The Rise of the European Emperor

Although he was very tired, Marin still visited dozens of princes and sent out a lot of gold coins. The princes who received the benefits also agreed.

After that, Marin thought about it and visited the three Electoral Marquis again. However, because he had been bribed with a lot of money before, Marin brought some simple gifts. However, along with the gift, Marin also brought a handwritten letter from the newly-promoted Pope Julius II.

In fact, I brought this letter to tell the three religious electors—I am a popular man in front of the Pope, and you must support me.

Although it is said that the three great emperors themselves do not need to please the pope. However, there is no need to offend the Pope. After all, if the Pope is angry and excommunicates, the secular princes may be fine, but the religious princes will definitely be finished. In addition, the three great emperors themselves have no pursuit, but their family descendants still have pursuit.

In this era, none of the archbishops of the various bishopric countries came from common people, and basically all came from large noble families.

For example, the Archbishop of Mainz, Berthold von Hennenberg, was born in the Hennenberg family of the royal family in the Counties of Hennenberg; the Archbishop of Cologne, Hermann IV, was also born in Heisenberg. The Hessian family of the royal family; Jacob, the Archbishop of Trier, was also born in the royal family of Baden (Baden was still the county at this time). What is even more peculiar is that the former Archbishop of Trier, John II, who died in February 2003, is the uncle of the current Archbishop of Trier, Jacob...

Therefore, these archbishops, not for themselves, must also consider for the younger generation of the family. Because, in this era, it is normal for the descendants of noble families to become priests. It could be a nephew or a cousin.

Even if the Pope cannot directly punish you and embarrass your younger generation, it will be easy. Because, although the bishops of the bishopric in the German region are elected, they must be confirmed by the Holy See and signed by the Pope before they can take office. Otherwise, where does it come from or where does it go. Alexander VI and his son, relying on this, madly accumulated wealth and made a lot of money. If a newly appointed bishop does not pay, Alexander VI will not issue a letter of appointment...

Therefore, the Pope still has a lot of influence on the bishops of those bishopric states. Although I was curious why Julius II would personally write a letter to intercede for Marin, the Pope had to give his face. The three religious princes who had been somewhat perfunctory began to take this matter seriously, and ordered their younger brothers to take it seriously and vote for Marin.

After leaving the three religious princes, Marin went to the four archbishops, including the Archbishop of Magdeburg, the Archbishop of Salzburg, the Archbishop of Besançon, and the Archbishop of Bremen. Letter from the Pope...

These four archbishops are different from other bishops. They are archbishops (Archbishops), not parish bishops (Bishops), like the three religious electors.

In terms of religious status, they are equal to the three religious great princes. It's just that in terms of secular power, he is far from the three religious emperors.

The bishops of other dioceses dare not ignore the orders of the three major religious princes. However, these four archbishops with high religious status can fight against the three religious emperors. Therefore, Malin specially found these four people, offered generous gifts, and took out the Pope's letter of introduction... After that, it was naturally done...

As for the imperial city, Marin naturally invited Lübeck and Hamburg to go out. As expected by Marin, 20 imperial cities in the Saxony and Brandenburg regions were threatened by the two electors and could not vote for Marin. But the votes of the other 55 cities are still guaranteed. In such a case, it was finally up to the princes that Marin had bribed before the meeting.

February 14, 1504, Valentine's Day in Europe. However, on this day, in the city of Worms, 330 bigwigs of the German states gathered together and held an imperial meeting in the hall of Worms Cathedral.

The spirit of the Archbishop of Mainz is not very good. Historically, he died this winter. However, although the spirit is not very good, but the body is still in good health. Therefore, it is still possible to preside over a meeting.

In the main hall of Worms Cathedral, Maximilian I and the seven great princes sat on the rostrum, and the other princes naturally sat below. Of course, the duke sits in the front, with the powerful bishops; then, the earl and the weaker bishops, with Marin in it; at the back, the lords of the dominions and the empire The representative of the city can be described as a distinct hierarchy.

After the meeting started, Maximilian I, as the emperor of the empire, naturally had to speak first. Of course, they are all high-sounding scenes, and they have no practical significance. Of course, he just wanted to say something practical, but he couldn't. Because, at the Worms Imperial Conference, the real protagonist is the Archbishop of Mainz...

Sure enough, after Maximilian I delivered some high-sounding speeches, the Archbishop of Mainz began to preside over the real Imperial Council...

First, the Archbishop of Mainz took out a stack of parchments and began to follow the script. The content on the parchment is mainly about some big events that happened last year. The main ones are the frictions between the vassal states and the conflicts in the Swiss region, which are not too big, but not too small. After speaking, the Archbishop of Mainz strongly appealed to all parties in conflict to exercise restraint, and under God's attention, love each other...

Finally, the Archbishop of Mainz talked about the core content of the meeting - the war between the Four-Power Alliance and Denmark...

Regarding this issue, the Archbishop of Mainz used his words more cautiously, and did not show any obvious inclination, and seemed to be fair. After describing the incident, the Archbishop of Mainz asked everyone to speak and put forward their views.

As soon as the Archbishop of Mainz finished speaking, Joachim I, Elector of Brandenburg, jumped out directly. He is one of the seven emperors and a member of the rostrum, so he naturally has the privilege to speak first. Joachim I said:

"In the spring of last year, a very unfortunate incident occurred in the northern region of Germany. The rebels of East Friesland, the Free Hanseatic City of Lübeck, the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg and Sweden, colluded..."

"Cough cough—" Marin coughed twice, interrupting Joachim I's words:

"Lord Joachim, please pay attention to the wording..." Joachim I's sentence "colluded together" obviously characterized the Four Nations Alliance as a robber. Only robbers collude together...

Although, it was rude to interrupt Joachim I's speech on the spot. However, since the other party has smeared himself so much, there is no need for Marin to be too embarrassing. Moreover, if it is a one-on-one match, Marin is not afraid of the Electorate of Brandenburg at all.

When Marin interrupted his speech, Joachim I was naturally annoyed, and glared at Marin. But Marin looked indifferent, this is the performance of strength. If Marin was a scumbag prince, he would not dare to offend Joachim I.

"Taking advantage of the opportunity of the Danish army to suppress the rebellion in Sweden, the armies of East Friesland, Lübeck and Hamburg suddenly attacked the Principality of Holstein and Schleswig, and hit the island of Zealand. , broke through Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, in a very barbaric way, and also used conspiracy and tricks to humiliate and play with the honorable King Hans, forcing King Hans to cede the Duchy of Schleswig and the Duchy of Holstein..."

"This kind of behavior is not done by gentlemen, it belongs to the robbery of Chi Guoguo. On behalf of the Electorate of Brandenburg, I strongly condemn this immoral behavior, and believe that - the Duchy of Schleswig and Hall The Duchy of Stein was occupied by these three forces and should be returned to the King of Denmark. As for whether to allow the Duchy of Schleswig to join the Holy Roman Empire, this is completely nonsense. The territory originally belonged to Denmark, why should it join the Holy Roman Empire? Empire? Lord Speaker, I'm done." Joachim I ended his speech with impassioned enthusiasm.

Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, was more cautious and did not stand up immediately, but drank water there.

Marin took the opportunity to raise his hand, and after obtaining the consent of the Archbishop of Mainz, he started his speech:

"Dear colleagues, today, we are gathered together to discuss the affairs of our great Holy Roman Empire. Each of us is a member of the great Holy Roman Empire. Therefore, we naturally hope that the great Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire is getting better and better. But..." Marrington paused, then continued:

"I just listened to Mr. Joachim's speech, but I had an illusion..."

"What kind of illusion is this? Just now, I felt that Lord Joachim was not a German prince, but a diplomat sent by King Hans of Denmark to condemn me and my The two allies of the Hanseatic League..."

"Hahaha—" Everyone laughed knowingly. Indeed, the tone of Joachim I's speech just now was not like a German prince, but more like a Danish diplomat, who was specifically complaining about Denmark, and his butt was too crooked.

"I'm wondering, is Lord Joachim a prince of the Holy Roman Empire or a prince of Denmark? Why not consider the interests of the Holy Roman Empire, but consider Hans, King of Denmark, everywhere?"

"Because he is Hans's son-in-law!" said many people in the audience. However, no one has spoken out publicly. Moreover, such reasons are indeed not on the table.

"Here, I would like to ask Lord Joachim a question - is the interest of the empire more important, or the interests of your father-in-law's kingdom of Denmark?" Marin looked at Joachim I aggressively.

Moreover, this question from Marin was so cruel that Joachim I couldn't answer it. If it is important to answer that the interests of the Empire are important, then he cannot speak for the Kingdom of Denmark. And if the answer is that the interests of the Kingdom of Denmark are important, then he is not worthy of being a prince of Germany, and he will fall into the trap no matter what he answers. As a result, Joachim I was caught in a dilemma, his face flushed with anger...