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[Solymr]

Catalunya independent from Portugal? Shit rectangle evolved into shit square V:

[Haspen]

021: Clemens XIX, Architect of Prosperity

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

When you do well, things go well.

So well that nobles of the Papal States give us money!




Unfortunately, Pope Paulus IV dies suddenly overnight.

Habemus Papam! Few more, and the name 'Clemens' will have more numbers than venerable 'Ioannus'.



Rather shockingly, and also overnight, Pope Clemens XIX becomes sick and bedridden.



Just look at the table of previous rulers!

Except Urbanus VIII, who was the Pope for 12 years, we had many short-reigning popes as of late.



Scotland, wishing to wipe out the British Sultanate, calls us to a war.

Turns out it will be easier than imagined; only Tunisia and Hausa are fighting on the vile Sultan's side.



With Government tech 30, we gain a casus belli against all of Italian states.

We also decide to get an idea that cuts down maintenance on ships.

We need to keep a big navy, and one that can fight at full strength without killing our economy in the same time.



Thanks to having gold mines in Lienz, we can push to implement a Gold Standard.

It cuts down inflation a bit, meaning we can mint more - and therefore, have more money!

All this gets us to 6.3 ducats per month!



Our naval reformer, Anterus Montfalcone, who worked for us for over 55 years, has died. We always get those long-lived ones, huh.

Pope Clemens XIX decides to hire a Theologian in his place.



Genoese rebels tear away Liguria and Parma from Greece and Netherlands respectively.

That is good for us; we can quickly move in to seize these provinces.

Liguria, with its centre of trade, is of utmost importance.



Liguria and Parma are ours!

Immediately our merchants flood Genoese markets to gain a monopoly there.

Soon enough, the Pope overcomes his terrible illness. All in Rome praise God for sparing our Pope from an untimely death.



Bah, those treacherous Cardinals!

Normandy is no-one and we can easily get back to Stability +3 in a year or two.



The old age of crusading, excommunications and holy wrath are over.

Well, we can still bash the heretics - if there were any important heretics to bash.



With this generous gift, we can finally afford building a Glorious Monument, giving us +1.0 cultural tradition per year!

It shall be created, of course, in Roma itself.



Of course, the art must not be viewed as sacriligious!

We sell the statue to those who love the cold marble.



The Papal emissary laughed in face of the Imperial envoy, who demanded Liguria back.

We have not handed away Friuli (or was it Istria?) to the Dutch, and we won't give away Genoa to the Bohemians either!



The Papal States are in midst of great reorganization and economic reform.

Just now Pope Clemens XIX has called for creation of a tax assessor.

Roma is heart of the States, but our economy thrives mostly thanks to Venezia - the Assessor will be built there.



These nobles, they do not understand!

It was by Clemens XIX's skill that we've gotten so far in past few years!



Pope Clemens XIX's foray into construction projects continues, thanks to all these newfound funds!

We're creating a March in Lienz; it's mountainous terrain is natural defense against invasions from the north, making this an obvious choice.



Shady people visit the Papal court at Roma, but we have no use for them.

We get 2 Spies each year, so all we need is time to replenish our ranks (who are busily working against Austrians in the Balkans).




Church bells announce the news, as the peoples of Rome and the Papal States grieve and wail out loud - a Brandenburgian visitor assassinates Pope Clemens XIX during the Sunday mass!

Habemus Papam! Pope Gregorius XV is a master of war, well suited for the future plans of the Papal States.

Brandenburg is a vassal of Bohemia, the Holy Roman Emperor himself. But Pope Gregorius XV swore that no man shall stop the holy vengeance we're about to unleash against Bohemia and its lackeys.

To arms, my holy brothers! To arms!!

[Haspen]

022: Divine Punishment

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Our spies have successfully infiltrated Prague!

Bohemian fleet is in Danzig, and their troops are about 20 to 25 thousand each.

We shall gather at Salzburg and Augsburg, the former our vassal, the latter's access granted us graciously by Bavaria.



A new cavalry troop composition is developed by Papal officers.

We incorporate Gallop Cavalry right away.



We send declaration of war against Brandenburg, and of course Bohemia protects its vassal.

Our Armies are lacking nearly 60k cavalry compared to Bohemia and its allies...



Unsurprisingly, the Bohemians beat our hides quite handsomely in first two battles!

We retreat to Salzburg, which mountainous landscape should help us defend against Emperor's hordes.



The battle of Salzburg is won!

Right afterwards, our spies incite desertions in Niederbayern and Sudety provinces, to drain Bohemian regiments a bit.



Commandant Xystus Bassano and Quartermaster Zosimus Sugaina will replace our Treasurer and Theologian.

Extra damage and faster replenishment of our troops might be crucial for our war effort.



Thanks to timely arrival of Duke of Tuscany's forces, we repel Bohemians once more at Salzburg.

The army camps in Veneto region are busily training new troops. Massed Bohemian cavalry is devastating against our ranks, and we should reply in kind.



The Emperor seems to realize that our stronghold at Salzburg is nigh-unconquerable as it stands now, and throwing troops at it results in mass casaulties. He asks for peace.

Pope Gregorius XV has ordered the Bohemian envoy, along with his assistants, to be thrown out of a window of the guesthouse they were staying at.



Ragusa, the Bohemian ally in Adriatic, capitulates to our demands.

In the same time, we use the occassion of Bohemians retreating to Prague, and expand our Armies by the Veneto regiments.



The changed composition of Papal Court, and new regiments bolstering our ranks, has persuaded Pope Gregorius XV to launched a new offensive.

We will strike at Niederbayern once more, this time with our troops better coordinated too.



Just before this battle, another gift to the state gets us 740 ducats! Venetian Tax Assessor is now under construction.

The battle itself ends in about 15k Bohemian casualties, and our return to Niederbayern.

Bohemian Emperor has tons of manpower to replenish his troops with, so this war is destined to be a meat grinder rather than quick conquest.



The assault of over 70k Papal and allied troops against breach in Niederbayern earns us this border fortress.



We capture Sudety province after a lengthy siege. Our vassals move into Ansbach, a Bohemian vassal.

As for us, well... what now? I have no idea. Prague and its neighbouring lands are swarming with Bohemian soldiers.



England successfully demands Gwynnedd from Bohemia, and our diplomats make a claim to Trentino.

Perhaps Bohemia is not as strong as we're led to believe.



Damn those French! Just after we win the bloody battle of Prague, they let Bohemians through Gorz (they had treaty with Austria for decades, btw).

This allowed the Emperor to march troops through Balkans into Treviso.



We bump the Bohemians to Tirol, and in its mountainous valley their Army is annihilated! Emperor Ruprecht escapes safely, though.

Our other troop is running for Liguria - the Genoese rebels sprung up there, trying to take land during our absence in Italy.



Sudety being nearly recaptured forced Pope Gregorius XV's hand, and he attacked Sandomierz-Brandenburg Army alone.

He only barely won, and after victory, pursued the enemy to Niederbayern. There, along with our other troop, annihilated the forces of these two Bohemian vassals!



This is the war's situation at the moment:

Our combined troops are besieging Prague itself, along with northernly Lusatian region.

Meanwhile, Bohemians and their vassals are running around, putting down rebellions.



In a stroke of terrible luck, we fail to support our vassals at Prague.

Bohemians pushed them out, but then we pushed Bohemians to Moravia.

The battle was won, and the pursuit cancelled to siege Prague once more.



Someone incited Parman rebels!

Our smaller troop will have to march all the way from Bohemia to deal with this uprising.



The damn rebels succeeded in taking Parma, and then went for Liguria.

We eradicated them from the face of the Earth, and then assaulted Parma.



We get a new General; Signor Garda replaces Clemens Flangini.

With 4 Maneuver points, he can chase down Bohemian vassals and Ligurian rebels with ease!

Our vassals are wreaking havoc in Brandenburg and Rugen, taking their provinces for us.



Prague itself falls into our hands!! This brings our warscore in this war to 66% already.

We should squeeze some more; perhaps taking Silesian provinces (Breslau, Ratibor) will get us even higher?



In a desperate bid to win the war, Bohemian Emperor takes all his troops previously engaged in Ukraine (slightly over 30 thousand), and strikes at our siege in Moravia.

But evidently Bohemian morale is broken; they die by thousands and we simply annihilate their army, without even chasing them around. Emperor's defeat is immiment.



Bohemian Emperor is forced to accept our humilitating terms. Silesia rises from ashes, and Bohemian Elector-vassals are freed from their bound.

Furthermore, we drain Bohemian treasury and have them give up claims to distant lands.

The late Pope Clemens XIX has been avenged! May he rest in peace!

[Solymr]

Now excommunicate him for good measure :V

[Haspen]

Can't anymore, is past 1650 :c

Well, his old excommunication is still holding, so that works I guess V;

[Haspen]

023: Pacis Pii

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Your Holiness, the two holy orders have done their work discussing the divine Grace."

"They're late!" "A holy brother is never late, your Holiness."

"And the text is too long!" "We will make it smaller next time."

"Alright..." With everything we wanted from Narrowmindness already taken, we side with Jesuits.

Siding with Dominicans would push +2 toward Narrowminded, while negotiating a comprise gives +5 Prestige.



On his way home, Pope Gregorius XV takes his troops on a detour to Trentino.

We've got a core on it, remember?



That unfortunately trips several alliances, including one with England, against us, but oh well.

The Pope is sure we can manage this war. We've just squashed Bohemia, after all!



Once we take Trentino, we demand it and some cash from wealthy Tirollian lords.

As expected, they were hoarding money while peoples of Trentino suffered from backwardness and poverty; all they've built there was a Constable.

We shall make fixing their situation our priority.



Austria, not as stubborn as Bohemian Emperor, offers us white peace the moment we beat their forces at Lienz and Karnten.

Pope Gregorius XV commends Austrians' wise move, and accepts the offer.



Apparently people of Trentino preferred to be poor but outside Italian rule.

Those peasants, always unhappy with something, bah!




His job done, however, Pope Gregorius XV goes to the home of the Father.

Habemus Papam! He's a Clementine, and he is terrible.

I want Greg back!



We get notified of the death of our venerable Commandant.

As we're no longer in war, we decide to go for civilian courtiers. First, a Statesman!



Pope Clemens XX does not forget the need to update our trops, though.

Gustavian Infantry, an offensive unit, is now backbone of Papal armies.



The other courtier, our Quartermaster, will be replaced with a Treasurer.

We're grossly behind in Trade technologies at the moment.




After few years, Clemens XX passes away.

Habemus Papam! Pius VIII isn't a genius by any margin, but he's still much better than the ol' Clemens.



Europe News time:

This is 6th Personal Union I've seen happen since death of Gregorius XV.

First it was Epirus and England, then there was Scotland and Morocco (Morocco being Christian nowadays), and few others, including some Russian minor states.

Now Netherlands and Guyenne. Those heirs and monarchs are dropping dead left and right, it seems.



Finally we get around to start building a Cathedral in Roma.

Speaking of Cathedrals, we should build one in Jerusalem too, for obvious, religious reasons.



Either the event's late, or we didn't have any 4-star (or better) Statesmen before?

That said - free prestige, yay!



Genoese are still restless.

Other than that, all is well in Papal States, and there's nothing much to write about.



Cathedral underway in Judea.

The last three years were so peaceful we didn't even get any rebels.



We ain't exactly a military giant, and thus don't need multiple generals at once.

War College can wait with its construction, perhaps infinitely even?



There's nothing of real interest to us.

We might as well become extra religious by enforcing Sunday Mass' attendances.



Admiralty, however, we shall gladly build.

Our navy must have the best Admirals available for us, else our Mediterranean and Near East possessions will be in danger.

As there's not much else to write about, let's have a break. As a bonus, have a list of our previous Popes. There's been a lot:

[Haspen]

024: A Bohemian Deja Vu

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Netherlands is getting at it again with Personal Unions.

"It is unbecoming of a monarch to rule such a vast territory. Lest they consider themselves more important than God himself!" Pope Pius VII was heard saying.

Pope Pius VII has convened a meeting to discuss the Dutch marital excesses...




Another Imperial assassin infiltrated Vatican!!

Habemus Papam! Pope Benedictus XV condemned Bohemian deed and proclaimed a retribution against the Holy Roman Emperor.

The Papal soldiers are moving to the border - to Salzburg.



As soon as the new year comes, the Papal State declares war against Ruprecht of Bohemia.

It seems however that the old numerical power of Bohemia has dwindled, and only cavalry has big numbers.



A renowned painter comes to the Papal court, bringing prestige and stability to the States.

Our soldiers are fighting hard against armies of Bohemia at Salzburg and Niederbayern. The casualties are numbered in thousands per each day of fighting.



Fighting at Niederbayern and Salzburg ended in our hastily retreats and regrouping.

Our numbers were depleted by half just in those two battles. We commission the services of a quartermaster from Jerusalem.



One of Papal Armatas was destroyed upon the mountains of Lienz! Immediately Papal courtiers went into panic, behaving as if it's end of the world.

The Pope calmly asked for some diplomats to go around while Armata di Roma will be rebuild in southern Italy.

For that, Pope Benedictus XV asked Tuscan bankers for a loan of 828 ducats.



Bohemians who tried to sneak into Treviso and Venezia through Gorz were destroyed in two battles.

Salzburg has fallen into hands of the enemy, but we will win this war.



Once we recoiled from the Bohemian onslaught and began pushing into their lands, Austria found an opportunity to strike.

They're already making progress in Moravia and elsewhere, and revoked Emperor's access through their lands.



Pope Benedictus XV dies in battle against Brandenburgian scum.

Habemus Papam! Clemens XXI is a military genius, just the man we need to lead the Papal States right now.



The situation in the Papal States has turned a bit sour. A peasant uprising went unchecked and managed to snag Ancona before we got our forces there.

Fortunately, Duchy of Tuscany is already helping with taking back Ancona from rebel hands.



Austria has forced Bohemia to release its outlying territories, and weaken their influence abroad.

It's about time we deal a blow of our own against the insolent Bohemians.



After one more year of sieges, coupled with Bohemian ineptitude at dealing with our overwhelming force, they agree to our terms.

Pope Clemens XXI made sure that their vassals and territories will be divided.



"It is our Armatas that are unprepared for such violent and quick aggression from others the reason of our early defeats." With these words, Pope Clemens XXI has ordered that our infrastructure be upgraded.

In Roma, the War College once considered will be finally constructed to provide us with ability to procure skilled generals.



He has also noted that we've ability to construct Shipyards, yet we have none. We place great importance on our navy, yet neglect it.

A most divine mission was given for us to construct one as well. We will do make one at Napoli, since old times the headquarters of our Navy and the Admiralty building.



We can also strengthen our missionary efforts by teaching children the word of God after Sunday Mass at local, church-adjacent, schools.



The final step in modernisation of our military infrastructure will be construction of Grain Depot in heart of the Papal States, in Mantua.

This will cut maintenance costs and raise our army limits, relieving our economy a bit.



Long live Rear Admiral Marcellinus Flangini! He shall tutor the future admirals of the Papal States.




Just as we decide to finish the modernisation, a new layer of fortifications can be now constructed.

We shall upgrade our Forts, and thanks to our newest Sheriff, we can pass Mining Act; We don't trade abroad at all, and thus can and should concentrate our economy on production and acquisiting of resources.

And yes, we will build the University of Judea.

One day.

[Haspen]

025: Papal Alexandria and the Bishopric of Yugoslavia

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Funnily, I was just considering going to war to weaken Austria, which has been, since previous century, blobbing all over Balkans.

With a free core, and thus a Reconquest casus belli, we can easily go to war with them.



Not wasting much time, we go to war against them as soon as they are distracted by Istria and Croatia.

Our war plan is simple - capture Krain, capture Wien, get some concessions, and leave.



The thrice-damned Genoese rise up in Liguria once more, causing us to detour our troops.

That leads to our defeat at Wien, subsequent retreat to Lienz and loss of 4 out of 5 Austrian provinces we captured in past three months!



In an uncharacteristic fit of anger, Pope Clemens XXI excommunicates the Genoese and Parmian peoples.

Then, his soldiers unleash hell upon the soil of the unruly subjects. All shall burn for their seditious thoughts! (Not really; the scorching in Genoa alone kills only 10-12 thousand people. Even less are killed in Parma.)

We also hire a High Judge named Stephanus Grado, just to be sure there won't be more rebellions.



Shortly after the business with Genoese, the Mamluk Sultanate declares war, hoping to take Beirut.

A newly commisioned general, Gregorius Corleone, takes the Armata stationed in Jerusalem on a trip to Cairo.



Austrians consolidate their forces into a moloch of nearly 60 regiments.

We march our forces into a great battle against them!



The battle of Linz is a bloody one in which daily casualties exceed 2500 thousand at worst.

The Austrian Army is defeated, and flies to Ostmarch. We pursue them at once.



The subsequent battle of Ostmarch goes much smoother than Linz; Austrians are exhaused and their losses greatly outnumber ours.

In the 3rd day of fighting, Signor Corleone wins for us the Mamlukian province of Alexandria.

Shrewd Clemens XXI has decided that Mamluks will be punished not only with revocation of cores, but also with ceding of Alexandria as well.



Yes, yes, Prussia, go away.

General Silvester Mollini discovers an errant Austrian troop, previously unseen, gathering up troops in the Balkans.

Dispatched there, he catches them at Macedonia, defeating them there and then destroying them completely in Albania.



With Austrian forces obliterated and our vassals capturing Balkan provinces, Clemens XXI unleashes new hell upon the enemy:

Rebels! Wallachian, Bulgarian, Greek, Orthodox zealots, you name it.



It's useless - in middle of enemy territory and with bad base tax.

Denied!



Siege of Vienna was the longest in the entire war.

Finally though, we capture it - driving up our war score. Pope Clemens XXI however is refusing efforts of peace.

First, we will let the rebels run their errands for us in the Balkans.



Less than two weeks later, the Mamluks finally cave in and accept our demands.

The trade center of Alexandria is ours! Immediately we send our missionaries and merchants there.

Signor Corleone will be posted in the new Papal territories along with his troop to provide security and hunt down inevitable rebels.

Speaking of rebels - not a single Genoese uprising happened since we torched the provinces of Liguria and Parma. Funny how it works.



Pope Clemens XXI decides that, after decades of stagnation, some liberal laws should be applied in regards to our people's rights.

That causes a drop in inflation, a much needed one, too.




Habemus Papam! Leo XI replaces the late Pope Clemens XXI, who died suddenly overnight.

Pope Leo is excellent choice for our future negotiations with Austria.

He will also help quickly reduce our infamy that rose after our conquests in Northern Africa.



He also sponsors a third Cathedral in the Papal States.

It will be in Friuli, former seat of the Patriarchate of Aquileia.



Yesss, the break-up of Austria has begun! Wallachia is first to declare independence.

Other rebel groups are, unfortunately, rather slow in their progress, but Pope Leo XI has hope they can win their freedoms.



Just one day after our Marshal reports death of Signor Corleone, Pope Leo XI falls ill!

We pray for his fast recovery. His pontificate has barely begun, and he has such potential!



With this event, Roma has base tax of 18.

For comparison, some of the wealthiest provinces at start of the game have 12.




Despite sick and bedridden, Pope Leo XI personally concludes the peace negotiations with Austrians.

Their greatest territorial loss is release of Bishopric of Yugoslavia, or, you could say, a Papal State for Southern Slavs.

Of course, we also grab our core in Krain and force Austrians to give up on territories taken by rebels.




Two months later, Leo XI is defeated by the strange illness that wormed through his old body.

Habemus Papam! Alexander VIII, somehow, manages to be an improvement of Leo XI.

May his reign be prosperous and glorious. Amen!

[Haspen]

026: 20 Years of Balkan Struggles

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Pope Alexander VII has issued a proclamation, in which he declares the Papal States independent from the Prussian Emperor.

The protection of Emperors served us well in the past, but, considering how soundly we've beaten Bohemia and Austria, we no longer need the Empire.

Tuscany, Salzburg and Savoy remain as parts of the HRE, but they also remain our vassals.



Unfortunately, the Imperial Integrity bonus is removed from us as well.

Can't have everything.



The reign of Pope Alexander VII is peaceful and prosperous, with many positive events landing upon us.

Except this one, which gave us 400 ducats for free, said events were minor - a point of stability here, few points of prestige there.



The Sultanate of Iraq is big, but otherwise weak; we have nothing to fear.

And yes, up there is Austria, torn apart by rebels and Balkan minor states trying to regain cores. Rip Austria.



The greatest problem is with the markets of Alexandria; despite our direct control, and stomping down on Mecklenburgian monopoly, our merchants can't quite rule them.

We don't have any particularily strong trading decisions available. All we can do is spend money to send more merchants in.



Greece, with whom we've made an alliance, asks us to help fight Morean nation, which just rose from their lands and lands of the Austrians.

We gladly accept the call, and become leader in the war, too.



Alexandrian peoples are worshipping our God, as they should be!




Habemus Papam! Pope Paulus V trades Diplomacy for Administration.



Rear Admiral Marcellinus Flangini has died!

We hire a Theologian in his place, because how can there be Papal States without Theologians?



Meanwhile, people in Europe are beating each other so hard that nation-states, not seen for hundreds of years, re-emerge on the map.

Rip Spain, you're getting balkanized!



Pope Paulus V proves to be a progressive Pope!

We go for ducats and prestige, of course - our Innovativeness is maxed out already.



FINALLY.

Took the Emperor way too long!

With that, there should be no more rebels in Parma, unless we break something really bad.



Yugoslavia wants to get its core from Ragusa, so obviously we help them.

This draws Wallachia and Croatia into the war, too.



Somehow, a rebellion goes out in Judea.

We send our troops there immediately to kill the pesky Arabs.



A-ha, wonderful, we can build Stock Exchanges in Liguria and Venezia now!

These two provinces will churn out ducats like crazy once these are completed.



All we do nowadays is sit at Ragusa, surrounding its walls.

The Ragusans do not budge for even an inch.



Only this place here is more boring and more stagnant than Ragusan battlefield.

Did you know? Iceland hasn't been at war for almost two centuries now.

How do they do that? Sitting in distant north of Europe, unbothered by anyone, everyone...



Paulus V decided one day that, if nothing is coming to him, he should make stuff happen.

So he issued an edict that bans handing of officers to family members.



I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that he died of boredom.



Habemus Papam! This marks a special occassion in the history of Papacy!

The name Clemens has been now taken more times than Ioannes, of whom there were 21 Popes in ancient and medieval times.



Modena becomes our national focus of the day, and we get money out of that!



Walls of Ragusa finally crack open like a struck piņata.

Yugoslavia immediately annexes the tiny state.

The leader of the war, Wallachia, soon has to agree to Yugoslavian demand for Budjak, at the coast of the Black Sea.



Our recently chosen Pope, Clemens XXII, falls ill.

Might be one of those extra short pontificates, I believe.



Meanwhile, Greece got its shit together, and reclaimed some more land.

Now they need Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, and some provinces up north, held by the Ottomans...



New Year comes, and we get just enough money to fund University of Judea!

See, I've told you that we will build it one day!



Greece and Yugoslavia, along with Byzantium which re-appeared in Thrace, have declared war against the Ottomans.

No doubt to gain some lands. We decide to join the war, but only to blockade Ottoman ports and let the Balkan armies do their thing.



Shortly after Clemens XXII overcomes his illness, this happens... I really should bug-check those events more often.

We side with the Dominicans (the option that is missing its text string). Other lowers our stability and it's only bonus is better relations with Xin Empire.



Larissa and Kozani fall into our hands, and we've sold these to Greece.

Look at them Greeks, going big and strong!

I think this is a time for break - we've been at it for 20 in-game years, after all.

[Haspen]

027: Opulence and Conquests

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

There's some people at the Papal court that believe in our army's invicibility on the field.

Pope Clemens XXII isn't one of them, though.



The Pope falls sick for the second time!

People pray that he wins against the illness once more.



Our current mission is to conquer Hawran, a province east from Judea.

But not only that; we shall take Gaza and Diamentia as well, mending our African territories into one continuous strip of land.



For that, we need more troops in Africa. First time ever, a second Armata is transported there.



We also re-charter the Guild of St.Luke. It served us well in the past.

The war against Iraq goes more than smoothly; Diamentina is already ours, and two Iraqi armies were annihilated.



Wew! Iceland has gone far since the Kalmar Union.




Habemus Papam! We have an Innocentius on a throne!

A warrior and a diplomat? Nice!



The Regimental System will help our economy.

That's becasue Pope Innocentius XV has his own plans on how to spend Papal wealth.



For that, he hires Master of Mint, and pushes Treasury slider rightways.

We're minting 55 ducats monthly now.



Pope Innocentius XV realizes that most of Iraqi cities are under our control now.

He settles a peace treaty, taking Hawran, Gaza and Diamentia, as planned by his predecessor.

Immediately, maintenance on ships and armies is cut by almost half.




The glory of God will be in the splendor of his places of worship!

Not only does Pope Innocentius XV invite Rococco-style artisans in, he also decrees that we get some gilded icons too.

Churches and palaces of the bishops will now shine like the light of God himself!



During his reign we receive new infantry options.

Knowing how powerful we are, and how many allies we have, we can easily go full attack mode.

Caroline Infantry, go go go!



Once you present Innocentius XV with money, he takes it.

Especially if its free money.



Our third and last centre of trade, Alexandria, will have its own Stock Exchange as well.



Even more free stuff that we can get!



We join the Yugoslavian 'war' against Austria, allowing us to gather war taxes.

Pope Innocentius XV immediately begins second part of his plan: manufactories everywhere!

Textiles, refineries, weapon and naval equipment, you name it. Universities in few places, too.



To paraphrase a German baroque actress, Winnifred Operiah: "You get the money, and you get the money, everyone gets the money!"



First weapons manufactory will be in Trentino!



"They've elected whom?"

"King Karl I of Switzerland, your Holiness."

"Since when Switzerland is a Kingdom?" The papal nuncio could only shrug in response.



That doesn't stop us from declaring war to reconquer Chur.

We should also get around to taking Aleppo, too.




His plans only partially realized, Innocentius XV departs this world.

Habemus Papam! Pius VIII is... meh.

Hopefully he won't break anything.



The people of Judea are God-loving, Italian-educated people from now on!

And to think it happened during pontificate of rather mediocre Pope, heh.



Some spy work and siegeing later, the Swiss Emperor agrees to our demands.

Besides Chur, we pass Wallis to our vassal, Savoy. Apparently they had a core on that land.



So we have a core on Aleppo AND a mission for Damascus now?

Could there be a better set of targets??



*shakes fist at Liguria* Goddamn Genoese, get off my lawn!

Fortunately, Armata di Roma destroys the rebels in less than a month.



Once we capture Kaffa, capital of Trebizond, they neatly hand over Aleppo to us.

In few months, Sharizor, capital of Iraq, should fall. Then we grab Damascus!



And there we go, Damascus is ours!

For an average Pope, Pius VIII sure has a nice log of military victories.



If only he knew how to keep his Cardinals loyal. *sigh*

Maybe in the next update of this Let's Play, he will also have victories in diplomacy.

[Solymr]

Is this amount of monies standard or are you just milking the game :V

[Haspen]

At this late in game? Yeah, it tends to go up, especially if you own several centres of trade.

The fact that we're up-to-date with all provincial infrastructure also helps.

[Haspen]

028: A Witty Title About a Dutch War

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Not only the Swiss have taken the Imperial throne, they've passed the 1st Reform as well.

They might get dangerous in the future, we better watch them closely.



Just last year we've had 3 generals, now we have none.

I bet its plague or something.




Our revolt risk is on the rise - we need a High Judge!

Signor Loredano should do nicely.



Out of nowhere, when we're lacking generals and troubled by Muslim revolts, we're drawn into a war against the Netherlands.

A quick look into the books shows the reason: the Netherlands, out of imperialistic greed, attacked Savoyard colonies.

Savoy is our vassal, so automatically we were drawn into the conflict as well.



The first major engagement of the war is the naval action of the Malta Channel.

We win it, sinking several Dutch ships, and even manage to capture a Galleon.



Our land forces, parked in Liege, discover that the Dutch Armies are there, and there's quite a lot of them.

We probably shall postpone any sieges for the time being.



As we fight in Cologne, which we unpleasantly discover is Dutch vassal, Genoese rise up in rebellion again.

The battle in Cologne is lost, and we retreat safely. Ligurian rebels are smashed by Savoy's troop that was in the area.



How do the Dutch manage to avoid the Papal Fleet is beyond our understanding.

They've landed in force in Pisa, but we win this battle and chase the Dutch out, fully annihilating them at Siena.



The Swiss pass second Reform through the Reichstag.

How the heck do they keep doing it??



Using a distraction in Hainaut, Armata di Roma manages to get clear way through Dutch home provinces.

We slash and burn and pillage, also scoring four victories against Dutch reinforcements, about 12k men in total.



Our strategy of racing forth from Liege into the Netherlands to strike them unawares has finally bore fruit!

A large troop of Dutch men were defeated at Breda, then destroyed at Brabant.



It was inevitable.

The amount of taxpayers in the Near East is so large that the Arabic peoples are now freely accepted on the Papal court.

Fear not, they're all Christians, of course.



Our sorties brought the sweetest fruit.

Distracted long enough, the Dutch failed to protect their own capital, Amsterdam!

We might be able to press them in the negotiations later - for now, they adamantly refuse to listen.



This happens when you do not upgrade your fortifications in this game!

As it turned out, the Dutch, whilst having Holland properly built up, neglected their forts just south of there.

In less than a year, we assault and successfully siege several of Dutch home provinces.



We decide that European and Imperial politics aren't of much interest to us.

Instead, we drain the Dutch Royal Treasury out of every ducat we can.

We shall sponsor some manufactories with this money!



A most holy mission gives us a Casus Belli for province of Hammah.

It takes half a year to 'persuade' Sultanate of Iraq to surrender it.



Our Pope gets sick!

You may now place bets on whether he survives or not.

Your options are:

He will survive through it, he will die mid-way through, he will kepp going for few months at best, he won't last a month.




If you've bet on 'he won't last a month', you're probably mad rich now.

Habemus Papam! Here comes a Papal name that has no been seen in the States for 1400 years.

Nobody knows what his pontificate shall bring, but it surely will be an interesting one.

[Haspen]

029: Julian Reforms

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Didja notice before that The Knights Hospitalier is actually a Sunni Sultanate right now?

Well, now you know.



Oh dear, it is Age of Colonial Revolutions!

And the first one to show up is Venezuela, with quite a lot of land, too.



Hammah has been converted and now we should get an army bigger than Bohemia.

Not sure if it is possible at the moment, but we might as well build up our forces to the army limit.

Pope Iulius II has decided to bump up the number of our cavalry.



Turns out all we needed was 2000 soldiers. Heh!



Pfft, festivities!

What we want is tax, for tax makes money!



Less than two thousand citizens, no fort, and no army.

Australians didn't think this through I'm afraid.

Pope Iulius II has sent them some money to ease their suffering.



I think this is first time since we took Patron of Arts national idea that we've gotten this event.

Free prestige, yey!



We're nearly fully Aristocratic now, giving us extra diplomats to go around.

In the same time we gain access to new infantry units - we go with offensive Blue Coats.



Generation of Rococco artists is gone, and people are fancying a new, simpler style.

Some of these 'Neoclassical' artists are sponsored by Pope Iulius II too.

He has plans for going even simpler with our art, but more on that later - we're not ready.



Economic reform of Iulius II continue.

We go for what is called 'Smithian Economics' for that juicy +20% Production boost.



Finally, we get a Sheriff, and with that, we can enact this decision!

"The icons are akin to a golden bull!" Says Iulius II before he gets rid of them. This drops our Stability by 3 points, but we currently regain 1 point of Stability every half a year.

Iconoclasm gives us a nice missionary modifier, and a great chunk of money. The minus -3.0 Cultural tradition yearly we can easily offset.



Poor Brittany in the meanwhile is bleeding colonies fast.

Next might be La Plata, just south of Chile.



Dang Cardinals, get off my Curia!



What's with all those bad events suddenly?

We will get rid of that infamy in about 4.5 years.



The best Spymaster there is, Theodorus Ferme!



The Philippines broke off from their imperial owners.

Prussia is bleeding land jut as fast as Brittany is. Probably because of the countless wars the two are getting into.



And there goes Iulius II, who died peacefully of old age.

Habemus Papam! Gregorius XVI is better in all regards.

Hopefully, his pontificate will be even more prosperous than Iulius II's!

[Haspen]

030: The Mosquito Project

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"What colonial governor?"

"In Gaza, your Holiness."

Expecting some colonial weirdness, it turns out the game spawned some Arabic patriots for Mamluks. Our Armata in Near East dealt with them easily.



Right after starting construction of a Refinery, we get about half of the money back.

Hooray for the plutocrats!



Our mission is to end the Western Schism.

The game forgot that Avignon is now a Republican Dictatorship allied to the Kingdom of Foix, but what you can do?



A surprisingly large number of French and Imperial states have joined the war on Avignon's side.

Much greater surprise was the combined Liege-Foix-Poitiers fleet that we've barely defeated at Bay of Biscay. Their ships are sunk or scattered, so we can fear no amphibious invasions.



Pope Gregorius XIV is not willing to wait for the thick walls of Avignon to fall.

He instead bribes the locals to open the gates and sabotage the garrison's supplies.



Two months later, we get Avignon. It promptly becomes a core territory of the Papal States.

And two months after that, on 30th September, Liege sues for white peace, and we agree to it.




A year after conquest of Avignon, Gregorius XVI dies suddenly!

Habemus Papam! Pope Alexander VIII is truly blessed.



*headscratch*

I get the idea that Africa is a different continent than Europe, where Rome is located, but really...



Never noticed this, but Royal Mortar is the first artillery unit to get really beefy stats for battlefield combat.

Now they're almost as good as our current infantry!



Chur is a Swiss-populated backwater of a province with neither high tax or manpower.

We can suffer some heresies spreading around it.



Pope Alexander VIII has decided that it is time for Papal States to expand beyond the Old World.

Spain never colonized Land of Mosquito, so we shall!



Already the natives are coming out of the woodwork to meet with our missionaries and settlers.

With the Papal treasury full of monies, we can trade with them in peace.



It's been a while since all those African conquests, huh?

The two provinces connecting Judea and Alexandria are finally considered our territorial cores.



Out of all possible, exotic goods that Mosquito could produce, we instead get salt mines.

Such is God's will! Shortly afterwards we make Mosquito the focus of our national interests.



Mosquito is a full-fledged city now!

It will take 30 years to build up its infrastructure, but we can do it.

The locals rename their capital city to 'Alexanderville' to commemorate the sponsorship of their colony by Pope Alexander VIII.



Our traders, while still mercantilistic, are influential enough to do some trade outside Europe.

Thanks to the trade centers of Tamaulipas and Cumana, we get access to Coffee, Tobacco and Sugar!



Great news indeed!

We need more Popes like Alexander VIII.



We get a free core on Dauphine.

It would connect Avignon with the lands of our vassal, Duchy of Savoy.

WAR IMMINENT!



France collapses under our push like a house made of cards.

Dauphine is ours; it's a bit backwater in terms of infrastructure, but we will build it up.




And that will be all of Alexander VIII's achievements.

Habemus Papam! Pope Gregorius XVII is a military strategist in an era where our armies win easily against most enemies, and sieges are conducted by spies and saboteurs.

But I'm sure we can find an use for his talents, one way or another.