HISTORY
The formation
Lombardia first declared its independence sometime during the 15th Century AD as the singular city of Genoa. Genoan militia and mercenaries started to peacefully join together the towns in the surrounding areas of the city to join the cause as a new independent country, those who obliged were allowed to join in the battle with them, while those who refused were killed. When neighbouring states found out about the revolting Genoans they sent small armies to try to tie them down to take their lands, most notable of which was the major Milanese faction. They sent an army of one thousand men to crush the Genoans. The Genoans had marched far towards Milan, to the city of Pavia, where they set up camp and declared it the battlefield. The Genoan army was heavily outnumbered 2 to 1 and could not match the skill and training of the Milanese troupes, however they could choose the battlefield. They chose a tight bridge and spent days preparing for the battle. Archers were made specially crafted, more powerful bows to contend with the Milanese Crossbows. Day were spent attaching axe and sword and even halberd blades to long poll arms which could brutally outreach the Italian spears the Milanese would carry. On the day of the battle the poll-arms were stood at the end of the bridge in a 'V' formation consisting of about 250 men, some of which carried shields to cover themselves and comrades with. One hundred archers flanked them and two cavalry contingents worth 75 men each were stood at a shallow part of the river once the Genoan war horn blew. The exact date is not known, but Pavian citizens were eye-witnesses of the event and declared it a massacre. Milanese spear-men had carelessly ran over the bridge with too much faith in their abilities and were cut down by the poll arms. The crossbow fire, though devastating, was soon to be extinguished in a brutal rear-charge by the Genoan cavalry. The general was cut down on his proud unit of horsemen by the archers. Genoan troops pushed the attack, knowing that no messenger could be able to tell Milan of the defeat and within weeks had the city under siege. After a two month starve-out period, Genoan troops suddenly attacked on a night, swift and silently to take the Milan as theirs. From here on out, cities like Turin, Pavia and eventually Monza all fell, putting the west of the northern Italy firmly into Genoan control.
The heroic victory at Milan is still an annual festivity as the festival of independence (this was, to the people the true stop of oppression from larger factions) on the 18th of May, while the victory at Turin is celebrated on September 3rd in a week long festival to commemorate the year long siege of Turin.
The heroic victory at Milan is still an annual festivity as the festival of independence (this was, to the people the true stop of oppression from larger factions) on the 18th of May, while the victory at Turin is celebrated on September 3rd in a week long festival to commemorate the year long siege of Turin.
The conquest of Italy
The Genoan forces continued to press the attack into the east of northern Italy. They tore a warpath through the cities of Piacenza, Parma, Modena and, finally, Bologna, before they halted their aggression into the Po valley. The Genoans had won a decisive victory at the siege of Bologna which had used some clever tactics to take the city which had numbered them man-to-man. The battle was fought in 1504 AD and the Genoans had noticed an unusual amount of mist settling around the city. The cold January month together with a lot of sun had most likely caused strong evapo- and transpiration of water causing the mist. The Genoans had spent a week planning a surprise attack where they would use the mist to their own advantageous position. On the 6th of January 1504 AD, the Genoan general asked for peaceful negotiations, which made the mayor of the Bolognians leave the city through the main gates. Using the mist to conceal their forces, the Genoans had outsmarted the Bolognians and hid men at the walls who killed the mayor and stormed the city when the gates opened. The sack of the city took only a couple of hours, and people were killed in the thousands. Those who weren't killed were assigned rolls, either soldier, worker, prostitute or housewife. It was in these barbaric manners that the Genoans gained territories from Turin to Venice within a timespan of only 73 years.
Genoa united the north of the Italian peninsula (except the state of Trieste) under one flag, a black cross on a white backdrop. The country renamed itself to "The Northern Italian Kingdom", with the kings seat being in Milan for the first 24 years, then Bologna, and then finally Venice, where it remained until the end of the "The Northern Italian Kingdom".
Genoa united the north of the Italian peninsula (except the state of Trieste) under one flag, a black cross on a white backdrop. The country renamed itself to "The Northern Italian Kingdom", with the kings seat being in Milan for the first 24 years, then Bologna, and then finally Venice, where it remained until the end of the "The Northern Italian Kingdom".
The Times of Peace
After the conquests of northern Italy, the NIK was thriving off of a Golden Age of peace and plenty with its neighbours, Trieste and Italy all the way through the 17th and 18th centuries.
Effects of the Renaissance
The Northern Italian Kingdom was a rather peaceful nation during the renaissance. They flourished in technology and arts and were one of the only countries who would have humanitarian philosophers publicly funded to give their speeches in front of huge crowds in market places of some of the largest cities in the Kingdom. The government tried to evoke free speech among all, setting up small corners in parks where people could talk about whatever they liked. This could range from political debates all the way to discussing which fish taste the best. It was during this time when the Northern Italian Kingdom gained the most trade income ever. Arts and crafts such as mirrors, paintings and even inventions were bought and sold all across the Mediterranean. Venice became the most booming port in the entire Adriatic area and was only topped by Constantinople (nowadays Istanbul) and Alexandra (Egypt) when it came to the Mediterranean area. The most advanced city in the entirety of Europe became Venice with huge constructions taking place on museums and such. The country’s economy boomed and people were overall very happy with their new right to freedom. This right was a part of the “National Rights to Happiness”, which also included the right to clean cities and the right to peaceful living as well as 13 others. These laws are still enforced to this day though it does include small alterations or completely new/ cut rights. The renaissance was the beginning of a Great Golden period of the Northern Italian Kingdom. This Golden Period would last deep into the Industrial Revolution before rapidly dying down in a bloody Italian civil war.
The Industrial Revolution and Rising Tensions
During the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the Northern Italian Kingdom was a peaceful and prosperous nation who were on the verge of becoming one of the largest superpowers in the world who had not colonised any foreign territory during the age of exploration. The Northern Italian Kingdom was already the richest country in southern Europe even though this included countries like Spain and Portugal who were some of the strongest colonists in the world. The improved pay for the people had caused movement in the population. They wanted more power in the direction that the country was going. After 5 years of open talking in the many talking areas that were highlighted earlier in the report people had been talking about the concept of democracy. "We give you money now give us freedom" was the motto of the revolutionists. Not one drop of blood was spilled during the revolts and the monarch, King Alberto of Bologna the fifth agreed to the peoples' intents. He declared the country a democratic state on the 18th of August in 1843. This day is celebrated as King's Day, or the day the King became a God. The King is still a political figure who has no real power, much like in England. People were overjoyed and the voting had employed the first ever president of the country, Alejandro Allegro. He was a good president according to the people and led the Kingdom (the name had not been changed in respect for the king's decision) in a fair and successful manner. People worked harder and longer than ever before and soon an economic boom was in place. The Kingdom’s wealth was only surpassed by that of the mighty British Empire. Venice was the most powerful city in not just the Mediterranean, but also of any city East of London. Then, suddenly in the night of the 27th of June in 1865 the Golden Age came to a completely sudden end with the great fire of Venice. The amount of wood that had been used in the construction of the city caused around one third of the city to be completely burnt down. Great glass factories and churches were burnt completely to the ground. The great fire had caused the death of over three thousand people and made over half the city homeless. Eye-witnesses had seen a small group of three or four men hold a torch near the source of the burning. The men had travelled west from the city shortly after the flames. When the three men had been caught a week after the city had burnt and were traced back to Rome to a group called “The Valkyrie”. This group had believed in an ideology of “Grande Italia”, an idea where the entirety of the Italian Peninsula would be united under the flag of Italy. The Northern Italian Kingdom was furious at Italy for not only allowing this kind of an organisation to exist within their borders but also to incorrectly punish them for their crimes. The group only received a low fine and a six month jail sentence in one of Italy’s most luxurious prisons. The Northern Italian Kingdom began its threatening build-up of its army using the newest inventions and learning from the great inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. This was the largest army the country would have ever built.
Preparations for War and Conflict
Italian civil war was just around the corner. Cities, especially Venice, were upgraded into more military positions, with buildings being lower to the floor (usually two or one stories tall) and walls stretching all around the cities. The armies of the Northern Italian Kingdom were more modern than ever before. Men were equipped with guns and small shells filled with gunpowder and a long string, or just grenades if you will. Armour was applied to the King's Navy and torpedoes were installed on the ships. Careful battle tactics were revised in secret of both the Italian government and the Northern Italian Kingdom's population. The NIK officially declared war on Italy on the 20th of March 1869. The first attack was on the city of Florence only three days after the declaration of war. The city was ill-prepared for the upcoming siege and could only hold for six days after the official beginning of the siege. This gave the NIK a strong position in the Tuscan region. From here the troops continued their march, crushing smaller armies all along the way until they arrived at the mighty city of Rome. After a year long siege, the city finally fell under the immense amount of pressure put on the city walls. Boulders had been flung at the city walls from trebuchets on a nearly daily basis. Finally, Rome's ordeal was ended by a devastating charge through the destructed walls of the city by the Kingdom's troops. After the fall of Rome on the 5th of June 1870, the Kingdoms troops took Naples before turning east to continue the warpath through the cities of Bari, Foggia and San Marino. It was during this time where the NIK finally decided to change its name to Lombardia to symbolise its humble beginnings.
The First World War
During the First World War Lombardia chose to side with the more powerful alliance in their opinion and opposed Germany. It was the first international war for the country and their forces were brutally repelled by those of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Multiple crushing defeats caused low moral in the troops who decided to return to the cities to fight in a defensive status instead. In particular the Battle of Udine was a crushing defeat. It happened near the end of the war sometime in January of 1918. A small force of three hundred men attacked the castle which garrisoned six hundred men. Instead of shying away, the German-Austro-Hungarian force chose the offensive and peppered the walls of Udine with canon-fire. Men stormed the city and the siege ended in a heroic victory fr the attackers, leaving the way to Venice completely free. While under pressure, the Lombardian capital was moved temporarily to Rome, but has remained there ever since. Austro-Hungary would have taken Lombardia with ease had it not been for the fact that the German forces were defeated by Russian and French offensives during the war. Lombardia was spared, but not completely, for during the times between 1916 and 1918, Italy had seized some cities back to itself in pure opportunism. These cities included the strategic port of Naples, Bari, Foggia, San Marino, and even Florence, separating Lombardia into two pieces, the North and the region of Lazio. Italian forces were halted by the abrupt end of the war. The alliance the Lombardia had been in may have won the war, but the country itself faced definite and crushing defeat having won no battles and lost a staggering seventeen engagements.
The Second World War
Ever since the First World War, Lombardia had been looking for an excuse to take back the lands it lost in the previous war. The Great Depression had caused hyperinflation making preparations for war efforts near to impossible for Lombardia. People had not been as unhappy in living conditions ever and the "Rights to Happiness" were revisited by the government. It investigated on whether or not some rules had to be implemented or cut from the list. People eventually decided to cut the Right to Free travel in and out of the country and the Right to Free Food for the poor. Though these were controversial cuts, people decided that they needed the money from travellers and food more than the others needed to spare it. Slowly people's morals started to go up as the government spent all their remaining money on buying gold, where prices are stable and cannot inflate. The effects were noticed immediately and with the tensions between western states and Germany, Lombardia started to build up its military. This time it was ready for the attack from the south. Generals led the armies into decisive victories in the cities of Florence, San Marino and Naples, regaining all the territories for the state. It withdrew from the war earlier than other countries with its only goals of regaining territories being achieved. In post-World War times, Lombardia signed the Declaration of Human Rights and joined the United Nation. The rest of the history remained peaceful with the military becoming smaller and smaller as the years rolled past.
2008 Economic Crisis
Lombardia was one of the few countries that got away nearly scot-free from the 2008 global economic crisis. The country had joined the Euro-zone and had followed the guidelines that had been given during the formation, e.g. no more than 3% of annual budget deficits. Furthermore during the crisis, Lombardia had always kept its national debt extremely low just in case they would be forced to pay it all back at one time in case of an economic collapse. This helped the country, even though it is hugely interconnected in the economic debt due to its neutrality, to survive the economic crisis many times better than some of its neighbours.
I chose to make my history in this way as it accurately represents the ups and downs that every country experiences in its existence. I made my country perfectly represent how countries should learn from their mistakes and led up to some future ways in which my utopia will handle some problems that other countries are currently facing. Furthermore I have already enforced some of the key ways in which the country currently functions, such as very peaceful relationships with its neighbours and intercontinental friends. In short I made the history the way I made it to make a detailed lead-up to exactly how my country has developed.