Chapter 168 Economy and Diplomacy

After Transylvania became independent, some Wallachian merchants replaced Hungarian merchants, who supplied food and other raw materials to the local area. The road between Busolav and Bucuriesti was also under construction, although it was a bit difficult.

Everything seemed to be settled, but the Transylvanian ministers began to worry about another thing, that is, Mary's marriage.

Mary had divorced Sigismund, so she should choose another person to marry and give birth to an heir.

But Mary didn't want to get married anymore. What if another Sigismund came? The only person she trusted at this time was Peter, at least he wouldn't hurt her.

Speaking of marriage, Peter's brother-in-law Laszlo has been smooth sailing recently. Not only has he expanded his control, but he has also received support from many local nobles, suppressing Louis around Naples.

In these battles, the artillery Peter gave him played a big role. The Italians had never seen such artillery, and many castles surrendered.

Laszlo sent some gifts to Mircea and gave his future wife some jewelry. It can be seen how much he values ​​this marriage, and the benefits he gets from it are greater than other possible marriage partners.

After solving the problem of Louis, Laszlo will next solve the Pope of Rome. He was once poisoned by the Pope. Although he did not die, he was left with the sequelae of stuttering. He will avenge this grudge sooner or later.

In addition to politics and military, Wallachia is also very prosperous in economics and trade. Textiles, wine, and oriental spices are exported to all parts of Europe, and they have not passed through Venice. The price is lower than that of Venice, so the sales volume is very large, which makes Venetian merchants jealous.

The Venetian Parliament began to propose a bill to restrict Wallachian merchants, and Wallachia had already begun to cultivate its relationship with the Hanseatic League. Since you are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust. The Hanseatic League is much more obedient than Venice. Although its strength is not comparable to Venice, it can open up the northern trade route to Burgundy, the Holy Roman Empire and France. The transportation cost is even less than the fee charged by Venice, but it takes a longer time. When can Wallachia officially leave the Mediterranean?

In addition to attaching importance to the army, Mircea also attaches importance to the navy. The grand duke's ambition can be seen from the establishment of a separate department for the navy. At present, there are 36 warships and other auxiliary ships. The lower reaches of the Danube and half of the Black Sea are already the world of Wallachia, but at present, because there are more land demands, the army is allocated more funds.

Wallachia's current strategy is to go south first and then north, stabilize Poland and Lithuania in the north, and attack the Ottoman Empire in the south with all its strength. In order to ensure that there will be no problems, Wallachia sent people to stabilize Poland and Lithuania on the one hand, and built the Dniester River Defense Line to protect Moldova on the other hand. Two-handed preparation, double insurance.

In addition, Wallachia also contacted some potential enemies of Poland, including the Duchy of Mazovia.

The Duchy of Mazovia is located in the middle reaches of the Vistula River, mainly plains, and is a very fertile agricultural area in Poland. Moreover, the Vistula River is the most important inland waterway in Poland. Just setting up checkpoints on the Vistula River to intercept ships and collect taxes will bring huge benefits.

The Duchy of Mazovia is a powerful duchy in Poland, with an area of ​​about 33,500 square kilometers, which is larger than the direct territory of the Jagiellonian royal family in Poland.

In terms of strength, the Duchy of Mazovia is not inferior to the Jagiellonian royal family. Moreover, the capital of the Duchy of Mazovia is known to all later generations-Warsaw...

Such a powerful country was divided into two duchies in 1381. The Duchy of Rawa allied with Poland, while the Duchy of Warsaw continued to confront it. Based on the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Wallachia will naturally help the Duchy of Warsaw to fight against Poland.

Since last year, Wallachia has been in contact with Szemovit of the Duchy of Warsaw. He is very interested in this, and Wallachia also expressed that it can recognize his inheritance rights to the entire Duchy of Mazovia.

Szemovit was pleasantly surprised. He did not expect Wallachia to help him, but he also knew that the other party did this to create a place to attract attention for Poland. He will do this role well, and that's all.

In addition to guarding against Poland and Lithuania, the Dniester Line also guarded against the erratic Tatars. They plundered in Moldova every year, but they could not cross the Dniester River. Alexandru was ordered to guard the north. Under his leadership, the activities of nomads decreased year by year. The northern trade route was safer and the trade volume increased steadily.

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Economic development promoted the changes in Wallachia society. The relationship between serfs and landlords began to shift to an employment relationship, because the landlords found that farmers were most productive in this situation. So they set them free as bait and asked the serfs to pay a ransom and their own labor. In this way, they could get a sum of money and make the farmers willing to work for him.

The gradual disintegration of serfdom was a manifestation of the economic changes in Wallachia. The employment market and handicrafts gradually grew, and a large number of workshops that could accommodate dozens of people were opened. The industrial and commercial class was very active in the economy and became the dominant economic force in some areas.

Unlike Western European cities, Wallachia's cities developed under the premise of centralization. The local business class was not large enough to start a rebellion, most people supported the government, and the church was not as corrupt as the Catholic Church. Therefore, it was difficult for a city-state like Venice and Genoa to take root in the East.

Larger towns such as Constanta, Bucuriesti, Iasi, Trvono, Skopje, and Sofia are the main market gathering places, and they also have the nature of political centers. The local governors are appointed and dismissed by the Grand Duke, and the people can also request to be replaced by writing letters, etc. The Grand Duke plays the role of arbitrator in this process to ensure that the city order can operate well.

In addition, the mining of minerals has also increased year by year, especially the mining of rock salt. Although Wallachia does not have much coal and iron, it has the most non-metallic minerals such as rock salt and clay in the Balkans. With these minerals, Wallachia's light industry has raw materials guaranteed. Glass factories and pottery factories in Moldova rely on local raw materials to export finished products in large quantities, and gold and silver come like water.

Mircea also invited more than a dozen wine experts from Burgundy and France to Moldova to help Wallachia improve wine and grapes. Craftsmen such as blacksmiths, glassmakers, carpenters, and stonemasons from Italy settled in Sofia, Skopje and other places to help Wallachia improve its technical level. . .