Florence

Primary culture

Tuscan (Latin)

Capital province

Firenze (116)

Government

Italian Signoria

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 | edit source]

Main article: Tuscan missions

Events[edit | edit source]

Main article: Tuscan events

Florence shares many events with Tuscany.

Decisions[edit | edit source]

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 nation.
is not Tuscany.
has not enacted this decision before.
is not a colonial nation.
has Tuscan as primary culture.

If the country is AI-controlled, it:

is not a custom nation.
is not a former colonial nation.
owns at least 3 cities.
Tuscany does not exist.

Playing with normal or historical nations.

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 at war.
is not a nomad nation.
owns core provinces:
- Arezzo
- Firenze
- Pisa
- either Siena or Lucca.

Effects

The country:

becomes Tuscany.
gains 25 prestige.
gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’, unless it's a custom nation or has Tuscan ideas.
gets permanent claims on all unowned provinces with Tuscan culture.
(Hidden) gets the event “The Emperor Condemns Tuscany's Elevation” within 50 to 70 days.
gets “Increased Centralization” for 20 years, giving:
- −0.05 monthly autonomy change,
- +1 national unrest.

AI will always take this decision
AI gives "high priority" (400) to this decision

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 nation.
has not enacted this decision before.
is not a colonial nation.
is in the Latin culture group

If the country is AI-controlled, it:

is not a custom nation.
is not a former colonial nation.
has at least 15 cities.

Playing with normal or historical nations.

Allow

The country:

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

Effects

The country:

becomes Italy.
gains 25 prestige.
gets new missions.
gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’, unless it has custom ideas.
increases rank to kingdom, if it is a duchy
gets a permanent claim on Italy region.
moves its capital to Roma.
enacts "Italian Signoria" government reform if no reform has been selected

If Italy is a member of the Holy Roman Empire but not the emperor or an elector, then:

all its provinces are removed from the Empire.
the emperor of the HRE:
- gets the opinion modifier “Left the Holy Roman Empire” ( −150 Opinion / +1 Yearly decay) towards Italy.
- gets the event ‘Italy breaks out of the Empire’.

AI will always take this decision

Strategy[edit | edit source]

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.

Tuscany and Italy[edit | edit source]

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 | edit source]

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 | edit source]

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.