Calais.
This port and the surrounding region in northern France were places that France absolutely had to reclaim.
Since being occupied by England early in the Hundred Years’ War, Calais had remained English territory.
Calais was also important to England.
It was the only gateway for England to reach the European mainland, and the famous export port for English wool.
By order of Edward III, anyone wishing to import or export English wool had to conduct their trade in Calais alone.
Because of this, France needed Calais not only to recover its land but also to tighten England’s economic lifeline.
On the other hand, England had to hold on to Calais for the opposite reasons.
And Medici did not want either England or France to gain the upper hand between the two.
Cosimo looked at Lorenzo and Giovanni and continued.
“As Giovanni said, if France wages war to take Calais, we’ll have to spend far more money than we even imagined. More than we’re capable of paying. And forget about collecting interest — we might never even get back our original funds. This is never the outcome we want.”
Giovanni and Lorenzo nodded in agreement with Cosimo’s words.
“Yes, that’s right.”
When the Medici Bank lent money to the king and nobles, the repayment period was at least ten years.