eastern european eagle

Chapter 58 Economic and Cultural Development of the Principality

Wallachia was victorious in the front, but it was also developing slowly in the rear.

Through the Hanseatic League, the United Duchy began to grow grapes and raise sheep.The rural handicraft industry also developed to a certain extent, and the export of silk, honey beeswax, and linen surged.Tariffs are also gradually increasing.

Of course, there is another policy jointly promoted by the Grand Duke, the Senate, and Peter, which is to encourage childbearing.

Population has always been regarded as the most important national resource, and it is born together with agriculture.The stronger the scale of agricultural production, the stronger the national power.Large-scale agricultural production requires a large amount of labor to maintain, and the size of the population is directly related to the country's taxation and military service.Population is the foundation of a country and an important indicator of whether a country is strong or not.Therefore, whether it is an Eastern country or a Western country, the rulers all regard the value-added population as the core task of stabilizing the rule.

Grand Duke Mircea decreed two years ago that a woman with three children should be exempted from taxes.There will also be certain rewards for four or five children.

And in Constanta, the first hospital was built, run by religious personnel.It is used to protect newborns and mothers from various postpartum diseases.

By encouraging childbirth, it will not only increase manpower and agriculture, but also continue to expand the main ethnic groups in the country.The fate of Austria-Hungary cannot appear.

Some craftsmen from northern Italy and Shinra came to the principality, and some foreign communities began to appear.Including Bohemians, Germans, Poles, and Armenians.

Industries such as glass and ceramics developed from scratch, which added impetus to the principality's foreign trade.The country's merchant groups began to be active in Poland, Hungary and other countries.

Among them, Venice and Genoa are the most jealous. These two maritime powers can't wait to swallow this place.In particular, Genoa has been a bit harsh on them in terms of trade since their failure to claim land.

Peter also had expected it a long time ago, and responded by cultivating his own merchants and opening up northern trade routes.At the same time, Dobroga has become a pilot site for various reforms. Who makes the lord more powerful?

On the issue of farmers, Peter promoted the policy of combining taxation and labor into one, integrating labor into taxation, and then the government used the money to hire people to do things.

This approach can improve the enthusiasm of farmers and promote the development of commodity economy.At the same time, Constanta's trade exchanges are closer, which makes the tax shift more towards industrial and commercial taxes.

But the situation in each place is different, so the Senate implements different policies for each place.Where the development is good, land rent in currency is promoted, and where the development is poor, land rent in kind is the mainstay.The Grand Duke also tried his best to reduce the duration of corvee, so that the common people had more time to have children.

As for the serfs, Mircea finally made a compromise with Boyar.Serfs could spend money to redeem themselves, or they could gain freedom through the lord's "mercy", but if they wanted to continue farming the land, they had to pay rent to the lord.

This is already very tolerant compared to other countries.Looking east, during the period from the decline of the Principality of Kiev to the rise of the Principality of Moscow, foreign invasions, civil wars, droughts, infectious diseases and other disasters occurred frequently, which deepened the dependence of the peasants on the landlords and the shackles of the landlords on the peasants. .Gradually, farmers had only one opportunity a year to go out from their masters, around St. George's Day in late autumn.Of course, this assumes that their debts are paid off.

Mongol extortion further aggravated the impoverishment of the Rus economy.As Liubavsky said: "A huge parasite lives in the flesh of the Northeast Rus people; it sucks the nutrients in the body, consumes his physical strength for a long time, and creates chaos in his body from time to time." Except Mongolia In addition to the effects of conquest and blackmail, the Black Death also arrived in northeastern Russia in the mid-14th century, where it recurred over the next 100 years.Ross' population loss was heavy.

Economic development also requires corresponding superstructures and laws. Mircea divided the country into 28 provinces.High officials are appointed by the Grand Duke and are loyal to the Grand Duke.

During the absence of the Grand Duke, the Senate is responsible for the daily affairs of the country.Of course, all the orders of the Grand Duke must be carried out.

Naturally, Peter is also in charge of business and trade. In order to support the reform, he handed over all the customs duties at the four ports.This moved Mircea very much.

The power of Peter was second only to the Grand Duke. In order to increase income, he began to monopolize the state on salt.At the same time, he is also the only boyar who can produce and trade salt, and his profits are very large.

For the vast majority of people, agriculture is the center of their economic life.Rye, wheat, oats, barley and millet make up the basic crops.Agricultural technology is about the same as in Eastern Europe.Agricultural implements include wooden plows, iron plows, rakes, scythes, and scythes.In addition, raising cattle, growing vegetables, hunting, fish farming, beekeeping, and more specialized crops such as flax were also important agricultural activities.

The development of commerce is faster than that of agriculture. The principality exports agricultural products and handicrafts, imports luxury goods, and other taxes are added, and it can still pass.

As for culture, although the art, literature and architecture of the Principality has developed rapidly, it is still inferior to Western Europe and Junbao.

For the cathedral in the new capital, no results have been reached on the design.Because the design is still being planned, the capital can't be sloppy, but it's a time of war, so let's wait until the end.

People of some cultures basically came out of the Constanta Academy. They compiled the stories passed down orally by the people into books, and then spread them all over the place through bards.The Constanta Library is the largest library in the area and has the largest collection of books.

Under the joint promotion of various folk authors and writers, various literary forms have developed, and literary themes such as humorous poems, fables, poetic stories, rhyme chronicles, travel notes, farces, and satirical essays have become popular. Come.Some literary works such as folk tales and fairy tales, historical works, stories promoting ethics and describing anecdotes and anecdotes from various places have been welcomed by literati, scholars and ordinary people.

As for fine arts, they generally followed the Byzantine tradition, while also developing and retaining their own characteristics.There are three types of paintings commonly seen in the Middle Ages, namely frescoes, icons and illustrations.Frescoes are generally painted on the interior walls and vaults of churches, and some are painted on exterior walls; icons are generally painted on wooden panels between the altar and the nave; illustrations mostly appear in the form of decorative patterns in religious In manuscripts and documents, and sometimes in books other than religious writings.

(End of this chapter)