Chapter 224 Military and Internal Affairs
Constantinople's actions shocked Krakow, and Wladyslaw could only send an envoy again to find out what this man wanted to do. See if it will set you on fire.
In the north, the Teutonic Knights saw an opportunity to plunder the countryside on the Lithuanian border. Vytautas had to lead the army to drive away these people first. He also sent a second letter to Krakow, hoping for quick rescue.
But even if Wladyslaw had the intention, Poland's own political system has determined that the speed will not be fast. Prior to this, the Polish nobles successfully established a principle-the king must be elected by the nobles, thus establishing the Polish aristocracy. They had a parliament, called the Sejm, which was a combination of the Senate and an elected king. The king was de facto a companion to the noble class and was constantly supervised by senators.
Such a system of government created difficulties for the king, as neither taxation nor conscription could be accomplished quickly. Wladyslaw could only resolve the friction between Wallachia and Lithuania through diplomacy first.
Just when the Three Kingdoms were in motion, the first peasant crusade had arrived in the town of Ross. Since there was no official name, it was named after Zaporozhye.
At this time, after various circumstances, including food shortage, weather, Tatars, etc., the number of Crusaders was reduced by about one-third compared with before. But their efforts are worth it. Large areas of land have been surrendered to Wallachia. The local population is small, but the land is fertile and can be used for farming and grazing.
The Golden Horde gradually lost control of the land west of the Don River, leaving only the Tatars who were unwilling to give up these high-quality pastures and naturally tried their best to deal with the Christian Crusaders. And the Crusaders thought so too. There can only be one owner on this land.
----Dividing line----
Michael was placed as governor of Cyprus by his brother Peter, and a teacher was sent to him to study. Mihai could only agree and start his own learning path.
Cyprus is the largest and most populous island in the Eastern Mediterranean. Most of the people were Greeks and believed in Orthodox Christianity, so when Wallachia of the same religion regained it, they quickly surrendered.
It was here that Michael gained experience, while Peter's other brother Vlad studied in Constantinople. His marriage to Anne was Mircea's most important priority and would ensure Wallachia's reach into the richest areas of Central Europe. Moreover, the situation in Bohemia has been somewhat unstable recently. Many nobles have united to attack Wenzel, and even Sigismund is preparing to join.
For safety, Wenzel planned to smuggle his daughter back to Bavaria or Constantinople with his wife. But whether the Duke of Bavaria can accept it is still a question. Constantinople is still separated by Hungary, but if you can get to Buda, there is a way. He also needed to check in with Mary.
Mircea was preparing to go to war, and before leaving, he recalled Peter to Constantinople to serve as regent. Sofia also returned to give birth, and the governor of Anatolia was temporarily replaced by Alexander.
The Anatolian Crusaders encountered difficulties in the Mamluk region and were temporarily stationed on the border between the two countries. Conquests in Asia Minor were temporarily suspended.
Mircea is preparing to gather 20,000 troops to go to the north. He wants to show Lithuania what an expedition is and what a war is.
It had been a long time since Constantinople had held a marching ceremony, and the Ecumenical Patriarch personally blessed each soldier. Mircea, wearing armor, rode ahead, his drawn sword shining in the sun as the people cheered. The glory of the Roman Empire a hundred years ago has returned.
Peter looked at his father who was preparing to go out and was thinking about how to provide supplies for the army. You must know that this is not an army of 20,000. Adding the Crusaders and vanguard troops in front, there are more than 50,000 troops in need of supplies. This demand is not a small number. . And the distance is very long, so other methods need to be used to reduce costs.
As regent, Peter's first order was to reopen the Academy of Athens. This most important educational institution in the ancient Greek period reappeared in front of the world. In addition to traditional subjects, it also added the study of firearms and machinery. It's more balanced than the previous liberal arts schools where philosophy was discussed.
This was the first time that Peter faced the highest institution of the entire country alone. The chattering of more than a dozen people gave him a headache. He took a small hammer and rang the small bell on the table.
Dang, Dang, the two bells rang, making everyone look at Peter who was sitting in the main seat.
"I know you are all very busy, but no matter how many things you have to do, you have to do it one by one. Start with the most important things first."
With the regent's order, all matters in the near future have begun to be dealt with. Most of the most important army supplies were transported by sea, and a small amount was self-financed through the Cossack region and Crimea.
The second thing was that Constanta, Iasi and other provinces jointly submitted a petition requesting the expulsion of some Jews.
It turns out that in the early days, Wallachia adopted a tolerant policy in order to attract immigrants. This attracted many Jews to settle. Previously, Peter felt that there was no problem for the time being, so he acquiesced in the settlement of the Jews. After just a few years, the disadvantages became apparent.
First, there was the issue of the gathering of Jews. They believed in Judaism and spoke Hebrew. Although they provided great impetus for business, they became a major obstacle on the road to assimilation. Especially Haredi Jews.
Haredi Jews are a group of people who maintain the most traditional Jewish customs. They study Jewish scriptures extremely enthusiastically. All men only wear black and white clothing and grow beards, while women shave their heads and wear wigs and wrap their bodies in shawls.
They continued to promote their religion and culture to other Jews, and at the same time stubbornly protested against some of Wallachia's policies. They used to respond to the policies with poll taxes, but over time they found that they not only opposed Wallachia, but also fought against them. There are quite a few. Basically, a family has at least 8 to 10 children, and they will also inherit the family's legacy, that is, chanting sutras. In the end, it's still a disaster.
Another reason is that these Jews have developed too fast financially and have threatened the survival of the local banking industry. Moreover, both Western and Eastern Europe have a history of expelling Jews, so it is reasonable for them to propose expulsion.
“How many Jews are currently registered?”
"About 40,000 people"
Such a number is very large in Eastern Europe. It is no wonder that the localities first proposed to expel the Jews.
Moreover, the Jews are as crazy as the fanatical Christians. For example, records in 608 show that the Jews in Antioch got into a melee, launched a riot against Christians, and killed Anastasius, the Archbishop of Antioch. After that, the Jews dragged Anastasius through the streets.
For another example, in 610, turmoil broke out again in the eastern part of the Eastern Roman Empire. Rumors spread that the Jews were planning to massacre Christians in Tyre and nearby cities, triggering a counter-massacre in the latter. These examples also destined them to be exiled. Even Peter had to admit that the Jews deserved it.
"With this approval, Iasi, Suceava, and Constanta can be expelled first and confiscate two-thirds of their property. This is Wallachia's last mercy to them."
Thus, a small-scale expulsion of Jews began.