Chapter VII

Chapter VII

On the seventh day, while Konstantin traveled through the Hungarian forest, the outline of Budim began to appear in the distance. The first buildings to appear were the tallest, such as the church towers with huge bells which required at least three pair of oxen to hoist up. Most impressive were the royal palaces on the plateau lined with ramparts and long stone steps. As the coach moved along Jacob, the economist, yelled for the coach driver to stop the coach on the road close to a mound. They all descended from the coach and a moment later stood on top of the mound from which they could see the hilly west side of Budim as well as the low eastern part of the Danube River, opposite of which stood the pontoons and Pesht.

“All the streets in Budim go down towards the Danube!” remarked Konstantin while looking at the city’s panorama.

“They all merge down there,” said Jacob the economist and continued. “The northernmost settlement of Budim, across the two islands, is ‘Obuda’. It’s followed by ‘Yj Varosh’ and ‘Vizi Zerosh’ with bazaars and city services. The southernmost settlement is ‘Taban’. This one is full of newcomers from Rumeli. On the other side of the Danube, the first by the bridge, in Pesht is ‘Bel Varosh’ and the one on the left is ‘Leopold Varosh’. The southernmost is ‘Forents Varosh’.”

Yes, I see them, as well as the places inside the two cities.”

“The interior is developed by the people whom you will meet. They own and move a lot of things on the streets!”

“I will meet with many and all kinds of them and I know what they are all driven by – money… whose worshipers they have become.”

“Is that all you have to say, you, the banker, whose only concern is money?”

“Yes, I say that with certainty… Money is the most deceitful deity.”

“How are you different, and why do you serve the same lie?”

“I am different, I was born into slavery.”

“You’re the same; money is now your deceitful deity too.”

“It is! Look, initially money may have trapped me, but in time I saw its trap. Look at my brother, malice has seized him and he is willing to sell his own brothers into slavery for money! I didn’t have the strength to escape it, but I have been thinking about it a lot. My uncle too has helped me see the truth. He opened my mind and helped me understand the thinking process, the habits and the predatory greed of aristocrats.”

“Wait, you’re telling me that aristocrats are the same as robbers?”

“Aristocrats too serve money, taking lives to the altar. The wealthy old native people seem to respect their own aristocrats even when they commit evil deeds but, as an immigrant, they won’t respect me even if I’ve lived the most sinless life! Born rich, aristocrats surrender to the monetary lie and spend excessively. They willingly allow their legacies to melt away and their greed to grow. They have one palace and they want another with eighty rooms, most of which they never enter. But prestige makes them like spoiled women and children! What do idiots do when they run out of money? They run to the bankers and borrow… They live to spend because that’s the only thing that makes sense to them.”

“If it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be earning much… So, why don’t you care about them?”

“I care about them as much as they care about me. It will be their own destinies, their worship of money, that will destroy them. Worship of money enslaves people... It will enslave them! I, the

banker on the other hand, will be waiting for them to imprison themselves by their weakness.”

“You’ll be waiting for them, and you are convinced that they will come?”

“The greedy are hungrier than the hungry. Give a little to the hungry and they will be satisfied - not the greedy ones! No matter how much you give them, they will still be ‘hungry’. That’s why they will keep coming back to me forever.”

“You scare me! I’m concerned about Kir (Mr.) Dimitri. I know you two are close!”

“He’s not one of them. He went through the Golgotha (great suffering). He started from the bottom and hasn’t forgotten that. Besides, we support the same cause... Enough talk, let’s get moving!”

Six summers ago, Konstantin published his book “Robinson the Younger” and set out on his journey. He received orders and made a lot of profit. He then went to a number of German cities to study banking. It’s true that he worked for the banker Hadzhi Mosku in Walachia before that, but he quickly got bored with the small account volumes and with the uniformity. He wanted to learn the great German banking secrets and innovations, especially currency exchanges in export trade, movement of international loans and currency differences, and general lending. This type of banking was most developed in the German lands such as Hesse, the Duchy of Holstein, Hanover and Frankfurt. Konstantin also perfected the language of travel, even though the German lands were divided into over three hundred duchies, kingdoms and places which had different dialects. The first time he encountered the German language he found it difficult but in time he figured out its peculiarities. First he learned easy words, then more difficult ones, and when he heard them repeated he connected them in sentences. He made use of them by creating short and long phrases. Later he learned the alphabet but it wasn’t easy because the spoken and written language didn’t easily bind in his mind. The Gothic letters weren’t easy. But deep inside, he knew that the written language

would be more important to him than the spoken language. He thought that by reading German he would be able to better learn than just by listening to it being spoken. He was determined to do it and he did. When he traveled through German cities he looked around for inscriptions on plaques, shops, newspapers, cathedrals and monuments erected by Austrian emperors, dignitaries and nobles at the time when they ruled those lands. He wrote down the texts he found and then asked the teachers in the academy and a few of his friends, who entered the labyrinths of the German language, to translate for him. On top of that he used Gothic books from the monastery library where his uncle worked, and the ones he received through book exchanges, and studied the phrases and texts for hours, days and sometimes longer. He loved to write, read and speak perfectly, to a point where his speech had no accent. He had conversations with Germans more and more easily, and the curtain behind which the German soul hid was pushed to the end, revealing a great, deep and colourful scene behind it. Five or six months later he realized that he spoke better German than his countrymen who had lived on those lands for a long time. But, at the same time, he knew that his success was due to his strong will. After he traveled through German lands and perfectеd his language skills, the great banking secrets he sought began to reveal themselves to him. With a mathematical and clear mind he saw opportunities. He studied the differences in prices, courses of action, custom’s duties and bribes that weren’t entered in the books, but lurked somewhere in the final account. He started a trade which he grew with profit.

Konstantin thrived as a banker, working with money exchanges, loans and disposals, while following demands and developments. His brother Stefan also widely expanded his ownership of properties in Walachia. Three summers ago, together with a certain Stefan Kuiundzhiev, a compatriot from Bitola, otherwise a goldsmith in Bucharest, they invested in a proposal from Konstantin and made a lot of profit. Konstantin was turning into a money magician with hungry accounts that grew by the day, especially after the war ended. This was the war between the Ottoman Empire on one side and Austria and Russia on the other. In those days everything was for sale and Konstantin was buying goods for practically nothing and selling them for a lot of money. And as the whirlwind of war impoverished some and enriched others, Konstantin was there to

buy and sell everything while building his wealth and raising his status. Three summers ago inflation hit, which is still destroying Habsburg. The loans he made couldn’t be repaid by the bankrupted nobles, so Konstantin confiscated their lands, divided them into smaller pieces and sold them... he made a lot of money this way. Konstantin also bought himself fashionable clothes and shoes from the latest fashion and lacquer finished coachs so that he could go wherever he wanted. At first everything enchanted the young banker. As boys, Konstantin and Stefan believed in God. Here they were sinners, tempted by money, about which the Bishop had warned them. The words the Bishop spoke to him were now louder because Konstantin had been warned about the sins of money… Yet he kept sinning again and again. At some point in time he changed direction. He continued to earn money but money was no longer his first goal in life. He turned to a higher source for direction. This didn’t happen immediately but matured through contact with refugees from his homeland whom he considered important. With the national ideas that originated in France, people began to awaken nationally. He saw his compatriots as subjects without a sense of national identity. They simply saw themselves as people. This bothered Konstantin who didn’t feel the same! He covered himself in expensive clothes to assure himself that the reflection on the mirror was his; the infant from Kostur Region, from Macedonia, a land of suffering, a land that was in need of rising and joining the other kingdoms in gaining its national identity and independence.

Konstantin’s coach arrived at the Budim outskirts and was about to roll down the street. His passenger Jacob the economist was with him. Jacob was responsible for looking after Dimitri Anastasiev -“Sabov’s” properties. Kir (Mr.) Dimitri was the wealthy man Konstantin had visited a few days ago. Kir Dimitri, as he was respectfully called, arrived in Karlovtsi as a child with his uncle and other compatriots from the town Negush in Macedonia. As a boy he worked as a tailor. Because of his craft he was nicknamed “Sabov”. Over time he expanded his business to include shops, stores and trading posts in many cities and across borders. He invested seventy-two summers of his life in his work. Unfortunately now he couldn’t work like he used to, but still had the power of his mind. After a fire that devastated the city ten years ago, Dimitri helped to rebuild it. One of the things he did was build a high school for which he

donated twenty thousand forints of gold. All the Slavonic speaking children went there but only to learn Hungarian, German and Greek. The teachers were Slovaks but understood the language of the local inhabitants. Food for the students and other necessities that were required at the time were supplied through the state services. Maybe that’s why the high school was called “Alma mater” (mother that nourishes).

From his meeting with Dimitri, Konstantin got a good impression about him, especially about his ideas of donating money to the kingdom. As mentioned, most recently he donated money to build the high school. During the war against the Ottomans he donated thirty thousand forints in gold to Emperor Joseph II. Dimitri showed great courage when it came to helping the city and the emperor, but he couldn’t help himself. His wife Sara gave him several children but, one by one, they died from scarlet fever - the worst childhood disease of the century. Now Dimitri lived with his sister Jana. He had brought her from Macedonia a long time ago but she too was left alone and getting older. As a result of his and his sister’s losses, Dimitri turned to religion and became a founder of the metropolis which was in alliance with Vienna because the emperor influenced who would be bishop. And there was the eternal trinity of businessmen, clergy and kings.

Three days ago, Konstantin and businessman Dimitri had a conversation. It had just begun to get dark outside signaling a clear night. By this time of year the summer had spread over Srem and it was warm outside. (Srem is a region in the Pannonian Plain located between the Danube (north and east) and the Sava (south) Rivers, just before the Sava-Danube confluence.) They sat in the yard talking for a long time and trying to determine at what hour day became night. There was a gentle breeze blowing around the flowers spreading their pleasant scents. Vine shoots were crawling up the terrace roof weaving a cover to shade the terrace from the hot sun during the summer days. A comfortable breeze blew on their faces and drove the mosquitoes away, which were plentiful during this time of year. Dimitri had a firm build. He looked even more impressive with the richly embroidered Dzhamadan (kind of vest with decorative embroidery and rich decorations) he was wearing, decorated with silver and silk and a thick row of iliki (holes sewn for

buttoning) through which decorative loops were passed; except for the top two or three which were unbuttoned to allow air to flow. He had a high forehead with sparse but straight white hair which became thicker towards the back ending in curls bent at the end and above his neck. To Konstantin he looked like his father - the same big eyes, long straight nose and strong jaw. Dimitri began the conversation first. He said:

“In the summer of 1781, Emperor Joseph proclaimed the ‘Patent for Tolerance’, with which he granted the Orthodox people rights to their religion, education and civil services. As a result people who came from Rumeli were no longer required to learn German, Hungarian and Greek. Many Macedonians and Serbs had been here since the uprising was carried out by Karposh a century ago. Among them were others, newcomers who chose not to learn German, Hungarian and Greek. Included among these newcomers were Vlachs, Shops, Bulgarians and Arnauts. And because all these people were of the Orthodox fate they had been led as ‘unified inhabitants of the Greek rite’?”

“Eight nations, five religions, nine official languages, thirty nationalities, seventeen crowns and ten assemblies… Vienna was damaging itself by granting more rights.”

“Even though the Greeks were few in number, Vienna gave them their rights while subduing the rights of others from Rumeli who weren’t Greeks!”

“Yes it did that by granting the Phanariots rule over all the Christians from Rumeli.”

“Well, a summer later, with the introduction of the ‘Consistory system’, Emperor Joseph ordered the church courts to grant the bishops the right to protect their language and script!”

“Yes, and then the emperor appointed the bishop of Vienna!”

“Like the sultan appointed the patriarch in Istanbul, to help him rule!”

“After the assembly took place in Timishvar in the summer of 1790, Stefan Stratimirovich was appointed Bishop of Vienna and the surrounding area. Stratimirovich belonged to a prominent family, ennobled by Maria Theresa... The summer after, I decided to donate money to assist in the eradication of scarlet fever. For that I went to see Dr. Jovan. He didn’t know what to do so he told the Bishop about it. The Bishop then came to see me on Ilinden so that we could have a talk about building a high school! In other words, I was to donate money not to eradicate scarlet fever but to build a school for Slavonic languages; so that children from Rumeli wouldn’t have to learn foreign languages! ...I was convinced that learning and education had the potential to defeat diseases. So, I agreed to finance the building of a high school. After that the Bishop kept coming back and asked me to continue to donate more money for theological and public schools because he said they were needed. But unfortunately, they kept failing mainly because the church didn’t want to teach, and the Slavonic speakers from Rumeli still had to learn to speak foreign languages. I then realized that the Bishop was under the auspices of Vienna and Budim and, as the saying goes, ‘The fish stinks from the head,’ that’s why there was no progress in the schools…”

Immediately after Kir Dimitri spoke his last words, Konstantin turned and, with his big, dark green eyes, looked at him. He paused for a short moment in an attempt to find the right words to respond to him. He felt that now was the right moment, when Dimitri expressed disappointment with the leadership, which instead of focusing on educating the flock, only cared about its own privileges from Vienna or Budim. Konstantin chose his words carefully and said:

“Uncle Dimitri you mentioned the leadership! Here we are… We have our compatriots without the right to leadership. It seems like something always interfered with our thoughts, like your most human desire which hasn’t seen the light of day; your experience with the bishop for example. Isn’t it time that we realized that we need to unite in a secret organization and adopt principles that we must adhere to? We need to join an organization and take an oath to abide by our own laws so that we can eliminate the problems that plague us.”

“Are you talking of the Masons? Because they’ve already approached me…”

“They approached me too, but this is something different. It must be based on a nationality and care for our people.”

“Okay! ...How do we do this? What’s needed?”

“Well, most of our people are involved in all sorts of guilds -winemakers, booksellers, manufacturers, bankers, officials... We need to get them all together in one place. And when we do that, during our first gathering, we all need to stand in a circle. This is the most inspirational way to do this. It’s like preparing to take part in an all male dance in a great hall. We must then take the oath with a single voice; all shouting the oath in a single breath of tribal monotony. It must spread through the hall like the aroma of a bunch of basil sprinkled with tiny drops of holy water. Our yells must bounce off the walls and echo over the heads of those yelling. The feeling we get from doing this will lead us all forward. Our strength will quickly diminish the power of the kingdoms that diminish us and that power will be lost in the same corridors in which our prayers and intentions used to be lost. We need to strengthen, widen and support our organization and it needs to support us. We need to feel as one and no one needs to be humbled or exalted because of age, education, statues… Everyone needs to become a leader after half a summer and no temptations must be allowed for self-love, like these other people... If this is close to what you want, Uncle Dimitri, then you’re welcome to join us.”

“Well, you have the right idea, so make it happen. In my time, we had no educated people and no awareness of nationality. The past summers I lived hadn’t allowed me to travel but gave me the opportunity to help in other ways… making donations and supporting all kinds of services, for example. I’m with you.”

“The younger people can do the running around. The older people can contribute their experience and wisdom... How are our people doing here in Hungary?”

“You know how they are doing. They are working hard and they are thrifty and meek. They quickly adapt to the environment and to the people. They live all over Budim and Pesht as well as all over Bechkerek, Seged, Komlosh, Mohach, Modosh (today known as the village Jasha Tomich located in Vojvodina, near Zrenjanin), and in other, smaller places.”

“I need to meet with those who have influence and are able to talk about our problems and needs here. I also need to make contact with the trades and guilds so that we can take care of the poor and help them stand on their own two feet. How can I do that?”

“I will write you introduction letters for some and you’ll have to convince others by talking to them. In Budim your will find Dimo Apostolov from Solun. He has stores, shops, vineyards and properties. There you will also find Atanatsko Jankov, Jovan Filipov and Gigo the merchant who own a winery. In the old stores you will find Pejo Stojanov-Kolarot from Mariovo, Volche-Bozadzija from Prilep Region, Orestie Radev-Abadzijata and others. The most wealthy are the brothers Christopher and Kiril Nakov from Poljan ((From Poljanin) - today’s Dojran in the Republic of Macedonia), who now spend most of their time in Vienna. They became wealthy by draining swamps in Tisa and Seged and turning them into productive agricultural lands. They built schools for agriculture. They also became barons after they gave the emperor the treasure from Attila that they found in the middle of the swamps they drained.”

“They are with us in Vienna and they are helping... It’s also important for me to know if there are any troublemakers (enforcers) among our people here.”

“Well, there are. You can find them in Mishko Velchev’s tavern. They were haiduks back home (Macedonia), killing Turks and Arnauts. They were wanted men so they ran off and came here to avoid the noose. Some of them had grandfathers who were haiduks. Included among them are Tesho Sekulov and the Barjaktarski brothers Guro and Pavle from Malesh. Why is this important for you to know?”

“Everyone is important Uncle Dimitri. In times of trouble they are also crucial. Truth needs humility, meekness and mind, but let it be known that we also have strength... how are things in Pesht on the other side of Budim?”

“You will find our people (Macedonians) in ‘Leopold Varosh’. Included among them are Giorgi Masev from Bitola who inherited his trade business from his father and expanded it to include many more stores. The brothers Dimitri and Konstantin Moskov are also from Bitola. Masev and the Moskov brothers donated oil for the church that was built eight summers ago. Unfortunately the people from Rumeli are now divided. The Macedonians, Serbs and Bulgarians attend the “Illyrian Church”, as the episcopate calls it. The Greek, Vlach and Arnaut Christians want a separate church. Even some of the wealthier Macedonian merchants are with them. They had no common ground with the Serbs and Bulgarians. Also they spoke the Greek language which is the language of trade, so they felt they would have more privileges if they went with the Greeks. But even there they are divided. The Vlachs took the Greeks to court because they wanted their liturgy in the Vlach language... Look, everyone is quarreling, in times like these, they are looking for their birthright, something they barely thought about before!” concluded Dimitri.

All the things he’d heard about in his conversation with Dimitri were now in Konstantin’s mind. He was concerned about the division among the Macedonians; divisions that had always torn them apart. Traveling down the cobblestone road, the coach approached the wide paved Danube quay that could be seen from afar. The bright sun became obscured by the eaves of the stores and other buildings in the circular core of the bazaar. The street was busy with passersby, horsemen and coachs that made a lot of noise. Even Konstantin’s coach squeaked as it traveled over the cobblestones. The place was full of idle melancholy, young people shouting and laughing. Down the road were a couple of overdressed men discussing things over coffee. The coach stopped just before the turn at the tavern which had a striking façade and an advertisement for bedrooms upstairs. After he got off the coach Konstantin carefully walked towards the tavern. His attention was drawn to a display in a row of adjoining shop windows. It reminded him of

Istanbul with things being displayed behind glass such as engraved kettles, pots, pans, spoons and plates, tastefully arranged to deceive passersby. Jacob arranged the accommodation and the porters unloaded their coach and placed their luggage in the tavern. Seemingly fascinated by the displays, Konstantin stood in front of the window for a long time. Besides thinking of Istanbul, Konstantin also thought of his father, mother, sister and other relatives who still lived there. His brother Stefan wanted to bring them here but there was always something in the way; from wars to bad storms to ruined roads. Overwhelmed by his thoughts and tired from his long trip, Konstantin, with difficulty, climbed up the wooden stairs to the rented room. He then took a shower, tidied himself up and lay down and slept on the comfortable bed which seemed a lot more comfortable than he’d expected.