Furthermore, the Austrian Archdukes have suffered Excommunication ever since, making them unelectable by the God-fearing German nobility. The Papacy took it's revenge by immediately leaving the HRE, declaring that the Empire was neither Roman nor Holy. Austria made good on it's pledge to transfer it's French land to France, ceding two provinces in this war (the rest came later). Eventually, Northern Italy and parts of Greece were lost to the attackers. France and Castille once again attempted to come to the Pope's rescue, but could not break through Milan. The Papal armies stood no chance and were quickly overwhelmed. They plotted to clean them up by taking the Pope's land, in league with Milan and the Muslim Ottomans, as well as their other standard defacto vassals, Brandenburg and Sweden.
Austria set the stage by annexing Ferrara, creating disgustingly ugly borders in Italy. The regency of Joan continued to be a dark time for Europe, marked by the bitter UnCrusade by various unholy factions against the Pope.
