Chapter 24 - For the Sake of Prussia
Chapter 24 – For the Sake of Prussia
January 1628
Snow and ash alike drifted through the air as Friedrich Wilhelm strolled through the burnt-out wreckage of a small Polish town. He had visited and burned half of it once before during the Ottoman War. There were Ottoman soldiers hiding in the town, so he had to make an example. Despite the complaints of the townsfolk, he had restrained himself and told them that because they were friends and not enemies, he would spare half the town.
Now, Poland was the enemy, so there was no reason to hold back. The distant screams and muffled cries of captured villagers told him that some of the men were still enjoying plundering the town. He came across his second-in-command, the fearsome Alfred Arnim, overseeing a platoon that was counting and organizing what loot they were able to find, though Friedrich Wilhelm was surprised that there was anything of value left.
“Welcome, Sir.” Said Arnim as he saluted.
“At ease, Arnim.” Said Friedrich Wilhelm as he handed over a small pile of paper. “You better gather the men up, I just received instructions from the Emperor.”
Arnim looked at the documents skeptically. “A peace treaty? We’ve only just begun; the men were just getting warmed up.”
It took less than two years for the already weakened Commonwealth to be overrun by the forces of Prussia, Russia and their other allies. They had eventually agreed to partition Poland, with some provinces in the west going to Prussia, in the east to Russia, and in the north to Livonia.
“At least we are bringing back quite a bit of gold with us,” conceded Friedrich Wilhelm. Besides, the men won’t be idle for long. The Emperor is planning on finally addressing the troublesome Bohemians next.”
“In that case then, sir, we can hardly wait.”
February 1629
Anelia stormed through the palace, eventually reaching her husband’s study. The guards did not dare block her passage, and she shoved the doors open until she came to Emperor Georg Wilhelm I seated at his desk.
“What is the meaning of this?”
He blinked at her, confused, until she placed a document in front of him and pinned it to the desk with her long index finger.
“This. Ortelsburg.”
“Oh,” said Georg Wilhelm slowly, “it was needed for the war effort.”
The Prussian rival of Bohemia had recently consumed much of Saxony and was looking to continue to expand; Prussia was looking for a good opportunity to stop them. Three months ago, diplomatic agents reported that Bavaria was unlikely to respond to a defensive call to arms, though Sweden and Silesia would. Prussia, however, had enough favors accumulated to call in their full suite of allies. So far, just a few sieges were ongoing, but more armies were being moved into position.
But before he had died last year, Ernst von Derfflinger had been insisting on Prussia taking a more active role in the management of Danzig, and a faction at court had developed with the objective of pushing for its annexation. She had done her best to counteract them, but they must have realized that they could make more progress by pushing for one province at a time.
“I don’t care why you needed to annex it,” Anelia said, “You swore an oath to me that you would maintain Danzig as an autonomous vassal.”
“You swore an oath to me as well,” replied Georg Wilhelm, “and I have put my personal feelings aside and remained silent about that for the sake of Prussia.”
Anelia wasn’t sure about him remaining silent. The last few years had seen a decline in Georg Wilhelm I. Despite the best efforts of the physicians, he had a number of minor health complaints, including ulcers, that continued to accumulate. He was not as sharp as he once was mentally, having developed looser and looser lips. She was sure that he had confided in his heir, Friedrich Wilhelm. She had thought that the leers that he sent her way were disturbing enough, but the cold hatred he shot towards Clemens Flinck whenever the two of them were in the same room was even scarier.
Aneila sighed. “It’s always about Prussia. Prussia always come first. It always comes before me, before Anna, before your health. I don’t know why I need to be in Berlin if you are not going to care about any of those things. I need a vacation.”
“Anelia...”
“I mean it. I am going to visit Danzig this spring, I’ll need to try to at least smooth things over with my brother. Anna needs to get out of the city, perhaps learn about her heritage and family. You’ve publicly acknowledged her, but not as heir, and you barely spend any time with her.”
Georg Wilhelm I was wincing, from the pain of his ulcers or the pain of her rebuke she could not say. It would be better to leave him alone with his thoughts for now.
“We need to spend some time apart,” she said, leaving the room, “for the sake of Prussia.”
December 1629
Ludwig von Hohenzollern, moving as fast as he dared down the stairs by candlelight, considered how he was going to phrase his letters. The Electors of the Holy Roman Empire, not to mention Friedrich Wilhelm I himself, needed to be informed at once. There was no doubt over the result of the election, but procedures needed to be followed. Over the next few days, more formal notification must be sent to the Empress, the Landtag, the church leaders, leading nobles and burglars, government officials and hundreds of others.
He almost dropped the candle when he ran into Ernst von Taubeneck.
“Is he dead?” asked Ernst.
“Yes, not ten minutes ago.”
“Then It’s not too late to change your mind, my friend. You can still see Princess Anna rather than that godless bastard. I found a good man, you don’t need to know his name, who will bring thousands to fight for her cause.”
“He may be a bastard, but he’s a competent one, and groomed for this role. Anna is just a child, and he currently leading our armies in war. The latest scout reports, as you know, indicate Silesian troops operating not far from Berlin. We don’t need to fight ourselves right now. It’s not worth it.”
“Suit yourself.” Whispered von Taubeneck as he started to leave.
“Wait,” interrupted Ludwig, “Is Finck part of your mad plan?”
“No. Like you, he wants to play it safe. He thinks he can charm his way through anything. But there is no safety with a man like Fredrich Wilhelm on the throne. Think about it.”
January 1628
Snow and ash alike drifted through the air as Friedrich Wilhelm strolled through the burnt-out wreckage of a small Polish town. He had visited and burned half of it once before during the Ottoman War. There were Ottoman soldiers hiding in the town, so he had to make an example. Despite the complaints of the townsfolk, he had restrained himself and told them that because they were friends and not enemies, he would spare half the town.
Now, Poland was the enemy, so there was no reason to hold back. The distant screams and muffled cries of captured villagers told him that some of the men were still enjoying plundering the town. He came across his second-in-command, the fearsome Alfred Arnim, overseeing a platoon that was counting and organizing what loot they were able to find, though Friedrich Wilhelm was surprised that there was anything of value left.
“Welcome, Sir.” Said Arnim as he saluted.
“At ease, Arnim.” Said Friedrich Wilhelm as he handed over a small pile of paper. “You better gather the men up, I just received instructions from the Emperor.”
Arnim looked at the documents skeptically. “A peace treaty? We’ve only just begun; the men were just getting warmed up.”
It took less than two years for the already weakened Commonwealth to be overrun by the forces of Prussia, Russia and their other allies. They had eventually agreed to partition Poland, with some provinces in the west going to Prussia, in the east to Russia, and in the north to Livonia.
“At least we are bringing back quite a bit of gold with us,” conceded Friedrich Wilhelm. Besides, the men won’t be idle for long. The Emperor is planning on finally addressing the troublesome Bohemians next.”
“In that case then, sir, we can hardly wait.”
February 1629
Anelia stormed through the palace, eventually reaching her husband’s study. The guards did not dare block her passage, and she shoved the doors open until she came to Emperor Georg Wilhelm I seated at his desk.
“What is the meaning of this?”
He blinked at her, confused, until she placed a document in front of him and pinned it to the desk with her long index finger.
“This. Ortelsburg.”
“Oh,” said Georg Wilhelm slowly, “it was needed for the war effort.”
The Prussian rival of Bohemia had recently consumed much of Saxony and was looking to continue to expand; Prussia was looking for a good opportunity to stop them. Three months ago, diplomatic agents reported that Bavaria was unlikely to respond to a defensive call to arms, though Sweden and Silesia would. Prussia, however, had enough favors accumulated to call in their full suite of allies. So far, just a few sieges were ongoing, but more armies were being moved into position.
But before he had died last year, Ernst von Derfflinger had been insisting on Prussia taking a more active role in the management of Danzig, and a faction at court had developed with the objective of pushing for its annexation. She had done her best to counteract them, but they must have realized that they could make more progress by pushing for one province at a time.
“I don’t care why you needed to annex it,” Anelia said, “You swore an oath to me that you would maintain Danzig as an autonomous vassal.”
“You swore an oath to me as well,” replied Georg Wilhelm, “and I have put my personal feelings aside and remained silent about that for the sake of Prussia.”
Anelia wasn’t sure about him remaining silent. The last few years had seen a decline in Georg Wilhelm I. Despite the best efforts of the physicians, he had a number of minor health complaints, including ulcers, that continued to accumulate. He was not as sharp as he once was mentally, having developed looser and looser lips. She was sure that he had confided in his heir, Friedrich Wilhelm. She had thought that the leers that he sent her way were disturbing enough, but the cold hatred he shot towards Clemens Flinck whenever the two of them were in the same room was even scarier.
Aneila sighed. “It’s always about Prussia. Prussia always come first. It always comes before me, before Anna, before your health. I don’t know why I need to be in Berlin if you are not going to care about any of those things. I need a vacation.”
“Anelia...”
“I mean it. I am going to visit Danzig this spring, I’ll need to try to at least smooth things over with my brother. Anna needs to get out of the city, perhaps learn about her heritage and family. You’ve publicly acknowledged her, but not as heir, and you barely spend any time with her.”
Georg Wilhelm I was wincing, from the pain of his ulcers or the pain of her rebuke she could not say. It would be better to leave him alone with his thoughts for now.
“We need to spend some time apart,” she said, leaving the room, “for the sake of Prussia.”
December 1629
Ludwig von Hohenzollern, moving as fast as he dared down the stairs by candlelight, considered how he was going to phrase his letters. The Electors of the Holy Roman Empire, not to mention Friedrich Wilhelm I himself, needed to be informed at once. There was no doubt over the result of the election, but procedures needed to be followed. Over the next few days, more formal notification must be sent to the Empress, the Landtag, the church leaders, leading nobles and burglars, government officials and hundreds of others.
He almost dropped the candle when he ran into Ernst von Taubeneck.
“Is he dead?” asked Ernst.
“Yes, not ten minutes ago.”
“Then It’s not too late to change your mind, my friend. You can still see Princess Anna rather than that godless bastard. I found a good man, you don’t need to know his name, who will bring thousands to fight for her cause.”
“He may be a bastard, but he’s a competent one, and groomed for this role. Anna is just a child, and he currently leading our armies in war. The latest scout reports, as you know, indicate Silesian troops operating not far from Berlin. We don’t need to fight ourselves right now. It’s not worth it.”
“Suit yourself.” Whispered von Taubeneck as he started to leave.
“Wait,” interrupted Ludwig, “Is Finck part of your mad plan?”
“No. Like you, he wants to play it safe. He thinks he can charm his way through anything. But there is no safety with a man like Fredrich Wilhelm on the throne. Think about it.”