Chapter 419 French Banquet
Stefan met Charles VI in Paris, and his father-in-law can still barely communicate, but now he still needs Salmon's help.
Although he received the title of Duke of Normandy, it was just a title. Most of the land is still in British hands, and he needs to attract an investment.
Stefan looked at the castle where he lived, which was far worse than Constantinople. Moreover, there was a great uprising that destroyed half of Paris decades ago, and it has not yet returned to its original state. However, thanks to the geographical location and political status of the capital, local commerce is prosperous, and many people are also involved in the financial industry. Nobles with spare money are also keen on making quick money through loan sharking.
Walking on the streets of Paris, there are already many banks opened by people. The amount of the loan ranges from 100,000 Ecu to 200,000 Ecu, and the richest person now should be the Duke of Burgundy, but Stefan does not want to find him.
However, his reputation has spread throughout the city. Some businessmen and low-level nobles came to him and wanted to get a place in the future. Stefan accepted all the gifts they gave him, but he did not expect that the first start-up capital came from this way.
Although Stephen, the Duke of Normandy, has a high status, he is not qualified to enter the important regency meeting. One is that he has just arrived and has no foundation. The other is that he is too young. He tells a child that governing the country is a waste of time. It's better not to say anything.
At present, the war between Britain and France is resuming. If we can take this opportunity to accumulate strength, we will be able to have a certain strength within France to compete with the two major factions.
"100,000 ECU. These people are quite willing to spend money."
Stefan marveled at the financial resources of the French nobles, although they were not as good as those in Rome.
"Your Highness, Her Royal Highness the Queen invites you and the princess to attend the banquet."
Messengers from the French court brought news of the banquet. This banquet was held at the Palace of Fontainebleau, which has been the residence of the French kings for a long time since the 12th century. The banquet was held this time by squeezing out some of the limited finances as funds. Moreover, some local nobles also attended this banquet in order to get in touch with Stefan.
Queen Isabeau personally checked the banquet list, hoping that nothing would be missed. The Duke of Orleans and the Duke of Burgundy also attended such a grand banquet, and they wanted to test the situation of the Duke of Normandy.
Stefan took Michelle to the Palace of Fontainebleau. Stefan came on horseback, while Michelle came by car. There were still very few carriages at this time, not to mention those produced in Rome. The high-priced carriages were only owned by a few nobles, and even the king did not have such a thing.
"The princess really caught up with the good times and actually married a Roman prince."
"I heard from her maid that the prince loved her very much, and the emperor also gave her many gifts."
A group of ladies discussed that Princess Michelle was really lucky. You must know that all their properties combined are not as much as Stefan's. Alas, why are they not so lucky?
"He is worthy of being the son of the Roman emperor. Because he is the youngest child, the emperor and the queen dote on him very much. The things given to him are enough for a baron to spend for a year."
The Earl of the Netherlands is telling others about Stefan's luxurious life. The people here are all earls or lords of Flanders. As lords of the richest region in Western Europe, their lives must represent the highest nobility. As a result, it was nothing compared to Rome. Gold, silk, and spices, which they considered luxurious, were all available in the streets of Rome. God is so unfair.
"Hey, they're here."
All the nobles watched Stefan bring Michelle into the banquet hall, and they immediately began to show their most noble etiquette. Although it looked a bit ugly to the other party, this was not the Louis XIV period, so just make do with it.
Everyone greeted him in a friendly manner, and the queen, as the host of the banquet, had already met the son-in-law, but she still stepped forward to greet him.
"To be able to condescend to a queen who lives a luxurious life, the energy of Rome is really great."
The Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Orleans spoke at a banquet for the first time after experiencing the civil war. The intervention of Roman power brought unprecedented unity within France. He doesn't have much power to begin with, but if you give him a little more, it will be gone.
"The Roman emperor naturally gave our king many gifts, all of which came from the east."
John of Burgundy was a little jealous, as was Louis of Orleans. As the first and second richest vassals in France, their wealth was even less than that of the newly-consecrated Duke of Normandy. Not to mention the Roman emperors. The previous explosion of spices caused many noble citizens to spend their property to buy, and the wealth of Western Europe was transferred to Constantinople. How could they not be jealous?
"Now he is just a person with a false title. If he wants to get the fiefdom, he has to fight with England. How about..."
John's statement made Louis break into a cold sweat, "You mean, let England solve it..."
Before he could finish speaking, John stopped him. "Of course not. What I mean is to let England teach him a lesson and make him afraid of returning to Rome. The most is to extort a ransom. If something unexpected happens, the emperor of Rome will probably kill him directly from Constantinople to Paris."
Thinking of such serious consequences, the two of them shuddered in unison. The consequences are indeed very serious, so serious that careful planning is required, but England still has to cooperate. In case of an accident, they would all have to walk around without food.
Stefan has met many people, from dukes to counts. Except for Burgundy and Orleans, these nobles all want to use Stefan to establish relations with Rome.
Through this banquet, Stefan's reputation has been established in France. Everyone knows that the new Duke of Normandy is a new force in France, and they can go to him.
Henry IV was equally shocked, and unexpectedly Rome joined in. And he was also named the Duke of Normandy. Isn't this the title of their British king? Charles VI was indeed pretending to be ill, and such a snipe-clam quarrel with the fishermen to benefit from the scheme was conceivable.
He must be prepared to attack France at any time. Parliament has been pacified and he only needs to maintain the situation in Wales and Scotland. Owen's offense continues, but England is larger and can wear out Wells with its size.
Scotland in the north has always been an ally of France, and England could not annex all of it despite repeated attacks. To this end, it was only for the Duke of York to keep a close eye on each other's movements in the north. Around the ruins of Hadrian's Wall, both countries remained stationary, which was a godsend for England.