Great time travel

Chapter 31, Knights, Queen and Pope

All in all, the Pope’s Chief Physician, His Excellency Jorlick, who dedicated his life to his duties, was unfortunately instilled with shocking negative energy by the “false angel” Ma Tong, who had no integrity and was full of jokes, and made his outlook on life, values ​​and His outlook on career collapsed beyond repair, and finally his eyes turned black and he passed out... No one knows whether he will have a clear mind and a great understanding after waking up, and will write a book "The Appearance of the Kingdom of Heaven".

At the same time, Li Wei, who is relatively more upright.Cavalier Bacon, also in a heavily guarded mansion in the city of Avignon, had an audience with his titular monarch-the present Countess of Provence and Queen of Naples, Joanna I (1328-1382).

——Queen Joanna I of Naples, also known as Joanna of Anjou, one of the famous "Bloody Queens" in medieval Europe.She was originally Queen of Naples who ruled southern Italy, but like those medieval dignitaries who held many titles, in 1348, Joanna I also carried the titles of Countess of Provence, Queen of Sicily and Queen of Jerusalem-among them , The latter two thrones are quite nonsense: Although Sicily once belonged to the Kingdom of Naples, it is now an independent country and has long been an enemy of Naples.As for the holy land of Jerusalem, it has already been taken back by pagans for about a century... Of course, Queen Joanna's rule over the Provence area is also in name only, and she rarely even sets foot in the capital Marseille Port, but at least she can get help from the princes. Collect a little tax and tribute.

Therefore, the core territory that really belongs to Her Majesty the Queen with many titles is only the Kingdom of Naples under the rule of the Anjou Dynasty.What's even more sad is that last year, the unlucky queen lost even the "basic base" of Naples, and now she can only stay in Avignon to avoid disaster. Before that, Queen Joanna had a political marriage with the King of Hungary The younger brother, Prince Andrei, married, thereby defeating other heirs, and was able to ascend the throne in 1343.But the problem is that the couple have been strangers and even hostile to each other from the very beginning because of power disputes (Queen Joanna chose to be crowned alone, refusing to rule the country together as a couple according to the custom, sharing the crown with her husband Andre).In June 1345, her husband Andre was suddenly besieged by a large number of killers one night, strangled to death and thrown out of the window, and Queen Joanna was the biggest suspect.

What's more terrible is that Isolde, the nurse who took care of Andre at that time, was a very fierce woman. She not only scared the murderer away by shouting loudly, but also sent the prince's body to the church, and told the Hungarian knight what happened again. The knight told the king of Hungary (that is, the prince's eldest brother), and then wrote to the pope and the monarchs of European countries to appeal for the prince's grievances, causing rumors to spread in the courts of all European countries for a while, and everyone believed that it was Queen Joanna, the poisonous woman. In order to monopolize power alone, she killed her husband... The house leak happened to rain overnight, and the brother of Prince Andrei who was killed, Lajos I, the greatest king in Hungarian history, also took the opportunity to intervene, uniting with the opposition nobles in Naples, Join forces with Queen Joanna.

In 1347, Lajos I sent a Hungarian intervention army across the sea to invade Italy. With the acquiescence of other Italian princes, they raised troops against Joanna I, the "poisonous woman who murdered her husband".Inside the Kingdom of Naples, the hearts of the people were chaotic. Not only could they not organize effective resistance, but even many nobles took the initiative to lead the way for the Hungarian army, causing the capital Naples to fall quickly.After the unlucky Queen Joanna withdrew from the capital, she found that she could no longer stand up in the country, and even her life was in danger, just like King Louis XVI of France after the French Revolution...

In the second half of 1347, just before the Black Death spread to Europe, Queen Joanna left her three-year-old son (who later died of the Black Death), fled the Italian peninsula in haste, and crossed the sea to her other territory Provence wanted to mobilize troops here to take back Naples, but was treated coldly because of the stigma of "killing her husband". Therefore, the queen had to go to Avignon again and asked Pope Clement VI to cleanse her of the crime.

——Judging from the various documents and signs at the time, Queen Joanna's murder of her husband was likely to be true, otherwise the whole country would not have rebelled all at once... As for why she murdered her husband rashly? It can only be explained as the impulsiveness of this underage girl when she didn't think carefully.You know, she was only 15 years old when she got married and became king, it is said that she was only 17 years old when she killed her husband, and she was just 1348 years old in 21, a little younger than the grade of the protagonist Wang Qiu in this book who is not a college graduate. Son!
Of course, in the Catholic Church these days, any service requires a price tag.Therefore, in order to get Pope Clement VI to acquit her and support her, the penniless queen in exile gritted her teeth and resolutely sold her ancestral property, paying the city of Avignon and its surrounding land for [-] Florin gold coins (roughly equivalent to It was sold to Pope Clement VI at a price of [-] million yen in the modern world, a medieval city is really cheap!

——It is difficult for future generations to imagine that although the European Catholic Church has been in Avignon for more than 30 years at this time, the "property rights" of the land in Avignon still belong to the Earl of Provence, or even the Earl There are only a few directly-administered territories in Provence (the rest of the territories are divided by disobedient princes).The Catholic Church is only a temporary "borrowed" tenant in Avignon, and they still have to collect rent (God knows whether the popes will pay the rent on time), which is almost the same as the governments in exile in London and New York during World War II. The same nature... It was not until after the "Queen Joanna's offering of soil" this time that the "holy city" of Avignon really became the property of the Holy See.

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After the deal is concluded, the church that has benefited will naturally help the queen to restore the country, but the problem is that before Pope Clement VI can take action, the Black Death comes—a terrible plague that devours the world In front of us, all political struggles and military actions have come to naught!

This unknown disease made doctors all over Europe feel guilty because they could not help others.They don't understand where the disease comes from, the cause of the infection, the channel of the infection, and when it will end.If they ventured to visit the sick, it would serve no purpose, and they would receive no bills, because all the infected were dying.Doctors were helpless, and many doctors themselves became infected victims.On the contrary, there are many priests who take advantage of the fear of the people, bluff and deceive, sell some sacred objects that are said to be able to cure diseases, and make profits from them.
In just one or two months, a quarter of the members of the Holy See died of the plague, and the remaining senior priests fled in all directions, causing the Holy See to fall apart. Even the Pope abandoned his palace and hid in a castle in the countryside. Who cares about Joanna I, the troubled queen?
Faced with this terrible plague, people fell into deep fear.They seemed to be witnessing the end of the world, God punishing all evils on earth.Devout people prayed to God in despair: "...benevolent God, please calm your anger, please don't destroy all people in the world in this way, and don't let justice and evil be blamed together." However God refuses to respond.Most people begin to feel that hell is coming to earth.Perhaps evil and death will triumph before Christ comes to judge right from wrong.

Watching Avignon become a city of death, Joanna I, who was only 21 years old, was also very anxious, lest she would die from the plague, but she didn't know what to do-flee to other cities?The same plague is spreading all over the south of France, nowhere is safe; hide in the countryside?The queen has many enemies in this world. Once she loses the protection of a powerful person, an assassin may come to her immediately!

As for the important matters such as raising troops to restore the country, crossing the sea to suppress the rebellion, at this moment when his life and death are in danger, he can no longer take care of it.

Just when some of Joanna's entourage began to contract the plague one after another, forcing the queen to think about whether she should go to the pope's country castle and find the old guy to live with him when she was desperate. The miracle came suddenly!

——The holy angel descended from the sky, spreading the holy light to cure the plague; the knight favored by God came from afar, bringing the gospel of the gods!

Under that incredible white holy light, the Black Death, which made all doctors helpless, was cured in an instant!
Oh, God!Queen Joanna couldn't even imagine in her dreams that this disaster would unfold beyond the limit of imagination!

Then, what surprised Queen Joanna even more was that Li Wei, who was favored by God and surrounded by angels, was like the reincarnation of Jesus.Knight Bacon, not only took the initiative to come to visit her, commanded the angels to help treat the loyal ministers and subordinates who followed her in exile, but also had no arrogance in his speech, still regarded himself as a subject, treated her very respectfully, and finally brought the Queen There is very encouraging news.

——Because of the fear of the plague, the Hungarian army just withdrew from Naples hastily, and the biggest obstacle to her return to the country has disappeared!

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"...Great knight! I don't know how to thank you for your good words and bravery. If I can successfully recapture Naples this time and successfully defeat those hateful traitors, I am willing to give anything I have to thank God for the gift. You are rewarded for your generosity."

At the door of the temporary apartment, Queen Joanna, with blond hair, a round face and a slightly chubby figure, not only sent it out in person, but also bowed sincerely to Li Wei, "...I can't wait to go back to the palace in Naples and see it with my own eyes. Those traitors have pleaded guilty and obeyed the law!"

——According to the enemy report just sent to her by Knight Li Wei, the Hungarian army that invaded Naples has completely retreated, and they dare not stay in this country where the plague broke out; at present, Naples is in chaos, the dragons have no leader, and they are in complete anarchy state.

In such a situation, as long as she can get the support of the Catholic Church, restore her righteous status as a legitimate king, and then lead a small army to land in Naples, suppress the local chaos, and then contact her own faction supporters, You can easily stage a good show of "The Return of the King"!

Next, the loyal knight Li Wei even further stated that since God gave him the important task of going to Italy to eliminate the plague, so after obtaining the pope's approval, he could drop in to help and personally escort himself back to Naples with troops. Even those incredible angels will be dispatched together at that time!Use the thunder that punishes the enemy and the holy light that cures the plague to support the restoration of yourself, the legitimate queen!
This indescribable and unprecedented good news almost made Queen Joanna dizzy with joy—think about it!A group of holy angels blatantly quelled the rebellion and restored the country for themselves. Doesn't it mean that their throne has been approved and endorsed by God!From now on, which bastard who doesn't know how to live or die dares to say that he is morally corrupt and not qualified to be king?Do you think your vision is more correct than God?
In Queen Joanna's eyes, it was very easy for Knight Li Wei to ask her to help—whether it was to act as a guide and introducer, leading him and the angels to and from the palaces and government offices of various Italian states, and to communicate with those local dignitaries. Let's mediate and negotiate!With the status of an angel and the threat of the plague, who in Italy dare not obey orders with awe?Not only is he not losing money, but he can also take the opportunity to greatly increase his face in front of foreigners!

So, after getting such a super gift package, Queen Joanna couldn't help but licked her lips, seeing the handsome appearance of this Rhode Island knight with mixed-race features, and became more and more happy—well, she simply took advantage of it. Taking this opportunity, is it a good choice to develop a relationship with this knight favored by the gods?Being able to sleep with such a holy person, maybe I can also get more grace from God...

"...This is my duty, Lord Earl. No matter what status I have achieved, you are the lord and benefactor of my territory!"

Li Wei didn't seem to have noticed the queen's slight heart, just smiled and raised his fist across his chest, and lightly tapped the armor on his chest as a salute, "...but with all due respect, if you can return to Naples , the first task is probably to save people, not to kill! Those traitors who conspired with the Hungarians to drive you out of the capital last year, God has punished you with the plague-as you can see, Avignon The epidemic around the world is very serious, and the situation in Naples is even more terrible. On average, one out of five people may not survive!"

He said very seriously, "...in the Kingdom of Naples at this moment, most of your enemies have actually left this world forever, just like many of your subjects, and the rest are not worth mentioning. As long as you Put up your flag on the coast of southern Italy, and you can kill it with one blow. The real problem you need to face is after you regain the throne-and this requires the cooperation of all Italian states..."