The Diet of Visby
At Visby, the delegations of Poland-Lithuania, Sweden and Russia arrived for a discussion of the recent Livonian Issue. Once the delegations had arrived, the King of Denmark greeted them and opened the diet, saying, "I would like to welcome all of you to Visby. I hope we could find a solution to the conflicts in Livonia through peace and diplomacy."
Immediately, the Governor of Novgorod stood up and spoke his terms, calling for the land to be split up between the four nations, splitting all of Livonia but leaving Riga a free city. Angrily the Polish delegate stood up and quipped, "What right do we have to carve up the Livonian nation? Was signing a treaty of peace and friendship with the Polish-Lithuanian union truly so heinous? The Polish-Lithuanian delegation proposes that we elevate the Livonian Confederacy into the Kingdom of Livonia, whose monarch shall be nominated by the Livonian states and approved by the countries of this council. Truly, God would ensure a righteous man would take the throne."
Prince Mikhail responded, "The repeated betrayals of the Tsar by the Livonian confederates leave him to believe that they can no longer be trusted. He protected them in the past from those who would encroach upon them but his beneficent hand was thrown away by the traitors. Therefore he sees nothing short of the destruction of the oppressive government of the ordenstaat as being palatable."
The Polish delegate asked "When a new government is formed, the old one is destroyed. If this council were to limit the Livonian electors to men of the cloth, would the Tsar of All the Russians truly object? If he were a true man of God, as Sigismund in Poland believes him to be, he would not."
Mikhail sarcastically retorted, "Men of the cloth? The same men who have been selling or attempting to secularise the territories in the name of their heretical creed? Such men are not to be trusted in matters of governance."
"You say these men of God are heretics? Give proof, not just accusations. You say they have been selling their land? I say how hasn't Russia already bought it all up. Surely the Russian delegates do not believe any electors would nominate a monarch that wasn't a true Christian man, he who would ensure that Livonia remain a Christian nation."
"It was the Danes who bought Osel-Wiek last year from the now former Bishop. The Tsar has not bought any land from these deplorable men. In my mind it is Christian monarchs not these charlatans, these thieves in the robes of priests who should nominate the new leader of the Grand Duchy of Livonia. I do not think that the Pope would look too kindly upon a Catholic monarch creating a new royal title so the lesser rank should both not embarrass you in his eyes. The Tsar also believes that any man that is to be given his crown by other kings should not be a king himself." After he said this, the Governor of Novgorod proposed another plan, still partitioning Livonia but leaving the city of Riga free and creating the grand duchy of Livonia.
At this point the Swedish delegate stood up and said, "This is a most unfair and unrealistic proposal by the Russians. You have not been able to enforce your demands both diplomatically nor militarily. Coupled with the many atrocities committed by order of the Tsar, Sweden must reject any proposal where the Russians gain any major swathes of land."
Angrily turning to the Swede, the Muscovite said "The Russian armies control the land that she demands and much more including the land that is to be ceded to the Swedish crown under the proposals presented as well as territories throughout the North and centre of the proposed Grand Duchy. The territories that the Tsardom of Russia proposes to take permanently from the Confederates for herself is not vastly bigger than that region accorded to the Swedish or Danish crowns under the treaty and is smaller than that accorded to the Poles and Lithuanians to sort out in the current proposals. If the Swedish King does not desire any part in the peace but the other parties do then the Swedish state will gain nothing from the dissolution of the confederate state, whether territory nor influence over the ruler of the Grand Duchy."
"The Russian Crown has to realize that it finds itself in a state of war with all parties involved in the Conference except for itself. It's de facto control of the lands it wants to partition can be immediately revoked from it by a coalition of the Swede-Dane-Polish forces if they see it as necessary. Sweden would normally agree to such a treaty, but the Tsar has presented himself uncapable of just rule as proven by the gruesome atrocities committed by his nation during his brief control of Livonian lands. If the Tsar does not desire to acknowledge that he is neither entitled nor fit to rule Livonia as acknowledged by many reporters of the war across Europe then it may gain nothing of the proposed dissolution of the Order, whether territorial nor influential power."
Rejoining the conversation, the Polish delegate declared "The Polish-Lithuanian union stands with Sweden. The Crown of Russia has proved to be most incapable of just and proper rule. Any land cessions to Russia would make it clear why this crisis was created in the first place. I think better of the Tsar, and know his heart is simply misguided. Adjust the proposal according and our great nations can work from there."
Mikhail muttered,"Insofar as the Tsar of All Russia knows, the Crown of Sweden and his own state are not at war nor is his own state and that of the Crown of Denmark-Norway. If either state wishes to change the situation unto that form then it is up to them, not the Tsar."
The Swedish delegate sighed, "The Tsar seems to be purposefully avoiding the evidence laid out against him, and thus we are growing impatient and annoyed at their lack of honesty and justice."
"To Clarify the Positions of the Tsardom of All Russia to the Parties here represented this is the view of the Tsar's government of their relation to the other parties in the dispute:
The Livonian Confederation:
Open War.
The Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania:
Diplomatic breakdown close to war.
The Kingdom of Denmark-Norway:
Mutual Recognition of Claims and Treaty of Friendship under the yet to be ratified Treaty of Silte.
The Kingdom of Sweden:
Forty year Truce and agreement not to support Livonia or Poland-Lithuania under the 1557 Treaty of Novgorod.
The Tsar primarily views this discussion as being between himself and the King of Poland and that the interests of Sweden and Denmark are being recognized but are not central to the dispute. The Tsar would at this time recognise any Swedish troops stationed in Livonia as breaking the compact of Novgorod as well as a declaration of open war against Russia. If you percieve the Tsar's attempts to determine his enemies as a stalling tactic then you are much mistaken, it is a key part of diplomacy."
To which the Swede responded, "The Tsar forgets that Russia has never had any historical claims or presence in the Livonian region, therefore making this an unwarranted war of aggression against a weaker country. In comparison, Sweden, Denmark and Poland have all set foot on these lands long before the very existence of the Russian state. The conference is there to regulate all of the parties' interests, not those of Russia and Poland."
Laughing, Mikhail said "Surely you jest? The sons of Rurik have ruled in these lands for centuries. Long before the Poles, Danes or Swedes were made kings under the rule of the Bishop of Rome. As the Heir to the Princes of Polotsk and Novgorod the Great the Tsar has the greatest claim to the region of any of the parties here. The territory is to be returned to the fold of the old Rus' lands as well it should be. The Swedish claim by contrast is laughable greed."
After chortling for a bit, he calmed down and said, he said, "This arguing is getting us nowhere nearer to an actual result that the Tsar had sent me here for. If you so hate the proposals made by the Tsar then the King of Poland should make his own proposal to the conference. Preferably ones that give a detailed description of the division of the confederate territory after the war for discussion. If no such proposal eventuates then I shall have to withdraw and the war against the confederates will continue."
Acting as if he was pointing out the obvious, the Pole said "The proposal from the Polish-Lithuanian union has already been presented. The Livonian state shall remain under a new government. The Kingdom of Livonia, whose head of state shall be nominated by the Livonian nobles and clergy, approved by all present at this conference, and crowned by Pope Pius IV, should he so be willing. No land cessions to any party."
Then the Muscovite's face turned to a scowl as he growled, "The Tsar cannot agree to such a proposal given his distrust of the confederates, whether from the Bishoprics or the Ordenstaat. He also cannot have peace without even the most minimal territorial changes required to ensure the security of the Russian state. Unless the Polish king can at the least change his mind on the second point at least then there will be no peace with the confederates."
With that, the Russian delegation stood up and hurriedly left the diet. As the official ending happened shortly after, the diet had been a failure and come to naught. Both sides would not budge, and the Russians would still continue to wage war in Livonia. The question now is what Sweden and Poland will do. Will they declare war to fight for what they have said? Or will they let Russia have dominance over Livonia?
***
Soon after the diet, Sigismund got a letter from the Brothers of the Sword, the Livonian Order:
((Council fails. Russia still in Livonia, gets order. Poland and Sweden can declare war on Russia and get extra order for the war. Livonian Order appeals to Poland for aid.))
