And now for something completely different....
@Tweetybird: I'm glad you like the pictures, and Eh, Y'all can expect whatever ya want. Y'aint gonna geddit, but yall can expect it.
@swippy: Hopefully this won't be any less awesome. Hopefully... I hate writing Conversations.
@Derahan: Eh, Austria gets what's coming to them eventually.
@gabor: I've tried to make sure that anyone who was alive at 1453 has some role, such as Louis XI, however after that I've just been drawing inspiration from History, feeling fully allowed to change whatever I wanted. That's one of the reasons I have changed the Austrian Succession drastically, Luckily enough for me, Friedrich V's Heir Maximilian wasn't born until 1459, so I can effectively do whatever I want to the Line.
@mw1776: I would say I hope this is the last Schedule Slip, but I know it will happen again eventually. And by eventually, I mean two days ago....
And why does everyone keep winking at me?
@All:
So... Hey there. Hows it going?
So. I was thinking, always a bad sign, had to take the smoke alarm down and everything...
Where was I?
Oh Right, so I've decided I really want to expand on Friedrich VI and Maria of Burgundy and their marriage. Unfortunately the Personal Aspects of the History are outside the scope of the works of Hugo Grotius. This is further comfounded by the fact that Describing anything from Friedrich or Maria's point of view would just give away everything.
So, without further ado, I'm going to start on a series of Narratives, none of which are going to be from the point of view of the actual subject.
So Let's get started everyone. Hold on to your Butts.
~~*~~
Narriatives
The People of the Renaissance
Ferdinand I 'One Eye'
July 21st, 1489; The Meeting with Charles II
The Sun was shining, the day was warm, and the sound of my young Sons' Laughter was pleasing on my ears. As young Friedrich and his younger brother Karl ran through the Gardens of the Imperial Palace, I reclined in my chair in the few moments of peace afforded me, enjoying this brief respite from the affairs of state. I was glad this small estate, high in the Swiss Alps, had remained within the Family Domains.
Here, playing Chess with my Eldest Son, while my two Youngest Sons played together nearby, surrounded by guards to ensure our safety, with delicious Wine from the Duchy of Champagne, arrived two days earlier as a gift with the message requesting this meeting, in the calm warm of the summer. Truly, this was happiness.
"Father, your move." My Elder Son's words brought me back to the moment, as I turned and looked down at the Board. There was the slightest hint of a smile on his face as I looked at the board. Why was obvious. His Bishop was staring my queen in the face, she herself being largely trapped. The Bishop was protected by a Knight, the Knight in turn being protected by a Rook, with its companion defending it, forming a self reinforcing formation.
My Own formation was likewise deep, with the trading of pieces having begun only 6 moves before. My Queen could retreat back to the original line, however that would give my young son control of over half of the board. I could not allow that, and besides, what better opportunity to judge his character?
I advanced my Bishop to claim a Bishop of his, and place his Queen into Check. A Knight of mine, and my Queen, both defended this attacking Bishop. Should one of us Lose our Queen, Both of us Lose our Queen.
My Son's Brow furrowed ever so slightly.
He had taken to this game relatively easily, and had been more than capable of adapting to the quickly shifting rules. He had become almost immediately skilled using the new rules for the movement of the Queen and Pawns for instance. He had been less interested in his Bishops, or so I had thought, he appeared to be adapting to that easily enough. I guess I wouldn't have to try to teach him this. At the very least, I was proud of his usage of his pawns.
His Queen had retreated, and mine did as well. I had my answer, I had indeed chosen my successor wisely.
Today was a big day, although it would hopefully be less significant than most would initially fear. The Meeting would begin shortly. Today was a secret day. The World could not know of this meeting until the arrangements set forth were well established. We had to tread carefully. Although France would be unable to do anything to challenge this new Partnership, Castille would be more than willing to intervene, as would the Polish Crown, and perhaps even Hungary, although they were nominally our allies.
Indeed, it was the weakness of France that had prompted this arrangement. The Duke of Burgundy would be arriving shortly to discuss the terms and conditions of this new alliance of powers. Were the other powers to learn of this, they would never accept it, as today, the Kingdom of France effectively joined with the Holy Roman Empire in Alliance, as a powerful state that would dominate almost the whole of Europe. The Empire of Charlemagne was to be reborn, if not in name, then at the least in practice.
I Frowned. My Son had made a mistake in the progressing game. Despite my Queen being Trapped behind his lines without support, he had attacked it in the wrong way, leaving one of his flanks open. I had assumed My Queen was surely lost at this point, having decided to merely have her do as great of damage as possible before she fell. Perhaps, I could save her, as I slid her into the corner, and claimed his Rook. By the lack of change in his expression, it was apparent he had seen his mistake before I moved. At least that was some lesson for him to learn.
This deal would secure the borders of the Empire, and turn a former ally, who was at this point growing in power by leaps and bounds, into a strong ally. With Burgundian Support, I would be able to push through grand, sweeping changes to the Imperial Constitution, centralizing power greatly and expanding the reach of Austria. Everything was going exactly as planned. I had already begun sending messengers up to the northern Demesne to prepare to claim it directly for the House of Habsburg. With a base in the north from which to project Imperial Power, and the Duchy of Milan holding sway over much of Italy, action could be taken to significantly curb the power of the Local Lords.
One could only Hope.
His Bishop had taken a pawn, and was now Pressuring a Knight. My Queen was back within my lines, the front having remained relatively constant, and his bishop was behind it, wreaking havoc alongside a Knight, while another Knight was defending him from my queen. This was annoying, but I could do nothing about it, I withdrew my Knight, forcing his Bishop to return to its original location.
Austria had been isolated within its phantom empire, Beset on all sides by those wishing to destroy us. No Longer.
Today, I seized my Dynasty's Future.
A Soldier ran up to me and my son. With the exception of a pair of pawns, no further pieces had changed hands, the campaign degrading into a Battle of Positioning. Unfortunately, it appeared this game would have no resolution. This was likely for my own benefit, I appeared to be losing.
"My Lord, Duke Charles II has arrived."
"Good, show him in here. I'm afraid our game is done my Son, go get your brother."
Leopold responded quickly in affirmative and walked off, clearly unhappy with the situation and preferring to have finished the game. He stood quickly and bowed slightly, respectful to the end, and then walked down the small hill we were on. His Brothers were still playing together, wrestling together on the grass below. Friedrich remained the stronger. Regardless, neither were my heirs, for that I was deeply thankful.
The Duke entered the gate to this Imperial Palace with his personal bodyguards, all garbed in modern armor and bearing both halberds and swords. He himself looked polished and clean in his armor and long black cloak, his hood down and his helmet under his shoulder. There was a sword at his side, even from here I could see the fine craftsmanship involved, the embroidery on the edge of his cape was likewise elaborate, the gilt on his helm and armor was perfectly balanced, as each step brought into view a new level of detail.
He was trying to impress me. Let him.
"Emperor Ferdinand I."
"Charles II."
I gave him no Title, he winced slightly when I said it. His slight smirk, that constant feature which gave him his reputation, did not leave his face, however it noticeably weakened. So I drew out his true personae, his false humility was a disservice to our understanding of the situation. In this time, he held more sway in Europe, however his influence was precarious, and could be destroyed at any moment.
"I Come seeking an Audience, to determine the Balance of the Empire and France."
"So I have heard." I drank once more from the goblet of wine beside me.
He took a slight breath before speaking again.
"I wish to request the Title of the King of Lotharingia from you. At present I control virtually all of the territory of that old Kingdom and claim influence extending deeply into both the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire. I wish to elevate my standing."
"Your Request is Heard, and Denied."
"I expected as much, though I suppose one cannot blame a man for simply trying."
"Indeed." A Slight smile graced my face now, as his returned to its full strength.
There was a longer pause now, as he studied me carefully, his smile surely an attempt to distress me. He did not fidget, and neither did his guards, nor mine, now gathered to stand behind me at attention, themselves armed and armored similarly to his, although all bearing long cloaks of Austrian White with Gold Trim around their edges.
They served as a nice contrast to myself.
"You have not the power to stand against me."
I paused, finishing my current sip of wine before speaking softly in response.
"Oh but I do."
He paused slightly before responding.
"My Realms are richer than yours, greater in territory and manpower, and fully loyal to me. Burgundy would surely defeat an Austria who struck against it."
"Indeed, in a straight war, Burgundy would surely defeat Austria, however you forget your surroundings."
"How? England is in the throes of the aftermath of the Hundred Years War and continues in their 'War of the Roses', Castille and Aragon are consumed by their rivalry, Poland is occupied with putting down a Lithuanian Pretender, and the King of Denmark is busy fighting for control over the Crown of the North."
I smiled.
"And all of those would throw aside their differences were Burgundy to truly upset the Balance of Power."
"A war with Austria would not upset the balance enough to interest them when they are so distracted."
"True, but were Burgundy to War with Austria and Empire, and were the Duke of Burgundy to then order the Death of the Young King of France, such a death of a foreign Prince within your Lands might just sully your reputation enough for the other powers to take interest. We're all of this to likewise be accompanied by an excommunication from my Good Friend Pope Marcellus III, I think the Duchy of Burgundy would be too tempting of a target for the other powers and the Local Nobles of Burgundy itself to resist. Remember the Fate of the Kingdom of France."
His Eyes Widened visibly.
"I come here as a Friend, a fellow Ruler in this World, to speak of partnerships and cooperation, and you threaten my Realm with Death? Is this how you receive every head of state, an itemized list of the ways you could destroy them?"
"Oh, I assure you Charles, I am speaking as a Friend, were I not your Friend, I would have already done all of these to you several times over." I smiled through my teeth just ever so slightly, this look of panic so slight in its existence, barely contained behind the steely gaze of one well versed in the intrigues of the world, it was what I lived for. "This is merely me clarifying our positions. Although you have greater power in the moment, your power is precarious and could easily be wrested from you. Your Duchy remains unstable, while I am popular in my Empire. The only blemish on my record has been my willingness to let you run amok, the Princes of Empire would be more than willing to support me in my efforts to stop you."
I paused to let the full force of this declaration sink into his understanding, it didn't take long, so I added one more statement to truly knock him off balance.
"And besides, my dear friend, I have not even begun to describe the ways I could destroy everything your dynasty has spent the past century working for."
It was a while before he spoke again, as his eyes darted back and forth, visibly working out battle plans and sorting through the web of intrigue surrounding European Politics, trying to find a way out of this trap.
"I would never order the Death of the Young King, and I would be able to prove it."
"My Young Friend, no you wouldn't. No matter how much evidence you brought to the table, the other rulers of Europe would not accept it. Indeed, the more evidence you brought to the table of your own innocence, the blacker they would paint you. They are already salivating at the possibility."
"I know, I have already dismantled five attempts on the young King's Life." He Responded.
"Indeed, I myself have done the same." I replied.
That shocked him. So it was, mostly, a bluff, and so many of the plots I had 'dismantled' I myself have constructed in the first place, those were all unnecessary details.
"Why, if you wish to kill my realm, would you defend it?"
"My dear Friend, I don't want to kill your realm. I want you as an ally, a Powerful Ally. Through you, the Empire will spread, however briefly, into the Kingdom of France. Even if it is not so on any map or paper, by the agreement we will reach today, the Empire of Charlemagne will be reborn. This Rebirth will be at first fleeting, however through you I will sow the seeds of a greater Imperial Revival. You are in a unique position, more than able to gravely, fatally, weaken the Kingdom of France, weaken it in ways that the other powers will be entirely willing to preserve, and their own Kings will be unable to undo. You can destroy all of the centralizing progress the Kings of France have made over the past century of warfare with England."
"And if I won't assist you in your schemes?"
"Then you will fall alone." I took another drink of Wine. "You have no one else in all of Europe who would ally with you, too great has your power and reach grown. Your Ally of Aragon has left your circle, and now stands in Mine, opposed to you if necessary, because of the fear you have placed in the King, the fear of a Two Front war against you and Castille. Castille, likewise, will not risk strengthening a new state so close to its border. The Crown of England sees you now as mocking it, having achieved what it could not, dominance over the Kingdom of France. All other powers are either too disinterested in you or too far away. Unless you wish to seek aid from the Ottoman Empire, which will only make it easier to crush your realm with the Church." I waved my hand, as if brushing such a foolish option from the air. "You have grown to great, too quickly, and now teeter on the Edge of Oblivion, you will require the Validation of another, already established state in order to survive, and I am the only state that will give you such validation."
"And why will you give it to me, when you seem sure I would be your enemy?"
"Oh Charles, you could never be my enemy. You require me. You cannot fight me, any more than you could fight your own feet."
"Burgundy can stand on its own. It has before, and it shall once more if necessary."
"And Likely it could, were it not facing myself. I think you underestimate my Grip on Europe my Dear Friend. I have Influence in every country, and no ruler can resist one of my demands. As you have seen, once the Order of the Teutonic Knights no longer served my purposes, I cast it off and maneuvered the Kingdom of Poland to destroy it. I shattered the Iberian Wedding between Aragon and Castille, preventing the Unification of those Lands, and prevented the Ottoman Empire from completely annexing the Mamluk state of Egypt. I have destroyed Realms before, Pray I do not Destroy Yours." I glared him dead in the eyes.
There was a long Pause, as I drank the last of my wine. It was a particularly delicious batch I must admit. Yet one more reason to secure the friendship of Burgundy.
"Who...What are you?" He asked, shakily, before once more finding his voice.
I Laughed heartily. "My Dear Friend, Who I am is simple; I am Emperor Ferdinand I 'One Eye'. What I am is a bit more difficult to describe, but I will assure you that my family has deeper secrets than you could imagine."
My Son Leopold was walking back up the hill, having finally dragged Friedrich from his games.
"So, have you brought your young Sister with you?" He nodded, and I smiled kindly, my eye almost closed as I stood. "Then we shall discuss the terms of our Partnership."
~~*~~
So then....I told people conversations weren't my strong suit. Though I think this conversation went pretty well.
To make up for the lack of new history, and otherwise total lack of Images of any kind, have a nice map of Austria, part of the new HRE map I'm making. The Next update will show the actual discussion from the point of view of Charles II.