The eagle's left head

[Quinkana]

I'm glad that the Venetians are pacified for now, and with the Greek colonies being under Lascarid control there is no doubt who is top dog in the East Med: the Third Empire is without a doubt hegemony of the Eastern Med, with no one being strong enough to knock them down for now. The fact that the Venetians lost in such humiliating fashion due to losing their colonial empire and having recruitment problems after the straits are closed would be a huge black eye to the republic.

Well, the OTL was a great example on how venetian policy was transformed. Once Venice lost its thalassocracy to the Ottomans, they focused on industry. If memory serves right, at some point Ragusa had a greater tonnage of merchant vessels that Venice. The Venetian patricians stopped being captains and invested heavily on their estates and industries. I would argue that this process had started by the beginning of the 15th century. At the same time, their oligarchic system ossified and social mobility decreased.

That would be very interesting for Venice to go for this, since it would be one of the few ways the Venetian polity would survive, but would it go and attempt to control the Po Valley as per otl, with the third empire being their enemy and allies to the third empire being there?

Also I don't see Venice not trying to hobble the third empire at least once or twice. This is a humiliation that I don't think the Venetians won't try to avenge at least once.

Wait a minute, which islands are we talking about exactly ?, because I would much prefer a Sardinia governed by a local dynasty ( for once there is the possibility, so that he can entirely concentrate on improving the local infrastructure and not treat us like a colony ( the only ones who in OTL had given a minimum of attention to the island were, ironically, the Spaniards, rather than their Savoy "" compatriots "" ) rather than instead ending up being annexed to the former Despotate of Syracuse, thank you, but I would prefer to end up back in the hands of the Aragonese in case such a situation is even remotely taken into consideration ( Syracusian annexation of Sardegna ) , rather than the Savoys ( who for us Sardinians are not exactly the brightest example of a good government, to put it in a polite way.... ) if instead we mean Cyprus, Crete and Rhodes, then it's a completely different matter, and I am more than in favor of seeing them incorporated into the possessions of the Sicilian Basileus ( even if I have a small weakness for the Kingdom crusader of Cyprus and for the knights of Malta ... oops I meant Hospitallers 😜 )

Yeah I agree that Sardinia is better ruled by themselves, and with the Lascarids and the local conditions in that point in time I could see them succeeding in doing so. Maybe we see Sardinia take over Corsica too, which would be interesting.

 

[galileo-034]

Great update. It will be interesting to see how the war starts between the ottomans and the new byzantine / Sicily empire.

Most likely possibility. Ottoman raiding parties getting out of hand/

Something like the Hafsids' OTL attack on Malta in 1429 for example?

Speaking of which, I'm curious to see how things evolve in the relations between the Lascarid Empire and the other big muslim players of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean, be it the Mameluks or the Hafsids. Between the Third Sicilian War* (1344-1353) and the War of St Titus (1364-1372), the Lascarids have displaced both the Angevins and the Venetians from the picture.
I could add they put Aragon out of the picture as a result of the Second Sicilian War* (1315-1335), between the end of the Catalan adventure in Greece, Frederick's dynasty in Sicily or the ill fated intervention of Alfonso IV at Malta, and except for the war of the Straits, they have been mostly been absorbed/distracted by Spain.
So even if Genoa has still Galata and the Black Sea trading posts, Syracuse has become the de facto hegemon of the region, and that must count big on the wider diplomatic arena.

* If you accept that nomenclature, with the First Sicilian war being the War of the Vespers.

 

[Chernabog90]

Speaking of which, I'm curious to see how things evolve in the relations between the Lascarid Empire and the other big muslim players of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean, be it the Mameluks or the Hafsids. Between the Third Sicilian War* (1344-1353) and the War of St Titus (1364-1372), the Lascarids have displaced both the Angevins and the Venetians from the picture.

I kinda suggested that their relationship should be enemy of my enemies is my friend logic for the relationship between the Sicilian and mameluks.

 

[Xenophonte]

So even if Genoa has still Galata and the Black Sea trading posts, Syracuse has become the de facto hegemon of the region, and that must count big on the wider diplomatic arena.

After the just finished war with Venetia, confirming the Sicilians central/eastern Med., hegemony, is in Genoa interest to keep the somewhat friendly relations with them. Cause, actually in case of conflict, and besides from the damage to their commerce they would be cut out from their Black Sea possessions/trading posts, most of whom would be practically defenseless while the rest 'd be left to their own resources...

 

[galileo-034]

I kinda suggested that their relationship should be enemy of my enemies is my friend logic for the relationship between the Sicilian and mameluks.

In what sense it remains to be seen. If the Ottomans are strong enough to draw the bulk of Timur's attention to them like OTL, then it leaves the door open for the Mameluks to continue their regional hegemonic ambitions. They did vassalize Cyprus at some point in the early 15th century I believe.
I'm more seeing the region settling along a Lascarid vs Mameluk fracture line, like the ERE of old versus the Ssassanids. At this point, without the resources of the Balkans to empower their resurgence after the Timurid invasion and solidify their hegemony, the Ottomans are going to be on the periphery of the contest between Cairo and Syracuse by the late 15th century. They are not enemies yet, like the Romans were not yet the enemies of Parthia before the 1st century BC, but they are on a course to become so.
Pending that, there is no so much reasons that would push Cairo to be particularly leaning on the Lascarids; they have not yet collided with the Ottomans in Anatolia, so they don't have much in terms of common enemies, and they won't have any more if the Lascarid prevail in the Balkans after the Timurid invasion (cut the Straits at Gallipoli and Constantinople, entice/help Serbian and Bulgarian rebellions, and finish off Turkish Thrace, while the Sons of Osman are at each other's throats in Anatolia).
The Ottomans may resurge to unite only Anatolia ITTL, but that won't never rise to the level of threatening Mameluks without their European resources and even less compell Cairo to be friendly with Syracuse.