Vampire Setting : Milan in 1400

[Zyraen]

In the south of the Holy Roman Empire, just north of Italy, the city of Milan is the centre of trade for the region, connecting Italy with most of the rest of Europe. Despite the depredations of the Black Death just 50 years ago, not only is it flourishing, it has recently been elevated to the status of a Duchy, under the leadership of Duke Visconti.

Notable organisations in the setting
- Visconti family
- Bracceschi family
- Sforza family, recently arrived
- Catholic Church
- Inquisitors, recently arrived
- Merchants Guild
- Knights Hospitallers, aka Knights of St John

[Zyraen]

This is an overview of the situation in Europe at the turn of the century, moving from the 1300s into the 1400s. Remember that in the Dark Ages knowledge is hardly widespread, and few in the world, if any, would know and consider about the events.

This is OPTIONAL reading that may (or may not) provide inspiration for the setting. It is also of course a simplification and interpretation. If you do read up on these events, note the differences may arise in game.

INCUMBENTS

- The Holy Roman Empire
The Empire runs through most of central Europe. Referencing modern borders, it runs from the east France to west Poland, including Hungary and Austria, and north Italy. That said, the Empire is more like a large confederation of kingdoms, duchies, counties etc, each with individual kings, dukes, counts, lords etc. They are "led" by the Emperor, who was elected by a council of 7 Electors, typically from influential nobility around the region, and often heavily influenced by the Church.
In view that the Emperor was not a hereditary position, the Empire had no fixed capital. While few would openly challenge the "Holy" Empire, in practice the Emperor's influence on his subject lords was much a matter of personal and extended influence than purely by station. The Emperor himself usually was from the larger kingdoms in the (relative) North, like Germany and Bohemia (Czech Republic today), and his influence diminishes the further from his kingdom.
The city-state of Milan is among the southernmost duchies in the Empire. In meantime, the current Emperor, King Wenceslaus of Bohemia, is rarely seen outside his own kingdom, and his influence has suffered greatly.

- The Church
Even in its relative decline from the height of the Middle Ages (ie Dark Ages), the Church holds great sway over the hearts and minds of common folk and nobility alike. Led by the Pope in Rome, it appoints clergy throughout "civilised" Europe
The practice of regular confession, especially for nobles, cements the ties between the church and the nobles. The preaching of "indulgences", ie donations, in return for the forgiveness of God enriches the church from both the rich and poor. The authority of the Church crossed geographical boundaries, covering the Holy Roman Empire, Portugal, Spain, England, France, Poland, and the Byzantine Empire.
Acting as political go-betweens, advisers, preachers, a God-appointed bishop for or against the leaders of the land might make or break dynasties, especially in the west and south Europe. Yet with the general failure of the Crusades, and rise of the Electors instead of the Pope for choosing who would be Emperor, and other concerns, the Church is ever so slowly but surely losing ground.

- The Crusades
Sworn to give their lives in service of God, there was a time when the crusaders were viewed as truly glorious. They marched through the heathen, bringing the light of God once more into holy Jerusalem, and at their height held land and support of the people, through the Byzantine Empire (modern Greece/Turkey) to the Holy Roman Empire and the Vatican. But those days are long gone.
In early 1200s the Fourth Crusade was drawn into battle against Constantinopole, the capital of the Byzantine Empire which was the their orthodox Christian neighbour and gateway ally that had supported even the first Crusade. Their siege succeeded, but the horrific sacking of Constantinopole, pillaging of churches, and atrocities committed against fellow Christians, would forever haunt humanity. In the aftermath, both the Crusades and the Byzantines were doomed.
By mid 1200s the Crusaders were driven out of Constantinopole by the Byzantines, who were also in steady decline. Without Byzantine support, by the late 1200s the Crusaders were driven from the Holy Land they sought to reclaim, and to which no crusade since has ever returned.

- The Knightly Orders
With the decline of the Crusades, the widely established knightly orders set up with the crusades in mind and also to be called upon by the Emperor started to see decline and fall into ennui.
In the 1300s, the Knights Templar, a core order who answered only to Pope and that had prospered by providing banking and protection services, were disbanded by papal decree and their wealth seized. Many were branded and burned as heretics, their last grand master burned at the stake in 1314.
The Teutonic Knights, once called upon throughout the Holy Roman Empire, had been involved in feuds with nearby monarchs regarding their territories.
With all the infighting and dissolution of military orders in the Empire, local kings and lords strengthen their own forces and look to their Christian neighbours with wariness. The Holy Roman Empire grows fragmented even as external threats gather.

RECENT

- Italian City States
Once part of the Holy Roman Empire, the rule of the Holy Roman Empire was successfully challenged in 1176 by a league of city-states (led by Milan, in fact) that decisively defeated the then-Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the aftermath, the Italian city states gained a large amount of autonomy, and many eventually splintered off into independent the 2 centuries since. The notable ones are that of Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi that prosper on control of seaborne trading routes, and of course, the Papal State containing Rome and the Vatican.
Venice lies immediately east of Milan, controlling various parts of the Po River, and the two are wary neighbours.

- The Black Death
Also known as the Plague, the peak of the epidemic from 1340s-1360s wiped out innumerable lives throughout Europe. Accounts vary widely, but in some areas less than 1/3 of the population was wiped out, while in others the number was over double that, and not even the priests and monks that attended to the sick when no one else would were spared. The cause of the Plague is unknown, but it is believed to be airborne.
In the aftermath, there were still occasional outbreaks, but the ubiquity of death during that time provoked great religious frenzy among the people. Lepers, gypsies, Jews etc were variously blamed for "Gods Wrath" and targeted by angry mobs.
Due to the tremendous reduction in working population, nobles found their income slipping, while surviving peasants started to demand higher pay as demand for their services increased. This resulted in increasing tension between the various strata of society.

- The Inquisition
The Inquisition was set up by the Church to deal with heresies, but a number of concerns soon arose regarding the use of torture and also execution without a proper hearing. In the 1229 the Pope placed it under the Dominican Order, the Order of Preachers that were schooled in theology, to have properly indoctrinated overseers manage the prosecution and prevent innocents from falling to groundless accusations.
In practice, the Inquisitors are still allowed to use tortures and often had their investigations influenced by those in power to deal with them. A prominent example was the destruction of the Knights Templar.

- "Heretics"
For all the unpleasantness the Inquisition got involved with, their existence was not without cause. From the 12th century onwards, secularism arose, and later other "theology" rose to challenge the views of the Church, and many proponents decried the moral failings and corruption within the Church.
The latest "Christian Movement" or "heresy" is that of the excommunicated John Wycliffe in England, declaring that truth comes from the Bible, that theology should be based on the Word of God rather than Church practices. He also attacked the Church for its corruption, even decrying the Pope as the Antichrist in the scriptures.
Although he died in 1384, his ideas have gained traction, notably in Prague, the capital of Bohemia, the kingdom of the current Emperor.

- The Peasant Revolt
The revolt was a major uprising throughout England in 1381, in the wake of increasing taxes to fund the war with France following the Black Death. Although the Revolt forced the King of England to make concessions to the rebels, it ultimately fell through. Most of the rebel leaders and their families were hunted down and executed. The relative success of the ideal became known and took root in certain places, increasing the divide between the peasants and nobles.

- The Bourgeoisie
These were the wealthy middle class of merchants and craftsmen, they are more of a phenomenon in trade-prospering cities such as Milan. Banding together in guilds, they could negotiate against the greed of the feudal landlords, and are gaining political clout as well. There is inherent competition among the members of most guilds, but when united, they are redoubtable indeed.
A good portion of the Bourgeoisie also tend to have secular values, if not openly secular. Their importance as key members in centres of concentrated economic expansion might eventually spell the decline of the Church and the monarchy it supports.

- The Ottoman Empire
Though it is only a distant threat in the minds of the Europeans, the muslim empire is a very real and powerful threat indeed. The Empire had driven the Crusaders from the Holy Land and seized practically all of the Byzantine lands (modern Turkey) save Constantinopole, and launched attacks into the Balkans.
In 1394, the Pope called for a Crusade against the Ottoman Empire, that culminated in a major battle in 1396 at Nicopolis, a city in Bulgaria attacked by the Ottoman. Almost the entire force of the allied armies from Holy Roman Empire, France, Bulgaria, Hungary, and others were wiped out by the Ottoman forces.
The Ottoman Empire is currently occupied with a threat from the east, and has ceased its westward invasion... for now.

[Zyraen]

Updated for Milan.
For those who wish more details about various factions, notably those in Milan, feel free to Whatsapp me.

In view characters are all humans and vampires have already become rather discreet, there are intentionally no references to vampires here.