Florence

Primary culture

Tuscan (Latin)

Capital province

Firenze (116)

Government

Oligarchic Republic

State religion

Catholic

Technology group

Western

Tuscan ideas

Traditions:

−10% Development cost

+2 Yearly papal influence

Birthplace of the Renaissance

−5% Technology cost

−5% Idea cost

Condottieri

−15% Mercenary maintenance

Tuscan Banking

−0.5 Interest per annum

Patron of the Arts

+1 Yearly prestige

Porto Franco

+15% Trade efficiency

Administrative reforms

+10% Production efficiency

Territorial Ambition

+25% National manpower modifier

Ambition:

+5% Discipline

The lands of Tuscany are fertile with intellectual thought, as all of Italy stands on the precipice of the Renaissance. New ideas about life, God, and, most importantly, government, are spreading across the Italian Peninsula and giving all the region's rulers something to think about. The Medici family of Florence in particular seem ready to take the changes in philosophy and government in stride, and are worth keeping an eye on. If they followed all their ambitions, they could become Popes, or discard the last pretenses of republican rule in Florence and turn the country into a monarchy and themselves into rulers of all

Tuscany.
Such ambitions will not go unchallenged. South of Tuscany,

the Papal State will begrudge any interference with its rule, whether by territorial conquest or an attempted takeover of the Curia. To the north, the rulers of

Milan may attempt to recreate the conquests of Gian Galeazzo Visconti, who controlled lands as far south as

Siena and

Perugia in the late 1300s. Wedged between powerful neighbors, it will take all the canny wiles of a modern ruler to survive the machinations of popes and princes and come out on top.

Florence is a nation in central Italy that is a part of the Tuscan culture. It is one of the nations that can form Tuscany and Italy, and one of the most likely to do so. It has Catholic as its starting religion.

Missions[edit]

Main article: Tuscan missions

Events[edit]

Main article: Tuscan events

Florence shares many events with Tuscany.

Decisions[edit]

id

Form Tuscany

Not since the days of the Margraviate of Tuscany has a single power controlled as much of the the Tuscan lands as we do. Let us adopt a new title to better reflect our new standing among the states of Italy.

Potential requirements

The country:

was never an end-game tag.
is not Tuscany, The Papal State, Holy Roman Empire, Roman Empire or Italy.
has Tuscan as primary culture.
is not a colonial nation.
has not enacted this decision before.

If the country is AI-controlled, then:

it can not be a custom nation.
it can not be a former colonial nation.
it must have at least 5 cities.

Allow

Tuscany does not exist.
The country

has an administrative technology of at least 10.
is not a subject nation other than a tributary state.
is not a nomad nation.
is not at war.
owns its core provinces:
- Arezzo (2978).
- Firenze (116).
- Pisa (115).
- Siena (117) or Lucca (2980).

Effects

The country:

changes to Tuscany.
gets the modifier “Increased Centralization” for 20 years with the following effects:
- −0.05 monthly autonomy change,
- +1 national unrest.
gets permanent claims on all provinces with Tuscan culture that it does not own.
gains 25 prestige.
(hidden)
gets the event “The Emperor Condemns Tuscany's Elevation” within 50 days.

If Tuscany:

is not a custom nation and does not have Tuscan ideas
- then it gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’.

id

Form Italian Nation

As the heart of the Renaissance, our nation is blossoming culturally. We have just entered the beginning of what looks like a prolonged artistic rebellion, especially in the field of architecture and literature. The cultural evolution is not aiding our country in maintaining peace within our borders however. Our country is continuously stricken by foreign states seeking power and territorial gain.

Potential requirements

Italy does not exist.

The country:

was never an end-game tag.
has a primary culture in the Latin culture group.
is not a colonial nation.

If the country is AI-controlled then it:

can not be a former colonial nation.
must own at least 15 cities.
can not be a custom nation.

Allow

The country:

has an administrative technology of at least level 10.
is not a subject nation other than a tributary state.
is not at war.
owns at least 20 core provinces in Italy (region) including
- Genoa (101), Milan (104), Firenze (116) and Roma (118).

Effects

If the country:

is a member of the Holy Roman Empire but not the emperor or an elector then:
- all its provinces are removed from the HRE.
- the emperor gets the event ‘Italy breaks out of the Empire’.
- the emperor gets the opinion modifier ‘Left the Holy Roman Empire’ towards the country, worth −150 opinion with a yearly decay of 1.

The country:

becomes Italy.
moves its capital to Roma (118).
gets a permanent claim on every province in Italy (region) that it does not own.
gains 25 prestige.
obtains new missions (which are Italian missions).

If Italy:

is a duchy then
- it becomes a kingdom.
does not have custom ideas then
- it gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’.

Strategy[edit]

The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Florence. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.

Government type[edit]

Florence starts as an Oligarchic Republic, this means that upon ruler death the player will be able to decide which government form to choose. Choosing Monarchy grants the possibility to make royal marriages; while this can be useful to get alliances with great powers early on, it can also be good to get personal unions either with Savoy or Naples (once it is free from its overlord Aragon) to speed up expansion in the Italian region. Another way to form a monarchy is by the event to form Tuscany (which turns Florence into a Feudal Monarchy) or to decrease the Republican Tradition, form a Republican Dictatorship, and then let it become a monarchy on ruler's death.

The player can also choose to increase the Nobility Estate's influence to over 100%, then allow the aristocratic coup to happen. Though this will cause the Trade income to drop, but in exchange the Noble Republic government type gives troops a boost in Morale. Since the influence of the Nobility is over the limit, the player can use the benefits to increase its military power. When playing wide, the benefits of having an oversized and strong military outweigh the drop in Trade income and allows Florence to expand with military advantage early in the game.

Alternatively, the player can keep the republican form, a decision which makes the distribution of Monarch Points much more fluid and dynamic, adapting to the needs of the moment.

Tuscany and Italy[edit]

As an Italian minor, the early game is not easy, and it can be wise to wait for Europe's geopolitical situation to stabilize before setting rivals. Fabricate claims on Lucca and Siena early on. They tend to join trade leagues under either Genoa or Venice. Milan usually is the only available relatively strong ally at game start and can be a good ally against the powerful Merchant republics on either side of the Italian boot, if Milan is not rivaling Austria (an alliance with the emperor will usually forestall the "Unlawful Territory" demand). Nevertheless, Milan often has its own expansionist agenda, so eventually (especially if the player aims to form Italy) one must be ready to break their alliance and confront them in war. When Naples becomes independent later on, it can be a great ally against The Papal State.

Florence's mid-game goal is usually to form Tuscany and possibly Italy. In order to form Tuscany, Florence must own its three starting provinces plus either Siena or Lucca. Vassalizing and diplomatic annexing them is not advisable as it requires more time. After Tuscany is formed, and the Shadow Kingdom event has fired, the player can expand to form Italy. Since Italian land gives a large amount of aggressive expansion from high development, it can be a good idea to establish a foothold in North Africa, usually Tunis, and expand there while European aggressive expansion cools down. Depending on the alliance situation after the Shadow Kingdom event, it can be good to ally nations that are rivals with Austria but don't really want provinces in Italy. France is often the right choice; other options could include Castile, Aragon, or Hungary.

Florence/Tuscany is in the unique position of being able to strike at all the provinces needed to form Italy. Being a monarchy as Tuscany allows a player to form personal unions, especially over Savoy or Naples, as well as royal marriages to secure alliances with strong powers early on. The diplomatic strategy requires the early adoption of the influence and diplomatic idea groups, which means sacrificing any real chance to colonize.

Colonization[edit]

Colonization can be chosen both early or late in the game. A good strategy could be to push through Egypt to gain access to the Red Sea and via that route to colonize Asia and Indochina, and push through to Australia. Alternatively, pushing through Morocco towards the rich gold provinces of West Africa is an optional strategy, although this route usually is more difficult because of the Reconquista by the Iberian monarchies. It could be good for the player to conquer parts of North Africa after the Shadow Kingdom event, and get stronger with the help of colonies to then form Italy. If the player decides to do so, trade from Asia may be pulled from the Gulf of Aden trade node to Venice and from Timbuktu, trade may be pulled across the Sahara to Tunis and on to the Genoa trade node. Once Tuscany or Italy have become a great power later in the game, the player could choose to take over other nation's colonial nations to better expand its colonial domain.

Development[edit]

Florence is one of the strongest nations if a player is looking to play "tall". Florence starts as part of the HRE and the Italian provinces mostly consist of farmlands. Florence has access to the Genoa trade note and multiple centers of trade nearby. Another bonus is that the Renaissance is guaranteed to spawn in Italy. Gaining control over that province provides the Birthplace of Renaissance modifier, lowering development by an extra 5%. Being a Oligarchic Republic means that the player can exchange Republican Tradition to gain a good amount of monarch points.