Q: In order to regain control of the custom duties, the emperor John VI Kantakouzenos made preparations to lower Constantinople's duties and most tariffs to undercut the Genoese in Galata. Still recovering from the civil war of 1341-1347, the emperor, with great difficulty, raised 50,000 hyperpyra from private sources for a shipbuilding program for the expected war to come. When the tariffs and custom duties were finally lowered, merchant shipping coming through the strait bypassed Genoese Galata and diverted their ships across the Golden Horn to Byzantine Constantinople. The Genoese, financially hard-hit from this policy, declared war on the Empire, and in August 1348, a flotilla of ships sailed across the Horn and attacked the Byzantine fleet; despite their large scale preparations, the Byzantine fleet was destroyed by early 1349. The Byzantines retaliated by burning wharves and warehouses along the shore and catapulted stones and burning bales of hay into Galata, setting major parts of the city on fire. After several weeks of fighting, plenipotentiaries from Genoa came and negotiated a peace agreement. The Genoese agreed to pay a war indemnity of 100,000 hyperpyra and evacuated the land behind Galata which they illegally occupied; last, they promised never to attack Constantinople. In return the Byzantines surrendered nothing, but the Genoese custom duties remained in effect.
Approximately how many years did it take for the Byzantine fleet to be destroyed after August 1348?

A: 1

Q: The Steelers traveled to London, England and were considered the visitor team against a Matt Cassel-led Vikings team. The Vikes got off to a fast start as Blair Walsh nailed a 54-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead followed up by Matt Cassel hooking up with Greg Jennings on a 70-yard touchdown pass for a 10-0 lead. The Steelers managed to get on the board later on in the first quarter when rookie RB Le'Von Bell ran for an 8-yard touchdown to make the game 10-7. The Vikes moved ahead by double digits in the second quarter as Adrian Peterson ran for a 60-yard touchdown for a 17-7 lead. Shaun Suisham got the Steelers within a touchdown by nailing a 26-yard field goal for a 17-10 lead. Walsh moved the Vikes ahead by 10 at halftime by kicking a 37-yard field goal for a 20-10 lead. The Steelers came within 3 as Le'Von Bell ran for a 1-yard touchdown shortening the lead to 20-17 but the Vikes managed to move ahead 27-17 after Peterson ran for a 7-yard touchdown and then Cassel found Jennings again on a 16-yard touchdown pass to make the lead 34-17. In the 4th quarter, Jerricho Cotchery hooked up with Ben Roethlisberger on a 15-yard touchdown pass for a 34-24 lead, and then tried to rally as Suisham nailed a 28-yard field goal. The Steelers' comeback attempt was ruined again as Roethlisberger was sacked and fumbled the ball with less than a minute left in the game sealing the victory for the Vikes. With this loss, the Steelers are off to their worst start since the AFL-NFL merger. They had last started 0-4 in 1968, when they started 0-6. This is also the first time since 2006 in which the team would fall to 4 games below .500 when they started that season 2-6.
How many points did the teams combine for in the first quarter?

A: 17

Q: The Azov campaigns of 1695-96 , were two Russian military campaigns during the Russo-Turkish War of 1686-1700, led by Peter the Great and aimed at capturing the Turkish fortress of Azov , which had been blocking Russia's access to the Azov Sea and the Black Sea. Since the Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689 had failed because of the difficulty of moving a large army across the steppe, Peter decided to try a river approach.
What was the main goal of the military campaigns?

A: capturing the

Q: Since 1444 Si Jifa had repeatedly sent tribute to Ming asking for pardon to no avail. In March 1449, a combined army of 150,000 soldiers was amassed, and the fourth and final campaign to extirpate the Mong Mao threat was launched under the supervision of Wang Ji. The army quickly marched on Mong Yang, which harbored Si Jifa, and captured their strongholds. However Si Jifa managed to escape yet again, and the campaign ended inconclusively with the ruling Shan elite allowed to remain in Mong Yang so long as they never returned to Mong Mao. Sources disagree as to how Si Jifa met his end. One source claims he died in combat in 1449, another says he was captured by the king of Ava and held captive in exchange for Ming territory, and one Shan chronicle claims he reigned for another fifty years. While Mong Mao had been defeated and pacified, Si Jifa's son Si Hongfa continued to rule in Mong Yang and his successors would eventually go on to invade Ava in 1527. So in practice Si Lunfa's family survived as rulers in the neighboring state of Mong Yang under the close observation of Ming. The fourth campaign was also marred by lack of discipline, inefficient administration, and mismanagement of resources. On the first day of mobilization, the entire 150,000 strong army started marching all at once, and many were trampled to death. Food supplies were mismanaged and assigned to individual carriers disproportionate to their weight, and no proper plan for their distribution existed. Some soldiers committed suicide due to the conditions prevalent in the army.
Did Si Jifa want to fight?

A:
Jifa had repeatedly sent tribute