Chapter 197: Indeed Impossible To Refuse
“Cyprus.”
Even Baldwin had to take a deep breath to utter that word.
As soon as his words landed, the room fell into a deathly silence. Everyone found it hard to believe, thinking they had misheard, so Baldwin repeated it, “Cyprus. He is willing to give Cyprus as Princess Anna’s dowry.”
Before anyone could exclaim in shock, a man suddenly jumped up from his chair.
Speaking of which, David still had many similarities with his father. Raymond made even more noise than his son. When he stood up, he even knocked over the chair behind him, making a loud clang. Everyone’s gazes involuntarily turned toward him.
“This is the Count of Edessa’s marriage.” The Grand Master of the Knights Templar “kindly” reminded him. It is not your son’s. He politely did not say the second half, but the sarcasm was unusually thick.
Raymond’s first thought was that it was impossible, absolutely impossible!
What kind of place was Cyprus? It was a golden isolated boat floating alone in the eastern Mediterranean.
This island could not be called the largest in the Mediterranean, but it held a quite important strategic position—like a leaf, with the leaf stalk pointing toward Armenia, the northern tip of the leaf toward the coastline of the Anatolian Peninsula, the southern end toward the coastline of the Arabian Peninsula, and the leaf tip toward Egypt.
It could be said that for pilgrims from Francia or even all of Europe heading to Ayyarasa Road and other places for pilgrimage, whether by sea or land, this island was an essential passage.
Not to mention, this island was not barren or poor. It produced large quantities of grain, grapes, olives, and fruits and other agricultural products. These not only met the needs of local residents but were also dumped to surrounding areas—especially Cyprus’s wine, which they had just tasted at the emperor’s banquet not long ago. It was rich in aroma, sweet, and delicious.
And on this island, there were also minerals such as iron, salt, gypsum, and asbestos, but the most coveted was the copper ore. Cyprus’s copper ore production had already been unrivaled in the Mediterranean region during ancient Roman times. Copper—”copper” came from this, originally meaning “Cyprus’s metal.”
There were also merchant ships shuttling back and forth as densely as schools of fish. They brought countless treasures such as silk, spices, jewels, and ceramics imported from the East, North Africa, and other Mediterranean regions to this island, then divided and sold them here. Every day, hundreds of ships departed from Cyprus, bringing these luxuries to the eagerly awaiting kings, lords, and nobles.
Such a lavish dowry would be enough even if it were to marry off this illegitimate daughter to the King of Ayyarasa Road. Yet he used it to bestow upon a minor knight. Even if this attendant had once saved him—wouldn’t giving some gold and silk robes suffice?
This marriage should rightfully belong to his son David. Raymond almost blurted it out. Fortunately, David was temporarily in the king’s blind spot. Before he could rejoice for Caesar, he saw his father’s expression.
He knew his father. If he did not stop him, his father’s next words might be to request the king to transfer this marriage to him. David immediately began shaking his head and waving his hands frantically, making pleading gestures and expressions while quickly circling above Baldwin and Caesar’s heads, meaning their friendship was unbreakable and would not change because of a regent’s words.
Caesar could see David’s actions, but he could only hold back his laughter, pull Baldwin’s hand, and draw his attention to himself. Over there, Baldwin seemed to sense something, but since Caesar did not let him look, he would not deliberately turn his head, lest he embarrass David.
At this moment, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar stood up. He walked behind Raymond, lifted his chair for him—not out of respect or flattery, but as an old knight, he truly did not want to see Raymond fall into a position of being ridiculed. He set the chair right, grabbed Raymond’s arm, and interrupted him: “Cyprus is not exactly a good place either.”
This statement was truly against his conscience; his face even twisted ferociously. But his reasoning was not entirely far-fetched.
Given Cyprus’s geographical position, it was destined never to know peace. It once belonged to the Mycenaean-Achaeans, then to Alexander the Great, was subsequently ruled by the Ancient Romans, and inherited by the Byzantines from the Roman Empire. But to this day, the Byzantine Empire had declined, weakening day by day.
Their powerful navy could only linger around the Aegean Sea, striving to maintain the empire’s core territories, unable to extend to Cyprus. This led to Cyprus frequently being harassed by other nations—whether the Turkic Seljuks, Armenians, or Crusader States. But the greatest threat, without doubt, came from the Saracens to the south.
The Fatimid Dynasty of Egypt’s naval power was certainly no match for the former Byzantines, but it had no worthy opponents in the Mediterranean. They dominated here; with just a slight punishment, they could make Cyprus suffer immensely. The Saracens did not merely blockade sea lanes and burn merchant ships—they also blockaded its ports, even rushing ashore to destroy their villages and churches, and abduct their residents.
Over time, after the Cypriots determined they could not receive firm and effective support from the Byzantine Empire, they became utter opportunists.
They accepted Saracen rule and also Byzantine imperial rule—after all, it just meant paying double taxes. Prosperous Cyprus could bear it; it was better than being completely destroyed by one side.
In other words, Manuel I of Byzantium offering Cyprus as a dowry was not cutting off a large piece of prime meat but more likely throwing out a hot potato.
But just as Caesar had said before, it was indeed a condition impossible to refuse. Even the most cautious Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller fell silent. That was Cyprus, after all.
If Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire placed this marriage contract before them, they would unhesitatingly abandon the oaths they took upon joining the order, revert to secular status, and marry the princess—no, even marry the emperor, a horse, or a blade of grass; they would gladly accept.
What an important place it was. Beyond its ports, produce, and residents, its geographical position meant that whoever held it could change the current situation.
Had only Baldwin and Caesar noticed the waning strength of the Crusader States? Of course not. Everyone present had sensed it but struggled to devise corresponding strategies.
Back then, the Crusaders could seize the Holy City and other places from the Saracens because Europe was in turmoil, with people starving, and successive famines forced them to place hope in God. That was how so many lords and knights came together to carve out a foothold from the Saracens.
But as they each established their own nations along the edges of the Arabian Peninsula, the Holy Land and surrounding areas fell into stalemate again. The kings and lords, as vested interests, were unwilling to allocate their lands to the knights, so no more knights came to serve them.
Without knights, it became hard for them to assemble large armies to fight the Saracens again. Forget gaining new territories—even holding their current borders grew difficult.
Wasn’t that the case? The County of Edessa was a name in vain, the Principality of Antioch had no choice but to accept being swallowed by the Byzantine Empire, and Tripoli had fallen into civil war more than once. Ayyarasa Road had instead become the most intact and powerful among these four Crusader States. That was why Raymond relentlessly sought power and interests from the Holy City.
But Ayyarasa Road’s recent situation was not entirely satisfactory—they pinned their hopes on Baldwin, but Baldwin’s leprosy remained an inescapable regret.
If a Crusader knight, a believer in God Christ, could become the Lord of Cyprus, all obstacles before them would dissolve.
Even what Raymond had wanted before—making David the owner of Mulai’s former territory—would become logical and effortless. That place was called Mersin; it had iron ore and some coastal areas. Cyprus and that new territory were separated only by a narrow strait.
Raymond looked down on Caesar and even harbored faint hostility toward him, but he believed Caesar’s character would not let him stand idly by toward David. Once David became lord of Mersin, he would immediately gain a powerful ally—one who was not greedy. Perhaps David could maintain stable rule for decades without great cost.
For the Crusader States, this was even better. The Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli, and even part of Ayyarasa Road faced toward Cyprus. The coastal Anatolian Peninsula that pilgrims had to pass had a third under Cyprus’s protection. The pressure on them would suddenly lighten, while their wealth would not diminish.
The Grand Master of the Knights Templar gazed at Caesar with full joy. Formal members of the Knights Templar were generally young knights of noble birth, so when Geoffrey first proposed introducing Baldwin’s attendant into the order, he sternly refused.
Though there were no lack of workarounds—had no nobles in the past decades tried to place their illegitimate sons or favored commoner sons into the order? Of course there were. But he did not think it worth the effort for such a minor figure. So what if he was handsome? They were not the Church of Rome needing to fill the choir with fresh boys.
Even if Walter or some young members in the order greatly admired Caesar, he had not changed his mind. But now it was different. Before him was not just the landless Count of Edessa, the king’s attendant, Knight of Bethlehem, but also the Lord of Cyprus.
Thinking of how smooth and safe the pilgrimage road would be in the future, and what reputation and income the Knights Templar would gain, he was overjoyed.
He forcibly pressed Raymond back into the chair. He guessed what Raymond wanted to say. If he were in Raymond’s position, he would strive for it too— so what if Cyprus was frequently harassed by Saracens?
If it truly came to the Crusader States as the princess’s dowry, he believed whether the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, Knights Templar, or Knights Hospitaller would willingly spare some knights to help defend the island.
“What do you think?” Baldwin asked. He looked at the only person in the room who had not shown emotion or spoken: Caesar merely pondered for a moment. He thought, if he refused, everyone here except Baldwin would want to tear him apart personally.
This was of great significance to the Crusaders and could even affect farther places. Rome’s Pope might in anger excommunicate him and expel him from the Church.
But after such sweet bait, who knew how many crises would follow.
Yet since arriving here, how many choices had he not had to make? Caesar did not think himself superior to others, but he believed he could bear this pressure more calmly and clearly than most. Besides, he had little room to refuse, so he agreed very readily.
As for this princess’s appearance or age, it was no longer in their discussion. Just for this marriage, their stay in Constantinople unknowingly extended— no marriage was settled in a day or two. But for the sake of Cyprus and his close friend, Baldwin made many concessions.
Per the prior agreement, he received 150,000 gold coins and a hundred purple silk robes. He immediately gifted half on Caesar’s behalf to the princess who was about to become his sister-in-law.
No matter how much Manuel I had previously neglected this princess, or how much of her mother’s inheritance she could reclaim, 75,000 gold coins and fifty purple silk robes were enough to fill part of her dowry.
The Christians had little objection to this. After all, compared to Cyprus, these things were negligible. What they debated repeatedly was that Byzantium’s Manuel I still hoped to gain vast timber or ready-made siege engines from this marriage contract. He still clung to illusions and refused to give up.
Also, the army. He hoped the King of Ayyarasa Road would continue leading his knights to fight for him.
After deliberation, the Crusaders’ generals deemed this condition acceptable. Raymond’s son David was destined to stay here as a lord. Even if those Turkic Seljuks were not hostile, they still needed to expand outward. They could help Byzantium’s Manuel I conquer those territories, but how to divide and handle them was not for the emperor to decide.
They stayed from the sweltering September until cool November, and only as winter approached, with potential snowstorms on land and sea or massive waves, did the Crusaders decide to turn back.
Per Byzantine custom, the princess would go with them to Ayyarasa Road. This was also one way the Byzantine Empire—or most Christian countries—fulfilled marriage contracts.
At that time, whether between nations, castles, or even separated by a village, languages and customs could differ. For the future mistress who would live there for a decade or decades, quickly familiarizing herself with her husband, his castle, subjects, and even populace was quite important.
So they might begin discussing marriage when the child was six or seven, or seven or eight. After signing the contract, the child bride would be sent thousands of miles to her husband’s castle. There, she would be raised and educated by the husband’s female elders. By the age when she could marry and consummate, she would already know everything she needed about her husband’s family.
This period varied from months to years. Princess Anna certainly could not wait years. Baldwin had decided to hold the wedding for them on next year’s Offering of the Lord festival.
But this idea was quickly dispelled by several people, including Caesar.
First, such vain and exaggerated behavior would easily arouse others’ jealousy and wariness. He might not say how much Baldwin valued Caesar, but he would surely call Caesar a hypocritical villain who, on this most important day, stole the spotlight and usurped a king’s glory.
Second, they could not hold the wedding in Ayyarasa Road or Bethlehem. This involved the issue of marriage host and guest. Just like when Antioch’s Grand Duchess Constance married Reynald of Châtillon, they did not make Constance travel long distances to Châtillon to wed.
To avoid affecting future inheritance rights, Princess Anna must first go to Cyprus, then Caesar sail over, and complete the entire ceremony in St. Lazarus Cathedral on Cyprus.
