1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 369: Death of Bold Charlie
As winter passed and spring came, the clock of history slowly but steadily moved towards March 1476. The temperature warmed up, the ice and snow melted, the grass and trees sprouted, and all things flourished.

After 1476, the war on the northern coast of the Mediterranean came to a temporary end. Relying on its strong national strength and advanced technology, the Eastern Roman Empire defeated the United Kingdom of Aragon on two battlefields, seized the initiative in the War of the Castilian Succession and the island of Sicily belonging to the King of Aragon.

Up to this day in the war, neither side has the will to continue the war. The Sicily Expeditionary Force of the Eastern Roman Empire is holding its ground, and the Iberian Expeditionary Force, which is in an even worse situation, has not crossed the Tagus River in large numbers.

In the city of Toledo, a delegation led by Crown Prince Justinian was conducting final negotiations with the Juana faction, with special envoys sent by the Holy See mediating.

Of course, a major war on land did not break out, but the blockade on the sea never stopped. After resolving the affairs of the eastern Mediterranean, the Eastern Roman Empire sent a large number of warships to the western Mediterranean, with Palermo as its main port. It constantly attacked merchant ships of Aragon and France, blocking them within the European continent.

While the war in the Mediterranean came to a standstill, the Burgundian War in western Europe was in full swing. This war involved dozens of nobles, millions of civilians and four nationalities at the same time, all just for the "dream of the kingdom" of Charles the Bold.

It was still a little cold in the Netherlands lowlands at the end of March, and the flowery May had not yet arrived. The prevailing west wind blew from the sea to the entire plain, and windmills were whirring in the fields.

The Netherlands is one of the most prosperous places in continental Europe, with a strong commercial tradition and rapidly developing handicraft industry. The year-round westerly wind provides the Dutch with abundant wind resources. They use windmills to drain swamps, open farms, raise cattle and sheep, and raise children. Since the 12th century, the Netherlands' industry and commerce have become increasingly developed, and the population has increased. It has gradually leapt from a barren land on the edge of Europe to a rich and prosperous land of fish and rice.

However, there is currently no unified nation-state in the Netherlands Lowlands. Each Dutch state has a strong degree of independence, and the urban industrial and commercial classes dominate.

This pattern of numerous states provided an opportunity for those who coveted the wealth of the Netherlands. Two generations of Dukes of Burgundy took over the southern half of the Netherlands through marriage, purchase and coercion, including Brussels, Ghent, Liege... Currently, these famous trading cities are all under the rule of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy.

Burgundy belongs to the Netherlands, the County of Flanders, the city of Ghent, and the County Castle.

Ghent is a major trading city in the Netherlands. Although it is not near the sea, the developed inland waterway transportation still provides it with convenient transportation. Hundreds of years ago, the English began to import wool here, and the people of Ghent established woolen textile factories and sold high-end handicrafts to all parts of Europe.

The title of Count of Flanders was acquired by the Burgundy family through marriage several decades ago, and the city of Ghent became one of the financial and tax bases of the Duke of Burgundy. Two generations of Dukes of Burgundy used various means to recover a large number of trade privileges from Dutch merchants and successfully made them obedient.

The Count's Castle in Ghent is beautiful and grand. The second floor of the Count's Castle is the lord's living area.

In the living area, the most spacious and brightest room is decorated elegantly and lovely. The warm-toned room items make people feel very cozy, and the fresh flowers exude a light and elegant fragrance. The wooden bookshelves are filled with all kinds of books, from difficult and obscure theological texts to vivid chivalric novels and romance novels. Although the former occupies the most conspicuous position on the bookshelf, judging from the traces of flipping through the books, the owner of the room obviously prefers the latter.

Sitting in front of the desk is a young girl. Her fair skin and light eyes show her Germanic ancestry, while her curly hair with brown and black may come from her grandmother, a Portuguese princess.

House of Capet, Valois-Burgundy branch, Marie of Burgundy.

Mary's father was Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, her mother was Isabelle from the Bourbon House, her grandfather was Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and her grandmother was from the House of Aves of the Kingdom of Portugal.

Of course, whether Burgundy, Bourbon or Avish, they all belong to branches of the Capetian family and have a common ancestor, Hugo who loved to wear a cloak.

Mary is now 19 years old and still unmarried, which is considered an anomaly in the European aristocratic circle.

Of course, since her family owned numerous wealthy territories and Mary was not shabby in appearance, there were countless princes and nobles pursuing her. Her father, Charles the Bold, had also arranged many marriages for her, but for various reasons, none of them came true.

Mary's father, Charles the Bold, was a fairly good monarch, but compared to his political and military achievements, Charles the Bold's fertility was much worse. He married three wives in total, but left only one child, Mary.

That is to say, if Charles the Bold failed to leave any male descendants before his death, a large number of territories including the Duchy of Burgundy and the southern Netherlands would be inherited by Mary, which was a considerable fortune.

However, unlike Queen Isabella of Spain and Queen Margaret of the Union of Kalmar, Mary of Burgundy was not a good material for being a monarch. She did not have the necessary skills and the ability to make her subjects obedient. She was keen on poetry and literature, longed for handsome knights, and fantasized about romantic love.

Apart from her love of horse riding, she is no different from any other noble lady.

After his mother died, Charles the Bold married a princess from the House of York of England for political reasons. However, this did not affect the harmonious relationship between Mary and her father. Charles the Bold poured great love into her, and Mary also used the most gentle and intimate love to warm Charles the Bold's hard heart.

When her father won a battle, Mary was happy; when her father fell ill, Mary prayed and cried. In Mary's mind, her father was her pillar of support, who would use the most rigid authority to provide her with the warmest blue sky.

However, in recent years, Charles the Bold returned home less and less frequently. As he spent more and more years fighting, the fatigue on his face was so strong that it could not be erased. He often sat alone in front of a desk covered with maps, lighting up the cigar given to him by the Eastern Roman Emperor and smoking it all night long.

Mary knew that her father was in trouble. Enemies from all sides united under the instigation of Louis XI and put pressure on Burgundy. Louis XI took advantage of Charles the Bold's deep desire for the Corridor of Lorraine and forced him onto the battlefield, making him unwilling to give up.

In the past few years, Charles the Bold would take advantage of his free time from collecting taxes or conscription to visit his only daughter with a haggard face. Mary would always pretend to be happy to accept the small gifts brought back by her father, even though she was no longer the little girl she used to be, and even though these gifts were no longer suitable for her current age.

At such times, Mary would always patiently act as a good listener, pouring wine for her father while listening to him bragging about how brave his knights were, satirizing how vile King Louis of France was, cursing the Dutch merchants for their greed, and talking about the so-called "capitalization reforms" that were taking place in France and the Eastern Roman Empire.

"I don't like the 'capital' that Greek merchants often talk about, and I don't want Dutch merchants to go down that path,"

Mary remembered Bold Charlie saying this at a family dinner.

"Love for the land, loyalty to the monarch, piety to God, respect for chivalry... Capital has completely destroyed all beautiful and sacred things, leaving only the bloody relationship of money."

Mary had little interest in these things, but she could definitely find that in the past few years, the goods of the Eastern Roman Empire had increased in number and their quality had improved. Queen Leonor, who was related to her, would often give her some small luxuries, such as rose perfume from Bulgaria, diamond brooches from New Thrace, ivory pendants from Guinea, and copper hand warmers imitating those of the Eastern Dynasty...

Mary knew that this was a common marketing tactic used by the Eastern Roman royal family. After years of gift-giving, a craze for Eastern Roman luxury goods had swept through the courts of half of Europe. However, she was still grateful for this and had some good feelings towards the Eastern Roman Empire, which she had never met.

But sometimes, Charles the Bold would tell Mary with fear that although the Eastern Roman Empire was willing to provide help to Burgundy, it should never trust it completely. In his view, Isaac III and Louis XI were essentially the same kind of people, both of whom would do anything for the sake of profit.

Of course, Charles the Bold would also tell Mary humorously that Louis XI was a villain who didn't care about his reputation at all, while Isaac III attached more importance to his reputation in the Mediterranean world and would find a plausible reason even if he did something bad.

Sometimes, Mary could not help but persuade her father to stop the war, improve the bad relationship with Louis XI, and temporarily give up the unrealistic dream of a kingdom. But every time this happened, Charles the Bold would fly into a rage, and after his tantrum he would sit alone in a daze, sighing constantly.

In fact, a long time ago, Louis XI, who fled to Burgundy for refuge because he angered his father, and Charles the Bold, the young master of Burgundy, developed a very deep friendship. They studied and grew up together, and Louis XI was even Mary's only godfather.

If the Duchy of Burgundy was not so powerful, if Charles the Bold was just a small noble, the two kings and ministers, both from the Valois branch of the Capetian family, might have created a great story. Louis XI's diplomatic and domestic affairs abilities could provide Charles the Bold with good opportunities for battle and the best supply conditions, and Charles the Bold's military talent could help Louis XI make up for the last shortcoming. The Kingdom of France would usher in a glorious era in the hands of the two.

Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in history. The former friends have long since become mortal enemies fighting each other, and the conflict between Burgundy and France is irreconcilable.

Sitting in front of the desk, Mary held the copper hand warmer in her arms and silently read the letter on the table. The handwriting on the letter was very sloppy.

Even during the war, Charles the Bold would send Mary a few letters from time to time. Although he was careful to avoid military and political affairs and only talked about light and lively topics, Mary still saw some clues from his increasingly sloppy handwriting and increasingly brief words.

Mary knew that since the Siege of Beauvais four years ago, the war situation began to reverse. Burgundy no longer had the absolute initiative it had before 1472, and basically lost the ability to attack mainland France. Charles the Bold was becoming increasingly powerless on the battlefield, while Louis XI was becoming more and more at ease.

At the end of 1475, Charles the Bold, who had recently captured Nancy, decided to strike while the iron was hot and continue his march southward. Without sufficient supplies and complete planning, a battle broke out between him and the Swiss Confederation in the Grant region.

In this battle, the infantry of the Swiss Confederation demonstrated strong combat capability and ability to withstand pressure, leaving Charles the Bold's heavy cavalry helpless. The muskets and artillery that the Burgundians were proud of lost most of their combat effectiveness due to the rainy weather and rugged terrain. Charles the Bold suffered his first disastrous defeat in the Burgundy War.

After the Battle of Grant, the Swiss Confederation and the Duchy of Lorraine joined forces with high morale, while Burgundy suffered heavy losses and had low morale. Years of fierce fighting had made everyone in the Duchy of Burgundy, from the feudal nobility to the common people, tired, and the merchant groups in the Netherlands were unwilling to provide any more loans to Charles the Bold.

Most importantly, when Charles the Bold retreated to Nancy and prepared to hold his ground, Louis XI gave him a great gift - imitation Eastern Roman cannons and imitation Eastern Roman heavy matchlock guns produced in the Paris Arsenal in France.

Of course, at this time, the Eastern Roman Empire had just acquired the ability to produce huge steel cannons, and this powerful "decisive battle weapon" was not yet known to other European countries. France's "imitation Eastern Roman artillery" was a long-barreled cannon that could be quickly transported and detached. Tracing its roots, they all came from the Ottoman lineage.

Looking at all the monarchs in Western Europe, King Louis XI of France was perhaps the most enlightened one. He was very caring towards the emerging bourgeoisie and was good at learning advanced experiences from other countries. He also set up a "Greek Empire Research Group" in his own court to study the advanced science and technology and advanced production models originating from the Eastern Roman Empire, the manufacture of telescopes, the use of spring sheets, and the improvement methods of carrack sailboats... Many "inspirational" technologies have been learned by the French.

In addition to technology, Louis XI also vigorously introduced crops from the New World, and potatoes and sweet potatoes have already appeared on the tables of Parisian citizens.

Of course, technologies such as rubber wheels, cinchona antimalarial drugs, and oriental cotton textile machines are obviously not included in this list, not because the technology is complicated, but because the French did not have sufficient raw materials and it would not be of much use even if they learned them.

Because Charles the Bold's rule in Nancy was extremely unstable, resistance from residents continued and the city walls were completely destroyed by the Burgundy cannons. The Swiss Confederation and the Duchy of Lorraine quickly captured Nancy, which had been lost for several months, with the help of French artillery. Charles the Bold could only sigh in despair.

The Lorraine Corridor has always been a thorn in the side of Charles the Bold. After taking over Nancy, Charles the Bold once thought that victory was in sight. However, in just a few months, he lost this sad city again, and all the efforts of the past few years went to waste.

In the previous letter, Charles the Bold complained to his daughter Mary for the first time, saying that he had let down the trust of his ancestors and the hard work of half a lifetime. He did not want to go back to Ghent or Dijon. He did not want to face the sarcastic smiles of the Dutch, and he was even more unwilling to face the Burgundian youth who had always regarded him as an idol with the shame of defeat.

Charles the Bold said that he would regroup and defeat the Swiss and Lorraine. He would uphold the will of his ancestors, go to the battlefield himself, let the flag of Burgundy be raised again in Nancy, and let Louis XI, who only knew how to play tricks, see what a true warrior is.

After receiving the letter, Mary felt mixed emotions. As an unmarried girl, all her concerns were placed on her only close relative. Naturally, she didn't want to let the bold Charlie continue to fight.

But she also knew that her father was good in everything except his stubbornness and self-willedness. From home to abroad, even Louis XI had advised Charles the Bold to give up the war, but he just wouldn't listen. Even the enemy opposed me, which just showed that I was doing the right thing.

After careful consideration, Mary wrote a long letter to her father in February, in which she wrote about the interesting things that had happened to her in recent days and the developments in the territory. She did not make any comments on his actions, hoping that her father would go to the battlefield in a better mood.

However, after the letter was sent, there was no news. It seemed that Charles the Bold did not take a long rest, but chose to continue the war.

Mary's patience was worn out by the days of waiting and praying. She was worried all day long and asked her stepmother, aunt and tutors about the situation of the Bold Charlie from time to time, but she could only get vague news that he was "still on the battlefield".

Mary picked up the pen and wanted to write another letter, but she didn't know where to start.

Standing up a little irritably and adding some charcoal ash to the hand warmer, Mary sat down again, sighed, and dipped the ink.

"To my dearest father, Charlie, you also——"

The noise coming from outside the window disrupted Mary's thoughts. It seemed that a messenger had come outside the castle. The horseshoes knocked on the stone slabs rapidly, like a death bell.

Screams and crying came from downstairs. Mary was startled and quickly put on her coat and ran downstairs.

……

In the Kingdom of Aragon, on the road leading to Zaragoza, Fernando stared at the tall city walls right before his eyes. His tense expression relaxed and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The soldiers and knights who followed him also showed expressions of relief, as they were finally safe.

The eight-year civil war in Navarre, the ten-year rebellion in Catalonia and the subsequent War of the Castilian Succession drained a lot of energy from the United Kingdom of Aragon. The urban middle class was sarcastic about the royal tax policy in parliament, while the country men were more direct. Many farmers who had lost their livelihoods raised the banner of rebellion. Catalonia was full of bandits and robbers until it got close to the kingdom's capital, Zaragoza, where the situation improved slightly.

Fernando was homesick, so he lowered his brows and sighed heavily.

A year ago, he set out on his journey from here, surrounded by tens of thousands of troops. Just one year later, he became a defeated general, with only a thousand remnants left with him.

Fernando originally thought that the Eastern Roman expeditionary army, which had fought for years, was reduced to a hollow shell and would collapse in just one major battle. However, he never expected that his own army would be even worse. Once the elite troops were lost, the other troops basically lost their ability to fight in the field.

Of course, Gonzalo's blocking battle on the banks of the Tagus River was not enough to destroy most of Fernando's army. It was just that Aragon's military system did not support long-term combat. The feudal knights had a time limit in serving the monarch, and would clamor to go back during the busy farming season. Mercenaries did not have this problem, but Fernando could hardly afford the high salary.

As for the French support forces, most of the Knights of the Imperial Order were captured, but the King's Musketeers were intact and withdrew to Zaragoza before him.

Even though the situation was so bad, Fernando still did not give up. He rushed from Madrid to Valencia and tried to collect war funds here again to rebuild his military.

However, the cold reality dealt a heavy blow to Fernando. His strategy of walking a tightrope between the Mudéjars and the German group eventually caused chaos. The German industrialists and businessmen refused to pay, and their leaders even told Fernando clearly that he should either drive out the Mudéjars and grant foreign merchants trade privileges, or wait for rebellion.

As far as Fernando knew, these people were also actively in contact with the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Eastern Roman Empire's Minister of Commerce, Fugger, had come to Iberia to be specifically responsible for this matter.

Of course, the German group in Valencia did not have any good feelings towards the Eastern Roman Empire, nor would they easily join Carlos' side. They just wanted to use the authority of the Eastern Roman Empire to force Fernando and achieve their own goals.

At the beginning, the Eastern Roman merchant group brought them a lot of pressure, and they were among the group of people who asked Fernando to expel the Eastern Roman merchants.

Faced with these situations, Fernando was at a loss. He didn't know how to deal with these problems, nor did he know why Aragon had become like this.

However, due to the huge initial investment, too many promises made and too many loans owed, Fernando cannot surrender easily and must hold on to the last hope.

This time when he returned to Zaragoza, he planned to quickly marry the French princess and use this as an excuse to ask the French for more loans and use the money to hire new troops.

With the new army, his first target was the wealthy but rebellious Valencia. This time, he would make the rebels pay the price and raise more funds at the same time.

In his opinion, although the Eastern Roman army was strong, it was obviously at the end of its strength and had already shown signs of fatigue in the siege. If it could continue to drag on, the outcome would be uncertain.

As for the almost completely lost Sicily, he no longer cared.

Arriving at the city gate, Fernando prepared to go to the French military camp outside Zaragoza to contact the King's Musketeers.

However, the original military camp was empty and the French soldiers were nowhere to be seen.

Fernando frowned, vaguely guessing something bad.

Several infantrymen rushed over from the barracks, and Fernando recognized their uniforms: they were the city guards of Zaragoza.

"Greetings, my dear prince. We are here on King Juan's orders to pick up the scum left by the French."

The captain of the infantry bowed to Fernando and pointed to the messy barracks and the garbage filling the gutters.

"What's going on? Where are the Franks?"

Fernando asked a little anxiously.

"I just recently exchanged letters with Captain Betness."

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, they left just a few days ago."

The infantry captain answered hesitantly.

"Now, except for the French garrisons in Roussillon and Hildenaard, there is no longer a single French soldier on Aragonese soil."

"But... why is this?"

Fernando already had a guess and closed his eyes in pain.

"Your Highness, the French were transferred by King Louis. It was a supreme order. We were not informed at all."

The captain of the infantry looked at Fernando's face and whispered.

"The Battle of Nancy is over. The Burgundian army was defeated. The Duke of Burgundy was killed. King Louis is gathering an army."

……

In March 1476, Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, ignored the warnings of those around him and continued the war when morale had not yet recovered and military supplies had not yet been replenished. He marched southward in an attempt to recapture the city of Nancy.

On March 3, a battle broke out between more than 25 Burgundian troops and more than Lorraine-Swiss coalition troops outside the city of Nancy. Despite being completely inferior in combat power, Charles the Bold resolutely went to the battlefield, riding his horse and wielding his sword in person, trying to boost morale.

In the end, the Burgundians failed to create miracles as usual. The rainy weather and rugged terrain limited the use of Burgundian firearms. Although the Burgundian heavy cavalry, led by Charles the Bold, once fought under the banner of René II, Duke of Lorraine, they were still blocked by the Swiss phalanx that surged like a tide.

That evening, Charles the Bold disappeared, and the Burgundy army began to retreat, which soon turned into a complete collapse. The Lorraine-Swiss coalition forces chased and killed them for three days and three nights. The blood stained the 50-kilometer land from Nancy to Metz. Only a small number of Burgundy soldiers saved their lives.

Three days later, Swiss soldiers who were cleaning up the battlefield finally found the mutilated body of Charles the Bold in a ditch. His head was split in half by the halberd, the most common weapon in the Swiss army, and his facial features were almost unrecognizable.

At this point, the heyday of the Duchy of Burgundy came to an end. This once prosperous Western European power instantly fell from the clouds to the bottom of the valley and fell into the most serious crisis in history. Charles the Bold, a hero of his generation, paid the price for his stubbornness, and Mary of Burgundy became the sole owner of the two territories.

The states of the Netherlands were ready to make a move, the Kingdom of France was eyeing it covetously, and the Archduchy of Austria also had plans because of a previous marriage contract. For a while, half of Europe's attention was attracted to the fertile and rich Burgundy and the Netherlands, and countless tigers and wolves set their eyes on the large territory and an orphan girl left behind by Charles the Bold.

After the death of Charles the Bold, King Louis of France immediately changed his strategic focus and withdrew all the reinforcements sent to Aragon and the loans prepared to be lent to Ferdinand. However, he still occupied some of the areas that Aragon had promised to him, directly bypassed the Kingdom of Aragon, and began to send envoys to the Eastern Roman Empire to discuss peace plans.

The tide of the times rolls forward, old disputes are about to end, and new storms are spreading.

(End of this chapter)