July 1514,

Prelude

Misery loves company, or so they say. The lands of Hessen had known almost nothing but, since the death of Landgrave Wilhelm II in 1504. In the following peace treaty of Bonn, the Landgrave's former lands had been humiliatingly carved up by the last son of Hesse, Hermann IV of Hesse, Archbishop of Cologne. The lands had gone through varying levels of neglect in the years since, being mere properties of other princes. The people had prayed earnestly to the Lord above, for deliverance, be it by Apocalypse or by more earthly means, "thy will be done".

Act One: A Strange Tide

Quickly after, the people of Upper Hesse would notice that sentiment had been shifting. Their priests, their nobles, their butchers, they had found their savior: The Archbishop of Mainz, Albrecht of Ansbach. Long had the Archbishop been the rivals of the Landgraves, yet, he was also the second biggest landowner in Hesse, and thus, was long familiar with their particular customs, and plight. And most importantly, the Church had the resources and knowledge of how to steward the land. With the Imperial Ban of the Duke of Cleves, owner of Upper Hesse, these calls grew louder and louder over 1513. Of course, in 1514, this ban would be lifted by the Treaty of Cambrai. To anyone with eyes, the Duke's criminal acts had only been pardoned by the insistence of the French King. And thus, the Mainzers made their move and a great cry came from the land: for the Archbishop to visit Upper Hesse to receive their fealty.

Act Two: The Last Hessian

Meanwhile, the forces of entropy continued to erode the fabric of society in Lower Hesse. These universal forces soon found an unlikely challenger, what must have seemed like a savior out of a storybook. A fourteen year old youth, strong, tall, and handsome, with brown hair and green eyes. Operating outside the bounds of the law, the youth had acquired the love of the common people fighting their miserable circumstances and protecting them from bandits. Indeed, in his time serving the people, a following of vigilantes followed the inspiring youth, and he had even begun to receive taxes from the lands he most frequented. Seeing the events in Upper Hesse, he believed his time was now. He would introduce himself to the world as Philipp of Hesse, legitimized bastard of Wilhelm II. In his possession he would carry a scroll bearing the seal of Archbishop Hermann, testifying to his paternity, and legitimizing him as the Last Hessian. The commoners and nobles alike testified to his likeness to the deceased Landgrave. As for his goal, he made it clear to the world. He may be the Last Hessian for now, but he would reclaim his father's land and titles against all interlopers who oppress his people. His main powerbase would be in Kassel in Lower Hesse. Yet the Hohenzollern family, as the dynasty which counts the one third owner of Lower Hesse Joachim I Nestor of Brandenburg and Albrecht of Ansbach among its members, had support in Lower Hesse too, and some would declare for them.

Act Three: A Lion of Gold, not Orange

God has a special Providence for fools, drunks, and the House of Nassau. - Friedrich III "the Wise" of Saxony

But yet, there would be another. In his wisdom, Johann V of Dillenburg may have given up the title of Landgrave of Hesse, but he had his son Wilhelm betroth a daughter of Hesse: Katharina of Kassel. Their union formalized in a marriage ceremony in 1511, his former base of support had not forgotten the Count or his son, who had honored them with such a union. As they had offered Johann the Landgrave's title in 1504, as they watched order collapse around them, many estates would offer his son Wilhelm the same title in 1514. The center of the country would declare for Wilhelm and seize a great many towns in his name as Hesse destabilized itself once again.

Epilogue

The Wetterau Grafenverein, wracked with indecision in the war of the previous year that had resulted in neutrality, once again erupted in indecision. Then as now, the victory of the House of Nassau would launch them to an unchallenged position in the Wetterau, and fiercely tore the various members apart, as they feared becoming little more than minor nobles under the House of Nassau.

Map

June 1514,

Joining the Wendische Landfriedenvereinigung in the previous year, the Co-Dukes of Mecklenburg have thus far been nervously watching as neighbor set upon neighbor in a conflict that had no obvious aggressor. Something that had greatly entertained Duke Albrecht VII, less so Duke Heinrich V, was the clumsiness of Hanseatic diplomacy. Blinded by their single-minded obsession with money, they paid no heed to the diplomatic attitudes of their neighbors, nor their familial relations to one another.

Their neutrality would be tested as a letter came from the Co-Counts of Oldenburg, calling for the aid of their Ducal in-laws, as the Duke of Guelders declared war under some unknown alliance provision with the Hansa. Count Adolf would describe to his brother in law Albrecht VII that this was merely opportunisitic expansionism, an attempt to punish Adolf for pursuing his familial obligations to his cousins in Holstein, and begged for his aid and diplomatic weight. The Co-Dukes would argue on the exact course of action, but in the meantime, a call to muster the troops would be made while diplomacy took place.

Mecklenburg raises troops

July 1514

With the sealed scroll now in our possession, the crisis in Hesse must be ended.

[Raising Troops]

July-August 1514

Hesse is in a rather difficult situation. The Archbishop of Mainz owns a bunch of land in and around Hesse. Probably should take some measures.

[M] Raising troops

July/August 1514

The Estates of Upper-Hesse under the control of Johann II, Landgrave of Hesse-Marburg, have seen fit to violate the law and enter revolt. As is his right as Landgrave Johann II raises men with the intent to defend his holdings.

[M:Raising troops]

Once it is finished in Luxembourg, the Imperial Army will march to Hesse to ensure the situation there does not devolve into war.

(We are not declaring war on anyone, just marching)

July 1514

With renewed vigor, King John III prepares to liberate Navarre from Spain.

[M] Raising/Lowering forces

July-August 1514

As hoped for, invitees and their attendants from Pskov, the Tsar's personal circle, and the many other Muscovite notables in attendance filled several buildings in Pskov with merriment and alcohol. Detracting from the festivities was the many petitioners from Pskov asking for funds and investment into the city. The life of a sovereign is never one free from pestering it seems.

But the Tsar kept a level head. In fact, one reprieve from the constant bothering was Vasily realizing how much he liked that title, Tsar. In the past he kept that title limited to foreign correspondence, keeping to Grand Duke domestically. But if Lithuania is a Grand Duchy, Muscovy is surely something more! And if Muscovy is grander than a Grand Duchy, he cannot debase himself by using a title like Grand Duke now can he?

As the night approached its conclusion, the Tsar took command in the largest building available and proclaimed his son's name to the public. Vasily! Named after the Tsar's grandfather. A leader who took the reigns of a realm internally divided and left it as the strongest power in the east.

Amid the cacophonous cheering, driven moreso by intoxication than anything else perhaps, Vasily halted the noise to speak again.

As Vasily II before him, he announced his intent to leave Muscovy united internally around him and his descendants. And the Veche of Pskov is not conducive to that goal. The mood turned quickly and the Tsar let it settle, the burghers of Pskov were rather fond of their autonomy after all. Continuing on he pointed out how they failed to adequately defend against the Livonians and they failed to adequately rebuild after the Livonian invasion. The former is an objective statement and many Veche members themselves have admitted to the latter fact tonight. And seeing how Pskov does not have any history of being a princely appanage, it will annexed directly into the rest of Muscovy.

All the locals in attendance are then told to come before the Tsar and swear their loyalty. Those with wandering eyes and their mind not clouded by liquor might now more readily notice the hundreds of Pischalniks stationed around the vicinity of the celebrations, and the thousands more Gorodovyye patrolling the rest of city and every road leading in or out. Even the waterways are all closely observed. All ostensibly to protect the city from attack, in truth this annexation was the Tsar's intent from the moment he raised the army. As his father taught him, any ruler who does not effectively use subterfuge is hardly deserving to be ruler in the first place. And Vasily will prove he deserves to be not just a ruler, but a Tsar.

Treaty of Cambrai, May 1514

The war was over before it had truly begun. Or so at least Karel thought when he received the terms of the treaty of Cambrai. A few battles in Flanders, two stalemates in Limburg and apparently that was that - a loss for the empire and the traitors were left unpunished.

Charles returned back to Arnhem after seeing Roermond returned to him and overseeing some works, his estates and giving assurances to the population, which had suffered under the Marckish occupation forces. He disbanded his troops and went back to Arnhem - however there was a part of his forces that he did not disband, namely, his corps of officers and trainers that he had hired for the conflict. They had proven invaluable in the conflict as his troops consisted mostly of unproven Landsknechts and city militia from Guelders and Frisia, only some of which had seen combat. His trainers and officers made them into a capable fighting force that withstood a greater army, with a greater number of cavalry.

As many of these men that would wish to join Charles to train and further expand their craft were welcome to join his court at Arnhem against good wages, lodgings and of course, more opportunities to distinguish themselves.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marital care, June 1514

After arriving back to Arnhem the first thing on Charles' mind was to visit his wife and newborn son, Arnold, named after his grandfather. He had received disturbing news about the pregnancy and the birth, Margerite had suffered greatly during the birth and the child seemed somewhat odd and malformed. Nonetheless, Arnold was born and would hopefully make for a good partner of Charles' junior, now 3 years old and growing up healthily as a young boy could.

Coming into Arnhem he visited his wife and brought her some gifts. Margerite was still at bedrest, but was glad to see her husband well and to have come back in one piece. Not long after Charles went to his newborn son, a clearly hunchbacked, but otherwise healthy boy. He found firstborn soon enough afterwards and took him to play at the river. He hoped that this summer his family might spend more time together, but he feared too that he would be busy working on something else.

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The Realm, June 1514

Whilst the economy of both Guelders and Frisia had been recovering from the wars, it surely became time to start investing in more holdings and economic activity. Charles had been planning great public works for some time and the time had come to put it to fruition.

Constructing:

Arnhem: 2x Stable, 2x Clothmakers, 1x Metalworks, building of a small palace in Arnhem.
Zutphen: 2x Stable, 2x Brickyards, 2x Trade Hub, 2x expansion of the mint (gold mine)
Aurich: 2x Dairy, 2x Wheat farm, 1x Trade Hub

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Old(enburg) World Blues, sometime 1514

A messenger arrived, seemingly haven ridden for days and in dire need of a bath. Karel did not hesitate to hear the man out: "The Hansa requests you relieve them, Oldenburgish forces are closing in quickly, the old alliances have not been forgotten in the north, how will Guelders answer?"

Karel, though he had hoped to spend more time with his family said: "Guelders will answer. Prepare the men!"

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[M]

Construction - large projects
Establishing a more professional officer corps
Declaring war on Oldenburg on behalf of the Hansa - raising/lowering troops
Charles now has two sons, three year old Charles and newborn Arnold.

(March 1514)

The Diet of Worms has ended. All three of the reforms proposed by the Emperor have passed! The Quaternion Eagle flies high!

Reichsmatrikel Reform: Reichsmatrikel 1512

1. The current Reichsmatrikel, used for the latest Romzug, is unfair. The Imperial Estates of below Princely rank paid for nearly half of the cost of the Reichsarmee used in the Romzug despite having controlling small share of the Empire’s land. A new, rebalanced Reichsratrikel will be adopted.
2. The value of the Aushebung and Söldneranteil contributions to the Reichsarmee and the amount of the Gerichtpfennig made by each Imperial Estate is specified in the updated Reichsmatrikel.

Establishment of the Gerichtpfennig

1. Each Circle Court President will collect an annual Gerichtpfennig from every Immediate Estate in their circle. The amount of the Gerichtpfennig collected from each Immediate Estate is specified in the Reichsmatrikel, and is fixed at 1/10th the cost of the Aushebung.
2. The Gerichtpfennig shall be used to fund the Circle Court systems, and 20% of the money collected in each Circle will be passed on to fund the Imperial Chamber Court (Reichskammergericht)
3. Any circle taxes already collected with the primary intent of funding the Circle Courts will be replaced with this Gerichtpfennig.

Imperial Army (Reichsarmee)

1. The Imperial Army, or Reichsarmee, will consist of Circle Armies (Kreisarmee), raised by each Imperial Circle, each composed of two parts: 
   1. The Aushebung. This is a levy raised by the Immediate Estates of the Empire according to the Reichsmatrikel;
   2. The Söldneranteil. This is a monetary contribution paid by all Immediate Estates, valued at one-quarter the amount of the Aushebung, used for the hiring of mercenaries.
   3. Any Immediate Estate who wishes to not raise the Aushebung may instead contribute extra to the Söldneranteil instead (the payment on your sheet will be the same either way - but if you don’t want to send your own peasants to die you don’t have to).
2. Every Immediate Estate is asked to have 2 years worth of Söldneranteil ready by the year 1516, so that they do not have to scramble when an emergency comes; 
3. The Reichsarmee may only be raised in one of three situations:
   1. To defend the Empire North of the Alps from attack by a foreign power;
   2. To accompany the King of the Romans on the Romzug;
   3. To take part in a Crusade for the sake of all of Christendom.
4. When the Emperor wishes to raise the Imperial Army, he must summon the Circle Heads or call the Imperial Diet. He must at this point state the conditions under which the Reichsarmee will be disbanded (e.g. “until the Emperor returns to Germany”, “until Belgrade has been retaken from the Turks”). A majority vote by the Circle Heads or both Colleges of the Imperial Diet are needed to raise the army.
5. When raising the Imperial Army, the Emperor may specify if certain Imperial Circles are exempted from the Aushebung, Söldneranteil, or both. Any Circle Heads whose Circles are exempt from both will not need to vote.
6. At the time that the Reichsarmee is raised, the Circle Heads have the right to appoint a Circle Marshall to command a portion of the Reichsarmee. The Circle Heads themselves may not accompany the Reichsarmee on Romzug or crusade so that they are available to keep the peace.
7. When the Reichsarmee is raised, the Immediate Estates are responsible for paying for the upkeep of the Aushebung and to continue to pay the Söldneranteil until the conditions have been met under which the Emperor agreed that the Reichsarmee would be disbanded.
8. If necessary to keep the peace, the Circle Heads can ask the Circle Diets for an individual Circle Army to be raised.

January 1514

With peace found between Brandenburg and the Hansa, with the assistance of the Emperor, our forces will be drawn down and return home. Landsknecht contracts will be paid up and our levy forces marched back home.

[Disbanding troops]

[June 1514]

In the Summer of 1514, the Emperor returned to Prague. Weeks before his arrival he had prepared a slate of festivities in the city to which all in the Kingdom of Bohemia who held status would be invited.

However, Maximilian was not throwing this party in Prague for no reason nor did he venture to the city alone. Once more with his intrepid grandson Ferdinand at his side, the Emperor was here in fact to announce to the Kingdom of Bohemia his grandson’s betrothal to Ursula, the daughter of Duke Charles I of Münsterberg-Oels, a member of the illustrious House of Poděbrady. This party, therefore, was a celebration of this union and so the Emperor was eager to invite his subjects from all across the Kingdom to join him personally in these festivities.

The affair would be a tightly controlled one. Maximilian was a man with an extremely keen eye for personal image and public relations and he would use everything he had at his disposal for this task that was of the utmost importance. The Emperor and Ferdinand would be perfectly manicured as expected of the illustrious House of Austria, showing familiarity, joviality, and the virtues of nobility. This time as opposed to Maximilian’s last visit though, the two would display something equally important to all: generosity. Indeed, while the festivities themselves would be luxurious so too was the House of Austria intent on making certain its generosity was known by all who attended, and so was a sum of 1,000,000 ducats to serve as gifts for attendees, greasing the wheels of diplomacy and gaining support for the cause of their House, of the Crusade, and particularly for Ferdinand, who would see no shortage of introductions today.

One note of prominence would be the eleven year old Ferdinand displaying limited but well-practiced Czech. Maximilian would be eager to point out that the boy is being educated in the language. He would remark that “Fluency is certain, for Ferdinand is a much better student of language than we were at his age.” Ferdinand for his part was eager to practice his skills. He’d started to become used to being pranced around the Empire by his grandfather and by now each day had begun to seem like its own unique test. Some days were easier than others. “This is one of the easy ones,” he thought. He had expectations upon him and he was under a very close lens, true, but in the moments between the agonizing tedium that was required of him, he was able to do some things which he very much liked. One of them was to be curious and to learn. That, he could do.

[June 1st, 1514]

[Prague]

Maximilian lay in bed on the night of the 31st of March satisfied. Peace had returned to the Lowlands, the Diet had approved of the agenda put before it, and the Empire stood more capable now than before of responding to the many threats arrayed against it. This time, Maximilian had decided that the most notable among them was the Turks. In the war that raged to the east the Emperor saw weakness. Were there ever a time to strike, it would be soon. And so contented in these thoughts did Maximilian drift into sleep which he had no idea would bring him no rest.

—-----

As soon as he succumbed to sleep he was wide awake. Seated atop a horse the fields of Guinegate stretched in the distance of Maximilian’s vision as far as he could see, but this view could not hope to draw his attention for even a moment in the face of what dominated his sight. Maximilian was in formation in such a way he had not been in some time - well behind the leader. That leader, seated upon a horse of their own, bore a frame that Maximilian would recognize immediately no matter how long it had been since last he saw it.

“Marie.” The name came from his lips with great trepidation, nearly failing to escape them at all.

Her head turned to the sky. She extended her arm and within moments a falcon screamed into Maximilian’s sight before pulling itself up and landing deftly and gently on Mary’s gloved arm. Holding the Falcon closer to her, her horse turned and with it so did she, towards Maximilian. In that moment all the men and horses surrounding them in preparation for battle dissolved into mist, and so did the fields of Guinegate.

When she died, Maximilian had forever imprinted the image of her face into his memory. But the mind was a fallible thing and through the many years since and the battering of these memories with the emotional torment of her death had the impact of making the image of her face rosy, idealized, yet blurred. Unsure as he was of the specifics of her features, it was clear to him that the face he saw now was not the one he saw in life. Firstly, she had aged. She was as old now as he was and the many toils of a life lived creased her skin which had now taken a mild natural shift in tone, compared to the one that he experienced in the wake of his habits regarding alcohol before his apoplectic fit. Her eyes looked… different. Maximilian could not find the words that placed what it was exactly right, but it inspired uncertainty within him.

Her eyes, alien to Maximilian, did not reassure him through their expression. They looked through him in some ways that Maximilian found familiar - he had always known her to be the most brilliant woman he had ever met - and in others that he did not.

“Tu as l’air malade. [You look ill.]” Her voice was commanding, firm, and not as perfectly smooth as it was in her youth.

Maximilian silently seethed at her tone. “I have been afflicted by the Devil-”

“Clearly.” Mary’s face was a perfectly constructed mask and it revealed to him nothing. Maximilian could not maintain the same facade. Heat welled behind his eyes, pricks peppered his sinuses and his throat agonized him, threatening to catch his words before they left his mouth.

“I had hoped our next meeting would be happier…” Maximilian said with great difficulty.

“As did I, and yet your actions brought us to where we stand today.” Mary’s eyes broke from Maximilian, and they veered off into the mist that surrounded them.

“Ah, so it is not enough that death should be with us everywhere we go. So too must the ghosts of the past haunt our dreams and chastise us for our failures.” His words carried bitterness without moderation.

“This is no dream, Maximilian. And it must be I who chastises you, for there are none around you who will do it.” Her eyes refocused on her husband. “I have never known the descendent of Troy to turn his tail in defeat and accept without reservation the capitulation of our lands that we worked so hard in life to maintain and protect against incursion at all cost. Until now. You continue to believe and trust the words of Louis even in the face of his clearly stated wish to dismantle the Empire of which you are allegedly Sovereign. If you are not blind, then clearly you must be a fool.”

“Stop this,” Maximilian hoarsely protested.

“Le Dernier Chevalier could not even be bothered to be present in the land while it fought and bled for its very survival. Le Cœur d'Acier, so called because he does not think twice about perverting the inheritance of his own grandson. Il se fait appeler Empereur, mais il agit comme un Prince. [He calls himself an Emperor but acts like a Prince.]”

“Why don’t I recognize you?”

“You see me as I am. No longer how you remember me to be. The image you have created of me since my death could never be the one to deliver unto you the messages you need to hear. You would not have listened.” Mary’s hard, guarded gaze finally broke, her expression softening as she spoke her next words. “And it is only through the love that we shared that I can tell you that you have not only betrayed the Estates and the House of Burgundy, you have betrayed me, you have betrayed your grandson, and you have betrayed yourself.”

Tears streamed down Maximilian’s face as he took in Mary’s words. He placed his forefinger on one side of his eyes and his thumb on the far opposite, pulling them through the wellspring of tears barely contained by his eyelids, finally grunting in discomfort after he took a breath.

“You can never make it right with Charles, but you can allow him his own destiny.” Mary spoke softly now. “Burgundy will move forward with its Duke. Without you. And this you must allow.”

“I understand.” Maximilian’s voice was still tinged with sadness.

“I knew you would.”

Maximilian’s tears had stopped and now the overwhelming sadness had been replaced by the weariness of spent energy. Maximilian’s eyes stayed wide, sensitive still from the river they had produced. He took stock of the situation.

“....How is Philip?”

Mary gave him a look he could not place. “...He is well. How is Margaret?”

Maximilian smiled briefly, but it quickly faded in the swirling pool of his turgid emotion. “She is better than we could have hoped for.”

Mary smiled.

“I love you.” Maximilian said.

—-----

His words disappeared into the still morning air of his Prague accommodations. Salt caked the creases, corners, and lines around his eyes. He drew a deep breath, placed his hands over his eyes, and mentally sifted through all the tasks he had to complete today before once more he was allowed to return to the realm of sleep.

The Emperor would perform this ritual every day upon waking up for the remaining days of his life.

The Oldřich premiership would come to be known as a time of peaceful stability, as opposed to the turbulence of the previous decade. He and the Kolovrat held most of the levers of powers which, in a time where the wider Catholic party held no strong allegiance to either faction, was what was most important. It would be Oldřich who would preside over Emperor Maximilian’s visit to Prague in October of 1511. The two would discuss much, from the Ottoman threat to the Hussites. Overall, the talks produced nothing concrete. Unsurprisingly, Maximilian did not only meet with Oldřich but also with Zdenek Lev Rožmitálu and Ladislav Šternberka who would ask the Emperor for backing. Maximilian would entertain the two men and lend some non-committal assistance, taking great interest in the status of the Hussites. With that, the Emperor and his grandson left Prague, though they would be back, and soon.

Sadly, All good things must come to an end. By 1513 Oldřich was growing sicker and sicker and in May, almost to the day he assumed office, he died in his sleep. His death left the Rožmberka/Kolovrat faction without a clear leader. Petr Rožmberka would have been his brother’s natural successor but he refused to take the mantle. Ever since the death of his wife Eliška z Kravař in 1500, Petr had been loath to do much more than manage his estates, hence why Oldřich had stepped in. Now, Petr was faced with needing to go through his meddlesome nephews with which he did not get along in the slightest. Alas the old man refused to even consider rapprochement. 

With the crisis of leadership in the Rožmberka family the Kolovrat took the chance to once more take the reins of the wider faction, presenting Supreme Court Judge Jindřich Albrecht z Kolovrat as their candidate. Once more, the Šternberka/Rožmitálu presented Zdenek Lev as their candidate but they knew the election was already a foregone conclusion. To the surprise of both factions, however, a Kolovrat did not succeed Jindřich Albrecht as Supreme Court Judge. Instead the young Vojtech Pernstejna, son of the long dead Vilem Pernstejna, had managed to acquire the position through the influence of his brother Jan, the current Hungarian ambassador to Electoral Saxony. 

The past seven years had left the moderate and Hussite factions floundering. With their most influential leaders dead they had nobody to speak for them and as such were sidelined. Nevertheless, in those seven years, the children of yesteryear had come of age and we're now ready for their time in the sun. The Pernstejna especially were eager to reclaim their place as one of the most influential of Czech families. The death of Oldřich provided the final push for the wider party to rally together and present an united front.

• “A History of Jagiellonian Bohemia, chapter 5.4 - The Rožmberka Summer and Kolovrat Autumn by Victor Alred”

May 1514

With peace in Burgundy, the Kingdom of France still has other wars to fight. As such, it is time for the French colossus to change its strategy for the remainder of the campaign season.

[M: Reorganizing forces in order to reflect a change in priorities.]

March 1514

The fields of Sivas were drowned in a sea of blood, dotted only by the tiny islands of corpses stacked on top of each other, long deprived of any valuables they might have held dear. They were evidence of the Shah’s victory and the blood spilled for it. With the passage of weeks those islands hosted settlements of scavengers and insects and the filthy animals which feast upon death, and the stench of rot made the air heavy, such that those who could, avoided venturing near the site of battle.

It is recounted that in that rotten place the heads of the qizilbash tribes in Anatolia and Iran gathered to bear witness to a well-rehearsed scene:

Shahkulu prostrated in front of Ismail, then kissed his hand and spoke:

“O Great Shah! Surely you are the most guarded and loved by God, victory is your shadow, righteousness your sword! God is most generous to have guided me into your service, and even kinder to have let me bear witness to your glory. Demand of me what you will, for my heart knows that you are just and true, and whatever you ask of me will be just and true.”

“Indeed, God is most generous to have granted me this victory, but I am most grateful to Him not for that, but rather for having sent to me men as fierce and loyal as you, Shahkulu. You tell me to ask of you what I will, I ask of you only this: that you herd my flock which resides in Rüm, guide them towards the truth and victory. I ask of you to rule as my governor of Rome, of this victorious Sivas, of Ankara and all their rivers and mountains and lands and tribes. I grant you this governorship, certain that your heart and sword arm are strong and mighty and will not falter.”

“O Shah! Your generosity flows like a great river, but I ask of you to first reward my people, they are more deserving than me of your generosity, for they have bled for you, and many sons have lost their fathers, but my sons are not yet orphans.”

“You speak the truth. Let your people know, the Shah has decreed that they may keep their lands and be given all the lands of the heathens in my name, and that is the most just reward.”

“You are too kind, my Shah. But my people were not alone in your service, you have brought with you a great host of my brothers from Iran, I beg of you do not tarnish their rights for my own.”

“Once more you speak the truth, They shall be given the lands and the offices of the heathens, and your people shall be given the lands and homes of their fathers and grandfathers, knowing that no unjust king will now dare to steal their right for as long as me and my sons bless this earth.”

[M] The lands occupied in Anatolia are annexed. They form a new Governorate of Rome, centered in Sivas who’s first governor is Shahkulu. The anatolian qizilbash keep their grazing lands (half the nobility holdings in the occupied lands) while in reward for their service, the iranian qizilbash are given new lands at the expense of Ottoman loyalists as well as all the lands that belonged to the Ottoman Ulema. (half the nobility holdings + all lands owned by the ulema)

The governorship excludes the former lands of the dulkadirids.

May 1514

With Bans lifted and peace achieved the forces of the Duke of Cleves disband

[MAY-JUNE 1514]

Just making a post to disband just to cover my ass

Chateau Orange, May 1514

Francois de Bourbon, new Prince of Orange sat in his new Chateau. The events of the past year had been a blur. He was one of the few that discovered the young prince Philibert dead on the battlefield. The poor lad disguised himself as a page, and somehow found himself on the front lines. Truly shameful. When Francois delivered the news, the machinations of his in law Anne de Beaujeu immediately began.

In a blur he was informed that he would be marrying the late boy’s sister Claudia, and he would be Prince of Orange. He felt a strange twinge of guilt that he would gain so much from the death of this boy, but this was a feeling that Anne did not share. Francois had never lived to see the terror of the universal spider, but his daughter certainly lived up to the reputation.

[M: Francois de Bourbon becomes Prince of Orange, Claudia rules the principality suo jure.]

Following successful negotiations between representatives of Tsar Vasily and Klaus Henrikinpoika, the following treaty has been signed by both parties and has been sent to King Christian II for signature as well. The terms are as follows:

I. The territories shaded on the accompanying map, as well as Orekhovy Island, will be returned to the control of Muscovy.

II. In exchange, the Kalmar Union will receive a single immediate payment of 30,000 ducats and 100,000 florins.

III. Any catholic residents in the transferred territories will be able to freely leave should they choose to.

IV. A state of peace will be enforced between the Tsardom of Russia and the Kalmar Union as a whole, as well as each of it's constituent realms, until at least January 1st 1520.

V. This peace takes precedence over any other arrangement or alliance signed by the signatories of this treaty, regardless of whether those other agreements are made before or after this treaty.

VI. To ensure the peace is held, Henrik Klasson Horn will be sent to live in Moscow for the duration of the treaty. Likewise William Palaeologus-Montferrat will be sent to live in either Stockholm or Copenhagen*. Both men will be allowed to bring an entourage of up to six persons.

• Considering the state of war in the Baltic, William will temporarily be sent to the Finnish estates of Klaus Henrikinpoika until safe passage west can be arranged.

[M: Also the Muscovite islands in the Gulf of Finland should be Sweden's after the prior treaty between us.]

May 1514

Lublin, Poland, Polish-Ruthenian Commonwealth

The Great Sejm of 1514 opened, as so many had recently, in the city of Lublin. The agenda this year was a shorter one, but as usual the meeting of a Sejm was about far more than simply the political measures being discussed - it was a time of displaying affluence and power, of building connections and undermining rivals, of being present in the most important city in the Commonwealth for the month or two it takes to hold the meeting. And so, as happened each time, Szlachta from across the realm made their way to the appropriated meeting hall, some traveling for over almost two weeks to ensure they could be present and affiliated.

This time, however, a number of these Szlachta would take notes of their journeys, and the areas most in need of improvement. Many would find themselves, one way or another, passing through the town of Kazimierz. As the primary port along the Vistula for travel to Lublin, many would disembark along its shores and stay the night before continuing a day's journey down the road to their final destination. Others, traveling the same overland paths as mercantile travelers, would wait to use the Kazimierz ferry across the Vistula, making the leap from the village of Schyrokomla. Still more, especially those from the east, would follow the traditional overland routes that would take them along paths from cities such as Włodzimierz or Lwów over to their destination at Lublin.

Such thoughts and memories of the journey would be fresh in their minds as the Great Sejm opened on May 11th. The first order of business, almost an afterthought, was a request from King Sigismund that the Sejm reconfirm the statutes of the Articles of Chełm that left the Crown of the Commonwealth in direct control of all matters concerning the Jewry of the realm, including their governance and taxation. This was passed quickly and unanimously (as its integral attachment to the Nihil Novi act was a boon no Szlachta wished even to call question to), and the chamber moved quickly on to the true focus of the year's meeting - the findings of the Committee of Permanent Convention.

Three years ago, at the last meeting of the Great Sejm of the Commonwealth, the Committee of Permanent Convention was put together by a number of republikanci Szlachta to review and propose a location at which all future meetings of the Great Sejm will be held. While the public reasoning was fairly basic - essentially a way of unifying a new nation after a prolonged conflict around the organization of governance - in truth it was a significant measure of opposition to de facto Crown control over the Great Sejm itself. By law, the Great Sejm would meet only when called upon by the Crown, and at the location chosen by the King. Even with all the power ceded to the Sejm by the Articles of Chełm, this meant that much of their governing power still existed at the whim of the King, and a monarch less agreeable than Sigismund may see fit to abuse that relationship to reign in the Sejm's hard-fought powers.

To that end, while passing law to have the Sejm be the body calling its own meetings would ignite a political firestorm, passing law to have all meetings held at the same location would be less fraught with controversy, while giving a manner of control back to the Sejm and removing an extent of the soft-power appearance of the Crown over the Sejm. Now, instead of the Sejm coming to the King, the Crown would have to come to the Sejm, and even outside of the biannual calls to meeting the Senate and Chamber of Deputies could arrange and organize smaller meetings and official affairs.

Of course, while the idea was solid, its implementation would live or die on the location chosen to serve as the permanent home. It would need to be accessible, not favoring of any particular group or region, have ample resources for the hosting of large numbers of nobility with regularity, and ideally already be a city in its own right for the governance and advancement of ancillary services around a new permanent meeting place. As such, the list of potential candidates was not particularly long:

• Kraków: the immediate thought for any permanent meeting location, the long-time governing capital of the realm and already an accessible city with plenty of amenities. Its primary drawback, however, was that it would patently defeat the entire purpose of the plan, which is to choose an area far from the influence of the Crown, and thus to set the Sejm in the city most connected to the King would even further undermine their independence.

• Gniezno: the most traditional city, a classic capital of the Polish realms without too much modern connection to the King or Crown. While it would fit much criteria, its drawback too was in its existing perception - as a classic capital of the Polish realm, it would too much alienate the new Ruthenian half of the Commonwealth, a debate that would not serve to strengthen the purpose of the move.

• Włodzimierz or Lwów: both city options were meant to serve as a truly central point between the Polish and Ruthenian realms of the Commonwealth. They were important trade cities each in their own right, and had somewhat of a unifying aspect to them both, but inevitably were held back by a drawback of difficulty in access. The Bug was simply not well navigable at its far reaches to make travel by boat possible, meaning it would force much more significant travel times for many Szlachta to reach these cities.

• Warszawa: Warsaw was... wait, where? It seemed that a new Mazovian noble slipped his hometown into consideration for fun, but even with serious consideration it was seen as too far from Ruthenia, too small to host the large number of Szlachta so regularly, and too politically fraught with Mazovia now serving as a Vicesgerency rather than a Voivodeship.

All of this left one option, that the Committee would present as the most unifying, accessible, and appropriate to host all future sessions - the city of Lublin. Lublin had now successfully hosted almost a half dozen Great Sejms over the past two decades, and was certainly capable of holding more. Already seen as the "Gateway to the East", it was central enough to feel appropriate for both Poland and Ruthenia, and was relatively accessible from the Vistula via the port in Kazimierz. And as an established trade city in its own right, it was certainly able to provide all the goods and services necessary for such a large gathering of nobles at any given time.

Thus, it would be Lublin proposed to the Great Sejm by the Committee of Permanent Convention. Debate would rage for over two weeks; firstly over the actual need and necessity of the bill in the first place, then when that seemed settled over the specific locational choice, then when THAT seemed settled over what would need to be done to better prepare Lublin to become a permanent host. Finally, on May 27th, 1514, the Great Sejm of Lublin would pass the following:

Unum Concilium, Una Natio (the Act of Permanent Convention)

Whereas the governance of the realm is best served from a known secure and uniform location, wherefore at this Great Sejm held at Lublin we have, together with all our kingdom's prelates, councils and land deputies, determined it to be fitting and just, and have so resolved, that henceforth for all time to come all future convocations of the Great Sejm of the Commonwealth will be held in the city of Lublin.

 

1. Immediately and henceforth, all future meetings, convocations, and general works of the Great Sejm of the Polish-Ruthenian Commonwealth are to be held in the city of Lublin or its immediate surroundings, with exception to any sejm ekstraordynaryjny, nadzwyczajny (Sejm of Extraordinary Necessity), which due to nature or timeline of emergency may be held in an alternate location approved by the Crown of the Commonwealth.

 

2. Voivode Andrzej Tęczyński is to be immediately given access to all necessary funding needed to secure and reinforce the overland road networks along royal compulsion routes between Lublin and the cities of Kazimierz, Włodzimierz, and Lwów, as well as the roadway between the cities of Schyrokomla and Zwoleń.

 

3. The starost of Kazimierz is to be immediately given access to all necessary funding needed to secure and reinforce the city of Kazimierz for its role as a primary Vistula port for the city of Lublin. This includes the city castle and walls, the city river port, roads within the city limits, and accommodation buildings within the city. He shall also be charged with the search and commissioning of a permanent bridge across the Vistula, connecting by road the city of Kazimierz and the town of Schyrokomla.

 

4. With permission of the Crown, the royal architects Franciszek Florentczyk and Bartolommeo Berrecci, having studied under the work of Bramante at Wawel Castle, shall be commissioned to build and design a permanent meeting hall in grand Renaissance style in the city of Lublin, which shall be made and designed with all the purposes and intent of housing future meetings of the Great Sejm of the Commonwealth.

The total costs of these projects, as signed and approved by the Crown, is estimated at almost ₰500k and over ƒ100k for the various projects in and around Lublin, but together shall ensure the success of the city as a now permanent governing capital of the realm, rival only to Kraków. With signature and approval of King Sigismund, the Great Sejm of 1514 officially came to an end, and the Szlachta would once again depart to their homes, except for those, of course, who now had business to attend to.

[M] The Great Sejm of 1514, held in Lublin, reconfirms the matters assigned specifically to the Crown in Articles of Chełm. It also debates for over two weeks on the proposal of the republikanci Committee of Permanent Convention, before eventually approving the measure to permanently hold all future meetings of the Great Sejm in the city of Lublin. A variety of infrastructure measures are then approved to prepare the city and its surroundings for this investment of governing responsibility, allocating almost ₰500k and over ƒ100k to their completion. It is expected that the majority of the works will be complete in 5-7 years.

May 1515

We don't wanna go to war today But the Lord of the Lash says: "nay, nay, nay!" We're gonna march all day, all day, all day! Where there's a whip there's a way!

Where there's a whip, there's a way! Where there's a whip, there's a way! Where there's a whip, there's a way! Left, right, left, right, left Where there's a whip, there's a way! Left, right

{M: Bremen continues the war to defend the Hansa against Danish aggression}

[Published June 1st, 1514, Distributed Among the Hanseatic Outposts of Northern Germany, Scandinavia]

BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE SENATE AND PEOPLE OF HAMBURG, IN CONCERT WITH THE MAGRAVATE OF BRANDENBURG, THE FREE-CITY OF LUBECK, AND THE OTHER PARTY MEMBERS OF THE HANSEATIC LEAGUE

The parties to the Armed conflict taking place between the Hanseatic League, and the Magravate of Brandenburg proclaim an immediate cessation of hostilities between the belligerents.

The armies of Brandenburg are to withdraw from Hanseatic territory. Duke-Elector Joachim Nestor and the Cities of Hanseatic League shall formally recognize the restoration of diplomatic, mercantile relations to a state of Status-Quo Ante Bellum.

Long May the Peoples of Saxony Live in Harmony, in Accordance with the Ewiger Landefrieden and the Gottesfrieden

Switching troops around to finish off the rebel holdouts in and around Kalmar.

May 1514

June 2, 1514

• All states of war and hostilities between the Kingdom of England and the Crowns of Spain shall immediately cease and conclude.

• Impounded English merchants and ships shall be immediately released and allowed to return home and/or resume trade.

• Spanish traffic through the English Channel and English traffic through the Straight of Gibraltar shall not be impeded by either party.

Signed, Henry VIII