eastern european eagle

Chapter 634 Sicily Rebellion

Half a month after Laszlo's death, Peter officially took over the government. He wanted to build Naples into a powerful country like Romania.

But judging from the current situation, Naples may be okay on the surface, but in fact some internal unstable factors are about to explode, and these factors may plunge Naples into chaos.

First of all, it is a government issue. The political system of Naples was changed by Laszlo after referring to Romania. The king is supreme and is responsible for convening government meetings. The official under him is called the Minister of General Affairs, who has the highest status among officials.

Others, such as finance, navy, army, and diplomacy, all have department heads who report directly to the king. This seems fine, but unlike Romania, most officials are still controlled by local nobles. They occupy most of the local and central officials, and then form alliances through marriage.

Unlike Romania, Naples could not break the shackles of the local area. Laszlo had to rely on the nobles to effectively control the country. The bottom line of the nobles was generally flexible, so what was the difficulty in converting?

When Ladislaus first ascended the throne, he used Romanian and Orthodox forces to restore some of his power, but the nobles soon found a way to avoid being liquidated by converting their religion.

Laszlo wanted to unite the citizens of Naples and opened some positions to them. The citizens were also willing to be loyal to the king. Under such circumstances, some nobles also changed their minds. They built good relations with the citizens in their own territories and encouraged them to ask for more from the king. They knew that Laszlo would not do this, which meant that the king would greatly delegate power to the common people, and if it continued like this, it would be possible to take the path of a republic.

As they thought, Laszlo was unwilling to give more benefits to the citizens, and nothing happened after opening the official examination. The nobles were not limited to manor production, they began to engage in industry and commerce to make profits.

There are many swamps in Naples, and Laszlo spent a lot of effort to reclaim a part of it. But even these lands were swallowed up by the nobles by one third, but Laszlo turned a blind eye because the government still needed them to operate.

The economic problems caused by political problems were even more serious. Because of the nobility, a large number of small farmers in Naples were forced to become tenant farmers. Although industry and commerce developed, they had not yet affected the political system.

With the opening of sea routes, more and more spices came to Naples, and the prices of local fruits, olives and wines rose. In order to make money, landlords chose to plant grapes and olives and reduced wheat planting.

Wheat from Romania and Hungary impacted the local market. Except for Sicily, cash crops were grown in most of Naples, and Naples was highly dependent on trade with Romania.

Although the economy has grown, the royal family's income has not increased much. The nobles account for most of the results, but the royal family also has to support a large number of troops, which means that the government needs a lot of money to maintain the status quo, but the finances are obviously tight.

The political and economic situation put pressure on Peter, and the news from Sardinia made him worried again.

When the Sardinian nobles and landowners saw that the king did not agree to their request, they announced the restoration of the Kingdom of Sardinia and asked King Ferdinand I of Aragon to send troops to help. After Sardinia, the nobles of Sicily followed suit, announcing the restoration of the Kingdom of Sicily and inviting Ferdinand I to become the King of Sicily.

The noble rebellion was so fierce that most of the rural areas were soon occupied, leaving only a few large cities such as Palermo. The navy of Naples began to guard against Aragon, as long as they did not stop, Naples could put down the rebellion.

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The news of the demise of Poland and Lithuania had spread throughout Europe, and everyone felt helpless. The other side was too powerful, and the Kalmar Union was so scared that it withdrew its troops immediately after hearing the news.

The only order that had not yet perished, the Teutonic Knights, sent people to negotiate peace with the Elector of Brandenburg, but the final result was that there would be no room for negotiation unless they surrendered and converted to Orthodoxy.

This was something the Knights would never agree to, but they had no other choice now. They had no allies to use, so they could only ask Sigismund to mediate.

When Sigismund knew this, he was so angry that he cursed. If he could control the Elector of Brandenburg, would he have to go to so much trouble to suppress Bohemia?
Moreover, suppressing Bohemia was not going smoothly. The Hussites continued to bleed them, and Sigismund invested all his remaining money here. But it seemed to have no effect.

The sudden change in France forced him to deal with it, and he knew that if he wanted to solve this problem, Burgundy would be the first to bear the brunt. If Burgundy did not surrender to the enemy, then no matter how hard England tried, it would be useless.

So he sent someone to talk to Duke Philip, as well as a representative of Charles VII. The three discussed the division of various territories. In order to make Burgundy follow him wholeheartedly, Sigismund decided to give the whole of Friesland to Burgundy, and France was also willing to cede part of its territory to Burgundy.

Philip also knew that he could gain more in France than in Britain. Taking advantage of the opportunity to recover lost territory, he might be able to obtain other lands besides Paris. In this way, he could become the King of France.

But Charles VII was also wary of him, as Burgundy and mainland France were not connected. If Burgundy was allowed to grow, they would drive the Valois dynasty away one day.

But now they also need Burgundy to contain the English army in the east. Orleans has been under siege for a long time and now they need an army to help relieve the pressure. The Burgundian army is the best choice.

In the end, the three parties reached an agreement that Burgundy could obtain all of Friesland and part of the Bishopric of Münster, but in exchange, Burgundy had to join the French alliance to fight against England. This was achievable for all parties, as long as they could resist England, they still had a chance to turn the tables.

(End of this chapter)