eastern european eagle

Chapter 108 The Farmer's Situation

The relationship between Sigismund and Mary is difficult to improve. There must be a contest between the two sides. Although Sigismund will not pay anything, Mary must pay her life.

Although Peter was able to enter the training ground conditionally, King Mary was not seen every day, so he could only pay more ducats to let the person in charge inform her whereabouts.

"My lord is so generous, why don't we just meet the king directly?" said the person in charge.

"Too many people want to see the king, when will we be able to meet if this continues. So I plan to use a different way."

"I see"

The person in charge told Sigismund that it was unlikely that he would be here, but that Queen Mary would often ride here.That's enough for Peter.

Queen Mary died in a horse riding accident when she was six months pregnant, killing two people.Many people suspect that her husband Sigismund did it, but there is no evidence to prove that either he didn't do it, or he covered it up too well.

After inquiring about Mary's itinerary, the next step is to wait for her to appear.After all, he didn't know when Sigismund would do it, but it should be soon.

And taking advantage of this time, Peter also went to look around Buda.Agriculture is very good, a large amount of grain and livestock are traded in the market, but most of the transactions are taken by the nobles, and the lives of farmers and serfs are very miserable.

Hungary's trade is similar to that of Poland in that it is mainly agricultural products.They sent a large amount of grain and primary products to Western Europe in exchange for handicrafts.

The strength of the aristocracy is inseparable from the splendor of agricultural production, but such a result led to the formation of an aristocratic democratic state in Hungary and Poland while a centralized monarchy was formed in Western Europe.The Hungarian nobles earned huge profits by exporting agricultural products. However, these profits were not used for reproductive investment, let alone expanded. Most nobles had no interest in trade, transportation, etc., only for businessmen from all over Europe to rush to their territories and manors feel contented.

"No wonder they did not agree to form an alliance. It turns out that they have lost the courage to forge ahead."

Peter's evaluation of the Hungarian nobles hit the nail on the head. After all, land is the greatest asset. Since there is land, why take risks?

On the outskirts of Pest, a simple Orthodox church stands here.This is for businessmen and travelers who are doing business in Hungary, and it is also a secret stop for Andrei in Hungary. ,
Under the influence of the dioceses of Wallachia and Transylvania, there were gradual conversions elsewhere in Hungary.But they suffered from the hostility of the Catholic Church and the nobles, and they were hindered whether they preached in towns or in the countryside. The same was true for the site selection of the church, and it was hard to keep this place.

After Peter prayed here, he chatted with the pastor and asked about the difficulties he encountered in Hungary.

The pastor told Peter that the Hungarian aristocracy and the Catholic Church were being squeezed out. Although the Orthodox Church had taken root, it was mainly in Transylvania, and it was developing slowly in other places.It is not easy to have such achievements, let alone teach yourself to persevere.

Peter didn't say much, but turned around and asked the local Wallachian businessman what kind of goods were the most profitable in Hungary. The merchant replied silk and luxury goods.

Come on, same as Poland.

At this time, most of Poland's land was still forests and swamps, and it would take until the 16th century for reclamation, but now Hungary is the real paradise.One of the most productive places, the Pannonian Plain quickly stabilized after the invasion and became one of the most powerful states in Europe.In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Kingdom of Hungary began to expand its foreign trade, especially to Italy and Venice.At the same time, Hungary's industries began to develop, especially the steel, textile and leather industries gradually became one of the pillars of the economy.

Although Wallachia also has fertile land, it has less development time, and it cannot be compared with the Hungarian Great Plain.If he allys with Hungary, the abundant food can be used by him.

At this moment, a quarrel broke out outside. Peter looked out and saw several people escorting a farmer, followed by a richly dressed landlord and his entourage with fierce faces.

"Let me ask you, when will you pay back the rent and taxes that your family has owed for several years?"

"Master, my family is really gone, can you give me a few more days?"

The master looked at the peasant begging bitterly, with a sinister smile on his face.

"Grace, it's already been a month, how long do you have to wait, you really think I'm doing something good, don't you?"

"Sir," said the peasant, kissing his feet. "Please"

"It's really impossible now, since you can't get the money, let's pay it with your daughter!"

"master…"

Watching this scene, Peter has a new understanding of the situation of Hungarian farmers.

"Who is this guy?"

"My lord, he lives in nearby Norfolk. According to their genealogy, their ancestors fought with King Stephen, so they were rewarded with a large number of fields, coupled with continuous purchases, and now they are very famous landowners. .”

In the pastor's explanation, the Norfolk lord is most famous not for his wealth, but for his greed.He squeezed his peasants and serfs very hard. Not only did he have to give him two-thirds of his annual income, he also had to work for him four days a week.If you can't survive, you can ask him to borrow food, but the interest rate is scary, and you can't afford it at all.

"Is something like this just an exception?"

"Nearly all Hungarian nobles are like that, just to a different degree."

Agriculture in Hungary was based on serfdom.Most of the land was owned by nobles, and farmers could only farm on the nobles' territories and provide labor and taxes for the nobles.The status of farmers is relatively low and they live in poverty.

Agriculture has always played a very important role in Hungary's economic development.In the early Middle Ages, agriculture in Hungary was mainly self-sufficient, with only the crops grown by the farmers themselves and the livestock they raised to sustain themselves.However, with the growth of the Hungarian population, farmers' arable land and pasture area gradually decreased, which led to difficulties in agricultural production.

To solve this problem, the king of Hungary began to give land to the nobles and the church so that they could start farming the land.In the process, peasants began to become tenants of nobles and churches, who needed to pay rent to landowners in exchange for the right to use the land.

In Hungarian rural society, the nobles and the church are the dominant classes, they usually own a lot of land and resources, and hold political and economic power.Under such circumstances, Hungarian farmers usually can only rely on the protection and support of landowners to maintain their own production and livelihood.

"So that's how it is," Peter said, and he began to think about how to smash the Hungarian nobles.

(End of this chapter)