Queen Mother Caterina had been keeping a close eye on Prince Marti. Her informants kept whispering news of the prince's conversations with the other guests. It seemed the man was making full use of his family by marrying off his daughters to win support. A shrewd plan and one she could not replicate. She supposed she could try marrying off her grandsons, but her children may object to such interference. She could only offer promises, and perhaps a bribe or two if she was truly desperate. The Medici pockets ran very deep.
As Caterina took a sip of wine, Prince Marti approached with a grin on his face. After gulping down the drink, she said, "Come to tell me you handed off another of your daughters like a common whore?"
The queen mother had expected the prince to be offended by her comment, but he just chuckled. "I am merely strengthening the Trastámara family's ties to the nobility," Marti said. "Actually I came to inform you that I have spoken to Chloe, your daughter-in-law, and she has agreed to a marriage between my eldest daughter Marta and her son Alfons."
Caterina had been taking another sip but she ended up almost choking on it at that news. Half the liquid went down the wrong way and the rest spat out from her mouth. She quickly wiped it away with her sleeve before anyone else saw. "I did not authorize such a match."
"And why should you have?" Marti said with a mischievous grin. "Chloe is the mother, not you."
"Chloe is not a Trastámara and has no say on who her children marry, especially when Alfons is second in line for the throne," Caterina spat out. "Just because my poor Enric is gone does not mean she now calls the shots. I will have to have a word with her."
As Caterina stormed past Marti, he gently grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her back towards him. "I would advise against trying to prevent this marriage. I believe dear Chloe is already spreading word of it. Imagine the scandal if a member of the Trastámara family was denied a match within their own family."
Caterina fumed silently, unable to respond. Marti was right; there was nothing she could do. Once her anger had subsided enough, she said, "You've won this time, but I won't forget this."
((private with Queen Mother Catherina))
Montségur produced a faint smile. 'If that is how things have to be... Yet I wonder that you are so keen on taking the colonies for the reason of denying the Portuguese the chance to gain a papal claim. I thought Your Majesty wanted to leave the matters of the church in the hands of the church? Surely the pope, being neither Hispanian nor Portuguese, has no political goal in mind when he accords such claims. If you interfere with ecclesiastical matters when they concern the pope, then you also have to interfere within the kingdom... The nobility would profit from the diet, but if political decisions are worth more than papal ones, then I don't see why the Inquisition as clergy should be able to judge over a noble. Only the King and the Cortz should have that privilege then.' He made a pause to let that sink in.
He went on, clearly articulating and weighing each word carefully. 'The clergy will not pay for any war. And I cannot recount how much the inquisition damages the economy. I don't know how we should be able to pay our soldiers if the funds are not available. I'll leave you some time to think about it, Your Majesty.' He excused himself.
As the queen mother stormed off, she nearly ran into Duke Montségur. She apologized for the near collision and remembered the earlier conversation she had had with him. Perhaps this was time to win another ally.
"I have thought on what you said earlier. It is true that the Pope would not let political goals interfere with granting claims to the Caribbean. However, that is the exact reason why we should act now. The Pope will favour the Portuguese, even if that harms Hispania's growing colony in the region, because he must remain neutral. If we were to take the colonies, the Pope would logically have to recognize us as the best suited to dominate the Caribbean and recognize our claims instead."
Caterina had to think more heavily about how to handle the Inquisition. She could not expect the support of the clergy while simultaneously weakening them. She'd answer as carefully as possible. "It is true that the nobility should perhaps be judged by the Cortz when it comes to legal and criminal disputes. The Inquisition though is tasked with rooting out heretics. Does it not make more sense for members of the Church to judge whether or not someone is a heretic than the nobility? Putting the nobles above the Church in regards to religious affairs may well anger the Pope, or worse, God. The Inquisition's methods may be a tad extreme at times, but sometimes it is necessary. Perhaps a reform could be suggested instead?"
The queen mother hoped she had been convincing enough. Before she could speak more, a servant approached her to inform her that there had been a mishap with one of the desserts. She quickly excused herself to ensure the feast continued smoothly.
((private with Prince Marti))
The administrative reform was a good idea. It gave Montségur a much better position, and with King Ferran preferring to delegate his duties, much could be achieved.
'Your Highness, I hear that you plan to wage war on Portugal. A commendable initiative for the economy, if it is successful. Certainly. But how about the cost of the war itself? Can the economy sustain such an aggressive act, condemned by the pope if he, what is likely, accords Portugal a claim on the Caribbean with the very goal to avoid bloodshed within Catholic nations? Probably. But that act will upset the clergy, and they will look to enforce the papal will in another way. With their powerful tool, the inquisition. How can the kingdom continue to work if the inquisition investigates, imprisons, burns people vital for its economy and administration? They know that, and will use it to prevent a successful war, if not in this conflict, then in the next. It is time to put a stop to this. The inquisition needs to be controlled not just by clergy, but by the royal administration as well, given the final authority in any investigation. I cannot otherwise allow the soldiers to fight if their homeland may be in internal strife, maybe needing extreme measures to keep clear of the ruin. I ask you to consider this point. Defence is different from offence, the clergy from the nobility.'
Once the queen mother had shuffled away, Prince Marti swooped in. It wasn't beneath him to undermine any potential support of Caterina.
"Ah, Duke Montségur, I had been meaning to speak with you about what you said earlier," Marti said. "I agree that the Inquisition has been turned into a dangerous organization. It more inspires fear through the threat of persecution than encouraging others to willingly embrace the true faith. Perhaps you are right that the Inquisition should be more heavily monitored by the Crown. I would certainly support any measure to contain it before it starts a witch-hunt."
Marina offers her a consolatory smile.
It's a shame, Majesty; I believe you have quite accurately judged the French situation. It seems to me they have become our natural rivals, surely both nations are interested in Italy? Forgive me if it is not my place to say, but perhaps your majesty could consider allying with the prince? He too seems to be aware of the French threat, and together I am sure you can trounce the Queen Dowager. Should she be removed from court, you alone would have unfettered access to the King...
Queen Isabel tried her best to hide the grin ready to spread across her face. She had not thought of that. Her views on Portugal differed from everyone else, but she shared similar views on France with Prince Marti. Better yet, the prince was a virtual unknown. He had not been at court for a long time, and it seemed he was not on the best of terms with the queen mother. Perhaps an alliance would work best. She might be able to take advantage of his lack of court connections to strengthen her own position, while also simultaneously weakening Caterina's. If the queen mother became chancellor, she'd do everything in her power to keep Isabel from whispering ideas in her husband's ear. Yes, that may be for best.
Without a word to her lady-in-waiting, she made her way over to Prince Marti, who was speaking with another noble. She gently tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, but may I have a moment?"
The prince raised an eyebrow, but turned his attention back to Duke Montségur and excused himself from the conversation. When the two were alone and off to the side, he said, "What do you need, Your Majesty?"
"I believe that in the best interests of Hispania, I shall voice my support for you as chancellor to my dear husband," Isabel said.
"I thought you had your eye on that position as well."
The corner of Isabel's lips curled up into a smile. "Perhaps, but as I said, I believe you would make the better choice. We cannot deny that relations with France are going downhill and we must be prepared for the worst. It is also good for one to have allies at court, wouldn't you say?"
Marti bowed to her and said, "Indeed. I welcome the support, Your Majesty. Shall this only lead to further cooperation in the future."
"Let us hope so," Queen Isabel said before excusing herself.