1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 245 Westward Expansion and the Homestead Act
There was a fire burning in the study, and a huge map of the Mediterranean was hung on the wall. The map was very sophisticated, with different forces distinguished by different colors, and major cities and fortresses also marked in detail with dots of different sizes. It was obviously made by a master.

Abel bent down and squeezed through the wooden door of the study, standing behind Isaac and Justinian.

"Abel, you have been guarding the border in the south before, so you may not know much about the situation in the Mediterranean world in recent days. Have you heard about the recent Council of La Spezia?"

Isaac asked.

"I've heard a little bit about it. I heard that this conference is the most grand conference in the Christian world in recent years, with more participants than the last Florence Council."

Abel replied.

"Yes, almost all the high-ranking clergy of the Eastern Empire are now in La Spezia, except for some stubborn clergy in Constantinople."

Isaac nodded slightly.

"Decades ago, we turned to the Western Church for help. The Florence Council they convened did objectively change the views of some Western countries on us and did win us the support of some jihadists. But the Council also put a heavy yoke on us, causing the grassroots people to have a serious distrust of the central government."

"At that time, the Western Church was much more powerful than us, so it could use the Ecumenical Council to interfere in our internal affairs and even demand that we hold Western ceremonies in Hagia Sophia."

“But decades later, the tables have turned.”

A faint smile appeared on Isaac's lips.

"Since we drove the Turks out of the Balkans, the Eastern Church has recovered its strength, while the Western Church has been declining year after year and its influence is no longer as great as before. More and more people are unwilling to accept their exploitation, and more and more people of insight are beginning to question the Vatican's ruling power."

"Among them, the most influential is the Hussite sect. In addition to the Hussite sect, there are actually many old and emerging heresies."

"Also, although the Western Church has far more believers than the Eastern Church, they are not united. France, the strongest monarch in Western Europe, has always been at odds with the Roman Catholic Church. The church in Gaul broke away from the control of Rome a long time ago."

"In short, to some extent, the Western Church has been caught up in internal and external troubles and is completely unable to intervene in our internal affairs."

"Your Majesty, I have a question."

Abel said.

"Please say."

Isaac nodded.

"Do you think there is a possibility that the Western Church will completely collapse in the coming years?"

"Or do you think that heretics like the Hussites are capable of undermining the absolute authority of the Holy See?"

Abel asked.

"No."

Isaac shook his head.

“The Roman Catholic Church is not so easy to collapse. Even if the monarchs no longer listen to it, they will push it to the forefront and use it as a tool for their rule.”

"As for the Hussites, I admit that they are very tenacious, with strong fighting power and willpower. King Jiri Podebrad of Bohemia is also a very good monarch. During his reign, he built water conservancy projects, encouraged farming, promoted nationalism, and had a high prestige among the people."

"However, they have not yet subverted the rule of the Holy See, nor have they expanded this reform movement to the entire German region."

In Isaac's view, the Hussites actually acted as the vanguard of the religious reform and once caused great trouble to the Vatican.

However, in a major change, the outcome for those who are at the forefront is usually not very good.

Of course, the Hussites were indeed very strong in combat. The Catholic world had besieged them many times but had not been able to completely conquer them militarily. Even Matthias I, the "Raven King" of the Kingdom of Hungary, had not been able to defeat Jiří Poděbrad. Even though he obtained the Bohemian crown with the support of the Bohemian Catholic nobles, he was unable to bring the entire Bohemia under his rule.

After Jiri's death, the Hussites still had many followers in Bohemia, Moravia, Poland and other places. They were not "accidentally killed" by fanatical Catholics until the religious wars.

The spring breeze of the Reformation has not yet fully blown, and the current Holy See still controls the spiritual world of half of Europe. Although it faces endless internal and external troubles and the upper echelons are seriously corrupt, it is still magnificent on the surface.

However, after a few decades, Münzer, Martin Luther, Calvin and others will successively step onto the stage of history and trample the last bit of face of the Holy See under their feet.

The current Vatican is like a mansion with a golden exterior but rotten interior. In order to continue to maintain its gorgeous appearance, they remove a load-bearing beam from the house from time to time, cover it with paste, and paste it outside the house.

Sooner or later, they will be severely punished by the evil consequences they sowed in their early years.

Of course, this is all about the next generation.

Thinking of this, Isaac turned around and looked at his absent-minded eldest son.

This lucky boy will probably never encounter any particularly powerful enemies in his entire life.

"Then do you know that now that the situation has reversed and it is the West that needs us, why should I still maintain superficial unity with them?"

Isaac looked at Abel.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know."

Abel said as a matter of course.

"I will do whatever your majesty says."

Isaac pounded his armor in amused confusion and shook his head.

In the past twenty years, the prestige he had accumulated was too high, and few people in the empire dared to question him. This was a good thing, but also a bad thing.

"Forget it. To put it simply, we are doing this for profit and money."

Isaac suppressed his smile.

"If we only rely on a Balkan country with declining people's livelihood and Anatolia with Turks everywhere, we will never be able to complete the revival in a short period of time, and it is very likely that we will not even be able to take Anatolia."

"Therefore, we must expand overseas trade and stimulate simple industries and commerce at home. As long as the finances are healthy, we can reduce taxes, prepare for war, and achieve rapid population growth and rapid expansion of land."

In fact, the geographical location of the Eastern Roman Empire was not very good. It was located in a place surrounded by wars and was the first stop for foreign forces from the north, south and east to enter Europe. In the previous few hundred years, it was facing wave after wave of invasions from powerful enemies at any time.

Moreover, the Eastern Roman Empire was located deep in the eastern Mediterranean, and the Silk Road and Black Sea trade made Constantinople prosperous for hundreds of years. However, in the past hundred years, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Persia have been in chaos, and the land trade between the East and the West has been greatly hindered. The Black Sea trade has also failed to restore its former prosperity. The relocation of the trade center from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic is a historical necessity.

If he had not relied on his foresight to allow the Eastern Roman Empire to gain the upper hand in the Age of Discovery, and had remained in a corner, what awaited the empire would have been a similar fate to that of the Ottoman Empire in the original time and space, or even more tragic.

Furthermore, both Magna Graecia and Anatolia were seriously lacking in high-quality coal mines, and would certainly be restricted in many ways during the first Industrial Revolution three hundred years later, and would not be able to compare with countries like Britain and Germany.

Times have changed. When it comes to steel and coal, even France, a traditional agricultural power, is unable to cope with it, let alone the even more traditional agricultural power, Eastern Rome.

In order to solve these two problems, Isaac had no choice but to expand, choosing overseas trade and the large Ukrainian coal fields.

It's all for the sake of our descendants, so why should we care about the eternal infamy?
The development of the Ukrainian coalfield can be put off until later, but overseas trade must start as soon as possible. Every step we take now will bring countless benefits to future generations.

"Justinian, tell me, what is the most important thing for a country?"

Isaac looked at Justinian.

"People, land, money, the military, a good and efficient government, these are all important."

Justinian said without hesitation.

"But money is the most important thing. Without money, there will be no army, no land, no government, and even the people will be against us."

"well said."

Isaac nodded gratifiedly.

"While these arguments are highly problematic, money is indeed the most important thing in the current situation."

"Since we have decided to develop overseas trade and get a share of the great voyages of discovery, there is no way to bypass Western Europe. We must control the Strait of Gibraltar in our own hands."

"That's one of the reasons why I insisted on signing the agreement with Pope John Paul II."

"Humph, Your Majesty wants Gibraltar, I will lead my troops to attack them, why bother with so much trouble?"

Abel snorted and turned his head away.

Isaac smiled and shook his head, turning his gaze towards the Iberian Peninsula on the map.

"Among the three great powers in Iberia, Portugal is the most vibrant, Aragon is relatively wealthy thanks to trade in the western Mediterranean, and only Castile, although it has the most land, has the least potential and a very poor political environment."

"I can say without hesitation that if there had not been a strong monarch to unite the landed nobility of Castile and transform it from a medieval country into a new era country, it would have remained poor."

"In the past hundred years, Castile has experienced civil wars one after another. Almost all monarchs have experienced large-scale civil wars during their terms of office. The war with Granada has also been intermittent. Although we have the upper hand, we have no way to completely wipe them out."

"Also, on the peninsula, Aragon and Castile both face varying degrees of secession, and rebellions in Catalonia and Galicia are common."

"As far as I know, the Catalan rebellion has not yet subsided, and the Galicians have been very dishonest recently. A civilian organization called the Great Brotherhood is plotting a rebellion."

Isaac shrugged.

"Only Portugal, whether it is inheritance disputes or ethnic issues, is much less severe than the other two countries. It has a stable society and prosperous politics, and has basically completed the transformation from a medieval country to a new era country."

"Although Castile is very weak and can only exert two points of its national strength, they have still gradually encroached on Granada's territory in the past hundred years and even captured Gibraltar several times."

Isaac tapped his finger on the map at the location representing Gibraltar.

"For a hundred years, Castile, Granada and the Marin dynasty have been fighting for Gibraltar. Due to the help of the North African Moors and continuous internal strife, Castile has not been able to occupy this important place for a long time."

"However, the Marin Dynasty has completely declined. In a sense, since the Watas family's chaos, the Marin Dynasty as a central government has ceased to exist."

"Now, the Moorish lords of Gibraltar have pledged their allegiance to Castile."

"You mean that Gibraltar is now a vassal of Castile?"

Abel frowned.

"Yes, in the eyes of the Castilians, all of Granada is their vassal."

Isaac shrugged.

"That is to say, if we want to take action against Gibraltar but do not want to offend the entire Western world, it is best to obtain the support of Pope John Paul II."

"Why is it so troublesome? The civil war in Castile has affected half of the country. If we can gain a foothold in Gibraltar, they should be helpless, right?"

Justinian asked.

"Besides, the Strait of Gibraltar is not like the Bosphorus Strait. Even if Castile occupies all of Gibraltar, there is no way to block the sea route, right?"

Isaac heard this and nodded slightly.

This is true. Gibraltar is relatively wide, with the narrowest part being 14 kilometers, which is 20 times the width of the Bosphorus Strait. Considering the current naval capabilities of European countries, a complete blockade is impossible.

In the original time and space, even the Ottoman Empire broke out of Gibraltar and occupied a place in the Atlantic Ocean.

However, as long as Gibraltar is not in his hands, once a naval power appears on both sides of the Strait, they can harass his shipping routes from time to time, causing him great trouble.

The Eastern Roman Empire was unable to completely block the Strait of Otranto, but it could still use various means to attack the Venetian trade routes, greatly increasing trade costs. This is also the reason.

Isaac simply stopped explaining and started thinking.

"Justinian."

"Ok?"

"You said that since you want to marry Isabella, you must have a betrothal gift, and since Henry IV wants to marry his sister, he must have a dowry."

"The Castilians gave you the claim to Granada as a dowry, and you took the land of Granada as a fief for you and Isabella's descendants. What do you think of this solution?"

Isaac looked at Justinian.

"That would be great, but will the nobles of Castile buy into this?"

Justinian's eyes flashed, but he still had some concerns.

"This is a way for them to get out of this situation. If they are still not satisfied, then forget it."

Isaac waved his hand.

"If we can get the support of Pope John Paul II and if he is willing to mediate, this plan will have a lot of room for implementation."

"We can't rush to use military force against Granada. The civil war in Castile is far from reaching its maximum scale. Later, the Portuguese, Aragonese, Catalans, Galicians, Navarrese and even the French will be involved in this chaos."

"Before that, what we have to do is to expand our strength as much as possible, accumulate wealth, expand our territory, develop our territory, increase our population, and prepare for the subsequent chaos."

Isaac said slowly.

"Father, what about the Ottomans? When will we attack Anatolia?"

Justinian asked.

"You have to wait."

Isaac raised his head and looked out the window.

"When a giant appears to the east of the Ottoman Empire, which is enough to tie down one-third of Mehmed II's forces, we can start to recover Anatolia."

Of course, the person Isaac was waiting for was his old friend, Uzum Hassan of the White Sheep Dynasty. At that time, he was fighting hard with Jahan Shah of the Black Sheep Dynasty and had no way to tie down the Ottoman troops.

The study fell into silence. After a while, Abel's deep voice sounded again.

"Your Majesty, you came to me to talk about these things, but I don't quite understand them, do I?"

"It doesn't matter. What happens next is closely related to you."

Isaac laughed.

"Before we begin, I'd like to hear from you about the situation in the Southern Border Region in recent years."

"Your Majesty, if you are asking about economic development, then I may disappoint you. There has not been any significant progress."

Abel said somewhat awkwardly.

"The Southern Border Region has a history of ten years, but due to natural conditions, the population has always been small, and there is no decent large city."

"If we include Tugurt, Mzab and the rest of the nomadic regimes, the entire southern border region has no more than 50,000 people, and our core control area has only 14,000 people."

"For ten years, I was in charge of the war, and development was mainly left to Hussein. To be honest, under his governance, New Hadrian and Fort Romanus have established a complete city defense system and administrative organs, and most of the settled population is concentrated around these two main cities." "Hussein also formulated separate development plans for the two main cities. New Hadrian is close to the Atlas Mountains, and the nearby iron ore resources are relatively rich. Fort Romanus is close to the Djerid Salt Lake, which is just right for the development of the nitrate field industry."

"Last year, the post station network was extended to the southern border area, making our commercial exchanges with the outside world more convenient. Several chambers of commerce in the north have signed commercial treaties with us and regularly send people to purchase our iron ore and saltpeter."

"Currently, there are more than 6,000 people in New Hadrian and the surrounding villages and towns. Fort Romanus is a military fortress with only more than 2,000 people."

"Very good, it has exceeded my expectations. It seems that Hussein is indeed a talent."

Isaac was a little surprised.

"Your Majesty, this is actually mainly due to your exile law. In the past ten years, many prisoners have been exiled to the southern border area, and their resettlement areas are mainly in the two capitals."

Speaking of this, Abel suddenly laughed.

"At first, these prisoners were very dishonest and would escape whenever they had the chance. I had no choice but to follow the French example and tattoo wild boar patterns on their foreheads. This way, even if they ran to the north, they could only hide everywhere."

"After that, the number of escapees dropped significantly."

“It’s a good idea and worth promoting.”

Isaac nodded.

In order to increase the population over the years, Isaac has done everything he can, even using criminals to the extreme. Except for serious crimes such as murder, all crimes are not sentenced to death, but exiled to the frontier instead.

"Of the two great vassals in the southern border region, Tugurt is the most rebellious, while Mzab is very obedient. I guess this may be related to their beliefs."

Abel continued.

"Yes, Mzab believes in Ibadism, which is very rare in the Saracen world. Mzab is surrounded by Sunni heretics. If he wants to survive, he can only take shelter under our wings."

Isaac groaned.

"Now that Togurt has been destroyed, the southern border region should be able to enter a period of peaceful development. Even if the Berber tribes in the Atlas Mountains come down from the mountains to plunder, they are unlikely to choose desert oases with little oil and water."

"Recently, the Ottoman Empire's persecution of Orthodox Christians has become increasingly severe, and many Orthodox Christians around the Aegean Sea have fled to the Balkans."

"Since you have slaughtered all the people in Tougurt, you might as well arrange for some refugees to settle there to prevent this place from being occupied by other Berber tribes."

"Okay! Housaiyin has put a lot of effort into attracting refugees. He must be laughing in his dreams after hearing this news."

Abel laughed so loudly that it hurt people's eardrums.

"There are not many refugees here, only about 500 people, and they all came from the vicinity of Chalcedon. Let's rename Turgut to New Chalcedon. I hope they like their new home."

Isaac arranged.

"Besides, now that the southern border region has been pacified, I plan to hand over the position of resident minister to Hussein, and your deputy Boke will serve as deputy minister. What do you think?"

"Hussein is very good. Bock can make up for the military shortcomings. I feel very relieved."

Abel nodded, but still looked unhappy.

"Your Majesty, what about me?"

"Don't worry, you have made great contributions, and I will definitely reward you handsomely."

Isaac said soothingly, unfolding a map of North Africa.

"In the last Crusade, we recaptured Carthage and took over half of the territory of the Hafsid Dynasty."

“But you also know that the densely populated area of ​​the Hafsid Dynasty is actually west of Carthage, where the natural conditions are better, the population is larger, the handicraft output is greater, and the commercial value is higher.”

"At that time, I promised these places to the other Western European nobles who participated in the Western Expedition. Their territories in the west were chaotic and complicated. The two most powerful ones were Naples and the Knights Hospitaller. The former firmly occupied the city of Bejaia, and the latter owned many castles and manor properties in various places."

"Over a dozen years, they launched several attacks on the Zayanid dynasty in the west, and basically all of them ended in victory. They once occupied the city of Algiers, but then the Naples Civil War broke out. In order to win the civil war, Ferdinand was forced to sell Algiers to a local prince."

"Not long ago, Ferdinand wrote me a letter, which roughly meant that he didn't want to repay the loan he owed me. He also wanted to take some shares in the East India Company and was ready to sell the Principality of Bejaia to me."

"You agreed?"

Abel's eyes sparkled.

"Yes, of course a share in the East India Company is worth more than a Bejaia, but I agreed to it anyway."

Isaac said.

"I plan to integrate the territories from Algiers to Bejaia and establish the Western Border Region based on the model of the Southern Border Region. I don't ask for any financial income, but only for border stability."

"Count Abel, are you willing to accept the position of resident minister of the Western Frontier Region?"

"Of course I am willing! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Abel was overjoyed and knelt on one knee.

Isaac gently lifted Abel up, took off a ring and placed it on the giant's little finger.

"So, from now on, you are the general manager of the Western Border Region. You need to immediately organize the Western Border Legion and rush to Bejaia City. Try to stabilize the situation and recapture Algiers within five years."

"The Zayanid Dynasty is the weakest of the three Maghreb dynasties. Even at its peak, it couldn't muster an army of 15,000 people. Now it's also divided among the princes. It's a good time for us to take action."

"Your Majesty, it is easy to defeat them, but it may not be easy to occupy them for a long time."

Abel raised his head and thought about it.

"The western border is different from the southern border. The population is larger, and most of them are pagan Saracens. How do you plan to deal with them?"

"There is no need to deal with them, nor to force them to convert like we did to the core areas. We should adopt a laissez-faire attitude and not interfere too much in their own affairs."

Isaac shook his head.

"Ferdinand has wiped out the large Berber tribes around Bejaia in a dozen years. Some of the residents in the city are immigrants from southern Italy. Although their number is small, they can be fully utilized."

"Besides, the Knights Hospitaller are also very good helpers. Their castles are all autonomous, and their religious activities will not be interfered with."

"There are no heretics now. We have a common enemy on the North African continent. There is no need to fight each other."

"As for the Berbers west of Bejaia, just make them surrender. You have been dealing with these people for many years. You should know how to sow discord, how to drive tigers to devour wolves, and how to cultivate confidants."

"Your Majesty, I understand all this, but you must provide me with some help."

Abel scratched his head.

"Troops, money, immigrants, you have to give some of it all."

"There is no army. You can go to Bejaia and form one yourself. The initial capital is 5,000 solidus, and you have to earn the rest yourself. You will inevitably fight in Bejaia and use slaves in exchange."

Isaac said.

"Besides, I know that you don't really like administration, so you will select a few talented officials and priests to go with you."

“As for population and immigration… look at this.”

Isaac picked up a document from the table and handed it to Abel.

Abel took it and looked at it for a long time with a grunt.

"Do you understand?"

Isaac smiled.

"I cannot read... Your Majesty."

Isaac had no choice but to take the document and start explaining.

"This is the latest land reclamation decree issued by the empire. Its main purpose is to attract refugees."

“I call it the Homestead Law.”

Isaac cleared his throat and began to read.

"According to the Homestead Law, any Roman citizen over the age of 1, or other Christians who wish to join Rome, can obtain the right to use a certain amount of state-owned land for three years for the purpose of residence or farming after paying a registration fee of solidus. After three years of farming, the land will belong to the person who cultivated it."

"These state-owned territories include Bulgaria, the Southern Border Region and the Western Border Region, and later, Anatolia and Egypt."

"That is to say, you can not only recruit domestic immigrants, but also immigrants from Western European countries. Now that the church is unified, we have no reason to turn them away."

"The land obtained through the Homestead Act is much larger than that obtained through ordinary means, and it can be passed down to descendants, which is quite attractive to the poor tenants."

After the 14th century, the manor economy in Western Europe began to disintegrate rapidly, and a large number of feudal manors went bankrupt. The feudal lords were forced to change the serfdom system to the tenant system. The people were no longer bound by the manors and could move more freely.

As long as we relax religious controls in a few reclaimed areas, there will always be refugees from Western Europe willing to come.

Bulgaria is mostly populated by Orthodox Christians, and the small number of Catholics cannot cause much trouble. The western and southern border regions are mostly populated by Muslims, and the Catholics who come to reclaim wasteland can only get closer to the central government if they want to keep their land.

Besides, these two frontier areas were not Isaac’s core territories, and settled Catholics were much better off than semi-nomadic Muslims.

"Abel, although the Homestead Act is aimed at the three reclamation areas, it is mainly prepared for the Western Frontier Region. It is closest to Western Europe and has better natural conditions. Immigrants will probably regard it as their main destination."

"What you need to do is to unite them, gradually reduce the Berber lands, and defend the western border for the empire."

"The Western Border has been in war for many years. Many slave-hunting groups are active here. The Knights Hospitaller have also been hunting down pagans all year round. The vacant land can be used to attract refugees."

"The refugees who come to open up the wasteland are estimated to be mostly French, Italian and Castilian, and there will be very few immigrants from England and Germany. I will define French, Italian and Spanish as popular Latin, so as to deepen their memories of the ancient empire."

“Latin and Greek were both official languages ​​of the empire, and people who spoke Vulgar Latin could enter government agencies, go to school, and hold high office.”

Isaac said.

At the end of the 15th century, nationalism had not yet emerged. Compared with the citizens, small farmers were illiterate and had even weaker national sentiments. As long as the religious problem could be reasonably solved, some of the Western European refugees could be assimilated.

Of course, this only applies to farmers. If it were urban residents in northern Italy, there would be no possibility of assimilation at all.

"I will ask Pope John Paul II to promote this westward movement to recover lost territory from the infidels, which is of course also a form of holy war."

"Yes, I understand. Let's form the Western Territory Legion right away!"

Abel nodded heavily.

"Carthage is a martial nation, and the people around it are very willing to join the army. I will issue you a document allowing you to recruit soldiers."

Isaac said.

"Besides, I have prepared weapons and equipment and early supplies for you. You can go and sign a trade agreement with the Carthage Arsenal."

"There are also the heads of various chambers of commerce. You will inevitably have to deal with them in the future, so you can meet them."

"Yes!"

Abel exclaimed.

Isaac nodded, but still a little worried, and continued to give instructions.

"Although the Western Border Region will not be included in the core ruling area, its importance cannot be underestimated. If you can take over the port of Algiers, the distance between us and Granada will no longer be far, and the supply pressure will be greatly reduced."

"Our trade routes lack a transit point in the western Mediterranean, and the Western Border Region can just make up for this shortcoming."

Abel nodded and rushed out of the study happily.

The giant's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, and the father and son looked at each other.

"Father, he recruited the soldiers himself. The refugees have little affinity for the empire. Aren't you worried that he will establish himself as king after he gains a foothold?"

Justinian asked.

"How can they rebel? They rely on us for weapons and trade. Before he left, Ferdinand took away all the valuable craftsmen and scholars in Bejaia. The handicraft industry base in the Western Border Region is almost zero."

Isaac shook his head dismissively.

"In the future, the Western Frontier Region will be a dual structure where Berbers and Latin immigrants coexist, and farming will be the main industry. Abel cannot do without us."

As he was speaking, a personal soldier rushed in and handed two letters to Isaac.

Isaac took the letter, glanced at it, and smiled.

"Father, what is it?"

Justinian asked urgently.

"Prince Alfonso of Castile captured the city of Toledo, and Henry IV fled to Segovia with Isabella. On the way, he agreed to accept our conditions and marry his sister to you."

Justinian immediately laughed happily, his eyes full of joy.

"Don't be too anxious to be happy, there is one more thing."

Isaac handed Justinian another letter.

“Hadji Gherai of Crimea is dead.”

……

On January 1466, 1, Prince Alfonso of the Kingdom of Castile led his army into the Royal Palace of Toledo and was crowned King of Castile, competing with Enrique IV of Segovia.

On January 1, with the mediation of Pope Paul II, Henry IV accepted the conditions of the Eastern Roman Empire and married his sister Isabella to Prince Justinian, thus forming a marriage relationship between the two countries.

Under the terms of the betrothal agreement, Henry IV handed over to Isabella a claim to Granada as her dowry.

On January 1, Haji Gul Khan, a great hero of the Crimean Khanate and the most ambitious descendant of Genghis Khan, died of illness in Bakhchisaray. The political situation was turbulent, and his sons fought against each other and launched attacks.

On January 1, the Eastern Roman Empire established the Western Frontier Region, promulgated the Homestead Law, and vigorously attracted refugees from various countries to go south to reclaim wasteland.

In the same month, at the strong request of the Portuguese royal family of Aves and the Naples royal family of Trastámara, the East India fleet consisting of 35 ships of various types and more than 3,000 sailors set sail from the port of Carthage and headed for the rich East.

(End of this chapter)