neothiamin
commented
5 years ago Gonna be honest, this is the first suggestion I don't really like. It would be cool, yeah, but I feel like it would be best served by maybe three events in total rather than three chains. I'll file this one away though for future reference.
also hi tele since i know you're reading
As part of the Vomit History at Neo series, this time let's talk about the Ecumenical Council of Florence, the day that Europe stopped vomiting crusades in the middle of Germany, discovered that it is possible to be black and Christian, and we (almost) flex-taped Catholics and Orthodoxes. Shocking, isn't it?
So, what was it? Well, the tl;dr is that no one was really happy about the Catholic-Orthodox split, ever. Both sides were constantly killing each other because lmao you put water the wrong way. Though, yes, that was merely a set of excuses for the Pope to flex on the Patriarch of Constantinople (henceforth referenced as POC, since I'll say it a lot) and vice-versa.
Now, there was a point in which the POC could no longer flex on the Pope, because there was only a handful of states taking them seriously, and those states were all either intent on conquering Constantinople themselves, or getting destroyed by maniacal Asians of all kinds. On top of that, there was also all of that Hussite shit going on in Bohemia, so, simply put, Christians needed to chill and discuss.
The Byzantine Empire was divided regarding this. Some didn't want to change their rite, which was obviously the correct one anyway, while some others knew they'd be better off making small concessions than having the Ottoman ruler siege Constantinople every tuesday. This would trigger a Unionist crisis at home, culminated with Loukas Notaras - Grand Doux/Highest Admiral of the Empire - saying he'd prefer seeing the Turkish turban over the Latin mitre around the city. There had been no civil war over this, because Mehmet II's inaugural siege actually did take down the walls. Who would've guessed?
The event turned out to be a trainwreck, caused by humanity's two greatest enemies: The Plague and Austrians. The plague forced the event to be moved out of Ferrara and into Florence, delaying many delegates, just about enough to give the Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick III von Habsburg enough time to decide he wanted another Pope. The Council's meeting in Basel was forcefully cancelled and had to be moved to Lausanne, where the French king just patted Pope Eugene IV on the shoulder and said "just... chill, it isn't working out". The Pope soon abdicated.
Let's look into EU4 now, shall we? At WotL's start, the Council of Basel that called the Council of Ferrara (that was moved to Florence) had already happened, but the real discussions were about to start. Christianity had three things to deal with. Hussites, Orthodoxes, and whatever the fuck that black guy on the corner was here to represent (we'll get to him later).
First - Hussites. If a Hussite religion, or mechanics, or whatever, is ever added, this Council right here was their last chance at reintegrating into Catholicism. Many Hussite envoys went to previous councils, and almost as many got ora ora ora'd to death by other priests who didn't like their Czech bullshit. In this event, Bohemia could either back down entirely and become Catholic, agree to a deal and keep Hussitism at the cost of some prestige and diplo points, or say fuck you to the Pope and get a Crusade called on them again, but also giving them a CB on every bordering Catholic nation, and for good measure, some military bonuses.
Second, the cool kids of the Byzantine Empire. Their ruler and heir would have a high chance (80%) of converting to Catholicism (ruler/heir, not the country!). If they do, they get foreign aid - diplomatic modifiers and perhaps some manpower increase. Later, they are forced to pick whether they convert fully, keeping said modifiers at the cost of their faith, or if they'll retain the Byzantine Orthodoxy, using the opportunity to remind the POC who's boss around and reinstating their Caesaropapism for permanent tolerance of the true faith and absolutism.
Last but not least, Ethiopians. Yes, Ethiopians. You might be wondering what the fuck they were doing in Florence - to be honest, everyone in the Council was too. No European Christian nation even knew there was a Christian king far away, beyond the lands of the Muslims. Shockingly, however, Ethiopia knew they existed, enough so to know the event was being held. The event would immediately discover Ethiopia's capital province and/or the entire country.
Not satisfied? Well, there's plenty more this could go on. On the Byzantine part, they could have their own little unfortunate set of events go in case they intially accept the Union (we're all getting those Photea vibes, huh?). And Ethiopia, even more so. This is what triggered the Portuguese search for Abyssynia and the Ark of the Covenant, one of the leading factors of their exploration of Africa.
In the next episode of Zeph's Vomitorium, I, on Kampf's request, will pollute the Issue list with the Ottoman interregnum!