novelAbuy Chapter 1894 1367: Guards! Throw Columbus Into the Death Cell!
Chapter 1894 1367: Guards! Throw Columbus Into the Death Cell!
The religious authority lies in the human heart, in the religious morals and imagination that can be entrusted. And when Pope Alexander VI, with the most blatant and despicable secular cunning, trampled on the last moral authority of the Catholic Church... that also means, the Vatican, which could gather the consensus in the hearts of Catholic World adherents, has died suddenly, completely ceasing to exist!The upcoming Italian Wars are just the prelude to the downfall of the Catholic Court. And in the era of major division that follows, the struggle becomes more cruel with the Protestant Reformation, which has gradually ignited into the flames beneath the furnace from its latent embers. As for the flag bearer who blows the horn of the Reformation, Martin Luther from the Shenluo Saxony Elector State, is eleven years old this year, just displaying his beautiful hymn to God.
Of course, even the wise King Joao cannot imagine the storms of the next era! At this moment, he only slightly furrows his brows, writing an elegantly worded reply.
Prior to the onset of the Italian Wars, at the time when the French have already entered the fray and the Spaniards are yet to be involved, he needs to strive to maintain Portugal's neutral position, avoiding direct conflicts with Castile and Pope Alexander VI, and quietly await changes in the situation.
"To the esteemed Vatican and Pope Alexander VI, in the name of the Holy Father, the Saint Heir, and the Holy Spirit, we pay homage to the Latin sacraments and beautiful celebrations you bring to the Catholic World! Exerting Rome's astonishing wealth on dazzling sacraments indeed brings the Almighty's glory and extraordinariness!"
"However, while devotees praise the Church's generosity, the ambitious see only the wealth itself. The Italian Peninsula's abundance is not always guarded by the Almighty's radiance."
King Joao's message is concise, leaving room for the Kingdom of Portugal and implicitly warning Alexander VI not to focus on Portugal, but rather to pay more attention to the real threats from the Kingdom of France. Following this deeply meaningful preamble, he proceeds to write extensively about the treaties and traditions related to the Vatican, explicitly and implicitly arguing for Portugal's unique position in the Atlantic Ocean and the inherent logic of detaining Columbus.
"The Almighty bears witness! According to Pope Sixtus IV's decree in the Alcazovash Treaty, although Castile has sovereignty over the Canary Islands and exploration rights over more western islands... the 'unknown' rights and islands in the Atlantic should primarily belong to the Kingdom of Portugal, not the Kingdom of Castile, unless the Kingdom of Portugal voluntarily renounces them..."
"All previous Popes have acknowledged the priority principle of this treaty, and the power as the Governor of Eastern lands acquired by Columbus constitutes the theft of wealth and land from the Portuguese Royal Family."
Upon writing this, King Joao pauses slightly, his expression somewhat somber. From his perspective, when a European monarch needs to reference a treaty to maintain his rights, it implies that his power is insufficient to protect those rights, and he is destined to lose them!
Nonetheless, through such means, engaging in verbal sparring, delaying time to postpone the exploration of the Atlantic depths by the Castilians, and gaining some advantage for the Kingdom of Portugal... can still be achieved!
"The Almighty bears witness! According to Portuguese Royal Law, Castilian noble Don Christopher Columbus has committed six felonies! First, he led fleets to steal and plunder. Second, he harbored escaped slaves from royal manors. Third, he stole Portuguese navigational secrets. Fourth, he attacked the Kingdom Navy. Fifth, he damaged Lisbon Port facilities. Sixth, he impaired the property of merchant ships from various countries..."
"Based on these six crimes, adjudicated by the royal court judge, verified by Archbishop of Lisbon, and after royal leniency... Columbus is sentenced to fifteen months of imprisonment, then transferred to the Kingdom of Castile for accountability... Since incarceration started last May, Columbus has served eight months, with seven months remaining."
King Joao slightly bows his head, mentally calculating maritime time. Columbus has already missed last autumn's east wind season, missing an entire year's voyage. Although news of his discovery of the new Atlantic route has spread across the Iberian Peninsula, the Italian Peninsula, and even piqued the interest of the French King in the Paris Court...
In the past nine months, the only kingdom to actually take action and decisively send fleets to explore westward into the Atlantic has been Portugal!
Even the Castilian court, without receiving Columbus's detailed report and verifying the news, has similarly not directly dispatched fleets to sea, instead intensifying pressure on Portugal. Therefore, the longer Columbus is detained, the longer the delay in action by all nations!
Even if this increases the pressure on the Kingdom of Portugal or enhances Columbus's reputation in Castile... but King Joao is clear on the measure: calculate the delay time properly, let the Kingdom of Castile miss another October-level east wind season for sailing!
"Merciful Holy Mother bless! Columbus will receive treatment fitting his noble status, and his imprisonment will conclude this August! Before the mid-August 'Assumption of the Holy Mother,' the Portuguese Royal Family will release this Genoese-born Castilian noble, allowing him to bear his remaining guilt and return to the Kingdom of Castile to face punishment..."
"As for the other detained sailors, they will also be fairly released in accordance with the Almighty's teaching of mercy, upon the payment of reasonable compensation!"
King Joao closes his eyes, planning to release Columbus in mid-August, with slight delays along the way... so that upon his return to Castile and report in September, regardless, he will miss October's sailing!
With this arrangement, the Kingdom of Castile's exploration into the depths of the Atlantic will have to be postponed until next year, dragged into the autumn of 1495. By then, the Italian Wars are likely to be raging, making it uncertain how much power the Castilians can muster in maritime exploration...
Thus, the Kingdom of Portugal has two years of lead time to connect and explore the new Atlantic route! This is the maximum limit that can be strived for under the noble order of the Catholic World. And within these two years, what progress can Portugal's exploration fleets achieve?...
"Almighty bless! Where has Bruno's exploration fleet reached now? Have they established contact with the native kingdom connecting the East?"
Facing questions so far beyond the horizon, King Joao has many speculations but no answers. He can only patiently wait for Bruno's return voyage. And if they fail to return in six months, a new batch of Portuguese exploratory fleets will set sail again in the autumn!
After all, when it comes to the maritime exploration endeavor, the Kingdom of Portugal alone stands as the most professional...
"Hmm... This detention has indeed allowed the unruly Columbus to enhance his reputation! When he returns to the Kingdom of Castile, those greedy charges examined from the mouths of sailors will likely be forgiven by the Castilian Royal Family!"
"This is truly... Shiny things are not always gold; sometimes they are fool's gold."
King Joao squints his eyes, having no good impression of Columbus, who offended him. This great Navigator consistently displays an exceptional ability to offend people thoroughly in a short time.
"Nuno, where is Columbus staying now? Is it a noble cell?"
"Ah?... Yes, Your Majesty! Half a year ago, Queen Isabella sent a letter asking about what kind of crimes this acclaimed Navigator committed and what treatment he received? And after you read the Queen's letter, you showed tolerance and generosity, transferring Columbus to the noble cell, ensuring plenty of food and wine every day... and the latest report from the jailer mentioned that this great Navigator has not lost weight but gained a few pounds."
"Ha! The Queen respected me, and I respect her in return. And now, for this letter from Ferdinand... I will repay him with what he deserves!"
King Joao's expression turns cold, looking disdainfully at the letter from the King of Aragon, and he orders coldly.
"From today, lock Columbus up in the death cell, mixing him with those sentenced to hang! Food and water will follow the same standards, as long as he doesn't die!"
"Ah this? This... Yes! Per your command, Your Majesty!"