The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 45

[45. You Know Nothing, John]

-Ireland Territory-

Before me.

There is a merchant from Venice.

Not just any merchant, but a master merchant from the Republic of Venice.

My first experience with Enrico Dandolo was through the historical strategy game Civilization 5 in the 21st century.

The Enrico Dandolo in the game.

Was a very cunning character who perfectly showed how shrewd a merchant could be in the Middle Ages.

‘I only had a vague understanding of the history of the Byzantine Empire, but I know the iron-blooded merchant Dandolo, who started the Fourth Crusade and burned Constantinople, very well.’

Of course, that’s just future knowledge.

Right now, Dandolo is the person who will develop my ‘sales channels’.

In fact, Dandolo wasn’t originally in my plan.

If I were just going to be self-sufficient in Ireland,

The Safe Guild, based on ‘Peter’s’ maternal family, would have been enough.

I didn’t even think about trading with a cunning person who would enjoy playing with fire in the future.

But after dying once and living in the Middle Ages, I could feel it very deeply.

The Middle Ages were not as safe as the end of the 21st century that I experienced,

And as the owner of a weak power, I had to protect my own safety in various ways.

Yes, just because I’m in a Safe Zone doesn’t mean the world will look at me peacefully.

There were many people who hated me, including Philip II.

The medieval Europe is a scary place full of merchants who can bury me at any time if I’m not careful!

I needed to grow stronger.

Whether I liked it or not, I realized that I had to gather strength with many people.

That’s why I called him here.

Of course, my beloved wife Mary also prepared a sincere meal.

“This is a traditional Normandy dish.”

As expected of a member of the Claire family, descendants of the Vikings,

My wife’s most confident dish is meat that is easy to digest.

“And this is a Byzantine dish.”

Dandolo looked at my wife’s next dish with a surprised face.

“Ah, my husband likes Byzantine cuisine, so I learned how to cook it.”

Indeed, Mary is the queen of inner affairs!

It’s touching itself.

After presenting two special dishes, my wife quickly left.

“I’ll go outside now. You two, have a conversation.”

“Thank you.”

So, my wife put her handmade dishes on the table and went outside.

As always, wine is essential for important occasions.

“This is wine made from grapes cultivated directly in our Ireland.”

I poured wine made from Irish grapes into the glass for the sake of local products.

As we enjoyed the wine and food, feeling good.

“Isn’t the reason Your Highness is looking for me to find a reliable trading partner? But it’s questionable why you’re looking for us instead of Genoa.”

Genoa is a country of merchants who are Venice’s traditional rivals.

I have a history of purchasing quite a few cost-effective mercenaries from those Genoa guys.

He’s asking why I’m leaving them alone and trading with him.

“Enrico Dandolo, it’s because it’s you.”

I said leisurely.

“Oh, why is that?”

“Creating a safe trade route starting from Ireland, Mortain, passing through Richard’s Normandy, through the Holy Roman Empire and Venice, and ending in Acre is only possible by you in this Mediterranean.”

“Did you say a safe trade route?”

“That’s right. My plan is….”

With those words, my sales pitch began.

After a long time, Enrico Dandolo said with a satisfied smile.

“Your Highness, today was a really good time.”

“I was also happy to meet the most celebrated Venetian.”

A few days later, watching Enrico Dandolo leave, I thought.

‘No matter how I think about it, the battles I’ve experienced so far were just lucky. So, don’t be presumptuous and show your abilities in the areas where I can.’

In the original history, the discord between Richard I and King John was partly due to the fact that the representative of England at the time or John stepped forward without knowing his place.

In the original history, Richard wanted perfect supply from his home country of England when he set out for the Third Crusade, and John thought his brother was harassing him under the pretext of supply.

“Your Highness, this is a letter from the Duke of Normandy in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.”

“Bring it to me quickly.”

And inside the letter.

The introduction to a ‘serious’ story to be told in the Kingdom of Jerusalem was written.

Since a definite conclusion cannot be reached by letter, it means to come and see his face quickly.

**

-Republic of Venice-

Although they suffered some pain by angering the Crusaders, especially Frederick I, last time.

Now, the merchant republic of Venice, which has become celebrated again!

Many people were curious about Dandolo’s impressions.

They were curious about John, who has become the Timothy (a son of faith praised by the Apostle Paul) of Europe these days.

John.

The youngest prince of England, who was the best artist in Europe.

The people of Venice also knew him well for showing an artistic side that no one had expected.

In particular, John made it in medieval French, commemorating his grandmother.

-Who killed Grandma? Is it time? Or is it the terrible people who covet the succession~

Who killed Grandma!

The carriage is leaving.

No, I don’t regret it.

And a romantic man who confessed to Princess Agnes more than 200 times through that song.

That was the first impression of Prince John that the people of the Republic of Venice had.

But gradually, Prince John’s position changed.

John, who seemed to be the youngest prince immersed in art.

Before they knew it, he was governing the territory of Mortain Ireland and slowly showing his potential.

He became one of the young heroes in this Crusade.

He embarrassed Saladin’s brother at the Battle of Lepanto and rescued the Coptic brothers.

In the Siege of Acre, he showed a ‘heroic’ move by taking an arrow instead of the Holy Roman Emperor.

And he was resurrected by the grace of Christ from the brink of death. Three days after he collapsed.

At this point, he was enough to become a new icon of the Crusaders.

Enrico, who returned to his country, reported ‘exactly’ what happened in Ireland to Doge Orio.

After roughly informing other Venetian officials about the ‘work’, he returned to his home.

“Father, what did you think of Prince John?”

At the words of his son Ranieri, who asked that.

Enrico Dandolo thought for a moment, then quickly replied.

“He was also a lion.”

“Everyone knows that.”

Most people already knew that Prince John was the real deal.

“But they don’t know the exact truth about him, and everyone is just guessing.”

‘I only knew Prince John by guessing.’

You have to face a person directly to understand their true nature.

Now that I say it, Dandolo honestly underestimated Prince John.

He didn’t completely ignore John, but he thought of him as a talented person who had obtained various good fortunes.

But.

John, the owner of Ireland and the son Henry II loved the most, whom he met for negotiations.

Was something different.

He did not show the unique tendencies that medieval princes would have.

Even though the Republic of Venice was the core country of Mediterranean trade.

And Dandolo himself was a powerful figure in Venice, enough to be checked by Doge Orio.

Prince John’s attitude towards him was different from what he had expected.

He looked like a pragmatic diplomat, not a noble royal.

Above all, Dandolo grasped the reality well.

He knew what he had to do because he had already given up on being the heir to the throne.

A safe ‘trade route’ starting from Prince John’s territory of Ireland-Mortain, passing through Richard’s Normandy and Frederick I’s Holy Roman Empire, and ending in Acre.

Of course, there was almost no possibility that the trade route would be realized as John had promised.

But when I thought about the meaning of John’s words.

Doesn’t it mean the alliance of the Irish Normandy Fleet and the Venetian Fleet?

Prince John called that fleet alliance this.

‘The Holy Alliance Fleet’

**

I left my family again and set out on the sea road.

Of course, I was bored.

“Your Highness, what is this?”

“This is a card game I made.”

The simple yet subtly fun card game Blackjack.

The card game where you win by picking cards and getting close to 21 was also fun.

Everyone’s Holy Land, a similar board game where you roll dice and buy holy sites and parishes, which I commissioned Venetian painters to make, was also fun.

But our path is the path of the vast sea.

No matter how fun it was, time didn’t pass.

So, I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

I still felt like time wasn’t passing and I was bored.

Ah. Cute pirates… Why are they so quiet?

I have to catch them and make them slaves to row.

There is a shortage of manpower.

Why can’t I see them?

Anyway, as we headed to the port of Acre and arrived at Christian ports in the middle, we heard news from the main base.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders did not repeat the mistakes they had made in the original history.

What was that mistake?

It seems like it’s about time to have internal strife over the territories.

Fortunately, there were hegemonic countries balancing the situation: the Byzantine Empire, Great Britain, and the Holy Roman Empire, so internal strife did not easily occur.

Anyway, after disembarking at the port of Acre, we were able to arrive in the holy city of Jerusalem.

Baldwin IV, who was wearing a stiff iron mask to hide his disfigured face due to leprosy, greeted us happily.

“Welcome, John.”

And.

“Hey, long time no see.”

My second brother, Richard, came out to greet me.

“I missed you, brother.”

Far away.

The double-headed eagle flag symbolizing the Holy Roman Empire was visible. To welcome me.

The old Holy Roman Emperor seemed to be coming.

“My Lord John. You brought a lot of supplies? Good, then we should have a great time drinking today, right?”

This old man. Looking at his itchy mouth, it seems like he has a lot to say again.

**

-Somewhere in the Aquitaine Territory-

Especially now, at the end of the 12th century, when female politicians, symbolized by Queen Eleanor, are very active.

Like the noble ladies of early modern Europe who held salon [gathering in a private room] politics.

The medieval noble ladies, whose power was irrationally strong, sometimes engaged in behind-the-scenes politics.

Mary did so in Ireland.

Queen Marguerite does so in this Aquitaine territory.

Compared to her mother-in-law, Queen Eleanor, her presence is weak.

She is the third daughter of Louis VII and the sister of the current King of France.

Moreover, she was a woman who was evaluated as a beautiful princess, although slightly less than her younger sister Agnes.

‘But what good is beauty~’

Of course, Marguerite herself did not think that appearance was important.

Her distinguished mother-in-law, Queen Eleanor, was also the most beautiful woman in Europe.

But the people of the world know what happened to the most beautiful woman in Europe at the hands of her husband.

Moreover, Henry II left his seeds all over Europe, leaving his wife with such beauty.

Wouldn’t it be said that he could create an army with his illegitimate children?

She already knew that it was such a family.

Even if her husband, the young King Henry, had a ‘government’ [affair] before the honeymoon was over, she didn’t care.

From the beginning, it was a strategic meeting and a strategic marriage.

Marguerite did not have high expectations for her husband from the beginning.

So, she was not disappointed even if her husband, the young King Henry, made illegitimate children here and there with his father.

Because she didn’t believe it in the first place.

“You know, the men of the Angevin family have a special third leg.”

At the words of the head maid who had followed her since she was a French princess.

Princess Marguerite looked at the window and said.

“Anyway, John is doing well. According to my ‘plan’…”

It was not for nothing that she gave a special ‘gift’ to her youngest brother-in-law before the wedding.

Princess Marguerite already knew John’s specialty.

A letter from Philip II telling her to give more strength to the youngest prince John behind the scenes.

A letter from Geoffrey saying that his youngest brother should be safer.

A letter from her husband, the young King Henry, telling her never to touch Mortain and Ireland.

They all seem like friendly letters to John.

It’s bullshit.

Because those guys are all haters of John.

What she was most interested in was Mary’s letter, John’s wife.

It was the other two letters.

Anyway, Queen Marguerite, who had read the pile of letters,

Once again realized a new fact.

“Both sides are really messed up families.”

Both her own family and her in-laws were really amazing.

And a little later.

Two beautiful noble ladies came to Queen Marguerite’s castle.

“Welcome.”

-Yes.

-Nice to meet you.

They roughly accepted Marguerite’s greetings.

And started gossiping.

“Henry, that arrogant bastard.”

“We have to protect John. We must sincerely prevent Henry from wearing the crown day by day.”

“Ah, but… If Philip and John fight, whose side should we take?”

“I’m John.”

“I’m Philip.”

“….”

The women looked at Queen Marguerite and asked.

“Marguerite, what about you?”

“John is better, right?”

“Well?”

“Of course you have to help Philip!”

“Ah! What about poor John!”

These women were gambling.

Which of Philip and John would screw over the other first.

You Know Nothing John.

John knew nothing.

Stranger in Jerusalem (1)