1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 277 Triangular Trade
Constantinople, north of the Great Palace, Eugenius Gate.

The Eugenius Gate is a small gate in the north of Constantinople, on the south bank of the Golden Horn. There is a small port outside the gate, and a tower stands in the middle of the port.

When foreign enemies invaded, the defenders of Constantinople would raise iron chains on both sides of the Golden Horn, with one end of the chain hung on Galata and the other end hung on the tower of this port.

After the Battle of Constantinople, Constantinople had not been invaded by foreign enemies for a long time. The iron chain of the Golden Horn was idle, and the towers on both sides were renovated and converted into two tall lighthouses to point the way for ships coming from afar.

Sixteen years have passed since the last Battle of Constantinople. The old generation of holy warriors who once fought bravely on the city walls are gradually dying out, and the ignorant children who once shivered in the basement have grown up.

During the sixteen years, the Eastern Roman Empire, under the leadership of the emperor, created countless miracles. Workshops sprang up from the ground, farms appeared in the barren wilderness, groups of slaves walked into the city in servile ways, and large ships loaded with gold, silver and treasures from afar sailed to the harbor.

Young people who grow up in such an environment are lucky and proud. Compared with their fathers, their national pride and national cohesion are unparalleled, and their loyalty to the emperor is unparalleled.

Constantinople was the largest city in the entire Eastern Roman Empire. It was the first to begin to move towards standardization and institutionalization, gradually moving from a medieval city to a modern metropolis.

Once in Constantinople, livestock had to be put into dung bags, garbage and excrement had to be handed over to designated handlers, swords and weapons were not allowed to be unsheathed in public, and renting carriages required government documents...

Now, more than a dozen ports of all sizes in Constantinople have also been standardized. Fishing ports, commercial ports, military ports... are classified and clearly organized.

The small port outside the Eugenius Gate is the emperor's private port. It is closest to the Grand Palace. There is a main road and a secret passage leading to the palace, and an army is stationed here at all times.

In recent years, there have been more and more assassins and spies from various countries. In order to prevent his whereabouts from being discovered by them, Isaac has rarely traveled from public ports in a high-profile manner as before. This small port under strict surveillance has played its role.

In the small port, a medium-sized cargo ship was parked on the shore, loaded with various goods brought back from the New World.

Several sailors carried a heavy piece of wood down to the deck and placed it on the ground.

The wood is straight and tough, the bark is brown and the trunk is blood red.

Brazilian rosewood, a precious tree native to South America, has a wide range of uses and is extremely valuable.

Isaac walked forward and touched the fine grain of the mahogany.

In the original time and space, the Portuguese navigator Cabral accidentally discovered a piece of land while exploring India. There was no gold or gems here, and the indigenous people with low productivity lived a primitive life of slash-and-burn agriculture.

The first Portuguese navigators were very disdainful of Brazil. They only thought that this land was suitable as an important transit station on the route to India, which could avoid the Gulf of Guinea and greatly save sailing time.

The American continent is not far from Europe. Following the Atlantic circulation, it takes more than a month to reach the continent from Gibraltar, and another two months to reach the Cape of Good Hope, thus minimizing the impact of the equatorial windless zone.

However, since they were already here, they had to occupy the land. Cabral assigned the land to the Portuguese royal family and named it "Holy Cross".

Later, people discovered the precious value of Brazilian rosewood. Merchants and explorers coming and going began to call this land Brazilian rosewood, and the old name faded into history.

Beside Isaac, Ulrich Fugel, Deputy Minister of Commerce, walked forward, touched the blood-red tree trunk, and looked at the red stains on his hands with joy.

"Your Majesty, this is a good thing. You can extract very precious red dye from it!"

Isaac smiled and shook his head.

Brazilian rosewood can indeed be used to extract excellent red dye, but its value is not limited to this.

High-quality dyes, high-quality furniture, high-quality musical instruments, handicrafts, warships and ships...

Mahogany is Brazil's precious tree and also their cash cow, with high economic value.

In the original time and space, the Portuguese rule in Brazil can be roughly divided into three eras: the rosewood era, the sugar era and the golden age.

During the rosewood era, there were not many European immigrants in Brazil. Portuguese explorers lured local Indians with benefits and cut down a large amount of rosewood for them.

In the early 16th century, in just ten years, the Portuguese successfully transported two thousand tons of rosewood back to Europe, and made huge profits from various commodities produced from rosewood.

Of course, the growth cycle of Brazilian rosewood is very long and its regeneration is poor. After hundreds of years of plundering, it was almost cut to extinction by colonists.

"Your Majesty, we have found some of the things you drew for us, but there are still some that we have not found."

On the deck, Columbus jumped down with a pipe in his mouth.

"Very good, Columbus, you have done a great job again."

Isaac approved.

"Your Majesty, there is really nothing to praise. I followed your instructions and set out from Venezuela. Not long after, I bypassed the rainforest area and arrived in Brazil, which is a pretty good land."

Columbus shrugged.

"But you know, there is nothing here, no gold or gems, and the sailors are quite disappointed."

"This land is very valuable. I will reward them."

Isaac shook his head.

Gold was the first thing colonists wanted to find when they set foot on a new coast, and the early colonists' assessment of the value of land was mainly determined by the amount of gold and silver.

So, in the eyes of Europeans today, Brazil is indeed not a good place.

However, Brazil actually has a lot of gold and diamonds. In addition to gold and diamonds, mahogany, sugar cane, coffee and cocoa are all extremely valuable agricultural products.

Several sailors carried down a wooden box containing some unknown plants and plant materials.

Isaac picked up a roll of bark and stroked it in his palm.

“Cinchona bark.”

Isaac murmured.

"Your Majesty, many natives of Venezuela have converted to Orthodoxy. This is what they gave me. It is not a Brazilian product."

Columbus blew out a smoke ring.

"They call this the tree of life. Whenever they have a fever, they grind the bark into powder, soak it in water and drink it, and the fever will go away immediately."

Isaac nodded, musing.

“Is this tree of life common in Venezuela?”

"Not many, at least I haven't seen many. According to them, these barks were exchanged from the west, and only the nobles can afford them."

Columbus said.

The Cinchona tree is another very important tree in South America, native to Peru and Bolivia, which is now the Inca Empire.

Isaac estimates that most of the world's native cinchona trees still grow in a single valley in the Inca Empire, with only a few scattered trees elsewhere in South America.

The bark of the cinchona tree was one of the few effective anti-malaria drugs that Isaac could find, and it was of great significance to the emerging colonial empire of the Eastern Roman Empire.

As for quinine or artemisinin, they both require advanced biochemical instruments and a mature modern medical system, which Isaac does not have.

However, cinchona bark and Artemisia annua can still be used. Although they are somewhat toxic and the effects may not be very good, they are much better than dying painfully from malaria.

The growing conditions of cinchona trees are relatively harsh, but Artemisia annua is widely distributed in Eurasia and North Africa. Isaac would specifically cultivate these two crops as standard equipment for African expeditions.

Mediterranean people are more suitable for living in malaria areas than English people due to their anemia gene. Isaac also has Artemisia annua, an advanced herb from the ancient East, which is more advanced than the European colonists in the original time and space. The Eastern Roman colonists will definitely have a natural advantage in the division of Africa.

Later, Isaac would send people to the East to learn various medical knowledge. Arabic medicine, Indian medicine, Persian medicine and Chinese medicine all had their own advantages, at least much better than European medicine, which was still stuck in bloodletting and enema.

The current medical system of the Eastern Roman Empire has gradually deviated from the original European medieval system and is mainly based on Arabic medicine. It is not okay to stick to the old ways and must learn and communicate, and grow through communication and reference.

Isaac put down the cinchona bark and was attracted by a few small balls.

"Rubber ball."

Isaac picked up the ball and played with it in his hands.

"Yes, sir, these are little toys of the native children. I exchanged them for glass beads."

Columbus smiled.

"This is also a good thing. Maybe it can be used on carriage tires. I will ask the members of the Royal Academy of Sciences to study it carefully."

Isaac nodded.

Then, Isaac found a series of New World specialties in wooden boxes, including potatoes, corn, tomatoes, cassava, cocoa, American cotton, etc.

It has to be said that Isaac was very satisfied with Columbus' work. He brought back almost all crops that were not available in Europe, including five varieties of corn, two varieties of potatoes, and three varieties of American cotton.

For a country, gold, silver and jewelry are certainly important, but the most precious things are actually the new crops that did not exist before. New crops bring new commodities, which not only enrich people's tables, but also enrich people's pockets.

If the Eastern Roman Empire wanted to become rich and strong quickly, hard work and force would not be enough. It had to find the right direction and rise in the tide of the times.

How can we develop productivity? New things can best develop productivity.

If you have money, you can collect less land tax. If the people have money, they can feed more children. Their yearning for a better life will also give rise to a series of progress, culture, technology, social system...

Brave people enjoy the world first. Isaac was brave, and he also wanted to lead the Eastern Roman Empire to continue to be brave, prosperous and strong.

Isaac looked at the silk clothes on Fugger, the pipe in Columbus' mouth, and the new things on the ship, and smiled brightly.

"His Majesty?"

Fugel didn't understand what was going on and looked at Isaac.

"I plan to establish the Kingdom of Brazil and appoint myself as the king. What do you think?"

Isaac said.

"Congratulations, you have another crown!"

Fugger congratulated him repeatedly.

"I plan to divide the Brazilian coast into a dozen planning areas, some of which will be fiefs of hereditary lords, some of which will be dioceses for seminary priests, and some of which will be directly governed by the royal family."

Isaac said. "In addition, I will open the Kingdom of Brazil to Roman merchants. They can build logging camps, plantations and serf manors in various planned areas. As for whether to use black slaves or white slaves, it is up to them."

"Then I would like to thank Your Majesty on behalf of the merchants."

Fugger was overjoyed and smiled from ear to ear.

Isaac nodded and turned to Columbus.

"A portion of these hereditary territories will be distributed to sailors who have made great contributions. I will allocate quotas to each fleet. You captains will draw up the recommended candidates, and I will make the final decision."

Columbus thought about it and nodded.

"Your Majesty, I don't think they would want to go to that place where there is not much money, nor would they spend a lot of money to develop it. But since it is hereditary, there should still be people willing to do it."

"It's okay, just notify them."

Isaac said.

Isaac planned to imitate the colonial thinking of the Kingdom of Portugal in the Brazilian colony, holding part of it in his own hands and distributing the other part among others.

Brazil is too big and has a lot of land suitable for survival. Isaac does not plan to migrate too many people here, nor does he plan to put a lot of effort into construction. He will leave everything to the commodity market.

The semi-feudal system has inherent advantages when it comes to ruling distant lands. Feudal lords will carefully manage the land that belongs to themselves and their descendants, but officials may not necessarily care so much about things that do not belong to them.

As soon as they discovered the value of mahogany, sugar, and coffee, logging camps and plantations were naturally established.

Since the indigenous people of Brazil are weak in military force, each planning area does not require many Orthodox Romans, two hundred people will be enough.

These European immigrants will not engage in production. They will be plantation owners and lumberjacks, and slaves and indigenous people will be the main labor force.

Early colonization would not require a large population, nor would it slow down Isaac's conquest and assimilation of Anatolia.

Among the many colonies of the Eastern Roman Empire, only New Thrace was truly managed with great care. Thousands of minor criminals were thrown there every year. After more than ten years, the number of Romans and mixed-race Romans was only 12,000.

"I will organize and build the administrative framework, legal system, and taxation system of the Kingdom of Brazil in the near future. I will also consider the candidates for lords or bishops in each planning area."

Isaac said.

In fact, Isaac planned to use these hereditary colonies as rewards for meritorious officials, or to exchange them for the hereditary territories of the great nobles in the empire itself.

If handled properly, Isaac could weaken the influence of large landowners within the empire and indirectly strengthen central power.

Merits will be rewarded, but the land on the mainland is too precious, so it is better to go to the major colonies.

"As for the candidate for the Governor of Brazil, I have already considered it and am preparing to meet him."

Isaac looked at the two men.

"Then I won't bother you, Your Majesty."

Fugger and Columbus said goodbye one after another, and Isaac returned to his study.

In the study, Theodosius Palaiologos, who had just reached adulthood, was looking intently at the map on Isaac's wall.

He was the second son of Isaac's uncle, Grand Duke Thomas, and the nephew of Constantine XI. Because his father died early and his relationship with his brothers and sisters was average, he stayed in Isaac's court after his father's death and studied with the princes.

Before Isaac determined his successor, several of his close relatives inevitably chose sides. Andreas and Zoe from Thomas's line, Charlotte from Theodore's line, and Bartholomew from the Gattilusio family were all staunch supporters of the eldest son Justinian. The vast majority of generals, landowners and businessmen also supported him.

Theodosius was a special case. Because of their similar age and more introverted personality, he had always been close to the emperor's second son Alexios. He had previously asked Isaac to join the Order of St. Andrew, but was rejected.

After Justinian was crowned co-emperor, the topic of succession dispute no longer existed. Alexius swore to give up his inheritance rights, devoted himself to pursuing his chivalrous path, and cut off contact with these supporters.

"Your Majesty, you are here."

When Theodosius saw Isaac coming, he bowed to him.

"What are you looking at?"

Isaac asked with a grin.

"Look at your map."

Theodosius said.

“This is probably the most complete and beautiful map I have ever seen.”

Isaac walked forward and stroked the territory that he had spent half his life building.

"I have regularized the succession of various titles. Constantina will be inherited by your brother and his heirs."

Isaac suddenly said.

"Yes, I know."

Theodosius's expression darkened.

Archduke Thomas was at war all year round, and the education of his two sons was entirely left to Isaac. The two children usually followed different small groups and had a relatively weak relationship. Andreas regarded Justinian as his elder brother since he was a child, while Theodosius followed Alexius.

"The Empire's expedition team discovered Brazil. I plan to establish the Kingdom of Brazil. This will be our family's private property, and the eldest son will inherit it. It will be hereditary."

Isaac said slowly.

"The first governor of the Brazilian colony is a good position. I need a trustworthy family member. Are you interested?"

Theodosius' eyes lit up, he was a little surprised and a little shaken.

"Your Majesty, I heard that Brazil is not a good place. It's all wasteland and not many people are willing to go there."

Theodosius whispered.

"But I don't have anywhere else to go anyway. If you can trust me, I am willing to guard the distant territory for you."

"Very well, that's settled."

Isaac nodded gratifiedly.

Isaac naturally had some selfish motives when he established the Kingdom of Brazil. The natural conditions here were excellent, enough to support a local power. If his descendants accidentally lost the throne, they might be able to run to Brazil and become a local emperor.

In order to promote the family's authority, the first Governor of Brazil must be a family member, but his prestige cannot be too high. The other sons are definitely not suitable, but Theodosius is a good candidate.

As for ability… Theodosius’s talent was mediocre, he handled things lukewarmly, he worked diligently, but his talent was limited, and that was enough.

"You are still too young, and the Brazilian colony also needs preliminary development. You should stay with me first. I will tell you all the precautions in detail in the next few years and give you a systematic education."

Isaac looked at Theodosius.

"When you turn twenty, I will officially appoint you as the first Governor-General of Brazil and hereditary Duke, and allocate a duchy for you."

"Thank you very much, my Royal Brother!"

Theodosius was overjoyed, and his previous fear disappeared completely.

Since the emperor has said that he will arrange everything, what is there to be afraid of?

"Okay, you go down first. You will stay in the empire for the next few years. Take this opportunity to improve your relationship with your brothers and sisters. We are all family. There is no need to be so cold."

Isaac warned.

"I know very well that you didn't even attend your brother's wedding."

"Yes, I will go to Constantina now."

Theodosius nodded vigorously.

Since the inheritance dispute no longer exists, the two brothers have no conflicts to speak of and can sit down and have a good talk.

After Theodosius left, Isaac looked at the setting sun, asked his maid to make him a cup of coffee, sighed, threw himself at the desk, and began to draft various laws.

On June 1469, 6, Isaac, the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, signed the "Edict of Brazil", also known as the "Edict of Rosewood", in the Great Palace in Constantinople.

The decree stipulated that the entire Brazilian coast and all inland areas belonged to the Kingdom of Brazil, the Brazilian crown was subordinate to the Eastern Roman crown, and successive Eastern Roman emperors of the Palaiologos family automatically served as kings of Brazil.

In the decree, Isaac divided the entire explored coast of the Kingdom of Brazil into fifteen planning areas, namely eight noble territories, three bishoprics and four crown territories.

On the coast of Brazil, although Isaac only occupied four crown territories, he had seized the richest areas with his foresight. The gold of Brazil was not far from the coastline, nor was it in the tropical rainforest. Under Isaac's guidance, it was entirely possible to cause a gold rush.

The eight noble territories were further divided into dozens of small feudal districts and captain's territories, which were conferred upon meritorious officials in various wars and brave explorers in various expeditions.

Of course, in these aristocratic territories and bishoprics, the Eastern Roman emperor still had the right to tax and inspect important commodities. Every few years, a group of inspectors would go to various planning areas to inspect the situation, reward hard work and denounce laziness.

The decree also stipulated the privileges of Roman merchants in the Kingdom of Brazil, and all regions were open to merchants to conduct commercial activities freely.

Of course, all these things are just on paper, and the entire Kingdom of Brazil does not have any official residents.

In addition, Isaac also established the first mahogany dye factory and mahogany furniture factory in Carthage. Part of the mahogany shipped back from Brazil will be used for shipbuilding, and the other part will be used for industry and commerce.

On June 1469, 6, witnessed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Isaac wore the crown of the Kingdom of Brazil, and named his eldest son Justinian as Crown Prince and his eldest grandson Constantine as Crown Prince.

At this point, the Eastern Roman Empire not only gained another rich colony, but the route to East India also became more convenient and faster.

On June 1469, 6, a fiefdom-granted expedition captain assembled a small fleet and headed west from the Governorate of St. Nicholas to his territory to establish a logging camp and plantation.

In addition to twenty colonists, the fleet also carried more than two hundred Muslim white slaves and West African black slaves.

They would use the Southwest Current to send slaves to America, and then use the Northeast Current to transport the mahogany, sugar, and coffee they produced back to Europe.

The triangular trade officially began.

(End of this chapter)