Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 370: Serfdom in Byzantium

In a person's life, how many paths can one really choose?

No, in this era, perhaps there is only that tortuous one.

If you take a wrong step on this road, you will be doomed.

Don’t say anything. I would rather die standing than live on my knees. The human biological instinct is there - to want to live.

Garys looked at these people, and they were also looking at him, whether they were adults or children, bearded or unbearded, crying or sweating...

There was an unspeakable fear on their faces.

The previous scene was like thunder, like a punishment from God.

But the divine punishment in the scriptures is even more frightening.

Sodom, Gomorrah, Jericho, Samaria...even Jerusalem, have experienced God's punishment.

In the scriptures of the Old Testament, there is a sentence that runs throughout.

[The Lord is a jealous God, a consuming fire, and the Lord of judgment]

If divine punishment really comes to the world, these "sinners" will have no chance or possibility of escape.

At this time, a thin boy poked his head out from under the eaves and timidly called out, "...Are you...the monk who treated my grandmother's leg injury?"

As soon as this voice came out, it was like a thorn that broke the ice, breaking everyone's stagnation.

The other old woman suddenly covered her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes.

"It was him... I remember his eyes... He gave my daughter a herbal soup that day and said, 'Don't be afraid, the Lord is merciful'..."

"He also cleaned the wound of the hunchbacked old man on the roadside..."

"He was the monk...Gailis...I remember him..."

The recognized voices came one after another, echoing in the rain.

Doubt turned into certainty, fear turned into trust, and more than half a year of preparation had led to today's ice-breaking scene.

Garys listened quietly, his expression unchanged. He just slowly sheathed his sword and kicked the head that had fallen to the ground into the stinking ditch nearby.

“I tell you that I am the Holy One of Jerusalem, and I have come here to fulfill the words I have spoken.”

"The rising kingdom will be like a seed planted in decay. If you do not rise up today, you will suffer hunger in the autumn."

"I came here not to take you to death, but to tell you where to live..."

To live, to survive...

In this era where human life is worth less than a piece of clothing, Garys wants to tell everyone that they all have the right to live without having to submit to others.

If a person cannot survive by relying on his hard work and sweat, then this society is sick.

As it happens, Gillis is a doctor who is not only proficient in how to heal physical illnesses, but also understands how to restore a sick society to health.

However, some people will indeed die in this process.

Gellis's slightly plain but unignorable words spread in all directions in the rain.

Today, it's not just him, not just Alexandros, not just Massena, but many people.

They might be Paladins, or followers of the Paulicians... Many people who had witnessed the power of Gelis appeared in various villages on this day.

The good relationships that were formed during previous rural surveys and medical practice in various places were all fulfilled today.

In just one night, the power that had been hidden beneath the surface emerged.

In just one night, all the manors and villages in the Cardia Military District lost contact with the city of Trebizond.

In just one night, Trebizond became an isolated city.

……

There are many ancient countries in the world. The Celestial Empire is one of them, France is not short either, and Rome has lasted for two thousand years.

Therefore, throughout such a long history, Rome is not a single, unchanging image.

Its political system and military system have undergone a lot of changes.

At this juncture of the new calendar year 1, the most recent military system change was known as the Pronian Reform.

Pronoia, originally meaning "care" or "concern", institutionally refers to the imperial emperor granting the right to the income of land (not the ownership of the land) to an individual, soldier or monastery in exchange for their service or loyalty, especially military service.

The system originated from temporary land grants in the 10th century, but was institutionalized as a formal institution in the late 11th century by the Komnenos dynasty, especially under Manuel I of Austria (1143–1180).

In the military district system, if the main force of the army is said to be the peasant soldiers who cultivate the land themselves and serve in the army.

The Pronia system refers to giving serfs and land to the nobles, letting the serfs support the nobles, and then letting the nobles serve.

This seems similar to the feudal system in Europe, but it is completely different.

At this point we must discuss the cultural differences. If we say that in Europe the obligation of loyalty to one's lord is, regardless of its substance, at least it is a respected virtue.

But for Byzantium...

In theory, the emperor temporarily granted the rights to the land to the party in exchange for the party's military responsibilities, and the land should be returned after the party's death.

However, this beautiful policy will almost certainly be difficult to implement perfectly due to insufficient administrative capacity at the grassroots level.

As for the nobles who successfully inherited the land, they relied on their own "cleverness and wisdom" to steal the land from the emperor.

Since he stole it with his own "cleverness", why bother to serve in the army?
It can be said that the holders of Pronia gradually turned into local dignitaries, forming a semi-independent class of lords, which seriously weakened the emperor's control over the local areas.

It was still okay during the Komnenos dynasty, but let’s not even mention the Angelos dynasty that followed.

Because of this system, the nobles were not required to pay taxes, which exacerbated the financial difficulties of the late Byzantine Empire and made the country unable to pay for a standing army, maintain a fleet, and organize city defenses.

In contrast, the peasants lost their land and freedom, were fixed to work on the nobles' territories, and gradually evolved into serfs.

Social contradictions were also intensified in this process, and the peasants gradually lost their identification with the empire as they were exploited.

Many of the more powerful Pronias evolved into essentially independent lords, making the empire increasingly divided.

Perhaps at the beginning, Komnenos promoted Pronia only as a temporary decision to save the empire, in exchange for the support of the powerful by temporarily giving up power.

However, the weakening of imperial power and the powerlessness of the court made the ceded rights become a long-term chronic poison in a temporary manner.

Nowadays, the nobles in Trebizond are actually the beneficiaries of the Pronia system.

However, they never thought that the serfs they owned would one day be united by others and demand the wealth they had lost in the past.

(End of this chapter)