"Italy cannot breathe or move without the permission of the Supreme Pastor. With him she has the hundred arms of Briareus, without him she is condemned to a pitiable impotence. She has nothing but divisions to foment, hatreds to break out, and hostilities to manifest themselves from the highest chain of the Alps to the lowest of the Appenines. We cannot desire such a state of things. It is necessary, then, to seek a remedy for that situation. The remedy is found. The Pope, whoever he may be, will never come to the secret societies. It is for the secret societies to come first to the Church, in the resolve to conquer the two."
~ The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita
This time the Turks have gone too far. It's clear that the Ottomans have no respect for our stake in Tunisia, and they've arrested a Roman citizen on OUR side of the border. We cannot let such an insult go unpunished. We will wait until they are weakened from fighting Egypt, then bring the armies of the pious to Tripoli.
January 12
We have refrained from sending missionaries to the Muslim Tunisians, as the Jesuits inform us such a move would backfire tremendously. I've therefore decided to let them practice their heretical worship undisturbed; if they are fated to see the light of Jesus Christ I have faith they will come to him in their own time. I find no good taste in coercing any people who have done no harm. If the people of Tunisia see that we mean them well, they will come in turn to respect us.
“Men, the people with whom we are about to live are Muhammadan. The first article of their faith is this: ‘There is no God but God, and Muhammed is his Prophet.’ Do not contradict them. Act with them as you have acted with the Jews and with the Italians. Have the same respect for their Muftis and their Imams, as you've had for Rabbis and Bishops. Have for the ceremonies prescribed by the Alkoran, for the Mosques, the same tolerance you had for Convents, for Synagogues, and for the religion of Moses and of Jesus Christ.” So said, some say, Napoleon Bonaparte, to his soldiers in Egypt. But then look how he ended up.
Ferdinand is keeping thirty thousand extra men near Sicily. We'll need to bide our time for now until we can compete with that. I'd intended to focus on promoting more clergy, but for now it's probably best if we stepped up recruitment of soldiers. There are many young Italians faithful enough and willing to die for Holy Rome in exchange for a gun and a parcel of land.
Spain sends word that they've taken possession of northern Morocco...
...while the Portuguese are well on the way to losing their west African holdings.
If they wanted to conquer them easily, they shouldn't have sold them rifles.
February 1
When the Carbonari staged the uprising eight years ago, they mistakenly believed they could withstand the might of the Austrian army from behind their walls. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the Order realized a traditional ground war was impossible and fled into the shadows. Much of the world believe the Carbonari to be no more, a disintegrated memory. Much of the world feels the same of the Illuminati. Much of the world is confounded.
The College is well enough aware of being compromised, by many, many groups. The seeds of distrust are planted and the older Cardinals look at their young colleagues with fearful concern, the suspicion clear on their wrinkled faces. The Curia grows fresher every year, filling with new and open minds who foresee a brighter future for mankind than the one they came to inherit.
With advancements made to the steam engine assisting our agriculture and factory work (despite the tired warnings of His Holiness), we've switched those resources to improve the armed forces of Rome. To better expand and defend our lands we need an army to rival that of the kings of Germany, if not in size then in mettle and efficiency. Let all be in awe of the marching Zouaves!
February 22
The Turks have ended their battle with Egypt as victors, but Egypt remains strong and independent. With luck they will busy one another for decades.
The time is ripe to strike.
We've sought and gained military access from our Orthodox allies. We'll be able to replenish the navies when they tire of their battles with the Turks.
March 2
WHAAT
I can't believe it! Spain will pay dearly for this!
We've called France into the war. Let them punish Spain for this infidelity!
March 18
Spain already hangs on the brink of defeat. Serves the fools right! Siding with Musselmen against the forces of Christendom itself! What in the world is the world coming to?
Allied with the Turks. It's not like honorable FRANCE would do anything like that... well... Anyway, a new admiral assumed command of the Holy Navy. He's a strange man, but he gets the job done.
With the French navy securing the waters, we sailed an army down to Gabes, and from there they marched onto Tripoli.
Scouts indicated a twenty-thousand strong defense force situated east in Benghazi. They won't be getting reinforcements; their soldiers can't march through an Egypt that hates them, and their transport fleet would not likely survive French interdiction. Tripoli's in the bag.
In the meantime, the Admiral drove his ships to Greece to refuel but instead deigned to attack an Ottoman fleet in the Aegean Sea, managing to sink every last enemy vessel.
April 30
The Turkish forces assaulted our siege in the early morning, though reinforcements reached the city in time to win the day.
We routed them off before they could break our siege, and our reinforcements hunted them down in the eastern sands of Libya.
Facing a complete, impenetrable blockade and the total loss of their African forces, the Ottomans quickly surrendered Tripoli and much of the surrounding area. Due to complicated territory negotiations, Tripoli is now considered a fief of the Pope and is a full state in his kingdom. Courage and providence hath revealed the Turkish Empire for the paper tiger it is.
It is a good day to be Catholic. Just as good as having France be our friendly war machine.
April 30
Pope Gregory has fallen ill; no doctor has determined the cause of his illness. If it is a poisoning it was not my hand that held the stopper. So many powers wish His Holiness to die that a culprit could be anyone in Rome. I pray for his life, not least because I've grown fond of the man but the time is not yet right for conclave.
Liberal groups in Tuscany have formed a rally with a truly incredible agenda. They wish to see the Papal election extended to all Catholic citizens of the Papal States! The thought of a Cardinal even suggesting such a reform to the rest brings a smile to my face. Let them hold their little rally.
December 3
Bishops across the Atlantic in Maryland have read aloud a
Papal Bull written before the Holy Father's illness that denounces the evils of slavery. America has provided her response.
So disappointing, a nation of hypocrites. What is the meaning of the freedom to own people? There is a human freedom to murder other human beings, this does not mean that murder should be permitted by the state. I'm told American Bishops are refusing to clarify Rome's decree to the slavers there, in fear of alienating their flocks. I've little love for such cowardice of conscience.
January 2, 1840
Hmm. While I wouldn't put any children of mine to work in a chimney, if these Tunisians want to do it they can be my guest. Besides, hard work is good for a lad, builds character.
Have I mentioned the French army is MASSIVE? I wouldn't want to be the Dutch right about now.
Meanwhile, a branch of the order has started to operate within Tunisia, thinking to proliferate our message to the natives of Africa in the hopes it spreads across the continent.
February 9
Russia and Prussia make peace, status quo. Probably a good thing - either of them expanding in power over the other would be a bad thing.
Portugal continues to fail their endeavors, having made white peace with the Southwest Africans only to start losing a war to the Arabs in Zanzibar.
They should get out of the colony business, they are clearly ill suited for it.
March 15
This is a troubling time for Italia. The number of societies at work here, each with differing goals and paths to them, is truly remarkable. I'm not certain how many of them know of each other's existence but I do know my brothers have infiltrated nineteen of them. Many are minor threats, easy to subsume; some are not.
My position is a delicate one. I cannot betray my true intentions too quickly or I will be noticed and targeted by one of our rivals. My greatest danger is closest to home - that a
Concistoriali may find me out and move against me. The worry presses hard enough to prompt the vetting of Swiss Guards that I might assemble a personal escort of the most loyal and vigilant of mind.
The Consistory is named for the actual ecclesiastic congress within the walls of Rome and in fact shares many of its members. I have contact with quite a few and they seem to believe I am working for them - the acquisition of Tuscany has served to convince them of my allegiance, while our new stake in Africa will stall France's eastward expansion and provoke the Ottomans into a new conflict with Christianity. For now the goals of the Consistory are in line with my own, and I will have my contingency prepared for the day they begin to clash. Their spies are everywhere.
The Sanfedisti descended from the Army of Cardinal Ruffo that fell apart in the wake of the events in Naples forty years ago. They've been operating in Romagna since the discovery in Ancona, spreading a pamphlet among the farmers of Romagna which calls for the "killing of all even suspected of sympathy toward the infamous sect of liberalism." There are connections to the Carbonari there but few if any Sanfedisti know about them. They're largely common thugs in the pocket of the Consistory and some of the more wealthy Cardinals.
In the west of Sicily a secretive new group is emerging among the peasantry that finds itself having to police its own affairs in the face of ineffective government. They are yet poorly established and seem primarily concerned with racketeering agriculture and their own survival, but it will be interesting to see where they go.
The Adelfia and Filadelfia groups of the north are focused on ridding Italy of Austrian meddling and so for the time being are helpful allies.
Our immediate attention falls on the Calderai of Naples. They are the secret police of Chief Minutolo, Duke of Canosa connected to the Neopolitan royals. They're friendly enough to the Holy See but they'll resist our assertions on Naples along with the rest of their kingdom. They are maintaining support for the Church and on the surface they should seem allies, but their ultimate goals are inimical to our own and must be thwarted.
March 23
Sardinia declared war on Switzerland without provocation. Clearly they have no love of treaties.
Well, at least Louis has a sense of honor. It's good to know this, honor makes betrayal less likely.
May 2
Oh, it seems local capitalists have taken advantage of the Holy Father's illness. There's a new glass factory going up just outside of Rome and Gregory isn't healthy enough to condemn them.
Praise be to God.
May 9
The Zouaves are now a war-force the match of any nation in training, and our recent wars have provided our older units a wealth of experience. If the Austrians have grown as fat and lazy as I suspect, they might find themselves surprised by our prowess should they make a hostile move.
June 2
They say that the power of kings is derived from God. But I wonder if that is all kings. If not, perhaps there are some kings who are given their power strictly to remove the unworthy from theirs.
The Secret Master has expressed his desire to see his Naples taken under the papal wing before the Austrians set their sights on Rome. We are soon to be the only true power in South Italy. We march on Naples anon.
Damn the expense of war!
Time to slash education, I guess! No, I jest. We've had to reduce our purchase of arms now that we've fielded such a large army. It may be sad but we just can't afford to hand out new rifles to seventy thousand men. Yet. In the meantime, again, we have halberds.
The war began with an incursion into L'Aquila, which lay relatively undefended. Real combat has yet to begin.
June 11
Damn them! The Sicilians ambushed and sank most of our navy before they could turn about! We shall not soon forget this injustice.
Some good news: The French have landed in Rome. I've withdrawn some of the Zouaves for rest while the occupation of Aquilia unfolds. The French advance on Gaeta and Sicily's army flees before them.
July 26
The Sicilians attacked Aquilia and reinforcements arrived to assist the beleaguered defense. France moved in a large contingent and the Sicilians were routed.
I grieve for the men we have lost, but the survivors fight on harder. Every battle makes us stronger and every victory earns prestige in the eyes of Europe. We are becoming great.
September 1
This war is over. Thank Heavens. Our fighting force is a twelvth of our male population and we've lost a fourth of it. We're ill-prepared for another conflict of this scale, at least for now, and Italy needs time to heal her wounds.
Sardinia's war is over as well. Shame on them.
October 10
With Naples and the whole of Campania in Papal hands, Sicily has ceased to be a threat. A large contingent will be placed along our northern borders to discourage any Austrian opportunism.
November 28
We accepted an alliance offer from the Swiss. No doubt they fear for their independence after the betrayal of Sardinia. If Prussia or Sardinia take advantage of their weakness, I will bring the armies of France to their very doorsteps.
As I hear it, Louis may be one of us. I can neither confirm nor deny it.
January 2, 1841
New minds continue to swell the College of Cardinals. Recent promotions in the last few years include:
Cardinal Jack Euchre. A gregarious but mysterious man. He has strong ties to the Jesuits and often granted them special privileges from his See in Nice. He's possibly affiliated with the Consistory, and strongly reactionary.
Cardinal Boksi of Krakow, conservative. Unlikely to have conspiratorial affiliations, though he miraculously survived an assassination attempt in Messina five years ago. I admire his courage but suspect that whoever wanted him dead still does, and fear of that might be used to secure his vote.
Cardinal Canalan, decided liberal. He spent years in Labrador performing missionary work with the natives. I suspect he's happy to have returned in Rome. If he's involved with any societies they are likely in league with my own.
Cardinal Micelus of Rome. Young for a Cardinal and brother of the order. He's in line for the Archbishopric of Jerusalem once the States have control of Judea. He's a bright-hearted but ambitious one, and I must ensure he does not ingratiate himself too deeply with the other Cardinals.
Cardinal Hunt of Trier. He's the most puzzling of them all, refrains from ecclesiastical congress whenever possible and keeps to himself at all times. I know nothing of his background other than that he published several controversial dialogues concerning trade unions during his time in Bavaria.
Cardinal Cicero of Rome. He's a traditional conservative who stresses strict compliance with each and every rule laid out in the Holy Bible. His zeal could be turned to our purpose but only if he sees the liturgical justification for it. That will take time to provide.
None of these Cardinals aside from Micelus have known loyalty foreign to the Holy Church. I would be inclined to leave it this way, as a bit of darkness is good for a secret pursuit, but the Secret Master insists I secure their allegiance through the various appropriate puppet groups. Each will need a different message to convince.
Our fortune is that time is only on our side.
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