1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 66 Coronation
"Why don't you go?"

“Fear of hunting accidents.”

Isaac was talking nonsense.

Leonor was silent, somewhat confused.

She sat down beside Isaac, bringing with her a pleasant scent.

"I thought you enjoyed wandering the castle alone, just like me."

Leonor gathered her hair that was blown by the wind, her big eyes blinked, and she tilted her head slightly to look at Isaac.

Isaac felt his heart skip a beat.

"The accuser of the Muslims of North Africa, countless people died because of you,"

"You are afraid too?"

Leonor seemed interested.

The faint scent of lavender wafting in the air, mixed with the unique body fragrance of a young girl, made Isaac feel relaxed and happy.

Smells really good——

Isaac became alert and jumped away immediately.

"Everyone has a fearful side, and I am no exception."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I am afraid that after my death, Constantinople will be reduced to ashes, the emperor will die in battle, and the citizens will cry out for help."

"I am afraid to see Hagia Sophia converted into a mosque and the double-headed eagle flag replaced by the crescent flag."

"But...isn't the Theodora Wall impenetrable? There's no way the Ottomans could break it, right?"

Isaac smiled.

This idea is currently a common view throughout Western Europe. Everyone feels that the Eastern Roman Empire will not be able to hold on, but everyone still has this kind of luck.

“There is no impenetrable wall, and no city that will never fall.”

After bringing up such a heavy topic all of a sudden, the two fell into silence.

"You are not good at chatting, Your Highness."

Leonor concluded slowly.

"And you, Princess?"

Isaac asked back.

"You like chatting?"

“I like to observe.”

She pointed to her beautiful eyes.

“You can often see a person’s heart by looking into his eyes.”

Isaac smiled.

He doesn't believe in these things.

"My heart is the only thing you can't see through?"

Leonor shook her head.

"I saw fear, long-standing fear."

The contemptuous smile on Isaac's face suddenly stopped.

"So I'm a little curious and want to talk to you."

Isaac was silent for a moment.

"Want to know what I saw in your eyes?"

Isaac suddenly leaned in closer and stared into Leonor's big amber eyes.

"Oh?"

Leonor became interested.

Isaac slowly lowered his head, approaching Leonor's delicate face.

Bright and deep eyes, slightly rosy skin, rosy lips and white neck are right in front of you.

Isaac leaned close to her ear. The fine hair on the back of Leonor's neck stood up. Her breathing became a little rapid and her body trembled slightly.

Obviously, she was still a little afraid of Isaac's approach.

Isaac placed his lips next to her ear.

"A desire for power and to manipulate people."

……

Isaac hummed a little tune and returned to his study.

The psychological game between the two ended with Leonor's hasty escape.

A fourteen-year-old girl thinks about how to observe people's hearts every day?

This is the art of emperors!
Thinking of the historical evaluation of this princess, Isaac slowly stopped smiling.

On second thought, I felt a little gloating.

In pursuit of vanity, she abandoned the prosperous Paris and married the half-dead Vienna.

If she married into the French royal family, with her political skills, she might really be able to achieve great things.

After all, there are many people who have done this well before.

But Austria...

It's just a big conservative rural village now.

But she is really beautiful!
Frederick III, the fool, had the first impression that she was too slim and would have trouble bearing children.

Isaac sighed regretfully and returned to his study.

"Your Highness, they have arrived."

Foreign Secretary Anderson whispered.

Isaac nodded.

After pushing open the door, three middle-aged men dressed as priests stood up and saluted.

"No need to be polite, please take a seat."

The three of them first gave a brief self-introduction.

The oldest was Shinnoda, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Cyrenaica.

The Coptic Orthodox Church is another Christian system besides Roman Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy, which developed from the original Alexandrian Church.

Coptic was originally a general term used by Arabs to refer to residents living in Egypt. Later, it evolved into a name for Egyptian Orthodox Christians and has been passed down to this day.

There were originally many Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt, but the Arabs were never able to completely assimilate them.

These Orthodox Christians were able to find a place to stay despite being surrounded by Muslims by paying huge amounts of "blood tax".

In the early fourteenth century, the Mamluks carried out a horrific massacre of Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt, causing a sharp decline in the number of Christians throughout Egypt.

In the entire Cyrenaica region, only the city of Birinci has a Coptic community of about 4,000 people.

They took a wait-and-see attitude towards Isaac's conquest and did not place too much hope on this cousin.

These Copts are quite hostile to Catholicism. They are slightly better towards Orthodoxy, but they are still quite resistant to it.

"Your Highness, I want to know, what kind of status will you give us?"

Xinnoda asked anxiously.

Isaac sighed softly.

It was obvious that these Copts did not consider Isaac as their brother at all for the time being.

Thinking of this, Isaac cursed Peter I of Cyprus in his heart.

With his eloquent tongue, this guy managed to recruit an army of more than 1365 people, and suddenly landed in Alexandria in , almost razing the place to the ground.

They burned, killed, looted, and killed Christians, Muslims, and anyone who got in their way.

The Coptic Orthodox Church suffered heavy losses in this catastrophe, with many believers killed by their "fellow believers".

"As long as you recognize my rule, are willing to submit to me, and accept me as your king,"

Isaac looked Shinnoda in the eyes.

"Then you will be legal citizens of the Empire, just as you were thousands of years ago."

"You don't have to pay a heavy blood tax, and you don't have to accept discrimination from anyone. Just fulfill your responsibilities as a citizen."

Isaac decided to grant these Coptic Orthodox churches some religious autonomy.

The Coptic Orthodox Church is not the Roman Catholic Church. It does not have an existence like the Pope and the Vatican that combines secular religious power, and will not endanger Isaac's rule.

During the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, they were relatively honest and did not do anything out of the ordinary.

The most important point is that they have a large number of people. As late as the 21st century in Egypt, Copts still accounted for nearly 10% of the total population. In addition, they have close relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Syrian Church, and the Church of Aksum in Ethiopia. At a time when Orthodoxy is gradually declining, Isaac will benefit greatly if he can get their help.

"Thank you for your generosity, but words are not enough. Please write these promises into law."

“This is a prerequisite for our next negotiations.”

Xinnoda’s eyes were firm.

Good guy!
Isaac decided to punish them.

"These matters require long negotiations between the political and religious circles on both sides. I cannot be so hasty."

"Then, we..."

"So, you still want to resist me?"

Isaac sat upright, staring coldly at the three New Norda men who were becoming more and more demanding.

"I have shown you my utmost kindness. If you can't even wait for this little time, then don't wait at all."

Difficult to deal with? Then just don’t do it!
The three of them looked at each other.

"Your Highness, we..."

Xinnoda wanted to explain himself, but was stopped by the priest in the middle.

The priest shook his head at Shinnoda and bowed to Isaac in apology.

"Your Highness, I am from Cairo."

oh? interesting.

Isaac motioned for him to continue.

"My name is Anastasius. I am a senior clergyman of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Cairo. I come here on behalf of the Patriarch of Alexandria."

"Hello, respected messenger, what do you want from me?"

Isaac bowed slightly to show his respect for the Coptic Orthodox Church.

"To be honest, the situation of the Church in Egypt is not good. You defeated the Sultan of Chakmak and emptied his treasury."

"Is there any part of these voids that you need to fill?"

Isaac smiled, and the wine in his glass sparkled.

Anastasius nodded.

"what can I do?"

"Do you have any idea of ​​regaining the province of Egypt?"

Upon hearing this, Isaac spat out a mouthful of wine on the spot.

If I had this ability, why would I still be playing house with you in Africa? Wouldn't it be better for me to just go and confront Muhammad II head-on?

Isaac was well aware that he had won the Cyrenaica War by luck and that the Mamluks had not lost any of their elite troops.

This battle only hurt the Sultan himself and Prime Minister Ashref, occupied the marginal areas of the Mamluks, and gained a fortress that was strong enough to resist the Mamluk army.

Judging from the evaluation of later generations, there are many reasons for the decline of the Mamluks, the Black Death, poor inheritance laws, the decline of the Black Sea white slave trade, constant infighting... these are all.

But there was only one reason for their demise, which was that Portugal opened up a new route to the Indian Ocean, fundamentally uprooting the Mamluks' greatest trade profits.

“I don’t have that idea for now.”

Isaac wiped the corners of his mouth.

If we can open up trade routes in the future, maybe we can give it a try. But now... we are lucky to be able to hold on.

Anastasius was silent for a while.

“However, I will be more than happy to accept Coptic refugees, who will be given the same status in my land as the local Coptic Church.”

"Thank you for your kindness."

Anastasius nodded.

In fact, everyone knows that it is difficult for Copts living in Egypt to leave under Muslim control, let alone cross the ocean to Cyrenaica.

It's just a thought, isn't it?

Isaac turned his gaze to the last person.

"Your Highness, perhaps Captain Fidel has told you about me, Pirni from Adana."

……

"Isaac Palaiologos, are you willing to protect this power, honor and responsibility given to you by God with your life?"

"I am willing."

"Are you willing to treat your subjects and your brothers well?"

"I am willing."

"Are you willing to wield the sword God has given you to wipe out the blasphemy of the pagans?"

"I am willing."

In the city of Birinci, in the cathedral converted from a mosque, Cardinal Isidore presided over the coronation ceremony for Isaac.

Isaac is dressed in a purple robe, a typical Eastern Roman dress with a large cape, and holds a jewel-studded sword.

The young man's sturdy body was wrapped in a purple cloak, appearing tall and elegant.

The oath was completed, and Cardinal Isidore took up the blessed crown.

"I have received this crown from God and now give it to you for safekeeping. It is the symbol of the Kingdom of Cyrenaica and the King of Cyrenaica."

A crown of thorns inlaid with gold was firmly placed on Isaac's head.

The young man raised his head, raised his sword, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"See Your Majesty!"

Count Mikhail, the head of the vassal states, knelt on one knee and allowed Isaac to place the sword on his shoulder.

This is a ceremony of allegiance.

Next, all of Isaac's vassals pledged allegiance to him in turn, and he recognized their and their families' ownership of the territory as usual.

After the vassal, the foreign guests came forward to congratulate Isaac on his coronation.

This is an affirmation of the legitimacy of royal power and the divine right of kings.

Witnessed by the Pope and the nobles, the crown of Cyrenaica henceforth belonged to the House of Palaiologos, the descendants of Isaac.

……

In the Mediterranean Sea, a large galley is cutting through the waves.

Behind it, there are several transport ships.

The battleship was flying the flag of St. George's Cross of the Republic of Genoa, and there was also a griffin statue representing Genoa on the bow.

"First mate, ahead is Bilinchi, the capital of the newly established Kingdom of Cyrenaica."

"Boatswain, keep an eye on the prisoners. Don't let them down at the critical moment."

"Yes!"

The first mate walked slowly back to the navigation room, and seeing that there was no one around, he took out a bottle of wine and took a sip.

"I don't know what's wrong with this. Even prisoners want it."

The first mate complained.

They were ordered by the Governor of Genoa to escort a group of captured pirates to the city of Bilinchi.

These old sailors would be rehired in Cyrenaica, the older ones becoming instructors and the younger ones returning to being pirates, tasked with plundering the pagan fleets.

"There are still quite a few good fighters among these people, and some are proficient in amphibious warfare."

The captain at the side suddenly spoke up, startling the first mate.

The first mate handed the bottle to the captain awkwardly.

"By the way, I remember there was a prisoner who volunteered, is that right?"

The captain nodded.

"He was so excited when he heard that he was going to have a holy war against the infidels that he even persuaded many prisoners to follow him."

"He is a good sailor himself, proficient in sea and land command, and has great charisma."

"There are still people like this?"

The first mate was a little surprised.

"What's his name?"

“It’s quite difficult to pronounce.”

The captain frowned, took out the roster and looked at one of the names.

"Giovanni Giustitiani."

There is no accurate account of Giovanni Giustitiani's life before he volunteered to go to Constantinople to fight the Ottomans. There are many different accounts, but one of them is used here.

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(End of this chapter)