Chapter 96 The Development of Towns and Ideas

Thanks to the expansion in recent years and the implementation of various agricultural policies, Wallachia's agricultural production has set a new record.

Wallachia's fertile land is the foundation, and the ruler's attention is an accelerator. Its grain output is the first in the Balkans and the third in Eastern Europe.

Grand Duke Mircea attaches importance to agriculture, builds water conservancy projects, and organizes manpower to explore minerals. Under the governance of these years, Wallachia has made a qualitative leap.

The reforms initiated by Peter have begun to bear fruit. Some positions can be held by civilians, opening up space for upward mobility. This is unprecedented in European countries.

As for the most important population, in addition to immigration, it is medical care. The Grand Duke naturally attaches importance to it. For his current status, he is not enough. At least he needs Constantinople.

The medical system in Wallachia can be divided into three types: hospitals run by the church, private clinics, and medical rooms funded by the government. Church-run hospitals provide free treatment, private clinics mainly sell potions and engage in bloodletting, and public hospitals provide some better treatments. Although they charge fees, they are still affordable.

In addition, female midwives are also part of the medical system. After all, they are the ones who know the most about medical knowledge, and in order to obtain more labor and wealth, Wallachia's willingness to give birth has also increased. Their importance is growing.

Tulcea in northern Dobruja is also a beneficiary. Because it is not far from Constanta, it is used as a transit station. Relying on providing services such as warehouses and hotels, it has also prospered quickly. In 1392, Peter personally upgraded it to a town.

In the center of the town, Mayor Deleanu is announcing a new order: to invest in the construction of a new area as a residential area.

"I hope that all citizens can contribute to Tulcea, not for individuals, but for this town and for the people who live here."

Deleanu was personally appointed as the mayor. He was a native Wallachian and later came here with the development of Dobruja. And he himself had attended a church school and was literate, which allowed him to enter the government civil service class. First he became an official in the Finance Department, then he dealt with the Hanseatic League and the Genoese, and was transferred to Tulcea a year ago.

This order was supported by the residents, and it was immediately planned. And Deleanu began to count how much money the city hall had available.

"Sir, after counting, we still have 2190 lei available."

"That's all?"

"Yes, that's all"

Deleanu had a headache. After all, it takes a lot of investment to build an area, and this amount of money is far from enough. He needs more funds.

"Take out half first, and the residents should also contribute." Deleanu thought about it and decided to write a letter to the upper level to request funding. He knew his lord would not refuse.

"More than 300 people have settled here recently. Sir, the population of Tulcea has exceeded 3,000."

His men reported this exciting news, but Deleanu was not as happy as he imagined.

"Three thousand, not even half of Constanta, and it must be the same in other areas."

Deleanu has always wanted to prove his talent. Although Tulcea has undergone tremendous changes, he still wants to do more.

Tulcea is near the Danube Delta. It was formerly a fortress during the Roman Empire. Because of the rich fishery resources here, the fish market developed.

Afterwards, traders from Moldova also came here. Some merchants with insufficient financial resources would choose to build warehouses and accommodation in Tulcea, and export and import goods from this trading dock. Tulcea collects transaction taxes and tolls here, which is a source of their finances.

The largest income is still farming. Although the reclaimed land around is temporarily tax-free, there are also a lot of funds that do not want to be conscripted and handed in. The government uses this money to hire others to build, which is a win-win situation.

The tax revenue of Dobruja adopts a split account model, that is, the local and central governments share 50-50, and the tax collectors sent from above are responsible for statistics and then distribution. The collected money can be currency or agricultural products, which requires the tax collectors to have strong calculation ability. Of course, the salary is not low.

At this time, Tulcea was the second largest town in Dobruja, but it was still not as good as the first Constanta.

In terms of population, the population of Constanta has exceeded 9,000, while Tulcea has only 3,000 people. In terms of taxation, the taxation of Constanta is three times that of Tulcea; as for other places, it is even more incomparable. And don't even think about surpassing Constanta, just think about how to expand.

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Dobruja became the most active part of Wallachia, a lot of wealth and culture emerged from here, and the whole of Wallachia was driven by it.

In addition to wealth, ideas from other places were also brought here. The so-called revival of tradition represented by Venice and Genoa was also brought to Constanta by some artists.

Such goods had been traded between East and West for centuries across the Mediterranean, but trade increased after the Crusades. Starting in the 14th century, Venice vied with rivals such as Genoa and Florence for control of this route that ran from the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to Alexandria. Venice and Genoa established trading centers and consulates in Alexandria, Damascus, Aleppo, and beyond. While Europe primarily exported bulk goods such as textiles, wood, glass, soap, paper, copper, salt, gold, and silver, it often imported luxury goods and high-value goods. These goods ranged from spices (black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon), cotton, silk, satin, velvet, and carpets to opium, tulips, sandalwood, porcelain, horses, rhubarb, and gemstones, as well as bright dyes for textiles and painting.

From Venice to London, they had a gradual but profound impact on the culture and consumption of societies. Every area of ​​life was affected, from food to painting. Just as the domestic economy was transformed by the importation of foreign goods, so too was art and culture. Painters like the Bellini brothers enriched their palettes with pigments such as lapis lazuli, vermilion, and cinnabar. Imported from the East by Venice, these pigments provided the distinctive bright blues and reds of Renaissance painting. The Bellini brothers’ delicate depictions of silks, velvets, muslins, cottons, tiles, carpets, and even livestock in their depictions of St. Mark’s reflect their awareness that these exchanges with the East were changing the way the world saw, smelled, and tasted, and the ability of artists to reproduce them.

Many of Venice’s features were based on direct imitations of Oriental motifs and decorations. The Rialto market, with its buildings lined up parallel to the main street, bears a striking resemblance to the layout of Aleppo, Syria’s trading capital. The windows, arches and decorative facades of the Doge's Palace and the Ducal Palace were inspired by the mosques, bazaars and palaces of cities such as Cairo, Acre and Tabriz, with which Venetian merchants had traded for centuries. Venice was a quintessential Renaissance city, not only because of its combination of commerce and aesthetic luxury, but also because of its admiration and emulation of Eastern culture.