Vol 7 Chapter 12: Pious Iberia

At the beginning of the 16th century, Iberia was a place full of boiling and passion. The land occupied by the Moorish rule for centuries was finally recovered, and then it was paid more and more attention by European powers because it became stronger and stronger. Whether it is Castilla, Aragon, or Portugal, the royal family is highly respected for the various acts made during this period.
Then, it was the dizzying gains of various countries in the development of overseas territories.
Just as European countries were squeezed by the Ottomans for their own power on the Mediterranean Sea, they were squeezing out their breath, and the Iberian Peninsula was thriving.
Close to the position of the Atlantic Ocean, their eyes are more focused on the boundless ocean. In the eyes of the Iberians, the Mediterranean Sea is not much larger than a bathtub. Their eyes have long been turned to the mysterious and rich East, and there So far, Columbus is still regarded as a mysterious continent on the east coast of India.
Or even in rural areas that do n’t fully understand all of this, people are also happy because the business has become better, they know that the wines made in their vineyards can be sent to those big cities without any effort to sell them out, Because there are a lot of people drinking booze all day long, they also know that many cities along the coast are building large and small shipyards, as long as they have the strength to work in those shipyards, and then earn a few silver houses They can feed a large family. They also know that the ships from Africa have plundered many slaves. In addition to the rich people staring at the smooth-skinned and exotic female slaves, more people are looking at their physical health. A male slave who only needs to be given a meal without paying.
All of these are new changes that have taken place in Iberia. From Porto in Portugal in the north to Malaga in Aragon in the south, there is a hot fire full of vitality that is not found in other parts of Europe.
Alexandria could feel that this breath was so strong, as can be seen from the priests who held the wooden cross and were dressed in a simple and solemn manner. Compared with these godly servants, the Italian priests were simply full of fat, There is hardly any kind of fat guy at first glance, nor can I hear all kinds of jokes about clergy.
The people here respect those who serve God from the bottom of their hearts, and they are also extremely pious. This can also be seen from the behavior of the ancient Benedict canon that can be seen everywhere and still observing the four prayers a day. Although not wearing a robe, in Iberia, Benedict's canon has become a life rule that many families consciously abide by.
All of this makes people feel as if they are living in a model homeland of heaven on earth, and even Sher, who is a Orthodox, can not help but sigh the piety of the Iberians.
Alexandria was also attracted to this place. He spent too much time on the European continent, where he saw the confusion and confusion that people showed with the arrival of the new and old times, and the belief of thousands of years is coming with many new things. And gradually disintegrated and collapsed, because of the depravity of the church and the moral fall of the priests, from anger to cynicism, and then to indifference, and as long as he knew, not long after that, there would be a period of great division that plunged the entire Christ world That would be a terrible disaster that almost caused the Vatican Holy See to fall after the division of the Eastern and Western churches.
And these are just legends in Iberia. The Holy See, the church, the priests, and the royal family with their support have high status and prestige, which is enough to allow them to do anything.
"The King is still more interested in the new route through Africa. He feels that it is a mature route, so although he is also eager to open the West Atlantic route, he obviously thinks that the road to Africa should be stabilized first."
Sitting in a chair and drinking dark hot coffee, Dagama said anxiously that he was no stranger to the quirky drink seriously recommended by the Duke, but he was still unable to adapt. Now he simply put down the cup Excited: "Duke, are you sure? I mean those voyage diaries. I have carefully studied the routes inside. I can be sure that as long as the contents are true, we do n’t have to waste any effort as long as there are 2 or 3 The boat can reach those places, and I have a hunch that Christopher Columbus may have reached only a small area on that land, maybe there is much larger than what he described. If that is the case, it is enough for us to have A place to stay. "
Alexander looked at the excited navigator. This was the first time he met this celebrity. He felt that this person was actually a stubborn character and a bit irritable, and he was too obsessed with wealth, probably because of this. Manuel wanted to replace him with his cronies. After all, no one wanted to let a less obedient person control such a huge source of wealth.
Alexander also believed that Dagama was so keen on the route to the West today, probably because he heard the new news from Castile. Just over two months ago, Columbus again regarded him as The land in India returned. Although this time he was returned after being detained and shackled, his own statements and some witness accounts prove that the Spaniards, including Columbus himself, who have reached the "West Indian Coast" are How to scramble to grab local wealth and how to madly draw one after another on the vast land.
These made Da Gama a little unable to sit still, and compared with being left out by Manuel, the double temptation of being able to re-navigate and obtain wealth made him unable to curl up at home to wait for the king's re-care.
"We have to do something, we must organize a large enough fleet, we must fully arm them, and there are already people there who are fighting for land. Since that will not happen only together, so we want to organize a fully armed "The expedition," Da Gama kept talking. He was thrilled and thirsty, so he picked up the coffee cup and drank it. "These need some sponsorship, but the most important thing is to get the king's permission."
"Then let us do these things," said Alexander, who was sitting on the side just listening carefully and not talking. "We can all do this, raise ships, recruit experienced sailors, and for this The voyage provides enough funds for the supplies, then the next thing to do is to let the king change his mind. "
Tiego nodded silently, he knew that this was his task, but it didn't seem to be so easy to make Manuel change his mind.
Manuel I was a very stubborn person. Although he was very enthusiastic about the wealth that the Western Atlantic route might bring, he still valued the Eastern route more. In addition, Queen Mary had to say that he had influenced him.
Maria is firmly opposed to the opening of the Atlantic route. She believes that this is not only ridiculous but also believable. There are many reasons for her to think so, but the most important thing is that she does not want Portugal and her mother country. A new conflict broke out for the colony.
Although Alexander VI had previously used a pope meridian to temporarily resolve the dispute between the two nautical powers, this does not mean that the contradiction really does not exist. Now, if there is a conflict for the new course, this makes her very embarrassed. Too.
"This is really a difficult task."
Alexander couldn't help but admit that this matter was indeed not so easy. No matter how it was viewed, it was very troublesome to persuade the couple to change their minds, not to mention the conflict of beliefs, interests, and various ideas.
At the beginning of October, James hurriedly left Lisbon after accepting the king ’s summons. He heard that his brother had taken the lawsuit, so he hurried to Castilla to see what happened.
Before embarking on the ship, Alexander found James, and after some close talk, James took the command Alexander gave him to embark on a trip to Castile.
Queen Maria is still staring at Juana, which has actually become a boring routine in her daily life. From Maria ’s point of view, Juana will one day have a problem, even if she is compassionate all day long now. The Maria Convent was so shallow that even St. Jorge Castle rarely went, but this did not reduce Maria's suspicion of her.
Alexander, however, disappointed Mary a little.
After hearing that Alexander went to visit Juana, Maria firmly believed that the duke must have been involved. Although she did not think that the pope ’s son-in-law was an enemy, she thought that it involved Gonzalo, she I can't help feeling that there is a big conspiracy.
So she wrote a letter to her mother early and reported everything she heard, and there was more than one. It was just that Queen Isabella did n’t seem to believe her daughter at all. In her reply, she told Maria that Gonzalo was her best The trusted general, maybe he did not satisfy people in some places, but he was blameless in the matter of loyalty.
Although Maria has always obeyed her mother, but this time she couldn't sit down and turned a blind eye, especially after sending someone to inquire about Alexander and visiting Juana twice, she was more serious about this matter. Heart.
Soon, she knew the purpose of the Duke from some people who were placed next to Juana, and she was surprised to see that the reason for all this was that Cardinal Mahimo was stationed from the local area when he visited Sicily. Rumors heard in the Aragonese army.
Some of the Portuguese soldiers who participated in the Aragonese army rumored that Juana, who was under house arrest in Lisbon, was subjected to harsh treatment. Not only did the queen often find her on purpose, she even deducted her due treatment, so Castilli The former heirs of Asia are not only very embarrassed, but even a bit down.
The cardinal apparently thought that since he knew this, he could not turn a deaf ear, so he reported to the pope, and then the Duke of Rome, the Duke of Rome, had more tasks in addition to the secret review of the sacred site.
At least Maria heard this statement, although she still had doubts about it, but at least slightly let go of it.
After all, how do you think that the Duke seems to have nothing to do with Juana, then the only explanation is that as he heard, he was ordered by the Pope to see if Juana is really like the cardinal Massimo? He was treated unfairly.
Maria was very annoyed. She felt that she was too kind to the cousin. If she was really imprisoned in the Stone Cliff Prison in Lisbon, it would be obvious that she was only a bad reputation.
Maria felt it necessary to clarify all this to the duke, and because the duke was responsible for the task of reviewing local sacred sites, she hoped not to cause misunderstandings because of Juana ’s affairs.
It ’s just that the Duke did n’t seem to be very keen to have a good relationship with the king ’s husband and wife. During this time, he frequently visited those churches and monasteries, or came and went with some merchants. Although this made Mary feel more relieved, consider taking To gain the favor of the Vatican, she felt that it was better to have more contact with the duke.
So when I heard that the Duke visited Juana at the Maria Monastery of Mercy again, although she knew that the whole process was accompanied by someone else, Maria still felt that she should take the main training together with the Duke The occasion of Remembrance Day reminds him.
The main commemoration day is the first Sunday of October each year. On this day, all churches will ring the bell every half an hour in the early morning hours. This will continue until the sky is completely dark.
Alexander was awakened by the bell, and he got up from the bed and stumbled to the window.
Hearing the faint noise outside, he pushed open the window, and was surprised to find that although it was still dark, there were already many people on the street.
Because it was still dark, some people held torches in their hands. Although there were many people on the street, people tried to keep their voices as low as possible, listening to the bells and silently crossing their chests on their chests, and some kneeling on the street with their mouths The text chants lightly.
Alexander stood in the window looking at the scene on the street, and after a while he sighed slightly.
From the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 16th century, this was a very special era.
For example, on the European continent that has been covered by the sky for thousands of years, there is a crack in the deep-rooted faith. A dawn that has never appeared before is projected through the crack, bringing a ray of light to the dark earth.
But it was also at this time that those who still held the tremendous respect for the faith burst out from their hearts a stronger belief than before.
This belief spread on the Iberian peninsula with strong fanaticism, and it will also appear in the territory of the German princes farther away in the same years. The change that was triggered at that time will make the entire Christian world do it. Tremor.
At the entrance of the Angel's Cathedral, Alexander saw Archbishop Bujo.
Seeing Alexandria, the Archbishop of Tall greeted him far away with a loud tone, and then he walked towards Alexandria with a powerful pace of knights instead of priests.
"Duke, I can assure you that everything you see will leave a deep impression, I believe you will not forget this scene even after returning to the Vatican."
The archbishop said with his arms outstretched forward, and with his gesture, Alexander looked at the black crowd in the square in front of the Angel Cathedral. The tidal flow of people followed the deafening chanting like the Atlantic wave.
"Duke, don't you think you are witnessing a real miracle," the Archbishop asked Alexander, "I know your identity makes it impossible for you to make a fairer judgment, but I can guess that you should not look at the Vatican To this scene. "
Alexander nodded silently, he knew what the archbishop meant, but he also had to admit that such a scene was indeed invisible in the Vatican.
There are also many people gathered in the Vatican ’s square, but who are those, prostitutes, films, assassins, and special brokers, this scene seems to have only appeared in Florence during the Savonarola era, but Ironically, the man was eventually put on the torture rack because of his over-enthusiastic belief.
In Iberia, the same zealous move was supported by the monarch. Alexander took a deep breath as he watched the king and his wife slowly walk through the crowd towards the Angel Cathedral, surrounded by many noble knights.
He faced not only Isabella ’s daughter, but also Manuel I, who seemed to have gained the upper hand because of the oppression of the double kings behind his wife, but he was actually very determined, and even nearly fanatical. The Portuguese king of faith.
Alexander suddenly felt that it was a wise choice to decide to come to Portugal first. Just look at the people here, it is not difficult to imagine what the more fanatical Castilla will look like, it will only be more fanatical than here. .
Alexander also did not think that he would have the opportunity to shake the pair of kings under these circumstances, unless there was an opportunity to pry their seemingly solid foundation of the throne, or to allow Castilla and The unbreakable alliance between the two kingdoms of Aragon has cracked.
The couple, who had already crossed the crowd and climbed the steps of the cathedral, approached the archbishop. They bowed their heads to the cross in the archbishop's hands ~ EbookFREE.me ~ and received the blessing of the archbishop.
It was only when she passed in front of Alexander that she first stopped. She was covered with thick white powder so that she could hardly see the black eyes on her face. After a while, she slowly said: "Duke, you have seen what happened here, and I believe you must have personally proved how ridiculous some rumors are, so I hope you can report to the Vatican in a fair way. "
Mary's words made Alexander look at Archbishop Burrozon, glanced at the archbishop's expressionless face, and Alexander bowed to Maria.
"Please rest assured your majesty, I swear by my family's reputation, I will definitely report everything I see to the Vatican." Maria looked at Alexandria in silence, then nodded slowly, stretched her hand and kept watching On this manoel's arm, the two of them walked slowly towards the cathedral.
"It seems correct not to go directly to Castile." Looking at the couple's back, Alexander secretly muttered to himself.
Alexandria, who was still at a loss for how to shake the foundations of the Spanish kings, saw hope in Portugal at this moment.