will have choice but to view the Archbishop's actions as a coup attempt to usurp the government, and an attack on the Empire.
  • Saxony: Saxon officials travel to Mainz to try to negotiate the situation, while others travel to Thuringia, and some even to Bohemia. They point out that the Archbishop supports the Emperor and just voted for him, and also that the Thin White Duke is in no way directly connected to the neo-Adamites.
• Duchy of Florence: Maddalena de' Medici marries Mansa Mustafa II Keita of Mali this year. Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici dies this year to the flu this year in his sleep. Federico Guerrero quickly spreads his ideological ideas about religion becoming a symbol of hope among the desperate and poor people through out our nation. He also travels to other Italian states spreading his books among the lower classes of people in the cities. He is gaining a big following with some of the merchant guilds in the Italian states across the southern part of the HRE. We continue to massively trade with other nations to help our economy increase in growth slowly each year. We fund Leonardo da Vinci massive amounts of money to help him try to make his inventions that he is drawing up. (Mod Response). Our military invents the wheel lock, it generates a spark mechanically. With no wick to keep lit, the wheel lock is easier to use, and more reliable than the matchlock. However, wheel locks are expensive to produce. Matchlocks, at half the cost, remain in common use.

• • Da Vinci is interested but is concerned of the stability of Florence right now.
  • You can't invent the wheelock.

• Hesse: Agnes of Hesse, although making strides to get over her paranoia by venturing outside for the first time, is still to afraid to leave the safety of Hesse, so she sends her good friend and Imperial Knight, Jan Jakob, to cast her vote in the election. For the vote of Hohenzollern, Frederick travels to the vote as well, and hopefully can make sure no one suspects him of assassination attempts. Hoping that Henry the Heir will confirm that Hesse is a duchy and that Agnes is a woman, she instructs the Hessian delegation to vote for him. Jan Jakob is also instructed to interview the religious dissenters and bring some back with him, for proper examination, as Agnes wants to hear both sides of the story after the Pope demonstrated his lagging cognitive skills. Agnes also arranges to marry Jezrahiah if the new Emperor allows it. 
• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: An expedition of 4,000 men from the Capital Defense Corps has been organized to travel to the Bali Islands to assist in its defense against Majapahit invasion forces. (Algo Needed). The garrisons and fortifications along the Mekong remain on alert as a precaution but otherwise remain idle in order to prevent any actions that might offend the Vietnamese or Laos troops on the other side of the river. The ongoing efforts of the Conservative faction to stir unrest in the capital against the Muslims continues to be a nuisance with Khoja Hassan having been recalled to the capital to oversee the Capital Defense Corps garrison in the city. Officials trusted by Tun Perak have been given the assignment of launching an investigation into the Conservative faction to determine who is disturbing the peace within the capital. The investigation leads to a few of the culprits being identified but Tun Perak refrains from acting immediately in order to lure out the remaining conspirators while gathering evidence. Infrastructure development continues in regards to land cultivation and maintenance allowing for larger stretches of land to be exploited. Military vessels continues accompanying ships from the Commerce Guild considering Ayutthaya's war footing against Bali to protect the trade conducted by the guild taking care to avoid Majapahit waters and only using friendly ports in Demak, Blambangan, Jambi, and Brunei. 

• Empire of Japan: The Empire under Suiko continues to thrive culturally and economically. Coincidentally presiding over the Economy her Grandfather built up following the recession of the Zaibatshogun war and its fallout. It it noted to be booming. While it did seem like many of the ships would just be replaced and trade deals resumed with no issue, the appearance of a new trade partner, beyond the Malaccan straits. The Far lands of Tenjiku (India), specifically the large state of Hindustan, have become an ever growing trade partner. Being essentially the only state outside of Chinas tributary system that Japan trades with, the trade is essentially no strings attached, no niceties or ritual just pure merchant to merchant interaction. The exchange of goods going both ways is interesting as luxury goods, cultural effects, spices, foods, even animals and most importantly a few Arquebi' which arrive late in the year to the homeland. The trade having been gradual opened up to full scale in the intervening years has already started to bear fruit as the need for ships, more skilled traders, sailors, and ship builders. The shipbuilding industry in japan is specifically in the middle of a boom as the expansion of the northern fur trade has started to see more bountiful hunts coming out of the great northern region. This also prompts the northern regions in siberia and Kamchatka to continues to expand with the Manchu khanate reporting of running into fur rangers from the Siberian fur factory outposts further to the north. As the expedition had been planned for years the Great Northern expedition is now fully realized. Five ships - one of them being a heavily modified war junk retooled specifically to survive the inclement weather and other issues in the northern waters. Led now by Ebisu Yamamoto the 25-year-old son of Guy Yamamoto and also replacing his older father as expedition head, the ships set off. They arrive at Port Kowa to top off supplies before pushing to the East and reaching Attu island. They pick up aleut guides who know the local islands and sail for the better part of two months finding islands, more scattered groups of natives and then finally a large landmass. Able to land for supplies and even to make some repairs the ships skirt along the coast Another larger island to the south is charter as well and marked on maps cartographers attempt to make of the area. Ebisu eventually lands with his expedition on the large landmass at an area seen mostly as flat and easy to live on for a short time. As the area is explored they run into the Tanaina peoples and make light trade with them specifically for high quality furs, and food. The voyage returns late in the year and Ebisu and the Tachibana noble lord Iruka evaluate the voyage. The first military development for the army in years is shown as the old Hand cannons are proven completely outclassed by a new firearm from Tenjiku. This prompts a bevy of tests to compare the older Japanese firearms and the new ones. The settlement of Fort Koba continues to expand its territory to its west.
• Papal States: Due to the situation in Thuringia, Pope Telesphorus II supports the fight against the Neo-Adamites started by Mainz and send Inquisitors there to help. After receiving news that Anna of Hesse wasn’t involved in the assassination attempt of the Lenzburg Family, Telesphorus II removes her excommunication. However, the pope sends investigators to track down the person in her court that desired this assassination and tried to blame her. [MOD response needed for the investigation, please]. The actions of Federico Guerrero in Florence are watched with concern by the pope. To secure the work of the Inquisition in Florence, the pope declares Rinaldo Orsini as Grand Inquisitor to Florence. The Holy Father creates as cardinals Giuliano Della Rovere (Papal States), Robert McLaughlin (Celtic Patriarch), Seán Mac Dhurcáin (Ireland/Scotland) and Johannes of Brandenburg (Bohemia). By influence of Rodrigo Borgia, his daughter Lucrezia Borgia marries with Engelbert IV of Gorizia and Girolama Farnese, sister of Rodrigo’s mistress Giulia Farnese, marries Burkhard von Lenzburg. Juan Borgia marries Paulina Orsini. Lord Maximilian of Habsburg dies this year. He is buried in the Mausoleum of Habsburg in Poggio Miterto. Philip of Habsburg replaces his father as the Lord of San Giovanni Campano. Ferdinand of Habsurg and Catherine of Foix have another daughter named Elisabeth. Their first daughter was Anne, born in 1492. Carlos of Habsurg and Blanche of Montferrat have a new daughter named Joanna. She is their third child, the others are Philip (b. 1486) and Yolande (b. 1487). Leonardo Della Rovere writes to Queen Katherine of Spain proposing the marriage between his son Ferdinand and a Spanish noblewoman. [Spain response needed, please]. The rivalry between the Della Rovere and Borgia continue, with fights between supporters of both families being common. Pope Telesphorus II declares Rose of Viterbo as a Saint. Due to this canonization, the Della Rovere Family funds a great festival in Viterbo honor of Saint Rose and is announced that this festival will happen every year in the day of the saint.
  • The investigation fails to yield any results. -Drenegan.
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di" With the End of the Franco-Lotharingian war king John Leonardo begins the Purfication of the army and those who nobles who were disobedient. The Nobles of Artios being the most disobedient of all nobles Such as Bruus van Rysel, who was the head of the Lotharingische armee. Another man who is to be punished being the leader of the Verkenningsgroep who went into France and called upon the army to join. Thus the Senatus Regus Lotharii arrests 63 members of the Lotharingian army and nobility, 49 having a charge of disobidience, and the 14 of High treason. Of these man 46 are convicted eight for high treason and 38 for disobedience, a total of ten people being executed. Of those executed all of those convicted of High treason and two for disobidience, as these two individuals' disobedience let to the loss of the battle at Compiègne. Bruus togheter with his right hand Diederic Jansens being hanged in Public in the city of Rysel. Bruus and Diederic being the only people hangled in public as their deeds were unforgiveable, as their actions caused ten of tousands of deaths in France. The action of the king and the Senate causing the Merchant companies and the widows of the death gain confidence in the King. Merchant companies such as the Rotterdamsche handels Compagnie, The Amstelse handels and Messenkempher. The "Koninglyke West Afrikaansche Compagnie" trade operations growing once more, goods like fabrics, Cannons, and Guns. The desire for trade being mostly Guns and Fabrics, The kWAC merchants selling around 240 Punaisiers. This number increasing every year drasticly as the KWAC begins to buy the Punaisiers from non-KWAC affiliated smiths as to keep up with demand. Jabal asada not being the only destination for guns, cannons, ships and fabrics, but also the Mandan korufuba, Benin, Oyo and Zayir. Oerwoud being one of the farther away settlements of the KWAC and also the most dangerous one due to the area being still very small and very forested.
• Kingdom of France: The king decides to not “copy and paste” the same decrees again, after it appears the nobility has taken heed of them. The King reads a report that apparently “The light taxes for nobility and clergy from the tax system has forced the third estate, the commoners, to shoulder the burden of taxes to pay for the economic recovery of France.” He is confused because that was never the case; although there was a temporary taxation holiday and a lessening of taxes for certain nobles or regions, in exchange for their loyalty or as part of an arrangement, that was temporary and taxation went back to normal. Since when is the Third Estate shouldering the taxation? The King recalls how he lowered or waived taxes for the peasants a few years ago, but he guess they must have forgot. “The people have begun to rise up in riots” because of course they have, they never have anything better to do. They apparently, “demand the Crown do something to alleviate the famine” and the King says that he has been continually using basically the whole treasury to do nothing but try to alleviate their poverty and conditions. He continues to do so, and tries even harder. He tries to joke to one crowd of peasants by saying, “At least they’re not as poor as the Empire of Ethiopia.” That gets a few chuckles from the people who have heard of that fabled place. Generally the king is already doing everything he can. You know what, since the First Estate is apparently receiving “light” taxation, the King decides to basically heavily tax the church in every way possible so that the peasants get some relief. The Catholic Mess, as it can hardly be called a church at this point, will have their ornate and extravagantly wealthy cardinals, bishops, and so on taxed heavily, and that money will go to something good, like tax relief for peasants, money and food for the poor, and repairs. At this point William II goes ahead and preemptively excommunicates himself a fifth time to spare the Pope the hassle. Although, he learns of the religious problem in Thuringia, and so he sends a small number of French soldiers to aid the church against the heretics. It is hoped that doing an act of crusading or whatever you wanna call this will cancel out that he’s taxing the church. And of course, the army is quite small as not to cause France to collapse again. A local legend emerges, a monster called the Dren. It is said that the Dren preys on the weak and is fond of attacking artisans and artists, and so hates creativity and fun in every way. The people of France try to live modest lifestyles, so not to attract attention from the Dren.
• Empire of Ethiopia: Military modernization continues as more firearms are incorporated into the Ethiopian military. The Ethiopian artillery corps continues to train with artillery and grows more experienced in the use of cannons and gunpowder bombardment. As more European explorers reach Ethiopia and East Africa, the Emperor again sends men to Mali to attempt to invite European merchants and colonists to visit the Empire and receive an audience with the Court. [SPANISH / CELTIC / ARLES RESPONSE]. Trade continues to flourish, as the new stability in Egypt revitalizes the Red Sea trade, and Ethiopia prospers from its ports placed along the entrance to the Red Sea, in which many merchants and traders stop to rest and resupply before moving on to Egypt. Word spreads through Ethiopia of a mad French King who attempted to cut off his own penis in an attempt to become a woman. Hearing of this oddity, a story spreads throughout Ethiopia of "The King without a Cock." In response to this un-Christian behavior, combined with news of France's continual wars, Ethiopians begin to view France as a den of backward savages. Hearing of the horrendous poverty in France caused by the fact its government mobilized more than 100,000 men in less than a decade, and the strange governance of its leaders, the Ethiopian Coptic community in Rome sends a gift of 100 gold ducats to the French people, along with an offer to provide skilled bureaucrats to implement practical solutions to France's ever-worsening economic situation. [FRANCE RESPONSE].
  • You cannot do this considering geographic positioning. -Drenegan.

• Kingdom of Arles: We send a few chosen men for this expedition to Ethiopia through Mali and then through the African Spice Trade routes. Lucas I, hearing gossip about a plot to kill him for being weak about the war, hides in his room, discussing with his trusted subjects about the effects of the war on the people. another small expedition travels south, reaching just west of the Cape Hope. Admiral Geuro Bastip maps the land, and travels back to Arles to get some settlers to found colonies.
  • Thou shall not pass into Ethiopia until the time is fitting. -Drenegan.

• Roman Empire: Kaisar Andronikos celebrates the recapture of Athens by visiting the city’s ancient agora. He spends several hours walking the streets admiring the ruins before praying at the Church of Saint George at the Hephaisteion. With the Latins army beaten and Greece secured, Andronikos seeks peace. He extends an olive branch to the Venetians, offering them peace and a guarantee of their existing access in the former Latin Empire (in its reduced form). [Mod Response, Please]. The surviving Latin nobility and Latin Emperor John Julius Suprano are imprisoned, either to be ransomed to their family abroad or exiled in the future. Attica and Thessaly are reorganized into a theme for the empire and a regional government is built under the watchful eye of Andronikos. The Themes are held up for now with Venice still a threat to the empire’s stability. Crown Prince Herodotus, son of Empress Elena and Kaisar Andronikos, sends a letter to Leonardo Di Vinci, challenging him to design a bridge to the Golden Horn. He sends a set of requirements and dimensions to the master and offers to pay him well for his work. [Mod Response, Please]. In Asia Minor, the organization of Turkish groups in opposition to Greek settlement is noticed by agents of the emperor. Though the groups remain non-violent, the history of revolt and violence in the region is not lost on the administrators of this area. The migration of Greeks to the area, which has been significant since the advent of the seed drill in the empire, is threatening to destroy the local peace that has held since the conquest. To resolve the issues, Crown Prince Herodotus, in his father’s stead, considers efforts to increase urbanization and reduce the demand for land. Since food production outstrips demand within the empire, he focuses on shifting Greek farmers into new social classes. Through the school system he implements new training programs with the collaboration of the syndicates (guilds) of the empire. These schools teach farmers new skills to reduce the demand for land. Otherwise, Herodotus sends several hundred administrators under imperial command to ensure respect for local deeds given during the land surveys that took place 20 years previously. The resulting conflict between local and imperial representatives causes tension across the region with the imperial officials often siding with Turks and the rule of law. The move protects many Turks from losing their land, but causes political impasse in government. Herodotus also proposes recognizing Muslims and Jews as "Brothers to the Faith," emphasizing their belief in God, even if they are misguided in their interpretation of Jesus and the Bible. This proposal receives minimal support among the Sómakolegíou, but is entertained by some radicals. 
• Kingdom of Scotland: With the official Crowning of King Robert as King of Ireland and Amerauder of the Celts, our authority is now unquestioned, and our claim completely secured. With Robert Bruce now officially acknowledged as rightful Amerauder of the Celts by the pope, and with the majority of votes in his hands, he calls for a vote officially reforming the Celtic Ameraudership into a hereditary office. Casting his vote as King of Ireland, King of Scotland, and Lord of Mann, he calls for his welsh allies to do the same. (Wales response needed). Meanwhile, in other news, the trade deal with Mali is gladly accepted, and we begin transporting a large number of advanced Cannons from The British Isles, unloading them in Afanc before transporting them to Mali, establishing the trade deal officially and exclusive deals on Ivory and Salt with the Malian Empire. In other news, we send 5,000 troops officially to Iceland in order to help defend themselves from any potential invasion from Denmark. We loudly state that although we will defend Iceland against any direct invasion, and that any seizure of territory by Denmark from Iceland is unacceptable, we will not directly attack them, and that this is not meant to be a declaration of war. In other news, we also offer Spain to take in some of the Jews they need to get out of Spain, in order to improve our own nation and rid their presense from Hispania. (HISPANIAN RESPONSE NEEDED).
• Kingdom of Bohemia: Ottokar IV is crowned the King of Bohemia in a ceremony in Prague. As per his late father’s will, the various lands of Henry VIII are divided among his sons, with Ottokar’s brothers ruling or being granted Brandenburg, which was made a duchy in the Emperor’s will, Livonia, the Palatinate County of Burgundy, Breisgau, and Saxe-Dressau (“Northern Saxony”). Ottokar thanks the nations of the Empire for their kind words and generous donations, which go toward building a memorial and hosting a funeral in Prague, although Ottokar decides to donate half of the funds to the poor in his father’s memory, deciding he would have wanted a big statue. Although the King secretly wished to be Emperor, he keeps true to his father’s will, which forbade a son of his from succeeding him. Thus he votes for Henry, but he also has his doubts about the new Emperor. The King decides to trust the Archbishop of Mainz, believing that since Mainz and his father had been trusted friends, that the Archbishop must have the best intentions. As such the King secretly considers supporting the deposing of the Thin White Duke that the Archbishop prescribes. He keeps this secret at first, and as a result Ottokar manages to gain a seat in the government as the new High Steward. The Mainz leaders are notably absent, and Ottokar fears that Hanns von Wulfestorff will march on the capital anyway, in a move akin to Caesar crossing the Rubicon. Earlier in the year the Mainz Faction sponsored an army to invade Thuringia for the purpose of crushing the heresy, but it was unclear if these actions were on behalf of the government of Thuringia or directly against it. With the Thin White Duke still in hiding it is unable to be determined, and there is hope that this army then doesn’t continue onward to depose Henry IX due to his defense for his controversial family. While Ottokar seems to secretly be open to aiding the Mainz Faction in purging the government, his brother Bernard “Twice-Died” attempts to mediate a solution that does not devolve into civil war. As such he reaches out to the Archbishop of Mainz hoping to negotiate a cease fire and a clear list of objectives regarding Thuringia. His proposal includes Hanns von Wulfestorff voluntarily standing down, a clear investigation into the true happenings in the Thuringian government, possibly a reshuffling of the cabinet, and mutual cooperation against the heretics of Thuringia but not necessarily against the Thuringian government itself if it is found to be innocent. [Either way I hope that we can roleplay any potential civil war rather than have to use algorithms].
• Hanseatic League: As the new cannons are rolled into the renovated harbors in Rostock, construction of a mighty fortress for the Holy Roman Empire continues. This endeavor, which is expected to take well over a decade, will result in a massive stronghold for use by both the Imperial Navy and the Hanseatic League. It overlooks a Baltic Sea that has the unfortunate disposition of being plunged into war. The Hanseatic League, enraged by the violence near its shores, sends 15,000 soldiers and a sizable loan to Denmark to support it in its war. The presence of the Hanseatic Navy increases through the Baltic and North Seas, engaging any pirates or ships attacking Danish holdings or vessels. Exclusive deals for weapons are sent to Denmark, though the recent war in Europe and extensive rebuilding process still results in prices being high. The Tagfahrt of 1494 discusses, among other things, the possibility of war. The Hanseatic League determines the best course of action is to send support rather than outright join the war. As the Tagfahrt is held, construction on the Ratthaus continues into its second year. By the end of this year, a great amount of work has been done on the structures themselves, but detailing and interior construction will take at least a few more years. West Indian trade takes a hit when a hurricane slams into the Hanseatic colonies in the Caribbean. Production halts for a brief period, and confidence in the viability of such distant settlements is shaken. Still, a significant faction of traders remains adamant that trade in the Indies is perhaps one of the greatest opportunities the Hansa has ever faced. Explorations of northern Venezuela begin, with Germans landing on the coast and moving inland. Contact with native groups they find continues to be fairly peaceful, with the Germans happy to see what the indigenous people have to trade. More settlers arrive in Dreieinigkeit, and a wooden fort is built on the island. Nicholas Sommer plans another exploratory voyage of the Caribbean, partially to survey damage to the colonies. Again, he commissions a fleet of 15 ships to explore north of what he has already found.
• Kingdom of England: John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, leads the military forces of Oxfordshire in an attack on Yorkist supply lines near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, forcing the Yorkist regent Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester to redirect some of the Gloucestershire and Herefordshire troops that were besieging Warwick to the battle near Stratford-upon-Avon. This has the effect of decreasing the pressure on the Lancastrian defenders, led by Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Warwick and 15th Earl of Devon, in the city of Warwick. Meanwhile, the Lancastrians launch an attack on Gloucester with the goal of forcing the Yorkist forces to withdraw from Warwick. Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset leads an army comprising the levies of Somerset and Devon, marching from Bristol to approach Gloucester from the southwest, while Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire and Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset lead their battalions from Wiltshire and Dorset to approach Gloucester from the southeast from Swindon. To try to maintain control over the situation, Richard of York calls upon George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. Somewhat reluctantly complying, the Earl of Shrewsbury sends troops from Shropshire south to maintain the battle against the Earl of Oxford in Stratford-upon-Avon, though Talbot does not lead the troops into battle himself as he instead focuses on protecting the young King Edward VII in London. Meanwhile, Richard sends the Gloucestershire military south again to protect the city of Gloucester. However, before the Shropshire troops can arrive, the forces of the Earl of Oxford have broken through at Stratford-upon-Avon and then fight the depleted Yorkist forces at Warwick, successfully breaking the siege. The combined Warwickshire and Oxfordshire forces, led by Godfrey Courtenay and John de Vere together, then head south to join the attack upon Gloucester, but end up fighting the Shropshire troops near the town of Alcester in southwestern Warwickshire late in the year. In th meantime, Henry Beaufort continues to write to King Edmund of Wales, who had sided with the Beauforts in the previous Lancaster-York conflict, asking him if Wales can spare any troops to aid the Lancastrians against Richard of York, who he calls a vile murderer and also, given his aggressive foreign policy, a potential future threat against Wales. (Wales response). Seeking to establish more international connections to increase his faction's legitimacy, Henry Beaufort also writes to Rome to propose a marriage between his second son George Beaufort (b. 1479) and Isabella della Rovere (b. 1470), the widow of Victor Capet-Berry. (Papal response). Richard of York's wife Isabel Courtenay gives birth to twin boys, an interesting coincidence as Richard's brother King Edward VI also had twin boys. However, unlike King Edward VII and his twin John, these twins are not identical but fraternal; the elder twin, who is somewhat heavier, is named Richard (b. 1494) and the younger twin, who has darker hair, is named George (b. 1494). Later in the year, Edmund Courtenay and Anne of Bruce-Auvergne have their second child, a son named Edward (b. 1494). Henrietta Beaufort and Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire have their second child, a daughter named Anne (b. 1494). In Europe, Andrés Heinrich II Sturlungur (1433-1494), the former King of Iceland who lost the throne in 1452 due to madness and a distant relative of the Plantagenets through the Sturlungurs, dies in a remote Icelandic monastery.
• Grand Duchy of All Bavaria: Angered by the provocation, Albert IV Demands Mainz stand down and cease hostilities toward Thuringia. While the duke agrees the situation with the Thin White Duke must be dealt with, invading a close ally of All Bavaria is not the way to deal with it. Worried that the situation might escalate, Albert IV starts to raise an army, consisting of 2,000 Bavarians and 2,000 mercenaries. Although he does not order an assault yet, the army is stationed in Nassau, which Albert retains control of via his marriage, and are prepared to invade the adjacent section of Mainz. The army is equipped with Bavarian made firearms and portable cannon equipped with grapeshot, and are prepared to use the tactics that were so devastating against the swiss in the previous war. Albert IV also orders his nobles to prepare for the outbreak of war by making sure their lands are ready to raise soldiers and remain stable. Albert's tax system continues to expand and has provided consistent revenues following the war with the swiss. Albert's wife gives birth to a son named Edwin. Munich's industrial capacity, especially in terms of weapons, continues to expand.
  • Principality of Nassau: Continues to implement Albert's tax system. Tragically, Agnes' son dies at age 15, leaving Albert in control for the foreseeable future. The Bavarian army is hosted in the southern portion of the principality, where helps the local economy, especially the bars. The principality itself raises only a token force due to its limited population, but various nobles continue their financial support of Albert's ventures.
• The Spanish Empire: Elvin "The Navigator" beats Vespucci to India or so he thinks after landing on the Northern Coast of an island. He names the area Havana, a fine place to construct a port. After having contact with local natives, Angel Perez enters unknowingly a marriage with a Taino woman only known as "la nina de havana". Communication was quite difficult to say the least but after some time there with native hospitality, some broken communication was able to be made. Elvin considerate of what he learns to be the "Cubao" people of this land names it Cuba. Elvin leaves though to navigate the region passing the keys before heading around the island he names San Salvador. Frome here he passes some light traffic from Hanseatic Ships. He lands in Eastern Hispaniola and names the land Santo Domingo before heading off and naming the island of Puerto Rico San Juan de Bautista. After charting this area, he heads back to share his discoveries to his mother and father in Lotharingia and Spain after restocking off of available goods. Orlando Figueroa though gets caught up in the Azores/Bermuda High while following their way back and get slingshot through the gulf stream passing off the East Coast where Elvin sees a land he had never saw before, "Cabo Amarillo" (Cape Hatteras) and before he knew it, he was in open ocean, uncharted water but the strange current and winds kept pushing them through even though they eventually found themselves in cold and stormy weather. A breakthrough arrived though once they went through it all. Instead of originally planning to arrive at Orango, Elvin found himself back near the position his adventure had begun back in Spain only hoping to go back. A little girl is born in Palma of the Canary Islands. Her name is Cynthia, the daughter of Elvin. Hearing of rebellion once more, the Spanish Military numbering 5,000 forces are amassed to go and defeat the rebellious forces. They place an emphasis on enforcing the law of the people and the law of the crown. (ALGO NEEDED).

• Georgia: The Shah of Persia, Erivan dies of a sudden heart attack - thus leaving his 21-year-old son, Mehmed, on the throne. However, within days of his ascension to the throne, the young Shah is overthrown by a man named "Mirza" - the equally-young, charismatic leader of the Safavid order. Mirza begins the persecution of the Sunni majority - destroying and desecrating Sunni mosques and graves and making the ritual cursing of the first three caliphs obligatory. With most of his former allies turning against him (drawn to Mirza's promise of reestablishing Persian culture), Mehmed flees to the Georgian court in Tabriz. However, Alexander does not entertain his kinsman's pleas for assistance in recovering his realm. Instead, Mehmed is wed off to Princess Tinatin, who is about five years his junior. Recognizing his equestrianism and skill in archery, Alexander also gives him the position of the "Commander of the Naqivchaqari" (who are the mounted-archer corps of the Royal Army). Meanwhile, Alexander fortifies the border with Persia and increases garrisons on cities near the border. He continues to implement military reforms. He expands the artillery and arquebusier corps. He also begins arming some members of the Naqivchaqari with matchlock's - though the composite bow continues to be held in high esteem since it could be used on horseback with ease. Commerce continues to flourish due to the export of cotton and silk. This wealth supports the proliferation of arts such as frescoes, mosaics, miniature, and pottery (especially fritware). Polyphonic singing, poetry, dance, and court pageantry - the latter under the influence of Italian (Latin) traders, also flourish.

1495

Pope Telesphorus II dies. A new conclave is held to elect the next Pope. With the rising religious tensions in Europe over the treatement of heresies in Germany and Italy, the hasty Papal conclave seeks to rally a leader crush the heretics in the Empire for good.

João Fernandes Lavrador travels straight west from Europe instead of the southern route by Spain and Germany. He arrives at a larger landmass, which he determines to be a peninsula that opens up to a wide bay in the far north. Rather than risking further supplies, he returns to Portugal.

Count Henry Jenagotha of Weimar is successfully elected as King Henry IX of Germany, and becomes crowned as Emperor by the will of the Archbishop of Cologne. He immediately sees much challenge to stand up against the reputation of his predecessor, Henry VIII "the Great". The election also further causes much discontent among the princes, who sees the electors as clearly padded by supporters of Thuringia or similar states in that region. In light of the civil war breaking out in Germany immedaitely upon his election, Henry no doubt already has his work cut out for him.

The ongoing inquisition in Thuringia and the election of 1493 causes a number of factions to emerge, both in Thuringia and across the empire. Henry IX of Weimar is elected partially because his grandfather, the Thin White Duke, opposed him, and it is hoped Henry can be persuaded from his moderate anti-Adamite stance into also deposing the Duke. Likewise, in the moderates are such nobles as Chancellor Bernard "Twice-Died" and Archbishop Ruprecht von Moers of Cologne, who seek to prevent open civil war.

On one extreme is the Mainz faction, led by Archbishop Adelbert of Mainz and the seasoned commander Hanns von Wulfestorff. Despite the new Emperor attempting to remove Wulfestorff from his post, as head of the Inquisition forces in Thuringia, Wulfestorff would be in a position to lead an army upon the capital, causing Ottokar IV to liken him the "Caesar of Germany". On the other extreme is the White Faction - those loyal to the Thin White Duke, either sharing his heresy or other political reasons, including Archchancellor Nikolaus von Bibra, and Grand Marshall Jan Žižka the former head of the Swiss War, who feel that the Archbishop of Mainz is acting far beyond his jurisdiction, and is bordering on active treason if he continues to oppose Henry IX's advice.

The Inquisition in central Germany motivates the Taborites, who exist in small numbers in Germany but in greater numbers in Lotharingia, to likewise pledge support for the Adamites. Within the Adamites some retain their peaceful origins, but most unify under a peasant leader named Peter "the Monk" who fights back against the inquisitors. Peter remains firmly on the side of the Whites. A third, minor faction, which stays true to the idea of "anarchism", seeks to see the local governments of the region collapse, either by their own doing or by instigating the various factions to seek a non-peaceful route.

Although Agnes of Hesse seems lenient toward the Thin White Duke and Henry IX alike, partially as a means to gaining the political support needed to ensure she acquires Nassau through marriage, one of Nassau's nobles, Walrad, Count of Usingen, secretly undermines her and seeks an alliance with Mainz, promising that Nassau will support the Archbishop in a civil war if it means Nassau independence (rather than Hessian or Bavarian dominance). Others such as Charles "the Ghost of Lechfield", famous for his anti-papal conspiracy theory, seem poised to oppose the Mainz faction if they break the peace.

The fall of Athens sees the last Catholic state in mainland Greece fall into Orothodox hands, and effectively extinguishes the Latin Empire. The Barcelona branch of Latin rulers living in exile in Italy still maintain claim to the title, even at this stage when they are not recognized. In general the terrible force of heavy artillery firepower in the destruction of Athen's walls gives the Byzantine Empire a fearsome reputation across the Catholic world.

Suffering under the burden of heavy taxes, the First Estate has begun to protest the French King by rallying the devout into an army of 12,000 men with the support of opportunistic nobles. The army is led by a man who claims to be Dren from the legends and vows to bring an end to the French King who has claimed he is excommunicated bringing great offense and insult to the Church. The Duke of Anjou heads the nobles in support of the revolt in a bid for power with the throne promised to him by Dren so long as he remains devout and faithful to the Church. (You are free to roleplay this out so long as it is realistic).

The Swedish Revolt ends with a stalemate, causing King Henry to withdraw his troops from the region and recognize the House of Thot as ruling Sweden for the time being. They maintain a status quo with Iceland at this time.

A revolt in Florence siezes control of the city, in the name of the charismatic Friar Federico Guerrero. Although the Friar does not rule the city offiically, he directs their policies in a grand scheme to depose and demolish all semblence of worldly art or "vainities" that distracts people from God. He gains more people under his respect by claiming that he had long ago prophesised the death of Pope Telesphorus, which prepared him for this very moment. Lorenzo and all the Medici family are forcefully exiled from the city.

• Hesse: Agnes of Hesse sends forces to aid the Emperor in the war against the Dictator of Frankfurt. Her army also manages to seize some minor lands near Hesse that had been loyal to the rebel government. After the Second Battle of Frankfurt the marriage of Agnes and Jezrahiah becomes official, and they have a son named Ermanaric, after the late great artist of Nassau. Agnes has no interest in crusading, and does not lend soldiers to the inquisition, especially after the Pope excommunicated her. Agnes also seeks closer ties to the Count of Arnsberg, William “the Strong” (Mod response).

• • We’re always watching.
• Saxony: Edmund Alwin congratulates Henry IX, who he ultimately voted for in the previous year's election, on his successful election as Holy Roman Emperor. Eager for Saxon expansion, he declares himself Prince of Querfurt and Count of Wernigerode, which he requested last year as a condition for voting for Henry (Henry never promised to give these to him, but Edmund Alwin boldly decides to go and take them anyway, and correctly assumes Henry has other things to worry about, namely the potential war with the Mainz Faction of the Holy Roman Empire). Edmund Alwin, when asked which faction he supports, replies, "I support only Peace" (he says it in Latin, though, prompting speculation he supports Rome and the Pope and the Papal faction). The statue of Henry VIII the Great, the late, great, former Holy Roman Emperor is coming along nicely, with the two-metre head and neck being constructed in Saxony and also in Bohemia, and then pieced together in the Imperial city of Aachen. Edmund Alwin thanks all those that contributed funds. During the course of the year, much happens and occurs: a Civil War breaks out, and Saxony remains fairly neutral, whilst supporting the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IX himself, as he feels this is his duty. While visiting the Imperial Governmental Department of Frankfurt (in the city of Frankfurt), Edmund Alwin is caught up in the midst of an invasion of the city by the Caesar of Germany's troops. Managing to escape, and as well as save some lives on the way, Edmund Alwin returns to Saxony, where he denounces the actions of the Mainz faction, and decides to send a number of troops to try to protect the Emperor from coming to harm, and help him win the day. These troops march toward Frankfurt (at the same time besieging various small states controlled by the dictatorship), and conveniently manage to join up with the also-approaching army of the Thin White Duke of Thuringia, where they defeat and topple the dictatorship. They return home to Saxony victorious (though do not withdraw their troops from the Counties of Falkenstein, Waldeck and Moers, leading to speculation that Edmund Alwin intends to keep them as spoils of war). Shadrach de la Marck is arrested for attempting to complete the King of Switzerland Contest on a Sunday, and put in a prison, but the next day the prison is found to have burnt down, and the 220 people (inmates and guards) who were residing there were found burnt to a withered crisp. Shadrach later appears in the heat of the Battle of Frankfurt, with his personal army of mercenaries, but instead of fighting merely steals of a large amount of gunpowder from the city and disappears. Edmund Alwin also has a daughter this year, and another son by the end of the year: they are named Christina and Louis, respectively. Meanwhile, a minor revolt occurs in Saxe-Wittenberg and Saxe-Lauenburg. It is orchestrated by the Jews, who are annoyed that in recent years they have been mistreated, and it is known as the Jewish Revolt.
  • Imperial Diplomacy: The Emperor recognizes the Duke of Saxony's rule over Waldeck, after the leader there was killed in battle, however, the other territories he states that Saxony must vacate. Instead the Emperor grants the vacant Leisnig to Edmund Alwin.
  • Saxon Diplomacy: Edmund Alwin thanks the Emperor, and agrees to vacate the other territories.

• Kingdom of Portugal: De Gama's expedition launched this year from Santo Andre, then advances down toward the Mocambiqueian coast and then advances to where his crew believes India is. (MOD RESPONSE NEEDED). Joao De Lavraor is welcomed back as a hero and is awarded several medals by the queen. King Consort Amadeus passes away in his sleep this year with his claim of Geneve passing to Crown Prince John. The queen is very distraught with his death as she really liked him and so decides to bury him in their future tomb in the royal Mausoleum next to the tomb of Cirí II. The queen decides to begin to fund a settlement in Angola, planned to arrive there in 1497. Meanwhile, as the queen feels her reign is soon coming to and end, she delegates some of her lesser duties to Crown Prince John. Meanwhile, the army and the navy sees significant modernization with new tactics being developed.

• Rossiya: Having successfully mustered 25,000 troops (6,000 cossacks and 19,000 Rus') Mikhail III launches his full invasion of the Kazani Launching splitting his forces into two - the first one advancing along the Volga toward Kazan to Protect the flank and to protect the caravans and artillery, while the second part made up of the cavalry functions as both a flanking and rear guard, with the Cossacks aiding in this endevour and also acting as raiders and scouts into the Kazani territory. Boats also bring up supplies and with cannons fire on enemy formations that might attempt to harrass along the river. (algo needed).
• Hindustan: The new Department of Government Works begins by taking over the construction of a cannon workshop in Tabarhinda and begins the construction of an Arquebus workshop in Kannauj. The Department is further responsible for the construction of roads and upkeep of Sarais, Rest Houses, other Government Buildings and is also responsible for the Postal Department. The Department of Personnel begins drafting rules for the Recruitment based on an oral test by the members of the Department in the major towns and cities of the Empire. The Government begins efforts to send preachers of the Ekeeshwar movement to the newly conquered Southern lands. The Nayak lords of Gingee immediately converted to the Kabir Panth sect of the movement. The Kabir Panth is the most famous sect of the movement in the Ganga-Yamuna region led by Sant Kabir, who promotes further syncretism and has gained a large following in the Ganga-Yamuna region and is one of the first sects of the movement to influence village life in the area on a major scale. The Mahim Panth of the West Coast centered around the coastal city of Mahim (OTL Mumbai) has become a very popular movement among the Marathi and North Kannada people with thousands flocking to the Dargah of Makhdoom Ali Mahimi (the founder of the Panth) during the ten-day Mahim Urs festival (to mark the death anniversary of the Sufi Saint) from all across the West Coast. The Dvaita Vedanta philosophy of Madhavacharya has also experienced a surge in popularity in the Southern feudatories and around Belur. The followers of Dvaita Vedanta are also the major religious community which have not accepted the Ekeeshwar movement. General Sikander Bakht commands a force of six tumen of Imperial Cavalry and four tumen of Feudal Levies (Infantry armed with Arquebuses) supported by several smaller cannons and eight Large Bombards. This force begins the invasion of the Kingdom of the Pandyas. General Narendra ud-Daula remains in the Kerala region and works to bring it under control. (ALGO NEEDED).
• Archbishopric of Mainz: Adelbert of Saxony, while eating a richly-spiced meal late at night and going over his correspondence, suddenly has trouble breathing. His condition grows desperate, his throat swelling shut. His servants do what they can, but all their efforts fail. By sunrise, Cardinal Adelbert of Saxony is dead. An emergency council is held in Mainz, and Bertrand of Villingen is elected as Archbishop of Mainz. Bertrand is a complete non-political, and is elected in the hope that some form of compromise can be achieved. He sends messengers to the Emperor, stating that, regardless of his opinions, he cannot claim the position of Archchancellor and still oppose his Emperor. Therefore, he is officially renouncing the title of Archchancellor. However, he remains Primate of Germany, as that is a title that comes from the Pope and cannot be taken from him. As Primate of Germany, he cannot ignore his responsibilities to God. He must insist, on behalf of the Church, that the Emperor support the Inquisition to end the heresy in the Holy Roman Empire, and he still calls on the Pope to send support. He hopes that, as a Godly ruler, the Emperor will not oppose this, and that some agreement can be reached to deal with the crisis. (Thuringia and Papal Response). However, Grand Marshal Hanns von Wulfestorff, who still has the support of most of the army, sends only one short, crisp message to the Emperor. He regards his last orders from the Archchancellor as legitimate, and will not disband his army until the Thin White Duke has been captured and executed. He continues to invade Thuringia, and considers the forces of the Inquisition supporting him as allies, or at least, co-belligerents. Imperial Treasurer Kaspar Von Roggendorf immediately swears allegiance to the new Emperor, and continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high, and to invest in foreign trade. The Emperor’s naval reforms and expansions continue to slowly roll forward. The construction of the Naval Academy in Rostock, and the new port city called Heinrichshaven continue. Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and also patronizes the Emperor’s initiative to establish an arms industry in Prague, following the same incentive program as Bavaria.
• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: The year brings about the death of another great man in Ayutthaya, Tun Perak. The death of Tun Perak is felt by the people from all over the region due to his efforts in war time and peace that assisted King Trailokanat in bringing Ayutthaya to its prosperous state. Following the period of mourning for Tun Perak, Sunan Kudus is called to the capital to take the position of Bendahara causing the Conservative faction to lash out in outrage at the presence of a Muslim as Bendahara. Despite the passing of Tun Perak, resources are devoted to the continued efforts to fortify the Mekong river with a multitude of defenses from forts to entrenchments are continued under the Penghuli Bendahari. Prince Borromarachathirat III has been given governance over the city of Phitsnanulok to remove him from the court after having made his affiliation with the Conservative faction quite clear. Khoja Hassan has been given command over a force of 6,000 troops and ordered to garrison Ayutthayan Sumatra as a precaution against an assault by Majapahit. The Commerce Guild continues to behave carefully in order to avoid the attention of Majapahit's navy with the Ayutthayan Navy maintaining a heavy presence in the trade occurring the Nusantara to ensure that efforts by Majapahit to attack Ayutthayan merchants are halted. The 4,000 troops stationed in Bali assisting the garrison continue to perform the necessary responsibilites expected of them in defending the Kingdom from Majapahit.

• Emirate of Jabal Asada: after many years of trade, we have aquired a good sum of 3,000 Punesiers, we equip them into our remaining 6,000 infantry and we will give the infantry the muskets, after the Dutch musket training teams have trained them well to use them, Mali have sent us 4,000 additional troops as a support with supplies to cover our causalities that we took, from now we shall depend on a supply line supported by a road abd defended by msukets men and artillery mens from any potential ambush frop futa jallon armies, our 5,000 calvary forces shall hold a heavy armor and lancers and sowrds as secondary wepons, as our infantry with no muskets will hold regular sowrds, and a light armor, the general Abu Bakr with the Malian general Abu Musa shall lead their forces again to Dinguiraye, this time we was prepared well, our deal with the Spanish have sold us  80 canons of 30 heavy seige mortars and rest is 50 heavy Spanish seige canons in exchange of slaves, we will cheer up our armies by telling them that this is a war, this is a war for destruction of the infidelity of the devil kingdom of futa jallon, they shall be punished by the sowrds and the guns of our armies!, after cheering them up, we manage to recruit 1,000 artillery men and 10,000 more infantry soliders, the artillery men will be intensively trained for the usage of canons by the Scottish trainers, Mali have agreed to spare eight cannons for us as we send them into the front for the seige, a large scale bombardment of our canons shall be ordered on the town forts, as we use our intensively trained crew to fire and reload, we hope we can inflict major damage at the forts walls, as the walls are breached our calvary and our non-muskets infantry will charge at the remaining of the futa jallon troops, our canons then will target the defensive archer towers and canon outposts with our musketeers climbing the walls and heading for a medium combat as they shoot their msukets at the canon crews and the archers of futa jallon at their positions to seize parts of the fortresses. (Algo needed) improving the insfracture is needed, we shall get some building designs lf fortresses from the flemish engeniers of KWAC, the foets will be made of good stone as the roads and hits will be made of stone too for roads and we will try to change the light and weak mud stones of our forts into a solid stone and wood fortresses built finesly.

• Duchy of Thuringia: Peter the Monk claims responsibility for the death of Archbishop Adelbert, claiming that him and his followers prayed to God to strike down the unrighteous and false priest out of the two of them, and sure enough Peter lived and Adelbert died. The Inquisition in Thuringia enters its second year and battle lines are seemingly drawn. In the northeast Weimar is firmly in the hands of Henry IX, as is the capital at Erfurt initially, located just west of Weimar. His ally, Archchancellor Nikolaus von Bibra of Meiningen, occupies that titular city and most of the southwest. Meanwhilem the Inquisition comes to be based in Rudolstadt, south of both Erfurt and Weimar, after the church collapse disaster the previous year caused them to be expelled from the capital. In January while Henry is still in Frankfurt with the imperial government, the unthinkable happens: an army loyal to Hanns von Wulfestorff crosses the Main. The move catches the city off guard and the army enters mostly unopposed. Henry IX takes the humiliating route of escaping the city by hiding in a barrel tossed into the river and floating away. Many other government officials suspected of “heretical views” are immediately arrested or killed, in what becomes known as the January Purge. When soldiers march on the High Steward’s office in the Reichstag, they find the Imperial Guards Rolf “Greyhands” Bayard, Eberhard of Württemberg, and Amalius of Brandenburg-Bohemia blocking the path. Outnumbering them 100s-1, the High Inquisitor Martin von Marburg demands they stand down, but Greyhands replies they swore an oath, and they will lay down their lives for it if necessary. A battle breaks out in the hall in which the three guards defend themselves from the onslaught. In the fighting the life-sized painting of Henry VIII is accidentally slashed by a blade, while the nearby painting of the coronation of Charlemagne is ripped in two. After an hour it’s over: all three guards lie dead, along with dozens of attackers. High Steward Ottokar is arrested, although treated fairly and comfortably. With the leader of Bohemia in custody, he would have no choice but to sanction the actions. Elsewhere, Duke Edmund Alwin manages to get to the outskirts of the city on horseback with a group of others, but seeing smoke rising from behind him, he decides to run back into the chaos. His bravery allows him to personally carry out Bernard "Twice-Died" from the wreckage, and Edmund jokes that they’re even now after Bernard saved his life some years ago, and he recommends he change his name to “Thrice-Died”. The High Medicus Paracelsus also becomes famous after he successfully treats Kaspar von Roggendorf of an accidentally inflicted injury, saving his life. By nightfall the coup is complete, and the Imperial Diet, now noticeably thinner in numbers, is addressed. It is announced that the government must take all actions necessary to defeat the heathens and the rogue states, such as Thuringia. When asked, “what about the vote of the Senate?”, Hanns von Wulfestorff supposedly answers, “I am the Senate.” Wulfestorff’s army in Thuringia, consisting of some 3,000 Mainz soldiers from before the succession of the new Archbishop, 1,000 French soldiers, 5,000 crusading volunteers and holy order soldiers, and 2,000 Papal volunteers, begins the hunt for the Thin White Duke. A reign of terror begins across Thuringia, with hundreds of acts of violence being carried out to scare away the Adamites. The reign of the dictatorship is described as one of fear, as people are taken from their homes in the middle of the night, and agents arrive to interrogate people for the smallest of suspicions. From the capital numerous laws of strict purity and adherence ot Catholic doctrine are passed, and spread the inquisitors thinner, as they begin to police empire-wide. There is an incident in the Hanseatic city of Bremen, when the Archbishop himself is arrested for usury and avarice on the grounds of being a guild member in the Hansa. There is another incident in Switzerland when a number of explorers, who were attempting to complete King of Switzerland challenges, are arrested for doing so on a Sunday. Football and sports are banned, and the famous 1492 champions in Hohenzollern are arrested for playing football illegally. The artist Hans Dürer makes a number of famous engravings depicting men killed by firing squad or crucified outside Erfurt, and their publication polarizes the nation. But the actions of the inquisition would not go unopposed. Peter the Monk, from his secret training camp somewhere near Sondershausen, raises an army of religious dissenters and managed to defeat crusaders at the Battle of Gotha, although his disorganized band suffered a high number of casualties: some 1,300 casualties compared to Wulfestorff’s 450. Henry IX reemerged on the scene, but found that most of the Empire’s army had fallen under the sway of the dictatorship in Frankfurt. With little money or men left to his name and stranded in the woods outside Thuringia, he assembles a ragtag group - any peasant who recognizes him - and begins traveling back to Thuringia. He arrives at the ongoing Siege of Meiningen where he rallies the Thuringian army to resist, but is shot in the leg. He manages to heal in the coming months, but after that day forever walks with a limb, leading to the nickname Henry “the Lame”. While healing throughout February, the Emperor receives news from the rest of the region, discovering there are multiple factions within his own family. His clan, consisting of his brother-in-law Johann Totleben, Burgrave of Talstein and his half brother William, Lord of Rutha, continues to fight loyally for him, as do the Von Bibra’s of Meiningen. There is the Saxon branch of the family, consisting of Edmund Alwin’s descendants who seem neutral for the time being. In March Henry’s own sister Judth, is condemned for heresy by Wulfestorff himself, and is burned at the stake. She is surprisingly calm, her last words being, “Thuringia Remembers…” The Hunt for the Thin White Duke continued, with Erfurt being searched, followed by Sondershausen. Even Peter the Monk, who had been thought to be an elusive guerilla fighter, is surprisingly captured and burnt at the stake before the Thin White Duke is. The regent for Thuringia, Hugh, is likewise captured, as are most of the royal family. In April Archchancellor-in-exile Nikolaus von Bibra marches on a small town with some guards and King Ottokar’s son Jan, after hearing a tip that Martin von Marburg is resting there. When he confronts Martin, the Bohemian guards suddenly turn on Nikolaus, and Jan whispers with tears in his eyes, “I’m so sorry.” Martin goes over to Nikolaus and says, “From where you’re kneeling it must seem like a string of bad luck...but truth is, it was rigged from the start,” before slitting his throat. By summer it feels that hope is lost, as Thuringia is essentially occupied, and all across the Empire the Dictator reigns supreme. Even after the heretics are dealt with, the dictatorship continues to rule over Thuringia and its neighbors, imposing harsh terms. Henry IX travels with the men he has left to Frankfurt, and prepares to make his final stand. He rallies his men saying, “I may not be the great man that preceded me, or that great warrior my father was. I may not have the same courage that they had. And I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me! And a day may come when that fear stops us from doing what is right, but today is not that day. A day may come when the Empire falls to tyranny and invasion from all sides, but today is not that day. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of Germany comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight!” The Battle of Frankfurt begins and Henry IX charges into battle, outnumbered by the Dictator’s army. He fights valiantly, having a horse shot from under him. He continues on foot, limping along with the army, fighting on all sides. At one point the Emperor is slashed across the back of his helmet and the blade partially slices through, dazing him. The Emperor staggers about, and another man goes to deliver a finishing blow, when Imperial Guard Jaromir manages to cut off the attacker’s arm mid swing. The Emperor becomes knocked over and and is partially tackled, and Jaromir and Jaanai the Younger protect him with their bodies. Jantis Jett, with three arrows sticking out of his chestplate jumps in the dogpile and fatally stabs a soldier clawing at the Emperor’s helmet. Jaromir manages to catch a spear thrown in mid air at the Emperor and bludgeon an incoming cavalryman off his horse, snapping the spear in the process. They realize they are surrounded now. Each guard becomes resigned to breathe their last breath around the wounded Emperor as the enemy army begins to encircle them. Then there is a horn sound. They look up, and there is a figure in all white armor on the hill. They see the banners and can barely believe their eyes. The Thin White Duke has returned. He charges into battle leading an army of horsemen, surrounded by Brandenburgers, Hessians, and more, slamming into the side of the Dictator’s army. As they clash the call, “Thuringia Remembers!” is heard echoing across the battlefield. Henry, laying on the ground, opens his eyes and sees the trampling horses passing overhead, just missing him. Jaromir “the Bear” begins to carry him off the battlefield, but Henry picks up his sword and declares he is still in the fight, not realizing he accidentally picked up a stick instead of a sword. With the arrival of the reinforcements the day is quickly won. The defenders attempt to flee back to Frankfurt, but find that the Princes and the people alike have closed the gates behind them, and they are cut down in front of the city walls. Wulfestorff himself stands upon the mound of bodies piled up at the gate, and shouts, “I die a saint!” before being shot clear through the throat by a crossbow bolt. Having retaken Frankfurt, the Emperor’s men make their ultimatum: the Archbishop of Mainz will be pardoned if he acknowledges he is deposed from the government, if he acknowledges the innocence of the Thin White Duke (who underwent a successful trial of his own volition in Frankfurt), transfers the lands controlled in and around Thuringia by Mainz to Thuringia, pays some recompense to Henry and his family, and call off the crusade/inquisition. Henry IX pledges to continue to combat heresy, but declares he will do it on his terms. (Mainz response). Meanwhile, numerous nobles are branded fugitives in the coming weeks. Guards come to arrest Martin von Marburg and he chooses to commit suicide. The fallen Imperial Guards are entombed properly, and Jaromir becomes the new Premier Captain.
  • Mainz: Fully satisfied that the heresy is abolished, highly concerned that the inquisition has grown out of control, and terrifed by the action fo the Imperial Army, the Archbishop agrees toall terms. The requested lands will be ceded to Thurningia, along with a substantial payment in reparations for the harm done to the innocent, which will be paid in gold over then next three years.He orders the Crusaders to return home, and the Inquisition to return to its regular business and end the martial rule. The need for this Holy war has ended. He also, confronted by the evidence of the trial that the previus evidence was untrue, confesses the innocence of the Thin White Duke. He states that, were is predecessor alive, he is sure Adelbert would do the same.
• Kingdom of Mutapa: Imports of horse and cattle from india are slow but gradually pick up as MAta pays handsomely to any merchant that can bring the creatures. Soon the Royal herd, on the Lusvingo plateau, numbered 50 with a larger herd of a few hundred in the lands now known as MakoVibira (OTL Highveld). The settlers sent a year prior and have set up settlement on the Mhungu Rwizi named for small monkeys that seems to watch the settlers moves closely. The men quickly set up the usual stone settlement which the local Sotho-Twsana people slowly flocked to as the words of the Faraist philosopher spoke in ways they've never heard. And as horses started to come in month after month the wanted to interact with the odd beast and the men at the settlement we just as new to the beast. The settlers would begin to marry intermarry, and teach the locals skills. Mata also had to be taught how to ride by Indian merchants, soon he was and avid rider impressing the people just by riding forward. Tunga during its construction has gotten certain citizens wondering how they could build boats the travel as far the the Indians do. Soon tunga bay would be filled with small prototype craft that usually ended up sinking. However, some would float hapzhazardly, which was deemed good enough for some who would continue to upgrade the better designs. One day while inspecting the Library the Indian philopsher he paid for walked in a man by the name of Amogh Ahuja. He brought with him many a book mostly historys but some works of philosophy. He ordered Faraist to translate the books while he and Amogh talked. The King would learn much from Amogh who would give him a rough layout of the Indian subcontinent and the ocean that has the same name. Amogh would talk over large beautifully built temples and great cities where man and beast lived side by side. Amogh would take great notice at the size of Lusvingo but not how its possible without carts. Mata had never heard of such 'cart' and Amogh was asked what it is. After explanation Mata would ask Amogh if he could return to india and bring back craftsmen. As he will be paid handsomely, Amogh leaves the books as a gift and makes his journey back to port of Chieve. Faraist who were sent to take note of the fauna also being to take generalized notes about the peoples in areas as well. 
• Duchy of Florence: Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici marries Agnes of Bavaria this year. The revolt in the city sees them seizing the city for a short while, but with the army now coming through it stops all revolts by imprisoning all people apart of the revolts. Lorenzo himself gives speeches across the nation to the people to stop these revolts before action is taken further and blood is then poured all over the city. Federico Guerrero is brought into the town square and beheaded in front of a crowd of people to show that all these revolts need to stop immediately. Any one that destroys any art or "vanities" that distracts people from God, will be sent to jail for their acts against religion and God. Lorenzo goes around saying he is the person in charge and people should follow him so they can prosper. The economy slowly up shifts and increases but just a small .5% increase. Due to the revolt not much rebuilding of the city or the ports have been done this year, the city gets a little more dirtier due to the revolt. The population increases like usually each year. We ask the Pope to help us just encase these revolts get way to out of hand. (Pope response) Our army fights the revolting people in the city to put them down. (Algo needed)
  • You cannot just kill the Friar. You also cannot give speeches and imprison everybody in a revolt. This requires military force and way more complicated procedures to resolve. -Drenegan. 
• Papal States: With the death of Pope Telesphorus II, his fisherman’s ring is broken by Cardinal-Secretary Rafaelle Riario. A mass is celebrated for the deceased pontiff soul in the Basilica of Saint Peter and he is buried. Obeying his last wish, the pope is buried in a modest tomb in the Basilica. The Della Rovere Family sends Isabella Della Rovere to marry George Beaufort in England. The festival of Saint Rose of Viterbo organized by the Della Rovere Family becomes famous across the Papal States. With heresy running rampant across Europe, the cardinals in the Conclave and the people pray that the next pope be able to save the Christendom.
  • Republic of Ancona: The death of Pope Telesphorus II is mourned by the people of the Republic. The efforts to recover from the war continue. 
• Kingdom of France: The government seeks to determine the reasons why the peasants rebelled, noting that the excessive greed of the church to collect its tithes and taxes, albeit some of which to fulfill the high tax to the Pope and to the crown in some cases, led to misconduct. The peasants of France universally are free of serfdom de facto since the start of the 1300s, if not centuries earlier in some regions, like Normandy, yet countless people still remain indentured to church lands across the state. The King points out that the First Estate is responsible for vigorously enslaving the people of the nation through their harsh taxation and strict religious rules. It is the church, which lives an extremely lavish lifestyle, at this point even more lavish than the King himself, by exploiting the peasantry and taxing them as much as the government. Is the peasant not even entitled to the sweat on his brow? “No,” says the Pope in Rome, it belongs to us, and the Pope and his many tentacles of church hierarchy seem to be actively depriving the common man of their money. Publications begin to spread detailing stories of church corruption and supposed immorality, with the business schemes of indulgence selling by the French clergy being particularly controversial. It becomes clear that the clergy are now using some of that very money extorted from the lower classes, in an unholy alliance with seditious elements of the nobility, to further profit of the uncertainty by deposing the government. Although the military is relatively small after the recent war, the professional army of France has the advantage of generally having more experience, equipment, and specialists, left over from the prior war, and has the leadership of some of the most competent French generals, including William II. In February a fairly uncoordinated march in Paris is dispersed by the King, claiming the lives of several hundred people, but capturing or dispersing thousands more. The incident is covered by famous writer and renaissance man Jacque Marat in a series of writings, which galvanize many into supporting the King. A month later when Marat is assassinated in a bathtub, his death causes him to be viewed as a martyr for the public against tyranny and corruption. This discontent finally boils over on 1 March when disgruntled peasants manage to storm a property of the Bishop of Bourges in Berry. They discover the extent of the lavish priests, uncovering a large treasury, expensive gifts from the Papacy and all over Europe, and even goods from the New World. The peasants proceed to loot or destroy the priests’ possessions, soon spiraling into a riot. This inspires similar acts of violence across the Duchy of Berry and elsewhere, eventually spilling into an attack on the Bishop of Blois’ property at the end of the week. Then on 17 March, in a seemingly coordinated event, protestors march on the Archbishop of Tours, but with intent to destroy. Extravagant paintings, statues, and other works and signs of wealth are destroyed in an act of iconoclasm. There grows widespread support for the King in crossing the insurrection, when tangential to pursuing action against the profiteers of the famine. Thus, the King and his supporters seize the opportunity to capture for themselves most of the clergy’s lands across the state. This is a massive boom to the economy and the treasury, as centuries of built-up properties, lands, and hoards of wealth are confiscated. The king frees although subject to church officials and grants them their own lands and a portion of the spoils. Although the rebellion as led by the nobility, particularly those not well rewarded after the earlier war, continues to stay afloat, figures such as the Duke of Anjou find their army deserting. A proper battle would not occur until April, when Anjou was formally defeated and killed in battle, leading to that region being absorbed back into the crown. Among the nobility and common people alike, there is polarization into certain groups: the first being those who have no love for the church or most matters of religion after the rise of humanism and contrary beliefs to Catholicism, or those who seek enfranchisement in matters of state, such as the non noble elite, or those seeking recompense and reforms. Second there are those more moderate, who are devoutly Catholic, but not zealous to the point of dying for the church. Third are those who are Catholic and particularly religious, who are anti-government for various reasons, or are supplied by foreign aid. The King takes a middle approach initially, promising not to cause upheaval or destruction of the church, but rather a combatance of its corruption, wealth, and obstruction of government. The King decides secretly that the only course of action is to formally break from the church in Rome, although he does not do so yet. Instead he sends representatives of the King throughout the realm and to all churches, padding the entirety of the church hierarchy with the King’s men. By the end of the year a new clergy has begun to across France, one that is particularly smaller and less wealthy, inspired by some differing opinions from Germany and elsewhere, which preach that a simple life is more godly as per a true interpretation of the Bible. Louis Capet-Berry, while marching home to France from Thuringia, would bear witness to a number of the radical religious movements. He is said to have heard one such sermon while passing through the Rhineland, which helped to convert him into a believer. When the Duke of Berry arrived back in France, he differed from William in that he actually wanted to change the religious doctrine of the church, not just reform its hierarchy. Tension in the government remain, as William II, above all else pragmatic, does not want to antagonize Europe into invading France again, which most of the government agrees with, and figures such as Berry who secretly believe a reformation of Christianity is needed. Quietly heretical beliefs begin to spread, being pushed by most of the new clergy and from common-folk preachers across the nation. The King, not a heretic himself, is unaware of much of this and unable to do anything in the first place due to his focus being on placating the nobility. The nobility, having suffered just as much as the king in the earlier wars, and having suffered losses from peasant unrest in their own lands and desertions, and some of them being sympathetic to heretic beliefs in the first place, are essentially unwilling or unable to act against the king for the time being. William II uses the opportunity to try to strengthen the nation, although he is careful not to infringe heavily on the autonomy of the nobles. And just to be clear: despite an initial victory for the crown in this year, the civil war isn't over, nor is any religious changes.
  • Way too early to do all this religiously. France is pretty staunchly Catholic with a center of Inquisition in Berry (because you decided not to reasearch the alternate history of your country). Alongside this, you're not ending your civil war in one year nor would you trounce them as the army that revolted was partly from the Professional army that you can barely pay right now. The war with Spain was one of those 50-70 years of major debt and penny pinching wars, not one in which you walked away with a mountain of Gold. Please re-evaluate the civil war as well as how quickly you're doing religious stuff. These things all took years (and in fact going across all of france to build an entirely new clergy would take more than a year because you're starting from Base Zero with a minimal amount of people available for this. On top of this the King himself would need an extremely good reason to flip out on the Catholics as per OTL when various kings flipped because it was due to their short term wants or some long term goal they had come up with. Anglicanism was literally created so the king of england could legally divorce his wife and find a new one so he could have a male heir. Please re-evaluate all of this and make it take waaaay longer. Civil war should be a possible three-to-five year affair and Religion is going to be going on for the entirety of this Century so flipping in one year when we haven't even had Martin Luther and somehow having zero issues when you flip is obscenely optimistic and steps far from plausibility. -Feud
  • The player is informed and is cooporating in doing things more slowly and plausibly. -Nate
  • This is being left crossed out until people come to a consensus on the situation -Nate
• Kingdom of Morocco: Fully, that some improvement is made yet throughout in the kingdom and rest of Africa the religions between christians and muslims is coexist even with the jews Ahmad is doing well with his kingdom some territory is officially governed by The Moroccans goverments in the sahara for trades and spread the expansion the population continue to growup and some jews continue being as bank for trades and else thing some system law is adopted in sahara to modernizing Ahmad is discussing about economy and power of Morocco they establish some colony so far to gain support while is help the population can still upgraded it the and the dynasty fully took respectively of the dynasty of each generation the fatmids and else also the idriss which is made by the umayyad scholar are being fulled secured and developed some of areas in the north is being improved by Moroccans and took tanger as a tradepost for each economy relations between nations and ahmad belief' is aware that most of population is being advanced and some ranks is establish for its hierachy current the sultan claim itself as a helper of the nations that means he focuses on preparation and gain richesse of what he had and being to spread in North Africa for developing and modernizing so much the economy is doing well as ahmad expect it.

• Vinland: The population rises to 5,950. Herleif is glad to make contact with some Icelandic outposts in the far north and is furthermore glad that most of the travellers return home safely. He begins planning for another expedition next year, this time directly eastward to where he believes reside the Danes, Celts, and Angles. In other news, trade flourishes on the island. Another forge is built in Shamyeby. In cultural news, a Hallrberga historian named Sturla Ragnulfsson begins recording the history of Vinland, etching runes into clay tablets.
  • Esgigeland and Unamaland: The commonwealth pushes deeper into Unamaland and encounters some hostility with the Mi'kmaq there.
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di" With the growth of mercantalism and trade once more in Africa, the "Koninglyke West Afrikaansche Compagnie" under Govenor Adriaen Beyaert. The plan being to set up a town and port on the African mainland close to Hendrico, the exact spot that has been chosen being the Wouri Bay. The voyage consisting of five Jerseys and ten sloops, the ships having some building materials, gifts and 20 punaisiers and two cannons. The whole voyage being 500 people including some slaves and merchants and sailors from all over Europe and even some Afro-Arabs, these merchants being in contract with the KWAC. The KWAC having high demand for Sailor and workers, as the ships require a rainbow of jobs. Jobs include carpenters, cleaners, look outs and sailmakers, the Babani being well know as good sailors and boat builders. The Babani being used by the KWAC as translators, this even being the case on this voyage. Sebastiaan Beyaert son of the Govenor of Hendric leading the voyages, which takes only couple of days from Hendrico to the delta. Sebastian and the Babani setting up some houses and a small makeshift dockyard, a groop of around 50 staying around with those 30 sailors and craftmen and the rest being slaves and even some farmers. Thus a small new colony on mainland Africa on the Wouri river delta, the hope being that this will eventually turn profitable. While in Lotharingia the king closely evaluates the situation in the ardennes as the taborites, the king choosing to have the local Luik and Luxembourg governments asses the issue. John prefering to wait to take harsh action as to aid the recovery of Lotharingia.
• Roman Empire: The reconquest of Greece more or less completed, the empire turns inward for a period. Kaisar Andronikos returns to Constantinople to arrange for the marriages of his children: Anna, Herodotus, and Manuel. He proposes to Gjon III of Albania a marriage to his daughter Anna (b. 1480), he also offers Albania status as a March of the Roman Empire with general internal autonomy in exchange for adopting Roman coinage and a Roman Guarantee. (Mod Response, Please). For his sons, specifically Crown Prince Herodotus, Andronikos looks further abroad. He asks the Spanish Crown to provide Herodotus (b. 1482) with a wife to cement a political and trade alliance. (Spanish Response, Please). For his younger son, Manuel, Andronikos looks to Morea to ensure Roman influence in the tributary. He asks Thomas II Zachariah, his daughter’s hand in marriage for his son Manuel. (Mod Response, Please) Internally, times are good. Trade resumes in earnest this year, and production of goods for consumption and export expands the wealth of the nation. Egyptian and Cyporite sugar exports make many rich as the Roman competitive advantage in Egyptian ports allows them to beat out other merchants. The empire-wide educational services have allowed for a vibrant news and printing industry in the major cities of the empire. The Epidexiótita increases demand for books on philosophy and emphasizes geometry in mathematics leading to increased cultural emphasis on these topics. In Anatolia, the conflict between Turks and Greeks continues. Many Turks find themselves under pressure to convert to avoid persecution and a good number, particularly those who have adopted Greek language, do convert to save their homes. The ethnic struggles continue in the region, but remain small in scale and limited in scope. Local organizations on both sides conduct intermittent brawls with modest casualties on both sides. Florentine Banks, in default due to France's economic troubles, are offered a bailout by a consortium of Roman Bankers. They do insist on aprovision that Florentine Banks become effectively autonomous subsidiaries of Roman Banks. (Florentine Response, Please).
  • Florence Response: We accept all terms from the Romans.
  • Marriages are accepted, but Albania declines being part of Rome

• Kingdom of Arles: Seeing the horrible situation in France, Lucas I and Queen Aline decide to monitor the situation carefully. The economy is almost back to pre-war levels, as trade booms once again. Lucas I allows a group of 700 settlers to travel to the cape of good hope. They land at OTL Saint Helena bay and name it Nouvelle Hope. Another expedition from Nouvelle Digne plans to sail to the cape too, but is hit by a severe storm and ends up at OTL Port Gentil. The place is filled with dense rainforest, ample with good supplies. They name the settlement Endroit Chanceux, for how lucky they are. the Settlement at Kribi is now named Chancere. some gold is found in Desért Parle, which leads to Lucas I to be the first King of Arles to travel to Africa to oversee the gold mining operations. Sebastian Belli dies this year. Altisi travels to Spain to sightsee.
  • Pisa: As the city is repaired, Anti-Florence resentment grows.
• Kingdom of England: In the battle of Alcester, the Lancastrian troops from Warwickshire and Oxfordshire, led by Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Warwick and 15th Earl of Devon and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, outnumber the Yorkist troops from Shropshire and break through their attempt to halt them. They reach Gloucester from the northeast and begin to siege the city, though the city's defenders are able to hold out for now. Later in the year, Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, leading the battalions of Somerset and Devon, also arrives at Gloucester from the southwest, encircling the city and joining the siege. Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester's forces, comprising mostly the levy of Gloucestershire and the remaining Herefordshire troops, intercept the Lancastrian troops of Wiltshire and Dorset, led by Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire and Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, at a rural area near Cirencester in southeastern Gloucestershire. The battle of Cirencester remains mostly a stalemate until Richard of York hears of the increasingly large number of troops besieging the city of Gloucester; he has his troops abandon the battle at Cirencester and sends most of them to head as fast as possible northwest to try to relieve the siege, which Richard of York himself heads east to have Yorkist reinforcements brought in from London. The Shropshire troops remaining from the battle of Alcester later join the Yorkist group heading west to relieve the siege. During his eastward journey, Richard of York contacts Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, who despite his young age of 17 agrees to lead the troops of Buckinghamshire west to resupply the Yorkist troops in Gloucestershire. Late in the year, Godfrey Courtenay leaves the siege of Gloucester in the hands of John de Vere and Henry Beaufort as he himself also heads east, having thought of a strategy to cut off the Yorkist reinforcement plans. Meanwhile, the English Parliament maintains an interest in developing better relations with Sweden, though the ongoing conflict in the west of England cuts off most of their resources for doing so. Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex continues to develop boatbuilding in Essex ports, and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York develop the ecclesial schools operated by their cathedrals. Edmund Courtenay and Anne of Bruce-Auvergne have their third child, a son named Thomas (b. 1495) in honour of Edmund's grandfather. George Beaufort is married to Isabella della Rovere in Taunton, the county town of Somerset. In Europe, Fleur of Anjou-Lenzburg (1471-1495), sister of Aline, Co-Queen of Arles and a distant relative of the Plantagenets through the Lenzburgs, dies of a disease. Humberto Fernández (1422-1495), former Head Priest of the Western Church of Unterwalden, dies of natural causes in Rome.

• Dai Viet: Hearing about Ayutthaya's willingness of supporting Bali, the Emperor concerns the war could make mainland Southeast Asia get involved and upsetting the stability of the region as a whole. The Emperor now unpublically condemns the actions of Ayutthaya as Majapahit is a Dai Viet ally and their involvement were unnecessary, thought the Emperor. 10,000 men are sent to station in the fortresses in Bangka and Belitung along with their commander, Admiral Lê Cảnh Huy whose job is to wait for orders from the Emperor regarding the involvement of Dai Viet in this conflict. The rest of the army is put on guard against possible threats or orders from their generals, while continue their training in Giảng võ đường. Despite this, trade shall be conducted as usual with multiple foreign types of flora brought from other realms to Dai Viet that are test-planted in specific state-owned and private plantations.
• The Spanish Empire: with new land claimed for the Spanish Crown, Prince Elvin returns with a much more better funded expedition arriving back at Havana to meet with his new comrades just to find nothing, no sign of human life at the bay but multiple abandoned huts. "La Nina" who had converted to catholicism by this point was left in horror without knowing what had became of her people. At this point she had a son named Miguel but left behind at the caretaking of her new home in Spain. Nonetheless it was decided. With abandoned huts and no sign of life, using his powers as Prince, he declares the Bay of Havana as the first Spanish Colonial Holding. He leaves Angel Perez and his wife on the island with a crew of a ship and promises to bring back supplies on his return. In the meanwhile, they use their resources to ready the return of Elvin. After his departure, Elvin is caught in a hurricane on his way to Punta Cana. He ends up nearly wrecking his ship at OTL Santo Domingo. He does land and run into natives who seem in poor health with a strange infection spreading about. This leads to some concern after a week in Hispaniola but he nor any of his crew fall ill. Nonetheless, he marks this place with the Spanish Cross. He leaves it to his new Native Compadres as a symbol of friendship and protection. At San Juan Bautista, he witnesses the first conflict of the Caribs and Taino tribes. The Caribs ferocity truly seemed barbaric. No honor in combat and cannibalistic as told by Taino Natives. He then cuts across the Leeward and Windward Islands before passing through Hanseatic Haiti and using his "Agua de Fuego" (OTL Gulf Stream) route to return home after documenting more islands around San Salvador and passing by the shore of Florida. At this return home, he heads to his residence in the Canaries readying his next expedition, this time, he will return to his friends and lead the settlement of colonies. Beyond this, on his latest voyage Vespucci on Christmas nears the landmass where he claims to also be India. Something is off.

1496

Habemus Papum! Roman Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini is elected the new Pope, taking the papal name of Pope Pius III.

Papal scholars having done research into past speeches conclude that speeches are not the solution to everything that afflicts the nations of man.

In attempt to combat against their rival government contractor, the Rotterdam Handels Company in Lotharingia pushes for funding their own expedition in attempt to reach the West Indies. As Africa is quickly becoming a saturated market, the RHC wants to try to be the first Franconians to reach India by sailing west.

The Voyage of Vasco de Gama from Portugal stops by the familiar cities of Malindi and Mogadishu, before proceeding across the Arabian Sea and arriving at the city of Calicut, or known to Europeans as Calcutta. The navigation for this last leg of the voyage was largely thanks to the navigation skills of a volunteer Omani pilot, Ahmad ibn Masjid. Just prior to his arrival, Amerigo Vespucci had visited the cities of Goa and Mumbai.

Numerous nobles within France, especially in the south of the nation, including the Duke of Berry, become privy to or sympathetic to the religious dissent in Germany. Others within the upper classes, even including a few bishops, known as the Moulins Circle, seek to reform religious life. They emphasize a literal interpretation on scripture and Christ's life. The prevelance of the printing press allows for dissenting opinions and translations to spread across France. Another faction, including those disenfranchised by the King, continue to support his removal and fight his policies.

The King of France's sudden takeover of the French church, from his nominating of clergy to his taxation and confiscation of property, leads to objection from many in government, and particularly from Catholics abroad. When the interregnum ends, the new Pope is urged to intervene, both out of spiritual need, but also pecuniary necessity, after the Pope sees a major source of income threatened, especially after just spending funds on an inquisition in Germany.

In Florence, the city struggles at the ongoing conflict between the Republican and Medici factions. The Republcans still control the city itself, but are unable to secure control of the neighboring fortresses that are under Duke Lorenzo's power. Friar Federico Guerrero directs the republican faction to draft a constitution for the city, imposing a more fair democracy than the former Medici oligarchy.

In Venice, the increasing use of the Printing press has inspired the use of more unique and standardized font-faces. The most uniform of these fonts are known internationally as "Italic script". Meanwhile, there is a gradual increase of Italian immigrants appearing in various parts of western Europe, either due to business opportunities or seeking a better life.

In Spain, a group of assassins claiming to the Sicarii have appeared and begun to assassinate church officials and members of the inquisition as retribution for the inquisitioning of the Jewish people.

Upon the death of Prince Consort Amadaeus, the claiment to the County of Geneva goes to his brother Peter, in contention with Crown Prince John.

In Asia, the Emperor of China becomes inspired by the former Han dynasty, and wishes to see the expansion of his realm. Armies mounting in the hundreds of thousands invade the lingering Chagatai Khanate, quickly subjugating it and annexing the Khanate into the Tian Empire.

Pietro di Francesco in Sienna paints a mural of Sulpchia.

• Hindustan: The Metal Movable Type and Woodblock printing reaches Delhi and the State begins using it to produce prints of the Maharaja and other High-Government officials as well as copies of the Dustur to hand it over to the officers as a rulebook. A small tradition of Woodblock printing depicting Hindu Gods and Goddesses and scenes from popular folklore and everyday scenes is established on the Eastern Coast stretching from Utkal (Orissa) to Purvanchal (Rakhine). The construction of the Grand Khanqah of Delhi begins and this will come to be the place of coronation of the successors of the Maharaja instead of the Siri Fort. The Portugese explorer Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut, which had recently been captured by the Hindustani armies. General Narendra ud-Daula had also set up his camp in the port which was going to become the capital of the Malabar Subah. Vasco da Gama met the General who immediately became interested, being a trader himself and having his own fleet of vessels, he immediately embarked with Vasco da Gama on his own ship, with the rest of the Portugese fleet in tow and guided them to the largest port city on the West Coast, the city of Surat, also the capital of the Gujarat Subah. Here, Vasco da Gama meets the Governor of the Gujarat Subah. Where the permission for trading freely in India and using the existing financial setup and infrastructure is granted to all Portugese merchants. Amerigo Vespucci and the Spaniards reach Mahim (OTL Mumbai) a few days after Vasco da Gama reached Calicut. Amerigo Vespucci met with the Governor of the Maratha Subah and was granted similar permissions. 
• Saxony: Shadrach de la Marck appears in Hesse with his army of hired mercenaries, on the lookout for Alexander Suslin. He tracks down a man he believes to be Suslin, who is going by the name Salreanus Dexlin (an anagram of Alexander Suslin), and he does indeed appear to seem to match the description of Alexander Suslin. When Shadrach approaches the man to question him, the man looks shiftily away and scampers off. Shadrach sends his valet Alsham to pose as a nobleman, and Alsham tells Dexlin he is in need of a high-ranking servant, and Dexlin is accepted into his service. Several months later, Alsham, acting under Shadrach's orders, unexpectedly insults and fires "Dexlin", similarly to how Herman III, Landgrave of Hesse did earlier. Shadrach then poses as a gunpowder salesman, and Dexlin contacts him, buying up all his stock. The next day, Shadrach's plan goes slightly awry after his faithful valet Alsham, in his house, is suddenly blown up and killed. A large amount of gunpowder had been let off under the house, and Dexlin had completely disappeared. No trace could be found of him. Local authorities believe he was blown up alongside Alsham, or maybe that he just never did exist at all. Some believe Shadrach is just making the story up to gain a point for the King of Switzerland Contest. Shadrach sells half his army to his cousin Edmund Alwin, who is in need of a larger military, and uses the money as reward money for Dexlin/Suslin. Meanwhile, yet another edition of The Novel Continent is published. The same author publishes The Classic Continent (also known as the Antique Continent) for explorers to take to India and give to the natives to read. It has a basic summary of the culture and customs of the old world, to introduce these to inhabitants of the new world. It is also proposed that the names "Columbian India" and "American India" should be given to the respective new lands discovered by Columbus and Amerigo Vspucci, in order to differentiate them. Meanwhile, the Jewish population of Saxony is becoming troublesome again, and, not wanting a repeat of the Jewish Revolt of last year, Edmund Alwin begins to formulate a plan to set aside a special area of Saxony for all the Jews to live in.
• Archbishopric of Mainz: Archbishop Bertrand of Villingen sends his best wishes to Pope Pius III, and a gift of a modern, up-to-date globe, created by the University of Darmstadt. Determined to no longer involve himself in politics, concentrates on managing the affairs of his diocese and his Electorate. He begins working actively to integrate the remaining lands which they received in the treaty of Zurich, which his predecessor sadly did not spend enough time on due to the constant war requiring his attention elsewhere. He returns to patronizing the Assembly of Preachers, Pontifical Press, and publishing of new books, and also takes advantage of his construction projects to patronized the arts and architecture, trying to bring more great artists from Italy to Mainz. (Mod Response). He encourages all the Archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire to co-operate with the Emperor in restoring peace and order. He patronized the University of Darmstadt again, continuing to try and expand it and recruit more learned academics, since Mainz still has the highest literacy rate in Germany. He requests that the Pope help with relief and reconstruction in Germany. (Papal Response). Imperial Treasurer Kaspar Von Roggendorf continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high, and to invest in foreign trade. The Emperor’s naval reforms and expansions continue to slowly roll forward. The construction of the Naval Academy in Rostock, and the new port city called Heinrichshaven continue. Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and also patronizes the Emperor’s initiative to establish an Arms industry in Prague, following the same incentive program as Bavaria. Grand Marshall Jan Zizka takes command to the Army of the Holy Roman Empire, and begins restoring it after the recent wars. The attempted coup of his predecessor showed that the reforms have at least turned the Army into a formidable European army, ready to crush the Emperor’s enemies where needed. He continues with the reforms and expansions of the Army and its weapons, keeping them cutting edge. He continues to keep their training standards high and well-organized, and continues the practice of mixing men from around the Empire and moving units to different Imperial cities, so they come to think of themselves as soldiers of the Empire, not of one city. He keeps the build up of the military a bit slower than before the war, however, so as not to cause alarm.
  • Seeking available job opportunities considering the situation in Italy financially and religiously, artist like Mariotto Albertinelli of Florence have decided to take up the offer given by Mainz. -Drenegan.
• Kingdom of Wales: King Edmund of Wales takes into consideration the request of his overlord, Ameraudur Robert II Bruce to reform the Celtic Ameraudership into a hereditary office and for the sake of preserving the unity of the Celtic Confederacy (C.C.) as well as the inevitability of the successful outcome of this vote as the Ameraudur personally controls three out of five votes of the C.C., more than enough to pass the vote on his own, King Edmund casts his vote as King of Wales in favor of this motion. Reconstruction continues as we continue to recover from the War of the Three Realms and the War of the Roses. Crown Prince Lionel of York-Wales continues to work side by side with Admiral (Duke) Cadfael ap Alisdair (Bruce) of Gwynedd for the benefit and expansion of the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach (C.C.C.), using the Welsh fleet [eight caravels] in its entirety to supply our new colony, town of Afnac (OTL Abidjan), as well as to expand our trade and influence over Africa, finally enjoying all these adventures that he could only dream about when he was younger. With the constant supply of provisions and other critical supplies for the colony's construction, the entire process is accelerated, construction work continues to be carried out by the combined efforts of our colonists and even our sailors help with the work, when they are staying on the shore, to ensure that the newly established vital colony of the C.C.C., the town of Afnac (OTL Abidjan) has all the proper foundations not just to be able to stay afloat, but also to prosper. Another 150 settlers are dispatched to further bolster the existing 600 colonists that have settled in what later becames known as the Welsh quarter of Afnac (OTL Abidjan), which grows to a total of 750 Welsh colonists. Lucrative trade by the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach (C.C.C.) with the Emirate of Jabal Asada and the Malian Empire brings newfound wealth to our realm, further encouraging the continuation of our colonial efforts. The two newly established printing shops in Cardiff and Caernarfon have proven to be commercial successes, continue circulating best sellers like the Welsh language version of the Bible, "Sinclar's Adventures" by none other than the great explorer Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, "King Arthur, the Progenitor of Wales" by reknowned Welsh author Lewys Glyn Cothi, "A history of the Gaelic peoples" by the Scottish author Micheal MacGille and other already popular books, now rendering them affordable even for the lower nobility, the merchant class and the commoners. The construction of an additional two Caravels finishes. Our total fleet stands at ten caravels, with an additional two under construction. With the War of the Roses & the War of the Three Realms behind us, the unifying theme of the worship of Saint Owain (Lawgoch) perseveres, providing a sense of national unity to the Celtic Confederacy, bolstering our efforts to consolidate our realm, to strengthen it sufficiently to be able to withstanding the test of time against the adversity of bordering the vile Kingdom of England. King Edmund continues to promote the reconciliation of his realm, divided into two similar yet starkly different halves, the Pura Walia region, dominanated by the independent minded Welsh nobility and the Marchia Walliae region, dominanated by the Anglo-Norman nobility, by encouraging the adoption of Welsh customs and traditions by the Anglo-Norman part of his nobility, furthermore encouraging marriages between the Anglo-Normans and Welsh noble families, with a bit more success thus far, as a few more Yorkist and Lancasterian supporters alike, but loyalist to the Welsh crown above all, Anglo-Norman noble families that have good relations with King Edmund of Wales following suit by adopting even more Welsh customs and traditions and/or intermarrying with the Welsh nobility for the time being.
• Empire of Japan: As the political situation reaches a happy balance in Japan, Empress Suiko presides over the admittedly great economy brought about by her Grandfathers hardline policies in subduing the Zaibatsu to the Imperial will rather than allowing them unmoderated action. With the normalization of relations between the Chrysanthemum throne and the aristocracy/nobility, the Empress and her Kampaku now operating more in a legislative context notices a lacking amount of qualified administrators. The Daimyo class, relatively underused (specifically as not all Samurai are Daimyo) is turned to and in a twist of fate, the Daimyo agree to directly participate as the majority administrator class of the Empire with the relatively smaller previously active administrator organization to be phased out after this generation. Seeing their education lacking and with many in agreement a high class education system is set to be established for the Samurai class specifically to bring out the higher potential of the noble class. With arithmetic, writing, reading, and finally moral instruction brought in from the Shinbutsu-Shugo Shintoism, Confucianism, and the code of Honor comming strait from the Kensei Orders creed the idea is to educate imensely capable administrators with high level skills as well as the moral standing to administrate the kind of Empire that Empress Suiko imagines. An attempt by some radical daimyo of lesser stature to gain power with the commoners, a commoners school system is proposed and promptly shoved to the side as the daimyo dont wish to "empower the commoners any more than we have to". As Ebisu Yamamoto and his Tachibana and Sapporo benefactors now know of the lands to the east a larger more prominent expedition to set up a seasonal camp in the new land is thought up with the expressed interest of acquiring many of the unique and new furs for trade from this land as well as establishing relations with the natives that the expedition ran in to. The second expedition once again led by Ebisu Yamamoto is sent this year arriving late in the year at their former disembarkment location beginning to build light infrastructure and insulated shelters for those who would do seasonal work. Ebisu is expected to return late the next year after figuring out the weather patterns as to when the best time to send the seasonal fur rangers to this new location. He is also tasked with acquiring new unique furs to bring to the Japanese Empress and her court. The Drilling with the new Arquebus continues as the Tanegashima manufactories become the prime builder of these new weapons which are quickly being distributed to the cannoneers which will be retrained and drilled heavily with the new firearms. The Kyoto Guards regiments as well as the Kensei order also look to adopt this new weapon for their own forces but seek to make niche improvements which would suit them more to the style of their respective forces.
• Duchy of Florence: With most of the nation under our command except for the capital city, we get our men read for a siege of the city. While Friar Federico Guerrero busy making a constitution, the Duke's army storms the city taking control of everything that used to be ours. All revolting people fighting the army are captured then killed to make a point to Friar Federico Guerrero to stand down and give us back the city. We surround all government buildings and call for the Republic to surrender. If they don't surrender we are forced to kill them. The city is blocked from the outside by our army. Lorenzo himself comes out of the smoke-filled area created by the guns used in the fight to make it to the city square to a thunderous strike of insurance that we can defeat the weaklings of the poor who revolted against us. The morale of the army is now through the roof. Lorenzo goes on to say that this is his city and it belongs to him. That Friar Federico Guerrero is not the leader and the republic is dead. He also talks about how Friar Federico Guerrero is a weakling and is unable to run a nation under rule by himself and doesn't have the strength to do so. Friar Federico Guerrero is late to hear about how Lorenzo and his army stormed the city. The Friar calls for his own troops to go outside and fight but it's too late the enemies forces have surrounded the government buildings. With all important buildings being surrounded Federico is now scared of what may happen next due to being captured. He can hear Lorenzo give speeches outside to his troops and people of the nation. The morale of the enemy is growing strong he can feel and is very nervous about what could happen next. Some of the citizens of Florence listen to Lorenzo and follow in his footsteps and help the army destroy the revolting people. He can hear the screams of his people dying to Lorenzo's forces and it is sad to say. Lorenzo buys 5,000 mercenaries from Serbia and adds them to his army. To add another push of men for a second wave. (Algo needed for civil war). Money that was loaned from the Romen Empire's banks helps us able to buy the mercenaries.
• Kingdom of France: Knowing that a plethora of people are watching his actions and heavily scrutinizing and misunderstanding them, the King decrees he will explain all his actions more slowly and carefully, translating the events into “plain English” so that they can understand it, and all the languages of the realm and nearby, in order to prevent confusion. This is done using the printing press, an industry that has grown to be quite prolific in France, especially after the cuts to government spending and the distraction of the war lax regulations, and allowed printing presses to arise printing unsanctioned material that the crown was unwilling or unable to stop. As such the sheer number of independent publications is per capita one of the largest in Europe, leading to the proliferation of hundreds of texts. The “humanists” are quite popular, with ancient Greek and Latin texts being translated or recopied in large number, and translations of the Bible, unsanctioned by the church necessarily, also being popular. The copyist Enzo Manuzio, an Italian-born man residing in southern France, becomes particularly popular for his creation of inexpensive, pocket editions of literature. There is a boom of French literature and cultural revivalism, as old folk stories and legends meet the page for the first time in large quantities. Partially encouraged by the King and most nobles, the “French Identity” is taught to all walks of life, i.e., the spread of culturally French stories is incorporated into both education but also the common vernacular and conscious of the people. Noting the predicament the Papal States is in, as they continue to lead multiple crusades, and seeking to avoid further conflict, the King proposes the Concordat of Bologna: the King’s ability to tax and collect the income of the church in France, and his right to appoint clergy and successors, will be legitimized and sanctioned by the Pope, and in return the Pope will not have to face another crisis and will not lose the entirety of his remuneration from France. (Papal response). Regardless of the answer, as the Pope idles changes are still underway from the ground up, and the Pope could lose all income instead of some in the coming years, which has influenced the King to make his concordat, in the hopes of appeasing both sides of the church debate. It is emphasized that the King and the country officially are and have always been Catholic, but outside the knowledge or grasp of the King, numerous nobles continue to become sympathetic to the idea of reforming or changing the church. There are several problems of the old church in France that are pertinent: because of the recent war, which devastated the economy of France, the churches of France likewise suffered considerable losses. Their properties having been financially damaged, coupled with the crown and the nation resorting to increased taxation, led to the gradual erosion of the church’s finances. In order to meet the demands of both their own lands and of the crown’s taxation, the churches were forced to in turn increase their own taxation or collection of funds. Additionally, because of this need, the Church had slowly begun to renege on their promise and duties since the 1420s of charity; the funds were simply unable to be, or were not chosen to be, allotted to what they were supposed to be allotted to. The clergy, in its role as a de facto form of nobility in its own right, with extensive traditions and privileges, had become accustomed to a certain level of prosperity and living, which many of the clergy of France were not willing to live without. This is what influenced the belief that the church was hoarding wealth or corruptly benefiting themselves, as some of the collected funds were used to keep themselves dignified and upper class, in the wake of so much devastation on those they collected money from. The church had turned to the selling of indulgences and other dubious but lucrative schemes, which allowed the church to meet its demands, but also angered many. There are reformers who secretly denounce the practice and find it predatory, especially as people across the nation are struggling to remain financially afloat. The death or resignation of many priests, or the outright deposing of some, and William II’s replacement of them, is slowly considered a positive change, as he has the influence to cut back on these policies that the common people are beginning to find disdainful. The situation in Île-de-France and the northeast becomes stable, as this is where the King has the most influence and can impact his changes the quickest. Likewise in the southeast, as that is where the King had garrisoned much of his army and had created numerous institutions supplanted from the Paris region, there is a sizable island of royal support. The area east of Montpelier, where the King built the primary fortress of the nation, remains manned, as does the Dauphine region. The local nobility there, also seeking to combat the rise of heretics fleeing into the nation, station an extensive force around Lake Geneva and the foreign borders there, and garrison forts near the border, hoping to combat that spread. This leaves the western half of the nation, particularly the Atlantic coast region, as the primary region where there is distrust and outright resistance to the King. Having gained some momentum after the victory at Anjou, the King is poised to march west. Early in the year there is an event that influences the situation: the city of Bordeaux, having become the center for writers such as Guillaume Budé, a humanist and church reformer, and having been influenced by German traders and others fleeing the Taborite and Adamite issue, falls into a protest neither under the sway of the King or the anti-King movement. Around the same time, in the center of southern France south of Toulouse, the local nobility orders the massacre of a village of Waldensians. These two events prompt an uprising that splits the anti-William forces that are in the south between two different objectives. It is clear that the low presence of the church and the crown in the south combined with the general devastation, has allowed heresy to take root in an alarming number. As this goes on, the King manages to take Limoges after a brief battle. The war begins to take shape: it is a conflict of small armies, in which only groups of hundreds or a few thousand seem to clash, as each side becomes limited to only their most trusted retainers and professional soldiers, not daring to incite the peasants into further conflict, assuming they could even financially afford to in the first place, and as both sides become distracted by internal affairs. The war becomes a series of decisive, key movements on the battlefield, but even more so a battle in the court systems, churches, and royal palaces. But nonetheless the struggle, which will seemingly decide the rest of William II’s reign and the powers of the nobility, is still there.
  • This is the only warning you'll be getting. Please stop insulting people or places in your post even if it's done indirectly. We as the mods are trying to crack down on this sort of behavior and the repeated insults and the like done in your posts are not contributing to the game or oossiyaur efforts. -Drenegan.
• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: Census = (5500000e^((1496-1408).0025)) = 6853422/ Levy = 68534/ Deployed = 22000/ Unraised: = 46534/ 14000 troops under Hang Tuah have been redirected to the defense of the Bali Kingdomwhere they will carrying out the defense of Bali as Ramathibodi II intends to uphold his end of the arrangement with Bali until this war reaches its conclusion (Algo Needed). 8000 troops under Hang Jebat are mobilized and dispatched to Ayutthayan holdings on Sumatra to safeguard it from Majapahit attacks manning the foritifications already established. Sunan Kudus has begun to acclimate himself to the role of Bendahara having worked to establish himself in reputation amongst the Orang Besar by working closely with them to accomplish projects and objectives. The construction of border defenses along the Mekong river continues to receive a steady supply of resources and finances to ensure that Ayutthaya's defenses remain strong. Along the Straits of Malacca, Ayutthayan fortifications continue to be built up and reinforced so as to make the flow of trade through the area safer from pirates and any avoiding the tolls established for the Straits. The port of Pak Nakhram (OTL Port Blair) has been established as a naval garrison on Cui Lan island (Greater Nicobar) to serve as an Ayutthayan naval foothold in Bay of Bengal and as a continuation of the security net for trade through the region. Another port by the name of Sarakphaeng (OTL Terempa) has been established on Siantan Island offer a port for the Ayutthayan Navy to use in the patrol of the Gulf of Ayutthaya. Prince Borromarachathirat III continues with his administration of the city of Phitsnanulok in Northern Ayutthaya and through the spy network of the Temmengung, rumors have begun to make their ways to the ears of Ramathibodi II of his ambitions and intent to overshadow Ayutthaya itself. Borromarachathirat III has also implemented efforts to discriminate against the few Muslims present within the area and has already begun to rise to the forefront of the Conservative faction despite having been removed from the court with members of the faction travelling to meet him in secret meetings in Phitsnanulok. Concerned by the growing situation with Borromarachathirat III, Sunan Kudus has given orders to Khoja Hassan to use the Capital Defense Corps to patrol the region between Ayutthaya and Phitsnanulok to prevent the displacement of Ayutthaya's influence in the region. With the expansion and reinforcement of the security net in along Ayutthaya's maritime trade routes, the Commerce guild continues to witness a swell in its numbers due to the benefits associated with being in the guild along Ayutthayan-controlled trade routes. The Pwe Kyaung system continues to produce capable, learned young men to take on the jobs of administrators or officers and also helps to improve local economies as the men put their education to use in better managing their affairs. The foundries across Ayutthaya continue to hone their craft in the production of weapons such as cannons and the arquebus as orders continue to come in from both merchants and the government alike for the purpose of preparing for the future. The arquebus' and cannons acquired by government officials continue to be redistributed to the hereditary villages selected to take on the job of training arquebusiers and cannoneers with officials that are a part Orang Besar (lesser titled state officials) ensuring that the villages meet the quality expected of them in regards to training troops. Ramathibodi II under the advisement of Laksamana Hang Tuah, Bendahara Sunan Kudus, and the shahbandars of major ports across Ayutthaya creates the Undang-Undang Laut Ayudha (Maritime Laws of Ayutthaya). Following the creation of maritime laws, the laws of Ayutthaya are codified into Undang-Undang Ayudha (Laws of Ayutthaya) by court scholars at the insistence of Sunan Kudus as a means of keeping records of the laws.

• Rossiya: The training and education of the young Dimitri continues, efforts to begin seeking a bride for him begin with emissaries travelling the courts of europe looking for a suitable match. Trade with the Baltic remains steady and ties with Hansa are improved upon. On the steppes the war with Kazan continues. The year is spent raising new levies, and to regroup. More cannons are purchased from the Hansa, while more arquebuses are made. 10,000 levies are raised this year while another 10,000 will be raised by next year.
• Kingdom of Portugal: After having received the news about Vasco de Gama reaching India, the queen passes away in her sleep. Having reigned for 36 years, she is the longest reigning monarch of all Portuguese monarchs. She is succeded by her 16-year-old son John who takes the name John II and his coronation takes place on 28 august in Lisboa with many foreign dignitaries attending. Later that year the queen consort gives birth to a twins, a boy and a girl. The boy is named is named Luis and the girl is named as per tradion Cirí. Meanwhile, the king's sister Inez becomes of age and becomes an important advisor to the king. After several months of building, the former queen is buried in the royal mausoleum besides her beloved husband Amadeus. After the coronation, the king visits all of the Portuguese colonies and makes a speech in Gordes where he promises to modernize the defensive wall of the city.
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di" The new setlement on the Wouri is now recognised by the  "Koninglyke West Afrikaansche Compagnie" as hers, the town recieving aid to start the town properly. There currently only being four families on the bay, with each house being required to own one punaisier. This is done as there aren't yet many people able to defend the town and there isn't yet the population nor resources to be spared for building anything more then a fence. Any setlement that has been founded and does not have KWAC recognision being without the protection of the company and without the direct investment of the company. This recognision given often after around four years as in that time, a town can either succeed or fail. Thus if a settlement succeeds for that period you can generaly determine if a town will be able to survive for long run, as the KWAC doesn't want to sponser voyages and setlements that will fail instantly. The KWAC having a new Rival in africa and beyond, as the Rotterdamse Handels Compagnie begins to gather money for a new Voyage. The Rotterdamse Handels Compagnie wanting to find India by going westwards instead of eastwards, As the KWAC presence in west africa is to great to compete with. Thus the Rotterdamse Handels Compagnie take a loan to pay for the expenses such as food and a crew. The hiring of a crew being more expensive due to the high risk associated with the voyage, the voyage due to the economical earth being more aimed at having enough food and product to trade. The Voyage length being estimated around eight months one way, the Rotterdamse Handels Compangie wanting to find a new market of Silk and special dyes. The RHC being centered around Fabrics, Fish and tools. The RHC Send three Carracks and two Sloops, the ships going from Rotterdam to middelburg, then to Jersey island, after which they go to Coruna. From this Location the Voyage goes to Porto and then Canary islands from there on around 100-150 miles south until reaching the Kambina where they head west. The voyage succes being yet unknow for those in europe, as the voyage started in May.
• Chimu: Almost ten years have passed since the confirmation of peace in the Inca Empire. New generations start to arise, and rumors about the Pakatmayo are beginning to spread. Since the dissapearance of the leader, many people rumored around the villages about the status of the Leader of the Pakatmayo. Now, these rumors are just a relic of the past, of a time where the Inca Empire was in danger, thanks to the bias of an organzation against any kinds of alliances between civilizations. The military starts to recover from it's many battles that they had in the past. The civilization has fully recovered in terms of economy, safety and stability. Viracocha starts to age, as he feels like his end is imminent, and tries to reach out for someone to continue his legacy.
• Kingdom of England: When Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester, the regent for the young King Edward VII, is about to depart London again with Yorkist reinforcements to march to Gloucester, some strange events happen. His wife Isabel Courtenay gives birth to their fifth child, a daughter named Frances (b. 1496). However, a few weeks later Isabel (1476-1496) has suddenly died and Richard appears in public with a wound in his shoulder; Richard claims that Isabel tried to murder him because he was fighting against her father in the war, and that his guards had to kill her to defend him. Some nobles believe him but, due to the similarities to what happened to Elizabeth Beaufort, this generally increases Richard's reputation as a ruthless, overambitious murderer. Popular unrests, which had previously been confined to the west of England, now begin in London as well. Nonetheless, Richard of York leaves London with a large contingent of Yorkist troops to head to Gloucester. Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Warwick and 15th Earl of Devon is furious when he hears of his daughter's death, and this hardens his resolve as he heads east across the country to Ipswich in Suffolk. There, he meets with his sister Cecily, who is acting as ward for her young son John de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, and with the lower nobles of Suffolk. Godfrey convinces them to let him use the military of Suffolk to launch a surprise attack on London while Richard of York continues pulling Yorkist forces to the west of England. Godfrey Courtenay leads the Suffolk troops southwest from Ipswich, but they end up encountering Yorkist troops from Essex near the town of Great Dunmow in northwest Essex, and a battle ensues. Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex arrives at Great Dunmow and leads the Yorkist troops, but nevertheless the battle ends in a Lancastrian victory and Henry is killed, leaving the title of Earl of Essex vacant as he had no children. However, the battle of Great Dunmow nonetheless delayed the march of Godfrey Courtenay's troops, and thus they do not arrive at London before the end of 1496. The Earl of Essex's death also has the effect of somewhat stalling the boatbuilding projects that had been ongoing in his county. Meanwhile, Godfrey had communicated his strategy to the other Lancastrian leaders. Thus, after the Yorkists abandoned the battle of Cirencester to instead try to relieve the siege of Gloucester, instead of also heading for Gloucester, Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire and Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset instead have the Wiltshire and Dorset troops head southeast through Berkshire to join Godfrey's attack on London while circling around the Yorkist troops heading for Gloucester. At Gloucester, the Lancastrian sieging forces of Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Devon troops hold off the scattered attacks of Yorkist troops from Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire, none of which were led by any significant Yorkist commanders. However, when news arrives that Richard of York is leading most of the Yorkist troops from London west, they realise a greater prize is available. The Lancastrians largely abandon the siege of Gloucester, with John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford leading the Oxfordshire and Warwickshire north into Worcestershire and Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset leading the Somerset and Devon troops south into Wiltshire, leaving behind a token amount of sieging troops to act as decoys. Their goal is to have the Yorkist troops waste time retaking Gloucester while they encircle them and cut them off from heading back to London as the Suffolk, Wiltshire and Dorset troops attack that city. Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, leading the advance group of Yorkist reinforcements from Buckinghamshire, arrives at Gloucester and defeats the decoy siege with relative ease and then has his troops recuperate in the city, unaware of the eastward movement of Lancastrian troops. Richard of York and the Yorkist troops from London are still marching west through Oxfordshire by the end of 1496. George Beaufort and Isabella della Rovere have their first child, a daughter named Ursula (b. 1496). Later in the year, Sérlait of Bruce-Auvergne and John VII, Duke of Brittany have their first child, a son named John VIII (b. 1496). In Europe, Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy (1460-1496), a distant relative of the Plantagenets through the Lenzburgs, dies of a disease, and his brother becomes Duke Aymon II (b. 1462).
• Emirate of Jabal asada:the seige was won, but we got fended off by the native Africans, the emir is furious, how can he lose to such a weak and undeveloped kingdom! Oh no! This wont be over, the emir raises 10,000 troops ready for battle, as Mali sends more support and our canons are ready, we hire 3,000 arquebus musket men mercenaries from the Welsh, as this was agreed upon the governor of the C.C.C and the emir, the emir will also request another 2,000 mercenaries from the KWAC governor to hire (Lotharingian response), we lead our general and our forces again to a second seige of Dinguiraye, as our sappers will try to damage the walls by digging them or digging underneath of them or trying yo damage or sabotage them by any way, the canons will also lunch it wrath by firing and trying to destroy the walls, if walls are breached and destroyed, our armies shall strom the city and will try to kill no civilians if they put no sign of agression towards us. 
• Majapahit:we unfortunately have lost an invasion, as we see that the Siamese troops have been amassing in our vassal ajd our border, we shall build up fortresses in our borders with Siam, we will strengthen our presence there by adding up Garrison troops of 8,000 men in the Garrisons, we raise our army up to 30,000 men, as the dai viet have sent us a reinforcement of 10,000 men, our levies and Dai viet forces and our regular army forces with three hundred fustas shall make another landing on the island of Bali, as the environment is intensive jungles and forests we use offensive guillera warfare, and ambushing small forces that patrols the areas, we use an inspired Hannibal tactic but in a different way, other than sourrounding our small armies against big armies, we do the opposite, shipbuilding shall remain, to reinforce our maritime presence and to transport more troops, many supplies shall be brought by ships, we target the capitulation of serval main ports in Bali and cut their supplies. 
• Roman Empire: With allies secured, Greece under imperial rule, and the reconquest declared complete, the empire settles into its rhythm. Production of refined goods for export westward and consumption internally begins to replace trade as the second key foundation of the economy. Manufacturies which were established decades ago have expanded and modernized over the years, incorporating more advanced production techniques and limited mechanization afforded by water-wheels. The purchase of the Florentine banks by a consortium of Roman investors brings a great deal of commercial influence across Italy under Roman indirect control. These bankers, worried about the chaos in Florence, petitioned Kaisar Andronikos to lease them 12 ships and 4,000 men to ensure the continued operation of the Florentine Banks as Roman subsidiaries. Kaisar Andronikos complies and orders 4,000 soldiers and ten ships be made ready to ensure the security of Florentine banking assets. The soldiers arrive in the city flying the flags of the Florentine Banks, as well as the Roman Imperial Standard. In Anatolia, the conflict de-escalates as Turks are increasingly forced onto marginal lands through both force and also payment. The displacement leads to increasing poverty among the Turkish population and many convert to preserve their way of life and level in society.
• Dai Viet: As news of Majapahit's campaigns against Bali, 10,000 men (along with Admiral Le Canh Huy as their commander) that have been stationed in Bangka and Belitung are sent to aid Majapahit in their campaign against Bali, as the Emperor hopes to strengthen the relationship between the two realms. This would make the Dai Viet-Majapahit coalition have 58,000 men in total. (Algo Needed). Meanwhile, in mainland Dai Viet, the Emperor's health has fallen ill meaning he was unable to attend court and is now residing in Bao Quang Palace to rest and compose poetry. The Crown Prince Le Tranh temporarily is in charge of the court and command orders to Le Canh Huy from afar through envoys.

• Vinland: The population hits 6,075. Herleif welcomes his second grandson, Thorgeir. Trade flourishes and metalworking industries begin forming in Dogajavick, Shamyeby, and Elufsker. Herleif assembles his next band of travellers to travel directly east into the land of the Celts, Angles, Danes and other folk. They disembark in May. (MOD RESPONSE).
  • Esgigeland and Unamaland: The commonwealth continues expanding into Unamaland as well as erecting new outposts and settlements.
• The Spanish Empire: the next voyage, Elvin arrives in Havana to what he sees at the moment as unknown. Given the resources available, the crew left behind remarkably survive and do well with being able to make a makeshift landing position in the bay so that Elvin could land ashore and greet his compadres after a year. His mother allowed him to charter the Island and have him as Governor and with this being assured, the territory becomes an official claim to the Spanish Crown and all of her people as subjects. Though much work must be done as it is explained. Alonso Alvarez de Medina is placed as the leading conquistador of the island and will lead about its subjugation but as his first mission, it is to make Havana into a colony with goods to be made and produced. This is realised with the introduction of sugar. The native Northern Cubao who had been found have agreed to share whatever wealth was to come about from this deal although they were initially hesitant until "La Nina" Perez convinced them after seeing for themself what Spain's beauties had to offer. Chief Dalarwa of North Cuba only agrees though to be under these strange men and their beasts rule if they prove to be the sons of the gods themselves through battle. Their villages had been sacked on multiple accounts after being ravaged by disease. The island had been placed under true anarchy as a result and if what their local religious leader, Daicima had said that these were the sons of the gods, then order can be restored as his prophecy foretold. Therefore the tribesmen of Northern Cuba formed an alliance with Alvarez and his several dozen men to take on the tribes of Cubaominu to the south engaging in a battle known as the Battle of Vengeance as the north saw victory and sacking of the Cubaominu resulting in their subjugation and servitude with them being brought as slaves back north. Alvarez marries Chief Dalarwa's daughter resulting in the beginning of subjugation and even the presence of catholicism on the island with the arrival of a monk by the name of Bartholomew Diez. These natives were ordered to work for the remainder of the year to construct a fort of defense around the island as the huts were to be converted to homes. Nearby forests were cleared and by the end of the year, the cultivation, the incentivised farming at Havana had begun to be arranged though much more work was needed to truly get things moving. Outside of Cuba, in Santo Domingo, the villagers welcome their allies with Alexander Zayas left behind with his ship's crew to lead the beginnings of construction of a settlement there as well hoping to mimic Alvarez's Strategy. Unfortunately Zayas's ship gets wrecked by a sandbar leaving him left there indefinitely until Elvin's return. They use this ship to construct a fort and with the help of natives, some homes. They were conveniently also left with some pigs but a pregnant hog escapes. Elvin passes by a people who go by the name of Maya after going about Central America after passing the Island he calls Santiago (OTL Jamaica). These people seemed quite skeptical and nearly attack him but after talks with local leadership, his party animal tendencies proved to be quite a charm. He plans to send a representative next time as he promises to make good trade to these "fine people of culture and society" after passing off the coast of OTL Nicaragua. The Navigator Prince proceeds to head back home though after a long time at sea. He hears word back of temporary enslavement of natives. He doesn't like this one bit and sends a letter back to Alvarez demanding that they at the least receive some compensation as innocent prisoners of war. A hope from Orango and La Cabo de Bienvenida (ATL Cape of Good Hope), Vespucci travels along all of the coast of India visiting the magnificent port cities he had been pleased to see such as Mumbai on Christmas, a true blessing from our lord indeed. By his return, Conquistador Fernando de Polanco sails off to the Ethiopian Empire as representative of the Spanish Crown. Meanwhile, at home, the marriage of Valerie is agreed upon bringing ties between East Rome closer. Good trade this year continues as old ships of the Spanish Fleet are destroyed to cut costs as well as replacing them with newer ones. Merino Wool Industry flourishes for our farmers resulting in great profits from the dutch with our monopoly still strong. Profits are held strong elsewhere with Prince Alvin abandoning his titles of Prince but still being active within the family. He takes up the study of rodents and squirrels but also focuses on religious studies taking up to be a priest. His mother respects his wishes only under the condition he will return time to time. Princess Cynthia visits her grandmother in Toledo for the first time after Elvin's return home. As her first granddaughter, this is a massive deal and Elvin is promptly scolded. Just because he is an adventurer should not remove his duties as Prince, Governor, father, nor son of the Spanish Queen. His wife swiftly follows along with his brothers witnessing and laughing along as siblings would at a banquet held in Late December for the New Year.
• Kingdom of Mutapa: Amogh Ahuja returns to Lusvingo with not one but two carts, as well as many craftsman seeking to make it rich in this new land and the Cartographer Adah Penai. Local craftsman take great study of Indian methods also learning about India from small talk with the Indians. Not only that but the craftsmen show Mata the intricacies of the cart. With carts being built the roads in Lusvingo are finally starting to finish. Mata commssions the school of crafts so people may learn in more comfortable conditions. He also extend the royal guard by 3,000 men, 200 of such to be apart of his our horse force. and 40 of these men would be assigned to Adah as he follows the routes that the scouts groups have found. Mata realizes from reports that most of the MakoVibria once used to be under Nyazwe and likley share customs with them. Mata organizes a great council of all the chiefs that could be located and shows them the horse saying that all men should have one. One by one the tribes began to move into the dilapidated ruins of the Nyazwe, craftsmen from Mhungo Rwizi would be the first arrive to help rebuild and teach. Mata also finds text of the Nyazwe navy making ship construction much easier as copies reach Tunga the ship enthuist soon turn into the the ship yard of Tunga and by the end of the year three ships of the navy patrol Tunga bay and its immediate area. However, the shipyard continue to work on better design for reaching even deeper war that lies outside of the bay. Tunga is also Official opened with Mata happy at its progress. Also at the end of the year some of the Indian craftsmen's families would arrive in Lusvingo unknowingly adding their customs to that of the Shona who lived closed to them. Around 80 Indians now live in a of Lusvingo called Ahuja after the philospher who now iw friends with the king and a close spiritual advisor himself spending hours learning of Faraism from the king and of course the usual Yoga. More people flock the library for reading classes as the books that arrived last year have been mostly translated and tells great stories of an Elephant gods, and one with multiple faces and arms said to birth 'Karmas.' However, Shiva is who would make the most of an impact on Mata, as he would begin to see Shiva and the old concept of Mwari as one. A prince is born named Chikuyo.

1497

The Anti-Roman movement among some French nobility continue to push for the independence of France's secular affairs away from Papal authority. The Duke of Berry writes this petition as the eight points of "Gallicanism". The Duke of Anjou continues to lead his own faction in the ongoing civil unrest, with the goal of compelling the King of France to restructure the noble taxes and increase their autonomy. King William's desparate act to reach a comprimise with the Galliacinist faction lead to the deposition of local clergy, which only served to strip him of further support from the more Catholic nobility. The office of the inquisition in France gives the suggestion that this necessitates the deposition of the Capetian monarch, and replaced with a candidate ruler willing to purge heresy from the realm. (posted here to replace France's crossed out turns and update the situation in a more normal, plausible degree).

In the wake of the German civil war or the Henrican Civil War, the dissatisfied princes in Germany believe this conflict arose directly from the radical changes to the imperial electorate for the election of 1493. Further distrust of the Jenagotha emerges due to the traditional geneology of Thuringia, which seems to indicate Jesus had relations with Mary Magdelene. They petition the Emperor Henry to make reforms to the imperial sytem.

The voyage of the RHC from Lotharingia arrives at the island of Puerto Rico. With much of the nearby islands already having Hanseatic pressence, they proceed further north and explore further north and discover a much larger peninsula known OTL as Florida.

Florence completes its initial reforms to declare a proper, popular republic upon the influence of Friar Guerro, even while the city continuse to be in contest with the monarchist faction. He unites the people in fear - fear of sin and punishment in the afterlife. In February, these fears come to a head as mobs hoard objects that they believe give rise to sin and prepare to burn them in Florence. Books, paintings, and cosmetics are among the items burned in this so-called Bonfire of the Vanities. The people of Florence begin to grow wary of his words and reaches out to the armies of the inquisition for assistance.

King Lucas of Arles dies, allowing Lucas the Younger of Burgundy to assume direct control over the Kingdom of Arles. This greatly upsets the local nobles, especially the people of the Italian provinces, seeing direct French influence appearing in the kingdom. This also further sets alarms to the nations in northern Italy, after seeing this many years of growing Spanish pressence, the possibility of a Burgundian Italy poses a shocking reality.

During the ongoing chaos in England over the War of the Roses, a peasent revolt appears in Cornwall, supported by the local Cornish noble James Tuchet. Having siezed temporary control over Exeter, they send an army of 12,000 peasent rebels to march on London directly.

The realm of Rossiya runs into a problem of administration, as their various provinces have a variety of different types of laws and legal procedures, some of which are contradictory.

The Khan of Astrakhan is overthrown by an alliance of Uzbek hordes, who intend to place Abdal-Karim Khan at the head of the Khanate. During the final weeks of battle, Abdal-Karim falls off his horse and breaks his neck, becoming paralyzed from the neck down. As a Khan who cannot ride is no Khan, he is cast aside. Mamuq Khan of the Sibir capitalizes on this and besieges Astrakhan.

A famine strickens Ireland.

With Dren having disappeared from the France, he has reappeared in Spain and begun to offer his support to the Spanish Crown.

• Archbishopric of Mainz: Archbishop Bertrand of Villingen continues to integrate the remaining lands which they received in the treaty of Zurich. He concentrates on improving the laws and taxes of Mainz, and working to increase general prosperity. He patronizes the Assembly of Preachers, Pontifical Press, and publishing of new books. He enthusiastically and personally welcomes the incoming artists and scholars from Italy, such as Mariotto Albertinelli, ensuring that they are well-patronized and set up in Mainz. He continues to instruct all the Archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire to co-operate with the Emperor in restoring peace and order, and minimalizing or eliminating religious violence. He patronized the University of Darmstadt, continuing to try and improve it. He requests that the Pope direct church relief organizations help with relief and reconstruction in Germany, which will also improve people's image of the church (Papal Response). Imperial Treasurer Kaspar Von Roggendorf continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high, and to invest in foreign trade. The Emperor’s naval reforms and expansions continue to slowly roll forward. The construction of the Naval Academy in Rostock, and the new port city called Heinrichshaven continue. Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and also patronizes the Emperor’s initiative to establish an Arms industry in Prague, following the same incentive program as Bavaria. Grand Marshall Jan Zizka continues restoring the Army of the Holy Roman Empire. He continues with the reforms and expansions of the Army and its weapons, keeping them cutting edge. He continues to keep their training standards high and well-organized, and continues the practice of mixing men from around the Empire and moving units to different Imperial cities, so they come to think of themselves as soldiers of the Empire, not of one city. He keeps the build up of the military a bit slower than before the war, however, so as not to cause alarm.
  • Papal diplomacy: Pope Pius III send some physicians and agents of Army of Mercy to help.
• Kingdom of Portugal: An expedition is sent to the Ilha de Moçambique to establish control over the island and establish a trade post there (nathan gave his permission) Vasco de Gama's brother, Paul de Gama, is appointed as its first governor. Meanwhile, the king visits the royal mausoleum to pay homeage to his predecessors. The king agrees to Vasco de Gama's petition to fund an Indian armada to protect Portugal's new-found trading lines from any enemies.
• Papal States: Pope Pius III is scared with the situation in France. He supports the true Catholic nobles of France and the Inquisition against King William II. The pontiff makes Georges I d'Amboise as Grand Inquisitor of France to help in the fight against heresy. The proposal made by the French King regarding the Papal tax in France is considered as an absurd. Since the creation of the Institute for Works of Charity (IWC) by Pope Eugene IV, all taxes once collected for the Papacy in all nations of Europe are to be used to help the poor assisted by the IWC across Europe. This way, if William II of France wants to collect the income from the Church, isn’t the pope that will be affected, but the poors. Fearing that even with his refusal William II and the supporters of Gallicanism will seize the Church income, this way jeopardizing all charity works of the Church, Pope Pius III prepares a contingence plan: to allow that the IWC will continue working normally for at least one more year and to not make the charity works of the Church collapse, all objects of gold and silver in the Apostolic Palace and other Papal properties will be collected and melted to create coins to be distributed to the IWC across Europe. The luxury furniture of the Papal apartment and office will be pawned, together with the jewels of mitres and Papal tiaras that survived the purge of Pope Saint Gregory XI, who also pawned a great number of Church possessions to collect money to buy food for the poor during the Great Famine of 1315.  However, accountants of the IWC in Rome predict that as soon as that this large, but temporary influx of money ends, the number of people assisted by the Institute will need to be reduced, mainly in France, the place where most of the papal tax collected in this nation is used for charity. With Florence in chaos and asking help of the Papacy, Pope Pius III calls a Crusade to destroy the heresy in Florence once and for all. The pontiff writes to all Catholic nobles and military orders in Europe, seeking their support against the heretic Friar Guerro and his followers. To increase the number of troops, Pius III also announces that everyone that joins the Crusade will receive Apostolic pardon. [MOD/players response needed]. The pope is able to reunite 3,000 mercenaries to help in Florence. Carlos of Habsburg and Blanche of Montferrat have a daughter named Maria. Ferdinand of Habsburg and Catherine of Foix have a son, who is named Maximilian. Cardinal Giuliano Della Rovere writes to Duke John VII of Britanny asking the hand of his sister, Charlotte of Albret to his foster son, Augusto Della Rovere. [MOD response needed, please]. The festival of Saint Rose of Viterbo happens once again. Gioffre Borgia, youngest son of Rodrigo Borgia and Vannozza dei Cattanei, visit Viterbo with friends during the feast of Saint Rose. This is a dangerous action, due to Viterbo being controlled by the Della Rovere, the greatest rivals of the Borgia Family. While in the city, Gioffre meets Raffaella of Habsburg, who was visiting relatives with her parents, Luchina Della Rovere and Philip of Habsburg. The two soon fall in love with each other, but they need to meet in secret due to their families being rivals. The Holy Father declares Pope Pius II as Blessed.
  • Republic of Ancona: Ancona's navy continues to slowly recover from the losses during the last war.
  • Marriage accepted.
  • Mainz: The Archbishop raises a force of ventrens and vounenteers, and sends them to join the Pope's Crusade. He also send with them a chest of gold (all he can spare) and a letter in wich he pledges his deep commitment to the supremancy of Papal authority in Europe.
  • Scotland: The 2,000 Scottish and Irish Templar’s who had come to Rome previously to defend Rome from the Florentine heretics still stand ready to partake in this crusade, as King Edward declares his official support for the crusade.
  • The Spanish Empire: in response, the Catalan Company is hired to fulfill duties of serving nation amd church with 4,000 mercenaries being provided. In addition, 2,000 Zealotic Volunteers arrive from Andalusia led by Prince Guillermo de Espana. 
• Rossiya: Mikhail III restarts his campaigning against the Kazan leading 40,000 men this time around. Once more his troops lay siege to the capital of the Kazan this time applying much larger numbers of artillery to try and breach the walls should it come to that. Fortfied positions are built on the west side of the Volga river to prevent the Kazani forces from attacking Russian suppy lines, while dugouts, war wagons and fortifications are built. and camp is set up just outside the reach of the city walls to protect the cannons. Russian cavalry and Cossacks sweep across the lands around Kazan to both blockade the supply routes and to carry scout the area and plunder the area (algo please). efforts to rebuild trade networks continue as the goods of the silk road purchased from Greek traders through Moldovia steadily grows leading to a steady revival of the city of Kiev, And trade in the Baltic continues to grow. Trappers and traders continue to set up shop in the in Uralic region and Russian influence in the area amongst the local Uralic tribes continues to grow, Orthodox preachers start to travelling east bound to both support the local communities that are steadily developing in the area, Freeholder settlement of the frontier continues to be promoted while some land sales of the Grand kniaz's estates, and the land formerly owned by Tver is parcelled in medium and small holdings for sale  or for service to the Grand Kniaz to bolster economic, and agricultural growth on one side and to reward those who show loyalty and ability on the other. The education of prince Dimitri continues, now that he is 16 efforts to secure a bride for him continue. Mikhail III decides to send a large envoy to Constantinople with plenty of fine furs, and other gifts in an effort to court a bride connected to the Imperial family of Rome, both to strengthen ties with Constantinople so as to allow for stronger economic and military ties, aswell as strengthen the prestige and legitimacy of his own family.  (Byzantine response needed)
• Kingdom of Scotland:With the beginnings of a rebellion in Cornwall, and the death of King Robert of smallpox near the beginning of this year, the newly crowned King Edward IV begins eagerly preparing to intervene, despite the protests of his Yorkist mother. However, the beginning of a famine in Ireland this year due to crop failure, he is forced to call of these plans for the most part. Still, he is well aware that this may be the Celtic Confederacy’s only chance to liberate Cornwall, he calls upon his vassal, the King of Wales, to intervene to help the rebels, providing him with the 4,000 Scottish and Irish troops that can be spared well we deal with the famine to supplement his own forces (Welsh response needed) (Also just so everybody knows we agreed to RP this with Topaz (the English player). In the meantime, massive relief efforts are organized for Ireland, in order to prevent our subjects from dying, as we save as many as we can. Surplus harvests from throughout Scotland are seized by the crown for distribution in Ireland to our starving subjects, with compensation provided for all seized, as an unfortunate necessity. We also stop all exports from Ireland for now, focusing all of its resources on saving its people and preventing further starvation. Much aid is also distributed in the form of money and resources to the population, in order to help organize these efforts and help people help themselves. However, we come to discover many nobles and merchants have been hoarding produce since the beginning of the famine. This sparks extreme anger when it is discovered, both from the king and from the peasantry who had been suffering from this great hunger under their watch. This prompts the Scottish army to enter the country and forcibly seize any produce and resources being hoarded by these men with no compensation, so it can properly redistributed to the people of the country, so this famine may quickly be ended. This massively reduces the power of the previously powerful Irish nobility, and a few of the worst offenders (and “coincidentally” the most powerful among them) find their lands being directly seized as punishment for their treason against the Irish people, although this is rare and only in extreme cases. Nonetheless, the Irish nobility is majorly tamed as a result of this experience, and with most of the relief efforts coming from Scottish soldiers, merchants, and organized efforts from the king, the Irish peasantry begin to view the crown and the Scottish who had previously occupied the country in a war to establish this personal union in a much, much more positive light then they had previously, especially as a result of their massive famine relief efforts, especially in comparison to their native lords and merchants, many of whom, although far from all of whom, had greedily hoarded most of the food and resources, denying them to the native Irish people and peasantry in spite of the massive famine going on, and majorly angered their peasantry and people in the process. This also massively helps with the famine relief efforts, helping massively reduce the amount of deaths that occur and begin putting Ireland on a track to recovery and eventual regrowth from the famine, although things are far from over as of this moment, just massively good compared to what they could have been and starting to head in a positive position to end this famine. Meanwhile, in other news, the C.C.C establishes the Celtic confederacies third colony this year, seizing control over the island of Bliadhnamhath (OTL Annobón), and establishing the port city of Naomh Owain as its capital and most major trading port. This is filled unusually quickly, as it is relatively easy to recruit colonists from Ireland due to the famine in Ireland, filling up the island quickly with 790 initial colonists, most of them Irishmen and Women recruited from the Island to get away from the famine, mostly concentrated in Naomh Owain.
  • Kingdom of Wales: King Edmund of Kingdom of Wales is overtly eager for this expedition, wishing to get back at his vile nephew as well as expand the influence of the Celtic Confederacy at the expense of the Kingdom of England, musters an additional 8,000 men from his own domain to reinforce this entire effort.
• Hafsid Caliphate: The rebellion in Ifriqiya against the Hafsids, now seated in Cairo, has evolved into a conflict of attrition, with the Hafsid military now exhausted after years of conflict and suffering setbacks at Tunis and Tobruk. Grand Vizier Al-Najm II has personally grown tired with the war, although remains loyal to Caliph Ahmad III, who has been in power for nearly 32 years up to this point. "I will not allow their heresy to shadow our path to greatness" Caliph Ahmad III states in a croaking, elderly age to the Grand Vizier. Before he can respond, a royal advisor bursts into the Palace, screeching "Ibrahim has returned!", and indeed, he has. After spending time under the now-deceased Djiata Agadezi, Ibrahim had returned in good health, filled with the righteous hope that once guided Muhammad in his fight against the Quraysh at Mecca. However, after walking into Cairo, he voluntarily surrenders, being shackled to chains as he appears before Caliph and the Grand Vizier. "You'll no longer need those," the Caliph gestures at his chains to be removed. The Grand Vizier questions Ibrahim, "So, you have accepted the truth then?", of which Ibrahim responds, "I have accepted the truth that you were once Muhammad al-Janann, my father." "That name no longer has any meaning for me" Al-Najm II responds wearily, for which Ibrahim states, "I feel the conflict within you, father. You must let go of your hate." The Caliph, noticing that Al-Najm II, has changed his stance, orders him with consequence, "Kill him." The Grand Vizier unsheeths his saif while Ibrahim draws his own, but before their duel to the death commences, an explosion is heard outside, where the soldiers of the rebellion pour through the walls of Cairo at the order of the Ummah. "KILL HIM!" the Caliph pressures Al-Najm II to do, of which he responds with the pointing of his saif to the head of Ibrahim. Rushing to him, Al-Najm II slashes at Ibrahim's saif, beginning the final duel of the fates between the hero and the villain; the protagonist against the antagonist; the son against the father. Ibrahim's training in Mali had been one about harnessing the inner strength and finding hope in a world so unjust and cruel, emerging from his cacoon to return with the strength of a thousand lions. After some time of sword striking, Ibrahim incapacitates Al-Najm II, cutting off his arm in the process. This action prompts the Caliph to laugh in encouragement, stating that Ibrahim must strike down Al-Najm II and let his hatred fuel his motivations. Ibrahim declines, saying that there will never be an Al-Najm III, realizing what the Caliph wishes to do upon Ibrahim's slaying of his father. Caliph Ahmad III, angered by this, draws his own saif, and another duel begins. Meanwhile, dissenters from the Mamluk Army arrive at the gates of Cairo, in support of freeing the Caliph and ending the reign of terror instituted by the Caliph. This doesn't look too good for the remaining Hafsid militia, which promptly breaks down after years of perpetual conflict, with most of them commiting suicide or surrendering. In the palace, Ibrahim is knocked down by the Caliph, who raises his saif to land the final blow to Ibrahim and end a story to be forgotten. "Noooo!" Al-Najm II leaps behind the Caliph, picking up Ibrahim's saif, and penetrating it through the elder and cruel Caliph Ahmad III. Having sustained major blood loss, Al-Najm II drops to the floor, causing Ibrahim to leap forward and hold his father during his final moments on this Earth. Al-Najm II advises Ibrahim to remove his mask so that he may see his son, with Ibrahim promptly removing the mask that held back a scarred and disfigured man. The palace doors spring open with Leiah, members of the Ummah, and the Mamluk Army marching in to confront the now deceased Ahmad III. They only find, however, a broken room with a dead body and a son holding onto his dying father. Ibrahim closes the eyes of Muhammad al-Janann after whispering his last words, which are still unknown to this day, but Ibrahim picks up his body, and carries it to the tomb that lies beneath. There, the brutal conquerer and mercenary known as Al-Najm II is laid to rest, with the reign of terror by the Hafsid dynasty formally ending after a nation-wide mass execution that leaves the dynasty without any known remnants in the world. The Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mustansir II, is freed while the remains of the Mamluk sultan and his family legitimize the end of the Mamluks. Together, the various dynasties of Ifriqiya, the Abbasid dynasty, the remaining Mamluk army, and the Ummah of Tataoine work thoroughly to establish a unified theocracy for the betterment of Muslims worldwide.
• Duchy of Florence: With our army we march full force into Florence. Thanks to 5,000 troops from Serbia and the 3,000 from the Pope. We have a combined total of 11,300. The rebels only have 5,700 they can muster up. The city surrounded by our troops. As we get closer and closer to the middle we attack all the guards holding the city down at the moment. Government builds get burned down from our attacks to take down the new republic's politicians and government officials. We try and protect all the loyal citizens by leading them out of the city safely and sound. All that appose us will get killed or captured. Lorenzo marches into the city to give speeches about morale and strength in numbers. the Friar is scared to shit goes to find somewhere to hid from getting captured by the Duke's army, winds up getting found in the basement of his mansion by troops. He is captured and is imprisoned and taken out of the city to a prison facility. Lorenzo kills a rebel and sticks the head on a stick and raises it up and shouts "I want my city back for the people". Besides the war, our trade with other nations are going well. Our economy grows due to trading for advanced military items and better tools for production and building. We export a lot of agricultural goods out of the nation. Since our nation only one large city the rest of land was made of farm towns and villages. 
• Roman Empire: The Russian request for the hand of Sophia (b. 1483) in marriage is accepted. The development of a thriving regional industrial base continues as it has since the late 1300s.  Mining and ore-refining continue as major industrial pursuits with exports of copper and lead in refined, ingot form and in the form of goods remain substantial. The textiles industry, perhaps the largest in Europe, dominates the Silk Road, gaining a reputation for masterful quality at a reasonable price. The advent of seed drills across Anatolia and the rest of the empire have allowed for dramatic urbanization over the last 30 years, shaking up the population distribution to favor the coasts even more than it already had. Smyrna grows quickly into a major manufacturing and export center for textiles, particularly spun thread. Elsewhere, urbanization has caused rapid growth in Caesarea, Nicaea, and Nicopolis. As a side effect of this urbanizing trend, population mixing between rural Turks migrating to the cities and Greek urban dwellers creates a growing community of Greco-Turkish peoples who mix elements of Greek and Turkish culture. Most in these communities are Orthodox Turkish-speaking people, but there is a large minority of Greek-speaking Muslims. Roman ships continue to dominate Eastern Mediterranean trade, but news from the west of a new route around Africa causes concern and consternation among many merchants. Though for now the Sinai-crossing route remains less expensive it has grown obvious that the situation will become untenable. In an effort to save themselves in the long term, the emphasis of Roman shipping shifts northward to the Black Sea and river trade. With treaty-certified access to the Danube as far as Bavaria, trade between the Germans and the empire can flourish. The Grand Duke of Bavaria is contacted to explore the possibility of securing navigation rights further along the Danube, to the edges of Bavaria’s borders. (Bavarian Player Response) Furthermore, other Roman merchants seek opportunities in Africa. Consequently, a consortium of Roman merchants approaches the Spanish crown seeking to hire a navigator to show them a route to the Malian Empire directly. (Spanish Response).
• Saxony: Edmund Alwin, the Duke and Prince-Elector of Saxony, continues to congratulate Emperor Henry IX (von Jenagotha) on his election as Holy Roman Emperor, and his brilliant quelling and crushing of the brief Civil War and Frankfurt Dictatorship (frankfurtgewaltherrschaft), so early on in his reign. Howvere, like the other prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire, he is concerned as to how the drastic changes to the Imperial Electorial System may have resulted in the Civil War. He thinks perhaps some reforms to the Holy Roman Empire would be in order. Meanwhile, the head and the torso, as well as one of the legs, of the statue of Emperor and King Henry VIII "the Great", have been completed, and are displayed in Frankfurt to raise the morale of the recently oppressed people. Edmund Alwin, the Duke of Saxony is, meanwhile, developing a plan to create a special region of Saxony for only the Jews to live in. He calls this hypothetical region "Saxe-Judenstadt", and contacts various regional administrators and demographers to work out how to proceed with this project. Meanwhile, Shadrach de la Marck continues to attempt to complete the King of Switzerland Competition. Shadrach also sends some spies off to Italy after hearing about a flying machine being developed there, thinking it may help him get to the top of Mt. Tirol in the future. Shadrach de la Marck voices his opinion that with the accession of a new Emperor, he should set some new tasks in the Contest. (Thuringia Response).
• Kingdom of Wales: King Edmund of Wales finally begins to take notice of the recent instability that has plagued the realm of England, as multiple rebellions and succession conflicts once more turn our eastern neighbour into an cesspool of instability. Thus after renewing his oaths of allegiance to the new Celtic Ameraudur, Edward IV Bruce, King of Scotland & Eiru (Ireland), son of the late Celtic Ameraudur Robert II Bruce he urges his new overlord to take action to expand the influence of the Celtic Confederacy over the Kingdom of England, something that he's overtly keen to do, as a young man he's eager to leave his mark on the world. However, the recent outbreak of the famine in Eiru (Ireland) leaves him unable to personally tend to this matter, so he entrusts his loyal vassal, the very man who brought this proposal to him in the first place, King Edmund of Wales to handle this intervention. King Edmund raises 8,000 men of his own, which are further boolstered by an additional 2,000 Scotts and 2,000 Irishmen provided by his sovereign, the Celtic Ameraudur, for a grand total of 12,000 men under his personal command. Meanwhile, the Cornish rebellion is split between two factions, those favourable to the Celtic Confederacy, a force of 4,500 native Cornish men who remain loyal to Michael Joseph "An Gof", the military leader of this insurrection, after expressing his support for the Celtic Confederacy's intervention and the rest 7,500 mostly Englishmen who rally around Baron James Tuchet of Audley and Thomas Flamank, who were until now only serving as figureheads for the insurrection, but decided to come to the front, uneager to commit treason against their realm. Not only the Lancastrian/Beaufortian pleas shall no longer be ignored, but finally we shall be joining the conflict on their side against the outspoken foes of the Celtic Confederacy inside the Kingdom of England. King Edmund drafts the battleplan with the help of his most trusted commanders, Duke Cadfael ap Alisdair (Bruce) of Gwynedd and Earl Edmund Tudur of Pembroke. The region of Gloucestershire is under Yorkist control, in contrast with the regions of Wiltshire and Worcestershire, which are under Lancasterian control. The army is split into two halves, a force of 5,000 men personally led by King Edmund himself and another force of 7,000 men, led by Duke Cadfael ap Alisdair (Bruce). Those forces have two distinct objectives, King Edmund's 5,000 men strong force will assist the Lancastrian forces in Worcestershire against the Yorkist bastions of Gloucestershire & Herefordshire, while Duke Cadfael ap Alisdair (Bruce)'s 7,000 strong force shall utilize the Welsh navy and the strategic advantage that the Isles of Scilly provide him with, to land his entire force in Cornwall & Devon and link up with the recently recruited 4,500 men strong Cornish rebels there, who have been cozied up by promises of support towards their cause, to stop paying taxes to their King, in a blatant attempt to increase the influence of the Celtic Confederacy at the expense of the English nobility. Those two forces shall finally link up and surround Gloucestershire from both sides and assault it, before advancing onwards to London. Duke Cadfael ap Alisdair (Bruce) considers himself ever virile, but he is unable to cope with the hardships of military life in his advanced age and passes away from life after wearing down himself by insisting to personally lead the troops in battle for one more time, in what was about to be his final campaign. His son and heir, now Duke Myrddin (Merlin) ap Cadfael (Bruce) of Gwynedd is there to fill in his place, leading the Gwyneddian forces in this campaign instead when the terrible news of his father's last breath reach him in the camp. Furthermore, a garrison of 2,000 loyal Welshmen is installed by Duke Myrddin ap Cadfael (Bruce) in Cornwall under the vague pretense of preserving order and protecting the region from the Yorkist forces. Michael Joseph "An Gof", the military leader of this insurrection, is treated as an honored guessed by the Celtic nobility, even offered the possibility of a noble marriage, to Duke Myrddin's youngest sister, Rhiannon ferch Cadfael (Bruce), which he gladly accepts. The reasoning behind this was that in the complete absence of a native nobility in Cornwall, this man is considered as an ideal candinate to exert the influence of the Celtic Confederacy over Cornwall, as a popular local hero but not particularly bright, as his craft lays not in intellect, but in intense and hard work, thus susceptible to suggestions. Although the intervention of the Celtic Confederacy has certainly tipped the scales in the latest phase of the War of the Roses, King Edmund's force is generally bogged down by the Yorkist forces in Gloucestershire & Herefordshire, until the arrival of Duke Myrddin ap Cadfael (Bruce) 7,500 men strong force, which decisively tips the scales in favor of the Lancastrians and their allies. In the ensuing battle the greatly outnumbered & encircled Yorkist forces in Gloucestershire, fight on valiantly but to avail, as their demise is inevitable. (Arranged this RP with Topaz and Joseph on DM) Reconstruction continues as we continue to recover from the War of the Three Realms and the War of the Roses. Crown Prince Lionel of York-Wales his crucial work for the benefit and expansion of the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach (C.C.C.), using the Confederate fleet continues to supply our new colonies, the towns of Afnac (OTL Abidjan) and Naomh Owain (OTL San Antonio de Palé), as well as to expand our trade and influence over Africa, finally enjoying all these adventures that he could only dream about when he was younger. The recently acquired formerly Arlesian colony of Lirviti (OTL Layounne) enables us to establish a proper link with our other colonial possessions down south. something really crucial for our continued colonial success. With the constant supply of provisions and other critical supplies for the colony's construction, the entire process is accelerated, construction work continues to be carried out by the combined efforts of our colonists and even our sailors help with the work, when they are staying on the shore, to ensure that the newly established vital colonies of the C.C.C., the town of Afnac (OTL Abidjan) and the colony of Bliadhnamhath (OTL Annobón) have all the proper foundations not just to be able to stay afloat, but also to prosper. Another 150 settlers are dispatched to further bolster the existing 750 colonists that have settled in what later becames known as the Welsh quarter of Afnac (OTL Abidjan), which grows to a total of 900 Welsh colonists. Furthermore an additional 250 colonists are dispatched to the newly established colony of Bliadhnamhath (OTL Annobón) and its port city Naomh Owain (OTL San Antonio de Palé). Lucrative trade by the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach (C.C.C.) with the Emirate of Jabal Asada and the Malian Empire brings newfound wealth to our realm, further encouraging the continuation of our colonial efforts. Cadfael ap Myrddin (Bruce) of Gwynedd and Catherine von Habsburg have a happy accident this year, as Catherine gives birth to two lovely twins, Myrddin ap Cadfael (Bruce) and Teleri ferch Cadfael (Bruce).The two newly established printing shops in Cardiff and Caernarfon have proven to be commercial successes, continue circulating best sellers like the Welsh language version of the Bible, "Sinclar's Adventures" by none other than the great explorer Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, "King Arthur, the Progenitor of Wales" by reknowned Welsh author Lewys Glyn Cothi, "A history of the Gaelic peoples" by the Scottish author Micheal MacGille and other already popular books, now rendering them affordable even for the lower nobility, the merchant class and the commoners. The construction of an additional two caravels finishes. Our total fleet stands at ten caravels, with an additional two under construction. With the War of the Roses & the War of the Three Realms behind us, the unifying theme of the worship of Saint Owain (Lawgoch) perseveres, providing a sense of national unity to the Celtic Confederacy, bolstering our efforts to consolidate our realm, to strengthen it sufficiently to be able to withstanding the test of time against the adversity of bordering the vile Kingdom of England. King Edmund continues to promote the reconciliation of his realm, divided into two similar yet starkly different halves, the Pura Walia region, dominanated by the independent minded Welsh nobility and the Marchia Walliae region, dominanated by the Anglo-Norman nobility, by encouraging the adoption of Welsh customs and traditions by the Anglo-Norman part of his nobility, furthermore encouraging marriages between the Anglo-Normans and Welsh noble families, with a bit more success thus far, as a few more Yorkist and Lancasterian supporters alike, but loyalist to the Welsh crown above all, Anglo-Norman noble families that have good relations with King Edmund of Wales following suit by adopting even more Welsh customs and traditions and/or intermarrying with the Welsh nobility for the time being.
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di" The Rotterdamse Handels Compagnie voyage has returned from the west after being away for a total of ten months. Three of those months being spend on the islands, these islands being belived to be part of Indian islands. The islands being refered to as "Eilanden met den Hemelsche stranden" as the Beaches are looking out of heaven. The head of the Voyage being Dirk govaerts, a merchant and captain from Delft who worked for the RHC since he joined at age of 12 as a deckboy.  Dirk claiming his new found land for the RHC and even building a small chappel on the beach of the islands. This being the biggest of the "Eilanden met hemels strand", where sailors of the RHS Storm found a town. This town being known as Palmparadijs, this being found by crew of the RHS Storm. As the ship accidentalty hit a barrier reef forcing the crew to stay on land, as it is belived that there are many riches such as Gold, silver and one of the RHC specialities Fish. Dirk Govearts meeting with the local Taíno Lucayan people this meeting being very friendly as gifts are exchanged such as shark teeth,a living turtle and alot of fish, the Lotharingians showing metal razors, cannons, special tick fabrics and books. After the meeting and the building of a small town at Palmparadijs which includes a couple of huts and a small wall this all mostly being made with wood and some dirt. As most of the RHS Storm crew stays behind Dirk Govaerts leaves a crew of around 50 people behind, togheter with some domesticated pigs they took for food and fats. Thus Dirk Govaerts and his two jerseys the RHS Rotterdam and RHS Zuyder Zee, the men returning in late October back in Rotterdam. Dirk Govaerts being seen as a hero in his city of Rotterdam, the RHC Giving him the right to claim all land he discovers for the Company and for Country. The RHC planning to send a even bigger voyage in around two years as they want the time to seek royal aproval and to asemble a proper fleet. The RHC wanting to establish a proper setlement and have the ability to avoid going near "Koninglyke West Afrikaansche Compagnie" holdings and trade routes. The KWAC going into a small panic seeing RHC ships so close to their trade hubs, the company board being afraid that the RHC will try to get into the African Market. This Being possible as the granted monopoly has long run out for the KWAC, and thus other Lotharingian companies can legaly establish posts in Africa. A newly established colony being a town on the Garnaal revier, which is strategically just on mainland of Hendrico Island. The town seeming to be succesfull due to the great acces to shrimp and other fish in the river, as it is easy to get food for the setlers in the town. While this is all going down the KWAC is forced to send 1,000 pikeman, punaiseurs and other troops to Jabal asada on the Emir's request as the nation is in danger, this being very bad for trade and general stability. The soldiers being alot of foreign mercanaries from England, Spain and Germany even if the plurarity is Belgic or Babani.
• Kingdom of England: The combined Lancastrian forces from Suffolk, Wiltshire and Dorset, led by Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Warwick and 15th Earl of Devon; Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire; and Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, arrive at London at about the same time as the army of rebelling peasants led by James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley. Godfrey Courtenay is able to convince Tuchet to join his cause of deposing King Edward VII and replacing him with Henry Beaufort, as Tuchet's grievances had been specifically with the aggressive administration of the regent Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester that the Lancastrians are fighting against. Some of the original Cornish rebels, however, hold off to wait to hear whether King Edmund of Wales will support Beaufort, given the events now unfolding in Cornwall. (Wales response). The combined forces of the Lancastrians and Tuchet's rebels besiege London and quickly gain the upper hand due to the depletion of Yorkist forces in London given Richard of York had sent a lot of them west, combined with the popular unrest occurring in the city. A decisive moment occurs when it appears Yorkist troops have captured and arrested the young King Edward VII trying to flee out of the city. However, it soon turns out that the person captured was actually the King's identical twin brother, John of York, who had been forced to act as the King's body double; King Edward VII had already fled the city north towards Yorkshire under the guidance of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, who had effectively been acting as his guardian. After finding out his true identity, some of the peasant rebels angrily execute John of York (1481-1497). Despite the identity confusion, the (incorrect) news of the King's capture and the King's general disappearance from the city causes the remaining Yorkist troops there to lose morale, and the defence of London falls. The troops of Suffolk, Wiltshire, Dorset and Tuchet's rebels now move into London and intend to hold the city until Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset arrives to be crowned in place of the King Edward VII who fled. When the Lancastrians hear of Celtic troops occupying Cornwall by sea, they decide to not immediately take action on this, considering the ongoing conflicts in England, the Beauforts' general alliance with Wales and their alliance with the Cornish rebels. However, after Richard of York and the Yorkist troops he took from London arrive at Gloucester and hear about the occupation of Cornwall, Richard immediately orders Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and the Yorkist Buckinghamshire troops southwest from Gloucester to fight the invaders. However, the Buckinghamshire troops run into the Lancastrian troops of Somerset and Devon, led by Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, at the town of Chippenham in northwest Wiltshire, and a battle ensues. The battle of Chippenham ends in the Yorkist troops being repulsed, and they are unable to advance further south towards Cornwall. Meanwhile, after sending the Duke of Buckingham south, Richard of York immediately has the Yorkist troops from London march east again towards London. John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford had been leading the Lancastrian troops of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire southeast from Worcestershire and they encounter Richard's army at the town of Witney in western Oxfordshire. In the ensuing battle, Richard of York's troops are eventually able to punch through the Lancastrian blockade and continue advancing east, though not without heavy losses; the Earl of Oxford was also able to escape the battle. Aside from their losses in manpower, Richard's army was also delayed enough that they would not be able to reach London again before the end of 1497. Close to the end of the year, Richard of York contacts the Yorkist George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, convincing him to gather the troops of Kent and what remains of the Essex levy after the battle of Great Dunmow to also assault the Lancastrian occupation of London in the new year. Tragically, Anne Stafford (1494-1497), daughter of Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire and Henrietta Beaufort, dies in Wilton of a disease, at only three years of age. Edward IV of Bruce-Auvergne and Isabella of Habsburg have their first child, a daughter named Fiona (Fionnghal) (b. 1497) (OOC: Joseph gave me permission to name the children of this couple). Later in the year, Beatrice Beaufort and Thomas Grey the Younger have their first child, a son named William (b. 1497). In Europe, Maria of Savoy (1430-1497), widow of Otto de la Marck, aunt of Aymon II, Duke of Savoy and a distant relative of the Plantagenets through the Lenzburg, dies of natural causes. In Rome, Burkhard von Lenzburg and Girolama Farnese have their first child, a son named Eberhard II (b. 1497).
  • Kingdom of Wales: King Edmund's support for Beaufort is unquestionable. However, the offensive on the Yorkist stronghold of Gloucestershire is of the utmost priority, the 4,500 native Cornish rebels who remain loyal to Michael Joseph "An Gof", the military leader of the insurrection are supporting the assault against the city of Gloucester. The rest 7,500 mostly English men who rally around Baron James Tuchet of Audley and Thomas Flamank, completely support Beaufort's offensive for London.
• Duchy of Thuringia: Henry IX creates a law this year, hoping to appease the Imperial Princes. He seeks to formulate rules regarding the appointment of electors, so that there are clear rules regarding the process, and so that the electors cannot be abused. Outside of the public spotlight and government temporarily, the Thin White Duke has dedicated himself to several long years of intense religious theory and education. He receives a Doctor of Theology from the University of Erfurt, and emerges with a strong understanding of religious matters. The Duke commissions his own schools as well across the Duchy, hoping to teach a new generation of hopeful clergy. The Thin White Duke begins writing again, privately, detailing many observations he has for the church. Meanwhile, in Thuringia, there has been devastation at the hands of the inquisition and the war between the Adamites and the orthodox, forcing those deemed heretical back into the underground. Across Thuringia, in this desperate time of religious anarchy, there are many who take up or expand the realm of indulgences. Despite indulgences having been partially regulated since the days of the Hussites and the council in Prague, rules begin to be bent in war torn regions. Indulgences are sold to the desperate of the war, who lost loved ones or had their loved ones condemned as heretics. There are churches who join the practice, hoping to use raised funds to fulfill their need to perform a certain amount of charity. Others sell indulgences on behalf of the church, keeping half the amount raised for their own benefit. The Thin White Duke makes many correspondances to another young theologian and writer, named Konrad Jung. Jung is also an opponent of indulgences, and writes to the various churches of Thuringia urging them not to partake in such a matter. Additionally Jung begins to formulate his own set of beliefs. He gives a number of speeches in academic circles on the doctrine of justification, and God's act of declaring a sinner righteous, by faith alone through God's grace. None of these writings are publicly distributed, nor are these talks publicly known, but many intellectuals within the nation begin to know of these debates. Elsewhere the Emperor decrees that Shadrach de la Marck may have discovered the correct culprit, but when guards go to arrest Alexander Suslin, they find he had escaped. A commissioner named Johann Shrier discovers several strange artifacts left behind, including writings of a mysterious organization led by “the all seeing eye”, and a map of southern Swabia. He delivers these clues secretly to Shadrach. (Saxon response)
  • Saxony: Shadrach thanks Shrier profusely, although he secretly sends men to tail Shrier and report on his everyday movements, as he is suspicious of these conveniently ambiguous clues. Shadrach travels to Southern Swabia, where he looks for Alexander Suslin. One day, he spots a large cathedral with the symbol of the All-Seeing Eye of Providence nailed to the cathedral door. Curiously intrigued, he attempts to open the door and go in, but finds that it is locked. He therefore climbs in through the back window, and discovers something inside...

• The Greater Kingdom of Arles and Burgundy: With the two crowns finally united, Lucas II sets off to Arles to explain to the local nobles that this Union will have equal rights to all citizens, and there would be no differentiating the peoples as higher or lower class. He proclaims this Kingdom The United Domains of the Greater Kingdoms of Arles, Burgundy and Auvergne or in short, the Greater Kingdom of Arles and Burgundy. Before Lucas I died, Queen Aline passed the slip of paper concerning Italy written by William VI to Lucas II, as per Arlean Tradition. The gold mines in OTL Dakhla accelerate in production, as the riches get sent to Arles. An extravagant funeral is prepared for Lucas I. Seeing the hopeless case in France, Lucas II laughs whole heartily. A new legend appears about the Dren. However, this legend is a good one as the Dren is supposed to have preyed on the weak and ill-minded, and also those who are heretics and insult the church.
  • Pisa: Anti-Florence Resentment is extremely high. Some want an ivasion of Florenc but King Philippe Lowen II think otherwise.
• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: Census = (5500000e^((1496-1408).0025)) = 6853422/ Levy = 68534/ Deployed = 25000/ Unraised: = 43534/ As the ongoing war in Bali begins to result in the loss of ground to Majapahit forces, Ayutthayan diplomats are dispatched to Demak and Blambangan requesting their entry into the war on behalf of Ayutthaya with the promise of more land on Java considering that Majapahit's entire military has been dispatched to Bali. (Mod Response). The 8,000 men stationed at the Majapahit border as well as an additional 3000 men are redirected to the island of Bali bolstering the defenders to 26,765 troops total under Hang Tuah who has entrenched his men into defensive positions to contest Majapahit's advance with fortifications with cannons and arquebus. (Algo Needed). The Mekong defenses continue to receive the proper attention due to them considering Dai Viet's intervention in the war as a precuation against any attempts made to cross and invade Ayutthaya proper. Sunan Kudus in an effort to ensure that state funds are not strained has given orders for land development for agriculture to be halted for the duration of the conflict. The key ports of Pak Nakhram (OTL Port Blair) and Sarakphaeng (OTL Terempa) continue to receive extensive use by the Ayutthayan navy due to their positions at the end of Ayutthaya's security net for trade along the Malay Peninsula with Malacca receiving the most port calls from naval vessels due to its proximity to trade routes vulnerable to Majapahit raiders and attacks. Due to the strain of the war on finances, Khoja Hassan's patrols into the region between Phitsnanulok and Ayutthaya with the remainder of the Capital Defense Corps not deployed to Bali have begun to grow sparse as a part of the cutbacks done by Sunan Kudus for the war efforts. In the absence of the Capital Defense Corps, Prince Borromarachathirat III has begun to exert influence ever so slightly into the region recognizing the need to complete the war between Ayutthaya and its regional rivals of Dai Viet and Majapahit as a matter of necessity. The Commerce Guild has witnessed repeated attacks on its vessels by Majapahit prompting merchants to begin travelling in groups when travelling to better fend off attackers. The Orang Laut have found profit in this situation by offering their services in exchange for payment to the merchants. The graduates of the Pwe Kyaung system continue to provide massive growth to local economies due to their knowledge granting them a far greater control their financial situations with those of noteworthy skill continuing to be sent by monks to the capital to undertake courses in the Civil and War Colleges to be appointed to the Capital Defense Corps or be given a job in the nobility. The War College continues to devise strategies, tactics, and methodologies off the experience of troops in Bali with observers dispatched to record the war so that it can be studied to improve Ayutthaya's methods on conducting war in environments similar to Bali. Rama Ramathibodi II and his wife from Terrenganu have given birth to a girl who they name Arinya Kongpaisarn who is the sole child of Ramathibodi II. Envoys are also sent to Hindustan requesting their assistance in the defense of Bali arguing that Majapahit's actions have disrupted the flow of trade (Hindustan Response).
  • Hindustani Response: Hindustan sends 20,000 troops (10,000 cavalry) from the city of Tis Hazari (in Arakan) to Ayutthaya to aid them in the war. The War has indeed led to a disruption of a massive amount of trade and several large merchants including high government officials and generals had been petitioning the Maharaja to intervene.
• Hesse: Mark is formally united into one. Jezrahiah proves to be a strong administrator and begins to rule Hesse most of the time on behalf of his paranoid wife. The nation continues to promote closer ties to the County of Arnsberg and William the Strong, its ruler (mod Response).
  • Arnsberg improves relations
• Emirate of Jabal Asada: the emir thanks the KWAC for their support of pikemen and punaisiers and other types of mercenaries we use them with the newly hired mercenaries from celts with our newly raised 10,000 troops and mali support to seige down Dinguiraye, as our sappers will try to damage the walls by digging them or digging underneath of them or trying yo damage or sabotage them by any way, the canons will also lunch it wrath by firing and trying to destroy the walls, if walls are breached and destroyed, our armies shall strom the city and will try to kill no civilians if they put no sign of agression towards us (Algo needed)
• County Palatine of the Rhine - The Culinary School’s 2020 recipe book includes over 38 recipes from one curious German ruler. Philip the Upright is believed to have begun his research around the year 1480, but by 1497 he had must definitely begun. It is known that he began writing his first novel on the confectory business at this time, describing “the quest for the perfect sweets having eluded me for almost two decades.” He acquired a large number of the Liquorice plant from Italia, and had carefully produced his first test: ground-up plant matter and water, boiled at a high temperature in an iron cauldron. He attempted to mix honey and melted butter into this recipe, having not yet found a suitable ratio. To this end he planted many of the plants in a garden, and began keeping bees, a tradition the Palatine region keeps to this day. Distracted by his work, the Count is known to have dispatched Sir Walter Meyer to run the day to day operations of state.
  • The turn was posted soon enough after the end of the turn that posting was still allowed.
• Vinland: Population reaches 6,150. Trade flourishes. Herleif's son Eric Kuis begins associating with some Christians, angering Odinists. 
  • Esgigeland and Unamaland: The commonwealth pushes deeper into Unamaland.
• Dai Viet: Emperor Lê Tư Thành summons the court mandarins to the Bảo Quang Palace, as his health has fallen ill. He then compose a poem with them, as they discussed about the health of the Emperor and the situation of the country and the region. The next day, the Emperor summons the Crown Prince Lê Tranh and some court mandarins into the Bảo Quang Palace as the Emperor carefully tells him: “Listen to your father, I won’t be with everyone for much longer. You’re the Crown Prince, you must replace me to carry the responsibilities to make our country peaceful, stable and prosperous, and hold on to my dreams of expanding the realm. Are you clear about that?” “Yes, Father. You can rest, the court works will be done by me and the court mandarins.” - the Crown Prince replied. “Hearing these words from you, I can now die in peace. Hopefully in the afterlife, I can meet Trailokkanat, a hero in his realm, and then we can drink together while composing poems.” - said the Emperor. He then took his last breath immediately after. The Emperor took the temple name of Lê Thánh Tông, his funeral is organized as he is mourned all over the realm, he will go down in history as one of the greatest monarchs of Dai Viet. Crown Prince Lê Tranh ascends the throne, and receives a letter from Admiral Lê Cảnh Huy in Bali, mourning for Emperor Thánh Tông, congratulating the Emperor for ascending the throne and awaiting his commands for the army in Bali. (Census: 5,207,500e^[(1497-1408)0.0025] = 6,505,187/ Levy = 65,051/ Deployed = 15,000/ Unraised: = 50,051) Upon hearing Ayutthaya's aggression towards Majapahit, ships (50% have been installed with cannons) of 5,000 additional men carrying arquebuses are sent to aid Majapahit in their war. Emperor Tranh unpublicly condemns Ayutthaya's aggression and their representative absence during his Father's funeral. However, expeditions against Ayutthaya and their vassals of Kampuchea won't be made, considering his Father hold a respect to Ayutthaya despite the constant rivalry between the two. Envoys asking Lan Xang to contribute to the war in Bali had been denied. The Emperor will wait to see what to do regarding the outcome conflict.
• The Spanish Empire: as Fernando de Polanco visits The Ethiopian Empire, he comes requesting as a representative of Spain to speak on behalf of the Queen to the Emperor. Vespucci continues to spend time within India mapping the shoreline and nation. The great cities of Mumbai and Calcutta become his favorites. Meanwhile, Prince Elvin takes his.time to be the father that he is and offers his wife and daughter the opportunity to move to the Island of Cuba. With the completion of a dock to land at in Havana and the addition of a fort and homes, the settlement could finally properly channel people to move to the settlement promising them land as much had become empty. Chief Dalarwa had passed from a disease the Spanish were quite familiar with. Very few natives survive the year, even those promised property in Havana for their services by Elvin. This breaks Elvin down for nearly a month as he saw the death of what he called his subjects and Compadres. Little did he know this was happening across the island in its entirety. Those that had survived found themselves in desperation turning to Christ led by Bartholomew Diez, the monk. After knocking some sense back, the cultivation of sugar had been pushed. It proved successful in.Nueva Zamora and with a similar climate, this years yield in the Havana Colony flourishes. More farmers and peasantry are offered and incentivised to move as a crown incentive effort with Merchant Families placing their investments into the colonies as well with Santo Domingo being founded as well as San Juan de Bautista. In the span of a years time, 1,000 move to Havana to gamble their lives with a fresh start and their own land in Northern Cuba. They bring with them hogs and sheep, all investments from the newly founded Spanish West India Co.with direct oversight and ownership by the crown through Prince Elvin as well as funding from both Royal Treasury and Danielo's donations to lead it off. Alvarez the Conquistador faces a coalition of Tribesmen against his army in an ambush attack after their Tribes ally, the Cubaominu had been conquered. The horses and guns prove to be too much for them. They quickly fall. Meanwhile, Zayas files his own charter for Santo Domingo to make it an official settlement after two years of hard work and construction as well as San Juan Bautista. After a year of good relations with Mayan Locals, the Spanish return with gifts to give to the Mayans who had kindly let them meet as this was arranged in good faith. Elvin promises to return later on. In the meanwhile, Zayas and his men begin to trade gold for what is regarded to be simple goods but out of guilt, Zayas gives more that is deemed as more of value and worth. Something the natives would love while the Spanish are able to maintain morality. Some men become curious where this gold comes from and the Natives though in lower numbers now than they had been before, after some years of interaction, find the bonds to be strong enough to say. The gold comes from northern Santo Domingo but is traded for by other tribes northward. The lower tribes had envied their hold of fortune and are willing to share it if they were to agree to an alliance against these tribes. This information is written in a letter which is sent back to Spain. Dren now in Spain appeal to the crown and becomes an inquisitor.
• Empire of Japan: (sorry for the super late post, admin work soaked up my time) The Empire of Japan specifically the Tachibana and the Sapporo Zaibatsu sponsor the second voyage to the new landmass to the East bringing building materials and other items which would aid in the construction of the outpost. More land is claimed and contact is made with the local native aleuts along the island chain. The economic situation continues to gain as the revelopment of some of the Western coastal cities has allowed for more sea and trade traffic to pass through their ports. A large fleet of nearly 200 is brought together as well as roughly 5000 troops which are sent to the Batam island fortresses and join with the local garrison as well as the very large South China sea fleet which patrols the area.

1498

The Lotharingian West African Company (KWAC), in competition with the RHC's discovery of the west indies, sponsors their own voyage to reach India by following the route of Vespucci around the Cape of Good Hope. Giovonni Coboto, a brilliant Italian navigator of his own right, settles in Amsterdam offering to take up a position in the company.

Lavrador's return voyage to Portugal charts all the coastline of OTL as it connects to Baffin island and Greenland. He becomes the first surviving records to conclusively chart the navigation between Newfoundland and Iceland, although various disconnected trade had persisted in this region for centuries earlier.

Although the recent inquisitions led by the Pope across Europe have been successful for the most part, the cost of multiple endeavors has begun to strain the Papal treasury, leading officials in the Holy See to advocate either for fundraising efforts such as wider use of indulgences, or cutting back on extraterritorial interventions.

As an inquisition begins against the heretical movements present in France, from the Waldensians in the south to the Taborites and Adamites primarily in the center of the nation, moderates within government compel King William to pursue a reconciliation with the Church in Rome, out of a desparate attempt of securing alliances in order to suppress the uprisings of heretics and nobles. He offers to do penance with the Pope and restore the deposed clergy.

Friar Guerro is deposed from power over the Florentine Republic by an angry mob, who has him locked in prison for heresy. Shortly after this, the city is overwhelmed by the Crusader forces that recaptures Florence for the Medicis.

A terrible earthquake occurs in off the coast of Nankaidō. With a magnitude of 8.6, this quake kills between 5,000 and 41,000 people, liquifies the ground in Nankai, and kicks up a tsunami that ravages Kamakura. Along with the people and buildings it washes away, the base of Kamakura's massive statue of the Great Buddha is washed away. The statue itself is found resting on a shoreline miles away in the seated position, almost tranquil against the debris-strewn, ruined beach.

Astrakhan falls to the Sibir Khanate. The city, which had already been devastated by war time and again, is practically burned to the ground once more. Mamuq Khan assumes leadership of the splintered Khanate as his men fan out through the relatively small Khanate, searching for upstart generals and pockets of misguided or misinformed resistance.

An Armenian lawyer gains renown throughout Europe after a novel case. His defendant is a football player in Germany accused of killing his ex-wife and her friend. The German aristocracy is enamored with him, but the evidence points to the defendant having committed the murders due to the court having found a bloodied gauntlet at the scene. His lawyer turns the case around by proving the gauntlet was indeed the wrong size for the defendant, so he could not have used it, arguing, "If upon the hand the gauntlet dost not fit, the defendant thou shalt acquit." (Rough translation).

Leonardo da Vinci complets his painting of The Last Supper.

A boy's choir of singers is founded in Vienna by the Duke of Austria.

• Vinland: The population reaches 6,230. Rumor persists on the island concerning a strange group of ships (Lavrador) which pass by and head east. Herleif deduces that these were ships sailed by the Angles, Celts, and Danes. He assembles another band of travellers to sail on longboats eastward, sailing along the northern coasts [MOD RESPONSE]. In other news, trade flourishes on the island and the metallurgic industry grows as well. Eric Kuis welcomes a daughter to his family, whom he names Ingridamandsey after his aunt. Sturla Ragnulfsson gifts Herleif with a collection of his histories, and begins recording contemporaneous accounts as well, including attempts to sail eastwards. Herleif also reaches out to Iceland to establish permanent trade and diplomatic relations. [MOD RESPONSE].
  • Esgigeland and Unamaland: The commonwealth pushes deeper into Unamaland.
  • The longships from Vinland manage to run into the Portuguese expedition while they were resupplying.

• County Palatinate of the Rhine: Around 1498 the so called “Black Liquorice Incident” occurred that would be a great stain on the legacy of the Palatinate. Now two years into his attempts to perfect the state confectionery, historians believe that Philip became confident enough to send out a product for testing. Likely having forgotten to get his cousin Frederick a wedding gift, Philip decided to send a batch of his experiment to him. In fact he sent a bundle of the liquorice to Frederick in Falkenstein, and batches to people at the court of the Count of Hohenlohe, the Count of Henneberg, and the Count of Berg. But to Philip’s horror, he discovered that Sir Walter Meyer’s toddler son had accidentally knocked over a vial of arsenic into one of the batches (from an unrelated experiment). All four batches had been sent out, meaning out of those four rulers would be the unlucky fellow to accidentally die of poison, but who would it be? (Mod Response). Later that same year, Philip was unexpectedly nominated for the position of Emperor, and he hoped it would launch his culinary career.

• Hindustan: Shamsher Singh orders the renovation of the Dilli-ka-Qila, having decided that he will shift most of his administration to the unused but extremely huge fort. As the state had expanded so had the Government and the much smaller Siri Fort was not able to properly accommodate the different government functions that were required. Trade with Ayutthaya continues unabated by the major war. Several Indian Merchants begin using the port of Pak Nakhram (OTL Port Blair.) and other Eastern Ayutthayan ports for trade.  At this point of time, before the beginning of large scale regular European trade missions, the port city of Surat stood as the largest port on the West coast, followed by Sultanpur (Goa), Calicut, Thatta (near OTL Karachi), Mahim (OTL Mumbai), Kollam and then Khambhat. Khambhat which had been the capital of the Gujarat Subah had experienced a sharp decline with the now larger port city of Surat becoming the new capital and replacing Khambhat. The major port cities of the Eastern coast are Korkai (near OTL Thoothukudi), Chittagong, Visakhapatnam, Dhaka, Puri and Mamallapuram. (Read this European players for an idea of the India trade situation.) The main ports for the export of spices are the port cities of Sultanpur (Goa), Calicut, Kollam, Korkai, Mamallapuram and Visakhapatnam.
• Archbishopric of Mainz: Archbishop Bertrand of Villingen preaches publicly against the rampant sales on indulgences, one of many terrible afflictions that has befallen the church as a result of the war. He orders the other Archbishops of Germany to crack down on this practice at once, and also notifies Rome. He says that, rather than take more money from the people, the church should cease involvment in wars. It is the duty of christian nations to fight on behalf of the Pope, as they did in the Crusades, and the church should concentrate on fighting heresy with wisdom instead. He continues to integrate the remaining lands which they received in the treaty of Zurich. He concentrates on improving the laws and taxes of Mainz, and working to increase general prosperity. He patronizes the Assembly of Preachers, Pontifical Press, and publishing of new books. He enthusiastically and personally welcomes the incoming artists and scholars from Italy, such as Mariotto Albertinelli, ensuring that they are well-patronized and set up in Mainz. He continues to instruct all the Archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire to co-operate with the Emperor in restoring peace and order, and minimalizing or eliminating religious violence. He patronized the University of Darmstadt, continuing to try and improve it. In order to stem these constant outburst of heresy, strengthen the position of the church in Europe, and improve them welfare of the people, Archbishop Bertrand directs all the Archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire to implement in their dioceses the same educational reforms implemented in Mainz since 1465. Under these reforms, all churches will provide lessons thrice-weekly for the children in the diocese, so that they can learn reading and arithmetic and be free from ignorance, which leads into error. The lessons will be provided by priests, and brothers from the monasteries. Slate and chalk will be provided out of the tithe money collected for the upkeep of the Diocese, plus a small compensation will be given to the parents weekly for the lose of their child’s labor. He requests that Pope Pius III reinforce his directive to the Archbishops, in the same manner that Pope Leo XI did. He points out that a more educated population will understand the teachings of the church better and not be so easily led into heresy, plus providing education for all people will improve the image of the church as these recent troubles. (Papal Response). Imperial Treasurer Kaspar Von Roggendorf continues to monitor closely the income and expenditure of the empire, and keep the tax code fair and the trade revenues high, and to invest in foreign trade. The Emperor’s naval reforms and expansions continue to slowly roll forward. The construction of the Naval Academy in Rostock, and the new port city called Heinrichshaven continue. Von Roggendorf, in his capacity as Treasurer of the entire Holy Roman Empire, continues to send funds to Munich to support the expansion of the arms industry, and also patronizes the Emperor’s initiative to establish an Arms industry in Prague, following the same incentive program as Bavaria. Grand Marshall Jan Zizka continues restoring the Army of the Holy Roman Empire. He continues with the reforms and expansions of the Army and its weapons, keeping them cutting edge. He continues to keep their training standards high and well-organized, and continues the practice of mixing men from around the Empire and moving units to different Imperial cities, so they come to think of themselves as soldiers of the Empire, not of one city. He keeps the build up of the military a bit slower than before the war, however, so as not to cause alarm.
• Oman: The sultanate of Oman orders the five-year plan to reform the nation's army and navy. Force drafts are order to all men 18 to 40 who must train and remain in the army for three years. Meanwhile, the Omani navy would launch an expedition to explore the Indian Ocean to make trade agreements with other states. Our expedition force would leave on March 21st where they would travel to the Horn of Africa. They, however, are forced to land near Yemen due to a deadly storm blocking them off. They would then land near Aden where the commander of the navy would ask the Yemen sultanate to make a trade agreement for Oman. (Mod response).
  • Yemen is willing to create a trade deal.
• The Messin Republic sees the election of a new Head-Alderman this year named Gerhard. He seeks to promote greater trade and seeks close ties with neighboring or nearby Lotharingia, France, Switzerland, and Burgundy. In the town center and Saint-Louis Square, a thriving banking industry exists, as does a popular market. Hoping to culturally enrich the city, Gerhard welcomes writers and thinkers seeking a city to work in, as Metz has fairly tolerate religious policies, given its tendency to resist occupation or influence by neighboring bishoprics like the Bishop of Metz.
• Mali Empire: By this point in time, the naval technology of Mali had grown to sustain its own major warships and transport aparatus, completely independent from the ships imported from Europe. The Malian Galleys had become the standard unit across the West African coast, now accompanied by Frigates and galleons as well. This ocean-going fleet have successfully sustained the Atlantic trade across the open ocean as far away as Portugal down to Zayiyr. The growth of European voyages round the cape of Africa had a profound impact on Mali's economy, although it was very gradual to first become noticed. The Trans-Sahara caravan trade would gradually become unsustainable as a viable economic system, gradaully cutting into the finances of the empire. The core military established by Simba I gradually became the central military for the whole empire, while the remaining 200,000 manpower was gradually phased out into various local militaries by the Farabas. This was a conserted effort to make a more long-term, sustainable military finances for the nation. However, the result is that the infrastructure across the landlocked regions of Mali slowly began to suffer over time. This is especially true in Nigeria and Bornu, where art and architectural styles, as well as some medical technology, remained stagnant for years after this point, if not slightly regressed. This was a radically different situation on the western half of the empire, however. The vassals of Waalo, Jolof, the Sidinate and the Gorgades gradually became some of the most well-organized and sophisticated of Mali's vassals, allowing them to further profit off of the ongoing Atlantic trade with Europe and Africa. When Mustafa II attempted to place through reforms for replacing the vassals with direct governors, Waalo led the faction of the Gbara to blockade this move. Around the month of Dhul Al-Hajj, the Jolof Farin sponsors further exploration of the South Atlantic Ocean to the navigator Abd Al-Muttalib Janneh. Officially, contemporary records describe Janneh's voyage as motivated to seek the lost colony of Mansa Abu Bakr II, who disappeared with the fourth voyage of the sailor Sanbao. Historians are doubtful how much stake people had in this tale. Rather, this was likely an attempt to follow the routes of the European explorers to reach India around the Cape of Good Hope. Mansa Mustafa takes note on the ongoing inconclusive war between Jabal Asada and Futa Jallon. He sends a grand diplomatic mission to the court of Ayoub, offering to make a deal. The Mali Empire will bring to bear a direct military force to help Jabal Asada subjugate the pagan state of Futa Jalon, seeing as the military of Asada by itself is not nearly strong enough. In exchange, the Emir will relinquish rights of foreign diplomacy for his nation, and cede rights to certain salt mines directly to the control of the Mansa, as was previously the case before the Bono War. (Jabal Asada player RESPONSE).
  • Jabal Asada Dip: The emir accepts,but only if he be able to send 22,000 soldeirs, and the bund of relinquishing will be removed, replaced by an increase on numbers of slaves in the tribute wich is 2,200 slaves (this was agreed with mali player in a sort of negotioations in a room in discord).
  • Mali agrees to this. Jalut Al-Kabir sends an army of 22,000 troops to help Asada's jihad, consisting of 19,000 infantry, 1,000 archers and 2,000 cavalry. Gunpowder siege weapons are also sent along, amounting to 13 pieces. 
• Kingdom of Portugal: On his voyage home from Labrador, Lavrador passes by some strange ships and orders his artists to draw a picture of them to show to the king upon his return. The king is fascinated by these findings and orders him to return to Labrador to establish contacct with the ship owners. (VINLAND RESPONSE NEEDED). Meanwhile, Vasco de Gama is awarded funding from this year's surplus money to fund an expedition toward any potential landmasses in the tlantic Ocean in 1500. In Portuguese Mocambique, Paul de Gama issues an edict which says they will reach the Mocambique mainland next year. During an expedition in Namibia, Dias finds two weird looking striped horses which the natives call the Quagga. Dias decides to bring these two home to the king as a gift which the king really appreciates. He names them Cirí and Amdeus in memory of his parents. (nate gave me permission).
  • Mali Dip: the Mali Empire offers to sell Portugal many exotic plants and animals for the King's benefit, including giraffes, gazelles, meerkats, and warthogs
  • Vinland Response: Vinlandic longships run into the Portuguese during the latter's resupplying in the North Atlantic and allow them to follow Vinlandic ships back to Vinland in order to establish relations.
• Kingdom of Mutapa: Adai returns to Lusvingo with a map of southern Africa, covering the Nambi and Kalahari in the west with the more fertile lands to the south and the west. Mata ask people to settle north of the famed Zambezi to lake malawi to secure more water. Adai also notes great bays in the lowlands on the coast and ask if he may lead and expedition to better survey the lands to the south. A great castle in commssioned in MakoVibra to be the future capital using Shona and Indian masons the style will be the symbol of a new Mutapa. A copy of the Avesta would be found by Mata in the library, he would bring the book to AMogh and ask him to explain it as it had not been translated yet. Amogh would teach Mata Tamil using this book. The king would see Mithra as another great figure for philosophy, adding him to Mwari and Shiva. However he would merge them into one for simplicity, name the new divinity Mitshwari The divinity would be represented as an off shoot of Shiva with two arms, brown skin and short curly hair. Mata would unveil the divinty during his first monthly Yoga for the people of the capitol, however unintentionally people thought it was the King but after a few month and indications from thier indian neighbors the people would soon have great admiration for Mitshwari. It would also all the tribes of the coast to be more easily assimilated if there was a central figure as opposed to just Faraism. The royal navy would soon number 12 ships sailing up and down the mostly between Chieve and Tunga which is expanding rapidly. Mata ask an indian trader to bring back a bombard and one who can teach us how to produce them, after Amogh was explained warfare in India to him. (Mod reponse, cause i don't think i can just spawn myself a bomard.) They would pass a ship rarely that bared men of very light skin. And one ship even noted a settlement being built on a small island far up the coast form Chieve. FAmily begin to end the the Kalahari. Two distinct forms of horse have now formed after enough time for foal to grow. The Royal herd feeding on the drier plants of Lusvingo Plaeteu lead them to be slightly thinner but having great speed and agility. The Horses of Makovibra are stockier and have more strength. The two breeds are interbred to make the best horse swapping half of the royal herd to MAkovibra and sending the same number back to the capitol. This would be a new symbol of Mutapa as well. The Indian population in the capitol now sits at 200 with few numbers in the settlement at Makovibra and at the ports.
  • Mutapa lacks sufficient metallurgy knowledge to craft something like a bombard. -Drenegan

• Kingdom of Ayutthaya: Census = (5500000e^((1496-1408).0025)) = 6853422/ Levy = 68534/ Deployed = 25000/ Unraised: = 43534/ The reinforcements of 20,000 troops from Hindustan are dispatched to the Bali Kingdom to help contribute to the defense bolstering defending troops to 35,765 men. The defenders under Hang Tuah begin using Ulun Danu Beratan Temple at Bratan as the central command post for the troops and employ harrassment tactics utilizing the thick forestation to ambush and harrass advancing enemy forces with the intent of weakening the enemy until they can be engaged in a decisive battle at the foot of Bratan with the defenders making use of the high ground in the area to bombard the enemy with cannons, arquebus, and bows. (Algo Needed). Despite being aware of the Vietnamese intent to not start a war with Ayutthaya on the mainland, precautions are still undertaken in the form of maintaining and patrolling border garrisons along the Mekong River. Ayutthayan trade ports continue to experience more naval patrols due to the efforts of the navy to combat Majapahit ships raiding trade routes as a result of the war. Worrying reports continue to flood into the capital of the growing power of Phitsnanulok under the command of Prince Borromarachathirat III who continues to act with the support of the Conservative faction who for the most part have grown quiet for the ongoing conflict due to their interest in seeing that Ayutthaya is successful in its current endeavor. The Commerce Guild continues to witness a decline in it's trade as a result of the ongoing war and the choking of trade as trade routes to the Molucca Islands are increasingly under threat from various factions competing for dominance. The Orang Laut have begun to receive payment from Ayutthaya in exchange for their cooperation in assisting and escorting Ayutthayan naval patrols through the Strait of Malacca. The loss of the Dai Vet Emperor had made its way to the court of Ayutthaya and has been received somberly by the court who recognize that a great leader has been lost. Despite the insistence of Ramathibodi II to send envoys to Dai Viet to express his condolences, Sunan Kudus manages to talk him out of such an act considering the state of conflict between Dai Viet and Ayutthaya in Bali. Sunan Kudus has begun to tour the region between Phitnanulok and Ayutthaya to secure their loyalties to Ramathibodi II in Ayutthaya as well as to determine the threat Phitsnanulok poses to Ayutthaya's power. A small skirmish occurs between the troops escorting Sunan Kudus and a patrol from Phitsnanulok around Nakhon Sawan due to their efforts to halt the escort from entering what they deem was Phitnanulok territory. The skirmish occurs for several hours as arquebusiers and archers from both sides exchanged fire with the melee troops fighting it out in the jungle around the city. Eventually, an officer of the Phitsnanulok Capital Defense Corps arrived and ordered the Phitnanulok patrol to cease the assault with the officer promising to reprimand and discipline these troops for their unwarranted actions. Sunan Kudus upon his return to Ayutthaya delivers this grim news to the entire court prompting outrage between Conservative faction and the Royalist faction. The towns and cities located in the conflict region decry the actions of Phitsnanulok prompting some of them who had begun to sway towards Borromarachathirat III to lean back in favor of Ayutthaya and Ramathibodi II. To strengthen the bonds between Toungoo and Ayutthaya, an offer of marriage is made to the Toungoo with Arinya Kongpaisarn marrying the ruler when she comes of age (Mod Response).
  • Toungoo accepts the marriage.
• Kingdom of Lotharingia: "Were Di" In the duchy of Frisia a small company is founded by Roelf Wagenaar and his local groop of Merchants "Wagenaar famyljebedriuw". The company being set up by a groop of five frissian merchants of the town of Dokkum one of the bigger ports in Frisia which is on the border between the Zuyderzee and the Northsea. The Company mostly being interested in trade with the baltic and norway, the company being local but very specialised in getting fish and amber from the baltic and norway to the Frissian market. The Frisian economy and population slowly growing, with frisian being the sole official language in the duchy. Frisian being no only spoken by Lotharingian Frisians but also by frisians in Denmark and the hanseatic league. The Belgic Frisians competing with the hanseatic and Danish Frisians, this competition being economical and cultural. This competition being quite friendly and just a competition of the frisian subgroops and their cultural and economic wealth. In Antwerp a explorer comes originaly from Italy Giovanni Caboto offering his serivces as to find a way to India by sea. King Godfried himself aproving of this voyage himself as he sees it as a great opertunity to bring Lotharingia more, and caue glory to Lotharingia and her companies. Thus Jan Kabout sets on his voyage to india with two Jerseys and a sloop the KHS Duif, KHS Middelburg, and KHS Rode Hand. The Ships taking enough food and suplies with them, Thus Jan goes from Antwerp to Jersey, jersey to A coruna, To Samla and then From samla to Hoekbaai and from there he goes directly to Uurwald. Thus after two months he goes his last bit south until africa stops going south but instead goes west until land goes north again. Kabout making his first stop in the mythical land of the Solomic african kingdom of Abysinia, after which he follows the arabian peninsula until he reaches a city with the name of Surat. Where for the first time in History Lotharingians are able to trade Indian curry and spices directly from the source, the voyageurs paying with fabrics, gold and iron. After trading and staying in Surat for a couple of weeks Kabout and crew go back on their voyage to Lotharingia. The Voyage being seen as a complete succes for the kwac and the Jan Kabout in general.
• Roman Empire: With the economy humming along, news of new land to the west interests man in Constantinople. Merchants continue to shift business towards the north as well as local production, leading to a minor manufacturing boom as capital investments allow for rapid modernization of the manufacturers across the country. The shipyards of Constantinople come to dominate the Aegean with their output, rivalling Venice or Barcelona in productive capacity. A local census of the city is conducted and finds the population to be 350,000 individuals in the city with many tens of thousands in the immediate hinterland. Kaisar Andronikos takes ill late in the year, but seemingly recovers just before the holiday season.
• Abbasid Caliphate: At the beginning of the year, the Pirate Wars is declared over, with the reign of the Hafsids formally ending and a return to the theocracy once lost hundreds of years prior. Due to the structure of the Pirate Wars and the final Siege of Cairo ending in four allies succeeding, the structure of a Caliphate is revamped, with the Ummah of Tataouine being combined with what remained of the Abbasid Ulema, to balance the law and bring scholars from Ifriqiya and Arabia together. Ibrahim al-Jan ibn Muhammad, the savior of the Middle East, is appointed as the new Sultan of Tunis, as well as keeping his ceromonially title "King of Jerusalem" that would've been inherited from his father. Mubarak ibn Hakeem ayt Ifran, descendent of the Ifranids, is appointed as Sultan of Libya while Müjdat al-Shehata is appointed as Sultan of Tlemcen. Although Libya, Tlemcen, and Tunis operate as autonomous vassals, the Abbasid Caliphate primarily resides in Cairo, where the Grand Army is established, divided into two armies that will constitute the majority of land-based combatants built to defend against the heritics or to enact jihad at the Lord's will. Fortresses and major infrastructure continue to be rebuilt. The navy is also established during this time, keeping a total of 200 ships while pirate companies continue to be exiled or executed, with their ships being repurposed to serve the royal navy of the Caliphate. Among these remnants existed a printing press, which was successfully secured by the navy after defeating the Hafsid remnant. The Wāli of Miṣr, Alyasaʿ ibn Mansouri al-Mamlūk, begins to think of ways he can stimulate the trade that goes through Nubia and into the Mediterranean. He begins to study past trade routes and pharaonic culture. The history of the Pirate Wars is collected by jurist and historian Omar Salih, the grandson of the Mamluke historian that recorded the Libyan Crusade, who canonizes the Pirate Wars in his book of the same name. 

• Greater Kingdom of Arles and Burgundy: Having secured the people's support with the union, We turn our heads to expansion. Lucas II was never an avid fighter, so he steps the training at the Militarie Academie de Arles, working to create better generals and soldiers. The small banks of Arles are boosted and upgraded. With a steady flow of gold coming in, Arles is now in a state of Prosperity. Lucas II continues to pour in Merchants and goods into the Italian city states, increasing influence and other things. In Nouvelle Hope, the settlers move inwards into the sparse forest, creating a salient which is declared The Arlean Territory of Cape Hope. Another expedition is planned, An ambitious one looking to go around the cape of Good Hope. It will set sail next year.

• • Pisa: Anti-Florence resentment grows so high that several scuffles break out on the streets.
  • The mods will tall you whem you can get as far as the Cape of Good Hope and around it. -Drenegan
• Hanseatic League: The craze following the discovery of this New World settles down as reports of other nations traversing the region are found. Many investors were disappointed with the news that the lands the Hanseatic League found were not, in fact, India. There seemed to be some sparse semblance of trade taking place between indigenous communities, both within and between the islands the League has discovered. However, this remains a largely unexplored region, and mapping the region is a dangerous underpinning. It was high risk, but the reward was wealth, power, and the immortalization of one's name in the annals of history. The rejection of Italian explorers in favor of those from Germany leads to tradesmen, merchant captains, and zealous naval officers petitioning the government for permission to make an exploratory voyage. The number of ships flying the Hanseatic banner in the Caribbean seems to grow by the day. Cartographer Martin Behaim attempts a shortcut to the Caribbean and lands on OTL Bermuda (RNG needed for voyage). If he survives, he names the island St. Brennan's island, referring to a legendary phantom island discovered by Irish-born St. Brennan of Clonfert. In the meantime, the Haitian Guild is established this year by a conglomeration of bankers involved in Hanseatic trade. They petition the Tagfahrt of 1498 for a charter for an extensive dock on Haiti successfully, acquiring land in OTL Port-Au-Prince for the port. (More to come)
• Duchy of Florence: Now that we won over the city, Lorenzo marches down the main street of Florence to cellos and basses with bass drums playing loudly with an army of troops behind him to eliminate the remaining rebels in the city. Our nation continues to grow in trade as goods move in and out of our nation due to demand from our growing population. Farming and the growing of crops are going well for our farmers out in the rural parts of our nation. The economy rebounds from the sudden fall the last 2 years. Construction of the city is started this year in our nation to improve on our buildings. Lorenzo tries to re-fix the banks by putting in some of his own money into the bank to help the economy out. Government jobs are now paid more by the Duke himself. Other jobs see a wage increase also in the nation. With all the increases in wages, taxes are raised by 2 percent to bring money and flow to the economy so that it can be spent improving the city of Florence and its people. Education, food, agriculture, trade, jobs are all given funds by Lorenzo to increase themselves and make them important to help the people out. (I think an algo is needed to kill the remaining rebels)
• Papal States: With the Papal treasury being strained, Pope Pius III decides to cut the money used in extraterritorial interventions until the economy of the Papal States can recover. The pope accepts the offer of King William II of France and says that as penance the king must come to Rome and confess all his sins to the pontiff. Seeing how chaotic Florence became and how the Medici allowed heresy to spread in their Duchy, Pope Pius III gives the rights to manage Papal revenues and to assume the Bank of Rome to the bankers of the Celtic Confederation. Gioffre Borgia and Raffaella of Habsburg continue to meet each other in secret. Pope Pius III supports the decisions of the Archbishop of Mainz about education. News of the situation of the Papal treasury reaches the mercenaries that are helping the Medici in Florence. Fearing that the pope will not pay for their work, the mercenaries use the chaos of the battles to seize what they can from the city. Pope Pius III is outraged by tis and condemn their actions. Peter III, Count of Geneva exiled in Rome writes to Aymon II, Duke of Savoy, offering the hand of his sister Margaret of Geneva-Lenzburg to Aymon [MOD response needed, please].
  • The Duke of Savoy accepts the marriage proposal
• Kingdom of Wales: Before King Edmund's 5.000 men strong Welsh forces from the west and Duke Myrddin (Merlin) ap Cadfael (Bruce) & Michael Joseph "An Gof"'s combined 5.000 men strong predominantly Gwyneddian forces & 4.500 men strong Cornish forces from the southeast manage to envelop the Lancastrian forces and encircle them inside the castle of Gloucester, the bulk of the Lancastrian forces managed to escape under Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester, former King Edward VI's brother & King Edward VII's regent sally forth towards London to recapture it from the Lancastrians, but not before relegating the now unfeasible defense of the fortress of Gloucester to the young (20 year old) Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and his personal retinue, leaving him out to dry essentially, ouraged at his past failure to advance towards Cornwall and drive the Celtic Confederacy's forces there to the sea as ordered, having lost the battle of Chippenham and forced to retreat back to Gloucester with his tail between his legs, humiliated. Yet the young and impaulsive Duke Stafford, proud and undeterred as usual with his optimistic yet naive look on things decides that he shall not be the one to flee from battle, lest he be known as a coward. But it was all for nothing since Duke Richard's Lancastrian forces deprived the fortress of an supplies in their departure, sentencing its unfortunate to certain death. However as hours turn to days and days turn to weeks it becames apparently that King Edmund's plan to starve the remaining defenders, along with spreading pamphlets that promise a royal pardon to those who surrender, with the aim to encourage desertions might not actually be the best approach to this, as the young Duke Edward Stafford of Buckingham has managed to do the unthinkable, hold out much longer than was expected, in his bid to atone for his recent defeat. But all good things eventually come to an end, as regardless of Duke Edward Stafford's intense efforts to bolster the defenses of Gloucester and prevent the fortress from collapsing out of starvation as well as keeping its defenders up and ready, able to hold out against a direct assault at any moment, for as long as possible against all odds, at the false hope of a relief force, simply his forces cannot endure, lacking supplies and facing this extreme numerical disadvantage. After quite some time, after facing an increasing tide of desertions that he's unable to cope with, as news of the failed Yorkist offensive against London and the subsequent retreat to Yorkshire, his men are demoralized, so a dozen disheartened men of his decide to take action onto their own hands and open the gates of Gloucester to the enemy forces out of despair, faced with starvation, at the promise of mercy by King Edmund, the young Duke Buckingham retreats to the citadel determined to make his land stand there. King Edmund's forces finally overrun the city and the assault of its citadel ensues, Duke Buckingham's retinue fights valiants but its not nearly enough to hold out against the vastly numerically superior and well disciplined veteran troops of the Celtic Confederacy. In the end Duke Edward Stafford witnesses everything go blank as his defenders are slain in droves around him and he passes out unconscious, but his fate isn't to die in this awful place, as King Edmund orders his men to capture him alive and keep him for ransom, waking in the royal tower in Cardiff, in the aftermath of his valiant attempted fight to the death, pondering his next moves from the coldness of his dungeon. With the successful conclusion of this siege, while most of the men return to their homes, the castle of Gloucester which happens to be an extremely valuable asset, from a strategic viewpoint, other than being famously durable as a fortress, now lays in the hands of the Celtic Confederacy, as King Edmund installs a 3.000 men strong mixed Celtic garrison, not limited to the city, but also to the countryside of Gloucestershire, hoping to strengten his negotiating position with the newly installed Lancastrian King, Henry Beaufort, in that regard. Additionally in the same manner, local power in Cornwall is relegated to Michael Joseph "An Gof", who is proclaimed the Duke of Cornwall, backed by the Celtic Confederacy's forces and the native Cornish rebels loyal to him alike, in the absence of any other authority in the region, as the title lays vacant now that King Edward VII was deposed and forced to flee London. Similarly encroachments are made into the Duchy of Devon and some border towns are captured and mixed [Welsh/Cornish/Scottish/Irish] garrisons are installed there, to be held as another bargaining chip for the upcoming negotiations with the next King of England. (Arranged this RP with Topaz and Joseph on DM) Reconstruction continues as we continue to recover from the War of the Three Realms and the War of the Roses. Crown Prince Lionel of York-Wales his crucial work for the benefit and expansion of the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach (C.C.C.), using the Confederate fleet continues to supply our new colonies, the towns of Afnac (OTL Abidjan) and Naomh Owain (OTL San Antonio de Palé), as well as to expand our trade and influence over Africa, finally enjoying all these adventures that he could only dream about when he was younger. The recently acquired formerly Arlesian colony of Lirviti (OTL Layounne) enables us to establish a proper link with our other colonial possessions down south. something really crucial for our continued colonial success. With the constant supply of provisions and other critical supplies for the colony's construction, the entire process is accelerated, construction work continues to be carried out by the combined efforts of our colonists and even our sailors help with the work, when they are staying on the shore, to ensure that the newly established vital colonies of the C.C.C., the town of Afnac (OTL Abidjan) and the colony of Bliadhnamhath (OTL Annobón) have all the proper foundations not just to be able to stay afloat, but also to prosper. Another 50 settlers are dispatched to further bolster the existing 900 colonists that have settled in what later becames known as the Welsh quarter of Afnac (OTL Abidjan), which grows to a total of 950 Welsh colonists. Furthermore an additional 150 colonists are dispatched to supplement the existing 1.040 colonists in the newly established colony of Bliadhnamhath (OTL Annobón) and its port city Naomh Owain (OTL San Antonio de Palé). Lucrative trade by the Companaidh Ceilteach Afraganach (C.C.C.) with the Emirate of Jabal Asada and the Malian Empire brings newfound wealth to our realm, further encouraging the continuation of our colonial efforts. The newly weds, Michael Joseph "An Gof" and Rhiannon ferch Cadfael (Bruce) have a happy accident this year, as Rhiannon gives birth to two lovely twins, Jowan mabp Michael (An Gof) and Emblyn ferch Michael (An Gof). Similarly a second happy accident occurs this year, as Gwenhwyfar ap Cadfael gives birth to another girl, Dwynwen ferch Lionel. Her husband, Crown Prince Lionel of York-Wales couldn't be more happy. The two newly established printing shops in Cardiff and Caernarfon have proven to be commercial successes, continue circulating best sellers like the Welsh language version of the Bible, "Sinclar's Adventures" by none other than the great explorer Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, "King Arthur, the Progenitor of Wales" by reknowned Welsh author Lewys Glyn Cothi, "A history of the Gaelic peoples" by the Scottish author Micheal MacGille and other already popular books, now rendering them affordable even for the lower nobility, the merchant class and the commoners. The construction of an additional two caravels continues. Our total fleet stands at ten caravels. With the War of the Roses & the War of the Three Realms behind us, the unifying theme of the worship of Saint Owain (Lawgoch) perseveres, providing a sense of national unity to the Celtic Confederacy, bolstering our efforts to consolidate our realm, to strengthen it sufficiently to be able to withstanding the test of time against the adversity of bordering the vile Kingdom of England. King Edmund continues to promote the reconciliation of his realm, divided into two similar yet starkly different halves, the Pura Walia region, dominanated by the independent minded Welsh nobility and the Marchia Walliae region, dominanated by the Anglo-Norman nobility, by encouraging the adoption of Welsh customs and traditions by the Anglo-Norman part of his nobility, furthermore encouraging marriages between the Anglo-Normans and Welsh noble families, with a bit more success thus far, as a few more Yorkist and Lancasterian supporters alike, but loyalist to the Welsh crown above all, Anglo-Norman noble families that have good relations with King Edmund of Wales following suit by adopting even more Welsh customs and traditions and/or intermarrying with the Welsh nobility for the time being.
• Kingdom of England: Richard of York, Duke of Gloucester and George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent lead attacks on London using what remains of the Yorkist troops Richard took from London, the full levy of Kent and some troops from Essex, as they try to retake the city from Lancastrian control. However, the troop losses at the battle of Witney in the previous year severely hampered the Yorkist army and the Lancastrian forces of Suffolk, Wiltshire, Dorset and Tuchet's rebels are able to hold off the attackers. After repulsing the Yorkist advance towards Cornwall at the battle of Chippenham, Henry Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset leads the Somerset and Devon troops east; this group's arrival at London resulted in the Yorkist forces being entirely overwhelmed and the brief siege ends. Richard of York abandons London and flees north through the York-friendly Buckinghamshire, heading towards Yorkshire where the fugitive King Edward VII and George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury are. George Grey (1454-1498) was killed in the failed offensive and his son Richard Grey (b. 1481) becomes the 3rd Earl of Kent. On the other side, all of the Lancastrian commanders in London survived the battle, though Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire did suffer major injuries, while Godfrey Courtenay, 17th Earl of Warwick and 15th Earl of Devon; Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset; and James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley were mostly unscathed. As Henry Beaufort has now arrived in London and the Yorkists have been militarily defeated and fled to Yorkshire, the English Parliament now acknowledges the change in government. The Parliament announces King Edward VII as officially deposed and Henry Beaufort (b. 1457) is crowned King Henry VII of England. For the rest of the year, quelling remaining popular unrests and restoring order to London becomes a major focus for the Parliament and the military. Soon after his coronation, the new King Henry VII passes his Somerset title on to his eldest son Edward Beaufort (b. 1476), who becomes the 5th Duke of Somerset. For his two younger sons, Henry VII recreates dukedoms that had previously been held by Lancastrians but had gone extinct: George Beaufort (b. 1479) becomes Duke of Lancaster and William Beaufort (b. 1491) becomes Duke of Exeter. To reward him for his service against the Yorkists in London, King Henry VII elevates James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley, giving him the title of Earl of Essex that had gone extinct after Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex's death during the war. Finally, for Edward Courtenay, a second cousin twice removed of Godfrey Courtenay (who was OTL created Earl of Devon in 1485 after the family branch Godfrey is part of died out), who was a major leader in the Lancastrian troops of Devon, King Henry VII creates a new title, making him the 1st Earl of Bristol. Meanwhile, in the west of England, after being repulsed from his southward advance towards Cornwall at the Battle of Chippenham, Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham leads the surviving Buckinghamshire troops north again towards the city of Gloucester. However, upon arriving at the city the Buckinghamshire troops encounter a Welsh army that has crossed the border from Wales into Gloucestershire; in the ensuing battle, the weakened Buckinghamshire battalion is defeated and the Duke of Buckingham is captured by the Welsh. After King Henry VII has been crowned and the unrests in London have sufficiently died down, the question of what to do about the Celtic incursions into Cornwall and Gloucestershire becomes the main focus for the King and the English Parliament. Given the aid the Cornish rebels had given him in London and the aid Wales had given his father Edward Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset in the previous York-Beaufort conflict, King Henry VII of England is willing to enter into diplomatic negotiations with King Edmund of Wales. (Wales response) Edmund Courtenay and Anne of Bruce-Auvergne have their fourth child, a daughter named Joan (b. 1498). George Beaufort, 1st Duke of Lancaster and Isabella della Rovere have their second child, a son named Henry (b. 1498) in honour of George's father, the new King Henry VII. In Europe, Ari III Sturlungur (1433-1498), a great-uncle of King Domnhall V of Iceland and a distant relative of the Plantagenets through the Lenzburgs, dies of natural causes. Federico Fernández (1425-1498), Patriarch of the Western Church and Cardinal, dies and is succeeded by Iñigo Ramírez y Mendoza (b. 1450) from Tudela; the Western Church writes to Pope Pius III, asking him to create the new Western Patriarch as cardinal. (Papal response)
  • Papal diplomacy: Pope Pius III creates Patriarch Iñigo Ramírez y Mendoza as cardinal.
  • Kingdom of Wales: King Edmund is more than eager to initiate negotiations, on behalf of the entire Celtic Confederacy, with the newly installed English King, Henry VII (Beaufort), holding some important bargaining chips, by his retention of military control over Gloucestershire and Cornwall, in consideration that this new phase of the War of the Roses is still ongoing and that the Kingdom of England is severely weakened by more than 5 decades of constant succession conflicts that have plagued the land.
• Duchy of Thuringia: The Thin White Duke, eager to marry off his many children, proposes marriage proposals to Saxony, the Palatinate, and Brandenburg (Player responses needed). He also proposes that he marry Elisabeth, Burgravess of Nurmeberg, proposes that his son Hugh marry a daughter of the ruler of Vogtland, and that his daughter marry the son of the ruler of Gottingen (Three mod responses needed). The nation continues to recover and rebuild after the brief civil war a few years ago. As Emperor, Henry IX greatly helps out his home country, using the resources of the empire to organize development. The great fortress on the Elbe, consisting of two castles on opposite banks and a giant bridge across, is fully complete, and the Lord of the Crossing, the Thin White Duke, takes up its residence. As more and more people have children, encouraged by the Duke to help replenish the nation, the Thin White Duke creates the White Knights. All families who have over three children are expected to send at least one child to the organization, so to create a robust fighting force for the good of Thuringia. In Thuringia there is a growing magisterial reformation movement. Combined with the aid of the Archbishop of Erfurt, an ally of the Duke and a Thuringian himself, with his own agenda, the Thin White Duke begins to alter much of the structure within the country. The Archbishop is a proponent of the interdependence of the church and secular authorities, saying that, "The magistrate had a right to authority within the church, just as the church could rely on the authority of the magistrate to enforce discipline, suppress heresy, or maintain order." This is contrary to the groups, such as the condemned Adamites, who are fundamentally against any secular authority having sway over the Church, in addition to disagreeing on basic doctrine. Konrad Jung continues writing, creating a thesis on the exploitation of the peasants and common people by powerful institutions. The selling of indulgences continue both by the church in the region and by the state, although the protest of some figures such as the Archbishop of Mainz cause a debate over the matter and stop some blatant abuses. The printing press becomes popular in Thuringia, with the Thin White Duke personally investing in a great number of them. Ancient writings, from the works of Plato and Socrates to the religious teachings of Mazdak and other easterners, become translated into German and widely published for the first time. At the end of the year Henry IX becomes ill and injured, and decides to formally abdicate the throne. He casts his vote for emperor, then goes into retirement.
  • Mod response: Nurembug agrees, Vogtland declines, and Gottingen asks for a very expensive dowry.
  • Saxony: Edmund Alwin offers his nephew, Wenceslaus IV of Saxe-Wittenberg, now a young man (born 1480). In addition, see House of Lenzburg for more Saxon royals to marry.
• Kingdom of Scotland: We continue our famine relief efforts, well the Colony of Naohm Owain continues to grow with the arrival of many welsh colonists supplementing the large Irish population already on the island. With this most major of trading ports now established nearby, the Explorer Owain Ab Cadfell, the man responsible for the very successful diplomatic expedition that opened up contact with and trade with the Empire of Mali, leads an expidition to open contact with the Congolese States that are nearby, laden with gifts for the native rulers to open with a positive impression and awe them with our technology and power. This is all in an attempt to open up trade relations with these states.(MOD RESPONSE NEEEED). We also continue to support the crusade in Florence, with the Scottish and Irish Templar’s partaking in the violent sack of the city and helping to burn it to the ground in their rage, sacking the banks, attacking the Byzantine bankers helping with the loans, and massacring thousands of alleged and real heretics, in a violent orgy of violence and looting that helps burn the city to the ground near the end of it, alongside the rampaging Italian, Papal, and Spanish forces. in the process unfortunately. Meanwhile, in Scotland itself, Robert Campbell and Isabel Williamson marry one another in a mutually beneficial arrangement that benifits both and leaves Isabel largely independent. As a result, Robert, the famous explorer and leader of a previous failed expedition to Vinland, gains a much needed well of resources to fund his intrests and desire to launch another expedition, well Isabel gets a husband willing to respect her autonomy and help her business, and noble connections to help establish herself mucmore and continue to gain more and more of a share in the growing Scottish textile industry. In addition, Scottish Whiskey begins to massively grow in popularity inside Ireland in light of the famine, as the government provides many batches of it to distract the Irish people from their troubles during the famine, and although initially free, many quickly become hooked on it, leading to the rise of it as a major commodity helping fuel the recovery of the Irish economy and simulating the Scottish one, helping to fuel more and more economic growth for the Celtic confederacy.
  • The natives are reluctant to open up trade relations with the Scottish merchants. -Drenegan
• Hesse: Jezrahiah is surprised to learn he has been nominated for the position of Emperor (I think you accidentally put Ermanaric), and travels to Frankfurt to make his case heard. It is proposed that Jezrahiah’s sister Tabitha marry William the Strong, Count of Arnsberg (Mod response needed). Jezrahiah makes a secret deal to Phillip of the Palatine, saying he will end his campaign and vote for him instead if promises to grant the lands of Katzeneinbogen, which there is a disputed succession over, to Hesse. (Palatine response)
  • Philip accepts this offer
• Empire of Japan: As the situation develops further in Southeast asia and rampant collapse of trade continues to cut an important source of income for Southern and Imperial Zaibatsu. With the war effectively engulfing Vietnam, Ayutthaya, Majahpahit, and Bali as well as some reports of Hindustani involvement to some degree, the Imperial army reinforces the Kensei Order on the Riau islands with another 50 ships, and 5000 more troops. The intent is to bring forth the show of force and force a peace in the region but this isnt necessarily hopeful. With the 250 ship South Seas fleet, the 200 ship Sea of Japan Fleet and the 50 ship auxilary force this brings the Japanese fleet to nearly 500 ships. The Tsunami comming through the southern regions is met with annoyance but is recognized as a national tragedy. Not neccessarily the worst Tsunami and earthquake in Japanese history the issue still remains. Multiple cities and villages need to be rebuild and the Evaluation of the Great Buddha statue is begun to determine if it can be salvaged. A large payout is given to Kamakura still standing as a somewhat functioning city to help them rebuild and other payouts are directed specifically to help smaller villages. A monument is also planned to commemorate the disaster. The developments in the new land to the west now simply being known Yukiyama (Snowy mountain(s) ) reach a bit of a fever pitch as an amazing year is had. The furs comming out are abundant and of high quality and the establishment of the Kenenaitzu outpost is made clear. 35 men are left to maintain the outpost and build crucial infrastructure for future expansions. A harsh winter as well as being caught in an intertribal conflict between the Kenaitze (the name the settlement was based off of) and the Ninilchik causes the death of multiple men over the year and when this years voyage arrives only 16 men are left alive. This prompts some attempts to reinforce the settlement and other developments are made to help with this years expedition.
• Saxony: Edmund Alwin has nominated himself for Holy Roman Emperor. However, he offers to suspend his campaign and vote for Philip of the Palatine if he is granted the minor lands of Lindau, Langweis and Landsberg (Palatine Response). Meanwhile, Shadrach de la Marck nominates himself for Holy Roman Emperor but no-one votes for him.
  • Philip replies that he is unable to do that
• Rossiya: Following the costly victory at Kazanka Mikhail III decides to hold off on further campaigning holding fast he orders the construction of a fortress at the confluence of the Volga and the Sviyaga rivers to act as a base from which to operate out of in Kazani territory about 28 km to the west of the city of Kazan. He pulls back to this position to use as his main base of operations while a partial siege of the city of Kazan remains in place. He sends an envoy to the Khan to Kazan offering them peace in exchange the Khan recognizing All the lands prsently occupied by Rossiya and an annual tribute from the Khan as vassal of the Rus (Mod response needed). Meanwhile with the growing supply lines becoming strained due to the long nature of the war and the growing economic and administrative issues back home Mikhail begins looking to bring about an end to the war. With news of the success of the mission to Constantinople Mikhail sends word for his son Dimitri to go to Constantinople to marry the young Sophia and to stay at court there and learn from the Greeks as awell as strengthen the economic and political ties. The yound Dimitri not fail his father Dimitri promises to learn and contribute to his father's dreams of building state building. The young prince sets out for Constantinople sailing through thel ands of the lands of Moldovia down to the Roman settlements in Crimea. Russian trade with the greeks continues to grow, as does trade with Moldovia as well. In an exchange of letters between Mikhail and Novgorod the growing administrative problems are discussed and it is agreed that upon the return of Mikhail from campaign efforts to reform and codify Russian laws will be dealt with, in the meantime orders are issued back to Tver to begin drawing up a draft for the Grand Kniaz's draft for the Duma's of Novgorod and the other cities, and to codify the Tverian code of Law.  Fur and Salt trading continues to drive Russian sales abroad as well as the growing trickle of goods from the silk road to the Baltic from the Black Sea.
  • The Khans would allow Russia to take the lands but does not agree to be a vassal
• The Spanish Empire: with the chaos that quickly becomes the Civil-Torn city of Florence, the Catalan Company joins in the chaos. Prince Guillermo for just a short while watches helplessly as hysteria and pandemonium engulfs the ill-willed men. If he cannot protect institutions, it becomes his priority to protect people and the offices of Florence from complete destruction as fires burn. "Your Duke is not here, so I will be your Duke" he proclaims to he people. His 2,000 zealot volunteers organize to put out any fires to churches or academias as well as homes especially while preventing any of the civilians to be slaughtered with a band leading an evacuation of the city as portions seem to be engulfed. There was no good outcome of what had started, it all came down to how much can he save. Disaster Strikes! The Outpost of Cabo Bienvenida is wiped off the map by an unusual cyclone which tore through with ferocious winds. The tornado is responsible for the loss of the outpost but a marker is left with a cross as a sign of claim to the Spanish Crown. Vespucci humbly obliged to be led by the Indian Officials as representative of the Spanish Crown. The Spanish Crown now with its claims of Santo Domingo, Cuba, Santiago, and San Juan de Bautista re-organize the states into the Latin-Inspired Ideal, Governorate of Nueva Roma with Havana as the standing capital with its proving success. Struggling peasants lacking economic opportunities at home are incentivised by the West India Co. to move to the newly developing colonies. To help speed up conquest efforts, slaves are imported from West Africa with a trade deal offered of 30 falconet and mortars in total for 4,000 slaves (Jabal Asada Response). Since slavery is frowned upon, if they convert to catholicism and give loyalties to the crown and culture, they would only have to be subjected to a year's worth of service and would be housed by their farmers (land lords) for their labor being maintained and gaining their own income with subjected additions of potentially gaining more land. They would be spread out from Havana to Santo Domingo, San Juan, and Santiago. On Vespucci's return, he takes Prince Elvin's position to explore and further map the islands and shores. Keen interest is paid attention at the Battle de Los Montes after quick success against the Magua Tribes, gold is found and the source begins to be used with Higue and Maguana Tribe shared spoils. They are truly blessed and a feast is held at the Fort of Santo Domingo. It is remembered as La Gran Fiesta de Oro. In San Juan de Bautista with the war of the Caribs in full swing, a proposition is made by Kevin Ortiz to aid the Boricua against the barbarians they have seen as the Caribs. In Kevin's journal he writes "The Caribs have proven to be more ferocious and savage than any people the Romans acclaimed to be Barbarians. It is rightfully so that Nueva Roma is the best fitting name for the land we have been ordered to conquer. The mass die-off of Native Americans continued without rest though. After the Grand Feast in Santo Domingo, half of the Natives who attended including some leaders have died; a bad omen. This leads to some desperately seeking solutions while others turn to the faith of these new god-like arrivals within their land, some see them as the direct cause for their suffering. A powderkeg grows in both Cuba and Santo Domingo. Meanwhile Sicilian Dante Sanyo de Vanilli lands in Santiago. He proceeds to sail the coast of the landmass that is OTL North America noting some existing settlements ashore by unknown people before stopping at Cabo Amarillo (Cape Hatteras), resting on an island in the middle of the sea (Bermuda), and returning back to Sevilla. Elvin brings a set of gifts once again to local Mayans he had interacted with and begun to trade with at OTL Cancun as a promise of friendship. After speaking with some locals and getting somewhat of an understanding of the language personally, he is able to request a meeting with some kind of higher official of their people hoping that he may begin better ties than simple trade hoping that this meeting can be arranged for the following year (Mod Response).
  • RNG: 11/20 - The Quetzalcoatl of the Mayans, Eloxotencatl, wishes to learn more about "Hispania" and the far away kingdoms across the Great Sea. He asks that native diplomats be sent to the homelands of Dante Sanyo de Vanilli before allowing further communication and diplomacy in his court. -Solace

• Grand Duchy of Bavaria: With his new tax system mostly implemented, Albert IV continues to improve the administration of the Duchy. Using the new tax revenues, Albert encourages local nobles to expand their households and use these new positions to make sure their land is more efficiently administred. To make sure these efforts are standardized, Albert IV issues the edict of 1498, outlining procedures to expand Bavaria's bureaucracy and standardize the legal system. In the coming years, nobles and their households will become responsible for keeping basic information about their lands on hand, including population estimates (with a subsection for military-age males), estimates of goods created, and more in-depth basic records. In addition, the edict generally encourages nobles to make sure administration is efficient as possible, and Albert IV starts the process of expanding his own royal household to better manage his underlings and ensure good communication. The expanded royal treasury is also put to work continuing to fix the economic damage wrought by the war against Switzerland. The new lands, centered around Augsburg, see extensive redevelopment, with their roads built to match the standards of Bavarian roads. Efforts continue to turn Munich into an industrial powerhouse, and weapons productions continue to increase, along with other industrial output, growing the region's economy. The military has been fully rebuilt from the war against Switzerland, and with Munich producing so many modern weapons, it now boasts a substantial contingent of riflemen and portable cannons.

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