Fidenzian Civil War

Battle of Romagna, 1696

- Archduchy of Austria cedes much of Holy Roman land to the Kingdom of Fidenza.

- Holy Roman Empire relinquishes control of much of the Western half of Mid-Germany, to form a vassal of the Kingdom of Fidenza, to be dubbed the Duchy of Lucenia.

- Holy Roman Empire cedes lands in the Low Countries and surrounding lands to the Kingdom of France.

- Serene Republic of Venice cedes all Italian Holdings to the Kingdom of Fidenza.

- Serene Republic of Venice will become a "government in exile" losing control of its homeland.

- The Archduchy of Austria will be forced to relinquish the Holy Roman Crown.

- The Holy Roman Empire will no longer interfere in affairs in the Italian Peninsula.

- Fidenzian Revolutionary ring-leaders will be exiled.

- Ludovico de Pazzi, Maria de Pazzi, Giovanni de Pazzi and Francisco de Pazzi will be executed.

- Remaining Pazzi family members will leave the country, never to return.

### Belligerents

Combatant 1:- Kingdom of Fidenza

- Kingdom of France (support)

- House of Medici

Combatant 2:

- Pazzi Family

- Serene Republic of Venice

- Archduchy of Austria

- Fidenzian Republican Militia

**The Fidenzian Civil War** is an ongoing conflict inside the Kingdom of Fidenza, which has torn the country into two during the previous five years. Many civilians from the North are supporting the attacking Pazzi family and their support, whilst the South generally support the Crown and House of Medici.

## History

The House of Medici and the Pazzi family had an ongoing feud for many decades prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. There would be many plots from each family against the other, including the murder of the Prince and Princess of Florence, as well as the murder of a young Pazzi boy, in recent history. The Pazzi had been gaining support in the Serene Republic of Venice's government. Ludovico de Pazzi persuaded the Serene Doge to support them in a war against the House of Medici. The Serene Doge was reluctant, but after bribes from Ludovico, he accepted.

## Events

The Pazzi militia, with support from the Serene Republic of Venice, crossed the border into Fidenza, into Medici controlled land. They occupied two Northern provinces, Veneto and Venezia (both of which were natural core provinces of Venice, one of their motives for joining was to regain control of these). House Medici begged the King to help, but he was reluctant to interfere at first. On the 21st of December, 1696, King Filippo II was walking on a cold, winters evening in Rome. Amadeo de Pazzi was waiting around a corner for him, what ensued was a mad battle.

Amadeo de Pazzi (1680 - 1696) was a young man of sixteen years old when he attacked the King. Ludovico de Pazzi had urged the young man to go after the King, who supported the House of Medici. Should he have succeeded, the Pazzi had also intended to murder the Queen-Consort and the Crown Princess, which was part of a long plan to dispose of the House di Visconti. King Filippo II was walking with a few favoured courtiers through the streets of Rome on a cold evening in December 1696. A notable scholar of Rome noted;

*"The atmosphere that evening was naturally tense, it was snowing outside, but I could tell there was a storm coming."*

As he walked, Amadeo and a group of four militia men were waiting in an alleyway for the King to pass by. As the King passed by, Amadeo jumped out and lunged a knife at him, stabbing him in the stomach. Remaining strong, the King drew his sword and challenged Amadeo to a duel. The young boy had originally caved into peer pressure, and now he burst into tears. The King chose to have mercy, and rather than killing him right then and there, he had him arrested and taken into custody. The King recovered quickly, and as a result of this attack, he brought the Royal Army into the Civil War on the side of the Medici. Although King Filippo expressly forbade torture for the young boy, the guards watching him in prison disregarded this order. Amadeo was put under endless and brutal torture, until he died from internal injuries in prison, on Christmas Day.

The Royal Army of Fidenza marched into Romagna, where the Pazzi were lodging, and intercepted them in battle on Boxing Day of 1696. They were led by the King himself, alongside the Princess of Florence. Around 37,000 combined Fidenzian-Medici forces attacked the Pazzi-Venetian forces camping in Romagna. The battle of Romagna was a bloody, anarchic mess of people butchering each other without order. Civilians in the area were attacked, women were raped and children were assaulted, the battle became less of a battle than an attack on civilians. The King decided he would have no more, and rode on his horse bearing a sword. He rode to Ludovico de Pazzi and personally beheaded him with his own sabre. The Pazzi fled, their leader slain. The battle was won by the Fidenzian Army, but the stains and horror of that day would never leave the minds of the country. Many other minor battles would ensue, but after a battle in 1697, the Civil War became a stalemate.

In 1699, King Filippo II declared that all members of the Pazzi and Pazzi sympathisers were to leave the country, or to be rounded up and mass-executed via auto-de-fe. The King's guard and military police began rounding up sympathisers or militias from all across the country. The constant military activity began to anger the people, and unrest sprung up across the country.

### **Rebellion of 1699**

In June of 1699, a large scale revolt exploded in Rome and surrounding provinces. Prior to the uprisings, secret societies had been operating around mid-Fidenza. The King was alerted multiple times about the societies, but they were little concern to him in comparison to the ongoing Civil War. The republican society rose up in the middle of the country, beginning to occupy key places in Rome and surrounding provinces. The Army was dispatched to crush the rebellions, but by the time they arrived Rome had been taken. The army charged into Rome violently.

## Result and Consequences

### **Treaty of Vienna (with Austria):**

* The Archduchy of Austria will cede land in the southern Holy Roman Empire to the Kingdom of Fidenza.
* The Holy Roman Emperor will cede land in the Western Mid-German region for the formation of a new vassal beneath the Kingdom of Fidenza, the Duchy of Lucenia.
* The Holy Roman Emperor will cede land in the Low Countries and North Germany to the Kingdom of France.
* The Archduke of Austria will relinquish the Imperial Crown, and the Holy Roman Empire will begin to root out corruption, giving all princes a fair chance at the crown.
* The Holy Roman Empire will swear never again to interfere in affairs in the Italian Peninsula.
* The Holy Roman Empire will pay 500,000 Florins to the Kingdom of Fidenza.
* The Holy Roman Empire will pay war reparations to the Kingdom of Fidenza.
* The Holy Roman Empire will break off all ties and support to the House of Pazzi and the Serene Republic of Venice.

### **Treaty of Venice (with Venice):**

* The Serene Republic of Venice will cede all territories in the Italian Region to the Kingdom of Fidenza.
* The Serene Republic of Venice will pay 750,000 Florins to the Kingdom of Fidenza.
* The Serene Republic of Venice will break off all ties and support to the House of Pazzi and the Archduchy of Austria.
* The Serene Republic of Venice will pay war reparations to the Kingdom of Fidenza.
* The Serene Republic of Venice shall remain as a government in exile, in their Balkan holdings.

### **Treaty of Rome (with Pazzi):**

* The House of Pazzi will relinquish all claims inside the Kingdom of Fidenza.
* The House of Pazzi will pay 1,000,000 Florins to the Kingdom of Fidenza.
* The House of Pazzi will hand over; Ludovico de Pazzi, Maria de Pazzi, Giovanni de Pazzi and Francisco de Pazzi for immediate execution.
* Remaining members of the House of Pazzi will leave the country immediately, never to return again.
* The House of Pazzi will surrender its business in Fidenza to the Crown.

## Current Casualties

* **87,000 -** Pazzi/Venetian/Rebel Casualties
* **46,000** Fidenzian/Medici/French/Loyalist Casualties
* **124,000** Civilian Casualties