The great expansion of the Ottoman Empire has not ceased. Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, has brought a new golden age upon his lands in the years of his rule. Expanding the Ottoman Empire further into the Middle East and Europe, Suleiman is respected and feared by his neighbors, conquering many along the way. Advancing his empire’s territory but also cultural and architectural beauty, Suleiman and the Ottoman Empire’s expanding naval influence throughout the Mediterranean has led it into direct conflict with the city-states of Italy, principally Venice. Standing as a pillar of resistance to the glory of the Ottoman Empire, something must be done.

Topic one: Blinding the Eyes of the Republic

Where once the three-front threat of the Habsburgs, Venetians, and Mamluks resisted the ordu of the Padişah, the conquest of the Mamluks to the South and the peace with the Holy Roman Emperor to the North leaves only the forces of Italy and her maritime city-states to halt the advance of the Devlet-i Alîye-i Osmânîye. Venice like no other presents a thorn in the soft flank of Anatolia with her fortresses across the Aegean. The Sublime Porte and her navy stand poised to wrest control from the insolent merchants, but Rome watches wearily, ready to construct an alliance to save the Adriatic. 

Topic two: The Union of the Crescent and the Lily

The Sultan of Sultans, sovereign of sovereigns and dispenser of crowns, has found a long awaited European ally looming in the West. King and Padişah stand together against the tyrannies of the Holy Roman Emperor with respect and in spite of their clashes of faith. Long have Francis and Suleiman dreamed of conquering the heartland of Rome, of uniting the far flung allies into an unstoppable wave against the Spanish, Germans, Hungarians, and all others who would stand in the way. It was the Franks who drove back the Caliphate once, but, properly cajoled, it may be the French who invite the Sublime Porte into the West.