eastern european eagle

Chapter 34 The Grand Duke's Reformation

"It's really beautiful."

Mircea held a lei and studied it carefully.

"Grand Duke, this is a newly minted silver coin in His Royal Highness's territory. Many merchants have already started using it for transactions."

"Really, what's this called?"

"lei"

"Lei!" said Mircea, and it seemed that the son was planning to turn Wallachia into a ferocious lion.

Since the son is so energetic, he, as a father, of course cannot lag behind.He took military reform as a breakthrough direction.

In this battle with Moldova, Mircea saw the great power of firearms.Cannons and muskets are more lethal than arrows when facing cavalry.This made Mircea firm in his determination to expand the firearms force.

Facing the Ottomans in the south, Hungary in the west, and Poland and Lithuania in the north, it is impossible without a strong army.

Mircea began military reforms, expanding his small army to 6000 men.And buy artillery and muskets to equip the army. Everyone also has close weapons such as axes and machetes, as well as special uniforms.

The small unit is paid by the state and is a non-hereditary position.And they are loyal to the Grand Duke, and there are special institutions responsible for management.Commanders are appointed by the Grand Duke.It is further divided into centuries and tens, including both cavalry and infantry.

The best place to buy firearms is of course Dobroga.The orders from the capital are enough for them to eat for a while. In order to ensure the delivery of the orders, the firearms factory has also expanded its recruitment.

The large army did not fall either, and Mircea personally purchased weapons to equip them.Musketeers are very easy to engage, and they can be trained in about two weeks by just pulling a group of people, and the power of gunpowder has also seen results in previous battles.

Gunpowder, artillery, muskets, these things have to be obtained from Dobroja.But Mircea is the Grand Duke, and Peter also ordered that everything the Grand Duke needs be agreed except commercial transactions, so the lord has to obey the Grand Duke.

Mircea also announced that he would move the capital to Bucuri and change his name to Bucurjeshti (Bucharest is the English translation). This news surprised many boyars, but they did not object.

Culturally, Mircea established the Wallachian script as the official language and script.The Church began using Wallachian versions of the Bible, and he himself began writing documents in the Wallachian script.

The leading role of the Grand Duke is very obvious. Some boyars also began to use Wallachian script. Seeing that nobles took the lead, some merchants and bureaucrats also began to use it. The use of Bulgarian, Serbian, and Greek languages ​​​​began to decrease.He also used part of the fiscal revenue to build schools, and he approved the order to build a university in the new capital, as well as orders to build seminaries, libraries and other buildings.

He also announced that Wallachia recruits talents from all over the world. As long as you have a skill and believe in the Orthodox Church, you can come here and get tax-free preferential treatment for one to three years.

Immigrants from Bulgaria and Serbia enriched Wallachia and facilitated its development.Towns such as Foksani, Pitesti, and Severinburg sprung up. They gathered a large number of craftsmen and merchants, and they all followed the instructions of the Grand Duke.

Mircea's reforms echoed Peter's reforms, and the father and son jointly promoted the common development of Wallachia.Under this influence, some neo-boyars and merchants began to exert influence.Giurgiu became the largest silk trading point in the Balkans, and Constanta became the largest trading port in Wallachia.Tariffs are the fastest growing tax category.

Mircea abolished taxes such as city and city taxes, hotel taxes, and every adult man had to pay a fixed tax.The nobles had to pay personal income tax according to their own income, and at the same time loosened the control of serfs. Serfs could operate commerce and handicrafts, and they could be freed after paying a certain amount of ransom.But if you want to continue to use the land, you have to pay rent to the nobles.

Taxation and creating a good business environment may seem like a dilemma, but in fact, as long as there is a balance, the country will run well.Too loose, and the authority will decline; too tense, and the people will riot.To grasp, to be stable.

Facing Osman, Mircea intends to take the initiative.His goals are Vidin, Bulgaria and Varna.

The once glorious Bulgarian Empire declined and split. It became a vassal of the Serbian Empire in 1330, and then split into the Tsar of Vidin, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, and the Dobroja Autocracy.

Under the attack of Ottoman, the Kingdom of Bulgaria was on the verge of extinction, and Dobroga was also in jeopardy. Although Vidin was not in danger yet, it was almost there.

These countries will become Mircea's forward position across the Danube, especially Vidin, because Wallachia once gave some help, and the second grand duke also became the son-in-law of the Tsar at that time.This is also a legal principle for capturing Vidin, although no one will care.

In addition, the geographical location of Vidin is also very important.It is located on the south bank of the Danube River and has been an important port and fortress on the Danube River since the Roman Empire.It took a lot of effort for Basil II of the Macedonian dynasty to capture here.But now, the military strength of Vidin as a whole is weak, and with the previous Hungarian invasion, Vidin is now a piece of fat waiting to be swallowed by other countries.

But Mircea's goal is far more than here. Greater Greece, Serbia, and Transylvania are all preset goals.In his conception, it is to build an Orthodox Empire that is bigger and stronger than Serbia.

Mircea felt that if the Ottomans could be driven out of the Balkans, then Wallachia could swallow all the Ottoman lands.And Serbia, as a vassal, will also become the palm of Wallachia.

However, it is too early to say at this time, the first step of the plan to annex Bulgaria will require Ottoman to beat them up and destroy the country, and then they will send troops.

At this time, Suleiman Pasha was leading the army to attack the city and land in Bulgaria.Bulgaria also made some resistance, but facing Osman Sipahi, it was also powerless to parry.

The Ottoman army did not capture, but looted everywhere. A large number of Bulgarian towns were reduced to ashes, and the surviving people had to leave their homes and cross the Danube northward.This also enhanced the strength of Wallachia, just like Orhan I of the Ottoman Empire, who relied on a steady stream of Turkic immigrants to increase his strength after moving his capital to Prusa.Mircea and Peter also use the immigrants from the Balkans to strengthen themselves, because now, only they can save themselves.

(End of this chapter)