Eberhard von Württemberg, Heir to the Duchy of Swabia
November 1435
Twelve years old now - almost a man by his reckoning - and his father's feasts made him as nervous as ever. He paused for a moment at the entrance to Stuttgart Castle's feasting hall, absorbing the scene within. Not so many people this night despite his father's call for celebration. His siblings and mother sat at the high table, and a few barons and the Duke's council on the other tables. It had been a few years since the ignomonious end to Fürstenberg's rebellion. Count Engelbert had died in the siege and his heir, his daughter, Countess Anna, had been exiled - her lands seized by his father.
Since then fewer and fewer of his Duke's vassals made the trip to Stuttgart, and when they did they were clearly fearful that they might be the target of his father's accusations and meet the same fate as Fürstenberg. Only Count Konrad of Ulm, Chancellor of Swabia and Master of the Hunt, seemed immune to this atmosphere of paranoia. He was gaily moving about the feast hall, chatting to each noble in turn, a smile always on his face. Eberhard wished he could be more like Konrad, instead of the awkward, shy boy he knew himself to be.
He felt a hand land on his shoulder, the strong hand of his father, Duke Albrecht of Swabia. "What are you waiting for my lad? Let's enter and begin this feast!"
"I, er, I'm not feeling so well. Perhaps I'll give tonight a miss..." He knew his excuse was weak and his father had a nose for smelling out lies from a hundred paces.
"Nonsense! There are at least 3 noble daughters here who'd love to make your acquaintance, include the daughter of our special guest, Christopher, the Duke of Skåne. Now all women can be won over with a display of confidence and bravado - so back straight; show now fear!" And his father marched him into the hall and up to the high table.
There were quite a few empty seats still at the high table. His two surviving sisters, Beatrix and Hildeburg, sat next to his mother. Adelheid was his favourite sister - he'd always sat next to her at the high table, but she had died of pneumonia last winter. His father sat down in the central seat and he motioned for Eberhard to sit beside him.
It wasn't long before the arrival of Duke Christopher and his family. Eberhard spotted the Duke's young daughter, Luitgard, hiding in her father's shadow, her eyes downcast and trying to be inconspicuous. She's probably more shy and intimidated by the event than I am, thought Eberhard, maybe there is some hope for me.
Once everyone was seated, Duke Albrecht stood for his speech - to welcome them all and remind them of the occassion of this feast: "It is with regret that I announce the death of my mother, Hildeburg, the Countess of Baden; though I imagine no one who knew her will feel great sadness at her passing."
His father's bluntness about Hildeburg was uncouth and unexpected. Eberhard hadn't known his grandmother but from what he'd heard, her death had been quite terrible - a skin disease that left her a pariah.
Albrecht continued, "With Hildeburg having no other male heirs, the responsibility for the County of Baden falls to me and my family. With the Emperor's blessing the County shall henceforth be considered an indivisible part of the Duchy of Swabia."
For Eberhard this announcement wasn't unexpected as his father always kept him abreast him of the affairs of the Duchy in an attempt to groom him as the future Duke. Now with the acquisition of Fürstenberg and Baden as Ducal provinces, the Duchy of Swabia was one of the most powerful Duchies in the Empire.
The toasts and celebrations continued, Duke Albrecht seemingly very pleased with himself, and the sycophantic nobles tripping over themselves to congratulate the Duke. But for Eberhard, this growth in the status of the Duchy really scared him. He wasn't like his father - in fact despite his father's best efforts, he was as dissimilar to him as he could be. And he could not imagine himself as a Duke.
When the Duke finally had a quieter moment, Eberhard was able to engage him in conversation, steering it towards discussing his future.
"Why, as my only male heir the whole Duchy will be yours! Unless your mother's got it in her to give you a brother..."
"That's just it though," interrupted Eberhard. "I don't want to rule the whole Duchy. I don't think I'd like to even rule just Stuttgart. I've been speaking to our Steward, my namesake, the Bishop Eberhard of Heilbronn, and he said they'd be happy to see me don the vestments of the Church..."
"What utter nonsense! Fortune finally smiles on our family and you'd spit in Her face? No, that will not be. If I've failed to instruct you on the management of the realm, we'll redouble our efforts. Besides, I'm hale and hearty and unlikely to die for decades yet - plenty of time to acquire the skills you need."
Eberhard wanted to tell him that it wasn't a lack of skills deterring him from rule. It was - well - he didn't really know; but clearly now wasn't the time to be arguing this with his father.
Just then a messenger arrived in the hall, a man in the Imperial colours. None but the Kaiser's messenger would be allowed to intrude on the gathering. The feasters soon quietened, eager to hear what such important news had arrived for the Duke.
Albrecht, obviously annoyed by the interruption, eventually indicated that the messenger should speak.
"To the gathered Lords and Nobles," the messenger began, "Kaiser Sieghard von Habsburg, son of Kaiser Lothar II and brother by marriage to Albrecht, the Duke of Swabia, regrets that this fearful news must reach your ears and hearts. The enemies of Christendom have amassed on the border of the Holy Land, intent on defiling it with their foreign prophets. For now only Walter, King of England, France and Jerusalem, stands in their way. We surely can't stand idly by while our brethren are slaughtered and their lands stolen from them.
"The Kaiser will lead the first armies east immediately after Christmas. The Princes of the Empire are all instructed to raise their levies to lead them to glory against the infidels."
The messenger's pronouncement actually got some cheers from the assembled nobles who no doubt thirsted for some military action against heathens. But Eberhard could see the worry on the Duke's face. He couldn't ask his father about it - not while everyone was watching them, expecting a response - so he tried to work out what he must be thinking.
Although the two were tied together through the Emperor's marriage to Trude, Albrecht's sister and Eberhard's aunt, the relationship between the two of them had been frosty at best (at least for as long as Eberhard could recall). Kaiser Sieghard had also recently claimed the Duchy of Schleswig as an Imperial fief, the former Duke of Schleswig now no more than a pitiful Baron, and all for no just cause that Eberhard could discern.
Nobody had protested though. What Kaiser Sieghard wanted, he got. If Albrecht denied him the Duchy's support in the war, ... well, who knew what the Emperor might be willing to do? Eberhard saw no other option - his father must accept the Emperor's call. In truth he felt somewhat excited. He had been too young to be involved in the battles against the rebels from Fürstenberg, but surely his father would not deny him the chance to accompany him in this Holy War?
Awkward seconds passed without anyone saying anything; and then when it became apparent that the Duke wasn't going to respond immediately, conversations started up again. Eberhard recognized Alim, the gelded Arab in charge of the Ducal levies, approaching the high table.
"My Lord?" he asked. Albrecht nodded for him to continue. "By Christmas we can have nearly 5,000 men ready for the Emperor's army. Should I make the necessary arrangements? Will you be leading them?"
Finally a question that Duke Albrecht could not refuse to answer. "Why?" he shouted. "Why does the universe hate me so?" Then quieter, "Yes, Alim, plan away. I'll be joining my dear brother-in-law with as many men as you can muster. Alim, you'll stay here to defend my home.
"And you, my son," he said, turning to Eberhard. "It looks like I won't be here for a while to instruct you. Your mother, Helene, will be in charge of your education. Take care not to grow too soft under her care."
Eberhard wanted to respond with indignation - he wanted to join his father and the Emperor - but the Duke's mind was clearly made up as he stormed angrily out of his own feast.