The Eagle of Eastern Europe

The relationship between Sigismund and Mary is difficult to improve. There will definitely be a contest between the two sides. Although Sigismund will not give anything, Mary will definitely pay with her life.

Although Peter could enter the horse training field with conditions, King Mary could not be seen every day. For this reason, he could only pay more ducats to let the person in charge inform her whereabouts.

"Your Majesty is so generous, why don't you just go to the king directly?" the person in charge said.

"Too many people want to see the king. When will they be able to see the king if this continues? So I plan to use a different method."

"I see"

The person in charge told Sigismund that he would rarely come here, but Queen Mary would often ride horses here. That was enough for Peter.

Queen Mary died in a horse riding accident when she was 6 months pregnant, killing one person and two people. Many people suspect that her husband Sigismund did it, but there is no evidence to prove that either he did not do it or he concealed it too well.

After learning about Mary's itinerary, the next step was to wait for her to appear. After all, he didn't know when Sigismund would take action, but it should be soon.

Taking advantage of this time, Peter also went to have a look around Buda. Agriculture is very good, and a large amount of grains and livestock are traded in the market, but the majority of the transactions are taken by the nobles, and the lives of farmers and serfs are very miserable.

Hungary's trade is similar to Poland's, both focusing on agricultural products. They transported large quantities of grain and primary products to Western Europe in exchange for handicrafts.

The strength of the nobility is inseparable from the glory of agricultural production, but this resulted in the formation of a centralized monarchy in Western Europe, and the formation of an aristocratic democracy in Hungary and Poland. The Hungarian nobles made huge profits by exporting agricultural products. However, these profits were not used for reproductive investment, let alone expansion. Most of the nobles had no interest in trade, transportation, etc., and were only interested in merchants from all over Europe rushing to their territories and estates. Feel contented.

"No wonder they don't agree to form an alliance. It turns out that they have lost the courage to make progress."

Peter's evaluation of the Hungarian aristocrats hit the nail on the head. After all, land is the greatest asset. Since you have land, why take risks.

On the outskirts of Pest, a simple Orthodox church stands here. This is for businessmen and travelers doing business in Hungary, and is also a secret stop for Andrei in Hungary. ,

Conversions gradually occurred elsewhere in Hungary under the influence of the dioceses of Wallachia and Transylvania. However, they encountered hostility from the Catholic Church and the nobility. Whether they were preaching in towns or villages, they would be hindered. The same was true for the location of the church. This place was still saved with great difficulty.

After Peter prayed here, he chatted with the priest and asked about the difficulties he encountered in Hungary.

The priest told Peter about the exclusion of the Hungarian nobility and the Catholic Church. Although Orthodoxy had taken root, it was mainly in Transylvania and was developing slowly in other places. It’s not easy to achieve such results, let alone teach yourself to persevere.

Peter didn't say much. He turned around and asked the local Wallachian merchants what goods were the most profitable in Hungary. The merchants replied that silk and luxury goods were the most profitable.

Come on, same as Poland.

At this time, most of Poland's land was still forests and swamps, and it would take until the 16th century for it to be reclaimed, but now Hungary is the real paradise. The Pannonian plain, one of the most productive places, quickly stabilized after being invaded by foreigners and became one of the most powerful countries in Europe. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Kingdom of Hungary began to expand its foreign trade, especially its trade with Italy and Venice. At the same time, Hungary's industry began to develop, especially the steel, textile and leather industries, which gradually became one of the pillars of the economy.

Although Wallachia also has fertile land, it has taken less time to develop, and it cannot be compared with the Hungarian Great Plains now. If he formed an alliance with Hungary, the abundant food would be at his disposal.

At this moment, there was a quarrel outside. Peter looked out and saw several people escorting a farmer, followed by a richly dressed landowner and a fierce-looking entourage.

"Let me ask you, when will your family pay back the rent and taxes it has owed for several years?"

"Master, my family is really gone. Can you give me a few more days?"

The old man looked at the peasants begging for help with a sinister smile on his face.

"Grace, it's already been a month, how long do you want to wait? You really think I'm doing good things, don't you?"

"Sir," the farmer stepped forward and kissed his feet. "Please"

"It's really hard to do this now. Since we can't afford the money, let's use your daughter to pay for it!"

"master…"

Peter looked at this scene and gained a new understanding of the situation of the Hungarian peasants.

"Who is this guy?"

"Sir, he lives in nearby Norfolk. According to their family tree, his ancestors fought with King Stephen, so he was rewarded with a large amount of land. With continuous purchases, he is now a very famous landowner. .”

In the pastor's explanation, the Norfolk man was most famous not for his wealth, but for his greed. He squeezed his farmers and serfs very hard. Not only did they have to give him two-thirds of their annual income, they also had to work for him four days a week. If you can't survive, you can borrow food from him, but the interest rate is so high that you can't even pay it back.

"Is this just an exception?"

"Almost all Hungarian nobles are like this, but to varying degrees."

Hungarian agriculture was based on serfdom. Most of the land was owned by the nobles, and peasants could only farm on the nobles' territories and provide labor and taxes for the nobles. The status of farmers is relatively low and they live in poverty.

Agriculture has always played a very important role in Hungary's economic development. In the early Middle Ages, Hungarian agriculture was mainly self-sufficient, with farmers growing their own crops and raising livestock to sustain themselves. However, as Hungary's population grew, farmers' arable land and pasture areas gradually decreased, which led to difficulties in agricultural production.

To solve this problem, the kings of Hungary began giving land to the nobility and church so that they could begin to cultivate the land. In the process, peasants began to become tenants of the nobility and church, who were required to pay rent to landowners in exchange for the right to use the land.

In Hungarian rural society, the nobility and the church were the dominant classes. They usually owned large amounts of land and resources, and held political and economic power. Under such circumstances, Hungarian farmers can usually only rely on the patronage and support of landowners to maintain their production and lives.

"I see," Peter said, thinking about how to crush the Hungarian nobility.