A Tuscan Affair

January 13th, 1509

Northern and Central Italy

The drums of war have sounded again, for the Republic of Siena has declared war on the Republic of Genoa! Calls for ships and men echo across the peninsula — Genoa raises a host of over seven thousand men-at-arms and 90 appropriated merchant ships for defense of La Superba, while Siena hires over three thousand of their own men, 1100 men and thirty artillery pieces from Ferrara, and 60 ships from the French crown arsenal. Both forces spend the next two months training, coalescing, and preparing for yet another Italian war.

February 24th, 1509

Bonifacio, Corsica

Genovese garrisons on Corsica are immediately alerted to the lighting of the Corsican Towers — a new signal system meant to alert garrisons to possible island incursions by enemies of La Superba. A ship flying the Sienese flag was spotted sailing near the city, and guards were put on alert. Fortunately it was a false alarm, just a merchant ship headed to Sardinia. Surely no cause for alarm.

March 3rd, 1509

Bastia, Corsica

The well-fortified city of Bastia is greeted in early March by the arrival of over four thousand Genovese soldiers. La Superba has allocated a substantial portion of its forces to garrison the island, fearing an attack by Siena who had attempted to take the island diplomatically during their ill-advised support of Montferrat in the 1504 war. These forces quickly disperse to garrisons across the island, ready to respond to any Sienese landing.

In the meantime, Andrea Doria, minus one eye, begins regular patrols of the Ligurian Sea.

March 8th, 1509

Bonifacio, Corsica

The Corsican Towers are lit once more, this time to alert the island of a large French fleet — numbering roughly five dozen ships — sailing through the Straits of Bonifacio. Word of this arrival is passed to Doria, who expects that these are the ships headed to Siena from France. He elects not to engage yet, not wishing to further provoke the Kingdom.

March 9th, 1509

Piombino, Siena

The arrival of the hired French ships is met with much applause, and the ships are quickly loaded with fresh supplies and Sienese flags. They will eventually be loaded with 500 condotierri, who will attempt to land on Corsica to help free the population there from years of Genovese subjugation (by inviting them to the Sienese Republic, of course).

In the meantime, the rest of the Sienese army begins a march north towards La Spezia, Genoa's southernmost Ligurian stronghold. There they will prove the might of Tuscany, and demonstrate to the Genovese menace that all of Tuscany is under their protection, not the "Imperial Palace" of Genoa.

March 12th, 1509

Finale and Noli, Liguria

Unmarked merchant vessels arrive in the harbors of the cities of Finale and Noli — autonomous members of the Genovese Republic. These were in fact Sienese messengers, who reportedly threatened the cities not to make any contributions to the Genovese war effort, or else they would be sacked by the Sienese navy. These messengers were apparently laughed out of the harbor.

March 15th, 1509

Tyrrhenian Sea

Pierre-Antoine Vallée, admiral of the hired French fleet, sighed. He had begun the process of ferrying the Corsican Expeditionary Force from Piombino to Corsica just this morning, but now here he was, mere hours later, and the damned Genovese had already sighted him. He had been told that Genoa's navy lie in tatters, their great Admiral blinded, and the Republic ripe for destruction. Yet Doria lie just over the horizon, heading a Genovese fleet that was not only not dead, but was even larger than his own.

Vallée shook his head. His orders had been to not engage a larger fleet unless absolutely necessary, but also that the capture of Corsica was one of the primary targets of the conflict. Clearly he would find himself on the short end of the stick whichever option he chose.

He sighed again. At least if he retreated now, his men would be alive to hear the scolding from the damn Sienese. Not to mention that if the Genovese fleet was exponentially larger than he had been informed, who knows how substantial their resistance on the island would be? No, it was better to head back now and formulate a new plan of attack. So with the raise of his hand, he signaled the retreat, and began to hurry his fleet back towards the Port of Piombino.

Andrea Doria watched as the Sienese fleet on the horizon quickly turned around and began heading back to port. The old Doria would have seen this as a perfect opportunity to use his vessels to try and catch the retreating fleet, but something held him back. He rubbed at his eyepatch — a phantom itch from the scar that would forever remind him of his failure at Pantelleria, a failure caused by impatience and a lack of caution. Was he now learning from that disastrous mistake and approaching battles with due caution, or was fear beginning to hold him back? Whatever it was, he allowed the Sienese to retreat for now — ordering his men to double their patrols around the city and report back at any sign of movement.

March 19th, 1509

Outside of La Spezia, Genoa

Genovese scouts have reported a large Sienese host making their way up the coast towards the port city of La Spezia, Genoa's fortress on the edge of Liguria. Rushing back to Genoa proper, the remaining defense force is rallied by Doge Giano II di Campofregoso himself. Both forces race towards the city, but Siena's head start means that they reach the city a day and a half before the Genovese. Unfortunately, the terrain around La Spezia and its constituent defenses make it virtually impossible to fully surround the city in that time, so they settle for setting up a siege camp to the east of the city, taking the town of Sarzana as an operating base to give them control of the crossing of the Magra river. The town, nominally Genovese, was under the direct control of the Bank of St. George at this time, and had virtually no defenses to prevent its immediate subjugation.

The Genovese forces follow the coast and arrive at La Spezia from the west, entering the city and immediately beginning to reinforce defensive positions on the walls and in the castle. These are relatively impressive defenses — the walls were reinforced just forty years ago, and San Giorgio Castle was massively upgraded at the same time, giving it thicker walls, gun slits, and even inset artillery positions, making it an incredibly difficult target for the current Sienese force to take.

The Sienese encampment takes sporadic potshots at the walls and fort with the field artillery they hired from Ferrara, but both are too thick to see much damage come from that. It is clear that the city will not fall unless the harbor is taken, so both sides settle in for an elongated siege.

April 5th, 1509

Ligurian Sea, just south of La Spezia

Pierre-Antoine Vallée steadied himself and prepared for battle. Following his report to the Sienese military leaders of the appearance of Doria's fleet, he discovered that other sources had informed them of a large Genovese defense force present on Corsica, totaling a few thousand men. Plans to take the island were apparently now on the backburner, with all of the Republic's focus turning towards taking La Spezia. If the city fell, nothing would stop Siena from marching men all the way to the walls of Genoa. But, as they learned, the city would not fall easily — its defenses were too strong for a force of Siena's size to take without a prolonged siege, and a siege like that would require control of the harbor. As such, Vallée and his men were ordered to beat back the Genovese fleet and take the harbor, whatever the cost. He tried to argue that Doria had a fleet far larger than his own, but the Sienese waved their hands and told him to figure it out. At least they gave him the 500 condotierri he was initially supposed to transport as a possible edge over the famed Genovese admiral.

So Vallée loaded up his ships and sailed north for the La Spezia. Doria sighted him immediately, of course, and immediately formed lines for battle. He says a prayer, readies his men, and braces for an attack... but one never comes. Doria's fleet is simply sitting there, waiting. Vallée assumes it to be some kind of trick, surely the One-Eyed Devil of the Mediterranean would not so easily cede him the advantage. But he did not have the luxury to wait and find out — he was on the offensive here. So with a signal to his men, he signaled for his front line to attack.

Doria, meanwhile, has no ulterior motive, no secret plans. He truly is just holding back, staying cautious and choosing to react to the Sienese as they come to him. The fire inside him seems muffled at the moment, held in check by the waves of terror that wash through him as the image of Oruç Reis stepping onto the deck of the Oberto runs through his mind over and over again, interrupted only by flashes of the Turkish knife plunging into his eye. Suddenly his mind is yanked back into the present, as the front line of the Sienese fleet crashes into his own. French sailors and Sienese condotierri flood onto his decks, and the war he has known all his life breaks out once again.

The first wave is not a crushing blow by any means, but as the Sienese line pulls back it has done more damage to Doria's front than they had ever expected. The Genovese admiral, displaying hesitation unusual for his style, had simply allowed the fight to come to him, and with more ships left in the reserves than is typically necessary allowed the Sienese to choose whatever engagements they wanted. Certainly the old Doria would never have allowed an opponent to simply walk into such a strong opening, but clearly, this was not the old Doria.

Vallée begins to lick his wounds, and is incredibly surprised by the passivity of his famed enemy. Maybe the reports of a rattled Doria were not simply the rumors of an overconfident Italian. Knowing he will not have many more chances like this, Vallée sends his men forward once more, looking to take the momentum for good.

Doria, shaken by the initial charge, now has his adrenaline running. The hesitation seemingly at bay, he goes to meet this new charge head-on, and begins to take advantage of his numerical superiority, sending a portion of the faster back-line of frigates and galliots to hit the side of the incoming Sienese line. Now fighting on two sides, Vallée has bitten off more than he can chew, and he pulls back after taking some decent losses.

Vallée is shaken now — he knows he's outnumbered and likely outmatched. But Doria still seemed a bit slow, something was definitely off with him at this point. Regardless, his men had just taken some serious losses and needed to regroup, so he would cede the initiative to the One-Eyed Devil of the Mediterranean this time. Hopefully his extra condotierri would make a difference in an engagement.

Unfortunately for Doria, the adrenaline has drained from his system, and the fear has set back in again. He can do little but watch as the images start playing again. The feeling of being trapped by the pirate fleets, the betrayal of being abandoned by the Aragonese, the pain and agony as he watched the knife plunge into his eye. He looks at the Sienese fleet, and knows he has to move in, but does so slowly, constantly on the lookout for any trick plays by Turks... I mean the pirates... I mean the Sienese.

Vallée watches the Genovese fleet seem to tiptoe towards his front line, and makes as much preparation as he can. Fighting breaks out on the decks of his fleet, but there are no surprise tricks by Doria this time, so the numbers advantage of the Genovese fleet is matched by the Sienese condotierri on board his ships. Fighting lasts for hours, and it's a bloodbath on both sides before the lines finally separate for good. If the Genovese tiptoed into this engagement, they are certainly limping back from it, though the Sienese are looking equally worse for wear.

As both admirals look over the sea, running red with blood and speckled brown with the pieces of wrecked ships, both realize that neither have anything to gain from continuing this engagement today. Genoa succeeds by holding the status quo, no matter how bloody, so simply holding the line here is a win. Siena, on the other hand, needs to take the port, and will have a better shot at taking advantage of a faltering Doria if they have a chance to rest their men and fix up the French ships. So as Doria watches Vallée pull his forces back to Piombino, he once again elects to not give chace, instead limping back to the port of La Spezia. His men cheer — they know they've won the day — but Doria cannot join them. He knows that this was no success, certainly not by his standards. He was slipping, and knew it. He just had no idea what to do about it.

May/June 1509

La Spezia, Genoa

The next few months see the continued siege of La Spezia. Both sides seem to be at a stalemate — the now dug-in besieging army slightly outnumbers the forces currently in the city, so the Genovese defenders gain nothing from a sortie, but the city defenses are far too sturdy for the besieging army to overtake with their current numbers and composition. Until Siena can take the harbor, the city isn't going anywhere, and both sides know it.

In the meantime, the siege camp sees the addition of a bit under five hundred additional condotierri. Certainly not enough to make a meaningful difference, but the men are far happier to be sitting in a camp and drinking than dying in the Ligurian Sea. Some soldiers claim they can hear the furious screams of Vallée from the camp.

July 7th, 1509

Ligurian Sea, just south of La Spezia

Vallée can hardly believe it. His ships repaired (but infuriatingly missing the extra mercenaries the Sienese claimed would "be of better use assisting our primary goal — the siege of La Spezia") and men rested, he had pushed north towards the city once more, fearing a resurgent Genovese fleet. But here he was, and there was Doria once again ceding him the advantage. An advantage he would most certainly take. He orders his line forward, for another basic but effective line battle.

Doria, again playing an overly cautious position with an overly large back line, takes the Sienese line head-on. Once again he is on the defensive, but this time the Sienese don't have the extra men to compensate for their inferior numbers. The push ends in another bloodbath, and after a couple hours the lines retreat again to mop up the blood. At this point, Doria has moved past simple fear, and he is now furious — not at the Sienese, not at his men, he is furious at himself, and his inability to move past Pantelleria. But it's still there each time he closes his eyes — the pirates circling like sharks, Oruç's toothy smile as he boarded the Oberto, the glint of the Turkish steel as it plunged into his eye...

He shakes his head. He did not know how long he was lost in his own mind again, or why his crew did not stir him, but the Sienese were charging again, Vallée smelling blood in the water as he sees continued stalling and inaction from the Genovese admiral. The lines clash again, and for hours more the same scene plays out over and over. Siena moves in, the sailors fight, both pull back to mop the blood, and repeat. But it cannot be overstated — Vallée needed to move through the Genovese, and though both were getting equally bloody from these repeated fights, that brought the Sienese no closer to taking the harbor.

The sun begins to set once more, marigold and garnet light shining off a sea coated in blood and flotsam. Doria looks over his watery battlefield, the place he had called home for so much of his life, and began to cry. He was slipping, he had been for months, and it was costing him. Costing him men, costing him success, and costing La Superba a chance to end this war. He looked down at the sea, watching his reflection stare back at him from one straining, blood-red eye. Mocking him for his missing eye, for his failures at Pantelleria and now here at La Spezia. The scenes of the past washed over him again, like the sea over a beach.

But then something finally snapped. He saw the Turkish steel plunge into his eye, but then the scenes kept going. His return to Genoa, the celebration the city still gave for their great admiral, despite his defeat. His family still there supporting him, his Republic still there trusting him. And then he was here, in the present, missing an eye changed forever, sure, but he was still here. He may never be the old Doria again, but he didn't need to be. That Doria was cocksure and impressive, but also reckless and overconfident. He could learn caution from his failures without it overbearing his skill and control of the seas. He was Andrea Doria, goddamnit, and it was time to start remembering that again.

Looking back up at the seas, he began to see the battlefield as he used to. This was the Ligurian, his home field, he knew it like the back of his hand. This Frenchman, Vallée, he didn't know the coast like he did, especially not this late in the day. The seas were as low as they would ever be, and the Sienese fleet was dangerously close to the coast. For the first time in what felt like months, Doria smiled. He had a plan.

Vallée looked up, expecting to see the Genovese retreat as they had in the last battle at this hour, but was surprised to see a full-on offensive push by the Genovese front line. It was the same push he had used on them all day, and he prepped his line for impact. It came, and the battle started, but just as Vallée was getting ready to join the fight, sounds of panic began. Looking out, the Genovese back line — the one Doria had kept large and in reserve the whole — came streaking around the Sienese left flank like bats out of hell, heading straight for the core of the Sienese fleet. Vallée quickly tried to reorient to face a two-pronged attack, moving his ships back and to the right, but that was exactly what Doria wanted. Sounds of shattering wood and panicked men began from the back of the fleet, as ships had started maneuvering into rocks just below the waterline — rocks that would have not been an issue hours before, but were now deadly daggers hidden in the crimson depths of the Ligurian Sea. Nearly a dozen ships began taking on water, their crews bailing out and trying their hardest to make it to shore.

The battle was over, and Vallée knew it. Hoping to save even a fraction of his fleet, he signals the retreat, and hopes that at least a few ships can escape. But the fire in Doria had been re-lit, and he was not finished. The Genovese frigates and galliots wheel around and catch the retreating ships, who can do nothing but surrender to the victorious Genovese. And in a moment echoing the memory that had plagued Doria's mind for the last year, he steps triumphantly onto the deck of Vallée's flagship, smiling in a mirror image of Oruç boarding the Oberto a year ago. But now Doria was not the conquered, he was the conqueror. The One-Eyed Devil of the Mediterranean had arisen.

August 20th, 1509

Just outside La Spezia, Genoa

It had been a month and a half since the Genovese had reasserted unilateral control of the Ligurian Sea, and now they would put that advantage into play. La Spezia had now been under siege for over five months, and while the city was doing just fine, the Genovese could not let a large army simply sit outside the walls forever. So, certain that Corsica was safe for now, the repaired Genovese fleet began to ferry the troops stationed there back to the mainland, landing in the port of Carrara and beginning an organized march north towards La Spezia. Sienese scouts quickly notice the incoming army and alert the army commanders, but they play it smart and don't take the bait. They use the few hours they have to build some makeshift defenses and prepare for the oncoming onslaught, but keep their focus on the city.

And it is a good thing they do. About an hour after the reports of the southern force came in, new reports of movement inside La Spezia reach the camp, and before long a force of the city defenders begin to surge out of the city. The Sienese artillery, not having fallen for the bait, are still trained on the walls, and immediately fire a volley. Unfortunately, their sights have been dialed onto the walls and castle for so long that most of the shots fly over the heads of the sortie party, who are shocked at the immediate resistance but relatively uninjured. Combat begins, and volleys of crossbow, arquebus, and cannon fire rain overhead as the close combat units meet in the field. The Sienese are much more prepared than the Genovese expected, having not completely turned around to face the southern force, but the Genovese have the advantage and momentum, and are making gains against a force of relatively equal strength.

Unfortunately for the Sienese, while the southern force was bait, it was also a force all too real, and this one was larger than their own. The siege camp suddenly finds itself stuck between two incoming armies, with very little room to escape. So they fight on, fiercely, and truly hold out far longer than any force outnumbered 2-1 and fighting on two flanks ought be able to. But while their stand was valiant, it was never going to last, and so after almost two hours of fighting, the Sienese commander orders the white flag raised. The Siege of La Spezia is over.

September 21st, 1509

La Spezia, Genoa

Following the rout of the Sienese army, diplomats from Genoa and Siena met in an attempt to settle a quick end to the conflict. Unfortunately for everyone involved, these talks stalled on the 21st night of September. Reports indicate that Siena demanded a white peace for the conflict, only agreeing to pay ransom for the captured commanders and admiral. Genoa, on the other hand, demanded restitution for what they saw as a war of Sienese aggression, demanding territorial concessions of the Tuscan Archipelago. After a night of shouting, both sides left unhappy, and conflict resumed. The remaining Sienese army forces, which at this point were all mercenaries, were allowed to leave if they returned home and did not rejoin the war. They all too happily agreed. The captured Sienese/French ships that could be saved were repaired and integrated into the Genovese navy, the rest being scrapped for salvage. The victorious Genovese army forces began to reinforce La Spezia, and began preparing for an expedition to Tuscany. And Doria stayed on the seas, continuing patrols and beginning a blockade of the Sienese coast.

October 15th, 1509

Tuscan Archipelago, Tyrrhenian Sea

In mid-October, an expeditionary force of Genovese troops begins a campaign to occupy the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. The islands of Pianosa, Montecristo, Giglio, and Giannutri are all sparsely populated, and fall very quickly. The island of Elba would seem likely to put up the most resistance to Genovese occupation, but the population of just fifteen thousand is not interested in fighting a fully armed contingent of Genovese soldiers, and allows their occupation without much issue. The Genovese soldiers are also respectful of the Elban people, and make sure to pay for any supplies they need from them and respect their local leadership. Within the month, the whole of the archipelago is under Genovese occupation.

November 11th, 1509

Outside of Orbetello, Siena

At the beginning of November, the Spanish monarchs declare that they will be assisting Genoa in their defense of the republic. Duke Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, El Gran Capitain, had been sitting in Central Italy with three thousand men, and immediately begins marching north towards Siena. Shortly thereafter, the Genovese drop off an additional two thousand men to bolster his forces in the south, with the intent of destroying Siena's ability to wage war and force them back to the negotiation table. Of course, wile Siena's army has been routed, they have plenty of internal defenses that will stand in the way of a march directly on the city of Siena itself. El Gran Capitain understands this, and instead focuses on major forts along the coast and pillaging the shit out of the countryside. His first major obstacle comes in the form of the Rocca Aldobrandesca of Talamone, a fortress that sits north of the city of Orbetello. Being a coastal fortress, it could be bypassed with relative ease, but its existence would hamper any attempts to occupy the south of the country. Córdoba begins to march the combined force towards it, hoping to negotiate, but before he can even reach the gate the fort raises a white flag. They have heard of the complete destruction of the Sienese army, and have seen the regular Genovese naval patrols off the coast. They have no interest in being starved out of a failing fort, and surrender on the spot. In celebration, the combined Genovese-Spanish army pillages the shit out of southern Siena.

December 3rd, 1509

Outside of Piombino, Siena

With the year winding down, Córdoba looks to make the most of his brief advantage, and moves his combined force of five thousand men north towards the city of Piombino. Understanding it as the primary naval staging ground for Siena, and the best defended city on the coast, beginning a siege of the city will put the Sienese on the defensive, and force them to focus on relieving the city, while Genovese reinforcement troops over the next year can work to solidify other gains and work on moving towards Siena. So, once again, El Gran Capitain approaches city walls with his combined force, looking to do some preliminary discussions and begin a siege. But again, to his absolute shock, the city surrenders truly immediately. As it turns out, the Piombinesi were not exactly happy with the Sienese, who had subjugated their city less than a decade before, and were happy to let in the force that was currently kicking their asses. Córdoba graciously accepts. By the end of the year, Genoa has occupied the entire coast of Siena. In celebration, the combined Genovese-Spanish army, once again, pillages the shit out of the Sienese countryside.

CURRENT SITUATION

LOSSES

Genoa

LAND

• 472 mercenary swordsmen

• 97 mercenary arquebusiers

• 568 mercenary pikemen

• 641 mercenary crossbowmen

• TOTAL: 1,778 men

SEA

• 18 galleys lost, 15 damaged

• 7 galliots lost, 3 damaged

• 4 frigates lost, 4 damaged

• TOTAL: 29 ships lost, 22 damaged

Siena

LAND

• all Sienese forces and mercenaries killed, deserted, or surrendered

• 18 field guns captured by Genoa

• TOTAL: 1,857 men killed, 2,293 men deserted, 12 field guns lost, 18 field guns captured

SEA

• 38 galleys lost, 22 captured (16 of captured were damaged)