January 1489, suburbs of Lisbon. The noisy celebrations gradually faded away from this civilian community. In the morning and evening smoke, the aroma of roasted whale meat can no longer be smelled. Although whale meat in this era was cheaper than mutton, it was not something ordinary civilians could consume for a long time. The Christmas celebrations have gone away with the New Year, and the busyness of civilians in the suburbs has begun again.
Thanks to the colonization of the southern continent, the Kingdom of Portugal became increasingly prosperous. Although most of the wealth brought by the great voyages flowed into the hands of nobles and merchants, a little bit of it also made it easier for the commoners in the royal capital to find a job without having to struggle on the death line of poverty.
Life in the Middle Ages was difficult, especially for peasants whose lords controlled everything. Poor small landowners and tenant farmers had to pay not only land rent, but also poll tax, family tax, mill tax, and heavy labor. Oh, and also indispensable, related to the salvation of souls, the church tithe.
In the Catholic world, except for the Swiss mountain people who have a high tradition of autonomy and a strong martial spirit, most farmers in Western Europe have struggled for hundreds of years under the dual oppression of the lords and the church. However, no matter how difficult life was, all peasant rebellions were suppressed by the knights' force. The bright Middle Ages belonged to the priests, the nobility, the knights, and now they also belonged to the merchants, but it had nothing to do with the peasants who accounted for 90% of the population.
Of course, the poor life of Portuguese civilians, although worse than that of Italian city-state citizens, is still better than the abject poverty of farmers in France and England. Among all the peasants, the German peasants who were cared for by the priests were at the bottom of purgatory.
Thirteen years ago, the last Pope, Sixtus IV, officially conveyed the Lord’s latest will to the Catholic world: the living must seek indulgence from the priest for their deceased relatives and friends who are still in purgatory, so that they can ascend to heaven early. The way to obtain amnesty is to purchase indulgences. After this decree was promulgated, not only did the German peasants live in purgatory, but even their deceased relatives who had finally escaped fell into purgatory again.
In the name of buying indulgences, taxes on the German lords were increased. The demands of the church priests became more and more greedy, making even the citizens of the HRE Free City unbearable.
At this moment, the German bachelor of literature, Johann Tiechler (Johazel), had abandoned his studies and followed theology, joined the Dominican order and became a glorious monk of the Lord. Theological monk Tiejil is about to start his promotion journey, from HRE to Poland, and then back to his hometown HRE, selling indulgences along the way to raise funds for the church. Finally, he will say that famous saying that has been passed down for thousands of years, completely overthrowing the foundation of salvation in Catholic doctrine, and preparing the most abundant firewood for the fire of the Reformation!
"When you donate money to a soul in purgatory, put it into the donation box, and when it makes a 'ding-dong' sound, he will come out of purgatory!"
At the same time, at Mansfeld Elementary School in HRE, a six-year-old child was reading a Latin Bible for the first time. He opened his clear eyes wide and spoke with difficulty.
" principio creavit Deus caelum et terram. (1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth) 2. terra autem erat ina vabsp; et tenebrae super faciem abyssi et spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas. running on water)..."
The child was thinking. As a young man, he could not understand these sentences. He just used his young and clear heart to instinctively recite and recite God's enlightenment. And his name was ordinary, Martin Luther.
Evening falls in the sea breeze, and fishermen return from the sea. The low voice of prayer resounded in the wooden and stone church and spread throughout the suburbs of Lisbon. An ordinary house located in a civilian community. The room was small, and a rush candle was lit on the old wooden table, bringing precious light.
A lamp is like a bean, swaying in the house. A middle-aged man in his thirties was writing with his head down, holding a quill pen in front of the wooden table. He had a long face with a hawk-nosed nose and prominent cheekbones, and his excited blue eyes seemed to be shining. On his left hand, there is a copy of Marco Polo's "Oriental Insights", and on his right hand, there is a copy of Ptolemy's "Geocentric Theory".
Directly in front of him, a huge "Tuscanelli Map" was spread out. On the map, there is a bright red route marked, starting from Lisbon, Portugal, all the way to the west, and after traveling less than half the circumference of the earth, we will reach the alluring "Spice Islands", "India" and "Serris"!
"To the holy, venerable, pious, wise, goddess-beautiful...Queen Isabella. The experienced and heroic navigator Columbus greets you!...In my estimation, according to According to Marco Polo's travel records, and according to the calculations of the great scholar Toscanelli, the circumference of the earth is..."
Writing this, Columbus, an experienced city-state navigator, paused and looked at the "Tuscanelli Map" on the table. This is a world map drawn by the late Florentine astronomer, Paolo dal Pozzo Toselli. It highlights the locations of "India" and "Serris", just to the west of the European continent.
Fifteen years ago, Toscanelli sent this map and the plan to sail west and reach the East to Fernand Martins, the priest of Lisbon Cathedral, and then handed it over to the then King of Portugal, Alfonso. Suo V. Alfonso V submitted the map to court scholars for review, and in the end it was only given a reply by astronomers with rich navigation experience that "the calculation is completely wrong."
Immediately afterwards, Columbus, the navigator who was also born in an Italian city-state, learned of the map and wrote to Toscanelli asking for it. Then, he was ecstatic to receive a reply from Toscanelli, and he regarded the map as a treasure and gave birth to a new navigation plan. The son of a woolen weaver in this commercial city-state was much more persistent than the astronomer Toscanelli. He held on to this plan all the way and worked hard for ten years. now...
"...The circumference of the Earth should be 12,000 kilometers! And the length of Eurasia should be 8,000 kilometers..."
Columbus wrote confidently and wisely. He pursed his lips, dipped his hands in cheap blue ink, and carefully wrote down the calculation formula in the letter... After a perfect calculation, he came to his subversive conclusion.
"In this way, as long as we start from the port of Palos on the southwest coast and travel 4,000 kilometers westward, we will reach the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean, which is a fertile land flowing with wealth, India full of spices, and Seles full of silk! ...India and Siris are just 4,000 kilometers overseas!"
Columbus lowered his head, his eyes full of hope. The light candles flickered on his table, like the bright stars outside the window, shining with infinite possibilities. However, just when he was full of hope and working hard to write a letter...
"boom!"
A violent crash suddenly came from the wooden door of the hut. In just two or three breaths, the wooden door was knocked open, and even the simple wooden lock was broken!
"Vaffanculo!"
Columbus cursed angrily. He looked up and felt a tremor in his heart. Two strong Slavic men holding big axes stood like stone pillars by the door of the hut. And a thin Jewish businessman, wearing a small hat, looked at him with a half-smile.
"It's you! Eleazar..."
Seeing the creditor, the anger on Columbus's face was immediately replaced by uneasiness. He stretched out his right hand, touched the sailor's knife in the corner, and asked in a low voice.
"You...how did you find this place?"
"Haha! Columbus, with your big mouth, how difficult will it be to find you?"
Eleazar looked leisurely and smiled lightly. He narrowed his eyes, looked at Columbus's stretched out right hand, and gave the order without hesitation.
"Go over there! Catch him!"
Two strong Slavic men immediately took action and strode over. There was no room to maneuver in the small house. As soon as Columbus reached out and touched the handle of the short knife, a heavy ax came towards him!
"boom!"
The Slavic attendant turned the ax handle and knocked Columbus to the ground with ease. The blue ink poured out immediately, completely contaminating the letter to the Queen. In just three or four breaths, the experienced and heroic captain of the city-state was pinned to the ground, with his face and mouth pressed into the mud.
"Merda! Woo...woo! Eleazar, you devil who deserves to go to hell!...Your soul is destined to struggle in the fire..."
"Ha! Columbus, the fleet of the Kingdom of Portugal, has returned from the southern continent. This time, they crossed the edge of Africa and actually found the route to India!"
Eleazar spoke leisurely. There was a smile on his face, but his light blue eyes were ruthlessly cold.
"The Kingdom of Portugal has mastered a new sea route! What's your sailing plan, haha..."
Having said this, Eleazar knelt down, stretched out his hand, and gently patted Columbus's face.
"I think it's time to talk to you again about your debt problem. As your old friend over the years, I am very interested in sending your soul... to the underground... Haha!"
You are a genius, remember in one second: Red Oasis:
