Chapter 126 The end of the tour
The port of Camarda is far inferior to that of Venice, Genoa, and even Constanta is much better.
Looking at the docks, which were smaller than Constanta, Peter felt that Patras and Missolonghi were more suitable for the Peloponnese.
"It's better to come back later, it's still a mess here."
Peter had long since made Moriah his own, and he would not allow anyone, not even anyone, to interfere.
The ship left Morea and entered the Aegean Sea. Most of the ships that appeared here were Venetian. They bought spices from the east and shipped them to the west for sale. They seemed prosperous but actually paid very little tax. These are all sins of the past.
The ship sailed smoothly and soon arrived at the last stop of the journey, Constantinople.
Constantinople, Queen of Cities, City of Desire for the World. More than a thousand years have passed since Constantine established the capital, and after the catastrophe of the Crusaders, it has lost its former glory.
The dome of Hagia Sophia still stands, but the city's population is less than 100,000, which leaves some room for farming.
However, the academic atmosphere in Constantinople was very strong, and everyone from high-ranking officials to slaves was a theologian. Things about the Trinity or the Eastern and Western Churches are talked about every day in the market, and they are all opposed to the Western Church.
This is easy to understand. After all, how is it possible to still call brother with a smile after that incident.
The University of Constantinople was the best place for academics. It contained not only theological and legal books, but also a large number of documents from the classical era. But most of them can only eat dust in the storage room.
After the establishment of the Palaeolian dynasty, Constantinople gradually recovered its vitality, but in fact, the rebuilt country was nothing more than a pitiful relic of an empire. Some nobles and scholars began to run away, either to Italy or Wallachia. Only these two places are safe.
"I came to Constantinople. Everything here was very different from what I thought. Some buildings were dilapidated. The merchant ships in the port were from Venice and Genoa. There were even ruins in the suburbs. Everything seemed so strange. ." Peter wrote in his travel diary.
The only better place is the Hagia Sophia. After the recapture of Constantinople, the cathedral seemed quite dilapidated. The four buttresses on the west were probably added at this time. In 1317, Andronikos II added four buttresses to the east and north of the church. An earthquake in October 1344 cracked the dome of the church, and part of the building collapsed on May 19, 1346. The church was closed thereafter. In 1354, the architects Astra and Peralta were responsible for the renovation of the church.
The cathedral that can be seen now is the result of renovation, and the murals and decorations are still very good. Peter prayed here, praying that he would one day take over Constantinople.
He also saw many people escaping from Galata by boat. After learning, they all went to Constanta.
"Constantinople can't accommodate them. Do you want to run away so much?"
"The Ottoman Sultan had already cleared and destroyed this place. These people felt that it was about to fall, so they started running away."
Looking at the people who were planning to leave here, Peter felt sad for this empire. It has been more than a thousand years, and it is now on the verge of national subjugation. Without a wise and powerful leader, 1453 will come again.
Peter, who no longer had any purpose in the city, took his ship and sailed out of the Golden Horn. Seven days later the ship arrived at Burgas. At this point, Peter's European trip officially ended.
This trip lasted for eleven months and visited 10 countries, 76 towns and 14 big cities. He wrote a travel diary of more than 100,000 words, and later added to it, completing the famous "European Travel Notes". It describes the geography, humanities, and economy of Central Europe and Italy in detail. It is a must-read book for understanding Central Europe.
At the same time, Peter also compiled the techniques he learned from northern Italy. There are technologies such as cast iron, textiles, shipbuilding, and military industry. They are all the most advanced technologies of this period. The effect is even better when paired with travel notes.
This trip increased Peter's knowledge and sowed seeds of influence for the future along the way. What's more, some Central European craftsmen and skilled workers also came here, and they settled in Constanta and Bukul Yesti to make a living from their crafts.
Some converted to Orthodox Christianity under the influence of the local church, while others gathered together to form communities, creating a different scene in the capital region.
Their craftsmanship is needed by Wallachia. The raw materials are turned into industrial products one by one and exported to increase the country's income, which is very good. Moreover, the technology of the military industry also contributed to the construction of the army.
Peter also wrote a letter to his father to report that he was safe, and at the same time transferred his Genoese ship to the port of Constanta, and its cargo was transported to the capital as a gift to the family. And he continued to devote himself to work. After all, his position as Governor of Bulgaria had not been revoked.
By this time, Northern Bulgaria had been revitalized, with Sofia and Tervono becoming economic centers. The population is also increasing rapidly. Prospectors have discovered an iron mine and a coal mine near Nis, and the smelting of steel will also increase.
After Peter came to Sofia, he continued to survey the country, and during his absence fifty thousand people came here, and a hundred thousand more passed through it and went north to Moldova and Wallachia. They would be the driving force of Wallachia's future.
In terms of income, tariffs have grown the fastest, poll taxes have been the most stable, and industrial and commercial taxes and agricultural taxes have also increased a lot. Bulgaria's finances are getting richer and richer, which allows Peter to have more funds to engage in cultural construction.
Promote the Wallachian language, increase research on painting and poetry, and give more construction funds to universities. Except for Northern Italy, no ruler attaches so much importance to culture. Moreover, Peter also valued books from other countries. He would spend a lot of money to buy books and have them translated. Just like the Arabs in the Golden Age, Wallachia began a great translation movement.
The church is somewhat resistant to this, but Peter focuses on practicality. Political correctness aside, these are very useful. Whether it is medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, or mathematics, the right way is to learn from each other's strengths and offset weaknesses.
Astronomy also developed, and at the monastery near Gyurgiu the first observatory was built. Some monks began to observe the sky and record the changes in registers, trying to catch up with other countries and become the first.
Architecture and literature are also developing rapidly, and various architectural and literary works have appeared in Wallachia, and all of this is inseparable from Peter. After all, without this heir, the fate of Wallachia is difficult to say.