1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 39 The storm is coming
On April 1447, 4, Isaac arrived in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

Compared to when I first came here two years ago, the whole city has become more prosperous.

It was early morning when Isaac arrived. The city had just woken up and the fishermen who had gone out to fish were rowing their boats, returning home tired with their night's catch.

From a distance, Isaac could hear the calls for recruiting sailors. The wealth from Africa attracted more and more fishermen to put down their harpoons and head to the depths of the ocean, to the rumored green land.

Isaac mounted his horse and, under the escort of soldiers, walked slowly across the dock to the palace to meet the king.

In 1446, King Alfonso sought to rule the country himself, which brought him into conflict with Regent Pedro, who controlled government affairs, and almost led to a conflict.

Neither side wanted to see such a scenario happen, so they sat down to negotiate.

As a result, both parties decided to temporarily postpone the conflict in a magical way -

Marriage.

Alfonso V was about to marry Isabel of Coimbra, the daughter of his uncle Pedro, the Regent and his cousin.

What’s even more amazing is that this pair of cousins ​​not only gave birth to three children, but one of them turned out to be a remarkable figure.

John II, who was later called the "perfect monarch" by Machiavelli.

Isaac came this time, firstly to attend the wedding of the two siblings, and secondly to ensure that the agreement he had previously made with Regent Pedro was still recognized by Alfonso V, whose desire for power was growing stronger.

After an announcement, the guards led Isaac into the Sintra Palace in Portugal.

The Sintra National Palace was built in the 12th century and was originally the palace of the chief administrative officer of Andalusia in Lisbon.

Later it was rebuilt many times and gradually became what it is today.

White walls, round roof, warm interior design.

This palace, which combines Arabic, Gothic and Portuguese design elements, is beautiful and elegant, and it attracts people to linger.

The guards at the door took Isaac's weapons and took him to the king's reception room.

Isaac straightened his clothes and walked slowly forward.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Afonso V, the rightful King of Portugal and the Algarves."

Alfonso V was fifteen years old, the same age as Isaac.

He was wearing silk clothes, a fur coat, and a rapier, and the Portuguese royal emblem could be seen everywhere on his clothes.

"No need to be polite, you are a distinguished guest from afar, the Duke of Surt, the Prince of Constantinople."

Alfonso said cheerfully.

"Dear friend, come and taste the freshly baked cheesecake and freshly picked honey, and please also taste a glass of wine from our royal estate. I wish you good health forever."

"Thank you for your kindness."

Isaac walked forward and enjoyed the Portuguese breakfast without any hesitation.

King Alfonso ate his breakfast elegantly, taking a sip of wine from time to time.

After having a good meal and a good drink, the two of them lay comfortably on the soft wool-backed chairs.

“As I walked along the way, through the towns and villages surrounding Lisbon, I saw prosperity and stability, hope and prosperity.”

“This is all thanks to you, it’s amazing.”

Alfonso smiled reservedly.

"This is all the blessing left by our ancestors."

Despite this, the young king was still very satisfied, with a smile on his face.

Isaac called his servants and took down the wedding gifts prepared for them.

"Your Majesty, this is a magical ornament. The main body is made of ivory from West Africa. It has been carved by a master craftsman and added with fluorescent powder and spices. You can place it on the bedside as a decoration."

“At night, it glows faintly and has a nice scent.”

Alfonso was young at heart after all, so he picked it up and played with it immediately.

It's not like he had never seen ivory products before, some of which were more exquisite than this carving, but such an ingenious conception really piqued his interest.

"Thank you for your kindness. Isabella and I will definitely cherish this friendship."

The two men continued to chat, and Isaac inadvertently sounded out King Alfonso's opinion on the West African expedition.

Unexpectedly, the king showed little interest in this.

"My dear friend, I know you are keen on exploration and spreading the gospel of Christ, but I must remind you that West Africa has terrible diseases and cruel natives. We cannot occupy it at all."

"And over-reliance on trade with West Africa will only benefit those profit-seeking merchants, while truly noble nobles will not get any benefits."

"When they become powerful, they will think about overthrowing us. Northern Italy is a lesson for us."

"I guess you don't want to see a bunch of greedy merchants appear in your palace."

Isaac smiled awkwardly.

Damn it, I don’t even have a palace.

"To be honest, I would rather expand my territory to North Africa, the land of the Moors."

He drew his sword and swung it twice.

At this time, Portugal was roughly divided into two factions.

The West African faction, led by Prince Pedro and Prince Henry, advocated continuing south from Gorée Island and opening up a road to the East.

This group is mainly composed of merchants and explorers.

They were also staunch supporters of Prince Pedro and advocated that Pedro continue to serve as regent.

The North African faction, which was mainly composed of land nobles, advocated invading the territory of the Marin Dynasty of Morocco in North Africa and expanding the land area.

They opposed Prince Pedro's regency and insisted that the young monarch should rule the country himself.

As for the young Alfonso V, under the influence of the close land nobles, he is currently very interested in land development.

"But Uncle Enrique and his men have done a great job, and the benefits to West Africa are huge. We need West African gold to support our conquest of North Africa."

King Alfonso ended the discussion of the issue with what he considered to be a very mature statement.

After some small talk, Isaac said goodbye and left.

Just make sure King Alfonso does not transfer his opposition to Prince Pedro to the West African expedition. Portugal’s internal struggles have nothing to do with Isaac.

Isaac stayed in Lisbon for a few days, during which time he visited Prince Henry and Prince Pedro and attended the wedding of King Alfonso and Isabella.

The wedding was grand and full of luxury.

The two seemed very sweet and were filled with happy smiles throughout the whole process.

However, the bride's father did not seem satisfied.

Prince Pedro did not say a word during the entire banquet. He just walked around for a while and then made an excuse to leave.

After the wedding, Isaac went to Saligashi and found Forche, a pure-blooded Greek from Constantinople, who was recommended by General Andre, the head of the Greek Guinea Company.

Forche is fluent in several languages ​​and has studied at the University of Florence, so he has no problem with management.

"Your Highness, I heard that you have opened up a territory in North Africa. For this, I will drink an extra glass of wine every day."

This is a slightly plump middle-aged man with a red rosacea and messy hair.

Forche poured a glass of wine for Isaac and poured himself a glass with a smile.

"Here are all the financial statements of the Greek Guinea Company since its inception. Please review them."

Then he sat down and drank his wine. Isaac looked at him, took the report and read it.

Beautiful handwriting, clear data, and neat and tidy rules and regulations.

Every product, every profit, every new colony, and every explorer and expedition team that cooperated with the company were recorded clearly.

Isaac's cold face suddenly became much better looking.

"good."

He is a talented person and can be cultivated.

Raise your glass and drink it down.

Isaac tapped the table, turning Forche's gaze from the bottle to himself.

"You have done an excellent job. There are several new tasks for you to complete."

Forche immediately perked up.

"You say."

"Due to your outstanding work, I allow you to establish a trade fleet directly under the Greek Guinea Company, responsible for cargo transportation and immigration development."

"You will have to raise the funds needed to build the trade fleet. I believe those merchants who have been suppressed by our King Alfonso and are unable to raise their heads will be willing to invest in it."

"Your expedition will focus on the areas in Guinea that we have partially explored, and try to draw a detailed map."

"Secondly, we will establish a lending office directly under the trading company to provide funds to warriors who are willing to explore West Africa and collect interest."

"For specific structures, you can refer to the Knights Templar and the National Lend-Lease Office in Venice."

This was a change Isaac had wanted to make a long time ago.

Fleets directly under a trading company can effectively combine colonization and trade, maximizing the potential of a trading point.

As for this small bank, it was entirely Isaac's attempt.

The early banking system had already appeared, but it had been hampered by multiple factors and had not been able to develop.

West African exploration is a lucrative business. The possibility of failure is high, but once successful, both the explorers and the lending institution can make a fortune.

After saying goodbye to Forche, Isaac continued his journey west by boat.

On May 1447, 5, Isaac arrived on the island of La Palma.

When I left, this was still a barren island. Two years later, it has been transformed.

Under the governance of Governor Lothair, La Palma Island already had a population of more than 6000 people, and had initially established a port city, a small town and several affiliated villages.

The port is mainly based on fishing and service industries. There are taverns, brothels, hotels, and repair shops in the port area. Governor Lothair even plans to build a small shipyard and try to use wood from surrounding islands to build simple transport ships.

The port was named New Athens by Governor Lothair in memory of the city that had been ravaged by the Ottomans.

The island has a complex ethnic population, mainly refugees from southern France and Slavic slaves.

The main religion on the island is Eastern Orthodoxy, and private establishment of churches of other churches is not allowed.

There is a huge crater on the island. A small town has formed next to the crater. There are several newly built villages around the town. The villagers make a living from agriculture, using the fertile volcanic soil to grow wheat and oats.

At present, the entire Governorate has achieved self-sufficiency in food.

Lothar took Isaac on a horseback ride around the entire island and enthusiastically introduced to Isaac his efforts for the prosperity of the governorate.

"You have done very well, my dear Lothair."

"Butler Andre would be proud of you."

"But I still want to point out your shortcomings."

In Isaac's opinion, although Lothar did a good job in civil affairs, he was almost blank in military affairs.

La Palma Island is likely to be attacked militarily in the future, and the colonists from Spain will not recognize Isaac's sovereignty over it.

"Form a militia on the island to catch thieves, maintain law and order, and patrol the coast."

“In addition, build fortifications and set up artillery batteries in the port area.”

Isaac thought for a moment.

"Also, talk to the Kingdom of the Canary Islands to see if you can buy a few more islands."

The islands in the western part of the Canary Islands are all undeveloped. Previously, Lothar, on the advice of Isaac, released livestock such as cattle and sheep onto the islands to allow them to reproduce naturally, with quite good results.

"Yes!"

Lothair said somewhat frustratedly.

After bidding farewell to La Palma, Isaac followed the nautical chart and headed for the San Nicolas Islands.

Isaac never developed this arid and deserted island which was mostly limestone, but he encouraged Captain Henry, who was named Earl of Pedder, to manage his fiefdom, Pedder Island, well.

Isaac led the fleet to dock at the shore of Pedder Island, and Captain Henry's younger brother, the Earl's steward, General Jacques Pedder, and others greeted him at the small port.

The facilities in Porto Pedro were simple and the population was small, mostly Slavic slaves, with a few Greeks holding important positions.

"Your Highness, Port Peide currently has 132 residents and 220 slaves. It mainly engages in fishing and animal husbandry. Sometimes Earl William will lead the Atlantic Fleet to come for supplies, and we can also take the opportunity to earn some service fees."

Prior to this, Isaac had made William Palaiologos earl, also in the St. Nicholas Islands.

Jacques Pede showed Isaac his achievements, including farms and pastures in the valley, small ditches dug to bring spring water from the mountains to the farmland, and a small shipbuilding workshop that could build basic fishing boats.

"Your Highness, our taxes for this quarter have been paid to Finance Minister Riddle. If you have a call for troops, we can provide 40 good guys."

Jacques puffed out his chest and said proudly.

It is very good to have achieved this in more than a year.

"Jacques, because of your outstanding work and Captain Henry's dedicated service, I will grant Earl Pedder three years of tax exemption and three years of military service. You can focus on your development."

Jacques was overjoyed.

……

Isaac rushed across the Atlantic Ocean, inspecting his overseas territories and planning the development direction of each colony.

At the same time, a dramatic change was taking place in Albania, a small country in southeastern Europe.

This country that survived the iron hoof of the Turks gradually became more and more united under the leadership of the wise king Skanderbeg, and the entire Albanian Union was tightly tied into one.

His archenemies, the Ottomans, did not want this to happen, and his former allies, the Venetians, were also concerned.

The Venetians feared that a growing Albanian coalition would attempt to retake their colonies on the coast.

As a result, various provocations and discords continued, and every effort was made to break up the alliance.

They succeeded.

In the autumn of 1447, the lord of Dania died without an heir. Venice, despite the opposition of the Albanian alliance, arbitrarily occupied Dania.

Skanderbeg announced the mobilization of troops and the Wea-Arabic War broke out.

The Ottomans took the opportunity to deploy troops on the border, intending to reap the benefits.

Almost at the same time, Duke Visconti of Milan died without an heir, and the Milanese commercial aristocracy declared the establishment of a republic.

This decision aroused strong dissatisfaction from surrounding forces, and the mercenary leader Sforza declared himself the legitimate heir.

The calm atmosphere of the first half of the year suddenly disappeared.

The rain is coming.

(End of this chapter)