Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 743
Episode 743: Generational Change (1)
In the 14th year of the Imperial Calendar (1462),
the French regime changed.
Charles VII, the Victorieux, died and Louis XI, the Prudent, ascended the throne.
The change of royal authority was several months late compared to the history before Hyang intervened.
The relationship between Charles VII and Louis XI was more of a political relationship than a father-son relationship.
It wasn’t bad from the beginning.
In the second half of the Hundred Years’ War, when Charles VII regained Paris and France gained the advantage, Louis XI entered the war at the age of 16 and began to build up his achievements step by step.
It was with the ‘Fragheri Rebellion’ in 1440 that the strained relationship between father and son began to surface.
The start of the rebellion was the announcement of the ‘Edict of Orleans’.
The nobility strongly opposed the edict banning the establishment of a standing army and the taxation of nobles from holding private armies.
Louis XI participated in this rebellion as an aristocratic faction and rebelled against his father.
However, the rebellion was suppressed, and Louis XI was ordered to concentrate solely on ruling his fiefdom, the Dauphine. It was a type of exile.
That wasn’t all. In order to keep England, his war opponent, in check, he married Margaret, the daughter of King James I of Scotland, under the orders of Charles VII. However, the couple’s relationship was at its worst, and to make matters worse, the relationship between father and son deteriorated further when Margaret died in 1445.
Afterwards, the relationship between father and son continued to deteriorate.
In 1448, Louis
However, even in such a situation, Louis XI continued to rebel against Charles VII and took an independent path, and soon the worst happened.
In 1451, he signed a secret agreement regarding the division of the Duchy of Milan and pursued a marriage with Carlota, the daughter of Louis I, Count of Savoy.
The problem was that while Louis
Charles VII, who could not control his anger, sent an army to arrest Louis XI in 1456, and Louis XI fled to Burgundy.
Afterwards, Louis XI was protected by Philip III the Good, and Louis XI waited for an opportunity to arise.
Afterwards, he received word that Charles VII was in critical condition, but Louis XI thought it was a trap and did not move immediately.
Then, when Charles VII’s death was confirmed, he returned to Paris, held a formal coronation ceremony in Reims, and became king.
* * *
After the coronation, Louis XI stayed at Amboise Castle on the banks of the Loire River.
Although it was lost to the English army and then recaptured, Paris was an unwelcome place for the French kings for various reasons.
This rejection was especially severe for Louis
“Hmm… what should we do next?”
Louis XI looked out the window and muttered to himself.
Louis XI, who ascended the throne, immediately looked into the legacies left behind by his predecessor, Charles VII.
“It’s unfortunate…”
Louis XI, who was looking at the inheritance, looked perplexed.
Among the legacies left behind by Charles VII, the most useful was the standing army, the Edict Army.
The problem was that he was also involved in the rebellion caused by this imperial army.
Thanks to this, as soon as he ascended to the throne, nobles who insisted on the abolition and restoration of the Imperial Army were putting pressure on him.
“Restoration is not possible…”
Louis XI had no intention of accepting the nobles’ demands.
Although a truce was signed with England, war could break out again at any time. In that case, those nobles could go over to England as much as they wanted according to their own interests.
And there were still strong enemies inside France.
This was the country of Burgundy, where he had been sheltering.
After the Treaty of Arras, Burgundy, freed from its feudal obligations to the King of France, was a de facto independent state.
From then on, Burgundy’s policy stance was to actively keep France in check in order to maintain its independence and expand its power.
In particular, it was Louis
“In order to stabilize the kingdom, I, the king, need an army and officials that I can control and move with certainty. And a tax system that can support this. In other words, the Edict of Orléans cannot be abolished.”
Louis XI, who was analyzing the situation of himself and his kingdom, clenched his fists.
“The only conclusion is ‘imperialization.’”
* * *
For European intellectuals and monarchs of this period, the empire was a ‘utopia.’
-People who are hardworking and loyal to their country.
-Honest officials who work day and night for the well-being of the country.
-Scholars who tirelessly conduct academic research and the society and systems that support them.
-A society where hard workers are respected regardless of their occupation.
– An avenue through which even poor and lowly people can immediately petition the emperor if they have any injustice
– An emperor who has great power but does not abuse it carelessly and receives absolute loyalty from the people.
Although it seemed like a utopia to Europeans who were accustomed to the bankruptcy system, letters sent by professors and students living in Seoul proved that this was not just a fantasy.
And European monarchs and intellectuals who heard this information dreamed of reforming their countries.
It was a reform movement that would come to be called ‘imperialization’.
However, although they dreamed of an ’empire’ and called for ‘imperialization’, their destination was not the same.
-A being who monopolizes all power and leads the country with the help of specialized bureaucrats.
If this was the ‘imperialization’ that the kings dreamed of, the meaning of ‘imperialization’ that others dreamed of was different.
-A society where knowledge can be freely explored, free from religious restrictions.
-A society without taxes that are set indiscriminately without reasonable standards.
The shape of the empire dreamed of by those who called for ‘imperialization’ in this way was different.
But even though we had different dreams, one thing was the same.
-Exclusion of the noble class.
The kings wanted to monopolize power, and people from other classes had the opportunity to secure their rights and rise in status.
“In order for the construction of the great French Empire to succeed, the nobility must first be weeded out. But what is needed to weed out these nobility is imperialization. And what is needed to make imperialization successful is money.”
After speaking up to that point, Louis XI placed his hand on his forehead.
“Money is the problem. Is that why the empire is so eager for trade?”
* * *
While in hiding in the Dauphine and Burgundy countries, Louis
At first, it was mainly about interests such as the strange objects and scenery of the empire. But soon Louis XI had other questions.
“How did Joseon become an empire?”
Louis XI asked the scholar the question he had. The scholar nodded and answered Louis XI’s question.
“I’m curious about that too. I want to research it, but…”
The scholar slurred his words, but Louis XI understood right away.
“If you need funds, let me know. I will support you.”
“thank you.”
Scholars who received support from Louis XI began to travel around the empire to gather information.
‘Gyeongjang’ was created by analyzing the data collected not only from the empire, but also from the Ming and Japanese countries when necessary.
Louis
“Are you saying the king took the initiative to carry out this?”
“That’s right.”
“Weren’t there any nobles in the empire?”
“There are people called noblemen.”
“So you’re saying it was a success?”
“Of course they say there was a rebellion.”
The scholar explained to Louis XI about the ‘Guille Rebellion’. After hearing the explanation, Louis XI nodded and muttered to himself.
‘After all, force is the key.’
* * *
Recalling old memories, Louis XI thought of the situations he would face in the future and the things he would have to do.
“Despite the efforts of the late king, the power of the nobles is still strong. It is impossible for me alone to break the power of the nobles. No, I don’t know when I will die. To avoid this, I need to increase the power to keep the nobles in check. The best thing is, of course, the Estates General. But the priests must be on the same level as the nobles. Then, as the king of the empire did, he must take control of the commoners, especially the merchants. And to take over the merchants, just like the empire…”
Louis I wrote down on a blank piece of paper the policy that would be put into their hands.
-Tax reform
-Mandatory education
“This is the most obvious, but what we need is money… whew.”
Louis XI sighed and quenched his appetite.
“In order to reform the system, you need money, and in order to get money, you need to reform the system, and it goes around and around… Phew~.”
Louis 11, who was sighing as he watched the problems going round and round, lifted up the ledgers that were placed on one side.
“Is this why you are so obsessed with Suez?”
Louis XI understood why Charles VII showed deep interest in Suez.
“Even now, there are significant profits from reselling goods coming from Suez. It is said that the king of the empire that first started light clothing used the monopoly system to secure funds. If that is the case, then I should also make good use of it.”
Louis XI, who remembered Suez, took the lead.
“It’s not just Suez. If you look at Portugal, the profits it makes from Africa are enormous. In that case… it has to expand into the sea as well as Suez. Should we try using the nobles for this part?”
Louis
Louis
“Whew~. My head hurts. I need a strategist…”
Louis
“I heard that the king’s advisor who first performed the sutra was the Dauphin de Viennois? But I heard he was around 10 years old at the time… Is this true?”
Louis XI, recalling the rumors related to incense, shook his head.
“If that’s true, then you’re not even human.”
At the same time, in Shinji’s office, people were muttering as incense filled their ears.
“Who else is criticizing me? This is it… there are too many suspects…” I
know very well that there are at least a few hundred people who will criticize me, not only in Shinji Temporary Palace and Area 52, but even as far away as Seoul. It was a familiar scent.