Chapter 382 Changes in Eastern Europe
The troops stationed in Eastern Anatolia were given land and became military landlords. Most of them rented the land to farmers and collected rent themselves. Such a land system was very popular in Anatolia, and both sides could live a better life.
People from the Balkans also got a lot of land here. Due to the rapid population growth in the Balkans, many people poured into Constantinople and Anatolia. A large amount of capital investment also gave the land a new life.
Alexander felt more pressure in Tiberiusi. To the south was Rome, to the north was the enemy Circassians, and to the east was the Black Sheep Dynasty. He felt tired of defending against enemies on three sides.
Although he had improved relations with Rome, he could not guarantee that they would turn against each other at any time. He needed to be careful to maintain a fragile connection between the East and the West, so when Rome proposed to guarantee trade, he agreed without hesitation.
From Yerevan to Van, castles and long walls began to be built on this route. The nomadic forces were kept outside the Zagros Mountains, and the normal relationship with the Black Sheep Dynasty also allowed the two countries to maintain normal trade relations.
Kara Yusuf defeated Timur's army near Nakhchivan and recaptured Tabriz. Miran Shah and his son Abu Bakr tried to recapture Azerbaijan, but have not succeeded so far.
The more fierce the fighting in the Iranian region, the more Rome can watch the show here. Now they are no longer the cowards hiding in the city, but a powerful country that can take the initiative.
The revival of the empire has led to active diplomacy. The empire is more enthusiastic than the other in dealing with Italian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European affairs. Any country needs to have a good relationship with Rome to gain an advantage, and even the country that has the upper hand at the beginning needs to keep Rome neutral.
Under the pressure and mediation of Rome, the situation in Italy, which was originally about to fight, stabilized. Under the guarantee of Naples, Romagna purchased Pisa and the surrounding areas for 100,000 florins, and Florence could annex Siena in exchange.
Such an exchange temporarily appeased Florence, and Pazzi also retained his position as the standard-bearer of justice. At the same time, a new political structure was formed in Italy. Milan, Florence, Romagna, Naples, the Papal States, and the Eastern Roman Empire became countries that controlled the Italian mainland. France, Aragon, Savoy, and the Holy Roman Empire could also enter at any time.
In the farther north of the Holy Roman Empire, the princes' requests for the convening of the Imperial Parliament became increasingly strong, on the grounds that Vlad inherited Brandenburg. The leading Elector of Saxony and the Archbishop of Mainz continued to put pressure on Jobst, and the Duke of Burgundy also supported him. The Duke of Lower Luxembourg also provided support with Austria and Nuremberg. The pressure on Jobst can be imagined.
However, the German king's faction was not without supporters. The Elector of Brandenburg and the King of Bohemia stood on his side, and the important Ascanian family in the north also expressed support for him.
In addition, Genoa and Milan in Italy looked at the face of others and expressed their support for Jobst as the German king. With the support of the powerful factions in the east and south, Jobst was able to maintain the situation for the time being.
At the same time, he also launched a counterattack. As the King of Germany, he had the right to deal with his own territory. Why did they react so strongly? Was it a conspiracy?
The Catholic Church said that you have this right, but why did you grant land to heretics? There are many nobles in the Holy Roman Empire. You can find any one at random. Why must it be him?
They suspected that there was a dark deal behind this. Jobst made a deal with the devil. As God's people, they had the responsibility to rescue Brandenburg.
Of course, Poland was also nervous. He and Lithuania were horrified to find that they had been surrounded on three sides by Rome and its allies. They needed to break through the siege, and the Teutonic Knights were their breakthrough.
Władysław began to delegate power to the nobles in the country. He signed a decree: prohibiting citizens from purchasing rural land and strictly restricting the right of farmers to leave their villages. When the nobles saw that the king was very reasonable, they contributed a lot of food and troops.
Another ally of the Teutons in the Baltic Sea, the Livonian Knights, also joined the war. The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order. After being defeated by the Samogitians at the Battle of Saule in 1236, the remaining Knights of the Sword were incorporated into the Teutonic Order and renamed the Livonian Order in 1237.
Between 1237 and 1290, the Livonian Order conquered all of Courland, Livonia and Semigallia, but the Order's attempt to invade the neighboring Novgorod Republic was unsuccessful, and its army was eventually defeated at the Battle of Rakvere. In 1346, the Order bought the Principality of Estonia from King Valdemar IV of Denmark. Their power reached its peak.
The head of the Order, Conrad von Fittinghoff, gathered an army of 3,500 to come to the aid, and another 5,000 were on the way. Their main goal was to distract Lithuania in the Samogitian region, while Vytautas did his best to resist northward in Lithuania, and he also had to guard against Moscow's attack.
Such thoughts are really unnecessary. Vasily in Moscow is preparing for a showdown with the Golden Horde. After years of development, he has assembled 35,000 soldiers, and Michael's reinforcements are on the way. The army assembled in Moscow, and the Grand Duke personally went to the battlefield. He issued a declaration to the soldiers, officially announcing the severance of Moscow's tribute to the Golden Horde.
"Warriors of Moscow, the glory brought by Grand Duke Donskoy will be restored today. No one can oppress us, no one!"
Under the humiliation brought by the Golden Horde, the opposition stopped their activities. They all expressed their willingness to contribute, and the army officially set out, advancing by land and water, and heading south along the Volga River.
And Mihaly himself crossed the Don River with his own army and the border defenses he could command, and arrived at Sarai, the old capital of the Golden Horde, in two days. The Khan Bulahan, who had just come to power through a coup, hurriedly led his army to Sarai. He wanted to reproduce the glory of the imperial cavalry and planned to fight a quick battle, but the other side was obviously well prepared. 40 artillery pieces showed their power, the army conquered the fortress, and the defenders could only retreat to the east bank of the Volga River for defense.
The people living on the land were also fence-sitters. They didn't understand the national justice at all, and they just hoped that Rome would not embarrass them. They would pay taxes and serve for the empire, and the Roman Empire was also very tolerant of the people, at least better than the Golden Horde.
Such a situation, coupled with internal struggles, sentenced the final outcome of the Golden Horde, but their Mongolian cavalry was still invincible. There is still a long way to go before we can completely break free from the shackles.