eastern european eagle

Chapter 168 Economics and Diplomacy

After Transylvania became independent, some Wallachian merchants replaced the Hungarian merchants, who supplied the region with grain and other raw materials.The road between Busorav and Bukuriesti is also under construction, albeit with some difficulty.

Everything seemed to be settled, but the courtiers in Transylvania began to worry about another thing, and that was Mary's marriage.

Mary has divorced Sigismund, so another person should be chosen to marry to give birth to an heir.

But Mary doesn't want to get married anymore, what if another Sigismund comes.At this moment, the only person she trusts is Peter, at least he won't harm her.

Speaking of marriage, Peter's brother-in-law, Laszlo, has been doing well recently. Not only has he expanded his sphere of control, he has also won the support of many local nobles, and he has firmly suppressed Louis around Naples.

In these battles Peter gave his artillery no small service.The Italians had never seen such artillery, and many castles fell on the watch.

Laszlo sent Mircea some presents and some jewelry for his future wife.It can be seen how much he attaches importance to this marriage, and the benefits he gained from it are more than other optional marriage partners.

After solving the problem of Louis, the next thing Laszlo will solve is the Pope of Rome. He was once poisoned by the Pope. Although he did not die, he left behind the sequelae of stuttering.He will avenge this revenge sooner or later.

In addition to politics and military affairs, Wallachia is also very prosperous in terms of economy and trade.Textiles, wine, oriental spices, etc. were exported to all parts of Europe without passing through the hands of Venice, and the price was lower than that of Venice, so the sales volume was very large, which made Venetian merchants jealous to death.

The Venice Parliament has begun to propose a proposal to restrict merchants in Wallachia, and Wallachia has long since supported the relationship with the Hanseatic League. Since you are not benevolent, don't blame me for being unrighteous.The Hanseatic League is much better than Venice. Although it is not as powerful as Venice, it can open up northern trade routes to Burgundy, Shinra and France.The transportation cost is even less than the fee charged by Venice, but it takes longer. When will Wallachia officially leave the Mediterranean?
In addition to the army, Mircea also attaches great importance to the navy. The establishment of a separate department for the navy shows the grand duke's ambitions.At present, there are 36 warships and other auxiliary ships. The lower reaches of the Danube and half of the Black Sea are already under the control of Wallachia, but at present, because of more land needs, the army allocates a little more funds.

Wallachia's current strategy is to stabilize Poland and Lithuania in the north and attack Ottoman in the south with all its strength.In order to ensure that there will be no problems, Wallachia sent people to stabilize Poland and Lithuania on the one hand, and built the Transnistria defense line to protect Moldova on the other.Prepare with both hands, double insurance.

In addition, Wallachia was in contact with some potential enemies of Poland, including the Principality of Masovia.

The Principality of Masovia is located in the middle reaches of the Vistula River. It is dominated by plains and is a very fertile agricultural area in Poland.Moreover, the Vistula River is the most important inland waterway in Poland. Just setting up a barrage on the Vistula River to collect taxes will bring huge benefits.

The Principality of Masovia is a powerful principality in Poland, with an area of ​​about 3.35 square kilometers, which is larger than the territory directly under the Jagiellonian royal family in Poland.

In terms of strength, the Principality of Mazovia is not weaker than the Jagiellonian royal family.Moreover, the capital of the Principality of Mazovia is known to future generations - Warsaw...

Such a powerful country split into two duchies in 1381, with the Duchy of Lava allied with Poland and the Duchy of Warsaw continuing to fight.Based on the principle that the enemy of an enemy is a friend, Wallachia will naturally help the Duchy of Warsaw against Poland.

Since last year, Wallachia has been in contact with Semovit of the Principality of Warsaw.He was interested, and Wallachia offered to recognize his succession to the entire duchy of Masovia.

Semovit was overwhelmed with surprise. He didn't expect Wallachia to help him, but he also knew that the other party did this to create an attractive place for Poland.He'll do the role well, and that's all.

In addition to defending against Poland and Lithuania, the Transnistrian defense line also guarded against the erratic Tatars.They plunder in Moldova every year, but they can't cross the Transnistria. Alexandru was ordered to guard the north. Under his leadership, the activities of the nomads have decreased year by year.The northern trade route is safer, and the trade volume is rising steadily.

----split line----

Economic development drove social change in Wallachia, and the relationship between serfs and landlords began to shift toward employment relationships, because the landlords found that the peasants were most productive in this situation.So they let them go free as a bait and asked the serfs to pay a ransom and their own labor.In this way, a sum of money can be obtained, and farmers can work for him willingly.

The gradual disintegration of serfdom was a manifestation of Wallachia's economic changes. The employment market and handicraft industry gradually expanded, and a large number of workshops that could accommodate dozens of people opened.The business class is very active in the economy, becoming the dominant local economic force in some areas.

Unlike Western European cities, Wallachia's cities were all developed under the premise of centralization.The local business class is not big enough to launch a rebellion, most of the people support the government, and the church is not as corrupt as the Catholic Church.Therefore, it is difficult for a city republic like Venice and Genoa to take root in the land of the East.

Larger towns such as Constanta, Bukuriesti, Iasi, Trvorno, Skopje, Sofia, etc. are the main market gathering places, but also have the nature of political centers.The local governor is appointed and dismissed by the Grand Duke, and the people can also request to be replaced by means of writing, etc., and the Grand Duke acts as an arbitrator in this process to ensure that the city order can function well.

In addition, the mining of minerals is also increasing year by year, especially the mining of rock salt. Although there is not much coal and iron in Wallachia, there are the most non-metallic mines such as rock salt and clay in the Balkans.Using these minerals, Wallachia's light industry has a raw material guarantee. The glass factory and pottery factory in Moldova rely on local raw materials to export a large number of finished products, and gold and silver come like flowing water.

Mircea also invited more than a dozen wine experts from Burgundy and France to Moldova to help Wallachia improve wine and grapes.Blacksmiths, glassmakers, carpenters, stonemasons and other craftsmen from Italy settled in Sofia, Skopje and other places to help Wallachia improve its technical level. . .

(End of this chapter)