1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 340: Bannerman of Justice
The sun rises in the east, and the spring sunshine shines on the prosperous city. The cold of winter has gone, and the dryness of summer has not yet arrived. The river gurgles, and merchant ships shuttle back and forth.

The city is located in the western basin of the middle section of the Apennine Mountains, where the climate is mild and humid, the land is fertile, the products are abundant, and large areas of flowers bloom.

This is Florence, the literary and artistic capital of Italy, the most important birthplace of the Renaissance, the city of purple irises, the city of handicrafts, the city of wealth, and the city of finance.

The city of Florence is the center of the Florentine Republic. It is not near the sea, but the Arno River that runs through the city and the excellent and orderly road system provide it with convenient and developed transportation. There are many workshops and abundant goods. Various cultures and ideas blend here, and the brilliance of humanism flourishes here.

Florence may be the first major city in the world where the sprouts of capitalism appeared. From guild production to workshop handicraft, the establishment of employment relations is an important symbol of the development of capitalism. Some guild heads completed primitive accumulation through early exploitation and oppression, and their wealth expanded rapidly, becoming oligarchic capitalists. The poor at the bottom who lost everything in this stage were forced to enter workshops and engage in high-intensity labor, becoming the cheap labor force necessary for the development of capitalism.

Because Florence is located inland, it only gained access to the Mediterranean Sea a few decades ago. This city-state did not reap such huge dividends from the Crusades as Venice, Genoa and other city-states. They delved deeper into the models and technologies of handicrafts, and their capitalist development process was more complete. They explored the necessary path of early capitalism and can be called pioneers of the new era.

The capitalization and growth process of Florence is an important historical event worthy of study. From the open struggle between the Ghibellines and the Guelphs to the covert struggle between the Black Party and the White Party, from the decline of both the Pope and the Emperor to the rise of the Medici family, from handicraft factories to the Renaissance, the Florentine Republic led the entire Western world in thought and system with its not-so-vast territory, and ushered in a new era.

In a sense, compared with Venice and Genoa, the Republic of Florence was more like a primitive bourgeois republic than a simple merchant republic.

Today, Florence's primitive capitalism has developed to a new stage. The wool combing workers' uprising a hundred years ago made the capital oligarchs realize the powerful force of the united working class. The upper class began to cede their interests to the lower class, and some primitive social welfare systems began to take shape. The lower class not only got a relatively better life, but also gained the power to participate in politics and the possibility of joining the upper class, although this possibility is very slim.

In addition, Florence was the first country in history to implement the early "proportional tax system". All citizens paid taxes in proportion to their wealth. The rich paid more and the poor paid less. The poor whose income was below a certain threshold even had tax-free privileges. This was far ahead of the rest of the world.

Of course, Florence had a small territory, insufficient population, and was located in a corner of the Apennines. With the opening of new sea routes and the discovery of the New World, the economic center of the Western world began to shift westward. The capitalization process of the Florentine Republic would be interrupted, and its decline was also a historical inevitability.

But no matter what, Florence is now one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean world, with a prosperous market, flourishing culture, numerous workshops, and a living standard that is among the best in the world.

The current head of Florence is Lorenzo from the Medici family, the Luxurious, the Great, the standard-bearer of justice for Florence and the most famous cultural sponsor in the 15th century. Under his leadership, Florence's cultural undertakings have reached one climax after another.

A history of the Renaissance is half about Florence, and a history of Florence is half about the Medici family.

As one of the most outstanding members of the Medici family, Lorenzo was young and promising. He was not only keen on sponsoring culture and promoting education, but also good at uniting the people and allowing the lower classes to live a better life.
Having said that, Lorenzo also had great ambitions. The young tyrant always regarded Florence as his family's private property and tried to pass on the rule of Florence from generation to generation in the Medici family, and even directly promoted himself from the "Banner-Bearer of Justice" to a hereditary duke.

Everyone in Florence knew about the ambitions of the Medici family. The hostile oligarchs were worried, but the reaction of the grassroots people was not so intense. The Medici family had many grassroots supporters.

Perhaps, in the minds of these people, it does not matter who rules, there is not much difference between nobles and capitalists, and it does not matter much whether it is a republic or a principality. It is completely sufficient to guarantee their living standards.

The bourgeoisie is national, and Florence's civic consciousness and national ideas are also very strong. The Medici family grasped this key point and sat firmly on the throne by uniting the broad masses of the people, rejected the interference of foreign forces, reconciled the contradictions between capitalists and the grassroots people, solved the internal strife that had plagued the city for a long time, and turned the entire Florence into a sophisticated and orderly industrial and commercial machine.

Back then, it wasn’t that no one questioned the Medici family’s usurpation of power. The former head of the family, Cosimo, simply retreated, gave up power, and left it alone.

What no one expected was that instead of becoming more "free" and "democratic", Florence once again fell into a deadlock of internal strife. The welfare policies promoted by the Medici family and the protection policies for the grassroots people became empty words. The people who had been encouraged to curse the "tyrants" a few days ago suddenly became loyal supporters of the Medici family and put the Medici family back on the throne.

As a result, the decades ruled by the Medici family became the most prosperous period for Florence, and the golden age quietly arrived.

However, there were hidden crises under the prosperous times. The revival of the Eastern Roman Empire brought about dramatic changes to the entire Mediterranean world. Under the leadership of the emperor, the capitalization reforms of the Eastern Roman Empire were gradually promoted. The once famous "Greek ship merchants" became active again. The national capitalists of the Eastern Roman Empire rose rapidly with more abundant sources of precious metals, cheaper labor, more abundant raw materials and more vast land area. A large number of Eastern Roman goods poured into major markets, squeezing the living space of Florentine goods under the guidance of mercantilism. For a wealthy small country with an export-oriented economy, this blow would be devastating if it was not interfered with.

So, after France, Aragon, Venice and other countries successively took action against the Eastern Roman Empire, Florence also joined the camp against the Eastern Roman Empire. The people and capitalists of Florence put pressure on Lorenzo, demanding that Eastern Roman goods and Eastern Roman merchants be banned from entering the market, trade barriers be strengthened, and the country's handicraft industry be protected.

Lorenzo also went with the flow and immediately signed the relevant documents. He also tried his best to cooperate in the Barcelona Alliance. He not only allowed Latin pirates to use the Tuscan Islands, but also provided considerable loans to countries such as Aragon and Venice.

Lorenzo was a very capable monarch. The only thing he was mediocre about was business and economics. He was not as proficient in finance and business as his ancestors. He lived a luxurious life, was obsessed with literature and art, and invested too much money in these businesses that had little to do with the national economy and people's livelihood.

In the original time and space, in the late period of Lorenzo's reign, the treasury of Florence was almost exhausted by him, many branches of the Medici Bank went bankrupt, and the financial power of the Medici family decreased instead of increased.

In order to suppress the Eastern Roman Empire, Lorenzo ignored the warnings of his advisers and once again took advantage of public opinion, issuing government bonds and raising funds from the people to lend to the belligerent countries in an attempt to make a huge fortune from the war.

Due to the close relationship between the Medici family and Aragon, and Lorenzo did not quite trust the credibility of Louis XI, the Medici Bank's loans were mainly aimed at the "iron ally" Republic of Venice. The Venetians relied on the Medici family's funds to restart the shipbuilding plan, and did obtain a lot of Eastern Roman wealth through looting at the beginning of the war. The Medici family also received the first debt and was very happy about it, and also increased its loan share.

However, the situation changed too quickly, and the city of Venice fell in a very short time. The powerful navy of the Eastern Roman Empire tore apart all doubts, broke the deadlock of multi-line operations, destroyed the Venetians' sustained combat capability on the ocean, and seized a lot of wealth from the city of Venice.

After the fall of Venice, Doge Pietro went north to Mestre. There were more and more criticisms and doubts against him. Many conservatives even decided to impeach the Doge and replace him with a new one to negotiate peace with the Eastern Roman Emperor.

Lorenzo was disheartened when he heard the news. It was difficult to recover his loans, the losses in Venice made them unable to repay, and the imminent threat from the Eastern Roman Empire forced them to use all their strength to respond.

Although Lorenzo's talent for banking was poor, he sent people to assess the risks before lending money, and successfully obtained a sufficiently valuable collateral from the Venetians - the right to levy taxes on several northern Italian towns.

However, Venice played a trick. During the war, the Parliament granted the Doge all nominal powers, and all loans were made to Doge Pietro. As long as the Venetian Parliament replaced him and announced that all the loans were made by Pietro alone, it could default on the debt.

Of course, debts must be paid for, and the Medici family was more than capable of making the Venetians pay dearly for their scoundrels.

However, their capital has been captured and they are about to be destroyed. Who would care about these things?

Just when Lorenzo was overwhelmed by this, the rumor that Venice owed debts somehow reached the ears of the people of Florence. They became even more panicked and took to the streets to demand that the government repay the bonds.

At the same time, Lorenzo's enemies were also ready to take action. They used this opportunity to discredit the reputation of the Medici family, drive up prices, and cause panic and unrest among the people. They took the opportunity to profit by purchasing real estate at low prices and reaping the little remaining wealth of those poor people who were blinded by the war profits.

Lorenzo was helpless about this, and he didn't want to ruin the good reputation of the Medici family among the people. He could only use his own family's money to fill the deficit. He began to buy private bonds and was determined to pay off the money owed to the people even if his three branches went bankrupt.

Of course, many people still had their property defrauded by unscrupulous capitalists, and many small workshops went bankrupt as a result.

The Eastern Roman Empire's conquest of Venice brought about a series of chain reactions, of which the civil unrest in Florence was only one. The deficit of the Medici family gave their old enemies an opportunity. Pope Sixtus IV of the Rovere family began to take action, trying to take back the investiture rights of the Diocese of Florence and the Diocese of Pisa. The Pazzi family was even more sinister, actively interacting with the enemies of the Medici family and plotting something illegal.

There is a magnificent and spectacular building in Florence. It has obvious antique cultural characteristics, is luxurious and beautiful, every brick and tile is just right, and every relief is carefully polished. It is more like a palace than a house, fully demonstrating the owner's huge wealth and the designer's amazing talent.

This is the Medici Palace, a Renaissance building completed more than ten years ago. It has a chapel, gardens, courtyards and various sculptures. It was designed and built by the famous architect Michelozzo. It is the residence of the Medici family, the de facto power center of the Florentine Republic, and the largest source of the entire Italian Renaissance movement.

In the Medici Palace, in the owner's private study, the young and vigorous Lorenzo sat quietly by the window, gazing at the scenery outside through the exquisite crystal glass.

Lorenzo had an ordinary appearance, not handsome at all. His appearance was meticulously groomed, and his beard and eyebrows were specially designed. His expressionless face made him look elegant and calm. Only the scattered documents on the table and the white knuckles from his tightly gripped wine glass revealed his irritability and anxiety.

The wooden door was knocked open, and a handsome male noble walked in. He had regular features, eyes and eyebrows like stars, and looked noble and arrogant.

When he saw Lorenzo, the nobleman immediately put away the arrogance on his face, and the joy and worry in his eyes all came from the heart.

"Brother, I'm here."

Seeing that his brother was in a bad mood, the male noble whispered.

"Sit down, Giuliano."

Lorenzo nodded to his brother.

"Have some Bordeaux. I'll pour it for you."

Lorenzo poured his brother a glass of rich red wine, and Giuliano took it gently and sipped it carefully.

Giuliano is Lorenzo's brother and the second-in-command of the Medici Family. Since their father died young, Lorenzo and Giuliano took over the power of the Medici Family and the Republic of Florence and ruled together.

Compared to Lorenzo, Giuliano's appearance is particularly outstanding. He is one of the most handsome men in the entire Western world. Therefore, he is loved by many people. Many painters even ask him to be a model when painting religious paintings.

Lorenzo was a man who valued friendship and loyalty, and he paid special attention to his family and relatives. He would spend a lot of time with his family, and was therefore ridiculed by some scholars in later generations.

Giuliano lost his father forever at the age of 13. He followed his brother for the rest of his life and had a deep relationship with him. They did not become enemies because of power. The Medici Family and the Republic of Florence also prospered under the control of the two brothers.

Giuliano knew his brother's habit of drinking the strongest red wine only when he was in the worst mood.

"Giuliano, when did you come back?"

Lorenzo turned his gaze to his grown brother.

"But what else have you gained?"

"Oh, don't mention it. Pietro of Perugino originally agreed to use me as a model, but in the end he didn't make up his mind. He said he wanted to go to the north and the east to see Prince Maximilian and Prince Alexios."

Giuliano curled his lips in dissatisfaction.

"In my opinion, they just have a more noble status, and their appearance is definitely not as good as-"

"You know that's not what I'm asking."

Lorenzo looked at Giuliano with some amusement, then became serious again.

"Has the handover of the Pizza branch been completed?"

"It's done. Patsy Bank has taken over most of our affairs."

Giuliano nodded and sighed.

"Brother, I'm afraid we have completely failed this time."

"Patsy again..."

Lorenzo looked gloomy, his eyes filled with hatred.

"I went to comfort the bankrupts and unemployed who were marching a few days ago. They were also instigated by the Pazzi family."

"I know about this, but the Pazzi family can only resort to these intrigues and schemes. The people are on our side."

Giuliano said.

"In my opinion, the real difficulty lies in the powerful enemies outside Florence."

"Whether it's the Holy See in the Vatican or the emperor in Constantinople, they all hate us."

"Yes, from what I understand, the Pazzi family has become very close to the Holy See."

Lorenzo said gloomily.

"With Venice's fall, the Holy See has taken the opportunity to expand its influence. I heard that His Holiness Sixtus has begun to claim several bishoprics occupied by Venice."

"And our right of appointment is another big problem."

Lorenzo sighed heavily and put his hand on his forehead.

"The Bishop of Pisa has passed away. I heard that His Majesty Sixtus is planning to send a relative to serve as bishop."

"Pisa is ours. The bishops of Pisa and Florence should be elected by the diocese rather than sent directly by the Holy See. This is the law of Florence."

Giuliano said.

"This is something that cannot be agreed to."

"Of course I know this, but the current situation is really not good."

Lorenzo put the wine glass aside.

"The Greeks really... really messed up the entire Mediterranean."

Giuliano nodded and thought about it.

"Brother, perhaps we shouldn't have provoked them in the first place and shouldn't have joined King Louis and his alliance."

"There is actually no conflict between our family and the Valleoli family."

"How is that possible? This is not a matter between two families."

Lorenzo smiled bitterly.

"This is a war without gunpowder between two interest groups. In today's world, the Apennine Peninsula is the richest region in Europe and also the region with the strongest purchasing power. Greek businessmen, or Greek capitalists, cannot avoid the Apennine Peninsula if they want to rise."

"The Greek emperor represented the interests of his country. In order to achieve capital monopoly, he had to suppress the large handicraft city-states in the Apennines. Genoa collapsed on its own, Venice was defeated by the Greeks, and next, it would be our Florence."

Lorenzo looked out the window with melancholy. "I don't want to go against the Greek emperor, but you have to remember that if our Medici family wants to continue to be strong, we must stand firmly on the side of Florence. Farmers, workers, merchants, workshop owners, they are all forces that we must unite."

"In order to ensure their interests, we must desperately protect the dominant position of Florence's handicrafts and banking industries in the Apennine Peninsula and never give up."

"Only by truly standing with them can the Medici family remain standing forever."

"You advised me before that I shouldn't care too much about the feelings of the people. This is completely wrong."

Lorenzo looked deeply at Giuliano.

"I tell you, this is exactly the most important thing. It can even save your life at a critical moment."

"Yes, I will keep it in mind."

Giuliano lowered his head, thought for a moment, then looked back at his brother.

"So what should we do now? Should we join the French in fighting against the Greek emperor?"

"The letter said that the Greek emperor's fleet was clearing out the remaining enemies near the Venetian lagoon. Even the port of Chioggia was attacked several times. Venice seemed to have no ability to resist at all."

"What if they finish dealing with Venice and attack us directly?"

Giuliano was anxious.

"You know, although Florence is not by the sea, the Arno River directly connects us to the Mediterranean."

Lorenzo was silent for a moment, his face full of fatigue.

“That’s what I’m most worried about right now.”

"The Greek emperor's port of La Spezia has been captured by the Milanese. Their tentacles in northern Italy have been uprooted. This may give us some respite."

"If possible, I actually want to negotiate peace with the Greeks, find a way to recover the debts owed by Venice and Aragon, and find a way to deal with the Vatican and the Pazzi. This is what we need to consider most."

Seeing that Giuliano didn't speak, Lorenzo asked.

"I heard that Fraser, the Greek ambassador who left Florence before the war, is back again?"

"Yes, I have someone simply place him there, and I'll leave it to you to decide."

Giuliano responded.

"His residence is not far from here. If you want to see him, I can send someone to pick him up."

"Okay, let's go now, but you have to bring him here directly. It's best not to let the Hundred Man Group get involved before the matter is settled."

Lorenzo ordered.

Giuliano put down his glass, bowed and left, while Lorenzo slowly cleaned up the table and piled up the complicated and difficult documents.

Dozens of minutes later, two footsteps, one light and one heavy, were heard in the corridor again. Lorenzo stood up with a meticulous smile on his face.

"It's nice to see you again, Minister Fraser."

Lorenzo nodded slightly to Fraser.

"I am also very happy to come to your palace, Your Excellency Lorenzo."

Fraser bowed and gave a slight salute.

"I was just reading the official documents of the Empire and briefly celebrating the new victory. I was delayed for a while. Please forgive my impoliteness."

"It's okay, you arrived just in time."

After a moment's silence, Lorenzo asked.

"Excuse me, the victory you are talking about is about Venice?"

"No, it's about Iberia."

Fraser looked at Lorenzo with a faint smile on his face.

"Just the day before yesterday, General Gonzalo conquered the main city of Malaga. The remaining enemy troops, led by the garrison commander, took refuge in Gibralfaro Castle. Complete victory is only a matter of time."

"Congratulations."

Lorenzo forced a smile.

"I heard that the emperor plans to settle the refugees from Venice in major cities along the Aegean Sea. So, what is he going to do with Venice?"

"This is the emperor's business, how would I know?"

Fraser shook his head.

"However, speaking of refugees, when I came to Florence, I also saw a lot of poor people marching and demonstrating. They seemed to have suffered because of your wrong choices in the war."

"I think this must be because your market is not open enough. If you can put aside the past grudges, stop fighting and negotiate peace with us, allow the free entry of imperial goods, and allow imperial capital to open workshops and banks, the situation will definitely be much better."

"You know, Mr. Minister, that is impossible."

Lorenzo was a little angry and refused immediately.

"Let me be frank. I do want to negotiate peace with the emperor. How do you think we can sign a treaty and not interfere with each other?"

“I came here for this very thing.”

Fraser pulled out a letter and handed it to Lorenzo.

"The Emperor believes that although Florence was at fault, it did not cause much damage. If you are willing to drive out the French and Aragonese fleets, stop sheltering pirates and supporting Venice, the two sides can negotiate peace on this basis."

"Can consider it."

Lorenzo was a little bit unbelievable about Fraser's words and nodded quickly.

"Any more?"

“Also, the emperor hopes that the Medici family can take Florence’s Code of Justice seriously, stop trying to be a dictator, stop persecuting and suppressing political opponents, and stop infringing on the rights of civilians.”

Seeing that the two Medici brothers were stunned, Fraser didn't care and finished his words quickly.

"The Florence Institute of the Political Science Department of the University of Constantinople has conducted research on Florence's handicraft workshops and believes that the Christian workers in Florence lived in dire straits, suffered from malnutrition, poor working conditions, long working hours and low wages, which was inhumane."

Fraser put on a sympathetic look.

"The emperor is very concerned about the lives of the people of Florence. He believes that only the free market can save them. Trade protectionism is absolutely unacceptable. I hope you will think carefully about this and consider it carefully."

Lorenzo was silent for a long time, clenching his hands tightly, and Giuliano's face turned red with anger.

"Mr. Minister, how the Florentines are doing is our own business."

Lorenzo said stiffly.

"I suppose the Emperor has no control over Florence?"

"The emperor said that human rights are above sovereignty."

Fraser said calmly.

"That's all. This is our request. If you are unwilling to open the Florentine market and still want to keep Eastern Roman goods out and serve as a pawn for the French, then there will never be peace between us."

Fraser stepped back and bowed.

"We have brought our terms. I will leave within three days. Don't worry, I will never cause you any trouble."

Before the two could speak, Fraser pushed the door open and walked away.

"Assholes! They didn't even want to talk!"

Giuliano drew his sword and glared angrily at the closed door.

"I'll bring some people—"

"Okay, let him go."

Lorenzo pressed down his brother's sword.

"Sure enough, all they want from Florence is commercial benefits."

Lorenzo's eyes flickered.

"Although their conditions are very rigid, they are not out of the question. Tariffs, after all, require a long negotiation."

"Now what?"

Giuliano snorted and retracted his sword.

"Go negotiate with him?"

"Negotiations now will not produce any results."

Lorenzo shook his head.

"Wait, everything will come out when the war is over."

……

A carriage sped past on the wide road of Florence. Fraser, the Eastern Roman envoy, stuck his head out and scanned the city.

Unlike what Fraser expected, Lorenzo not only did not exploit the people because of the financial deficit, but instead worked hard to protect his own base. The citizens had a high degree of favorability towards the Medici family, and this loss did not have much impact.

"He is indeed a young hero of the Medici family. If it was that fool from the Duchy of Milan, the city of Milan would have been in turmoil long ago."

Fraser muttered.

Looking at the prosperous market and the Medici Palace that was receding into the distance, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

"Driver!"

"My lord, your orders!"

The driver turned around.

"Where to go?"

"To Pisa, the Pazzi's estate!"

(End of this chapter)