Chapter 221 Changes in Eastern Europe

"Haha, have you heard that Cyprus will soon be in the hands of Wallachia? With this, we can go to Antioch to do business."

The merchants in Constanta are toasting to celebrate. In the past few years, they have gone out of the Black Sea and come to the Mediterranean, fighting wits and courage with merchants from Venice and other countries, and finally gaining a foothold. After taking Cyprus, they can go to Syria to do business.

"I have made a lot of money in the past few years. I remember that Raresh has two textile factories."

"It's just a small asset, not worth mentioning."

The cotton business conducted by Raresh is on the right track. He controls 40% of the cotton trade channels in Constanta alone, and has opened a textile factory, making a lot of profits in and out. Now he is also a famous taxpayer in Constanta.

"Now not only Venice wants our goods, but also Poland, Moscow, and Denmark. Our goods have defeated Vienna, Augsburg and other places, and wealth is coming to us continuously."

Constanta has close trade with seaport cities such as Thessaloniki and Constantinople, and the goods produced have more markets for transportation. The sales channels have also expanded, and more countries are willing to use goods produced in Wallachia instead of their own, which is good news for Constanta.

Because Constanta developed early and is convenient for trade, the merchants here are also very strong. They also support various expansion activities, have formed caravans to Anatolia and Lithuania many times, and have loaned 400,000 lei to Mircea to help it overcome difficulties. This time, when Cyprus was recovered, their fleet also helped transport materials and personnel, and the trade on this would not be missed.

Not only Constanta, merchants in cities such as Bukuryesti, Iasi, Sofia, and Thessaloniki all support the expansion of Wallachia, but in different directions. Some went to Hungary and Croatia, some went to Anatolia and Lithuania, and some went directly to Sicily. After Wallachia focused its energy on the East, merchants also determined their expansion goals. They provided loans to the Knights and Crusaders to support their expansion to the East.

People from the Rus region filled the gap left by the pagans. They set out from Crimea, passed through Constantinople, arrived in Anatolia and quickly settled down there. Regardless of their sects, the Christians in the original place converted to Orthodoxy on a large scale. This is their life-saving charm.

In addition to merchants and immigrants, farmers and soldiers also welcomed Wallachia's policies. Because the most important land and wealth for them will also be rewarded to them from above, and the nobles will also receive manors and their privileges as rewards, provided that they can contribute to the country.

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The Cossack envoy brought the news of Wallachia back to the north. The Dnieper Cossack leader thought it was feasible. Although the Zaporizhia Cossack leader felt that it was a bit inappropriate, there was no better way to deal with Lithuania and Poland, so he agreed.

At this time, other tribes were still fighting each other to death. Two tribes took the opportunity to seize a large area of ​​land. Apostol, the stronger Dnieper Cossack leader, established himself as the chieftain and established the chiefdom.

The two major Cossack tribes began to unite. They occupied the southern coastal areas and began to attack other tribes to the north. At the same time, they sent people to Constantinople again to ask for Mircea's support.

Vytautas was almost depressed to death. The failure of this expedition made the previously suppressed Lithuanian nobles directly attack and ask him to give power to the nobles. There were Cossack invasions in the south again, and the Black Sea coastal areas were lost. What should he do?

Not only in the south, although Moscow in the east was still under the control of the Golden Horde, it also began to sharpen its sword, and its target was likely to be Novgorod and Pskov protected by Lithuania. The Teutonic in the north was also preparing to attack further to the south, but now, Lithuania only had Poland as its only support.

50-year-old Władysław was facing the pain of losing his wife, Jadwiga, who gave birth to a daughter named Elzbieta Bonifazia. But within a month, both Jadwiga and her daughter died of complications during childbirth. Jadwiga's death and the extinction of the Angevin dynasty gradually weakened Władysław's royal power. And Lithuania, where he grew up, encountered foreign invasions, which made him look more like an old man in his twilight years.

He would not let Lithuania go when it was in trouble. He began to persuade the nobles in the country, promising a large sum of wealth and land in exchange for the army, while giving privileges to the Catholic Church and depriving the power of the Orthodox nobles. And negotiate with the Teutonic Knights to stabilize the threat from the north. Now, only the south is left.

Władysław felt a little tired from the growth of Wallachia to the behemoth it is today. Before that, there was still a chance if Hungary could be united. But Queen Mary's sudden conversion to Orthodoxy shook Central and Eastern Europe, and Sigismund was forced to return to the Holy Roman Empire, which meant that Poland lost a good ally. Although he sought help from Croatia, his weak strength could not stop Wallachia's steps, and he had to take action himself.

In September, about a thousand Polish troops "accidentally" crossed the border and attacked Suceava, and the defenders used bows and artillery to stop them. Mircea was furious when he heard about it, and sent an envoy to Krakow, and ordered the provinces of Suceava and Uxhall to be vigilant to avoid attacks by Polish or Lithuanian troops.

Speaking of territorial disputes, Wallachia and Poland also have them. The Pokutia region in the northwest is located between the Prut River and the Dniester River. If you control this place, you can completely control these two rivers. But it is still controlled by Poland, and the two countries have a geopolitical dispute.

In addition, there is a second one, which is the Duchy of Galicia, which originally belonged to Kievan Rus. When it was discussed with Moscow, it was included in the scope of Wallachia, and the other party had no objection because it was too far away.

After the Mongol expedition to the west, this place became the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia. The monarchy of the country had weak power, while the nobles had strong power. The country had fallen into civil strife many times. It was eventually divided by the Kingdom of Poland and the Kingdom of Lithuania.

The region is located in the upper reaches of the Vistula River and is rich in agricultural and mineral resources. And as long as it is taken, there is a chance to control the surrounding areas, including Krakow, the capital of Poland.

Władysław also understood the importance of Galicia. He frequently wandered among the nobles, trying to get an army to prevent Wallachia from raiding. But before going to Wallachia, he should think about how to deal with the Cossacks.