1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 334 Barcelona Alliance
The autumn in the Mediterranean is sunny and mild. The hot and dry summer has passed. The increasingly stronger westerly winds bring soft autumn rain to the towns and villages along the Mediterranean coast, bringing infinite vitality to the earth.

On the Mediterranean coast in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula lies a large city with beautiful scenery, abundant sunshine, mild climate, fertile land, dense population, developed industry and commerce, and a very good harbor. It was once the most important trading port on the Iberian Peninsula.

This port city is called Barcelona, ​​the capital of Catalonia and the pearl of Iberia. The main ethnic group is Catalan, the mainstream language is Catalan, and the mainstream religion is Roman Catholicism.

Barcelona is an important link in the western Mediterranean trade. It is connected to Valencia and Granada to the south, Montpellier and Marseille to the north, the rich northern Italy across the sea to the east, and the vast Iberian inland to the west. Silk, pottery, grain, cloth... Half of the Mediterranean world's goods can be seen in the market in Barcelona.

Due to the unique geographical features of the Iberian Peninsula, densely populated areas are mainly located in coastal areas, and inland cities have limited development. At this time, Toledo, Segovia and Zaragoza have not yet completely gotten rid of the old system of the Middle Ages. Compared with them, Barcelona can be called a real big city. The ideas of the Renaissance were first spread here, Gutenberg printing technology took root here, the architectural style has distinct new era characteristics, and the new capitalist production model is also thriving.

Barcelona at this time belonged to the United Kingdom of Aragon, to Juan II of the House of Trastámara, and was part of the Principality of Catalonia.

Due to geographical divisions, Spanish nationalism failed to completely unify during the Reconquista, and each major densely populated area developed its own national ideology. Their languages ​​and cultures were different, and their sense of identity with the so-called "Spanish nation" was relatively weak, or had not yet emerged.

Of course, with the exception of the deeply rooted Basque language in the north of the peninsula and the dying Arabic language in the south of the peninsula, all languages ​​in Iberia belong to the Latin language family, are very similar, and are basically mutually intelligible.

However, the Catalans have always been alienated from the Castilian nobles who rule them, and voices seeking independence have been heard for a long time, although most people actually have no such idea at all, and most nobles and businessmen simply hope to gain more autonomy and commercial benefits in this way.

Perhaps for this reason, the Kingdom of Aragon did not choose Barcelona as its capital, but instead chose the inland city of Zaragoza.

When Barcelona was at its most prosperous, it became the largest port on the Iberian Peninsula. The United Kingdom of Aragon, which dominated the western Mediterranean, gained a lot of wealth by relying on this port. But now Barcelona has lost its former prosperity and is gradually being overtaken by Valencia in the south.

In 1462, a series of actions by King Juan II of Aragon brought the anger of the Catalans to a peak. They united and established the General Council of Catalonia, declared that they would not recognize Juan II's sovereignty over Catalonia, and imprisoned the officials and governors sent by the royal family.

The Catalan rebellion was so massive that it once occupied one-third of the Iberian territory of the Kingdom of Aragon, which was also the richest and most populous part. Faced with the mighty rebel army, King Juan II of Aragon realized very clearly that he could no longer rely on his own strength to resolve the rebellion and had to seek foreign reinforcements.

So, Juan II approached the French, promised to cede Roussillon and Hildenaar on the northern foothills of the Pyrenees to them, and lure the French army into the country.

Caught between the French and Aragonese, the Catalans were soon defeated and many times by Juan II on the front battlefield, losing many towns in the west and south.

The General Council of Catalonia did not have a clear program and did not try to draw strength from the grassroots people. It only wanted to depose Juan II. The only thing the committee members discussed the most was which royal family to invite a noble to be their king.

The General Council of Catalonia successively invited King Henry of Castile, Prince Pedro of Portugal and Prince John of the House of Anjou, and did achieve some results.

In addition to Henry IV, Pedro of Portugal and John of Anjou were both very concerned about this matter. Although the arrival of Prince Pedro failed to change the war situation, it still greatly slowed down the offensive pace of Juan II.

John of the House of Anjou was even more capable. This prince was the eldest son of "Good King René" and had competed with Ferdinando Trastamara for the throne of Naples. His arrival reversed the unfavorable situation in Catalonia. Not only did he successfully cause Aragon and France to part ways, he also defeated the Aragonese army on the frontal battlefield for the first time and recovered many towns.

However, the Catalans had bad luck and had two monarchs killed. After John's death, Catalonia was no longer able to resist and was forced to Barcelona. In 1472, it formally surrendered to Juan II and ended its life.

This great rebellion lasted for ten years and brought severe disasters to the people of Aragon. Heavy taxes, rampant bandits, and suffering to the people. Commercial activities in the Port of Barcelona were severely hindered. The Western Mediterranean trade of the Kingdom of Aragon began to shift to the south, and the Port of Valencia grew further as a result.

The rebellion in Catalonia ended, but its influence had not completely disappeared. Some nobles in the Pyrenees still resisted the rule of Juan II. The ownership of Roussillon and Childenia was unresolved, casting a shadow on the relationship between Aragon and France.

The biggest beneficiary of this war was King Louis XI of France. The Spider King used his diplomatic talents to manipulate the situation in Iberia. He obtained two pieces of land through the alliance without spending a single soldier. However, he capriciously tore up the alliance and supported the House of Anjou, which made the Aragon Civil War protracted.

After the Catalan turmoil was initially settled, the betrayed Juan II immediately deployed troops to the Pyrenees, trying to recapture Roussillon and Hildenafil, but was forced to put the plan on hold due to changes in the international situation. He accepted the suggestion of Crown Prince Ferdinand and proposed to formally hand over the two regions to the King of France in exchange for his reinforcements to seize the throne of Castile.

At this time, Barcelona had not yet recovered its former prosperity. The port and the market were somewhat deserted. In the palace in the city, King Juan II of Aragon silently flipped through stacks of documents. His pale eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and his wrinkled cheeks were very relaxed.

Juan II, born in 1398, was already 75 years old and an out-and-out old man. His life was obviously a failure. His family was in disharmony and the country was in decline. He spent all the wealth left by his brother, killed his own son and daughter, and fought a civil war for a full ten years in his later years, turning Aragon into a ruined country.

Now, Juan II is in a semi-retired state, and many military and political affairs are handled by Crown Prince Fernando, who is Juan II's favorite son. He hopes that he can carry forward his career.

"Father, I'm here."

A voice was heard, and a young noble in luxurious clothes slowly walked over. He was quite handsome, but there was always a look of arrogance between his brows.

"Sit down, Fernando."

Juan II continued to flip through the documents without looking up.

Fernando sat down as he was told, took out a cigar from a wooden box on the side, cut off the head carefully, and started smoking.

"I wonder why Barcelona's tax revenue is so low this time?"

Juan II murmured.

"Even if we were going through a rebellion, it wouldn't be like this."

“Could it be that someone is corrupt?”

"Well, I checked, that's all."

Fernando shook his head.

"Many wealthy people, fearing your punishment, fled with their large fortunes."

"Twenty years later, the Catalan rebels collected taxes to raise funds for their army, and they took the money abroad, some to Italy, some to Constantinople."

"The Greek emperor accepted any rich person who came to Constantinople with his money and became a citizen without paying any taxes."

Fernando exhaled a puff of blue smoke.

"They exploited the common people, and the big landowners took advantage of the situation to annex the land and drive up the price of grain. Many peasants became homeless, and the Greeks took them away in shiploads."

"Recently, the Greeks' western border region has been stabilized. More than two thousand Catalan and Italian refugees have been attracted there. After they arrived, they can directly occupy the land and houses of the rebellious Saracens, without even having to reclaim the land."

Fernando shrugged.

"I advised you to be tolerant of them, but you didn't listen."

"How can I be tolerant? How can I be tolerant? Even if I want to be tolerant, what about those merchants and nobles who are only interested in money?"

Juan II said angrily.

"Run, it's better to run away, so as not to cause trouble for me!"

Fernando said nothing, quietly waiting for his father's next words.

"you say,"

Juan II thought.

"Since the Greeks have accepted many Catalans and Italians, can we contact them and backstab the Greek emperor?"

"If it's a citizen, maybe, but for a farmer, forget it."

Fernando shook his head.

"Being content with a small fortune, not wanting war, not wanting chaos, loving peace and stability, this is the nature of a small farmer."

"For them, a piece of land that can be passed down to future generations is the highest pursuit, not to mention that the taxation of Greek emperors has never been heavy."

"Here in our area, they are just tenant farmers who work hard for the landlords and can only fill their stomachs after working hard all year round. But in the Western Frontier, they are landlords and have a large group of Saracen tenants under them."

"What do you rely on to win them over?"

Fernando sighed.

"Not only Barcelona, ​​but also Valencia's tax revenue will decrease. Granada's silk harvest is not good. The Greeks have blocked their sea trade routes, and the amount of silk that can reach Valencia will be greatly reduced."

"The Greeks reformed their production model, and their textile industry flourished rapidly. Their silk poured into Italy in large quantities, and our goods faced a huge challenge."

"In addition to silk, there are also wool and tweed. The speed at which the Greeks harvest wool is far behind the speed at which workshops are opened. In the past two years, the wool imported by the Greeks from Iberia has quadrupled compared to before. Coincidentally, the Catalan rebellion coincided with the local wool textile workshops in Catalonia also went bankrupt in large numbers."

Fernando's voice was a little low.

"I told you that the rise of the Greeks is a major event for the entire Mediterranean. They will use money and capital to tear apart all existing order, and then use strong ships and powerful guns to protect the new order."

"They took advantage of our weakness to obtain a large amount of money from overseas, and had enough capital to carry out reforms, reduce the burden on the people, build up the army and fleet, and promote education and medical care."

"Give them another ten years, and they will be invincible and unstoppable."

"You can't hesitate any longer."

After this speech, Juan II fell silent.

"Are you sure you can get the crown of Castile?"

"There's no such thing as complete certainty."

Fernando smiled and shook his head.

"I have reached a consensus with the northern nobles, while the Greeks have won over the southern nobles. King Henry is dying, and the Portuguese have been bewitched by the Greeks."

"Now, the only people we can rely on are the French in the north, who are also enemies of the Greeks."

"The French... King Louis is not a noble man who keeps his promises. The promises he makes are almost like lies, and the treaties he writes are almost like waste paper."

Juan II said sarcastically.

"Besides, he hasn't resolved his domestic disputes yet, and the Duke of Burgundy is still eyeing him covetously."

“But we have no one else to rely on.”

"The Greeks have declared war on Granada. Their purpose is obvious. They want to put a member of their family on the throne of Castile and prevent us from uniting."

Fernando said.

"Although King Louis was cunning, his goal was always clear, which was to strengthen the royal power, suppress the nobility, first make himself the only embodiment of France, and then make France forever great."

"In a sense, King Louis was very similar to Emperor Isaac. He was also keen on promoting talents from commoner backgrounds and developing the citizen merchant class. He also opened many handicraft workshops to compete with Greek merchants for profits."

“King Louis was very good at learning and thinking. He saw the huge wealth that the Greeks and Portuguese had gained through ocean trade, and he also began to form an exploratory fleet to cross the Atlantic Ocean and try to establish a colony in French Colombia.”

"As for us, we are trapped in the Mediterranean Sea, without any channels to distant places. Even passing through the Strait of Tunisia depends on the Greeks, not to mention the Strait of Gibraltar where a large fleet is stationed."

Fernando spread his hands.

"Our merchants told me that the most important reason why the Greeks were able to quickly gain the upper hand in manual production was that they obtained a lot of rare raw materials through their overseas territories, which were simply impossible to produce in the Mediterranean world."

"We also need to be strong, and we also need land under the sun!"

"Now, King Louis is learning from the English and is preparing to issue privateering licenses to French pirates. I suggest you learn from him as well. Let's join hands and fight against the Greek maritime trade!"

"If we can unite Castile and Aragon, we will gain a population of more than seven million and a shipbuilding base on the Atlantic coast. We can be as powerful and wealthy as the Greeks!"

Fernando became more and more excited as he spoke, and threw his cigar on the iron plate.

"Now, there is an opportunity before us. The enemies of the Greeks have united. In addition to us and France, there will also be Milan and Florence, and even Venice!"

"Roussillon and Hildaia are of little value. You don't have to make enemies with the French for these two small places!"

"Father, what are you waiting for?"

Juan II remained silent and said nothing.

"I'm old, you decide for yourself."

Juan II sighed.

"The French envoy is in Barcelona. Go and see him."

"But always remember, never trust King Louis, just use each other's strengths."

"Don't blame me for being conservative. King Louis is too untrustworthy. If it were someone else, I would have agreed long ago."

"I will pay attention, Father."

Fernando nodded and walked out. Sitting in the carriage, Fernando could not hide his excitement and ordered the driver to whip the horse as fast as possible and rushed to the residence of the French envoy.

……

On the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, on the outskirts of Carthage, the Roman Arsenal.

After more than ten years of development, the Roman Arsenal is no longer what it used to be. It has developed into a town covering a large area, including a navigation school, a Carthaginian shipyard and various naval equipment workshops. In addition to students, craftsmen and designers, there are also thousands of people living here. They mainly provide various life services for the Arsenal, and operate taverns, markets and many other entertainment facilities.

With the war approaching, the Carthaginian shipyard worked day and night. Various kinds of wood were sent here from nearby processing plants. More than a thousand shipbuilders built various ships day after day, and powerful warships were launched here for sea trials.

In the shipyard's office, Isaac was flipping through the shipyard's document reports, while Mansreti sat quietly aside.

The Iberian War entered the intensive preparation stage. Three central corps and an entire Western Mediterranean Fleet had already set sail for the British Fortress. The Eastern Mediterranean Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet were docked at the Carthage naval port. The Atlantic Fleet was responsible for protecting ocean-going merchant ships. More troops were gathering in Algiers, preparing to cross the sea to Iberia.

The plans of France and Aragon could not be hidden at all. Before they intervened, Isaac had to ensure the absolute control of the imperial navy over all major sea areas. Coinciding with the demise of the Aztecs, the treasure ship arrived at the port of Carthage. Isaac's wallet was unprecedentedly full, and a new round of shipbuilding frenzy was set off.

"I took a look at your plan, and to be honest, I'm not very satisfied."

Isaac put down the report and looked at Mansreti.

"I have enough money and manpower. You have to build warships one by one. Whether you equip the Imperial Fleet or provide them to major companies, this will strengthen our navy."

Isaac said.

"I need ten improved caravels, ten caravels, and twenty galleys, but you can only guarantee half. Why?"

"Your Majesty, I admit that you have sufficient funds and have gradually trained skilled shipbuilders. You have no shortage of these things."

Mansreti said helplessly.

"But I want to tell you that there is not enough wood."

"You know, shipbuilding requires hardwood, but hardwood grows very slowly and has a long growth cycle. In the Atlas Mountains near Carthage, we have basically cut down all the hardwood that can be used for shipbuilding."

Mansreti paused.

"In fact, most of the wood was cut down the year before last, but the wood needs time to be processed, so the shortage only appeared this year."

"As for Brazilian rosewood, it is too rare and too valuable. Once it appears on the market, it will be immediately bought by capitalists who run furniture businesses. The share you have allocated is not enough."

"In recent years, there has been a huge demand for your ships, especially from private businessmen and major companies. Orders have been coming in one after another."

"Also, the booming furniture and construction industries have exacerbated the shortage of wood."

"I am trying to gather high-quality wood from the surrounding area, but it will take some time."

After Mansreti finished speaking, Isaac was silent for a moment and nodded.

The shipbuilding industry does have a huge demand for timber, and high-quality hardwood does take a long time to grow. As the Eastern Roman Empire develops faster and faster, this problem will sooner or later become apparent.

"Since you told me this drawback truthfully, you must have found your own solution."

Isaac looked at Mansreti.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Mansreti nodded.

"I have three solutions for you to choose from."

"First, relocate the Roman armory, preferably to an area with abundant timber, such as Bulgaria."

"No, Bulgaria is located in the Black Sea, while Carthage controls the Mediterranean Sea and has access to the Atlantic Ocean. There is no comparison."

Isaac rejected it immediately.

"Second, we need to develop timber transportation. Whether it is Carthage or Constantinople, there are not many woodlands near these two cities. After all, large cities are destined not to be built in forests."

Mansreti said.

"You can build lumber mills in Bulgaria and Crete and ship the processed wood directly to Constantinople and Carthage to build ships."

"Yes, I will ask officials from both places to respond."

Isaac nodded.

"What about the last one?"

"Third, if you do not want to import timber from abroad, then I suggest that you further promote the Atlantic timber trade and ship timber from the colonies to Carthage."

Mansreti said slowly.

"The best oak in the world comes from the Baltic coast, but it is obviously difficult for us to obtain their oak. The shipping cost is too high. In this case, it is better to ship it from the colonies to the mainland."

"Both the New World and West Africa are rich in wood, some of which are harder and more resistant to decay than Baltic oak, such as Brazilian rosewood."

"If the colony matures in the future, you can even build a shipyard in the colony and save on shipping costs."

Isaac nodded slightly and thought about it.

In fact, as Mansreti said, it is difficult for large port cities to emerge in places with dense forests. The development of the shipbuilding industry inevitably involves the acquisition and transportation of high-quality timber. In many cases, the timber for a large ship needs to be transported from hundreds of kilometers away, which is a very common thing.

Due to their proximity to Northern Europe, the Netherlands and England could easily obtain high-quality timber from Northern Europe, but this was still not enough, so the British Empire had an oak planting plan in Canada.

A century-long navy certainly does not refer to the time it takes to build a ship. If there are sufficient reserves of raw materials and talent, it only takes a few years to build the largest sailing warship.

It is not shameful to obtain timber from colonies. In the original time and space, Portugal, Spain, France and England all did so, especially Spain, whose forest coverage rate was also not high and the timber gap was also huge.

Later, the Spaniards decided to go all out and built a shipyard directly on the island of Cuba, close to the source of raw materials.

"Colonial timber transportation will certainly develop. I will send out an expedition team to survey the forests of the major colonies in the next few years and try to determine the best sources of hardwood."

Isaac said.

"It is not feasible to build a shipyard in the colonies for the time being. Apart from other things, are these craftsmen, personnel, and designers willing to go to the colonies?"

Isaac shook his head.

"In addition, we must also plant timber in a systematic way, not just for today but for future generations."

"You just reminded me that the hardwood in the north is of better quality than that in the south. We might as well build a logging camp and a wood processing plant in Eastern Europe. The white oak there is truly unique."

"Eastern Europe?"

Mansreti was stunned.

"You mean the Cossack Kingdom?"

"Yes, the forestry resources there are very good, but they have not yet been systematically developed. Constantinople can sign an agreement with the Cossacks there. We pay the money, and they work hard to develop the forests and achieve common prosperity."

"There is also the Circassian Kingdom. The wood from the Caucasus is also very good."

Isaac said.

"The Crimean Tatars have collapsed, Justinian has swept through half of the steppes, and the war will soon be over."

"Hardwood used for shipbuilding is a strategic material. We can't always rely on colonies. We have to find a place that produces raw materials that is completely our own."

"In that case, I think there is no problem."

Mansreti thought.

"The ministers in charge of the province of Africa are also planning to plant trees to prevent wind and sand. You may be able to ask them to plant some oak trees in the Atlas Mountains."

"Okay, I'll give you the order. From now on, just focus on building the ship. If you have any problems, report them to me directly and I'll help you solve them."

Isaac flipped through the documents, pulled out one, and looked at the familiar words on it. It was his handwriting.

"Have you found any results regarding the galleon?"

Isaac handed the document to Mansreti.

"Almost, Your Majesty. In fact, our recently produced carracks are already approaching the galleons you mentioned."

"Gun portholes, multi-layered cabins, smaller towers, longer and narrower hull, lower center of gravity, and reduced weight. It's a very good idea."

Mansreti took the document and spoke carefully.

"Your Prometheus recently obtained a batch of blueprints from other countries. Apparently, other people have discovered the drawbacks of caravels, and their improvement methods are similar to yours, but none of them are as sophisticated as yours."

"There is no technical problem. The large number of experiments conducted in the early stage have almost all been successful. We happen to have an improved caravel that has just completed the frame. If you are willing, I can use it as a basis to build the first complete galleon."

"Very good, start implementing it immediately. French pirates are rampant. I need a more advanced escort ship."

Isaac made the decision immediately.

The plan for the galleon started very early, and improvements to the carrack have continued to be made over the years. Today, the technology has matured.

In fact, the transition from carrack to galleon did not require any advanced technology, nor did it involve major breakthroughs in materials science and dynamics. It was an "inspirational" invention. As long as these inspirations were put into practice step by step, the craftsmanship of the galleon would be almost the same.

Because the disadvantages of the caravel were too obvious, most shipbuilders from various countries in the Age of Discovery discovered these problems and thought about ways to improve them. Their final solutions were basically the same, that is, various types of galleons, which had similar design concepts but also had local characteristics.

In the original time and space, the first drawing of a galleon appeared in Spain in the early 16th century, but the first galleon to be built in large quantities was in England in the mid-16th century.

Boom boom boom!
Just as Isaac was lost in thought, there was a heavy knock on the wooden door of the office.

"Come in!"

Isaac yelled.

A guard came in and handed Isaac a letter.

"Sire, a letter from Algiers!"

Isaac opened the envelope and read it hastily.

Putting down the envelope, a sneer appeared on Isaac's face.

"Your Majesty, what happened?"

Mansreti asked with concern.

"See for yourself."

Isaac handed him the letter.

On October 1473, 10, the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Aragon negotiated in Barcelona. The Kingdom of Aragon formally recognized Louis XI's sovereignty over Roussillon and Childenia and withdrew its troops from the Pyrenees.

At the meeting, the two sides jointly promulgated the "Privateer Act", which stipulated that Aragonese and French ships had the legal right to attack other countries' merchant fleets, but the ships of the two countries were not allowed to attack each other.

At the same time, the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Aragon formally reached the Alliance of Barcelona. The Kingdom of France would support the Prince of Aragon's legitimate right to inherit the throne of Castile, and Louis XI would also marry his daughter to Ferdinand.

At this point, the two major behind-the-scenes forces in the Iberian conflict have all come to an end, and the situation has become increasingly confusing.

(End of this chapter)