Imperial Diet & Rules

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz.

Your spy is headed towards Brandenburg. Unfortunately he was used for a quick scouting mission to the south and is one season's march behind where he would have been, but he is now at the river crossing north of Vienna and you may command him from there. Apologies for the delay good Margrave...

I assumed the cavalry would be required for the defence of your ancestral seat - but it would be greatly appreciated if you could send them on their way once they are no longer needed.

You have my permission as Marshall to hire whatever mercenaries you require, of course.

[Zim]

Austria's newest noble, Elberhard von Essen, steps into the chamber. His face is strikingly handsome, sharp patrician features marred only by a thick scar running from behind one ear down to his neck that his long hair does not quite conceal. His grey eyes scan the room somewhat warily. His armor is well crafted, every piece of plate or chain molded to his body. The darkened metal is edged with gold, forming an abstract pattern of lines on his breast plate that draws the eye, similar in appearance to the designs of the Gaels to the northwest.

His physique, as much as can be seen under the armor, seems on the slender side for a knight. As he makes his way towards the center of the room he does not move quite with the economy of motion found in some larger warriors, but rather with the easy grace of a swordsman. Once in the middle of the room he kneels in the direction of the dais, bows his head and begins to speak. His voice is smooth and cultured, with a slight edge to it.

"I hereby swear that, during my time as an Elector, I will serve the Reich faithfully and the Kaiser loyally. I recognize that the Kaiser is the sovereign of the Reich and, while I may disagree with him politically, I will not question his supremacy."

Once finished, he waits for the acknowledgement of the Emperor. If the Kaiser is absent, he stands and makes his way to the Austrian side of the chamber.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

Gentlemen, please familiarize yourselves with the secret passages in and out of this city. I fully expect the next scheduled Diet session to be conducted with Frankfurt under siege.

*He digs into a stack of papers and haphazardly flings some of them out at the Electors.*

Maps. Passages. Here they are. There had better not be any traitors in this building.

*The Kaiser looks around for a second, spotting a new face on the Austrian benches.*

Ah yes, Elberhard von Essen. A good strong name, that. Part of it, anyway. Your oath is acknowledged, and welcome.

Hmm, that reminds me. I hereby grant the House of Austria the province of Budapest. The rest of the provinces will remain in my possession right now. We will decide what to do with them at the Diet. The Diet Under Siege. That sounds like a good name. A name that will be remembered. Buckle down, Good Electors. It's going to be an interesting Diet.

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz rises to address the Kaiser and the Diet.

Father I am familiar enough with the secret ways of the city! I remember fondly from my childhood how you, my brother Henry and I would don our hunting capes and sally out in secret through some dark corridor for our private excursions.

I shall be here to address the Diet Session come rain or high water, Poles, Magyar, French or Italians, none shall halt my progress!

To business.

I hereby announce that Herr Jens Herden is to be elevated to Count of Budapest, with that fine city and her surrounds granted to him as his personal fiefdom within the Duchy of Osterreich.

This is a reward for loyal and constant service over many years and in particular recognition of his recent successes against our Magyar foe. Long may Osterreich, its Duke, Count and nobles resist the Reich's enemies and seize their heartlands for our own!

I urge you all to congratulate Count Herden who is a shining example of German martial talent.

[Nightbringer]

Jens Herden stands, now adorned with a a small circlet crown the looks to have symbols of the Kingdom of Hungary.

I am most honored to accept this count-ship. While I have not always gotten along with all of you, it has been my dearest wish to bring our empire to glory!

I thank my lord the Prinz for his kind words about my service, and promise that I shall continue it.
Count Herden bows to the assembled group.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, I got this little trinket from the Hungarian Prince after cornering him in a back alley of Budapest. I think it helps send the message that we Germans are truly their betters, don't you?

[Cecil XIX]

The Diet Speaker addresses the assembled.

My lords, the Fourth Diet Session is upon us. We will now entertain discussion for a period of three days, ending on Friday, the first of April. God Save the Reich!

[Zim]

Elberhard steps into the Diet and looks around at all the empty seats. "Hmm, guess I'm the first one" he mutters to himself before sitting down in the Austrian section.

[The Celtic Viking]

A cough is heard from a dark corner.

"No, you're wrong, my friend. I am here, too."

Theodericus der Bartige pushes his chair back and approaches the center of the room. From the paper and pen left on his table, it is apparent that he had been busy writing while Elberhard had entered.

"I would like to turn to the Magistrate who spoke earlier and ask if I still need to propose an edict to authorize the capture of Stettin, even though I inofficially acquired the consent of the Diet to do so before. I suspect I do, but I feel I must ask anyway, for I would like to use my proposal for something else if I can."

[Nightbringer]

Jens Herden enters the room and gives those present a curt nod, he then walks over and joins Elberhard and quietly whispers a few words to him.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

ELECTORS!

We are living in dark times. This much is clear. We stand surrounded by enemies, enemies that collectively have more manpower and resources than us. Enemies that have the blessings of that Tuscan snake, Gregory. Enemies that, because of Gregory's deceptions, firmly believe that they are in the right in destroying us! This is the most dangerous kind of foe, Good Electors, and we unfortunately find ourselves facing many of them.

Despite this, despite the loss of more Dukes than I care to remember at this juncture, we are finally starting to make gains. While the French have ignored my peace missives, they seem to be leaving a stable front to our west. In the East, we are avenging ourselves, with the Margrave's army from Magdeburg ready to strike out against the Poles and Budapest only so recently having been conquered from the Hungarians. To the south, our efforts against Milan are seeing progress as well, as those rebels are busy impaling themselves against the foreign ruler of Provence.

*The Kaiser stands up and walks out from behind his desk, starting to get more animated.*

Here in the center though, you may have noticed that there is a quite large Polish army nearby, threatening our capital city which I have only so recently reclaimed for the glory of the Reich. Some of you have approached me about recalling your armies from the front in order to assist this effort. This will not be necessary. What is more important is that you defeat our enemies far from here and restore the Reich's glory. As for me...

*He starts making elaborate, sweeping hand gestures.*

Do not worry about me! I solemnly pledge, here and now, that I will NOT! LET! THIS! CITY! FALL!!! My soldiers and I will defend this city to the last!!! And at the end of the day, when the residents of the city are afraid to leave their homes not from fear of Polish butchery, but because of the atrocious smell emanating from all of the Polish corpses that litter the streets, this city will still be in Imperial hands! This I pledge to you now!!!

*The Kaiser pauses for a minute as the Diet chamber erupts into general applause.*

Now then, I see we have some administrative issues to take care of. First of all, the mercenary issues. Prinz Leopold has done an admirable job in this capacity over the past Diet session. However, the process could be streamlined. Too often Electors may find themselves in situations where they need to quickly hire the services of mercenaries and the Marshal's approval is simply too slow to come. Therefore, I propose the following Charter Amendment:

Charter Amendment 4.1: The "Marshal" section of Charter provision 6.12 is amended to read as the following (changes are in bold):

Marshal:
Term: Self-nominated and elected every normal Diet Session.
Powers:
(1) Sole control over the Reich's mercenaries.
(2) Can recruit and disband mercenary regiments in any army, can move mercenary regiments to and from armies or assign to/remove from an Elector
(3) Recruitment and upkeep are paid for by a pool of funds which is sustained by an income tax on all electors automatically paid each turn.
(4) If Electors who wish to hire mercenaries for their own use are willing to pay for them entirely out of their own pocket, then they do not have to go through the Marshal to hire them. The hiring Elector is responsible for the entire costs of the mercenary army.
Penalties:
(1) If the pool runs out, mercenaries are paid for out of the Marshal's treasury.
(2) The Kaiser sets the 'Mercenary Tax' rate for the pool.

The second issue we have to deal with is the future of the Houses. Currently, Austria is the only line that is set to continue. They also hold by far the most provinces. This is the sole reason why I have held off awarding more conquered provinces to the Prinz. Leopold, when you ascend to the Kaisership, you have a responsibility to leave your House and be an impartial ruler. I do not want the future of the Reich to be a powerhouse, unified Austria and a secondary Brandenburg-Bohemia. I wish to see Swabia, Bavaria, and Flanders reestablished. I aim to take the first step towards this when my next daughter comes of age.

Leopold, I will at some point speak to you in private about these matters, but for now I welcome an open discourse about how best to secure the Reich's prosperous and balanced future.

God save the Reich!

[Nightbringer]

Jens Herden applauds loudly

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz stands to address the assembled Electors. He is resplendent in the black satin robes of Osterreich and the crown of the Imperial Prinz glitters atop his blonde head.

Mein Kaiser, good Electors, it is my pleasure to address you today.

Let me begin by praising the passion and commitment of my father the Kaiser. He is tireless in his defence of the Reich against our many assailants and I have nothing but admiration for his strong and concerted leadership.

As I have said to this body before I believe that our current woes are a direct result of our dividded interests and an indisciplined approach to foreign policy with our neighbours. Too often in the past we have charged off in opposite directions starting wars that we have been ill-equipped to finish. I have several matters to bring before you today, all of which will speak to this same theme.

Firstly, I am glad that he has begun by raising the issue of the Marshallship. While I take his compliment I believe that the position of Reichsmarschall has itself failed the Reich. While the Kaiser's proposed Charter Amendment partly deals with the issue, I would go further. It is my belief that the Reichsmarschall should have the power to raise and sustain an army which can be used in the common interest of the Reich, whether that be for defence or attack. Under the current set of powers there is neither adequate funding for the Marshall nor is there sufficient access to quality and loyal troops. To this end, I propose an alternative Charter Amendment as follows:

Charter Amendment 4.1a: The "Marshal" section of Charter provision 6.12 is amended to read as the following (changes are in bold):

Reichsmarschall:
Term: Self-nominated and elected every normal Diet Session.
Powers:
(1) The Reichsmarshall is no longer to have sole authority to recruit mercenaries, but shall have first refusal on their hire in priority to other nobles.
(2) The Reichsmarshall shall have the power to recruit troops from the recruitment facilities of any Duchy, to be paid for and supported from the Reichsmarschall's budget, with the consent of the settlement owner.
(2) Can recruit and disband mercenary and regular regiments in the Reichsmarschall's army, can move mercenary and regular regiments to and from armies or assign to/remove from an Elector
(3) Recruitment and upkeep are paid for by a pool of funds which is sustained by an income tax on all electors automatically paid each turn and by a flat tax on the proceeds from sacking captured settlements and ransoming enemies.

Penalties:
(1) If the pool runs out, mercenaries are paid for out of the Marshal's treasury.
(2) The 'Mercenary Tax' rate will be a fixed 10% rate levied against the income of all Electors. A further tax is to be levied of 50% on any sacking proceeds and on ransom proceeds to support the Reichsmarshall's budget.

I believe these changes would enhance the powers of the Reichsmarschall to the extent that all Electors could feel secure in the knowledge that there is a centrally controlled permanent defensive capability, accountable directly to this body, that can assist them should they come under attack from the Reich's neighbours, or indeed can take part in targeted offensive actions in pursuit of new territory should we have that luxury.

Secondly, I would propose that Count Jens Herden be nominated for the position of Reichsmarchall for the coming campaign seasons, until the next Diet session.

Thirdly, I have spoken in this body before about the need to re-enforce certain aspects of the Imperial Charter with regard to capturing settlements. While it was no doubt desirable to regain our lost lands as quickly as possible and without bureacratic impediment it is my belief that we should propose an Edict for each new territory that shall be captured by the Reich's forces in future.

To that end I propose that my own force shall capture Milan this coming campaign season, cutting off the serpents head and ending all effective resistance from the accursed Milanese.

I further propose that the capture of Stettin be considered authorised by our previous discussion on the matter, leaving the Margrave free to bring a further Edict to this Diet session as he desires.

Fourthly I would like to support the Kaiser's position regarding the eventual restoration of the lost Duchies of the Reich. It is not desirable that a single House should permanently dominate the Reich and I accept that this means that at some stage the power of Osterreich should be balanced in this way. I will engage in private discussions with the Kaiser and others on this matter once the Diet session is closed.

Fifthly, I would like to put the ownership of the captured fortress of Innsbruck to the Diet vote as is envisaged in the Imperial Charter. Even with the issue of House balance in mind it is desirable for the good of the Reich that Austria should have access to a castle for the recruitment of troops which can be used to defend against the Turkish threat to our East. Innsbruck should be made part of Austria, at least until such a time as we are in a position to transfer it to a restored Duchy of Bavaria.

I apologise for the extended speech but there are several matters at stake this session.

I urge all Electors to support my proposals and I welcome debate on these issues.

[Nightbringer]

Excellent speech! It is a joy to me that men such as you and our Kaiser are here to lead us in these troubled times.

I thoroughly support your proposals my Lord Prinz, and will gladly accept the position of Reichsmarshall so long as my fellow Electors agree to it as well.

I promise that if I am elected to the position that I shall do my utmost to both defend and expand the Reich. Although we have not yet come into direct conflict, it is clear that the Turks will soon become our greatest threat. I have now fought many battles in the East against the Magyar, and know that territory, and the ways of battle, well. No Turk shall beat me as long as I have loyal men at my side. If I were granted the title of Reichsmarshall, I would indeed have these men, especially if the well crafted proposal of the Prinz is passed.

Additionally, I know I have come into conflict with some members of this body, Jens nods to Theodericus but I shall of course put all that behind me in my role as Reichsmarshall, the common good of the Reich is far more important than any personal disputes.

More immediately though, I have an edict of my own to propose. In order to gain a strong castle in the East for the Reich with which to train troops against the Turks, I request permission to lead a force to capture the castle of Ragusa.

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz.

My thanks for your support Good Count of Budapest.

I take it from your words that you are seconding my Charter Amendment? But perhaps you could state such explicitly for the benefit of other Electors.

In turn I second your proposed Edict to capture Ragusa.

I also require a seconder to my own House Edict to capture Milan - would you be so kind?

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

Point of order, I believe that the Edict to capture Ragusa must be proposed in the proper form, e.g. as such:

Edict 4.x: The Diet authorizes the _______ of __________.

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz.

Indeed.

To re-iterate, I propose House Edict 4.2 - The Diet authorizes the capture of Milan.

As a House Edict this must have the public backing of at least two members of the Duchy of Osterreich.

[Nightbringer]

Ah yes, thank you my Lord, it would be 4.1 would it not?
Well then, I propose
Edict 4.1: The diet authorizes the capture of Ragusa.

And yes, I did mean to say that explicitly, I second the Prinz' Charter Amendment 4.1a, and second his edict 4.2 for the capture of Milan.

[The Celtic Viking]

Theodericus, now back at his seat writing, makes a short pause to wave his fingers to Friedrich von Eisel, before returning to his papers. Friedrich steps forward and speaks.

"The Margrave wish to voice his whole-hearted support of the Kaiser's intents to recreate Duchies of old. It is just the kind of foresight that is so badly needed in this era.

As for this business about the position of Marshall, the Margrave feels that the position has wholly failed, and in truth He would rather see that it was simply abandoned and forgotten. He fears it is beyond reform, but if one should be attempted, it should be given less power, not more. He can thus not see himself supporting the Prinz's proposal.

If the Diet cannot agree to remove it, then the Margrave will simply have to stand by the Kaiser's proposal instead. It at least goes in the right direction."

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz frowns.

It is disappointing that the Margrave does not have the vision to support my proposal. I would have thought that, menaced as he is by the Polish hordes, he would be only too happy to see a publicly funded army ride to his rescue.

As to the strength of Osterreich I believe it is over-stated. While it is true that we have been blessed with a strong succession, as the Kaiser himself points out one day (and may it be far from now!) I shall be leaving the Duchy. Further, we own but two provinces at present - equal to the Margrave's own holdings! And somewhat less than the Imperial Demesne.

So let us not be in a hurry to weaken Osterreich at the very time when its strength is of such value to the Reich.

[The Celtic Viking]

Friedrich turns back to the Margrave, unsure whether he should answer or if the Margrave would do it himself. As the Margrave doesn't even pretend to have heard the Prinz's words, Friedrich continues.

"If a position fails, the solution can hardly be to pour more power and responsibility upon it. It would be foolish to do so, like adding more men onto an already sinking ship. Much better to abandon it alltogether. We do not need it anyway."

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz.

I accept your position Good Margrave but I respectfully disagree. The position of Marshall has failed because it was inadequately funded and had to resort to expensive mercenaries alone for its needs. My proposal corrects both of these for the good of the Reich.

Have we forgotten the mad scramble to attempt to defend and regain Frankfurt, Antwerp, Innsbruck? And the vulnerable position in which this left our own home territories including those of Brandenburg-Bohemia? Had there been a standing defensive army in place we could have used it for either purpose instead of putting Ducal lives at risk in battles against the odds.

[The Celtic Viking]

"I'll remind you that these things happened as the direct cause of a few things:

1) The Kaiser was absent.

2) The then-owner of Bohemia, Vaclav Premyslid, had made an exodus from the political as well as the military scene.

3) The Margrave had no money at all, thus he could not muster any army what so ever.

Those are the main causes to at least why the north came so close to crumbling, and why it indeed is still in a weak state, far from recovered. However, all of these are temporary causes, and all of them have been resolved. The Kaiser is back. Bohemia is under the Margrave's control, and he is shirking none of his responsibilities. Partly thanks to his acquisition of Bohemia and partly thanks to the aid he has received from the Kaiser, the Margrave is now in an economic position where he can even think about invading and conquering new territories.

Though it would be much too rash to say that the north is safe - far from it, as you shall see if you look out over the walls - it is certainly recovering. It is not a time to start throwing heaps on money on a failed position. Just throw it out and treat mercenaries like regular soldiers: bought and supported by the noble hiring them, under his full control. What's wrong with that?"

[phonicsmonkey]

There is nothing in my proposal that would stop you from hiring your own mercenaries. In fact it liberalises the process so that you may do just that, provided the Marshall is not himself in the process of recruiting his army.

Indeed, with the power to recruit regular troops the Marshall need not even rely on mercenaries any longer but instead on cheaper and more loyal regular troops of the Reich.

What you would gain, for a small portion of your income, is the added security such that when you proceed to invade Poland, or anywhere else, another force would remain behind to guard your flank and rear, without distraction from having to defend his own personal territory. Surely you can see the utility in that?

Indeed it is my view that by passing this legislation we would be providing a model for the world to admire - it is my belief that in times to come all nations will see the benefit of a centrally-funded standing army. Why should we not lead the world in this regard? It would strengthen us immeasurably against our foes.

[Zim]

I second Edict 4.1, Edict 4.2, and Charter Amendment 4.1a.

I also submit Edict 4.3: The Diet authorizes the capture of Zagreb.

[Zim]

I understand fully the arguments made against the Marshall position. These past years it's use has seemed limited, and most have been just seeking his permission for themselves to hire mercenaries privately. I think this may have been a result of a lack of resources. I would see the Marshallship strengthened for this next 15 years until another Diet. Then could we see if the problem is the position itself, or merely circumstances. If it fails again I would gladly second and vote for any edicts to diminish it.

[Nightbringer]

I second edict 4.3

[phonicsmonkey]

I second Edict 4.3

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

Upon further reflection, I would be amenable to the Prinz's Reichsmarschall proposal if the phrase "but shall have first refusal on their hire in priority to other nobles" is omitted from the final legislation. This way we would be able to totally separate the Marshal's powers over the hiring of mercenaries - which we can mostly agree has been a failure - with the Marshal's new powers, which is more of a centralized defense force than anything it was previously.

In addition, I hereby award the province of Innsbruck to the Duchy of Austria. This is the result of a private discussion between the Prinz and myself and we have both agreed that the province will be given to Bavaria upon that Duchy's eventual reestablishment.

[phonicsmonkey]

The Prinz stands once more, inclining his head to the Kaiser.

So be it mein Kaiser. In order to gain your support I shall amend the legislation as you propose, the amended form to be as follows:

Charter Amendment 4.1b: The "Marshal" section of Charter provision 6.12 is amended to read as the following (changes are in bold):

Reichsmarschall:
Term: Self-nominated and elected every normal Diet Session.
Powers:
(1) The Reichsmarshall is no longer to have sole authority to recruit mercenaries.
(2) The Reichsmarshall shall have the power to recruit troops from the recruitment facilities of any Duchy, to be paid for and supported from the Reichsmarschall's budget, with the consent of the settlement owner.
(2) Can recruit and disband mercenary and regular regiments in the Reichsmarschall's army, can move mercenary and regular regiments to and from armies or assign to/remove from an Elector
(3) Recruitment and upkeep are paid for by a pool of funds which is sustained by an income tax on all electors automatically paid each turn and by a flat tax on the proceeds from sacking captured settlements and ransoming enemies.

Penalties:
(1) If the pool runs out, mercenaries are paid for out of the Marshal's treasury.
(2) The 'Mercenary Tax' rate will be a fixed 10% rate levied against the income of all Electors. A further tax is to be levied of 50% on any sacking proceeds and on ransom proceeds to support the Reichsmarshall's budget.

May I assume the legislation receives the same seconders or do we need to hear from them individually again?

And I thank you good Kaiser for the award of Innsbruck. This issue no longer needs to go to the vote.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

I believe in cases of amending legislation seconders are required to restate their support for said legislation. In any case, you will need one less, as I hereby second CA 4.1b.