"What do you mean?" Manuel looked utterly bewildered.
"Your benevolent tolerance, perhaps in the eyes of those fanatical believers—no, perhaps not just fanatics, but even in the eyes of many local lords and ordinary believers—is merely a sign of weakness," Suleiman explained earnestly.
"Hmm, really? Honestly, they shouldn't be so blind to the situation, right?" Manuel asked, incredulous.
"Muslims are generally like that," Suleiman sighed.
"No matter what, I believe that with tolerance and leniency, even subjects of a different religion and culture can understand my good intentions."
Seeing Manuel remain so stubborn, Suleiman could only shake his head inwardly and no longer discuss that topic.
By the time they discussed the Muslim issue within the Principality, it was already evening. At this moment, the envoy sent to urge Prince Alexius to return had arrived at his residence in Trabzon and presented the handwritten letter from Manuel.
"He really won? It's only been less than two years since the fighting started, hasn't it?!" Alexius was dumbfounded, his face filled with disbelief.
"Yes, His Highness the Prince, the Crown Prince has cooperated with the Golden Horde and destroyed the Crimean Khanate of the Giray Family," the messenger replied, bowing.
"I, I understand..." After confirming it repeatedly, Alexius was ecstatic, "This is truly remarkable, my child. Perhaps he can really become Basil II of Theodoro? No, he is already married, so it would be more appropriate to say Alexius I or Manuel I of Theodoro?"①
Just as Alexius was genuinely delighted by his eldest son's achievements, the messenger presented a second handwritten letter from Manuel.
Alexius took it, read it carefully, and then asked with a puzzled expression, "The Bosporus Kingdom? Rebuilding a kingdom from old papers? What is Manuel thinking?"
Messenger: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I do not know."
Alexius naturally didn't expect the messenger to explain it to him. After a moment of thought, he could only temporarily hide his doubts about this, planning to ask his eldest son in detail after returning to the country.
After getting up to reply to the messenger, telling him that Alexius had decided to return, the messenger stood by, surprised and patiently waiting for the Prince and his wife to pack their belongings.
However, it would still take two to three days for Prince Alexius and his wife to return. During this time, Manuel naturally could not and would not be idle. The next day, after properly settling his younger brother who had returned to Mangup, he incidentally let it be known that he would summon the Tatar nobles under his command. At the same time, he held a brief small meeting in Mangup to determine how to govern the Tatars within the Principality.
On the third day, he led his followers to Bakhchysarai, the former capital of the Crimean Khanate and the largest Tatar city on the Tauris Peninsula, to proclaim his governing principles to his Tatar subjects.
After confirming that the Tatar magnates he could summon, including most of the nobles and some Crescent Sect jurists, had gathered, Manuel stood on the high platform in the central square of Bakhchysarai, holding a newly rolled paper 'megaphone' in his left hand. He brought the narrow end close to his mouth and loudly delivered his speech to the Tatars below:
"After such a cruel war, I believe that all of you are more or less still somewhat shaken. But here, I clearly inform you all—the shadow that war cast between us in the past will completely dissipate starting today.
"Perhaps you worry that you might face unwarranted discrimination in a predominantly Christian country. Here, I declare that every faith has its rightful place in our Principality. At least, I personally will not allow blatant discrimination based on religious differences to exist.
"I also know that most of your lifestyles are nomadic. Here, I also promise that the Principality will not intentionally create obstacles because your way of life differs from that of Christians. Because before the exalted God, or Allah as you call him, man... the existence of all things has its rightful reason, therefore I will not forcibly change any of this."
At this point, Manuel breathed a sigh of relief, "I almost said, 'all men are equal' before God. After all, in the Middle Ages, taking too big a step is still too dangerous."
After declaring his principle of not discriminating against Tatars based on their faith and nomadic life, Manuel then officially announced the Principality's upcoming governance measures for them:
First, infidels must pay a small, fixed 'faith protection tax' annually. This tax, calculated by Manuel and key financial officials, was even less than the 'Jizya tax' in Crescent Sect doctrine, to show tolerance, and could also be reduced through forms such as military service. As for why this tax still needed to be collected, it was mainly because Manuel did not want the Principality to be too special compared to other countries.
Second, to signify that times had changed, Manuel granted a general amnesty to all Tatar nobles except the Giray Family, including the previously captured Muhammad Shirin and Mustafa Balin. He returned to them parts of their original lands and tribal people, allowing them to continue as Tatar nobles, to demonstrate his tolerance.
Third, most of the mainland territories were designated as autonomous regions of the Principality, distributed to the original local Tatar nobles for governance. They were permitted to exercise rule by paying annual tribute. After all, with the Principality's current relatively weak administrative power, forcibly governing the area could likely create a power vacuum in the short term. Given this, it was better to leave these lands to trustworthy Tatar families, allowing them to act as tax farmers for the Principality and alleviate the pressure on Theodoro.
Fourth, continue to gently encourage farming, immigration, and conversion. Although Manuel promised not to convert mosques into churches, this did not mean the Principality would not build new orthodox churches. After discussing with the church yesterday, Manuel even planned to establish a large Hagia Sophia in Simferopol.
However, it was regrettable that these measures, considered quite tolerant for the era, were misinterpreted by most of the unruly Tatar nobles, while devout jurists were unwilling to accept even this mild promotion of Christianity. Coupled with the covert instigation of certain individuals, Manuel's religious tolerance measures were not as effective or popular as he had imagined.