Difference With Distinction
The Throne Room, Wiener Neustadt, 1 January, 1630
"I will NOT sign that piece of trash!!!! Get it out of my sight!! NOW!!!!"
The assembled courtiers looked at each other askance. Ferdinand Habsburg, Erzherzog of Austria, King of Hungary, King of Bohemia, Regent of Styria, King of Naples and Sicily, Protector of the Holy Father, was in one of his rages. These had been happening more and more frequently, as the bad news continued to roll in. But rarely was it so publically displayed.
In front of Ferdinand were envoys from France, from England, and from Sweden. Despite pleas from his closest advisors, by order of Ferdinand the Brandenburg envoy had been forced to wait outside, while the case for peace was made. Also present in the room were several observers from such realms as Spain, Russia, and the Sultanate of Istanbul. All were looking quite uncomfortable as Ferdinand raged, except the Ottoman observer, who not quite smirked.
Before the Arch-Duke, on the floor where it had been thrown in dusgust, was the proposal from the Markgraf of Brandenburg. It was, as all had heard, quite reasonable. The French envoy had read the proposal in a confident voice, and all in the assemblage had sighed in relief, for indications had been that the Margrave and the Swedes would press for territorial concessions in Bohemia. As it stood, all that would be lost was the land obtained twenty years earlier from Brandenburg; and peace could finally descend upon Central Europe.
But the Arch-Duke could not see past the religious issue. The insistance that Protestants be allowed to worship as they saw fit in Mainz, and in Bohemia, could not be abided. God was still on his side; the massed Austrian armies would cross the Danube and sweep all before them. The Germans had emptied their pool of available levies, while Austria had plenty of men and money to throw into the war. They would see, they would all see, he thought. And, so, he ranted, and refused, red-faced, to agree to reason.
The Council tried to remonstrate, politely, for it was not wise to cross Ferdinand on issues of religion. But their entreaties were to no avail. Ferdinand was having none of it. The envoys looked on in dismay, shock, and anger. But Ferdinand would not sign the document, wouldn't even look at it, except to put a booted foot upon it as a sign of utter rejection. The crowd murmured; Austria could not afford a petulant tyrant at this time, but nor could it afford civil war.
In the back, a man slowly slipped out the doors. Shrugging to the Hohenzöllern representative, he trod swiftly down the corridor and headed off to the old castle in Wien, where the political prisoners were kept. Austria must not be allowed to lose this chance at peace.
A Prison Cell, Wien Castle, 1 January, 1630
The small, spare elderly man looked out the bars of the high window at the sky, dimly seen from where he stood. They had bricked up the casement when he had arrived here ten years previously, almost to the day. His room was tidy, small, and poorly furnished. His things had been taken from him slowly over the years; any petty unhappiness of the warden was taken out on him through such theft. Only dignity remained.
With him in the room was a visitor; the first he had had in many years. Ferdinand had blamed the prisoner for the plague of 1619, for the unrest among the Catholic clergy in 1620, and for all other ills that hd befallen Austria in the late 1610's. For almost four years now, he had been denied any conversation; the guards that fed him were mute, the priest that confessed him did not enter the room, and handed in his penance written down on scraps of parchment. It was almost too overwhelming to finally talk. Douglas, Pfalzgraf Jüng, the third to have that name and title, was uncertain what to say, and hid in silence.
The visitor was patient. Before him was Austria's answer. The court could certainly see that the Arch-Duke was out of his mind; a regent was needed. The Jüng's had cleverly managed Austria for the Arch-Dukes for years; now they were needed again. This man would answer his obligations, given time.
Pfalzgraf Jüng spoke quietly without turning. "I will not revolt or rebel against Ferdinand Habsburg. He is the ruler of this land, duly elected by the estates in convocation. My personal quarrel and feelings do not matter."
The visitor smiled. "That is understandable, sir. But we do not intend you to move against Ferdinand. Rather, we intend you to advise him."
"Advise him?" The older man turned with a wry look on his face. "Ferdinand is rarely 'advised,' if by that word you mean given something that he is willing to take. I do not wish to return here precipitously."
The visitor chuckled. "Ferdinand will be in no position to reject your advice, Herr Jüng. He will be incapacitated."
The Pfalzgraf frowned. "What do you mean?"
The visitor spread his hands. "He is incompetent. He is clearly not of sound mind. The council will, I am sure, vote to declare him unfit to rule if a proper regent can be proposed. We, my cohorts and I, are certain you would be such a regent." The visitor stepped forward, close to the prisoner.
"Sir," he whispered in Jüng's ear, "you must see the need. Peace can happen now, if we can but grab it. Else, we look to lose much more. The Protestants rebel in provinces around our realm. Swedish and German troops ransack our cities, plunder our churches, and put our fields to fire. The Hohenzöllern Markgraf is minded to ask that Prague itself be ceded to Brandenburg. We MUST have an alternative to the lunatic on the throne, who takes reason and trods on it in the name of God!" The whisper grew fierce.
The prisoner looked into the eyes of the visitor. Jüng understood the situation all too well. He sighed, looked away, and nodded. "If the council will declare Ferdnand incompetent, I will accept the position as regent. When can this be done?"
"At once, sir. Prepare to leave here tomorrow. We will have to ride swiftly to the capital. Otherwise, the envoys will leave and the war will press on." The visitor turned to leave. At the door, which opened at his knock, he turned. "For Austria, sir, and may God truly bless us, finally."
:rofl:
