Hey there!
With the announcement that Europe would be the focus for the next update, and with the influx of map suggestion from the community, I decided to throw my own hat into the ring.
Inspired by @Van Kasten ’s brilliant suggestion of Central Italy, I decided to compile a list of changes to the map of the Duchy of Milan (and Lombardy). I’m going to point out my reasoning for each change in spoilers, look at different possibilities if it’s possible, and explain why I prioritized certain options over others.
Index
Lombardy
Lombardy is dominated by the duchy of Milan, emerging local power under the Visconti family. However, Milan has lost the eastern part of Lombardy to Venice during the wars of the last decades, losing Brescia and Bergamo to them. To the south, the independent Magravate of Mantova thrives under the Gonzaga.
For Lombardy, I added the provinces of Como, Pavia, and Bergamo. For accommodating the new provinces I split the Area in western and eastern Lombardy.
Disclaimer: I tweaked the development of the provinces, of course the devs know better than me, but the ratio should be kept.
- Milan: the capital of Duchy. In the last century, under the rule of the Visconti dynasty, Milan had expanded in all of Lombardy. This had made the city extremely rich, and it was one of the first cities in Europe to reach 100.000 citizens. The province includes Milan, the Milanese hinterland, Monza and the Milanese rural counties.
- Como: the second biggest city in northern Lombardy after Bergamo and birthplace of Alessandro Volta, it had been an important city-state in the middle ages as it controlled the important mountain valleys of Ticino and Valtellina and their mountain passes. A thorn in the sides of Milan for many years, by this time the city had faced a decline after the civil war following the death of Duke Gian Galeazzo. Still, though, it was still the main cities of the region and develop the most important silk industry of Italy. The province includes Como, Lecco, Varese, and Ticino.
Why Como? As already mentioned, it was the most important city in the area. Lombardy could use some more provinces as it is the most urbanized region in Europe with Flanders. It also gives a buffer for Milan with Switzerland, giving a province for the two to fight over.
- Pavia: ex-capital of the Lombard Kingdom, it had been an important center of resistance against the hegemony of Milan, being the last Lombard city to fall to the Visconti in 1360. In 1444 it is still an important center, with a rich library, and it would see one of the decisive battles of the Italian Wars. The province includes Pavia, Vigevano, Voghera, and Tortona.
Why Pavia? Again, it was a very important city in the area and Lombardy could use some more provinces. It also had a very important market that could justify a lvl. 1 Center of trade.
- Cremona: Third largest city of Lombardy and old Milanese rival. In 1444 Francesco Sforza has the title of Count of Cremona at game start (as an appanage). The province includes Cremona, Crema, and Lodi.
- Bergamo: Recently conquered by Venice, Bergamo was always separate from Brescia and in the Middle Ages ruled over a sizable territory. It was nestled on a hilltop and surrounded by enormous walls. Today it’s the second biggest city in Lombardy, though it was still sizable at the time. The province includes Bergamo, it’s mountain valleys and hinterland.
Why Bergamo? The city was quite important and wealthy, it warrants it’s own province.
- Brescia: Like Bergamo, recently conquered by Venice. One of the biggest cities of Lombardy, it would flourish under Venice until Napoleon. The province includes Brescia and Valcamonica.
- Mantova: Ruled by the Gonzaga family, Mantova would diplomatically play its cards between Venice and Milan for many centuries, sometimes allying with one or the other. They would remain independent until 1708.
But why not these other provinces?
There have been other suggestions on the region, and here I’m going to touch on the reasoning on why I didn’t put them in:
Ticino: Only reason why it would be mentioned is that it was conquered and held by the Swiss from 1502-1512 (the conquest was gradual, as it was not a single administrative entity). A province could be carved out, but it would have low dev (around 6 total) and it would mainly be added for sake of historical borders. The nearby province of Como was a lot more important.
Valtellina: I wouldn’t actually be opposed to a province that went from Como to Sudtirol, flanked by both sides by wasteland. It would have interesting gameplay options and the valley has an interesting history, being conquered by the Swiss for nearly 3 centuries. The province would be quite low dev thought (around 5 total, with Livestock), but if the dev would see it fit in I would support it.
Alessandria: Alessandria would be a good pick if there was space for it. If a province can be squeezed between Pavia and Montferrat it would be a good pick (thought Pavia was both bigger, more influential and more populated then Alessandria). The problem is, is there space for it?
Less serious suggestions would be Crema, as it was a Venetian exclave in Milan, and Lodi in the province of Cremona.
Emilia & Novara
Milan didn’t own all of Emilia, but it did own two important cities: Parma and Piacenza. The first is already in the game, as it would, later on, have its own duchy. However in 1444 Piacenza was the biggest city of the two. Because of this, I decided to split the province in two.
- Parma would see it’s development drop from 16 to 12.
- Piacenza then should be added:
- Novara
With the addition of Pavia, Novara would lose most of its dev to it, going from (7-7-5) to 4-3-3, as it was quite a small city.
Rivers and Lakes
Lombardy is a region of rivers and lakes: the most important being Lago Maggiore, Lago di Como, and Lago di Garda. While certainly not mandatory, it would give a nice flavor to the area. Also, two important rivers are missing: the Adda and Mincio.
The Ambrosian Republic
While this post is for map changes, I’ll still link my suggestion for the Ambrosian Republic as i is terribly ahistorical. In my suggestion some values are balanced and there is a chance to see Francesco Sforza rise as the new Duke, instead of having an ahistorical, two-century-long republic.
Link to thread: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...-repubblica-ambrosiana.1064306/#post-23688666
Obligatory tag for @neondt
With the announcement that Europe would be the focus for the next update, and with the influx of map suggestion from the community, I decided to throw my own hat into the ring.
Inspired by @Van Kasten ’s brilliant suggestion of Central Italy, I decided to compile a list of changes to the map of the Duchy of Milan (and Lombardy). I’m going to point out my reasoning for each change in spoilers, look at different possibilities if it’s possible, and explain why I prioritized certain options over others.
Index
- Lombardy
- Emilia & Novara
- Rivers and Lakes
- The Ambrosian Republic
Lombardy
Lombardy is dominated by the duchy of Milan, emerging local power under the Visconti family. However, Milan has lost the eastern part of Lombardy to Venice during the wars of the last decades, losing Brescia and Bergamo to them. To the south, the independent Magravate of Mantova thrives under the Gonzaga.
For Lombardy, I added the provinces of Como, Pavia, and Bergamo. For accommodating the new provinces I split the Area in western and eastern Lombardy.
Disclaimer: I tweaked the development of the provinces, of course the devs know better than me, but the ratio should be kept.
- Milan: the capital of Duchy. In the last century, under the rule of the Visconti dynasty, Milan had expanded in all of Lombardy. This had made the city extremely rich, and it was one of the first cities in Europe to reach 100.000 citizens. The province includes Milan, the Milanese hinterland, Monza and the Milanese rural counties.
Province: Milano (please make it so Latin culture have the dynamic name of Milano)
Capital: Milano
Ownership & Cores: Milan
Culture: Lombard
Area: Western Lombardy
Dev: 10/10/7 (total: 27)
Terrain: Farmlands
Tradegood: Cloth (Milan also had a thriving weapon industry, so Iron could be an option maybe?)
Capital: Milano
Ownership & Cores: Milan
Culture: Lombard
Area: Western Lombardy
Dev: 10/10/7 (total: 27)
Terrain: Farmlands
Tradegood: Cloth (Milan also had a thriving weapon industry, so Iron could be an option maybe?)
- Como: the second biggest city in northern Lombardy after Bergamo and birthplace of Alessandro Volta, it had been an important city-state in the middle ages as it controlled the important mountain valleys of Ticino and Valtellina and their mountain passes. A thorn in the sides of Milan for many years, by this time the city had faced a decline after the civil war following the death of Duke Gian Galeazzo. Still, though, it was still the main cities of the region and develop the most important silk industry of Italy. The province includes Como, Lecco, Varese, and Ticino.
Province: Como
Capital: Como
Ownership & Cores: Milan
Culture: Lombard
Area: Western Lombardy
Dev: 4/4/2 (total: 10)
Terrain: Mountains
Tradegood: Wool (Como was known for its wool production, should change to silk around 1500)
Capital: Como
Ownership & Cores: Milan
Culture: Lombard
Area: Western Lombardy
Dev: 4/4/2 (total: 10)
Terrain: Mountains
Tradegood: Wool (Como was known for its wool production, should change to silk around 1500)
Why Como? As already mentioned, it was the most important city in the area. Lombardy could use some more provinces as it is the most urbanized region in Europe with Flanders. It also gives a buffer for Milan with Switzerland, giving a province for the two to fight over.
- Pavia: ex-capital of the Lombard Kingdom, it had been an important center of resistance against the hegemony of Milan, being the last Lombard city to fall to the Visconti in 1360. In 1444 it is still an important center, with a rich library, and it would see one of the decisive battles of the Italian Wars. The province includes Pavia, Vigevano, Voghera, and Tortona.
Province: Pavia
Capital: Pavia
Ownership & Cores: Milan
Culture: Lombard
Area: Western Lombardy
Dev: 5/4/4 (total: 14)
Terrain: Farmlands
Tradegood: Cloth (important center of cloth production)
Capital: Pavia
Ownership & Cores: Milan
Culture: Lombard
Area: Western Lombardy
Dev: 5/4/4 (total: 14)
Terrain: Farmlands
Tradegood: Cloth (important center of cloth production)
Why Pavia? Again, it was a very important city in the area and Lombardy could use some more provinces. It also had a very important market that could justify a lvl. 1 Center of trade.
- Cremona: Third largest city of Lombardy and old Milanese rival. In 1444 Francesco Sforza has the title of Count of Cremona at game start (as an appanage). The province includes Cremona, Crema, and Lodi.
Province: Cremona
Capital: Cremona
Ownership & Cores: Milan
Culture: Lombard
Area: Western Lombardy
Dev: 7/7/4 (total: 18)
Terrain: Farmlands
Tradegood: Grain (though cloth could be another option)
Capital: Cremona
Ownership & Cores: Milan
Culture: Lombard
Area: Western Lombardy
Dev: 7/7/4 (total: 18)
Terrain: Farmlands
Tradegood: Grain (though cloth could be another option)
- Bergamo: Recently conquered by Venice, Bergamo was always separate from Brescia and in the Middle Ages ruled over a sizable territory. It was nestled on a hilltop and surrounded by enormous walls. Today it’s the second biggest city in Lombardy, though it was still sizable at the time. The province includes Bergamo, it’s mountain valleys and hinterland.
Province: Bergamo
Capital: Bergamo
Ownership & Cores: Venice (Cores: Milan)
Culture: Lombard
Area: Eastern Lombardy
Dev: 5/4/4 (total: 13)
Terrain: Hills
Tradegood: Iron (was extracted from the Alps and worked in the city)
Capital: Bergamo
Ownership & Cores: Venice (Cores: Milan)
Culture: Lombard
Area: Eastern Lombardy
Dev: 5/4/4 (total: 13)
Terrain: Hills
Tradegood: Iron (was extracted from the Alps and worked in the city)
Why Bergamo? The city was quite important and wealthy, it warrants it’s own province.
- Brescia: Like Bergamo, recently conquered by Venice. One of the biggest cities of Lombardy, it would flourish under Venice until Napoleon. The province includes Brescia and Valcamonica.
Province: Brescia
Capital: Brescia
Ownership & Cores: Venice (Cores: Milan)
Culture: Lombard
Area: Eastern Lombardy
Dev: 7/7/4 (total: 18)
Terrain: Hills
Tradegood: Cloth
Capital: Brescia
Ownership & Cores: Venice (Cores: Milan)
Culture: Lombard
Area: Eastern Lombardy
Dev: 7/7/4 (total: 18)
Terrain: Hills
Tradegood: Cloth
- Mantova: Ruled by the Gonzaga family, Mantova would diplomatically play its cards between Venice and Milan for many centuries, sometimes allying with one or the other. They would remain independent until 1708.
Province: Mantova
Capital: Mantova
Ownership & Cores: Mantua
Culture: Lombard
Area: Eastern Lombardy
Dev: 9/8/4 (total: 21)
Terrain: Farmland
Tradegood: Livestock
Capital: Mantova
Ownership & Cores: Mantua
Culture: Lombard
Area: Eastern Lombardy
Dev: 9/8/4 (total: 21)
Terrain: Farmland
Tradegood: Livestock
But why not these other provinces?
There have been other suggestions on the region, and here I’m going to touch on the reasoning on why I didn’t put them in:
Ticino: Only reason why it would be mentioned is that it was conquered and held by the Swiss from 1502-1512 (the conquest was gradual, as it was not a single administrative entity). A province could be carved out, but it would have low dev (around 6 total) and it would mainly be added for sake of historical borders. The nearby province of Como was a lot more important.
Valtellina: I wouldn’t actually be opposed to a province that went from Como to Sudtirol, flanked by both sides by wasteland. It would have interesting gameplay options and the valley has an interesting history, being conquered by the Swiss for nearly 3 centuries. The province would be quite low dev thought (around 5 total, with Livestock), but if the dev would see it fit in I would support it.
Alessandria: Alessandria would be a good pick if there was space for it. If a province can be squeezed between Pavia and Montferrat it would be a good pick (thought Pavia was both bigger, more influential and more populated then Alessandria). The problem is, is there space for it?
Less serious suggestions would be Crema, as it was a Venetian exclave in Milan, and Lodi in the province of Cremona.
Emilia & Novara
Milan didn’t own all of Emilia, but it did own two important cities: Parma and Piacenza. The first is already in the game, as it would, later on, have its own duchy. However in 1444 Piacenza was the biggest city of the two. Because of this, I decided to split the province in two.
- Parma would see it’s development drop from 16 to 12.
- Piacenza then should be added:
Province: Piacenza
Capital: Piacenza
Ownership & Cores: Milan (Cores: Parma)
Culture: Romagnan
Area: Emilia
Dev: 5/5/3 (total: 13)
Terrain: Hills
Tradegood: Grain
Capital: Piacenza
Ownership & Cores: Milan (Cores: Parma)
Culture: Romagnan
Area: Emilia
Dev: 5/5/3 (total: 13)
Terrain: Hills
Tradegood: Grain
- Novara
With the addition of Pavia, Novara would lose most of its dev to it, going from (7-7-5) to 4-3-3, as it was quite a small city.
Rivers and Lakes
Lombardy is a region of rivers and lakes: the most important being Lago Maggiore, Lago di Como, and Lago di Garda. While certainly not mandatory, it would give a nice flavor to the area. Also, two important rivers are missing: the Adda and Mincio.
The Ambrosian Republic
While this post is for map changes, I’ll still link my suggestion for the Ambrosian Republic as i is terribly ahistorical. In my suggestion some values are balanced and there is a chance to see Francesco Sforza rise as the new Duke, instead of having an ahistorical, two-century-long republic.
Link to thread: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...-repubblica-ambrosiana.1064306/#post-23688666
Obligatory tag for @neondt
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