1444, Byzantium Resurrects
Chapter 389: Bloody Monastery
Chapter 389: Bloody Monastery
Time flies, the fruitful year of 1477 is coming to an end, and history has entered the 1478th year of the birth of Jesus. New challenges have brought new opportunities.
Between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus Mountains and the Lesser Caucasus Mountains form a river valley lowland where the Kura River flows, creating fertile farmland and supporting a large population of more than one million.
This was the homeland of the Georgians from ancient times until the 15th century.
Since the complete collapse of the Bagration Dynasty in Georgia in the mid-15th century, this land has been plunged into a long period of turmoil. The once prosperous and unified Georgia was divided into principalities. Nobles of all sizes hid in stone castles and fought for supremacy, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the people. Waves of attacks by Muslim looters left Georgian Orthodox Christians in the border areas with no hope at all.
However, after the "Miracle of Constantinople" in 1453, the only Orthodox empire suddenly rose and recovered its national strength at a very rapid speed. The Greek peninsula, Bulgaria, Serbia, western and northern Anatolia... Muslim forces declined across the board. The wealth brought by the great voyages allowed the Eastern Roman Empire to exert its super national strength even with insufficient population, which allowed many Orthodox countries to see a glimmer of hope.
In 1468, at the invitation of Georgian King Bagrat VI, Eastern Roman Prince Alexios arrived in Georgia. The nominal Georgian king hoped to marry his daughter to Alexios in exchange for money and reinforcements from the Eastern Roman Empire to fight against Muslim pagans and suppress those nobles who disobeyed his orders.
However, what surprised Bagrat VI was that Alexios did not bring Princess Maria back to Constantinople, nor did he use the royal money to recruit mercenaries. Instead, he chose to establish the Knights of St. Andrew and St. George in the most dangerous chaotic frontline area, recruiting brave and pious knights to resist the invasion of Muslims.
With a try-it-out attitude, Bagrat VI acquiesced to Alexios' actions and officially granted the Kura River Valley east of Tbilisi to the Knights Templar, asking them to help him defend the territory.
Later, the Knights lived up to expectations and repelled the looting of the Safavid Order and the Shirvan Kingdom through bloody battles again and again, gaining a firm foothold in that land. Tbilisi also maintained peace for many years. Bagrat VI even used diplomatic means to jointly rule the Principality of Imereti and expanded its sphere of influence to western Georgia.
In 1472, a decisive battle broke out between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Aq Qoyunlu in the wilderness of western Anatolia. The Aq Qoyunlu suffered a crushing defeat due to its backward military system and technology. Uzungol Hasan fled back to Tabriz, and the Aq Qoyunlu went from prosperity to decline.
The reduction of the Muslim threat made Bagrat VI feel relieved, and his attitude towards the Knights of St. Andrew changed from dependence to fear. In his mind, the increasingly powerful Knights Order was no longer a barrier to guard the border, but a threat that was imminent.
At the end of 1474, with the help of the design drawings provided by Leonardo da Vinci, Alexios, relying on royal funds and local mud volcanoes, used the concrete construction model to quickly build a series of fortifications in the easternmost part of the Holy Cross. Because the stones used contained manganese and copper, these fortifications appeared cold black and blue in appearance. The center of the fortifications was the new castle built by the Knights for two years - the Frozen City.
After the frozen castle and the frozen defense line were initially formed, Bagrat VI's panic reached its peak. He sent people to question Alexios' intentions and asked him to give up his defense and march towards Sylvan.
Alexius did not receive the envoy. Instead, he summoned his subordinates and allies and read out the charges against the Georgian princes in public, believing that they did not respect God and compromised with pagans. He formally claimed the throne and asked the Arsalanite allies who were enemies of the Safavid Order to help guard the eastern border. He then led the Knights to march towards Tbilisi and quickly captured the Kartli area near Tbilisi.
However, man proposes, God disposes. The defenders of Tbilisi were not worth mentioning. The White Aries King Uzonkhasan took advantage of the Eastern Roman Empire's involvement in the conflict in the Western Mediterranean to lead his troops north, directly bypassing the fortifications of the Land of the Holy Cross and heading straight into the heart of Georgia from the Armenian Plateau.
As a result, Alexios temporarily gave up on seizing the throne and instead formed an alliance with various principalities, starting a long border war.
More than two years of hard resistance caused heavy casualties to Georgia. The serious illness of Aries King Uzonkrasan gave them hope of a turning point. Although Alexius never won a victory on the front battlefield, he finally ushered in his own dawn with his unremitting persistence.
In early 1477, Bagrat VI died of old age and illness in Imereti, and the Bagration dynasty was in chaos. Alexios, who had won high reputation in the border war, continued to wage war against the remaining principalities, attacking the great nobles along the way and placing their properties under the jurisdiction of the Knights Templar, while the smaller nobles who were willing to join the Knights Templar were retained.
However, the complex terrain between the mountains still brought great difficulties to Alexios. The Principality of Imereti, the Principality of Abkhazia and the Principality of Samtskhe formed an alliance and defeated an army of the Knights who underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly in the Battle of Gori in the summer of 1477 with the little Monaspa mountain heavy cavalry that had been preserved. They set fire to a large number of granaries and forced Alexios to retreat to Tbilisi.
However, Alexius had a very powerful motherland behind him. At the end of the Battle of Gori, the Black Sea Fleet of the Eastern Roman Empire quickly captured the Georgian port of Batumi. Two Guards Corps and four Rifle Corps entered Samkhtar from Trebizond. The Circassian Kingdom also formed an army under the leadership of Justinian and marched south to Abkhazia via Sochi.
Under the three-pronged attack, the fragile alliance of the Bagration dynasty quickly collapsed. Abkhazia, which was already pro-Eastern Roman Empire, immediately surrendered to Justinian and joined him in capturing Imereti, imprisoning the descendants of Bagrat VI who had fled there.
Duke Alexander II of Samkheta wanted to ask for help from the Muslim forces in the south, but received no response. The merchants, people and many small nobles in the principality were unwilling to continue to be enemies of the "Holy King". Knowing that he was powerless to turn the situation around, he had to surrender to Alexios and apologize.
At his wife's request, Alexios treated the members of the Bagration family leniently and took over the hereditary lands of the great nobles as the property of the Knights Templar. Nobles who were willing to join the Knights Templar could be given important positions, while those who were unwilling could retain part of their property and continue living in Tbilisi or Constantinople.
In his view, these people were not only his wife's family, but also descendants of David IV and Queen Tamar. A family that produced two generations of wise kings and was able to take root in Georgia for 800 years must have been blessed by God.
As for whether this huge family would bring hidden worries to the rule of the Palaiologos dynasty of Georgia, Alexios did not care much. In his mind, if his descendants acted recklessly one day and the wise descendants of the Bagration family or other families gained the support of the people, that would be God's will.
However, just as Alexius's pardon was on the way, a group of Muslim remnants who came from nowhere raided the Imereti region under the supervision of Justinian. At that time, Justinian was holding a banquet and the estates outside the castle were almost unguarded.
As a result, the manor where Bagration's direct descendants were imprisoned was easily captured by the remnants of the Muslim army. From the sixty-year-old great-uncle to the newborn baby, except Princess Maria who was far away in Tbilisi, all the direct descendants of the Bagration dynasty were killed, as if they had evaporated from the face of the earth.
Afterwards, Justinian quickly led his army to defeat the remaining Muslim soldiers and hanged them all. After confirmation, it was found that they were undoubtedly small forces sent by the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty to harass Georgia. They had all the identification documents and confession information, and their weapons and equipment were the same as those of the Aq Qoyunlu army.
After hearing the news, Princess Maria almost fainted, and Alexios didn't know how to comfort her. Overnight, his wife became the only direct descendant of the Bagration family, and his daughter and son became the legitimate heirs with both Bagration's direct bloodline and Palaiologos bloodline.
Then, the people of the Principality of Samtsk suddenly found letters showing that the Duke was colluding with Muslim forces. Instigated by missionaries, the people quickly rioted. Alexander II fled in a hurry, and before he could attend the formal coronation of Alexius, he fled to Constantinople with his scattered belongings and became a retired official.
After a series of changes, the complicated situation in the Kingdom of Georgia suddenly became clear. Bagration's direct line died out, and the remaining major branches either fled to Constantinople or became members of the Knights Templar. Alexios unified the Georgian-populated areas including Kartli, Kakheti, Imereti, Abkhazia and Samtskhe, and obtained their loyalty by promising autonomy to the Greater Caucasus tribes, successfully laying the foundation for the Palaiologos family of Georgia.
"I don't know the details of what others call the 'Night of the Devil'. Perhaps, as the people of Georgia said, Bagration's direct line committed too many evil deeds. With the help of the devil, the remaining Saracens miraculously crossed Justinian's defense zones and took the lives of hundreds of people..."
"By the beginning of 1478, the Kingdom of Georgia had settled down. The "Holy King" Alexius held his coronation ceremony in Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia, where he had fought a bloody battle with the Aries Army for three days..."
"However, he did not focus on the coronation ceremony. Instead, he followed the old tradition of our family and handed this matter over to the queen. Princess Maria has recovered from her grief, and her face is always full of smiles as she looks at the queen's crown getting closer and closer."
At the desk, a girl dressed as an aristocrat was writing. The fine feather pen was dipped in Athens brand ink and rustled across the exquisite paper that exuded a faint fragrance.
"Alexios is busy with his reforms, trying to extend the policies of the Holy Cross to the newly added territories. Unlike when he was a child, he now likes reading, but he always likes to read some ancient Christian classics, such as the obscure "Acts of the Apostles."
"He seems to think that the privatization reforms being vigorously promoted in the Eastern Empire are different from the values of ancient Christianity. He wants the people to return to the apostolic age, live a collective life, farm together, rest together, and participate in cultural activities together..."
"At his invitation, I went to the Holy Cross and saw the magnificent Frozen City. By the way, Alexius doesn't like the title of 'Frozen Knight'. He thinks it is a helpless act when one is not strong enough. A true knight should charge into the battlefield instead of hiding behind an ice wall..."
"The situation in the Holy Cross Land is very good. I saw Georgian Orthodox Christians, Armenian Orthodox Christians, Muslims who believe in the Arsalan sect, and even Nestorians and Zoroastrians. They live in peace under the power of the Knights. Although it cannot be said to be harmonious, at least there is no conflict."
"I interviewed a Muslim merchant who told me that he did not like the extreme military ideology of the Safavids, nor did he want to kill people for some illusory goals. He just wanted to find a place to live freely, and the Holy Cross Land just met his ideals."
"And the Zoroastrian who fed my horse. He seemed to be an Indian who crossed the Caspian Sea from the Timurid Kingdom to Baku for pilgrimage, but was driven out by the Shirvan Muslims and came to the Holy Cross. Alexius accepted him and his companions and allowed these pagans, who I thought were heinous, to live on the land of the Knights."
Having written this, the girl thought for a moment and dipped the brush in ink.
"Alexius once said that the Holy Cross welcomes everyone, not because it is beneficial, but because it is reasonable. We must protect those who are oppressed by extremist Islamic sects. Otherwise, they will only become the nutrient of extremist sects."
"Alexius divided the agricultural land of the Holy Cross into cross farms and managed them using the management model of ancient monasteries. Some farms were able to implement the four-field system. You know, even in Western Europe, only a very small number of monasteries can implement the four-field system. This requires a very high degree of organization and mass base."
"The intensive farming model has brought a large amount of output to the Holy Cross Land. The system of collective Cross Farms has even attracted many moderate Muslims who have been marginalized. While participating in collective labor, they feel the care of the "Apostolic Age", and many of them choose to convert to Orthodoxy."
"In contrast, the prosperity of agriculture in the empire was based on a large number of livestock, a large number of advanced iron tools, and a large number of basic fertilizers. The agricultural farming model did not make any progress. The village community system became increasingly weak under the wave of capitalist urbanization. Some places even regressed from the three-field system to the two-field system. In places like northern Bulgaria, where the land is vast and the population is sparse, a relatively primitive extensive agriculture is still adopted. The big landowners are keen to reduce the number of hired farmers by adopting advanced technology, but they have not brought the qualifications of a piece of land to the extreme."
"Of course, in terms of living standards, the farmers in the Eastern Empire are far superior to the Georgian farmers. After the land was liquidated, the farmers in the Eastern Empire became landlords. Everyone owned a lot of private land. The extra population either moved to the cities and became craftsmen with the technical education provided by the imperial government, or went to the reclamation areas to seize the land of Muslims and become new landlords and ranchers."
There were footsteps in the corridor downstairs, and the girl quickened her pace and continued writing.
"Anyway, I am just a recorder, not an evaluator. Alexios is my brother and my husband's best friend. The Georgian crown is the reward he got for his ten years of fighting. I am not Justinian. I did not provide much help to Alexios, so it is naturally inconvenient for me to question his policies."
"This coronation ceremony is a grand event for our family. My two older brothers and two younger brothers will all be there. Unfortunately, my youngest daughter Irina was held back by her mother and wouldn't leave. Otherwise, I would have brought her here to meet some of my cousins."
After writing this, the girl breathed a sigh of relief and closed the manuscript.
The title of the manuscript is written on the cover: The Book of Kings, written by Salonica Palaiologos Tocco.
The door opened and Carlo Tocco walked in with a big smile on his face.
"Thessaloniki, still writing?"
Carlo walked forward and handed his wife a bouquet of blood-red roses.
"I just picked it from the backyard of the Scarlet Monastery. It is said that it was watered with the blood of the holy warriors!"
"Tell me, if we promote this in Constantinople, can we sell this blood-red flower at a sky-high price?"
"Okay, shut up, Carlo."
Salonika took the flowers unhappily.
"You are only thinking about how to make money? If you dare to take these flowers, Alexios will become your enemy."
"Of course I know that, it was just a joke..."
Carlo laughed and waved his hand.
"Okay, why did you come to me? I still have two sections left to finish writing the third chapter of "The Biography of the Holy Kings"!" Thessalonika picked up the bottle of wine on the table, poured two glasses of wine, and handed one to Carlo.
“This is Georgian specialty wine. Try it.”
"The Biography of the Holy King? It seems that you are planning to write a biography for each of us?"
Carlo took a sip of wine and smacked his lips.
"His Majesty Isaac had the Life of Isaac the Great, and His Majesty Justinian had the Life of the Sun Emperor. Did Basil and Anastasius have them too?"
"That depends on their achievements. People with mediocre achievements cannot get a separate biography in my "Chronicles of the Kings"."
The corners of Salonika's mouth curled up slightly.
"Once I finish writing the Biography of the Holy Kings to this point in time, I will write one for Constantine's grandfather. This is a big project."
"Would you like to write one for me as well? After all, I am also the Earl of the Palace appointed by His Majesty, and I enjoy the treatment of a prince!"
Carlo chuckled.
"How about the nickname 'The Handsome One'?"
"Hey, do you know how the people of Constantinople call you? They call you 'Count Mammon' because you like making money so much."
Salonika pouted.
"But those people just like to give people random nicknames, so their opinions shouldn't be taken too seriously."
Upon hearing this, Carlo just smiled and didn't care much. It was obvious that he was in a good mood.
They all knew that the citizens of Constantinople had never been afraid of the emperor and the nobles. They loved to make fun of the emperor in private and were very vicious. The nicknames they gave to the emperors were mostly derogatory. There were very few commendatory nicknames at all. Words like wine barrel, excrement, and bedbug were just casually used. Even seemingly good nicknames such as "Born in the Purple Room", "Pale Death of the Saracens", "Octopus Spider", "City Breaker", and "Wise Man" also had derogatory meanings, which made many emperors very angry, but they could do nothing about it.
If an emperor's contributions were great, they would use the highest honorary title of "The Great Emperor", but they would also give him some other teasing nicknames.
Even for Isaac, who brought the Eastern Roman Empire back to life, the citizens of Constantinople did not blindly flatter him. Nicknames such as "Emperor of the Rus" and "Emperor of Coal Mining" were also circulated in the streets.
As for Justinian, the people of Constantinople gave him even more ironic nicknames, such as "Tatar Khan", "Circassian Chieftain", "Tree Emperor"...
"What's wrong with liking to make money? I might as well tell you that I just received a letter. Count Annaba and Grand Duke Constantina have agreed to my request. The three vassals in the west of Carthage will jointly establish a cotton chamber of commerce to gain greater say in the United Cotton Textile Cartel."
Carlo said.
"From now on, don't let the people grow food. Just grow cotton. This is the special advantage of the Atlas Mountains. Not only can we make money, but locusts don't like to eat it."
"The rest of the hilly areas can be planted with potatoes and sorghum to feed the workers on the plantations."
"You promised me that you would build Timgad into the most beautiful garden city in North Africa."
Salonika glared at Carlo, somewhat dissatisfied.
"I don't care about other places, but the area around Timgad must be managed according to the original plan, with trees planted and the environment improved... Do you expect our children to live in cotton fields all their lives?"
"I provided the funds, so I have the final say!"
"Of course, of course, Timgad is special after all..."
Carlo quickly stepped forward, put his arm around his wife's waist, and reiterated his promise.
"Although I, Carlo, cannot fight in battles, I am no worse than anyone else in governing the territory and managing the industry!"
Salonika nodded. She still believed it very much.
After four years of marriage, Thessalonica had a deeper understanding of her husband. Although Carlo was unwilling to join the army and learn martial arts, he was indeed a good hand at local governance. He not only attracted many Mudejars and Moriscos from the Iberian Peninsula, but also built perfect cement roads and asphalt gravel roads to connect the three cities of Timgad, Hanshela and Tebessa with Carthage and Constantina. After four years of development, the amount of phosphate ore mining in the Tebessa Mountains has increased steadily, and Timgad has gradually become populated. Cotton plantations are built one after another beside the road, and canals and trenches bring water from two perennial rivers into irrigation...
However, Thessalonika also knew that her husband always governed the territory with the mentality of a capitalist, and his series of development plans were highly purposeful. He would vigorously develop those that could make money, and abandon those that did not.
In terms of his attitude towards Muslims, Carlo could be considered open-minded. In the first few months alone, he spent money to recruit a large number of mercenaries and defeated all the powerful Muslim tribes around him. Then he signed an agreement with the remaining Muslim chiefs, requiring them to provide him with labor for growing cotton and mining phosphate. In return, Carlo would give all the wages of these laborers to the chiefs every month. Although everyone's salary was extremely low, when added together, it was enough for the chiefs to live a comfortable life in the city of Timgad.
In this way, Carlo obtained labor that was cheaper and more obedient than slaves. In order to make money, Muslim leaders often sent half-grown children and housewives to plantations and black mines. Although this practice was opposed by Thessaloniki, the leaders still sent them.
As for Thessaloniki, she did not like the local barbaric Muslim tribes very much, and preferred the Mudejar Muslims and Morisco Christians from Iberia. She settled these "civilized people" near the city of Timgad, organized them to plant trees, control desertification, and open qanats, trying to restore the beautiful glory of this ancient town hundreds of years ago.
After chatting for a while, Carlo took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
"Let's go. It's time to go to the Scarlet Monastery. Alexios has set up a temporary camp behind the monastery. Most of the visiting guests are there. His Majesty Justinian will be here soon."
Salonika nodded, walked down the castle stairs with Carlo, got on the carriage, and headed towards the Scarlet Monastery.
The couple lived in a small castle of the Knights on the outskirts of Mtskheta, which was provided for them by Alexius and was not far from the Scarlet Monastery.
As the coronation ceremony is approaching, there are more pedestrians on the streets of Mtskheta, and travelers from all over the world come here to witness this historic moment.
The carriage drove on the war-torn road for half an hour, and the Scarlet Monastery was already in sight.
After getting off the carriage, Thessalonika was immediately deeply shocked by the scene before him. The Scarlet Monastery was almost in ruins, with marks of war everywhere. Only a chapel and a reliquary were intact. The plains on both sides were almost covered with tombstones, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Blood-red roses are blooming around the cemetery and in the back garden of the monastery, and the gorgeous flowers sway gently in the breeze.
A few years ago, this monastery had a more outstanding name - the Cathedral of the Pillar of Life. It is one of the earliest churches in Georgia and even in the world. It preserves many ancient holy relics including the blood cloak of Jesus Christ, which are of great value.
In the history of the Kingdom of Georgia, this church has a lofty status, almost equivalent to the "Kings Abbey" in Westminster, England. It is the coronation place and burial place of successive Georgian kings.
In the war a few years ago, the White Sheep King Uzonkhasan led 10,000 cavalrymen to bypass the border castle and head straight for Mtskheta, the ancient capital of central Georgia. The local lords of Mtskheta fled. Seeing the situation was critical, Alexius led 3,000 cavalrymen to gallop for two days and nights, calling on militia along the way to defend the holy city.
When Alexios arrived in Mtskheta, most of the city had already fallen, and the Aries Army was closing in on the Pillar of Life Cathedral.
Alexius did not think much and rushed forward with his men. After driving away the first group of Aries infantry who entered the cathedral, in order to prevent the holy land from being destroyed by pagans, he chose to rely on the cathedral to defend it and vowed to fight to the end.
The battle lasted for three days. Georgian militias from all directions rushed here wave after wave to resist the Turkmen's tidal attack. Uzon Hassan's cavalry teased the Georgians again and again, using the Pillar of Life Cathedral as a guide, constantly besieging and attacking the reinforcements, trying to wipe out all of Alexius's military forces.
After three days of bloody fighting, more than 10,000 lives were lost here. Alexios was ultimately unable to defeat Uzum Hasan's cavalry. If it weren't for the latter's seriously ill body that was unable to support him, he would have had almost no chance of winning.
In any case, Uzun Hasan's old age and illness saved the desperate Christians, and Alexios successfully defended the chapel and the holy relic vault. When the Aries Army retreated, the entire land was stained with the blood of both sides, corpses piled up like mountains, and the church was in ruins.
However, this battle also became a turning point in the war. Alexios defended the first holy place in Georgia and "drove away" the Aries Army. His reputation reached its peak, and the name of "Holy King" has since resounded throughout the Caucasus. The powerful force displayed by Alexios in the battle intimidated many people, and warriors from all directions came to his side. He lost three-quarters of his main force, but quickly replenished it after the battle.
True warriors fight like holy kings, Georgians say.
Later, the Scarlet Monastery was rebuilt on the ruins of the cathedral. Alexios buried the bodies of the fallen soldiers here, cast a cross tombstone with a broken sword, and planted blood-red roses next to the cemetery to commemorate the heroic souls who defended their country.
"The Count, the Princess, His Majesty the King and His Majesty the Queen are all in the camp behind the monastery, as are Prince Basil and Prince Anastasius."
A voice disrupted Salonika's thoughts. It was the Knight of St. Andrew who was ordered to lead the defense.
"His Majesty Justinian hasn't arrived yet, but he should be here soon."
"Okay, please lead the way."
Salonika nodded, and together with Carlo, they walked around the cemetery and stepped onto the dark red, dilapidated steps.
(End of this chapter)
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