Rebirth of the Viking King

Chapter 649 72

When the carriage appeared outside the gate of Nicholson Manor, Sartre, who got off the carriage, felt a little uneasy in his heart.

"Brothers, don't worry, just go in."

"The owner of the manor, Miss Li Xueyi, along with the housekeeper and guards, left for Constantinople three days ago. They will not return while the King's birthday celebration is in progress."

"There are only 6 of us servants in the manor now."

"My mother is resting in the back room."

The reason why Red agreed to bring these two almost complete strangers home was because the price they offered was too exaggerated.

For every Roman worker, accumulating gold coins is not a problem as long as you work hard.

What really stumps all outsiders is how to obtain citizenship.

For many outsiders, this can even be a lifelong goal.

**

The Byzantine Kingdom continued the civic constitution of Rome that had continued from the age of the Republic to the present day.

Roman citizens, Latin citizens and city-state citizens are the three big mountains in front of all outsiders.

The most distinguished Roman citizens, they had many privileges such as establishing business houses, running for elections, establishing city-states, marrying nobles, etc.

But it is conceivable that obtaining this identity will not be too simple.

Even though Mehrantine controls one of the most prominent chambers of commerce in Constantinople and also holds the status of a member of parliament, the most she can do with her ability is to obtain "Latin citizenship" for Sartre and Guraul.

Because the distribution of Roman citizens was too strict.

Since the Holy Synod came to power, every Roman citizen required the unanimous consent of the tribunes, the Holy See, and the Byzantine royal family. In the system of separation of powers, no party could obtain Roman citizenship without any party.

This also means that they cannot build their own chamber of commerce in this country, cannot establish a city-state, have no rights to run for tribunes or consuls, and cannot marry nobles.

They will always be visitors to the Kingdom.

Latin citizenship was much easier to obtain than Roman citizenship. Because within the Byzantine Empire, more than 50% of the citizens living outside the imperial city were Latin citizens.

Latin citizens need to meet two main characteristics.

1. Use Latin as the main language.

2. Believe in the Holy Episcopal Church.

After these two conditions are met, the members and tribunes will then recommend the proposal to the consul, who will directly review and release it.

Although Latin citizens cannot build their own chamber of commerce, if they purchase land and open a store, this series of actions will be protected by the kingdom.

In addition, Latin citizens also have the precious right to vote and can choose which candidate to vote for.

They have the right to choose their representatives.

Obtaining Latin citizenship is a lifelong goal for most outsiders.

Obtaining Latin citizenship does not require the consent of the royal family and the Holy See, and can be issued directly by the ruling officials in the region. Although this reduces the difficulty, it is by no means easy to obtain.

No Sheriff wants to have a useless loser in his territory.

In some provinces, magistrates are even stricter than kings in vetting Latin citizens. There are still many people who have worked hard for thirty or forty years without citizenship.

In this case, "city-state citizenship" was their only option.

The lowest level of citizenship is called "city-state citizenship". This was the citizenship of the Byzantine royal family to allied countries outside its borders and to colonial institutions.

Citizens of the city-state had the right to enter and exit Rome freely, and were not obliged to return within a specified time like other merchants.

In addition, these citizens from foreign lands can also join the Roman legion. After completing their service, they will receive the same valuable voting rights as Latin citizens.

If you receive commendations in battle, you may even be promoted to centurion, gaining higher citizenship.

The Red family, who had smuggled themselves from the Holy Principality of France, naturally had no citizenship.

After entering the Byzantine Kingdom, they could only do work that none of the citizens were willing to do, and their status was only slightly higher than that of slaves.

For the whole afternoon after winning the championship, Red declined all the olive branches offered by nobles from all walks of life, partly because of his identity as a murderer.

On the other hand, there is the elusive citizenship qualification.

Even if he wins the championship in the gladiatorial arena, he will enjoy the admiration of thousands of people. The highest citizenship a gladiator can obtain is still "city-state citizenship."

The Roman audience would lovingly pat the gladiators on the shoulders, chant their names, and toast to victory. But in their hearts, the status gap still gave the Romans a considerable sense of superiority.

Obtaining "Latin citizenship" from Sartre is equivalent to obtaining the life-long efforts of many Romans.

Obtaining citizenship means being able to participate in elections and living under the protection of parliamentarians. The elected members of Parliament will use the power given to them by the citizens and in turn serve the citizens.

This meant putting down roots in the city and becoming thoroughly Roman.

There was no complex identity authentication system established in the kingdoms of the Middle Ages. The only proof of identity is the correction of the tribune and the certificate of identity issued by the deputies.

(The sheriffs that can often be seen in American TV series are derived from the Roman tribune system. For example, in First Blood, in a small town, the sheriff knows almost everyone in the town. When he sees a potential threat, the sheriff can make his own decision to protect the citizens under his command.)

In Rome, no sane citizen would transfer his identity token to others.

Of course, this does not include Sartre and Guraul.

Standing at the door of the manor, Sartre knocked on the carriage gently.

The sleepy Guraul hurriedly got up and found that he had arrived at the destination. He took out another citizenship badge from his arms and threw it to Red beside him. Red opened the door of the manor and the two entered calmly.

The truth is right in front of us.