Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter: The Signoria of Florence, 1478

The Medici dynasty under patriarch Lorenzo reigns supreme, but cracks in their hegemony are beginning to form. Since his election to the Papacy, Sixtus IV has empowered his allies and relatives across central Italy. Florence's erstwhile allies in Milan have betrayed the Medicis, selling Imola to Sixtus in fulfillment of his goal of a new Papal state in the Romagna. The Pazzi and other rivals to Medici dominance struggle under their yoke, seeking allies in Rome and across northern Italy. To the north, Ludovico Sforza presses his claim to the Milanese dukedom. As Venice loses its Greek possessions to the Ottomans, the Doge sets his sights on Italian politics. France waits with bated breath for the death of Charles d’Anjou, who is expected to will his claim on the Neapolitan throne to Louis "the Spider King." Will Florence empower their Medici princes or turn to the Pope for aid? Will the Italic League remain stable or will rising tensions lead to a new era of wars in Italy? Delegates must balance the future of Florence with their own ambitions as they grapple with an overbearing prince, a hostile Pope, and the ambitious kings of France and Germany.