A Short History of Mantua

Mantua Until 1088

After the initial chaos that surrounded the fall of the Numan Empire subsided, the Lorenzo family found themselves in complete control of Mantua (as well as the northern and southernmost islands). They ruled this land with an iron fist for many years, often claiming to be the kings of Vodacce; visitors who never pressed south into Gallili or Delaga lands often never questioned the truth of that statement. The farthest eastern stretches of their land they eventually handed to one of their cadet lines, the Serrano, to administer.

Lorenzo power broke in the late eleventh century. They were always great generals, and so, from pride and pious display, were at the forefront of the crusade the Third Prophet called against the Cresent Empire. The Thean armies were beaten, badly. Militarily disadvantaged, and with returning, hungry armies from Castille and Montaigne tromping across their fields, Lorenzo power on the mainland was imperiled. The Caligara family in particular launched an offensive up from the south, taking much of the land they hold today in the process.

It was then that the Mad Queen began her efforts to recapture Lorenzo glory by erasing the Cresents from existence. No Cresents, no crusade, no lost Lorenzo armies. Instead, the southernmost island disappeared, taking the bulk of the Lorenzo noble family with it. The Caligara quickly stormed the northernmost island, killing more Lorenzos.

From 1088 to 1175

The Serranos were defending their lands ably, but the broken remnants of the Lorenzo family in the northwest were faced with an unpleasant decision. The Caligara loomed to their east; the other Delaga cadet branch, the Villanova, were watching from the south. Even the sleepy Mondavi farmers were watching the situation with interest. The Mondavi had long been good neighbors and trade partners; the Lorenzo offered them their remaining lands in exchange for protection. The Mondavi jumped at the offer, expanding their holdings from the swampy riverside to nearly their entire current holdings.

They were still only the Mondavi; had the Delaga lines been more cooperative, they might have taken all of Mantua. However, they fell to squabbling internally and the opportunity passed. Then the Hieros War with Castille began, and all Vodacce keenly felt the loss of its best generals.

During the turmoil of the Hieros War, the Serranos made their move to reclaim their "familial lands," first from the Caligara. Infamously, they made extensive (and effective) use of poisons to do so. The Caligara, suffering from many small losses in the crusades, their conflict with the Lorenzos, and the Hieros War, were not in a good position to fight back. Some desperate deals were made, and the unlanded Vestini family (formerly servants of the Gallili line who'd married in legitimately through their excessive good looks) was given the opportunity to smash the Serrano and take what they could.

The Vestini did well for themselves. By 1175, they held much of their current lands (and some of the Caligara lands as well).

1175 to 1400

The Vestini owned the land, but found that they still had a powerful enemy living among them. The Bianco family, claiming descent from an illegitimate Lorenzo son, were bankers. Their network of banks extended from northern Montaigne to western Castille to southern Vodacce; before their fall, they would even have a branch in Avalon. They made loans and moved currency, making money hand over fist in an age when few understood the forces that made economies work. They were clearly opposed to their Vestini overlords and, with their immense wealth, were able to connive against them fairly effectively. The Caligara took back some of their lands at this point, and the Vestini were too busy rooting out Bianco plots to really do much about it.

Temporal power was apparently insufficient for Bianco ambitions; in 1398 evidence of their systematic Legion-worship came to light. They were rumored to have strego, male Fate Witches, in their line. That was never proven, but they did have more Unbound men than the norm. The public outcry against the Legion-worshippers gave the Vestini all they needed to begin an outright crusade against the Bianco, but they proved to be a tough nut to crack. If not for the miraculous intervention of Andare de Casigula Rosa and his retinue of the Knights of the Black Cross, things might have gone very differently. By 1400, the last of the Bianco perished in their manorhouse in a blaze they apparently set themselves. The Vestini were finally the undisputed masters of their domain.

1400 to Present

Mondavi lands have been undisturbed for ages; they grow rice and sell it at reasonable prices. No one else particularly wants the job; the Mondavi have never excited envy or anger in their neighbors. Vodacce pride keeps Mondavi neighbors from mentioning that the Lorenzo military genius also apparently passed into the Mondavi blood; those few attempts that have been made to encroach on Mondavi land have been savagely repulsed and retributions made. Prince Alcide Mondavi is actually somewhat against his family's type; he is the very picture of a sleepy, pre-Lorenzo Mondavi nobleman farmer. (Except for that dueling part.)

Caligara (now Caligari) lands and Vestini lands have seen their mutual border fluctuate over the years; with Numa to the south, the Caligari don't move much in that direction. Similarly, the Vestini are faced with the formidable Bernoulli on their southern border. If Vestini power continues on its current upward trend and Bernoulli's death results in chaos for his family (as many expect), the situation may change dramatically. But for now, the Bernoulli are too old and too powerful for the Vestini to challenge.