Chapter 281 Venice Alliance
Jobst was elected king of the Roman people, which relieved Mircea. Although this position, which was no different from the leader of the alliance, did not help much, it could lay the foundation for the family in Central Europe. Next, it should be his grievances with those warring countries.
He appointed Peter commander-in-chief of the Western armies, with 40,000 levies and 20,000 standing troops at his disposal. This was also the first time Peter commanded so many troops.
Faced with Rome's pressing pressure, Venice finally stepped up its tactics. They invited envoys from many countries to meet in Venice with the intention of forming a formal anti-Romanian alliance.
The participating countries this time are: Genoa, Venice, Austria, Milan, Savoy, Florence, Aragon, the Papal States and Bologna. Coming together for different purposes and the same reasons.
Steno was the first to speak. He denounced the destruction that Rome had brought to the Mediterranean. Countries need to unite to eliminate such a demonic country.
The Genoese envoy was the first to agree, and although he and Venice were bitter enemies, the threat from Rome allowed them to temporarily unite.
Milan finally abandoned Roma. Based on past history, Visconti believed that Roma could not cope with attacks on multiple fronts, so he might as well side with Venice and attack Genoa directly at the seaport.
The Papal States were worried about the invasion of heretics, so they also decided to join the Alliance. Naples showed some signs of falling to Rome, so the Pope wanted to gather the army and go south to force Naples to join the fight.
Florence and Bologna did not have much need to fight against Rome, but the domestic ruling group was confused by the pie painted by Venice. Coupled with Rome's aggressive posture, they came to participate in alliance talks.
Austria and Aragon were concerned about their own security. Once Venice failed, they would be under pressure from Rome on land and sea.
Especially Austria, which was defeated by Hungary once, is now forced to come here. Otherwise, your own safety is not guaranteed. After Sigismund was defeated, he stayed in his manor and did not come out. No one knew what he was thinking. The Grand Duke's brothers also took the opportunity to attack. The Duke of Upper Austria and the Count of Tyrol wanted more benefits. He, the Grand Duke, could only delay. What was going on?
In addition to these, two theocratic organizations, the Diocese of Trento and the Diocese of Salzburg, also joined. They jointly opposed Rome, so after various wranglings, the Venetian League was established, also called the Anti-Roman League.
This alliance consisted of eleven political powers, with the overall goal of opposing Rome's Western Expedition. Each country elected Venice as the alliance leader, responsible for allocating resources from each country to form a coalition and planning the spoils of war.
The Governor felt that they could sit back and relax in this way. With so many countries, Rome must be too busy. But has he ever thought that Rome also has allies?
Hungary was already a de facto protectorate of Rome, and Queen Mary's pro-Roman policies tilted the entire country toward Rome. The sudden rise of Prince Pozzoni was a pro-Roman vanguard. The nobles who wanted to restore their glory could not afford to make trouble and could only watch their property being distributed to others.
At this time, the population of Hungary was around one million, and a large number of Germans fled into exile, giving the locals and the Romans an advantage. Using what they left behind, mining soon returned to its peak and agriculture stabilized. Taxes were still rising, and local finance and trade were in the hands of Rome.
Mary also began to centralize political power. She announced the confiscation of all the properties of the exiled nobles, reduced the frequency of parliament, and established a cabinet to control executive power. He also actively trained the army to prevent Sigismund from coming back.
After Rome and Venice started fighting, Hungary quickly joined Rome and contained one-third of their army in the War of Destruction of Croatia. Such an important role also made Peter attach great importance to Hungary. The spoils of war are indispensable to them.
Unlike Milan, Naples was a quasi-ally of Rome. Laszlo imitated Rome in carrying out reforms and converted to the Orthodox Church. Isn't this a heresy?
Laszlo had always wanted to restore the territory of the Lombard Kingdom, which destroyed the so-called Italian balance. However, Rome supported him in unifying the Italian peninsula on the condition that the empire must collectively convert to Orthodoxy. This is not a bad deal.
Laszlo was determined to join the Roman side, and he wanted to use this war to make himself king of the Apennines.
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The impact of the war spread to Egypt and Arabia. Venice's ships buying spices decreased, and Cairo and Alexandria fell into depression.
On the Red Sea, the East India Company's fleet was growing. The control of the two important ports of Aden and Androniko made it difficult for the Crescent Cult fleets that had free access. They had to pay high handling fees, which forced them to abandon their fleets and take the land route. The unrest caused by the murder of Sultan Rassouli made the land less safe.
Venice was the first teacher of the East India Company, gaining a foothold in the region by setting up trading posts and persuading rulers to obtain privileges. Expenditures can be quickly covered by purchasing land to grow cash crops, which can also be further processed.
The quality of cotton produced in Aden is better than that in Greece, so it is planted in large quantities. The same goes for East African coffee. After defeating the Ifat Sultanate, Dawit saw their strength and granted the company coastal areas, as well as the privileges of setting up business stations and reducing taxes.
The company provided Davit with funds and mercenaries to unify the plateau. He first attacked the nearby Damote Kingdom and eliminated the local warlords in just three days. This made Dawit realize the benefits of cooperating with the company, so he once again approved the company to build an Orthodox church in a specific area.
The East India Company's first quarter financial statement has also come out. After excluding various expenses, the company's first quarter revenue was 6,000 gold lei. It's still within the acceptable range, after all, there is no way the company doesn't spend money. Moreover, expansion and exploration are still going on in the initial stage, and the expenditure will not be too low.
Peter also continued to invest 50,000 gold coins in the company, which made the company's decision-makers decide to continue to expand and strive to control the eastern trade routes in the next ten years. Mecca and Medina felt threatened that allowing Christians to come here would inevitably reduce their interests, and they had to be driven away.
In addition to the East India Company, the Ross Company in the north also expanded to the east and has now taken root in the Caspian Sea. Responsible for doing business with Tamerlane and the Golden Horde. The raw materials produced locally will be sent to the Roman Empire for processing and then sold to the world. Two major companies, one in the south and one in the north, determined Rome's strategy of expansion in the east.