The Eagle of Eastern Europe

Due to the low cost of water transportation, this trade route from Moscow to Constantinople will rely on the Volga River, Don River, Dnieper River, Sea of ​​Azov, and reach Constantinople via the Black Sea.

In recent years, trade between Rome and Moscow has gradually increased. Wood and furs produced in Moscow were exported to Rome in exchange for luxury goods and other daily necessities. The planning and protection of trade routes could increase Moscow's income, and the Grand Duke could maintain pressure on Lithuania.

After acquiring Novgorod, Moscow had a large amount of trade income, but the local nobles and citizens did not approve of the Grand Duke's policy. Vasily's forceful dissolution of the local parliament resulted in some people fleeing to Lithuania, and Vytautas even provided them with asylum. This made Vasily angry. He wanted to use them to overthrow his rule. No, absolutely not.

On the one hand, Vasily increased armaments, and on the other hand, he used Novgorod's location and status to do business with the Hanseatic League. Novgorod was the easternmost trading partner of the Hanseatic League. Through the geographical advantage of "connected water and land routes", Novgorod exports furs, fish oil, walrus tusks, unicorn horns (impersonated from narwhal tusks), beeswax, and cannabis produced in the Rus region to Western Europe, and then imports them Items such as metal products, wine and jewelry.

Through trade, Vasily gained a lot of money. However, trade with Rome in the south grew slowly, so it was the Grand Duke's plan to take advantage of the opportunity to increase trade with the Roman Empire.

In order to protect the trade routes, the Ukrainian Dukedom sandwiched in the middle cannot be bypassed. However, Mihai, who was supposed to bring his wife, was nowhere to be found at the banquet, which surprised Peter. Logically speaking, he should be there.

At this time, Mihai and his wife Anna were meeting in a small room with an important guest, Sergei, the abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery, who came to discuss the succession of the Grand Duke of Moscow with Mihai on the order of the Patriarch of Moscow.

Vasily I has no heirs. Once he dies, the position of the Grand Duke of Moscow will be vacant. Younger brother Yuri is the most likely to succeed, but when there are voices in the country about Anna and her husband Mihai inheriting, he is not so safe.

Some boyar nobles persuaded the Grand Duke to make Mihai his heir. Not only was he a brother-in-law of the Rurik family, but he also had a powerful empire behind him and could be roped in as an ally. The nobles headed by Yuri took the Anglo-French war as an example and proposed that Anna had no inheritance rights and could not inherit the Principality of Moscow.

Both sides are competing for the support of various forces, and even foreign countries are beginning to compete. Rome would definitely support Michael, so Yuri would take the apparently surrendered nobles to win over Poland and Lithuania. They are also a major power in Eastern Europe and can compete with Rome. However, in doing so, Yuri completely ignored a neutral force in Moscow, that is, the Orthodox Church.

After the Moscow bishop was promoted to patriarch, he gradually played his social role. Opening charitable institutions, educating aborigines, etc., and building monasteries on the borders of the Kingdom of Sweden gave the church a lot of prestige, and the Moscow Patriarchate also occupied a place in the Grand Duke's government.

The Patriarch originally did not want to join in this succession battle. But Yuri's secret contact with Lithuania violated their bottom line. The prince can be changed and the dynasty can be changed, but the church will not fall. For the future of the church, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow sent Sergei to secretly contact Mihai and others.

"I know that my brother wants the Grand Duke position, but I also have the inheritance rights of the Grand Duke. We can also protect the lands of Moscow and their property, and of course we can also protect the status of the church."

Anna knew why the abbess came, and she started by protecting the religion, explaining that she and her husband would fight for the Orthodox Church.

"At present, the main domestic doubt about you and your husband inheriting the Grand Prince of Moscow is that foreigners cannot be accepted as rulers."

"I can protect Moscow and I will learn the local language."

Before Sergei finished speaking, Mihai said that he could learn the language and culture of Moscow and fight for them. It's not his fault, he really wants a position like his brother Peter's. The Roman Emperor is his, and his younger brother will also enter Bohemia through marriage. He also wants to be the ruler of a place where he has the final say. The Grand Duke of Moscow is his opportunity.

"I can dedicate everything to Moscow, but I also need the support of the Patriarch. The Patriarch doesn't want Moscow to be ruled by people from Vilnius, right?"

Sergei was quite satisfied with Mihai, at least in terms of religion. He wanted to return to Moscow quickly and explain the situation to the Patriarch. Who knew when the Grand Duke would be gone.

Mihai also wanted to find Peter. He thought that even if he failed in the battle, he would lead his army and sit on the seat of the Grand Duke of Moscow.

Although his rule in Ukraine was freer than Peter's, it was not exciting enough. What he wanted was a scene of a monarch charging into battle, and his father had already taken care of the place, so there was no challenge.

When he heard that Peter was winning victory after victory, he could no longer sit still. He also wants to gain glory on the battlefield, but he still needs to become the ruler of another country. Looking at it, Moscow is the most suitable choice.

The Ukrainian Dukedom has begun to show signs of improvement, and local reclamation is underway. The mining of minerals has also increased steadily, and Dehreim has developed into a small city. The funds sent by Constantinople have been reduced year by year, and soon they will no longer need to rely on subsidies from the central government.

Mihai also had trade links with the Cossack emirates, conducting transactions through Zaporozhye and Mircea Fortress. Both countries can obtain the goods they need, and the Cossacks' military strength is also what Mihai needs. Occasionally, there will be grassland robbers who come to rob, and the Cossacks are responsible for fighting them away.

Compared with the prosperous Ukraine, the economy of the Cossack Emirate seems somewhat backward. Because their political system is not the family inheritance system of surrounding countries, but a tribal electoral system. This allowed foreign countries to interfere in their internal affairs, as was the case with Rome. Some tribes that planned to break away from their control launched rebellions, but were eliminated by the pro-Roman Zaporozhye Cossack tribe. Poland and Lithuania continued to exert pressure, but their exertion was limited until they broke off with the Teutonic Knights.

The Roman Empire's trade in the Dniester and Dnieper rivers, Orthodox Christianity and alcohol controlled their beliefs and bodies. Their rebellious thoughts had been worn away, and some were only loyal to the empire. They only know that those who oppose Rome are enemies, and the ruling class also relies on the castle to maintain its status. It is not easy for Lithuania to restore its largest territory.