Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Chapter 179  Republic Of Venice and the Ottoman Empire Part :1

Italian Peninsula, Republic of Venice, Mazor Consegio (Venetian for Great Council of Venice).

Today marked a momentous day in the history of Venice, a departure from the events of the past Earth timeline. Dignitaries, nobles, and members of the parliament arrived in opulent carriages at the Great Council of Venice. The council itself stood as a grand palace, befitting even the most esteemed emperors.

Inside the council chambers, the walls exuded grandeur, adorned with fine artworks curated from diverse regions of Europe, complemented by the finest Italian masterpieces. The ceiling boasted intricate golden patterns, symbolizing affluence and luxury.

The main noble families of Venice entered the grand palace as the new Doge took his office. The Contarini family, headed by the old patriarch Giovanni Contarini; the Molin family, headed by Marco Molin; the Erizzo family, headed by Antonio Erizzo; the Barbarigo family, headed by Lorenzo Barbarigo; the Gradenigo family, headed by Francisco Gradenigo, and lastly, it was the Morosini family, headed by the new Doge himself and the youngest patriarch of the top noble families at the age of only 40, Giovanni Morosini.

The way Giovanni became the Doge was due to unusual circumstances because after the death of the 100th Doge, Francisco Molin from the Molin family, it was Francisco's closest political competitor, Carlo Contarini from the Contarini family, who should have succeeded him as the new doge but unfortunately, things did not go as intended. Carlo also passed away due to some strange illness.

Following two consecutive deaths of some of the most prominent politicians, the potential contenders grew skeptical about vying for the position of the 101st Doge. Surprisingly, it was the Morosini family, which had long been in decline, that stood firm during the final push for the top spot in the republic, ultimately producing the 101st Doge, Giovanni Morosini.

In reality, this is because of Vijay's butterfly effect. Francisco Molin, who should still be alive and whose death was not until 1655, died as the 100th Doge. Also, his successor, Carlo Contarini, who should have succeeded him as the 101st Doge, would live until 1656. However, due to some reasons in this timeline, he prematurely died even before accepting the title of the Doge. Instead, a new figure emerged as the 101st Doge from the family that had not produced a Doge for a long time.

Inside the Mazor Consegio, as all the nobles and dignitaries got seated, Giovanni started his speech.

"My esteemed parliamentarians, noble compatriots, and distinguished dignitaries, I extend unto you all my most gracious salutations. By a twist of fate, I find myself elevated to the esteemed position of the 101st Doge by your decision. In these unforeseen circumstances our Venetian Republic is facing, I pledge, with unwavering solemnity, to dedicate the entirety of my existence to the advancement of our revered Republic.

Be assured, my noble colleagues, that my commitment knows no bounds, and I shall toil tirelessly in pursuit of the Republic's prosperity until my final breath escapes me."

The People in attendance graciously nodded their approval as Giovanni pressed on with his noble proclamation.

"First, let us begin by honouring Francisco Molin, the revered 100th Doge of the Republic of Venice. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we have lost him. Doge Francisco served the Republic from 1646 until his demise last week in 1654. He was elected as Doge during a time of great turmoil for the Republic as it was engaged in a war against the Ottoman Empire.

I had the privilege of meeting Doge Francisco; he is my mentor in politics, and he was a skilled diplomat and politician. He adeptly navigated the Republic through a challenging period. In my opinion, his greatest achievement was awakening the Venetian nobles from their luxuries and deranged lives, as they were resistant to acknowledging the changes in the world. He reminded us that Venice is no longer the superpower it once was, and without change, the republic would cease to exist. This, my fellow nobles, is what I consider his most significant accomplishment."

Everyone nodded their heads. Some of them still could not extricate themselves from the luxury they used to experience in their teenage years.

"Francisco survived the great plague of Venice in 1630, which killed over 100,000 people. He also survived the outbreak of the Cretan War in 1645, which pitted the Republic against the behemoth Ottoman Empire. He oversaw the signing of the Peace Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, bringing an end to the 30 Years' War. Despite all these achievements, God played a joke on him, taking him away from this world to his Kingdom of God all of a sudden."

"I thank the Molin family for the continued support for the Republic. It is families like yours that form the backbone of our beloved Republic."

*Clap, clap, clap.*

The old man, Marco Molin, got up and accepted the people's praise and gratitude as he smiled and sat down.

"Now, for the main reason I called this meeting. With the help of the Southeastern Empire in Asia, we were able to buy a lot of weaponry and supplies at a very cheap cost. Due to this, our military, which was on the back foot in many of our territories, gained a breather, as the newly imported weapons were abundant enough to equip a lot more soldiers than we could before.

I have also sent a recruitment notice to the inland regions of the Italian Peninsula, looking for warriors in the fight against the evil Ottoman Empire. So, I hereby propose that, in order to gain further advantage, we set up our workshops in the Southeastern Empire, taking advantage of the cheaper raw materials and human resources. According to my current calculations, the price of the 40-pounder, which we are currently importing, could be reduced by another 40%, which is impressive considering that the cannons we bought from the East were already much lower than the market price in Europe.

So, gentlemen, please vote."

The discussions broke out as the silent hall became loud, with many nobles starting to speak amongst themselves. Doge Giovanni did not stop them and looked ahead for the results. While he was waiting for the result, a noble raised his hat and asked a question.

"Dear respected Doge, can we not negotiate with the Portuguese to share the manufacturing technology with us? Recently, they have been making news throughout the continent for their production capabilities of artillery, and the Spaniards have been getting blasted black and blue for this reason."

Listening to this question, Giovanni answered, "Respected sir, I have no hope in this negotiation. Many countries, even their allies, have tried to negotiate with them only to be declined. Apparently, they barricaded a whole town to keep the secret. Also, I do not want to spend too much of our resources, which are already in short supply, to procure knowledge about new manufacturing technology that will eventually be revealed in a few years all over the continent.

And I do not know if you know this, sir, but the technology used by the Portuguese was developed in the Southeastern Empire. So, if we play our cards right, we could also potentially acquire this technology."

The noble who asked the question was thoughtful as he sat down.

Finally, after the votes, the result disappointed Giovanni, as although not an outright rejection, the decision would be pushed forward for more consideration.

"Sigh."

He sighed in disappointment and moved on to other topics about the reforms of various outdated institutions.

The meeting ultimately ended with a disappointed Giovanni, as the majority of his proposals for the modernization of various institutions and closer connections with the Southeastern Empire ended in failure. He had miscalculated the greed of the nobles even in the midst of war. The people running these institutions did not want anything to change, fearing that their power would be damaged. Even though Giovanni tried to convince them that nothing of that sort would happen, they did not want to take any chances.

*Sigh.*

He sighed again as he left the parliament.

But something unexpected happened that immediately changed the parliament's mind—the Battle of Dardanelles started. Two inconclusive naval battles were fought at the Dardanelles between the Venetian and Ottoman fleets. the following month, Another indecisive battle occurred, with both sides suffering significant losses.

The Ottomans were invading Crete, a Venetian property.

Even though the Republic of Venice has been at war with the Ottoman Empire since 1645, this particular battle launched by the Ottomans is clearly focused on destroying Venice completely. With the pressure imposed by the Ottoman Empire, the members of the parliament started to listen to Giovanni's reform movement and agreed to strengthen ties with the Southeastern Empire.

Historically, the Ottomans focused on attacking Venetian territory and defending the Dardanelles, countering the Venetian strategy of breaking the Ottoman blockade of Crete by forcing their way through the Dardanelles and attacking the Ottoman capital, Constantinople. The changes in this timeline make it difficult to predict how these dynamics will evolve.

To Be Continued...