Records: Genoa's Colonial Inventory

The Genoese were industrious, and their sea power in the Mediterranean had stretched far and wide. So wide that their merchants reached much farther than their boats could go, but the boats defined the defensible possessions. In June 1379, as Aquitaine took possession of Genoa, it confiscated those colonies from the Genoese aristocracy.

The process wasn't instant, but for the times, *it was close*. There was a platoon of Sergeants-at-Arms at a dozen Genoese colonies within a week – and the last of them within three weeks. These were soft-assumptions, not always evident right away. As the SA arrived, they first assessed the environment, the political situation, logistics and so on.

When Aquitaine eventually turned Genoa over for a united Italy under Queen Joanna, it only surrendered the mainland Italian province, keeping the distant colonies as pre-made footholds for building their wider defense.

## **Picture of a Soft Assumption**

The SA teams were there before the news that Genoa had even fallen. It was expected that some might surrender, most would likely resist (they were used to resisting the Horde, the Venetians and so on), or otherwise burn the place down before handing it over.  Aquitaine wanted these stations to enjoy a smooth, seamless transition.
There were no shots traded, nor any assassinations. The SA arrived as unmarked regional travelers, reconnoitered and surveilled the area, then executed the assumption.

This involved a non-confrontational walk-by that sent a powerful, short-range magical suggestion for the target to follow. In a more discreet area, behind closed doors, there was a more permanent indoctrination. From outer layers to inner, perimeter guards were brought in first, then the span of control grew successively inward until the SA had the former governor of the colony.

Once the previous executive was aboard, he was retained as the advisor as the SA prepped the area to shift operations, including a diversion of the slaves currently held. The slavery was present *in every single Genoese colony*.

The individual assumptions used "persuasion," magic that didn't control the mind so much as made large-scale, one-time changes in deep-rooted neurological data, such as allegiances. This was closely related to the magically-enhanced oaths sworn by city leaders as the Regiments annexed or assumed territory. It wasn't an ongoing control spell, it was a far more powerful, one-time, *permanent* adjustment.

Once the colony was under SA control, *Noble Plantagenet* flags and banners replaced Geonese. From there, local relationships were subject to renegotiation.

### **Frontier Justice**

The SA had full use of *compel truth* magic, and would regularly use it, but the assumption of the Genoese colonies had significant tactical and strategic liabilities. Given the nature of both the business and the location, the behavior of the Genoese on-station often leaned into the reprehensible. Normally, *this would be a problem*.

For better or worse, because of both the regional liabilities and the time constraints, the SA weren't in a position to administer justice as might be done during an Audit and Rectification. They needed people in positions, so rather deliver punishment, this was a far more harsh, and perhaps far more Christian tactic of summary forgiveness, with a sentence of recognition, contrition and reformation delivered to their core personality structure. The locals would be working to right the scales of karma for the rest of their lives.

### **Training In Situ**

Most of the colonies had some form of leadership (and usually security) shipped in from Genoa itself, plus a significant level of Genoese colonists that formed the bulk of the local staff and in-the-walls population. Then there would be some local contractors, including the larger security staff who were effectively mercenaries hired to protect against the invasion of competing polities (which could be the Venetians, the Byzantines, the Ottomans, some Horde Khanate or any number of average bandits, brigands or so on).

The SA had magical education and training at their disposal, and this included basic literacy in English and French, plus Genoese Italian, plus whatever regional languages there were. This included basic numeracy, including use of the English abacus. As they were otherwise part of a critical colony, and likely to soon catch *far more* heat, they also included critical thinking and logic skills.

The resident security were trained to a different level, and over the next few months, were eventually rotated out for Royal Guard training as temporary Royal Guard rotated through the station. When they came back, they were fully equipped and now operating at a significantly higher level.

Likewise, in some combination of arcane and divine magic, the residents were cured of their ailments. While that was generally kept more discreet, the word *did spread*.

### **The Quiet Revolution**

The Mamluks of Egypt were one of the major consumers of the slave trade, as were the Muslim lords (and many others) across the Maghreb. The Venetians and Genoese were more than happy to sell to them, but by order of previous popes, were prohibited from selling Christian slaves. While Pope Urban VI had prohibited *all* slave trade, that was just silly and as most papal edicts went, was ignored at levels of convenience directly proportional to the distance to Papal observation or Royal Italian jurisdiction.

The former Genoese areas had been powerful merchants in that slave trade, and the SA were now focused on reversing that trend. This included organizing, educating and training the locals, mostly slavic cultures around the north and eastern shores of the Black Sea. Often, this included recruiting and indoctrinating them as well. As peaceful as the SA could keep minor operations, there was a point at which larger statements were outside the extent of their soft power and had to be expressed as hard power.

## **The Black Sea possessions**

The Genoese had been busy all the way around the Black Sea. The West Coast, towards eastern Europe, touched on Wallachian/Bulgarian areas. The North Coast was dominated by Cassaria, on the peninsula of the southern Crimea. The East Coast had several cities that traded or were associated with Georgia, the eastern-most reach of Christendom and European culture. The South Coast of the sea was the north coast of Anatolia

### **West Black Sea**

* the castle of Maurocastro/Maurokastron (Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky) in the estuary of Dniester
* the castle of Ginestra near would-be Odessa (more *northwest* Black Sea)
* the castle of Licostomo (Kiliya)
* the colony of Constanca
* the colony of Caladda (upstream of Danube)

### **North Black Sea** (Cassaria)

* Gazaria
* Caffa (Theodosia)
* Soldaia
* Cherco
* Cembalo

The possessions of Gazaria in the the Southern Crimea, held since 1266, was more a series of colonies. They held the coastline more by default than sustained effort. This came largely at the expense of the Principality of Theodoro, who was a reasonably peaceful Greek-Byzantine state paying tribute to the proto-Khanate of Crimea (essentially just an extension of the Golden Horde).

The Khanate, in turn, had sold Caffa to the Genoese. Caffa was the gift that kept on giving, widely attributed as the first source for the plague to be brought to Europe.

As a major source for the slave trade, the Caffa sale – and early plague arrival – was seen as an act of karma. In the long view, though, there was maritime traffic from ports all over. Even if they’d burned every ship, it still would’ve made its way by land.

While Aquitaine thought about simply burning the city to the ground on the plauge basis alone, it was also the Genoese administrative center for the rest of their colonies around the Black Sea – and the center of a thriving slave market. That was another good reason to burn it to the ground… but that only meant somebody else would rebuild and carry on. Instead, it became the local harbinger that Aquitaine frowned on the slave trade.

This was going to be expensive in every sense of the word. Slavery, harvesting in particular, was a key economic point of the largely lawless frontier area

### **Northeast Black Sea** (Taman Peninsula)

The Taman Peninsula was on the opposite side of the mouth to the Sea of Azov. Particularly dangerous because of the ease of access from the mainland, it was subject to regular visits from the Golden Horde.

* Matrega (Tmutarakan)
* Copa
* Mapa (Anapa)
* Batario (Novorossiysk)
* Casto and Layso (Sochi)

### **Tanais** (Sea of Azov)

Tanais was on the northeast corner of the Sea of Azov. Refounded by the Venetians, annexed by the Genoese, it was more or less abandoned in 1368 and was deteriorating rapidly. It had been a center for trade with the Golden Horde, but as the Horde became more aggressive, trade was riskier – to the point most Genoese simply pulled out rather than fighting over it. Because of the growing importance to the Golden Horde, it had been identified as a target for eventual Horde competitor Timur (who in Alt-U 1392, would’ve taken it over).

* Tana (Azov)
* Samastri

Tanais was the first official "Welcome to Horde Territory" ultimatum that the SA logged. The cavalry raiders were given the chance to go through their presentation, the SA made notes then promptly rendered the near half of their 500-man company unconscious (including the horses). The back half of the company fled, assuming the front half were instantly dead and (and took that message with them).
The captured half the company were eventually processed, languages and dialects discerned, maps and regional realpolitik parsed. When they were eventually released, there was a desire to return – many of them had been healed of various maladies – but that wasn't the point. Instead, they carried a message to Sarai that rumors from the west didn't scratch the surface and if the Kipchak were thought to be a threat, then they'd all be dead. As it were, the Noble Plantagenet was ready to trade *anything but slaves*.
The word instantly spread to tread carefully.

### **East Black Sea** (Georgia coast)

Duchy of Abkhazia [Abcasia], under the Kingdom of Georgia

At the time ruled by the clan of Shervashidze, Aquitaine essentially bought out the clan – but invited them to stay local. With gobs of money, they were content to do exactly that and helped smooth the way.

The inland neighbor was the House of Bagrationi, an aspiring kingdom but at the moment only the Duchy of Imereti. They themselves were a loose and agitating vassal of Bagrat V the Great, King of Georgia, and they’d been eyeing Abkhazia for a takeover. When CrownCom bought out the House of Shervashidze, that changed the dynamic.

*There were already rumors out of Europe, but the silent, no-shots-fired takeover of the previously strong Genoese was the first sign of utter dominance.*

* Chacari (Gagra)
* Cavo di Buxo (Gudauta)
* Niocoxia (Sukhumi)

County of Adjara (Batumi), under the Kingdom of Georgia. The Genoese had a significant trade presence in the city, owning parts of it, but not the whole thing.

When Aquitaine assumed the Genoese possessions, they made the local aristocracy an offer they literally couldn’t refuse. Those nobles accepted an extremely generous buy-out and were allowed to stay in the area (essentially become minimally-landed gentry).

### **Relations with the Kingdom of Georgia**

At the time, Bagrat V the Great was King of Georgia and was a fair and reasonable guy with a good sense as a solider. His sources tapped into both the western Christian and Islamic worlds, so when CrownCom suddenly performed a capitalist coup on two of his western territories, it was both a harbinger and a sea change.

The CrownCom representatives approached the King with tribute and was welcome into the court. CrownCom, as coordinated Dukes of Abkhazia and Counts of Adjara, offered to assist the kingdom against the scheming eristavi (duke) Alexander (aspiring to be king of Imereti).

In closed Court, they made a pitch for the Magna Carta and becoming a member of the Commonwealth. Technically, Georgia would be a vassal as tax would make it’s way out, but not before enriching the country under Bagrat. If Georgia agreed to incorporation with the Commonwealth, CrownCom could guarantee defense against more than just the gadfly of Imereti, but rather the more significant threats of Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde, and Timur of the Timurid Empire.

Bagrat considered it – and didn’t say no, but he wasn’t excited about the tax. At the time, the Golden Horde was pushing toward Muscovy Rus’ but had been a force in the area, especially allying with Imereti. Even if he declined to join, CrownCom had pledged their support of the rightful king of Georgia as long as they avoided the slave trade…

### **South Black Sea** (Anatolian coast): **An Awareness of history…**

Aquitaine was venturing ashore on mainland Asia Minor, a crossroads land that had chewed through empires – not the least of which was the Ottoman (lately).

The Ottoman were at odds with everybody – including the Mamluks and the Golden Horde – but had the winning formula for muslims of the region. it was enough that despite Eastern and Southern conflict, they still had enough of a base in the peninsula to launch reaches into Europe.

A reach back into Anatolia took the UK into the dangerous ground of the Greeks with Alexander, the Romans with Caesar, the Greeks again with the Byzantine empire… none of which were standing on their own right now (the Byzantines were tottering at best). This was going to take a major commitment for stability, much less success. The commitment was best engendered with one act: *investment*.

#### **The greatest investment available was time…**

Or, more specifically, *man-hours*. And very specifically, Ricardian SNS/arcane-groomed man hours of high-level experts, be they doctors or soldiers. Anatolia was a meat grinder locked in a game that the Crown refused to play. The idea was to go in with overwhelming force, and that they would, but their hand was overwhelmingly forced by having to assume the Genoese colonies abroad.

Ultimately, the strategy meant absorbing the colonies and establishing sustainable (defendable) presence *now*, then expanding to an offensive posture.

* Leonkastron was a coastal fortification at Trebizond, capital of the Empire of Trebizond. This relationship was similar to the one Galata played to Constantinople, just to a short boat ride to the west…

* Simisso: on the north shore of Anatolia, it was called “Samsun” by the Turks.

## **Galata** (Constantinople District)

Roughly one-quarter of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, was held by Genoa… and that critical Galata district was now assumed by the *Noble Plantagenet*. This was a major shift in politics, somewhat akin to 9.0 earthquake for everybody, as both the power of the Royal Arms was well known – *as was the anti-slavery stance of the Crown*.

The was particularly potent after the Byzantine–Genoese War (1348–1349). The two parties fought over control over custom dues through the Bosphorus. The Byzantines attempted to break their dependence for food and maritime commerce on the Genoese merchants of Galata, and also to rebuild their own naval power. Their newly constructed navy however was captured by the Genoese, and a peace agreement was concluded.

Galata was on the northern shore of the Golden Horn, the inlet which separates it from the historic peninsula of old Constantinople. The Golden Horn is crossed by several bridges, most notably the Galata Bridge. The citadel of Galata was a colony of the Republic of Genoa and the famous Galata Tower was built by the Genoese in 1348 at the northernmost and highest point of the citadel.

All of this was shortly after the Byzantine civil war of 1373–1379, between John V Palaiologos, Manuel II Palaiologos and Murad I versus Andronikos IV Palaiologos, Savcı Bey, and the Republic of Genoa (it was only one part of the ongoing conflict between Genoa and Venice).

The new Governor of Galata, a representative of the *Noble Plantagenet*, conveyed the Coronet's disgust of the vile practice of slavery to both the Byzantines and the Ottomans. It wasn't an ultimatum, per se, it was too veiled for that, but it gave both factions a window of opportunity to forsake the offense. This window exactly overlapped the length of time of an 18-month treaty offered to the respective parties.

It was a tentative acceptance by both, but for entirely different reasons.

The Byzantines saw the *Noble Plantagenet* and understood it to be somewhat equivalent to a holding company. This wasn't any of the crowns associated: not England and not Aquitaine (nor anybody else they might've taken over, like France). If they weren't claiming with a Crown, what was their long-term intention? That made the Byzantines that much more nervous, especially given association in Italy... and connections to Queen Joanna's half of the Pelopennese.

The Ottomans were at war with practically everybody already and they were doing okay. The were unfriendly with the other Beyliks, the Mamluks to the south, no friends to the Mongols to the west, and feel they faced major threats to the north, where they were moving against the Bulgarians in a push into Europe. There were rumors of dominance in Western Europe, but there was a huge difference between this tiny company that seemed to have bribed the Genoese into submission and actually moving an army that was worth anything into the area. Murad took the offer "into consideration."

## **The Aegean Sea possessions**

The North Aegean sea possessions were right off the coast of Anatolia. There, the Turkic Beyliks (polities) were ravaging the remains of the Byzantine empire in the area (who, in turn, had been an inspiration for the militant spread of Islam by their cruelty to Arabic and Turkic regions to the east). Being on the Aegean, the Genoese holdings were predominantly populated by Byzantine Greeks, who also carried the fractured Greek dynamic from the west.

### **Lesbos**

Lesbos was the northern-most major island just off the coast, separated by the 3.4 mile-wide Mytilini Strait. It has an area of 631 square miles with 199 miles of coastline. The shape of the island is roughly triangular, but it is deeply intruded by the gulfs of Kalloni, with an entry on the southern coast, and of Gera, in the southeast.

Especially valuable to effort was the port of Mytilene.

The island is forested and mountainous with two large peaks, Mt. Lepetymnos at 3,176 ft and Mt. Olympus at 3,173 ft, dominating its northern and central sections. The island's volcanic origin is manifested in several hot springs and the two gulfs.

Lesbos is verdant, aptly named *Emerald Island*, with a greater variety of flora than expected for the island's size. Eleven million olive trees cover 40% of the island together with other fruit trees. Forests of mediterranean pines, chestnut trees and some oaks occupy 20%, and the remainder is scrub, grassland or urban.

### **Adramittio**

Adramittio was on the Anatolian mainland, at the tip of the Gulf of Edremit. As the closest mainland city to Lesbos, it had major olive production, forests, and excellent trade traffic.

The *Noble Plantagenet* assumed the city of Adramittio (or Adramitteo or Adramitta), an ancient port city of Misia, founded in the early sixth century BC. It corresponded to Alt-U Edremit, in the vicinity of Mount Ida, on the Asian coast of the Aegean.

The surrounding territory was in the custody of the Karasids, who were nominal vassals of the Ottomans, but itching to break away.

### **Chios**

Chios, held since 1261, was 4.3 mi off the Anatolian coast, separated by the Çeşme Strait. The island was crescent or kidney shaped, 31 miles long from north to south, 18 miles at its widest, and covers an area of 325.21 square miles. The terrain is mountainous and arid, with a ridge of mountains running the length of the island. The two largest of these mountains, Pelineon (4,255 ft) and Epos (3,898 ft), are situated in the north of the island. The center of the island is divided between east and west by a range of smaller peaks, known as Provatas.

The alum mines there had made the previously-owning Genoese family rich and now it would help pay for the NP presence in the area. In addition, they were producing mastic, salt and pitch (all of which were in high demand in the industrially-exploding Europe).

As was common around the lslands, the population was mostly Greek-Byzantine under the nominal control of the Genoese. The locals ran grain, wine oil and cloth business jointly with Genoese.

Note: Çeşme Castle, just across the strait, had been controlled by Genoese in an area otherwise controlled by the Beylik of the Aydinids. Now it was assumed by a Royal Guard/Royal Marine force…

### **Phocaea**

Phocaea was on the Anatolian mainland. Likewise, the area had both alum and electrum production. Located near the mouth of the river Hermus (Alt-U Gediz), and situated on the coast of the peninsula separating the Gulf of Cyme to the north, named for the largest of the Aeolian cities, and the Gulf of Smyrna (Alt-U İzmir) to the south.

The city itself was uncontested by the Karasids – the bey in control of the surrounding area – they’d had a nominal armistice with Genoa. There was, however, a far cry between the Genoese and the growing shadow cast by Aquitaine and the Noble Plantagenet.

### **Smyrna**

Smyrna was on the Anatolian mainland, south of Phocaea. Near the inner tip of the Gulf of Smyrna, at the edge of a fertile plain and at the foot of Mount Yamanlar. The NP assumed the Genoese holdings of lower Smyrna (the “Christian half” of the city). The Christian-Greek presence was still massive in the city – and the presence of the NP Guard battalion was very, very welcome.

The rest of the area, including the upper city, was controlled by the Beylik of Aydın.

### **Samos**

Samos was only a mile off the mainland over the Mycale Strait. The area of the island is 184.3 sq mi, and it is 27 miles long and 8 miles wide. While largely mountainous, Samos has several relatively large and fertile plains.

A great portion of the island is covered with vineyards, from which muscat wine is made. The most important plains except the capital, Vathy, in the northeast, are that of Karlovasi, in the northwest, Pythagoreio, in the southeast, and Marathokampos in the southwest. The Samian climate is typically Mediterranean, with mild rainy winters, and warm rainless summers.

Samos' relief is dominated by two large mountains, Ampelos and Kerkis (anc. Kerketeus). The Ampelos massif (colloquially referred to as "Karvounis") is the larger of the two and occupies the center of the island, rising to 3,593 ft. Mt. Kerkis, though smaller in area is the taller of the two and its summit is the island's highest point, at 4,705 ft. The mountains are a continuation of the Mycale range on the Anatolian mainland.

Samos held a special place in Richard’s heart as it was the home of astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, the first known individual to propose that the Earth revolves around the sun.

## **Regional Dynamics**

From Eastern Europe to the Aegean Sea, into the Black Sea and down to Anatolia, to the Mediterranean to the south and east into the Levant, it was a complex web of history and politics. The annexed Genoese colonies were spread across the area, with the one void being the Levant – still too hot an area after the failed Crusades had tried to reclaim the area from Saladin and the invading Muslim factions.

The major difference as the Noble Plantagenet moved into the area was that this wasn't a crusade. It wasn't about the name of God and the NP wasn't ranking threats based on their holy doctrine. Their ethics, maybe, but not their theology.

There were three regional factions that had the full attention of the Noble Plantagenet. The House of Osman led the Turkic factor, the *Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem* (Knights Hospitaller) led theMilitary Orders, and the scattered remains of the Byzantine Empire comprised the third factor.

### **The Collapsing Empire**

John V Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor of the Palaiologos dynasty, currently held Constantinople. This was the last real outpost of the Byzantine Empire.

There was plenty of traffic from western Europe through the city, enough for the locals to have heard rumors of both divine and arcane magic, much less the military events. They also spoke of the Plantagenet loathing for the practice of slavery – which was the economic lifeblood of the east.

The Despotate of the Morea and the Despotate of Epirus were marginal vassals of Byzantium, but at this point, were more escape points than resources with any expectation for support against Murad.

The Byzantine factor was largely rooted in place and via the NP, Aquitaine now had an eye on them. That left the Ottomans and the Knights...

### **Ottomans: not known for sitting around…**

The rising Ottoman Empire was currently at war in Bulgaria and Anatolia (where the rest of the Anatolian beyliks were no fans of the House of Osman).

When the NP took control of Phocaea, there were reps of Murad I in the city at the time. There was immediate turbulence between them, though at this point, the NP didn't have the name recognition of England or France.

The major beylik of the western Anatolian area, however, was the Sarukhanids, led from Manisa (who were also in low-grade conflict with Murad).

### **The *Knights of Rhodes* accept sponsorship**

When the Aquitaine-carried *Noble Plantagenet* so seamlessly took over the Genoese colonies, the neighbors noticed. While the Beyliks might've had the biggest reaction, given the sometimes-trade/sometime-war they carried on, the seemingly-allied Knights of Rhodes suffered a new level of uncertainty.

A subdivision of the Knights Hospitaller (they would go by several evolving titles over their time), the *Island of the Knights* had witnessed divine miracles associated with the Jesuits. The reform of the Vatican was welcome, but the Jesuit Papacy had cancelled the charters of Catholic military orders. The two Swords of Christ, as Rome since clarified, was metaphorical: it was the evidence needed to prove to the Romans that Jesus led a band of brigands. This ensured his arrest and *allowed him to fulfill prophesy*.

Just as the European Prince-Bishoprics knew that simply walking away wasn't an option, the military orders had temporal issues in their jurisdictions that would endanger people if they simply threw down their arms.

Here's where secular polities were handy: groups like Aquitaine were oprating with charters and ethics rather sacred interpretations. When they took over Genoese colonies, their reputations preceded them. That's when it seemed prayers were answered: the *Noble Plantagenet* offered to buy the Knights out, too. Not simply purchase their land, but vow to protect it. And not simply the land... but the crusaders themselves.

The Knights Hospitaller were associated, but their chapters not necessarily centralized. There were still knight leasing the Principality of the Achaea from Joanna [of Naples]. The current NP offer didn't extend over there, yet, but next to Anatolia, the NP was offering employment to the Knights.

Rather than leaving to join another chapter, or simply becoming mercenaries that carried a sword for the *Guy That Recommended Turning the Other Cheek*, most of the local knights accepted jobs were extremely secret *and utterly extraordinary*.

#### **Rhodes**

Rhodes was the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of land area and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the South Aegean region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Rhodes.

It is located northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens and just off the Anatolian coast of Turkey. Rhodes' nickname at the time was *The island of the Knights*, and given the new presence of heavily armored [Noble] Guard, that didn't change.

#### **Halicarnassus**

Halicarnassus was on the island of Zephyria, just north of Rhodes and a distance south of the former Genoese foothold at Phocaea.

### **By September, visible differences...**

From the Genoese and Hospitaller colonies, change was evident within a few months, all across the Aegean.

CCC teams strengthened defenses overnight, enhanced and augmented ports, purified wells and poured time into civil engineering that had been largely ignored since the original Grecians.

As Noble Plantagenet Guard slowly rotated in, the armor was different, the weapos were different, then attitudes were different. The Noble Guard was pleasant, professional, and occasionally – when the Beyliks saw it was time to put these overly polite newcomers to the test – *lethal*.

With the NP banner now flying in so many places, even if armies weren’t marching across Anatolia, many took it as a sign that Aquitaine was eyeing the heart of Asia Minor.