1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 357 Ancient City of Syracuse

In the central Mediterranean, south of the Apennine Peninsula, the largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily.

A small town is located on a gentle hillside. The beautiful and gorgeous rich area is located high up where the air is fresh, while the civilian area with sewage flowing everywhere is located at the bottom of the hillside. The nearby farmland is scorched by the scorching sun, and the citrus and olive trees in the fields have drooping leaves.

It was evening, and the evening breeze from the mountains brought a hint of coolness to the earth. By the creek on the east side of the town, endless military tents were in order. Under the double-headed eagle flag, the cooks set up big pots and prepared today's dinner. Not far from the creek, the engineering corps was busy repairing the rugged road.

The tent of the central camp was slowly opened, and Isaac leaned out, facing the sunset, admiring the scenery of Sicily.

This is the small town of Noto in southern Sicily, which belongs to the Noto Valley, one of the three major valleys. Due to its bad climate, narrow plains and average trade conditions, it is a relatively barren place on Sicily.

The town of Noto is not far from the coastline. To the west, it connects to the city of Ragusa located inside the valley, and to the northeast, it connects to the ancient city of Syracuse on the coast. Long before the Eastern Roman army arrived here, the local lords fled to the northwest inland with their gold and silver, leaving behind only this poor town with a population of less than a thousand.

Isaac looked around. The scenery of Sicily was truly amazing. The historical relics of ancient Rome and Greece and the magnificent landscapes carved by nature complemented each other, telling the vicissitudes of time.

The whole Noto Valley is like this, with rich natural and cultural landscapes, which will surely attract tourists from all over the world in the future.

Of course, at this time, the relics and landscapes can neither be eaten nor sold, so the people here remain poor.

In fact, a few decades ago, Sicily was the jewel in the crown of the Union of Aragon. It is close to the south, has abundant sunshine and sufficient rainfall. It is one of the few places in the Mediterranean world where tropical and subtropical crops can be grown. It can be said to be very precious.

After the Venetians introduced sugarcane to the Mediterranean, their first target was Sicily. They successfully grew sugarcane on Sicily. Later, the Angevin family and the Trastamara family established many sugarcane plantations here and obtained a lot of funds from the sugar trade. Sicily became one of the few "sugar islands" in the Mediterranean world.

However, after the Eastern Roman Empire started its overseas colonization, more and more sugarcane producing areas were marked on the maps of the Eastern Roman Empire, and more and more sugarcane plantations were established. Whether in West Africa or Cuba, the sugarcane produced in these places far surpassed Sicilian sugar in both quantity and quality. A large amount of goods was transported back to the Mediterranean by the Eastern Roman fleet, and Sicily's sugarcane industry became obsolete overnight.

Although it is the same crop, there is still a big difference between "being able to plant" and "being suitable for planting".

After losing this advantageous crop, Sicily became a mediocre agricultural island. Wheat, grapes, citrus, olives... Although these things are good, others also have them, so the prices cannot be raised at all.

As a result, Sicily's economy slowly declined, and the people's living standards also slowly fell as Aragon's tax revenue increased.

When Isaac's army entered the small town of Noto, the local people looked at these outsiders with indifference. This place was too remote and the population was sparse. The clarion call of the Sicilian Vespers Uprising had not yet been sounded here, and the propaganda offensive of the Eastern Roman Empire seemed to have bypassed this place.

Before leaving, the lord of the town of Noto plundered all the wealth he could take away, burned the granary to the ground, and filled the wells with thick mud and sand. The local people even had few iron tools and were completely unable to resist.

As a self-proclaimed liberator, Isaac certainly would not miss such a good opportunity to win the hearts of the people. In front of the special envoy of the Archbishop of Syracuse, he distributed food and clothing to the civilians, allocated to them the land left by the noble landlords, and invited them to watch the performances of the military drama troupe.

Of course, this was all conditional. Several respected leaders had led the entire population to declare allegiance to Isaac and successfully registered as Roman citizens. This group of somewhat dull peasants probably didn't care who would be their master, but they cared very much about the land deeds in their hands.

When a proletarian suddenly becomes a wealthy person, he will do his best to defend his private property. Their property rights come from the grant of the Eastern Roman Emperor, not the charity of the Sicilian lord. If the old master comes back, their things will certainly not be able to be preserved. It is obvious who to support.

The next step is to maintain stability and order and strengthen their confidence in the empire. In a few years, the people here will fall in love with life as Eastern Roman citizens.

The policy of the Eastern Roman Empire never forced any citizen to make selfless contributions to the country. After paying normal taxes, the income from farming, business, exploration, and reclamation all belonged to the individual and could be passed on to descendants. It did not belong to the lord, the emperor, or the government.

It is completely enough to obey the law, respect the rules, be a good person, use your hard-working hands and smart mind to improve your life and change the destiny of your family and future generations.

Among the three major valley clusters in Sicily, the Noto Valley in the southeast is the closest to the Eastern Roman Empire. It is also the one with the least population and the weakest local power. Administrative control can be implemented in the future to make it a solid barrier for the Eastern Roman Empire on Sicily.

As for the other two valleys, local forces are too strong, the cost of ruling is too high, and they have no special value, so they are still mainly self-governing.

"Your Majesty, the Sulfaro envoy has arrived."

The military clerk came up to Isaac and reported in a low voice.

"He is waiting at the entrance of the military camp. He seems very happy."

"Okay, let him come over."

Isaac entered the camp and told the guards to prepare a simple dinner.

After a while, a monk in black robes walked into Isaac's camp and bowed slightly to Isaac.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, your Excellency Emperor Isaac."

Sulfaro said.

"Your medicine is very effective. The archbishop has gotten much better, and the people who took the medicine also feel good."

“I think this must be a blessing from God.”

"Maybe. Since you think it's good, I'll have the fleet send some more over."

Isaac nodded and motioned for the other party to sit down.

"When Sicily returns to the Empire, the people of the island will be free from malaria."

"Let's not talk too much. You came in a hurry. Let's eat first."

Isaac poured white wine for Sulfaro, and the guards placed a meal in front of him.

Sulfaro did not refuse. After a brief prayer, he began to eat voraciously.

After eating and drinking, Sulfaro wiped his mouth, took the cigar handed to him by Isaac, and sighed with contentment.

"Your Majesty, you really pay attention to logistics. I just took a quick look and saw that your soldiers are well fed."

"Haha, you can't fight a war on an empty stomach."

Isaac smiled.

"When I was young, my soldiers were short and thin, mainly due to malnutrition in their youth, and the proportion of night blindness was surprisingly high."

"Over the decades, the newly recruited soldiers have all been tall and strong, and my logistics will also protect them from various diseases such as night blindness, malaria, and scurvy."

Sulfaro nodded silently and sighed.

"Summers in Sicily are very hard to endure. The weather is hot, water resources are scarce, and plague is rampant. This happens every year."

"Few armies can march on a large scale in this season, and yours is clearly an exception."

"I saw your main force on the road. General Ibrahim is leading them to attack Syracuse. There are more and more Eastern Empire fleets outside the port."

Sulfaro looked at Isaac.

"Syracuse can't stop your army, and the Aragonese are planning to abandon this not-so-rich land. What are you going to do with it after the war?"

Isaac did not answer, but slowly sipped the wine in the glass.

"What matters most is not my attitude, but your attitude."

"Sicily has three major parts. The Spanish core area is the Mazara Valley around Palermo, and the Noto Valley is the weakest."

"The Spanish defeat is inevitable. The French only care about the continent. Prince Ferdinand only cares about his Castilian crown. He only uses Sicily as a tool to delay time."

"In the future, Sicily will be designated as an autonomous province, believing in Western doctrines and practicing Western etiquette, and the people will enjoy autonomy. The Noto Valley will be divided into the Noto Region, with Syracuse as its capital. The Mazara Valley and the Demone Valley will be autonomous regions, with Palermo and Messina as their capitals respectively."

"From what I know, the Spanish troops in Syracuse left a few weeks ago. They seem to want to protect the core area and use the mountains in central Sicily to block my army."

Isaac spoke slowly.

"If Syracuse will pledge allegiance to me, I will protect the property of all except the Spaniards."

"If you insist on dying for the Spaniards, I will grant you that."

"I hope that before I issue the order for a full-scale siege, Syracuse will take the initiative to open its gates." "Your Majesty, in fact, the various forces in Syracuse are already negotiating, and surrender is a high probability event."

Sulfaro sighed.

"The archbishop is still hesitating. He originally wanted to persuade you to bypass Syracuse. It's just a small city with a population of less than 10,000. It's not worth wasting your time."

"Since you insist on occupying Syracuse, he wants to ask you how you plan to deal with church affairs."

Sulfaro hesitated for a moment and handed a letter to Isaac.

"This is a letter from the Syracuse City Council. They are actually quite unruly. You will understand once you read it."

Isaac took the letter, opened the wax and swept it quickly.

After reading the letter expressionlessly, Isaac threw it aside.

Syracuse, a famous city in Sicily with a history of 2,000 years, was first established by Greek colonists from the city-state of Corinth. It once became the largest trading port on Sicily, with a prosperous culture and advanced technology. It has produced many scientific and cultural giants including Archimedes.

During the Punic Wars, Sicily was still divided into three parts due to its fragmented terrain. The Mazara Valley belonged to the Republic of Carthage, the Demonene Valley belonged to the Roman Republic, and the Noto Valley belonged to the Greek city-state of Syracuse.

Because the city-state of Syracuse at that time chose to support Carthage in the Second Punic War, the Romans almost destroyed the entire city. After reconstruction, the city of Syracuse continued to live under the rule of the Roman Empire and never regained its former glory.

In the 9th century AD, the Arabs swept across Sicily. The city of Syracuse held out for eight months without any reinforcements. The entire Christian world, including the great king Basil I, was unable to provide effective assistance. The fall of Syracuse once made the entire Christian world sigh with regret.

For the Kingdom of Aragon, which regarded Sicily as an enclave, the value of Syracuse was obviously average. Their focus has always been on the western Mediterranean trade, and the ruling center in Sicily is naturally the city of Palermo in the northwest.

However, for the Eastern Roman Empire, Sicily controls the Strait of Tunisia, an important waterway between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean. Several ports in southern Sicily are far more important than big cities like Palermo and Messina. The three ports of Syracuse, Malta and Carthage are connected in a line, forming an iron gate on the sea. If a squadron is deployed here to patrol at any time, the entire waterway can be placed under the supervision of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Although the Strait of Messina north of Sicily is also a sea route between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, the Strait of Messina has fast currents and many whirlpools, making it unsuitable for sailing. If given a choice, most merchant fleets will still choose the safer Strait of Tunisia.

Therefore, although Sicily’s own output was of limited value to the Eastern Roman Empire, its special geographical location brought immeasurable strategic value and was of great significance to the Eastern Roman Empire’s “Eastern Mediterranean Inland Sea Plan”.

For Isaac, if he wanted to occupy Sicily, military issues were not a problem, nor was public opinion a problem. The biggest problem was the dispute over the investiture of the Sicilian Catholic Church.

The Vatican has always claimed to be the supreme spiritual leader of the entire Catholic world. In history, it has had many conflicts with various secular monarchs over the power to appoint and dismiss clergy, with both wins and losses. It once forced the Holy Roman Emperor to come and apologize in person, and it has also been wantonly humiliated by secular monarchs.

By the end of the 15th century, the authority of the Roman Curia was no longer as strong as before. Except for the Holy Roman Empire, it was difficult for the popes to subdue secular monarchs in other places. Many secular monarchs had actually taken back the power to appoint and dismiss bishops and forced local bishops to be loyal to them through some small means. The Vatican only enjoyed the supreme power of appointment in name.

The Eastern Roman Empire adopted Eastern Orthodoxy as its state religion. Although it also accepted many other Christian denominations including Catholicism, the ideological and cultural differences would be difficult to eliminate in a short period of time. If the Eastern Roman Empire failed to reach an agreement with the Vatican on the Sicily dispute, the future of Sicily would likely be overshadowed.

It is true that the current Pope Sixtus IV has a good relationship with the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Rovere family still owes Isaac a large sum of money. They probably won't get too entangled in Sicily, but they will certainly not completely hand over the right to appoint the bishops of Sicily to Isaac. This would be too much of a blow to their reputation.

The Eastern Roman Empire had always been a place where imperial power was higher than religious power. Isaac could certainly ignore the opinions of the Western Church and directly take the power to appoint and dismiss bishops in Sicily into his own hands. But in this way, after the Rovere family stepped down, subsequent popes would likely take the opportunity to cause trouble in Sicily, sow discord, or even support other Catholic monarchs to regain the throne of Sicily, bringing continued chaos and unrest.

In fact, Isaac was still prepared to refer to past precedents of church unification and play the "muddy water" method. Priests at all levels in Sicily would be elected independently by the local church, and would be loyal to the emperor and accept the emperor's appointment. After winning the election and obtaining the emperor's permission, they should go to the Vatican to obtain recognition from the Pope of Rome.

In this way, Isaac obtained the actual power to appoint and dismiss priests, while at the same time being able to save the face of the Roman Catholic Church to some extent, giving them a reason to convince themselves and others so that they would not be too embarrassed.

In addition, in order to make the Sicilian Church inclined to be loyal to the Eastern Roman Empire and actively resist possible interference from the Vatican, other methods had to be sought.

"Mr. Sulfaro, let's not discuss the conditions for now, let's talk about you."

Isaac came back to his senses from his thoughts and looked at Brother Sulfaro.

"You are, as I understand it, the son of the Archbishop of Syracuse?"

"Well... I won't hide it from you. It's true. I am the archbishop's illegitimate son."

Sulfaro was a little embarrassed.

"Your medicine saved my father's life. I have persuaded him to pledge allegiance to you, but he still hesitated. He was even planning to flee Syracuse and protest your advance to the Vatican."

"No, I don't blame you. It's human nature."

Isaac shook his head.

"I heard that your father actually wanted to clear the stain on your bloodline and wanted to help you get to a higher position?"

"That's true. Father has made a lot of efforts, but I am just a monk now."

Sulfaro nodded.

"Before you came, the senior clergy here were either sent by the Holy See or appointed by the king."

"Then what do you think is the possibility of your father's plan if the Vatican directly manages the Sicilian Church?"

Isaac asked calmly.

Sulfaro remained silent and said nothing.

At the beginning of the founding of Christianity, the pioneers maintained a fairly high level of personal quality, helping the poor and the needy, and uniting as one, just to spread the love and kindness in their hearts. Including the church, the vast majority of Christians are selfless and willing to sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the collective.

However, the Roman Catholic Church has developed to its present state after countless years, and has long been rotten from within. Most of the cardinals are from wealthy families. They intermarry and collude with each other to put the public property of the Church into their own pockets. They also regard the believers, church property and churches of the entire Western world as their own wealth. Corruption and selling of official positions have become commonplace, especially today's Pope Sixtus IV. This Rovere Pope has used the power in his hands to the extreme and is busy seeking private gains for his family.

If the Sicilian Church is completely controlled by the Holy See, local priests will have a hard time making a name for themselves, and the Archbishop of Syracuse's plan will be even more difficult.

You want to establish hereditary succession and want to put your son on the throne. What should the masters in the Vatican do?
"I plan to let the Sicilian diocese act on its own and hold its own elections. At the same time, I plan to establish the Syracuse Seminary, modeled after the Constanta Seminary, to systematically train theological talents. What do you think?"

Isaac extended an olive branch.

Isaac's second method was to support local forces and use their selfish desires to fight against the Roman Catholic Church, thereby making them consciously resist foreign interference.

"You can leave now. Go back and tell your father that if he is willing to accept my conditions, you will be the next Archbishop of Syracuse."

"As for the completely impossible conditions in the letter you brought, I suggest you stop dreaming about them."

Isaac said lightly.

Sulfaro was a little embarrassed, but also a little surprised. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and left.

Standing outside the tent, Isaac stared at Sulfaro's back and called the secretary.

"Send a message to Ibrahim immediately, asking him to quickly launch a repressive offensive against Syracuse. My fleet will also cooperate with his actions."

Isaac looked grim.

"We must put some pressure on these Syracusans. I really don't believe that their population is not even as large as my army. How dare they put forward so many conditions?"

"We have given what we should give and discussed what we should discuss. Next, we should let them know what power is."

In fact, the reason why Isaac implemented a moderate autonomy policy in Sicily was mainly to give the Roman Catholic Church some face. He really did not want to force the biggest vampire in Western Europe onto the path of confrontation.

If the Eastern Roman Empire today really became like the Ottoman Empire in the original time and space, making the entire Catholic world feel a crisis, and the Roman Catholic See, which should have weakened the Catholic world, instead became the glue of Western European countries, encircling the Eastern Roman Empire from all directions, then it would really be a loss.

Isaac was not very afraid of military struggle, but the economic blockade was very uncomfortable. The capitalist economy of the Eastern Roman Empire had just started and was in a stage of great expansion. Isaac planted seeds in Italy and Iberia through various methods. In the future, he would expand his capital blueprint to the Netherlands and even England. He would not allow any mistakes.

These autonomy, compromises, and concessions were, of course, only temporary. Once the clarion call for the Reformation was sounded, it was the Pope who should make concessions.

"Pass the order down. Tomorrow morning, after dinner, the entire army will march toward Syracuse!"

(End of this chapter)