Italy Megacampaign: Part 01: 1444-1458: Venetian Constantinople

I thought about joining the HRE, but I'm barely within allowed range, and getting my relationship with Austria to necessary 180 would take forever, since I can't guarantee them, can't royal marry them, can't even bribe them properly without taking a ton of loans, and their rivals are not really countries I'd like to rival myself. Scornful insult is one thing I could do, but diplomacy would still take until 1448 or so and by that time Ottomans might wreck the rest of my plans.

Hungary rivaled me, which was a shame as I wanted to be their ally. So I allied Austria, Castile, and Poland, and formed a trade league of Ragusa, Mantua, Nuremberg, Ulm, Memmingem, Albania, The Knights, Siena, and Lucca. That got me to 6th position among known countries by income. Of course Ming is far ahead of us all, and Timurids and Indian blobs will soon be quite income competitive.

My actual first war was against my eternal arch-rival duchy of Nicaea which illegally occupied Constantinople and broke the union between Latin and Greek churches reestablished by council of Lyon in 1272. To be honest it was only half about those heretics, and half about preparing grounds for a big coming war with the Turks.

After that, Serbia was holding one of my cores, gold mine next to it, and while I was at it, I might as well get the rest of that state and some money.

A while later I did something I almost never do, and declared a no-CB war on newly released Tripoli. They had 2 CoTs, and I needed just that many for age objectives. All that trade will flow to Genoa node regardless, so it won't do me much good anytime soon, but I need to think a bit longer term. And presence on two continents is another age objective. As is having 30dev province - it took only three clicks to get my capital there. And for last reason, there's no way I'll get a CB on those North African minors anytime soon, so might just as well take the stab hit and jump the easy war.

Renaissance spawned it Lucca. I thought about dealing with the Turks, but I'm considerable behind on tech already, and Renaissance is taking its sweet time. I finally paid for it in 1458.

Unfortunately my ally Castile got Aragon and Naples very early - often Aragon loses Naples before the wedding, or wedding never happens, and that would have made it easier.

I got nepotism government reform, and got a nephew of previous doge as next doge. Before that it was a bunch of men over 70.

One gold mine, a bit of coastline, and a new vassal.

It's more about preventing Turks from capturing Constantinople than any value for myself.

Poland/Lithuania is ugly but strong.