The candlelight flickered, igniting the aroma of whale oil, lingering in the hall. At this time, the Portuguese colony of the Azores Islands had been established for more than thirty years. Whale hunting activities also began to rely on the archipelago in the surrounding waters.
Come alive. A steady stream of whale oil came from the sea and flowed into the palace of Sintra.
"Oriental spices also have the same fragrance, only more intense!..."
John II closed his eyes and sniffed the rich amber fragrance. Even with the wealth of the Portuguese king, he could not use the extremely expensive spices from the God's world as sacred smoke like the Mexica Alliance in the New World.
That scene, even just thinking about it, makes people feel extremely painful.
"East...East!..."
Dias looked to the east, his eyes full of strong desire.
The palace was quiet for a while, and the two of them were silent for a long time, their minds wandering. After a while, Joao II opened his eyes and said with a smile.
"Dias, India and Siris are still far away. What is close at hand now is the dispute between the Holy See and the Granada War between the two kings!"
"Disputes in the Holy See?"
Hearing this, Dias was slightly startled. He had been away from the Kingdom of Portugal for two years and really knew nothing about the current situation of the Holy See.
"Well. The current Pope, Innocent VIII, is clearly showing his weakness. King Ferdinando I of Naples has visited Rome twice to pressure the Pope..."
Speaking of this, Joao II's eyes flashed and he seemed to be thinking about it.
"Ah! King Ferdinando pressured the Pope twice?"
Hearing this, Diaz shouted in surprise. King Ferdinando I of Naples and King Ferdinando II of Aragon were both kings of the Aragon-Trastamara dynasty. They both had the same name.
, they are also very similar in blood, they are cousins.
Ferdinando I was the king of Aragon and Naples and the legalized illegitimate son of Alfonso V. After the death of Alfonso V, the Kingdom of Aragon was inherited by his younger brother Juan II, and the Kingdom of Naples was inherited by his illegitimate son Ferdinand.
Dinando I succeeded. Then, when Juan II died ten years ago, the throne of Aragon was passed to his son Ferdinando II, the husband of Queen Isabella and one of the two kings of Spain.
.
To put it simply, King Ferdinando II of Aragon and King Ferdinando I of Naples have weak claims on each other. And if the Kingdom of Naples falls into the hands of his rival Ferdinando II, it will really be Portugal.
Disaster for the kingdom!
"Well. In order to maintain his influence on the Apennine Peninsula and gain more wealth, Pope Innocent VIII wanted to impose taxes on the Kingdom of Naples. After the King of Naples refused, the Pope contacted King Charles VIII of France.
Let us send troops to Naples together."
Speaking of this, João II raised the corners of his mouth and smiled narrowly.
"However, the war between the Pope and Naples had just begun, and King Charles VIII of France fell into a 'crazy war'. King Charles of France attacked the rebellious Duke of Brittany. Subsequently, Emperor Maximilian I of the Holy Roman Empire joined the war
, supporting the rebels. King Henry VII of England also participated in the war and supported the rebels. Of course, Maximilian I made great efforts, and Henry VII just sent out the navy and waved the flag."
"This 'crazy war' lasted for four years and ended two months ago. Duke Francois II of Brittany surrendered and signed an agreement to become a vassal of King Charles of France. This old guy is afraid of Charles
He wanted to annex his daughter to Maximilian I, and he even wrote to find me..."
Joao II paused and shook his head. Then, with a complicated look on his face, he sighed.
"The Principality of Brittany is a grand principality with a population of more than one million people!... The Catholic countries in the north were in a group, so no one responded to the Pope... Pope Innocent VIII immediately
I was dumbfounded. Thousands of troops from Naples were approaching Rome, and the Pope didn’t even have a supporting army. He had to bow his head and sue for peace and withdraw the decree. After this incident, the prestige of the Holy See has been greatly reduced!..."
"After all, God's world has changed a long time ago. It is no longer the era four hundred years ago when Urban II gave an order, kings of various countries bowed their heads and obeyed orders, and tens of thousands of knights swore to die in the Eastern March!..."
Hearing this, Diaz pursed his lips, with mixed feelings in his heart. He is a devout people of God, and he always has an instinctive tendency towards the Holy See, which affects all countries. After a while, he whispered.
"The current pope lives a luxurious and corrupt life, and has fathered a lot of children. There are even rumors that he has a secret deal with the Ottoman Sultan... His moral reputation is indeed not as good as that of the previous pope!... Maybe, next
A pope would be much better..."
"Ha ha!"
Hearing this, Joao II burst into laughter. He looked at his trusted royal steward and said with a smile.
"Diaz, the next pope will be either Bishop Julius II or Bishop Alexander VI. These two people have many illegitimate children...How can they do better if they control the Holy See?..."
"Why!"
Dias gritted his teeth and stopped talking. As the royal steward, he knew many inside stories and felt the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. The senior priests were greedy, and the bishops married wives and had children, almost ignoring the Lord's commandments!
"Maybe it's time for the Catholic Church to change!"
A bold idea flashed through Diaz's mind. After a moment, he was startled by his disrespect and bowed his head in repentance.
John II did not repent. He thought for a while, looked in the southeast direction, and his expression became solemn.
"Díaz, do you know? At this moment, the two kings of Spain are leading an army of 60,000 to conduct a southern jihad! They are determined to completely conquer the Moorish Kingdom of Granada!"
"What! Sixty thousand troops?!"
Hearing this number, Diaz was really shocked. If the two Spanish kings could easily dispatch an army of 60,000, they would turn west and bulldoze the Kingdom of Portugal...
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Well, 60,000 troops. 20,000 of them are knights and followers from England, France, HRE, and even Scandinavian countries participating in the Southern Holy War. And
The remaining 40,000 soldiers came from Castile and Aragon. About 10,000 of them were cavalry and 30,000 infantry, all of whom were regular troops or elite militia."
"Oh, the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon also organized thousands of musketeers and artillery armies. In Seville and Cordoba, there are kingdom ordnance factories that manufacture gunpowder. Last summer, Fernando
When Emperor II attacked the city of Malaga, he mobilized dozens of large-caliber artillery to attack the Moorish castles. However, the city of Malaga, which had 5,000 soldiers and a population of 15,000, only defended three
After more than a month, they were forced to surrender!"
"What! Under the bombardment of artillery, the dangerous city of Malaga only defended for three months?!"
Hearing this, Diaz looked shocked. He knew that the city of Malaga was strong. In the past hundreds of years, it had been an important Moorish town that was difficult to conquer during the Reconquista. But now, it was under bombardment by heavy artillery.
..The royal steward keenly felt that the form of the European war had undergone tremendous changes. And the Spanish kings were walking ahead of all the Kingdoms of God!
"Your Majesty, with the fall of Malaga, the connection between the Moors and the Southern Continent was completely cut off. Without the support of the Moorish princes of the Southern Continent, the Moors trapped in Granada will not be able to hold on for long!"
Hearing this, Joao II lowered his eyes and clenched his hands silently. He naturally knew that the Moors were gone and Granada would fall into the hands of the two kings. But as a Catholic king, he did not have a suitable name.
Join this holy war.
"Ah! The failure in the battle for the throne of Castile was the biggest mistake made by the Kingdom of Portugal in two centuries!"
João II gritted his teeth, feeling a dull pain in his heart. Reluctance and longing burned in his heart and were indelible.
In this era, the population of the Kingdom of Portugal was approximately more than two million. The population of the Kingdom of Castile was about twice that of the Kingdom of Portugal, between 400 and 5 million. As for the Kingdom of Aragon,
There is also a population of about two million.
Although the Kingdom of Castile has a large population, it also has many grand duchies with real power in the country. The degree of centralization of the Kingdom is weaker than that of the Kingdom of Portugal. The Kingdom's army that the Kingdom of Castile can mobilize does not have an absolute advantage.
.Therefore, the three Catholic kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula have always maintained a certain balance of power.
But now, the two kings of Spain have united into one, and now have a population of six to seven million! The two kings support each other, and the royal power is greatly strengthened, which suppresses the great nobles of the two countries, and can obtain more finance, taxation and military service.
The holy war in the Kingdom of Granada is going very smoothly, and the prestige of the two kings is also constantly increasing! If they wait until they eat more than one million Moors in Granada and tax them...
"Your Majesty! The two Spanish kings so close at hand are the greatest threat to the kingdom!"
Diaz thought for a moment and made a decision. He took a step forward, knelt down on one knee and saluted, with anxiety in his eyes.
"The Moors are about to be destroyed, and the sight of the two kings will once again fall on the kingdom to plan the unification of the Iberian Peninsula! The Holy See's prestige is declining, and I am afraid it will no longer support the kingdom. And the English are simply unreliable!
We must divert the attention of the two kings and find new allies..."
Speaking of this, Dias struggled with his face and bit his lips. Loyalty and piety were fighting in his heart, and it was difficult to decide the winner. After a while, he spoke quietly.
"No matter whether this new ally is a heretic or not..."
John II's eyes flashed instantly. He lowered his eyes and said nothing, but bowed his head in prayer. The rich aroma of amber spread in the palace hall, like elusive divine smoke, drifting into the distance.
...
This chapter has been completed!