Chapter 90 Cotton? Sheep?

Forcing Serbia to pay tribute was to better control this capricious guy. He provided troops for the Ottomans and also fought against the Ottomans. The monarch also jumped back and forth between Catholicism and Orthodoxy. In the eyes of the patriarch, they were pagans.

Brankovic learned of this result and could only swallow it himself, as long as the other party didn't want to die.

However, influenced by it, Brankovic immediately announced that the capital would be moved to Smederevo. Although there was a risk of being attacked by Hungary, he still did it.

Peter saw that his goal was achieved and withdrew his troops. Many Serbs also followed Peter back to Wallachia. They were arranged in the border area. The lords funded them to build houses and distributed land to them.

Peter understood that only by grasping the hearts of these people would they follow you loyally and adapt to the local life and culture. In addition, the need for labor meant that Peter's formulation of immigration policy was destined to be very good.

The policies he formulated in Dobruja were transferred to Moldova and Bulgaria. The governor rented out oxen, farm tools and seeds to farmers, and returned them with grain after the harvest the following year. The rental price was also affordable for them. As long as they worked hard for a few years, they would be able to live a good life.

"Sir, more than 15,000 immigrants have flowed into Bulgaria this month."

"Food, oxen, seeds and farm tools must be prepared. In a few years, these people will become the new force of Wallachia."

Peter was a person who wanted to strengthen centralization in his bones. He opposed the Western aristocratic feudal system. Because doing so would fragment the country, and the local areas must be under the management of the central government. The division of Wallachia into provinces is a way to increase centralization.

Unlike the military district system in Rome, all high-ranking officials in Wallachia are appointed by the central government, and their terms are not fixed, all determined by their own performance. They have no military power, are only responsible for civil affairs, and the central government will pay them salaries.

Among the first batch of high-ranking officials appointed by the Grand Duke, 14 were from landlord families, 10 were from boyar families, and the rest were from military or merchant families. Although they were from different backgrounds, they were all selected by the Grand Duke and were loyal to him.

Not only high-ranking officials, Wallachia is now beginning to pilot court and financial systems, and separating these local powers can avoid the emergence of warlords.

————Dividing line————

With the end of the war, trade within Wallachia began to develop rapidly. Raresh also took advantage of this opportunity to make a lot of money. In order to make it easier to do business and get a better life, he moved his family from Ackerman to Constanta.

"Dad, is this our new home?" Oleg, the son, asked his father with a blink of his eyes.

"Yes, this is our new home."

Raresh looked at Constanta, which was more prosperous than Iasi, and felt that his approach was correct.

Outside the city of Constanta, a large number of trucks came from all directions. Some were grains produced in nearby villages and towns, and some were specialties from other places. Constanta did not refuse anything and swallowed them all.

At the port, slaves from Crimea, furs from Russia, and Persian raw silk from Trabzon all came here. They either traded directly through the market or entered local handicraft workshops for processing and trade. No wonder merchants like to settle here.

The house chosen by Raresh is not far from the market. He and the owner agreed to pay the other party 20 lei every month, which would be paid off in three years.

This is not a small amount, but Raresh said it was no problem at all. He also prepaid the amount for half a year, and he could do business with peace of mind next.

Because it was the first day of moving, the main task was to go around Constanta. Raresh also investigated what business was the best.

All the streets in the blocks here were named by Peter, and the entire city extended to both sides with Mihaly Avenue in the middle as the central axis. In front of the town hall is a large square used to announce major events.

The area where Laresh is located is called Kamil District, which has the largest trading market in Constanta. Some merchants who want to get first-hand information will rent houses here, and Laresh does the same.

The market is strictly planned into straight avenues, and there are shops, warehouses and workshops on both sides of the street. Many people are selling goods in front of the stalls, including Bohemian jewelry, Venetian glass, and amber from the North Sea.

Laresh came to a stall, and the textiles on it made him curious. The feel is the same as wool textiles, but softer. Laresh began to ask about this thing.

"What is this?"

"You have a good eye. This is cotton cloth imported from Galata. It is absorbent and comfortable."

"Cotton cloth?"

"Yes, I heard from those Genoese that this is cotton imported from Aragon and Egypt as raw material, and then woven into cloth."

"Cotton?" This is too much information. He only knows wool textiles and silk, but he doesn't know anything about cotton cloth.

Cotton is an exotic thing for Europeans. Cotton grew so far away that many Europeans were said to have imagined it to be a hybrid of plant and animal—a "vegetable sheep." Stories circulated in medieval Europe of lambs growing in trees and bending at night to drink water, and there were also legends of sheep growing on low stems above the ground.

Cotton was first introduced to Europe, as it had been to West Africa, as a result of the expansion of Islam. By 950 AD, the Islamic cities of Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Barcelona, ​​and Sicily had cotton textile industries; some of these textiles were exported to other parts of Europe.

In the hundreds of years after 1000 AD, the Christian "Reconquista" of Iberia caused cotton production in the region to shrink dramatically; but for hundreds of years, under the influence of Arab technology and culture, most of Europe became familiar with and began to appreciate cotton textiles.

By the 12th century, a small part of Europe - especially northern Italy - returned to the world of cotton production and stayed there. Since the European climate was generally not suitable for cotton growth, the Crusaders extended European influence into the Arab world, thus penetrating into the natural cotton growing zone. The earliest non-Islamic cotton industry centers in Europe appeared in northern Italy, in cities such as Milan, Arezzo, Bologna, Venice, and Verona. The cotton industry began to grow rapidly in the late 12th century and played an important role in the economies of these cities.

The Mediterranean trade network not only provided the Italian cotton industry with a relatively convenient source of raw cotton, but also gave them access to "Eastern" technology. Business owners in northern Italy introduced technology from the Islamic world, some of which came from India or China.