Calais

This port and surrounding region located in northern France was a place France absolutely had to reclaim.

Since being occupied by England early in the Hundred Years’ War, Calais had continuously remained English territory.

Calais was also an important region for England.

It was England’s only gateway to continental Europe and the export port for England’s famous wool.

By Edward III’s decree, those wishing to import or export English wool could only trade in Calais.

Therefore, beyond the issue of territorial recovery, France needed to seize Calais to tighten the economic noose around England.

Conversely, England had to defend Calais for the opposite reasons.

And the Medici didn’t want either England or France to gain the upper hand.

***

Cosimo continued speaking while looking at Lorenzo and Giovanni.

“As Giovanni said, if France wages war to seize Calais, we’ll have to spend far more money than anticipated. More than we can afford. And forget about receiving interest—we won’t even properly recover the principal. This is absolutely not what we want.”

Giovanni and Lorenzo nodded at Cosimo’s words.

“Indeed.”

When the Medici Bank lent funds to kings and nobles, the repayment period was at least ten years. And they considered the possibility of recovering the principal within that repayment period to be virtually nil.

What the Medici wanted were their rights as creditors and interest.

Of course, that interest wasn’t visible gold and silver coins but invisible concessions.

The best examples of this were the alum mines of Volterra and Edward IV’s loan.

***

Alum was an essential mineral for glassmaking, leather processing, and the textile industry—Italy’s core industries at the time.

This alum was imported from the Ottomans. However, the Ottomans controlled exports, and Genoa exercised monopoly rights.

But the situation changed when alum mines were discovered in Volterra. The Papacy pushed the project first, but then the Medici Bank decided to invest.

For the Medici, it was a natural decision.

First, Volterra’s location was crucial. Located about 50 kilometers southeast of Florence, Volterra was a subordinate city under Florence’s control. Therefore, they had to prevent the Pope’s influence from reaching it.

Second, they could stick it to Genoa, which exercised monopoly rights.

In the process of securing Suez, Cosimo had joined hands with Mehmet II. Having allied with the Ottomans, Cosimo asked to abolish Genoa’s monopoly. However, Mehmet II expressed reluctance.

“It’s a policy passed down from my predecessors, so I cannot change it carelessly.”

But both Cosimo and Mehmet II knew well this was just an excuse. Nevertheless, Cosimo had to back down. The Ottomans were too strong an opponent for Cosimo’s power alone, and Suez was at stake.

To properly confront the Ottomans would require organizing a crusade, and if that happened, Cosimo would have to abandon his interests in Suez.

However, with the discovery of alum mines in Volterra, they could stick it to Genoa greatly and to the Ottomans slightly.

To secure the Volterra mines, the Medici Bank showered the Pope and Papacy with bribes and provided additional loans.

Finally, accepting the condition of providing alum produced from the Volterra mines with a commission attached, the Pope banned importing alum from the Ottomans in papal territories.

***

Cosimo continued speaking to Lorenzo and Giovanni.

“This may sound like an old man’s nagging, but I must keep saying it. It’s for our family’s survival and glory.”

Cosimo taught Giovanni and Lorenzo based on his accumulated experience.

• Never lend money to only one side. If you’re not careful, that money could return as a blade aimed at our hearts.

To prevent that, you must also lend to the debtor’s competitors. Even if you can’t loan the same amount, you must loan enough to maintain good relations.

If you do that, they’ll become shields to protect us.

• Don’t prevent debtors’ extravagance. The more extravagant they are, the more we can gain.

After continuing with various other pieces of advice, Cosimo took a sip of wine he’d set aside and began wrapping up.

“…Speaking of debtors’ extravagance, this becomes the reason to lend not only to kings but also to nobles. England’s Edward III demonstrates this well.”

To establish England’s wool textile industry, Edward III implemented various policies, one of which was banning the import of wool textiles produced on the European continent into England.

However, discrimination existed even in this policy.

Wool textiles targeting commoners were completely banned, but imports of luxury wool textiles used by nobles were permitted to some degree.

This was Edward III’s unavoidable decision out of concern for noble rebellion. If the nobles rose up immediately, his power would become unstable.

This was the same for Edward IV and Louis XI, who were actively promoting royal authority. Even these rulers, evaluated as having overwhelmingly strong royal power compared to previous kings, yielded to nobles in certain areas.

“Lorenzo.”

“Yes.”

When called, Lorenzo immediately straightened his posture and looked at Cosimo.

“What I’ve said so far applies only to Europe. No, broadly speaking, it works up to the Ottomans. But remember that it doesn’t work with those Eastern nations—the Empire, Ming, and Japan. Especially the Empire and Ming are countries that could encompass all of Europe with just one nation. If we try any half-baked schemes, our family will be devoured. Keep this in mind.”

“Yes.”

Though he answered, Lorenzo’s expression wasn’t good. Seeing that expression, Cosimo turned to Giovanni.

“Giovanni knows from experience, right?”

“Yes, they’re absolutely not to be underestimated. Even Japanese merchants, who could be considered the weakest among them, are absolutely not to be taken lightly.”

Perhaps recalling unpleasant memories, Giovanni shook his head slightly even while answering. None of the deals he’d made traveling between the Empire, Ming, and Japan had been easy.

Among the Empire, Ming, and Japan, the most difficult opponent was undoubtedly the Empire. With other countries, dealing with merchants was enough. Officials just needed a little greasing and things went smoothly.

But the Empire was on a different level. The merchants were so cunning that even Jews would weep. And the Empire’s officials played above those merchants’ heads. Moreover, bribes didn’t work.

It was because of that damned ‘Records Bureau.’

Watching Giovanni, Cosimo looked back at Lorenzo.

“I hear you’ve been associating with dreamers lately.”

“They’re not dreamers but patriots.”

At Lorenzo’s answer, Cosimo snorted.

“Hmph! ‘Italian unification, revival of Rome’ isn’t a delusion? If that’s not a delusion, what is? People flying in the sky? Ah! That’s not a delusion. The Empire has already put people in the sky.”

Despite Cosimo’s reproach, Lorenzo expressed his views.

“Italy must become one. Otherwise, we’ll only be prey for other nations! Survival is impossible under the current city-state system!”

At Lorenzo’s protest, Cosimo answered with a serious expression.

“Your situational awareness isn’t wrong. Looking at Europe’s current situation, it’s certainly difficult to survive as a city-state.”

“Exactly! Therefore, we must achieve unification!”

“Sigh~.”

As Lorenzo raised his voice, Cosimo sighed and muttered.

“The Emperor who founded the Empire reportedly clicked his tongue whenever he saw his ministers during his reign—now I understand his feelings. Tsk!”

Clicking his tongue strongly, Cosimo began bombarding Lorenzo with questions.

“Not long after sending students to the ‘Land of Flowers,’ there were those among Florence University’s professors spouting the same nonsense as you. I asked them something then. You answer too. First, among Italians right now, how many recognize themselves as Italian? Everyone says ‘I’m Florentine,’ ‘I’m Genoese’—they name the city where they were born first. Do you think unification is possible in this situation?”

“We unify first, then educate.”

“Through education?”

“Yes, first make them aware they’re Italian. Their hometown comes second.”

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“Looking at Japan’s example, I think it’s possible.”

“Hmm…”

Hearing Lorenzo’s answer, Cosimo stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Since the passage to the East opened, much information from the East had entered Europe and the Medici. While it was merely curiosity satisfaction for other European monarchs, for the Medici and Cosimo, it was the most important intelligence.

Especially stories and information about the war between Ming and Joseon, and later the war that broke out again between Ming and the Empire, stimulated the Medici family’s youth and Florence’s young intellectuals.

“A weak nation gradually built its strength and defeated the great power that had oppressed them?”

“That was possible?”

Realizing that what they thought impossible was absolutely not impossible, the Medici family’s youth and Florence’s young intellectuals simultaneously arrived at the same topic.

“Then?”

The youth began examining possibilities by substituting Florence for the Empire. However, before long, they became discouraged.

“The situations are too different. Even though the ‘Land of Flowers’ was a small country, it was several times larger than Florence. We can’t ignore this aspect.”

Even combining the populations of Florence, Pisa, and all territories subordinate to Florence, it was far smaller than when the Empire proclaimed itself.

Faced with a reality too small except for financial power, the intellectuals who had dreamed of unification couldn’t help but despair.

However, what raised these discouraged people again was Japan.

More precisely, it was the Ouchi unification of Japan.

“The monarch and family that unified Japan also started as just one clan?”

Stimulated by the Ouchi unification of Japan, they began examining the Ouchi unification process in detail.

“This is the answer!”

Those who had been frantically researching and analyzing cheered with expressions like they’d found a ray of light in darkness.

Convinced the answer they wanted lay in Japan’s unification process, they delved deeper and more enthusiastically.

And those who delved so deep put their hands to their foreheads.

“Again the ‘Land of Flowers’ and its emperors?”