Lombardy

The Ambrosian Republic of Lombardy, more commonly known as the Lombard Republic or simply Lombardy, is a state located in northern Italy (Padania) which existed during Season 2 of Brazilian's Varna series, as an important rival to the Italic Union.
On the Tatsumaki score ranking, "Lombard" is Level 5.
== Formation ==
As the Second Italian War seemed to be reaching its conclusion, 1532 was set to be a dark year for Italy. The year where the Italic Union would defeat their final enemy on the peninsula - the Ambrosian Republic of Milan. The Milanese Captain & Defender, Giano Loredan, called upon war veteran Bruno Morosini to defend Milan against the invaders. As the Italic First Army left Turin for Milan, they were halted at Novara by an army led by Bruno. March 15th, 1532 saw the Italics defeated at Novara, by the same tactics used by Carthage against Rome at Cannae back in 217BC.
"Their armies are shattered, few escaped the slaughter at Novara! Continue the march! To Turin!" 
- Bruno Morosini
And upon reaching Turin in late June, the Principality of Turin, an Italic vassal, agreed to unite with the Ambrosian Republic of Milan to form the Lombard Republic, who began to undo all of Italia's progress since 1530 by invading several other Italic vassals all at once. 
== Ending the Second Italian War ==
The end of 1532 saw a rebellion by three of the vassals (Pavia, Parma, and Liguria) against Italia and Sardinia, so Bruno's brother Giovanni, who was a famous writer and now a Milanese diplomat, secured truces with the three rebelling states before Lombardy annexed them in early February 1533. Bruno then led his forces towards Brescia, where he joined forces with an uprising in the city led by Angelo Marangon.
Giano Loredan then revealed his real identity to Giovanni - he was Lorenzo Furlan, the Ragusan fisherman, who had first discovered the box which contained the truth.
Meanwhile, the Lombard Second Army advanced southward towards Lucca, where they, too, met rebel forces who had risen up in Prato. Upon capturing the city of Lucca together, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany fell apart, replaced by the free Republic of Prato, and the Italic vassals of Florence and Siena. The Lombards then advanced on Pisa and successfully captured the city.
Bruno had been leading the Lombard First Army and the Brescian forces eastward. On the evening of June 5th, 1533, they met strong resistance at Lago di Garda. The Italics seemed to be winning, but the next morning, a sudden Austrian attack from the north routed their forces. As Brescia secured the flanks, the Austrians and Lombards marched on Venezia, securing the surrounding territories by late July.
August brought massive news to Italy - the siege of Venezia had indirectly caused the death of King Ferrante of Italia. No sooner had the news reached Milan than a succession war broke out. At this point Lorenzo Furlan decided that what needed to be done was done. Through the Second Treaty of Venezia on October 7th, Lombardy, Brescia, Prato and Pisa signed their way out of the war.
== The Italian Schism ==
Since the Italic Sack of Roma on September 6th, 1527, Pope Gennarus I had been in charge of the Catholic Church. But the previous pope, Clement VII, had escaped the siege with the help of Angelo Marangon, who had become an Italic cardinal at the time. Clement had hidden the box in the Vatican Library, so Lorenzo Furlan made an announcement to Italy in 1536. He announced that he intended to reinstate Clement as the Pope and depose Gennarus, however it was simply an excuse for Lorenzo to recover the box and use its contents to bring down the Italic Union.
Lombardy declared war on Gennarus' Papacy in April 1538, quickly joined by Brescia, Prato and Pisa. The Republics of Florence and Siena had recently been re-established, so they also joined in. The city of Siena acted as a forward base as the Padanians and Tuscans spread out, capturing Arezzo and Grosseto in a matter of weeks. With the dismantling of the two Italic vassals, Prato, Pisa, Florence and Siena united into the Tuscan Federation. 
Between Grosseto and Roma the journey was equally easy, as Papal troops joined the invading army as soon as they saw it, declaring their allegiance to Clement and not Gennarus. Bruno Morosini personally led the Lombard First Army into the Vatican Library, where Gennarus had already been detained. However, the box was found empty, and the Lombards left Roma. The reason for the death of Gennarus remains under speculation.
The Sancarlist Italics were busy fighting their succession war against the Habsburgs, and the Sardinian navy was engaged off the coast of Egypt, so neither of them could intervene in the Italian Schism. As per the Treaty of Roma, Clement VII was reinstated, and Gennarus declared an antipope. Italia lost their influence over the Catholic Church, and the Padanians and Tuscans ended their hostilities.
== The Fourth Italian War ==
Lombardy decided to try their hand at killing Italia once more in 1568, after the Italic entry into the War of the Leagues in the previous year. Lombardy marched into battle alongside Brescia and Tuscany in February. The allies captured Perugia on the Tiber river, and attacked the Italic troops occupying Austrian Tyrol, as well as splitting Italia in two by capturing the entirety of Romagna. The Lombards advanced from Vicenza to Padua, where for the first time, Italia won against Lombardy. If that wasn't bad enough, the leading general Bruno Morosini was presumed dead, and left alone on the battlefield as the Lombard armies retreated back to Vicenza.
"But... it can't be. How could this happen to him? Isn't he... the brightest general of our time?" - King Giuseppe of Italia, after the Battle of Padua.
Giuseppe then offered Bruno a final wish:
"I want you to grant me a quick death, by your own sword. After all... I refuse to die in any way that is not by combat." - Bruno Morosini to King Giuseppe.
And with that, all of the Lombards' achievements were reversed quickly. Brescia gave up the city of Mantua to the Italic Union, and then Lombardy, Brescia and Tuscany ceased hostilities, just as 1568 came to an end.
Category:Varna Countries