Chapter 739 Two Francesco

  The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge built in the 16th century in Venice, Italy. It was completed in 1600. It connects the Doge’s Palace and the prison. In those days, prisoners were tried and sentenced at the Governor’s Mansion and walked from the Governor’s Mansion to the death row via the Bridge of Sighs. What they will face is a farewell to the world. The Bridge of Sighs is like a separation between life and death. The window on the bridge looked at the beautiful Venice for the last time, and couldn't help sighing.

The Bridge of Sighs did not have a name at first. The British poet Byron wrote "Children Harold's Travels" from 1812 to 1818. The poem wrote: I am standing on the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, with a palace at one end and a palace at one end. It's a prison.

  The term "Bridge of Sighs" quickly spread in the UK and other countries, but Byron did not write that kissing under the Bridge of Sighs can get eternal love. Only God knows how this rumor became "common knowledge".

Byron's book is very "gloomy", just like the gloomy character in the bones of the British, and the Mediterranean sun cannot be dispelled. He once created "Foscari and Sons", which describes the fact that Governor Focalis cannot communicate with the elders. The court contended and had to allow his son to be tortured to death. He was also deposed and fell to the ground at the sound of his successor’s taking office. The story was re-adapted by Verdi into the opera "Two Focaris". The Gothic Palace Foscari left by the Governor of Focaris also became the University of Foscari in Venice.

  Ali Sandro is not for studying, but his father is a gondola boatman. If he continues to work as a boatman, those tourists who study more than him may not earn as much money as him.

During the reign of Foscari, Venice was engaged in a protracted war with Milan under the rule of the Visconti family. Venice did not have the upper hand in combat on land, and finally lost to the Milan army led by Francesco Sforza.

  Foscari had two marriages, the first time with Maria Prioli and the second time with Marina Nani in 1415. In the end, he had only one son. His son Jacques Foscari was deemed bribery and corrupt by the Ten Men in 1445, and then fled Venice. After two more trials in 1450 and 1456, Jakob was imprisoned in Crete and died there soon after. In 1457, the group of ten forced Foscari to abdicate. He died a week after his abdication and was awarded the honor of a state funeral after his death.

  A hero, a criminal, this is the final outcome of the Foscari family.

  The management reform of the arsenal was also carried out by Francesco Foscari.

  If the European Renaissance started in Italy, then the Italian Renaissance started in literature. Although Italian literature before the 14th century achieved certain development, under the strict control of books by the church, personal self-liberation was not truly realized.

  Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, and Machiavelli shouted loudly in their works, hoping to unlock the wisdom of the people, but the blooming of this light needs talented people and a large number of books to supplement.

But the Italians at that time obviously did not notice this. In order to promote the development of the Renaissance, the Medici family spent huge sums of money to hire people to collect ancient manuscripts and writings from all over the world. Placed in the temple no one cares.

  Oh, yes, every city has a library, which is a symbol of civilization.

  There are very few people who study in the library all year round in a city, and there are as few people as running. One day, Boccaccio suddenly became excited and visited the library of a certain monastery. To his surprise, the monks were tearing expensive manuscripts into pieces and selling them to those who were equally ignorant.

  It turned out that this group of civilians hoped to avoid disasters and eliminate diseases through this. They took it as amulets.

   There are rumors that the Renaissance is related to the wealth of the Knights Templar. For personal safety, it is natural to spend a lot of money on boat tickets.

However, Venice in the 14th and 15th centuries was not as wealthy as people thought. The Black Death and war caused a sharp decline in population. Sailors clamored for processing capital. The price of wood for shipbuilding continued to rise. After Venice, there is no power to protect itself.

  A rich city without the ability to protect itself will attract greedy prying eyes, either the navy of other countries or pirates.

  Want to enjoy the joy of wealth, but also reluctant to invest for safety, tax evasion is what many rich people do.

  The wealthy people in Venice blocked the windows and painted fake ones to maintain the beauty of the building.

  The Chinese have also done this. Many nobles evaded taxes and occupied a lot of land, resulting in a reduction in national tax revenue. After the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty reformed the tax system and changed from rent and commission to the two-tax law.

  The country has no money, and frequent wars are waged abroad, not to mention the lack of rewards for military service, the low social status, the dissatisfaction of the soldiers, and the mutiny.

  As an occupied country, the Italians do not like Napoleon, but the feelings of the British towards Napoleon are the feelings of the public towards heroes. There is no contradiction between the enemy and admiration. The enemy is more and more respected because of its strength.

  Napoleon said: “If a country’s soldiers are less respected than businessmen, then the country is not far from subjugation.”

  Stalin said: “A country that carefully calculates the treatment of its soldiers is preparing for the next war reparations. The country pretends to care about the soldiers, and the soldiers pretend to defend the country.”

The reason why soldiers should be respected is not because of the two characters of soldiers, but their duties. However, the Republic of Venice is a very special country. Its land is a city supported by wood and floating on the sea. It is not like France. Solid soil.

The floating deck in international law is also part of the territory. After the July Revolution, France also started the republic system. During the reign of Charles X, the soldiers who served for Napoleon were purged, and the power of the land nobility was restored. 650,000 francs to the old aristocracy who lost property in the French Revolution. He elevated the status of the bourgeoisie, but still relied on the power of the old aristocracy. This and the British weakened the power of the land aristocracy and increased the participation of the bourgeoisie and workers in political power. It's the opposite.

  In the face of disasters and fears, kings and nobles will not run away, only civilians can.

  A commoner demands the respect of the nobility, and extravagance arises in the process of satisfying his own comfort and respect.

The extravagant wealthy aristocrats dreamed of being drunk in Luoyang, Chang'an. They waited until the army of Anlu Mountain to come to their senses. When they were panicked, they found that the emperor had already left. To make matters worse, the refugees broke into those heavily guarded mansions. Here, the rebels did not break the city of Chang'an before they fell.

  In the choice between asking for money or dying, sober people choose horribly, but there are many people who are confused.

  The wealth collected by the Knights Templar from the east brought them a slaying disaster. The King needs military expenses and directly fabricated an excuse to do it.

  Napoleon Panama also needed money to expand the army. Compared to those bourgeois and aristocrats, he seemed to like ancient legends. He robbed works of art and a large number of books. Those stone sculptures were not real money.

  To find evidence that the Venetians have protected the Knights Templar, you need a "ledger", or the descendants of the living Knights, and someone who knows that period of history.

  I heard that there are Jews behind Freemasonry. If Venice becomes the jewel of the Adriatic through the establishment of the "Swiss Bank" again, then Jews will be indispensable, and the profession of accounting will be very in demand.

  Why choose Venice instead of Milan, the capital of Lombardy? Venice is sinking. This is known to the whole world. The rich save money to put it in a safe place. Milan has a solid land. What can Venice use to defeat him?

  Milan is also a veritable financial center, concentrating 90% of the country’s financial transactions.

  The Venetians still believe in God, as evidenced by two churches.

  Art or trade and faith, which one is higher?

  Pomona feels inexplicably as the hostess of the salon. Smart people gather around her to talk, and she only needs to be responsible for giggling, providing food and venue.

For modern people, Morocco is a good place to hide money. In ancient times, it was also a turbulent place. It was like a piggy bank. It only depends on whether there are people who are short of money who are willing to tear off the disguise of civilization and do it like Napoleon. Robbed.

  In the face of desire, all morals and laws will be useless.

  The power it generates keeps human beings moving forward, and imprisoning it will prevent progress. Who would have thought of a dark Middle Ages?

  Similarly, the destructive power it produces is amazing. How many ancient civilizations have been destroyed by it. They are not even like Torcello Island, leaving some ruins of churches and houses, only the most solid foundations are left.

  Ordinary wood, when it is soaked in water, it begins to rot. The Venetian foundation is made of countless tree stumps. Due to the rise and fall of the tide, the land opens and closes from time to time. The house is like a water bird, sometimes floating on the water, sometimes retracting its wings, and resting on the ground.

  The reason why it sinks has nothing to do with wood, but the water that once protected people on the island from being hurt by people on the shore.

The   Adriatic plate is sinking, and the sea is rising continuously due to global warming. After all, this jewel in the sea has to return to the sea.

  That is another kind of helplessness. It seems that there is really nothing to do except sigh.

  (End of this chapter)