1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 137: The Pope's Nuncio
On March 1455, 3, the Eastern Roman Empire drove away the Tripolitan envoys and the Hafsid dynasty envoys who were stranded in Birinci, and officially announced the launch of the Crusades, targeting Tunisia.

News of the holy war spread quickly throughout the Mediterranean world, and Christians, Muslims, Jews, everyone began to turn their eyes to the coast of North Africa with anxiety, fear, curiosity, and excitement.

The Hundred Years' War between England and France had just ended, and the fighting in northern Italy had just subsided. A large number of idle mercenaries and landless knights in France and northern Italy were attracted by the call of holy war. They boarded the transport ships specially opened by trading companies for the Crusaders, raised various crusader flags, and headed for the coast of North Africa, hoping to gain glory and money, land and slaves in the war against the pagans.

In addition to the Crusades organized spontaneously by the people, some old nobles also had a strong interest in the holy war. They sent their illegitimate sons and descendants of family branches who had no inheritance rights to organize private armies to go to North Africa to participate in the war, preparing a foundation for themselves.

The old nobles had already signed an agreement with the emperor in advance, willing to provide the Crusaders with money, food and troops. In return, they would obtain the territories and titles they deserved after the victory of the Crusades.

At the same time, in the turbulent atmosphere of holy war throughout Europe, King Alfonso V of Portugal and the Algarve used the excuse of a new monarchy to tear up the peace treaty with the Marin dynasty, assembled troops in southern Portugal, and prepared to march to the port of Ceuta.

In the western Mediterranean, Christian warships cruised back and forth along the coastline from the port of Ceuta to the city of Tripoli. While ensuring the safety of the Crusader transport fleet, they were also able to attack the few small ships of North African Muslims.

On the coast of North Africa, tens of thousands of Christian troops locked down the three Maghreb countries from two directions.

Faced with the extremely strong external threat, the three Maghreb countries finally began to panic. They held frequent alliances and agreed to fight the enemy together in the name of Allah.

The war is coming and the storm is about to come.

……

On the calm Central Mediterranean Sea, the breeze gently stirs up the waves, fills the sails of the ships, and caresses the cheeks of the passengers.

As the sun sets, the sea sparkles and the waves surge, like a field of broken gold.

On the deck, a boy about ten years old was lying on the railing bored, supporting his head with his hands, looking at the scenery in the distance.

Not far ahead of the fleet, a large port was already in sight. The voices of people, livestock, church bells and the sound of ships docking were carried to the sailors' ears by the wind. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the land that was about to be reached.

It can be seen that this port is now shouldering a heavy task that exceeds its carrying capacity. Many ships cannot get the berthing spaces they deserve and are pushed and shoved together.

After cursing each other with the port managers, the sailors on the large ship had no choice but to turn to other ports to the east and west. Some small boats chose to run aground directly on the beach nearby, unloading the cargo and passengers first and waiting for the high tide late at night.

The port managers are obviously aware of this and are stepping up expansion on both sides of the existing port. Slaves are naked, carrying stones and wood that are several times their own weight, while supervisors hold whips and watch closely from the sidelines.

This is Misrata, the largest city in the Gulf of Sirte, the closest major city to Tripoli, and the front line of the confrontation between Christian and Muslim forces.

Six years ago, Count Mikhail led his army westward and brought the city under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire. He established the Misrata region with it as the empire's western barrier in North Africa.

Two years ago, while the main force was heading north to Constantinople, the Hafsid army arrived at Misrata and engaged in a bloody battle with the defenders in the city and the Slaves Legion cruising outside the city. Queen Leonor and Prince Justinian personally went to Misrata to boost the morale of the defenders and show that they were determined to fight to the death.

After the Battle of Constantinople, the Hafsid army retreated like a tide, and the emperor returned to North Africa to stabilize the situation in Misrata. With the power of victory, he launched a large-scale purge in the city, demoting the local scholars and merchants who colluded with Muslim forces during the war into slavery. He would rather kill a thousand people by mistake than let one go.

This large-scale purge swept away all the restless elements in Misrata, leaving more than 6,000 people homeless and half of the city empty.

After the Great Purge, the city of Misrata began a slow recovery, with Christians from all over the place moving into the city to fill the vacuum of interests.

The remaining 5,000-odd locals witnessed the bloody scenes of the Great Purge, accepted their fate with trembling hands, converted to Orthodoxy honestly, and began a slow national integration with the Orthodox Christians who had migrated here.

Two years have passed, and the city of Misrata has basically recovered its vitality, with a population of nearly 10,000. It is not only the most important military port and fortress in the western part of the Gulf of Sirte, but also links the St. Simon Islands and the Port of Sirte, playing an important role in the Mediterranean piracy business.

When the storm was calm, there would always be pirate ships coming from the northwest, carrying large boxes of various goods and groups of Berber slaves to the port, where they would rest and sell the stolen goods.

They would sell the looted people and wealth to local middlemen, who would then transport the stolen goods to the west or north for centralized sales in Cyrenaica and Italy.

During this period, the local governors accurately grasped the geographical advantages of Misrata and built service facilities such as inns, brothels, and hotels in the city to provide services to pirates and merchants passing by and earn rewards.

The natural resources in the St. Simon Islands are too scarce, and the control of the Knights Templar also prevents the pirates from being too presumptuous. Many large pirate groups have fixed bases in Misrata, and regard it as an excellent harbor to relax.

Whenever they made a big deal, pirates would stuff their pockets with gold coins, hum pirate songs as they walked into taverns, and deliberately jingle the gold coins to attract the attention of the hostesses.

Robbery is a business with no cost and huge profits. Even a little bit of profit that flows inadvertently is enough to feed the entire city.

Unlike other cities, with the emperor's special authorization, the tribunes of Misrata control a city guard of up to 600 people. In addition to being responsible for basic public security management and city guarding, they will also cooperate with local knight organizations to crack down on tax evasion.

At sea, killing and arson are allowed, and gangs rob gangs. On the vast ocean, all moral constraints no longer exist.

However, once tax evasion is discovered, all property on land will be confiscated, the privateering license will be revoked, and the pirates and naval fleets will be jointly strangled to the ends of the earth.

After a new round of Crusades was formed, the city of Misrata became the forward base and material distribution center of the Eastern Roman Empire on the western frontier. The concentration of population and accumulation of materials brought great development to the city again. Merchants from Italy and Cyrenaica followed the army here and established trading houses and markets, providing a large number of employment opportunities for local people. The rural population began to concentrate in cities, and the degree of ethnic assimilation was further deepened.

"Giuliano, what are you looking at?"

Next to the young man, a middle-aged man dressed as a priest came over and patted Giuliano's head affectionately with a kind face.

"This is the port of Misrata, the base of the Crusaders."

Seeing that Giuliano did not answer, the priest continued.

He is nearly middle-aged, slightly plump, wearing a silver cross on his chest, and his hair is a little sparse, but his facial features are regular and his complexion is healthy. He must have been a handsome man when he was young.

Giuliano turned his head, his dark eyes full of pride and self-conceit, his handsome face facing the sun, noble and sharp.

If you look closely, the two are actually 70% similar.

"Uncle Francis, I never thought there would be such a busy port in North Africa."

"Yes, never underestimate anyone, whether it's a Saracen or the Emperor of Constantinople."

"This land is not as barren as people imagine. Not to mention Cairo, even several large cities in the Marin Dynasty have a population of nearly 100,000. The Saracens are a strong opponent. They must have their own unique strengths to have been able to fight against us for so many years."

"The emperor of Constantinople was a rare hero. He built such a huge empire in just ten years, causing unrest in the entire Mediterranean."

"The envoy of His Majesty Nicholas V has just returned from Billings and was amazed at the rapid development of this city."

"According to him, there are nearly 80,000 residents in Bilinchi and its surrounding towns. The rebellious forces have also subsided, and the Saracens who are unwilling to obey have been driven south. The situation has basically stabilized."

Francis sighed, a complicated expression on his face.

"Uncle, their strength is increasing day by day, which may not be a good thing for us."

Giuliano said tentatively.

Francis smiled.

"My child, the Holy See has gone through a lot over the years and is no longer what it used to be."

"In the long run, the Emperor of Constantinople is of course our enemy, but we cannot turn against him for the time being. On the contrary, we must use him as our support."

"Compared to him, the French and Venetians are our most imminent threat. Their arrogance and domineering behavior have seriously affected the authority of the Holy See in Italy."

"The Venetians suffered a great loss on the Morea Peninsula a few days ago. They will definitely be quiet for a while. For this, we should thank the Emperor."

Giuliano frowned and pursed his lips.

He had been very interested in politics since he was a child and was naturally aware of the two major crises facing the Holy See.

The French had long ago broken away from the jurisdiction of the Holy See and had been trying to support their own puppet pope to compete with the Roman Catholic Church. It was the Avignon Prisoner led by them that caused the Roman Catholic Church to lose its dignity. The last pseudo-pope of the remaining meeting did not abdicate until 1449 under the combined soft and hard tactics of Nicholas V.

As for the Venetians, they were the greatest enemy of the Holy See. They had been competing with the Holy See for control of Italy, bringing one city-state after another under the control of the Great Council, shaking the foundation of the Holy See's secular rule.

"His Majesty Nicholas is too gentle. Simply being gentle will not earn the monarchs' true submission."

"Maybe. You are still young. If you read more books, you will have different opinions."

"His Holiness Nicholas is an excellent pope, there is no doubt about that."

While the uncle and nephew were talking, the fleet continued to sail towards the port, and the crowded dock was getting closer and closer.

"That is the flag of the House of Anjou. René I invested a lot of resources in this holy war, trying to seize a territory for his most beloved youngest son."

Francis explained to his nephew as he looked at the flags on the dock.

"You should be familiar with this red and yellow striped flag. It comes from the Kingdom of Aragon. It seems that Afonso V also wants to get a piece of the pie..."

"Well, Barentucelli family, I heard that His Majesty Nicholas' nephew hired an army of 800 people. I guess he wants to ask for the title of baron..."

"The Paleologian family of Monferrato are distant relatives of our emperor and his loyal allies."

"The Medici family, a bunch of stinking bankers..."

Giuliano listened patiently, then suddenly frowned.

"The Bull emblem, the Borgias, are they here too?"

"I heard that after His Majesty Nicholas became seriously ill, many cardinals were interested in the Jewish man from Spain. Is that true?"

Giuliano asked rapidly.

"If you say that again next time, you'll be put in solitary confinement."

Francis spoke slowly, but with unquestionable force.

"Sorry, uncle, I won't do that again."

Giuliano bowed his head.

“If you want to achieve something, no matter how talented you are, you must control your mouth and keep all your emotions to yourself.”

"It is basically certain that the Spaniard will be elected as the next Pope. As for why, you will gradually understand it in the future."

"Don't worry about these things until you become stronger."

"Yes."

Francis finished his sermon, said nothing more, and waited for the ship to dock.

"Look! That's the Pope's fleet, with envoys from the Vatican on board!"

As the fleet approached, the sailors and port staff saw the emblems painted on the ships' sails, and the crowded fleet suddenly quieted down and made way.

The Catholic sailors on the deck and the shore bowed their heads to the fleet and made the sign of the cross on their chests.

Although Orthodox Christians are not fond of the Pope, they still retain the most basic respect for clergy.

"For God's sake!"

"In the name of God!"

"Father, protect us, promise us wealth, and pray for victory for us!"

From nowhere, the sailors cheered and saluted the Pope's fleet, with excitement flashing in their eyes.

Francis also straightened up and waved to the believers. The slight anger he had just shown disappeared, and he immediately put on a kind and pious look.

"I am glad to meet you here, holy warriors of Christ, faithful followers of our Lord."

"I have brought the decree of His Majesty Nicholas. All wars and killings carried out in the name of God are practicing justice, which is glorious, great and noble."

"After participating in the holy war, all sins can be forgiven, and if you die unfortunately, your soul will ascend to heaven."

"I will pray for you and wish you a triumphant return."

The believers cheered again, and the sound was endless.

Giuliano looked at his uncle with admiration as he enjoyed everyone's support, a smile on his face, and he was very envious of this feeling.

However, he also knew that the respect and love of these believers were not for his uncle, but for His Majesty Nicholas behind his uncle.

He looked up at the emblem painted on the sail.

At the top of the emblem is the triple crown representing the three powers of the Pope. The crown is surrounded by a red ribbon, and below it are Peter's gold and silver keys crossed, symbolizing all power on earth and in heaven.

In addition to these symbols, each pope's emblem is different, and generally uses the family's shield as the main body of the emblem.

The current coat of arms is the coat of arms of the Barentucelli family, representing the authority of Nicholas V.

Perhaps, in a few months, the Borgia family's bull will be galloping over the Vatican and worshipped by tens of thousands of people.

Thinking of this, the jealousy in Giuliano's eyes almost turned into reality.

How wonderful it would be if one day the blue-bottomed golden oak tree of the Rovira family could wear the triple crown.

He fantasized about the day when he would be dressed in gorgeous clothes, sitting in the Vatican, wearing the supreme crown, and accepting the worship of believers.

If that day really comes, I will definitely build a powerful army, defeat all powerful enemies, and restore the prestige of the Holy See!

He swore silently to the triple crown above his head.

It is said that every Pope will take a new name for himself when he is crowned, which represents a kind of rebirth.

If it were me, what name would I choose?

Twelve-year-old Giuliano Della Rovere began to have wild thoughts, as most adolescent children do.

Peter? Gregory? Benedict?

Too ordinary, not very fond of it.

Why not, let's call him Julius.

(End of this chapter)