Imperial Elections. [Ladislav von Wittelsbach-Luxemburg]

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Imperial Elections.

IMPERIAL ELECTIONS

FRANKFURT​

Welcome to Frankfurt, the site of every election of the Emperor or a King of the Romans since the Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV in the year of our lord 1356.

After the mass in the church of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, all of those Electors or their envoys present shall approach the altar on which the mass has just been celebrated, and there the ecclesiastical Prince Electors of Mainz, Cologne and Trier, before the gospel of St. John, which will be placed before them, shall place their hands with reverence upon their breasts. The secular prince electors shall actually touch the said gospel with their hands. All of them, with all their followers, shall stand there unarmed. And the Archbishop of Mainz shall give to them the form of the oath, and he together with them, and they, or the envoys of any absent ones, together with him, shall take the oath in common as follows: I, the Archbishop of Mainz, Arch-Chancellor of the Holy Empire throughout Germany, and Prince-Elector, do swear on this Holy gospel of God here actually placed before me, that I, through the faith which binds me to God and to the Holy Roman Empire, do intend by the help of God, to the utmost extent of my discretion and intelligence, and in accordance with the said faith, to elect one who will be suitable, as far as my discretion and discernment can tell for a temporal head of the Christian people. And my voice and vote, or said election, I will give without any pact, payment, price, or promise, or whatever such things may be called. So help me God and all the saints. After stating the oath, we will go to the business of Electing an Emperor. Should we not elect one within 30 days, we shall live on bread and water, and by no means leave the aforesaid city of Frankfurt unless first through us or the majority of us, a ruler or temporal head of the faithful shall have been elected, as stated by the the Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV. At the head of the rectangular table sits an empty seat, that of the King of the Romans or Emperor. To its right sits the Prince-Archbishop of Mainz, opposite it the Archbishop of Trier. To its right sits the Archbishop of Cologne. To the Archbishop's of Cologne right sits the an empty seat for the King of Bohemia and the Count Palatine of the Rhine. To the left sits the Duke of Saxony and, after him, the Margrave of Brandenburg.

May the candidates, who must be catholic males, step forward.

Distribution of Electors:
The following realms make up the seven elector-princes of the Holy Roman Empire and only these may vote.

• 
  [*]Prince Elector King of Bohemia
  [*]Prince Elector Duke of Saxony
  [*]Prince Elector Count Palatine of Rhine
  [*]Prince Elector Margrave of Brandenburg
  [*]Prince Elector Archbishop of Mainz. NPC.
  [*]Prince Elector Archbishop of Cologne.
  [*]Prince Elector Archbishop of Trier
  This one is not played directly, so he is appointed by the Pope.

Elections will end in three months' time.

CANDIDATES AND VOTES CAST

Johann von Hohenzollern, Duke of Brandenburg:

Ladislav von Wittelsbach-Luxemburg, King of Bohemia and Hungary: 2 [Köln, Trier]
______________________________

The Election will end at 11 o’clock PM, CET on Monday the 6th of December.
In case of lack of activity, the election can be prolonged at the disgression of the moderators. Such will be announced in this thread.

If a candidate withdraws, the electors who voted for him may recast their vote; otherwise, a vote cast cannot be changed.

The final winner of the election will be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast.

VOTE RIGGING
Used in this instance due to lack of electors only.

Send a PM to me if you wish to use econ points to affect the votes of the NPC elector. Any Catholic realm can affect the voting, but econ from those realms which are not HRE princes will have half the effect.

Econ points spent in this way will be posted in the Nat Stats thread by me once the election is finished.

The degree of effect each econ spent will have will not be revealed.
The eco will be spent regardless of outcome, but the NPC vote will only be case in case of a tie between the played electors.

Family ties can affect how a NPC elector casts his vote, but only if requested by a candidate.

Text written by JG.

 

[Petrarca]

Frankfurt. When the word was whispered to him, von Ehrlichman left his affairs behind to race across Germany towards the free city. Arriving, he took in the sights and prepared his embassy on behalf of Ladislav, who would arrive soon enough, once he heard the news.

The game was afoot once more.

 

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The first Elector to arrive was Johann von Hohenzollern of Brandenburg. To him it fealt like only a short time ago since the last election, an election where he had abstained from voting even though there had been only one candidate.

It would be different this time, very different. The empire desperately needed a strong Emperor with a strong powerbase, Johann would do everything in his power to see that happening.

For now he simply settled into his electorate suite, waiting for the other Electors to arrive. He gave strict orders to be notified immediately when any of the other Electors arrived, especially the King of Bohemia.

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

Into great hall at Frankfurt came a short, bearded man with obviously bad posture. He was pleased to see that only a few Bohemians and the party of the Elector Brandenburg had arrived. He would have time to do his master's bidding, preparing the way for his hopefully easy election to the throne of Karl der Grosse. The master of this odd looking little man was none other than the Herzog von Baryern-Ansbach und Bayern-Tyrol, Levi von Wittelsbach, who remained still in Gelre trying to win the hand of the Duke's sister. This Andreas Muller, Kanzler und Verwalter zu Tyrol, had been waiting for two months in Frankfurt, talking to various important persons and sending letters here and there. The Duke had left in his hands to lay the foundation and then he would ride in and do the rest with his silver tongue.

Always I have the dirty work, Muller said to himself, but at least it pays well.

 

[I Killed Kenny]

Fernando Traveled from Gelre to Frankfurt as soon as the imperial elections were announced, he quickly passed by the duchies of Munster and Hessen right inside the heart of Europe. He did not even had time to rest when he entered the place wher the election would happen.​

When he entered he asked a guard to annouce him "Fernando d' Evora, heir to the titiel of Evora First son of Fernão Duke of Evora, representing his majesty El-Rei Dom João the second of Portugal and the Algarves king of Near and Far Sea in Africa" as he is announce he enters and quickly asks if he can make a speech when all the elector are in the conference room.

 

[cccino]

A Mysterious Letter

A letter is sent, in private*, to each of the seven electors separately. They are sealed, but the wax has not been pressed with a signet. The author is obviously a person of some means, since it would take a not insignificant outlay in bribes to ensure an anonymous letter ever reached such men of import.

Your Grace,

Once again the reputation of the Holy Roman Empire is dragged down in the eyes of the rulers of Christendom through yet another chaotic and brief Imperial rule and yet another election. Emperors have in the past been elected for their strong will and independence in the hope that they rally the Princes together and rule the empire in the best interests of them all. Instead, what happens is such men act with drive but without direction, serving none but their own interests and upsetting certain elements by encouraging civil war and taking sides under the guise of the Martial Bulle, acting on it to the letter at times but against the intent of the law. It is, as I see it, more desirable to seek an emperor who will not ‘rock the boat’, who is without ambition, who in fear of surpassing the limits of his power will maintain a position well below what he could reasonably hope to achieve without interference or complaint.

There is such a man, and I name him: Leonhard von Görz. As an Imperial Count he is a valid candidate for nomination. His father Heinrich squandered the family fortune, losing the family estates to fund his gambling habits and ever-increasing debts. With the death of the father and the mysterious disappearance of his two brothers Leonhard is left alone, in debt, and impressionable. He has little to no knowledge of Imperial procedure or etiquette. These factors make him an impressionable and easily manipulated candidate.

A Wittelsbacher candidate, while more easily elected, would prove perhaps unpopular outside his kin; independent and forthright, wielding Imperial power to his own ends and unafraid of creating enemies. Von Görz, on the other hand would be unassuming, too timid to act outside the scope of his appointed power or against the will of his advisers. You may rest assured he will behave in concert with those who hold the purse strings. As a ‘neutral’ candidate, there would be no enmity against him from either the Wittelsbachs or their enemies (and I assure you, they are plentiful).

Do not underestimate the potential of an emperor too weak to act against the wishes of the men who advise and fund him. I urge you to take this time before the elections to ensure that you are in a position to take advantage of von Görz should he be elected.

If you accept these suggestions, this can be signified by having Leonhard von Görz called before the electors and put forward as a candidate for emperor. The man has no idea of this proposal and so you may take this action without making it impossible to cancel the scheme. If you wish to contact me to discuss this matter, send an emissary to von Görz, to publicly discuss any innocuous matter other than the elections (this will be the key indicating your intentions to me) and I will contact the emissary.

The letter is signed ‘a well-wisher’, but the author is adamant about the authenticity of the proposal. There is a post-script:

There may be questions about my identity and motivation in putting this proposal to you. The reasons for maintaining my anonymity should be obvious, but my motivation remains the good of the empire. We have all seen the havoc wreaked by emperors arrogant, irresponsible, or ignoring of the diet. Perhaps the empire would be better managed by a small group of men with a controlling interest, behind the façade of an elected emperor?

--------------------------------------------------
* OOC – My intention is that, to all IC intents and purposes, these letters are private. Only the Imperial electors could initially know the contents, and not even they will know the others have received a similar letter unless the topic is broached between them. Subject to mod ruling, naturally.

 

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The letter looked authentic enough. even though the Elector of Brandenburg could not help but wonder who had written it. Questioning the messenger had not produced any results as to the authors identity either. Flipping the letter with his fingers to look at both sides, Johann pondered.

This Leonhard von Görz could be easily manipulated it was true, perhaps too easily manipulated. Again he wondered who had written this. Someone with little love for the Wittelsbachs perhaps? It was off course quite true that the Wittelsbachs had many opponents within the Empire, enemies being perhaps too strong a word. Unless one counted Anna of the Greifs utter hatred for the King of Bohemia. Johann did not truly see the Wittelsbachs as united either, each house had their own agenda and goals. This was also true of another "coalition" within the Empire, namely that of Gelre, Bremen and Pommerania.

In Johanns opinion the new Emperor would have to be on good terms with both these "factions", while at the same time being strong enough to direct the course of the Empire. He was not so sure if such a puppet on strings would be the answer. The stronger princes would allways have great influence and perhaps also positions, but that was another matter.

The more he thought about it Johann resolved that there was only two candidates he could possibly support with his vote. And one of those was indeed a Wittelsbach. The other... the other candidate he would have to think about carefully.

Very carefully.

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

At the apartments of the Elector Brandenburg

I am here to speak with his Grace, the Elector Brandenburg. It is Herr Andreas Muller, Kanzler und Verwalter zu Tyrol, that wishes to speak to him.

Herr Muller was a little nervous. This was the first time he had been involved in anything as big as an Imperial election. Other than sheer bribery, what could he say to such great princes of the Empire to sway them. The King of Bohemia, if he decided to run, would be a shoe-in despite his master's dream of wearing the purple. There was also that Portugese noble lately arrived from Gelre. Would there be an Iberian candidate now also? It was most confusing for a man used to the simplicity of Tyrolia, but he had his mission to fulfill. And there was something else... if Duke Levi was elected, the rewards of Herr Muller would be grand indeed. With that, the small man straighten himself as best he could and awaited his audience with the Elector.

 

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The bavarian was let into the Electors study shortly after introducing himself. Johann liked to keep things informal if at all possible, and since this was to be a private discussion it would be so. When Muller entered he gestured to an empty chair and sat down in another by the fireplace himself.

"Good evening Herr Muller. Please do make yourself comfortable, your journey to Frankfurt has been pleasant I trust?" Johann smiled at the bavarian and then beckoned to a servant. "Perhaps our guest would like some wine." Without even waiting for an answer from the bavarian the servant left, returning quickly with a bottle and two glasses. Johann then turned back to Muller again.

"So what is it that you wish to discuss Herr Muller?"

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

Conversation with the Elector Brandenburg

I wish to discuss the election, naturally.

Herr Muller took a sip of the wine that had been placed next to him in order to calm his nerves before continuing.

It is a shame this election was even necessary, but it has become so because of the inaction of one. What a shame, but all the more a great chance for the Empire. A great chance to elect a man that will live up to the legacy of Charlemagne, no? The question is who is that man and I already have heard many say it is the King of Bohemia. Yet, if his Majesty truly wanted the crown, would he not have run last time against the Count Palatinate? We cannot afford to put an unwilling soverigne on the Imperial throne. Then there is the matter of how his Majesty would use is powers once invested. In the past there has been a frightening tendency for Emperors to use the power of the purple for the private benefit of their own houses. That had been, time and again, to the detriment of the Imperial peace and the weaking of Imperial authority. This is another thing we cannot risk in this time.

Let me tell your Grace of a prince of the Empire that shall be perfect for the crown of Charlemagne. He is of the Haus Wittelsbach, but he is not bound to the several private interests that others in this election. He is as of now unmarried and without an heir, but he is currently trying to win the hand of Anna von Egmond, the sister of the Duke of Gelre. He has good relations with his Grace, Duke Jan, by the way. Also, his lack of a wife and heir I tell your Grace not as a detraction but as a praise, for he is thus a man focused on the benefit of the realm and not of his kinsmen. It has been so in his rule of his current territories. While he is not the master of a kingdom, he does have over half of the lands of an Imeprial duchy counted as his estates. Finally, he is most certainly a pious and strong man, much like his once great brother. *sips wine*

I speak of Duke Levi I of the Haus Wittelsbach, Duke of Bayern-Ansbach and Bayern-Tyrol, brother of the former Duke Albrecht III the Pious. Though he is my master, I have the testimony of thousands to verify the truth of my afore statements.

 

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Leaning back in his chair, Johann listened to the bavarian speaking. When he had finished the Hohenzollern Elector looked at him, not betraying any emotion. After a few seconds silence he spoke.

"And the vote of Brandenburg may indeed go to a candidate from one of the Witteslbach houses Herr Muller. Still there is some concern among imperial princes that the Wittelsbachs have grown too influential however." Johann paused for a second as if calculating something. "Two electorates under their hereditary control, while a third is their vassal. Over the last few years, ownership of almost all of the old Archduchy of Austria, as well as the throne of Hungary. And last but not least, a Wittelsbach holy father" Johann finished his summary. "Even so it is quite likely that another Wittelsbach will ascend to the throne."

"As far as why the bohemian King would not enter his candidature against the Count Palatinate and why he could do so now, that would be pure speculation." Perhaps the Elector knew more about such reasons, perhaps not. Either way he did not elaborate. "We shall see soon enough if the King of Bohemia presents himself as a candidate. An unwilling candidate? I am sure his reasons for running, if he runs, will present themselves once I have spoken to His Majesty"

"Duke Levi I do not know much about, as he has not been very active on the Imperial scene. It would be most interesting to know how His Grace would rule though, and from who he would gather support. Even the mighty Joachim of the Greif needed support from other houses during his reign."

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

Conversation with the Elector Brandenburg

Muller was feeling more at ease now, especially after a few more sips of the wine, and responded to the Elector's comments one by one.

Indeed much is in the hand of the Haus Wittelsbach. I would dare say that they hold more lands and power in the Empire than the Hohenstaufens, the Welfs, the Habsburgs, and all the other great families ever did. Yet, the Haus is no colossos. It is not united as one may think or as the Holy Father has worked all of his days to make it. The Rhinelanders do one thing, and the Bohemians another, and the Bavarians, who are split themselves into three parts, do another, and God only knows what the Duke of Alsace does most of the time. Thus, there should be no fear in electing a man of the Wittelsbach any more than electing one of another family.

I shall like to speak to his Majesty, the King of Bohemia, as well when or if he comes. He appears to be a good man, but that is not enough to be Emperor of Rome. I too would like to know why his Majesty may run now, but did not not so long ago. It shall be interesting... interesting indeed.

As to my lord, he is well known throughout Bavaria but he has never attended the Imperial court at Nurnberg. This is firstly because his father and then his brother were always the ones to deal with Imperial matters, including the wars against Austria. Levi rarely got the chance to take the field in the major actions though he did campaign. My lord has spent most of his days a diplomat, a courtier in Munchen, and as a ruler, a mighty lord indeed. Since the aquisition of Salzburg, he has served as Duke of Ansbach in the stead of his Rhinelander cousins and then with the gift of Tyrol by the Emperor unto the Duchess-Regent in the year of our Lord 1450, he was made Duke of that country where he currently resides. Now you mentioned relations with other houses. When I said he would not be connected to private interest, I meerly meant he would not be beholden to desire of one faction over the other to the detriment of the Imperial realm. His relations are far reaching; he is a good relation of the Rhine Wittelsbach, naturally, and he is a good friend of the von Egmonds, to whom he may soon be joined to by marriage, he is a friend of the Cillis or the Haus Tilly of Carinthia, and he well thought of by the Duke of Bremen. Fear not, he will have support from friends across the Empire.

 

[Petrarca]

Damn the Burgundians, he thought. Though in all likelihood it was not them. Perhaps an ally, or more appropriate for Burgundy, a co-conspirator, but the westerners were too busy slaughtering each other and usurping thrones to connive in Frankfurt, close though it was to their territory. His suspicions turned to the northerners. Who was this von Görz, and what did they intend? Using this man as a puppet might give some degree of power, but he could never be sure that any control exercised by Bohemia was merely purported and that the organizer of this shadowy proposal would turn things to his own agenda as it suited him.

Of course it was the northerners. Such tactics described their every action. And the blatant insult to the Wittelsbach, calling them "perhaps unpopular," smacked of their insolence. Still, perhaps von Ehrlichman would write back. It could not hurt.

 

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Johann leaned forward in his chair as the bavarian spoke. The man had just said something that had interested Johann greatly. His face hardened slightly as he listened to the rest the man said. Johann was a soldier at heart, he did not enjoy these elusive games very much. Secret letters and suggestions that Kings would run for the holy office of Emperor against their will. Subtle and not so subtle manipulations, manipulations that Johann would rather be without.

When he spoke, it was with the same tone he had used the entire evening . "It is too early to say anything now Herr Muller. So far I am the only Elector present, and none has even entered as candidates yet. Know that I shall consider this carefully, your Duke is no doubt a noble and honorable man."

"Until more Electors and Princes have arrived it is hard to say much more however."

 

[Bagricula]

Georgio Trieste, faithful lapdog to whichever ass sat enscounced on the Petrine Throne so long as he could live his life largely unmolested, entered the Electoral Chambers of Frankfurt with minimal retinue wrapped in the lavish raiments his high station and unsophisticated tastes afforded him. His hand weighed down by a Count's ransom worth of jeweled rings, grasps the mysterious letter as if it were a dirty rag.

Scrunching his nose, Georgio knows this means trouble. He would have to inform his master the Pontiff, and he knew how dearly the Pope held his family's station and even the idea of enemies would only lead to an effort to root out these dissenters from the La Cosa Wittelsbacha which sometimes Georgio feared His Holiness failed to distinguish from the cause of God.

Knowing that he would have more common ground with the Cardinal from Prague or from Mainz, he sits with those two over a delightfully mundane lunch of bread and water, hoping these other more political men will direct him so he does not have to dirty his mind with political concerns and can concentrate instead on an easy return to the luxuries of life.

"Mi fratres, I have received a very mysterious letter from some party that shares no love for Haus von Wittelsbach...a curious but not wholly unexpect occurence, yes, no?" Georgio can't help but grin at his clever use of both the affirmative and negative. How very political of me.

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

I understand your Grace. *raising from his chair* Therefore will leave so that your Grace amy think on our conversation and keep it in store for the other Electors. Guten Nacht, your Grace. *clicks heels and exits*

That went rather well, did it not! the Tyrolian thought as the door closed behind him. Just at that moment he saw the Portugese prince and his party still standing about, waiting for the arrival of the rest of the Electors. Herr Muller decided this was a good chance to see what these Iberians were up to.

Dom Fernando d' Evora, greetings unto you and your party. It is good to see such noble gentlemen as yourselves from the lands of Iberia where the work of God still goes on daily and with much success. What has brought you to this august yet boring body to see the slow deliberations as to what unwilling man shall be King of the Germans and Emperor of Rome? Is it even possible that some great man of your lands is putting forth his candidature for that perilous seat? In former times, I would held any man blessed, but not all is well with the crown of Charlemagne. For fifty years, the power of it has either not been used or, yet worse, use for private gains among the various houses in the Germanies. This causes a general loathing of the crown among the princes which has made any man that wears the purple generally despised, no matter his dispostion. This is not even to mention an Emperor's relation to other princes outside the Empire. *whispers* Surely your Grace cannot be here to put forth a man of Portugal for the purple! The princes would never stand for it... even if he were elected and were as saintly as the Apostle John. The princes of the Empire would make quite the ruckus, indeed!

 

[I Killed Kenny]

Fernando was suprised to see the bavarian waiting to speak with him. He hoped the other people would also come to him. He expected someone else, but Bavaria is as good as anyone else...​

Fernado smiled and noded while the bavrian spoke, in the end he gave one last smile and a small laugh of simpaty "Yes, your grace you are correct. I am not here to try to elected a Portuguese, I am here in a mission a goodlly mission to help in the Cruzade of Africa. I do not know if you know what is happening there." without waiting for a reply he continued "Well, the great armies of the Almohads are defeated. And After we kill the last moorish Stronghold in Iberia we will invade Africa. And Fez shall be under the cross of Crist! But for that Portugal can not do it alone. That is why I was sent here, with the mission of asking the most pious lords of the *Holy* Roman Empire for help. And I was about to go to your grace to ask you something" Fernado smiles one more time before in this calm, friendlly voice continue "If he most pios Lord of Tyrol would like to give some Bavrian Knights, or any other kind of soldiers for the cruzade! To fight for our Lord Jesus crist. And if Possible if his grace Levi I of the Haus Wittelsbach may even loan Portugal to help even further the war in the South!" he nods one last time waiting for a reply

 

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It had been a quiet day in Frankfurt, as the day before and the day before that. Johann had been here for what seems like an eternity, and still not all the electors had arrived, and still not one had offered himself as a candidate.

During the last days he had much time to think. About the election itself. About his conversation with the bavarian envoy. About the mysterious letter. And about other things. The more he thought about it the Elector of Brandenburg became more and more set on the action he would need to take.

That is why today he rose to speak to the other electors and imperial princes present.

"My Lords, Elector Princes of the Empire. We are gathered here to elect a new King and Emperor. One that will have the heavy burden of restoring the Empire. Restoring it from the sad shape it is in now, and again make it the glorious Empire it should be!"

He gestured towards the Princes. "The Imperial institutions must once again function, for how can our Empire survive if it collapses from within? How can we be assured of law and order unless the Reichskammergericht actually enforces the laws of the Empire?"

"In addition to our internal troubles, problems brew from near and far" the Duke continued. "In Lotharingia the King has been deposed, even murdered. This same King a respected Imperial prince, and husband of the late Joachim of the Greif's daughter. This the Empire has been unable to do anything about, paralyzed. Certain princes have taken their own initiatives to rectify the situation, but that does not lessen the need for firmer leadership."

"Meanwhile our noble iberian brothers struggle in a heroic fight against the vile heathen of Africa. To the east the hordes stands unchallenged. The Ottoman Empire stands ready, ready to advance into the balkans at a momemts notice. And what are we able to offer in help? Can we aid the iberians unless the Empire itself is united and stable? Can a Kingdom like Hungary, currently lawless and plunged into chaos, stop the turk without aid from the Empire?"

Johann then paused and looked at his audience. "I for one do not believe they can. Before we can we must clean in our own house. Strengthen the Empire so that its citizen can prosper through trade, so that its armies are strong enough to advance upon the vile heathen. To restore our stability, dignity and strength!"

Proud and with a straight back the Elector continued with a strong voice. "I am ready, willing, and eager to do this task. Therefore, I, Johann von Hohenzollern, Duke of Brandenburg, Fürst of the House of Hohenzollern, Margrave of Ansbach, Burgrave of Nürnberg, Prince of Bayreuth, Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Arch-Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Empire present myself as a candidate to be the next Emperor of Humanity."

 

[I Killed Kenny]

A Private* letter is given to the Elector of Brandeburg, Johann von Hohenzollern, Duke of Brandenburg​

To your grace the Fürst of the House of Hohenzollern, Margrave of Ansbach, Burgrave of Nürnberg, Prince of Bayreuth, Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Arch-Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Empire, Johan von Hohenzollern

Your grace, I Fernando emissary of the King of Portugal to the election, come by this mean, congratulate your grace for the corage you grave have showned today by presenting yourself for the title of the Holy Roman Empire.
I was sent to this most holy meeting on a mission on a mission to gather support for the cruzade cause. I was sent here to ask if your grace can help Portugal. I was informed that your grace once allmost enter in a cruzade in the North, now I ask that your Grance enter in a cruzade in the South, by the side of Portugal. But we in Portugal know that asking for the total magnitute of your higness's armies is to much... That is why I was ordered by his majesty João of Portugal to ask your grace if you can give to to the cruzade any knights, infantary men or even archers. If possible some well trained soldiers. Also And if your highness may if possible load the Kingdom of Portugal 1 000 000 Ducats ( 1 eco ) to help the Armies of the Cross grow!

Signed, Fernado d'Evora ducal heir of the Duchy of Evora

 

[Elias Tarfarius]

Fernando was suprised to see the bavarian waiting to speak with him. He hoped the other people would also come to him. He expected someone else, but Bavaria is as good as anyone else...​

Fernado smiled and noded while the bavrian spoke, in the end he gave one last smile and a small laugh of simpaty "Yes, your grace you are correct. I am not here to try to elected a Portuguese, I am here in a mission a goodlly mission to help in the Cruzade of Africa. I do not know if you know what is happening there." without waiting for a reply he continued "Well, the great armies of the Almohads are defeated. And After we kill the last moorish Stronghold in Iberia we will invade Africa. And Fez shall be under the cross of Crist! But for that Portugal can not do it alone. That is why I was sent here, with the mission of asking the most pious lords of the *Holy* Roman Empire for help. And I was about to go to your grace to ask you something" Fernado smiles one more time before in this calm, friendlly voice continue "If he most pios Lord of Tyrol would like to give some Bavrian Knights, or any other kind of soldiers for the cruzade! To fight for our Lord Jesus crist. And if Possible if his grace Levi I of the Haus Wittelsbach may even loan Portugal to help even further the war in the South!" he nods one last time waiting for a reply

Herr Muller put on his contemplative face for the Dom and was quick to respond, though he was really promising things without the permission or approval of his lord.

We have heard reports of the war lately raging in Castile and how the dastardly Moors have tried to reverse the victories so dearly bought those many years ago. My lord would be most eager to send his men to aid the crusade and perhaps lead them himself. Now, as for monies, it is a question of how much your Grace requires. My lord is a great landholder, but as of late, the great assembly of our Duchy has raised taxes upon the nobles... shocking though it maybe to know they pay them at all, as that is not the nature of things in most places. Thus, my lord must make sure he has those funds in addition to those that come of run his estates and perhaps also soon for bridewealth soon for his marriage, God willing.