Chapter 636: Genoa Behind the Scenes
However, Arabia had already entered a period of decline at this time, and the great empire it once was was gone forever. The Roman Empire, which was beaten half to death by them, was revived with full blood, and now their hard days were coming.
"Father"
Alexander walked in, Peter looked at him with appreciation, and then said.
"Your resolution saved Naples and the empire. Otherwise, the current situation would have worsened."
Alexander was very happy to receive his father's praise.
"This is all for the empire. Naples is a firm ally of our country. Now Aragon will take it away at any time. The empire must quickly stabilize the situation and prevent Aragon from taking it away."
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"Well, but now Aragon has already started."
This is actually what everyone expected. As long as Naples is not lost, it doesn't matter if other places are taken away temporarily. At present, they have stabilized the situation. After the Sicilian army defended Palermo, they began to counterattack. The rebel army could only retreat to the mountains and fight guerrilla warfare.
"The Roman navy has been patrolling the western Mediterranean, and the current situation is very good. Genoa has sent people to say that they did not participate in the rebellion in Naples."
It is really ridiculous for Genoa to do this. You must know that in the western Mediterranean, only Genoa has ships second only to Romania. And if Sardinia does not have sufficient supplies, how can there be so many rebellions, so don't say that.
"The Genoese are fickle, and they are probably still brooding over the Galata incident."
Alexander also knew this story. His father and grandfather showed a tough attitude towards Genoa. First, they forced Genoa to make up the taxes, and then asked him to return them directly. This made Genoa lose all its colonies for hundreds of years.
Speaking of hatred, Genoa must hate it. But they dare not fight, because they are afraid that they will be gone if they fight. Genoa's army is at best an atmosphere group. If it had not been for the group with other countries, it would have been gone long ago.
After losing its maritime advantage, Genoa's gold coins also lost the Mediterranean market. The popularity of the lei caused a sharp decline in the frequency of using Genoa gold coins in the Mediterranean. In the end, even Genoa began to use the lei because the quality was too high.
Economic instability has led to political instability. In the past 20 years, 12 revolutions have broken out in Genoa, which has led to political instability and internal divisions.
Moreover, the Genoese are the most cunning group of merchants in the Mediterranean. Even the Venetians have suffered losses at their hands many times. The Genoese fleet even has an impressive record of capturing the Governor of Venice. Now that it has declined, everyone wants to kick it.
In order to survive, they began to seek help from Portugal. After Portugal acquired some islands in the south, it began to develop them. In their view, the Portuguese who were obsessed with navigation technology were hopeless fools. They threw countless money into developing navigation technology and were not keen on developing colonies. The only requirement for them to sign a preferential agreement with the Genoese was to let them teach navigation technology, and the Genoese did so.
The Genoese also showed the Portuguese how to establish a sales monopoly and how to sail in the westerly winds. The Genoese merchants became the best teachers for the Portuguese in navigation. Encouraged by the Portuguese royal family, the Portuguese sailors continued to move towards Africa, and the Genoese merchants were not willing to be lonely. They sent the Portuguese a route to the Golden Kingdom. The Genoese monopolized the sugar trade, and the Portuguese looked for more risky gold and slave routes, which became the division of labor between the Genoese and the Portuguese.
Such a division of labor gave the Genoese confidence to continue, and he began to provide necessary financial support to other countries. Especially Milan and Savoy, Genoa also began to develop land trade, and the economy between the three countries gradually became closer. With trade, political and military assistance will come naturally.
Looking back on Genoa's 20-year journey, it can be said that it has seized the opportunity to go from being in danger to what it is now, and it has taken advantage of the opportunity of navigation between Spain and Portugal. At the same time, the demise of Venice and Florence also helped them, so that they had two fewer opponents at sea and less competition.
Venice was a powerful country on the sea, while the Florentines rode through every city in Western Europe and established connections with some cities. Now that these two powerful opponents are gone, Genoa's good days are coming.
In contrast, the Genoese can be regarded as multi-faceted. The business acumen of the Genoese is also reflected in their choice of maritime trade, because sailing is cheaper and more cost-effective, which is favored by the Genoese. But they did not slack off on the land side. They established the oldest and most powerful guild - the Mule Driver Guild. This became the basis for their development of land trade.
But diplomacy is still their shortcoming. Romania is balancing with France and Iberia, and both sides are eroding the city-states of Italy. Genoa was attacked from both sides at this time. It had to fight with major powers in the west and Romania in the east, which was a headache.
Under this influence, Genoa embarked on the road of expansion again, but this time it was not land expansion, but economic expansion. They gained more profits and resources by further expanding their trade network. This led them to re-establish a commercial alliance of trading posts, ports, and fleets in the northwestern Apennines. In addition to finding new markets, Genoa also promoted expansion through the acquisition of resources. This included not only the acquisition of precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper, but also other important resources such as wood and agricultural products.
In order to avoid Romania, they began to follow Spain and Portugal to colonize southwards. Through local investigation and colonization, the colonization of Genoa began. Moreover, for the Genoese, there is almost no ideological prejudice. In their eyes, as long as it is business-related, everything can be coordinated.
Peter watched their actions in the south, and Genoa's revival was indeed admirable. But his fragile military was his Achilles' heel. The reinforcements from Romania and Naples attacked from land, which might cause the local economy to be depressed.