Chapter 212 Pregnancy
Under Peter's influence, Sophia also began to come into contact with a large number of literary works, the most representative of which was the "Biography of Alexius" written by Anna Komnenos.
Although there was too much praise for Alexius I in it, he and his descendants failed to recover the Asia Minor Peninsula during their reign, which made the empire lack the foundation for revival; his suspicious attitude towards the Crusaders may be appropriate, but he also lost the support of potential allies; his indulgence of the Venetian trading city-state in order to defeat the enemy also laid the seeds for the fate of the empire in the future.
But it cannot be denied that without Alexius, Rome would have perished three hundred years ago. During his 37 years in office, he used superb diplomatic means to avert danger several times, laying the foundation for Rome to achieve Komnenos' revival, so he was still a very good emperor.
Sophia read passages from the biography every day, not only for herself, but also for the child in her belly.
Yes, three years after marrying Peter, Sophia finally got pregnant. All the previous rumors were broken, and the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were very happy. The Bartland family finally had an heir.
"Look at what my dear wife is doing, ah, it turns out she is coaxing the child."
Peter walked in with a smile. When he learned that he was going to be a father, he couldn't suppress his joy. Whether it was a boy or a girl, this was his first child and he naturally had to give him the most love.
"How is our child today? Did he bother you?"
"The child is very well-behaved and quiet. He will definitely become a scholar in the future."
Sophia imagined the future of the child, and Peter also chatted with his wife. He was just about to find a future wife for the child. The child in her belly was the first of the three generations of the family, and there must be no accidents. If it weren't for something else in Constantinople, the Grand Duke would have to come and watch.
When the people learned that the princess who married here was pregnant, they spontaneously prayed for her and her child. The Patriarch of Constantinople personally blessed Sophia in Hagia Sophia and blessed the child to be born smoothly.
Peter's younger brother Mihaly also prayed with his new wife Anna. After marrying his fiancée from the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Mihaly's free life ended. Although he didn't hate Anna, he didn't like her much either. He felt that marriage was a cage that bound his heart to make achievements. He also wanted to emulate his brother's achievements, but unfortunately he lacked the soil for training.
He had written to Peter three times, asking for a chance to go to the battlefield to make achievements. But he declined every time. He was no longer a child, and he also wanted to fight on the battlefield to get his own honor. He admired his brother very much, and he didn't know when this dream would come true.
Peter also had some ideas about Mihaly's destination. It would be better to go to the northeast, where the various Russian principalities were still there. If Mihaly was allowed to go, the family might be able to get a country. Just like the Habsburgs, an unintentional marriage brought Spain and the New World.
At present, Grand Duke Vasily I of Moscow has no heirs. This is a potential opportunity. With Mihaly's character, he should be able to get the support of some nobles. As the Golden Horde declined, the Grand Duchy of Moscow was also breaking free from its shackles. Now it only needed an opportunity to get rid of its vassalage and regain independence.
In Bohemia, Wenzel sent his daughter and wife to Brno, and he stayed in Prague to deal with the current situation.
In response to the domestic calls for reform, Wenzel decided to follow the will of the people and refused to appoint a very corrupt person as the Bishop of Pilsen. This move angered the Catholic Church in Bohemia. They and the local German nobles unanimously decided that they should confront him face to face. Sigismund also felt that the time was ripe and he should run for the King of Germany.
However, his brother actually had a daughter, and he was the last to know about it, which made it more difficult for him to inherit the Kingdom of Bohemia. It can be said that whoever married Anne could inherit Bohemia as a son-in-law. When the Babenberg family died out, King Ottokar of Bohemia inherited Austria as his son-in-law, although he later vomited it out. But at this time, Anne can be said to be a marriage partner with a rich dowry. I wonder who Wenzel will find to inherit the largest country in the Holy Roman Empire.
The two younger brothers and two younger sisters already have marriage partners, and now Peter's youngest brother Stefan is the only one left. He is only eight years old now. He has found all the countries around him, but there is no suitable one. In addition, there are many things happening recently, so the marriage has been temporarily put on hold.
The marriage politics has worked. Naples and Moscow have basically stood on the side of Wallachia, and Bohemia will soon. Milan has just been promoted to a dukedom and has not yet shown its influence. The pressure on the Holy Roman Empire and Poland and Lithuania is much less.
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Speaking of the Crusaders, after a month of siege on Antalya, the second batch of troops also arrived here. They also brought a large amount of supplies and several light artillery to help. At this time, the food in Antalya City has basically run out. In order to force the other side to surrender, the Crusaders also threw dead rats and other things into the city, which eventually led to the spread of plague in the city. Half a month later, the defenders could no longer hold out and had to surrender.
The siege of Antalya was the first victory of the Orthodox Crusaders. They seized the huge vacuum left by Timur and attacked the newly restored Turkic state and won. When the news reached the rear, the believers were jubilant. They formed a third group of troops to advance eastward, and the Anatolian Navy replenished their supplies.
In addition to pagans, those who believed in heresy were also the targets of the Crusaders. After obtaining Thessalonica, Wallachia began to instigate the Orthodox in the Eastern Mediterranean to revolt. The serfs in Crete revolted twice and were suppressed. The Catholic nobles in Cyprus seemed powerless in suppressing the Orthodox, and even in Antioch, there was an uprising of believers. Letters asking Venice for help were overwhelming, and the governor was overwhelmed. Heresy is so hateful.
Although the Orthodox Church is not as independent as the Catholic Church, they obey the imperial power. The emperor will protect them and encourage them to preach abroad. After the destruction of the icons, the Eastern Church will not have similar disputes over the appointment of the right of patronage. The patriarch is appointed by the emperor to avoid the situation of a major split in the Catholic Church.
With the return of religious enthusiasm, the enthusiasm of believers is getting higher and higher. The number of pilgrims going to Jerusalem and Alexandria doubled, the construction of churches and monasteries was put on the agenda, and most of the pagan places of worship were demolished. This was really a change of fortune. They had been domineering in Asia Minor for hundreds of years, and now they finally tasted the bitter fruit sown by their ancestors.