1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 338 Bitter Loser

It was already the beginning of the year 1474 AD, and the Mediterranean coast was still in a cold and dry winter. The sun was hanging high in the sky, and people were wearing warm woolen coats.

On the northern shore of the Adriatic Sea, the city of Venice also welcomed its own winter, but the climate conditions in Venice are quite favorable. Even in winter, it is not too cold. The average temperature generally remains at around 10 degrees Celsius. People mend their clothes and the winter is not difficult to endure.

During the most prosperous period of the Republic of Venice decades ago, the citizens of Venice lived a very superior life. The developed maritime trade brought huge profits and abundant goods. The economy was prosperous, and culture and education flourished. Although the upper rulers were not wise, they still paid more attention to protecting their people and would not make their lives too difficult.

Of course, in the minds of true Venetians, only the citizens of Venice are considered nationals of their country. Even the Italians in Lombardy are just colonial citizens, not to mention the poor peasants in Dalmatia and the islands in the eastern Mediterranean.

However, with the opening of new sea routes and the rise of the Eastern Roman Empire, Venice lost almost all of its colonies and trade privileges in the eastern Mediterranean. They no longer had a monopoly on oriental goods from Egypt and the Levant, and handicrafts from the Balkans continued to squeeze their market. In just thirty years, the Republic of Venice fell from a Mediterranean overlord to a regional power, and people's living standards plummeted.

In order to survive in the increasingly severe international situation and to maintain the luxurious life of the nobles, the senators of the Republic of Venice intensified the exploitation and oppression of the citizens of Venice and Lombardy. They were forced to maintain a fairly good fleet by increasing taxes and tried their best to maintain their last Adriatic Ocean trade.

During these ten years, the internal struggle of the Republic of Venice continued to intensify. The commercial nobles engaged in trade with the East lost all their money, while the nobles engaged in trade with Europe were relatively less affected. Several factions fought for the supreme power, which further aggravated the decline of the Republic of Venice.

In order to divert conflicts and quell public anger, the nobles of Venice shifted their dissatisfaction to the Eastern Roman Empire, believing that it was the Eastern Roman Empire that deprived them of their commercial profits and the Eastern Roman emperor who robbed the people of their money. They promoted a plot of revenge by enduring humiliation and trying to join the anti-Eastern Roman alliance in the changing international situation and make Venice great again.

After experiencing years of suffering, the citizens of Venice also felt great resentment towards the Eastern Roman Empire. The whole country was filled with a strong sense of revenge, and it became the "bitter loser" against the backdrop of the rise of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Therefore, when the Eastern Roman Empire began to attack Iberia, the Republic of Venice quickly established contact with France and other countries. Their fleets also repeatedly left the port, trying to delay part of the Eastern Roman Empire's fleet and force the emperor to divide his troops.

At present, the Eastern Roman Empire basically controlled the entire Eastern Mediterranean, and the opposition forces were mainly concentrated in the Western Mediterranean. Venice became the only orphan in the Eastern Mediterranean. For this reason, the Republic of Venice occupied a special position in the alliance formed by King Louis XI of France. France and Aragon tried to transform the Republic of Venice into a solid fortress of Western European forces in the Eastern Mediterranean, allowing them to jump out from time to time to harass the Eastern Roman homeland, making it impossible for the Eastern Roman Empire to focus on expansion in the Western Mediterranean.

The Doge of Venice at that time was Pietro from the Mocenigo family, who was also from one of the major families in Venice and had produced several doges. In the power struggle in 1473, he gained the support of domestic and foreign forces because of his firm anti-Eastern Roman stance and became the new ruler.

The Venetian Republic that Pietro took over was still in chaos. From 1470 to 1473, this ancient and decadent regime changed five governors, and the longest tenure was only one year. There were frequent internal strife, corruption, an empty treasury, and the people were in distress.

After taking office, Pietro quickly contacted France and other countries, began to reorganize the fleet, promised the major wealthy families a share of the profits after defeating the Eastern Roman Empire, required them to contribute money and manpower, and gave a speech to the entire nation in the square to mobilize for war.

In a sense, Pietro's early mobilization was successful. From the common people to the nobles, everyone was very dissatisfied with the current situation. The bitter losers were eager to grasp the last straw in front of them, hoping to find a new way out, whether it was a smooth road or a dead end.

Pietro grew up in Venice during its most prosperous decades and witnessed its final prosperity and the rapid decline that followed. He hated the Eastern Roman Empire to the core and used all his family's savings to build warships. He only ate one meal a day and demanded that all citizens unite to overcome the difficulties together.

The Republic of Venice had a strong sense of nationalism, and the people, who had long held grievances, found an outlet for their emotions. They took to the streets, demanding war against the Eastern Roman Empire and taking back everything that once belonged to them.

Although Venice was in decline, the city of Venice was still intact. The soft power accumulated over hundreds of years would not be defeated overnight. The Venetian Arsenal was still the most powerful naval shipyard in the entire Mediterranean, and the city of Venice had sufficient reserves of sailors. Pietro made a desperate effort to seek loans from various forces, obtained a large amount of funds from the Medici Bank in Florence, and even mortgaged several city-states in northern Italy.

After many years, the Venice Arsenal once again ran at full capacity, rumbling along. Galleons were completed one after another like dumplings. Although they were not large, they still had unique advantages in the inland sea.

At present, including the requisitioned civilian merchant ships, the Republic of Venice has a total of more than one hundred ships of various types, which exceeds the number of any of the major fleets of the Eastern Roman Empire and cannot be underestimated in the Adriatic Sea.

After the war began, the Republic of Venice continued to attack Eastern Roman merchant ships and ports along the Adriatic Sea coast. From Ragusa to Corfu, Venetian warships once again appeared in the sight of the Eastern Roman Empire.

At first, the Eastern Roman Empire urgently transferred the Black Sea Fleet to the Adriatic Sea in an attempt to slow down the Venetian offensive.

However, the Black Sea Fleet was the weakest force in the Imperial Navy, with only five main warships. Even the armed merchant ships they mobilized were no match for the Venetian fleet. They even broke out of the Strait of Otranto and attacked several coastal villages in the Peloponnese.

By the beginning of 1474, the situation of the Republic of Venice was very good, and the Eastern Roman Empire seemed to have focused on the western Mediterranean and turned a blind eye to the chronic problems in the eastern Mediterranean.

As a result, the Venetians' actions became more and more rampant. They used a squadron to keep a close eye on the Black Sea Fleet that was defending the port of Ragusa. At the same time, they dispersed the civilian merchant ships controlled by wealthy families and entered the eastern Mediterranean from the Strait of Otranto, robbing Eastern Roman transport ships along the way.

In the splendid and magnificent Doge's Palace in Venice, the then Doge Pietro sat at the table, sipping fine wine and listening to his secretary's report on military intelligence, with a very happy expression on his face.

"Governor, according to the latest intelligence, the Greek navy is gathering towards the port of Carthage. Their target is probably Sicily."

The secretary was reading a thick report.

"In addition to the naval fleet, they also assembled about 25,000 troops in Carthage, of which 4,000 were the most elite central troops, as well as archers, mercenaries, and tribal servants, with average combat effectiveness."

"We have also collected the important intelligence you sent us last time. Currently, the main forces of the Greek army are mainly distributed in four places, namely Granada in southern Iberia, Carthage in northern Africa, Bulgaria in the north of the Balkans, and the Anatolian provinces on the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea."

"The Hungarians no longer concealed their ambitions for Wallachia and Moldavia. The Greeks were forced to transfer a Guards Corps and a Purple Guard Corps to Bulgaria for northern defense. The Serbian Grand Duke Manuel was not summoned by the Greek emperor and continued to guard the northern border."

"The Greeks also have a lot of troops stationed in Anatolia. They just took over this place. There are a lot of Turks in the territory. The Ottomans and Karaman are eyeing them covetously. Although they have signed an armistice agreement, they can't just leave it alone."

"Then there is Granada. The Greeks have not yet captured Malaga. Crown Prince Justinian and General Gonzalo are in charge of the war in Granada. Duke Abel of the Western Border Region has also transferred part of the Western Border Corps there."

"Then there are several vassal states of the Greeks. The Cossack Kingdom has just defeated the Crimeans and is still mired in a series of grassland feuds. The Circassian Kingdom is limited in strength. Crown Prince Justinian has already recruited a thousand Circassian tribal soldiers to Iberia. It will be difficult for them to provide more reserve troops for the Greek emperor."

The secretary closed the file and grinned.

"I doubt they can even muster enough troops to attack Sicily."

"The King of Aragon is also borrowing money from merchants. They can only mobilize an army of more than 10,000 people on Sicily. There are too many mountains and the terrain is complicated. The Greeks have no chance of taking it in a short time."

"Yes, Not Bad."

Pietro nodded, a mocking look on his face.

"The Greeks have stretched their arms too far. Their territory is vast, but their core population is seriously insufficient. They need troops everywhere, yet they always want to fight on multiple fronts."

"The Greek emperor does have money, but he needs to supply many places. It is not possible to produce more military supplies just by having gold and silver. Carthage alone has to supply the war in Granada and the battle for Sicily. Moreover, these two battlefields are protracted wars. How can it succeed?"

"In my opinion, if the Greek emperor insists on his own way, he will sooner or later be worn down by the protracted war."

"How are they doing in Sicily?"

Pietro asked.

"Their preliminary work was very thorough. Over the past few months, their navy has taken over two Sicilian villages. Some sailors are staying there, defending the area. They are probably trying to provide a beachhead for the army's landing."

The secretary opened another document.

"To be honest, the Greeks' declaration a few days ago shocked many people. Their tough attitude towards hegemony in the western Mediterranean has made the Aragonese very worried. They are forming a joint fleet with the French and are stationed in Corsica and Sardinia."

"I think they might want to wait and see, wait for the Greeks to spend some time in Sicily, and then send their fleet to attack them. Through constant harassment, they will tire the Greeks out and force them to withdraw and seek peace."

"And Florence?"

Pietro asked.

"The strength of their fleet should not be underestimated."

"Florence is a special case. The Medici family is lending money crazily. We and the Aragonese are their targets. Their fleet has not yet joined the joint fleet. The French are negotiating with Lorenzo."

The secretary explained.

"According to intelligence, the Medici family's position has not yet been completely consolidated. The Pazzi family and the Holy See have joined forces to try to overthrow their rule. The Medici family may want to make a fortune in this war and use the abundant funds to maintain their own stability, or even go a step further and directly become the hereditary monarch of the entire Tuscany."

The secretary shrugged.

"You know, that young man Lorenzo has always regarded Florence as his family's private property. I'm afraid he dreams of becoming the Grand Duke of Tuscany."

"Well, we don't have to worry about it. The more intense the dispute in the Western Mediterranean, the less pressure we will have."

Pietro nodded slightly.

"How is it? Have the looting in the past few months brought more confidence to those noble families? Are they still willing to accompany me to fight this turnaround battle?"

"Many people do see hope, Your Excellency the Governor."

The secretary said.

"The Malipiero family had already released merchant ships on the Po River the day before yesterday to harass the Greeks in Albania."

"The Barbarigo and Morosini families are not far behind and are preparing to build new ships."

"The Dandolo family is the most active. Their family fleet has even gained some gains on the island of Crete, looting three coastal villages."

Having said this, the secretary hesitated for a moment.

"The Governor of Dalmatia, Colleoni, did not take any action and was not even willing to launch an attack on Ragusa and Albania."

"Never mind him."

Pietro sighed.

"Over the years, he relied on the support of the Greeks and Hungarians to almost turn Dalmatia into his independent kingdom. Now that he is old and frail, he is probably busy paving the way for future generations."

Pietro's eyes darkened.

"Once we finish what we have, he will be the next one to suffer."

Pietro shook his head and threw away the distracting thoughts.

"Go and help me draft a document, asking the major families to act freely. After the war in Sicily has been going on for a while, I will ask them to return to Venice, gather together, and support our allies."

Pietro ordered.

“Tell those hesitant families that this is our last chance. As long as the Greeks continue to develop, we will be completely destroyed one day.”

"Let them look at the statues in St. Mark's Square, let them look at the Greek objects in their own homes. These things are no longer a glory. They are death warrants. The Greeks may forgive others, but they cannot forgive us!"

"Yes, I'll go right away."

The secretary opened the door and walked out.

After the secretary left, Pietro sat quietly by the window, gazing at the magnificent city outside, his mind full of thoughts.

The Barcelona Alliance has told Pietro a detailed plan. This plan is very comprehensive and, in his opinion, quite feasible. If it is successfully completed, although Venice will not be able to recover the lost territory in the eastern Mediterranean, the pressure will be greatly reduced.

However, an idea lingered in Pietro's mind. After decades of involvement in politics, he always believed that there was a big loophole in this plan.

what is it?

While Pietro was thinking about something, the door was knocked open and a clerk walked in.

"Your Excellency the Governor, the French envoy wishes to see you!"

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Pietro collected his thoughts, straightened his clothes, and, under the guidance of the clerk, walked around the magnificent corridor and came to the Ambassador's Hall.

"Welcome to Venice, envoy from France, respected Duke of Bourbon."

Pietro took his seat and looked at the middle-aged man in front of him.

"Let's stop talking nonsense, Your Excellency the Governor."

The Duke of Bourbon looked indifferent and bowed slightly.

"I came here on the orders of the great King Louis, and I am very grateful for your hospitality."

The Duke of Bourbon looked around, his eyes lingering on several expensive oriental ornaments, with a sarcastic expression on his face.

"Your Excellency, Governor, two hundred and seventy years ago, you looted so much gold, silver, and jewelry from Constantinople, and your hatred for the Greeks is endless. Logically, you should be very afraid of the Greeks' resurgence."

“That’s true, but Venice is not afraid of any challenge.”

Pietro's words were impeccable. "If you have any complaints, just say it directly."

"Before coming to you, I had sought out several leaders of noble families, but some were unwilling to initiate revenge against the Greek Empire."

The Duke of Bourbon said lightly.

"What's wrong with them? Are they scared?"

“I hope you will abide by the agreement and do your best to relieve the pressure on the western Mediterranean.”

"You have to know that Venice is a republic. Each senator has his own ideas. My orders cannot make everyone obey."

Pietro's expression remained unchanged.

"As you said, at the beginning of the war, there were indeed some discordant voices in the Venice Council, but as the war progresses and we gain more and more, they will gradually understand."

"Oh, the Republic."

The Duke of Bourbon shook his head with a hint of disdain.

"If Venice has 100% of its power, in your hands, she can only exert 50%. This is the Republic."

"Ever since you were driven out of the Eastern Mediterranean by the Greeks, your fleets have been controlled by wealthy families. If you can gather them together, it will be a huge force."

"But you obviously don't have the ability and prestige to make them all obey."

"Yes, I don't deny that. So what? What do you want?"

Pietro frowned.

"We are descendants of the ancient Roman Republic and have preserved the purest republican traditions. Freedom and equality are our pride and our true nature."

The Duke of Bourbon was stunned and forced a smile.

In a sense, Pietro was right. The Venetians were indeed descendants of the ancient Romans, and the political system of the Republic of Venice was the closest to the ancient Roman Republic among all the countries in the world. It retained the parliament, aristocratic families and the electoral system, and they were proud of it.

"Your Majesty hopes that you can abide by the agreement, assemble the fleet, and launch a raid on the Greek fleet stationed in Carthage, thereby relieving the pressure on Sicily."

The Duke of Bourbon said no more and got to the point.

"The Greeks are so arrogant that they declared war on three countries at the same time. We need your naval fleet."

"And now, apart from attacking Greek merchant ships and looting Greek coastal villages, you seem to be doing nothing."

"The Greek emperor has already attacked Sicily?"

Pietro asked.

"When I left Florence, the Greek fleet had already set out and was looting around Sicily."

The Duke of Bourbon said it truthfully.

"If you sit back and watch the Greeks open up the situation in the western Mediterranean and force all of our countries out of the war, you will definitely be the next to suffer."

Pietro was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"The Greeks still maintain a Black Sea Fleet at Ragusa, and we must deal with them."

"Come on, the Greek emperor's purpose of placing the Black Sea Fleet in Ragusa is too obvious. It is to contain your navy."

The Duke of Bourbon shrugged.

"In fact, they have no ability to fight against the Venetian fleet. You can gather all your warships and destroy the Ragusa naval port in one fell swoop, and then use it as a base to support Sicily."

"In fact, we have long wanted to take over the port of Ragusa, but the artillery of Ragusa is very strong. If we rush there rashly, we will definitely suffer heavy casualties."

Pietro said.

"The Venetian Arsenal is working at full capacity to build warships. Once the new batch of warships are launched, I will gather the warships of the major families and launch an attack on the port of Ragusa, leaving the Greeks with no way to take care of both ends."

"I hope that before that, you can use Sicily to hold back the Greek army and fleet to prevent them from going north to reinforce."

"Don't worry about that. Although our combined fleet is small, it is enough to cause great trouble to the Greeks."

the Duke of Bourbon assured.

"If the Greeks want to completely take over Sicily, they must use a large fleet to blockade Sicily, thereby preventing our supplies and troops from landing on the island, and making the Aragonese army stationed in Sicily an isolated force."

"In this case, their navy is expected to patrol northwest Sicily and attack our transport fleet. You are safe."

The Duke of Bourbon said this and sighed.

"The Greeks are already in a state of flux. We cannot do any substantial harm to them. It is our limit to be able to drive them out of Western Europe and interrupt their expansion."

The Duke of Bourbon was right, and Pietro nodded slightly in agreement.

"From this point of view, your plan is feasible. I will gather the fleet cruising outside in ten days and launch a surprise attack on the port of Ragusa."

Thinking of this, Pietro was suddenly stunned and his brows gradually furrowed.

"Your Excellency the Duke."

"what's up?"

asked the Duke of Bourbon.

"Have you ever thought that the plan formulated by King Louis and King Juan actually has loopholes?"

"First, cut off the Greek tentacles extending to Italy, then turn the western Mediterranean islands into an iron curtain pressing towards North Africa, annoy them with pirate raids, draw their attention to the western Mediterranean islands where pirates gather, and then use these islands to force them to divide their forces and fight, making them exhausted."

Pietro's eyes flickered.

"Your plan is based on an important premise, which is that the Greeks will definitely attack the islands in the western Mediterranean that they regard as their biggest concern, and the most likely one is Sicily, which is closest to Carthage."

"But, whether we admit it or not, the Greek emperor is a very powerful person and never plays by the rules. He knows the serious situation he is facing. In order to avoid fighting on multiple fronts, he will definitely be prepared and will probably force one of the parties out of the war first."

"What if they simply ignore the pirates and shipping routes, suspend ocean trade for a while, and make a desperate move, using all their fleets to attack our homeland?"

"Attack the homeland? Why?"

The Duke of Bourbon sneered.

"France and Aragon are both continental countries, and Florence is also located deep inland. Our core is all on land. Attacking our ports will not make us withdraw from the war. The benefits they can get will not even be enough to cover the military expenditures, right?"

"If they really attack our Marseille or Barcelona in Aragon, we can just gather a large force on the mainland and defeat their troops in one fell swoop."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Pietro's face. He clenched his teeth and squeezed out a few words.

"But Venice is a maritime country. Our core is all in Venice, and Venice happens to be an island!"

"How is this possible? The Greeks have made serious claims to Sicily. They have been attacking Sicily for the past few months."

The Duke of Bourbon shook his head disapprovingly.

"Don't think too highly of the Greek emperor. In my opinion, they have been trapped. The final outcome of this war will be the signing of a peace treaty and the cessation of hostilities."

The Duke of Bourbon's words made Pietro feel better, but the doubts in his heart still remained.

Pietro stared at the Duke of Bourbon with a dark look in his eyes.

"I wonder if the Greek emperor finds that Sicily cannot be conquered and has to come to defend Venice, is this also part of King Louis' plan?"

"You seem to have given no thought to Venice when you made your plans."

"You took advantage of Venice's revengeful mood and difficult situation and dragged us onto the chariot."

The Duke of Bourbon said nothing. They had indeed never considered Venice, which was not in the interests of France.

"Whether you like it or not, the Greeks will never forget the shame of 1204."

The Duke of Bourbon did not give a direct answer, but bowed slightly and left.

"Now that things have come to this, I should leave. I hope you will keep your promise."

As the Duke of Bourbon reached the door, a Venetian official rushed in and bumped into him.

Just as he was about to get angry, the Duke of Bourbon held his breath when he saw the fear and anxiety on the officials' faces.

"What happened?"

Pietro glanced at the official.

"Can't you see I'm discussing state affairs with His Excellency the Duke?"

"Your Majesty the Governor..."

The officer gasped.

"The carrier pigeon reported that the Greek emperor has brought his entire fleet to attack us!"

"They ran into several ships of the Dandolo family in the Adriatic Sea and sank them all. All those with the last name Dandolo were killed, leaving only a half-grown child. I asked him to bring you a message!"

Pietro felt as if struck by lightning, and his legs and feet trembled continuously.

"What?"

Pietro asked mechanically.

"said the Greek emperor,"

The officials looked horrified.

"He said he wanted to ask you what kind of gallows you would like?"

……

In March 1474, Emperor Isaac III of the Eastern Roman Empire assembled all his warships in the port of Carthage and attacked Sicily to the north. After looting several small ports in eastern Sicily, he suddenly turned north, entered the Adriatic Sea, and headed straight for Venice, trying to break the multi-sided encirclement of the French Alliance, reverse the unfavorable situation of multi-line warfare, and completely eliminate the last enemy in the eastern Mediterranean.

On March 3, a total of 10 ships of various types of the Eastern Roman Navy arrived outside the city of Venice, blocking half of the ocean.

That day, at the junction of the sea and the sky, all the citizens of Venice looked at the increasing number of warships, the forests of masts and the groups of cannons in shock and fear, and the despair in their hearts grew deeper and deeper.

Two hundred and seventy years later, the golden and red double-headed eagle once again collided with the Golden Lion of St. Mark, but this time, the ones who suffered the disaster were the greedy Venetians, the most bitter and desperate losers.

There was no persuasion to surrender, no negotiation. The double-headed eagle was howling, the golden lion was wailing, and the hatred and dissatisfaction that had accumulated for two hundred and seventy years burst out with the sound of cannon fire.

(End of this chapter)