LIV: Despair
On December 31, 1629 former Hochkomtur Konrad von Spanheim launched a successful coup d'etat against Hochmeister Peter von Habsburg, ending years of strife dealing with a paranoid leader and a devastating, albeit highly successful war against the Holy Roman Emperor.
Usurper?
Von Spanheim was a general by training and temperament. He simply wasn't good at politics and intrigue, and now his lack of skill told. He suspended the Charter and Rule of the Order and didn't call for Conclave, reasoning that men needed time to digest what had occurred over the last several years before they could decide how best to continue forward. His own journal is particularly revealing:
von Spanheim said:
...and at last we come to the crisis. The armies are exhausted. Our neighbors are wary. Our people afraid. Their master was mad and they no longer know who to obey. Shall I let (a Conclave) bicker and debate, leaving us with no lord whatsoever at the very moment we must stand together? That would be the end of all things. Further, they have chosen wrongly before. What prevents further folly?...
...Von Reval came to me saying the League is nervous I won't call Conclave. I told him it would come, but only after the country was stable again, when we can afford to take a month or two and sort through this. (Hochmeister) Peter (von Habsburg) is safe in his tower. He'll keep...
...I started this, I must finish it. A few more months, maybe a year or two, and we can settle accounts properly.
For their part, the komturs watched with growing alarm as von Spanheim failed to summon them. Justified or not, imprisoning the grand master and simply taking over was illegal. Only the Conclave could depose von Habsburg. Only the Conclave could choose his successor. As winter faded and the former Grand Marshal still hesitated enemies started demanding action and even von Spanheim's allies said it was time to fix this. In Neu Sandez near the Polish border, the komtur called for his peers to form an army and retake the capital from the 'usurper.'
(Revolt: Podkarparice.)
Left with little choice, von Spanheim gave in and summoned the Conclave which began on April 22, 1630. With the Grand Master and his 'replacement' both under suspicion they turned to Grand Hospitaller von Gottigen to lead the gathering.
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Conclave
Von Gottigen was chosen for the relatively harmless position of administering the Order's "works" - charity houses and so forth, precisely because he had no political ambition nor agenda. A speech impediment convinced him early in life that God meant him to keep quiet and draw as little attention to himself as possible. He literally trembled as he took the pulpit, and his halting, stuttering speech ranks among the shortest in the history of the Order:
von Gottigen said:
The first question therefore was whether to impeach Hochmeister von Habsburg. In four months of imprisonment he'd completely surrendered to paranoia and mania. On the other hand, he'd learned how to hide it quite well. He entered calmly, with only a few wary glances to make sure this wasn't some form of elaborate trap.
His reserve only cracked when he caught sight of von Spanheim near the front. He leapt away from his guards and threw himself on the older warrior screaming "Traitor!" The grand master's manic strength served him well, as he completely surprised his archenemy and they went down in a heap. Komturs and officers backed away as von Habsburg bit and clawed, screaming invectives. It was all von Spanheim could do to protect his face and groin before guards could surge in and pull them apart.
Over the next two weeks several men spoke for and against the two men. Finally von Spanheim summarized:
von Spanheim said:
I must prevail upon you gentlemen to use your common sense in rendering this decision, and I must urge you to act quickly. The Order's suffered without leadership for too long as it is.
Since the year 28, the Hochmeister led us into an unprovoked and unlawful war against Pommerania. He intentionally moved our defenses away from Luebeck so they would fall under siege, perhaps to punish the von Mecklenburg clan and incite them to revolt.
He's allowed his 'agents' free reign over the Order, destroying entire villages and many of our friends' families with his taxes. I would remind some of you gentlemen you wished to conclave years ago, but I disagreed as we were in a war at the time.
Lastly, while in a war with one of the great powers of Europe, he refused a generous peace offer and instead demanded complete surrender. He knew he wouldn't get it, therefore costing us more lives and more resources, and even if he somehow did he would merely invite the hatred and retaliation of the entire world.
He's dismissed those who sought to serve him faithfully for disagreeing. He's allowed innocent soldiers and knights to die to seek revenge on his enemies. He killed thousands on a personal, or at least family vendetta against the Habsburgs of Austria. He is not fit to rule.
Von Habsburg snarled, breathed several times, glanced at his notes and stood.
von Habsburg said:
*I* must prevail upon you to look upon the source of these accusations:
He disagreed with Hochmeister von Salza. This is fine, many of us did. However it was his student who killed our hochmeister. Von Spanheim denies responsibility. He is wrong. Though I will concede there is no proof of his hand in that dreadful murder, later events suggest that von Strichlund at least believed he would please his master.
He disagreed with this Conclave when we elected Komtur von Mecklenburg. Again, many of you did. He, alone, however refused to submit. He proved he had much of the army behind him. Had we not found another solution, one can only wonder what the Rittermeister would have done then. Would he have forced the Conclave to elect him? He DID effectively force us to revote.
Finally he swore allegiance to me. We see now what his oath is worth. He says I am not fit to rule. I say he is not fit to submit to authority, and when he does not care for what he sees, he will use any means at his disposal to force the issue. He will defy the Hochmeister. He will defy the Conclave. He would probably defy God. No, sir, you've had your say. It is my turn.
He accuses me of abandoning Luebeck. It is true I ordered men out of that city to prepare for a counterstrike. It is also true that he commanded our western defenses, and had he seen folly in my actions he should have said something. He did not. Instead he covers for his own tactical blunder by blaming me.
He accuses me of raising taxes. Yes. We have been in two wars in three years. Would the rittermeister have had our men in the field lack in ammunition or clothing? Food or other supplies? Perhaps he would have us abandon our works? Or our trading ventures?
I accuse HIM of countermanding my orders and therefore setting up two authorities. Not only did this confuse and entangle our financial situation, it allowed the Pommeranians to manipulate us into a peace that failed to even cover our expenses, let alone the lives lost fighting them.
Lastly he accuses me of prolonging a war with the Austrians due to a private vendetta. There is no vendetta. My grandfather was hochmeister. I've never known any life but with this Order. However, the Emperor represents our Papist enemies and even earned the support of the Pope. He also leads one of the strongest nations on our frontier. I would remind you we did not even ask for this war: The Saxons did and we heeded the call as HONOR demanded.
I made a promise on behalf of the Order to free the Magyars, Bohemians and so forth oppressed by the Austrians, and release the rest to the Styrian branch. Yes, it would mean a longer war. It would also have meant our safety, our reputation as a liberator of those under the heel of the Papists, and the spread of Luther's word.
If he thought I acted improperly, why not question me? Why not ask you to decide? Why did he wait three months to summon you? Was he really trying to save the Order from the man YOU elected ... or is he instead out for his own vainglory?
Conclave of 1630: Impeach von Habsburg? (Requires two-thirds) said:
Von Gottigen rose to try and establish order, but before he could the reconfirmed Hochmeister stood, took over the pulpit and gave
the shortest speech in Order history.
von Habsburg said:
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A Teutonic Brotherhood
Having established that Peter von Habsburg was still their lawful ruler, now there could be no legal question that von Spanheim usurped the throne. There would be no trial, for the first vote effectively condemned him.
Some question why he didn't prepare for this eventuality. Perhaps he did, for several thousand loyalists still garrisoned the capital. The Conclave brought their own armies however, and Marienburg would have turned into a bloodbath had he resisted further. Anyway, von Spanheim didn't foresee the possibility that his waiting to summon the komturs would make them distrust him. He therefore accepted arrest proudly but not before a last sally.
von Spanheim said:
You fools. You've doomed us all.
(Note: Von Habsburg's ratings permanently reduced -2/-2/-2 due to madness. Von Spanheim removed as army leader.)
The Hochmeister remained calm and collected in his public dealings, reassuring the komturs they'd made the right decision. In truth he was merely biding time, intentionally remaining aloof and not committing himself until von Spanheim's accusations could die. He only gave in to his manic urges at night, when he attended much of the 'usurper's' sessions.
No records exist of what happened to former Hochkomtur von Spanheim. They weren't interrogations in the classic sense, as he had no information to impart and had already been condemned. This was revenge, and went on for months. As he continued yielding to his impulses, rumors began circulating of Grand Master von Habsburg's darker side. He talked of taking what he wanted, and did just that in August, imprisoning a woman and repeatedly raping her over several days until she took her own life. Word of this incident and other depravities never left Marienburg for fear of terrible retaliation.
According to the Order's register, the 'traitor' von Spanheim died on October 3, 1630 of slow pressing. In other words, he was tied to the ground and weight added until his chest muscles, exhausted and weak from the strain, could no longer expand to inhale and so he suffocated. The register goes on to say his corpse would be quartered, with the limbs going to Mecklenburg, Danzig, Riga and Breslau, while his head and torso would be tarred and stuck outside the capital.
Appalled by this treatment of a former hero and rumors leaking out of Marienburg, Hans von Stargard, the rittermeister who harassed Vienna itself, threw together a band of men loyal to von Spanheim's cause and snuck into Marienburg Castle.
News of a group actively opposed to von Habsburg only deepened his madness. He relied on advisors less, no longer led Mass, and refused audiences lest someone try to kill him as happened to von Salza. He expelled anyone of even uncertain loyalties from Marienburg, scattering them to the furthest borders, while conscripting a fresh army. The 'Hochmeister's Guard' would be led by his new Grand Commander, Michael von Sternberg (no relation to the fifteenth century Hochmeister.) This was meant to be an elite force. They received the best equipment and supplies, while officer postings became a much coveted reward for loyalty.
This blatant favoritism did not sit well with the veterans of the Austrian war, many already grieving or angry at von Spanheim's fate, and many others already discontent from having to spend so much time away from home: The new border cities needed to be garrisoned and pacified.
Few said anything as it soon became obvious speaking against the Hochmeister earned one a transfer to Anticosti in the New World.
(I received a report that my army there was annihilated...but by what!? So we sent more troops over.) A handful of men, however, abandoned their duty and/or secretly joined the Brotherhood.
The handful of defectors who went underground, like Stargard, didn't bother the Hochmeister nearly as much as those who continued to do their duty. These 'serpents who continue to bear the mark of the Lamb', these 'rogues' hiding in plain sight could not be tolerated. Though the Brotherhood at first seemed content with occasional written manifestos, von Habsburg blamed every problem and accident on their 'sabotage.' Soon it became unhealthy to even make mistakes or say the wrong thing at Mass, and komturs began realizing that maybe von Spanheim had been right all along.
(Wave of Obscurantism: RR +3 for 12 mo.) In May 1632 angry words led to defiance as the komturs of Danzig, Bromberg and Marienburg itself all called for a Conclave to reopen inquiries into the Hochmeister's behavior.
The ironic thing is, this inquiry had nothing to do with the Brotherhood at first. Nonetheless they quickly followed with their own calls and word spread through the Order. Von Habsburg turned to von Sternberg and his 'Hochmeister's Guard' to suppress his enemies. The komtur of Marienburg surrendered almost immediately and accepted exile to Anticosti. The others proved more troubling.
Bromberg proved a tougher nut to crack, for while the komtur there also declined a pitched battle, 'guerilla' resistance in the city remained high forcing the Guard to crack down. A bloody purge, including breaking sanctuary in two churches, secured the city but convinced the komtur of Posen to also demand a Conclave.
(Rebellion in August) The Guard diverted there and fought a short, open field battle against the 'traitors' before taking the town.
By now komturs and officers throughout the Order fell into two camps: Those who believed von Habsburg's suppressing the growing calls for Conclave was outrageous and a horrible breach of the Rule and Charter, and those who felt the Hochmeister was doing what needed to be done to maintain order. They argued that a few dissident voices, spurred on by an underground group like the Brotherhood, shouldn't dictate policy.
Still, removing komturs by force struck many as extreme and soon the lords of Latgalia, Viborg, and Marienburg (again!) tried to summon the council.
(I thought the above event had failed to fire, so manually released it. I wrote the date down wrong - the event fired normally in October 1632.)
As von Habsburg flailed against enemies seemingly coming out of nowhere, Syrte von Reval reentered the picture. The Grand Tressler had remained mostly silent, keeping his position by virtue of his reputation of combating von Spanheim in Conclave. In truth, von Reval also reached the conclusion that his Hochmeister was insane. Unlike the Brotherhood or their supporters, he felt the institution of Grand Master had to remain sacrosanct. That was the only way to promote stability, and stability was the only way to keep the Baltic Order from imploding into a dozen states. He therefore sought to guide von Habsburg and soften his excesses.
(Excellent Minister: +2 D/A/M for 36 months)
Perhaps this might have worked. At least terrible rumors of impropriety stopped escaping Marienburg, and the Brotherhood fell quiet. However the 'enemy' komturs wouldn't be silenced. They formed a cohesive offensive/defensive alliance with the still 'rogue' Komtur of Danzig.
In November 1632 the 'Home Guard' slammed into Danzig's army of knights and mercenaries outside the city gates. The 'Guard' outnumbered them 3-1, but for all their training, supplies and so forth they simply didn't have experience fighting a tenacious, even desperate enemy. Von Sternberg squared off against the mercenary captain Edmund de Troyes, and lost. Badly.
In April the freshly raised and equipped Livonian Cavalry, fourteen thousand strong, met an army of three thousand outside of Dyneburg in Latigalia. Yet again the 'loyalists' lost. In May von Sternberg returned for a rematch with de Troyes, and was once more thrown back from Danzig.
Things Get Ugly
It's said these latest reverses destroyed the last of the Hochmeister's reason, and it was everything Grand Tressler von Reval could do to keep the Order from flying apart. He couldn't stop von Habsburg's edict effectively nationalizing the economy and conscripting a generation of young to destroy 'these bandits who fight in our name, but not with our consent, bedeviling us with lies and murdering thousands in the cause of treason and infamy.'
Supported by brutal taxes and a massive, if undertrained army, the tide slowly turned. Dyneburg and Danzig fell in the autumn of 1633. Then both the reinforced 'Guard' and Livonian Cavalry descended on Konigsberg, the last stronghold of the 'rebels.'
The (new) Komtur of Marienburg, realizing the treacherous nature of his position, fled to that Baltic city. Von Sternberg arrived in March 1634 with over fifty thousand men, outnumbering the defenders five to one. Konigsberg had few defenses - it never needed them with the capital so close - and so the komtur opted for a defense battle on a hill ridge with trees on the western flank.
Von Sternberg moved cautiously, massing his regiments in three wings. He hoped to engage with the west and center, while bombarding the east before flanking and turning them. After a day of constant barrage the east did indeed buckle, but as it was sunset the Hochkomtur decided to wait until the next morning before pressing the attack.
March 12, 1634 dawned cold, with a wet, biting wind coming in from the sea. The loyalists awoke to find that someone had sabotaged their cannon during the night, spiking several. Worse, a thousand of that someone's friends had reinforced and reformed the east. The Teutonic Brotherhood was finally taking the field in open defiance.
Von Sternberg attacked anyway in a more or less frontal assault. Despite the wet, the Konigsberg defenders did terrible damage with their muskets before pikemen began a slow, steady advance downhill into von Sternberg's infantry. There they slashed and parried, dropped their pikes, drew swords and charged in as if this was a battle from five hundred years ago. The Hochmeister's Guard broke on their line and retreated in disarray.
Now that more or less open defiance was allowable, Brotherhood supporters throughout the nation swung into action. A massive 'guerilla' war against von Habsburg's agents began. In manifestos Hans von Stargard makes clear his intent to disrupt the 'evil' taxation of a 'despotic' ruler. This certainly happened, but as the Hochmeister's agents and officers faltered he could offer no replacements. Law and order collapsed as bandits and murderers roamed the countryside.
This was enough for the people of Mecklenburg. Unhappy with being sieged by Pommerania, uncertain about who was responsible for their being left defenseless, shocked and appalled by the brutal execution of their ex-duke, and now worried as trading ventures through the Order collapsed due to banditry, the 'Hanseatic' merchants of the Baltic League overthrew their komtur and established a merchant republic. The reeling knighthood could do nothing but accede.
(Mecklenburg revolts and takes the city. I release as vassals.)
And yet, despite all this, the tide almost turned. Hochmeister von Habsburg, infuriated over von Sternberg's failure, took personal command of the army.
(Army Leader) He marched on and secured Konigsberg, Vilnius and Riga in rapid succession.
(Stab to -2) This seemed to scare off some of the bandits and brigands, as mercantile activity slowly resumed.
(Internal Trade Ordinance: Sudety +1 tax)
The rapid string of victories crushed the Brotherhood. Several key 'officers' were captured and tortured, and von Habsburg learned that his adversary, Hans von Stargard, would personally command the defense of Viborg. Drunk with triumph and certain of his final devastating victory, Hochmeister Peter von Habsburg decided to end all debate once and for all.
The Baltic Order erupted.
