Chapter 377 Citizenship Rights Charter
It was already evening, in the administrative palace of the South Greek province, the provincial consul Costas sat at the table drinking coffee, while his papers sat aside, reading the government report of the recent period.
Costas is forty-eight years old, and his face is full of the vicissitudes of time. Although he has become a civil servant, he still retains a lot of his habits when joining the army. The side wall of the study is decorated with swords and swords, and a wild wolf's head is nailed above the wooden door. This is the spoil he got when he participated in a royal hunt in North Africa.
"In the first half of 1476, agricultural output in South Greece province increased by 70% compared with last year. The main reason is the advancement of agricultural technology, and fertilizers and pesticides have greatly increased agricultural output..."
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"The handicrafts in the South Greek province are mainly concentrated in Mystras in the Moria region and Halkis in the Attica region, both of which are light industries such as textiles and cigarettes. The cultural industry in Athens is in a fast-paced manner. Several papermaking workshops, printing workshops and book publishing houses have mentioned the increase in orders in recent months, which should be related to the increase in cultural demand in major northern cities..."
"The stationery industry you have encouraged to develop has also ushered in prosperity. The supply of quills, oak ink, carbon ink and fragrance ink produced in Athens is in short supply..."
"Very good. This industry must be vigorously developed. You are responsible for negotiating with those workshop owners."
Costas nodded.
"I just returned from Constantinople's report. The Thracian region began to carry out a literacy campaign. Stationery demand is extremely high, and the high-end ink that the high-ranking inks that the high-ranking inks liked by the high-ranking officials cannot be left behind. The Latinite platy ink and Anatolian olive ink are also very excellent. You can find craftsmen among Italian immigrants and Turkic converts and open workshops to produce."
"Also, it is said that several college students in Constantinople were inspired by the shepherds and found that they often used graphite powder to mark livestock, so they began to study graphite pens. It seemed that some results had been achieved, and we had to follow up."
Costas pondered.
"Quille pens are still too expensive. Since Your Majesty is ready to encourage cultural undertakings, cheap writing tools are essential, and this is an opportunity for Athens."
"Anyway, the South Greek province will never be able to compete with the northern cities in industries such as metals, chemistry and shipbuilding. It's better to change your thinking."
"Yes, I will negotiate with the workshop owners."
Make a mark on the documents.
Because Athens City pursues cultural freedom, both local culture, Turkic culture and Latin culture can find a place here. The prosperity of culture has brought great benefits to the city. Immigrants from all directions bring the characteristic craftsmanship of their hometown here. The speed of cultural innovation in Athens City is quite amazing.
"What about art? You send someone to talk to the people of all ethnic groups. Your Majesty has allocated 4,500 Solidus to allow us to build a concert hall in the center of Athens."
Costas got up after drinking his coffee.
"Your Majesty named this music hall "Athena Golden Hall", and the construction order was handed over to the Royal Construction Group, which is expected to take three years to complete."
"In the past three years, we have to instruct each ethnic group to develop their own music careers, especially the Italians. Their harpsichords have been loved by His Majesty and may become the darling of Constantinople's upper class in the future."
Costas recalled the harpsichords he saw in the Grand Palace.
"Your Majesty gave it a very strange name, called the ancient piano, and he also believed that this kind of string plucking zither will inevitably become the king of musical instruments in the future."
Costas didn't understand very much and shook his head.
"There are also the Armenian Dudukdi, the Turkish Saz, and Kamancha, which can all allow them to develop freely."
"In the future, we can also form an international orchestra, use traditional instruments of various cultures to form harmony, organize tours in major northern cities or Italian cities, and promote the international culture of Athens."
"In addition, the manufacturing industry of musical instruments also needs to develop hard, which can make a lot of money."
"Do you know, how much is the price of the cherry-sandalwood phoenix-patterned piano that the Fuger family gave to the royal family?"
A hint of envy flashed in Costas' eyes.
"Tell you, there are two thousand five hundred Solidus!"
"Athen City is a literary and artistic capital, an international capital, and the Balkan city with the most Italians. Their artistic talent is undoubtedly outstanding. Although we can only attract farmers and lower-class citizens for the time being, as the international culture of Athens City becomes more and more prosperous, there will definitely be high-quality Italian art talents willing to settle here."
"Sir...the citizens actually like sports more than music. The members of Athens City are preparing to organize a football club."
The clerk curled his lips.
"Football is just a sport of barbarians, and they cannot experience the elegance of art."
"No, sports are also a kind of culture, this is a good thing."
Costas shook his head.
"Let's do it, tell them that the club in Athens is called International Athens. On the day the club is completed, I will attend the ceremony."
"The leather industry is a traditional industry in Athens. We can produce Athenian specialty football and add owl patterns to it... I will write to His Excellency Valshammon to see if Athens football can become the official ball for Olympus football matches..."
Costas paced back and forth, muttering words, and shut up at the right time and focused on recording.
The clerk knows that this is a habit of a military officer and always likes to be petty.
"In recent days, the Italian region has observed a surge in migrants and Genoa immigration. We suspect that this has a lot to do with the unrest in Milan. The Duke of Milan Galeazo imposed tyranny in Genoa, Milan and La Spezia, and the society was in turmoil..."
Seeing Costas sit back at the table, the clerk continued.
"Greek MPs hope to strengthen security and prevent new immigrants from causing trouble..."
"Things abroad have nothing to do with us, it is certain to strengthen the security...whether the citizen registration?"
Costas rubbed his eyebrows.
"The chaos in the past few years is understandable. Now they should be running stably, right?"
"It's basically OK."
The clerk replied.
"After the Athenian economy improved, the number of government employees increased, and basically every ethnic group has representatives in the government and parliament to ensure fairness and justice in the registration of citizens."
"In the last registration, more than 200 people obtained complete civil rights, more than 1,200 people obtained limited civil rights, and more than 300 people obtained Latin civil rights."
"Very good, I'm finally on the right track."
Costas said.
"How is the situation in the Moria region? Let's talk about it casually. Anyway, they look down on the Attica region to the third largest region after Thrace and Southern Macedonia. They don't want to let me intervene."
"Uh... the population and economy of the Moria region do exceed ours, with 500,000 people, and the capital Mystras has more than 80,000 people, mainly developing economic agriculture and corresponding handicrafts."
The document said.
"You also know that the Moria region is the only place except Constantinople that has not been attacked by the Ottomans. Emperor Isaac spent a lot of effort here before he ascended the throne. After the destruction of Granada, Moria Silk was in a very strong momentum."
"They are also recruiting immigrants, but they are the Albanians who particularly like to have children. This is a policy that was set since the reign of the former emperor Constantine XI. After decades of immigration, the Albanian community in Moria was very prosperous."
"Okay, please help me arrange my itinerary. I'll go to Moria next month to inspect."
Costas ordered.
The wooden door rang, and Costas's old servant came to report.
After a while, a simple-dressed young man entered Costas' office, with doubts and surprises in his eyes.
"Dear Mr. Costas, I am Joggs from the Sfranchis family, the inspector sent by the Imperial Supervision Bureau to the City of Athens, and I am here to perform the supervisory duties!"
Joggs said, handing Costas the certificate issued by his superiors.
"I have briefly investigated the situation in Athens and have some doubts about your governance philosophy. I'm here to ask you to explain it!"
Costas saw it and nude his mouth at the empty seat beside him, and ordered his old servant to serve Joggs a cup of coffee.
"In theory, the inspector of your level has no right to investigate me."
Costas looked at Joggs with interest.
"However, to satisfy your curiosity, I know everything."
"First of all, you said you've seen the city of Athens, how do you feel?"
"It feels very good."
Joggs said truthfully.
"Every ethnic group has obtained their own political rights and channels of upward development, and can live freely in Athens without much discrimination and exclusion."
"There are taverns run by Italians on the streets of Athens, and Armenians are playing the flute to make money. The simple and convenient Turkic national clothing has been loved by many workers. There are actually many mixed-race natives who come to set up stalls to sell ethnic snacks in the market, which is really eye-opening."
"Haha, have you eaten it?"
Costas laughed.
"Uh... I felt good after having two Mexicatacos, a skewer of coisan grilled sausages and an Italian pizza."
Joggs said a little embarrassedly.
"Although Constantinople has these, there are not so many innovations. Several pastry chefs seem to be preparing to add fruit to the pizza."
"I also saw the election of members of the Athens Port District. Although most of the people who run for the election are capitalists and big landlords, they can at least represent the interests of some people. The citizens are very interested in this ancient model."
"I interviewed some petty citizens, who were quite satisfied with the current situation in Athens City, and at least they could gain a higher status through hard work."
"Well, that's OK. This shows that although you came from a family, you are still willing to take root at the grassroots level and pay attention to the lives of citizens, rather than being arrogant and writing reports directly to the statistical data."
Costas nodded slightly.
"The city of Athens began to be rebuilt in 1453, and there was almost no progress in the first five years. Why do you think it is?"
"No capital, no population, and the advancement of navigation technology allows ships to sail long distances without having to rely too much on coastal ports."
Joggs said.
"We rely on the simple processing of agriculture, animal husbandry and agricultural and animal husbandry products to make a living, and can only become subordinate suppliers in big cities."
"Yes, you're right."
Costas affirmed.
"My governance policy is mainly to solve the two problems you mentioned, capital and population."
"I used archaeology to help Athens solve the funding problem. I know you may look down on this method, but this did restore some vitality to Athens. The first citizens who worked in the antique industry earned their first pot of gold."
"Then it was the population. Through the reform of rights, I made Athens an international city, stabilized foreign immigration through democratic elections, and strictly prohibited discrimination through strict legislation. I attracted many converts who suffered discrimination from major northern cities and Anatolia, and many civilians who suffered tyranny from Italy."
"After having funds and population, the career of Attica region has truly set sail. I am not going to compete with northern cities in industries such as iron smelting, textiles, shipbuilding, etc., and focus on developing cultural industries. This is consistent with the positioning of an international city."
Costas waved ambitiously.
"Next, I'm going to carry out two projects, one is the future landmark of Athens City, the Golden Hall of Athena."
"The other is the rail transit in the Isthmus of Corinth. I am planning to use Constantinople's rail carriage technology to connect the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea to promote commodity exchange and personnel circulation."
The Isthmus of Corinth is 6.5 kilometers long and is the only connection point between the Peloponnese Peninsula and the Attica Peninsula. It is located in the Ionian Sea in the west and the Aegean Sea in the east. It has been a military pass and a major transportation route since ancient times. The ancient Roman tyrant Nero once dug a canal here in an attempt to promote marine transportation, but due to technical restrictions and political turmoil, the project eventually aborted.
The rail transit in Corinth is also of a long history. A long time ago, the ancient King of Corinth built transportation tracks with hardwood and marble as the main materials, and eventually became deserted due to the war.
"This is very good, sir."
Joggs thought about the language.
"You did make the city of Athens stable and prosperous through a series of means, but His Majesty's cultural assimilation policy does not seem to be stipulated in this way."
"Those Italians and those who convert to Turks did not live like Greeks."
"Then do you think the people should live? Wear the same clothes in the country? Eat the same bread? Speaking of Greek without distinction?"
Costas pulled the corner of his mouth.
"What each ethnic group is good at is different. Only by absorbing all the strengths and learning from others can science and technology and culture develop rapidly. Isn't this what Your Majesty said?"
"Your Majesty naturally knows this truth, otherwise he would not have provided so much funding for the Prometheus department, and the world will steal advanced technology every year."
"The reason why Your Majesty has not been able to carry out the next step of reforming the existing civic system over the past thirty years is to put it bluntly because the administrative organization level is insufficient, so I can only do this for the time being."
Costas' eyes flashed.
"Your Majesty granted citizenship to all Orthodox Christians who came to the Eastern Empire and to all Turks who were willing to convert to Orthodox religions, but in fact? Discrimination and exclusion still exist."
"His Majesty has registered all the Slavs who believe in Orthodox and speak Greek as Greek. Have they really become members of the Greeks? There is no barrier at all?"
"In this model, the old citizens were not satisfied because outsiders easily gained their innate rights without any labor at all. Of course, they would not like these people who won without work."
"In this model, new citizens are not satisfied because they will be discriminated against by old citizens. If they agree to be completely equal, they are actually a formality."
"Allowing different things, tolerating aliens, reforming citizenship rights, unifying rights and obligations, and using national identity to build citizenship awareness is the long-term solution."
"Shut up!"
Joggs snapped.
"You dare to question Your Majesty's decision! You are unfaithful!"
"Haha, do you suspect I'm unfaithful?" Costas sneered and took off his gloves, revealing his left hand with only three fingers.
"I have followed His Majesty to fight in all directions since I was 17 years old, including the Great Wall of Corinth, the Surt Desert, the Green Mountains of Billian, the Bulgarian Grassland... When I dedicated my youth to the emperor, you were nothing!"
"I am a quarantine. I have seen many different people during the war and dealt with dozens of ethnic groups. I can tell you clearly that in this world of sluts, ninety percent of people live desperately, just for a piece of bread on the plate."
"Your Majesty's tough assimilation method actually fails to solve all problems, but only temporarily covers up the problem. Your Majesty just hopes to use decades of iron-fisted rule to eliminate all ethnic conflicts, promote the identity of the same race based on common language and common religion, and create a subject nation with a large number."
Costas' tone was gentler.
"If Your Majesty stops, stops fighting, regains the inherent territory of the Eastern Empire, and devotes all his energy to cultural assimilation, then I can say with certainty that his method is feasible."
"However, now it is at the second trough of the Saracens since the Mongolian invasion. Your Majesty will never stop. In order to stabilize our rule in the Islamic occupied areas, more and more foreign immigrants from Europe will be added, and more Turkic converts and Saracens will be added. If the resettlement and ruling policies for them are not established, once the economy declines, these people who are on the margins of society will immediately become restless factors, endanger social security and lead to social unrest."
"If you have any doubts about my point of view, you might as well look at the witch hunting movement in Western Europe. When social order changes, those marginal groups immediately become victims of the main ethnic groups to relieve panic. The Eastern Empire has too many aliens on its territory. When patience reaches its extreme, they will resist!"
"As long as Your Majesty is still here, no one dares to resist."
Joggs whispered.
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"Look, you also know that the current stability and order are all due to the emperor's personal authority. If he is gone, this set of tough policies will inevitably collapse."
Costas shrugged.
"You are still young and have never seen the world. I don't blame you. I just went to the Grand Palace to report my work not long ago, and the reform plan for citizenship was also submitted to His Majesty. The old prime minister of your family, the education minister Barsammon, the business minister Ulrich and the deputy prime minister Basilius are all supported."
"Then it's okay. I'm just a small official, it has nothing to do with me."
Joggs immediately took himself out.
"I will always support Emperor Isaac and his legal heirs, and firmly implement their will in every corner of the empire."
Costas glanced at Joggs, without continuing to entangle, and waved his hand.
"Since you have eaten, then continue working and go check the financial files directly. My documents will help you."
...
A high-level meeting is being held in the Grand Palace in Constantinople, the capital of the empire.
Isaac sat in the first place, next to her queen Leonor, who had been with her for thirty years. The co-governor Justinian and the princely grandson Constantine were also present in turn, while Isabella failed to participate because of her pregnancy.
On both sides of the long square table are a major imperial minister. Since the outbreak of the Iberian conflict, a meeting of this scale has not been held for a long time.
The white-haired prime minister Isult Sfranchis wore glasses and slowly explained to you the report from the Southern Greek provincial government official Costas.
"In the past 30 years of implementation of the cultural assimilation policy, it has achieved immeasurable and huge results. Even the Ross people from the wilderness have been coerced and tempted to learn Greek. Even the most unruly Turks are forced to convert to Jesus Christ in order to survive."
Isult said.
"In the past thirty years, the popularity of Greek language has been increasing steadily, the number of Orthodox people has increased greatly, and the degree of integration between various ethnic groups in the empire and the traditional Romans has gradually increased."
"Language and religion provide a good soil for assimilation, allowing those foreigners to have a basic understanding of this ancient and vibrant nation, which is of positive significance for further reform."
"But we should also be clear that language and religion are not the whole of a country. Giving civil rights to foreigners does not mean that they have really become Roman citizens."
"Assimilation is indeed a very long task, often taking generations, and during this period we need more gentle and tolerant means to stabilize the situation, transforming those Gentiles into Romans in a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere, allowing different cultures, allowing different lifestyles, and tolerating national traditions is also progressive."
"When the empire's focus is about to shift and Anatolia's development is imperative, it is very necessary to reform civil rights."
"I suggest that the central government of the empire restore the ancient Roman tradition, and give them different rights according to the strength of a group of centripetal force on the empire, and at the same time, break through the circulation barriers between various levels, so that those Gentiles can join the large group of the Romans step by step while pursuing rights, so that they can automatically become members of the Romans..."
"In the process, they worked hard to gradually narrow the political gap between themselves and the Greek Romans instead of directly obtaining complete citizenship that was inconsistent with their names, which could also improve the views and attitudes of the Greek Romans towards them..."
"Rights and obligations are equivalent, and labor and sweat form a ladder to fairness, which is very consistent with the simple values of the working people."
"In ancient Rome, the Roman government granted Latin citizenship to newly surrendered ethnic groups. As the territory expanded, the number of people who obtained Latin citizenship continued to increase until they were granted full citizenship. This political model ensured stability in the country and accelerated the speed of assimilation..."
"Your Majesty, please don't underestimate the attractiveness of the Eastern Roman Empire to the Gentiles today. As long as you can see the hope of a better life, they are willing to join and become a member of their citizens..."
After reading the report, Isurt looked at Isaac.
"Your Majesty, that's all, ministers have seen it long ago."
"Very good, thank you."
Isaac picked up the draft bill on the table and started reading it.
"Blessed by God, the emperors of Rome and Romans: Given that there are more and more immigrants from abroad and the number of converts has increased one after another, but civil conflicts still exist and some policies are difficult to implement, we specially announced the reform of citizenship as follows: "
"First, anyone who believes in Orthodoxism, speaks one of the two legal languages of the Empire, is willing to abide by the imperial laws, and is willing to be loyal to the Roman Empire and the Roman emperors, is regarded as a first-class citizen, enjoys the complete citizenship of the Roman Empire, and enjoys all welfare benefits, including the right to vote, the right to be elected, the right to be examined, the right to loan, the right to place property rights, and the right to join the military..."
"Second, anyone who believes in an acceptable Christian sect other than Orthodox religion, who speaks one of the two legal languages of the empire, is willing to abide by the law, and is willing to be loyal to the emperor, is regarded as a second-level citizen, can obtain limited citizenship, is weakened in part of the rights, and cannot enjoy preferential policies for childbirth."
"After three years of legal work in the empire, or after starting to perform Orthodox rituals, second-level citizens will automatically become first-level citizens and can apply to the local government."
"Third, anyone who believes in Orthodox or can accept Christian sects and does not speak two legal languages can be regarded as a third-level citizen, obtains the reserved citizenship rights, and continues to weaken political rights, cannot take exams or run for elections, and increases taxes appropriately. After learning the official language and passing a simple test, and working legally for another year, you can be promoted to a first-level or second-level citizen according to the belief sect."
"Fourth, any former Muslim who actively converts to Orthodox Church can be regarded as a fourth-level citizen, obtains a minority citizenship, cannot take the exam or run for election, cannot purchase land exceeding a certain scale, and can increase taxes appropriately, can join the army, can act as a tenant farmer or a laborer. After three years of legal work, they will be automatically promoted to a third-level citizen and enjoy the same treatment as third-level citizens."
"Fifth, any former Muslim who is unwilling to take the initiative to convert and becomes a free citizen in a slave camp, regardless of language, can be regarded as a fifth-level citizen and enjoy the right to pardon. He has no political rights except to join the army, is not allowed to purchase industries, and can act as a tenant farmer or a laborer. After three years of legal work, he will be promoted to a fourth-level citizen. After three years of continuous work, he will be promoted to a third-level citizen."
"Sixth, after the waiting period for conversion, the stubborn Muslims who are unwilling to convert and resist the government have no citizenship, and are directly regarded as slaves, all industries are confiscated, and slave guilds licensed by law must strictly manage and train them. If they repent in slave camps, they can be regarded as fifth-level citizens. Planter owners and workshop owners must respect their legal rights, but they can appropriately charge a redemption fee."
"Seventh, special groups such as gypsies should be dealt with according to specific circumstances and should not be copied."
"Eighth, now, any foreign Christian immigrant who is determined to join the Eastern Roman Empire cannot immediately participate in the citizenship evaluation, but enjoy permanent residence, have no political rights, but have property rights, enjoy three-level taxes, and can obtain citizenship according to their own circumstances after legal work for three years."
"Ninth, because lower-level citizens integrate themselves into the mainstream through labor and learning, no past sins and contradictions have been mentioned. Any form of appearance or cultural discrimination is prohibited between citizens. Once discovered, they will be exiled to New Thrace immediately."
"Finally, all rights belong to the emperor, and the emperor can grant complete citizenship rights to individuals or collectives as needed to commend outstanding contributions."
Isaac closed the bill and looked around the crowd.
"This is the first "Citizenship Charter" of the Eastern Roman Empire, aiming to maintain social stability, regulate rights and obligations, deepen reform and assimilation system, and prepare for the future development of Anatolia."
"This bill is just a draft for the time being, and there will definitely be quite big loopholes. Some people will definitely be dissatisfied. In the next one or two years, you need to work hard to survive the initial chaotic period."
"This charter is temporarily only implemented in core provinces, and there is no soil for reform in the border areas, governors and colonies."
Isaac said.
"After the reform of citizenship, the education system, examination system, government system and military system will usher in changes. I ask you to come up with reform plans as soon as possible to adapt to the new charter."
"Your Majesty, there is no big problem with the examination system. Those who are capable of taking the exam and being able to become officials are basically first-class citizens or second-class citizens. Those who can speak Greek may not necessarily recognize words, but those who can recognize words will definitely speak Greek."
Education Minister Barsammon said with a smile.
"By the way, when it comes to the examination, I am going to continue to expand government departments, but mainly expand the lower-level civil servants, namely affairs officers."
"In fact, the reason why I did not exercise this system of civil rights upgrade before is that there are not enough subject ethnic groups and insufficient popularization of subject language is only one of the factors. The most important thing is that this model requires a considerable administrative force, and can only confuse various ethnic groups and force and prestige forcibly suppress them."
"Now, the lower-level civil servants of the imperial government have experienced several expansions. Although the administrative power has been greatly strengthened, it is still far from enough. New ideas must be sought."
Isaac said, showing a piece of rectangular thick cardboard in front of everyone. On the front are dense Greek letters, on the back are the double-headed eagle badges of the Eastern Roman Empire, and under the badge is the large Greek letter "Alpha", representing the number "One".
"This is the ID card of a first-class citizen. It is printed with a Gutenberg printing machine. It can greatly facilitate identity identification and citizen management, but it can only print some information that is unified by the whole nation, such as the "Roman Empire Citizen ID Card" directly above, such as the "Name column, Hometown column, Age column, Occupation column, Faith column". There is a blank space left in the specific information, and it is also necessary to fill in it with the lower-level civil servants."
"Of course, you can also use some measures to reduce the workload when printing ID cards of different residents. For example, the most populous Constantinople Orthodox people can print their hometowns and beliefs without handwriting."
After Isaac's words, the officials circulated their ID cards and were amazed.
In fact, the earliest identity documents in human history originated from the East. During the Warring States Period, Shang Yang used wooden or metal plaques to register information for the people of Qin. However, due to the long carving time and the high cost, it was not promoted to the entire people in subsequent dynasties, but only in government and army.
Ancient Rome and ancient Greece also had some similar minor innovations, but their scale of use was not even as good as the East, and there was no system formed.
In the final analysis, it is that paper is too expensive, labor is too expensive, and it takes too long, which is not worth it.
However, the progress of papermaking and the invention of Gutenberg printing press have solved these difficulties. The Western world has been able to come from behind because of its common alphabetical characters, which is quite suitable for lead movable type printing, and in this regard it has been able to come from behind.
Of course, whether the ID card can be promoted has a lot to do with national traditions. Some countries do not have an ID card system even in the 21st century, and the most famous one is the United Kingdom after the downfall.
John Gutenberg was the first talent Isaac found after coming to this world. Back then, he was poor and relied on Gutenberg printing technology to print indulgences and the Latin Bible for the Vatican Church. Then he earned several sailboats and set out for sailing.
Now, more than a decade has passed, but his inventions still shine in the long river of human history.
"Your Majesty, this is still a big project."
Prime Minister Isult looked at his ID card over and over again.
"Paper, ink, printing press, manual... This is a huge expense!"
"I know that there are nearly 8 million citizens now, and about 5 million need to issue ID documents. I plan to implement it for ten years and issue it in a unified manner in big cities."
Isaac said.
"The identification documents in Constantinople will be issued immediately. Civilians and priests will set up issuance points in the church. Every citizen must come to collect them. In the future, as long as you want to continue living in the imperial city, you must hold an ID card."
"Your Majesty, this is still too difficult. It won't be divided into twenty years?"
Ysurt suggested.
"Or it's all about raising taxes."
"The tax is not allowed. The reform of the Citizenship Charter will definitely cause civil unrest, and we must reduce taxes appropriately."
Isaac shook his head immediately.
"This project is expected to invest 200,000 Solidus, the government will pay half of it and the royal family will pay half of it."
"If the government cannot afford to pay, the royal family can also bear it all. East India Governor Albukirk is ready to enter the Strait of Malacca, so don't worry that I have no money."
"This is not necessary. Since it is a major event for all citizens, the government naturally needs to bear responsibility."
Isult declined, while Commerce Secretary Ulrich looked at Isaac.
"That's it. You guys go back and continue to discuss the details of the regulations. I'll give you two weeks."
Isaac waved his hand, and the ministers stood up and bowed, saying goodbye and leaving.
After the meeting ended, Justinian immediately took Constantine to Isabella's dormitory, while Leonor poured a glass of wine for Isaac.
"Is it necessary? It's better to spend so much money on civilians to build more palaces and more churches. Later generations will commemorate our achievements."
Leonor complained as he looked at the dense expenditure statistics on the documents.
"You don't even want to give it to Carlos a thousand Solidus, he is your own grandson!"
"I didn't stop him when you secretly gave him two thousand Solidus."
Isaac rolled his eyes.
"The empire now seems to be full of flowers, but internal contradictions have gradually been revealed. If I want to take down Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt, then I can only reform as soon as possible. Otherwise, I am afraid that after three generations, I will collapse completely and retreat to the Aegean Sea again."
"Anyway, it's all the people in the colonies who pay the money, so what do you feel sorry for?"
"Okay, you're always right."
Leonor said, and suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed.
"If you do your best and resolve all the internal contradictions of the empire, can our descendants live in this Grand Palace until the arrival of the Doomsday Judgment?"
"No, first, I can't solve all the problems."
"Second, on the contrary, the faster the development, the stronger the civic and legal awareness, and the stronger the nationalism, the shorter the lifespan of the dynasty will be."
Isaac destroyed his wife's dream bubble very bluntly.
"But it doesn't matter. We can't see that day anyway. What does it have to do with me if our descendants are unworthy?"
Thinking of this, Isaac sighed slightly again.
This kind of reform that transcends the times but can bring huge benefits must be completed by him. Later generations do not have this vision or motivation.
...
In the early winter of 1476, after nearly ten years of reform and development, the administrative power of the Eastern Roman Empire was greatly strengthened, the commodity economy was very prosperous, and the Greek popularity and the number of main ethnic groups in the core areas were sufficient. The imperial government issued the "Citizenship Charter" in a timely manner and began to carry out in-depth reforms to the originally slightly chaotic civil rights system, clarifying rights and obligations, and allowing outsiders to automatically transform themselves into members of the Romans on the basis of common life.
At the same time, the printing factory in Constantinople worked day and night, and ID documents with ink fragrance were printed. A lower-level civil servant brought paper and pen to the issuance point in the church. Citizens living near the suburbs of the palace lined up to the church to register and receive their ID documents.
That day, even the illiterate citizens novelly fiddled with a piece of cardboard full of words, and remembered the big words directly above under the mandatory requirements of civil servants and priests.
Roman citizen.
(This chapter ends)