Her Majesty’s Secret Service

062. Trade sanctions

I don’t know why I fell into this era. However, one thing is certain: I am living a much happier life in the 16th century than in the 21st century.

“So, this is this month’s sales?”

“Yes, Baron.”

From noble mtl dot come

It’s already been 5 months since I got married to Jane. As the hot summer sun faded and the chilly winter wind blew, the reason I came out of the palace even though I was still in the midst of enjoying my newlywed life was because of my increasing wealth.

The original investment in Robert’s bill business had long since been recovered. Collecting bills that were not exchanged for cash, I ended up with a large fortune of almost 6,000 pounds, which was enough to call me a noble.

The fact that the bill business that started with 2,000 pounds grew so much was all thanks to Jane and my wedding.

The nobility living in London, even children as young as three years old, knew that the reason Jane and I were getting married was because of the royal succession rights.

Although she was said to be a noble, most people expected that the Queen and Jane would have a falling out when they saw that I, who was a cook and a stranger in their eyes, had become Jane’s companion.

Some even said that the queen had a rather cruel side, and this was because she would marry her nephew to a new nobleman from a foreign country, leaving other venerable nobles behind.

However, contrary to their expectations, not only did the Queen attend Jane’s wedding, but her husband, Archduke Eric, stayed at the reception to grace the occasion.

As things progressed like this, people began to think that the Queen was in love with Jane, regardless of the issue of succession rights.

Once this awareness arose, Robert’s bill business began to prosper at a rapid pace after the wedding.

There was a rumor among the merchants that the royal family was behind me because I married Jane, and naturally the merchants looked for Robert, whom I supported.

At some point, bill dealers began buying up the bills that Robert was offering to sell.

This was especially true for gentry who had a lot of money but had a vague status, or small merchants who did not have a proper ally. The gentry were trying to somehow establish connections with the royal family, and the other merchants were trying to have me as their ally like Robert.

It is said that there were more than one merchant who came to see Robert and buy bills, and took out a bag full of gold coins, asking to sit down with him.

After all, it was the reality of this era that merchants, no matter how much money they had, had to give up their business the same day if they attacked a nobleman without any support, so it was understandable that they were so hung up on their connections.

As I was looking through the ledger containing this month’s sales, Robert spoke to me cautiously.

“Hey Baron, that… This is what I told you about before. Why did the merchant who helped me with the wool… .”

wool? merchant? Ah, I remembered hearing it from Robert once.

“ah! “You mean the captain who was ruined once by a local baron?”

“Yes, the captain of the Plymouth. He told me the other day that he had misunderstood something and that he wanted to visit the Baron at least once. At that time, he even asked me to apologize for the rudeness I committed… .”

“No, that could be true. It seems like Baron Mordaunt has made a bold move… “You said you were confident in your ability to drive a boat, right?”

“Yes, I still drive the boat. “Right now, I can’t go far because I can’t do much in business, but when I was young, I even went to the New World.”

I guess I have some extra money now, so there’s no need to just sell bills. Another merchant was needed to take charge of the new business in which the money earned through bills would be channeled.

Right now, Robert couldn’t focus on anything else because he was so focused on managing the bill business.

I’ve been thinking about starting a new business myself, but what do I know? You’ll be lucky if you don’t get scammed.

So I asked Robert if there was a trustworthy merchant, and he recommended a captain he had known in the past. If you’re going to do business, why not try trading?

However, the day before we met, he did not show up at the meeting place, probably because he heard something from Baron Mordaunt, who was once with Robert.

Isn’t it possible that this happened because of a misunderstanding? I had some money that Robert had earned, and when I saw Robert’s face, I decided to move on with a smile.

“But Tavistock? “Didn’t you say you live in a village with that name?”

“Oh, that’s his hometown. “I live in Plymouth now.”

“is it so? Well, that’s not important. Then tell him I’ll see you in London next Thursday.”

“All right. Baron. Thank you for your valuable time. And this… .”

After finishing talking about work and new business, I got up and was about to go back to the palace. Robert took out a small jewelry box from his chest.

“What is it?”

“It’s a ‘gift’ that I sent to my friend out of his absence.”

Inside the box Robert handed me was a golden necklace. The gold necklace was decorated with elaborately crafted emeralds, rubies, and small pearls, giving it a luxurious look.

“What is this?”

“Yes, he said it was a necklace he found back in Venice. Even though it is belated, I would like to congratulate the Baron on his marriage… .”

What is life without? The merchant said he used to do a lot of business, and it seemed like he still had quite a bit of money left over.

“It’s Christmas soon, so that’s good. I could give it to Jane as a gift. Oh, tell that person I’m grateful.”

“Yes, Baron.”

In this way, most of the gifts that came through Robert were of this type, and I could see that the reason why the merchants wanted to meet me was very clearly revealed.

I felt a little bad, but what can I do? Isn’t it true that the reason my business has been able to prosper so much is because of Jane and the Queen’s halo behind her?

“Then, I guess I’ll have to sneak in and take a look. There’s nothing good about being outside for too long… .”

“We have prepared a carriage outside. “Let’s ride it until we get to the palace.”

It was something I couldn’t even dream of doing in the past, but as my income increased, I started using a private carriage to travel between the palace and the Port of London.

Even if it shook a little, it wasn’t that bad because London’s roads were well maintained.

“Then see you later.”

“yes! Please take a look. “Baron.”

Robert showed an excessive example by bending down to his waist. He was a little uncomfortable at first, but after going back and forth a few times and getting used to it, I was now able to receive that greeting naturally.

After seeing Robert off, the first thing I saw when I returned to the palace today was Oliver, who had an urgent look on his face.

“Baron!! “Where have you been?!”

“What is it, Oliver? “Why are you making such a fuss?”

“Her Majesty the Queen has called a court meeting! You should go quickly… .”

Usually, the court meeting was held in the morning once every 2 or 3 days, but today was not the day when the court meeting was held. Moreover, it was now late afternoon, well past noon, and convening a palace meeting at such a time meant that something urgent had happened.

“A palace meeting at this hour? “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know what’s going on. Oh, I heard that the Spanish ambassador came… .”

Spanish ambassador? Urgent meeting? I had a vague idea what was going on.

‘France raised one thing?’

I had heard that the French army had crossed Calais and advanced into Flanders a couple of months ago. If Spain is so quick to send an envoy, it must mean that the French army is doing quite well in Flanders.

“Is the meeting location the same as usual?”

“Yes, Westminster.”

After hearing the meeting location from Oliver, I immediately headed to the office at the Palace of Westminster. It wouldn’t have mattered if I missed this urgent convocation, but isn’t it the queen’s convocation anyway? There’s nothing to do there, but I’ll have to get my face stamped and then come back.

* * *

Mary, who received a visit from the Spanish ambassador, Simon, urgently summoned her subjects and waited for them to gather.

‘The so-called ‘Queen’s favorites’ arrived at the palace one after another, led by Bishop Nicholas, the Chief Justice who was working at the palace, and Count Herbert, who was lazing around in his mansion.’

When it was reported to Mary that about half the usual number of people had gathered in the office, she appeared in the office. Eric was away for a moment today to attend the nobles’ hunting party on Mary’s behalf, so he was not seen.

“Whoa, I’m sorry to have to call an unscheduled meeting.”

“no. Your Majesty, may we know what has brought you to this meeting so hastily? I heard that the Spanish ambassador came to visit, maybe… Is this about Calais?”

Bishop Nicholas, the Chief Justice, asked on behalf of the nobles why this meeting had been convened. At that question, Mary let out a small sigh and opened her mouth.

“Yes. “It’s because of the Calais problem.”

The nobles looked like they were convening a meeting for something like this. It hasn’t been a year or two since England walked a tightrope between Spain and France, and they switched between the two several times.

“Wasn’t there a prepared excuse for the French army crossing Calais? “The number of soldiers is absolutely inferior, and the laziness of the Calais practitioners.”

“Yes, I prepared it that way. the problem is… Even though France is fighting, it is fighting very well.”

“yes?”

“They say Brugge is occupied.”

From Mary’s words, the nobles were finally able to understand the reason for convening the meeting.

“Didn’t you say that Bruges was under siege just last month?!”

“It was definitely at the end of October when the French crossed Calais… ?”

“You dropped Brugge in a short period of time, less than a month or two?!”

The Queen’s voice rang out among the nobles who were astonished to hear the news of the French occupation of Bruges.

“It doesn’t matter how the French took over Bruges, but what happens to us right now is more important.”

Mary seemed to be thirsty, so she picked up the gold cup on the office table and took a sip of water. She then put her glass down on the table again and opened her mouth.

“Carle has told me that if we don’t block Calais immediately, we will cut off the New World and the Low Countries route.”

The nobles could not hide their sorrow at Mary’s soft words. Even if you were to pile up wool in Calais, wouldn’t it be useless if there were no merchants to buy the wool? Even if French merchants bought wool, it did not reach the quantity that lowland merchants could digest.

“Is that it? In that case, block Calais immediately and fulfill Spain’s demands… .”

The nobleman, whose face was pale, opened his mouth and said so. He seemed to be a nobleman with a large wool business. However, Mary’s next words forced the nobleman to keep his mouth shut.

“Furthermore, they sided with Spain and demanded participation in the war. “Don’t you remember the subsidies we received in the name of naval reconstruction?”

As Mary finished speaking, swear words broke out here and there.

“shit… I thought it would end with a moderate fight like before and a ceasefire agreement… !”

“We misjudged France too much. Phew, what should I do now? If the route is cut off immediately… .”

“How about helping France attack Spain instead? This is what happened… .”

“Sir, what are you talking about now? “Let’s give wings to the French?!”

“No, so you’re saying we’ll just sit back and be dragged around according to Spain’s intentions?”

“no! “What can we do with the damage caused by the trade route being blocked right now?!”

Mary frowned slightly at the sight of the nobles bickering with each other.

“Everyone, be quiet. What are we going to do by fighting among ourselves?”

“Off… .”

“It was disgraceful. sorry. “Her Majesty the Queen.”

Mary, who had calmed down the nobles, was lost in thought.

‘To open Calais, I thought it was just a matter of plundering a few Flemish cities and returning to mainland France to fight… . No, he should have expected this situation ever since he heard reports that more than 30,000 troops had passed through Calais. What should I do now? .’

If France ignored Spain and kept Calais open, it would suffer from Spain’s trade sanctions, leading to war. If Calais was closed to avoid trade sanctions, the French army that attacked Brugge would turn its spear towards Calais.

After much thought, the queen cautiously opened her mouth.

“Herbert, how many troops do you think it will take to protect Calais from 30,000 French soldiers?”

The Queen’s gaze turned to Count Herbert. Count Herbert opened his mouth calmly, without any sign of embarrassment.

“At best, I need 5,000, at most I need 8,000.”

“William, do you have any budget left to hire mercenaries?”

This time he spoke to the high-ranking treasurer, the Marquis William. The Marquis carefully opened his mouth and answered the queen’s question.

“Are you being presumptuous…?” Even if we collect special taxes with the approval of Congress, the limit is to employ 3,000 people.”

“Whoa… Is that so?”

When Mary accepted Spain’s offer and gave off the impression that she was trying to block Calais, an urgent voice came out from the podium. It was the voice of Baron Grinstead, Logan.

“Her Majesty the Queen, may I ask you a question?”

“Logan, you?”

The Queen looked at Logan with a puzzled expression, but quickly corrected her expression. Clearly, Logan was said to be a soldier who had served as a ‘sergeant’ in an Eastern noble family.

Moreover, Mary had found answers to problems in Logan’s words several times before.

“Tell me something.”

For that reason, Mary gave permission for Logan to speak, hoping that something might happen. Soon, Logan’s voice rang out in the office.

“Once we join hands with France, Spain will not look kindly on us. Even if we accept Spain’s request right now and join the war, will it only lead to losing Calais to the French since there are so few soldiers?

“I don’t know if Spain will send troops to protect Calais, but there is no way they will protect Calais because they are so busy taking back the city in Flanders.”

“Are you saying we should reject Spain’s demands? How do you plan to resolve the trade sanctions that will follow?”

To Mary, who sounded frustrated, Logan opened his mouth in frustration, as if asking why he didn’t know this.

“Your Majesty the Queen, Spain is not the only country that can impose trade sanctions.”

Logan’s eyes showed a firm will as he confidently shouted that England could sanction Spanish trade.

The firm will to never participate in the war on the side of Spain, fight with France, and lose Calais.

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*Low Countries refers to the area where the Netherlands is now located. In the 16th century, it was a source of money for Spain until the Potosi silver mine was properly mined, and Emperor Charles V spent his childhood in a city called Gent.

*At the time, England’s North Sea trade routes were in the hands of Low Countries merchants. The lowlands prospered as a key point for North Sea trade, and wool trade took place in the way that England would store wool in Calais and lowland merchants would come and buy wool from Calais.

*At the time, the king had the power to declare war in England, but the consent of Parliament was required to levy a special tax to cover the costs of the war. This parliament refers to the House of Lords, the predecessor of the British House of Lords. It is said that there were no parties such as republicans or royalists in the 16th century parliament.