Chapter 28: To honor a compact
31 August 1680, Nürnberg
To say that an appearance by Friedrich IV in front of the Conclave of Stadtholders was rare would be an extreme understatement. From the very beginning of his reign, he had done all he could to minimize the authority of his most significant opposition in Bayern. Karl Lanze, understanding that he had won but a minor victory, had long since left the Empire. An informal group had gathered in his memory – Lanze’s Lancers, they called themselves – which was populated by the most avant-garde republicans in the entire Empire. It was necessarily underground, but it grew every day. Meanwhile, the public opposition remained entrenched in the Conclave.
Rene Picard, who in truth thought Karl Lanze as threatening as Friedrich IV did, nevertheless intended to stand his ground as President of the Conclave. The war with Hungary (and her allies) had been somewhat justifiable, as Hungary held lands that belonged to Bayern by law. Brittany possessed no such territory. When the Kaiser had announced his intentions to declare war on Brittany, Picard demanded an explanation. The native of Brussels was on incredibly shaky ground: technically, the Conclave held no power of any kind over the making of war or peace. Still, Picard counted on the recent outbreak of good feeling to weaken Friedrich’s resistance.
Friedrich IV knew he was in far more hostile territory than he had ever been during his days fighting in France. His initial instinct – to send the Chancellor to dismiss the Conclave unilaterally without a hearing – had been tempered by the idea that he, too, possessed a unique opportunity to disarm the Conclave. And so, the Kaiser stood before the President of the Conclave without showing the slightest hint of doubt.
“Your Imperial Majesty, thank you for your attendance today.”
Friedrich IV showed a wry half-smile. “It is my pleasure to serve the Conclave.”
“The people of Bayern would like to know why you seek to war upon the peace-loving peoples of Brittany.”
Friedrich IV smiled even wider. “They do, do they? Could you perhaps ask one of them to step forward? All I see is a crowd of wealthy bureaucrats arguing about who gets the scraps from my table.”
The room went deathly silent. Rene Picard turned a particularly bright shade of crimson. “Now, Sire, that is surely an unfair characterization!”
“Is it? Then, pray, produce the individual you speak of.”
Rene Picard was hoist by his own petard. He had claimed something he did not have, and now he was made to look a fool by the one person who needed to fear him. “The Conclave has a much closer touch with the common folk than you, sitting in your glorious palace in Nürnberg, Kaiser!”
Friedrich IV winced, mockingly. “You, indeed, have me there. I spend every waking hour in my palace, committing the unforgivable sin of considering my people’s welfare. But no matter. I come here not to fence with you, President, but to answer your questions. The reason the people of Bayern are going to war with Brittany is because Brittany has refused our reasonable request to restore the independence of Somerset, which is Imperial territory.”
“And what shall you do with Somerset when you acquire it, Sire? Hand it to one of your cronies in the Gentlemen’s Society?”
“As a legal part of Bayern, it would of course receive a Stadtholder, appointed by your august selves. However, I can see you doubt my intentions. Therefore, I will make a formal pledge before you. When this war has concluded successfully, the Kingdom of Bayern will annex no additional scrap of territory that is not due to her. Furthermore, I will restore to independence five former princes of the Holy Roman Empire: Corsica, Toulouse, Foix, Friesland, and Luxembourg.”
Rene Picard tried to keep the shock from his face. He failed. It was entirely unlike this Kaiser to surrender any territory, yet his proposal would not only be a net loss, in terms of acreage, to the Empire, but it would also make the single richest province in the Empire, Thouars, an independent state. His fellow Stadtholders applauded the Kaiser’s fine gesture. Picard was unconvinced, but had no other option than to join them, all the while wondering,
what is his game?
12 October 1680, Leon
Karl Theodor Livizzani was yet another concession to Rene Picard. Although the Livizzanis had become old nobility over the years, Karl Theodor was among the most liberal nobles the Empire had ever seen. It was an open secret that Lanze’s Lancers received considerable funding from part of the Livizzani fortune.
Livizzani had studied under General Hannet as a young Oberst. Hannet’s idea of creating a People’s Army to overthrow the Hohenzollerns was thoroughly inculcated in Karl’s very being. Even more importantly, Karl’s command was an important one, and he had already attained a very important victory at Leon.
After his stunning victory and the news of a new front opening at Flanders, Livizzani used his influence to secure his own protégé’s future, Ernst Hugenpoet.
Marshal von Ungern had been delighted to fulfill the request. It kept Tomas de la Rosa, who had grown increasingly corpulent with his years of service as an Oberst, from attaining General’s rank. Harald von Ungern only cared about effective leaders, not about politics.
21 January 1683, Nürnberg
“Check.” Kaiser Friedrich IV moved his rook across the board, taking advantage of his opponent’s overly aggressive attack on the Kaiser’s queen.
His opponent, Archbishop Simeon, studied the board with quiet determination. He was, in some respects, the Kaiser’s only friend, and the two had passed many an hour playing chess and discussing whatever was on the Kaiser’s mind. Kaiser Friedrich had posed a particularly thorny theological question before making his move: how could man understand God’s will?
Simeon took his theology as seriously as his chess, but was surprised that the real question Friedrich had asked wasn’t “how could an Emperor understand the people’s will?” The people of Bayern had been deliriously happy at the victories of the noted populist Karl Theodor Livizzani, after all.
General Sackendorf’s own victory – and he a former “Young Bavarian” – was almost completely disregarded. Sackendorf’s new idea to mount his infantry on horseback to get around the battlefield more effectively was a key reason that the enemy was defeated at Oldenburg.
Yet it was the dashing young Karl Theodor Livizzani who was romanced at every ball, celebrated in every tavern, and cheered at every parade. Sackendorf received the Kaiser’s Thanks – a not inconsiderable honor – but the people could care less.
Simeon grabbed his bishop and took Friedrich’s rook. “God’s will is revealed through the actions of men, Sire. If he were ever to share his will with us directly, I am sure we would either not understand it or perish from the effort to try.”
Friedrich IV nodded. “That may be so, Archbishop. Yet I cannot help but wonder if our duty on earth should be Man’s will, not God’s. If we cannot be certain we are following God’s will, surely we should follow the will of His Chosen Representative.”
Simeon was puzzled. “The Pope? Certainly, but he is in Rome.”
“I, of course, meant myself.” Friedrich smiled. “After all, the Pope himself crowned me Holy Roman Emperor, did he not?”
Simeon’s mouth fell open. “Luitpold, are you mad?”
Friedrich forgave the ever-so-slight lapse into familiarity. “I am not, Archbishop. If God’s will is unknowable, as you just stated, then we can never know if we are following it. It must be better to follow the will of man, therefore, and trust that God will inspire the appropriate person at the appropriate time.”
Simeon gathered his wits and tried to change the subject. “I believe it is your move, Kaiser.”
“Indeed.” Friedrich, in one brilliant stroke, had sprung his trap on the board. By taking Friedrich’s rook, the Archbishop had taken his bishop out of position, and a combination of queen and the Kaiser’s own bishop had secured a victory for Friedrich. “Can I count on you to make an announcement?”
“Of your heresy? Sire, forgive me, but no.”
“I was merely trying to distract you from the game, Archbishop. In any case, that is not what I wish you to announce; merely that Poland has surrendered to Кöln.”
“As you will, then, Sire.”
Much like Rene Picard, Archbishop Simeon left the Kaiser’s company more perplexed than when he entered.
23 April 1683, Urbino
The death of Ludwig von Pappenheim (and his wife, who had theatrically died in her husband’s arms) at the hands of a vicious Polish nationalist completely changed the national conversation. Nobody was the least bit interested in General Livizzani’s daring exploits: they thirsted for revenge on Poland. As Кöln had been the power that had defeated Poland, the Kaiser had no choice but to openly proclaim his protection of the Archbishopric. A native of Köln, Ferdinand Maria Dulac, was named Admiral-in-Chief in Pappenheim’s place.
Before becoming an Admiral, Dulac was a diplomat, most recently responsible for the peace deal with Flanders.
Yet he had been a sailor even before becoming a diplomat, and he was a more than capable handler of the fleet. Ludwig von Pappenheim had personally recommended him as he lay dying in his home in Venezia. Even better, he was a loyal aristocrat and had absolutely no truck with the Conclave. It was a new officer’s turn to win dashing victories, this time against the English fleets that dared support Brittany.
13 December 1684, Constantinople
Karl Lanze and his Lancers (although he privately detested the name) had been busy too. They’d gained some powerful converts of their own, including Vito de Frizi, who had openly opposed the harsh peace enacted Baden as “completely ruinous to their economy”. After all, Baden was a member state.
Stepan Petrov, the elderly battle scarred mercenary captain, had also joined the Lancers. Together, the three notables raised a small army, but not against Bayern or the Empire. Such a move would almost certainly get all three of them excommunicated and thus justify their executions. As further evidence of the strengthening of relations between the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire, Friedrich IV had made attendance at Sunday schools mandatory for every school age child in the Empire.
Lanze, instead, took his small group to Byzantium, where he intended to cause a civil war and see if might create a powerful republic on the Kaiser’s doorstep.
11 December 1687, Nürnberg
The civil war in Byzantium failed. That came as no surprise to all but the tiny group of compatriots of Lanze’s Lancers. Needless to say, the Basileus executed all three ringleaders after a plea for extradition was denied by the Kaiser. Friedrich was too focused on the war against Brittany, and with Admiral Dulac’s daring landing at Somerset, victory was assured.
Friedrich IV was true to his word, taking only Somerset (along with a sizable cash prize, of course).
With victory completed, Stadtholders and citizens alike expected the Kaiser to fulfill his promise to liberate the Imperial states. Another wave of Polish assassinations delayed these efforts, killing not only Johann Riedesel, the Steward, but the popular aristocrat Johann Theodor Asch.
To show his good faith, Friedrich IV had even allowed something unprecedented to the Conclave: the right to choose a new Steward from among their number. Christoph Pfretschner had been Stadtholder von Zürich ever since an older brother had inherited the family title of Graf von Schwyz. (The Pfretschners had reclaimed their title after the death of the Habsburgs.) Bitter at his exclusion from holding even a Barony, he convinced Rene Picard to name him Stadtholder after a generous contribution of gold to the Conclave’s coffers; a second, even larger, contribution secured the Steward’s job.
Friedrich IV, without a moment’s hesitation, readily agreed to make him Steward. He even called a special meeting of not just the Conclave of Stadtholders, but of the rulers of every state in the Holy Roman Empire, to announce the liberation of his territories. The Kaiser, with all the usual formulae of politeness and civility, began his speech with exactly that. Satisfied, many of those meeting in the palace turned to leave. He held up a single hand.
“Friends, I cannot allow you to leave just yet. We must discuss the matter of Köln. I have not forgotten how Poland has spilled Bavarian blood in an effort to dissuade us from protecting our member states. Köln will not stand alone if Poland should choose to strike with honor instead of cowardice. I know each and every person here would answer Köln’s call to arms. I have taken the liberty of ensuring that you can do so, by seeding elements of the Bavarian army in your capital cities, ready to strike against a Polish attack.
“All I ask in return is that you swear to defend Köln – or any other Imperial state – in war. In gratitude, I would give you all the honored and glorious title of Herzog. I must insist that you wait to leave until you have signed the document my Chancellor has prepared for you. I am afraid signing it is mandatory.”
Some of the duller rulers of the member states applauded this seemingly generous statement. Yet more recognized what had happened. The title of Herzog was indeed an ancient one in the Empire, but it signified neither glory nor honor.
It signified absolute submission and the status of vassal. Many of the members present did as the Kaiser asked, but some did not.
It was civil war.
I’ll reveal the details of the war next update. In the meantime, let’s have a contest! Three questions (one with two answers), and as always, if a character is alive, you are not eligible.
1. Who is, at present, the oldest living character submitted by a readAAR?
2. What is the largest state within the HRE that resists?
3. There will be two war leaders, both outside the HRE. Name either. (One guess per person for this question.)
Contest will end next Friday at 6 PM (GMT +4).
