Francesco VI of Fidenza

### Regent

Isabelle de Bourbon, Queen-Dowager of Fidenza (1714 - 1719)Maria Carolina, Dowager Duchess of Savoy (1714 - 1727)

### Coronation

24th October 1727, St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Fidenza

## Personal Details

### Born

24th August 1712, Palazzo Reale, Duchy of Milan, Fidenza

### Burial

Cripta de Rei, Rome, Fidenza (body)Milan Cathedral, Milan, Fidenza (heart)

### Issue

Francesco LeonardoMaria Filippa

Maria Celestina

Alessandro Luciano

Bartolomeo Cesare

Leopoldo Emmanuele

Aurelio Federico

Maria Giovanna

Filippo Lodovico

Maria Sofia

### Religion

Roman Catholicism

**Francesco VI Giovanni** (24th August 1712 - 22nd December 1761), known as ***the Beloved,*** was a monarch of the House of Visconti, ruling as King of Fidenza and Milan since the death of his great-grandfather, Filippo III, in 1714 until his own death in 1762. For the first 13 years of his reign, his minority period, his great-grandmother ruled as regent of the Kingdom for five years, at which point his mother took up the position, before stepping aside when he reached the age of majority.

Francesco VI's reign has been known for strong and centralised government, increasingly lessening the power of the feudal nobility in favour of strengthening the power of the crown to rule alone, and increasingly building up Fidenzan culture to rival even the grandeur and culture of France. He has a mixed reputation, however, for his supposed brutality towards perceived threats and other opponents, most notoriously the Scandal of 1743. He was infamous for his stone-like personality when it came his enemies and opponents.

## Early Life

### **Birth**

Francesco Giovanni VI was born on the 24th of August 1712 at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, during the reign of King Filippo Antonio III of Fidenza, his paternal great-grandfather. He was born as the second son of Amadeo Filippo, Duke of Savoy and heir apparent to the throne of Fidenza, after the death of his own father Giovanni Leonardo. The birth was attended by dozens of courtiers and noblemen, which resulted in an overly crowded room giving complications with the birth. It reached the point where courtiers had to be almost shoved out of the room and every window thrown open. Filippo III himself had not attended the birth, as the aging King had fallen asleep in his study.

### **Early Life**

Following the birth, Francesco was placed into the care of a group of four midwives and the governess of the Royal Children, the old Dowager Countess of Messina. He was given the courtesy title of Marquis of Montferrat. Francesco was born a strong, healthy child which was in a sharp comparison to his elder brother, who was one year older than him. His elder brother Galeazzo Alfonso was weak and sickly for his age, but nevertheless was managing to survive through childhood, at that point aged 3. Francesco was born into a lavish environment of grandeur and court ceremony, but that also led to neglect and little contact with parents, especially for the children of the Crown Prince and Princess, who were constantly dealing with ceremony and assisting with affairs of state, as was their duty.

For their young children, their upbringing was a series of governesses, nurses and maids. The quality of their time with these various women would depend on the women's moods, temperament and nature. Sometimes, the caregivers would be abusive and hostile, but others might be caring and gentle. As they both grew, it was clear that Francesco was becoming stronger, smarter and more capable than his elder brother, despite his elder brother being almost three years his senior. This state of affairs continued for a few months longer, until an epidemic of smallpox would ravage the Kingdom. When this epidemic eventually became uncontrollable, the Kingdom was faced with a crisis.

### **Smallpox Epidemic of 1713 - 1714**

When an epidemic of smallpox broke out in Sicily, nobody thought it to be a massive issue, but when it began to spread out of Sicily, a sense of uncertainty gripped the nation. Faced with a crisis, King Filippo III became entirely incompetent once more. Filippo III had always been a very weak ruler, there was always someone effectively using him as a puppet for their own goals, but now this fragile balance this caused was about to crumble. The Nobles who effectively had control of the King began to falter, thus the King decided to take matters into his own hands. This is known as one of the biggest blunders in Fidenzan history, where King Filippo sent two hundred men to, as he said himself, *"round up anyone with the disease and kill them. We cannot have it killing more."* To which the men immediately refused, which caused the King to continue to falter.

Soon, the smallpox epidemic was uncontrollable, it having taken control of most of Naples, Sicily and it was soon spreading to Sardinia through traders who had been through Sicily and taken a boat there. Noble travel was severely limited at this time, to prevent the disease getting back to the court. Now, Queen Isabelle, wife of King Filippo, was the one in control. Isabelle was the younger sister of King Louis XIV of France, and thus she had inherited excellent skills like he had. Isabelle, unlike everyone before her, had rational solutions to the problem. She chose to disallow nobility from leaving the capital without a grant from her and the King, and chose to have the gates of the capital sealed off to prevent anyone who might have the disease from entering the city. It was not enough, however, a small neighbourhood in the far east corner of the City, inside the walls, had already been exposed to the disease, and it was quickly spreading through the city. In a last attempt to protect the court, she had the gates of the palace sealed off permanently. It wasn't enough, however, as supposedly from traders bringing goods to the palace, it spread into the palace and soon many nobles were sick with it.

The Royal Family was not safe from the outbreak more than anyone else. First, Francesco's sickly older brother, Galeazzo, was taken with the disease, and died little more than two days later, leaving Francesco one step closer to the throne he never truly wanted at first. Next, Francesco's uncle, the Duke of Ferrara, was taken with the illness and died a few weeks later. Next, his grandmother contracted smallpox and died too. Francesco and his new permanent governess, the Baroness of Chambery, stayed in seclusion for most of the time, receiving food and drink only from servants who were made to wear protective masks to prevent bringing it in from the chambers. When the Duke of Savoy also fell ill, even more measures were put in to keep Francesco healthy as he would be the next generation and the next monarch after Filippo III if his father were to die. Eventually, the inevitable happened, and the Duke of Savoy died on the 14th of April 1714. This made Francesco VI the new heir apparent to his great-grandfather, who shockingly had not fallen ill. Francesco was continued to be kept in seclusion with his governess and a few trusted servants until the panic would subside.

Soon, in a twist of fate nobody expected, Filippo III died unexpectedly. Nobody could figure out why, he was simply found lying dead in the downstairs corridor by a servant, with a broken nose, blood coming from the head, a ripped jacket and his arms covered with bruises and cuts. The court flew into a panic because nobody could figure out what had happened to the King for such horrible injuries to be sustained, until someone noticed he had been found at the bottom of the stairs. They deduced that the King had fallen from the stairs, but the condition of the injuries suggested a panic for him to fall so quickly and with such force down the stairs. Nobles had noted a strange man moaning and crying out for help, covered in the afflictions of smallpox and wearing a night robe. It was noted his skin had gotten so pale that he looked like a ghost. It all seemed to correlate, but nobody ever really deduced what had happened. In reality, the King had been walking down the corridors when he chanced upon the aforementioned man, who reached out to grab him, moaning and wailing. Clearly in a panicked state because of this, the King rushed off and a left out service tray to be picked up later had caused him to slip over it and fall down the stairs at such speed that he had hit his head against the wall, and battered his arms up against the stairs themselves. The impact with the floor at the bottom had broken his nose. Nevertheless, the King was dead, and the two year old Francesco now became Francesco VI.

## Minority Reign

### **Ascension**

Francesco Giovanni, Duke of Savoy, was proclaimed with the style; "*By the Grace of God, Francesco VI, King of Fidenza, Milan, Naples, Sardinia and of the Fidenzan Dominions, Prince of Roma, Duke of Milan, Duke of Sicily, Duke of Genoa, Duke of Calabria and of Salento, Rightful Sovereign of all the Visconti Lands."* Now, as King of Fidenza, he was too young to rule personally and therefore the now Queen-Dowager Isabelle was appointed as Regent of the Kingdom to rule in his name until he turned 15. However, it wasn't expected she'd last for the entire regency, as she was already at the age of 63 and the regency would last for the 13 years, requiring her to live to the age of 76. Therefore, Francesco VI's mother, the Dowager Duchess of Savoy, was appointed as secondary regent. Shortly after his ascension, the Smallpox Epidemic subsided. This was said to be a good omen for his reign, which was yet to come as of this point.

### **Political Strife**

Francesco VI and his new government almost instantly suffered from crisis, as two issues arose very quickly. Due in part to the poor rule of King Filippo III, Fidenza had been setting up colonies in Africa and South America, which were poorly maintained due to the poor financial budgeting and the debt Fidenza was left in after the vast expenses of the illustrious Filippo III and his many power-hungry confidants. With very little help from the state, the colonies had begun to expect a degree of autonomy unlike the colonies of any other state. Queen-Dowager Isabelle sought to stamp this out, but this required funds. Thus, taxes on the peasantry were raised, which resulted in a large peasant revolt to march through the countryside and cause grief to noble estate. The poorly armed, poorly trained peasant army was soon crushed by the well-equipped and well-trained Fidenzan Royal Army, though. As a result, taxes were raised on wealthy cities and nobility, which was met with discontent, but paid nevertheless. With the economy rejuvenated, Queen-Dowager Isabelle and Dowager-Duchess Maria set about on reducing the autonomy of the colonies, which would be done over a period of a few years in order to not outrage the colonies as heavily as instantly taking away their autonomy would. In the meantime, Francesco VI had been baptised at age 5 as Francesco Giovanni di Visconti.

### **War of the Fidenzan Succession (1720 - 1725)**

The second issue they were faced with was the issue of pretenders. Many times in a young ruler's minority, there would be problems with conflicts over the throne of their country. This was no different with Francesco VI, as opposition to his ascension came from his uncles, the brothers of the late Duke of Savoy. As tension continued to grow, his eldest uncle, Vittorio Emmanuele, Duke of Spoleto, found support with the Austrians just North of Fidenza, who were sworn rivals of the Kingdom. Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria, sought for a King of Fidenza he could control and manipulate, thus he decided to assist Spoleto in the hopes that the assistance would win loyalty. The regency called in support from France, with their common rival in Austria, they banded together along with Spain. Austria came together with Poland-Lithuania and the Russian Empire for assistance against this banding coalition. Diplomacy broke down between the nations, and war seemed imminent.

War broke out on the 4th of April 1720, when an Austrian diplomat exploded at the court of Francesco VI, relentlessly insulting the King, his regents, the entire country of Fidenza and said that only the Duke of Spoleto would be able to fix this rotten hellhole. In retaliation, the diplomat was executed by Fidenza, to which Austria sent an official warning and demanded an apology. When both the Fidenzan and French armies began to mobilise, and no apology was received from Fidenza, Austria too began to mobilise its forces. War in Europe seemed imminent, and after endless negotiations to prevent war, there was nothing that could be done. Austria declared war upon Fidenza over the claim of Vittorio Emmanuele, Duke of Spoleto, to the Fidenzan throne. When the Russian Empire and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth joined Austria in the war, the Kingdoms of France and Spain joined Fidenza.

The first actions of the war were considered strange on many accounts as a small contingent of Fidenzans snuck past enemy lines and into Austrian territory without being detected and managed to begin a siege in Tirol, before being pushed back into the larger Austrian force on the Fidenzan border and was annihilated, while a large section of the French Army pushed into the Austrian Netherlands, while the Spanish marched through France to push through Holy Roman Empire states to reach Austria's mainland. Fidenza's main contingent met an Austrian Force in the Battle of Treviso and pushed the Austrians back to Karnten. Two Fidenzan divisions began another siege in Tirol, while the main contingent pushed through Austrian territory. The Fidenzan Army was pushed back when Polish-Lithuanian troops arrived, outnumbering the Fidenzan division that was sent. When the Dowager Duchess of Savoy and Peter the Great met in person, they got along well, so they decided to sign a peace together, thus the Russians withdrew from the war. Peaceful relations with Russia were ensured, but war between Fidenza and Austria continued.

The Fidenzan Contingents camped in Karnten, while the Polish continued to advance. Luckily, just before the Polish arrived, Spanish Contingents grouped with the Fidenzans, where the Polish-Lithuanian Army and the joint Spanish-Fidenzan Armies met in battle. With the odds in favour of the Polish-Lithuanian force, the Polish Army was almost destroyed in a massive twist of fate, where rain caused the terrain beneath the Polish-Lithuanian force to become wet and messy, causing many of the troops to be stuck there. Unable to retreat, the cannon of the Spanish and Fidenzan blew many of the troops to pieces. Otherwise, musket fire killed many more. Scarcely 13,000 of the 40,000 Polish-Lithuanian troops managed to retreat to Krakow. By 1722, the Entirety of the Austrian Netherlands was occupied by French forces, while the Austrians were making advances into Venice. The Spanish-Fidenzan army eventually laid siege to Vienna, which before had been considered an almost impossible feat. Many nations had tried to siege Vienna, the Ottoman Turks on two occasions, and even some of Francesco VI's ancestors had failed.

Now aged 10, Francesco VI had a great understanding of the diplomacy involved in the war. Many saw Francesco's gift, thus his mother allowed the young King to present opinions on how to handle the war. The war, in effect, also became a tool for the King's diplomatic education. The King, as he became older, often worked alongside his regent to prepare him for the tasks he would face in his solo reign. Francesco VI himself in some ways managed to negotiate an alliance with the King of Prussia at age 12, as Frederick William I of Prussia joined the war on the Fidenzan side, pushing the Saxon-Commonwealth Armies back and pushing to the King of Poland-Lithuania's capital in Saxony. This caused the King of Poland-Lithuania to sign a peace treaty, which allowed a betrothal between Francesco VI and the King's granddaughter, Princess Maria Elisabeth of Saxony. In 1725, Austria, seeing itself outnumbered and its capital being under siege with cut off supply lines, signed a peace treaty with Fidenza.

Under the terms of the 1725 Treaty of Roma, the Archduchy of Austria would renounce all Imperial Claims in the Venetian Region. Austria would also provide war reparations to Fidenza, as well as a hefty sum of money immediately. The treaty was the first document that Francesco VI, now aged 14, would sign himself though still alongside his regent. As the regency period began to draw to a close, Francesco VI took up many duties himself, including much of the day-to-day administration of the Kingdom, as well as official foreign policy decisions. Soon, Francesco VI had turned fifteen, and the regency was officially abolished and Francesco VI was declared sole ruler of Fidenza and its overseas territories.

## Reign

### **Early Reign**

Francesco VI was officially crowned King of Fidenza and Milan on the 24th of October 1727 in a traditional and lavish ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. The ceremony was presided over by Pope Urban IX, his own great-uncle, as was the agreement between Kings of Fidenza and the Pope since the Treaty of Ancona (1589) after the Papal States was subjugated into Fidenza. It guaranteed the safety of the Pope in return for the Pope crowning the King at his coronation, which provided the monarch with extra legitimacy. Francesco was garbed in traditional Fidenzan dress, alongside the Cape of Majesty, as well as a large feather-plumed tricorn which was ceremonially removed to be replaced with the Crown of Fidenza. He was provided the royal regalia, the orb and the sceptre, as well as the Royal Sabre being sheathed at his side. All who watched the ceremony were in awe of the occasion, as it had been almost 65 years since the last coronation, it was the first time most people had witnessed such an event.

Next was the fulfilment of the King's betrothal to the Princess of Saxony, which came to be on the 3rd of March 1728, where the King and Princess Maria were married in a traditional Catholic ceremony once again at St. Peter's Basilica. Once again, the Majesty of the Fidenzan Monarchy was shown once more as the lavishly decorated Basilica was adorned with portraits of the great Kings of Fidenza of history, as well as banners containing the Fidenzan Royal Standard as well as the standards of Saxony-Poland-Lithuania to celebrate the union, as she was the granddaughter of Augustus II of Poland, who was also the Elector of Saxony as Frederick Augustus I. Since he was the elector of Saxony by birth right, and the King of Poland-Lithuania by election, the bride was known as the Princess of Saxony. After the wedding, the court travelled to nearby Palazzo Colonna in Rome for celebrations. As the Royal Procession passed through the streets of Rome, they were met with large crowds to get a glimpse of their much beloved young King and his new Queen. It is from around this time that his epithet of "the Beloved" stems from. Fireworks were seen above the palace, and inside a large feast was being held for the court. Public entertainments for the people outside the palace were also held. It was rumoured that the marriage was consummated almost immediately, even on the first night it was said. In any event, the Queen was pregnant not two weeks after the marriage.

Francesco VI was quickly locked in disputes in the Fidenzan Colonies over how they should be governed. Some wanted full independence, others wanted more autonomy from the Crown, while others remained loyal. Francesco used obligations to threaten the colonies into submission, but it was ineffective. Eventually, Francesco chose military intervention to force the colonies into submission, and stationed divisions in the disloyal colonies. This ended up working, as none of the Fidenzan colonies rebelled, and eventually all their governors were replaced with loyalists. The age of enlightenment worried Francesco VI, as its ideas had managed to reach the colonies, they were sure to exist in the mainland. Being an absolute monarch, his position came under fire from the enlightenment ideals. Although Francesco VI had no desire for fighting his own subjects, he was forced to when a mass mob of liberal and enlightenment believers marched on the Palazzo Reale. The guards and reinforcements from army divisions were forced to open fire on the riot as they refused to disperse. It resulted in a bloodbath, but kept the realm stable nonetheless.

### **Great Ottoman War (1732 - 1739)**

Francesco VI ended up in open conflict with the Ottoman Empire on numerous times, the first conflict was over a trade dispute after an Ottoman embargo over Fidenza was affecting Fidenzan trade, something which King Francesco was not willing to accept. Francesco VI, despite being a man for diplomacy and negotiation above all, was not afraid of war. He had been taught the ideas of his ancestor, Duke Filippo Maria I of Milan, the notable creator of Milanese Expansionism, therefore he believed in ideas of militarism. When diplomacy with the Ottoman Sultan failed, the King had to turn to other options in order to end the trade embargo and reopen Ottoman ports and trading routes to Fidenzan traders. Therefore, with advice from the Grand Duchess of Tuscany and other trusted confidants, King Francesco VI officially declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Sultan, Mahmud I, reacted to the war with indignation, refusing to accept the war, thus the war began slowly. King Francesco eventually tired of the Sultan's stalling and thus began his march into Ottoman territory. For years, the Ottomans had been mockingly referred to as "the sick man of Europe." This was especially true when the Ottomans could barely defend their border as the Fidenzan army was easily able to push through and enter Ottoman territories in the Balkans. Francesco VI was praised for the bold move in the Christian world, and he began to be referred to as a righteous crusader. Although using the guise of a trade war, Francesco VI had other goals. He sought to have Jersualem released as a Christian State with the protection of Fidenza, and to expand his holdings in the Balkans. The Ottoman government was very archaic and tedious in this time, becoming ineffective and weak, which gave Fidenza perfect opportunities.

The Fidenzan invasion of the Ottoman Empire was sanctioned by Pope Urban IX, despite the tension between the Pope and the Kings of Fidenza which had existed for centuries, the War eventually became more than a trade war. In effect, Pope Clement had declared another crusade, encouraging Catholic rulers to rally around Fidenza to retake the Holy Land and push the Muslims out of Europe. Many rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Spain and France all flocked the cause, and it then was renamed from the "Fidenzan-Ottoman Trade War" to the "Great Ottoman War." and was informally referred to as the Tenth Crusade. The Royal Army advanced through holdings in the Balkans into Ottoman territory. The initial advance went well, until Fidenzan General Emmanuele Filiberto di Lacosta began to falter when he lost track of where his army was. Upon encountering an Ottoman force, this force was pushed back, but retained most of their gains in the Ottoman Balkans.

In 1735, Francesco VI personally took command of the Royal Army, and he led it further into Ottoman Territory and began to close in on Constantinople, when crisis struck. A massive outbreak of smallpox struck the main contingent of the royal army, and attrition began to run rampant as food stocks dwindled. The Ottomans had been razing the land and burning all crops, so as Fidenzan supplies dwindled, they had nothing to restock on. The main contingent, commanded by Francesco himself, was forced to retreat. Backup relief contingents united into a larger division, and eventually seized Constantinople. With the capture of Constantinople, peace was negotiated. At the Treaty of Roma, in 1739, the terms were crushing on the Ottomans. Greek states were to be freed with full autonomy and independence, and the holy land in Jerusalem was brought back into Christian hands with the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which Francesco himself was made titular King of. Furthermore, the Ottoman monopoly on trade through to the Black Sea and the Indian Ocean was ended as all Christian ships were given freedom to pass through the Bosphorus strait.

### **Internal Policy**

Francesco VI's internal policy resembled that of Queen Maria, who reigned as Queen of Fidenza from 1605 - 1642. Maria was a moderniser and a reformer, and is in some ways seen as the first modern monarch of Fidenza. Francesco wished to do the same, and began a policy of modernising his state. Emerging from feudalism, Francesco VI's policy was one of absolutism. Less power for the nobility, and absolute power to the crown. The law-courts which could block the will of the King were abolished, and full absolute rule was instated. Francesco's moves were controversial and unpopular among some sects of society. Francesco, however, placed around him as confidants, ministers and favourites the Absolutists, those who supported him in his quest for absolute rule. If those who opposed absolute rule had no access to the King, then they had no access in changing anything in the Kingdom. This is similar to the policy of Queen Maria in that she barred those who opposed her from her Privy Council, and allowed them limited access to her at court and at official public functions. Alternatively, Francesco would coax them in stating that they had been promoted, and their "promotion" would be exiled to the army or back to their estates.

Economically, Francesco's policies were extremely beneficial for the Fidenzan treasury. His economic policy was similar to that of Francesco III (1555 - 1576), who used covert tactics, tactical diplomacy and cons to increase the already vast wealth of the Kingdom. Francesco III, famously, was made King of Spain during the midst of a succession crisis. In this time, he took Spanish colonies into direct control beneath the Fidenzan crown, and after he was deposed three years later as the succession crisis raged, he fled Spain a week before with almost all of the Spanish Royal Treasure. The Spanish could do nothing about it. Although Francesco VI was not appointed King of another country, he still used covert tactics and tactical diplomacy to expand his royal treasury. Trade was a massive chunk of the Fidenzan economy. By this point, Fidenza controlled almost all of the Mediterranean trade, aside from the portions controlled by the French and the Spanish. Vast wealth flooded in to Fidenza from Mediterranean trade and taxation from overseas colonies.

### **Foreign Policy**

Francesco VI's foreign policy was similar to that of his predecessors. He remained at odds with the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire to the North, and maintained a friendly relationship with the French, built back up by Francesco IV after the dividing French usurpation of the Milanese throne between 1545 and 1553. Francesco VI arranged more royal marriages between princes and princesses of Fidenza and other European states than Filippo III, Emmanuele II and Francesco V combined, which tied Fidenza to many notable European nations. Fidenza's colonial expansion continued under Francesco VI, and the first Fidenzan expeditions into India were made. The Indian Princes, however, resisted heavily, causing the expeditions to fail in seizing any land for the Fidenzan crown. Further contact was made with China, under the Qing Dynasty, which led to trade deals with the Chinese, although this was extremely limited due to their isolationism.

In Europe, Francesco VI was a formidable enemy to face. His rich and wealthy lands, powerful military and monopoly over Mediterranean trade led European rulers to co-operate with him, rather than try to beat him. Friendly relations were maintained with many states, notably France, Spain, Prussia, Great Britain, Poland-Lithuania and Russia. He often joined with them to undermine the Habsburg grip on central Europe, although this was an incredible task. The Holy Roman Empire was consistently an obstacle for Fidenza, and nothing changed with this. Trade in Europe flourished, as did co-operation. In 1755, however, a new European Conflict was brewing. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle turned out to be ineffective, and be more of a truce than an actual peace, and so a new conflict was brewing in Europe.

### **The Seven Years' War and Death (1756 - Present)**

When the Seven Years' War began, it exploded as a global conflict. As a European great power, Fidenza was forced to pick a side. Fidenza sided with the French coalition, joining France and her allies in the conflict. This did, however, require Fidenza and the Habsburgs to co-operate for the first time, as they were members of the same coalition in the war. The Visconti and the Habsburgs agreed to an armistice to fight the war as allies, the two rulers, Francesco VI and Maria Theresa, meeting at Merano and agreeing on a treaty of mutual co-operation. The Fidenzan military began operations in Europe.

At the outbreak of the war, Francesco was at the height of his power, but the war worried many in Fidenza. A truly global war, being battled in the Americas, the Pacific and in Europe, seemed disastrous for the entire continent. Francesco himself, however, was not worried. He was in command of an army of 150,000 men, and an enormous navy. This, however, would not last long, and the war would begin downhill with a few military defeats.

A Fidenzan-Austrian army suffered a crushing defeat by a Prussian-German States army in Silesia. The route was long and arduous, and particularly difficult on Austrian forces, who were consistently harassed by the Prussians, whereas the remainder of the Fidenzan contingent were able to retreat a different way and were harassed less. Francesco personally led his armies for much of the campaign, leaving his wife Maria Elisabetta as the main authority in Rome. His son, the Crown Prince Francesco and Duke of Savoy would join him on campaign to sure up the military's support for the King's son. The Duke's children stayed home with his wife, Duchess Francesca.

Tragedy would strike the entire House of Visconti on December 22nd. In a battle against a Prussian force, Prince Francesco was slain. The King, almost went mad with grief at the scene. Rushing over to attempt to help his quickly dying son, he was shot in the back by a Prussian marksman. The Crown Prince died first, then the King himself. People thought these two men, at the time, were simply soldiers. After the battle, and the Fidenzan force had won, the men began to look over the battlefield for the dead. When they found the body of the King and the Crown Prince, they immediately abandoned campaign and began to return home with the King and Crown Prince's bodies in stow. News of the deaths did not reach the people of Rome until December 29th, when the army tragically entered Rome with the bodies covered up. The citizens immediately knew what had happened. It was said that thousands wept in the streets of Rome that day. When they finally reached the palace, everyone was distraught. It took some a while to process what had happened, but when the news sunk in it had a devastating effect.

### **Succession Crisis**

Since the Crown Prince died just before and on the same day as Francesco VI, the succession was cast into doubt. The Crown Prince's eldest son had also died two months earlier, leaving the former's second son, Emmanuele Ludovico di Visconti, to be the obvious choice. Many doubted the boy's ability, however, and there was opposition to the succession. According to the law, however, the boy was now the legal successor to the King, then being declared "*By the Grace of God, Emmanuele III, King of Fidenza, Milan, Naples, Sardinia and of Jerusalem, Prince of Roma, Duke of Milan, Duke of Sicily, Duke of Genoa, Duke of Calabria and of Salento, Rightful Sovereign of all the Visconti Lands."* Some considered the succession of this boy, this arrogant, snobbish and indulgent 14-year-old, to be the beginning of the end for the Fidenzan Monarchy. It was said the boy himself looked over the body of his much-beloved grandfather and said, *"Such a shame. His old era of simplicity and serving the peasants is over. Now starts a new era, an era for true Fidenza to shine."*

## Personality and Appearance

### **Personality**

Francesco VI had a unique personality. He was cruel and solemn, though he was loving to those close to him and diligent in his work for the benefit of the Fidenzan people. Francesco cannot be regarded as a good man, though he was beloved by his people, he had a brutal and unyielding side to him. Many of his successes and his legacies came from brutal and unkind actions. His most brutal side came about in the Scandal of 1743, in which King Francesco quite publically ordered his illegitimate grandchild by his eldest son, Francesco Leonardo, drowned by his men. Thus, Francesco was also rightly called a kinslayer for this action. He was notably cruel and ruthless when it came to treason and perceived rebellion, most notably his crushing and extinction of House Gonzaga when he perceived them to be traitors in the aftermath of the Sack of Mantua. The King was also debauched and licentious, fathering numerous illegitimate children. There are twenty-four known or suspected illegitimate children of the King with noblemen, though the amount of illegitimate children born to common women is unknown. The King's debauched lifestyle made him an enemy of tradition and piety, though he held a complicated relationship and belief in God. Another event which Francesco is infamous for is the 1731 Sack of Mantua, in which he led his forces to the city of Mantua to crush a peasant rebellion. As he was cheered by people of Mantua for the end of the rebellion, he perceived them to be shouting and booing him. Thus, he ordered the townspeople butchered. The resulting chaos and bloodshed is still remembered by citizens of Mantua today, in the city the name of King Francesco is cursed. The Mantuans know him as "Il Re Saccheggiatore" or "the Sacker King".

### **Appearance**

Francesco VI was not the handsomest of men. He was considered to be rather good-looking in his younger years, though his appearance faded with age. As he entered his forties, his hairline was receding and he was notably wrinkled. It was said that Francesco VI never smiled, at least not in public, and his face was certainly a reminder of this fact. His face appeared withered and hardened in his later years, with an entire life of rule taking its toll on the King. As he entered his later years, his hairline began to recede. As a result, he took to wearing larger and more elaborate wigs to cover his balding. Francesco appeared tall and imposing, with a strong and well-built physique. He possessed broad shoulders and a large chest, making him feared in his court. The King possessed brown eyes and brown hair, though his hair began to grey as he entered his forties. His appearance continued to deteriorate with age, with him looking like a man of 65 by his death aged 50. His 48-year-reign has been considered one of the most prosperous times in Fidenzan history, though his life of rule took its toll on the King physically.

## Issue

### **Legitimate**

* Francesco Leonardo, Duca di Savoia (17th December 1728 - 22nd December 1761)
* Maria Filippa, Queen of Spain (29th November 1729 - Present)
* Maria Celestina, Principessa di Fidenza (3rd March 1731 - 4th March 1731)
* Alessandro Luciano, Principe di Benevento (9th January 1732 - Present)
* Bartolomeo Cesare, Duca di Amalfi (30th October 1733 - 19th February 1745)
* Leopoldo Emmanuele, Marchese di Saluzzo (2nd April 1735 - Present)
* Aurelio Federico, Conteggio di Sicilia (21st May 1736 - 14th November 1760)
* Maria Giovanna, Principessa di Fidenza (21st May 1736 - Present)
* Filippo Ludovico, Conteggio di Guastalla (20th October 1737 - Present)
* Maria Sofia, Principessa di Fidenza (31st January 1740 - Present)

### **Illegitimate**

Francesco VI fathered numerous illegitimate children with many different women. This led to the deterioration of his relationship with his wife, the Queen.

With his first mistress, Giovanna de' Medici, he fathered three children:

* Francesco Cosimo di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (2nd October 1728 - Present)
* Ludovica de' Medici (31st September 1730 - 4th July 1737)
* Leonardo de' Medici (3rd December 1733 - 7th December 1733)

With his second mistress and second cousin, Agostina di Visconti-Mantua, he fathered seven children:

* Elisabetta di Visconti-Mantua (31st June 1731 - Present)
* Lorenzo Eduardo di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (4th February 1733 - 15th August 1760)
* Vittoria di Visconti-Mantua (4th February 1733 - 10th August 1733)
* Luciano Matteo di Visconti-Mantua (19th January 1736 - Present)
* Vittorio di Visconti-Mantua (15th September 1737 - 21st June 1739)
* Filippo Ludovico di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (11th May 1739 - Present)
* Filippa di Visconti-Urbino, Principessa Legittimata (27th February 1741 - Present)

With his third mistress, Laura di Malaspina, he fathered three children. She also endured a miscarriage, speculated to be as a result of an attack by Queen Maria Elisabetta:

* Bartolomeo Luciano di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (17th August 1741 - Present)
* Aurelia Federica di Visconti-Urbino, Principessa Legittimata (23rd June 1743 - Present)
* Miscarriage (2nd March 1745)
* Benedetto Cristiano di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (17th July 1747 - Present)

With his fourth mistress, Antoinetta di Orsini, he fathered five children:

* Cosimo Desiderio di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (5th September 1747 - 10th July 1757)
* Francesca di Orsini (10th April 1749 - Present)
* Arianna di Orsini (28th July 1751 - 30th July 1751)
* Alessandro Donato di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (7th May 1754 - Present)
* Gabriella Donata di Visconti-Urbino, Principessa Legittimata (7th May 1754 - Present)

With his fifth mistress, Cosima de' Medici, he fathered two children:

* Filiberto Giuseppe di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (14th August 1756 - Present)
* Fortunato Maria di Visconti-Urbino, Principe Legittimato (2nd January 1758 - Present)

With his sixth mistress, Giuseppa di Grimaldi, he fathered three children:

* Francesco Giovanni di Grimaldi (12th February 1759 - Present)
* Lorenzo di Grimaldi (16th August 1760 - Present)
* Maria *Postuma* di Grimaldi (7th January 1762 - Present)

## Titles, Styles, Honours and Heraldry

### **Styles and Heraldry**

* **24th August 1712 - 12th December 1714:** Sua Altezza, Il Marchese di Montferrat
* **12th December 1714 - 22nd December 1761:** Sua Maestà, Il Re di Fidenza

Francesco VI's full royal style was: *"By the Grace of God, Francesco VI, King of Fidenza and Milan, King of Naples, Sardinia and Jerusalem, Prince of Roma, Grand Duke of Milan, Duke of Sicily, Duke of Genoa, Duke of Calabria and of Salento, Rightful Sovereign of all the Visconti Lands."*

* **Grand Master of the Order of King Francesco V (by virtue of role as King of Fidenza and Milan)**
* **Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Crest (by virtue of role as King of Fidenza and Milan)**
* **Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece**