bookandnovel Chapter 905 Treaty of Valmonti
Chapter 905 Treaty of Valmonti
Chapter 905 Treaty of Valmonti
Eight marble columns support the Damascus dome, and stained glass windows illuminate the entire hall.
Viviana, Jeanne, Prajna and other followers have led the Crusaders to attack in different places and seize the remaining territories of the Ayyubid dynasty.
Lothar and Lavinia stayed in the rear and provided supplies to the front line.
As a former gold medal judge, Lavinia was able to handle the role of Losa's personal secretary with ease.
Lavinia flipped open a document, her eyelashes casting crow-feather shadows under her eyes. "Lothar, the Dark Shadow has sent a message that the remnants of the Ayyubid dynasty in the north have made a big move recently. They have almost emptied the entire city of Aleppo of its property, and scouts are heading north in groups with falcons."
"The Saracens are trying to find a way for themselves."
Lothar suddenly showed a look of enlightenment: "I seem to understand why Saladin staged such a big drama before his death."
His duel with Saladin was, in a sense, a legitimate transfer of power in Damascus, which was not a bad thing for him.
Now it seems that his motive was that Saladin had determined that they could not win and began to seek a way out for his family. His own death was probably to give an explanation to the Zoroastrian world for his successive failures.
Even if a mediocre lord dies on the battlefield, his reputation after death will definitely not be too bad.
What's more, Saladin had actually been doing a good job before he met Lothar, otherwise so many ghazis would not have come all the way to join him.
The attendants below handed over new documents: "Your Majesty, Queen Tamar of the Kingdom of Georgia and her husband Yuri have each sent a letter of credence, hoping to gain our support."
Queen Tamar is the daughter of King George III of the Bagration dynasty of Georgia. She was previously his co-ruling queen. After the death of George III, she was crowned King of Georgia.
In the history of Losa's previous life, it was Queen Tamar who pushed the Kingdom of Georgia to its peak and once established its rule over the entire Caucasus region. After her death, she was named "Holy and Righteous Queen Mara" by the Orthodox Church.
Losa was a little puzzled: "Why did you send two letters?"
He did not have a deep understanding of the Kingdom of Georgia. This mountainous country had close ties with the Eastern Empire, but had little interaction with the Crusader Kingdom - that is, it had previously fought against the Turks together with the County of Edessa, but after the fall of the County of Edessa and the Principality of Antioch, there was no more connection.
The attendant explained, "Your Majesty, I have asked the envoy. It is said that when Queen Tamar first ascended the throne, she was not supported by the nobles in the country because of her female status. Under the pressure of the nobles, she had to 'marry' Prince Yuri from Kievan Rus. Now that she has grown stronger, she will naturally take action against the nobles who oppose her."
Lothar suddenly realized: "No wonder Ayyubid's remnants are preparing to head north. I guess Saladin has also seen the weakness of the Georgian Kingdom and is planning to take advantage of it."
Under normal circumstances, the Kingdom of Georgia, located in the Caucasus Mountains, is not so easy to conquer.
He opened the letter and glanced through it. "Tsk, Queen Tamar is more sincere. Prince Yuri said a lot of flattering words, but he didn't do anything practical."
At the very least, Tamar's letter included a distribution map of the Turkic winter pastures and a trade agreement that was beneficial to the overseas empire.
"Write back to Queen Tamar and tell her that I look forward to working with her in the future to eliminate the Turkic chiefdoms between the two countries and open up a trade route connecting the two Christian countries. You can also remind them to be careful of the invasion of Saracens. As for Prince Yuri, he is not the orthodox king, so don't pay attention to him."
There were several Turkic chiefdoms between the Kingdom of Georgia and the Kingdom of Damascus. These Seljuk Turks ruled the Armenians and were of the same origin as the Roma Turks, with whom they had close ties.
After the attendants left, Lavinia couldn't help but ask, "Is this Georgian queen the Queen Mara recorded in history books?"
Lothar nodded. "She is also a legendary figure, but I wonder if she can stop the Saracens."
The strategy of the Ayyubid remnants to move northward was most likely the work of Saladin.
Although Asia Minor in the west and Elamshahr in the east were easier to conquer and richer than the Kingdom of Georgia in the north, these were the only places that were never within Lothar's target range.
"And this one, this is a letter from Prince Reuben of Armenia."
Lothar glanced over it briefly. There was nothing nutritious to talk about. He simply reiterated the close relationship between Cilicia, once the eastern bastion of the Christian world, and the Crusaders, including its assistance to the Crusaders during the First Crusade.
It is hoped that the two countries can continue to uphold the friendly relations of Christian brothers, become the closest allies, and jointly launch a holy war against the Turkic barbarians in the north and east.
To put it bluntly, the overseas empire has replaced the Ayyubid dynasty's ecological niche, and the surrounding forces have begun to pledge their allegiance.
Just as he finished writing the reply to the Armenians, another attendant came in: "Your Majesty, the representatives of Venice, Pisans, and Genoa have arrived. They brought very generous gifts and hope to be summoned by you."
Lavinia was a little surprised: "It's strange that these three parties can get together."
The Venetians and the Genoese were sworn enemies, and the Genoese were sworn enemies of the Pisans. It would be strange if these three groups didn't fight each other when they got together.
Lothar sneered, "Merchants are driven by profit. As long as the profit is high enough, they will sell their souls to the devil. Let them in."
The three envoys soon entered the palace with a large number of attendants.
The servants of these Latin merchants, carrying boxes of heavy treasures, knelt down respectfully and saluted when they saw Lothar.
"Praise be to you, Emperor of the Franks of the East; King of Egypt, Jerusalem, and Damascus; Protector of the Holy Land, the Holy Lance, and the Holy Sepulchre; Great Patron of all pilgrims, your glorious deeds have spread throughout the Christian world, and all Christians praise your name."
They opened the treasure chest, and the jewels shone with breathtaking brilliance under the sunlight shining through the glass windows.
Seeing that Losa did not reply for a long time, one of the Latin envoys hurriedly said: "These gifts are just to show our admiration for your achievements, and are by no means a blasphemy to your majesty."
Lothar frowned and said, "You three envoys came together just to give me gifts?"
The Latin envoy laughed and said, "Your Majesty is very intelligent, so we will speak frankly. Now Your Majesty has conquered thousands of miles of land and created great achievements, but Damascus and the territories of Egypt have long been in the hands of the pagans. They are stubborn and do not seek the rule of the king. It will be difficult for you to establish an effective rule."
Losa said noncommittally: "So, you have a way to help me solve this problem?"
"That's right, Your Majesty."
The messenger smiled and said, "Thanks to the grace of the late King of Jerusalem, the Treaty of Valmonte was signed with the city-states. Since then, the army of the late King has no longer been short of supplies, the treasury is always full, and the late King no longer has to worry about local rebels."
The so-called Treaty of Valmondi was an alliance agreement signed between Baldwin II and the Venetians when he faced the invasion of the Fatimid Caliphate.
The general content was to grant the Venetians one-third to one-quarter of the urban areas and villages of every city under the Kingdom of Jerusalem except the city of Jerusalem, and to grant them autonomy, tax-free franchises, and the privilege of using Venetian laws.
Later, not only the Venetians, but many other Latin city-states also obtained similar privileges.
After Lothar was crowned King of Jerusalem, he had no time to abolish these privileges. Now that these Latin merchants have joined forces, it has reminded Lothar that it is time to take action against the leeches that are parasitic on the surface of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
"It seems that the experience of the Venetians in the Aegean Sea is not enough to make you understand humility and reverence."
The Latin businessmen were confused for a moment.
The Venetian representative wiped the sweat from his face and forced a flattering smile: "Your Majesty, please be patient. We are not here to deceive Your Majesty. We can swear in the name of God that if you entrust these territories to us for jurisdiction, we will definitely get far more benefits than letting them govern themselves or appointing officials or governors to govern them."
Losa had no doubt about the ability of these Latin merchants to make money. If this so-called "Treaty of Valmondi" did not have benefits that would make successive kings of Jerusalem jealous, it would definitely not be possible to implement it.
Even an emperor as wise and resourceful as Alexios I of the Eastern Empire fell into the trap of this series of tax-free concessions. Who can say that the sugar coating of this poison is not tempting enough?
Even these Latin merchants themselves felt that they were delivering a great gift, which was why they looked bewildered by Losa's anger.