1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 64 Leonor
Portugal and the Kingdom of the Algarve, Lisbon, Sintra National Palace.

In the garden, King Afonso V of Portugal is enjoying afternoon tea with his family.

His wife, Isabel of Coimbra, sat beside him, her brows furrowed and her expression slightly sad.

While drinking wine, Alfonso V would secretly glance at his beloved wife from time to time.

A lot of things happened in the Kingdom of Portugal this year, some of which were exciting and some were worrying.

What is encouraging is that trade profits and colonial output in West Africa are gradually increasing, and abundant gold is flowing into the royal pockets.

What is troubling is that the conflict between King Alfonso V and former regent Prince Pedro has intensified.

Ultimately, this is a game between the traditional land aristocracy and the emerging trade merchants and business aristocracy.

In general, the balance of victory gradually tilted towards Alfonso V, who represented the land aristocracy.

Prince Pedro was unwilling to accept defeat and, under the instigation of his staff, was preparing for a civil war.

The person who suffered the most in this struggle was Alfonso's new wife, Isabel of Coimbra.

The war between her husband and her father was a torture for Isabel no matter who won or lost.

"Isa, have some sugar cane cookies, a specialty from Madeira."

Alfonso took a small cookie from a silver plate, which was covered with a thick layer of icing sugar.

It's no secret that European royalty have a sweet tooth.

The crop of sugarcane was introduced to Europe by the Arabs very early on, but it could not adapt well to the climatic conditions in Europe and had never been planted on a large scale.

Before sugar beets became widely used, Europe mainly relied on imports from Arabia, with a few places producing abundant honey that could be made into molasses.

In 1418, a fleet funded by Prince Henry discovered the Madeira Islands, where the pleasant climate was very suitable for growing sugarcane.

Prince Henry introduced black slaves here, established plantations, and established the sugar processing industry, which brought huge profits to Portugal.

The sugar cookie in Alfonso V's hand comes from Madeira Island.

"no thank you."

Isabel shook her head and waved her hand in refusal.

Alfonso V looked at her thin little face and sighed in his heart.

As a king, Alfonso had to stand on his own side and had no other choice.

"elder brother!"

A petite figure ran in and threw herself into Alfonso's arms.

Joana Aviz was the posthumous daughter of King Duarte I of Portugal and the favorite sister of Alfonso.

Joana lay on Alfonso's shoulder, staring at the sugar cookie in Alfonso's hand with her big eyes.

Alfonso smiled, patted her head and handed her the cookie.

Joana cheered and ran away.

Only then did Alfonso see the girl following Joana.

The girl has snow-white skin, big round eyes that sparkle with intellectuality, and a small nose and mouth that reveal a quiet temperament.

Her long hair is silky smooth and naturally curly, exuding a unique charm.

This tranquility is not the quietness of a country girl, but a kind of grace and elegance full of nobility and grace, a kind of calmness in the face of fame and fortune after being accustomed to chaos and noise.

Leonor Aviz, the eldest daughter of the late King Duarte and sister of Alfonso.

"Leonor, you're here..."

Alfonso grinned.

Compared to his pure love for Joana, Alfonso has always had a different feeling for Leonor.

Respect? Fear? Alfonso couldn't tell.

This eldest sister is like the goddess of wisdom Minerva in mythology, who can always see through the essence of things and the root of the problem.

Sometimes, her little tricks could deceive the knowledgeable Regent Pedro, but they would always be seen through by Leonor.

She won't expose you directly, but will gently warn you in an unexpected way.
Alfonso, don't do this again.

Alfonso always felt frustrated whenever this happened.

However, every time he felt discouraged in the political struggle against Prince Pedro, this sister would stand by his side when he needed her most, wipe away his tears, boost his morale, and give him advice.

Fortunately, she is not a man.

Alfonso always comforted himself in this way.

"I came to see Isabella."

Leonor spoke up.

Her voice is soft and delicate, like a breeze blowing past your ears.

Leonor came to Isabella and invited her to read the bard's latest poem together.

At first, Isabel was reluctant to speak, so Leonor read and she listened.

Gradually, Isabel was attracted by the story in the poem and couldn't help singing along.

Alfonso breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his wife gradually become more cheerful.

The two girls began to read poetry, and beautiful music floated in the garden.

He is a prince from the East.
He is a warrior wielding a sword!
He is the nightmare of the Saracens,
He was the enemy of the Slave Sultan.

Under the bloody setting sun,

He called out his own name loudly!

Isaac, the "accuser of the dead,"

Master of Cyrenaica,
The last conscience of the empire!

……

After the long poem was finished, the two women covered their breasts which rose and fell, marveling at the knight's loyalty and bravery and the ruthlessness of war.

Alfonso curled his lips and shook his head.

"Leonor, is this Isaac the Prince of Cyrenaica who has become famous recently?"

"Tell the dead...what a strange nickname."

Isabella asked.

Leonor nodded.

"This is the nickname given to him by the Saracens. It is said that he is like the death bird in the myth. Wherever he goes, there will be weeping."

"Now he is not just a prince, he has been crowned as the co-emperor of Constantinople."

Alfonso said this with a complicated look in his eyes.

"A sixteen-year-old emperor, this..."

Isabella was obviously surprised.

"His position as emperor is not something to be envied, Isabella."

"He inherited a city that offered little help and an enemy that was impossible to defeat."

Leonor analyzed calmly.

"Doesn't the poem say that this prince is very powerful? He will definitely be able to defeat the enemy, right?"

Joana muttered as she stuffed sugar cookies into her mouth.

"It's just a common propaganda method. These poets who are paid to do this can use extremely gorgeous words to beautify a person to a great extent, and can even blow Nero into Caesar."

Isabel burst out laughing.

Although Joanna didn't know who was Nero and who was Caesar, when she saw that everyone was happy, she also opened her toothless mouth and laughed.

Alfonso laughed too.

"This should be the work of the Pope. Many Italians have been talking about Cyrenaica recently."

"Not long ago, the White Knight Hunyadi was defeated in Kosovo, fled alone, and was captured by Serbian Archbishop Borankovic."

"What happened next? Where is the White Knight now?"

Leonor is clearly interested in these things.

"Under the mediation of the Holy See, Durad Brankovich released the White Knight, but demanded a large ransom."

"What a short-sighted person." A trace of contempt flashed in Leonor's eyes.

Alfonso V nodded and agreed with him.

"So, the Pope urgently needs a big victory to save the depressed Christian world and boost morale."

"It just so happened that Isaac defeated the Egyptian Sultan and took over the Cyrenaica region, which brought a lifeline to His Majesty Nicholas."

The sound of footsteps came.

"Your Majesty, there is a letter for you."

Alfonso took the letter from the aide-de-camp, who bowed and left.

Alfonso opened the letter, read it, and laughed.

"Let's take a look."

Leonor took the letter.

The Latin handwriting that came into view was crooked and did not look like the handwriting of a noble at all.

But his writing is extremely profound, full of a kind of domineering confidence and strength.

"Your Majesty, King of Portugal and the Algarves, dear friend Afonso, I have not seen you for a long time and I miss you very much,"

"In my last letter, I requested you to send naval instructors. They have arrived in my territory. Thank you very much for your help..."

"By the grace of God, I will soon be crowned Prince of Cyrenaica. The ceremony will be held in Bilinchi City. I hope you can take the time to come..."

"Your eternal friend, Isaac Palaiologos."

……

"I hope you will send an envoy to attend the ceremony..."

"Speaking of which, have you paid attention to hygiene recently? This is not a trivial matter..."

"Your loyal friend, Isaac Palaiologos."

Isaac put down his pen and paper and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"Send this letter to the Castle of Kruye!"

Isaac gave orders to his servants.

This is the last invitation letter written by Isaac himself, sent to Skanderbeg in Albania.

The rest of the letters were written by clerks.

Isaac wrote to Skanderbeg from time to time, reminding him every time to pay attention to hygiene issues, for fear that he would contract some disease caused by hygiene issues like in the original time and space.

Please, it's a shame for a brave soldier to die of malaria!
The servant took the letter and hurried out the door.

The whole city of Bilinchi is very busy during this period.

Everyone was busy preparing for the coronation ceremony of the Prince of Cyrenaica.

After Constantine ascended the throne, he immediately named Isaac co-emperor, but ordered Isaac to change the King of Cyrenaica to a prince.

In the face of Isaac's strong opposition, Constantine did not give the Morea region to his rebellious brother Dimitrios, but instead imprisoned him in a monastery on the island of Lemnos and did not allow him to go out.

Thomas, despot of Achaea, was given a small territory near Corinth as a reward for his loyalty.

On this basis, the father and son divided the management scope.

Isaac was given the title of Despot of Surt and Prince of Cyrenaica, with responsibility for all overseas territories.

Constantine ruled the capital Constantinople, Mesembria, the Morea Peninsula and several small islands of Lemnos.

Isaac swore an oath to protect the Roman people in Hagia Sophia and was crowned co-emperor.

At the same time, Nicholas V praised Isaac's jihad, announced his recognition of Isaac as the King of Cyrenaica, and sent a bishop to crown him.

Isaac immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.

Do you want to accept the coronation of the Roman Catholic Church?

There are many benefits to being crowned. It means being recognized and accepted by Western European countries, and it means that the legitimacy of one's rule over Cyrenaica is greatly enhanced.

There are many disadvantages as well, which means that his reputation among the citizens of Constantinople will be as bad as his father Constantine.

After repeated weighing and negotiation, Isaac finally decided to adopt a compromise plan.

Isaac was crowned by Cardinal Isidore of Morea.

Cardinal Isidore was both a senior priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Morea region and a cardinal recognized by the Holy See. He was a product of the unity of the church.

The most important thing is that Cardinal Isidore is a Greek of noble descent and has a good reputation among the people.

Isaac took great pains to preserve the glorious image he had worked so hard to establish in the Eastern Roman Empire.

If you are still not satisfied with this, then forget it, just let it be.

……

"This is the capital of the Kingdom of Cyrenaica, Bilinchi?"

"It looks good, but why is there no one here?"

On the sailboat with the Portuguese coat of arms, Joana ran around and made a lot of noise.

"Joana, we're almost there, stop running around!"

Leonor stood aside and said sternly.

Joana immediately hid behind Prince Enrique, feeling aggrieved.

Prince Enrique smiled and touched her head.

"Leonor, don't be too hard on Joana, she's still just a child."

At present, the power struggle in Lisbon has reached a white-hot stage, and King Alfonso cannot leave at all.

Prince Henry, who was very tired of political struggles, volunteered to attend the coronation ceremony with his two nieces.

“I didn’t expect that after so many years, another crown would appear.”

Prince Enrique sighed as he looked at the pier getting closer and closer.

"Isn't he the prince?"

Leonor asked.

"A prince recognized by Constantinople and a king recognized by Rome."

"You are too young, you may not understand these things."

"I hope you will never get involved in such political struggles."

Enrique also wanted to touch Leonor's head, but she dodged him lightly.

"Uncle, I'm fourteen years old. I'm not a child anymore."

"Besides, being born in a noble family, how could you not be involved in political affairs?"

Enrique smiled awkwardly.

The sailboat docked at the pier. Several people restrained their smiles and walked onto the ground solemnly and elegantly.

"Your Highness Enrique, Princess Leonor, Princess Joana, welcome."

"Your residence has been cleaned and decorated in Portuguese style. I hope you can feel the warmth of home."

"I am Anderson, the Foreign Minister of the Principality of Cyrenaica. If you have any questions, you can come to me directly."

Anderson wore a standard diplomatic smile and was meticulous in his etiquette.

"Any sugar cookies from Madeira?"

Joana couldn't help but open her mouth to ask, her gapping front teeth completely ruining her originally quiet and lovely temperament.

"Joana!"

Leonor glared at her disobedient sister.

Joana stuck out her tongue.

"Your Highness, we have prepared desserts, but they are from the Governorate of St. William. I believe the sugar cane there is just as sweet."

"Thank you for your generosity."

Leonor held Joana and bowed to thank him.

The official heroine appears, did you guess it right?

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(End of this chapter)