Italy

General Information

Italy is playable from many, many different centuries and starting bookmarks.

Odoacer's Roman Kingdom of Italy

Italy is first playable from 476 to 493 after the Fall of the West Rome, under the first King of Italy, Flavius Odoacer. Interestingly enough, Odoacer's short lived Italian Kingdom is the only time where Italy has Roman as its primary culture.

Carolingian Italy

Italy is later playable from 855 to 950 under Francia's Carolingian Dynasty (Dynasty of Charlemagne).

Napoleonic Italy

Napoleon's Italy is playable from 1797 to 1805. Italy is a client state under France created by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Under his Italy, you will receive an incredible amount of monarch points due to Napoleon's 6/4/6 rank, as well as his god-like 6/6/6/4 general stats.

Unified Italian Kingdom

Italy had just been unified through the combined efforts of King Vittorio Emmanuele II's Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont in Northern Italy, and Giuseppe Garibaldi's Redshirts in Southern Italy. Emmanuele II's Kingdom of Italy is playable from 1861 to 1925.

Fascist Italy

Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italy is playable from 1925 to 1943. Under Mussolini's rule, your government rank gets upgrade from Kingdom to Empire. When WWII starts in 1939, Italy does not get involved and stays neutral for about half a year. In 1940, Mussolini's Fascist Italy will join the Axis Powers together with Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany against the Allies led by France, Great Britain, and Poland. In 1943, Mussolini's fascist government eventually fled to Northeast Italy when the Allies take over the bulk of Italy.

Strategy

World War 2

The Axis Route

If you wish to join WW2 on the side of The Axis, immediately get relations up with Germany in order to get an alliance. The Germans might even send you an alliance offer within the 1st week of WW2 because they need allies to help them with the war. Alternatively, you could fast forward to June 10, 1940, the date that Italy officially entered WW2. The French are very weak at that starting date so you should have no problem in finishing off the baguette

IMPORTANT NOTE: This Axis Route strategy will be based on the 1939 WW2 start, not the June 10, 1940 start.

The French Campaign

Once in the war, move your regiments up towards the Savoy region. With your regiments stationed in the Alpine Mountains, France will take heavy casualties trying to defeat your soldiers. By splitting France's attention in half, Germany will be winning battles and gaining ground into France; fighting this two front war will be too much for France to handle. Once Paris falls to the Axis, it's over for France in Europe.

The North African Campaign

France and Great Britain will have troops stationed in Africa, so following the Fall of France, you should move a big chunk of your troops into North Africa.

Form Italy

Requirements:

Is in the Latin Culture Group
Is not:
- The Papal State
- Holy Roman Empire
- Italy
- Rome
- West Rome
- European Union
Administrative Technology at least 10
Does not exist:
- Italy
- Rome
- West Rome
Is not a subject nation
Is not a colonial nation
At Peace
Owns Core Provinces: Genoa, Milan, Modena, Verona, Mantua, Firenze, Siena, Roma, and Ancona

Upon Enactment:

Country Changes to Italy
Set government rank to Kingdom, if not higher tier
If an HRE member and not an elector or emperor
- Leave the HRE
- Emperor receives event Italy breaks out of the Empire.
- Emperor receives the opinion modifier “Left the Holy Roman Empire” towards Italy, worth -150.
Gain 25 Prestige
Gain a permanent claim on the Italian Region
Get the event New Traditions & Ambitions.

Italian Ideas and Traditions

Traditions:

+20% Global Trade Power
+50% Better Relations Over Time

Ideas:

Not a Geographical Construct: −10% Stability Cost modifier
Mare Nostrum: -15% Galley Cost & +20% Galley Combat Ability
The Office of Censor: +33% National Manpower Modifier
Italian Tax Reform: +15% National Tax Modifier
Heir to the Empire: +1 Yearly Prestige
The Path to Citizenship: -25% Core-Creation Cost

Ambitions:

+20% Fort Defense